#gummunity fics

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Agere Fic - Hold My Hands and Kiss Them Better

Characters: Little!Julie Joyful, Flip!Frank Frankly, CG!Eddie Dear

Setting: Frank’s Home (living room, front entrance), Eddie’s Post Office (front desk)

Premise: Frank is having trouble taking care of Julie, and is starting to slip into littlespace. Soon, Julie notices, and decides to take matters into her own hands… by calling a friend to help.

Author’s Note: I saw a prompt similar to this premise and I got so excited I just had to write something gigkkgkg

Also Julie and Frank friend moment!!!

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Frank and Julie have always been best friends, and they were always there for each other. With any issue came a helping hand, every bruise came a bandage, and every tear came a welcoming hug. So, naturally, when one had asked the other if they could help care for them when they weren’t small, the other would make sure they were ok.

That was the case for today.

Julie had been wanting to go small with Frank for a while, but had not have the chance to do so. Either he was busy studying a new species of butterfly he had discovered, or he was stuffing his nose in his books. However, that would be different for today, as Frank had - albeit hesitantly - agreed to take care of her. She was ecstatic! Finally a day where she could be taken care of by her best friend.

Little did she know that he was feeling small himself.

It was quite the stormy afternoon for the two, where they had sheltered in Frank’s home to keep from getting soaked in the cold rain.

Frank had always hated the rain, with how intense the rain would fall every now and then, and how windy it would get, and how loud that darn thunder was. It was a stressful and intense time whenever it happened. It didn’t help that he was teetering between headspace during that as well, let alone taking care of someone who was already small.

“Woahhh, ta’ rain so loud!”, Julie exclaimed, her hands and face pressed on the living room window. She had been dressed up in a comfy blue nightgown and some matching slippers, and was holding onto a brown teddy plushy in her right arm. She turned and scampered to her grumpy caretaker, who was slumped on the couch fidgeting with his hands and reading a book. She sat down and leaned onto his shoulder, gazing at the book he had been reading.

“Whatcha’ reading ‘bout, baba?”, she asked, leaning towards the book more to read the words more carefully. Frank hurriedly moved the book away from her grasp, his arms and shoulders tensing as he did.

“AH- Well…,” He started, shakily, but trying to hide his discomfort, “it’s about bugs, dear. I study them all the time, don’t you know?” She smiled widely, her gaze fixated on the book, before holding out her hand towards it.

“Can I read it, bubba? I promise I’ll be careful!”, she requested, starting to climb over his lap towards the book, to his shock. He quickly pryed himself from the couch, making sure not to let her get his precious novel.

“Whu- hey! You can’t touch that, quit!”, he yelled, stepping back and holding the novel to his chest. Julie pouted, irritated.

“D’aww, buh why not? I wanna see what it’s about!” She insisted, stepping towards him and gripping her teddy to her chest. This only caused the frazzled friend to step back farther.

Frank scolded, “Julie, young lady, you cannot take things that don’t belong to you, that is very naughty. Do you know that?” He gripped the book tightly to his chest, his throat beginning to close up.

No… no, no, no, he can’t be getting upset now. He needed to be strong. But Julie’s so close to him, and the thunder and rain outside is so loud… everything is so much.

Too much.

“But I wanna read the story!”, she protested, stomping her foot, “why won’t you read it tuh me! Yer no fun!” God, she was so stubborn.

Too much.

Frank huffed shakily, his hands beginning to tremble.

“Young lady, demanding is not a nice thing to do. You are being very rude right now, and you need to watch your mouth, alright Julie?”

Too much.

“But what do I dooooo?”, she whined, “there’s nothing to do with all this rainnn, and I wanna read the book with you, is it that badddd?” He could hear her voice choking up.

It’s all too much.

“I’m sorry, Julie, but you can’t! You can’t read the book and that’s final!”

Too much.

“But why not!? I wanna read it!”

“No, is mine!!”

CRACK!

A deafeningly loud crack of thunder rang through the house, shaking the walls and flickering the lights. Frank jumped at the sound and yelled, dropping the book and falling to his knees.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as he curled up at his seat, his hands clapped over his ears as he sat whimpering and softly beginning to cry.

Julie stood there, quiet and unsure of what to say. She felt… guilty. She wasn’t sure of what exactly, but seeing Frank cry made her feel very bad.

“…Fankie?”, she whispered, “are you otay?” She reached a hand towards him to comfort him, but he suddenly jerked his head upwards, his terrified eyes meeting her concerned gaze. It was at that moment what he had done. He… he yelled at her… and at such a vulnerable state. She had the mental capacity of an innocent child, and he yelled at her.

He felt like a failure.

Frank grabbed the book he had just dropped and dashed down the hallway, frantically searching for his work room. He turned the door knob hastily, and shoved himself inside the room, locking it behind him. His breathing hitched, and he found himself curled up against the floor, hugging himself tightly as he began to sob helplessly.

Everything was so loud and horrible, he yelled at his best friend, he felt so small and pathetic… it was such a terrible day. He just wanted it all to end, and wake up tomorrow with no memory of it. His eyes shut tightly, internally praying that this was all a bad dream.

Julie had seen it all unfold from the other side, shaking and almost crying herself. Poor Frank had been doing his all the whole day to make her happy, and all she did was make him upset.

He needed to help him.

Of course, she knew she was not in the most optimal position, she was very small herself. It would be hard to take care of someone when you are going small yourself.

She did, however, know how to dial a phone.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•——•—•—•—•—

Eddie had been sweeping around his office through the rain, whistling a jovial tune as he went. He favored the rain himself, as it relaxed him and helped him focus, though the occasional crackle of thunder made him jump.

A shrill ringing from a phone sounded through the office suddenly, making Eddie accidentally drop his broom in surprise. He quickly made his way to line, holding the phone to his ear and the microphone to the mouth.

A familiar, high-pitched voice came through.

“Helloo? Hellooooo? Papa?”

He immediately recognized the voice from the moment she called him ‘papa’.

“Julie? Sweetpea, what’re ya callin’ me for? Aren’t ya on a lil’ play date wit’ dear Frankie, yea?” He was concerned. Did something happen to the two? His face screwed into one of worry, his fingers tapping against his desk,

“Uhh, yea,” she replied, “but we got angry at each otha because I wanted to read a book an’…” Her voice began to choke up, hiccuping.

“I-I got mad at him and y-yelled at him, and then a b-big lightning hit at th’ town, and-and he screamed and dropped his book and turned into a lil’ ball, and then he ran away to his-his room, and now he won’t come out and it’s all my fault-“

“Woah woah woah, hey sweetie…,” Eddie stopped her, “deep breaths, in and out.” Julie sniffled, shakily breathing deeply as she calmed down a bit.

