Minho unlocked his front door and closed it behind us. His house was pretty in the evening — the lamplight almost golden, the only sound squeaky floorboards. I sat on the ground and pulled my boots off.

As always, half my brain was paying attention to Minho. I heard him smile as he shuffled his jacket off and hung it on a hook.

I looked up at him. "What's that smile?"

He crouched down behind me, hugged me. I dropped my boot and leaned back into him.

"I'm thinking about living with you. You know, in a house. Someday."

I couldn't help but freeze up, caught off guard. "Do you want that?"

"Yeah, you?"

I hadn't even begun to think about it. A house of our own. Endless talking and cuddling and alone time. I'd hold him as he fell asleep, be there when he awoke. We'd spend every second of the day together. Could such an impossible fantasy come to life?

"Of course I do," I said.

"It's a deal."

"What do you wanna do in the meantime?"

"Wanna play a board game?"

"Sure."

It was a bit of a process, making our way to the nook behind the basement stairs. He kept walking on my heels, hugging me, lips at my neck. I turned around and made him go ahead of me, but he clung onto me again. I squeezed my arms around him, picked him up, and his legs pulled up around my waist. It was so hard to do anything when all I wanted to do was this.

A good fifteen minutes later, we made it to our destination. Piles of thin, rectangular cardboard boxes were stuffed into a wooden shelf. Uno and Clue and Monopoly and weird new ones I'd never seen before. Minho picked out the checker board and handed it to me.

We sat down on opposite sides of the coffee table, unfolded the board, arranged the checkers. It was my turn first — I moved a piece, calculating.

"When did you play last?" Minho asked.

"Long time. I'm banned from these kinds of games. Mindreader problems."

He stretched his arm across the table and pawed at my hand. His pout was a question.

"It's okay, my love," I answered. "I'm used to it."

"Is Felix allowed to play, with his power?"

"Nope. But we make do. Our favourite game is 'throwing random stuff at each other until someone gets hit.'" We hadn't played in ages. I suppose there were bigger fish to fry at the moment — besides, Forks didn't have a garbage dump or an abandoned museum in the immediate vicinity. "It's more fun than it sounds."

"No, that sounds awesome. What games are you allowed to play?" He moved a piece, playing into my scheme. I quickly took my turn.

"Twister — it doesn't require strategy. Jacks is good, too. Sometimes we braid each other's hair, to see who's fastest. Felix wins every time, his hands are tiny and agile. I'm a close fifth." I reached over and pulled the lock of his hair I braided that morning. "I put that in this morning."

He smacked his head. "I had a braid in my hair all day? Oh, my God."

"It's cute." I moved a checker, making it a show.

"Wait, if you're banned from games that involve strategy, why are we playing baseball tonight?"

"They know I like baseball, so they let me have the advantage." It started as an ironic thing, a 'look at me, I'm so sporty' thing. It morphed into something else when I felt the high of winning. "Felix, too. It honestly doesn't help much, the mind reading. Oh, he's gonna throw low — oh, he's gonna throw a curve ball. They've actually gotten pretty good at hiding their thoughts from me. We're all just a bit over-competitive."

"Tonight should be fun," he deadpanned.

I smiled, jumped one of his pieces and disposed of it.

We kept playing in silence. It was relaxing. The house was quiet — Forks was quiet, but his house felt like a hitch in time. I imagined getting to know his home as well as I knew my own...

Then I remembered someone else lived here as well. I didn't want to have to watch out for the sound of Charlie's tires all the time, skedaddle and hide in the shadows like an intruder. That wasn't fair to Charlie or Minho.

"JESUS CHRIST, LOOK OVER THERE!"

My every instinct told me to identify the danger, to eradicate it, to protect him. I whirled around, eyes and ears searching the outside world. Nothing. I blinked and calmed down before turning back to him.

"What...?"

He shrugged. "Sorry. I thought I saw something weird."

Suspicious. My eyes narrowed. I returned to my former thought, broaching the topic casually.

"So," I said, "is tonight the night?"

"For what?"

"That I meet Charlie."

Minho shrugged his shoulders.

"I introduced you to my family."

"Your family is cool, it's different."

The notion was absurd. I laughed louder than I should have. "They are not cool."

"They seem cool."

"They're not."

"Well, Charlie is even less cool. And I don't know why you wanna meet him so bad. Are you still afraid you'll kill me or something?"

His nonchalance horrified me for a second, and then settled in nicely with everything else he'd ever said to me.

