#falk x reader

It took you a moment to find your voice, “well, at least you think it’s cute, I guess… you have a nasty habit of making me trip over my own words.” You let out a soft laugh of your own.

He lets out a low hum in response, “consider it payback.” He responds playfully, his eyes slowly tracing over your features, fearing he may never have the opportunity to study you so close again.

“For?”

“Taking over my every waking thought.” Your cheeks grow warm as a flustered giggle tumbles from your lips, the melodic sound was enough to make Falk’s heart race. You fell into a comfortable silence, the soft crackling from the radio filling the empty air between you as he pulled out onto the road. 

It was a dark, cloudy December afternoon, you could tell that the storm rolling in wasn't going to be a nice one. The soft music lazily rolled through the speakers as you raced along the never ending highway. Falk let’s out a soft sigh, his arm stretching across the back of the seat. You sat rigid, your fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of the blanket that covered your lap. ‘Stop freaking out.’ you berated yourself internally. ‘We've been driving for almost two hours, he probably just wants to stretch.’ 

“You can relax, you know. I promise I won't bite.” He jokes with a chuckle. You clear your throat, attempting to force your posture to relax. He pauses for a moment, mulling over whether or not he wanted to ask a question that had been weighing on his mind for a while. “Why do I make you so nervous?” Your heart stopped. You didn’t want to look at him, feeling as if your eyes met his, he would know all your deepest secrets. There wasn’t anything you wanted more than to confess to him at that moment. You had so many questions you needed answered. There were so many nights you had fallen just shy of shattering every boundary you knew; how badly you wanted to feel Falk’s lips against yours, how you lingered on his every word, desperate for any way to keep the conversation going just so you wouldn’t have to say goodnight, you wanted to know if he felt the same.

“It’s nothing,” your voice was weak when it finally managed to tumble from your lips. “I’m just worried about us getting to the lodge before the weather gets bad, that’s all.” Falk’s lips press into a tight line. He knew you weren’t being honest with him, but he had decided to drop the matter for the time being. He didn't want to risk you shutting him out entirely. You forced your attention back on the road, your pulse thundering in your ears. It was then you had realized it had begun to snow. Thick white globs of precipitation fell from the sky heavy enough to obscure the highway in front of you. Falk tuts under his breath, “this weather is getting bad a lot quicker than I thought it would.” He manages to read the sign that sped past you on the highway. 

“We’re still over an hour away from the lodge.” Falk doesn’t miss the nervous tremor in your voice as you added your input. 

He offers you a gentle smile in response, hoping to find some way to ease your anxiety. “I know somewhere we can spend the night. It’s probably a good idea to get off the roads before it gets any worse.” 

The thought crossed your mind about how you hadn’t really eaten anything today, your nerves this morning making your appetite the furthest thing from your mind. “What about food?”

“I know for a fact that someone was there recently, I’m sure the cabinets are well stocked. But, I’ll find somewhere to stop off along the way, we can pick up any odds and ends we might need.” He reassures you. You tense as his arm falls across your shoulders. After a moment your body can’t help but instinctively melt into his warmth. You relax into his side, releasing a soft sigh as your shoulders finally relax. “I’ll take good care of you Mäuschen, I promise.” The thought of spending even more time alone with him made your heart race.

“I know you will.” You mutter in response. Falk gives your shoulder a soft squeeze, hoping you wouldn’t notice how fast his own heart was beating.

You leave the highway behind, traveling down winding roads completely surrounded by tall, dark trees on either side. Heading into the mountains, you should have expected that the only town to stop off along the way would be like this. The houses few and far between, miles of road stretching between each impossibly long driveway, concealing whatever dwelling that resided at the opposite end. You eventually pull into a gas station, the dull buzz of the lone sign in the darkness makes your stomach turn with anxiety. The parking lot was solid white, a thick layer of snow making the shop's dull red awning bow under its weight. Falk prattles off your favorite candy and drink combo from memory, catching you off guard. He can’t help but laugh at your bewildered expression. “What?” His question was laced with a chuckle, his playful expression drops to your lips before meeting your gaze once again.

“How did you remember that?” You ask softly. He shrugs, a lazy, full body movement that showed he would never reveal his secrets. “I’ll be right back, you stay here and keep warm.” He carefully takes hold of the blanket resting in your lap, pulling it up to wrap around your shoulders. His warm breath bounces off your skin, for a moment it felt like your heart had stopped. You don’t think you had ever been this close to him before, it was the first time you had noticed the way the corners of his eyes wrinkled when he smiled. You thought it was cute. Falk’s expression softens, a fond look settling across his features that makes your chest tighten. He sucks in a deep breath, snapping himself from whatever trance he had found himself in. He tightens his jacket around him before hurrying from the car and inside the store. You watched him through the wall of windows that lined the front, he tossed a smile over his shoulder as he shouted something in response to the clerk behind the counter. He returns shortly after, rushing back to the car with a few flimsy plastic bags slung over his arm.

“It’s not much, but it’ll do.” He smiles, leaning closer to you as he reaches to put the bags in the back seat.

“You are absolutely covered in snow.” You respond with a laugh. You reach out, brushing the fluffy powder from his head. You carefully push your fingers through his hair, combing the strands that had fallen into his face neatly back into place. Falk watches you curiously, he was happy to see you finally starting to let your guard down, even if it was just a little bit. You pause as your eyes meet his, a soft smile settling onto your features as he leans into your touch. You swallow thickly before you manage to find your voice again, “better get moving, we don’t want to get stuck on the side of the road somewhere.” You joke making him chuckle. You reluctantly separate from each other, Falk nervously drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he tries to keep his mind on driving. You rest your hand on the space in between the two of you, you notice Falk glance at your subtle movements out of the corner of his eye. You jump slightly as you feel his fingers bump against yours, your skin buzzed with electricity where your hands met.

“You’re freezing.” He remarks suddenly, his voice soft in the quiet space.

“I’ll be alright.” You respond quickly, neither of you making any effort to move away from the other.

“I’ll get a fire going once we get to the cabin.” His pinky links with yours, gently tugging your hand closer. You let your fingers slip in between his, your hand immediately getting enveloped in the warmth from his skin. You shift, shuffling closer to him. You hesitantly let your head fall to rest against his shoulder. He tenses slightly before relaxing into your touch, his thumb distractedly tracing through the valley of your knuckles.

“Whose cabin is this anyways? Is it really okay for us to spend the night?”

He chuckles in response, “considering it belongs to my family I think we’ll be okay.” Falk fills the rest of your car ride with stories of his trips here when he was younger. You hung on every word: fishing trips with his father, weekends hiking the mountains around the property, how every so often he would venture up on his own for some time alone with his thoughts. “I was planning on inviting you up here eventually, I guess mother nature decided today was as good of a day as any.”

You glance at him curiously. “You were going to invite me up here?” He nods in response. “Why?”

“Considering that every time I find myself here my thoughts always seem to wander back to you.” Your cheeks grow warm at his confession, he gives your hand a soft squeeze. “This place is very important to me… and it’s something I’ve always wanted to share with you.” He pauses for a moment, searching for something else to say. “Try to be up for the sunrise in the morning, I think you’ll see why this place is so special.” He adds on with a smile.

The gravel driveway crunched under the car's tires, the tall trees groaning in the strong gusts of wind. Falk pulls the blanket around you before helping you out of the car. He wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side to help shield you from the cold. He ushers you inside first before following close behind you with your small haul of groceries. It’s dark inside the cabin, the small living room being only illuminated by the pale light of the moon that streamed in through the window. Falk curses as he trips over something in the darkness, fumbling along the wall until eventually stumbling across a light switch. The lamp in the opposite corner of the room filled the space with a dull orange glow, finally allowing you to see the details of the space around you. A well loved leather loveseat sat in front of a neatly kept fireplace, a heavy crocheted blanket draped across the back. A box of expensive looking cigars sat on one of the side tables, a small stack of books sat on the other next to a cup of crochet hooks and knitting needles. Family photos crowded the mantle, the small shiny frames overlapping one another to make space for all of them. Curiosity gets the better of you as you approach them to get a better look, rubbing your hands over your arms to try and dispel any remaining chill from the outside as you examine each photograph. Falk watches on with an amused smile, leaning against the doorframe as you slowly look between each one. Your hands dropped away from your shoulders, folding them neatly in front of you as if you were at a museum, the sight makes Falk chuckle under his breath. You couldn’t keep the smile off your face as you traced over his familiar features, the teenager smiling back at you from behind the glass a scrawny, awkward precursor to the fine man he eventually grew into. It was apparent that Falk’s family had been coming here his entire life; a barefoot laughing boy propped on his moms hip, the next one a few years older, proudly showing off the fish he and his father had caught at the lake, younger versions of all the High Clergy members sat around a bonfire with beers in their hands. “Quite the place you got here.” You remark, shooting a soft smile over your shoulder when you notice his staring.

“I should bring you up here during the summer,” your cheeks grow warm as you watch his eyes flicker over your form, “I can only imagine how beautiful you would look surrounded by all the fireflies.” He lets out a quiet chuckle, studying you for another moment before shaking himself from his thoughts. “I’m going to put this stuff away, I’ll get a fire going, and we can see what we can scrape together for dinner.” He chuckles.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” You respond with a smile.

Falk made quick work of getting a fire started, you watch the flames dance from your position cuddled up under a blanket on the loveseat. A mug of tea warms your hands, a radio crackles softly from the kitchen. You hear the shower turn off in the other room, Falk emerging a few minutes later in a pair of sweatpants cinched tightly around his waist and a baggy t shirt that was drowning him in its dark blue fabric, a faded logo you didn’t recognize neatly swirled across the front in white font. You nod in his direction, “little big on you, aren’t they?” You ask playfully, making him chuckle.

“My shoulders are a little too broad for one of my mother’s nightgowns.” He rebuttals causing you to let out a laugh of your own. He continues to make small talk as he makes his way into the kitchen, every so often his head poking back around the door frame to shoot you some flirtatious smile. He eventually brings you a steaming bowl of soup, carefully handing it to you before collapsing into the cushions beside you. The loveseat dips under his weight, causing your shoulder to knock against his. You were painfully aware of how his body pressed to yours, wishing you had the courage to reach over and take his hand again. “Chicken noodle, fresh from the can.” He jokes with a smile. You thank him softly, sipping at the hot, salty broth. You sat in a comfortable silence as you ate, both of you watching the fire contently. Every so often you noticed how Falk would glance at you out of the corner of his eye, moving as if he wanted to speak only to settle back into the familiar quiet, as if disturbing the peace would make everything fall apart around him. You help him clean up after dinner, taking care of the few dishes you had created in the process. A strong gust of wind rattles the windows, Falk notices you tense as the lights flicker slightly. He responds by simply turning up the radio, taking your hand, and sweeping you into his arms. He glides you across the floor, swaying you in time with the music that filled the room. You can’t stop the surprised giggle that slips past your lips, allowing him to lead you through clumsy spins. Falk trips over his own feet, offering you a bashful smile as you rest your hand on his chest to steady him.

“Easy there, Casanova.” You laugh.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve danced with anybody,” he admits with a shaky breath, “forgive me if I’m a little rusty.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re the only person I’ve ever had the chance to dance with, so I don’t have much to compare it to in the first place.” Falk pauses, glancing down at you curiously.

“I see you at the parties at The Abbey all the time, surely–”

“No one’s ever asked me.” You respond bluntly, hoping he would drop the subject. That part was true, no one had ever asked you to dance. The part you were neglecting to tell him was how that was more than likely caused by the fact you had a tendency to tuck yourself away in some concealed corner, hoping tonight will finally be the night you share more than some fleeting, flirtatious glances with the man that managed to occupy your every thought.

The current song that was playing faded to silence, the soft popping of the old radio filling the dead air in between the station’s selections. “Well, that simply won’t do, now will it?” He straightens himself up, a mischievous glimmer in his eye. He smooths his hands down the front of his shirt. He offers you his hand, your heart racing at the sight of the charming, lopsided smile that you had been in love with since the beginning. He states your name softly, you had never heard it spoken more beautifully than in that moment. “Can I formally request a dance, Mein Herz?” Your fingers brush over his palm, his skin warm against yours  as his hand fully engulfs yours. The trumpet from a big band ensemble lets out a few lazy whines before the rest of the instruments join in, your heart pounds in time with the drums steady rhythm. Falk wraps an arm around your waist, easing your body against his. He moves you in time with the melody, a few quick steps across the floor that turn into a romantic sway, pulling you just the slightest bit closer. You couldn’t keep your eyes off him, the fear of tripping over your own feet long forgotten under Falk’s intense gaze. He wasn’t going to let you fall, not without being there to catch you. His fingers knead into the plush of your hip, his thumb languidly tracing through the valleys of your knuckles. He looks down at you with complete, unapologetic adoration. “You are so beautiful.” He states softly, his voice barely loud enough for you to hear over the radio.

“I'm nothing special.” You rebuttal in a similar tone.

“You are to me.” Your heart raced at his confession, butterflies erupting in your stomach at such simple words. You reluctantly part from one another, Falk’s hand lingering on your waist, wanting to keep you within arms reach for as long as he possibly could.

“That was nice,” you couldn’t seem to tear your eyes away from him, “thank you.”

He offers you a simple smile in response, but the sight was enough to make your breath catch in your throat. “Anytime,” he leans down to bring his face closer to yours, his warm breath bouncing off your lips, “you’re quite the dancer.” You let out a soft laugh in response, playfully pushing his shoulder. You cover your mouth, unable to suppress the yawn that escaped you. “We should probably get to bed, I want to get on the road as soon as we’re able to in the morning.” He carefully pushes a strand of hair out of your face.

“You’re probably right.” Your chest tightened slightly, you were having such a great night with him, you wish it didn’t have to end so soon.

Despite Falk’s protests, you would be sleeping on the couch. “You’re a lot taller than I am, you need the space.” When he finally realized you wouldn’t budge on your decision, he reluctantly began gathering whatever spare blankets he could find. 

“If you need anything at all, just come wake me up.” He informs you with a soft smile.

“Alright.” You whisper in response. He sways on his heels slightly, searching for anything else to say.

“Well, goodnight…” He pauses before letting your name tumble from his lips, savoring every syllable as if he would never hear something so sweet again.

“Goodnight, Falk.” He gives you a small nod before disappearing into the bedroom, the door shutting with a soft click behind him. You stared up at the ceiling, the light from the fireplace making shadows dance around the room. You nestled into your pillow, your eyes already beginning to grow heavy as warmth began to seep into the blankets. You inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the burning logs and something incredibly familiar. You ran your fingers along the edge of the blanket Falk had given you in the car, the smell of his cologne a comfort in an unfamiliar place. It didn’t take long for you to drift off.

