A Rose By Any Other Name

Hideaway

Word count: 864

Rating: General audiences

Pairing: Polyghouls

Characters: Dewdrop, Aether, mention of Omega

Key features: Dew with a kit, semi feral Dew, semi feral ghoul whisperer Aether

Summary: Dew has been missing for the pack for three days. Aether finds him.

This work was heavily inspired by @chapel-of-rizztual 's new fic! Go read it right now!

Dew had been missing for three days. 

Now, while it wasn't unusual for ghouls to disappear for a few days for hunts or heats, it was strange for Dew to go missing. 

The ghoul, if he was injured or sick or just tired, would hole away in his room until he felt better. But they had checked his room. In fact, they had checked every inch of the dormitory. He wasn't there. 

The pack was starting to worry. 

They'd spread their search, to the library and the chapel and even the siblings' dorms. 

It was late at night, and they were just about to give up their search for the day. Aether could feel the other pack members telepathically telling him that they were going to look again in the morning, that maybe Dew would come out for food. 

Aether was far from the dorms. He was down in an abandoned part of the Ministry, mostly used for storage nowadays. Everything was quiet, muffled by a thick layer of dust.

Then, a whimper. 

Just a soft one. 

Aether's ears twitched. He followed the sound, his footsteps light, not wanting to spook whatever made that sound. 

He found what he had been looking for. 

Dew. 

The poor ghoul, he was propped up between a bookshelf and a wall. He wore only a shirt, though all of the buttons were undone. He only looked semi conscious. 

"Fuck, Dew." Aether breathed. He ran over to the sad little lump, his footsteps making Dew perk up. 

Dew looked around dozily for a second, then hissed and curled away from Aether. He tucked his head down and brought his knees up, hiding away in a ball. His tail thudded anxiously on the floor beside him. 

"Dewdrop. Shit. Hi." Aether slowed his approach, seeing how Dew reacted like a flighty animal. He chirruped softly, a noise reserved for submissive ghouls, to show Dew that he wasn't going to hurt him. "Hey. You're alright." 

Except Dew probably wasn't alright. As Aether stepped closer, he noticed the dark puddle under Dew. He could smell the blood. 

"I need you to talk to me, Dew. Tell me you're okay." Aether dropped to his knees and crawled the rest of the distance, though he stopped around five metres from the other ghoul. "Or tell me you're not okay, and I can help." 

Dew stared at Aether with big, fearful eyes. Then he chittered anxiously, a quiet 'ekekek' sound. 

"Alright. Can't talk. Okay." Aether nodded slowly. Sometimes ghouls went a little feral. It was in their nature. It was okay, Aether could deal with it. "Are you still bleeding?" 

Dew shook his head. He tucked further into the corner. 

Then, another, tiny whimper rang out. 

It didn't come from Dew's lips. 

"What the Hell?" Aether whispered. Dew was starting at him like a deer in headlights. "What's going on, Dew? Give me something to work with here." 

Slowly, and ever so cautiously, Dew turned. In his trembling arms was a kit. A tiny, curled up little thing, sucking on the fork of their tail in a self soothing gesture.

"Oh, fuck…" Aether crawled closer. "Where did you get them, droplet?" 

Dew gave Aether a look, as if to say 'Where do you normally get kits from?'. He raised a disapproving eyebrow, before his expression was replaced by a wince. 

"Hey, take it easy. Steady, little guy. Can I see them?" He asked softly. Dew shook his head. "Alright. Can you hold them out a little, just so I can look them over?" 

Carefully, Dew held the kit up, even as they squirmed and whined at getting moved. They were absolutely tiny. One of the smallest kits Aether had ever seen. Their cord wasn't attached, and they seemed to have a belly full of milk. Dew had done well on his own. 

"Thanks, Dew. That's all I needed to see. You can take your kit back now. That's it, keep them warm against your chest. Good lad." Aether murmured, as if he was speaking to a spooked animal. He closed his eyes, contacting Omega through their telepathy. Letting him know that he'd found Dew and he needed medical help. 

"I'm gonna give you my shirt. I want you to put it over the kit, like a blanket. She's very little, Dew. I don't want her getting cold." He said steadily, unbuttoning his shirt and holding it out to Dew. The fire ghoul snatched it from him, then carefully laid it over the kit's back, covering her completely.

