#beast!ghost

Since you were prone to eating later than most people, you didn't often eat dinner with everyone else in the castle. You'd sometimes eat with your father, if he had been too busy checking out one of the other people in the castle to eat dinner with the rest.

You didn't mind though, you quite liked the solitude most of the time. Though sometimes, you wished one of the others would come and join you without you having to ask.

Thus, you were surprised to say the least when you walked into the kitchen for your late dinner, only to see Ghost cooking away despite him usually cooking for everyone two hours prior.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you said automatically, moving backwards as if to leave. "I thought no one would be here."

Ghost looked up, his brown eyes so soft beneath that wolf mask that you were sure if the mask wasn't there, then you'd see him smiling at you. "No, it's okay. I'm cooking this meal for us."

You were confused at that, tilting your head at his words. "Us?" you asked.

"Us," Ghost repeated, continuing to cook. He let out the smallest chuckle when you continued to look at him in confusion. "I've noticed that you eat later than everyone else, and usually alone. And I too eat later than everyone else, so I thought we could eat together. If you'll have me, that is."

"Yes," you replied instantly, barely waiting for him to finish speaking his last sentence. You grew flustered at your own eagerness, ducking your head down instinctively to hide any sign of embarrassment. You cleared your throat before adding, "I'd be most grateful to share a meal with you. Though, perhaps, may I help you with cooking? I'd feel guilty if I were to let you do all the work."

Ghost nodded and gestured for you to come forward, telling you what you could do to help. With your help, soon food was on the dining table and you two sat at the large dining table.

Since it was only the two of you, Ghost didn't sit at the head of the table and instead he sat side by side with you. Every brush of his shoulder against yours sent shivers down your spine, but you managed to remain cool-headed even with the touches.

You ate a bite of turkey, humming in approval at the taste. "This tastes delicious," you said, licking your lips clean after you swallowed your bite. "Thank you for this."

"You say "thank you" a lot," Ghost replied, gently teasing you. He seemed to move as if to touch you, but then he pulled back, keeping his hands to himself. "You helped me cook, remember? You're part of the reason it tastes good."

You grew flustered and simply smiled at him. Silence enveloped you two and after a while of eating, you realized that Ghost was struggling to use the utensils with his big paws.

"You don't have to eat with utensils if you don't want to, you know." You gestured to his obvious struggling, reassuring him that it was okay. Still, you gave him a warm smile to assuage any embarrassment. "I won't judge you for not using utensils. I understand that it's probably hard for you to do so with your paws."

Ghost relaxed at that, setting down the utensils. "Thank you," he murmured simply picking up the food with his paws now. "Various others have tried to help me hold the utensils in my paws, but that's just not the way my paws work."

You nodded in understanding, not even batting an eye at the sigh of him eating with his paws. You looked down at the food on your plate and decided you'd also forgo the utensils, just to reaffirm to Ghost that you really didn't care about him not using utensils.

Ghost was shocked at your kindness, no one ever joining him to eat the same way he was eating. Even if people let him eat with his paws and not with the utensils, they usually opted to eat with the utensils. But here you were, doing something so simple so he wouldn't think feel alone or left out just because he couldn't eat with utensils.

The two of you ate in silence once more, Ghost seeming happier now that he could be his true self around you. It made you smile, seeing how relaxed he was.

He deserved to be relaxed, you thought to yourself as you finished your food. You'd strive to make me relax more often.

After dinner, you went to the kitchen to help Ghost wash the dishes, but he shooed you away after you washed your hands.

"No, no," he said with a deep rumble in his chest, which was a rumble of amusement. His brown eyes had a twinkle in them, drawing you in. "You've helped enough. It's time for you to relax. Go, I've got the dishes."

You tried to protest, but he wasn't having it. Soon, you caved in and with one last look at Ghost, you left. There was a skip in your step, happy to have had a nice dinner with the man.

Ghost waited until he was sure you were gone to let out a sigh that was full of longing as he washed the dishes.

He was so deep already, but surely you didn't feel the same way.

You grew up with stories of a beast living in a castle, deep in the first that surrounds your town.

These stories painted the beast in a gory, cruel manner. The adults around you, minus your father, told you all about how they've had to sacrifice one town member each year to sate the beast's hunger. Because if they didn't, then the beast would ravage the town and lay waste to the land.

