𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐰

Fear For Nobody

Rain immediately knelt down to check the younger ghoul's pulse, his previous bloodlust forgotten in the wake of his discovery.

"Phantom? Are you okay?" Rain shook him gently, trying to gauge his response levels. "Please be okay, fuck, what happened?"

Phantom slowly cracked open his eyes, looking around curiously before finally landing on Rain. "R-Rain? What are you doing here? Where- where am I? What's going on? Where's D—"

"What. . ." Rain's fingers brushed over a bruised cheekbone down to his red throat. "What happened?"

"I have to—" Phantom tried to scramble to his feet but doubled over in pain and dizziness. "I have to get to Dew, he's in trouble, and I left him, and it's my fault."

"What's your fault, what happened?" Rain shook him a little bit when he didn't respond. "Phantom."

"Dew, I have to go back, I have to— what?" Phantom turned around angrily when Rain laid his hand on his shoulder, drawing it back like he'd been burned when Phantom flinched. He was leaning against a nearby tree stump for support, and his hands were curled into fists. "Don't act like you fucking care about me, you never have."

"W-What?" Rain took a step backwards. "What are you talking about? Of course I. . ." He trailed off when he realized what he was saying. When had he ever shown Phantom he'd cared? When had he ever given him the time of day except just a few days ago when he'd found him curled up in his room, tears racking his body for something that he'd never cared enough to learn?

"No, Rain. You never cared. You would leave the room whenever I walked in, I'd try to talk to you, be close to you like an actual fucking packmate, and you'd shun me. I know you know how it feels. I know Dew did the same to you when you were first summoned. So why?" Phantom's voice broke on the last word, and tears filled his big purple eyes. Why? The question rang out between them, and when Rain couldn't answer, Phantom scoffed and limped in the direction of the ministry.

"Phantom. . ." Rain called half-heartedly, taking a few steps after him before stopping and dropping to his knees, burying his face in his bloodied hands. Everywhere he went he caused pain and suffering. Everywhere he stepped foot someone got hurt. He'd ruined everything, and now Phantom was a scared, angry little ghoul intent on revenge.

And Rain couldn't do anything about it.

Phantom finally let his tears fall, wiping them away with bruised knuckles. He'd wanted nothing more than to finally be accepted, to finally be a part of the pack, but even after all this time, all this pain, he'd just succeeded in pushing them all farther away. He was going to have to save Dew on his own.

Do everything on his fucking own.

Phantom stumbled through the doors of the ministry hours later, exhausted and in pain. He keeled over as soon as he crossed the threshold, and as much as he longed for the safe feeling that he always found with Dew, it was horribly absent.

He heard footsteps and jumped to his feet, instantly leaning against the wall when a wave of dizziness overtook him.

Swiss turned the corner, stopping in his tracks when he saw the younger ghoul. "Phantom? What are you doing here? Are you okay? Where's Rain?"

Phantom coughed, trying and failing to stand on his own. He jerked away when Swiss darted forward to catch him. "I don't need your help, Swiss. Where's Mountain? I need to talk to him."

"What. . ?" Swiss took a hesitant step backwards, watching as Phantom's normally bright purple eyes dulled to a hateful violet. Oh. Rain had told him a little bit about Phantom's past, and it all came rushing back. Phantom had been concerned, trying to right the wrong he'd done, and Swiss had reacted out of anger. "Phantom I'm so sorry, I didn't know and—"