Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Enoch stared up at the ceiling, then back at his desk, where his unfinished homunculi were laying around.

It had been like four months since the final battle against the wights, four months since he and the others had come back to their house at Cairlhom, along with Noor and Portman.

Since the whole thing had ended, Miss Peregrine had become more permissive with them in terms of things that they could acquire and learn from the future, for example, in Enoch´s case, Portman had gotten him a walkman.

An artifact where music could be heard with something called earphones, Portman had asked for it in the mail, from an antique shop, along with some cassettes with music that he thought Enoch would like, and he had asserted, honestly.

Portman had gotten things for all of them, he had gotten some toys for Claire and Olive, a camera for Emma (Even though they had broken up, they were still friends, Enoch still grimaced a little when he remembered that he had been kind of the reason why they split up, before he chuckled a little), history books for Millard, some books about flowers for Fiona, a telescope for Hugh (who had recently gotten into the hobby of watching stars), some weights for Bronwyin, and a sewing machine for Horace.

The life on their loop had also turned less monotone, thanks to the machine that Caul´s brother had made, Enoch couldn't remember his name, after all, the point was that the machine could transport them to various loops, including tourists ones, so they had gone in some trips from time to time.

Enoch wondered if with that machine, system or whatever, he could go to his past loop. Maybe he could go someday and just laugh at his past loopmates faces when they see him again, show them that he helped to save the peculiar world.

Or maybe they were already dead, who knows, maybe the loop had been attacked, he had never bothered in finding out how his past loop was doing after what happened.

He looked at his homunculi, then at the jars with hearts on the desk, on the shelves, even on the floor.

It looked like a psychopath worked there. Even though it was just Enoch. He sighed.

Whatever, he got up, kicking away a bottle that had some red paint on it, when it hit the floor, the red paint spilled on the ground, it looked like blood.

Enoch looked at the window in his bedroom, his reflection was like always the same.

His dirty blonde hair had grown a little when he and the others had their intern clocks restarted, he had also grown a few inches, his powder blue eyes stared back at him as he scanned his face, pale, like a corpse´s. He put his hand on the scar he had on his left cheek, he had gotten that on the final battle, when he had tried to protect a younger peculiar.

He scoffed and looked away, like always, he was ugly. That was a fact he had accepted a long time ago, his crooked nose was one of the things that made that even more so clear, along with the scar.

He wasn't sure if he could keep going like that for the rest of existence, looking at himself and seeing a broken shadow of what he was before.

Enoch looked at the clock on the nightstand, it was almost five o clock. Time to go to Devil's Acre.

Now that Devil's Acre was getting basically renovated and remodeled, all the crime was starting to go down little by little. He himself had helped a little with that by reanimating corpses of victims in trials. That was basically his job now, something that also helped to break the monotony of eternal life.

He walked towards the building that had been designated as the Law building, he had to go there to pick up some documents for an upcoming trial, where he had been tasked with reanimating the corpse of a man that had been murdered allegedly by his coworker.

Miss Peregrine had also asked him to go to a shop and buy some new quills and tint. The others had also come to their respective tasks, except for Olive and Claire, lucky ones.

Jacob and Noor were the ones that had all the fun, they went to missions from time to time, to other loops and did good citizen shit deeds. For example, they had arrested Frankie, the leader of a peculiar gang in America, who to Enoch´s mortification had taken a liking to him when she captured him along with the other idiots on their mission to take Noor to a loop.

Franke along with some other members of her clan had been put behind bars by Jacob, Noor, along with some other older peculiars from other loops, the Ymbryne council had decided to start an organization conformed by the oldest peculiars so they could go on this kind of missions to help other syndrigasts wherever and whenever they could. Lucky them.

Enoch wished he could also go on those missions, not really to help, well, that was good, but more like so he could prove that…

Whatever.

He walked down the streets of Devil's Acre. The remodelations was not that good, because it was a loop, but some changes could be made.

“Is that him?” he heard someone say behind him, he discreetly turned his head around to look at some peculiar kids, they were from a new loop made by an Ymbrine that had just come out of training, he couldn't remember if her name was Miss Robin or Miss Rook.

“Yes, it is the boy that is a dead raiser” said another boy.

Enoch sighed, being a dead riser was not common, not even in the peculiar world, in fact, dead raisers were pretty rare, it was one of the peculiarities that was less likely to be around.

He was used to it.

The staring, the whispering, the recoiling, like he would attack someone at any time.

It was fine.

“Hey! Do you make a habit of talking about people behind their backs?” he asked, not turning to the kids, he heard them yelp and walk away. That's what he thought, some other peculiars that were also wards from other loops looked at him.

He shrugged and took out the walkman, put on the earphones and hit play before he kept walking.

‘I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me, and I walk alone’

He was used to walking alone, he was unapologetically himself, sarcastic, and kind of mean if he was honest.

‘I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one, and I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk alone
I walk alone, I walk a-’

He didn't have friends, at least he didn't feel like he had friends. No one understood him, which was fine, no one ever did.

‘My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then, I walk alone’

He did yearn a little for someone that did understand him, but he always blew it up when he opened his mouth and started talking. It was kind of like a defense mechanism, people rejected him, he rejected them back, and when there was the possibility that someone would try to understand him, he rejected them before they could reject him.

He put the documents on his bag and walked down the stairs, and then back to the outside. The trial would be next week, so it was fine, now he had to go to the shop and buy what Miss Peregrine told him to.

He walked around the block, then he entered a shop with a crooked sign. He looked around and took some quills and tint, walked to where he was supposed to pay and paid. He startled when he heard noise outside, he turned around after putting the purchases on the bag, and, oh, of course. It was Emma, making fire figures to entertain some fellow peculiar children, he scowled.

Fire was dangerous. Fire was dangerous and yet he was the only that people-

He inhaled and exhaled.

Whatever, he went out the shop and walked around Emma´s fan club, before he kept walking faster so that Emma wouldn't see him

“Mr. O’ Connor!” Enoch turned around, it was Miss Raven “I could use some help, can you please carry some of this boxes inside that boulding?” she pointed at the building next to them, then at the cardboard boxes that were at her feet.

Enoch groaned and said “Fine”

He went there and picked up a box, it was very heavy, he came into the building and ofcourse, Hugh and Horace were helping there too.

He kept taking more boxes inside, finally he put the last one down next to a table, and was ready to go when Hugh put his hand on his shoulder for a second before taking it away and saying “Horace is looking at you”

Enoch rolled his eyes, he turned his head toward Horace, prepared to see him with his judgemental gaze that he always sent Enoch whenever he was covered in blood, clay, or whenever he was Enoch, anyways.

But when he turned around, Horace was just smiling goofily at him, and staring at him with heart eyes. Enoch raised an eyebrow and looked behind him, he was the only one there so, alright, Horace was looking at him, he turned to him, and yes, Horace was still looking at him. Enoch scoffed and walked away, idiot.

Chapter Text

Enoch went to Miss Peregrine´s office and knocked on the door, he heard footsteps approaching the door and then she opened it. She looked a little shaken up, Miss Crow was with her, they both looked concerned.

“Mr. O’Connor, good afternoon, "she said, adjusting her glasses.

“I got the things” said Enoch giving Miss Peregrine the quills and tint.

“Thankyou, dinner will be in a minute” she said before closing the door.

Enoch walked down the hall, before walking back to Miss Peregrine's office door, he stayed next to the door and pressed his ear against the wall.

“That is what Mr.Portman told me” said Miss Peregrine.

“So, what you are telling me, is that in their last mission, Mr.Portman, and Ms. Pradesh found that” said Miss Crow.

“Yes, that is what I fear”

“But it is just a legend”

“If there is a map, then, it probably isn't”

They stayed silent for a minute, Enoch ran back to his room before they opened the door.

Enoch put the walkman on one of the front pockets of his overalls´s pants, and turned up the volume.

‘Finished with my woman 'cause
She couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because
I am frowning all the time’

He grabbed a bottle with black paint and splashed it across the canvas. He had started to take a liking to painting a while ago, when Portman introduced him to the grotesque art, and after looking at some pictures of that style, Enoch knew that it was his thing.

‘All day long I think of things
But nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind
If I don't find something to pacify’

He took some red paint from a half empty bottle and also splashed it on the canvas, using his hands to smear it across it.

As he started to paint a skeleton with some white paint that was left on another bottle, he wondered what Miss Peregrine and Miss Crow were talking about, there were lots of legends in the peculiar world, so it wasn't easy to know which one were they talking about, besides ymbrynes had lots of secrets so, probably it was something no one else knew about.

‘Can you help me
Occupy my brain?
Oh yeah’

Enoch looked down at his clothes, some paint was smeared on it, whatever, he could clean it up later, or maybe not, he liked how the paint looked on his clothes, splashed and smeared across it.

‘I need someone to show me
The things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make
True happiness, I must be blind’

He painted a heart inside the skeleton´s chest, then he grabbed green paint and splashed some of it on the skeleton, he felt some paint fall on his face. He looked at his reflection on the window, some red, black and white paint was also splashed on his face, he shrugged and continued.

‘Make a joke and I will sigh
And you will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel
And love to me is so unreal’

Now that he thought about it, what was up with Horace?, lately he had been so weird about Enoch, one minute he would be staring at Enoch with that strange look on his eyes and the next minute he would say something like “You could try to look more presentable Mr. O’Connor”

He always called Enoch “Mr. O’Connor”, and he didn't do that with anyone else.

Horace was so infuriating.

‘And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could but it's too late’

“ENOCH!”

Enoch jumped of startelement and turned around, Millard was on the door, wearing a sweater and brown pants.

Enoch turned off the walkman and took off his earphones.

“Enoch, ive been calling for you for the past three minutes, it is time for dinner” said Millar before stepping out of the room and walking down the hall.

Enoch scoffed and left the walkman on the table, he went to the bathroom and washed his hands, then came down the stairs.

When he walked into the dinning room, the other kids looked at him with amusement.

“Enoch, good look you have there” said Jacob, while Noor put a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't laugh.

“Piss off Portman” said Enoch, sitting in his place next to Horace, the boy looked him up and down before sighing.

“What?” asked Enoch.

“Nothing, you should be more careful when painting, Mr. O’Connor” said Horace with his usual sophisticated tone of voice that made Enoch´s ears bleed.

“I can paint however I want, Somnusson” said Enoch, crossing his arms over his chest.

Horace pressed his lips on a thin line before looking away.

Miss Peregrine sat down on the table and gave Enoch a look.

“Next time try to at least wash your face after painting before eating, Mr. O’Connor” she said.

“Sure, sure” he said before taking some smashed potatoes and putting them on his plate along with some spaghetti with meatballs.

“So, how have you all been going with your works at Devil's Acre?” asked Miss Peregrine.

“Splendid” said Horace, to which Enoch rolled his eyes, Horace and his fancy vocabulary were so annoying “Making and repairing clothes for other peculiar wards and for the residents of the loop has been going very well”

“That good to hear, and the rest of you?” asked Miss Peregrine while using a napkin to clean Olive´s face.

“Well, I have been helping a lot with the remodelations, the hospital is almost finished” said Bronwyin.

“Very well” nodded Miss Peregrine.

“The department of documentation is very interesting, I have taken a lot of photos for them” said Emma.

“I couldn't agree more with that, that department is very interesting, today I was tasked with sorting some newspapers with very interesting articles on them” said Millard.

“Me and Fiona have been working very hard on growing more plants in Devil's Acre streets, it is going very well” said Hugh, while Fiona nodded.

“Me and Noor helped a little with some arrangements at the hospital too” said Jacob.

“Perfect, and you Enoch?” asked Miss Peregrine, everyone turned to look at Enoch who had been messily munching his spaghetti, he looked up a little startled, he swallowed the food and grunted.

“I picked up some documents for a trial next week, some guy that got murdered” he said, like always, the other kids appeared a little uncomfortable about it. “Well I am sorry that I don't have a normal good citizen job like you guys” he said sarcastically.

The others looked more comfortable when he said that, MIss Peregrine said “Your job is very honorable Mr. O’Connor, helping to resolve legal cases is important, we should all appreciate it”

The other kids nodded.

“In a more happy note” said the ymbrine “Tomorrow we will go to visit a loop settled in the 80’, you can explore and buy whatever you want”

“Even clothes?” asked Noor.

“Even clothes Miss Pradesh, whatever you want”

The kids talked eagerly about it, excited, except Enoch, who just kept to himself thinking about what he could buy. For starters, some new cassettes would be nice, maybe some books, Portman told him that in those times horror books were a thing, besides he could also buy some clothes.

After the restart of the loop, Enoch and the other kids went to their respective rooms to have a good night of sleep, he had to admit that he was also excited for tomorrow, it would be the first loop in modern times that they would visit, and even though they had already been in the 2000’, it was still very appealing.

“Good night, Mr. O’ Connor”
Enoch rolled his eyes before turning around, Horace was on the door threshold, with his cane in one hand.

Horace really didn't need that cane, but he used it to have a more gentlemanly appearance or whatever.

“Good night Somnusson” said Enoch grumpylly, waiting for the other boy to leave, but he didn't, instead, Horace walked in the room and walked to Enoch, until their chests were inches apart.

“What?” asked Enoch.

Horace put his cane on the bed and lifted his hands to the collar of Enoch´s shirt, adjusting it, before grabbing back his cane and turning around to leave.

“Wear your clothes more properly next time, Mr. O’Connor” said Horace.

Enoch watched him go and groaned, before messing up his shirt´s collar just for the spite of it.

Horace was such an imbecile.

Chapter Text

“You know the rules, don´t use your peculiarities, don't engage with any normals, if you see that a catastrophe is going to happen, don't try to stop it, remember that time heals itself in a loop” said Miss Peregrine.

The kids nodded as she said each rule, Enoch resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He understood that those rules were important, but hearing them each time they went to another loop was starting to get tiring.

He glanced at the other kids, in an effort to pass more unnoticed, they were all dressed up with 80´clothes (something that Horace was not excited about but had resigned about after a while) that they had grabbed from the dresser that was put next to the door of the 80’ loop. Well, all of them except Enoch, Portman had said that Enoch´s clothes that he had buyed on the present time were kind of like the clothes goths wore in the 80’, so Enoch was wearing his black trousers with skulls on the kneels (he had taken the freedom of painting leg bones on the trousers with some white paint, as well as ‘blood’ with red paint) and his black shirt that said ‘Normal People Scare Me’ (he had also painted a skeletons ribcage on the front and back of the shirt, because, why no?).

“And remember, stay on the… how is it called again, Mr Portman?” asked Miss P.

“The mall” said Portman.

“Yes, thanks, stay in the mall, once there you can split up alone or in groups, be back at the entrance by five o'clock so that we can go back home” she said, turning to the door and opening it “Remember, any of this rules is broken and the responsible is gonna get grounded”

They all nodded, Miss P sighed and went into the loop, they followed her inside.

Enoch looked around fascinated, before scoffing and adopting a disdainful expression. He didn't want the others to know that he was happy to be here.

But, even if he didn't say it outloud, he had to admit, this place was amazing, they had entered the loop through the door of an abandoned gas station, at the side of the mall, and everything looked so different.

Not only the buildings, the people, especially teenager were dressed in ways that Enoch found so curious. He pointed at a group of teens that were at the other corner of the street and tugged at Portman´s sleeve who turned and asked “Yes?”

“Those teens, why are they dressed like that?” asked Enoch trying to not make evident his interest.

Portman followed Enoch´s gaze and said “Oh, it is because they are punks, remember? it is another subculture I talked to you guys about, actually, Green Day, the band I gave you a cassette of, is a punk band”

“What are they about?, the punks” asked Enoch.

