(Youngjae's Perspective)

“I'll have to talk with Daena about it. Goodbye, Umma.”

He didn't even bother to let her finish saying her farewell before he clicked the call to end and set his phone down. As Youngjae pinched the bridge of his nose, he let out a heavy sigh of exasperation. He was so close to just tugging his hair and screaming out his frustration...

Instead, he plonked his head down onto his piano, the few keys his forehead pressed in drawing out their notes until there was nothing.

No matter how insistent his umma was on calling him for the past week and a half, he'd been equally as insistent on not answering her. They specifically set up the two calls a month deal to stop this type of behaviour! And he told her that when he answered today. It was the day he had scheduled to call her, and despite his annoyance at her, he still wasn't going to go back on his word.

He could've done without the immediate chiding on ignoring her as well as the ensuing reprimanding for not having told her sooner that he'd proposed. Although her chastising had been in that playful tone of hers, that didn't change how it grated on his nerves.

Even after telling her it was because he and Daena were wanting to figure things out themselves, she went on about how she'd been through it before so she and his appa could help out and tried to insert herself into plans. Basically the same thing Daehyun had told him she'd done two Sundays ago. No matter how much Youngjae relayed that Daena wanted to do things with her family, his umma just wouldn't shut up about it.

There wasn't even a word said about the groom side of things, either. She just went on and on about how much there was to do for the bride and the stress that came with it...

But neither one of them had been stressed about their wedding plans. They discussed their preferences with level heads and open minds, figuring out how to make what they wanted work together best. When it came to getting things done, the only things that had the potential to be stressful were the venue and the officiant, but they'd gotten those with minimal trouble since less people scheduled their weddings for the winter time.

The only real stress so far came entirely from his umma and how she just wasn't listening!

In the midst of talking about her thoughts on how the ceremony should be, she dropped that she'd gotten in touch with Youngwon and Hyunmi and got them to agree to come down for the weekend to meet Daena.

Youngjae couldn't tell what hurt worse. The fact that his umma was honed in on trying to help with the bridal side of things and completely ignoring that her son was the groom, or that this is what it took to finally get his brother to show back up after nearly seven years of being absent.

“I'm home, sweetheart,” Daehyun called from the front door.

Youngjae perked up at the sound of his fiancé coming in and immediately clambered up to greet him at the door. “Hey, love...” He watched as Daehyun hung his keys on the wall hook by the door, then as he shrugged off his black cardigan and hung it on the coat rack. Once Daehyun had stepped out of his shoes, Youngjae pulled him into his arms and embraced him tightly, reveling at Daehyun immediately wrapping his arms around him. “Welcome home...”

After content hums from them both, Youngjae pressed a kiss to his lover's cheek before pulling back. Whenever Daehyun looked at him so full of love with that soft grin on his lips, Youngjae got all wobbly in the knees and his heart fluttered like a flock of birds. He tried to his best to match with a smile of his own through the funk talking with his umma had put him in.

There was a downturn of Daehyun's lips, but it was only slight. “Is something wrong, sweetheart?” Even after all this time, Daehyun was still so easily able to pick up on the slightest bad feeling...

Youngjae's gaze dropped down to the floor. Rather than answer, he laced their fingers together and gently tugged Daehyun towards the living room. It was Youngjae's confirmation that something was bothering him, but he wouldn't talk about it until they were settled more comfortably.

He nestled into Daehyun's side on the couch, wrapping his arms around his fiancé as best he could and rested his head on his shoulder. Daehyun adjusted his arm so Youngjae was in the crook of his elbow, then he began to rub his upper back soothingly.

After a few beats of silence, Youngjae finally spoke up. “I got off the phone with Umma shortly before you got home.”

Daehyun made a noise in understanding. “Right, today was the day you had scheduled to call her,” he sighed. “I take it things didn't go too well?”

Youngjae clung tighter to Daehyun's side and let out a half sigh half strained whine. “She's doing the exact thing I wanted to avoid.”

“Even when telling her it's not what we want?”

Youngjae nodded against Daehyun's shoulder. “She just doesn't listen, and it's so tiring... She's so focused on what she wants to do that she forgets other people have different wants that don't match up with hers.” He sighed shakily, bottom lip trembling slightly. “Her focus isn't even on her son getting married. It's on how she can help with the bridal side of things even though her son is the groom. But it's never been about me. It's always been about me finding a girlfriend someday.” He sniffled and felt the urge to cry rise up in his eyes. “Even after telling her I was gay, that's still all it ever was... Why can't I be important to her?” Youngjae's voice cracked. “Would she care about me more if I had been born as a girl? Or would it be the same?”

It was nowhere near the first time he'd spoken out these questions. Every time he hit the overflow point on keeping his feelings about his parents bottled in, he'd find himself straining them out as if speaking them would somehow give him the answer.

Just like every time Youngjae asked these questions, Daehyun offered no words in response. Instead, he pulled Youngjae closer as best he could manage and rested his cheek against the top of his head after pressing a quick kiss there.

