A/N: Hey, guys, gals, and non-binary pals! It is once again that time of year where I get the chance to update this fuckin' thing lol. This chapter is mostly fluff and moving the plot along, but I can't promise there isn't some ~smexual content~ 0-0 I'm gonna try and stretch it out as far as I can content wise, but the next chapter is (hopefully) gonna be A Big One. We'll s off that scene from the rest of the story so you can skip! We'll see tho...

Shoutout to Metehor (fanfic) and FranPatchy (ao3) for being the first commenters of the last chapter!

I hope y'all enjoy!

CW: Blatant homophobia and mentions of homophobia. Sexual content somewhere towards the middle!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hey! Arnold...doi.

"I'm gay."

A pit formed in Arnold's stomach as those words fell from his lips. He waited for Gerald's response but was only met by a pause from the other end of the phone, interrupted solely by some quiet shuffling sounds. He chewed on his lip nervously, "Gerald? Did you hear me at all? I said I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah, man. I heard you," the dark-haired boy quipped.

"And? I just spilled my guts to you, and you have nothing to say?" Arnold barked into the phone, his heart racing in his chest.

Gerald laughed on the other end of the line, "You've got to relax, my man. If you think I'm 'boutta disown you or call you some rude shit, you don't know me at all. I'm not upset. I just needed a second to think about how to respond. You caught me off guard comin' out to me over the phone. It's like 1 A.M.!"

The football-headed boy sighed in relief before casting his tired eyes on his potato alarm clock. Gerald was right; the clock blared "1:15" at him in brazen red numbering, chastising him for being awake. He chuckled, embarrassed, "Sorry about that, Gerald. I've been glued to my computer all day."

"What's that got to do with liking dudes, my man?"

"I've been doing research," he answered tentatively.

Gerald snickered, "What, you look up 'dudes kissing,' Arnold?"

The blonde felt his face turn scarlet as he formed his response, "Not exactly... I tried that hands-on approach you mentioned."

The other boy cackled loudly into his ear, interrupting his rambling, "God-dayum, Arnold, you are down bad. I'm glad your little journey of self-exploration went well," he paused, "I do have a question, though."

Arnold gave a short hum in response, still fighting the redness in his face.

"You said you were gay, but you've liked girls in the past. How does that work?" Gerald inquired genuinely.

"Oh," Arnold piped up, "I guess 'gay' isn't exactly the right word. Pansexual is probably the best word for me, I think."

He leaned back onto his bed, staring at the stars through the skylight above. Tucking his phone between his ear and shoulder, he held himself gently to soothe the remaining nerves in his stomach," I guess that just means I don't really care what someone is. I like them for who they are."

"Like the way you like Hugo for who he is?"

It was Arnold's turn to go silent. A different sort of knot began to twist itself in his stomach. That's the part that worried him the most. He knew he still loved Helga- that flame would never burn out. But she wasn't here anymore. How long was he supposed to wait for her? How long is too long to hold a candle for someone?

"I can hear you overthinking through the phone, dude," Gerald grumbled, "You've gotta get your shit together and figure out how you feel about that boy. You can't drag him along for too long, Arnold."

The blonde sighed, "I know, but Helga-"

"Man, forget her," the other boy barked, "Helga is in the past. Right now, you have Hugo. But if you wait too long, you might not have him, either."

Arnold's throat closed up. His words stung, but he knew they were true. He would always love Helga; he couldn't help that if he tried. But that didn't mean Arnold had to restrain himself from happiness. He didn't know what the future held for him, but right now, he had the chance to explore himself and find some happiness again.

He couldn't shake off the feelings of guilt that came with that conclusion, though. How could he find happiness without Helga? Arnold wasn't totally convinced it was possible.

He sighed; it was much too late for that internal rabbit hole. He rubbed at his eyes, pushing back the sting of tears that threatened him, "Yeah, I know. I'm gonna figure this out soon."

"It better be real soon, man. You've got a week before Christmas break," Gerald said, pushing back a yawn.

"What's that got to do with anything, Gerald?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"It means you're inching up on several weeks of Hugo alone time with no school interruptions."

Oh, boy.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some major Z's to catch up on. Phoebe is dragging me to the mall hella early in the morning to shop for some new winter clothes," he paused for a beat before continuing, "You should tag along, my man. Hugo might be there."