“Well, punks are against the system, everything that society deems normal or acceptable, they reject it, they are against the government and all of that, and look at that” said Jacob pointing at the wall of the gas station, it had something painted on it (Enoch remembered that Portman had said once that painting on walls in the street was called Graffiti), it said ‘God save the queen, Her fascist regime, It made you a moron, A potential H-bomb, God save the queen, She ain't no human being, There is no future, In England's dreaming’

“That is the letter of a song by a punk band, ‘The sex pistols’, you may find a cassette of them, even though they are not very accepted around here, but that was more back in the eighties” said Portman.

“Why don't people like them, or something?” asked Enoch.

“You just read the part of the letter of one of the songs, it is criticizing the Queen, you know how British people are about monarchy” said Portman.

Yeah, Enoch knew about that, alright.

“Remember the rules, be back here at five” said Miss Peregrine, the kids scattered around, Bronwyn holded Olive´s and Claire´s hands as they headed to a toy store, Emma, Jacob and Noor went to a shop that seemed to sell electric artifacts, Horace obviously headed to a clothing store, Hugh, Fiona and Millard walked to the library (Hugh and Millard had agreed that anything Millard wanted, he would tell Hugh and he would pay for it, and Millard would return the money later), meanwhile, Miss Peregrine went to a store that seemed to be selling candles (Enoch wondered why there were different colors of candles, but, anyways).

Enoch put on his earphones (which Enoch had painted with red, so it looked like it had blood dripping off them) and hit play on the walkman he put on one of the pockets of his trousers.

‘You show us everything you've got
You keep on dancin' and the room gets hot
You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy
You say you wanna go for a spin
The party's just begun, we'll let you in
You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy
You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'

He looked around and, there, what Portman had said was the place where Enoch could find more cassettes, the record store. Enoch walked over there, went in, and scanned the different aisles, and walked to the one that had ‘Heavy metal’.

Enoch readed the titles of the different bands, he grabbed another cassette of Black Sabbath, and he picked one from other bands he had heard before: Metallika, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Twisted sister.

‘I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day’

Enoch walked towards other aisles of the store, at some point he was face to face with a boy that looked fourteen, he looked amazing, his hair style was extravagant, his black clothes with painted skulls, and his painted face which made the boy look pale was amazing.

The boy also looked at Enoch and said “You look neat kid”

Neat?Enoch remembered that Portman had said that that was a good thing.

“You too” said Enoch, the boy smiled a little and said “If you want to start painting your face I recommend that you pick some eyeliner at the store ‘Goth´s’, near the food court”

“Thanks” said Enoch, the boy nodded and walked away. Enoch smiled a little, he had to say, that boy was kind of cute, and he had complimented Enoch, for once, after a long time, someone that was not Miss Peregrine, had complimented him.

He smiled again, before shaking it off and keep looking for more cassettes to buy, he picked more up, bands and artists, some that he didn't know, but seemed just fine: The Cure, Tears for Fears, AC/DC, Kiss, Queen, The stranglers, Alphaville, Florence and the Machine, The smiths, Goo Goo Dolls, Depeche Mode, Lord Huron, Ghost, Of Monsters and Men, and David Bowie.

Okay, perhaps he was taking it out of hand, but he needed new music, it was something that also helped with the dullness of living in the same day forever.

He went to the cashier register and the guy attending raised an eyebrow at the pile of cassettes that Enoch put in front of him. Enoch just shrugged and the guy seemed to let it slip. Enoch paid for the cassettes and put them in his backpack that Portman had given him (he had given backpacks to all of them, just in case).

Enoch decided to listen to the boy and go to Goth´s, he looked around for the food court ( a place Portman had told them was where most of the food places were in a mall), once he was there, he looked around for the store, until he saw it.

He walked towards it, it looked big, it appeared to have all black things inside, the sign above the door said Goth´s in a letter that looked too Victorian for Enoch´s liking. He went in and god, it was paradise.

‘You keep on saying you'll be mine for a while
You're lookin' fancy and I like your style
You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy
You show us everything you've got
Baby, baby that's quite a lot
And you drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy
You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'

All black clothes, black accessories, black everything. Skulls, fake blood, and by god's sake, they even had an aisle with more cassettes, he went there and bingo, a Sex Pistols cassette. He looked around, there was a hoodie with a skeleton pattern in it, he picked it up, then he grabbed a sleeveless black shirt that had a skull on it, and something that Portman had once called a bandana?, he wasn't sure, but it was black so he needed it.

He looked around and found what the boy had called eyeliner, he grabbed it and inspected it, before deciding it was worth a try.

Enoch was already walking to the cash register when he saw some chains nearby, like actual chains attached to a belt, so he grabbed it and decided to buy it too.

‘I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day’

Enoch stuffed his last purchase inside his backpack and frowned, how many things could this thing have inside?

He looked at the clock, it was almost five, time to go with the others, he started to walk and bumped into someone “What the?!” said Enoch beroe looking up “Ah, it's just you”

“Good to see you too, Mr O’Connor” said Horace, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves, barely looking Enoch in the eye.

“Mr. O’Connor, Mr. O’Connor, what is it with that?” asked Enoch, gesturing at Horace.

“You call me Somnusson” said Horace.

Enoch opened his mouth to say something and then shut it “Well… at least I don´t call you Mister, I don't know where you got that from” he said.

“Why does it matter?” asked Horace, he looked at Enoch and then at the store that he had just come out of, Goth´s; Enoch rolled his eyes when he saw Horace made a weird face at the store.

Enoch was gonna say something else, when he heard someone behind him say “Fancy seeing you here again”

Enoch turned around, it was the boy from earlier.

“Uh, hi” Enoch said, he eyed Horace, who looked like he was glaring at the other boy.

“Hope you found what you wanted” said the boy, tilting his head towards the store.

“I did, thanks” said Enoch, the boy nodded and went into the store.

“Who was that?” asked Horace.

“None of your business” said Enoch quickly, walking past Horace.

Enoch looked over his shoulder, Horace was looking at him, but he had his fists curled against his sides.

Huh, Summnusson was so weird.

Chapter Text

Enoch felt the sun rays entering through the window, he groaned and put a pillow over his face.

He looked to the clock, it was almost time for breakfast, he rolled his eyes when he heard the others waking up, Olive and Claire talking nonstop, as if waking up was the most wonderful thing in the world, there was also some muttering that sounded like Millard, and some bickering that sounded like Bronwyn and Mr Perfect Summnuson.

Enoch got up, today they had to go to Devil's Acre in the morning, they would be assigned chores or activities alongside wards from other loops. He went to his wardrobe, where he had stuffed the clothes he bought yesterday. Miss Peregrine said that they could wear their new clothes in Devil's Acre, after all, wards and peculiars from different time periods already wore different clothes, so it wouldn't do any damage.

He put on his black trousers, along with the sleeveless black shirt, the belt with the chains and came to a halt when he was about to put on the bandana.

How was he supposed to put it on?Portman had shown them how to do so, when they had visited a loop in the 60’, Enoch tried to remember the older boy´s instructions, he folded the bandana so it would be a thin rectangular, then he tied it up around his head.

He looked at himself in the window´s reflection, the bandana covered his forehead, it made his hair look wilder than usual, he snickered. So far so good.

He looked at the eyeliner, he picked it up from the shelf, he still wasn't sure what to do with it, he would figure it out later, he put it back where it was and walked to the door, time for breakfast.

Enoch peeked into the dining room, the other kids were already putting down the plates and dishes, Noor was dressed with sloths she had bought yesterday, so was Jacob and Millard.

Claire and Olive were each holding dolls from the toy store at the mall, and Fiona was wearing a sweater with a flower pattern in it.

Enoch hesitated before stepping in, the others turned to look at him when they heard his footsteps, he stopped walking when he noticed that they kept staring at him.

He shrugged and said “What?”

Noor was the first one to say something “Looking good Enoch”

Enoch frowned “Really?”

“Yeah, that new look is good on you” said Portman.

Enoch felt like smiling, but instead he just huffed and said “Like I care”, he walked to his seat, Portman just smiled, used to Enoch´s attitude.

Enoch noticed that Horace´s seat next to him was empty, he looked up, Horace was just about to sit, but he was frozen, looking at Enoch with eyes widened, and mouth open.

Enoch reclined on his seat and said “What are you looking at?”

Horace still did not move or said anything.

“Summnusson” said Enoch, waving his hand in front of Horace´s face.

Enoch saw Millard and Hugh chuckling behind Horace, even Portman looked amused; even though Horace did look kind of funny with that face, it looked like the other boys knew something Enoch didn´t.

Noor approached and put her hand in Horace´s shoulder, she said “Horace, time for breakfast”

That seemed to make him react, Horace sputtered and sat next to Enoch, not looking at him, Enoch raised an eyebrow at him.

During breakfast, Enoch, catched Horace looking at him from time to time, one of those times Enoch was pretty sure that Horace was looking at his arms and shoulders. Enoch smiled a little when he remembered that back in the Victorian era, it was inappropriate to show off the shoulders.

Enoch looked at Horace, who was already staring at him again, the other boy looked away quickly, before sinking a piece of waffle in his juice instead of in the maple syrup.

Enoch looked at Horace like he was seeing a very weird insect. What was up with Horace anyways?

Enoch tugged at the strap of his backpack, he was sure that this was the first time that he would go dressed like this to Devil's Acre. He tried to not look nervous when he and the others went into the loop.

He walked along the other kids, Horace for some reason immediately went to him so they could walk next to each other, Enoch scoffed at him, to which Horace just raised up his chin, smiling at Enoch.

Enoch looked up at him with a little sourness in his face, he hated that Horace was taller than him, they were the same age, and still, Horace was a head taller than him, it was infuriating because Horace would constantly look down at him.

Enoch looked away, feeling the need to stick out his tongue at him, but that would be too easy, what he needed was a good comeback, he was thinking about one when he heard someone giggling. He turned his head to the left and saw some girls that were Miss Wren´s new wards; the girls looked at Enoch and giggled, covering her mouth with their hands and looking at each other smiling.

What was that about?

Enoch heard Horace cough, he looked at him, Horace didn't look very happy.

“Let's keep walking, Mr O’Connor, don´t get distracted” said the taller boy, clutching his cane with a strong grasp.

“Whatever” said Enoch, walking side by side with Horace, who would occasionally glare at anyone that looked at Enoch for far too long.

Summsonn was so weird, really.

Enoch had been assigned to of course, helpt at the Devil’s Acre morgue, he worked with the bodies like it had been just yesterday the last time that he had helped his dad at their own morgue, before everything went sideways.

Enoch felt some blood splash against his face when he was preparing the third body, he cursed a little, he would have to get cleaned up before meeting up again with the others, Miss Peregrine didn’t like it when he was covered in blood, paint, she could work with that, blood, no.

He looked around, closed his eyes and remembered his family´s morgue.

“David, David!, put me down!” screamed Enoch, laughing.

David, his big brother was carrying him over his shoulder, shaking Enoch up and laughing.

“Fine, you win” he said, putting Enoch down on the grass.

“Thanks, dimwitt” said Enoch.

“Who are you calling dimwitt?, pipsqueak” said David, ruffling Enoch´s hair.

It was the year 1893 or 1894, Enoch wasn't quite sure, what he did remember was that he was six at the time.

“Lads, come help over here” said their father from the door threshold.

Enoch and David scrambled to go over, they entered the morgue, a body was already there on the table.

David and Enoch´s father worked on the boy, while Enoch handed them tools and cleaned up the ones that had already been used.

Enoch´s smiling face would occasionally look up at them, David would smile back, while his father would just smile a little, before going back to work.

Enoch was such a happy kid at the time, but it was around that time when he found out about his peculiarity. Sometimes he wished that he had never found out.

Enoch had raised the death at his family's morgue, his parents got scared, they couldn't understand what was happening, that was the story that Enoch always told everyone when they asked him about how he found out about his peculiarity, and it was not so far from the truth, but it was not all of it.

For one he had never met his mother, she had died giving birth to him. Enoch sometimes wondered if that had been his fault. Taking life from something and giving it to another, that was what he could do, it wasn't so crazy the idea that during his birth, he had absorbed the life from his mom´s body.

It was one of the things that he felt the most guilty about.

And he was not brave enough to tell anyone about it.

Enoch walked down the street, he had finished with his task, he could go back home, that was if someone else didn't ask something else from him.

“Mr O’Connor”

There it was.

“Please take these documents to the Law building” said Miss Wren.

Enoch took the papers and nodded, he turned around to go to the law building, he passed by a group of young wards, and heard someone say “He is a dead riser, did you know?”

Another kid clutched a younger one against them, like Enoch would-

Enoch laughed bitterly, he was used to this, he had no other option besides to do so.

Enoch put on the earphones and hit play to the walkman in his pocket.

‘Well I didn't tell anyone, but a bird flew by
Saw what I'd done he set up a nest outside,
And he sang about what I'd become
He sang so loud, sang so clear
I was afraid all the neighbours would hear,
So I invited him in, just to reason with him
I promised I wouldn't do it again’

He hadn't done it again, the last time he did it, it was so long ago, it didn't matter anymore.

Right?

Besides, it had been an accident, he hadnt meant to do it, he didn't even know that he could do that.

No one had to know.

‘But he sang louder and louder inside the house,
And no I couldn't get him out
So I trapped him under a cardboard box
Stood on it to make him stop
I picked up the bird and above the din I said
That's the last song you'll ever sing
Held him down, broke his neck,
Taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget’

No one knew about it, not even Miss Peregrine, not even his first ymbryne, no one else knew, beside the house

‘But in my dreams began to creep
That old familiar tweet tweet tweet’

And still, he sometimes still had nightmares about it, more often than he would like to admit.
Sometimes he didn't know how to feel about them, there were times when he felt like he deserved it and other times that he didn't.

‘I opened my mouth to scream and shout,
I waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout,
Couldn't scream and I couldn't shout’

He wished he could tell someone, just to take it out, just so that he could feel like he had been brave enough to admit what he had done, if anything to prove that he wasn't bad.

But at the same time, he knew that it would be something that he would never tell anyone, never. He wasn't brave, he knew it, he ran and ran away all the time.

‘I opened my mouth to scream and shout
Waved my arms and flapped about
But I couldn't scream I couldn't shout,
The song was coming from my mouth’

No one would know, never, no one would never find out. Because the only two people that knew about it were Enoch and his Father. And dead men tell no tales.

But what if they did?, what if someday, Enoch just snapped and said it?, what if he screamed it? What if he shouted it?

‘From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth’

No, he would never, never.

He had swore that he would never tell anyone about it.

‘From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth’

Because what if when he said it, they would recoil from him?, clutch the younger ones against them?, look at him afraid?

Afraid of him, not of his peculiarity, but afraid of him, afraid of Enoch.

‘From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth’

As much as he liked to say that he didn't care what his loopmates thought about him, he would never be able to live with himself if they found out, he wouldn't be able to bear seeing the fear on their faces.

God, what if Miss Peregrine found out?

What if Horace found out?

He didn't know why he cared so much about what Horace thought, but he just did. And he knew that if Horace found out, Enoch would run, and run and run.

‘From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth
From my mouth’

Enoch closed his eyes shut. He didn't have to think about it, he could keep it inside, just like he had done so for more than a hundred years.

Chapter Text

Enoch entered the Law building, he turned off the walkman and approached an ymbryne that was talking to a middle aged peculiar man.

“Sorry, I was asked to take these documents here” said Enoch, tilting his head towards the papers in his hands.

