hi everyone! my names sunday :) my pronouns are she/her
i'm a writer and requests are currently open but warningi'm a busy gal!!!!! Soz
this blog is mostly for my APHVERSE stuff + any fandoms that i'm really obsessed with + my reblogs and likes!
@sunday2manydrafts is my sideblog where u can find my fics for a buncha other fandoms that i might only write for once or twice (smart name right.. right guys)
its so funny liking both final fantasy and aphmau bc its such a weird combination of interests but then also u see Auron and ur like. Ik what u are Jessica.
hihi (again)! could i request a mystreet x gene that’s platonic with some romance/implied romance?
taking place in s2 (Love Love Paradise) where reader was invited by aphmau & the gang to go on vacation but gene (for obvious canonical reasons) wasn’t? (i think he shows up at some point in s2 but shh) so since he misses reader he decides to send them a letter? (i was thinking that gene has a crush on reader so he thought sending a letter would be lowkey romantic, and since reader is going to a resort he doesn’t want her to forget about him? so it’s being sent in a seemingly platonic way with romantic intentions)
tysm <33
hiii!! welcome back, haha.
we’re kicking off the requests i have yet to complete with yours. hoping the wait is at least a fraction of worth it! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)
In your excitement, you’ve run out of things to do over the rest of your summer. And if your math was right, you’ve barely gotten to spend half of the time you were supposed to stay on the resort. Left alone with your thoughts and the waves crashing against the shore, your mind drifts off to places it shouldn’t. While you and your friends have promised to not think about the world outside, everything about it starts taking up space in your head, and it starts spinning just thinking about it. With this whole trip being last minute, you’ve forgotten to let some people back home that you would be gone for a while. You found out the hard way.
A large pile of envelopes and postcards arrive at the villa’s doorstep, all addressed to you. Your wish for something new to do was granted, yes, but you didn’t expect for it to turn out like this.
What the hell, sure.
Convincing your friends that you’ll be alright alone, you put your big girl pants on and sift through your mail. Work…bills…real world stuff you promised not to think about…you didn’t know where to start. But then it catches your eye. 5 postcards that catch your eye, all with a return address you know far too well.
Where’d you go? Stopped by your place but no one was there. A neighbor told me you moved, but another said you were on vacation. One thing led to another, and I guess the post office knows how to reach you. Whether or not this will reach your new address will be something I’ll only find out days from now.
Are you even alive still? Write back.
— Gene
You haven’t forgotten me now, have you? It’s not like you to sulk at me for so long.
It’s gotten quiet at home, especially after work. Too quiet for my liking.
The mail tracker I was sent updated your address to that resort across the country. Good for you, but I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was jealous. Then again, you deserve this after how much overtime you’ve been taking up recently. I just wish you told me before you left.
Well, maybe the selfish part of me also just wants to share your fun with you.
— Gene
I dropped by your neighborhood earlier, and all the lights (yes, the streetlamps too) were off. As if everyone left. You’re with your neighbors on vacation, right? It was creepy as hell at first, but then the weirdest thing happened. I felt at peace there in the middle of the road. And then, they appeared.
You’re missing out. I think the fireflies knew you guys would be gone and showed themselves to me. I caught one and thought to keep it to show it to you, but then I remembered and let the lil fella go. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen them, so I guess it was nice.
Can’t you come home any earlier? We should watch them together.
— (You should know who this is by now.)
Dropped by the neighborhood again. The fireflies are gone now, but that’s thanks to the weird cars and trucks parked all over the street. The people pointing and talking didn’t catch me, but the whole thing felt off. Didn’t understand a thing they said, so I left immediately.
I’m sure nothing weird will be going on, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I know I’ll keep watch just in case either way, but any more and that’ll count as unpaid labor I think you should at least compensate me for. If you still can't come home, at least write back.
— Gene
Hey.
I know tickets for this summer are all sold out but if I said I found a way onto LLP, what kind of face would you make?
JK, of course. Save your reaction for when we get to meet again, yeah?
tags; established relationship, inexperienced reader
wc; 1.2k
a/n; this was inspired heavily by @mylovelo-ak's fic! sorry this is super short, i wrote this instead of sleeping </3
GENE TURNS up the music, and opens the car door, about to get out. you grab his arm to stop him, shooting him a confused look as you drop your phone back into your lap.
“need a smoke.” is his only reply.
you shake your head, leaning over to close the door. “you don’t have to leave. i don’t care.”
“i thought you don’t like the smell of smoke?” he smirks, pushing his hair off his forehead with his free hand. you glare at him simply, found in your pointless lie.
he scoffs, shifting in his seat as he grabs the pack and lighter that he tosses into your lap.
“be a doll and light it for me, would you?”
you do, carefully opening the near empty pack you had only stolen for him last week. the lighter fails to light up, the clicks seem louder than the music blaring from the car speakers.
usually, the eardrum bursting music would’ve landed you a cop berating you about noise pollution, but since gene took you out to an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere, there was no one to complain about the disturbance.
finally getting a flame produced, you pass him the lit cigarette, turning your head away from his sharp gaze intensely baring into your every action and move.
he takes the cigarette between two gentle fingers, and rolls down the windows taking a long drag, exhaling the white smoke slowly.
you go back to aimlessly staring at your phone, scrolling through social media posts without reading them. there’s a school football game, you think, but you’re not too sure. gene had skipped the whole week, so you skipped too to keep track of where he was.
he had snuck into some college frat party, and ended up crashing at the house for a few days.
you had sat with him the whole time, letting him rest his hangover by your side once he stopped trying to step outside to take a smoke break. he offered to let you take a drag, but you were too scared to actually commit.
now, you regretted it slightly as you looked at him staring out into nothingness, methodically raising the cigarette to his lips.
you reach over to turn down the music, and clear your throat, and he glances over at you.
