Living Armor Boyfriend: Epoch 2 (complete)

Female Main Character (cis) x Male Monster (nonbinary)

It’s a surprise to see the changes that Winifred and Lydia have gone through. I don’t know how long their journeys with Coeval and Morrow were, but I know there is something renewed in them. It’s the same with me. I feel a bit ashamed of my behavior. I didn’t realize I had been relying on anger and holding onto the past. I had been so ready to go to war, to take down my mother, that I became blinded. I was so angry and so hurt that I let it taint everything. I very nearly got my sisters mixed up in something that could have hurt them.

“You’ve made your apologies, Edith,” Epoch tells me. “There is no need to sulk now. You have a new mindset and a new plan of attack, so to speak.”

“I just feel so foolish,” I sigh. “I didn’t realize how ignorant I was being.”

“Few people do.” He walks beside me while my sisters and Epoch’s brothers take the lead. “And there is nothing wrong with being able to admit that now. Be grateful you have the opportunity to realize the folly of it.”

“Yeah, but now I’m scared,” I murmur. “What’s going to happen? What if my mother still is holding onto her anger?”

“You have us now.” Epoch takes my hand and holds it. “We will guard you sisters.”

“We are very well-versed in family drama!” Coeval announces brightly from the front. “After all, our mother is a lava basilisk.”

“Whoa, no way,” Lydia gasps.

Coeval looks around Winifred to talk to Lydia. “Yes, way! And our dad was just some hapless knight who got seduced. Nice guy, he just got confused easily.”

“Is that true?” I ask Epoch.

“Very much so,” Epoch sighs.

“I thought you were spirits. I didn’t realize you were half-basilisk and half-human.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Yes, we are spirits, but there’s more to the story, what with Father Klaus and the reindeer.” He scoffs. “Fucking reindeer.”

“Long story?”

“Very.” He stalls as we come up to the entrance of Holly’s keep. The large gates are shut, but the guards outside have already begun walking towards us.

I try to take the lead and approach them, but Winifred has already stepped ahead. “I am the eldest daughter of Holly Saint Nicolas,” she announces. “My sisters and I demand entrance to speak with our mother.”

The two knights look at one another. “Lady Holly is celebrating her birthday. We’ve been asked to not let anyone in without an invitation.”

Lydia laughs. “We fell out of her, that’s invitation enough!”

“No paper invitation, no entrance,” the knight insists.

I take hold of Epoch’s hand, then grab Lydia’s hand. “Come on, I’ll get us over.” I start to float, prompting Lydia to snatch Morrow’s hand, who then takes hold of Coeval, who then grabs Winifred’s hand. I’m usually only able to float things, but I’ve had a few instances where I’ve been able to almost fly, which was a power of Father Klaus. He used it to make him and his reindeer fly. I think my uncle, Nicolas, has the same ability.

Everyone begins to float, and the knights try to grab at us, but Coeval and Morrow both kick them in the heads and knock them over. “You can do this, Edith,” Epoch reassures me. His warm hand squeezes mine very hard. “Just focus. You can fly.”

I take a deep breath and hold it in my chest, so it feels like a ball floating there. We all rise, going higher and higher until we reach the walls of the keep. I float us over, then slowly ease us down into the courtyard.

“That was amazing!” Lydia chimes as she pulls me into a hug. “I’ve never seen you do that before!”

I hug her back. “I think my mind’s a bit clearer now. I could actually focus on it rather than just wishing for it to work.”

Winifred looks up towards the keep, where music and light are pouring from the windows. “There’s a lot of people here,” she murmurs.

“Most fights do happen at family gatherings,” Coeval chuckles.

Lydia snickers as she looks up at Morrow. “Yeah, right. Like I would start throwing punches over that! You’re silly.”

The main doors open, and someone starts to come down the stairs towards us. Winifred approaches me and grabs me by the arm. “We are talking to Mom, and that’s it. You’re hurt, she’s hurt, this could lead to a fight, and that could lead to a lot of trouble. I know you want to help your father, but you need to know her side of things.”

I sigh heavily. “I know, Winnie. I know.”

Winifred’s sharp gaze softens. “Then maybe if you apologize, it’ll open the chance for us to visit home again.” She glances over towards Lydia watching us with a wide gaze. “She deserves to know her.”

“You’re right. I’m going to try and be cordial.”

I look up as someone approaches us. “Do you have your invitations?” the man asks.

“Run!” Lydia busts into a sprint, with Morrow right behind her as she barrels inside like a wild reindeer. Epoch grabs me around the waist, and I float us over the oncoming staff before lifting us up and through a window.

“Your sister is surprising,” Epoch laughs.

I giggle, and the sound turns into a belly laugh. “This is going to cause so much chaos,” I snort. My arms around Epoch have tightened, and I haven’t even noticed.

