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Copia's ghouls got a lot more freedom than past ones. Sure, before, ghouls could go out in glamour to do chores, and could go out before and after shows to get drinks and whatnot. But Copia had all but told his ghouls they could go wild; they could go out whenever they wanted - so long as they told him before taking the car keys - and be out for the whole day if they so wished.
The day had been particularly lazy, with no practice and nothing to do, so Cirrus had suggested they go out to a mall. Most ghouls agreed (Aether had an infirmary shift and Cumulus and Sunshine were busy helping the library ghouls organize), and before long they had all piled into Copia's car and were on their way. Mountain was driving; when Swiss had grabbed the keys Mountain had said a swift "absolutely not." and swiped them from him. Cirrus was sitting in the front seat, happily playing music from her phone. Swiss, Dew, and Rain were all squished into the backseat, with Rain unfortunately between the two.
Rain's day... hadn't been so good. He woke up drenched in sweat and feeling icky, and a nice shower had done nothing to get rid of the gross feeling. All of his clothes felt wrong on him- his hoodies made him too warm, and rolling up the sleeves made the insides of his elbows feel horrible. All his t-shirts had tags on the back and they all looked stupid on him. The breakfast the other ghouls had made seemed delicious, but looking at it made him feel sick. It wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't eat it. His favorite mug and plate were both dirty, and Sunshine was using his favorite fork. He hadn't eaten breakfast, despite his stomach protesting at him. The others in the den were loud and when he had sat down on the couch with them, he found himself reading the same sentence over and over until he wanted to throw the book against the wall and tear his hair out.
Swiss and Dewdrop were talking loudly about something Rain couldn't care less, leaning over him to get closer to each other. He didn't wear his headphones today. Why didn't he wear his headphones today? They were leaning so close they were pressed against his arms and shoulders, despite how closely tucked in on himself he was. His sweater was itching his arms and he could feel the lack of pressure on one palm, while the other was pressed against his knee. He focused himself of evening the weight and pressure of each hand instead of Swiss and Dew, situating his hands so that they were clamped together and pressed equally against one another. He winced when Swiss laughed loudly, and that drew his attention to the uneven weight on the back of his shoulders.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, he felt sick. Why didn't he just say he didn't want to go? The others wouldn't have minded. He could've just sat in his room until this horrible, icky feeling went away. But now, he was leaning back against the seat and moving his shoulders so that each one was pressed equally against the seat behind him and tilting his head back so there wasn't a weight on the back of his neck.
This car was too hot. He could feel the heat crawling under his thick sweater, making him sweat slightly. Fuck, was he going to have pit stains? The idea made him want to cry. Dew smelled like cigarettes, and he was leaning against Rain's arm, his elbow jabbing slightly into his side. He was talking, but Rain couldn't tell if it was to him or Swiss. Or maybe Mountain. He nudged Rain with his elbow, letting out a small laugh. Did he tell a joke? Rain hadn't been listening.
The water ghoul peeled his eyes away from the roof of the car, looking down at Dew. He must have looked as miserable as he felt, because Dew's expression faltered, his smile falling slightly and a crease appearing between his brows.
"You okay?" The fire ghoul asked. "You look like you're about to cry."
Rain swallowed down the sick feeling rising in his throat and nodded. "I'm fine."
Dewdrop clearly didn't believe him, but he didn't push. He instead sat back in his seat and scooted a bit closer to the door, giving Rain more room. Rain appreciated it, but it wasn't enough. He could still feel Dew close to him even though he wasn't touching him, and Swiss was still pressed against him on his other side. Even if the multi ghoul got the hint and moved, his shoulders were so broad that they would still be touching Rain.
They got to the mall soon after that, the drive both too quick and too long to Rain. The five put their glamours on and climbed out of the car. Cirrus and Swiss lead the way toward the mall entrance, Mountain lingering behind them, and Sodo and Rain in the back. Dew hadn't said anything since they last talked in the car, but as they walked, he silence reached for Rain's hand. The second their fingers touched, Rain felt sick, and he yanked his hand away far more aggressively than he had meant to. He tried to ignore the glance Dew gave him, instead wrapping his arms around tightly around his waist.
