Chapter Text
Sitting on a bench further away from the school’s main area, Ororon holds Leyla’s notebook on his hands as he reads the boy’s notes and explains what they mean on a way that makes sense for him.
Leyla is a student from third year, who was having a hard time on biology classes. Ororon saw him crying miserably in a corner after a failed test, and decided to help him to grow into a cabbage Leyla would be proud of; well, or into a carrot, since Leyla didn’t seem to be that found of cabbages. He has been giving him private classes to him on school and on his own greenhouse since then.
“Master Ororon, how does a farmer know when the carrot is good enough to eat?”
“Well” Ororon taps his pen on his chin “It all comes with experience. Each vegetable has its own way to tell you they’re ripe. But I’d say that looking at their color is a good tell for beginners. You can also gently tug on it when you think they’re ready. If it doesn’t break free though, give it two or three days.”
“Master’s knowledge knows no bounds!” Leyla claps, and Ororon smiles proudly, basking in the praise.
“Why do you ask, though? Are you starting your own garden?”
“N-No, it’s not that. I don’t have master’s abilities or affinities with nature…”
Hmmm, Ororon thinks, tilting his head as he searches for any opening on Leyla’s face to understand what’s going on with him. Leyla instantly looks away when he realizes Ororon is looking at him, which means that whatever Leyla is thinking about, it probably has to do with Ororon himself. Interesting.
“What’s wrong? We’re friends, you can tell me if something’s bothering you.”
Leyla looks back at him so quickly Ororon knows his neck is going to hurt in a few minutes, and he winces as if he’s the one who’s going to feel it “No, no, I’m way bellow you to be your friend! You’re my master, your granny is master’s granny, and your friend is master’s friend. That’s how things work!”
That last part piques Ororon’s interest.
“Do you address Ifa as “master’s friend” when you’re in class?” he asks.
“Why, of course!” Leyla nods, and Ororon smiles to himself. He wishes he could see the face Ifa makes when Leyla calls him that. Knowing how proud Ifa can get, he probably gets flustered and embarrassed, maybe a tad angry.
“Well, you can still talk about it, if you want to.”
“Master, it’s not that simple, but… A carrot that is on the verge of dying is going to be grateful of the rain, right?”
“Not really” Ororon taps his pen on his chin again “It could be dying because of other factors. It could be the soil, for example. But if the cause really is lack of hydration, then yes.”
“Master, you’re so smart…” Leyla says, face flushing “I m-mean, yes, that’s the reason, yes. I-I…” his voice trembles, and he frows at himself “I don’t know how to keep going with metaphors about this… I’m too nervous already.”
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, I didn’t want to pressure you.”
“No, I want to. I really want to. M-Master, you do know about my graduation party by December, right?”
Oh no, Ororon thinks he knows where this is going. He nods.
“So, I wanted to ask you… Master Ororon, I know it’s not my place to ask this, but do you want to go my graduation party with me?”
Oooohhh no…
Ororon has been expecting to hear these words for a while, now. Eight days to be exact, if he was counting — which he is not, of course. He had it all planned on his head: Ifa was going to ask him to go with him, because he’s both an overthinker and a gentleman, so he would want to ask even if it was obvious Ororon would want to be there for him.
Then, he would answer “Duh, I thought it was obvious I’m going with you, you didn’t have to ask. I’m your best friend”, and they would laugh about it. Or he would laugh about Ifa’s reaction to his answer. Such many good outcomes…
Ifa could huff in annoyance; staring at him with a deadpan expression. He could get caught out of guard; eyes widening and both eyebrows raising, body moving forward slightly. Or he could laugh at Ororon’s straightforwardness, placing a hand on his hip and the other on his hat, voice caring that fondness that only Ifa’s warmth could manage to.
But this… Leyla asking him to go with him? Why would he do that? Is he grateful that Ororon helped him not to fail in biology and to graduate, and now wants to repay him in some way? He doesn’t have to do that. Ororon may be the one who waters, talks and takes care of his vegetables, but they are the ones responsible for their own growth.
“Uh…” he manages to let out, because Leyla is looking at him, waiting for an answer “I, huh… I can’t. Ifa already asked me to go with him.”
Hypothetically, but Leyla doesn’t have to know about the details.