“He, hic- got mad and ran awayy… and now I’m scared that h-he’s mad at me, and doesn’t wanna be my f-friend anymow… I’m sorry Papa,” the scared monster said, as she began to cry again. Eddie sat at his desk, his heart heavy and aching for the both of them. For one, poor Frank was going through so much, no wonder he got so upset. However, Julie never meant any harm, and felt terrible for what she did. Because of that, he ultimately made a decision.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a-okay, sweetie! Hey, how about this? Maybe Papa can come over and take a look at Frank, and maybe babysit ya for a while? Does that sound good, sweetie?” Julie sat for a second, thinking about the idea that Eddie had provided.

“Uh huh, I’m otay with dat!”

“Great! I’ll cya there as quick as possible, okay sweetpea?”

“Otay papa, thank you and I love you, bye bye!”

“Hehe, thank you and I love you, Julie. Buh bye!”

It didn’t take him less than a minute to run out of the door and towards Frank’s house, dawning a yellow hat and raincoat to protect himself from the rain. Once he got to the front entrance, he knocked on the door quickly, not too hard but not too quiet.

A reassuring click came not a second later, and the door opened to show Julie, shaken and wiping away tears. Eddie quickly rushed inside, the door closing behind him, and took off his now soaking wet raincoat and hat.

“Alright, sweetie,” he said, kneeling down to Julie’s level, “can ya tell Papa where Frank is for me?” Julie nodded, rushing to the hallway and pointing at the grey man’s desk room entrance. The sobbing had since died down a bit, but they could hear them breathing shakily, hiccuping and sniffling every now and then. Eddie sighed of concern and worry. He turned back towards Julie, thanking her quietly and turning to walk down the hallway.

Julie saw the fatherly mailman cautiously turn the knob to the deskroom and entering. She could hear him whispering something to man, but she was not sure why. Julie sat away from the entrance and waited patiently for Eddie to walk out, so she could know what happened.

A couple of minutes passed, and Julie began to feel impatient, but mostly worried. Did she do something wrong? What happened? Are they both mad at me?

Julie couldn’t stand being this impatient, she had to know what was happening. She took a deep breath, before cautiously tiptoeing towards the open door. She slowly peeked in.

Julie saw Eddie sitting on the floor with Frank cradled against him, his arms tightly wrapped around him. The previously crying man had been reduced to a quiet shaking state, only this time he hid his face in the crook of the mailman’s shoulder, and was swaddled in a bright green blanket. The redhead was rocking his shaking partner slightly back and forth, humming an aimless yet soothing tune.

Eddie soon caught eye of Julie peeking, and smiled gently. He released one arm and pat to his right side, signaling her to come to him. She quickly scampered to his side and plopped down, legs crossed.

“Your friend Frankie here told me what happened,” the redhead started, “he told me that a lot had been going on in his mind and it was too much for him to handle. Did you know that?” Julie took a minute to think, before slowly shaking her head no.

“He also told me that he was feelin’ very little the entire day, smaller than you, really. Did you know that?” The small monster was taken aback by that. Frank had never told her that he was going small, he never showed it either. He seemed quite big and mature up until the fight. She again shook her head no, Eddie humming in response.

“Now, sweetheart,” Eddie began, “I know that ya wanted someone to play with, and to do something wit’ you. But, that doesn’t mean you should yell at others to get that. Frankie was very stressed from being in the rainy weather, and from having to fight with you, but he was scared to tell you because he knew you wanted to play with him, okay?” Guilt set in for the poor monster. She was unaware that he was feeling this way, she just thought he was being mean for no reason.

“Now, it’s not your fault that this happened, it’s no one’s fault. It was a bunch of bad things that came together and made one bad situation. However, you do need to apologize to him for yelling at him and scaring him, okay? That was not very nice of you.”

Julie nodded and hummed ‘yes’, scooting a bit towards the two and sitting on the redhead’s lap. Eddie nodded, before turning to the swaddled man and patting his back. He whispered something to him, before Frank turned his head to face his dear friend.

From there, Julie could make out his expression after having it buried in his partner’s embrace. He had noticeable bags underneath his eyes, and his cheeks were flushed and stained with his tears. His eyes were red from crying, and his hair a mess. Julie felt her throat close up momentarily, as she was scared of upsetting him further. She soon took a deep breath, her gaze fixated on his.

“I’m very sorry that I made you sad, Frankie. I didn’ know that you were feelin’ small like me, or were feelin’ sad all day. I shouldn’ have yelled at out ‘bout the book, I shoulda asked you first. I’m very very sorry, Frankie.” Julie sat quietly on Eddie’s lap, looking down and fiddling with her hands. She didn’t expect him to accept her apology, let alone respond, but didn’t want to lose him as a friend either.

She saw a long gray hand rest onto hers, catching her attention and making her look up. Frank was looking so her, sleepily if anything, but with a sense of forgiveness, whilst gently holding her clasped hands. He smiled gently, and Julie felt her heart flutter momentarily. She smiled back, resting her head against Eddie’s shoulder. They both felt a sense of calm in that moment, after such a tense fight from earlier, not only from the forgiveness each other shared, but being in a calming embrace from the mailman.

The titular mailman had decided to stay over and babysit the two for a while, as Frank was now unfit to properly care for Julie. They didn’t mind, however, because soon Julie would join Eddie in babysitting the small Frank, taking the role of the older sister for him to dote on. The day was somewhat peaceful from then on, and they all basked in that feeling happily.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•——•—•—•—•—

#lemme just sprinkle in some of that good angst #frank needs a minute for small time #can ya blame him?? #he’s just a baby man #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home agere #sfw regression #sfw agere #welcome home eddie #eddie dear #welcome home frank #frank frankly #welcome home julie #julie joyful #gummunity fics

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Agere Fic - Sing Me to Sleep

Characters: Little!Howdy Pillar, CG!Barnaby B. Beagle

Setting: Howdy’s Bodega (Checkout Desk, Upstairs Breakroom)

Premise: Barnaby notices that his good pal Howdy is overworking himself to the point of losing sleep. Concerned and determined to help his buddy out, he decides to sing him a lullaby to help him sleep. The next morning, he discovers something about Howdy he initially didn’t think he did.

Author’s Note: Another agere fic, this time with Howdy!! I kinda headcanon Barnaby and Howdy as childhood friends, like Barnaby befriended him while he stayed at the farm with his ma, so here it’s mentioned for a bit at the beginning. Hope that’s ok!!

