Lol I Think It's Ok Y'all I Think Quint Is Just Here Not Because Aether Or Chris Left But Bc Chris Is

a message from the bulletin board | cardinal copia x gn!reader

summary: the ministry’s bulletin board, ordinarily used for missing items or party announcements, contains a particularly interesting request this week – a lonely hearts ad.

content: 9k words, gn!reader, slightly suggestive at times, first date/first kiss shenanigans, sad lonely awkward cardinal fluff, you know the drill

Masterlist – Ao3 link

✦ ✧ ✦

You ignore the knot of people in front of the bulletin board.

As much as the whispers and giggles garner your attention, someone else attracts it even more. Cardinal Copia, red cassock, red biretta, arms filled with two boxes worth of files and papers, is trying to push the door to his office open with his hip under a swell of Italian curses. Certainly, his hip swing is impressive on most days, especially on stage, but today it seems more like a helpless, uncoordinated bumping that the door is fighting with every ounce of its wooden strength.

Evidently, he’s struggling.

“Good morning, Cardinal, do you need a hand?”

His eyebrows shoot up when he hears your voice and he stops dead in his tracks, slowly turning his head until he catches you standing right behind him. Despite your announcement, he visibly startles, nearly dropping the boxes in his arms.

“Oh, eh… yes, if you could open the door for me, Sibling?”

“Of course.”

With your hand on the knob, you watch as he hurries inside of his office, wheezing under the weight and dropping the boxes onto his desk with a dull thud that echoes loudly in his mostly bare working space. Apart from books upon books strewn across and around his desk as well as an old weathered couch, there hasn’t been any love put into decorating the space. You wait patiently for him to turn back around to you, a hint of red dusting his cheeks when he finally does.

“Thank you,” he squeezes out, trying very hard to swallow his heavy exhales. “I carried them here all the way from the archives. Long way, you know, even for my…” He holds up his arm, flexing it exaggeratedly. “My strong, powerful muscles.”

You giggle and he perks up in delight, eyes wide and shiny. “No problem, Cardinal, I can imagine they’re very heavy.” 

You smile at him and he smiles back, so sweetly, and you’re momentarily at an equal loss for words. A bead of sweat rolls down his forehead, down the prominent bridge of his nose. He brushes it away with a leather-gloved hand and you can’t help but stare as he wipes it clean on the heavy fabric of his vestments, shaking out his fingers once he’s done. You can’t look away as they flex and release, flex and release. They’re surprisingly long and so… nimble.

Copia’s violent cough startles you awake and you’re not sure if it’s his own nerves that make him clear his throat, if his overexerted lungs are protesting or if he caught you staring. Either way, you feel your own cheeks getting hot now, the moment of hesitant silence slowly transitioning into a gooey sort of awkwardness.

“So, ugh… I better get back to my own duties,” you say. “Lots to do, spring cleaning and all that.”

He nods. “Yes, yes, you are busy, of course. Such a busy little bee. Bzz bzz. Hehe.”

You awkwardly giggle back, trying hard to think of a clever joke. Maybe something that has to do with stinging? But before you can settle on one, the time for a witty come-back has stretched thin and so you just awkwardly wave at him, mutter a “see you later” and close the door.

With your back pressed to the wood, you let out a deep exhale, the butterflies – or bees – in your stomach making it very hard to breathe at a normal pace. Once you’ve recollected your wits, you notice that the hallway is still as busy as before, maybe even busier.

Like lions gathering around an animal carcass after days of starvation, what feels like half the abbey has been flocking to the big rectangular corkboard. You cannot possibly imagine what would warrant such intense interest. The most exciting messages on any given day are unusual sex requests, the invitation to a weirdly themed party or a call for applications to a particularly intricate sex ritual to honour the Dark One.

You push through the crowd to check what’s causing the repeated giggling and excited whispers amongst your peers when you spot a pristine piece of paper on the board. It’s thick, stark-white, shaped like a heart at the top and with pieces to rip off at the bottom that contain a phone number. You squint, move in even closer until you can make out the text – hand-written and in cursive.

I (m, 50) am looking for a partner to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t have any preferences but it would be coolio if we had similar interests, so we can have some fun together.

I like: watching movies, playing video games, going on walks, rigatoni, juice, small animals

I don’t like: coconut flavour, being barefoot, swimming, touching wet dishes, bullies, dentist appointments

If you think we are a good match I would like to take you on a romantic date. Please call or text me.  Bye bye!

You smile at the note but quickly find back down to earth when someone rams their elbow into your side. No one has taken one of the numbers yet, so you assume the excitement is more about the fact that there is a lonely hearts ad on the bulletin board at all than any actual interest in the person. You have to admit, it is a bit odd. Most younger clergy members just use dating apps these days or social media. But the lonely heart in question is fifty, so they may not be familiar with modern methods, and it’s oddly endearing that anyone would go through the trouble of creating such an ad. At the same time, it breaks your heart that someone in the abbey is so lonely that they risk the ridicule of half of the clergy members just to have a chance at finding love.

“Well, there are a bunch of people who it could be,” you overhear someone say. “Maybe one of the older Brothers, a bunch of them are single. Could also be that new bishop who just arrived, I heard he’s a cinephile and walks around the gardens quite often.”

You ignore the whispers of speculation, making your way back through the crowd to return to your duties. It’s almost dinner time by now and you need to get two more loads of laundry done before then. But even as you sort through piles of habits, cassocks and veils… you can’t stop thinking about the ad. You sincerely hope the person receives a few serious and not just prank calls. The note did sound endearing and you definitely see similarities. At the same time you’re far too busy nursing your hopeless crush on the Cardinal to actually entertain the thought of dating someone else. 

You decide to check on the ad again tomorrow, see if anyone took a number, and if not, you could at least save it to your phone… just in case.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

Two birds land on his window sill, rubbing their beaks together in a kiss before happily chirping at each other. They’re in love, literal love birds, building a nest on the little protrusion in the wall right below his window. He’s been watching them occasionally, unreasonably envious, as they bring in twig after twig, ready to start their family. From the same window, Copia can make out the spring-filled gardens with their colourful patches of pink and red tulips, bumblebees hurrying from blossom to blossom, drunk on pollen and greedy for more. He can overlook the bright green meadow leading down to the pond, speckled with lush, budding trees. At this time of the day, after everyone finished their daily duties, the grass has almost completely disappeared under a plethora of picnic blankets.

Spring fever, he assumes, has to be the reason why everyone seems to be in love. Couples dozing in each other’s arms in the shade of the trees, feeding their lovers berries or grapes, taking a stroll down to the pond with their joined hands dangling between them, kissing without pause in the archways of the cool stone walkways leading outside. Just now he spots two Sisters rubbing sunscreen on each other’s bare shoulders, one of them kissing the other's head before they fall back onto their blanket, giggling happily at each other.

He feels so incredibly lonely.

This has been going on for weeks now and he’s tired of feeling so shamefully worthless of affection. Instead of the arms of his lover, he sinks into his tattered old desk chair and drowns his sorrows in boring paperwork. Not that that’s going well, but for lack of alternatives, he’d rather do budget calculations than sit in his quarters all alone. Every evening, the spring breeze carries the sound of happy laughter through his windows, usually while he’s playing video games all by himself, but he can’t keep them closed if he doesn’t want to sweat to death. Besides… that same gentle breeze is the only thing caressing his skin as he tries to fall asleep at night and if he closes his eyes, the wind almost feels like fingertips ghosting over his arms.

