Strawberry’s Lab

Thing i did for Fanpires: First Bite!! Go watch it all it immediately, nothing bad happens. at all.

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“It’s so weird,” you reflected as you applied the last of your makeup, “it feels like just last week Travis was telling me about the auditions and everything, and now the show’s on. The time passes a lot faster when you’re not the one at rehearsals nearly every night.”

Gene hummed, adjusting his outfit. It certainly wasn’t what he was used to - wearing colour. At least you let him wear green instead of pink.

You set down the hairbrush you had been humming showtunes into all afternoon and helped Gene fold down the collar of his shirt. He’d been getting a little more adventurous with his fashion choices and expanding his wardrobe lately - which you were very proud of. There were now a total of eleven items in his wardrobe that weren’t entirely black or white. Sure, one was a shirt with a red logo, but you’d take the wins where you could.

You kissed him on the cheek, easing some of his concerns about the outfit.  “I just… you don’t think it’s too much?”

“A green T-shirt with a black flannel covering most of it?”

You giggled. “No, honey, I don’t think it’s too much at all. You look handsome.” 

Gene gave you a soft smirk. “You nearly ready?”

“Yeah, just gotta grab my shoes and coat!”

You left the house arm in arm with your boyfriend, making a quick stop off at his mother’s house for a bunch of flowers she had prepared for you to give to Travis.

She insisted you pay her nothing, trying to gently shove the bouquet in your hands and out the door. Gene knew how stubborn you both could be and opted to stay out of the matter, waiting in the car instead. 

You grumbled as you did up your seatbelt. 

“Everything okay?” He asked, knowing exactly what you were upset about. You fished a rolled up twenty dollar note from the bouquet that absolutely was not there before. Gene laughed.

“I put money in her silverware drawer, which I know for a fact she didn’t open, but she managed to get me back!” You complained. 

“You’ll get her next time, baby.” Gene assured as he reversed out of the driveway.

“Is this why you were always so stubborn and sneaky about paying for things when we first met?” You questioned with a huff.

“What can I say, I learned from the best.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You couldn’t suppress your excitement as Gene drove you to the theatre. Your leg involuntarily bounced the entire way. Even though you weren’t the one performing, your stomach swirled with anxiety and excitement for Travis. When you arrived, you leapt out of the car before Gene could even make it over to open your door. 

You tried to slow your gait and not sprint to the front of the building, only barely holding on to Gene’s hand as you burst through the main entrance. He followed as you beelined straight to the dressing rooms. 

“Are we… allowed to be back here?”

“Of course! I know these halls like the back of my hand.” You powerwalked down the corridor, scanning for a sign that read ‘Fiyero’. Travis had wailed to you about having to share a dressing room for the first time in years - even though he only had to share it with one person who he got along with considerably well.

You finally found the door you were looking for, knocking it with 6 raps that would indicate to Travis who was on the other side of his dressing room. 

He opened the door with a wide grin, proudly accepting the flowers and an embrace from you. His face soured slightly when he saw your accompaniment, though not nearly as much as it would have a few months ago. Progress. 

Gene thinned his lips into a not-quite-smile and gave Travis a friendly-ish nod, neither gesture was returned to him. You were struggling to hold in a laugh at how ridiculous Travis looked in his wig. In fact, you were fairly certain it was on sideways. 

“Irene, you were never good with hair.” You finally burst out. “Let me help you, come on.”

The three of you piled into the dressing room, trying to warmly introduce yourself to Travis’ temporary roommate - though he seemed mostly nervous and fiddled to get his costume perfect.

You helped Travis fix his wig and touch up a few aspects of his makeup, but most of it was pretty decent already. He did complain a lot when you did his eyeliner though. 

Gene tried a few times to jump in on your small talk and jokes, and while his efforts were valiant, Travis pushed him out each time. 

Eventually, the lights flipped off and on a few times and Travis shooed you out to the corridor. You and Gene hurried over to get some programmes and seats, extremely luckily finding some towards the front yet skewed to the side. You squeezed Gene’s arm as you sat down, and he returned a loving smile. 

The lights dimmed and music began, and you sank yourself into the mystical land of Oz. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the lights came back up, it took you a moment to adjust and remember where you were. You looked at Gene, who was also harshly blinking and looking around. You giggled, catching his attention and he shot you a playfully defensive look.