Also the lullaby that Barnaby sings is ai generated, not an original song, so don’t think I write songs too jfkgk

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Ever since the bodega opened in the town of Welcome Home, the lovable yet goofy Barnaby B. Beagle always made a point of visiting. Considering it was run by an old pal of his - that being the ever so hardworking Howdy Pillar - he couldn’t just ignore it! It even had all his favorite things in it; rubber duckies, party horns, endless streams of ribbons, the whole nine! For the price of just a simple trade as well, it was a perfect store!

Of course, it wouldn’t be the same without the man of the hour - or say, caterpillar. Barnaby had always admired the blood and sweat put into every little detail of the bodega, from the paint jobs to the shelving and even to the currency. It was a marvelous sight to see, but he couldn’t expect less from such a diligent and determined shopkeeper. Always toiling and moiling and working himself to the bone to make sure that progress did well and that every customer left with a big smile on their face, he could do no bad.

That… did bring a glaring problem to the surface, however: he did this all the time.

Because his never-ending perseverance and his insistence to make sure that business was booming at the seams, he often tired himself out. And by often, that meant a lot.

The bags under the titular caterpillar’s eyes looked as if they’ve been personally drawn on with permanent marker, with how dark they were. Often times, Barnaby would accidentally catch Howdy almost falling asleep at his checkout desk, but immediately perking up when he noticed that the comedian was watching. He would wake up and catch Howdy still up at the tender hours of night sweeping the floors or wiping the windows or even restocking the shelves.

It was concerning, to say the least. He had occasionally brought up the idea that Howdy could at least lay low for a short while, take a small break. However, the poor shopkeeper would break into a nervous sweat and go, “Oh but who will run the front counter while I’m gone? I’m the only one who works here, I can’t stop now! This shop will go belly-up if I quit here, I just can’t!” It almost broke the dog’s beating heart to see him in such a fit of distress.

He wanted to fix that, and he knew exactly how.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

The sun set behind the trees one hot and sweaty evening, and Howdy was finishing up the last of his chores for the night: restocking the shelves, sweeping up any dust and grime, and wiping the front windows squeaky clean. Barnaby took quick note of this and strolled towards him, humming a jovial tune.

“Well howdy do, Howdy! Lovely afternoon we got here, but golly is it sweltering! I feel like I’m on Hell’s front porch with a pipin’ fever right about now, huh?” Barnaby greeted himself, chuckling as he did. Howdy looked up from wiping the front window, rubbing his sleepy lids with his lower right hand and smiling drowsily.

“You’re not wrong Barnaby, heh! I can feel myself melting like a snow cone in Phoenix!” He replied, wiping his forehead of the pooling sweat and turning back to wiping the windows clean. Barnaby snickered, nodding his head to the statement.

An awkward silence fell on the two. Howdy cleared his throat.

“Ahem, uh… what brings you here, ol’ pal?”, he asked, “ya’ need something from my shop? Any horns or… fake teeth or spinning plates?” The shopkeeper began to put up his bucket of suds and washrag before being stopped by the comedian.

“Oh no, I’m fine as frog hair, buddy! I just came to ask ya’ something, if you have the time, of course.” Howdy perked up at the request, but paused and sighed wearily.

“If you’re asking for me to take a break, Barnaby, then no. I’m not letting this business fall because the one man working here-“

He quickly got interrupted.

“Aww, come on Howdy! You’re exhausted and practically sleepwalking, if you keep working in this state you’ll be dead on your feet!” Barnaby protested, crossing his arms and huffing.

“Barnaby, you really don’t understand,” Howdy rebutted, “this is a matter of needing rather than wanting. Anyone and everyone could come, and if they see me lounging around, doing everything but, I’ll be letting them down! Soon the progress of this whole business could go down, and take me with it. I can’t ‘take a break’ because I am literally against doing it.”

Barnaby sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Howdy sure dug his heels deep in this business, huh? The titular dog wracked his brain for quite a while, thinking of a good way to pry his four arms away from the building… until something popped up.

“Oh well, I guess you’re right… but I do still have something to ask of you.” Howdy sighed, lifting his head towards him with his brow furrowed.

“Will you at least let me sing something to you?”

This tripped the caterpillar upside for a moment. Sing for him? Why exactly would this dog want to sing for him in the dead of night?

“Uhh… may I ask why? That’s a rather odd question to ask, really,” Howdy questioned the dog.

“Oh, well I had been listening to the radio recently and I happened to stumble upon the most loveliest tune! It had me painting the town red, it was lovely!” Howdy tilted his head curiously.

“Hmmm… well what song was it? I think I may have some records inside so you can sing along.” Barnaby grinned widely. His plan was working perfectly.

“I’m pretty sure it was called…Sweet Dreams and Strawberry Milk? It was a guitar song too, very slow and calming.”

“Hmmm… I don’t seem to have that song on a record, from what I can remember.” Barnaby’s heart dropped.

“Buuuuut I do have a guitar! Maybe you can play it on that?” And just like that, the plan was still in motion.

“Oh, superb! You always seem to have something on you to fix a situation, don’tcha? Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go inside before the wolves start howling!”

Barnaby quickly grabbed Howdy’s free arm and dragged him inside the bodega, leaving behind his sud bucket and rag. After a few quick directions, both the dog and caterpillar made their way to the upstairs breakroom.

The breakroom itself was quite large, to his surprise, it almost doubled as a separate house. In one section of the room, a small kitchenette with an oven, fridge, and sink, along with a sofa, record player, and television. In another section, a large bed spread along the room, with a dresser and closet on one side and a bookshelf on the other. In between both sections was a bathroom that he could conveniently walk into any time he wanted. The breakroom as a whole had a sort of forest or plant theme, with leaves and flower decorations galore, it was like shrinking and walking into Poppy’s garden.

Barnaby made their way towards the second section, sitting down on the edge of Howdy’s bed. Howdy strolled towards the closet, opening and rummaging through. He pulled out a large guitar and walked towards the bed where Barnaby sat, handing over the guitar.

“Do make this quick, ok pal?,” Howdy admonishes, slipping off his shoes and taking off his hat. He might as well get comfortable in case things get too long. Barnaby waved his hand dismissively, holding the guitar in his paws.

“Ahh, don’t you worry your pretty lil’ head, Howdy,” he reassured, “I’ll be quicker than green grass though a goose!” Howdy chuckled at that, smiling slightly.