“Take them to that room over there” she said, pointing at a door nearby, Enoch nodded and walked over there, the door had a sign on top that said “Disposable documents”

Enoch frowned, seriously?, so these documents weren't even important but they couldn't just throw them away?, what a waste of time, he huffed and opened the door. When he entered the room, he almost tripped over a pile of papers laying on the floor. He looked around, the room was a chaos, with documents and papers scattered all over the place.

He put the documents on a random pile on a desk, he saw a piece of paper on the floor and picked it up, it was very old, the bordes worn out, it was blank on both sides, he put it in his pocket, the paper would be good to make a drawing or something.

Enoch sculpted the homunculi, making a little hole in it´s chest and putting a mouse's heart inside, he used more clay to cover the heart and in a matter of seconds, the little clay man got up and walked around.

Enoch put his chin on his left hand and stared at the homunculi as it tripped over a pencil, before getting up and running around with no direction in particular.

The boy sighed and grabbed another jar with a bigger heart, a chicken's heart, maybe he could make a bigger homunculi, he had more than enough clay for it, he took out the heart and put it on the desk, he was gonna get up and look for more clay when he noticed that the heart´s blood was staining the piece of paper that he had grabbed from the Law building.

Enoch grabbed the piece of paper and his eyes widened when he saw that now it had words. He narrowed his eyes at it, before looking at the blood on the desk, he put the piece of paper in it, letting it get soaked in blood, until the paper was red and more letters appeared on it, he did the same on the back of the paper, but nothing appeared on that side.

Looks like this piece of paper wasnt that disposable after all, he readed it, his eyes widening more as he kept reading.

‘Noone is meant to read this, there is a reason for why the ink is special, the only reason why I wrote this down is for the ymbrynes to get the information, hopefully they will receive it. I am a syndrigast that had been captured by the wights, if anyone is reading this, I am already dead. I don´t know when or where this is going to be readed, so probably the wights have already done what I feared the most. Between the so many legends that are in the peculiar world, there is one that has obsessed most of us, a fountain which´s water can make a syndrigast´s peculiarity change, in a way that someone that has super strength can now instead control earth, any peculiarity you want in exchange of yours can be, thanks to this fountain. And let me tell you, it is real, the Fountain of Syndrigast is real, and I ask you with all my heart, to destroy it, before the wights reach it.’

Enoch got up off his chair abruptly.

So it was real, the Fountain of Syndrigast is real, maybe that was the legend Miss Peregrine and Miss Crow were talking about, Enoch had to tell them about this.

He was already heading to the door when he stopped.

Or maybe… maybe he could…

He looked at his hands. A fountain that could change his peculiarity. A fountain that could give him a peculiarity that is not scary, grotesque and dangerous.

If he managed to find that fountain and change his peculiarity, then he would, he could… others would stop being afraid of him. He would finally fit in with the other peculiars.

As much as Enoch liked his peculiarity, as much as he liked to revive things and give life to objects, he knew from experience that it was also dangerous, he was dangerous.

If changing his peculiarity could make his loopmates like him, then it was worth it. CLaire and Olive wouldn't cry anymore at seeing him holding a pig's heart, Emma wouldn't scrunch up her nose when smelling the blood on his clothes, Bronwyn wouldn't have to calm down the little ones, Jacob and Noor would be more comfortable with him, Fiona and Hugh won´t get scared at the idea of Enoch accidentally absorbing the life out of the flowers and plants, Millard wouldn't get startled each time that Enoch revived an animal, and Horace…

Horace would like him more.

Enoch smiled at that, but he flattered. There was still a chance that the legend was in fact a fluke, and that it wasn't real after all, or that the wights had already reached it, or that it had been destroyed, but…

He looked through the window, his loopmates were playing outside, Enoch sighed, each time he touched the grass of the backyard, he was so excited playing that he would accidentally absorb the life out of the surrounding plants, which always made Fiona sad, which made Hugh mad, and everyone felt awkward about it.

Enoch could fix it.

Maybe it was not real, but trying was worth it.

He left the paper inside his pocket and went to the corridor, he heard Miss Peregrine going outside with the others, perfect. Enoch walked cautiously trying to make no noise and opened the door of Miss Peregrine´s office.

He looked around, the map that she and Miss Crow talked about should be around, unless they had taken it to the Bird´s council, which was unlike because Miss Peregrine had not made any solo trips recently, and as far as he heard last time, they didn't make any plans of what to do with the map.

He searched inside some drawers, careful to not move the things too much as to make Miss Peregrine realise that someone had been searching for something.

He scanned the shelves, and he almost gave up when he tripped over something, he looked down, the carpet had a little lump under it, Enoch lifted it up, there was a loose wooden board under it, he pulled it up and there it was, a rolled scroll, he got it out and… dang it.

It was not the map, just some information about Devil's Acre, he looked around the little hideout to see if something else was inside, nothing, he put the scroll back inside and left everything like he was never there. He heard the others coming inside the house, he cursed under his breath and went back to his room.

He had to find that map, or anyways the map to the Fountain of Syndrigast, and if not, he would find the way himself, he had to.

He could change, for his family and friends he could stop being dangerous, that way he would stop absorbing the life out of things by accident.

Little peculiar kids would stop looking at him afraid, people would no longer recoil at learning that he was a dead raiser.

He could have a peculiarity that was actually good, helpful and amazing.

He would miss being able to raise the dead, that was true, but if it was necessary to change his peculiarity for others to no longer fear him, then so be it.

And he was gonna do it alone.

Just some mode days and it would be the trial where he would help solve a murder case, after that he would look for the map and start his journey.

He scoffed, he felt disgusted with himself, change himself just so that others would like him, but…

He was tired.

He was so tired of keeping acting like the way other peculiars reject him doesn't affect him.

He still remembers his first loop. How he decided to ask to be relocated to another loop after standing so long living in a house with other peculiars that didn't like him and that were afraid of him just for the mere fact that he was a dead riser.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He was not gonna spend eternity being rejected and feared, and now, he had a chance to make it better.

He liked to be a dead riser, but he loves his family more.

He would find that damned fountan, change his peculiarity, make Miss Peregrine proud of him, be a hero, and Horace…

Enoch sighed, some more days and no going back.

Chapter Text

“State your name and ymbrine” said the judge.

“My name is Enoch O’Connor, my ymbrine is Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine”

“Very well” said the judge, some people on the jury wrote down notes as Enoch felt his palms sweat a little; he had already done this a couple of times before, as a work on Devil's Acre, it was not the first time that he was in this courtroom to reanimate someone, but it was still a little hard, everytime he came in he felt like this was his trial, for… everything he had done.

“Enoch O’Connor, you are a dead riser, with the peculiarity of taking life from something and giving it to another, you can reanimate corpses like the one of the victim, is that correct so far?” asked the judge.

“Correct” said Enoch, some people muttered, others looked at him warily.

“But, you can't influence what the reanimated corpse does or says, isn't that right?”

“Correct, I can only control inanimate objects to which I give life and corpses that are far too discomposed like skeletons, corpses that are in a state like the one of the victim´s can’t be controlled by me, I can only reanimate them” said Enoch, in the corner of his eye, he saw two peculiars bring a trolley with surgical gloves and other tools.

“Well then, taking into account everything that has been said, bring in the corpse for the next part of the trial” said the judge.

Enoch looked around the courtroom, some people who he assumed were the victim's family were sitting a little far away from Enoch, they were a woman, who had tears in her eyes, a boy that looked like he was eight and a girl that was around fifteen maybe.

He startled a little when he heard the metallic noise that it was made as the two peculiars from before pushed the table with wheels that had the corpse on top of it, covered with a white blanket.

Enoch sighed, he put on the gloves and grabbed the tools he needed to open the man´s chest and reach the rib cage, where he would take out the heart and put a pig’s. He took the blanket off of the man, he looked up, his stare encountered with the eyes of the accused, the victim´s coworker. The man looked at Enoch with eyes that sended a clear message “If you keep this up I will kill you”.

Enoch had a feeling that the coworker was indeed the murderer, I wonder why?

In general all the proves pointed towards him, he had a pocket knife that coincided with the marks on the corpses body, besides he was the last person seen with the victim, and apparently the man, George Williams had a grudge on the victim, Michal Rowan because after a long time of George harassing Michael, George had been put in a lower charge at their work.

Besides all that, George´s peculiarity was that he had goat hooves instead of feet, and Michael could see glimpses of a person's life.

None of their peculiarities were dangerous, not really, on the other hand, George´s knife…

The jury was already dead set on the idea that he was the murderer, but they needed confirmation.

Who better to give it than the person who had been killed.

Enoch worked, as he heard the disgusted noises that the people in the courtroom made, he reached for the heart, taking it out, and putting it in a tray, he grabbed the jar with the pig's heart, taking it out and putting it inside Michael´s ribcage.

He holded the heart for a while, closed his eyes and felt life rushing through his body, traveling down his arm, towards his fingertips, and finally to the heart.

He and Michael opened their eyes at the same time.

Michael´s body twitched for a minute, the jury and the rest of the people in the courtroom gasped, some of them covering their eyes with their hands.

“Michael Rowan, I am Enoch, I want to help you”

“Wha-what, is-I-I am not- I am not alive, why-why am I he-here?”

Enoch grimaced, when a dead person was brought back to life, they were often confused, because as far as they knew, they were already in whatever place they were when they died, and coming back to having a body in this plane of existence was like being punched on the ribs, knocked out and waking up.

“It is fine, everything is fine, no one's gonna hurt you, you are safe”

“But I-I am not”

“Why not?” asked Enoch, leaning in so Michael felt like he was the only one listening.

“George is trying to kill me” said Micahel.

Enoch eyed the jury and the judge who were listening closely, meanwhile, George looked like he wanted to jump out of the window.

“Why do you think so?” asked Enoch, acting confused.

“At work, he said I was-as gonna pa-pay for him getting a lower place”

Enoch nodded, encouraging him to keep talking.

“And then?”

“After work, he-he followed me-I-I tried to run bu-but he cornered me on an alleyway and-and”

“And what?, it is alright, take your time”

“He stabbed me”

The judge noded, she made a sign to the jury, to which they nodded and wrote down more notes.

“He stabbed you?”

“Yes-yes he did” said Michael, his eyes widening “And he stabbed me again, and again, and he also slashed me with his-his po-pocket knife”

“So it was not an accident, he was trying to kill you”

“Ye-yes, he-he…” Michael stopped talking as he looked around, his eyes started to go from one point to the other, until they fell on George, Michael´s face contorted in fear, his body twitching “GET HIM AWAY-GET HIM AWAY FROM ME, TAKE ME BACK, TAKE ME BACK TO-”

Enoch put his hand on Michael´s shoulder and said “It is fine Michael, you can go back, rest”

He closed his eyes, now, life traveled from the heart to his hand, up his arm, and through his body, he opened his eyes, Michael had stopped moving, his eyes closed and his heart wasn't beating anymore.

“Was that enough?” asked Enoch.

The jury nodded, looking tense.

“Thanks for your cooperation Mr. O’Connor, you are dismissed” she said.

Enoch grabbed tha table with wheels so he could take Michale to the morgue in the building and prepare his body.

The jury whispered something with the jury, then she grabbed her gavel and smashed it down saying “George Williams you have been found guilty for first degree murderer against Michael Rowan, you will be sended to a punishment loop that the jury will decide on eventually, in the meantime you will be put in the Devil Acre´s prison”

“YOU LITTLE TWAT!” screamed George to Enoch, who stopped walking to turn around and look at George, he was being held by two men.

“YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS, YOU DAMN DEATH RISER FROM HELL!”

Enoch gulped and turned to leave with Michael´s corpse.

Enoch finished sewing the cut he had made on Michael´s chest, then he put both hearts, Michael´s and the pig´s in separate jars. The family had asked to keep Michael´s heart, they also wanted his ashes, so Encoh had to prepare the body for that.

Enoch was going to grab the tool he needed, his hand on Michael´s shoulder, when he heard a noise, he turned around, Michael´s body was moving.

He froze, that was not possible, there was no heart inside the corpse, so how was Enoch-

Micahel grabbed Enoch´s hand, his movements were not sloppy like in the courtroom, his eyes looked more focused and his grip was strong.

It was unlike anything Enoch had seen when reanimating a corpse, no matter how discomposed it was.

Enoch tried to pull away, he scrambled to take Michael´s hand from him.

“Michael, stop” he said.

“No” said Micahel, his voice was firm and steady, like the voice of an alive person, not like the voice that always came out from every corpse, raw and ragged.

“Let go now”

Michael lifted up the upper part of his body, so now he was sitting on the table, he pulled Enoch closer and said “You killed him, didn’t you?”

Enoch’s eyes widened, god, Michael, was talking about-

“You have kept the secret for a long time, but eventually it will come out, one way or another, or have you forgotten that your friend Horace Summnusson is a seer?”

With that, Micahel let go of Enoch´s hand, he laid down on the table and stopped moving.

Enoch stared at him, his breath uneaving.

What in the bloody hell was that?

And-

Enoch looked down at the floor, he started tearing up.

Horace.

Horace had prophetic dreams, he could dream of the past, present and future.

There was a possibility that Horace would dream of what Enoch did to his father.

Maybe he had already dreamed about it.

Enoch put his back against the wall and let himself fall, he stayed on the floor, hugging his knees against his chest.

Horace would find out.

He would find out and he would know that Enoch was a monster.

Enoch sobbed, his body trembling uncontrollably.

A weird sensation traveled through his body, the same he felt when the light in his father's eyes extinguished, the grass, flowers, even some of the surrounding trees withered and rotted in a matter of seconds, just as Enoch felt as if life itself ran inside him.

But he felt more hopeless than ever, weeping and smashing his forehead against the dry grass in front of his father's corpse.

Enoch walked as fast as he could without making it obvious that he was in a hurry. He wanted to go home already, get away from Devil's Acre, plan his journey and try to not think about anything.

When he finally got home, he didn't go straight to his room, instead he walked towards their home library, he scanned the different titles, there had to be something useful.

He stepped back and bumped into Millard.

“Oh, Enoch, good to see that you are back” said the invisible boy, adjusting his hat.

Enoch wanted to kick Millard, just when he thought that everyone was still in Devil's Acre, the one peculiar in the house that readed the most had to be at home.

“Hello, Nullings” said Enoch, forcing a smile.

Millard tilted his head “Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing, just, nothing” shrugged Enoch.

“You only smile like that when you are up to something” said the other boy, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Nullings, I am not discussing anything with you when the only thing you have put on is that hat” said Enoch, keeping his stare in eye level.

“People can't just stand anatomy”

“More like you have grown used to feel air in parts of your body that should never seen the sun, but here we are”

Millard chuckled, Enoch arched an eyebrow at him.

“It is nothing” said the other boy, his hat moved in a way that it made Enoch guess that Millard was shaking his head “It is just that, I think I never realised how funny you actually are”

Enoch narrowed his eyes at him “Now I think that you are the one up to something”

Millard stayed silent for a minute, then he said “I actually think that you are funny Enoch, you don't have to think that my kindness is a trick, you can trust me”

Enoch tensed up.

“I mean-whatever” he sait, sitting down on a couch.

Millard put his hat down on a table, then he sat on a couch across from Enoch, the cushion sinking under his weight.

“I am invisible”

“Yeah, I can see that”

Millard chuckled “I am invisible, so I could just stay naked and go around the house, just spying on everyone without no one knowing, but I don´t”

“Fine, so what is your point?”

“My point is, you all trust me, you trust that I won't invade your privacy even though I can do so, the same way we all trust that you won't use your peculiarity against us neither”

Enoch stayed silent for a minute.

“But you do”

“We do what?” asked Millard.

“You are afraid of me, maybe not always, but sometimes you are”

“That is not true, at least I can tell you that I have never been afraid of you, ever”

Enoch´s eyes fell to the ground, but they went back up when he felt a hand holding his.

