When You Really Need To Get Off The Couch But Your Elderly Cat Is Sleeping

Your beauty never ever scared me

Mushy May Day 10: Quiet Nights

A quiet night in the band ghoul den.

Much thanks to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and to @ghuleh-recs for the divider.

After dinner leftovers are put away, dishes done and dried and back in their cupboards, Aether pulls his readers out of his breast pocket and heads to the common room. Rain and Cumulus are already there, having helped Mountain cook dinner.

The common room is typically quiet, these nights. Most of the others break off into pairs or just head back to their rooms alone, but the three of them lounge out in the common room for a little while longer. Mountain and Dew slip past Aether as he makes his way, and all three of them pause in the hall.

"I'll join you two in an hour or so. You don't have to wait up for me," Aether hums, pulling Mountain down for a soft kiss, and the earth ghoul goes easily. When they break, he turns to give Dew the same loving treatment.

"We'll keep the nest warm for you, starshine," Dew says, pressing himself against Aether's side for a moment like a particularly affectionate orange cat. Aether smiles and ruffles his hair, much to Dew's faux-chagrin.

"Have fun, nova," Mountain says, patting Aether's shoulder. Aether reaches up and squeezes his hand, and he heads to the common room as his mates head off towards bed.

He finds the common room as it usually is this time of night, ceiling lights turned off, a few lamps casting warm, gold light over the room. Cumulus settles cross-legged in her favorite arm chair, her thick glasses resting on her nose as she squints at a pattern, trying to make sense of the stitch abbreviations. There's a hook tucked behind her ear, a skein of yarn in her lap. Sunny's sprawled out on her stomach on the floor, her well-loved Gameboy in hand, the volume turned down way low.

Rain's on the loveseat, tucked into the corner, a well-worn paperback from the Abbey library open in his hands. Aether takes a seat on the other side of the loveseat, reaching over to the drawer in the side table for his crossword book and a pencil.

As soon as he's settled, Rain shifts until he rests his head on one of Aether's thighs, his knees hooked over the arm of the loveseat. It's a practiced motion, and when Aether feels the weight of him against him, something deep inside of him relaxes. He flips open his crossword book to the first unanswered page, about three quarters of the way through. It will be another week or so before he needs to get a new one.

He puts his readers on, reading over the clues as he starts to work. His other hand goes down, raking blunt claws through Rain's hair. He gets a glance at the spine of his novel, recognizing the cover as something Mountain was reading a few days earlier.

They exist together quietly, the only noises the scratch of pencil on paper, soft video game music playing, Cumulus quietly counting as she keeps track of stitches.

Aeon sticks their head in, noise-canceling headphones covering their ears and a Rubix cube in their hand. "Hey, guys?" All four of the other ghouls turn to look, and Aether glances at them over his readers.

"Yeah, pup?"

"Sorry, could I join you guys?" They scuff their shoe against the floor, trying not to shy away from the unadulterated attention of the others.

"Of course," Cumulus says, waving them over. They take a seat on the floor, back against the front of Cumulus's chair. Aeon leans their head back against Cumulus's shin, playing with the toy, the colors flashing underneath their lithe fingers.

Aether settles back into the couch, working on his crossword, slyly watching Sunny's gameplay. There's no obligation to talk, no masks that need to be held up physical or mental, it's just five ghouls existing together, and it's something that Aether cherishes.

It takes him longer than it normally does to finish his puzzle. That's just because every so often, he tucks his pencil behind his ear, making sure not to catch it on his piercings, and just takes it in. This is what they've worked for. Sure, spreading the word of the Unholy Father is rewarding in its own way, but this is something else, something almost more rewarding than the work, and Aether intends to enjoy every minute of it that he can.

Once he's done, he cards his fingers through Rain's hair one more time before putting his book and pencil away. Rain chirps quietly, shifting reluctantly so Aether can stand. "Good night, angelfish," he whispers, trying not to break the peaceful silence.

Rain squeezes his hand, fighting not to yawn himself as he gets comfortable in the spot Aether's vacated.

He steps, surprisingly quietly for a ghoul of his size, over Sunny, tapping her shoulder with the spade of his tail. She hums in response, focused on her game but still wishing him good night.

Aeon gets their hair ruffled, careful not to dislodge their headphones, and he bends down to press a kiss to Cumulus's forehead. She presses up into it like a cat pleased to receive affection, even though there's no shortage of love in this pack.

Aether spares one last glance back at them before he heads up the hallway to his room, the exhaustion of the end of the day beginning to creep in on him. There's a crack of light underneath his door, and he sighs as he steps into his shared bedroom.