“What, a guy’s not allowed to adjust to a lighting change around here?”

“Hm… no. Haven’t your eyes evolved to adapt faster by now?” Gene chuckled under his breath and patted his legs, standing up abruptly and stretching out his limbs with a small ‘crick’. 

“That was such a long show.” He groaned as he stretched his arms behind him, trying to avoid others doing the same. “Good though, Travis did a good job. I thought he’d be in it more, though.”

“It’s not over yet.”

“What!”

“It’s only intermission, dummy.” You stood as well, shaking your head with a smile. “You didn’t think that was the end, did you?”

“I don’t know, maybe!”

“There are so many loose ends that need to be tied!”

Gene groaned and you sportively batted at his arm. 

“Ow, hey!” He laughed. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, can I get you a drink or anything, doll?” He offered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“From… the bathroom? I’m good.”

“No! From the snack bar, stupid.” 

You giggled. “I know. Can I have a Poopsi?”

Gene kissed your head before beginning to shuffle his way through the row towards the door.

“Don’t run off!” You called after him, snickering. He gave you a halfhearted wave before continuing out of the auditorium.  Gene returned just in time before the lights went down, handing you your drink and taking his seat. 

“Longest. Line. Ever.” He mumbled in your ear. You giggled.

“Thank you, pumpkin.” 

The rest of the show went absolutely beautifully. Every actor was performing like their life depended on it, especially Travis. You were stunned by the transformations and effects, though a little bitter they didn’t seem to have that kind of budget when you were in their shows. 

You clapped as hard as you possibly could during final bows, cheering for Travis and miming throwing him flowers. He caught sight of you and laughed before he was ushered offstage by his co-stars. 

You and Gene meandered back to the car, dodging as many people as you could but chatting with the few that you knew. 

By the time you reached the car, a few cast members were beginning to pour out of the bck door and it finally made sense to Gene why you wanted to park so far away from the front entrance. 

“Oh, hey Y/n! How are you!?” Someone asked, and it pained you to say but you couldn’t remember their name. You recognised them as Boq, especially judging by the silver paint still smeared on their face. They wrapped you into a hug, and you gave Gene a wide eyed look from over their shoulder. 

“Hey… you! I’m good, how have you been?”

“Great! This show has been awesome, but I’m so excited for it to be over.” They sighed.

“Ain’t that just the way.” You chuckled nervously, desperately trying to remember this person- or at least their name. 

“Are you coming to drinks at the Nether after?” Gene’s ears perked up at that. 

“Oh, uh, I didn’t know we were-”

“Travis has been going on about it to everybody and making sure we can all make it. You know how he is.” They laughed. You exchanged a look with Gene, who looked confused.  “Well, I gotta run, hope to see you there!” ‘Boq’ waved to someone a little down the road and hurried off, barely giving you time to say goodbye. 

“Did I… miss something?” Gene asked, still puzzled.

“No idea.”

Gene paused for a moment, then brought you close and kissed you briefly. “I’m gonna wait in the car, I’m assuming you’re gonna stay out here for Travis?”

You nodded and Gene pecked your forehead. “Mkay. Love you, baby.”

“Love you!”

You waited a few more minutes, knowing Travis was probably caught up chatting in the corridor. 

But as soon as you saw your friend emerge from the door you squealed and ran to hug him. He caught you and spun you around in his arms, both of you giggling with excitement.

“You did so good!” You exclaimed once he put you down. 

Travis grinned. His eyes reflected a recognisable sparkle. “Thank you, Y/n. For making me do that.” 

“I didn’t do anything! You didn’t even pester me to run lines with you, this was all just you being amazing.”

Travis pulled you into a tight hug once more. “Thank you.”

“Let’s go get drunk, scarecrow boy!” You cheered once he let you go. He gave a ‘woot woot!’ in agreement and you headed back to Gene’s car. 

On the way to The Nether, you fawned over the show and Travis lamented over all the things that went awry. 

“It was so shit- Britney straight up took her prop back to her dressing room! Not like one of the other munchkins needed it or anything!” You both scoffed. “Rookie mistake.” 

“And then Sam got food poisoning so his understudy was on, but the guy has barely been to rehearsal. I wish we had a swing instead, that’s how bad it was.”

“Would a swing have… fixed that?” Gene asked cautiously. 

