The Spring Semester at Devon. The trees are in full bloom, aflame with flowers blossoming. However, flowers aren't the only thing blossoming at Devon School…
Gene awoke from the rustling of his sheets, but he wasn't the one rustling them. Phineas slept soundly curled up next to Gene. Gene rolled his eyes in repulsion. This was the third time this week that Phineas comforted himself from a nightmare in Gene's bed. Gene gave Phineas a slight push to wake him up and Phineas retaliated with a punch to Gene's face. Gene shouted and pushed Phineas off the cot.
"The Germans are invading!" Phineas said as he landed on the floor with a thud. He looked around surprised, as if clueless to his surroundings. He looked over his shoulder at Gene, who was standing over him with a disapproving glare. Phineas sighed, "Jee-sus! Wipe that look off your face. You look like my mother."
Gene shook his head, "At this rate I wish your mother would come in here with a wooden spoon or something! You can't sleep in my bed, Finny."
"But Gene," Phineas whined as he got up, rubbing his shoulder, "the Germs and the Japs keep ambushing me! I-"
Gene had already started getting his uniform on. He had heard Phineas' war nightmares multiple times before. They were uninteresting now. He was in the middle of tying his necktie when Phineas hurled himself on Gene's back. Both of them landed to the ground with a thud. Gene rolled over on his back and Phineas hovered above him, pinning his wrists to the floor. Phineas' face took on a strange look of content as a sly smirk spread across his face. Gene had seen this look many times before. Phineas brought his lips close to Gene's ear and whispered, "That's what happens when you let the enemy ambush you."
Gene turned his head away from Phineas. A brilliant shade of red consumed his cheeks. He muttered, "Finny, get off me. You know how Brinker likes to just barge in here. You should-"
Gene suddenly felt Phineas' lips pressed against his. The gentle press evolved into a deep kiss. Soon Gene and Phineas were passionately kissing each other, rocking back and forth gently on the floor. Suddenly the door flew open and Brinker's voice filled the room. "Morning boys! Ready to… Hello, what's this?"
Phineas had Gene in a wrestling hold that pinned Gene's foot behind his head. Phineas let him go and jumped up to pat Brinker on the back. "Well, but of course, I'm training Gene here for the wrestling team. We're aiming for the Olympics in 1944 remember?"
Brinker let out a hearty laugh, "Ah yes! The Olympics. Well, good luck with that. I've got to head out now. I have an English exam today. Have fun wrestling," Brinker said with a chuckle as he strode out of the room. Phineas looked back at Gene, who was still lying on the floor.
"I think," Phineas whispered as he sat hovering over Gene, "that he was laughing… at you." Phineas smiled as he kissed Gene's cheek.
"Wh-why do you say that…?" Gene stuttered as Phineas ran his hand along Gene's leg.
"Why do you think?" Phineas smirked as he traced his fingers along Gene's pants zipper. "I suggest you get rid of that before we head down to our first class." Phineas went along on his daily routine of getting ready and Gene simply sat on the floor stunned. Phineas had been leaving him this way for the past few days. At last, when Phineas was done getting ready Gene snapped back into reality. He got up and adjusted his tie then headed out the door with Phineas.
"Don't forget," Phineas said as he bounced down the stairs in front of Gene, "we have a Super Suicide Society meeting tonight."
"Don't we have one every night?" Gene sighed.
"You're right," Phineas laughed as he jumped off the last step. Gene shook his head.
"Keep fooling around like that and you might break a leg or something," Gene gasped, ready to catch Phineas if he fell. Phineas just laughed at him. They were fifteen minutes late to their first class because Phineas had wrestled Gene to the ground about three times. As punishment, their public speaking teacher made them give a ten minute speech each explaining in full detail why they were late. Gene sweat from the thought of certain words slipping off Phineas' tongue. Later in class a piece of paper was thrown onto Gene's desk. He looked around trying to find who threw it. Sure enough, he found Phineas sitting two desks away nodding at him to open the note. It read: "don't worry. I wouldn't tell God himself about what happened this morning"
Gene's cheeks became hot and he furiously scribbled back a response; "you jerk."
Later in P.E., Gene pulled Phineas aside in the locker room. He whispered in Phineas' ear, "You better not try passing notes like that in class anymore. What if someone read it?!"