“give me a hit.” you mumble, looking away.
he reaches over, tapping your jaw slightly. you look back at his mischievous grin before he quickly slams his lips onto yours.
you gasp softly, biting his lip. he merely chuckles at your surprise, one of his hands cradling your face gently.
he deepens the kiss, his other hand coming up to hold the back of your head. you’re dimly aware of him not quite holding your head properly, the cigarette still between his fingers angled away from your hair.
his tongue teases your bottom lip, and his teeth pull against it, coaxing you to part your lips to presumably deepen the kiss farther, but when you do, you’re caught off guard by him blowing the smoke from his mouth into yours.
The smoke fills your lungs, at first like cool air. It feels refreshing for a moment before it starts to feel like ash, and begins to burn your chest inside out.
you pull away from the kiss, coughing your lungs out as he laughs. you’re still busy coughing as he takes another drag.
“what the hell was that for?” you hiss at once the coughing has subsided.
he offers you a faux innocent look, tilting his head to the side as his dark blue eyes widened in an over exaggerated blamelessness.
“you said you wanted a hit, doll, so i gave you one.”
“that’s not what i meant and you know it!”
he shrugs, holding his cigarette in between his reddened lips, grabbing the pack to comply with your original request.
he slowly fishes the last cigarette out, tossing the box out of the car window, and lights it, somehow succeeding on the first try despite the lighter being faulty only a short moment ago. after a moment's hesitation, he pushes the still red hot end into his wrist, hissing slightly at the burn.
dDumbfounded and shocked, you immediately reach over and pull his hand away from his wrist, grabbing the cigarette from his hand.
“are you stupid?” you yelp, holding his wrist up to your face to inspect the burn.
thankfully, it wasn’t too bad, but it was still red and smelled nauseating.
he looks blankly at you for a second. “kitty’s first cigarette, gotta remember it.”
“by burning yourself?”
he stares at his hand for a second, before shaking it free from your grasp. “‘s not a big deal, doll. don’t worry your pretty head over it.”
you shake your head with a sigh, bringing up the cigarette to your lips and inhaling too deeply, which results in another fit of coughs.
gene laughs again, rolling his eyes at your inexperience.
“here,” he says, “like this.”
he gestures to his own mouth, raising the cigarette to his lips in slow, over-exaggerated movements so you can catch on to his visual explanation.
you swat his hand. “i’m not a child,” you hiss.
he smiles at you, his lips closing over the cigarette as he inhales softly before pulling the cigarette away, holding the smoke in his mouth for a few seconds before finally exhaling a white cloud. He waves it away in attempt to not get it into your face.
“got it, doll?”
you attempt to copy his actions, and end up coughing significantly less.
he nods. “good girl.”
after a few more tries, you get the hang of it.
you hesitate for a moment, taking a long drag and holding it, and before you can chicken out, you lean over and kiss gene, copying his earlier motion.
he stiffens for a second, taken aback, before returning the kiss deeply.
he pulls you closer, so you’re near to sitting on his lap. his hands find themselves tangled in your hair, his own cigarette long forgotten as he throws it out the window behind you.
you urge him to part his lips, and attempt the same maneuver he pulled on you, but end up choking on the smoke and pulling away again.
he snorts at your failed attempt, shaking his head as you try to regain your composure.
“good try?” he offers, grinning.
“maybe wait til you stop coughing ‘fore you try to shotgun me, doll.”
you glare at him, but he simply takes your cigarette between his two fingers and takes a long drag.
“not my fault i messed up, it’s my first time.”
“it’s your first time for a lot of things in that case.”
your cheeks flush a deep red as you sputter.
he leans over, one hand still holding the cigarette, the other put on your upper thigh. the pads of his finger press into the sensitive skin as he pulls you in for another kiss.
you wrap your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
you pull back just slightly, faces flushed.
“then you should teach me.”
he nods simply before pushing his lips against yours again.
taglist: msg us or send an ask to be included in the taglist!
yall ever feel like u know a character but at the same time just met them and have 0 information on them.Every time i sit down to write i think: Who Is This? I've just created a lifeless robot out of thin air.
if annyonnnee cares i have some updates on better distractions
i am trying to back up some chapters so i can post it while im busy! im working all the way up to chapter 7 right now but i dont have a beta reader so i still have to go back and edit all my shit LOL #Fml
anyway That's All thanks for listening to my Call into the void....
wc: 3.5k
pairing: pdh!gene x fem!reader
a/n: LOOK THE INTERESTING STUFF IS HAPPENINGFINALLY </3 guys im fanfic writer cursed rn so genuinely itll take me a while to get the whole story done FORGIVE MEEEEE
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If there was anything you could use, it was a break.