Travis snickered. “No, a swing is like… someone who can kinda play multiple roles if someone is out.” He explained. “They’re usually a last resort for bigger productions but since we’re only local theatre we don’t usually cast that sorta thing.”

“Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better I had no idea so much stuff was going wrong on the stage.” Gene assured. Travis hummed. He’d heard that one a million times before, people didn’t often mean it. 

“I was really surprised at how well done everything was, and you were phenomenal. Y/n told me you were good, but I had no idea.”

You gave Travis an eyebrow raise, and he seemed to cheer up a little.

“No, I’m being serious, I genuinely forgot it was you on stage.” Gene added glancing in the rearview mirror at Travis, who beamed at the compliment but rescinded his gratitude to a simple ‘thanks, man.’ 

Your heart swelled at the sweet moment. But there wasn’t too much time to be sentimental, as you had arrived and it was now time to get silly. 

You strolled into the bar arm in arm with Gene, who informed you he wouldn’t be drinking so he could get you home. The room was already full of Travis’ castmates, already tipsy and celebrating a mostly successful opening night. Gene let go of your arm and dipped behind the bar, pulling two glasses from above his head. 

“Wait, you’re not working, are you?”

“Only if Sash needs me. I’ve heard you theatre people can be quite the handful.” He looked at Travis, “No offense.”

“None taken, we’re the worst.” Travis agreed, taking a seat on one of the barstools in front of Gene.

“Think of it more like I’m your personal bartender.”

“Fuck yeah!” You and Travis lauded as Gene began preparing your mystery drinks. A tradition that had become a staple when you would occasionally visit Gene at work. You always had intentions of keeping him company, but the night usually ended with you a little drunker than planned. 

 “What the hell’s in this?” Travis asked as Gene set down an enigmatic turquoise drink in front of him. 

“Delicious is what’s in it! My boyfriend made it.” You gloated, giving Gene a flirty wave and sipping the sugary pink drink you had been served. Travis pursed his lips and stared into the glass.

“And it’s free.” You whispered, only barely audible over the music and drunken shouting.

“Fuck it.” Travis downed the entire drink in one go, and you matched his pace. “Wait, that was really good.”

“More!” You raised your now empty glass in the air, to which Gene snickered and began mixing you both up something new. 

The night continued, you mingled with some of the cast and danced with Travis like old times. You only allowed yourself a small amount of drinks, and eventually Travis cut himself off as well. There were still more shows to perform, after all.

After a while you bid your farewells to the remaining ensemble, Travis caught a taxi home with Glinda and Nessarose’s actresses, and Gene guided you back to the car. 

The ride home was mostly peaceful, until the intersection that split yours and Gene’s houses in different directions. Disastrously, he picked the wrong direction. 

“Where are you going?” You asked woefully, knowing full well it was your own house he was headed to.

Gene glanced over for a brief moment with his eyes narrowed, wordlessly answering your question. 

“I’m staying at your place tonight.” You declared as if it was established many moons ago.

“Hun,” Gene tried to sound firm, but his tone wavered.

“What, you don’t wanna hang out with me!?” 

“No! Of course I do. You have work tomorrow, that’s all.”

“You’ll take me.”

Gene stammered in protest for a second before conceding. “Yeah.” He placed his hand on your thigh and turned back down the street towards his house.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gene!” You whisper shouted, something you probably hadn’t done since high school. You gently shook Gene, trying to wake him.

“Geeene.” You hummed softly, wobbling his torso around slightly more aggressively. 

He stirred, groaning and squeezing his eyes shut tighter. Irene, he was adorable. 

“You wanna midnight snack?”

Gene opened one eye, smirking at the sight of you. He propped himself up in the bed, giving you a peck on the cheek.  “Whatcha thinkin’?” He asked, voice husky but brimming with mischief.

You both sneaked down the stairs. You were adults, you could have a midnight snack whenever you wanted- in fact, you often did. But that was usually when Gene would bring home something on his way back from work, or you’d stayed up too late watching movies or dancing in someone’s living room. There was something exhilarating about just the two of you waking up and tiptoeing downstairs for the sole purpose of a snack. You both had to stifle your giggles as to not wake up Gene’s housemates, only to later realise that neither of them were actually home. 

