A/N: Hey there guys, gals, and nonbinary pals! Welcome to the next chapter of Euphoria! I appreciate all the kind comments on my last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as well!
Special shout-out to CryptTheCryptid (ao3) and Metehor (ff) for being the first commenters!
The first to comment on this chapter gets their added to the beginning A/N of every chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey! Arnold...doy.
CW: A bit more crude and sexual references in this one, but no blatant lemon. Reminder- all of these characters are of legal age.
As Wednesday morning's dawn crept through the skylight of Arnold's bedroom, the dark-haired boy began to stir from his sleep, jarring Arnold from his wandering thoughts of cream-colored skin, violently blue eyes, and a tender embrace. Gerald rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up from his makeshift bed on the scarlet couch. The exhausted teen looked at his flaxen-haired friend in bemusement as the latter's face still carried the shock of the dream he had the night before.
"You good man? Have a nightmare or somethin'?" he asked Arnold as he pulled himself from his seat, stretching widely as his feet hit the carpet beneath him.
Arnold shook his head to stir himself away from his thoughts and pulled himself from bed begrudgingly, "No... at least I don't think so."
The other boy shrugged before padding to the bathroom with his clothes tucked neatly underneath his arm. The blonde teen began to sort through his wardrobe before he heard a knock on his door. His grandfather spoke through the other side of the door, "You in there, Shortman?"
"Yessir, you can come in!" he called as he pulled his dark teal shirt over his head. The older man popped his head through the door with a grin before stepping into his room with two plates of food. Arnold raised a curious eyebrow at his grandfather before he spoke up, "The dining table downstairs is... a bit of a wreck this morning, kiddo. No use trying to squeeze you two into that squabbling mess today, so I just brought yer stuff up here."
The teen took his plate with a grateful smile, setting Gerald's to the side for him to eat once he returned from the restroom. The older man settled on the bed next to his grandson as he ate. Phil studied his grandson closely, noting the tiredness of his sunken, sleep-deprived eyes. Clearing his throat, he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You doin' okay there, kiddo? You look like you haven't slept in weeks!"
Arnold let out a small sigh, letting his plate drop to his lap before looking up at his grandfather with hazy eyes, "Have you ever had a weird dream that you feel like is trying to tell you something important, but you're not sure of what to make of what the dream has told you?"
"How'd you mean?" he inquired, picking the raspberries from the boy's plate and popping them into his mouth.
"I had a dream last night. I wouldn't quite call it a nightmare, but it wasn't inherently good, either. Just confusing," he ran a hand through his silky hair.
"Confusing how?" his grandfather questioned, turning inward to face him.
"In my dream, I saw Helga, and that made me happy... until I realized it wasn't her, but somebody else."
"Were you mad or upset that it was someone else?"
"I suppose not," he paused, his brow furrowing as he thought for a moment," I was disappointed for a second, but then I was just surprised. Not a bad kind of surprised, just confused and surprised."
"I don't suppose there's someone new in your life that reminds you a bit of her, is there?" the older man asked, standing up from the bed.
Arnold pondered a moment and felt heat rise to his face. He guessed that Hugo did remind him a bit of Helga. The older man smiled at him knowingly, much to Arnold's dismay, as he began to exit his grandson's bedroom," Just be sure it's not just cuz he's got pretty eyes that you're headed over to his place later."
Arnold's mouth flung open to speak, "But I'm not g-"
"Hold that thought there, Shortman! Gotta head to the loo; those raspberries are fighting back," with a cackle, the old man shut the door behind him.
The teen boy sat in shock before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He looked down at his plate to find all the raspberries missing and his coffee half-drank.
"Grandpa.." he huffed bemusedly.
A moment later, Gerald sauntered back into the room, his pajamas messily tucked under his arm. He smiled hungrily as he noticed the plate left on the bedside table and quickly tossed his stuff in his bag before taking his place next to his friend to eat. As the boy scarfed his breakfast down, he asked the blond curiously, "What did your Gramps have to say? I heard him cackling down the hallway... and then he mentioned somethin' about raspberries."
"He and I were just chatting about my dream,'' his face tinted pink as he picked slowly at his food. Unknown to Arnold, his best friend smiled at him knowingly.
"Whatever you say, Arnold. Now let's hurry up and get to school; I don't wanna be late."
