Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Double-checking their bags to make sure everything was in their place for check-out in the morning. Everything is where it should be, the merch they bought in the middle of the first bag so the car ride doesn’t jostle it around and everything else in the second bag, maybe it’d be better in the second since it’s a smaller bag.

The phone buzzing on the nightstand took them out of their thoughts. It was just a notification on the merch they bought for a friend would be shipping out and arriving relatively soon. Not being able to make it to the concert sucked for both of them but being able to get some things for them online would help, not to mention giving them one of the picks they caught at the ritual.

Speaking of picks they might be able to turn the ones they’re keeping for themselves into some pick necklaces.

Once they were happy with the results they put on the pick they caught from Phantom and Swiss that were now in two different necklaces.

Hearing the cover of ‘Stay’ for the fourth time they realized that it was time to retire for the night. The last thing they saw was an odd color they couldn’t put a name to.

The date was wrong. It was months before they should’ve been in the hotel. The receptionist made a comment on the checkout date being months before the check-in date and since they were fully booked for the next month gave the name of another hotel that would hopefully have a free room.

Their car was on the other side of the parking lot. This day was getting more and more fucked up. They had to get a new hotel room once they realized that they wouldn’t have had their apartment yet. At least they had a place to stay, albeit a temporary one. Unpacking in their new hotel room they found a piece of something that was almost like parchment that wasn’t there before.

An enveloped letter with a grucifix was on top of a hoodie. The feeling of just looking at the letter they didn’t place in their bag made them just feel overwhelmed. Enough so they were numb and were just there staring at it.

They don’t know when they grabbed it but the parchment was in their hands.

They knew it would be stupid to open a random letter they didn’t put there. An idiotic move truly but they opened it anyways, what did they have to lose? They already weren’t in their own world.
The grucifix symbol being there helped as well, the symbol they’ve come to associate with the feeling of comfort.

[A MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY]
To whom it may concern,

The Ministry wishes to employ a few more road crew while the band goes on tour.
Attached to this parchment is a physical application as well as a card with a QR code for a digital application.

If the physical form is filled out, attach it back to the parchment and send it back from where it came.

In his name,
A Sister of Sin

Thanking either and both the holy or unholy force that got this parchment somehow in their bag gave them an opening. If they apply they could have a source of income and a temporary place to stay. Hopefully that either form of contact would actually work for them.

The QR code didn’t want to scan. No matter how many times they tried, it seems this leaves them at the physical application then. The physical application however was easy, it did seem that part of it was scratched out and they were unable to write down certain things but hopefully, it should be fine.

As mysterious as it appeared the parchment was now gone from when they put it back. It seemed whatever brought the parchment to them took it back to the Ministry.

As odd as this situation is the numb feeling they were feeling had turned into anxiety. If they accept they have a place to stay in this world, even if it’s just a short while. Rationalizing the situation might help. They could probably find a place that’ll pay under the table, right? One that wouldn’t ask questions. That train of thought was cut short by a small noise of their phone that was no longer on silent for some reason. They must’ve taken it off silent at some point last night.

At least now they know they can receive things.

It was an email from Sister Imperator herself, it seems that this world is determined on showing how different this world is from theirs.

Opening it they were met with a similar format to the letter.

[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY]

Dear [Name],
I am writing on behalf of The Ministry to inform you that you’ve been accepted for an interview to be a part of the road crew for our band Ghost.

Thank you for submitting your application. Attached is the location set for the interview, we look forward to meeting you in a week’s time.

In his name,
Sister Imperator

Their email was actually able to be reached, and that alone brought a smile to their face. But being accepted for an interview gave them the same rush of the end of the ritual, a feeling of this actually happened.

Now, it’s time to wait. They had a long week ahead of them.

When they realized that there was a sort of adjustment period to this world, they stared at a wall for what felt like hours. It finally sunk in that they weren’t in their world at all.

Sometimes they think they were being either buried alive or drowned. The air not wanting to go into their lungs. The water felt scalding at times and downright freezing others. The wind would feel like needles.

Wanting to rationalize the situation they thought it could be one of two things; they might be somewhat gone because of the overwhelming situation and unfamiliar place or this world they’re somehow in doesn’t like them at all and wants them out of it.

The only thing they had left was their dreams, and not even that was safe. It felt like being in the further from ‘Insidious’. At least this one didn’t have any tortured souls.

The day the interview came was the first day they felt like they were back home, they weren’t even in the weird place from their dreams.

Before leaving the hotel room they felt the need to leave behind the guitar pick necklaces. It’d be a good idea to not bring picks that haven’t been thrown into the crowds yet or show that they’re a big fan of the band.

Chapter Text

The heat managed to make its way inside the venue. Hopefully, as time got closer for the ritual to actually start it’d get cooler.

Being a part of making concerts happen was amazing. Exhausting but amazing. They were a part of the road crew that was specifically on tour with Ghost because they were with the Ministry. Despite not actually being a part of the Ministry they had met the rest of the road crew that was, but not that band itself yet even though it's been a few months since the tour started.

The heat even with the AC running on full blast made them struggle to keep hold of the box in their hands. At least this was the last box they had to carry to the cart.

Moving the cart itself was the more troublesome part. The narrow hallways made it interesting to maneuver, having to turn tight corners with a cart full of all sorts of equipment. Bringing it to its designated section in the performance area they passed one of the stage managers.

Noticing that they were one of the road crew that were usually running errands they asked if they could get some spare cording for the confetti cannons.

Having to go down a shit ton of corridors they finally found the storage room that the confetti canon cording was in. The room was organized neatly thanks to the stage hands and other road crew. Looking through all the boxes they finally found one that had not only a shit ton of cords but a few that were thick enough cords to be the ones for the confetti cannons.

Returning back to where the confetti cannons were they gave the stage manager the cords. With no one else needing anything they went to another part of the venue to see if they can make themselves useful.

The lights in the hallway were now somewhat flickering as they made their way to one of the break rooms. A few moments after the lights started flickering they saw a familiar silhouette, it was clearly one of the ghouls but it didn’t make sense for any of them to be in costume yet. The concert didn’t start for well over six hours. Brushing it off as they probably enjoyed wearing the costume they gave the ghoul a small smile and wave and kept walking.

The ghoul didn’t wave back but just stared until they passed as soon as they were close enough their hand shot out and grabbed their arm. Paying no mind that they scared the life out of one of their roadies the ghoul seemed to inspect their arm.

After a moment the ghoul brought their wrist up to their face so they could have a better look at the bracelet they had on. It took a moment for the dots to click. It was a bracelet that they were given alongside some of the other roadies that worked on the instruments.

Assuming that was what the ghoul was looking for they made their way to the performance area looking for a guitar tech with a ghoul in tow. As soon as they reached where the guitar techs were they turned around to where they thought the ghoul was. The ghoul was gone, thinking that they probably found what they were looking for and shrugged it off. Now with no one presumably needing their help, they went to go ask around if they needed anything. One of their managers pointed them in the direction of the guitar techs.

“Can you find some strings for all the guitars? There’s none back here and we gotta restring some of them,” with a nod they went back to the storage rooms near the performance area.

After the first incident earlier it seemed that the ghoul who they figured out was Phantom showed up wherever they went today. As they did random errands throughout the few hours before soundcheck they kept seeing him. On the first day, they meet one of the ghouls after being on tour with them for a few months and he seems keen on following.

With how much they’ve seen him they might as well make small talk while they’re on break. The ghoul seemed to just stare at them the entire time they talked.

“Oh, there was one thing I was wondering why you’re dressed for the concert already? Thought it’d be better to wear something…less?” Phantom’s stare seemed to go behind them.

That should’ve been a warning for them but when they turned they weren’t expecting a ghoul with a fanged smile to be peering right over their shoulder and next to their face. Of course one of the other ghouls they’d meet first is Swiss. His grin seemed to get wider as they jumped and he put an arm over their shoulder.

“Wanting to strip Phantom down already?” They didn’t notice the spaded tail flicking back and forth behind the two of them. What they did notice was how there seemed to be an odd glint behind the eyes of Phantom’s mask for a moment and that his stare seemed to now be directed at where Swiss was basically clinging onto them.

“Phantom’s gotta get to know me some more before that,” the small head tilt that Phantom did in response and a twitch from where his mouth would be under the fabric. That head tilt was one of the many reasons why they liked the ghouls.

“Does that offer extend to the rest of us? Because if it does I’m sure we’d be happy to.” There was an edge in his voice, one they couldn’t quite place but one that made them feel uneasy.

“As much as I’d like to stay and chat,” they gently grabbed Swiss’s hand to get him off from their shoulder,” I still have some things to do so I’ll see you next time, yeah?” Swiss had managed to basically hold their hand as soon as it seemed like they were about to let go of his.

Neither ghoul looked happy at what they said. The grip that Swiss had on their hand seemed to get stronger.

“We can accompany you then,” Swiss's smile hasn't left his face. Judging on how the ghouls are acting it'd be hard to get them to leave so they could do their job. The differences between the ghouls from their world and the ones here became more prominent as they interacted with the two more The ghouls seemed very happy with them not saying anything against them tagging along.

The more they talked with Swiss and looked for Phantom’s body language they felt more comfortable with the two ghouls.

It was when they had to lean over some of the boxes in a storage room to grab some more equipment that the pick necklaces fell out from underneath their shirt. Phantom was the one who noticed what they were and he was the one to grab them for a closer look.

“Seems we have a fan here, you keep some of our picks for yourself?” the smile in his voice was evident. The first time they hear Phantom speak and it’s about the one thing they wanted to keep hidden. Swiss appeared at their side again and glanced at the picks in Phantom’s hand. His smile looked almost feral, Phantom probably had a matching one underneath his mask.

“Had these before I applied for road crew.” That answer seemed to be the one they were looking for with how much closer the ghouls got to them. Phantom’s hand dropped the picks and got closer to their collarbone to inspect the cord. Swiss moved from their side and one of his hands made way to the boxes near their hips while the other held the picks.

