Gears and Steam

I'm Better

Floyd

Edmund seemed to be settling in okay. Sure, he didn't say anything unless we were alone, and he still trembled if something scared him, but none of that mattered because I was always there to hold him when it got bad. Everything seemed to scare him. The other boys, no noises in the shop, even sounds on the street outside, everything gave him a spook. I was fine with that because it meant that he hugged me more often. A broken boy was just perfect.

"Edmund," I said quietly, watching him adjust something on the car. "You're almost done with your second full day here. Do you like it?"

Edmund seemed to know that there was only one correct answer. "Yes, especially now that everyone else is gone."

I had shooed everyone else out of the workshop after Charlie dropped a large sheet of metal, sending Edmund into a panicked fit. Everyone seemed to understand that Edmund wasn't to be touched or messed with, at least. They knew he was mine and they didn't want to find out what would happen to them if they got on my bad side. Well, they were all on my bad side; they just didn't want to be on my worse side.

My lover seemed focused on what he was working on, so I decided to leave him alone for the most part. I didn't want to do anything. Actually, I wanted to have Edmund to myself all day, but Luther wouldn't let me go a day without working.

I admired Edmund as he worked. I found it attractive when he got focused on his projects. He absentmindedly brushed his curls from his face, never bothering to tie them back. He would probably look cute with a small ponytail or a couple of braids. Who am I kidding, he would look cute in anything.

I marveled at the smallish boy in front of me. He was perfect. He was mine. The was he jumped and scuttled towards me when he was scared just made him better. He needed me. He depended on me. I had power over him. So much power.

"Hand me the screwdriver, Jules," Edmund said absentmindedly, holding out his hand. It was a few seconds before he realized what he had said. His entire body went rigid and the wrench he was holding clattered to the ground. Silent tears traced lines through the grime on his face.

I quickly gathered him in my arms. That stupid copper really had broken him, but that was what I wanted, wasn't it? I felt Edmund clutch onto me tighter and bury his head in the crook of my neck. His entire body was trembling, but all that was important was the fact that he depended on me for comfort.

"It's alright," I soothed, stroking his back. "He's not with you anymore. I'm better anyway, right?"

"You're better," Edmund agreed. "You've always been better."

"All he did was lie. I won't do that to you."

"You won't do that," Edmund echoed. When he got like this, he would believe anything that I said, if I did it in the right way. A few sweet words accompanied by a kiss or two seem to make any of his doubts go away. It worked every time. Jules didn't know how to do stuff like that, which was why I was now the one with Edmund in my possession instead of him.

"See?" I muttered, stroking his back. "You're going to be safe here. You don't have to worry about him anymore, 'cause I saved you."

Edmund nodded his head in agreement, which was kind of hard with his face pressed to my shoulder. "You saved me. I love you."

"I love you too, Eddie," I responded affectionately. "Now that that episode's over, why don't you braid my hair? You used to love doing that."

Edmund's eyes lit up. "I like braiding your hair."

"You're the reason I started wearing my hair like this," I said, nudging him away from me and plopping down onto the floor. Edmund knelt down behind me and started running his fingers through my shoulder-length auburn hair. He started twisting strands of it into two thick braids. This was one of the things that I missed the most.