If being in the car was any bad - it was - then the mall was fifty times that. There were people everywhere, loud and obnoxious as all humans were. There were far too many babies screaming, and to Rain, even one was too much right now. Music played from the different shops they walked by, mixing and melding with the faint songs played over the speakers in the body of the mall. There were so many smells, so many different stalls and restaurants that Rain wanted to cry. He hunched in on himself almost subconsciously, squeezing his arms around himself. Sodo had walked up to be with Mountain.
Fuck. Of course did. Why would he want to be with Rain while he was throwing a tantrum like a fucking baby? He had clearly showed Dew he didn't want to be with him earlier, so why would the fire ghoul stick around?
Cirrus wanted to go to a makeup store, so they all ducked in to be with her. The store reeked for fifty different types of perfume, which all smelled the exact same to Rain. The stench alone would've been overwhelming to a human, but to Rain, with his increased sense of smell, it made him light-headed.
Rain trailed uselessly behind the others, digging his claws into his palms when they stepped too close or stood in his way.
"Can you move?" The water ghoul all but snapped when Swiss stood to close to him- again. The multi ghoul blinked in surprise at Rain's sharp tone, staring at him.
"I'm not doing anything." He muttered with a small scoff before turning away and stepping a bit closer to Mountain. "Can you relax?"
Rain grit his teeth and bit his tongue. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he's being an asshole. They're all going to hate him.
The other ghouls peered at him curiously, with an almost concerned or worried look in their eyes, but quickly returned to what they had been looking at before.
Except Dewdrop. Rain could feel his glamoured, light blue eyes on him.
Cirrus bought her makeup and the group left, they continued through the mall, occasionally pausing so one of the ghouls could look into a window or duck into a shop to look around. Rain felt like throwing up the whole time. His jaw was clenched and his shoulders more than tense as he kept his arms wrapped around his waist, his gaze on the floor unless he had to glance up to see if the others were still in front of him.
Swiss had suggested they go into Hot Topic as a joke. "Just to see if I'm on any of the merch," he joked. Rain liked Hot Topic, liked some of the clothes they had. But it was cramped, and he would rather die than be shoulder to shoulder with someone while metal played over the speakers.
The store was full when they entered, squeezing past people to the back with the band merchandise. Dew was saying something about wanting a new shirt, maybe for Korn or Slipknot. Rain didn't know which one he settled on; he was too distracted by the people on either side of him, laughing and talking, and the drumming of whatever song was playing- too faint for him to really tell what exactly the beat was, but loud enough to match the pounding in his head.
"Look, Rainy, they have some stuff of the game you like." Cirrus appeared by Rain's side, gently looping an arm around his and pointing upward at a shirt. Rain couldn't help the small whimper that left his throat at the feeling of her hand on the inside of his elbow, pressing against his skin all wrong.
"Cool." He croaked eventually. "I don't want anything."
"Nothing?" Cirrus asked, tilting her head to look at Rain. She leaned in slightly so she could talk over the music. "I don't think you have anything for that game yet, do you?"
"I don't want anything." Rain repeated through gritted teeth. Cirrus' voice was just too loud in his sensitive ears, her face just close enough for Rain to feel sick. He wormed his arm out of Cirrus' grasp to wrap it back around his waist, digging his nails into his side. "I just said I didn't want anything."
"Alright. Sorry." The ghoulette said, her eyebrows raised slightly. "I was just letting you know."
She held a lingering glance on Rain before turning and walking over to Swiss, leaving Rain standing on his own. Dewdrop and Mountain were somewhere in the store, looking at Satan knows what. Had he been rude? Had he been mean? Rain couldn't fucking tell; he was just saying what his brain was thinking.
He was suddenly filled with the suffocating and overwhelming need to get out. The store was so loud, there was so much stuff to look at, there were so many people trying to get past him. Rain blinked back the tears in his eyes and turned, leaving the store as quickly as he could without looking like he was running from a fire. He felt sick, he felt sick, he felt like he was going to throw up. He could feel it in his throat and chest, could feel the tears threatening to spill.
He lowered himself onto a bench outside, holding his waist tightly and curling up so that his knees were to his chest. He pressed his teeth together and swallowed, trying to rid himself of the urge to vomit. His head was pounding and his eyes hurt. He was going to die.
