Pairing: Levi Ackerman & gn!Reader
Content Warning: Death, talk of the afterlife, drunk driving (mentioned)
Summary: Death is a busy woman, and her Reapers gather the souls of the dead and guide them to her office. And, unfortunately for you, you've just died.
A/N: *shakes off wings of freedom jacket* Goin' back to my roots on this one. I actually wrote this last year when I saw this image of Reaper!Levi , but unfortunately it looks like the artist has deleted their blog. :/ I figured spooky season was the best time to bring it back. And, yes, Death is based on Kirby Howell-Baptiste because she's beautiful and I think did a wonderful job in Sandman.
No one really knew what death was like until they experienced it - but the last thing you expected was to find yourself watching your body being loaded into the back of an ambulance, lights on but sirens off as they drove your corpse to the nearest morgue.
You ran a hand through your hair - not really feeling any of it, but a motion of habit built in your years alive.
So…ghost. How mundane. Out of all the options, all the possibilities, you were cursed to roam this world for a second time - just as invisible as you were the first round.
You sat on the mangled guardrail as the crash scene was slowly cleaned before you. The drunk driver who hit you lived - of course he did, the bastard - but both cars were nothing more than crumpled tin cans.
One of the firemen cleared the glass that littered the road with a large bristle brush with long, smooth strokes; the fragments catching the afternoon sun and sparkling in an enchanting way compared to how they had appeared.
Kicking at a wildflower in anger, you noticed that it barely moved. That’s when a sigh escaped your lips, disappearing into the wind. You were cursed to roam the world, and you couldn’t even haunt things?
“That skill comes with time,” a low voice beside you said, making you jump. Next to you was the perfect definition of a reaper - long, black cloak that hid whatever body was underneath, skull face, and a huge scythe resting between the two of you on the guardrail.
A bark of a laugh escaped you, causing the reaper to pull back and give you a proper once over. That’s when you realized that very human eyes peered through the skull back at you.
“Damn - die at a Halloween party or something?”
The reaper removed the skull mask, revealing one of the most beautiful faces you had ever seen. Blemish free pale skin, high cheekbones, and eyes that seemed to swirl and change like the storm clouds above.
The irony of being dead was not lost on you - because of course someone who looked like that would only turn up and give someone like you his attention on the worst day of your life…er…death.
He let out a huff of air, dark eyebrows furrowing. He ruffled the black mop of hair on the top of his head. “I told her this was a stupid idea.”
“Her who?”
He blinked, his face slipping back into a more neutral expression. “Death.”
Now it was your turn to blink. “Death is a she?”
“Of course Death is a she - a man couldn’t handle everything that was required between the paperwork and the international organization of gathering souls.”
“That’s a pretty non stop job, isn’t it?”
The reaper nodded once.
“And this…get up…” you continued, gesturing to the outfit.
He sighed again, “It was an idea to make death more welcoming. We aren’t all dressed up like this - depends on your country of work.”
You blinked slowly at him. Again. “You have to work?”
“No, but eternity gets boring after a while.” He snapped his fingers and the outfit changed to a more modernized reaper. He now wore a tight black shirt, dark wash jeans, and dark work boots. The robe became more of a long overcoat, and he held the mask in one hand, flipping the scythe with ease in the other to rest over his shoulder. “Better?”
You nodded, losing your voice. Holy hell - it was unfair he looked so good and both of you were so, so dead. Your jaw worked as your vocal cords tightened, then released in a wheeze, “Much.”
He nodded his head in a general direction and started to walk, the obvious indication that you should follow. Which you did, because what else was there to do?
You caught up to him quickly, slowing your strides to match his. “So…what’s next, Mr. Reaper?”
The man’s nose scrunched up and he gave you a look from the corner of his eye. “Please don’t call me that.”
“Well, what else am I supposed to call you?”
“Name before all this was Levi - you can use that.”
“Levi…” you repeated, letting his name roll off your tongue. It was…pleasant. The most pleasant thing you had tasted in a while. “So, Levi, what’s next?”
He took a breath, pausing to choose his next words carefully. He always found this the hardest part - explaining the process of moving forward.
“Well, it depends. Do you have any unfinished business?”
You snort, knowing damn well you don’t. Your life had felt like it was going nowhere fast - the same monotonous day in and day out job, home alone to the same beige apartment. Most of your friendships were caught in the endless “We’ll have to meet up soon!” loop, and you doubted any would shed a tear you were gone.
