#flutterletters

[friendlyrandomperson]

The world is dark but you shine bright enough.

The cold air bit Frank’s nose, the weight of Eddie against his side, the southern man’s arm around his shoulders providing warmth against the flurries that made their way onto their bodies. Eddie’s sniffles, shaky, hallow breathing, Frank’s ragged breaths, the rush of wind against their ears, the crunch of the snow beneath their shoes, the harsh feel of tears against the smaller man’s left shoulder and the taller man’s cheeks.

”I’m so sorry..”

Frank glanced up, Eddie still trudging beside him, his face pointed at the ground appearing heavily ashamed, tears falling onto the snow as if physical pieces of his dignity being lost to the ice below.

“There is nothing wrong with needing to leave, Mr. Dear. I understand.”

Frank abruptly freezes, glancing between the Post Office and his house. Logically, Eddie would want to go home; Frank was aware he lived in the back of the Post Office, he could very easily drop him off with a goodbye and return to Home.

That did not sit right with him. Not at all.

That would be cruel, leaving him alone when he clearly should remain under supervision; he can barely hold himself up, he might fall unconscious!

Frank turns his head, quickly examining Eddie’s features. Furrowed brows, eyes pressed shut and lips tightly together.

He’s in pain.

Frank furrows his brow and turns towards his house, the change seemingly unnoticed by the crying man.

A few minutes later, Frank wraps Eddie’s right arm around himself a little bit tighter, stepping up and placing his weight onto the bottom step, lifting Eddie a bit to get him onto the stairs. A soft groan came from the orange man, who lifted his other arm and wrapped it around Frank as well, for support of course.

Ignoring the pooling heat in his cheeks, Frank continues to assist Eddie up to the porch, where they stood awkwardly for a few moments as Frank sifted through his jacket and pants pockets for his house key. Patting his right pants pocket, he felt the silhouette of the metal against the fabric and quickly took it out, placing it into the keyhole and jiggling it a few times before managing to open the door, hitting both men with a wave of heat similar to a lit fireplace.

Standing beside the door when they got inside, Frank slid off his shoes, realizing that he just lost about an inch of his height and Eddie is about to fall down and send them both to the floor.

Many people have absolutely no clue the amount of strength that Frank has; yes, his arms look very thin, as does the rest of his body, but he is overall very toned. Gardening requires a lot of strength to maintain, physically and mentally.

Which is how he ended up spontaneously lifting Eddie up bridal style, his hands firm against his waist and his legs.

Without giving the situation a second thought, Frank turned towards his living room and walked over, gently setting a stunned Eddie down onto the cushions, moving in front of him and removing his hat with his right hand before walking back to the coatrack that was left completely ignored, setting the white and blue cap onto a hook before freezing, his fingers still lightly pressed against the rim of the navy blue fabric on the cap.

Eddie, sitting on the couch, still had tears streaming down his face. He wipes them away, only for the action to be pointless. As he rubs his eyes, he allows his mind to wander from whatever happened at Home to what Frank had done.

He knew he was strong, he had seen him uproot a plant one handed without thinking, but he did not expect to be handled like that. Frank made it seem so effortless, dragging him along in the snow that was up to the middle of the mailman’s calves, holding him up as he tried to open the door, and then simply lifting him up and setting him down to rest.

His heart warmed, feeling as if it swelled up, radiating heat from the middle of his chest.

He’s so kind to him. Eddie set his hands down to rest on his knees as he stared at his boots, tears slowing down slightly. He unzips his jacket about 1/4 of the way, undoing his tie and folding it neatly before setting it down in front of him, zipping up his jacket again, resting his hands on his knees once more.

He heard footsteps approach him, hesitant and slow, light from the lack of shoes.

“Mr. Dear, take this.”

Eddie glances over to his left, seeing a yellow teacup with little roses lining the top in Frank’s hands, a loop of steam rising from the amber tea inside, carrying a pleasant aroma of something he could not quite place his finger on.

He lifts his head, wiping his eyes one last time with a shaky right hand.

He gently takes the cup with both hands, the quivering causing ripples on the surface of the steaming liquid, his shoulders loosening.

”Thank you kindly F- Mr. Frankly.”

“Frank.”

”I- Huh now?”

“Please, just call me Frank. For tonight.”

“Oh! I- Uh- Alrighty then, Mr- gosh Frank?”

Frank smiles softly, a sigh escaping his lips as Eddie appeared to relax. Frank went over to the kitchen, swiftly grabbing his own teacup before returning to Eddie’s left, sitting next to him and sipping the tea to avoid saying something stupid.

Frank peeked over the top of his glass, taking in Eddie’s features.

His eyes were closed as he sipped his tea, his eyebrows no longer furrowed and his body no longer quivering as violently.

He’s beautiful.

Frank knows he can never say that, but it’s true.

Frank set his teacup down on a coaster, placing another one down in front of Eddie before sitting up straight and folding his hands in his lap.

He turns to face the other man, and as he opens his mouth to speak, he heard a gentle click before everything went dark, nothing but the glow of the moon through the curtains illuminating the house.

He heard Eddie yelp, the glass wobbling slightly before he heard a thud as Eddie set the cup down on the table, pausing for a second before the mailman set it on the coaster Frank set out.

The howling of the wind, the rattling of the windows, the shaky breaths of one man and the stable breaths of another.

Frank saw Eddie’s illuminated body, the moonlight giving a peaceful glow to his figure. The man’s posture was stiff, his hands fidgety in his lap, clearly attempting to hide his fear.

Hesitantly, Frank reached out and placed his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, flinching at the same time Eddie did before placing it down again, light and nervous.

He tapped his fingers over and over, thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinky, repeat, unsure if he was providing comfort to the redhead or himself.

“I have never seen you cry before.”

”Heh- yeah I- I’m sorry ‘bout that.. I dunno what came over me!”

“Was the party too much this year?”