“Oh. Y-Yes, I figured you would be there already because of him and master’s cousin, but still… You could go with me?”
“But… I’m going with him already?” Ororon frows, blinking his eyes slowly as he tries to recall if he hadn’t made that obvious.
“Yes, but, you can be there with him and go with me.”
“… I think I’d understand it better with the vegetable metaphors.”
“The carrot” Leyla stutters, moving a bit closer “And the water. They work very well together, r-right? Because the water feeds the carrot and makes it grow—”
“Helps” Ororon corrects him, raising his index finger.
“I’m sorry master! Yes, of course! The water helps the carrot grow, and when the carrot is a vegetable good enough it’s able to feel proud of himself, I mean, itself, the carrot, erm, you know? Do you get it?”
Not really, Ororon pouts inside his head. He’s feeling as if Leyla beat him on his own thing. Is he that good at teaching?
“But even after the carrot grows and goes away to be sold or eaten somewhere else, it wants to stay close to the water, because of everything the water has done for it…” Leyla keeps going. The more he talks, closer to Ororon he gets. Ororon tries to move back, but he’s at the benches’ edge already.
Oh, I get it now. But didn’t he say he’s going with Ifa already? Should he be the one explaining himself? If he’s not going with Ifa to this party, he doesn’t want to go. He’s not a fan of crowed places with loud music. He only wants to go to celebrate Ifa’s graduation and Ifa’s efforts on his studies.
“So, what I’m trying to say is, please master Ororon, go to the party with me?” Leyla asks again, and Ororon doesn’t even know what to say anymore.
“I… I’m sorry, but I can’t. When Ifa invited me to your graduation party, heeeee… Also asked me to be his boyfriend as well, and I said yes. So, I think he wouldn’t like me with another guy, you know? I’m really sorry...”
Okay, well. That was something.
While Ororon doesn’t like to take his lies that far, he does manage to wriggle himself out of this one, and that’s what matters. Leyla’s shoulders shrug in defeat, and he slides back to where he was seated before, the distance between them finally leaving room for Ororon to breath as he observes with close attention the way Leyla reacts.
It’s understandable; Ifa is extremely popular and well liked, and he also broke a guy’s nose after slamming him into a wall once in front of the whole school once, so.
“Oh, I see” Leyla awkwardly laughs as he gulps, looking around as if Ifa could show up anytime and break his nose “Y-Yes, he wouldn’t” he laughs again, cringing at his own attempt to look less dejected.
“I’m really sorry—”
“I-It’s all good!” Leyla interrupts him as he stands up, moving to pack his things inside his bag “Please, don’t tell him about what just happened here!”
The bell rings before Ororon can say something, and Leyla takes it as a cue to run off to somewhere else, probably his classroom. Ororon sighs, relieved, leaning against the wall behind him to ground himself on what just happened – Leyla wanted to go to his graduation party with him, and now Leyla thinks him and Ifa are together. As a couple. As two people that are dating each other.
Just before he puts his phone inside his pant’s pocked and heads to wherever Ifa is, he gets a text from his granny.
granny
Boy quiet
ororon
?
granny
I can sense you’re doing something stupid.
ororon
im sorry
granny
Behave
Do you want tatacos for dinner?
ororon
yes please :]]
“How does she always know…?”
Well, Ororon shrugs. It isn’t that bad. All he has to do is talk with Ifa and explain what just happened. He knows that no matter how much Ifa complains, he’s not going to get truly mad with him, because Ifa is just kind like that. And it’s not like he has any choice, anyway. Ororon’s definitely not letting him get sassy with him about the situation.
Ororon’s hands unconsciously move to his face, and he hides a blooming smile against his palm, as his mind drifts to all the times he got the last word whenever he and Ifa bickered about something.
He knows that someone like Ifa, so kind, popular and smart, someone who’s into and science and medicine would never date someone like Ororon. But, just thinking about it makes him feel all fuzzy and warm, like a flower that chases the sun; so, so warm. Would Ifa’s hands be as warm as how Ororon feels inside when he thinks about him? Would Ifa’s voice feel smoother and riper, if he were to call Ororon something other than “bro”? Would he get shy to call Ororon his boyfriend instead of best friend? Would Ifa cradle his face and tell him it’s okay if Ifa is his first kiss? Would he—
Biting his own lips to stop daydreaming, Ororon shakes his head and comes back to reality, whining in pain as he tastes the metallic flavor of his own blood. It’s fine, though. Weeding is annoying, but it’s always necessary to keep the garden protected, just like how he knows he can’t daydream like that if he wants to protect his heart and his friendship.
