[Get your head out of the gutter, this one is actually a wholesome one. RainDrop.] Below the cut.
The day he met Dew, the ghoul had been a stiff breeze away from crumbling away, shaking like a leaf as he tried to remain on his feet.
He'd learn much later the reason; That he'd fought tooth and nail to keep his packmate from tearing him apart in a rage, and that the shiver, that terrible, persistent tremble of his body, was it trying to stay upright.
At the time, Rain had not seen the hand splayed across his back -a sister of sin steadying him-, had not seen the way Terzo had eyed him from across the room, the last remnant of his old pack, barely holding onto life, but alive.
More than anything, the thing Rain noticed about Dew was that he was alive.
Were it not for the raspy hiss of his breathing, it would have been easy to liken him to a corpse.
It had bothered him for so long, the idea that Dew had been forced out of bed to witness not only his summoning, but that of the others, who poured out of the pit, half feral and lost, snapping at anyone who got close, but he hadn't been.
This had been an indulgence.
Dew wanted to see them.
And when coal black eyes gazed upon them all; Rain could feel him staring through them, through him.
It was then that Rain knew Dew was a creature born of spite, of persistence...
He remembers his first approach.
Unfazed by the chatter of teeth or swipe of claws.
With his fingers dipped in a mixture of ash and blood, he aided in anointing them all, and, now, when he sees Dew in his robes during one of Copia's sermons, it's all he can think of.
Dew stands now at the head of the chapel, back to him, long white hair tied back into a careful braid, the one Rain remembers practicing late at night.
It's done in a style from the pit, the kind you have to learn from an elder, impossible to find on youtube, even if similar patterns exist.
His hands twitch, wanting to drag through the strands and tug it loose, to undo all his hard work in a single pull, because if he knew how seeing him like this would make him feel, he'd never had tied those knots in the first place.
Each cross is a promise, woven to remind the wearer they are loved.
Rain watches the little ribbon he tied to secure the braid in place peek out; A bright, joyous red that contrasts heavily against Dew's pale hair.
Bolder than he thought it would be, and now Rain can feel eyes on him from among the pews.
His packmates know they didn't tie that ribbon, and all of them know such an intricate braid could not be done by Dew's hands alone, no matter how skilled he may be with his fingers.
Rain swallows, mouth suddenly dry.
It's...
It's a little too obvious what he's saying with all of this.
He's embarrassed, yes, but more than that...
He's nervous that Dew won't understand the meaning of this gesture.
Dew may be a ghoul like the rest of them, but, much like Swiss -who was born and raised on the surface- he has no memories of the pit.
The soul inhabiting his vessel is a mix.
An even blend of demon and man, but his consciousness solely belongs to the entity that lived topside.
He doesn't understand their culture.
Let alone the niche courting habits of an oceanic subspecies of water ghoul like Rain's.
At best, Dew thinks it's just a cool hairstyle.
At worst, he thinks it's lame or weird, or-
"Rain." a shockingly gentle voice calls to him, and when he looks up...
Dew looks down at him, standing above his seated form, his expression softer than he's seen it in a long time.
"You look terribly sad for a man who's just proposed."
Rain stutters, covering his face with his hands, looking as if he's about to burst.
"...You knew?"
"I guessed based on how much you were sweating while tying my hair back." he replies teasingly, "And Mist told me, ages ago. Not about you doing this, but about the practice in general."
"Oh."
"Yes, oh."
Rain tucks his head between his knees.
"Are you okay??"
"...Gimme a year to recover before you tell me yes or no, I don't think my heart can take it."
Dew grins.
"If I say 'yes' will you die on the spot, or-"
"Can y'all be mushy somewhere else, it's putting me off Papa's sermon about pre-martial sex." Cirrus groans, "Congrats, but also, fuck off!"
"Boo! Boo, Cirrus! Ruining our moment..." Dew sticks his tongue out
"...The sermon was about sex? Was he for or against it??" Aeon frets, "I wasn't listening!"
Everyone turns to the other ghoul, frowning.
"W-What??"
"Do we look like Christians to you-"
Mushy May Day 29: Girls' Night
Cumulus, Aurora, and Cirrus take a night to unwind in the middle of touring.
Thank you so much to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and to @ghuleh-recs for making us the dividers <3
We're in the home stretch!
