(Youngjae's Perspective)

Youngjae didn't intend on having company at the lake house that weekend. But sometimes, unexpected things happen. Unexpected things like Jaebeom calling and asking if he could come over. Youngjae figured he'd spend his day off with his boyfriend and even told him that, but apparently Jinyoung was busy with school things, so Youngjae gave Jaebeom the okay to come over. Quickly if he wanted to catch the next soccer game before it started!

Then Youngjae let Daehyun know since he'd originally said he was going to be alone. It wasn't that he thought Daehyun would have a problem with his best friend coming over. It just didn't feel right in Youngjae's brain to not say there'd been a slight change of plans!

Daehyun appreciated being kept in the loop, and Youngjae guessed that stemmed from the fact that his ex kept him in the dark with just about everything. He also said to tell Jaebeom he said hello alongside his wish that the soccer games would be fun times for them.

Jaebeom had apparently made a good impression on Daehyun this past Tuesday, even though he was unaware who Youngjae was with.

But of course it would be Youngjae's luck that Jaebeom would have more on his mind than soccer today. They weren't even five minutes into the game before Jaebeom turned to look at Youngjae with a glint of curiosity. “So, Youngjae... Just what were you doing on Tuesday?” he questioned.

Youngjae found it a bit odd that he hadn't been asked this sooner. Jaebeom was clearly capable of calling and messaging, yet hadn't thought to ask through those means. “ mode.” Youngjae didn't even bother to look over at Jaebeom.

He huffed. “You say that like it's a normal thing, my dear.”

Youngjae shrugged. “Daehyun and his best friend enjoy crossdressing. I was asked if I wanted to do it along with them and I decided to give it a shot.”

“Yeah, I was pretty sure the other two with you also weren't women, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. It was more fun to play along,” Jaebeom chuckled. “Based on observation, I'm guessing the one that was sitting next to you is your lucky man and not the breadstick guzzler?”

“You'd be correct.” Youngjae amusedly recalled how Zelo went after those breadsticks like they were his final lifeline. Breadstick guzzler was an accurate way to describe it! Too bad his plan hadn't worked the way he wanted it to, just like Daehyun and Youngjae said.

“I guess dating a crossdresser is the closest you'll ever get to being with a girl, huh?” Jaebeom poked Youngjae's bicep with his elbow, and Youngjae finally bothered to look over and see that teasing look on Jaebeom's face. Youngjae groaned in mock annoyance, but Jaebeom wasn't exactly wrong.

Youngjae was thankful his best friend didn't pry into that more. He didn't want to have to defend his reasoning on not wanting to be with a woman but being fine with a man who liked to dress as a woman.

Well, maybe less defend and more like explain. 'If he hasn't judged me for my choices and opinions after nearly two decades, he's not going to start now!'

It all boiled down to Youngjae's thoughts on gender roles and thinking they were too much of a hassle to pay any heed to. It was just more fulfilling to live life his way rather than the way people thought he should because of his gender, and a man who also challenged those constructs was a definite keeper in Youngjae's books!

And of course his brain to mouth filter had completely failed the other day when Daehyun admitted his worry that Youngjae wouldn't approve of his enjoyment of crossdressing due to how uninterested Youngjae was in women. He hadn't meant to let it slip that he loved him, but the word was out before Youngjae recognized he said it.

Youngjae had been vigilant in trying not to say it too soon, but he couldn't help that he formed that type of attachment quickly in relationships that were going well! But saying things like that too early in a relationship often led to heartbreak on his end, and the thought of potentially scaring Daehyun off when he was just starting to open up caused massive amounts of worry to form in Youngjae's soul.

His thoughts had swam around with the ways it could go wrong in that moment. 'Is it too soon to say that? Does he think it's too strong a word? Will he feel like he has to say it back even if he doesn't feel that way about me yet?' Youngjae knew all too well how damaging 'I love you too' could be when the person saying it didn't actually mean it...