It was clear, however, that the people chose town members they thought odd or freaks. Every year, you'd watch one of the town outcasts be carted off to the woods to be tied up and left to be ravished by the beast. And their friends and families, who had long since disowned them, just let it happen.

You and your father were two of the so-called outcasts.

Your father was considered an outcast, despite him being a doctor, because he tried hard to get the town's kids to read and do things that the others thought were foolish. They thought their looks and their wealth were all a person ever needed and they frowned upon their kids sticking to just reading and not doing as many physical activities as they could.

You were considered an outcast because despite being well into your adulthood, you still didn't seem to date or marry any of the women in town. This made them all think there was something wrong with you, that you were unnatural.

So when the seasons passed by and it was time for the annual sacrifice, you had gone to bed that night, worried. Your father tried calming your worries, telling you that neither you nor him would be taken because Mr and Mrs. Saxon's daughter was being far too unruly for their tastes.

And you believed him, drifting off to sleep now that your fears were eased.

You woke up in the early morning, quietly getting out of the house to go to your job because you thought your father was still sleeping. The town around you was slowly, very slowly, waking up as you walked to the blacksmith's shop.

You had been the blacksmith's apprentice ever since you were a teen and you were nearing the end of your apprenticeship, so close to taking over the shop yourself. It gave you a sense of purpose, which you loved.

So the day went on, you deep in your own world as you helped reduce the blacksmith's load of work. It was mid-evening when you heard whispers of the evening sacrificial ritual.

You never knew why, but the townspeople liked to sacrifice the outcasts in the early evening. Perhaps it was so the sacrifice's screams didn't disturb people as they went to their houses to rest after the work day.

Finishing up with the extravagant necklace you had been ordered to make, you strained your ears to try and discern who had been sacrificed. You were far too curious for your own good, it seemed.

"The town's doctor was finally sacrificed," a woman nearby whispered to her friend, said friend gasping at the gossip. "The town's council finally had enough of him trying to corrupt our children."

It felt like cold water was doused over you, your skin paling at the news.

No, no, no. It couldn't be. Not your father.

Without much though, you abandoned the work you still had yet to do.

There was still time for you to go to the beast's castle and beg him to take you instead of your father. It wasn't too late.

You ignored the sounds of your mentor yelling at you to come back as you ran all the way to your house. As you neared, you saw that your trusty horse was still tied to the post near your house.

Yes, you could do this. You could make it in time.

You quickly untied your horse from the post, grabbing the nearby saddle and making sure it was secure. Once that was done, you mounted your horse and wasted no time in nudging them into a gallop.

As you rode to the edge of town and to the beginning of the forest, people cried out as they dove out of the way, you not sparing them a single glance. You had a mission, to save your father.

The journey to the castle was long, it becoming night quickly. You pressed forward nonetheless, still convinced you could save your father. The castle came into view and you rode past the gates, ignoring the way the thorny bushes nipped at you and your horse.

You dismounted as soon as you neared the large, formidable doors that were the entrance to the castle. You stood there, about to walk up to the doors.

But before you could, a large, monstrous figure dropped down from one of the castle's parapets. It landed right in front of you, allowing you to see it clearly under the dim lights of the castle.

The beast, the same beast you heard stories about.

The beast before you was hairy, brown fur encasing his imposing figure. He stood on two legs, but his feet and hands were paws that had claws constantly extended, his natural posture slightly bent and yet he was still so much taller than you. And covering the upper half of his beastly face was a wolf's skull, his brown eyes peering back at you.

The sight made you freeze.

The beast clearly thought you were a threat, his knees bent to lunge at you. He growled low in his throat, his mouth opening to bear his sharp canines.

"Leave!" he roared, preparing to chase you out, or worse maul you, if you didn't comply.

You opened your mouth to tell him that you were here for your father and to beg he release your father, when the doors to the castle opened.

Both you and the beast turned to look at who exited the castle, a sob of relief escaping your lips when you saw your father, alive and unharmed.

"Stop, please!" Your father begged, getting in between you and the beast. He didn't seem afraid of the beast, however, turning to face him. "Please, this is my son, the one I told you about. He just came to try and save me, I swear he won't harm you."