"I guess it's just, he's your dad, he's a part of your life. I wanna be a part of your life — like, an actual, known part. Your boyfriend. I want to be close to you in every way humanly possible."

Minho seemed surprised and satisfied. "Fine. You can meet Charlie."

I clapped and pumped my fists in the air.

"I just hope you know you're bringing my worst nightmare to life," he said. "This is going to be hell."

"You're exaggerating. He's a nice guy."

"Yeah, to other people! He's my dad. He's gonna embarrass me, mark my words."

"Don't worry, love. When he does, I won't laugh too hard."

"See, that's not helping."

I could win the game on my next turn, all it would take was a few minor adjustments. Surely I couldn't cheat on him. Yes, I cheated on my family all the time — and they me — but Minho was a human! How could I use my advantages against him like that...?

I snatched a couple pieces, rearranged a few more — and won the game.

He examined the board for a second, and then my face. He slumped into the couch, lower lip poking out. I moved over to him on all fours, straddled him and kissed his cheeks, eyelids, perfect nose.

"My beautiful, precious loser."

He stifled laughter, smiling under my lips. "You definitely cheated. I saw you slipping pieces into your pocket."

I had the pieces I stole in my hands in a second, I let them fall into his lap. His eyes went wide, and he pulled his own stolen pieces from his pockets.

We laughed for a solid three minutes, yelling at each other, till we were choking on air. Then I heard the wheels of a Ford on the pavement a couple blocks away. I packed up the cardboard box and turned back to Minho.

"I'll leave now," I said, "if that makes the interaction any less horrifying."

"Not really."

"You don't have to do this, you know."

"I'm giving you a hard time. You want this, and I want what you want. Besides, you're excited about it — it's adorable."

"You're too nice to me."

He looked me straight in the eye. "I'm exactly as nice to you as you deserve."

How did he know exactly what to say? He was challenging everything I'd ever believed, changing my DNA, splitting my atoms. Was there enough time to pin him to the couch and kiss every inch of his face and neck and anywhere else he told me to? No. His father was just around the corner, too close for comfort.

Minho had the same idea, but he was less concerned with the outside world. He leaned in to kiss me, arms around my waist, holding me to him.

Charlie pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. I broke away, and Minho let his head fall back on the couch.

"See you soon," I said.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you more." He couldn't know how much I would miss him — it would break his heart.

I flitted away, grabbed my shoes from the entrance and ghosted out the kitchen window. The forest flew past me and I came to a stop in the garage. Hyunjin usually kept his stargazing chairs behind the tool chest — they were missing now. I spun in a couple circles and marched out of the garage.

I walked in the front door and Felix was immediately trailing behind me.

Did Minho say anything about me? Was he weirded out? You didn't tell him about the corgi heist, did you?

"He didn't say anything, but you should assume he's weirded out. Where are Hyunjin's folding chairs?"

In use. They're stargazing in the backyard.

"But it's not dark yet?"

Go see for yourself. Felix slapped my arm and strutted off.

I went to the kitchen window. Jeongin, Hyunjin and Changbin were sitting in a row, watching Seungmin practice his pitching. He spun his arm out, flipped the rest of his body like a Ferris wheel and landed gracefully on his toes, baseball still in hand.

I pushed the screen door open and walked up to them. "What are you doing?"

"Stargazing." Jeongin pointed at his boyfriend. "He's a star, isn't he?"

"One of the two lights of my life," Hyunjin crooned, resting his head on Jeongin's shoulder.

"And why are you here?" I asked Changbin.

"I'm here to keep him humble." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yo, you throw like a boy scout!"

Seungmin wound up, whipped his arm in Changbin's direction, who spazzed out and pitched over backward in the chair. Seungmin hadn't even let go of the ball.

I shoved Changbin to the side and took the chair out from under him. "Mind if I take this?"

"What do you need it for?" Hyunjin asked.

"Minho might need it at the game. Humans have to sit sometimes — not just because they want to. Standing in the photo room must have been hard enough. I'm stupid for not thinking of it earlier."

"Sure, take it. Where're you going now?"

"To meet Minho's father."

"Ooh, that's a big step, Jisungie. You need to watch your tongue. Father-in-laws are tough. I know all too well from Haseong." He shuddered.

"Call him 'Chief Swan' instead of Charlie," Jeongin added. "Then you'll seem respectful."

"And make sure not to mention his life-demolishing divorce," Felix called, bounding out of the house. He hunkered down and nestled into Changbin's lap. "Use your charm, lay it on thick — but not so thick that he'll fall in love with you. That guy is as closeted as a freshly pressed shirt."

