Chapter Text
"Come on, please?"
Rain gave Dew the softest, sweetest, prettiest smile he could, and all of the ghoul's resolve melted. "Okay. Fine. But I'm sitting on the dock." Dew tried to sound firm in his decision, but he knew it was pointless- he couldn't say no to Rain, not when the water ghoul batted their eyelashes like that. "Manipulative dick." he grumbled under his breath, not quiet enough for Rain to miss, who let out a giggle and nodded.
"I know. You love it." Rain's soft smile shifted into a smirk, before he turned and started out of the common room and into the halls of the abbey, the ridiculous shark-themed flip flops that Swiss had gotten for him slapping the stone floor and echoing along the walls.
When they didn't hear Dew's footsteps following, he turned with a flick of their tail. "Coming?" he called, an eyebrow raised. Dew let out a rather irritated sounding chirp, before darting to catch up, muttering a "coming, coming," quietly.
The two made their way through the eternally-chilly stone halls, Rain complaining more than once about how horrible the draft was. They finally made it to the door to the gardens, and Rain practically bolted out into the sun, sighing with relief as the warm light melted the chill that was always settled in their bones. The water ghoul shivered from head to toe, tail flicking out much like a cat, and tilted his head to grin at Dew.
Dew couldn't keep the small smile off his lips as he stared at Rain, overcome with some nameless emotion that felt a bit like gratitude. That he got to see Rain like this, the bliss on their face as they stood basking in the sun's warmth. He shook his head, a laugh catching in his throat. "You're so fucking dramatic," he informed Rain, walking past him and farther into the gardens along the well-worn trail of pea gravel. He heard an indignant little "hey!" behind him and the shuffling of feet, before Rain came up beside him to give him an elbow in the ribs.
They walked side by side past the rows of flowers, then the vegetables and fruits that took over the farther from the abbey they walked. It was a good year for the crops- not that it wasn't every year, with Mountain and the other earth ghouls tending to them. But this year they seemed even bigger and leafier, though maybe that was more a sign of better spirits among them all than anything to do with the environment. Last year had been hard for the entire Ministry.
They made it to the fork in the trail, the left circling back around to some more fields and greenhouses, the right turning to a well-worn dirt parh that led to the lake. Rain bounced on his toes, walking quicker now as their excitement grew. He could feel the water calling to him, skin tingling and buzzing, answering.
Dew froze at the split.
Then, one shaky foot forward. Then another. He was on the dirt path now. He could distantly hear Rain rambling about something, probably the weather and the water and how nice the lake was this time of year. One foot in front of the other. Dew could feel the air cool as he passed under the dappled light of the forest that surrounded the lake.
He hadn't been on this path in over a year. He'd refused to even look at it, to come near it. Dew avoided the edge of the gardens, he never let his gaze fall to the treeline. He did his best not to even think about it. Even now, the ghoul kept his gaze down, focused on the dirt under his feet.
Dew wrapped his arms around himself, feeling too cold and too hot all at once. His ears were ringing, and he felt an empty and hollow pit forming in his stomach where the call of the lake used to pull at him. He missed it. This was a big fucking mistake. He shouldn't have said yes, no matter how much Rain begged and pleaded with him. Dew's skin crawled as the breeze shifted, carrying the scent of the lake over him, familiar and not all at once and it was dizzying, his heart clenching painfully in his chest.
There was a delicate hand on his shoulder, tearing him out of his thoughts. He realised he was shaking. "Dew?" Rain's voice was soft and gentle, concern dripping from his tone. The ghoul looked up to see Rain's eyebrows drawn together and a small frown pulling at his features. "We don't have to. It's okay if you aren't ready." they sounded so horribly soft it hurt.
Dew felt sick as the water ghoul watched him with such tenderness and care in his gaze, and more than a little guilt collecting at his eyes and lips. It was too much. "No. I'm fine." he snapped, pulling away from Rain's hand on his shoulder. "We're going." he wasn't going to be a pussy about this. Dew stalked down the path quicker now, anger steadying his steps. He had something to prove. What exactly, he wasn't sure.
He didn't notice as Rain sighed, bit their lip. Didn't notice the charge in the air that smelled of a swamp during a hot and still night, stinking of guilt. It wasn't that Rain thought Dew was angry with him, he knew better than that now. It was just knowing how much Dew hurt. And, though they'd talked it over so many, many times, during sleepless nights with a lot of tears, Rain still had that part of him that knew it was his fault.