The beast took a good look at you, taking in the similar features you and your father shared. He stared for a while before speaking.

"Your son?" he mused, straightening as best as he could. "Mm, you said he too was an outcast, yes? He can come inside then."

"Huh?" you asked, confused as you saw the beast turn and walk into the castle, leaving you and your father to follow him. "What's going on?"

Your father turned to you, shushing you gently. "{Name}, the beast you've heard about your whole childhood, is not the same beast you see before you. He doesn't eat the sacrifices those wretched townspeople give him, he takes them in," he explained, his hand on your shoulder. "The beast is an outcast too, you see. He was born like this and the townspeople banished him to this abandoned castle so they didn't have to see him. They believed him to be a monster and a bloodthirsty one too, so they used his "bloodthirst" to get rid of other outcasts. This is a safe place, {Name}, he will not hurt us."

"Come," your father continued, shivering. "It is rather late and the castle is warmer. Come inside and see, every "sacrifice" is here and alive."

With those words, your father gently led you into the castle, the doors closing behind you. You glanced back to see who closed the heavy doors and saw two outcasts that had been scarified the two previous years before this year.

As you looked around, you could see all of the sacrifices that you had seen be carted off. They were all here, lounging around the lit castle like they owned the place.

The castle was warm in both the sense of heat and how lively it was. It wasn't dreary like it seemed on the outside, tons of people laughing and chattering about. Fireplaces were lit, several people huddled around them for warmth. There were bookshelves upon bookshelves filled to the brim with books.

It felt... homely.

Your father left you to walk around, your feet taking you to the stairs. You walked up the winding stairs, an east and west wing on either side. You headed towards the west wing, sensing this was where the beast's bedroom was, since it was dark and no one else was going down the hallway.

As you walked, you saw portraits hanging on the wall, but each person's face was clawed out, like the beast had done it years ago, back when he was first banished to the castle. The sight should've scared you, should've made you fear his temper, but all it did was make you feel sad.

The beast was indeed an outcast, just like you.

"I see you're exploring," the beast said as you walked into his large bedroom, the beast not inside the lit room but rather standing on the balcony. Now that he knew you weren't a threat, his gravelly voice was softer.

Hesitantly, you joined him on the balcony, straining your neck to look up at him. "I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to explore here," you said, your voice soft as you took in the way he seemed peaceful out on the balcony. "I noticed others don't go down here."

The beast turned away from his gazing up at the stars, looking down at you. "It's alright, this wing isn't exactly off-limits. However, those who've been here long enough know I like my privacy." His brown eyes stared into your own. "Do you like it here? You can stay, you know. Every outcast has a place here."

You thought on his offer, thinking back to your time in your little town.

Your town wasn't as accepting of you as this place seemed to be, you saw men cuddling with men and women cuddling women here. But in the town, you were a freak for not wanting to marry a woman despite being a man yourself. You could be yourself here.

Besides, you liked knowing your father was safe.

"Thank you, I think I will stay here," you replied, appreciative of his offer. You glanced at the stars before looking at him again. "Though, I do have one condition."

"What's that?" The beast's voice was full of curiosity, his eyes never leaving your face.

"I'd like to know what to call you."

The beast chuckled, the laughter being deep and rumbling in his chest. He seemed so amused by the way you wanted to know what to call him. Like you just amused him in general.

"Ghost, you can call me Ghost."

Separator made by @une-femme-de-lettres

Oof, this was so long. Longer than I thought it would be. This is just the beginning, but I have plans for this AU.

I hope you enjoyed!

You couldn't sleep. You kept tossing and turning in your bed, so unused to the feeling of a soft mattress beneath you.

Everything around you, while kind of dusty, was far luxurious than anything you'd have ever seen in your life before. You suddenly has a room with a huge wardrobe, a bathroom that connected to your bedroom, and so much more.

Eventually, you grew too restless and you sat up in bed, pushing the duvet off and down the bed until you could swing your legs over the side of the bed. Your feet promptly dropped to the ground, you standing on the cold floor.

You walked out of the bedroom and down the halls. You didn't know where you were going and suddenly, your feet were taking you to a nearby balcony that wasn't connected to a bedroom on their own accord.

