Chapter Text
The alarm blared through the deadening silence that engulfed the room like a time capsule of the previous night.
Scrunched, damp tissues littered the floor stacked in uneven piles, not a single piece of hardwood floor could be seen in the masses of scattered belongings; covered the entire floor.
Eugene rubbed his face deeper into the pillow, his eyes slow to adjust to the light peering through, blinding him in the process. He wanted to sleep some more.
"Pugsley turn it off-"
The alarm screeched in his ears like a banshee, it pounded at is head like a nail being hammered into a coffin. It voiced the same sound as the fire alarm of Nevermore, conveniently it happened to be the fire alarm that Pugsley had tinkered with one night.
The sound continues to bellow out like a warning, in which in some cases it was. Don't get the fucking fire alarm as an alarm.
"I said turn it off!"
He chucked a stranded bee-shaped pillow towards Pugsley's direction that had fallen ungracefully off his bed, since the alarm always woke him in an ungodly hour of the morning. Usually way before any normal person should be getting up for school.
It hit the target, causing the graining noise to finally be put to rest. Eugene collapsed back on his pillow, warm and snuggly and most of all safe.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he tranquil lul of sleep just wouldn't return no matter how long he stayed still for nor how long his eyelids were steeled shut.
He yawned groggily, still heavy from his restless slumber. The whole night was spent tossing and turning; tears building up in the crevasses of his eyes with a box of tissues empty, leaving his eyes red, puffy and swollen.
He reached for his glasses on his nightstand so maybe he could finally see..
Right. Last night.
It couldn't possibly have happened, could it?
"Fuckkk..." He groaned inwardly. The curse slipped from his mouth just as naturally like bees producing honey.
It's fine it was just a kiss. Well, kisses plural. There was a lot of kissing. A lot longer than seven minutes.
But how could he not have kissed Pugsley? Pugsley in all his misfit glory has swept him off his feet (literally) like a starved man begging for some nourishment. Social pressure played a key factor!
Objectively, the kisses were sloppy. Too much teeth clashing against one another, too much tongue... And oh! He nicked Pugsley with one of his braces! That was admittedly strange.
But he wouldn't change it for the world. Not entirely.
Yet Eugene's heart plundered forward like an unfaltering soldier except it was currently in No-man's land getting gunned down like his flesh was a piece of swiss cheese.
The night still felt like a blur to him.
Pugsley was handsome, all straight lines and broad shoulders. Perfectly combining the Addams macabre gothic chic to Pugsley's own sense of flare. It was so mesmerising, enticing to take tentative glances at the boy. His ebony hair, usually so brittle and coarse, was curled much like his own however still fried as if he used his power to curl it, sparking jolts of electricity to twist and twine around his finger like a spring to achieve this effect.
He still remembered how his hands skimmed over every surface of the authentic leather jacket before resting on
Pugsley's nape, hands raking through his frizzy hair. The way Pugsley smiled into their kiss that time, unable to stop. It was infectious, "stop," uttered Eugene and went to deaf ears as he himself couldn't stop grinning like a lovesick idiot.
He wandered to his lovely little children, ahem - bugs (he was far 'too old' to continue to call the insects under his care his children), plucking out some dried fruit with his go-to tweezers, additionally spritzing his enclosures with water to keep it hot and humid.
Speaking of hot and humid, it was like the sun was blasting inside that closet. Eugene was sweating under that thick jumper of his, which in retrospect, was a stupid idea to bring to a party with a bunch of drunk underage people. As well as drink that punch.
He didn't make any good decisions that night did he?
Only yesterday he was denying his feelings, stuffing them in a body bag and chucking them a bay or six feet under. Either way, they were under lock and key never to resurface.
But the thing about feelings is that you can never truly suppress them before they come bubbling out like magma under a volcano awaiting to erupt.
It's never graceful when you realise you like someone. It is brash and harsh and claws out your heart strings like a harp with a pair of scissors cutting the notes off by one. It's like a ticking time bomb that your roommate builds when the clock tower strikes midnight and you don't have enough time to take cover before you're covered in ash and soot.
