Fan Service [Chan]

Chapter 94

Chan watched the clock excitedly while we waited for my parents' flight to land. With every minute that passed I got more and more nervous, which was crazy because I already knew that they liked him. He held my hand in one of his and had a bouquet of wildflowers for my mom in the other.

He bounced eagerly beside me as we watched first few people make their way to the baggage carousel for the New Orleans flight that my parents had taken since they lived in a small town that bordered Louisiana without its own airport.

When they finally came into view I smiled hugely and let go of Chan's hand to hug them. "I missed you," I told each of them. It had been so long since I'd seen them in person. Chan let me have my moment, and then I stepped back and reached for him so I could introduce them properly.

"Mom, Dad, this is Chan," I grinned hugely beside him.

My dad towered over him, but I could tell he was trying not to get emotional. I'd never introduced a guy to them romantically before, let alone a fiancé. Chan shook his hand, and my mom gave him a tight hug before he was allowed to present the flowers to her.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," he gushed. He hadn't stopped smiling.

"We're so happy to meet you too," my mom said in a very southern accent. Chan peeked over at me excitedly.

"I'm starving," my dad complained.

"Then let's grab your bags and get some food," I suggested. He nodded, and we headed over to the carousel to grab their things.

"I wanted to bring a carry-on but your mother insisted we check a bag," my dad grumped. I was used to it, but Chan snickered beside me.

"You two are so cute," my mom complimented. "Did you match on purpose?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Chan answered, eager to tell her.

"Well, y'all are adorable."

Chan squeezed my hand happily, enjoying all of the compliments as if he wasn't famous and didn't have people praising him 24/7.

My dad found the luggage, and Chan jumped to grab them for him. I was grateful that no fans had spotted us so that this could go smoothly without making my parents feel awkward or overwhelmed. I was starting to wonder if the other times we'd been harassed in public had been JYP leaking our whereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised.

We connected and loaded everything into the car with ease. Chan let my dad sit up front with the driver so he could stretch his legs mor, while he sat beside me.

"Chan," my dad began. Chan perked up to listen. "What's it like being in BTS?"

My dad winked at me through the rearview mirror while I shook my head. I could tell that he'd been holding in that joke since he'd landed. "I'm in a different group, Sir. Called Stray Kids," Chan answered awkwardly. My dad roared with laughter.

"He's just messin' with you, honey?" my mom told him and slapped my dad's arm. "Leave the poor boy alone." My mom turned back to Chan with a warm smile. "Ella played me one of your songs, what's the one I like called, El?" she asked me.

"Never Ending Story," I reminded her.

"Yes!" she snapped. "Ya'll all have such lovely voices."

"Thank you," Chan's face turned red

When we arrived at the place we planned to get restaurant, there were several people outside in Stray Kids's merch. My parents got excited to see Chan's fans in real life, but we knew the struggle it would mean if we stayed there to eat. We opted to have the food made to bring back with us to the hotel instead. My dad was grumpy and hungry, but I'd rather that than us be mobbed while my parents were with us.

"So Chan, you're from Australia?" my mom began.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

"What are you and Ella's plans after the tour? Are you staying here, going home...?" my mom asked.

Chan and I hadn't talked a lot about our post-tour plans. We probably should've, but until yesterday, we had so many more important things to worry about.

"We'll probably go to Boston while we figure out what to do from there," Chan replied with certainty. I knew he didn't want my parents to think that our relationship was superficial. He wanted them to know that we talked about the important things...which we did, but the issue of where we'd be living wasn't nearly as big a concern as JYP, Holden, or the endless attacks on our reputation.

"Oh right! Ella said you really enjoyed Boston!"

Chan's face turned red, and I knew he was remembering just how much he'd enjoyed Boston. I winked at him.

"Do you have any wedding plans yet?" my mom turned her questioning to me now.

"Nope! We've been busy with the tour and everything," I admitted.

We pulled up to the hotel and our guard made sure that there was nobody lingering in the lobby before letting us out. My parents got in first and Chan and I went behind them, but a few people ran up to him. He smiled and took photos politely but as quickly as he could.

"You look really happy Ella," my dad told me while we waited on Chan.

"Thanks," I hugged his side.

"He seems like he's good to you," my mom added.

My heart swelled at the compliment. "He is."

When Chan finally finished, and we all sat down for our first meal together. It was strangely comfortable. The conversation flowed well and Mana and Seungmin even came down to join us after a while.

I knew we'd have to leave soon to head over to the venue, so I explained to my parents that I'd come to meet them at their seats once the show was about to start. Mana decided to stay with them to keep them company. I wished I could have done that but I had to meet Chan's parents backstage. Chan assigned a guard to help them all get to the venue, and we said our goodbyes for now.

We headed up to our room where I fixed my makeup with shaky hands. Now it was my turn to meet the parents. I felt anxious but hopeful since Chan's meeting had gone so well. I brought the jersey with me, and we waited in the hall for the others.

"My family just landed," Chan announced excitedly. "You ready to meet them?"

"Sure!" I tried to seem enthusiastic, and Chan took my hand.

"You've got this, baby!" he told me. "They'll love you."

The others joined us, and we made our way to the lobby for the bus walk. Mana and my parents watched from the window, and I waved at them as we walked by...until Seungmin cut off my view and shook his butt at her.

Quite a large group had formed outside of the hotel, but they were pretty respectful. They cheered for the guys and Lee Know and Han seemed to take up most of their attention. My parents recorded us which I thought was cute and then we were loaded up and ready to go to the final show...and to meet with Chan's family.