(Daehyun's Perspective)

Making sure he was completely ready had its struggles. Well, one struggle mainly. A good majority of Daehyun's time had been spent shaving his legs since he was going to be wearing a skirt today. If it were just him hanging out with Zelo, he wouldn't have minded just throwing on some leggings to cover his hairy legs.

But this was not him hanging out with his best friend, this was a much more precarious situation. Daehyun wasn't taking any chances that Youngjae's parents would get suspicious because he had hairy legs, so the leg hair was coming off.

Shaving wasn't foreign to him. Daehyun shaved his face every morning as part of his routine to make sure it was nice and smooth since he wasn't the biggest fan of stubble or facial hair. The problem came from the fact that he'd never shaved his legs before. He'd gotten tips from Zelo since he did it often, but that didn't prepare Daehyun for just how long it would take and just how awkward the positions he had to sit in to make sure he missed no spot were.

But how smooth his legs felt after the fact made the two hours spent sitting in the tub oddly worth it to him. He might need to do this more often. If he did, maybe it wouldn't take two hours each time since there'd be less hair?

Outfitting hadn't been a problem. Zelo had, entirely unprompted, bought Daehyun even more clothing as well as some shoes and a purse. How Zelo got his shoe size, Daehyun had no idea, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. His best friend worked in mysterious ways...

But the choices were almost overwhelming because Zelo had gotten Daehyun's feminine fashion sense down pat with his impromptu shopping spree! Pastels, floral print, and things that paired well with them!

Daehyun settled for a plain coloured knee length skirt, a woman's button up collared blouse that was light pink and faintly floral print, and flats that matched the skirt. Of course, he made sure to be wearing one of the sports bras he'd gotten that allowed him to slip in the inserts he'd also purchased for this specific purpose. Just enough to indicate the presence of something, but nothing incredibly noticeable that it would look out of place...

Makeup was also no problem! He'd done his own enough times that the simple look he preferred was instinctual. Zelo had walked him through wig application enough that Daehyun felt comfortable doing it on his own, so there were little complications with that, either.

Daehyun was all ready to go when Jaebeom messaged that he was parked outside in the complex parking lot, a bit earlier than expected but not by much.

“Geez, you look tired and we haven't even gotten into it yet,” Jaebeom commented as Daehyun slipped into the car so they could get the show on the road.

“Do I?” Daehyun looked his face over in the car visor mirror and pouted a bit at the fact that the makeup job he'd done didn't completely mask his physical tiredness. “I... guess I didn't sleep too well last night.”

“Nerves get at ya?”

He'd fallen asleep perfectly fine, even allowed himself to cozy up to Youngjae a bit instead of keeping his distance. It was probably the nightmare that had woken him up in a panic that caused Daehyun to not be as well rested as he should be, but Jaebeom didn't need to know that.

Daehyun shrugged. “I guess so.”

At least waking up to see Youngjae there calmed down his brain enough that he hadn't gone into the full blown panic mode that normally happened when Daehyun's slumber brought him back a few years. Not enough to go back to sleep, but he was able to get up and distract his nerves enough that by the time Youngjae got up, he was mostly calmed down. Going through Youngjae's morning routine with him fully extinguished any lingering panic, so by the time Youngjae was leaving for work, Daehyun felt light on his feet!

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” Jaebeom asked, and Daehyun noticed they were pulling into a drive thru.

He squinted to himself. 'What is it with people asking me if I've eaten?' he wondered. “No, but I ate breakfast with Youngjae before he left for work. I'm still full from that.” There was also the fact that Daehyun didn't want to risk still being full at dinner because he didn't want to come across as disrespectful and not eat the food placed in front of him.

Jaebeom let out a hum to indicate he'd heard Daehyun's answer. “What do you want to drink then? It's a long drive, so you gotta hydrate or die-drate.”

Daehyun wasn't familiar with that phrasing, but he understood the sentiment behind it. “Just some water.”

