Chapter Text
Hugo didn’t believe in magic.
As a child, the idea intrigued him. He would steal fairytale books when people weren’t looking, tuck himself in an alleyway, or find a place deep in the forest, and lose himself in stories about dragons, and knights in shining armor.
There was one winter that always stood out to him- the one when he kept Cinderella tucked in the hollowed-out trunk of an old oak tree. It was the safest winter he'd had in a while, close enough to town to steal pieces of bread but far enough away that no one noticed him coming and going. He was free to curl up in his small wooden home, safe from the biting wind and icy snow.
Nighttime was for him. It was his chance to dream, rest, and exist without judgemental eyes ripping him to shreds. He didn’t have friends. People didn’t seem to want to associate themselves with a street rat, but that was OK.
He didn’t need friends. When he needed comfort, he got it from the moon. Maybe some people would call that sad. Hugo didn’t particularly care. If the people in fairytales can be best friends with mice, horses, rats and birds, what was wrong with his best friend being a massive piece of space rock, thousands of miles away?
Without fail, every time he reached the part where the prince finally found Cinderella, he would look up at the sky and smile. Somehow, he knew the moon was smiling back.
Sometimes he would have dreams where he was the lost princess, where he would be whisked away into a castle, and he could spend winter storms watching snow collect on the windows as a fire crackled by his feet.
The moments he got to be a child were few and far between, but they were the moments he held closest to his heart.
But the real world isn’t a storybook. Eventually, the idea of castles and princesses and knights turned sour. His image twisted from beautiful girls who sang to birds into curled lips and disgusted eyes. Necks adorned with jewelry that could keep him fed for months, and dresses with intricate stitches that had to have taken months to design, that he would fish out of the trash weeks after their debut.
His dreams of dragons, warlocks, fairies and spells died with his love of fairy tales. As much as it was nice to believe that magic was real, magic didn’t pay the bills.
As Hugo grew up, he lost that childish want for friends. Instead, he learnt new ways to keep himself fed. He quickly learnt that taking food from stands, and slipping his fingers into people's pockets was a lot more efficient, and had a greater payoff.
It also came with the added bonus of watching some stuffed-up prick patting their pockets in a blind panic as they realize that maybe carrying an entire pouch full of gold was a bad idea.
When Hugo was 12 years old, he met Donella.
In one town he stayed in, the bakery had closed down, and the building ended up in disuse. Hugo had managed to find a way through the window (he was resourceful like that). For the first few days, he was careful, making sure to sneak in when all of the stores had closed down and everyone had gone to bed and making sure to wake up as the sun peeked over the horizon. After a while, he stopped being careful.
One morning, around 9am, the building’s new owner stepped through the door and stared at Hugo who blinked, staring back at her, devouring a sandwich he had stolen the day before.
“The lease didn’t say anything about a kid,” she deadpanned. Hugo let out an innocent smile and tried to make a break for the backdoor.
“Wait!” she said sharply. Hugo twisted around on his heels, cringing as he prepared for the beratement he knew he was about to get.
“Why are you sleeping here?” she asked.
“Because the brewery across the street isn’t insulated properly,” Hugo snarked.
She chewed her lip, eyeing him up and down. She looked out at the snow that had just begun to lightly dust the windows. Hugo shrunk under her glare.
“You know, I already have a place, but this shop comes with a room, and I could really use someone who can keep an eye on this place at night.”
Hugo caught what she was implying and a hopeful grin wormed its way across his face as his heart lept out of his throat.
“What d’you pay?”
She raised an eyebrow, letting out a small smirk.
“We’ll talk about it. Is that a yes?”
“Yes! I-uh,” Hugo cried out immediately. He cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders back. “That sounds reasonable.”
Donella snorted.
“Good. Now move your blankets. I’ve got a work desk I need to fit in here.”
Donella was a very strange person, to put it lightly. The best way Hugo could describe her was a living oxymoron.
She was strict- she seemed to have an ever-present disappointed look on her face. The nicest thing Hugo had ever heard her say was “adequate.” On the other hand, without fail, every time he was sick, he’d wake up to warm soup and juice. As constantly tired as Donella was, deep down he knew she wasn’t getting rid of him.
Donella was a woman of science- she’d opened an alchemy shop in the middle of town, and was constantly running experiments behind the desk. That woman could recite every element on the periodic table, and he swore up and down she had their molecular weights memorized too. But Donella was also superstitious- surprisingly so. She hung bells on their front porch to ward away spirits and kept an iron dagger and a bag of salt in her pocket.
When Hugo asked her why she would always give him the same answer.
“You can never be too careful.”
Donella quickly became popular in their village. Her intelligence and her no-nonsense attitude made her a natural-born leader. People followed her even when she wasn’t in charge. It was practically inevitable she would be selected to represent their village.
Of course, Donella began to spend less and less time in the alchemy shop, but Hugo kept her bells hanging, and the iron poles set in a little basket by the desk. He didn’t believe in any of that nonsense, but he’d noticed the way her eyes would twitch when he tried to take them down. If it made her feel better, what harm could it do?
Hugo was 19 years old when he met Varian.
Most people in the village would pop in once a month at the most to buy a few beakers and to have Hugo mix up cleaning supplies. Varian was different. Days that Varian didn’t come in were far and few between. He would always be in at 3:47 pm on the dot, walking out with his hands filled with glassware and chemicals.
He was an anomaly in every sense of the word- he had no idea where he’d come from. He wasn’t from here- Hugo had spent enough time in this town to know he hadn’t seen Varian before. Whenever Hugo asked, he’d get all fidgety and weird. The most specific answer he’d ever gotten was “somewhere different.”
His messy black hair had a weird blue streak, and when Hugo pointed it out, the only response he would give was that it was “an accident.” Whatever the hell that means.
He also was constantly dressed for lab- at first, he thought he would stop by the shop before running an experiment, but Hugo had walked through town and seen Varian out and about in his little apron and goggles.
Hugo was snapped out of his trance as the door creaked open. 3:47 pm. Speak of the devil.
“Hey Stripes,” Hugo said, not even bothering to look up from his book. “What’ll it be this time?”
Varian let out an annoyed hum at the nickname. The first time Hugo had called him something other than Varian, he’d tried to correct him, and now Hugo was determined to call him everything other than his name, just to be a shit.
He walked around the store for a little before he walked up to lean on the desk.
“Do you have any zinc?”
Hugo furrowed his brow as he looked up from his book.
“You asked for that yesterday. Answer’s still no, sorry Goggles. I don’t know when Don’s gonna get more.”
Varian frowned.
“You’re right, you’re right. Sorry for bothering you.”
Hugo chewed on his bottom lip as Varian turned to leave.
“Well- wait. What are you trying to do anyway?”
Varian turned around, the confusion clear on his face.
“What do you mean?”
“Well what are you trying to do with zinc? I don’t know if you forgot but I run an alchemy shop. Maybe there’s something else you could use?”
Varian paused for a second.
“I’m trying to make a nitro compound into an amine.”
Hugo whistled.
“Fancy.”
Varian rolled his eyes.
“If I can mix zinc with hydrochloric acid, the reaction should work but you don’t have any zinc, and I have no idea where else I can-”
“Try iron shavings.”
Varian stopped, frowning.
“Huh?”
“Iron works better than zinc anyway. You’ll need less hydrochloric acid since iron chloride turns back into acid. You’re welcome.”
Varian wrung his hands, biting his lip as he shifted on his feet. Now, Hugo wasn’t sure what reaction he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t a look of pure distress.
“I can’t,” he fumbled.
“Oh, if you’re worried about my stock, I’ve got plenty and I’m sure if I don’t have enough that Xavier’s got some you could use-”
Varian let out a frustrated groan.
