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For newly summoned ghouls, the Ministry could be large and confusing. A maze of corridors and offices and randomly used rooms. The older sections of the Abbey could be especially bad, curling back in on themselves, ending without warning, dust and cobwebs choking out familiar scents.
Phantom had already gotten lost twice and had to reach out to Aether to guide him back to the ghoul wing.
To make matters worse, his summoning had been rushed and he wasn't going to get time to settle in, to learn the layout and bond with the established ghouls. He had two weeks, two weeks , to meet everyone, learn his rhythm parts so as to not completely embarrass himself on stage, and then start tour.
To say that he was maybe, just a little anxious, was an understatement.
He had no idea why the Clergy insisted on keeping so few quintessence ghouls around, or really why they needed one specifically to play rhythm, but he wasn't in a position to be asking questions. (He did ask Aether and the other ghoul had just shrugged. It seemed more tradition than anything else, honestly.)
Aether, so far, had been his rock. He'd been there when Phantom had been summoned, smiling kindly and pulling a blanket over his shoulders, ignoring the woman, Sister his mind supplied, when she'd looked him up and down with an expression that wasn't exactly satisfied and declared that 'he'd have to do'.
Aether, that had guided him to the ghoul wing to get him settled, explaining why he was there and apologizing for the short notice. Apparently the quintessence ghoul had some sort of urgent business that would keep him from at least the start of tour and they desperately needed a stand in.
Once they'd gotten him some clothes, which were a novelty that Phantom wasn't sure he liked, Aether had set his hands on his hips, violet eyes looking the new ghoul over.
"You're not purely quintessence, are you."
It wasn't a question.
Hunching his shoulders a little, Phantom had shaken his head.
"Quintessence and water."
Aether had only smiled. "Copia seems to summon multis, more often than not. Don't worry, we're not like the Pit up here. We have other hybrids and we like them just fine." He looked Phantom over once more, much more kindly that Sister had. "I should have guessed water. You're built a lot like Rain."
"Rain?"
And so Aether had launched into a detailed description of the other ghouls. Rain, their shy but kind water ghoul and bassist. Swiss, a quintessence/fire hybrid that could play anything as well as sing. Mountain, their earth ghoul, steady and smart and amazing on drums.
The ghoulettes, Cirrus and Cumulus, air ghouls, and Sunshine, an air/fire hybrid, and how amazing their voices were, how well they played keys and how everyone trembled when Cirrus stepped forward with the keytar.
And finally, Dewdrop, their fire ghoul and lead guitar. Aether talked about how talented he was, how he commanded the stage, their silly 'fights' they played out for the crowd.
Phantom could tell by the way Aether described the other ghouls that they were close. A pack, not just in name and circumstance, but truly bonded to one another. And that Dewdrop, the apparent fire ghoul with a water name, was something special to Aether. Phantom was an outsider here. A rushed, temporary replacement for a beloved member.
Aether must have noticed his mounting anxiety, either by scent or quintessence, and moved closer, curling an arm around the smaller ghoul's shoulders.
"Hey, don't worry. Everyone is really friendly. And they'll be happy to help you. Even Dew, though he might act grumpy about it."
Phantom pushed a hand through his hair, sweeping the dark, wavy strands back as he took a deep, slow breath to steady his nerves. He was a well trained quintessence ghoul with the flexibility of water. He'd pay attention and learn and do his best to make friends and it would be fine .
He put on his best smile, which was still a bit wan to Aether's eyes, and nodded.
"Let's get started then."
~*~
He'd had the advantage of at least getting to watch the band practice together once before Aether had to leave. Their dynamic seemed fun, they all knew what they had to do but weren't afraid to play off of one another, to laugh and try new things they thought the fans might like. At Copia's request, they added in common bits they performed live so that Phantom could get a better idea.
It was.. often a lot less serious than he expected. Swiss shimmying his heart out at their Papa, Dew putting his hand around Rain's throat, Aether and Dew's little battle, complete with a tantrum from the fire ghoul. He didn't see how he was going to be able to come up with silly scenarios with the others, but he'd try his best.
When practice was over, Aether put his guitar away and took Phantom to each ghoul to introduce him, a jovial presence at his side. And he'd been right. All of the ghouls were nice. Flirty in Swiss' case, and he'd seemed delighted to make Phantom blush. And Rain had been shy, dropping his eyes when they'd moved closer. But when Aether had finished introducing Phantom, had fallen silent expectantly, Rain had looked up, through his lashes, and smiled softly, telling Phantom in a quiet voice that it was nice to meet him.
