#Aether/Aeon

[nastylittleghouls]

Aether: You know my motto: Carpe Diem, Carpe Noctem, Carpe Coles Phantom: Seize the day, seize the night and....what's the last one? Aether: Seize the dick

[iamthecomet]

how about some quint on quint? Aeon uses his powers in bedroom all the time and Aether is going to basically overpower him (did Omega do this to Aether at some point?)

No, I do not want to talk about how long I've had this ask in my inbox (almost a year).

1.7k of Aether/Aeon quintessence fucking for your reading pleasure.

Aether feels the first tendrils of Aeon's quintessence as he settles on his belly between Aeon's legs. Aeon threads his hands in the thick hair at the top of Aether's head and Aether feels the tell-tale tingle. Static tapping against his skull. He drags his eyes way from his prize--Aeon spread out in front of him like a feast--and up to Aeon's face. Finds his eyes a startlingly bright shade of amythst. Aether clicks his tongue at him. The quintessence scrapes at the edges of his brain. Insistent. It isn't gentle--Aeon doesn't have that part down yet. Hasn't learned nuance. But he also hasn't found strength, so Aether finds those little whisps of power against his temporal lobe easy to ignore.

"What do you want?" Aether whispers, holding Aeon's gaze. He drags one of his palms up Aeon's skinny thigh, spreading his legs a little more. Aeon's fingers tighten in Aether's hair, he pins his lip between his teeth, and Aether can't help but think it's cute. He wonders if Omega thought the same thing when Aether tried this exact same shit on him. Aether settles in to the bed a little deeper, he flexes his fingers against the meat of Aeon's thigh. Aeon swallows, throat clicking. His cock--inches from Aether's face, twitches. He's so hard already, violet at the tip, shiny with pre. Aether hasn't even touched him--hasn't need to. Aether'd planned to work a few fingers into Aeon, to stretch him open. To take the tip of that ruddy cock in his mouth and make Aeon whine. But he's re-thinking the plan now. Watching the way Aeon tries, and fails, to break into Aether's head. "I'm not as easy as the others," he says. "Won't work on me unless I let it." "Let it," Aeon says. His lower lip shiny with spit, his eyes wild and filled with unrestrained magic. Aether laughs. "If we play this game, you're going to lose." Aeon doubles down, Aether feels it. A hard press at his brain, static slipping in. Working--just a little. He feels the warmth wash through him. He can't tell what Aeon's trying to make him do, there isn't enough for that. And it takes almost nothing, a little flex of his magic, to kick the little ghoul fully out of his head. Aether breaks eye contact, laughs to himself. Aeon doesn't have a chance to ask what Aether's laughing at before the quintessence hits him. He hasn't felt it like this before--hasn't been on the receiving end of it when it's so...controlled. Swiss is sloppy with it, and Aether has never used it on him before--not like this. Aeon feels it everywhere. Digging into his brain, his blood, his bones.

He moans, head tipping back,eyes falling closed, and Aether watches him. Hand inching up his thigh, spreading him wider, watch more pre bead at the tip of his cock.

"You're going to give up? Just like that?" Aeon shudders, his fingers twitch against Aether's scap and Aether feels the paltry little burst of magic before Aether quells it with his own, shuts it down. He pins it down the way he imagines pinning Aeon. A hand on his throat while he fucks him into next week. Aeon goes boneless against the bed, fingers going slack in Aether's hair. Aether shifts up so he can reach up and press two fingers against Aeon's parted lips. "Wet them." And with hazy, lidded, eyes Aeon does. Aether lets him suck on them, petting fingers over Aeon's tongue, pushing them as far back into that warm wet mouth as he can before Aeon starts to choke. Then he pulls them back, glistening and slick, and lets the quintessence drop, eases it away from Aeon until all that's left is the memory of it. Aeon jolts, propping himself further up, looking down at Aether, who's circling Aeon's hole with one of those sopping fingers. "Why'd you stop?" Aether blinks up at him. "You want me to fuck you like that?" Aeon looks at him for a breath, either thinking about it or working up the courage to actually ask for it, then he nods eagerly. "Please." The words are barely out of his mouth before Aether pummels him with magic again and Aeon sags. Head hitting the pillow, groaning, body opening up for Aether in a way that makes his cock pulse against the bed. He moans softly at the sight, dipping the tip of his finger into Aeon's hole and watching the way it twitches around him, pulling him in.

Aether watches. Watches the way Aeon's body goes pliant for him as he fingers him. He presses another finger in and Aeon moans bodily, satisifed. It's so much easier like this, when Aether can funnel his magic to ease the sting, to unclench muscles, to keep Aeon from twitching and writhing and egging him on. All Aeon has any brain power to do is moan. All he can do is feel everything Aether is doing to him, inside and out.