“Yknow,” You mumbled, unwrapping a chocolate bar and taking a bite, “we’ve had a busy few months.” Gene rummaged through cupboards, compiling a small haul of snacks for the two of you to share. “It kinda feels like, not that long ago that we met, but also like I’ve known you for a lifetime.” He arranged the pile of chocolates and cookies onto a plate and set it on the counter before helping you up onto it. You sat with your legs dangling off the edge and he settled between them, grabbing a cookie and smiling at you. 

“Do you remember the first time we met?” He asked casually. As if you would forget.

“No, I forgot.” You teased. “Maybe you could jog my memory?” Gene sighed in feigned annoyance, but the look in his eyes was wistful as he began to recount a memory you had replayed so many times in your own head - only this time you were seeing it from his view. 

“And then your dumbass crashed into me.”

“Wh- Hey! You should be glad I did!” You shoved Gene’s shoulder playfully, and he laughed before placing his lips to your shoulder.

“I am, bunny. So glad you’re a clumsy dork. And I got to take you somewhere nice that day.”

“I remember totally freaking out to Travis about that afterwards.” You laughed. Gene cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know if it was a date or not- I mean I didn’t think it was and then I was recalling some of our conversation and he said it totally was. Was that a date?”

Gene smirked. “What do you think?”

“Okay, but did you mean for it to be a date?”

“I meant for it to be ambiguous. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of a crush on you from the first time we met. So when you bumped into me like a week later, I took the chance to get to know you.”

“But you secretly wanted it to be a date?”

“You’re gonna make me say it?” You nodded, biting back a grin. “Yes, I desperately wanted you to know that it was a date.” He admitted, much to your glee.

“Oh, and we went for a nice walk that one time.” You added, continuing to ride the freight train of memories that was flying between the both of you.

“When the boys tried to kidnap you.” Gene reminded.

“Holy shit, I forgot about that! Oh I have not been using that to my advantage nearly enough. I was going to say we should get out and walk more often, but I don’t know, maybe I have drive-by trauma. I can’t wait to demonize them later.”

Gene untangled himself from your legs and grabbed a loaf of bread from the cupboard. “You want a sandwich?” He asked, fetching a plate.

“No thank you. I got licorice.” You grinned, tearing apart a piece with your teeth. 

“Do you remember that time you freaked out because I didn’t call you?” Gene razzed as he assembled his sandwich, a devilish smirk spreading across his face. You were quick to wipe it off him, though. 

“No, do you remember that time you didn’t call me because you were too much of a pussy?”

You laughed. “I was so mad at Travis and Dante for their stupid stunt that they sent Garroth and Laurance around to make sure I was okay. And yeah, I was worried about you not calling me- I thought you hated me! Garroth didn’t know who I was talking about and suggested you might be in jail for kicking an old lady or something.”

Gene gave you a puzzled look before shrugging and taking another bite of his sandwich. Being friends with Garroth often meant accepting whatever you heard about him, no matter how ridiculous.

“But Laur totally spilled all of your secrets.” Gene’s eyes widened and his face paled.

“What did he tell you?”

You smirked. “Just how much of an absolute rat you were in high school.” Gene cringed at the thought, his sandwich suddenly leaving a very sour taste in his mouth. “But also,” you leaned over to kiss Gene’s head, “just how sweet and kind you are. He told me not to let your past dictate how I see you now. And we made up the next day, so really we have him to thank for this whole thing.” You joked.  

The two of you wiled away, sharing perspectives and recalling all your favourite parts of your relationship so far. You eventually cleaned up the place of snacks and tidied up the kitchen before dragging yourselves back to bed where Percy was cuddled up waiting for you both. You both gave her a pat before climbing into bed. Gene laid on his back and you cuddled up to his side, cosy and content as ever.

Gene raised his arm slightly to show his bracelet, and you did the same with a beaming smile. “A memento of the best date I’ve ever been on.” He declared. 

“Do you seriously wear yours every day?” You asked, heart softening at the thought.

“Never taken it off.” Gene affirmed. 

You smiled. Everything felt so perfect in this moment. You couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else but here. You felt your eyes getting heavy once more, slowly drifting into sleep.

“I don’t think I can dream of anything better than this.” You admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. 

You didn’t see it, but you could feel Gene smile and wrap his arm around you tighter. 