Feelings akin to challenged to a sword duel and yet you'd never in your life before held a sword let alone fought with one.
And please god spare him, these feelings of butterflies - more like maggots - trying to break free from his stomach, swirling with fluttery wings flapping elegantly whilst the maggots eat away at his insides whenever he's around Pugsley.
People asked him why he would be friends with such a weirdo like Pugsley, and he couldn't answer them.
A better question would be to ask if he liked Pugsley as more than a friend.
Eugene enjoyed, relished even, as having Pugsley as a friend. It was something that neither of them had experienced and it showed.
They had weird adventures, oftentimes jeopardising Eugene's pristine record or reputation; but it has their charms. Currently having a zombie in the shed was interesting to say the least.
Moreover, the more than friends? Well...
Yes, his confession wasn't well thought out and extremely impulsive more than Pugsley had ever done so. Then he remembers the alarm bell, and thinks, "maybe not."
It would've been shallow. Hurtful to even suggest something like that to an Addams.
To Pugsley, a boy who wore his heart on his sleeve unbeknownst to everyone but Eugene.
Maybe, that's why he left. You didn't think this through did you? Just like last year, you went and look where thank got you.
In reality, he wondered how it could've been so stupid.
And yet the morning after he looks over at the empty bed, understands this is all his fault.
A tear encircled his cheeks as if he was a female in distress; he was not but who was going to catch him crying alone in his dorm.
Exactly no one.
With one droplet, it began a chain reaction. Hiccups evaded his lips and think rimmed glasses blurry and nose snotty from congestion build up.
Admittedly, he was one ugly cry-er. Sniveling and unable to control the tears spilling over; it was the same ever since he was a child. His moms would comfort him, soothe his needs when he had no friends, pet his hair as they ran their fingers through it.
Pugsley would do that too.
Not at first. Not when they weren't really friends yet.
After one particular nightmare though, Pugsley stood over him with beady eyes, strangely bright against the black back-drop. His face was expressionless, he was just... Staring. Wide eyed and tight lipped. Eugene was screaming his guts off and he stood there observing.
"You tend to cry before you have a nightmare. Then you scream blood Mary which wakes me up."
"What?" Eugene groaned, the sound groggy and hoarse from the fitful sleep.
"You scream when you have nightmares."
"Obviously." He literally told him on the fist day. "Told you."
"Which is super cool awesome but,"
what is it now?
"You are tired in the morning so you get really angry in the mornings, especially at me." Pugsley explained, sounding awake. Where all Addams nocturnal, they never did seem to sleep.
"So what?" Eugene groaned, he was gaining more consciousness by the second that they kept talking.
"Funny story, haha. I definitely didn't eat one of your bugs. Right now."
"Just let me go back to sleep." The bee-keeper deadpanned, slack jawed and deeply puzzled at the jumble of words that escaped Pugsley's mouth.
He slumped his head back on the pillow, with a loud huff. Pugsley returned to his own bed, the covers ruffling as he got in.
Silence swept the room, eerily quiet.
Not for long, though, not with Pugsley Addams.
"Wanna hear a bedtime story?"
"What are you five? We're not little kids anymore." Huffed Eugene, "shut up I'm trying to sleep."
"But you're not asleep right now, duh."
"I'm trying to." There was a lot more anger in his tone now.
"Yes or no, dude?" Zapped back Pugsley.
"Whatever, fine. Yes." Eugene sighed, he was beyond wake now. "As long as I get a nightmare. I'm exhausted."
"Pft, don't doubt your best friend Eug-Bee! Ahem.." he cleared his throat, beginning his long story. "When Wednesday and I were little, about six or seven around the time, we loved playing out for gruesome deaths in history. Marie Antoinette beheading, Anne Boleyn. The Salem witch trails hanging was pretty cool as well. Did you know that-"
"No nightmares, Pugsley or else I'll scream louder."