It's so much more intense like this. Aether is everywhere. He's petting his prostate, he's mouthing at his hip bone, his magic is curled so tight around Aeon's spine that he doesn't know how they will ever separate.

He shudders, sinking into sensation, open to it, ready for it. Needing it. He fights a little—not because he wants it to stop but because he wants to feel what it's like to push against magic like this. He wants to feel every ridge of Aether's quintessence. Wants to pet against it—to give Aether something back for all he's given him.

Their magic tangles together somewhere deep in Aeon's chest and Aeon thinks he might cum just from this—from Aether's mouth dragging closer and closer to the base of his cock, and three thick fingers deep inside of him, and this—their magic fusing together around his heart.

"Fuck me," Aeon says, voice rasping, begging. Desperate for more, and what is Aether supposed to do if not give in? Aether pulls back, pulls his fingers out of the hot clutch of Aeon's body and Aeon whimpers at the lose. Eyes flying open, fingers tightening so hard in Aether's hair it hurts.

"Getting lube, hang on," Aether tells him, sending something so soothing it's nearly a sedative down their connection of magic.

Aether pushes up, kneeling on his heels as he slicks himself up, pumping his thick length as he watches Aeon's cock, kick and spit, as he watches Aeon's hole wink at him, clenching around nothing, practically begging for him to stuff it full of something.

Aether groans at the thought and can't help but wonder how much of the magic he feels is him and how much is Aeon pushing back, breaking through.

He presses against him, easing forward, pushing the fat head of his cock against Aeon's hole until it pops in.

Aeon clenches around him as he surges forward, and Aether sees stars. "Satanas, bug. Tight."

Aeon makes a gurgling noise in response, eyes already rolling back, fingers digging hard into Aether's ribs as he reaches for him, pulling him closer.

Aether braces his hands on either side of Aeon's head, looming over him, violet eyes washed out with magic, sensation dialed up to eleven. He tips down to press his forehead against Aeon's. Both of them feeling everything two fold.

Aether's first real thrust is exquisite. He carves a space for himself inside of Aeon's body, feeling the little ghoul part for him, suck him in. And Aether finds he can't look at Aeon's face as he fucks him. Not when Aeon looks up at him like that, fucked dumb from a one thrust and a little quintessence. He drops his gaze instead, to Aeon's narrow chest, to the sparse happy trail, to his cock—trapped between the two of them, already twitching hard against Aether's stomach.

Each pinpointed thrust makes Aeon gasp, whines breaking out over his teeth. Aether can already feel heat building low in his stomach, but it doesn't matter. He can feel how close Aeon is too. And he knows how it is—everything is faster when quintessence is in play.

"Want you cum just like that," Aether pants, driving foward, jolting Aeon up the bed. Thrusts getting rougher and rougher. "Not going to touch you—just—fuck—make you cum from just this."

Aeon nods, dumb, jaw slack. It'll take nothing. It'll take one more rough thrust, one more grind of Aether's stomach against the underside of his cock. One more jab of the head of Aethers' cock over his prostate. One more tiny flex of Aether's magic.

In the end, he doesn't know which of those things actually set him off. Just that one second he's right on the edge and the next he's over it. Squirting all over he and Aether's stomachs. Teeth digging into his cheek to keep from waking up Mountain one room over. He digs his nails hard into Aether's back as he twitches through it, toes curling against the sheets body spasming.

And Aether feels it all. Every ounce of pleasure, every twitch, every clench, and Aeon has barely started to cum when Aether is hurtling over the edge after him. Burying deep into Aeon's body with a growl as he spills inside of him. Magic magnifying their pleasure ten fold, making an echo chamber of it until they're both twitching and overstimulated and Aether is dragging his magic back in, chest heaving, reeling back as to not crush Aeon. He ends up next to him, curling Aeon into his arms, one big hand splayed over Aeon's belly, the other against his face, thumb dragging over tear damp cheeks. "Lucifer, Aeon," Aether pants as they come down, the room quiet except for the sound of their ragged breathing. "Was that—are you alright?"

Aeon looks at him, eyes bright, laughter creasing the corners of them even as pleasured tears still drool from the corners.

"Better than alright" Aeon says a grin dragging at his mouth. He leans in and presses a soft kiss to Aether's bottom lip. His eyes sparkle with something devious that makes Aether's stomach twist. They sit in silence for a moment, darkness settling in over them. Aether's limbs are just starting to get heavy—sleep tugging at him, when Aeon rolls toward him, pillowing his head on Aether's chest. Lips and teeth ghosting over Aether's jaw as he speaks. "When are you going to let me do that to you?"