As he leaves his office that night, he receives another heavy but sadly much expected blow. Almost a week now and still no one has taken one of the numbers from his lonely hearts ad. Of course it doesn’t mean no one saved it to his phone, he tells himself, people are shy or they just don’t want to date an anonymous person. It has nothing to do with him, they don’t even know it’s him. And yet… if his dating streak continues so poorly, he’s not sure if he can stay sane for much longer. There are only so many tears you can cry in bed at night before it starts to take a toll on you.

His heart is especially heavy as he makes his way to his lonely quarters. One more day and then he’s taking it down, he decides. No use in waiting any longer now that surely everyone in the abbey has seen his request and the last thing he wants are pity calls.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

“So, are you going to call the Cardinal?”

You look up from your breakfast plate. Your friend Lily is sitting opposite of you, chewing on a blueberry muffin, and you narrow your eyes at her. “The Cardinal?”

“The number in the lonely hearts ad,” she says. “It’s still there, I checked earlier.”

“It’s the Cardinal?”

She nods, popping another piece of muffin into her mouth. “Duh.”

You feel your cheeks heating up and set your fork down to hide the sudden tremor in your fingers. “Which Cardinal?”

She gives a soft groan of annoyance. “Babe, there is only one of the Cardinals who would ever hang up such a goofy thing. Now, will you call him?”

Copia. She knows about your… slight infatuation with him. And despite being kind and not teasing you too much, it was just a matter of time until the occasion popped up. If he is looking for a serious partner… maybe it’s too late for you soon. The ad has been up for days and while you’ve been toying with the idea of calling, you just haven’t found the courage yet.

You continue eating, trying to act casual, but it takes you three attempts to pick up a stray piece of cucumber from your plate. “How do you even know it’s his number?”

Lily takes a deep breath, setting the muffin down to ready herself. “Sooo, Michael wanted to call the number to check who it is, right? Well, turns out his girlfriend already knew it’s the Cardinal’s number and his girlfriend is Sister Jill who knows it from Sister Mary who is roommates with Sibling Jessie who works with the treasury and their colleague Brother Paul works as the Cardinal’s assistant two times a week and that’s how he has the Cardinal’s number for emergencies.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh. Now, will you?”

Eyes on your empty plate, you bite your lip until you can taste blood. It’s Copia’s number, the number of your crush of about six months now, and he’s looking for a partner, unspecified. That’s… big news, intimidating news, news that calls to an action you’re not sure you’re prepared for.

Glancing at Lily, you catch her smirking at you and promptly give her a scowl. “I don’t know. What if he already got better options?”

She cocks her head to the side. “Better than you? I doubt it.”

“You’re biased because you’re my friend.”

A shrug. “You should try. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“He could be disappointed.”

“He’s more disappointed if no one calls,” she counters.

“Yeah but–”

You stop yourself when you see Nora, Lily’s girlfriend, approaching the table. Her arms wrap around Lily from behind as she presses a loud, lingering kiss to her cheek, both of them giggling.

“You scared me,” Lily says, turning around for a proper kiss.

“Sorry, love, but I can’t leave breakfast without my sweet treat.”

You avert your gaze, involuntarily feeling like an intruder. They’ve been together for a few weeks now, sickeningly adorable. Lily had been pining after Nora for months, a little bit like you with the Cardinal, only that she eventually found the courage to ask her out. To see her bravery being rewarded like that makes you incredibly happy for both of them. But at the same time… you have rarely ever felt your loneliness so sharply, the heaviness of your unreciprocated crush such a weight on your shoulders.

You know that if you want this to be you and the Cardinal, then there’s only one real answer to her question: You have to reach out to him.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

He’s ready to toss this day into the trash bin already and he only just got up. 

Last night, after tossing and turning for hours, Copia fell asleep only to promptly land in a hysterically embarrassing dream that made him jolt up whimpering like a kicked dog and hiding his face in the pillow. Bringing himself close to suffocation, he finally realised that he had not actually stumbled right in front of you, spilling juice all over his robes, scrambling to get up only to slip in the puddle by his feet, falling onto his butt with a high-pitched cry. You had been standing there motionless, watching the spectacle unfold until you turned around to leave.

This is the reaction he would expect, should he ever actually find the courage to ask you out. However, this is highly doubtful, because upon walking to his office half an hour later, he catches you with a group of friends. He often sees you with them – attractive young Siblings, evident chemistry between all of you, and every week he suspects a different one to be in love with you. He recognizes the two Sisters he saw from his window earlier this week. One of them presses a loving kiss to the other’s cheek and he wishes he could just walk up to you and do the same.

His heart hurts. No matter how much kindness you extend to him, you’re a beautiful young soul who could never be romantically interested in an aging loner. Copia is not disliked per se, he gets along with pretty much everyone, but he struggles to build meaningful connections. Between working his butt off to satisfy the clergy and spending time on his mostly solitary hobbies, it’s hard to meet people. He had to actively put himself out there but neither online dating nor any of the singles’ events Terzo sent him on brought any results – only what the young Siblings call getting “ghosted” or “benched”.

His ad is his last chance. And even that failed miserably.

As he ponders his options, your eyes suddenly meet his and he swears you’re smiling. Then you lift your hand in a cautious wave. For a second, he’s too scared to wave back because there are people around him, all of which could be your target. Your hand sinks after a moment as your smile slowly straightens and he suddenly knows that you do mean him. He lifts his hand far too excitedly in a reciprocative wave. Your smile returns, a shy one, but before he can even think about possibly approaching you, his knees suddenly give out.

No, they don’t give out, someone rams a trolly filled with supplies for Black Mass into him. Some of the tall candles roll off the top and clatter to the floor, breaking in half just like his dignity. 

“Oops, sorry, Cardinal,” the Sibling says, scrambling to help him up. “It’s so hard to steer this thing.”

“It’s fine,” he chokes out, the pain in his knees anything but fine. “It happens.”

“I’m truly so sorry.”

He smiles, a hand on their shoulder now that he’s on his feet again. “It is okay, eh? No worries.”

When his eyes try to find you again, you’re not there anymore and he can’t decide if he’s relieved or sad. He prays to Satan that you didn’t see him fall but there is no way you missed it. His dream, if slightly watered-down, did come true after all and perhaps now you won’t want to–

“Cardinal, are you alright?” 

Copia, still dizzy and skittish, spins around so hard he nearly stumbles again. He smooths out his now crumpled cassock, the dust he collected on the floor even more visible on today’s black vestments. In an attempt to retain his dignity, he straightens his spine and looks right into your beautiful eyes. You have a tendency to startle him like that and he wishes he could be more smooth about these encounters.

“Yes, yes, Sibling, thank you. It was… it was nothing, just a little stumble, eh?”

“Are you sure?” You inspect him from head to toe, your brow creased in concern. “It looked painful. Your knees…”

“Oh, my knees are fine!” he lies. “I kneel all the time, Sibling. You know this.” Your eyes widen and he continues to stammer. “I mean in prayer. I pray a lot. On my knees. I am a Cardinal, yes? It’s my job.”

 You nod heavily. “Yes, of course.”

“So, ugh… I better just fuck off.” He presses his lips together to keep more silly words from coming out. “I mean I’ll go back to work. ”

As he tries to leave, your hand shoots up, squeezing the muscles in his forearm. He’s not as much startled as enthralled by your touch, so unexpected that he has no time to feel insecure but so welcome that it almost feels natural to have your fingers on his arm. He swears there is a hint of nervousness in your eyes now and despite knowing it’s silly, his heart wants to interpret it as bashfulness.