Arnold swallowed the excited nerves building in his chest, "O-oh, okay! Goodnight, Gerald. See you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, loverboy."

*CLICK*

The next morning came too early for Arnold. The sound of his alarm clock colliding with the typical Boarding House breakfast commotion rang in his ears as he tried to fight off the fuzziness of sleep that enveloped his body. Begrudgingly, he rolled out of bed, paying mind to prop his toy Abner against his pillow. Noting the fresh pile of snow dimming his room from the skylight, he threw on some warm clothes before making his way to the door. Without a second thought, he grabbed a familiar pink note from the top of his dresser and stuffed it into his pocket, just as he had done every day for the past four years.

He meandered down the stairs, avoiding the usual bombardment of animals and tenants, and padded to the kitchen. His mother, Stella, greeted him at the entrance with a kiss on the forehead and a fresh plate of food, which he accepted gratefully. Arnold plopped down at a free spot next to his father, and his mother followed suit. She smiled fondly at him as he ate, "You're all dressed up, Arnold. Where are you headed so early?"

"Oh, uh," he swallowed, "I'm going to meet Gerald and Phoebe at the mall. They invited me to come shopping for some winter clothes with them, so I figured I'd use it as an opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done."

"I bet your little friend is gonna be there, too, huh, kiddo?" his grandfather cooed from the kitchen, followed by an audible cackle from his wife.

Arnold's father cocked an eyebrow at their remarks, "Friend? As in girlfriend, son?"

The blond teen's face grew warm. He stammered out a response, choking around his oatmeal, "No, no. Not a girlfriend. Boyfriend."

The room grew very quiet very quickly before Arnold realized his slip-up, "Oh! Oh, no! No, I meant boy friend, as in a friend that is a boy. Not boyfriend, heh. I didn't mean that."

He sank slowly into his seat, feeling the room suddenly shrink around him. Despite the attention of the other tenants diverting from his Freudian slip, his parents stared at him with quizzical faces. Their stares didn't go unnoticed by Arnold, either. He chuckled nervously and refocused his attention on his food while his parents shared a confused glance. His father spake again, "So, um, what friend is it?"

"Uh, Hugo," he chimed, begging his voice to steady, "He's the new kid that came over a little over a few weeks ago, remember?"

The confusion fell from Miles' face, "Oh, yes. I remember him. Nice boy."

"I never did catch who his parents are, though," his mother chimed.

Arnold frowned, poking at his food, "He doesn't live with his parents...they kicked him out a long time ago, he says. He lives with his aunt across town."

His mother gave a sympathetic sigh, "That's a shame. I could never imagine a thing a young child could do that would lead me to kick them out."

The blonde felt a somber knot twist inside his stomach. He paused for a long moment before giving a murmured reply, "He's um, well, it's because he's gay."

Mr. Kokoshka grumbled from beside him, smacking obnoxiously around a mouth of food, "Bah. Gay. That is not a good thing. I understand his parents' decision."

Arnold turned to face him with a speed he was sure could've given him whiplash. Before he could say anything, Kokoshka's wife smacked him on the arm, "Now, why the hell would you say something so nasty, Oskar?"

"It is just weird, Suzie. It is not natural," he spoke with such certainty that made Arnold's blood boil. He bit his tongue and wished away the hot tears that started to form in his eyes before pushing himself away from the table. He stood up with such fervor that startled the older man into dropping his bowl and spilling his breakfast all over his lap, much to Arnold's silent pleasure.

He cleared his throat, turning to his parents, "I need to go. I'm going to be late."

The flaxen-haired teen kissed his mother's cheek before angrily stomping out the door, fighting the urge to slam it behind him. As he walked away, his parents exchanged another glance, this one much more concerned. Arnold would never typically walk away without saying a proper goodbye, let alone without helping after causing an accident. Something was wrong with their son, and their shared glance came to a conclusion- they had to find out what.

They nodded at each other understandingly before turning to the outspoken tenant with a disappointed glare and a few choice words.

It was a long, brisk walk to the mall, but the cold stopped any tears Arnold thought he might shed and cooled off the anger that overtook him. Despite how it had upset him, he wanted to do his best to forget the interaction. The teenager wanted to enjoy his day with his friends at the mall, so Arnold trudged onwards, shaking the negative thoughts from his head. Warm air from inside the shopping center greeted him as he pulled the doors open; he was welcomed, too, by the smell of Christmas treats and hot cocoa from vendors and the laughs of children chattering with their parents.

