Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a slow day at Tulip during Hiromi’s shift.

In the last 6 hours he had been there, only 5 customers had come in and only 2 of them needed him to make a bouquet for them. That was at least 2 hours ago. He was bored out of his mind, until he heard the bell jingle.

“Welcome to Tulip!” He said in a cheery tone, turning around to face whoever had walked in.

Hiromi was not expecting to see Kojiro, not in his usual Hawaiian shirt and shorts, smiling at him. Upon doing a double take, he realized Kojiro was in a black suit with a maroon tie.

“Oh- Hey, Kojiro!” He said, smiling and trying to conceal his surprise from the man.

“Hi, Hiromi. I was wondering if you could help me make a bouquet? It’s for an anniversary.” Kojiro responded, still smiling while making his way to the counter.

“Of course! What type of anniversary is it?” Hiromi said, quickly exiting the front counter to go over to him.

He still couldn’t believe that Kojiro was dressed this fancy, let alone getting a bouquet for an anniversary.

“A wedding anniversary, if that helps.” The green-haired man answered, leaning against the counter with one elbow on it.

"That helps me a lot! Just give me a minute!" He responded, smiling at the taller man in front of him.

He stood there for an extra second before nodding and quickly walking over to their display of flowers, picking out a few single ones. He spent his time making sure he grabbed the right ones before going back to the counter.

“Okay! So we could do a bouquet with red roses and calla lilies or a bouquet with pink roses and lilies,” Hiromi started, showing Kojiro the two sets of flowers before setting them in front of both of them. “Of course we don’t have to do either and we can make a bouquet of whatever flowers you chose.” He finished, smiling at the man.

“I’ll go with the pink roses and lilies. They’re Kaoru’s favorites.” Kojiro said with a wide smile on his face, pointing to the second set of flowers.

“I’ll make the bouquet right away!” He said, nodding quickly as he picked up the flowers.

He put the red roses and calla lilies away before going to the back to make Kojiro’s bouquet. He thought about how Kojiro said Kaoru and wondered if he was meaning Cherry.

Shaking his head, he started making the bouquet, finding himself falling into a natural rhythm.

Pretty soon, Hiromi had finished the bouquet and used a sheer pink ribbon to tie the flowers together. He walked back to the front, where Kojiro was waiting, checking the flowers as he did.

As he entered the front room of the store, he saw that Kojiro’s head quickly snapped over to him before smiling brightly.

“It looks perfect! Thank you, Hiromi.” He said, pulling out his wallet from his pocket.

“I hope whoever receives this bouquet loves it as much as you clearly do, Kojiro.” Hiromi said, chuckling slightly before setting the bouquet on the table.

He quickly entered the price in the register before looking back at Kojiro.

“Kaoru will love it, he loves any kind of bouquet you guys make here. That’s probably why he uses you guys to make the centerpieces for any event he hosts.” The adult male responded while laughing loudly.

“8000¥ is your total, Kojiro.” He said, opening the cash drawer.

After the man gave Hiromi the money, he handed him his bouquet. He hesitated for a second before asking the question on his mind.

“How many years are you and Kaoru celebrating?” He said, hoping that Kojiro won’t be upset with him for asking.

“Oh- Tonight is our 7 year anniversary!” Kojiro smiled, waving the bouquet around slightly.

Hiromi just stood there, shocked that Kojiro and Kaoru had been together for at least 7 years but also happy for the two of them.

“Congratulations!” He said after a minute of just staring at Kojiro.

“Thanks, man. I’m really excited for tonight, we’re eating at that new fancy restaurant that opened up in town. He’s been dying to go to it and I got us a reservation.” Kojiro explained, his smiling somehow getting wider as he spoke.

“I heard that place is really good! I hope you guys enjoy your dinner and everything!” He said, finding himself smiling as well.

“Thanks again. I should get going, I need to pick up Kaoru but I’ll see you tomorrow or something, Hiromi!” Kojiro said, waving as he quickly exited the shop.