“Cardinal, please. I… ugh…” 

You look beautiful from up close. Even if you weren’t stuttering he’d have a hard time listening to your words. It seems like you stopped breathing, your cheeks now a sweet shade of rosy, and you open your mouth to speak but no words come out. Eventually, you shake your head and run your fingers over the fabric of his sleeve. He thinks he’s about to pass out, his nerves rising until he can feel his heartbeat all the way up to his neck. Your hand is so gentle, so… affectionate.

“I’m sorry, Cardinal. I don’t mean to keep you. I was just thinking that I really like the black cassock. It suits you.”

A compliment. His mind is racing. This is not what you really wanted to say, he can tell, but he grins anyway. You like his cassock? Well, you should wait until you see him in a suit. Maybe on a date. He should ask, he realises. This is the moment he’s been waiting for for months now. But as he continues to stare at you his tongue becomes too heavy to form the words, and then your hand is suddenly gone and takes his courage right with it.

“Thank you, Sibling,” he says instead. “I also really like your ugh… your outfit.”

Only when the words leave his mouth does he realise it’s the same everyday habit you’re wearing all the time. Somehow, the silly compliment still manages to conjure a smile onto your face and so he stops berating himself because he made you smile. The sight stuns him, butterflies erupting in his already nervous stomach.

“I’ll see you later, Cardinal,” you say then, your eyes leaving his to glance down the hallway where your friends are waiting, beckoning for you to hurry.

Copia nods and he looks down at your hand in silent fascination, staring at your fingers that are dangling by your thigh without any use as if he could magically make them touch his arm again. “Yes, yes. See you,” he mumbles. “Bye bye.”

When he looks back up, you’re already hurrying off. Copia stays frozen, his gaze trailing after you as though his eyes are glued to your form. Even when you’re out of sight it takes him a while to start moving, to start breathing again.

Around him, the hallway slowly empties as everyone starts to tend to their respective duties. Copia can’t help but feel the nagging disappointment about not asking you out. A chance like this won’t suddenly appear again and even if you refused him it would still be less humiliating than the untouched ad at the bulletin board. He should take it off right now, he figures.

Only when he enters the hallway leading to his office, something looks off about the postings. He notices the change from the corner of his eye at first as he walks past the large corkboard. More party flyers have appeared, someone took down the “diamond butt plug set missing” request that had been hanging there since an orgy in the Siblings’ wing went wrong last month. Instead, Copia notices a large poster promoting condom usage that partly covers the request underneath. Which is how he recognises it.

His ad. 

And one of the numbers is missing.

Copia nearly lets out a loud squeal as realisation dawns on him like the gentle spring sun rising over the hills every morning, bringing warmth and happiness after a cold, dark night. It seems like Cupid finally answered his prayers, like Aphrodite found sweet mercy for him.

Someone took his number. Someone wants to reach out to him.

For the rest of the day, he feels like he swallowed a swarm of bees, staring at his phone like it’s going to light up any second. Which it could. He could receive the message or call that changes his life any second now. Any second. Any… any second.

Nothing happens. Not in the next hour, not in the next two hours. All day, in fact, his phone stays quiet. His initial happiness deflates like a balloon. As he heads towards his quarters that evening, he observes how everyone piles into the dining hall, their happy laughter and cheerful spirits spoiling his usually solid appetite. He hates the sour feeling of envy in his stomach but he can’t help but suspect that everyone conspired against him.

Copia decides to skip dinner in order to cry into a big bowl of gelato. His nightmare might not have come true but his brain tortures him with pictures of your smiling face instead, with the phantom feeling of your warm hand lingering on his arm, and he can’t help but feel crushed anyway. He’d sell his soul to come home to you, to eat with you, sit with you, watch silly movies with you, fall asleep with you in his arms and wake up with your smile as the first thing he gets to see every day. It becomes increasingly clear to him that every day he misses out on being with you is a day tragically lost.

If only he was brave enough to change that.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

You’ve been pacing your bedroom for the better part of the evening now, back and forth and back and forth to the point where you’re seriously concerned about wearing down your carpet. The day passed uneventfully apart from your encounter with Copia in the hallway where you made a complete fool of yourself. You would have loved to skip all of the unnecessary fuss of texting back and forth but you barely spoke more than two words to him before you chickened out. Surely, if his interest in you was romantic, he could just ask you out instead of advertising himself on a public corkboard?

In any case, you’ve been typing out messages for over an hour now, deleting every single one of them only to throw your phone onto the bed multiple times before picking it back up to risk another attempt.

The reason you haven’t given up yet is that Lily knows you have his number now. Last night, when you thought everyone was asleep, you snuck out of your dorm feeling like James Bond with your torch and black clothing, tiptoeing down the empty corridors of the abbey. You didn’t want anyone spreading any premature rumors but a part of you was hesitant to take one of the numbers at all. Even if you called him, it wasn’t certain that he’d want to go on a date with you.

Still, you ripped off one of the thumb-sized pieces of paper and headed back – only to promptly run into Lily as she snuck out to meet Nora. You’re never going to forget her self-satisfied grin as she spotted you with the crumpled number between your fingers.

Begging your creative juices to start flowing, you stare at the empty message box. Perhaps you should be funny. You wonder if he knows the Piña Colada song. It is about a lonely hearts ad after all and he’s a musician. You type and type, delete and retype until you end on a rough draft to show Lily when she gets home. But no, upon rethinking, the joke is too silly even for you and there’s probably a better way to phrase this–

“Hey, have you called him yet?”

You jump, your heart rate doubling in shock. Lily appears in the open doorway and her voice startles you so fiercely that you clutch your phone to your chest. To your utter horror, the swishing sound of a sent message reaches your ear as your palm connects with the touchscreen, and when you glance down, the bubble with your typed out message sits at the top of your chat history.

“Oh no,” you whisper.

“What?”

“I sent my stupid silly joke message to him.”

Lily picks your phone from your hands, reading the solitary message from the display. “Well, at least now you’ll know if he shares your weird sense of humour?”

You grasp her shoulder and release a deep, throaty groan. Her words don’t calm you in the slightest, if anything, they only make it worse.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

Driving Miss Daisy can’t distract him anymore.

Every two minutes Copia reaches for his phone to check for any missed texts or calls only to have the gapingly empty home screen staring back at him. He never figured out how to change the pre-set wallpaper. Perhaps he could try again when he has a cute couple picture of him and his future partner. The thought makes him smile. It’s one of many little things he would change – if they only called.

Despite putting it on vibrate, he doesn’t trust the device to inform him of any news. He even carried it to the toilet twice already, just in case something happens while he’s gone. His ice cream doesn’t satisfy him tonight, everything feels bland and devoid of flavour, but he refills his bowl anyway. One big spoon and a bit of spray cream… and as he walks back over to his bed, he realises that he should definitely check his phone again because this took way longer than two minutes.

Right as he pulls the device out his pocket, it vibrates violently in his hand. For a moment he is so shocked to see a message pop up that he throws it away. It lands on his bed, bouncing a few times, display still lit up with one new notification glaring at him from the centre of his screen.

He takes a deep breath. This is real. He got a message.

No, he can’t look at it, he’s going to lose his nerves. A few more deep inhales and slow exhales, then he can’t fight the suspension any longer. 

Hey, stranger :) You don’t like coconut, so you probably don’t like Piña Coladas, but maybe I’m still the love that you look for?  I would love to go on a date with you, if you are still looking for one. 

It takes him a second, then another one. The ice cream melts in his bowl as it sits forgotten on the floor next to his bed. Suddenly it clicks and he chuckles, in relief as well as amusement, thinking that he knows that song, that he gets the reference. That means this person is funny. They made a joke. He smiles to himself. A funny person wants to go on a date with him.

