Nameless Ghoul

The Kiss, Take 2

Omega and Itzal strolled through the gardens for a while. The morning was pleasant and not too cold. Omega lightened the mood by sharing stories about the other ghouls, plus a couple of funny anecdotes about Alpha.

Itzal suspected Omega was trying to smooth things over between them, though he wasn’t particularly interested in mending fences with the fire ghoul. He wouldn’t go out of his way to pick a fight with Alpha either, but that was about as far as it went.

As they stepped into the Abbey through the back porch, Sunshine and Shay were approaching, deep in cheerful conversation. They spotted the two ghouls and headed over.

“Hi! What have you two been up to?” Sunshine asked.

“Just taking a walk,” Omega replied. “I’m on bodyguard duty this afternoon, though. Terzo’s going shopping,” he added, rolling his eyes.

“Oh Omega, good luck with that!” she laughed, reaching out to touch his arm affectionately.

He shrugged and said goodbye, leaving the three of them together.

“Secondo says the witches are free this afternoon,” Shay said. “I’ll send someone to fetch you when they’re ready. Will Sunshine be joining you?”

Itzal looked at her, uncertain. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her there or not. Secondo had said the witches wanted every detail of the rituals, but Itzal didn’t know how literal that was. Would he have to spell out everything? Would they understand some things without needing him to say them aloud? He wasn’t sure he was ready to speak that openly about his suffering. At least, not with Sunshine listening. But then he remembered what Omega had said to him earlier.

He frowned, but decided to leave it up to her.

“If she wants to be there, then sure.”

She smiled and nodded at Shay.

“Of course I’ll come. I’ve got the whole day free anyway. I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out, Itzal.”

He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by that, but he thanked her anyway.

They grabbed lunch from the canteen the Siblings used and brought it back to the ghoul lairs. Shay had a meeting over lunch and left to set up his communing session. A few of Papa’s ghouls were in the lounge watching TV and waved when they saw Itzal and Sunshine.

“Way to go this morning, Itzal,” said Dew. “Not many ghouls would take on Alpha like that and can’t me off better. You’re a wiry fucker, aren’t you?” He laughed.

Itzal shrugged. He’d always been good at scrapping, able to overpower his older brothers from a young age. They’d had the strength, but he’d always had the speed and a talent for thinking on his feet.

“Modest too!” Aether added with a grin.

“I don’t really like fighting,” Itzal said. “I just do it when I have to.”

His thoughts drifted to the training Santos had put him through. For a while, he’d fought in an underground club in Paris. The opponents were human, but they fought dirty, and Santos had thought the experience would keep Itzal’s skills sharp. Plus, the winnings, both from fights and illegal betting, kept Santos happy. Many of Itzal’s scars dated back to that time. The fights had few rules, and weapons like knives and crowbars were common. Even humans could do serious damage with tools like that.

They took their food to Sunshine’s room, settling on the sofa with lunch spread out across the coffee table. She made them both some Ghoulish tea. Primo had a large greenhouse dedicated to growing herbs and plants from their home dimension, so they always had a steady supply.

“I didn’t realize how much I’d missed little things like this until the other day,” Itzal said as he took a sip. “Shay gave me some in his office and it just… took me straight back home.”

“Yeah, it was so sweet of Primo to think of the ghouls like that. When I first arrived, he gave me a little hamper with treats from home and some from here, to help me settle in.”

Itzal smiled, thinking how nice it must have been to receive that kind of welcome. He quickly stopped himself from comparing it to his own arrival on Earth.

Sunshine must have sensed where his thoughts had gone, because she changed the subject.

“So, the others are planning a ghoul movie night tomorrow. Do you want to go? There’s a little cinema room in the main part of the Abbey. We throw beanbags on the floor, eat popcorn and sweets, drink sodas. It’s fun. There are big sofas too, so you don’t have to sit close to anyone if you don’t want to. I think it’s some superhero movie.”

Itzal nodded. He figured if it got too much, he could just leave. And Sunshine clearly wanted him to come, so he thought maybe he should at least try.

She smiled and finished her food. They chatted about past movie nights, and she made him laugh describing the various pranks and absurd arguments between Dew, Swiss, and Aether.

“I like seeing you laugh,” she said. “You should do it more often.”

“I only seem to do it when you’re around,” he said quietly, honestly.

She rested her head on his shoulder, checking his reaction. He didn’t pull away. She shifted to face him, and he turned towards her as well. She reached up and gently stroked his cheek with her fingers.

He waited to see if his brain was going to betray him again, but so far, so good. Gathering his courage, he leaned in and softly brushed his lips against hers. She sighed and kissed him back, closing her eyes and snuggling closer.

This time, when her fingers touched his hair, claws stroking his scalp, he let himself enjoy it. He breathed in her scent and allowed her to play with the dark strands. He lost himself in the moment. For the first time since arriving on Earth, he was actually enjoying kissing someone.

Sunshine broke the kiss first and looked up at him, eyes dreamy and cheeks slightly flushed. He could tell, from her scent, that she’d be happy to take things further, but he didn’t want to ruin something that had been so perfect by rushing it and freaking himself out.

So, he put his arm around her and held her close, thinking that for now? He could just about handle that.