Finished At Last

It had been a long, long day.

Gabe had been working non-stop today. People had been coming and going, asking questions and buying a variety of plants. His powers had been worked to the bone as well, so the idea of stepping in the apartment, taking a very nice, very hot shower, and flopping into bed sounded like the ultimate dream. It would have been nice to have had Diego working today as well, but he understood the importance of days off. His brother worked hard; he deserved a day to himself.

He did his best to stifle a yawn as he turned the key in the lock, Catalina standing behind and placing a hand on his shoulder. The touch was reassuring that despite the mess that was today, that he was still doing good. He worked hard and was doing his best. He pushed the door open with a small sigh, uttering a "We're home." as both Gabriel and Catalina stepped inside. Then he heard three distinct voices that left him wide-eyed and in utter shock.

"Ta-dah~"
"Oh, hello!"
"Gabe?"

He looked to his mom, who seemed slightly surprised at Yuki's arrival, but maintained her ever-pleasant smile and inviting personality to having an unexpected guest in the home. Next, to Diego, who was sitting there with the smuggest grin possible at this turn of events. Finally, to Yuki. Gabe approached slowly, eyes locked on as he made a slow but deliberate line to his boyfriend. Once he was within arm's reach, he pulled the white-haired teen into the tightest hug possible. His vision blurred as tears formed, eventually trailing down his cheeks. It had been only been two weeks since they had seen one another, but having Yuki here? Out of the facility and in the flesh? It was so much to process but he didn't care. Yuki was out. He was here and Gabe had no intention of ever letting go.

After holding the embrace for what was not nearly long enough, Gabe pulled back slightly to examine Yuki fully. Soft purple eyes that Gabe could never stop staring at, now with small bags underneath that belied tiredness from Yuki's time within the facility. The locks of white hair that reminded him of winter snow. Pale skin that was always slightly cool to the touch and yet felt so warm when they embraced. He couldn't help but notice how frail Yuki felt in the embrace; how his body seemed even skinnier than it ever had been before. Gabe tentatively placed a hand on the other boy's cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth on the soft skin. "I've missed you." Gabe whispered softly, a faint smile forming before leaning in and pressing a very faint peck to his boyfriend's lips. He felt pure bliss when their lips connected, not even remembering that both his mother and brother were in the room. Right now, it was just the two of them and anything beyond that was irrelevant.

"Welcome back."

Oh wow, this was...worse than Diego had expected. Like, the instant these two made eye contact Diego and mom disappeared, pretty much. How could Perch have ever compared Diego and Kal to these two? Kal and Diego were barely dating and these two were just...gross.
"Damn, I feel like I'm intruding in my own house..."
Diego muttered quietly to himself, not even daring to look at the two that were now hugging and kissing. Then Diego's eyes landed on mom, and he froze.
Had Perch already told mom he was dating Yuki?

"Uh, Perch..."
Diego said slowly, turning his head to glance at his brother. Yep, they were still at it. Fuck, Diego was already feeling the urge to open the closest window and fly the fuck out. Diego didn't want to suffer through this private scene.
"Perch, noodle boy, you still got company."

Gabe grinned, amused that Yuki had pulled closer and initiated a second kiss. The arm not holding Yuki's cheek slid around to his boyfriend's lower back to keep the white-haired teen close. He wanted to claim those lips once more, to relish in that moment of warmth and comfort. It was almost strange to Gabe how quickly the two fell into sync despite being apart. How easily the two had missed one another yet felt totally comfortable to pick up their relationship like they hadn't even been separated. He eventually leaned in, feeling Yuki's breath before Diego's voice rang in his ears.

...They did have company.

Cheeks burning, Gabe tilted his gaze slightly to look to Diego and his mother. Shit. Diego looked delightfully grossed out at the embrace which Gabe admittedly thought was hilarious. There wasn't really too much that grossed out his brother so seeing that awkwardness was like blood in the water to a shark. The real concern, however, was his mother. Catalina was a very accepting woman (as far as Gabe knew), but he still hadn't told her about their relationship. It wasn't as if he had planned on hiding it; it was more he wanted to introduce them properly at a nice dinner and make it a memorable moment. Coming out in a dramatic reunion and revealing that the nice boy you invited for a sleepover was actually your boyfriend was probably not a great look for Gabe at the moment.

"...Right. Umm, Diego, mom, this is Yuki. My boyfriend." He said the last part with confidence, although his expression was clearly nervous and still very flustered from the intimate moment that Diego and Catalina watched.

---

Catalina was surprised yet... unsurprised at this turn of events. She certainly wasn't expecting Yuki to be at their home nor did she expect to see Gabriel react in the way he did. But, the two seemed so happy together she couldn't be upset at her younger son. She was slightly hurt that Gabe hadn't told her but she really wanted to know more about the two. Her gaze flickered between the three boys and their various expressions. Gabriel's utter nervousness, Yuki's look of utter shock, and Diego's awkwardness at the public display of affection. She wanted to ask so many questions and to understand why it had been kept from her.