But those worries were silenced as soon as Daehyun responded with a kiss that stole the air right out of Youngjae's lungs! Actions speak louder than words, after all. And Daehyun definitely preferred actions over words.

“Do your parents know you're dating someone?” Jaebeom asked, bringing Youngjae's focus away from pretending to pay attention to the soccer game on the television.

Just the mention of his parents made Youngjae sigh tiredly. “Of course not,” he grumbled. “Me telling them I have a boyfriend doesn't actually stop them from trying to set me up with girls, you know. Not even me offering to introduce them matters. I could probably get married and they'd still try to set me up with some woman! So there's no point in telling them. It's just easier to shut them down when they bring it up and ignore it otherwise.”

'Maybe I'm a bit bitter about it...' Youngjae squinted and paused in his own thought. 'Well, maybe a bit more than bitter, but I don't like allowing myself to feel bad about things outside of my control. And what my parents do is clearly outside of my control!'

“You know, they used to ask me about your preferences,” Jaebeom admitted quietly. “At first I thought they wanted to set you up with a man who suited you, so I was willing to help. Then you started complaining about your parents introducing you to girls. So whenever they asked, I started my response with 'a man'.”

Youngjae snickered at that. “Clearly didn't work.”

Jaebeom shrugged. “They stopped asking after a while.”

“Can't say I'm surprised.”

It figured, really. Why would they take their son's tastes into account when going behind his back like that? It was shortly after he moved out and had been introduced to Jieun during what was supposed to be just him and his parents that Youngjae began to question them further on why they were inviting him over. It would be nice if they wanted to check in on their son, but they really did have some sort of fixation on integrating women into the family...

“Youngjae, I just came up with something brilliant!” Jaebeom exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly and making Youngjae jump.

Youngjae wasn't sure he wanted to know with the suspicious way Jaebeom's eyes were sparkling, but whether he wanted to know or not didn't matter because he knew his best friend would just tell him anyway. “...What is it?”

“They only bother you because you don't have girlfriend, so what if they thought you had a girlfriend? They'd get off your back if they thought you were dating a nice girl, right?” he speculated.

Youngjae squinted at him. “What are you getting at?”

“Your boyfriend dresses up as a girl for fun! I could tell your parents that I found a girl that I think you'd like, introduce him to them while he's dressed up, then the two of you fake a first meeting well enough so that by the end of the night, your parents think you've finally met a woman who's caught your eye,” he explained animatedly. “It would make them think they've gotten what they wanted without you actually having to give them what they want! You still get to be your disaster gay self, and they'll no longer hound you about getting a girlfriend!”

With a troubled hum, Youngjae mulled it over. In theory, the idea seemed solid enough. The only reason they called was in the hopes of introducing him to a woman, so if they thought he had a girlfriend, they'd no longer call. Either that, or they'd call to check in on how he was doing, which was honestly what he wanted from his parents. For them to care about him and how he was doing.

It was the execution that could be problematic. Youngjae had never been good at pretending, and Daehyun didn't seem to be the best at it either. Both of them were open books in their own respective ways. There'd be tons of pressure on them to make sure things went as intended.

The idea of his parents leaving him be about his dating life and treating him like their son rather than a vessel to integrate a woman into the family was awfully tempting, though...

Youngjae was willing to go through with it if he could have that! But it also depended on whether or not Daehyun was willing to do it, and there was only one way to find out that information. “I'd need to run this by Daehyun first, obviously.”

“Of course. Let's go then!” Jaebeom heaved himself off the couch, then looked back expectantly when Youngjae didn't immediately follow suit.

“What?”

“Let's go talk to Daehyun! Time's wasting, my dear!” Jaebeom tapped on his wrist impatiently.

Instead, Youngjae pulled out his phone. “I can just call him.” One glance at the phone screen said that'd be the better idea. Daehyun would be leaving for work soon, after all.

