You had tried of course. Once you were both calm enough to drive up to your parents’ home, you silently made the trip there, your hands wringing the strap of your bag repeatedly. You struggled to come up with the words you could say, the lines you could utter to make this seem right.

But you just couldn’t make sense of anything.

And when your father let you both inside, you could tell he didn’t have any idea as to why his wife had returned home so frazzled that she claimed to have a migraine and retired to her bed for the day.

“What happened?” he asked as he took you both into the study, sitting down across from you in his favourite armchair and gauging your solemn expressions as you and Chanyeol tried to find the courage to speak up. “Did you both do something to upset your mother?”

Chanyeol nodded and bit at his lip. You sighed heavily and looked up at the man you had first loved in your life. He was fair, rational and had helped you in your most dire situations. You took faith in his astute mannerisms and grabbed at Chanyeol’s hand. “Dad, we kept something from you both. For a long time actually. We wanted to tell you, well, Chanyeol wanted to but I quietened him down every time.”

Your father stared at your hand on Chanyeol’s silently, though you could see the information whizzing by in his mind. He had had his suspicions and your slight grasp on the man you now loved at your side was enough to unsettle him.

“We fell in lo-”

“You’re both sitting across from me about to tell me something that shouldn’t have happened. Chanyeol was only supposed to stay temporarily. Your loneliness must have been a factor that-”

“No,” Chanyeol cut in adamantly and shook his head for effect. “No, I’ve love Y/N since before we lived together.”

“That is a crush, son. You’re confused.”

“We’re not confused, Dad,” you confirmed. “We’ve been dating for almost a year now.”

He didn’t move, frozen by your confession. And then when you thought he was going to say something, anything, he got up swiftly from the chair in front of you both and left the room.

You tried to speak to your mother next but all she could do was sob and avoid you no matter what you attempted, claiming she had no children anymore. It was infuriating, but you knew she was struggling to cope with the sudden news of your relationship and by nightfall, you and Chanyeol were heading back to the city together, the atmosphere between you feeling desperate. You couldn’t tell what Chanyeol was thinking and when you arrived home again, there wasn’t enough time to discuss anything since you both needed to sleep for work the next day.

Or, at least, try to sleep.

The next morning was strained, and even though Chanyeol leaned over to kiss you and tell you to have a good day, it felt awkward. You were distracted at work all day long, staring at your phone and wondering how to make things right with your parents.

“I tried to call Mum today,” Chanyeol told you as he picked at his dinner that evening, a sad smile crossing his lips. “She told me that she couldn’t talk to me right now and to take care of myself.”

You sighed. “At least she took your call; she refused to answer any of mine.”

“With time, they will calm down and allow us to explain ourselves, right?”