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As much as you love life in the abbey, it had been a downright horrible day. Sister Imperator had you running around, doing errands, cleaning floors, washing robes, anything she could think of.… all because she caught you with a ghoul yesterday. While walking in the gardens near sunset to check on the other siblings, she caught you with Aether, your hand in his and your faces inches away. She scolded you right in front of him, sending you straight to your room and dismissing Aether from her sight. You slept horribly that night, terrified of what she might have planned for you when you woke up.
———
At 8am sharp, she had you mopping the floors of the main halls and corridors, taking hours. She had you doing the whole Clergy’s laundry, and you swear you could feel your feet growing numb while walking around the entire monastery for everyone's baskets. But then she had you set all the dinner tables by yourself, dust the library, wipe all the windows you could reach, and replace the candles in the chapel.
It was a nightmare. While others got to enjoy the gardens, the pond, the woods… you cleaned. Even worse, you were only able to see Aether at dinner, from rather far away. He was practicing a majority of the day, and if he wasn't, Sister still made it her duty to keep him from you. The best part of your day today would be going to bed… or so you thought.
———
You shifted uncomfortably, your joints unwilling to rest for the night. You groaned and sighed, begging your body to sleep. When it refused, you decided to take advantage of what energy you had left to visit the gardens, as you were able to earlier. You grabbed a black cardigan from your bedpost and slipped on some hard-bottomed slippers.
You made your way to the gardens, trying to walk as quietly as possible throughout the dark halls of the monastery. You opened a set of beautiful windowed double doors and began walking down to a stone bench you frequented. As you sat, you thought of how Aether had been with you here just yesterday evening. You thought of his hands, and how they softly held your face before he attempted to bring you into a kiss. You yearned for his arms again, the way that they could wrap around you and create a feeling of safety in an instant. Oh, how you missed him.
The gardens were beautiful at this time of night, a blueish-purple haze being cast from the moon onto the green leaves of the vines and bushes. The stone paths of the gardens twisted and had overgrown moss in some spots, making it all the more gorgeous. You leaned back onto the backrest of the bench, a sigh leaving your lips as you let your shoulders drop. You let your head fall back and admire the stars. Oh, the stars… the being of the universe… the quintessence… Aether.
Damn it. You just wished you could see him. Ghoul and sibling relationships were not entirely frowned upon, but maybe you should've been a little more private. You closed your eyes, thinking of all the chores you had to do for being caught. It was all so worth it. While your eyes were closed, you allowed yourself to drift. Not to sleep, but to a peaceful and restful imaginative state. You zoned out the crickets and the birds, just putting yourself in your own little world.
Out of the quiet of the night, your name was called.
“May I join you, puella pulchra?” It spoke. In awe, you brought your head forward to see Aether standing in front of you in his sleep clothes. He wore a black long-sleeve tee, deep purple pajama pants, and some thrown-on slippers. He didn't have his mask on, even. You could see his messy dark hair and his rugged beard from where he stood, but you couldn't entirely make out his features.
“Holy shit, Aeth! Oh my, Satanas- you have no idea how bad I needed you tonight.” You practically jump out of your seat, shooting up to wrap your arms around the waist of your ghoul. His arms shaped to your body instantly, his head nuzzling into your neck as he exhaled in relief. He rubbed his hands down your back, admiring the feeling of you relaxing to his touch.
“I did know, my dear.” He started. “I could feel your distress from my chambers. I never like that feeling, because I feel it too.” He held you tighter as he said this, his arms flexing and his hands grabbing onto the cardigan you had thrown on. His body was hot, or maybe you just got a warm sensation from the way he spoke to you. Either way, you loved it.
You gently moved away from his grasp, your hand running up to his face to hold his cheek. “Aeth… I’m sorry. I never meant to disturb you with how I feel.” You took a deep breath, your thumb caressing his cheek. He began to shake his head in disagreement, but he continued to let you speak. “You came out here for me, in the cold of night, without your mask, when you could be sleeping… I’m so sorry.”
He placed his hand over yours. “Mea aeternitas, you don't need to be sorry at all. I’d go through thousands of nights like these just to call you mine. I trust you enough to leave my mask behind in times like these, and I’m sure you won't make me regret it. You are a beautiful creature, my dear, and I trust you with my whole self. My whole being is yours for as long as you will have me.” He looked up at the stars as he spoke, then back down at you. He smiled softly before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on your lips. You excitedly kissed back, pushing into him as you both smiled into the kiss. You almost never wanted to pull away. Aether let out a satisfied hum as he pulled back, his hand stroking through your hair as he spoke. “You had a very long day, right? How aboutttt… I sneak you back to my chambers and we have a niceee long cuddle session in my big comfy bed for tonight. Would you like that, uxor mea?”
Your jaw dropped slightly at his offer. “I would love nothing more, my dear.”
Aether nearly jumped excitedly, leaning down to kiss your forehead quickly before taking your hand in his. He swiveled on his heel, turning to guide you. He moved quickly and quietly, almost dragging you along with him. After a minute or so of walking, he realized that you were lugging behind him. He stopped within the corridor you were currently in and whispered some apologies before picking you up and carrying you with his arms around your shoulders and under your knees. You curled up into him, holding on as he took wide strides to his room.