This answer did not satisfy his best friend however, as Jaebeom's next move was to try and drag Youngjae off the couch. “This is the type of conversation you have in person,” he grunted. “So get your up and let's get going!”

“We wouldn't make it there before he'd be at work,” Youngjae informed with a slight whine because he'd been comfortable. Jaebeom thankfully let him go, and Youngjae burrowed back into the couch.

“You should at least video call him,” Jaebeom decided, slowly settling himself back into the couch.

Youngjae had no problem with that idea! “Fine, mute the TV and I'll call him.” Once the TV was muted as requested, he clicked for a video call.

It took longer than expected, but Youngjae was soon blessed with the sight of Daehyun's face. Also Zelo was in frame, cheeks filled out a bit since his breadstick party. “Ah? Oh, hello!” Daehyun's face lit up in surprise before spreading into an adoring smile that had Youngjae's heart fluttering.

“Hello, Daehyun,” he greeted cheerily. “And hello to you too, Zelo.”

“Hi, Jae hyung!” Zelo waved enthusiastically, then he exited the frame with a grunt. The next thing he said was still audible, though. “I'll leave you to it then. Let me know if you need anything else?”

Daehyun nodded and made a noise of affirmation at his friend. From the corner of Youngjae's eye, he noted that Jaebeom was peaking over at the screen. Then he let out a breathy, “...” Youngjae definitely sent a glare his way for that.

Daehyun's brows furrowed, like he was trying to determine whether or not he'd actually heard something. “Was that... Jaebeom?”

“Yeah...” Youngjae raised a brow at his best friend, who was giving a look that bordered on incredulous, before bringing his attention back to his phone screen. “I'm not sure what's going on with him right now.” Youngjae wasn't about to go into this conversation without Jaebeom's backing, so he'd figure something out until Jaebeom got a grip on himself. “Did I interrupt something?”

Daehyun shook his head. “Zelo was just about to head to the bathroom to get ready anyway,” he informed. “I didn't actually know how to answer a video call, or the fact that my phone could video call in the first place? So I had to get his help for that...” He trailed off with a sheepish sort of chuckle. “Have you been having fun soccer times?”

Youngjae glanced up at the muted game on the television for a brief moment. “Most of the games today have been played to a draw, so nothing terribly exciting,” he answered. A quick look over at Jaebeom determined that he'd gotten hold of himself, and Youngjae was definitely going to be asking him about that later. “There's something I'd like to discuss with you, if you have the time? I know you need to leave for work soon, so if it needs to wait until later, that's fine. I assure you that it's nothing bad!”

Daehyun hummed while his eyes flicked around. “I... I guess that depends on how long you think it'll take?”

“You gotta do it quick like a bandaid, my dear!” Jaebeom quickly leaned himself into the frame just enough to be seen. Before either Youngjae or Daehyun could say a word, Jaebeom continued on. “Do you know about the problem Youngjae has with his parents?”

“You mean the whole not being okay with him being gay despite them saying they are thing?” Daehyun wondered, words slow and calculated.

Youngjae opened his mouth to speak, but Jaebeom decided he still had more to say. “Yeah! Well, kind of? I mean the whole trying to set him up on dates with girls thing.”

Daehyun nodded. “...I'm aware. They've... interrupted some of our dates with calls like that.”

Jaebeom made some sort of noise between 'yikes' and 'yeesh', and Daehyun and Youngjae both made a noise to signify that it was definitely a pain. “Well, I've come up with an idea to potentially counter that if you're willing to hear me out?”

Daehyun nodded the affirmative, and Jaebeom explained to him what he explained to Youngjae earlier about introducing a dressed up Daehyun to Youngjae's parents and faking him getting a girlfriend.

After things fell silent, Youngjae chipped in his thoughts. “There are no negative consequences to you not wanting to go through with this,” he said softly. “It's only an idea, and if you're not comfortable with it, I'd rather you say so than force yourself to do it.”