After Jaebeom ordered his small lunch and Daehyun's drink, they were stuck waiting for a bit given that it was the lunch rush. The only sound in the car was low volume music coming from the radio speakers, but the lack of conversation wasn't uncomfortable. Daehyun's focus shifted from listening to the tune, to watching the cars go by, to eventually the way Jaebeom's fingers were massaging into his right knee during their wait.

Very rhythmically, like he was trying to soothe away pain... “Is your knee okay?” Daehyun asked.

“Ah, yeah,” he responded while his fingers still worked at his knee through the denim of his pants. “Sometimes my knee hurts and I gotta take some Ibuprofen. It just hasn't kicked in yet, that's all.”

Daehyun might not have been able to focus too well during his medical studies, but he did have a decent understanding of physical pains of the human body. “It hurts... like arthritis? Or an injury?”

“Messed up my knee pretty bad in high school and had to have surgery,” Jaebeom explained. “Most days the pain is manageable so long as I take frequent breaks. Other days it hurts like crazy, mainly when it's supposed to rain. So I'm willing to bet it's gonna at least start drizzling on the ride down to the Yoos' place.” From the way the clouds blanketed the sky, Daehyun was willing to bet the same.

Daehyun hummed his understanding. “If it's still hurting you even after surgery, you should probably get it checked out again,” he suggested quietly. “Pain that lasts for years isn't supposed to be a side effect of surgeries, so it's possible there's still something wrong, and working a job where you're constantly on your feet won't help your knee get any better.”

At first, Daehyun was worried that he'd offended Jaebeom based on the silence that followed, but the chuckle he settled for flicked that worry in the forehead. “That's actually on my to-do list,” he admitted as they pulled up to the window, and after he'd paid and been handed his order, he elaborated, “I called to make an appointment, and they couldn't see me until fall. So it's gonna be a bit before I can get that resolved. Want a fry?”

He held out a cup of fries towards Daehyun, who shook his head. He shrugged and placed the container into the cup holder alongside his drink, and Daehyun kept his water held between his knees while Jaebeom balanced a nugget box on his thigh.

As they were pulling out of the drive thru to begin the lengthy drive to the Yoos house, Jaebeom's phone blared out a notification sound. “Will you tell me who that was?” he requested.

Daehyun took a glance at the phone screen to see who'd sent the message. “It's from 'My Dear'... I'm guessing that's Youngjae?” After all, he'd heard Jaebeom call Youngjae that before and was aware of the origin story of the nickname.

Jaebeom hummed the affirmative. “I know like, three different Youngjaes. So I gotta differentiate them in my phone somehow. Will you open it and tell me what it says?” Daehyun didn't like the idea of going through someone else's phone, but he it up since he was being asked to. Daehyun read the message aloud for Jaebeom, but not at the volume level indicated by the fact it was in all caps.

My Dear – 12:01

PLEASE WARN MY PARENTS ABOUT DAEHYUN'S SPICE ALLERGY! IT SLIPPED MY MIND TO WARN HIM ABOUT HOW UMMA COOKS! D:

“You have a spice allergy?”

“It's more like... sensitive taste buds?” Daehyun clarified. “Foods that have lots of spices and seasoning um... they make my tongue hurt? Like, it burns? And sometimes if there's too much my tongue swells a bit? It's not like, I go into anaphylaxis or get hives or anything... It's just... uncomfortable? I can handle it if that's how they cook.”

“Uh, no?” Jaebeom declined. “If it causes you pain, then there's no way I'm not telling them to tone it down! Mrs. Yoo cooks with so many spices it's a miracle you can taste the food through it!” That sounded like an absolute nightmare for Daehyun's taste buds. “Will you let Youngjae know I've got it duly noted?”

Rather than type up a message on Jaebeom's phone, Daehyun messaged Youngjae from his.

Me – 12:03

Jaebeom is driving, but he's received the message and said he'd be sure to give the warning.