“Goodnight, Gene.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

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That's a wrap! Once again thank you so much if you've made it this far, I truly appreciate you taking time out of your day just to read my silly little block man fanfiction <3

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“It’s so weird,” you reflected as you applied the last of your makeup, “it feels like just last week Travis was telling me about the auditions and everything, and now the show’s on. The time passes a lot faster when you’re not the one at rehearsals nearly every night.”

Gene hummed, adjusting his outfit. It certainly wasn’t what he was used to - wearing colour. At least you let him wear green instead of pink.

You set down the hairbrush you had been humming showtunes into all afternoon and helped Gene fold down the collar of his shirt. He’d been getting a little more adventurous with his fashion choices and expanding his wardrobe lately - which you were very proud of. There were now a total of eleven items in his wardrobe that weren’t entirely black or white. Sure, one was a shirt with a red logo, but you’d take the wins where you could.

You kissed him on the cheek, easing some of his concerns about the outfit.  “I just… you don’t think it’s too much?”

“A green T-shirt with a black flannel covering most of it?”

You giggled. “No, honey, I don’t think it’s too much at all. You look handsome.” 

Gene gave you a soft smirk. “You nearly ready?”

“Yeah, just gotta grab my shoes and coat!”

You left the house arm in arm with your boyfriend, making a quick stop off at his mother’s house for a bunch of flowers she had prepared for you to give to Travis.

She insisted you pay her nothing, trying to gently shove the bouquet in your hands and out the door. Gene knew how stubborn you both could be and opted to stay out of the matter, waiting in the car instead. 

You grumbled as you did up your seatbelt. 

“Everything okay?” He asked, knowing exactly what you were upset about. You fished a rolled up twenty dollar note from the bouquet that absolutely was not there before. Gene laughed.

“I put money in her silverware drawer, which I know for a fact she didn’t open, but she managed to get me back!” You complained. 

“You’ll get her next time, baby.” Gene assured as he reversed out of the driveway.

“Is this why you were always so stubborn and sneaky about paying for things when we first met?” You questioned with a huff.

“What can I say, I learned from the best.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You couldn’t suppress your excitement as Gene drove you to the theatre. Your leg involuntarily bounced the entire way. Even though you weren’t the one performing, your stomach swirled with anxiety and excitement for Travis. When you arrived, you leapt out of the car before Gene could even make it over to open your door. 

You tried to slow your gait and not sprint to the front of the building, only barely holding on to Gene’s hand as you burst through the main entrance. He followed as you beelined straight to the dressing rooms. 

“Are we… allowed to be back here?”

“Of course! I know these halls like the back of my hand.” You powerwalked down the corridor, scanning for a sign that read ‘Fiyero’. Travis had wailed to you about having to share a dressing room for the first time in years - even though he only had to share it with one person who he got along with considerably well.

You finally found the door you were looking for, knocking it with 6 raps that would indicate to Travis who was on the other side of his dressing room. 

He opened the door with a wide grin, proudly accepting the flowers and an embrace from you. His face soured slightly when he saw your accompaniment, though not nearly as much as it would have a few months ago. Progress. 

Gene thinned his lips into a not-quite-smile and gave Travis a friendly-ish nod, neither gesture was returned to him. You were struggling to hold in a laugh at how ridiculous Travis looked in his wig. In fact, you were fairly certain it was on sideways. 

“Irene, you were never good with hair.” You finally burst out. “Let me help you, come on.”

The three of you piled into the dressing room, trying to warmly introduce yourself to Travis’ temporary roommate - though he seemed mostly nervous and fiddled to get his costume perfect.

You helped Travis fix his wig and touch up a few aspects of his makeup, but most of it was pretty decent already. He did complain a lot when you did his eyeliner though. 

Gene tried a few times to jump in on your small talk and jokes, and while his efforts were valiant, Travis pushed him out each time. 

Eventually, the lights flipped off and on a few times and Travis shooed you out to the corridor. You and Gene hurried over to get some programmes and seats, extremely luckily finding some towards the front yet skewed to the side. You squeezed Gene’s arm as you sat down, and he returned a loving smile. 

The lights dimmed and music began, and you sank yourself into the mystical land of Oz. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the lights came back up, it took you a moment to adjust and remember where you were. You looked at Gene, who was also harshly blinking and looking around. You giggled, catching his attention and he shot you a playfully defensive look.

“What, a guy’s not allowed to adjust to a lighting change around here?”