“I am sorry if I ever made you feel like you were not welcomed here”

Enoch looked away.

“I am not afraid of you, I will never be afraid of you”

Enoch snickered.

If Millard knew what Enoch had done to his father, he would be absolutely terrified of him.

He had to find that map.

Chapter Text

Enoch wasn't good at planning.

Even his sculptures, puppets, paintings and anything he created in general was done without real planning behind it.

So, in retrospect, Enoch had the odds against him.

Because he had to find the map in order to find the Fountain of Syndrigast.

But he had no idea of how to find the map, let alone how to steal it when he found it.

Enoch had no idea of where to look first, and anyways, the map had probably already been sent to the ymbryne council and once there it would be out of reach for everyone.

His only chances were Miss Peregrine´s office and Devil's Acre, there had to be someplace where the map could be stored, right?

He groaned.

Even if he found out where it was, there was no guarantee that he would be able to take it.

He was definitely no hero material. He couldn't even find the map to start his journey.

Enoch walked out of his room, all the lights were off, every room was silent, everyone except for him was already asleep. He tiptoed to Miss Peregrine´s office and opened the food, peeking inside carefully, no one was there, he smiled and came in.

He looked around, there had to be something that he hadn't noticed last time he came, who knows, maybe the map was a very obvious place, after all, it was hidden in their loop and Miss P didn't really have reasons to believe that someone would steal the map.

He opened some drawers, this time focusing on the papers on top, but he found nothing, then he went to search in the walls, maybe the map was behind a portrait, but nothing. He searched everywhere, but there were no maps.

He stepped in front of the bookshelves, he grabbed the map of days, maybe the map was hidden inside, but no, he kept looking around all the books, until he found one that catched his attention.

A book about fountains, bingo!

He took it and shaked it, a folded paper fell.

He took it, grinning, unfolded it and felt like jumping, it was the map!

He put the book back in its place and tried to leave everything as if no one had been there before leaving.

According to the map, the fountain was in Scotland's Highlands, in a loop settled back in the 13th of october 1518.

He frowned, he would have to do a lot of frog leaps from loop to loop until he arrived at that one, not only that, but the loop was much probably a collapsed one, or at least bareilly working with the help of a peculiar who had the ability to manipulate time, those were also who would maintain loops in America, where ymbrynes were no longer in.

So, he knew where and when he would go to, but he had to plan now how to get there.

First thing is first, he needed supplies. He needed to pack enough food for the journey, that would take a while, maybe, so he needed enough food for the first days or hours and enough money to buy more food later on. But he couldn't take food from the house, the others would notice, so he had to buy some himself.

So the best thing to do was to buy the food tomorrow, maybe even buy something to defend himself, like a pocket knife, pack the food, the knife, clothes, some jars with hearts, and leave at night.

He checked the map again, the closest loop that he could enter in order to reach the Fountain´s loop, was a loop settled in Colchester, England, on the day 22 of june, 1267.

And he could go to that loop, through the loop machine in devil's acre, just as easy as to open the door and step in. from there, he would leapfrog to the other loops until he reached his destiny.

He sighed, he kneeled on the floor and reached under his bed, taking out his old ragged bag, it was perfect for England´s old days.

He sat down against the bed, looking at the bag. He had once used it to run away, back when his father died, after that, Enoch had packed his few things in this bag and left, he ran away and barely looked back.

This time he was also running away.

He put the map inside the bag and hid it under the bed.

‘You are very good at this, aren't you, Enoch?, you run away from your problems and never look back’

Enoch scoffed, this palace was horribly crowded, people kept shouting everywhere and there was no space to breathe. And it also smelled horrible.

He handed some coins to the man, before grabbing the food and putting it inside his bag. He had traveled to a loop in England, 1524, and god, people were insufferable here, even walking was hard in the bloody market, when he finished his buying his food, he scrambled to get out of the waves of people and rats.

He turned around a corner and bumped into someone, someone who he could not see.

Millard.

Bloody Millard.

“Bloody hell!, Millard!” muttered Enoch, clutching his bag.

“Nice to see you too, Enoch, why the rush?” asked Millard.

“No reason” said Enoch, looking over his shoulder, the sun was already setting on this loop, which was weird, because when he got back to Cairnholm it would still be day time.

Enoch had the feeling Millard raised an eyebrow at him, because the boy stayed silent for a while.

“You have been acting odd since morning,” he said.

“Nullings, I've already said this, I am not discussing anything to you when you are naked”

“I know, I know, I am just worried”

Enoch looked down, biting his lip.

“Why don't we go eat something?” asked Millard “There is a restaurant over there that has a terrace, the doors that lead to it have curtains, so no one inside can see when I eat, you can order a lot of food and that way we can both have a good dinner/lunch”

“But, what about when we get back to Cairnholm and it is time to eat” said Enoch.

“I am sure that the bird will understand, she said we could do anything as long as we behaved in the loops we visited”

Enoch looked around, on one hand, he had to keep planning, besides he really wasn't eager to have a long social interaction with anyone, especially someone as talkative as MIllard, but he also had to say that a good meal was very tentative.

“I dont know….” said Enoch.

“I will pay”
“Fine”

“I want a big bowl of pasta with meatballs, smoked salmon with chips, a lamb leg, smashed potatoes, garlic bread and a big glass of water” said Enoch.

The waiter looked at him with an unimpressed look on his face.

“Is that all?” he asked, a sarcastic edge in his voice.

Enoch glanced at the apparently empty seat in front of him, Millard tugged twice at the tablecloth, which meant “Yes”.

“Yes” said Enoch.

The waiter sighed and turned around, closing the terrace´s doors behind him.

“He clearly doesn't get paid enough for this” said Millard.

“No, but, I can't wait to see his face when he sees that all the food is finished at the end of the meal”

“Me too”

They both stayed in an uncomfortable silence for a while, before Millard said “Is everything alright, Enoch?”

“Why wouldn't it be?”

“Well, you have been tense and jumpy all day and yesterday I saw you sneaking in and out of Miss Peregrine´s office”

Enoch felt all the color drain off his face, he stammered and clutched at the edges of his chair.

“Yo-You said you didn't spy on us!” he said.

“I don´t, I couldn't sleep, okay?, so I went to the garden to relax and when I came back I saw you coming out of Miss Peregrine´s office, what was that about?” asked Millard.

Enoch tried to think of an excuse, anything, that could save him from this.

“Enoch, I am not mad, I am not gonna snitch on you, but I want to know what is happening” said Millard.

Enoch almost smiled, Millard reminded him a little about David. David was also comprehensive, David was also smart and talked non stop. And David had died at fourteen, the same age Millard had.

He looked at his lap and then up “I-I was just looking for answers”

“We all want those, don´t we?, but answers about what in your case?” asked Millard, the cahir cracked as he leaned his back against it.

“I am not getting philosophical with you, Millard” said Enoch, before slapping his hand over his mouth.

“You called me Millard, you called me by my first name!” exclaimed the other boy.

“Whatever” Enoch said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Whatever?”, you have never ever called me by my name” said Millard.

Enoch huffed, looking away.

“Now, really, can you please answer my question?”

“Well, Nullings, I guess that I was just searching answers about the syndrigasts in general”

Which was not completely a lie, mind you, he was indeed searching for answers about the Fountain of Syndrigasts.

“In Miss Peregrine´s office?” asked Millard.

“Well, she has a lot of books and I just wanted to see if I found anything interesting”

“Why didn't you just ask her to lend you a book?”

“Do I look like I would do that?”

“Good point, you are way too proud to do that” said Millard “But, why the sudden interest?”

Enoch now had to look for an excuse for that, he racked his brain until he came up with something “I just, after living in the same day for a long time, now that we can go to different loops, now that the wights and hollowgasts are neutralized, I just wondered, what if there is a point when we no longer have to hide and we can live in the present, outside loops?”

Millard stared at him “I mean, it could happen, that people like you whose peculiarities are not visible, could live outside loops if only one day we somehow stopped having enemies”

“Yeah, it is just that, eternity must get boring at some point, I ve lives for more than a hundred years and sometimes I feel like I am…” Enoch stopped himself from continuing, somehow this conversation was getting too real.

“That you are what?” asked Millard.

“That…”Enoch sighed before saying “That I am like an old man just waiting to die already”

“Enoch, you are not an old man” said Millard.

“I know, and I know that our internal clocks reinitiated and that now I am not that old, but I have already lived all those years regardless of anything and I feel it, sometimes I feel like in any minute my bones will turn into dust, like there will be wrinkles in my face and hands, that my hair will turn white and that someday I won't wake up”

They stayed silent.

“But, you like being alive, right?, like, you don't mind staying alive forever” said Millard.

“I guess I don´t, but, is just that, dying is something inherently human, all humans die sooner or later, dying is what makes us human, so if we can't die, what are we?” asked Enoch.

“And you said that you wouldn't get philosophical” said Millard and before Enoch could replied, he added “We are human Enoch, but sometimes, some people, like us, have no other options”

Enoch stared down at the floor.

When he was young, after David died, the idea that one day he would also die and that he would reunite with him was a console. And now he didn't have that, he would probably never have that.

Millard said “Look over down at the street”

Enoch looked over the railing of the terrace “What is it?”

“See that old man there?” asked Millard, Enoch glanced at a man who was hunched over a cane, his hands were completely wrinkled and he barely had any hair “That will never happen to you, you will be able to walk normally, run, see, hear and much more forever”

“Yes”Enoch said “I will never grow up, and I will never grow old”

He took a photo out of his pocket, a very old photo of him and David. Enoch had always thought that growing old wouldn't be that bad if he did it with David.

He had lived for maybe 118, or 119, who knows, mosts of it he had spent it with people who rejected him, a peculiarity that scared everyone off, in a day that repeated itself over and over again, hiding from the wights, the hollowgasts, and running away, running, running and running away, always away.

It was not really what some people described eternity like.

Chapter Text

Enoch and Millard came into the house, before Millard could say something, Enoch went up the stairs, right to his bedroom, in the way, he bumped into Horace.

“Mr O’Connor, why are you in such a rush?” asked the taller boy.

“None of your business” said Enoch, grabbing his bag in a stronger grip, he prayed that Horace wouldn't notice how anxious he was.

“Are you alright?, you have been acting very weird lately” said Horace, arching an eyebrow, his face contorted into something that Enoch could swear was worry, if only horace could worry about him, but why would he ever worry about Enoch, really.

“What is this? twenty questions?” said Enoch, walking past Horace and going into his room, he slammed the door behind him.

He out the bag on the bed, and took out a bigger bad, where he put the food bag, he went to his closet and grabbed some clothes, including his black ones that he bought on the 80’, there were some loops that he would have to go through that were settled in the present, so those clothes would be useful.

He shoved everything inside the bag, including his money, and some clay.

Now the only thing left were some hearts, he grabbed some from the shelves and put them in his bag, he put it over his shoulder, somehow, it was lighter than he thought, very well.

Enoch took the map out of his pocket, he stared at it for a minute, if he did this, there was no going back. No matter what, if he ran away today to this adventure, nothing would ever be the same.

Horace was born around the year 1928, and he had arrived at Miss Peregrine´s loop around the year 1941.

And for a peculiar boy, his life before the loop had been relatively good, he came from a respectable family in the countryside, he used to live in a little town near the ocean, a place where bad things rarely happened.

He remembered that one of his favorite things to do was staying inside his house, far from the mud of the garden or the unpleasant screams in the street. He would sit in the carpet of the living room, turn on the radio and listen to the music and news.

That is how he became aware of his peculiarity, that at the time he thought were simply some kind of weird divination abilities, not knowing that he was actually part of something greater than just crystal balls and constellations.

Nowadays, he is mostly convinced that most of his dreams since he was little were prophetic, but, it wasn't until he was seven that he understood that his dreams were far from just simple scenes playing on his head at night, the radio helped, so did… the other thing.

He had had a dream of a girl named Dorothy Westwood being murdered, stabbed on the back by a suitor who she had rejected, the boy had stabbed her at least twenty five times until a man came and knocked him out.

As if the dream hadn't been horrible enough for a seven year old, the next day, when he had gone by his usual routine, listening to the radio, when the news came along, it had been said that a girl named Dorothy Westwood had been murdered, stabbed at least twenty five times by a boy who she had rejected, fortunately he was knocked out by a man that hear the commotion.

He had stared at the radio for perhaps an hour after hearing that.

Surely it must have been a coincidence, right?, a big coincidence, just like his dreams about that boy.

But, he soon learned that it was not a coincidence at all, he had more dreams which´s content would be said in the news the next day.

After some time and a lot of praying, he understood that he was not normal, far from it.

But when he met Miss Peregrine he felt like he was normal, at least in comparison to other peculiars, he still could remember the first time that he saw Hugh, bees coming out of his mouth, Horace had tried so hard to hide how relieved he was that he was not the strangest of them.

But when Enoch had arrived, he had become the most peculiar of them, at least in Horace´s eyes.

When he saw Enoch for the first time, the first thing he thought was.

‘It is him’

He couldn't believe it, but he was there.

Enoch with his cold blue eyes (Horace thought that they were powder blue), his short dirty blonde hair, crooked nose, pale skin and a scowl on his face.

Other people would call him ugly, they did actually do so, Horace had heard other kids in Devil's Acre calling Enoch ugly and hideous when he was not around, Horace had made sure to give them a little (big) nag on their legs with his cane telling them to “Never again call Enoch ugly again or he would give them a concussion”, they had all looked down and walked away, which made Horace smile a little in satisfaction.

Because for Horace, Enoch was the prettiest boy in the world, he looked so cute when he frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, he looked like a grumpy teddy bear.

His crooked nose made him look more handsome in Horace´s opinions, his pale face looked beautiful framed with his dirty blonde hair that had grown a little bit since their internal clocks had been restarted, falling almost on his shoulders, his powder blue eyes looked like a beautiful lagoon (or like how someone's lips turned blue when they drowned) and the scar on his cheek made him look more gruffy looking, something that Horace loved. Even though the scar was a reminder of Enoch getting hurt, something that always made Horace frown, he didnt like the idea of Enoch ever being in the face of danger again.

When they had interacted first, Horace had gone to Enoch´s room to greet him after Miss Peregrine had introduced him to them, he had found Enoch unpacking, putting his clothes on the bed. Horace had approached him with a faint smile and offered his hand to shake Enoch´s, but the other boy just looked at him with a distasteful look and huffed, turning around, leaving it perfectly clear that he didn't want to have anything to do with Horace.

But it was fine, Horace could be patient, after all, they had all eternity to be with each other.

The other boy was not only gruffy looking, he also acted that way, he was sarcastic, unsociable, the idea of people touching him was nauseous for him, and he only smiled when saying something hurtful or unpleasant.

But Horace knew that under that rough exterior, Enoch was actually good.

Like the time when Horace had seen Enoch fix Claire´s rag doll in secret, the poor little one had cried all afternoon because her favorite doll had it´s dress teared off a little, Horace had offered himself to stitch it back, but he didn't have enough thread to do it (he had used it all for his last suit) so he had told Claire that he would do it later. But that night, when Horace had gone out of his room to clear his mind after having another bad dream, he had seen Enoch walk down the hall with the doll in hand towards his room, then he had come out with the doll's dress fixed, that is when he noticed Horace.

Enoch had glared at him harshilly like he wanted to strangle Horace and said “If you tell anyone that I did this, you are dead meat Summnuson”

Horace had the urge to hug him in that instant, but he restrained himself, knowing that Enoch would push him away and probably stab him. With what? Horace didn't care, he would let Enoch strangle him for all he cared.

