Coulduseprozac - Whatever

A rough day

(mean, insulting, Kevin hates the ghouls)

Kevin hates the ghouls.

Not because he's afraid of them, no, on the contrary, you can't have less respect for them than Kevin. He just thinks they're annoying little beasts, like particularly vicious chihuahuas from hell.

Dewdrop, Phantom and Rain especially get on his nerves. Phantom because he's always clinging to Kevin like a leech. Dewdrop because he's a nasty little gremlin who just causes chaos that Kevin then has to clean up. And Rain isn't actually that bad but he isn't good at speaking human language that Kevin usually doesn't understand what the water ghoul is stammering anyway. Not that he would care anyway.

Well, Kevin could speak ghoulish if he wanted to, but in the end these pests would annoy him even more.

The worst is when he has to fix something in the ghoul wing. For example, the other day, when he just wanted to clean the clogged drain in the kitchen sink, he was surrounded by ghouls within a few minutes. They reminded him of a bunch of starving cats, the way they stalked around him and cast curious glances over his shoulder. Phantom was immediately glued to him again, practically tugging at Kevin's hair and clothes.

Then Aether, who kept his distance but intermittently gave advice that Kevin hadn't asked for.

"You should unscrew the drain pipe first" and "are you sure you've mixed the cleaning concentrate sufficiently? Otherwise it could damage the pipes."

Kevin wanted to hit Aether in the face. But instead he contented himself with glaring at the sink while he worked.

At one point he accidentally hit Rain's forehead with his knee because Rain was squeezing himself on the floor between him and the bucket that Kevin had used to catch all the muck from the drainpipe. With an annoyed look, Kevin noticed that the water ghoul had started collecting small pieces that had landed in the drainpipe from the bucket.

"Stop that! You're just making everything dirty," he growled as Rain pulled his hands back and placed a marble, dripping with dirt, on the ground. Rain just babbled incomprehensible things as he began to dig in the muck again. "Why are u so rude to Rainy?" whispered Phantom and came so close to Kevin that he felt the ghoul's warm breath brushing over his ear.

Kevin sighed with the burden of a man who would rather tend a sack full of fleas than a handful of ghouls. Why couldn't the clergy have chosen other demons? There were many species that were less unruly than ghouls. Kevin even had the feeling that ghouls not only enjoyed the chaos, but that they actually drew their energy from it. He had once expressed this thought to sister Imperator, but she had just laughed at him and said that he just had to learn to assert himself. That could only come from someone who didn't have to deal with these plagues on a daily basis.

Annoyed, Kevin stuck the spiral into the drain to push out the last bit of dirt, while at the same time swatting away Rain's fingers that had appeared on the edge of the sink.

Since Copia had risen to the top of the ministry and had a bit more say, Kevin was no longer even allowed to sprinkle holy water on the ghouls to keep them away. After all, that would hurt the ghouls, the youngest Emeterius brother had explained his decision. Simply ridiculous. When Kevin had started working for the clergy, ghouls had just been treated like ghouls. But since Copia had shown up here, Kevin had to treat these creatures as if they had more feelings than lust, hunger and thirst.

Finally, the resistance in the drain was released and with a slap, a pile of mud landed in the bucket. "Is that...sand?" asked Aether, astonished. Kevin shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "How do I fucking know what kind of crap you always pour down the drain?!" He pulled the spiral back and knelt under the sink to screw the pipe back on. Phantom also knelt down next to him and grabbed one of Kevin's long strands of hair to chew on. "I'm clearly not being paid well enough for this," the brown haired growled, shooing back first Phantom and then Rain, whose hand had already disappeared back into the bucket. Under the curious gaze of the ghouls, Kevin screwed the pipe back on, sat up with his aching back and picked up the bucket. "Would be nice if you could just stop breaking or clogging anything for more than three days," Kevin grumbled, looking sternly at Aether. The quint had spent the last few minutes watching with his hands on his hips and a critical expression. "I'm doing my best, but you know what they're like." Kevin only snorted in response. He watched as Aether disappeared into the living room before he turned to leave. The ghoul was talking to Kevin as if they were eye to eye. Kevin shook his head. Ghouls.

He was about to close the door behind him when Rain slithered through and tugged at his sleeve. His big blue eyes bored into his. "What?" Kevin asked slightly suprised.

Rain's mouth opened and closed a few times without any words coming out. Then, finally, when Kevin's already extremely thin thread of patience was about to snap, Rain managed to say a word. "Encore."

He had always thought that Rain simply didn't speak human language, but apparently the ghoul was just dumb. In a good-natured tone, as if he was talking to someone particularly retarded, Kevin replied. "I know you did a great job on the film. We're all very proud of you. But I," he pointed to himself, "have to go now," he pointed to the door. Rain tilted his head, confused.

He's probably doing this so that the few brain cells he has will slip into the same corner, Kevin thought spitefully.

The water ghoul tugged at his sleeve again, this time more frantically. "Encore! Encore! Encore! Dew!" Confused, Kevin turned around and froze. Dewdrop stood at the sink and calmly poured a thick liquid into it. Kevin now also noticed the penetrating smell of ammonia.

This fucking little shit poured wall paint into the sink.

Kevin just stared at him. The man was too stunned to even utter a word. He definitely needed a bottle of whiskey tonight. Better yet, two. And brandy. A lot of it.

