Personal HC of mine (and I'm probably just projecting a bit) but Rain having type 1 diabetes and that's why at the beginning of his first tours he would trip a bunch. His blood sugar would drop low because of all the energy he was expending (and he forgot to eat breakfast)
BEFORE anyone comes after me: I've had type 1 since I was 19 months old. It's hard to deal with and I rarely see anyone talking about it
The pack all make sure now that they carry snacks in their pockets (like that one time Swiss had random tiny packs of gummy bears and was tossing them to people at barrier?) to make sure Rain doesn't drop dangerously low on stage or even afterwards.
@themonstracerock Hi!! Hope this is okay 🥺 I'm so happy you like them. Here's something I cooked up pretty quick.
CW: Needles, talk of blood (very brief), medical talk
“Are you sure you want to do it yourself this time?” Aether asks, looking at Rain with a tiny bit of concern as he hands the ghoul his insulin pen.
Rain smiles a little and rolls his eyes playfully.
He takes a needle from the box of them that Aether has and leaves the infirmary room.
Aether watches him go, shoving his hands into his pocket and biting his cheek. He decides then to keep a tab open in his brain to keep track of his bond with Rain. Not trusting entirely that the water ghoul can handle his dosages this time.
Rain’s always had the habit of either dosing too high or too low before he goes to bed. So he could very well either drop suddenly or keep rising in the night and end up feeling sick in the morning or a couple hours later.
Aether sits back down in his chair in front of his desk and continues working on paperwork from earlier that day.
Meanwhile, Rain gets ready for bed after a busy day. He ran around with Mountain outside in the gardens, he “practiced” with Dew in the band room and he spent some time with Swiss after dinner.
He stepped out of his bathroom and ambled over to the small desk in his room that's situated by the window. He placed his pen there with the needle attached.
Before he dialed up the dose, his brain tried reminding him subtly by automatically glancing over at the small black pouch that was at the very corner end of the desk.
His blood sugar tester..
Rain's tail swished with a small bit of anxiety, biting his lip. He really really didn't want to prick his finger. But he knew he needed to, in able to make sure he was dosing correctly..
But.. he felt fine? Not high but not particularly low either. Just.. fine.
“Ehhh” he waved it off, deciding against the painful pricking option and just going with his gut. He drew up the dosage and that was it.
Rain went to bed, 100% confident in his body.
A couple hours later, about 4 AM.
Aether's bond to Rain suddenly felt very limp and he noticed a certain smell to it. Sour, damp.
“Shit..” Aether hissed, getting up quickly.
He quickly grabbed a juice box from his mini fridge before leaving the infirmary quickly. Speed walking down the hall towards Rain's room, almost tripping over his own feet in the process.
Once there, Aether didn't even bother knocking. Opening the door and peering in.
Rain was already sitting up in his bed.. but he was looking to the floor. One of his legs were bouncing, his tail wrapped around his other leg tightly. Aether could see it shaking.
“Lilypad? I felt you drop..”
Rain finally looked up at Aether when hearing him. His face was panicked, scared, guilty.
“Aether.. I'm sorry I should've–”
Aether was already on his knees in front of Rain before he could finish, “It's okay Rainy, it's okay– I'll take care of you” he took Rain's hands in his own. They were shaking.
Aether squeezed them gently before letting go and getting up, spotting his tester on his desk and grabbing it.
“I'm sorry.. I should've tested before hand.. I'm so sorry for making you do this..” Rain's voice broke. Feeling so guilty about all of this he started crying.
Aether got back down on his knees, gently taking Rain's right hand. Finding the finger he usually used for this.
“Ready baby?” Aether carefully placed the poker in the center of Rain's ring finger.
Rain swallowed the lump in his throat before nodding, flinching when Aether poked him.
He whimpered more when Aether had to squeeze a bit to get a good amount of blood for his glucose monitor to grab. Rain didn't realize he was holding his breath until the monitor finally beeped and he exhaled in a rush.
The quintessence ghoul smiled fondly and rubbed Rain's palm comfortingly, “That's it baby.. good job”.
Rain watched as the meter buffered for a minute before it read off his blood sugar, 46.
Aether whistled in shock, “Yeah that's low..”
“I know.. I'm sorry Aether”
“Stop apologizing,” Aether reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the juice box “I like taking care of you love, you're not a burden”
Aether poked the straw through the box and then handed it to Rain. Helping the shaking ghouls hands to hold the box steady as he drank it down.
Aether felt as his bond to Rain strengthened again. Which made both of them sigh in relief. Rain's tail untangled itself from his leg gradually as his sugar raised back to normal again. His other leg stopped bouncing, resting now.