That was just life sometimes.
Shaking your head, you turned to look at him. “Honestly, I don’t. When I realized I could see my body, it was more of a ‘well, shit’ moment. Nothing else really went through my mind.”
Levi hummed in response, the two of you still walking up the road to nowhere. “Well, then we can move up the timeline. From here, we’ll go see Death, and, depending on your life, you’ll have options of what to do next.”
“Depending on my life?”
“Yes,” he continued, flipping the scythe lazily around his hand. “It’s fairly simple. If you’ve been a fairly good person, you can choose your afterlife. Most just stick to their religion, but every so often people make it interesting.”
“And for those who aren’t good people?”
“Hell is very real - and Death is not kind to them.”
You let out a huff, finding slight comfort in the fact that some people were being punished for their deeds - even if it was a bit later than you would like. “Is your choice final?”
There was a pause. “No? But I’ve never heard of anyone changing it.”
“So…how did you end up a Reaper, then?”
A dry chuckle escaped him. “You know - most people don’t ask?”
You just shrugged in response. “Guess I want to know all my options.”
He shook his head at that, black fringe falling into his face. You clenched your hand when you felt the urge to tuck it back behind his ear. Stupid - silly, really. You were both dead.
Levi sighed, bouncing his scythe on his shoulder while he thought. “Well…I guess I wasn’t ready for forever - still aren’t, if I’m being honest. It just sounds…boring. When I said this to Death, she gave me other options. Turns out the afterlife runs more like a business than people think. Some people like to have meaning in the next life, too. She told me that whenever I was ready to let her know and I could move forward, but for now I could choose from some available jobs. And at the time she needed more Reapers, so…” he made a sweeping gesture toward his body.
“How long have you been doing this for?”
“Oh…a couple centuries now, I think. Meet a lot of interesting people -”
“200 years?!” You shouted, the shock grounding your feet to a halt. Levi turned to look back at you.
“Death is pretty permanent, kid. And it’s the only thing that’s actually forever.”
Nibbling on your bottom lip, you stared at your feet, brain…or ghost brain? finally fully processing the situation. You were dead. No more bills. No more anxiety. No more books to read. No more goals and dreams to chase. No more chances to make something of your life. Just…this. Whatever this is.
Levi waited patiently, giving you the time and space to think. He seemed quite unbothered by your current panic.
You guessed if you had 200 years of reaper experience, you would get to that point, too.
“So…that’s it, then.”
He nodded, gray eyes watching you carefully. Levi had been doing this long enough to know that this could go one of two ways. Either you kept walking with him, or you ran, blind panic, and became a lost soul. He was hoping that you would be in the first group, as he was in no mood to chase someone down or report a failure on his end. Those jobs always ended in paperwork, and Levi despised paperwork.
He loosened a breath when you started walking toward him again, but your eyes were focused elsewhere. This was fairly common in the newly deceased. He was leading you to your final decision. There was a lot to consider.
“Could I just…stay with you?” You asked, voice small.
“No,” he replied, gently. “I am not a choice. Just a guide to get you to the right place.”
You humphed lightly, crossing your arms. Spending an eternity alone seemed just as miserable as being alive. Lost in your own thoughts, you nearly ran into the man who had been leading you down the road. He stood facing a door of a decrepit building.
“Well, this is…depressing.”
The reaper rolled his eyes, gesturing with the mask. “You just need a doorway. Walk through there, and you’ll find Death.”
“Are you coming with me?”
He shook his head. “This is a private conversation. And, besides, I still have quite a few souls to find.” Levi slid his mask over his face once more, and placed a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll be fine.” He gave you a little push forward, waiting for you to open the door before heading off to whoever needed him next.
You expected for the door to open into the building that looked like it would cave in with the next gust of wind, but instead you found yourself inside a clean office, lights dim but the walls all a light shade of gray. The furniture - a large desk, a rug, and a couch near the back - were all black.
Leaning on the desk, holding a cup of something hot, was a tall woman, with a gentle smile and, also, clad in all black.
Must be a dress code, you thought to yourself.
You found yourself drawn to her - this beautiful woman with dark brown skin and an abundance of black curls coming from her head. The only contrasting thing on her was a large silver ankh hanging around her neck and falling to the middle of her chest. “Hello,” she said, holding the cup out toward you. “Care for a cup of tea?”
Levi Ackerman Masterlist | Created by @thechaoticarchivist
Do not repost. Reblogs and comments always welcome
