▲▽Your P.O.V.▼△
★Modern AU★
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
"Hey," a voice called from the kitchen as I sat in the living room, an arm wrapped around my waist. I was laying on top of John as he watched some show on TV while I wanted to catch up on some needed sleep.
"What is it, Herc?" John called for me, rubbing my back with his free hand.
"We're out of flour," the Frenchman called for Hercules. Both were in the kitchen, trying to cook whatever they wanted.
"I can go buy some," I murmur to John, opening my eyes to look at his beautiful hazel ones.
"No need. I can go. You can rest," John insisted, looking back at my (e/c) ones.
"No, it's okay," I slowly got myself off of John who looked at me worryingly. "I can just go get it."
"Are you sure?" Hercules walked over to me, wearing an apron that said Kiss the Cook.
I kissed Hercules' cheek quickly and replied, "Yes. Just tell me exactly what is needed and I can go get it."
Lafayette walked over in an apron that was just a light pink color, a paper with the list of what we need in his hands. He handed it to me and kissed my forehead gently.
"Okay, then I'll be back," I grabbed my headphones from the coffee table and the keys and wallet from the counter. I grabbed a warm jacket and left, closing the door behind me. I got to my blue Honda Civic and got in, ready to go to the store.
I ended up at Price Chopper, grabbing my wallet, keys, and the paper on my way out of the car. When I walked into the store, it was nicer than the temperature outside. I grabbed myself a cart and went through the isles. I kept my headphones in and listened to (favorite music) as I grabbed what I needed. I kept my head low as I noticed a fluffy haired, dark brown eyed man with his best friend who had brown eyes and was a bit shorter than him.
"(Y/n)!" James cheered out, rushing over to where I was, looking at the packaged cookies John wanted.
"Oh, hey, guy," I wave to them slightly and look at them with my slightly dulled (e/c) eyes.
"What are you doing?" Thomas looked at me with a sly smile.
"Just, uh, shopping," I tell the man as I finally chose what John wanted, placing it in the cart. "Wanting to go back to bed."
Thomas laughed loudly, James forced a laugh, looking worried at me. "How has everything been treating you?" James asked in a hushed tone, much quieter than Thomas ever is.
"Okay," I replied, looking at my friend who looked at me suspiciously, like I was hiding something from him. "I should get going. I have to get flour for Lafayette to finish making food."
"Oh, okay," James said as he smiled at me, acting as if I wasn't acting strange. "I'll text you later, okay?"
"Yup," I told him and quickly left the isle, heading to the flour and grabbing a bag of it quickly. I looked at the list and saw I grabbed everything. I grabbed myself a (favorite drink) on the way to the register and put it with the rest of my groceries.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"I'm home," I call softly, carrying quite a few bags before placing them on the kitchen counter with my keys and my wallet. I took off my coat and noticed I didn't hear a reply from anyone. I sighed and placed my coat on the coat rack, heading back to the kitchen to put things away.
When I was almost done, Alexander walked out with a bright smile. "Oh, hey, (Y/n)!"
"Alex, I thought you were at work," I turned to him after a placed the cookies on a high shelf, where John could reach with a lot of difficulty. I had to use a step stool, of course. I'd just have to move it back to the bathroom, where it usually is hiding from John.
Alex sighed and leaned on the island counter, looking at the ground in thought. "I came home while you were gone. Jefferson was being a complete asshole today," Alex complained, crossing his arms like a child. "He kept saying how my plan for helping other people get money was stupid."
I looked at him, unsure what to say. "Really?"
"Yeah! He was just being a little shit, even if he's taller than me," he murmured the last part in frustration. I would've laughed, but my mood was just bummed out.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," I tell him and put the flour away, since it seemed as though Hercules and Lafayette gave up trying to cook.
Alex's arms slithered around my waist and pulled me to his chest. I didn't move, just let him do it. "Are you okay?"
I turned in his arms and faced him, holding the carton of milk I grabbed from the counter. "Can you put this away?"
Alex took it from my hands and let me go, putting the milk in the fridge and looking back at me as I collected all the grocery bags. "You avoided the question."
"Yeah, I'm all good," I tell him as I throw the bags away in the garbage can. We had enough bags, anyway.
