The Sandman Oneshots & Headcanons

Not An Angel (Death x Reader)

The first time that Death saw (Y/N), it had been while she was working. They were in a hospital room, one of the crowded ones with several beds. It was one of those big accidents (or sometimes it wasn't an accident, Death tried not to think about it) where the emergency room was filled and doctors were rushing around.

She had just helped a young girl pass over, and noticed that the figure in the bed beside the girl's had just flatlined.

"We're losing them!" One of the doctors called out, grabbing the defibrillator. Meanwhile, the human's soul now stood in front of Death.

The human looked at Death, taking her in. Then looked behind them to see their body on the hospital bed, and then looked back at Death. "What is...?"

"Don't worry." Death told them with a soft smile. The human was very easy on the eyes, but Death knew that she had to get back to work. "It's not your time yet."

"My time?" (Y/N) looked confused for a second, before the realization hit. "Are you an angel?" They asked her, staring at her with an stunned expression.

She just chuckled. "No, not an angel. I'm death."

"Oh. I just, you're just..."

"I just what?" Death tilted her head.

"You're just... really beautiful. I thought you could only be an angel." (Y/N)'s words were blunt but kind, and Death couldn't stop the grin from forming on her lips or the warmth spreading throughout her body. People have said similar things over the years, but this was the first time in ages that it had affected her in any serious way.

But those words, spoke so honestly from a person that Death thought the same thing about...

When (Y/N)'s heart started again and their soul was pulled back into their fragile body, Death couldn't resist taking one last look at them before returning to the souls that needed her. But even after that, Death couldn't completely resist the thought of that human. Of seeing them again. It got to the point where Death gave in, taking a moment out of their day to go see the human.

She hadn't originally planned to let the human see her, planned to keep her distance. But once she got there, Death let herself be visible.

"You're back." (Y/N) was surprised, but not shocked. Once they had first came into contact with Death, they knew it was only a matter of time until Death returned for them. It wasn't a happy though, but they comforted themself with the thought of seeing the woman again. "Come to take me away? To wherever people go when they die? Hades, Heaven, The Field of Reeds? The Good Place or the Bad Place?"

"No." She smiled at them. "You're safe."

"So you're here for someone else." This little human was so filled with assumptions. Death would be a little irritated with it if it wasn't so endearing presumptuous. She almost wondered if they were trying to prove something to her. That they were intelligent and could handle learning about that afterlife?

(Answer: That was exactly what (Y/N) was trying to do)

"Nope."

"Then why..." (Y/N) looked curiously at Death. Relieved that they weren't dead, as well as glad to see the supernatural being. "What are you doing here?"

Death figured that she should repay (Y/N)'s original honesty with honesty of her own. "I don't really know. I just wanted to see you again."

Death was slightly worried that her honesty would come across as alarming. But, the wide, delighted smile that graced (Y/N)'s lips stopped her from feeling any type of true regret. "And so, you came to visit me at work?" They asked cheerfully .

"Am I interrupting something? Sorry." Death wasn't really used to human routines and habits. What was the correct time to visit someone again?

"No, no." They shook their head. "I just... my break is in 20 minutes. We could get coffee, if you... do you even drink or eat stuff?" They seemed so adorably flustered, Death couldn't help but smile at them.

"If I want to." She responded to the relieved human. "Does this mean this is a date, or...?"

"I mean," (Y/N) tripped over their words, they could feel the blood rushing to their face in nervousness. It wasn't every day someone asked the literal embodiment of death out for coffee. "If you want it to?"

It had been ages since they've seen any human more than once, but Death didn't like the thought of not seeing this human again. "I do." She told them

"Great." (Y/N) responded. Their bold manners, the ones that so endeared them to Death and made her enjoy their company, returning.

Death felt more glad of her decision to come see the human again every second she spent with them.