‘Has it ever crossed your mind that he smells a little funny?’
‘Mother!’
‘Truly.’

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and suppresses a sigh. Moving back in with his parents after graduation wasn’t ideal, but even thinking of getting a place by himself off of his starting salary was laughable. The year that spanned between his graduation and Jongin’s had proven to be much the same as it was before he ever went to live on campus - he ate breakfast his mother made across the table from his father, and helped out around the house when he had the time.

Overall, he’d enjoyed being in his family’s company again. It was nice. His mother was happy to have him back in the house, and the wrinkles along his father’s face softened when he greeted the old man in the morning. Everything was peaceful in the Do household.

‘Soo! I can’t find my fluffy towel!’ Jongin hollers.

That is, until Jongin moved in.

‘He’s a grown man, what does he need a fluffy towel for?’ Mrs Do hisses, chest puffing out in indignation. Kyungsoo bites the inside of his cheek, thanking the stars when Jongin yells a happy never mind, I found it a couple of seconds later.

Kyungsoo knows he has a lot to be thankful to his parents for. They’d fed him, clothed him, given him a good home and a good education. When the rest of their friends’ children had issues bringing home partners for the holidays, Kyungsoo had brought back an engagement ring, and neither parent had bat an eyelid. He knew some of his mother’s friends didn’t approve, venom in their voices when he picked up the phone for her, but she never said a word about them to him.

All in all, his mother was more than he could have possibly asked for, and he loves her infinitely - but sometimes, well.

‘Also, he snores. I can’t imagine how you can sleep next to that noise all night,’ she says, taking the running water as a signal that it was okay to go into her son’s bedroom.

Sometimes Kyungsoo wishes she’d be kinder to Jongin.

He follows after her, laundry basket in his arms.

‘Mother,’ Kyungsoo begins, trying to keep his voice level, ‘Can I just ask you one thing? Why don’t you like Jongin? It’s been years and you were never this mean about him before.’

Mrs Do tilts her head a little, the large eyes she’d passed down to her son examining him. ‘Honestly? I liked him better before I found out he had a permanent airway obstruction cemented in the back of his thr -’

‘Mother,’ says Kyungsoo, exasperation seeping into his voice as he joins his mother, cross legged on the floor. He takes a deep breath. ‘I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with him. You know this, you’re the one helping Baekhyun with all the wedding planning. I can’t… Mother, I can’t marry him knowing full well that you hate him. Please tell me why you dislike him so much,’ he begs, and he inwardly whoops when he sees his mother’s face soften.

‘You really love him, don’t you?’ she asks, and he his lips before he nods. The gentle whisper of so much almost goes unheard, but when a child needs his mother, she makes him her whole world. She lifts her hand to brush her fingers against his cheek. ‘Enough to spend the rest of your life with him?’

Something about the way his mother says it makes the ring around his finger seem a little heavier, the beating of his heart count down the minutes until he’s finally Jongin’s forever. Something about the tone of his mother’s voice makes everything feel more real to him, and the yesthat stumbles off his tongue does so with so much grace and firmness even he’s surprised by it.

There’s no going back now.

‘Okay, honey. If this is what you w -’

‘Baby?’ Jongin interrupts, voice echoing off bathroom tiles as the doorknob of Kyungsoo’s bathroom turns. ‘I thought you said you were going to join m - ’

Jongin steps out of the bathroom, hair sticking to his forehead, water trailing across his skin - and Kyungsoo wants to bury himself.

Jongin is completely .

‘PUT THAT THING AWAY!’ Mrs Do shrieks, instinctively reaching for some freshly washed laundry and throwing it at her future son-in-law.

Kyungsoo groans.

‘I NEVER WANT TO SEE ANY OF THAT AGAIN!’

And it was all going so well.