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Everything was incredibly sluggish and sore as he tried to open his eyes. Mato groaned quietly as the world formed around him and he tried to recall where he was and why.
The pillows underneath his body made him think he’s in his own home. However, it’s much dustier. And these pillows are various different sizes with strange stains on them. He knows he’s sometimes a little careless with his food when he dozes off over it but still…black stain?
Void stain.
It all started to come back to him, and as it did so did the pain.
He was in Dirtmouth, still curled up in Hollow’s bed. He had gotten hurt after Ogrim intervened at a bad time when he was fighting a Waste Beast. His arm was severely broken and the pain of that made his entire body feel kaput.
He slowly tried to sit up, aching. He looked around the room better, but his arm moving made him want to stuff his head back into the pillows and keep sleeping forever.
He saw Hollow’s horns at the foot of the bed like they were silently sitting on the floor. Ghost was curled up near them but at least they were on the bed. They were seemingly napping.
He had no idea how long he slept. He hoped Hollow wasn’t waiting for their bed…Maybe Ogrim and Hornet were setting something up for him to move to and let him rest instead of consulting him about it. He vaguely remembered them talking about it after he took some medicine...
He had a couple gaps, though.
Startling him into a pained hiss, Hollow’s door opened and Ogrim stepped inside. “Oh! You’re awake!” He piped up, never the whisperer.
“Hello, dear…How’re you feeling?” Ogrim moved to his side, claw already hovering towards the container of lifeblood.
“...could be better. Quite tired.”
“Do you feel pain?” Ogrim asked, grabbing the jar. Mato gave him a look and just held out his free hand. At least his blanket sling was nice.
“I figured as much. Here.” Ogrim opened it and shook a few seeds into his palm. Mato ate them faster than he did last night.
“Sly made you something special but you slept through it when it was warm. Now that you’re awake I’ll tell him to see if he can reheat it.”
“...How…long- did I sleep?” Mato’s head was sore and fuzzy.
“It’s nearly half-burned on Hornet’s candle.” Mato sat up a little more when Ogrim said this. “Are you serious?? Ughk-” Mato held his head when it pulsed with pain, a droning throbbing in his arm bugging him.
Ogrim put his claw on his shoulder and gently pushed him to lay back down. “I’m serious, and I want you to rest. I don’t want you out of bed today, okay?”
“I want- to go see what- everything’s up-” Mato mumbled, still holding his head. “You’re delirious, still. You were last night before you passed the hell out.” Mato rubbed his eyes, looking around.
“Was I?...don’t say that- the kids- sleeping right there!” Mato gestured at Hollow and Ghost sleeping nearby, and Ogrim rolled his eyes.
“You definitely were, you kept mumbling about everything and anything. You almost didn’t let any of us sleep with it. Also, they know what that is, it’s not a swear word. They don’t even know the sign.”
“Still! Mmm…” Mato scooted back, trying to get comfy. Ogrim shook his head. “I’ll go get you what Sly wants to give you. If I catch you out of bed, broken arm or not, I’m suplexing you back into it.”
This made Mato honk out a laugh. Ogrim shook his head, leaving with a strained smile. Mato laid back, eyes half-open. He sighed once the sounds of Ogrim were no more.
He was in pain.
Stuck in bed.
And already frightfully bored.
Time ticked at a snail’s pace, Mato staring at the ceiling. He opted to just zone out if sleep eluded him.
He heard a tiny shuffle and saw Ghost twitch a little bit in the corner of his eyes. “Welcome to the the-waking world, my child…” He muttered under his breath as they sat up.
That led to them standing up way too quickly to slam themself into Mato’s uninjured arm. “AGK-” Mato hissed in pain as Ghost clung to him.
He was glad his arm was still slung in a blanket sling so Ghost wasn't directly on it, but moving his elbow to keep Ghost on the other arm hurt! Ghost just clung tighter, little wisps of void floating up into the air.
They were crying...Mato was too tired and fuzzy to fully process this so he just sat up the best he could to look at them sleepily.
He tried to get them off his arm without being able to grab them by the cloak. This made them hug him in a bad way, making his pain greater despite the lifeblood he took. It hadn't even fully kicked in yet.