When you awoke the room was pitch black, a few embers clung to life in the otherwise dark fireplace. You shiver as you sit up, it was a lot colder in here now that the fire was out. You jumped as a branch bangs against the window, anxiety slowly creeping its way into your chest as you struggled to get your bearings in the night. Your eyes landed on the bedroom door just down the hall. You didn’t want to wake him, but there was no way you would be getting back to sleep between your rapidly growing fear and how absurdly cold it had gotten. You let your feet drop to the floor, the hardwood like ice beneath you. You grab your blanket, wrapping it around your shoulders. You quietly pad up the hall, stopping in front of his door. You opened it just a crack, cringing as the hinges squeak. You could make out the faint outline of him in bed, the left side of the large mattress completely open for you to slide into. You bolt inside as you hear another loud thwack of a branch against the window. You shut the door behind you, tiptoing around the room in hopes you wouldn’t wake him. You carefully peel back the blankets before slipping in beside him. You lay on your side facing the wall, your body completely rigid as you listened for any signs that you had disturbed him. You let out a sigh when you hear him snoring softly next to you. Your body relaxed into the plush mattress, your achy back finally getting some relief as you settled in. It was much warmer here than it had been in the living room. You let out a squeak when a large hand comes to rest on your waist. Falk’s arm slides around you, grumbling something in his sleep as he pulls you closer. Your heart hammered against your ribs, your eyes wide as you feel Falk’s body press flush against yours. Your hand comes to rest on top of his, debating for a moment whether or not to try and sneak back to the living room. Getting out of the cold seemed like a good idea at the time, but you hadn’t accounted for what you were going to do when Falk woke up the next morning and found you sleeping beside him. You nearly jump out of your skin when you hear him sigh your name, his voice raspy and thick with sleep. His grip on you tightens, burying his face into the crook of your neck. He relaxes as he settles against you, his soft snores alerting you to the fact that he was still asleep. He was so warm, the feeling of the steady rise and fall of his chest lulling you into a state of ease. Your eyes quickly began to grow heavy, melting into the mattress, the weight of Falk’s arm blanketing over you as he continued to hold you close. You begin to drift off, hearing a soft ‘I love you’ tumble from Falk’s lips before sleep takes you.

You wake up the next morning to the first light of dawn creeping in from a window beside the bed. Now that it was day, you had the chance to take in the details of your surroundings. All of the furniture was the same warm-toned wood, more pictures like the ones that decorated the mantle covered the wall. A heavy, dark green comforter blanketed the bed, you could spend all day wrapped up in the warm, luxurious fabric. The closet was filled with thick winter jackets, snowshoes, backpacks, and other outdoor gear. Falk stirred behind you, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck with a soft groan. Your body goes rigid as you feel him stretch, he freezes mid motion when he realizes he’s not in bed alone. You don’t say anything, you don’t even breathe, unsure of how to breach the conversation of you being in his bed. “I guess that wasn't a dream I was holding you in my arms last night, was it?”  The sound of his raspy morning voice makes your heart race. “Lucky me.” You could hear the lazy smirk laced into his tone. 

“Well, good morning to you too.” You respond sleepily. Your chest tightens as he chuckles, the deep rumble vibrating through your back.

He pauses for a moment, his thumb languidly stroking over your hip. “Did I, um…” he mulls over his words, searching for the right way to ask you what was on his mind. “Did I say anything in my sleep?”

Your mind immediately races back to the hushed confession that tumbled from his lips. “You might have.” You respond hesitantly.

Falk chuckles, cursing under his breath. He fully thought he had dreamed the whole thing; the feeling of your body pressing against his, the subtle, sweet scent of your perfume, the whole moment was permanently burned into his memory. Those three simple words fell so easily from his lips, now he would have to follow through on his confession. “I meant it, you know.” You’re unable to stop the smile that slowly spreads across your lips. You roll over to face him, your heart racing at the stunningly chaotic scene before you. His hair stuck up every which way, the fading remnants of tired circles under his eyes slowly disappearing as he became more awake, the stubble on his face noticeably darker than it had been yesterday. His expression softens, nerves being replaced with adoration as he studies you. He reaches out, hesitating for a moment before his hand comes to rest on your cheek. “I want to wake up like this every morning with you and only you.” Your breath hitches in your throat, the seriousness of his tone unmistakeable. “You told me you don’t think you’re anything special, Mein Herz, that couldn’t be further from the truth. You’re all I can think about from the moment I wake up in the morning until I fall asleep at night. There’s nothing I want more than to make you all mine, but every time I try to get close you always just end up slipping through my fingers.”

“Falk, I…” You trail off. You wanted to be with him more than anything, but there was still part of you that feared all of the unknowns.

“There you go again, second guessing yourself.” He points out with a teasing smile. His thumb trails along your jaw, his golden brown eyes slowly tracing over your features before landing on your lips. He states your name softly, his warm breath bouncing off your skin. “I am absolutely crazy about you… I just need to know how I can prove that.” He swallows, his arm wrapping around your waist to pull you closer to him. His attention turns to the clock on your nightstand, seeing it was still incredibly early he shoots you an excited grin. “Come on.” He hurries you out of bed, helping you shrug into one of his jackets. You clumsily step into a pair  of way too big boots by the door. Falk opens the door, taking your hand as you step out onto the porch behind him.

“Wow.” Was the only thing you could manage to say. The sun burned gold as it clawed its way over the mountain peaks in the distance, the rays of early morning sun warm on your skin. You turn to Falk to find him already staring down at you. “It’s beautiful.”

“This is the closest thing I’ve been able to compare to your smile.” He whispers. Your eyes widen, heart racing at such a simple, genuine confession. “And it still doesn’t even begin to come close to how absolutely stunning I find you.” A warm hand slides over your cheek, you can’t help but lean into his touch. He says your name in that perfect way only he can say it, “I’m in love with you, I don’t want to spend any more time running away from that.” He carefully tilts your chin upwards, your eyes fluttering shut as his lips slot against yours. His fingers slide into your hair, his free arm wrapping around your waist to pull your body flush against his. You felt weightless, like your body was floating on a cloud. Electricity buzzed from the top of your head to the tips of your fingers. Your heart was beating so quickly there was no way he couldn’t hear it, your pulse blocking out any other sound around you. You separate from the kiss breathlessly, getting lost in his eyes the moment they meet.

“How would you feel about staying the rest of the weekend here, with me?” He asks hesitantly, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

“You want to stay?” You can’t keep the excited smile off your face at the thought of being able to continue your peaceful existence in the woods for the next couple days.

“Only if that’s alright with you.” He gently cradles your face in his hand, languidly trailing his thumb over your cheek.

Your eyes flash down to his lips momentarily, making him chuckle. “Well, if you keep kissing me like that, I’m sure you won’t have any issue convincing me.” You squeal as he pulls you back to him, his lips crushing against yours in another mind numbing kiss. Excited to spend the rest of the weekend getting to hold you tightly in his arms.

Sitting up in bed, you simply kept on listening mindlessly for a while longer. You noticed the player certainly knew their way around the instrument and the complex melody was strangely haunting yet captivating. As you let yourself sway to the moody notes, you wondered if perhaps you should go wake Father Attila and warn him someone was in the church at such a late hour… But then again, the chances of it being a trespasser were practically nonexistent, and you'd feel terribly embarrassed for waking him up in the middle of the night if it was nothing worth worrying about. After a few more minutes of pondering, you decided to go check yourself, if you sneaked in, maybe you could find out who was playing, and the mystery would be solved without anyone else having to wake up at such a late hour. Determined, you slipped on a robe and a pair of fluffy socks, they would keep steps as quiet as possible, and slipped out into the corridor. It's cold and empty, and you can't stop the shiver that runs through you as you make your way to the church. The music creates an eerie atmosphere that you know should make you feel uneasy. But, somehow, despite the nervousness of the unknown, you feel mainly curiosity. Your mind gets lost in the possibilities of who the player could be, and only a moment later, you realize you are already standing in front of the church’s heavy wooden doors. Your heart is now thumping in your chest, and you take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm it down. It had to be someone you know, you think to yourself. With one last steadying breath, you lay your hands on the cold metal handles and, as quietly as possible, you push the doors open just wide enough for you to slip in. Once inside, the sound of the organ bounces off the walls of the empty church. It's so loud, it's as though each note resounds deep in your bones. From your spot, you can see the faint outline of someone on the gallery, their swaying shape outlined by the light of the moon coming in through the stained glass. It's still impossible to tell who it is however, so you carefully inch towards the stairs leading to the gallery. So far, the sound had covered any sound you could've made, the stone walls and steps surrounding you effectively keeping you out of the player's view, yet you felt as though you still needed to stay as silent as possible. Climbing the stairs in the dark feels like it takes forever, and the organ getting even louder has a chill running down your spine for reasons you cannot quite fathom. As you finally reach the top, you take another deep breath to steady yourself, before peeking your head out of the archway. The player is still facing away from you, but from this close, you could see him much clearer. It was a shape you'd become quite familiar with as of late and seeing him made you feel relieved, yet your heart did not slow down. Just as you were wondering why he was here playing at such an hour, the music stopped abruptly. The sudden silence was jarring compared to the previously anguished notes filling the air and you unconsciously held your breath. You watched as the man slowly turned his head, peering behind him from the corner of his eyes. You choose this moment to come out of the archway.

"Father Falk, I-I'm so sorry I did not mean-" you stutter out but stop as he fully turns to you.

His face is bathed in the colorful lights of the stained glass, and a soft smile graces his lips. His intact face paint tells you he probably did not go to sleep at all. Breathtaking, is the first word coming to your mind, but you quickly brush the thought away, wringing your hands nervously.

"Sister, please don’t be sorry, you did nothing wrong.” he says gently. “I did not wake you up, did I?”

His eyes wander down your body slightly and you blush, feeling a little self-conscious about the plush robe you'd put on before leaving.

"Oh, it’s fine, please don’t worry about me, Father. I just thought I heard someone playing, so I came to check..." you trailed off.

"My, my aren’t you a brave Mäuschen" he chuckles playfully. "Please forgive me for waking you up Sister," he adds.

The nickname makes your heart flutter, but you try your best to hide it. You know you shouldn’t feel this way, what would Father Falk think of you?

“Would you like me to show you?” he asks suddenly, gesturing towards the black and white keys.

“Oh… I’m afraid I do not have the musical talent that you have, Father,” you manage out.

“Nonsense, come,” he quickly answers, extending his hand for you to take.

You stare at the long nimble fingers for a few seconds, then your eyes travel to the small wooden bench he is currently sitting on. Sensing your hesitation, you can see the beginning of a smirk cross his lips as he pats his left thigh with his other hand. You blush furiously but despite your common sense, you slowly reach for his hand. He grabs it before it can reach him however and in an instant, you find yourself perched on his lap, trapped between his body and the organ, his face merely inches from yours. Despite the darkness, you can’t help but notice the light hazel of his eyes and the subtle, playful sparkle within them.

“Father! Isn’t this-” you gasp.

“Shush Engel” he cuts you softly. Your cheeks are burning so hard, you feel like your entire face has to be a deep shade of red. “Indulge me” he whispers, his lips close to your ear.

You try to suppress the shiver running through you at his hushed tone, but his faint smirk tells you that you did not quite succeed.

“Now pay attention to my fingers.” He orders gently.

You do as he says; your eyes going to his long fingers, your mind however struggles to focus as he resumes playing. Your ears barely register the music, focusing instead on his breath so close to your ear. You feel your own breath accelerating and so does your heart, so much so you’d be surprised if he couldn’t feel it. His fingers move elegantly on the keys and his body sways slightly behind you, but you can’t help but feel tense. Clearly Father only meant to show you how he plays, so why did you have to feel so flustered? Why did your own thoughts feel so impure? You shouldn’t be enjoying the warmth of his body against yours so much right? Your mind is so busy worrying that you didn’t even notice he had stopped playing until one of his hands came to rest just above your knee.

“Sister, are you alright?” he asks, and his lips are so terribly close to your ears, you can’t help but lean into him a little more. “You seem awfully tense.”

“Y-yes, I am alright Father” You internally curse your stuttering.

Suddenly, you feel his other hand brushing your hair to the side, exposing your neck to him. You inhale sharply and just as you’re about to turn to look at him, you feel his lips trailing down the now bare column of your neck.

“F-Father?”

“Yes Sister?”

“What… I-Is this ok?” is the only thing you manage to squeak out.

He inhales deeply from his spot in your neck.

“Is what ok Maus?”

You feel the curl of his lips. Was he teasing you? Before you can think about it any further, you feel his teeth nipping at the skin, which has you gasping. Your heart thunders, and you feel as if it could jump out of your chest right at any moment.

“Do you like this?” He whispers as he keeps nipping and brushing his lips to your neck.

Was this a trap? What were you supposed to answer? Was he testing you perhaps? The hand on your thigh slowly rose.

“I- Father Falk- I’m… I should-” you were nearly panicking, why was he tempting you so?

“Do not be afraid, you can tell me the truth.” He commanded.

You gulped as you tried to calm down and simply nodded, incapable of voicing it, but he pulls away and seizes your chin lightly to face him.

“Use words.”

“Yes” you breathed out as your eyes scrambled to look anywhere else but his face.

Finally, his lips landed on yours and all coherent thoughts left you. You can’t help the slight hum leaving you, his kiss is soft at first but quickly turns needy and desperate as his tongue demands entrance, which you grant readily. Both his hands now maneuver you to straddle his lap before resting on your hips and your own land on his chest.

“You have no idea how long I have waited for this sister,” he says once he pulls back to let you breathe.

Your wide eyes found his. He had been waiting for this? However, once more, he does not give you much time to compute what he just said as his hand slowly goes to untie your robe. Your lips part as you watch him, entranced by the movement of his fingers as they open your robe further, trailing up to your shoulders to remove it fully. Left only in your light nightgown, the cold air of the church has goosebumps flaring all over your skin.

“Will you let me have you?” He asks as his fingers pull lightly at the straps of your nightgown.

Your eyes lifted to his once more and as if to make his point, he lifted his hips ever so slightly so you could feel the growing bulge between your legs. You gasped once more, your eyes never leaving his.

“I- I never… I don’t know how to…” You hesitated.

"Let me guide you then," he insists, slowly inching the straps down your shoulders.

