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clean-bands-dirty-stories · 4 years

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Shirtsleeves ~ Enoch O'Connor (part 2)(final)

A/n: @nektotersh here's the last part! Hope you so enjoy

Word Count: 3200+

Masterlist

Y/n kind of expected things to get weird again after he and Enoch fell asleep outside together and woke up cuddling. But they didn't. Instead, Enoch seemed to hover around him more. He was more talkative and easily distracted by Y/n, even if he was trying to focus on something that had always easily held his attention, like his dolls.

Enoch would be mid-insertion when he'd spot Y/n staring at him, watching with fascination. He would stop altogether and just stare at Y/n. Y/n would look up eventually and blush. "Sorry, am I bothering you with my staring?"

"No," Enoch would reassure. Then he'd go back to the doll without further explanation, but it seemed he was fighting off a smile for... some reason.

It was weird and new and... kind of wonderful. On top of the sudden change in how Enoch treated Y/n, he also began to show up more and more into Y/n's room and in the morning they'd wake up cuddling or at least with Enoch's face pressed into the side of Y/n's arm. It was then Enoch began to steal Y/n's shirts that Y/n started to not be able to handle it anymore.

One day Enoch just came to breakfast in one of the shirts Jake had gotten Y/n during his quest to return to them. When he sat down next to Y/n and smiled at him, Y/n nearly choked. His face was so red it looked like he was about to explode, and his mouth kept moving but noise refused to come out. Any noise at all. He just looked at his food for a second before he felt eyes on him and he looked up to see Bronwyn and Emma smirking at him. Y/n ducked his head and began shoveling food as fast as he could, booking it the second his plate was clean. He grabbed his plate once he was done and raced to the kitchen to clean it off and then outside o catch some air- he was in such a rush he forgot to ask to be excused, but Miss Peregrine hadn't seemed to even think about stopping him.

What was going on?!

He felt trapped again like he had in those spaces of darkness, trying to get to Miss Peregrine's Loop before he died. Racing against time and becoming more and more reckless and praying that he was lucky enough to get away with it. But now he felt trapped not by shadows and walls that locked him in his bad decisions - even if they payed off in the end - but by his emotions. His stupid heart which yearned and twisted and begged and demanded. This felt like so much more than friendship. It almost felt like Enoch was... flirting.

But that was impossible! Enoch had made it very clear that he didn't feel that way about Y/n. Or, at least, that flirting had made him uncomfortable. Maybe... I mean was it possible that Enoch had stopped him not because he wasn't interested, but because he was interested and didn't know how to handle it? The fact that he, a guy, liked and wanted to be with another guy, when he grew up in a time where that was not in any way okay?

Oh god he was doing it again.

Enoch didn't feel that way about him. He needed to get over these emotions or they were going to actually destroy him. Pain like the kind heart break wracked on someone so young and impressionable was not worth it. Worth the split second moments of happiness when he almost had what he so wanted just within his grasp, but could never act on it or grasp it firmly because if he did then Enoch would shake him out of his fantasy, and then hurt like no other would be all he was left with. He had spent far too long ruining friendships with his feelings to do it again with Enoch. The only best friend he had ever had.

No, there HAD to be an explanation for this. Y/n could not get his heart broken again. He couldn't lose Enoch's friendship. It wasn't an option. So instead of jumping to conclusions that would lead to delusions and ruin everything, Y/n had to figure out why Enoch was actually doing this?

Maybe this was how Enoch expressed friendship. He'd been closed up in the past, only now really opening up and relaxing. Sine becoming friends with Y/n, Enoch had gotten better and better at being social and all around pleasant to be around, even if he still was quiet and reserved and Y/n had to give him warning looks when he went to do something that wasn't ideal. Like messing with Victor. Or Jake. The harmless, safe pranks had helped him blow off steam without scarring the other children and getting into real trouble. Everyone had appreciated them, even if it meant they usually ended up messy before the sun had even begun to go down. Enoch and Y/n had never really had really close friends before, and both of them were really bad with people. Maybe this is what Enoch did when all his guard was down. I mean, Y/n's bed was a little bigger and Enoch seemed to take comfort in being around him, even if he liked to be alone when it came to the others. And his t-shirts were more comfortable than the clothes Enoch was used to wearing. More breathable and easier to put on. Maybe Enoch had seen Jake and Y/n "sharing" shirts since some of them were the same and they were all from the same places, and had assumed that was another thing friends did. Share shirts. You know what that actually made sense. If Jake and Y/n did it, why couldn't Enoch? He'd never been one to ask permission after all. Maybe he hadn't thought about the message it would accidentally send.

Just friends. They were just friends.

"You okay?" Y/n turned around to the sound of Enoch's voice. At first Y/n had only been fixated on the fact that Enoch was wearing his shirt. He had not, until now, realized how very good Enoch looked in it.

The boy swallowed, trying to keep himself under control. "Yeah." His voice sounded steady enough, even as he had to wet his lips to keep his mouth from going totally dry. "Sorry I had a kind of rough night," he lied. "Needed some fresh air."

Enoch nodded slowly. "Have I done anything to... bother you?"