Hiromi stared at the door as it closed, showing a running Kojiro headed towards his car.

“Wow.” He said, shaking his head slightly in disbelief before starting to clean up the store.

He didn’t expect to find out about Kaoru and Kojiro’s relationship like this. Especially because they had been married for 7 years but as long as they were happy, he was too.

He wondered if anyone else knew about them before shaking his head. He was probably the only one to find out and he decided that he wouldn’t tell anyone, it wasn’t his relationship nor his business to tell.

After an hour of cleaning up the shop, Hiromi closed it for the night. He shut all the lights off and left the shop, locking the door behind him.

As he was walking to his car, his phone went off. He opened it to find a message from Kojiro. It had a picture attached to it, as well.

‘He loved the bouquet, thank you so much again.’ It read and the picture showed a teary-eyed Kaoru holding the bouquet in his hands.

Hiromi texted a quick ‘You’re welcome!’ back to him before starting his car. He had a smile on his face the whole drive home, feeling happy that he was able to help his friend out.

If he put a discount on any bouquets Kaoru or Kojiro bought in the future, it was no one’s business but his own.

Chapter Text

Miya was walking home from the skate park. He knew his parents would be at work so he had spent his entire afternoon skating.

He had gotten tired eventually and knew that he had to head back home at that point. He was staring down at his phone as he walked home, not aware of his surroundings.

As he was about to cross the street, he bumped into a random couple who had stopped in front of him.

“Wha- Hey! Watch where you’re stopping!” Miya said loudly, briefly looking up from his phone.

Once his eyes fell on the couple in front of him, his jaw dropped. In front of him were Joe and Cherry, holding hands and standing close to each other, like how a couple would.

“Joe? Cherry?” He said, letting the surprise take over his tone.

“Wha- Oh, hey kid.” Joe said as the two adult males turned around to face him.

“What are you guys doing?” Miya asked, letting his eyes slide down to their conjoined hands.

“Kojiro and I are on our way to the calligraphy festival at the park. Where were you headed, Miya?” Cherry spoke, smiling slightly at the black-haired male.

“Home.” Was all that he responded with, still staring at their hands.

He heard Cherry hum slightly before he finally looked up at the two adult’s faces. He stood there for a minute before grabbing onto Joe’s shirt.

“Can..Could I join you guys?” Miya asked, suddenly feeling a bit shy and worried that they wouldn’t let him join them.

“Of course! As long as your parents are okay with that.” Joe said, smiling at him as he ruffled his hair.

“You can, Miya. It’s not like we’re going to something where it wouldn't be right for you to come.” Cherry added on, looking up at the color of the stoplight.

“Thanks.” He said, letting go of Joe’s shirt as he started to play on his phone again.

Before Miya realized it, they were already at the park. He looked up from his phone and saw all of the different booths lined up down the pathway.

“That’s..A lot of calligraphy.” He said, his eyes widening slightly.

He heard Cherry laugh at that before he was directed to the first booth.

“It’s all different styles too, Miya. You’ll find something you like, trust me.” Cherry said as he started to look at whatever the person running the booth had laid out.

“Has Joe found a style of calligraphy he liked? Because if not, then I doubt I will.” Miya said, looking at the person’s calligraphy too.

“I have, kid. Kaoru’s style.” Joe said with a smile, picking up a print to look at it.

He blinked a couple times at what Joe said. ‘Had I misheard him?’ He thought, having a look of confusion clear on his face.

“You know, he was the person to design the tattoo on my shoulder.” Joe added, handing a different print to Cherry.

“He designed it? You designed it, Cherry?” He looked between the two, having his face go from confusion to disbelief.

All he got as an answer from Cherry was a nod, not even a ‘Yes’. He figured that it would probably be pointless to ask Cherry anything, seeing as he’s in the middle of looking at calligraphy. Something he loved more than his AI, Carla.