“I'm going to stay with you the rest of the night, that okay tadpole?” Aether's voice was soft and quiet when he asked him. Rubbing Rain's wrist softly.
Rain's eyes lit up and he smiled softly, “That'd be great, Aeth..”
This is a continuation of my last post, I had some inspiration hit me finally.
Desc: Dew being angsty, Aether's there this time, slight argument? + Old ghouls mentioned (Alpha and Ifrit)
Aether almost gets bulldozed over by a very angry fire ghoul.
His fire ghoul to be exact.
“Dew? Babe what's wrong?” Aether has to speed walk to catch up with him. Following close behind with a worried look on his face and his tail swishing from side to side anxiously.
“Not now, Aeth” Dew growls, smoke rolling off his shoulders. Leaving a trail behind him and slightly hitting Aether in the face. Causing the taller ghoul to stifle a cough.
“You're smoking”
“Not the time to be flirting”
“No,” Aether grabs Dew shoulder firmly and makes him stop, pointing at the smoke “literally smoking”
Dew's eyes trail up as he follows the smoke emanating off of him. It only makes him more pissed, he doesn't want to show vulnerability right now. Doesn't want to make Aether worried. He can't take the 20 questions he's assuming Aether has on why he's about to explode.
He looks away from Aether's gaze, those purple eyes piercing him.
“Dew, what happened?” Aether squeezes his shoulder softly.
“Nothing”
“Nothing? Doesn't seem like nothing”
“Satanas! Just–” Dew shoves Aether's hand off of his shoulder, barring his fangs at him “Leave me alone Aether! You wouldn't fucking care anyways!” His eyes give off a quick flash, like fire being douced with gasoline.
Aether shrinks back a step, his tail going in-between his legs like a kicked dog, “I'm sorry.. I'm just worried about you. Something clearly happened”
Dew can't look Aether in the eye, he looks to the floor, the wall and then back to his boots before speaking again
“It's Copia- it's his new position”
“Ah” Aether says, knowingly
“I don't want shit to change again, I don't–” Dew bites his tongue, suddenly feeling self conscious.
“What? Firebug..” Aether steps forward again “Talk to me. What do you not want?”
“I don't want to be replaced. I don't want Copia to be replaced..”
Aether's heart shatters in his chest, knowing now all to well what Dew is feeling. It's just like back then, when Ifrit was sent back to the Pit. When Sister had suddenly thrusted upon Mountain, Aether and Dew the fact their Papa was gone.
Knowing the fact that also, when Alpha had gotten “too old” to perform anymore on stage, they had sent him back as well.
“Oh.. oh love..” Aether reaches for Dew again
And Dew flinches back like a dog waiting to be hit.
“I gotta go..”
“But–”
Dew turns away abruptly and speed walks down the hall, leaving Aether there stunned.
So sorry this took so long, I got really stuck on it for a minute and had to keep rewriting things. If the ending seems a bit rushed I'm so sorry
This was a request from @themonstracerock !
CW: Mentions of self hatred(?), Character death mentions, Dew being a little shit kind of, Hurt/Comfort
Aether was the last one in the infirmary. Which wasn't uncommon for the quintessence ghoul, he liked to work late because it meant he could work at his own pace and focus on paperwork that needed to be done.
Today, though, was truly exhausting. There was a sudden outbreak of Siblings getting sick (flu season, it's fantastic) which caused both him and the other siblings who worked in the infirmary to run around literally all day.
It made his legs ache and his back sore and– more pressing– his magic to be on the fritz and cause his focus to waver.
Which is why he hadn't realized someone else was in the doorway of his tiny office, currently desperately leaning against the wall like their life depended on it.
Dew had basically clawed his way out of his room and down the 3 halls to get here. His body felt like it was on fire. Which, it technically was. Everything in him ached and felt like he had been hit by a bus and then dropped off a 30 story building.
The elemental transition was not treating him well. He wasn't even supposed to survive it technically, since Sister had admitted to him beforehand that it was, quote; “highly experimental and extremely risky” to do.
But the clergy didn't want to waste anymore time or resources to summon a new fire ghoul after they had just (forcefully) sent one back. Ifrit.
And Dew had a habit of thinking he deserved all this pain. That it was his fault somehow that Ifrit got sent back. So he had to take the fire ghouls shoes and hope to the unholy father that he could fill them.
Dew hasn't been able to really move in the last couple days, the pain so intense it'd make him dizzy and loose everything in his stomach. He couldn't hold down any food and if he tried water or any other liquid (like Pedialyte like one of the siblings suggested) it seemed like his body would inflame from the inside and burn it all out.
So he stopped trying. He curled up into a tight little ball on his bed and refused to move. He hadn't shown up to any of the meetings discussing the new Cardinal. No breakfast, lunch or dinner. No practice. Nothing.
