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2025-09-18
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2025-09-18
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2/?
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Outcasts Twice Over - Eugsley

Chapter 1: A Funeral for First Impressions

Chapter Text

Pugsley couldn't manage to wipe the smile off his face as he walked down the halls of Nevermore, Wednesday didn't speak much of the school, but she had decided to come back for another year so that had to mean something. Approaching what would be his dorm for the year made his whole body tingle with an electric buzz, he couldn't help but get staticky whenever he got excited.

Meeting the boy he'd be sharing with was a pleasure greater than being waterboarded.

A shocking handshake wasn't the intention, he usually saved those for family reunions, but the boy - Eugene's reaction bordered on hilarious. Pugsley could tell he expected him to be like his sister, all solemn and miserable, but he liked to go about things with a little less woe.

As soon as their parents had vacated Pugsley had plopped himself on one of the empty beds, his smile still plastered eerily across his face. He watched as Eugene gave him an odd look before turning back to his luggage. The black eyed boy recognised that look, he received many much like it when he attended public school, though it didn't sway his terrifyingly good mood.

"So ...Eugene, you're the Jitterbug I've heard about, right?" Pugsley questioned, breaking the awkward silence that had consumed the room once their parents had left them be.

"Jitterbug? What's that supposed to mean??" Eugene turned from his luggage, brows furrowed as he looked down at the boy seated so casually like he already owned the school.

Eugene's had his fair share of 'punny' insulting names, but his bullies at Nevermore had never been quite so... creative. He'd have a little respect if it wasn't so irritatingly accurate, and the way he said it like it wasn't and incredibly odd thing to say to someone you just met. But then again he should've expected Wednesday Addams's brother to be weird, so this was just what he got for agreeing to room with him.

"What's it sound like it's supposed to mean?" Pugsley cocked his head to the side.

"You're a jumpy guy with bug powers. I thought the name was pretty on the nose." He wasn't trying to be intentionally rude, but he had a bit of an arsehole voice, something he picked up from Wednesday, who was just an arsehole sometimes.

"I'm not Jumpy." Eugene mumbled, before turning back to his luggage, moving his clothes into the half of the wardrobe he had claimed. A silence fell over the room once again, occasionally broken by coat hangers clinking together whenever something was hung up. Ottinger assumed that was the end of that encounter, he knew first impressions weren't really an Addams speciality but that was especially woeful.

"Hey Jitterbug!" Eugene swore he felt his heart stop when Pugsley suddenly appeared right beside him. "You're gonna show me around, right? Introduce me to all your friends?" The raven haired boy spoke quickly, eery wide smile across his face again as he looked down at the still recovering Eugene.

"What?" Eugene could feel a sense of dread washing over him, the kind that made him want to sink into the ground and never surface. "Principal Dort already showed you around." Eugene replied hastily, not wanting to spend more time with Pugsley than the roommate status required.

Pugsley's smile dropped and his brows furrowed for a moment, just a moment, it would've been barely noticeable if he hadn't been right up in Eugenes personal space. "Just introduce me to your friends then?" Pugsley asked again, the look in his eyes completely terrified Eugene, almost more than Wednesday's cold stares. Sometimes a smile was scarier than a frown. "They're... kinda new, I don't need you scaring them off or something..." Eugene mumbled, stepping back from the wardrobe, putting distance between the stripe clad boy and himself. If he was going to stay roommates with this kid, then he really needed to teach him some personal space...

Pugsley just stared for a few seconds, his excited look from a few seconds before replaced with a calculating one. Eugene took it back; frowns are definitely scarier. "Yeah, no, I get that. Maybe another time then." The black eyed boy responded quickly, turning to his own luggage to begin unpacking. The silence that followed was deafening. Eugene couldn't bear standing there for much longer, his unpacking was finished so he simply left.

---

Pugsley was used to rejection, but not the disappointment that followed. Too weird for the normies, too normal for the weirdos, it was an odd middle ground that he had quickly come to terms with. Even Wednesday had managed to make friends here - Eugene included, what was he doing wrong? She said he and Eugene would get along? That they were annoyingly alike? They didn't feel similar though, far from it really.

Pugsley sat down on his bed once he had finished unpacking. Nevermore was supposed to be cool, supposed to feel like a home away from home, that's what his dad said. but it felt more like solitary confinement. And not in a fun way.

---

Eugene wandered aimlessly around Callahan Hall, anywhere was better than his room, the tension was suffocating. Maybe he had been a little rude, but that kid was weird, an outcast amongst outcasts. It felt like looking at a reflection, like he was reliving last year over again, the feeling was almost worse than being gutted. Almost.

Ottinger immediately perked up at the sight of his friends in the common area, they didn't have much in common.. and they were a little to rude or rough sometimes.. and his moms didn't really like them.. but it didn't matter, he gets to say he has friends when people ask, and that's enough.

The silence that filled the room in Eugene's absence wasn't just quiet, it was clinical. Like the kind of hush that settles over a dissected frog. Pugsley sat motionless, hands folded in his lap, the static in his veins dimming to a low hum.

He'd been excited. That was the problem.

Excitement was loud. Excitement made people nervous. Excitement made Eugene leave.

Pugsley lay back on the bed, staring at the cracked ceiling, wondering if maybe Wednesday had been wrong, it was rare, but it still happened. Maybe he and Eugene weren't alike.

Maybe he wasn't cut out for friends at all.

Chapter 2: Grave Beginnings

Chapter Text

At what point is it okay to just tell someone to 'fuck off and die'? 