“Don’t mind him, Miya. He does this everytime we come here. By the time we go through half the tables, he’ll finally talk to us again.” Joe started with a laugh. “But yes, I had him design it once he got really into calligraphy. Though my tattoo was designed with his own hands, not an AI.” He finished as he was putting a print in front of Cherry.

“Oh. Well that’s cool. Cherry’s really good at calligraphy.” He responded, looking around at different booths before seeing one that interested him.

They spent another 20 minutes walking around and looking at different booths.

Miya was getting bored before he noticed that there was a booth that was doing calligraphy for people. He wanted to see what it was about and maybe get his name or something written.

Without even telling the other two males, he had dragged Cherry and Joe with him to the table.

“He- Miya! What are you doing!” Cherry excalmated, looking at the said boy.

“Look, this person is doing calligraphy for people. It seemed cool. I thought we could look at it, Cherry.” He explained before letting go of the adults once they reached the booth.

“Okay, kid. Just ask us to take you over next time, don’t drag us.” Joe said, chuckling slightly as he looked at the booth.

Miya shrugged and looked at the person who had a canvas in front of them, calligraphy brush in hand.

“Hello. How much for a piece?” He asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly.

“6000¥ for 1, 10,000¥ for 2.” The person answered, smiling at the three of them.

He nodded before looking up at Cherry and Joe, already putting on a slight puppy dog face.

“Can I get one? Please?” He asked nicely, smiling brightly and hoping that they’ll get him a piece.

“..Fine. You can get one piece, Miya. Whatever word or phrase you want.” Cherry said with a slight sigh.

He smiled even brighter before turning to the calligrapher, telling them what he wanted. He decided to just get his name, not wanting to overcomplicate it.

After about 5-10 minutes, the person showed the three of them the piece. Miya was really happy with it, now realizing that this person’s style was the one that he liked.

“Thank you. Here’s 6000¥.” Cherry handed the calligrapher the bills before pulling out another 10,000¥. “Could you do two more for me?” The pink-haired man asked kindly.

Miya held the piece of calligraphy in his hands, smiling at it before hearing what Cherry had said. He just looked up and listened to what he was saying.

“Of course, what would you like done?” The person asked, smiling at Cherry.

“I want one that says Mr. and Mr. Sakurayashiki and the other one to say Mr. and Mr. Nanjo, please.” Cherry answered, handing the money over to the artist.

Miya watched as the person nodded, took the bills and got right back to work.

“Kaoru, why did you have to get one of each? It’s fine if you just got Sakurayashiki.” Joe said, shaking his head slightly.

“Shush, Kojiro.” Cherry said in a slightly rude tone, scoffing.

After a few seconds, Miya had realized that Cherry had got a piece that had his last name on it and another with Joe’s on it. Along with Mr. and Mr. His eyes widened and quickly snapped his head towards the two.

“Wait- Cherry, why did you get those pieces?” He asked, completely and utterly confused.

“It’s a late anniversary gift for us, Miya. Do you like your piece?” Said male answered, looking at him.

“Uh- Yeah, it’s really pretty.” He answered before processing the first thing that Cherry said. “Wait- Late anniversary gift? For who? You and Joe?” He blinked a lot, looking between the two of them.

“Good, this calligrapher’s pieces are very pretty and It’s a gift for our 7th wedding anniversary.” Cherry answered, smiling at the black-haired boy.

All Miya could do was nod, completely stunned at what Cherry had just said.

“It is an anniversary gift that Kaoru didn’t need to buy, kid.” Joe added onto what Cherry said, sighing.

Miya didn’t say anything, just listened to Cherry and Joe arguing over the calligraphy pieces.

After 20 minutes of Cherry and Joe arguing, the calligrapher had finished both of the pieces for Cherry.

“Here, sir.” The person said, smiling as they handed over the pieces.

Miya watched as Cherry grabbed both pieces of calligraphy before showing them to him and Joe. He looked at both of the pieces before looking at Cherry and Joe’s reactions.

“Wow..They look amazing, thank you so much.” Joe said with a bright smile, amazement obvious in his voice.

