Christopher Pierre (The Distortionist) x gender neutral reader
🪞 CW: MY CHRISTOPHER HEADCANONS WERE IMPLEMENTED, Christopher is alive! (Yippee), manipulation, threatening suicide and murder (aka bluffing (kinda)), clinginess/possessiveness, reader is a different character from Lilia, A VERY UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP, just overall angst. (PLS DON'T ROMANTICISE THIS, EVEN IF IT SAYS ITS AN "X READER", THIS IS A THRILLER/HORROR STORY)
🪞 I made this fanfic for my very good pal @dark-c0rner, a fellow ghost and pals fanfic writer that you should check out! I'm gonna use the version of Christopher from my fanfic "Dark is the night ; Light is the reflection" (on AO3 and Wattpad), as I'm not sure of Christopher's full personality except for the fact he's a manipulator. This will be also crossposted on Wattpad and AO3 soon enough, but I'm not sure if I should write an actual full book based on this one shot or not. Pls lmk in the comments/reblogs. Enjoy this story!
(Name), my dear, don't ever disappear
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You have known Christopher since early childhood. Both of your fathers were business partners, meaning that you saw him VERY often. So often in fact that you two became 'rivals'... for a short period of time during toddlerhood funnily enough. You two used to always fights whether verbally with baby yaps or physical fighting, like pulling each other's hair, over toys, food, even who got to babble with the Pierre's head butler, Mr Basil. You didn't remember any of this happening, but Mr Basil always reminded you two about it, especially that you always 'won' these fights, which was ironic since you were younger than Christopher with one year.
Do what you want, as long as you stay here
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 But as you got older, you two became very close friends, best friends even. Maybe it was the fact you two matured over time, or maybe it was something else, but Christopher, compared to how he treated others, was very gentlemanly to you. Yes, he might be a sarcastic toff most of the time, but he showed you a lot of care, like always asking what your opinion on certain situations was, if you got hurt whenever you bumped into something, yada yada yada, you get the idea.
I need you now, I love you so much, more than you could know.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 Nonetheless, Christopher was a charming friend, hell, you'd even call him an amazing friend... if it wasn't for that day, that rainy April day, when your perspective on him would change forever. Maybe the people around you were right about him... Yet you were blinded by your friendship.
THE CHRISTMAS KIDS were nothing but a gift
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You can still remember the day. It was April 9th, 1921, and your daddy dearest left you at the Pierre's residence, not only because you were best friends with their only son, but also because he was busy and knew you wouldn't want to be alone at your manor once more with only the maids and butlers to keep you company, so obviously, why not send you to the house of your best friend and his business partner's son and future heir of the company. (He totally didn't have a plan to make the business more powerful with your friendship no no no shhh)
And love is a tower where all of us can live
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You were waiting for Christopher to come out of his room, as you were in the guest room, reading a book, "The Portrait Of Dorian Grey", to be more specific. The book interested you, especially since Dorian's description oddly enough resembled Christopher. 'Christopher is just Dorian Grey but less arrogant' you joked to yourself. But sadly, you were only half right. Christopher was like Dorian, through every detail said of that character, but you only found out the hard way later that day. It started raining, and Christopher still hasn't greeted you. Was he taking that long to get ready? He was probably trying to make himself pretty, even if everyone around him told him he took better care of himself than a noblewoman would before a ball, especially his father. His father hated how his son was so feminine, even telling him to 'stop doing drag', but you never thought that of him. Yes, he might have long hair and doll like features, but you wouldn't call him feminine, just a boy who took too much care of his physical appearance.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You eventually got tired, and left the room you were sitting in, leaving the book behind just to knock on Christopher's door. The halls were decorated with various paintings and pictures of the family, but oddly enough, there were no pictures of Christopher's grandparents or anybody outside his parents, him and his sister. You didn't think much about it, so you stopped paying much attention, just wanting to see your friend again. You finally got to where his room was located, a door mirroring his twin's room, Noelle. You could easily distinguish them, Noelle had small drawings of flowers and whatnot, which was childish, but adorable nonetheless, while Christopher's door was plain, of a dark mahogany brown shade, just like all the other doors in the manor.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You put your ear against the wooden door, no sound. You started knocking on the door, still no response. You even cooed his name, trying to see if he's there, still, no answer. You started getting worried. Was he not feeling well? Did he faint?! All the worst case scenarios came to mind as you opened the door just a peek, to see if your blond boy-pal was indeed alright. Nobody was seen in the small view, you opened the door more and looked around more clearly. It seemed the room was a mess, which was very unusual for your friend. You saw that the mirror on the vanity was shattered, as the reflective shards were on the ground near the vanity. Even the lilacs Christopher always held in the vase on the vanity were wilted. This was concerning, as flowers don't simply wilt in one day. Christopher must've not been feeling well at all lately, to even be neglecting how his room looked like.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 But... you did find something while in there, on the ground, shunned away in the darkness of the room's corner. A journal of some sort. With a leather cover. You picked it up, dusting it. By the looks of it, this must've been the object that shattered the vanity's key piece. Flipping through it, you realised what this journal was. It was an intimate diary, one that you shouldn't read at all. You knew you were intruding, but you excused it as just being a way to try and find your friend's problems and maybe even solve them somehow. You were already too deep into the story, so you couldn't get out.
