A/N: Hey there, guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Hope y'all enjoyed the last chapter. I really forgot how much I loved writing about these two dorks. This update will hopefully be better-paced than the last, and I hope you all like it! Let me know what you think in the comments
Trigger Warning: Mentions of self-harm, dysphoria, Rhonda being a bitch, homophobia, transphobia, and use of slurs.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey! Arnold... doi.
Light trickled through the skylight of Arnold's bedroom, bathing the room in gold. Hugo woke to the sound of Arnold stirring in bed, pulling his stuffed pig close to his chest. He rolled over onto his back and sighed dreamily.
Running his fingers through his hair, he smiled fondly as he looked around Arnold's room. The overwhelming sense of familiarity settled warmly in Hugo's chest. Sitting up, the boy rolled up the sleeves of his borrowed sweater. His movement must have woken the other boy as Arnold began to stir.
"Morning, Hugo," grumbled the football-headed boy as he sat up, arms still wrapped around the stuffed pig.
"Good morning, Arnoldo," the blond smiled at him warmly.
"How did you and the pig sleep?" Hugo asked with a grin, standing up from the couch and beginning to fold up his covers.
Arnold looked down at the stuffed animal in his arms before shoving it behind him with a sheepish smile. This earned a chuckle from the older teen. The football-headed boy stood up from his bed and stretched, his sweater inching up his waist as he did so. Hugo suddenly felt the room grow hot and quickly pulled his drifting eyes away.
Hugo quickly grabbed his things and headed to the restroom to change. By the time he was finished, Arnold was waiting in the hallway for him, dressed and ready for the day. After stopping back in Arnold's room so Hugo could shovel all his things into his bag, the two made their way downstairs.
Hugo spent the morning trailing behind the tall boy as rowdy tenants moved around the kitchen, yelling, cackling, and throwing food. When they all finally settled down to eat breakfast, Hugo took a seat next to his beloved. Chatter filled the dining room as he looked around at them all amusedly. He was re-introduced to tenants he had met years ago and some new additions to the Sunset Arms family.
Hugo felt his chest fill with happiness as he said good morning to Arnold's parents. He had missed them terribly, as they had become second parents to him after he and Arnold got together in elementary. As they ate, a wave of bittersweet emotion washed over Hugo. He remembered all the times he had sat here and eaten with these people, his found family, but not a soul at the table knew it was him.
That's what he thought, at least, until he found himself alone in the kitchen with Arnold's grandmother. He was helping her clean while Arnold went out to collect rent from the tenants. Before his father sent him away, Hugo often found himself at the Sunset Arms on weekends like these. Like today, he would help Arnold's grandmother in the kitchen. The two became quite close over the years because of it. It made Hugo happy to share a moment like this with her again.
As he scrubbed away at a dish, Gertrude spoke up, "You know, Hugo, I did miss you dearly."
His head whipped around quickly, and he lost grip of the sponge in his hand, "What?"
"Oh, I know who you are, silly. I may be old, but I can still tell who you are."
"I don't understand... how did you...?" the boy fumbled for words as he stared at her, gawking.
The old woman put a hand on his shoulder, "If you take the time to know someone's heart, whatever is on the outside won't hide what's on the inside, deary. You're still the same soul, no matter what."
Without thinking, he pulled the older woman into a hug, to which she happily returned.
"I missed you too, you crazy old bat."
The old woman cackled at this as she pulled away. The two finished up in the kitchen right as Arnold came back inside. He stood in the doorway and smiled fondly as he watched Hugo put up the last dishes. It had been years since he had seen his grandmother let someone help her in the kitchen like that. Since Helga, he supposed. What was the change, he wondered?
Arnold and Hugo spent an hour or so more together as the football-headed boy gave him a finished tour of Sunset Arms. The boarding house hadn't changed much in the years he had been gone, which comforted Hugo. It felt more like coming home because of it.
Eventually, Hugo decided to go back to his flat to get ready to spend the afternoon with Phoebe. The two blondes said their goodbyes and Hugo left with a broad smile on his face.
