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delimeful · 1 year

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carry them home (4)

warnings: magical oaths, mentions of past harm/captivity, mentions of murder, canon-typical remus behavior, lmk if i'm missing any

His declaration, predictably, sparked an entirely new argument.

Logan had wasted a few moments trying to call Janus’s bluff, and then, once it became clear that a Deal was absolutely not happening, he had been promptly dragged into the brewing argument.

Patton was vehemently against murder, and the fire sprite seemed to be tentatively backing him up. Logan was clearly weighing the benefits and the risks, his clear irritation with Janus seemingly warring with the fallout of going against Patton’s wishes. Vee appeared to be holding up the pro-murder side of the argument through sheer force of loathing.

Nobody had asked Remus for his opinion, presumably because the answer was extremely obvious. The kid was still leaning obnoxiously on Janus, watching the debate like a tennis match and nodding faux-wisely every once in a while.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to look the other way while your companions are distracted?” Janus asked dryly, tilting his head slightly to see that the hands on him were utterly caked in dirt.

“And miss the opportunity to see how many ghoul fungi I could grow out of your corpse? You ask too much of me,” Remus replied, tilting Janus back slightly so he could peer upside down at his face.

Startlingly, underneath the errant patches of lichen and mold, the changeling’s face bore a remarkable resemblance to the fire sprite.

Rather than comment on it, Janus rolled his eyes. “At least grow edible ones. Waste not, want not, as the conscientious say.”

Remus blinked, and the edges of his smile grew sharper with delight. “Any corpse mushrooms are edible if you're not a coward!”

Janus hummed in agreement. “And if you don’t mind becoming a corpse yourself.”

Those mismatched eyes vanished, and there was a nasally laugh, as though he’d thrown his head back to cackle. “You’re awfully relaxed for a guy we might pull all the guts out of!”

Part of that was the lingering effect of the trance, as well as the theory that if he planned an escape too actively, he might send the soothsayer into another foretelling episode.

(It was strange. Normally, involuntary visions of the future were triggered by impending danger, but Janus hadn’t had any harmful intentions while pondering escape.)

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell them that.

“There’s no point to mindlessly panicking,” Janus said instead. “Besides, as far as captors go, I’ve had much crueler ones.”

“Are you sure? We’re literally trying to decide if I get to mulch your body!” Remus informed him cheerily. His sharp-toothed little grin was practically designed to incite terror; Janus felt a small surge of fondness despite himself.

“Indeed, but a few of you don’t seem to want me dead, so my statement stands.”

“‘A few’ is generous,” Vee muttered, and then ducked away from Patton’s puppy dog eyes.

“He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Patton insisted. Generally speaking, that wasn’t remotely true, but Janus wasn’t about to correct him. “We shouldn’t hurt innocents!”

“Patton, we have to focus on keeping ourselves safe,” Logan tried, a sort of halfheartedness to the words, as though he already knew they wouldn’t sway the other fae.

“What’s an epic voyage without a few struggles?” the fire sprite countered. “This serpentine stranger may have some tricks up his sleeve, but a hero such as myself will valiantly protect you all from any threat he may pose!”

Vee scoffed. “Ro, you can’t even protect us from your twin’s bad singing.”

Ro gasped, placing an affronted hand to his chest, but before they could return to bickering, Logan mantled his wings in an unspoken demand for attention.

“If we aren’t killing him—,” he pointedly ignored the groan from Vee, “—we need an alternative method of ensuring he won’t hurt anyone.”

“Remove his arms!” Remus offered helpfully. Patton winced, and Logan sighed.

“Physical restraints seem to be effective enough for the moment. Our primary concern should be countering whatever method the human used to break free of my trance.”

“Or,” Janus interjected mildly, “we could skip the mind magic entirely, and negotiate instead.”

“Right, because you’re so trustworthy,” Vee snapped. He’d started aggressively pacing at some point during the discussion, his shoulders hunched inward.

The kid made an astute point, as inconvenient as it was.

“I’m not the one who chose to be dragged out here and interrogated,” Janus said, tone only slightly snippy. “However, I would be willing to swear a blood oath, if that is what’s required to ease your minds.”

All of the kids turned to him with wide-eyed surprise, though Vee snapped back into anger within moments.

“You don’t get to put any of us under oath—,” he started, edging in front of the others with bared teeth.

“I would be the sworn party,” Janus interrupted, heroically resisting the urge to sigh at the assumption.

Another beat of silence, though Remus and Ro seemed more bemused than anything.

“You’d rather subject yourself to a blood oath than a Deal?” Logan asked, his expression shifting to something more pensive as he studied Janus. “Have you… been under oath, before?”

Janus resisted a dry laugh. “I have,” he understated.

“But blood oaths hurt!” Patton chimed in, still looking far too worried on behalf of a relative stranger.

He was well aware. “The pain is only debilitating if I actively act against the agreed terms. As long as I am guaranteed my safe release by the end of the oath, I am willing to endure the side effects.”

Vee had gone quiet, watching him intently with those tar pit eyes.

“Alright,” Logan said, and settled into a neat, cross-legged sit in front of Janus. “Let’s negotiate.”

—

The agreement ended up being relatively straightforward, for how long-winded their discussion was.

Janus had agreed not to harm, or plan to cause harm to, any of the kids. He’d agreed to offer his honest knowledge on not only the movement of the Guard, but any relevant matters that could aid their journey. He’d agreed to follow the orders of whoever was currently assigned as his watcher, but only that designated person.

He’d insisted on that wording, having already picked up on the frequent bickering that went on between the kids. Being subject to one highly-opinionated child at a time was manageable. Being subject to magically compelled orders from all five of them was a recipe for disaster.

In exchange, he would not be killed, and he would part ways peacefully with the gaggle of infants after the oath period— a completed moon’s cycle— had passed.

He had spent so much time weaving loopholes into his requirements and playing innocent as Logan caught and unraveled the vast majority of them, that he hadn’t actually realized how heavily skewed against him the deal was until the oath was already being made.

That was what he got for indulging in bad habits, he supposed. A necessary evil, as he doubted the children would have trusted his word if he’d simply stated what he meant outright.

They had good instincts— it was always better to be watching for the trap— but in the end, they were still young. Rooting out Janus’s double-meaning machinations had successfully distracted them from including the conditions Janus wanted to avoid-- one that would force him to tell them anything about his own person, for example.

(Really, his highly suspect background aside, it was none of their business.)

He didn’t bother trying anything during the ritual swearing itself, both because Vee was watching him like a starved hawk, and because he wasn’t a fool that meddled with the processes of blood magic.

The heavy, dull ache of a blood oath settled onto Janus like an old jacket draped over his shoulders. He hadn’t missed it. Still, it was leagues better than making a Deal.

Five gazes watched him with varying levels of curiosity and wariness, as though waiting to see if he would spontaneously combust under the force of the oath.

Janus pushed down the stress that always accompanied arrangements like these, reminding himself that he was in the here and now. As far as captors he’d been magically bound to went, he’d endured far worse for far longer.

It would only be a month. They were children. This would likely be the easiest trip he’d ever made under blood oath.

“My first piece of advice,” he offered with a winsome smirk, “would be to move eastward. Odds are good that your encounter with the shopkeep will linger in her mind enough to mention it to the Guard, and I assume we’ll want to be well ahead of any scouting parties sent off the way I led you out of town.”

Vee crossed his arms, scowling. “We’re not going to find Sanctuary in the east. It’s in the mountains.”

“I’m not giving you information on how to get to Sanctuary, the place that isn’t real. I’m telling you how to not get caught by hunters,” Janus replied, saccharine-sweet.

Vee hissed petulantly.

“Ooh, ooh!” Remus waved his hand around wildly. “We could always go with my plan and immolate the Guard! I always wanted to go out in a blaze of gory glory.”

Patton chuckled nervously. “Immolate? I think I’d prefer we get moving immoearly to avoid the Guard instead!”