"Oh, yea. But you know that doesn't bother me? Uncle Fester always was a screamer in the night back at the mansion, couldn't have a night without his straight jacket, it lulled him to sleep like a baby. Anyways, one day Wednesday wanting to create her own assassination attempt on me - mostly for practice so she'd know how to do it perfectly later on in life - so originally she had a butcher's knife."
Great so Pugsley's creepy uncle screamed cause he was insane, nice comparison there Pugsley..
"It was beginner's luck. The knife wasn't deep enough to pierce my heart. For once she missed. Mama was so displeased, she gave Wednesday a machete instead. Then it got fun! I ran around the house like a lunatic. Papa was so happy he wanted to duel Wednesday in a sword fight. She was still naive enough to think she'd win. That was a fun day."
Pugsley waited for a response.
"Eugene?"
A little snore was heard from the boy snuggling his bee shaped teddy bear. It made Pugsley smile, the expression slightly uncanny on his features until recently. He recently had been smiling more. Funny.
"But you're not going to miss my heart are you?"
Eugene had gotten dressed in his uniform hesitantly. he didn't want to go to class. Pugsley would for sure be there and... And...
First he have to wipe his face before anyone saw the state he was in.
But then...
The fixing fire alarm started blasting again, piercing his poor delicate ears that morning.
It was just his luck.
"Eugene, Pugsley you better not be making out in here-" Ajax happened to burst unannounced. "Oh um, just hi Eugene."
"Hi." Ajax had the gall to look shy, rubbing his hand on the back of his nape.
"Uhh, as your RA you gotta line up outside. Uhh, There's an actual fire outside."
Ah shit.
Waddling outside in awkward silence with Ajax wasn't the worst thing he's done but it was up there at the charts of cringe worthy stuff. The handkerchief he was a nice gesture though.
The fire was at the other side of the school, so luckily - for once - he didn't need to perform the secret technique of protecting his bugs, - burn alive so he would go down with them.
"So... Can we talk about the elephant in the room?" Ajax said in a slithered sibilance, drawing out the 's' in the 'so'. "Why do you have hickeys all over your jaw?"
"Pugsley likes to bite- wait- WHAT!" Eugene blushed furiously, a darker tone of red rising to his ears as he squeaked in an undignified manner.
"Chillax bro, it's not that bad. You know since you're like boyfriends and stuff. Pretty cool. I support." Ajax put his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune next to the jittery boy, who was respectively contemplating over all his life's descsions leading up to the very moment.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Eugene yelled, his anger at the wrong person, and he stomped in foot in retaliation to the rumour like a petulant child. He regretted it instantly, bowing his head in shame. "I'm.. sorry."
"Hey Eugene, dude. It's fine. We.. we all get over breakups at some point."
"Pugsley and I were never together. I.." the words died on his tongue.
Now it was Ajax's turn to look surprised, head whipping to face Eugene.
"...Seriously? You spent 30 minutes there!" He proclaimed, hands shooting towards whilst broadcasting this information to everyone in a five mile radius. It turned heads.
"Didn't think I was there for that long..." He muttered, turning his head away, as a plot to hide his bush; punching Ajax's arm with no real aggressive or force.
They lined up the same field where the opening ceremony took place. Where Wednesday rejected her popularity, inherently decreasing the 'hero's' group reputation and causing it to plummet like a stock market crash. Popularity was so fickle. The grass was wet from morning dew and sky in a cloud of grey, no sunlight peeking through. It was miserable weather, which honestly reflected his mood to a tee.
He'd really mess things up with Pugsley.
Principle Dirt tapped the microphone a few times, testing for quality. "Good morning students of Nevermore!," he announced with a chrip to his voice. It made most of the sleep deprived students groan for making them wake up so early. "Please could you go in dorm pairs as your RA takes register. There is a real fire on school grounds however to not panic. Everyone is should be safe."
Just his luck.
Pugsley would have to come out of hiding.
But what would Eugene say to him?
Sure he'd felt bitter about him just ghosting him like that but it had only been approximately fifteen hours and Eugene was acting like Pugsley had perished (like- poof!) from existence, never to be seen again.