“No, it’s not- I can’t use iron.”
“You can’t use iron?” Hugo puzzled. “Well why the hell not? It doesn’t bite.”
Varian’s gaze darkened. He looked ready to storm out the door. Hugo held up his hands in surrender.
“Alright, alright. Iron’s a no go. What about tin?”
Varian seemed to stop in his tracks, blinking as he folded his arms.
“Tin?”
“Sure, tin. It should make tin chloride. Won’t work as well as iron but I’ve got some you can use.”
Varian stopped, his forehead wrinkling as he thought. After a second, his face lit up.
“Sun and moon, thank you!” He practically squealed.
He almost threw the door off its hinges as he bolted out, with a bottle of tin in hand. Hugo shook his head and went back to reading his book.
The next day, at 3:47 pm on the dot, Varian burst through the door, practically vibrating with excitement. Hugo nearly dropped his flask in surprise at the noise. He smirked just a little bit.
“Did it work?”
“You’re a lifesaver!”
“I know,” Hugo snickered.
Varian leaned over the table as Hugo poured the powder into his flask. Hugo looked up at him and let out a small laugh.
“Can I help you?”
“What are you doing?”
Hugo raised an eyebrow and set his flask on the desk.
“Oh this? This is boring, I’m just drying some stuff. If you want to see the fun stuff you should come in earlier. That’s when I get the sulfuric acid out.”
Varian’s eyes lit up.
“I thought you were just a shopkeeper.”
Hugo scoffed.
“Nah. You can’t put me in a room full of chemicals and expect me not to mix them together. It’s usually pretty quiet so why not?”
Varian picked up Hugo’s flask, swirling it around a couple times and grinning.
“Are you hiring?”
Hugo huffed a small laugh, blinking as he processed Varian’s question.
“Am I- huh?”
“Are you hiring? I need a job,” Varian grinned leaning against the table.
“I mean, Don technically owns this place and I don’t know if she has the money to pay you-”
“I don’t need to get paid, come on, please ,” he begged.
“Don’t need- everyone needs to get paid something, Goggles. Rent’s not free.”
Varian shrugged, pressing his hands to the table as he gave Hugo another pleading look. Hugo relented.
“Fine, I’ll talk to Don. I’m sure we can work out something.”
Varian’s smile was wide enough that Hugo was shocked his mouth didn’t fall off.
Don didn’t exactly seem thrilled at the idea of someone else working at the shop, but to be fair, Don never seemed thrilled about anything. Neutrality was probably as close to pleased as she was capable of.
She didn’t kick up much of a fuss putting him on the payroll, shrugging her shoulders and letting the two of them work out hours. She was too busy to give a damn.
Varian was practically bouncing on his heels on his first day. Hugo learnt very quickly that when he got excited he talked. A day that usually would be filled with complete silence was now filled with Varian rambling about isoelectric points and enthalpy.
He couldn’t even be annoyed. It was kind of nice- and it gave him a chance to work out what this dude was all about.
He couldn’t lie- he was a great worker. Every morning when Hugo went to open the store, right at the crack of dawn, Varian would be standing by the front door, beaming.
They’d found a somewhat comfortable routine. Hugo would handle business upfront, while Varian dealt with stock and kept things organized.
It was day 4, and the rhythmic sound of sweeping seemed to lull Hugo into a trance- it was the only thing keeping him from going insane as he scribbled in his notebook. They had just opened and his brain was just not working. There was no reason why calculating a theoretical yield should be this hard, but the numbers were just not adding up in his head. He was simply not built to be awake earlier than 9.
He huffed, looking up to where Varian had been. When he didn’t see anyone there, he blinked and swiveled around, only to flail backwards as he realized he’d been behind him.
“J- Warn a guy, Goggles,” he snapped, dropping the legs of his chair back onto the floor.
“6.89 grams,” he grinned, leaning over Hugo’s shoulder. Hugo stopped.
“What?”
“Your theoretical yield. It’s 6.89 grams. Phosphorus is your limiting reactant and you’ve got a 2 to 5 ratio with Bromine so-”
“I’m going to stop you right there. You did not just do that in your head,” Hugo blanched. Varian’s grin only grew wider. Hugo shook his head, the disbelief only growing.
“Lying’s a sin, Stripes,” Hugo retorted, skimming over his equation, and scribbling numbers down. He glared when- sure enough, it was 6.89 grams.
“I don’t lie,” Varian smirked, his grin widening as Hugo tried to discreetly write the number Varian had calculated down.
“Ok, well I know that’s not true,” Hugo scoffed, twisting his chair around to face Varian again.
Varian seemed puzzled at that response, which threw Hugo for a loop.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Everyone lies, Goggles.”
Varian cracked a knowing smile.
“Not me.”
Hugo couldn’t help but feel there was some kind of inside joke that he was missing. He let out a small snort.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he sighed, turning back to his work.
Varian lingered behind him for a second before he made his way back to sweeping. Hugo looked over at him and let himself stare for a split second before he looked away.
There was quiet for about an hour before Hugo’s went to grab the matches. Varian’s ears seemed to twitch before his head darted to look at Hugo. He tried to covertly make his way across the room, but Hugo could see his fingers twitching.
“What are you doing?” he asked, doing an abysmal job of keeping the excitement out of his voice.
“‘M gonna start running a reaction. It’s gonna go for a few hours so might as well get it started now while no one’s here,” Hugo shrugged.
Varian nodded, eyeing the glassware that Hugo had set on his desk. He rolled his eyes.
“Wanna help?”
Varian dropped the rag he’d been holding and made his way over to the desk. Hugo had begun assembling his iron ring stand, setting a round bottom flask down as he leaned under the desk, digging through the mess of a cabinet he had under there.
“What are you going to do?”
“No clue,” Hugo grinned, pulling out two differently colored beakers.
Varian let out a surprised laugh.
“Are you sure that’s safe?”
“Sure it is, I’m an alchemist. I know enough to know what not to mix together, so what’s the harm?”
Varian grinned and shrugged.
“What are the matches for?”
Hugo let out an evil chuckle.
“Why, Goggles, I’m so very glad you asked. You see, if I’m not mistaken, whatever happens inside that flask is going to be sensitive to water, so- ”
“You’re burning the glass,” Varian snorted. “Nice.”
“More so the water inside the glass, but same difference.”
Hugo shook the beakers, setting them on the scale and writing down their weights. As soon as he’d written both the numbers down, Varian looked at him with a massive smirk.
“What is it?”
“Theoretical yield is 7.92 grams.”
Hugo squinted. Varian raised up his hands innocently.
“You said you didn’t believe me. I’m proving it.”
Hugo huffed a small laugh as he ran through the calculations. He wrote quickly, his pencil barely skimming the paper before he set it down in surprise.
“Huh.”
“Told you. I don’t lie,” Varian smiled, leaning against the desk.
“Alright. I believe that you’re a freak of nature and you can do math in your head. That doesn’t prove that you don’t lie.”
Varian frowned for a split second, giving Hugo a calculating look before his gaze fell back to the matches. He nibbled his lower lip, looking at Hugo, then the matches, then Hugo again. Hugo snorted.
“D’you wanna dry the flask?” He asked.
“Yes!” Varian replied immediately, grabbing the matches from the table. Hugo grabbed his wrist to stop him from striking them right there.
“Settle down you little pyromaniac. Let me finish setting everything up. Then you can play with fire.”
Varian’s hands fell in disappointment. Something in Hugo’s gut twisted almost painfully. He couldn’t really place what that feeling was. The discomfort made him feel antsy.
“So, V, how’d you get into alchemy?”
Varian hummed, flipping the matchbox around in his hand.
“I don’t know, how did you?”
“Nope, come on, Goggles, I asked first.”
Varian sighed.
