[ Escaping this nightmare is like climbing out of an abyss, where every ladder is made of ice and thorns and broken glass. It's all too easy to slip, to falter and fail and flay yourself apart. But this … this helps. It all helps, is helping. ]
[ Slowly, slowly, slowly, painfully slowly, Korone's wild thrashing winds down. The bite eases to nothing, leaving her mouth and chin stained with blood — whether hers alone, or Macaque's as well. The crying, the screaming, the heart-wrenching whimpers and broken pleas taper to uneasy, exhausted quiet. ]
[ It's a long while until she's anything close to settled, and even longer before her lashes flutter for the first time. Even then, she doesn't really seem to be awake ... Macaque may be able to hear the misfiring electrical signals somewhere deep inside, subtle on the surface and fortunately short-lived, or else sense it through Yuzuki, who trembles and wavers like a guttering flame. ]
[ The shadow clone almost vanishes completely, only to claw himself stubbornly back from the brink. He rasps, ]
I'm. G-Going to take front. For Choco. Wake up for her. Let her rest.
Macaque can feel Choco slowly easing into a less frenzied restlessness. he knows that she's not out of the woods yet, but it helps him to relax a little. He keeps holding on though, him and his clones.
The clones holding Yuzuki are left with empty arms as Yuzuki nearly vanishes. Macaque nods at his inclination to front for a while, give Choco a chance to be a little less jolted by the experience of waking up and finding herself not alone.
"Good idea. But one thing first--" His shadow rises up from the floor and unwinds the scarf it's wearing, the one Macaque rarely takes off. He wraps its silhouette around Yuzuki's neck, draping it loosely. "Take this. To ground you."
Things are slowly calming down. Though Choco isn't waiting up yet. Yuzuki will take the driver's seat, as it were. Let her actually rest in hopefully peaceful sleep. Good dreams or no dreams. Lucifer just hopes there are no more nightmares. He keeps the wind going and keeps his pressing firm. He watches as Macaque gives that scarf to Yuzuki.
It is no small gesture and he's sure Yuzuki will know that.
"We'll be out here for you too, when you take the front. We're not going anywhere. You got us here for you too."
[ Yuzuki's breath hitches sharply, and his glassy eyes widen in shock. He's wearing Dad's scarf. Dad ... Dad gave him -
He touches the scarf, shakily but so, so gently, as if it's a delicate treasure. Beyond priceless. Uncharacteristically lost for words, lips trembling and nose ever so slightly scrunched exactly like Korone when she's trying not to cry, Yuzuki nods. He swallows, blinks a couple of times, and nods again, then carefully tucks the scarf in closer, nice and snug. Perfect for hiding in. ]
[ And then, finally, he sinks back into the shadows, Shigeon following close on his heels. Korone sinks too, albeit metaphorically; she drifts down into heavy, molasses-y fuzz and restful oblivion. ]
[ Macaque and Lucifer will have a moment to themselves. It's going to take Yuzuki a few minutes to muddle his way up. ]
Lucifer watches that reaction and can't help but smile. He will be making Yuzuki his own cute little shadow duck. Complete with adorable scarf. Like the little bird friend he has. For now though, Yuzuki has a job to do and Lucifer knows he needs to look after his fiancé.
"Take your time, love," Lucifer says softly and spreads one of his wings to gently lay over Macaque's shoulders. Just soft down feathers there as his own personal reminder that Lucifer is here and not going anywhere.
Macaque gives up on having his eyes closed when it gets him a weird combination of blue static and nothingness. The last time he held Choco this tightly was in the jar.
He's shaking all over when Lucifer's wings find his shoulders.
"Don't leave," Macaque pleads with Lucifer despite that he knows it's unnecessary.
Lucifer makes a double to hold Choco's face as he slides over to wrap his arms around Macaque gently. He leans against him and nuzzles the back of Macaque's head with his nose.
"You are stuck with me. I will be there when you wake up like this. Here to hold you, sing to you, pet you, or simply sit with you in your line of sight so you know I am here. You lay beside me when I couldn't get out of bed. You held my hand, you sang, and you come to me the moment you hear me need you. I will forever to the same for you, Macaque."
Macaque leans down to nuzzle one of Lucifer's arms with his cheek. Then he nods. He knew that would be the answer.
"I'm so scared that you'll be gone again." Not something that Macaque would ordinarily admit, but he feels like if they're going to be married than they should share everything.
"I do not plan to leave you, love. And I will fight, nail and tooth, to always come back to you should we be separated," Lucifer keeps holding Macaque and nuzzling back.
He'll only be able to fight to be together again if he remembers that Macaque exists, he thinks bitterly. But there's nothing they can do about that. The same thing could happen to any of them.
"I know," is all he says instead. He leans against Lucifer without sacrificing his hold on his daughter.
"Love you too. I'm glad you're here right now. And always."
[ There's an exceptionally groggy, even more exceptionally wrecked mumble from your local pigeon, ]
Hm. Wow. Think 'm gonna throw up.
