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"hey?"
eugene pushes his curly head through the doorway, his glasses gleaming in the light of the dim lamp on the nightstand. he walks into the room, gripping a large mug tightly in his hands… god, it smells so sweet!
pugsley, who had been lying on the bed listlessly until then, seems to come alive when he senses his friend's presence; when he hears his slightly trembling voice and the familiar sniffle. he suddenly musters the strength to prop himself up on his elbows and look into eugene’s honey-colored eyes staring at him through thick lenses of his glasses. eugene's eyelashes flutter uncontrollably, and a faint smile is barely visible on his face.
"you're late. did you spend the whole day with your bees again, talking about your nightmares?" a playful tone slips through even the severe hoarseness from his cold. pugsley closes his eyes, smiles, and lies back down (or rather, collapses powerlessly) on the bed. his eyebrows rise slightly as if he's surprised. "how's slurp? did he bother you?"
eugene slowly approaches pugsley's bed, his gaze fixed anywhere but on him. he sits on the edge of the bed, gripping the cream-colored mug tighter. even lying down, pugsley can see steam rising from it, and a moment later, the familiar sweet smell hits his stuffy nostrils.
"not really. at least he didn’t try to eat my brains this time," perhaps, eugene swallows a bit too loudly. come on, it's just simple care! "actually, i was there all day for a… certain reason. i was collecting special honey and processing it for a long time to get exactly what i needed…"
eugene strokes the mug with his thumbs. his eyebrows draw together, and he slightly bites his bottom lip, like he does when he's nervous. he's lucky pugsley can't see it because of the fever (and, consequently, his heavy eyelids).
"ah… cool," pugsley sounds friendly, but eugene can detect a note of sadness in his hoarse voice. he definitely has a fever — eugene can feel the incredible heat radiating from his body even from the edge of the bed. pugsley definitely needs some care, since he refused to go to the medical room. "you’re going to bed, right? i couldn't fall asleep at all… my eyes are burning so much! maybe i'm allergic to your… uh, little insect friends? it’s not like i ate any of them while you were gone…"
eugene quickly gets up from the bed, but only to squat down in front of pugsley's face, looking into his half-open eyes.
"i'll just pretend i didn't hear that," eugene rolls his eyes, earning a soft chuckle from pugsley. he places the mug on the nightstand next to the lamp, which softly illuminates his roommate's relaxed face. "actually, i brought you something."
pugsley's eyes fly wide open. a surge of energy seems to return to him after a whole day of relentless cold misery. a tiny spark flashes in his gaze — maybe it's related to his electrical abilities, or maybe he's just too excited. actually, eugene likes both things about him.
"is it those bees you never let me eat?"
eugene slaps his palm to his forehead. he can be so unbearable sometimes.
"no, pugsley. as long as i'm alive, you're not eating any of my insects. is that clear?"
pugsley deliberately puts on a sad pout, which amuses eugene. pugsley manages to tease him even when he's sick. just like how wednesday manages to be sarcastic when she's one step away from death. maybe it's a family trait?
"so… what is it?"
pugsley licks his lips just from the smell. oh, he must be hungry, eugene thinks, remembering that pugsley has been lying here all day with almost no food — he only brought him a late breakfast at noon, and that's it. guess he did stay in the shed a bit too long while preparing a little gift for him.
"i was collecting honey for you all day. i tried to find the best one… slurp even helped me with it. i let him taste every kind, and he didn't even spit this one out, so i dare say it's not that bad," eugene mumbles quietly, probably too embarrassed. "at least, for a zombie. i don't think your tastes are different, considering the junk you eat."
eugene grins wider than usual: his upper lip reveals a row of large, snow-white teeth bound by braces. his smile always captivates pugsley in a special way. for no particular reason, of course.
"oh… but since when did your honey turn white?"
pugsley sits up on the bed and looks into the mug: it's filled with a thick white liquid that barely resembles, but smells exactly like honey. pugsley's eyes go round, making him look like a lamb. (wednesday would definitely leave a comment about sacrifice right now).
this naivety amuses eugene. a faint blush spreads across his cheeks.
"no, silly, it's milk. did you know that milk with honey helps treat a cold?"
eugene raises his eyebrows, waiting for an answer, while pugsley thoughtfully scratches the back of his head.
"hm… my mom used to treat me with poison mixed with my grandfather's ashes. i don't think any honey can beat its bittersweet taste!"
they both laugh at how absurd that sounds. their laughter echoes off the walls, coming back even louder.