[karmicbias]

Something about the way Phantom is stepping up this tour.

He's not the new kid anymore. And now that Dew's hurt, and with Swiss unable to perform - he starts picking the slack, as he sees it. He honors Omega and Aether's legacies of being that reliable right-hand ghoul even though he misses Cardi, stepping up where V needs him.

More crowd work. Sharing pedal duties with Rain when Dew needs it. Playing the acoustic parts too. Soothing Dew's ankle when the pain is too much.

And everyone loves it. Loves him. How could they not?? He's worked hard on his skills and it shows, and Pride is a sin worth indulging in.

But how much can one Bug put on his wee little shoulders?

[nghoul-cloud]

who cares if im a day late heres a gift for the quintessence ghoul fans

[kllypsooo]

My take on the quintessence ghouls. Closeups + HCs down below

[thelampisaflashlight]

Dew, sniffling and coughing as he walks into the infirmary: "I need one of you to crack my ribcage open like a crab shell and take out all the ye-uck." Aether, not looking up from his paperwork: "I'm not going to practice medicine Maryland style." Delta, getting up from his desk, cracking his knuckles: "I've yearned for this day-" Aeon, stepping in front of Dew holding two pills, a glass of water, and a nasal strip: "Take these with this and put this on in the meantime to help open up your airways." -hands on his hips- "Also, I'm pretty sure I prescribed bedrest for that injury of yours, so either scoot back off to bed or have a lie down here." Dew, sniffs, blinks: "Oh, yeah, right, okay, uh... I'll just lay down here for a while until the medicine kicks in then." -shuffles off- "Thanks, Tom-Tom." Aeon: "Haha, no problem!" Aether, staring, mouth wide open: "H-How... wha...?" Delta, pointing: "How did you do that?? Dew never listens to either of us without a fight!" Aeon, smiling: "I told him if he ever shirked my medical advice or gave me an attitude after I had to take care of him before, that I would invert the vertebrae in his spine and replace the tips of his fingers with his toes." Both: "And that WORKED??" Dew, from his bed, getting comfy: "He explained in enough detail how he'd do it, so I figured I shouldn't fuck with him." Aeon: "Hehe, yeah :)." Aether: "...Jesus Christ."

[genderlessghoul]

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now so here is EVERYTHING I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE GHOULS' IMPERA COSTUMES.

Buckle up because I have a LOT to say about those, this is gonna be a very long one.

The costumes were designed by B Åkerlund, a Swedish costume designer who's worked with Ghost since at least Meliora (that's as far back as I was willing to scroll on her Instagram page lol). B Åkerlund has also worked for many other musical artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osborne, Blink 182 and Hollywood Undead (information from her own website)

The masks were made by Bob Basset, a visual artists who works a lot with leather. I find his work fascinating, you can look him up on Instagram (nsfw warning, there's a few naked ladies).

Fun fact! The horns are real cow horns. That's the reason some of them have gold tips, to hide the imperfections that come with working with actual horns.

He does have a shop where he sells his items, there's a mask there very similar to the Impera ones. You can also buy Papa's batwings if you happen to have 2500$ lying around!

The jackets are made on the same model as one of Papa's. The back is decorated with a spine-like design made from leather and cording. It's adorned with a few of our classic Impera buttons. Some of the hems were left raw and some deliberate weathering was done to make it look old and worn.

Fun fact! The shoulder pieces are not sewn into the garment, I would assume for easier cleaning. I don't know if they're held by strong magnets or snap buttons.

The vest (my beloved 😩) is made from flocked velvet in a paisley pattern, the front hems embellished with satin piping. It closes in the front with custom metal clasps that are riveted into the garment. The D parts are attached with what seems to me like wide elastic, which would lessen the pression on the clasps when moving around a lot. The back is made from two different types of fabric, I'd have to touch it to be able to tell you what they are. I assume the panels closer to the sides have some mild stretch to them. The top of the shoulders are decorated with Impera grucifix patches.

The shirts were not custom made for the ghouls, altho they were altered. The original shirt in the vintage painter linen shirt from Punk Rave and it is still being sold. Some of the cuffs were altered, removing the ruffles for some of the ghouls, but not all. They were removed for Dew, Mountain and Phantom, Aether's didn't have them either. As far as I can tell, all the ghoulettes still have them.

An unfinished piece of linen serves as an ascot, that piece is decorated with a metal devil skull. The colour of the skull doesn't appear to be consistent between each ghoul, Dew's looks gold almost bronze while Phantom's is a silver-like colour.

Another modification is the buttons, a small portion of them were removed in favor of our Impera buttons. Some of the ghouls have more buttons replaced than others, which is still a mystery to me.

