Part 22 - Embarrassing

Pugsley

I didn't understand why some people don't like the feeling of raw meat in their hands.

To me if felt nice, it was like holding a piece of a brain.

Plus animal meat was also kind of the only dead part of a body I could have in my hand without people running and screaming.

Learnt that one the hard way.

I toss another chunk of meat over to my two giant Dionaea muscipula in the corner,

Though I suppose more people refer to them as Venus Flytraps.

I glance down at the newspaper on the small table next to me.

Slurp is still out there...

I throw one more chunk, trying to distract myself from thinking about it. 

He must be scared out there, with people hunting him.

I didn't mean for any of this to happen...

Apparently I distracted myself a little too much, because I somehow missed the sound of the front door opening,

Nor did I hear the footsteps that followed.

"Nice outfit."

I jump a little in my seat at the sudden interruption of my thoughts, but I feel myself relax once I turn my head see who the voice belonged to.

"Hi.."

That's all I could think to say, her smile was making my circuits fry.

Y/n huffs out a little bit of air through her nose as she stayed leaned in the doorway, arms crossed and gaze locked with mine.

"Hi."

I don't know what it was about it, but whenever she spoke to me in that sweet tone, it made me feel like all my worries and problems just disappear, never to be seen again.

I'm glad she was here.

"Lurch let me in I hope that's okay."

She pushes herself off the door frame, moving over to the chair next to mine, and she glances at the plants on the way past.

"Hey, cool flytraps, these things are huge."

She traces a hand underneath one of the sides of it, and when it snapped a little at the touch she just smiled, turning towards me before sitting herself down in the chair adjacent to mine.

"They got names?"

I shake my head.

"Nah, I didn't really think they needed ones. I mean they're plants."

Her jaw drops dramatically with an over the top fake gasp.

"What do you meeean?? Everything deserves a name, especially plants. You can't have them be that big and articulated without naming them."

I snort under my breath.

Was she being serious?

The look in her eyes kind of answered that question for me, and I sigh.

"Alright, well what should I name them?"

A small hum leaves her throat as she turns her head to look at the plants again, and she just stares for a few moments.

"Icarus and Fitzgerald."

I tries to hold my laughter in, I really did, but the pure absurdity made me break.

The room echoed and filled with the sound of my laughter, paired with the small giggle of hers when she looked back at me.

I catch my breath and hold eye contact as my laughs died down.

"Those are ridiculous names."

Her nose scrunches as she pokes her tongue out at me.

"Oh yeah well I'd like to see you do any better."

I just stare at her, hoping that I would be able to resist the pleading look behind her eyes, but alas, it was pointless.

I'm pretty sure I would give this girl anything just if she said the word 'please'.

I sigh.

"Alright, fine. Icarus and Fitzgerald it is."

She had me wrapped around her finger, even if she didn't know it yet.

She turned herself in the chair to face her whole body towards me as she got comfortable, 

And I asked the question that I'd had since she got here.

"So, what are you doing here?"

She just shrugged.

"I wanted to see you, is that so bad?"

No, it's far from bad, it's what I wanted.

"It's not a bad thing, but, why not visit sooner?"

Her eyes fell away from mine as she thought for a second.

"I dunno, I guess I just wasn't sure if my presence would be welcome while you guys were all worried about Wednesday, I didn't want to intrude."

I couldn't tell if her sentence was sincere or not. Did she really think I wouldn't want her here?

"Hey."

I grab her attention, making sure she looked at me, and she did.

"You're always welcome here, okay? I want you to know that."

Her smile turns more soft, and she nods before taking a deep breath and looking away from me again.

"Good, because it has been wayyy too quiet in the dorm. These past three days have made me realize I definitely would've gone insane if you had actually moved out."

I winced a little at that.

I felt bad that I had left her by herself for this long.

"Well, since Wednesday's awake now, I'll probably come back tonight, if you want."

Her eyes lit up at my words. 

"Really? You mean it?"

I nod and poke her leg, which had been draped over the side of my chair and into my lap, and I get a foot tap from her in return.

"Yeah, I miss my roomie."

She looked genuinely happy, and that alone made me feel better about everything too.

The moment was cut short when another person entered the doorway.

"There you are, mijo."

It was my dad, and while I think his intention on coming in here was to talk to me, he stopped once he saw Y/n sitting next to me.

"Ah, Y/n. What a lovely surprise, I didn't know you were coming over. It's nice to see you again."

Y/n straightens up a bit in her seat and flashes my father a sweet smile.

"It's nice to see you too Mr. Addams, apologies for dropping by unannounced."

My dad just waves off her words with his hand.

"Oh no, not at all, it's good that you're here, Pugsley has been moping for that past few days about missin-"

I cut him off before he revealed the embarrassing side of the story of my stay here.

"OKAY, dad, thanks. Was there a reason you came in here or was it just to tell my best friend every single detail about me while I'm sitting right here."