“Fine, fine. It’s- there’s always an answer. Even if we don’t know it yet, there’s always some kind of answer or explanation in alchemy. It- our world is so weird and all over the place and alchemy is so rigid. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, Goggles, it really does.”
Hugo’s lip twitched into a small smile as he looked up from his set-up. He couldn’t help but notice Varian staring wide eyed at it. He looked away as soon as he realized Hugo was watching, but it didn’t stop the surge of pride that flooded in Hugo’s chest.
“What about you?” Varian asked.
Hugo shrugged.
“Eh. Same as you. Plus there was nothing else I could do that was challenging enough for my superior intellect.”
“Your superior intellect?” Varian mocked.
“Believe it or don’t, Stripes. I don’t lie.”
Varian rolled his eyes.
“So did you learn from your parents?” Hugo asked.
Varian barked a small laugh.
“No, by the sun no. I don’t think my dad would know Lithium from Helium if I hit him in the face with them.”
Hugo couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that mental image.
“No-uh, my dad doesn’t really get alchemy. But he’s not here, so what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
Hugo’s eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t have time to ask before Varian was talking again.
“What about you?”
Hugo blinked.
“What?”
“Did you learn alchemy from your parents?”
Hugo couldn’t help the snicker he let out.
“Don’t have ‘em. My intellect is all self made.”
“Oh,” Varian said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Hugo let out a tiff.
“Ah. Don’t be. I never knew them. Can’t really miss what I never had, y’know? Plus orphans get tons of pity gifts from strangers so really, I’m the one who’s winning.”
Varian’s face fell. Hugo’s heart leapt up into his throat.
“Say, Goggles, you ready to burn some glass?”
Varian’s face lit up, pulling out a match as he giggled. Hugo couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern, looking over to where he kept his fire extinguisher. Just in case.
Varian held the torch under the glass, the glee lighting up his face as the flame cooled under the glass. Hugo’s eyes trailed away from the fire extinguisher and stayed fixed on him. He was clearly having way more fun than anyone should have with fire, but it was almost mesmerizing.
“I think that should be good,” he murmured.
Varian looked over at him for a second, staring for just a beat too long before moving the torch away, and blowing it out. Hugo let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Varian set the torch down and looked at Hugo’s setup.
“So what now?”
“Now, V? Now we mix chemicals together and see what happens.”
Varian let out a mischievous smile.
“Excellent.”
Hugo picked up one of the beakers, placing a funnel into the top of the flask.
“Say, can you do me a favor?”
Varian looked up.
“Can you hold the flask while I pour? It’s connected to the ring stand but I don’t really trust that it’s not going to tip over.”
Varian nodded, setting one hand onto one neck of the flask, and using his other to balance the large glass tube. Hugo bit his tongue as he concentrated on pouring powder into the funnel. As he leaned over, his shoulder nudged the flask. The tube wobbled suspiciously, and Varian shifted his grip to keep it steady. As he found his balance, his arm rested on the metal pole.
Hugo didn’t have time to react before Varian leapt back, hissing in pain. The smell of burnt flesh was sharp in the air. Hugo set the beaker down, looking up in surprise.
“Y’alright?”
Varian let out another hiss, holding his arm protectively to his chest.
“The- ow ,” he said through gritted teeth. “Sun, ow.”
Hugo’s eyebrows knitted with concern.
“The fire must have heated up the pole. I’m so sorry Goggles, I didn’t realize it would get that hot . Do you need me to-”
Varian shook his head, already running over to the bathroom.
“It’s alright, I got it,” he called back.
He heard the sound of running water and shook his head. Hugo looked at the iron pole again, frowning as he hovered his hand over it. When he didn’t feel heat, he gripped it.
He looked over to the closed door that Varian had run through as the metal cooled the palm of his hand.
Varian was pretty quiet after that.
He came back with his arm wrapped in gauze and kept his gaze low. He still helped Hugo finish his reaction, but his enthusiasm seemed to have fizzled out. Hugo didn’t talk either- he didn’t want to overwhelm Varian more than he had already seemed to.
As he sealed the top of the open neck of the round bottom flask, he looked up at Varian who had already retreated, picking up the broom and sweeping the dustless floor. He rubbed his arm as his eyes flashed with concern.
“Hey, Goggles, don’t worry about it. Injuries are just a part of the gig. If I had a piece of silver for every time I burnt myself I wouldn’t need to run a shop, that’s for sure.“
Varian looked up and cracked a small smile. Internally, Hugo was pumping his fists in celebration at the small reaction. He looked up at the door and hummed as Varian’s gaze fell back to the floor.
“Say, I don’t think we’re going to get anyone in for a while. What about we get lunch or something? There’s a market a couple blocks from here.“
Varian paused for a second before his eyes lit up in understanding.
“Oh! Lunch. I always forget that’s something you do here,“
Hugo raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t have lunch where you come from?“
Varian cringed, fumbling with the broom. Hugo’s confusion was only heightened by his response to his question.
“Well- oh of course we have normal food and all that we- just not lunch it’s sort of not like you have it and well-“
Hugo’s face split into a large smile as Varian’s rambling began to spiral. His nonsense was a lot more familiar than the stressed silence.
“You are so weird, you know that?“ he said fondly.
Varian cut himself off, letting out a nervous chuckle.
“Heh, yeah.“
Hugo paused for a second as Varian’s face flushed red. He looked away.
“So, grub. You in?“
“Always,“ Varian grinned.
It was pretty safe to say that Varian had never been to a market before. As soon as they’d passed the first few booths, his eyes were bugging out of his face, following every small movement in the crowd as he tried to take everything in. Hugo had to grab his hand to keep him from dashing into the crowd, completely entranced by the smells, sights and sounds.
“What’re you in the mood for?” Hugo asked as Varian’s eyes began to dart from side to side.
“How am I supposed to pick, ” Varian exclaimed. “Stars, a real hu- a real market!” He coughed, ears flushing red as he tugged on Hugo’s hand.
Hugo raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as Varian began tugging him forward. For someone as scrawny as he was, he could pull. He was kind of shocked his arm hadn’t come out of its socket.
“What kind of food do you normally get here?” Varian asked.
“Usually- wagh! ” Hugo was cut off by a gasp as Varian pulled even harder, racing through the street.
He pulled back a little bit to keep Varian from running face-first into a middle-aged couple. They separated, pulling to either side, cursing them out as Varian barrelled past, completely unaware.
Hugo’s eyes caught a booth, and he dug his heels into the dirt, causing Varian to lurch forward, finally stopping. Hugo let out a small sigh of relief. Varian twisted around to look at him, his face still bright with enthusiasm.
Hugo pointed at the booth, smiling.
“Goggles, allow me to introduce you to the greatest sandwiches ever created by mankind,” he said, grabbing Varian’s arm and gesturing dramatically.
The man behind the booth caught Hugo’s eye, waving at them both. Hugo grinned, leading Varian forward. Varian felt his confidence slip as he looked at the unfamiliar man.
“Hey, little buddy! How’s the shop going?” the man called out as Hugo walked up to the table.
“Hey, Lance, it’s the same as usual.”
Varian trailed behind Hugo. Lance’s eyes moved to him, and his face split into a massive grin.
“Wait, Hugo! You made a friend?!” he exclaimed.
Hugo’s smile soured.
“Don’t act so surprised.”
“Little buddy, and I say this with so much love, you’re kind of impossible to get along with.”
Hugo scoffed.
“I am not.”
Lance gave him a flat look.
“You called Kiera an imbecile last week.”
“And? she was being an imbecile. ”
“She’s twelve, Hugo.”
He rolled his eyes as Varian snickered. Lance turned to look Varian in the eye.
“You are a brave, brave man. Also if he’s paying you to walk around with him, it’s not enough.”
