RPOV

   When he finished showering, blow drying his hair, and changing, he realized just how calm he was. He smiled; screw meditation, he had Kyuhyun, that was better than any meditation exercise he could come up with. He walked down stairs and found Kyuhyun coming back into the apartment.

  The taller looked at him and immediately smiled, “you look great.”

  He walked over to the other and gave him a peck, “thank you. I think you should take a quick shower before we go too. I think my bags were a little too much manual labor for someone”, he teased while fixing the other’s sweaty bangs.

  The taller smacked him in the behind for that one, but Ryeowook couldn’t help but laugh at his boyfriend’s pout.  

  “You’re right, let me go take a quick shower and get changed and then we’ll leave okay?”

  “Alright, while you do that, I’m going to put the tart in a box for your parents and take out the trash, so it doesn’t sit and stink up the loft for the two weeks that we’re at your apartment.”

  Kyuhyun sighed, “I’m not sure they're worthy of this tart…perhaps we should just eat it? I’m perfectly happy with the idea of buying a dessert on the way there and giving that to them...”

  Ryeowook chuckled, “just go take your shower Kyu.”

  The other started up the stairs but looked back at him, “let me know if you change your mind, we can always pick up a brownie or something.”

  “Your parents would be so touched by your thoughts,” he said with laugh.

  Kyuhyun chuckled as he continued up the stairs, “I just think that they should be forced to give me a bite.”

  Ryeowook snorted, “okay, before I get dragged into a debate as to why your parents should give you a bite of the tart made specifically for them, I’m going to stop us because you seriously need to shower before we’re late!”

  He heard the other sigh, “fine, crush my tart dreams.”

  “Kyu!”

  The other laughed, “alright, I promise! I’m going now!”

  “Good, enjoy your shower!” he called out.

  “Thanks, see you in a bit”, the other called.

  “Hey! Kyu?” he called.

  “Hmm?”

  “Thanks for loading the bags into my car. I really appreciate it,” already a blush was creeping into his cheeks.

  “Your welcome love, and you’re right, I seriously need to shower or my parents are going to wonder if I’ve developed some sort of excessive sweating disease.”

  Ryeowook laughed, “alright, happy showering jagi.”

While Kyuhyun showered, Ryeowook set to work on last minute preparations. He wrapped the tart and decided to pack a specialized cooler bag, so he could bring any food that he knew would perish within the two weeks he would be away. He got to work grabbing ice packs from the freezer, which would help keep the the leftover frittata and some fruits and vegetables that he had from wilting while he they had dinner with Kyuhyun’s parents. He set the cooler bag in the fridge, that way he could pull it out right before they left.

   After taking out the trash and washing his hands, he decided he should bring a coat to dinner, knowing that it got chilly in the evening and he always got cold easily. So he went upstairs and found that his y boyfriend had already changed into a set of clothes he had brought along, but his hair was still damp from showering.

  “Kyu! Your hair is still damp, you’re going to catch a cold like that”, he said concerned.

  Kyuhyun smiled at him, “It’s alright, it’s almost done drying and I’m sure once we’re outside it will air dry pretty fast.” 

  He quickly marched into the bathroom and opened the cabinet where he kept extra towels and brought one out. He then took Kyuhyun’s hand and brought him to his bed.

  “Sit”, he demanded.

KPOV

   Kyuhyun sighed, but complied anyway and sat down on the edge of the bed like he was told.

He felt a fluffy towel being draped over his head as Ryeowook massaged his head, doing his best to get the excess water that was still left. He closed his eyes, enjoying the attention from the smaller. He could feel the towel moving left to right, up and down and had to stifle a laugh, “are you trying to make me go bald?” he joked.

  He heard the other huff, “no, but there’s way more water in your hair than than I expected, so I’m simply trying to be thorough…although maybe I should get the hair dryer…”

  Kyuhyun whined, “no, hair dryers are too warm, they make me sweat.”

  Ryeowook laughed, “are you sure you don’t have an excessive sweating condition?”

  He smiled, but Ryeowook wouldn’t be able to see with the towel wrapped over his head.

   “Some of us are just naturally hotter,” he said laughing.

Ryeowook sighed, “I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

    The smaller continued his ministrations, while he felt himself almost being lulled into a trance because the other’s hands were like magic. Finally, the towel left his head and he couldn’t help but already miss the touch the other brought. Those small hands seemed to subdue everything they touched.

