#mountain and aether struggle to accept dewdrop for his element change

[justrandomghoul]

Swiss x Dewdrop: I Would Never, Ever Hurt You

The post that started it all

Angst, hurt/comfort

I made some changes to the original idea, but the idea somewhat stayed the same.

Dewdrop is struggling with the changes of his new element and packmates.

Dewdrop hid at his sanctuary, the ministry's roof, where he could be alone and not be bothered by anyone. He had been going there almost every night ever since his elemental transition. Mountain and Aether had been treating him as if he were a ghost that they couldn't see haunting the halls of the place they once called home. It no longer felt like home since their packmates were banished to the pits and the loss of their Papa.

He felt like he had no other choice: either accept the transition or have his mates be banished...or worse. Dewdrop couldn't bring himself to finish that thought. Despite his sacrifice and weeks of agony, his mates treated him with such coldness. After he recovered, he went into the greenhouse to talk to Mountain and help out like he used to as a water ghoul. Mountain screamed at him to get out and that Dewdrop would set the place ablaze. Dewdrop burst into tears and quickly fled the greenhouse, seeking refuge in his room for the remainder of the day.

Aether also behaved differently; he wouldn't raise his voice at Dewdrop, but he acted as if Dewdrop had died and that Aether was in mourning despite Dewdrop standing next to him. As they did the dishes, he told Dewdrop that he wished Dewdrop hadn't made it and that the fire ghoul was just the shell of the one he used to love. It devastated Dewdrop. He was alive and right next to his mate, but his mate refused to believe that his mate was right there. Aether would watch the fire ghoul with such sadness and devastation that it would make a vengeful spirit weep.

The Cardinal showed kindness to the newly transitioned fire ghoul. He had been taking care of him like his packmates should. The Cardinal saw to it that Dewdrop was well-fed and that his room was kept at a cold temperature to prevent Dewdrop from overheating himself. He also insisted that Dewdrop called him 'Copia' and not by his title since "they are going to work together after all". After Dewdrop finally confided in Copia about the treatment he had been receiving from his mates, Copia berated Mountain and Aether for the treatment of their packmate, who went through weeks of agony for them.

Then the Summoning took place. Sister Imperator ordered the Cardinal to summon a new water ghoul and two air ghouls. Dewdrop watched as they summoned a water ghoul. When the water ghoul appeared, it made Dewdrop ache. The water ghoul was perfect, not a single imperfection on him. He introduced himself as 'Rain' to his future packmates. Dewdrop didn't hate Rain, but the ghoul before him unknowingly triggered a sadness of who he used to be. He used to be beautiful, and now everything he used to be was burned away. Then the air ghouletts were summoned. They were mated and protective of each other. The way they refused to leave each other's embrace made Dewdrop smile; it was sweet in a weird way to watch. They introduced each other as 'Cirius' and 'Cumulus'.

But then something unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, the portal opened again and revealed a multi-ghoul. He trailed not far behind the ghouletts, essentially hitching a ride. A multi-ghoul was extremely rare to encounter, and summoning one was even more so. Dewdrop froze as the multi-ghoul turned his gaze to him, his warm brown eyes reflecting what made Dewdrop feel vulnerable, but didn't feel threatened. The multi-ghoul introduced himself as 'Swiss' and was welcomed with open arms.

After the new arrivals settled in, Dewdrop observed from the sidelines as they interacted with Mountain and Aether, leaving the fire ghoul to himself. He got the hint that he wasn't welcome and left the den feeling dejected. Every day, Dewdrop saw how everyone interacted with one another as if they had been packmates for a long time. They treated Dewdrop as if he wasn't there or that they forgot about him. It caught the attention of Swiss. He saw how lonely the fire ghoul was and how the pack treated him. It made him furious, and from that point on, he swore to himself that he would protect Dewdrop and make sure that he felt loved.

It started as something small, such as helping Dewdrop when he was left to do the dishes. Dewdrop was silent as he cleaned a plate; his long hair hid his face. Swiss wordlessly grabbed a towel and started drying the dishes that Dewdrop had cleaned. Dewdrop turned and looked up at Swiss in surprise. Swiss turned and looked at Dewdrop before smiling at him and continued drying the dish. Dewdrop was silently thankful for his help, but didn't understand why Swiss bothered.

Since then, Swiss began to assist Dewdrop whenever possible. He wordlessly helped the smaller ghoul carry equipment, helped him with his daily tasks that would take the fire ghoul too long to complete, and included him with whatever leisurely thing the pack was doing after a long day of practice and chores. Mountain and Aether continued to distance themselves from Dewdrop, even going as far as protecting Rain from him, despite Dewdrop having no ill feelings towards the water ghoul. After weeks of neglect from Mountain and Aether, Dewdrop gave up and decided to protect his heart from being broken again.