They thought being sandwiched between two of the ghouls would be a more enjoyable situation. As much as they enjoyed being between Phantom and Swiss, being this close to basically their employer made them feel odd.

The ghouls paid them no mind and just kept inspecting their pick necklaces. Sometimes asking questions about them.

At some point, it became relaxing for both of them to be this close. Now just casually talking about the types of guitar picks while in between the ghouls.

That was until they heard the door open. The way both of the ghouls craned their necks in a way that didn't seem human. As well as the way Phantom was looking at them and the sheer amount of strength that Swiss had on their hand earlier should've proved it then. These ghouls weren't human.

The person who opened the door was one of the stagehands, Carrie, looking for the ghouls for soundcheck.

“Getting acquainted with some of the ghouls?” The raised brow and small smirk on her face made them roll their eyes with a smile.

“Seemed to be a bit more than that but they’re nice,” the smile didn’t go unnoticed by Carrie as they were putting the necklaces back inside their shirt.

“I thought you’d say they were more than nice with you being in between them,” Ignoring the teasing they went to walk and talk with her, the two shared stories of the rare sighting of the ghouls on tour.

They still had two hours before the ritual actually started. Might as well use that time to go on break and nap.

Chapter Text

Being woken up from their small nap on break for a last-second meeting made them want to throttle whoever decided to make it. Properly sitting up on the couch in the break room they were able to see some familiar people. A few others they recognized being from the Ministry road crew also looked as tired as they felt.

Seeing some somewhat familiar faces should’ve set their mind at ease but it definitely didn’t. None of their departments fit together and it looked like no one knew why the meeting was called.

There were less than twenty minutes before the band started there shouldn’t have even been a meeting.
When a few of the managers and the head of security came into the break room something was definitely wrong and it needed to be fixed immediately.

“Alright now that we have everyone here, we need a volunteer and we need one now.” Seeing no one jumping at the opportunity they looked at each other for a moment and then back at everyone in the break room.

“We need an extra security guard and Reyes is here to make sure that the person that is chosen is qualified enough for it. So again, any volunteers?” The head of security was kind, they’ve talked briefly with them before so whoever gets chosen should be alright.

“Anyone? No, alright then guess we’re picking people out.” At that murmurs spread around the room. Hearing names of their colleagues they didn’t even know rejected the position for some reason until it reached their name.

Muttering a small ‘fuck’ is what got their manager’s attention and a sigh from Reyes when they realized who they were.

“You’re not what I’m hoping for but you’re all we got, here’s what you need to know and prepare for the show in 20 minutes,” after Reyes explained what they were doing and was what expected of them they came to one conclusion. They are not at all qualified for this.

Putting an earplug in one ear and the sterilized earpiece in the other, at least they were getting paid extra for this and a raise for the rest of the tour. Reyes handed them a radio in case the crowd got to rowdy.

They had to remind themselves to breathe. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out. This’ll be just like the ritual they were at a few months ago, the only difference is they’re behind the barricade.

Being put into their designated position, they were on the left side of the stage right next to one of the speakers.

The first thing they noticed besides being right next to the speakers was how low the stage was. As soon at they got into position a few seconds later the speakers roared to life with the beginning notes of ‘Imperium’ they knew this would be a long few hours.

As soon as ‘Kaisarion’ started the curtain fell and the people in front of them were suddenly reaching their hands out. One of the ghouls was using a speaker to lean closer to the crowd, practically leaning over them.

Seeing the reaction of the crowd made them smile. Not being as stoic as the rest of the security and being basically front and center definitely had the barricade’s attention. A few phones started to become pointed in their direction rather than the ghoul still leaning over their head.

One with a poster draped over the barricade freaked out as the ghoul got closer. That poster was adorable, it had all the ghouls on it with Papa IV in the middle. A fan next to them noticed they were looking at the poster and smiled.

After smiling back they realized their mistake and tried to go back to being stoic like their coworkers much to the amusement of some of the fans in front of them. Seeing another fan behind the barricade and enjoying themselves was always a nice sight to see.

Silently singing along at some parts gave way to smiles from both them and the fans behind the barricade. Being backup security wasn’t too bad so far. They could enjoy themselves and they were being paid extra for it.

As soon as the beginning notes to ‘Cirice’ started to play the crowd in front of them had both the calmest and loudest reaction they’d seen so far. The crowd didn’t cause enough commotion to be a cause for concern but enough to get the attention of the ghouls above them.

With the luck of one of the ghouls noticing the crowd going insane near this section of the stage and the timing of the song, leaned over them and reached a hand out to the crowd. Seeing part of the black rhythm guitar in their peripheral and hearing the screams of the people in front of them let them know that it was Phantom.

As soon as Phantom pulled back to continue playing somewhere else on stage they could see Papa out of the corner of their eye. He chose someone to ‘Circe’ and being on the side to see the fan basically ascend was amusing. It was the person in front of them with the ghoul poster.

It started right as ‘Ritual’ ended. It was either the bass or the synth that was extremely loud but it made the entire venue vibrate. Their head was pounding, either the earplug or the earpiece was loose because god damn their head didn’t hurt this badly from their ritual and they were only a few feet away last time. With a grimace on their face some of the crowd got worried but with how loud it was neither party could hear the other. As soon as the noise ended and ‘Call Me Little Sunshine’ started it was slightly better. The intermissions between songs gave them some much-needed relief.

That didn’t last as long as they hoped it would. A few minutes later they were reminded of how loud the ghouls could stomp, specifically Sodo. ‘Year Zero’ an amazing song, they loved it actually but the repercussions of an ill-fitting earpiece and being right next to the speakers were starting to affect them.

They don’t know how they saw it but when they saw a crocheted Baphomet being held out by one of the fans on the barricade, there wasn’t something in the fans' eyes but the person next to them was eyeing it. The person next to them snatched the little guy out of their hands and was definitely about to throw it. Not having time to use the radio and not wanting a good intention of a fan to ruin the experience they went a few feet up to them and asked for the crocheted plush.

As soon as they had it in hand they radio’d to the other guards about the possible fight and kept an eye on the two while they waited. If they wanted it to be on stage that bad they could just place it on the edge of the stage where it couldn’t potentially hurt any of the performers. As soon as they had it in hand they waited until the ghouls somewhat backed off from their section of the stage.

With a resigned sigh there were definitely gonna be some videos of them putting the crocheted Baphomet up there.

The rest of the ritual went on smoothly, well besides the headache that was forming. Handing out the mummy dust and the confetti that fell on their side of the barricade almost made them forget about the headache they’d definitely have to nurse with coffee on the way back to the hotel.

After grabbing their things from the breakroom they went to one of the cafés that was for the employees. They’ve seen some of their coworkers getting fresh coffee from here so there has to be either a coffee pot or two laying around here.

Grabbing the closest thing to their preferred coffee grounds they made their way to the espresso machine with the coffee grinder. Putting one of the smaller thermos that they had they waited for the small whir of the machine before going to sit down and curl up in one of the couches.

They could probably rest their eyes while they waited for their coffee to finish. While waiting for the machine to finish pouring their coffee they heard the door open and close several times along with the sound of rubber soles on the marble floor.

Looking up to where they thought they heard the sound they saw no one at the door. Looking over towards the coffee bar they saw three of the ghouls fucking around with each other. One of them was obviously Swiss and the other looked like Sodo but they couldn’t tell who the third was from how far they were. Swiss was doing the same to the other ghoul that he was doing earlier just having an arm slung around the shorter ghoul's shoulders.

The ghoul that they couldn’t figure out looked at the coffee being made for a moment before looking back into the café. The sudden movement got both Swiss and Sodo’s attention. Not fully aware of the ghouls being aware of them in the café they went back to resting their eyes in the chair. They were too tired and had too painful of a headache to care.

Hearing a sudden bang they looked over to the noise. The freezer door was slowly swinging shut after hitting the wall. One of the ghouls gave the one next to them a look and just shook their head before going back to looking for things in the freezer, the spaded tail now very obvious to them as it swished behind the ghouls. Not knowing where the last one was they felt somewhat uneasy.

Seeing that the espresso machine was almost done they were about to get up until they felt the couch dip behind them.

“I thought all the road crew left?”

“Fucking christ!” The sudden noise got the ghouls near the freezer's attention. Turning around they saw the ghoul above them leaned closer and tilted his head.

“Are you meant to be here?” That was definitely Sodo.

“Hoping to catch a glimpse of us before leaving?”

Having a hand with talon-like nails reached for the necklaces they had. The incident with Swiss and Phantom now at the forefront of their mind. The ghoul’s outstretched claws made them think of the ritual earlier, those weren’t there earlier. With how close they were and the height of the other two at the freezer they were able to figure out which ghoul it was.

“Just wanted some coffee before going to the hotel actually,” Getting up they tried to make some distance between them and the ghoul. They move towards the espresso machine while the ghoul just stalks behind them. Watching to see what they might do.

The ghouls seemed to just stare at them when they reached the counter. Not too close to the ghouls but also not close enough for their coffee. When Rain started tiptoeing forward they flinched. He tilted his head as he grabbed their thermos. He brought it up closer to him and Swiss’s shoulders started shaking in silent laughter at his reaction to smelling their coffee.

The tension that they could feel in the room with the ghouls looking at them somewhat dissipated. Having one of the ghouls dislike their coffee was somewhat hilarious. Getting their thermos handed back to them they put in the amount of sugar and cream they usually took.

With them now having their coffee and silence falling across the room once again they took that as their cue to go. When they went to leave the room they felt a clawed hand dig into their arm and their coffee being set aside by one of the ghouls.

“Going so soon? None of us have even introduced ourselves yet,” the tone in the ghoul’s voice was almost sinister. Their eyes haven’t left where Sodo’s hand was on their arm. Only being able to hear it in his tone they could tell he was smiling. Without waiting for a response the ghouls told them their names. The comment they made about Sodo’s name made the hand that was gripping their arm tighter.

Realizing that the grip that Sodo had on them they had said something about sitting down. As soon as Sodo sat them down both he and Rain flanked either side of them. Being in between some ghouls twice in one day, lucky them.