Remus booed. Ro also booed, but it seemed to be more about the pun than denial of mauling.

“Patton is correct. We don’t want to be caught unaware, particularly at nightfall,” Logan said, folding up his map after adding a few careful notations to it. “The human’s advice is sound— for the short-term, Vee. We can worry about Sanctuary once we’re out of immediate danger.”

With a decisive nod, he shifted back to his feet, and everyone dispersed as though on cue, hurrying to grab the supplies and belongings scattered about the clearing.

Having left all his belongings at home pre-abduction, Janus leaned back against a tree, grimacing as the bark pressed into his wrists. He really would have to convince them to retie his hands in front of him, he was going to be entirely useless like this.

Patton would be the easiest to convince, though he doubted that Logan would assign anyone but himself to watch Janus for the first few days—

“Vee! You’ve got the human. Keep an eye on him.”

Or maybe the siren trusted the others more than Janus had originally thought.

...Or cared less about Janus's survival than he'd originally assumed.

Vee returned Janus’s mocking smile from earlier, a silent promise that the changeling was going to enjoy making life harder for him.

So much for an easy journey.

#sanders sides fic #fae au #ts janus #ts remus #ts logan #ts roman #ts patton #ts virgil #my writing #carry them home #cth #writing

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stjeromeshospital · 9 months

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hi ^_^ so someone recently left some tags on a post i made about modding funger sprites wondering how i did it and i want to explain how because it is actually incredibly incredibly easy and literally anyone could do it. to start im gonna say im going to explain like every process in detail just so its very clear EXACTLY what youre supposed to do for people that arent computer savvy so it might look daunting but in reality i cant express enough how simple it really is. anyway. its pretty long but INCREDIBLY SIMPLE AND EASY TO DO (and understand i hope)

to start youre going to want to find the local files for termina, which if you bought the game off itch.io they should be immediately available to you, however if you bought it off steam youre going to want to find them using steam by finding them in the games settings in your library:

Here ^ (using another game as an example because i dont actually have termina on steam)

you should be here, and from here you want to go into the WWW folder ->

which will take you here, you can just as easily replace any of the movie cutscenes in the game or sound effects like the sprites but im not going to focus on that. for now by this point you want to go into the IMG folder

which looks like this, and its in here, in the CHARACTERS folder where all of the character overworld sprites are stored.

in the files, each character is listed as:

daan = doctor abella = mechanic o'saa = yellow_mage olivia = botanist karin = journalist pav = lieutenant marcoh = thug levi = mercenary marina = occultist samarie = apprentice tanaka = salaryman henryk = chef caligura = mobster august = hunter black kalev = black_kalev ghoul = soldier ghoul is just listed as ghoul, villager ghoul is listed as villager

with this you now decide which character you want to replace with your own, I chose Karin so I'm now going through every file named JOURNALIST until i find the spritesheet im looking for (that being her overworld walking sprite, which looks like this)

every characters overworld spritesheet should look like THIS. no smaller. however other characters (like samarie or august) will have less detailed sheets than playable characters because they dont need to walk diagonally or get their arms chopped off like the players do.

these are the files im looking for, NOW i need to actually LOOK at them (you can not typically just VIEW RPGMVP files so we are going to use a website to do so. that website being

Petschkos RPG-Maker MV & MZ-File Decrypter

which you will need to do all of this. its going to allow you to view files and also turn your own PNGs into RPGMV files to replace the ones here with your own.

it looks like this. as you can see i put the %JOURNALIST.RPGMVP file from the game files in here. this is how you will be able to look at and download the spritesheets (like karins i posted above) at their native resolution (whihc you need) its also how you know which file youre replacing. to do this put a file in (i put in the %journalist file, click RESTORE ORIGINAL IMAGES, the green button in the corner, and then your file will appear in the FILE-LIST on the right, once it does click VIEW and you should be able to see the spritesheet and download it.

and upon clicking view ive found that this file is exactly the one i was looking for ^_^ (the spritesheets youre looking for should all look like this, as in they should include the characters diagonal movement, lost limbs and crawling animations. that means youve found the FULL sprite sheet which affects your IN GAME PLAYABLE CHARACTER as well as how they behave as their NPC/Party member sprites. ive found that most/all of these specific spritesheets are just the characters name (not %doctor1 or $doctor1 JUST %doctor) and they usually start with a % at the beginning, so if youre wanting to change olivia's sprites you want to find %BOTANIST or if you're changing daan you want to find %DOCTOR. ETC.)

NOW that youve got the file and images youre going to edit. we move on to our art or image editing program of choice and get to work.

i use clip studio paint, but you can use any program at all as long as you keep the image resolution just as it is. (you CAN NOT make the canvas LARGER or SMALLER. you can not UPSCALE the sprites or change the resolution. you have to edit/draw over anything THE WAY IT IS) here i have the spritesheet ive been editing, that being karins %journalist file (with added marcoh, i put that there) who im replacing with my funger oc enright. unfortunately theres no secret hack for drawing your sprites easily, it took me weeks to have what i have because i had to draw everything myself. its like animation. i cant teach you to draw good but i can teach you to replace files on ur computer. either way as you can see the sprites i made are in the exact same positions that all of karin's were, youre basically wanting to use the originals as a foundation or "trace over them" so theyre EXACTLY where they should be. if theyre in the wrong spots they'll look a little wonky. i hope i explained this concept well enough. its a sprite sheet if you know how those work then itll work out. (ALSO MAKE SURE YOU SAVE THE PICTURE WITH A TRANSPARENT BACKGROUND.)

NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED SPRITES we're going to save it as a PNG. and name it the same thing as the file youre replacing so its easier. im replacing %journalist.RPGMVP so i name my image %journalist.png

now we're gonna go back to that website we were at and move to En and De-Encrypt

it looks like this. NOW. first what youre going to do is click the browse button in the green circle, then go back to the CHARACTERS FOLDER in F&H2:T. grab your %JOURNALIST.RPGMV file (or whichever file youre replacing) and SELECT that file. then click DETECT, and you'll get a pop up that you got the code

NOW WITH YOUR CODE, you are going to use this to turn your PNG that you made INTO THE .RPGMVP file that youre replacing, except it'll have the sprites you made and not the other ones.

now put your PNG that you made in the 2nd box, which you can see i did, its also named %journalist, and then click (RE)-ENCRYPT MV

it will appear on the side, and now you can save/download your rpgmvp file that you made yaaaaay! youre in the final stretch.

its very important that the file is named exactly the same as the one you're replacing, im replacing %journalist so the file i make is named the same

NOW. GO BACK TO THE CHARACTERS FOLDER IN F&H2:T WHERE OUR ORIGINAL %JOURNALIST FILE IS LOCATED. you should not have moved it or anything it should still be in there but if you do it doesnt matter. what youre going to do is take *YOUR* file that YOU JUST MADE (the %journalist.rpgmvp file that you just made on that website) and youre going to put it in the folder that you found the original file, the file we're replacing is in the CHARACTERS folder so we're putting it in there. your computer will ask you if you want to replace the original file if its still in there, you can do this. now YOUR NEW FILE is in the game

boot up fear and hunger termina, start a new game as the character you replaced, walk around and see your guy :] there are alot of sprites you'd have to replace to have a fully immersive experience with your replacement character, special anims like sleeping, specific skills, sitting in the train etc. but you can replace ANY spritesheet using the exact method i described. have fun. ill also say im fairly confident you can mod the first game in the same way described as this one but im not sure because i dont have it, its up to you to rummage around the files and find out

if you encountered any problems of any kind along the way feel free to ask me about it, but hopefully this should all be described clearly enough that anyone can get into it and do what they want easily. dont be afraid to fuck with the game files they cant hurt you

#fear and hunger #fear and hunger 2 termina #funger #f&h2 #f&h #mods #modding

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mac-and-thefox · 8 months

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Sunny's Sprite

-Sprites are attracted to ghouls with similar elemental alignment as them. Since Sunshine is a multi ghoul, her sprite is a hybrid of Air and Fire.

