[Samuel x Roman]

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Evan reached over his wife and gave Roman a friendly bro-pay on the shoulder,"I'm proud of you too, man. I warn you though, keeping your own business isn't the easiest,"

Evan had had his own construction firm for a good while now, sometimes he struggled, but ultimately it had been a good desicion. And honestly in Evan's case it was probably good. He was strong and all but they were all getting older and actually doing the construction all your life just wasn't good for anyone.

"If anyone can do it though it's you," Evan said with a very genuine smile. There were no hints of his usual antics and competitiveness, he was clearly just happy for his brother-in-law and that was really sweet.
 
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"Awww, thanks, sweetie," Roman jokingly cooed to his brother-in-law after he was complimented. London made a face and Roman flicked her on the forehead. "Don't grimace at my opening party."

"Don't flirt with my husband."

"You know what? That's a fair deal."

Roman went around and mingled a little more with his guests, before he decided that he should do a toast. He picked up his champagne flute and a random fork, took a couple of steps up the staircase so everyone could see him and then clinked the fork against his glass to get everyone's attention.

"Um, hi, everyone, and welcome to the grand opening of Hemlock Sip," he said happily, which wa met with a round of joyous applause. "So, I would like to thank everyone who has gathered here to celebrate this monumental milestone in my life. Whether you're my friend, colleague, family, or you're just someone's plus-one, I'm glad you were able to make it tonight to share this moment with me.

"I'd also like to thank all my TAFE instructors who were able to make it tonight, all my past employers and coworkers and anyone else I've ever worked with who believed in me and supported me throughout my career. It means the world to me to know that for the last almost twenty years, I've actually had the support of such amazing and talented people. I couldn't have done this without you.

"I, of course, have to thank my friends and family who have supported me from the minute I revealed that I wanted to get into tattooing. But most of all, I'd like to thank my wonderful and amazing husband, Samuel Hemlock-Ortega." Roman beamed down at his gorgeous husband. "Samuel, without your support I wouldn't have been able to do half of what I've done in my life. Without your support I would be lost, and I'm so fortunate to be able to stand here today and call you my husband. I love you so, so much, and I promise you that for as long as this place is open, I will continue to make you proud."
 
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With how excited Samuel was you could almost believe he was the one starting high school that day, not Stella and Eden. But today was the day. Which meant everyone was up early, Roman had made tasty pancakes for breakfast and both he and Samuel had fussed over the twins looking nice in their uniforms and all that since they got out of bed.

They were now having that very tasty breakfast. Though, it was now becoming more and more apparent the twins were having very split opinions on how today would turn out. Stella was eating her pancakes with great appetite, scarfing down food like there was no tomorrow. Which was how she usually ate, Stella took after her Daddy on so many ways and Samuel honestly thought that was precious. Eden however, was picking at his food in the same way Harper had his first day of high school.

This did put a bit of a damper on Samuel's excitement. It was kind of a tricky situation, because he, of course, wanted to comfort Eden to make him feel safe and happy, but he didn't want to bring Stella down and make her feel like she shouldn't be excited about school.

Samuel looked at Roman for a moment, knowing that he would notice it too, hell, Harper and Letha probably noticed all the same. Samuel then decided to just as a start try to approach things in a less obvious way. He didn't want to directly ask about how they felt about school, or well, he maybe wanted to ask Stella because he loved hearing the kids excited about school, but that wasn't the way to go now, "Edie, aren't you hungry?"

"No... Not really," Eden said with a shrug, but didn't really look up from his pancakes until he addressed his Daddy, "Sorry, daddy, they're still really, good, I just, I dunno..."

"Ooh, if Edie's not gnna have his, can I have them?" Stella happily joined in on the conversation, she was practically bouncing on her chair.
 
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Today, Eden and Stella were starting high school, the next chapter in their lives. Roman was so unbelievably excited and proud. Part of him was a little sad because it meant his babies were just growing up — the audacity! — but that was far outweighed by the positive feelings he was experiencing.

Someone, however, didn't seem to be very happy at all. Roman leaned against the kitchen bench and watched Eden as he picked at his food. He was clearly nervous, but Stella was excited. Roman had expected this difference between them, it was consistent with their personalities. But that didn't mean he liked it at all.