On the other side of Hillwood, Hugo woke up to the sound of a rustling bag across the room. Rubbing his tired eyes, he peered through the dimly lit room to see Rhonda, clad in pink silk pajamas and a suspicious face, digging through an all-too-familiar backpack. She held Hugo's phone in her hand as she desperately tried to unlock it in the poor lighting. He shot up from his makeshift bed and hissed at the girl in the quietest, harsh voice he could muster, "What the hell do you think you're doing with that, Lloyd?"
The raven-haired girl's head whipped around in terror as she moved to hide the phone behind her back with an awkward smile, "Hugo, darling. I, erm, was just-"
"You were going through my fucking phone is what you were doing," he spat as he reached behind her back to snatch the device from her neatly manicured hand.
The girl shrunk underneath him, casting solemn eyes to the floor. She shut her eyes tight, bracing for the inevitable punch to the face she likely deserved before she spoke quietly, "I was looking to see if maybe you saved that video..."
"The video?"
She dared to open her eyes to look up at him, "That horrible video I took encroaching on your privacy like I did."
The boy looked down at her in slight shock before furrowing his brow, unlocking his phone, and opening up his photo app. He scrolled until he saw the video and screenshots he had saved of Rhonda's post about him.
"I do. I saved 'em in case you pulled some other dumb shit on me, so I'd have something to hold over your head to the principal," he admitted bluntly.
Abject horror flooded the girl's face, making her look paler in the dull morning light. Hugo paused a moment before speaking, "Were you going to delete these?"
Rhonda nodded rigidly at the boy, looking down at his phone guiltily, "I thought it was the only thing I could do. I couldn't stand the idea of something so treacherous still floating around like that," she paused a moment, nervously rubbing her arm.
"I wouldn't be lying if I told you I was just trying to cover my ass..."
Hugo frowned with the corner of his mouth before turning the phone for her to see better. One by one, he deleted the images and video from his phone. The girl looked up at him in baffled confusion, "Why?"
"Because there's no need for it now. You apologized, so there's no need to hold onto this stuff," Hugo stated plainly. The confusion on her face morphed into a relieved smile, and a trembly sigh escaped her lips.
"Thank you, Hugo. I am so sorry for prying like that, and even more so for posting all of that. I get so caught up in the dramatics of things, which I know isn't a good excuse."
Hugo smiled understandingly before stopping a moment. When he finally spoke again, his voice was almost somber in tone, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Lloyd. Admittedly, that's not even what I had been discussing with Simmons anyway."
Rhonda raised a curious eyebrow to the boy standing next to her, watching him intently as he absentmindedly traced the edges of his phone. She studied his face for a moment, searching for an answer behind his shocking blue eyes and furrowed monobrow.
He looked at her through the side of his eyes, "Ya know, Lloyd. No one has asked me my last name, though I thought it'd be more obvious by now."
"What's that got to do with anything," she asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's what I was talking to Simmons about. I was asking him to keep secret, especially from Arnold," he looked down at his reflection on the black screen, "I'm not embarrassed by who I am, just scared of what people will do once they realize what I am."
They stood silently as Rhonda tried to wrap her head around what he meant. Eventually, he looked at her again, "Would you like to know?"
"But that's the secret-"
"Yeah, well. I'm trying to make it less of a secret. Plus, a couple of people already know," he shrugged with a smile.
She nodded hesitantly, still unsure what his last name could harbor as such a deep secret.
"Pataki," he said, hushed, "My last name is Pataki."
"Hugo Pataki," the girl repeated to herself before freezing in realization.
An amazed smile spread wildly across her face as she grabbed the boy by the shoulders and bounced on her toes.
"Darling Hugo! I can't believe it's you! Is this why you left so suddenly all those years ago?"
He nodded, "Yeah, Bob wasn't too fond of the idea, so he shipped me off. But now I'm back with my aunt cuz of her job."
"I can see why you didn't want Arnold to know," she gasped, "Oh, and you still love him! This is fantastic!"
He hushed her with a smile, "Shh, Lloyd. Everyone will hear. I need you to keep this between us, for Arnold's sake. I need to be the one to tell him...eventually."
"Oh, how romantic!" she cooed, "You have my solemn word, Hugo."
The scraggly blonde teasingly rolled his eyes at her, "Thank you, Rhonda."