Hugo came home to find his aunt scrambling around their flat. Her arms were full of grocery bags, each packed to the brim with food. Setting his bag down by the door, Hugo held out his arms to offer to hold some for her. Happily, his aunt obliged and dumped them all into his arms. The boy thought his back was going to break as he shuffled the groceries into the kitchen.
"I bought treats and stuff for the cat, and chips, drinks, and, oh- I hope Loki likes the treats..." the woman's rambling trailed off into the kitchen as Hugo scrambled to catch up, brown paper bags of food spilling out of his arms.
"So... What the hell is all of this for, Aunt Eda?"
"We are going to have a party next weekend!" the blonde woman chirped excitedly.
"Okay... why?" he cocked his eyebrow at his perky guardian as she shoveled groceries into the fridge.
"You have to feed party guests, Hugo."
The boy snorted and rolled his eyes, "I mean 'why' the party, Edalyn."
"It's been years since you've seen your friends, and now you're back in Hillwood with them! I think that's plenty cause to celebrate," she said as she closed the fridge door.
The teen scratched the back of his neck, "No one here knows I'm me, Eda. I told, like, two people and one of them was my teacher, so he wouldn't out me on accident."
"You mean your friends don't know you're back, hun?" she asked, pulling up a chair next to her nephew.
Hugo sighed, "Not yet. I'm scared they'll react like Bob did..."
She frowned at the young boy, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I doubt that, sweetpea. The way that brute reacted was extreme; I highly doubt any of them would do the same, let alone reject you. Have you told Arnold?"
The teen shook his head sadly before burying his face in his arms. His aunt hugged him tight, "Then who was the other person you told?"
"I told Phoebe, my best friend. She had already pieced it together before I could tell her, though. She was accepting," he smiled fondly to himself, "so I'm going over to her place today so we can hang out and talk about... everything."
"Oh! Well, that's wonderful, Hugo. You can invite her to the party."
The boy sighed, "Fine, fine... but that's all the party I wanna have."
The older woman shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. With a wave of dismissal, she spoke with an air of love and annoyance in her voice, "You say that now, but I bet by the end of the week, you'll have your other two friends at least at this party."
The gangly blonde frowned with a furrowed brow, tuning his slender hand through his hair, "Yeah, well... I'll talk to Phoebes- see what that brainiac thinks..."
Hugo lounged around on the couch with his aunt and their cat for a few hours as he waited for his alarm to tell him to head to his friend's house. As a TLC drama blared on the screen and the boy's fingers ran through the soft black fur of the kitten, his mind began to wander.
What would happen if he told Arnold...?
A wave of nausea washed over Hugo as the thought of Arnold's rejection manifested itself in his head. He stood up promptly to shake himself of the thought, startling the cat in his lap. The idea of Arnold's disgusted face made his heart race, and not in the way it usually did. Taking a breath, he stopped at the end of the stairs to refocus himself. Hugo made his way upstairs, remembering that he still had a few things to unpack.
A few small boxes sat unpacked in the corner of his room by the door. He smiled determinately to himself and quickly unloaded the first two. His room looked fuller as he placed trinkets and posters from one on bookshelves and bare bedroom walls, and clothes in drawers and closets from the second one. The last box was smaller, its cardboard adorned with "fragile" in bold Sharpie letters.
Carefully, the teen opened it. He felt a warm feeling bubble up in his chest as pictures and Polaroids of fond memories and friends flooded his view. He pinned the Polaroids to his wall one by one, admiring pictures of him and his high school friends from his old school. He gasped as he picked up a small-framed Polaroid. It was of him and Arnold on their last date.
The two sat on a roof, bathed in an orange sunset. Hugo's head had been tucked into the crook of Arnold's neck, the two of them smiling brilliantly at the camera. It was the only happy moment of that day, Hugo thought.