And since the carnival had come to town, you’d found the perfect excuse. The whole group had been dragged out to enjoy the festivities. There is a vague memory of rusty rides and fried food hovering in the back of your mind, but you struggle to piece the memory together.
“Damn, I think the guys beat us to it.” Katelyn directs all of your eyes to the boys of the group, huddled around one of the various games.
It’s one of those strength-testing machines — you slam down a cartoonishly-shaped hammer with all the force you can muster, hoping to win big. An attendant stands to the side, apathetically observing their attempts. You hear a series of dings before most of the guys groan in disappointment.
“Boys, huh?” Lucinda carefully nudges you with her elbow before skipping ahead. She points at the barely-lit metre, as the light is halted on the words ‘Too bad!’ in red lettering. She snorts at the result. “Well, which one of you losers did that?”
Dante scoffs, suddenly waving the hammer around in Lucinda’s face. “A perfectly strong and capable man playing a rigged game. That’s who.”
“Sounds like something a loser might say,” Katelyn chuckles. She pushes in between the centre of the group, bragging about “how it’s really done” with rolled-up sleeves.
Ahead of you, the park's concrete paths had turned into aisles of classic games. Plastic fishing rods, water guns, lines of milk bottles — all beneath striped marquees. There’s even one or two photobooths down the line. Jaunty music blares on crappy speakers as people stroll by.
It’s kind of fun getting to see the park all decorated. If you look to the left, they’ve transformed empty grass patches into a section for carnival rides. The intensity seems to go from slides and carousels, to drop towers and Tilt-A-Whirls. You’re not sure if you trust the more thrill-seeking rides to have every screw in place, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
Since zoning out, it seems the group has already divided themselves.
Aphmau is standing off to the side with Travis, Dante and a sweet boy named Vylad, who turned out to be one of Garroth’s brothers. It was going to take you a while to get used to how interlinked everyone at this school seemed to be. The group is prepared to walk off towards the assortment of rides.
“Hey, does anyone wanna come do some rides with us?” Aphmau asks.
Katelyn latches onto Lucinda almost immediately, a wide grin across her face. “Ooh, let’s do it, Luce.”
Reluctantly, the ginger accepts, and the five of them come together. The only ones leftover are Laurance, Garroth, and Cadenza. And of course, you.
“I think I’ll be sticking to the games,” Laurance says. He turns his head towards you, a hopeful look spread across his face. “Hey, why don’t you join us?”
Cadenza stands behind him, slipping you a teasing smirk. She slowly nods at you while wiggling her eyebrows. You attempt to slyly shoot her down, but instead face Laurance.
“Uh, sure!”
Aphmau’s group waves you goodbye. You can already hear them debating which to take first on the way out. You can’t look at them for too long before regretting your decision to stay over here.
Maybe you could get a break from your schoolwork, but unfortunately, there was no break from your resurfaced crush. And now that you were in such a small group, you would have to interact.
Cadenza walks ahead of you three, pointing at the stalls as you walk past. “Ooh, they have such cute prizes.”
Garroth chuckles. “Yeah, it just depends on how hard it is to actually win them…”
In an instant, Cadenza’s eyes light up. A look you can only describe as playfully mischievous covers her face. She skips over to Garroth, suddenly clutching his arm.
“I’m sure the Baseball Captain will do just fine.” She points at a stack of bottles; one of those knock-em-down games. “Hurry up, I wanna win one of the little cat plushies.”
Garroth looks back at you and Laurance with a shrug of acceptance. “I guess you two can keep going ahead if you want.”
Cadenza’s wingwoman tendencies always seemed to have a way. It might be lucky that both of the guys were totally oblivious that there was a wingwoman here. You were truly trying to forget about your crush, but that wouldn’t work while you’re forced to be together. Alone.
“Yeah, we’ll find something.” Laurance taps your arm with the back of his hand. “Anything you wanna do?”
Something manages to catch your eye.
In a distant stall, there’s a triangular formation of thin bottles. At the front bench, there’s a collection of small, neon-colored rings, sitting in a plastic bucket. Two small children have just lost out on a prize — scurrying off to the next stall.
But it’s not the ring toss you cared about. It was the prize wall behind it.
Pinned right at the top was probably the largest plush bunny you’d ever seen. Covered in the thickest white fur, paired with beady button-sized eyes. One of its floppy ears would be enough to cover your entire arm.
Maybe you’d struggled to form the memory before, but not anymore. You didn’t notice the bunny simply because it was cute (although, it certainly was). You’d noticed it because you’d seen it, at this exact park, as a kid.
You were peeking over the edge of the stall. You, Laurance, and Cadenza each had a ring in hand, alternating turns. You vividly remember selecting it for its big prize — the bunny on the wall.
Never in a million years would your parents have let you keep a real bunny (of course, you’d tried), so you’d opted for the supersized version with plastic eyes. In your mind, it was cuter than the real thing.
Unfortunately, the round ended with “better luck next time!” from the teenaged attendant. Somehow, you don’t recall any rides, or most of the other stalls, but you do recognise the floppy-eared bunny. Luckily, it’s just as cute as you remember it.
“Laurance!” You exclaim, and you must’ve had stars in your eyes as you looked back at him. “We came here when we were kids, right? I remember seeing that exact bunny.”
“Oh, yeah, we did. I think we tried to win it for you?”
You nod enthusiastically.