The water ghoul stared forward into the store. From here, he could see Mountain's tall head inside, and the dark violet that Swiss had in his braids. Dew and Cirrus were next to them. They were all talking, laughing, looking at clothes. Of course they were having more fun with him gone. Of course they fucking were. He never did anything but bring everybody down. Hell, here he was, fucking crying because the store was too loud. He was pathetic. Fucking pathetic.
He didn't know how long he sat on that bench, his nails digging into his palms and his bottom lip worried between teeth before the others left the store. Only Dew was carrying a bag; the others having not bought anything.
"When did you come out here, lilypad?" Swiss asked as he stopped in front of Rain. The water ghoul shrugged and unfurled, shifting to sit in a way that was more socially accepted as normal.
"Why'd you leave?" Mountain asked with a small frown.
"Loud." Rain managed. That was a reasonable enough answer, and it wasn't a lie. It had been loud in there.
"Right. Well, we're gonna go to the food court to grab something to eat." Cirrus said with a smile, and Rain forced himself to his feet. He reached out and took Dew's hand, which made the fire ghoul falter and look over at Rain. The water ghoul was staring forward without a word.
The ghoul's eventually traversed the mall and ended up in the food court, and fuck, it was even worse in here. It was loud and bright and hot and there were so many overlapping smells that Rain felt like he was gonna to throw up.
"Can we get Chick-fil-A?" Swiss asked from somewhere behind Rain. Dew's nose scrunched up at the question.
"Chick-fil-A tastes like ass." He said. "But I guess you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Swiss huffed and nudged Dew with his elbow as he passed him, moving to stand beside Mountain and Cirrus. "Fuck you. Mountain, can we get Chick-fil-A?"
"Sure." Mountain said. "We need to find somewhere to sit down, first." Swiss hummed and looked over the food court, scanning along with Mountain and Cirrus for an open table. Eventually, Cirrus chirped triumphantly and pointed at an empty table.
"There!" She said proudly before setting off, the others following behind her. She said quick apologies over her shoulder to people that she accidentally bumped with her hip or elbow, and, eventually, the ghouls were all seated at the table. Mountain asked them all what they wanted before rising to his feet.
"Right. Well, I need somebody to help me carry everything back." He said, then glanced over to Rain, who was curled up in his seat. "Rainy, can you come with me?"
Rain hesitated before reluctantly nodding and rising to his feet. He kept his arms around his waist as Mountain led him out of the crowded dining area and towards the restaurant. It was crowded, so the two found themselves standing at the back of an absurdly long, yet fast moving, line.
"Guppy, are you feeling okay?" Mountain asked after a moment. He took a small step closer to Rain and peered at the water ghoul over the frames of his glasses. "You've seemed off all day."
"I'm fine." Rain muttered, not meeting Mountain's eyes.
"You don't seem fine." Mountain pressed gently. "You've been quiet and all hunched up. And earlier, when you snapped at Swiss? What's going on?"
"Nothing." Rain said through gritted teeth. His grip around his waist tightened slightly, his claws pressing into his sides through his sweater. "I'm fine."
Mountain's lips parted before he shut them, accepting Rain's answer reluctantly. "Okay. Just let me know if you're feeling off, okay?"
"Okay." Rain mumbled. He shuffled forward as the line moved, and soon, the two found themselves ordering.
"Rainy, you didn't say what you wanted." Mountain said, glancing down at Rain. "Are nuggets good?"
Rain nodded. He didn't like the nuggets from here. He could never finish a whole order of them. Mountain finished ordering and Rain was handed a holder containing everybody's drinks. He followed Mountain as he stepped off to the side, awaiting their order. As they stood next to each other in silence, Mountain's hand found Rain's lower back and began rubbing soft circles into it. Rain almost gagged.
He hated touch on his back. Despised it. Touch on his spine, on his shoulder blades, on his back- it made him feel horrible, uneven. It made him want to arch his back and curl his shoulders back until the feeling faded, made him want to press his hands against the touched spot to get the pressure back to normal.
He pulled away from Mountain with a small, panicked whine. He ignored Mountain's stare as he rolled his shoulders back, trying to get rid of that awful wrong feeling. Because it was wrong, it was all wrong.