The pants are called Jodhpurs, they were invented in the 1800s as horse riding pants. The wide part at the hips and thighs allowing for better movement. The ones the ghouls wear don't reach all the way to their ankles, they stop a bit past the calf muscle, hidden by the boots. (Yes, the ghouls are effectively wearing capri pants)

The boots are motorcycle riding boots, decorated by a grucifix. Like the shirt, they can still be bought online through the All American Boots website, altho the price tag is... Headache inducing to say the least.

The cape is a piece of costume that was only briefly worn on stage by the ghouls, Aurora being the only one who still wears one. I would assume it gets in the way of playing very easily. The cape itself is made of two fabrics, a light blue satin and a dark grey suede. The two pieces are not sewn together at the bottom, they move freely from each other. The cape is attached on the left shoulder with a harness piece that has one strap across the chest, decorated with a metal buckle, and one under the armpit.

Aight that's it for me, have a nice day byyyyye!!

[tinyluvs]

thinking about voyer!phantom who begs swiss to teach him how to use his quintessence to make himself invisible and then immediately uses it to sneak straight into swiss' room to watch him fuck aurora into his mattress. pretends that the filthy little things he moans into her ear are for him, palms himself in time with swiss' thrusts, eyes focused on where aurora is stretched so tight around him, her slick coating his cock and when swiss tells her to, cum, fucking cum now, phantom floods his pants. swiss won’t ever tell him that he could see him the entire time

voyer!phantom who sits, invisible, on top of bags of soil in the greenhouse watching mountain jerk himself off, grunting and digging his claws into his potting table, almost splitting wood as he fucks his cock through his fist, filling the room with wet sounds and phantom’s cock throbs. he doesn’t touch himself, more than happy to just watch until mountain growls, spilling thick and fast over his fist, cum dripping over the table in front of him. phantom tries to sneak out but mountain stops him in his tracks, huffing, you didn’t cum bug, come back here, now

voyer!phantom who hears aether panting and grunting whilst fingering himself open, in the middle of the night, and almost immediately misuses his quint to mirror the feeling. he’s able to feel aether’s thick fingers stretching him open and pressing sinfully against his prostate. he sinks his fangs into his pillows, muffles his groans as he pushes back on the illusion of aether’s fingers until he’s cumming untouched. he must have imagined aether’s voice in his head, moaning, cum for me bug, yeah just like that, because aether wouldn’t misuse his quint, would he?

𖤐 ghouls masterlist

[haunted-girlyy]

- Dewdrop and Phantom making out for the first time -

Phantom, embarrassed: Stop, we can't do that, Aether is next door and he can hear us!

Dewdrop: Relax, he can't hear us

Phantom: ofc he can! The walls are thin as fuck!

Dewdrop: Aether, can you hear us?

Aether, next door: nope

Dewdrop: See? He can't hear us

Phantom: ...

[nastylittleghouls]

Phantom: *pointing* May I sit there? Aether: That's my lap Phantom: That doesn't answer my question, Aether.

[fruit-of-the-kaisarion]

fun fact, copia has freckles. i find this so important.

[wolves333]

Have some cak- I mean ghake y'all

[noahl-art]

No mushy may for today, work was a lot today 💀 But here have a compilation of old doodles!

Here is me trying to figure out how to draw the boys✨️ (as you may noticed things have changed a bit)

Just ghouls being very sweet together... and then Swiss and Aether 🫣

Cirrus, Cumulus and Rain doodles 🫶

Swiss... wet shirt... nothing more to add 🫣

[floating-goblin-art]

some warmups

[thelampisaflashlight]

Dew, looking down the stairwell: "Huh." Aether, walking by: "What's so interesting?" Dew, pointing: "Aeon fell down the stairs, and the rhythm his body made hitting the steps sounded like Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani." Aether, running to the banister, looking over, horrified: "AEON?! AEON, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Aeon, on the ground, gives a thumbs up: "I almost got it right this time!" Aether: "WHAT???" Dew: "He said he almost got it right this time. This is his ninth trip down." Aether, flabbergasted: "Oh my fucking..." Aeon, bending backwards and standing up like nothing is wrong: "Tenth time is the charm as they say!" Aether, panicking: "No, no, no! Stay down, stay down! I'll be right there-" -trips- "Aw fuck!" Dew, eyes wide: "AETH!" -pauses- "...Huh." Aeon, gleefully: "BEAT IT BY MICHAEL JACKSON!" Aether, in pain: "I'm gonna beat both of you in a minute-"

[miasmaghoul]

did you guys think I was done with my swiss angst? because uhhh newsflash i am Not Okay and therefore making it everyone elses problem. fair warning, this isn't as happy as the last one was. at all.

