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Dewdrop hadn’t meant to sit down.
One moment he’d been standing in the hallway, noise all echo-y in his head - voices, footsteps, the low thrum of the Ministry - and the next his knees just… plopped. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold floor, back pressed tight to the stone.
Everything felt too much.
His gloves felt funny. His mask squished his face. The lights overhead buzzed in a way he couldn’t make go away. He curled up, elbows on his knees, hands twisting in his sleeves like he didn’t know what to do with them.
He tried to breathe.
It didn’t help.
His thoughts started to wobble, edges blurring, sharp frustration melting into something tiny and shaky. He rocked a little without meaning to, slow and uneven. He hated this part—the way he felt like he was shrinking when he didn’t wanna.
“Stop… get it togethers,” he whispered, voice tiny and squeaky.
Footsteps came closer, then slowed.
Frater Imperator stopped a little ways off. He didn’t say anything at first. He didn’t loom. He just stood there, quiet and soft, until Dewdrop noticed and stiffened.
“I’m… f-fine,” Dewdrop squeaked, too fast. “J-just… tired.”
Frater Imperator crouched down so he wasn’t so tall, bringing himself to eye-level. “You look… overwhelmed,” he said soft-soft.
Dewdrop shook his head, hair falling into his face. “I shouldn’t be. I can handle it…”
Frater Imperator watched for a long while, taking in Dewdrop’s tiny hands, the rocking, the eyes glued to the floor.
“Come w-with me,” he said at last, voice gentle. “We’re gonna make somethin’.”
Dewdrop blinked. “M-make… wha…?”
“A room,” Frater Imperator said softly. “One that’s quiet-quieter than here.”
Dewdrop hesitated, then slowly got to his feet. He stayed close as they walked, tiny fingers brushing the wall for comfort.
They stopped in a space—empty stone, forgotten, bare. Frater Imperator looked around, thinking.
“This’ll do,” he said.
Over the next while, Dewdrop sat on the floor and watched, little breaths soft in the quiet.
Frater Imperator dimmed the lights till they glowed soft and sleepy. Blankets—thick and warm—appeared in a basket. Pillows piled in a cozy heap. A low table, simple and safe, was set.
Later, Frater came back with little treasures: smooth stones, squishy putty, soft fabric bits, coloring pages, and fat crayons. He set them down carefully, like he was tucking them in.
“This room,” he said softly, “is for any ghoul who feels all squishy and too-full inside. Just like you now.”
Dewdrop hugged his knees to his chest. “I… I’m not… breaking anything?”
“Nope,” Frater Imperator said, gentle-gentle. “You’re listening to what your body needs, lil’ one.”
Dewdrop reached for a blanket with tiny fingers, then pulled it into his lap and wrapped it around himself. He curled smaller, softer, safer.
The room felt… different. Quiet. Soft. Like it was giving him a hug back.
Frater Imperator watched for a heartbeat, then smiled. “I’ll leave you to it for now, sweetling. Stay as long as you like.”
When the door clicked closed, Dewdrop was alone—but not lonely.
He tucked his chin into the blanket and breathed.
For the first time all day, the world felt… soft.
Dewdrop stayed longer than he thought he would. He traced the blankets with his fingers, let his tiny body melt against the pillows, and slowly, slowly, the hallway echoes and Ministry hums faded into a soft purr inside his chest.
He noticed the table with crayons and coloring pages. At first, he poked them nervously. “I… I shouldn’t…” he whispered. But the colors called to him. He picked up a green crayon, drawing a wobbly spiral. Then another. A few dots. Each scribble felt like leaving a little bit of him safe here.
“Good lil’ one,” Frater Imperator said softly from the doorway. Dewdrop jumped - then saw the door was just cracked open. “You can use all this. It’s yours… and for anyone who feels too squishy or tired. But right now? It’s just for you.”
Dewdrop’s ears turned pink. “I… I didn’t wanna… take up space…”
Frater Imperator crouched again, careful not to loom. “You’re not taking up space, snugglebug. This room is here because you need it. Because you’re precious. Every little stone, every blanket, every crooked star—it’s all okay.”
Dewdrop hugged the blanket tighter, sliding the crayons across the table, stacking a few pages, arranging stones. His tiny heart tickled with pride—it wasn’t claiming, it was… being allowed to exist without hiding.
“I… I like it here,” he murmured.
Frater Imperator smiled. “Then keep making it yours, tiny one.”
Dewdrop’s little hands rearranged pillows into a nest, tucked blankets around, lined up stones like tiny guards, and even stacked coloring pages in a neat-but-crooked little pile. Each movement made him feel braver inside, even though he was curled small.
“And when I’m all tiny and scared?” he whispered to himself.
“This room is yours,” Frater Imperator had said. “You are allowed. You are safe. You are loved.”
Dewdrop reached for another crayon, scribbled a happy swirl on a page, and hummed softly. Tiny, careful movements. Tiny purrs escaping his throat.
The guilt began to fade. Comfort seeped in. And for the first time in a long while, Dewdrop felt he truly belonged somewhere.
Dewdrop had just finished taping another crooked star to the wall when he heard the soft creak of the door.
He froze, hugging his blanket nest tighter.
“Aethie?” he squeaked.
The figure in the doorway stepped lightly into the warm glow. Calm, soft, like a slow tide. Aether crouched down near him, careful not to scare him.
“Hi, lil’ one,” Aether said softly. “May I come in?”
Dewdrop nodded, curling tighter. Fingers fiddled with a smooth stone as he watched Aether settle nearby.
“You’ve made this room so nice,” Aether murmured, eyes flicking to the crooked stars, the stones, the nest. “I can see why you like it so much.”
Dewdrop purred - a tiny, happy little sound. “I… I like it,” he whispered. “It’s… safe.”
Aether’s hand moved slowly toward him. Dewdrop leaned in, pressing into it. Purrs tumbled out, tiny vibrations running through him.
“You don’t have to be small alone,” Aether said. “You can let someone be here with you.”
Dewdrop snuggled closer, curling fully into Aether’s arm. Head tucked, little body relaxed. Every exhale calm. Every purr a soft drum of relief.
“You’re safe,” Aether murmured, chin on his head. “You don’t have to pretend. You don’t have to fix anything. You can just… be you.”
Dewdrop’s tiny fingers tangled in the blanket. He let himself melt. Purrs soft and warm, tears pricking his eyes from relief, not sadness.
“I’m glad you came,” he whispered, voice tiny, baby-like.
“I’m always here, lil’ one,” Aether promised. “Whenever you need me.”
And there, in the quiet, cozy, crooked-starred room, Dewdrop purred fully, letting all the comfort fill him.