Maybe (Enorace)

My will to live

The mice were ready. Lined up in perfectly orderly rows, like soldiers in a war march, waiting to offer their services to me, their resurrector. All I had to do was hit go. Demanding them clearly and openly, they marched into the inn like zombies, and proceeded to terrify the villagers out of their wits. I watched, at peace with the dead rather than deal with the living, whilst I attempted to sort out my thoughts. So, there was a word for what I was, huh? A new, fancy, modern word. Bi. I suppose...it was a little weird. Okay, a lot weird. But I've kind of unconsciously known for a while that...maybe I have a thing for guys and girls? I guess? Anyway, it was the least of my problems now. I mean...did I like Horace? I thought about it as I watched a particularly ferocious mouse tear a fat man's fingernails off. I thought about the way the light hit his perfect face, the way his eyes lit up like the morning sunrise when he understood something, the way his skin was so soft and smooth, how his lips had felt on mine...I bit my lip. It was kind of undeniably obvious. But what should I, like, do? And wasn't he still broken up about Julian? He'd been having nightmares about his death for months, right? It wasn't like he could just forget him. But...he had kissed me.

"Over here! Guys! I've found him!" Came a voice from outside the inn. It sounded like Emma's.

"What's he doing in there?" Came another voice from further away, sounding like...like Horace's. My stomach flipped.

"Terrorising villagers with an army of undead mice, of course!" Emma replied. I grinned. I still sounded awesome when she put it like that. But then Horace came into view.

"Enoch, get out of there, you're making a scene and you know Miss Peregrine will have you for this," he said, sounding exasperated. I allowed myself to be pulled out of the inn, and they persuaded me to retract my mice-army. I have to admit, I was a little sad about that. It was some excitement, at least.

"I'll go tell the others you're ok," Emma said, and before I could call her back, she was gone. Leaving me alone with Horace behind the inn. With a pile of dead mice at my feet.

"Hello," he said nervously. By the bird, the way the sun bounced off...he began to speak again.

"About that night, I'm really sorry if I upset you or anything and just want to know..." Oh, sod it, I thought, and pulled his lips to mine, sinking into the deep realisation, the deep consolation of just him, his breath mingling with my own, his eyes, first displaying shock, gazing soulfully at my content face. I pushed him into the wall of the inn and he moaned. I just kept on kissing him. We both couldn't get enough. Of each other. Which I was trying not to be freaked out about, because...I liked this. And I was pretty sure, that no matter what he may have felt or still felt about Julian, he liked this too. He wanted this. This...weirdness. We stopped to breathe.

"Enoch?"

"Horace?"

"Um...so...er...I...I kind of..."

"Yeah, Horace. I like you too." He pulled my face down to his again.

"Over here!" It was Emma's voice again. I had no idea how much time had passed, but staring at Horace I realised they could not find us like this. His hair was dishevelled, his tie untied, and his suit in complete disorder.

"Oh, damn it," I cursed, as I attempted to fix myself and he attempted to correct his suit. He began groaning.

"What?" I asked. Maybe I genuinely cared about if he was ok. Maybe.

"I don't have a mirror! For my tie!" I stared at him. Seriously? Only Horace would be worried about looking smart right now. But I sighed, reached up to his neck and began to re-tie the dreaded tie.

"I could strangle you with this," I whispered.

"I don't think you would," he replied, equally quietly. The trust shining in his beautiful eyes nearly broke my heart. By the bird, what was happening to me? Why did I suddenly have...feelings? When I was done with his tie, I wrapped it around my hand and kissed him softly, one last time. He cleared his throat, and nodded to behind me, where Emma was standing, a grin breaking out across her face.