"Of course. I'm more of a sucker for the romantics than drama, anyways. I'm rooting for you two," she giggled.
This made the boy smile bashfully, a rosy warmth heating his cheeks. He thought to himself for a moment, looking down at the floor embarrassedly, "Do you think you could help me with something to catch his attention?"
The raven-haired girl squealed excitedly before grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to her bedroom's closet.
Hugo felt he'd bit off more than he could chew, but the boy trusted Rhonda with these situations better than he did himself. Despite the theatrics the girl had put him through in the past week, and the years he had known her, it warmed his heart to know that even the sourest of his old friends had matured, just like he hoped he had.
As the day ticked by slowly, the excitement bubbling in Arnold's chest began to eat away at him. That evening he was supposed to head over to Hugo's to work on their class assignment due in a few days. He usually wouldn't be so excited to work on a poem, but he was happy he would be able to spend the evening with his friends; secretly, he was excited to read some more of Hugo's work. Something was comforting and familiar about the way he wrote.
Finally, the lunch bell rang loudly through the room, and the football-headed boy escaped his math class to head to the cafeteria, where he found Phoebe and Gerald sitting at a table next to a third full tray. As he sat his tray across from it, he raised an eyebrow at the empty seat, "Who's tray is that?"
Hugo padded up behind him as if on cue, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Who's stuff do ya think, Football Head?"
With a broad smile, Arnold turned behind him to look at the slender boy, only to clamp his mouth shut with a wild blush at the sight he took in. Hugo swayed to his seat, lingering a moment to show off his outfit, he supposed. This wouldn't be totally out of the ordinary if it wasn't just the tiniest skirt Arnold had ever seen paired with his too-large-for-Hugo sweater revealing the boy's freckled, pale shoulders.
Gerald and Phoebe stifled a laugh at Arnold as he watched the boy's demeanor change at the sudden appearance of their old new friend. Unbeknownst to Hugo, Arnold struggled to pry his eyes from him as he took his place at his tray. The skinny blonde rested his head in his hand, drinking in the sight of Arnold and his dusty pink cheeks, sparkling emerald eyes, and all the writing fuel he could find to gush in his poetry book later.
With that thought, Hugo's eyes lit up in remembrance, "Did y'all still wanna come over to work on Simmons' poetry assignment?"
A chorus of "yes's" bubbled up from around the table, causing a happy grin to spread across the scraggly boy's face, "Awesome! Would you all like to spend the night, actually? My room is finally totally unpacked and stuff."
"Certainly! Just let me text my mother to let her know," Phoebe chimed.
"If my girl's gonna be there, I'll be there," Gerald shot a teasing wink at his blushing girlfriend before piping up again, "For real, though. I'd be happy to, dude."
Arnold spoke gently with a broad smile, "I'd love to, Hugo."
The older blonde felt a warm, bubbly excitement rise in his chest- a feeling he hadn't felt in too long, "Awesome! Can't wait!"
The rest of the day ticked by smoothly as classes seemingly whizzed by for the rest of the school day. Gerald and Phoebe decided to ride together to Hugo's flat, leaving the scraggly blonde to contain his excitement and swoons as his beloved clutched tightly to his waist as they raced to his apartment on the back of his sleek, black motorcycle. Arnold's large hands tight around his hips and warm breath on the back of his bare neck sent shivers up the skinny teen's back, causing him to attempt to focus harder on the road in front of him.
Behind him, Arnold was having a similar issue. Try as he might, he couldn't pull his eyes away from the tiny, black billowing skirt and the soft skin of Hugo's bare waist beneath his fingertips. Arnold breathed shakily, causing the more petite boy to shuffle closer to him. Arnold thought he was going to faint and fall off the bike. The football-headed teen said a silent prayer of thanks as Hugo pulled into his flat's carport and killed the motorbike's engine. With wobbly legs, the tall teen hopped off the back end and bashfully smiled at Hugo, shuffling his feet into the asphalt as he waited to take off his helmet.
The two awkwardly padded inside the apartment, with Arnold following behind Hugo in a way reminiscent of a lost puppy.
Hugo quickly unlocked the door, throwing open the door and calling into the apartment, "Hey, Aunt Eda! I'm home!"
A petite woman, much resembling Hugo, poked her head around the kitchen's doorframe as the two boys set their bags on the floor by the main entrance. The gray-haired woman smiled excitedly and greeted the two happily, "Hugo! Is this the famous Arnold I've heard so much about?"