Varian let out a small laugh, pressing into Hugo’s side. Hugo released his grip on Varian’s arm, but Varian’s hand was quick to find his hand instead. Hugo gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Say, Lance. Can you whip me up the usual, and whatever my friend who I do not pay to hang out with me wants?”
Lance snickered, looking expectantly over at Varian. Varian seemed to fizz out, looking around at the words on the paper that Hugo had handed him.
“How do I-” Varian whispered to Hugo.
“Too many options?”
Varian nodded his head. Hugo snickered.
“It’s alright. I’ll pick something for you.”
Varian’s face split into a small relieved smile as Hugo cleared his throat.
“Could you get my friend here something with lots of protein? He missed a growth spurt, so something with beef should be good.”
Varian scowled, shoving Hugo’s shoulder lightly.
Lance sighed. He looked back over at Varian.
“I told you.”
“It’s alright. I think he thinks he’s funny,” Varian replied, beaming.
“He is right here and can hear you,” Hugo interjected.
“Did you hear that?” Lance asked.
“No, it must have been the wind.”
“I hate both of you,” Hugo lamented. “Why did I bring you here?”
“Because my sandwiches are the best, and you know it?” Lance smiled as he turned around to make their food. Hugo rolled his eyes.
“Don’t listen to him, Stripes. I’m a delight.”
“You are,” Varian said earnestly. “You really are.”
Hugo choked on his spit, unprepared for Varian’s directness. He coughed as he felt his face flush. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Lance was cutting them off.
“Here ya go,” he beamed, handing each of them a small paper bag.
Hugo set 3 gold pieces on the table.
“You’re a lifesaver, Lance.”
“Aw, thanks little buddy.”
Varian looked back at Lance one more time as Hugo led them both away, setting his sandwich down on a bench before he collapsed onto it with a dramatic sigh.
“Tired?” Varian asked, nudging Hugo’s sandwich out of the way before he took the spot next to him on the bench.
“I wasn’t made for crowds,” Hugo whined
Varian snickered. Hugo sighed as he unwrapped his sandwich, taking a massive bite. Varian watched him carefully before following his movement, letting out a muffled noise as he tried to chew the massive wad of the sandwich.
By the way his face lit up, Hugo was pretty confident that never had a sandwich before was going onto the list. The way things were going, Donella could tell him that she had discovered the secret to creating life and had made him in some underground lab, and he’d totally believe her.
Varian began to cough as he struggled to chew. Hugo chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.
“Easy there, Goggles. Don’t choke.”
Varian moaned as he tried to chew the massive chunk of his sandwich. He turned to Hugo, trying to smile, making him look like a puffed-up chipmunk.
“Howddoyouuddurfmf,” he tried to say, frowning as he realized his mouth was still full.
Hugo raised an eyebrow, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud.
“Yeah, V?”
Varian swallowed, wincing as the massive lump traveled down his throat, before he grabbed Hugo’s shoulder, beaming.
“How did your people come up with something like this?!”
“My people?” he asked.
Varian gestured over at the still bustling market.
“Oh. These aren’t my people,” Hugo chuckled. “But I think sandwiches are pretty universal. You just put whatever you want between two loaves of bread. Easy peasy.”
Varian hummed with the same intrigue and understanding as when Hugo had corrected his chemical reaction a week ago. He stared at the sandwich like it was a new compound he’d discovered, and in turn, Hugo watched him. If he could see himself, he knew the curiosity in his eyes would rival Varian’s.
“Who are your people?” Varian asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if these aren’t your people, who are? Where do you come from?”
Hugo shrugged.
“I don’t really come from anywhere. If I did I was too young to remember. My earliest memories were in an orphanage, and those assholes certainly aren’t my people. I’ve kind of always just been me, y’know?”
Varian frowned.
“That must have been lonely.”
Hugo fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Not really. I mean, I got by.”
Varian's frown deepened, scooching closer to Hugo. Hugo smiled as Varian’s shoulder brushed against his.
“What about you, V? What are your people like?”
Varian’s eyes went glassy for a second as he looked into the distance. A soft smile fell across his face.
“They’re- they’re nothing like the people here,” Varian smiled. He laughed a little bit at his own joke. “A lot of them are very stuck in their ways so I wasn’t- I wasn’t the most popular.”
Hugo huffed a small laugh.
“I take it science doesn’t line up well with the old ways?”
Varian barked a laugh.
“Heh no. They’re not uh- science doesn’t really mesh well with what they’re all about.”
Hugo nodded as Varian continued to ramble.
“My sister was super supportive though. I- she was one of the only people who really tried to understand.”
Varian’s face fell. Hugo’s eyebrows furrowed with concern.
“I miss her,” Varian murmured.
“Why did you leave?” Hugo asked. Varian flinched, looking down at his lap, causing Hugo’s heart to pound out of his chest.
“You don’t have to answer that- sorry I-”
“No, no. It’s alright. You’re- you’re more than fine,” Varian smiled reassuringly. “It’s- I just don’t think I’m ready to talk about it yet.”
“That’s alright. Take it at your own pace.”
Hugo felt the tension lift from the air. His hand hovered over Varian’s for a second, before he set it down gently. Varian looked over at him and smiled, leaning to rest his head on Hugo’s shoulder. Their hands were both frigid from the cold. The wind blew past Hugo’s face, making his face burn.
As he shivered, a thought occurred to him.
“Hey V, out of curiosity, where’s home now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well-” Hugo bit his lip, trying to organize his thoughts carefully. “If you left, where are you staying?”
Varian stopped, clearly unprepared for Hugo’s question. He stuttered, trying to come up with an answer. Hugo raised his other hand in a calming gesture.
“Hey, hey. It’s alright. You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to. Trust me, I get it, just-” Hugo sighed slightly, looking Varian in the eyes. “You know I have a couch. Also I’m kind of thinking about getting Don to give you a key so you can run openings so I don’t have to.”
Varian seemed to understand what Hugo was skirting around saying, his eyes softening as the upper corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Hugo nudged his shoulder with his own.
“Don’t feel bad if you need to do a little breaking and entering, V. That’s all I’m saying.”
Varian smiled.
“Are you encouraging crime?”
“Why, Stripes, when am I not encouraging crime?”
Varian giggled, and Hugo found himself laughing too. Varian pressed closer into Hugo’s side as they rode out their laughing fit.
“Hey, Hugo?” Varian said quietly as their laughter died down.
“Yeah V?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Even as Hugo shivered, he couldn’t help but feel something warm blossoming in his chest. Both their fingers were going numb, but subconsciously, both of them had decided they would push their lunch as far as they could.
Hugo noticed people beginning to shut down their stalls as the lunch rush began to end, and sighed.
“You want to head back and set up the fireplace?”
Varian grinned, nodding as the cold began to make his teeth click. He didn’t let go of Hugo’s hand as they stood and walked back into the dwindling crowd.
The initial excitement of the market had worn off, meaning Hugo didn’t have to worry about losing his arm as they made their way back through the street. Varian’s eyes were still pulled from side to side as he tried to get a good look at the booths that hadn’t been taken down yet.
Suddenly, Varian stopped, causing Hugo to ram into his back. Varian let out an oof as his arms began to flail. Hugo cringed, grabbing his shirt before he fell face-first into the table.
The woman at the table didn’t react to the chaos that had just transpired besides a small sniff, and a page turn.
Varian blinked, looking at Hugo who snorted loudly. Varian rolled his eyes, regaining his footing and looking up at the booth he’d stopped in front of. It was an assortment of plants of different sizes, shapes and colors, with pots neatly arranged in diagonal lines. He looked in amazement at the different branches and leaves, tracing the branches of a small tree with his fingertip.
