Y'all didn't forget about us, did you? 

“Well, Chanyeol, I must say this comes as quite a surprise. We were worried our daughter might have fallen into the wrong crowd, but if she’s associating herself with such nice gentlemen like you, it’s reassuring to say the least.”

Chanyeol beamed widely at your parents. You would have thought he was laying it on a bit thick with how nice and happy he was being, but you knew that was just how he was.

He had insisted on taking you home after school so he could meet your parents before you started dating. He made it clear he was determined to do this whole courtship thing right, by the book. And that entailed getting your parents’ blessing. You were nervous about this, but they had warmed up nicely to Chanyeol, and you thought that as long as they didn’t know you were with him every time you snuck out, then they would trust him.

“Now, Chanyeol,” your father began sternly, trying to be serious but you could see he was hiding a smile. “Our Mary Sue does have to be home at a reasonable time.”

Chanyeol nodded quickly. “Of course, she told me about the curfew.”

Your parents smiled wider at this, sharing a pleased look between the two of them.

“I promise I’ll have her home safely by ten every night.” And he dazzled them again with another smile.

“Very well,” your father acquiesced. “You may date our daughter.”

“Thank you very much, sir,” Chanyeol replied, bowing. He would have stayed to up some more, but you grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the house before you could suffocate from the levels of bull.

“They like you,” you told him in the car, as if he needed to hear it from you.

“They do?” He just couldn’t stop smiling. His eyes had lit up like sparklers.

“You’re charming,” you said.

You didn’t miss the slight tinge of pink that crept onto his face when you said that.

“So where do you want to go for our first date?” he asked.

You shrugged. “Coffee and a walk in the park?” you suggested, remembering the day you had spent with him doing just that, and talking with him and generally enjoying his company. It would be nice to do it again, now that you were officially dating.

He smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

“Transvestite?!” Key spluttered hysterically. He was laughing rather uncontrollably, pounding his fists on his mattress, while Jonghyun just sat there and pouted at him.

“It’s not funny,” he muttered indignantly.

Key tried to reign in his laughter when he saw the look on Jonghyun’s face. “You’re right,” he said, humor still laced throughout his voice. “It’s not funny.” He did his best to put on a serious face, trying to show a little empathy. Jonghyun could tell he was having a hard time with it though. Sure enough, Key lost control a moment later and erupted into laughter again.

Jonghyun’s expression just became more pathetic. “Key!” he whined, smooshing one of Key’s pillows over his face. “You’re not helping the situation.” His grumbling was muffled by the fluffiness of the pillow.

Key lifted the sparkly pillow from Jonghyun’s face and looked at him with a smile, a much gentler smile than he had on before. “Hey,” he nudged. “I’m sorry, okay?”

Jonghyun smiled. He supposed it was okay.

Encouraged by this, Key leaned down and brought their lips together. Jonghyun laced his fingers through his hair and brought him closer. Key moved to a more accommodating position on top of Jonghyun, who moved his hands to his waist. He felt Key’s tongue nudge his lips insistently, and he complied and let him intensify the kiss.

Their breathing became heavier, and Jonghyun’s heart rate quickened. He felt Key tugging at the hem of his shirt before sliding his cool hand beneath it. Key moved to kiss along his jawline, and Jonghyun exhaled shakily as fingers trailed teasingly down his ribs.

“What time is it?” he suddenly choked out.

“Who cares?” Key responded, refusing to leave Jonghyun’s neck.

He sat up suddenly, forcing Key to sit up with him, and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost 9:30.

Key huffed in incredulous annoyance. “You know, when Kai lost his teleportation powers, I though I wouldn’t have to worry about s anymore,” he said. “But you’re doing a fine enough job of it yourself.”

“I have to leave soon,” Jonghyun simply stated. “Curfew’s at ten.”

Key sighed heavily. “Why can’t you just forget the curfew?”

Jonghyun shook his head. “They already think I’m a transvestite. I don’t want them also thinking that I moonlight as a male e or something.”

“Who cares what they think?” Key retorted. “Why should it matter if they think you go around at night carving homeless people’s faces in the image of Cthulu?”

“I don’t want them to worry about me or be scared of me,” he said. “They’re my parents, Key. I want to have a good relationship with them.”

Their eyes met, and Jonghyun saw a sudden seriousness in Key’s expression. “Then tell them the truth,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “Or is being in a relationship with me just as bad?”

Jonghyun didn’t want to see the hurt in those eyes. He averted his gaze downwards. Key took that as his answer.

“Go home,” he stated in the same voice. “You don’t want to be late for curfew. What would your parents think?”

He had nothing to say to that. What could he say? What could possibly make this better? So he silently obeyed and left, not once able to bring himself to look back at Key’s hurt expression.

After a day in the park sipping lattes (which Chanyeol insisted he’d pay for) and then later feeding each other some little pastries from a small bakery nearby, you waved goodbye to Chanyeol from your doorstep and stepped inside at 9:45. You passed your parents, who smiled at you, apparently pleased, and told you there was something that came for you in the mail, and scampered on up to your room where Jonghyun was lying on your bed and staring up at the ceiling.

“How was your date with Chanyeol?” he asked you without changing the direction of his gaze.

You sighed wistfully in response. “It was perfect,” was all you could say.

He smiled meekly. “Oh. That’s good.”

“What did you do today?” you asked him, practically skipping across the room to plop yourself down on the bed beside him.

“Oh, you know,” he sighed. “Hung out at Key’s house.”

“Sounds like fun,” you said, more just to say something than anything.

“Yeah…”

It was silent for a few moments, and your mind drifted back to Chanyeol.

“Mary Sue?”

“Hm?”

A pause. “What do you think Donghae’s parents thought about him and Eunhyuk?”

“What?” You had to bring yourself back down to earth.

“Do you think they understood?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about when Donghae finally admitted that Eunhyuk was his true love. Do you think his parents understood? Or do you think he had a hard time talking to them about it? Like would they be confused, or would they refuse to believe it, or would they be unhappy about it?” He turned his wide eyes to you. “What do you think, Mary Sue?”

He seemed really worried about Donghae. You smiled and chuckled. “Jonghyun, don’t worry,” you told him with a friendly pat on the cheek. “Guys can’t love each other.”

Jonghyun sighed and looked away from you. “Right,” he muttered, pushing your hand away. Then he rolled off your bed and stalked out of the room without another word.

You looked after him, hoping he would feel better later.

Then you remembered that thing you got in the mail, which you were still holding. It was an unmarked envelope, besides the sloppy “Mary Sue” scrawled across it. You opened it and took out a letter that was written in red…lipstick?

“Really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover

Everyone isn’t called

New girl”

You scanned it twice and blinked at it confusedly.

“What?!”