midnight mass

get closer to me

There it was again. My eyes snapped up from the book I had been reading lightning fast and every cell my being possessed froze. My ears strained to hear any whisper of more noise and I bolted upright when it ghosted in my ears.

You see, every night for the past week, there had been noises coming from my porch deep in the night. I'd been trying to ignore it, honestly too pussy to go check it out, afraid it could be a bear or a rabid possum or a man who wanted me dead. But night after night my curiosity grew until I decided tonight I would be a big girl and check it out.

I laid my book down and stood from my chair, ever so slowly, trying to be quiet as a mouse. My sock clad feet made little noise as I tiptoed over to my front door. I pressed my ear to it, wanting to confirm my suspicions one more time before I barged out like a crazy woman, and let out a gasp of breath when i heard rustling right outside the door.

My hand gripped the door knob and, in show of speed I didn't even know I possessed, I threw the door open.

My eyes searched the darkness straight ahead of me and my eyebrows furrowed when I saw nothing, but my head snapped down when I heard a barely audible "shit" come from beside my feet to the right of the door.

And sitting there was a priest????? Huh????

He had the whole catholic priest collar thing going on, so he had to be a priest. Although no priests I had ever met had glowing eyes and something red that suspiciously looked like blood around the corner of their lips.

He was sitting, leaning his back against my house with his legs pulled up to his chest, cradling a Bible like I'd just caught him on a couch in his own home.

He looked absolutely shocked that I had caught him, like he had been quiet or something, and for a moment we just stared at each other like deer caught in headlights.

Then he got up and ran.

I stood there in my doorway for a minute after watching his back retreat into the darkness, shocked beyond belief, and then I went to bed because apparently I was going crazy or something.

The next night I heard it again, I grabbed my book and took it with me to the door. When I opened it this time, priest in the same position, looking at me with his big, brown doe eyes, I held out a hand like I was trying to console a frightened animal, trying to get him to stay.

"Stay" I said, as soft as I could manage, and put my hand out, "I'm Y/n." I gave him a gentle smile, which he seemed in awe of, like a kid watching fireworks for the first time. He raised his hand to shake mine, but stopped short right at my door frame. He sighed and dropped his hand completely.

"I'm Paul." His voice was deep and soulful and sent a shiver of warmth down my spine. He was still looking at me with those weirdly glowing, reflective eyes of his, and he gave me a small smile.

I have no idea what my motivation was, but I sat down then, right inside my doorframe, like we were best buds, and opened up my book to read. I could feel Paul's confused eyes on me for a minute and I looked up to give him a small, reassuring smile and a nod towards his Bible. He got the message and started reading as well, doing a bad job at hiding a grin on his cute face.

I really don't know what made me decide to sit with this obviously not human man, I suppose a lack of self preservation and a spirit for the hopelessly romantic, but I found his company quite nice. The night was warm and the bugs were chirping and something about his presence tied me down.

This continued for quite some time. Paul would come sit outside my house, unprovoked, and I would come join him inside my doorframe and we'd sit in silence, focused on our respective books.

It was nice for a while, but my curiosity was growing into an ugly monster I couldn't contain. Why did his eyes glow? Why was there always some sort of blood on his shirt? Why did his eyes shine with fear when the sun would peak into the horizon?

One day my control snapped.

I slammed my book shut with a harsh snap. Paul's eyes flickered up at the noise, and then he slowly closed his as well, sensing a storm brewing.

"Ok. I've had it. I've been super respectful to you, man-who-basically-lives-on-my-porch, but I've fucking had it. What the hell is up?" I asked, speaking so fast it's a wonder if he understood it at all. Although, from the frighted look on his face, it was obvious he did.

He stammered for an answer, blubbering out something about liking my decor, wanting to get away from the storm the first night, then he just kept coming back, yada yada yada, I wasn't buying it.

"Liar" I said simply, and I stood up with my book, fully intent on slamming the door, when Paul bolted up and tried to stop me.

"Wait," he yelped, trying to reach out to my arm, but falling short when he got to the door frame, his hand stopping like it hit a wall.

I looked up from his arm to raise an eyebrow at him and ask "You gonna be honest now?"

He scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish expression.

"You're not gonna believe me."

"Try me."

I'd seen some crazy shit in Crockett. Whatever this priest had going on wouldn't even be half as bad as some things I'd witnessed.

"I'm a vampire."

My jaw didn't even drop. I was serious when I said Crockett had seen some shit and vampires didn't even reach the top ten scariest list.

I just shrugged. "Makes sense."

His eyes got comically wide and he sputtered for an answer.

"You-you don't care?" His voice was an octave higher when he spoke, like he was desperate for something.

"I mean as long as you don't kill me," I started, "I suppose I don't."

"Is that what's going on with the whole," I gestured vaguely at his hands, "not being able to enter my house thing?"

He nodded, not keeping eye contact, embarrassed.

"I have to be invited in."

"Hmm," I smiled deviously, "I guess you'll just have to earn an invitation into my house."

Paul's eyes got even wider, if that was possible.

"Better be getting going." I said, nodding toward the sun coming off. Paul looked between me and the sunrise, sighed, and then ran off again. I smiled into my coffee that morning, all too smitten.

That night Paul brought me a gift. And then the night after that, and the night after that and over and over again, desperation slowly growing. We swapped stories on the porch, I asked him dumb questions about vampirism that he answered with a roll of his eyes and a grin, and I couldn't fight off my stupid feelings.

Finally, one night I stood in my doorway, watching the tall vampire walk up the porch steps to me. I reached my hand out through the door frame and Paul took it with curious eyes. I smiled an innocent smile.

"Please," I started pulling him toward the inside of the house, my hand holding his tightly, "do come in Father."

Paul gasped as he was pulled through the door frame and into the house. His smile brightened the whole room as he looked around like I had pulled him into heaven.

My hands cupped the sides of his face and turned it to look into my eyes. He looked down at me with adoration and amazement that made my spine tingle and I pulled him into a loving kiss with a whisper of "welcome home".

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This was originally inspired by "from Eden" by hozier but i had no idea what to do for the actual plot and it really spiraled down hill but I'm posting it anyway cause it took for fuckinf ever. What was Paul's motivation to sit outside ur house ?  Who fuckinf knows!! Blind adoration I suppose.