“Hm… no. Haven’t your eyes evolved to adapt faster by now?” Gene chuckled under his breath and patted his legs, standing up abruptly and stretching out his limbs with a small ‘crick’. 

“That was such a long show.” He groaned as he stretched his arms behind him, trying to avoid others doing the same. “Good though, Travis did a good job. I thought he’d be in it more, though.”

“It’s not over yet.”

“What!”

“It’s only intermission, dummy.” You stood as well, shaking your head with a smile. “You didn’t think that was the end, did you?”

“I don’t know, maybe!”

“There are so many loose ends that need to be tied!”

Gene groaned and you sportively batted at his arm. 

“Ow, hey!” He laughed. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, can I get you a drink or anything, doll?” He offered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“From… the bathroom? I’m good.”

“No! From the snack bar, stupid.” 

You giggled. “I know. Can I have a Poopsi?”

Gene kissed your head before beginning to shuffle his way through the row towards the door.

“Don’t run off!” You called after him, snickering. He gave you a halfhearted wave before continuing out of the auditorium.  Gene returned just in time before the lights went down, handing you your drink and taking his seat. 

“Longest. Line. Ever.” He mumbled in your ear. You giggled.

“Thank you, pumpkin.” 

The rest of the show went absolutely beautifully. Every actor was performing like their life depended on it, especially Travis. You were stunned by the transformations and effects, though a little bitter they didn’t seem to have that kind of budget when you were in their shows. 

You clapped as hard as you possibly could during final bows, cheering for Travis and miming throwing him flowers. He caught sight of you and laughed before he was ushered offstage by his co-stars. 

You and Gene meandered back to the car, dodging as many people as you could but chatting with the few that you knew. 

By the time you reached the car, a few cast members were beginning to pour out of the bck door and it finally made sense to Gene why you wanted to park so far away from the front entrance. 

“Oh, hey Y/n! How are you!?” Someone asked, and it pained you to say but you couldn’t remember their name. You recognised them as Boq, especially judging by the silver paint still smeared on their face. They wrapped you into a hug, and you gave Gene a wide eyed look from over their shoulder. 

“Hey… you! I’m good, how have you been?”

“Great! This show has been awesome, but I’m so excited for it to be over.” They sighed.

“Ain’t that just the way.” You chuckled nervously, desperately trying to remember this person- or at least their name. 

“Are you coming to drinks at the Nether after?” Gene’s ears perked up at that. 

“Oh, uh, I didn’t know we were-”

“Travis has been going on about it to everybody and making sure we can all make it. You know how he is.” They laughed. You exchanged a look with Gene, who looked confused.  “Well, I gotta run, hope to see you there!” ‘Boq’ waved to someone a little down the road and hurried off, barely giving you time to say goodbye. 

“Did I… miss something?” Gene asked, still puzzled.

“No idea.”

Gene paused for a moment, then brought you close and kissed you briefly. “I’m gonna wait in the car, I’m assuming you’re gonna stay out here for Travis?”

You nodded and Gene pecked your forehead. “Mkay. Love you, baby.”

“Love you!”

You waited a few more minutes, knowing Travis was probably caught up chatting in the corridor. 

But as soon as you saw your friend emerge from the door you squealed and ran to hug him. He caught you and spun you around in his arms, both of you giggling with excitement.

“You did so good!” You exclaimed once he put you down. 

Travis grinned. His eyes reflected a recognisable sparkle. “Thank you, Y/n. For making me do that.” 

“I didn’t do anything! You didn’t even pester me to run lines with you, this was all just you being amazing.”

Travis pulled you into a tight hug once more. “Thank you.”

“Let’s go get drunk, scarecrow boy!” You cheered once he let you go. He gave a ‘woot woot!’ in agreement and you headed back to Gene’s car. 

On the way to The Nether, you fawned over the show and Travis lamented over all the things that went awry. 

“It was so shit- Britney straight up took her prop back to her dressing room! Not like one of the other munchkins needed it or anything!” You both scoffed. “Rookie mistake.” 

“And then Sam got food poisoning so his understudy was on, but the guy has barely been to rehearsal. I wish we had a swing instead, that’s how bad it was.”

“Would a swing have… fixed that?” Gene asked cautiously. 

