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It had been another argument, Wally remembered, that had landed him where he is now with his cheek pressed against the steady rise and fall of Eugene’s sleeping chest. Home had started it when he mentioned the new paint water cup he had brought into them was from Eugene to begin with, a little gift from the arts and crafts spot everyone had had today with Eddie. Everyone had picked a name out of a hat to make something for and while Wally had gotten Howdy and had made him a tip jar out of paper mache to sit on the shop counter, Eugene had pulled his name and spent all day working on a new cup for cleaning off his dirty paintbrushes. He had been messy, covered in paint and drying clay when he presented it to Wally with the brightest smile Wally had ever seen on him, and he had prattled on and on about the scientific method he had applied to make sure it was the perfect height, width, and volume. Wally had joked that it probably still wouldn’t stop him from accidentally dirty sipping paint water instead of his coffee and the two of them had parted from the dispersing group with a laugh just as the sun had started setting. It was supposed to have been a simple and fun day with his friends.
He should have known Home would have pitched some kind of fit, Home always got huffy when it came to him and Eugene. Home had been quiet save for a few creaks and squeaks when Wally held up the cup to present it to them with a smile on his face, fingers tracing over the apples and swirling leaves painted on it as he felt his cheeks warm just the slightest bit. He had set it down and was half way out of his jacket when the mat under the little table next to the front door had suddenly shifted and jostled the table, sending him scrambling to catch the cup before it fell and shattered to pieces on the floor. He had glared but kept his mouth shut at the time, choosing instead to keep it cradled to his chest as he started to carefully ascend the now very uneven steps to his bedroom. And then when the handle wouldn’t turn and push open, he had put his meager weight into shouldering his door open, resulting in him tripping over the cord of his nightstand lamp that had definitely not been on that side of his bed before. Keeping a tight lipped pout on his face to keep the things he wanted to say had been difficult to say the least, given that he was face down on the hardwood floor holding up the cup to keep it safe while his lamp was perfectly fine on his fluffy carpet. Sheesh…
He had put the cup up behind his mirror with his hair care products when he had climbed into the shower. He knew Home wouldn’t do anything to risk his sprays and mousses, be it jealous or not. Still, he had kept an ear out for the sound of its shenanigans, even sighing out a tired “hey…!” and knocking his knuckles against the wall when he heard the distinct sound of the mirror slowly squeaking open. He had intended to explain that Eugene didn’t really choose to give him the gift and that everyone had to make everyone something and it was all random chance, but the words had turned into him diving to catch the cup from where it had somehow gotten to the edge of the shelf from behind where the mirror had been cracked open just enough for it to slip out. The edge of his sink digging into his stomach from him throwing himself forward hadn’t been the best feeling, he had remembered, but he wasn’t going to let Home just destroy such a nice present.
“You know,” he had started as he went about tugging on his pajamas, trying his hardest to keep his voice calm and steady. “You are being rude and mean right now, Home.”
Somewhere in the house, a door had slammed, indignant.
“Yes, you. You keep trying to break the nice gift Eugene made for me. He spent all day on that, Home, you can’t just break something someone put work into. That’s not neighborly and you know that.”
He had chosen to ignore the way Home rolled their eyes in his window off to the side.
“You wouldn’t have a problem with it if it wasn't Eugene…” he grumbled under his breath, closing his eyes and drawing his eyebrows together when several doors and shutters clattered and slammed noisily about him. Here we go…
He usually tried to reason with Home whenever they got like this, but tonight, something had just… He couldn’t take it tonight. The things he had said to Home hadn’t been very neighborly either as frustration and exasperation flared up into an outburst that Julie would have wagged her finger and given him a “Temper, temper!” for. He just-! They did this every time! Every time Eugene even so much as waved at him, he could feel Home’s eyes on his back no matter where they were! Home never acted like this about anybody else and it wasn’t fair! It didn’t make sense! Eugene made Wally happy, shouldn’t his friend be happy that he’s happy?! But stating that had been Home’s last straw apparently because the house’s cacophonous slamming and caterwauling went quiet the moment it left his mouth and only a second after, the floorboards were shifting under his feet and moving him.
“Wait- Home, wait!” He had pleaded, grabbing onto his doorway only to have the hallway carpet wrap around him and yank him free. “Home, hold on- wait- Home! I didn’t mean- Home, stop it!”
He grunted and shouted as he was tumbled down the stairs none too gently, still calling out to Home in between his helpless yelps. He barely had time to pull his head back when his chest hit the solid ground of the entryway and the door swung open only inches from his face, the night air blasting him cold across the face as he stared at the dark outside world.