”Heh.. guess you could say that.”

”What am I missing?”

”It’s just.. ahh, you know what? It ain’t that big a deal-“

”Mr. Dear.”

Frank’s voice was firm, stern. Eddie knew Frank was the kind to take a stand, but he’d never heard him use that tone before.

Frank let go of Eddie’s shoulder, placing his right hand on the man’s cheek and turning his face towards himself before resting his hand in his shoulder once more.

”It is a big deal if you were so shaken that you could not hold yourself upright.”

Eddie froze, his cheeks growing more and more red, similar to a rose, the longer he stared at the entomologist. Blinking twice, he lifted his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, directing his gaze at the teacups instead.

“Shoulda known you were smart enough ta catch on, huh?”

After Frank snickered slightly, Eddie felt his face burn like he ate chili a little too spicy.

He was so amazing.

A few minutes later, after Eddie had taken off his boots and left them by the door, they both found themselves back on the topic of the party. Frank had his hands folded neatly in his lap, and Eddie had his own resting on his knees.

”Well, heh… I didn’t even know it was goin’ on, actually. Completely slipped mah mind!”

Frank’s eyebrow furrowed a tad.

”That explains why Sally dragged you through the door.”

”Yep! I uh- heh.. I spent the whole day at the Post Office waitin’ for a neighbor to stop on by!”

Frank’s eyebrow raises as he realizes that Eddie was not told that they gave him the day off.

”Mr. Dear.. we delivered our own mail so that you could rest. Did you actually spend the entire day waiting for someone to drop something off?”

Eddie stiffened, his eyes growing wider than saucepans as Frank’s words swirled in his mind.

“Y’all… did my job for me? Ya didn’t… need my help with anythin’?”

Frank lowers his eyebrow and changes his expression, something more reassuring and comforting.

”You work yourself ragged, it was the least we could do. Luckily, there were no packages that needed delivering today. Just many letters, including a few addressed to you! I was going to inquire if you got them, but when I went to find you, Sally dragged me over and told me you were ignoring her.”

An uncomfortable pause as Frank pressed his lips together tightly before whispering.

”That’s when I started trying to get you to respond. Until I said your name you…” Frank meets Eddie’s eyes for the first time since the party. “You just sat there with tears streaming down your face and a blank expression.”

Eddie gripped his pant legs tightly, his knuckles turning pale as his mind ran faster than he did when Barnaby chased him.

“I spent the whole day doubtin’ these kind people while they were off doin’ my job, better than I ever could. How rude of me, I was doin’ a whole bunch of nothin’ and then I had the audacity to sit down at Home, no wonder he seemed so upset with me. Now look at me; I couldn’t even hol’ myself up to walk myself out and get ready fer tomorrow, and Mr. Frankly is missin’ out on all the festivities ‘cause o’ me, I got ‘im all worried fer nothin’. That’s not very neighborly of me, is it?”

Unbeknownst to Eddie, tears had made their way down his cheeks once more, his pain unable to hide behind a friendly smile, or a simple comment to brush it off.

Frank could tell Eddie felt like he wasn’t valued, wasn’t important. He always went far beyond his limits to please others, it worried him sick. Seeing the poor man like this… it shattered Frank. His soul, his heart. Frank reached over, and against his better judgement, rested his right hand on top of Eddie’s left one gently, feeling the man’s shaking fist loosen just slightly. Eddie flipped his hand, locking their fingers in a tight grip, but Frank did not care, instead leaning over and softly wiping away Eddie’s tears, letting his head rest on his hand as he felt Eddie lean into his touch. When was the last time he had been given affection?

Frank’s hand slid down, reaching Eddie’s right shoulder before he tightened his grip and pulled Eddie forward slightly, letting go of his hand and choosing to wrap his arms around Eddie’s shoulders as Eddie cried into his chest, the man’s muscular arms around his waist and his hands on his upper back holding him tightly, as if he would leave him too when he let go.

The darkness and the warmth of the other man left both very tired, so Frank adjusted himself to allow Eddie to lie on top of him for a moment, his breathing slowing and becoming deeper as he calmed down. His grip loosened, and after a moment, Frank heard a small, almost inaudible snore come from the mailman. He smiled gently before closing his eyes and allowing himself to doze off.

After all, he had no plans.

[pawfulofwaffles]

AAAAAAH THEY’RE SO FUNKY I LOVE DRAWING THEM

[thecluelessdoctor]

7 sins AU

hehehheh gays.

Felt this was cute ^^

[conundrum-cat]

Uhh I think the ship name for Eddie x Frank in welcome home should be called flutterletters (or butterflyletters but that's too long) :33

[glutenfreeenchiladas]

I think FranklyDear is a good ship name for Eddie/Frank.

Edit: Flutterletters is also a good option.

(I didn't come up with either of these btw, but I don't remember where I found them.)

[friendlyrandomperson]

Letters.

*smack*

While spinning, Frank’s voice sounds like it is rapidly decreasing and increasing in volume.

“JuLiE jOyFuL i Do NoT uNdErStAnD yOuR fAsCiNaTiOn WiTh My HeAd SpInNiNg UnCoNtRoLlAbLy.”

Eddie walks up to Frank’s mailbox while on his route, only to see this fiasco. “Mail’s her- Oop! Now just what is going on here?”

Eddie walks up behind Frank, who is still spinning. Frank’s head appears to be a blur. “mR. dEaR, hOw ArE yOu ToDaY?”

“Well I’m doing peachy, Mr. Frankly, however, well- uh- frankly I’m concerned as to why your head is spinning ‘round like one o’ them… tops? Oh, forget it, where are my manners, would you like some help?” Eddie asked Frank politely, trying to be anything but a bother. Julie perks up, exclaiming, “His head spins like a die if you whack it hard enough!”