Scarlet red flooded Hugo's face as he lightly slapped his aunt's arm with the back of his hand. He seethed, "Eda, hush."
The older woman giggled and enveloped Arnold in a hug before pulling away, placing her hands on his shoulders. She looked him over with a grin, noting the matching blush on his face. She patted his back before strolling back towards the kitchen, "Dinner will be ready in a few, kiddos. Are the other two gonna be here soon?"
"Yes, ma'am. Phoebe texted me a moment ago and said they were just a couple of minutes away. They got held up in traffic, I think," responded Arnold.
Hugo rolled his eyes, "Traffic," he parroted, "Yeah, right."
Arnold, flustered at the implication, nudged his shoulder. He couldn't help but feel the more petite boy was right, to a degree. Hugo leaned back down to pick up his bag and began to make his way up the stairs. He called over his shoulder, "You comin', Arnoldo? We can put our stuff up in my room right quick."
Arnold followed behind him, sure to keep his eyes above the skirt swishing at his eye level in front of him as they padded up the stairs. Hugo threw his stuff absentmindedly onto his bed and plopped down next to it, his eyes trailing on Arnold as he took in the room around him with curious eyes. The football-headed boy gently placed his bag at the edge of the bed before meandering around his friend's room, wistfully looking at the knick-knacks and books that filled the shelves. He admired the pictures of slightly younger Hugo scattered across the wall in Polaroids strung from fairy lights and string. The room felt warm and cozy- much less callous and cold than one would expect from such a snarky, edgy boy.
The thought of Hugo being a bit softer than he let on made Arnold smile. With a thud, he sat down next to his tiny, scruffy friend on the caramel-colored duvet draped over the metal-framed bed. His ears perked up as he realized that soft jazz music had begun to play over Hugo's speaker system. It was a particular Spumoni song that Arnold immensely adored, "You like Spumoni?"
"Yeah, why?"
Arnold chuckled, "You just don't strike me as a jazz kinda guy. You look a bit more..."
"Rock and Roll, perhaps?" Hugo quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Heh, yeah. You could say that," Arnold admitted bashfully.
"You'd be right," he chirped, "but an old boyfriend got me a bit hooked on this cheesy stuff. Haven't been able to get this song out of my head since."
"It's my favorite one by him," Arnold spoke warmly, barely loud enough for Hugo to hear. He gave a soft hum in response, closing his eyes to enjoy the delicate notes.
'I know it is; that's why it's mine,' Hugo thought.
A ring from the doorbell pulled both of them from their thoughts.
"That must be them," chirped Arnold.
"I'll get it," Hugo responded, getting up and making his way downstairs, with Arnold trailing close behind. Hugo was greeted at the door by Gerald and Phoebe, with the prior's hand wrapped around the smaller one's waist. Both looked frazzled, with their clothes slightly askew and a few stray kiss marks adorning Gerald's neck. The sight caused Hugo and Arnold to exchange a knowing look before letting the couple inside.
"Lots of traffic, Phoebes?" snickered Hugo as he gestured to her attire.
The petite girl let out a small "eep" as she readjusted her skirt and patted down her sweater. Before either of the two could explain themselves, Hugo's aunt called them into the dining area to eat. Dinner went smoothly and quickly, followed by a swift cleanup and happy conversation. As they all made their way upstairs, Arnold spoke up, "Thank you, Miss...uh-"
"Edalyn, dear."
Arnold smiled, "Thank you, Miss Edalyn."
The rest of the evening was spent with each pair huddled up on the bed and at the desk with their notebooks, pencils, pens, and papers strewn about them. While Phoebe and Gerald worked away at their poem, Hugo and Arnold struggled more with theirs. They went back and forth between ideas, each scribbling out notes in the margins of their notebooks.
Hugo sighed exasperatedly as he nibbled on the tip of his pen. Arnold mimicked his friend before he spoke up, "I think our problem is that we haven't decided what kind of love we're writing about."
"Hm, I guess you're right. That would help narrow this down a bit, huh?"
Hugo said, rolling over onto his chest, "How about reuniting love?"
"How do you mean?" inquired Arnold.
"We could write about what it feels like to reunite with a loved one."
Arnold smiled, "I like that."