He types back, deleting, typing again. After five minutes, he comes up with a reply.

Hello, stranger! 👋🏼 I do not like Piña Coladas 🍹 but I have many better things to offer if you want to go on a picnic 🧺 with me tomorrow? I will bring food 🥪 and drinks 🧃 of course. Hopefully we do not get caught in the rain 💦😀

He thinks about how he could sign the message but then his nerves start to kick in. If he tells the person who he is, they may reconsider their choice to go out with him and that’s the last thing he wants. Even if the date doesn’t go well, he wants to try his best, so he shoots another message after the first: 

Oh. It will be a blind date, if that is okay with you?

The next minute is the longest of his life. An eternity passes. He thinks he might have stopped breathing with how tight his chest feels. That is, until his phone lights up and shows the same number again, wringing a deep sigh of relief from him.

That’s fine with me. Where do we meet?

The squeal he lets out vibrates in his chest and bounces off the walls.

He’s got a date. Finally.

✦ ✧ ✦ 

Copia hears his bad conscience somewhere in the back of his mind whispering that blocking the best spot in the gardens all day is selfish. Perhaps it is true, perhaps he feels a little selfish today. And yes, besides feeling selfish he also feels a little guilty. Is it fair to go on a date when he has such a horrible crush on someone else? No. No, it’s not fair. But he can’t let another chance at love run through his fingers like sand on the beach. He simply has to grasp this opportunity.

His red-checked blanket lays untouched underneath the tall chestnut tree, its big, hand-shaped leaves rustling in the soft breeze as he approaches. The head of a rat is stitched into all four corners  of the fabric – a gift from Sister for his latest birthday – and it’s been sitting here since nine o’clock when he took the liberty of… reserving… the spot. He picked the north-side of the tree so that the shade falls exactly where he’s going to be sitting with his date in approximately fifteen minutes. If they prefer the sun, he can just pull the blanket over a little, but he’d never forgive himself if they got sunburn because of him.

Copia took the day off, his first day off all year in fact, risking his next employee of the month award to spend all morning in town, running errands. With the end of May and strawberry season starting, he visited every grocery store within walking distance to find the ripest, juiciest ones they offered. He was lucky enough to obtain a small basket filled with the most delicious-looking red fruits and some additional fresh ingredients for his sandwiches. While he was quick-witted enough to ask about his date’s allergies yesterday, he completely forgot to ask them about their favorite snacks and so he’s decided to just bring anything he could think of that wouldn’t melt in the sun.

The basket he packed feels heavy in his hand for that exact reason and when he sets it down on the blanket, he can feel the strain in his arm. The past hour was spent obsessing over his outfit until he decided to just go for the white suit combo. Yes, white fabric near grass and juicy red fruits is not the most brilliant idea, but he wants to look his best and that means going the extra mile, even if he has to wear the tiny, itchy underwear underneath.

His heartbeat is going a mile a minute now. He can’t unpack yet, he doesn’t want the food to be out for too long, and so he sits and waits, his hands sweaty under his black and white leather gloves. The fact that the gardens around him slowly become crowded as the afternoon rolls around does nothing for his nerves. He can feel the curious glances, can hear the hushed whispers, and as the hour nears, he starts sweating even more despite the shade. If the unanswered ad had been embarrassing, being stood up so publicly would be even worse. 

And then the most horrifying thing ever happens.

Copia sees you walking along the path, wearing a weather-appropriate, slightly dressed-up outfit that makes his eyes involuntarily roam your whole form. But he can’t fully focus on your loveliness. At first, he’s panicking that you’re meeting your friends somewhere close by where you could see him with his date. He would be so embarrassed, so distracted, so uncomfortable. But you walk straight towards him and that’s even worse. If he has to tell you that he’s busy meeting someone else he might spontaneously combust, explode into tiny particles of humiliation. It would ruin everything, his date and his crush on you. What if his date shows up and sees you with him? What if–

Oh no, you don’t stop approaching, you don’t take a turn, you walk up straight to where he’s waiting – with a hint of hesitation, yes, but very directed steps. Copia jumps up immediately, his black hat nearly falling from his head.

“Oh, Sibling,” he stammers, lifting a trembling hand to adjust his fedora. “Hello, hi. Are you spending some time outside today as well?”

Your mouth opens and you wring your hands before hiding them behind your back. “Hello, Cardinal. I ugh… I’m supposed to meet someone here under the chestnut tree.”

Copia furrows his brow, slowly registering your words. “Meet someone. Under the chestnut tree.” 

“Yes.”

“Oh, Satan. It’s you?” He stops, stares, comprehends. He sounds incredulous, his voice a higher pitch than usual. “You’re my stranger?”

You nod, big eyes staring into his mismatched ones in silent expectation, hope and fear muddled together in the crease of your brow. He doesn’t know how to react, just rubs his thumb and index finger together as his mind races faster than speed limit.

“Is this… is this bad?” you finally ask, breaking the awkward silence.

“No!” Copia exclaims. “No, no, no. Please, please sit.”

You do, kneeling down on the blanket a little hesitantly. Copia joins you, still not fully trusting his senses. This feels like a hallucination. His disbelief has to be the only reason he hasn’t passed out yet. Is he really on a date with you right now?

After another moment of silence, Copia notices you eyeing the basket and snaps back into reality. His plans, his very detailed plans for how this date is supposed to go, flood his mind and he remembers the first step now. Swallowing his shock, he sits up a little straighter.

“Ah, eh… yes, I got you something.” He reaches behind the basket and procures three deep red roses he stole from Primo’s rose garden on the way here. Their intense smell hits his nose as he whips them past his face and hands them over. “These are for you. I hope you like roses. I know it is a bit cliché but also a classic, no?”

“I love them,” you assure him, holding them up to your nose with a smile. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”

He smiles. “Good, good. Yes. So… I thought about what we could do and–”

“Cardinal,” you interrupt then. 

“Oh, no. No, call me Copia. Please.” He gives you a shaky smile. “We’re on a date, no?”

“Copia,” you try but feeling his name on your tongue doesn’t make you feel any better. Ever since getting here your bad conscience made it hard to fully settle into this date and with his visible distress upon discovering it’s you, you feel like now is the time to address it. “Before… before we do this, I have a confession to make…” 

He hums and wriggles his eyebrows. “Oh, really? Well, I would love to see you in confession soon…”

You blush furiously. “Oh, no. No, that’s not what I meant.”

A flash of concern and you can practically see all of his insecurities mirrored in his eyes. You’re both tiptoeing around the same question, you assume, but it’s on you to take the plunge.

“What… what do you mean then?” he asks.

“About this date…” His lightheartedness completely disappears. You feel bad for ruining the mood but it’s too late now and you need to get it out, you owe him that much. “Copia… It wasn’t a blind date on my part. I… I knew it was you.”

“You knew it was me?” he asks and again his features change, eyes wide now. He really had no idea that people knew the ad was his and suddenly he feels like a fool.

“I’m so sorry, I should have been honest from the start.” You stare at his gloved hand but you’re too scared to take it. “I hope you can forgive me for keeping this from you.”

“You knew it was me and you still… you still wrote to me? You still came?”

You furrow your brow. “I didn’t tell you because then I would have had to admit that it’s me and I was scared that maybe you wouldn’t want to go anymore.”

“Me? Not… not…” He shakes his head so fast that his fedora once again threatens to fly off. “Oh, tesoro, I would have… I would have been on the moon with joy, as they say. Yes, yes, I would have.”

You don’t correct him. Instead, an insecure smile settles on your face. “You know you don’t have to say that, Copia, it’s okay if you were hoping for someone else… That’s the risk of going on a blind date, right?”