I hear a small laugh from Y/n, but she keeps any thoughts she may be thinking, to herself, and for that I was grateful.

Dad clears his throat and turns his attention back to me, with a slight guilty expression.

"Yes, sorry son. Look, I realize your mother and I have been so focused on your sister, we haven't been around for you."

I sigh.

Yes, he was right, they'd kind of just been ignoring me while I was here, but I was used to that part, I was more worried about the other thing.

"It's not just that."

I pick up the newspaper from the table and hand it to him. Slurp had made the front page, meaning now everyone knew about him. Although I guess they already did from the incident at camp.

At the thought of that, I hold onto Y/n a little tighter.

Part of me still felt bad about what happened, even if she had forgiven me and moved past it.

I'd put her in danger, and for that I think I'll always feel guilty.

But having her here in the moment, the physical contact was grounding me in a way that I would forever thank her for, even if I never said it out loud.

"I'm worried about Slurp. I know he's done bad things,"

I let my thumb brush back and forth over Y/n's knee, just like I had done back at camp.

It calmed me.

"But it's not his fault he's hungry."

I felt a hand come up and cover mine, and I looked to see Y/n's focus directed at me, that look in her eyes that I knew was sympathy.

And I didn't hate it when she looked at me like that, though if anyone else were to I'd get annoyed.

Dad doesn't say anything as he sighs and picks up one of the remaining meat chunks on the table, feeding it to the flytrap that in my mind I had assigned Fitzgerald to.

"Losing your first pet can be hard."

The piece of meat was gone within seconds, and he turns back to face me.

"Your Uncle Fester had a Chupacabra when he was about your age. No matter how much of his blood he gave it to drink, it wasn't meant to be a pet."

As much as it pained me to do so, I lift Y/n's legs off of my lap, placing her feet down on the floor as I stood up, raising my hand against my chest.

"I raised Slurp from the dead, he's my responsibility."

After I said that, I felt a small kick to the back of my leg, and I look down at Y/n, who had that 'nuh uh' look on her face.

Right.

"Our...our responsibility."

I corrected myself, and the fact that she still wanted to be apart of this confused me, but also reassured me that she wouldn't go anywhere.

"And...I know if they find him, they'll probably put him down for good."

I hated that thought, all I wanted was a friend, and now there's a pretty big chance he'll be killed. Again.

Dad looks deep in thought for a few seconds.

"What about this? What about if I help you track your zombie? We'll make it a father-son adventure."

Okay, I liked everything about that plan, except for the last part.

I could feel Y/n's gaze on me, and I glanced back her.

I had already left her alone for three days, I won't do it again.

"Only if Y/n can come too. Slurp is just as much hers as he is mine."

I see her shoot up from her chair in the corner of my eye.

"Oh you really don't have to do that, really, I-"

"Of course!"

"Oh- okay..."

I saw her shrink back at my fathers almost immediate agreement, and I flashed her a smile.

"You my dear, are like part of the family already, so I see no problem with that."

She let's out a tiny nervous laugh, and nods.

"Uhm...thank you? I am a little confused as to how though?"

Dad looks between the both of us, and just smiles like it's the most understandable thing in the world.

"Well you and Pugsley are so close, and he talks about you all the time, I assume it will only be a matter of time before the two of you..."

I think he picked up on the extreme silence in the room, because he stopped himself.

"Unless I'm reading the spark between you two wrong, but I thought-"

Y/n's previously small nervous laughter was now louder and more like a scared stutter as she stood up again.

"Y/n-"

I try to start, but her nerves had taken over, and honestly I couldn't blame her, I can't believe my dad had just said that.

"Wow, okay so I should really get back to school now, uh yeah this is uhm- haaaaahh."

She moves away from both me and my dad, and she walks backwards out into the doorway, shooting me with awkward finger guns.

"Uhm, so I'll see you later then, brochacho."

She then looks at my dad nervously.

"Uhhh it was- you know, nice- yeah no I'm just gonna go-"

Her hands fall back to her sides as she scurries back down the hall, picking up her shoes by the door and rushing out, but not without giving Lurch a short goodbye.

Once the sound of the door closing reaches my ears, I flop back down into the chair and groan into my hands.

Dad shifts on his feet while looking between the door and me.

"Sooo, you and her aren't..?"

My hands fall from my face and I sigh.

"No, dad, we're not."

He makes a small 'ah' sound with an apologetic look as he turns to leave the room.

"Huh. Interesting..."

I didn't let myself think too hard into his words, because it was just a dumb mistake, 

Y/n and are...we're- she...

Ugh...

It's complicated.

She's my roommate, and yes, while we are closer than most friends, and did spend a lot of time together, 

We weren't...

Maybe I shouldn't talk about her as much with my family, if that's what's gonna happen.

Once my dad is out of sight, I pick up the newspaper again, let my face hide behind it.

With Slurp this close it was like he was practically here again. Not.

But just as soon as I did that,

I thought about something he said.

Wait...

What did he mean by spark?