Varian looked up at the woman behind the desk. She looked up for a moment and made eye contact with Hugo. In stark contrast to Lance’s smile, her face seemed to darken as she gave him a judgemental look, before going back to her book.
Varian looked at Hugo in surprise.
“What did you do to her?” Varian whispered.
Hugo tiffed
“What makes you think I did something to her?”
Varian raised his eyebrows. Hugo shoved his chest lightly.
Varian shifted his feet, stopping as the girl looked up again, letting out a small scoff before she looked down at her book again. Varian’s face fell.
Hugo placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t let Aileas get to you. She just hates everything. It’s not personal.”
Varian sighed as Hugo led them away from the booth.
“Are you sure you didn’t do something to her?” Varian asked, nudging Hugo’s side with his elbow.
Hugo rolled his eyes.
“Technically now I have,” he grinned. He wrapped one arm around Varian’s shoulder, using the other hand to reach into his pocket and pull out a small plant. Varian’s eyes widened as he looked back at the booth.
“Hugo! You can’t-”
“It’s fine, Goggles. Her family’s stupid rich. They’ll survive without one little plant.”
The venom in Hugo’s voice took Varian by surprise. Varian bit his lip- there was clearly a history there that Hugo wasn’t talking about. He took one more glance behind before he let out a sigh.
“Fine, but if you get caught, I’m not vouching for you.”
Hugo grinned smugly.
“I’d never. Now shut up and look at my new baby,”
Varian huffed a small laugh as Hugo held out the plant up for Varian to see.
“You stole a venus flytrap?”
“Yep. It’s way cooler than the other loser plants.”
“Loser plants?” Varian laughed, crossing his arms.
“Yeah, Goggles. My baby eats meat. None of that sunlight nonsense.”
“Hugo, you know they photosynthesize, right?”
Hugo shoved Varian’s head lightly.
“Shut up, nerd.”
Varian squawked, twisting out from under Hugo’s arm to shove him back. Hugo darted ahead, running up to the storefront, and pressing himself against the door protectively as Varian raced to catch up with him. Varian raised his arms threateningly
“You shove me and I won’t let you in,” he said sternly, dangling his keys with his other hand.
“You’ll be locked out too, genius,” Varian retorted, crossing his arms.
Hugo’s eyes darted down to the lock, and Varian tensed, squinting his eyes.
As soon as his hand dropped down to the lock, Varian dashed forward, shoving against the door as Hugo slipped through, pushing it shut as Varian tried to push it open. Hugo let out a grunt as he was slowly forced backwards as Varian bullied his way in.
As soon as the door was open wide enough, Varian dashed in, letting go of the door. Without him pushing the door backwards, Hugo tripped, slamming the door shut as he fell forward. Varian snickered and shoved his head as Hugo recovered from the fall.
“Unfair,” Hugo bemoaned.
Varian grinned innocently, walking over to the window to pull the closed sign out of the window. Hugo rolled his eyes, setting his plant on the desk as he went to sit back down. He paused, looking at the cupboard under his desk.
“Hey, Stripes, what if I put my plant in a beaker?”
Varian raised one eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Because I can,” Hugo shrugged. Varian shook his head as Hugo walked over to the storage closet, pulling out a bag of soil.
Varian turned around and frowned as he noticed the label on the bag Hugo was carrying.
“That’s the wrong soil,” he warned.
“It’s soil. It’s fine.”
“I’m telling you, Hugo, it's the wrong soil. They eat meat because they live in nutrient poor soil. You’ll kill it in normal soil.”
Hugo shrugged, pouring soil into the beaker.
“Hugo,” Varian protested tiredly.
Hugo looked Varian directly in the eye as he pulled the plant out of its old pot and set it down in the beaker, covering up its roots with the soil. Varian pinched the bridge of his nose.
“So I take it this is why you don’t have plants in here?”
“So testy,” Hugo snorted. Varian glowered.
Hugo’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Hey, Goggles. You’re so confident. What about a bet?”
“A- a what?” Varian asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
“A bet. Come on, V, you know what a bet is.”
Varian shrugged. Hugo let out a surprised snort.
“It’s a game. If my baby lives for a week, you have to do all my chores for the next week. If my baby dies , I’ll do your chores for a month .”
Varian let out a laugh at Hugo’s overconfidence.
“Oh, you’re on,” he grinned.
Hugo held out his hand.
“Shake on it?”
Varian paused, and Hugo sighed, grasping Varian’s hand and shaking it as Varian looked curiously at him.
“Be prepared to lose, V,” Hugo called out, walking back to the storage closet to put his soil back.
Hugo strolled back, noticing Varian leaning over his desk, with his hand on the plant. He rubbed his eyes.
His insomnia was really getting out of hand because he could have sworn he saw a faint blue light when he rounded the corner.
Hugo yawned as the sun began to peek over the mountains through his window. He rubbed his eyes raw, trying to wake himself up as he glared at his clock.
Frankly, it was embarrassing how long it took him to drag himself out of bed and get dressed.
He dragged his feet across the floor, slowly making his way to the kitchen to mix up an energy potion. He groaned, pulling out a small Erlenmeyer flask with blue liquid, and dumped it into a green beaker, coughing as the hot pink smoke exploded in his face. He waited for a second and swirled the beaker before he downed the thing in one go.
He sighed as he began to feel less like a log being dragged down a flight of stairs with a string, and more like a human person. He rolled his shoulders back, opening the door to the shop.
Despite the battle to get out of bed, Varian wasn’t knocking on the door yet, so it wasn’t that late. He took a breath, looking around for something he could do to occupy his time before Varian arrived when his eyes locked onto his plant.
Or, what was left of his plant.
The stem had keeled over, inches from snapping under its own weight. The entire plant had turned a lifeless shade of brown. Some of its leaves were so dehydrated, they were practically turning into dust. It was more than just dead, it was basically a skeleton.
He heard a knock on the door, and his face fell as he remembered the bet. His eyes darted around for somewhere to hide the beaker when he heard Varian’s voice.
“Hugo, come on, it's cold. Let me in already!”
Hugo paused as a thought occurred to him.
There was no way his plant had just magically died overnight. Someone had to have done something to it.
He felt a rush of adrenaline as he swung the door open and squinted his eyes as Varian waved at him. He had to suppress a small smile at the way Varian had thrown his scarf around his head, covering his mouth. He looked like an inflated marshmallow.
“Morning Hu-”
“What did you do to my plant?” Hugo said, resting his weight on the door.
Varian blinked, trying to look over Hugo’s shoulder.
“Your plant? The one you insist on keeping in the wrong soil that you’re slowly killing?”
Hugo’s frown deepened. Undeterred, Varian crossed his arms.
“Yes, that plant. What did you do?”
Varian rolled his eyes, sliding underneath Hugo’s arm to get into the store. He unwrapped his scarf and stopped as he made eye contact with the plant.
“Wow,” he mumbled.
He looked over at Hugo and let out the widest toothy grin he’d ever seen.
“Looks like I won.”
This son of a-
“Oh hell no, you didn’t Goggles. You did something.”
“What could I have possibly done, Hugo?” Varian retorted.
Hugo, left without a response, stuck his tongue out at Varian, who only snickered, picking up the broom, and handing it to Hugo.
“Better get to work,” he grinned. Hugo glared, snatching the broom.
“I’ll get you for this Goggles. As soon as I find out what this is,” he gestured dramatically at the pot.
“Sure you will, and energy isn’t conserved.”
Hugo glowered as Varian walked to a display table to organize some vials. He sighed, making his way over to the pot and pinching the soil. He picked up a small handful and dumped it into a test tube.
“Just you wait, Stripes. I’ve got this.”
