Jinyoung is incredibly nervous. He's sure that Jaebeom's parents have heard about him from Jaebeom, now that he and Jaebeom are groupmates for a second time and have gotten a lot closer than they once were. But he's always been shy meeting new people, and the fact that these people in particular are related to someone who matters a lot to him isn't doing much to calm him down.

"Jinyoung," Jaebeom says quietly, right before his parents are supposed to arrive at the dorm. "Relax. They're going to love you." Somehow, the simple reassurance helps a lot.

Jaebeom's mother is the first to walk in, beaming. "Jaebeom-ah!" she says, pulling him into a hug as Jaebeom's father walks in behind her. "It's been so long!" She turns her attention to Jinyoung next, who smiles as sincerely as he can. "And you must be Jinyoung! Jaebeom has told us so much about you."

Jinyoung is somewhat taken aback by that. He had expected Jaebeom to at least mention him to his parents, but for some reason, he hadn't thought that Jaebeom would have "so much" to say about him. "He talks about you a lot, too," he chooses to reply as he bows politely, instead of outwardly expressing his surprise. "It's really nice to meet you." He bows to Jaebeom's father next, who has just finished greeting his son. "Both of you."

"Ah, so sweet," Jaebeom's mother says, patting Jinyoung's cheek with more affection than Jinyoung had expected from a relative stranger. "And so cute! But you're so skinny, are you eating well? I brought some food for you boys, so please eat it all."

"Thank you," Jinyoung says gratefully, already feeling much more at ease. "We'll eat it well."

"You all must be on a diet, though, am I right?" Jaebeom's father says. "You're looking skinny too, Jaebeom-ah. Make sure you're taking care of yourself and Jinyoung well. And the other boys, too."

"I will, Appa," Jaebeom says, looking much younger than Jinyoung has ever seen him.

"Jaebeom-hyung is a great leader," Jinyoung finds himself saying. "He looks after us very diligently." Jaebeom looks a little flustered, Jinyoung notices out of the corner of his eye, but he presses on anyway. "Even when it was just the two of us, he always took care of me as best he could."

Jaebeom's parents smile at him. "We hope he'll continue doing that, then," Jaebeom's mother says warmly.

"I know he will," Jinyoung says, and his smile is completely genuine now. "And I promise that I'll always be there to take care of him too."

~~~

Jaebeom is incredibly nervous. Sure, Jinyoung's parents have met him countless times, treat him like their own son, but none of the other times involved the conversation he's about to have now. Still, he's determined to discuss this with them, so he takes a deep breath and knocks on their front door.

"Jaebeom-ah!" Jinyoung's mother welcomes him inside with a smile and a hug. "It's been too long. Make sure you eat extra while you're here, you're looking much too skinny. And I packed some for the other boys for you to bring back later."

"Thank you, Eomma," Jaebeom says sincerely, overcome with gratitude that Jinyoung's parents have accepted him so wholeheartedly into their lives.

Jinyoung's father gives him a hug too, once he walks into the living room. "So, Jaebeom," Jinyoung's father says after they've settled down on the couches. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

Jaebeom swallows, trying to ignore how his heart rate has suddenly spiked as he looks at the expectant faces of Jinyoung's parents. "Well," he says, trying to keep his voice steady. "As you know, Jinyoung and I, we've been d-dating for seven years."

"Of course," Jinyoung's mother says kindly, patting Jaebeom's hand comfortingly. "And we're very happy that you have each other."

Her words give Jaebeom the courage to continue, his mind feeling a little calmer. "I'd like to ask for your blessing," he says carefully, and he can already see realization dawning on both their faces. "I love your son more than anything, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"You're going to ask him to marry you?" Jinyoung's father asks, and Jaebeom nearly tears up at how happy he looks.

"Yes," Jaebeom says. "I've already bought a ring, but I thought I should let you know first."

Jinyoung's mother hugs him again, and Jaebeom can tell she's close to tears, too. "You're going to look so lovely standing at the altar together," she says, smiling at him through watery eyes. "Thank you, Jaebeom, for loving our Jinyoungie."

"Thank you for accepting us," Jaebeom says in return, smiling so widely it almost hurts. "And I promise that I'll always take care of him, for as long as he'll let me."