Youngjae – 12:04

I'm sorry I didn't let you know beforehand :(

Me – 12:05

It's fine! This isn't something people usually have to worry about, so I'm not going to fault you for it!

While Daehyun still wasn't sure how Youngjae had come across the knowledge of his sensitive taste buds because he certainly hadn't said anything about it, Daehyun guessed it had something to do with a certain best friend of his...

The drive continued on with menial conversation, the predicted drizzle eventually came, and they soon found themselves driving slowly through the streets of an upper class suburban neighbourhood. Based on how long it took to get there, Daehyun guessed they were nearing their destination.

Nervously and awkwardly, he adjusted the sports bra through his blouse in the hopes that the slight curve the bra inserts provided looked believable and not out of place.

“Don't mess with them so much, otherwise they'll definitely look fake,” Jaebeom advised.

“Do you really think this will work?” Daehyun moved his fingers to swish the hair from the wig back so he could fiddle with the collar of his shirt instead.

“Not with that tone of voice... Daena.” Jaebeom raised a brow in amusement as they pulled into the driveway of the house that Daehyun assumed belonged to Youngjae's parents.

'Right, I can't let those pitch lessons I've been putting myself through go to waste!' For only having a little less than two weeks to get it down, it wasn't a bad impression! He cleared his throat and adjusted his breathing before speaking again in a decent rendition of a lower pitched feminine voice. “Will all of this be enough?”

Jaebeom shrugged. “You've gone the whole nine yards with this, so I don't see how it wouldn't be. The only way I can see this failing is if you slip up with your voice.”

Daehyun glared at him with a frown. “That's not reassuring, Jaebeom.”

He chuckled from his seat. “It's not all on you, at least. Youngjae's part is just as big yours. One slip up from him could also spell out this plan's doom,” he explained casually.

Daehyun narrowed his eyes at him. “That's also not reassuring.”

“Come on, it'll be fine! I'm sure of it,” Jaebeom insisted. “Besides, Youngjae's parents will probably be too blinded by the fact that Youngjae even agreed to do this, so they probably won't be paying too much attention to details.”

“If you say so.”

Daehyun tried to keep that thought in mind as Jaebeom walked him to the door, making sure the umbrella he'd dug out from the backseat was shielding Daehyun from the persistent drizzle. It was very gentlemanly of him, and Daehyun was thankful for the unprompted action. After all, he had no idea how rain would affect his wig, and he knew the one makeup palette he had wasn't waterproof.

Jaebeom shook out his umbrella after they were under the awning of the front door and once he'd rung the doorbell. Daehyun gave himself one more little mental pep talk, then the door was answered by a middle aged woman who Daehyun guessed was Youngjae's umma.

Her hair that was styled with a more youthful haircut looked recently dyed, likely to purge any unwanted grays from sight. She had a light dust of makeup over her face to hide signs of aging, and she was dressed more like she was going to meet someone for a business meeting at a fancy restaurant rather than making dinner in her own home. In these aspects, she reminded Daehyun of his own umma, but those were likely the only similarities and were also shared by other middle aged women holding onto their youths.

For one, Youngjae's umma actually cooked while Daehyun's just hired someone else to do it. Secondly, Youngjae's umma appeared to brim with all sorts of cheeriness while his umma never showed anything more than distaste or disappointment...

“Oh, hello!” she greeted brightly, pushing the door closed behind them after she ushered them in excitedly. “I hope you two didn't have any problems getting here.”

“I don't really care for driving in the rain, but other than that, no problems,” Jaebeom responded, hanging up his umbrella on a hook by the door and kicking off his shoes. He was certainly making himself comfortable!

'I guess he has that liberty since he's probably been coming here since he was a kid...'

“So, this must be Daena?” she asked, giving Daehyun a curious glance over.

Daehyun made sure to recall his pitch training before answering. “Um, yes ma'am. I'm Daena.”

