[April 7] [Gokusen] The Big News

[elf-powder.livejournal.com]

Title: The Big News
Day/Theme: "I stand accused."
Series: Gokusen
Character/Pairing: Yamaguchi Kumiko, Hayato Yabuki, Takeda Keita, Kumai Teruo
Rating: G

:::

Kumai Ramen shop was not a big place. At most, it could accommodate thirty people, with standing room for a dozen more.

Somehow, though, they had managed to squeeze sixty people inside.

“Okay, guys, what's going on?”

The boys—well, more like young men, but they were her boys—looked at her with varying degrees of seriousness.

Yamaguchi Kumiko peered behind her, just to make sure there wasn't something there to warrant such looks. There was nothing. She turned back with a raised eyebrow. “Guys...?”

It was Hayato who spoke first: “Yankumi, we know.”

She waited for him to continue. He didn't. Instead, Takeda spoke up: “You don't have to hide it.”

It was like a floodgate opening, spurred by Hayato and Takeda.

“We wont judge you.”

“We're actually happy for you.”

“You should have told us!”

“Where did you guys meet?”

“When can we meet him?”

“He better be treating you right!”

“When are you guys getting married? He is going to marry you, right? No point dating if he's not serious about it.”

“Of course, they are serious!” Kazama snapped. He glared at Kiyoshita, who had made the comment. “You can't rush these things. They'll get married when they're ready.”

That snapped her out of her daze. “Woah, wait! What the hell is going on? Who's getting married?”

They weren't listening. An argument had broken out. They weren't quiet shoving each other—there wasn't enough space to stand in, much less to shove each other—but they were arguing loudly how long a relationship should be before they should consider marriage.

She was horribly confused.

Luckily, there was always Kumai.

He pushed through the boys, (who were not debating the protocol when it came to proposing and if Yankumi's boyfriend had done it wrong by not asking them for permission), and came to stand next to Kumiko.

“Yankumi! Crazy night, ne?”

She grabbed his arm with both hands. “Kamai, what's going on?” she asked, desperate to make sense of this whole night. “I get a text from Yabuki about meeting me here. That it was urgent he talk to me. But I got here and...” She waved at the chaos in the middle of his restaurant.

Kumai looked sheepish. He scratched the back of his head. “Ah, that may have been my fault.”

She stared at him blankly. Kumai continued, looking more and more embarrassed. “I may have mentioned that you have been seeing Shin-chan, now that he's back in the country. And that I was hoping that your relationship may become more formal.”

She was blushing now. “Oh...”

“Yeah.”

She pressed her hands to cheeks. Then she realized: it was very quiet. Kumiko looked up and squeaked when she saw that the boys weren't arguing anymore. They were staring again, and each sporting matching grins.

“Well, you see...”

They leaned in, smirks growing as she continued to stuttered.

“I may have...it's possible that...” She licked her lips and laughed weakly:

“I have a boyfriend...?”