Jaebeom gave Youngjae a squinty eyed look of 'what the hell are you doing', but this was something Youngjae felt needed to be said. The last thing he wanted was for Daehyun to force himself into a situation he didn't want to do for his sake! So clarifying things like this would make whatever decision Daehyun decided upon sit easier with him.

Daehyun pursed his lips as he thought, not even letting out a hum during his thinking process and instead squinted his eyes and stared at something only his mind registered. Then he brought his attention back to the phone screen. “I'll do it,” he declared.

Both Youngjae and Jaebeom spoke at the same time. “You will?”

Daehyun nodded his confirmation with a little hum.

“Okay, so we're gonna have to meet up to discuss the details of our story so it's more believable,” Jaebeom said. “When's the best time for you?”

“Um... Tuesdays.”

“Got it, so we can meet up this coming up Tuesday to discuss things further!” Once Jaebeom got audible confirmation from Daehyun, he finger gunned. “Alright, Jaebeom out!” Then he slipped himself out of frame and left the room.

Youngjae brought his attention back to his phone. “Are you sure you're alright with this?” he asked. “Things were happening too fast for me to get a word in.”

“I'm sure,” Daehyun assured, a bit of a smile on his lips. “I'll talk with Zelo and see if he's willing to help out, too. Is there anything else you needed?”

“That was it,” Youngjae said. “But... I'm definitely not opposed to talking more if you still have the time?”

His eyes sparkled as he rubbed his neck. “As much as I'd like to, I uh... it's actually time for me to leave for work,” he quietly admitted. “Um... I hope the soccer times will be more fun than they have been so far.”

Youngjae chuckled. “Me too. I hope you have a good evening at work, Daehyun.” Then he blew his boyfriend a kiss, and Youngjae took high levels of satisfaction from how Daehyun beamed at that before sending one of his own.

Right as the call disconnected, Jaebeom slipped back into the room with a bag of chips and a soda. “I have returned!” he declared as he plopped himself back onto the couch.

“What was that about earlier?” Youngjae questioned.

Jaebeom made a noise in confusion. “I had to pee? Then I was feeling a bit peckish so I decided to grab something to munch on, but I couldn't decide what I was in the mood for-”

“Not that, I meant when I first started the call!”

“Oh, that.” Jaebeom pouted. “Your boyfriend is hot and I panicked, my dear! It's no wonder you were such a disaster after meeting this man!”

Youngjae snorted. “Never thought I'd see the day where you hit me levels of disaster. What would your boyfriend think if he knew about this?” He side eyed his best friend, his question meant to be more teasing than accusatory.

Jaebeom caught onto that. “Honestly, he'd agree with me.” He leaned back as he took a drawn out sip of his soda and unmuted the television so they could get back to seeing if the games were just going to be played to draws all day or if there'd actually be some action.

Then when half time came around, Youngjae realized something. “Jaebeom, doesn't this technically mean you've met my boyfriend?”

“Uh... kind of? I'm not sure if this past Tuesday or today's video call counts for that, but that would be a definite yes after this coming up Tuesday,” he slowly responded.

“You what that means, right?” Youngjae wiggled his eyebrows at Jaebeom, then frowned when he showed nothing but confusion. “You seriously don't remember? You made a pinky promise with me, nerd!”

That made it click for Jaebeom! “Yeah, yeah. I remember. Calm your ,” he requested with a playful shove to Youngjae's shoulder. “Let's get this whole business with your parents done before we go worrying about introducing you to Jinyoung, okay?”

“Works for me!”

--

A/N:

Schemer level meaning the amount of people in on the scheme, and it is a number that will increase with time.

The original chapter title I had planned (One Eight Hundred Schemers) was a play on the Stanley Steamer commercials from my childhood. That jingle rings in my head to this day, and it is a curse. Like the 'head-on, apply directly to the forehead' commercials.

Another fun fact about the Stanley Steamer commercial: when I was in high school during my anatomy and physiology class, we replaced the 'steamer' part of the jingle with 'femur' while we were going over the human skeleton.