And there was also one of the most recent proof that Enoch had a heart, when they had been in that loop in London, and Enoch had used his peculiarity to soothe little Esme. Sure, that had alerted the hollowgast of their location, but it was a mistake anyone could make.

For Horace, Enoch was the love of his life and more.

For Horace, Enoch´s pale face and powder eyes didn't remind him of a corpse, it reminded him of a porcelain doll.

He once had read a greek myth in one of the books in their home library, it said if he remember correctly, that humans used to be one only, Men and women were united as one living thing, but Zeus, had been afraid that they were too powerful, so he separated woman from men, leaving them as one only, that is why women and men often felt incomplete, because their other half had been torn away from them a long time ago.

He felt like Enoch and him were that way.

Their love transcended time and space, if they ever died Horace knew that they would reincarnate just so they could find each other again.

The first time that Horace had dreamt of Enoch, he was five, when he still thought that his dreams were just dreams.

He had dreamt of a five year old Enoch, smiling and glowing, dirty blonde hair, white skinned, powder blue eyes, crooked nose, and a beautiful smile.

Horace had fell in love with him that night, and when he dreamt of him again when he was six, Horace had fallen in love with him again, and when Horace dreamt of him again when he was seven, he fell in love with again, and so until he met Enoch.

He still had dreams of Enoch regularly, and every time he dreamt of him, he fell more in love with him.

When Horace understood that his dreams were real, at least most of them, he pleaded with all his heart that the boy of his dreams was real too. Most of all, he prayed that he could meet him one day.

Horace was born around the year 1928, Enoch was born around the year 1887. There were at least 41 years that were between those years, between them.

If they were normal, well, if Enoch was a normal, by the time Horace was born, Enoch would have been an adult, their paths would have probably not crossed, and if it was the case, there would be no possibility of them being together.

But it hadn't been like that, when they met, they were both thirteen, or well, physically that is.

Horace had waited, what? ten years?, twenty years? thirty years?, until Enoch finally came through the door and Horace felt like he had found his other half.

At this point it didn't matter how long he had waited, he would have waited a hundred years if it had meant that he would meet Enoch, even if they only had had time to see each other for a single minute, Horace would have been happy.

In fact, he would wait a hundred more years until Enoch looked at him the same way Horace looked at him.

Horace would do anything to make Enoch smile.

He looked down at the bowtie, his favorite one, and it was his favorite because Enoch had made it for him.

Horace had been moping around because his last clean bowtie had gotten dirty in a game of football with the others, that night he had a dream that Enoch was making a bowtie made of scraps of different clothes. The next day that bowtie was on the shelf next to his bed.

That day he put it on, looked at Enoch with heart eyes as the other boy sulked in a corner while putting his hands over his ears as he listened to Emma´s romantic music on the radio.

Horace had looked at him and thought ‘If loving another boy is sin, then, I am going to hell, because I am in love with Enoch O’Connor’

Chapter Text

Enoch had never been good with words, every time he tried to say something good or at least normal, he ended up messing it up, and when he tried to fix it he just screwed up even more.

It had always been like that, so when Emma came to his room with a frown and looking ready to confront him about something, he knew that it was not going to end well.

“Enoch” she said, looking tense.

“What is it?” he said, turning around, he pushed his bag more under the bed with his feet.

“Is something wrong?, you have been acting weird lately, don't think that we haven't noticed” she said.

“Oh, really?” he said, he grimaced a little, that didn't sound very nice.

“Even Olive and Claire have noticed” she said, stepping forward, a bad move, Enoch never liked when someone invaded his space, even if it was just a little.

“And so what?, I am fine” said Enoch, and he added under his breath “Not like you even actually care”

“What was that?” he heard Emma say, something on the edge of her voice that he didn't quite recognize.

“Nothing, Bloom” said Wnoch quickly “Why don't you go and play with everyone outside, or whatever”

“Because, I am worried about you” she said, Enoch turned to look at her, she did look a little worried but Enoch didn't want to hope.

“Yes, of course you are” said Enoch, the sarcasm evident in his tone.

“Why can't you believe that I am actually trying to help?”

“Maybe because you have never done it before?”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, what about that time that I went to visit Victor, I came out crying and you mocked me for it?” he asked, she looked like she had been slapped, her eyes wide.

“I didn't know that it was because of Victor, I am sorry” she said, sounding actually regretful.

“Oh, cry me a river” he said looking away “Just go away”

“Enoch, I am sorry, I really am, I know I wasn't nice with you before, but neither were you” she said, her hand over her heart.

“I know, I am not nice, that is grossly obvious" he said “And?”

“Well, you are the reason me and Jacob broke up” she said, her hands on her hips.

“I am sorry Miss Bloom, but you were the one who was still in love with his grandpa, you were just with Portman because he reminded you of geriatric Portman, so if you think about it, I actually saved you both of a not very healthy relationship” Enoch said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It was still none of your business to tell Jacob about the phone call” she said, raising an eyebrow at him, looking annoyed now.

“And it also not your business whether I am fine or not” he said, pointing at her.

“Of course it is, because we are fami-”

“Damnit Emma!, you are not my sister!” he said, closing his eyes, then opening them in shock at what he had said.

Enoch looked at Emma, who now had a sad look on her face, she looked like she was going to start tearing up at any second.

She put her hands over her mouth and stepped out of Enoch´s room, he heard her walk down the hall, to her room, she closed it with a slam.

“Shit” he said, sitting on the bed.

He always screwed everything up.

Millard saw as Enoch got up from his bed and slammed the door of his room, closing it in his face.

He had heard him and Emma discussing something, by the time he came, Enoch was sitting on his bed, looking at the ceiling, with his hand balled up in fists at his sides.

Maybe he had never been good at saying it, but Millard worried about Enoch.

It is true, Enoch was often sarcastic and kind of mean, but he was not bad, not really.

He could be funny if you gave him the chance to be so, and in his defense, he had lived more than 117 years, and his physical age was thirteen, he had stopped aging at a very complicated age and he had lived more than most grandpas. So he was kind of like a teenager combined with a grumpy grandpa, not a very good combination, but that is what happens when you live in a loop.

Enoch had been acting weird lately, they all noticed, just a while ago, they were all in the living room, discussing how jumpy and evasive Enoch had been, more unsocial than usual. Of course, Millard didn't tell them about Enoch sneaking inside Miss Peregrine´s office, he didn't want to snitch on him like that and get him in trouble for no reason, but what started as Millard just wondering what Enoch was up to was getting to a point where he was actually getting worried about him.

Millard knew that Enoch didn't have bad intentions (even if he had done some questionable stuff in the past, he had never done it with actual malice, more like, a mischievous out of puberty kid wanted to annoy them and have some fun, living in a loop sometimes made you do things in order to keep things mildly interesting, which did not justify Enoch, but, at least, it was easier to understand him that way).

He looked at the room next to Enoch and narrowed his eyes.

No one stared more at Enoch than Horace, if someone at least suspected what Enoch was doing, it was probably Horace.

“I am worried about him, do you know what could be happening to him?” he asked to Horace.

Horace scratched the back of his neck (gracefully of course) and tried to pry out any idea or possibility. He had noticed how weird, even out of character Enoch had been acting lately, like he was hiding something, not something necessarily bad, just, something that he didn't trust them with.

“I know that he is hiding something, but I am not sure of what” said Horace, tapping his cane against the floor, he did it when he was nervous.

Millard looked like he was turning his head from left to right, he leaned towards Horace and whispered “I, don't think that I should be telling you this, but, last night I saw Enoch sneaking in and out of Miss Peregrine's office”

Horace's eyes widened “What in the world was he doing there?”

“He told me that he was looking for a book and that he didn't ask Miss P for it because he was too proud for it, honestly, I don't buy it”

“Me neither, he is proud, but not with the bird”

They looked at each other, as if they were reading the other's mind and leaned against the wall that connected to Enoch's room, they put their ears against the wall and tried to hear something.

There was a lot of movement in Enoch´s room, it sounded like he was shoving things somewhere.

“I will go take a look” said Horace, Millard nodded, his top hat tilting along with his head.

Horace knocked on Enoch's room, he heard Enoch stopping whatever he was doing, as if he had frozen, then, he heard a weird noise, as if Enoch was putting something down and then shoving it.

Enoch opened the door.

Horace almost melted at seeing his powder blue eyes looking at him with annoyance.

“What do you want Sommnuson?" asked Enoch.

“I-, just wanted to see if you were doing fine Mr O’Connor” said Horace, he forced his eyes to look around the room and not at Enoch (which was hard), he noticed that the wardrobe door was opened, it didn't look as full as always and some jars with hearts were not in their usual shelves or surfaces, and even Enoch's sketchbook and box with cassettes were nowhere in sight.

“I am fine, now piss off” Enoch scoffed, closing the door, not slamming it, but nearly doing so.

Horace went back to his room, Millard put his hands on Horace's shoulder and asked “Well?”

“He is packing,” said Horace with a shaky breath. He could not believe it, Enoch, his Enoch, was leaving.

“What do you mean?” asked Millard, sounding confused.

“His wardrobe doesn't have all his clothes, some of his jars are missing, a lot, his sketchbook, his box with cassettes, they are no where to be seen” said Horace, clutching his cane with force “That sounds of him shoving things somewhere, that was him putting things in his bag”

Millard looked livid, well, as livid as someone invisible could look like.

“This morning, when I went to that look in old England, he was coming from the market, and he had his bag full with what smelled like food”

They both sat on the bed.

“What now?” asked Horace.

“I don't think that he is running away, Enoch may be an idiot but he knows that he would not be able to survive alone in a collapsed loop or something like that, it looks more like he is going on a journey or something” said Millard.

Horace stared at the wall “Are we going to stop him?”

“We could try, but on one hand he would never forgive us and on the other, it is not like we can keep him prisoner here, he will end up going anyways” said Millard.

“If we can't stop him” said Horace, not believing what he was saying, after all, he was not the type to go headfirst towards danger, but if it was for Enoch, he would do it “We are going with him, at least I am”

“Of course we will” said Millard, getting up “I am going to pack”

“Me too” said Horace.

‘Enoch I love you, but what have you gotten yourself into?’ thought Horace.

Enoch looked at the ceiling, he had finished packing, in very little time he would no longer be here.

‘Darling, you've got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here till the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?’

If Enoch stayed, he would keep his scary and dangerous peculiarity, if he left, there was a possibility that he could change that, sure, he would be in a lot of trouble when he came back, Miss Peregrine would probably ground him for a hundred years (something that she could actually do thanks to the loop), but it would be worth it.

‘It's always tease, tease, tease
You're happy when I'm on my knees
One day is fine, the next is black
So if you want me off your back
Well, come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?’

It would be hard, of course, after all, Enoch was no hero, that was Portman, both of them. Enoch was just a nuisance that will probably fail and screw everything up.

‘Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know’

But he was used to screwing up, he had always been amazing at doing so.
Like when he killed his mom, when he caused his brother´s death, when he killed his father. What happened with Liza was also his fault.
It was always his fault.

‘This indecision's bugging me
If you don't want me, set me free
Exactly who I'm supposed to be?
Don't you know which clothes even fit me?
Come on and let me know
Should I cool it or should I blow?’

Maybe that is why he started to screw up on purpose, because if someone was going to deal with the guilt of it, it would be him. Perhaps that is why he told Portman about the phone call Emma did, maybe so the breakup would feel more like Enoch´s fault and not Emma´s or Portman´s.

‘Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I cool it or should I blow?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?’

Enoch closed his eyes, the bags under his eyes feeling heavier than ever.

Chapter Text

Enoch had been told the tale of his birth countless times. His mother died giving birth to him, dear Arabella O’Connor couldn't make It, but he did.

After being dead for 13 minutes that Is.

Enoch was born dead.

The doctor pulled him out, Enoch didn't cry, his eyes were closed and his heart was not beating.

His father was already starting to get back his composture so he could prepare the morgue for the corpses of his wife and son.

But, just when everyone was crying their eyes out, Enoch's Heart started beating and he let out a cry.

The doctor called it a miracle, a gift from God so Edmund O’Connor would not lose his wife and son the same day.

But in his last breath, Edmund O'Connor had hated Enoch almost as much as Enoch hated himself.

And Enoch had come to learn that miracles and God didn't exist.

Or maybe God excited but he had never answered to Enoch's prayers or cries for help

Enoch had understood long ago that If he wanted help, he would have to help himself.

Enoch checked that he had everything he needed in his bag. He listened carefully, It looked like everyone was already sound asleep, hecsmirked and huffed

‘Those idiots are so easy to trick’ he thought, putting the bag strap over his shoulder.

He looked at his room, suddenly feeling kind of melancholic.

If this went wrong this would probably be the last time he saw his room.

He scoffed and turned around, he was already used to leaving his home.

He was used to running away.

Enoch stopped walking when he saw Millard and Horace at the foot of the stairs. Both of them had bags.

“What in the?-” he said, startled.

“We are coming with you, Enoch” said Millard, who to Enoch's exasperation was naked.

“How?-”

“When I went to your room to check on you, some of your stuff was missing, and we heard noises, as If you were shoving things inside something” said Horace, tilting his head, stomping his cane against the floor as quietly as he could, he always did that when he felt nervous, which was besides the point because how dare he and Millard butt into his business.

Enoch was going to say something but Millard interrupted him “And this morning when I found you in that old England loop, your were coming from the market and your bag smelled like food, food that I didn't see in our pantry later on, you went right to your room so you didn't buy It because Miss P told you, we figured out that you were packing"

Enoch looked at them, he felt like making a run for It, but If he did that they would tell Miss Peregrine.

“Fine you catched me, what now?” said Enoch, he suspected that he wouldn't like the answer by the looks of the bags the other two boys were carrying.

“Now we are coming with you” said Horace, adjusting his bow tie.

“No you are not” said enoch, scoffing at them.

“Yes we are, because you know as well as we do that you will need more people for whatever crazy adventure you are planning to go to” said Millard.

“Safety in numbers” said a voice behind Enoch.

He turned around and hissed “You too?”

Hugh and Fiona were on the top of the stairs, they walked down, each of them had a bag over the shoulder.

Enoch turned to Millard and Horace, who looked as surprised as he did.

“We didn't tell them” said Horace quickly.

“You didn't have to, my bee Rory heard everything that you both said earlier and notified me about it” said Hugh.

Enoch felt like throwing himself out of the window.

“I tried to convince Fiona to stay, but she refused completely" said Hugh, holding Fiona’s hand, who smiled a little at Enoch.

“So, where are we going and why?” asked Millard.

Enoch sigues and closed His eyes.

He explained the whole situation to the others, handing them the blood stained paper with the message and the map to the fountain.

He didn't tell them about him wanting to use the fountain to change his peculiarity, of course.

“So, you want to destroy this fountain before someone uses it with bad intentions?” Asked Millard.

“Pretty much” said Enoch.

“Why?” Asked Hugh.

“Because Enoch is good” said Horace, like it was obvious.

Enoch frowned at him. Good?Enoch wasn't good, but whatever let Somnusson sleep at night.

“So what is our first loop?, asked Hugh.

Enoch smiled nervous and pointed at the map “A loop settled in Colchester, England, on the day 22 of June, 1267”

After arriving at Devil’s Acre, Enoch, Millard, Hugh, Fiona and Horace sneaked into the building quietly (Hugh carried Millard’s bag so no one would be suspicious at a floating bag or something)

Fiona tugged at Enoch's sleeve and pointed at something, Enoch looked at the direction and saw the guard. Of course, a guard was monitoring the loop doors.

He cursed under his breath and ducked behind a little bookshelf.

“What do we do now?” Asked Horace.

Enoch bit his lip and took out a dead bird and a jar with a mouse heart.