Phineas chuckled. "Oh, Gene. That's what I like about you; always so concerned and worrisome. Come on, otherwise we'll miss blitzball."
Gene watched as Phineas joked around with the other boys as they walked out to the Fields. 'That's what he likes about me…? I sure as heck like more important things than that about him. Don't I…?' Gene had only started a relationship with Phineas a few weeks ago. He knew that everyone joked now a day about students in all boy schools having relationships, but now he had a more personal experience with it. Why had he said yes? In fact, he didn't even say yes to any sort of question. 'It just happened,' Gene thought to himself as he followed the others outside.
As soon as Gene was outside he was almost immediately trampled by Phineas. Phineas shoved the ball into Gene's arms and then sprinted away. Gene got up and began sprinting towards the river on the other side of the Fields. Blitzball was a rough game invented by Phineas himself. It was every man for himself in a brutal rush to the finish. Gene wasn't too fond of it, but how could he refuse every time Phineas passed him the ball. It was one of those things; despite hating all the things Phineas asked him to do, he did it without complaining.
Before Gene could blink the ball was out of his possession and he found himself chasing after Leper with Phineas close behind. The ball was passed back and forth and by the time P.E. was over every boy involved was covered in sweat. Some boys, Phineas included had removed their shirts. Gene couldn't help but stare at Phineas' rippled, glistening stomach. He could once again feel his face getting hot, so he rushed into the locker room trying to be inconspicuous. However, he failed.
"Where are you rushing off to?" Phineas quizzed as he changed back into his uniform.
"N-nowhere," Gene stuttered in response. He tried avoiding eye contact with Phineas for as long as possible.
"Okay," Phineas smiled. "As long as you're not sick or anything. Then the Olympics would be ruined." Gene laughed nervously in response. He watched as Phineas pulled off his gym shorts and pulled his school slacks on. He watched as he combed back his sweat drenched hair. He felt teased. His passion couldn't be released in a place as public as the boys locker room. He could somehow feel everyone watching him as he stared blankly at Phineas. He tried brushing it off like he was just spacing out, and he continued getting dressed.
Later Gene sat in the Butt Room with a few other boys. He had somehow managed to get out of that night's Super Suicide Society meeting, a miraculous feat for him. Two boys were chuckling and glancing over at Gene. Gene shot them a glance and they straightened up as much as someone could in the Butt Room. Finally, one of the boys cleared his throat and began, "So… Gene. I saw you shooting a passionate eye over Finny today in P.E. What's up with that?"
Gene's face turned its usual shade of red when this train of thought entered his head. He couldn't think of any response. All he could muster was "What are you talking about?"
The entire Butt Room shook with laughter. Everyone pestered Gene asking generic questions about his sexuality. Gene became nervous and anxious from all the cigarette smoke and his mind racing. He got up and bolted for the door, only to find Phineas himself standing in his way. Gene's heart jumped into his throat as Phineas strode into the room. Phineas stepped into the room laughing like always and everyone else in the room, including Gene, looked at him like he was Jesus himself.
"So, you guys like Gene and I are fags do you?" Phineas laughed as he plopped himself in a beat up armchair. He cast a seductive glare at Gene and motioned him to sit by him. Everyone carefully watched Gene as he trudged over and sat by Phineas. Phineas now diverted his gaze to the rest of the Butt Room crowd. "The honest truth… we're just friends. Roommates."
Gene let out a sigh of relief. Surely if Phineas said it everyone else would believe it to be so. It's not like they were "just friends" but Gene would rather everyone else didn't know. However, like always, things were never the way Gene wanted them when Phineas was around. There was nothing he could do to stop Phineas from leaning in and kissing him before the entire Butt Room. Phineas pushed his tongue into Gene's mouth and began making out with him more passionately than he ever had when they were alone. He eventually straddled Gene on the couch he was sitting on. He pulled Gene's tie, he unbuttoned his shirt and even slid his hand down his pants. He finished off with swirling his tongue with Gene's passionately, and then he pulled away. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he turned to face his audience jaw-dropped boys. Everything Phineas did required an audience. He smirked at the other boys and laughed, "Really good friends."