“Intruders in the party!” someone shouts.

Epoch stands in front of me, acting like decor as people begin to search the crowd. “You’re going to stand out dressed like that.”

“I know where mom’s wardrobe is,” I whisper. “I can get clothes for us. Follow me.” I sneak around with him, using him as a shield as we go deeper into the keep. I finally come to my mother’s wardrobe, a whole room just for her clothes and finery. “I used to play here a lot when I was a kid. I loved playing dress-up, and Mom had...”

I stop dead in my tracks. I even hold my breath. In the center of the room is a large, round ottoman, and my mother is sitting on it. She rises from the seat and glares at us. “Who goes there?” she says in a venomous tone.

I step out from behind Epoch, and my mother’s expression changes. I’m amazed at how similar she and Lydia look. They have the same fiery red hair, as does Winnie, but Mom has a white stripe at her temple. Her face still looks the same, but there are finer lines around her eyes. She stares at me, big green eyes peering out from too-thick lashes. “Edith?” she whispers.

“Hi, Mom.” I wave weakly.

Her surprise turns to anger again. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be caught dead setting foot in here.” She turns away from me, focusing on a shoe rack.

Epoch presses his hand to my back, urging me to step deeper into the room. As I do, the commotion from the ballroom begins spilling into the halls. Holly turns around, glaring at me.

“That’s probably Lydia.”

Mom’s eyes widen again. “Lydia? Oh my god...” She turns back to the shoes.

“I brought her and Winifred,” I say quietly.

“What for?” Holly grumbles.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Where’s dad? I mean, how is he?”

Holly sniffs. “Fine. Miserable, as you would say.”

I step further into the room, reaching for Epoch’s hand. “Mom...” My voice chokes off in my throat.

“Your father is probably somewhere among the party.” She turns and waves dismissively. “Go find him, and stop your sisters from wrecking everything.”

“I want to talk to you first,” I insist, although it sounds weak. “I said some things when I left, and I’ve been holding on to that anger for a long time.”

Holly remains silent as she continues to fuss with her shoes. “I don’t want to hold onto anger anymore.” I squeeze Epoch’s hand for reassurance. “I want to be able to visit, to see you, not just dad.”

Holly goes still with shoes in each hand. She turns and looks back at me with a confused glint in her eyes. “You don’t need to lie to me, Edith.”

I shake my head. “I’m not. I understand why we grate on each other, we’re so similar. We’re both stubborn.”

She huffs. “You and your father! I wouldn’t call myself stubborn at all!”

I let out a small smile, and so does she. “Really, how is he?”

“He misses you, and he’s sorry he let it go so far.” Holly walks closer towards me, then stalls. “But he’s doing well. Still...” She holds up a shoe in her hand.

I stare in amazement, and could almost cry. “He’s making shoes again?”

“Most of the kids have grown up, so he’s not running around trying to keep them from chopping each other’s heads off,” she laughs. She offers me the shoe, which is the closest we have stood beside each other in a long time. “I gave him a workshop, so he stays busy.”

I look over the shoe and smile. “I remember sometimes sitting on his desk and watching him draw shoes.” I look at her and I swallow hard. “I’m glad to see this.”

Holly takes the shoe back. “Me, too.”

“If you two don’t hug or acknowledge each other, I’m going to start cutting up dresses,” Epoch growls.

“Oh my,” Holly chuckles. “Who is your handsome friend, Edie?”

I glare at her. “No, Mom, he’s mine.”

She smirks and waves at Epoch. “For how long?”

“Oh, real cute! How many husbands do you have now?”

“None like him.” She turns her smile and arched brows on me. “You know I’m a collector, little Edie.”

I glare at her, she glares back, and suddenly I can’t stop laughing. Holly joins in and soon, we’re hugging. She smells like I remember, like cinnamon and vanilla. She cups the back of my head, running her fingers through my hair. “I have missed you, my little spitfire.”

“Holly! I think I saw Winifred in the… Oh my god. Edith?”

I turn and see my dad. His hair has greyed since I last saw him, and he’s grown a fine beard, but he looks the same. “Dad,” I begin to choke up.

He rushes in, pulling me into a very tight hug. “Oh, my princess!” He kisses the top of my head. “How I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I begin to weep.

“I’d best go and stop your sisters,” Holly sighs as she begins to grow. “Make sure everyone leaves with their gift bags.” She smiles at Epoch as she passes by. “I’ll be seeing you around, handsome.”

Epoch steps aside as Mom ducks through the doorway.

After the chaos of the party is quieted, all of us have a family meal together, sitting in front of the fire and eating what food wasn’t destroyed in the chaos. Lydia and Holly begin to talk, and it’s remarkable how much they resemble each other. It’s as if Lydia is an exact duplicate. We decided to stay in the keep for the holidays, at least until we clean up the mess we made by breaking in. I spend time with my dad in his workshop, learning how to make shoes and even creating designs with him.

