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Cumulus watched as Sodo walked down the abbey hall, still in a daze. His mask was gone, his robes disheveled and his belt missing. His eyes were glazed and he didn’t seem to actually see anything he was looking at. The back of his head was still a mess, his long hair charred and uneven, nearly down to the skin in some places. He hadn’t touched it since the fight, since Ifrit’s death.
The Ghoulette slid off the window ledge she’d been sitting on. She broke into almost a jog to catch up with the fire ghoul, continuing like a zombie to some unknown destination.
“Sodo?” Cumulus said softly, watching as all she received in response was a twitch of his ear in her direction. She reached out and put a kind hand on his bicep, making him stop. “Are you all right?” she asked as he turned his head and let his empty gaze meet her’s.
The fire ghoul paused but the silence was not so that he could consider the question. The words had to slowly trudge through the fog in his mind until they made sense. He gave a slow nod to Cumulus, his tail drifting behind him aimlessly and without strength.
“I—I don’t know if I believe you,” Cumulus continued, rubbing a thumb over Sodo’s arm. She reached out for his hair, expression sorrowful behind her mask. “You should really take care of this. It’s been a week… I think you deserve—”
“What?” Sodo’s voice was sharp but quiet, barely above a whisper. Something like recognition and ire burned to life in his eyes as he stared at Cumulus, worrying a strand of his hair between her claws.
“Your hair. You should—”
“Should what?!” Sodo shouted suddenly, ripping himself out of Cumulus’ grasp. He widened his stance and flared to life all at once, rage powering his frame when everything else was still turned off and numb. His tail whipped at the air with a whistling snap.
“It’s just—” Cumulus tried, not too put off by Sodo’s explosion. He was a fire ghoul, after all, and he’d gone through a lot with the betrayal. It only made sense that he’d still be a bit off in his own head.
“Should I finish the job? Huh?!” the fire ghoul shouted suddenly, wrapping a fistful of hair between his fingers. To Cumulus’ horror, Sodo yanked his fist straight out—black strands ripped from his scalp.
Cumulus covered her mouth with both hands, taking a small step back. She stared at the tangled tendrils wrapped around Sodo’s shaking fingers. His face was still contorted in anger as she looked back to him. He was panting heavily, big, shallow breaths which cycled his shoulders in an almost exaggerated rise and fall.
“Sodo…” she whispered, pity carrying her words to Sodo’s gut like a punch. The fire ghoul pressed his hands to his temples and let out a shout.
“Shut up! Shut up!” Sodo barked, stomping in frustration as he bent over and dug his claws into his hair.
Cumulus turned and darted down the hallway desperately. She wasn’t worried Sodo would do anything to her—but to himself. He was volatile and unstable like his element and she just had to offer him fuel. She needed to find someone… Aether? Yes—Aether seemed like the best choice.
Sodo felt flames flicking at the corners of his mouth, soot gathering in their wake. It wasn’t often he could release himself in that way and truthfully he wasn’t trying. It just felt like there was something inside him that had to be removed, violently and immediately. He could feel a small trickle of blood running down his nose from his forehead.
He wasn’t sure if he was breathing as every muscle and fiber of his body screamed at him for something. His body’s signals were all mixed up and trying to decipher them took focus he did not have. He felt his core heating again and he crashed to his knees to shout once more.
“Aether!” Cumulus shouted in a panic, turning another corner and spotting the quintessence Ghoul. He was in the midst of painting a large galaxy-scape on an abbey wall. He’d reluctantly been giving permission to do so, provided it was a wall within the Ghoul wing. He turned and quickly dropped his painting supplies, holding out his arms and closing in on the frantic Ghoulette.
“Hey, woah,” Aether soothed as Cumulus grabbed onto his arms, claws ripping into the fabric of his robes. “What’s wrong?”
“Sodo! I-I set him off. Oh damnit! I knew I should have kept my mouth shut but I just couldn’t! I’m so worried about him—” Cumulus began to ramble, mind and mouth running hundreds of miles a minute.
