#LITTLE AETH BAYBEEEE

[everybodyshusband]

I'm curling up in your ask box because Work Things. Can I request Aether or Ifrit being little and cuddled after a bad day/watched a movie that was too scary please?

troob, of course you can !! <3 i’m sorry this took me a while to get to, i hope the Work Things aren’t as bad now. and i also hope you know that i’m stealing you away from your work and setting you down very gently in a cardboard box filled with cosy blankets and pillows <3

i hope this suffices !! 930 words ; mountain & regressed aether, comfort after a scary movie

“Aeth?” Mountain pokes his head into the common room, searching for his packmate. “Honeysuckle, are you in here?”

A quiet chirp from the direction of the couch answers him. It’s a sound that tugs on Mountain’s heartstrings—Aether sounds worried; scared, even—but the earth ghoul barely hears it over the sound of the television in the background.

One quick glance at the screen shows that it’s a horror movie; some cheap flick with bucket loads of fake blood and unrealistic gore. It’s the type of movie that the pack would usually watch together and laugh at its ridiculousness, but… Aether isn’t laughing.

The quintessence ghoul is curled up on the couch in the way he usually is—knees drawn to his chest with a cushion in between his arms—but there’s something else in his body language and facial expression that leads Mountain to believe that there’s something else at play here. Aether is chewing at his lip and worrying the tasseled edges of the cushion with trembling fingers, and when Mountain moves closer to him, he can see tears threatening to spill over Aether’s eyelashes.

The earth ghoul rushes to crouch down in front of him and block his view of the screen, but Aether’s distressed expression does not go away. “My darling…” Mountain begins, holding his hand out to silently ask Aether if he can touch him. When the quintessence ghoul nods slowly, Mountain smiles his praise and rests his hand on Aether’s knee, drawing slow circles on the fabric of his sweatpants. “Love, are you okay?”

“‘M fine.” Aether nods his head and tries to smile up at Mountain, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and he still looks so horribly distressed.

As Aether flinches at the sound of screams on the television behind Mountain, his eyes still fixated on the screen, the earth ghoul connects the dots. “Oh, my sweet, are you scared?”

Aether shakes his head adamantly despite the fact he’s still cowering from the sound of fake blood splashing out onto tiled floors, and Mountain has yet another realisation.

The quintessence ghoul never regresses as young as Dewdrop or Rain. He tends to gravitate to the headspace of a child rather than a toddler or infant like those two. Whenever he does find himself slipping into his own version of that smaller headspace, the other ghouls tend to have more difficulty in recognising it. Mountain is all too aware of that fact; he’s been on both sides of the equation. Because of this, now that he’s crouched in front of Aether, the gears are ticking over in his head and he’s very slowly realising the situation the quintessence ghoul has found himself in.

Still, it’s only courteous to ask. “C’mon, talk to me, Aeth. What’s going on, honeysuckle?” As the earth ghoul speaks, Aether flinches at yet another gory scene on the television behind him. “Should we turn the movie off while we talk?”

“‘M not scared of the movie.” It’s not what Mountain was asking and he doesn’t think he’s ever been less convinced of the honesty of an answer, but he lets the little ghoul have his victory.

“Oh, of course not,” he says gently. “You’re being very brave, my honeysuckle. But, you know… I think the movie might be a bit too scary for me, so do you mind if I turn it off, please?” It’s not entirely a lie. Mountain’s never been afraid to admit that this movie has just a shade too much cheap gore, even for him. Usually, Aether is all too happy to admit the same. In this headspace though, Mountain has noticed a pattern of little ghoul wanting to prove that he’s just as brave and strong as his non-regressed counterpart.

Aether nods and Mountain pretends not to notice the small huff of relief the quintessence ghoul lets out as he switches the television off, instead moving to sit next to and drape an arm around him. Instantly, Aether is curling up against his side, seeking out a comforting presence to take his mind off of the movie.

Mountain wraps his arm more tightly around Aether, drawing small circles on the little ghoul’s bicep with his thumb. “Are you okay, bub?”

Very slowly, Aether shakes his head, sniffling a little now that he’s buried far enough into Mountain’s side that his face can’t be seen.

The earth ghoul leans down to press a kiss to the top of his head. “That’s alright, honeysuckle, you’re allowed to be upset, remember?” He waits for Aether’s answering nod and teary hiccup before continuing. “Do you want to talk about it?” He punctuates his statement by squeezing Aether even more tightly, wrangling a small giggle out of the quintessence ghoul.

After his giggles have been let out and he’s able to focus well enough to consider Mountain’s question, Aether shakes his head. “Just… just hugs. Please, Mounty.”

“‘Course, bub. C’mon, snuggle up.” He helps Aether move even further into his hold and drags a blanket over the both of them. “I’ll keep you nice and safe, honeysuckle. We can talk later, okay?”

Aether nods again, and as he snuggles into Mountain’s warm body, a purr begins rumbling deep in his chest. The earth ghoul smiles and presses another kiss to Aether’s head, pleased again when the purr picks up its volume.

Later, they’ll talk about why Aether was watching that movie and perhaps about why he felt like he needed to put on an unbothered facade, but for now, they’ll stay cuddled up on the couch together for the rest of the afternoon. Happy, safe, and in each other’s company.