Chapter Text
Dewdrop mostly kept to himself over the next few days, darting to the kitchen when he needed food, but avoiding pack meals, staying out of sight of the abbey when outside, and mostly keeping in his room. Copia had been by to see him with flowers, which Dew was going to turn his nose up at for being too feminine before a sharp nudge to the ribs from Aether had him thanking the Cardinal for his thoughtful gift. They now sat wilting in a vase on Dew’s desk because every time he went to fill it, the water just boiled away and he sure as shit wasn’t going to ask anyone to help.
In an interesting twist of fate, showers had become an entirely novel experience for Dew. As a water ghoul, showers had been cool and methodical and necessary for keeping his skin hydrated and his gill flaps free from oils and debris. Now they were long and hot and luxurious, steam building till he could barely see. He revelled in the way the water danced across his skin and sizzled off into vapor. Aching muscles were soothed by the torrent of steaming water and his hair barely got greasy anymore thanks to the fact most oils on his skin burnt off throughout the day. Dew was just finishing up a forty minute dousing in water hot enough to scald, when there was a knock at his bathroom door.
“What?” he answered, reaching to stop the flow of water.
“Thirty minutes, Dew, really?” he heard Aether say.
The fire ghoul smirked and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a fresh towel and wrapping it around his waist. “Forty minutes actually,” he said, before marching to the door and opening it. Steam billowed out from the room, causing Aether to cough reflexively.
“Satan, Droplet, what the fuck were you doing in there?!”
“Washing my butt crack, not that it’s any of your business,” Dew said as he passed the quintessence ghoul and sauntered into his room. “Why are you asking? Were you upset I didn’t ask you to join?”
“I’m more concerned about the uproar you wasting the abbey’s hot water is going to cause.”
“They like cold showers, part of the Sibling’s penitence or whatever.”
“Knock it off,” Aether chided, then, settling into a more gentle tone, asked, “how’re you feeling?”
Dew was arms deep in his drawer at this point, looking for a comfy shirt. He lost his grin at Aether’s questions and his shoulders drooped somewhat.
“Fine, everything is fine.”
“No more flames?”
“Nope.”
“No pain?”
“Nu-huh.”
“No more headaches?”
“I’m looking at one,” Dew said, turning a side eye on his packmate.
“Well at least you’re coming out of this with your award winning sense of humour intact,” Aether responded, rolling his eyes.
“What do you want, Aeth?” Dew asked, pulling a crumpled t-shirt out and tugging it on.
“Band practice.”
Dew stiffened, stopping his search for boxers to turn on his heel. “What?” he asked, one hand coming to rest on his hip.
“Band practice. Or did you forget that was our entire purpose for being here?”
In truth, Dew had forgotten. So much had happened over the last few days that he barely knew what day it was, never mind remembering the practice schedule.
“Err, no, I hadn’t forgotten,” Dew said, turning away, staring into his drawers like they were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.
“Good,” Aether said, knowing full well that his packmate was lying. He didn’t challenge Dew on it, respecting that out of all the things Dew had done since his transition began, forgetting the practice schedule was possibly the most understandable. “We start in an hour. And, Dew?”
“Yeah?”
“Try to get along with the new guys? They all want to meet you properly. You’ve been missed the last few days.”
“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Dew said, flapping a hand towards his bedroom door. “Leave me alone, I gotta get dressed.” Dew readied himself for a rebuttal, but was surprised to only hear the bedroom door open and close. He looked up. Aether was gone.
Dew growled to himself, catching his eye in the mirror that rested atop his chest of drawers.
“Do yourself a favour and stop being such an asshole, will you?” he whispered to himself.
Thirty minutes later and Dew was making his way down through the abbey to the wing of the building reserved for all things Ghost. It was situated two floors down from the den and made up part of a modern extension tacked on to the abbey’s ancient structure. Soft, warm, wood veneer covered the walls and large windows let in ample lighting. The wing had been purpose built with sound dampening materials so they could more or less get as loud as they wanted without disturbing the comings and goings of the religious practices next door. That also made it an excellent place to fuck, but that wasn’t the purpose of Dew’s visit today.
He passed storage rooms and individual practice rooms, smirking at each one he’d played a little more than music in, before coming to the large group room at the end. Dew poked his head in. It was empty. Everything was set up and ready to go; Mountain’s drum kit in the middle flanked by the stringed instruments, keys in back. There had been one slight alteration however. A small space had been added to the left on the drums equipped with a microphone stand and baritone guitar, as well as several small percussion instruments. Dew’s eyes roved straight over it, only caring about one thing. His bass. It sat proudly in its stand, front and centre. He drifted over to it, lifting the instrument from the neck with care, tucking his head under the strap and adjusting its place on his shoulder. Dew breathed in a deep sigh of relief. Relief from what, he could not tell, but something about feeling the bass’ familiar weight and balance just felt so safe and calming.