Cryptid Biology Season 2: Something Special

[Previous entry in this series: Here. The ghouls participate in a time honored tradition in celebration of the summer solstice... or Dew has an encounter with Special in the woods.] Below the cut.

Dew can feel his heart beating in his chest as he runs through the darkness, ducking and weaving to avoid branches and thorn bushes that appear just inches away from him before disappearing into the black surrounding him.

He curses, feeling his muscles scream at him to slow down, to stop, but if he does, he'll get caught.

Breathing heavily, Dew stumbles over a root, but manages to keep his footing... only to trip and fall over the next one, landing upon the ground with a heavy thud that would hurt a whole heck of a lot more if not for the bed of decaying leaves on the forest floor.

He groans and attempts to scramble to his feet, but when a boot against his back keeps him from rising right away, he relents, flopping back down with an angry huff.

"First you failed to outrun me during the Imbolc hunt, then you ran into me at the one for Ostara, and don't get me started on that pathetic attempt to hide from me during Beltane... and now here we are again." the ghoul above him chuckles, eyes glowing red, face just barely visible with Dew's lackluster night vision, "I think you're getting in my way on purpose, Tadpole."

"Stop calling me that, Special, you prick..." Dew grits out, "Maybe you're the one chasing after me, huh?"

Special hums and grinds his foot down.

"Mn, no, I don't think so." he says, crouching down, "I'm not much of a hunter, you see, I've always been more of a scavenger; I take what the others leave behind, so normally I'd wait and see who's left..."

He moves to press his knee into Dew's back, applying more pressure as he leans forward to whisper into his ear, "You're too much work, so for me to catch you, either nobody wanted you this time, or you're deliberately making it easy for me, because after our first encounter, you've been aching for more..."

Special brushes the hair from his neck and presses a kiss there, "...Haven't you?"

"Shut-" Dew starts to shout, but can't as Special's jaws lock onto his nape, it stings, both from the act itself, and from the toxin dribbling into his wounds from the ghoul's mouth, "Uh-huunh..."

"There's a good boy." Special coos, licking Dew's blood from his lips, swiping his tongue over his teeth for good measure, "Feels better than when a quint fucks your mind, doesn't it? I know it does... It's such an instant relief."

His hand comes down the massage the wound, grinning as the skin heals over from his touch, while also aiding in spreading the venom faster.

"There we go..." he says, finally lifting himself from Dew's body and flipping him over onto his back, "Well, look at you~"

Dew's whole body feels flush, and his breathing has yet to settle from his mad dash through the forest, so he has to look like a sweaty mess, but Special doesn't seem to agree, reaching down to cup his cheeks with his hands, shaking his head teasingly back and forth.

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing?" he grins, then pats his face lightly, "Hm, guess we should get this show on the road then, huh?"

Dew mumbles something and raises his arms slowly, wiggling his fingers, and Special blinks at him for a moment before snorting, "Oh, poor baby, can't take your shirt off yourself? You need me to do it for you?"

"Feeeel allll... wiggly..." Dew supplies unhelpfully, giggling as Special hooks his fingers under the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head in one fluid movement, "Umph!"

"The venom's making you a little silly, isn't it?" Special squishes Dew's face again as he wads up his shirt and tucks it under his head, "That's good, you always seem so uptight..."

He spreads his fingers over his chest, thumbs poised beneath his nipples, "You know..."

"Most people come to these hunts so they can do nasty, freaky things in the woods without consequence." he says, teasing the small bud, "But you, and pardon the joke, are something special, huh?"

"You just wanna be loved.... adored, taken care of..."

Dew mewls as Special descends to nibble at his neck again, fingers rolling his nipples around in soft, slow motions.

"Are they not treating you right, sweet thing? Hm?" Special asks, "Should I talk to that water ghoul you like so much and tell him he doesn't need to be rough?"

"I like... I like rough..." Dew replies meekly, eyes shutting, "S'okay..."

Special makes a disappointed little noise and pulls back.

"You know I don't like liars, Dewdrop." he chastises, "But if that's what you want-"

Dew's eyes widen as Special's hand begins to wrap around his neck.

"Do you want this?" he asks, applying pressure to his throat, "Or do you want me to treat you like you really want?"

Dew groans and kicks his legs slightly, squirming under his grasp.

"Want-"

"Yes?"

"...Don't wanna say it..."

Special pouts.

"But I want to hear it, c'mon, baby, when you're with me, what's your name, huh? How do I treat you?"

"Pri..."

"Yes~?"

"You're a prick." Dew cackles, and Special sits back, rolling his eyes.

"You may be easy to catch, but you're hard to break, I'll give you that." He sighs, "But I'll be damned again if I don't love picking you apart."

"Hehe~"

The multi-ghoul slides down and begins undoing Dew's pants, but the zipper refuses to open and he gives a frustrated noise.

"Just pull 'em off..." Dew says, struggling to move his legs around from under Special's body.

"I have a better idea-" The ghoul tugs Dew's pants down to about mid thigh and leaves them like that, the dense, folded over fabric restricting his movements, "-that's much better."

Dew wriggles, trying to slide them down further, but he can't get the leverage and gives a defeated hiss.

"I could just..." Special pushes his legs back towards his chest, "Yeah, I can work with this."