“I got this”

He put the heart inside the ribcage of the bird and It sprung to life, the dead animal went straight to the guard and attacked him, chasing him away from the hall with the loop doors.

“Well done Enoch” said Millard.

“Very well” said Hugh, Fiona nodded next to him.

“That was amazing” said Horace.

For some reason Enoch felt like blushing at Horace's compliment.

“Where now?” asked Hugh, holding Fiona's hand, who was looking at the plants and trees with wide happy eyes.

Millard took the map of the fountain, along with the map of the days and analyzed both of them.

“The nearest loop that we can leap frog to get to the fountain is in the town nearby” he said, painting over the hill.

“Is this a collapsed loop or does it have a children’s house?” Asked Horace.

“It is a collapsed loop, so we don't have to worry about another ymbryne or fellow peculiar guard snitching on us, but some of these other loops are completely operating, so we will have to be very sneaky” said Millard.

“Well, here goes nothing” said Enoch.

Chapter Text

Someone knocked on Enoch´s door. He grumbled and rolled on his side, facing the wall.

There were five more knocks and Enoch got up, ready to slam the door in whoever´s face was behind it.

He opened the door, a boy a little taller than him was there, he had a confident smile, more confident than the boy who had come earlier to Enoch´s room to try to greet him, what was his name? Horace?

Enoch looked at the boy up and down.

“Good evening, I am Victor” said the boy.

“I know” said Enoch, actually he didn't, when Miss Peregrine made the introductions, Enoch had tried very hard not to listen, he wasn't interested in learning the names of loopmates that would reject him just like the other ones.

“Well, then, I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the courtyard, I could show you around” said Victor, putting his hands on the pockets of his overalls.

“No” said Enoch flatly and slammed the door on his face, he opened it again, Victor was still smiling, which made Enoch even more annoyed “Leave me alone” he added, slamming the door again.

Enoch tried to push Victor away, so that Victor wouldn't push him away first when realising how horrible Enoch was.

But to Enoch's misfortune, Victor was persistent.

He wasn´t like Horace, who would just try to talk a little with Enoch-and for some reason that Enoch couldn't understand- watch him from afar with a weird look.

No, Victor didn't just try to make small talk with Enoch, he would visit Enoch in his room, ask about his homunculi, bring food to Enoch when he skipped meals, and even follow him around sometimes.

At some point Enoch got tired of telling him to piss off and just resonated to the fact that Victor would not give up on him.

Don't get him wrong, Enoch hadn't lost his touch, Victor would grimace sometimes at Enoch´s dark remarks or at how Enoch could be mean if he wanted to, but he never walked away. Not really.

And as much as Enoch didn't want to admit it, Victor was almost his friend.

The first he had had in a long time.

Not to mention that every time that Victor came near Enoch, Horace would look at Victor like he was ready to wrestle the taller and older boy and then smash him against a wall.

And every time that Enoch talked with Horace, the boy would stammer, look anywhere but Enoch and even sweat a little.

He must be scared of me. Enoch had thought.

He must think I am scary, disgusting, gross and dangerous.

But Victor, he didn't look at Enoch that way.

He looked at Enoch as if he was a normal boy.

Well, as normal as he could be being peculiar.

Enoch missed Victor.

Enoch, Horace, Millard, Hugh and Fiona walked around the little town, they decided that they had to buy a little more food, because Enoch had only bought enough for himself.

They looked around for the market, and eventually ran into it.

It was crowded.

“Try not to separate” said Enoch “Millard, stay here”

“Why?” asked Millard in a whisper.

“Because we don't want people to wonder why they are bumping against thin air” said Hugh.

“Alrigh, alright” said Millard.

Enoch, Horace, Hugh and Fiona walked into the market, going from stall to stall, at the end they had some fish, bread, and some apples.

They went back to where Millard was waiting for them.

“Where is the entrance of the next loop?” asked Enoch.

“Hello to you guys too, it is an abandoned house, almost falling down, just three streets away” said Millard.

This loop was settled in 1834, in the beginning of the Victorian era.

And even though Enoch had been born at the end of that time period, he still couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

Everything reminded him of his childhood, especially the way people dressed.

He looked around, trying to not show how emotional he was getting.

“Would you look at that, how much a city can change depending on the time period” said Millard.

He was right, Colchester looked very different from the year 1267 to the year 1834, the people who used to be alive were now buried six feet underneath the earth, things that people thought impossible were now starting to happen, trains were going from one point of the country to the other, and it was hard to believe that this used to be Enoch´s reality at some point.

“Where is the next loop?” asked Hugh.

“It is four towns away, settled in an old circus” said Millard.

“We will have to take a train” said Enoch.

Getting on the train was easy enough.

In Victorian times people saw children alone and they did not wonder where their parents were. Besides, Hugh being fifteen was perfect, he was already kind of considered a young adult, so, they got on the train after buying their tickets without a fuss.

They sat in a booth room, Enoch practically scrambling to sit next to the window, Horace sat next to him, Millard next to Horace and Hugh and Fiona sat across from them, holding hands.

“Do you think that Miss Peregrine has already realised that we are gone?” asked Horace.

“What?, are you having second thoughts, Sumnusson?” asked Enoch.

“Of course not, just… what do you think she will do when she sees that we are not there?”

“Look for us, but she doesn't know where we are going, so long as no other ymbryne sees us on their loops, and as long as Miss Peregrine doesn´t see that the map is gone, we will be fine” said Millard.

“I hope so” said Hugh, closing the door of the booth, so he could let his bees pollinate the flowers arranged on the table.

“How long will it take to get there?” asked Enoch.

“Five hours, according to what the ticket man told me” said Hugh.

Enoch groaned.

“Having an adventure is harder than I thought”

"Don't be impatient, Mister O’Connor, we will get there” said Horace, smiling faintly at him, that weird look on his eyes again.

Enoch narrowed his eyes at him, before scoffing and slumping on his seat, he pulled out his walkman and put on the earphones, he hit play.

Victor was in his room, again.

Enoch was arranging some heart jars around, while Victor talked.

It was usually that way, Victor would talk and Enoch would butt in to say something sarcastic from time to time.

“And then, I threw the boulder against the tree and it broke in half” said Victor, grinning and flexing his arms playfully.

“Ha, that will be soooo useful when a tree attacks us” said Enoch, rolling his eyes and smiling a little.

“Hey, remember that peculiars are of all types, one day a tree will attack us and you will thank me” said Victor.

“Sure” said Enoch.

He shoved some dry clay to the side so he could put down a jar on the table.

Suddenly he realised that Victor wasn't talking anymore, which was weird, because Victor was always talking.

He turned around, and saw Victor looking at the courtyard through the window.

But in his eyes there was a look that seemed to show that his stare was going beyond the courtyard, beyond the island, beyond the loop.

Victor always talked about how much he would like to travel.

To see the outside world.

“We will never get out of this place, are we?” asked Victor, chuckling darkly.

“I mean, it is not like the wights or hollowgasts will ever go away anyways” said Enoch “And if we go out-”

“We will age and probably die, I know” said Victor.

He put his hand on the frame of the window, his stare longing.

“I just… I am just tired” said Victor.

‘Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?’

“I am tired of living on the same day for the rest of my days, on this tiny island that I have already explored entirely, wearing the same clothes, eating the same things and always doing the same” said Victor.

“I mean… I have been already in another loop, and I was there, for a relatively short time, and it does get tiring" said Enoch, hesitating a little. He had never talked about this kind of things with Victor.

‘Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power, but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad men’

“Not only that” said Victor, turning to look at Enoch, his yes reflecting all the years on his back “Dying was something that I was always afraid about, but… living forever, I don't know if I want that”

Enoch played with a loose string of his shirt.

“Enoch, you have revived death, have any of them ever told you how heaven is?” asked Victor, hopeful.

“Well, all of them always want to go back to wherever they were” Want was a way of saying it. The people that Enoch revived pretty much screamed for him to let them go back, except for one, David hadn't asked him to do that, not really.

‘Can you imagine when this race is won?
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune
The music's played by the, the madmen’

Victor smiled a little “So, maybe dying is not so bad?”

“Or maybe whatever they left behind is better than being brought back to life” said Encoh, Victor raised an eyebrow at him “You see, imagine that you are dead, you are in hell or in heaven or in between, I don´t know, and suddenly, you are back to a body, suddenly you are in this plane of existence again, it must feel like a punch on the stomach”

“Maybe…or maybe heaven is real”

Enoch narrowed his eyes at Victor.

Victor's eyes suddenly had a weird light, Enoch didn't like it.

‘Forever young
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever and ever’

“Victor…” Enoch said, hesitant.

Victor seemed to shake off whatever was happening to him, he looked at Enoch startled and laughed nervously.

“Sorry, guess I just got carried away” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘Forever young
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever young’

“Huh, for a moment there I thought that you were thinking about doing something crazy” said Enoch, a weird feeling in his gut.

He wishes that he would have listened to it.

‘Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later, they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young?’

“Me?, no” said Victor, he looked around before leaning onto Enoch and saying "Don't you ever get curious?”

“About what?”

“About the outside world, of course” said Victor.

Enoch grimaced, if other peculiars didn't like him, normals wouldn't either.

He knew that already.

“Not really, I mean, if quick aging wasn't a problem, normals, wights and hollowgasts wouldn't be of any help”

“But if none of that was a problem, would you like to get out of this prison?”

‘It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading horse
Youth's like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever’

“Prison?” said Enoch, stepping back.

“I know that Miss Peregrine cares about us, but we can't leave this place even if we want to, that makes it a prison, don´t you think?” asked Victor, looking more determined.

“I mean” said Enoch, the back of his legs hitting the table.

‘So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
We'll let them come true’

“Don´t you want to see what you have been missing out?” said Victor.

“Like what?”

“Going to a real school, travel, get married, start a family, god, even a job would be amazing”

Enoch looked down, someone had once asked him to marry him, for when they were adults of course, but…

‘Forever young
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever and ever’

“Getting married was never an option, not for me” said Enoch.

“Why not?”

Enoch tried to think about something believable.

“Because people are unbearable, I would never tie myself to another person until we die” said Enoch.

Victor chuckled “Well, technically we are tied to our loopmates for the rest of eternity”

‘Forever young
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, and ever’

“Dont get me wrong, I love my sister, I love our little family here, but… I always wonder how my life would be like if I wasn't a peculiar”

Enoch looked away, he often thought about that too.

“I guess, I… have also thought about that”

“Exaclty, there are endless things that we could do in a mortal life in the outside world, than here, in an eternal life trapped in the same place forever” said Victor, spreading his arms wide to gesture at the entirety of the house, of the island.

‘Forever young
I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever? (Forever young)’

“My father always said, ‘Humans only have one beginning and one end, a limited time that they don´t know how long will last, and that is what makes life special’” said Enoch, his voice a little hoarse.

It had been decades since he had talked about his father.

He wasn't even talking about what happened and he already felt a little nauseous.

He could almost hear his fathers screams in his head.

“But we aren't humans, are we?” said Victor bitterly “I feel like some peculiars sometimes feel a little superior to normals, because we are special, we are immortal, we are different” He looked down “But normals have the privilege of having a life that actually feels worth it”

Enoch looked away.

Victor.

Victor.

Poor, poor Victor.

Just a few days after that conversation, Miss Peregrine came back to the loop, Victor´s corpse in her arms.

And Enoch thought ‘IT IS ALL MY FAULT’

If he had told Miss Peregrine that he suspected that Victor would try to get out of the loop, this wouldn't have happened.

If he had talked more with Victor about it, insisted on the matter and convinced him not to do it, this wouldn't have happened.

If he had followed Victor this morning when he saw that he was acting strange, this wouldn't have happened.

LIKE ALWAYS IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT

IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT ENOCH

Enoch woke up startled.

He put a hand on his forehead and sighed, memories in dreams were horrible.

That is why he often tried to stay awake, no matter how tired he felt.

“Mister O’Connor, are you alright?” asked Horace, Enoch looked at him, the taller boy almost looked worried.

“Why wouldn't I be?” said Enoch, gruffily taking off his earphones and pressing the off button.

“You were moving a little in your sleep, and you seemed troubled” said Horace, the hand holding his cane tightening.

“Well I am fine” he said, glancing at the others, as far as he was concerned, Millard was still sitting next to Horace, and Fiona and Hugh had fallen asleep against each other.

Enoch realised that his head was on Horace's shoulder, and he scrambles to get away, grumbling.

Horace looked away, he had a faint blush on his face. Was he embarrassed that Enoch had come too close to him?

Enoch shook his head, he couldn't believe what his life was.

Horace knew that Enoch has been dreaming about Victor, after all, the other boy had said his name while sleeping

“Victor” Enoch had said quietly.

Horace knew that Víctor had been the closest thing to a friend for Enoch.

He also remembered how jealous he felt whenever he saw them together, which was dumb, after all he should have been happy that Enoch wasn't completely lonely.

But it was frustrating, because every time that Horace tried to be friendly with Enoch, Horace wouldn't know how to act, after all, Enoch was the love of his life, the cutest boy ever, it was hard not to be nervous when being near him. On the other hand Victor didn't have that problem.

And Horace always called him Mr. O’Connor, never Enoch, because Horace knew that if he said Enoch's name outloud, he would say it with so much love that it would most probably scare the shorter boy away.

And when Victor died, leaving Enoch behind, as sad as everyone else, Horace had decided to try to talk with him, so he did, he made little comments, made small talk with a steady voice and serious face, so his flustering and nervousness wouldn't show.

It wasn't the best flirting, but he had to start somewhere.

He would plan what to say before seeing Enoch, but most of the time when coming face to face with the death riser, he would forget everything and say the first thing that came to mind like: “You could try to look more presentable next time, Mr.O'Connor"

The best thing was the banter, whenever Enoch looked at him with those annoyed and gruffy looking eyes, Horace's heart jumped in his ribcage.

So, when Enoch´s head had fallen on his shoulder in the train, Horace almost wanted to jump and scream of happiness.

But, he didn't want to wake Enoch up, so he just smiled widely and made his best effort to not caress Enoch's face or play with his hair.

‘Enoch’ though Horace as Enoch slumped against the corner of the booth, sulking ‘I love you so much, I promise that you will never be alone again’

That night after Victor's death, Enoch had laid in bed, looking at the ceiling, doing his best not to cry. He had stopped believing in god a long time ago, but that night he prayed that if heaven existed, Victor was there.

Happy.

Free at last.

Chapter Text

Enoch had compromised with himself to not revive Victor.

He didn't last even a week.

Three days after Victor died, Enoch sneaked into his room, with a pig´s heart hidden inside one of his pockets.

And through one of the slashes that the wight did to Victor, Enoch took out his friend's heart and put the pig's instead.

In a matter of seconds, Victor´s eyes opened.

And Enoch felt like stabbing himself because Victor´s eyes looked sad, desperate to go back to wherever he was.

After that one time, Enoch had found Bronwying crying, the reason behind it was not a mystery, and Enoch said (because he was very selfish) that he could bring Victor back for a few minutes if Bronwying wanted to.

She accepted, and so Enoch revived Victor more often than not.

But it was not just for Bronwying.

Or even just for Victor.

It was also for himself.

Because as much as he hated to admit it, Enoch missed Victor.

And Enoch was so, so selfish.

Because at the end, Victor always asked Enoch to send him back.

And despite that, Enoch would wake him up, again and again.

In a sense, he was happy when they finally buried Victor, because that way, Enoch could finally try to let go.

But Enoch held back people just as much as he held grudges.

Enoch was walking back from the bathroom, when a voice called him from one of the booths.

“Boy, come here” said the voice of a young woman.