“Please don’t.”
The floorboards had risen in a wave and snapped straight up, launching him over the porch and right out into the cool grass.
He had sputtered and spat out dirt as he rose up on his hands and knees to glare at Home over his shoulder as they slammed their door closed and lowered their shutters so they couldn’t look at him.
“You’re really going to do this? I’m not supposed to be out here at night, you know.” He had said, brushing himself off as he stood. Home had huffed as much as a house could and Wally resisted the urge to roll his own eyes. “Can I at least have a blanket and pillow if you’re going to make me sleep in the bushes?”
He probably should have seen the aggressive, maximum power pitch of the items ricocheting off the stairs and out the door coming, but it wasn't until he was flat on his back in the grass again from being struck in the face by his own bedding that it hit him. All he could do was sigh and stare up at the blank dark void above him as he tiredly rubbed his forehead. Good golly, what a fuss… Out in the cold because his own house was feeling more than a little possessive of him. After he had finally sat up and tried an apology he didn’t mean at the time and got Home snapping their shutters shut again, he huffed another sigh and quietly gathered up his blankets. And when Home had refused to even so much as let him up on the porch to rest so he wasn’t napping in the dirt and flowers, he had felt steam rise from the top of his head as his shoulders went up to his ears before he took as calming of a breath as he could manage. Fine. Fine. He would sleep on the darn ground and they could talk about it when the lights came back on. Fine. Fine.
He had been grumbling and snarking the entire time as he set up a makeshift camping spot in his own front yard, with an actual growl rumbling up out of him when his head hit something hard inside his pillow. Oh, what now? Had Home stuffed something in it before they had flung it at him? Probably did, with the way they’re acting, good grief. Begrudgingly, he sat up and ruffled around inside it, having half a mind to fling whatever it was right back at Home, but when he saw what it was that he pulled out, he paused.
It… It was the paint water cup. That’s right. He had stuffed it in his pillowcase when he walked out of the bathroom to keep it safe from Home’s antics.
“Oh, Eugene…” he mumbled, resting his chin on his knees.
The other man made him feel funny in a good way- happy the same way his other neighbors did but still different in a way that he had placed as love a while ago (a notion that Home wasn’t the happiest to hear about when he had gushed.) Wally had never been one to hide or delay his feelings so he had brought it up- something he admittedly could have done a bit better than coming up to Eugene, taking his hand, and saying “I love you!” -and they had talked about it that day. Now the two of them were something that was more than friends but still not in the way Eddie and Frank were, it was something else. Or at least Wally felt like it was. He- He didn’t know and he wasn’t up for thinking about it right now. They could talk about it later when he saw him again in the morning.
He remembered sitting there for what felt like ages, staring at the cup and stroking his thumb over the carefully painted patterns, before it had clicked. See him…. He could see him! Right then, he could go see Eugene! Sure, his lab was a good walk away from the neighborhood itself, but still, it beat sitting out in the cold getting grass stains all over his robe. He scrambled to his feet then and started to gather up the sparse belongings he had been oh so graciously granted, turning to look up at Home’s closed shades once he had everything folded up in his arms.
“We will talk in the morning,” he stated as gruffly as he could get his monotone voice to be, no ifs ands or buts about it. Home hadn’t even spared him a passing glance.
So he did the same. He had turned his nose up and marched off, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder when he heard Home creak behind him. They had made their point and he had made his. They would talk in the morning and that’s that.
Like always, it had been a trek to get to Eugene’s lab. The guy lived up on a hill and that, combined with his already fatigued state of being, had Wally panting by the time he got to Eugene’s doorstep. He had taken a moment to compose himself, catch his breath and brush a buttercup out of his pompadour, before he raised his fist to knock on the door. He could only hope that Eugene was uh… “awake,” he supposed. No, don’t think like that, now’s not the time.
After one beat too many and just as he was about to trudge himself back to Home and a mattress made of rose bushes, by some miracle, the click of a lock coming undone sounded behind the door and it began to pull open. Wally felt his heart flutter and his cheeks grow warm at the sight of the usually casually-formal Eugene dressed down to just a white t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms with rainbow beakers and flasks patterned across them. There was something on his head as well, something that looked like shiny cloth that was covering up his hair.
“Ghwello…?” He muttered, rubbing at his bleary eyes. “Wally…?”
“It’s meee…” He said weakly, some part of him happy that Eugene didn’t have his glasses on him. He couldn’t see how strained his smile felt. “So sorry to wake you up, doctor.”
