Welcoming committee (Ben Hargreeves x F reader)
A/n: This isn't one of my best fanfics, but I think it's still good enough to post for y'all so I hope you enjoy it! I might go back and re-write it sometime soon to make it a bit better and repost it later but Happy reading and as usual all likes, comments, follows, and reblogs are appreciated!
Warnings: reader dying, grief, talks of afterlife
Words: 2055
So there I was, laying down on the hospital bed, my breathing ragged, with my mother sitting gripping my hand as if her life depended on it. When in reality it was mine, that depended on it. She was crying, sobbing, as she held my hand between hers with her head bowed as if she was praying. My dad stood behind her glints of teardrops in his eye, but none fell, cause my father never cried, at least not when I was watching, he would let his tears fall once my eyes were closed for the final time, and I was no longer watching him. They would close for the last time, it was inevitable, my fate was sealed in stone. I was doomed to die here in this hospital bed. And I've accepted it, but that's not to say I liked it, I hated it I was too young I was supposed to live a long and happy life, I was supposed to go to college and get married and have kids. But life doesn't always happen the way it's supposed' to, things happen, you get sick and you go to the hospital, and they can't save you. And then you die, that was the next step, and I could feel it was going to be completed very soon. I could feel my heart slowing down, and how it got harder to breathe, I could vaguely hear the heart monitor beside my bed pause for longer and longer between each beep. My mother heard to and this brought on another round of sobs from her, these ones much louder, than the ones before. She gripped my hand tighter, and I turned my head towards her, I squeezed her hand weakly, and smiled slightly.
"I-I l-love-ve yo-ou" I whispered my voice raspy.
"I l-love y-you m-more," My mom said stuttering as she smiled at me.
I sighed contently and closed my eyes, perfect timing... I could still hear everything going on around me, I heard the machine flat line, and my mothers choked sobs as my arm went limp as she grasped it. I heard the doctors and nurses running in to try and save me but their attempts were futile. I wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. I heard one of the doctors shouting clear as they tried to restart my heart. I felt the jolts of electricity but I didn't at the same time. I was aware of everything and nothing at the same time. I heard the doctors apologizing to my mom saying that they couldn't save me. I heard her sobbing louder. But these sounds were distant, and far off, and were fading by the minute.
"Hey, wake up" I heard someone say gently, and I was confused. It was a new voice, one that was unfamiliar to my ears. The weird thing was that this voice sounded closer than all the other voices. "c' mon you just gotta open your eyes" The voice said softly, coaxing me to obey. So I did, I struggled at first but eventually opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to clear my blurry vision and the room cleared. I was still in my hospital room, and my parents were still by my bedside, nothing had changed, my mom was still clutching my hand tightly. And now as I looked towards my father, I finally saw the tears streaming down his cheeks. He was crying. The heart monitor still connected to my arm was a continuous green line on the screen.
"I'm over here" The unfamiliar voice brought me out of my trance and I turned my head towards the direction of the voice. I saw a boy, leaning up against the wall of my hospital room. He had a hood on hiding his face, but I could see just enough of it to tell he was a boy. He straightened up off the wall and walked towards me. I watched him approach me, and surprisingly I wasn't afraid, at least not of him. He stood next to me, and I could see his face fully for the first time. He had a kind face, eyes that looked as if they were smiling even though they had no mouth to smile with, they sparkled with mischief, wit, and humour. But when you looked deeper sorrow, and pain. His face was one that could be easily trusted, and one of a person who was shy, but well-liked by everyone he wished to talk to. He offered his hand to me, I looked at it and reached out to take it. He smiled at me, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and instead seemed to dull the twinkle I saw in them earlier. I gripped his hand tighter as he helped me sit up. This wasn't unusual, sitting up is a normal thing all people do, except this was unusual because I was sitting up, but my body was laying down. My body was still laying down on the bed with my parents crying over it.
"Your soul has been separated from your body" The boy explained, without me even needing to ask the question.
"So I'm dead," I asked, noticing how my voice was no longer the raspy wheeze it was when I was in the hospital bed, and I let go of his hand.
"Essentially yes," He said lowering his eyes avoiding my gaze.
"Oh, ok" I nodded, handling my death surprisingly well. I glanced at the boy "So are you like... Death.... or like the grim reaper.... or god or someone?" I asked eyeing him up and down. "Have you like to come to collect my soul?" I asked again curiously wondering if I was standing before death himself.
"Oh god no, um, I am um" He hesitated as if deciding whether or not to tell me his name, I'm guessing he decided to tell me because a few seconds later he answered. "I'm Ben, Ben Hargreeves" He introduced himself and offered his hand for me to shake it.