Sure he wanted to kiss the Addams boy as much as he wanted to punch in square in the jaw for leaving.
Such contrasting emotions. Eugene couldn't keep up.
Ajax had yelled out some commands, and Eugene had to give it to him, he was pretty damn good as his responsibility.
"Room 413!" Ajax commanded, like a sergeant.
"Room , Eugene Ottinger present!" He felt like a cadet at a military drill.
"Where's Pugsley?" He whispers, covering his mouth with his hand.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since last night.." Eugene muttered back, though that doesn't stop people with super human hearing.
"Trouble in paradise?" Sing-songed a student, and Eugene recognises it's one of the werewolf from the party he dumped into. "Couldn't stop kissing the Addams Freak? His sister is mega hot but he's a freak through and through."
"Trying to pick a fight wolf?" Ajax hissed whipping around to face the broad shouldered werewolf, canine teeth peaking out from his malicious grin. "You're not even from this dorm house."
"Yea and so what, this punk still hasn't apologised." He barked a mirthless laugh inching closer to Eugene like a predator about to eat his prey. "So what are you going to say, worm?"
Eugene froze. He didn't want to apologise, he did that yesterday so. Many. Times. What the guy wanted from him was to publicly humiliate himself to show who was in control.
The bee-keeper gulped audibly. He shouldn't cower, he should face it straight on like Wednesday or even Pugsley.
But he couldn't.
It still haunted him that he was such a coward. To his own fears. To his own feelings. All he could do is run.
It was an honest accident. He didn't see where he was going.
Plus, he'd said he was sorry loads of times but this guy wasn't getting through his thick skull?
"Hey-watch it!" Ajax interjected, putting some distance between the two.
"Watch it Gorgon, don't want you to stone me before he gets what he deserves for making me look like a fool in front of my pack." Well if the answers don't reveal themselves..
"My son! Do not get distracted by frivolous activities, for you see it will make you lose focus- aha!" Mr Addams spoke with his usual enthusiasm, however it was laced with underlaying concern. The fencing sword Pugsley held flew out of his hands straight into the pan of his father's.
Pugsley had been bothered ever since he arrived at the Addams temporary home at Nevermore; worse than anything he's ever seen before. Tish and him gladly took their son in, but Pugsley was melancholic something akin to a miserable homeless man who lost everything in a divorce. Of course if that is what happened to his poor Pugsley then Gomez would fight for his honour and comfort the boy. He would be ecstatic for his only son to be in such a state of despair.
Pugsley was sad. But not in the way he should be.
His eyes sparkled, lips red- oh the red!
"Pugsley our tormented soul... Did you take the oath?" Morticia spoke in he natural hushed tone, yet he eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Papa, Mama..." Pugsley hiccuped, his voice cracking like he was a young boy again, about to start sobbing again. "I-i don't know what to do."
Mr and Mrs Addams shared a worried glance. They welcomed their son into the home with open arms.
"Pugsley, this love is never going to leave you. From now you must understand that you have to protect him with all you can! Let that emotion surge through you!" They snapped back into the present moment, the Addams men locked in a fierce sword duel with Pugsley regained control of the fencing sword.
"Yea Dad, I know." Huffed Pugsley.
After he caused a fire - by an accidental usage of his powers to heat up the sword (who knew metals were such great conductors of electricity!) and one wrong move at boom! Fire. Back at the Addams' humble home. He wondered if a chunk of the school would suffocate under the smoke because he's tinkered with the fire alarm a few times. No, wait that was with the water pipes, the fire alarm was still at his dorm...
Oh right his dorm. Their dorm..
Nonetheless, the metal rods clanged against one another as people began clearing away as they continued to fight even when they had evacuated the premises. Morticia has no qualms about staying in the house. Quote-on-quote saying, "It had a deathly smog at last, it kills my heart." All whilst sipping her tea with one arched eyebrow, void-like eyes illuminated in the warm light.
But what Pugsley had failed to notice was the crowd forming around... Was that his son's bee-keeper, best friend?
Oh indeed.. A wicked grin appeared on Gomez's enthusiastic complexion.