They broke past the treeline, and there was the lake. Sparkling under the sun, looking as though it was made of thousands of crystals. The surface was rippling gently with the breeze, and the blackness below hid the secrets of it's depths. Secrets Dew had once mapped, ones he still knew by heart, ones he still visited in his dreams.
Rain slid up beside him, hand slipping into Dew's and giving it a squeeze. They stood there for a few minutes, just taking in the serenity of the lake. Rain waiting patiently for what to do next. Eventually, Dew squeezed back, giving him a small nod, and Rain led him slowly to the wooden dock jutting into the water from its place beside the boathouse. He slipped off his flip flops before easing the two of them down to sit on the edge, Rain's feet dipping into the water below, Dew's too short to reach.
Dew was stiff as he stared silently into the water, watching the hypnotic waves lapping at the planks of the dock. Rain wrapped his arms around the small ghoul's waist and pulled him closer, until Dew finally rested his head on their shoulder. Rain's hand came up to comb through Dew's long hair, and soon enough, he started to relax. The water ghoul purred soothingly, and Dew eventually joined him, though much quieter. They sat like that for a long time.
After what felt like an eternity (it was probably nearing an hour), Dew finally spoke for the first time since they stepped on the dirt path to the lake. "You can go swim, you know." he mumbled it into Rain's chest, who startled a little.
"No, I don't have to, dear. I'll stay-"
"Rain, you've been moaning on and on about how you want to go for a swim for the past week. Go, shoo." Dew sat up from the ghoul's shoulder to wave his hands at him in a shooing motion.
Rain hesitated, eyeing Dew. "If you're sure..."
Dew let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, I'm fucking sure. Go, I'm fine." he pulled his legs up onto the dock and sat cross-legged, running a finger along the worn planks. Somewhere along the side of the dock, he'd once carved his name. So had Mist. He wondered if Rain had found them yet, if he'd added his own name.
The water ghoul gave him one last look, and Dew met his gaze stubbornly. Rain finally mumbled an okay and stripped their shirt and shorts off. He took a breath, then relaxed, and lines opened up along his neck- their gills, that stayed closed and hidden unless they were in the water. He clenched his fists and feet, then spread them to reveal webbing that hadn't been there before. And then Rain dove off the dock, narrowly avoiding splashing Dew, and resurfaced immediately, grin already plastered to their face as they floated peacefully on the surface of the lake, a purr revving up like an engine.
Dew couldn't pick his jaw up off the dock. Rain was always beautiful to him, but seeing the water ghoul in his element was different. It seemed like a final brushstroke that completed a masterpiece. And when he finally recovered his senses, he couldn't help but smile.
For a few hours, Rain would dive down into the depths, swim a few laps around the dock and park area, before surfacing and making his way back to Dew, usually a cool rock or a beautiful sea plant in hand, with a giddy excitement that Dew did not have the heart to dampen by reminding them that he knew exactly what was down on the bottom of the lake and had seen it all before. Instead, he would just nod along as Rain rambled about everything he had seen, would accept each rock and marvel at its shape, or colour, or whatever aspect it was that had made Rain decide it was worthy enough for Dew. It was moments like this that made his heart feel so full it could shatter, he felt so much he could puke.
It was the latest surfacing, and Rain came to him empty handed. Dew raised an eyebrow. "All done for today?" he called out as the water ghoul glided towards him through the water not unlike a crocodile. It would've been intimidating if Rain hadn't just spent the last few hours bringing shiny things to Dew like a cat.
Rain shook his head, then held his hand out towards Dew, head tilting to the side. "Join me?" he asked shyly, hopeful, and with those fucking puppy eyes. Dew was frozen. He was frozen for so long that Rain started to panic. They dropped the pleading look, already heading to guilt, "You don't have to, sorry, that was stupid-"
"Okay."
"What?"
"Okay." Dew stood up slowly, taking off his shirt, then his pants. And he stood, staring at the water below. He would do this. He would do it for Rain. He wouldn't be a pussy about it. He took a deep breath, then ran his hands faintly over the scars on either side of his neck. He clenched his own hands and feet out of some instinctual habit, even if there was no webbing when they spread, all they revealed were faint scars between his fingers. And maybe he was a little shaky and paler than usual, but Dew jumped in.