"Child- My little shadow- you're hurting me-" Mato groaned, shaking slightly from the pain. Ghost slowly let go but stood on the bed with an almost angry disposition. They pointed at their arm and waved their hands in the air. Mato sighed as they gave a few little stomps.
They were quite angry about it, it seems.
“I’ll be fine, little one…i’m just…so tired.” Ghost stomped more and crossed their arms. “I’ll heal.”
Ghost looked at him for a moment, as if waiting for him to do just that.
After a few moments, they looked like they wanted to keep stomping about, patting the sides of their head in an angry stim. They pushed their arms up, and waved them, confused.
“...what?” Mato hummed, eyes half open. They signed “Focus! Soul!” several times, quickly. Ogrim must have been right about his delirium. He did not understand what the heck his child was trying to tell him.
“Focus! Heal! Soul! Play!” They clapped a little bit as if encouraging him but with anger wisping from their eyes. It made him worry they were going to wake Hollow with it.
It took him a while to realize exactly what they were being angry about. “Child…I am not…i’m not- like you…” Mato yawned a little bit.
“It’s- gonna, y’know…take me a little tiny bitty bit longer to heal from this…compared to well, you.” Ghost didn’t understand that and just waved their arms more.
As Mato tried to console the child, Ogrim walked in with a bowl of soup. “Sly’s little gift to you, my dear. Oh-” Ogrim hummed, seeing Ghost continue to stomp on the bed.
Mato looked at his husband and saw the soup. “Did Sly make the soup?!” He gasped. Sly only made that when the kids were sick or one of them was hurt! Oh…yeah yeah, he got it now.
“He did make the soup. He warmed it up but it’s not too hot. He’s been quite anxious all day about this.” He wanted to move to give it to Mato but he noted Ghost’s anger.
“Ghost, what’s the matter?” Ogrim acknowledged them.
Ghost looked at Ogrim and leapt over Mato’s legs to get close to him, jolting the bed. That made Mato wince and Ogrim put the soup down on a nearby table to use his claws to make an “easy” motion.
Ghost signed “Soul! Heal him! Tell! Heal and play!” They fumed, not bothering with full sentences. Ogrim knew they could do full sentences but those were clouded with rage.
“Ghost, Mato can’t do that. He’s not a higher being, it would take a lot of power for him to do that. He’s too tired.” Ogrim gave Ghost a pat and that made him realize they were trembling in rage. They really didn’t understand. “Heal him! He needs heal!”
“He’ll heal! It’s just a broken arm, he needs a few sleeps! It’ll heal, I promise.” Ghost flapped their hands hard a couple of times, making Ogrim consider taking them out of the room for a deeper talking-to.
However, their rough stimming rattled their head and made them sway backwards.
Ogrim sighed, knowing this was them about to faint. They touched the massive crack running along their head, stumbling back. Thankfully, they were on a bed so the landing was soft. They fainted backwards, stubby hand stuck to their face.
“Oh…little one.” Mato sighed, ignoring his own pain to lean forward and give them some of his blankets. Ogrim tucked them in, sighing too.
“...I…take it, this hasn’t been the uh…first- episode?” Mato asked as Ogrim grabbed his serving of soup.
“Lay back before I give this to you.” Mato listened to him, getting the soup. He felt weird holding it in one hand. He wanted to try to hold it with both but that would be a very bad idea.
“You’d be right. I’ll be honest.”
Mato looked down, feeling a little guilty. “Ah-ah. Those thoughts are so loud, stop that. This wasn’t your fault.” Ogrim assured him, tapping the bowl to get him to take a sip.
“It’s not yours…” Mato said, taking that first little sip. “Let’s say it’s the beast’s fault to make us feel better for right now, deal?”
“Deal.” Mato nodded. The soup was so good. After all these years, Sly only perfected it to be the ideal comfort food for him. Earthy and spicy.
“So…” Mato looked at Ghost. “...Ghost?”
Ogrim sighed again, sitting down near Mato, but not confident to sit on the bed like the previous time.
Mato held the soup tight, eating slowly as Ogrim talked. “They’ve been up at arms almost all night. You didn’t want to make any of them sleep away from their room, they didn’t want to leave you alone, but they were confusing you deeply. I told them not to distress you, that led to the first faint.”
Mato sighed, still feeling bad.
