Christmas Oneshots

A Grim Christmas

"Why, yes, Grim. Of course you can join us in our celebration!" Grim spoke to one of his skulls, staring glumly down at the party the demons were throwing. Then he glanced up at the angels, singing and celebrating as well. It was safe to say he hated Christmas. Sure the angels loved celebrating their beloved prince, and the demons enjoyed partying with their new queen, but where did he fit in?

Sighing, he placed the skull back onto one of the shelves in his room. Limbo, the place Grim called home, was a slow, gray, empty place. Since he was the only reaper in existence, he didn't exactly have a roommate to hang out with, like most angels and demons did. His only job was to take dying souls to Heaven or Hell. That was it. He didn't get to take souls as reapers. Not even the neutral souls got to become reapers; they were fought over between angels and devils. 

Standing, Grim looked at his shelves of skulls - the only thing he was allowed to keep from the souls he collected, seeing as he himself had no face. Glancing around, he grabbed a skull, placing it on the empty spot above his shoulders. Looking in the mirror, he watched as black hair sprouted from the skull, falling around his eyes sockets in the front, and curling at his nape in the back. After that, he looked almost human, save for his face being a skull. He looked at his hands, which were, surprisingly, human. He didn't know what happened to his face, but he knew this was one of the many things that separated him from the angels and devils, and even the humans.

Might as well go to Earth, He thought. More going on there than there is here.

Grabbing his scythe, Grim made his way to his Earth portal, one of three portals that sat in a room of his house. Pulling the hood of his robe over his head, he entered the portal, closing his eye sockets against the swirling lights until he knew he was on Earth. He'd arrived, standing right by a store front in a central shopping area. Glancing in the reflection of the window display, he wasn't surprised to see that his appearance had changed.

Instead of a skull, Grim now had skin, and the blackest eyes he'd ever seen. His robe was gone, replaced by black jeans, a black hoody with the sleeves pulled back to his elbows, and black rubber toed sneakers. His scythe was now a bracelet around his right wrist, with a scythe charm dangling from it. His hair was the same as it had always been; a mess of black hair that fell into his eyes.

Sighing, Grim watched a white cloud drift out of his mouth into the cold night sky. Despite having a human appearance, he was still himself. He could not feel pain, he could not feel cold, he did not have a heartbeat. Glancing around, Grim inspected the area. A large tree had been lit up and decorated near the center of the area, and shops and diners surrounded it. Couples walked by, hand in hand as they carried large shopping bags. Several groups of carolers had passed while he stood, and he finally decided to walk around. 

Several people sat on the streets, asking for money. For each one, Grim pulled out a crisp green piece of paper, dropping it into their cups and bowls. He didn't know where the money came from, either. All he knew was that it was there when he needed it, and never ran out. Several times he stopped at a storefront to admire a cloak or a sweater, but he never went in to buy anything. When becoming a reaper, Grim had learned one thing; though he could still go to Earth, he couldn't interact with humans. Sure, he could give them money, and they could see him, but he couldn't talk to them. It was as if his mouth was glued shut. A punishment for taking their lives, even if they were ready to go, he was sure. Either way, he could only talk to angels and devils.

The exception would be a human who had the powers of an angel or demon, or had absorbed their... Essence, so to speak; their purity or their sin. It only happened to those who stayed in Heaven or Hell for too long without being dead. So, basically, there was a total of two humans Grim could talk to. Micah, queen of Hell, and Seth, the archangel Airick's boyfriend. But right now, neither was on Earth, and Grim wasn't allowed to Heaven without an invite, and Micah was... Busy, at the moment. He'd seen Lucifer sneak off with his queen during the celebration (he could watch the actions of the angels and devils by looking through their respective portals) and didn't have to think too hard about where they'd gone.

Walking up to the nearest concession stand, Grim bought a drink without so much as a glance at the worker. Sure, he couldn't talk to them, but he found ways around it. It was just... He felt awkward buying things in an enclosed area, like a diner, where they sort of expected you to talk. At a stand, you just buy whatever trinket and were on your way. He had attempted sign language, but there were two problems. For one, it wasn't a language many knew, and two, his fingers froze when he tried to use it on a human.

Either way, he wandered the streets alone on the cold December evening, isolated from even the ones he could talk to. This was his least favorite time of year for this very reason. He always ended up alone, forced to sit with his thoughts. And that was the last thing he wanted. "Um.. Excuse me?"

Looking up, Grim stared at a young boy, only nineteen. Since he was a reaper, he knew exactly how old someone was by looking at their soul. That was how he could tell who was ready to die. Grim tilted his head, as if to ask 'What is it?'

The boy scratched his head. "Welll... I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a Christmas party." He quickly added, "I'm not trying to pick you up or anything, it's just... You looked... Lonely."

Grim nodded. 'Indeed.' After a moment, he shrugged. 'Sure, why not?'

The boy didn't seem to understand at first, but when Grim stood, he understood. "Great!"

They walked quietly before the boy tried to strike up a conversation. "You don't tallk much, do you?"

Grim looked down. It wasn't unusual to meet someone who wanted to get to know him whenever he wandered around Earth, but they always gave up when they realized he wasn't going to talk to him. So, naturally, it surprised him when the boy slung an arm around his shoulder. "Well, don't worry. You don't have to talk at all. My friends will do all the talking. They'll probably like you alot, but don't be put-off by their annoying personalities."

The boy continued to talk, but Grim stared at his arm, then at the smile on his face. Finally, Grim gave a small smile. Maybe this Christmas wouldn't be so bad.