Above them, the fluorescents buzz, just faintly flickering like one of the bulbs needs to be changed soon. Aurora leans heavily into Cirrus's side as they wander down the aisles of some local drugstore she can't quite remember the name of, and she wraps her arm around the littlest ghoulette's shoulders. She doesn't need to be quintessence to feel just how tired Aurora is. She knows the feeling intimately, the exhaustion sunk deep into the hollows of her bones.
They're picking up toiletries, Aurora's just about to run out of deoderant, Cirrus out of glasses wipes (she doesn't wear glasses, but she keeps them on hand for her mate because Lucifer knows Cumulus can never find them when her glasses are smudged)
"You doing alright, Borealis?" Cirrus asks, leaning to press the words to the crown of Aurora's head. Her hand rubs soft circles on Aurora's shoulder.
"Mhm," she hums, leaning further into Cirrus's side, fingers curled around the handle of their shopping basket.
Cumulus turns into the aisle they're in, hands full of bright colored foil packets, a bright look in her eye. When they had parted ways as they stepped into the store, she had looked just as tired as the two of them. Cirrus chirps curiously, quiet enough that none of the human shoppers can hear her.
"They've got face masks, and they sell liquor here, should we sneak a bottle of wine onto the bus and have a girls' night when we get to the hotel?" Cumulus asks, slipping the foil packets into the shopping basket without waiting for an answer.
Cirrus's posture eases, pulling Aurora tighter against her side as Cumulus gently takes the basket from her. "That sounds fucking wonderful, songbird. Rory, how about you?"
She shifts, tucked under Cirrus's arm. "Sounds fun, I mean, I don't think I'm up for drinking tonight. But I'll do everything else."
"Then we can skip the wine," Cumulus kisses her cheek, smoothing back bubblegum pink hair. "Though I did see, when I was getting the masks, there's a sale on nail polish. Maybe we redo those pretty claws of yours."
It's Aurora's turn to light up, and the three of them head back to the cosmetics aisle, picking a few bottles of bright, fun colors. Before they head up to the register, they make a quick pit stop in the snacks aisle, tossing a few boxes of assorted chocolates in the basket as well as a few salty snacks.
They smuggle their haul onto the bus, careful to make sure that the boys don't see what they're up to. Though, Cirrus thinks, it must be totally obvious that something's up. They're all much lighter on their feet, a little brighter eyed than they were fifteen minutes ago.
When they get to the hotel, the pack splits into their usual pairs. The girls slip into their room, flicking the deadbolt and tossing their duffle bags onto the far bed, the one that will go unused as the three of them curl up into their roost for the night.
Aurora takes one of the drugstore bags to the bathroom, setting out the face masks, not wanting to get them on the white hotel bedding, while Cirrus and Cumulus set out the snacks. "Who calls dibs on the shower?" Aurora asks as she comes back into the main room, moving to her bag to find a clean set of pajamas.
"How about you, borealis?" Cirrus hums, nudging her back towards the bathroom. She chirps in thanks, glamour fading away as the peach-colored gills on her throat flutter. They each quickly shower, scrubbing the grime from travel from their skin and hair, before settling at the bathroom vanity, looking at the various masks they'd picked up from the drugstore. Aurora pulls her phone out, turning on a playlist the three of them had curated on a low volume.
Cirrus sits on the closed toilel, eyes shut as Cumulus hums, carefully smoothing on undereye masks while Aurora braids her hair back. She passes packets of peel off mask to Cirrus and Cumulus, and Cirrus smooths the mask over Cumulus's face, caressing her mate's cheek.
It's quiet, save the music playing from the phone speakers. Cumulus turns, paints Aurora's mask onto her skin, and the little ghoulette leans into the touch, her feather-tipped tail wagging happily, thudding against the vanity. The bottles of nail polish sit on the counter, pinks and purples and blues, and the energy's lighter than it's been in the last week of Rituals and travel.
There are snacks waiting for them, and maybe the bed's not as familiar as the three of them would really like. But it's there, ready for them to cuddle up, feeding each other chocolates and salted nuts and dried fruit, talking about everything and nothing at all until they fall asleep, refreshed for another round of Rituals.
boyfriends
No because imagine Mountain either leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed… sleeves rolled
*deep breath* OR
Mountain leaning against the doorframe but his arms are above his head, him holding onto the frame making his muscles visibly show… he knows what effect it has on everyone so he tightens and relaxes his muscles just to see them get all flustered
*Im struggling over here*
swiss' big fat crush on aurora. discuss. who makes the first move. how does it go.