He turned to the booth, the door was completely open, there was a woman with a long purple dress, a dark blue hood was covering her face, her long brown hair ran down her shoulders and she had tarot cards over the table.

Enoch rolled his eyes, just what he needed, an annoying distraction that would try to rip off money from him.

“Not interested in frauds” he said, turning around.

“Look at me when I talk to you, you little pathetic mistake” she said and Enoch froze on his tracks.

“Look at me when I talk to you, you little pathetic mistake” said Enoch's father, as Enoch looked at him from the floor, his hands still coated with his brother´s blood.

Enoch turned to her.

She smiled and signaled for him to come closer.

He felt his feet walk him to the booth, he sat down across from her, his jaw clenched and he slammed his opened palm against the table.

“Whatever you are doing, stop it!” he said.

She didn't even flinch “From a peculiar to another peculiar, I would suggest you to regain your composture and let me talk, Mr O’Connor”

"Don't call me that” said Enoch.

“Oh, right, only Horace Somnusson can call you that” she said.

Enoch blushed, to which the woman chuckled.

“Like your friend, I am a seer, just that I see the past, present and future while awake, rather than asleep”

“Yada, yada, whatever, go to the point” he said.

“Very well, you are a cunning boy, no wonder why Frankie liked you”

Enoch put rolled his eyes until they were white and he muttered "Don't even invoke her name”

The woman took the tarot cards and put them in a little bag. Then she put her hand over the table.

"Don't even think about it” said Enoch.

“I know you don't like to be touched, but you want answers and I have them”

Enoch hesitated, before putting his hand over the table, the woman held it and stayed silent, then she let go of him.

“Do you want the good news first?, or the warning first?” she said.

“The good news” he said, for him there was not much of a difference.

“You will get what you want, in a way” she said.

“What does that mean?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

“That is for me to know and for you to find out” she said and he scoffed “And as for the warning, beware of the shadow”

“The shadow?” he said.

She shrugged.

Enoch got up, figuring that they were already done.

“And Enoch”

“What?”

“Look after the kid and remember, there are allies at the Brawling inn, the 90’ is their time” she said, closing the door of the booth.

Enoch sat down next to Horace.

“What took you so long Mr. O’Connor?” said Horace.

Enoch eyed the others, Hugh and Fiona were asleep, so was Millard, Enoch could hear him snoring.

“Nothing” he muttered.

Horace scrunched up his nose and said “Why do you smell like that?”

“Like what?” Said Enoch, he smelled his armpit, but nothing, his sense of smell had been ruined by the scent of constant blood, clay and paint in his surroundings.

“Like perfume of jazmines” said the taller boy, narrowing his eyes, but it didn't look like he was mad at Enoch, more like he was mad at someone else.

“Oh, I didn't notice”

Horace seemed to scowl, and Enoch raised an eyebrow at him.

Horace was normally serious, composed, maybe a little jumpy and sensitive. But, Enoch hadn't seen him like this since maybe that time that they went to that loop in the 80’, when that other boy had talked to Enoch in front of Horace.

What was up with him anyways?

Millard looked between Enoch and Horace, who hadn't even noticed that he had woken up.

He felt like just speaking up and be done with it, but he also wanted to see how long it took Enoch to figure it out.

But it was very painful to watch Horace's obvious crush on Enoch, especially his evident possessiveness over the shorter boy.

He still remembers that one time when he had patted Enoch on the back, one of those times that things were in a light mood and Enoch allowed him to touch him. That time, Horace had glared at Millard until he took his hand off of Enoch.

Oh, and there was also that other time when Victor and Enoch had been on the courtyard, Victor was lifting boulders over his head while Enoch crossed his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes with a little smile as Victor flexed his arms. Millard who had been talking with Horace, could not help but notice that Horace was looking at Victor like he wanted to send him to fly, and when Victor had lifted a giant rock, passing it from hand to hand, Horace had muttered under his breath “As if you can impress him with that”

There was also that time, when after the whole ‘taking Noore to a loop’ fiasco passed, when Millard told Horace that Frankie, an peculiar american gang leader had taken a liking to Enoch, so much that she had tried to keep him, Horace literally snapped the ink quill he had on his hand, his eye twitched and he even slammed his cane against the floor.

Not to mention that other time, they had made a little show in the town. Enoch never participated, he thought it was silly, and he liked to raid the village way more anyways, he would revive some dead animals and scare people with them. The thing is, that time, while the others were presenting, Enoch and Horace were at the side of the scenario, Horace was playing the piano, and Enoch had been pathetically blowing a trumpet.
When the show ended, a girl from the crowd (who Millard had seen every day always around that area) approached Enoch, beaming at him while twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes at him. Enoch, oblivious, didn't even blink, he just looked at her with mild annoyance. But Horace understood what was happening, and boy was he mad. So much that he grabbed Enoch's arm and took him with the others, steps firm and scowling, while Enoch looked at him with surprise. After that Enoch had eyed Horace, his eyes narrowed, before shrugging and going on with his day, not noticing the way Horace looked at him.

That was what mortified Millard more than anything else, that everyone else knew except for Enoch, god, even Jacob and Noore knew.

Clarie and Olive once asked when Horace and Enoch would get married, to which Horace had sputtered and blushed furiously.

“So you are saying that this peculiar woman is a seer?” Asked Horace.

“And are you sure that she is actually peculiar” asked Millard.

“Yes and yes” said Enoch, taking another fry of Millard's plate.

“How are you so sure?” asked Hugh.

“She said something that no one else knows besides me” said Enoch, the others did not push to know more, because they knew Enoch wouldn't tell them.

“So, she said, beware of the shadow, look after the kid and there are allies at the Brawling inn, the 90’ is their time” said Horace.

“Have you had a dream about any of those things?” asked Enoch, Horace shook his head.

“Maybe the last one means that if we come across a place called the Brawiling inn, we can find peculiars there who are from the nineties” said Hugh.

“Yeah, but ‘Brawling inn’ sounds old, what would peculiar from the nineties would be doing there?”

“Maybe their ymbrine is taking them on a little trip” said Horace.

“Or, maybe they are traveling from loop to loop, leapfrogging like us” said Enoch.

“Maybe” said Hugh.

Enoch burped, the others looked at him startled, Horace raised an eyebrow and said “Have better manners on the table, Mr O’Connor”

“You are not my dad Somnusson” said Enoch.

Millard rolled his eyes ‘Good gracious, god, please just take us out of our misery and let Enoch understand what is happening right in front of him’ he thought, as he watched Enoch and Horace bickering

Chapter Text

Enoch kicked the ball, David kicked it back, and after a strong kick, Enoch didn't remember from who, the ball went flying against a gravestone. Both of them gasped and scrambled towards it.

“I am sorry Mr. Ranfield” said Enoch, dusting off the gravestone and checking that it wasn´t damaged, fortunately it wasn't.

David picked up the ball and inspected the grave.

“No one has left flowers in this one for a long time” he said, hugging the ball against his chest.

“No” said seven year old Enoch, crouching down next to it “I think that the last time was two years ago, in Christmas”

“Have you ever thought about that?, how at some point there will be no one left to remember us? mourn us?” asked David.

“I guess” said Enoch “But, it happens to everyone, familiars and friends die, move somewhere else, donate the clothes and belongings, hide the pictures…that is how life works”

“I wonder how dead works” said David.

Enoch grimaced and looked down at his hands, feeling guilty. He wanted to tell his brother about his gift but, then, he remembered the cross over the dining table and shut his mouth.

Enoch sighed as he ran his finger along the picture. It was him and David, sitting on the living room couch, Enoch was holding David´s hand as his older brother was sprawled against the couch, eyes closed.

He glanced at the others, who were all asleep after eating so much, Enoch had made an effort not to do so. He didn´t want to have more nightmares. Or maybe he wanted. Only in nightmares could he vividly hear his brother´s voice.

Horace snored a little at his side. like everything he did it sounded subtle and kind of sophisticated if that was possible. Enoch scoffed. Horace was so weird. There was something about how he interacted with Enoch, he could not put his finger on it, but there was something, he was almost sure that he was the only one who had noticed, after all, Horace was very subtle.

Ho stared at Horace a little more, now that he thought about it, Horace was not ugly at all (not that Enoch was in any position to judge someone else´s appearance, after all he was everything but handsome), in fact he was kind of cute with that little nose, his monocle, and-

Wait.

Just then, Enoch noticed that Horace was wearing the bowtie that Ench had made him in secret that one time.

He felt himself blush a little.

Wait.

Blush?

Enoch slapped himself softly.

No. No. No. No.

None of that.

Enoch did not fancy Horace.

How could he?

After all Horace was so, so, so……Infuriating!

Enoch crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

When they stepped out of the train, Enoch prevented himself from hissing at the blinding sun.

“Ugh” he lamented “Why can't there be more clouds around here? I feel like the sun is scorching my eyeballs”

“What are you? A vampire?” asked Millard, chuckling.

“Shut up invisible man” said Enoch, to which Millard ruffled his hair softly.

“Lucky for us, this station is not as crowded as the last one” said Hugh.
“Where did you say that was the next loop entrance?” asked Horace.

“In an old circus” said Millard “It has been abandoned for a while, as far as I know, it is a collapsed loop, so we don´t have to be worried about an ymbrine snitching on us to Miss Peregrine”

“She must have noticed that we are gone by now” said Hugh.

“I don´t know if I would be relieved or offended if she didn't notice” said Horace.

Enoch ignored them and nudged at Millard so he could direct them on the way to the loop.

“Im goin, Im goin” said Millard “Follow me”

“This loop is settled in the 2000’, so time to change clothes” said Millard.

Enoch looked around the circus tent, there were some places that must have been dressing rooms back in the day, he went to one of them and closed the half destroyed door that was barely holding onto the hinges.

He pulled out some clothes from his bag that he had packed specifically for the loops closer to the present time. He put on his black skull trousers, his black shirt with ‘Normal people scare me’, his hoodie with a skeleton pattern, and his black bandana tied around his forehead.

When he came out, Hugh had already put on denim trousers with a white long sleeve shirt under a yellow shirt with a bee pattern, and Fiona had put on a green skirt with a brown long sleeved sweater.

Millard obviously didn't have to change, and Horace…

“Horace, we have to go, hurry!” said Enoch.

“In a minute Mr.O’Connor, you could try to be more patient” said Horace's voice.

“And you could try to be quicker than a snail” said Enoch.

Horace did not answer and after what felt like an eternity, he came out wearing black denim pants, a long sleeved white shirt with a black button up shirt and a bowtie, the bowtie Enoch had made in secret for him once. Clearly the outfit was an intent on recreating Horace´s usual elegant attire.

Enoch closed his mouth when he noticed he had it opened and before he could stop himself he said “You wasted all your time just to put on that?”

Horace frowned at him as he clutched his cane, before saying “You are quite nice, aren't you?”

“And you are a prude”

“Guys!” exclaimed Millard “The entrance is over here!”

When they came out of the circus, the grass of the abandoned terrain reached their knees.

Enoch looked around, there were some buildings around, it looked like the 80’, just that the clothes and the, what had Portman called them? poster and announcements looked a little different, it was definitely the 2000’.

“The next loop is in the bathroom of a skating ring” said Millard “it is just fours streets away”

“Do you think they sell food there?” said Hugh.

“Jacob said that sometimes, why?” said Millard.

“Fiona is a little hungry”

They all turned to Enoch, who startled a little, normally the person they all turned their head to when it came to taking decisions was either Miss Peregrine or Portman. It felt weird.

“I don't see why we couldn't eat something if we have the chance” he said, the others smiled.

Enoch just scoffed.

The skating ring had in fact a food section, Enoch and Horace sat in a booth while Millard, Hugh and Fiona went to order some hamburgers and chips, way better than Enoch´s pack of food in his bag.

He and the taller boy sat across from each other, they stared at each other, why?, Enoch honestly did not know, the staring contest had started out of nowhere.

Horace smiled a little, a weird sight considering that normally he was serious and stoic when talking to Enoch.

“Nice place, isn't it?”

Enoch looked around, it was fine, the place had poor illumination, but it was because there were multiple color lights everywhere, making the place´s faces look green, pink, blue. And there was also music blasting from somewhere.

“It is fine” said Enoch, slumping on his seat, Horace bit his lip before taking his eyes away from Enoch and saying “I know sometimes I say things that are…I don't know, I just don't know how to act around you”

Enoch raised his eyebrow at him.

He knew Horace was uncomfortable with him due to his peculiarity, admitting it made him look a little braver than Enoch thought.

‘Candy, she's sweet like candy in my veins
Baby, I'm dying for another taste

And every night my mind is running around her
Thunder's getting louder and louder’

Enoch looked down at the table and said “I know my peculiarity is gross but there is no need to-”

Horace exclaimed “It is not because of that!”

Enoch looked up and saw that Horace´s eyes were widened.

“Enoch, it is true I don't like blood but, my behaviour towards you has nothing to do with that” said Horace.

‘Baby you're like lightning in a bottle
I can't let you go now that I got it
And all I need is to be struck by your electric love
Baby your electric love
Electric love’

“Really?” asked Enoch, tapping the table with his fingers, he hadn't even noticed when he had put his hand over the table.

“Really, look, I know some people are not nice about it, but I don´t see anything wrong with it, first of all, you didn't choose it and second, it is part of you” said Horace.

Enoch bit his lip, he said “You are being too sentimental for my liking”

But deep down he knew that what Horace was saying was actually comforting, the idea that someone saw his peculiarity as something inherently part of him and not something that was a disadvantage.

Horace grinned a little “Guess I am, sentimental”

‘Drown me, you make my heart beat like the rain
Surround me, hold me deep beneath your waves

And every night my mind is running around her
Thunders getting louder and louder and louder’

“And you are not very inclined to showing most of your emotions Enoch, but, I know, that despite how you act, it hurts you to see when people don't like you because of your peculiarity, and I don't want to make you feel that way, I am sorry if I ever made you feel that way” Said Horace.

Enoch looked away, why was he starting to feel warm?

He never felt that way, he was cold and pale, not warm.

And why was Horace staring at him that way and saying such supporting things?

‘Baby you're like lightning in a bottle
I can't let you go now that I got it
And all I need is to be struck by your electric love
Baby your electric love
Electric love’

“Nullings and I had a similar talk a while back, I must say I am taking you more seriously than him”

“Why?” asked Horace, raising an eyebrow.

“Because unlike Nullings, you are not naked” said Enoch smirking.

Horace seemed to choke on his spit before laughing, suddenly Enoch noticed that Horace's hand was over his on the table.

Huh.

Horace´s hand was very soft and smooth.

‘Rushing through me
Feel your energy rushing through me
Feel your energy rushing through me’

And now that he thought about it, Horace´s hair was very pretty, it looked very soft, and his blue eyes were just the same blue that Enoch´s favorite childhood mattress was, and Horace´s face was very nice looking, not to mention that his voice was actually very attractive, and…

And now that he thought about it, Horace could be funny and good to talk to.

And he was wearing the bowtie that Enoch had made for him.

And he looked very good in his 2000’ clothes, even though he looked good despite whatever he wore.

Enoch´s dopey smile suddenly fell off his face.

Crap.

‘Baby you're like lightning in a bottle
I can't let you go now that I got it
And all I need is to be struck by your electric love
Baby your electric love
Baby your electric’

He looked at Horace, who was still laughing with such grace that it made Enoch blush.

Crap.

Enoch fancied Horace.

“Mister O'Connor?” said Horace, noticing Enoch´s perplexed face.

Enoch couldn't think of anything better besides slamming his face against the table.

Maybe that way Horace would not see Enoch´s flustered face.

Chapter Text

Horace yelped when Enoch slammed his face against the table, a puzzled look on his face.