And phantom had known immediately that Rain had the entire pack wrapped around his finger. He was beautiful. Unfairly pretty, effortlessly elegant, a vision of a ghoul with his soft hair and big eyes. Phantom had managed to choke put a 'yeah, you too', like an idiot and Aether had squeezed his shoulder, like it wasn't an unexpected effect.
The larger ghoul seemed to take pity on him. "Don't let Rain fool you. He can be as silly as the rest of us. And he falls a lot on stage."
Rain blushed, blue blooming on his cheeks but rather shrink in on himself like Phantom expected, his eyes narrowed.
"We've all fallen a time or two. Especially in those old shoes."
Aether's violet eyes were sparkling with mischief. "Yeah, but-"
Rain broke in smoothly. "At least I haven't fallen off the stage. Unlike Swiss."
Swiss' ears were clearly much better than Phantom had expected, a slightly muffled voice calling out from a storage room.
"I did that on purpose, thank you!"
Rain's smile widened into a grin and he cut his eyes to Phantom conspiratorially. He felt more welcome immediately and couldn't help but smile back.
The feeling lasted exactly a minute and a half. Enough time to take their leave from Rain and move on to Dewdrop, for the fire ghoul to turn around and look at them, pin Phantom with a dark, golden-eyed stare. All the warm feelings evaporated and he suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope.
"Dew, this is Phantom. He'll be working with you guys while I'm gone."
Dew's mouth twisted at the word gone and for a moment, Phantom could see the hurt it caused, the idea of Aether not being there. Then the fire ghoul's gaze went flinty, like a wall had slammed down, leaving him looking unimpressed.
He ignored the hand Phantom extended hesitantly to him.
"Can you play?"
He let his hand fall, a little awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm alright."
Dew somehow looked less impressed and he was reminded of the looks Sister had given him the day before.
"Hope you're better than just alright ."
He felt the first trickle of true, icy fear. Not of this ghoul. He was larger than Dew by a few inches, a little broader, and even if he couldn't best him, (he had a very strong suspicion that the fire ghoul's lanky frame was a lot stronger than it looked and that he fought viciously), he didn't think he'd attack him. No, the fear came from failing. From the possibility of not being up to the others' standards. Of disappointing Copia and the ghoul pack.
Aether came to his rescue, slapping him on the back hard enough to almost make him stumble forward, though his attention was on Dewdrop.
"He'll do great. I can already tell." And you'd better be nice, he didn't say, but somehow implied.
Dew held Aether's gaze for several long, silent seconds then snorted, turning away to fiddle with his equipment.
"We'll see."
~*~
Aether left the following morning, seen off by his pack, bag in hand for the trip. Phantom lingered near the back of the group, wanting to offer his goodbyes and thanks for the welcome, but unsure if he'd be welcome among them all.
The quintessence ghoul looked strange to him, glamoured as a human, but his smile was the same and the hug he gave Phantom was strong.
"Don't let anyone give you a hard time. You'll do great. Just show off some, lean on Rain a little and the fans will love you."
He didn’t think it was going to be that easy, but he heard the water ghoul stifling a soft laugh. It was worth a shot, right?
He arrived a little early for practice, pulling out the guitar he was going to be using, getting everything hooked up and checking the settings. He wasn't familiar with the model and wanted to get comfortable with it as quickly as possible.
Dew arrived next, slipping in quietly. Which was surprising, to Phantom. He'd thought the fire ghoul would be louder, announcing his presence with bluster and attitude like most other fire ghouls he'd known. Instead, the smaller ghoul hesitated for a split second when he noticed the room's other occupant, then continued on to the other side to pull out his own guitar, begin setting things up.
It certainly wasn't a welcome. But it wasn't an outright dismissal either. Deciding to take a chance, and possibly begin to get to know the other ghoul, Phantom stepped towards him, trying to project an air of friendliness.
"Hi, Dewdrop. I was wondering if you could help me with my guitar. Are there any settings that I-"
Dew's eyes snapped up, saw the black fantomen settled on him and flashed. Then narrowed dangerously. The ferocity in the hiss he loosed was almost enough to make Phantom take a step back.
"That's not your guitar." His tail lashed.