"Yeah, that's it. You managed to hide her well, huh?" Aether laughed quietly. He could hear all of his pack popping into his head, asking questions about Dew. He ignored them for the moment.

"Ti-nee." Dew croaked out in explanation, his voice crackly from disuse. He gestured to his middle. It had a bit of a swell to it, but otherwise it just looked like a regular belly. Not like someone who had just given birth. 

"Yeah, she is… You've done such a good job, Dew." Aether could hear Omega's heavy footsteps in the distance. "We're going to get you some help, gorgeous. Just stay awake for a little longer, yeah? Alright. Doing a great job. Good mama."

Dew smiled proudly at that. He was a good mama. 

Just something I started before my break and finished while dealing with my feelings.

Cw: mountain's major depressive disorder, feeling like a burden, he's very brave though, cg omega, cg Rain, cg Dew

It's not surprising, not really, at least not to Dew. He'd noticed almost immediately, noting that the evenings were starting to get colder, that the days were slowly getting shorter. Mountain started sleeping more, which wasn't too unusual in the grand scheme of things…but it wasn't the right kind of sleep. It wasn't resting, it was hiding.

Dew recognized the dark shadows starting to form under his eyes, how they didn't light up when he saw Dew or Rain, how he poked at his food and shrugged instead of answering questions. He quietly brought it up to the pack, letting each of them know that Mountain was going to need a little extra help. They were all glad to do it, ready to help however they could.

He talks to Aether and Omega separately, keeping them informed of the shift in his moods. Omega schedules extra visits, making sure to prioritize him as he starts to slip.

Mountain knows he's doing it, at least when he's big. And he appreciates it…mostly. But there is still that voice that keeps telling him that this shouldn't be necessary, that Dew is getting tired of taking care of him, that he's too much work.

He wanders off after breakfast, keeps his head down and his shoulders slumped as if all the weight of the world is sitting on them. He should be heading to the greenhouse but he can't, it doesn't feel worth it. He wonders sometimes if the poisonous sadness in his veins would spill out through his fingertips and infect each plant and destroy each little leaf and petal.

He slithers under the covers and pulls them over his head to hide from the sun trying to reach through the curtains to touch his skin. He wants to change into something extra soft, something that might bring a little more comfort, he wants to reach for his stuffies on the other side of the bed, but the nasty voices in his head are already too loud and he convinces himself he doesn't deserve it.

He shouldn't be surprised when the door opens but he still holds his breath. He knows it's Dew, it wouldn't be anyone else.

The bed dips and he can feel the warmth of Dew's hand bleeding through the blanket. “I won't hover, but I will be checking in on you. I wanted to say I love you before I go help papa for a bit.”

He thinks he nods, he tries to at the very least and his heart jumps when Dew leans over and presses a kiss to his forehead still hidden beneath the blanket. “We're all here ok? No matter what your head is telling you. I'll check in soon.”

He feels Dew stand and move to the other side of the bed. “I'm leaving your phone right here next to you ok? We all have ours, text if you need anything, even if you just want to say hi. Now I need to go before papa or sister send a search party. I love you, get some rest.”

He knows Dew doesn't expect him to talk but Mountain wants him to know he appreciates him so he reaches his hand out from under the blanket and signs I love you back and Dew squeezes his fingers gently before he leaves.

He curls in on himself and shuts his eyes, hoping sleep might make him feel a little better.

It doesn't, not really and he wakes up little and completely swallowed by the hoodie he fell asleep in. He moves his arms to rub his eyes and feels his stuffies tucked around him and he knows that means Dew came by while he was sleeping. It should be comforting but it just makes him cry.

He's not sure how long he sits there before the door slowly opens. Mountain hides his face in Acker's squishy body, hiding his tears from whoever is checking on him.

The door shuts softly and he hears someone crossing the room and before he can even look up, he feels the calming effects of Omega's magic. “Hey amoruccio.”

His voice is soft like it is during their visits and Mountain peeks over his cow to look at him.

“How are you feeling?” Mountain shakes his head instead of answering. “That's ok. Do you want something cold to drink? Maybe just some ice cubes to chew on?”

He shakes his head again and sniffles until he feels Omega sitting close beside him. It takes him a while but eventually he leans against him. Omega doesn't talk right away, he just lets the little ghoul rest against him until the tears stop.