-When Dew named his sprite Sprite (like the soda), he got teased pretty hard by the pack. Sunny, in classic chaos twin fashion, named her sprite Dr. Pepper in solidarity with her best friend.

-Sunshine happened upon her sprite (or rather, the sprite happened upon her) during the Ministry's New Years celebration. She is often asked to help, along with Dew, with the fireworks the Ministry provides for the ghouls' and Siblings' entertainment. This little air/fire sprite was drawn by the lights and loud noises.

-Dr. Pepper looks like a palm-sized Chinese dragon. Their scales are a copper-gold color that match her eyes. They're very excitable by noises and bright lights, and when extremely happy or overstimulated will burst into a shower of sparks and spin around like a tiny, living firework.

It is not advised to wear open toed shoes around them when they do. They will run over feet and scorch toes in their excitment.excitement.

-Dr. Pepper also lives in Sunny's fireplace much like Sprite does with Dew's. However, Dr. Pepper is allowed to accompany Sunny more frequently throughout her day since they cannot catch things on fire just through sheer contact like their full-fire counterpart.

Dr. Pepper prefers to stay close to Sunny; they like to wrap themselves around her horn and nestle in her curls. However, during the times they can't be with her (they're not allowed at band practice, the noise gets them too excited and Papa doesnt want them fireworking near the band equipment) they nestle up with Sprite in Dew's fireplace until the ghouls are finished.

#mac's thoughts #the band ghost #sunshine ghoulette #dr. pepper the sprite #ghouls have sprites #ghost headcanons #mac writes

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zombie-rott · 5 months

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The Driftwood & The Rift; Part II.

Pairing: Mountain X Dew.

Summary:

Not everyone enjoys Yule. Least of all the ministry's favourite fire ghoul. Marred by his sordid past in the pit, Dew locks himself away to begin his yearly tradition, but with Swiss no longer there to control him, things get out of hand. And if he's going to be banished for his shameful behaviour, he might as well tell one of his oldest friends exactly where his feelings lie.

Warnings: Alcohol abuse, blood, injury, ghouls kissing.

A03 Part 1

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The smell of smoke and flesh stung Dew’s nostrils as he watched the flame climbing high above the pyre. Around him, his ghoul-kin (her ghoul-kin) mourned and sobbed with pain so thick it coated the air like a blanket. But Dew couldn’t cry, he wouldn’t cry. Not in front of them .

He took their abuse in his stride, hissing and biting back when he could, but never quite landing a hit. He was much too small and they were all much too big. Yes, even the other kits his age. And as if his runt body wasn’t enough, he was now alone in the pit, without a mother or bloodline to call his own. Just an orphan within a pack of water ghouls, much too obsessed with themselves to give a shit about him.

If Dew stayed sleeping long enough or lost in his daydreaming, he could practically feel the bones breaking beneath his skin, or the scales being ripped from his tail. Dew was their plaything for centuries, an obedient punching bag that screamed and wailed with each hit. He was their pet, always available to starve, kick, and fuck. Oh, how they loved to watch him limping away, tail between his legs but heckles raised and teeth boar; like a wounded cat retreating from a fight.

But, despite all their atrocities, Yule brought time for celebration. Hypocritically speaking. They sat around their table and praised their Gods. They performed their silly rituals, begged Satan to bless their sacred waters and bring them good luck in the next century to come. And while they exchanged their love and thanks to each other, Dew was always left out. He remained on the fringes of this absurd holiday like a leper, looking through the window of a church, begging for acceptance.

His mother had never left him out. She’d always made sure to hold him and hug him, and tell him how much he meant to her. She protected him from the pack. She fought for him to survive tooth and nail, size be damned.

She was the only thing he thought about as he felt his body alight from the inside. Her gaze met his as his blood boiled, and his skin melted. Her voice soothed him as he wailed and pleaded for death, as his hair became singed and all water was purged from his body.

“You have a fire within you, my little sprite. You will ignite!”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Dew was pulled sharply into wakefulness with a shattering crack as his forehead made contact with the stone of his bedroom floor. He roared, the pain reverberating throughout his skull and igniting behind his eyelids. Gingerly, he pushed himself over onto his side. There was a warm sensation trickling down his forehead and the fire ghoul cringed at the realisation that he was possibly bleeding.

Shit.

“Dew? Dewdrop!”

The fire ghoul hissed in the direction of the disembodied voice as he struggled to sit upright against the box spring. His head pounded and throbbed, stars forming before half-lidded eyes. Somewhere in his mind, he searched for the words to shout back, but none came. Only a low whine escaped through his clenched teeth.

“I’m getting help!”

Dew wanted to protest. He wanted to scream at the alien voice, but he could barely open his mouth. All he could do was pull himself across the floor in a frantic panic, through bottles and feathers and glass, towards the bathroom. There, bruised and broken, Dew pulled himself into the shower stall. He rested his head back against the tiles as he struggled to catch his breath.

One. Two. Three.

He tried to get things under control but the pain bloomed and grew with every motion or thought, no doubt elevated by his hangover. Gingerly, he felt around his forehead for the source of the pain and felt the jagged edges of a broken horn, and the unmistakable wetness of blood above his left eyebrow.

“Hey! Dew!?” Swiss’ voice filled the emptiness of Dew’s quarters, accompanied by the hammering of knuckles on the bedroom door, “Dewdrop!”

The fire ghoul pulled himself further inwards.

“We’re coming in!”

There were mummers from the hallway, followed by the din of limbs hitting wood. Dew knew it wouldn’t take them long to break through, and with nowhere left to hide, he found himself backed into a corner. It felt vaguely like being hunted or hiding from his former pack members back in the pit, both feelings he never thought he’d experience again.

“Dew?!” Swiss voice called out, followed by the sound of splintering wood and the heaviness of footfall on stone.

“Satanus…”

“Dewdrop!? Where are you?”

“Are you alright?!

The chaos of noise hurt Dew’s ears. He couldn’t make out the other voices, only that of his best friend, but he was almost certain that Mountain must be amongst them. Who else would they employ to take down a wooden door but the oversized earth ghoul?

Dew heard them stumbling through his bedroom, the sound of glass crunching beneath their feet and bottles being shifted with their toes. They were searching for a sign of life and Dew knew it was only a matter of time before they followed the trail of blood to find him curled up in the corner of his shower caddy.

Like the pathetic runt I am.

It was Swiss who found him. He dropped to his knees and pulled the fire ghoul into his arms with such force and desperation that it made Dew’s head spin.

“ Fuck Dew.” The multi-ghoul cried as he inspected his friend’s battered face,” You’ve really done a number on yourself bud.”

“‘Snot that bad.” Dew managed through gritted teeth.

He wanted to pull away from the unexpected touch, but all strength was gone. He and his body were exhausted from days of drinking muddled with outbursts of emotional incompetence.

“Maybe we should call Aether.” Mountain’s calm and soothing voice suggested.

Dew opened his eyes to survey the scene above him but was blinded by the overhead light. He hissed and shied away, turning his face inwards to Swiss’ chest.

“Not Aether.” He begged meekly, hoping it was enough to deter them.

He felt a strong hand, Mountain he suspected, gently touching his face as he inspected his wounds for severity.

“This horn will need wrapping, but I can do that. And his eyebrow should only need some glue at most. It doesn’t seem deep enough for stitches, it’s just a bleeder is all.”

“I-I can give Aeth a call. Maybe he could drop some glue down to the den?” Rain’s timid voice chirped from somewhere in the doorway.

“Please - “Dew hissed, “ No Aether !”

He’d hate for the quintessence ghoul to see him like this. Aether knew him as the strong spitfire of the group. What would he think if he saw him curled in the arms of his brethren like a wounded kit?

Weakness. Runt.