The response was a lot more aggressive than he'd expected, even considering how close Dew and Aether clearly were and Phantom was left at a loss. Did he apologize? Tell the other ghoul that it was his, now? Just walk away and say nothing?
Swiss arriving only a few seconds later luckily drew Dew's attention away, giving Phantom an excuse to ease away slowly and focus on the other ghoul as well.
Swiss paused, taking in the scene, the tension in the air. Dew's lashing tail. He sighed, then smiled, mostly at Phantom.
"Hey. Guitar problems?" Phantom wasn't sure, but thought Swiss' words could also imply guitar player problems.
"No, not problems. I just wanted to make sure all my setting are right."
"I can help you out, no worries." Swiss drew him away, back to 'his side' of the mocked up stage to look everything over, leaving Dew and his irritability to himself.
Practice went.. okay. Not great. But not terrible. Phantom was squeezing every bit of knowledge, every tip the others offered him into his brain, playing in his spare time until his hands felt like claws and he had to stop just to stretch his fingers, shake out the tension. Copia was blessedly patient with him, the other ghouls not mentioning the times he screwed up or missed a cue.
They didn't need to.
He could feel the annoyance radiating off of Dew with every mistake. Five days in, there were noticeably fewer of them, but Dew still twitched with each one, Phantom able to feel the heated glare on him even when he wasn't looking in the fire ghoul's direction.
His ears and tail were drooping by the time they finished and he moved to put h- not his guitar away, carefully coiling the cables and tucking everything back. He didn't need Dew bitching at him because he wasn't treating the equipment right.
He felt someone approaching him, dread coiling in his belly as he peeked back, only to relax at the sight of Rain. The water ghoul was quiet, but had been friendly with him so far and Phantom offered him a smile, straightening once he finished with a cord.
"You've been doing well. I can tell you're getting better." Rain smiled back, blue eyes kind.
Phantom ducked his head a little, but couldn't hide how pleased he was that someone was recognizing his efforts.
"I've been practicing a lot on my own. There's a lot to learn."
Rain nodded in agreement. "There is. And you haven't been given a lot of time to do it. You're still a bit stiff, but you're probably nervous, right?"
At Phantom's slight flush and nod, Rain hummed. "I know how that feels. If you don't mind, I have a few ideas we could try."
He jumped at the chance, smiling. Anything that would help him play with the band better was welcome but also.. just the offer made him feel more included. Less of a stand-in and more of a band member.
He walked from the practice room at Rain's side, listening as he laid out ideas they might try, for once able to ignore the heavy gaze following from across the room.
~*~
Their next practice was awesome . Buoyed by confidence, he missed only one cue, moved around their space more. He managed to perfectly hit a complicated duet with Dew that he'd been struggling with and saw the other ghoul actually nod grudgingly, without looking at him of course.
He felt so good about everything that he actually took one of Rain's ideas, sidling up to the water ghoul during one of the songs to lean his head against his shoulder. He could feel more than hear Rain's chuckle, caught his grin as he slipped away again.
The high of it carried him through the rest of practice and he couldn't help but beam at Copia when the man smiled at him and gripped his shoulder once they were done, offering genuine ' Good job! '.
The good feelings lasted right up until he looked over to see Dewdrop glaring murderously at him, eyes dark and unimpressed.
He felt his smile wither.
That evening, after dinner, Phantom took a rare break from playing, giving his hands a rest, to join the other ghouls in the common room. He was waved towards a large couch immediately by Swiss, who was tucked into one corner, Rain and Dew settled one cushion down. There was space between Rain and Swiss, though they'd all be close.
And Dew was there.
Rain smiled encouragingly at him and, really, why not? He'd been invited and more time with the ghouls he'd be touring with sounded nice. And maybe spending time with Dew in the company of other ghouls would make him less prickly.
That hope lasted until his ass met cushion. Dew hissed, pushing himself up to stalk from the room. Phantom sighed, slumping back against the couch, ears drooping.
"He hates me."
Sighing as well, Rain stood. "I'll talk to him."
Swiss draped a companionable arm around the other ghoul's shoulder.
"He doesn't hate you."
"He won't even share a couch with me. Whenever he looks at me, I feel like he's trying to flay me with his mind. I can never seem to say three words to him without it being wrong." Phantom slumped further into the couch, rubbing over his face.
Swiss' arm tightened, pulling the smaller ghoul into his side. "He doesn't hate you. He just.. doesn't always deal with his emotions that well. He misses Aether and he's feeling sorry for himself and taking it out on you just because you're filling in for him."
