Silence in the library
A Love and Deepspace Halloween Extravaganza
The Deepspace Estate has witnessed many love stories over the years — Epic tales where love conquers all, and tragic naivete doomed to fail. Now, this once grand house of excellence, wishes to tell the tales of five men who occupied its grounds over the years and their soulmate who keeps coming back to haunt them...
"Each story was special, but ours would be extraordinary..."
᯽᯽᯽ Read on ao3 ll Halloween extravaganza masterlist ᯽᯽᯽ Reaper!Zayne x Reader ll Word count: 4.2k ᯽᯽᯽ Mention of deaths, soulmates, hurt/comfort, first kisses, mild smut, dry humping, angst with a happy ending
Autumn has always been your favorite. Everything felt softer as the change of the season painted the world in rust, oker and sienna. The warm palette a stark contrast to the colder air and longer nights.
The estate stood proudly in the middle of it all. The yellowed stone matched to the autumnal scenery with measured perfection. This would be your new home. What a warm welcome it is granting you and your family.
A forest of dark, old pine trees framed the right side of the property, trailing all the way down to the docks. There was so much to discover here! The dungeons are said to have held many fearsome prisoners over the years; thieves, arsonists, some say the cages were so strong they held supernatural beings with ease. How delightful!
Your first night in the estate leaves a lot to be desired… The bed is not as soft as you’re used to and even with the fire still burning, your room is rather cold. Restless and far too awake you decide to give up on sleep and wander the unexplored halls of your new home.
Every wall is adorned with detailed moulding and expensive tapestries, all tinted royal blue by the darkness of night only briefly illuminated by the flickering candle in your hand. Finally you reach a room worthy of late night exploration; the library.
You clutch your thick robe tightly upon entry, somehow this room feels even colder than the hallway. Walls upon walls of tall shelves filled to the brim with gorgeous leatherbound books quickly make you forget everything about the sudden cold. You stare at the sight in awe taking in the prospect of all the stories that await beyond enticing covers with gilded letters.
Heroes eager to pull you along for adventures, villains for you to slay and conquer – how anyone can ignore the pull of fantasy and imagination is beyond you.
You wander for a while, reading the spines and picking up the ones that spark the most interest. It doesn’t take long before your greed exceeds the strength of your arms forcing you to be content with your current selection. It’s only then that you realize how far you’ve walked without your candle. You should have been in total darkness many shelves ago, yet there is light surrounding you. Why would anyone light the sconces in the library so late at night?
The books that have grown far too heavy for your grasp suddenly fall to the floor as you stumble over your own feet. You gasp and try to reclaim your balance whilst saving a few of the books from the hard floors.
“Ugh…” You roll your eyes at your own clumsiness and kneel down to rebuild your tower of books as you mumble curses at yourself. “Why… So stupid… Idiotic… Always overestimating your strength… Weak arms…”
“What are you doing here?”
The sudden intrusion of a man's voice scares you to the point of a scream and sends you scurrying backwards on the floor.
“Wh-who are you?”
"Things may have changed since the last time you came here, but I am fairly certain that I have not." The confusion is prominently featured on his face as the tall man stares down at your clumsy figure.
"What do you mean ‘last time’? My family just moved here."
"Hm… How peculiar," he muses. "Time is a funny thing, isn’t it. However it is rare that I find myself confused by it."
You stare at him, puzzled and quiet.
“Since you don’t recognize me I suppose you’ll find no comfort in me telling you that your soul is just as pure and strong as ever.” He offers you his hand to pull you up from the floor.
You can’t help the chuckle that escapes you at his choice to call you ‘strong’ when your lack of strength was to blame for your unplanned venture to the floor in the first place. You stare at your hand in his for a moment too long before retrieving it and repeating your question.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Zayne,” he states calmly, as if this encounter is anything but strange.
“And why are you in my house?”
“This is my office. Libraries hold such rich history. Both past, present and future lives reside on these pages,” he says as he gazes at the never ending shelves that surround you both.
“Would you like to elaborate on that, Zayne?”
“Are my answers not satisfactory?” There is a slight furrow in his brow, as if he is genuinely surprised you are requesting more information.
