Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This feeling… It was strange. New, but definitely familiar.

The slight rush of heat in his cheeks he felt walking with him. The flutter in his stomach when he laughed that took too long to dissipate. The secret thrill when their eyes met.

It was love. Or, at the very least, a crush.

The new part was that Garroth’s crush was a boy.

He tried to ignore it for a long while. It’d go away, after all, like crushes are supposed to. Not that he’s ever had a crush he didn’t end up dating…

Zane was gay, from what Garroth knew. He saw how their father reacted to Zane talking about a boy he liked. It was clear from the start it was not something Garte would tolerate.

So, clearly Garroth wasn’t gay. He couldn’t be, after all. He’s the perfect son, the one with good grades who gets all the girls and actually has his father’s attention.

He couldn’t survive being outcast, stuck on the outskirts of his family like… like Zane.

Oh, and there’s the guilt. Shouldn’t he feel bad for his little brother? After all, it was a difficult life already for Zane before he came out.

Still… maybe Zane should have just kept his mouth shut.

Then maybe Garte would pay more attention to him, and whatever Zane felt about… men… would fade away. Then a little pressure would be lifted from Garroth’s shoulders, hopefully.

Or maybe Garroth should have gone with Mom when she left. He could have brought Zane along, and they could have been exploring the world together with Vylad. Just the four of them.

But none of that happened. Garroth was stuck here, trying to ignore the boy he was sitting next to.

He couldn’t afford more distractions, not after Garte’s threats to cut him off. It sucked to admit, but the money was part of why he was so well liked by teachers and girls alike.

Girls. That’s it. Garroth just needed to find a new girlfriend, stat. That way he could forget all about the thing he’s definitely not feeling, and leave it behind him forever.

After all, he couldn’t be in love with his best friend.

Aphmau was cute. Short, angry, naive. Garroth felt a spark there, a spark hopefully bright enough to outshine the one hovering between him and Laurance.

Unfortunately, Laurance seemed to have a similar idea. He started flirting with Aphmau, which was nothing out of the ordinary when it came to the two most popular guys in school.

Still, it meant Laurance was around . Using his flirtatious voice. With someone else.

GAH. DON’T THINK ABOUT IT.

Laurance was too good of a friend to lose to something stupid like this. He was clever, so much smarter than Garroth… He understood the world in a perspective that was so fresh and new. Despite being much more poor, he’d had a thousand times the experiences that Garroth had. He was on a self-paved path to greatness, while Garroth was on a path paved by his dad.

And, Irene , somehow he was suddenly cute, too.

“Come here often?” Laurance’s attempt at a suave voice broke Garroth out of his spiraling.

Laur was more soft-spoken than his blond bestie, with longer hair and a darker complexion. He often wore looser, darker clothing, probably from his experience being in a gang a year ago. Wait, was he wearing makeup? Garroth recognized it from Zane’s–

Stop looking at his face. Stop it. He’s going to notice.

Aphmau closed her locker, raising an eyebrow at Laurance. “…To school? Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She chuckled as Laurance’s cheeks flushed. “Hey, don’t sweat it. You won’t believe the amount of awkward things I’ve said this week.”

Garroth leaned against a locker on the opposite side, nearly slipping and falling when Laurance glanced at him for support. Garroth shot him a quick thumbs-up and a perfect white smile, which seemed to reignite Laurance’s confidence. And my insides.

Laurance groaned. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just… I got my period.”

Garroth blanched. “Your wha?”

“…My period. The cramps are really bad right now.”

“You’re a girl??” Garroth blurted out. Is that why he had his not-crush on him?

“What? No! Garroth… did you not know I was trans??”

“You’re… trans? Like, transgender? You were a girl?”

“I’m a boy, Gar. I was always a boy. I just… happen to have girl parts.”

Garroth blinked slowly, while his best friend stared at him incredulously.

“I don’t like everyone to know, but… I thought it was obvious to you at least. We’ve been best friends for half a year. I literally look so much like a girl, and my voice–“

“What’s wrong with your voice?” Garroth inquired, confused.

“It’s really girly. Come on, Garroth. I know you’re not that dense.”