"No, Stella, Eden needs to eat his breakfast. But I can make you more pancakes." As Roman turned to do so, he addressed their eldest child. Harper had been nervous on his first day of school as well — maybe he could help convince Edie there was nothing to worry about. "Harper, sweetie, why don't you tell Eden and Stella how much fun they're going to have today?"

"Oh my God, it'll be so much fun," Harper said, earnestly and excitedly. "Like, the whole first day will just be being introduced to your teachers and classmates and the subjects, you won't do any work, really, but you'll probably play some games and it'll be super cool and you'll be wishing to go tomorrow."
 
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"that sounds great! Doesn't it Eden?" Stella chirped, clearly she had high expectations for today.

"I dunno... I guess?" Eden said with a little shrug, he still clearly wasn't excited about it, but Harper hadn't really been either until he actually got there and started to make friends with people. Samuel was a little more worried about Eden though, because he wasn't as naturally social as Harper, then again, Eden had Stella who'd help him and who would be his friend throughout the day.

Samuel decided to, with Harper's help, describe some typical first-day activities so the twins knew what was coming and after a while, Eden seemed calm enough to eat his pancakes and Stella was just as happy as before.

After that they proceeded with their morning as normal, they all went to brush their teeth and make sure they looked nice. Samuel tried to see if Stella wanted Roman to put her hair in braids so she'd look nice but she declined it, so both twins had their hair out in their trademark matching curls. They were still young enough to look ridiculously similar, they were only turning twelve in a couple of weeks so they both had the childish roundness to their face, though it was definitely much easier to tell them apart than when they were babies. They were adorable, but Samuel wouldn't say that because they'd both get annoyed with him.

Soon they were all in the hallway and it was time to say goodbye to Daddy and Letha, Stella seemed to think this was no big deal, but as a parent it always was. High school was such a huge sign that your little ones weren't so little anymore. Eden seemed to get it, or maybe he was just scared to leave because he went to give Roman a big hug. And Stella stood, impatiently waiting for her turn so they could leave soon.
 
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Roman crouched down to his knees and wrapped Eden in a tight, loving hug. He gave his little son who really wasn't that little anymore a big kiss to the cheek as well, because he just loved the boy so much and hoped with every fibre of his being that he had an amazing day. Starting high school could be scary and overwhelming for any young kid, and even more so when you were naturally sort of reserved and apprehensive of new situations, like Eden was.

"Have a good day, sweetie," Roman told him affectionately. "When you get home we'll sit down and talk about how much fun you had, okay?"

He then let go of Eden and held his arms out for Stella. She obviously needed a lot less consolation but he still wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to say goodbye to her on her first day of high school.

He and Letha stood on the porch and waved off the others, and Roman couldn't stop himself from shedding a little tear. It just seemed like all of his babies were growing up way too fast. But he was excited for them to start this chapter of their lives, and that far outweighed his own nostalgia.
 
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If there was one word people used to describe Laila Azouli it was definitely nice. And it was probably true. In the context it came up it was usually some of her friends gossiping and her telling them they were taking it to far because the other people might be sad, or it was her helping people with their homework or just smiling at people who seemed to have a bad day. Laila didn't really consider herself nicer than one should be, she was just being herself and hoped that she could make other people happy by doing so.

One person Laila considered especially nice though, was Harper Hemlock-Ortega. He was a boy in her year who just didn't seem capable of being mean. The times she had heard him say or do anything harsh it was usually very just, like telling people off for doing something mean. She hadn't thought that much off him until they all came back from summer break, at which they had started to talk a little more. And then she had realised that he for example also was very mature compared to other boys and even girls in their year, and he also had a really cute smile.

Since they started to speak more before and after classes, which could be about homework or what they did that weekend, the usual, Laila had taken to make sure she said hello when passing him in hallways. Which was why she said a bright, "Hello, Harper!" as she and her group of friends passed him and his friends on their way to lunch. A bunch of her own friends giggled a little, because while Laila would say hello to people she was friends with in the hallways or people she thought needed it, she didn't do that to just any boy. Mostly because she mostly was friends with girls, but also because few boys were as nice as Harper.
 