“Yeah, thank you.” Cherry said as well, smiling brightly before starting to walk to the next booth, Joe following him.

Miya couldn’t understand how he didn’t notice that Joe and Cherry were together. They were so obvious now that he knew, it was shocking that he didn’t know before then. He quickly followed to two, finding himself smiling as well.

Chapter Text

Reki was on his way to Sia, skating down the street. He wanted to pick up dinner for Langa and he only had about 20 minutes to get the food.

He sped up a bit as he got closer to the restaurant, praying that Joe was still open.

After 5 more minutes of skating, he had reached Sia. Quickly stopping his skateboard, Reki opened the doors to the restaurant while slightly panting.

“Joe? Are you still open?” He called out, looking around for the said adult.

“Yeah?” A voice called out from the kitchen.

He let out a breath and jogged over to the kitchen area, opening the door.

“Hey Joe!” Reki said with a smile, noticing that Joe was already cooking.

“What do you need, kid?” Joe asked, turning slightly so he could look at him.

Letting himself catch his breath, Reki leaned against the kitchen doors, thinking of what he could ask Joe to make for Langa.

“Could you whip up some mac n cheese for me? I’m supposed to bring dinner to Langa’s but I didn’t make anything.” He quickly explained, hoping that Joe would make the food for him.

“Of course. Just let me finish up Kaoru’s dinner and then I’ll start on your mac n cheese, okay?” Joe said, turning back around to finish cooking.

“Oka- Wait, Cherry’s here?” He asked, quickly exiting the kitchen to find where Cherry was.

He was so roped up in looking for Joe that he hadn’t noticed that Cherry was there.

‘Well duh, he’s always here after closing.’ He thought while walking over to the bar.

“Cherry!” Reki said, smiling brightly at the pink-haired man.

“Hello, Reki.” Cherry said as he turned to face him, wine glass in his hand. “What are you doing here this late?” He asked, confusion obvious on his face.

“Oh! I needed Joe to cook some dinner for me.” He answered, sitting in the spot next to Cherry.

“Ah, okay. Is it for you or someone else?” The adult questioned, taking a sip from his glass.

“It’s for Langa, I’m heading to his place after this. His mom’s working tonight and he invited me over. I just forgot to have my mom make some food for me to bring.” He explained, tapping his fingers on the counter.

After a few minutes of waiting for Joe to finish Cherry’s food, he realized it would be a while. Reki found himself pulling his phone out to send a text to Langa, telling him he’ll be late.

‘It’s fine, Reki. Be safe <3’ was Langa’s reply.

He let out a sigh, thankful that Langa wasn’t upset.

Right after Langa’s text came through, Joe was walking over to them, holding a plate in his hand.

“Here, Kaoru, I made spaghetti bolognese for you tonight. Also, Reki, the pasta’s boiling right now so it’ll probably be another ten to fifteen minutes for your mac n cheese.” Joe rambled off to the two males, smiling at them as he set the plate of food in front of Cherry.

“Thanks, Koji.” Cherry said before quickly starting to eat, pushing his now empty glass towards Joe.

“Okay! That’s fine, Joe! Thank you so much.” Reki said, smiling back at him.

“No problem, kid.” The green-haired man said, ruffling Reki’s hair slightly before pouring Cherry more wine. “One more glass, Kaoru, then you’re done for the night.” He said sternly, handing the man his glass back.

Reki watched as Cherry just nodded, continuing to eat while Joe watched him with a fond look. He blinked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he saw that right. After making sure his eyesight was fine, he realized that Joe was smiling and watching Cherry with a look of love in his eyes.

He was shocked to say the least, letting his mouth fall open a bit before he shut it. He didn’t say a word, just watched the pair in front of him.

“Kaoru, the sauce is all over your face.” Joe said with a light-hearted chuckle, grabbing a napkin and cleaning the sauce off of Cherry.