He was so tired of being ignored and sometimes being yelled at by those who used to love him, which is why he took refuge at his sanctuary, a place where no one could hurt him. Feeling utterly defeated, Dewdrop lowered his head and hugged his knees to his chest. The ghosts of his pack plagued his broken mind and heart. He longed for Ifrit's fearless nature and tender heart, yearned for Zephyr's gentle voice and embraces, and most of all, he missed the love Mountain and Aether used to have for him. What he did for them, he did out of love, but they were too overwhelmed by grief and anger to see that.

Dewdrop was about to allow himself to cry when he felt someone behind him, causing him to gasp and turn his head to the presence. He turned and saw Swiss standing hesitantly in front of the window Dewdrop climbed through.

Swiss smiled as he spoke apologetically, "I apologize for disturbing you. I had no idea you were here. I heard that we can see the stars more clearly this time of the year, and I wanted to see them for myself." He hesitated before speaking up again. "Would it be alright if I joined you?"

Dewdrop smiled half-heartedly and patted at a spot next to him. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Swiss grinned and sat down next to the fire ghoul, barely touching him. Dewdrop avoided the multi-ghoul's gaze by looking down at the weather-worn tiles. He didn't want to be rude, but he didn't want to be close to Swiss.

Swiss must've felt Dewdrop's uneasiness, because he politely looked away to look up at the stars. He spoke in wonder, "It's so beautiful up here. You could get lost just by trying to find a single constellation." He turned to look at Dewdrop who refused to look up. "I could get lost finding you."

Dewdrop turned to look at Swiss. His expression betrayed the confusion and vulnerability he felt.

Swiss looked back at Dewdrop before continuing, "You're as bright and beautiful as the North Star."

Dewdrop blushed and looked away. "You have no idea what you're talking about." He insisted.

Swiss dared himself before moving a bit closer to him without touching him. He smiled as he spoke, "I may be new, but I've been around and I know beauty when I see it."

Dewdrop felt tempted to stand up and leave, but couldn't bring himself to, as he felt the multi-ghoul's genuineness and decided to hear him out. He barely spoke above a whisper as he spoke, "If you saw who I used to be, you wouldn't be saying that."

Swiss frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Dewdrop couldn't meet his gaze and decided to look at Swiss's shoes to avoid his eyes as he spoke. "I'm not who I used to be. I used to be beautiful...like Rain." He shakily took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not a fire-born. I used to be a water ghoul. I used to be beautiful. They decided that I wasn't good enough and that I had to meet their expectations. They took away our pack and I sacrificed myself to keep Mountain and Aether safe."

He wiped a tear away before continuing, "I gave up myself to save them and in return, they act like I died...they act like I'm not here." He sounded defeated. "They would rather mourn who I used to be rather than to accept what I've become."

Swiss hesitated before gently placing his hand on top of the smaller ghoul's. Dewdrop couldn't bring himself to pull away; he missed the gentle comfort. When Swiss saw that Dewdrop didn't reject him, he gently ran his thumb across Dewdrop's knuckles to comfort him. "You changed elements? I-I didn't think that was possible. How...did it..."

Dewdrop sounded pained as he spoke. "It was painful. I felt like I was dying and I guess a part of me did. I had no choice, I had to do it to save them. We had already lost so much and I couldn't bear to lose anyone else. I did what I had to do...and I guess they resent me for it."

Swiss was too horrified to say anything. He had a feeling that something happened that caused a shift in the pack dynamic, but he had no idea of the pain the fire ghoul went through to protect the pack. He wanted to throw punches at Mountain and Aether. How dare they treat their pack member like that after all he did for them to keep them safe? How dare they add more pain? Swiss anchored himself to not lose himself in his anger.

Dewdrop touched his neck where his gills used to be. The black lines that now adorn his neck. Swiss's eyes watered as he saw the scars he never noticed before. He wanted to kiss them away. Dewdrop saw that Swiss was looking at the scars. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I know, it's not a pretty sight to see."

Swiss slowly raised his hand, checking to see if Dewdrop would pull away. When Dewdrop gave no indication that he objected to his touch, Swiss gently tucked Dewdrop's hair away from his face behind his ear and caressed his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating from the ghoul. He couldn't bring himself to speak above a whisper, as if he feared that if he spoke any louder, Dewdrop would vanish. "You're beautiful."

Dewdrop's expression turned into shock. He couldn't bring himself to speak.

Swiss took his silence as permission to continue. "You're as beautiful as the morning sun."

He couldn't bring himself to speak above a whisper. "Like the sun, I burn everything around me."

Swiss slowly leaned closer. "Like the sun, you shine."

Dewdrop slowly leaned in, mirroring Swiss. "Like the sun, I'm painful to look at."

Swiss leaned closer, their lips barely touching. "Like the sun, I embrace your warmth."

Dewdrop closed the remaining distance between them. A soft gasp escaped from his lips as they kissed. Swiss wrapped his arms protectively around Dewdrop, wanting nothing more than to protect his sun. Dewdrop gently cupped Swiss's face in his hands. The gentle touches felt like small suns. After a few heartbeats, they gently pulled away from their kiss to look into each other's eyes. Swiss's brown eyes started adoringly into Dewdrop's ruby reds.

He spoke softly into his ear. "My sun and stars."