“But you already knew that otherwise, you wouldn’t have these,” Their necklaces were suddenly pulled against their throat if they pulled any further it’d choke them. Rain was the one grabbing the cords.

“Now that’s something I can look at for a while,” Swiss was in front of them with a fanged grin moving towards the picks. If their heartbeat was any louder the ghouls around them would be able to hear it even without whatever hearing they probably have.

“Now what I’d like to know is what someone from road crew is doing here after hours? Swap positions that fast?”

Back to Sodo wanting to know why they were here even if they already said why.

Trapped between three ghouls who looked like they wanted to eat them. If they knew the other two better they might’ve actually let them. Swiss’s hand was practically ghosting the rest of his hand over their throat while he was looking at the picks. With being practically sandwiched between them they almost didn’t register the question.

“No actually just wanted some coffee,” they could see something shine behind the ghoul's eyes in front of them. He seemed to be enjoying this way too much. Seeing how much Swiss was enjoying this got a chuckle out of the water ghoul next to them.

Reaching a hand up they tapped on Rain hoping that they’d get out of this. They somewhat get why they’re doing this and possibly enjoying it but they’d rather be in the hotel bed right about now. Seeing that they’d rather be elsewhere Rain let go of the cords to necklaces and got closer to their head.

“Ending the fun already? That’s a shame,” They could practically feel him talk with how close he was to them.

“Might as well get to know us on the way out then,” Swiss’s grin made an appearance once again with Sodo saying that. The next few minutes were filled with small talk as they got used to the other two ghouls.

The walk through the venue was almost comical, three amused ghouls and one flustered human. The ghouls were clearly enjoying this with the teasing they heard on the walk over to their car.

Once they were inside their car they sat there for a solid 30 seconds in shock. The events from today somewhat settling in as they started the drive back to the hotel.

The rest of this tour is gonna be an interesting one. It was also halfway to the hotel before they realized that the ghouls still had their coffee.

Chapter Text

As soon as they got to their hotel room they went straight to the bathroom to check on their neck. There were faint marks from where the cord was against their skin. Feeling the faint indents from their neck, they didn’t realize how hard Rain had pulled.

“Rain really pulled on them that hard?” The indents in their skin weren’t that visible at least. They could just find something to cover them up in the morning.

Thinking of that they would have to be up early enough to actually do that. With the clothes they had for the initial trip and whatever they bought before the interview there should be something in there they can find.

Deciding against looking for something now they instead headed off to sleep. They could worry in the morning.

Sleep has been rather uneventful until recently. Being back in the hellscape like dream again through them for a loop. Especially because it felt like they were actually there. Being able to feel the atmosphere was wrong, to them at least. They were never aware of most of their dreams or their actions in them.

Unless they were here. This dream for some reason could be remembered as well as a memory for them. The actions they took here were as clear as day.

It felt like they were in the depths of the ocean with the pressure trying to crush them. It felt like the first week of being in this world and they didn’t have time to acclimate. At least they could breathe and when they did it didn’t feel like swallowing glass shards.

Wherever this was it seemed suffocating. The air itself seemed to have an odd film over it, somewhat like smog. Being in control of their dreams again was odd. The urge to look around was strong. For whatever reason they started to look around but not moving from their spot. Even in a dream they’re in control of they don’t want to get lost.

Unlike the first time they were here, there was an actual landscape. It looked both beautiful and horrifying. Being distracted by the landscape they didn’t see the thing that had noticed their presence. Getting closer to something that looked plant-like was a mistake. The thing that noticed them took them being here as a new meal opportunity.

When they felt something claw at their back they had hope that this was just a realistic dream. They had no idea as to what it was but the only thing they could see was a terrifying face with jaws wide open with intent to kill. Before its jaws hit their skin they woke up.

They woke up sweating and their adrenaline spiking. Taking a moment to breathe they felt that their skin felt hotter than the air around them. As soon as they tried to move they felt the same pain from when the creature clawed at their back.

One of the few things they remembered from when they were younger was what to do when you were injured. They had to clean and then dress the wound.

The shower in the hotel room was spacious at least. Enough so for them to have enough room to be comfortable as it felt like there were pins and needles as the water washed away whatever blood was coming from the wound.

Watching their blood go down the drain was oddly calming, it looked like they dyed their hair red again. After a few minutes of looking at it, they decided it was clean enough with just water going down to get out.

Getting in their darkest non-band related shirt and other comfy clothes they looked for a specific room. At least a few of the road crew from the ministry would be up. Getting there would be the interesting part. Sending a text to one of them, they made their way through the halls.

Showing up at Carmila’s hotel room door with small indents on their neck made her raise a brow and smirk.

“Have fun with the ghouls?” She invited them in and went to make herself comfortable for whatever they wanted to share with her.

“Something like that,” they sat down with Carmilla as she smiled. She wanted all the details they were willing to spare. Not wanting to bring the mood down with their injury they started with the beginning with Phantom and Swiss. The awe on her face made them laugh.

“Congrats on meeting the new ghoul,” a smile evident in her voice. Most of the ghouls weren’t seen outside of performing when they were on tour, especially the recently summoned ones.

They went on to tell Carmilla of meeting the ghouls in the café.

“I’m honestly amazed. The ghouls usually don’t approach humans on tour,” With furrowed brows they wanted to ask her more about that but continued with their retelling the events from last night. When they got to the part where Rain almost choked them they wanted to show her the cords.

Bringing their arm up to show the cords they grimaced in pain. It definitely didn’t go unnoticed as Carmilla got extremely worried. Knowing it would worry her they said they’d rather show than tell.

As soon as they said what happened they could feel the atmosphere shift when they said that. As much as Carmilla loved knowing what was her coworkers could get into whenever any of them said something along the lines of that it was time to get what was likely a first aid kit out.

They were able to take off their shirt until it reached the part that actually had the wound. Some of the blood had dried to the cloth. Helping them out of their shirt Carmilla saw the claw mark on their back.

“Oh the ghouls definitely wouldn’t have been this messy in a hotel,” the look that they gave Carmilla made her laugh. Trying to ease up the atmosphere while Carmilla helped re-clean their wound she asked to continue the story.

She almost dropped a bandage when she heard they were definitely close to fucking in the café and then swapped over to teasing when they said they’d rather not. She did get where they were coming from though.

“Seems like you got the ghouls' attention with Swiss seeking you out twice,” Distracting them while patching up their back with the ghouls was definitely effective. She gave them a blanket while they got comfortable on the couch.

“Suprised you didn’t ask where I got it from when you realized it wasn’t from the ghouls,” the blanket was definitely not provided by the hotel. The blanket was black and red and very comfortable.

“Didn’t wanna pry, but if you’re willing to tell me I’m all ears,” having someone else know about what happened would definitely help.

They only told her of the dreams. Telling someone that they were from a different world was definitely hard to do.

At least there was a brief intermission before the next ritual, most of the crew could relax for the day before we had to pack everything up. Which meant they had at least a good few hours to make something up on why they couldn’t do some of the heavy lifting from their errands.

Moving equipment with their new injury though would probably feel like where they probably were. Simply moving their arm to grasp the cords for their necklaces hurt. They’d have to find something to tell their supervisor as soon as they saw them. Maybe making both of them a cup of coffee would help. Since they were already on their way to the café again they might just make two, save a trip.

When they got there they were met with a surprising sight, it was one of the ghouls looking at the bags of coffee grounds. Getting closer so they could make their own they saw it was Rain. He was looking at the coffee grounds and looked like he was deciding which one to make. Making their way over to him they leaned next to him on the counter.

“Thought you didn’t like the way it smelled last night?” the flick of the tail when mentioning the smell of coffee made them smile.

“Tasted better than I thought. I was trying to make you a new one for today to make up for last night but couldn’t figure out which one you used,” hearing that made them smile. He was making them the coffee they forgot last night.

“Used something close enough to what I actually like but I can show you what I used,” the coffee grounds from last night were in a small pile with the other ones Rain grabbed. This was honestly a far reach from what they usually drank but it did its job. Grabbing another bag of coffee grounds they prepared a second cup.

“Making a different cup of coffee?” Out of the corner of their eye, they could see Rain tilt his head. He moved slightly to look over their shoulder. He saw them preparing a cup for their supervisor. They don’t know how they managed to like the taste of the coffee grounds here but it might’ve been from how long they’ve been drinking them.

“Making one for my supervisor. They usually like having a cup when they get similar news to what I’ll give them,” seems they’re worrying multiple people today. The look that Rain gave them through his helmet also somewhat worried them.

“This one looks like it’s gonna take a few minutes why don’t we sit down,” that was not a suggestion. The phrasing may have sounded like one but the ghoul did sound genuinely worried. Unlike last night he offered a hand to bring them over to some nearby seating.

This was nice and also somewhat cute with how gentle he was. Actively would’ve preferred this from last night but they also got a ghoul to almost choke them so either way it was a win-win. Once they sat down in their chair Rain brought one over to be next to them. Once they were both sitting down they were able to hear the espresso machine start to whir, finally starting to work.

“From what I hear around you’re one of the more careful bunch of the road crew, you haven’t done anything to strain yourself.” Hearing that from Rain made them sigh. He was right and it would make coming up with a lie difficult.

“Happened after I got back to the hotel last night and my back is a little fucked up now. Woke up with them and now I have to find a way to look my supervisor in the eye and tell them that,” the dry chuckle that left Rain was something akin to last night.

“Have some fun without us?” They looked over and saw he was looking right at them. The mask the ghouls always pointed right at them, seemingly staring straight into their soul.

“Wish it was that,” Rain’s smile was visible despite the fabric on his mouth. Thinking of last they remembered that they wanted to see the videos from last night.

Getting their phone from their pocket they went to look for the videos of them last night. Seeing that they weren’t going elaborate, Rain went to make himself comfortable next to them. His helmet was practically on their shoulder. He was watching the same things they were. Scrolling through the tags they finally found one of them, it was them grabbing the Baphomet plush and putting it on stage..