OOOOOH
not hcs, not a ficlet- just me talking. If this is wack, it’s cuz I wrote it in Tumblr Mobile and I’m also Intoxicated !
Swiss was there when she was summoned. He watched her crawl out of the Pit. Watched how she fought her way topside, snarling as she entered the world, and he was smitten.
He doesn’t see her for a while after that. Recovering from literally clawing your way out of the depths of hell is no easy process. In that time, Swiss develops a bit of a… fixation. Can’t stop thinking about how powerful she looked in the summoning room, how alluring. For the next little while, Swiss has a one track mind.
When will I see Aurora again?
After a couple weeks, she moves into the ghoul den, and Swiss can’t help but follow her around like a lovesick puppy. The others tease him for it, but he doesn’t care. Can’t find it in himself to stay away.
For once in his life, Swiss’s signature charm fails him. He’s dead terrified to talk to her. She’s just so pretty. He tries to approach her and just comes off as super creepy, gawking at her and tripping over his words.
She secretly thinks it’s adorable. Loves to watch him flounder. She plays hard to get just to watch him squirm, acting like she isn’t just as flustered.
He FINALLY decides to make an actual move, after much encouragement from Dew and Mountain. They even offer to help. Mountain pretties up the greenhouse, Dew cooks a fancy dinner for two, and Swiss approaches Aurora.
He barely gets the words out, shaking in his damn boots where he stands. He’s real awkward about it, blushing and stuttering, but he manages to invite her for dinner in the abbey’s greenhouse just before sunset.
She LOVES that he’s nervous. Gives her a sense of superiority in a way, knowing she’s got Swiss wrapped around her finger. He’d be so easy for her, and she’s worked up by that- more than she’d admit until later.
So that night, she walks into the greenhouse and Swiss FREEZES. Everything he wants to say absolutely gone from his mind.
She looks hell-sent in the best way possible, her hair sleek and shimmering, her horns polished to a near-reflective gleam.
She flashes him a coy smile as she approaches him. “Swiss- you look lovely. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Hwahh?”
He’s never been so damn dumbstruck in his LIFE. Can’t even greet her. It takes all of his effort to even close his mouth.
She giggles, strides right past him, and sits at the cute little table that Mountain decorated.
Swiss realizes something in that moment.
He’s fucked. In way over his head with this one. He’d let her ruin his life, no hesitation. There’s no hope for him.
And he’s going to love every second of it.
The most powerful ghoul!! ;3
Day three of @cirrus-ghoulette 's whump month: Homesick
Cw: drowning, suicide, manipulation, hallucination, lmk if i missed any
Dew doesn't know when he started feeling this way. He's been fire for years now, why is he suddenly yearning for the water again? The water, the cool darkness only water ghouls can survive in. Yeah, he's swam, yeah his gills are still semi functional, but it's not the same. It'll never be the same.
He wants to go back to the water, permanently. He knows it'll kill him, but he wants to do it anyway. No he doesn't. He doesn't want to die, but the water calls for him, like a siren calling for a sailor, luring them to their death. Maybe he could talk to Delta, see if Delta deals with the same thoughts he does.
But he doesn't. He doesn't want to bother Delta. Maybe these thoughts will stop.
They didn't. In fact, they got worse every time he saw a deep body of water. The water sings a secret song that only he can seem to hear. It's hypnotic. It infests his mind, takes over his thoughts.
He starts to envy Rain and Mist, how they swim so freely, submerge themselves fully, touch the bottom of the lake. He wants to take their abilities from them, use them to go to the bottom of the lake one last time, but he won't. He loves the water ghouls, he couldn't hurt them like that. But if he dies he's only truly hurting himself right?
That's how he ended up here. By the lake. At four in the morning. Too late for any sibling to be up, too early for any ghoul to be up. Besides the feral ones that act as guards around the ministry at night. They wouldn't pay any attention to him though.
He walks close to the edge of the lake. Should he really do this?
Yes. The water calls to him, Come back to me. Come back home, Droplet.
That's all it takes before he's walking into the water. The water reaches his ankles and the sharp sting of cold hits him, but he tredges on. The water touches his belly button, he's used to the temperature. The water's up to his chin, he has one more chance to go back to the ministry, his “home”, but the water calls again.
Droplet. Return. Embrace your natural element, be reborn as what you truly are.
That's a lie, it's all lies. He won't be reborn, he'll die. But he listens anyway. He takes the final step; he's fully submerged, from head to toe. He can breathe through his gills, but just barely. He continues walking. He breathes through his gills, the remnants of them fluttering as if they never broke in the first place.
