âᯤ ⥠.. I LIKE ME BETTER WHEN IâM WITH YOU ââ PART 2 đ
pairing(s): pdh!laurance x reader
tags: to all the boys ive loved before inspired, fake dating, swearing, pdh, not proof read oops, part 1 here ~3.8k
a/n: loooong & awaited part 2 that has been rotting in my drafts for 2 months btw </3 never thought id see the day, thank u all for ur patience i pray this doesnât disappoint PLS
After morning practice was over, you and Laurance both agreed to meet up during break later that day. The two of you sat by the bleachers outside, not as many people were outside, surprisingly.
âSo,â You begin, âI think Itâs safe to say that we need a contract for whatever this is.â
Laurance is leaning forward, his elbows resting against his knees as his head turns towards you, âA contract?â
You hum in response, pulling out a notebook and pen from your bag, âMhm, we need rules.â
âIs that really necessary?â He lets out a soft chuckle, you huff at him. âItâs so we know where we stand on certain issues.â
âAlright, like what?â
You tap your pen against your chin, âLike for example, I donât want you kissing me in front of everyone anymore.â
Laurance blinks in surprise, âIâm sorry, what?â
âHow are we supposed to convince everyone weâre together If you wonât even let me kiss you?â
âYouâll live.â You wave him off. He gives you a look, leaning back and crossing his arms, you click your tongue at him, âHey, you may be a pro with this kind of stuffâbut Iâve never dated anyone before.â
Laurance groans, throwing his head back, âWhy does that matter?â
âWell, It matters because, I donât want all my firsts to be fake.â You shrug at him, âIf Iâm gonna be making out with someone, Iâm gonna do it for real.â He snorts at your comment.
âDidnât you kiss me first?â He reminds you. You sugh, âFair enough.â You click the top of your ballpoint pen, opening a free page on your notebook as you start writing down.
âAlright fine, so you can kiss me, since you want to so bad.â You say sarcastically, however Laurance doesnât argue against it before you move to your next point.
âSecondâand most importantly, we cannot tell anyone that this is a fake relationship. No snitching. Itâll be too humiliating for the both of us. No secrets..â You continue to list everything down. âAnything else?â
Laurance hums to himself, âI could.. write you notes everyday?â He turns to you again, âIf youâd want.â
âWhat, like small love notes?â
âYou could call it that.â
You look up from your notebook, feeling your cheeks slightly heat up and your heart flutter, âYouâd do that?â
You purse your lips together, biting back a smile almost, while you write another rule down.
âMichi always wanted me to write her someânever did. But if I send some to you, sheâll go nuts.â Your smile drops, your hopes immediately vanishing at the sound of her name, keep your head in the game, you remind yourself.
âHow romantic.â You say, rolling your eyes at him.
âAlso, you have to come with me to my games and parties.â He points out, you huff. âAlright, then you have to pick me and my sister up and drive us to school.â
âEverydayâtilâ this deal is off the hook.â
He sighs, âThen you have to go to prom with me.â
Your freeze, glancing up from the notebook and looking at him. âAre you asking me out to prom already, Zvahl?â You snicker, âIsnât it like, whatâthree months away?â
He squints at you, âYour point?â
âYou seriously think this would go on for that long?â
âWho says it canât?â He shrugged.
You sit up straight, tilting your head at him. You were surprised heâd want to continue doing whatever this is, when you were certain it wouldnât even last three weeksâand you still stood by that, which was the only reason why you said:
You write two lines underneath the so-called âcontractâ, scribbling down your signature on top of one before passing both pen and notebook to him, where he glances at you before writing down his signature in the other, sealing the deal.
Over the next few days, people began to pick up how inseparable you two were, noticing how you both had stuck to each otherâs side almost all the time. You both had taken it slow at the start, but rumours spread like wildfire, hushed whispers and curious ears to the point where it had eventually reached Michi, and letâs just say she isnât too happy with the news. You were most definitely not used to the newfound attention and constant eyes on you as you walked past them down the halls. You try to reassure yourself, Itâs fineâitâs all for pretend, itâll pass in a matter of weeks.. right?