“Mister O’Connor?” he asked.

Enoch grunted, face still flushed, by all the birds in the world, this could not be happening.

Enoch did not fancy Horace, he did not.

Except he probably did, if his raising heart was anything to go by.

All he wanted to do was to shake his fist at the sky and scream “Why god?!, Why?!, what do you want from me?!, is this some kind of test you sick son of a bitch?!”

But alas, he could not, unless he wanted to be kicked out of the place along with the rest of the idiots and Horace.

Wait, since when does he not refer to Horace as an idiot?

Horace was an idiot.

He was the biggest, most endearing idiot Enoch had ever met.

Endearing?

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

By the time Millard, Hugh and FIona came back with the food, Enoch was looking at a point in the distance, as Horace eyed him with a raised eyebrow.

They ate in silence, or well, Enoch did, the other kept talking nonestop, not conscious of the internal emotional conflict that was driving Enoch insane.

He had no experience with love, well, some would call Frankie counted as something, but not really because, for one, Enoch did not return her feelings and she was a psychopath.

On the other hand there was Liza.

Even though Enoch never liked her that way, she had fallen in love with Enoch (how?, he didn't know), so much that she had even asked him if they could get married when they got older, he still remembered that day, very vividly.

It had been a while before his brother, David died.

Enoch looked up at the sky with his back on the grass, Liza next to him, both of them were staring at the clouds.

“That one looks like an elephant,” she said.

“Well, that one looks like a skull” he said, she just laughed quietly, before saying “You have an unique way of seeing things, don't you Enoch?”

“It is what happens when you get raised in a morgue” he said, smiling widely, those were the times when he smiled, not his sarcastic or snarky smile, a real smile, a happy one.

They went on like that for a good part of the morning, until Liza suddenly fell quiet, Enoch turned his head to her and his smile fell when he noticed how she was looking at him, with love. Not love for a friend, but like the same way that Enoch would see girls look at the boys they liked.

“Have you ever thought about who you would like to marry Enoch?” she asked.

He looked away, sighing.

If he was honest, he had never thought about that, because marrying a boy was not an option, so there was no point in thinking about marriage at all, he had never considered that some day it would be expected of him to marry a girl.

A girl.

The thought alone made him uncomfortable.

“Not really” he said.

He heard noise next to him, Liza had turned on her side to look at him, he decided to do the same, now they were staring at each other.

“I like you, Enoch” she said.

He shut his eyes, before opening them again and saying “Liza, I… I don´t…”

“Oh. You like another girl?” she asked.

“No, it is not that, it… it is boys, for me it is boy, I have never felt like that for a girl ever” he said.

“It is fine, I still like you” she said.

“No, Liza, you don't understand, I like boys the way I should like girls”

“Yes, I understand, but it is alright, I know that you won´t be the perfect husband, and I won´t be the perfect wife, but we care for each other, we are good friends, and we will have each other´s company as we grow old” she said reaching for his hand, he let her take it.

When he didn't answer she added “That is better than most marriages”

That was true, in truth, if he was supposed to marry a girl, he would rather marry Liza then any of the other girls in town, who scrunched up their noses when they smelt the blood on him after he helped his father at the morgue.

Liza was not like that, he liked him despite that, embraced it even, she had often gone to the morgue to help with the paperwork and other arrangements that did not involve working directly with the bodies.

She had no problem with his antics, or with the idea of taking care of the morgue, or living next to the cemetery, or having kids that would play between the graves like he and David did all the time.

“I will think about it” he said.

And he had been very selfish, because, for a moment, he had actually entertained the idea, even though he knew it would be selfish on his part.

In a sense, they would get something out of it, if they got married to each other, they would not get pestered about marriage by their parents (In Enoch´s case just his father), or worse, their parents would not push them into an arranged marriage with someone terrible.

This way, they could at least be with someone who liked them.

But, he did not want to waste Liza´s life, she deserved more than a boy, or man that would never love her back and that would basically use her as a way to cover up the fact that he would rather be with a man.

She deserved someone who would actually return her feelings, not a boy that would lay awake at night next to her wondering what his life would be like if he could be married to someone he actually loved.

Who knows, maybe she would be the one awake at night, crying herself to sleep because her husband did not love her the way she loved him.

Because he loved Liza, that is why three days after their conversation, he told her that he would not marry her, that she would surely find someone better for her.

She had shed some tears and looked at the floor, but at the end she smiled at him and said that she still loved him.

“I love you too, but not the way you want me to” he said.

“Will you love me for the rest of my life?” she had asked.

And Enoch should have said “No, I will love you for the rest of mine”

Because he had outlived Liza.

Liza, whose fresh blood had been draped on the floor of the morgue the same night that Enoch´s father tried to kill him.

Enoch had found himself more than once, laying awake at night, in the home at Cairholm just staring at the ceiling and wondering how things would have turned out if Liza and him had gotten married.

If they had had the chance to grow old together.

Because Liza´s love was the most love Enoch would ever get from someone.

And because he would rather have had a loveless marriage than the corpse of his best friend in his house.

“When is the next loop settled?” asked Horace, he looked at Enoch quickly, noticing how the other boy now looked pensive, at simple sight, it looked like he was just thinking really hard about something, but Horace knew better, Enoch was sad, he was upset, he was touching his neck, he always did that when he was upset. Ha had done that a lot when Victor died.

He would ask about it to him later, when they got the chance to be alone again, he knew that Enoch would be more willing to talk the less people there were.

“The next loop is settled in the 20’” said Millard.

“Oh, excellent, we can just change to our normal clothes when we enter the bathroom and then come out to the loop” said Horace. The others nodded, Enoch did it a little distracted, like he was barely listening to what was being said.

That is why Enoch could not like Horace.

He had already in a way gotten romantically involved with someone, and look what happened to her.

He didn't want to hurt Horace, he didn't want to screw up again.

But he would, he would totally screw up.

So indeed, Enoch did not like Horace, what is more, he hated him, he hated him with all his heart.

Or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself about as he changed into his normal clothes.

When he came out of the bathroom cubicle, Horace was already there, black suit on, and everything.

Enoch sneered at him.

He looked away without seeing how Horace blushed.

Enoch tried to not look at Horace as they walked down the street full of people.

He eyed the other boy quickly, Horace had put on his gloves again, and Enoch blushed remembering that they had touched each other´s hands over the table, even though that was very inappropriate. Or at least, it was very inappropriate in the Victorian era for a boy and a girl to touch each other´s hands.

Wait.

No, no, no, no, no.

Enoch was not thinking about himself and Horace as if they were courting or some shit.

They weren't.

He said to himself firmly.

He was so busy thinking that he had accidentally bumped against a door that had been opened just then by a girl who profusely apologized.

‘Kill me’ thought Enoch, gritting his teeth.

“Next loop is outside the city, or well, outside town, considering that this place is way more little in the 20’ than in the 2000’”Said Millard, pointing at a rocky road that excited town and went to the forest “The next loop entrance will take us to good old 1852” said Millard.

“Do we have to worry about any ynbrines?” asked Hugh.

“Unfortunately yes, that loop has a children´s house, so we have to try to keep a very very low profile” said the invisible boy.

“Lead the way, then” said Horace, with a gesture of his hand that Enoch felt horrified at realising that it did not make him roll his eyes, he scoffed.

The five of them walked down the road together, they were already a little far from town, and Enoch cursed at tripping with yet another bump in the way.

He looked at Horace, who was walking right next to him, unlike Millard, Fiona and Hugh who were already ahead of them.

Enoch wanted to ask Horace why the bloody hell was he trying to torture him by doing this.

He narrowed his eyes at the other boy, who seemed to remain oblivious at Enoch trying to blow up his head with his mind.

Enoch hated him.

He hated Horace´s stupid face.

He hated his hair.

He hated his monocle.

He hated his damn cane.

He hated his bloody bowties.

He hated his dumb suits.

He hated his fucking top hats.

He hated his voice.

He hated his hand gestures.

But as he watched Horace follow a butterfly with his gaze, he realised that what he hated the most about Horace was that he could not bring himself to hate him.

Because Enoch did not hate Horace, not even a little, not at all, never.

Enoch looked away and tripped again.

“Shit!” he cursado outloud.

“Mister O'Connor,” said Horace.

Enoch turned to him and froze, just like him Horace had stopped walking, he was offering Enoch his gloved hand.

“Huh?” he said dumbly.

“I think it would be appropriate to offer you my hand to hold as we walk considering that this is a very rocky road and you have already tripped seven times” said Horace, his face serious as always when he talked to Enoch.

Enoch stared at the hand in front of him with a frown.

There was no way that Horace knew that in Victorian times, it was very inappropriate to hold hands between boys and girls, but that a boy or a man could offer his hand to the girl in case that she needed help to walk.

But, the way Horace had talked sounded like he knew.

No there was no way, it must be a coincidence.

Enoch was ready to slap the hand away.

But, like Horace said, he had already tripped seven times- wait, how did Horace know he had tripped seven times exactly?, had he been counting?

Whatever, Enoch was not that proud to reject Horace´s help just so that he could fall against the floor right afterwards.

Enoch took Horace´s hand, they stared at each other for a minute, there was something in Horace´s face, Enoch could not put his finger on it.

Horace cleared his throat and they resumed their walk.

Enoch looked away when he felt his face getting warm.

What they had not noticed either of them, was how Millard, Fiona and Hugh were looking at them with knowing looks.

“Oh dear lord, maybe my prayers are being answered” whispered Millard.

Chapter Text

“Here we are” said Millard, they had arrived at a little abandoned town, with houses that were crumbling and plants everywhere.

“Where is our next loop entrance?” asked Hugh.

“In that church” said Millard, probably pointing at the very big church just some feet away from them.

Enoch stopped walking, Horace with him (they were still holding hands).

Enoch touched his neck, feeling dread at the prospect of having to enter a church. With crosses. And biblical representations plastered in every wall.

He took a step backwards.

“Mister O’Connor?” asked Horace, Enoch turned to him, the other boy was looking at him very worried.

“Are you alright?” asked Hugh, both him and Fiona were looking at him with worry, Enoch guessed Millard was doing the same.

“I am fine, Apiston” said Enoch, voice strained.

“You look very pale” said Millard.

“I am always pale, Nullings”

“You are paler than usual”

“And so what?I am fine, really” he said, giving the church a pointed look and touching his neck again.

Millard followed his gaze and Enoch had the urge to slap himself “Is it because of the church?”

The other looked at him carefully, Enoch sighed, after all there was no point in denying it any further.

“Yes, it is because of the church”

They looked at him sympathetically, it was not a weird sight, most peculiars, especially the ones who came from times like Enoch had some kind of religious trauma, after all when adults discovered what you were they used God´s infinite love to try to purify you.

"Don't worry” said Hugh “Nothing is gonna happen, and we are not gonna mock you, isn't that right?”

All of them nodded.

Fiona crouched and put her palm against the floor, soon enough a flower grew in seconds, she snatched it off the ground and walked to Enoch, she offered him the flower.

In any other situation, Enoch would have scoffed at her, something part of his bravado, but right now, he could not care less about looking soft.

He took the flower and managed a half smile at Fiona, who looked at him tenderly. Enoch put the flower in the pocket of his shirt that was right over his chest.

Horace started to trace circles in Enoch´s hand, and the shorter boy made an effort to not blush.

“Go on then, we can't stay here forever” said Enoch.

They all gave him a look that obviously said ‘Are you sure?’

“We have come this far, we are not turning around now” he said.

“I think I have an idea” said Horace, they all stopped, barely some feet away from the church's entrance, he turned to Enoch “Give me your bandana”

Enoch looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but he still took the bandana out of his bag, he handed it to Horace, who let go of his hand (and Enoch definitely did not feel disappointed at the lose of contact with the other boy).

“Do you trust me?” asked Horace.

Enoch looked away, he trusted Horace, of course he did, the thing was that he didn't want to show that he trusted him, but… whatever idea Horace had was probably worth trying.

“Yes” he said, looking him in the eye again, Horace smiled.

“Turn around and stay still” he said, Enoch did so, soon he felt the bandana around his forehead, then going down until it covered his eyes, he felt Horace tie it around his head tightly “There”

Enoch turned to him, and searched for Horace´s hand, he felt it soon enough, they intertwined their fingers and Horace gave him a reassuring clutch.

“Ready?” asked Millard, Enoch nodded.

He felt Horace guide him until he felt no more sun touch his skiing, they were inside the church now, Enoch held Horace´s hand tighter and put his hand in his pocket, to hold onto his walkman.

There was a pause for a moment, until they started to walk again.

“We just have to enter that room over there and we will be in the loop” said Millard's voice.

Enoch nodded, he took his hand away from the walkman and touched his neck again.

‘I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday, I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love’

Enoch turned to look at the sound, it was Horace´s voice singing quietly one of his favorite songs, how did he even know that Enoch liked that song? had he heard him singing it?

‘Monday, you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday, I'm in love’

Horace kept singing quietly next to Enoch, voice soft and comforting.

‘Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday never hesitate’

Enoch lowered his hand, taking it away from his neck and he felt Horace´s other hand grabbing it.

‘I don't care if Monday's black
Tuesday, Wednesday heart attack
Thursday, never looking back
It's Friday, I'm in love’

Enoch felt as Horace guided him to put his feet on the step of a very short staircase, considering that as far as he could tell, there were only five steps.

‘Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday, stay in bed
Oh, Thursday, watch the walls instead
It's Friday I'm in love’

Horace kept singing, he had sung before a couple of times, back at Cairholm. Enoch remembered those times, everyone would gather in front of the fairplace and sing songs from their time.

Enoch had sung once ‘More work for the undertaker’, just to see everyone squirm at the morbid tone of it, but Horace had looked at him with something weird that Enoch could not place.

He suspected that he himself was ‘looking’ at Horace that way right now, even though he could not see him.

Maybe it was true that love was blind.

‘Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday never hesitate’

Horace suddenly made Enoch turn around, he guessed it meant that they had finally entered the loop, and now they would exit the church.

Horace made circles in Enoch’s hands.

‘Dressed up to the eyes, it's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throw out your frown and just smile at the sound
As sleek as a shriek, spinning round and round’

Horace´s voice became softer and graceful when he sung this part, caressing Enoch´s hands.

Enoch wished that what he was singing was true, but there was no way Horace liked him back.

‘Always take a big bite, it's such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
You can never get enough, enough of this stuff
It's Friday, I'm in love’

And still, Horace was singing with so much tenderness that it made Enoch´s heart ache, because it sounded so genuine, and he didn't want to give himself false hopes.

‘I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday, I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love’

Enoch felt as Horace helped him walk down the little staircase, holding his hands like he always imagined his- his father holding his mother´s hands.

‘Monday, you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday, I'm in love’

Horace finished singing at the same time that Enoch felt the sun on his skin again.

He felt Horace untie the bandana around his eyes and tenderly put it back in Enoch´s bag.

Enoch turned to look at Horace, who was already looking at him, his face devoid of any seriousness, he had a look in his eyes that Enoch could not decipher.

Hugh, Fiona and Millard were behind Horace, all looking at Enoch with a little worry.

“Thanks, Somnusson” said Enoch “I am alright”

“I am glad to hear that” said Horace “You can always ask for my help”

And then, Horace did something that would have made Victorian ladies huff at the inappropriateness, he took off his glove, grabbed Enoch's hand and squeezed it, before letting go and putting his glove on, walking away.

Enoch heard Millard make a weird noise, like a giggle combined with a screech.

The bastard must know about Victorian courting.

He couldn't decide which one was the bastard, Horace or MIllard.

He was too busy blushing and looking at his hand with a gaping mouth.

‘That son of a-’