Extremely shitty 1/2 fic because I want to write more fan fics but I am NOT proud of this one it’s so OOC and it’s so slow and long for no reason and ugh it’s just not that good.
Also feeds into my headcanon of Hoagie having long ass luscious hair.
Also no proofread we SHOOT and MISS
CW: mentions of phisical and mental child abuse, L*dia
It’s always all fun and games until L*dia shows up
In the dead of night, Nigel laid across the deep wood of the treehouse roof. He placed his hands behind his head, both for comfort and so splinters wouldn’t get stuck on his head. He guided his eyes towards the glittering night sky, they seemed to sparkle at him, flashing shining colors of light as they alone illuminated the night sky. Them, and the streetlights that littered the street, but thanks to the hight of the treehouse, they were never much of a problem anyway.
Nigel let his mind wander around, something he never got to do much anymore. He almost didn’t want to, he wanted to drag himself back to his bedroom to figure out what adults needed arrest or fighting. He needed to look, he needed to protect himself, the children around the world, his friends.
Then, he head creaking on the ladder leading up to the roof, but he didn’t move.
He knew who was coming up that ladder. The one person who could’ve known it was there, the one who put it up in the first place.
“Oh! Hey Numbuh 1!!” Hoagies cheery voice shouted from where the ladder stood, hoisting himself up and moving to sit next to where Nigel laid. “I thought you said you were gonna look over the adult files?”
“I was about to…” Nigel groaned, turning his head to the other boy. “But Numbuh 5 beat me to it, said I needed to-“ he lifted his head up, releasing his hands and putting them into air quotes, “take a break.”
Hoagie giggled to himself, “Hey, she’s not wrong!” Nigel rolled his eyes at that, he wouldn’t admit it was true, atleast not out loud.
They sat in silence for a minute, looking up towards the stars. Occasionally, they would sneek a glance at the other, quickly turning their heads away if they accidentally locked eyes. After a few seconds of (partially awkward) silence, Hoagie slowly spoke, hoping to break some tension.
“Do you remember your hair?”
Nigel paused. It was an odd question, absolutely. Probably an insensitive one, if he really thought about it, but Nigel seemed to sit up slightly at the mention of it.
“Of course I do, it’s not like they stole my memory too.” Nigel sighed, rubbing a hand over his bare head. “I’m honestly surprised you remember it, you haven’t seen my hair since second grade.”
Hoagie turned to look at Nigel, looking over his face. “Ya but, it’s hard not to remember.” He stuttered, rubbing his hands together. “I remember my mom talking about how pretty it was, that maroon brown color, I mean.”
Nigel remembered what his hair looked and felt like, faintly, at least. He had his mother’s hair, soft and thick. Nigel remembered how his mother used to brush his hair every morning, and how all the other parents would talk about how “handsome” he looked.
Hoagie spoke up again, coughing into his fist. “I think after seeing yours she got inspired. She hasn’t cut my hair in a while now.” Hoagie rubbed his hands over his own head, feeling his leather hat.
“Well,” Nigel said, turning his body over to the bigger boy. “Lets see it, wise guy.” Hoagie looked a little stunned for a second, blinking a few times before finally responding in a giggle. “What?”
“You got lucky enough to keep your hair, so let’s see it!” Nigel huffed, shrugging his shoulders at the other. “Besides if your mom never cut it it must look kinda cool, right?”
“Oh gosh no!” Hoagie yelped, throwing his hands over his hat. “I hate my hair. It’s too long and I hate brushing it all the time, and it makes me look like a girl, and-“
“Apt apt apt!!!” Nigel snapped his finger, letting out a rare chuckle. “Team leaders orders!”
Hoagie only pulled his ear flaps down harder. “Aww dude, please!”
“One.” It was too late, Nigel has already started the count.
“Nigel I’m telling you it looks ugly”
Nigel raised his hand and opened his mouth to say the third number. Hoagie had never actually let Nigel count all the way up to three before, he normally caved to whatever Nigel needed, and today wouldn’t be any different.
“Okay okay fine! Jeez-“ Nigel sat back with a smug look on his face as Hoagie fumbled with his goggles, turning his head away from the other.
“Okay seriously, promise not the laugh, okay? I haven’t washed it in a few days and-“
“Hoagie” Nigel cut him off. “I promise if I laugh I’ll, uh,” Nigel tried to think of something as Hoagie continued to fumble with his hat.
“If I laugh-“ Nigel finally started. “I’ll have to eat my own.”