"H-Hey now-"

Special cranes his neck at him, "What? Suddenly you're embarr-Oh. Oh-ho-ho-ho~"

Dew's ears have flicked back, the tips almost as red as his face.

"What do you think? Should I take you like this, or perhaps I should lay you on your side? What is my princess thinking now, hm~?"

"Just-"

A stick snaps and Dew goes stone stiff, whereas Special lowers himself over his body, territorial, a growl emanating from his throat, wholly unexpected from such a usually jovial, prankster type like him.

What or whoever was approaching seems to get the hint and approaches no further, but the ghoul above him remains locked in his protective stance, glaring out into the darkness.

After a minute passes, Dew can finally hear the sound of retreating footsteps, and not even a second later, he feels something prodding at his entrance, causing him to tense and squeak.

"How annoying..." Special mutters, hastily working Dew open, not giving him any time to adjust, forcing a series of involuntary chatters and chirps to escape his mouth, "We'll have to rush things a bit now, I'm sorry."

"Who was-" Dew tries to lift himself up to look around, but Special pushes him back down, "Hey-"

Special clicks his tongue.

"Humans."

Dew furrows his brow.

"The siblings-"

"Not them." Special hisses, then tilts his head back, letting out an annoyed groan, "Dammit..."

"Then who? The gardener-"

"Outsiders."

Dew forces himself up onto his elbows, wobbling as Special helps him tug his pants back up.

"Careful now, don't want you falling down again..." Special chides, wrapping his arm around his waist as they stand, "...Fucking, of course, those bastards would sneak around on a night like this... I bet they're running back to the other side of the lake now."

"We should go after them-" Dew starts, but the second he tries to pull away from Special, his head starts swimming, "-Fuck, Phil, how much venom did you give me??"

"I wasn't expecting our little rendezvous to be interrupted by a pack of mortal morons, so I gave you a little more than last time..." he pinches his brow, "We'll have to inform the other-"

A loud cracking sound startles them both, making Dew stumble, but he is quickly captured by Special, who narrows his eyes in the direction of the noise.

"Do you think that was the trespassers or..."

A second, louder crack echoes through the woods followed by a chorus of human screams.

Dew cringes and Special begins to make a clicking sound, a common distress noise among ghouls, neither of them is sure what's going on at this point, and the lack of any other sound once a third crack sounds sounds has them both on edge, until...

"You better run, you fuckin' little shits! I have more where that came from!"

"...Bea, I think they got the point, put the bb gun down-"

...Ah.

Mountain heaves a heavy sigh, taking the gun from the gardener, who looks positively miffed, even in the lowlight cast by the lantern in the earth ghouls other hand.

"Give that back-" the hotheaded woman starts, but instead of giving her back the gun, Mountain scoops her up and jostles her around a bit before tossing her over his shoulder and lumbering back off into the forest, "YOU BITCH!"

Special and Dew watch the retreating pair in silence, looking at each other after the two are gone from sight again.

"...I'm getting too old for this..." They both sigh in unison.

"Still though, how did they get passed the barricades?" Dew wonders aloud and Special shrugs.

"They could have swam to this shore for all we know." he remarks, "It's happened before, so I expect the next budget meeting will involve putting something in place to prevent this from happening again..."

"We can't just magic some shit in place?" Dew questions, "Like with the woods along the main road?"

"People getting turned around in the woods is one thing, because they usually make their way back out, if we turn them around in the water, they could drown..." Special reasons, adjusting his grip on Dew, "...Not that they wouldn't deserve it with all the signs we have posted about these kinds of things. They've probably learned their lesson for now."

Dew hums.

"...So."

"So?"

"...Now that they're gone-"

"Yes?"

"...You know what I'm thinking?"

Special looks him up and down.

"...That we should track them down and eat their bones?"

Dew pinches the bridge of his nose.

"No, I-"

"-want to get railed within an inch of your life to make up for that frankly unnecessary distraction?"

"...You really are a prick."

"And you happen to like them very much, so it's a win-win situation for us all, isn't it?"

Let's not forget how they scream that everyone is a pedophile.

We need to talk about christians playing the victim and crying wolf when they see marginalized people who portray themselves as satan, satanic, or demonic.

I see videos on tiktok of christians going on paranoid rants about satan infiltrating society and the entertainment industry "being evil" when its clearly a reaction of marginalized queer people and poc who are using their spotlight to make christians uncomfortable for their bigotry.

"They're letting the evil one take over their lives! Satan has taken them over!"

No, actually, you did this. It's your fault as a christian. No, seriously. You made them feel evil for just existing. In the idea of your ignorant beliefs, your "god" made them perfect - as we all are - and you saw someone different from yourself and went "thats satan." You ruined their self-image as a community of poisonous bigots. You made them suicidal and depressed and institutionalized them for being different until it literally became illegal to do so.

And if you participate in christianity, you're part of the problem, and yes, you deserve to feel bad about the way these people get treated. If you don't want to feel bad anymore, reform your beliefs and take a good hard look at what your religion does to people it doesn't approve of. If you don't want to do that, just be mad and scared - we don't care.

God forbid you accept the fact that, yes, it was you who did this to them and not "satan." God forbid they accept the way you treat them instead of killing themselves like millions of others have. God forbid you have to share the earth with those you tred on.

