#rudger

How… is this even possible? That was the longest week of his life, and he was barely even allowed to take a break to grieve. It’s just… he doesn’t really know how to react now that they’re back. He’s surprised by their new powers, and if things are going to continue between them, it’s going to be an adjustment. The biggest thing is that he just… he doesn’t want them to be stuck like this. He might have to ask Eric to help him do research into, er, helping his S/O. They don’t want to be stuck like this, right? If they’re okay with it… well… he can still hold their hand, so… maybe it isn’t that bad.

Well, that’s… that’s… what even?? It’s not enough that his entire life was turned upside down by his precious love dying, no. Something has to happen that brings them back from the dead as a spirit, something he has very little experience with. On the one hand, he’s thrilled to have them back, because that week was an incredibly dark one. On the other hand… are they really okay with being stuck as a wee ghostie?? Even if they can do everything exactly as they can before, it’s… strange. He’ll try to adjust. He’s just… he’s just glad to have them back.

Ugh… their darling left them alone…! Well, now that (Name) is back, hopefully they ought to have some way to apologize, right? Admittedly Grell has a bit of a chip on their shoulder about anything they view as abandonment, so they spent that week bitter and angry and violently wishing they had their S/O back. Now that their sweetheart is back, even with all these strange new abilities, well, Grell couldn’t care less about that part. Can (Name) still kiss? Then they want all the kisses, ever! (Name) will be lucky to only be told ten times in a single day how much Grell missed them and that they can’t leave ever again.

Honestly, this almost broke him; with how little he tends to interact with people, the deeper bond he had with his S/O was horribly difficult to lose. Practically as soon as he has them back, he’s visibly overjoyed… then he notices that they’re, well, different. Upon realizing that (Name) is a ghost now, but somehow he can still touch them and they can still pick up things and this is all just very strange. He’s never heard of a spirit that has all the powers and none of the downsides! Hm, he’ll have to do some research into this. In the meantime, though… he’s really just happy to have them back. Although it might be not quite the same sensation, he’s going to cuddle them for like a month straight.

The idea that his S/O would ever come back after dying wasn’t something he really thought about. So he was depressed and drinking after he lost them, then… then suddenly they’re back?? He’s confused more than anything. How does a person come back after dying, if it wasn’t because they committed suicide and became a Reaper? Things don’t work any other way, do they? Still… he almost doesn’t care what’s going on. He has them back, and he can continue to touch and kiss them, so it’s practically like (Name) never left. Even though his feelings are still lurking in the back of his mind, for the moment, the party of their relationship continues!

This was just one more thing that the universe decided to torture him with. Right when he’s finally happy, his S/O gets taken from him. He’s spent the week or so without them with his head down, trying to get through the grind of a day. It’s to the point that he borderline can’t believe it when they show up again. He starts out gentle, trying to touch them, because he doesn’t think it’s going to work… then it does? He’s back to grabbing at them and kissing them just like nothing has changed. Damn, he’s so lucky to have them back. Their new abilities aren’t even a problem… maybe this way they can even sneak into his office for some romantic time while he’s on the clock.

Is it any wonder that they spent most of the time without their S/O crying? It was hard to get through their work without tearing up, because (Name) is literally the most important person in their life. Sascha doesn’t understand how they’re supposed to go on without their beloved, and they’re nearly at the point of wanting to kill themself a second time when (Name) shows up again. Sascha is elated, along with a complicated mix of other feelings. It’s going to be okay now that they have their darling back, so they sort of just… slide back into the routine. After realizing that they can still give their S/O literally all the kisses ever, of course.

One more person he’s lost… he’s used to all the grief of people dying, but it still hurts. How many people does he have to lose? Every single love he’s ever had has died and left him with a hole in his chest. (Name) is simply the latest. As much as it hurts, he tries to swallow it and go on with his days. Then… they’re back in his life. He’s never heard of something like this happening, though perhaps he shouldn’t be shocked about it. If it’s possible, then perhaps it has happened before, hasn’t it? He’ll have to look into it. Regardless, he’s more than happy to embrace their new abilities since he’s still able to hold and kiss them. This is even better than if he’d made them into a Bizarre Doll.

Color him surprised, because he thought Reapers weren’t actually capable of having children. Isn’t that part of the punishment, to be surrounded by death and have no connection to giving life? Though, he doesn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the ins and outs of anything beyond daily life, so it’s possible he just… missed that. Ah, well. He secretly has always wanted to start a family (especially as he never had one while he was human), so it’s a pleasant surprise.

If he’s not married to his S/O when he finds out they’re pregnant, he remedies that very quickly. He goes through the whole thing quite fast, with Sascha being his person of honor, of course, and a ring which is simple but full of love. Their getting pregnant was the last thing which convinced him to take that step; he’s ready, he just needed a little push.