Objectively, Phantom knew that. Even if he hadn't realized, the guitar comment would have clued him in. But it still stung. How could he make up for something that wasn't his fault?
"He's probably also pissed that you played around with Rain in practice today. Because he's a jealous asshole." Swiss rolled his eyes, though his words were fond.
"Rain? But.. it was Rain's idea!"
Swiss snorted. "Yeah, and that probably pissed him off too."
Phantom's sorrow was quickly shifting to exasperation. "Is he ever not pissed off?"
With a laugh, Swiss gave him a friendly little shake. "Sometimes. He even smiles occasionally."
Phantom shot him an over-the-top disbelieving look, purposely exaggerated, and had to hide a smile at the other ghoul's delighted guffaw.
"Listen. Dewdrop is a complicated ghoul. I can't promise he'll be your friend. He does what he wants, how he wants. But those of us that he lets in, we treasure that. Because he's incredible. It's not fair that he's holding Aeth being gone against you, but nothing we say to him is going to help. It's up to you to win him over."
He thought that maybe Swiss was trying to be reassuring, but his words didn't exactly inspire hope.
"How am I supposed to do that when we can barely be in the same room together?"
"Just by doing what you're doing. Working hard. Proving you can do it. He can't deny it when you do a good job. And I know he notices. Even messing around with Rain. Don't stop that just because he sulks about it. You have a place here. Challenging him directly might not work out well, but this kind, standing your ground and proving yourself.. it'll work."
Phantom didn't think just doing his job to the best of his ability was challenging Dewdrop, but standing his ground, he could do.
Still, Phantom huffed, feeling his shoulders slowly begin to relax. "So what you're saying is.. I need to keep existing, which will piss him off. And I should keep being friendly with his pack, which will piss him off more. And eventually, he'll be so full of rage that he'll just give in and accept my presence."
Swiss grinned, red eyes twinkling. "Now you're getting it!"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Phantom sighed. This pack. Why the fuck did he like them?
~*~
The practices continued to improve, slowly, but surely. He wouldn't exactly say Dew was ever happy to see him, but the glares were less, the hostility kept to a minimum. With two practices left, he even thought he'd seen the fire ghoul fighting a small smile after he, Phantom and Rain had stalked to the front to play Square Hammer, mimicking a true ritual.
Unfortunately, as the beginning of tour loomed closer, Phantom's anxiety steadily rose. What if he forgot everything he'd learned? What if he fell off the stage? What is the fans hated him?
He knew most of the worries were silly, but they still weighed heavily on him, making sleep harder and harder to find, making him feel twitchy and eating at his confidence.
The solution was easy, if a little risky. It was a trick he'd learned in the Pit, using his quintessence to sooth himself, gently ease his mind so that he could rest, could more easily deal with his fears, work through them. But it sometimes conflicted with his water, the cold void of quintessence crystalizing the water without him meaning for it to happen.
It could leave his joints achy, but it always seemed to affect his hands the worst.
Still, he gave in, took the chance. Their last practice before travel was the following day, a full dress rehearsal, and if he didn’t do something, he wasn't going to be getting any sleep.
The power came to him easily, honed by years of practice in the Pit, slightly different feeling on earth, but familiar enough to be soothing. The wash of calm as he focused on himself was immediate and he rubbed gently at his temples, the bridge of his nose, sighing softly.
A foreboding spike of pain in his fingers sparked new anxiety, but he soothed that away as well, curling into bed once the tension in his shoulders and neck had finally eased.
In the morning, his hands did ache a little, but he flexed his fingers as he shuffled off to breakfast. It wasn't that bad. He'd definitely dealt with worse.
He'd never dealt with it while trying to play a guitar though.
The uniform was a change, but honestly not that bad. The mask did hamper his vision a bit, but having open sides around the lenses helped. Still, he fumbled immediately when they started, quickly trying to cover and lead into the next section. He knew he could blame the outfit change… at first.
His fingers continued to defy his control, a little clumsy, a little slower than they should be. None of the mistakes were blatant, and Copia didn't comment when they finished, just smiled at them all and reminded them to have everything they wanted to take packed and ready to go on time, please, we can't keep the plane waiting .
Phantom coiled cables despondently, tucking the fantomen into the travel crate rather than the stand, the reality of their time limit looming large over him.