“But Dew - “ Rain continued.

“No!”

Dew heard Rain whimper, followed by the soothing sound of Mountain’s voice comforting him.

“Leave this to us, Rainy.” the earth ghoul cooed, ”We’ve got him from here.”

“Are you guys sure?”

“Honestly, it’s better if there’s less of us here right now,” Swiss confirmed.

“Can I at least clean up a bit for you?”

“Don’t you fuckin’ touch my shit!” Dew snapped from his place in Swiss’ arms. He attempted to stand but was overcome with dizziness.

Instead, he cracked open his eyes in time to catch the hurt expression on the water ghoul’s face. His lips were pulled downwards into a frown and his eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Dew felt guilt coil in the pit of his stomach and he cursed himself for being so angry.

Why am I like this?

“He doesn’t mean it.” Mountain rose to his feet and pulled the water ghoul into a tight hug. “Why don’t you go and ask Cirrus to help you make us some hot tea?”

“O-okay.” Rain sniffed.

“And why not add some grub too? Something to help line Dew’s stomach.” Swiss added with a slight chuckle.

Mountain ushered Rain out of the bathroom, leaving Dew and Swiss beneath the harsh fluorescent lights. Swiss began to gently rake his fingers through Dew’s hair, his face contorted into an expression that could only be described as pity.

“You need to wash, Dewy.”

“ Hmph .”

“And you’re shivering.”

“ ‘m fine.”

“You’re a fire ghoul, Dewy. You shouldn’t shiver.”

“‘Parently I do…so…”

Swiss sighed and Dew knew he was testing his patience. On any other day, he would bask in this. There was nothing the fire ghoul loved more than causing mischief and playing mind games with his best friend. But even coming down from days of alcohol abuse, Dew knew there was no room for jokes here. No one liked a sad clown after all.

Without warning, Swiss began to pull Dew to his feet. Slow at first, and when the fire ghoul showed cooperation, the momentum continued.

“I’m going to set you up, okay? I just want to get a better look at your head and maybe clean some of this blood.”

Dew winced at the pressure building in his head but allowed the multi-ghoul to manoeuvre him to sit upright on the seat of the toilet. Above him, Swiss busied himself finding a clean cloth to dampen, moving bottles and glass cautiously with his boots. Somewhere beyond the bathroom door Mountain was whispering, but to who, Dew couldn’t make out.

Swiss dropped to his haunches to make a better assessment of the damage. His eyebrows knitted together as he gently patted at the blood caked on Dew’s skin. With only the distant sound of the earth ghoul for company, they fell into a comforting silence, their tails intertwined as an act of comfort.

“Sad to say buddy, but your right horn is fucked.” Swiss uttered, frowning.

Dew nodded his acceptance, focused more on remaining upright than the prospect of life without one of his horns.

“You can live without it, right? Makes you look more badass if you ask me.”

Swiss was trying to make light of the situation and it was painfully obvious. There were so many unspoken things between them, things that weren’t a problem this time last year, things that shouldn’t be a problem now. Dew was angry, he felt abandoned and pushed aside. And, yet, he understood that life moves on and people fall in love. Priorities change and he just hadn’t found his yet. Right?

Maybe Swiss felt it too? The heaviness, the guilt, the anger? Or maybe the current state of the fire ghoul, sorry and broken, was too much for him to bear?

Mountain appeared in the doorway with a blanket slung over his arm and a bottle of water. He exchanged a glance with Swiss, both nodding at some unspoken agreement. Dew’s eyes moved from one ghoul to the other, contemplating the situation. He couldn’t tell if it was the hangover, or the bump to the head, but everything hurt and his mouth tasted like copper.

“Cirrus and Rain brought us tea and something to eat.” Mountain said, his voice hushed and slow, “Can I carry you Dewdrop?”

The giant didn’t wait for a response. Instead, Swiss moved aside and gave him room to scoop the small ghoul into his arms. Dew couldn’t find it in him to protest, his head much too hazy and body much too weak to even attempt it. When they stepped back into his bedroom, the fire ghoul vaguely noticed that the floor had been cleared of all debris, and the stone had even been wiped clear of any blood or feathers.

“You touched my shit…” Dew hissed as Mountain sat him down on freshly changed sheets.

“Yeah, yeah. Here ,” Mountain thrust a bowl of porridge into the fire ghoul’s hands,” Eat this, sparky.”

Dew stared down at the oats and found himself smiling at the berries placed strategically into the shape of a heart. It was so endearing that he almost regretted ruining the careful display with his spoon, but his stomach growled in protest. Once again, he hadn’t realised just how hungry and exhausted he was.

Mountain knelt on his haunches to inspect Dew’s face. His hazel eyes searched the contours and ridges, lingering much too long on the brokenness of the fire ghoul’s left horn and the cut to his eyebrow.

“S’not that bad,” Dew muttered. He dared not look down, his eyes focused exclusively on the corner of his bedroom, rather than risk meeting the ghoul’s beneath him.

“Eat up, please.” Mountain insisted a little more firmly than before. His brows were knitted together in concern and he worried at his bottom lip.

But Dew didn’t dare eat until Mountain was up on his feet again and settling beside him on the solid mattress.

“You’re very lucky we weren’t more persistent with calling Aether, Spark. That horn will never come back in.”

“So Swiss says.” Dew focused on the porridge, “D-did you find the other part?”

Mountain directed Dew’s attention to the dresser. There sat the other piece of his horn, cleaned and sat almost mockingly on top of his box full of hair ties. A sadness pinched at his chest.

“It’s fine. You’ll hurt for a while and you might have a bruise, but you’ll be okay.” Mountain urged, sensing the fire ghoul’s discomfort.

Swiss quietly slinked into the room and took his place in the battered armchair. He nodded briefly to his pack mates before busying himself with tea and a bowl of stew.

They drank and ate their respective snacks in silence, broken only by the howling of the wind or the occasional noise from their pack mates. But even the quiet spoke a thousand words. Dew was painfully aware of the nervous glances shared by the other two ghouls, their ears drawn downwards in an outward display of concern.

“You guys don’t have to stay here.” Dew muttered, “I’m doin’ just fine.”

“Oh yeah. You’re doin’ real well , Dewy.” Swiss scoffed sharply.

Dew felt heat rising from his chest, peeking at the tip of his ears. His best friend’s tone was anything but friendly, and while the fire ghoul understood the root of Swiss’ unpleasantness, he couldn’t help but cower beneath his words.

“Sorry…” Dew whispered, his voice so small it was barely audible.

“Don’t ‘ sorry ’ us, Dewdrop.” Swiss had stopped eating, his face instead pulled into an expression of anger, something seldom seen on the multi-ghoul,” God’s below, I leave you alone for one Yule season and you damn near kill yourself!”

“Swiss -” Mountain warned as he gently squeezed an arm around Dew’s shoulders.

“We get that the holidays are a bad time for you. Mount and I more than anyone understand that.” Swiss continued, his voice breaking and tears sparkling in his eyes. Dew watched as the ghoul’s lips quivered, his stomach turning over in knots with each twitch,” But we can’t watch this anymore. You’re losing it, Dewy, and it’s killing us!”

“Swiss! That’s enough!” Mountain barked pulling Dew close to him,” This is a conversation for another time.”

Instead of arguing, something which Dew very much expected, Swiss took several deep breaths as tears worked their way down his flushed cheeks. Dew could count on one hand the number of times he had witnessed his best friend openly weep, and to think that he was the cause of one such occasion caused his already broken heart to shatter further.

His chest ached. He felt his throat burning and the warming of tears behind his eyes. Then he was weeping too, his face buried into Mountain’s chest as the earth ghoul held him tight against his broad body.

“We love you, man.” Swiss managed through shaky breaths.

Mountain carded his fingers through Dew’s greasy hair, his cheek laid gently against the top of the fire-ghoul’s head.

“It’s true. We all love you, Sparky. All we want to do is help you.”