He yanks your hand out of your lap, wrapping it up in both of his gloved ones. “Tesoro, can I be very honest with you?”

You nod. “Of course you can. Always.”

“I was hoping it was you.”

Your breath catches and steals your next words. The same incredulity that hit him earlier now settles in your chest and you can’t find it in you to question him.

Copia immediately fills the silence. “I never… I never thought…” You watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down, a nervous swallow, before he wets his lips. “Dolce, you were always very good to me. I always saw your kindness, you understand this, yes? Don’t get me wrong, I just… I never thought you were interested in me like this. In such a silly old man.”

You have to giggle through your nerves. “I love that you’re a silly old man.”

He smiles shyly. “You are very sweet, tesoro.”

“I’ve actually had this crush for a few months now,” you admit, encouraged by his positive reaction. “And I want you to know that when I saw your ad I thought about calling even before I knew it was you.”

His smile grows impossibly bigger at that. “Did you?”

A nod. Copia squeezes your hand, then brings it to his face for a kiss. You feel his wet lips on your skin and they’re so soft, so gentle. When he sets your hand back down you see a trace of black lipstick on its back and instantly feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“Should we start then?” he asks. “I brought a lot of things, let me show you.”

The basket opens to reveal a plethora of food and drink options. Copia sets down a foil-wrapped plate with sandwiches that look a little wonky so you assume he made them himself, then some juice boxes, apple and orange, a box of fresh, delicious-looking strawberries, two bottles of water, reusable plastic cups and plates. At last, he hands you one of many different muffins he must have stolen from the kitchens.

“For my dolcezza,” he says with a smile.

More heat spreads in your cheeks as you take the little treat from him with a thanks. You’re both visibly losing your nervousness now, your postures less cramped, stretching out your limbs on the blanket with your bodies angled towards each other.

“Maybe we should… talk a bit about us?” Copia proposes. “To get to know each other, sì? I would like to learn about you.”

“Oh, yes, that sounds good. Do you want to start?”

He thinks on a good starter question, the pressure clouding his thoughts for a moment but then his silence grows thick and he has to say something. “So, ugh… do you like Star Wars?”

This is not one of the questions on his list of conversation starters. For some reason, every single meaningful thought suddenly leaves him. Luckily, this simple, safe question seems to put you at ease and you relax even more.

“I do,” you say. “I watched all the movies.”

“Oh, good! And what is your favorite?”

You pluck a piece from your muffin, popping it into your mouth. “Hmm… The Empire Strikes Back, I think.”

“Hehehe, sì, sì, I am your daddy.” His eyes widen. “Not that I’m… I don’t mean… you know, the scene with Luke… ugh. So, anyway, yes, that is my favorite as well.”

You giggle and he lights up, smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt. You reach for one of the sandwiches then. Copia helps, holding the plate up for you.

“So, these are all inspired by Italian foods. I have ugh… caprese. Mozzarella and tomato?”

You reach for the one he showed you. “That sounds great, thank you.”

Copia can’t help but stare as he awaits your reaction. You hum in delight and immediately take another bite of the soft bread. Satisfied, Copia allows himself to grab one as well now. Conversation slows down as you eat but you continue to talk about your interests between bites, finding more and more similarities as the minutes pass. 

Your little spot is beautiful, cool enough to sit comfortably but warm enough to feel the reviving effects of spring. The leaves above you rustle every now and then, birds and bees flying past, the odd ant crawling over your blanket in search of some crumbs. Neither one of you is bothered as you sip on your juice boxes in tandem and intuitively increase your proximity.

With your bodies gravitating towards each other like that, you end up sitting very close after a while. Copia reclines against the tree trunk, pulling his hat down to grant him more shade, a little bit like a cowboy leaning against the walls of a saloon. His white suit is an odd contrast to his relaxed pose, not the most comfortable outfit to lounge in. Without thinking too much about it, he pulls you close to him and angles you so you can rest your head in his lap. 

You’re only tense for a short moment. Copia gets rid of his gloves and you can feel his bare fingers running over your scalp. The steady pattern he draws calms you and you sigh, closing your eyes for a few minutes as a warm feeling of safety spreads out in you.

Copia can’t help but stare. Despite the initial hiccup, you’re so comfortable around each other that he feels like he’s known you forever. This is a dream come true for him, all his fantasies, his wishes, his longings, they all seem to come together in the lovely face dozing in his lap. You’re the most stunning sight he ever had the pleasure to behold. Every line, every hair, every mole, blemish or scar combines into the most beautifully painted canvas – and to him, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.

“Do you want a strawberry, tesorino?” he asks then.

You open your sparkly eyes and they reflect a speck of sunlight breaking through the canopy. Blinking a few times, you shift in his lap to avoid being blinded. He tenses as your cheek narrowly misses his groin, but then you nod and he distracts himself by reaching for the box of strawberries. 

With careful fingers, he grabs one of the shiny heart-shaped fruits, making sure to touch the stem to avoid any stains, and then guides it to your mouth. He can’t help but stare as he sees your lips part for him, the tip of your tongue peeking out to welcome the sweetness. You sink your teeth into the red flesh, so eager, and spatters of juice stain your lips. They appear even more saturated as you lick them clean, wetting them with your tongue, and he so desperately wants to kiss you.

“They’re so sweet already,” you say, taking the rest of the fruit from his hand.

“Yes, I agree.”

You giggle. “Copia, you haven’t even tried one yet.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean the strawberries.”

You huff out a flustered breath, fighting the still evident smile on your face, and hold the half-eaten strawberry up to his mouth. “Try.”

He lets you feed him with burning cheeks, keeping his eyes locked on yours. As his teeth meet the flesh, a few droplets of juice fall astray but he doesn’t even care if they ruin his suit anymore. He can’t stop looking at you, thinking about your soft hand so close to his mouth. He wants to kiss it again, desperately, and so he traps it with his when you try to pull away. With his lips pressed to your palm, he closes his eyes, kissing all the way down to your wrist where he lingers.

You gasp softly, lips parting as Copia continues to drag his lips over the delicate skin. Your reaction brings a smirk to his face, another moment that he’s going to think about for days to come.

“I tried, dolcezza,” he says. “And I think you’re still sweeter.”

You blush so prettily at that. Flustering you is easier than he expected and he takes notes of every little thing that draws a reaction from you. You spend another hour like this, eating fruit, drinking juice, chatting about all sorts of things while you exchange soft touches and words of your blossoming affection. At some point, the gentle breeze that carries on throughout the afternoon becomes stronger, and more and more people head back inside to escape a possible weather change.

Neither one of you wants to leave but as you start to shiver more violently, Copia’s worry about you catching a cold wins over his desire to prolong your date. He proposes to head inside as well, running his hands over the goosebumps on your bare arms to warm you up.

When you reluctantly agree, he starts to pile your dishes and the leftover food into the basket. You move to help but he stops you with a tut. “I will pack this up, eh? Don’t worry about it.”

“I could help you, you know.”

“Ah, no no. I invited you, yes? It is my pleasure.”

It only takes him a few minutes to pack everything up. You grab your flowers in the meantime and he watches from the corner of his eye as you sniff them with a growing smile on your face, swaying slightly from left to right. As Copia shakes out the blanket, folding it messily in the middle, you hesitate by the edge of your little picnic spot.

“So, do you want to walk back together?” you ask.

Copia smiles, glad that you don’t want to leave him quite yet. “I would like that a lot, tesoro. Should I carry the roses for you?”

