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Having his hands over his pinholes hardly muffled the jovial music as it resonated through the walls of Sally’s house. All of their friends were eating, drinking, and having a good time. Most of them were more than a little buzzed. Except Wally and Frank, who both disliked the burn of alcohol down their throats. Well, Frank hated it going down his throat. Wally said it made his eyes burn, a sentiment Frank never fully understood. Regardless of why, the both of them stood off to the side from everyone else, simply enjoying each other's presence. Frank seemed distant, and Wally was good company, a perfect mixture for the two of them to outcast themselves from the main party and sit in comfortable silence. It wasn’t preventing Frank from being overwhelmed, but it was helping to keep his overstimulation at bay.
Frank just needed to ground himself is all. They just needed a moment to collect himself and then he would be fine to rejoin his ever-adorable husband and their friends on the festivities. He just needed to recollect by focusing on what’s around him bit by bit. Perhaps then, he could tune the excess out.
The bright lights were actually rather dim fairy lights, strung around the walls of the kitchen, dining, and living rooms that only had a sliver of a wall between them all. Is it really a wall if it’s only about halfway to the ceiling? Frank was no architect. He should look into that, see what that’s called. Regardless of its official name, the half wall provided enough distance between the connected kitchen and dining rooms from the living room to not feel too open, and Frank appreciated the separation. Being in the same room as all the noise was too much for them right now.
What was he thinking about? Oh yeah, the fairy lights. Way too many of them, there were. They may be dimmer, and he is grateful for that, but the abundance of them made the whole point of asking his neighbors for softer lights at gatherings a moot point. They didn’t have the heart to tell them it wasn’t helpful though, not after everyone had gone out of their way to try and accommodate him. They’re neighbors doing their best didn’t change the fact that there were too many lights, though what should he have expected from the neighborhood’s shining star?
What else might be overwhelming him, let's see…
“Are you looking for something?” Wally’s soft voice came, barely audible over the music. Frank’s head turned slowly to look at his once silent companion. Wally looked up at Frank with half open eyes, his orange eyeshadow shimmering under the multicolored fairy lights in the kitchen. Frank briefly wondered if the man was high or not. Probably not considering he isn’t staring amazed by the colorful decorations. Or maybe he was, and Frank couldn’t tell because he too did not get high regularly.
“No, why?” It came out harsher than intended, though Frank had a feeling that Wally wouldn’t take offense to it. The short guy was pretty chill all things considered. Frank took a sip of his plain fruit punch and returned his gaze to the party. Sally and Julie were holding each other close, twirling around together. Poppy and Barnaby seemed to be in the middle of a flirting session with the way Poppy hid behind her wing as she blushed and laughed. Eddie was dancing on his own, singing happily to the tunes playing over the large speakers.
“You keep looking around, like you’re missing something. I can see Eddie if that’s who you're looking for.” Wally was sweet for offering, and maybe if Frank wasn’t too busy trying to categorize the entire scene to calm down, he would take the small man up on the offer of him going and fetching Eddie. But Eddie was drunkenly enjoying himself, and Frank wasn’t in the right state of mind to really engage with him without worrying the poor mailman.
They aren’t exactly in the right headspace for any of this. Too much noise, too many lights, too many neighbors all in one place. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to shut down or not. Actually, that’s a lie. He did want to shut down, to give himself an excuse to leave the party abruptly, but just as much, he wanted to practice grounding himself and getting used to holding out. It was all too much. He was enjoying himself, but sometimes he needed some space, some time to cool down. Maybe their weighted blanket would help. Maybe his stuffies. Maybe Eddie holding him and telling him stories and tucking him in.
“I think I’m going to go.” Frank muttered, setting down his red solo on the counter. “The punch is alcohol free if you’re interested in finishing mine.”
“Would you like an escort to the door?” Wally asked. It wasn’t uncommon for Wally to offer this to Frank. They frequently found themselves on the outskirts of the fun, looking in through passive enjoyment rather than engaging in it directly. Wally liked seeing his friend’s smile, and Frank just didn’t like being packed like a sardine. Wally figured out pretty quickly that if Frank tried to leave without bidding farewell first, he would get very quickly bombarded with slews of questions. It was all well-meaning of course, but it overwhelmed the poor guy. So, Wally started becoming a barrier, engaging in meaningless one-sided banter as he walked Frank out so Frank could leave without the questions and confusion.
Frank surveyed the area, looking over the friends still engaged with each other. They likely wouldn’t notice if Frank slipped out alone into the night. “I think I’ll be alright. They seem invested in their own worlds. Thank you though.”
“What should I tell Eddie?”
Right. His husband. “Tell him… Tell him I’ll need a story tonight.”