It's the wee hours of the morning when Aether's phone chimes. Too early for the sun, but far too late for anyone with sense to be awake - but there are always exceptions to the rule.

🧀: front door in 20

Finally, the text he'd been waiting on. Aether nods to himself, sending a thumbs up and adding a ratty old tee to his pajama bottoms. His back cracks when he stands to shove his feet into the ridiculous fluffy bunny slippers Aurora had given him as a sort of reverse going away present. They're warm, he'll give her that. Aether yawns as he stares down at their beady little button eyes, debating going to wake Cumulus and Sunshine for Swiss' return. They'd taken to sleeping in Cirrus' room, and sleep has been hard enough with the rest of their pack gone. Aether decides against it - it's not like Swiss won't be there at a more sensible hour. The girls deserve their beauty rest.

Aether steps into the hall and doubles back for his robe almost immediately. It's chillier than he'd expected, and he yawns again as he cinches the belt and heads for the door of the ghoul wing. It's a bit of a walk to the main doors of the abbey from their dorms, and the place is filled with nothing but silence at this time of night. His slippers are the loudest thing around, slapping between his heels and the marble floors. He almost wishes he'd just gone barefoot, but it really is cold, so he supposes it's a fair trade for feeling a bit absurd in the things.

He makes it to the door with eight minutes to spare, and it's only then that he looks at his phone again. The screen lights up just as he goes to unlock it.

🧀: pls be there somethings wrong

Aether's stomach leaps into his throat the second he processes the words, and suddenly he's pacing in the courtyard. Slippers crunching through coarse gravel as he watches the long stretch of dirt road that connects the abbey to the rest of the world. He tries calling Swiss but there's no answer - Aether figures he must be within the dead zone caused by the wards kept in place by magic more ancient than even the building he calls home. It's good and bad news; on the one hand, it means Swiss is close. On the other, it means he gets to spend five incredibly long minutes wringing his hands over what could possibly be so wrong that Swiss had to warn him about it.

Maybe he should've woken the girls after all.

It's a moot point, he's certainly not walking back now, and Aether knows if he had it would just mean three worried ghouls pacing instead of one. He tucks his chilled fingers into his armpits to get some feeling back into them, mind racing a mile a minute. It's been doing that ever since Copia made the decision to call Swiss back, an unsettled sort of anxiety sitting at the back of Aether's mind. Easy to ignore when he's busy with clinic or church duties, but here in the dark? Not so much.

It can't be more than a handful of minutes before a telltale dirt cloud crests the hill the abbey sits on, and like a punch to the gut Aether can feel something is off. Colder than even the air turning his breath into little clouds, harsh as a steel toed boot - whatever is happening, it isn't good.

The old panel van speeds closer, the passenger door flings open before the driver even tries to brake, and a body tumbles to the gravel with a solid thud and accompanying grunt. Aether gawps for all of a second before rushing over, kneeling in the rock and reaching for what is clearly a very stricken ghoul.

"Swiss? What's going on, why -"

Now, Aether prides himself on his composure. It's what makes him so good in their little clinic, being able to keep a straight face through even the worst things. But the look Swiss gives him, wide-eyed like a beast being hunted and panting like one too, takes even his breath away. It takes a long, long moment for Aether to look past his terror and see the mask hiding the rest of his face. The veil accompanying it. The bodysuit, once covered in glittering gems, now torn, picked over and smeared with red that smells of iron to his sensitive nose. Why is he still in his stage attire? It's been at least eight hours since he started traveling, surely they would have allowed him to change...

"Are - are you bleeding?" He reaches for the other ghoul and, for the very first time, Swiss flinches away from him. Aether blinks. Twice.

Then he feels it.

The icy chill of panic, lost between the cold air and anxiety clouding his mind, bites at Aether's heart through the bond between them. A thin thread wrapped around his being itself, a connection he shares with all of his pack. They all feel different, and right now Swiss' feels like it's about to slice right through whatever ghouls have in place of a soul.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Aether soothes, like he's trying to coax something wild from one of the abbey's outbuildings. Both hands outstretched, voice low and even on reflex. "It's me, Swiss. It's Aether. Can you hear me?"

He reaches out not just with words, but with magic too. Weaves cautious threads of quintessence into the breeze and lets them snake closer to Swiss' trembling form. They meet Swiss' own power, and the sparks that burst out of nothingness knock Aether right on his ass. Something is very wrong.

"Swiss," he says again, trying to catch his attention with a wave. "I'm right here love. Can you hear me?"