You hand them over and he places them on the lid of the basket before he carefully picks it up. When he’s by your side again, you stop him with a hand on his forearm, the same gentle squeeze you gave him the last time. Only this time you don’t leave. Instead you lean in and press a soft kiss to his reddened cheek, your lips lingering for a few seconds longer than necessary. Copia opens his mouth but he can’t think of anything to say. Instead he uses his unoccupied hand to fish for yours.

Hand in hand, palm against palm, you walk past the leftover groups of Siblings that make use of the last few moments of sun. Neither of you spares anyone else even a glance. Whenever your eyes aren’t focused on the path ahead, they meet each other, giddy, love-sick smiles gracing your lips.

As you finally pass the first archway and enter the cool stone corridors of the abbey, Copia suddenly stops. Your arms slowly extend as you take a few more steps but before your hand can slip from his, he pulls you back. Maybe he used a little bit too much force or maybe he just caught you by surprise, but you practically stumble into his arms. A gasp falls from your lips. You make no attempt at breaking away and so Copia gently guides you against the frame of the archway, setting down the basket in the process so he can place his other hand on your hip.

Big eyes look up into his. He leans in slowly. The rim of his hat catches the stone and it finally slips from his head, dropping somewhere. Copia doesn’t care because he can already feel your sweet strawberry breath on his lips and nothing could stop him from getting a taste. Your hands impatiently grab at his lapels, then, pulling him even closer, and he gasps at the force of your need. With your eyes falling closed, lips slightly parted and your chin tilted up, Copia feels like he’s in a dream.

“Please,” you whisper.

He has to fight a moan, the word resonating somewhere deep inside his belly. Still, he draws out  the moment for as long as he can, stalling as the tension crackles in the tiny space that separates you. He starts by nuzzling your nose while he pushes his hand upwards until he can grasp your jaw. As he angles your head just right, he feels your lashes fluttering against his cheeks. He fights off a giggle as they continue to tickle his skin and you shift slightly against him, growing impatient.

“Co–”

His mouth swallows your next syllable. You hum against him as his lips capture yours with gentle adoration. The grip on your waist tightens at the same time as his thumb presses into your cheek. Want, need, trickles into your belly and Copia feels the same way, moving his mouth against yours with slightly more pressure. The kiss is still slow, still tame, but it’s unmistakable how much stowed up desire for the other you both hold inside.

For a while you continue like this, your body trapped between Copia and the cool stone and the world around you a mere shadow. You open your mouth for air and that’s when you can feel his tongue cautiously pushing against yours. The sensation makes you feel even more fuzzy, the need for oxygen forgotten as you tangle your tongue with his. The taste is sweet, residues of fruit and juice, and underneath it all you feel Copia. Copia.

You only break away when you’re both struggling to keep up the pace. He’s a mess, his lipstick gone, black smears covering his chin and cheeks where his eye make-up rubbed off. You lift your hand to wipe some of your mingled spit off of his chin and the blissful expression on his face makes you smile. You love to see his face ruined like this, you decide. And Copia, seeing the lipstick-smears all over your kiss-swollen mouth, unknowingly thinks the same.

“We should do this again sometime,” you say. “The date but also… this. Actually, I think we should do it again right now.”

Copia chuckles, resting his forehead against yours. “How about we never stop doing it?”

You nod your approval, wrapping your arms around him to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. It’s soft, if a little bit sweaty, messy from the loss of his hat. “I would like that a lot, Copia.”

“I mean it, tesoro,” he whispers with a hint of insecurity. “I don’t want to stop spending time with you. Ever. We already wasted enough of it.”

A big smile breaks out on your face. Copia can’t help but return it, squeezing you a little tighter to his body, and you giggle happily as he kisses your nose.

“You’re right,” you finally say. “Let’s not waste another moment.”

✦ ✧ ✦

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this silly little story – kudos, comments, rbs etc are as always much appreciated ♡

Masterlist – My Ao3

[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY]

Phantom Of The Opera premieres in 15 minutes.

Oh he's so cute AHHHHHH!! I love him so much it's insane 😅🥺🥺🥺🤤

And his white eye is so memorizing in some of them along with the fucking red jacket 🤤😩🥺

Papa in his red suit at the Rouen ritual (x). Original video by the lovely @owlghuleh (thank you so much for letting me use it and for sharing a bit of your ritual  experience with me!)

Goose bumps fr

Beauty and The Vampire

| Chapter One

| Dracopia x OC!

A/N: Hi there! This is my first time posting a fanfic on here and in general lol so please creative criticism of this work is encouraged! I'd love to hear your guys thoughts and ideas :)

Summary: A mysterious legend about a vampire that spreads around her small Italian town leaves young Liliana to question and wonder if it's even real. Little does she know that this mysterious beast of a vampire would change her life.

Her friends told her not to do it. They warned her and told her about all of the myths and legends of the strange old beast that lurked in the large castle up north. Where the snow was so thick it went up to your neck.

 And the biggest rumor was that the old beast was a vampire who trapped anyone who came within 10 feet of his kingdom.

 There were tons and tons of stories about him and for some strange reason Lucia was intrigued about this strange old beast that everyone talked about.

"Liliana you must be mad!" 

Her mother chidded her only daughter as she grabbed her black leather boots and pulled them on.

 "I don't want you going out there and freezing to death dear. Please don't go. Youd be better of here helping me with the chores."

 Her mother begged and warned against her daughter leaving out to brave the harsh barren cold up north just to find the "myth" that their small town in Italy gossiped about.  Lucia adjusted her satchel and tugged on her blue scarf, sighing as her mother continued on her rant.

"Please mama...just let me. I promise I'll come back in one piece.

" Liliana said as her mother grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving the small house. 

"In one piece lilian-" "no mama...I'm leaving and that's final. You haven’t let me out of this god forsaken house since papa died." Liliana said as she tore her hand away from her mother's bruising grasp tears pricking her eyes. 

Ever since Lucia was a small child she was always so adventurous and wild. Wanting to see the world with her own two eyes just like her father. Her papa always encouraged her to explore and go out and learn more about the world that was in her hands. That was until he died when she was 13 leaving just her and her mother. They slowly started to stop leaving, only going out to get supplies or go to church and the house had grown unfamiliarly quiet and blue without her father around.

As fast as she opened the door she was gone, leaving her mother to sit in her own bitter depression and rage from her daughter's "silly" and "outrageous" actions.  

Storming down the steps and heading into the small Italian town she had grown to know and recognize less and less over these cold years.

As she ran down the small and narrow allies and passageways leading to the docks she ran into someone. “Umph…” Liliana huffed out as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rubbing her head and looking up, she saw her “friend” Gulia. 

“O-oh Guilia i'm so so sorry I-”  

“my dress! YOu just ruined my dress! Look it’s all muddy now….well it's fine I suppose since daddy headed off to the markets to get me a new one. She smirked devilishly. “ Why are you in such a hurry anyways you fool!”  Gulia asked her face a steaming red as her red curls came down and framed her perfect face   almost   perfectly. 

“I-I was on my way to the docks to go up  North.” Liliana said getting up and dusting herself off as her “friend” scoffed at her. 

“Don’t tell me you're trying to go find that wretched…beast up north….oh wait you probably are!” She enunciated the word beast spitting it out as she finished her sentence laughing some more.

 “Come Gabriella I must tell you this.” 

Gulia said, motioning for her older sister who had the same red curly locks minus for a few gray strands  to come  to her side. Once Gabriella was there Gulia whispered into her ear snickering afterwards. 

Liliana stood there face red in red hot anger and shame as she took in fistfuls of her dress. 

“Well  I do wish you the best of luck Liliana.” Gabriella smiled at her softly, not laughing at all unlike her cruel and spoiled younger sister. 