Travis snickered. “No, a swing is like… someone who can kinda play multiple roles if someone is out.” He explained. “They’re usually a last resort for bigger productions but since we’re only local theatre we don’t usually cast that sorta thing.”

“Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better I had no idea so much stuff was going wrong on the stage.” Gene assured. Travis hummed. He’d heard that one a million times before, people didn’t often mean it. 

“I was really surprised at how well done everything was, and you were phenomenal. Y/n told me you were good, but I had no idea.”

You gave Travis an eyebrow raise, and he seemed to cheer up a little.

“No, I’m being serious, I genuinely forgot it was you on stage.” Gene added glancing in the rearview mirror at Travis, who beamed at the compliment but rescinded his gratitude to a simple ‘thanks, man.’ 

Your heart swelled at the sweet moment. But there wasn’t too much time to be sentimental, as you had arrived and it was now time to get silly. 

You strolled into the bar arm in arm with Gene, who informed you he wouldn’t be drinking so he could get you home. The room was already full of Travis’ castmates, already tipsy and celebrating a mostly successful opening night. Gene let go of your arm and dipped behind the bar, pulling two glasses from above his head. 

“Wait, you’re not working, are you?”

“Only if Sash needs me. I’ve heard you theatre people can be quite the handful.” He looked at Travis, “No offense.”

“None taken, we’re the worst.” Travis agreed, taking a seat on one of the barstools in front of Gene.

“Think of it more like I’m your personal bartender.”

“Fuck yeah!” You and Travis lauded as Gene began preparing your mystery drinks. A tradition that had become a staple when you would occasionally visit Gene at work. You always had intentions of keeping him company, but the night usually ended with you a little drunker than planned. 

 “What the hell’s in this?” Travis asked as Gene set down an enigmatic turquoise drink in front of him. 

“Delicious is what’s in it! My boyfriend made it.” You gloated, giving Gene a flirty wave and sipping the sugary pink drink you had been served. Travis pursed his lips and stared into the glass.

“And it’s free.” You whispered, only barely audible over the music and drunken shouting.

“Fuck it.” Travis downed the entire drink in one go, and you matched his pace. “Wait, that was really good.”

“More!” You raised your now empty glass in the air, to which Gene snickered and began mixing you both up something new. 

The night continued, you mingled with some of the cast and danced with Travis like old times. You only allowed yourself a small amount of drinks, and eventually Travis cut himself off as well. There were still more shows to perform, after all.

After a while you bid your farewells to the remaining ensemble, Travis caught a taxi home with Glinda and Nessarose’s actresses, and Gene guided you back to the car. 

The ride home was mostly peaceful, until the intersection that split yours and Gene’s houses in different directions. Disastrously, he picked the wrong direction. 

“Where are you going?” You asked woefully, knowing full well it was your own house he was headed to.

Gene glanced over for a brief moment with his eyes narrowed, wordlessly answering your question. 

“I’m staying at your place tonight.” You declared as if it was established many moons ago.

“Hun,” Gene tried to sound firm, but his tone wavered.

“What, you don’t wanna hang out with me!?” 

“No! Of course I do. You have work tomorrow, that’s all.”

“You’ll take me.”

Gene stammered in protest for a second before conceding. “Yeah.” He placed his hand on your thigh and turned back down the street towards his house.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gene!” You whisper shouted, something you probably hadn’t done since high school. You gently shook Gene, trying to wake him.

“Geeene.” You hummed softly, wobbling his torso around slightly more aggressively. 

He stirred, groaning and squeezing his eyes shut tighter. Irene, he was adorable. 

“You wanna midnight snack?”

Gene opened one eye, smirking at the sight of you. He propped himself up in the bed, giving you a peck on the cheek.  “Whatcha thinkin’?” He asked, voice husky but brimming with mischief.

You both sneaked down the stairs. You were adults, you could have a midnight snack whenever you wanted- in fact, you often did. But that was usually when Gene would bring home something on his way back from work, or you’d stayed up too late watching movies or dancing in someone’s living room. There was something exhilarating about just the two of you waking up and tiptoeing downstairs for the sole purpose of a snack. You both had to stifle your giggles as to not wake up Gene’s housemates, only to later realise that neither of them were actually home. 