“Do you want to change into something that…fits? It looks like you're getting eaten up!”

It pulls just a tiny smile from him but Omega counts it as a win. The little ghoul nods and the quint goes off in search of his jammies, something soft and warm. Mountain stands to join him, pausing by the window when he sees Swiss heading to the greenhouse, Aurora and Phantom each holding one of his hands. He can see that Phantom is talking and Aurora has a pink watering can in her free hand.

Again, it should be comforting but it just makes him feel bad. They shouldn't have to do his work for him. Omega must feel the wave of emotions shift because he turns quickly and kneels in front of the little ghoul, following his eyes until he sees what he's looking at.

“What are you feeling?”

He sniffles, fingers squeezing the cuffs of the hoodie sleeves. “Bad. They-they…that's my job!”

“Yes, but you don't feel well right now, so they are helping. It's ok to have help, amorino, Phantom and Aether help me, Dew is helping Papa right now. You help the people you love.” He brushes away his tears. “Let's get you comfy ok?”

He holds one of Mountain's hands while he searches for something for him to wear. The little ghoul pauses when he sees the jammies, they were a gift from Rain, something he'd seen while he was out that made him think of Mountain.

“Père…”

“Do you want me to text him?” He pushes Mountain's hair back carefully, smiling when the little ghoul nods. “Ok, can you change or do you need help?”

“Help.”

Omega helps him out of the hoodie and into his jammies before helping him back up into the bed and texting Rain.

“He's on the way. When he gets here I'm going to get you a drink and a snack, I'd like you to at least try to get a little of both ok? You don't have to do all of it but a little something in your tummy is important.”

He doesn't really want to eat anything but he doesn't argue, he just wants Rain. The tears prick at his eyes again and it makes him tired, he doesn't like being sad like this when there's really nothing to even be sad about. It's exhausting trying to fight his brain.

Omega is rocking him and humming when Rain gets there, holding the little ghoul close to his chest.

Mountain turns his head when he realizes Rain's there, reaching for him with big tears rolling down his cheeks. “Père…”

He smiles sadly, reaching out and taking the little earth ghoul from Omega's arms. “Je suis ici.” (I'm here)

Mountain clings, face buried against Rain's neck, arms trembling as he holds onto him as tight as he can. Omega kisses the top of his head, letting Rain know he'll bring a snack up for Mountain before he goes back to work.

“Do you want to lay down or rock in the chair for a bit?”

Mountain points in the general direction of the chair and Rain smiles, wandering over and sitting down with the little ghoul on his lap. Mountain turns his head toward the window, watching outside while Rain starts to rock gently.

Rain feels him move his hand up to suck his thumb, his breathing slowing down into something soft and even.

“Do you want to talk?”

He shakes his head, watching the leaves dance with the soft breeze. Rain doesn't force it, he just kisses the top of his head and squeezes him a little tighter. He smiles at Omega when he brings a sippy cup of tea and some crackers for the little ghoul.

“If you need me just text. Anything at all ok?”

Mountain nods, a barely there motion but it's good enough. Rain runs his fingers through Mountain's hair while he helps him sip on his tea and he manages to get him to eat a few crackers before he falls back asleep.

He waits until he's sure Mountain is out deeply before he moves him onto the bed, wandering off to get a warm washcloth to clean the dried tears off his cheeks. He hates how he still looks uneasy even in his sleep but he's so proud of him for taking the help today.

He tosses the washcloth into the bathroom and joins the little ghoul on the bed, pulling the blanket up over him and making sure his stuffies are tucked in close to him. He runs his fingers through his hair, humming when the little ghoul whimpers in his sleep.

Dew slips in on his other side when he finishes with Copia, pressing a kiss between Mountain's horns. He snuggles closer in his sleep, scooting toward Dew and pressing his face against his chest.

“Ich liebe dich so sehr.” He whispers, wrapping his arms tighter around the little ghoul. (I love you so much)

Rain smiles at the two of them, the way Dew wraps protectively around Mountain, the way the little ghouls face relaxes when he hears Dews voice even though he's sleeping.

Dew reaches over and grabs Rain's hand, squeezing his fingers. “He's doing so much better.”

Rain squeezes back, bringing Dew's knuckles up to kiss. “He is. He's so brave about letting us help now.”