“You were the one who put it there? We thought one of the stage hands brought one to match a pedal cover,” with a hum confirming they did they just scrolled through the videos of the ritual last night.

With mostly Rain entranced at the videos on their phone, they heard the espresso machine stop. Putting their phone down so Rain could watch more they went to get up. As soon as they moved they felt a tail wrap around their waist.

“We can see a few more before getting their coffee,” the eyes of the mask not leaving their phone. Sighing they agreed, it was more than a few more. It was long enough that they managed to see their supervisor walk in. Seeing them they waved them over.

Seeing one of the ghouls out with one of their crew made them raise a brow. They weren’t seen normally and if they were it was with some of those from the ministry.

“You guys making friends with some of the road crew? What’s up kid, why'd you wave me over?” While the first question wasn’t directed at them they could feel the sting of it. Rain’s tail got tighter and he moved closer to them.

“Made you some coffee that I’m pretty sure is more lukewarm than hot now but wanted to tell you I can’t do some heavy lifting since I injured my back last night,” Having a ghoul practically attached to them was an interesting time to give the news. Looking at Rain’s tail around their waist and back to them they sighed.

“Alright, I’ll go tell the others. Thanks for the coffee even if it’s colder than I’d like, saved me some time,” not having the time to lie and the presence of a ghoul helped at least. They wouldn’t have to move some of the heavier equipment around now which somewhat saddened them. At least they have other tasks to do.

“We should probably get out coffee then,” with a reluctant sigh from Rain the tail around their waist was gone. The two of them went up and grabbed their respective coffees. Rain smelled his like he did theirs last night and had the same reaction.

“Don’t know why you smell it before drinking it,” bringing their cup to drink. It was colder than they’d like but it didn’t bring the taste down at least.

“Habit from before joining.” That got them curious. They were going to ask him about it when they saw someone new walk into the café. It was Papa they seemed to meeting almost the entire band at this point.

Seeing one of his ghouls with someone not of the ministry must’ve been an odd but welcoming sight. He walked over with a smile and they didn’t really talk for long, seemed he needed Rain for something.

Waving them both off they went to go and see what they’d have to do for the day.

Chapter Text

After meeting with Rain the day went on agonizingly slow. They didn’t realize how much they used their upper back for their errands. The bandages that Carmilla gave them helped make the discomfort more manageable.

Not being able to fill what time remained with their normal errands meant that they were wandering asking if anyone needed help more than usual. There were still a few hours before everything had to be packed up and ready so they could drive out to the next tour location. They were going from one of the wings of the venue to a storage area when they found Carmilla again.

She waved them over and that’s when they got to meet the rest of the ministry road crew. Seeing some of the siblings of sin without their makeup was odd, welcoming but odd. Meeting them in between errands was nice. They even got invited to a little get-together before everyone packed up. Having something to look forward to they agreed.

One of the sisters did ask them to get some spare stringing for the lights for later. Having to keep that in mind they went off to do the rest of their tasks and possible errands.

With their remaining tasks done and seemingly no other errands they went to go look for the spare stringing the sister asked for.

After thirty minutes of looking and two storage rooms later they realized that they’d been looking for lighting equipment that would be going with them and not what the venue provided. With that thought they could either go find someone to tell them where the lightning equipment that was brought with the band or they could spend the rest of their time looking for the equipment boxes.

They decided to look for the equipment boxes that probably were on the other side of the venue by now. Hoping that there was still enough time they had to quicken their pace to where they last saw the equipment boxes. That was until they saw one of the tour managers flagging them down.

They were being flagged down to make sure they got their new schedule. Seeing they were confused their manager sighed. They wrote down a physical copy of their modified tasks because of their back injury.

Now knowing they had a modified schedule so they wouldn’t strain their injury they didn’t have any more tasks to do. If an errand they could perform they would be able to do it at least.

They continued on to where they last saw the equipment boxes. Since they couldn’t do any more tasks for the day because their injury didn’t stop them from errands asked of them.

The walk to the storage rooms was peaceful. The number of people out and making sure everything was ready to move made something sink in. The next ritual would be the last one before they’d have to fly out for the next leg of the tour.

Seeing one of the more familiar members of their section they asked if they knew where some spare stringing for lights were. It felt odd to be on the other side of asking but it was for something that would definitely feel bittersweet. Sadly though they also didn’t know where it was so they were back at square one. Thanking their coworker they went back to looking.

The stringing they were looking for was actually in an open equipment box close to the storage rooms behind the performance area. As soon as they opened the door they were able to spot the spare stringing.

Sending Carmilla a text that they got the light stringing and would be heading to the spot for the get-together in a few minutes. Even though it’d be a good hour until everyone was able to get together to set it up they might as well do something to feel useful.

On the walk to the break room, they saw a familiar face. The band’s frontman himself, Papa Emeritus IV. Seeing him not on onstage felt odd, whenever they thought of him being off stage they thought of the man behind the mask.

They had to remember that those behind the mask back home onstage were different from the people onstage here.

Seeing him not in the limelight was nice. though. Having a small chance to relax was what everyone needed. They waved at it as they were walking by when he struck up a conversation with them. He seemed to remember them from somewhere besides this morning.

“The replacement security! The crowd wasn’t too rough I hope,” It was nice to see that Papa cared about his staff.

“Besides the one person I saw who wanted to throw something, they were fine.”

Seeing one of the road crew being backup worried him for a bit until he saw them interacting with the crowd. The amount of interaction they got from them made them a good fit for a temporary spot.

“Good, good. I know the crowd gets rough sometimes, glad you were okay with it… Forgive me I never got your name.”

“It’s [Name], Copia I think it was, right? Luckily the crowd was the calmest I’ve seen.” Playing somewhat dumb is at least a talent they have. Pretending to not know who the band is, somewhat hurt though.

He grimaced slightly and just told them to call him Papa. After this, the conversation soon turned from the last ritual and to the ghouls. Having seen them this morning with Rain it somewhat had whispers going his way. Usually, the ghouls don’t interact with those outside the Ministry until they came along that is.

“Rain wasn’t too… forward. Was he? Some of the crew from the Ministry said that the ghouls have been more… forward than usual. ” The way he phrased it made them almost lose their footing in surprise. If last night was the ghouls being more forward than usual it’d make sense. The ghouls haven’t been exactly secretive when they were around them.

“Last night some of the ghouls were but they mostly behaved themselves.”

“That’s good to hear… You’ve met the other ghouls as well?” They thought that the ghouls would’ve said something offhanded about them to Papa. So the ghouls have kept to themselves it seemed. Not that they minded, they’d rather it stay that way actually.

They told him of meeting Phantom, Swiss, Sodo, and Rain while not saying anything about what happened during those meetings was surprisingly easy. Just because they’ve seen the man perform onstage doesn’t mean they’re sharing anything about what they do in their free time.

“You are one lucky roadie, my dear. Unharmed in ways that matter yes?” He’s noticed the marks on their neck. Oh wow, that’s… ignoring that they’re a fan of the band but just the thought of one of their employers knowing a fraction of what happened last night made them feel not great.

“From what I hear I am. Speaking of the ghouls though, them being forward wasn’t too bad. I would've preferred dinner first though.” Slipping a very obvious ‘wine and dine’ joke made him smile. His eyes crinkling from the smile, seeing that made them feel bittersweet. This was his actual face and not a mask he wore to perform in.

“It’s no excuse but the weather… climate really hasn’t done any of us favors, you understand yes? From what I’ve seen the road crew hasn’t been faring much better.” He was right, incredibly so. They felt like the heat was determined to melt them but they thought that was just them. Has the weather really been that bad for the ghouls?

“Somewhat but has the weather really been that bad for you guys?”

“The ghouls have been more… around than they usually are. We try to keep them to after hours after most of the road crew leaves.” Hearing that got their interest piqued. Definitely, a reason why Sodo was somewhat pushy about knowing why they were there after hours.

“They’ve been fine, a little close but fine,” Hearing that got them a few nods from him. The ghouls were somewhat pushy but that seemed somewhat normal from what they’d heard.

Thinking of last night made them think of every interaction they’ve had with the ghouls. Being practically pinned between Phantom and Swiss. The entirety of last night with Swiss, Rain, and Sodo coming to mind. Yesterday was the ghouls being forward.

The two of them started to talk more about the ghouls when Carmilla came around the corner. Seeing her again made them smile. She was definitely becoming a close friend as the time passed on tour.

Both of them started talking about a topic they didn’t know anything about so they just stayed quiet. At some point, they started listening to Carmilla and Papa talk rather than engaging in the conversation even when it came back to around them. Thinking it had something to do with their back Carmilla directed her attention to them.

“Things have been going smoothly, right?” The sudden change in tone from Carmilla confused them. It sounded more authoritative than normal but was definitely one from worry. Confusion not visible to the frontman next to them they nodded. If she’s referring to their injury it hasn’t actually inconvenienced them. They’d just rather listen until now.

“They have been, any reason to bring it up with him here?” There wasn’t any reason to bring up their back injury around Papa, they’ve never had any direct contact with the band before yesterday. They didn’t work on a regular basis with the band so he wouldn’t have needed to know. It confused them on why’d she bring it up now. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw him go slightly more rigid when they brought him up, odd.

“Hiding it, then? That’s your choice then. Wanted to make sure you were going to be there for preparation on time,” the get-together had slipped their mind when talking to Copia. Stringing for the lights in hand they said their goodbyes and went to go to the break room.

With a few things left to do Carmilla made sure they were situated in the break room before leaving. They’d have some help come in before everyone got there so at least they wouldn’t be setting up entirely alone before others arrived.

Working on the lights was interesting. Not wanting to strain their back they could really only string the lights together and not actually hang them up. Hearing the door open they thought it’d be one of the siblings of sin to help them set up. They didn’t expect it to be one of the ghouls.

Height alone was able to tell them who was. With lights in hand they gave him a smile and a wave. Seeing the drummer was a treat no matter where they were.