Once he reached the door, he quickly turned the doorknob without dropping you, then pressed his back to the door to open it. He backed into his room and shut his door with his foot, walking you to his bed and placing you gently down in a sat position. He took your cardigan from you, folding it, and placing it on an armchair in the corner of the room. His room was gorgeously well-decorated. It was dark and mysterious, while also calm and inviting. Posters and tapestries of the band and the monastery lined his walls, along with a handful of large bookshelves embedded into the walls. He has a few guitars strewn about his room, along with some stage clothes on the floor, and his mask sitting gently on his bedside table.
As Aether kneeled below you, you sat with your legs off of his bed. He looked at you with pure love and adoration. Aether’s eyes trailed down your legs, leading to your ankles as his hands followed. “Oh, dulce meum.” He spoke softly as his hands trailed up and down your legs. “Can I take care of you tonight?” His eyes met yours, and he looked up at you as if he was almost begging. You knew he could feel your pain, all your emotions, and how exhausted you were.
“Absolutely, Aeth.”
He smiled at you softly, his fangs catching a glow in the candlelight. In fact, now was when you could see him in full, for the first time, with no mask. He was just as beautiful as one would expect, maybe even more. He had dark hair, tousled from being in bed before seeing you. He had facial hair of that color too, shaved into an angular-looking curtain shape. He had a nose piercing in his left nostril, and a plethora of ear piercings in his pointed ears. He had horns that curved slightly upwards and came to a gentle point, which were a lighter color than his skin, which was a neutral gray tone. His eyes were catlike and purple, like a galaxy. You could stare at them for ages in this lighting. From the cut of his shirt, you could slightly see the muscle definition of his shoulders and collarbones… and damn did he look good. His tight long sleeve tee did him well.
As his hands made their way back down your legs, he stopped at your slippers. He took them off gently, sliding them off your feet and placing them gently beside himself. He pressed lightly into the bottom of your feet once they were gone, and a weight was immediately lifted from you. All the walking and working today, the pain was halved by Aether’s touch.
He rose up onto his haunches, his hands running back up to your hips with a light squeeze. “Would you like a massage, dear?” He whispered.
“More than anything.” You begged, a smile escaping your lips as you met his eyes. You got all the way up on his bed, adjusting yourself so your head was on his pillows and you were face down. He got up with you, sitting beside you on the large bed while rubbing your back up and down gently. He gently moved your hair out of the way as he rubbed your shoulders and pressed into your back. As you hummed in pleasure, he backed away for a moment. “Everything, okay Aeth?” You chimed.
“Uhm- yes! I was just wondering… would you be okay to take your shirt off for me? Just your shirt. I think I could make you feel much better with skin-to-skin. Is that okay, my love?” He asked gently, sweetly returning to graze your spine as he spoke. You took a moment, fearing possible judgment, but you knew Aether would never. You agreed happily, sitting up for a moment to slide it off. “Oh, perfect! Just perfect, uxor mea.”
His hands traveled beautifully down your bare back, and god was he right about the skin-to-skin. He kneaded and rubbed into you in the most heavenly way, your joints relaxing and your tension dissolving at his touch. His rings made for a cool contrast, and it was spectacular. You could almost forget everything that happened earlier today by submitting to the relief that the ghoul offered. You let out little whines and groans occasionally, but Aether never tried to take it farther than you wanted. He truly wanted to help you, to calm you. He trailed down your legs, rubbing down your thighs and your calves in the sweetest possible spots. He kept your pajama pants on for this, but it still felt spectacular. From your neck to your ankles, you felt brand new because of him.
He grabbed onto your waist and nudged you gently up, which you followed along with. “Come here, pretty girl. I miss your kisses.” He whined. You turned to face him, your shirt still off. He smiled at the sight of you, his hands remaining on your waist as he pulled you into his lips.
Aether left one hand on your waist, the other coming up to the back of your head to keep your messy kisses going. He groaned into the kisses he gave you, almost giving into the temptation to bite your bottom lip. You felt brainless in his touch, just wanting his moment to last forever. “Shit-” The ghoul spoke into your kisses before pulling away gasping. “You’ve been so good to me, Adoro te demens. Omnia de te amo, mea puella.”
“Mmmm-” You hummed. “You do that to every sister?” You joked.
“Haha,” He fake laughed. “No, darling.” He grabbed your shirt for you and turned his back to you, gently playing with his rings as he waited. Once you were decent, he turned back around to see you laying at the top of the bed with your arms out for him.
‘C’mere, ya big sweetheart.” You smiled at him, watching his face light up with excitement as he dove into your arms and wrapped his arms around your waist, his head nuzzling into your chest. You felt yourself actually growing tired, so you threw the covers over you and Aether. He adjusted slightly to be more comfortable before he drifted off, with just a few more words leaving his lips.
“You are perfect, sicut caelum et stellae.”