The comedian took a minute to tune and adjust the chords to the guitar, making sure he wasn’t off-tune, before holding the guitar to his chest. He took a deep breath… and began to sing.

Close your eyes my little one

Drift away to sleep

Dream of fields of strawberries

Growing tall and deep

Sweet dreams my love

With strawberry milk in your cup

May your slumber be peaceful

And your dreams be sweet and lush

Imagine a garden of red

With vines and leaves so green

Picking the ripest berries

For the sweetest milk you've seen

Sweet dreams my love

With strawberry milk in your cup

May your slumber be peaceful

And your dreams be sweet and lush

As the peaceful lullaby rang throughout the bedroom, Howdy could feel his head begin to cloud up and his eyelids to feel heavy. He suppressed a yawn but caught himself stretching his arms and back.

He then decided that he rest his head for just a moment, if only for a second. He figured he would be awake by the time the song was finished, so it couldn’t be that bad.

As you lay here in my arms

With your eyes closed tight

Let the taste of strawberry milk

Take you through the night

Sweet dreams my love

With strawberry milk in your cup

May your slumber be peaceful

And your dreams be sweet and lush

Sleep now my little one

May your dreams be bright

With strawberry milk in your thoughts

All through the night.

Barnaby cleared his throat after finishing the song, gently placing the guitar to his left. He turned to face Howdy, who had been silent throughout the entire song, to ask him how he felt, but he instead found Howdy fast asleep beside him. How silly of him to drop off mid song, and in his work clothes too! Barnaby snickered to himself at the sight.

He decided that it would be best to stay the night. He pulled the blankets on the bed over the sleeping shopkeeper, tucking him in comfortably, before quietly leaving the bedroom. He made himself towards the other half of the breakroom and towards the couch, and pulled out the longer section to lie down. Turning off the lights and getting comfortable in the process, soon both of them were in a peaceful slumber.

The plan was a success.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Barnaby suddenly awoke to a strange noise.

He blinked himself awake to the sudden sound, trying to make sense of his vision. He could make out the kitchenette and the television, and what couch he was on.

Ah, yes, he was at Howdy’s place.

The sun was pooling through the closed curtains and birds were chirping their morning song, signifying a new morning for the sleepy beagle. He slowly stood up from his position and stretched his arms and back wide behind him, popping anything that needed popping.

His attention soon turned to the strange noise that woke him up. It was shrill and loud, yet desperate, if it made sense. It was occasionally interrupted by a slight hiccup or sniffle, before going right back to the shrillness.

Was that… Howdy?

It had the same voice as Howdy, had the same pitch (albeit a tad higher than usual), he could recognize it from a mile away. But what exactly is making him wail this loud?

He had to go investigate.

Barnaby slowly got up from the couch and quietly made his way through the breakroom towards Howdy’s bedroom. He hesitantly knocked one, two, three times, making sure it was quiet but noticeable.

“Howdy? Is that you in there?” Barnaby asked, hands on hips and his face screwed up into that of concern. If his suspicions were correct that this was indeed his pre-pupated pal, then this was quite out of character of him. He wasn’t that open with his inner feelings as he didn’t want them interfering with work, so hearing him so distressed was… odd.

He was quite surprised to see the door swing open not long after he knocked, but what surprised him more was what answered the door: a shaky and teary-eyed Howdy, covered in a colorful blanket and his thumb halfway in his mouth. It took him by surprise for a bit, before quickly being replaced with a brotherly concern.

“Oh jeez… you okay, bud? What happened?” Barnaby said, resting a gentle paw on the shivering shopkeeper’s shoulder and rubbing it slowly. Howdy only sniffled and hiccuped, lowering his head and covering his face with his hands as he continued to cry. The blue beagle took that opportunity to hesitantly wrap his arms around the both of them in a comforting embrace, letting Howdy rest his head on his shoulder.

“Deep breaths, bud… let’s go over here, ok?” Barnaby said quietly and reassuringly, taking one of Howdy’s hands and leading them to the nearby sofa. The titular caterpillar sniffled, wiping his eyes with his hands and popping his free thumb back between his lips. They both trudged towards the comfy cushions, sitting comfortably beside each other with hands clasped gently. Barnaby leaned his friend’s head towards the crook of his neck, letting Howdy rest against him as the bigger dog began to rub his back slowly.

“Hasn’t been your best morning, huh buddy?”, Barnaby said, his voice low and quiet and reassuring. Howdy sniffed, nodding his head silently.

“How’s about I settle here until you’re up and running again, hm?”, the blue beagle suggested, “It don’t seem like you can even walk properly, let alone run a store like this. Not good shape for a guy like you, huh?”

Howdy furiously shook his head no at that notion.

“I know, I know,” the blue dog continued, “you wanna run it. We can always take a day off though, can’t we? It can’t hurt to lay low for at least a day. It’s only about one in a few hundred days, isn’t it?” The small caterpillar sat there for a bit, his head filled with thought. Barnaby scratched his noggin for an idea, then snapped his fingers once it came.

“How about this,” he started, “maybe I can stay and settle with you for the day until you’re feeling better? That way you won’t have to worry about feeling lonely, ok? How does that sound?” Howdy looked down to his feet, wringing his lower hands together in thought. He didn’t want to let the business down, and he felt bad that he was so upset when Barnaby found him.

However, he wasn’t wrong. He had been quite stressed for a few weeks, and he was teetering towards passing out and never getting out of bed. Plus, in his state, how would he run the shop? He could barely talk. It wasn’t an argument at this point, really. He needed this break.

Howdy hesitantly nodded.

“Good to hear, bub,” Barnaby said, squeezing him towards himself a bit tighter. He then stood up and wipe his paws on his vest, and turned back to Howdy.

“You mind if I hold you, bud?”, he asked, lowering himself to the smaller caterpillar’s level. Howdy nodded, holding out his lower arms and flexing the fingers in a grabbing motion. Barnaby gripped his sides and hooked his hands underneath his upper arms. He lifted him up slowly and rested the caterpillar on his hip.

“Now there, how’s about we get you dressed in something nice, m’kay? Those slacks don’t feel so good now, I can find something better for today.”

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

#This took a WHILE #hope that’s ok lol #but heyyyyy baby howdy for once!! #i considered adding Wally for a sec but figured it would be cute to just practice with Howdy and Barnaby #Barnaby is literally the best cg #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home agere #sfw agere #agere positivity #agere fanfic #welcome home howdy #howdy pillar #welcome home barnaby #barnaby b beagle #gummunity fics

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Agere Fic - Mama’s Boy

Characters: Poppy Partridge, Frank Frankly, Julie Joyful (at first section)

Setting: Poppy’s Barn (living room, kitchen)

Premise: Frank is having a hard time warming up to his caregivers in little space, but Poppy makes him feel right at home.