Swiss won't stop pawing at the ground, digging past the gravel into the packed earth below. He's looking everywhere at once, twitchy and breathless, and Aether decides he needs to take more drastic measures.

It's underhanded to wait for Swiss to look away before he pounces, but it works. He manages to get the other ghoul pinned to his chest with both arms, locking both of Swiss' legs with just one of his own. Swiss, as Aether thought he might, does not react well. He flails as best he can, trying to shout, to bite and claw, and Aether can hear the wear on his voice. Like he'd been screaming since long before that van rolled up.

"I've got you," Aether grunts out, flooding his embrace with quintessence so strong his hair stands on end. "Just let it happen, let - Lucifer, let me help you."

Aether focuses, holds Swiss close, and with a pulse of magic so intense it scents the air with ozone the other ghoul goes limp in his arms.

Aether holds him there until his own breathing evens out, until the black spots in his vision clear, and the second they do he's moving. Pushing himself up and gathering Swiss in a princess carry without a second thought, hauling him back inside to figure out just what the fuck has happened here.

It's a shorter walk to the infirmary than to their wing, so it's there he heads. It's empty, of course, and Aether lays Swiss out on their one stretcher with great care. It's easier to take stock of him like this - though Aether still doesn't know why he's in uniform - and the sight makes his stomach twist.

The bodysuit is torn mostly on the thighs, shredded like it had been scratched right through. A quick exam of Swiss' fingers reveals the source of the blood smearing the costume - his nails have been bitten and torn down to the quick, and multiple fingertips bear small cuts. From picking at the sharp parts of the outfit, he assumes. That would account for the small pile of shiny stones he finds in Swiss' tailcoat pocket, at least. He pulls the mask from the other ghoul's head, and -

"Oh, Swiss..."

Even in his unconscious state, the other ghoul's face holds a twisted grimace. Like he's fighting something so deep in his own head that even Aether's power can't reach it. There's only one way to find out, Aether supposes.

He sets the mask and veil aside, covers Swiss up with a blanket, and presses two gentle fingers to Swiss' sweaty brow.

"Come back to me, knives. I promise I'll help, just like you asked."

A gentler spark of quintessence has Swiss sucking air through his teeth, confusion writ large on his face and he tries to figure out where he is. That frigid panic slices through his chest once more, but this time Aether is prepared for it.

"Shh, it's alright." He presses a large hand to Swiss' chest, right over his heart. Fixes him with a warm smile. "It's okay, Swiss. You're home."

Whatever Aether thought his words would do - comfort, soothe, reassure - they have the exact opposite effect. The cords in Swiss throat stand out with the force of his scream, a haunting, visceral thing that bounces off tiled walls and etches itself onto Aether's very bones. He grabs at the rails of the stretcher, gritting his teeth so hard Aether swears he hears a crack, and the look on his face is something between terror and agony. Maybe both. Aether holds him down through the thrashing of his limbs, through another scream as bloodcurdling as the first, and does the only thing he can think of.

It's not easy to wrangle a ghoul, even in glamour, least of all when said ghoul is doing his level best to shove you away, but Aether thinks a few bruises will be well worth figuring out what's happening here. It is with practiced ease that he drops the rail of the stretcher with one knee, gathers Swiss in a crushing embrace, and pushes the other ghoul's face directly into the side of his throat. The same place he always holds Dew when he needs to ground himself, to think straight. Aether doesn't know what it is about this one spot, but he's willing to risk a set of blunted teeth to the jugular if it means bringing Swiss back to something like normal.

Even still, he's shocked that it actually works. It takes a minute, but soon enough Swiss' flailing slows. His fists cease their assault of Aether's chest and arms, gripping his robe instead. His breathing slows, and after the longest two minutes of his life, Aether hears -

"Ae...Ae..."

"Yeah, it's me," he replies, soft and gentle. He loosens his hold, one hand coming up to hold the back of Swiss' head and the other stroking his spine. "I'm here, I've got you. It's okay, you're -"

"Aeon."

It's forced out, a choked sound, and before Aether knows what's happening Swiss is sobbing for all he's worth into his robe. Loud and filled with the sort of pain that could only come with heartbreak, in one way or another. Aether doesn't dare move, wouldn't dare risk setting off...whatever is happening here again. Instead, he keeps quiet and simply holds Swiss close, as close as he can manage. It isn't hard, not when Swiss seems to be trying to crawl into his chest.

Then, quick as they started, the sobs stop. Swiss freezes, face still buried in Aether's now-soaked throat, and Aether can feel him nosing at the collar of his robe.

"Ae...ther?"

Oh thank fuck.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me." He tries to keep his voice from shaking, but it's an impossible task. The other ghoul tries to pull back, and this time Aether lets him. Looks down at his reddened eyes and wet cheeks with such scrutiny and concern that Swiss hunches unconsciously. "Swiss, what...what happened to you?"

