Chapter Text
After the whole… biting incident, Pugsley found himself wondering how else he could potentially show his affection for Eugene. In a far less… violent way.
And so he pondered, wandering the forest with no specific destination in mind after school was out and everyone was off doing their own thing. Eugene was probably doing beekeeper things with his other friends, which didn’t bother him at all. He wasn’t much of a jealous person, and honestly good on Eugene for finding other people to talk to.
Still didn’t solve his current predicament though.
Pugsley was then pulled out of his thoughts by something black jumping down from a nearby tree, long tail whipping in the air proudly. It was a black cat, scampering off with a small bird in its mouth.
He stopped in his tracks as a new thought came to him.
What if he was thinking about this all wrong?
The more Pugsley thought about it, the more it seemed so simple. Cats show affection by hunting things for each other, right? And Pugsley had a great idea for how he could use this to show his feelings for Eugene.
He grinned, taking a moment to pet the black cat before he left.
He had some work to do.
Pugsley stood nervously outside their dormitory door, the wrapped box in his hands heavy as he took a shaky breath. His heart was racing, and it took him a few tries just to build up the courage to walk in.
What if this isn't a good idea? The thought raced through his mind for what must've been the millionth time since he'd first come up with his brilliant plan.
What if Eugene doesn't react to this the way I hope he does? What if-
He found himself reaching for the doorknob and turning it, forcing his legs to work as he entered the room with one mission in mind.
Eugene glanced up from where he was sitting on his bed as the door opened, and he watched with a puzzled expression as Pugsley stepped inside, holding something carefully in his hands.
"What's that?" He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow and setting aside the book he had been reading.
"I uh…" Pugsley swallowed thickly, taking a couple tentative steps forward with the box. "I-I got something. For you. It's… for you." He said, mentally kicking himself for how awkward he sounded.
He came to a stop at the foot of Eugene's bed, anxiously fiddling with the packaging on the box before extending his arms out to hand him it.
Eugene frowned, curiosity and intrigue quickly overcoming his confusion. "You... got me something?" He sat up completely, now fully attentive, and carefully took the box from the other boy's hands.
"What is it?" He asked softly, looking down at the box.
Pugsley watched anxiously as Eugene fiddled with the small black ribbon that held down the lid, fighting the urge to cover his face and let out some kind of squeak. Why was he so anxious? This was for Eugene, no one else.
"Um, w-well… open it. You'll see." He urged, nodding stiffly at the box. His fingers twitched at his sides.
Eugene raised an eyebrow at the other boy in slight bemusement at his nervousness. Nevertheless, he let out a soft hum and slowly untied the ribbon, lifting off the lid and peering inside.
A sharp, sudden inhale through his nose was the first thing to come out of him, his eyes widening when he took in the contents within. Oh. Oh.
That’s just… a very dead rat. Dear god, it was a big one too.
"Uh…." Eugene's brow furrowed as he stared down at the dead rat, his mind struggling to wrap it around the fact that Pugsley had decided to gift him a literal dead rat.
"You… got me a rat." He said slowly, lifting the dead rodent out of the box to get a better look.
Pugsley quickly nodded, feeling a slight twinge of disappointment at the way Eugene had just… stared at the rat. No big overjoyed smile or anything. "A-A sewer rat. Yes." He cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting his weight from side to side.
"…Do you like it..?" He asked, fidgeting with his fingers. “I-I could probably gut it for you, if you’d maybe wanna hang it up on our wall or something! It’s… uhm… to show how much I care about you, y’know?”
Eugene stared at the rat, his expression unreadable as his mind attempted to process everything that just left Pugsley's mouth.
"You... got me a sewer rat. To show how much you care." He repeated, still slightly incredulous. "...Because you thought I'd like to hang it up on our wall." He slowly lowered the dead rat, looking at Pugsley and raising an eyebrow. "You do know the difference between a gift and a hunting trophy, right?"
Pugsley's cheeks tinged from embarrassment. "Of course I do." He said, trying to play it cool. He had seen his father give his mother hunting trophies more times than he could count, so he was aware of the difference between that gift, and his gift.
He just… didn't realize the implication it would have. "I-I just thought you'd appreciate it…" He added lamely, shifting awkwardly on his feet. "I mean, I found it specifically for you, dude.”
Eugene's expression softened a bit, and he let out another soft huff. He knew Pugsley was just trying to be sweet, albeit in a really insane way. And despite the fact he was still confused and bewildered by the fact that he had been given a goddamn rat, he gave Pugsley a small shake of his head and a small smile.
"Well, I haven’t been gifted a dead animal before." He said, a hint of affection in his voice. "But thank you, you big doofus."
Pugsley brightened, relief flooding through him. Eugene didn't seem mad , per se. Maybe still weirded out, but the smile on his friend's face was a good sign.
He chuckled quietly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as his own small smile formed on his face. "A-Anytime." He murmured, shifting his weight from foot to foot and trying hard to hide his excitement from the other boy. "I just figured that… since cats show off their hunts to each other and humans, I figured I could do the same! Y’know, to show my… affection.”
"So, you decided to channel your inner cat and give me a... dead rat." Eugene said, a hint of fondness in his tone. "Because that's exactly what I wanted... what every guy wants. A dead sewer rat." He let out a small, soft huff.
"Were you serious about hanging it up on the wall?”
Pugsley shrugged, still fighting the need to grin like an idiot. Eugene was trying not to, but Pugsley could see the corners of his mouth twitching. "I-It's got nice fur on it." He defended, looking back down at the rat. "I found the biggest one I could. It’d be a good decoration."
He looked back up, offering Eugene a sheepish smile. "Is it weird if I say yes?"
Eugene let out another huff of laughter, shaking his head. "Of course you think it's a good decoration." He teased a bit. "You're the only person I know who'd hang up a dead rat on their wall and be excited about it." He rolled his eyes, but his grin widened.
"Just so we’re clear, it’s going up on YOUR side of the room. And make sure you at least wash it, I don’t want the stench lingering.”
Pugsley nodded, still fighting himself from grinning like a fool in the process. "Don't worry, I'll clean it first." He assured him, his expression turning thoughtful. "Maybe I could... skin it as well."
“Please don’t.”