“Hmm..Thank you, Koji.” Cherry mumbled, sounding slightly drunk as he just shoved more pasta in his mouth.

“Anything for you, love.” Joe responded, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

Letting the two know of his presence, Reki let out a cough, grabbing Joe’s attention.

“Wh- Yes, kid?” Joe said hastily, a blush appearing on his face.

“Not that you and Cherry aren’t cute but could you check on the pasta, Joe? I don’t want to be extra late.” Reki said, smiling at the man, hoping he didn’t embarrass him too much,

“Oh shit! I completely forgot, the pasta should be done by now.” Joe exclaimed, running back back to the kitchen.

Reki started to laugh loudly, holding his stomach. It was hilarious how easily Joe forgot about everything else when Cherry was involved.

He had no idea if Joe and Cherry were dating or not but he was definitely asking him about it.

“Where did Koji go?” Cherry suddenly said, snapping Reki out of his fit of laughter.

“He’s in the kitchen, Cherry. He should be back soon.” He explained, praying that Cherry would not be the type to cry when drunk.

“Oh..Okay.” Cherry mumbled, laying his head down on the counter.

After 10 minutes of Reki mindlessly scrolling on his phone and Cherry saying that he missed Joe, Joe came back over to the bar, holding a to-go bag.

“Here’s your mac n cheese, Reki. I also gave you the leftover spaghetti bolognese that Kaoru didn’t eat. I hope you guys like the food.” Joe said, smiling at him as he handed over the bag.

“Thank you so much! I’m sure we'll love it.” Reki said, smiling brightly back.

“Kojiii..” Cherry softly whined, reminding the two of his presence.

“Hi baby.” Joe gently spoke, stroking Cherry’s hair.

Reki just stood there, smiling at the scene in front of him before looking up at Joe.

“You guys are cute. How long have you been together?” He asked, startling Joe.

“Oh- since we were like your age, Reki. We’ve been together eleven years, married seven years.” Joe explained, his cheeks turning a soft red color as he smiled at Cherry.

“Wow..You guys look perfect together. Anyway, I should get going! Bye, Joe!” Reki said, quickly leaving the restaurant before getting on his skateboard.

As he skated home, he sent Langa a text, telling him he was on his way.

‘On my way with food, see you soon <3’ was his original text.

‘Okay, be safe, love you <3’ was all Langa texted back to him.

If he spent the rest of his skate to Langa’s house smiling, it was his own business.

Chapter Text

It was an intense night at S for Langa.

He had entered a dumb bet with Reki and Miya, leading to where he currently was, warming up for a skate against Cherry.

He doesn’t understand how he agreed to a bet with Reki and Miya, knowing that it would be a mistake.

“Dad, please save me..” Langa mumbled in English as he was stretching.

His anxiety was extremely high right now and he didn’t know if it would get better at any point.

After a few minutes of just staring at his legs, he looked up from stretching to see Reki standing in front of him, smiling brightly. God that boy was going to be the death of Langa.

“Yes, Reki?” He asked, standing up and moving next to him.

“I just wanted to see if you were getting ready for your beef with Cherry!” Reki said in a cheerful voice, grabbing his hand to play with it as if he noticed Langa’s anxiety.

“Oh. I just finished stretching. Though I doubt it’ll help me much, Cherry has Carla to help him. I really am excited for this beef but I’m also nervous because there’s probably not a high chance I’ll win.” Langa had started to ramble, not realizing as he let his anxiety get to him.

He started to zone out and let himself be consumed by the worries running through his head.

All of a sudden, he felt a hand squeeze his own and looked to see who was holding his hand. Looking down, he saw painted nails. That was when he realized Reki was still standing there, trying to speak to him.

“Hey, Langa? Are you still there?” Reki’s voice finally filtered in and it was heavily laced with worry.

“Oh- I’m still here..Did I zone out?” Langa asked, holding the red-headed boy’s hand tightly.

“Yeah, but it’s fine. Are you still up for doing the beef? It’s okay if you aren’t, Cherry will understand.” The other male questioned, locking his eyes with Langa’s.