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Months after his conversation with Emmie, Harper still had a huge crush on Laila Azouli. If anything, it was even bigger. But something that had changed was that he was talking to her a lot more frequently. They would often just talk about school or homework or anything else, and he loved it. Even if it was just friendship, he loved being around her and talking to her. She just made him really happy.

That day, when he passed by her in the hall and she said hello, he made the split decision that today was going to be the day. He abruptly said goodbye to his friends and then ran after Laila. Luckily he was fast due to soccer.

"Laila!" he called before quickly catching up to her. She was, of course, surrounded by her friends but he didn't even see them. He was focused on the adorable girl in the middle.

"Can I speak to you for a second, please?"
 
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Laila was definitely surprised to hear Harper's voice as he hurried up to her. She hadn't intended anything more than a hello, but it seemed like Harper had something to say. Her friends, being just as much of typical young teenage girls as she honestly was herself giggled as if Harper wanted to talk something had to mean something. Laila blushed as if it did.

"oh, uh, yeah sure, Harper," she said in a very normal and friendly tone despite the fact that she felt her heart flutter just a little faster at the idea.

One of her friends, a girl named Felicia who had a very knowing smile on her face said, "We're just going to head into lunch without you so you can talk," and so the group of giggling girls hurried off and left them alone. Laila gave Harper a bit of an awkward smile. She hoped that if he didn't like her, her friends didn't make it too obvious that she liked him, because that would be really embarrassing

"So do you wanna go somewhere or something..?"
 
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"Sure," said Harper with a nod. He turned and lead her down the hall a little and to a small alcove. It wasn't like they were suddenly in private or anything, but at least they wouldn't be blocking the whole hallway with their conversation.

Harper turned to speak to her, and suddenly he was faced with the fear of rejection. What if she said no? He didn't think she would laugh in his face or anything like that, but still, he would be really sad if she turned him down.

But he had gone too far to just chicken out now.

"So ... um ... I ... I was wondering if you maybe ... wanted to go out sometime?" he asked her bashfully. His cheeks were red and he could hardly meet her gaze. "Like on a date or something?"
 
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Despite the fact that Laila very much had wanted this to happen, at least at some point, her eyes turned wide and cheeks warm. Somehow she hadn't expected it. Or maybe it was just very different to want something to happen than to actually have it happen. Because now it was actually real and she had to react to it in a proper way even though her heart was beating all fast and she felt the butterflies in her stomach.

But if she felt that nervous Harper had to be even more nervous, he was to one who had asked her out after all. She didn't want to give him the wron idea while she thought about though, so she decided to be brave and reach out and take Harper's hand. Not that she was usually shy, but just taking boy's and was a bit of a bigger deal.

"I'm yeah... I'd think I'd like that," she said, sounding a little awkward but she smiled so he'd know she meant it, "a lot,"
 
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It was like his heart exploded with happiness when Laila said yes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had had faith that she would do so, but still, it made him so happy to hear her say it out loud.

And then she took his hand, which was a completely different ball game. He stared at it as if he didn't know what to do with it for a moment, but then he squeezed it and gave her possibly one of the happiest smiles that had ever crossed his face.

"I'm really glad to hear that," he said to her, unable to shake the smile off his face. He couldn't wait to start to plan their date and tell everyone that he was dating Laila Freaking Azouli. His was easily one of the best days in his life.
 
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Harper had a girlfriend. This was a revelation that, as a parent, was incredibly exciting. Apparently, Harper had asked the girl out a couple of weeks ago and today she was coming over. To Harper, it was probably more of her coming over to hang out, but to Samuel and Roman it was an opportunity to meet her. Or well, Samuel had already met, her. Laila Azouli was a very nice girl with good grades who raised her hand a lot during class, but now they'd get to officially meet her as Harper's girlfriend.

Samuel was going to make sure to cherish this moment, because he knew that as the kids got older they wouldn't really be meeting girl and boyfriends just a week or so after they got together and bringing someone home to the family meant something more serious. For now, it was just going to be a fun and happy time and Samuel was going to make sure Harper, and Laila, felt happy and comfortable. As long as his little baby boy was treated right of course.

Roman was, of course, taking the moment to make something good for dinner. Samuel was doing his normal dinner duty and preparing a salad as a side, over the years that had just kind of become his job, you couldn't burn or undercook salad and over the years he had gotten a tad better.