“Well… Sure your voice is higher than mine, but so are plenty of guys.” Garroth didn’t understand his logic. Like, that sporty girl Katelyn had a deep voice, and she was a girl. Never once had Garroth suspected…

Oh, shoot. Did this make Garroth- what was the word? Transphobiac? For having a crush on a trans guy? Was that invalidating his identity?? Even though Garroth didn’t even know he was trans???

“I can’t believe you didn’t know… I’m sorry, I probably should have outright told you.” Laurance wrapped his arms around his knees. “I just haven’t had great experiences before.”

Garroth nodded slowly. “Your ex, right? In that gang you were in?”

Laurance squeezed his eyes shut.

“Sorry, Laur. You don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to.”

The brunette shook his head. “No, it’s… okay. And, it’s him.”

“Huh?”

“My ex. He’s a guy.”

“…Oh.” Laurance was… gay?

“He thought I was a girl, so it… just didn’t work out. Not to mention he’s pretty toxic for unrelated reasons…” Laurance chuckled dryly. “There’s a reason he kicked me out of the Shadow Knights.”

Wait… Did that mean…

“GENE? Your ex is GENE?”

Laurance hit Garroth lightly on the shoulder with his math book. “Dude, shut up! You don’t need to tell the whole courtyard.”

“I can’t believe that… I never pried before, because well, I saw how your face looked whenever I brought up the Knights. So you’re not just trans, you’re also gay??”

Laurance’s body language seemed to constrict on itself. He was hugging his knees, and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Is that a problem?” He muttered, not meeting Garroth’s eyes. “‘Cause like, I’d understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore. You’re a perfect sort of guy, not the type to be okay with this stuff. For the record, I’m not some kind of creep who made friends with you just–“

“Hey, hey, wait,” Garroth cut him off. “I’m far from perfect. I don’t exactly have much experience with transgender people, but my brother is gay! You’re still the same Laurance I knew… right?”

Laurance nodded, then exhaled with amusement. “That’s your experience with gay people? Your brother that barely talks to you?”

“He talks to me! Er… I talk to him. He doesn’t exactly like to answer back.”

“Why, because you suck up to your dad? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice how much Zane hates him.”

“Hey, give me some credit. I know he doesn’t like Dad, because… well, Dad doesn’t like him. Who he is, basically. And not just the gay parts.”

“Rich white homophobic dad. What a rare sight. That does explain why you’re so sheltered and oblivious, though.”

“Hey! Who are you calling oblivious?”

Laurance just blinked in Garroth’s direction until the blond looked away. Laurance chuckled and leaned back, finally removing his arms from around his knees.

“You really don’t mind, huh? You’re just really really bad at noticing, like… anything.”

Garroth opened his mouth to argue, then decided against it. They both knew who would win, after all. He just nodded and patted Laurance’s shoulder.

So what if Garroth’s best friend was gay and trans? He’s still the same guy he’s always known.

…That means his not-crush on Laurance would definitely be gay. If it were a crush. Which it wasn’t.

For a while, Garroth was almost able to ignore the uncomfortable flutter in his stomach.

Chapter Text

Laurance lowered his head onto the picnic table. He was exhausted, and on his period, and he STILL had to do homework.

His study buddy hadn’t even shown up yet. Where was Garroth? Doing some rich boy thing? Flirting with that girl Aphmau?

Aphmau… She was cute, Laurance knew. Garroth was talking about his interest in her, and that had kind of influenced Laurance to shoot his own shot.

Unfortunately, Aph seemed to be much more interested in his goofy best friend. Which was fair. Garroth was one of the coolest people Laurance knew, despite also seeing the clueless dumb side of him that not many people knew about.

He liked that Garroth felt comfortable around him. Laurance felt comfortable being around him too… He didn’t have to hide who he was. And Garroth didn’t know much about the Shadow Knights, which definitely helped.

He thought back to how Garroth reacted to him being trans. Part of Laurance sort of knew he didn’t know, because well… He assumed Garroth had been raised to avoid that sort of person.

But Garroth really was just that dense, huh? What a lovable dork.

It was tricky, whenever the topic drifted to Garroth’s dad. Gar seemed to be aware of most of the shitty stuff his dad did, yet he still justified some of them. Saying not everyone’s perfect. Despite everything, he still loved his dad.

Laurance wasn’t usually one to psychoanalyze– okay, he was. But usually he respected Garroth’s privacy! Like a good friend!