The same image sat in a similar frame on Arnold's desk at the younger boy's flat. The thought of that made happy tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. For a moment, Hugo let his mind and heart wander. His mind took him to sweet moments of bliss. Hugo's hands entangled with Arnold's once more, his lips meeting the other's, a familiar smell of the football-headed boy's cologne filling his senses. Hugo felt dizzy with love as he wandered further from reality.
The jarring buzz of his phone's alarm roused him from the scenarios painting his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before grabbing his bag and making his way downstairs.
The ride to Phoebe's was quicker than expected. Nerves pooled in his stomach as he approached the steps. What he was afraid for, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was knowing that it'd been years since he'd done this, and the excitement was making him sick.
The small girl opened the door before he could shoot her a message to tell her he was there. The gangly blonde was greeted with a tight hug before promptly tugged into the flat. Hugo eyes the place, noting with a smile that not much had changed at all since he had last been there.
They made their way to her room and got cozy on the floor with pillows and blankets. The two spent most of the afternoon chattering about what had gone on in the past few years.
"So...," Phoebe mumbled, breaking a small silence after a bout of laughter, "If this is too invasive, feel free to not answer my questions. How did you figure out you were transgender, and when did you figure it out? I can't imagine you were aware of it for very long."
Hugo smiled reassuringly, excited to answer. He sat up from his spot, leaning back on his hands to ponder her inquiries for a moment, "I guess I knew once I hit puberty that something was wrong. I felt disconnected from everything feminine happening with my body. I did some research and found out what being transgender meant. Then it clicked. I had just cut my hair really short when my father found out. God, was he angry."
He leaned back on his palms, reminiscing about the incident all those years ago, "I guess I left my computer open or something, but Bob went snooping through my stuff and found my search history. It was pretty apparent what I was thinking about myself, so even he understood."
Phoebe nodded understandingly as her friend continued, "I was terrified. He threw me out the next morning without a second thought."
Hugo felt his stomach knot, "Miriam didn't even fight it. She... well, she was too drunk to realize what was happening in the first place, I think. My aunt showed up as fast as she could to come get me."
The petite girl chimed in, "I didn't realize you had an aunt, Hugo."
He smiled softly, "Yeah, I didn't either. She and Bob are so different; I can see why he had failed to mention her for so many years. Edalyn has been my rock these past years."
''I take it that she supports your transition fully, then?"
"Oh, yeah. She's helped me with all of it so far."
Hugo stood up with a grin, "As for my transition, it's been weird but wonderful. Life-saving, really. I started taking testosterone at 15, which explains my voice deepening and my luscious facial hair."
He scratched at his tiny goatee and thin mustache comically before lifting his jumper above his chest. With a proud smile, he showed Phoebe his top-surgery scars, "I had my top surgery a year ago!"
"Oh, wow! That's amazing, Hugo. I'm proud of the man you've become. I'm so happy to have my best friend back," the petite girl stood and opened her arms to gesture for a hug, "I just hate you had to suffer for so long and not have anyone here to confide in."
Hugo hesitantly obliged, tears prickling the corners of his eyes, "Thanks, Phoebes. That means a lot..."
The boy wiped his eyes once they pulled away from the hug, "My aunt is actually throwing me a party next weekend to celebrate being back. The only issue is that none of my friends knew I was me until yesterday. You, my aunt, and Mr. Simmons are the only ones who do, actually."
"I see...Well, Hugo, I'll certainly be there," Phoebe smiled at him warmly.
"Thanks, Phoebes..."
The two spent a bit longer scrolling through the internet together on Phoebe's phone. As they lay on the bed watching a video, the petite girl's phone dinged with a MySpace notification. Curiosity peaked as "New Post: Rhonda Lloyd" flashed on the screen, so the girl clicked it.
It was a video.
The camera panned down the tiled floor of what seemed to be a school hallway. After a moment of watching, the two realized that it was right outside a closed classroom door. There was muffled talking from the room being filmed, which became more precise as the camera inched closer to the door. To Hugo's horror, the voices were his own and Mr. Simmons. Hugo's voice rang clear, "Thanks so much, Mr. Simmons. I knew I could trust you with this secret. I especially don't want Arnold finding out...not until I'm ready to tell him, at least."
