Reaping Amore

Ruby smiled a little as she helped him, seeing his own face get a little smile on it. It would be... Like having a little brother... Maybe. He was taller and looked a little more muture, but he needed help. "Well... They're really good," she told him, "Especially with ketchup, but some people don't like ketchup. I don't know about you though, we'll see tomorrow I guess." After a bit, she let go of his hand and watched him eat, while eating her own cereal.

When he turned to her, she looked at him intently. Upon hearing him though, Ruby covered her mouth and choked a little, though she managed to swallow her cereal. She started laughing full-heartedly for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him, smiling. "I'm sorry... It's not that I'm laughing at you, but..." Ruby told him, "Well, that was a really cute and funny thing to say."
 
Steele blushed a bit. Although he was a bit embarrassed about his action, because he didn't understand what about it was funny or cute, he was more surprised by Ruby's laughing face. She was sharing that expression in his presence! He felt a warm feeling surge throughout his body as he reflexively coughed to clear his throat, face still a bit hot, "I understand... I'm looking forward to the hamburgers tomorrow then. I'm sure ketchup will be a delight."

Finishing his bowl of cereal, he looked around for where to place the bowl and left it in the sink. "Can you teach me how to clean the dishes too? I've heard that breaking dishes isn't a good thing, so I don't want to touch them on my own," he shrugged slightly, understanding that he was a complete noob at living.
 
She patted his shoulder a little and smiled. "Don't be embarassed, I'm sorry," Ruby told him. "I think I'm going to like having you around," she admitted. "To make up for laughing, I'll buy you ice cream too."

She giggled a little bit as he asked about cleaning dishes. "Sure, it's not that hard. It'll be nice to have help," Ruby said, standing up. She put her bowl in the sink too and grabbed a sponge, handing it to him. Once he was holding it, she put some dish soap on it. "All you have to do is add some water, then rub that on the dishes to clean away all the stuff. They can get slippery, and I've broken some dishes before too, so don't worry about dropping any."
 
Ice cream? Steele didn't know how that tasted either. Maybe it tasted like cereal? He'd figure that out tomorrow he guessed. Listening to Ruby's explanation and holding the sponge, he nodded, meaning "I see," and turned on the faucet to get water onto the sponge. Turning off the faucet, he tried washing his bowl. Holding onto the bowl was hard because he was using so much force to scrub it with the other hand. He lessened the pressure he was scrubbing the dish with and it became a lot easier to wash the bowl. After scrubbing every possible part of the bowl that he could, he began cleaning the spoon and suddenly found it amusing to do dishes. He remembered that he saw lots of people who hated washing the dishes, but it was actually fun! He smiled, following the curve of the spoon with his soapy sponge and watching as a tiny bubble flew up in the air before popping right in front of him. He blinked, a little perplexed by what happened. He continued doing the same for Ruby's bowl and spoon and finished, leaving the soapy utensils and bowls in the sink. Looking accomplished after scrubbing everything, he triumphantly smiled. Placing the sponge down, Steele looked at Ruby, his soapy hands in the air in front of him so he didn't dirty anything, "What do I do now?"
 
Ruby watched him with an amused smile, laughing a little as the bubble popped in front of him. He looked so cute, it was actually going to be fun to teach him things. Already, her mind was thinking of things that they could do, things he should try. Good thing she had the day off tomorrow, they would have all day to do things.

Grabbing his hands, she turned on the faucet and put them under it. "Wash all the soap off," she replied. Once his hands were no longer soapy, she grabbed the soapy dishes and did the same. "Grab that towel," she directed, pointing to a towel on the counter. "And then we just dry the dishes and your hands and we're done." Ruby told him, smiling. "Just use the same movements as when you were washing them."

