The call to ask Jiyong’s mother if he could bring a friend over for the holidays came a week later. In a way, it all worked perfectly, considering Seunghyun had moved here for the school – his parents still lived far away, and ended up being busy anyway. It had even been a simple conversation, Jiyong’s mother agreeing almost immediately. With as much as she enjoyed cooking and company, Jiyong hadn’t foreseen her saying no.

Regardless, he was still nervous.

Seunghyun had spent the night before trying to talk him down, Jiyong almost trying to back down. After a lot of comfort, though, Jiyong had marginally calmed down. Now here they were, bags in hand for a short stay and already near Jiyong’s house. A light snow had fallen, and Jiyong spent more time taking in the sights than thinking about what he was going say to his parents.

“I forgot how nice this neighborhood is after it snows,” Jiyong mumbled, and Seunghyun nodded in agreement.

The neighborhood was a little different than the bustle of town around where their school was, but it was a nice change. It was quiet here, and Seunghyun was enjoying it. Hands in his pockets, he continued on until he felt Jiyong tug his hand, linking their pinkies gently as they kept walking in silence. Seunghyun glanced down at their hands, smiling to himself as they walked down the street.

“Are we close to your house?” Seunghyun asked, and Jiyong pointed a few houses down.

“That’s it. So yeah,” he replied, laughing softly.

When they were finally in front of the house, Jiyong stared at it for a second. It was like every bit of anxiety he had been feeling since Taeyang had mentioned telling his parents hit him full force, and the shaky breath he let out was obvious. Seunghyun looked over at him, brows furrowed. He took the other man’s hand tightly for a moment, giving him a reassuring squeeze before letting it go. Jiyong’s expression calmed slightly, playing with the scarf he was wearing for a couple of seconds. There was still some obvious worry, and Jiyong probably wouldn’t get over that until the entire ordeal was over.

“You’re going to be fine, you know,” Seunghyun said softly, and Jiyong nodded, a slightly forced laugh making an appearance before he sighed.

“I know,” he mumbled, though he still pulled his hat down over his eyes as he groaned. “But it’s so… I don’t know. I feel kind of nauseous. Because I want to be able to tell everyone, but at the same time no one because I just want it to be us and… I’m just scared,” he admitted softly, shoulders hunched. He shivered, and Seunghyun stepped forward, hands rubbing up and down Jiyong’s arms to warm him up.

“It’s your parents, Ji.”

“That scares me more.”

There was a silence, Seunghyun taking in a deep breath. The only sound was Jiyong’s shaky breaths echoing in the snow-clad yard and the wind rustling what was left of a few leaves.

“Hey,” Seunghyun started, lifting Jiyong’s chin up so that they would be looking at each other, had it not been for Jiyong’s hat over his eyes. “You’ve got this. It’s better to do it now,” he mumbled, and Jiyong nodded before Seunghyun leaned down to press their lips together firmly. Jiyong smiled softly, catching Seunghyun’s lips between his and wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Jiyong said softly, words not more than a whisper as he rested his head in the crook of Seunghyun’s neck. Seunghyun just smiled, one hand playing with the soft hair at the nape of Jiyong’s neck as he sighed.

“No problem. Besides, I don’t think I could’ve made it through the winter break with you at home and me stuck at school by myself,” he replied, leaning back. Jiyong pulled his hat up just in time to see the smirk on Seunghyun’s lips and he pushed him away playfully, groaning.

“You’re a mood ruiner!” he exclaimed, then jogged up to the door, ringing the bell as Seunghyun walked up beside him. A moment later the door opened, his mother greeting them with a smile. There was a flurry of hugs and kisses, Jiyong cheerfully grimacing the whole time until his mother calmed down and finally looked at Seunghyun.

“So this is your friend that’s staying here?” she asked, and Jiyong nodded, smiling at Seunghyun.

“Yeah, this is Seunghyun.” He watched as she looked him up and down, obviously trying to make sure that he was okay to stay with them, sizing him up in silence. “He’s fine, mom. You don’t have to worry about anything.” Jiyong laughed, Seunghyun glancing off to the side as he smiled to himself.

“Well come in. It’s cold,” she said, and Jiyong nodded, the two of them slipping inside. They kicked off their shoes, coats going on the coat rack without a second thought. “Jiyong, your father’s still at work – he’ll be home later. And Seunghyun, it’s nice to meet you. Feel free to get situated,” she added with a smile, giving them a slight bow before slipping off to what Jiyong would assume was either the living room or kitchen. He looked at Seunghyun.