"I'm sorry." Rain heard Mountain said faintly, and he wanted to cry. Fuck, he's hurting everybody's feelings. They're all going to hate him. They won't want to hang out with him every again, since he'll just be freaking out the whole time. Because his stupid fucking brain doesn't like to work right.
Rain didn't know when Mountain got the food, but soon the earth ghoul was gently guiding Rain back to the table, standing behind him in an attempt to prevent others from accidentally touching his back. The effort was nice, but Rain could feel him hovering behind him, and it was almost as bad as if anybody had actually touched him.
He set the drinks down on the table and sat down, biting his lower lip to try and stop himself from crying. Mountain set the food down and there was the rustling of paper as the others searched through it, producing meals and setting them in front of each other as they searched for theirs. Rain didn't know when his food got placed in front of him, but he blinked, drawing himself back to reality, and it was sitting in front of him, along with a bottle of water. He reached out with a shaky hand to open the box and once he saw the nuggets inside, he felt sick.
He hated these nuggets. They weren't right, they weren't like the ones that he had at the den. They looked different and they tasted different and their smell filled his nose and clouded his brain and made him want to throw up. He stared at the food in front of him for Lucifer knows how long, tears barely restrained behind his eyes as the overwhelming stimuli of the day caught up with him. He could hear each ghoul chewing, could hear the food smack in their mouths when they talked. He could hear each conversation around him, all the words overlapping into gibberish that made him want to scream. There were so many different fucking smells, all of them hot and worming their way up his nose. The lights above them were bright and it was hot enough that he could feel it under his skin, that he could feel the sweat forming under his sweater. It was all too much, it was all too fucking much. He couldn't take it, fuck, he was going to cry, he was going to cry and throw up and he wanted to dig his nails into his spine to try and get that weight just right, he wanted to press his hands against his knees until the pressure was even, he wanted to close his eyes and cover his ears and leave and never come back.
"Rainy, eat something." Dewdrop said beside him and set a hand on his back.
Rain all but flinched at the touch. He stared forward, blinking back the tears building in his eyes. Fuck, he couldn't cry, he couldn't cry, not in front of Dew. "I can't." He choked out. "It's not right."
"It's not right?" Dew repeated and leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "What do you mean, baby?"
"It's not right." Rain repeated. His hands curled into fists on his thighs, his glamoured, yet still sharp, nails digging into his palms. "I can't."
"You don't have to eat it, waterlily." Mountain spoke up. He had probably - finally - picked up on Rain's overstimulation. "If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. Can you just try and drink some of your water?"
"I-" Rain began, his brows drawing up as he tried not to cry. "No, but... you paid for it, you spent money on it, I can just not eat it. I... we can't throw it away."
"I'll eat it." Mountain soothed. "Or Swiss. We won't throw it away."
"I don't..." Rain swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew the others were all staring at him now. His stomach rumbled. He felt like he was going to throw up.
"Rainy?" Dew asked, his voice low and soft, and Rain couldn't take it anymore. He was so mean to them, so rude all day, and was acting like a baby, but here they were, still acting like he wasn't a burden. Like he wasn't annoying.
"I can't..." Rain choked out before curling into himself and raising his hands to press the palms of his hands into his eyes.
The ghouls around him all sat in a worried silence for a short moment before someone else spoke.
"Rain, do you want to go somewhere else, maybe?" Cirrus suggested softly, and Rain whined at the prospect and shook his head. No, he wasn't going to make them move. He wasn't going to make them change their plans just because he was being over dramatic.
"Listen, lilypad, we just want you to be okay." Swiss said. "You sure?"
Rain whined again and nodded. His hands moved up to curl into fists around his hair, his tight grip straining his hair from the roots and causing that dull ache that he hated to admit to chasing sometimes.
"Don't do that." Dewdrop said in a hushed voice and reached out, taking Rain's hands and easing them away from his hair. Rain couldn't help it; he was crying now, biting his lower lip in an attempt to stop as tears welled in his eyes and dripped down his cheek. "Hey, hey, it's okay, baby. You don't have to cry."
"I'm sorry." Rain choked out.
"Don't apologize." Dew said, his voice stern yet just as caring. "Here, baby. We can go sit outside while the others finish eating. It won't be as loud, yeah? How does that sound?"
"I don't..." Rain blubbered, barely getting words out around the shaky sobs he was letting out.