Wally looked confused and gave Frank a questioning look. He did not press. “I never understood your secret code with him.”
“That’s the point. It wouldn't be a secret otherwise.” Frank gave Wally a small smile and a salute with two fingers before slipping out the front door. Wally returned it with a small wave of his own, letting Frank walk away from the pleasant get together.
The midnight air was lovely on his fuzz, chilling him down to the middle most stuffing in their body. It made his venture to his house all the lovelier. They hadn’t even realized how hot the star’s abode was until they had left it. Much too warm. No wonder he felt uncomfortable in his skin while simply standing next to Wally. The walking made his head stop pounding, and his lungs felt less suffocated. He even felt well enough to wave to Wally’s own house, Home. “Tell Wally I said thank you, please. I forgot to say it on my way out.”
Home banged the front door open and closed a few times as acknowledgment, his eyes shifting to a happy expression. Frank assumed that was a very happy ‘Will do Frank!’ from the colorful house. “Thank you, Home.”
Outside of his little detour to Home’s front for a quick hello and goodbye, Frank’s walk was short and quick. He shifted his key into the lock and twisted, listening to the click as he stepped inside. The lights were off, and as much as he would love to sit in darkness for a while to decompress, he knew Eddie would be too drunk to find the lamp chain on his way in. So Frank, not wanting to nurse Eddie’s wounds, made the decision to turn on the dim lamp and kitchen nightlight so Eddie wasn’t in complete darkness. Without wasting another moment, Frank moved back to the front door to deposit their shoes on the shoe shelf, leaving his feet covered in soft socks that he would have to take off once he got to the bedroom.
He still needed to ground himself, and what better place than where no one will interrupt him? Frank looked around the house and took in the familiar surroundings. The patchwork couch that he and Eddie had repaired over and over was comfortable. It was made of soft and consistent materials. Despite the different patterns, it all felt like one piece. Frank loved it for that. He loved it for the time and effort he and his husband had put into it.
The carpet was a light gray, soft and comfortable under his feet. He couldn’t stand it with his socks on though, and would need to take them off as soon as he had calmed his nerves. The curtains flowed beautifully, light and sheer above the air vent that sat below. They were drawn to cover the window to prevent the stars from peering in. They did little to block sunlight in the day, but at night they were the perfect consistency to balance the room and the outside.
The aforementioned lamp wasn’t necessarily a statement piece, but the pole of the tall lamp bent back and forth oddly. Eddie had said it could be adjusted to be straighter, and Frank had denied. Just like with the couch, he believed that some obscure furniture was a must in a shared space. The room was much more boring before Eddie had arrived in his life and home.
Feeling sufficiently calmer in the familiar environment, Frank makes his way to the stairs and climbs them one at a time. It’s difficult to move now that they’re much more relaxed. If all of his comfort items weren’t upstairs, they might have stayed downstairs and awaited Eddie’s return. Unfortunately, everything is upstairs, and it’s easier to just stay up here bundled in his weighted blankets with stuffies than to haul it all downstairs to wait for their husband’s return.
Frank largely ignored the dull grays as he pulled out his dark blanket from the bottom of their side of the closet, dragging the tote under it out as well. After hoisting the blanket onto the bed with strength he didn’t know he still had in him after the eventful day, Frank set to work pulling out his comfort items. A few children's books about insects and other tiny legged creatures, a teething ring, a large red teddy bear, and last but not least his caregiver’s guide. Eddie would likely need that if he was coming back drunk. Frank wouldn’t mind that though, and little Frank would care even less. All that mattered was that Eddie was here.
With all of his items set out neatly on the bed, Frank pushed the remainder of his little space stuff back into the closet. They were quick to undress from their tight and cozy day clothes, slipping into a loose onesie with feet. They weren’t sure why the footie pajamas were fine but not socks. Perhaps it was the grips on the bottom of the feet that appealed to them. It was like walking on dot candy in the most satisfying way.
Frank’s hands rubbed against the regular sheets and comforter experimentally. It felt… fine. But his fuzzy weighted blanket was much better. With all his might, Frank dragged it onto his lap before reaching for his colorful books and chewy ring. Their teeth gnawed at the reinforced ring, getting a feel for it in their mouth. It still tasted faintly of strawberries; the taste that was once a tad too powerful when they first got it. It’s much better as a subtle taste, in Frank’s opinion at least.
The world had finally stopped buzzing around, and Frank had finally settled with it. He could feel the fuzziness taking over, slipping them down into a simpler headspace. It was pleasant and not overwhelming. They enjoyed letting themself fall into this, reading a story to occupy their mind. The books were just hard enough for them to read like this that it kept their attention without being too quick to complete. It was usually better when Eddie read to them though…
No matter, they could survive an hour or so without Eddie. They hoped they didn’t have to though. Frank would be very upset if his hubby didn’t come back for the night. He would miss Eddie very much…
Best not to think about it. He wouldn’t want to upset himself after all.