The two tossed ideas back and forth before finally stringing together a poem that looked halfway decent. However, Hugo decided that he would tweak the final product before they handed it in. As Arnold began to put away their things, Hugo leaned over the edge of the bed to pick up his backpack from the floor. Unbeknownst to him, Arnold got an eyeful of the underside of the boy's skirt. The younger boy's face flooded red as he mentally traced the curves of Hugo's thighs and the hem of those short pink briefs underneath. Swallowing hard, he tried and failed to pull his eyes away.
Mortifyingly, he failed to notice that Hugo's aunt had stepped into the room. The old woman laughed to herself, "Enjoying yourself, Arnold?"
"Wha- Oh!" the teen pried his eyes away, pulling a notepad over his lap as his face paled in embarrassment. Hugo sat up, a confused look on his face before realization swept over him. He snickered to himself, secretly giddy that he was able to make Arnold have that sort of reaction to him.
"You kids need anything?" Edalyn asked, an amused smile still gracing her lips. They all shook their heads "no" in response.
"We're good, Eda. Thank you, though," Hugo piped up.
"Alrighty, I'll be downstairs if you need anything! Oh, invite them all to the housewarming party on Saturday, or you're grounded, Hugo," she shut the door behind her with a thud. Hugo made a sputtering noise before letting an exasperated sigh escape his lips and plopping down onto his back, letting his head settle on Arnold's lap. The football-headed boy decided at that moment that he was quite wrong about how warm his face could get.
"Did you all wanna come to the housewarming party this weekend? I don't think it's as big of a deal as Eda makes it out to be," he snorted, "I think she thinks I need more friends."
The three gave nods and sounds of approval, chuckling at Hugo's exasperation.
"Alright, good. Thanks for not getting me grounded," the teen joked.
The evening passed by slowly as they winded down on their respective projects. Hugo was proud of what he and Arnold had made, despite the cheesiness evident in each line. The four all settled on the bed to watch a movie, with Phoebe tucked neatly into Gerald's lap, leaving Hugo and Arnold to sit close together in the remaining space of the bed. It was a bit uncomfortable, to say the least, but Hugo wouldn't dare complain about being sat so close to his beloved.
Arnold noted how Hugo shuffled in place, attempting and failing to get comfortable. His eyes wandered to how their friends were situated when a hauntingly strange thought popped into his head. Dismissing it as being not nearly as crass as his brain was attempting to make the idea, he gently nudged the more petite blond with his elbow, "Psst, Hugo."
"Hm?" he responded, slightly unattentively.
"Do you wanna sit here? You look uncomfy," he asked, shyness lacing his whispers as he motioned for him to sit between his legs, just as Phoebe sat between Gerald's.
Hugo thanked the gods above that the dim lighting in the room couldn't give away the wild blush that spread across his face. He finally made his voice work and stammered a response, "Are you sure you'd be okay with that? It's not too weird?"
"It's not too weird," he parroted, attempting to reassure himself more than the boy adjacent to him.
Carefully, the petite boy moved himself to sit against Arnold, much to the quiet surprise of Gerald and Phoebe. The two exchanged a knowing glance before turning their attention to the movie blaring on the screen. The two other teens had their attention permanently shifted to the increasingly apparent pressure of their bodies resting so closely against each other. Hugo bit back a swoon as Arnold fought off thoughts of the short skirt pressed against his jeans and the warmth of Hugo's breathing against his chin and neck.
"God, there's something so wrong with me," Arnold thought.
They sat like that for the remainder of the movie, eventually loosening up and Arnold building up the courage to tuck his arms around Hugo's waist, much like a small child with an all-too-large teddy bear. Gerald and Phoebe drifted to sleep in each other's embrace before the movie ended. As the credits began to roll across the screen, the football-headed teen noticed gentle snoring from the smaller blond in his arms. He smiled at the sight of Hugo cuddled up against his chest. A bittersweet twinge passed through his heart as he was reminded of the way Helga would fall asleep against him like this.
It was nice to feel this sort of warmth against him again and to know he was able to comfort someone enough to allow them to be vulnerable with him in such a tender way. He gently brushed the hair out of Hugo's face, reminiscing about his youthful days spent with his beloved so close to him. The familiarity drove him wild, and his chest fluttered with butterflies he hadn't felt in years. Before he could put his finger on it, the heaviness of his sleepy eyes pulled him away from his thoughts. Chasing that conclusion was a task for another day; for now, he would enjoy the comfort of this familiar stranger as he drifted to sleep.