His eyes stay glued to your face, carefully watching every reaction he pulls out of you. You don't stop him as the straps finally fall, the top of the loose nightgown pooling at your waist. You immediately notice the way his pupils dilate and the rise and fall of his chest accelerating. At this point, you are nearly shaking in nervousness, anticipation, lust, or all these at the same time? You don't even know anymore. What you do know, however, is that you never want his touch to end. The soft feeling of his fingers lingering on your shoulders before making their way to your collarbone is enough to make you feel as though your whole body is on fire. His eyes finally leave yours as they trail down to follow the movement of his fingers.

"Beautiful" he breathes out.

You feel so vulnerable like this, naked before him, and you know your blush has probably spread down to your chest. But you did not look to see, no, instead your eyes go to the buttons of his shirt, your hands unconsciously drifting closer to them. He chuckles when he notices.

"What do you want, little one?"

"Can... Can I? Please Father"

His smile widens as he resumes his gentle stroking of your chest. The yelp that leaves you when his fingers brush your nipples makes you feel ashamed, but the pleased hum he gives is enough to make you forget about it. His touch is so light, yet it feels like sparks shooting through your whole body.

"Go ahead Maus, but call me Falk please, I wanna hear my name leaving those lips."

You nod eagerly, and his mouth is back on yours in an instant. His fingers still tease you as you fumble to open the buttons of his shirt. It's so hard to focus when his lips and touch feel so good, it makes your stomach tighten in want. You moan into the kiss, feeling both needy and a little frustrated at the offending buttons. You pant as he pulls back, mercifully opting to help you remove his shirt, which he quickly casts aside. The lean muscles of his arms and chest are finally bared for you and he sighs as you let your hands travel across his skin. He takes this moment to grasp you behind the knees and pull you closer to him, your chest now against his and his erection pressing against your heat. The sudden pressure has you mewling softly, which you try to stifle in his neck. He tuts gently.

"Let me hear you, you sound so sweet."

He then begins to grind his hips into yours, and even if you were to try, you doubt you could stop the moans now coming from you. It felt so good, he felt so good, it was like nothing you had ever experienced before. Your back arched, pushing further into his chest, as you felt an intense need burning down there.

"Fath- Falk..." You whined. "Please"

"What is it, little Maus?" His breath is heavy, nearly panting as he keeps rubbing against you. "Tell me what you want."

"You... I want you, please"

You don't even know how, you just know you want him in any way, around you, against you, inside you. Your brain chooses this moment to remind you you should be ashamed of such sinful thoughts but at this point, you're already too far gone to care. Especially when he groans, rolling his hips a few more times, before his hands pull at the nightgown resting at your waist. You help him lift it over your head and he discards it with his shirt. Left only in your thin white underwear, you watch with wide eyes as his fingers dip inside the waistband, creeping towards where you truly want him. You inhale sharply as he finally comes into contact with your wet folds, your eyes lifting to his.

"I've barely touched you, and yet look at you… How lovely you are Sister" he sighs, his eyes wide with what looks like adoration to you.

You barely have time to enjoy the view however as his fingers find your clit and start stroking soft circles. You keen, head falling onto his shoulder as you feel bliss like you've never felt before. It all felt so overwhelming in the most satisfying way. So many new sensations you had only ever dreamed of, you were too ashamed to even touch yourself before. Now it's like every one of your nerves is on fire as he keeps rubbing slowly. His free hand goes to your chin, lifting it gently.

"I want to see you Maus, keep your eyes on me." He orders.

You try your best to do as he says, you want to please him, desperately so, if it means he will keep doing what he is doing. Though you can't stop your eyes from rolling back, as your moans get louder and more desperate. For a second, you're worried about being too loud, the stone walls of the church echoing every single sound within it, so you bite your lips as you try to focus back on him. His thumb however goes to your bottom lip, gently prying your mouth open for him. He smirks as he pushes the finger inside your mouth, brushing against your tongue languidly. Your breathing accelerates, your heart beats wildly in your chest, but you still suck around his fingers as slowly and deliberately as you can. He rewards you with a pleased hum which has your walls clenching around nothing. The circles he is brushing get more and more insistent and you mewl around his thumb. You feel yourself quickly nearing a ledge, one you're not sure leads where. His thumb retracts with a pop.

"F-Falk I-" 

You don't even have time to speak further as you suddenly tumble over the precipice. White hot pleasure floods through your body, and you quiver in his lap, head thrown back as your lips part in a silent scream. His mouth latches on your neck and in between kisses, you can hear soft praises as he keeps stroking you through your orgasm.

"My good little Maus, giving yourself to me.”

Your brain feels like mush as your glassy eyes look up in time to see him taking his wet fingers to his mouth. You flush as you watch him, completely enraptured despite your shame. Once more, you feel your cunt clenching and you buck into him.

"Need you Falk, please," you whimper pathetically.

He chuckles as his hands go to unzip his pants, finally freeing his throbbing erection from the confines of his pants and underwear. You can't help but stare as a part of you wonders how it could possibly fit. Heat still pools through you at the sight though, the leaking tip, the thick veins-

"Are you ready?" He asks softly, distracting you.

"Yes... Please"

He nods and his hands go to your hips to lift you, positioning you over his length. Pushing your panties to the side, he lines himself up with your entrance and slowly, he begins pulling you down. Your breath hitches as you feel him breach you, torturously slowly sheathing himself inside your heat. The stretch is initially uncomfortable, bordering on painful, and you can't help but whimper. His lips slot against yours, tongues dancing together, which serves to distract you as he keeps pushing in. The more he fills you, the more pain makes way to pleasure. He presses his forehead to yours as you both pant heavily, and you feel so overwhelmed by the feeling of fullness you’ve never known before, you were on the verge of tears and he hadn’t even begun moving yet.

"So good for me Maus, look at you, you're already taking all of me."

The hoarse whisper against your lips sends a shiver through you, and he grunts lowly when you clench around him. You notice how he is holding back for you, as you accomodate to the stretch. After a few moments though, the fingers on your hips tighten hard enough to bruise. You cry out when he lifts you up before dropping you back down on his length. His name falls out of your lips like a broken record as he keeps repeating the motion, accelerating the rhythm. Your legs are trembling now, and he begins bucking up into you as well, hitting a spot inside you that has you nearly screaming.

"Will you be mine, Maus?" He suddenly asks harshly as his lips go back to your neck, sucking bruises and biting. 

"Y-yes, make me yours, please Falk!"

"Good girl" he whispers as his pace gets quicker, repeatedly hitting your sweet spot. 

You can't even think anymore, you just focus on the feeling of him thrusting into you and his low growls against your neck. A second orgasm is quickly approaching and you hear yourself pleading incoherently. He suddenly bites harder into your neck, and that's how you come undone, convulsing and screaming out his name as you clench tightly around him. He curses then bites into your shoulder, and through the shockwaves of pleasure, you feel his cock twitch and fill you to the brim with his seed. You both stay like this for god knows how long, the sound of your strained breaths filling the church. You whine when he finally pulls out of you and tucks himself back in his pants. You can feel his cum leaking out of you and into your panties as you watch him mindlessly, feeling completely blissed out and exhausted. 

"There's no way I'm letting you go now, love" he says as his hands cup your cheeks, thumbs wiping the tears that had fallen from your eyes.

You lean into his touch and you smile sleepily. Your face has to be such a mess now, you think, but you cannot bring yourself to care.

“It was wonderful seeing all of you. Don't be afraid to stop by and chat sometime if you'd like.” He smiles as he gets ready to head off. Your cheeks grow warm as you catch him looking you over one last time before leaving.

“He so has a thing for you.” One of them pipes up immediately after he's out of earshot.

“Will you shut up? He does not.” You respond immediately with a groan.

“I'm sorry, did we not all just see him check you out?” There was a collective murmur of agreement amongst your group. “You've had a crush on Falk for forever, and he clearly likes you. You should tell him!”

“I'll think about it, okay?” You snap back just to get them to drop it. “I have to go; I’m on chapel duty tonight.”

“Well, that gives you plenty of time to think then, doesn’t it?” She jokes. You roll your eyes, saying your goodbyes before heading off to complete your nightly chores.

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Falk sighs as he enters his office, falling back against the door as he shuts it behind him. The sight of your flustered expression still burning in the forefront of his mind brought a smile to his face. He shook his head, unwilling to entertain the thought at the moment. There was still work to be done; he couldn't allow himself to get distracted. He removes his formal vestments, washing off his ceremonial paints before sitting at his desk. He leans back in his chair, staring out the open window as his mind wanders. Falk has had his eye on you for a while, always trying to keep a respectful distance. But, to put things simply, he found you too captivating to resist for long. He noticed all of your coy smiles and bashful glances, your lips always so pretty and perfectly glossed. Part of him wondered how that gloss would look as it smeared over– Falk shook his head, clearing his throat as he shut down the thought. Part of him felt guilty having such sinful thoughts about you. You were a kind, respectable young woman. Yet, he always ends up back at the same place, his hips stuttering as he ruts into his palm, your name shamelessly falling from his lips, sweat coating his brow as he imagines how his fingers would sink into your pillowy hips. He curses as he finishes, his head tipping back as he struggles to catch his breath. He cleaned himself up, taking one last look at the paperwork on his desk and deciding it wasn't worth the trouble; he wouldn't be able to focus on it right now if he tried. He headed toward the chapel; he had to set up for mass in the morning anyway. The physical movement would be a nice break from the monotony of signing forms and a welcome distraction from his racing thoughts.

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You sat on your knees inside the confessional, tracing small circles over old leather seats with a polishing cloth. You always dedicated the utmost care to the chapel whenever it was your daily task. You would be here a lot later than most of the other Siblings, taking time to care for the woodwork and the other less prominent cleaning areas that still needed some love. You heard the door open, figuring someone was coming in for late afternoon prayer. “Schwester, you’re here late.” You froze at the sound of Father Falk’s voice behind you.

“I could say the same for you, Father.” You glance at him over your shoulder, his tall frame filling the door frame of the confessional. He peers at your work curiously, making you giggle. Falk’s heart raced at the melodic sound. “No one ever remembers to take care of the leather.” He holds out his hand for you to take. Your fingers tremble as they ghost over his, letting him help you up from kneeling on the floor. He smiles as he studies your smaller form, trailing a knuckle along your jaw.

“Always so dedicated.” He coos. “This is why you’re my favorite.” He chuckles at your flustered expression. You take his arm, letting him guide you through the empty chapel. “I need to choose some music for mass in the morning. Would you like to help me decide?”

“Of course.” You smile softly at him, your skin glowing under the kaleidoscope of colors flowing through the stained glass windows. The dark wooden walls made the room feel eerie, the only source of light besides the sun and the sporadic groups of candles still lit from this morning. The altar itself becomes a tomb of darkness, the large brass pipes of the organ shining like teeth from some glorious eldritch monster before you. Falk’s hand slips into yours, noticing your apprehensive expression.

“You look nervous, little maus.” He chuckles.

“The chapel just feels a little different at night, Father, that’s all.” You respond.

“I can assure you,” he turns to face you, bringing your knuckles to his lips, “the only thing that bites in here, Schwester, is me.” He chuckles. You swallow thickly, knowing the statement was supposed to be a joke, but the thought was enough to have heat pooling between your legs. He separates himself from you to prepare his music, leaving your attention to wander around the altar. You couldn’t help but stop and admire the carvings that adorned the mensa. “You can touch it, you know,” he chuckles, watching you study the wood closely with your hands neatly tucked behind your back, “I promise you’re not going to burst into flames or anything.” You shoot him a teasing smile before allowing your fingers to trace over the intricate work.

“It’s gorgeous; I’ve never gotten to look at the carvings up close.” You remark in awe.

“I’m surprised you haven’t,” he slowly strides closer to you, “Father Charles loves to romanticize the old rituals they used to perform.”

“I wonder what it would be like to sit up there.” You state blankly, not expecting a response.

“Would you like to see for yourself?” You nod slowly, waiting to see just what he would do. He stands before you, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. Two warm hands find their way to your waist, his palm curving perfectly to the contours of your hip. You tensed under his touch, your heart pounding in your chest. You're lifted from the floor and set on the edge of the mensa in one swift movement. The wood was cool under your fingertips; Falk couldn't help but study how your plush thighs settled against the dark, nearly black surface. You looked out over the endless rows of pews, imagining what they must look like full of spectators.

“So this is what they saw in their final moments, huh?”

“Final moments?” Falk repeats back under his breath. He chuckles, his hand trailing across your cheek as he brushes some stray hair from your face. “What kind of rituals do you think these were?” He asks softly, a playful smile on his lips.

“Sacrifices?” You respond slowly, shooting him a confused glance. He shakes his head.

“No, Mäuschen, these ritually focused more on…” he trails off, his eyes raking over your much smaller frame in a way that made heat pool in your core. “Pleasure.” He finishes finally. He can't help but smirk as he notices the way you squeeze your thighs together in response to his words. He stands in front of you, placing a hand on either side of your hips, caging you in his arms. You're forced to look up to meet his eyes, warm golden brown irises that almost glow under the low candlelight. “A Sibling would be brought in here for an evening of indulgence, expected to confess their deepest desires so they could be cared for properly. But, of course, that was only experienced if one found themselves to be a favorite of a particular High Clergy member.” His words from earlier ringing in your ears, ‘This is why you're my favorite.’ You swallow thickly, unable to break yourself away from his gaze.

“Why, um,” your voice shook slightly as you spoke, “why did they stop doing these rituals?” Your heart pounded, your skin feeling hot as you desperately tried to ignore the arousal that burned in your core.

“They haven't.” He responds bluntly with a sharp smile. “If I were better prepared, I would offer to demonstrate.” Your grip tightened on the table at his statement; Falk chuckled softly as he decided he'd had enough fun flustering you for the evening. “Come here Mäuschen, we still need to choose that music.” He helps you down from the mensa, his hands lingering on your waist for a little longer than they should have been before you both finish your chores in the chapel for the evening.

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You were finding it impossible to get to sleep. Your mind kept wandering back to your meeting with Falk earlier that night. How he could easily move you around as he wanted, how large and strong he was compared to you, you could still feel the way his hands brushed against your thighs as he easily caged you in at the mensa. You squeeze your thighs together, the throbbing between your legs quickly returning at the thought of him. You hadn't realized until tonight how massive his hands were, still feeling their warmth on your waist. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, thinking about how his hands would feel traveling across your bare skin. You slipped a hand under your shirt, squeezing your eyes shut and letting out a soft groan as you massage your breast, your other hand toying at the waist of your pants. This wasn't the first time you had thought about Falk like this, but who could blame you? From the moment you two had met, he had absolutely captivated you. You had never met someone so sophisticated and mature who treated you with such respect. He was a romantic, handsome, and, if the rumors are true, incredible in bed. You try to stifle a whine as you start to rub slow circles on your clit, your fingers already slick with your arousal. His name tumbled softly from your lips as you chased your rapidly approaching high. Your hips buck into your hand as you carefully slide two fingers inside of yourself. You tried to imagine how deep his long fingers would be able to reach, the thought alone enough to make your eyes roll back in your head. He would treat you so well; you just knew it. Your moans grew louder and more desperate the closer you got to your climax. Your back arches off the bed, his name falling repeatedly from your lips like a prayer as the tightly wound coil inside of you finally snaps. Maybe now you will finally be able to sleep.