Authors Note: I wanna avoid anything angsty here, just cute fluff and cuddlin!! I hope my silly lil fics can bring some light on the WH agere community, lol

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about! That is just silly!”

“C’mon Frankie, there’s nothing wrong with being a mama’s boy!”

Frank Frankly and his dearly delightful friend Julie Joyful were having a light banter and bicker as they sat for tea one sunny morning. They had gone back and forth with whatever had come to mind - what new insects Frank had discovered, the latest play from Sally, whatever Wally would have going on - and at some point, regression came to light.

“You’re making such a fuss over something that doesn’t exist!!” Frank protested. Julie was teasing the frowning fellow because, recently, Frank had been harboring a closeness to Poppy Partridge - the town chicken. When times got difficult to handle and they felt themself slip into little space, he would go towards the feathered fellow’s comforting wings and let her take care of him and love him as a small boy. It made him feel comforted and safe, and all their worries would wash away.

And here, he was denying all of that.

“Come onnnnn, Frank!”, Julie teased, “it’s so cute! I guarantee it!” Frank felt his cheeks warm in embarrassment as he leaned back into his seat, gripping the handle to his cup.

“It is not,” he muttered, “it’s nothing more than tomfoolery, buffoonery, silliness I tell you!” Julie pouted, she just couldn’t get to him.

“What’s so wrong with it? Who wouldn’t want someone who’s arms are perfect to fall into and coddle you like a baby, isn’t that what you want? It’s like a dream you can see!” Frank huffed in response, setting down their cup and crossing their arms.

“What I want is to be clear, and dear I am quite clear that this is NOT a real thing!”, he protested, turning his head away from Julie’s sugary-sweet gaze. She sighed, sipping her tea and scooting closer to the grey and gloomy fellow.

“You are quite the stubborn bull, I can see horns growing from you right now!”

Frank rolled his eyes, scoffing.

“But, I won’t push. If you insist that this doesn’t happen, then I won’t fuss you further.”

Frank turned his gaze back, his expression softening slightly. His rosie-cheeked chum simply crossed her legs, leaning in close to his ear and raising a hand close to her mouth. A whisper slipped out.

“Doesn’t mean it isn’t cute.”

“JULIE!”

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

“A mama’s boy, huh? What’s so wrong with that?” Frank had soon found himself sitting alongside the aforementioned pheasant, Poppy. She had noticed his unusually more sour mood than usual, and had invited him in for a short talk.

“That’s not the biggest issue with this, Poppy… she’s talking about you.” Poppy’s eyes widened after that statement. Her? A mother figure? A complete lie in her eyes.

“Oh goodness, me? A mother?” Poppy further questioned. The frowning fellow nodded, sighing. This made Poppy think for a moment. She was aware of all the times that she had cared for Frank, little or not. On days that he was big, they would talk about the flowers and the bugs that grew around them, or he would help Poppy bake some bread or any new dessert she needed help with. On days that he would go small, she would read him small random facts about any bugs that he wanted to hear about, or just swaddle and hold him for however long he wanted to stay.

In a way, Julie was right. I mean, she sure wasn’t completely right, there were a few things she got wrong. But for the most part, she wasn’t too far off.

“W-Well, if she were right, she wouldn’t be too far off,” the feathered friend noted. Frank shot her a look, his eyebrows furrowed and a small pout on his lips.

“I-I didn’t say she was!”, she frantically corrected, “I was just… hypothetical, be-because if she were, then she wouldn’t exactly be wrong! It’s not a confirmed fact, ho-honest!” Frank simply stared for a bit, before groaning and slumping back into the sofa they sat at.

“It’s just… so embarrassing to me! I don’t want people to think I’m just some innocent and naive infant that needs someone to care for me every second. Is that so hard? To be treated like an adult?” He crossed his arms in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. Poppy hummed and nodded, hesitantly resting a wing on his back as an act of understanding.

“W-Well, I mean… you regress, r-right?” Frank nodded slowly.

“Hmm… w-well, you can still be an, um… adult but also feel comforted by someone, can you not?” The grumpy fellow raised his head a tad, looking up at the bird.

“I mean, um… for me, back when I was a chick just molting, I thought that being seen as a child was the worst possible thing, so I began to bottle up what worries I had and completely shut myself down. It worked, but only for a while, and when it ended… well, all I can say is that I sure was a mess, haha! My m-mom saw me at my worst, and was the first to comfort me. She told me that, well… being an adult is very hard, so it’s ok to cry and-and tell others that you feel bad every now and then. It doesn’t make you feel any less older or any more younger, okay?”

Frank sat there for a moment, his gaze turned away and his arms crossed, and his mind filled with thought.

“Well, even if I did want it, why is it so embarrassing? Why does it make me feel uncomfortable even if I know I need it?”, Frank questioned. It was hours only gripe, as he really wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Umm… m-maybe it’s because you were taught before that it-it was something to be a-ashamed of?”, Poppy responded, “because really, it’s nothing to feel bad over! It-It’s okay to get a hug and a kiss every now and then, heh!”

“So… it’s okay?”

“W-Well, of course!”

It was so new to him for comfort to be something to be celebratory about. All their life he was told to “grow up” and “act like an adult”, otherwise life won’t help you. However, he never really considered that this childish behavior was something to embrace rather than hide. He was shy, but rather grateful for Poppy and even Julie for helping them discover this.

Frank untangled his arms and held them in front of him on his lap, fiddling with his hands. His head felt conflicted but fuzzy and warm, and his hands felt tingly and soft to the touch.

What ironic timing to feel small. Even more ironic that Poppy noticed it.

“Frank, dear?”, she asked, “are you feeling small?” Frank shifted a bit in his seat, nodding hesitantly after a second. He didn’t know how to feel.

He suddenly felt Poppy scoop him up into her wings and onto her lap, his face now buried between her body and her fluffy feathered embrace.

“You should never feel bad about needing a break, honey. Whenever you need one, you can always come to me, okay? My doors are always open… though n-not literally because burglars could come in, hehe!”, Poppy reassured. She kept her arms wrapped around the glum fellow, rubbing his back softly and resting her head against him.

Poppy’s presence soothed Frank, he couldn’t help but melt into her, burying his face into the crook of her neck. He smiled, though it didn’t show.

“Th-thank you, mama.”

