Nocturnal Me (Nameless Ghoul Rain/Water x Reader)

Chapter 22- Kismet (Part 1)

Anyway... Happy holidays. 

     "Deep breaths, nice and slow... deep breaths... just like that, good... nice and slow..."

     Mountain's low voice soothed your nerves.

     The drummer had been sitting with you on your bedroom floor in front of the fireplace for the past half-hour as you laid curled up in a fetal position. The cream-colored knit blanket that previously was folded neatly on the top of your rocking chair had been carefully tucked around your shivering body, and your hand had come to clutch it tightly to your chest. Your fingers punched through the loose stitch, the holes widening as you pulled it as close as you could.

     Mountain's large hand stroked your side softly and comfortingly, ushering words of support and reassurance that everything was going to be okay and that he was right there for you. His palm slid from the top of your arm, down across your waist, and slowed itself at your hip, where it would then trail back up and repeat the process over and over again. His knees touched your back and warmed the two contact points, further calming you with his presence. You wanted to thank him for being there to ground you and make sure you weren't completely losing your mind, but your jaw was locked firmly in a desperate but failed attempt to get yourself to stop violently shaking.

     You didn't know what the hell was happening to you. That in itself was enough to send you into an intense panic attack, but this felt like it wasn't just your anxiety. There were so many thoughts and emotions crammed inside your brain, it was hard to decipher which ones were yours and which ones weren't. They were spilling out through every single orifice and pore in your body like roadkill on the side of a highway. Every sensation was magnified; Mountain's hand a tiger's tongue, the floor felt like concrete, the blanket too light and too heavy all at the same time. The roar of the fire was deafening, the light emitting from it a thousand times brighter than the winter's sun. Your heart was thumping out of your chest like it wanted to run away to someone else who wasn't spiraling into madness. Your eyes leaked like a piece of duct tape was the only thing holding back the bending dam.

     And you just couldn't.

     Stop.

     Shaking.

     Mountain had tried everything he could to console you, and he had done a damn good job at it, but he knew it was more than just shock at this point. When he had taken your keys from your trembling hands to unlock your door as he supported your weight in his other arm, he knew something really bad had happened. Seldom did he ever see you not smiling or laughing, so to say this was concerning would be an understatement. It took a couple minutes of calming you down enough to take a seat and breath, several stationary items being knocked off of your desk and onto the floor of your office in the process, but he had eventually pieced a few clues together to get the whole picture without having to ask you to speak. Still in your grip and tucked under your wrist was the book Sister Imperator had given you that day in her office when she asked you to work for the church, the purple marking ribbon wedged between two pages blotted with teardrops.

     Mountain had convinced you to take a hot shower to further relax your mind and muscles and to rid yourself of the scent of the dozens of ghouls you had met during the party. It was quite strong, and he was sure that both Aether and Rain would appreciate you not smelling like sex if, or when they came back up. He had rummaged through your wardrobe disappointingly, noting the one single clean dress you had hanging up and two pairs of worn black tights alongside the several fuzzy socks in the drawer next to it. You didn't even have any pajamas other than that one baby-pink nightgown. He wondered why you had never gone out to get anything more than what you had in the past six months. Had you really been that busy? Or did you just not tolerate any other forms of clothing? You had worn that costume at the party, so surely you could wear other things. Still, the gown smelled clean-ish, and he had silently opened the door to your bathroom to place it on the granite sink countertop as you sat in the tub of your shower and let the water wash over you.