Jongdae knows he should be happy when Yixing’s mother comes to visit – she comes so infrequently, because flights to and from China aren’t cheap and it’s a long trek – and Yixing adores his mother. It’s not that he doesn’t like Mrs Zhang – she’s a very nice woman, to be sure, and she’s always been kind to him.

It’s more the fact that she seems to completely disregard Yixing’s life choices, as if they’re childish pastimes that, eventually – he will grow out of. She has a habit of saying he’s still of an age to get married – despite the fact that he’s been with Jongdae for over ten years and has never expressed the desire to be with a woman.

Jongdae knows it’s hard – knows that Yixing is her only child and that it’s embarrassing to have a son who flouts all of the rules by living with a Korean boy he met at university and firmly refusing her offers to find him a nice woman to settle down with. She doesn’t see what they have as settling down; she sees it as a temporary fixture, their kids as nieces and nephews rather than their own offspring.

And Yixing lets her believe this, because every time he brings up the fact that this is his life and he likes it like this, she brushes him off. It’s always been like this, Jongdae knows, but it’s tiring; it’s painful to see Yixing’s hurt expression every time she addresses Jongdae as his roommate, and it stings to see her address the children as a stranger’s rather than theirs.

To Jongdae, it makes no sense – but then he grew up with parents who adored him and a family who supported him whatever he did. Yixing never had that security, and so he longs to make sure his own children do.

It’s a pity his mother doesn’t understand that, but then she never did understand him.

Just a tiny drabble to get across a dynamic I haven't really expressed. xD I've told a couple of people about their parents, but I realised I've never actually written about it. So here this is. Um, I guess you can ask me if there's anything you want to know? My wall/Tumblr askbox is always open, and I'll answer as soon as I can.