"Nice to meet you, Ben, I'm (Y/n), (y/n)(l/n)" I replied shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you (y/n)" He said letting go of my hand, he glanced at the clock on the wall. "we should get going," He said solemnly, glancing over to my parents who were still crying over my dead body. I followed his gaze and stared sadly at them. "I'll let you say goodbye" He murmured, "God knows I wish I got the chance" He mumbled barely loud enough for me to hear. I glanced at him as a frown crossed my face, but he already had his back turned and was walking through the door, to wait outside. I turned back towards where my parents were still crying, my dad, hugging my mom's sobbing and shaking shoulders, and shedding quite a few tears himself. I walked around the bed and tried to touch my mom's shoulder, but my hand just went right through it. I sighed whispering my last goodbyes, hoping that they heard or felt something. Before walking to the door of the hospital room. I turned back once more to take one last look at them before exiting the room. Ben stood on the outside of the door, waiting for me.
"so why are you here Ben?" I asked curiously as to what he was doing here. "Not that I don't enjoy your company" I added quickly so I didn't offend him.
"Well, I am your welcoming committee" He replied, and I nodded my head in understanding.
"Why?" I asked curious to see why a guy would volunteer to welcome a complete stranger to the afterlife.
"You see when I died, I had no one, literally no one, I never knew my real parents, so I didn't know my grandparents or any of my real family" he explained as we walked out the hospital, and I followed wherever he was leading me. "I didn't want anyone else to experience that so I go to as many places as I can and act as a welcoming committee, to those who have recently died," He said reaching up to rub his hand on the back of his neck shyly. I giggled, this guy was a literal angel, so pure and soft. "Yeah, I know, it's stupid" He mumbled, as I giggled again.
"It's not stupid it's sweet..." I smiled at him and he smiled back
"you really think so?" He asked curiously, hope filling his voice.
"yeah I do, but I just have one question," I said pausing
"alright shoot" He glanced up at a street sign to make sure we were going the right way
"why me?" I asked, genuinely curious about his answer.
"you're like me," He replied pausing before he continued. "You were too young to die, so full of life, and you had so much to live for" He spoke passionately, firmly believing in what he was saying. I chuckled as he sighed, "and well I was the same way, too young and full of life, and had dreams of living forever and growing up and having a family..." He trailed off sniffling a little, I looked at his face which was focused intently on the sidewalk. I put my hand on his shoulder, as an act of sympathy, he smiled and wiped his nose. "plus you're really pretty" He added his face turning red like a tomato, as he avoided looking me in the eyes. My face went up in flames.
"t-thanks" I stuttered, avoiding his eyes as well. We walked on in silence for a few more minutes before he stopped walking, and cleared his throat.
"we're here," He said gesturing towards a big house with two gates in front of the wood doors, the black gates had umbrellas on them which I thought strange. Ben opened the gates as well as the door and led me inside.
"what are we doing here Ben?" I said following him through the main hallway and under a giant chandelier
"We are meeting my brother" He answered
"why? and what is this place?" I asked as we entered a room with animal heads mounted along the walls and the portrait of a boy hanging above the fireplace.
"my brother can talk to the dead, and this was my childhood home," He said grasping my hand and pulling me out of the room when I lingered too long looking at a portrait of a family hanging on another wall. I saw a little boy that kind of looked like Ben in the painting before he pulled me away.
"So your brother can talk to us?" I asked in disbelief as he continued holding my hand while leading me up a big staircase.
"yes" He answered, he led me down a hallway to where I assumed his brother's room was and opened the door peeking inside. He stopped inside the door frame but didn't let go of my hand, and so I saw no need to remove it from his. He was looking at a boy around our age, maybe a little older, sitting on the bed knitting with a ball of yarn on his stomach. He cleared his throat to get the boy on the bed's attention. The boy on the bed looked towards Ben and his face lit up.
"BEN YOU'RE BACK!" He squealed in delight before catching sight of me, he raised his eyebrows before looking down and noticing my hand in Ben's. The boy raised his eyebrows even higher and said "well, well well, Benny brought a GiRl with him" He said in a sing-songy tone.
"Shut up Klaus," Ben said, chuckling a little, still not bothering to remove his hand from mine.
"Does Benny Boo have a little ghostie GIRLFRIEND?" The boy I now knew was named Klaus teased dancing around the room, taunting Ben. Ben looked down at the floor clearly embarrassed.
"I wish" Ben mumbled, making me giggle, I made a split second decision, and leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. His face flared up again and he looked at me with wide eyes. I giggled again.
"Awe Benny has a girlfriend," Klaus said squealing in delight, as Ben continued to blush, and smile a little.
--Fin--
QOTD: What's your favorite Ben and Klaus moment?
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