They drift into easy silence, listening to Mountain's steady breathing, both thinking about how proud they are of the brave little ghoul between them.

This is the scariest thing I've seen today

Smth about copia literally being the metaphor for death on a pale white horse who brings hell with him is so funny. Like have you seen this dude

Taking a deep breath and counting backwards from ten

hi moon, i hope you're doing well 💚 i have a ficlet request for you, if it takes your fancy at all

i was wondering if you might be able to write something about regressed aeon/phantom (feel free to use whichever name you prefer !!) being sick with a bad cold or the flu and getting taken care of by dew ? i've got the flu again and all i've been able to think about is dew doting on aeon and keeping them entertained when everything gets a bit too much with their sniffly nose and all their headaches and pains

if it doesn't take your interest though that's completely okay !! 💚

-👻 semi-anonymous mutual tag

I scribbled this quickly so I hope it's ok! I hope you feel better soon, friend 🩷

Cw: sick Phantom, one brief mention of vomit but not in detail, quintessence use, fever, Phantom briefly not understanding an expression and getting scared

Dew knocks twice before pushing into the room. "Phantom do you know where my-oh bug, what happened?"

His entire demeanor shifts when he spots a very upset little Quint crying in the middle of the bed, little fingers twisted in the blanket pooled on their lap.

Big fat tears slide down their red cheeks. "D-Dew...I t'rew up..."

Dew closes the space and holds the back of his hand up against Phantom's forehead. "You're on fire-"

Phantom gasps, eyes wide and the scent of fear fills the air and Dew mentally scolds himself.

"Not actually! It's just a silly saying, it just means you have a fever. I'm sorry I scared you." He kisses the top of their head. "Let me get this cleaned up and we can go see Aether ok?"

"I'm s-sorry...I d-didn't mean to..." They sniffle and bring their knees up to hide their face.

Dew sits carefully on the bed beside them, pulling them against him in a tight hug. "There is nothing to be sorry about. It happens, it's no big deal. The important thing is getting you feeling better."

Dew gets the mess cleaned up and helps Phantom into new jammies, opting for shorts and a t-shirt before wrapping them in a blanket and picking them up gently.

"O-oogie!"

"Oh, we definitely don't want to forget oogie boogie!" He grabs the big stuffy and gets it positioned against his chest so the little ghoul can cling to it and him all at once. "Let's go see if Aether can get you feeling a little better."

He carries them down to the infirmary, rubbing their back softly when they whimper in discomfort, promising they'd feel better soon.

It's not overly busy and Aether turns his attention their way as soon as they enter.

"What's going on?"

Phantom turns to face him, sad purple eyes turned his way. "M-my tummy hurts r-real bad and I h-have a fire!"

Dew can't help but smile a little, though he still feels bad for causing the little Quint any confusion.

Aether gasps. "Oh no! Well let's take care of that, hm? Is it ok for me to touch your forehead?"

They nod weakly and Dew tightens his hold, warming his body to help keep the little ghoul comfortable until Aether works his magic. He watches his hand brush slowly across their forehead and down their little face, feeling the magic that Dew knows so well.

Phantom relaxes in his hold, the tension leaving and having them boneless in Dews arms.

"I broke the fever, unfortunately the rest just needs to run its course but they won't be as uncomfortable now." Aether kisses between phantom's horns. "Get some rest, bat."

"C-can I rest w-with you, Dew?"

"Oczywiście dynia." (Of course, pumpkin) He carries them back to the den, humming while he walks. "Do you want some soup or anything before we go get comfy?"

"Crackers! A-and maybe the b-bubbles that make your t-tummy feel better?"

"That sounds like a good plan. I'm going to set you down for a second so I can get everything."

They nod with a pout, they understand but Dew is warm and comforting and they just want to be close right now. They watch Dew move quickly, grabbing the bunny crackers and the ginger ale, pouring it into Phantom's sippy cup. They squeeze oogie boogie when their tummy turns again.

"Doing ok, bug?"

"Hurts..."

Dew finishes quickly and lifts the little ghoul up again, holding them close to ease the aches in their body. He carries him to his room and he feels Phantom smile against his shoulder. He isn't sure why the littles all like his room so much but he's glad he's able to bring them comfort.

He sets Phantom on the bed. "Get comfy and I'll grab my laptop so we can watch a movie."