Eddie chuckles slightly, irritating Frank. “JuLiE, i SiMpLy Do NoT sEe ThE pOiNt In SpInNiNg Me ArOuNd!” “Hold up now, I’ve gotcha.” Eddie walks up behind Frank and takes Frank’s face in his hands.

“Oh! Sorry Mr. Frankly, lemme just-“

Eddie slowly rotates Frank’s head back to its normal position. “There! Now you’re back to normal.”

Eddie grins, hands Frank his mail, or rather, places it in Frank’s frozen hands, and walks away with a peppy “Goodbye Mr. Frankly; Goodbye Miss Julie!”

Frank, red faced from both anger at the whole fiasco and something else , stares at the letters in his hand.

“Ooooooo, whatcha got there Frankie?”

Julie takes the bunch of letters out of Frank’s hand. She reads the names aloud; “Wally Darling, Barnaby B, Sally S, pretty standard stu— oh? This one doesn’t have a name on it!”

Frank blinks, then shakes his head before looking at Julie with a quizzical expression.

“Huh? Julie, give me the letters please.”

Julie gives the envelopes back to Frank, who glances down batch to see just what he had been told; a nameless envelope, sealed with a small, yellow butterfly sticker.

Frank opens the letter hesitantly, Julie running behind him and peeking over his shoulder. “I wonder who it could be!!!” Julie squeals, swinging her arms in excitement. Frank takes the card out of the envelope and opens it slowly, to reveal a butterfly inside, which popped out like a pop-up book.

“You give me… butterflies?”

Frank holds the card in his hands, observing the detailed, large butterfly in the middle, surrounded by also very detailed, yet much smaller, other butterflies.

“Ooooooo, someone’s got a secret admirer!!!! I wonder who it is, Frank!”

Chapter 2: This will BEE fun.

It had been quite a while since that letter came in the mail; around 8 weeks, to be precise. Since then, it became a little routine between Frank and Julie to take a look at the cards together; after all, Julie just couldn’t wait and was a sucker for romance.

“Frank Frank Frank lemme see it!!!!!” Julie spins around Frank, jumping up and down as he chuckles. “I wonder what this one will say..”

Frank opens the envelope and opens the card, which has a pop up flower in the middle with miniature bees all around it, with the message being “You’re bee-utiful!”

Frank smiles wider, his already rosy cheeks turning a soft red, like a ladybug’s wings. He shakes his head, still grinning at the silly card.

“Heh, this one’s clever too. Whoever this is, they’re very good at puns. Perhaps I should ask Eddie who these are from!”

Julie puts her hands on her hips. “Are you sureeeee Frank? Are you sure you’re ready to know? What if it’s someone like BARNABY?!?!”

Frank shivered at that thought; the likelihood was slim, however one could never know. Barnaby was full of surprises. “Oh goodness Julie, you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t.”

Frank spent the rest of the day mentally going through each neighbor in the neighborhood, looking at potential matches, sifting through clues, attempting to find a solution and seeing none.

Except… he did not think about Eddie.

Frank calls Julie the next morning.

“Hello, hello, you’ve reached the Joyful residence!”

“Hello Julie, how are you doing?”

“Oh I’m doing swell, Frank! Are you excited about the next letter? I wonder what the pun will be today!”

Before Frank could respond, Julie’s voice perks up again.

“Unfortunately I have a LOT of stuff to do today so you’re gonna have to open this one on your own Frankie. Sorry!!! Gotta go! Buh-bye!!” Julie hangs up without even allowing Frank to say Goodbye.

The dial tone ringing in his ear, Frank takes a deep breath and predicts the worst.

He places the phone down, puts on his gardening gloves, and walks outside, crouching and working on his garden as the sun rises.

Chapter 3: Oh Dear.

Eddie arrives on time, his heart pounding in his chest, pounding in his ears. He takes a deep breath as he digs the letters out of his bag. “Mail’s here, Mr. Frankly!” Frank turns around and feels his cheeks warm up. Eddie smiles and hands him the letters, the one sealed with a heart on top. “Thank you Eddie. How has your morning been so far?”

“It’s been quite nice, Mr. Frankly. How has yours been?” Eddie, smiling, looks at Frank, his cheeks getting more and more warm as the time passes. Frank smiles, his cheeks burning, and says “I am doing just swell Eddie.” Eddie smiles, says goodbye, and walks away. Frank looks at the letter in his hand, his cheeks on fire. His heart pounding, he opens the envelope and nervously opens the card. A small, painted envelope pops up. The message reads, “I hope you’re aMAILable at 8 tomorrow night! -Eddie “Ed” Dear.” Frank’s heart skips a beat or two, reading the message. Reading the signature. Putting all of the little pieces together. Seeing every sign. Feeling his face burn, in the best way possible.

“Eddie… oh my goodness… it was Eddie this entire time…”

Frank’s face, normally bare and not in the slightest way positive, relaxes as his mouth slowly curves into a smile. He turns and spots a gorgeous orange flower blanketed in the sunlight, reminding Frank of Eddie. Frank smiles, feeling better than he ever has before. He walks inside, dialing Julie’s number. “Julie… Julie Joyful pick up your phone!” Barely one minute after Frank says this, Julie picks up. “Yello Frankie! Did ya find out who your little pen pal was????”

“Well Julie.. you’ll never guess.”

“Is it Eddie?”

Frank’s eyes widen. “How did you-“

“Guess who it was? Simple. He talks about you ALL OF THE TIME! Who do you think helped him make the cards?!”

“Wha— Wait just a darn minute Julie… you were helping him make those letters?!”

“Yup! He’s good with arts, crafts, and puns but he can’t use glitter glue for the life of him! So I had to help him sparkle it up a bit!”

Frank smirks. “Well, if you know so much about the cards, then what did this one say?”

“He wants to take you on a date tomorrow! Do you wanna go?”

Frank immediately hangs up the phone with a great amount of force, sending a loud crack sound through the room.