Youngjae trembled and let the tears slip out, thankful for the physical comforting. He preferred it over words because in moods like this, he couldn't focus on the words being said to him. Everything he was became focused on getting out the negative feelings, dulling his ability to know what was going on around him.

Clinging tighter to Daehyun, that's what he did.

After he let his tears out sufficiently, Youngjae simply focused on the feeling of Daehyun's hand moving against his back as he calmed down his sniffly breathing. Then he recalled what his umma was discussing when he'd ejected himself from the phone call.

That Youngwon and Hyunmi were going to be coming out this weekend in the hopes of meeting Daena.

He was mixed about the idea. Part of him was bitter at them being gone for so long and leaving him to handle his parents alone. But the other part liked the thought of being able to see his brother again after such a long time! He wanted to catch up and see how things had been for them over the years, and also tell them how his life had been going...

Which was mostly great, save for a few snags!

But if Youngjae getting married to whom his umma thought was a woman was what it took for them to show up after seven years, then he guessed they agreed to meet for the sole fact that they knew Youngjae to be gay. And if they were being told he was marrying a woman, then enough flags were raised for them to decide they needed to come out of hiding to see the situation for themselves.

If they did go to meet his brother and brother's wife, then there's no way they wouldn't be confronting the reality of the situation. They'd no longer be able to hide the truth about Daena not being a woman and that Youngjae was still very much gay. 'We did plan on telling my parents after we'd gotten married anyways, and we've got the date set for a little over two months from now. We weren't going to be hiding much longer anyways...' Youngjae mused as he wiped away the wetness from his face as best he could in his position. 'But are we ready to confront that?'

The only way he'd know for sure is if he asked Daehyun his thoughts and feelings towards the idea.

“Um... Daehyun?” His fiancé hummed in question, and Youngjae was spurred into speaking more. “There's... there's something else Umma brought up that I'd like to talk with you about...”

Daehyun adjusted their position slightly so they'd be looking at each other. “What is it?”

Youngjae gulped, wiping the parts of his face he hadn't been able to get before the adjustment. “Well... She said she invited my brother and his wife down this weekend, and she invited us out there, too.”

Daehyun hummed in thought. “Is that something you want to do?”

“I... Kind of?” Youngjae glanced away only briefly before his eyes were back on his lover. “I like the idea of seeing him again, but he's probably only come down because he's worried about his gay little brother marrying a woman... So, if we did go out there, we'd have to be ready to speak up, you know?”

It was silent for a few beats. “Do you think he'd be upset to learn the truth?”

Youngjae shook his head, then narrowed his eyes in thought. “Well, not at us, at least. He'd probably be upset at our parents, though.” 'Youngwon's probably mad enough at our parents already... He'd definitely get more upset after knowing the hoops I've jumped through to keep them satisfied.'

“What about Hyunmi?”

He shrugged. “She'd be in the same boat as Youngwon.”

Daehyun mulled it over with a hum. Then he asked, “Are you ready to face it?”

Youngjae blinked a few times. “Are you?”

Daehyun sighed. “Whether I am or not should have no bearing on whether you are, sweetheart...”

'He's right...' Youngjae reached out for Daehyun's free hand and slotted their fingers together. “I've been preparing myself since we first talked about it, so I think I'm ready. I just... I don't want to face it alone,” he admitted. “If you're not ready, I'm fine with waiting until later to do it.”

Gently, Daehyun squeezed Youngjae's hand. “I wouldn't want you to do it alone,” he declared. “This is for us to face, not just you. They may be your parents, but I've chosen to be with you. That includes sharing in your joys and your sorrows and everything in between. And.. when the burdens are too much for one of us, we shoulder it together...”

Youngjae's heart leapt at those words. “That we do.” He leaned forward and gave Daehyun a light kiss before pulling back with a smile. “So, are we going to be the facing it this weekend, or are we going to wait until after we've gotten married like we originally planned?” he asked. “I'm fine with either choice. It just boils down to what you're more comfortable doing, my love.”

Daehyun hummed in thought as the fingers from the hand that had been settled on Youngjae's back began to fiddle with the fabric of Youngjae's shirt. After a few moments, his fingers ceased and he nodded to himself. “Let's do it this weekend.”

Youngjae blinked. “Are you sure?”

Daehyun nodded again, a reassuring grin on his face. “I think it's better we do it sooner rather than later. The longer we wait, the more time we'll have to worry about it,” he explained. “And uh, I'd rather not be worrying about your parents when I'm off doing my wedding shopping...”

“I understand.” Youngjae pressed another kiss to Daehyun's lips. “I'll talk with Umma about it tomorrow. I don't want to get on the phone with her again today, if that's alright...”

“That's fine,” Daehyun assured softly. “Now how about we go get dinner figured out?”

At the mention of food, Youngjae's stomach rumbled, and he chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, let's do that.”

--

After Youngjae relayed the news to his umma, plans were made for them all to get together that coming up Sunday for dinner. But of course she wanted solo time with her daughters-in-law and was insistent on getting it! Youngjae discussed it with Daehyun, and he agreed to it on the basis that it wasn't just him and Minjung together.