God is not real and neither is satan and if you demonize your fellow man it takes away from every human being's personal responsibility to treat every other living creature on this planet as an equal and instead it lets you slap a label on whoever and whatever you dont like so you can decide who deserves to die without feeling bad about it.

People you dislike aren't satanic. They just shrugged and put on the costume YOU forced onto them from birth.

Is it scary? Yes. Is that the point? Also yes. Be afraid.

Boo, bitch.

For the anon who requested something with Swiss and loss. I'm not sure this is exactly what you were hoping for but it's what decided to happen. I hope it's ok 🩷

Cw: newly summoned Swiss, mentions of him being alone, scared Swiss, mentions of Cirrus not being sure about him at first, Rain hurting, but comfort I promise!

When Swiss was first summoned, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was loud, over the top, brash. He only let the pack close on his terms and he never let them stay long.

Mountain noticed, the grounded earth ghoul quickly learning what it meant because he'd been afraid too. He remembered how unsure he'd been when he was summoned, how letting anyone close felt dangerous. He felt Swiss’ fear quickly because it mirrored his own.

The others didn't push, his anger was too similar to Rain's so they butt heads too often, Dew was good under pressure but it was still so close to his transition that he wasn't always up for trying to crack through the rock hard layers the multi ghoul had put up around himself. Cirrus didn't trust him right away, keeping her guard up, keeping Lus away from the short fused new ghoul. Aether was a gentle guide, he was the one who got Mountain to trust them but he was busy more often than not…

So Mountain stepped in.

He was met with resistance at first, a new summon still used to baring his teeth and snapping his jaws, but a little posturing didn't bother the giant, though he was a gentle soul he'd never been one to shy from a fight. He stood his ground with patience, speaking softly until he was sure Swiss actually heard him. He kept it simple at first, no commands, no questions.

“My rooms at the end of the hall. Sleep well.” And he left it at that, left the multi alone with his words and left his door unlocked.

He wasn't surprised when the new ghoul stayed away but he could feel him watching from a distance. He doesn't change his routine, he does his job, he engages with the pack, the only time he hides away from Swiss is when he has Dew, the baby shaking from nightmares and lost to his memories.

He knows Swiss had to have seen regression in the pits, at least to some extent, but he's protective of the baby and he doesn't like how quick to anger Swiss still is. But he finds him later when Dew is back to himself or sleeping soundly in Aether's arms. He knows he has questions but the multi won't ask, still keeping himself to himself.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“I'll eat when I want.”

Mountain bites his tongue at the petulant response, how he sounds like the moody teens he's heard through the Abbey and simply shrugs. “Ok.”

It doesn't take Swiss long to peek into the kitchen while Mountain grabs out the leftovers from the fridge, smiling at the little note Cumulus left on top.

He doesn't look up at the other ghoul, just moving as casually as he can. “Want me to heat some up for you? I'm already over here.”

“It's…” Swiss carefully moves closer to Mountain, eyes still nervously dancing around the kitchen. “It's not mine. Didn't do anything to earn it.”

Mountain turns to face him. “You're here. That's all you have to do.” He remembers when Aether had shown him the kitchen the first time and how overwhelming it had been. “Everything here is for all of us, you're included in that. Whatever you want, Swiss.”

“But…” His stomach growls and he glares down at his own body for snitching on his hunger.

Mountain laughs quietly. “Let me heat up some of you. You can eat here with me or you can go wherever you feel comfortable. Up to you.”

Swiss doesn't answer and mountain doesn't make him, he just heats the food up until both plates are ready. He hands one to Swiss and heads to the table to eat, not paying attention until the other ghoul finally sits beside him. He's tense as he eats but it's a start and Mountain smiles.

He starts getting closer to the earth ghoul, letting his walls down just a bit, seeking him out when something is clearly bothering him.

Something shifts after he sees Rain little, the little water ghoul peeking around Cirrus to look at Swiss. The multi ghoul smiles and waves, wiggling his fingers until the little ghoul steps out from behind Cirrus and wanders over to his art table.

He draws Swiss a picture, one with the pack excitedly welcoming the new summon, but later that night Rain cries in pain, tears seemingly endless as Aether soothes the ache as best as he can. Mountain sees the second something snaps and Swiss sprints away, slamming the door to his room hard enough that Dew jumps and has to take a few deep breaths to stay present for Rain.

Mountain follows after a few minutes, knocking gently and fully expecting Swiss to scream at him to leave. But he's greeted with silence and that's worse. He opens the door a crack and peeks in, finding the multi ghoul curled on his side on the bed, pulling his knees up as tight as he can, his hands pressed tight over his ears.

He quietly shuts the door and moves to the side that Swiss is facing, sighing at the pinched expression on his face.

“Swiss?”

He flinches and Mountain kneels, trying not to loom over him. He sets his hand on the bed but he doesn't touch him, just leaves it as an offering.

“What's wrong with him?” He doesn't say it like an accusation, Mountain can hear the genuine panic and the way his tone has shifted.

“It's just something that happens with him unfortunately. Some days he's ok, others aren't so great. Aether helps a lot, Dew does too.”

“Is-is he dying?”

“No! No of course he's not…why-” He swallows the rest of his words and moves to take his hand. “He's not going anywhere. None of us are.”