"I told you two you didn't have to-" He starts, cutting himself off as he takes in the sight of his mates in their nest, fast asleep even though the nightstand lamp is on. They're both on their sides, Dew curled around Mountain's back, something that almost looks humorous given their size difference.

Aether smiles, big and warm, and he pulls out his phone, even though he has hundreds of pictures just like this. He knows his mates have pictures of him like this too, and it doesn't stop him from snapping a few before setting his phone and readers down on the nightstand. He changes into a pair of sweats, tossing his day clothes in the hamper before crawling into bed behind Dew.

Mountain shifts but doesn't wake when Aether slings a big arm around his and Dew's waist, but Dew huffs a breath, craning his neck to look back at him.

"Hey, starshine," Dew whispers, voice slow and sleepy. Aether leans in and kisses his cheek.

"Hi, baby. Sorry to wake you."

Dew hums and nuzzles back against him, knocking their horns together. "S'all good," he hums. "Glad I get to say good night, though."

"Me too." Aether gives him another kiss on the cheek, reaching over him and Mountain to pull the cord on the lamp. "Good night, love."

That feeling you get when you are clearing notifications on your phone and you accidentally clear Tumblr notifications. Like, what did I just miss?

Earrings

You forgot something and Papa punishes you. Which Papa, you ask? That is for you to decide. Could be considered a little naughty if you give it the bombastic side eye long enough.

So silent did my love enter the room that I did not know they were there until I felt the leather blindfold slip over my eyes.

“Quiet,” was the only word said.

A gentle but firm touch on my elbow let me know that I was required to stand. Knowing what was expected of me, I put my hands before me, tongue darting over my lips as I felt the bonds tighten around my wrists.

“Too tight?”

Of course I did not answer and only shook my head in reply.

“Good. Come with me”

Obedient, I took a step forward, and immediately ran into the coffee table. I had to bite back a curse that tried to escape from my lips.

“Oh, darling. Did that hurt?”

I nodded.

“We will have to see to that later,” my love told me as they took my bound wrists and led me from the room. I followed along, secure in knowing that my love would not allow any other harm to come to me except for what was administered by their own hand. And that thought had my mind racing. What was on the agenda? Feathers? A spanking? Clamps? Other toys? And what had I done to deserve this? I tried to think what I had done or forgotten…

Forgotten?

Shit.

I know.

Earrings. My love had wanted me to wear those earrings and of course I forgot.

Double shit.

I am so gonna get it. The thought did not frighten me in the least; in fact the mere thought of ‘punishment’ had me almost breathless in anticipation. Lost in my thoughts of spankings and toys, I stumbled as we came to a stop, in what we liked to call, ‘Our Special Room’, which was really nothing more than our bed chamber.

“Stay there,” was the command given to me. For a moment I thought of moving just to test the boundaries that had yet to be set. All thoughts stilled in my mind as I felt the cool metal of a blade pressed against my cheek. I repressed a shiver as the coolness slid across my face and down my throat, with the tip coming to rest just inside my blouse.

“How fond are you of this?”

Of course, I did not answer. I’d yet to be given the leave to do so.  

“You may answer.”

“It means nothing to me.”

“What a pity. I rather like this one on you,” my beloved said as they skimmed a finger across the front of my shirt. I shuddered as I felt the warmth of their skin seeping through the silk fabric. I ceased any movement as I felt the warmth be replaced by the coolness of metal.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Papa. Please remove this from me,” I gasped as the blade circled my nipple. For a moment the coldness was replaced by the warmth of my loves sweet mouth, causing the silky fabric to cling to my skin. Trembling with excitement, I held my breath as the blade sliced through the fabric. Goosebumps raced across exposed skin as I stood uncovered to his gaze.

He gently guided me to the bed and helped me to lay face down and with arms extended, hands grasping the bed post. The soft click of the padded hand cuffs had me squirming with excitement, knowing what was to come.

“Do you know why we are here?” he asked.

“The earrings I forgot to wear to the Ritual?”

A quick slap to my backside reminded me that I had not been given permission to speak.

“Yes, the earrings and if you continue to speak out of turn, I will have to do something about that.”

It was tempting to say something just to see what he would do, but I did not.

“Now, let’s begin,” and with that he brought his hand down across my backside.

~~**~~

The Nameless Ghoul stopped by Papa’s suite; his intention was to go over a few details of the upcoming Ritual with Papa.  His hand was raised to knock on the door when his supernatural hearing caught the sound of two people engaged in their own version of a Ritual. He listened for a moment before smiling to himself. Whatever he needed to discuss could wait until some other time.