It didn't take long to spot Gerald and Phoebe amongst the swarm of shoppers. Happily, he trotted up to them, noting the bags already crowding one of the dark-haired boy's arms. He shot a bemused glance at his best friend, to which he got an eye roll in return. Arnold looked around for a moment, seeing if Hugo was anywhere in the crowd. Phoebe took notice, "He's not here yet. He's running behind but said he would meet us at Stacy's Outlet in about thirty minutes."

Arnold couldn't control his excited smile as he walked around with the couple through the mall. He couldn't help scanning the crowd as he walked through the other mallgoers, hoping to see the scrappy blonde hair of his petite friend. Finally, they reached the little outlet store where he had been promised to see Hugo. Arnold wandered around the store, absentmindedly perusing the racks of clothing while he waited for his friend to show.

"Arnold?" called a voice from across the racks. His head shot up while a face-splitting gin crowded his face; Hugo waved at him as Arnold abandoned the coat he was checking out to trot up to his friend.

"Hey, Hugo!" he chirped, willing the eagerness to fade from his voice. He looked the shorter teen over, secretly admiring the outfit that framed him so nicely. It was warm-looking but still sharp and dark, much like he expected from Hugo. Edgy things usually made Arnold turn his nose, but Hugo wore that tight-fitting black sweater all too well for him not to admire. He cleared his throat a bit, "You look nice today."

Hugo smirked, "You saying I don't normally look good, Football-Head?"

"You always look good," he said, unable to stop himself. The compliment heated Hugo's face with a red fervor, not unnoticed by Arnold.

"Heh, gee, thanks," Hugo sputtered, surprised at the forwardness of his usually dense companion. He elbowed the taller teen, "You don't look half bad yourself, Arnoldo."

He stepped away and teasingly glanced over his shoulder at Arnold, "Now, come help me pick out some new warm shirts! It's been a while since I've gotten myself without pre-ripped holes in them."

Arnold snorted at this and followed suit. They spent most of the next hour talking and trying on clothes for each other or pointing out the strange things on the racks. Gerald and Phoebe generally kept to themselves, letting the two blondes enjoy each other's full attention. They went from store to store, each buying a few things, before the two pairs eventually split up. Gerald and Phoebe stopped at a sporting goods store while Hugo and Arnold traversed to a smaller shop at the back the latter boy had never stopped in. It was a dimly lit store full of dark clothes and the like.

Very Hugo, Arnold thought.

As he perused the knickknacks on the shelves absentmindedly, Hugo excitedly bounced through the store, pulling things off hangers and folding them over his arm in a pile and taking them to the back to go try on. Arnold couldn't help but smile amusedly at the other boy's happiness. His excitement was infectious, and his smile made Arnold's heart race in a way he hadn't felt in years. The taller boy felt strange looking at another guy this way but did his best to curb his mental unease. He had to figure these feelings out without feeling wrong about them.

"Ahem," Arnold felt a gentle tap on his shoulder that pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up to meet the gaze of one of the store's employees, "Your boyfriend is calling for you from the dressing room, dude."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," he chuckled awkwardly.

The darkly-clad teen rolled their eyes, "Cool. I don't care as long as you two don't fuck in there because I don't get paid enough to clean that up."

Arnold opened his mouth to argue again, but the employee stopped him, "He's griping at you from stall three."

He nodded awkwardly, embarrassment staining his cheeks, before walking towards the dressing booths. Just outside of the door, Arnold could make out the muffled sounds of Hugo struggling. Swears and the occasional "football head" spat from his mouth caused Arnold to chuckle to himself. Restraining his snickering, he knocked gently against the door, "Hugo? Is everything okay in there?"

"Arnold! Fucking finally!" the boy said, clearly out of breath, "I need your help."

He raised a brow in confusion despite the door obscuring his face, "Uh... what's up?"

There was a long pause before the smaller boy finally responded, "I'm stuck."

"You're stuck?"

"Yes! I'm stuck in this fucking top and I need help getting it off," the boy huffed, "It's dark as hell in here and I can't see to get the zipper behind me unstuck."

Arnold laughed a bit, wrapping his hand around the door's handle, "Okay, okay. Let me in so I can help you."