I am troubled. How am I supposed to continue living this futile life when all I get are such horrible things. Nobody stays with me, nobody cares for me truly. I am a monster, a shell of that stupid child I used to be. Is it really a good riddance if I still yearn for those times? I should stop troubling myself with those times, I'm a grown man. I will be an adult by the time Christmas comes around. I still remember how my mamman always told me that I and my sister were the true Christmas gift she's got that year, but I can tell that I'm her clear favourite, as saddening as it is for my sister. I am not waiting to become an adult, to be frank. I don't want to marry to just anyone, I don't want to have a boring life, and I don't want my face to become wrinkly and ugly. But, my father is already planning to marry me off to God knows who. I hate this life, I hate everything, I hate myself, and I hate"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚You read the most recent page, that was written today. The last sentence was scribbled out roughly, to the point the paper was dented and crumbled, with a small tear made through it, which you guessed was the breaking point of Christopher's tantrum. You never knew such a delicate looking boy could do such things.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚You put the journal on the vanity, and got out of the room to go back to the guest room. You sat near the window, the branches tapping the smooth glass rhythmically from how the wind was blowing as a storm began, which honestly made the knot in your stomach tighten, as it reminded you of the times Christopher would come to your house and tap the window to scare you with his unexpected visits. You felt awful for Christopher. He seemed like he was suffering a lot now that you have intruded his privacy, but you should've guessed. Nobody who looks joyful is joyful. You really should've listened to Frances that one time she was over at your house. She did tell you that Christopher was a horrible boy, a siren even, a boy who lured others into his traps. Now that you were thinking about it... all his gentlemanly actions were always made to prevent you from getting mad at things. All that sweet-talking... was just made to get closer to him. Maybe he was shallow as Frances said. But still, from the latest diary entry, you only saw that he was depressed, not evil. Or maybe he wrote that because he was planning for you to see it... No, that sounds too stupid. But still, you felt angry, heartbroken even.
And leave this fucked up place behind
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Why wouldn't he tell me anything..." you murmured under your breath, sighing at the potential lies your friend had told you all your life. You knew he was disliked by most of the acquaintances your age, and you probably finally understood why. You just always viewed him with rose tinted glasses.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You were about to get out of the room, when you heard a knock. "(Nameeeee)! Sorry to keep you waiting!" It was Christopher, obviously, with that honeyed voice. You didn't know what to do. Should you confront him, or play dumb? You decided on the second, so you can catch his lie more easily... if he was lying obviously.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Oh, Chris! I was getting worried! Where were you?" you asked, opening the door. His expression looked rather hollow, without a bit of silliness. You gave him a small smile, trying to appear innocent.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "I was searching for you, dear. Is that so bad?" he asked. His expression was unreadable, not like when he had his usual charming smile and rosy cheeks. You would've thought he was teasing you, but by how devoid his usual expressive face was, he must've been serious.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "No..." you then realised something. Your father hasn't even announced Mr Pierre Senior that you were visiting, and you only greeted Basil earlier... or maybe you were thinking too deeply, who knows. Maybe Mr Basil told Christopher that you were over... but Christopher never went downstairs, especially if it was raining. You knew him too well... well, maybe not too well, but you knew him enough to know he would never go anywhere when it was raining, since he was 'mysterious' like that. He was a rather mysterious and melancholic poetic boy, ever since he was younger he was like this.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "You seemed to have searched for me too, darling." he said, still with that nonchalant expression, showing you what he was holding behind his back. The Journal from earlier. You then realized. You were a klutz. You remembered leaving the journal on the vanity, not thinking much about leaving it in another place that wasn't its initial position on the ground.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 Still, you 'denied, denied and denied', ironically enough, a method Christopher taught you to use whenever you'd get in trouble. You got in trouble right now, so, what better time to use this excuse than now. "Huh?" you played dumb, tilting your head to the side.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 Christopher, instead of getting more angry at you, began chuckling, showing his toothy grin, which usually was such a wholesome thing, but now it felt... chilling. "Oh, don't pull that trick on me, (Name). I'm not angry at you, quite the opposite."