She thought for a moment, waiting as he did that. Where would he sleep? She didn't want him on the floor or couch. She wasn't used to having guests, do her couch was small and she had no sleeping bags or anything... He could just sleep in bed with her, after all, she doubted he'd try anything. What about pajamas? Well... Her ex had left some clothes last time he slept there, and had never taken them back, he could probably where those. She nodded then, and started off to her bedroom. "Come on," Ruby said, smiling, "I think it's time for bed."


((lol, long post ^^; sorry, I talk to much))
 
He nodded, following along with her directions and grabbing the towel. He liked the feel of the towel and rubbed it on his hands before using it on the dishes. He glanced at Ruby, wondering if she would let him have a towel to touch. He shook his head, quickly throwing the idea out of his mind. Steele shouldn't be so selfish, it was Ruby's towel, not his. He frowned slightly, a bit jealous of Ruby for having such a nice-feeling towel. Wiping off all of the moisture on the dishes and putting them away, he dried his hands and chuckled, "Done!"

"Sleep? Oh yes, I forgot I need that now," Steele said aloud. He wondered where he would sleep. Or even, how he would sleep. He saw humans do it before, they closed their eyes and then... He guessed they just turned themselves off? The reaper wasn't sure how they did it, but he was sure that Ruby would help him and that made him smile.
 
Motioning for him to follow, Ruby went into her room and pulled out a box. "I don't want you hurting your back if you sleep on the floor, so you'll be sleeping with me on the bed," she told him. The box in her closet was labeled - Douche Clothes, burn? - but she hoped Steele wouldn't know what that meant. She pulled out a shirt and some shorts, tossing them to him.

"I'll change in the bathroom. Tomorrow, we can go shopping and stuff, I'll buy you a toothbrush too," she said, heading into her bathroom to change into her own pajamas. She took her time, not wanting to walk in on him while he was changing.
 
Steele read "Douche clothes, Burn?" on the box Ruby pulled out. He wasn't sure what a douche was, but if it had the word "burn" next to it, it might not have been something good. He said, "Okay" before taking off his reaper clothing and putting them in a small, folded pile under the bed. He kept his belt on top of the pile, making sure he could reach it at anytime. Once he slipped into his new clothes, he marveled at the feel. It felt kind of chilly with the short pants she'd given him, but the clothes, in general, were very comfortable. He called for Ruby when he finished, "Ruby, are you done? I'm finished. Are you going to teach me how to go to sleep now?"
 
When he called for her, she stepped out with short shorts and a long t-shirt. "Reapers don't sleep?" Ruby marvelled, tilting her head to the side. "Makes sense I guess." Ruby pulled back the bed sheets and got in bed, patting the mattress beside her. "All you have to do is lay down, close your eyes, and wait,"she explained.

"It helps to have the light off, just push the switch down," Ruby told him, pointing to the light switch. "It's hard sometimes, but sleep usually comes easy."
 
His finger touched the light switch before he got into the bed and lied down. He stared at the ceiling in darkness for a long while before he realized that sleep was hard to fall into when one didn't feel exhausted. Closing his eyes, he saw darkness still. It seemed like there was no difference in what he saw when his eyes were open in the dark and when they weren't. This experience was a bit puzzling to him because he didn't know if his eyes were open or closed. Squeezing them shut, he tried to do what Ruby said: closing his eyes and eventually falling asleep. Soon enough, his eyes remained shut without his having to keep them that way. A yawn escaped his mouth as he whispered, "Ruby, good night. I think that's what you guys say, right?"
 
She had already been dozing off when she heard Steele yawn and say goodnight. Ruby nodded a little, curling up. "Yes, that's what we say. Goodnight," she replied, smiling a little.

Pretty soon, Ruby was asleep and snoring softly. As she slept, she shifted around a little, rolling over so her back was to him. She was curled up tightly, pulling the blanket around her and snuggling up.
 