Nigel couldn’t believe what he saw, in fact, he almost didn’t recognize the boy in front of him. Hoagies hat and giggles sitting in his lap, and he had marks around his eyes from the goggles sitting there for so long.
Nigel couldn’t care about that though, because all he was focused on was Hoagies hair.
It was a brilliant amber and curly, like his mothers. It flowed down just past his shoulders, shooting off in all different directions from being under the hat so long. Nigel simply couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Hoagie blinked a few times, excepting some sort of over the top reaction, or at the very least a chuckle. He was about to say something, maybe wave his hand infront of the other to snap him out of it, until he saw Nigel’s hand slowly begin to move towards him.
In pure silence, Nigel stretched his hand out to the others hair, fingers barely brushing against it until Nigel and Hoagie made eye contact with eachother. Nigel paused for a moment, realizing he probably should’ve asked before reaching out for Hoagies hair like that, until he got an idea.
Hoagie sat in silence for a moment, before letting out a giggle.
“Braid it? You know how to braid hair?”
Hoagie, now in a fit of giggles turned around to not offend the other, as Nigel began to gasp and stutter.
“I-of course I do! Abby and Kuki taught me!!”
“Uh huh, sure, and Wallys passing his next spelling test!!” Hoagie rolled over in laughter, Nigel only stopping to shake his head.
“I promise I do! If you have a hair tie, I can show you!”
Rolling his now exposed eyes, Hoagie dug around in his pocket. After fiddling around, he fished out a small, black hair tie.
“Here.” Hoagie tossed the tie over to Nigel, shuffling his body infront of the other. “Just don’t mess it up too much!”
Nigel, now determined to braid the best braid hes ever braided, slowly grabbed bits and pieces of Hoagies hair. The two sat in silence for a bit, Nigel taking in the feel of soft curls, and Hoagie feeling the comfort of the other at work. It was still calm when Nigel spoke again.
“I haven’t touched another persons hair in so long, I only ever watched Kuki and Abby do eachothers.” Nigel sighed, looping another strand. “My Dad didn’t even notice when I first came home bald. When he figured it out, he called it an “early puberty””
Hoagie chuckled into his fist. “Hey at least he noticed! It would take my grandma at least a year before she would even ask about it.” Hoagie felt a tug from the back of his head, and a soft “sorry” from behind him.
“Well, shes not hear right now, is she?” Nigel said at a whisper, looping the hair tie around Hoagies now braided hair. “And besides, you didn’t get your hair from her anyway. The braids done, incase you still doubted me.”
Hoagie felt his hair, now done in a low braid going down his back. He smiled to himself turning back around to the boy behind him. “Not bad, Numbuh One!”
The two boys jumped up from where they sat, play arguing about bets and hair ties, eventually going to make their way down back into the treehouse. Nigel’s hand was barley on the ladder when he and Hoagie heard a car horn bast in the distance.
Nigel and Hoagie dashed over to the edge of the roof, looking out towards the road. A car was parked infront of the treehouse. A car normally ment a troublesome adult was there with it, but when Hoagie yelled and jumped back out of the cars view, Nigel knew this had to be much worse.
“Tommy!” Nigel saw the wrinkled face of Hoagies grandmother lean out the car window, throwing her head at the house. “Tommy if you don’t get your but outta that treehouse I’ll-“
Nigel leaned his head over the roof, looking down at Lydia. “He went over the Wallys!”
Nigel repeated himself louder, trying to get the older woman to pull away. After a bit more back and forth between the two, Lydia started the car again and drove off, yelling about how much trouble her grandson was going to be in for staying out so late.
Once Nigel was sure the older woman was gone, he ran towards Hoagie, who was hunched down near the back of the roof.
“I told her you were at Wally’s. I can fly you over there, or you can stay the night here or-“
With a huge gush of air being shoved from his lungs, Nigel was pulled into a giant hug. Nigel could hear soft sobbing and sniffling in his shoulder.
“T-thank you so much. I dont know what she would’ve done if she saw.. this.” Hoagie ran a hand over his braid once again, pulling back from the other. “That and I just.. didn’t wanna go home yet.”
The two stared at eachother, and only after a few minutes, finally made their way down the ladder and back into the treehouse. They could deal with Hoagies grandma tomorrow.
Right now, all they needed to talk about was Yipper cards
This was ass um goodnight
Ima need more Hoagel fics on my desk by tomorrow kay
Oh and i made art for this