Hugo did not “got this.” It had been at least a few hours. He’d run test after test, mixing his soil with hydroxide, and running it on a TLC plate over and over again. He'd burnt it, froze it, he dissolved it in water and tried to distil it. No matter what he did, every test he ran came up as identical to his old, bagged soil. Either Varian was an evil mastermind who somehow managed to poison all of his soil, including a bag that Hugo had opened that day , or his plant really did die of natural causes.
He looked over at Varian who gave him an innocent smile. Underneath the grin was a mischievous glint that flashed across his eyes as he held his hand out to lean against the wall. He miscalculated the distance, flailing as his body tilted backwards, trying to catch himself on it.
Hugo shook his head, pulling out his notebook. Maybe hydrochloric acid would turn up something different?
(Spoiler alert: it didn’t.)
Hugo frowned as he dissolved the soil into a test tube, picking up a beaker of acid. He shrugged, dumping the whole thing in, watching it closely for any kind of change.
Distantly, he heard the door opening, but his attention was locked on the test tube.
Varian looked over at him and sighed before moving to greet the man who had walked in. He sniffed as the door shut behind him. He shook the snowflakes out of his long hair, smoothing the hairs that had popped out of the bun down.
He wrinkled his nose, scanning the store before he locked eyes with Varian. Something about his eyes caused Varian’s hackles to raise- something was off about him. He couldn’t say what.
“Hi!” Varian said enthusiastically. “Can I help you?”
The man looked Varian up and down, before he sighed, crossing his arms.
“Did Donnie finally let the kid go?” he asked with a small smirk.
Varian paused.
“No, Hugo’s right there. He’s just uh- occupied.”
Upon hearing his name, Hugo waved, keeping his eyes fixed on his reaction.
“Ah.”
The man had a small barely detectable tone of disappointment in his voice. Varian shifted uncomfortably.
“Who are you then? Hugo couldn’t handle taking care of things I presume?”
Varian bit his tongue at the venom in the man’s voice. He took a deep breath, trying to keep the choice words on the tip of his tongue from spilling out as the man looked down at him condescendingly.
“Can I help you?” he asked through gritted teeth.
The man walked past Varian, tracing one of the round bottom flasks with his fingertip.
“Cute setup,” he smiled, picking up a beaker and flipping it around in his hand. The liquid inside of it sloshed suspiciously.
“Hey, careful,” he said quickly as the man’s hand nudged another flask. He held his breath as it began to wobble.
“You’re a little feisty, aren’t ya, kiddo?”
Varian glowered, snatching the flask back before he could do any more damage. The man rolled his eyes.
“I need you to whip up some of that potion your buddy makes for me.”
“Uh, can you be more specific?” Varian asked.
“Hell if I know, kid. Whatever magic hocus pocus your little pal does I need you to do again. My floor’s getting dirty.”
Varian pinched the bridge of his nose.
“OK, well first of all, it’s not magic, it’s alchemy . There’s a big difference.”
The man shrugged.
“If it quacks like a duck,”
Varian glowered.
“Second of all, I have no idea what you want me to get you. Floor cleaner could be anything. Sodium hypochlorite? Isopropanol? Fire? You’ve got to be more specific.”
The man tutted.
“This is what I get trying to ask the magicians for help.”
Varian’s eyes darkened even more. He opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Hugo was pushing him out of the way, handing two vials to the man.
“Here you go, Andrew, mix them when you get home and it’ll be good for 2 weeks,” he said, smiling brightly.
Andrew sneered, snatching up the vials. He held up two silver coins, dropping them at Hugo’s feet.
“Always a pleasure,” he said sarcastically, sauntering towards the door.
Varian scoffed as Andrew let the door slam behind him.
“What’s his damage?”
Hugo chuckled as he bent over to pick the coins up off the floor.
“I always forget you’re new to retail.”
Varian’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t worry about it, Sweetcheeks. Sometimes people are just like that. You just grin and bare it and move on. I think Andrew’s got it out for me cause Don got picked as the village leader and he’s been gunning for it ever since him and his cronies moved in.”
Varian huffed angrily, crossing his arms as he glared at the door.
Hugo smiled, nudging him with his elbow.
“Hey, for baby’s first douchebag customer, you did a pretty good job.”
Varian looked over at Hugo, his anger melting away as his face split into a small smile.
“Thanks Hugo.”
“Don’t mention it, Sweetcheeks.”
Hugo yawned dramatically, cracking his neck.
“Well, now that that’s over, I’m going to finish testing my soil.”
Varian rolled his eyes.
“It was the wrong soil.”
Hugo shook his head.
“No way, Goggles. You did something. I’m going to figure out what.”
“You’re a sore loser.”
Hugo laughed, pulling out his test tube. Varian scoffed, walking back over to fix the display that Andrew had messed with.
Aside from the whole Andrew incident, the day was pretty quiet. Hugo had asked Varian if he wanted to take a break- he’d even offered to cover for him taking the whole day off with a wink and a nudge, but Varian had turned him down.
He wasn’t quite back to normal by the end of the day- he was still on edge, but he was about an hour into a ramble about calcination, so at least he had that.
Varian grinned at the clock as the hand hit 6. Closing time. He grabbed his coat, but before he could put it on, Hugo was stepping around the desk.
“Hey, Goggles, wait,” he said, grabbing Varian’s wrist.
Varian stopped, looking at him inquisitively.
“I have something I want to show you.”
Varian’s eyes widened as Hugo grabbed his coat.
“Lead the way,” he grinned.
Hugo led Varian out of the village, towards a small dirt path covered by tall fir trees that littered the path with pines. They were quiet, aside from the sound of twigs crunching under their feet.
Despite the day only just beginning to end, the sun had already set by the time Hugo and Varian left. The moon was full, giving them enough visibility that they weren’t tripping over their own feet as they made their way down the barely defined path.
For winter, it was definitely not as cold as it could get, but it was cold enough that Varian wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.
Hugo reached his hand out slightly, before he bit his lip, pulling it back. Varian, noticing the aborted motion, grabbed his hand back, interlocking their fingers.
“Coward,” he chuckled.
Hugo rolled his eyes.
“Shut up.”
They took a couple more steps before Varian was yanking Hugo back with enough force for Hugo to let out an involuntary yelp. He blinked at Varian who looked down sheepishly.
“You good?”
Varian looked down at the path where Hugo had almost stepped. The only thing he could see was a small collection of mushrooms under a tree, arranged in an almost perfect circle.
Varian sputtered, realizing he hadn’t prepared an explanation for why he’d practically tried to rip Hugo’s arm off. Hugo sighed at the mushroom ring, understanding.
“You too then?” he sighed.
Varian blinked.
“Don believes in fairy rings and all this other supernatural stuff as well.”
Varian laughed awkwardly, rubbing his head.
“Heh, yeah. It’s silly but you can’t be too careful, right?”
Hugo wasn’t satisfied by Varian’s response, but still, he shrugged, taking care to step around the mushrooms instead of inside of them. If Varian was this serious about him keeping out of a fairy ring, a few extra steps weren’t going to kill him.
“So Goggles, can I ask you something?” Hugo asked, taking Varian’s hand again.
“What is it?”
“Why do you believe in that stuff?”
Varian cringed.
“Why don’t you?”
Hugo raised an eyebrow at the nonanswer. Varian let out a breath, folding his arms protectively.
“I don’t believe in what I can’t see or prove. You can’t prove fairies exist, and I’ve never seen one, so-” Hugo cut himself off with a shrug.
Varian nodded, biting his lip.
“Yeah I- I’m the same way.”
Hugo raised an eyebrow.
“So then why-”
“It’s like you said. I believe in what I’ve seen.”
Varian’s cryptic answer only did more to raise Hugo’s curiosity.
“You’ve seen one?”
Varian hesitated before he gave a careful reply.