He’s not really the type of person to stress about all these things. After all, there’s only so much a person can control, right? A lot of the things that relate to having a baby plainly can’t be controlled at all. When the baby comes, if they’re healthy, how much labor the delivery will put his S/O through. He chooses to focus on what he can control ― making sure the two of them are prepared for when the baby does arrive. He concentrates on getting supplies, trying to research on how best to help his S/O through a birth, that sort of thing. The things he can control, he does so very, very well.

The only person he tells until his S/O’s bump is showing is Sascha. That’s because he trusts them with his life, so he can trust that they won’t breathe a word about this to anyone else. He’s so happy when he gets the news, he has to tell someone. That someone happens to be Sascha. He makes them swear to secrecy, because, well… so many bad things could happen. To him, the idea of having to tell people, “Oh… we’re not pregnant anymore…” along with his own grief, should something happen, is more painful than waiting a few months to get out of the woods for the worst possibilities.

His S/O and the concept of having a family just sort of sand down his rough edges. He softens, he settles, he becomes more responsible and domestic. He no longer looks for reasons to slack off of work, except when those reasons mean he gets to go home and be with his S/O and unborn child early. If not, he works harder than he did before. Life is precious, so he has to treat it as such… even when that precious life is the end of a life.

Ah, well… that’s… hm. He supposes anything is possible, although he’s never really heard that one before. That said, he’s actually quite curious, because Reapers as a whole do have technology that’s a bit more advanced than the Victorian time’s. So he thinks it’s not out of the realm of possibility for someone who lives in the future to, well, time travel. Definitely expect him to pick your brain about some things! He does try not to overstep boundaries or overwhelm you. It’s just… he’s inquisitive by nature, so, he want to know what the future’s like.

Nothing is impossible if one really thinks about it, right? Mostly he’s rather laidback about the whole thing, given that your being here is probably the result of an accident by one of their own. He’s surprised, sure, but it’s not like this is something he ever considered as impossible. In the rest of the chaos, he keeps a level head, and he lets you know that you can always come by and see him if you need anything or if you need a break from the others. More than anything he wants you to feel safe and comfortable while they try to figure out a way to get you home.

Goodness, look at you in all your futuristic glory! Are you showing your ankles?! Fashion must be quite different in the future… and as someone who both adores fashion and isn’t a stranger to a bit of scandal, they want to know all about it. However, this whole mess is almost certainly their fault in the first place. So they’re relegated to sneaking conversations with you as they try to fix it, begging you to tell them what kinds of styles are popular in your time. They’ll get you back, though only after you’ve helped them cheat at trendsetting.

Fascinating… should this even be possible, he wonders? He’s never heard of someone coming to visit another time from the past or the future! As someone who works in Forensics, figuring out puzzles, gathering information, he’s incredibly interested in you. He doesn’t even care that Grell is dragging their feet in doing their job, because it means he can investigate you, and your home, and what happened to bring you here. Although he might be overzealous at first, hopefully you can forgive him; he’s just so excited about all this.

Well, that’s, ah… that’s not something you see every day, is it? … Shite, well, he’s kind of bad at pretending he knows what to say here! Even though he’s certainly surprised by all this, he doesn’t really know how to react, to be honest. This is another one of Grell’s screw-ups, so that part isn’t new. He does feel kind of bad for you, though, stuck in a different time period where you don’t belong and have no one to turn to. If you’re up for a pint, he’ll for sure take you out. Along with Eric, he’s one of the Reapers who tries to treat you more like a friend than anything else, to make sure you’re as safe and comfortable as you can be while you’re under their care.

He can feel the headache starting already, and honestly he’s just glad that this wasn’t his nor Sascha’s fuck-up. Not his circus, not his Goddamn monkeys. However, he does feel a little pang of sympathy for you. It’s not like he doesn’t understand what it’s like to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; it, er, just so happens that you’re going through it a bit more literally than he ever has. He likely won’t approach you directly unless you come to him first, but he does sort of use Sascha to keep an eye on you. Just until all this is fixed, no matter what, he absolutely doesn’t want harm coming to you or anything like that.

Smile for the camera, because they’re going to take so many pictures of you!! Just, well, you know, to keep for themself once you’re gone since they’ll be sad then, so they can at least look back on memories. They are thrilled to have someone from the future in their company! In no small part it’s because humans in general fascinate them, but anything new and unusual also catches their attention. Though they occasionally seem to see you as something of a novelty, asking so many questions… they really do hope you think of them as a friend, too. One thing is sure, they always have a smile for you, even just before you leave to go home.

What a laugh!! No, no, really, this is the funniest thing he’s seen in decades. Well, the funniest thing that’s happened because a Reaper screwed up, at any rate. A big part of him wants to keep you around as long as possible, getting information from you, if only because that might help him achieve his end goals. However… the man isn’t without a heart. He’s experienced enough loss in his life to know that you probably have loved ones waiting for you. That you were ripped away from them, no warning, no explanation, no path home. So, though he’ll enjoy you while you’re here and ask you a lot of things… when it’s time for you to leave, he simply gives you a ‘shoo’ gesture and urges you to “ah, well… back you go, then, my dear.”