"i don't know how safe it is to treat a human with that… even an outcast. but honey with milk has been tested by generations before us, so it should definitely work," eugene says this quietly, a bit embarrassed, as if there's something strange about simply caring for his roommate's health. "my moms used to treat me like this when i was a kid. i haven't had a cold to drink this in a long time, but the recipe is pretty simple. plus, my honey is way better than store-bought, i promise! it'll help you get better faster, you'll see."
eugene's cheeks burn even more as pugsley picks up the mug from the nightstand and straightens up, inhaling the sweet scent of honey. eugene spent the whole day finding the right one, so he's eager to see pugsley's reaction to its taste.
the steam from the mug hits pugsley's face softly, but he clearly likes it — the corners of his lips are upturned, and his eyebrows are raised. he takes the first sip and freezes.
"mhm… it's incredible! way better than those sour bees from your old hive," pugsley greedily takes another sip, closing his eyes in pleasure. something pleasant pricks at eugene's heart. "thanks, eugene. this is probably the best thing that happened to me this awfully boring day!"
pugsley takes another sip, and eugene just can't stop smiling as brightly as he can.
"i’m glad you liked it. so, i didn't waste all that time being in the shed with slurp for nothing. it was… pretty hard to calm him down without your powers."
pugsley lets out a quiet chuckle and downs the rest of the glass in one go.
"i know, right? i just hope he missed my shocks."
he puts the mug back on the nightstand and wipes his mouth with his sleeve, but a small spot remains at the corner of his lips.
eugene sees this as a perfect chance.
"you've got a spot here," eugene points to his own face. pugsley wipes the wrong side, so eugene carefully reaches out to his face and wipes the spot away with his fingertips. "here… it’s better now."
"really?"
they both freeze — pugsley sits motionless, holding his breath, and eugene still has his fingers on the pugsley’s cheek. he frowns as a stabbing feeling tightens his chest. he can't just miss such a chance.
"you know what… screw it."
pugsley doesn't have time to react before eugene gets to his feet and leans in towards his face. their breath mixes; eugene can feel the heat radiating from the body next to his. his fingers, resting on pugsley's cheek, suddenly move up, burying in his hair as eugene closes his eyes and covers pugsley's lips with his own.
the kiss is light, uncomplicated; just a quick brush of lips. as it turns out, pugsley's are soft and sweet — either on their own or from the milk with honey he just drank.
perhaps it doesn’t really matter right now.
"wow," pugsley's eyes are still closed, as if they're still kissing. a blush covers his neck, but he can at least blame that on the fever. "is that another way to treat a cold? never heard of that one."
eugene pulls back sharply and nervously purses his lips, as if not believing what just happened. on his own initiative, by the way.
"y-yeah, it's… it's a pretty ancient method. well, you know, it usually helps people who are very close…"
pugsley finally opens his eyes and gives a slight smile.
"really? guess my parents have a chronic cold, then," his expression turns serious for a second, even concerned. "they're always kissing."
they laugh in unison, the atmosphere noticeably softening, as if nothing happened between them just a few seconds ago. it all feels like it was just a dream. (and eugene would like it to be a prophetic one).
"it's late. speaking of which, good sleep helps you get better too."
eugene gives a light smile and takes a few steps back from pugsley's bed before the other calls out to him a couple of seconds later.
"goodnight, eugene. and… thanks for caring. the honey was amazing, but that method with the kiss is definitely the most effective. i'm sure a few more of those would help."
eugene giggles nervously at pugsley's comment. he thinks for just a second before walking over to him and leaving a light kiss on the top of his head. a distant wolf howl sounds outside the window.
"it's the full moon's fault. otherwise, i can't explain what i'm doing right now," eugene thinks, quickly moving away from pugsley's bed.
he smiles widely and turns off his own lamp, leaving only pugsley's nightstand light on. eugene takes off his glasses, sets them aside, and lies down in his own bed, turning to face pugsley.
"goodnight. hope you feel better by morning or otherwise i'll have to repeat that method over and over."
eugene can hear a dumb grin from the other side of the room. he's sure pugsley is smirking right now.
"you know… nothing can stop me from faking it."
eugene starts to feel something warm spreading through his veins. maybe it's just blood or adrenaline.
or maybe it's the taste of kisses mixed with warm milk and sweet honey.