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Falk stood frozen outside of your bedroom door. He came down here to apologize for how he had acted earlier, saying something like he had to you was out of line. He should know better. He was just about to knock on your door when he heard your voice moan his name. He stills, knowing he should leave but unable to move from the spot. He doesn't dare even breathe, listening closely to see if he could hear more of your sweet sounds. His mouth grows dry as he listens to your soft whines; he wonders what sounds he might be able to coax out of you. He would love to take his time with you, meticulously toying with every part of you he could get his hands on just to see how you would respond to his touch. His member pressed painfully against the confines of his pants, the throbbing only growing more intense as he listened to your soft sounds grow louder as you approached your climax. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, his whole body rigid as he listens to your gasps and cries; he can hear your bed frame creak in time with the thrusts from your fingers. He had to suppress a growl in his throat at the thought of how much better you would feel if it were him taking care of your needs. His heart leaps into his throat, all the air getting punched out of his lungs as he hears you cry out for him. Your fervent moans bordering on screams as you repeatedly call his name through your peak, a delighted sigh trailing off the end before you fell utterly silent. He hurriedly straightens himself up and heads away from your dorm, not wanting to risk anyone catching a glimpse of the situation. He hurries back to his room, his heart still hammering in his chest as your sweet voice rang in his ears. You were thinking of him through the heights of your pleasure; his face burned as the realization of what he had just done occurred.

Falk sat in bed, thumbing through a novel he had read dozens of times, just looking for a distraction. Getting to sleep proved impossible, his mind always managing to wander back to the sound of your sweet whines. He snaps the book shut, removing his reading glasses and placing them on his nightstand. He massages the bridge of his nose with a soft groan. He turns off his lamp, nestling himself into his pillows before staring at the plain white ceiling. His whole body buzzed with arousal; he lay rigid in bed as he resisted the urge to give in to his temptations. However, with the day he had with you, it was nearly impossible for him to resist. “You perverted old man.” He chuckles, chastising himself. “What would she say if she knew you were thinking about her like this?” He knew he should feel ashamed, but after hearing your needy cries for him, he was sure you wouldn't mind; you may even be flattered that the thought of you alone was enough to get him off. He rests a hand on his bare stomach, fidgeting with the waistband of his fleece pants. In moments like this, he thought of you more often than he would care to admit, but he simply couldn't help himself. The sweet smell of your perfume, the curves of your body, the flirtatious glimmer that always managed to find its way into your eyes, you could bring Falk to his knees without much effort at all. He hissed softly as he finally rubbed his hand over his clothed member, wishing desperately that it could be you taking care of him instead. He took his time, imagining how your body would feel in his hands and what sweet sounds he could coax out of you. His mind wandered back to the sight of you on your knees in front of him in the confessional, the way your pretty sundress rose up to show the plushness of your thighs, making his cock twitch. He slowly pushed his pants down his hips, his erection slapping against his stomach as it was finally freed from its confines. He gives himself a few tentative pumps, groaning at the welcomed friction. All he could think about was how pretty you would look riding him, how your heat would pull him in, how cute and pathetic it would be when your legs finally gave up, your thighs trembling from over-exertion, allowing him to flip you over and fuck you stupid into the mattress. He curses, growling your name as he finishes, his hot release coating his pale skin. The otherwise silent room was filled with the sounds of Falk’s heavy breathing as he came down from his high. Cleaning himself up and settling into bed again, he lay awake, wondering if you were still thinking about him.

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Sitting through Mass the following morning proved to be a nearly impossible task. You couldn’t look at Falk without the thought of him towering over you as you sat on the mensa flashing through your mind. You squeezed your thighs together, silently praying that Mass would end soon so you could find some sort of distraction. Your breath freezes in your lungs when your eyes meet his, “we ask that you please stay for monthly confession. Of course, a simple check-in will suffice as well.” He continues his closing remarks. You wiped your hands on your thighs, your palms suddenly growing clammy. You knew there was no need to confess that you had been having such indecent thoughts, but you could feel the admission resting on the tip of your tongue. Something about being in the confessional made it utterly impossible for you to keep any secrets. You dwelled in your seat for what felt like hours as you watched the rest of your fellow Siblings slip into one of the five confessionals. You had no idea who you would be met with on the other side of that door. By the time you approached the confessional, you were one of the last people left in the chapel. The wooden door creaked as you pulled its heavy circular handle. Slipping inside, it only took a moment before you were plunged into darkness, your eyes slowly adjusting to the booth's low light. Your knees land on the plush pad, your breathing shaky as you trace along the lattice pattern of the screen that separates you from whoever sits on the other side.

“Forgive me, Father,” you suck in a deep breath before continuing, “for I have sexualized an older man.” Your cheeks burn as the admission tumbles from your lips.

The figure on the other side of the screen straightens up, clearing his throat softly. You could feel his eyes on you despite not seeing his face. “Is that so?” Your blood turned to ice in your veins; it took everything you had to not bolt out of the confessional as you realized it was Falk on the other side of that screen. “May I ask who the object of your lustful thoughts may be, Schwester?” You could hear the smirk in his voice. Falk had realized who had stepped into his confessional the moment you began to speak. Your confession itself was enough to send a shiver up his spine; he began to wonder just how much you would be willing to admit to him.

“I have a feeling you already know the answer to that, Father Falk.” You respond boldly, making him chuckle. What a clever little Maus you were.

“Well, I’m truly flattered if that’s the case.” You found yourself smiling, fidgeting with your fingers as your heart began to race. “Although I wish I could have seen how cute you must have looked confessing that Mäuschen.” He grew silent for a moment, debating whether or not he should push his luck and ask what was really on his mind. “How often do you think about me, Schwester?”

“More frequently than I would care to admit, Father.” You lean in close to the screen, and Falk can feel your warm breath against the shell of his ear. “I’m ashamed to say I… I was even thinking about you last night.” The nervous tremor in your voice was just enough to drive Falk insane, a primal hunger growing deep inside of him as he listened to you describe the deepest fantasies about him. Your soft, melodic voice made him ache with need, wanting nothing more than to feel your bare skin under his fingertips, allowing you to give in to every single impure thought you had ever had about him. “I feel terrible; I hope there’s some way I can make it up to you.” You stifle a giggle as he clears his throat, adjusting himself in his seat. Falk’s hands were fisted in his vestments, your words leaving him unable to think straight. Your legs trembled, both due to growing tired from kneeling and from the arousal that was quickly pooling in your core. Falk’s stomach plummeted at the sound of you exiting the confessional. He still couldn’t say what he wanted to tell you even after all that. That thought was quickly swept away at the sight of you slipping through the door on his side of the booth. 

“Well, this is certainly a surprise.” He chuckles, reaching out to take your hand. He runs his thumb soothingly over your knuckles, studying you briefly before tugging you closer. His large hands travel over the curve of your waist and down the outside of your thighs. “What do you plan on doing now, my brave little Maus?”

“What’s my repentance, Father?” You ask with a seductive grin. He raises an eyebrow, a smirk slowly stretching across his features.

“On your knees, Schwester.” He orders gently. You do as he asks, your eyes never leaving his as you sink to the floor between his legs. “You want to repent, do you?” You nod, hazy eyes fluttering shut as he reaches to cup your cheek. You had done nothing wrong, and Falk could tell from your expression that you knew that. He traces his thumb along your bottom lip, your willingness to let him have complete control over the situation making the urge to claim you as his grows even more significant. He pushes his thumb past your lips, groaning as your tongue glides over the digit. “Such a pretty little thing you are, Maus.” He looks at you hungrily, his free hand working on removing his vestments. He pulls his thumb from your mouth with a pop, taking a moment to undress himself as much as necessary for the task. You hum contently as he rests a hand on the top of your head, your cheek resting on his muscular thigh as Falk takes a moment to just drink in the sight of you. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, hesitantly reaching out to run your hand over his member, which was only separated from your palm by the thin cloth of his boxers. Falk quickly covers his mouth with his hand, trying to stifle the hiss that threatened to escape him at your gentle touch. He didn’t want to come undone before you so easily, but that proved a much more difficult task than he anticipated. He cups your face in his hand, keeping your eyes locked with his as you familiarize yourself with the contours of his body. His erection was hot in your hand; you felt his fingers twitch against your jaw as you traced your finger along one of the thick veins that trailed up from the base of his cock. He curses under his breath, his hips bucking slightly under your hand. You tug at the waistband of his boxers, silently asking permission to remove the only barrier separating you from him. You swallow thickly, your eyes tracing over the tattoos that wound up his arms as he removes the last of his clothing. You slowly peel yourself out of your dress, Falk’s breath hitching at the sight of the lingerie set that perfectly hugged your curves underneath.

“I figured I should make things a little more even.” You remark with a seductive smirk. Falk sits up, reaching behind you to undo the clasps of your bra with ease.

“I definitely won’t complain.” He chuckles, guiding the thin straps from your shoulders, the lacy fabric falling to the floor. He allows himself a glance at your nearly naked form, groaning at the sight of your beautiful body on display for him. His finger trails along your jaw, his lips hanging just out of your reach. “Can I kiss you?” He asks softly.

You can’t help but giggle slightly, “I mean, you’ve practically seen me naked; I don’t think kissing could hurt.” He lets out a chuckle of his own in response.

“You have a point Maus,” he rakes over your features with a hungry expression, “I’m just glad I finally get the chance to taste you.” Falk’s lips crash into yours; you can't help but let out a delighted sigh. Your fingers trembled as your hands ghosted over his skin. He hums against your lips, covering your hand and pressing your palm to his chest. You could feel his heart pounding. He pulls back from you slightly, his lips brushing over yours as he speaks. “You don't have to be nervous, Maus; I'm all yours.” He whispers before pulling you back into another mind-numbing kiss. You smile as you feel his body tense under your touch, your hands slowly trailing down his torso until your fingers bump into his boxers. Your lips leave his, trailing across his jaw. He groans, his hands coming to rest on your waist. He squeezes your hips as you place a kiss on his neck. Your fingers dip into the waist of his boxers, easing them down his hips as your lips trail down his body. Falk couldn't take his eyes off you; you were so captivatingly beautiful that he didn't dare look away. He bites his fist as he tries to stifle a groan as you wrap your hand around the base of him. Anyone could still be in the chapel; anyone could step into the confessional at any time, but the risk of potentially getting caught only made you want each other more desperately. Your eyes never leave his as you wrap your lips around the tip of his member. He squeezes his eyes shut, biting hard into his bottom lip as his head drops back. “Good girl.” He praises you softly, cursing under his breath as you allow more of him to slide over your tongue. You squeezed your legs together, the quiet moans that you effortlessly pulled from him making it impossible for you to ignore the throbbing need that was quickly growing in your core. His skin was hot against your tongue; you wanted to savor every single sound you coaxed out of him, making sure to take things slowly. He cradled the back of your head carefully in his hand, wanting to touch you somehow. You noticed his breathing quicken, the groans tumbling from his lips coming much more frequently than when you had started. “Mäuschen,” he calls softly, “be careful, I’m not finished with you yet.” He chuckles, easing you off of him with a hiss. His head hits the back wall of the confessional with a soft thud as he sits, catching his breath. His thumb soothingly stroked your cheek, eyes finding yours with an expression nothing short of pure adoration.

“I’d like to take you back to my room if that’s alright.” His request hung heavy in the air for a moment, your heart pounding in your chest.

“You’re not worried about people seeing us?” You ask. It’s not like it was uncommon for Siblings to be seen slipping into High Clergy members' quarters; if anyone happened to see you, they probably wouldn’t care anyway. But, there was something about his invitation. Falk wasn’t inviting you back to his room for some meaningless one-night stand.

“Why would I be worried? Anyone who sees us is just going to know you’re mine.” He tilts your chin gently with his knuckle, offering you a sharp smile that sends a shiver down your spine. “Stand up, meine hertz.” You do as he says, allowing him to place his hands on your waist to pull you closer. Your breath hitches in your throat as he presses a kiss to your pulse. His fingers ghost over you, causing goosebumps to erupt on your skin as he memorizes the curves of your body. Electricity danced across your neck, each kiss making your mind grow cloudier. Your legs threaten to give out underneath you as he sinks his teeth into you. You let out a soft whine, your fingers tangling in his hair as he assaulted your neck. “Beautiful.” He traces around the dark purple mark with his finger.

“I'm hoping there's more where that came from.” You giggle in response. Falk smiles, his fingers massaging your hips as his lips find yours in the quiet intimacy.

“Coming from the woman worried about people seeing us together.” He teases with a chuckle.

“Oh, I was worried about that for your sake.” You can't help but smile as he steals a few chaste kisses, unable to deny himself such a simple pleasure now that he's gotten a taste of it. “But, if you're okay with people knowing about us–”

“Us?” He offers you a devious smirk. “You want there to be an us?” He asks curiously. Your face burned as you realized the confession you let slip out into the darkness.

“I-um,” you stutter, searching desperately for any response but coming up empty-handed.

“A pretty little thing like you interested in an old man like me,” he chuckles, grabbing your chin between his thumb and finger, “it almost sounds too good to be true, Mäuschen.”

“I definitely wouldn't consider you old, Father.” You respond with a soft laugh. Falk smiles, his hand warm against your cheek as he carefully caresses the side of your face. His eyes slowly trail over your features, memorizing how you looked at him; your pupils were blown with lust, yet your gaze held a softness, an admiration, that Falk couldn't miss. He guides your lips back to his, your body immediately melting into his embrace. He shivers as your fingers trail over his chest. He found your hesitancy adorable, enjoying that he knew he would have to control the situation, given your apparent nerves.

“Get dressed,” he mumbles against your lips, “I want to get you out of here. You buzzed with excitement as you righted your clothes, taking a deep breath to steady your pounding heart. You turn when you hear Falk softly call your name, stepping closer to him to allow his hands to slide over the curve of your waist. “Beautiful.” He states softly as his eyes hungrily rake over your body. His large hands wrap around the back of your thighs, steadying you as you lean down to kiss him. He feels goosebumps erupt across your skin as he slowly slides his hands upward, his calloused palms hot against your body as he slides over the curve of your ass. His fingers hook into the waistband of your panties, carefully guiding them down your legs. “You're not going to be needing these.” He chuckles, stuffing the delicate fabric into his pocket.

