Chapter Text
Okay. This was really getting to be too much.
Varian paced around the campsite. “Nuru, are you sure he’s okay? He’s usually the first one to be up, and it’s almost 1pm, it just seems really… out of character for him.”
Nuru put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking. “Varian, he’s probably fine. We’re all tired, especially after yesterday. But, is this you actually being worried about him?” She smirked, as if she knew something that Varian didn’t.
The boy glanced at her. “Whattt? I’m not sure what you mean– I just– we need everyone to be at their best… y’know, for the, uhm, trials, and stuff–”
Nuru rolled her eyes and pushed him towards Hugo’s tent. “You’re not very good at hiding things, nerd. Go talk to him.” She walked over to talk to Yong instead.
Varian squinted at her for a second. “...Okay? I guess? That’s kinda what I’ve been trying to do for the past five minutes–”
The sight he was met with when he stumbled into Hugo’s tent was not very pleasing, to say the least.
It seemed like he was— crying?
“Hugo…?”
The aforementioned man was sitting on his sleeping bag, with his knees pulled up to his chest with his head resting between them. You could hear sniffling coming from him, and a broken mirror sat beside him.
He didn’t even bother to answer.
Varian walked over to kneel down next to the green-eyed boy.
“Hugo, is- is everything alright? I mean, I can obviously tell it’s not, but—“
Hugo finally raised his head, and Varian immediately felt a pang of sympathy for him. His eyes were red, and had very prominent eyebags. His hair was down, out of its usual ponytail, and Varian suddenly felt this overwhelming urge to hold Hugo in his arms as he ran his hands through it and it seemed to be very messy from tugging at it.
As he looked up, he looked very frightened at being seen in his current state, but his expression seemed to relax once he saw Varian.
Huh.
“…Go away, Varian.”
Immediately, alarms starting blaring in Varian’s brain, for 2 different reasons:
- Hugo used his real name, for the first time in… forever.
- Number 1, but with more intensity.
That was obviously some kind of warning sign.
“Hugh, I—“ He reached his hand out to touch Hugo’s shoulder, but the way he flinched back made Varian take his hand back. “Okay, no touching. Got it. Do you— what, um—“
This was the very obvious moment that Varian realized he wasn’t as good at comforting people as he originally thought. Maybe living 17 years of your life in (almost) complete solitude wasn’t as good of an idea as he originally thought.
Hugo scoffed mildly. “Whatever. I’ll tell you, since you’re very clearly struggling with this.” He gestured to Varian, and his overall awkwardness.
Varian sat with his legs crossed, and turned his full attention to Hugo. The look on his face must’ve been a little too interested, because the blond-haired boy blushed and glanced away.
“Um… so, I guess you already know what’s been going on, about…” He sniffled and gestured to his head. “Y’know, But, uh, god, I–” He put his head in his hands.
Varian reached for one of Hugo’s hands to uncover his face. “Hey, sweetheart, I’m not going to judge you. You don’t have to share right now if you don’t feel comfortable, I would never force any of you guys to do that, especially if you knew what I– sorry. This isn’t about me, it’s about you. …Look. I know we haven’t been on the best terms. From the beginning, we hated each other. But– I can tell, we’re working past that. You don’t have to feel comfortable opening up to anyone just yet, because I can tell that is not your forte.” He laughed softly, and Hugo also did in return. “But, I just want you to know, you can talk to me.”
Hugo sighed softly. “Okay. Uh. Thanks. For the sentiment. Really. …So, oh God, how do I even start…” He grabbed Varian’s other hand for comfort.
“It all started when I was twelve.”
The young boy— Ollie— sat on the curb of the street. Brown hair, green eyes, a light spattering of freckles, and a pair of oversized circular wire glasses.
The child didn’t appear to have any parents- no adult was to be seen near him. His face was pale and sullen, a very unusual trait for a small kid. Bypassers would’ve told you he’s sat there since the beginning of the year— and they wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
Then, a grey-haired woman stooped down next to him.
“Hey. Kid.” She poked him in the shoulder, and the child looked up tiredly. “I need ya to do somethin’ for me.”
And that’s how the child ended up in a prison cell.
Again, the woman appeared. Blew a hole through the cell wall. She sighed disappointedly. “It’s fine. I can help you learn how to do this, preferrably without getting caught.”
And that’s how the child ended up being adopted by the woman.
Well, no, it was less of an adoption, and more of a transaction, as she would say.
She sat the kid on the counter. “Okay. So, obviously the police knows what you look like now. We need to give you a new look. Kid, you remember what your name is?”
The child appeared to not know how to speak for a moment, before he opened his mouth and said, “I… I d-don’t remember.”
The grey-haired woman rolled her eyes. “Right. Well, I’m going to name you Hugo. Like it? Good. I don’t really care. We need to work on this hair.” She grabbed a strand of said hair and rubbed it between her pointer and thumb. “…Yeah. This won’t work. Let’s see, black would be too close to brunette, too bold of a color would be too indentifiable…” She mumbled.
She snapped her fingers. “Blond. We’ll make you a blond.”
At this point, Hugo’s eyes were almost completely dry. “So, that’s basically the full story… except it isn’t, because the full thing is just— a lot.” He paused a second, waiting for Varian’s reaction.
“Oh God, I shouldn’t’ve said all that- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you at once—“
He was cut off by Varian wrapping his arms around him tightly. “No, Hugh- first of all, I never thought I’d be telling you of all people this, but— you don’t need to apologize. Honestly, I’m honored. You- first of all, you actually talking about your feelings, but also, to me? Just- wow. I never would’ve thought that…”
Hugo melted into his embrace, and hugged him back. “Me neither. I– I guess you might not be as bad as I originally thought you were.
“I could say the same about you, pretty boy.” Varian moved one of his hands up to hold Hugo’s head.
The taller man started to tear up again. “Don’t make me take it back, idiot.”
Varian, ever the observant, noticed the tears pooling up in Hugo’s eyes. “Hey, um… would it make you feel better if I brushed it? Get rid of the knots, and stuff… We don’t really have the supplies to change the color at this moment, but maybe that… will… help…?” Varian pulled back slightly to look into Hugo’s eyes. The other boy glanced away shyly.
“Yeah. I think I’d like that.”
And that is what they did. Nuru checked in after a while, and Hugo offered to her and Yong a(n) (less detailed) explanation as to why he’s been acting so weird. They offered to buy him some hair dye, and Hugo felt extremely grateful. Varian swore to him that he would love him no matter what he looks like, declaring that it’s what’s on the inside that matters. Him and Hugo start dating, Varian unaware of the heartbreak he’ll have to go through in the future, because of his boyfriend’s alliances.
Hugo was sure he’d never feel happy again.