"...How long have you two been together, Gabriel?" She asked finally, her smile growing bigger. Catalina wanted answers but she had to reassure her son- no, both of her sons that anyone they brought home would be welcome here. She wouldn't deny her boys' happiness for anything in the world.

Diego wasn't really all that worried about their mother's reaction either, Catalina wasn't the kind of person who rejected anyone, much less her son, because of their sexuality. But despite that Diego mostly observed her, because he reeeeeally didn't want to look at the PDA in front of him. Literally right in front of him.

"Oh yeah, real nice to meet you."
Diego said after Perch introduced noodle boy even to him, and he snickered and winked. Yuki looked like he might die from embarrassment, it was honestly hilarious. But Perch might throttle Diego is he laughed at his boyfriend right now so he kept his mouth shut.
"I'm just glad the secret's finally out of the bag, now I can mess with Perch even when mom's around."
Diego said with a slightly evil grin.

Gabe stuck out his tongue at Diego before looking back to his mom. He was relieved to see his mom be surprisingly positive about the discovery; he was always a little scared to admit it to Catalina on the off-chance she wouldn't be receptive to it and cause a fight. "Yuki and I have been together for about... five months. February 16th." Gabe smiled, still keeping his arm wrapped around his boyfriend's back. It was a truly magical feeling, keeping Yuki as close as possible. He was honestly so happy yet ready to start bawling again. His emotions were all over the place, especially considering the scene that had unfolded. Gabe's focus returned to Yuki, however, and he made sure that his boyfriend was looking back at him before continuing on.

"And no, I hadn't told mom yet. I wanted to introduce you properly and make it a good moment. But with everything happening as it did and... yeah, I just... didn't bring it up. I'm not ashamed of you, Yuki, or of our relationship. I love you very much and I wanted the meeting with my mom to be something special." He couldn't help but grin, making sure to catch Diego's eye as he said it. Feathers wanted to tease him? Well, Gabe would flip that right back onto his smartass brother with disgustingly cute relationship talk.

Even if it was super embarrassing.

---

Catalina watched nearly silent, but moved quickly to give Diego a quick flick to the ear as a reprimand. It wasn't meant to hurt but would be enough of an attention grabber to remind the green-haired boy to be nice. "You two have been dating for quite a while, then..." Her smile waned somewhat, thinking back to how long she had been in the dark. It would have made some sense but she realized that Yuki had spent the night while they were together. That was... conflicting. She trusted her son, absolutely, but also having his boyfriend sleep over wasn't exactly a wholesome thought, either. It bothered her even more considering the times Gabe spent the night at Yuki's house instead. She was going to have to have a serious talk with the two boys, but she wouldn't do it front of Diego. That would be too invasive and Catalina would definitely have a talk with him as well.

"Well, I think this moment is definitely going to be a memorable one." She let out a small laugh, letting her hands fall to her hips. "And it does put some of your recent behavior in perspective, Gabriel. But, if you're happy, then I'm happy as well. Now, let's get cleaned up and have a nice family dinner together. You'll be staying for dinner, right, Yuki?" Her eyes locked tight on the two boys while her hand planted firmly down on Diego's shoulder.

Gabe watched with amusement as Diego and Catalina bickered briefly before the green-haired flier wiggled his way out of the dinner by mentioning 'previous plans' of some sort. His mom sighed in defeat before motioning for the two boys to wash up for dinner. Looks like it was a meet the parent kind of dinner, after all. Gabe led Yuki to the bathroom to let his boyfriend wash up first before following behind and doing the same.

"It's going to be fine, Yuki. You know my mom loves you like crazy, right? She's not going to say our relationship isn't allowed or anything bad, promise. And even if she did, you know that I would fight tooth and nail for us. For you."

He smiled, gently holding a hand out for Yuki to take. Whether his boyfriend did or not, he'd walk back to the dining room table and took a seat. His eyes bounced between Catalina and Yuki.

---

Catalina, meanwhile, was replaying everything in her head. Gabriel and Yuki had been dating for nearly six months, spent the night at each other's homes somewhat frequently (although that number dwindled significantly at the apartment once Diego moved in) and their meeting in the living room was rather deep for a still new relationship. Although perhaps she could count that toward the two not really seeing one another for some time. Although Diego snuck away (and she'd get him for that later), she had a unique opportunity to really see what Gabriel was like out and about.

And if these boys needed 'The Talk'.

"So, Yuki, Gabriel." She started, voice sweet as possible. "You two have been together nearly six months. How did that happen? What was the change from friends to boyfriends for you? And I know it's a little nosey, but Gabriel's never brought anyone home before. It's honestly a pleasant surprise!"

She ignored the look her son was trying to give her as she began to prepare a few chicken breasts to be lightly fried. Catalina needed a dinner she could make somewhat quickly but not too fast. She wanted time to ask questions without feeling rushed but the boys had to be hungry so making sure their bellies were full was priority, too.