A strong hand landed on his shoulder, shocking him out of his morose thoughts sharply enough to make him jump, pale violet eyes going wide as he whipped his head around.
Swiss just grinned at him, loose and unconcerned.
"We're all gonna celebrate a little. Kind of a pre-tour, give-em-hell-excuse-to-drink kinda thing. Come join us."
Phantom's eyes instinctively sought out Dewdrop, like the fire ghoul might be standing there, ready to bar him from anything resembling fun. The other ghoul wasn't looking at him, carefully packing his own gear.
"Don't worry about Dew. He's been impressed by your playing lately, even if he won't say so."
Phantom's ears drooped. "I doubt he was impressed today."
Swiss' good mood refused to be dampened. "You've never played in the mask before. It can take a little getting used to."
His lips twisted a bit, but Phantom didn't argue. He also didn't turn down the invitation. Some time with the band, resting before the whirlwind of rituals and people, sounded perfect.
He found himself, much later, settled deep into a sofa, Swiss on one side with his arm over the back, a beer dangling from one hand, his thigh warm against Phantom's, Rain on the other. Aether had been right, he and Rain were very similarly built, their height nearly identical and it made the water ghoul perfect to lean against.
Dew was tucked into Rain's other side, his eyes closed, ignoring all of them. Or possibly asleep. Phantom was just glad he was willing to occupy nearly the same space as him.
The other ghouls were scattered around, the scent of beer and weed clinging to most of them, floppy and content. Phantom smiled and tipped his head back, feeling his horns brush against Swiss' arm. He shifted slightly to keep from poking him.
The contact drew the multi ghoul's attention, pupils large with his high, smile crooked and easy.
"Hey."
"Mm?" Phantom might have been a little high too.
"Your horns look like starlight glowing through ice."
Phantom blinked a little, lazily turning his head to look at Swiss.
"Is that.. good?"
Swiss shrugged. "Just how they look. Kinda cool. Make them look gold. Probably why Copia asked them to put the horns they did on your mask. They kinda shine gold."
Phantom hadn't considered that. It made him feel warm, thinking of Copia asking for something custom for him, something that made him a part of the band, not just a placeholder.
He smiled and Swiss smiled back. Those red eyes held something; interest? Invitation? He was too new, too buzzed to suss it out. Maybe later, if things went well, if he settled in-
He cut those thoughts off with another small smile, then let his eyes slip closed. Later. He'd deal with.. all of that later.
~*~
Their travel took a day, long hours on a plane, a bus, arriving at their hotel to drop their personal bags, then off to the venue to receive their gear, stow things for the next night, the actual ritual.
He could feel their excitement growing as the hours ticked down. Felt his anxiety grow.
Two more nights, soothing himself to sleep, two more days of increasingly sore fingers. He knew he was creating a vicious cycle; anxiety, quintessence, aching fingers, anxiety. But it was a hard one to break.
He found himself, on the day of the ritual, a couple hours out, in one of their dressing rooms, fully dressed, aside from his helmet, guitar in his lap as he ran over chords and riffs. There were more sour notes that sweet and he grimaced, trying to stretch his aching hands.
His skin, glamored though it was, looked paler than it should, and when he shook one, trying to force out the tension, a couple flakes of white drifted away. Frost? Fucking fantastic.
He tried another chord, missed a string and cursed bitterly. A snort from the door drew his attention and his head snapped up.
Dew stood there, arms crossed, glamoured face unimpressed. How he could look so intimidating while also looking so small was an unfair trick of the universe.
Phantom cut his eyes away.
"You'd better get your shit together. You were doing better. Are you gonna crack under the pressure before we even hit the stage?"
Phantom tried not to scowl. He didn't need Dewdrop's attitude right now. While it had been seeming to soften in the past days, it had still been two weeks of scoffing and general bitchiness. On top of his already substantial worry about the show, he was over it.
"My hands hurt." He mumbled the words, shaking them again before pressing his fingers back to the strings.
Dew either hadn't heard him, or was intentionally being a dick, striding into the room with a frown.
"What're you whining about?"
Hissing, Phantom exploded from the couch, spinning the guitar around to hang at his back, glaring at the fire ghoul and using every inch of their height difference in an attempt to loom over him.
"I said, my fucking hands hurt!"
His show of fury was only marginally successful. Dew's fair eyebrows went up, then pulled right back down. He didn't even have courtesy to step back in the face of Phantom's temper or spin on his heel and leave.