“You dirty old man.” You tease him with a smile, sliding your arms over his shoulders.

“Your dirty old man.” He corrects with a smirk and a smile, his hands returning to their task of distractingly running over your thighs. “How about we get out of here, Maus?” He asks in a seductive tone.

“Yes, Father.” You respond with a coy smile, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. Falk chuckles in response, enjoying seeing you relax into such a happy, flirty state. You giggle as Falk hugs you from behind, pulling you flush against him as he leans down to press his lips to your cheek.

“Little minx.” He whispers, reaching past you to open the confessional door. You let out a soft squeak as a gentle smack lands on your ass, prompting you forward and making Falk chuckle. You step into the empty chapel, your heart pounding in your ears loud enough to drown out the soft clacking of your shoes against the tile floor. Falk was by your side instantly, his hand slipping into yours as you were met with the same warm, comforting smile you were used to seeing from him. Being with him puts your nerves at ease; the way he speaks so kindly towards you, how he gently places a hand on the small of your back to guide you out of the way of oncoming people, allowing your mind to swim in all the possibilities of what might be in store for you upon your arrival at Falk’s quarters. His actions let you know he would take good care of you; that fact alone was enough to make your knees weak. His body parted from yours to unlock his door, quickly slipping the heavy wrought iron key into the lock before retaking your hand. He tugs you into the dark entryway—your heart races as you lose sight of him when the door shuts. You're eventually able to make out the faint shape of his silhouette; you freeze as he suddenly closes the distance between you. Your back presses flush against the cool wood, Falk’s lips crashing against yours. He wastes no time picking up where you had left off, his fingers ghosting over your thighs as he gathers the flowy fabric of your dress in his large hands. “Keep this on for now, Mäuschen.” He instructs gently. “You look cute.”

You grab him by his collar, pulling his lips back down to yours. Falk lifts you from the ground with ease, guiding your legs around his waist as he effortlessly carries you to his bedroom. He sets you gently on the floor. His hands move to unbutton his shirt; you stop him as a seductive expression spreads across your features. “Can I?” You ask softly, toying with the top button of his shirt. He nods quickly in response, his hands falling away as he watches you, slightly in shock that you would do something so bold. You slowly unfasten every button, Falk struggling not to grab you and toss you on the bed, the feeling of your knuckles so delicately brushing over his torso making his skin burn with need. You push his shirt off of his shoulder, your hands trailing down his strong arms as you push yourself into him. He curses as he feels your tongue glide over his neck; he tangles his fingers in your hair, groaning loudly at the feeling of your sharp teeth pressing harshly into his skin. 

Falk chuckles, grabbing your face in his hand. “I see someone else is a little possessive as well, hm?” He smiles, a devious glint in his eye. He winces dramatically as he prods at the mark you left behind. You lean closer to him, eyes never leaving his as you gently kiss the spot.

“You’ll have plenty of time to make me all you want later, I promise.” He smiles teasingly.

“And why can’t I do that now?” You challenge.

“Because,” he starts in a low tone, tilting your chin up with his finger as his lips hang just out of reach. “I’m much more concerned with caring for you, Maus.” He steps forward, guiding you backward until the back of your knees bump against the edge of his bed. “Lay down.” He orders firmly.

“Yes, sir.” The words tumble from your lips before you can thoroughly think them through. You freeze, cheeks burning as you wait to see how he would respond.

“Sir?” he asks in response. You fall back against the mattress, and Falk's larger form easily cages you underneath him. He studies you hungrily, running a knuckle down your pulse. “I could get used to that.” He chuckles, watching the way you squirm underneath him. “Is that alright with you, sweetheart?” He asks softly.

“Yes, sir.” You respond in a similar tone.

“Good girl.” He whispers with a sharp smile before he pulls your lips back to his.

Falk kissed you like a man starved, the sweet taste of your lips intoxicating as he sought to consume you: body, mind, and soul. He wanted you to think of no one else, only him. The way your hand fists into his hair as he sinks his teeth into your plush thighs, leads him to believe he's doing a pretty good job. Simply put, Falk believed you deserved to be worshiped, the ground you walked in sacred, just for being allowed to be under your foot. Giving you anything less than his very best would be a sin. You shiver at the feeling of his long fingers holding over your exposed skin, pushing your dress up to your hips to put you on full display for him. He could have spent hours marking you as his. Every dark purple mark he added to the growing collection just looked so pretty against your soft skin. You jolt as his thumb brushes over your clit, letting out a soft whine as you try to push yourself into his hand. Falk chuckles, cupping your sex with his hands as he brings his face up to yours. “Needy little thing, aren't you, Maus?” He smirks. You let out a soft whine, your nails digging into his broad shoulders as he begins to slowly circle your clit. “Is this what you wanted?” You nod, quiet moans tumbling from your lips. Falk slowly his motions; he can't help but chuckle as you adorably pout up at him. “Use your words.” You swallow thickly, his commanding tone making your heart pound.

“Yes, sir.” You respond quickly, and Falk smiles sharply. His lips crash into yours; you moan into his mouth as his fingers suddenly pick up their pace. He used the chance to slip his tongue inside your mouth; you let out a pleased hum, your body arching off the bed to push into his. He studies your features with a smug expression as he pulls back, your pupils blown and your lips puffy from the intensity of how he kissed you.

“You just lay back and look pretty; I'm going to take good care of you.” He states softly. He lowers himself to his knees at the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around your hips to pull you closer to him. Your legs rested over his shoulders, his fingers intertwined with yours. You cursed, your thighs squeezing around his head as he wasted no time allowing himself to taste you. He groans as you roll your hips, dragging the sweet taste of your arousal across his tongue. His fingers pressed harshly into the curve of your waist with bruising force. Your fingers slide into his soft hair, your breath catching in your throat as Falk lets out a low growl. Your back arches off the bed, tugging harshly at his strands as he licks a long firm stripe over your clit. Your soft moans only spurred him on; it wasn’t long before he could feel your thighs beginning to shake as they squeezed tightly against his ears. He hums against you, causing you to let out a strangled whine. You groan as you feel him gently press his fingers through your entrance. He pauses as you tense, allowing your body a moment to adjust to the feeling of how deeply his long, slender fingers hit inside of you. He praises you softly, his free hand pressing into the plush of your stomach to hold you in place as he rapidly brought you to the edge of release.

You moaning his name was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. His heart raced as you reached out for him, pulling him closer as your moans gradually became louder and more desperate with every thrust of his fingers. He presses his thumb to your clit, making you cry up as your nails dragged down his back. He hisses softly at the feeling, no doubt in his mind that thin red scratches would be littering his pale skin. Falk’s voice sounded foggy and far off as something inside of you finally snapped, pleasure crashing over you as you screamed his name. Your cries were muffled by his lips being crushed against yours, swallowing all of your moans as he drew out the peak of your climax as long as possible. Your body still shook as he eased his fingers out of you, effortlessly taking hold of your waist and guiding you into his lap. Your arms slide over his shoulders, your arms fluttering shut as your lips easily find your way back to his. He holds you up with one arm, using the other to shove off his pants clumsily. He moans as he feels the heat of your sex press against him. His hands slide over the curve of your ass, guiding your hips slowly back and forth over his cock. “How are your legs feeling?” He purrs teasingly, your hips keeping the same slow, languid pace as he massages your thighs.

“Shaky.” You admit with a giggle. You pull your lip between your teeth as Falk leaves a trail of kisses across your jaw.

“Think you have it in you to be on top, Mäuschen?” He whispers in your ear.

You start to nod before you pause, remembering Falk’s instructions. “Yes, sir.” Your voice trembles in anticipation.

“That’s my girl.” He praises softly. You shiver as his large hands travel over the curve of your waist, pushing your dress over your head at an agonizingly slow pace. He marveled at how your skin was molded under his thumbs; you were so much softer than he could have imagined now that you were in his hands. You curse as you ease yourself onto his length, your thighs trembling as you settle yourself in his lap. You buried your face into the crook of his neck, trying to muffle the lewd sounds that fell from your lips as he filled you so perfectly. Falk groans at the feeling of you squeezing around him, pushing down on your hips to ensure he is as deep inside of you as possible. “You are… Perfect.” He growls in your ear, making you whine as he rolls his hips. You slowly started to move yourself, Falk’s head thudding against the headboard as he struggled not to fuck into you. Everything about your body felt like it was made just for him: the way his hands fit along the curve of your waist, how easily your lips met his as you sat in his lap, you were everything he could have hoped for, and so much more. Falk’s heart stops as you take his face in your hands, angling his face upwards. His eyes meet yours, your gaze hazy and filled with need. If his heart weren’t hammering so hard in his chest, he would have sworn he had died. You were so beautiful, covered in deep purple love bites and marks from his teeth. You were the closest thing Falk had ever seen to an angel. He wraps an arm around your waist, his larger form allowing him to flip you underneath him easily. He pushes your knees to your chest, and your back arches off the bed as a strangled moan escapes from your throat. One of his hands wraps tightly around your waist, holding you in place as his hips snap against you at an animalistic pace. The other soothingly stroked your cheek, brushing away the tears that had started to gather along your lashes with his thumb. He presses the digit past your lips, the salty taste of your tears mixing with the sweetness of his skin. He leans down close to your ear, tilting your hips up in the process, causing him to hit a spot inside of you that had you seeing stars. He presses a kiss to your cheek before growling, “I have to make sure I fuck you stupid, so no one else will be able to satisfy you.” He chuckles, cradling your head in his hand as his lips trail along your neck. You were putty in his hands, every inch of your body burning with pleasure as he seemed to know exactly how you wanted him to touch you. He curses, resting your head on the pillows as he wraps both hands around your hips. His thrusts were becoming sloppy, gradually losing their tempo as he neared his climax. He falls forward slightly, his hand slamming against the headboard as he catches himself. Your skin seemed to glow under the low light; the thin sheen of sweat that had accumulated on your body made you shine in the darkness. Falk’s breathing was ragged, your moans and cries of his name melodic in his ears as he kept up his harsh thrusts. Sweat dripped from his brow, various tones of grey splattering across your bare torso as his ceremonial paint melted from his skin. Your legs wrap around his waist, pulling him as deep inside of you as possible. He lets out a sound between a chuckle and a growl. “Careful, Mäuschen.” He warns, his gaze darkening slightly as he studies you hungrily. “I might not be able to pull out in time.”

“Who said I wanted you to.” Your response hit Falk like a slap in the face. He tangles his fingers in your hair, crushing your lips against his as his hips slam into yours fervently. You screamed his name, your body going rigid in his hands as he mercilessly pounded into you. He wanted, no, needed to claim you as his. He curses under his breath, moaning out your name as his hips stutter to a stop. His kisses quickly become more tender compared to the ferocious energy they just held. He holds you in his arms momentarily, allowing both of you time for your breathing to settle. He takes your hand, soothingly rubbing his thumb over your knuckles and bringing them to his lips. He talks you through every little motion as he moves to get you both cleaned up, instructing you to relax so he can handle things. He handles you so delicately, pausing any time he notices you show signs of discomfort. He can take a moment to massage any tender muscles or readjust your position so you’re more comfortable. He crawls under the covers next to you, an arm circling your waist as he pulls you flush against his chest.

“How are you feeling?” He asks softly, soothingly massaging your waist.

“Incredible.” You sigh blissfully. Falk smiles, burying his face against your neck. “I…” you trail off, nervously fidgeting with the edge of your pillowcase. “I’ve had feelings for you for a long time.” Your confession hangs heavy in the otherwise silent room.

“So have I.” He finally responds after a few seconds. “Schön, would you… Would you like to stay?” You feel him squeeze at your waist, trying to pull you closer.

“I would.” You respond quietly. Your attention wanders to the clock on the bedside table, suddenly remembering that it was still the middle of the day and you had tasks you were expected to attend to. “Shit, I’m going to be late–” You’re cut off by Falk pressing his lips to yours, your eyes fluttering shut as you let out a delighted sight. He pushes you back into the mattress, fingers tangling with yours as he pins your hands above your head.

“You can skip out just for one day,” he asks breathlessly in between kisses. “Can’t you, Maus?” He didn’t give you any time to respond before he crushed his lips against yours again. You gave in without much of a fight. After all, spending your afternoon like this was worth the risk of getting in trouble.

He takes your hand to help you step out of the van. “Allow me, love.” He whispers, insisting on handling your luggage for you. “You just let me handle everything, yeah? There's no need for you to be so stressed, my dear.” He whispers in your ear, pressing a kiss to your cheek as he drags both suitcases behind him.

Falk:

“What's wrong, Mäuschen?” Falk asks softly, his hand immediately slipping into yours when he notices your unease.

“I'm just a little nervous, I've never flown before.” You explain, watching intently as his long, articulate fingers trace along the outline of your palm.

He lets out a small hum in response, a gentle smile winding across his lips. “I see.” He carefully intertwined his fingers with yours. “Would you like to know a secret?” He leans in close to you, giving your hand a squeeze as he whispers between the two of you. “I'm terrified of heights.” He admits with a chuckle. “If I can make it through I know you can. Plus, I'll be here to hold your hand the entire time.” He winks at you playfully.

Matthew:

Matthew was an expert at dealing with your nerves, often catching early signs of panic way before you did. He watched as your shoulders gradually began to rise as you waited in line for TSA. “Can I take your bag, Schön?” He asks softly. You nod, allowing him to slip the backpack from your shoulders, slinging it over his arm alongside his own. You sigh as his thumbs pressed into your tense muscles. “Just try and relax, I'll handle everything.” He whispers in your ear. He made sure you were well taken care of: holding onto your ID and boarding pass so they wouldn't get lost in your stuff and you wouldn't be anxious about dropping it, he was careful to keep people from bumping into you.

He groans as he stuffs both of your carry ons into the overhead bin. “There we go, safe and sound.” He smiles down at you, patting the now closed door. He slides into the seat next to you, taking your hand in his. “How are you doing?”

“Much better.” he smiles, bringing the back of your hand to his lips. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Of course, you're my top priority, I have to take good care of you.”

Charles:

You couldn't sleep. Your nerves about your flight in the morning getting the better of you. “What's wrong, honey?” You jump as Charles' sleepy voice suddenly grumbles behind you. Rubbing his eyes with a yawn as he sits up at your side, slinging his arm over your shoulders. “You've been tossing and turning for hours.” He points out gently, knowing you would try to deny anything was wrong so he could get back to sleep.

“It's silly.” You try to argue, he just crushes you against his chest in response, his skin warm as you nestle yourself against him.

