redamancy ❣︎ ghost fics & drabbles

swiss shaves copia's face

copia & swiss

bittersweet drabble

!! shaving, talk of shaving tools and instruments, lack of proper capitalization because this was supposed to be a short drabble and i got carried away

copia is getting older. it's no secret. he gets tired easier, has to take more frequent breaks during practice, has to pretend like he's still a young cardinal on stage, all while the lines in his features get more pronounced, more worn with time and his muscles begin to ache. swiss sees it, everybody sees it, but swiss isn't going to sit around and act like it doesn't bother him.

it's not uncommon for the multi-ghoul to sneak into the papal wing just as the sun has begun to descend over the lake, enter his papa's bedroom, and find him in the bathroom scrubbing at the blur of black and white and gray paint on his weathered features. copia used to wave him away. he used to shrug off swiss' kind hands, refusing to accept the little bit of help in fear of being seen as the old man he feels like on the outside. now, when swiss slips into the bathroom and closes the door softly behind him, copia moves wordlessly to the upholstered chair in the corner of the massive room and sits, waits for the ghoul to take over.

he'll begin by wiping his skin clear of smudged paint with a warm rag, then he'll move on to combing through that fragile, graying hair until it's smooth and pushed back off of his face, secured in place with a bit of oil. finally, he'll fill a small bowl with water and retrieve the old-fashioned shaving kit from the medicine cabinet and return to his papa. if anyone were to see them in this moment they would likely frown as swiss carefully clambers over his papa's lap and sits squarely on his thighs. he's welcomed with warm hands that touch and squeeze at warmer skin. there was a point in time when swiss used to stand for this part, but it only took a few visits to tighten and pull at the muscles of his back as he hunched over, and copia was more than willing to pull him in by his hips until he got the message. now, it's become their normal. copia appreciates the lap-full of ghoul, and swiss appreciates the closeness. 

the bowl swiss brought with him sits perched on the edge of the porcelain tub, small waves of water lap at the sides before settling down to form a calm surface to rinse the brush off in. copia rests his hands atop strong thighs. he squeezes lightly at hard muscle before running the palms of his hands up and down and up dark gray skin, the tips of his fingers dipping barely under the hem of his cotton shorts as swiss lathers up the brush with shaving cream and begins to apply it to his jaw and neck in neat, circular motions.

they go through the steps, not a word spoken between them, and swiss begins to shave his papa's face with careful practice and an uncharacteristic gentleness only reserved for these quiet moments. while swiss performs careful work, copia stares sideways out of the tiny window. it's too dark to see anything through the stained glass, but they leave it at that-pretend the obvious doesn't exist. swiss understands even if copia doesn't. at least not fully. the moisture that licks at his waterline is worth novels more than the words that could slip from his tongue. 

it's an intimate and special moment they share. one of trust and love and devotion while the massive ghoul cursed with eternal life cares for his very mortal papa. and when swiss is done, and his papa is clean of that salt and pepper stubble, he gets up to retrieve the final steps of moisturizer and expensive aftershave, and takes ample time than needed to moisturize sensitive skin. he applies the aftershave with clean hands and light, tender touches. and finally, when copia is all clean and freshly shaven, swiss will tilt his face up by the back of his neck and lean down to place a lingering kiss to the side of his temple. there's always tears when he leaves, and never words. there don't have to be words. here, the actions of gentle hands are louder than anything that could possibly be said. and although his papa in these moments feels very, very human, he also feels very, very loved.