Phantom wiggles their way under the blankets, flopping back against the pillows that smell like Dew, holding their stuffy close when their tummy gets upset again.

Dew moves the trashcan to the side of the bed just in case and takes his place up next to Phantom, getting his computer started up while they nestle in as close as they can get to Dew.

"Nightmare or something else?"

"S-scooby please. I-I don't think I can s-sing with Jack right now..."

Dew kisses the top of their head, the sadness in their voice breaking his heart. "We will sing along together once you feel better."

"Will y-you do Sally's p-parts?"

Dew laughs quietly. "You know it, bug!"

Phantom picks Scooby Doo on Zombie island and slowly munches on crackers and sips their ginger ale with their head against Dew's chest. He runs his fingers through their hair and watches their eyes start to get heavy, fighting to stay awake.

"S-sleepy..." They mumble, words slurred from their exhaustion.

"You can sleep. I'm right here."

"But s-scooby..."

"We can watch it again when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

Phantom snuggles closer, finally letting their eyes close and their thumb moves up to their mouth.

"Dew?"

"Yeah love?"

"T-thank you for taking c-care of us all t-the time ."

He smiles and kisses their forehead. "That's what I'm here for, I'm happy to do it."

"I love y-you a whole bunch."

"I love you too, even more bunches."

Phantom giggles and nuzzles their face into the side of Dews neck, giving in to sleep, feeling safe and loved as they drift off to sleep the rest of the sick away.

Light a Candle or Curse the Darkness

Is a series of Duran Duran fics I started like 500 years ago. It starts with the end of the story and the rest fill in bits and pieces of what came before.

Heya hun! So, one of my thoughts - bit angsty ish- But Dew fearing that even though he went from water to fire, they Clergy would want to switch him back to water if something happened to Rain. (Of course, it wouldn't happen - not with Copia to save the day.. But it always lingers in the back of Dew's mind. He hates that it does. He hates always fearing what Saltarian and Sister Imperator and the other high clergy members could do to him and his pack.

-🐊

Okay, so the timeline for this is kind of messy but I hope you like it. Some Raindrop hurt/comfort just for you. Dew gets stuck in his feelings but his pack is there to protect him always. RHRN spoilers kind of if you squint.

(Also first time writing smut in like 8 months lol)

WC 3007

Cw: Dew trying to use sex as a way to avoid his emotions, anxiety

Things That Change

The doors to the bus open and Dewdrop bursts through them, eyes roving the Abbey courtyard as Siblings and Abbey ghouls file through the various archways to meet the band. People surround the bus, but the noise of cheers and welcomes do nothing to drown out the buzzing in his mind. It’s been this way since the last show, since those last chords rang through the arena and the crowd erupted into screams.

He hasn’t done a good job of hiding it, he knows that the other ghouls have sensed his restlessness since they started their journey back home. He can’t help it; he’s tried to squish down that tightness in his chest, that sense of foreboding that’s settled in the back of his mind since Papa announced in Brisbane that that show was going to be his last. Papa is retiring. He's stepping down from the papacy. Change is coming. Even though Dew knows that Copia isn't Terzo, he knows that things are different now, his mind won't stop berating him. What happened before is going to happen again. Despite Dew’s best efforts, it’s continued to linger, refusing to be ignored. One by one the pack have all tried to ask him what’s going on, why his scent smells so weird. Each time he's just shrugged and said its nothing. He’s just anxious to get home. He can feel his heat coming, or something like that, he hates going through heat while on the road. Yeah, just his heat. That’s all. One by one they all acquiesce, leaving himself to his thoughts and his pacing. It’s just Dew being Dew. He’s intense sometimes, it’s just how he is, his fickle fire ghoul nature and all.

“Hey, you alright?” A voice behind Dew startles him, and he whirls around. Curly black hair and concerned blue eyes meet his amber ones as Rain emerges behind him, taking that last step from the bus stairs to the gravel below.

Dew huffs a breath and shakes his head, turning back to the crowd that’s encroaching on the bus. He reaches behind him, grabbing Rain’s hand and pulling him forward, “C’mon, want some alone time.”

“Hold on, we need to get–”

“We can get our stuff later! Just—please, need you.” Dew’s tail whips behind him and his scent flares that of campfire smoke as he looks back at Rain with exasperation in his eyes.