Dew settled himself into his usual position in the middle of the studio, perched on the step just in front of Mountain's drum kit. He paused, slowly breathing in the piney scent of the music room a few times before gently picking at the strings, his fingers easily finding their usual purchase on the fretboard. Before long he had his eyes closed, his head bowed and just enjoyed the music. The bassline was simple and easy for him to play, which was needed considering his fingers felt stiff and achy, having not played in a while.
The fire ghoul allowed himself to get lost in the music, barely noticing that his playing was only growing more complex as time ticked on. Dew even found himself humming along until a strong smell of brine hit his nostrils. He opened his eyes only to be met by the water ghoul's face taking up nearly his entire field of view. "Dog shit!" Dew gasped, dropping the bass. It swung lazily to one side, held up by the strap over his shoulder. "Why is it every time I see you, you're like twelve inches from my fucking-face!?"
The water ghoul drew back, a deep blue blush spreading over his cheeks. "S-sorry," he mumbled. "Your eyes were closed. I wanted to make sure you weren't sick like on the beach."
"I wouldn't be having a seizure if I was still fucking playing, fuck-face."
The nameless ghoul winced at the use of Dew's awful nickname. He didn't think he was petty enough to actually go through with using it. Despite the fact it hurt, he still wanted to make sure the fire ghoul was alright.
"Actually, you can!" exclaimed the water ghoul. "I just got um one of these," he said, pulling a phone out of his back pocket. It was pretty much standard issue for ghouls in the ministry, if not slightly newer than Dew's.
"A phone?" Dew asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! You know you can look up all sorts of stuff on this thing? It's great!"
Dew sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I have come across one," he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. His own phone was in his room, the screen smashed. It hadn't happened during the chaos of the last few days, Dew had dropped it weeks back. Turns out he was just clumsy as shit.
"Well I was reading all about seizures in case you have another," the water ghoul continued, thrusting his phone in Dew's face. "And you can have something called a-a, ummm." He quickly turned his phone around, scrolling up through a few lines of text before stopping and tapping the screen. "A focal seizure! Sometimes it stops you doing something, but other times they can happen without you even realising it. Brains are weird, huh?"
"Put that shit away," Dew snapped. "I don't 'have seizures'. It was a weird one time thing that won't happen again." He bit his lip, mind drifting back to his talk with Aether, knowing that wasn’t exactly true.
The water ghoul's face fell. Slowly, he let his phone hand drop to his lap. "I was just trying to help."
"Well stop trying!" Dew snarled, obstinately going back to plucking, his fretting hand flying up and down the strings in rapid motions. The riff was fast and angry and complicated and quickly had the nameless ghoul's attention. He watched, fascinated by Dew’s level of skill, admiring the ease with which he could make the bass sing. His heart thumped hard as he watched the fire ghoul’s fingers drift from the pickup to the bridge with delicate precision. The burnt, blackened patches of tissue in between his fingers also didn't escape the water ghoul's attention.
"Why are you still here?"
The nameless ghoul was snapped out of his reverie as Dew's voice broke the illusion. He glanced up at the fire ghoul, catching his hard stare.
"P-practice," stammered the ghoul, finally getting the message that Dew was trying his hardest to put out; get away from me. The water ghoul was about to slink off, his fanned tail curling round his legs protectively, when he stopped. There was literally no reason for Dew to continue treating him like this. He'd done nothing except accidently hurt him back at the lake. Okay he may have been a bit brash when they first met, but Dew should know that the unwritten rules for communicating were different this side of the portal. He would eventually learn not to let every thought bubble over into speech, but for Satan's sake, give him a break. The ghoul was, what, five days old at this point?
He attempted to take in a deep breath (after briefly reminding himself to use his lungs and not his gills). "Whydoyouhateme?" he asked, the words spewed out so quickly Dew needed a second to process what had been said.
The fire ghoul contemplated for a moment. Now was a perfect time to rip this awful little usurper a new one. They were alone, Dew wasn't on fire, and for the first time since the summoning, his mind was clear.
He bit his lip. Gods how he hated him. By Lucifer, he hated right now with every fibre of his alien being. But there was a moment, a brief flicker of hesitation that whispered to him in the quietest breath, it's not him you hate. Regardless of how confusing that mix of emotions felt now they settled into his gut, the next words uttered were not Dew's.