"Where...?"

"The infirmary." Aether doesn't take his eyes off the other ghoul for a moment, helping the suddenly dead-limbed ghoul lay back down. "At the abbey," he explains further when Swiss gives him a confused blink. "You're home, love."

Swiss stares at him like he's grown a second head, and with no warning he breaks out into the most hysterical laughter Aether has ever heard. New tears follow old tracks, the sound of it humorless and hollow, and when Swiss finishes it leaves Aether with the worst sort of pit in his stomach. At some point he'd grabbed Swiss' hand, and the grip Swiss has on it could break bones.

"Home," he echoes, voice all rasp, grinning mirthlessly at the ceiling. "S'at what you call it when you're ripped away from the thing that brings you more happiness than you've ever felt? S'at where I am, Aeth?"

Quick as anything, Swiss turns that foul grin on him. His eyes sit wide, crazed, and Aether doesn't think he's ever been so confused.

"Swiss, I don't...what are you talking about?"

"What, you didn't look?" Swiss lifts his other hand, wiggles bloody fingers at his own head. "I know you were in there, I can feel you in my brain. Don't lie to me now, I'll know."

Swiss taps the tip of his nose, winks, and if Aether wasn't confused before he sure is now.

"You know I'd never do that," he rumbles, obvious concern threading the words. "Not without permission. I'm not Phil." Maybe, in this one case, he shoukd have been. Aether tilts his head, watches Swiss' eyes flash with something he can't quite name. "Swiss, did...did something happen? I know Copia called you back, but I haven't gotten to see him since the notice went out. I don't -"

The other ghoul's face goes blank, and then the tears are back.

"They...they took me," Swiss wails, beating a weak fist against the padding of the stretcher, and Aether leans in immediately. Gathers up the hand he was already holding in both of his own as Swiss starts to shake. "They...I...Aeth they took me and - and -"

Swiss turns away from him, just for a moment, and Aether's heart breaks at the pain his next words carry.

"They took me away," Swiss finally forces out, thick and inconsolable. "And I...they didn't even let me say goodbye!"

Aether moves like the wind, clambering up onto the stretcher to give Swiss something to cling to. And cling he does, like a baby possum to its mother. These tears are different from the last, hot and constant and full of the entire spectrum of emotions Swiss has displayed in these last minutes. Aether stays silent through every heaved breath, every gulp and hurt cry, until Swiss has exhausted what little energy he must have had left.

"I'm so sorry," Swiss croaks, trying to catch his breath. "I...I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing," Aether replies, simple as anything, and it has the desired effect. Swiss goes still, looks up at him with dripping lashes.

"...what?"

"There is nothing wrong with you," Aether confirms, rubbing slow circles into the other ghoul's back. "Medically speaking, at least. Aside from your fingers, which are easily fixed. That much I did check." He taps his forehead against Swiss', gentle. Swiss blinks, a stray tear slipping down his cheek.

"How do you -"

"You just told me," he rumbles, reaching down to grab the blanket Swiss had managed to throw off. Just in case the blood sets him off again. "Goodbyes are powerful things, Swiss. Powerful things." Aether kisses his cheek, tastes body-warm salt. "If you say someone took that from you..."

"Two of 'em," Swiss almost whispers, his poor voice shot. "They...right after the show they just -" he gestures at the air with a limp hand "- and that was it. I...they took me to a car talkin' about 'official business' and then to the airport and I didn't even get to get my bag from the fuckin' dressing room so I was stuck in this fuckin' thing the whole way and the humans wouldn't stop staring and I...all I could think about was him."

"Him?"

"Aeon," Swiss huffs, miserable. "He...they all saw, but he...he just looked so sad, Aeth, I can't -"

These sobs carry no tears, the well gone dry, and Aether just holds him. It's all coming together now - the bloodied, anxious fingers, the panic, the rush of uncontrollable emotions. They point to one thing. When Swiss catches his breath, he speaks up again.

"Can I tell you something, sunspot?"

Swiss shrugs. It's good enough.

"When I first met Dew, he couldn't stand me."

That gets Swiss' attention. He peels his face from Aether's chest, looks up at him with a furrowed brow. Obvious doubt.

"It's true," Aether nods, reaching up to adjust the flat pillow under Swiss' head. "Well, at least thats what he told me. I think he just wanted an excuse to stay away from me, to be honest. I don't think he knew why, not at the time, but I did."

Swiss' eyelids have gone so heavy. Aether tucks him in up to his chin.