“When they came to, you were asleep. They weren’t happy about that either. They wanted to make sure you were okay so they got me and scared me thinking you had left or something! I gave them a gentle talking to and told them not to cause panic. That led to a second one. That one kept them out until everyone else slept and woke, apparently.” Mato nodded, looking down at the soup.
His little one was so upset...
“They were up for a little bit then, while we were making the soup. They wanted to help and take it to you but you were still sleeping. They weren’t happy because it was late and apparently they thought you would’ve already healed.”
“That’s not happening for a while…” Mato chuckled, tiredly.
“Nope.” Ogrim shook his head. “When they fainted the third time, Hornet decided sleeping with you would ease them. She put them in here. And then this just now. So just four faints this set of episodes.”
Mato rubbed his thumb against the bowl, looking at Hollow. “What about…”
Ogrim looked at Hollow, as well. “They’ve been sleeping there since you went to bed. Your delirium made you emotional about taking their bed so they sat there until you fell asleep so you’d be calm.”
“Mmm…” Mato hummed. “My delirium was right.”
“Your delirium is delirium, dearest. I don’t think that has the capacity to be right.”
Hollow’s shoulders moved slightly as if they were nodding with a cough-laugh. Then they went back to stillness.
“Hollow, are you awake?” Ogrim asked, and they kept still. They looked asleep, but it was entirely too easy for a being who couldn’t quite close their eyes to pretend. They were, however, very good at keeping still.
Ogrim stood back up and walked over to them. “Have you been awake this entire time?”
Hollow sighed, looked at Ogrim, and signed. “Sorry.” This made Mato laugh a little bit.
Hollow turned around to look at them both, leaning their arm on the bed. “Sorry you are…still…hurt.” Hollow struggled to sign “hurt” so they did half of it and tapped where their arm would be.
“Do not worry for me, Hollow….I’m sorry for…taking up your bed. I hope you’re alright…”
Ogrim shook his head. Of course, Mato’s more worried for Hollow. Hollow signed. “Stiff…but not hurting. I’m fine. Used to it.”
Mato shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to be…go outside…” Hollow looked sad, shaking their head.
Ogrim offered a claw to them. “I think he means you should go outside to do your stretches. You haven’t done them today.”
Hollow’s head bowed as Ogrim helped them to their feet. They stumbled and their joints snapped a bit, showing in full colors that they needed to stretch. “Let’s go: Out now, go get some fresh air. Father will be fine. He has soup. You can have soup too.”
Hollow held the edge of the bed, leaned on it, and waved their hand as they thought of the signs. “I want to stay with father…” They thought for a moment. “Father two.” They held up two fingers and pointed them at Ogrim.
That made Ogrim’s eyes waver with happiness. “I’ll be out there with you in a little bit. I want to sit with Mato until he finishes his soup so I can help him. Is that okay?”
Hollow nodded as Ogrim helped them towards the door. They grabbed their cane and were out of the house in no time. “Stretch the whole way, don’t go half! I’ll be right out!”
The door clinked shut in the distance, and Ogrim sighed.
He looked at Mato. The man looked like a tired vengefly with its wing tucked away. A lumafly without its light.
Ogrim sat back down next to him and kissed his head.
“I don’t like that...our kids are so used to pain.” Mato looked up at him sadly. Ogrim gently rubbed the side of Mato's head. It was still sore to Mato, but he liked the feeling of Ogrim's claws so he said nothing.
“I don’t like it either, but it’s what life signed up for them. I’ve gotten used to pain too, but it doesn’t mean that it’s good or deserved.”
Mato nodded, taking another sip of soup. He had already eaten around half of it before the pain made him realize his appetite was much less than usual. He handed the half-empty bowl to Ogrim.
“You’re done?”
“Yeah…”
“Alright, there's always more later. Sly doesn’t need to know.”
“He’s been…anxious too, you said?”
“He’s pretty mad. Not at you, not anymore. I think it’s…a mad at the situation kind of deal, bubbling into anxiety.”
Mato rubbed his head, groaning. This made Ogrim kiss it again. “What…am I gonna do…?”
“Heal. Rest. Things like that. I can bring you some paper or one of those little board games.”
“No no…that sounds nice but…everyone’s so upset…what do I do?”