Rain nods, knowing better than to try and push when Dew gets this way.

Dew runs, dragging the water ghoul behind him, he makes his way up the stairs and through the grand entryway leaving the crowd behind. Doorways pass by in a blur as the two ghouls wind their way through the hallways. Dew isn’t even paying attention to where they are. He could find the Ghouls’ Wing in his sleep and right now his body is on autopilot, his brain just screaming go, go, go!

His door with the familiar elemental fire symbol carved into the frame finally comes into view around the corner. Dew grabs the handle, wrenches the door open and ushers Rain through, slamming it behind them. He whirls around, not even bothering to take in the familiarity of his room before grabbing Rain by the waist and crowding the water ghoul back against the door. He reaches up on his tiptoes, shoving his nose into Rain’s neck and inhaling deeply, letting the scent of storms and salt invade his senses. Lithe hands rest on his shoulders and he hears Rain gasp softly as Dew presses his hips into Rain’s and lets his hands travel from Rain’s waist to his chest, grabbing handfuls of fabric and fingering the buttons on his uniform vest. Dew growls low in his throat and presses his lips to Rain’s neck, feeling the water ghoul’s head fall back to thump against the door and his body respond to Dew's advances. He feels Rain’s tail wrapping tightly around his thigh and he moans when he feels the other shudder at the feeling of teeth and tongue teasing and playing with the gills on his graceful neck.

Long fingers weave their way through Dew's long golden hair and grip firmly, tipping his head back and away from the soft skin he is worrying a mark into. Rain looks down at him, eyes clouded and stormy, breaths coming in panting huffs. Dew surges up, capturing his ghoul’s lips in a kiss, urgency filling the space between them and Rain responds, their mouths open and tongues dancing.

“Want you,” Dew whispers against Rain’s lips, bringing his hips forward to grind against the taller ghoul, pressing him into the time-worn wood at his back.

“Uhuh,” Rain groans, quickly giving in and falling with the fire ghoul into Dew’s intensity as the scents of smoke and thunder over the sea mingle and fill the room in an intoxicating haze.

Their lips meet again, all tongues and teeth, licking into each other’s mouths and claiming one another. Rain captures Dew’s lower lip between his own, drawing it in and sucking on it gently, teasingly. Dew feels Rain’s cock filling out between them and he leans into the pressure, willing his own to respond in kind, to distract him from the thoughts that the promise of sex is fighting to keep at bay. Rain moans as he feels Dew’s cock begin to stir and press against his own and Dew shivers at the sound of his lover’s pleasure wrapping itself around his mind, drowning out the doubts,

“You feel so good,” Rain murmurs. He brings his hands down and Dew whines as claws grip the small globes of his ass, trying to draw him in impossibly closer, “What do you want, love?”

Dew’s mind swims, trying to stay in the moment. There’s pressure and pheromones, wandering hands and tongues, and it feels so good…

“Haven’t felt you like this since the night of that last show,” Rain brings his head down, inhaling deeply at Dew’s scent gland, now fully immersed in the moment.

Tonight will be my last show…

Dew screws his eyes shut, a whimper escaping his throat. No no no…he doesn’t want to think about this right now. Rain is here, there’s only Rain right now…

His scent sours and his hands falter, just for a moment. Dew chuffs and presses in closer, trying to shove the thoughts from his mind. His tail weaves its way between their bodies to graze against the bulge in Rain’s pants as he desperately prays to all the Lords below that the water ghoul didn’t notice his split second of hesitation. Unfortunately for him in this moment, Rain knows him and his soul better than anyone, and the pause is not missed. The hands on Dew's ass still, their touch becoming less possessive and more gentle.

“Hey, hey…what's up?” Rain peers down at him through the curls spilling across his face, cheeks flushed.

“Nothing, I'm fine,” Dew huffs and shakes his head, trying to press back into Rain’s chest but the water ghoul isn't having it.

He releases Dew's ass and raises his hands slowly, one resting on Dew's shoulder and the other cupping his cheek, “Love.”

“I said I'm fine, Rain. I just–I need you, please,” Dew rips Rain's hands away, trying to place them back on his ass.

But it's too late. The thoughts are there and they won't leave. Dew’s heart races and his breaths come in pants as memories of the past begin to swirl through his mind. A man in black and white face paint being dragged from the stage, a woman with sharp gray eyes and a severely tight bun, a reflection of another version of himself from another life bursting into flames.