"Bother me? How could you ever do that now?" Y/n chuckled, brushing it off. "No Enoch you didn't bother me at all. You don't, ever." He didn't want to lose Enoch to his emotions. He didn't want Enoch to withdraw and close up again. He was happy that Enoch finally felt comfortable enough to be acting like this. Taking liberties. He had smiled at breakfast. Enoch NEVER smiled around the others. This was really great! He was happy. Y/n should be too.

"Okay." Enoch's voice was soft. He seemed unsure. Hesitant.

Y/n rose an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" His question was a soft prodding. Concerned.

Enoch scoffed in amusement. "I'm always okay."

It was then that Y/n realized just how different Enoch was from when they first met. His hair was a little messier. His shoulders were relaxed. He seemed more shy than that he hated being around other people. Nervous, instead of irritated. It was adorable. Stop it, he chided himself. "So, what do you wanna do today? The usual?"

Enoch seemed to think for a second. "Yeah," he finally settled on. "Come on, we've got a lot to do." He seemed to pause only a second in hesitation before he looped his arm around Y/n's shoulders. Despite being just a little younger, Enoch was tall enough to pull it off without any issue. When was the last time Enoch had even touched Y/n, let alone like this?

It wasn't until much later that day that something occurred to Y/n to make sense of it all.

"You're acting like Jake."

Enoch almost stabbed himself before putting his tools down, looking like he was a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar as his eyes met Y/n’s. “What do you mean?"

"I was trying to figure out why you've been acting so odd. I mean don't get me wrong I don't mind you sleeping with me or taking my shirts, but you're also touchier and you smile more and it just felt very not-you." Y/n tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you acting like Jake?"

There was a second of silence as Enoch swallowed, trying to collect his courage. He'd looked at Jake and saw how everyone liked him. How even in the short few days he'd been there, he'd been able to get Emma to like him despite her hate of relationships after Abe had left them. Jake, who had won over each and every person at the house and had saved them all. He'd thought if he was more like Jake, Y/n would maybe like Enoch like Emma liked Jake. "He's... cool." Enoch shrugged, trying not to choke on the words. There was nothing he hated more than complimenting Jake. This was getting ridiculous.

Y/n looked like Enoch had slapped him. "Enoch what the fuck?" It was the first time Y/n had ever cussed and it made Enoch's eyes go wide. "What is going on with you?" He grabbed Enoch's face, forcing the younger boy to look at him. "You know that you are amazing, right? Just you. You, Enoch O'Connor. YOU are my best friend. YOU are the one who found me and has since learned how to battle my power. You're the one who wakes up at all hours to comfort me when I'm struggling, or who has my back when people press on matters I don't wanna go into. Not Jake. You're enough for me, Enoch. You know that don't you?"

Enoch was knocked breathless. Y/n's expression was intense and insistent, driving home how honest and sincere his words were. Enoch felt them in his core. "Why do you like me? I mean... everyone else hates me. Why don't you?"

Y/n smiled. "You chose me first Enoch. I just chose you back."

Maybe it was the way Y/n was looking at him. Enoch wanted to blame what he did on the feeling of Y/n's hands against his skin. Or maybe that stupid smell that always hovered around Y/n, soothing and familiar and nice. Maybe it was the way that Y/n knew Enoch so well that he had called Enoch out on acting like someone else immediately. Maybe it was that Y/n hated seeing someone else in Enoch's face. That Y/n liked ENOCH, just Enoch, as himself. Maybe it was the pile up of everything that had happened since that very first time they'd met when Enoch had been struck by how pretty Y/n was and how much he wanted to be around the older boy who's rare smile was more beautiful than anything else. Maybe it was how close they were or how warm he felt or the soft feeling of Y/n's shirt that he wore.

Maybe it was just that he was in love with Y/n.

Whatever it was, Enoch leaned forward, pressing his lips to Y/n's very quickly and kind of awkwardly. He didn't know what he was doing and panicked directly after the millisecond moment had passed. But Y/n was pulling him back before he could go too far and kissing him back. Enoch's head spun and he felt his body lock up.

Y/n leaned back, eyes shut tight. "Wh- you- I'm sorry."

Enoch panicked even more. "No! I kissed you first, I should be the one apologizing."

Y/n ran his hands through his hair and Enoch realized they weren't on his face anymore. His skin felt suddenly cold. "Wh-why did you kiss me?"

"I... don't know." Enoch stepped forward and Y/n stepped back again. Enoch frowned. "Did you... not want me to?"

"Yes," Y/n grunted. "God I wanted you to so much." Y/n rubbed his eyes as Enoch stood there, stunned. Opening his eyes, Y/n looked at Enoch with terror. "Do you like me?"

Taking a second to order his thoughts and swallow the lump in his throat, Enoch was quiet at first. Then he nodded, slowly. "I do. Is that bad? Do you not want me to?"