“S’okay. What’re you doing out here, baby? It’s the middle of the night.”
Oo, “baby.” He liked that. They’d have to talk about pet names later too.
“I, uh…” Cripes, he forgot to think of an excuse. “I jusssssst…. “ Oh god. “I jussst missed youuuu, is all… darling. C-Couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you again.”
Eugene stared at him and for a moment, Wally started to sweat and thought he had been had, but all Eugene did was smile and huff a soft laugh, shaking his head gently.
“That’s sweet, Wally. Come on in, man, it’s cold out here.”
Wally beamed and happily trotted inside, looking around like he hadn’t been in the lab dozens of times before, though he had never seen the place in the dark. He was fascinated by the way Eugene’s lab equipment glowed and bubbled in the pitch blackness, attention only breaking when a hand gently landed high up on his hip, honestly more his side than anything. He startled a bit despite there only being one person who could have touched him and turned to see Eugene twitching his hand back, a flush spreading over his cheeks as he held his hand up towards his chest. He remembered being so busy committing the sight of Eugene blushing to memory that he almost didn’t hear him talking to him.
“I just- Was that okay? To do? I was just trying to get your attention.”
How one man could be so lovely, Wally had no idea, but still, he had to answer- not get caught up in the way Eugene fidgeted with his fingers when he was nervous.
“That was fine. I didn’t mind it, you just spooked me a bit.”
“Ah, sorry. I wanted to ask if you wanted anything. If you give me time to get some chemicals all put together, I can mix up some juice or-”
E-Eugene-” Wally held out a hand to stop him, sighing softly before he reached out to grab Eugene’s. He was sweet, so sweet, but Wally was tired. “I’d like to go to bed, please, Gene. That’s all I want.”
Again, Eugene paused to stare at him, looking at him like he was analyzing him as if he were a math problem or the contents of a flask. Wally remembered trying so hard to school his features even if he knew he was blurry to the other at the time. He fought to look calm and delightfully impassive like he usually was, but he could feel that he was falling short in the pinch of his eyebrows and the sway of his lip twitched. He was begging for things to just carry, for Eugene not to question him or how his voice wavered. He wouldn’t be able to take it if Eugene asked. Blissfully, though, Eugene had made no comment if he noticed the squint of his eyes or the way his smile was tight, instead snorting another one of those nasally laughs Wally had come to love so much and closing his fingers around Wally’s.
“Yeah, I guess it is pretty dang late, heh. And besides, you were so eager to sleep over ya even brought your own pillow and blanket, huh?”
Eugene punctuated his remark with a wink uncharacteristic of him and Wally suddenly wished it was also darker in here on top of Eugene having his glasses off. Blind or no, there was no getting around Eugene being able to see his cheeks color to a bright red with a warbled chuckle more akin to the cluck of a chicken than an actual laugh. Sheesh, he was off his game tonight, though it was better than letting on to the truth about his arrival here tonight. Wally wanted to have a lot of conversations with Eugene, but he didn’t think he was ready for that one. Not until Home got their act together. Golly, Home… They were going to have to talk in the morning and that was going to be a conversation if there ever was one.
Eugene laced their fingers, snapping him out of his own thoughts, and started off towards a set of stairwells Wally had never noticed before. Surprisingly, he headed for the stairs that descended deeper into the house rather than the flight heading upwards.
“You sleep in your basement?”
“Well, don’t say it like that, like I’m some weird hermit or-- Don’t comment on that.” Wally hummed cheekily, but kept his lips zipped. “But yes, I sleep in my basement. It’s cooler down here, temperature wise. And, I mean! My last name is Igneous, baby, where else would you find a rock if not underground?”
Eugene laughed at his own joke and Wally almost felt dizzy with the way all the air in his lungs heaved out of him in a dreamy sigh. Not only was Eugene a massive nerd, but he had also called him “baby” again. He’d have to tell him how he felt about that before he forgot to because, golly, that was certainly something. They stepped off the steps into a room that was probably about half the size of the laboratory upstairs, neat and perfectly square with about as much furniture that seemed necessary and not much else flair. It was… quaint, if Wally had to put a word to it, distinctly Eugene with the bits and bobbles here and there like blueprints and journals, but still just kind of a room overall. Even if there wasn’t much to look at, Wally took his time passing his gaze across the room to take in every little detail. The papers strewn across his desk, the blanket on his bed that matched his pajama bottoms, the splatterings of what looked to be star stickers here and there. Much as he loved Eugene and would love to have another sleepover like this (hopefully under far better circumstances), there was no guarantee for it. He remembered thinking about wanting to paint it all later, once- more like if -he got back home.