[ Your local shadow pigeon, because their blended voice is far more Yuzuki than Korone. When he finally succeeds in cracking his eyes open for all of 1.24 seconds, inky purple and gold are bleeding in to replace their heart's true blue. ]
[ ... Also, he's not joking. Like, yes, he is, but oh boy oh boy he absolutely is not, not even a little. ]
"Thanks, love." He'd deal with getting puked on but it wouldn't be fun. Sorry about more mushiness but it's gonna happen again, so best get used to it.
He glances over at Yuzuki's shadow (and his own since he's still holding on), seeing that it's wearing his scarf. Good.
[ Heaves a sigh that was supposed to sound Vaguely Aggrieved, and ends up embarrassingly close to 'sad wet cat in the rain'. It's wobbly. It's pathetic. Ugh.
Ughhh.
His shadow, which is his shape, flicks its tail. ... and then winds its tail around Lucifer's ankle ... ]
... "Want" is a strong word. [ Mumble-grumble. He breathes in, trying to steady himself. Swallows. ... Swallows again, grimacing, and makes a slightly alarmed sound despite himself ] - now, now's good.
The sound is so sad and wobbly. Lucifer can almost feel the ghostly sensation of a shadow touching his own and it translating to near touch. Like the whisper of a sensation. Toucifer will gently pet Yuzuki's hair and pull his hands away when the signal, though clearly reluctant, is given to let go.
"Well we can burrito you in hugs again when you want or need too. On demand. Just let us know. Alright?"
[ Yuzuki's heart rate jumps up a notch or six the moment their dad(s) pull away. Hard to say whether it's because of the loss of warmth and weight or the impressive, violent twisty-turny roiling churning somersaults their stomach is doing - ]
[ Speaking of which. ]
[ The moment he can move, he scrambles inelegantly for the bucket without wasting a single second to take off the mittens, and proceeds to throw up for what feels like a lifetime. It's painful and gross and beyond miserable, and the blood coming back up is ... so fun. So fun. ]
[ He'll be with you in. Like. Ten minutes or so. Fifteen. ]
Poor poor Yuzuki. Lucifer makes sure to help hold back his hair with one hand after bunching it up, and rubs his back with the other.
"It's okay. Let it out. It's a big bucket. You're going to be okay," Lucifer tries to just be soft as Yuzuki goes through this for however many minutes it lasts. If needed, a second bucket will be summoned. And a glass of ice water and a bendy straw. And mouthwash. Because...yeah.
Before Lucifer can touch Yuzuki's hair or back, Macaque grabs both of Lucifer's wrists as gently as he can. The one that was aiming for Yuzuki's hair Macaque keeps in his grip and shakes his head, no don't touch there, it would be a disaster. With Yuzuki bending over, Lucifer might spot the abundant scars on the back of their neck. The one that was aiming for Yuzuki's back, Macaque reroutes so it's below their wings and then releases it. It would be a terrible time to shock them with touches in bad places.
Macaque lets go of Lucifer's other wrist, confident that he's gotten the message.
"We're here for whatever you need. Take your time. And thanks for doing that not on me."
[ It's appreciated. All of it. Very much so. Yuzuki's shadow keeps its tail wrapped around Lucifer's shadow's ankle, and it reaches for one of Macaque's hands, too. The rest of him is a li'l busy to do or say anything else for a good long while — though he does make a funny hiccup-snort sound of amusement when Macaque thanks him.
Twenty minutes and another bucket later, Yuzuki mumbles, ]
… Favor. [ He doesn't lift his head or look at either of them. ] Need y'to look at m'back.
Lucifer stops the moment those hands grab his wrists. He nods at the silent instructions. His eyes do dart from the shadows to the hair as a silent question on if shadows could hold back the hair. But his hand rubs the spot designated as safe.
"Your back? Alright. For the shirt, Macaque? Can you use shadows to remove it so we don't cause any further overstimulation?"
Macaque shrugs at the suggestion of shadows in his hair, he might freak if he's not ready for it. Better to just use them to get his hair clear of gunk when he's ready.
"No problem." He makes some deep shadows to cover up their body as much as possible (he might think modesty is dumb but at least Choco doesn't) and uses more shadows to get the shirt pulled up in the back. He assumes that they'll see what they're looking for fairly quickly.
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[ Slowly, slowly, slowly, painfully slowly, Korone's wild thrashing winds down. The bite eases to nothing, leaving her mouth and chin stained with blood — whether hers alone, or Macaque's as well. The crying, the screaming, the heart-wrenching whimpers and broken pleas taper to uneasy, exhausted quiet. ]
[ It's a long while until she's anything close to settled, and even longer before her lashes flutter for the first time. Even then, she doesn't really seem to be awake ... Macaque may be able to hear the misfiring electrical signals somewhere deep inside, subtle on the surface and fortunately short-lived, or else sense it through Yuzuki, who trembles and wavers like a guttering flame. ]
[ The shadow clone almost vanishes completely, only to claw himself stubbornly back from the brink. He rasps, ]
I'm. G-Going to take front. For Choco. Wake up for her. Let her rest.
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The clones holding Yuzuki are left with empty arms as Yuzuki nearly vanishes. Macaque nods at his inclination to front for a while, give Choco a chance to be a little less jolted by the experience of waking up and finding herself not alone.