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

#OUGHH MOMMA POPPY AND BABY FRANK….. #giv me so much life #i hope I’m not too rushed with the conclusions #that’s what I’m starting to be scared of lol #i just like the fluff!!! #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home agere #sfw agere #age regression #agere fic #welcome home poppy #poppy partridge #welcome home frank #frank frankly #gummunity fics

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Agere Fic - Sleepover

Characters: Barnaby B. Beagle, Wally Darling, Home, slight mention of Sally Starlet

Setting: Home (kitchen, living room, bedroom, hallway, bathroom)

Premise: Wally is confident that he can handle things on his own, but one bad night makes it clear that he isn’t all that self-reliant. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, however, as his best friend Barnaby has all the help in the world.

Authors Note: My second fic!! Again treat it nicely, I’m new to this

Also thank you for enjoying the last one!! I’m super proud of both of them, so I’m glad you like it too 💕💕

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

As friendly and amiable as Wally Darling was, he sure was stubborn.

Wally wasn’t someone to ask for help much, despite his efforts to help others. It seemed comically hypocritical if anything, with the irony behind it.

For example, if Sally were to ask him to lead in a play she wanted to play, he would make sure he carried the show with his own hands. However, if someone were to offer a hand in something, he would simply wave his hand and say, “No no, I can take care of it! Don’t fret over such small things.”

His best friend - Barnaby B. Beagle - took notice of that quite well, when he and Wally decided to have a sleepover.

The two had done just about everything together that day; prank calls on the other neighbors, baking a new recipe - caramel apples - and even future telling, albeit with paper crafts and silly myths. Of course, in the end, they both had lots of fun, vowing that they must do this more.

It was later that night that issues had began to rise. The two nighttime buddies had began to clean up and get ready to snooze, and were in the washroom brushing their teeth(?).

“Wally, kid, are you sure you can sleep on your own? I know you’ve done it before, but most of the time you either stay up the whole night or wake up-“ Barnaby questioned Wally. Yes, it was a silly, silly question, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with Wally’s ungodly night schedule. And with how frequent this was, neither were the other residents of Welcome Home.

“Barnaby, I admire your concern greatly, but I do think that is quite silly. I can sleep just fine,” Wally assured, waving his hand up and down.

“One or two bad nights won’t do anything, I can handle it!” He chuckled. Wally was well aware of the terrible night terrors he had, but he of course wasn’t ready to admit that. He just leaves with his same pleasant grin.

“I dunno kid, you usually say that then turn up at Julie’s doorstep wrapped in your blanket sniffling like it’s winter again,” Barnaby quipped back, laughing at his own joke. Wally fell silent for a moment, thinking for a short second, before cleaning his mouth of the toothpaste on his cheeks. He then turned to his blue buddy, and pat him on the arm reassuringly.

“I know you’re upset, but I assure you I’m fine. When anything happens, I know that I can always rely on you, so don’t you worry your pretty little head,” he reassures, his ever-so present grin almost glowing on his face, and in his eyes. He always had such a sunny, polite disposition.

“Ahh, if you say so little buddy,” Barnaby sighed and shook his head, though with a playful smirk on his face. He pat his much tinier friend and walked away towards the guest room, peaking out quickly to say his goodnights with Wally. Afterwards, he closed the door behind him and laid down on top of the bed…right after he pulled the sheets and pillows around to make it comfortable. Dog instincts never fail.

Home fell into a peaceful slumber shortly after, and the only sound one could hear was the crickets outside and Wally’s silly “I’m sleeping I’m sleeping I’m sleeping” sleeptalking.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Barnaby wasn’t sure what woke him up, but his tired eyes soon fluttered open. He groaned, irritated, and rubbed his eyes to better clear up his vision.

The clock read 3:41 AM, which sent Barnaby in a sleepy tizzy. What in the world woke me up this early? He yawned and stretched his body, shaking his head awake afterwards.

“A glass of water might help clear my head,” he guessed, “my throat is drier than an old queen!” He chuckled to himself afterwards. He might use that in his routine. But before that, he needed to quench his thirst.

It didn’t take two steps out of his room when he heard something… odd. His ears raised a tad at the sound, turning his head behind him. Was that… a baby crying?

There was no way he heard a baby. But it was so clear and the pitch was the same, he was thrown for a loop. And what in the world was a baby doing in Home? He didn’t remember there being one… unless it isn’t one. Barnaby wracked his brain for another idea of what the source of the crying could be…until he remembered.

“Wally has nightmares!” He realized. At that moment, he rushed towards the true source of the sound - Wally’s bedroom. It wasn’t far from his guest room, as it was set at the tail end of the long hallway, capped with a red wood and a sign that said “Wally.”

Barnaby didn’t think to knock, which he somewhat regrets, before he quickly pushed the door open.

There sat the culprit of the mysterious crying - Wally, wrapped around his blanket, sobbing and hiccuping in bed. He jumped a bit at the sound of Barnaby barging in, falling silent in surprise. However, it didn’t take long until he went back to crying, only this time he held out his arms towards the tall blue dog.

Barnaby was no stranger to this behavior. He has seen Wally in this sort of situation, where his brain seemed to work much differently. It was called… regression, where his brain and his age didn’t seem to match up for a period of time. In times like this, Wally would have a habit of babbling and slurring his words, as well as taking part of childish behaviors such as playing with smaller toys and looking up to others as his caretakers. It wasn’t a problem though, no sir, as they would be more than welcome to help take care of him in such a state, Barnaby included.

With that, Barnaby quickly climbed into the bed with Wally, scooped him up and held him against his torso, patting and rubbing his back. Wally quickly wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face into the taller friend’s shoulder, still crying.

“Deep breaths, kid,” Barnaby whispered, “there you go, that’s it.” He would act as the big brother towards Wally when he regressed, carrying him and playing with him to help him through such a time. Because of this, he knew what actions to take in this.

Soon, Wally’s crying and snuffling soon quieted to an occasional hiccup and wipe of a sleeve. He laid there, cradled against Barbaby’s chest, shaking but breathing slowly. He was the first to speak.

“I…I’m sowey…” he wavered, “I’m sowy I like tis.” He tried wiping away any stray tears while flapping his free hand, calming himself down.

“I din’ wan yous to worry fo’ me, bu’ I keep makin’ yous worry..” He was having a hard time keeping his voice steady, and he ended up going back to crying, albeit softer. His taller friend immediately rose a hand to wipe his newly fallen tears, propping his head to face him.