When the doorbell rang Samuel did not make an effort to go open it right away but called for Harper as he went to wash the tomato juices from his hands, "Harper! Do you want us to come with you when you open the door?" he had heard a car pull into the driveway so it was entirely possible that Laila's parents were walking her to the door.
 
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Harper had a girlfriend and it was quite possibly one of the most exciting things to have happened in the entire history of the world, or at least the last week. Roman was so unbelievably happy for his little son who really wasn't that little anymore. It was just unbelievable to think that that baby boy who had been so tiny and sweet when he had been born almost fourteen years ago was now old enough to have a girlfriend. Roman hadn't stopped blabbering about it when he had found out.

Needless to say, Harper was quite embarrassed.

Roman had learned from Harper that his new girlfriend hailed from Afghanistan, so Roman had decided to make a dish from that country to show to Laila that they were happy to welcome her to the family. He had prepared a large pot of thin rice, loaded with herbs and spices, that was served with a tomato-based, warm sauce of some variety. It also came with tomato and cucumber diced into tiny little pieces, which was what Samuel was chopping up. Roman had also made some lamb, marinated with turmeric and paprika, for those who wanted some meat with the rest of the dish.

The doorbell rang and Roman chuckled as he heard Harper scramble down the stairs. "Yes please!" he called out. Roman happily turned the stove down and walked with his husband down the hall and to the front door, where he opened it and smiled at the people on the other side.

Something Roman had been worried about was the family's view on same sex marriage, as he knew many Afghans were Muslim and many Muslims were against it. That didn't sway his view on Muslims but it did make him a little worried. He had asked Harper to ask Laila to mention their family situation to her parents before they arrived, and he was relieved to see that they were met with nothing but smiles.

"Hello, my name is Roman, it's lovely to meet you," Roman said to the family warmly, holding out his hand.

The mother, a stunning middle-aged woman with huge obsidian eyes, her hair shrouded in a thin red scarf (but with a fringe exposed) and a kind smile, shook his hand immediately. "It's nice to meet you too, my name is Seima, and this is my husband Ahmed."
 
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It was great to see Harper so excited about something, not that it was a rarity, but it wasn't every day it was about something like a girlfriend, and it was definitely a sign that he was growing up. Just last year he had been incredibly embarrassed about having a celebrity crush, now he was dating.

They went to open the door and were met by both Laila's parents and Laila herself. The teen had clearly made an effort to look nice, but in a way that was still very casual, so it was probably less about having dinner with your boyfriend's family and more about looking pretty for said boyfriend. It was really cute. She had one side of her hair neatly pulled back with two bobby pins, so it kind of looked like it was tucked behind her ear and she was dressed in a knee-length skater skirt and a nice-looking t-shirt. She smiled first happily at Harper, then politely up at Samuel and Roman.

"Samuel, it's nice to meet the two of you," Samuel said and reached out to shake both Sema and Ahmed's hands,

"Likewise," Ahmed said, he was a man with a warm smile, dark curly but kept short hair and who was clearly starting to gain a little weight with his age.

"oh, and Hello Laila it's nice to see you," he added, as they obviously had already met. It was always a little weird when Harper had home friends from school, not really for Samuel but he could often tell that the kids thought it was a little odd to be over to their teacher's house. Laila didn't seem to mind too much though.

"It's nice to see you too Mr Hemlock-Ortega," Laila smiled, "and it's nice to meet you as well Mr Hemlock-Ortega," She added, using the same title and name but directing her attention to Roman, whom she, until this point, had yet to meet.
 
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"Hello, Laila, it's lovely to meet you," Harper said to the sweet little girl. She was very pretty and seemed very nice. Roman was glad that Harper was dating such a pleasant person. Even as he spoke, he glanced down at his son and saw that his eyes widened upon seeing his girlfriend, as if he couldn't believe how pretty she looked. Roman thought that that was so sweet.

"Would you like to come in for coffee or anything?" Roman asked Seima and Ahmed politely.

"Oh, no, we have to get going and pick up our son from training, but we'll come to collect Laila at eight thirty," Seima said politely. She gave her daughter a kiss to the forehead. "Be good, sweetie, have fun!"