“Set him off? Shit,” Aether glanced down the hall the way Cumulus had come from. He looked back to the Ghoulette and tried to get her to focus on him. “Cumulus, hey—where is he?”
Cumulus thrust her hand behind her, pointing back the way she’d come.
Swiss yawned, fully exposing his mouthful of sharp, in human teeth to any Sibling of Sin watching. His mask swung from his fingers as he twirled it, humming and strolling as if out for a nice walk. There was really nothing more he liked on a sunny day than traversing halls he was technically not supposed to traverse maskless.
He almost ran into a Sister as he turned a corner. The terrified young woman gasped up at him and struggled to untangle herself from his chest. Swiss could hear her mumbling apologies as he cocked his head at her.
“Running? Scared?” Swiss pressed, bending down to be closer to eye level with the human woman. He watched her swallow thickly, eyes wide but pupils mere specks. She nodded in horrified little jerks, then pointed behind her with a shaking arm.
“F-fire ghoul,” she managed, her voice broken and small under Swiss’ unnerving gaze. “B-burning the t-tapestries…”
“Huh?” Swiss knitted his brows together and stood up straight, his game with the little Sister forgotten. He felt his stomach drop as he realized he knew where Sunshine was, which left only one fire ghoul…
“Fuck,” Swiss stepped around the Sister and darted away at an awkward not-quite-a-run pace. Seconds later he could smell the smoke and as he turned down the hallway in question he threw up a hand to cover his face from the heat.
“Shit. Fuck!” the multi ghoul growled. He could just make out the small silhouette of Sodo, hands balled into fists at his side, stance wide. The little Ghoul looked like the embodiment of a dragon burning the village.
“Damnit, Sodo!”
Swiss’ ears perked as a voice drifted from the other side of the burning tapestry. The multi ghoul walked forward cautiously as Aether ripped the tapestry from the wall.
Aether rocked back from the heat, then lunged forward and began stomping on the burning artifact. He could take stock of what they’d just destroyed later, for the time being he had to put out a literal fire. The smell of his human boots melting in the heat made his nose hurt. As he stepped back, carefully watching the rising smoke and burning ashes, he saw Swiss appearing next to Sodo.
Swiss glanced up briefly and met Aether’s purple eyes. He could tell the quintessence ghoul was a little nervous about his intentions, but Swiss gave a serious look and a nod to let Aether know he knew better. Sodo was in a dark place and now appeared to be standing on a ledge and teetering forward.
Aether watched as Swiss pointed both his ears towards Sodo to pick up any kind of noise or reply. The fire ghoul still trembled with coiled anger, but the fire in his mouth had died leaving black stains around his mouth. Aether wanted to get closer but he knew Swiss was more capable of handling the extreme heat distorting the air around Sodo.
Sodo was now keenly aware of his breathing, because each gasped breath seared his throat all the way down. He felt like he was trapped in the lump in his throat, unable to respond to any stimuli coming in from his senses. He recognised that he was seeing but it didn’t process. He knew that he was hearing a voice but it was just noise.
Swiss frowned deeper as Sodo still did not respond. He took one more step and then carefully set his hand on the fire ghoul’s shoulder. Steam instantly rose in the air, making Swiss wince, but the temperature dropped considerably after only a second. The multi ghoul moved to be well within Sodo’s line of sight, using his free hand to wave Aether forward quickly.
Aether did not need much convincing and was near instantly at Sodo’s other side. He reached out and hesitantly touched Sodo’s lower back, breathing a sigh of relief when only a normal amount of heat greeted his palm. He began rubbing small circles, eagerly waiting for Sodo to speak.
Sodo’s eyes felt suddenly dry and he blinked, regaining some sense of self. He opened his eyelids and looked in full at Swiss, recognising the face and meeting concerned eyes. He saw a familiar smile on the other ghoul’s face and Swiss nodded at him. He watched Swiss’ mouth move but the words were delayed.