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You knew you shouldn't trust his word, so you still denied and played dumb. "You're just showing me a journal I've never seen... does it contain something interesting?"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Lots!" He giggled, throwing the journal in your hands. "Come on, open it." He grinned, as if he gave you a present.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Um... no. It's probably your sister's, and you know Nollie would get mad at me if she knew I was scrambling through her stuff without permission." You still played innocent as Christopher walked behind you and put his hands over your shoulders, his head on your left side.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "No, it's not my sister's. I just want to show you some plans for your birthday, and it's inside this journal. Don't you deserve everything?" He giggled once more, putting his cheek next to yours.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "I don't think there are birthday plans here..." you said.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "And how do you know? just open it!" yet you still didn't open it. "I knew you checked it out, that's why you're hesitating."
Appearing unsightly with devils inside me
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You knew you couldn't lie anymore. You were a doe finally cornered by the wolf. "Christopher, you seriously have a problem."
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "And you're the only one who can solve it, my sweet!" He smiled at you with sweetness, though you doubted he was being sweet right now.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Right, how?" you murmured, not looking at him, just looking at the door in front of you, hoping somebody would come to stop whatever was going on.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Oh? You didn't read all the entries? Such an angel, aren't you?"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Stop tormenting me, and just explain what is going on?" you snapped at him.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 Christopher remained silent for a bit, before taking the journal from your hands, beginning to look through the pages, before he stopped abruptly. He gave you back the journal, and you hesitantly read it
(Name), such an elegant name, such as beautiful tongue twister, with the taste of the finest strawberry tart, a name as beautiful as its owner. (Name) is no ordinary boy/girl, they're my soulmate, my one and only. My other half, my dearest, my darling. The other pea in the same pod as I am, the puzzle piece I am missing. (Name), if you're reading this, would you be mine?"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "It was supposed to be a letter for you. I didn't have time to finish it, which I apologise for." Christopher sighed dramatically. Now you were fully convinced he was writing this journal only for you to read it and feel pity for him... but why you out of everyone?
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "No need to..." you murmured once more.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Why so quiet? I want to hear your voice more!" he demanded softly. "Would you be mine, yes or no?"
If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, (Name)
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Listen, Christopher-" "No, you should listen. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we ran away together? Living a hedonistic life together?"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Christopher-" "Please dear, I promise to give you anything you wish for-" "CHRISTOPHER, STOP!" You yelled, which got him to be quiet. "You're acting strange! I know you're only trying to escape your problems, but you should learn to get past them, instead of running away or using others as scapegoats! I am not your liberty, I am not your future, I am myself, and you are yourself."
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "But I love you-" "Christopher, please stop." You tried shushing him, but he pushed your shoulders, making you fall on your knees. This wasn't the Christopher you knew, he would never do such things.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Don't you try to leave me! I'll kill you, your father, and myself if you do!" He yelled at you
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 You remained quiet, your eyes softening. This was no longer your friend, but a monster. A terrible and disgusting creature. A changeling like in those fairytales of people getting replaced by evil creatures.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 He seemed to have noticed your clear distress, as he put his hand on his mouth, tears prickling down his cheeks. "Oh, I'm a monster!" He cried, sitting back on the bed, hiding his hands behind his hands, as he began sobbing. You never saw him sobbing, not even in childhood. You almost felt pity for him, but you would clearly seem like you lost your head if you would try to comfort him. He was too far gone. "I deserve to die, I should die, I'm a hideous beast" he kept chanting to himself as he was in a way cradling himself back and forth. If you weren't any wiser, you would've fell for this manipulation tactic. Or was it even a manipulation tactic? Maybe he did feel horrible... no, he just threatened you. You shouldn't be around him, and you shouldn't show him any compassion.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "Goodbye..." you said, trying to sound cold, but you were feeling awful about yourself. But then you reminded yourself, you weren't his doctor, you weren't meant to console his hysteria, and you began closing the door
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 "NO, PLEASE DON'T GO! I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU!" He kept crying and screaming.
"(NAME)! COME BACK! PLEASE!"
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𐙚 With that, you shut the door. This was the last time you've ever heard from him, as you went straight back home after this event... now that you know what happened to him later that year, you felt like you've dodged a bullet...
Woah that was dark. Totally didn't write this while half asleep and finished it this morning without much thought or beta reading. If you liked this story, please show me support by reblogging, and sending feedback, whether negative or positive (I know this story seems inconsistent and that is because I was in a rush, rlly sorry about that. Have a wonderful day, Ghost and pals fandom!
