22, i was interested

Ari, once again, was forced to be in Pugsley and Eugene's dorm because Pugsley "needed" help with his homework. She sat cross-legged beside him, eyes scanning the messy math problems on his parchment. Pugsley, however, wasn't looking at his homework at all. His gaze was fixed shamelessly on the blonde explaining it to him.

"So you understand?" Ari asked, tapping her pencil on the equation.

"Yes, I understand everything," he said quickly, though his eyes never left her face.

Ari rolled her eyes, fighting a smile.

Behind them, Eugene was chattering away to Wednesday, his voice bright with excitement. "A New England corpse moth. Extraordinary specimen. Where would you find it?"

"Following someone's emotional support zombie," Wednesday replied dryly, her gaze landing on Pugsley.

Pugsley's head snapped up, his eyes widening. "You found Slurp?" he blurted, already half-rising from his chair. Ari immediately got to her feet as well, curiosity sparking in her expression.

"Where was he?" Ari asked, stepping closer to Eugene.

"Tweezed these from Slurp when they were larvae. Now they're about to enter their migratory phase." Eugene said.

Pugsley frowned. "What's that?"

"When they return to their host body. To lay their eggs," Eugene explained matter-of-factly.

Ari grimaced. "That's... disgusting."

"What if the body's on the run?" Wednesday asked, tilting her head.

"I bet they'd still find it," Eugene said proudly. "Insect GPS beats Google Maps every day of the week."

"I just wanted a friend," Pugsley mumbled, his shoulders sagging.

Ari glanced at him and, without a second thought, slipped her hand into his. Her thumb brushed over his knuckles gently.

"What? Couldn't find one with a pulse?" Wednesday asked.

Pugsley winced. "I tried, okay? But no one was interested." His voice was low, vulnerable in a way Ari wasn't used to hearing.

And before Ari could say anything, he turned and walked away, shoulders hunched.

She didn't let go of his hand. Not once. Instead, she followed behind him, step for step, as though tethered to him now.

—————

They walked out of the dorm, their hands still linked. Pugsley hadn't noticed at first, too busy staring at the floor, but when he did, he glanced sideways, his cheeks turning a faint pink.

"You don't have to..." he muttered, half trying to tug his hand away.

"Yes, I do," Ari said firmly, tightening her grip. "Because you're being ridiculous."

His brows knit. "Ridiculous how?"

"You said no one was interested," she reminded him. Her voice was soft but steady. "But I was. I am. I'm still interested."

Pugsley froze mid-step, staring at her like she'd just confessed to murder in broad daylight. His lips parted, but no words came out.

"You—what?" he croaked finally, his voice cracking.

Ari bit back a laugh at his expression but stayed serious. "You're not invisible, Pugsley. Not to me. I like spending time with you. You make things fun, and you actually care when people need you. That's... rare. And kind of amazing."

For a moment, Pugsley just stood there, completely still. Then, in true Addams fashion, he blurted the most awkward thing possible. "So... does this mean I can keep holding your hand?"

Ari giggled, shaking her head, but didn't let go. "Yeah, idiot. That's exactly what it means."

Pugsley's grin widened, and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Okay... so, we're officially... what? Friends who hold hands?"

"Friends who hold hands... for now," Ari said with a teasing smirk.

————-

Later that evening, Ari flopped onto her bed in the dorm, finally letting out a long, exhausted sigh. Gia was already sprawled on the other bed, scrolling through her phone, while Liam leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, trying to look nonchalant but failing.

"So..." Ari began, glancing between the two, "I have some news."

Gia perked up instantly, sitting cross-legged and leaning forward. "Ooooh! Spill it, spill it!"

Ari smiled nervously. "It's about... Pugsley."

Liam stiffened just slightly, his curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"We... we're... well, kind of... holding hands now," Ari said, looking down at her lap, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve.

Gia's jaw dropped. "Wait, WHAT? You're... dating?!"

Ari shook her head quickly. "No! Not exactly. We're not officially dating. We just... like each other, and we held hands, and it felt... nice."

Liam let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, a small smile tugging at his lips. "That's... actually really great, Ari."

Gia smirked, shaking her head. "I don't get it. I mean, you were so cruel back then, and now suddenly you're all Mr. Supportive?"

Ari rolled her eyes.

"OH MY GOD!" Gia squealed, practically bouncing on Ari's bed. "I cannot believe my girl is dating an Addams!"

Ari threw her hands up, rolling her eyes dramatically. "I am not dating him!"

Gia leaned closer, grinning mischievously. "Then what is this, huh? Holding hands? Flirty smiles? Late-night pizza runs?"

Ari groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "It's... complicated, okay? We like each other, but it's not official!"

Gia smirked, unfazed. "Complicated? Sweetheart, this is you we're talking about. You don't do anything uncomplicated!"

Ari peeked through her fingers, giving her friend a helpless look. "I know, I know... but I'm serious!"

"I don't care!" Gia squealed, wrapping Ari in a tight, squeaky hug. "Come on, Liam! JOIN THE HUG!"

Liam froze for a moment, eyebrows shooting up, before a reluctant grin tugged at his lips. "Uh... okay, fine. But just for a second," he said, stepping closer and draping an awkward arm around Ari and Gia.

Ari laughed, half buried in Gia's enthusiastic embrace. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, trying to wiggle free without hurting anyone's feelings.

"Ridiculous? Nooo," Gia said, pressing her cheek against Ari's. "This is perfect. All three of us, best friends, celebrating my girl's Addams adventure!"

Liam rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the warmth spreading across his face. "Yeah... okay. Happy for you, Ari," he mumbled, glancing at her with that soft, nervous smile she knew all too well.

Ari's heart skipped a beat. "Thanks... really."

———-

A/N

So... what will happen in the end?

Any clues?

Bc I'm out of it ideas

Also I only watched half of the episode 7

I knew I hated Dort