“No Wally, don’t ever feel bad for wanting help,” the blue dog reassured, “even if it makes you feel weird. I know that asking is hard and that you don’t want to look weak or anything, but there is nothing wrong with needing a helping hand. You got that, kiddo?” The tiny puppet nuzzled against Barnaby’s paw, hiccuping a tad.

“Wh-what if is sometin’ you can’t do?” Wally asked. The comedian chuckled a bit, rubbing the puppet’s back.

“Well then I’ll tell ya! I’m not gonna be silent if you’re giving me something hard to handle, and even then I tell ya you’re not hard to deal with at all! Just ring me up and I’ll be there quicker than a toupee in a hurricane.” He moved his hand to ruffle his hair a bit, letting out a small giggle in Wally.

“You’re silly! Silly silly puppyyy, hehe!” Wally reached his hands up to pet the top of Barnaby’s head, back and forth. The comedian responded by grabbing Wally by the sides and lifting him to the air, the puppet squealing with delight and surprise.

“There ya go, now the dog’s got you on a leash, hahaha!” This only made Wally screech and laugh even more, waving his arms and legs aimlessly beside himself. This teasing unfortunately didn’t last long, if the loud creaking from Home said anything. Despite Wally pouting in response, Barnaby lowered the small puppet down onto bed once more.

“Let’s get ya back to bed buddy, ok?” Wally frowned at this, seeming upset again that the fun was over. “Is something wrong?”

“Nono, jus… can you stay wit’ me? I don’ wan to be awone…” Wally pleaded, holding the puppy’s paw tightly. Barnaby hummed and nodded, understanding his disarray.

“Of course, buddy! Lemme get comfortable for ya, one sec,” Barnaby answered, yawning afterwards. It was still quite late, so he was getting quite sleepy as well. He turned and trotted along the bed, pushing around and covers to get comfy before finally lying down. Wally followed suit, encasing himself in his favorite blanket - orange with white flowers - and lying against Barnaby’s body.

“Nini, baba… I luv oo,” Wally mumbled, before sticking his thumb between his lips and falling silent. Barnaby smiled warmly after that, before lying his head down to rest too.

“Gnight kiddo, love you too.”

#gwaaaaaa little Wally #I’m scared i portrayed him incorrectly here #please give me any sort of critique needed!!! #it helps a lot #Also create more agere content for welcome home pls #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home wally #wally darling #welcome home barnaby #barnaby b beagle #welcome home agere #agere positivity #agere fic #agere #sfw regression #sfw agere #gummunity fics

[bundrops-n-fluffytops]

Welcome Home Ship Fic- Love Flutters High, So Don’t Fly Without Me

Characters: Eddie Dear, Frank Frankly

Setting: Butterfly Garden

Premise: Eddie surprises his boyfriend Frank with a trip to a butterfly garden. Little does he know that Eddie has more planned than just a visit.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

With all the time they had spent together, Frank Frankly had discovered that the resident mailman Eddie Dear - who just so happened to be his boyfriend of 3 years - was not great at surprises.

Granted, he himself was quick to notice a change in his behavior whenever he had something planned for him. Most of the time he would point it out, but other times he kept quiet just to see the mailman’s excitement in “surprising” him. While he was never good at keeping secrets, he sure was thoughtful about the surprise itself, and Frank cherished that thoughtfulness.

So it came no surprise to him that Eddie had saved up enough to go to a rather well-off butterfly garden out of town.

The garden itself was a large, open sanctuary that consisted of only the rarest, most visually-pleasing butterflies and insects that would grace the trees and plants and flowers around them. Colors such as crimson, turquoise, mauve, fawn, terracotta danced and fluttered around the garden, as the sun hit against the Earth gracing it with its radiance.

“I’m quite surprised you managed to save up so much just for this garden, Eddie,” the entomologist said, hiding his giddy excitement under a smug and sarcastic tone, “It’s quite the bargain to even make the drive.” Eddie chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Ahh, it’s nothin’, love,” the redhead replied, “Ah know how much you love these lil’ critters, it’s only fair to let ya see ‘em up close!” Frank smiled, leaning in and planting a chaste kiss on the redhead’s rosy cheek. It quickly dusted a dark shade of crimson, making the grey fellow giggle a bit.

“Well, let’s not dilly-daddle any longer, dear. This trip won’t be wasted a second more!” Frank gripped Eddie’s larger hand in his lanky grey grasp, leading him quickly to the nearest enclosure of butterflies he could find.

The day really consisted solely on Frank chattering and jabbering about the insects he saw, providing any information and facts about them when they both saw them, as Eddie stood listening intently and occasionally bumping in to question about something. The southerner knew how much this trip meant for his usually sour partner, and he loved seeing him so invested in something they both knew he loved.

This recounted quite the memories for the both of them.

The two had met the same day that Eddie first moved into the town of Welcome Home, with the redhead accidentally tripping over and falling atop the bookworm. At first, the grumpy fellow detested the constant and almost infectious positivity from the mailman, seeing it as more of a nuisance than something to look forward to. As the weeks went by, however, Frank began to feel comfort and content with seeing the rosy-cheeked redhead almost every day, and even looked forward to seeing him. Hell, even on days that he didn’t receive mail, he would make it a point in speaking with him at least once, even if it was a simple hello. It made him feel at peace.

Soon enough, they had become quite close, almost best friends if Julie wasn’t in the picture. Months went by and soon enough Frank had realized that he had developed quite the crush on Eddie Dear, to which he was mortified about at first. Of all the people he had met, why as he the one that caught his attention? It took a lot of self-affirmation and love counseling from Julie to affirm that he needed to confess his feelings to him before it became a problem.

And so, he did. Wouldn’t ya know it, Eddie had felt almost the exact same way towards him! That nauseous, fluttery feeling in his chest and stomach, the fear of knowing that this was a thing, et cetera. To say that the entomologist was shocked was an understatement, but to say he was happy about it was much more of an underwhelming assumption than he was shocked.

They started dating not long afterwards, their relationship as public as can be. Chatting turned into hand-holding, which turned into hugging, which turned into cuddling, which turned into kissing. It was no surprise to the rest of the town, of course, with everyone and their grandmas finding out about them as quick as a wink. They didn’t mind it, as long as it didn’t interfere with their personal lives, and had stayed quite happy since then.