"This is about your fucking hands? You should have been playing long enough now that they're fine. Suck it up, buttercup."
Phantom bared his teeth, blunt and human and ineffective.
"I'm fucking trying ." He thrust one out between them, flecks of frost catching the light and shining in a way human skin shouldn't. He watched Dew's eyes narrow and suddenly felt like he should have kept his issues to himself.
Those blue eyes flickered, went orange to see better, stupid human glamor dulling their senses, and before Phantom could pull his hand away, Dew's snapped out to grip his wrist. And almost immediately let go, hissing. Fuck, his skin was cold.
"Hey-!"
"Shut up." Dew's words were short, a clipped command, but not cruel, and Phantom snapped his mouth shut.
The fire ghouls hands were surprisingly gentle as he turned Phantom's, looking at it from different angles.
"Is this ..ice? Actual ice?"
"...yeah."
Dew's eyes flicked up. "How." If was less a question and more a demand for information.
Phantom hesitated, reluctant, but those eyes boring into him were not going to take no for an answer. He hedged.
"I have anxiety sometimes. So I used a little quintessence to settle it down."
It was a non-answer and Dew's frown said he knew that perfectly well. They also said they could see right through his bullshit.
"You're quintessence and water, right?" It was phrased as a question but also wasn't one. Phantom wondered if one of the other ghouls had mentioned it, considering this was the most words he and Dew had exchanged since he'd been summoned.
"Who-"
"No one. I know a fucking water ghoul when I see one." Phantom might have taken offense, if it wasn't for the haunted look in Dew's eyes and something prickled at him, something that whispered about a fire ghoul with a water name.
He shoved the thought away.
"Yeah."
"So quintessence. Focused in your hands. And water. It freezes and causes issues in your joints. Sound about right?"
Phantom stared.
Dew rolled his eyes. "I'm an asshole, not a dumbass. Give me your other hand."
He wanted to ask why. Or protest maybe. But was it really worth the effort? Especially when Dew was being somewhat kind?
He lifted his other hand, offering it and Dew gathered them both between his own, hissing again at their coldness. And then his hands warmed .
It was a deep, radiating sort of heat, not just the warmth of skin. Not even the same as holding his hands up to a fireplace. It seeped into him, pressed in by Dew's touch and began to thaw his frozen joints, to melt away the painful little ice crystals that ground and poked whenever he curled his fingers.
Phantom's knees almost went weak.
It was easy to forget how much something hurt when the pain built slowly and lingered. But as soon as it was taken away.. the realization, the relief of not having it anymore was staggering. Phantom breathed out a shaky breath, slowly curling and straightening his fingers in Dew's careful grip.
"Fucking- I think I love you."
Dew snorted and rolled his eyes but Phantom was beginning to see the cracks in that mask.
"Don't get too worked up, pretty boy. I just don't want you to play like shit and make me look bad."
Phantom grinned, completely ignoring the second half of the statement.
"You think I'm pretty?"
Dew blushed . It wasn't overly dark, but on his pale, glamoured skin, it was obvious. And he knew it. He shifted, dropping the glamor in an attempt to hide it, but he was pale even as a ghoul and the orange was even more obvious on the light gray. He quickly re-glamoured, looking a little like a chameleon trying to match its surroundings.
Phantom grinned wider.
Dew let go of his hands, scoffing, though he didn't scowl or growl like the other ghoul would have expected.
"You get on my fucking nerves." He turned to head back towards the door, flapping a hand at Phantom lazily. "Be ready when they call us. You're not making me late."
With a roll of his eyes, Phantom pulled the guitar around once more to play a few chords, smooth and easy, and he smiled softly. Glancing up, he noticed Dew in the doorway, glancing back, watching him and it was his turn to blush, ducking his head.
Had he seen Dew smile before he finally stepped away? Or was that just wishful thinking on his part?
~*~
The ritual had been a whirlwind. Screaming fans, flashing lights, one song bleeding into the next, and the next, leaving barely a moment to breathe. He'd been told the fans were perceptive, noticing any little detail and he knew right away that they realized he was different, Not Aether. Confusion swirled with excitement to create a chaotic wave of energy that called out to the void in him and he rode the high as he played, fingers quick and agile.
The whole thing felt like it lasted hours and minutes, only a few flashes standing out while the rest swirled together. Leaning his head on Rain's shoulder, watching Rain and Dew together, the easy way they had of playing off one another, and the way the fans ate it up. A spotlight highlighting him near the end. All of them, standing in a line and holding hands to bow.