"Good idea. But one thing first--" His shadow rises up from the floor and unwinds the scarf it's wearing, the one Macaque rarely takes off. He wraps its silhouette around Yuzuki's neck, draping it loosely. "Take this. To ground you."
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It is no small gesture and he's sure Yuzuki will know that.
"We'll be out here for you too, when you take the front. We're not going anywhere. You got us here for you too."
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He touches the scarf, shakily but so, so gently, as if it's a delicate treasure. Beyond priceless. Uncharacteristically lost for words, lips trembling and nose ever so slightly scrunched exactly like Korone when she's trying not to cry, Yuzuki nods. He swallows, blinks a couple of times, and nods again, then carefully tucks the scarf in closer, nice and snug. Perfect for hiding in. ]
[ And then, finally, he sinks back into the shadows, Shigeon following close on his heels. Korone sinks too, albeit metaphorically; she drifts down into heavy, molasses-y fuzz and restful oblivion. ]
[ Macaque and Lucifer will have a moment to themselves. It's going to take Yuzuki a few minutes to muddle his way up. ]
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He keeps holding tight with his limbs and tail, refusing to let go. Yuzuki might need it as he wakes.
Shutting his eyes tight, Macaque speaks to his mate in a low, pinched voice:
"Lucifer--" He needs a minute of comfort himself, after seeing them like this. Just one minute and then he can go on.
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"Take your time, love," Lucifer says softly and spreads one of his wings to gently lay over Macaque's shoulders. Just soft down feathers there as his own personal reminder that Lucifer is here and not going anywhere.
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He's shaking all over when Lucifer's wings find his shoulders.
"Don't leave," Macaque pleads with Lucifer despite that he knows it's unnecessary.
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"I am not going to leave. You're stuck with me, love."
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"You are stuck with me. I will be there when you wake up like this. Here to hold you, sing to you, pet you, or simply sit with you in your line of sight so you know I am here. You lay beside me when I couldn't get out of bed. You held my hand, you sang, and you come to me the moment you hear me need you. I will forever to the same for you, Macaque."
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"I'm so scared that you'll be gone again." Not something that Macaque would ordinarily admit, but he feels like if they're going to be married than they should share everything.
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"I love you."
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"I know," is all he says instead. He leans against Lucifer without sacrificing his hold on his daughter.
"Love you too. I'm glad you're here right now. And always."
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Hm. Wow. Think 'm gonna throw up.
[ Your local shadow pigeon, because their blended voice is far more Yuzuki than Korone. When he finally succeeds in cracking his eyes open for all of 1.24 seconds, inky purple and gold are bleeding in to replace their heart's true blue. ]
[ ... Also, he's not joking. Like, yes, he is, but oh boy oh boy he absolutely is not, not even a little. ]
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"Do you mean that legitimately because we can get you a bucket," Lucifer snaps and poof. Puke bucket appears.
"Or you're going to have to learn to live with us being so cute like this all the time. I'm sorry that I am not sorry, as the young folk say."
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He glances over at Yuzuki's shadow (and his own since he's still holding on), seeing that it's wearing his scarf. Good.
"Let me know when you want me to let go."
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Ughhh.
His shadow, which is his shape, flicks its tail. ... and then winds its tail around Lucifer's ankle ... ]
... "Want" is a strong word. [ Mumble-grumble. He breathes in, trying to steady himself. Swallows. ... Swallows again, grimacing, and makes a slightly alarmed sound despite himself ] - now, now's good.
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"Well we can burrito you in hugs again when you want or need too. On demand. Just let us know. Alright?"
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"I'm right here if you need anything. Consider me a weighted blanket on demand."
He has time to smile over at the tail wound around Lucifer's shadow before he and all his clone hands release Yuzuki.
"There you go."
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[ Speaking of which. ]
[ The moment he can move, he scrambles inelegantly for the bucket without wasting a single second to take off the mittens, and proceeds to throw up for what feels like a lifetime. It's painful and gross and beyond miserable, and the blood coming back up is ... so fun. So fun. ]
[ He'll be with you in. Like. Ten minutes or so. Fifteen. ]
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"It's okay. Let it out. It's a big bucket. You're going to be okay," Lucifer tries to just be soft as Yuzuki goes through this for however many minutes it lasts. If needed, a second bucket will be summoned. And a glass of ice water and a bendy straw. And mouthwash. Because...yeah.
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Macaque lets go of Lucifer's other wrist, confident that he's gotten the message.
"We're here for whatever you need. Take your time. And thanks for doing that not on me."
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Twenty minutes and another bucket later, Yuzuki mumbles, ]
… Favor. [ He doesn't lift his head or look at either of them. ] Need y'to look at m'back.
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"Your back? Alright. For the shirt, Macaque? Can you use shadows to remove it so we don't cause any further overstimulation?"
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"No problem." He makes some deep shadows to cover up their body as much as possible (he might think modesty is dumb but at least Choco doesn't) and uses more shadows to get the shirt pulled up in the back. He assumes that they'll see what they're looking for fairly quickly.
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