“I know it ain’t the prettiest place, but cut me some slack about it. I spend almost all my time up in the lab, all the interior design I had in mind for when I moved in was for the upstairs, heh.”
“I think it looks nice.”
The look he shot him was unimpressed. “You don’t have to try and flatter me, Wally, you do that enough when it isn't the middle of the night.”
“....It could use a few posters.”
The two of them snickered and leaned into each other before Eugene began to lead them over to the bed tucked into the corner. For a moment, Wally pondered how Eugene heard him knock from all the way down here, but then Eugene was sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking up at him with those sleepy, adoration-filled eyes and now he wasn’t pondering much of anything. His free hand twitched forward with the urge to cup Eugene’s face, but he held himself back from it. Eugene’s eyes twitched towards the movement and his gaze had lingered for a brief moment, long enough for Wally’s heart to thump up into his throat at what looked to be longing in Eugene’s expression, but his attention eventually drifted back to Wally’s face.
“My bed’s kinda small, sorry. I figured I’d be the only one sleeping in it.”
“Yeah...” Very articulate, Wally. “I could just… lay on top of you? If that’s alright, love?”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Though, data suggests that we didn’t have much of a choice either way.”
Wally snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes not unkindly before he pushed at Eugene’s shoulder to get him to lay down. Eugene had flopped back willing, even held open his arms for Wally to climb into as he settled himself on top of the other. Once he confirmed that Wally was comfortable where he was draped out across the length of him, Eugene had reached for the blanket and pulled it up over the top of both of them and shut off the light next to his bed.
So now here he was, fifteen minutes later, cheek smushed against Eugene’s chest while he slept soundly beneath him. Wally didn’t sleep, hadn’t slept in years, and usually he’d fake it in some way just for fun, but instead, he simply watched Eugene. It was peaceful like this down here with him, Wally thought, at ease under the blankets with the only sounds being Eugene’s soft breathing and the occasional mumble. …He liked it. He liked how safe he felt here with Eugene’s hand on his back and legs tangled up with his, how calm he was staring at the gentle expanding and contracting of his chest while he slept (which he hoped wasn't as creepy as it sounded in his head to be doing.) The two of them were something that made Wally feel happy, something that he knew to be the newfound love they held for each other, but the warm flutter of his heart in his chest only reminded him of the questions he had wanted to ask Eugene about what they were. He figured it had to be in the AMs by now and he had wanted to ask Eugene about it in the morning…
“...Eugene. Gene, darling.”
“Mmm… yes, baby?”
There it was again. “I like that. You calling me that, ‘baby.’”
“I’m glad,” Eugene said with a tired smile, not opening his eyes. “I was trying it out, wasn’t sure if you’d appreciate it.”
“Consider it appreciated, doctor. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you.”
“What’d you want to tell me, then, Wals?”
Wally hesitated, but he’d already woken him back up. He can’t back out now.
“I wanted to ask… Are we in love, darling?”
It was now that Eugene’s eyes opened and, slowly, he turned his head to look at Wally directly. It wasn’t scrutinizing or worried by what he'd asked, just that same analyzing stare he’d been giving him all night. It didn’t make Wally feel small, but it did make him feel… looked at. Exposed. As if his Eugene was finding out more about him than he’d ever reveal with his words. He found his own gaze drifting to look down at Eugene’s chin rather than into his eyes, pressing his face deeper against his chest to further avoid his stare.
“...Yes, we are,” Eugene answered finally after a beat of silence, his hand drifting further up Wally’s back in a comforting caress. “At least, I like to think that we are.”
“I like to think we are too,” Wally sighed with a soft smile, meeting his eye once more.
He could feel Eugene relax underneath him, his smiling returning, and if he wasn’t so tired, he was certain there’d be little hearts floating around his head. Still, though, there was another question nagging at him, the one he was less certain of. He knew they’re in love, knew good and well as the sun would rise that he loved Eugene and Eugene loved him, but the two of them loving each other wasn’t what he’s worried about. What he was worried about was…
“Are… Are we in love like Frank and Eddie are in love?”
Eugene tilted his head. “Do you want to be in love like they are?”