“Uh- yeah. Kind of, yeah?”
“Huh,” Hugo said, scrunching his nose. “What are they like?”
Varian let out a strained laugh.
“Frightening,” was the word Varian finally settled on.
“How? They’re just little people aren’t they?”
Varian snorted.
“Stars, no. They- It’s kind of hard to explain. They’re powerful. More powerful than I think people realize. Not all of them but you don’t know whose domain you’re stepping into when you step into a fairy ring so it’s easier to be safe. It’s a one way ticket to going missing or getting stuck.“
Hugo hummed as Varian rambled. He couldn’t help but notice the way his voice seemed to tremble. (Mentally, Hugo was smacking himself for picking this topic of conversation. They’d only been out for like 6 minutes and he had already managed to make him uncomfortable)
“I- I’ve seen a lot that I don’t think I’d even begin to be able to explain with science and it- it’s kind of scary,” Varian fumbled. Hugo took his hand again, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles.
Suddenly, Varian registered the words that were coming out of his own mouth. He winced.
“Sorry I know it’s crazy, I don’t expect you to believe all this or anything I just-”
“Hey,” Hugo said, cutting Varian off mid-spiral. “I’m not going to lie and say I believe in magic or whatever, but I believe you. If you want me to do things that make you more comfortable, just let me know, alright?”
Varian stopped, his eyes welling up with tears, and for a second Hugo panicked, terrified that he had said the wrong thing. But then Varian was wrapping his arms under his shoulders, pressing himself into Hugo’s chest in a tight hug, causing Hugo to relax, wrapping his own arms around Varian’s shoulders.
“That means more than you’ll ever know,” Varian sniffed.
“It’s nothing, Sweetcheeks, honest.”
Varian smiled, pulling back and resting his hand on Hugo’s cheek. Hugo’s chest felt tight as he held his breath, watching Varian carefully as he pulled back.
For a good few moments, neither of them moved.
“You wanted to show me something?” Varian prompted. Hugo realized he’d been standing there like an idiot for at least 10 seconds. He was a disaster.
“Yeah, it’s not much further,” Hugo said dumbly, wobbling as he began to step forward. Varian, bless his soul, didn’t comment, following eagerly behind.
Further into the walk, Hugo frowned as he noticed he didn’t hear footsteps behind him. He whirled around, expecting to see Varian walking back the way they came. (If he was being honest, he was sort of expecting to see nobody there. It was hard to wrap his head around the fact that Varian was real . That someone this genuine and wonderful would willingly trail behind him to see something Hugo had to offer.)
He was not expecting to see Varian, crouched low, talking to a raccoon. He blinked, taking a quiet step towards them.
“I turn around for 5 seconds and you’ve befriended a rodent.“
Varian huffed. The raccoon chittered angrily, puffing up his tail.
“His name is Ruddiger and he’s a raccoon. “
“He’s vermin.“
The raccoon let out another angry chitter, retreating closer to Varian, who ran a gentle hand along the creature’s spine. The raccoon purred, leaning into him.
“You upset him.“
Hugo let out a surprised laugh as the raccoon glared at him while Varian stroked between his ears.
“You’re going to get rabies, V.“
Varian rolled his eyes, giving the raccoon one more scratch behind the ears before he stood up. The creature rubbed himself on Varian’s legs before darting into the trees.
“Ok, I’ll fold. That cat’s kind of cute,“ Hugo laughed.
Varian sighed.
“Raccoon.“
Hugo looked at Varian, a mischievous grin worming its way across his face.
“Same thing,” he shrugged.
Varian sighed, seeming to wrestle with himself for a moment before he took the bait.
“They’re different. They’re kind of their own thing. They’re more closely related to ringtails but a lot of people-“
Hugo’s grin widened as Varian cut himself off.
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?“
Hugo barked out a laugh, nudging Varian’s shoulder.
“Sorry V, you’re too easy. Plus now I know why I drive people insane.“
Varian huffed, rolling his eyes.
“Come on, grouch. We’re almost there,“ Hugo snickered.
Varian’s face lit up as Hugo said that, speeding up to meet Hugo’s pace as they made their way through the forest. The dirt path became less defined as they walked, littered with leaves and branches, marked only by the ground being slightly raised on the path’s edges. Mushrooms of all sizes and species covered the ground and Varian had to exercise more self control than he would like to admit trying not to pick them up and take a look.
Soon, the path widened into a large opening, guarded by two large oak trees, creating a large shadow. Beyond them, was a brilliant green field, encircled by a thick ring of trees. The meadow was full of bright flowers, small saplings and more mushrooms and fungus. It was a tiny paradise, completely closed off from the outside world.
Hugo smiled as Varian’s jaw dropped slightly at the sight.
“I know, right?”
“It’s- wow.”
“Articulate,” Hugo laughed.
Varian shoved his shoulder. Hugo raised a hand in defeat.
“Look, come on. That’s not all I want to show you.”
Hugo took Varian’s hand, dragging him through the meadow. Varian couldn’t help but take in the scene around him. Small moths fluttered past his head as they walked through, the light of the moon reflected off of dew drops that collected at the tips of the grass.
Hugo stopped at a large tree trunk. The tree was long dead- its leaves were all but gone, and the branches were withered and dehydrated. Some seemed close to snapping. Despite the tree’s haggard appearance, Hugo still beamed at the sight, gesturing with his hands at a small opening inside.
“Goggles, may I present, the most comfortable spot nature has to offer.”
Varian looked over at Hugo, then at the tree. He crouched, taking a look inside.
Small figures had been carved into the wood- too clean to be natural. He traced the carvings with his fingertips, smiling.
“Were these you?”
“Yup. Behold the brilliant art of underappreciated art genius, 10-year-old Hugo.”
Varian laughed as he followed a drawing of a stick figure holding what could either be a sword or a milk jug.
Some of the drawings were absolutely impossible to decipher- scratches and squiggles that honestly could have just been Hugo dragging a knife across wood for the fun of it. Some of the “drawings,” Varian recognized as molecules. He laughed at the blatant incorrectness of some of them. It was clearly the work of a child.
“It’s wonderful,” Varian said, pulling himself out from the tree.
Hugo grinned, sitting on the grass beside the trunk. Varian took the spot next to him, leaning into the wood.
“I’m glad.”
“Is this where you stayed before Donella?” Varian asked.
Hugo smiled, nodding.
“I kind of lucked out finding this place. It’s as close to a home as I got for a while. I thought you’d appreciate it.”
Varian sighed, plucking blades of grass with his fingers.
“I do.”
“Aw, you’re not just saying that?” Hugo smirked.
Varian snickered.
“No. I don’t lie.”
Hugo frowned for a second, stuck in thought. He gave Varian a sobering look.
“Why do you keep saying that?”
Varian shrugged.
“It’s the truth.”
“Everyone lies.”
Varian chewed on his lower lip.
“Well, what do you lie about?” Varian asked.
Hugo curled in on himself for a second before he realized that Varian’s tone wasn’t accusatory- it was curious. There were plenty of examples Hugo could choose from, but he couldn’t pick one. Each lie would give Varian a clearer look into the kind of person he really was.
“Lots of things. I’m not- I don’t think I’m as good a person as you think I am, Goggles.”
“Lying doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“Well that’s easy for you to say.”
Varian shrugged again, pulling blades of grass out of the ground. His face darkened, as he pulled his legs up to his chest.
“I’m not the kind of person you think I am either.”
Hugo’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“What’s that mean?”
Varian stopped, looking into the distance for a second. He narrowed his eyes before his face hardened.
“I ran away because I hurt my dad.”
“V-”
“He- I was experimenting with something I shouldn’t have been experimenting with. He asked me what I was doing and I told him.” Varian let out a muted whimper, dragging his hands across his face. “He tried to stop me and I lost control and-”
“Is he OK?”