“You claiming that this library is your office doesn’t explain why you’ve entered my home in the middle of the night.”
“I didn’t enter in the middle of the night. I’ve been here since the estate was built all those years ago.”
You should be scared, you should run and find help to deal with this intruder. Instead you find yourself increasingly annoyed at his vague answers. It’s as if he’s purposefully avoiding properly answering like a petulant child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“Hm… I see I have failed to please you again. Forgive me, my lady. I shall offer more clarity,” he pauses to clear his throat. “I am a reaper. I collect souls from your dearly departed, catalogue them, and see them off.”
“Off..?”
“To wherever their souls are destined to go; forwards, onwards, backwards – that part is not up to me.”
“Heaven and hell?”
His lips quirk slightly as he exhales through his nose. “Religion is quite humorous, is it not? Fortunately they are just as much a fairy tale as the bedtime stories you were told as a child.”
“So, what then?”
“Shh, spoilers.” His finger touches his lips, almost mocking you with the information he refuses to share.
“You have to tell me something if I’m going to believe this tale you’re spinning.” With your hands firmly on your hips you stare at him expectantly.
“Hmm… That might just be another string of unsatisfactory answers I’m afraid.”
“Try me.”
“Alright…” He straightens himself and crosses his arms across his chest. “I know the fate of almost every reincarnation of your soulmates, apart from my own…”
“Soulmates, plural?”
“Mhm. It is rare, but does happen once or twice each century."
“... And you are –?”
“I am one of them, yes. I am thankfully not privy to my personal fates. The only reason I know that you and I are linked is because your fates remain hidden from me as well, signaling that our souls are too close for me to be allowed the knowledge.”
“Do you wish you knew of your own fates?” Where are you even supposed to start when presented with such an unfathomable story?
“No. I’m rather grateful that I know so little. It would greatly hinder me in my work if I was constantly distracted by the fact that a distant version of you or me might be suffering some great tragedy.”
“Tell me more,” you insist, yet he meets you with a stern gaze. Somehow you know what he’s requesting. “Tell me more, please,” you mumble with a light roll of your eyes.
He appears to deem your halfassed attempt at politeness adequate, at least if that borderline cocky smirk of his is anything to go by. “Well – These books contain the memories of every soul I’ve claimed, or in some cases, souls I will claim in the future.”
“People who haven’t died yet?”
He nods. “Sort of, yes. Like I said before; time is a funny thing.”
“Sounds like your life is far more exciting than that of any human. We must seem rather boring to you.” With wandering eyes, you take in the seemingly endless aisles of books – souls in written form. The prospect of Zayne telling the truth sends a haunting feeling through your bones.
"I enjoy reading their stories. It allows me to observe the mundane life of ordinary humans without all the noise and strange odors."
"You think we’re smelly and loud?"
"Yes."
"… All of us?"
"Some are more tolerable than others." He turns his head to the side in an attempt to hide how the corner of his lip curls into a shy smile. A similar one making an appearance on your own lips as well.
“You said you know the fates of my soulmates, are they in this library?”
"Some of their lifetimes are here. I’m keeping them safe, do not worry. But sometimes, their stories aren’t yet finished. Perhaps they have unfinished business that keeps them tethered to the physical realm, or," he pauses and stares at you with a knowing look. "Perhaps their story is meant to continue on so that their path will join with someone else’s. Sometimes the universe experiences glitches when dealing with particularly complex souls; such as yours. An unfortunate side effect of this might be reincarnations happening at the wrong time." He pauses again, worried that he has already said too much, revealed too many details hinting at the unfortunate fates some of your soulmates will and have faced.
“The wrong time? What does that mean?”
“It means that each lifetime your soulmates are granted is linked to a particular one of yours. When the glitches occur, they might be forced to live that lifetime without you and spend time as ghosts trapped here waiting for you to find them.”
“Oh…” you sigh, quiltridden and scared. Does that mean you’re believing his story?
“You must all care for me greatly then, if my soul causes you such misery,” your voice drops, self-deprecating and heavy with pain you have unknowingly bestowed upon others by being ‘complex’.
Your body slumps against the nearest shelf. It is further away from your back than you anticipated, causing you to land with a heavy thud against the wooden edge and a few protruding spines.
