"Aish, forget it. That's typical of you anyway, Lee Taemin." Mrs Lee said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. 

Taemin bit down on his lower lip, his first clenched as he looked at his empty plate. He was over to Jinki's for dinner, only because Jinki had begged him to come. Since the first day he came to visit, he had always been a thorn in his boyfriend's mother’s eyes; someone who would hold Jinki back from his bright and fulfilling future. It took the older weeks to persuade and assure this so-called "bright and fulfilling" would only be such if it included Taemin.   

Jinki himself hadn’t expect such attitude from his mother when he first came out, and he would sometimes blame himself for doing that AND introducing Taemin at the same time. Now his mother was just being mean and inconsiderate towards the younger and it hurts to see Taemin swallowing everything on his own in order not to further strain the relationship. 

Others would say she was a loving mother and a kind neighbour, so whenever Jinki spoke to her about her particular behavior with Taemin she would either change the subject or walk away. 

"Lee Taemin!" She screamed suddenly behind his back. 

Startled, Taemin flinched and dropped the plate he was holding. 

"Are you here to destroy my house!? Look at what you did! This is exactly why I keep telling Jinki to break it off with you, you useless-" 

"Mrs Lee, you don't have to do that anymore! I will break up with Jinki hyung myself!" Taemin yelled back in anger, untying his apron. 

He picked up his bag and stormed out the house (closing the front gate gently). Jinki was in his room picking out a hair clip for his boyfriend when his father knocked on his door wanting to have a small chat with him. They both came out in time just to hear the outburst from the younger about breaking up with Jinki. He swore his heart stopped beating for two seconds before his brain sent for his legs to chase after Taemin. 

"Taem, Taemin!" He half-ran behind the younger, hands reaching out to grab his arms. 

When he did and when he spun the younger around, his heart stung as he took in the tear-stained face of his lover. Taemin's lips was pursed, as if struggling to stop himself from crying anymore. His nose was red from sniffing hard and he was just...it was just...really heartbreaking. 

"I-I am br-breaking up-" Taemin hiccuped his words out, though stopped when Jinki cupped his mouth. 

"I am not breaking up with you." Jinki said firmly in that tone he would seldom use with Taemin, only when he needed the younger to know that he was dead serious, "And I won't allow you to say that too, not when you don't mean it." 

"But you heard, and you saw, your mother hates me! Just listen to the way she hisses my name! She loathes me, and absolutely objects to us dating." Taemin raised his voice unintentionally, "She hates me..."

Tears start dribbling down his puffy red eyes again and Jinki quickly hushed him in his arms, "Baby, you know it’s not like that." 

Jinki let go for a bit to wipe Taemin's face but he only burrowed back in his embrace just as quickly. The elder smiled, relieved that it was only in a fit of anger that Taemin said what he did. They hugged under the moonlight and Jinki found the habit to his silky brown hair endearing and calming. 

"Earlier, I acc-accidentally broke a plate at your house." Taemin tried to string his words, "It was an accident! Honest! I wasn't intending to destroy the house like what your umma said."

Jinki chuckled, "I know, I know. How can my aegi, who runs away from spiders, be capable of destroying a house?" 

"That wasn't comforting to hear." 

Again, Jinki pulled away to rub at his lover's cute face. He took out the clip from his pocket and clipped up his fringe, showing his pretty face. 

"Come, I have something to tell you." 

They walked into the park near Jinki's place, and sat closely together on a bench. 

"You know, appa spoke to me a little, a father-son-talk, if you would call it." He laughed, amused with it himself, "He wants me to tell you; not to let my umma's attitude bother you, too much. She's only like this, well, because I'm her only precious son." 

His humble self was almost embarrassed to say it. 

"And umma was just afraid..." His facial expression turned to one of amusement, "that you would steal me away from her. Replace her as the number one in my heart." 

Taemin looked at Jinki instantly, distracted from fondling the clip the elder put on him. He blinked a few times adorably, digesting what Jinki had just said. His frown soften and it seemed he guess he could understand Jinki’s mother a little better like that.

“But I’m not trying to steal you away from her…”

Jinki rubbed his shoulders, “She doesn’t see it that way. So shall we try it again, talking to her?”

“I can’t take it the way you always try to deal with this grievance in silence,” Jinki showed Taemin his palm, then flipped to show the back of the hand, “but she’s also my mother. I love you both so so very much, I can’t afford to lose either.”

The younger nodded his head, feeling a little lighter and encouraged on the inside. For Jinki’s sake, he could fight the whole world. But no doubt his umma at the first level of challenge was intimidating him.

Hand in hand, they walked slowly in the night back home. To ease him even for a bit, Jinki had cracked some of Taemin’s favourite jokes. He never knew Taemin’s favourite was just to listen to his hyung’s voice, to listen to him talk forever.

***

The two old and young couple sat at the rectangular coffee table, opposite the other. Mrs Lee was staring Taemin down with her hawk-eye, scoffing at how the younger was only gutsy when he talked but couldn’t do anything else. Both the older of the pair massaged their partner’s arms to soothe the tension.

“Umma, Tae-Taemin is the man I want to love for the rest of my life.”

Even he found it hard to speak up now, with how his mother was staring daggers at him, but he continued bravely, “I hope you can be the nice and sweet umma you are to him, as you are to me.”

“I refuse.” Mrs Lee replied flatly and obstinately.

Jinki wanted to add, but Taemin beat him to it, “Hey Mrs Lee, I’m taking back what I said earlier. I would never break up with Jinki hyung…”

He gulped down his saliva thickly, “I love him, just as he loves me. But hyung loves you very much too, Mrs Lee.”

As if he hit the right spot, Lee umma relaxed visibly, willing to hear what the youngest had to say, and just what she wanted to hear.

“I won’t steal him away from you, I’m sure.”

“Ne! Umma, you’ll forever be the most important lady in my life!” Jinki’s eyes twinkled and he flashed the silliest grin he had at her.

“We-well…I quite adore the sound of that. You’d better hold up to that, Jinki-baby. You’re the most important man in my life too.” Mrs Lee returned the smile amiably and hugged her son.

Her gaze towards Taemin evolved to a tender and cordial one, and that had Taemin hopeful about correcting their past sour experiences with each other.

“Why, poor me!” Mr Lee huffed at the end…what got the family laughing together on the eve of Christmas.

Well well well, some in-laws trouble we have here XD Sooooo, an advanced Merry Christmas to all of you and a super advance Happy New Year 2015! :D