"He doesn't hate you, squirt," said Mountain, who was suspiciously quiet for someone with hooves. He'd crept into the room with all the grace and silence of an air ghoul. Now on the approach to his drum kit, he glanced a hand through the water ghoul's hair, ruffling it gently. "He's prickly to everyone he meets, isn't that right?"
"That's not true," Dew huffed, a little colour playing over his cheeks. He turned away and focused intensely on the bass.
Mountain scoffed. "Pfft, oh please. You hated me when I replaced Ivy."
"I didn't hate you, Legs!" Dew snapped, hugging the bass tighter now.
"I believe your exact words were 'fuck off back to the pit before I put you there myself'?"
Dew froze. Had he really spoken to Mountain like that? Okay, he had been angry when Ivy stepped down. But surely, no matter how angry he got, he wouldn’t have been so cruel. He loved Mountain, adored him even. His gentle stoic nature was everything to Dew. He was calming and kind and fascinating to be around when he worked his magic in the greenhouse.
"I-I didn't say that," Dew murmured.
"You did, Droplet," Mountain replied, now fiddling with the height of one of the drum kit's cymbals. "Point is," he turned to the nameless ghoul, "don't take heed of anything he says because he doesn't mean it and a week from now you'll find him surreptitiously cuddling up to you."
"Stop it! You're making fun of me!" Dew snapped, twanging a string loudly. He hated this. Mountain might as well have laid out all his insecurities right then and there for all the embarrassment he felt. That only added to the mix of dirty emotions he felt swirling about in his gut.
The water ghoul watched this back and forth with increasing interest. So, it wasn't just him then? Dewdrop was just mean to everyone? At the very least he seemed incredibly guarded, like he was sitting on some great secret that would spell the end for him if it were ever revealed.
Whatever exchange of words might have come next was cut short by the arrival of Aether who’s smile widened when he saw Dew. Truth be told, he had rather been expecting the fire ghoul to not show up. The three other new ghouls traipsed in after him. They seemed to know where to go instantly, as if drawn to their instruments through some unseen bond. The two air ghouls found their space at the keyboard and percussion setup, the other, which Dew had still not been able to place as having an element, swanned over to the space left of the drums. Dew glanced from the male ghoul to both girls and back again.
"Okay!" said Aether, clapping his hands together. "We have names."
Dew cocked an eyebrow. They’d gone ahead and chosen names without him?
Aether pointed at the male ghoul who was still smiling that incessant smile. His hair had been tamed and braided so at least now Dew could see his face properly. "Swiss Army Ghoul, thank you Mountain for the pun."
"Stupid name," Dew mumbled under his breath.
"It's because he's multi," whispered the water ghoul. "Multiple uses, like a swiss army knife."
Dew wrinkled up his nose. He'd never heard of a multi alignment. Did that mean he had a little bit of every element in him? At least now it made sense why he couldn't get a read on what type of ghoul he was. Coming from the fresh water pits, Dew had never had much time to mingle with other elements. Now that he thought about it, just how many elements were out there save for the basic five?
"And ladies," Aether said, grinning. "Following yesterday's hair loss incident."
Dew turned a puzzled gaze on the two air ghouls. Now Aether mentioned it, the shorter of the two ghouls was missing hair. It had puffed up around her head before in a delicate halo of cloud, but now it was patchy and much shorter in places.
"I think we agreed we're going with cloud-based names, right?" Aether continued.
"Oh, oh yes!" squealed the taller ghoul. "Cumulus because of her hair! All fluffy like a cloud!" She waved her hand through Cumulus' hair as she spoke, trying to cover up some of the sparse areas.
"Yes, well, now we know no hair dryers after a shower," Aether chuckled.
"And Cirrus for you?" asked Cumulus. It was the first time Dew had heard her speak. Her voice was a lot deeper than he was expecting and all together somewhat commanding. There was power in her vocals that Dew felt sure they would be hearing before too long. "It's spiky and choppy like your hair," Cumulus added.
"Yes, right!" Cirrus agreed.
Dew rolled his eyes. Cirrus’ energy felt sharp and tangy, like the air just before a storm hit. She would have been better off with something like cyclone or static. Still, the pair had clearly formed a tight bond and seemed thrilled at the idea of having matching names.
"And finally you," Aether said, looking at the water ghoul. "We're ummm," he paused, mentally flicking through a list of names that had been discussed and vetoed by at least one ghoul or another. "We're still working on it. Sorry, squirt."
