Tales of the Peculiar One Shots

Why Would I Be Jealous?- Enoch x Reader

    "Ace of hearts," Enoch muttered, throwing down a card into his stack.
    Birds chirped outside, followed by the low hum of a kettle from the kitchen. Miss Peregrine's phonograph played "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" softly in the background.
    The corner of Abraham's mouth twitched. He traced his finger over the top of his cards, before pinching onto one and placing it down in front of him.
    "King of spades," Abraham chuckled. Enoch sighed in annoyance and reclined back onto the foot of the couch.
    Abraham's blue eyes glittered with joy, as he snatched Enoch's pile of cards.
    "You made this game up," Enoch groaned. "There's no way you can win every time."
    Abraham tsked, stacking Enoch's cards into his own.
    "You're just bad, kretyn," the teenager smugly affirmed.
    "Stop using Polish words," Enoch criticized. "No one understands them."
    "It's a part of my identity, I don't want to lose it," Abraham countered.
    He waved his hand through the air to swat away some dust, which had become much more opaque in the afternoon sun.
    "Besides," he continued with a charming smirk. "It could be worse... I could collect dead things... like you."
    Enoch stared at the patterned carpet in the parlor, tracing over the designs. His dark eyes stayed fixated on the material, ignoring his friend.
    Abraham's eyebrow raised, "Nothing?"
    Enoch glanced up lazily and shrugged. This concerned Abraham.
    "I was only joking, you know," he tried. 
    Enoch rolled his eyes and shook his head. 
    "I'm not mad at you, mate," he refuted, pulling his attention away from the carpet. 
    The two teenagers stared at each other. Abraham shifted his weight, feeling uncomfortable from sitting on the parlor floor for so long. 
    "What's this about? You've been in a mood all day," he probed. 
    Enoch flickered his eyes away from Abraham and crossed his arms. Abraham could tell that whatever was bugging his friend was something personal. 
    The tea kettle in the kitchen stopped humming and started to whine and hiss. There was a scurry in the kitchen, and then the hissing stopped. After a couple of seconds, Emma appeared with two mugs. The floor vibrated from the clanking of her large, metal boots. 
     "I made some tea, if you'd like some," she announced to the two of them. 
      Abraham glanced up and smiled at Emma, making her blush. Enoch scoffed and shook his head. 
     "I'm fine." 
     Emma, who was used to Enoch's coolness, turned her attention to Abe. 
    "I'll take some, thank you," he accepted politely. Emma handed him a mug.
    They brushed hands. Both of them turned pink. Emma shyly looked down, but Abraham gazed at her with adoration. 
    Enoch knew the two of them admired each other. Abraham was always ecstatic about her, and talked about Emma constantly. She confided with Y/N about Abraham too... and honestly was very obvious about her feelings. 
    Thinking of Y/N made Enoch's stomach flip. They were the reason his mind was all clouded today. Enoch exhaled sharply, as if his breath could clear Y/N from his mind. This exhale broke Abraham and Emma out of their trance. 
    Emma cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 
    "I... I'm going to offer Olive some tea..." she stated awkwardly. 
    She quickly excused herself from the parlor. 
    A heavy silence hung in the parlor. A lone bird sang outside, and a faint giggle from Fiona could be heard in the garden.
    "It's about Y/N..." Abraham reported. 
    Enoch flinched, giving Abraham the confirmation he needed. 
    "Did you two... split?" he questioned tentatively. 
    Enoch's heart dropped at the thought. 
    "No!" he said. "We're still together." 
    Abraham tilted his head in confusion. 
    "So...?"
    It suddenly all clicked. Abraham threw his head back and laughed heartily. Enoch frowned. 
    "What's so funny?!"
    "You're jealous!" 
    "I'm not jealous..."
    "You are, kochanek!" 
    "Why would I be jealous?" Enoch shot, glaring at Abraham. 
    Abraham wiped a tear from his blue eyes and smiled. 
    "Because Y/N's been spending time with the fisherman's son, Wallace!"
    Enoch did not deny this statement. 
    "If it bothers you so much, why don't you just talk to them about it?" Abraham suggested, cleaning up the cards.
    "It doesn't bother me..."
    "It would bother me," Abraham mentioned. "If my significant other was constantly with someone else."
    Enoch sat in silence. He clenched his jaw and his hands curled into fists. 
    "... Fishing is boring," Enoch declared.
    Abraham went into a fit of laughter again, his whole body shaking.
    "It beats playing with dolls!" 
    Enoch grabbed a throw pillow off of the couch and chucked it at Abraham. This made the teenager laugh even harder. 
    "You see invisible monsters! How loony you are!" Enoch retorted, chuckling too. 
    The door inside the kitchen opened, which led out into the gardens. The boys knew who had entered, after hearing Emma yell, "Watch your shoes! You're tracking dirt all over the floor!"
    "Seems Hugh and Millard are back from their walk," Abraham stated.
     He stood up, and brushed off his pants. Enoch followed his lead, taking time to stretch. 
     "Sorry, Emma," they heard Millard say. 
     "What's for lunch?! I'm starving!" Hugh chimed. 
     "Thank you, Millard," Emma continued. "... Hugh, take off your shoes and don't touch those biscuits!" 
     Abraham snorted and turned to Enoch, "I'm going to give Emma a hand. Good luck with the whole Y/N and Wallace thing..." 
     He took two steps and stopped, before adding, "... You know, it has a nice ring to it. Y/N and Wallace... it would look good on a postcard, don't you think?"
     "Keep one eye open when you go to sleep tonight, Abe," Enoch replied darkly. 
     Abraham winked at him, and exited the parlor. 
     The sound of a door opening echoed again. This time, it was the front door, and a familiar voice followed it. 
     "Yes! Oh, you should've seen it, Olive! Wallace showed me the pictures and-."
     "I would love to see them!" Olive interrupted with excitement. "Perhaps, he could show me sometime!"
     Enoch felt himself getting angry and insecure and sad all at once... Abraham was right. He was jealous. 
     Y/N and Olive entered the parlor. 
     "Enoch," Y/N greeted warmly. 
     Enoch couldn't control his emotions and glared at Y/N. 
    "Yeah," he scoffed. "I still exist."
    Olive's jaw dropped. Her large eyes flickered to Y/N. Y/N tilted their head in confusion. 
    "Of course you exist, wha-?"
    "Forget it," Enoch interjected, exiting the parlor. 
    Y/N and Olive exchanged a look. 
    "I'm going to check up on him... I'll talk to you in a bit..." Y/N said, following Enoch's footsteps.