Still, he wondered if Garroth felt attached to his dad because he was really all he had left. With Zane growing more distant (and closer to the Shadow Knights), growing up “perfect”, being left behind by his mom and brother…

He felt like Garroth should talk about it more. Instead of pretending like everything was okay. He wished he could show Garroth he was so much more than what his dad made him.

But, baby steps was the route to go. Laurance didn’t want to lose his best friend, after all…

He had enough to figure out without diving into all of Garroth’s emotional baggage, anyway.

Impatient, Laurance pulled out his phone to text and ask where he was. It wasn’t like Garroth to be this late without sending a message first. He would just–

Blocked? Garroth blocked him?

Panic immediately rushed into his veins. Why would he block him without saying anything? Did Laurance do something horrible without realizing? Was he lying before when he said he was okay with Laurance being trans?

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t exactly want to go to Garroth’s house and risk bumping into his dad. Ugh… There was only one thing to do, wasn’t there?

He had to find Zane.

The next day, Laurance didn’t see Garroth at any of the classes they shared. He hadn’t come to school at all, it appeared.

Laurance’s worry throbbed in his stomach alongside the cramps he already had. He had to hope Zane was at lunch period to explain.

Unfortunately, soon there was a bigger hurdle.

Laurance found Zane, all right. He was leaning against the wall in a corner of the cafeteria, lurking near where the Shadow Knights gang were hanging out.

He stiffly started walking toward them, feeling like everyone’s eyes were watching him even though they weren’t. He hadn’t walked to this part of the cafeteria in months, he was always at the “popular” table… with Garroth.

Zane squinted as soon as Laurance made eye contact, peering disapprovingly through smoky eyeshadow and crooked eyeliner. Laurance felt like he was shrinking into his oversized hoodie. This was going to be harder than he thought.

“Zane?” He muttered, trying not to draw the attention of Gene, Zenix, and Sasha only a few yards away. “Can I talk to you, please?”

The gloomy teen laughed boisterously. “What’s the matter with you? Lost without my shining star of a brother?”

Shit, Gene’s head turned. He had definitely been noticed now. Time to abort.

“Never mind, I’ll.. just catch you later,” Laurance choked out, turning around quickly. Before he could escape, the taunting face of his ex-boyfriend was abruptly in his face.

“Heyyy, where are you off to in such a hurry? And without saying hello?”

Laurance grimaced. Gene smirked.

“Hi, Gene,” Laurance managed to say through gritted teeth. “I just wanted to ask Zane a question.”

Gene shifted his weight, clearly comfortable in this situation especially in comparison to Laurance’s awkward posture, whose arms were crossed tight around his chest. It would be bad if he just ran for it, right?

“Well, why don’t you ask it then? We don’t bite. He’s our boy now, you know.”

“I am?” Zane chirped incredulously, before quickly regaining his composure. “I mean, I am. Fully fledged Shadow Knight, all of that. Yes!”

Gene’s eyebrow twitched, which made Laurance think that he was annoyed. Was he really just calling Zane part of his gang to get on Laurance’s nerves?

It was working. He couldn’t let him know it was working.

“I just wanted to know if he’d seen Garroth today, that’s all.” Laurance forced his tone to be casual, turning to Zane with what he hoped was an aloof expression.

Gene snorted. “What, missing your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my–“

“Of course he’s not. He’s too smart to let someone like you in his pants.”

Laurance stared at the ground, feeling his face heat up with– anger? Embarrassment?

“Ewww, Gene,” Sasha slid over, eyes still on her phone. “I don’t even wanna picture that.” Zenix snickered from behind her.

“Can I just talk to Zane?” Laurance glanced upward at Zane, who only looked mildly less uncomfortable than he felt.

“Uh… I don’t know what to tell you, Laurance. Garroth got grounded, that’s all. Don’t know why he gets to miss school this time, though..”

Grounded? “But–“

“That’s all I know, okay??” Zane’s voice got gruff. He seemed to want this interaction over with just as much as Laurance did.

“…Fine. See you.” Laurance started walking away, and this time he was correct that they were watching him go.

“Gene, what was that all about?” Laurance heard Zane’s voice from behind him.

“That’s my ex-girlfriend, genius.”

“Girl??”

Laurance’s eyes started to sting, and he bolted the rest of the way out the cafeteria.

Chapter Text

Thud .