The water ghoul shrugged. "Squirt is fine for now."
"Fuck-face was better," Dew said under his breath.
Aether plonked himself down in a chair, learning back lazily. "Right, practice. No cardinal today, he just wants us to start playing and finding our sound. Now I know we're all new to each other and it's gonna sound weird at first, but we'll make it work. This isn't the first time a ghoul line up has been shaken up and it won't be the last."
Dew cast Aether a poisonous glare which he promptly ignored. Despite what Dew might think about Aether moving on, he was pained to see Zephyr's stand taken by Cirrus and Cumulus and Ifrit's spot empty. His Fantomen stood proudly in its stand where he'd left it, as if he'd walk back in any second apologising for his consistent lateness and pick it up, ready to play. Something tightened in Aether's chest as he looked down to Dew, bass still resting in his lap. Dew was in the wrong place.
Aether tried to force a cheery smile and cleared his throat. "Dew, you need to be over there," he said, gesturing to the spot where Ifrit normally stood.
Dew froze. He had no intention of walking over to Ifrit's spot, taking up Ifrit's Fantomen and playing Ifrit's music. Bass was where he was comfortable, happy. He could get lost in bass, the rhythmic thrumming of the heavy duty strings, the way he felt the notes reverb off the pick up, the weight of the neck in his hand. Whether he meant to or not, he felt himself hugging the bass close to his body. This was his bass. His! Not the water ghoul's. He was the water ghoul.
"Dew?" Aether asked, his voice full of careful questioning.
"Play it yourself!" he retorted. "Give the new guy your guitar and I'll stay here. I'm fine here!"
Dew hung his head over the bass, holding it now for all it was worth. The body was cutting into his leg but he didn't mind. He wasn't letting the water ghoul get his hands on it. This was insane. He knew it was crazy. He'd flung the bass across the room on more than one occasion and now he was clinging to it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Because it was, really. This bass was the last tangible thing he had to connect himself to all that he'd lost. It was a symbol of his will to not back down. The ministry could contort his body and burn him and torch him until fire blew clean out his ass for all he cared, he was not letting go.
He felt his shoulders heave and before he knew it, Dew was crying. Ugh, fuck, he was crying. In front of the whole band. There was no escaping it either. They were angry, bereaved, wet sobs, the kind that come fast and loud, leaving little chance to breathe. There'd be no telling his packmates he just had something in his eye, no squirming out of uncomfortable "there theres" and pats on his back. The floodgates were well and truly open. Dew wouldn't be able to stop crying until every dirty, painful, stinking emotion was making its way out his nose or eyes or mouth.
"It's my bass!" he wailed, voice thick with emotion and mucus.
"I know, I know it is," came Aether's voice, much closer now. Through watery vision, Dew could see the ghoul crouching down in front of him.
"And it was Mist's before you and Delta's before her."
"But I'm still here!" Dew whimpered.
"I know, but Ifrit isn't."
"That's his fault!" Dew cried, shaking now.
"It's not," Aether replied, his voice also cracking with emotion. "You know it's not. Just like it's not the water ghoul's fault for being here. Change has happened Dew. We have to work through it. You can't cling to what was, anymore than you can stay clung to that bass. Eventually, you’ll have to put it down."
"We can help you," Mountain's calm voice chimed in. "We're holding on to it all too."
"You're not even part of our pack!" Dew cried angrily.
"That supposed to mean something?" Mountain asked, raising an eyebrow. He tried to not let Dew's angry, throw away comment knock him, but hearing in this moment that Dew saw him as ‘other’ hurt all the same.
"You don't know what it was like to have them ripped away."
"Dew," Aether chided, softly. "Mountain was summoned alone to replace Ivy. He didn't have a pack. We're his family. And he's hurting just as much as you and me."
Dew looked up, glancing at his two packmates who were now knelt in front of him.
"It...Hurts so much," Dew managed to splutter between thick sobs.
"We know, Droplet. We feel it too. We feel your pain."
"They burnt me."
"They did," came Aether's reply, validating his words. "And they're not forgiven and we will not forget what they did. But this..." he gestured to Dew's bent, trembling form. "This isn't the way to deal with it. This is only going to hurt you more, Droplet."
"I'm going to make them hurt back!" Dew yelled, a fierce wave of heat exploding from his core and rippling through his limbs. Aether and Mountain both jumped back as hot ash and sparks ejected from Dew's mouth. A few flames ignited from his hair, rolling through the lengths and flickering away at his crown. Cumulus, Swiss, and Cirrus kept their distance, allowing Aether and Mountain the space they needed to safely deal with the situation.