Dew found himself gripping the fabric of Mountain’s shirt as he brought his full body up onto the earth-ghoul’s lap. He felt like he was drowning in tears and, yet, all he could do was cry. No words came to mind, nor his mouth; just days and weeks of silent memories all wrapped up in heaving sobs.

For a while all that could be heard was the crying of ghouls within Dew’s room, accompanied by the din of the storm outside and the occasional coo of comfort from Mountain. Eventually, Dew uncoiled himself from the giant’s arms, his head blooming with pain and body aching.

Mountain brought his forehead down to meet Dew’s in a comforting bunt, mindful of the wounds. The fire ghoul allowed himself to look into the giant’s hazel eyes, noting the slight puffiness surrounding them.

“Would you like me to stay with you tonight?”

Without hesitation, Dew nodded. He wanted nothing more than to be tucked into the embrace of the gentle earth ghoul. Just like they’d done many times before Copia was Papa, in the front of Terzo’s tour bus. They were some of the most comforting memories he had and he longed to relive them in his time of need.

Dew moved back to the head of his bed and pulled up the duvet. As he slid beneath them, he noted the floral scent of detergent and the softness of the sheets; certainly not his but thankful to whomever they belonged to. The fire ghoul curled up beneath the covers, a purr beginning to settle in his chest as he felt Mountain climb in behind him.

Somewhere in the room Dew could hear Swiss clearing up the dishes. He listened as Cumulus’ soft voice came from the hallway, clearly here to take the cutlery back to the kitchen. But, instead of leaving with his mate, Swiss came to sit beside them on the edge of the mattress.

“Would it be okay if I joined you guys tonight?” He asked almost timidly, as if he were interrupting something he shouldn’t be.

“Please,” Dew answered, shuffling back into Mountain to leave room for his best friend.

Swiss smiled, something Dew had laid eyes on for days and he felt his chest bloom with genuine warmth.

“Thanks, Dewy.” he climbed in, positioning himself in front of Dew where he was better able to bring their foreheads together.

“I promise we won’t leave you again, Sparky.” Mountain purred into Dew’s shoulder, “We’ll always be here for you no matter what.”

With a full belly, a clearer head and within the arms of his ghoul-kin, Dew allowed the tendrils of sleep to pull him ever closer to a dreamless slumber.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

To say Dew’s head felt like thunder was an understatement. Although he awoke between the hollow of both Mountain and Swiss, the fire ghoul felt an incredible weight. His heart was full of love, made possible only by the love of the two creatures who had insisted on sharing his bed, but his stomach was lined with shame and loathing.

He really had done it this time, hadn’t he?

Not only was he to face the wrath of Sister on the first of the new year, but he had pushed away the only pack that had ever treasured and accepted him. Even Papa, a man who tried so hard to play nice, had shown his disappointment.

With a heavy sigh, Dew attempted to untangle himself from the limbs of his bedfellows. Swiss stirred, grumbling under his breath about nothing in particular, while Mountain protested with a low, guttural growl.

“Stay, Sparky. There’s plenty of time ahead of us.” The earth ghoul purred, his voice steeped in slumber.

Dew was going to ignore him and continue his crusade to crawl into the shower to wash away his shame, but Mountain gently wrapped a hand around his wrist, pulling him back towards the space between he and Swiss.

“Please, little spark. Come back to bed.”

Who was Dew to deny the giant further? After all, there was no telling how much longer he had with them on the surface after his meeting with Imperator.

With only residual reluctance, he settled back beneath the comforter, cuddling into the space against Mountain’s chest. The earth ghoul curled his arms around Dew’s small body and rested his head into the hollow of his shoulder.

“So warm.” Mountain whispered, his breath tickling the fire ghoul’s neck,”’ missed cuddling you like this, Sparky.”

Dew didn’t answer, he just allowed himself to purr softly. His shame couldn’t outplay the joy he felt at being held again, especially in the large arms of his favourite earth spirit. And to have his best friend lay on his other side, forehead to forehead? It felt like a dream if it weren’t for the persistent ache behind his eyes reminding him of his week-long binge.

It wasn’t long before they fell back into a deep slumber, intertwined within each other’s bodies. Cumulus was the one to rouse them several hours later with the gesture of coffee and multiple rounds of toasted nut loaf.

“It’s a pity to break up such a precious scene.” She smiled as she offered a steaming mug to her mate, “But it’s almost ten thirty and I know how Mountain hates to sleep in so late.”

“Thank you, Lus.” The earth ghoul said, reaching for his and Dew’s respective mugs.

Cumulus had been meticulous in her preparation of their morning beverages, going so far as to ensure it was prepared in Dew’s favourite mug; black with a little cartoon devil and the slogan ‘ Sometimes I even Scare Myself ’. The fire-ghoul wrapped his hands around the porcelain and felt a smile tug at the edges of his lips for the first time in what felt like months.

“Thanks.” He uttered, his eyes meeting the air ghoul’s baby blues only briefly. He found himself scared to linger for fear of what he might find; Would it be worry or pity?

Cumulus settled herself next to Swiss, now sitting at the foot of the bed practically inhaling his breakfast. She took the time to offer some of the loaf to Dew, only to be met with a curt shake of the fire ghoul’s head. Before she could insist, however, Mountain stepped in. He took four slices, two for himself and two for Dew, and balanced them on his knee, well within the fire ghoul’s reach.

“I slaved over this nut loaf for a day and a half just to get the right amount of cinnamon and raisins.” Mountain warned, “I’ll be deeply offended if you don’t eat it!”

“Better chow down or suffer the wrath of our resident kitchen witch!” Swiss joked, waving a finger in Dew’s direction.

Dew forced a chuckle and decided that it was easier to give in and eat than to fight back against his ghoul-kin. Especially those who played such a crucial role within his inner circle. He began to break the toasted bread into small pieces, ignoring how Cumulus protested the crumbs littering the sheets and began to eat. And eat. And eat. Until there was nothing left and yet his stomach begged for more.

He was onto his fourth slice before Mountain stopped him.

“Maybe that’s enough Dew. You’ve not eaten a lot of over the last few days and we don’t want to be dealing with a stomach ache.”

“No, not with the ritual tonight,” Cumulus added.

Dew’s heart fell. He’d forgotten about the ritual. He felt the familiar prick of anxiety blooming across his scalp and down his spine. There was no way he could face the full force of his pack, let alone hundreds of sisters and brothers of sin. Even masked, he knew it would feel like all eyes were on him for missing the Yule celebration. Especially the beady, wretched stare of Sister.

His empty mug safely set to the side, Dew was free to bury his head in his hands as he struggled to catch his breath.

“ Fuck. I forgot about the ritual.” He groaned into his palms.

Dew felt Mountain stretch an arm around his shoulders, and the touch of one of his other ghoul-kin upon his ankle. From the tepid, dainty fingers, he knew it was Cumulus.

“It’ll be alright, sweety. I’m sure it’s just like any other ritual.” The air ghoul cooed softly.

“No, it won’t! I missed the last one and everyone’s going to stare because they know I’m fucked -”

“Don’t be silly. No one will even know.”

“That bitch is going to banish me to the pit tomorrow and she’s probably told everyone!” Dew cried. He carded his hands through his hair roughly, brittle strands breaking away between his fingers.

Cumulus looked from the fire ghoul to his comrades, her ears pinned against her head and features etched with concern.

“Let us handle this, Lus.” Swiss whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek, “Why don’t you go hang out with the others, yeah? We’ve got this.”

Wordlessly, Cumulus patted Dew’s knee before gathering the dishes and leaving the room. All the while, Dew attempted to catch his breath while Mountain hugged him closely against his side.

“What’s happened, Dewy?” Swiss asked.

Dew curled inwards against the earth ghoul, his arms tucked tightly against his chest and fangs biting into his closed fist. Swiss reached forward and gently pulled the marred hand from the fire ghoul’s mouth.