“Ouch, fuck…” you exclaim, bouncing back off the shelf faster than your initial landing.
“Are you alright?” Zayne questions, stepping closer with a look of concern on his face.
“I’m fine, just… clumsy…” Your eyes land on a book that tumbled to the floor when you took your initial tumble. Instinctively, you crouch down and begin flipping through the pages.
“I don’t think you should do that, my lady. You might not like what you find.”
You’re not listening, impatiently flipping through the pages as if you’re searching for something in particular. You pause at one of the final pages, squinting in the low lighting to see the words more clearly.
‘... his pack was gone, allowing the alpha to finally close his eyes. He was not afraid of death, or of what came after. All that mattered was finding her again, however long it would take.’
Tears welled up in your eyes as they took in the final words. This was one of them. No name, no face, yet you knew he was yours. He was dying alone, without you there to comfort him.
Slowly finding your feet again, you carefully place the book back on the shelf. The thought of this belonging to someone important to you has you treating the precious book with more tenderness than you thought yourself capable of.
With a deep breath – you sprint. Down the endless aisles of books, souls, your soulmates, allowing their distant pull to take you to them. Zayne called out for you to stop before chasing after you.
Another book caught your eye and once again, you flip to the last page.
‘... When he returned, his beloved was nowhere to be found. A horrifying feeling clawed at his chest; cold and hollow… Empty. He knew what had happened, there was only one thing that would leave such a feeling in the place normally kept warm by his bride. Pearls trickled down his cheeks as he returned to the water and allowed himself to be claimed by the ocean in his human form…’
“Stop running!”
You’re moving again, but this time you’re caught by strong arms wrapping around you from behind. Flailing limbs try to break you free, but he simply holds you tighter.
“I do not think it wise to keep reading – agh!” Your elbow ends up hitting his ribs with far more force than you intended. The sound of Zayne’s agony instantly causes you to freeze.
Not only were you the reason for your soulmates dying alone or being born at the wrong time, now you were also causing one of them physical pain. Turning to face him, still in his arms, you begin spewing out apologies. “I-I’m so sorry, Zayne I didn’t mean to I just, I just…”
The shock and horror on your face is not a surprise to see, but it still pains him to witness it. So, he pulls you close. Tucking you against his chest with his chin on top of your head. He remembers how you enjoyed his firm hold the last time you came to his library, or, the last time your soul came here.
Tense and tired muscles eventually relax against his sturdy frame. One hand cradles the back of your head whilst the other holds you steady at your waist. Although he is quite cold, the closeness warms something inside you. A dormant part that perhaps remembers his soul even if your mind does not.
“I understand your curiosity, but there is a reason why I know nothing of what our souls will endure.” Zayne is about to lean down to kiss the top of your hair. The familiarity of this desire makes him think your souls have been intertwined like this in some other timeline. Not in this one though, he reminds himself, and the intended kiss never lands. “I suspect you might now be experiencing that reason…”
You hold the book close to your heart where it feels like it belongs. Your free hand firmly clutches the soft material of Zayne’s robes, desperately in need of something to tie you to this life now that your mind keeps trying to pull you to others.
Without pulling away you mumble into his clothes hoping he’ll still hear you. “So, can I never read a book again? What if I accidentally pick up another tragic tale of a once beloved soulmate?” There is a lightness in your voice, a feeble attempt at something akin to a joke. A sharp exhale from the man holding you tells you that the attempt was noticed.
“I’ll help you find more suitable options,” he muses. “How about some non-fiction or a light children's book?" Now you pull back, gazing up at him with playful annoyance. The corner of his lip twitches slightly into something reminiscent of a smile and for a moment you allow yourself to simply stare at him. Sharp handsome features, dark hair and eyes of deep emerald with flecks of gold. Perfectly angled nose that would probably feel really good between your –
“Are you alright, my lady? You’re flushed all of a sudden.”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just a bit overwhelmed.” It’s not entirely a lie. He doesn’t need to know the full extent of the reasons for your flush.
You return to the library every other night after that encounter, pretending to have finished reading his previous recommendation and finding yourself in need of a new one. His recommendations were good, great even, but you couldn’t read them fast enough to satisfy your desire to see him.