When Steele's mind was finally conscious, he woke up, suddenly moving into a sitting position. He blinked a few times, still a bit dazed. When he placed his down and felt something warm and kind of squishy, he noticed he was touching someone. His eyes only saw things blurred for the first few minutes he was staring at the person beside him. When his vision cleared, he remembered that he was sleeping with Ruby. He tilted his head as he looked at the woman beside him. She was pretty when she was sleeping. She looked peaceful. A littlle bit too peaceful, Steele felt a little paranoid that she might've been dead. He leaned in close to her face, his eyes only an inch away from hers as he stared intently at her closed eyes and tried to listen to see if he could hear her breathing. After a few moments, he smiled in relief, her breath was slow and almost inaudible, but still there.

He decided he would make her breakfast before she got up, so he slipped out of bed and went into the kitchen, grabbing two sets of the things needed to eat cereal. Two bowls, two spoons. With the box of cereal in his hand, he opened the cardboard flap and angled the opening of the plastic bag inside the box towards the inside of the bowl. He shook a bit too harshly, so a few pieces of cereal fell onto the counter, but he picked them up and threw them away. After filling up both bowls 3/4 of the way, he filled them with 1/4 of milk, not spilling a drop this time. Smiling triumphantly at his new ability to easily pour things, he put the cereal and milk gallon away. Sticking the spoons in the bowls, he whispered to himself, "Successfully made two breakfasts."
 
Ruby slept in a bit more, though once she felt the warmth beside her leave, it was a lot harder. At first, it was difficult to comprehend and she laid there with her eyes closed, wondering what the warmth had been. As the events of the previous night came back, she opened her eyes and yawned. Where did he go? she wondered, looking around the room. Looking at the sheets, she decided that he had probably gotten up as opposed to disappearing into thin air as she'd thought first.

Getting up, she walked into the kitchen, where she heard rustling. "Making cereal?" she said, smiling a little. "You didn't make any spills," Ruby mentioned, giggling a little. "Are you going to want to take a shower or anything, or not ready for that yet?"
 
When Ruby walked into the room, Steele smiled, "Yup. I made you some. Maybe you can teach me to make other foods? I think I've mastered making cereal." He handed one of the bowls to Ruby and began eating the contents of the other bowl. He tilted his head to the side when she mentioned a shower. "Shower? I don't think I know how to use of those yet. Maybe later?" he wasn't quite sure how to shower and didn't really watch humans shower because watching humans in the restroom or just when they were naked always felt awkward for him. Reapers didn't need privacy because they didn't need to eat and didn't get dirty, so they never needed to use the toilet or shower/bathe. As he ate his cereal, he looked at Ruby with curiosity, "Do you have anything you need to do today?"
 
Ruby nodded, "Sure, I'll teach you how to make all sorts of foods." She smiled at him and started to eat her bowl of cereal. Everything that was happening still seemed far-fetched to her, but hey, so far it had been real. She couldn't help but be afraid, just a little bit, if he'd broken the rules, that meant others like him were going to look for them.

"Not anything specifically," Ruby replied. "We could go to the store and buy some things to make food. We could also go to the park or to the library, anywhere you want to go," she told him, "Is there any human place you've ever wanted to go to?"
 
Excited by Ruby's question, the reaper didn't know where to start. There were so many places he'd never experienced being in and could only watch from above. Eating the rest of his cereal as he brainstormed, the male chewed almost mindlessly like a cow eating grass. Where did he want to go most? After a few moments, Steele's brain seemed to think taking a walk to the park would be a good idea. The park could be relaxing for the both of them, and he could spend some more time with Ruby outside of her place. Steele wanted to make as many memories with her as possible since the future was mostly unpredictable. He nodded, totally into the idea of going to the park and shyly smiled a bit towards Ruby as he said, "The park sounds perfect. Going to the market together sounds good too. I'm okay with anywhere as long as you're with me."