Swiss grabs his blanket and pulls it up over himself, hiding so Mountain can't see him. It doesn't take him long to put the pieces together.

“You don't have to hide, Spark.” He glances around, searching for any comfort item Swiss might have, frowning when he sees…nothing. Nothing that even speaks of the ghoul living in this room. “I'm just going to go grab something really quick, I'll be right back.”

Swiss doesn't respond and Mountain goes as fast as he can, returning to Swiss as quick as possible. He sits back on the floor beside the bed.

He sees two gold eyes peek out of the blanket and he smiles, turning the bunny in his hands for the little ghoul to see.

“This is Jürgen, Dew got him for me. He's pretty good at making me feel better.” He sets the bunny against the blanket, watching Swiss slowly pull him under the blanket to hold onto. “Do you want to talk about what you're thinking?”

He can hear him sniffle under the blanket and he moves carefully, sitting on the edge of the bed. Eventually Swiss' need for contact wins and he wiggles over, still fully under his blanket, and flops into Mountain's arms. The earth ghoul holds him, rocking just a bit.

“M’not like Rain…”

“That's ok. You don't have to be.”

Rain wails again down the hall and Swiss whimpers. “I…I've never had anything to lose…I didn't have anyone…”

It's like ice being poured over him and Mountain holds Swiss tighter. “You have us.”

“What if m’not good enough or…or I'm mean! I don't….” He peeks up at Mountain, big gold eyes full of tears. “I don't wanna be by myself again.”

“You won't be. That's not how it is with packs. We are with you, always. No matter what.”

“I wasn't nice when I got here!”

“You were scared. We get it, Spark. It takes time and everyone wanted to give you space to adjust. I wasn't very nice right away.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. Took Aether a while to get me to even come inside. But they did it, they took the time to do it because that's what packs do.”

He watches Swiss' fingers play with the bunny's ears under the blanket while he thinks about everything. “Rain's really going to be ok?”

“Yes.” His phone bings and he reads the text, smiling a bit. “Rain is requesting a movie night…which really just means he wants a ghoul pile.”

“What's that?”

“We all go into the den and just…cuddle really. It's just a way to be close to everyone. We don't have to if you're not ready.”

“But I'm…”

“You're you.”

“You'll stay with me?”

“I can carry you like this if you want.”

Swiss snorts a little, smiling despite himself. “I can walk…but…just…”

“I'll be right beside you, and you can hold onto Jürgen.”

He stands up from Mountain's lap, letting the blanket fall but he pulls his hoodie on and keeps the hood up. He takes Mountain's hand and hesitantly follows down to the den.

Mountain sits beside Dew who has Rain on his lap, helping keep him comfortable. Dew smiles over when he sees Swiss holding the bunny.

Swiss watches as everyone finds a spot, watches how they all manage to find a way to be in contact with everyone else. Aether delivers big bowls of popcorn and Swiss is hesitant to try it until Rain does, giggling when he takes a piece from Dew's hand with his tongue.

“Are you a lizard now?”

Swiss laughs as he watches, not noticing the way the others smile at his unguarded happiness.

Rain giggles again. “Swiss try! It sticks to your tongue!”

He glances at Mountain, waiting for him to nod, confirmation that it's ok and he does it. Rain beams at him, sticking another piece to his tongue again.

They settle as the movie plays and Rain falls asleep quickly. Swiss looks around again, he's still unsure, still scared of what it means to have people to care about…to have people that care about him in return.

“Ok spark?” Mountain whispers, squeezing his hand.

He catches Aether's eyes, relaxing a little as a warm feeling settles over him. He smiles and leans against Mountain's chest.

“Yeah…m’ok.”

Dew has a hard day

Cw: long day, Dew's tired and a little stuck, Rain washes his hair, not fully regressed dew

He's struggling. The day is dragging and his eyes feel sandy and heavy and he just wants to sleep. He knew he should have said no to Swiss the night before but he got a new video game they'd both been excited for…so he'd invited him into his room and sure enough they'd stayed up into the early hours of the morning playing it.

It had been fun but he was hurting for it now. He had to get up early to get ready for long, boring meetings with Copia and he could barely keep his eyes open. His uniform feels heavy on his body, the mask too tight, his shoes too cumbersome…but he stands diligently behind Copia, still as a statue as the meetings tick by.

He wants a big comfy bed, he wants out of this uniform, he wants Rain. He clenches his jaw and grits his teeth…just a few more hours.

Papa checks on him a handful of times, peeking over his shoulder, carefully reaching back and squeezing his hand. Dew offers a smile and a nod, silently letting him know he's ok.

But he wants out of this room, he wants away from all the eyes and the painfully boring conversations. He wants comfort.

He feels like he could drop but it's like there's a block. Obviously he can't really while he's here but it's more than that. He feels uncomfortable and stuck and it makes his stomach knot. He wipes his sweaty palms on his pants and rolls his shoulders, trying to steady his breathing so he doesn't draw any unneeded attention to himself.

Copia gives his hand a quick, subtle squeeze halfway through the meeting and part of him just wants to cry and climb into his lap and ask for help. But he can't, he's got a job to do and he will do it to the very best of his ability.

