So here’s a little frazeleo fluff based on this prompt.
Frank was slowly losing his mind. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Or rather, there was nothing he was willing to do about it.
Sure, he could say something to Hazel. She clearly had no clue what sort of mental anguish she was causing at the moment.
Hazel had arrived home several hours before in a flurry of anxiety and irritation. She’d gotten pulled into helping train some probatios in how to properly clean the stables and now she was way behind in studying for her Art History midterm.
“All I need is for everyone to just leave me alone for a few hours so I can pass this test tomorrow,” she’d announced as she flopped down in her desk chair at the end of her rant.
Frank and Leo had murmured soothingly to her and quietly gone back to their projects: Leo to the kitchen to finish dinner and Frank to his never-ending pile of Praetor paperwork.
It wasn’t until Hazel was fully absorbed in her work that Frank realized the problem.
The ancient, overstuffed roller chair Hazel was sitting had been in the Praetor’s quarters since before Reyna and Jason were elected. It had been well-used, subjected to hundreds of impromptu senate meetings and countless all-nighters. Not to mention that it was perfect for hallway chair racing.
As a result of this abuse, the chair emitted a tiny high-pitched squeal with the occupant swiveled the chair on its base. For Hazel, as for most demigods, sitting still involved a certain amount of fidgeting. So, as she studied, she pivoted.
Back… squeak. And forth... squeak.
Frank almost said something. But she’d asked them not to bother her. So he resolved to ignore the noise.
This was ridiculous. He was letting himself get all worked up over nothing.
Frank glanced over to see if Leo was distracted by the noise. But he didn’t seem to be. His curly head was bent over the counter, cheerfully puttering away at whatever he was working on.
See, he thought. If it doesn’t bother Leo, then it shouldn’t bother…
Frank dropped the heavy reference volume he’d been consulting and it landed on the table with a loud thud. Hazel shot him an annoyed glance, then went straight back to her books.
Exasperated, Frank searched through his papers for the minutes from the last Senate meeting. There was no hope that he could keep trying to analyze the recruitment figures he’d been working on, but he could at least read
WHY was this irritating him so much? Calm under pressure had always been one of his greatest strengths. It was only a chair. He could do this. Mind over matter.
He was about to just give up and take a walk, when a small piece of paper fluttered over his shoulder and landed in his lap.
On the paper, in Leo’s messy scrawl, was written:
Get her to sit still for 60 seconds.
Frank glanced over at his boyfriend, now standing behind him. He no idea how to get Hazel to sit still when she clearly didn’t even realize she was moving, and tried to communicate that to Leo with gestures.
Leo moved his hands, indicating something like giving her a massage.
Frank was skeptical, but he didn’t have any better ideas.
He approached Hazel cautiously and gently set his hands on her shoulders. She looked up, surprised. As he began to rub, she sighed contentedly and returned to her studying.
Leo took advantage of the distraction and moved in. Like a cat, he crawled up to the chair and removed a small can from his tool belt. It took him no time at all to spread some sort of liquid along the pole supporting the seat. Then he slithered back towards the kitchen without Hazel noticing a thing.
Frank smoothed his hands along Hazel’s neck, wrapping up the brief massage with a kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you, love. That was so sweet.” Hazel murmured, not looking up from her notes. “I’ll be done here in just a little bit.”
“Take your time,” he replied, knowing that she was already back in the zone and likely wouldn’t hear him.
Frank returned to the table and his papers. He waited and watched to see if Hazel would start moving again. She did, but this time there was no squeak.
It was done! No more squeak! He wanted to jump up and down and shout for joy!
He looked up and saw Leo smiling at him from the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Frank mouthed, hoping Leo would understand.
Leo raised his eyebrows knowingly, then returned to his work.
After dinner, Hazel apologized for being so crabby earlier. The boys seemed happy enough to forgive her and gave her many reassurances that she would do well on her test.
Hazel noticed that Frank was extra cuddly with Leo that evening. She wasn’t sure why, but she was always glad to see her boys being affectionate with one another. There were always plenty of cuddles to go around in their house.