Varian let out a humorless laugh. His face contorted as unshed tears pressed their way forward. Hugo had to hold himself back from pulling him into a hug. He stammered, trying to figure out the right thing to do with his hands. He’d never been one for emotions, but something about the sadness in Varian’s eyes made Hugo want to wrap him in a blanket and hide him away from the world.
“I have no idea. My sister tried to help but she couldn’t do anything and I couldn’t-“ Varian let out a frustrated noise as his voice cracked. “I don’t think I’d forgive myself if I hurt her too so-”
Varian’s voice trailed off.
“So you left,” Hugo mumbled in understanding.
“For all I know he could be dead. Because I couldn’t bite the bullet and tell one measly little lie. So yeah. Lying doesn’t make you a bad person,” Varian spat, staring angrily at his hands.
The silence lingered a little too long as Hugo hovered his hand over Varian’s back. He clenched his fist. A surge of confidence overwhelmed him. He spoke before it could wither away.
“There’s one lie I think you should know,” Hugo said quietly.
Varian’s eyes widened as he looked up from the ground. He scooched an inch closer, eyes filled with curiosity and understanding.
“I-I sort of lied about knowing my parents-”
Hugo paused. He’d never told anyone this. Not even Donella. Was he about to tell one of his earliest traumas to someone he didn’t even know existed a few months ago?
Varian seemed to sense his hesitation, cutting in.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said quickly. “Just because I told you my story doesn’t mean you have to tell me yours.”
“No, I want to,” Hugo replied. “I think- I mean I want someone to know.”
‘I want you to know’ went unsaid. Varian let out the ghost of a smile, letting Hugo know that he’d heard it anyway.
“My earliest memory was at an orphanage. I didn’t lie about that. My mom she- I was old enough to remember her dropping me off,” Hugo sniffed, letting out a wet laugh. “She was so upset.”
“Oh Hugo,” Varian said quietly.
“You know, she said she’d be back for me,” Hugo muttered coldly. “She promised, and I believed her.”
“What happened to her?” Varian asked.
Hugo barked out a sarcastic laugh, making Varian flinch slightly.
“Nothing. She- when I ran away I stole my documents. I found her. She’s doing fantastic. She’s got a house, hell, she has a kid now!” Hugo let out a frustrated noise, burying his face in his hands. “She had another kid and I guess she forgot about me. Or she didn’t want me. It’s anybody’s guess, really.”
Varian settled his hand lightly on Hugo’s shoulder. The light touch was the last straw for him. He broke , letting out loud ugly sobs that made Varian’s hand vibrate. Varian tugged on his arm, causing Hugo to collapse into his chest.
Varian’s chest was soft. With Varian’s arm around him, his sobs grew uglier and louder. Years of repressed rage and grief came hurtling to the surface. Varian clung tight to him. He could feel the top of his head grow damp and knew that he was crying too. He never knew that breaking down could feel this good.
“I wish I could forget about her,” Hugo mumbled into Varian’s coat.
“I’m so sorry, Hugo. You didn’t deserve that,”
Hugo let out a sarcastic snort, burying his face into Varian’s collarbone so he couldn’t see the way Hugo’s face had darkened.
“What if I did?” Hugo said quietly.
He felt the way Varian tensed, and bit his tongue. It was harsh, but ultimately wasn’t it the truth? His mother clearly wasn’t bad at raising children- she’d had another one, and he seemed to be doing a hell of a lot better than Hugo was. Only one variable in this equation had changed which meant it was pretty easy to pinpoint where the problem was.
“Don’t say that,” Varian said, moving his hand to lift Hugo’s head, cupping his cheek. He ran a thumb across it as Hugo scoffed.
The fond look in Varian’s eyes broke Hugo more than he already had been. The kindness was something so foreign, but so welcome.
“What did I do to deserve you?” Hugo’s question slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. Varian seemed to have been caught off guard, the hand on his cheek tensing.
“What do you mean?”
Hugo sighed, resting his hand on Varian’s wrist, covering his hand with his own.
“It’s-you’re just so-” Hugo paused, stuck on the right word. Options darted across his mind, settling on his tongue. None of them were quite right. Kind. Smart. Beautiful. Magical.
“You,” was what he finally settled on. Varian turned red, his eyes beginning to well up with his own tears.
“You deserve nice things, Hugo.”
Hugo sniffled a small sigh.
“I don’t get nice things. This world fucking sucks. Some of these assholes get everything handed to them and some of us don’t get shit. You’re an anomaly, V. I don’t get it.”
Varian leaned over, placing his forehead on Hugo’s. He took a deep breath. This close, Hugo could feel the warmth radiating from his skin.
“If it’s any consolation, I feel the same way,” Hugo made a small sobbing noise as Varian continued. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Hugo sniffed, closing his eyes. Varian cupped the other side of Hugo’s cheek with his other hand.
“Maybe we both deserve a little bit of good,” Hugo murmured.
“Maybe we do.”
Varian inched closer, their noses were practically touching by the time Varian stilled. The warm puff of air on Hugo’s face sent shivers running down his spine.
“Is this OK?” Varian asked quietly.
Hugo let out a small snort.
“Here I was about to ask you the same question.”
Varian's smile grew wider, wiping away one more stray tear that had begun to move down Hugo’s face.
“Can-” Varian said quietly, trailing off as his eyes flickered down to Hugo’s lips. Hugo paused for a brief moment before he leaned forward.
The moment their lips met, there were fireworks. Small explosions of warmth pooled under his skin and traveled up to his face. Varian tasted like the sandwich he’d had for lunch, like blueberry muffins- and somehow a mixture of ash and dirt (?) Hugo was too kiss-drunk to think about that.
He let those thoughts slip away because this was Varian. He was kissing Varian, this was reality somehow. His lips were chapped and dry but by the sun they were the best thing he’d ever felt. He wanted to pause time, and somehow find a way to live in this moment forever.
Hugo tilted his head, deepening the kiss only slightly and Varian hummed. He wrapped his arms around Varian’s shoulders, feeling his entire body light on fire as their bodies pressed closer together.
Varian’s hand traveled softly down Hugo’s cheek and settled on his neck, leaving goosebumps where his gloved fingers touched skin.
As soon as he pulled back for air, Hugo wanted to dive back in. He gasped, leaning forward. Varian placed a hand on his chest as he gasped for air.
“Hi,” Hugo smiled dumbly. Varian grinned.
“Hi.”
“You know I think this just about makes up for my plant,“ Hugo smirked.
Hugo barked a laugh as Varian shoved him. He fell to the grass, holding his sides. Varian tried to repress a smile, but he couldn’t hold back his laughter as Hugo yanked on his arm, forcing him to lie on the grass next to him.
Varian wiped his eye, letting his hand drift next to Hugo’s. Hugo linked his pinky with Varian’s, scooting to lie next to him properly.
Varian leaned over him, slotting their lips together again.
They lay like that for a while, pressed together, kissing under the decaying branches. Kissing Varian felt like breathing- like he’d gone his entire life choking on water, and suddenly he could inhale. Varian’s hands almost seemed to sizzle as they ran up and down his neck, before they found a place nestled in Hugo’s hair. He couldn’t help but think about how right this felt, the two of them pressed chest to chest.
This was bliss.
Hugo felt his eyes begin to grow heavy. As Varian pulled away so they could breathe again, Hugo pulled him down by the collar of his shirt, so his head rested on his chest. He blinked a few times before he let himself surrender to the daze. As he drifted off, he looked down at Varian who was looking up to the sky.
“Thank you,” Varian whispered.
Hugo didn’t have a chance to ask who he was thanking before his eyes finally slipped closed.