It still feels off though, like something is wrong. It's happened before and he knows once he gets to Rain it'll be fine, they'll figure it out but here and now, he feels sick and all wrong. He bites the inside of his cheek as the meeting drags on and on.

Once it finally ends, he's ready to run from the room but he's frozen in place. He can't quite catch his breath but he's steadied and comforted when Copia gently grabs his shoulders.

“Prenditi un momento, mio sole.” (Take a moment my sun)

They breathe together for a moment until he feels ok enough to make it up to Rain's room. He hopes he's there, he's not sure he's up for looking for him right now.

His hands shake as he raises it to knock and he's not sure it's even loud enough to hear, but he's on the edge of panic and can't bring himself to knock again.

Thankfully Rain is there and he hears. The door opening is a relief and he immediately sags into Rain's arms.

“Dew? Are you ok?”

He just shakes his head, the words slipping away from him. He eventually moves just enough to sign ‘stuck’.

Rain pulls him gently into the room, shutting the door and locking it behind them, not wanting anyone barging in while Dew is in such a vulnerable space. He kisses his forehead and smiles.

“Well let's get you un-stuck.”

He signs again. “*Don't know how.”*

“Shh, I've got you. You just relax.”

He already feels the tension leaving his body while he's hugged up against Rain. He feels safer now that he's here in the room he knows so well.

“How about I wash your hair before you drop? Its helped before.”

And he's right, the warm water and Rain's gentle fingers always lull him into a soft space even without fully dropping. He nods and let's Rain guide him into the bathroom. He sits on the floor and leans his head back with his hair dipping into the tub and Rain washes his hair slowly and carefully.

It feels good and his eyes start to get heavy as he sits there just focusing on the way Rain's fingers feel in his hair.

“Good amour?”

Rain's voice is soft, taking on the tone he uses for the littles and Dew feels himself relaxing a little more. He nods and reaches over to hold onto the bottom of Rain's shirt while he continues with Dew's hair.

By the time he's done, Dew has started to feel hazy and heavy in a comfortable, sleepy way. Rain rubs the towel through his hair and gently gets him up to his feet, guiding him back into the room.

He raises his hands and signs with shaky fingers. *”I don't know if I can go all the way down…”*

“That's ok, I'll take care of you no matter what. You just need to rest and relax.” He smiles and boops the tip of his nose. “Stop all that worrying, I'm here.”

Dew smiles and nods and holds the towel around himself as Rain goes to find him something comfortable to wear. He gets him dressed in fleece pants and an old t-shirt and Dew sighs, almost fully at ease.

“Hop in bed and grab Basil, I'm going to go get you a warm drink. Get cozy ok?”

He nods again and reaches for the dino sitting against Rain's pillow, pulling its plush body up to his face and shutting his eyes. He's already feeling better, his mind drifting into that hazy space. Not quite dropped but not quite completely big either.

His thumb makes its way to to his mouth and he snuggles down deeper into the bed while he waits for Rain to come back. When he returns, Dew's almost asleep, humming contently when Raib slides up beside him, wrapping him up in his arms.

Rain pulls Dew's thumb from his mouth, offering a soother instead and he takes it without complaint. He set the bottle beside him in case dew wants it later but for now he just holds him, tucking the blanket up around him as he gently rocks and hums, running his fingers through Dew's hair.

He smiles as Dew falls asleep, the worry easing off of his face as he drifts off into relaxing sweet dreams there in Rain's arms.

Ifrit: I'm incredibly fast at Math Dewdrop: Oh really? Dewdrop: What's 30x17? Ifrit: 42 Aether: That's not even close! Ifrit: But it was fast

He literally said it out loud.

There will be no more elections in the US going forward if Trump wins. It will be a Christian theocracy. Y'all really think you can organize anything to the left of Mussolini under a Trump Presidency? Get the fuck out of here.

I don't fucking care if Kamala Harris is imperfect, at least we don't risk literally losing democracy.

If you're comfortable doing so, maybe something that delves into Phantom/Aeons time in the pit and how his bad experiences there impact him now that he's topside

hey? hey anon? how did you know I've been wanting to talk about Aeon's parents for six months?

Contains child abuse and discussion of child abandonment, eye injury, and nightmares. Aeon uses they/them for themself, but their parents don't know that and use he/him for them.

(this does expand on lore I wrote for Eternal Heatstroke, but you don't need to read that to read this)

divider by @wrathofrats

"The kit's not getting any bigger, Oasis."

Aeon's left ear twitches at the sound of Caldera's voice, rough and crackling like her fire. They come to awareness, but don't dare open their eyes. They don't want their guardians to know they're awake yet, the sinking feeling in their gut telling them that they are not supposed to be witnessing this conversation. The ground is rough underneath their side, and the campfire crackles in flashes of orange even through their eyelids. The three of them have been settled here for a little over a week, about time to pack up and move through the older ghouls' territory, finding somewhere else to bed down.

"How many times have I told you that quint kits are called pups, Cal," Oasis sighs. There's the sound of a hand running over a face. Both of them have been doing that a lot more recently, and Aeon can't tell who it is without opening their eyes. The air is thick with sulfur and smoke, and it stings at their nose.

"Frankly, I don't fucking care what they're called," she says. "We've been raising him for Lucifer knows how long because we thought he'd be strong enough to help us defend our territory. And he's at the point he should have grown. He's still so small."

