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Music rocked through the practice room, running without a hitch, such being somewhat unusual for the band of ghouls and their leader. What was usual however, were the brilliant smiles and sensual skits braved on the vibrant stage. As much as Rain loved the bits with the three at the head of the stage, just one with Swiss could make his day, completely unlike any other. The two were separated by stage position, rarely having the opportunity to interact apart from brief glances; interaction being what both of them secretly craved.
The rhythms of Dance Macabre were running smoothly, each member hitting cues and notes flawlessly. That was until the famous riff of shimmies began. Swiss leant down towards the painted Papa, preparing for their repeated bit but; a vicious crack resounded through the room, the ghoul stumbling to the ground. Strong arms weakly grasped for and gripped the edge of the platform, his head spinning. For just a brief moment, the world was off kilter, the lights all too harsh, the walls all too close.
The sharp snap followed by a the thud of knees on stage shocked the other ghouls, spinning their heads simultaneously, halting the strumming. The Multi ghoul struggled to his feet, with the likes of a foal learning of it's hooves for the first time.
"Well what the fuck was that? Break the stage again?" The fiery ghoul joked, masking his concern.
"Not the time, Dew." Copia sighed, turning his attention back to the fallen guitarist, "You ok, mio caro?" he spoke, worry clear in his anxious tone.
"I'm good, hip buckled on me," Swiss grunted out "just give me a second, " he breathed heavily, trying to will away the pain.
Thankfully, no harm came to his guitar, not even the slightest scratch, too precious to risk scarring. The rehearsal stage however, suffered deep gouges where demonic claws dug in. The worst non-ghoul affected was the rhythm of the practice; "Ready to try again?" The front-man singer questioned, unsure. Yet none responded - without needing to be spoken, practice was cut short.
Saving Swiss the hassle, Mountain silently offered to put his guitar, along with his other instruments, away. Mountain wasn't one for spoken words, but their love still shone in his actions and services. Gratefully accepting, he slung the semi-acoustic off his body, handing it carefully to the drummer. "Thank you." he smiled, trying his hardest to not grit his teeth. Swiss glanced about the sound-proofed room for the Water ghoul of his affections, but alas he was not in sight, probably putting his bass away. Dejected, he began to stumble back to his quarters, trying his best to mimic a painless walking pace.
Rain carefully placed the four string instrument back on it's stand, brushing off a fleck of dust that had already settled. Hastily twisting up from resting on his haunches, he half stepped out of the storage room adjoined to see the figure of Swiss limping alone down the Ministry hallway. Initially, he didn't seem too bad off, even dramatic, but the clearly-pained stagger proved otherwise. Rain furrowed his brows beneath his mask, not in confusion but rather concern for the other's state - if it was so painful, why had he not said such sooner?
Aether threw the keys to lock up at the bassist's absent-minded face before stepping out, pulling the smaller ghoul out of his focused trance. Rain grumbled, promising to himself he would chase after Swiss in a moment, fumbling with the set of keys in his grey-blue hands. The silent dimness of the practice room was all but welcoming, the only sound left being a handle jiggling, ensuring the lock was doing it's job. Rain hated the eerie silence left after practice and the cold, unforgiving stone of the Ministry surely did not help. Confident enough that all was safe, the Water ghoul rushed off in a light jog towards the Ghoul kitchens, thankfully not far.
The well-worn door to the medical cabinet was flung open carelessly, hinges squealing in protest of the harshness. Countless bottles of probably out-of-date pills were shoved out the way, "Hell, when was the last time this was cleaned?" Rain muttered to himself, rifling for wherever the painkillers were; that was until a small package was thrown at his helmeted head.
"Don't worry fish boy, there's still some left in there. What d'you even need 'em for?" the fiendish fire ghoul messed, already knowing why, but teasing Rain regardless.
"No reason, I should really be asking you that." Rain pushed back, glancing up with the box of pain relief in hand.
"Snagged m' finger on a string the other day, still hurts, cut deeper than I thought." The shorter ghoul replied monotonously, holding out a bandaged finger.
"Was it the g string?" Rain turned to leave, giggling, "And was it Aether's?"
"How the fuck am I suppos'd to remember?" Dew responded in confusion, "Oh. Oh you fuckin' asshole." he spit back, finally getting it, stomping off in another direction. Probably to Aether's room if it was Rain's guess.
Grinning proudly at his promiscuously bold joke, he scurried off to the segment of the ghouls' annex where his, Dew and Swiss' rooms were set but instead of entering his own, Rain paused in front of Swiss' door, which had been left ajar. Subtle groans of pain and laboured breathing reverberated off the loveless stone walls and out the crack of the door. Rain's remnant smile fell, his hand shaking as he rapped his knuckles on the other's door. "Swiss?" his timid voice asked.
"Whatever it is I'm not getting it." Swiss' signature rumble rung through the door, "What in hell do you want?", exhausted tone clear to hear.