All he could do was nod, focusing on the feeling of Reki’s palm against his own. It was comforting and grounding for him.

Even as Reki gave him a suspicious look, Langa wanted to do the beef. He had been excited for it all week and everyone was talking about it.

“Okay..Just, enjoy the beef, Langa. Even if you lose, you got to skate against Cherry for fun! That’s amazing!” Reki tried to lift his mood and it was working.

Langa felt his anxiety start to slowly lessen and in that moment, he was so thankful for Reki.

“Thank you, Reki..” He said softly, gently squeezing their hands.

“No problem, Langa.” The shorter man replied, smiling softly at him.

He went to say something else but heard the telltale voice of Joe and Cherry’s fangirls and boys, meaning they had arrived.

Letting out a sigh, Langa grabbed his skateboard and went over to where Joe and Cherry most likely were.

“Hi.” He said, walking up to Joe and Cherry.

“Hey, Langa!” Joe exclaimed, smiling at him.

“Hello, Langa. Have you been preparing for our beef?” Cherry asked with a tiny bit of excitement in his voice.

He nodded, looking around at everyone who was at S. Seeing how many people had showed up, Langa felt his anxiety start to slowly crawl back.

He started to pick at his fingers and slightly curl in on himself. He hadn’t experienced anxiety this bad since when he and his mom first moved here. That was months ago.

Suddenly, someone was taking his hands into their own and before he had enough time to freak out, he felt the familiar warmth of Reki’s hands.

“Langa? Your race is going to be starting soon.” Reki spoke very slowly and calmly, which helped Langa understand his words better.

He nodded slightly and squeezed Reki’s hands, hoping it would ground him more. It didn’t matter how bad his anxiety was, Reki always grounded him and brought him back to the present.

“Do you want something to eat or drink?” Reki’s voice broke his train of thought, suddenly having his face right in front of Langa’s.

“Can..Can you get me some water..?” He asked, distracting himself by looking at the freckles on Reki’s face, counting them.

“Of course, just sit down on your board, okay?” The red-head told him, helping Langa sit on his skateboard before leaving.

Langa rolled himself back and forth, waiting for Reki to come back before he saw two pairs of shoes in front of him.

“Langa, the beef is starting in five minutes.” Joe’s loud voice said, startling Langa slightly.

“Oh- Already?” He asked, looking up at the two adults in front of him.

“Yes. Though we can push it back a few minutes if you need more time.” Cherry explained, giving Langa a once-over with a slight nod.

“Can we push it back 5 minutes? I..I’m waiting for Reki. He’s getting me water.” Langa slightly mumbled, starting to roll back and forth on his skateboard.

“Of course.” Joe said, smiling softly at him.

He nodded before looking around for Reki. He kept fiddling back and forth on his skateboard, anxiety still bubbling in him.

After a minute or so, he heard Reki’s voice and he sounded nearby.

“Langa!” Reki said, running over to him while huffing.

“Did..Did you run back, Reki?” Langa asked, confused as to why he was out of breath.

“Yeah! Anyway, here’s your water!” Reki quickly responded, shoving the water into his hands.

“Oh- Thanks..” He mumbled, gripping onto the water bottle tightly.

Opening it, he took small sips, letting himself calm down slowly. He kept flashing his eyes over to Joe and Cherry, waiting for them to tell him it was time to start the beef.

After 5 minutes and half of the water bottle, Langa heard Joe’s voice in front of him.

“The beef is going to start. Cherry’s already getting ready, he’s just waiting on you.” Joe explained, smiling softly at the bluenette.

He nodded, placing his water bottle down as he stood up. He took a deep breath before grabbing his skateboard and going over to the starting line.

“I wish you the best of luck, Snow. I won’t go easy on you.” Cherry said before getting into position on his skateboard.

“Thanks, you took, Cherry.” Langa softly said back before getting on his skateboard, waiting for the telltale start sound.