“That’s my mom,” he said with a slightly weak laugh, and Seunghyun nodded.

“I could tell,” he replied, looking around the house. It was cozy, and Seunghyun liked that.

All of a sudden there was a yelp beside him, and Seunghyun turned to see Jiyong pulled into a ridiculously tight hug by a girl he knew from his pictures to be his sister.

“Dami. Dami, stop! Dami, I can’t breathe, let me go,” Jiyong whined, his sister not relenting until she noticed Seunghyun staring at them. She let him go with a smile, leaving Jiyong to glare at her for a minute before looking to Seunghyun. “This is Dami. She’s my older sister, but she doesn’t act like it. Because she’s a jerk.” He narrowed his eyes at her, shaking his head.

“You’re my little brother, how can I not be a jerk to you?” she asked, smiling innocently before she looked Seunghyun over. “You two are pretty precious together,” she sang, and Jiyong cocked his head at her. “How long have you been dating?” Jiyong widened his eyes, obviously willing her to be quiet, though she just sort of laughed and shrugged it off.

“Dami, shut up,” Jiyong said through gritted teeth, pushing her away a bit harder than he normally would have. Seunghyun glanced down, lips pursed. “How did you –”

“I was watching you two through the front window. I saw you cuddling up to each other out there,” she said with a knowing smile, shaking her head at them. “But even if I hadn’t, I could have guessed. It’s written all over your faces.” She winked, leaving the two of them to stand in silence as she walked a few steps up the stairs, then turned back, brows furrowed. “Jiyong, I’d kind of suggest he sleep in the guest room, though… If you know what I mean,” she said softly, and Jiyong nodded. With that, she was up the stairs and Jiyong heard the door to what he assumed was her bedroom close.

“And that’s a brief introduction to my family,” Jiyong said, looking to Seunghyun. “Welcome to it.” They both laughed, Jiyong taking Seunghyun’s hand and almost pulling him up the stairs as they headed to the guest room.

“Well at least your sister approves,” Seunghyun said as he closed the door behind them. Jiyong just nodded, setting down his things on the floor before shrugging.

“She approves of me being happy,” he replied, taking off his hat and ruffling his own hair to fix it. “And she probably approves of having someone to tell horribly embarrassing stories to,” he added, rolling his eyes as he laughed. Seunghyun walked over, hands on Jiyong’s cheeks as he once again lifted his head up so that they were looking at each other.

“You’re still nervous,” he mumbled, hands sliding to rest on Jiyong’s shoulders before he gave them a soft, almost massaging, squeeze. Jiyong closed his eyes, nodding but still letting out a hint of a groan at the motion.

“Less now that I know Dami’s okay with it,” he murmured, words barely coming out as Seunghyun continued to lightly massage his shoulders. His eyebrow twitched and he unconsciously took a step forward, moving closer. Seunghyun nodded. “She’s my big sister – her feelings mean a lot to me. It’s nice that she knows,” he added, and Seunghyun spun him around, simply starting to give him an actual massage as the conversation continued. “Seunghyun, that feels good,” he mumbled, Seunghyun stepping forward so that they were pressed flush against each other.

“I just want to help you relax,” he murmured into Jiyong’s ear, Jiyong shuddering softly as he reached back and took hold of Seunghyun’s hips. He smoothed his hands down Seunghyun’s thighs slightly, not even able to stop himself from groaning when Seunghyun his ear before on the lobe softly. Seunghyun smiled into the contact, hands kneading small circles as he moved them down Jiyong’s back.

Jiyong had no trouble admitting that this was relaxing, but the more contact Seunghyun gave, the more Jiyong lost himself in the moment and, when Jiyong felt Seunghyun’s hands slide to his front and the massage became more of an embrace he couldn’t help but press back up against him. Seunghyun exhaled into Jiyong’s ear, warm breath tingling against his skin as he pressed back more.