“--ok, Sodo?” Swiss scanned Sodo’s gaze as the fire ghoul seemed to nod to the question. “I don’t believe you, you little shit,” Swiss laughed softly, squeezing the fire ghoul’s shoulder. His smile faded as Sodo kind of shrugged, tears quickly filling his eyes and streaking down his face.
Aether glanced to Swiss again, both of them frowning deeply. Aether reached up and gently smudged his thumb through the thin trail of blood on Sodo’s forehead. He turned to the floor as Sodo relaxed his hands and a few more strands of black hair drifted to the floor.
Sodo let out a gasp as he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. He clutched at Aether’s arms, suddenly desperate and falling. His legs gave out on him and he buried his face into Aether’s shoulder with a sob. The fire ghoul put up no fight as the quintessence ghoul lifted him into the air with apparent ease.
Swiss frowned deeply once sure Sodo would not be able to see. He met Aether’s eyes once more, concern heavy between them. Swiss jerked his head to one side and motioned for Aether to follow him. There was an empty room in the guest wing that Swiss had been haunting for a bit—it would be a good place to try and calm Sodo down.
Aether fell into step behind Swiss, summoning his element to comfort and siphon off some of Sodo’s discomfort. He could not imagine how the fire ghoul must have felt. The betrayal had affected them all but none so much as Sodo, and everyone knew it. Aether tightened his grip thinking about all the times he’d thought about going to Sodo since… and getting caught up in something else instead.
Sodo kept his face pressed to Aether, breathing in the smell of clean linens that seemed to follow the quintessence ghoul. He felt the numbness creeping back and wondered for a moment if he shouldn’t fight it off. His head ached, his body ached and his throat felt ready to rip open. Even if somewhere in the back of his mind he knew the numbness was bad, he was in no state to put up a fight.
Swiss’ shoulders hunched a little as they walked, a kind of guilt settling over him as he considered Sodo’s state. He had an up and down relationship with the fire ghoul but really he should have been more supportive. Swiss himself had almost been killed in the fight but Sodo was far more injured—the kind of injuries that didn’t bleed but got infected none the less.
Aether quickly darted into the guest room as Swiss opened the door. The ghouls were definitely not supposed to be in this part of the Abbey. He was a few steps inside when Swiss closed and locked the door, clicking on the light. It felt like a hotel room and Aether suddenly realized why Swiss was occupying one in the wake of everything.
“Swiss, if you need to—” Aether started, glancing over his shoulder as Swiss started for the bathroom.
“No,” the multi ghoul said quickly, then in a softer tone, “we just need to get Sodo right.”
“Right, yeah,” Aether replied, trying to get a look at Sodo’s face in his arms.
Sodo could feel Aether’s influence around him, calming and pressing. He managed to suck in a decent breath and come back to full consciousness at least in part. He could taste ash on his lips. He unfolded himself and pushed at Aether’s shoulders indignantly, sniffling.
“Ok, p-put me down,” Sodo growled with a hiccup.
Swiss clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he searched through the fully stocked bathroom cabinets. The Church of Satan sure knew how to pamper their guests. His tail gave a few hard, happy wags as he finally found what he was looking for. He picked up and clicked on the electric clippers, testing to make sure they worked before grabbing the combs and returning to the main room.
Aether reluctantly set Sodo down, hands lingering until Sodo batted them away too. The quintessence ghoul tried to get his expression back to something like neutral, knowing pity and sympathy were really only going to make Sodo angry again. He hadn’t asked what exactly Cumulus had done to set him off in the first place, but he had a suspicion her affection towards Sodo was at the core.
Sodo reached up and wiped at his face, tears and blood and soot smudging. He sighed as he glanced at his palms, knowing he’d just made an absolute disaster of his face. He tried to ignore Aether’s imploring expression and drew a hand through his hair. The action caused him to shudder a little, a sound escaping that was something like a whimper.
Swiss paused in the bathroom doorway, watching Sodo’s fingers move through jagged and burned hair. He approached the other ghouls and slid the clipper and combs to Aether, lifting his eyebrows as the quintessence ghoul looked to him in confusion. He put a hand on Sodo’s shoulder.