He heard the click of the door being unlocked. He stepped in, closing the door behind him. The room was cramped and dark, just like Hugo said. The scraggly teen was disheveled and noticeably red in the face, even in the dim lighting. The top he was wearing was skin-tight and black, and it was covered in different studs and chains. It looked good on him. Really good.

"Quit staring and help me get this fucking thing off, Arnoldo," he griped before turning his back to him. The pair faced the mirror; Arnold could see the way his tall frame towered over the smaller boy. He looked delicate against Arnold. The room felt warmer, suddenly. Hugo cleared his throat, urging Arnold to fix the zipper.

The taller teen crouched behind him to tug at the small metal mechanism; it was already halfway down, leaving Hugo's soft shoulders and part of his back exposed to Arnold's warm breathing. The feeling caused Hugo to tremble slightly, and he only hoped Arnold didn't notice. He hadn't planned for this to happen as he certainly didn't want Arnold to see his top-surgery scars. But he wouldn't lie to himself and say he didn't love this situation just a little bit. Finally, after a moment of struggling, the zipper unlatched, and Arnold was able to pull it all the way down. Without thinking, he began to slowly pull the top off from Hugo's shoulders. The smaller boy's eyes grew wide as he watched Arnold in the mirror undress him with a half-lidded gaze he'd never seen before.

Hugo let out a shaky breath, but dared not protest as the shirt fully came off. He instinctively covered his chest with his arms to cover his scars, but Arnold didn't sense his urgency. Arnold didn't know what compelled him to do such a thing, but he let his hands fall to rest on Hugo's waist. He admired his figure in the mirror, noting the flustered look on the shorter boy's face. His eyes traced Hugo's frame slowly, taking in every inch. Looking closer, he could barely make out the shape of faded white scars on his hips and arms. Carefully he grazed them with his fingers, stepping closer to be flush against Hugo.

"What happened?" he asked delicately, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hugo looked over his shoulder and up to meet a pair of worried green eyes. He sighed somberly, "Those are from me. A long time ago, I didn't like the way any of this looked," he gestured to his entirety in the mirror, "and it made me angry. So angry and so sad."

Arnold's brow knotted in confusion, "But there's nothing wrong with any of you."

He continued to trace Hugo's frame, moving his hands to the uncovered part of his ribs. Arnold frowned, "And you're still covering up. You don't have to be afraid in front of me."

The scraggly teen refused to meet Arnold's gaze any longer, holding himself tighter. He spoke softly, "There's a lot for me to be afraid of, Arnold."

Without a second thought, Arnold took hold of Hugo's arms and pulled them away from his chest. He looked at Arnold with shock, waiting for the string of responses that was sure to come spilling from the younger boy's mouth. He braced, screwing his eyes shut. Instead, he was met with gentle hands against his chest. Just like Arnold had with his other scars, he traced them gently, causing Hugo's breath to hitch in his throat.

"Surgery scars aren't anything be to be embarrassed about, Hugo," he said softly, his mouth a mere inch from Hugo's ear. He trembled, feeling his heart pound violently against his chest.

Arnold studied the two long scars across the smaller teen's chest. He didn't know exactly what surgery they were from, but he was saddened that Hugo felt any sort of need to hide them from him. He was still gorgeous.

He felt his own face flush at the idea, but he knew he couldn't fight it. He felt Hugo shake against him and looked to meet his eyes in the mirror. Arnold offered a reassuring smile, "I don't know what you've been through, but that doesn't take away from your attractiveness, if that's what you're worried about."

Hugo began to realize his beloved was either too dense to understand what those scars meant or was too kind to question him about them. Either way, Arnold was holding his half-naked body tightly in a dim room and he was calling Hugo attractive. The thumping in his chest changed from worried to a different kind of nervousness; to pry himself away from his lingering anxiety, he half-heartedly teased Arnold, "Are you saying you think I'm attractive, Arnold?"

The taller boy's grip tightened around him slightly, and Hugo began to feel all of what was pressed against his back. It was Arnold's turn to blush, but he spoke confidently, "I do."

Hugo couldn't stifle the small, breathy moan that fell from his lips. Arnold was acting on impulse now, like he couldn't control himself. He didn't know if it was the adrenaline or the atmosphere, or the situation in its entirety, but he ignored the small voice in his head urging him to step away. Instead, he pressed his hips against Hugo and continued to let his hands roam the smaller blonde's figure. The tightness in his jeans was unignorable, now.