On the other end, the dial tone is loudly ringing in Julie’s ear. She looks over and shrugs at Eddie, who is standing over a messy desk and is covered in various colors, mainly pink, of glitter glue. “Uh, ma’am? Can I have a little help with these flowers?”

“I’m not sure they’re gonna be used, Eddie! He hung up on me!”

“Oh no! Jeez, do you think maybe I went too fast?”

“Eddie, you gave him a letter every day for WEEKS!” Julie looks at Eddie. Her facial expression was a mix of shock, empathy, and proudness.

She picks up a bottle of neon blue glitter glue. “At least talk to him one on one first! That way you’ll know for sure!”

Chapter 4: Rain.

The next morning arrives, a cloudy Saturday with flowers blooming everywhere in the neighborhood, colors of the rainbow shining like beacons in the soft yellow light of the sunrise. Eddie Dear had been up and about for about an hour, in day-to-day attire since he had the day off, at Poppy’s insistence. His outfit was loose navy blue pants and a nice white t-shirt, and of course, his hair was styled just the way he liked it.

He takes a look at his clock on the wall, softly ticking away. “6 in the mornin’ already? Goodness gracious I’m gonna be late for mah walk!” Eddie slides on his tennis shoes and heads out the door, and despite leaving his house later than usual, he walks calmly, taking his time to observe the flowers in yards, the trees in a vibrant shade of green, and the sun, a gorgeous yellow ball complimenting the gray sky, blue patches appearing throughout. Quite a while away, approximately 40 minutes, Frank, relaxed yet stressed simultaneously, is gardening, finding weeds and taking them out, placing them in a neat pile beside him. The pile is very large, as Frank wakes at 4 in the morning to garden. To walk around the neighborhood, it does take a good while, around an hour or so if you’re not in a hurry.

As the sky becomes darker, the clouds bundled together as if one, Eddie starts to worry about the possibility of rain. He shrugs this off, believing the worst it could be is a slight drizzle, nothing major. 20 minutes go by, and the sky has turned close to black. Frank notices this and calmly stands, collects his weeds, and tosses them out before going inside. Lightning strikes a small ways away, spooking Eddie slightly. A couple of second later, the sound of the strike catches up and booms through the neighborhood, rumbling and encasing Eddie in its roar.

The rain starts to pour, hard rainfall hitting the ground loudly with splashes. Eddie starts to run. The rain, pouring down ruthlessly, drenches Eddie’s clothes. As Eddie runs past Frank’s house, he hears a voice calling his name. “Eddie! Mr. Dear, come inside!!!” Eddie looks towards the voice to see the faint silhouette of Frank. Frank runs inside, grabs an umbrella, and sprints towards Eddie. He opens the umbrella above them both, breathing heavily. “What are you doing out here in this horrendous weather?!” Frank yells, attempting to be heard over the downpour. He was genuinely concerned and frightened for Eddie’s well being. Frank grabs Eddie’s hand and pulls him along towards the door slightly before closing the umbrella behind him. Eddie, confused, stands in front of Frank, who due to not opening the umbrella until he reached Eddie, is also drenched, his hair hanging loosely along his face, water streaming down his cheeks and forehead. “You are going to catch a cold! Come here, I’m bringing you a towel to dry yourself off with.”

“I- Mr. Frankly I’ll be fi-“ Eddie stutters, failing to get the words out before Frank gives him a towel. “Nonsense. Dry off and sit down, you can stay here until this storm passes.” Frank leaves, and comes back with a towel, drying his own hair and clothing off. Eddie dries himself, and awkwardly sits down, attempting to act casually. Frank looks at Eddie’s moist hair, then looks Eddie in his eyes. “Your hair appears stuck together, do you use hairspray by any chance?” Eddie looks upwards towards his hair and lifts his hand to run it through his locks.

Glue.

The glue he uses to style his hair EVERY MORNING got wet, then moved around when Eddie tried to dry his hair, and in turn messed his hair up. Eddie’s face starts to warm up with embarrassment. “Goodness, I am so sorry, it’s uhm- it’s glue-“ Eddie awkwardly chuckles in between his sentence, “I style my hair with glue in the mornin’s. Hairspray doesn’t have a particularly nice smell, and glue’s much easier to work with.” Frank smirks slightly, trying not to laugh. Frank, now snickering, looks at Eddie with an amused expression before raising one side of his brow. “Eddie, I mean- Mr. Dear- do you need to wash your hair?”

Eddie, furiously blushing, looks to the side to avoid eye contact.

Frank calmly smiles. “Mr. Dear use the bathroom and wash out your hair, it’s not good to leave product in it for a long amount of time, it could damage your hair you know!” Eddie looks at the floor, embarrassed. “I couldn’t possibly-“ Frank smirks, suddenly relaxing his face and looking towards the rain and catching Eddie off guard, making him go quiet. “You know what? Come with me.” Eddie raises an eyebrow. “I- uh- okie dokie then.” Eddie stands. Frank sets their towels on the table and walks towards the door. “Come on outside. The rain will probably get it out, and standing outside in the rain is actually quite nice if you’re being safe! Besides, we’re already quite… wet.”

Frank opens the door and puts out his hand towards Eddie, who hesitantly takes it. Frank holds Eddie’s hand as they both walk out into the pouring rain. Frank is the first to walk out, and he smiles at Eddie before taking Eddie’s hand and pulling him out into the raindrops, into the storm. Eddie looks up, holding his arm above his eyes so that he can see, but he is greeted with a threatening view, clouds darker than the midnight sky.

“Didn’t you say I’ll catch a cold, Mr-“ Eddie is cut off by Frank’s sudden snickering. Eddie’s face warms, listening to Frank’s laughter. “I did, didn’t I? But didn’t I also say to go wash your hair?” Eddie smirks. “You did, you did.” Frank’s snickering lit up the otherwise darkened environment. Eddie starts to laugh, which causes them both to burst into loud, pure laughter in the rain, drowned out only by the sound of the thunder, the wind, and the loud pattering of the rain hitting concrete. Eddie’s hair falls, as all of the glue falls out, landing on the ground below and into the sewer drain. Both stand in the rain, giggling like children as they stand there. Eddie runs his fingers through his hair, and he can tell everything is out. He looks at Frank, who is staring at the yard, water flooding everywhere. “Let’s head back inside, we don’t want to get sick, do we?” Frank laughs, and looks directly into Eddie’s eyes.