Unfortunately, with how early his umma was wanting to start the day with Daena and Hyunmi, that meant they'd have to forgo their usual breakfast ritual. They just lived too far from his parents for Daehyun to wake up early enough to get breakfast made for them and make it their place at the time his umma was wanting to meet. She'd wanted earlier, but Youngjae had at least managed to get her to agree to a later time due to their physical distance.

But that didn't mean they weren't stopping to eat breakfast on the way there. Youngjae wasn't about to let Daehyun walk into spending an entire day with his umma without having the energy to do so! So about halfway through their drive, they stopped at a place and were seated promptly.

Daehyun made sure the hair from his wig that wasn't the bangs was pushed back before cutting into his stack of pancakes with no syrup. “Did your umma tell you what she was wanting to do today?” he wondered before placing a bit in his mouth.

Youngjae had been in the middle of a large chomp into his breakfast burrito, so he had to chew it down a bit and swallow before he could actually speak. “I think she said something about a nail salon and the mall.” He washed down the roughness from swallowing too soon with a few sips of tea. 'Umma also wanted to take Hyunmi and Daena out to breakfast, but she's not taking my breakfast time with Daehyun from me!'

He hummed a noise, an indication that he'd heard, but didn't say anything until he'd swallowed the bite he'd taken. “So long as she doesn't try to drag me into stores for wedding things...”

“If she does, you have every right to leave.”

“I know,” Daehyun sighed. “I'm just worried about coming off as rude...”

“Well, Umma's being rude by not taking your wants into account,” Youngjae pointed out before taking another chunk out of his breakfast burrito. He covered his mouth before adding on, “So don't worry about coming off as rude to her.”

Daehyun stared at the bite he was holding up with a distant look in his eyes and a bit of a frown. “I'm less worried about your umma...” he admitted. “The only reason we're doing this so soon is because of your brother and his wife. And since Hyunmi's going to be with us today...” He let out a little sigh. “I don't want to risk making a bad impression on her.”

“I don't think you will. You aren't rude and standoffish, so I think the two of you will get along,” Youngjae said. “Besides, if she's been avoiding Umma for seven years, then it's clear to me that she doesn't really care much for her and her ways.”

“I can't say I do either...” Daehyun kept his gaze on the bite on his fork for a bit longer before finally eating it. “With how dismissively she treats you, I just... It upsets me that she can't appreciate you for the wonderful person that you are...”

Youngjae offered a soft smile to the hesitant way Daehyun brought his eyes up from his food. “Hopefully that'll change today. And if it doesn't, then it's her loss,” he declared. “I've given them so many opportunities over the years, and this is the last one I'll give. I'm not going to continue to let them walk all over me.”

There was a glint in Daehyun's eyes, and his lips tugged up. “I won't let them either.”

If they hadn't been in a public eatery, then Youngjae would've leaned over and given his lover a kiss. But instead he settled for making sure his dimples showed in the way he was smiling. 'No matter what the outcome of today is, it's still me and him for the long haul! Nothing's going to change that!'

They finished eating their respective breakfasts, then left to continue the rest of the ride to his parents' place. When he pulled up to his parents' house, they still had a bit of time before Daehyun had to go in. His umma had said it was a 'no boys allowed zone' until dinnertime, something Youngjae had snickered at when she'd first said it on the phone.

Youngjae rolled his head to look at Daehyun, who was in the process of mentally preparing himself if the way he was breathing was anything to go by. “Daehyun?”

His fiancé blinked, then brought his attention over to him. “Hm?”

“I know Umma said I wasn't allowed here until dinner, but if you need me for something, let me know, okay?” he asked. “If there's an emergency and you need me, message me and I'll be here as fast as I can.”

Daehyun nodded, then furrowed his brows with a tilt of his head. “What qualifies as an emergency?”

“If you find yourself starting to get mentally overwhelmed or like you're about to slip into a panic attack,” Youngjae clarified. “Get yourself out of the situation as best you can. Message me or call if you need to. I'll drop whatever I'm doing to get to you.”

Another nod, but this time with small upturn of his lips. “You're going to the Im's place, right?”

“Yeah, may as well drop by and see how they're doing while I'm in the area,” Youngjae said. “Depending on how much time I spend at Jaebeom's, I might drop by to see Grandma and Grandpa Bang, too.”

“Please give my hellos to all the people you see today,” Daehyun requested.

“Of course.” Youngjae reached up and gently tucked some of the hair from Daehyun's wig behind his ear. “Remember that no matter what happens today, it will always be the two of us. Today is just for deciding whether my parents, my brother, and his wife get to be a part of our life together.”

Daehyun spread into a full on smile, one that never failed to enchant Youngjae's heart. “I'll keep that in mind, sweetheart,” he happily declared before he closed the distance between them and brought their lips together in a slow and gentle kiss.

Youngjae only pulled away slightly so he could speak. “I love you more than anything, Daehyun.” Then their lips were back together.

--

A/N:

Earlier I clicked the option where it would show me the story on one page (single page mode) and boy howdy that was wild. The scrollbar was so tiny.