“So polite, too! What a dear!” she beamed, and in the way she smiled with every bit of her face, it was clear that Youngjae took after his umma in that regard. “Well Daena, I'm Minjung,” she introduced, “It's a pleasure to meet you!”

Daehyun tried not to fiddle with his fingers too nervously as he responded, matching her smile with one of his own. “Likewise, ma'am.”

“How about the three of us go make ourselves comfortable in the sitting room with some tea?” Minjung suggested. “Youngchul should be home soon to join us, and certainly we have quite a bit we can talk about!”

Not too much later, Jaebeom and Daehyun were settled on the couch while Minjung settled herself in one of the arm chairs adjacent to them. The tea she'd made was a more bitter and strong tea than Daehyun was used to, and the flavour profile led to the forewarning about Daehyun's allergy. Minjung noted that and said she'd hold back on the flavour when it came time to make dinner.

Daehyun tactic was to let Jaebeom take the lead in talking and only interject or add input when prompted. A tactic that worked, for the most part. Daehyun busied himself with pretending to listen to the conversation while he took in the surroundings.

On the walls hung many framed pictures with various people in each one, some familiar but most unknown. Based on what little knowledge he had, Daehyun made conclusions on who was who. He made sure to at least keep an ear open to what Jaebeom and Minjung were discussing while he inspected the photos further so if he was asked to offer anything, he could without feeling like a deer in headlights.

There was an aged wedding photo of a young Minjung and a man Daehyun guessed to be Youngchul. Two photos from when each son was born, then a family photo of Youngchul and Minjung with two young boys in front of them. The smaller grinned in a way that showed familiar dimples, which meant the taller child was Youngjae's older brother, Youngwon.

As Daehyun observed the other photos, it was clear to him that Youngjae favoured his umma more in appearance while his older brother looked more like their appa. The similarities became even more apparent as the photos showed how they aged. Youngwon was stockier and more built, eventually leaning into well trimmed facial hair. Youngjae never got the muscle mass or the facial hair, instead embracing a softer and far less chiseled charm.

One photo was of a child Youngjae happily seated at the piano with fingers on the keys and feet nowhere near touching the ground. Another saw Youngjae a bit older helping his umma in the kitchen by mixing something in a bowl and seeming really happy to be doing it.

Some were of Youngwon before, during, or after soccer games. Some had him with various soccer awards, others were just of him and some of the members from the soccer team with their awards. Daehyun vaguely recognized Jaebeom in some of them.

Then there were two graduation photos, side by side. One was Youngjae's. He stood proudly in the middle of the photo, parents on one side and Yongguk, Jaebeom also in graduation robes, and an older woman next to Jaebeom on the other. The other photo was Youngwon's, and it was similar in the sense most of the people in Youngjae's photo were there, but there were some minor changes. Yongguk was in graduation robes instead of Jaebeom, the older woman that was in Youngjae's wasn't there, and there was also a girl that only made an appearance in two other photos. A prom picture, and a second wedding photo but with her as the bride and Youngwon as the groom.

If Daehyun had to guess based on what information he had, that woman was Hyunmi, the girl Youngwon had married shortly after graduating.

The photos certainly painted a picture of a very happy family. With parents who were proud of their children and their accomplishments and supporting them in their choices and hobbies, and children who were happy in what they were doing as the years went on.

'Where did it go wrong then? What happened outside of these pictures that has Youngwon and Hyunmi gone and also has Youngjae doing his best to avoid them?' Daehyun mused. Youngjae said he didn't like speaking with his parents because of their active lack of support in him being gay, but Daehyun got the feeling that was just a side effect to a bigger issue way more deep rooted. Especially since it affected both Youngjae and his presumably straight brother.

Daehyun tried not to dwell on that too much, though. After all, it wasn't his business to pry into family matters. Instead, he tried to focus more on light conversation with Jaebeom and Minjung.

