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He'd fallen down the stairs at the Clergy, and had broken his leg, and now he was stuck here, in the hospital. He'd had to get surgery, as he'd also cracked his hips, so they were keeping him for longer, which meant he'd be in the hospital for Christmas. His auntie had come and talked with him, told him that she was proud of him, but she and Psalterian had gone to visit other family—their other children—for Christmas. And his ghouls were on tour with V, which meant he was here, alone.
The nurses working today looked at him with pity as time wore down and nobody came. He'd spent last year alone as well, even though Sister Imperator and Nihil popped up occasionally in their ghost forms, he was still alone. Copia flicked through the television, getting more and more down as every program was something Christmasy. He finally settled on a movie channel playing the Titanic for the next 7 hours, taking a sip of the drink they'd given him. Leonardo DiCaprio was a great actor, at least, he thought so.
A knock on the door makes him look over, but it's just the nurse that's been helping him all day. She gives him a gentle, pitiful smile, placing a plate of food down. Christmas dinner, it seemed. He couldn't get away from it even if he tried, it seemed.
"I'll be back later to collect your plate. Merry Christmas." He just sighs, and nods as she leaves. He eats to the movie, letting her collect the plate when she comes back and help him to the toilet and back to his bed. "Just tap the button when your ready for your lights to go out." Copia nods again, checking the time. Almost ten, it seemed. He'd head to bed around 11, or maybe 12. Who knows. He starts up his laptop, going through emails. Just because he was hurt didn't mean work stopped.
It was almost 11:15 when he gets a knock on his door. The person doesn't come inside though, and Copia is a little worried he'd just gotten ding dog ditched in the hospital before they knock again. He lowers the volume of the Titanic movie, a little confused. He wasn't placed in the haunted room, was he? He wouldn't mind, but he did like sleeping through the night.
"Come in?" The door slams open, and someone comes in, holding a fully decorated Christmas tree in their arms. "Wh-hey! Hello?, I do not need—" He chokes up when he sees their face. "Mountain?" Mountain smiles at him, and suddenly he's swarmed by his other ghouls. "Guys!"
"Copia!!" Phantom purrs out, hugging him tightly. "We were so worried! We heard you got hurt!"
"Yeah! So we cut the tour short so we could come see you." Cirrus says, tail whipping back and forth.
"How did you even hurt yourself? I thought that shit was for old people and your like thirty." Dewdrop chirps from the end of the bed, and Copia rolls his eyes, pausing.
"Wait, if your all here, is—"
"I was the one who said we should cut the tour short." Phantom, Cirrus, and Rain cleared the front of the bed, and for the first time in a long time, Copia met his technically younger brother, V. He looked awkward, and shy. Copia felt a little bad for hating him. "Psalterian said I shouldn't worry about you, but.. Your the only thing I have left. And I'm the only thing you have left. So... I-i thought we could spend Christmas together." Copia smiles a little, feeling really bad for hating him.
"And you decided to end the tour? I... Thank you." Perpeuta nods awkwardly, clearing his throat.
"I heard Psalterian was out with family, so I brought you a present. And the ghouls got you some too, even Storm and Haze." He moved he bed up more until he's comfortably(and safely) sitting up, spotting the two ghouls that took Cumulus and Swiss' spot in the band. Storm was an air ghoul, who looked very shy, while Haze was a multi ghoul who seemed happy to be included.
"I.. I haven't gotten you anything." That was a lie. He had bought his brother something, but when Psalterian had made fun of him wanting to see his brother, and told him that V wouldn't be free till the next year, he'd been taking it down to return it. And then he'd broken his leg and cracked his hips by tripping and falling down the stairs. V tilts his head.
"Psalterian's wife said you did get me something."
"Our aunt." He corrected, blinking. "It.. I don't know where it went—"
"I have it Papa." Rain holds up a nicely wrapped box, and Copia knows he's been got. He takes it from the Ghoul, huffing and handing it over to Perpetua.
"I dont now if you'll like it, I got it last minute." He'd actually gotten it the moment he heard Perpetua was done with touring. He had spent alot of time to pick it out hoping that Perpetua liked it. "Open it." Perpetua pulls up a chair to the bed, while the ghouls make themselves comfortable around the two.
"I think I'll like anything from you. I don't know much about you, you know." Perpetua waves his hand, and Storm lumbers over with a gift, handing it over to Copia. "That one's from me to you."
"Oh! Thank you. You.. you didn't have to get me anything." He rips through he wrapping anyways, opening the box. Inside is what looks like a hand crafted Rat plush that looked alot like him. He gently picked it up, looking over at Perpetua, who was watching him.
"Do you like it?" He loved it.
"Y-yes. Its... He looks like me." Perpetua nods happily, ripping open his present from Copia.
"I thought it was better to have a hand crafted thing for you than something cheaply mass produced." Huh. Perpetua chuckles when he pulls out his present, one of the plushies that Copia had gotten custom made to look like him. "You made one for me! I was wondering when I'd have one."
"Its the very first one." Perpetua smiles.
"Perfect! I'm glad I get to have the first one." They both smile at each other before Dewdrop cuts in, waving a box.
"My turn for presents!" That devolves into quiet arguing (as while he didn't have anyone in the rooms to the right or left of them, they didn't want to be too loud), a bit of fighting, and another Christmas dinner (Copia wasn't allowed to say no). Copia lays against the bed, surrounded by the presents everyone got him. The rat plush was snuggled into his side—something he'd be keeping in his bed from now on. It was too cute.
"Thank you. For.. all of this." Copia says sleepily, the ghouls waiting outside as Perpetua said goodbye. They'd promised to visit tomorrow, so Copia'd didn't mind them leaving. "I.. thought I'd be alone this Christmas."
"Your my brother. We stick together." Perpetua gives him a smile. "I'll come back tomorrow. The doctors say you'll be out of the hospital before new years, and I won't be going back to touring until March of next year, so I'll have enough time to bond with you."
"Yeah. Your.... Different than I thought."
"You too." Perpetua gives him a gentle hug goodbye, and turns off the lights. "Goodnight Copia. See you tommorow." Copia closed his eyes as his brother left, slowly slipping into sleep. This was the best Christmas ever.