As they filed off stage, he couldn't help grinning, accepting backpats from his fellow ghouls and returning them, almost going wobbly kneed as Copia gave him one as well, looking pleased, if tired. They were shepherded back to their dressing areas to wash their faces and change their clothes, gather their bags for the trip to the hotel. At least they had a night to rest without travel before heading right into the next ritual.
He found Rain sitting close to him in the van, the water ghoul smiling softly, and he smiled back, dared to inch a little closer until their hips barely touched. It wasn't a long drive and he kept catching Rain out of the corner of his eye, always seeming to be close to him as they unloaded and grabbed their things, filed into the hotel lobby.
Copia was already there, keycards in hand, ready to hand them out and Phantom had to wonder who made the decisions about who shared rooms, if they were always the same or if they varied from stop to stop. He wondered if the ghoul he was paired with would curl their lip at getting paired with the new guy.
He didn't have to worry, as it turned out. Rain held his hand out to Copia, received two cards and offered Phantom one.
He stared, probably for too long if Rain's headtilt was any indication, and hastily accepted. He felt a little like a lost puppy, following Rain to the elevator, but really, how could he say no? The acceptance lifted his spirits.
Once the door closed, he looked curiously to the water ghoul.
"Why.. why me? I figured you pick Dewdrop. Not that I'm complaining!" He waved a hand, like he could physically keep Rain from thinking he was ungrateful.
Rain just chuckled softly. "I know how it feels, to be new among ghouls that have known each other for a while. Our pack up here might be strange, compared to what it's like in the Pit, but it's good. And you might find yourself a part of it, eventually."
Personally, Phantom thought that was too much to hope for, but he didn't want to say so. "Dewdrop won't be mad that you're rooming with me?"
"He's probably grumpy right now but we're going to end up in his room anyway."
The door opened as Phantom gaped at Rain, who simply stepped out and waltzed down the hall like he hadn't just dropped a bombshell on the poor quintessence hybrid.
" What ?" He nearly tripped over his own feet as he tried to follow. By the time he made it out of the elevator without falling or dropping something, Rain was already at the door, opening it with a practiced swipe of his card.
He glanced back once as he stepped into the room and Phantom knew he was smirking. He managed to make it there before the door closed fully, bouncing off of it slightly as he stumbled his way in. He didn't even want to know how crazy he looked, feet set apart eyes wide, clinging to his bag.
Rain just looked at him, amused, and dropped his glamor, sighing with something that sounded like relief. "We're getting cleaned up, getting comfortable and then going to Dew's room."
" We ? But why? He'll toss me out." Phantom dropped his own glamor, shaking himself before stepping over to set his bag on the bed opposite to the one Rain was using. He unzipped his bag quickly to rifle through, looking for the pants and shirt he brought to sleep in.
"He won't toss you out. He likes you."
Phantom snorted. "He's barely spoken to me. Other than.. earlier." That had been a bit more than talking. Dew had been kind. Dew had blushed . His own cheeks tinted lavender. Then darkened as Rain chuckled and he glanced up, found the other ghoul looking right at him.
He ducked his head. "Shut up. Why would we go to Dewdrop's room anyway?" He grumbled the words.
"Because I get cold after the adrenaline drop. And I'm guessing you probably will too. Especially after this first one." Rain tugged his shirt off, just in time for Phantom to look up, the blush he'd been slowly calming going dark again.
"So we're gonna what, use him like a space heater?"
Rain grinned and headed for the bathroom, letting his tail trail lightly over Phantom's calf as he passed, a gesture of friendly intimacy. "More like a heated body pillow, but yeah. I'm taking a shower."
Phantom couldn't picture him showing up at Dew's door going well, but he also couldn't imagine any of the other ghouls telling Rain no. It made him feel twitchy. And- Rain had been right, of course he had, he was starting to feel cold as the rush from the show began to fade. Tired and shivery, like he needed to stretch but couldn't quite reach far enough.
Mercifully, Rain's shower was relatively brief and Phantom quickly traded places with him, turning the heat up as high as it would go. It accomplished nothing, which wasn't a huge surprise. His quintessence helped a little, when he called it, settling his jittery nerves, but he left the shower feeling colder than when he'd entered.