“Sure.”

That small word, clear against the noise, made Eddie smile as he took Frank’s hand in his, locking their fingers together. Eddie stands there for a moment, as if frozen, with fear and anticipation. Frank feels his face warming up as he looks at Eddie’s hand in his. This moment, as if everything froze, was something brand new for the both of them. Frank smiles, tightens his grip softly and walks towards the door into the house. The two walk inside, water dripping from their clothes and their hair. Eddie grabs his towel and attempts to dry it off. Frank just stares, surprised by how long he had been oblivious to Eddie’s feelings.

Realizing both of their clothes are now completely soaked, Frank quickly dries his hair, and walks off towards the attic door. “I should have SOMETHING for you to wear, you can’t have wet clothes on the ENTIRE day!” Eddie raises an eyebrow. Crashing, shuffling, and the sound of boxes moving arise from the attic. “I actually found something. It might be a tad loose but- it should work slightly until you are able to leave.” Frank emerges with a blue pair of pants, with polka dots, and a large red sweater. “Julie took Barnaby shopping a little while back and gave me what he did not want. I suppose it was useful.” Eddie smiles and thanks Frank for the clothing. He walks off and emerges dry and in the baggy clothing. “Turns out these pants are adjustable!”

Flustered, Frank gives him an awkward thumbs up. “You look… nice.”

Frank changes his clothing into something more.. well, casual. He emerges in a pair of loose black sweatpants, and a soft yellow t-shirt. He looks over and smiles at Eddie, who appears to be checking him out, his eyes going down, then up, then freezing at Frank’s face. Frank’s amused expression said everything; he got caught red-handed and red-faced, too.

Frank walks closer to Eddie, a light smile making his face home. “Are you okay Mr. Dear? You appear quite shook.”

Eddie nervously meets Frank’s eyes, which show kindness, empathy, but most of all, no matter how much Frank attempts to hide it, his eyes show pure amusement. Eddie smiles and says, “Yes Frank- I mean- Mr. Frankly, yes I am alright. Are you alright? Is it hot in here or is that just me?”

Frank chuckles, as it is a very common mishap between them to accidentally address each other as their first names, and Eddie’s rambling was quite cute.

“I am fine, but you should know something.” Frank smiles, and Eddie raises his eyebrow in curiosity. “You can address me as Frank, you know. I don’t mind it. I consider us close enough for that.”

Eddie blushes at this. Close enough? Did he mean as friends or as something more… serious? Eddie hesitates and repeatedly opens his mouth before shutting it, as he can’t figure out how to respond. Frank’s head starts to spin after around 2 minutes, which causes him to try and stop it, only to fail, which then causes his head to spin even faster. Eddie’s eyes widen. “Oh goodness, Mr- I mean- Frank- I- here let me..” Eddie moves closer and cups Frank’s head in his hands, then slowly rotates it so that his head is back in place, his cheeks in Eddie’s palms.

Eddie blushes and lets Frank’s head go, and turns to look at the floor. Frank pauses for a moment, processing the incident.

Frank takes a deep breath and sits down on the couch, patting the spot next to him, silently inviting Eddie to join him, and the mailman accepted the invitation.

Frank’s face falls slightly, his brow furrowing a tad as his mouth falls into a gentle line.

“Eddie… we need to discuss something.” Eddie’s heart drops. He freezes before breathing in and sitting up a tad straighter.

Frank stands up, walks into the kitchen, opens a drawer, grabs the “aMAILable” card from the drawer and walks back into the living room, where he sits next to Eddie. “This… did you mean it?” Eddie, confused, looks at the card, then back at Frank, then at the card. Eddie sighs in defeat, shame, and humiliation, believing he messed up. “Yes. I did.”

Frank blushes, his smile returning, but much softer, wider.

“I was hoping you would say that.”

Eddie looks at Frank in shock. Frank smiles. “Honestly… I feel the same way about you…. I simply had not realized it yet.” Eddie blushes, emotions coursing through his body. Surprise, joy, everything good and perfect. Yet his face remains… blank. A frozen mask, seeming like he’s stuck in confusion. Frank begins to get nervous. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Frank says. Frank’s expression is amusement… only a little bit of his anxiety shining through. Eddie shakes his head side to side, no. Frank takes a deep breath. “Here, close your eyes.” Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Just do it, trust me.” Eddie shrugs and closes his eyes. Frank stands, walks into his office, plants covering every surface inside, and a small snip can be heard. Footsteps grow closer and Frank emerges with a rose. Frank sits next to Eddie once again and holds out the rose.

“Open your eyes.”

Eddie opens his eyes, greeted by the vivid, blood red rose in one of Frank’s hands, its petals loosely lying in a group, sharp thorns along its sides, its leaves turned downwards at the edges.

Eddie takes the rose with an expression of bewilderment on his face, and looks at Frank’s nervous expression. Eddie smiles and takes a deep breath. He sets the rose down on his armrest and hugs Frank tightly. Frank, shocked but not against the sudden contact, gently hugs him back. As they pull away, Eddie glances down and hovers his hands above Frank’s waist, a silent check for permission. Frank nods, his smile growing at the mailman’s politeness.

Eddie smiles gently, resting his hands on Frank’s waist loosely, holding the world in his arms. They gently press their foreheads together, and just sat. The only noise was the rain outside of the windows. This moment was.. perfect. Of course it was, they finally had the courage to admit that they had feelings for each other. Or at least, they had the courage to greatly imply it. Frank looks into Eddie’s eyes, Eddie looks into Frank’s. Frank takes a small breath, and moves his head back slightly. Eddie, confused, says, “Is everything okay?” Frank nods yes. Frank sighs before looking at Eddie, his smile growing just a tad.