"Sorry, sorry, don't want to bother you, just checking you're alright?" The crystal-blue eyed ghoul gingerly questioned. Swiss barely grumbled out words to affirm of his condition, but Rain was refusing to take that for an answer, "Can I come in, yes?" already pushing the wooden door open, anxiety left behind in the face of concern.
"Well I guess so then, welcome to my humble abode." Swiss held his arms out in a sort of stilled jazz-hands pose. A mock-up of a smile graced his strong features, but his eyes told a different tale. Reddened eyes and brows pulled down at the edges, tense, in a writhe of agony. The Multi ghoul wasn't one known to cry - Rain knew the tear-edged eyes were not to be taken with a pinch of doubt - and his heart ached at the sight.
Swiss saw the poorly concealed concern in the other's expression, pulling his hands down back between his legs, fidgeting with the edge of his bedsheets under Rain's watchful stare. Fixating his gaze onto the floor, unblinking, he let out a heavy sigh; "Look, I get it, I know I should've 'told you all sooner'," he said, waving his hands in quotation marks in the air, "And I know you're pissed at me-"
"Swiss- Swiss I'm not mad at you, not at all, love." Rain cut him off, "None of us are, but I- we need to know if there's anything we can do to help; I can't bear to watch you in pain like this, let alone imagine feeling it. So, is there?", Rain set the pack of painkillers on the corner of the bedside table, almost falling but pushed by back the ghoul's elegant hands.
"If I'm gonna be honest, I have no fucking idea, sorry." He glanced up at the freckled ghoul, feeling less ashamed now, "Not like the ministry doctors do either, useless shits. Sorry.", reaching for the painkillers and a glass of probably stale water on the table. Swiss swallowed a pill hastily and shifted, wincing at the remaining hip ache, patting space on his bed for the Water ghoul to sit.
"Thank you. If you need anything at all, just shout," Rain lit up in a smile, gracefully taking the offered seat - not just anyone was allowed in a ghoul's quarters, even more so to be lent a seat on their bed, or more affectionately known as a nest. He yanked off the clunky pilot-esque helmet, neck strap never really buckled, Swiss following suit, both allowing themselves to appear more ghoulish than human like.
"I don't even know what happened up there, and just I feel awful that practice stopped because of me, everyone was having fun, I mean did you see the ghoulettes? they were killing it!" Rain noted the other's hands beginning to tremble, "The pain only just started a month or two ago and the infirmary people, or whatever they're called, don't know what to do." the guitarist sighed, rubbing his face, clearly frustrated.
Rain half-giggled, idea sprung in his head, "The pain comes with age, " mischievous grin spreading upon his dappled cheeks, trying to make the other smile.
"Did you just call me old? " the other peeked up out of his hands, his own smirk barely visible.
"Maybe I did, old man. "
"Oh piss off, you're just barely younger asshole, you're next in line then, " Swiss revealed his face, now fully smiling. Rain only lightly laughed in return, leaning his head forwards to knock the other's horns with his own. Ghouls aged much slower than humans, no one knew the exact conversion, but a ghoul could long outlive many generations of man - The Dark Lord had made ghouls as an 'improved' humanity in spite of God. A comfortable silence fell briefly between the two, until the bassist noticed a wrought expression upon the other, who just timely looked up.
"Sorry Rainy, odd request but can I... would you just hug me? Mountain tells me how good at cuddles you are and I; I don't really know where I'm going with this." The taller ghoul played with his claws, avoiding meeting the blue toned ghoul in the eye. Wordlessly, Rain pulled the Multi ghoul into his grasp by the shoulders, worry refilling him. Swiss immediately melted into his hold, gently resting his brow into the crook of the Water ghoul's neck, inhaling the strong perfume of petrichor radiating off the other's skin.
The embrace was like none Swiss had had before - despite Rain's slight build, his skin was soft and plush where his muscle sat, and the dips and grooves of his torso felt as if they were made for the Multi ghoul to rest upon, chin settled in his collarbone. Now just realising how much he needed this, the hug and the ghoul, Swiss pulled the other tighter, tears reforming at the brink of eyes buried in the Water ghoul's collar. He was shaking like a leaf in Rain's welcoming arms, releasing much tension built up over the months of physical stress on his body. Once again, the world became all too much for the thick-skinned ghoul.
Almost in a panic, Rain squeezed the hug tighter, he had not expected Swiss to be so open considering his typically closed-off nature, but he supposed the time they've spent together getting closer meant as much to Swiss as it did to himself. He knew this wasn't the time but butterflies danced in his stomach. Hoping the being in his arms would not notice, he presses a chaste kiss to the other temple. The Water ghoul found themself dissolving into the hug, running gentle fingers over the muscular ripples that lay over Swiss' back; he needed this too.
A mild downpour was tapping inquisitively at the paned windows, which looked out into the expansive lands the Swedish Abbey owned, though much was left wild, unchartered. The muffled chatter and clatter of the day to day around the anti-church that rang through the core of the grounds soothed the pair - each individual in the Ghoul annex could be picked out amongst the ambience. Someone is making something in the kitchen, presumably Mountain making some sort of herbal tea; Cirrus, Cumulus and Sunshine humming and singing melodies across the hall; Dew and Aether hacking up in the common room at some awful joke one of them probably made. The peaceful, airy aura that encapsulated the ministry calmed the overwhelmed senses, the reminder that the world ticks on was lulling yet daunting in it's own strange way, but to the duo, the world was contained in that little building - it is all they need.