Reverie's Ghoul Kit Masterlist

Ghoul Kits:

Calida (Dewdrop/Step-Dad Aether): (CW) Basic Stuff. , More Step-Dad! , Over the Phone. , (CW) On DVD. , (CW) Daughter? , Gender Reveal. , Sister Imperator , Learning About Her Real Father. , On a Plane.

Starshine (Dewdrop/Aether): Another Baby.

Ember, Orion, Lily (Rain/Everyone): First Day of School. , General Pregnancy Talk.

Comet (Aether/Phantom): Finding Out. , On Tour. , First Steps.

Venus (Terzo/Omega): In a Perfect World.

Age Reg: Phantom - Baby's Day Out.

Kit Dewdrop: Little Fishy Writing.

Ghoul Kit Upbringing.

Sister & Mist.

Easter egg for office workers: if you go onto Excel and press ctrl+left, then ctrl+down, you will reach cell XFD1048576. If you put a dot in there, then ctrl+A and fill every cell in black, you can then print 34 million black pages from your office printer and get fired

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.

Okay it was well past time to give Aether 🍌 his turn in the rainbow spotlight

Yay Rainbow Ghouls 🌈

❤️

🧡

💛

💚

💙

💜

🖤

⚪️

🌈

Ahhhh Aether might be my favorite maybe idk if you can tell… I really tried to love them all equally I swear!! But banana boy has stolen my heart 💛🥹

I hope you’re enjoying this still! Like last time, all photo credits go to their original owners, I just found them online

Cryptid Biology Season 2: Shark Bait

[The previous entry in this series: Here. Rain decides to have a little fun with the abbey's gardener after she dares step into his lake smelling like a certain earth ghoul. Implied MountRain and some RainDrop. Going back to our roots and writing about tentacles.] Below the cut.

Rain is hovering just over the silt in the bottom of the lake, belly just barely touching the muck, when he catches a familiar, heady smell emanating from somewhere closer to the surface.

It's Mountain's musk; That distinct scent of evergreen trees mingled with the stench of sweat, but there's something softer, sweeter, diluting it.

He rises slowly, following the smell like a shark tracking a trail of blood in the water.

The ghoul breaches the surface slowly, making the smallest ripple on top of the water as his eyes adjust to the sunlight, blinking once, twice to retract the clear, secondary eye lids that protect his vision in the depths.

The air is thick with humidity, and the sun is harsh, hot on his head, but as his gaze settles on the shallows, he can't bring himself to care about the heat.

Waist deep in the water, the abbey's groundskeeper, Beatrix Milne -Bea-, is stood holding a mesh net, cleaning up debris and trash from the shoreline.

While the siblings, and the ghouls are careful to remove trash after lakeside parties, part of the greater lake extends towards a shore not on the abbey's property; Marked off by a series of buoys, despite efforts to keep the shared waters clean, careless individuals have left everything on the opposite side of the line a mess... leaving people like Bea to clean it up as the winds carry it across.

It's definitely one of the more frustrating parts of maintaining the land, one he's overheard the groundskeeper venting her frustrations about to Mountain when the two come back to the abbey in the afternoon in spring and summer, the cart attached to the UTV loaded up with debris to be sorted out into the compost or recycled later on.

He tries his best to keep the water clean himself, but there's only so much he can do alone, which is why he understands the pointed look of annoyance on Bea's face as she fills the net with half sunk beer cans and the occasional snack packaging.

Rain eases his way towards the shore, floating along even as the water gets shallower and shallower, and settles himself in the reeds nearby, watching the human work.

Bea and him have never really clicked, despite a shared interest in protecting the natural world, she's often too abrasive for him to want to approach her directly and strike up a conversation, but he can't blame her for being that way; He's seen how Mountain can get after spending all day out in the hot sun, isolated from others, sweaty and uncomfortable, body tense and sore...

However, looking at the groundskeeper now, she doesn't look too terribly bothered, just focused.

She's dressed more casually than he's seen her before -much, much more so-, wearing cut off jeans and a bikini top, her exposed skin shiny with a mix of sweat and sunblock...

Rain sniffs the air curiously.

It's just barely there.

Mountain's scent on her skin, not nearly strong enough for him to have smelled it from that deep in the water.

He hums, sinking down slightly when the groundskeeper looks out over the reeds, waving her hand as if swatting at an insect.

And that's when he notice, as his nose hits the water, he can smell it.

Trailing his gaze down the curves of her body from her face, he eyes the waistband of her shorts, just barely visible over the water, and lowers himself down further to get a better look.

Sure enough, the smell is coming from there.