The rest of the week passed by much too quickly for Hugo's liking. He knew that this "housewarming" party had ulterior motives on his aunt's behalf, but he couldn't figure out exactly which of his theories was the most correct. Carefully, Hugo stood tip-toed on a step stool to hang up the remainder of the balloons Edalyn had given him to decorate the already-full living room. With a satisfied grunt, he jumped from the ladder after taping down the last obnoxiously red balloon to the wall.
In about twenty minutes, his friends were due to arrive, and Hugo's nerves were clawing at his stomach. Initially, he was only going to invite Phoebe, Gerald, and Arnold, but after the sleepover with Rhonda, he decided it might be worth asking the rest of their class. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he did hope to reconnect more with his old classmates. After letting his aunt know about the more extensive list of guests, she went even more overboard in buying food and decorations for the evening, much to Hugo's dismay.
Hugo checked in on his aunt and taste-tested some of the food before being shooed out of the kitchen. After a few minutes, the doorbell rang proudly through the apartment. To his relief, he was greeted with the smiling face of his tiny best friend. He welcomed her in with a hug before ushering her through the doorway.
"Oh, my, Hugo. You and your aunt went all out for this party," she said, reaching toward him with two small gift bags in her hand. He looked at her with a suspicious brow, tentatively taking them from her hand.
"What's this for, Phoebes?" he questioned.
"Well, you did say it was a housewarming party, so I thought I'd bring you and your aunt a little something each. Plus, you said your first surgery anniversary was today, so this can be a gift for that, too."
"Awe, you remembered!"
He smiled fondly at her before carefully opening the one marked with his name. Inside was a rope necklace with a shiny, circular pendant. He examined it more closely to see an engravement of what seemed to be a Greek letter. He quirked an eyebrow at her as he studied the rugged pendant.
"It's a lowercase Lambda. The symbol was assimilated by the queer community around the time of Stonewall," she stated punctually. "Flip it around to the back."
It read in bold lettering, "Have the courage to rise above and keep being you, Hugo."
He looked at her with watery eyes before slipping it eagerly over his head. He pulled her into a deep hug, resting his chin on her head, "Thank you so much, Phoebs."
She giggled, pleased with his reaction, and hugged him back just as tightly, "Of course, Hugo. I'm so proud of you."
A knock at the door interrupted their embrace, irritating Hugo slightly. He pulled away from her slowly, leaving his hands on her dainty shoulders, "Jeez, dude. You've got me all blubbery with this sappy stuff. Why don't you get something for us to drink while I let the next poor soul in."
The small girl nodded, "On it!"
Hugo wiped his eyes before opening the door. Before him stood Gerald and a few other people from class, including Curly, Sid, Stinky, Eugene, Brainy, and Harold. He welcomed them in and directed them to the kitchen for snacks and drinks, slightly disappointed that Arnold wasn't amongst the few in the crowd. As if he read Hugo's mind, Gerald piped up from the doorway, "Arnold said he'd be here, don't worry. He's just gonna be a few minutes late, is all."
Hugo gave a quick thank you with a blush before plopping down onto the couch next to the dark-haired boy. Phoebe shuffled into the living room, hands full with two solo punch cups. With a nod, Hugo took one from her and gulped down a hasty sip. Phoebe took her place on the couch next to her boyfriend. He draped his free arm around her, causing her face to blush. The sight made Hugo smile contentedly; the boy was happy that his two friends were still so close and stupidly in love. He only hoped he and Arnold could be that way again.
The three chatted idly as the other guests settled in with snacks on their plates and cups in their hands. Amid their conversation, the door swung open widely, thudding against the doorstop. A squeal that could come from no other than Rhonda Lloyd erupted through the room, "Oh, Hugo Darling!"
Hugo sniggered at her grand entrance but felt his eyes grow wide as he noticed the heavy bags that hung from her arms and wrists.
"Oh, boy," he heard Gerald mumble under his breath, "Always Rhonda to be the one to outdo everyone, huh?"
Hugo sat up from his seat and helped the raven-haired girl through the door as she was trailed inside by Nadine and Sheena. He was relieved to see they weren't carrying any bags in their hands as he took a few from Rhonda's grasp. Carefully, he set them on the floor beside the one Phoebe had gotten his aunt.