"Dew," Mountain said, cautious, but defiant. "Keep a lid on those flames, there's a lot of sensitive equipment in here."
"I don't care!" the fire ghoul screamed, more flames now erupting from his neck gills, the thin tissue flaps opening painfully. "I'll burn the whole fucking place to the ground, I don't care anymore!"
"Dew, the bass!" Aether shouted, panic in his voice.
Dew's attention snapped to the bass, the neck of which was warping in his hand. One of the strings melted through and left the fretboard with an awful 'twang', going slack at the bridge. His eyes widened in fear and alarm and he immediately started struggling out of the strap, pushing the bass away from his hot body. It was all too little too late. The bass lay on the ground, the neck bent and burnt, the body cracking and settling into a bowed shape. Even if the neck was repaired, its sound would be off now.
Dew stared in horror at what he'd done, his hands out in front of him, trembling. His head was pounding now and he felt hot bile sting the back of his throat. He choked on the sensation, his gills trying to open to compensate for his lack of good, breathable air. The feeling of the thin, scarred tissue trying to stretch and lift was like a box cutter across his ribs. A raw, animalistic howl issued from between Dew's lips and he was on the floor before he could register what had happened.
He must have blacked out because the next second he was looking up at Aether.
"I don't know, I don't know!" Aether was yelling. The quintessence ghoul had his hands over Dew's chest, quint streaming into his body. Aether was healing him, when had that happened? He was lying in something warm and sticky, and when he turned towards it he found in horror that it was his own blood. The black, tangy liquid seeped from the open wounds were his gills used to be, the scar tissue torn and ragged, lifting from his skin. Dew tried to cry out, but it was like the air had been snatched from his lungs. He gasped, the same way he had when he was first summoned; when he'd found himself being dragged from the waters of the pit and out into this world with all its confusing feelings and smells and heartache. Fear flooded his veins and he thrashed, desperate to do something to get his body working.
"You need to breathe with your lungs," a quiet voice said, softly speaking into his ear. His vision went dark as two cool hands were pressed against his eyes and temples. "You can't use your gills up here." The water ghoul's voice echoed Dew's from the night at the lake.
Despite the pain it caused, touching something that hot, the water ghoul kept his hands firmly covering Dew's eyes and forehead, channelling as much of his mana as he could into his hands. It wasn’t healing like Aether, but there was something numbing about the chilled sensation that Dew ached for. He went still beneath the water ghoul’s hands, his thrashing dying out into a weak kick of his legs and uncomfortable squirm.
"Breath, Dewdrop," the water ghoul whispered again. "Stop trying to use your gills, you're hurting yourself."
And suddenly Dew was breathing. Deep, laboured breaths that expanded his belly and filled his lungs. He whimpered, unknowingly pressing his head into the water ghoul's hands. The cold cocooned him, surrounding his aching head with a sensation not unlike the solace Dew used to find at the bottom of the lake. Cold, wet tears splashed down onto his forehead and hair and, though he couldn't see, the sharp tang of salt gave away that they came from the water ghoul.
"I'm sorry you’re in pain," he whispered, sniffing. "I want to help."
Dew didn't say anything. Behind the water ghoul's hands, his own tears gathered, though they no longer came from a place of hot, wet anger. These were tears of sorrow and of loss. They were tears of guilt, by his own admission, for the pain he had caused the water ghoul. Aether was right. It wasn't his fault he existed, he hadn't maliciously planned to have Ifrit and Zephyr removed and then usurp Dew's place. The water ghoul was a plaything of the Ministry, just as much as he was.
Beside the two ghouls, Aether had just about managed to get Dew's wounds closed. He released his torrent of quintessence and fell onto his hands, panting, sweat dripping from his forehead. Never before had he had to use his powers with such desperate intensity and so quickly. Mountain placed a bracing hand on his chest, hauling his packmate into his arms before he collapsed on Dew. His hair slowly returned to its more physical state, but the scar over his eye remained large and glowing.
"Are you-?" Mountain started before being cut off.
"I'm okay," Aether breathed. "Check Dew."
"Dew's fine, our new guy is seeing to that."
Aether squinted through misty vision, his eyes falling on Dew and the water ghoul that continued to whisper soothing words of comfort into his ear. He sighed heavily, relaxing back into Mountain's arms.
"So that was..."
"Stressful?" asked Mountain, his dark eyes roving over the chaos the music room was now in. He cast an eye over the new pack, ensuring they were safe. The trio were now sitting, quietly waiting for instructions.
"I'll say."