They both cherished each and every moment together, with every sneaky little tease one would whisper in the other’s ear - sending them into a flustered frenzy every time - to each and every tear wiped away when they needed it. It was a delicate, gentle but also raw and authentic love they had not been familiar with before, but loved every second of. Every day felt like they were still in their “dorky crush” phase. It was an adventure every day they were together, and neither of them wanted it to stop any time soon.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Soon enough, the exhibits for each insect began to dwindle, as the day sun shifted into a pleasant afternoon. Bright orange and pink painted the sky as it quickly shifted into dusk. Eddie and Frank were visiting the last exhibit both were comfortable with ending the day on before making their way back to town. It centered around a gorgeous species of butterfly, an “Inachis Io” or “peacock butterfly”. Its wings shown with vibrant shades of orange and black, with light accents of pale yellow and blue on the tips. Frank was almost vibrating at the sight, babbling at anything that came to mind that he knew about the beautiful creature as he flapped his hands with joy. His back was turned towards the exhibit the entire time.

“These beautiful creatures are absolutely stunning! They’re named after the large eye spots on their wings, reflecting the appearance of peacock feathers. Those same insects also have a wingspan of up to 55 millimeters, which is quite egregious to think about, really. Oh, and the males are incredibly territorial, defending their meal and nesting areas with quite the energy, it’s amazing!” Eddie was almost lost at the amount of information that Frank was babbling to him. However, his heart still fluttered seeing his boyfriend talk so passionately about his interest. He would go into such long tangents about them, to the point he would get distracted with just talking any them.

In this situation, this came in handy for Eddie.

As Frank began to wrap up his long, long, long self-rehearsed documentary about the titular butterfly, he began to turn back towards his boyfriend, expecting him to look almost frazzled at the bombardment of new information. For him, he expected nothing less, and nothing new.

When Frank turned back, however, what he didn’t expect was to see that same predictably loving man down on one knee.

Frank was stunned silent.

Eddie took a deep breath, and smiled towards him. He lifted his hand to hold his lover’s in his hold, cupping them together.

“Listen. I’ll be quiet frank with you - and that don’t mean I’m not Eddie either, heh - but the past few years we’ve been together have been the best I’ve had in mah whole life. Every day I can’t wait to wake up to you brewin’ the two of us a cup o’ joe, and every night I wait until I know you’re asleep to whisper ‘I love you’ without you knowin’. I learn something new almost every day, and I always get so damn excited to hear what you have to say next. It feels like a theater play but the genre changes every line, and I have to check the fliers to make sure I’m watching the right show, haha! And even then, it feels like every time I look at you, and I see that smile of yours, it’s brand new. I feel like my younger self that just met you every day, like I just tripped and fell on ya when I moved in. I fell in love with you that very moment, and by God do I still love you. From every little thing that makes ya tick to the most obvious details, every single part of you is something that I want to keep my whole life. Which, of course, is why I’m here, down on one knee, wanting to ask you something incredibly important.”

Frank had been reduced to a silently sobbing mess, with hot tears streaming down his now flushed cheeks. His free hand had occupied the space over his mouth, trying and failing to keep himself from openly crying.

Eddie reached to his left pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. He popped it open towards him, revealing a golden band with a large gem embellished on the middle sitting on a white cushion.

“Frank Frankly… will you make this lovesick fool a huge promise, and please marry me?”

That done it.

The titular Frank collapsed onto his knees, both hands covering his face as he sobbed loudly in front of his boyfriend. He leaned in towards the kneeling mailman, resting his head against his chest. Said mailman quickly fumbled with the box, closing it and putting in near him before wrapping his arms around his near inconsolable boyfriend.

“A-ah, Frank!? Are you alright, did I scare ya? Hold on, did I do this wrong, was it supposed to be here or-“

Eddie didn’t get to finish his worrying before a pair of lips crashed into his. Frank quickly wrapped his arms around the southern’s neck, gripping tightly as he melted into the kiss. Eddie soon joined him in the passionate embrace, resting one hand on his back and another cradling the back of his lover’s head. He could feel himself tear up alongside his lover, but as to why the hell he would care he couldn’t find a reason. They both sat there, melding and kissing each other in the tangerine and rose dusk, the sun radiating what light left onto the embracing couple.

They soon very hesitantly broke off the kiss, and rested each other’s foreheads against each other, breathing heavily. They stared longingly into each others’ tear-filled gazes, their loving smiles almost glued to each other. They stayed in that position for quite a while, simply basking in the moment they had together, before Eddie broke the silence.

“So, uhh… is that a yes?” Eddie sheepishly asked, chuckling as he did so.

“Oh, criminy Eddie Dear, of course I’ll marry you,” the grey fellow answered, “do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for you to ask me?” They both laughed, voices strained and out of breath from crying and staying in such a passionate kiss.

Eddie reached down beside him to pick the velvet box back up, popping it open once more and carefully removing the ring. He gently held his now-fiancé’s left hand and slid the ring on his finger until it hit the base. The titular fiancé stayed and admired the ring as it sat on his hand for a while, turning it and gawking at its edges and gleams as it reflected from the sun behind them.

They soon returned to their kiss, slowly standing up as they held each other close in their embrace. Eddie cradled his fiancé’s tear-stained face gently in his hands, while the other wrapped theirs behind his neck. They stayed once more in their passionate kiss, never wanting to break apart from such an important moment. They then split apart slowly before falling into a tight hug, resting each other’s heads on the others shoulder. It felt so surreal and dreamlike, yet it was so absolute and pure and… real.

They were really getting married.

Three years together and they were going to get married.

Frank broke the comfortable silence this time after a long moment in each others arms.

“My god, Eddie, think of the wedding! The venue will be outside and the sun will be shining and there will be the prettiest insects flying in the great blue sky, it’ll be perfect!” Frank giddily rambled about the future wedding, Eddie chuckling at the excitement he showed. Frank lifted his gaze towards the mailman, a beautiful smile plastered on his face.

“I can’t believe I’m finally going to get married to you, Eddie,” he wistfully said. Eddie wiped any stray tears falling down his cheeks, laughing lovingly with him. He pulled him towards himself and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Well, let’s not wait a second longer! Might as well get planning before the moment dies out!”, Eddie quickly said. He suddenly lifted his fiancé off from the ground, holding him in a bridal carry as he laughed heartily alongside him. They quickly made their way to the exit of the garden, more than ready to start planning the wedding.

Whatever was going to happen to them a, they were more than prepared to face it now that they were getting married. It may not be predictable, but it sure was something they could do together.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

#omg look a dumgum fic that isn’t regression based #anyways EDDIE AND FRANK PROPOSAL #I’m super proud of this tbh so I really hope y’all like it #welcome home arg #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #welcome home frank #frank frankly #welcome home eddie #eddie dear #proposal #marriage proposal #writing #fic writing #gummunity fics