Epoch and his brothers enjoy jousting and training with Holly’s knights, although I do get a bit bothered when I see my mother making eyes at them. It’s strange being here - I both feel I belong and like an outcast. I suppose I’ve been gone too long. It’ll take me time to get used to being here, and bonding with my mother will be the first step towards that. I’ll try to enjoy it; being able to spend time with my father and some of my other siblings will probably do me some good. I have been relying too much on Winifred and Lydia.

One evening, I’m tossing and turning in bed. The chill in the air makes me restless. I kick my legs under the sheets, hoping it’ll warm me up, but I can’t quite get as comfortable as I want. I hear a knock at my window, and when I pull back the curtains, I see Epoch crouching on the windowsill. I throw open the window and laugh. “How the hell did you get up here?” I step back to let him inside.

Epoch removes his helmet, and he appears more solid than he normally does. I can see the scales along his body, and they shimmer faintly. His eyes glow brighter, and I can even see the shape of his mouth. “I sensed you needed me, so I found a way here.”

I smile up at him. “I didn’t realize that’s what I needed.” I sit down on the edge of my bed and beckon him to join me. “I’m glad to see you’ve been enjoying your time here.”

“My father was a real knight. I’m just wearing the outfit,” he says. “It’s been fun to learn his trade, as well as stretch my legs rather than exist in magma.”

I inch closer to him so I can feel the warmth radiating from his armor. “So, in other words, you lived with mom?”

He turns his four eyes upon me. “She’s hibernating for now. If she were to wake, it would signal a...”

“I was making a joke! You never get my jokes,” I pout.

Epoch puts his hand over mine. “Coeval is the jokester. Although Morrow has a dark sense of humor that makes me uncomfortable sometimes.” He shakes his head. “I’m afraid, if you want someone to catch your jokes, I’m not the one.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” I hold his hand with both of mine. “I like just having you around.”

He squeezes back. “I like being around you, Edith.”

I rest my head on his shoulder. “You smell nice today,” I murmur. “Like one of those Christmas candles they make with orange rind inside them.”

Epoch puts his arm around me. “Thank you. You know, um, if your bed is cold I can stay a while until it warms up.”

My cheeks burn, and not just because of his armor. “Oh,” I sit up and look at him, biting my lip. “It is a chilly night.”

“I can slip from this armor,” he says softly.

“I’ve never seen you out of it before, but it might be easier than trying to lie down with all that bulky metal on.”

“Only if you want me to,” he says quickly.

I know my face must be red by now. “Sure. If you’d like.”

Epoch stands and takes his helmet under his arm as he billows from inside. His smoky form stands before me, wipsy and shadowy, but his eyes remain the same. I move aside in bed, slipping under the covers and allowing him inside. He feels warm beside me, and as I lay my head on the pillow, he touches my cheek and brushes my hair from my face.  “Comfortable?” he asks quietly.

I nod. “You?”

His eyes glow brighter. “Me too.”

We lay there a long time in silence, but my mind won’t stall long enough for me to even feel sleepy.

“Edith.” Epoch’s voice cracks. “Would it be alright if I moved in closer?”

“What for?” I ask breathlessly.

“So I can be closer.”

I hold my breath. The blankets begin to float, then the sheets, then Epoch and I. Epoch reaches out, grabbing me before we float too far apart. “Breathe, Edith.” I feel his lips against mine and we hit the bed with a thud, pillows and blankets scattered around us, but I don’t care. I don’t need them with Epoch’s warmth beside me. I open my eyes to look down at him as I rest on his chest. I kiss him again without hesitation, letting his warm hands comb through my hair and down my back. “You’re so warm,” he whispers to me.

I giggle. “That’s because of you.”

He rubs my lower back. “Your mother scares me.”

I snicker and have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

“I’m serious! She’s a maneater and she keeps making eyes at us,” he grumbles. “I keep fearing she’ll lure me in.”

“If she does, I really will fight her this time.” I raise my head to look at him. “I’ll protect your virtue, Epoch. You can trust me.”

I see a smirk in the smoke of his body. “Can I?”

I kiss him again, feeling his fingers dig into my hips. “I’ll try, for certain.” My whole body feels warm, but in a way that’s separate from his own heat.

“I am yours until the Eve you no longer need me,” he breathes. “Yours to do with as you see fit.”

“Awfully suggestive,” I snuggle up beside him. “Is there something you wish me to do?”

He begins to laugh and I sit up in triumph. “I made you laugh!”

He touches my cheek, smoothing his fingertips across my lips. “That you did, Edith. How does that victory feel?”

I lean down to kiss him all over. “It’s a sweet victory.”