Work Text:
"Iori, look what I got!"
The sudden cheery voice of Riku snapped Iori out of the daze he was in, sliding a bookmark inside, he set the book he was reading down.
"What is it, Nanase-san? You sound happy."
Riku smiled happily and showed Iori the box he was holding. "Look! These plants were on sale, so I bought them! I have tomatoes, peppers for Mitsuki and Sougo-san's cooking, raspberries, some herbs and my favorite, strawberries!"
Iori looked at the not quite, but almost full box filled with lush green plants, humming in acknowledgement.
"You seem quite happy over this, but please tell me you're not going to plant and take care of all of these by yourself."
Riku shook his head, "Sougo-san already helps out with the garden so I'm not alone, but I was hoping if you wanted to help me plant these? It's totally fine if you're busy I don't want to intrude--"
"I'm not busy, and I don't want you overworking yourself so I'd be glad to help. Shall we?" Iori said with the hint of a smile, eyes softening.
The older boy beamed and led the way, humming to himself as Iori followed behind him.
Riku set the box of plants down and left to grab the fertilizer, two pairs of gloves and a watering can while Iori started setting the plants outside the box. The sun was bright and it was pleasantly warm, perfect for gardening. When he came back, Iori was admiring some red flowers Riku had picked out but his face was so gentle, he couldn't help the blush that coated his face.
Clasping his hands together, Riku crouched down next to Iori and handed him a pair of gloves with a smile. “Whatcha think of the flowers Iori? The cashier said they suited me so I bought them! I wanted to get flowers for everyone but I didn’t have enough money…”
Iori chuckled quietly, the soft smile still present on his face. “Nanase-san I’m sure that the other members would simply be happy to know you thought of them. Don’t worry so much, let’s get these planted hm?”
The redhead nodded and picked up one of the strawberry plants, scooping out enough of the dirt in the gardening area, he placed it in the shallow hole and added some fertilizer around it. Patting it smooth again, he repeated it with the other two strawberry plants and the tomato one while Iori worked on planting the peppers and flowers.
Once they were done they wiped the sweat of their brows and admired the work, the garden was lush with green leaves and the red flowers and it was too pretty for Riku not to take a photo. After the shutter went off, Riku moved his phone to face Iori and snapped another photo.
Iori blinked in surprise, then folded his arms while a blush crept on his cheeks. “Nanase-san, please delete that photo. It’s not very polite to take a photo of someone without their permission.”
At that Riku pouted, “Aw… but you look so cute here! Especially if I add this cat filter Tamaki sent me…”
Iori gaped like a fish and just moved his hand to his mouth, murmuring a ‘fine’ before turning away to pick up the watering can and drizzle it over the garden. Riku watched Iori work in silence, admiring how the sun made his hair glitter and how his features softened when he was tending to something. It was nice to see this side of Iori, and since he didn’t show it all that often, Riku treasured every moment of it.
Once he was done and Iori put the watering can back in the shed, Riku grabbed his hand and tugged it slightly. “C’mon Iori, let’s go back inside, I’ll make some lemonade for us!” He said while closing his eyes and smiling softly.
Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Iori leaned in and brushed his lips against Riku’s. He chuckled as Riku’s face went almost as red as his hair, “Lemonade sounds lovely, let’s do that.”