Chapter Text
Pugsley appreciated those words. He thought that it was the only nicest thing he's ever heard in a while. He expected for Eugene to be mean to him or show him the reality of how weird he actually is. Maybe he got to make a change in him. For once he got to change someone's perspective of him.
His attention then drifted towards his dark, tousled curls, his finger involuntarily twitching to touch it.
He could already imagine,
Playing with his hair, with a distance so close, just the two of them...
His heart skipped a beat at the thought. Then another when his hand drew closer.
Tempted.
Tempted to reach out and feel the warmth radiating off him, to hold him close and act weird. Cause he thought that maybe, he might've actually liked the way he was odd. The way he was different from others.
Special? Special in such a way maybe he was important to him, or at least someday and somehow he'd think of him as significant in his life—in his heart.
He gulped, parting his lips in an attempt to say something, to get rid of the silence. But instead he swallowed the words.
He blinked, looking around. For something, anything, to distract him. Because lately, what's been in his head was Eugene, Eugene, and Eugene.
He'd often feel a flutter when his name rolled off Eugene's tongue, that lisp, his accent...
He's been thinking of him to the point where he thought everything was silent. When in reality, his thoughts just managed to drown out everything outside of his mind.
He heard his name faint, then,
-'Pugsley!'
He turned,
-'I've been calling you since earlier, are you sure you're okay?' Eugene said. Concern laced in his tone which Pugsley caught.
And with Eugene's attention towards him, his lips formed a curve almost unintentionally.
-'R-right!'
Eugene sighed.
-'I...I wanted to ask what kind of music do you listen to.' He mumbled, intentionally going quiet.
-'What kind of what?' Pugsley repeated,
-'What...What kind of music do you like?'
-'Oh! Right. Uh, Music! I know what music is!' He stuttered, stiff while a faint blush crept onto his cheeks when Eugene's eyes met his again.
-'I always assumed you liked Rock or...or something.' Eugene rubbed the back of his neck, this time his voice was softer, much more casual and genuine than earlier.
-'Yeah, I—you guessed right!' Pugsley successfully failed lying. It was just another sign that made Eugene think he wasn't paying attention again.
But, assuming? Eugene assumed something about him, and that technically translates to thinking about him. Pugsley's fingertips grew colder than his usual temperature.
-'Do you know The Rapture? Like, the band?'
-'Yea—I mean, no. I do not actually know.' Pugsley attempted to shake his head lightly in hopes to get rid of the thoughts of him.
-'I borrowed these earphones from Enid, and I was...' Eugene hesitated, gripping his wrist and trying to not look at Pugsley as much as possible.
-'....You were?'
-'Do you maybe, perhaps, by any chance, would want to listen together on the way to the shed?'
-'With...With you? Listen?' He repeated.
-'Yeah, I could get it right now.' Eugene turned to face his drawer again, going through his other stuff to get it.
Could you guess what Pugsley was doing? Yeah, probably.
-'Damn it.' Pugsley heard him curse under his breath.
-'what is it?'
-'I forgot to charge my phone, now it's dead.'
-'Oh! No problem,' Pugsley began approaching him,
-'What—What are you doing?'
Pugsley took the phone in his hand, their fingers touching just briefly. And the small interaction sent a short jolt through Eugene. But not of Pugsley's electricity.
He took the phone, and insisted. Pugsley gave it a few sparks of electricity and handed it back over to Eugene.
He turned it on and ...it charged.
-'uhm....thanks?' He didn't know what to say to him, seeing something so useful from Pugsley. It sent a bit of guilt through him knowing he doubted his ability to do anything before.
Eugene took the phone back, watching how eager Pugsley was to insist him, with those wide round eyes he had that always stared and for some reason was why it drew his attention closer towards him.
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At the shed, surrounded by greenery and insects, Eugene had the left earpiece, Pugsley, the other.
Eugene was listening to the music, but Pugsley wasn't. The notes it played seemed to drown out as he found himself sharing something with Eugene, and it felt like he was attached to him in such a way. The string of the earphones were pretty short, so their distance was quite close and Pugsley had to follow him around carefully.
A certain bee flew past him in fast speed.
Nearly falling off and tripping over his own feet, he stutters and the sudden motion managed to pull the other earpiece towards him—leaving Eugene forced to face him a little too close.
Luckily, his hands landed on his shoulders, eyes flew wider. A distance too close to the point where he could see his own reflection in Pugsley's eyes clearly.
He stiffened.
He stared.
A faint pink creeping onto his face.
The strange warmth radiating off of Pugsley making his head almost spin.
And his heart pounding hard enough to escape his chest.
Pugsley looked calm—too calm—and boldly reached a hand towards his curls.
Eugene nearly jolted at the sudden gesture,
He couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't even look away.
When Pugsley's fingers met his dark curls, he twirled a strand with a soft smile playing on his pale face, a genuine smile.
Relax! Relax, Eugene. It...it's just Pugsley, the weird kid you're friends with. And for some reason your heart's beating fast.
-'wow, you're so...'
-'s...so?' He managed to say with his voice cracking, attempting to keep his composure, with all these random feelings that formed all of the sudden.
-'So...Warm.' Pugsley commented, tucking a loose strand behind his ear.
-'Uhm...Pugsley. You...uh...' He gulped.
Pugsley paused,
-'hm? Am I doing something wrong or—'
-'Nothing! You—you do you!...'
Shit.
Eugene couldn't interrupt whatever Pugsley was doing, it was rare seeing him look comfortable and genuine for once ever since school started.
He took in the sight of him looking so...
Happy? Lovely? Kind?
In love?
-'Are you in love with me?'
The words slipped out involuntarily.