Gabriella Esposito, a well admired sibling in their town's church . She was kind, charitable, and pretty everyone fawned after her or wanted to be like her. But that was besides Liliana’s point. “Thank you sister.” Liliana said, smiling at the slightly older woman's comment. 

“Now off you go Liliana or you wont get there on time.”

 Gabriella said, smiling and making a slight shooting motion with her hands. “Goodbye sister! And Guilia!” Lucia yelled out as she ran across town to get down to the docks in time, her leather boots clicking loudly against the stone pathways and roads of her small Italian town of Giuseppe. 

Just as liliana got down to the docks a man in a small carriage was packing away crates and bags preparing to  leave. 

“WAIT! WAIT SIR! I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK YOU!”

 Liliana shouted as she ran in her heeled leather boots trying not to trip or worse run into someone again.  “Ah yes signora what tis it that you needed?” The old man asks as he hops onto his horse as Liliana approached him. “I-I was just curious as to where you were headed sir. I-If you'd like to know I've been trying to head up  North near the old roman cathedrals.” Liliana said looking up at the old italian man who had gray and white hair with hope burning like a hot flicker of flame in her gaze. 

“Ah-sei solo fortunato mio caro . I was just heading near there. I could drop you off. That is if you'd like.” He smiled down at Liliana, the wrinkles on his face creasing even more. 

“Oh thank you so-so much! here.” Liliana said, fishing 10 gold coins out of her brown and green embroidered satchel to give to the old man. 

“oh no need to pay me signora just hop on. The name is Tommaso a proposito.”

Tommaso said as Lucia picked up her skirt and hopped into the small carriage that was attached behind his large and almost midnight black murgese horse who was tugginging the old black wooden carriage around

“So signora…non mi riguarda but I couldn’t help but have the urge to ask why you want to head up  North near the cathedral?” Tommaso asked in a curious tone. 

“Well…heh heh…i might sound a bit silly for saying this but I-I actually wanted to go see the place for my own and discover the myths and legends about that place that everyone talks about so much.”  Liliana said nervously, picking at the edges of her nails.

“Ah….I see I've been up there once myself. It was a fine and beautiful place but there was something off putting about it the entire time I was there. Now that I recall…It felt like someone was watching me the entire time I was there.” 

Tommaso said scratching his white beard as he started to get lost in his thoughts. “Well miss…I suggest that you get some sleep now before we arrive at my first stop by lake  Varese. 

“Ok…And thank you so much again Tommaso for taking me up  North.” Liliana said, sitting back in the carriage. As she laid down she thought about the cathedrals and the supposed beast of a man that lurked in them. Besides, maybe the man wasn't a beast after all. or as bad as they sought him out to be. 

Lucia stirred to the bouncing and rattling of the old carriage  on what she assumed was a brick road. Sitting up she rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes. Looking around she could tell that this was a different and new town. The town of  Varese. 

The old carriage then winded down a dirt road that quickly led away from the large town, obscuring what little of a view that she already had of the place. The Dirt pathway led up to a steep hill that was far off in the distance.  The dirt pathway was lined by a thick coated deep green forest and smelt of pine and Earth, 

“Ah, you're awake back there.”  Tommaso said as he guided the horse through the dirt and muddy terrain. “yeah where are we?” Liliana asked, rubbing her face of sleep. “Just headed out of town. We should be up north in about a few hours or so.” Tommaso said as he pulled tightly on the horse's lead. 

The further they went up the hill the colder it got making Liliana shiver a bit. Far in the distance of the thick fog that now surrounds them Liliana could make out a tall cathedral building. “We aren’t far from the cathedrals signoria.” Tommaso said as he pulled up the steep hill onto level-ish ground. The woods around them seemed to be ever ceasing as it covered most of the darkening afternoon sky.

As Liliana sat in the carriage she looked out at the thick forest at all of its tall trees and branches until something strange and slightly off-putting caught her eye. A dark shadowy figure up on one of the branches Peering down at them. Liliana felt her stomach turn and remembered what Tommaso said earlier about someone watching him when he visited last time. 

Blinking her eyes she looked back away from the forest sighing as she waited to arrive near the cathedrals until something caught her eye once more. 

The same shadowy dark figure had seemed to have gotten closer. Or was that just her imagination? And was that a tail!? Liliana thought as she watched the figure stand there by a tall deep pine tree before disappearing off into the thick dense forest. 

Liliana shook her head as she decided that she might have just been tired or something right. But she had just taken a nap a few hours ago. How could she be so tired? Tommaso had to be more tired than her after all he was driving the carriage. 

“Tommaso? About the time you said you felt people watching you. Umm…what did they look like? If you seen them.” Liliana asked, biting her lip nervously.

 “Oh I never really got to see the-” Tommaso started but was cut off by the dark figure that had swooped down from the treetops and pushed him off the horse sending the carriage into a ditch as Liliana bounced around inside until she hit her head on the roof knocking her unconscious.  

groggily blinking her eyes open looking around. She was in a room. A very fancy and expensive looking room at that. The fireplace in the middle of the room cracked and burned the strong smell of citrus and fruit incense drafting around the room. Sitting on the ground Liliana had realized she had lost her boots and her dress was torn. Sitting up she was quickly pulled back down against the floor. 

Looking down over her shoulder she saw that she was chained to the floor. Shit. Liliana thought of pulling hard on the metal chains to try to break them to no avail.

“Help! Help me!” Liliana cried out as she heard the large wooden door to the left of her creak open revealing two…people? All Liliana knew was that they kinda resembled the shadow person from earlier. 

The taller burlier man wore a shiny silver mask with devil horns, a black button up with suspenders, tight black dress pants and dress shoes. As Liliana looked him up and down she realized that he did not look human. He had gray almost black skin and a whipping tail behind him. 

The shorter man looked the same as he cocked his head to the side and analyzed Liliana carefully, his dark gaze piercing her soul.

Pulling on her chains in a try to escape the taller man came over with a key and unlocked them. “Hey, Hey no need to be scared of us. I know we may not look all human but we won't hurt you.” He said, sticking a hand out for Liliana to take. 

Hesitantly taking his hand Liliana let out a shaky and scared breath from her cold lips. “The names Aether and that little shit over there is Sodo or Dewdrop call him either he doesn’t care. And he won’t bite as long as I'm here.” Aether said kindly reassuring Liliana as she looked between the two ghoulish creatures shaking slightly with fear as she watched Sodo stare into her soul his bright ember eyes burning holes through her. 

Liliana had only heard of these creatures in myths or in the bible talking about how they were Lucifer's helpers towards sin.

“W-what am I doing here? What even are you guys? Where...W-where am I?” Liliana stuttered out. “Oh don’t worry our boss just wants to see you after he heard that Sodo over there spotted you and that man out in the woods. “O-oh.” Liliana said more scared now. Who was their boss and what did he want?  Where was Tommaso? 

Stay

— — —

Papa Emeritus IV x Reader Word Count: 1,820 Not proofread. Warnings: angst. I mean... I literally cried while writing this.

A/N- This is much different from what I usually write, I try to keep things happy, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. <3

All day you had felt something was off, precisely since the moment Copia left your suite in the morning. His movements had all been slow, as opposed to most mornings when he was rushing to get out the door in time to please Sister Imperator, he took extra time with you when you woke up, making sure he left you happy, making love to you, and showering with you, doing everything you loved to do on mornings when you weren’t as rushed. 

Every time you attempted to rush him and get him out the door so that he wasn’t late for work he would put his index finger against your lips and shush you. He would repeat the same thing to you. “What is waiting for me out there is nowhere as important as you, amore mio.” 