The video ended abruptly, so Phoebe quickly scrolled down to the caption and comments.
'Looks like the new kid is a homo, and with the hots for Arnold, no less,' read the caption. Comments flooded the post with chatters of gossip, words of disapproval, and strings of slurs. Phoebe shut the phone off quickly as the teens both sat up. For a moment, Hugo thought he was going to faint.
As quickly as the feeling came, it was replaced with a wave of seething anger. Hugo stood up from the bed, fists balled tightly, so his black-clad nails dug into the palms of his hands. The small girl looked up at her lanky friend, eyes filled with worry. She spoke hesitantly, "Hugo?"
The boy's head whipped around to face her. Hot tears prickled in his eyes as his brow furrowed, "What right? What right does she have to out me like that? As far as she knows, she doesn't even know who I am!"
He began to pace the room angrily, running shaky hands through his dusty blonde hair. His voice shook as he held back furious tears, "Just imagine what would have happened if Rhonda managed to catch the part where I actually came out as trans to him?"
He felt a small, gentle hand on his shoulder, "But she didn't. And that's what we have to focus on right now. How do we deal with the rumor Rhonda spread, not the truth that she could have spread?"
He took a shaky breath and wiped his eyes, "You're right... But what she did say was true. I am gay. I'm a boy that likes boys, and now the whole school knows it."
"They don't know it; they just know what Rhonda told them. It's speculation with no solid evidence."
"Phoebes, as much as I wish that were the case, we both know it's not. With the way Rhonda twisted it, that video absolutely made it sound like I told Simmons I was gay with a big fat crush on Arnold. It doesn't help that she was probably already spreading this around before she posted the video."
The small girl let out a puzzled sigh as the two grasped for a solution. A tense moment of silence clung to the air before Hugo's sinister smile sliced through it. Noticing his change of emotions, Phoebe raised a quizzical eyebrow. Before she could open her mouth to speak, the boy's gravelly voice rang through the room.
"I'll just come out."
"You're gonna what?"
"I'm gonna stand up on a table in the cafeteria, get everyone's attention, and tell the whole fucking school that I'm gay. I'll say that I didn't want Arnold to find out because he was the first new friend I made at school or some sentimental hogwash."
"And what about Rhonda? I know you have something planned for that."
The boy plopped down on the bed and grabbed the girl's phone, reopening it to the video. He quickly saved it and sent the video to himself, alongside screenshots of Rhonda's comment responses filled with homophobic remarks.
"Now I have blackmail."
"Isn't it blackmail on you, though, Hugo?"
"Just for the moment."
The small girl's brow furrowed confusedly. Hugo chuckled at her response and laid back on the bed. The small girl mimicked his movements before looking over at him with a reassuring smile, to which Hugo less eagerly returned.
The rest of the evening passed slowly before Hugo made his way home. With each step up to his bedroom, he felt his nervousness for Monday tighten the knots in his stomach further.
As Hugo walked through the school's main hallway that Monday, he noticed there were more eyes on him than usual. Usually, this would be the general behavior when a new student transferred in. However, Hugo was all too familiar with this kind of whispering and staring; only a rumor started by Rhonda Lloyd would cause such an uproar.
"Gay...Faggot...Is he really, ya know?"
The fractions of hushed gossip grazed the boy's ears as he made his way to his first-period class. It was as he and Phoebe had expected. Hugo's jaw clenched as he felt a seething anger sear through his core. How dare she spread something so private around the school. The teen balled his fists tight as he stomped down the hall.
Mere steps before he reached his first class, the large frame of Harold loomed over him, "Hey, Hugo. Rumor around the school is that you're a little fairy or somethin'."