Y/n looked ready to throw up. "Don't get me wrong, I like you too, I just... I spent my entire life waiting for someone to look at me like you're looking at me right now." Enoch tried to collect himself. He found that the walls he'd so easily hid himself in before had come down for Y/n and he felt exposed. Like he was naked in front of a crowd of strangers. He wasn't sure what to even do from here. "I got rejected... so many times. Got approached by girl after girl and I had to come up with some reason that made sense as to why I didn't want them like that, even when we were really chill with each other. Without telling them that I'm... I'm..." Y/n swallowed. "Gay." His face set and a weight seemed to lift off of him. "I've never said it out loud before."

Enoch gave a small smile. "Honestly, when you first told us that you liked guys I didn't know what to think." Y/n looked at him with wide eyes and he found himself just going off. Once he began he couldn't stop and it all came out at hyper speed. "When I first saw you, I felt... different. Different than I felt with anyone else. I used to have friends in my old town, before I came here. Before I started exploring my talent as you call it." Y/n gave a short laugh and Enoch almost smiled, if he hadn't been too nervous to do so. "I mean, it's been ages but I know generally how friendship works. I think. But you, you changed everything. I remembered thinking you were a girl with short hair at first. Your face was dirty but your eyes were wide and bright and beautiful. I remember feeling breathless and drawn to you. Then you talked and I pushed it all out of my head because you were a boy and boys couldn't be attracted to boys. I'd just thought you were a girl. Obviously." Enoch shook his head. "But then you said... and it didn't go away. It just got worse and worse until I felt like... addicted to you, I don't know." He shifted, obviously awkward about sharing his feelings so plainly.

"I know what you mean." Y/n rubbed the back of his neck. "You know they're never going to let this down if we tell them, right?"

Enoch actually laughed. "They've been telling us for, what, three years now?"

Y/n shrugged. "Something like that." He smiled and Enoch felt warmth bloom in his chest. That smile wavered as Y/n got visibly nervous. "What... what now? I mean, are we...? Are you...?" He blushed furiously, struggling to find the words he wanted to say but had told himself since childhood he would always be denied.

Wringing his wrists, Enoch shrugged. His eyes trained on his feet, suddenly very interested in the grass. "I dont know how to... do this. Not even with a girl, let alone another guy."

Thinking, Y/n went quiet. Enoch finally looked up at the older boy before Y/n spoke again. "What if we just tried things? One thing at a time? I mean, we're already comfortable enough to slip into each other's rooms and you're already stealing my shirts." Y/n smirked and Enoch tugged on the bottom of the shirt he was wearing, blushing almost as much as Y/n had. "Maybe we could..." Y/n shrugged, moving closer. Enoch thought Y/n was going to kiss him again until the older boy reached down, taking Enoch's hand before interlacing their fingers. "Is this okay?"

Y/n's hand was warm just like the rest of him. It was soft too. "That's okay." He spoke quietly, staring at their hands in awe.

Brushing his thumb across Enoch's knuckles, Y/n continued, "And this?"

"That's fine too," Enoch confirmed.

Slowly, Y/n brought the back of Enoch's hand to Y/n's lips. "And that?" Enoch could feel Y/n's lips moving against his skin and it made his stomach twist.

Swallowing again, Enoch tried to collect himself. "I like that."

Y/n grinned. "Okay then. If we want to do something new, make sure the other person is okay with it and then if we're both okay with it, we can add it to the list of things we do."

"That's what boyfriends do?" Y/n's eyes widened a little and Enoch felt his breath stop for just a second. "I-is that okay?" He cleared his throat. "If I call you that?"

A smile slowly grew on Y/n's face. "Yeah. That's okay with me."

For a while, Y/n and Enoch thought that they'd gotten away with keeping their relationship a secret. The girls didn't bother them and even Jake seemed oblivious of it. They started to get bolder, with Enoch resting his head on Y/n's shoulder in front of the others or stealing longer looks at each other when they thought no one else was looking. They sat closer together and Enoch's arm made a home across Y/n's shoulders.

Finally Emma had had enough. "Just because you guys are dating doesn't mean you need to stare at each other that long in front of the rest of us."

Both boys looked away with flaming faces as Claire and Olive cracked up into fits of giggles. Horace rolled his eyes. "Just because you weren't there to witness how affectionate you and Jake were until you got used to each other doesn't mean the rest of us didn't have to deal with it. You have no room to talk." More laughter, this time with Fiona and Bronwyn joining in.

Jake leaned over and kissed Emma's cheek, setting her face matching Enoch and Y/n's. "She hasn't quite gotten used to me yet." He was smirking and Emma shoved him, toppling him over, sending Millard and Hugh laughing as well. Miss Peregrine grinned from the doorway, watching her kids all having a good time.

They deserved it after all they've been through.

No reason to tell Y/n and Enoch that the only reason the others had left the two boys alone was because the second they'd finally gotten together she had taken aside all the other kids and made sure they'd leave the boys alone to figure things out before they got pushed. They both needed time to adjust and find comfort in the relationship before getting called out fully. It was better they thought that they weren’t just obvious... It's not like they weren't.

#enoch oconnor #miss peregrines home for peculiar children #mphfpc x reader #mphfpc imagine #enoch oconnor x reader #enoch oconnor imagine #miss peregrines home for peculiar children x reader #male reader #miss peregrines home for pecuiar children imagine

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