Work Text:
Slurp— Issac, he said his name was— wouldn’t tell Pugsley why he’d taken him. What exactly he was helping with,
He was tied down and gagged, wrists bound behind the back of an uncomfortable wooden chair with a strip of cloth held fastly between his lips. Pugsley could scream, but that wouldn’t help the situation. It’s frustrating he can’t talk, though, he’s thought of so many great jokes and he just has to keep them to himself. Feels like a waste.
They— his captors, consisting of Slu—Issac, his sister Francoise, and her son Tyler. Tyler Galpin, to be more specific; the Hyde that never seemed to take his mind off of Wednesday— aren’t necessarily cruel to him.
Actually, Issac seems kinda fond of him. Which would be a great thing if Pugsley wasn’t literally kidnapped and held in this random cabin against his will. Restrained and unable to speak his peace. Or his quips, which was a real shame in his humble opinion.
“Issac,” Tyler’s mom said quietly, fiddling with the hem of her sweater as she glanced between Pugsley and her brother, who’d just rounded the chair the boy was being held hostage in.
Issac addressed his sister with a quiet hum, more preoccupied with keeping his eyes focused on Pugsley as he gingerly set his left hand on Pugsley’s shoulder. At some point the rubber glove on that hand disappeared, leaving Pugsley to feel the stolen warmth of bare skin as Issac dragged the pad of his thumb down the side of Pugsley’s neck.
Francoise sighed, and Pugsley looked up to see her looking equal parts confused and… conflicted, oddly enough. “What are we going to do with him?” it was a little comforting, knowing that she’d been left out of the loop as well.
Looking back up at Issac found that he was now focusing his attention on his sister. Good, Pugsley thinks she might have some jealousy issues she needs to work out; and he’d rather not have a Hyde trying to disembowel him. That’s one thing he doesn’t want to have in common with his sister, that’s for sure.
“We won’t be doing anything with him.” It wasn’t cruel, just a statement of fact, and Francoise didn’t seem to take it too harshly. If anything, she relaxed; probably because her brother was finally explaining himself. Pugsley knows how awful it can feel to be kept in the dark on things.
Any sympathy was dashed as soon as Francoise replied with “…Are you going to use him as a power source?”, sweet and airy as if she wasn’t talking about Pugsley like he was some object. A battery pack for whatever they need powered.
Quickly, Issac came to his defense; Pugsley was looking back and forth between the siblings this entire time, but Issac appeared to have had enough of his constant head-swiveling. Grabbed ahold of Pugsley’s chin and kept his head turned so he could only look at Issac, whose gaze was solely fixed on his sister at the moment.
“No.” He said it easily, so easily that Pugsley couldn’t help but believe him on the matter. “I’m keeping him.”
That was ominous. Maybe he deserves this, he did… treat Issac like a pet before, but in his defense, he had no idea there was any remaining part of the person he’d once been! Plenty of his family would keep undead as servants or pet-adjacent companions. How was he supposed to know ‘slurp’ was any different?
Pugsley couldn’t see how Tyler’s mom reacted, but her voice painted a pretty clear picture of genuine surprise as she asked “What? Why?”
Issac shrugged, his gaze breaking away from his sister and landing back on Pugsley. He still kept the boy’s head firmly in place, making sure he paid full attention to what his captor had to say “Well, I think it’s only fair I take something of theirs,” His lip lifted up into a snarl for just a second, but it dropped as soon as Pugsley stiffened at it.
Instead, it was replaced with a soft smile that didn’t reach his eyes, performative. Placating, as he continued “And I’ve come to like him.” Issac broke eye contact at that moment, looking back at his sister and pulling Pugsley’s head to do the same.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” If Pugsley wanted to, he could shock Issac. His hands were bound, but Issac’s leg was right by them, if Pugsley were any more impulsive than he already is, he would've done it.
But a part of him still makes him pause about hurting Issac, who literally kidnapped him, and was currently treating him like some pomeranian he stole out from his nemesis’ house— but he was still his first ever friend. The closest he had to one, anyways.
“Issac,” Francoise sounded exasperated, looked like it too. She let her head droop and her hair fall around it, cradling her face in her hands for a moment before lifting her head and dragging her hands downward. “This isn’t practical.”
Issac huffed, his grip on Pugsley’s jaw tightening to the point of discomfort as he defended himself “You have yours, I have mine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pugsley would like to know too— he had a clue that Issac was referring to Tyler in that, and it was all but confirmed with Issac’s response of “You get to drag around your son, shouldn’t I be afforded the same luxury?”
“That’s not— He isn’t your son, Issac.” The man in question hummed, then leaned over and pressed the side of his cheek against the top of Pugsley’s head, resting on it “I know,” Pugsley could feel how Issac’s jaw popped as he spoke, so maybe not as fully healed as Pugsley had previously assumed
“But he’s the closest I’ll ever get to have.” So Pugsley is stuck here because… what? The zombie he’d treated like a pet wants him as a son? He already has a dad, thank you very much—
The relief from Issac removing his hand from Pugsley's jaw was short-lived to say the least, because Issac almost immediately decided to throw his arms atop Pugsley's shoulders instead. A pseudo-embrace from behind, and perched his chin right on top of Pugsley’s head.
It felt restrictive,
It felt comforting, and Pugsley knew he was weird; it’s part of the Addam’s family legacy after all, but he shouldn’t be finding comfort in this.
“Besides, I’m his only friend. It’d be just plain cruel to leave him alone in the world, Franny.” Pugsley could basically hear the pout in his voice and—
Oh.
That’s what it actually is then. Pity, he kidnapped Pugsley out of pity of leaving him alone; or maybe that’s just what he’s telling his sister so he can get her off his back.
“It’s not practical, you can just use him as a power sour—“ They were starting to sound like actual siblings now, bickering kind of like how Pugsley and Wednesday do, Issac cutting Francoise off without mercy “There are plenty of electrokinetics at Nevermore. This one's mine, Franny. You get to have your Tyler, I get to have my Pugsley. This makes us even.”
So they both have jealousy issues, then. Makes since, considering how eerily close they act with one another.
With that, they hit an obvious stalemate. Francoise could’ve kept arguing, but must’ve decided there was no use in it. She wasn’t going to win against her older sibling, and that’s another small thing her and Pugsley have in common.
She threw her hands up like she was surrendering, before turning around and heading into another room. Probably the bedroom where Tyler was sleeping, ‘cuz Pugsley heard muffled words and the sleepy groan that followed.