Laurance retrieves his wallet at the sight of your excitement. “Then I think we need a do-over.”
The two of you pause in front of the ring toss. You hold a hand out towards him. “You don’t have to pay for it; I’m the one who wants the bunny.”
Before you can retrieve your own money, he’s already handed his over. You cease your ruffling through your handbag.
“Sorry, you’ll need to be quicker than that.”
“Ugh, I’ll get you back for that,” you sigh. “But thank you, for real.”
In the furthest row, there’s about 6 bottles with painted rims. As long as you hit each one, the prize is yours. You hand him 3 of the rings from the bucket.
“Like old times,” you say, eyes glittering with excitement.
You alternate turns, both leaned over the bench.. During your first try, you’re only two rings off, but Laurance immediately demands a second round. You urge him not to get too sucked in after giggling at his laser focused look. As much as you’re also committed to earning the bunny, you don’t want him emptying his wallet over it.
Although, to your surprise… second times the charm!
The two of you instantly gasp at the last ring hooking over the painted bottle. You clutch his jacket sleeve, shaking him from side to side.
“You did it! You won!”
As the fluffy bunny is heaved onto the counter, Laurance rotates it to face you. “Well, it was a shared effort. But you do get the big prize.”
You wrap your arms around it, sweeping it into your arms — like someone pulling in stacks of poker chips. You’re not too clear on the cleanliness, but can’t resist leaning into the fluff. It’s just as thick and soft as you imagined. The kind of feeling you could melt into.
You pop your head over the top of the bunny. “Seriously, thank you so much.”
Laurance gently pats the plushies head. “Anything for a friend,” he smiles.
A friend. Right.
Every time he was sweet to you, you had to remind yourself that it wasn’t some kind of special treatment. Laurance was just a sweet guy. He probably would’ve won that for any of his other friends.
You had to stop catching yourself leaning into these moments. Whenever you blushed, or got flustered, you’d look up to find Laurance failing to share the same expression. You had to break from your delusion fast. Or at least beg Cadenza to snap you out of it.
“Holy shit,” Garroth breathes out a laugh as he approaches. “Now our prize looks infinitely lamer.”
Cadenza holds out a little black cat, about the size of your two hands. She holds it beside the bunny, unable to stifle a laugh.
She nudges the blond boy beside her. “Damn, maybe ours really was rigged.”
“Sucks to suck, I guess,” Laurance says, throwing his hands in the air.
After a couple more rounds, and a few rides, you all regroup for food. You gather around one of the picnic tables, gossiping and giggling. The bunny is big enough to need its own seat — although it did just end up serving as Katelyn’s pillow.
Eventually, the evening draws near. The crowds have just begun to dissipate; a few leaving spots of trash behind. Once declining a ride from your friends, you split from each other.
Feeling in need of a moment alone, you delay calling for a ride. And since you were already in the park, you might as well return to your usual spot for a moment of reflection.
Today, the fading sun was accompanied by a gentle breeze. The minute you felt any heat; the wind would sweep across your warming skin, soothing the red from your face.
Of course, you admired this from the bridge.
The water stretching for miles, the sky blending from orange to dark blue, with small dollops of cloud sprinkled across. It was the sheer amount of space you had that made this area so relaxing. With the crowds gone home, and the carnival lights switching off, this place was just perfect.
“Funny, we keep meeting like this.”
Oh, so close.
You flinched at first. But you recognised that voice… which unfortunately, meant you knew exactly what you'd find when you turned around.
There, lingering on the other side, was none other than Gene.
You must've not bothered to hide how swiftly your face fell, because Gene’s lips curl up at your new expression. He's anticipated your disgust, and yet that doesn't deter him.
“...Um, we've only met here once.”
Hands in his pockets, Gene strolls up to your side. “Didn’t realise you were counting, bunny.”
Although your lips part, you're physically unable to conjure a single word. Your saliva catches in your throat; sending you into a slight coughing fit.
You're trying to avoid looking at Gene, though you can tell he's finding this hilarious. He's not pointing and laughing. But the smirk on his face tells you more than enough. He retains that shit-eating grin as he patiently waits for you to compose yourself.
Finally relaxed, you clear your throat. You clutch the plush closer to your chest. “I'm sorry, bunny? When did…”
“Well, I had to call you something. And now that I look at you two beside each other, I think I see some resemblance.” He replies, leaning over.
You scan his face for a moment. “...What's that supposed to mean?” You can’t tell if you’re flustered or if your whole body is cringing. And aside from that, you had a name. One that he’s scarcely used so far.
“It means don't think about it too hard, sweetheart.”
You give him a doubtful look, eyes narrowing. Although, the effect is overridden by the reddening of your ears.
Whenever you had a moment to yourself, Gene always happened to pop up. It’s as if each interaction was perfectly orchestrated. You couldn’t even enjoy your spot for long, because he somehow turned it into your meeting room.
Although, if he was going to be so suspicious about approaching you, you needed to be sure why. It’s not that you didn’t believe Katelyn, but you needed to cut his “friendly” act short.
“Gene, why are you even talking to me?”
When he begins to chuckle, you wonder if he's laughing at you. You've only really spoken once, but both times you felt like you were missing something. Like Gene was always one step ahead — even if that step was just a centimeter.
“You don't remember what I said last time? I just want to be friends.”
