A Man and His Ghouls

A Tormented Mind

Rain was left wandering the deep, dark woods all by himself. Alone in the woods with no one in sight; not even his beloved Cardinal to make it all better... It always ended like this, as predictable as it was terrifying.

Despite the Ghoul knowing full well that what he was experiencing was a nightmare his mind had cooked up for him, he just couldn’t help but feel like this was what he had to look forward to in the near future...
So he wept. And wept. And continued weeping, until all he could see was an ocean of tears covering the trees and dense brush. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that he usually loved water, it was his element after all... But this was different.
As time rushed by, the loneliness he felt began to manifest itself into vivid images of deep-rooted insecurities, floating to the forefront of his mind before fading away in a puff of dark smoke, — moving from the realm of dreams to be used against him in the waking world.

The Water Ghoul groaned, furrowing his brow as a feeling of intense dread entered his body. He managed to grab Copia’s dressing gown tight as he pulled himself closer, nuzzling into the man’s chest with a whimper, tears in his exhausted eyes.
Despite Copia’s earlier efforts to calm him down, the Ghoul’s soul was still very much tormented; vivid nightmares continuing on just as they had before.

Suddenly a huge gust of wind swept through his mind, forcing a large mass of dark smoke to reveal itself above the boy as he screamed, letting himself float to the bottom of the ocean, bubbles as far as his eyes could see before being enveloped by deep darkness.

As the situation in the Ghoul’s head came to a boiling point, he quickly whipped his pointed tail around, sending a nearby lamp flying with a loud crash, waking Cardinal Copia up with a sharp gasp.
The man’s eyes glowed brightly in the dark room as they frantically searched for the culprit, ready to whoop some ass if push came to shove.
“N-no...” Rain whimpered, slowly waking from his troubled slumber, catching the attention of Copia.
The Cardinal looked down at his friend with a relieved sigh, eyes going back to normal. “Ah, it was just you...” he whispered as he gently held the shaking Ghoul, petting him with a warm, worried smile.
Rain looked up at Copia with tearful eyes. “W-why did you...?” the Ghoul asked in a daze, trying to make sense of what just happened.
Cardi simply kissed him on the forehead. “It wasn’t real, my dearest Angel...” he cooed, hoping the affirmation would help ease the Ghoul’s pain a little. Rain simply hummed, closing his eyes again as The Cardinal followed suit.

After a few minutes, Rain finally felt lucid enough to speak up. “Y-you won’t leave me, right?” He asked with a soft blush, stuttering a little as he spoke.
“Of course I wouldn’t, my Ghoul...” Copia answered, “There is nothing you could do or say that would ever make me leave your side.”
Water got himself comfortable, sitting his bottom atop the armrest of his lovers’ favourite chair, legs placed carefully over The Cardinal’s lap as he wrapped his arms around the man. “Thank you... a-again.” He spoke, nuzzling his cheek against Copia’s.
Copia simply chuckled at the affectionate Ghoul, turning to kiss him on the cheek before replying, “You really don’t have to thank me for a service I will always provide free of want or need, you know this.”
Rain blushed, sighing a little before kissing the man he loved on his plump lips, closing his eyes as he did so.

Once the kiss ended, Copia thought for a moment before trying to gain the attention of his Ghoul, “So, Rain?”
Rain tilted his head with a soft ‘purrowl’, “Yes, Master?”
“Well, I hope this does not come off as uncouth... but will you be able to tell me what’s going on?” the man asked, clearly confused and worried for the boy.
Rain frowned, looking down at his feet on the other side of the chair.
The Cardinal noticed this action and blushed, worried the Ghoul had taken offence to his questioning, “Ah! I apologise!” he quickly spoke before adding, “If it’s too much for you, you really mustn’t worry. You can tell me on your own terms.”

The Ghoul looked back up at Copia with a weak smile. “I’m sorry.” he began, “I just... can’t seem to get my thoughts together?” He sighed, smile fading — a little disappointed in himself.
“Oh.” The Cardinal started, “So it is like your mind is not attached to your mouth?” He mused, trying to get a good idea of what his beloved goes through each and every day.
Rain nodded, “I-it’s a bit like that, yeah...” he stuttered, looking around awkwardly.
It was never easy for Water to speak about his problems, even to the understanding Cardinal Copia.

Copia smiled, happy he had made somewhat of a breakthrough with the awkward mess of a Ghoul. “You know I will always love you, right?” He questioned, trying to reassure the Ghoul once more that his love for him was eternal.
Rain whined, the negative thoughts racing before he shook his head, quickly squeaking out a messy reply as he looked up at The Cardinal through furrowed brows, “I know you love me! I just can’t seem to wrap my head around why!”
Copia sighed, kissing the silly, frustrated boy. “Look, as long as you know it, you don’t need to understand my love for you.”
Rain exhaled before hugging the man, whispering in his ear, “I’ll try to remember that... and I love you too, by the way.”
“I know.” Copia chuckled as he held the Ghoul tight, trailing kisses along his rounded jawline.
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