"Why all the gifts, Lloyd?"
"Well, it is a housewarming party! You can't have one of those without some fabulous gifts," she patted the top of his head as she removed her shades from her eyes.
"There's a little something special for you in that smaller bag," she hinted with a wink.
He frowned at her, confused, but decided to worry about what atrocity she had gifted him later. His mind was too busy worrying about whether or not his love would show up. About an hour passed, and Hugo feared that his worries had been confirmed. Just as he set his chin in his hand, beginning to disassociate from the laughter and chatter of the room, Hugo felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
Curious, he pulled it out and opened it up to find the object of his affection had texted him.
"New Message from Football-Head: I'm here! Could you let me in?"
The scraggly teen eagerly jumped up from the couch and opened the door for his beloved. Arnold stood in the doorframe with a bag in his hands, stuffed to the brim with wrapping paper. He was breathing heavily like he had just finished running.
"You all good there, pal?" Hugo questioned, motioning for the tall boy to come inside.
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sorry I'm so late. My car wasn't exactly up for working today, and my grandpa took his old Packard to the movies with Grandma, so I had to walk. Then I remembered it was a housewarming party, so I decided to find you something. Before I knew it, it was getting late, so I ran here."
Hugo smiled wildly at the bashful boy who stood in front of him. He took the bag from him carefully before he spoke, unable to contain the words that slipped from his mouth, "You're cute, Arnold. Thank you."
Arnold's face grew bright red, much to Hugo's enjoyment, "While I open this, why don't you go get a drink from the kitchen? You look like you're about to keel over in my living room."
He nodded and jogged to the kitchen, weaving around the crowd of people standing and talking happily amongst each other. Arnold couldn't contain the smile etched onto his face at Hugo's compliment. As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed Hugo's aunt scrubbing away violently at some dishes in the sink. He approached her, "Hey, Miss Edalyn."
She looked up from her work and noted his presence happily, "Oh, hey there, Arnold! What can I do for ya?"
"I was wondering if I could help you for a bit," he gestured to the room around them, "You've already done so much today, it seems."
With a grateful smile, she nodded," That would be amazing. Thank you."
He stepped into her place and began finishing up the dishes as she put away the last few ingredients back into the fridge. The two chatted for a moment as they cleaned. Once Arnold finished drying off the final dish, Eda said, "I can see why he likes ya so much."
He looked at her, surprised by her words, "Huh?"
She chuckled, placing a gentle hand on his back, "You're a good kid. A 'kind and gentle soul,' as I've heard Hugo put it. Thank you for all the help, kiddo. Now go enjoy the party."
Arnold nodded demurely before pouring himself some punch and returning into the living room, calling out a "thanks" over his shoulder. Noting Hugo sitting on the carpeted steps, he waltzed over to his scrawny friend. He couldn't help but note how the warm, amber lighting bounced off his golden hair and danced in his blue eyes. Clearing his throat and thoughts, he spoke up over the music that made its way through the room, "Mind if I sit next to you?"
Hugo gave a slight hum of approval, patting the spot next to him. Arnold took his place next to him, silently noting how their legs brushed against each other. He took a sip of his punch before speaking, "Why are you over here by yourself? Are you not enjoying the party, Hugo?"
"No, no. It's not that at all. I just like to sit and people-watch," the scraggly teen said matter-of-factly, leaning back on his hands, "It's entertaining. I get to see things back here that you wouldn't notice while being wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of it all."
His eyes followed Hugo's gaze, "Like what?"
"Like, did you know Lila and Stinky were together?" he inquired, a smirk etched across his face, "Or at least fucking?"
Arnold looked at his petite friend curiously, "What? How do you know that from just watching them?"
"Look at how they look at each other and how she leans up against him. They look like Gerald and Phoebe."
Hugo was right, he supposed, as he watched the two teenagers linger closely together, admiring each other and pressing their shoulders against each other as they chatted amongst their friends. He puckered his lips in thought, "Okay, what else do you notice?"
"I've noticed you disappeared for a while too long to just be getting that punch. Who'd you sneak off with for fifteen minutes, Football Head?" the petite blonde inquired, a note of uncontrollable bitterness tainting his voice, which went thankfully unnoticed by Arnold.