Hugo stared up at the brutish boy, his jaw locked in fury. His stout monobrow furrowed as the other boy continued, "I can't believe they'd let a wimpy little fag like you into school. In fact, I think-"
The brutish boy let out a shocked whimper as the collar of his greasy shirt was tugged down roughly by Hugo. He pulled the boy down to meet his angry blue eyes, his other fist raised to hit Harold.
"Listen, you big, fat, stupid dolt. The last thing you need to worry about is where I put my dick," he tightened his grip to choke the other boy. "What you need to worry about is where on your body I'm going to sink my fist into. Call me that slur one more time, and I'll have you whimpering so loud everyone will think you're the faggot, understand?"
Harold nodded curtly, fear trickling in his eyes. Hugo let go of his shirt collar and dusted off his hands, "Good. Now shoo."
The surrounding whispers had stopped as those in the halls stopped to watch the altercation. Amongst the crowd of spectators were Phoebe and Gerald. The tall boy watched with wide eyes as he watched Harold shuffle away. There was something startlingly familiar about Hugo at that moment, and the nagging feeling stirring in Gerald's mind made him determined to figure out why. The tall boy eyed the blonde as they made their way into the first period, the warning bell ringing loudly through the halls.
The three settled down in their English class, chattering amongst themselves as they waited for Mr. Simmons to come in and start the lesson. As the last bell rang, Arnold, Mr. Simmons, and a few other students stepped into the classroom. The football-headed boy smiled when his eyes met Hugo's, to which the older boy returned. He took a seat next to him, and the two emptied their books onto their respective desks.
After a few moments, the teacher cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "Ahem! Everyone! Settle down now, please. We have a special project this month where we will be working in pairs! Your assignment will be due at the end of the month, right before Thanksgiving Break."
A hushed chatter swept through the room as Mr. Simmons pulled a list of names from off his desk, "First, I'll tell you your assignment. You and your partner will be working together to write an Elizabethan sonnet! It can be about whatever you like, but it has to follow the sonnet format-"
The collective groan from the students overpowered the teacher, "Now, students. I know you think poems are boring, but I promise that writing your own can be very special! Let me read off the pairs now..."
Mr. Simmons read through a few names that Hugo did not recognize, so he zoned out until he heard his own name called.
"Hugo and... Arnold, and Phoebe and Gerald! That's all the pairs. You can get started with your assignment now with your partner!"
A wave of nerves crashed over Hugo, but he was slightly relieved to see the excitedly beaming face of Arnold. The football-headed boy scooted his desk next to him, his shoulder pressing against Hugo's.
'Oh, be still my poor heart!'
"So, I don't know about you, but I'm not the best at poetry," Arnold grinned, "but I'll do my best."
Hugo smiled fondly at the boy before pulling out his poetry journal and placing it on the desk in front of him. He pushed it toward his beloved with a cheeky smile on his face, "Don't worry about it then. Yours truly has plenty of experience with poetry."
Arnold flipped the book open and skimmed the first couple of pages. As he read, the smile widened on his face, "This is great, Hugo! How'd you learn to write like this?"
He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "Practice, I guess?"
"Well, it's fantastic. With your writing, we'll make an A for sure."
Hugo blushed profoundly and pulled his pink journal to his chest- a sight that made Arnold's chest twist strangely. He looked the boy over and cleared his throat, clearing his mind of the feeling. With a crooked grin, he asked, "What's your favorite thing to write poetry about?"
'Criminy! You are!' Hugo's thoughts wailed.
"Oh, uh...," the older teen nervously tucked a strand of hair behind his ear," love, I guess?"
"Love?" Arnold smiled widely at this, "Have you ever been in love, Hugo?
"
The lanky boy looked up at him with wide blue eyes, face dusted with a melancholy smile that made Arnold's heart flutter strangely in his chest, "Terribly in love."
The words he spoke so gently coupled with those wide, familiar blue eyes brought heat to the younger boy's cheeks. He couldn't place why his heart rattled in his rib cage or what exactly it was he was feeling, however. Instead, he made a noise of acknowledgment and hoped his voice wouldn't crack.