After small discussion on himself, which Daehyun tried to give answers that were just enough to not prompt further inquiries, the topic of discussion turning into whatever Minjung felt like talking about. Which relieved Daehyun because it meant he hadn't set off any alarms!

During this time, Youngchul returned home. Also dressed finely, but that was because he was coming home from work. Which, now that Daehyun thought about it more, Minjung probably came home from work early for this meeting and that was why she was dressed up fancier.

The only thing of significance that came from Youngchul joining into the conversation was that he was pleased that Daena didn't have a handshake like a dead fish. Youngchul didn't give off an overwhelming commanding presence, but he did carry himself like he was in charge. Despite that, he was a jovial fellow who was just as interested in getting to know Daena as Minjung had been. While Minjung was in the kitchen preparing dinner, Jaebeom and Daehyun went over the same things they'd gone over earlier for Youngchul.

As they finished up with that, Jaebeom got a phone notification. After glancing at it, Jaebeom heaved himself off the couch. “Well, that's my cue. Youngjae's almost here and I don't want him to know I was involved in this.”

“Of course, this will just be between the lot of us,” Youngchul said. “Thank you for at least doing this much.”

Jaebeom rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, don't mention it,” he responded with a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“Do you have any last minute advice for me, Jaebeom?” Daehyun asked, making sure his voice was at the appropriate tune for Daena as he twirled his fingers around to combat the nerves.

“Don't worry so much about it,” he said with a shrug.

Daehyun pouted slightly. “You know I'm a worrier.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. But I wouldn't have gone through with this if I didn't think you two were a good match. I wouldn't introduce just anybody to my best friend, after all,” he admitted with a wink and a bit of a grin. “You'll do fine, Daena. Just... have some patience, yeah? Message me when everything's done so I can come pick you up. I'll go visit with my umma in the meantime. Until then... good luck!”

After giving his thanks and realizing he probably just got the ultimate stamp of approval from Youngjae's best friend, Daehyun was called to assist in getting the dining room set up for dinnertime while Youngchul walked Jaebeom to the door.

Minjung was making a new batch of tea on the stove, much like he'd seen Youngjae do before. With a pot and a ladle. 'So... Youngjae's unconventional tea habits are passed down?' It was hard for Daehyun to not be baffled by this revelation as Minjung directed him to where plates, glasses, and silverware were.

It was while the two of them were setting the table that Daehyun heard the knock on the door, then the call from Youngchul that he'd get it.

Daehyun steadied his nerves with a few deep breaths and smoothed out his skirt, registering the welcome conversation between Youngjae and his appa. Then Youngjae appeared in the archway to the dining room, looking just as he had when he'd left that morning. Casual in denim jeans and a graphic tee.

Their gazes met briefly before Daehyun glanced away. It was harder than he expected to make sure he didn't come off like he knew Youngjae prior to this. All Daehyun wanted to do was ask about his boyfriend's day and chat with him about his, and his heart started fluttering about with the mental reminder of how they'd parted that morning.

“So... you're Daena, then?” he inquired slowly, like he was choosing his words very carefully.

When Daehyun opened his mouth to respond the affirmative, it was Minjung who ended up answering. “Yes, this is Daena.”

Daehyun frowned, deciding he wasn't going to allow someone he didn't know to speak on his behalf. “I'm more than capable of speaking for myself, ma'am.” With his declaration, he made extra sure that his tone wouldn't come off as rude.

Youngjae apparently had the same idea, because right as Daehyun was saying that, he offered, “I'm pretty sure she can talk for herself, Umma.”

And then there was a bit of stunned silence, neither one of them having expected the other to speak up like that. After a few dumbfounded blinks between them, Minjung's voice cut through the silence. “Of course, dear! My apologies.”

Daehyun wasn't too sure who she was saying that to, but rather than try to determine that, he brought his attention back to Youngjae. “Yes, I'm Daena,” he introduced, not caring that he technically already knew that thanks to Minjung's interruption. “You must be Youngjae?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that's me.”