“Love? Firefly, what's wrong?”

He hears Rain's voice trying to rise above the storm, concerned for his fire ghoul. Dew whines low in his throat and claps his hands over his ears pressed low against his head. His breathing comes in rapid gasps and he shakes his head again, golden hair falling into his watering eyes and covering his face. He hides behind it, shrinking away from Rain as he tries to reach towards the shaking fire ghoul before pushing him aside and ripping the door open.

“Dew, wait!”

He ignores Rain’s worried cries, stumbling through the doorway and sprinting down the hallway, disappearing around the corner and leaving only the acrid smell of char and gasoline in the air.

***

Mountain stands by his window, surveying the shelves of potted plants thriving happily in the sunlight filtering through the trees outside in the courtyard. Aether had done a good job of taking care of them while he had been away with the band on this last tour, and Mountain smiled at the memories of the weekly, sometimes daily, photos the quintessence ghoul had sent him over the last few months to prove that he was taking good, attentive care of his plant babies. He turns away from the windowsill, humming contentedly to himself as he pads back to his bed and the partially unpacked bags sitting among the various piles of clothing and personal items. Some of the ghouls often left their tour luggage sitting for days, or even weeks in Swiss’s and Cirrus’s cases, before they put it away, wanting to just sleep and decompress in private after spending so much time all crammed together. Mountain, however, detested messiness and disorder and preferred to unpack his luggage first thing, finding it easier to relax once everything was put away in its rightful place.

“Mountain? Can I come in please?”

His ear flicks towards the door as a quiet knock interrupts his flow of focus. He sighs, placing the shirt he was folding back onto the bed and padding towards the door. He twists the knob and opens the heavy oak door to reveal Rain standing in the hallway. To put it mildly, Rain looks like a mess. He’s sweaty, out of breath with his curls plastered to his forehead, shifting from one foot to the other and anxiously wringing his hands as he looks tearfully up at Mountain, sniffling quietly. Mountain blinks back down at him, more surprised than anything. Rain is graceful, composed, calculated. He’s never a mess.

“Hey Mount…can–can I come in?”

Mountain wraps an arm around Rain’s shoulders and brings him into his room, closing the door softly behind him, “Rainy, what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

Rain trudges over to Mountain’s bed and plops down, a glum look on his face. Mountain kneels down in front of him, taking the water ghoul’s hands in his large paws and rubbing his thumbs soothingly over Rain’s knuckles. He waits, watching Rain’s face closely.

“It’s just…” Rain sighs, “It’s Dew.”

Mountain nods, waiting patiently for Rain to continue.

“You know how he’s been acting so weird since our last show? We were in his room, we were kissing. All of a sudden he just…freaked out. He ran away…I–I don’t know what I did wrong,” Rain sniffs, accepting the handkerchief Mountain pulled from his pocket and wiping his nose.

“I’ve been looking for him all over, and I can’t find him anywhere. He’s not in any of his usual spots.”

Mountain hums, squeezing Rain’s hand gently. He’s known Dew a long time, longer than any of the current touring ghouls. He and the fire ghoul have been through so much together. He’d watched Dew as the band progressed through this last tour, watched the small ghoul grow more antsy and anxious as the dates drew closer to that last Australian show. He’d known why Dew was behaving the way he was, but also knew better in the moment than to try and confront Dew on the issue. Mountain lets go of Rain’s hands to rise and seat himself next to the water ghoul on the bed.

“This isn’t because of anything you did or could have done, Rainbow. Dew has…really complicated feelings about being home. About Papa retiring.”

Rain peers at him through wet eyes, moving his hair out of his face to see Mountain better.

“This is about…Papa?”

Mountain nods, “Do you remember the stories me and Aeth told you, Swiss and the girls about the state of things here right before you were all summoned?”

Rain nods, sniffling again.

“We were all kind of…lost. Our previous Papa was dead, a bunch of our pack disappeared and never came back. Dew went through his…his ritual,” Mountain winced inwardly at the memories, “All of that started because Terzo was ‘retired’ by Sister and Saltarian at our final show of that tour we had been on.”

“But Copia isn’t dead. He retired of his own choice. If anything, he’s going to be around for a long time now that he’s Frater instead of Papa, and Sister is gone.” Rain says quietly, looking at his hands.