“Mato, let them be upset. We’re all upset because we love you, and-” Ogrim flicked his claw a little bit in emphasis.
“You’re upset too?” Mato’s voice wavered as if he was going to cry.
“Of course I am! The love of my life broke his arm and is stuck in bed from the recoil. I don’t like that!” Ogrim gave Mato a very loose hug to not jitter his arm.
“But there’s nothing we can do but make you comfortable, and when things calm down, when they start to heal. Then the upset will go away. That’s not going to happen if you strain yourself, that will only make things worse.”
Mato held up a finger but couldn't actually think of anything to say. He thought about all Ogrim had said, and leaned against him.
“I’m the love of your life?” That was all his sleepy voice could say.
“You’re all over the place. And yes, yes you are.”
“I might’ve…hit my forehead on the decline…” Mato admitted, as if trying to do it in an amused matter.
“I would believe that,” Ogrim said, kissing his head again. He hugged Mato again. “Rest. I’ll deal with the children and their emotions. I can even take Ghost out of here if they’re an issue.”
“It’s not…an issue…it’s just…”
“I’ll help them understand.”
Mato looked down, sighing at that. “...yes, take them…but let them back in when they, y’know…get it.”
“I can do that. Anything for you that I can do to help, I’ll do.”
“You’re…so good…i hope i’m the love of your life…forever.”
“That’s what “Love of My Life” means, sweetheart.”
“That’s…thats true…” Mato hummed, letting Ogrim let him go to lay down against the pillows. “...Ogrim?” Mato said before he could even stand up.
“Yes, dear?”
“...make sure Hollow…doesn't sleep on the ground again…that’s bad, for their health…”
“I’ll do that, my love. We’ll talk about it, you just go back to sleep. You really need it.”
Mato muttered, eyes half open. Ogrim gave him a proper kiss before dealing with Ghost. Ogrim grabbed Ghost and cradled them against his chest. “Careful with…with their head.”
“You be careful with your head,” Ogrim said back to him, as he snuggled his head into some of Hollow’s bigger pillows. Ogrim leaned over and fixed them up for him.
Once Mato was as comfortable as he could get, practically dozing off immediately, Ogrim carried Ghost out of the room.
He saw through the window of their living area that Hollow was sitting on the ground outside, stretching their arm. He put Ghost down on a comfy pile of blankets they had created while finding Mato an appropriate sized sling.
He went to open the door to sit with Hollow for a moment, but when he approached it, it opened by itself!
No, scratch that, it was just Sly when Ogrim looked down.
“Oh, hello Sly…”
“Hello, how is he?” Sly barely spared the greeting as he walked inside.
Ogrim rubbed the back of his head. “He’s…definitely feeling the recoil and pain. I had him take more lifeblood. He thinks he hit his head and I believe that.”
“He’s still delirious? Did he eat?” Sly’s antennae were pressed back as he walked over to Ghost and tucked them into the blankets. He knew they were so stressed too and could tell this was a faint and not a nap. He didn’t need to say anything.
“He was, he’s trying to sleep more. He was upset about the kids again. He hates that they’re sick and sore too. He did eat.”
“Is that so…How much?”
“Half a bowl. I’ll get him to eat more when he has a bit more clarity.”
Sly growled a bit under his breath, mumbling something about being reckless. Ogrim kept talking. “He actually nearly got physically upset that all of us are stressed out for him, it was-”
“Of course, we’re all stressed! “ Sly interrupted. “I haven’t seen him like this since he was a teenager. Has he ever gotten this hurt with you?”
Ogrim waved his claws. “That’s what I told him! I’m not sure if it got through. Trauma-induced delirium doesn't exactly mix well with logic.”
Ogrim thought about the question. “He’s gotten a couple of really nasty cuts, but nothing this bad.”
Sly rubbed in between his eyes, antennae wiggling. “He’s always been prone to scrapes and bumps, but my gods…I’m too old for this. I should go check on him myself.” He shook his hands and started walking in Mato’s direction.
Ogrim gently touched Sly on the shoulder, stopping him completely because of his size. “I would let him rest. He’s pretty out of it and I don’t think stressing him with your stress is a good idea…”
“I’m just going to check on him, not wake him up! Leave me be!” Sly ignored Ogrim’s advice and made for Hollow’s room. Ogrim sighed and looked at the window again.