“Well Youngjae, it's nice to meet you.” Daehyun did his best to appear at the normal levels of cheerful someone would be at meeting someone for the first time rather than the happiness that he wanted to radiate at being near his kind and supportive boyfriend.

“Likewise, I suppose.”

The way I act around my parents has nothing to do with how I feel about you.

Daehyun allowed the mental reminder to settle over him. 'That's right, this is all just for show. This isn't a depiction of how Youngjae actually thinks of me...'

“How about we get washed up for dinner and take our places at the table?” Minjung suggested. “Dinner's just about ready to come out of the oven!”

After washing up, Youngchul, Youngjae, and Daehyun took their seats at the table. Minjung was still in the kitchen to put the last touches on dinner, so she was going to be another minute or so.

Youngjae brought his attention to Daehyun after a quick sip of his tea. “So how did you meet my parents?”

Once again, when Daehyun opened his mouth to speak, it was someone else who cut him off to put in their input. This time it was Youngchul. “That's really not important, Youngjae.”

Youngjae shot a glare his appa's way while Daehyun let out an annoyed huff at being interrupted once again. “I'm engaging in conversation. You know, that thing you do to get to know people better?” Youngjae sassed, frowning as he did so. Then he turned his attention back to Daehyun. “You were about to speak?”

Even when they were pretending like they didn't know each other, Youngjae was still being so kind, which made Daehyun feel a bit better about the situation at hand. “Oh, I'm friends with someone that they're acquainted with,” he carefully answered, recalling Jaebeom's false declaration from earlier.

“I see.” He took a casual sip of tea right as Minjung was carrying in dinner to the center placemat.

It was with apprehension that Daehyun observed the food that was heaped onto his plate. With the way it smelled full of flavours, he was immediately worried about the taste. Which, while nice for his olfactory sense because smelling flavourful food was an enjoyable experience, didn't seem promising for his sensitive taste buds.

Minjung ate happily. Youngjae narrowed his eyes at his food after taking a bite. Youngchul did a double take after chewing, then sent a confused look towards his wife. Daehyun's hesitant bite was met with his tongue being flooded with intense flavours, then an immediate surge of a burning sensitivity as he swallowed his bite.

He must've had a look on his face because Youngjae asked, “Is something wrong?” Daehyun could tell by the look in his eyes that he had an idea of what was going on already.

Daehyun took a heavy sip from his ice water, the cooling sensation doing little to subdue the tingling of his tongue. “Um, Miss Minjung, did you forget about my warning from earlier?” he asked worriedly.

“No, of course not! I didn't even use a quarter of the spices I normally use,” she responded.

“No wonder it's so bland,” Youngchul commented, poking at his food like a child not wanting to eat his vegetables.

“This is bland for you?” Daehyun noted the slight swelling of his tongue was starting to cause his speech to lisp slightly. He stared at the food in a bit of a hopeless panic, trying to decide whether putting himself through more physical discomfort for the sake of not coming off as disrespectful was worth it.

Youngjae looked between all of them. “What's going on?”

“I... have an allergy towards spices that give me very... sensitive taste buds,” Daehyun answered very slowly, having to pay extra attention to how he moved his tongue to cause the least amount of pain through the lisping.

Minjung went into an immediate panic. “Do we need to go to the emergency room to get you stabilized?” she frantically worried.

“No, no!” Daehyun firmly shook his head. “It's not that severe of an allergy. It's just... pain and light swelling.” Minjung seemed to calm down a bit at that and instead switched into looking incredibly guilty. “I'll... be fine.”

“Well, certainly don't eat anymore,” Youngjae declared. “If it's painful for you, don't put yourself through that.” Then he shot a glare towards his umma.

Daehyun nodded his understanding. He internally hoped that ice would help calm it down and promptly took a sip from his water so he could get one of the ice cubes from that to hold on his tongue.