Frank softly mumbles something that Eddie can’t quite hear. “Hm? What did you say?” Frank sighs before saying, slightly louder,

“You are so pretty.”

Eddie blushes, caught off guard. Frank looks at Eddie’s chest, embarrassed and regretting everything that ever came out of his mouth. Eddie notices this and smiles. He rotates Frank’s head upward.

“You’re pretty too.”

Chapter 5: Bug.

Eddie places his hand back onto Frank’s waist and pulls him closer, hugging him softly. Frank blushes, and holds Eddie close in his arms. They both pull away and look at each other with adoration, with trust, with love. Frank smirks, and just stares at Eddie. Frank smiles, looks over at the drawer he keeps the cards in, and looks back at Eddie. “You know, you are great with puns.” Eddie smiles. “I wanted to make them meaningful to you.” Frank grins. Eddie looks at Frank, and takes a deep breath before pulling Frank slightly closer. They place their foreheads together and just stay that way. All of a sudden, Frank’s head starts to rotate slowly as he becomes gradually more nervous. However, this has a domino effect that leads to him becoming more nervous and his head spinning faster, which makes Eddie start laughing. Eddie lets Frank go as Frank’s head gradually spins faster. Frank’s head starts making a whirring noise because of how fast it is spinning, which only makes Eddie start cackling. They are on opposite ends of the couch now, Eddie hanging onto the armrest laughing, and Frank attempting to stop his head from spinning. Eddie laughing starts making Frank more at ease, which allows his head to slow down more and more until his head is still. Eddie is still laughing at the sheer silliness of the situation. Frank snickers slightly before shaking his head in a “Oh you~” sort of way. “I-“ Eddie wheezes in between his words, trying to keep his composure. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you!” Eddie covers his mouth in an attempt to stop laughing. Frank smiles and laughs silently. “It’s okay, Eddie. Your laugh is nice, you know. I hope I hear it more often.” Frank says this as if it was casual small talk, smiling comfortably at Eddie’s blushing face. “I- Well- Thank you, Frank, I-“ Eddie stutters for a good moment trying to figure out how to thank Frank for the compliment. Frank chuckles and moves closer to Eddie, softly grabbing his hand. This calmed Eddie down enough to stop stuttering. “Thank you, Frank. I like your laugh too.”

Frank smiles, and looks out the window to see the rain slowly becoming less violent. “Oh, the rain is passing by.” Eddie looks out of the window and sees the clouds becoming a lighter shade of gray. “Oh wow… is it just me, or does the grass seem greener after rain?” Frank smiles softly, admiring Eddie in the light of the sun, peeking through the clouds. “I suppose. Ooo!!! Eddie come see!” Frank stands excitedly and runs towards the door. Eddie raises his eyebrow and follows Frank, only to see him crouched in his garden holding something in his hands. Eddie walks over and immediately yelps at the sight of the beetle in Frank’s hands. “Maladera castanea.” Frank says, standing and holding the beetle as if it was the most precious thing in the world. “These beetles often only come out at night… I wonder why it’s here in the middle of the afternoon.” Frank says, curiosity very obvious in his voice. His expression changes to one of realization as he stares at it longer, and he appears to become saddened by something. “Hey, hey what’s wrong?” Eddie slowly approaches Frank, still scared by the bug. Frank sighs, crouches down, and places the beetle onto a small leaf in his garden. “It must have gotten caught in the storm or something.” Frank says sadly. “It’s sad really; I never even noticed that it was there. I could have researched it alive.” Eddie places his hand onto Frank’s back. “It’s okay, the lil’ guy had a big ol’ life!” Frank smiles and stands up.

Holding Eddie’s hand in his own, Frank softly speaks up.

“Maybe you’re right, Eddie. Maybe you are right.”

[friendlyrandomperson]

Frankly, you need someone.

Frank’s head was both literally and figuratively spinning.

The day had been far too much.

Eddie had left early, leaving a note in the shape of a little origami butterfly on the kitchen counter saying Sally ordered something extra large and he had to get that to her faster than he usually did, meaning he started his route far earlier than usual, and is going to be back much later. This was not highly unusual, he did occasionally have to leave earlier for more important than usual deliveries.

Then Julie knocked, dragging him into her game of How Fast Can The Neighbors Chase Julie Until They Fall, which is as chaotic and unpredictable as it sounds. Eddie and Sally were excluded of course, as they were setting up everything and Sally refused to let him leave until they were done. Frank had done fairly well, only because Barnaby was right behind him and sprinting on all fours at a speed that should not be physically possible for that dog.

Of course, this success did not last long, as Barnaby caught up to him and barreled forwards into the back of Frank’s legs, causing the thin man to go airborne before landing flat on his back, slamming against the concrete with a thud.

After his insistence towards Poppy that he was fine to leave finally succeeded, Frank decided to go home and wind down, switching into his gardening attire and walking outside, finally having calmed down from the game.

Until he saw it.

Usually, he adored bugs, any kind were welcome in his home.

At the moment, this was not an appreciated visit, as every leaf in his garden was munched through, left to wither away while the culprit caterpillar was off sabotaging some other garden. Frank groaned, lifting his left hand to run it down his face as his right hand gripped the dandelion yellow watering can so tightly that his knuckles ached almost as badly as his back and head. Nevertheless, he balled his free hand into a fist as he dropped it to his side, walking over to the garden and getting to work, attempting to restore whatever was salvageable of his vegetables.