Dew was finally still, his chest rising and falling slowly, comforted by the calm dulcet tones of the water ghoul's whispers. Eventually, he shook his way out of his cool hold and sat up. The skin around his eyes was puffy and red, his cheeks were wet, but despite looking like a mess, he was now calm.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice uneven. "I'll clean this mess up."
"No," Aether said, firmly. "You just pulled open your gills and bled all over the floor, Dew! Go to bed, now." Aether spoke with such a distinct finality that the fire ghoul couldn't find a reason to argue. "Mountain help him, I'm fine here."
"I'll go!" the water ghoul piped up.
Dew flashed him an uncertain glance, but the look was not an unwelcome one. He shrugged, wincing as the movement tugged on his skin.
"Are you okay with that, Droplet?" Mountain asked, concern switching over to Aether who's scar still wasn't shrinking. Aether had used his quintessence on Dew so many times over the last few days, it was a wonder he wasn't sick himself.
“I…I…yeah,” Dew conceded. He was too tired to argue and even if he wanted to, one look at Aether told him now was not the time. Besides, the water ghoul was already tucking his head under Dew's arm, wincing at his intense heat. Dew stumbled to his feet with the added support. Either he was suddenly okay with the water ghoul, or he was so damn tired he didn't care anymore. Both Aether and Mountain hoped it was the former.
Dew felt the water ghoul's cool arm snake around his waist as they made their way out of the music room.
"Is this okay?" he asked, his cheeks darkening.
"'S fine," Dew mumbled, watching the floor as he placed one foot in front of the other.
It was slow going, but they eventually made their way up to the den and back to Dew's room. As they stepped over the threshold, the water ghoul had his final suspicions about Dew confirmed. The room was decorated in dark colours; a deep, moody purple on the ceiling and walls, a large, dark green rug covering bare wooden floors, providing ample warmth against the abbey's drafts. The real clue, however, had nothing to do with the colour palette, and everything to do with the decor. There was hardly a scrap of wall space that didn't have some kind of poster, photo or other paper based item pinned to it. Every horizontal surface was cluttered by some sort of trinket or keepsake. Most of them just looked like bits of rubbish but it all obviously held an importance to the fire ghoul. There was even a neat pile of smooth, pale stones that all vaguely resembled hearts on his desk. The eclectic, magpieish nature of it all screamed water alignment.
The water ghoul felt Dew slip in his hold and dipped to catch him, reminding himself he was not there to play detective. He shifted his focus to getting Dew over to his bed, which was actually more of a nest now he looked at it. It was pushed into the corner and was less duvet and pillows and more piles and piles of blankets stuffed this way and that. He frowned as he pushed a few aside and helped Dew to sit.
“I have to take that off,” he said, gesturing to Dew’s sodden shirt. It was dirty, much of Dew’s blood having soaked into the cotton material. His own clothes were bloodied too but he would see to that when he got back to his own room. Dew nodded compliantly, itching to get the wet, burnt garment off.
“Can I cut it off?” the ghoul asked, eyeing a pair of scissors left haphazardly open on Dew’s desk. “I don’t want you lifting your arms too high.”
Dew shrugged then winced, lowering his shoulders quickly. “It’s fucked either way,” was all he said.
‘Why can’t he just offer a straight answer?’ the water ghoul thought, crossing the room to retrieve the scissors and making short work of Dew’s shirt. He cut along the back, being mindful not to fray or rip the fabric. Dew was right, it was probably fucked, but he was careful nonetheless, just in case it could be mended.
T-shirt finally off and both could see the mess Dew’s body had been left in. The skin around his gill flaps was raw and speckled with dried, inky blood. The shirt had soaked up most of it, but it had still run down Dew’s torso in places. It looks almost as if parts of him had melted and seeped out from his gills, like beads of wax on a candlestick. It was deeply uncomfortable to look at and the water ghoul found himself tempted to turn away as he dabbed at any wet spots with the shirt.
Sucking in an uneasy breath, he hopped off the bed and padded over to Dew's bathroom, his finned tail swinging in low, calm arcs. Dew watched as he went, eying the ghoul's tail with a mix of interest and stinging envy. Most of Dew's own tail had burnt away, leaving the end in a sharp spade, much like Ifrit's had been. He felt along its length now, wincing at the crusted scabs where fins used to be.
The water ghoul returned a few moments later with a wet face cloth.
"Can I use this?" he asked, gesturing to the dried blood clinging to Dew's skin.
"Sure," Dew answered, barely caring enough to argue the toss over whether or not he'd allow the other ghoul to touch him.