That afternoon was slower than usual, youâre already eager for the rest of the day to finally end. You held a handful of books in your arms, walking down the hall to put them away in your locker. Youâre halfway down the stairs to the ground floor, the sound of footsteps from behind caught your attention before a shoulder deliberately bumps into yours rather harshly.
The figure passes by in front of you, stopping to turn to you. You donât even have to guess who it was based off the tuft of lilac hair with yellow highlights and a set of dark purple ears and a tail, great.
âOh,â Her tone was surprisingly low at first despite her usual high-pitched voice.
âMichi.â You greet her as politely as you could through gritted teeth as your eyes met her olive green orbs, she looks at you with no expression on her face.
A smile suddenly appears on her lips, evidently fake. âDonât get too comfortable, Y/N. We both know heâll come crawling right back.â She says suddenly, itâs almost eerie.
You let out a sigh, unimpressed. âTo.. you?â
She nods, stepping closer that you could smell her candied perfume, âYes. To me.â Her smile feels like a threat.
You hum, âYou sure? I highly doubt that.â You challenge her, unsure where the sudden surge of confidence came from.
Her eyes carry a glint, scanning you up and down.
âOh, Iâm sure.â Her ears flick for a second, her smile not faltering once before she turns her heel without another word, leaving you stranded.
Weird, you think. Youâll never understand why Laurance would even want to win her back. It was almost too easy to make her jealous that youâd hope the deal would end as quickly as you caughtâbefore you caught any feelings. Yeah.
You shake your head, continuing the walk to your locker to save your arching arms from the unreasonably heavy textbooks.
Once you finally reached your destination, you try to pry open your locker door with one hand, suddenly a folded piece of paper had slipped out which had immediately caught your attention, a routine thatâs been happening everyday, yet you canât lie when you say you look forward to what Laurence had written down this time. It falls to the ground, landing by your feet, your hand reaching down to pick it up.
You were quick to unfold the piece of paper, as best as you could with your one hand, eyes scanning the surprisingly neat and familiar writing.
To my totally real girlfriend, you looked cute during practice this morning. Donât deny it. â L âĄ
You couldnât even help the small smile that appeared on your lips, which quickly disappeared when someone suddenly snatches the note from your hands. It catches you off completely guard, you blink in confusion, finally noticing that someone was right behind you, then the familiar scent of cigarettes and musk hits your nose. Just your luck.
âGene.â You say, mentally preparing yourself before whirling around to face the troublemaker himself.
âY/n.â He smirks at you, âcourse he does. The note sits in between his fingers. He moves to stand beside your locker, leaning against the one next to yours while looking down at you. You place your books inside your locker, wanting to get this over and done with already, âGive it back.â
âWhat, this?â He waves it around before reading it himself before you could stop him, âAw, letter from your boyfriend?â He tuts, shaking his head.
A sigh escapes your lips, âSomething like that.â You donât seem too interested to be talking to him, thatâs because you werenât.
âYou two make a good show.â He folds the note, you look at him in confusion. âShow?â
Gene gives you a look, shoulders dropping, âCâmon, Y/n. You two arenât really subtle.â He says, âYou may have fooled everyone, but you really didnât think Iâd buy the act, did you?â He chuckles, almost as if to mock you and you say nothing.
He hands you the note back, shockingly, âYou really have a thing for love letters, Iâve noticed.â
You freeze, âWhat do you mean?â
His smirk widens, âDoes Katelyn know about the letter you wrote to Jeffory too?â
Your stomach drops, head snapping to glance around the hallway, which was empty, thank Irene. Last thing youâd want is for anyone to see you and Gene together and hear you both, especially with you and Laurence already being the hot topic of the month, it would only fuel it even more.
You shake your head at him, âI donât know what youâre talking about.â You mumble, avoiding his eyes.
âDidnât think you were the type to be messy, doll.â He laughs, âFirst Laurance, Jeffory, even me? Iâm flattered, really.â He snickers whilst you glare at him, but you donât deny it.