Two hours later, Frank’s stomach made a sound that could only be described as thunderous, so he stood up and placed everything where the items were supposed to stay, showering off, getting shampoo in his eyes, then slipping on the hardwood floors and causing his lower back to snap and reverse all of the effects of the lounging around the entomologist had done. After straightening himself out, he changed his attire into something a bit more casual, going into the kitchen to make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Only to realize that the peanut butter was on its last leg, so the sandwich was mainly jelly with the thinnest layer of peanut butter ever spread across bread smushed together in a miserable, squishy, cold, fruity sandwich that Frank only ate because his stomach began to hurt from not eating anything that day.

Frank just nibbled on the sandwich for a very long time, hours passing like minutes as the sandwich became mushier, but since Frank had zero energy and a whole lot of pain, the food was decent fuel until he could hold it in and cook dinner when Eddie got home.

“Eddie must have had such a long day helping Sally, it’s the least I could do for him.” He thinks, the thought echoing in his head for a moment as he took the last bite of his sandwich, picking up the plate and standing up from his chair.

”WOA—“

*THUD*

*SHATTER*

Frank lays on the hard, cold floor as his head stings slightly from the impact.

Slowly, he moves his arms into a pushup position and lifts his left knee, propping himself up and sitting on his knees, his hands resting on them limply as his eyes fall upon the various pieces of what was once a plate that were scattered across the kitchen’s hardwood. He leans forward, slowly picking up the pieces by hand, placing them in his left palm until all of them were cleaned up and no longer a danger to anybody’s feet. He lifted himself off of the floor and dragged himself to the cabinet that held the trashcan, pulling it open with his right hand and shifting his left hand to allow the broken shards of plate fall into the trash bag, being careful to not cut his hand. He shuts the cabinet with a soft thud.

He turns around and takes one step before once again slipping over his own foot and landing on his rear, pushing Frank over the edge.

His throat became tighter, not in the way it did if he ties his bowtie too tightly, no, as if something was lodged in it in such a way where he could breathe, yes, but it was very uncomfortable.

His eyes began to sting, and he pressed his eyes shut, hoping maybe that would help, only making it worse but he could not keep his eyes open.

His head began to spin, slowly at first, but as the tightness in his throat and chest rose and his eyes grew sore, dizziness added to the ever-growing list of issues.

He felt his cheeks grow warm as tears flowed, and this made his head speed up, having his tears shoot out in all directions as he kept his arms wrapped around himself and his legs pulled close to his chest as he struggled to breathe, his hearing filled with sniffles and choked sobs, the wind rushing through his ears as his head spun like a top.

——————

*Click*

”Frank, darlin’, I’m home!”

The thin man was nowhere to be found, and the redhead raised an eyebrow at the oddness.

Eddie removes his hat and shoes and walks further into the house, a sniffle and quiet sobs catching his attention immediately. He ran to the kitchen and opened the door, startled to find his spouse curled up and sobbing, his head spinning so fast he could not see his face.

”FRANK!”

Eddie clamored over to Frank, kneeling down in front of him and sitting on his knees, propped up on his heels as his hands shot out, catching Frank’s head and stopping the low whirring noise that it was causing. Frank lifted his hands to try and block Eddie from seeing anything despite the fact that his head was backwards, so Eddie rotated it and had his view blocked by Frank’s arms. He waited for Frank’s head to stop buzzing as violently before he gently took the smaller man’s hands in his own, holding them as if they were glass.

“Frank, sugar, what’s wrong?”

”I-It’s nothing-“

”Darlin’ you’re cryin’ a river in here!”

The bowtied man could not even fight that, it was true.

He heard a gentle sigh before his hands were released, replaced with two firm grips on his quivering shoulders.

”Come ‘ere, sweetiepie.”

Eddie gently pulled him closer, pressing the black-haired man’s now stable head to his chest with his left hand and resting his right hand on the middle of his back.

“We don’t gotta talk ‘bout it if it makes ya sad.”

He felt Eddie pull him closer.

The soft rhythm of Eddie’s heart helped stabilize his breathing.

1-2, 1-2. 1-2, 1-2.

Eddie’s breathing calmed him down enough to stop the sobs.

In… and out… in… and out…

”Better now, Sunshine?”

Frank nods, tightening his grip on Eddie’s shirt just slightly.

He felt Eddie’s chest go up and down as the mailman chuckled.

Eddie shifted himself to sit on the floor, legs apart, and pulled Frank closer, having the thinner man sitting on his left thigh with his legs across his lap, his head against his heart and his right hand on his left hip, his left hand in his soft, not styled hair.

“It’s alright, Butterfly. I’m right here, alright?”

Frank smiled softly, his eyes finally not burning, enough for him to let his eyes flutter open just a little bit.

He took in his surroundings, and by surroundings, he took in Eddie.

His soft smell of wood, sweat, and glue, plus a little bit of paint. Sally must have had him crafting.

The warmth of his body and the gentleness of his touch, his hands firm yet so gentle against his skin, holding Frank as if he was the most valuable thing in the world.

His soft breathing, a steady rhythm as his chest rose and fell, complimenting the soft thumps of his heart.

”How ‘bout this? I’m gonna go get washed up, make us somethin’ to eat, then we’ll spend some time together, sound good?”

Frank furrowed his brow slightly.

”You don’t have to, dear, I can cook while you relax. You’ve had a rough day.”

Eddie chuckled slightly, moving his right hand from Frank’s hip to his cheek, causing Frank to glance up in confusion.

Eddie looked at him with the softest expression, before he leaned up slightly and pressed his lips to his forehead, holding them there before leaning back and rubbing Frank’s cheek with his thumb.

“I didn’t do much but help Sally set up that new stereo system and decorate it. Everyone tol’ me ‘bout what Barn did, he even told me to tell ya sorry on his behalf. You’ve done bunches, and you don’t need to do nothin’ more, alright sugar?”

Frank stared at him dumbstruck before he felt tears of gratitude pool in his eyes. Frank wraps his arms around Eddie’s shoulders, sticking his head in the crook of his neck with a gentle smile.

”What did I ever do to deserve you?”