Opening the doors that led to the balcony, you stepped outside, barely shivering from the cold of the fresh air. Your eyes scanned the stars above you as you walked until your abdomen gently hit the guards of the balcony, your hands resting on said guards.

Suddenly, a dark and large figure dropped down onto the parapet above you. You were so startled that it took you awhile to recognize the brown eyes staring down at you, those same eyes being framed by the wolf skull mask he always wore around others.

"Ghost." Your voice was full of awe, not yet used to the monster—the man above of you. Still clutching your garments tight, your awe faded into pretend annoyance. "Did you have to scare me by dropping down onto the parapet without warning me?"

Ghost huffed in amusement, knowing your annoyance was fake. "Perhaps you shouldn't be out in the open, if you didn't want to be scared." He dropped down from the parapet and onto the balcony, his long strides bringing him to be beside you quickly. "You're lucky it was just me and not an actual enemy. You should be asleep."

You shrugged off his words, unclenching your hands from your garments and letting them fall back down on the guards. "Couldn't sleep." That was all you said, not really wanting to talk about what was keeping you up.

"You can't sleep either apparently," you added, changing the subject onto him.

Staring at him, you noticed just how on edge he seemed. You could see the slightest trembles of his muscles, poised and ready for when/if he needed to jump into action.

"Someone has to make sure no one storms up to the castle with an army of angry villagers," he replied, trying to act nonchalant as his eyes scanned your surroundings. He leaned his fur-covered arms against the guards of the balcony, imitating your stance. "Don't worry, I get sleep, eventually. Just a few more hours of patrolling and making sure everything's safe, then I'll sleep."

Your instinct was to protest and to keep pushing for him to go to sleep now, but you remembered that you barely knew him and thus, it wasn't your place to protest what he was doing with himself. So you simply nodded, hoping he'd make good on his statement about eventually sleeping.

You turned away from Ghost, staring to at the scenery before you again. "Thank you again, for allowing me to stay," you said, feeling as if you hadn't thanked him enough. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to go back to the people who sent my father to you as a sacrifice. I probably would've gotten myself into trouble."

Ghost surprised you by setting his large paw on your hand, his warmth seeping into your skin and warming you. "No need to thank me, {Name}," he murmured in reply, his paw gently squeezing your hand. "I'm just happy I can give you a safe place to be yourself like I've given the rest of those who dwell here. No one deserves to hide themselves."

"You don't deserve to hide either, Ghost." You didn't hesitate to look up at him, keeping your eyes locked with him.

All your life, you were told horror stories of the man in front of you. How much of a beast he was, how much of a monster. How he ate people for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. How he was so bloodthirsty that the people of your little town had to sacrifice someone, for their safety. How it was for everyone's good that they stayed away from the woods surrounding Ghost's castle.

"You're more than the monster they made you out to be," you added, your voice soft. You gave his paw a squeeze, turning your hand so your palm pressed into the underside of his paw as you held it.

Ghost looked down at where his paw was being held by your hand, memorizing the way your palm felt against his digital paws and the metacarpal pad of his paw. The way the touch was gentle, like you would be cradling him gently if you were to cradle him.

No one, not even those who had been with Ghost the longest, willingly touched his paws before and he had accepted that. After all, he couldn't retract his claws and that made a lot of people scared of being accidentally scratched by him. It was a valid concern and that didn't fade with how nice he was to others or how many people he took in.

But here you were, touching him and letting his paw engulf your hand. And it was mesmerizing the way you didn't flinch at the feeling of his claws on your forearm.

You were mesmerizing.

He quickly realized how close you two were and he instinctively (but gently) pulled away, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry to abruptly leave you," he said, trying to hide how flustered he had gotten. "But I've taken a longer break than I meant to. I must get back to patrolling. I hope you can sleep soon."

With those words, he continued to pull away from you until he was close to the parapet and he climbed up onto the parapet again to go to the nearest battlement on the castle. He started to patrol again, you only hearing the paws on his legs patter across the battlement.

You stood there, enjoying the fresh air before you yawned. You decided to go back to sleep, giving a quick glance upwards to try and see Ghost before you went to sleep.

You hoped he was okay.