Alex gave me a look I couldn't read before Hercules came from the hallway where the bedrooms are, followed by Lafayette and John. "Hey! I didn't know you were home," Hercules said, letting John run over and hug me.
"Did you get the cookies?" John asked excitedly.
I pointed to the cabinet and I noticed the step stool was still there. John used it and grabbed his cookies, smiling as he ate them. I looked at Alexander as he whispered something to Lafayette. "Hey, Laf, let's finish those cookies, yeah?" Hercules called out, smiling.
"Uh, oui, let's do that," Lafayette replied, looking at me as I walked towards the couch, flopping down in a tired manor. I grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and lazily pulled it over my body. I sighed as I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of the blanket take my coldness away.
"(Y/n)?"
"Hm?" I hum in reply to Alex.
"Can I sit down?" I raise my feet in reply, letting him sit at the edge of the couch. I lazily put my feet on his legs after he sat down. He gently took one into his hands and massaged it gently. I relax into the couch. "Are you alright?"
"Mhm," I hum tiredly.
"Are you sure? You seem-," he paused, looking for a word. "-distant."
"'M okay," I murmur, trying to get him off my case. Physically, I felt tired and drawn to wanting sleep. Mentally, my mind is going miles a minute.
The only sound heard in the house was coming from the kitchen. The two men cooked, John probably watching in fascination (like he usually did). I let my breathing slow and I felt relaxed. I could finally catch up on that much needed sleep.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A few weeks went by and I had to start taking pills every night. They were assigned by my doctor after Alexander made me go to the doctors for a checkup. He pretty much helped me figure out I had depression, or something like that. I just never was happy anymore. Alex always commented on how my smile never reached my ears anymore and my laugh never seemed genuine or happy.
The second week with these pills got easier than the first week. My emotions finally weren't caused by hormones. I felt genuine with these emotions, especially my happiness. The boys tried to spoil me: giving me massages, letting me type my story I was working on in silence, letting me sleep in on weekends when we all know I'm the second best cook in the house (after Lafayette).
This was the third week with these pills and it was almost summer. May was slowly ending and June was just beginning and I was ready for those beach days and those happy, fun days where it's just me and my boys.
I woke up on Saturday, the last day of May, with a bit of a start. I woke up from a nightmare I couldn't seem to remember. All I remembered was black at the end and some gun shooting at someone when someone counted to seven. I blinked a few times, letting my mind catch up to where I sat, looking at Hercules sleep next to me. He found a spider in his room last night and I couldn't find it when he grabbed me to kill it.
I slowly sighed and crawled out of bed, but was caught by Hercules' arm wrapping around my waist and him pulling me to his chest. The boys made a small deal that if I took these pills, they'd let me sleep alone unless absolutely necessary during summer and spring. I always got really hot between the four men surrounding me.
I turned around to face the male who held me lovingly, his grip loosening so I can get comfortable. I smiled and kissed his nose gently, letting him pull me against his chest. I let my head rest on his chest in comfort.
"Mm, baby," his voice was soft and sweet, yet raspy and deep. "Good morning."
"Morning, Herc," I mumble, not moving from where I was huddled into. A deep, quiet chuckle emitted from his mouth and his chest seemed to vibrate with it. "You know I'm not moving."
"I know," Herc's fingers found my (h/c) hair, brushing through it carefully. He tried to not hit any knots as he did, kissing the top of my head and apologizing when he did.
"Hercules!" Someone called from the hallway and I stayed put. When someone entered my room, I heard a frustrated groan. "That's no fair! You said no cuddles unless necessary!" John complained.
"There was a spider in my room and I got scared," Herc defended, his fingers not stopping as I tried to fall back asleep. "Plus she's cold."
"Well she could've got me," John ended up jumping on my bed on the other side of me. His arms wrapped around me and Hercules' arms around both of us. I still stayed put, letting the two men steal my cold away and replacing it with warmth. "Are you feeling better?" John asked sweetly.
"Mhm," I hum, not wanting to say words as I breathed in Hercules' scent. Pine trees, a bit of honey and his cologne that stuck to his tank top. I turned around and faced John, breathing in his scent. Campfire, cheap cologne (that still smelled amazing), and just a bit of deodorant. I smiled.