As it happened, the cool cloth was delicious against his aching skin and Dew found himself helplessly leaning into the water ghoul's gentle touch. He was slow and methodical, using the cloth to wipe down Dew’s body in small sections. Occasionally, he would rise to rinse and resoak the cloth, each parting leaving Dew wanting more. The two fell into a comfortable silence, Dew concentrating on not squirming and wincing in pain if the cloth touched a particularly sore spot. At some point, his eyes closed and he allowed himself to take just the slightest pleasure in being touched.
Finally, he felt cool hands bringing him down to the bed. Dew said nothing and put up no fight, allowing the water ghoul to position a few blankets here and there to keep his body still. The cloth left his skin and he heard the water ghoul pad back to the bathroom for the last time. He hated that he missed it, missed him. His cool, calm presence and the way his slender fingers delicately glanced over Dew's hot flesh. His eyes peeled open just in time to see the ghoul’s tail disappear behind the bathroom door. He heard water running and waited patiently for him to come back. A few moments past and Dew heard the water shut off and the ghoul returned to his bedside. Dew made brief eye contact before quickly flicking his gaze to the far wall.
"Do...Do you want to talk about it?" the water ghoul asked after a brief silence.
"About what?" Dew murmured, trying to turn further away despite the pain lying on his side caused.
The water ghoul tensed, desperately hoping all intense trauma bonding they'd been on together over the last half hour wasn't it vain. He relaxed, however, when he heard Dew mutter, "fine. What do you want to know?"
The water ghoul contemplated the invitation to talk for a moment. He felt he desperately needed clarification on what exactly Dew was, because a plain and simple fire ghoul he obviously was not.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked. It was a weak way to start perhaps, but if there was one thing about Dew's personality he was able to glean from all of this, it was that Dew could clam up real quick.
"Hurts," the fire ghoul said eventually.
"Then get off your side," came his answer.
Dew groaned, knowing his companion was right. He shouldn't be messing up what Aether had only just so recently fixed. Slowly, but not without complaint, Dew rolled on to his back. The relief on his wounded gills was frustratingly good.
"Look I know you're just itching to ask so ask it already."
The water ghoul thumbed his webs anxiously. "Dew, are you not a fire ghoul?"
Dew scoffed. He knew the question was coming, he'd been tempting it out of the water ghoul for the last few minutes, but Satan, hearing it still stung.
"No," he said eventually. "It's complicated."
"What happened?"
Dew winced. That was the kicker. What a loaded fucking question. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Somehow, after all his constant crying and burning, he still had enough fluid in him for his stupid face to start stupid leaking again. Though his tears were silent this time, there was no escaping the fact that he was once again crying in front of the one person to whom he didn't want to seem weak. Dew waited for the question to come again, to be urged to lay all his shit out in front of the water ghoul in some forced act of vulnerability. He braced himself against it.
As it happened, however, the water ghoul chose to take Dew's silence as an omission. He wasn't ready to talk about it. That was fine. At least the water ghoul now knew one thing, there was a reason Dew was so angry, and it wasn't his fault.
"I'm guessing it hurt, whatever they did to you..."
Dew froze, his brain scrambling to form a response. "It did," he breathed, eventually offering some sort of indication that, yes, the water ghoul was going down the right path with his line of thinking.
"And that's why you hate me? Because I stole this from you?"
Once again, words escaped Dew. He wanted to sit up and yell 'yeah no shit' at the top of his lungs, but that would only hurt him more. Instead he stewed in silence.
"So you were a water ghoul at some point?"
Hearing it put so simply hurt more than Dew expected it to. He released an involuntary, shuddering sniffle.
The water ghoul took Dew's silence to mean he was right, but seeing the mix of emotions flickering over his expression, decided it was best to stop there. He stood up and made to rearrange some of Dew’s blankets before gesturing to the door.
“I’m just gonna go. Let you get some sleep.”
"Wait," Dew said, half surprised that the words had actually slipped out. The water ghoul paused, tail flicking nervously, orange eyes turned on Dew.
"C-can you stay?" Dew asked. What the fuck was he saying? He hated this bastard. Fuck-face had come into his life and ruined everything so why in Satan's name did he want him to stay? It didn't matter, in the end, what Dew's mind said and wanted, his body ached for the water ghoul's cold touch and salty smell and mind over matter well and truly failed.
The water ghoul hesitated, eyes flicking between Dew and the door before he acquiesced and came back to the bed. "Where?" he asked, glancing around for a chair.
"Here," Dew mumbled, patting the bed beside him. His cheeks felt hot and he turned his face away, feigning indifference. "Or wherever. Doesn't matter."