Moreover, Ifa and Ororon could never be together, even if Ororon wasn’t so himself. He’s one hundred percent sure of that, just like he’s one hundred percent sure aphids produce honey.
Because Ifa is straight.
>O<
It has been a normal week for Ifa — busy, albeit normal. Classes, homework, chatting with Ororon, a few hours of sleep lost due his studies; nothing too out of the ordinary. Just that kind of week that passes without leaving much behind.
Could’ve been better without his weekly P.E. class, though, that's for sure. Ifa’s not an athletic person, and he’s tired of playing handball and soccer over and over again. It's nice to watch his classmates, especially his friends, having fun, but even watching Kinich and Mualani playing on different teams gets repetitive after so many years.
When Ifa’s eyes pass through the stairs near the gym’s entrance, however, he catches sight of navy-blue hair and matching headphones in the form of bat ears. He looks again — intentionally this time — just to make sure, and there he is: Ororon, sitting at a lower step and looking straight to him. He gives Ifa an energetic wave with one of his hands and places his index over his lips with the other when he catches Ifa looking his way, and Ifa’s mood gets instantly more lively.
It distracts Ifa to the point that the other team scores a goal while he just stands there, looking like an idiot, because he can’t tell anyone Ororon is there; he doesn’t want to get him in trouble.
“Hey, don’t space out!” Iansan complains, and Ifa blinks a few times to fully come back to reality.
“My bad, won’t happen again!”
As soon as the game ends and the class is dismissed to go back to their classroom, Ifa walks straight to the stairs, where Ororon’s still waiting for him. He wait for him to get up to hang his arm around his shoulders, taking the lead to walk them towards his classroom together.
“What up my dude, what are you doing here? I thought you said you were going to stop skipping classes.”
“Nope, I said I wasn’t going to skip math classes anymore. This time I’m skipping physics. You should know the difference between them already, Ifa. You’re almost graduating.”
“Ha. Ha” Ifa rolls his eyes affectionately “So funny. And you decided to use your free time to come and see me? I’m flattered, bro.”
“Yeeeeeaaaah… Heh, about that…”
From the corner of his eye, Ifa can see Ororon making that one gesture he always does when he’s plotting something: he tucks his hair against his ear. It’s cute, sure, but Ifa knows him well enough to know that his cuteness can be dangerous sometimes. He stops walking and squints his eyes as he moves closer, looking up and down at his best friend.
“You’re hesitating. I don’t like it when you hesitate. What did you do?”
“Nothing!” Ororon pouts and crosses his arms over his chest, but huffs in defeat when Ifa gives his “I’m not buying it” look “Okay, okay, since you want to know it so badly. You do know Leyla, right?”
Ugh. Of course, Ifa knows Leyla. And he can’t stand him. The guy talks about Ororon like he’s this divine being that came down to earth to bless his existence. They’re not even friends? If there was someone that had the right to talk like that about Ororon, it should be Ifa, since he’s Ororon’s best friend. And maybe Ajaw, but Ifa doesn’t like that guy either. Ororon is the only one person in the world that has the patience to deal with him.
And on top of that, not only Leyla is weird, but he also pushes it too much, to the point it gets weird and icky. Every time Leyla sees Ifa and Ororon hanging out together on school, he always gets in between them to talk about how amazing master Ororon is. He even calls Ifa “master’s friend”!
They’re not friends!!!! They’re best friends!!!!
Ifa fights the urge to roll his eyes “’Course I do, we’re on the same class and all. Why? Did he do something to you?”
“No, relax” Ororon shakes his head, and something about how unbothered by Leyla’s whole existence he sounds makes Ifa anything but relaxed “He just asked me to go to your graduation party with him.”
“…Oh.”