"Pugsley my little ferocious beast, take this as your fist test to becoming a true Addams gentleman!" Gomez swished his hands in extravagant and eccentric movements. "See, the boy you hold dear is in grave danger! A fate worse than death to see the one you cherish in such misery that is not caused by you! Rescue them!"
"Yes of course Papa but-" Pugsley jumbled out the words, puzzled by what his father meant.
Pugsley was put on strict rules that for the remainder of the week Pugsley was not allowed to be near Eugene. Dumb rule he knows. But his father instructed that it is in Addams family tradition; he must not communicate with that off the person he has kissed, not until the same hour that they shared could they exchange words. This meant that he couldn't talk to Eugene at all. In which cases meant he had to isolate, or else the oath would curse the 'lover' a fate worse than death.
Could you guess what that is?
He doesn't know how his parents managed. Well they only specified verbal communication but anything else was still on the table he supposed.
Pugsley didn't understand the mechanics of it all. But Pugsley did know that it could happen. One of the graves in the cemetery back at the Addams mansion, read of Uncle Hubert who died of an empty heart after he failed to fulfil the oath. Literally, his heart was empty. But then his wife went ballistic without him and sent herself into a spiral.. there was a lot of stuff going on and it was too early in the morning to explain it all..
But being without Eugene was...
Torture, and his parents knew well if that. But then again they weren't much for rules anyway.
He couldn't fail. Not for the Eugene.
So when his ears pricked up with that growly scratchy voice that happened to threaten Eugene yesterday...
Pugsley didn't know he could move that quickly.
That bastard had Eugene but the scruff was just like the last time he had caught him.
It engulfed Pugsley in an unbridled rage.
Eugene couldn't breathe, he knew his throat was closing, like it always did when he got nervous. His breaths were shallow, uneven and coming out in hollow gasps.
"Oh has your little boyfriend come to protect you again?"
Eugene tried to kick, or be free of the grip but it was relenting. The guy had only landed one good punch and even then Eugene could bear it. Doesn't mean he liked the position he was in.
Ajax was squirming to get out of a strong grasp that locked his hands behind his back so he couldn't take off his burgundy beanie.
He wasn't scrawny, but by no means. He worked in the fields most of the time so he was bound to build muscle. It just wasn't the muscle that wasn't very useful in these situations.
Pugsley's military boot made a sloshing sound when he trudged through the muddy, dew filled grass.
With his fencing sword, he stabbed the blade through the shoe of said bastard, undoing so letting go of Eugene who scrambled to grab his inhaler from I side his blazer pocket.
"You fucking freak!" The werewolf hissed baring his teeth, "why the fuck did you do that!"
He clutched his foot, whimpering in pain. That was good enough for Pugsley to rip out his sword and stamp on the scruff of the wolf like he was nothing more than road kill.
Eugene had never seen Pugsley this way. It was so mortifing to see it up close. No one had the gall to record either. It was just a horrifying watch as the wolf got zapped in a cooked werewolf, barely breathing. Pugsley grinned like a maniac and then sat on him.
Eugene kind of felt bad. It was his battle to fight and Pugsley had once again done it form him.
Pugsley had started at him with this really intense look from his eyes,m the entire time. It lacked the warmth he knew Pugsley possessed. It was dull, void.
Principle Dort gradually managed to sweep away students to find Pugsley Addams sat on top of a werewolf student, fencing sword dangerously close to the students head.
"PUGSLEY ADDAMS, DETENTION IMMEDIATELY!" He gurggled like a turkey, his toupee askew.
Pugsley shrugged, accepting his fate like the masochist he is.
He walked up behind Principle Dort, just as students from the other side of the school burst out coughing and in full blown panic.
Like a prisoner being taken away in an overtly tragic and Britney Spears "Criminal' way, Pugsley turned around, sword in hand, winking and blowing a kiss back at Eugene.
Eugene stood there dumbfounded, Ajax just managing to break free from behind him as the crowds dispersed.
...
What the fuck are those messages supposed to mean Pugsley Addams!?