Garroth threw another pebble at Laurance’s window. It barely missed the glass, dropping unimpressively to the grass at Garroth’s feet. Was this even doing anything?

He raised his arm to throw another stone when he finally saw the curtains open. There were Laurance’s blue eyes, squinting at the crazy teenager standing in his front yard in the middle of the night.

“Can I come in?” Garroth mouthed, gesturing. Laurance’s older sister might tell their parents if she saw him, so he’d rather get inside and out of the cold as soon as possible.

Laurance slowly opened his window, which made a moderate screech that caused them both to wince. Why was this always so much easier in the movies?

The brunette helped Garroth climb inside, then immediately sat back on his bed. “Are you crazy? Also, I’m on the first floor, dumbass! You could have just knocked.”

Garroth rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry, didn’t think of that. I was trying to be stealthy.”

”At least it worked. I can still hear Cadenza’s snoring in the other room.”

Garroth nodded awkwardly, swinging his hands with no real rhythm. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why was Laurance looking at him like that?

After what felt like an eternity, Laurance finally heaved a sigh. “So, why are you here? After you blocked me and everything?”

What?  “Blocked you? Holy– I’m gonna– Laur, you have to believe me. My dad confiscated my phone and grounded me, he must’ve blocked you himself, he knows all my passwords, I’m so sorry–“

“Hey… Dude, chill.” Laurance’s face softened, and he patted the space on the bed next to him. “I believe you, man.” 

Garroth exhaled in relief, then sat beside him. “I didn’t know what else to do than sneak out and show up here.”

“I’m honestly glad you did. Zane told me you were grounded, but he didn’t tell me why.”

Garroth groaned. “I’m an idiot, that’s why. I was trying to talk to Zane about… uh, how you were gay. Then he started lecturing me about outing you, and Dad heard us.”

“You told him about me?”

“Yes, and I’m SO SORRY… Zane told me why it was bad, but I thought he already knew since you dated Gene and he’s in that gang now–“

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it.” Still, Laurance shook his head in bewilderment. “Your dad grounded you because I was gay?”

“Dad got reaaally pissed, Laur. He said you were a bad influence, that you’d convince me to do bad things or something.” Garroth hung his head. “Man, I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you from the beginning, I thought he just didn’t understand, but… god, he’s just hateful for no good reason.”

“Don’t worry, I get it. I already knew what he was like, so this doesn’t surprise me.” Laurance paused. “Do you… want to stop hanging out now, then?”

“What?” Garroth exclaimed, followed by a shhhh from Laurance. “That’s what my dad wants, sure, but fuck what my dad wants! I can talk to whoever I want, thanks very much.”

Laurance chuckled. ”That’s the spirit, I think. Hopefully you get your phone back, though.”

“Oh, I will. I just gotta suck up to Dad for a couple days.”

“You know how fucked up that is, right?”

“Well, NOW I do!” Garroth playfully hit Laurance gently, a look of mock indignance across his face.

“Okay, wise guy, I get it. By the way, you’re lucky I wasn’t changing or something when you showed up at my window, jackass.”

“At 4am? I know your sleep schedule isn’t that bad, asshole.”

The two boys kept talking for about an hour before Garroth left. When he got home, he was able to get the first decent sleep he’d had in a little while.

Laurance laid awake in bed for the rest of the night after Garroth had gone.

It was relieving, to hear that Garroth hadn't been the one to block him. He didn't know what he'd do without his best friend.

Still, Garroth's dad sucked and Laurance wished he knew how to help. If it was his own dad, he'd just leave and find an apartment, get another job. He'd figure it out like he always did. But Garroth couldn't just get away from his rich dad, and he was too used to having money anyway.

All Laurance could do was talk with Gar and pretend that nothing was wrong.

Garte wasn't the only thing happening at the time, either. Garroth was acting so weird around him lately... probably because he found out he was trans and gay. He was grateful that Garroth still hung out with him and everything, but... did it really have to change?

Their dynamic was different now, an unspoken shift in how Garroth looked at him, how he spoke to him. He stammered more often, he kept looking away when they made eye contact, and Laurance kept catching him staring. I get it's new for him, but I'm not a zoo.

It... wasn't quite like Garroth was scared of him, but he seemed more closed off than before.