"Oh, I see..." he thinks, taking in the sight of the rough fabric soaked through, and clinging to her skin.

Despite how often the two argue; Mountain has clearly marked his territory, or, perhaps, Bea had claimed hers.

Maybe both.

But regardless of who struck their flag where, coming into another ghoul's domain smelling so strongly of someone else has Rain feeling... slighted.

If she's going to play around -Clean, she is cleaning the lake- in his lake like this, she should at least ask his permission first, but she hasn't.

And that alone is enough for Rain to want to punish her.

Of course, the type of punishment depends on how she reacts to what he does next.

Cloaking himself slightly with his magic, Rain drops back beneath the waves, and glides himself past her legs, letting the fin of his tail slide against her thigh.

Her can almost her her gasp, feels her jump... but she doesn't flee.

Rain swims by her again, and before HE can react, he feels the tug of fingers in his hair.

He groans, air bubbling from his lungs as he's pulled above the water again.

"You know that doesn't work on me, right?"

He'd forgotten.

"Sister Imperator gave me 'Sight', so I wouldn't get tricked by the other creatures on the grounds like the last caretaker." she says, "Are you going to stop fooling around, or are you going to help me clean up?"

Rain pouts.

"You're one to talk." he murmurs, moving to stand, towering over the gardener, "Seems you and Mountain were 'fooling around' not long ago... You know it's rude, right? Entering my lake smelling like him."

Bea stares up at him, brows furrowed, squinting, both in annoyance and to keep the light out of her eyes.

He steps more into the path of the sun, casting his shadow over her.

"I was under the impression that you liked how Mountain smells." she says, turning away from him, tossing her net onto the shore, but not before tying a loose knot in it to prevent the debris from spilling out.

She's not going to clean it up twice in one day.

"Mountain told me you're always pressing yourself up against him, rubbing his scent all over you... Are you annoyed or just jealous that I smell like him, too?"

Rain grins.

"Jealous? Of you?" he laughs, then sighs, "Perhaps a little... Did you like it?"

He steps closer.

"Him shoving his cock inside of you?" he asks, watching the faintest hint of embarrassment color her cheeks, "I bet you begged and begged and begged for him to give you more."

"Me? Beg?" Bea tilts her head, and quirks her lips, "He was the one begging."

Rain presses forward again, and Bea meets him, skin to skin.

He can feel the soft pudge of her belly against him in the water.

Warm against his naturally cold flesh.

He traces his fingers along her arm, watching her shiver.

"...I could make you beg." he offers, "If you'd like to see what I do to make the 'mountain' shake..."

Bea squirms as he lowers himself into a kneeling position.

"If you want me," he says, poking his thumbs through the belt loops of her shorts, "you'll remove these. I don't much care of the look or taste of denim."

Wordlessly, and with an almost amusing amount of haste, Bea shimmies out of her bottoms allowing Rain access to her crotch.

With a whispered 'yes' from her lips -said far quieter than needed for where they are- Rain dives in, pressing his nose against her mound and inhaling deeply.

He can smell Mountain here; Though wiped clean, but a ghoul's scent is strong, and even if Rain bemoans not being able to lick if from her, he can still taste Mountain's release, perhaps there is some still deeper inside.

He continues to nose at her cunt for a time, separating out her smell from his, trying to appreciate her scent as well.

He giggles and feels her tremble above him.

"You smell like honey... Honey Bea... how cute~" he teases, dragging his tongue along her folds before she can begin to argue.

She reminds him a bit of Dew in that way.

He always shies away from endearments and praise during sex, but if Bea is anything like the feisty fire ghoul, then he knows if he keeps pushing, he'll get what he wants.

Rain kisses her 'lips' before probing deeper with his tongue, it's messy and the sounds it makes, though muted by the water, is obscene.

Having been on both ends of such encounters, Rain is very familiar with what to do to get himself and his partners off this way, but that's not his goal here.

He pulls away just when Bea's body is about to buckle, and pushes her backwards into the water, revealing in the way she yelps as overwarm skin meets the lake.

"You jerk-!" she shouts, but, again, she is cut off by Rain.

"Have you ever been with a water ghoul before?" he asks, fingers tracing the split along his crotch, teasing the scales there, catching her confused glare, "...You haven't, have you?"

The head of his tentacle begins to peek out from between the folds, a light blue, bleeding into purple at the tip as he begins to pet it.

"I think once you have..." he says, leaning forward, cradling her neck to keep her head above water as he lines himself up, watching the surprise flicker across her face as the tentacle begins to prod at her entrance.

"...You'll realize you're not the only one who can make someone beg."