“-’s not silly, lovey.” He mumbles, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “You can talk to me about anything, you know that.”

“I'm just nervous about our flight tomorrow. What if something goes wrong, of we forget something, it I lose my boarding pass, or my phone-”

“I'm not going to let any of that happen.” He stops your racing mind with a soft chuckle, smiling at you reassuringly. He lays down, pulling you back under the covers with him. “I'll take good care of you, meine herz. I promise.”

Roel:

“Are you almost ready? We have to head out to meet the others.” Roel says as he enters into your bedroom, backpack already slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I'll be right out, I'm almost ready.” He paused at your glum tone.

“Is everything alright, my love?” He sets down backpack, walking up behind you in order to wrap his arms around your waist. Your hands settle on top of his, relaxing into the feeling of being pressed against him.

“Just a little nervous.” You respond simply.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” You smile at his immediate support.

“Just being with you is already making me feel better.” You respond softly, your arms sliding over his shoulders as you turn to face him.

“Good,” he smiles down at you, “let's keep it that way, yeah?”

“Mhm.” She draws out her hum, giving you a playful smirk. 

“I, um… excuse me, ladies, there's something I forgot to handle.” You respond with a bashful chuckle before slipping away. “I am such an idiot!” you exclaim to yourself. You jog down the hallway. Hopefully, there weren't too many people down at the front gate. You had been waiting for them… for him to come home for weeks.

The Autumnal Equinox was always a bit hectic around The Abbey. Sabbats always tended to get everyone a little too rowdy, and this time would be no different. You heard shouts from the kitchen and orders to make sure all the chefs had enough prep for the special meal The Abbey prepares for the Siblings every holiday. The Great Hall doors were open, and last-minute decorations were meticulously placed around the room. It seems like everyone is putting in their best effort to make the celebration of the Equinox something special.

However, you couldn't have been less concerned with the party if you tried. There had been only one thought in your head about seeing him again for weeks. The members of the High Clergy had been traveling to spread the word of the church for the past couple of months, which shouldn't have affected you and your role in the library. But, it got awfully lonely while they were away. You had your friends around The Abbey, of course, and the rest of the Siblings that resided here were all kind and wonderful people, but something was still missing.

You managed to get to the gates just in time to see them heading up the long stone driveway to The Abbey’s entrance. You wiped your hands down the front of your habit, your palms growing clammy as your eyes landed on Falk, a smile on his face as he talked with Attila. His gaze turns to you, his long strides gradually slowing to a stop as his eyes meet yours. His grin softens, a fond expression settling over his features as he studies the image of you standing before him. He claps Attila on the shoulder before parting from the other man, adjusting the strap of his bag where it had twisted before starting in your direction. He stops a few steps in front of you, both of you memorizing the image of the other all over again as you both struggle to find the right words to say. You can't help but smile slightly as you study his features. You hadn't realized how much you missed getting to see his face every day until right this moment: warm golden brown eyes that captivated you yet put you entirely at ease, the subtle sharpness of his smile that never failed to make your heart race, the slight shadow of stubble that covered the lower half of his face, you missed all of it. “How are you?” He finally speaks, snapping you from your trance-like state.

“Good,” you suck in a deep breath to steady your pulse, “better now that you're home safely.” Falk breathes out a flustered chuckle at your response.

“Well, I had to make it back to my favorite Mäuschen, didn't I?” His hand comes to rest on the top of your head, gently patting your hair. Your heart pounded as you glanced up at him through your lashes. He removes his hand from your head, his fingers gently combing through your hair to push some loose strands behind your ear. His hand grazes over your skin, coming to rest on your cheek.

“Father Falk?” Your voice trembled slightly as you spoke, the words bubbling up in your throat as you struggled to tear your eyes away from his. “I, um…” The warmth of Falk’s hand leaves your cheek at the sudden shout of his name, a group of Siblings barreling out of The Abbey doors now that someone has alerted them that the High Clergy had returned home.

“You, what, Maus?” he asks in a low tone. The intimacy of how he leaned in to speak to you, to ensure you knew that you had his full attention, sent a shiver down your spine.

“I'm just really happy you're home, Father.” You tried to muster your most convincing smile, but Falk saw through whatever façade you attempted to put on. As the crowd approaches, you attempt to slip off, only for Falk to catch your hand in his.

“You can stay, you know.” He remarks, offering you a patient smile.

“I'm afraid I’d probably just get in the way,” you respond with a weak, slightly defeated chuckle. “If you find yourself with a moment to breathe, you know where to find me.”

“Will I see you tonight?” You glance at him curiously. “For the party?” He finishes.

The party had already begun to slip from your thoughts. You opened your mouth to respond, only to be drowned out by the hoard of Siblings who had finally made their way down to where you were standing. Your hand slipped out of his as you took your chance to disappear into the chaos.

You hurriedly made your way back to the library, pressing your back against the cool wood as you allowed the door to slam shut behind you. You sigh, letting your head thud against the barrier. “I missed you.” You finally allow the confession to tumble from your lips once you find yourself alone.

You slide into the chair at your desk, smiling slightly as you see your handwriting on a tented index card. You pick it up, absentmindedly twirling it between your fingers as you allow your eyes to trace along the delicate gold letters etched into the book cover that sat atop the pile of reserved texts you had set aside by request. “Excuse me.” You scream as you're startled from your thoughts, clapping a hand over your mouth as you turn to look at who had approached the desk. Falk stood before you, his shoulders shaking slightly as he struggled to contain the laughter bubbling up in his throat.

“I'm sorry, Father–”

“No, really, I'm sorry; I thought you would have heard me come in.” He chuckles, gliding forward until he’s standing right in front of you. His forearms come to rest on the desk, his crooked smile making your cheeks grow warm as he casually leans in closer to you. “Surely I'm not that scary looking, hm?” He adds with a playful smirk.

“You're not scary at all, you just surprised me, that's all…” you trail off, fidgeting with the edge of one of the book covers as you pull the stack closer to you. “I happen to think you're rather handsome.”

“Is that so?” His grin widens slightly as his gaze scans over your features. “Well, coming from someone as beautiful as you, I'm flattered.” Your heart slammed against your ribs when you finally registered his compliment. His hand was warm as he took yours, thumb slowly running over the valleys of your knuckles. He breathes out a laugh at the difference between his massive paw as it engulfed your delicate fingers. His attention turns to your face; the subtle intensity behind his eyes keeps you firmly in place. “I don't believe I got your answer before we were interrupted earlier.” His expression softens, gently squeezing your hand when he feels your fingers trembling against his palm. “Will I be seeing you tonight?” Your mouth grew dry as you struggled to form any words in response. The question was so simple, yet Falk’s tone was so incredibly intimate as he spoke to you.

“I'll be there.” You finally managed to squeak out.

He lifted your hand slightly; his breath was warm against your skin. “Hopefully, I'll be able to steal you away for a dance then.” His eyes flicker over your features before he brings your knuckles to his lips. “Until then, Schwester.” He wordlessly scoops up the books you had placed on the desk between you, giving you one final lopsided grin before hurrying from the library, leaving you dumbfounded.

You couldn't believe it when you stood in front of your mirror. You were truly no better than a teenage girl getting ready for prom. You glanced at the chaos that had ensued behind you: a mountain of dresses covered your bed, practically every pair of shoes you owned scattered the floor, various piles of tried-on and later discarded jewelry, leaving you still standing in your bathrobe as you agonized over what to wear.

You had just finished putting on your earrings when there was a sudden knock at your door. “One second!” You call in response, grumbling as you trip over your shoes on your way to the door. You freeze as your eyes land on Falk, your gaze darting to the vibrant bouquet he held before returning to his charming, lopsided grin. “Falk?” You can't help the shy smile that slowly spreads across your features. “What's this for?”

“Well, I couldn't show up empty-handed. Now, could I?” He responds vaguely, slipping the bouquet into your hands.

“Well, that all depends on why you're here, doesn't it?” He chuckles at your playful tone.

“I'm here to ask if the beautiful young woman in front of me would do me the honor of accompanying me to the Equinox celebration tonight.” He motions to the gift he had presented to you. “Hence the flowers.” You share a laugh, carefully spinning around the bouquet in your hands to admire the vibrant oranges, golds, and reds.

“You… you want to take me?” Your voice came out soft, barely above the whisper, as if you spoke any louder, you would snap yourself awake from a dream.

“If you'll have me.” He responds with a slight nervousness in his tone. He holds out his hand for you to take, a hopefulness in his eyes as they meet yours.

“I think it might be the other way around.” You reply coyly, your cheeks growing warm as your fingers ghost over his palm.

“Please,” you can't help but giggle as he takes your hand and guides you through a spin. He smiles as he drinks in the sight of you. You're absolutely beautiful,” your breath hitches in your throat as he gently trails his knuckle across your jaw. Walking in there with you on my arm feels almost too good to be true.”

“Let me just grab my shoes, " you said as you began to turn. Feel free to come in, but I'll warn you it's a bit of a mess…” he glanced at you curiously. “I couldn't figure out what to wear.” You both exchanged a laugh.

“Well, I think you look incredible, Mäuschen.” You mumble out a flustered ‘thank you,’ Falk sticking close to your side as you head into your dorm. You set the bouquet in some water, deeply inhaling its sweet scent. “I'm glad you like them.”

“Thank you for bringing them for me; that was very sweet.” He shrugs nonchalantly in response, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Like I said… I couldn't just show up empty-handed.” He takes a few steps forward, allowing him to resume his usual position towering over you. “I honestly wish I had prepared a bit more.” He chuckles.

“Getting to spend the night with you is all I could ever ask for.” You admit softly, your eyes trailing to the floor.

“Well then, my dearest Maus,” he takes your hand, carefully bringing your knuckles to his lips, “why don't you grab your shoes so we can enjoy our evening?” Your heart pounded; you were sure Falk could hear it. You reluctantly separated from him, picking up the pair of heels you had decided on. Falk’s hand was warm as it came to rest on the small of your back. “May I?” He asks, taking hold of your shoes. He drops to one knee, taking your hand in his for a moment to bring it to his shoulder. He carefully moves your dress out of the way to delicately lift your foot. He easily slips your shoe on before resting or on his thigh, fastening the strap around your ankle and asking you if everything felt alright before repeating the process.

“Thank you.” You smile down at him. Electricity danced across your skin, where he lazily ran his thumb across your ankle. He takes your hands in his as he stands.

“Ready?” You nod in response, your grin widening as you watch him slowly trace over the contours of your face. “Beautiful.” He mumbles before breathing out a bashful chuckle. He tucks your hand into the crook of his elbow, “Let’s get going.”

You found yourself leaning into Falk’s side as you walked, hiding your face against his shoulder as you laughed at another one of his dumb jokes. You could hear the party raging up the hallway as glasses clinked together and the excited laughter and shouts of the entire Abbey broke apart the otherwise tranquil autumn evening. When you entered the room, it felt like every pair of eyes had landed on you. Falk squeezes your hand before confidently stepping forward. “Falk!” The crowd's attention quickly diverted as Attila greeted the two of you. He claps Falk on the shoulder, greeting each other jovially in German before turning his attention to you, “Sorry about all the staring.” He chuckles. 

“I thought I had prepared myself for that on the walk over here.” You respond with a laugh of your own.

“Just go have fun, don’t worry about them.” He leans closer to you to whisper, “Falk certainly isn’t.” He jokes. You glance at him over your shoulder, your heart leaping into your throat as you meet with his kind, adoring gaze. Attila straightens up, “I’ll see you both later.” He dismissed himself abruptly, surely trying to see as many people as possible before the night was over.

You turn to face him as Falk softly says your name. “Would you like to dance?” He offers you his hand, waiting patiently for you to accept his invitation. As you set your hand in his, a smile finds its way to your lips.

“I'd love to.” He tugs you in the direction of the dance floor. You can't help but laugh as he sweeps you into his arms, your heart fluttering as your hands rest against his chest. He takes your hand in his, the other settling against the curve of your waist.

“You look nervous, Mäuschen.” You share a playful grin.

“Can you blame me?” You reply softly.

“If anything, I should be the one that's nervous.” Your body instinctively begins to sway with his as he leads you around the floor.

“And why's that?” He carefully leads you through a spin before pulling you back to him.

“I showed up to a party accompanied by the most beautiful woman in The Abbey.” His arm fully encircles your waist, tipping you back towards the floor. “I just hope I don't manage to make myself look like a fool in front of you.” 

Your cheeks grow warm at his compliment, a soft laugh slipping past your lips. “Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about.” Your breath catches in your throat as he shoots you another charming, lopsided grin. His gaze drops to your lips, lingering there momentarily before meeting your eyes again.

You danced with him for hours. The pair of you never seemed to tire as Falk effortlessly spun you around the room. Your nerves quickly slipped from your mind, the jealous stares of other Siblings being entirely lost to the warmth that burned in your chest every time Falk made you laugh. Eventually, you noticed the once-raging crowd beginning to thin as the night started to wind to a close. “Why don't we get out of here?” Your pulse races as Falk whispers the simple question in your ear. You nod, laughing as he takes your hand and hurriedly leads you through the crowd.

Falk sighs loudly as he pushes through the door into the chilly autumn evening. Goosebumps immediately erupt across your bare skin, the oppressive heat of the party inside being sucked away from you in an instant. He turns to you with a soft smile, shrugging out of his jacket to draw it across your shoulders. He cups your cheek, allowing his thumb to stroke over your skin as he studies you languidly. “What?” You ask with a bashful smile.

“You're beautiful, Mäuschen.” He responds with unhesitating tenderness. “I'm sorry if you catch me staring. I just can't help myself sometimes.” He pulls you to him, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You wandered aimlessly around The Abbey’s grounds, just enjoying being in each other’s company. Neither of you wanted your time together to end, finding any excuse you could to lengthen the conversation. You paused at the distant rumble of thunder, jumping slightly when a raindrop splatters across your cheek. Falk grabs your hand, waiting for you to gather up your dress. You groan as you remember you're wearing heels. Falk chuckles, stepping closer to you to scoop you up in his arms. You let out a delighted squeal, your arms latching around his neck as he jogs off with you in his arms. It didn't take long for both of you to be completely soaked through with rain. He sets you down outside the greenhouse, the first unlockable door to shelter you came across. “I'm sorry about your dress.” He apologizes as he feels around the top of the door frame for the key.

“It'll dry.” You reassure him.

“I figured we could dry off here for a little while, wait for the rain to stop.” He explains as he finally slips the key into the lock. “I thought going for a walk would have been romantic.” He chuckles.

“Falk?” His attention turns to you as you softly say his name. “Would you like to dance with me?”