Zayne already knew your true intention behind the frequent library visits. It didn’t take long to figure out that you had in fact not finished reading when your reviews of the material got more and more vague. It didn’t matter to him, he wanted to see you too.
“Hey, Zayne?” His eyes instantly find yours. He’s sitting next to you on the couch with a book of his own, one leg over the other and reading glasses resting on his nose. “Does it feel weird to spend time with me, knowing that we’re soulmates and all that?”
“Being soulmates doesn’t automatically mean that we have to be lovers in every lifetime. It can also be a platonic connection.”
“Oh…” Your cheeks heat instantly at the realization of what your words had implied. After a moment to fully process his words you find yourself left with a hint of disappointment. The thought of it was strange, how could you even consider any type of relationship with a reaper?
“Zayne?” You ask again. He hums and gives you the same tentative look as before. “How are you a reaper? And like, for how long will you be one?”
“My working theory is that my soul will move on the next time yours does. I believe the reason I am a reaper in the first place was due to one of those glitches I told you about.”
“But, you said you’d met me before? How can you be sure that this is the right timeline?”
“The last time I met your soul, each encounter had you looking for information to find someone else; another man to whom your soul was tied. The two of you had exchanged vows and promises to never stop searching for the other. It was obvious that it was his time, not mine.” Zayne pauses at the sight of your gaze dropping from his. After placing his book down on the coffee table, he turns his body towards yours. “Before you start to feel guilty, please know that I value each and every second I get to spend with you. How lucky am I to be able to see you happy and healthy in two of your lifetimes.”
“So, it’s not strange to you that I have ‘lovers’ scattered through time?” You almost laugh in an attempt to keep the mood light, but it does little to mask your pain.
“I care for your soul in whatever form it takes and regardless of who it is drawn to. However, it is important that you know; my feelings for you in this life belong to you and me, not the universe.”
After taking your book from your grasp, he reaches for your hands and holds them in his own. Two pairs of hands now rest in your lap, the warmth from his skin seeping through the material of your dress and igniting parts of you that you have been told should remain dormant until marriage. Yet, the feeling is not new to you. Not since you met Zayne.
“Those feelings you speak of, what are they exactly?” You whisper, unaware that you have started to tilt forward, closer to him, like your body is acting on instincts that your subconscious has tried to tame.
Zayne tightens his grip on your hands and gulps nervously. He knew that the closeness of your relationship was frowned upon in your society, and although he was not a direct participant in your world he was very much aware of the rules and what could happen to you if you were caught breaking them. Yet, lying to you felt like it would be a greater sin than anything else.
“My feelings… are… not platonic.”
That was all you needed to hear before letting every attempt to tame that warmth you feel in his presence come to an end. The shields you had been fighting to keep steady wither away in only a matter of seconds as you allow yourself to lean into him fully. He cradles your face in his gentle hands as your lips finally touch in a soft kiss.
Your next exhale is one of relief, like you’ve finally found the thing you didn’t know you were missing. Parting from him for a mere moment is enough and Zayne seems to agree as he pulls you back in for more. The initial careful exploration evolves into something deeper and hungrier than either of you have experienced before. You move closer before settling in a scandalous straddle across his thighs.
Zayne is momentarily stunned by your confidence but quickly chides himself for questioning your determination. He knows you well enough to be aware of how stubborn you can be when you want something, he just didn’t dare expect he’d be wanted like this. Not willing to waste whatever time he has been granted, Zayne lets his hands roam and explore before settling on your hips, pulling you even closer in his quickly rising desperation.
The minor change in position is enough to have your core rub against his prominent erection sending a sudden burst of pleasure through both of you. Warmth and comfort unlike any you’ve felt before has you melting even further into the reaper's embrace, ready to surrender.
You don’t really know what you’re doing, just that it feels really good to have him this close and feel the firmness of his body against yours. Similar scenarios have played on your mind for several weeks – images strung together with information gathered in books and through gossip. How two bodies can join together in something so sinfully beautiful no one dared speak of it outside of hushed giggles. The experience was worthy of far more than meek whispers and pretty words on yellowed pages.