"Let's go outside." Dew decided for them. He stood up, still holding the water ghoul's hand, and gently coerced him to his feet. He lead him through the food court, keeping him beside him the whole time. People moved quicker than before, seemingly apprehensive or worried about the crying man walking past them. Dew get them through the sliding doors leading outside and sat Rain down on a bench. He let go of his hand and sat a bit of a distance from Rain, making sure to not touch him.
"It's all too much?" He asked gently, keeping a watchful eye on Rain.
"Yeah." The water ghoul said dumbly. He gasped quietly everynow and then, hiccuping with his soft sobs. He tilted his head back and rolled his shoulders back, trying to get rid of that fucking weight between his shoulders and, when they didn't work, he reached a hand behind him to press down on the spot.
"Why didn't you say so?" Dew asked with a slight frown.
"I don't..." Rain whimpered. He kept his hand on his back, his thumb pressing right on the spot. "I didn't want..."
"To worry us?" Dew finished when Rain trailed off.
Rain swallowed and didn't say anything. Dewdrop sighed.
"We love you, Rain." He said as he sat back against the bench. "Do you think we'd be upset because of the sensory issues you physically can't control? Because you're autistic and can't handle being out like this? Of course not. We just want you to be safe and happy. And if you have to leave here to be safe and happy, then guess the fuck what? We're leaving."
"N-no, but-" Rain managed, coughing slightly as he choked on a sob. "I don't want to leave, I don't want you to leave. You... you all wanted to be here, I don't want to make everyone go home, I don't... I..."
"You're not making anyone do anything." Dew interrupted. "We're basically done here, anyways. This mall sucks ass, and we already looked at all of the good stores. We're going to leave after the others finish eating."
Rain's breaths were shaky as he moved to wrap his arms around himself. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Dew sighed. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize."
"I ruined it." Rain breathed.
"You didn't ruin anything." Dew said. "You're okay. We're okay. It's all going to be okay. We're going to go back to the ministry, and we're going to get you your headphones. We can get you something to eat, something that you actually like, like fish or the pasta that Mountain makes. And then we can get you your weighted shark, and you can go to sleep if you'd like, or I can be with you and help you calm down. And it's all going to be okay."
"It's going to be okay." Rain echoed weakly. He let out a shaky sob and raised his hands to press against his eyes, then moved them to press the heels of his hands again his forehead. He whimpered and hit the heels against his head, just a few times, before sagging forward and wrapping his arms around himself again.
"Don't hurt yourself." Dew said sternly. He took one of Rain's hands, holding it gently. "Don't hit yourself. I don't want you to give yourself a headache, okay? You shouldn't hurt yourself just because you're upset."
"I'm sorry." Rain choked out. The pressure was still there on his back, and he still felt like throwing up. But now he felt even worse. Dew was mad at him, his mate was mad at him, his boyfriend was mad at him, he fucked up, he always fucks up, of course he fucked up again.
"For Satan's sake, Rain, stop apologizing." Dew said, trying his hardest to mask the slightly exasperated tone of his voice. He let out a low breath, calming himself. "The only times I want you to apologize to me are when you really do something bad. Like if you broke one of my things or were mean. And, baby, you've never done either of those things. So why are you apologizing?"
"You're mad at me." Rain whimpered. "I fucked everything up."
"Baby, I'm not mad." Dew soothed, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "What made you think I was mad?"
"I don't know." Rain choked out. "I don't know."
"I'm not mad." Dew said again. "I'm just worried and concerned. I want you to be okay, and you're not okay if you're overstimulated and hitting yourself. Okay?"
Rain whimpered and leaned to the side, against Sodo.
"I need an 'okay,' baby. I need you to let me know that you understand that I'm not mad." Dewdrop said. He set a hand on Rain's arm, gently rubbing it with his thumb.
"Okay." Rain said shakily. "I understand."
"Good. That's good, baby. I'm glad you understand, because I'm not mad at you, and you didn't fuck everything up." Dew soothed. "I love you. You know that, right?"
Rain nodded with a small sniff.
"Yeah." Dew hummed. "Yeah, I do love you. I love you more than anything in the world, and I want more than anything else for you to be happy and okay. And it's okay if you get upset every now and then. It's okay if you get overstimulated and you don't want to be in loud places, but I need you to not blame yourself, and I need you to not hurt yourself because of it. Okay?"