“...Well, I just don't believe that,” you sigh. “Are you sure you don't just want me in the Shadow Knights?”
You'd hoped that might knock him off his game a bit — but he hardly seems phased by it. Just saying the name made you cringe a little.
“So your friends beat me to it. Who's to say that wouldn't make you a friend?”
You fold your arms, turning your nose up at him. “Hm… Depends how you plan on convincing me.”
“Well, there's not much I can do.” Gene rests his arm on the railing, head cocked to the side. “You can come find us whenever you like.”
Your head tilts in confusion. “Uh, where exactly is that? I've never even seen you in the cafeteria.”
“No use looking there, bunny.” He says, and you can tell he's enjoying your embarrassment of the nickname. “Check under the bleachers.”
There's a small delay in response. You squint, eyeing him with hesitance. “Uh, isn't that kinda off limits during lunch?”
Gene bursts into a laugh. You retain your puzzled expression. What were you missing here? You'd probably get written up for going there.
“You really are a goody two shoes, huh? Holed up in that library or something.”
You frown. “How'd you know about that?”
It wasn't like you attempted to hide it, but how would he have seen that from the bleachers?
“Uh, because it's something a goody two shoes would do. Either way, I'm right.”
There is nothing else you can muster but a dejected huff. With furrowed brows, you turn away from him. What kind of strategy is this? Is he planning to bully you into wanting to be friends?
Gene leans further out toward you, in hopes of meeting your gaze. “Alright, alright, I didn't mean to make fun of you. I wouldn't be talking to you otherwise. You know that, don't you?”
You scoff. “I'm not sure. Maybe it would do you some good to be around a goody two shoes.”
His eyebrows raise. He stares at you like he's finally gotten the reaction he's been waiting for. Grinning, Gene asks, “Now what does that mean?”
You get the feeling you should've just told him to go away, but now you were here, so you might as well prove your point. From the way she spoke about him, Katelyn would probably scold you for getting this far.
“Nothing, it's just… maybe you wouldn’t need to beg me to join.” You fidget with your hem, innocently looking off to the side.
You enjoy the few seconds in which you have left Gene speechless. He's probably got a witty remark he's been saving for such a moment, anyway, but it did feel nice.
“...Oh, really?”
Suddenly, you feel quite warm, palms sweating as you rush to explain yourself. “W-Well, it's just that typically people who actually show up tend to find more friends. Like, I think it makes me more… reliable. That's all.”
“Is that so?” Gene looks at you mischievously. “If I was more like you, I'd be more successful?”
Your lips purse. “Er, I mean, not like that—”
Gene shakes his head. “No, no, I'm not mad. You don't have to hide it — I admire how confident you are. So confident, in fact, that I could make you an offer.”
While you blankly stare at him, the only thing between you is a cricket-chirping silence. Surely, you believed yourself to be strong enough not to let him get to you — especially after your previous lectures, plus before anymore to come. But if Gene had wormed his way into suggesting an offer; then he likely already has.
Amidst all your anxiety surrounding what's to come, you've partially zoned out. Gene clears his throat to disrupt the quiet.
“Listen, I get it, you clearly don't like me. Your friends don't. It's whatever.” He digs his hands into his pockets. “But you like me enough to keep this conversation going. And don't think I didn't notice you tried to look for me.”
Your fingers curl over the railing; grip slightly tightening. You can't defend yourself against his argument, but felt uneasy nonetheless. Shifting the weight on your feet, you question him.
“...Okay, where are you going with this?”
“I'm willing to bet that your little theory is wrong. And I think being around me more might prove that.” Gene pauses to examine your reaction. Despite the mix of shock and confusion, he adds: “I'd bet even more on you not turning me down.”
You blink at Gene; like your eyelids are window-wipers, and he's merely a pesky bug or a drop of rain. Once, then twice. Yup, he's still there.
There's another one of those faithful pauses you use to conjure up a response — and despite aiming for witty, you always wind up asking more questions. His words echo in the recesses of your mind when you realise; Gene is being dead serious. He wants to form a real bet — all because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. The worst part of it was your intrigue.
Feigning disinterest as best you can, your arms tightly fold. “...Are you serious? What makes you say that?”
“Your curiosity does. Not that you have to, but I’m sure you’d enjoy proving me wrong.” He raises his hands in surrender. “But that's just me.”
Gene wasn't wrong in how he read you — but he was probably wrong in how seriously you're willing to take this. Despite not seeming it; you are the competitive type, and with someone as bothersome as him, you'd pop confetti getting to prove him wrong.
Then again, is this how you want to go through your year? Katelyn’s warnings were so serious that she didn't even delve into the details. The same went for Laurance. You'd basically just met the guy, so there was no knowing what was in store for you. As far as you knew, he could toss you in his trunk and drive into a lake.
This was rational thinking. Weighing the options, deciding you don't know enough about him, deciding your friend might be right. On paper, this was it. All the information you needed to turn on your heels and walk away.
So none of that explained this invisible pull you had to say yes. To throw out all logic, and agree. It was something much bigger than mere competitiveness.
…It was, maybe, your first impression of him.
If there was anything you knew you'd struggle with this year, it was knowing Laurance. Admittedly, he was also just some guy — some guy you hadn't seen in years, and should have no connection to. But seeing him again has sparked more than just your past friendship. Every time you looked at the stupid bunny, you’d just think of him again.
