Work Text:
It started when my little brother started talking about his "friend."
"My friend came again last night," Jacob said, wriggling around in his chair as he waited for me to serve his breakfast. I turned to look at him over my shoulder, looking interested to make him feel like I was paying attention to him.
"Oh? I didn't know you had a friend over last night. Was this a friend from school?" He shook his head as I set his bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios in front of him. I did all this nowadays since my parents were gone. I was 19 and capable of taking care of Jacob, who was 9 years old at the time.
"No, this is a different friend," he said in a serious tone. "Nobody else can see him." My brain immediately went on high alert. I had heard fifty million stories about 'imaginary friends' who turned out to be horrible people or psychopaths or demons, and I didn't want my brother falling prey to one of those. So I asked a few questions to find out more.
"So, what is this friend's name?"
"Ronald," was Jacob's answer. I nodded.
"And what is Ronald like?"
"He's really funny and nice. When he first came, he sat in the rocking chair next my bed where Daddy used to sit and watched me sleep. I was scared at first, but he told me it was okay, he was just there to keep my nightmares away." I had to smile at that. Of course a little boy would have come up with a friend to keep his nightmares away.
"Does he just come at night?" He nodded vigorously.
"He told me that's the only time he gets off work, though sometimes he has to work very late. But he said he would be there every night." I nodded, still a little skeptical.
"Okay, that's nice," I said, deciding to drop the subject.
A few days later, Jacob came home from school with a picture he'd drawn in art class. He displayed it proudly on the fridge for me to see when I got home from work. When I asked him what it was, he answered, "That's what Ronald looks like." I examined the picture more closely. Jacob had drawn himself standing next to a tall man in a black suit. The man had blond hair which fell in his eyes, which were a little odd. They were two colors: the inner ring was green, while the outer ring was yellow. He wore thick black spectacles, and on the left side of his head, he had a cowlick sticking up. What really stood out to me, however, was his smile. It was a beautiful smile, really, nothing malicious about it. It was just...happy. I pointed to a spiky black part at the back of the man's neck. "What's this?"
"Oh, that's part of his hair," Jacob said. "He dyed it so it would look cooler." I nodded and didn't say anything else.
The next night, I woke up to hear a small whimper coming from Jacob's room. Fearing he was having a nightmare, I got up and headed over to his door, but stopped. I could hear a quiet voice, one that was definitely NOT my brother's. It was singing, softly, and I could hear the creak of the rocking chair. Slowly, I turned away and headed back to my room. Jacob was okay for tonight.
The next morning, Jacob looked well rested.
"Hey, buddy, sleep well last night?" I asked as he shuffled to the breakfast table. He nodded, yawning.
"I had a nightmare though." I nodded and sat down next to him. He smiled after a moment. "But it was okay, cause Ronald was there! He chased the nightmare away so I wouldn't be scared any more!"
"Really, how'd he do that?" He leaned his chin on his arms.
"He cuddled me in the rocking chair and sang to me," he said. So the voice I heard last night had belonged to the mysterious Ronald.
"Does he always sing to you?" I asked, suddenly keen to know more about my brother's nighttime protector.
"No, last night was the first time. But he tells me stories!"
"What sort of stories?"
"Any sort of stories! Happy stories, funny stories. Sometimes he'll tell me about something funny one of his coworkers did. He has another friend named Grell who has long hair and sharp teeth and carries a chainsaw. He looks scary but really isn't." He talked on about Ronald's stories. "Sometimes, when he can't think of a story right away, he'll tell me to pick three things in my house and he'll make up a story about them." I smiled.
"Ronald sounds like a nice guy," I said. He smiled and nodded.
One night, some weeks later, I woke up to hear smashing glass. I got up and ran to Jacob's room to find him sitting up in bed, frightened out of his wits.
"There's somebody in our house!" he whispered, eyes wide and body trembling. I gathered him close to me and held on tight, hoping whoever was downstairs didn't find us.
I hoped in vain. The bedroom door soon smashed open, revealing the intruder. He seemed genuinely surprised to see us, so I assumed he must have thought no one was home. He paused, blinked, then pulled a gun from his pocket and took aim. I squeezed my eyes shut.
THOK! There was a dull sound, like a fist smashing into teeth, and a heavy grunt as a body hit the wall. Then an unfamiliar, yet somehow known voice said, "You can open your eyes now. It's over." I slowly opened my eyes as Jacob bounded out of my arms.
"Ronald! You saved us!" I looked up at our rescuer, only to see that it was the man from Jacob's picture. In real life, he was much more handsome, his black-framed spectacles only serving to bring out those gorgeous eyes, and his hair ruffling slightly in the breeze from the open window. Jacob was currently hugging onto Ronald's neck, and my brother's not-so-imaginary friend laughed and returned the hug.
"All right there, kid?" he asked, the hint of a British accent poking through his voice. Jacob nodded, then tugged at his hand, pulling him over to me. "And you must be (Y/N)," said Ronald with a charming smile, extending his hand to me. I took it, but instead of shaking my hand, he bowed and kissed it gently. "The name's Ronald Knox, at your service." I blushed.
"It's nice to meet you," I managed finally. His smile didn't fade even as he let go of my hand.
Over tea in the kitchen, Ronald and I talked about many things after Jacob went back to sleep. Ronald explained to me that he was a Grim Reaper, one of those beings whose task it was to collect the souls of the dying and judge them based on their lives. I listened in wonder as he told me about his coworkers, including Grell, as well as his boss, William.
"I have to admit, when Jake first told me about you, I thought you would turn out to be one of those pedophiles or something." He tilted his head back and laughed, his blond bangs slipping into his eyes.
"I don't blame you. What girl wouldn't assume the worst of a stranger hanging around their little brother's bedroom at one in the morning?" He chuckled again and leaned back in his chair, grinning at me. "But no, I can assure you, I have nothing but the best intentions towards the both of you." He proceeded to recount to me the story of how he and my younger brother met for the first time. Ronald had been searching for his next target when he spotted the man climbing out of Jacob's bedroom window with Jacob tucked under his arm.
"I knew the guy was scheduled to die in a few minutes, so I figured, why not let the guy meet his fate and then put the kid back. It didn't look like anyone was home when I got back here, so I just climbed in the window and put Jacob back to bed. But I couldn't just leave. I guess the kid reminded me of myself at that age. So I stayed. And I've kept an eye on him every night since." He was standing by the kitchen window by now, looking out at the slowly lightening sky. I stood as well and walked over to him. He turned his head at my approach, but made a noise of surprise as I hugged him.
"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you for protecting my brother and me." He chuckled and hugged me back.
"Would now be a bad time to confess I've been watching you too?" I pulled away slightly.
"What?" He sighed.
"Not anything bad or anything. Just checking up on you once in a while. Those creaks you've heard in your hallway sometimes?" I nodded. "That was me, walking back to your brother's room after looking in on you." He blushed slightly and looked away. "And if I may be brutally honest? I think I've started to fall in love with you." I couldn't help smiling.
"If I may be brutally honest as well, I have fallen for you too, if only through the things Jacob told me about you." Ronald looked back at me, his emerald eyes wide and glowing softly in the dim light.
"You're sure about that?" I nodded.
"I am in love with you, Ronald Knox." And then he smiled. He tilted my chin, leaned his forehead against mine, and pressed his lips to my own in a sweet, tender kiss.
"I love you," we said to each other, holding each other close in the growing dawn.
And we lived happily ever after, the three of us. My brother, his friend and my lover, and me.
Together.