"Okay." Rain breathed. "I love you too."
"I know you do." Dew pressed a kiss to the top of Rain's head, right between where his horns would've been if he wasn't glamoured. "And I'm very happy that you do. Because you're a very good boyfriend, and I'd be a bit sad if you didn't love me."
Rain sniffed quietly and turned his head, burying it against Dew's shoulder. The two stayed quiet for a short while, just breathing in each others' presence. Rain sobbed and shook quietly, his tears waning as he calmed over time from Dewdrop's warmth and presence. Dew gently hummed to him every now and then, cupping the back of his head and pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of his head.
"Are you ready to go back inside, rain cloud?" Dew asked softly after a moment. "The others are probably almost done eating."
Rain sniffed again and peeled himself away from Dew's shoulder, the movement slow and almost reluctant. He wiped at his eyes with sweater-covered hands and nodded, a trembling sigh leaving him. Dew cooed softly and gently pushed Rain's hands away to replace them with his own, cupping the water ghoul's cheeks and rubbing his thumbs below his eyes to wipe up his tears.
"Let's go back inside." Dew said, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Rain's lips. It was barely a kiss, more just brushing their lips together in a way that tickled and made Rain want to giggle, had he not been overstimulated as all hells.
Rain nodded, a weak, fluttering smile appearing on his lips. Dew stood and held a hand out for Rain to take, which the water ghoul carefully grabbed. Dew squeezed it once, gently, and set off into the mall, guiding Rain carefully behind him. They arrived at the table as the others were gathering their trash to throw away. They looked up upon their arrival, each of them perking up.
"I was just about to go find you guys." Cirrus said as she dropped her trash into a crash can. "Are you feeling any better, Rainy?"
Rain shrugged silently and looked down at his feet with a sniff, shifting his weight.
"That's alright, sweet thing." Mountain assured with a soft smile. "C'mon, we're gonna go home now, okay?"
Rain nodded and the ghouls began leaving the food court, retracing their steps through the entire mall to find where they had parked. Dew held Rain's hand the whole time, keeping him close to his side but making his grip be loose enough that, should Rain want to peel away, he could. The walk back wasn't very long, and the ghouls all found themselves clambering into the car. This time, Rain sat himself in the front seat, which nobody opposed.
The drive back was relatively quiet, with all the other ghouls somewhat on edge and not wanting to overstimulate Rain further. The water ghoul sat with his knees to his chest as he leaned against the car door, his eyes closed as he took deep, calming breaths. He was fine. He was fine. Dew wasn't mad at him. The other ghouls weren't mad at him. He was fine. He'll be okay. It'll all be okay.
He felt the car take the familiar turns he knew intimately and peeled his eyes open, being greeted by the ministry as they pulled in. Mountain parked and turned the car off, and the overlapping sound of seatbelts being taken off sounded. Rain opened his door and stepped out, his shoulders hunched in and his hands clasped together, and Dew sidled up besides him, holding his hand out as a silent request. Rain took it, and the ghouls all headed inside.
"Did you all have fun?" Cumulus asked once they entered, looking over the back of the couch with a smile. Rain and Dewdrop pushed past, Dew seemingly intent on getting the ghoul somewhere relaxing.
"Rainy had a meltdown," Rain heard Swiss say behind them, and he tried to ignore the way self hatred and anger and nausea built in his chest again, gritting his teeth instead.
They walked down the hall and arrived at Dew's room. He held open the door and gently ushered Rain in, then closed the door behind the two of them.
"Is it still really bad, baby?" Dew asked him, concern in his eyes. Rain shrugged and sat down on Dew's bed, drawing a sigh from him.
"Okay. Talk to me. Do you want anything? Your headphones, your weighted blanket, a change of clothes, your communication cards... anything?" Dew asked gently and sat beside Rain, setting a hand on his thigh. Rain paused, thinking quietly as he wrapped his arms around his stomach.
"...Headphones." He said weakly after a moment. "And blanket. A-and... can I wear your clothes?"
"Of course." Dew raised his hand to stroke it over Rain's hair, leaning down to press a kiss to his temple. "Of course you can, baby. Here- I'm going to go get your things, and while I'm gone, you can pick out any of my clothes. Okay? Just change while I'm gone, and when I come back, we can cuddle and help you calm down."