The books were fine in the end. He understood about half of it, and when he stopped understanding the words just looked at the pretty pictures of the larva and other insects. They were all very cute and very interesting to look at. Much of the time was spent counting their little legs, even if he already knew how many would be there. And when he had finished counting all of their little legs, he went back to page one and began to list out the best tea party guests, because you have to be well behaved at a tea party to be a good friend (everyone knows that).
Pretty much all the babies and cocooned friends were out of the question, but most of the caterpillars and butterflies were invited to this make-believe tea party of quiet sophistication; just the way Frank liked it. Frank had made it about halfway through the second insect book before the front door opened a little louder than strictly necessary.
“Hubby?”
Heavy and uncoordinated footsteps came up the stairs. The floors groaned under the weight of whoever was walking. Those footsteps didn’t sound like Eddie’s normal footsteps. Was it a monster? Was it an intruder? Frank couldn’t stop them like this! Frank stared at the bedroom doorway that he had forgotten to close in his haste to get out his books and toys.
Frank scrambled to grab ahold of his large red teddy bear, and hands gripped the soft fur tightly as they waited for the intruder to ascend the stairs. A soft groan came from the hallway as the person reached the top. A looming silhouette stood in the doorframe, and Frank panicked. With a shriek, Frank’s hand grabbed one of his bug books and tossed it at the shadow figure in his doorway. The book barely made it to the person’s feet, not enough force behind it. Frank’s head turned to the inside of his teddy bear as he gripped it for dear life.
“Go away!” the little shouted, defenses against the intruder.
“Franky?” came a slurred familiar voice. Frank gasped and looked back over. “Wally said you wanted a story… Do you not want one anymore?”
Frank slowly turned his head back to the doorway. Squinting his eyes, Frank tried to discern who was there. “Hubby?”
A soft chuckle came from the doorway as the figure stepped in. The man went over to the bedside lamp, fumbling to turn it on. Once the light was on and illuminating the bedroom the little one could finally see who was there. It wasn’t an intruder or monster at all! It was his Hubby! All the anxiety dissipated, and in its place a sadness took hold. Frank had thrown a book at Eddie. That was horrible! He was so, so mean!
“I-I sorry! I… I was scared!”
Eddie looked over at Frank then over at the book still on the ground. “I fig’red. You’re not super uh.. Wha’s the word? Vi… Violen’! That’s it. You ain’t us’lly violen’ or mean. Figured somethin’ was goin’ on with ya.”
Eddie’s southern accent poked through heavily now that the alcohol had loosened his tongue. Frank let out a soft laugh. It sounded so silly! How had he been afraid of his Hubby with a silly voice like that? Eddie’s flushed face grew a smile as he heard the gentle sound of giggles coming from behind the red teddy bear. “Wha’s so funny there, silly?”
“Cowboy!”
“Cowboy? Ya think I sound like a cowboy?”
“Yeah!”
Eddie laughed in turn, crawling into bed to lay with Frank. He pulled the comforter and middle sheet down before snuggling himself under them. Frank sat patiently and waited for Eddie to be in their shared bed comfortably before setting the two books that weren't on the floor into his lap. “Storytime.” Frank insisted, staring at his hubby expectantly. Eddie didn’t argue, picking up the first book and setting it open on his lap with a drunken smile. Frank didn’t mind that Eddie was still buzzed, as long as he could read well enough to send Frank to sleep.
“The ABC’s of Bu’erflies and their Friends.” Eddie began. Their hubby’s voice was soft, a gentle timber against Frank’s head as they laid on Eddie’s chest to rest. They liked feeling the vibrations from Eddie’s vocal cords, and it lulled them into a lovely sense of familiarity and security. It was perfect, and Frank was happy. He felt calm and safe in Eddie’s arms.
Frank settled in for the night, snuggled close to his hubby and red teddy bear. The teething ring fell from his mouth where he had begun to chew again as soon as he drifted to sleep. Eddie finished the story even after his little had drifted off, just in case he woke up again. After all was said and done though, and Frank hadn’t woken up, Eddie gently moved Frank off of his chest and onto his side of the bed. The weighted blanket was pulled up to Frank’s neck snuggly covering both the red teddy and his little Franky. Satisfied with the evening, Eddie began to put away the other little trinkets back into the tote before crawling back into bed himself. He couldn't even be bothered to turn off the bedside lamp as he snuggled close to Frank. “G’night Franky.” he slurred, closing his eyes to join his spouse in sleep.