Now it’s Wally’s turn to stare at him, the wheels in his head almost audibly turning as he considered the question. While the way Frank and Eddie were in love was nice and beautiful and he’d support and fawn over them as much as any other neighbor would, when he thought about it, the way they were in love didn’t feel right for him when he applied it to himself. He liked to hug Eugene and hold hands with Eugene and currently cuddling with Eugene felt better than anything, but he didn’t want to put the same label on their relationship that Frank and Eddie had on theirs. It felt… weird. Strange in a way that made his smile twitch and his nose crinkle a little. Him and Eugene were… partners, maybe. Yes, now that felt right. Partners! They were partners! Barnaby and him were best buds, of course, and he was absolutely friends with all his neighbors, but he and Eugene were partners. Yes, he liked that very much.
“No,” he purred eventually, cuddling his cheek against Eugene’s chest. “No, I don’t think I want to be in love like they are.”
“Then we don’t have to be, Wally. We can just be in love like we are.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Eugene gently clapped his hand on the back of Wally’s head, ruffling his hair softly. “Now please let me go back to sleep, baby.”
“Heheh, sorry. Goodnight, Eugene.”
“Goodnight, Wally.”
Wally shifted to wrap his arms around Eugene’s neck and Eugene untucked his free hand from behind his head to place it just below the one already on Wally’s back, tugging him closer as he closed his eyes and settled back into the mattress. It didn’t take long for Eugene to slip back off into slumber and, while he knew he couldn’t follow his beloved off to dreamland, Wally still let his own eyes drift shut and and his body relax against Eugene’s. He didn’t sleep, couldn’t sleep, but he did drift just above it, hours passing by idly without his knowing as he lay there. He was surprised by how he startled back to full consciousness when Eugene suddenly breathed deeply and shifted beneath him, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes and mumble an apology for spooking him again. When Eugene flailed a hand out for his glasses, Wally reached over to his nightstand and grabbed them for him, unfolding the temples and slipping them onto Eugene's face himself.
“There you are. Missed you all night.”
“I was with you the entire time, doctor.”
“Doesn’t count if I’m blind as a bat.”
The look Wally gave him was playfully exasperated. Laughing, Eugene sat up and Wally limply went with him, not retracting his arms from around his neck as they moved. They sat there for a second just looking at each other, exchanging a “Hi.” and a “Hello.”, before chuckling softly and making their way out of bed. Wally reached out and laced their fingers as they got to their feet and headed for the stairs, wrapping his other arm around Gene’s and resting his cheek on his shoulder. It made climbing the narrow stairwell just the slightest bit awkward, but Eugene didn’t voice a complaint about it if he had any, didn’t even so much as frown.
“You want anything for breakfast?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having and a cup of coffee with milk and two sugars, please, love.”
“Mmmmm,” Eugene hummed nervously, lips setting into a thin line. ”Coffee. Don’t we all just love coffee. Such a… sophisticated flavor for us grown-ups.”
It took every ounce of his willpower, but despite it all, Wally spared Eugene his dignity. He instead let out a teasing hum and watched as Eugene pressed a button that flipped his research counter into some kind of island stovetop and wandered over to the fridge labeled “FOOD. NO SCIENCE IN THIS FRIDGE.” in big bold letters to fix them something. Wally took a seat at the table situated in the center of the room and watched Eugene mill about for a moment before his attention turned to the lit up world just outside the windows and he felt his body run cold. He could see the neighborhood from here and as such, he could see Home from here. He couldn’t see their eyes from his angle, but he knew. He knew they were watching him. He knew they’d be waiting, waiting to talk like he demanded they did when the sun came back up. Biscuits and gravy, he could only hope they didn’t make it into some big fuss and actually let him get a word in, if they let him inside at all.
Wally must have been making some kind of face sitting there staring out the window because, after setting down a mug before him, Eugene placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, Wally? You look kind of out of it.”
“Still just a bit tired, don’t worry.” He turned away from the window with a smirk, gathering up his mug in one hand. “But that’s why us grown-ups drink coffee, isn't it, Doctor Igneous~?”
He couldn’t hold back a laugh that time when Eugene's face scrunched up.
Waving Eugene back off towards the stove so he couldn’t see him staring directly into the mug and the swirling light brown liquid inside disappearing steadily, Wally heaved a sigh. He could worry about Home later, he decided. When he’s not watching Eugene try and impress him by flipping pancakes and not having them flop down onto the floor or listening to him ramble excuses for why orange juice is a perfectly acceptable breakfast beverage as well as coffee. When he’s not leaning his warm, rosy cheek on his fist and giggling out a little lovestruck chuckle at his partner as he shook his head. When all that stopped, then he’d worry about Home and their attitude.
…He hoped it never stopped.