Rain nodded and let out a quiet trill of affirmation. He leaned his head against Dew's shoulder, burying it against his neck. Dew dropped his hand to wrap it around Rain's shoulders and squeezed him gently, kissing along his head and the base of his horns. "Okay, baby." He mumbled, his lips moving against his hair. "I'll be right back. Go change and get comfortable."
Dew peeled off from Rain's side and gave him one last kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. Rain stayed sitting on the bed for a moment, pressing his palms together and clicking his tongue, before standing to look through Dew's clothes. Dew had said to get whatever he wanted, but he knew there were some clothes he didn't like wearing to bed. So, he dug through his closet, clicking and chirping and occasionally pausing to flap his hands or press them together. He produced a worn band shirt with a logo he couldn't read, the cracking decal on the front meaning it was okay to sleep in. He double checked that there was no tag and laid it on the bed before digging through his pants.
Rain was taller than Dew, obviously, so most of the fire ghoul's pants stopped a bit above his ankle. Digging through his drawer of pajama pants, though, Rain found a pair that were definitely Mountain's originally, but Dew had reclaimed. They smelled both of ferns and soil and grass, but also of bonfires and spice and a tinge of salt water. Perfect.
Rain carefully dressed, pausing occasionally to stim or press his palms against his spine to ease up the pressure. Eventually, with a proud click of his tongue, he was dressed in Dew's oversized shirt and even more oversized pajama pants. He clambered back onto the bed, rubbing his hands together and getting comfortable against the pillows as he waited for Dew.
Dew eventually returned with his arms full, a soft smile appearing on his face as he saw Rain. "Well don't you look comfy." He cooed and dropped the items on the bed. Rain immediately grabbed the headphones and slipped them on, letting out a subconscious sigh as the background noises of the ministry faded away- the dull hum of the air conditioning that had been sounding, the faint footsteps of people above them, the wind whistling against the window. All gone. The water ghoul let out a surprised and happy trill when he saw what else Dew had gotten: his beloved leopard shark plushie, which Dew had gotten for him once on a date they went on to an aquarium.
"I figured you'd want him, since you were all upset. And besides, I know you like sleeping with him." Dew smiled gently as he handed the shark to Rain. Rain took the shark and hugged it tightly to his chest before leaning forward to bump his head thankfully against Dew's chest. Dew brushed his hand over Rain's hair, leaning down to press gentle kisses to the top of his head. "You know I'd do anything for you, guppy. Anything to make sure my doll is okay. Okay, baby, do you want to go to sleep right now? Or is cuddling okay?"
Rain sniffed and pulled back, rubbing his still slightly teary eyes. "S-L-E-E-P," he finger spelled, and Dew nodded.
"Alright. Sleep." Dewdrop confirmed. "Okay. Lay back, baby. Lemme tuck you in." Rain purred gently and laid back against the pillow, curling up. Dew knew exactly how he liked the blankets- which one first, which side where, the tag at the bottom. And then finally, the weighted blanket on top. Rain hummed contently and curled up tighter, hugging his shark beneath the warm blankets. Dew smiled at the adorable sight, but there was still a lingering hint of concern for the overstimulation. Nevertheless, Dew carefully stripped and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before turning the lights off and climbing under the blankets with his boyfriend.
Rain immediately cuddled up against Dew's warm chest, tucking his head beneath his chin. Dew began to purr as he tangled their legs together and wrapped his arms carefully around Rain, touching spots on his back that he knew wouldn't cause more distress. Rain began purring in return, his eyes fluttering closed as the warmth and closeness of his mate took over.
"I love you." Dew sighed into Rain's hair. "My pretty little water lily. You're going to feel better tomorrow, I know it. And I'm sorry you felt bad today, darling. But that's okay. It happens. We all have bad days. I have a shit ton of bad days. But you still love me, and I still love you. No one's going to hate you because of your bad days, baby. I promise."
He was talking just to talk, hoping his low words would soothe his mate into sleep. Judging by the way Rain's purrs were starting to slow and by the way he was relaxing into the bed, it was working. Dew pressed another, final kiss to Rain's hear, right between his horns.
"Sleep well, Rainy."