    “There! Nice and fluffy” Ryeowook said triumphantly while moving Kyuhyun’s bangs in place.  

  He lightly grabbed the other’s wrist and brought the other down to his level and gave him a tender kiss, “thank you.”

  Ryeowook smiled shyly, clearly taken off guard, “you’re welcome.”

   After getting off track –with a small kissing session, they finally made it out of Ryeowook’s loft-all set for the dinner with everything in tow.

  “So should I meet you at the restaurant? I still need to pick up the flowers,” the smaller stated.

  “No, ill just follow you in my car, that way we end up at the restaurant at the same time,” he answered. Knowing his boyfriend pretty well at this point, he knew that Ryeowook was probably stressing over the idea of being the last one to the dinner and worrying about making everyone wait, so if they both went to the florist, it guaranteed that they would arrive at the same time. Plus, he wanted to be there when Ryeowook stepped into Appetito, he wanted to offer as much support as he could and make this night as stress free as he could- hopefully even enjoyable.

  Ryeowook seemed rather relieved to hear he would drive behind him, which only confirmed his suspicions that the other was probably worrying about a multitude of things.

    Kyuhyun pecked his cheek and they both set off for the florist.

RPOV

  While he felt calm earlier, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have a few butterflies in his stomach. He looked in his rear view window and saw Kyuhyun driving behind him and smiled.

  He wondered if Kyuhyun’s parents would arrive before them, he hoped to God that it would be the other way around, he cringed at the thought that Kyuhyun’s parents would have to wait for them. And should they tell them about moving in together or should they wait with the news? All of these things had his mind in a jumble, but thankful was an understatement that his boyfriend was accompanying him. His presence was the reassurance he would need to face Appetito again.

  He pulled into the parking lot and Kyuhyun parked right next to him. Kyuhyun beat him to the door, due to the fact that he decided to put on an extra jacket, it was freezing out.

  “I see the cold has already gotten to you,” his boyfriend chuckled.

  Ryeowook sighed, “you know I’m weak when it comes to the cold” he said.

  Kyuhyun smiled and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead and he sighed in contentment.

  The taller pulled away slowly and grinned, “Alright, let’s go get your flowers, before I’m tempted to do something naughty.”

  Ryeowook playfully rolled his eyes at the other, but none the less followed the other into the small shop. Kyuhyun decided to take a look at the different flowers, while Ryeowook went to the cashier.

  The florist quickly brought the ordered bouquet to him, once he told her his name. He smiled when he saw the flowers. There was a beautiful assortment of colors and they were expertly trimmed.

  “This looks wonderful, thank you. What do you think Kyu?” he asked as he felt the other’s chest behind him.

  Kyuhyun smiled at him, “my mom will love them.”

  He quickly paid for the bouquet and they left the shop.

  Kyuhyun sighed and he looked up at the other questioningly, “what’s wrong?”

 “I feel like the moment they see you they’re going to monopolize you for themselves this entire evening” the other said with a pout.

  Ryeowook looked at him amused, “Kyuhyun it’s one night, and after dinner, we have the rest of the night to ourselves. Plus, we’ll be living together now…which reminds me, are we going to tell your parents?”

  Kyuhyun looked thoughtful, “why don’t we see how the night progresses and if the mood seems right, we’ll tell them.”

  Ryeowook nodded his head, “so play it by ear then?”

  “Right, unless you have a preference for telling them or not telling them tonight?” the taller asked.

  He shook his head, “no, I wasn’t really leaning one way or the other, I trust your judgment.”

  And though Kyuhyun didn’t give a verbal response, Ryeowook knew from his smile how happy that had made him.

  They soon parted again and this time it was Ryeowook who followed behind Kyuhyun’s car. When they pulled into the parking lot, he took a deep breath, the butterflies were there, but surprisingly the worries he had about Appetito seemed to be taking a backseat, his concern was more heavily focused on whether Kyuhyun’s parents really would like him. He gathered the flowers and box in his arms, while Kyuhyun took his keys so he could lock his car for him. Ryeowook was trying to balance the flowers and the box, when he heard the other’s voice.

  “Shall I carry something for you?”

 Ryeowook looked at his boyfriend sheepishly, “Can you carry the flowers for me? The box is a lot more unwieldy than I thought it would be…”

 Kyuhyun laughed and took the bouquet that was awkwardly balanced under Ryeowook’s arm, “Sure love.”

  “Do you think your parents are here yet?” he asked trying to sound calm.

