To Put On An Act [bxb]

Chapter 11 - HOW TO BE THE BEST SON IN LAW

With a proper black button up, an un-ripped pair of jeans, his cleanest boots he could find, and a very small and admittedly cheap potted orchid as a gift, Alex rang the doorbell of the Lee residence. Perhaps he was a nervous wreck right now, but at least he looked nice. Like a real boyfriend. Or son in law. He even toned down the eyeliner a little bit today.

Youngbin lived in this proper and clean and kind of samey neighbourhood, and Alex knew that Min actually lived pretty close. This was the rich people district of Rosebury, one of the few places that actually looked all pretty and shiny and well kept, with big houses and their big gardens, bushes cut into tacky shapes, and a couple of hideous McMansions.

Now oddly enough, Youngbin's house wasn't too bad. Maybe Alex was biassed, but it looked a little more welcoming, a little more warm, and a lot less pompous.

The white front door opened slowly with a creak, and Alex quickly straightened his back, putting on a smile, holding the potted orchid in one arm while hiding the other behind his back. Oh, he was going to make such a good first impression. The world's best boyfriend, and also the world's best behaved bisexual, there was no way in hell anyone could still be homophobic after meeting him.

Except that Youngbin now stood in front of him, and looked at him with his huge eyes, and let out a snort.

"What's up with your shirt?" He grinned. Kind of cutely. Alex looked down on himself as if he had to double check his outfit once more. Nope, still the same. Black boots, dark blue jeans, black shirt- shit. He fucked up the buttons. Great job, dumbass, what's next, was he wearing his pants the wrong way around? Was he going to carry mud from all over Rosebury under his shoes right into the house?

"Well, fuck me," Alex hissed, shoving the potted plant in front of his torso. "Is it obvious?"

"To my mom, probably. You can fix it later." That shit eating grin on Youngbin's face that Alex had never seen on him before disappeared slowly and turned a little sweeter when he turned around, waving Alex in. "Hi, by the way."

Alex stepped into the long hallway, and it felt a little like he had entered a horror house, except that the horror was trying to not destroy every single nice picture frame or wall sculpture by accident, and trying to not carry in dirt. So far, he was succeeding. And then Youngbin took a turn into what Alex assumed to be the kitchen or dining room.

There they were. The council, waiting to judge him and maybe kill him and send him to hell for all eternity. The Lee family.

Youngbin's parents were painfully beautiful and put together looking, sitting next to each other along the large round mahogany dining table. They looked as if they had been waiting for Alex to arrive for hours, Youngbin's mother quickly standing up with stiff movements as soon as he had stepped in.

"This is Alex," Youngbin said in a voice so gentle and soft and fond, and kind of proud, which was nice.

Youngbin's mother couldn't seem to smile at Alex just yet, and he couldn't blame her. She walked around the table with small steps, her eyes narrowed, scanning Alex, his face, his outfit, probably reading the depths of his soul. Then, she hesitantly offered her hand, and Alex cautiously shook it.

"Doctor Han Dahyeon." Oh. Doctor. That was kind of terrifying. "Hello, Alex. You can call me Dahyeon."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss- Dahyeon." Alex smiled, cleared his throat, then held up the orchid, and Dahyeon hesitantly took the pot into her long thin fingers. "I brought you- uhm, something, I didn't want to come empty handed."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." Her eyes had softened a little, looked a bit more similar to her son's now.

"What a charmer!" By now, Youngbin's father had gotten up as well, and extended his hand. "Hi, Alex. I'm William." His handshake was firm, his smile was warm, and perhaps he was taking a little of the anxiety out of Alex. For now.