 

Eugene was long past annoyed. Seeing Pugsley's sad expression yesterday had made him feel a little guilty, but that was forgotten now. He just wouldn't shut up or leave for that matter. Could he really not take a hint? Or was he just being this dense on purpose??  He wouldn't even have to deal with his constant yapping if they weren't the only two in the class without a pair, his so called friends had all grouped up without him. In a trio. Eugene could admit, they weren't great and probably didn't actually like him, but at least they didn't go on about gruesome facts, burying bodies and lord knows what else.

He's not being mean he's just... tired, yeah tired. That works.

"Pugsley!" Eugene whisper shouted, finally turning away from his book to look at the sunken eyed boy. Pugsley immediately moved back, his mouth snapping shut. Eugene didn't notice the flash of panic across Pugsley's face, maybe he wouldn't have continued if he did. "Can you just fuck off? The group part's done." He hissed, Eugene wasn't one to swear every second word, but the other boy had been on his nerves for weeks now.

Pugsley just stared blankly for a moment or two, as if formulating a reaction. "Fine."

That wasn't what Eugene expected, far from it actually. Over the several weeks the two had been at Nevermore that wasn't how Pugsley usually reacted to similar statements. They'd been through the wringer with the whole slurp situation, might've even been friends for a day or two, but the zombie was locked up now and things had gone back to normal between the two boys. Eugene could confidently say they weren't friends right now.

 

-

He hadn’t meant to be that harsh. Maybe. But now he was stuck and needed an answer. "Pugsley, what did you get for question seven?" He asked, looking up to see that the other boy had finished and packed up, ready to leave.

 

"The group part's done Eugene. Figure it out yourself." Pugsley snapped before rising from his seat at the sound of the bell. Eugene could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up; he wasn't sure if it was the sudden detached demeanour from the usually overwhelming Addams or the actual electricity that he swears he saw radiating off the boy.

Either way, Eugene didn't like the feeling. Not one bit.

 

 

This is worse than public school. Pugsley wasn't sure how or why, it just was. Maybe because people here just tolerate him, at least the normies had the guts to tell him they hated him. 

He wandered aimlessly around the courtyard; classes were over but going back to the dorm would mean seeing Eugene and that was infinitely worse than looking like a lonely idiot. He was done with trying to be the boy's friend, Wednesday was wrong after all. They will never get along. He was rude and judgemental, and too much of a coward. Scaredy cats are cute. Cowardice buzzkills are irritating. There's a fine line between the two and Eugene managed to cross it.

Pugsley halted his brooding at the sound of footsteps behind him, suddenly he turned as zapped the source of the sound. Revealing a ginger frizzy haired girl, though the frizzy part was likely his doing. It was one of Wednesday's friends, the one that followed her around and was about his age.

"You're Wednesday's friend. What are you doing sneaking around near me?" He kept his expression neutral, not wanting to give anything away in case she was on some mission assigned by his sister. The strange girl blinked, still slightly shocked before recovering. She began smoothing down her hair as she spoke. “Agnes. Wednesday asked me to spy on you. Said you’ve been ‘acting unusually morose.’ She said it with affection. I think.”

His assumptions were correct; he kept his expression blank as he looked at the girl. Her voice was irritating, was this what it was like talking to him? No, he's just in a sour mood, he shouldn't judge so quick. "Is that all she said?" He figured hustling this Agnes girl for details would probably be easier than Wednesday herself.

“No,” she said bluntly, then vanished. Pugsley grunted at her sudden disappearance, zapping the air in every which direction hoping to hit her. He gave up after a good five minutes, dropping to the ground to sit hugging his knees "Bitch..." He mumbled, hoping that she was still there to hear that. The courtyard was dark now, the sun long gone and the students in bed.

He wasn't crying per se, He hadn't cried since being a little boy. But his eyes hurt, and his body was tense with electricity, if anyone was still around, they'd be able to hear him buzzing or see the purple flashes that bounced off him., The more he hurt, the louder he buzzed. It was like his body just refused to keep secrets. Pugsley could never control it when he was emotional, it didn't matter how many times uncle Fester taught him, he could never do it. And it definitely didn't help that he was weirdly emotional for an Addams. 

It was getting later now, if he were caught, he'd be in some serious trouble. He stood up blinking a couple of times to soothe the dull ache in his eyes, it was one of the only kinds of pain he really hated. The breeze had gotten colder too, Pugsley didn't have all that much feeling when it came to temperature, but he felt the breeze nipping at his skin, so it was definitely a temperature where most would be wearing multiple jackets. The walk back to his dorm was nice, even though the possibility of facing Eugene was there, the cold night pacified his sour mood.

-

As soon as he entered the room Pugsley was met with a beyond irritated Eugene. The taller boy walked past the shorter, ignoring his scolding in favour of changing into his pyjamas. It was obvious Ottinger cared more for avoiding trouble than Pugsley himself, he didn't need to listen to what he was actually saying to understand that much.

Pugsley just crawled into bed, not even offering a moment of recognition to the other boy. He rolled over to face the wall, blanket pulled up over his shoulders. Another minute or two went past before Eugene gave up and headed to his own bed. The silence that followed was nice, peaceful even.

The silence was absolutely painful. 

Eugene had been practically yelling at a brick wall for ten minutes. Pugsley had never done that before; he'd never just straight up ignored him. Just a grunt or a second of eye contact would've been nice. The boy had been off somewhere for hours, came back after dark then acted like Eugene didn't even exist! He needs to talk to Wednesday about this soon, her brother is a total nutcase.

Sleep didn't come easy to Eugene that night, the whole room felt like it was full of static, and that any sudden movement would shock him enough to leave a scar. He didn’t know if it was guilt, fear, or something else. But whatever it was, it buzzed louder than sleep. 

And it felt like it might be coming from inside him now, too.