"Oh! It wasn't like that," he explained, "I was alone with your aunt."
Hugo raised an exasperated eyebrow at his words, to which Arnold nearly choked at the implication. He laughed nervously," Okay, wait. I said that wrong, too, I think. I was helping your aunt clean up the kitchen, and we talked."
"Ah, ever the sweetheart," Hugo cooed half-jokingly, "What were you two chatting about, then?"
"About you, mostly."
This surprised Hugo, and he couldn't help the intrigue that bubbled in his mind, "Oh...? All good things, I hope?"
"All good things. Mostly about how often you talk about me," Arnold teased. Hugo felt heat rise to his cheeks as he let out a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, well...," he turned his eyes away from Arnold, hoping to hide his sheepishness, "You're a good person, Arnold. The kindest I've met during my time in Hillwood."
This made pride swell in the football-headed boy's chest. His gaze shifted from the crowd to Hugo. He studied the boy's features carefully; he felt something stir in his chest as he watched the scraggly teen fidget with one of the holes in his ripped black jeans and as the light bounced just right off of those familiar blue eyes. Before he could stop himself, he asked a very to-the-point question that stirred Hugo from his timidity.
"How did you figure out you were gay?"
The question made Hugo's head shoot up, and heat rose to both faces as their eyes latched on to each other's. The smaller of the two cleared his throat before speaking, "Well, uh... that's a bit of a long story."
"I'm sorry for asking that," Arnold sputtered.
"No, no, it's okay," he assured, "I just wasn't expecting it, and I don't wanna bore you with the details, is all."
"I promise you won't bore me, Hugo."
"Well, I've always known that I liked boys. Realizing I was gay was something different, though."
Arnold stared at him blank-faced, but Hugo was sure he could see the cogs trying to churn in the boy's brain. He giggled before continuing, "I had to figure something else out about myself before I realized that I was a gay man. My identity as a queer person isn't my only personality trait, but it's certainly important. It's why I live with my aunt and not my parents."
Arnold let out a small "oh" of realization, but remaining quiet to let Hugo continue.
"I knew I liked boys from a young age. There was one cute little blond I knew growing up who stole my heart for quite a while. I knew I liked him the way most girls like boys because when I was near him or looked at him, I felt something in my heart stir the way it wouldn't with anyone else. It didn't matter to me that he was a boy, per se. I just liked him because he was him, ya know? I figured out later that I was gay, which came with many other weird conversations with my friends and my family."
Arnold gave a nod of understanding, "I get that."
Hugo fidgeted with the sleeve hem, "Is there a particular reason you asked?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure," he answered, unconfident in its truthfulness, "Thank you for answering, though."
Hugo smiled gently at him, brushing his fringe from his eyes, "Of course, Arnold."
The rest of the party was spent very similarly, with Hugo and Arnold lingering close as they chatted. Eventually, most partygoers filtered through the door as the sun slowly crept down the horizon. Hugo saw his three closest friends at the door, thanking them for their gifts and attendance. He sighed tiredly as he went through the living room, absentmindedly picking up stray cups and plates while his aunt traversed to her bedroom. Despite his loathing for such large social gatherings, Hugo supposed the evening hadn't gone nearly as bad as it could have. He smiled gently, happy that most of the day had been spent dearly with the boy he loved.
As Arnold returned to Sunset Arms that evening, his mind was ablaze with thoughts and questions. He felt his pace quicken as the turmoil of his racing mind bore into him. The teen wasted no time downstairs in the boarding house, casting quick goodnights to the boarders Arnold passed, and his parents sat cuddled against each other on the old couch in front of the television. His feet hurried up the stairs, and he swung the door to his bedroom closed behind him with a louder thud than he meant to make.
He paused to cringe at the noise before plopping down at his desk chair in front of his computer. Tentatively, he turned it on, grumbling impatiently as he waited for it to boot up. Finally, he clicked on his search engine.
He felt himself falter as his fingers hovered over his keyboard. Where would he even start?
"Jesus," he groaned, furrowing his brow and running both hands through his flaxen hair. He pondered a moment when he rubbed his eyes as he slouched over in his chair. With a grimace, he opened one emerald eye and pecked at the keys. He typed in the only question he knew to ask into the blinking search bar:
"Am I gay?"
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know in the comments what you thought, and what your opinions are on this story having some more risqué elements to it. Thanks!