“What do you mean that Sister is going to banish you tomorrow? Is this about your chat with Papa?”

“Y-yes.” Dew choked, “I-I missed the Yule ritual.”

A look of realisation flashed across Swiss’ face, and somewhere above Dew, Mountain let out a soft but audible gasp.

“Oh.” Was all the multi-ghoul could say, his mouth rounded into the shape of the syllable and remaining so for some time as he chose his next words.

“She won’t banish you, Sparky,” Mountain interjected. He soothed the fire-ghoul with a broad hand stroking up and down his back, “You’re much too special to send down below.”

“Yeah, Dew! He’s right! Why would they put you through your transition only to banish you for one slip-up?” Swiss agreed enthusiastically.

“Papa made it clear that all ghouls, especially those involved in the current Ghost project, are expected to attend key rituals throughout the year. You can’t just miss one and get away with it.” Dew whined in protest. He didn’t want to be coddled over this, nor did he want excuses or his hopes to be renewed. This was a monster of his own making.

“I’m sure it won’t be without consequence, Dew. But banishment? That’s a bit far, don’t you think?” Mountain cooed, placing a soft kiss on the top of the fire ghoul’s head, “Why don’t I go with you tomorrow? I’d be more than happy to fight your corner.”

Dew felt like a kit again hiding behind his mother’s legs as their pack alpha raged about his behaviour. It was a helpless feeling steeped in thick, shameful undertones. The last thing he wanted was to be transported back to a place where he needed saving, and for his foolish actions no less.

“It’s my fault,” He sniffed,” and I need to accept the punishment no matter what it is. I can’t always have you guys or, Satan-forbid, Papa coming to my aid.”

“I insist, my little spark.” the earth-ghoul pulled Dew close enough to bunt their foreheads together “We’re a pack, and we face things as one. And I’d very much like to be the voice of this little family if you’ll allow it.”

Dew briefly glanced at Swiss who nodded his approval.

“But Papa will be there too.”

“The more the merrier.”

Dew briefly glanced at Swiss who nodded his approval.

“A-alright.”

“Mountain and Papa will do right by you, Dewy. You’ve got nothing to worry about except for maybe a few extra chores. That’s it.” Swiss said, reaching forward to rub circles into Dew’s shoulder, “We’ve got you, man.”

If he were entirely honest with himself, the fire ghoul felt relieved. He knew that Mountain would bring a calming presence and that Papa would do anything to protect his ghouls, Dew included. For the first time since Yule began, hope was breaking through the dark canopy he’d become buried beneath.

“I-I don’t know how I can repay you guys for this. I’ve been nothing but an asshole the last few days.” Dew sniffed as he uncoiled himself from Moutain’s grasp to sit back against his headboard.

“You can get yourself cleaned up for a start,” Swiss laughed,” And then join us for a cuddle pile before the ritual tonight. I’m pretty sure Cirrus and Sunshine had a movie planned for us before dinner tonight.”

“And you haven’t even experienced the fire this year. It’s always your favourite.” Mountain added.

Dew thought about the pleasure of hot coals in his hands and the smell of charred wood lingering in the air. The image of his ghoul-kin spread across their living room, each wrapped in their blankets and various fabrics brought a smile to the edges of his lips. Satan, how he had missed them over the last few days.

“Will there be hot chocolate?” De asked.

Swiss and Mountain shared a chuckle.

“Are you kidding, dude? There’s always hot chocolate.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The pack welcomed Dew into their fold with open arms. He fell into each of them, accepting their touch as if no time had passed. It was as if he hadn’t spent the better part of a week screaming profanities through a door and isolating himself from their love. As Dew moved from ghoul to ghoul, each one bunting their forehead with his and emitting soft purrs, he couldn’t help but think about how, exactly , he had come to deserve such a wonderful group of friends.

No. Family.

They insisted on making Dew a plate of leftovers and even allowed him to pick their first movie of the afternoon. It wasn’t until Dew laid eyes on the nest that Phantom and Rain had carefully curated for him that he found himself fighting back tears.

The ghouls took it in turns to curl up next to Dew. Phantom was first, falling asleep five minutes into ‘ Die Hard ’, his head on Dew’s chest. He was followed by Rain who took over mid-way through, also succumbing to the whispers of sleep. All the while, Cumulus sat behind the fire ghoul as she brushed and braided his hair, readying him for the ritual tonight. It was only when they began their second movie, a musical chosen by Sunshine, that Mountain took to the floor and pulled Dew in between his legs. The smaller ghoul purred as the giant held him tightly, their fingers intertwining. It was finally Dew’s turn to fall asleep, his body curled against Moutains and a piece of smouldering coal in his mouth.

It felt like mere minutes had passed when the fire ghoul was being gently awoken by Mountain carrying him to his bedroom.

“I’m afraid it’s time to get ready for the ritual.” The giant cooed softly so as not to startle the stirring ghoul too much.

Dew buried his head in Mountain’s shirt, taking in his scent and treasuring it. His meeting with Imperator was front and center in his mind, anxiety crawling through his body and settling deep within his stomach. The giant’s scent may be all he has left after tomorrow’s meeting, and he wanted to file it safely away within his memories.

Mountain placed him gently on the floor and instructed him to start getting into his uniform. The earth ghoul had already laid the garments out on the bed next to his own, and they both began to ready themselves for the evening ahead. They helped each other with complicated buckles, and unruly buttons and Mountain even worked to secure Dew’s braids beneath his helmet.

“It feels like no time has passed since we were getting ready to stand before thousands of on stage next to Copia,” Dew remarked as Mountain adjusted the skull-shaped woggle of his neckerchief.

“That’s because it hasn’t.” The earth ghoul chuckled.

“What - what if I never get to do it again?”

“Dew -” Mountain placed his hands on Dew’s shoulders, his eyes boring into the fire ghoul’s through the glass of his googles, “You will. Papa will make sure of it. Please try to set that aside for tonight and let’s go enjoy the first footing, yeah?”

With a slight nod and a soft response, Dew allowed Mountain to guide him to the living area where the rest of the pack was waiting on them. The giant’s hand never left Dew’s shoulder, the warmth and slight squeeze of his fingers creating a comforting aura. But no amount of comfort could shift the catastrophising from building in the fire ghoul’s mind.

This could be the last time they all sit together in mass. Or the last night he has to spend with his pack. What if this were the last chance he had to see the other ghoul-kin he had come to know and love from around the ministry? Dew swallowed thick, acidic bile as his stomach flipped and churned.

It was Phantom running into the room, neckerchief barely intact and mask in his hand, that broke the fire ghoul from his spiral. He watched on as Swiss got to work on straightening their younger member out.

“Are we all ready to go?” The multi ghoul asked as he tightened the straps on Phantom’s waistcoat.

With resounding agreement and a ‘ let’s go ghouls ’ from Cirrus, the pack made their way to the ministry chapel. All the while, Mountain’s hand never left Dew’s shoulder. And as they slid into their designated pew, it instead came to rest around his own, the calloused thumb softly caressing the fire ghoul’s knuckles.

The chapel slowly filled around them, siblings, ghoul-kin and clergy all piling in to take their seats. There was a steady haze of chattering, some stopping to talk to the pack and exchange well wishes for the year to come. Swiss stretched himself over the pews to shake hands with Aether, Omega and Alpha, while Mountain nodded towards his greenhouse group situated at the back of the hall. All the while Dew sunk closer to the giant’s side, his grip on the earth ghoul’s hand growing steadily tighter.

The din of the organ created a silence across the hall signalling the beginning of mass. Papa, adorned in his robes and swinging the incense-filled thurble, made his way up the center of the pews, followed closely by Papa Primo, Secundo and Terzo, each wearing their own vestments.

Dew watched on as the clergyman passed off his instruments to one of the siblings and took his rightful place at the pulpit. It was there that Copia took a second to glance across the hall, his hands outstretched and face stoic. Only when his eyes landed on Dew and his fellow pack did a soft smile pinch at the corners of his lips.