There's disdain in her voice, one of her paws tapping at the ground in irritation. Aeon's brow furrows. They're not small. They might be skinny, but they're a full head taller than Caldera is, just above eye level with Oasis. They do know that Cal's small for a fire ghoulette, has encountered other fire ghouls who've tried to claim what their guardians have staked as their own.

"Cal, you've gotta have patience-" Oasis tries to reason, but he's never been able to stop her. When Caldera sets her mind to something, Aeon knows she stops at nothing to get her way.

"How long have we been going hungry to keep him around?" she growls, and Aeon can almost hear the sparks from her tongue. "Years and years of our lives, I'm so fucking tired of waiting. The kit can hardly even use his magick and he's practically an adult."

"What do we even know about quintessence ghouls, Cal?" Oasis keeps trying to reason. "We can't teach him magick we don't even understand."

"I don't fucking care," Caldera snarls at her mate. "I'm done. Keeping him was your idea in the first place. You want to keep the kit around? That'll be on you then. But then I'm out."

There's a commotion, someone getting to their feet rapidly. "That's just fucking like you, Cal. You'd really give up on how long we've been mated over our son?"

Caldera laughs, loud enough that Aeon thinks they have a solid excuse to wake up. They keep feigning sleep though. "Our son? Oasis, are you insane? You were the one who thought a quintessence ghoul be a good investment for the pack."

Aeon's heart falls through their stomach, trying desperately to process what they're hearing. Investment. Oasis had always told them that he'd found them, small and abandoned, so young that their eyes hadn't even opened yet. That the two of them wanted a kit to take care of. They feel like the rug's been yanked out from under them.

They don't have much time to process it though, because Oasis sighs, tossing something back and forth between his hands. Aeon doesn't need to open their eyes to know it's a pebble, something that had caught his eye at some point. "Fine, Cal. But you tell him."

Aeon tenses as rapid footsteps approach their sleeping form, trying hard to not curl up into a ball preemptively. A hot hand grabs their shoulder, the threatening bite of sharp claws even through their threadbare shirt.

"Wake up," Caldera says, low and dangerous as she shakes their shoulder. Even though they had some warning, they still yelp, tail tucked between their legs. Their eyes go wide at the fury in Caldera's expression, her growl as she hauls them to their feet.

"Cal-" Aeon stammers, trying not to struggle against her grip. Knows it's easier to let her put them where she wants than to fight it.

"None of that, runt," she snaps, and both of their violet eyes go wide. She's never- They've never- "You're grown, now. It's time for you to find your own place."

"Right now?" Aeon says, tipping their head back and baring their throat, trying to appease her. All the while, Oasis stands by the fire, watching distantly. "Oasis, please tell her I can't."

"He's not going to help you, runt. We're both ready for you to go," Cal says. There's a fire in her yellow eyes, red and orange flickering in her irises.

They stammer, glancing back and forth between their guardians. "That's not true, I heard you talking-" Aeon freezes and cuts themself off as Caldera's expression morphs, grip curling tighter into the collar of Aeon's shirt, claws punching through the threadbare fabric. They can feel the keratin against their skin, and they swallow hard.

"Oh? So you were eavesdropping?"

"No- I couldn't help it!"

She growls, pulling hard and shoving them towards the campfire. They stumble, paw catching on the brimstone, and they fall hard, twisting onto their back to look up at her. "I'm not going to say it again," she snarls, looming above them. The firelight makes her features sharper, fangs shining. "Get the fuck out."

They slowly push themself up to standing. Aeon finds the courage in their gut to growl back at her, ears pinned back against their head, tail lashing behind them as they bare their fangs and get in her face. "I'm not fucking going anywhere, this is my pack too!"

Aeon knows it's a mistake the moment the words leave their mouth.

Caldera screams in frustration and rage. The last thing Aeon sees out of their left eye is her claws glinting dark in the firelight.

There's a shriek. Aeon wonders why their throat hurts until they realize it's them shrieking. The world spins, blinding hot pain radiating from their face and scalp, and they can feel their heartbeat in the marrow of their left horn. They can't see.

They can't see.

There's something hot and sticky running down their face, and they cup their hand over their eye, cringing at the wetness.

Caldera doesn't even flinch as Aeon's blood drips in rivulets from her claws. "You fucking heard me, you ungrateful brat. We've fed and taken care of you your entire life. You can pay us back by fucking leaving."

She lunges, and Aeon's feet act on instinct, scrambling away from her. They clutch their face, hearing the blood spatter, their shirt sticking to their chest, heavy and wet. Aeon's head spins, and Caldera's behind them, chasing, and Aeon's seen her hunt.

There's no chance of outrunning her, even as their legs scramble underneath them. They run, lungs aching and head spinning, and there's two pounding sets of footfalls behind them.

Aeon sobs, chest heaving with exertion. Their ankle twists in the brimstone, and they stumble into the ground. Blood and tears stream down their cheeks in equal measure. It's over. They're de-

There's a hand on their shoulder.

Aeon jolts awake with a yelp, scrambling backwards into the corner of the couch out from under a big piece of white fabric that was covering them. It takes a moment to recognize their surroundings, fluorescent lights, a big desk in the opposite corner, an empty office chair, slightly rotating like someone stood up in a hurry. A large shape backlit looms over them, making a strange, familiar sound.