"When you find your mate," he explains, "you just sort of...know. At least quints do, I can't speak for anyone else. I knew Dew was meant to be mine before he even knew my name, I'm pretty sure."

Swiss manages a weak, wet chuckle. Aether gives him a soft smile, pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead before he continues.

"Anyone with a functioning brain could tell you and Aeon were meant for each other, same as me and Dew. Why do you think he's so drawn to you? Why you're never away from each other for more than a few hours? You must have felt it, even if you didn't know what it was." Aether takes hold of the other ghoul's wrist, lining their hand up palm to palm. Swiss watches, dazed and clearly exhausted, as shimmering purple energy envelops the pair of them. "You're one of us. At least a little bit."

Aether laces their fingers together, careful to avoid any injured fingertips. Kisses each of Swiss' knuckles in turn as that glow dissipates.

"S'at why it feels like my chest is full of burning cement?" Aether gives him a single, sad nod.

"Being taken away from him like that, without an intact mating bond? I'm surprised you made it back without gutting someone first."

Swiss actually chuckles at that, and Aether's worn heart soars. Just for a moment, until reality sets in again. This is going to be the really awful part.

"I can fix the pain," he offers, voice low, and Swiss gives him an eager nod. Aether holds up one finger. "But -"

Swiss visibly sags into the stretcher with a weak huff of laughter.

"Always a but."

"Always," Aether agrees. "But...the only way to do so is to sever your connection to him. Entirely."

Aether has seen some shit in his day, but he truly can't remember seeing someone look as horrified as Swiss does when the words hit him. He looks like every dream he's ever had has just been shattered, like all the world's misery has coalesced behind his eyes.

"What?"

"Yeah, I know," Aether sighs, looking at a spot just over Swiss' shoulder. Even he can't stomach the hurt on his face. "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened. Omega had to do it for Zephyr and Ifrit, back in the day."

That seems to hit Swiss like a brick, judging by the way the stretcher shudders. Aether still can't look at him.

"Zeph couldn't handle being Above for very long, their vessel deteriorated too quickly. And they knew that, if they left with a connection like that in place, Ifrit would only suffer for it. So Zephyr went to Omega one day and he just -"

Aether makes a snipping motion with two fingers, and the room falls silent for a very long time.

"But...but they hated each other," Swiss eventually murmurs, every word an obvious effort. Aether shakes his head.

"Only when you knew them, love. And this is why."

Swiss stares at him with a mix of confusion, revulsion and a new sort of horror. The kind that speaks of realization.

"Wait, so if...if I don't want to feel like this it means -"

"There's a chance you won't hate each other, if it helps." Aether reaches up, caresses Swiss' cheek with the backs of his fingers. "But it will never be like what you have now. You...there won't be any love left between you, Swiss."

The words hang heavy between them, and Aether feels awful for throwing all of this at Swiss in his current state, but he couldn't just let him suffer. Not without knowing.

"What the fuck..."

"I know, believe me I know."

"There's nothing else? You can't just...I dunno, fuckin' magic away the pain? Hide it? I don't care, I just -"

"It's this or nothing," Aether interrupts gently, the sadness in his voice very real. "I'm sorry Swiss, but it's either this or nothing. You sever this connection, everything goes back to normal inside you. If you don't, all it will cause you is more pain. More of that uncontrollable emotional state. It's not a choice I can make for you, but -"

"Will it...will it get better when -" Swiss coughs, throat raw, "- when he gets back? When he's with me again?"

Aether sighs, but nods.

"No reason to think otherwise. But Swiss, that's months from now. You could -"

"And a mating bond will...will fix it? Like you and Dew? You're apart and fine, so -"

"From what I know, yes. But I just want you to understand -"

"Then no. Fuck no."

"Swiss, please, you -"

"I said no, Aeth." His eyes have gone hard, trembling lips set in a firm line. "I can't do that. Not to him. I don't fuckin' care what happens to me, I can deal. Answer's no."

"...even if you hurt someone else?"

That makes Swiss blink.

"What?"

"The only reason I'm not bleeding all over you right now is because you're bound in glamour," Aether tells him, thinking back to the nightmare that was Swiss' arrival. "If you'd had your claws, your fangs? Love, I almost brought Lus and Sunny with me. You could have mauled any of us in that condition, nevermind if there had been Siblings around. If you stay like this and Papa - and Frater releases your glamour..."

He doesn't have to finish. Swiss looks so lost, more vulnerable than Aether has ever seen him. It hurts to see, hurts to feel that thread around his own heart go that much more taut.

"It's your decision, Swiss. I can't make it for you."

Aether kisses his forehead, a large hand cupping Swiss' hot face, and as his expression crumples Aether has a feeling he has his answer.