Priest!Leon x Vampire!Zeno AU but tbh it doesn't have enough kink in it. I wrote it just to do something different and get the creative juices going but I hope you zeon fans like it anyways :3 It's not my ship but I have a friend who's big into it rn so I thought I'd give it a go.
Rated MATURE for suggestive content.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
it wasn't the first, nor did he suspect it would the last, that he encountered a creature. a thing of the night which prowled and preyed on his congregation, a wolf donning the skin of a sheep. the thing about wolves, however, was they could never conceal their bloody maw.
"Father," a smile too wide touched eyes too pale, marble attempting to imitate life for the first time. "may i please partake in your congregation?"
familiar protectiveness tightened in his chest.
"but Father," new crooning, the temptation of nectar from a viper's tongue. "i hunger, i starve. i have not a meal in many days."
"then perhaps the word of God may sustain you." leon suggested, pulling forth a Bible. pupils contracted, the smile becoming a grimace at the sight of the Holy Book. slowly, with fingers that danced far too close to the edge, he flicked through the pages to look for an appropriate verse.
"there are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil-"
he slid a pad down the page, its edges cutting his finger. he didn't flinch even as the other hitched with breath.
"- a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers."
his eyes flickered up to meet those now round with interest, taking his finger away so he might not soil the holy text. hand snapped the book closed, snapping the lustful attention away from the bead of crimson dripping down his skin.
"of these you are many, abomination." he declared. "be gone, vampyre, for to step foot in this holy place will be your undoing in the fires of purification."
pale eyes glowered, all pretense of sweetness dropped as his rejection reminded him of his persistent hunger. lessers may have fallen for the trap and unwittingly allowed the beast to feed on their congregation, but father leon bested far better specimens with the very Bible he held in his hand.
in a flurry of darkness, the vampyre was gone.
"Father, may i please seek sustenance within your congregation?"
another night, the scent of blood fresh in the air. it was a tease this time, a request from stained lips creating a shock of splash across pallorous features. it was from an animal, that he ascertained knowing full well the creature gained no permission otherwise.
"no." the father was ever firm, sensing a stir behind him as those who attending his teachings stirred. it was bold of the creature to arrive before sunset, standing in the shadow of the Church. holy ground unto itself, but different from the threshold he played upon.
"Father, please." begging, falling to his knees to grasp at robes barely out of reach. "my creator has forsaken me, please show your divine mercy."
"it was you or forsoke the Creator, and now do learn the price of your eternity, a damnation." father leon responded, yet he did not pull away the corner of cloth seized by tremoring fingers.
"no, not your God," the vampyre peered up at him through pale lashes, fangs peeking from his lips as any semblance of humanity was abandoned. "my god, my creator, the one who burned my sould in this torment. not the Devil, but a devil all the same."
"your sire, then." the man deduced, gazing down at him quizzically. "i did not think a vampyre cared for its coven."
"this was a coven of promises." white-haired head bowed in submission. no, not pure white, not the white of the Saviour. this was a blonde not yet platinum, for that would give it value. "all of them broken, shattered, when i failed to fulfill my purpose - to be as good as my predecessor, achieving perfection where humanity fell."
"i was to be God." he murmured. "and even you would have worshipped me, Father. now i am not even earned the warmth of Heaven."
temptation came in many forms, even in those of the heartstrings. faultly he pitied the kneeling creature, white trousers scuffed in the mud. white, he noted, otherwise crisp and cared for.
now he pulled his robes from grasping hands.
"your story is sad, abomination, but not absolved." he was firm in his commitment, silently praying to his Lord for strength. "for a vampyre cannot bite without permission, cannot perform its natural sins without consent. you offered it willingly, resolutely, with the selfish ambitions of babel and thus have reaped the same consequences. you no longer speak the language of the sacred, forever reminded you have sacrificed all for nothing."
"you know much of the creature, but not of the man." the returning spat wet the stone at his feet.
"the man chose the creature." leon dipped his fingers into his robes, fingers curling around the cross resting comfortably at his breast. "for three times you must have acquiesced, and then once indulged in your sire."
"i was promised power! and now i am lesser than ash!" he wailed.
"and my sympathies lie in your soulless husk." quiet honesty pierced further than any wooden stake. "you may not feed here, vampyre. you may not lay your hand upon my sheep."
a snarl bled from red lips, the priest left lonely on his threshold with his flock.
"Father." quiet, whimpering weakness filled the shadows. "if i may know God, may you save me?"
one foot rested upon the inside of the Church, giving him great pause outside the wooden steeple. he found the creature huddled next to the door, in the shadow of his great black cloak, shielded from the morning sun. how long he waited, one could not fully fathom. but it was clear he would risk sun for the priest, desperation even the most cunning of them would not dare test such limits. pale irises peered up at him from the depths, watery with plea for mercy.
his jaw worked, for this was a first - but were they not all firsts? all their own monsters, with their unique sins. but none tried to work under his skin with pathetiticsm.
"even the Devil knows God," leon replied slowly, softly, "and quote His Scripture. his temptations are limitless and in all forms. how must i know you desire Him, our Holy Lord?"
"all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth toward those who honor His covenant and decrees." the vampyre did quote, lips trembling, words shaking with the weakness of his starving body. "you declared i would not know His mercy, given my condition. but if i know Him, i shall know His mercies, yes?"
"and why now do you seek it?" leon inquired.
the vampyre slumped against the wooden façade of his village Church, curling on the stone of the foundation.
"i hunger, Father." he sighed in resignation. "and if i am not to feed, then i shall starve, and eventually i may finally know the peaceful embrace of death."
"i fear the knowledge that my foolishness has denied me the peace of Heaven." came the honest response. "but if i know your Lord, your merciful, gracious Lord, then perhaps He may grant me that which i seek in repentance?"
it was always the fear of death which brought the strays back to God, leon mused silently. those who lived their lives free of regret suddenly realizing the Lord would keep His promise in their final moments, suddenly recalling a life of greed which could not follow them into the depths of their earned afterlife. and now he had an eternally damned creature, seeking that which he forfeited at the end of his mortal life.
he gazed down at the shaking creature, hands which clutched the inside of his cloak white-knuckled. terrified, he realized, for leon had the option to relieve him of the cloth unexpectedly and expose him to the brilliance of the sun, burning away the last of his presence on this earth, soul forever to wander without the grace of God.
"i must prepare for tonight's sermon." father leon answered, eyes flickering back to the entrance of his sanctuary. "return after sunset. be ready to learn."
the cool shade of the Church swallowed him whole, the sound of shuffling, frantic racing across the sun punctuating the flee back to the safety of his daytime darkness.
soft, quiet, knelt on the steps after the last ray of sunset left the village in shadows. his hair was combed, face cleaned, fabrics washed. a man who prepared for sermon, illuminated by candlelight. a flash of silver on the lobe of his ear gave leon pause, seeing for a moment a cross fluttering against his face; then he focused, and he realized it was a dagger. even still, a vampyre willingly mauling his body with silver was an interesting sort of creature - more so if he chose to do so with a holy symbol, but he did not.
"please, Father." he murmured. "i am ready to be saved."
robes swirled around his legs as he stepped from the Church, Bible in hand. the priest watched him carefully, but the creature did not move from his position, knelt as though to receive sacrament.
leon sat beside him, maintaining eye contact as he continued to read the vampyre's intentions. yet the predator remained still, without any interest in attempting to bite or attack the one who may have compassion for him. he skimmed his fingers over the leather bidning, flicking across the stitching lovingly placed by a craftsman who long ago met his God.
"before we begin, we should pray." leon set the Bible against his lap. "who is it that i pray for?"
"zeno." the vampyre murmured, eyes gazing up at him with reverence. "please, pray for zeno."
there was an awkward pause of silence after leon's nod of understanding, zeno looking at him expectantly as the priest did the same. it was as though he waited for a miracle already, it occurring to the holy man the vampyre might not have even known God before his transformation.
gentle hands took cold marble.
"fold them together, and bow your head." fingers smoothed across the back of his hands, then carefully cupped the back of his head to bend his neck. "show respect for your God, humble yourself before Him."
zeno obeyed, closing his eyes.
"our Father in heaven," leon began, "hear my plea, for your lost lamb zeno has found in me the road back to You."
he murmured his prayer, sensing the nervous shift of the vampyre before him. yet he continued, persisted despite the inherent burn of his words against zeno's impenetrable skin. then they were diving into scripture, the priest having spent his day constructing a sermon for acreature who never knew God, who forsook his Creator in the midst of his own selfishness and now must travel the long, painful road back to redemption.
his soft words filled the night air around them, blanketing the small scene with a warmth and care. it made his long day longer, sleep tugging at the stubborn priest's eyes though he refused to succumb. he read the words of his Saviour, one who was as worthy of salvation as any of the others who lost their way and wished to be found once more.
leon's eyes snapped open with an uncomfortable knot in his neck, jolted awake by his body shifting and nearly falling over. with a groggy blink he reached out on instinct, searching for the steps he surely laid upon. instead his fingers brushed against wood, tripping over a threshold. he registered his other hand held his Bible, collapsed within himself at the entrance of his Church.
dropped there, because the one who placed him there could go no further.
rising to his feet he smoothed his robes, certain no other would find him but not wanting to chance it. in a world of scandal and sin, even the most innocent explanation of his late night escapades would be under great suspicion. fraternizing with a vampyre at this hour would bring thoughts of unholiness to those who recognized it.
he touched his neck. unmolested, placed int he one safe haven the vampyre knew he would not be touched. perhaps he could be saved, indeed.
"Father, i have returned."
"Father, i am ready to know more."
"Father, tell me more of the Lord's tender mercies."
"Father, what does the Lord wish to impart to me today?"
"Father . . . i am weak."
though a vampyre did not starve as a man did, he appeared to be as such. cheeks hollowed, fingers becoming brittle and thin. his pale skin was now more paper-like, eyes watery with a pain only the unfulfilled could understand. leon had seen for some time he struggled more and more each day, but not once did the man ask for even a drop of his blood.
"why?" zeno asked, voice brittle and betrayed. "for the Lord declared He was the bread of life. whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst."
he grasped the edges of his robes, burying his face against the cloth.
"and yet my thirst has never been greater." he whined. "my hunger gnaws at me, teeth scraping against bone as the last of my flesh is taken from me by my own body. is my faith not to His liking? am i truly not to know the Lord the way you have, the way you shall be saved?"
watery eyes looked back up at leon, questions swirling upon dry lips.
"what have i done?" zeno whimpered quietly. "what must i do?"
"you have dedicated your nights to His teachings." leon knelt to his level, cupping his cheek. "but your earthly body retains its needs. this is the sustenance of your soul, be it here or unthethered from your mortal coil. do you not feed, zeno?"
"you understand the vampyre, do you not?" came the responding murmur. "though animals may serve as temporary reprieve, they are not that which we are made to hunt. it is the lifeblood of a person, a human, which is our designed prey.
"but i cannot feed." his head fell into the palm of his saviour, nuzzling against the warm flesh. "you protect your flock, my dearest shepherd. and your flock are all which reside in this village. i cannot touch them. i cannot save myself."
the priest's eyes softened, finding it within him to truly, now, pity this creature. this starving, honest thing, who once came to tempt him but now only wished for salvation. who thought he could maintain his condition through the word of God, perhaps even fix it.
"no, you cannot feed from my congregation." he slowly reached up, loosening his collar. "but i am a merciful man, zeno. and if one my flock came to me asking for a loaf of bread, i would give it. if they asked for soup with their bread, i would make it willingly. you have brought yourself to my feet, wishing to find the same, and i would give you my food. if you must take it."
eyes rounded in surprise, but it was not a triumphant realization of a predator receiving what he desired. it was true surprise, wondering if he should indulge in the honest offering of sustenance.
leon pulled his collar away from the pulse of his neck, exposing the pink delicate flesh which bounced with every beat of his steady heart.
"if this is what you need," he spoke quietly, "then feed, zeno."
it took all of his inner strength to not lunge forward, to sink his fangs into the priest and suck him dry. though the ash on his tongue begged to be sated he remained still, though he began to truly breathe at the prospect of such tasting such sweetness.
"does the Lord not offer his own sustenance?" he asked instead, leon arching an eyebrow. "His body, His blood. i wish to not feed from you, Father, but our Lord. perhaps through Him i may find my satisfaction."
"do you believe yourself ready for The Eucharist?" he questioned, receiving an eager nod in return. "tell me, zeno, what you understand of it."
"our Lord and Saviour gave it so we may do so in remembrance." came the muffled response. "of His sacrifice, His resurrection. taking of His body, drinking of His blood, within me i shall have Christ. i am not a baptized man, Father, that i must confess. but i believe we both know i am no longer capable of the baptism, that is a sacrifice which i have made in my unwisdom. even still, i beg of you, allow me to partake in our Lord's sacrament. for perhaps maybe it shall do me more good than to refuse it."
idly, he wondered if the vampyre hoped the consumption would reverse his condition, or perhaps improve it. but zeno was an astute student, and true in his faith as he begged to partake in his father's religion. he truly wanted to commune, to be a part of the congregation even if it was only allowed through the darkness of the night.
"be still." leon murmured. "i shall return."
he disappeared into the Church, his robes remaining disturbed from his offering. zeno did not allow his eyes to remove themselves from the priest until he was out of sight, his own undead heart fluttering in anticipation. his hands itched to seize the silken fabric, sinking fangs into soft flesh and satisfying an urge so deep it sang to his primal instincts. everything in him rebelled against the last fragment of sanity within his mind, the one which begged for him to try and find true salvation.
this was no longer about the now, the power promised in his life now wasted. it was about rebuilding that which was broken, needing dire repair.
father leon returned slowly, carefully carrying a golden chalice in one hand, a piece of the sacrament bread in the other. zeno was quick to meet him at the doors, falling to his knees as he waited with baited breath for his salvation.
"you've been watching." leon observed softly.
"i am learning." zeno promised. "i do not sleep. i do nothing now, but simply exist in this place of not-life and not-death. but when i do die, i wish to have done my best to save what piece of my damned soul may remain."
a flicker of pride betrayed leon's softening heart.
"then come forth." he whispered. "and receive the holy body and blood of our Saviour."
zeno adjusted, his knees hitting the very edge of the threshold, but not daring to cross it. hands folded in front of his chest, hands which may have clutched a rosary had he been able to touch a holy article. peering past pale, fluttering lashes, zeno gazed up at leon, opening his mouth and allowing his tongue to roll past his lips to receive the body.
he saw his discomfort before his lips touched the chalice, but zeno refused to let on to how much this burned within him. a large gulp of wine chased the bread, this action receiving far more immediate and severe consequences.
the vampyre writhed, the inferno of holy righteousness igniting within him. it was as if he drank holy water, biting down hard on his own jaw but unable to stop the moans and cries of hellish agony within his torso. he pitched forward without invitation, collapsing into the arms of his priest.
father leon gathered him within his arms, the man jerking with unhindered sobs. his body betrayed him in every way fathomable for a creature of the night, legs kicking out in an attempt to escape his pain. through his howls the prayers of his sanctum weaved through his hair, asking for his salvation, praying for the Lord's mercy. both knew it was divine punishment, zeno gasping when the pain slowly began to subside.
"perhaps . . . perhaps our Lord cleanses me." he breathed through inhales of waning torment. "offer me more, Father. let this be my baptism."
"it is hurting you," leon pointed out, troubled by the desperate request. "i have just held you in my arms for near an hour, it is a miracle no one has rushed to our aid thinking i murder you."
"you?" zeno laughed in a daze. "you would never harm me, Father. not in that way."
he had little strength to pull himself from leon's embrace, rising from the scent of old roses and paper to meet his gaze firmly.
"please." he murmured. "provide me more sacrament. it may become easier for me, and i may . . . may find the atonement of my sins."
leon did not want to oblige him, but the despairing plea of the vampyre was too great to ignore, the pitiful creature's round eyes far too cute to ignore. his quivering lower lip, his great need for salvation . . . what sort of man of God would he be if he did not assist?
he retreated only to bring more of the bread back, breaking off a small piece to press between zeno's lips. then the chalice returned to his lips, another bought of agony overtaking him. his body contorted on the stone, head resting on leon's lap. it was just as horrible as before, with no reprieve until something within him finally gave up.
weak lips accepted the bread, sipped the wine, leon offering the sacrament but then diving back into prayer. his words danced with the cries of the man in his arms, claws digging into his arms through the robes and yet the priest did not flinch. he kept him cradled, encouragement and prayer for his mercies spilling from his soft lips.