  “They aren’t, I got a text from my mom when we were in the florist shop. Apparently traffic is bad, so they’re running a bit late.”

  He nodded his head in understanding and relief. Thank god, they got there before them was all he could think. He liked that he had some time to get his nerves in check before the actual meeting.

  “Should we wait outside for them or indoors?”

  “If we wait outside for them, I’m afraid you’ll wither away in the cold” Kyuhyun teased.

  “You ,” he said in a deadpanned voice.

KPOV

 He laughed at the other’s expression. It was becoming a little bit of a hobby to tease his boyfriend. He didn’t know what type of response he was going to get, but it always had him smiling or laughing.

  Plus, the other clearly still had some jitters that were worrying him and the best way to get Ryeowook to calm down was to and keep his mind off it.

  They walked into the restaurant and he quickly gave the attendant the name of the reservation. They were taken to one of the private rooms and seated with menus. That was one of the main attractions of choosing Appetito, aside from the food they made, they had several private rooms that could be rented out, guaranteeing privacy. Kyuhyun had thought it best to rent a private room because he didn’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable talking about their relationship in the event that someone was listening in.

   He carefully set down the bouquet of flowers and took a seat, while Ryeowook set his box down and sat next to him, leaving the seats across from them for Kyuhyun’s parents.

  “I forgot they had private rooms” Ryeowook said softly.

  “Is it alright?” he asked nervously.

  Ryeowook leaned his head on his shoulder, “it’s perfect. We’ll really be able to talk with them here.”

  Kyuhyun could read between the lines and understood what Ryeowook was getting at. It would be difficult for them to gage how much they could talk about their relationship with his parents if they were in a public setting.

   He kissed the other softly before withdrawing slowly, “plus private rooms have this added benefit.”

  Ryeowook’s ears turned red, “I highly doubt your parents want to see us making out.”

  He smirked and kissed him once more, “but they aren’t here yet” he said innocently.

  Ryeowook looked at him in amusement and kissed him on the cheek, “save it for later” he said winking.

  He sighed, “now who’s the meanie?”

Ryeowook laughed and switched the conversation over to their friends. As they sat there, chatting about when would be a good time to have their next get together, they heard a faint knocking on the door.

   They looked at one another puzzled, if it had been Kyuhyun’s parents, a waiter would have knocked and then just guided them in without any hesitation.

  “Come in” he called.

  A young man, clad in a white chef’s coat appeared.

  Ryeowook immediately paled and Kyuhyun could only guess this was the douchebag assistant chef from before. He gripped his boyfriend’s hand tightly before staring at the man coldly, “may we help you?”

  Ryeowook’s hand felt ice cold, but the smaller put on a brave front and looked at the chef with a wary expression.

  The man scuffled his feet a bit while looking down, “my name is Kim Jong-woon, I was the assistant chef when chef Ryeowook worked here at Appetito.”

  Kyuhyun was not about to start acting friendly, instead he glared the man down, “so I’ve heard, but I doubt you came all the way to see us, just to introduce yourself to your former boss and to a complete stranger now would you?”

  The chef finally looked up and made eye contact with Ryeowook who had kept silent.

  “I came because I wanted to apologize to Chef Ryeowook. I’m guessing he spoke to you about what happened here.”

  Kyuhyun had to suppress a growl, “oh, you must be referring to the days where you and ‘your’ staff treated him atrociously and bullied him into quitting right?” Each word was laced with enough venom to make anyone cower.

  “And if you wanted to apologize, you had three years to do it, why now? You could have easily gone to see Ryeowook,” Kyuhyun spat out.

Ryeowook squeezed his hand lightly, “Kyuhyun, it’s alright, lets hear what he has to say,” the smaller said quietly, but firmly.

  The chef looked regretful at Kyuhyun’s words, but never the less he spoke, “You’re right, this is long overdue…but I didn’t think I had the right to go and see Ryeowook and apologize after what had happened. What I did was absolutely unforgiveable, so I figured if Ryeowook ever came back, then perhaps it meant there was a small chance that he would listen to my apology.”

 He paused looking at both Kyuhyun and Ryeowook for permission to continue. Ryeowook gave a little nod for him to continue, while Kyuhyun glared, but didn’t make any move to interrupt.