He repeated this tactic once the ice cube melted, and for the most part, it worked. Keeping an ice cube on his tongue throughout the duration of dinner numbed the pain, at least. His ability to speak was shot for the rest of dinner, though. So he had no choice but to allow Youngjae's parents to put words in his mouth.

Every time they said something, Youngjae always looked over at Daehyun for some form of clarification, whether it was a nod, a shake of the head, or a few lisped words between ice cubes. Even without the pain, his tongue's swelling hadn't gone all the way down, and the numbness from the cold also made his words less articulate.

But at least in that sense, Daehyun was still able to have some sort of say in what was going on!

The plan he and Youngjae established beforehand was to leave immediately after dinner. Something that was prompted into once Minjung started clearing the table and Youngchul joining her when she whispered something into his ear.

“Well, it's probably time I get going,” Youngjae decided as he scooted his chair back enough to get up. Then brought his gaze to Daehyun. “Do you need a ride a home?”

“I was just going to message my friend to come and pick me up,” he slowly responded, feeling shy as he always got when Youngjae looked at him so gently.

“I don't mind driving you,” he declared. Then he rubbed at the back of his head nervously. “If that's something you're okay with, that is.”

With his lips upturned into a small smile, Daehyun nodded. “I'll... let my friend know.”

After Daehyun got up to get his things and to send a message Jaebeom's way, Youngjae went into the kitchen to give his thanks for dinner and say his goodbyes to his parents. They were apparently loitering just out of sight in the kitchen during Daehyun's and Youngjae's exchange.

Or Daehyun guessed that based on Youngjae exasperatedly asking them why they were sneaking around in their own house when he'd walked into the kitchen.

Daehyun gave his goodbyes as well once they stopped hiding and returned to cleaning up the dinner table. He didn't feel right thanking them for dinner, though.

The drizzle was still going when they stepped out into the evening air, and this time Youngjae sheltered Daehyun under his umbrella on the way to the car. As soon as he started it, he turned to Daehyun and asked with very strong concern radiating off him, “Are you okay?”

Daehyun nodded, thankful that he was finally able to speak without having to monitor his pitch. “The pain is gone. It's just numb now.” He also put less effort into masking the lisp from the numbness since the swelling had gone down completely. “That should go away soon, though.”

“Do you want me to drive you through somewhere to get you some food?” he wondered as he pulled out of his parents' driveway. “Or would you rather me make something when we get to the lake house?”

Daehyun hummed, thinking of the types of food he could handle eating when his tongue was hurting. It might not be hurting now, but he didn't know if it would go back to a dull throb or back to normal once the numbness was gone. “Do you have mashed potatoes at the lake house?”

“Like... boxed mashed potatoes, or actual potatoes to make homemade mashed potatoes?”

“I... figured boxed?”

He nodded and hummed the affirmative. “Yeah, there's some in the cabinets,” he answered. “I'll get those started once we get in.”

Daehyun decided that, while he waited for his potatoes, he'd go ahead and get out of the Daena get up and into something cozier. It had been a long day, and he wanted to begin the process of unwinding sooner rather than later.

After carefully de-wigging, tending to his wig, packing the bobby pins and bra inserts away, and doing a preliminary wash of his face to get the makeup off before a quick shower, Daehyun found himself curled up next to Youngjae on the couch.

They watched something low key on the television, Daehyun with a large bowl of pleasantly bland mashed potatoes in his lap. Youngjae draped an arm over his shoulders in a way that had Daehyun leaned into his side, but not in a way that made it hard to eat his potatoes.

And Daehyun was real thankful to Hyosung for giving him the entire weekend off rather than just the one day he'd asked for!

--

A/N:

This just in: local gay and his boyfriend successfully manage to fool his parents and have earned a well deserved break! But we all know there's more coming for the both of them...

Daehyun taking two hours to shave his legs is remniscent of me taking that long to shave my legs. I despise shaving so very much! Also, schemer level is now at 9 because I think Jaebeom would definitely be telling his umma about what was going on.