When Laila's parents had left, Harper took her hand and proceeded to lead her through the house, giving her a tour and introducing her to his siblings. Roman went in to dish up dinner while they were doing so. When everyone was seated at the table Roman placed a dish of the rice, sauce and chopped up vegetables in front of his son's girlfriend, as Harper carried everyone else's dishes over. Roman could tell he was being a little more helpful than usual to impress his girlfriend but he certainly didn't mind.

"Laila, I know a lady from my work who's boyfriend is from Afghanistan, and she said this is one of the dishes you'd be most likely to find at Afghan parties and get togethers." He gave her the name of the dish, poorly pronounced but she would be able to understand what he was saying. "I just thought it would be nice to make one of your national dishes so you would feel welcome. Would you like some lamb with it?"
 
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They all went inside and Harper adorably showed Laila around. The other siblings said hello and peered over at her curiously, Samuel had taken Stella aside and requested she not make fun of her brother for dating Laila, Stella had just rolled her eyes and told him that she wouldn't. Samuel knew Harper's first relationship wouldn't last forever, he wasn't even fourteen yet so they'd grow up and change, but that didn't mean he didn't want Laila to be able to have a good time at their home while it lasted, however long that may be.

"Oh, yes please," Laila accepted the lamb as they were all seated by the table, "That's very nice of you, but you didn't have to, I'm sure I would have felt welcomed no matter what you made,"

"Roman likes excuses to try to make new food, don't worry about it," Samuel laughed, Roman liked to cook so him cooking something they didn't eat at home all that often wasn't a big deal and Samuel was always happy when the family tried something new.

"Alright, well it's very good then Mr Hemlock-Ortega," Laila said with a smile directed at Roman after having tasted the food.
 
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Roman smiled. "That's good. I'm glad you like it, sweetie."

Roman had tried really hard to show that he and his family wanted to make Laila feel welcome. He wasn't stupid, he knew that it was extremely unlikely that this relationship would last very long. But that didn't matter — ever since they had become parents Roman had maintained that when their children started dating, their partners would be part of the family. He needed to establish that with this first relationship so when the other kids started to bring their partners they knew that they would be welcomed.

They ate for a while, Roman and Samuel engaging Harper, Laila and the other children in conversation. Roman found that he liked Laila a lot — she was a sweet girl and she just seemed to be genuinely kind and amicable. That was good. Roman didn't care who his kids dated as long as they were kind and treated his little babies right.

At one point, Letha, the darling, spoke up and smiled at Laila. "You're so pretty, Harper is super lucky to have such a pretty girlfriend."
 
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Dinner was going on as well as pretty much expected. Samuel had known beforehand that Laila was nice so there had been no reason for him to think something else and the girl was certainly not doing anything to defy those expectations. The rest of the family was acting nicely as well, everyone was just talking and having fun while getting to know Harper's girlfriend.

Occasionally Samuel couldn't help but exchange a small smile with Roman, because he knew his husband would share the happiness and pride he felt for their son i that moment.

Letha seemed happy with Laila too it seemed based on her sweet compliment. Unlike Stella, Letha had always been a very girly girl, so commenting on someone being pretty like that wasn't at all unexpected, but it did earn her a little blush from Laila. And a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Letha," the teen said sweetly, "You're very pretty too, any boy would be happy to date you too,"

"When you're old enough, of course," Samuel added to Letha, only partially joking, he wasn't quite ready to let Letha be that grown up yet, she was only ten, not turning eleven until the end of the year, and while he wouldn't stop her if she did get some cute little kiddie crush on someone he would maybe wait at least a year or two until he encouraged it.
 
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"Um, no, excuse me, Letha and Stella aren't allowed to date until they're thirty," Roman joked, looking at both his little girls with a stern expression. "No boyfriends or girlfriends for either of you."

"Daddy! Why is Harper allowed to have a girlfriend then?"

"Because we're trying to marry Harper off early because we hate him and want him out of the house."

Letha laughed and Harper looked at his dad with a confused and horrified expression. Roman gave him a reassuring look to let him know he was just joking, but verbally, he continued on with the joke.

"We've been planning this since he was a baby and kept watching Bob the Builder, that's when we decided we had to get rid of him. Laila, we will pay you and your family ten billion dollars to take him off our hands. Right, Samuel?"
 
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