  The chef took another breath, “when the head chef here retired, I naturally assumed that I would be taking over the position, but when the owners told me they were bringing in outside help, my pride was completely torn to pieces. I had worked at Appetito four years prior to Chef Ryeowook, so I honestly thought if anyone deserved to become the next head chef, it should have been me. I was so angered by the decision, that I immediately told the staff the news and got their backing. I figured that if we drove out whoever they had hired, everything would be fine…”

   Kyuhyun cut in, incredulity lacing his voice, “so you thought it was okay to use underhanded, deceitful bullying tactics instead of just talking with the owners about this instead?”

   He could feel Ryeowook squeeze his hand again, so he stopped attacking and let the other continue.

  “I know that what I did was completely terrible, but at the time, I honestly thought I was just fighting against a deck of cards that seemed stacked against me. I had tried talking with the owners, but they kept raving to me about a new, up and coming chef who had studied in Italy and had won all of these awards. I felt like no matter what I told them, I was no match for this person who hadn’t even appeared yet.

   When I finally met Chef Ryeowook, I knew his skills were excellent, better than my own, and he was much more creative in the kitchen than I was. I just assumed we’d make the same menu we had always made, but he wanted to completely rework the menu. And I got scared. I realized that I couldn’t compete skill wise or creatively, so I felt like my only option was to get the staff to back me up, which they did without hesitation. I realize that not only have I wronged Chef Ryeowook, but I wronged my staff, who truly stuck with me and backed me up even when it was clear that my skills were lesser. I’ve already apologized to them long ago about this and I’m thankful that they’ve forgiven me.”

   The chef paused and looked at Ryeowook again, “but what I did to you Chef Ryeowook is honestly something I am so ashamed of and I hope that you can one day forgive me. I truly am sorry.” He then proceeded to bow ninety degrees before straightening up again.

   Kyuhyun didn’t realize he was now the one squeezing Ryeowook’s hand until the smaller gave him a small reassuring smile.

  “Jong-woon, thank you for apologizing. I accept your apology, in retrospect, I think I could have handled the situation better than I did, but what’s done is done. And while I can’t say it was a pleasant experience, it really opened a new path, one that I could not be happier with”, he said as he looked at Kyuhyun.

  Kyuhyun grinned back at him. Ryeowook really was something else.

RPOV

 Jong-woon smiled, “thank you Chef Ryeowook, you really are kind. Joie is lucky to have you. I saw that you guys recently received a Michelin star right? I’m really happy for you, I mean it.”

  “Thank you, but my assistant chef and my staff really ought to get the praise. I would honestly be nothing without their effort. By the way, how did you know I was here tonight? This is the first time I’ve been back since I left three years ago”, he asked curiously.  

  “Well, I told my staff that if you ever came back again, they should let me know, so I could properly apologize to you.”

  Ah one of the older waiters must have recognized him when they had come through the main dining area.

  “I see. I’m surprised that the staff remembers me” he said. 

  “Well…you’re kind of famous in the food world now, so our staff wouldn’t really forget you,” Jong-woon said awkwardly.

  Ryeowook frowned, a habit that formed, when it seemed like there was more press about him than the food or his hardworking staff.

   “Is that so?” he said, trying his best to shake off that gloomy feeling.

  Kyuhyun had started rubbing circles on his hand and he could feel a smile already tugging at his lips.

  “Anyways, I’m really happy that I was able to apologize properly to you today. To show you my appreciation, I would like to foot your bill for tonight’s dinner.”

  Ryeowook immediately noticed the change in Kyuhyun’s demeanor. His boyfriend was clearly unhappy with the offer, which confused him because he saw this as a pretty good deal, considering Appetito was a pricy restaurant.

  “Actually we have two more people on the way, so we really don’t want to trouble you,” Kyuhyun bit out.

  Ryeowook watched entertained, as his boyfriend tried to put up a polite front.

  “Oh, that’s no problem at all. I really insist on footing the bill for you and your guests tonight, it’s the least I can do,” Jong-woon said.

    He saw that Kyuhyun’s right eye twitched slightly at the other’s statement and sighed internally, clearly Jong-woon couldn’t take a hint. This was not going to end well for the chef. Kyuhyun clearly didn’t want the other paying and he would make sure that he got his way.

 “I don’t think you understand, tonight is a very special evening and I wouldn’t feel right if someone else footed the bill, so I really must insist on paying,” Kyuhyun said, his voice getting dangerously icy.

  Clearly Joong-woon was starting to get the hint because he could see the other take a little step back from their table.

  “Well then, if you really insist, there’s nothing I can do about that, but if you guys need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. Chef Ryeowook thank you again for accepting my apology, I am truly sorry again for my past behavior.”