Minutes passed as Rain rubbed smooth circles into his back, whispering soft comforts whilst the other clinging to them as if a matter of dear life. Eventually, the Multi ghoul's shivering began to cease as he slowly soothed and grounded. Hastily swinging back up and off, doing so cautiously to avoid harming Rain with his horns, shame reclaimed it's filthy hold on his mind forcing him to spit up a blur of thanks and apologies, barely distinguishable from one another at the pace.
"Woah, breathe Swiss, we're okay," Rain said, reaching his hands towards the other's veined palms, "No need to apologise, love, I think we both needed that." He licked his lips shyly, tenderly pulling his hand up to wipe a stray tear from the bleary-eyed ghoul. No one had seen Swiss so vulnerable, bar the Water ghoul now, all throughout the years the current band had spent together not once had the guitarist cried, some joking that he couldn't cry. But that just made the interaction that much more true, that much more meaningful.
"Feeling a bit better now?" Rain softly questioned, eliciting a soft hum from the Multi ghoul. Another comfortable silence draped itself over the pair, soothing air uninterrupted, minus the sound of light, affectionate horn bonking. The gentle play fighting quickly became rougher, almost sparring, and soon the clank of horns and laughing and shrieking filled the room. For a little while, the back and forth continued until a particularly solid rut where horns became locked amongst one another.
"Well shit, " Swiss chuckled, "I knew we were close but not this close, " he joked as their faces were caught awfully close to one another.
"Screw you, asshole, " Rain's face flushed, feeling the other's warm breath on his own lips, "Let's actually try and untangle this mess. " they looked away, feeling the pressure of Swiss' intense stare. He sure did not know if this was a joke anymore, but he did know he wanted it to be real.
"Okay, okay, I'll go this way, you go the other, yeah? At least we don't have Mountain's huge ass antlers, this should be much easier. " The Multi ghoul fidgeted, pulling his head back.
"Actually thinking of Mountain's horns, when you were out with Aether the other week, Dew head butted Mount and got stuck kind of like us," Rain recounted, laughing to himself and pointing to the interlocked racks, "except when Mount stood up, their horns hadn't unlocked so the little guy ended up in the air. Oh Hell, you would have loved it." The image of the fire ghoul writhing, gripping onto Mountain's head trying to free them refilled his head, and he burst out in a wicked cackle, certainly not helping the attempt at detangling.
Swiss imagined the scene, ending up laughing himself, "I won't tell him y'told me, promise. Wait, I think I got it..." he pushed his head closer to the other, finally releasing the pair. Unfortunately, or fortunately to some, he felt the balance from underneath him fail, falling into the other, like dominoes. Rain ended up landing on his back with a thud, Swiss leant on their chest. Now it was the guitarist's turn to blush, frozen in shock before uttering out a half-stammered apology as he began moving to get off Rain.
"Nuh-uh you're staying put. You're warm," Rain protested, cheeks burning up, whilst holding his long arms out to encourage the other back into their embrace. The onset of Winter meant the Water ghoul often sought out heat sources in the form of ghouls. He wasn't sure what gets into him around Swiss, but he becomes bold, reenergised and certainly flirtatious, and it almost always got him what he wanted. Including now; the Multi ghoul could never resist the warm, hopeful smile that the bassist cast like an enchantment and so he moved to lie back down, pushing Rain's legs together aside as to avoid any awkward explaining lest someone walk in.
Swiss threw his clawed hands up in defeat, beaming back at the Water ghoul. He readjusted to rest his hips more comfortably, grimacing slightly as one crunched in discontent of the quick movement. But he powered through the cruel ache to lounge on the smaller ghoul's soft chest again. Broad hands slid up to meet the expanse of Rain's upper half, settling into the crevices of the pliant ghoul as if meant to be. A low, purrish rumble emanated from the duo in a brief moment of quiet, until the bassist spoke again.
"Well since your hips are giving you so much trouble, how 'bout I hold them for you?" Rain playfully tested, having noticed the pained expression on the other.
Shock rang through the taller ghoul, "Since when were you so bold? Maybe we spend too much time together," Swiss teased back, now shock having been put aside, "Joking of course, I could never spend too much time with you." pushing again, smirking mischievously.
Rain wasn't about to let that slide, "Or maybe you're a bad influence, old man. Offer's always open by the way." Swiss grumbling in return, in a jokingly dismissive manner.
"Oh you fucking didn't," He bared his fangs in a tempting grin, "So since you're trapped now, can't escape me, " Swiss cooed enthusiastically, going deadweight momentarily to emphasise his point to which he got a breathless, disgruntled wheeze, "Question; so what was up with you calling me love earlier?"
Rain felt his ghoulish heart skip a beat.