Chapter Text
The end of the year was bittersweet.
As much as Joonas had teased him, Joel couldn't deny he had been thrilled when the administrator had approached him about teaching the class again and taking on another while a teacher was out on maternity leave.
He was still working his day job of course, but he couldn't wait to meet his next round of students.
"Hey," Tommi said, "excited for the gallery?"
Joel smiled at his boyfriend, "I am."
All the art students were displaying their final projects, and Joel felt pride swelling in his chest as he walked around the room, seeing his students' final works.
His boyfriends were there as well, the five of them scattered around but had all come up to him, saying how well his students had done and that he should be proud, returning the compliment to Olli on his graphic design students.
They weren't dating long yet, just about a month, but Joel woke up every morning feeling so grateful for them, excited to see them and happier than he had ever been in his life.
If anyone had told him before the semester that he would find three people he loved like Joonas and Niko, he would have told them they were insane.
But there he was.
As he circulated through the room talking with his students, he looked for one in particular, seeing blue hair flash by.
Samy's final work was his favorite of all his students, although he wouldn't say it; there was so much emotion captured, a figure falling through water and helpless to stop his descent, orange and blues covering the canvas.
The younger man was getting many compliments on his work, seeming slightly overwhelmed as teachers and students alike asked him questions, seeming relieved when Joel approached.
"Hey Joel."
"Hey Samy," Joel greeted, "having fun?"
"Yeah, it's just a lot of people and my boyfriend isn't here yet, he's on his way though." Samy told him.
Joel nodded, he had met Johnny a couple times; he looked again at the piece, "I'm glad you took my class as an elective, you're a great artist, I'm sure you did great in all your classes."
"Oh this was the only class I took," Samy told him, "what you said at the beginning of the semester about it not being art therapy… it was for me. My therapist recommended I try painting to vent some of what I was feeling and… I can't say how much it helped, how much you helped." Samy smiled wide, "I hope we can just be friends now."
"Of course." Joel smiled back, "send me a message any time."
Whatever Samy was going to say next was cut off by a man with long brown hair coming towards him, Samy waving wildly at him with an infectious smile.
He moved off to give them space, not wanting to encroach on their time together, and sought out his own boyfriends instead.
By the end of the night they were all exhausted, not wanting to go home but needing to, piling into two cars and driving back to his, Niko's, and Joonas' apartment since it was the biggest.
They knew from experience they could all cram into one bed and that was the plan that night, only turning on the hallway light to see where they were going.
Joel paused to look at the new painting that was hanging on the wall.
He had added pinks and light periwinkle to the edges, giving more the feeling of dawn than dusk, the perfectly imperfect stripe that had come from Olli spooking him had been turned into the beginning of a ribbon that bundled together six red roses, morning dew on the petals.
To anyone else it would seem like just a still life.
But it wasn't for anyone else.
The six of them would be the only ones that know the real meaning, the way that they had all surprised each other with flowers on their first date, all roses.
One day he was sure he would get a tattoo of it, he knew Niko was already planning to. It was their symbol, what they brought each other on bad days.
Joel smiled and flicked off the light, ready to join his boyfriends in bed.