"How about you, Arnold? Have you ever been in love?" Hugo asked, oblivious to the other boy's internal turmoil.
"Terribly in love, with the girl I told you about the other day," he furrowed his brow sadly, "I still love her."
Hugo's heart sang, and he had to fight the smile trying to carve itself onto his face, "Are you sure you'd love her still if she came back and she wasn't the same?"
"The way I love Helga is unconditional. She may not be who I remember, but if I know her well enough, she's not gone anywhere that she wouldn't fight to be herself. And that's how I know I'll always love her because no matter what, she'll always be herself."
Hugo felt a sob climb its way up to his throat. Harshly, he swallowed it down and looked down so as to not meet his gaze, "I think we should write our poem on love, then."
"That works with me, Hugo!" he chirped.
Before Hugo could open his mouth to speak, the bell's ring split the air and echoed down the halls. Arnold moved his desk back to its original place and threw his backpack over his shoulder. Hugo mimicked his actions and headed towards the door, calling over his shoulder, "See ya at lunch, Arnoldo!"
The younger blonde waved at him as he pushed his chair in before heading to his next-period class.
It was a free period for study, and Arnold had nothing to do. Gerald was running late to it, so he plopped down at their usual table by himself to wait on his friend. Arnold sat at his desk, tapping his foot absentmindedly as he doodled on some old homework. The teen slowly found himself drawing a familiar pair of eyes and felt a warm feeling bubble up in his chest. Gently, he colored them in with his blue highlighter and admired his work. A dreamy sigh escaped his lips as he leaned on his hand.
"Why are you drawing Hugo, man?"
Arnold jumped in his seat as Gerald leaned over him to stare at his paper. Arnold furrowed his brow after a moment of surprise, "That's not Hugo, it's Helga!"
"Nah, man. That's totally Hugo, look-" The taller boy grabbed a pencil off of the desk and crudely drew the rest of the boy's face around the eyes.
The football-headed boy stared at it a moment before hastily crumpling the paper. A heavy blush warmed his face as he avoided Gerald's amused gaze, "I wasn't drawing him on purpose... I think they just have the same eyes, maybe."
"So you think Hugo has pretty eyes?"
"Ye- No! That's not what I said, Gerald," the blonde swatted at his friend.
The boy laughed, "Alright, alright. I'll stop messin' with ya."
"Thank you," Arnold spoke softly, blush still dusting his cheeks.
The few periods leading up to lunch were exceptionally long for Hugo. Every second felt like minutes, and the closer the clock inched to noon, the faster and more intense his anxiety became. Technically he didn't have to come out, but almost everyone around the school had heard Rhonda's rumor, he was sure. In a way, lunch couldn't come fast enough.
Just to dissolve his anxiety and stop the whispers and glares, Hugo wanted to come out and get it over with.
The bell finally rang to signal lunch, and Hugo felt his heart pounding against his ribs. He made his way through the cafeteria doors and grabbed a bottle of water, ignoring the food line. Looking around, he spotted Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe sitting at a table. Hugo's eyes caught his beloved's, causing the football-headed boy to wave at him in a "come here" motion. The lanky blonde happily obliged and trotted over to the table.
He took a seat next to his object of affection, feeling a sense of comfort from his presence. He ran a shaky hand through his hair before trying to open his water bottle. His clammy hands were shaking with nerves, which caught the attention of all his friends. Gently, Arnold took the bottle from his more petite friend's hands and opened it for him.
As he gave it back, he shot the boy a concerned glance," Are you okay, Hugo? You look upset."
Hugo gave a curt nod before taking a big swig of his water, "There's just something I have to do, and it's...nerve-racking."
"You don't have to do this, Hugo," Phoebe spoke softly from the other side of the table.
"You know I have to, Phoebes. How else am I gonna get everyone to shut up about what Rhonda posted?"
The other two boys shared a confused glance before looking back at Hugo. Gerald spoke up, "The whole Simmon's video about you being-"
"Gay? Yeah, that thing," Hugo chuckled forcefully, "I have a few things to say about that video. Here's to hoping it helps, I guess?"