"Lafayette is making breakfast," John told the two of us.
"Okay," Herc replies and leaves me alone in the bed with John. Soon John got up and I groaned in complaint. "Come on," strong arms were wrapped under my knees and on my back, lifting me into the air and placed against a chest. I rested my head on his shoulder, too tired to care. I shivered a bit and John ran off to Lafayette's bedroom, since that was the closest.
"Good morning!" Alex cheered. Something was placed on top of me and I smelled Lafayette. A bit of new house smell, the scent of Febreze, a bit of flower scented something. Maybe shampoo, maybe body wash, or maybe the real deal. I opened my eyes to see it was a sweater that was Lafayette's. Herc put my on the ground and I drowned in Laf's sweater as I put it on. It went down to about mid-thigh.
"You look cute," a gentle kiss to the cheek made me realize it was Laf who said that. I blushed and smiled at the cook who already set the table of our breakfast. Bacon, French toast, crepes (my personal favorite).
"This looks amazing!" Alex called out as he chose his seat at the table. I sat down at the head of the table, stretching a bit to get myself to relax.
"It does look amazing," Herc comments after placing (favorite drink) in front of me and other drinks to the boys, including himself.
"Of course, I cooked it!" Lafayette laughed as all the boys found their seats.
Herc took my plate and piled it with food, smiling innocently as he placed it in front of me. "Hercules, you know how I am with this," I playfully glare at him. "I go to the gym every Saturday and Sunday for a reason."
"Not today!" Alex called from his spot at the table. "Today is all about you and us, no one else. We're staying in and watching a shit ton of movies."
I heard a groan echo throughout the room. "We are not watching the Little Mermaid again, Alexander," John sighed.
"You don't understand art!" Alex defended, crossing his arms like a child.
The two bickered back and forth as I ate my food, watching as Laf was too shy to break up the fight and Herc trying to intervene. I watched them bicker and I ate the bacon in entertainment. I felt something in the back of my mind but I chose to ignore it for now.
"Hey, let's chill out," Hercules told the two men who crossed their arms like children.
"How about we finish this food and then head to the living room to find the perfect movie?" I suggest. "I can make the homemade popcorn you all love so much."
"I haven't had any in so long!" John called out.
"That's because (Y/n) hasn't made it in months," Alex smiled at me, taking my hand gently and kissing my knuckles. The table got silent as I looked at Alex, then down to my plate. I was being shy about what he was talking about.
We finished our food with small talk, I took the dishes to the dish washer and cleaned everything up. Lafayette's hands found my waist after he put leftovers in the fridge. He leaned against my back as I rinsed some of the dirty dishes off to place in the washer. "Hey," Lafayette purred quietly.
"Hey," I reply with a soft tone. I carefully placed a fork in the washer and closed the door gently, drying my hands with a dish towel.
"Are you feeling better?" Laf asked as I turned to face him, my back against the counter.
"I'm still trying," I told him honestly. "It's just taking a little longer than what's normal for other people."
Lafayette kisses my forehead, his loving touch never leaving my waist. "Take all the time in the world. We have a long time and we can focus on your happiness."
"We don't have to," I mumbled, looking at him with wide, (e/c) eyes.
"We all want you to be happy," a voice came from beside Lafayette. Alex stood there with a smile on his face. "Let's get that popcorn, hm?"
"How are you even hungry? We just ate," Lafayette pointed out to Alex who laughed aloud. I rolled my eyes and made the popcorn.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"Hold on, I'm going to make us more popcorn," I called from the kitchen entrance. Alex paused Moana for me. I hummed Moana's song softly as I made popcorn, dancing around the kitchen as I got stuff out of cabinets and the fridge then put it back. I heard the talking in the living room became quiet.
I heard a small sniff and a whisper from Lafayette, "She's singing again."
I looked from the kitchen to the living room to see Lafayette was in tears as Alex was trying to wipe them away, kissing Lafayette's cheeks to calm the tears down. Hercules found my eyes and smiled to me. I smiled back and then went back to the popcorn. I brought it back to the living room and kissed Lafayette sweetly. "I knew you would get better," Lafayette murmured to me and kissed me one last time before stealing the popcorn from me, pressing play for the movie.
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
Word Count: 2732
Published: 4-4-18