He opened the door and stepped outside. “Hollow, you have to stretch your legs too.”
They threw their head back, annoyed.
“I’ll help you. Come now, stand up.”
---
Sly realized Ogrim didn’t shut this door all the way so he could quietly peek into the room and looked at Mato.
He was snuggled deeper into the blanket and pillows, but he was splayed as much as he could so he could lay flat on his back with his arm still forced in that bent slung position. His unslung arm was stretched across the bed as it looked like he was trying to lay on his side but physically couldn’t.
The snoring told Sly that he was one hundred percent at least a little asleep.
Sly looked at the ground and saw some pillows had fallen on the floor and the blanket wasn’t straight. “Tch tch tch…I got you.” Sly walked further into the room and gathered the loose pillows.
He tucked them around Mato's head and put one near his arm so he could move it onto something soft. He grabbed the blanket and adjusted it.
It was strange to him because these motions were…still habitual. He did this for Ghost all the time, but it had been so long since he did this for Mato.
The fretting anxious nurturing fatherhood that comes out when your little one is hurt, that pain feeling like the worst thing on the planet.
To both the child and the father.
Sly guessed that stuck around when your children were grown, married with children of their own, and also three times your size.
The way Sly watched Mato sleep, it was just like when he was little and sick and he was worried he'd lose his breath. And Sly would take care of him. He would bring him soup when he was too weak to walk or do anything and then take care of him when he was better.
He would sit on the bed beside him and talk about anything he could think of until Mato fell asleep. Always the clingy one.
It was so similar...yet so different. The stress mingled in the air in a different light but the feelings were the same.
At the end of the day, he was still his little lumafly and he hated seeing that lumafly squished. Sly sat on the edge of the bed, ignoring Ogrim's advice and his own mental plans.
"...you know, Mato. It does suck that we're all stressed and sick and sore...you're right about that one...but..." Sly said this all under his breath, unsure if Mato would hear him even if he was awake.
“...this stress is…needed and natural. It’s terrible, I hate it a lot. But it is! In a heartbeat, I’d take your pain but then that pain would stress you all. Like when I had a fever and you all acted like it was the end of me for whatever reason.” Sly talked to himself, a bit aimlessly.
“The stress we have for Ghost when they faint. The stress we have for Hollow when their legs give out on them or their arm sends them into a fit. The stress we have for Hornet when she goes into herself and fears so loudly she starts to quietly wither. " Sly listed the stressors, ticking it on his hands.
"The stress we have for that husband of yours when his grief you told me of holds his heart hostage and tries to destroy it…The stress we have for you when you bite off more than you can chew and get your arm broken.” Sly looked down, antennae trembling.
“It’s…needed! And it’s going to be there until we’re better. Not all of that stuff can heal though. So…most we can do is sit with each other until we can all stand again. Help each other up, strength begets more strength, old sayings, blah blah blah.” Sly waved his hands a little bit, putting them together.
“Do you understand that, Mato?” He said this mostly to himself. He got silence for a couple of beats and stood up on the bed in the middle of it. He walked over to Mato’s face and placed a small kiss on the top of his horn.
“Heal up. Don’t worry. Everything’s under control, you sentimental insatiable loveable goob.” Sly said this despite knowing he gets it from him. He gets all this bloody nonsense from him.
Sly jumped off the bed and started leaving when he heard, “.... thanks dad…i’ll try…” followed by another snore a few tics later.
Sly looked behind him at Mato, not responding. He put his hand against the door and shook his head, shutting the door completely.
He went back into the living area and saw Ghost had come to enough to turn in the blankets. They apparently decided to pout in the pile.
He stood up on a stool and saw Ogrim holding Hollow so they could balance while stretching their left leg. He knew Hornet was likely divvying up the excess of the food to the other people of Dirtmouth and would be back around soon to fret as well.
Sly went back to Ghost, sat next to them, and gave them some gentle rubs on the head. This calmed their pouting a little bit and they bundled themself deeper in the blanket.
“It’ll be fine, little nailmaster. We’re good at things like this, no?” Anxiously waiting for things to heal? For change? For anything to get even a smidge better?
Sitting around and holding hopes dearly in their hearts for a better next day. For a better moment.
“We’re used to it.”