As soon as the buzzer went off, Langa sped down the road, getting into his skating headspace.

He let himself get lost in the adrenaline rush of the beef and zone out everything else.

He heard the sound of Cherry talking to his AI, Carla, getting louder as they rounded a corner. He let out a quick ‘fuck’ before speeding up, hoping that he could get further ahead of Cherry before they made the turn.

“Sorry, Cherry!” Langa said, smiling slightly as he rounded the corner, speeding up and praying it was enough to get Cherry off his trail a bit.

After a couple more minutes of Cherry and Langa going back and forth on taking the lead, they had gotten to the warehouse with Cherry holding the lead, Langa right behind him.

Langa quickly looked at the layout of the track before moving his board onto the rails, hoping it’ll give him enough speed to bypass Cherry.

“Carla, longboard!” Cherry said quickly, choosing to go on the regular track part.

Langa cursed to himself before quickly switching to the flat track, finish line in sight.

He heard Cherry’s wheels right behind him and sighed quietly, speeding up as much as he could.

Just as the two reached the finish line, Langa inched out in front of Cherry, pushing his board over the line first.

He saw Reki standing with Joe, Miya and Shadow and quickly flew himself off of his board, stumbling towards Reki.

“Reki! Did I win?” Langa asked quickly, clinging onto Reki with a wide smile on his face.

“Uh- I-I don’t know! It was really close.” Reki replied, smiling just as wide as he pulled Langa in for a hug.

“Yes, you did. Good job, Snow.” Cherry said as he walked over to the group, standing next to Joe.

The adrenaline quickly wore off as he heard what Cherry said. Langa, filled with excitement, looked at Reki’s face and saw a wide smile on it. Without thinking, he pulled the red-head into a kiss, smiling brightly.

After a second, he felt Reki reciprocated the kiss and pulled him closer, forgetting about where they were and who was around them.

Before the kiss could be made any deeper, Miya’s scream of shock broke it.

“OH MY GOD!” Miya exclaimed, jaw dropping open and eyes widening as he stared at the pair.

“Oh my god is right..” Shadow mumbled, agreeing with Miya as he had a look of shock plastered on his own face.

Langa quickly pulled away from Reki, his usually pale face turning a dark shade of red.

“Uh- Uhm..” He tried to figure something out to say but his mouth just opened and closed, letting no words out.

“Langa..” Reki mumbled, gripping the back of said male’s shirt.

He turned to face Reki, seeing a look of embarrassment on his rapidly reddening face.

“Oh- Well then.” Was all Cherry said, blinking at the two teens.

“Congrats, kids!” Joe said, smiling at the couple and acting the most normal out of the four.

Langa counted the number of seconds before the large number of questions started. He got to 47.

“When did this happen?!” Came from Shadow.

“How long have you been together?” Was said in Joe’s voice.

“Treat each other right.” Cherry had calmly said.

“Why didn’t you slimes tell me?!” Miya said loudly.

Taking a deep breath, Langa proceeded to answer all the questions, grabbing and holding Reki’s hand.

“It happened about two months ago. We will, Cherry and we’re sorry we didn’t tell you Miya. We weren’t ready to tell anyone yet.” He quickly said, responding to everyone’s comments.

He squeezed Reki’s hand, smiling at him as Shadow and Miya started to tease the male.

This wasn’t how Langa thought they’d tell everyone, certainly not after how anxiety-ridden he had been less than an hour ago, but he wasn’t upset.

He laughed as Shadow and Miya went from teasing Reki to giving him a shovel talk, shaking his head at how protective their friends were. He pretended that he didn’t hear Cherry tell Joe that they ‘needed to give the two a shovel talk each’. He just enjoyed the moment he had with his friends, his family.

This wasn’t how he wanted to tell the group. He wanted to sit everyone down and tell them properly, like how they told his mom and Reki’s family, but he wasn’t upset with the outcome. All he knew was that any other way they could have told everyone, wouldn't have been as amazing as this.