Hugo stood up shakily and took a deep breath before climbing on the table. He looked down to his best friend for reassurance, to which he was met with a thumbs up. Clearing his throat, Hugo took a moment to ready himself before yelling out to gather the cafeteria's attention, "HEY! CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE?"
The loud chattering of the room settled as all eyes moved to stare at the boy. Hugo shuffled nervously where he stood and swallowed hard before speaking up, "This weekend, a video of me was posted, and it started a rumor about my sexuality around the school. I want to put an end to the speculation."
A thick silence clung to the air as Hugo chose his following words, "Rhonda was right. I am gay. That is what I told Simmons in the classroom..."
Hushed whispers danced around the room after he spoke. Before he lost their attention, he said firmly, "But don't drag Arnold into this; my sexuality has nothing to do with him. I was just scared of my friends finding out, but thanks to Rhonda, I no longer have to worry about that. So, now that you all know, you can all take my name out of your mouth."
With a huff, Hugo hopped down from the table. Noticing people were still staring at him, he furrowed his brow and growled," What the hell are you all still looking at? Go back to your lunch."
The usual chatter of the cafeteria came back slowly as the blonde took his seat next to Arnold once more. His heart continued to pound fast as he avoided his friends' eyes. He jumped slightly in surprise when he felt a warm hand on his. Looking down, he saw that it was Arnold's.
"You don't hate me, do you?" he looked up at the boy with sad, scared eyes. It made Arnold's heart hurt.
"Of course not. It doesn't change a thing. I'm proud of you for being brave enough to do something like that."
"We're all proud of you, Hugo," chirped Phoebe.
"Hell yeah, man, that was ballsy!" Gerald nudged the boy on the shoulder.
Hugo breathed a sigh of relief and smiled softly at his friends, speaking softly, "Thank you, guys..."
The rest of lunch passed quickly and was filled with happy chatter. Before the bell rang, Hugo stood up from his seat and opened his bag. Arnold looked at him quizzically when Hugo began digging through it, "I have something for you in here, Arnold."
He smiled as he held out a teal sweater to the other blonde, "Here! I shoved it in my bag by mistake when I left your house."
"Oh!" He took the sweater from him and glanced at it for a moment. He smiled at the scrawny boy as he handed it back, "Ya know what, you can keep it."
Hugo grinned crookedly, "What? You don't want my gay cooties? I did wash it."
Arnold sputtered at his comment, causing Hugo to cackle. With an amused frown, Arnold responded, "That's not it at all! I just have a bunch at home, and it looks good on you. Here."
Hugo tentatively took the sweater back from the boy, his face lit up with giddiness. He pulled his other sweater off quickly and put the new one on. It was much too large for him and hung loosely on his shoulders. The scrawny teen buried himself in the soft fabric of the sweater, smiling widely.
"How do I look?" the boy said, posing his hands dramatically. Arnold looked at the boy in front of him with dusty cheeks. Hugo looked so soft and small in his sweater. He even looked-
"Cute!" Arnold's brain screamed. The thought made him nearly choke in surprise, but he caught himself before the word could escape his lips. He responded with as little strain in his voice as he could muster, "Good! You look fine in it."
"Why, thank you," Hugo cooed teasingly. The flustered look on his face went unnoticed by Hugo and Gerald, but Phoebe giggled to herself as she watched the spectacle.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of lunch. The last few school periods passed by quickly, which was a relief to Hugo. The whispers in the halls had moved on from speculative rumors about Hugo and on to other things, but the teen didn't leave campus without a few odd stares or sneers. In the end, it was all fine to Hugo; he had dealt with worse before from people much closer to him.
As the boy lay in bed that night, he snuggled into Arnold's sweater with a happy sigh. Hugo drifted off that night content, but on the other side of Hillwood, another blonde boy had a much more difficult time falling asleep.
A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm so sorry for the long waits between these updates lol