If you'd let Laurance consume your mind in 2 weeks, what'd the rest of the year hold? You couldn't escape lunch periods, classes, or his sister.
But this was new.
This was irrational, illogical, and slightly out of character. Maybe this would be your way of spicing up the year. Maybe, this would be a distraction. Plus, you were confident in your ability to win.
You knew that if you thought about this any deeper, it'd take forever for you to stutter out your answer. So you don't think about it, and you blurt whatever comes to mind. Good or bad.
“Fine. What are the terms?”
Even if you really wanted to take it back, Gene was already one-hundred percent prepared to seal it.
Gene claps his hands together. “I'm glad you asked, bunny. Let's say… we can hang around each other for a while. If I have any influence on you, I win and you'll join us.”
“...Okay, and if I win?”
“Well, it's up to you. Shoot for the moon, sweetheart, ‘cause it's not happening.” He buries his hands in his pockets. “You gonna make me hand in my homework?”
You deadpan.
“Okay. If I win, you'll shut up about the whole Shadow Knight thing. Like, to everyone.”
The way Gene looks at you holds so much self-pride — like he thinks he's already won. But you were now committing to not letting that happen.
here's a couple of songs i use to get in the writing mood for this story, or just things that reminded me of it! not all of them are meant to be bar for bar entirely linked to the story LOL but i put some lyrics under ones that felt resonated with it... In A Way... (will update over time)
story masterlist
⸝⸝
obsessed by olivia rodrigo
↳ "i got issues i can't help it, baby / i'm so obsessed with your ex"
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romeo by pink pantheress
↳ "i feel like it's magic, romeo / you're all i can imagine"
͏͏͏ ͏͏͏
jealousy, jealousy by olivia rodrigo
↳ "i'm losing it / all i get's jealousy, jealousy"
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bad idea, right? by olivia rodrigo
↳ "i only see him as a friend, the biggest lie i ever said"
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roommates by malcolm todd
↳ "i'm losing the person i was when i found you / am i acting different when i'm not around you?"
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illegal by pink pantheress
↳ "hey (ooh) is this illegal? / hey (ooh) this feels illegal" (so clever right)
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stupid song by olivia rodrigo
↳ "i feel right, i feel wrong, i feel totally insane / and i want you more than any stupid song could ever say"
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capable of love by pink pantheress
↳ "three little words, dedicate them to me / please make them personal, then say them to me"
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grudges by paramore
↳ "could it be that i've changed... or did you?"
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dance dance by fall out boy
↳ "dance, this is the way they'd love / if they knew how misery loved me"
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that's what you get by paramore
↳ "that's what you get when you let your heart win (woah) / i drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating"
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the only exception by paramore
↳ "because none of it was ever worth the risk / well, you are the only exception"
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hello cold world by paramore
↳ "i don't know who i am / well, maybe i'm not perfect / at least i'm working on it"
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crave by paramore
↳ "i'm already missing it / so i crave, crave to do it again, all again"
wc: 2.6k
pairing: pdh!gene x fem!reader
a/n: Hi.. WHY DID I GHOST FOR SO LOng sorry this is so short but chap 4 is done and im working on 5!!!. im tryna work ahead cause i have so much work for the rest of the year
prev. | masterlist. | next.
It doesn’t take much for Gene to uncover who someone is.
It’s surprising — a club of only three people knew just about every secret that was slipping through the cracks, or echoing off locker room walls. Gene never needed to be there for it to reach him. He’d always find a way.
But when he first saw you… you’d stumped him.
You waltzed in from the middle of nowhere, and immediately filled a spot at the “popular table” — gossiping with every athlete in sight. They’d snatched you up before anyone could’ve figured you out.
It’s not that popularity made you important. Gave you some sort of stardom. In Gene’s mind, you were just another loser, following an annoying clique.
What mattered was who exactly you were seen with. Laurance Zvahl.
The new girl worms her way into the Soccer Captains’ group, then skips down the halls with him in tow. Admittedly, there were plenty of other girls who were interested in doing the exact same. But you fill the spot before the day is over.
Gene had already made his attempts to convince your new friends. After all of those had evaporated into dust; they all gathered at the same table each day. And now that you — the meek, new girl — had integrated within that table, Gene couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mess with you. Messing with you meant messing with the whole food chain.
“You know what, I think this might actually be fun.”
Gene stretches back onto the grass. “Ah, someone agrees with me.”
Sasha keeps her arms folded, back pressed to the bleachers. Without moving a muscle, she speaks. “Well, I think you two are idiots. And that you, Gene, need to get over him.” She lightly kicks him in the side as she spits out his name.
That causes him to sit up with urgency. “The hell does that mean?”
“Like you don't know,” Sasha rolls her eyes. She gives Zenix one knowing smirk, which he quickly returns. “Anyway, are we sure she’s not just another girl Laurance is flirting with? Here one week, gone the next…”
Zenix looks up from his phone screen. “In that case, he must really like her. What’s so interesting about someone like her?”
“Weird, I’ve heard people say the same thing about you,” Sasha retorts without missing a beat. “If you don’t think she’s interesting, why go after her?”