And yet, he was perfectly comfortable talking about Laurance being transgender and gay. He asked questions, mentioned things he learned... It didn't seem to be the thing bothering him at all.

Laur was probably just overthinking in general. If his best friend had something to talk to him about, he would. Garroth's usually pretty transparent with his feelings, anyway.

He hoped Garroth got ungrounded quickly; he hated being at school without him.

The sun started to rise before Laurance could fall asleep again, and he got ready for the day with Garroth on his mind the whole time.

Chapter Text

Garroth stirred his already-soggy cereal in a whirlpool, staring at it while lost in thought.

Zane walked in, saw him, and immediately backed out of the room again. Garroth looked up in time to see him pop his head back in.

“What’s the matter with you?” He walked over to Garroth’s dejected form.

“Huh? Uh… nothing,” Garroth responded unconvincingly. His younger brother scoffed and grabbed his bowl, dragging it to his side of the table.

“It’s soggy–” he pointed out, but Zane was already shoveling a spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

“Just how I like it,” he insisted, continuing to enjoy the… soup.

“...You’re weird, lil’ bro.” Garroth allowed himself a small smile, which mirrored Zane’s frown of annoyance.

“What’s weird is that you’re here, at home, bothering me. Meanwhile I have to go to school with absolutely nobody.”

Garroth wanted to question his statement, since he knew Zane was trying to get in with the Shadow Knights. He should probably warn Zane about Gene anyway, but… that kid wouldn’t listen to anything he said.

Zane rolled his eyes at his brother’s blank face. “When are you getting ungrounded, anyway?”

“Next Monday, I think. Dad told me to stay away from Laurance, but I’m done listening to him.”

“Finally you’ve lost your golden retriever blind obedience,” Zane scoffed. Garroth would be offended, but he both didn’t know what that meant and also was just happy Zane was actually talking to him.

Zane went quiet again, so Garroth sighed and started leaving the room. At least he got a few sentences out of him–

“Garroth?”

“Yeah, lil' bro?” Garroth turned back, trying to hide his excitement at having a prolonged conversation with his brother.

“Did you know about Laurance?”

About Laurance… Oh. Being trans. “Uh… Yeah. How do you–?”

“That’s none of your business!” Zane snapped. “I just needed to know, that’s all.” He got up from the kitchen table and marched right to the front door, slamming it pointedly behind him.

That… was weird. Zane didn’t usually care about Garroth or his friends at all.

He pulled out his newly returned phone and texted Laurance.

Garroth: Did you tell Zane you were trans?

Text bubbles. They went away. They came back.

Laurance: Kind of

Okay… No elaboration? Weird.

Garroth contemplated prying further. Maybe it was better to wait until he could talk to him in person.

Slut. Whore. And a slur that could not be repeated.

When Laurance saw those words spray-painted on his locker, he knew exactly who would do such a thing. After all, he had been one of them for longer than he knew Garroth.

He couldn’t say anything. The principal doesn’t care, not to mention Gene would be even more horrible if he told on him.

He just had to get over it, like usual.

He hadn’t been bullied like this since he knew Garroth, though. Garroth was popular from the start, and somehow Laurance was lucky enough to become his best friend in a short time.

Except for the past week, Garroth hadn’t been there. Grounded even from school, so Laurance had to suffer weird looks from more than just the Shadow Knights. They were probably spreading some kind of crazy rumor that half the school would believe.

It didn’t matter. Garroth was coming back to school tomorrow, and he’d have all the support he needed.

He probably should have told Garroth about what happened with Gene, but… it might have just made things worse. He could keep that secret, right?

“Whoa. Did Gene do that?”

Laurance whirled around in a panic to see Zane, not Garroth, standing right behind him and leaning over his shoulder at the graffiti.

“What do you want, Zane?” Laurance demanded, crossing his arms.

“Geez, settle down. I came here to apologize, moron.”

“…And your way of doing that is by calling me a moron?”

“Do you want the apology or not??”

Laurance shook his head with bewilderment. “What are you even apologizing for? You didn’t do this.” He gestured to the graffiti.

“Yeah, but I’ve done some pretty stupid things trying to get into that group. I didn’t know how… shitty Gene really was.”

Well, now Laurance knew Zane drew the line at homophobia and transphobia.

“Okay, so… Why do you want to tell me?”