“Overheard some of the siblings talking about someone setting up early and wanted to know if you needed some help.”

“That’d be lovely actually! I just wanted to set up the lights since that was the only thing I knew to prepare but I can’t… I can’t lift my arms up.” Their back injury was more troublesome for a little get together than actual work. They’d take that small victory though. If they weren’t able to perform properly they’d probably be given something else to do.

Mountain had to have been taller here because holy, the ghoul was way too fucking tall. Handing the lights over to him they started to direct where the lights would go.

“They’re mostly where they should be they just need to be hung up.”

“Should make this go quick then.”

“Hopefully.” They actually wanted him to stay. Watching him hang the lights on the wall they noticed something on his wrist. It was definitely a kandi bracelet from a fan, that sight made them melt a little. It wasn’t based on a song though. They waited for him to finish hanging up those lights before speaking up.

“Your kandi bracelet is cute.” The small offhand comment made him falter for a second. The lights in his hand were put on a nearby table.

“Thank you, it was from a fan who also liked plants.” He pointed out the little plant charm to them. This is adorable, if they ever know who that fan is they’re getting a hug.

Abandoning the lights for a second they asked if he could explain the charm attached to it to them. They like plants but can’t identity some for shit. If they were able to see his eyes behind his mask they’re pretty sure they would’ve seen them light up.

“You like plants?” This man would unknowingly be the death of them because that was adorable.

“Somewhat, I like learning about plants but cannot identify them for my life.”

“We all start somewhere but I can explain the one on here.”

Watching him hold the small charms on the bracelet was adorable. He was definitely holding back by simply explaining what plants the charms were and the color of the beads next to them were about the same plant.

“I can tell you more about them later if you want. Maybe at the next venue?”

“That’d be great but I don’t usually work with you guys. I’m usually running around doing errands for techs usually.”

“I see… what if in your free time you can come see us? Or we can contact you?” That could definitely work. Since they could send or receive stuff from Sister Imperator maybe socials would work here too.

“That’d work, I don’t see how it wouldn’t. Here you can put in your handle and when you can just give me random plant facts.” Handing Mountain their phone was the easiest thing they’ve done.

There was this quiet little moment between the two of them when they went back to hanging up the lights. When he was done they realized how late it was getting and Mountain seem to notice it too.

“Alright it’s time I get going. See ya next time, honey.”

“Bye, baby.”

They didn’t realize the pet name slipped out. Force of habit from some of their friends who also enjoy using pet names on each other. They managed to think of Mountain that close to them from how long they were talking about plants.

This was the softest first meeting with the ghouls they’ve had so far. A few minutes after he left they saw the others they met earlier today.

Time really had flown by quickly when they had people to talk to. Seeing a certain card game and chips made them visibly brighten.

“Someone brought poker?”

Tonight would be a very fun night. Having some soft moments aside they were fully prepared to have fun in a card game with some people they can see themselves getting along very well with in the future.

Chapter Text

It’s been too long since they played a good game of poker. Especially one that had no stakes on the table and purely for fun. With the amount of people playing each player they decided to alternate who would be the dealer. The dealer that both started off the game and was this round’s dealer was the sister that asked them to grab the extra stringing for the lights.

Thinking of those lights they thought of the ghoul that helped them set them up. The conversation with Mountain just felt sweet. The lights that Mountain helped them hang up made the break room feel cozy. Ignoring that if you looked to close that the lights looked a little scuffed. But they did make the break room feel cozy.

Looking at their hand they had were somewhat suprised. Even though they had some good hands before they had what was arguably one of the best hands you could get, a straight royal flush. Glancing up at the other people they decided to push more chips than they did the last round. They saw the person next to them decide to fold while their partner pushed all of his chips in.

“Getting brave are we, Aveline?”

“Might as well since you decided to fold.”

They just gave both of them a small smile in response. Aveline was quite right in his response considering their hand. They waited until everyone else either folded or decided to call before placing their hand down for everyone to see. Seeing one of them roll their eyes with a smile only made them grin.

“Looks like Elias was right in folding.”

“Always am Aves. Besides you have your moments, this just wasn’t one of ‘em.”

Having a glimpse of Elias and Aveline’s banter felt bittersweet. The two of them made them feel both comfortable and somewhat like an outsider in this little group. If they ignored the way the air felt and the dull pain in their back they could pretend they were in their own friend group if even for a moment. But if they focused on it hard enough they could tell that the air itself didn’t want them there and that they were clearly missing something when they listened to them talk.

They didn’t notice that Jasper had gathered all the cards apart from their own and set them aside. Somewhat lost in thought and the need to stretch they decided to see if everyone was fine with a small break.

“Can we do a small intermission before we start this round?”

With the entire table’s agreement with what they proposed they finally could stretch their legs. The game had managed to draw out longer than they thought they initially would.

With some time before their turn started, they might as well get to know some of the others. Knowing them by name would certainly help. Maybe one of them could even tell them more about whatever the hell they dreamt about last night.

Turned out that it was Aveline actually who knew more about it. Without giving too much away they learned that it was actually a beast of Hell that injured them. Seems hellscape was more right than they thought before.

With having learned that what injured them was actually from Hell they excused themself from the round after they were the dealer. Information taking a somewhat mental toll on them they decided to take an early leave.

Seeing the rest of the crew tomorrow they said their goodbyes.

They were able to put faces to names now for those in the Ministry at least. Definitely helps now that they’re setting up at the new venue with some of them.

They were just pushing some carts of light equipment around. It was when they passed the corner they saw a familiar ghoul. Seeing Phantom again was a treat. Since they had to go past him with the cart they did the same as when they met and waved.

If they could see his eyes behind the mask they were sure they would’ve lit up. The enthusiastic little wave he gave back made them smile. Seems the ghouls were calmer.

Despite the small mental toll from the get-together with the Ministry road crew, the small interaction between them and Phantom made their day a little better. Continuing on their day they looked better than when they arrived.

Having to bring the cart over a few minute walk they invited Phantom to walk with them.

They noticed Phantom lingering in the doorway, just curiously watching as they moved the equipment boxes. If they didn’t hear him talk before they would’ve called it a small noise if it was any quieter. Phantom was telling them something and seemed he was shy enough that they couldn’t hear him. That or the time they performed as backup security really fucked over their hearing.

It was a few seconds later when they realized what he said. Seemed it was not the possible hearing damage it was just them not processing what was said fast enough.

“Mountain was nice, Phantom. Helped set up the get-together last night.”

If he noticed the delay he didn’t say anything about it, which was nice. They moved on to talking about plants as well. The sudden vibration from their pocket startled them slightly, they didn’t expect to have anything with their phone on do not disturb.

Almost dropping the box as soon as they grabbed it they went to see what the notification was. Despite the possible mishap that could’ve happened they smiled at their phone. It was Mountain giving them some facts about the plants in meadows.

Placing the last box of equipment where it needed to be they moved over to where they last saw Phantom. Not seeing him somewhat disappointed them. They were looking forward to talking to Phantom about if he had random things to tell them about like they asked Mountain to tell them plant facts.

Properly opening the message they sent him a message about finding a certain mushroom in meadows like that. That text opened a small little conversation about them knowing that they knew and could identify fungi but not plants.

Now missing a ghoul and a new cart they were bringing the cart over to one of the storage rooms. With this one having heavier equipment they went to go ask some of the nearby road crew. The nearest person turned out to be Aveline, luckily he just finished the last thing that was needed of him in this area.

Making small talk with him was interesting to say the least. He wanted to know more about why they were asking about last night. With subtle avoidances is they managed to dodge his questions. If they knew that talking him about the creature that wounded them would lead them to him wanting to know more about why they wanted to know they wouldn’t have asked about it.

Luckily for them the conversation moved over to something they were somewhat more familiar with. Aveline had moved the conversation from the positions they worked on road crew since he had seen them around doing a variety of different things.

They had applied and hired for multiple different positions, just to be backup and to be useful. The conversation about the reasons that either of them had joined the road crew lasted long enough for them to go on break.

Saying their goodbye they left the storage unit only to be met with their missing ghoul.

Chapter Text

Phantom was leaning on the wall across the doorway. It was as if he was just waiting for them to return back to the hallway. The angle that the goggles of the mask made it seem as if he was staring into their soul. The goggles on the mask made his gaze seem endless. If he had also done this on the first day they had met it might’ve made them more wary of the ghouls.

Seeing them again had him off the wall and at their side like he was earlier. They greeted him with a smile and if the cloth wasn’t over his mouth they were sure he’d do the same. Mentioning to him that they were going going on break they smiled at how he somewhat lit up. The mask and the cloth over his face made it hard to tell but his body language made it obvious. Seems he sought them out just in time for their break. It was cute with how often the ghoul would seek them out.

Not staying in the café for their break was somewhat odd but with how tense Phantom looked with how many people were in there they decided to go elsewhere for their break. With how busy the day seemed to be the two of them opted to be in one of the employee break rooms, it also made them glad with how long their break lasted.

Since they were technically a part of the Ministry’s road crew they did have some of their benefits, one of which was an additional 30 minutes on their break. Whoever made that decision deserved so much more than they could give.

The break room that they were in was one of the ones either they or the other road crew would usually be in when the concert was actively happening. Thinking of the concert happening in a few hours combined with being in the break room reminded them of the time they had to be temporary security.

Not having their caffeine at the usual time made them somewhat tired. The results of relying on it to keep them functioning and awake for so long. They were about to apologize for being somewhat tired since they were usually somewhat high energy when they were with Phantom until he told them he’d be fine with them napping on their break.

It was highly implied that the ghoul was content with just being in their presence on their breaks, with no conversation necessary. Hearing that they gave Phantom a sleepy smile in return.

At some point, as they tried to continue the conversation while tired they fell asleep. Phantom letting both sleep and have them for a short while as well as letting them be this close was nice. Especially so they could continue on with some more energy later on.

If they ended up with a minute or two over their break no one would have to know nor would anyone know that somewhere in their nap they started to use Phantom’s shoulder as a pillow.

Having Phantom or one of the other ghouls that hung around them started to become their normal as the tour went on. Making two or more cups of coffee slowly made its way into their routine as the ghouls started to hang around them more on their breaks.

Of the ghouls they met it would usually be Rain or Phantom that would accompany them on their breaks but occasionally Swiss would pop up. Besides the first meeting that night in the cafe they would barely Sodo. Mountain was a rare sight but a welcomed one. On some of the cooler days, he’d join whichever ghouls decided to join on their break with them for a cup of tea. A custom blend that to them smelled divine which they found ironic considering who made it and was drinking it.

Mountain had promised to give them some after the tour. He didn’t realize someone else would enjoy the tea blend that he made and didn’t expect to give some to anyone besides the ghouls. Learning that made them feel a little honored. They didn’t realize that they practically lit up when he offered to get them some until he smiled.

The layout for the venues seem to be consistent on where either the venue staff or main road crew set up and had the little cafe for employees at least. Changes of course in the way they store them but never in the brands they seem to keep. It’s always the same brand of coffee and tea. The day that they can have a good cup of coffee will be a wonderful day, hopefully one they can share with the ghouls.

Their back was turned to the bar as they went to look in the small cabinets above. They could hear the thuds of rubber soles against the floor. The sound was similar enough to what they’d hear from their usual ghouls, just slightly lighter than normal. They’ve seen him and Rain today so it made the most sense that either of them would be looking for them again.

There was a certain twinge in the air. It wasn’t noticeable but the more it continued the more it felt like they were being stared at by something. Choosing to accept that a ghoul was staring at them they instead kept looking for the chosen coffee of choice. That seemed to be a decent option until they heard more people enter the room. More of the same sound from earlier. Seemed like they’d be making more coffee than they expected.

It was slightly odd though, hearing the ghouls join them for coffee. Mountain sent them a text earlier apologizing that he and the other ghouls wouldn’t be coming for coffee and tea. They were expecting their usual break would be absent from ghouls. They're sure it was probably something ministry-related as both those they know in the Ministry’s road crew were somewhat off and Papa seemed a bit more worried than normal. Whatever it was they hoped it’d be sorted out soon.

Hearing the bar stools sightly move along the floor was also odd. The ghouls knew that they’d prefer to drink over in a more comfortable spot than the seats at the bar. Coffee bag in hand they turn their head slightly to see who both walked in and was definitely looking at them.

They were met with three masks all pointed in a way that it was clear that they were staring at them. Expecting ghouls they somewhat knew what to expect with how much they’ve interacted with them over the weeks but seeing the ghoulettes somewhat caught them off guard, with not having seen them offstage yet. Seemed meeting the band members near the cafe was something they should have expected.

The ghoulettes were both less and more menacing than the ghouls they had met beforehand. Especially during the incident in the cafe where they met Rain and Sodo for the first time. The calmness they had compared to the ghouls' initial advances was eerie almost. One of them was leaning against the bar staring at them while the other two sat. Even from a glance, they could tell who was who. Aurora and Cumulus were in the chairs while Cirrus was looking at them while leaning against the bar.

Not knowing what else to do they just stared at them. Still in somewhat shock of the ghoulettes just being there they offered to also make a cup of coffee for them. The ghouls enjoyed their coffee breaks so maybe the ghoulettes would too.

“We wouldn’t want to be a bother. Just wanted to see what or rather who’s the reason some of the boys have been out more.”

It warmed their heart almost with what Cirrus was saying. They’ve been unintentionally making the ghouls come around more which makes sense with some of the shocked stares they get when they have coffee with them.

“Wouldn’t be a bother at all! I’m used to making coffee for some of the boys. Want what I’m having or want me to grab another bag?”

They ended up making two more cups of their coffee and a cup of tea for the ghoulettes. When they were handing the cups over they swore that all three of the ghoulettes grabbed it in a way where their hands would touch.

They didn’t expect to be called complimented when Aurora had the first sip of her tea. They were lucky that they weren’t actively drinking their coffee because they were pretty sure if they were they would’ve choked on it.

Being told that they were almost as sweet as her tea was adorable. Also a little concerning because they saw how much sugar she put in that cup. The ghoulettes barely interacted with them and one of them is already calling them insanely sweet.

Giving their thanks with a small smile they could swear their cheeks felt warmer than they did a few minutes ago.

The calm atmosphere that filled the café seemed to dim when one of their phones made a small noise. It seemed out of place for there to be something similar to a snarl on Cumulus’ face for a moment as she read the message. Seeing she sent a quick reply she whispered something to the other two ghoulettes. A quiet and short conversation between the three led to the other two getting up.

“Leaving so soon?”

They should’ve expected the ghoulettes having to leave with the text they had earlier from Mountain but it felt too soon.

“Some of the siblings can’t seem to find him so now we’re in charge of having to find Dew for something ministry-related and we’re now needed to be involved. It was lovely meeting you, truly. We look forward to seeing you again.”

Giving their goodbyes to the ghoulettes they didn’t realize that the other ghouls could’ve wanted something as well until they got a text from Mountain a while later.

Surprisingly it was a photo of Cirrus and Cumulus making a full heart with each of their hands while Aurora Swiss were behind the two of them doing the same. Seeing those four brought a smile to their face. Being sent another message with a bunch of tags it was nice to see that whoever decided to send a message with all the ghouls tags.

It was obvious one of them had taken it and was confirmed a few minutes later by Mountain. The guys seemed a little surprised from what he relayed when the ghoulettes showed up with drinks from the café.

With their break almost up they gave Mountain a voice message while they started walking back.

“You guys saw the ghoulettes were the ones to join me on my break this time! Just like the visits I get from you guys, it was lovely. I was a little sad when you said that none of you could come but meeting them made up for it. I’ll make a cup of whatever you want next time and you can pass that on to the rest of the ghouls, I enjoy seeing all of you.”

Walking into the venue this morning they didn’t expect or mean to overhear some of the Ministry road crew. They had been talking about a meeting yesterday, it seems this is why the ghouls weren’t able to spend time with them during their break.

They didn’t realize that they’d be hearing about whatever that meeting was about this soon. Especially not the day after it happened.

It was a mostly hushed conversation but what they heard was concerning. It was something about having the ghouls and having to monitor something. Well, whatever it was would be plaguing their mind throughout the day.

As the day went on it somewhat worried them when they didn’t have one of the ghouls accompanying them. There was no sign of any of them yet, but it was still somewhat early compared to when the ritual would be starting so that might be why.

Seeing Carmilla a few moments before their break was a blessing for them. Having someone they frequently talked to around was nice after their ghouls' absence. When they were about to ask what the possible meeting from the Ministry was about yesterday they thought of the ghouls being missing so far.

Keeping in mind to ask the other question after the one that was now burning in their mind they asked Carmilla if she had any idea where the ghouls were.

It worried them even more when Carmilla looked visibly hesitant to tell them what happened.

“Seems they got a headstart for today then,” that mumble from her is raising a red flag.

Whatever they’re about to hear will hopefully answer their question no matter how worrying it might be.

“It’s something within the Ministry that Sister Imperator wanted us to know about.”

Sister Imperator was bothered enough to tell the rest of the Ministry about this. Now that’s concerning in its own right. Carmilla glanced around for a moment before gently moving them both to a more secluded place than the hallway.

“Since you are a part of the Ministry’s road crew on a technicality I can fill you in because you should’ve been at the gathering yesterday. It might be related to what caused the wound on your back because it’s something Hell related,” she glanced at their neck when she mentioned their wound.

“ The meeting was so that the rest of the Ministry were aware to keep an eye on each other. Whatever gave you that injury was apparently a feral hellhound that was looking for a meal. Apparently one of the ghouls at the Ministry took care of it but not without injury before they were resummoned.”

That was somewhat of a comfort and a relief to know both what attacked them and that it was gone. But a ghoul was resummoned, just the thought of summoning intrigued them. The ghouls being actual ghouls of hell crossed their mind often but for some reason not them having to be summoned.

“Because of that the ghouls…”

Just from the way she trailed off they could tell that whatever happened yesterday that whatever she was about to tell them.

“Their meeting went. Depending on how Papa’s handling and how badly Sister pushes, more of the ghouls will be on the graveyard shift. Which means that we’ll also see some less of our side of the road crew for handlers.”

That brought even more questions that as much as they’d like the answer to, they could draw the conclusion for themselves.

Remembering that this was the first time with both the ghouls and the Ministry she filled them in some more on what the ghouls would be on the graveyard shift for.

“The graveyard shift for them is the ghouls act as extra security for those in the Ministry. If more of them are on it, you might see less of your ghouls.”

As much as they enjoyed it they’re gonna move on from that phrasing. This makes more sense though since they had yet to see any of the ghouls.

Thanking her for filling them in the two of them did get back to what they were supposed to be doing. Knowing that their tasks would be done with a slim chance of seeing the ghouls for the day made their day slightly duller but what could they do?

Walking back out to the hallway to continue on with their tasks they didn’t expect to see Phantom. Seeing him again brought a smile to their face. They were a little surprised to see him after the soundcheck and the conversation they just had with Carmilla.

Having a few things left to do before they could wait for either the show to start or for someone to ask them to run a quick errand they offered to let him tag along. With a nod of the mask, he followed where they were going.

After a short while, Phantom started helping with the tasks they had to do. During one of them, he offered to grab a box that would’ve been going on the cart they were about to retrieve.

Agreeing they continued on looking for said cart. It didn’t take them more than a minute or two to find it. It was in the same area as Aveline who was grabbing something for one of the sound techs. Grabbing the cart the two of them had a small conversation as they made their way back into the hallway.

As soon as the ghoul was in his line of sight Aveline had just glanced at the ghoul. If they had looked at him closer they’d be able to tell the glance was a wary one.

Waving over the ghoul Aveline stiffened slightly. It was an odd thing to see, especially knowing that Aveline was in the Ministry. They thought that those in the Ministry would be more comfortable with their presence. Maybe he was one of the handlers that Carmilla mentioned earlier.

“Why would you wave him over?”

They didn’t expect the harsh whisper their way from him. They didn’t have any time to mask their shock as they saw Phantom get closer to the both of them. Aveline had stepped somewhat closer and slightly in front of them when he got a few steps away.

“When he has time Phantom follows me around for some tasks. Helps sometimes too, he was grabbing something for me.”

Giving an explanation as to why they would wave someone over felt just as weird to them compared to what Aveline just did. They don’t know why he would stand in front of them. Over Aveline’s shoulder, they’re just looking at Phantom with a confused glance. They couldn’t tell what expression he had behind the mask.

They did see Aveline looking somewhat annoyed at what they said though as he looked back and forth between them and the ghoul.

“So compared to last night you’ll behave and be nice to enough to them to grab something?”

Phantom nodded, hands fidgeting with the metal edges of the leather box.

“The others have been playing nice too. It’s mostly me but the others hang around them too.”

It was laughable at how quickly Aveline's face went from shocked to tired resignation. He turned to them with a sigh.

“Even if you’re not a part of the Ministry, do you want to be the ghouls’ handler?”

This seemed so odd, so incredibly fucking odd. Him saying that made them wonder, as well as the amount of people that thought they weren’t a part of it. It’d make sense if not many knew that Sister Imperator was the one to arrange the interview but they’re pretty sure they were a part of the Ministry crew anyway because of the application that could appear and disappear.

“This sounds like it’ll have a lot of paperwork but sure.”

They were already getting a bonus and a raise from the time they acted as temporary security. Even if they didn’t get those added benefits this time around they could spend more time with the ghouls.

“Oh, you have no idea. I’ll send word to someone after the ritual tonight, hopefully, if it goes well you’ll hear about it next week.”

The day went by quickly after the conversation with Aveline. Too quickly in fact. The day ended somewhat as it normally did after the ritual. The only difference was there were more messages from the ghouls.

Taking the damp towel off of their head for the night they sighed. The soft hoodie they decided to use as a sleepshirt added to the much-needed comfort after the day they had. Even if they didn't do anything straining they felt exhausted. They fell asleep as soon as they hit the hotel bed.

The familiar atmosphere they were met with made their skin crawl and their veins felt like they were filled with ice. It was the same place as before. The place that they first dreamed about when they realized they were in a new world, the one where they had gotten their back injury. They were back in Hell and they hoped that it was simply a dream.

It didn’t feel like long but after just looking around in shock they woke up borderline hyperventilating. They could feel the tears go down their face and the adrenaline in their veins as they tried to catch their breath.

It’s been weeks since they’ve been back here. If the last time didn’t happen it would’ve been almost half a year with how many months it’s been.

Thankfully this time around nothing happened. The only proof that they were back in that place was the tingling sensation where their healing wound was. Not feeling the pain from an open wound against fabric at least set their mind at ease that it wasn’t tingling for that reason. It might’ve just been the familiar setting where they got it from or that their body is working overtime to heal it.

The occasional nightmare was already horrible. With these ones it was worse, regoing through the adjustment period in their mind was hell enough it was worse when they were brought there, physically or otherwise.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand they saw they only had a few hours before they were supposed to be awake. It seems tonight would be another restless night from a nightmare. They could try again to fall back asleep when the adrenaline ran out.

Chapter Text

As time with the band went on they became quite accustomed to waking up from anywhere in the middle of the night right before their alarm was set to go off. That they could’ve written off as somewhat expected because of what they experienced the first few days they experienced here had it not been for the nightmares and cold sweats that followed.

Nightfall soon became a signal that they would be back in the hellscape once more. They should’ve known it was only the beginning when they had the second nightmare. Their odd now recurring nightmares of Hell happened more often as the tour continued. Thankfully nothing happened in the nightmares like it did that night.

It was after the third night in a row of having the same nightmare that they resigned themselves to the fact that the nightmares would continue coming. It was that same night when they realized that the feeling they always had after each recurring nightmare of Hell would linger. That tingling sensation over their healing wound. A feeling that was so similar and yet so different to when they woke up feeling like the world was against them.

When that feeling had lingered for longer than it should have, they should have realized something was wrong. The tingling sensation turned into a feeling that they couldn’t quite describe. It was so similar and yet so different from what it felt like in their dreams. It was so jarring to them how they could feel the same suffocating air but if they focused on it, it would disappear. It was as if only the wound on their back was still there. All they knew was that it was a feeling they couldn’t shake but desperately wanted to.

If they ever described what became of their dreams to someone they would confess it was akin to a draconian punishment because of how it felt. No other description would do it justice.

As the week continued on it felt that on some days, ones that started with their heart beating out of their chest and adrenaline keeping them up, that feeling would practically fester on their wound and would linger until a few hours before the concert started.

It was some time after they had spent some of the breaks with the ghouls when they sought them out when they had realized something had changed. The feeling that plagued them when the nightmares started was less, enough so that they could bear it easier. It was a nice but unwitting feeling that it was either a strange coincidence of getting close to the ghouls or a pleasant byproduct of it. If they were lucky enough to see the now fleeting sightings of one of the ghouls that is. Unfortunately for them, the ghouls have been seen less and less. The lack of ghoul sightings was similar to how the beginning of the tour was.

It was somewhat ironic to them, the fact that the only ones who could get rid of the horrible feeling that happened after what they hoped was only a nightmare of being in Hell were those summoned from it and now they were around them less and less. Seemed that a decent amount of them, if not all the ghouls, were needed for a graveyard shift.

They brought it up with some of their coworkers but to them, nothing seemed amiss. It was so normal to them that the ghouls were just constantly with them they had forgotten that the first leg and a half of the tour was spent without seeing them, as well as the reactions that were initially had when they started to show up more around them.

It wasn’t until Carrie had offhandedly brought up the earlier conversation with them to kill the time with some of those they knew who worked with the Ministry interjecting now and then. Someone with an ear for gossip but it was meant as an offhand comment that they made while they were helping unpack at one of the venues. The sibling that was with them relayed the same as the others whenever they talked but there was something just so slightly off with how they said it.

There was nothing obvious besides that slight feeling that tipped them off. A slight feeling that felt too familiar, almost like the air was too thick to breathe in. But that feeling only lasted for a moment.

With the seemingly current streak of misfortunes for their most likely supernatural condition they still had stuff to do and the ghouls would have to be put on the backburner since that wasn’t their designation.

Not yet anyway if things go well.

Hopefully, the nightmares will stop by the time they have to part ways with the band but at this point, they're not optimistic. But as the nightmares continued to haunt them at night it meant that eventually, the tour would be coming to an end in just over a month. Time waits for no one, not even for the stragglers who are new to the world.

They almost couldn’t believe that they’d been with the band for this long. Enough so that they may or may not have sent a sappy message to a certain earth ghoul about that and also may or may not have gotten an equally sappy reply.

The odd feeling on their back made them all too aware of how long it would be until the concert would start. The day felt like it crawled on because of how slowly the time was passing. At the very least the tingling was bearable unlike how it was this morning. The slight memory of waking up sent shivers up their spine and for a moment they could swear their veins felt like ice. But as soon as the feeling of dread and fear came it left taking the shivers and ice with it.

The minutes ticked by as they sat in the cafe. Their break went by as slow as the rest of the day and it at least offered a small amount of respite. They had a slight realization when they were taking a sip of coffee, the feeling was less and it was without the ghouls around. They were about ready to head out of the cafe and walk the few minutes they had left of their break to process the realization they just had when they saw their manager and Aveline approaching them.

They had no idea why they were both wanting to talk to them while they were on break. They were a bit preoccupied on the realization that just dawned on them to think of a reason. That was until it was a combination of what Aveline said after greeting them and a memory from last week. It suddenly clicked and everything made a bit more sense. This week, Aveline said that if something went well they’d hear about it sometime this week. Hopefully if they see any of them that it’d help with whatever was going on with their wound with the amount of time they’d see the ghouls because of it even with the realization they had moments ago.

“Everything is sorted on both ends. The only thing that’ll be needed is ‘officially’ introducing you to the ghouls.” Aveline sounded a bit more cheerful than they’d ever heard from him. Which was a bit of a surprise since they know that there was a decent amount of paperwork for this to happen.

Chapter Text

There was a rumor last week of the ghouls getting a new ‘handler’ and because of it there was a sort of betting pool between the eight of them as the week went on. Mountain, Rain, Phantom, and Aurora betted on it being the cute roadie the majority of them had gravitated towards while they had their break. They were oddly attached and for that reason alone the other four had bet on the fact that it was more likely to be a sibling from the ministry.

The moments after they did their final bow for the night there was a mix of excitement and slight dread in the air. Turns out the rumor had proved true with what Papa had said to them before the concert started. On the way there Phantom had this gleeful smile underneath his mask. He knew who it was going to be and wasn’t telling any of the other ghouls. But it wasn’t like the others hadn’t a clue of who it was. No, by the entire demeanor that Phantom had they could tell who it was.

There was a mix of happy ghouls and disgruntled ones from the loss or win of the bet. But the ghouls who were practically elated know that the ones who weren’t feelings wouldn’t last long. After all the roadie they all practically flocked to was going to be spending more time with them.

They could feel their heartbeat going a mile a minute from nerves as they waited to ‘officially’ meet their ghouls. Truly they couldn’t tell if it was solely from the fact that they changed positions and they were now the handler to their ghouls or if it was from the nerves on their back went from an odd indescribable feeling to a tingling sensation like pins and needles. Having a sibling from The Ministry nearby didn’t help either surprisingly with how often they went to their little get-togethers. This was supposed to be a send off of sorts to ease both them and the ghouls but it just made them more aware of their nerves. It was only when they heard the familiar sound of rubber soles against tile did the nerves ease up a bit.

They didn’t even manage to see the ghouls before they felt at least one of them. It was the careful balance from which of the ghouls decided to practically tackle them from the excitement from the rumbles they could feel. It was a miracle that they didn’t completely fall over when they got practically pounced on. There was the obvious question on their mind to question this but judging by the lack of a reaction this was rather normal for a new handler to the ghouls, in some form at least.