He chuckles as he nods. “I would love to, Maus.” He steps closer to you, “Here, let me help with your shoes. I don't need you getting stuck.” He meticulously helps you out of your heels, struggling to contain the grin that spreads across his face as he watches you step down to your normal height. You can't help but laugh as Falk gives you a low bow, offering you his hand. You gingerly lift your dress as you curtsy in response. Raindrops trailed down your skin; Falk swore you almost seemed to glow under the moonlight. He hums into the silence of the night, both of you moving in perfect synchronicity as you waltz through the wet grass. Falk bows once more as your dance finishes, bringing your knuckles to his lips before lifting you from the ground easily. The inside of the greenhouse was warm, immediately enveloping your whole body in a blanket of humidity as you hurried inside out of the rain. He carefully takes his sleeve, wiping away whatever water he could with his soaked shirt.

“Come here; I know where they keep some towels.” Falk smiles as you take his hand. You shake the handle of the supply closet, giving it a harsh twist before it finally gives way. It wasn't much, a few hand towels tucked beside a rickety old sink every used to wash up after a day of harvesting. You timidly raise your hand, carefully pressing the towel to his cheek to wipe away the ceremonial paint that now ran in dark gray streaks down his neck. Falk freezes under your delicate touch, his hands settling on the curve of your waist as he allows you to clean him up. As you slowly uncover his handsome features, a soft smile finds its way to your face. Falk was struggling to keep his eyes off of you; everything about you was just so perfect. The subtle curve of your lips as you cared for him just about made his heart stop.

“You'll catch a cold if you're stuck in that dress much longer.” He tuts, moving one of his hands to your shoulder. “Your skin feels like ice, Maus.” 

“I'll be alright-”

“There you two are! What the hell do you think you're doing out here in this storm?” It was Roel. The two of you startled apart; you yelped as you tripped on the long skirt of your gown. Falk’s hand shot out in an instant, steadying you, and he pulled you into his chest.

“How did you know we were out here?” Falk asks in a confused tone.

“I was doing a grounds check. Trust me, this wouldn't be the first time I've found someone hooking up out here, and I'm sure it won't be the last.” He chuckles. “But, from the fact you two look like a couple of wet dogs, I'm assuming this wasn't part of your plan.” You could tell from his teasing tone that Father Roel wouldn't let either of you live this down any time soon. The three of you rush back inside The Abbey, Roel giving Falk very clear instructions to ensure you get home safely before parting ways.

“Let's get you into something dry, hm?” He offers you his arm, and you gladly accept it as you lean into his side. Your hand slides into his, giving it a gentle squeeze to try and ease some of the tension that rolled off of him in waves. He seems to snap himself from his thoughts as he turns to glance at you. “I'm sorry I made such a mess of our date, " he suddenly admits with a chuckle.

“I don't think you made a mess of anything. Falk, I'm having a wonderful time with you tonight.” Your steps slowly come to a stop.

“After I got you caught in the rain and probably ruined your nice dress.” He responds incredulously.

“It's just a dress.” You rebuttal. You turn to face him, and despite how hard he tried to hide it you could see the worry laced into his features. Your hand slowly rises from your side, hesitating for a moment before it gently comes to rest against his cheek. Falk’s warm, golden brown eyes find yours. “I wouldn't change anything about how tonight has gone.” Your confession poured past your lips before you could stop it. “While you were away, I can't even begin to describe how much I missed you. Now, you're home. You asked me to one of The Abbey’s most important parties, and I got to spend the entire night wrapped up in your arms… Falk Maria Schlegel, I love being around you. Getting caught in some rain isn't going to change that. There isn't anywhere I would rather have spent my night than by your side.” He barely gave you enough time to finish your sentence before his lips were on yours. The air was instantly knocked from your lungs, your hands fisting into Falk’s shirt in order to keep yourself upright and to pull him as close to you as you could manage. His strong arms wrap around your waist, lifting you from the floor, leaving your toes barely skimming across the stone tile. His shoulders heave as he struggles to catch his breath, his eyes searching yours as you finally separate for air. You slide your hands over his shoulders, realizing he was making no move to set you down. Slowly, a lopsided grin spreads across his lips.

“You missed me, hm?” Your cheeks immediately begin to burn at the statement.

“Shut up.” You manage to respond through a flustered giggle. You let out a pleased hum as he pressed his lips to yours in a few short, sweet kisses. “Take me home.” You command.

He quirked an eyebrow at you, a playful smirk toying at the corners of his lips. “Yes, ma'am.” He sets you down for a moment to readjust his hold on you, his arm sliding behind your knees as he pulls you back into his chest. Swaying you with every step, Falk carried you back to his quarters so you could enjoy the rest of your evening alone.

“You weren't interrupting anything, don't worry.” Roel finally decided to speak up, deciding he had let you simmer in your embarrassment long enough. “Falk just swung by for a visit before Mass.”

“Will you be attending Mass this morning, schwester?” Hearing him speak even a single word in his native tongue sent a shiver down your spine, his voice growing slightly deeper at the language shift.

“Of course, I wouldn't miss one of your sermons for anything Father.” Roel snorts out a laugh, trying to cover it up by turning it into a cough. Falk either didn't notice or decided that it wasn't worth the trouble to acknowledge.

“Well, I always look forward to seeing that pretty face of yours in the front pew.” You sucked in a sharp breath at his words, managing to knock over Roel’s mug of coffee, sending it smashing to the floor. Your eyes widen before they snap up to Falk before immediately turning to Roel.

“I'm going to get something to clean that up.” You rush from the room, slamming the door shut behind you. You buried your face in your hands, stomping your foot against the floor a few times to quell the need to thrash around after making yourself look like a fool. You groan as you start down the hallways, hopefully by the time you get back Falk would have left for Mass so you wouldn't have to be face to face with him after that.

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“You’re going to give that poor girl a heart attack one of these days.” Roel chuckles.

“You're the one who encouraged me to flirt with her in the first place!” Falk exclaims in response, dragging a hand down his face. “Now look at what happened, she’s embarrassed, she’s probably going to do everything in her power just to avoid me after that.”

“If I remember right that's not something that wouldn't have stopped you befo-”

“This is different.” He snaps, cutting Roel off. He immediately raises his hand in defeat, knowing it was better to not try and poke at Falk’s temper.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve.” He leans back in his chair, eyes raking over his friend’s disheveled state. “You were up thinking about her again weren't you?”

Falk just shoots him a look. Of course he was, and Roel knew that was a stupid question to ask. It started off as something simple; glances that lasted a little too long, accidentally brushing his hand against hers. But, Falk’s little crush on his friend's assistant quickly grew into something much more than that. You eventually started coming around to see him, even outside of the errands you had to run for Roel. Your short conversations gradually became longer, you would go to see him to borrow books, he would invite you to his study for afternoon tea. “It’s wasteful to make a whole pot for myself, it'll get cold before I finish it.” He would always argue. “You know… I'm not a young man anymore Roel. It's foolish of me to even entertain the idea of courting her.”

“It doesn't seem to change the fact that she’s interested.” Falk struggled not to roll his eyes in response.

“Coming from you, I don't know how true that statement is.” He quips in response, causing Roel to chuckle.

“Listen, all I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to try.” Roel states your name with a particular fondness as he tries to find the words to describe you to his fellow high clergy member, in his years of working with you he not only found an incredible assistant but also a friend. “She’s… a bit difficult to read, sometimes, I won't lie.” He chuckles. “But, I can tell. The way she looks at you, the way she straightens up and almost glows whenever you're in a room, my friend, that's the closest thing to being in love with another person I've ever seen.” He explains. Roel sighs, leaning back in his chair as he studies Falk’s somewhat disheveled state, it was obvious this was eating away at him. 

Falk was reaching the age and the point in his career where he was being expected to settle down. With his title, however, things worked a bit differently than your standard marriage. Falk being a high clergy member meant that there were specific traditions and rituals that were passed down throughout his family that he was expected to partake in. “Okay, hypothetically, let’s say her feelings are mutual. Is all of this something I could really ask of her?”

“Well, unfortunately my friend, that's a question only the two of you can answer.” The two men perk up at the sound of you chittering to one of your fellow Siblings in the hallway as you make your way back towards the office. “You seem to be pretty confident that she’s you Seelenbindung.” He continues quickly, in a hushed tone. Both of them listen cautiously for the click of the doorknob signaling your entrance.

“Listen, I know it sounds crazy, I know the whole soul tie concept is nothing more than an old wives tale-”

Roel cuts him off, jutting himself closer to the other man, “old wives tale or not, all of us can tell that there’s been something different about you. You're more irritable, high strung… all of that until she’s by your side.” The pair fell silent as you made your way back into the room.

“I should be heading out to prepare for Mass.” Falk pipes up cheerfully, but despite his pleasant demeanor you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Falk stands, nodding his goodbye to Roel before starting to walk out. He pauses as he reaches you, his eyes scanning over your much smaller form in a way that has heat settling behind your cheeks. “Schwester, I look forward to seeing you again later.” He gives you a wink before quickly slipping from the room. Your gaze landed on Roel, the shit eating grin already spreading across his features.

“Don't even start.” You groan, walking over to the puddle of coffee you had spilled and dropping to your knees to clean it up. You pause at Roel calling your name.

“Don't worry about that right now. Come, sit.” He motions to the chair across from him. You noticed the leather arm was still warm to the touch, the image of Falk sitting there flashing through your mind and making your heart thrum in your chest.

“Why do I feel like I'm about to get in trouble for something?” You ask with a nervous chuckle.

“What did we talk about last week?” You groaned, collapsing back in the seat, whatever professionalism you had immediately disappeared at his question.

“It's not that simple!” You exclaim in response. “What? You expect me to walk in here, bat my lashes, and tell him to take me to dinner?”

“That is exactly what I'm saying to you!” He booms, standing up with a force that sends his chair scraping backwards against the hardwood floor. “Do you understand how much that would make that man melt? If you walk in here and look at him with those big pretty eyes I think you could convince him to do a lot of things, personally.” 

“It's not like he would feel the same way.” You scoff, crossing your arms over your chest and turning to the window to hopefully hide the defeated expression on your face.

“How do you know?” He asks softly in response.

“Because he's a High Cler-”

“That means nothing and you know that.” You chew the inside of your cheek in irritation. He was right, you did know that. There was no rule against Siblings and High Clergy members starting relationships, it wasn't something your superiors believed in. This was supposed to be a place to experience joy in all aspects of your life, dictating who you can and can't fall in love with just never seemed to sit right with their ideals.

“I'm scared…” you finally admit, and he didn't miss the slight tremble in your voice as you spoke. “If he finds out it could ruin everything between us.”

“I think you need to remember this is Falk we're talking about here.” He finally sits back down with a soft sigh, resting his elbows on the dark wooden surface of his desk. “You saying your entire relationship will just disappear because he finds out you have feelings for him… well I'd say that's a little harsh, wouldn't you agree?” He did have a point. You were talking about the same man who sat there drying your tears and telling you that you still looked beautiful after spilling wine on your dress at a party, who would offer up his free time to go visit with the kids in the Abbey's daycare, who no matter the time of day or night always offered you a safe place to go work through anything with a warm fire in his hearth and a piping hot pot of tea ready in a moments notice. This was Falk you were talking about. Roel took your silence as a cue to continue. “Now, I know I'm just some old man who doesn't know anything.” A soft smile passes over his lips at the sound of you giggling at his joke. “But, I think you should go get ready for Mass, make yourself look all nice.” He glances down, scanning quickly over the planner he had open in front of him. “Oh, would you look at that, after Mass Father Falk just happens to have the rest of the day off.” He looks back at you, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leans in. “Are you feeling alright, ducky? You're not looking so good… maybe you should take the rest of the day off as well.” Your jaw fell open in shock as you tried to stammer out any words at all in response, but nothing came. He nods in the direction of the door, “get out of here, I don't want to see you until tomorrow.”

“Don't get mad at me if I just end up having a relaxing day at home.” You chuckle as you push yourself out of your chair. “But, thank you Roel.”

“Oh, don't you worry sweetheart. If I have anything to say about it you're in for a lovely afternoon with your little crush.” He smirks in response before turning back to his paperwork. You just simply roll your eyes in response, used to this kind of behavior from him after so many years working at his side.

“Goodbye Roel.” You call loudly as you swing the door shut behind you. You cleaned up your desk as you got ready to head out. Checking the time, you realized you had about an hour left to get ready before Mass, you decided that for once you would actually take Roel’s advice seriously considering it sounded like he was up to something. You found yourself standing in front of your wardrobe, agonizing over your outfit decision as you pulled out just about every article of clothing you owned. “Too formal, too formal, too formal.” You cursed under your breath. Your closet was filled with clothes suitable for meetings and business trips, but not much else. All of your casual clothes would be acceptable for Mass but you felt like it was defeating the purpose of making yourself look nice. You pulled out a plain, black dress. It was one of your favorites, it hugged your curves in all the right places. You stood in front of your mirror, holding the fabric up to your body. “I guess it's better than nothing.” You shrug, deciding to take the plunge.

You smoothed the dress down your legs, making sure your hair was fixed how you liked it and that you hadn't managed to already smudge your makeup. You stepped carefully into a pair of low heels taking one final deep breath before leaving the safety of your dorm. “Someone's got a hot date!” Father Matthew’s voice booms from behind you. You whip around, eyes wide as you hurry up to him.

“Keep your voice down.” You whisper aggressively at him. “I'm trying to not draw attention to myself.”

“Wearing that?” He smiles playfully at you. “Hun, I don't know if you've noticed but there isn't a single person in this room that hasn't checked you out at least once. You look hot, just accept it.” You groan, rolling your eyes before turning to continue on your way to Mass. “So who's the lucky guy?” He jogs to catch up with you, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he saunters at your side.

“I don't believe that's any of your concern, is it Father?” You quip, causing Matthew to grumble.

“You're no fun, Charles and Attila’s assistants always catch me up on their gossip.”

“Well, Rachel is the biggest gossip I know and Jeremy, even if he means well, can't keep a secret to save his life.” You wave to a few Siblings that greet you on your way into the chapel. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my seat.” The phrasing of your words was enough to set Matthew off.