Aeon snarls before the sound registers, their entire body slumping as Aether chuffs at them. "Hey, you're alright, pup, you're safe," he breathes, his big hand hovering over their shoulder, his silver bracelet glinting in the light. "You were dreaming."

They nod, reaching up to touch at the scars running through though their left eye and biting back a sob. Aether nods back, cautiously sitting next to the younger quintessence ghoul and pulling them close, chuffing all the while.

"My shift just ended," Aether whispers, shifting them until Aeon's practically in his lap. "Do you want to go back to the den?"

Aeon nods quietly. Aether gently wipes away a tear from the silvery track across their cheek with a big thumb. They've been shadowing him to learn about infirmary work, a few months away from actually working on their own. "You want a hug, pup?"

"Please," they whisper, shoving Aether's white coat off of their legs. They'd been using it as a blanket while they napped on the couch in his office. The bigger ghoul draws them in, chuffing and nosing at their hair.

Aeon settles, eventually, and they stand hand in hand. "Can we go home?" Aeon asks, and Aether smiles, flashing a gold capped fang at them.

"Of course, pup, let's go home to our pack."

Vore blue no matter what

This probably one of the best I've read on here.

Your angsty Dew stuff is killing me I am here to humbly request more <3

Of course, sweetheart! Here's more Dew struggling with quint magic being used.

Also, so sorry for doing Aeth like this but...it just wouldn't leave me alone so here we are. I will make it up to him, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

Non-con use of magic! Dew feels dirty about it please read with caution angels!

It's all angst all the time.

Omega is the first to use it against him without his permission. He never uses it maliciously, never takes over and drives Dew to madness even though he could. He could warp Dew into a completely different Ghoul, could throw him head first off a cliff and Dew wouldn't be able to fight.

When he feels Dew retreating in on himself he pulls him out.

Dewdrop can feel it in his brain like little fingers tugging and pulling him where they want him. Sometimes he'll struggle, try to keep his walls firmly in place but he's not strong enough against Omega.

He feels like a rag doll sometimes, like he's a puppet and Omega holds his strings.

The little water ghoul knows he means well, does it to keep him safe and happy but…

When Aether comes and starts training, he's even stronger than Omega is.

He asks Dew if he can use it during sex and at first he likes it, it's like more hands on his body, lips and tongues and Aether can have him seeing whatever he wants. It's fun to play with…

But then sometimes he's just sitting there and he feels it creeping up over his spine and into his hair, nipping at the tips of his ears and he wants to scream. He knows it's part of Aether but it isn't him really.

Sometimes it feels like a violation and it hurts so bad he can't stand it.

He uses it to keep him docile when he starts to panic and lash out, slips into his head and pokes and prods and pulls up things Dew doesn't want anyone else to know about. He's glassy eyed and limp in his arms by the time Aether pulls out of his mind.

Dewdrop understands he means well, trying to keep him from fighting himself but it feels like he wants him to change, to rip out his anger and keep him sweet. Dew likes his anger, it's a shield that keeps his heart protected and when it's stripped away he feels too open, weak to attack.

When he decides to leave and move on to another Abbey he tells Dew he can make it feel like he's never existed, can pull himself out of Dew's memories.

He screams until he can't breathe, until Mountain kicks in the door and punches Aether and scoops Dew up into his arms and cradles him.

He feels shattered, dirty, broken…

Then Phantom comes and Dew can't stand him on principal alone.

Aether had hurt him, deeply wounded him, but still seeing someone replace him felt like a kick to the teeth.

He could tell he was strong. The little ghoul just vibrating with magic.

Dew kept a wide berth and refused to pay too much attention, tries not to do anything that would make him want to use it against him.

He sees him use it on Swiss and Rain when their bodies ache, the way they sag in relief and thank him, how he quickly reigns it back in as soon as he helped them. He's seen the way he gently slips into Mountain's dreams when the big ghoul has a nightmare and twitches and whimpers in his sleep, offers just enough to take the edge of fear away.

Panic hits Dew hard and fast, usually out of no where and violent enough to leave him breathless and on his knees shaking.

He tries to keep it hidden, never wants to bother the pack but Phantom finds him. Dew's distress shining neon and screaming out to his quintessence.

He sits beside him, keeps his hands to himself. "What can I do?"

Dew tells him to leave, pulls his knees up tight under his chin and begs him to just leave.

He doesn't. He lays a steady hand on Dew's shaking shoulder and just sits with him.

Dew can feel his magic around him, feels the way it wants to reach out but Phantom won't let it touch him.

He doesn't understand. Phantom is the strongest quint he's ever felt but he hasn't once tried to pin Dewdrop down and rearrange his mind to make him more palatable. He keeps it locked tight.

He let's Phantom hug him, lets him pull him into his lap and pet his hair. He's warm and soft and Dew wants it so bad he can taste it.

"Don't use it on me…don't ever use it on me." He knows he's begging, knows Phantom will probably ask about it at some point.

"I won't. I promise I won't, Dew."

And he wants to believe that, wants to let those words sit in his brain and close over the wounds left by magic he wanted nothing to do with. But he knew how quickly soft hands could turn to fists and how tempting that power could be.

All he hopes is that when Phantom decides to destroy him, he at least does it quickly.