“Yknow,” You mumbled, unwrapping a chocolate bar and taking a bite, “we’ve had a busy few months.” Gene rummaged through cupboards, compiling a small haul of snacks for the two of you to share. “It kinda feels like, not that long ago that we met, but also like I’ve known you for a lifetime.” He arranged the pile of chocolates and cookies onto a plate and set it on the counter before helping you up onto it. You sat with your legs dangling off the edge and he settled between them, grabbing a cookie and smiling at you. 

“Do you remember the first time we met?” He asked casually. As if you would forget.

“No, I forgot.” You teased. “Maybe you could jog my memory?” Gene sighed in feigned annoyance, but the look in his eyes was wistful as he began to recount a memory you had replayed so many times in your own head - only this time you were seeing it from his view. 

“And then your dumbass crashed into me.”

“Wh- Hey! You should be glad I did!” You shoved Gene’s shoulder playfully, and he laughed before placing his lips to your shoulder.

“I am, bunny. So glad you’re a clumsy dork. And I got to take you somewhere nice that day.”

“I remember totally freaking out to Travis about that afterwards.” You laughed. Gene cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t know if it was a date or not- I mean I didn’t think it was and then I was recalling some of our conversation and he said it totally was. Was that a date?”

Gene smirked. “What do you think?”

“Okay, but did you mean for it to be a date?”

“I meant for it to be ambiguous. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of a crush on you from the first time we met. So when you bumped into me like a week later, I took the chance to get to know you.”

“But you secretly wanted it to be a date?”

“You’re gonna make me say it?” You nodded, biting back a grin. “Yes, I desperately wanted you to know that it was a date.” He admitted, much to your glee.

“Oh, and we went for a nice walk that one time.” You added, continuing to ride the freight train of memories that was flying between the both of you.

“When the boys tried to kidnap you.” Gene reminded.

“Holy shit, I forgot about that! Oh I have not been using that to my advantage nearly enough. I was going to say we should get out and walk more often, but I don’t know, maybe I have drive-by trauma. I can’t wait to demonize them later.”

Gene untangled himself from your legs and grabbed a loaf of bread from the cupboard. “You want a sandwich?” He asked, fetching a plate.

“No thank you. I got licorice.” You grinned, tearing apart a piece with your teeth. 

“Do you remember that time you freaked out because I didn’t call you?” Gene razzed as he assembled his sandwich, a devilish smirk spreading across his face. You were quick to wipe it off him, though. 

“No, do you remember that time you didn’t call me because you were too much of a pussy?”

You laughed. “I was so mad at Travis and Dante for their stupid stunt that they sent Garroth and Laurance around to make sure I was okay. And yeah, I was worried about you not calling me- I thought you hated me! Garroth didn’t know who I was talking about and suggested you might be in jail for kicking an old lady or something.”

Gene gave you a puzzled look before shrugging and taking another bite of his sandwich. Being friends with Garroth often meant accepting whatever you heard about him, no matter how ridiculous.

“But Laur totally spilled all of your secrets.” Gene’s eyes widened and his face paled.

“What did he tell you?”

You smirked. “Just how much of an absolute rat you were in high school.” Gene cringed at the thought, his sandwich suddenly leaving a very sour taste in his mouth. “But also,” you leaned over to kiss Gene’s head, “just how sweet and kind you are. He told me not to let your past dictate how I see you now. And we made up the next day, so really we have him to thank for this whole thing.” You joked.  

The two of you wiled away, sharing perspectives and recalling all your favourite parts of your relationship so far. You eventually cleaned up the place of snacks and tidied up the kitchen before dragging yourselves back to bed where Percy was cuddled up waiting for you both. You both gave her a pat before climbing into bed. Gene laid on his back and you cuddled up to his side, cosy and content as ever.

Gene raised his arm slightly to show his bracelet, and you did the same with a beaming smile. “A memento of the best date I’ve ever been on.” He declared. 

“Do you seriously wear yours every day?” You asked, heart softening at the thought.

“Never taken it off.” Gene affirmed. 

You smiled. Everything felt so perfect in this moment. You couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else but here. You felt your eyes getting heavy once more, slowly drifting into sleep.

“I don’t think I can dream of anything better than this.” You admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. 

You didn’t see it, but you could feel Gene smile and wrap his arm around you tighter. 

“Goodnight, Gene.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°

That's a wrap! Once again thank you so much if you've made it this far, I truly appreciate you taking time out of your day just to read my silly little block man fanfiction <3