He doesnât stop there, âLet me guess, Garroth probably got one too, I wouldnât be surprisedââ
âShut up, Gene. And no, he didnât.â You snap, he only continues to feed into your annoyance, âWhatâs wrong, pretty? No need to be embarrassed.â He mocks you, crossing his arms himself as he steps closer.
âCan you just drop it?â
He hums in thought, âHm, no. Iâm having way too much fun with this.â
âHowâd you even find out?â You ask, he stares at you, âJefforyâs notebook, your handwriting isnât hard to miss.â He sighs, you canât even tell if it was a compliment or an insult that he recognises your handwriting, âNow, what would your best friend say?â His eyes light up, âImagine what the whole school would say? Little Lauranceâs girlfriend writing love letters to me and Jeffory. Headlines, for sure.â He adds, dramatically.
You pause, lips going dry. âYou wouldnât.â
âGene, please.â You plead, and he loves the look on your face.
âRelax, sweets. Iâm just messing with you, I wonât tell anyone.â He tells you, you almost relax, âFor nowâMaybe until Iâm bored.â Your shoulders drop.
âSwear you wonât.â You try again, but itâs hopeless at this point.
He leans down, âNo promises. Youâre too easy to annoy.â He ruffles your hair, messing it up before moving off the locker to finally walk off. You groan, fixing your hair and turning to his back, âJerk.â you mumble to yourself as you watch him disappear into the empty hallway. The thought of him telling everyone about the letters sending shivers down your spine, you just pray heâs only doing it to rile you upâand he was doing a damn good job at it.
You turn to your locker once again, Irene above, could this day end already? Why does this keep happening?
You grab your bag from your locker before shutting it closed, âYou tell me.â A voice causes you to jolt, your heart jumping out of your chest, finding Laurance beside you this time. Did you say that out loud?
âLaurance! You scared me.â You placed a hand over your chest, letting out a breath after you almost felt your heartbeat nearly stop. You notice that the hallway was making its way into becoming more crowded with students who have been dying to leave, you hadnât even noticed the bell had rung to finish for the day. He stood by you, one hand in his pocket and the other to hold his bag that swung lazily on his shoulder, his smirk plastered on his face as he looked at you, âDid you like my note?â
âHow long have you been standing there?â You ask him as you slid your arms through your backpack, hoping he hadnât seen too much. He shrugs, âLong enough to see you and Gene, whatâs his deal?â
âIt was nothing.â You interject, âJust Gene being Gene.â
âIt didnât look like nothingâyou looked uncomfortable, I wouldâve stepped in if I hadnât been so late.â
You sigh in defeat, âIt was about his stupid letter, and that jerk knows that weâre faking it,â
âHe just didnât buy it, and it wasnât just that.â You continued, he noticed you seemed uneasy. âHe knows about Jefforyâs too, he saw it while they were in class together.â
His smirk was now gone, standing upright, âShit.â He repeats, tone rather alert.
âWhat if he tells Katelyn, Laurance? Even worse, the whole school will find out and everyone will think that Iâm some girl who loves to bounce from one guy to another, and that Iâm going after my best friendâs boyfriend out of all people!â You start rambling. âIâm not like that! Iâve never even had a boyfriend before!â
âHey, hey.â He tries to calm you down by placing his hands on your shoulders, his touch steadies you, âQuiet down now unless you want the whole of Phoenix drop to hear you, deep breaths, babe.â He drops so casually.
You scrunch your nose at him, âEugh, donât call me that.â
His stupid smirk appears again, âAlright, babe.â
He snorts, âWhat? Thereâs no rule in the contract thatâs stopping me from calling you names.â You let out a groan.
âBut seriously, Iâm sure Geneâs just doing that to tease.â He tries to reassure you, âbut itâs Gene.â You reply, and he sighs, ââbut itâs Gene.â He repeats, patting your shoulders in comfort.