---//--//--

    Y/N found Enoch in his room. He was moping on his bed. Enoch sat on top of his green blanket and stared at the shelves of his room. They were pretty bare at this point of time. He had a few dolls, and a couple of jars skewed about, along with some utensils. 
    "What was that about?!" Y/N scolded. "You can't just be rude like that without explanation."
    Enoch refused to look his significant other in the eyes, afraid of taking accountability. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Y/N, knowing Enoch typically says things without thinking, chose to let his statement go. 
    They travelled over to his bed, the wood creaked under their feet. Enoch glanced up briefly, and shamefully turned away. 
    Y/N sat next to him on the bed, and placed their hand on top of his. 
    Enoch's breath hitched, before he interlaced his fingers with Y/N's. Y/N leaned in and rested their head on Enoch's shoulder. His soft, grey sweater felt nice against their cheek. Enoch let go of Y/N's hand, and wrapped his arm around them instead. He readjusted himself, so that Y/N could rest their head comfortably on his chest. Y/N heard his heart rate increase.
    "Can you tell me what made you upset?" Y/N asked softly. 
     Enoch sighed, recalling the advise Abraham gave him.
    "... Do you like fishing?"
    "Uhm... No?"
    "Then why do you hang around Wallace so much?' Enoch asked, clearly hurt.
    Y/N released themselves from Enoch's embrace and stared at him. He avoided their gaze. 
    "Do... you think I prefer Wallace to you?" Y/N wondered. 
    There was a long pause, before Enoch shut his eyes tightly and nodded. 
    Y/N leaned in and kissed his cheek. Enoch's eyes opened, and he turned to Y/N in shock. Y/N took this opportunity to peck his lips. He blushed.
    "Enoch, you are so strange," Y/N grinned. "You're unconditionally and irrevocably my favorite person in the whole world."
     Enoch stared into Y/N's eyes, his dark brown eyes appearing soft and warm. 
    Y/N smiled and explained, "The reason I am with Wallace so much is because he has taken a liking to Olive, and she fancies him a little too..."
    Enoch blinked, feeling stupid.
    "Y/N... I..."
    Y/N giggled at the sight of Enoch flustered. 
    "I'm sorry... I was jealous," Enoch admitted. "I thought that you would prefer him to me... since I'm not... normal."
    Enoch motioned to his display of organs.
    "You had no reason to be jealous," Y/N comforted, placing a hand on his cheek. Enoch melted into their touch. "You don't need to be insecure with me... I cherish you in every way."
    "I know," he said softly. "And I trust you."
    "I trust you, too," Y/N replied. 
    "And I trust you too!" Abraham's voice rang. 
    "Me, as well!" Hugh added. 
    Enoch looked up to see the two peculiars leaning on his door frame. His face hardened. Y/N lowered their hand and chuckled.
   "I'll see you at lunch," Y/N said, as Enoch shot up from the bed. The boys yelled, as Enoch darted after them. 
    Y/N shook their head. This was their home, and this was their family. They glanced around Enoch's room, and their heart swelled. Enoch may be unorthodox... but he held a very special place in their heart. No Wallace could ever replace that.