Mountain hums in agreement, “Yeah, but Dew has always held on to this fear that because he is the smallest, the weakest, of all of us, he is the most likely to be targeted for rituals such as the one that made him a fire ghoul. Rituals that in the past only happen during times of great change.”

Rain’s head snaps back up, “Dew isn’t weak!” he cries fiercely, tail snapping behind him.

“No, of course he’s not. But he sacrificed a lot before in order to help keep me and Aeth safe, and he’s terrified that failing those expectations that were placed on him after he changed will cause history to repeat itself. Except now it’s not just me and Aether. It’s Swiss and Phantom and the girls…and especially you.”

Mountain stands, pulling Rain up with him. He bends down and places a gentle kiss on the smaller ghoul’s forehead, “I think I know where he might be, go find him and talk to him about it. You can help him.”

***

Dew curls into himself on the mossy ground, drawing his knees against his chest and wrapping his tail around his arm as he hugs himself tightly. He’s so fucking stupid, freaking out in front of Rain like that. Nothing is gonna happen with the band being home. Everything is…fine. He groans in frustration, the doubt eclipsing his attempts at reasoning with himself. He can’t go through this again. If anything happened to any of his family, if anything happened to Rain…

He bangs his forehead softly against his knees. Stupid.

The sound of rustling leaves brings Dew’s head whipping up, nerves on high alert. He breathes out a sigh of relief when he sees Rain emerging from the tree branches draping the ground. That relief is quickly replaced by embarrassment and shame at the fact that he had run away from the most important ghoul of his life, that Rain is now seeing him like this. Small, vulnerable, weak.

Rain steps around the slippery, moss-covered stones on the ground, slowly approaching Dew. The cove where the fire ghoul has been hiding is just a small inlet of the Abbey lake protected and covered by a great Weeping Willow tree, acting as a curtain around the inlet and creating a quiet little cave of muted light and green foliage, the water gently lapping the lake’s edge from under the boundary of the tree’s graceful, drooping branches.

Dew scooches over to make room as Rain sinks to the ground next to him and crosses his long legs, leaning back on his hands. He waits for the water ghoul to speak, not trusting himself or his own voice at this particular moment. He places his forehead back to his knees and closes his eyes, listening to Rain’s slow intake of breath.

“You know, I’ve explored every inch of this lake, and I never knew that this was here,” Rain says musingly above Dew’s head.

“Yeah…I found this place…well…before.” Dew mutters into his knees.

Rain hums in acknowledgment, quietly taking in his surroundings.

Dew lifts his head, turning his face to the side to face Rain and resting his cheek on his kneecap, “M’sorry, Rainy…” he mumbles, miserably.

Rain scooches closer and lays his head gently on top of Dew’s. Dew breathes in the scent of petrichor and sea salt, his heart rate slowing with the comforting smell and the warm proximity of his ghoul.

“Oh, my love…it’s okay, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Dew sniffles, wiping his nose on his sleeve. The two ghouls sit in silence, watching the willow branches over the water sway with the breeze blowing in from the lake. Rain breaks the silence first.

“I couldn’t find you after you left, so I tried asking Mountain for help. He told me about…about what you’ve been going through with the end of tour.”

Dew stays silent. He hears Rain sigh, pressing in closer.

“Dew…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I had no idea that this has been bothering you. Why didn’t you say anything?

“Didn’t…sniff…didn’t wanna worry anyone. I know s’not real…”

He feels Rain lift his head and shift away. His heart drops for a moment, but breathes a small sigh as Rain wraps an arm around his thin shoulders and draws him in close. His throat aches with unshed tears and he shakes his head, unable to offer any more words.

“Dew, we’re going to be okay. This isn’t like last time. Even though Copia isn’t our Papa anymore, he would never let anything happen to us.”

“You were placed in an impossible position before I came here, before I knew you. You are the strongest, bravest ghoul I know, having gone through what you did, so willingly and selflessly, no less. You are valid for feeling afraid, I know that the past can be so hard to escape sometimes.”

Rain lifts Dew’s head up with a hand under his chin and gives him a soft peck on the nose.

“Nothing is going to happen to me, or any of the others. We’re going to be together for a long, long time. We are safe, and so are you.”