What worried you was what he said after that. 

“I want to spend every moment I have left with you.” He pressed a soft and gentle kiss to your forehead. You couldn’t help but close your eyes and revel in the touch of your beautiful husband. His hands gently cupped your face, and his lips delicately brushed against your skin.

“Copia is something wrong, my love?” You asked him finally. He pulled away from you, taking you in. The only thing you had covering you was your silk robe and that didn’t leave much to the imagination. 

“No, no… everything is as it should be, Tesoro. Do not worry.” Your eyes scanned his face trying to see if you could read his expression but he was all over the place. His expressions were telling you one thing, his body language another, and his eyes… well his eyes looked like he could burst into tears at any moment. 

“Alright then… You should go. I don’t want to keep you any more than I have to. I don’t want Sister to be upset with you,” you said, attempting to dismiss everything. If he told you everything was alright then you’d take his word for it. He had no reason to lie to you. He gave you one last passionate kiss before turning around to leave. “I will see you tonight, hm?” He gave you a sad little smile. “Copia, you’re worrying me—”

“I will see you tonight, Bellissima.” You smiled back at him before watching him leave. 

You tried to go on with your duties as you would any other day, but those moments before he left kept replaying in your head. The sad smile, his words, everything. 

You also realized every time you bumped into a ghoul or another member of the clergy they’d all give you sorrowful looks. Even the day took pity on you for some reason. The clouds were gray and gloomy and the rain came and went every few minutes. That rain eventually turned into a storm. The claps of thunder gave you a scare almost whenever they bounced off the walls.

You eventually found yourself on your knees in the chapel in front of the altar praying. You tried to think of other things to pray for but you kept coming back to “please, Sathanas keep my beloved safe.” You were thinking about the unfortunate fate of the last three Papas… But surely not. Sister wouldn’t… her own son, her own flesh and blood? Of course not. You were just being paranoid is all. With one last loud and mighty clap of thunder, you closed your prayer and straightened up. 

A chilly breeze ghosted over your body and you wrapped your arms around yourself to keep warm. Maybe you should’ve borrowed Copia’s red jacket after all. You finally allowed yourself your first real smile of the day as you thought back to that red jacket you loved so much, how it was too big for you, and how Copia’s smell always lingered on it.

You walked out of the chapel to immediately be greeted with very cold air. You decided since it was getting dark you might as well go find Copia, and let him know that was enough work for today. You had been looking forward to getting Copia to cook for you tonight, maybe some soup since it was cold out. 

Oh, how you loved it when he cooked for you. He’d always look divine while doing so too, his sleeves rolled up to his elbow, his eyes very focused on whatever he was chopping or mixing, and of course, his ‘Kiss The Cook’ apron never failed to be on. 

You finally reached his office which was not too far, but in the cold, it felt like an eternity. You knocked a few times but you received no answer. You knew Copia had the sounds of your knocks memorized because he would always say something along the lines of ‘Tesoro, I have told you before. You do not have to knock’ and you’d always giggle a little bit before opening the door and going straight to his desk and giving him a soft kiss and distracting him from whatever he was doing for a little while. 

“Copia?” no response. “My love? It’s me…” You opened the door, just to find he was not there. His office however looked a mess, like he’d left in a hurry. Papers all over his desk (and the floor), his chair pushed away from the desk, his writing utensils scattered all over his desk rather than in the mug he used to store them, and the top drawer of his desk opened. 

You went around the desk looking over the papers on the table. Nothing of importance, just requests from ghouls, and siblings of sin. You carefully closed the drawer that was opened, and that’s when you saw a letter addressed to you from Copia. 

Something was wrong. Something was most definitely wrong and you had to find out what it was. At that moment you didn’t care you had a dress on, you stuck the letter in the pocket of your dress and ran. You ran as fast as your legs could take you. 

You almost ran past the courtyard but stopped when you saw Copia standing in front of a ghoul in the rain and Sister Imperator, who had an umbrella just big enough to cover herself. 

“Copia?” you mumbled to yourself. You weren’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but you could see Copia’s face and all you saw in his eyes was fear. Sister Imperator’s arms were crossed behind her back and the ghoul was standing a few steps behind her almost like it was waiting for orders. You saw Sister Imperator turn her head to say something to the ghoul before walking away, leaving Copia alone with said ghoul.

Before you even had time to react, Copia was raising his hands in surrender and the ghoul was lunging at him like a vicious dog, with a blade clutched in his hand, knocking Copia down. 

“No!” you screamed out. Your scream alerted the ghoul who looked back at you, Swiss, but he did not attempt to harm you. Instead, he got up from where he was on top of Copia and pulled the blade out of your husband, who was now lying on the ground. Swiss looked over his shoulder at you one more time before dropping the blade on the grass right at Copia’s feet and walking away with his head hanging low. “Copia!” 

You ran as fast as you could toward him, and you dropped to your knees as soon as you were beside him. Your hair got in your face, but it was the least of your worries as your hands went immediately to the severe wound that was bleeding more than you’d ever seen. Your vision went blurry with the tears that pooled in your eyes. 

“Copia, you have to stay with me, alright? Just look at me please,” you said as you put pressure on his wound. Copia let out a pained groan and you looked around trying to see if there was anyone that could help you. “Help! Please! Someone!” Copia coughed due to the blood that was now coming out of his mouth as well. 

“They will not come… I am afraid my time is up, cara.” You shook your head. “Just stay with me, si?” 

“No, no, I can help you… I know I can.” you cried. 

“Y/n…”

“You can’t—you can’t leave me, my love. I’m not… I’m not ready, we haven’t—we haven’t had a chance to start our family yet.” With the strength he had left, he pushed your hands away from his wound and took one of your hands into his. You moved him into your lap as best as you could, your free hand going into his hair soothing him like you did on days when work was hard, or when he was sick and he didn’t feel good. 

“We have, Tesoro.” he was struggling to get his words out, his breathing uneven and his mouth covered in blood. “Remember—last week when you couldn’t eat the rigatoni I made for you? Hmm? Or when you couldn’t stand the smell of your own perfume?” You gasped, your eyes growing wide. You felt your world come crumbling down at that moment, and your heart shattered.

“I can’t—I can’t do this without you.” Copia smiled at you despite being on the brink of death. He brushed the loose strands of hair out of your face and just knowing it would be the last time he ever did that for you sent more tears down your face. His hand cupped your cheek, and you placed your own on top of his.

“You will never be alone, tesoro. I will always be in your heart and you will always have a piece of me when our bambino is born… always.” 

“Copia… Copia.” You watched as the life left your lover’s eyes and suddenly you were alone in the courtyard, with only the corpse of the man you’d loved for many years. Your scream of agony finally got the attention of people around the abbey and doors began slamming open. You could just slightly hear the gasps of terror and the whispers over the sound of your own crying. You bent over and hugged the lifeless corpse of your husband, kissing him as if that would somehow bring him back to life. 

No one moved as they witnessed the scene in front of them. Some siblings of sin cried for their Papa. Some cried for his prime mover, who would be a widow for the rest of her life. His prime mover who would raise their child, the future Papa Emeritus, with only the memories of his father. His prime mover who would lose the spark in her eyes for the rest of her life. His prime mover who would die protecting her son from the same fate of his father.

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‼️HELP ‼️

If you were at the Ritual in Berlin and found a wallet please let me know! My friend lost theirs!

Swiss holding the trans flag has literally cured me of everything

My favorite Ghost song is probably the one where he says “to the sound of the monstrous cock” or something like that

STAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY WITH ME