OC PROJECT- OC X Reader fiction

2: The Phantom

(hi! i hope people enjoyed part 1! mist's section is going to be a bit bigger than most, so i'm going to seperate each 'chapter' by doing stories in between!!! due to the length of this chapter, i think it'll be multiple parts too :D)

TW: Kidnapping, suggested drugging, scars, swearing, capslock

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"God fucking dammit."
Ever since you had been young, you had heard warnings about the nighttime. Warnings to never walk in the dark by yourself, to always be armed, to constantly be on your guard when alone. There were things that happened in the moonlit streets, creatures that followed in the shadows. At first you played it off as stories meant to frighten children- you live in the kingdom of fears, Insominius, after all, it would make sense. But now that you're travelling alone in the ungodly hours, the tales seem to be a lot more realistic.

You quietly curse yourself for not asking for a ride home as you reach a crossroads. Which way was it again? Left? Or straight ahead?
"If I just slept in a field, I wouldn't have to do this in the dark." you mumble jokingly, as you keep walking in the same direction you have been. Maybe it would be a good idea to call in sick tomorrow, so you could sleep all of this away.
A rustle in the hedge lining the road makes you pause and turn around. Perhaps it was just some sort of animal? There doesn't seem to be anybody there, really. Even so, you clench your fists inside your pockets, and carry on walking.
After a while, you sigh in relief at the sight of a streetlamp, dimly lighting up part of the path. It isn't much, really, but it provides you with a small feeling of security. When you reach the lamp itself, you notice a break in the hedge and, a small path away from it, a small building.
Curiosity gets the better of all of your other senses, and you walk up to the large, ground floor window. It seems to be some sort of display, showing the inside of what you now assume is a store. The shelves inside seem messy, lined with disorganised clutter of various shapes, sizes and origin. You take the time to read a couple of notices stuck to the window from the inside.

'Deal of the week! True authentic Demon's Horn!!! Inquire inside.'
'Hot drinks and treats available at all hours, will trade these for stories.'
'Payment in form of bartering preferred. Gold also accepted.'
'No houseplants. This is the Big Rule of the store. Refusal to comply will result in a ban.'
'Free room, inquire inside.'

