Brook X GN Reader || I'm The Grim Reaper

Chapter 68

It hadn't rained like this for months, you were sure. The droplets pummeled against your sore skin, but you didn't notice. You rubbed a mixture of tears, rain, and blood off of your face as you rested against the large tree branch just below the window.

It wasn't the first time you had snuck in, but it had been so long since you had come from these circumstances. You thought it wouldn't happen again.

As tired as you were, you couldn't stay in the rain forever and rest on this branch all night. You reached up with your arm and hauled yourself up to the branch above the one you were occupying, trying not to shake it too much because a nest full of eggs and a mother bird was at the base. You knocked on the window lightly, or as lightly as you could.

It didn't take long for Alex to appear in the window with wide eyes, and at your appearance, he quickly unlocked the window and opened it. He reached out a hand to help you in, trying to avoid the parts of your arms that were wounded. The floor had rain on it by the time you had gotten inside and he had upset you on a small couch in the corner, the rug was soaked and so were the cushions you were sitting on.

"It's 4 in the morning. What the hell happened?" Alex demanded once he locked the window shut. You opened your mouth to respond but a choked sob came out instead, and you looked into your lap to avoid his eyes. He stood by the window for a few moments more, then turned around and walked into the bathroom.

He came back a few seconds later with a small box in his hands, and a towel draped over his shoulder. He didn't ask you if you were okay, probably because he knew you weren't. "Take your shirt off," He instructed. You didn't argue, it was soaked and cut and you were sure it couldn't be repaired. He draped the towel over your shoulders first to get you warm, then set to work.

He knelt next to you, grabbing your arm to start cleaning the wounds that littered them. You steadied your breathing as you watched him work. His eyes were knit in concentration and he kept glancing up at you with a concerned look.

"He threw glass at us," You said quietly. He hesitated for a second, then kept cleaning and wrapping your wounds without looking up. "He was mad at Alicia because she said she didn't want to date anyone yet. She wanted to go to a real school and become a doctor." You sighed. "And he started yelling so I came in to see what was happening. Then Oliver came in, and Alicia had to rush him out of the room because he started crying. So I talked to Father and told him in... not too polite words, that Alicia is an adult now and she can do whatever she wants. And he pushed the cupboard beside him down and glass flew everywhere from the dishes that were on display," You kept talking, looking around the room.

The bird outside was awake now, picking at one of her eggs that had started to hatch. The nest looked warm. "And he threw the ones that didn't break when they fell at me and Alicia. We both blocked Oliver, and... Uh, they went to stay with Aunt Mary. I think they got there okay. And I came here when he and Mother started to fight too." Alex nodded as he finished wrapping up the rest of your arms.

He got a band-aid and looked up at you. "I'm not letting you go back there," He said firmly as he took your chin in his hands and made you turn to apply it to your cheek.

"My birthday isn't for months. And he'll come looking for me within a few days." His shoulder deflated. "Just stay away from him. Move into the room at the back of the house so you can sneak out when he's violent, just something." His voice had an edge of desperation to it. You hummed in agreement. "I will,"

He stood up again and walked to his wardrobe, rummaging through it and pulling out some light blue silk pajamas and handing them to you, along with some underwear. You got dressed as he did his best to clean the floor and put your soaked and ripped clothes in a pile by the door for Vanessa to collect later. You worked in silence, and when you both were done you fall face-first onto his bed.

The mattress dipped next to you. Gentle fingers trailed down your back, drawing shapes and circles. "How badly was Alicia hurt?" He asked quietly. You turned your head to look at him, and he was leaning on his elbow and lying next to you. His fingers found your hair and he twisted some between his fingers. "Not as bad as me. Oliver only had a small cut on his shoulder. I think they took care of themselves before they left." He nodded, eyebrows knitted together again in thought.

You rolled over and he watched as you sat up and cross your legs. He did the same. You grabbed one of his hands, playing with each of his fingers in turn. His skin was pale and loft, his fingers long. A small smile fell on your face as you turned his hand palm up, then palm down again, and ran your thumb over his knuckles.

"I'm really tired," You admitted. Alex grabbed your hand, interlocking your fingers and bringing them both to his face to kiss your knuckles. Pulling you toward him, you both lay down on the bed with your hands locked together. He pulled you into his chest and you could hear his heart beating. You could hear his breathing and you squeezed your eyes shut. You let your body go limp, and it felt heavy. But a good kind of heavy, not like you felt as you dragged your feet to his house and climbed the tree to his window.

You felt safe. You were safe, and you knew that.

(In the meantime, Celeste, Azrael, and Bernadette had a conversation in Heaven and there is discourse between them all about believing that God's decisions are the right ones. At the end, we get a glimpse of Scarlet in the Ninth Circle laying on the floor as she was when she was laid down with Chase.)