“Your seat, huh?” He chuckles. He leans in, looking around to make sure no one was trying to eavesdrop. “You got all dressed up because you knew you would be seeing Falk, isn't that right little bird?” The sudden color change of your cheeks gave you away immediately. “Well, don't let me keep you from the object of your affection any longer. Just make sure you swing by and tell me all about it later.” He winks before ducking into the crowd, disappearing before you had the chance to yell at him. You hurried up the aisle, hoping your usual seat would still be open considering the massive turnout this morning. You glanced up at the pulpit only to lock eyes with Falk. His mouth slightly agape as you watched him drink in the sight of you. You're snapped from your thoughts when a hand is placed on your back. You recognize the face you're met with, but just barely. You felt the need to cross your arms over your chest as he leered in your direction, your dress leaving you feeling exposed under his malicious gaze 

“Now how did I miss a pretty thing like you?” Your brows furrow at his mumbled statement. The hand he had on you now burning against your skin.

“Excuse me?” You step away from him, his arm smacking against his side as it falls away..

“What can't you take a compliment?” He chuckles, straightening himself up to make himself appear bigger. “Wait a second, I know you. You're Roel's girl, right?”

“I'm his assistant.” Your snap I'm response, eyes darting around, looking for an escape.

“It's a shame that you let that pompous asshole keep you all to himself.” He sneers, realizing that he wouldn't be able to win you over with what he considered charm. “I guess it makes sense that his lap dog would be such a stuck up bitch.” You took one step forward, ready to put this jackass in his place. Before you had the chance a body placed itself between you and the random sibling who had decided to give you grief. It takes you a moment to recognize the familiar sight of Falk’s vestments. “Father Fa-”

“Shut up.” He growls, pushing the now terrified younger man back with every step. “You are going to turn your sorry ass around and pack up your belongings, I want you out of here by nightfall.”

“Sir, I don't know what this is about-”

“Don't. Play. Dumb.” Every word dared him to try and come up with another excuse, you could feel the seething rage rolling off of Falk in waves. “Since it seems you don't remember, Father Roel is your superior.” The color drained from the man's face. Falk adjusted his stance, blocking you from his gaze when the man's eyes flashed to you. “Don't look at her. I saw your little stunt, the last thing I want is for a member of my ministry to be so shamelessly disrespectful and predatory towards any of the other siblings. You’re lucky I'm letting you just walk out of here after what you just called her, I suggest you get out of here before I change my mind.” Falk watches him run off with his tail between his legs, making sure he had left the chapel before allowing his attention to focus on you. “I'm sorry you had to see that Maus.”

“Thank you.” His mouth snaps shut, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat at your thanks. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of that… I'm really happy you were here to protect me.” He breathes out a laugh, giving you a polite nod in response.

“I'll always be here to protect you.” You grow flustered under his warm gaze, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth before your eyes dart to the floor. 

“Father Falk, um…” you wring your hands nervously. You had to take matters into your own hands before Roel inevitably blew things out of control. You looked back up at him, your eyes meeting his warm golden brown ones. “Can I talk to you after Mass?” You couldn't do it, losing all of your nerve at the sight of his patient smile.

“Of course you can Maus. I'm free the rest of the day so we can talk as long as you like.” He chuckles. “I'll be looking forward to it.” He winks at you before hurrying up to the pulpit, doing his final checks before starting Mass. You quickly found your seat in the front row. Your gaze catching Falk’s as he greeted the congregation, you didn't miss the sight of the faint smirk passing over his lips as you locked eyes.

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You waited patiently in the pew, watching person after person approach Falk at the pulpit. Finally, as the last person left, you rose to your feet. You eagerly approached the altar, you could already feel your words tangling together as Falk’s eyes met yours. “Can I take you out to lunch?” You freeze when he beats you to the punch, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Yeah,” you let out a flustered giggle as you tried to string together a sentence. “I have the rest of the day off.”

“Perfect.” He gives you a lopsided grin. “I’ll meet you in the garage in a half hour?” You nod, swaying on your heels slightly.

“Works for me.” You blush as he carefully studies your features. “I’ll see you then.” You politely excuse yourself, trying your best to walk calmly out of the chapel. The moment the door closed behind you, you kicked off your shoes and bolted down the hall. Turning every corner perfectly from memory until you skidded to a halt in front of Roel’s office. You knocked firmly on the door, hearing him welcome you in from the inside.

“Well don’t you look nice.” He smiles at you. “How was Mass?”

“What did you do?” You point an accusatory finger at him.

“Normally you would be aiming in the right direction, but whatever happened, I have nothing to do with.” He explained, his tone perplexed. You froze on the spot, your arm falling slack.

“So you mean, you don’t have anything to do with him asking me out to lunch?” You asked, confused. 

He points to the chair across from him, “sit, explain.” You fall into the seat, recounting the afternoon's events to him. Roel stared back at you with a shocked expression, comparable to an old woman clutching her pearls. “That son of a bitch beat me to the punch.” He lets out an exasperated sigh.

“So you were planning something!” You exclaim.

“I may or may not have planned to slip you both an anonymous letter asking you to meet at a specific place at a specific time in order to… encourage you to spend some alone time together.” You can’t help but chuckle at the lengths he was willing to go to. “Guess I didn’t have to after all.”

“What am I going to do?” You groan, anxiously raking a hand through your hair.

“What do you mean? You’re going to go down there and have a wonderful afternoon with him.”

“It’s not that simple.” You attempt to argue.

“Oh, I think it might be.” He rebuttals instantly. “Just think of it like we’re talking.”

“I want him to, you know, like me, so no, I don't think I will.” You quip in response, causing Roel’s jaw to fall slack in shock.

“Wow, and after all this time I considered you a friend.” He feigns a hurt tone in his voice before it almost immediately dissolves into a chuckle, you letting out a soft laugh of your own. “But, in all seriousness, you don't have anything to worry about. You've been alone with Falk plenty of times, what about this is so different?”

“This is the first time him and I are going to be alone together without an excuse to hide behind.” You explain slowly, trying to pinpoint what exactly was making this so nerve wracking for you. “Before it was business meetings, or I was delivering something for you and it turned into a prolonged visit, asking to borrow books for my studies, it’s my turn to help with Mass for the week, there's always a reason that can just explain away why we’re together… This time it's just because we want to be together. There's no event to prepare for, no notes to go over. It's just the two of us, sitting across from each other at a table, with all the time in the world for him to realize that I'm nothing special.”

“You are more special than you could ever realize, I have a feeling Falk’s already figured that out.” He glances up at the time and then back down at you. “Do me a favor, go see Charles.” You shoot him a curious look. “He’ll give you a better idea of what to talk about. Falk and I might be friends but I feel like you're looking for more… more intelligent topics to discuss with him than what I could provide.” You share a laugh. Even if everything wasn't magically fixed like you were hoping, your talk with Roel did make you feel a bit better.

“Thank you Roel, for everything.” A tender smile passes over his lips before he stands up.

“Come here.” He beckons you closer, pulling you into a tight hug. “I know it's hard, but try not to be too nervous. I think out of everyone at the Abbey I know you better than most, and if he can't see how wonderful you are he's an idiot.” He stops down slightly, taking you by the shoulders as he brings his eyes level with yours. “Everything is going to be just fine.” You sucked in a deep breath, balling your hands into fists as you realized your fingers were trembling at your side. “You can do this.” He states firmly.

“I can do this.” You respond in a similar tone.

The short walk to Charles’ office felt almost insurmountable at the moment. Every second that ticked by only brought you closer to seeing Falk. You were excited, of course, but you couldn't stop the anxiety that drowned you as it bubbled up in your throat. You tap gently on the heavy door, hearing Charles call for you to come in. “What a pleasant surprise.” He smiles warmly at you, removing his reading glasses from their position perched on his nose and setting them down on his desk. “What can I do for you, my dear?”

“I'm sorry to bother you, Father, Roel told me I should come talk to you.” You fall comfortably into one of the worn leather chairs across from him, folding your hands neatly in your lap as you recount the events of this morning to him. Charles listened attentively, doing little more than give you an occasional nod or hum to show he was paying attention. “And now I have to go meet him downstairs in twenty minutes and it’s taking everything I have to not just run off and disappear because I'm so scared I'm going to make myself look like an idiot in front of him.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” He coos fatherly. “Don’t trouble yourself with thoughts like that. You're very smart and I'm sure the two of you have a lot in common, you shouldn't have any trouble keeping up a conversation with him.” He chuckles, reaching across his desk to pick up your hand in his. “I could tell you exactly what to talk about, what to say, things that are going to impress him. But, sweetheart, falling in love isn't about being perfect.” Your cheeks grew warm at the mention of falling in love. Falk was definitely a man you could see a future with down the line, that was something apparent from when you first acknowledged your feelings for him, but the road to get to that point was always so terrifying you had trouble finding the nerve to even try.

“I just don't want to mess this up.” Your voice comes out softly.

“You won't.” He reassures you. “You just need to go down there and be your usual radiant self and the rest will fall into place.” You give his hand a gentle squeeze, trying your best to put on a brave face. “You should get going, don't want to be late.” He pays your arm before pulling his hand back.

“Yessir, thank you for your advice.”

“Of course my dear, anytime.” You smile at each other before you get up, preparing to leave. Just as your hand slid over the knob Charles chimes in again, “and don't be such a stranger. I know Roel has you on a tight leash but the rest of us would like to see you from time to time.” He chuckles.

“I'll make sure to have a word with him.” You shoot him a playful wink in response before you slip out of the room. You tried your best to steady your racing heart as you made your way down to the garage. You paused as you reached the top of the stairs, Falk adjusting the cuff of his sleeve he had rolled up as he hurried in your direction. He glances up, freezing in place when his eyes land on you.

“Perfect timing, huh?” He chuckles. Slowly striding forward to close the distance between you. “I'm really happy you agreed to come with me.”

“Well thank you for asking.” You smile sweetly at him. “What's the plan for the day?”

“Well,” the two of you head down the stairs side by side. “There’s this hole in the wall cafe I like to go to sometimes. After that I have something planned, but it's a surprise.” He chuckles.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” You giggle. Falk pulls his keys out of his pocket, twirling the ring around his finger a few times before catching the keys in his hand with a jingle. He opens the door for you, taking your hand carefully in his own as he helps you lower yourself into the car. Falk walks towards the back of the car, you can't stop a smile from passing over your lips as you catch sight of him shaking his hands to try and steady his nerves before getting into the driver's seat. His eyes trail over you, you blush under his gaze.

“Sorry… I just can't get over how pretty you look.” You breathe out a laugh, your cheeks flushing at his compliment.

“Thank you Fath-” You freeze, cringing slightly as you realize you might be acting too formally.

“Just Falk is fine Maus.” He chuckles at your flustered state. “I think we’ve known each other long enough to drop the honorifics, don’t you?” You nod, fidgeting with your fingers in your lap.

“Sorry, I'm just a little nervous I guess.” You admit, looking out the window to avoid meeting his gaze accidentally.

“Nervous?” He asks softly. “Maus, I can promise you there's nothing to be nervous about.” He pauses for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek as he pulls over whether or not to say something. “Would it help to know I'm a little nervous myself?”

“You?” It was hard to hide your tone of disbelief. “Why?”

“Well, it just so happens that the most beautiful woman I've ever met agreed to have lunch with me this afternoon. Now you're sitting here in my passenger seat and for the life of me I can't think of a single thing to talk about.” Your eyes widen slightly, your head snapping in his direction. You couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up in your throat, dropping your face into your hands as you struggled to regain your composure.

“I'm sorry.” You breathe through a fit of laughter, wiping your eyes with the heel of your hand. “I was so scared I was going to look stupid because I didn't know what to talk to you about.”

“I guess we just got ourselves all worked up over nothing then.” He chuckles. You notice his shoulder visibly relax, the prior tension fading away with ease as you both acknowledged how silly you were both acting. The silence you shared after that wasn't uncomfortable, if anything it was actually kind of nice. Falk turns on the radio, some random station crackling to life in the confined space. His hand leaves the knob, hovering in midair for a moment before he tentatively rests it over your own. “Is this okay?” He asks softly. You nod, carefully pushing your fingers in between his. 

“This is more than okay.” You smile back at him. You gasped as a small head jutted out of one of the windows of the car in front of you, a small hound dog letting his long ears flap freely in the breeze.

“I take it you're a dog person?” That was all it took. One question tumbled from Falk’s lips and any nerves left between the two of you melted away. You spent your long drive swapping stories of your various escapades around the Abbey, Falk told you about moments from his childhood that he still held onto with extreme fondness.

“You know, I've always been curious about what it was like for you and the other High Clergy members growing up, I imagine you were all under a lot of pressure.” You muse, your thumb tracing around one of Falk’s prominent knuckles.

“Eh, it's probably not that different. I went to school, had friends, I grew up like any other normal kid. It wasn't until I hit puberty that any changes really started to come up.” He chuckles at how effortlessly he referred to these changes. “It doesn't always go over very well when a 16 year old finds out they have to transform into a hideous beast once a month.”

“Hey, same here.” You joke. “Except I learned that harsh reality at 12 and instead of the super strength and the cool transformation my body just releases an alarming amount of blood once a month.” Falk laughs loudly, making you smile in response.

“Yeah, I guess that also has to really suck didn't it?”

“You really had no idea until you were 16?” You ask.

“It's not exactly the easiest thing to explain to a child.” He ponders over his thoughts for a moment before continuing. “To be honest, my parents weren't even sure the transformation was going to happen. See, you have families like Charles and Matthew’s. Both of them changed, and I think both of them started showing signs before I ever did. Attila is an only child, so is Roel.”

“And you?” You question, hanging on every word of his explanation.

“I have an older sister.” He responds.

“When did she first transform?”

“She didn't. At first my parents thought it was just some type of delay, there was no reason for her to have to take over from my father at the time so they figured it would be better to just wait it out. It wasn't until I started to show signs of my first transformation that they looked into it a bit more seriously. Apparently, nobody really knows why this transformation happens. There's been tests done with genetics, learned behavior that could awaken it, any rituals that would cause or stop it, nothing.” He absentmindedly fidgets with your fingers as he talks.

“So, they never figured it out?” He shakes his head in response to your question.

“No, she’s just as mortal as you are.” He sighs. “I'm sorry when you have to meet her, she still has a huge chip on her shoulder about it.”

“When I have to meet her, huh?” You shoot him a flustered grin. “Already planning on bringing me home to meet the family, huh?” You tease, lightly nudging his shoulder with your own.

“Sorry, it's way too soon for me to start talk-”

“I'm flattered.” You cut him off, watching the panic briefly pass over his features as he worries he said the wrong thing. “Our first date isn't even over and you've already decided I'm decent enough to meet your parents, I must be doing a damn good job at the whole small talk thing.” You both laugh.

“I can officially say this is a date, huh?” His deep brown eyes meet yours, the smirk lacing its way across his lips threatening to make you melt on the spot.

“I mean, if you want it to be.” You stutter in response, making Falk chuckle.

“I just wish I'd planned something a little more exciting, all things considered.”

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