You briefly trace the letters with your finger, before looking into the store again. A light seems to be on, and you can faintly hear quiet singing from inside. You decide to go in, just to inquire of course.
A small bell rings as you open the door, and the singing abruptly stops. There's only one other person in the room with you- a strange creature, with lavender purple skin and large, pointed ears. Their eyes- now fixated directly on your face- are wide, and almost glowing with a sharp golden colour. They open their lips to speak, and you notice rows of sharp, polished fangs.
"Uh...hello? Do you need somethin', pal?"
You smile briefly and shrug. "Just looking."
"A'ight."
You wander over to one of the aisles of short, dusty shelves. Theres a multitude of things across them, some strange and some incredibly offputting. A small basket of dark jewels catches your eye, and you pick one up to hold up to the light.
"Careful wi' that." Warns who you assume to be the shopkeeper. They haven't took their eyes off you. "It'll break if ya drop it."
You put the jewel back down and trace a finger along the spine of a book leaning beside it. It reads 'Spells and Incantations of The Illusionary Arts- Beginners Edition.'. It's leather dust jacket is a rich, wine red colour, with carefully drawn gold details. You decide to pick it up.
"Good read, that is." Notes the shopkeeper. "Gets boring if ya already know it all, though."
"You know the spells?" You ask.
"Sure I do. They aint that difficult. Not for me, I mean.". They pick up a cloth from behind their small desk, and start wiping it. They still don't look away from you, and you surpress a shiver.
You look down at the book in your hands, so you don't have to look directly at them. "So uh...I saw a notice in the window, I wanted to ask-"
"The houseplants are a personal grudge."
You chuckle. "Not that one."
"Ah."
"I saw that you advertised a room? I wanted to ask if that was still a thing you had going, I assume it is since you seem to be alone. I have a long way to go yet, is all, and it's pretty dark."
They nod slightly. You can't remember if you've even seen them blink at all yet. "The room's still empty, aye. Not much of a room, really, it's a bed in my main room upstairs, beside the fire. Got a divider in front of it, though, so ya have some privacy if ya use it."
You look away and grimace slightly. Not the best arrangement, really, but it would have to do. It was better than walking alone in the dark and meeting a whole party of creeps, rather than just this singular one. If they tried anything, you could probably overpower them despite their spells anyways, they looked frail, really. "How much?"
"How much? Ah. Didn't really think of that one. People usually don't wanna, no clue why." They finally look away out of the window, to think. You browse the shelves again whilst you're waiting, and pick up a black pen and what you hope is an in-date cereal bar.
"How's about...I give ya the bed for a night, and the book to keep. And in return ya can....hm..." they tap their chin in thought before asking "Ya got any good stories?"
"Not really." you smile slightly. "Unfortunately I'm a bit boring."
They seem amused, and laugh for a moment. "Alright, fair 'nough. How's about this?" They lean forward over the desk. "I need to go to the market tomorrow. 'S just down the road, see, every Sunday. But I aint too fond of going myself, see. Too many people for my liking, too loud and friendly too. All touchy feely, shaking hands 'n patting you on the head 'n back all the time. How's about ya come with me?"
You pause to think. "If I come to this market, with you-"
"Aye."
"You'll let me stay here for the night-"
"That's right, aye."
"And you let me have this book."
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
You nod a bit, and put the pen and cereal bar in your pocket where you think they can't see. "Alright, deal. But don't try anything, I'll kick your ass."
They chuckle as they walk over to the door, and put a 'Closed' sign in the window. "I'm sure ya would, pal. Now follow me, 's up here."
You follow them to a door behind the desk, which they unlock. The room behind has two sets of stairs- one going up, and one going down. There's a small, wobbly looking table in the corner, with a candle on top. It isn't lit.
Both of you head upwards, into a large room. Compared to the shop floor, you notice it's signifigantly neater. There's a small, open kitchen on one side of the room, and what you assume is a lounge space on the other side, with a small sofa and a squishy looking armchair. The fireplace is infront of these, and you notice the bed they mentioned- a sort of camping cot, really, but with more blankets and pillows- set up in the corner.
The shopkeeper goes over to the kitchen space, and pulls a teapot from the cupboard. Whilst they aren't paying as much attention to you, you take a closer look at them.
Their left ear seems to have a small piece missing, an indent. A bite mark, maybe, but you can't quite tell. You notice that they have a tail, too, with a rounded arrow-like tip at the end. Its curled around one of their legs right now, but every so often it flicks slightly to each side. Their shirt- a dark green sort of fabric- is cropped, and ends just above the middle of their stomach, and you can see that part of their back is covered by a large scar.
"Sit down. Preferably on the sofa, the chair's my spot." They say, still fiddling with the teapot. "I'm making a drink, ya can have one too if ya want?"
"Yes please." you reply, sitting on one of the dark cushions. It's quite comfy, you realise.
"So. Why were ya walking around so late, if ya don't like it that much?"
You grimace slightly. "Work. Forgot how long my shift was, didn't get a ride home."
"I see. Makes sense, I suppose. Ya live far from ya work then, I assume?" They walk over and place a tray on the small table, before picking up one of the mugs on its surface and sitting on the armchair cross-legged.
"Yeah." You pick up the second mug and look at them. "You ask alot of questions for someone who hasn't even said their own name."
They facepalm. "I forget these things. I aint too smart, ya see."
"I gathered."
They reach out a hand, and when you look at it you notice more scars going up their sleeves, and a claw at the end of each finger. They're wearing two gold rings on the index finger.
"Ya can call me, Quill. May I have your name?"
You take their hand and shake it briefly. "My name's Y/N."
They take a sip from their mug, and grin. "Nice name, that is."
"Thanks, it was a birthday gift"
They throw back their head and laugh. There's yet another scar, almost like an old stab wound directly through the bottom of their chin. You decide not to ask quite yet.
"That...that was a good joke, that was." They finally speak, breathless. "Ya quite funny."
"Thank you." You smile and sip from your mug. The liquid inside is the perfect temperature, and tastes like honey- or is it cinnamon? Both, maybe? Either way, you can't help but drink all of it until there isn't any left. Quill watches you the entire time.
It takes about 10 minutes, but you slowly begin to feel incredibly tired. Quill talks at you for most of the time, but they pause to catch you when you almost fall forwards off the sofa in your drowsy state.
"Ya alright?"
"I'm just....quite tired." you mumble. They help you to stand, and steer you towards the bed in the corner.
"Lie down, pal. Ya need to rest, I think. Been awake for a good while, huh?"
"Yeah."
You curl up, and they pull a blanket over you, before awkardly patting you on the head.
"I'm in the room on the left of here, a'ight? There's only 2 doors, so ya shouldn't get too confused. One on the right is the bathroom, if ya need it."
You smile faintly at them, and they walk off into the bedroom they mentioned, glancing at you once more before quietly shutting the door.
You begin to fall asleep incredibly quickly. Just before you fall into deep unconsciousness, the bedroom door begins to open again.