“Aether can fix you up,” Swiss said confidently, his voice masterfully nonchalant.
“Yea—yeah!” Aether’s tail began to wag as he shifted the items in his hands. “I’m actually really good at—”
“W-why?” Sodo said in a dull, abused voice. “Why does it matter?”
“It helps,” Swiss said, once more full of calm confidence. “I promise.”
“It can’t feel good to be reminded of… everything, when you look in the mirror, Sodo,” Aether soothed. “Come on, I have the perfect idea.”
“If it doesn’t matter if you don’t—then it won’t matter if you do either,” Swiss said, making a strange face afterwards at how clunky his advice sounded. He stood by it though, giving a single nod as Aether glanced curiously in his direction.
“Yeah, ok,” Sodo mumbled, turning for the bathroom and shuffling onto the tile.
Swiss trailed behind Aether as they joined Sodo in the bathroom. It was a large room (at least larger than some of the Clergy members’ rooms), and all three of them piling in did not feel claustrophobic. Swiss drew himself up onto the counter attached to the sink, pulling up one leg and wrapping his arm around it as he leaned back against the cool bathroom wall.
Aether gently moved Sodo into position. He considered for a moment facing Sodo to the mirror, but decided it would be best to just care for him now and get him on the path to healing later. The fire ghoul seemed steady enough on his feet so Aether did not urge him to kneel.
Sodo’s eyes slipped closed in spite of his misgivings as Aether’s hands began moving through his hair. They ghosted carefully over the sore area of his scalp where he’d pulled out a chunk, stroked gently at the thin gashes he’d clawed to bleeding. Sodo felt his stomach flip as Aether leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head as the clippers buzzed to life.
Swiss sucked in a breath and tried to let it out quietly as Aether took his first swipe with the clippers. Sodo’s hair was going to be so short. It was going to be a dramatic change and Swiss could only hope it felt as good to Sodo as it did for him. He tilted his head to rest on his knee, following the calm and methodical work of Aether’s hands.
Aether let himself fall into a rhythm as he worked, having a fair amount of experience cutting hair, oddly enough. He’d helped the ghoulettes before, a few of the other ghouls and even some of the Siblings. He could feel Sodo’s heaviness seeping into him and his eyes began to tear up. He made sure to keep his movements soft and gentle, lightly tracing his fingertips over burned flesh.
Sodo found himself becoming lost to the sensations of Aether’s hands in his hair. It felt… good, and nothing had felt good in over a week. Not even Rain’s passing touches or Mountain’s offer of weed (which Sodo smoked all of in one night). Maybe Swiss was right; maybe this would help. He glanced down as a few more strands fell, chopped at one end.
Swiss’ eyes moved between Sodo and Aether and he could tell Aether’s element was working hard. He would never claim to understand anything about quintessence, but he knew Aether took on a lot—humans called them empaths. He could see tears sparkling on Aether’s cheeks just as they had been on Sodo’s earlier. He uncurled himself from the counter top.
Aether felt his breath hitch a little as he finished up, fluffing Sodo’s hair where he could. It was short now, slightly layered. It looked a little uneven in the back due to the nature of burning hair—and maybe a small thin spot from where Sodo had yanked out a fistfull—but in general it looked purposeful. It was such a big change.
Sodo lifted his head as Aether’s hands wrapped around him again, pulling him against the bigger ghoul’s chest for a tight embrace. He gently placed his hands on Aether’s arms as the quintessence ghoul’s head nuzzled against the side of his face. He could feel wetness on Aether’s cheeks and the guilt in his gut doubled over.
“Thank you,” Sodo said in a broken, little voice, so different from his normal tones it almost didn’t seem like it had come from him at all.