“Good evening siblings, ghouls and esteemed members of the clergy. Welcome to our annual first-footing mass.” the clergyman announced in his heavy Italian accent, “I am most happy to see you all here tonight, ready to step together into the new year. I promise I will not keep you long as I am sure many of you wish to party and the like. But I would like to take some time this evening to talk about reflection during the yule season, si ?”

Dew’s ears perked up beneath the mask as Papa’s eyes, once again, met his among the crowd. Beside him, Mountain renewed his grip on the fire ghoul’s hand.

“Yule can be a time for joy and celebration. We come together as one to show our love and devotion, not only to each other but to our dark lord. But, i miei fratelli e sorelle , it is also important to remember that there are those of us that find Yule to be very difficult. Grief, loneliness, illness; there are so many reasons why one may struggle. And what happens when we are in pain, mio amicos ? We become angry and sad, and we might even push away the ones who treasure us the most.”

Papa’s words cut through Dew’s chest like a knife. He knew that the sermon was meant for everyone, but the ghoul couldn’t help but feel that it was written with him in mind. And then there was the way the clergyman’s eyes kept lingering on he and his pack, a subtle smile dimpling his cheeks. With every word, Dew found himself having to fight back tears, not wanting to be found crying in a room full of his kin.

“While we may feel lost in the darkness,” Copia continued, “We must remember the light around us. It comes in many forms, mio amicos . It can be found in our friends and family, in the small joy of a warm fire or cup of cocoa, in the animals we keep as pets and even the smell of freshly baked cookies, something I very much enjoy.” Papa chuckled, patting his stomach. A soft laugh resounded through the church, “No matter how bleak things feel, we must reflect on and remember those who have helped us survive such darkness. We must remember those that are no longer with us, and honor them by moving forward, forever holding them close within our memories. The first footing, while largely about new beginnings, is also about remembering the path we have taken to get here. As we close our sermon for this evening and go our separate ways, I want you all as siblings and ghouls alike to reflect on yourselves. Look how far you have all come. Look at the challenges you have faced and conquered. The light is awaiting us in this new unfolding year and it is up to us to move boldly towards it.”

Copia stood forward in front of the pulpit and raised his arms to the side. He welcomed members of the congregation to begin their countdown to the new year. Behind him, the ornate Monstrance clock, its dark wood ordained in a mixture of gold and silvers, ticked down to midnight.

Mountain pulled Dew up to stand alongside the rest of the attendees. The giant slung his arm around the fire ghoul’s shoulder as he joined in with the countdown. Cumulus curled into Swiss’ side, Rain pulled Phantom close to him and Sunshine and Cirrus held their hands high to the sky. Celebration erupted around them all as the clock struck midnight and, in a whirlwind, Mountain pulled Dew into a tight hug.

“Happy new year, little spark.” He whispered from beneath his mask.

Dew, caught in a flurry of emotion, didn’t respond. He didn’t so much as return the hug. This was it, a new year and a new chance. If he survived his meeting with the sister tomorrow, he swore, there in the unholy place of his dark lord, that things were going to change. This was the last year he spent wallowing in his self-pity when he should have been in the loving embrace of his pack.

Dew felt another one of his pack curl themselves around his back, and then another to his side, and soon the entire pew was wrapped around the pair. They purred into each other’s bodies, a melody of their love and devotion to not only the fire ghoul but each other.

They didn’t stay like that for long, too much excitement for the night ahead, but as the other ghouls slowly untethered themselves, Dew felt a helmet bunt against his.

“We love you Dew, never forget that,” Swiss whispered, before patting him strongly on the back and retreating to join the remainder of their kin.

Mountain, of course, was the last to let go. He brought his firm, weather-worn hands up to cup either side of Dew’s mask.

“You’ve always got us to turn to. As long as we’re top-side, we’ll be here for you.”

“You guys are too good to me.” Dew choked out, his voice marred by the tears caught in his throat.

From behind them, Swiss cleared his throat as he readied himself to rally the troops.

“Alright, guys!” The multi-ghoul bellowed, determined to get his evening started,” I think it’s time to celebrate! Who’s joining me for the party in B wing?”

Dew didn’t hear through a chorus of replies, but he was willing to bet Rain was front and centre, followed closely by Cirrus and Sunshine, both notorious for a celebration. Cumulus, however, would only attend to keep Swiss under control, while Phantom would opt out, choosing to be somewhere quieter.

All the while Dew, who would normally be jumping at the chance to crash a party, was more than happy to share an evening with Mountain. No matter the activities, they’d be happy together.

The pack began to mix in with the crowd, chattering to other kin and siblings as they went, each wishing the other a happy new year and discussing their plans for the evening. Mountain and Dew lingered behind, taking their time instead of pushing their way to the chapel doors. Around them, the space gradually cleared until the hall was left with only a few stray siblings and clergy-folk. It was then, as they moved slowly towards the ornate double doors that they were met by Copia and Phantom. The little quint gently patted Dew’s shoulder and nodded his head in a silent act of acknowledgement. But Copia all but engulfed him in his arms, bringing his painted forehead to softly bunt between the horns of Dew’s helmet. It was a habit he’d picked up from years of watching the ghouls interact and the pack always appreciated the familiar gesture.

“Dew, diavolino ,” Copia took Dew’s hands within his own, one on top of the other, “I am very glad to see you here tonight. I was becoming worried that you would not make it.”

“I-I couldn’t possibly miss it.” He tried to laugh it off, tried not to show the wretched feeling of anxiety and shame coiling inside him.

“And how have you been?”

Dew contemplated his answer. He couldn’t fool the man, that much was apparent, but there were some aspects of the last few days that he’d rather not share with the Papa. Not here in the crowded ritual hall, nor the privacy of a confessional.

“I’m much better now, and just want to get tomorrow’s meeting over with.”

Moutainatin squeezed Dew’s shoulder, a small, silent gesture of support.

“Ah, si. Domani .” Copia sighed, “Worry not, diavolino . I will be there to fight in your corner. Sister and I have already had quite the discussion, and while she is as wicked as always on the subject of rules and regulations, she is willing to hear your side.”

“And I will be there too if it’s not too much to ask Papa,” Mountain added.

“Of course, amico . You are more than welcome.”

“ Grazie. ”

They discussed further details, such as the time of the hearing and what to wear, before Papa bid Dew and the earth ghoul goodnight. Around them, the crowd had already begun to dissipate, including their fellow pack members. After saying their goodbyes to other siblings and ghoul kin, both Mountain and Dew began to make their way back to the den.

The moon was high, covered slightly by clouds and flutters of snow as it fell softly to the ground. Their walk was steeped largely in a comfortable silence. A silence only found in two old friends who had long since passed their awkwardness. The only sound was the scuff of their shoes against the flagstones and the distance chatter of siblings and ghouls heading off to celebrate.

“Sounds like they’re off to have some fun.” Dew chuckled, referring to the squeals of delight emitted by a pack of siblings off to do Satan-knows-what in their dorms.

“It does.” Mountain answered,” Perhaps we should have some fun too? It might help you relax before tomorrow?”

Beneath his helmet, Dew raised an eyebrow at the earth-ghoul’s suggestion.

“What had you in mind?”

Read the rest here

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xxwhiskeyxx · 11 months

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WHISKEYYYY

I came up with a story idea that made me tear up

Angst/fluff with Aether and Ghoul!reader(afab or gn, idc) if you're OK with that

Basically reader and aether were married in a past life, they died tragically by one another's sides before being born again as ghouls in the pit

Now they have a rivalry going on until aether recognizes readers singing

Angst

Fluff

AUQGWGQGWGWG

(This totally wasn't based off that one scene from how to train your dragon two with stoic and valka)

BUT LIKE-

Hello, my dear Tree, I apologize for this taking so long. Life has been a bitch and I just finally found the time and motivation to complete your request!