As he goes deeper, it gets harder to breathe, the pressure from the water pressing on his lungs. Once he fully reaches the bottom of the lake he feels at peace, but also panicked. He can't breathe, he wants to swim back up, get out of the water, but it's holding him down.
You can't leave Droplet, you've just returned. We won't let you leave. The water hisses at him.
The lack of oxygen in his body makes him hallucinate, see spirits of the water around him, pushing him down to the floor of the lake, making him lay down.
Welcome home, Droplet. The spirits giggle as they hold him down.
As his vision gets blurry he starts to regret this. As much as he loved the water it wasn't his home. His home was the ministry, with his pack, teaching Phantom how to be a menace, sloppy makeout sessions with Swiss, baking in the kitchen with Aurora, having the sweetest sex with Cirrus, spending time with his pack, hell, even being scolded by Copia. He made the wrong choice.
Somehow, even while being underwater, he can feel tears run down his face. He wasn't ready to die, he didn't want to die. There was still so much to do. As he feels his consciousness slip away, he feels something grab his hand. His vision is too blurry for him to see so he lets the hand grab him.
He doesn't know how, but he's on the dirt of the banks of the lake and there's a faceless ghoul next to him.
“It's not your time.” The ghoul whispers before disappearing into the darkness.
When you really need to get off the couch but your elderly cat is sleeping
Day 16- first kiss- rulti
Thanks to @forlorn-crows for the prompts and @gothdaddyissues for the divider!
“Dew kisses like he’s trying to suck the air out of my mouth” rain laughed, “I give him points for passion, he’s definitely enthusiastic”
Rains feet are kicked over Swiss’s lap on the love seat. He leans against the armrest idly snacking on a cheap bag of chips while Swiss leans his opposite way against the other rest. They’re comfortable, a soft warmth while they sit with each other just for the sake of talking.
“Mountain looks like he would be better at it” Swiss commented as he tried to count the patterns in the worn fabric of the couch.
“Oh he’s much better, I love dew but I swear mountain could probably make me cum from his lips on mine alone”
Swiss visibly winces at the lewd description. He doesn’t mean to, doesn’t mean to stare at rains legs in his lap as if they’re the most interesting thing in the world. As if the worn sweatpants contained the secrets to his personal dilemma.
“You ok swissy?” Rain stopped, putting his snack on the side coffee table. He dusted off his pants before nudging the multi ghouls stomach with his knee.
“Yeah, completely. Why?”
“You just look uncomfortable, if that was too much I’ll tone it down”
Rain drags himself closer to Swiss, playfully attempting to cuddle into his side while Swiss tries not to look like he’s actually pouting.
“It’s not that, you’re fine”
“Well it’s obviously something, you can tell me anything”
Swiss nervously chewed on his lip, internally debating with him. It’s not like it should be embarrassing, he was new, as everyone else was. But a weird part of him burned with shame even in front of rain, who he knew he could trust.
“I’ve just .. never kissed anyone” Swiss mumbled, pushing rains legs off of him while rain moved sit up straighter.
Rain gave a small chuckle, looking at Swiss with confusion, “really? No one?” Rain asked, in borderline disbelief. It’s not like there was anything wrong with it, but with how confident Swiss acts and how he seems to flirt with anything that walks, rain was more than sure that Swiss had bedded at least half of the pack by now.
It was a bit cute that Swiss seemed so nervous. The usually ever bold ghoul reduced to nervous fidgeting just over rain talking about kissing dew and mountain.
“Yeah it’s stupid, I’m sorry-“
Swiss is quickly cut off by rain reaching up to plant a chaste kiss upon Swiss’ lips. It’s small, barely any movement besides the brush of skin on skin, but rain pulls back with a small wet smack while Swiss stares at him wide eyed.
“There! Now you’ve kissed someone” Swiss’ face quickly reddened while rain gives him a cocky grin at his flustered state. It’s not much, he shouldn’t be at a loss for words but rain tasted like salt and the lemonade that sat next to him and Swiss couldn’t help but feel intoxicated from the couple second interaction.
“I-“
“Yeah?”
“I- it wasn’t long enough I didn’t learn anything, you’ll have to do it again” Swiss squeaked
“You’re an idiot” rain laughed, pulling Swiss back down to kiss him until he’s dizzy.
👅
If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading