Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It happened two weeks ago, at three in the afternoon, when your superiors asked a handful of Siblings of Sin—which included you—if any of them wanted to risk taking care of the pack of ghouls that lived in the Ministry. When you saw that nobody was willing to do it, you raised your hand. You didn’t know anything about ghouls. You were just tired of cleaning the same parts of the abbey everyday, but when everybody turned to you in shock, you started doubting. The rest of the day was tense, your fellow Siblings were looking at you weird and whispering, most likely discussing how long you would last taking care of the demons that lived with you all. You didn’t really notice, people had judged you your whole life, whispers from those supposed to welcome you because they were sidelined too wouldn’t kill you. Though during dinner, at eight, a group of Sisters sat with you—a rare occurrence—and warned you of the fact most people stayed for at most a month in this role. It’s not like you cared, this would be a nice change of pace—and pay, it would pay way more than your current position.

In the next two weeks you heard an awful lot of stories—that’s what you considered them, just stories, nothing real—about what ghouls had done to their previous caretakers. You’d heard everything from them playing the most traumatizing pranks on the poor Siblings to the creatures mauling them half to death. You didn’t believe any of it, having not seen it yourself since you only joined the congregation less than a year ago. But with all the tales you heard, not a single person actually taught you anything about the ghouls themselves.

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Now here you were, at the bottom of the stairs leading to the ghouls’ den, having no clue what was awaiting you behind the door a few meters in front of you. There was another door to your right, a small note stuck to the old wood; the note wasn’t really new, but written on it was “Handler” which meant it would be your room from now on. You decided it was safer to settle in first before introducing yourself to the fiends. You had the key—thankfully—so you unlocked the old door and set your lone bag against the wall to the right of it. You didn’t have many belongings, having left most of your stuff back home with your parents, and not having bought anything since you arrived at the lovely Ministry.

The room was a decent size, though only furnished with a bed, dresser and desk with a chair. The lack of window made it look just as small as the emptiness made it look big. It just looked weird, creepy even. Or maybe the creepiness came from the fact that it was in such close proximity to the devils you had yet to meet, you weren’t sure. You took a step into the room, closing the door behind you, taking a better look at everything in case you missed anything—but you hadn’t. You grabbed your bag again and went to the dresser, knowing all of your clothes would fit in only half of it, and your books on top… Damn, you should really get art supplies again, you missed drawing, maybe it would help the room feel slightly more lively too.

You were done putting away your stuff far too quickly for your liking. But you had nothing to do now, guess your only choice is to go meet the ghouls. Nerves be damned, you’ll have to do it at one point anyway. Maybe you should check if you’re presentable first though—why is there no mirror in here? Well… Your phone camera will be good enough. You fished the device out of your discarded bag and turned it on, checking your face first. Once you were sure you didn’t have a pimple or something between your teeth, you smoothed wrinkles out of your clothes, removing some imaginary dust here and there just to buy time for your poor heart to slow down.

Taking a deep breath to steel yourself, you opened your door once more and stepped out. You look at the double door that led to the den for a moment before finally approaching it. You hesitated for a second. No point changing your mind now, you raised your hand and knocked on the wooden surface. For a while it was silent, it lasted almost long enough for you to regret knocking— and all your life choices really. But then old hinges groaned as the door was pulled open, revealing one of the monsters living here. They were so tall—or maybe it was just their vibe— fist clenched tightly and tail thrashing harshly. Oh you definitely interrupted something and they were upset. What a way to meet someone…

“Uhm… Hi. I’m the new Sibling in charge of the ghouls. May I come in?” you stumbled over your words, intimidated by the ghoul in front of you.
“Mh. Get in before I change my mind.” the creature said, his voice not entirely matching his stature.
“Thank you…” you squeaked, quickly stepping inside.

Only after stepping in did you take a look at the place. It was surprisingly cozy and homey, Candles scattered everywhere, beanbags, sofas and armchairs with blankets and pillows all over them as well as string lights here and there. But there was also the ghouls, all staring at you in a terribly judgmental way.

“A new one? Already?” said a ghoul on the opposite side of the room.
“Guess they don’t learn.” replied the ghoulette next to him before nuzzling his shoulder.

You were confused but didn’t ask what they meant. You just looked around trying to recognize any of them, which turned out to be harder than you first thought. Thankfully they stopped staring pretty fast and went back to what seemed to be a big cuddle session.

“So uh… I guess you all already know what I’m here for?” you said before telling them your name.
“Oh that’s a cute name. Don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t this.” giggled a ghoul closer to you as the one who opened the door for you settled down next to him.
“Oh, uh… Thanks?” you mumbled, unsure what to make of this statement.
“I’m Zephyr, by the way.” he added giving the ghoul next to him a head scratch. “And this guy’s Ivy.” Ivy grumbled unintelligibly, seemingly displeased that somebody else was introducing him. “The two who talked earlier are Mist and Delta. And I don’t think the others are up for a discussion right now.” he finished, giving a nod towards the entire group.
“Yeah, sorry for interrupting… I just thought it was better to come and introduce myself sooner than later. But, uh, I can leave if you guys want…” you spoke, not certain what to do.

Zephyr and Ivy just nodded, your sign that you should go and leave them alone. Well it wasn’t too bad, not welcoming but they didn’t maul you at least—not yet. You left as quietly as humanly possible and went back to your room, locking your door behind you out of fear. It was only two in the afternoon, but you had nothing to do. Maybe you could take a nap? Yeah, good idea, that way you could get your brain to calm down a bit. Maybe then you would know what steps to take next. Yes that’s a good plan. Unfortunately it took just a little too long for you to fall asleep and your mind conjured the worst of the worst. Your dreams were plagued with nightmares pulled straight from what you had been told about the ghouls.

Thank Satan it was only in your head and nobody was coming for you.

Chapter Text

You woke up in a jump at the sound of the harsh knock at you door that was rattling the old wood half off its hinges.

Had it really been a dream? Yes, you were safe in your bed, hair just mildly disheveled. When wondering who was knocking like this, you remembered that you now lived close to the ghouls. Must be one of them, no human in the Ministry could make a whole door rattle like that.

You got up with a groan, smoothing down your clothes and desperately trying to fix your hair—to no avail. You grabbed your keys and stepped forward to open your door. Upon doing so you were face to face with one of the taller ghouls. His gray skin was darker than the others’, his eyes a color you couldn’t quite name.

“Oh~ The sleeping beauty is up, hm? ‘am Swiss, I wasn’t there earlier.” he purred,“Nobody told me your name, pretty thing.”
“Oh, yeah, uhm…” you muttered, telling your name for the second time today. “Uh, what time is it?”
“Dinner time.” said Swiss as he walked back to the ghouls’ den.
“Already?” you exclaimed. You knew you should’ve set an alarm before your nap—no wonder you had so many nightmares, you slept for hours.

You went back into your room and looked at your phone, checking the time to make sure the ghoul wasn’t bullshitting you. Sadly he was not, you had slept the whole afternoon away, it was now eight in the evening. You smoothed your clothes some more and fixed your hair for good, using your phone camera again. Once this done you took out your pyjamas for later—thankfully you had your own bathroom, the door tucked in the far corner of the room. You finally stepped back out, locked the door and went to knock on the double door leading to the den.

After a moment the door opened, revealing a mean looking ghoul. Why were they all seemingly mad at you? You literally did nothing. Maybe that’s why, you thought. You really didn’t do much today. You barely even talked to the fiends you now had to care for.

“Uhm, hi.” you hesitantly greeted him.
“Dinner’s ready, you’re lucky.” he simply stated.

You walked in without a word, looking around once more to see if anything changed—that was not the case. The den still looked as cozy as a few hours ago. Though the ghouls were not cuddling around anymore. They instead were to the left of you, around a few tables you somehow missed earlier behind a rather big archway, already enjoying the meal they had gathered for.

“Alpha, stop scaring the poor thing and come eat.” growled a fiend that looked almost like Alpha’s polar opposite, “and shut up for once.”
“Don’t mind the two, sweetheart. Omega just gets grouchy when people don’t come eat what he cooked right away.” pipped a cute chubby ghoulette, “Cumulus, nice to meet you.” she added before beckoning you to sit next to her. And you did so, her energy making you feel safe. “You just met Swiss don’t worry about him either, he only bites when asked to.”

You could only give her a look of mild concern, unsure whether the ghoulette was being serious or not. But she was giggling so she was probably joking. You looked around at everyone sat at the tables, seventeen ghouls in total. Two of them had stood up and were now chasing each other, a small group at the next table were arguing. You were desperate to catch any new name, but no such luck found you. But then Omega cleared his throat and half of the ghouls turned to him.

“Enough. Everyone sit down and eat. The human needs to go to bed soon.” he spoke rather coldly. And the fighting stopped as everyone sat down again quietly.
“Okay, let's go around the table for the newbie. I’m sure it would help them a little.” voiced a ghoul at your table. “Aether, enchanted to meet you, kid.” he finally introduced himself.
“I’m Sunshine!” declared the ghoulette next to him, her smile reflecting her name.
Aether looked at the next table expectantly as he spoke up again, “You already know Zephyr and Ivy, so…”
A ghoul next to Zephyr sighed, “Ifrit.” he just stated.
“You already know us!” said Mist pointing at Delta and herself.
“Pebble.” spoke the next ghoul with a polite nod.
“I’m River.” chuckled the one after.
“Lake.” said the one next to him as he gave you a once over—very judgmental.
“Crust. Nice to meet you, I guess.” continued one at the last table.
“Aero, hi.” chimed in the one across from him.
Omega and Alpha stayed silent, not caring to say their names again as the last one took on instead, “Chain.” he curtly said before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.

Only then did the chaos returned, you tried to keep an ear on the multitude of discussions and arguments while also trying to eat but it revealed to be a difficult task so you instead focused on you food. It was better than at the food court where all the siblings ate.

“Oh the food’s amazing!” you commented, only catching Omega’s small smile just before it disappeared. He had a nice smile.

The rest of dinner passed in a blur and desserts were already being finished. Everybody was calming down—finally, it’s about time they did—and some were taking their plates to the kitchen already. You were still pretty intimidated by most of the demons around you, so you were now waiting for someone at your table to be done to put away your plates with them. It took a few minutes but Cumulus finished her dessert first. She looked at you and her expression changed slightly.

“Oh, were you waiting, Sweetie? You should have said so.” she gasped.
“No, no, it’s fine. I just didn’t want to stand alone.” you confessed with a shrug.
“Aw, you poor thing.” she said as she gave you a pat on the shoulder, “come with me. I almost forgot you didn’t know the place yet.” she added while standing up and grabbing her plate before urging you to do the same.

You followed her into the kitchen and she told you where to put everything in the dishwasher—thank the universe they had a dishwasher down here—and then instructed you to wash your hands before going back to the common area. There you were met with Aether and Swiss waiting for you, ready to lead you back out.

Back into the safety of your room, with the door locked, you got ready for bed and took one of your books. Reading would definitely help you calm down for a good night of sleep. And just like that you were feeling a little more at ease with the idea of living with devils close to you.

Chapter Text

As you were about to put down your book for the night, a knock resonated from your door, gentle and discreet. So much so that you almost didn’t hear it.

You set the novel down on your bed and stood up, getting your key from your desk. Upon opening the door you were met with Omega rather than the human you expected after such a knock. He look tired and upset.

“Did I wake you up?” he asked.
“No, don’t worry. I was only getting ready for bed.” you assured him.
“Good.” he sighed, “uhm… We need your help with the kits. They were down for the night but one of them woke up and got all the others to join their antics.” the ghoul mumbled.
“Kits?” you asked, confused.
“Baby ghouls.” he explained.

You just nodded, following after him, but not before locking your door. The walk was quiet through the long hallways of the den. You saw lots of rooms with little signs for each ghoul, well most of them at least. Then you reached the end of the hallway, where you heard squeals and screams coming from behind the door you were in front of. This worried you a little, though Omega’s calmness calmed you down.

“Don’t worry, they can’t hurt you, they’re too young for their claws and fangs to be that sharp.” the demon declared before opening the door before you had the opportunity to protest.

A tiny ghoulette jumped on him as soon as he entered what seemed to be a nursery, squealing and babbling unintelligibly. She looked like him to the point you could wonder if she was his clone. He picked her up and kissed her forehead—she was so small in his arms, truly adorable. In the corner you could see Cumulus with what appeared to be twins in her own arms, they were definitely much younger than the kit in Omega’s arms.

“So, uh, what do you need my help with?” you quietly questioned.
“Just these three over there,” started Cumulus, “we can’t all rein them in on our own.” she added with a nod towards three older kits running around.
“Sure…” I mumbled.

You weren’t the best with kids. So one of ghouls? Satan knows how that could go for you. But this is what you signed up for, so suck it up and do your job. You gently closed the door behind you before approaching the little menaces. You crouched down to their level and just sat there for a moment, waiting to see if they’d get curious about the new face that you were, even though you were already pretty sure of the answer. And they did not in fact get curious about who you were, just continuing to run around and being loud. They seemed louder than human children.

“Hey.” you shot after clearing your throat. “You three.”

This seemed to do the trick, the kids turned to you the second you uttered a word, looking at you curiously as if they hadn’t noticed you until now. Wouldn’t be surprising with their behavior a moment ago. But then one of then almost jumped to your face, sniffing and touching you an awful lot.

“You smell weird!” she exclaimed, looking back at what you could only assume was her brother. “And look they have no tail!” she giggled.
“Oh Satan, you’re right!” the little boy said.

He and the other little ghoul rushed to you, intrigued. The were probing at you with their dull little claws, not understanding what you were. You just assumed they never saw a human before, even if that didn’t make sense with the sheer number of Siblings having taken their chance at taking care of the fiends. You let them inspect you to their liking, to which point they were now just staring at you.

“Flood, Drought, Flare, stop treating them like they’re some science experiment…” yawned Omega.
“You know what humans look like, you’ve seen Copia.” added Cumulus.
“But auntie, they’re not like him!” declared who you assumed to be Flare.
“Because they’re not the same person.” told him the older ghoul.

The kit huffed but didn’t argue. Though the little group looked at you intently again—as if expecting something. And if they were you had no idea what it could be. At least they were calm now, you felt proud about distracting them from their previous antics. Their calm seemed to have lasted long enough for the twins Cumulus was holding to fall asleep.

Then suddenly you were wrapped between three young ghouls holding you. Oh that’s what they wanted, a hug, you thought. You gently wrapped your arms around them the best you could, which led the only girl to nuzzle your shoulder, you find this incredibly sweet.

“I lied, you don’t smell weird.” she murmured.
“Yeah? I wouldn’t be surprised if I did, my shampoo isn’t a common smell.” you chuckled, rubbing her back.
“Ugh, Vortex, don’t do that.” grunted the quintessence ghoul.

The kit in Omega’s arms had wriggled free from his grasp, almost kicking him in the face. Now she was running towards you, ready to jump on top of the little pile you were in the middle of. And she did, squeezing herself between the two boys, therefore pinning you down a little more.

“Well… she’s not my problem anymore.” smiled Omega.
“You’re leaving?” asked Cumulus.
“Yup.” the old quint said before getting out of the room.
“Traitor.” the air ghoulette jokingly hissed.

You were just stuck under the kits, barely able to breathe with their heads so close to your own. You didn’t really mind, it was comfortable and warm. But then you heard soft purrs that even resonated through your body. Wait were the kits the ones purring? Can ghouls purr? That’s new information to you.

You looked at the air ghoulette in the corner, but she was focused on her own kits. You looked back at the little ones over you, choosing to rub their backs to check your theory. And you were right, they were purring, louder once you gently scratched their back and arms. You should definitely learn more about ghouls, you really wanted to be able to take care of these kids correctly. Then Cumulus was standing up to set down the babies she was holding in their respective cribs, before turning to you.

“Alright, kids, time to sleep.” she murmured, “Let the human go, and get in bed.” the ghoulette ushered them towards the beds.
“Thanks.” you mouthed as you sat up and dusted off your pyjamas, finally allowed to move freely again.
“And don’t wake up Gale and Lightning again or no cookies for you tomorrow.” she just told the kits who then quickly got in bed again.

She then helped you up and led you out and back to your own room, leaving fast so you could get the rest you needed and she could get hers. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep—surprisingly enough—this time for a peaceful rest.