Swiss slid himself off the counter and began drawing a bath. He stuck his hand under the flow to adjust the water—hot enough to be almost too much for Swiss. Not many ghouls could handle heat like a fire ghoul but multi ghouls came close. Swiss turned back to the other ghouls as Aether reluctantly pulled away, rubbing at his eyes. Swiss caught Sodo’s gaze for a second and saw a familiar expression.
“Hey, Aeth, do you think you can buy us a few hours?” Swiss prodded gently, “just so no-one comes looking for us about the uh… tapestry.”
Aether tilted his head to one side then nodded in understanding. He’d done all he could for Sodo right then. The fire ghoul was still too raw to do any kind of talking but he certainly shouldn’t be alone. A nice hot bath—the rising steam from which made Aether a little uncomfortable—would be perfect.
“Yeah, sure, of course,” Aether gave Sodo’s shoulders a parting pat and turned from the room. He passed through the Guest Wing quickly and then darted into a small alcove no-one ever used. He took a shuddering breath and collapsed against the wall. Sliding to the ground he let himself weep, shoulders shaking as he tried to process the sorrow he’d taken from Sodo.
“C’mon, Sodo, take off the robes,” Swiss instructed, doing the same.
Sodo watched Swiss for a moment then began to follow suit. He wasn’t feeling sexy at all but he wanted… some kind of contact. If Swiss wanted to just use him he’d probably be ok with that. He let his robes slither to the floor and stepped out of his pants.
Swiss wiggled free of his own human trappings and stretched a moment. He stepped carefully into the tub, pulling his lips back in a snarl slightly at the sharp heat. Gripping the edges of the tub he lowered himself in slowly, relaxing once he was submerged to about mid-torso. He let out a long sigh and then held out his hand for Sodo.
Sodo hesitated only a second before taking Swiss’ hand. The instant he stepped into the tub he realized how much he’d needed it. He just about dropped down into the water, urged and shifted by Swiss’ hands on his hips. He cautiously leaned back against the multi ghoul’s chest, resting between Swiss’ legs.
“I’m… not hurting you, am I?” Sodo asked quietly, knowing Swiss was still peppered in bruises and stitches from the attack.
“Heh, no,” Swiss chuckled, turning to fish around in the pockets of his discarded robes. “I’m mostly healed anyway,” he lied as he found his vape and quickly loaded it.
“Fucking liar,” Sodo grumbled, sinking a little lower into the extra large tub. He glanced to one side and caught sight of an ugly, large gash on Swiss’ thigh. At least a dozen stitches held it together, the flesh around it purple and shiny. The fire ghoul reached out and poked it, making Swiss jerk and hiss.
“Ahhh, there’s my little asshole,” Swiss laughed, taking a hit from his vape and reaching down to tilt Sodo’s chin up. The fire ghoul offered no resistance and breathed steadily, deeply of the smoke Swiss passed him. They both exhaled and distorted the air around them.
“You going to be ok, Sodo?” Swiss said seriously after a beat.
“I…” Sodo shrugged, “I don’t know.”
“Fucked up, the whole thing, isn’t it?” the multi ghoul continued, taking another hit and handing the vape pen to Sodo.
“Yeah,” Sodo agreed, mind hazy in the smoke. “Ifrit was…” his voice trailed off.
“Yeah, he was that for sure,” Swiss agreed, reclining against the back of the tub. “Time fucked him up.”
“I–” Sodo paused, tears immediately on his cheeks again. His chest began to shake as his breath came out in gulps and hiccups. “I thought he loved me,” he said quietly.
“Hey, no, sshhhh,” Swiss curled forward and wrapped his arms around Sodo, holding the fire ghoul’s back to his chest as tightly as he felt was safe. “Ifrit loved power,” Swiss said after a second, a little unsure how to properly console the fire ghoul so settling on telling the truth. “I don’t think he had enough love left over for anyone; not you, not Alpha, not Chain.”
Sodo calmed a little, letting his head fall back into Swiss. He took a few slow breaths as the multi ghoul went back to the vape.
“You’re worthy of more than he could have given you anyway,” Swiss said, his tone matter-of-fact. “You’ll see.”