But it did matter, because what Dew's body screamed out for now more than anything was that cooling touch. He wondered how his chest would feel if the water ghoul wrapped his arms around him, how it would be if he pressed his side into his chest and belly. This absolute abomination of a water ghoul. Shit stain, usurper, snake, nuisance, interest, friend, pack. The words floated into Dew's mind without much conscious effort. Satan, Gods, Lucifer, it was getting real hard to hold on to this hatred now the ghoul was on the bed and slowly climbing over the blankets to his side. Dew released a shaky breath as he felt the ghoul's body weight sink into the space beside him.
And then, like it was the most simple thing in the world, they were lying together, tense and straight, Dew with his head turned firmly to look at the wall. He felt heat crawl up his spine. It wasn't burning this time, just warm and it made him feel somewhat heady.
'Just put your fucking arm on me, don't make me ask,' Dew thought, gently nudging a finger and the water ghoul's hand, hoping it was subtle enough to brush off as a twitch or some other involuntary movement. Another minute of both ghouls lying still passed and with every second that ticked by, Dew swore he felt heat rise in his belly. He tried to choke the feeling down. Finally, after what felt like an age, the water ghoul turned onto his side, exhaled slowly and brought his arm up and over Dew's chest.
The feeling was electric. It sent instant shivers running up and down Dew's spine and he barely stifled the urge to moan. The water ghoul's skin was cool and moist, and was instantly soothing against his ragged, wan flesh. He longed to be closer, to tuck into the water ghoul's body like he would with Mountain or Aether, but this ghoul was roughly his size so that wouldn't work. Gingerly, Dew reached out his arm, feigning a stretch. The water ghoul moved to allow him space to spread out his arm, but frowned when Dew let it drop lightly to the bed, right where he’d been lying.
'Take the bait, take the sodding bait, Fish,' Dew thought. His heart nearly leapt into his throat when he felt the weight shift on the bed and the water ghoul came to rest with his head on Dew's shoulder. The water ghoul's silky hair spilled over his skin in a satisfying pool of loose waves. His arm once again snaked over Dew's chest, and he shifted closer, his chest now pressed into Dew's ribs.
Dew could be satisfied like this, content even, but he longed for that soothing cool touch all over now, and while the water ghoul still had a shirt on, he'd have to make do with just his head and arm. That didn’t stop him from whining involuntarily and tugging lightly at the water ghoul's shirt.
"What?" the ghoul asked, his voice reverberating off Dew's chest. He sat up and Dew felt his stomach sink. "What do you want from me? First you hate me and call me names and scream at me not to touch you, now you want me in your bed with what, my clothes off?"
Dew made a point to stare at the wall even harder till he swore he could see scorch marks forming in the paint.
"And now you won't even look at me!" The water ghoul got off the bed. "I don't deserve this! Stop punishing me for something I didn't have any control over!" He marched to the door.
"W-wait! Dew gasped, sitting up right, wincing as the movement tugged his skin. His flaming eyes were wide and searching, desperate for the water ghoul to pick up on the need in his gaze. "P-please. I need...I want...Just don't go!"
"What do you want?" The nameless ghoul crossed his arms, his manner austere and confronting. Up until now, Dew had only seen the ghoul acting meek and mild and was surprised to find that the row of wicked sharp teeth the water ghoul kept well hidden were now on display. Although Dew didn't care to admit it, he found it a little threatening. Ghouls really did learn fast, in only four days the water ghoul had gone from a young, fresh ghoul who analysed everything with wonder and novelty to a mature being capable of complex emotion and thought.
"I need you, okay! You're the only thing that's stopping me hurting! Keeping me calm! It's like how I was with Ifrit! Only it's confusing and all switched around now, but I understand why that connection was important to him! We balanced each other out, kept each other grounded. I needed his warmth, he needed my cold. I need that now!"
The water ghoul listened to Dew without interrupting or making a fuss. Once the fire ghoul had said his part, he contemplated his options. "So, you want me for my body?" he asked eventually, hand hovering over the door handle.
"Yes!" Dew exclaimed, so desperate for the other ghoul to just understand, he didn't realise just how shallow that must have sounded. "I just want to feel cold again. That's all I want!"
"You've got a bathtub don't you?" the water ghoul asked.
"Y-yes," Dew murmured, flicking a puzzled glance over to the bathroom door.
"Good, use it. That'll cool you down just fine." And with that, the water ghoul turned the handle and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Dew got his wish in the end, watching the water ghoul go left him feeling uncomfortably cold.