“Seunghyun, we should chill out,” he mumbled, but his words were less than firm, sentence trailing off into the groan when Seunghyun slid his hands down Jiyong’s chest and stomach, instead resting on the top of his legs. Jiyong gripped Seunghyun’s thighs tightly, trying desperately to not make as much sound as she wanted to. When Seunghyun pressed a kiss to his neck Jiyong smiled, his body inadvertently rolling back against Seunghyun’s. “Seunghyun…”

Jiyong was about to say something, to tell Seunghyun that they should stop, to remind him that they were at his parents house and his mother was downstairs, but suddenly Seunghyun’s hand had moved and he cupped Jiyong softly, gripping him through his pants as a shudder went through Jiyong’s body. He had to bite his lip to stifle the loud moan that threatened to come out, then he was pressed against the wall, eyes closed tightly and trying to make as little noise as possible.

Seunghyun flipped him around, their lips connecting forcefully and bodies pressed together at every point they could have been. Seunghyun slid his hands up, taking Jiyong’s as he laced their fingers together and held them over Jiyong’s head.

“Seunghyun, hey…” Jiyong mumbled into the kiss, unable to deny the obvious heat in the room. His breaths were heavy, his body felt like it was on fire, and it wasn’t helping that he was gripping at Seunghyun’s hands until his knuckles were white. It took everything he had to push Seunghyun away a moment later, eyes closed as he leaned back against the wall. Seunghyun looked at Jiyong for a second before resting his forehead next to Jiyong’s on the wall, eyes closed.

“Sorry,” he said softly, and Jiyong shook his head.

“Don’t apologize,” he mumbled in response, Seunghyun turning to look at him with a raised brow.

“You told me to stop,” he said, voice no more than a whisper.

“But I don’t want you to stop,” Jiyong replied immediately, laughing for a moment before realizing what he had said and blushing as he stood, fixing his clothes and attempting to clear his head at the same time. Seunghyun just watched him. “My dad should be home soon, and my mom’s probably almost done making dinner. So…” His voice trailed off as he sat down on the bed.

Everything hit him at once – how much Seunghyun meant to him, how much he didn’t want to lose him, how utterly scared he was of how his parents were going to react, and he let his head fall to his hands. Seunghyun frowned, moving to the bed and sitting down next to him as he set a comforting hand on his back, scratching softly.

“I’m so ing scared,” he admitted softly, and Seunghyun could do nothing but pull him close, hugging him tightly.

“You’ll be fine. Come on, let’s just get ready to eat. You don’t have to say anything tonight.” Jiyong nodded even though he didn’t look up, content with the silence and the comforting feeling of Seunghyun’s arms around him for the moment.

 Despite trying to be calm, Jiyong was a wreck all throughout dinner. Seunghyun talked more than he did, and that was odd for him. Dami caught on, trying her best to make him laugh from across the table. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but Seunghyun’s hand stayed comfortably clasped in his on his thigh nearly the whole meal, Seunghyun having to eat left-handed for most of dinner. The effort made Jiyong smile more than anything, the little glances that they stole meaning more than anything Seunghyun could have said.

“You two are friends from school?” Jiyong’s father asked, and Seunghyun nodded with a smile, giving Jiyong’s hand a little squeeze. “What are you studying?”

“Music,” Seunghyun answered easily. “And music management. I was thinking about taking a few business courses as well, but I’m currently really focusing on my general studies.” Jiyong’s father nodded, obviously satisfied with the answer as he simply continued eating. There was a silence, Jiyong looking to Dami, who just stuck her tongue out at him in an attempt to make him laugh. This time it worked, bright smile lighting up his features.

“He helped me with some school stuff I didn’t quite get,” Jiyong piped up, looking to his father with a smile. His father looked up at him, brow raised to complement an otherwise flat expression.

“What did you need help with, exactly?” he asked, and Jiyong blinked a few times, lips pursed.

“Just some math stuff,” he mumbled, and his father shook his head.

“I hope your grades are alright, Jiyong,” he said sternly, focusing more on his food than Jiyong. “I’m glad that you’re helping him, but in all honesty, he shouldn’t need it.” Seunghyun turned hesitantly to Jiyong, who was just looking down at this point.

The rest of the meal went like that, Jiyong’s father asking Seunghyun personal questions and mostly ignoring Jiyong in favor of learning about the man he didn’t know that was in his house. Jiyong understood, but just how his father was acting worried him even more. He had a feeling that his mother would understand – he could tell that she liked Seunghyun at least, and that was a good start. His father was stern, though, and quite traditional. He wasn’t even a big fan of the fact that he sang and performed, so how was he going to take the fact that he’d just spent the last hour interviewing his boyfriend?

By the time dinner was over Jiyong’s nerves were wrecked, and he couldn’t bring himself to do much other than watch movies for the rest of the night, with the occasional interruption from Dami.