  “It’s alright, I’m glad we can both move forward now with no bad feelings,” he said with a small smile.

  Kyuhyun was still unnervingly staring at the poor chef and with that Jong-woon bowed and took his leave.

  “Kyuhyun! What was that?!” he asked slightly exasperated, but mostly amused by his lover’s behavior.

  The taller huffed, “like hell I was about to let another man pay for this dinner! You’re meeting my parents, not His! Call me old fashioned, but it’s not right having someone else pay for the dinner between your boyfriend and parents! You may have accepted his apology, but I’m not about to let him buy his way out of what he did!”

  Ryeowook smiled at his boyfriend’s antics. Call it possessive or what have you, but he somehow found it endearing. He loved that Kyuhyun always spoke his mind, mind you, that sometimes had its downsides too, but for the most part, Ryeowook loved that his boyfriend never hesitated to protect him in any situation. That support was absolutely irreplaceable and priceless to Ryeowook.

  He looked over at his boyfriend who was still on a rant about the Chef and leaned over to kiss him on the lips, before shyly pulling away.

  “Thank you for standing up for me, you have no clue how much that meant to me.”

  Kyuhyun smiled so warmly at him, that he had trouble breathing for a moment.

 “you’re welcome”, his boyfriend then let out a small groan.

 “what’s wrong” he asked, worried at the other’s sudden change.

 “I’m trying to behave, but it’s becoming increasingly more difficult” he said with a small pout.

  Ryeowook lightly hit him on the chest, “how come your thoughts always lead back to something naughty!”

 Kyuhyun looked at him and smirked, pulling his wrist so that he was leaning against him, “do you really want me to answer that?”

 Ryeowook immediately turned pink, “no! You’re right! Don’t answer that, I don’t even want to know what sort of reply I was about to receive…”

  The other laughed at this, which only made Ryeowook’s cheeks and ears turn a brighter pink.

  “Seriously, you are so infuriating sometimes” he grumbled against Kyuhyun’s chest.    

  Suddenly he leaned up and looked at Kyuhyun with a small smile, “By the way it was fun watching lawyer Kyuhyun come out for a while,” Ryeowook teased.

  It was Kyuhyun’s turn to turn to feel slightly flustered now, “I wasn’t that bad!” he defended himself.

  “Jagi, the only reason I didn’t go ballistic on him was because someone was doing it in my place” Ryeowook giggled.  

  Kyuhyun sighed, “I’m sorry if I went a little overboard, keeping my mouth closed has never been a strength of mine.”

  “So I’ve noticed” Ryeowook said lovingly, “but that’s one of the many reasons why I love you.”

  Kyuhyun pulled the other back into hug, “I love you too. But you know, part of the reason I went a little over the top was because I wanted to make sure he knew how much suffering he caused. As much as I would love to believe that you would have gone ballistic on his even without me, I know you tend to forgive rather easily and I was afraid this opportunity would slip by and he would have received your forgiveness for a rather small price. I had to make him suffer a small bit, didn’t I?”

  Ryeowook melted into Kyuhyun’s embrace; he was beyond touched at this point, so he just cuddled into the other’s arms.

  “So am I wrong? Would you really have unleashed your fury on him?” Kyuhyun asked.

He smiled into the fabric of Kyuhyun’s shirt before looking back up at him, “No, you’re not wrong, you probably hit the nail on the head. But you know, part of the reason I was able to forgive him so easily was that when I told you about my past here, so much of the sadness, disappointment, and anger that I had been hanging onto disappeared. Just being able to tell you my past here was basically what I needed to really move on from all the bad memories here.”

KPOV

  Ryeowook always surprised him. The latter could get embarrassed so easily when he , but then at other times, he was so honest, that Kyuhyun was stunned into silence, which hardly ever happened.

  Before he could say anything, Ryeowook gave him a sweet kiss, “so thank you for removing all the bad memories away Kyuhyun.”

  At this point, all he wanted was to be back at his apartment with the smaller in his arms, he was so emotionally charged right now, that he was starting to think that maybe he should just drag his boyfriend away and just forget the whole dinner. But before he could do such a thing, he heard familiar voices approaching.

  “I can’t believe how late we are honey!” he heard his mother say.

 “I can’t believe how much traffic there was…” he could hear his dad mumble.

 “Right this way Mr. and Mrs. Cho.”

 Kyuhyun silently cursed, looks like escaping now was no longer an option, introductions were finally about to be made.