âDonât stress about it, yeah? Iâm here.â He murmurs only for you to hear while looking into your eyes.
You nod, itâs quiet between you two despite the loud chatter amongst others and his eyes almost have you in a trance, âCome on, letâs get your sister.â he jerks his head to the direction of the schoolâs main exit, walking off as you follow along next to him.
âThere you two are!â A voice appeared from behind you, causing both you and Laurence to jump in surprise as you turned your heads.
âKatelyn!â You stammer, she walks alongside you, âLook at you two, all lovey-dovey in the open.â She says, âSaw you both talking, what were you two talking about?â
You and Laurance glance at each other, you swear you could feel the sweat running down your forehead.
âHistory!â Laurance blurts out, Katelyn blinked in surprise, âHistory?â She repeated.
âYes!â You back him up, clearing your throat. âYou know.. cause.. we had a test coming up..?â
ââon the War of the Magi or something like that.â Laurance continued.
âRight..â Katelyn drags, glancing between you two before shaking her head. âAnyways, you.â Your best friendâs eyes set on you.
âMe?â You ask, pointing to yourself.
âYes, you.â She repeats, nodding. âJefforyâs looking for you, said it was something important.â
You freeze, and you notice Laurence tense up too.
âOh!â You say, letting out an awkward laugh. âHe wanted me to tell you that heâll be out front near the stairs so you two can walk home together.â She continued.
You can feel your throat tightening up, many thoughts scrambling in your head. âUhââ
Laurence cuts you off. âActually, Katelyn. Sheâll be busy. We have plans, donât we, Y/n?â He spits out while nudging you, âIâve been driving her home a lot lately to save the hassle, Iâm sure Jeffory can wait.â
Katelyn blinks, once, then twice. âPlans?â
âYeah, uhâa study date! For that test we told you about.â You silently curse yourself as you heard your voice crack while Laurance nods. âTell Jeffory.. maybe next time?â
Katelyn glances between you two once again for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line while she observes you both as if sheâs trying to piece something together. She then shakes her head and shrugs, âYeah, no, canât blame you. You love-birds are always together now, Iâll tell him.â She nods.
âGreat, thanks.â You put up a smile for her, and she soon waves you two off as you all step out of the school, once she was out of sight, you let out a breath you didnât realise youâd been holding in.
âA study date?â Laurance asked, âWhat else was I supposed to say?â You ask him, he shrugs.
âI mean.. If youâre free right now, we can go to that diner from last time.â He faces you, eyes glistening with hope.
âCorner Cafe?â You ask, he nods. You could so go for a strawberry milkshake again.
âCâmon, itâll be fun. My treat.â He says, who would say no to free food? A smile appears on your face as you nod, âHm, deal. But first, letâs find my sister and drop her off back home.â
âThanks, Joan. Youâre the best.â You clap your hands together as the familiar waitress smiled at you and slid the glass of your all-time-favourite drink, your lips immediately finding the red-and-white straw as you hummed in delight, the taste engulfed your tongue. Laurence sat across from you, he chuckled at your reaction, âWhat?â You raise your brow at him, a pause, then he shakes his head as he popped a fry into his mouth, âNothing.â He shrugged, looking at you.
âOh!â You exclaimed all of a sudden, âI forgot to tell you this weird thing that happened today with Michi.â You say, fingers stirring around the straw in your milkshake, this caused him to lean forward, elbows against the table, âYeah?â
You nod, âYeah. Turns out this whole thing weâre doing might end quite early.â
He squints at you, he almost seems disappointed, âWhat do you mean?â
âYou didnât tell me she was quick to become jealous, itâs almost too easy.â You reply, grabbing a fry from his plate, dipping it in ketchup before placing it in your mouth.
Laurance gives you a look, clearly confused, âUh, Elaborate?â
âShe bumped into me earlierâliterally right before you saw me at my lockerâand she was all.. Heâll come crawling right back to me, donât get too comfortable.â You mimic her high-pitched voice, he laughs at your imitation, âNo, really?â He asks, âDead serious.â You say, taking another sip of your drink.