"more, Father, please." zeno shuddered. back arching, his body continued in its rejection, despite his mind's disconnect with such symptoms. he gurgled and gagged as though to vomit, but he refused - too prideful to admit defeat, too woeful to consider this may not be a cleansing at all, but rather a reinforcement of his fate.
warmth pressed into his lips, mouthing against it to accept the bread. yet his tongue hit a wall of flesh, the heat of leon's pulse sending a bolt straight through his awareness. he tasted as sweet as he smelled, the final thread of control snapping with the scrape of his fang against his skin.
sharp pricking blossomed into a punching tightness through leon's throat. his prayer faltered, eyes fluttering closed to experience the bite of the vampyre for the first time. with each deep, sucking draw of blood from him a swirl of warmth clouded his consciousness, drenching his hands with sweat. instinctively he clutched onto the nearest solid mass, zeno's hands diving into his robes to hold him fast. their positions changed with a swirl of cloth, the clang of the fallen chalice lost in the distance.
back slamming into the stone leon lost his breath, pinned down with the growing strength of the creature above him. knees draped across his hips, holding them down should the priest try to buck against him. another suck of blood drew forth an equal moan, limbs becoming paralyzed beams of lead stuck beneath a blanket of pleasure. fingers cupped his jaw, kept his face tilted up to maximize the arch of his neck.
"zeno." he managed to gasp, feeling a cold chill begin in his fingers. "my life . . . is not yours . . ."
as quickly as they penetrated him the fangs retreated. a warm, slow lick soothed the bite, lips lingering against his skin.
"no." he agreed. "it is for our Lord, isn't it?"
the hips on his remained flushed, sensing the temptation of the vampyre bite. for if sin had a form, it was this sort of creature, meant to hunt and seduce its prey. breaths kissed on his neck, hovering just far enough they were not yet commiting yet another trespass.
"the Lord, which has forsaken me." came the soft, sad sigh. "not of His own malice, but of my own folly. a Lord which gave me my will, of which i weilded without honor or respect. and now, i shall not know Him."
zeno nuzzled against his neck.
"i will not know His Heaven." his defeat was heartbreaking, thumb tracing the hard line of leon's jaw. "but, if i may be so bold, i wish to know yours, Father."
he felt the body freeze beneath him, leon's eyes drifted towards the tuft of white-blonde hair in his peripheral vision. to say he was unfamiliar with the pleasures of the flesh was to be a lie, though he did not indulge on a random whim. furthermore, he understood his scripture, lived and breathed by it. to lay with a vampyre . . . a beast, an abomination . . .
"your life is our God's." zeno whispered into his ear. "but your body . . . i wish to be selfish and make it mine. i wish to know Heaven as it is through you, Father. for you have taught me the word of our God. now, teach me what Heaven may be like, as i will not know it otherwise in my eternal life."
his hips made slow, deliberate circles against him, stirring up what was already becoming painful between his legs. lips traced up his neck, ghosting across his cheek towards his own. he thought of what to respond - to recite scripture? to make a jest?
he did none of those things, tilting his chin up to meet the vampyre for an exchange of sins.
for what was he to do? zeno thought himself damned, but leon would not give up now. he would not allow him to slip from his fingers, to abandon God just when he found Him again. if a man like zeno could be saved . . . then perhaps other monsters may not be condemned as they once were.
"eat of my body," he murmured into their parted lips, "drink of my blood. perhaps through my conduit God may know you, and we achieve your salvation."
his robes, his legs, cast aside in the entwinement. they muffled one another through hands, through mouths, desperate and rutting as the hours of the night waned. flesh met flesh in a heady, punishing rhythm, leon giving to reprieve as his eternal partner never tired, only drained dry of that which was left of his earthly humanness. even now leon wondered if he would ever create more, as this was the duty of a man, or if he dared to empty the last of it into the priest.
aching, sore, he struggled to pick himself up. he fought to hold the chalice in a stilled hand, the gold scuffed from his carelessness and a pang of guilt for his God reminded him of his duties. hands slowly encompassed his arms, steadying him from behind.
"return to your Church, Father." face nuzzled into him. "i shall return for my sermon at sunset. and you will restore my faith."
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