He almost gasped once he hit the water, barely holding his air in. It was a lot colder than he remembered it being. Not unpleasant, just... Different. Dew bobbed up to the surface, scrambling a little at that. That never happened before. He turned to see Rain watching him with concerned eyes, and he gave a little wave. Rain waved back, if a little unsure.
It was a few minutes of floating before Rain finally spoke, a tentative, "So... How is it?"
Dew thought for a moment, before answering, "It's not like it was before. But it's... Not bad. It's just different." he stared up at the clouds. "It's good." he whispered.
For some time they chased each other around, Dew getting used to this new way of swimming. He was still faster than any other ghoul, but it took so much more effort than it ever did before, and he had no hope of catching Rain if the water ghoul didn't hold back for his sake. He could hold his breath for a while, but even so, every 10 minutes he had to come up for air. Despite all of this, he felt so right- moreso than he had in over a year.
"You want to go to the grotto?"
Rain turned to Dew. "Hm? The what?"
Dew blinked. "The grotto. You know-" he tilted his head curiously. "Wait, do you just hang around the dock or something?"
The water ghoul flushed a little in embarrassment, looking away awkwardly. "I mean. Not just around the dock. I go out a little ways but." they shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't really. I just felt like... There's been a lot going on." he finished lamely.
It was awkwardly silent for a moment, before Dew grabbed a webbed hand and pulled Rain along. "Okay, no, I'm showing you everything."
Dew led their next dive, taking Rain past bunches of lakeweed and into the deeper, colder parts of the lake. It made his skin numb now, but he ignored it, pushing on for quite some time, until he came to a special pile of rock. He studied it for a moment, before he found the gap and turned to wave Rain closer. Then, he slipped in the hole.
Rain followed quickly after, and found it led to a small tunnel. It was quite narrow, and he couldn't see the end. It turned out to be quite the long one, swimming and swimming, and they could tell Dew was getting tired. He was swimming slower now, and Rain could only hope they were almost there.
They were swimming for quite some time when Dew started to panic. He was running out of air. Fuck. Fucking idiot, I should've known this would be too long. I should've known I couldn't make it like this. It's not like before, it's not-
Rain grabbed his face with both hands, studying him for a second, before crashing their lips together. Dew was about to wonder what the hell they were doing, it wasn't exactly a time for kissing as much as he appreciated it, until there was new air filling his lungs and his eyes widened. Oh, that was why.
The water ghoul pulled away, gills pulsing, and gave Dew a small smile. Then waved him on.
It was another five minutes before they finally broke the surface, Rain coming up gracefully, Dew a little less so. They pulled themselves up onto the slab of rock and Rain glanced around, mouth dropped open in awe, Dew watching his face like it held the secrets of the stars. "Oh... Wow..."
Dark stone walls surrounded them on all sides, curved and smooth, leading up to a hole in the ceiling that opened up to a bright blue sky, willow trees draping across the scene and waving gently in the breeze. They sat on a smooth and well-worn slab of dark rock, with the pool they came out of beside them. The cavern was cozy- it wasn't small and cramped by any means, but it wasn't so large that it lost its charm.
"Yeah, it's perfect, right? I used to come here all the time." Dew turned to lay on his back and stare up at the sky. "I would come here at night sometimes too. It's so dark, away from the abbey. You can really see the stars."
Then everything hit Dew like a truck.
"I miss it." he whispered hoarsely, before letting out a horrible, pained whine, and then a sob wracked his body. Rain was beside him in an instant, arms coming to wrap around him almost protectively, as if he could guard Dew from the pain and grief. "I miss it so fucking much, I can't-" Dew gasped, tears pouring hard and fast. "I can't-" he wasn't sure what he was saying, words tangling in his head, and he let out another low and pitiful whine as Rain curled around him.
"I know. I know, Dewbug, I know," the water ghoul ran a hand through Dew's damp hair. "I know." they pulled his head to their chest, chin resting on the top of his head, and cradled him as the weight of the water finally came down on him.
Dew's tears eventually slowed, and the two laid back down, watching the clouds from their grotto. They stared up at the sky in silence for a while, curled up together, no sound breaking their peace except for their soft purring. Eventually, Dew broke their silence.
"Thank you."