Zane cleared his throat. “Well, for starters… I’m sorry. For earlier this week, for everything. And, uh… Gene’s been telling everyone you’re a girl. I just thought you should know.”

The teen walked away without waiting for a response from Laurance, who stood in silence for several moments.

Then he slammed the vandalized locker door shut.

Chapter Text

Laurance closed his eyes, trying to ignore the whispers.

It wasn’t like he was the only trans person in school; far from it.

But he guessed when you’re as popular as Laurance was, and no one knew you weren’t a cis guy before, people liked to talk more.

It was stupid. This school already struggled with speciesism against the werewolves and meif’was, they didn’t need to add transphobia to the mix.

That was why he barely told anyone. Not that it was something he tried to hide, per se… After all, it was impossible to keep a low profile being as popular as he was.

“Dang it, lost again… I should know this place by now.” Aphmau’s voice, coming from the next hallway.

Laurance rounded the corner as she groaned and slapped her face with her hand.

“You’ve gotta stop getting lost in my eyes, Aph,” Laurance said in a smooth tone. Probably.

The short girl yelped and turned around, her face flushing red.

“Laurance? What… you know that makes no sense, right??”

“Uh…Yeah. Sorry.” Great, now he looked like an idiot and an amateur.

Aphmau regained her composure and tilted her head with an amused smile. “I thought you were supposed to be the suave, flirtatious one.”

Laurance scoffed. “What? I am suave. I’m… more suave than Garroth.” He leaned against a locker, as if that would prove his point.

Aph rolled her eyes and giggled. “No, no, you… are pretty smooth. I think. I’ve never been flirted with so directly before, to be honest.”

“Well, I’m not exactly one to be subtle. So, which class are you trying to get to now? I’ll walk you there. Werewolf class?”

Aphmau nodded nervously. “I still haven’t been able to get out of that class… I might be stuck for the whole semester.”

“Weird.” Laurance slowed his steps slightly so the short girl could meet his stride. “I mean, at least you could learn some valuable lessons there.”

She nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “I just… don’t belong there,” she muttered.

Laurance furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. He paused in his walk for a moment, causing Aph to stop too and look up at him in confusion.

“I used to feel like I didn’t belong, either. In this school, with the popular guys, in meif’wa class, anywhere. My mom told me that no one gets to say where I belong except me, you know? I think that’s true for you too.”

“That’s… that’s good advice, thanks,” Aphmau stammered. “Wait. You’re a meif’wa??”

“Nah, my mom is. I asked to be put in the class to learn more about her.”

“Awwww, that’s really sweet.”

Laurance blushed, then quickly cleared his throat. “I guess it is, huh? I’m so humble, too.”

“Riiight. You know what, I’m starting to get less awkward around you.” Aphmau squinted at him.

“Because I’m so welcoming and charming?”

“Because you’re actually kind of a dork.”

Meif’wa class was always fascinating.

Garroth would tease Laurance for rambling about cat biology and behavior at their lunch period, but he knew Garroth secretly liked hearing about it too.

When he entered class (late, since he was helping Aphmau), he didn’t get weird looks from everyone, which was surprisingly nice.

He wasn’t the only one in class without cat ears and a tail, but he was probably the only one without a drop of feline blood in his body.

He couldn’t help but wonder how many of them had been told Laurance was a girl. Had they all thought he was a girl this whole time? When the teacher called attendance, did they scoff to themselves?

Or did meif’was just really not care?

It was harder to tell the difference between male and female meif’was, after all. While they were plenty diverse, the core traits usually used to gauge whether someone was a cis girl or guy were a lot more clear in human bone structure.

Laurance could assume that werewolf bone structure was thicker and sturdier than humans, while meif’was had thinner bones and could usually fit in smaller spaces.

Since he was adopted and fully human, Laurance used to feel bad about his body being so odd and curvy. He saw his mom and his half-cat sister and thought he’d always be seen as a woman, even without being as flexible as them.

But his shape and size matched a lot of the meif’wa boys his age. The tallest, least curvy person in the room was actually that girl KC. She was super feminine and agile, and yet seemed so comfortable with her body the way it was.

Laurance still couldn’t get his inherent hatred for his own body to cease, but… it helped at least a little bit, knowing that standards and norms were different for everybody.

Still, he might’ve been better off with a werewolf’s body or something.