Steele figured, at this point, only a day after her failed reaping, none of the other reapers had yet known that he didn't complete his mission or that he was abandoning his post as a reaper. He was sure it would be a while before the upper heads figured anything out. After a few days, he predicted they would only assume he was slacking off or taking a break. Placing his bowl in the sink and beginning washing it, he looked at Ruby, alive and healthy, and smiled to himself. The reaper was glad he did what he did; he vowed to stay by her side and protect her. It was his new mission, his new lifestyle he'd build to keep her living until her true time came. He never wanted to see her bashed up like he did the day before, he swore to himself he'd never allow that to happen again.
 
Smiling at him, Ruby finished her own bowl and slipped it into the sink. "Alright, then it's all set," she said, clapping her hands gently together. "We'll get ready, then head to the park." She thought for a moment, looking Steele over. "You need clothes..." she said half-mindedly, "I mean, you only have what you were wearing yesterday. You're going to need more though."

Clothes shopping was always fun, but today it would be a mission. She'd have to figure out his sizes, which would be easy since he seemed to have the same figure as her ex, then they'd have to find something he liked. Plus shoes...

Maybe Ruby was having a little too much fun with this, but she didn't really care. Smiling, she turned away to head back to her bedroom. "Park, clothes, groceries," she told him, "And of course, we'll eat lunch at some restaurant. There's plenty to choose from, so I'll let you find one you like!"
 
As he finished washing his bowl and utensil, he quickly washed Ruby's, kind of distracted by the bubbles on his hands. Once she said he needed more clothes, he immediately apologized with a frown on his face, "I'm sorry, I was so happy to be by your side that I forgot you have to account for my living expenses as well..." He didn't mean to be a burden to the girl he liked, but in order to be by her side, he needed to be for now. Maybe he could help her by working as well? Working with her at the restaurant would be good, because then he could watch over her more. He would ask Ruby about that later.

As Ruby mentioned going grocery shopping and eating out in addition to buying clothes for him, he put the dishware away and rinsed his hands before turning around with a concerned look on his face. Steele opened his mouth to say something about the amount of money she would spend on him, but once he saw her smile -a beautiful smile that made his heart beat a little faster- he smiled as well, not wanting to ruin her happiness. Clenching his fist, he nodded as he made a mental note of trying not to have Ruby spend carelessly for him, he'd try to not buy so many things or choose a pricey place for lunch. Walking back into her bedroom, he grabbed his pants, belt, and shoes from under her bed, absentmindedly changing into them. He decided to keep the shirt Ruby gave him on, it would make him look less conspicuous as a reaper hiding amongst humans.
 
Ruby shook her head. "There's no need for you to apologize," she told him, "You saved my life, you know, the least I could do is buy you some stuff. Try not to worry, I do have money saved up." She followed him into the bedroom, going to the closet and grabbing clothes for herself before heading into the bathroom to change. She soon had on a simple t-shirt and jeans, her hair in a pony-tail. Leaving the bathroom, she smiled at him.

"Ready?" Ruby asked. She grabbed her small bag and put her wallet in it. "Steele..." she said suddenly, letting the name roll of her tongue. "I like that name," she told him. "This may be an odd question, but... Where do reapers get their names?" Ruby asked him, tilting her head to the side curiously.
 
Feeling more at ease from what Ruby told him, he decided he wouldn't be so worried. It'd be nice for the both of them to be able to relax for a while. Spending time together. Steele finished changing before walking into the living room and turning to look at the ready Ruby. Wow was she pretty. "Even in a simple outfit, you look absolutely beautiful..." he unconsciously said. Realizing he said his thoughts aloud, his face reddened slightly. All the female reapers liked having stylish uniforms and lots of accessories, but even they couldn't compare to the beauty of a simple outfit on a wonderful woman with an amazing smile.

At Ruby's question regarding how grim reapers got their names, Steele thought for a second, wondering what would be the easiest way to explain it. A light bulb lit above his head before he responded, "The original, true Grim Reaper names us. I heard he uses anything from the last images of our deaths as humans as inspirations for our names. Apparently something relating to steel was involved in the way I died. I cannot remember how exactly though, as our memories as humans were erased by Death himself permanently when we became reapers."
 
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