Aether and Mountain had been trying to get him to open up and let them help him- but the little ghoul refused and would snap at them to, “Go away! I don't need your fucking help!”
Dew wants to punch himself in the throat for that, because clearly he needs help. He needs it right now.
That's why he's standing in Aether's office doorway now. Struggling to breathe and even stand.
When Aether finally noticed him, the quint jumped out of his skin.
“Help..” Dew croaked, his voice dry and scratchy. “Please, Aeth.. fuck..”
“Dew!? Oh satanas” he got up out of his chair so fast it spun.
That's when Dew slowly started sliding down the wall, his legs in too much pain anymore to hold him up. Aether quickly caught the little ghoul before he hit the ground. He immediately started pumping quintessence into him through their mate bond, trying to ease the pain enough so he could put Dew down onto a bed and hook him up.
Dew weakly turned his head and glanced up at Aether, his vision quickly turning dark.
Dew woke with a jolt, hissing in regret as his body screamed at him in protest. He quickly flopped back down.
He stared blankly up at the white ceiling for a moment before looking around. Wincing when he saw the IV fluid tubes attached to him.
He hated those things, they gave him the creeps.
“You're awake– oh thank satanas you're awake”
Dew startled a bit before a hand reached for his hand and squeezed. He looked down and there was a very worried but relieved Aether. Looking at him with a desperate look.
Dew cringed, scrunching his nose “Of course I am? Why do you look so concerned?”
Aether's ears drooped, “Dew.. you looked like you were on deaths door when you showed up here” he let go of his hand “don't you remember that?”
“I guess” Dew shrugged.
Aether considered the little, newly made, fire ghoul for a minute. Why was he acting this way? Couldn't he tell everyone, especially himself that he was concerned for Dew?
He couldn't stand seeing him like this. Couldn't stand seeing Dew slowly destroying himself with his stubborn attitude. It was in Aether's nature to want to help, nurture and protect his pack mates. Dew is his pack mate. He's the ghoul he fell in love with at first sight when being dragged out of the Pits. He was the first ghoul that extended a hand to the terrified quintessence ghoul.
Aether's jaw tensed, he decided right then and there.
“No”
Dew looked up at Aether then, “What do you mean no? What're you talking about?”
“I mean no,” Aether reached over to the nightstand next to Dews bed “I'm not letting you do this any longer”
Dew huffed a laugh, “Do what any longer?”
“Destroy yourself!” He handed Dew the glass of water
Dew looked at it questionably before wrinkling his nose and turning away, “I don't want it”
Aether sat back, “Fine!” putting the glass to his lips.
Dew rolled his eyes– then suddenly Aether gripped his jaw, squeezed his cheeks– forcing Dew to open his mouth.
Aether smashed their lips together in an open mouthed kiss and forced the cold water down Dews throat.
Dew scrambled and pushed Aether away, sputtering “What in the nine circles is your fucking deal!?”
“You're not getting away with all this anymore” Aether huffed “You won't even be able to scratch your own ass without me knowing now!”
Dew hissed, “Oh fuck off! You're not my boss!”
“Too damn bad, Dewdrop ghoul!” Aether smirked with some mirth, “You have no choice on the matter”
“For fucks sake..”
Nobody truly knows how Dew recovered so well in the end, they had assumed he just shaped up on his own. Aether stuck true to his promise and followed him around like a guard dog, making sure he took the proper medication and care to his body the whole way.
Again with my Rain being t1d (type 1 diabetic) headcanon because I really want to talk about it.
Aether used to be his own personal monitor for when his blood sugar was low or when it was high. His quintessence would pick up on it and he'd immediately be at Rains side either saying he needed to get a snack soon or that they needed to do a blood sugar test.
Rain used to try and finagle his way out of doing tests though, he hated the poker and the pain it came with it-- because what do you mean he has to test before every meal?
What do you mean if he feels dizzy and limp, that he has to test before eating a snack? Why does it matter? The problem is solved after he eats!
He still curses the human side of his body for having this-- "error"
All of the pack has really had to help him work on managing his t1d, they've had to help him make sure his dosages are correct and that he's calculating right for the things he eats and drinks.
Rains fine with having to stick with only diet drinks and low carb snacks/meals (that does not mean he's not allowed to have them, it's just not at all recommended because he'll feel like shit and not do good for his body).
But that's only because in the pits, he didn't have much to choose from to eat anyways, so it wasn't a huge deal for him.
Copia is also aware of it (obviously) and always makes sure the road crew for tours knows about Rains situation. They set out sugar free snacks and drinks for him-- like veggie trays or low carb granola bars.
They're all super helpful with him and supportive. Always making sure he's okay <3