Gene finally stands, dusting the grass off of his pants. “Because you might discover why she’s so interesting. Or end up with someone willing to do your bidding. See, that’s fun.”
“Mm, I guess you have a point…”
When the lunch bell rang, the Shadow Knights were surprised to find their leader wandering off. It wasn't like any of them liked the cafeteria food. But Gene always seemed to have a plan.
You were one of the last people to leave your art class. You’d told Cadenza to go ahead without you, not wanting to hold her up with your pace.
After tidying yourself up, you zip your backpack shut. You slowly squeeze into the halls, fighting against the rapids of people. You do your best to avoid the PDA clinging to the walls. At least you weren’t wrapped in something like that.
But before you can get far… something tugs at your bag. You frown, swiftly spinning around.
It’s the raven-haired delinquent from the park.
Gene raises his hands in surrender. “Woah there, just helping out a friend. Your bag was wide open.”
You maintain your frown. You swing your bag around until it’s pressed against your chest. It’s halfway zipped up. The visual is strange, considering you had a clear memory of closing it fully. Or did you?
“Huh. Thank… you?” You don’t know if you want to be grateful or not.
“It's just what good friends do. You know you can come talk to me here, right?”
As you stand there, a little stunned, Gene finishes closing your bag. He even swings it back over your shoulder; brushing a piece of hair out of the way.
“Yeah… I know.”
Gene gives an affirmative hum. “Not too interested, huh? Must be too fixated on Loverboy over there.”
His eyes guide you to a distant brunette. Your childhood friend stands near the end of the hall; eyes narrowed with disdain. He stares Gene down so harshly you think he might burn a hole through his black hair.
You’re completely distracted by the sudden amount of tension in the air. Until Gene’s thumb carefully smooths over your cheek. It’s a chilling feeling that catches you completely off guard. You face him again, almost becoming defensive.
“You had a little something,” he casually explains. He lifts his thumb for proof, showing a small splotch of yellow paint.
“Oh,” you quietly utter. Strangely, you've frozen in place, like he's almost flustered you.
The moment Laurance notices, his face drops, like he’s snapped out of hypnosis. He runs a hand through his hair before turning on his heels. By the time you turn around to catch him, he’s already vanished.
It’s then that Katelyn’s previous warnings come back to your mind. If you didn’t believe her then, it was undeniable now. You’ve never seen such hatred present itself without anyone speaking. You couldn’t help your curiosity, but flat-out asking them about it was not the move. At least, not for now.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you. You’ve got your people, I’ve got mine…” Gene clears his throat. “I’ll catch you later.”
Before you can get another word in, he’s walked in the opposite direction, off to who knows where. You certainly didn’t know where to find him at school. Gene wasn’t really a student to you — more like an apparition that appeared out of dust to tell you something snarky, then leave. And you should know, because you did make some attempt to find him. As huge as the cafeteria was, there was no way he was ever there. But to your credit, you had to be a little subtle about it. It’s not like you were going to sit with him, you just got curious.
Hold on, how did he know about your crush on Laurance?
You admitted you weren’t actively trying to be subtle about it, but it hadn’t been that long. Although, whenever he did come around, you were nothing short of a nervous wreck. It’s shocking that only Cadenza is willing to tease you about it, while the rest stay oblivious. That is, until Gene’s teasing.
What you still failed to understand was why Gene had taken such an interest in you. The way he’s gone about it hasn't helped either — acting compassionate while teasing you about one of your most guarded secrets. For now, his motive would continue to elude you.
If there's anything else you learned about starting a new school halfway through the year — it was that things became stressful fast. At least, for someone who was actually trying.
You did attempt to have your fun in the first 3 weeks. But everything you'd missed finally came to a halt in front of you… and you could no longer ignore it. Most of your teachers were understanding of your late arrival, but you didn't allow yourself to slack off. That led to dedicating quite a lot of time to your studies.
It's what your parents had hoped you'd do, considering Phoenix Drop High was a pretty good school. It felt fancy enough having to wear these uniforms.
You rarely had a moment to yourself at school, but you spent that time in the library. Although, you were currently squished between Katelyn and Aphmau at the lunch table. The former had her back pressed to your shoulder as she spoke to Lucinda. You couldn't help but notice their tendency to argue with each other. You turned to Aphmau for a distraction. From both the angry pair, and Laurance, who was awfully quiet today.
“...Yeah, that happens a lot. Y’know, Lucinda's mom turned them into cats when I was a freshman.” She leans against her palm, a slight smirk on her lips “Not as cute as you’d think.”
“Is that how you guys became friends?”
“Actually, not at all.” Aphmau lifts her elbow to nudge Travis beside her. “She knocked him out with a volleyball.”
You snort at the image that comes to mind. “Really?”
Travis leans forward to speak. “Yup — whacked me right in the middle of the club social. Now I just think it's kinda funny.” He turns his head to the girl between you two. “That was a pretty crazy year, huh?”
You can't exactly place her change in expression — it lands somewhere between pensiveness and frustration. Aphmau agrees nonetheless; lips upturned and brows dipping. She notices you examine her face, attempting to wave you off with a smoothly-plastered smile. You tilt your head at her still.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Aphmau chuckles nervously. “I just… ran into a lot of different people. I’m sure you’re doing the same.”
You delay a response while attempting to process.