Rain was dressed in a pair of old sweats and a loose shirt when he stepped back into the bedroom and Phantom idly complained to himself about how unfair it was that Rain could look perfect even in that.
"Ready?"
No. But he was also at the point of looking forward to maybe feeling warm again. So yes. He tugged a shirt on and heaved a sigh.
"As I'll ever be."
Rain didn't waste time, just tucked a keycard into his pocket and headed for the door, leaving Phantom to scramble after him once more, barely remembering to re-glamor before stepping out into the hall. Dew's room was only a few doors down, but it felt like he was marching to the gallows, the water ghoul's knock seeming overly loud in the empty hall.
It only took a moment for the door to open, for Rain to smile at what he saw inside.
"Hi. I'm cold."
Phantom caught up in time to see Dew roll his eyes and gesture him in. The fire ghoul caught sight of him a moment later and lifted an eyebrow, expression unreadable.
"Uh. Hi. I'm.. cold?" He tried hopefully, then hastily added, "Rain invited me!" Like maybe that would help.
Another moment of no reaction and then Dew sighed, rolled his eyes again, possibly harder and stepped back, bowing and gesturing Phantom into the room with an over-the-top, grandiose flourish that would have been more at home in Victorian times.
"Oh, please. Come in. I didn't want to have a room all to my fucking self on the first tour stop. Lucifer forbid."
He might have hesitated if Rain hadn't shook his head, amused, and waved him in.
Dew shut the door as pissily as he could manage and tossed himself onto the king-sized bed, wriggling into the middle in a way that said this wasn't the first time he was being used for his body heat. Rain joined him immediately, crawling up behind the smaller ghoul to fit himself against his back, humming as he settled in.
Phantom tried not to look at the way their tails twined together, easy and familiar. Unfortunately, with Rain at Dew's back, it meant he'd have to face the other ghoul. He looked longingly at the door.
"Are you coming up here or not?"
His tail flicked anxiously, but there was nothing for it. Gingerly, he shuffled his way onto the bed, stopping a couple inches away. He could just feel the heat radiating off of the other ghoul and barely managed to not reach out for it.
Dew rolled his eyes, fisted his hand in the front of Phantom's shirt and pulled .
He squeaked, finding himself pressed all up against Dew, his eyes wide. He was ready to start flailing backwards- but the heat hit him before he could and he curled inwards instead, tucking himself against the fire ghoul with a little whine.
"Uh, huh." Dew said it like he had both of their numbers. "Easy. Both of you." He curled his arm under Phantom though, getting his fingers into his wavy hair and the quintessence ghoul was powerless to do anything other than purr, his eyes drifting closed. A second purr joined in a moment later, low and smooth. Rain.
Dew huffed, but just like earlier, before the show, Phantom could tell it was for show. It helped him relax, nearly as much as the heat that was seeping into his bones and he dipped his head down to tuck under Dew's chin.
It was quiet for several, long minutes, minutes that were more comfortable than Phantom would have guessed, curled up with a ghoul that, until that afternoon, he'd thought hated him.
A shrill sound cut through the quiet, making Phantom jerk, blinking sleepy eyes open.
"Wha-"
"Well fuck, I guess its a party." Dew grumped, reaching to pat at his pants pocket. The sound got louder as Dew pulled his phone out, stabbing a button with his thumb. Despite the violence of the action and his grumbling, the hand in Phantom's hair stayed, stroking soothingly through the waves.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other side was loud enough for them all to hear. "Dew! How'd it go? Twitter seems to love it."
"We didn't get booed off stage."
Rain scoffed behind him. "Hi, Aeth."
"Rain! After-show cold?" Rain hummed agreement and Aether chuckled. "How's the Phantom Menace?"
Phantom blinked. "I'm a Sith lord?"
Dew made a noise that sounded like a growl that was trying really hard to cover a laugh. "Aeth, why did you give me another heat leech?"
Aether laughed again. "He's there? He's already gotten you to let him snuggle up to you? Aww, Dearheart, you really are a softie."
Dew's hissing was almost convincing.
Phantom grinned, tucking his head down again and sneakily slipped a hand up under the hem of Dew's shirt to splay wide over his warm back.
The shriek Dew let out was high and girly and was followed immediately by vicious swearing and threats to Phantom's life and his icy hands. But the hand in the quintessence ghoul's hair never moved.
Rain actually guffawed and he could hear Aether laughing.
Phantom grinned. This pack was a little crazy. But maybe they were awesome too. Just maybe.