“Lift your hips for me, darling,” he softly commands as his hands begin tugging at the lengths of your dress that have turned into a bundled up obstacle between your bodies, swiftly maneuvering the garment to drape over your legs instead of being trapped between you. Something about the way he spoke, so calm and secure in his words, made the hairs at the back of your neck stand alert.
Warm palms glide up your legs and underneath your dress before settling at your rear. With a firm squeeze your hips roll forward sending an even stronger pulse of undeniable arousal from your core and all the way out to the tips of your fingers as they tangle in his hair. A sensation so pleasurable warranted repetition. You let your hips continue the movement, rubbing yourself against his hard length. Sounds of pleasure barely escape your lips before Zayne swallows them with frenzied kisses.
He’s breathing heavily, rolling his hips upwards to meet yours. Although your experience didn’t reach beyond the tip of your own finger, you knew you were getting close.
Each tingle erupting on your body is laced in a bittersweet concoction of affection and uncertainty. This is love, a love that comes with keys to a world you do not know how to maneuver. A world of death and rebirth. Soulmates chasing each other across timelines, constantly haunted by fate and mortality. It’s not fair to him, you think, that even in such an intimate moment your mind wanders to the others. Zayne is here now. You do your best to shake those thoughts out of your head. Worries and concerns for the future and the past can come later. This moment is yours and his. Just Zayne.
Your forehead drops to his shoulder, panting heavily against his clammy neck as you attempt to formulate something reminiscent of a sentence. “Z-zayne, I-I’m, ahh! So close.”
Lost in the haze of lust and desire and desperate to anchor yourself in preparation for your impending orgasm – you bite. Sinking your teeth into the side of his neck, restraining yourself enough to not break skin but you do not doubt he will be marked for several days.
“F-fuck, darling, hmph…” For a moment you fear you hurt him, but when his hands tighten their grip on your waist and he guides your hips into a faster pace, your fear is quickly replaced by pure desire.
He holds you tight as you find your way down from the shared bliss. Zayne can feel your tears landing on his skin, he hears the little sniffles you try to hide. There is no need to ask questions, he knows that your tears are not because of this moment. Dark thoughts have plagued his mind too. He can’t tell you how scared he is of this unknown future and where your soul will go when you leave him or how long it will take for you to find each other again.
After the night you confessed your feelings for each other, there was no way either of you would be able to keep your distance. Zayne tried, because of who he is and the work that came along with his existence. But every time he returned to the library, you would be there waiting. The thought of you suddenly not being there anymore was a weight even he was unable to carry. So, he let you stay.
He accepted your help and your comfort on the rougher days, although it took a while to allow you to do so. He had been on his own for so long, used to dealing with his troubles in solitude. When he eventually gave up resisting the attention you had offered him everything seemed to slot neatly into place as if his solitary existence was always meant to include another. You. His soulmate. And in this timeline, he would not have to share you with anyone.
For a while you both worry that you will continue to grow old and frail and he will be forced to simply watch your body deteriorate. The thought made the both of you hesitant in your affections, plagued by whatever end your body might face as his eternal youth holds your hand. Yet another lifetime where you will be leaving your soulmate behind as you succumb to your own fate.
That is until one afternoon, when the sunlight hits his black hair at an angle that seems intent to reveal secrets and answer questions – a grey hair.
Where would you like to go next?
Visit the parlour Visit the forest Visit the docks Visit the dungeon
AN: How would you feel if you knew those books you love so much were actually lifetimes collected on paper? 4 down, 1 to go 🥀 If anyone is interested in being added to the taglist, click here!
Taglist: @babyx91 @lemurianmaster @morrigan87 @dawnbreakerswife @seraphimcollections @plzdonutpercieveme @dailydoseofanimeawesome @paneratargaryen4312 @sapphic-daze @marinenox @lemonehem @diaflower @luvinbloom @raendarkfaerie @lotusapple-xia @atzeroo @azure-nevermore @deepspacenova
🥀 @tacobellequeen99 @emowitchwithatwist @silaswritesthings @seppys-return-to-madness
ll Read more: Masterlist ll © Colonel Kaboom ll