The jealousy that poisons Ifa’s brain is instant, and it feels so bitter he swears he can taste it. Ifa was supposed to take Ororon with him, because they are best friends! Best bros, even! He just hadn’t thought that he needed to actually ask him, or else someone else would. Yes, at this point it’s obvious to anyone but Ororon himself that Leyla has a crush on him, but how could that bum invite his best friend to go with him!?
“And” Ifa doesn’t like how unusually petty his own voice sounds, but he can’t help it “What did you tell him?”
“I told him no” Ororon answers, plain and simple, and it’s a whiplash how fast the ugly feelings go away, making place to the numb, very much welcomed feeling of relief “But here’s the thing.”
Ifa hums, instantly feeling so happy that he feels confident he’s going to be able to keep up with whatever craziness Ororon is about to throw at him.
“What?”
“I told him we were going together.”
Ifa raises his chin and grins “That’s great, bro. I wanted to go with you anyway, but I thought I didn’t have to say anything since we’re bros.”
“Great, that’s what I had in mind too, bro” Ororon nods, giving Ifa a thumbs up “By the way, I also told him we are dating.”
“Oka— Wait, what?”
Ifa brains stops working. Ororon keeps going as if he just said his radishes are growing well.
“So, if he asks you about it, I need you to confirm it for me.”
Ifa knows he’s gaping, but he just can’t control it. Ororon has a very peculiar way of thinking, sure, and he doesn’t try figuring him out anymore because he knows he can’t by now, but telling Leyla they’re dating? What? Even though he’s used to the way Ororon usually doesn’t make much sense, this is one of those times he wishes he could get inside his head, to see what goes on in there. Him and Ifa, dating? Just thinking about it makes Ifa feel something weird inside him.
Not that it’s a bad feeling or anything. It’s just… Actually, Ifa doesn’t know how to explain it…
“The heck are you on about, bro?” Ifa puts both hands on his hips, but he knows he doesn’t sound angry. He couldn’t get truly angry at Ororon’s antics even if he wanted to “Why did you do that?”
Ororon shrugs “Because he was insisting, and the only reason I want to go in the first place is to celebrate you.”
“And your cousin.”
“Yes, and Mavuika, of course. Look, I’m sorry, okay? I couldn’t come up with anything better.”
“Bro, you do know that the party’s still months away, right? And that he’s going to see we aren’t dating until there?”
“… I know.”
“And that he’s going to know you lied.”
“I know, voice of the reason, thank you very much for your help.”
Ifa bites his nail as he thinks about the whole situation. He just said that Leyla is going to know Ororon lied, but knowing the guy, he’s not so sure about that. Even if he did start suspecting Ororon just said that so the guy could leave him alone, he doesn’t think Leyla would question him. He’s too much of a simp for that. But… If Ororon told him he was dating Ifa, that’s because he trusted him for that, right? What kind of bro would Ifa be if he left Ororon to deal with his mischiefs alone?
“Why don’t we just pretend to be dating until the party?”
“… What?” Ororon gaps at him, head moving up so abruptly to look at Ifa’s face that his headphone almost falls out of his head. This genuine surprised reaction Ifa gets from him is a first, and it makes Ifa feel oddly pleased with himself.
“I mean, why not?” he shrugs, the corners of his lips naturally forming a smirk when he sees Ororon’s face turning a pretty shade of pink “We can break up a couple days later, say we work better as friends.”
Ororon blinks to himself a few times, as if he’s slowly processing Ifa’s words.
“Wow. Ifa, I’m truly impressed. You finally managed to get me speechless.”
“Heh” Ifa nudges him with his elbow “There’s a first time for everything, ya’know.”
“That’s actually a good plan” Ororon taps his chin “But what do we tell our friends? You know Ajaw can’t keep his mouth shut.”
“Yeah, Mualani could blow our cover as well… She’s terrible at lying. I mean, we could tell them we’re dating as well. They don’t have to know it’s fake.”
“You want to lie? You? Ifa?”
“I guess spending too much time around you has its consequences, mr. I’m dating Ifa.”
Ifa crosses his arms, and Ororon mimics him.
“Wow, Ifa, you’ve changed. You suddenly become a liar and it’s my fault! You’re hurting your dear bro’s heart.”
Ifa raises his arms in surrender “My bad, my bad.”