"I really do," Arnold whispered.

This was so unlike him, and Hugo knew that. It excited him and terrified him all at once. His breathing quickened as he found himself gripping Arnold's muscular forearms, guiding them back up to his chest. He was dizzy with arousal. His thoughts were foggy; all he could feel was Arnold's hands and something hard pressing against his ass through his black denim jeans. He could barely choke out his words, "W-why are you doing this?"

Arnold responded quietly, "I've figured something out about myself. Now I'm trying to figure something else out."

"And what would that be?" Hugo asked, his voice trembling slightly.

The flaxen-haired teen opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a banging on the door. The two jumped away from each other as a voice griped through the wall, "Dude, I already told you not to fuck in here."

The sensuality left Arnold's voice and was replaced by embarrassed surprise, "Ah! Sorry! We're not uh-"

Hugo piped up over his rambling, "We're not fucking! He's just helping me get a zipper unhooked."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't let me find jizz on anything," the employee deadpanned, "If you're done in there, there's a line starting to form."

"Okay!" the two replied in unison. Hugo awkwardly put his shirt back on, leaving the clothes he was trying on the return rack. The two stumbled out of the changing room, faces red. Dissaproving glances from the other customers urged them to scoot away from the doors and back into the main part of the store. Hugo looked Arnold over; he hadn't seen his cheeks that red in quite some time. As he lowered his gaze, he spotted the effect of what their alone time had done to Arnold in the closet.

He nudged Arnold with his elbow, extending one of his shopping bags to him,"Um, here."

Arnold looked at him with confusion as he took the bag from Hugo. The latter cast a glance down to the bulge in his jeans, which Arnold followed. The football-headed teen's mortification grew, if that were possible, and he used the bag to cover himself as they walked out of the store. He chuckled nervously, "Thanks."

"For the bag or the hard-on?" Hugo quipped.

Arnold groaned in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for what happened in there..."

"Don't be," he replied smoothly before shifting his tone, his voice much more somber, "Unless you regret it or didn't like it or-"

"Woah, woah! No, I didn't mean it like that!" Arnold interrupted, noting the sudden look of worry on his friend's face, "I don't regret it. I just didn't want to cross any boundaries with you."

He stopped walking to face the scrappy teen, taking one of Hugo's hands in his own. The smaller blonde looked up at Arnold with wide, worried blue eyes. He spoke softly, "I don't want you to think I'm trying to play with your feelings, either. I know how you feel about me, and I'm starting to figure out how I feel about you. I don't understand all of this yet; this is so new to me, and I don't know who all is going to stay beside me if you and I, well... You get where I'm going with this?"

Hugo smiled, the worry fading from his eyes, "I understand. Just promise me something, Arnold?"

"Anything, Hugo."

"Don't string me along for too long. I know how you feel about her still. I want you to like me for me, not because you're trying to fill a gap in your heart," he spoke softly, looking up at him with pleading blue eyes.

Arnold nodded understandingly, feeling a twinge of guilt in his chest. He didn't want to make Hugo feel like he was only interested in him to fill a void, and he really didn't want Hugo to think he only liked him for the similarities to Helga.

Hugo was feeling guilty for his own reasons; he felt bad for not revealing who he was yet. He just needed to be certain that Arnold could love him again, despite the transition. Today solidified that feeling for him-- now all that was left to do was figure out how to tell him.

He squeezed Arnold's hand lovingly before leaning up to place a sheepish kiss to his cheek. The taller blonde's face turned a light pink, his lips curving into a giddy smile. Hugo murmured a small "thank you" before standing flat on his feet again.

The two continued walking through the mall, now in search of their friends. Finally, they caught up to the couple at a shop on the other side of the center. They decided to walk around a little while together, browsing the different vendors and grabbing some different snacks and drinks to share while they shopped. All the while, Hugo's hand never left Arnold's.

A/N: I hope y'all liked this chapter! I have the next one already started-- maybe I'll have it out within the next week or so. I usually only get the chance to work on this during my holidays from school '

Anyways, leave a little comment if you enjoyed, and consider subscribing if you want to be updated on the next chapter release! And, as always, the first commenters will get a little shout-out at the beginning of the next chapter!

Thank you for reading!