“N-Not like you're going to have the worst year ever,” she clarifies. “You're around a lot of good people..! I wouldn't worry.”
You nod. “I appreciate that, Aphmau.”
It was becoming disappointing that atop all your piling academic stress, you couldn't help thinking about some guy. Make that two of them, now. Laurance was still plaguing your mind, and his sister was still hell-bent on teasing you about it. You were anything but subtle, so it's only a matter of time before someone else picks up on it. Worst of all, Laurance.
All of these thoughts have caused you to zone out at the table; amidst the 4 other conversations you've been placed between. You need to get your mind off of a few things, and the cafeteria wasn't exactly ideal for that. You sling your bag over your shoulders, announcing your departure to the table.
“You're headed for the library?” Katelyn says, halting her chat with her ginger friend. “Want me to come with?”
You shake your head. “No, don't worry. I just have an English assessment to work on… unfortunately.”
“Alright then, I'll see you later.” Katelyn later affectionately adds, “Since you have to be a nerd, I guess…”
You chuckle, “Yeah, unfortunately, I do. I'll see you guys later.”
After returning your tray, you disappear into the hallways. The deeper you go, the quieter it becomes.
Upon reaching the library, you notice the scarcity of students inside. These kinds of days were ideal for you, as you could always rely on the same seat to be open.
You always opted for a table near one of the windows. One of those tables was more secluded than the others; bordered in by towering bookcases. It was where you focused best. But when you weren't focused, you were gazing at the field below. Sometimes you saw teams training, equipment being laid, or even groups of students who were definitely not meant to be there. But spending your lunch period outdoors doesn't actually sound too bad. You consider the thought with your chin resting in your palm, eyes fixed on the grass.
Places like these — like the bridge in the park — is what gave you a bit of hope. Not much could, when you’re pulled away from a group you basically grew up with. Your parents were a little fed up with how long you’d stay up video calling them on weekends. The thought of them all giggling over a lunch table right now forced a frown. Even if they don’t, they still get tomorrow. All you get is your childhood crush and the school ‘Shadow Knight’ with a horrific attitude.
“English, huh?”
You jolt at the voice, turning to find Laurance standing across from you. You realise how suspicious it is that literally none of your things have left your backpack.
“O-Oh, I was going to get to it, but…”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “No need to explain, I get it. English does make you think a lot, right?”
You can't help but grin. He then taps the chair opposite yours.
“Well, anyway, is it alright if I join you?”
You tuck a few strands behind your ear before gesturing to the seat. “Of course, have a seat.”
Laurance follows your gaze, which you quickly redirected to the outdoors. He smirks slightly. “You know, my team actually practices down there a lot.”
Your head swiftly turns to face him. “Hold on, your team? You have a team?”
He nods. “Yeah, you're actually looking at the Soccer Captain.”
Despite his joking nature, you were taking this seriously. Being a team captain was nothing short of impressive. But now, it also made complete sense that Laurance was so popular. You knew he was athletic, but being team captain was a whole different level.
“Laurance, that's awesome!” You beam, only now realising you should probably quiet down. “I remember we played a lot when we were younger. It's cool that you got so good.”
“Well, you can't know for sure unless you come to one of my games.”
Your eyebrows raise. “Oh, uh, really?”
“Of course,” he says, voice reflecting his sincerity. “Who knows — you might just be a lucky charm.”
Your expression turns bashful. “You'd win just fine without me.”
“Okay, well, maybe I just want you to see how awesome I am,” he jokingly rolls his eyes.
You shrug coyly. “I guess maybe I'll be there, then.”
Laurance can smile at your answer for only a moment. His eyes are quick to narrow at you, like he's been eager to steer the conversation to a different topic. Even the way his face drops borders on impatience. You feel your heartbeat quicken, understanding exactly where this is going.
“Okay, I need to be honest. I was feeling… a bit worried about you.”
You hesitantly nod, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, um, really..?”
“Yes,” he answers swiftly, almost too intense. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I saw you talking to Gene. You know who that is… right?”
The first thing you can think of is that Laurance’s staring was anything but subtle. The fact that he really thought he went undetected is a little laughable, but you hold back.
“Yeah, we’ve… met.” You purse your lips for a second. “I mean, I’ve heard some stuff about him already. But he hasn’t tried anything.”
Laurance rubs the back of his neck. “Well, that’s good. But Gene can be very… persistent. Trust me, our whole lunch table has seen it first-hand. If he’s going after you, I just hope you know what’s going on.”
“I’m alright, I swear. If something happened, I’d tell you, but it’s barely anything. I’m honestly more worried about my schoolwork...” You follow the words with an awkward, breathy laugh.
“Seriously, he’s caught up in some weird shit. Even if you think you’re safe, he’ll find a way to involve you.” Laurance shakes his head. “I don’t want to see you like that before you can even settle down.”
Laurance’s gaze felt like a spotlight when you two were alone; dawning on your lack of composure while he got to smile and nod. You wished for nothing more than to not be reminded of your embarrassingly large crush at any given moment.
“I appreciate that a lot… but I promise you I know what I’m doing.” You look down at your nails, quietly fidgeting. “I'm not dumb, y'know.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Laurance cuts himself off, sighing. “I don’t think you are. You’re right, and I trust you.”
“No, no, I wasn't trying to accuse you. I trust you too.” You explain, reassuringly.