âThatâs..â Heâs searching for the word, âOff?â
âOff?â You repeat and he shrugs, âYouâre telling me that doesnât sound very Michi-like to you?â
âWell, yeahâI mean. I donât think she seems the type to threaten other girls.â You roll your eyes at his response, âThatâs because youâve never seen her threaten other girls, sheâs overprotective, especially over you. Do you even know your own ex, Zvahl?â
âI do! Itâs just.. weird hearing it I guess.â He mumbled, his phone buzzes, vibrating against the table, once. Then it happens againâand then a third time, causing both of you to snap your heads down on the screen. You notice his lockscreen hasnât changed, a photobooth picture of him and the meifâwa, speak of the devil, youâre not really surprised.
âYou still have that as your background?â You mention, âYeah, might need to change that one.â He scratches the back of his neck, âLet me guess, the notifications are from her too?â He nods in response.
âMhm. I donât know, she just annoys me sometimes.â He admits, âLike today, she ignores me at school, but then we leave and suddenly I have a thousand messages from her.â
You squint at him this time, âOookay, have you been replying back?â
âNah. I think Iâll probably just call her when I get back home or something.â He says with a sigh, his words causing you to blink at him in confusion.
âSo, wait, you guys still talk on the phone then?â You ask, leaning back and crossing your arms together, âI mean, not as much as we used to. But yeah, I guess you could say that. Just sometimes here and there.â He replies, looking down as if he was caught.
Silence settles between you both, you stare at him saying nothing, completely lost as he eventually looks back up at you.
âWhat?â He breaks the silence, you sit back up, snapping out of your head and humming in response, âHm?â
âWhâyou do this thing,â He gestures at your face, âYou have this whole judgy face scenario going on.â
âWell, for one, I think itâs really weird that youâre still talking to your ex over the phone.â You slowly shake your head at him, âItâs not healthy.â You point out.
âOh, Iâm sorry, and youâre the expert?â He smirks at you, âYouâve never even had a boyfriend or a girlfriend beforeââ
You cut him off, âWell you have had only one girlfriend, and youâre completely and unhealthily obsessed with her. So that doesnât necessarily make you The Bachelor.â
He laughs, âOkay, one: I am not obsessed with her.â
âPlease.â You snort. âThen prove it, donât call her tonight.â He sighs in defeat, âYou know, for someone whoâs quiet, you sure have a lot of opinions.â
âReally? Well, I guess thatâs just because no oneâs been honest with you before.â He laces his hands together, âOkay, fine. Then be honest with me. Why havenât you dated anyone before?â
You stare at him before shrugging at him, âI donât know, I guess no oneâs ever liked me like that.â
âLies.â He points at you with a whisper, waving his finger at your face, âLies, I know those are lies, because I know for a fact there was that one guy that asked you out last year.â
âYouâre keeping tabs on me now? And it was Dante, you know how he is. He asks out every girl he sets his eyes on!â
âCome on, L/n.â He whines, âTalk to me. No secrets, remember? Contract.â He reminds you.
You let out a sigh, pursing your lips together before tucking a loose strand away from your face. âAlright, so, love, dating and all that romantic stuff?â He hums as he listens in, âI love to read about it, itâs sometimes kind of fun to write about, and to think about it in my head.â You pause, looking down, âBut when itâs real..â
Laurance looks at you, tilting his head, âWhat? Itâs scary?â You look back up to meet his eyes, slowly nodding, âI guess you could say that.â
âHow? Why is that scary?â He asks.
âBecause the more people that you let into your lifeâthe more that can just walk right out.â
Laurance only nods in response, absorbing your words. âWell,â he says slowly, âI think itâs funny that you say youâre scared of commitment and relationships.â He starts, âBut you donât seem afraid to be with me.â He points out.
You shrug, âWell thereâs no reason to be.â You reply, he smiles, âYeah? Whyâs that?â
ââCause weâre just pretending.â
Š fleuriae, 2025 â i do not own any of the characters mentioned .