After school, Laurance hovered outside the front near the fountain, pacing back and forth and trying to not look like he was waiting for someone.

He wasn’t. Was he? He could just go home… help with chores… sleep until he could see Garroth again…

It wasn’t like he felt obligated to be at school or something. Was it actually creepy to wait for her?

He just wanted to make sure she was okay. After all, the first day in detention is never fun.

Thankfully he didn’t have to question his thoughts more, because Aphmau walked out the school doors at that moment.

“Laurance? What are you doing here?”

“I waited for you. Was detention okay?”

“Yeah, actually. I kind of just drew the whole time.”

They continued talking for a few minutes, about Garroth and classes. Out of the corner of his eye, Laurance saw a figure.

He turned inconspicuously and his eyes met Gene’s. The teen was leaning on the building’s wall, right at the edge, watching them. Laurance shivered.

“Hey, do you want me to walk you home?” He interrupted Aphmau’s sentence abruptly.

“Oh! Uhh.. why?” Aph blinked.

“Well.. it’s just a bit later than it usually is. Better safe than sorry, you know.”

Aphmau agreed, and started to exit the courtyard. When Laurance glanced back at where Gene had been, he was gone.

“Well, this is my place.” Aphmau spun around and gestured to her house, shifting her weight between her heels and the balls of her feet. She was nervous, but she couldn’t let him know that. (He knew.)

“It’s a nice home,” Laurance said politely, surveying it briefly. “I suppose I’ll see you in creative writing tomorrow?”

The shorter girl beamed. He actually wanted to see her!! He was so CUTE. “Sounds great, actually! See you then!” She exclaimed, maybe a little too loud.

Laurance just smiled. He had a tiny dimple on his left cheek that deepened in that moment. Stop looking at his face so closely, he’s gonna think you’re weird!

She hurriedly waved goodbye and rushed to her front door. When she got inside, she finally allowed herself to exhale.

Alas, relief too early.

Sylvanna soon approached her daughter with a guarded expression. “Who was that you were with?” She said innocently.

“Oh, that’s just–“ Aph froze. Sylvanna would definitely be way too excited if she knew she was hanging out with boys. She could tell her mom she was bi, but then she would be embarrassing around every girl too.

And she just got to a real public high school! She needed this. 

“It’s just who?” Her mom prodded. “Was that a boy , Aphmau?”

Aphmau panicked. “Nope! Uhhh definitely not! A boy, that is. I’ve never spoken to a boy in my life!”

She rushed to her room, shouting that she had to put her stuff away.

What she didn’t witness was Sylvanna looking out the window at Laurance’s retreating form with a smile. “My little mija’s got a friend already… She looks nice. A little like a boy.”

She’d have to tell Aphmau to invite her for dinner soon!

Chapter Text

Travis kicked a rock on the pavement, looking up to see his not-alone-buddy Aph leaving with that Laurance guy.

He couldn’t help but feel a little envious that she was already hanging out with one of the more popular boys. It was his own fault for not making any moves, though.

Was Laurance really transgender? Travis had heard the rumor around, and it wasn’t like he’d be the first trans person at Phoenix Drop, but… there was still a lot of hate. And that was scary.

Travis wondered how Laurance knew he was trans. You’re supposed to know right away, right? As a kid. You figure out your gender and who you’d wanna kiss and that’s that.

So Travis knew he was a boy. Sure his voice was sometimes high pitched, and the kids in middle school called him feminine names, but he knew he was a guy. And he knew he liked girls.

Then high school had to come and complicate everything.

This older guy, Dante, helped teach him a few things about how girls worked. For flirting purposes.

Maybe it wasn’t a great idea to listen to a guy like Dante, considering he had dated two girls at the same time.

But Travis was so bad at the dating stuff. He was a freshman, and he still didn’t have a girlfriend!

There was this one girl… she was the captain of the volleyball team. Katelyn… Her blue hair, her eyes, her muscles…

The first time Travis saw her, she caught him staring, got startled, and accidentally hit him in the stomach with the volleyball. She was amazing.

So, with Dante’s help, Travis made a plan. He’d observe the girls when he could… watching what they liked, what they did. Then he could know the best ways to ask them out. It was the perfect plan, and not creepy at all!

He just didn’t expect to feel… left out?