"Minho's dad?" I gaped.

"Compulsory heterosexuality, amirite?"

"Gonna meet the father, boyo?" Chan and Haseong walked into the backyard, hand in hand. "Want some advice? You know, how ta charm the dad as according to dads?"

"But you're not dads."

"We are your biological fathers for all intents and purposes," said Haseong, "so shut up."

"I don't need any advice. I'm a charmer. As long as I'm talking to someone who doesn't know me, I might as well be a cool, smooth, well-adjusted guy."

Felix snorted. "Boy're they off."

"But they don't know that." I tapped my head with my index finger. "I'm heading out."

"Have fun deceiving Minho's father into thinking you're normal," Seungmin called.

"Can't wait to kick your arse later," said Chan.

"An arse'll be kicked but twill be my foot doing the kicking," said Felix.

"I'll dismember all of you and burn your corpses," said Jeongin.

Haseong patted his head. "Take it down a notch, son."

"Sorry."

I sprinted out of the yard and back to Minho's house. It was just starting to rain — fat drops drumming on my head. I left the folding chair in the back of his truck. When I listened closer, I realized Minho and his father hadn't even sat down to dinner yet. I sighed and got into Minho's truck, waiting for my entrance.

Half an hour or so later, I hopped onto the porch and knocked on the door. Minho yanked it open, smiled and kissed my cheek. Scandalous, my love. I tapped his arm, and then turned my attention to Charlie. He was standing behind Minho's shoulder, looking anywhere but us.

"Hi, Chief Swan," I said. "It's great to get to introduce myself properly. I'm Jisung Han." I held my hand out.

Good so far, he thought. He took my hand and and shook firmly. "Nice to meet you," he said aloud. "How's your dad?"

"He's doing great, thank you."

I would date him if he was a woman. "I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into. Minho's not really a sports guy."

"I'm well aware. He was being kind to my family. He has total veto power."

"Which is unnecessary," Minho chimed in, elbowing Charlie in the pancreas, "because I'm happy to go."

"Right, right." He'd go to baseball with this guy but won't go fishing with me. Hmph. I guess I should have expected that. "Say, Jisung, you wanna hear about the time Minho tried out for baseball?"

"That would be amazing for me."

"No, we're leaving now," Minho cut in, stepping out onto the porch.

"But I wanna hear the story," I whined.

He looked at me like he wanted to suffocate me with his bare hands. Instead, he took my elbow and towed me down the stairs. I turned back to wave at Charlie — he nodded slightly in response.

Then he called for Minho to come back. I kept going, giving them a semblance of privacy, and waited by the truck. Charlie adjusted Minho's shirt, tried to smooth out his eyebrows, patted him on the shoulders and told him to have a good time.

Maybe I'll be as strong as he is someday, he thought.

~ * ~

"Turn here," I said.

Minho cut down the backroad, his eyebrows lowering.

"You were telling a story," I hinted.

He sighed. "Right. I was ten, I think, and my mom made me try out for baseball. I just wanted to play Kirby and nap, honestly, baseball sounded like the pits of hell to me."

"Another turn is coming up — look for a sign covered in cobwebs."

"I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"You were saying?"

"So I was up to bat or whatever. The pitcher was this ginormous, burly guy with uncooked chickens for arms. When he threw the ball at me, and I just booked it in the opposite direction."

"Oh, love."

"Pathetic, I know."

"No, you missed the turn."

He swore a harsh word, shifting into reverse.

"Is that the end of the story?" I asked.

"No. I ran into the kid behind me — that little shit shoved me — and I landed on my head."

I pressed my lips together, holding back a laugh.

"I know you're laughing at me."

"That's very harrowing, my love."

"At least I got ice cream after."

"You missed the turn again."

He yelled an expletive and whimpered for the remainder of the drive.

--------------------------------------------

i promise i won't ramble on and on in this outro, but i just wanted to say that jisung wanting minho to tell charlie about him is a bit disrespectful, because a part of minho's hesitance is that he doesn't feel comfortable with his dad meeting his boyfriend. i was stupid when i wrote this and i would rewrite it if i could. no one should feel pressured to Come Out. i feel like such a het and i apologize, that's on me.

on to the song of the week...

Gryffin - Tie Me Down (ft Elley Duhé)

this song is very minho. before him and jisung got together, he just wanted jisung to admit he likes him. 'hold me up, tie me down, cause I never wanna leave your side.'
and he never will leave his side 🥺

see you next time~