“You are sounding too committed into it. Did a girl also ask you to go to the party with her and you said you were dating me as well?”
“What the heck? Do you even hear yourself, bro?” Ifa scoffs “Can’t I just want to help my best friend out?”
“Hm. I guess so. Let’s gather our friends together after school’s over and tell them, then.”
One hour later, Ifa takes his friends to the place where they usually sit together, and he asks them to wait for Ororon and his friends. Once he sees Ororon walking closer to their spot, though, he notices he’s alone.
Ifa swirls to face his best friend “Your friends are not comin’?”
“Ajaw and Kinich had a fight. Ajaw seemed very upset” Ororon whispers, leaning close against Ifa’s ear. He shivers as he feels his headphone’s ear touch his hair “Can we tell them tomorrow?”
“Sure” Ifa mutters back. He cleans his throat as he faces his friends again and gathers the courage to say something he won’t be able to take back for the next three months “Hey guys, this is Ororon. You know him, right?”
“Yes, he’s your best friend” Xilonen says “We’ve seen him already.”
“Hi Ororon!” Mualani waves, stretching her arm.
“Hi Mualani” Ororon waves back, but his hand stays close to his body “Hi Kinich.”
“Hi. Did Ajaw go home already?”
“Yeeep. Oh, hi to everyone else. I’m sorry I left you all out.”
“Okaaay” Ifa awkwardly brings the focus back to himself “I called you all here to tell you that I asked Ororon to be my boyfriend today. We’re dating.”
Ororon makes a thumbs up gesture, hiding his body behind Ifa’s when his friends start to congratulate the new couple, voices mingling together. Ifa frows worriedly as he looks back to check if Ororon is overwhelmed, and Ororon gives him a small, genuine smile as he touches Ifa’s arm and leans in.
Before Ifa can ask him what he’s doing, he kisses Ifa’s cheek once, twice, thrice, and Ifa’s sure he has never felt so shocked before, his pulse suddenly beating so fast under his skin that he’s sure Ororon can feel it. He feels like he lost control of his own muscles, and he can’t help it when his arms hold Ororon against his body, because that’s what boyfriends are supposed to do, and they are (fake) boyfriends now, aren’t they?
“Thank you for doing this for me” Ororon whispers on his ear, and Ifa doesn’t have enough brain to answer. He can still feel Ororon’s kisses on his skin, and how suffocating his choker feels against his neck. There are voices talking around them, but his mind is too busy trying to process how he is feeling to pay attention to who is who.
“Ewww. Gross.”
“Aw, Iansan, don’t say that! They’re so cute! Look how smitten Ifa looks!”
“Their PDA already looks worse than Chasca and Mualani’s…”
“I’m happy Ajaw’s not here to see that. He would be screaming on everyone’s ears by now.”
“Woah, hey! What’s happening here, guys?”
That voice, however, brings Ifa back to the real world, and he feels Ororon’s body getting rigid against his as well. They both pull away from each other the instant they hear Mavuika, and Ifa gulps hard as he thinks what he should say to her.
“Mavuika, Ifa asked me to be his boyfriend.”
Or Ororon could just say it instead, Ifa mentally facepalms. Yeah, he should’ve expected that.
“Oh.”
Mavuika raises one of her eyebrows and walks towards closer, stopping once she stands in between them. Ifa gulps even harder when he feels her hands touching his shoulder, the press of her hand hard and steady against his skin.
“Congratulations!” she hugs both, holding them on her arms and managing to swirl them a couple times before letting go. She ruffles Ifa’s hair and hugs Ororon again, squishing his cheeks “You’re growing up so fast, my primito! I remember when you were just a small, cute kid. Look at you now, you’re dating already!”
“I’m only one year younger than you…” Ororon grumbles, but Mavuika ignores him, which makes a huge pout appear on his face. He looks just like a grumpy cat, and Ifa can’t help but laugh about it.
“And Ifa!” Mavuika shakes him, making his shoulders, that were starting to relax, tense again “I’m so glad he’s on good hands! Keep taking good care of him, will you?”
“Y-yeah, you got it bro” Ifa lets out a nervous laugh. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Ororon smiling sheepishly at his direction.
Oh, man… What mess did Ifa get himself into?