I loved this concept. I'm not sure if I got all the angst you wanted but I didn't want this to be 3 days long like a lot of my fics tend to be. Now I did include the song you were talking about because I absolutely adore it!

Basically, Aether and YN were Vikings in the 1500s, married with some rugrats. How they died is up to you, but I personally think they died trying to save the other

Listen to this when you get to the singing part!

-Love Whiskey <3

‘This is the last fucking straw, that little imp of a Multi has gotten on my last nerve and they’re gonna learn not to mess with my guitar!’ Aether thought as he stormed through the abbey in search of his victim.

Mirage, the newest summon to the band, brought forth from the Pit to be a backstage roadie and as a possible stand-in for one of the band ghouls if the need comes to light. But while everyone else in the band had fallen in love with the spritely little ghoul, even the ever-grumpy Dewdrop had succumbed to their charms and become their best friend. It seemed to be their life’s mission to make Aether’s life a living hell. Constantly hiding his picks, Bluetooth amp cord, helmet, left shoes, stealing food he had placed in the fridge to eat later, and had even marked with his name, his spot at the table that he had always sat at since even during Terzo’s time, and other irritable actions that left the large ghoul reeling and annoyed.

Today though, Mirage had gone a step too far. On a dare from Swiss, they had messed with the tuning on Aether’s guitar, turning them every which direction but had ended up accidentally leaving his E string so tight that the moment he tried to fix it, it snapped and then the Quint ghoul had to spend 15 minutes finding new strings and restringing his guitar then finish tuning his guitar while the others played without him. Mirage, sensing they fucked up when they heard the deep snarl of annoyance from the stage, had slinked out of the practise room as soon as possible and is currently hiding with a plan to wait out Aether’s rage before apologizing.

Stomping into the common room, he spots Swiss lounging nonchalantly on the couch with a purring Rain in his lap, watching some random tv show about fish. “Where are they?” Aether huffs, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Swiss doesn’t even look at him, “Who?” he asks boredly, scratching between Rain’s horns. Aether gives a low growl, “You know damn well who I am looking for?” Swiss groans, pausing the tv show to Rain’s discretion, “If you mean Miri because they messed with your guitar and made it pop, then no. I’m telling you because you’re just gonna go yell at them over a mistake. If you’re gonna yell at someone, yell at me because I’m the one who dared them to do it. They only twisted it twice. We didn’t realize you had it that tight to begin with” he defends the younger ghoul, tired of seeing Aether and them bicker.

Ever since they had been summoned, the little Multi was a flirty trickster just like Swiss and had seemed to have developed a little crush on Aether. That’s why they pranked and teased him so much. But for whatever reason, Aether always was ticked off by the little ghoul for whatever reason and it usually ended with Mirage getting reprimanded or yelled at by the older ghoul.

Aether rolls his eyes, “You know damn well that little imp is always messing with me, this was a step too far. Sitting in my seat and stealing my shoes is one thing, this interfered with practice! You know how Copia gets when we have to sit out for any amount of time, he got upset with me until I told him what had happened, he’s the one who told me to find Mirage. Now, tell me where the fuck they are before I hide your vape and pods” Swiss’ eyes widen, Aether was serious about that, the last time this happened he lost them for 2 months and had bought a new one when Aether had dropped his old one on the table in front of him; all because he had teased him in front of the audience at a Ritual.

Swiss huffs, “Fine, they're in that little practice room that Mountain uses to practice. Just leave my shit alone” Aether nods, beginning to storm down the hallway when Rain calls after him, “Hey Aeth,” the large ghoul turns and raises a brow, “Please don’t yell at them, they really didn’t mean too…They hate when you yell at them, it makes them cry'' the Water ghoul’s request makes his widen. Aether never realized that whenever he would scold them that it would make them cry, they always seemed so uncaring and nonchalant. The rhythm guitarist sighs, “I won’t yell…but I am still gonna give them a punishment” he says and with that, he is heading down the hallway towards where the little practice room Mountain will sometimes spend his nights in if he can’t sleep.

As he gets near the room, he realizes that they didn’t fully close the door because he can hear something musical, but when he gets closer he begins to make out words

“...ride the waves of life

If you will marry me

No scorching sun

Nor freezing cold

Will stop me on my journey

If you will promise me your heart

And love me for eternity…”

It feels like his heart stops beating in his chest. Aether had not heard that song since he was human. His spouse during that stage of his existence would sing that to him all the time, to their children, they would perform it together at social gatherings where he’d play a guitar and they’d sing it as a duet. They had made it up specifically for him after they had met during a siege of their village and different aspects of how their relationship until proposing to him with it

Creeping closer, he feels tears welling in his eyes as he sees the little Multi singing and dancing with their eyes closed,

“My dearest one, my darling dear,

Your mighty words astound me

But I've no need of mighty deeds

When I feel your arms around me!”

They begin to spin slowly in a circle and as his part comes up, they deepen their voice comically and it almost sounds like…oh, they're mimicking his voice?

“But I would bring you rings of gold

I'd even sing you poetry (Oh would you)

And I would keep you from all harm!

If you would stay beside me!”

Turning and acting as if lecturing someone, the smile on their face grows,

“I have no use for rings of gold,

I care not for your poetry,

I only want your hand to hold

I only want you near me!

To love, to kiss!

To sweetly hold!”

They begin to spin faster as they speed up the words,

“For the dancing and the dreaming!

Through all life's sorrows and delights!

I'd keep your love beside me!

I'll swim and sail on savage seas

With ne'er a fear of drowning,

And gladly ride the waves of life

If you will marry me!”

They hold out the last note until he can’t stand it anymore and opens the door. Jumping, they stare at him for a moment before they immediately launch into apologies as he slowly walks towards them, “Oh, Aether, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to make your string pop, I didn’t realize it was that tight. I am so sorry, I swear, I’ll buy you enough bananas to last three human lifetimes. Just do-” they’re cut off when he yanks them into a hug.

“You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you..” he whispers, shoulders shuddering as he releases the tears he had been holding. “Wha..what do you mean Aeth? You didn’t know me in the pi-” Aether cups their face and places his thumb over their lips, just as he used to in their human life, but then he’d finish it with a kiss over his thumb. “I know it’s you, (Y/N)...you were singing our song” he whispers

Mirage stares at him, or well as he knows them, (Y/N), “I…you remember me?” they ask, voice shaking as if they’re also on the verge of tears. He nods, “I..I would think of you late at night and when I was in the Pit. I convinced myself that such a wonderful creature like you would never end up there like me but…here you are. I just, didn’t recognize you…I’m sorry” he whispers

Indeed, their formerly (H/C) locks turned (Whatever color you want) and their (E/C) had become rose gold with a hint of a metallic sheen of the former color surrounding the iris. “Yeah…after we…died, I thought that’s where I belonged because of what happened. So that’s where I ended up” They shrug. Taking a deep breath, “I am so sorry for being so hard on you…you would just..it reminded me of you and it pissed me off because I missed you so badly and it felt as if the dark lord was toying with me. Can you ever forgive me” he whispers, cupping their cheeks and leaning their foreheads together

Smiling, (Y/N) cups his own and presses their lips to their husband’s. it was a kiss filled with all of the longing, love, affection, and need that had accumulated over the years. Clinging to one another as if they would be ripped away if they let up for even a moment, Aether lifts them and wraps their legs tightly around his waist so they can be closer together

After a few minutes, (Y/N) pulls away, the Quint ghoul whining and trying to follow but is shushed by the same move he had done on them earlier, this time including the kiss and that shit-eating grin he loves so much, “Does that answer your question?”

#whiskey's burbling barrel #aether x reader #aether ghoul #ghost band #nameless ghouls #ghost band x reader #rivals to lovers #they were married before dammit!#Aether my nanner boy #gender neautral reader #barely any use of yn

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