A whooosh whipped past his ear, and he blinked out of his thoughts.

“Hey. Are you just gonna stand there, or can you get the ball?”

It was Katelyn’s voice. Her volleyball had flown right by him and hit a wall before rolling to a stop at his feet.

He picked up the volleyball, every muscle in his body tense. He walked over slowly to Katelyn, who sighed impatiently.

Could she tell how sweaty he was? Oh Irene, this was the closest he’d ever been to Katelyn… His hand touched hers when he gave her the ball…

Now’s your chance, Travis! His head shouted at him, sounding suspiciously like Dante. Ask her out! Before she turns away!! Travis could do it. He was gonna do it!

“Can I join the volleyball team?” He blurted out.

Damn it.

“So… you just joined the team instead?” Aphmau sat down in the cafeteria next to Travis, sipping an apple juice.

“That’s the thing. I have tryouts next week now. I’m just gonna look like a fool in front of her! I’ve never played volleyball!!”

His not-alone-buddy giggled at his exasperation, but her expression was sympathetic. She then leaned back, getting a glimpse of Katelyn and her friend group a few tables over.

“Is it even co-ed? I only see girls.”

Travis sighed. “There’s only like, a couple guys doing volleyball this semester, apparently.”

“Oh. Well maybe they’ll really want you to join then.”

He shrugged. “I don’t think so, Aphmau. They definitely wouldn’t want someone as clumsy as me on the team.”

Aph shoved his shoulder playfully. “Hey, you’re not that bad. You just gotta practice! It’s just hitting a ball and stuff, right?”

“…I dunno. I should probably study up first… oh Irene, I’m so in over my head.”

“The things we do for love,” his companion mused thoughtfully.

Travis plopped his head on the table. “My life is so hard,” he exclaimed dramatically.

Aphmau patted his back sympathetically. A dim glow in his peripheral vision told Travis that she had opened her phone. He sat up, watching a thin smile form on her face.

“Speaking of love, who’s got you smiling like that, Aph?” he inquired playfully, grinning as she blushed.

“It’s just my online friend. He doesn’t… we’re not like that.”

“Okayy. I trust ya, girl. Soooo can you please please help me learn how to play volleyball??”

Aphmau laughed, setting down her phone. “Of course, Travis. Let’s start tomorrow after school.”

Katelyn leaned against the fence with a half-smirk. “You’re still at it, huh?”

Travis tried not to freak out. Katelyn was here…watching him practice…it was just the two of them… Oh, why did Aphmau have to go home so early?

“Uh… yeah,” he squeaked. Smooth, Travis.

“You know, it’s funny. Every day after practice you come here and practice on your own or with that short girl, like it’s some big secret you’re keeping.”

“You’ve been watching me??”

“Geez, way to make it sound creepy. Not on purpose, obviously. I’m just a very observant person.”

“Oh. Sor..sorry.” Travis felt his face go warm, and he knew he was as red as a tomato right then.

“Why are you here?”

“Huh? For.. for practice. As you can see?” Travis held up the volleyball, then immediately almost dropped it, fumbling awkwardly to catch it. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“What I mean is, why are you even signing up in the first place? You don’t seem to be having any fun, and to be frank, you suck.” Wow. She was definitely honest.

He’d been caught red-handed, hadn’t he? Practice had been such a struggle, and Travis really didn’t care for volleyball at all. Still… should he double down?

“I just… want to get better,” he said carefully. It was vague enough that it… technically wasn’t a lie.

Katelyn squinted at him, then smiled. “You’ve got devotion already. Now that’s a promising trait.” Travis’s chest nearly exploded. She thought he was promising??

“By the way, what’s your name again? I’m Katelyn, in case you forgot.”

“Oh, I… know your name, yeah. I’m Travis.“

“Well, Travis. Mind if I help you with your form?”

“Yes! I mean no, I don’t mind. Sure. Yeah.” He giggled awkwardly, painfully aware of her eyes on him. Why was he such a mess around her? Her sparkling hair… her sarcastic eye roll… What gave her the right to be so perfect??

Travis didn’t notice he had been staring at her for too long. Thankfully, Katelyn just chuckled. “Okay, so look. You want to hold your hands like this, so that you can actually get some force in your hit. You keep letting your knees get stiff, you have to…”

Whatever. This was still the best day of his life.