They had a brief explanation of what they were going to be doing as their handler for the rest of the tour, and at the Ministry if they’re understanding this correctly. Mostly similar to what they’ve been doing of the odd tasks here and there, but more of a standardized schedule. The only addition being to accompany the ghouls on their rounds according to the sibling that was briefing them of their tasks. Which was strange enough considering they had thought that the venue already had security enough, but beings from literal Hell was a good way to have security of some kind in a more definitive way.

The graveyard shift was nothing new to them, especially with working with a band on tour but accompanying their not quite former bosses was definitely something they would consider out of the ordinary. Especially with how their back seemed to be aching.

Hopefully the ache dies down before they have to do anything too strenuous, considering it’s almost to the point that they were when they first got it. The ghouls have been helping in the odd way that they’ve always been and for now it seems that Rain is the lucky ghoul that they’re accompanying. They were just talking mindlessly together for the majority of this round until they felt something off in the air.

If it wasn't the realization of the adrenaline spike that made them aware something was off, it was the uncanny way that Rain had gone uncharacteristically quiet. They don’t truly understand why until they round the corner and suddenly the adrenaline spike made much more sense. They felt it almost every morning of a sleepless night since that nightmare of a hellscape. Where the only thing they seem to remember now is jaws, jaws so large that they could crush their entire torso alongside the fact that it was bone white. The memory and seeing it makes their back twinge just a slight bit more.

It was right there. The thing that’s been haunting their nightmares for weeks now, maybe months. They were too shocked that they didn’t realize it was lunging towards them until they saw the familiar sight of jaws wide open lunging towards them with the intent to kill.

Chapter Text

Last night was a blur. Most of what they could remember was bone white jaws lunging towards them and the night was lost to the wind. Since then there was consistent warm presence of arms that wrapped around them and a presence at their back that consistently rumbled, sometimes it multiplied. Bits and pieces came back of the aftermath of what happened, at least a living nightmare led to them being in a sort of cuddle pile.

Feelings and sensation were easier to try and place than missing memories from hours ago. There was something they were missing that caused them to have the feeling of warm water to have to be ran over them from the torso up. The comfort of the warmth leaving to invite in pain from the stinging of their back. Rumbles were easier for them to place than actually words and sounds then, they think the ghouls were trying to either comfort them or ask questions. When they got no response from their now distant roadie they think they just started to make non-verbal sounds, the rumbling which they think is purring.

At some point the purring became white noise which allowed for them to fall back asleep.

It was the sound of a metal door opening that woke them up. Which sent them for a loop considering their hotel door didn't sound like that as well as the many limbs that seemed to be wrapped around or near them. Nor was what they were wearing what they normally would have worn to bed. They were in what they could only guess was one of Mountain's shirts considering the size, which they think was who one of the many limbs near or on them.

They don't know why they weren't in the same shirt they started the night with, maybe the warm water sensation was why?

[part 1: the tour & the ghouls]

chapter 1: time will soon be gone, right will turn to wrong

reader falls asleep listening to ghost
reader wakes up in a different world lol, luckily their shit went with them
magic gave them a job opening, literally a piece of paper fucking appeared
loses their shit when they realize they are in a different world
haha world adjustment period good luck!
they accept the job opening and become a roadie for this world’s ghost when they go on tour, hey it gives them a place to stay for a little while since they’re on the road.

chapter 2: per aspera ad inferi

fast forward a little bit and they finally meet the ghouls! well two of the ghouls
they meet phantom and swiss, phantom trails reader like a needy cat and swiss is swiss
nothing much besides this though
also they go to hell again but the ghouls notice and keep a closer eye on them ;)

chapter 3 : unbeknownst to them, is the presence of the wraith

(inspo from who, me? comes full swing with being a part of security.)
they suffer because of how close they are to the stage but they have fun
the bass for call me little sunshine made them want to explode
next batch of the ghouls are met! haha rain swiss and sodo is a trio that fucks with an exhausted reader
they just wanted some coffee not to be flirted with my horny ghouls

chapter 4: from seraph skies and now to seraph bound

they dream of the place again which throws them for a loop because it has been literal months since they’ve dreamed of being there [totally nothing to do with meeting ghouls summoned from hell]
they get injured there :( but it’s okay because they reach out to a sister of sin for help

later during the day they get surprised on the intermission between concerts by rain because he offers to remake the coffee they forgot
[he drank it last night despite not liking the smell and actually questions their taste in coffee]
they get their actual coffee and also meet mountain! cue chill ghouls
[and some stares because no one else really sees the ghouls that much]

chapter 5: some part of me must’ve come alive when you called me baby

they meet copia again later when they’re doing a random errand for one of the techs [and to see if the thing that the sister gave them is helping]
they have a little talk and ill find a way for the ghouls to come up and it’s a ‘oh good they’ve been behaving themselves’ moment
they go to do their errand when the sister finds them with copia she starts with some subtle small talk to know if their back is doing better
cue papa going a little more rigid because he might think they’re a part of the ministry and might report back to sister imperator
because of this papa asks the ghouls to keep a closer eye on them dw copia they would’ve done that anyways

chapter 6: up like the moon and out like the hounds

siblings and reader play poker :D
this section is solely so we can get to know more about the ministry :)
they get closer to the members and it’s sweet

after this they see phantom again
he’s sweeter than last time since [there’s something off about them and he wants to know but also simply likes hanging out with them]
they do talk with a ministry member that’s close to imperator though :/
cue the ghouls hanging around more, accompanying them while they do little tasks
to keep a closer eye on them because papa asked they claim, no they just like flustering them

chapter 7: stand underneath the stained glass and i will know it’s you

they meet some more of the ghouls [it’s the ghoulettes]
are they flirty mayhaps and if they are it SHOULD BE SUBTLE ISTG
tiniest of time skips
since they’re a little closer to the ghouls they’re used to them just following them when they do their tasks and other errands
when they don’t have the ghouls hovering over them for once they overhear papa and some of the other ghouls [it’s them just mentioning that they smell like the pit and an offhand of ‘yeah we can keep close’]
they go to explore to internalize what they heard because they feel a little used but oh no what’s that? the miscommunication trope strikes again
they go to carmilla because she’s quickly becoming a good friend of theirs and she gets everything they hear
carmilla loyal to the ministry? somewhat. carmilla loyal to reader? absolutely
ends with them having a nightmare of the thing attacking them in hell

chapter 8: cast the dust into nothing and wash the salt from my hands

small timeskip, the hell dreams are still here and they got worse :/
but the tour is coming to an end soon oh no :(
aveline is back again though! he has the news of so everything is almost done i just need to know if you still wamt to become the ghouls handler
yes they do, they miss their beings from hell even if some of them are prickly and avoid them like no tomorrow
this is literally just happy ghouls and they get to know the others, cough sodo cough

[part 2: the ministry]

interlude: could go to hell but we’ll probably be fine

a random fucking thing from hell appears that night.
psst it’s the thing that gave them the back scar and they are fucking terrified. it’s okay though they shouldn’t gain a new physical scar but emotional and physical scars aren’t out of the question
this ends with them being taken back to the tour bus with the ghouls to calm down. this does end with them in the middle of the ghouls in a cuddle pile.
also this is going to be from the ghouls end somehow

chapter 9: i’d walk so far, just to take the injury of finally knowing you

we’re at the ministry!
they’re there but somewhat uncomfy because it’s church
they get given an offscreen tour and a room in the abbey, congrats!
the ghouls do pull away from them a bit though :/
carmilla notices and keeps to their side more because holy fuck it’s obvious that they like the ghouls and them pulling away made them sad

the start of yearning begins
that also doesnt help their yearning since the ending of this one is mountain is sweet and they just have a cute moment in the library
there’s a oh yeah you’re welcome to the den anytime if you want to learn more about the *insert thing for earth like gardening or other stuff*
these two are just mwah

chapter 10: to hold me like water or christ, hold me like a knife

peak yearning is what this is meant to be
they just kinda observe as the ghouls flirt around and it makes them miss being flirted with by the ghouls [anyways do they realize that this is probably the beginning of something? yes but they’ll live in denial]
this is also one of the times they join dinner AND it was after their first mass and it’s when they see all that
phantom notices because he’s the first one to go (yeah i like this one, time to wait for everyone else to show they do too) phantom gives them a tour after realizing they weren’t shown the ghoul den [they’ve wanted to know more about plants with mountain]
it ends with cuddles, phantom mentioning that they feel wrong while basically feeling them up. clears it up with it’s their soul they actually feel pretty nice where they are and reader just goes.
yeah that makes sense im not from here lol and goes to sleep with a ghoul that wants answers. (spoiler they don’t get them much to phantom’s dismay)

chapter 11: you were steering my heart like a wheel in your hands

we’ll get here eventually swiss’s turn since phantom got his
okay so this is like swiss and aurora’s time to shine because i want them to also notice because yknow theyre multi ghouls they got a slight vibe from the mc and also phantom mentioned something to the rest of the ghouls and those two got there first
this entire chapter is going to be like 2/3rds swiss/aurora fluff and then the other two ghoulettes say hi and then there’s more fluff
either way this ends in a cuddle pile.

chapter 12: let the tides carry you back to me

pookies i have no idea T-T
i may have an idea of mountain/rain time actually
possibility of just lounging with the ghouls in like a lake
also glimpse into sodo’s past because he was a water ghoul before
fluffy and minor angst chapter!

chapter 13: steal away to meet you when the moon is full

i may or may not write smut for this chapter
either one on one or like an orgy situation because ghouls
big brain idea what if foraging for something mountain and even though i hate it what if they ALMOST fuck under the stars (mountain’s a big boy but also may just do clothed sex because outdoor sex icky and im passing that on to the mc)

chapter x: drag me under, deep into your love

full secret revealed to carmilla and the ghouls that they aren’t from this world :)
rest of this chapter is going to be fueled with hopes and dreams
may be the last chapter to finish this entire fic up