——————

A while later, Frank found himself tangled up on top of Eddie with the lights off, a couple of lavender candles lit, and a yellow blanket wrapped around them both as a movie played in the background.

Frank’s arms were wrapped around Eddie’s shoulders, his head in the mailman’s neck as his legs laid loosely, his left one in between Eddie’s legs and his right one on top of Eddie’s left.

Eddie’s legs were below Frank’s, His left hand rested on his head, his right rested on his waist, just like in the kitchen, only this time, nobody is crying.

Eddie stopped paying attention to the movie around the halfway mark, choosing to glance at and admire Frank instead.

The way his eyes were hooded over because he was relaxed.

The way his cheek looked squished as it was pressed against Eddie’s chest.

The way his eyebrow would give away his thoughts even if his face remained blank.

The way his grip on Eddie’s shoulders tightened just a little bit during emotional scenes before loosening.

The way his body shook when he laughed at scenes he found amusing or ridiculous.

Eddie loved him so much.

The movie ended with a happy ending of course; the couple live happily ever after, and the movies closes with a passionate true love’s kiss.

Eddie smirked before tapping Frank on the back of his head three times.

Frank glanced up and saw his partner’s smirk. Oh, what is he planning now?

Frank shifted his arms to prop himself up, his hands resting on Eddie’s shoulders as his elbows rested on Eddie’s chest.

”Yes, Dear?”

Eddie moved his hand from Frank’s hair to his cheek, leaning in and pressing his forehead to Frank’s

”Have I evah told you how beautiful you are?”

Frank’s cheeks burn, as he bashfully looks away with a flustered grin, playfully swatting Eddie’s left arm with his left hand.

Eddie laughs, tossing his head back before he takes his left hand and pulls Frank’s left hand towards himself.

*kiss*

Eddie kisses Frank’s knuckles, one by one as the other man covered his face with his right hand.

Eddie kisses the back of his hand, pulling back and gently tugging him forward as he lets go of the man’s hand, instead cupping Frank’s face with both hands.

*Kiss* Right cheek

*Kiss* Left cheek

*Kiss* Forehead

*Kiss* Nose

*Kiss* Top of nose

Frank was giggling at this point, blushing a beautiful shade of red more and more as Eddie continued to pepper kisses all over Frank’s face, taking in every flustered giggle and squeal from the usually very stern and put together man.

Eddie finally stopped with his barrage of kisses when he felt Frank’s hands press on top of his own.

”Come here.”

Frank leaned in, pressing his lips against Eddie’s gently, a sweet gesture that made Eddie’s head fog up. The redhead melts into the kiss, both of them taking in every detail. The way Frank’s lips still tasted a little like mint from brushing his teeth earlier, the way they were relaxed and trusting.

The way Eddie’s lips tasted slightly bitter with a hint of sugar from his coffee that he drank to stay up with Frank, the way the corners of his mouth still turned up when they kissed.

The two pulled away, resting their foreheads together, Eddie wrapping his arms around Frank’s waist and Frank wrapping his arms around Eddie’s shoulders in a tender, loving embrace.

The day was far too much, but with Eddie, it was no battle Frank could not conquer.

[friendlyrandomperson]

Just posted a 2,000 word fanfiction about Frank and Eddie’s first kiss.

I regret nothing.

[friendlyrandomperson]

Okay hear me out on this one because it’s goofy but I can totally see it

Whenever Eddie or Frank tries to get out of something, the other one grabs their collar or their tie to hold them back

And the one who is now restrained is just standing there in pure defeat.

I’m going to draw this later but for now just imagine.

[thecluelessdoctor]

welcome home swap AU designs

Julie :D Julie was the first sketch I made of the designs lmao. Low-key, at first I just made the AU to swap Julie and Frank and then it turned into a actual idea. But yeah, Frank and Julie are swapped.

I'm normal about him sjdbhdbdhd

Howdy and Wally are sealed ehehheeh.

I love shopkeeper Wally way to much he looks so sjbdhdvd

caterpillar

Centaspiderrr

Idk lmao. I realized I forgot a detail and now I wanna flip over a table.

But ye :D I'm working on the other designs rn.

Poppy and Barnaby are swapped

And Eddie and Sally are swapped :D

I want this AU to focus on Wally still tho, so basically, instead of his livinf building being named Home, it's named Shop :D

I'm still working out story and lore, work with me here lmao.

Reblog > likes/notes

Please reblog :D

[thecluelessdoctor]

Finally made Swap Sally and Eddie's designs

If you couldn't tell, I was running out of ideas for Eddie lmao

Anyway Y SHE SO CUTE??

Star bbg sjbdhshd

[thecluelessdoctor]

Please I am completely normal

*ships Howdydarling, barnapillar, flutterletters, Wally x Julie, Julie x Sally, Howdy x Frank x Eddie*

FANDOM STOP MAKING ME SHIP ALL THESE SHIPS IVE NEVER SHIPPED SO MANY SHIPS IN MY LIFE-

[thecluelessdoctor]

HES TAKING UP MY BRAIN.

SCREW MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS, THIS MAN IS TAKING MY MIND NOW.

welcome home swap AU designs

Julie :D Julie was the first sketch I made of the designs lmao. Low-key, at first I just made the AU to swap Julie and Frank and then it turned into a actual idea. But yeah, Frank and Julie are swapped.

I'm normal about him sjdbhdbdhd

Howdy and Wally are sealed ehehheeh.

I love shopkeeper Wally way to much he looks so sjbdhdvd

caterpillar

Centaspiderrr

Idk lmao. I realized I forgot a detail and now I wanna flip over a table.

But ye :D I'm working on the other designs rn.

Poppy and Barnaby are swapped

And Eddie and Sally are swapped :D

I want this AU to focus on Wally still tho, so basically, instead of his livinf building being named Home, it's named Shop :D

I'm still working out story and lore, work with me here lmao.