With the current sleeping situation, Seunghyun excused himself to the guest room before it got too late, leaving Jiyong alone in his room. There was no way he could sleep at this point – he was too anxious, lying there, trying to figure out what he was going to say. A knock on his door interrupted his musings, though, and he turned to look as Dami walked in, sitting on his bed.

“You’re really freaking out about this, aren’t you?” she asked softly, curling one foot under her as she looked to her brother. He nodded. “Would it be easier if I just told mom? She could break it to dad slowly,” she offered, though Jiyong just shook his head.

“No. No, I want to do it,” he answered, rolling over onto his side. “I just… I don’t know how to yet,” he admitted in slight defeat, sighing as he pulled his pillow over his head. Dami smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” she said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. She watched him for a second. “You really like him, don’t you?” she asked, and she could barely see Jiyong nod under the pillow.

“Yes,” he mumbled, words almost completely muffled by fabric.

“I’ve never seen you this destroyed about something before. Not even Hwayoung,” she added as an afterthought, Jiyong immediately groaning at the name. “I know, I heard,” she said immediately after. Leaning down, she picked up the pillow, looking at Jiyong and the distraught pout on his face. “You’ll be fine. And if you just happen to wind up in the guest bedroom tonight, I didn’t see you walk down the hall and you probably just fell asleep in there.” She winked at him, standing and almost tiptoeing out into the hallway before disappearing into her room.

It took Jiyong less than a minute to get out of bed, making sure the hall was free before sneaking down it. He felt like a little kid again, except instead of sneaking into his sister’s room, he was sneaking in to cuddle with Seunghyun. He smiled softly, cracking open the door as quietly as he could and closing it behind him even more quietly. Walking as softly as he could, he slipped into the bed, arms wrapping tightly around Seunghyun’s body and holding him from behind. He sighed against the back of his neck softly, smiling to himself before Seunghyun rolled around to face him.

“Nope, you’re not the big spoon tonight,” he mumbled, smile on his lips despite the fact that it looked like Jiyong had woken him up. Seunghyun drowsily opened his eyes, a soft exhalation of a laugh making itself known before he reached up and pushed some of Jiyong’s hair from his face. “Hi,” he murmured, and Jiyong couldn’t hide the grin that was more apparent in his eyes than anything else.

“Hi,” he replied softly, reaching up to let his hand rest over Seunghyun’s that was now on his cheek.

“I was wondering how long it was going to take you to sneak in here,” he teased with a smile, leaning closer so that the two were touching noses. Jiyong laughed under his breath, teasing pout on his lips as he shook his head.

“Dami told me she’d cover,” he said, his hand sliding down Seunghyun’s arm so that it was resting on his shoulder. “I just… I needed to reassure myself that you were still here,” he mumbled, looking down. Seunghyun quirked a brow.

“What, did you think I was going to just get up in the middle of the night and leave?” he asked, and Jiyong nudged his shoulder as he scrunched up his nose in playful irritation.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean… Just… Just ignore me.” He huffed quietly, though Seunghyun’s thumb almost caressing his cheek made him calm down and he smiled up at him, hand finally falling to rest on the other man’s neck. “This is what I mean. You make me feel safe, and cared for, and… You make me say cheesy like this. Please, just make me stop,” he rambled softly, ending it with a laugh.

There was something in him that told him that if he continued, he might just go too far. And right now, he was just fine with the situation.

Seunghyun smiled easily, pressing a kiss to Jiyong’s lips that lingered for moments on end. Their lips moved together slowly – nothing was rushed, there was no need to deepen it. It just was, and that was all it needed to be. Eventually they pulled apart, Seunghyun flipping Jiyong over so that he was pressed against Jiyong’s back, holding him close. Jiyong smiled, hand playing absently with Seunghyun’s as he lie there.

“Goodnight, Ji,” Seunghyun mumbled, giving Jiyong a soft squeeze before he fell silent. Jiyong grinned to himself, perfectly happy in the other man’s arms.

Maybe he’d tell his parents tomorrow. Maybe it would be at the end of the break. Maybe they’d accept it and maybe they wouldn’t – he didn’t care. No matter what they said, Seunghyun was his, and he wasn’t going to lose that, or change it for anything.

“Goodnight, Seunghyun,” he said softly, despite the fact that he was relatively sure that Seunghyun had already fallen asleep.