Prince. (Xingqiu x Chongyun)

Part 13: Out

"Your... What?" I hear my dad say.

My mom sighs, "Sweetheart... You don't understand what you're saying."

I look at them, "But- I do know what I'm saying! I'm gay, I don't like girls, I like Cho- I like boys." I bite down on the inside of my cheeks, my vision gets blurry.

My dad looks at my mom, and my mom looks back at him and shakes her head. 

"Listen..." My mom leans forward and reaches to grab my hand, I pull it away. She huffs and leans back, "I know you may think you like guys, but you really don't, you like girls. One day you'll come across a beautiful princess who'll marry you and become Queen."

I furrow my eyebrows and lower my voice, "...What?" I start feeling this ache inside me, I raise my voice, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you!" 

My dad shakes his head and looks at my mom, "Do you remember when you met me?" He speaks in a whisper like he doesn't want me to hear.

She nods, "You were... seeing a..." She mouths the word 'boy'.

I open my mouth in shock and look at them both.

"Then you came and swept me off my feet," My dad nods slowly, "But that didn't change my feelings towards... you know, boys. I just was in love with you now."

"What?" I finally spit out, shocked. My thoughts were all over the place.

My dad looks at me then back at my mom, "You still loved me and chose to stay with me even after knowing that, Xingqiu deserves a chance too."

I smile and my eyes start to water, not from sadness but this time from happiness.

My mom sighs and takes a moment to think, "I'd still love you regardless, Xingqiu." She looks at me and stands up, opening her arms for a hug.

I start to feel a tear roll down my cheek, I'm not sure why I'm crying, maybe it's a tear of relief. I stand up and hug her, she wraps her arms around me and puts her head on top of mine.

"If the world hates you for this, we'll be your two biggest fans." My dad stands up and joins the hug too.

I smile into the hug and let go, "Thank you."

My mom nods and sits back on the couch, I sit down too. I know I don't need to tell them about Chongyun, but since they're... well for the most part supportive about it... I should get it out of the way.

"Um- And..." I let my voice drag out, maybe this isn't a good idea?

"Hm?" My dad hums, waiting for me to say it.

I swallow, "So... Chongyun is like my boyfriend." I spit out.

My parents look at me confused since I said it so fast but they both seem to understand it at the same time.

My dad nods slowly and laughs shortly under his breath, "Is that why you've been seeing him every day?"

I laugh awkwardly and scratch the back of my head, "Not... Really. I didn't start dating him until yesterday."

My mom stays silent and watches us talk, I know it'll take a while to get used to this but... I'm surprised my dad is so understanding, I expected him to be the stricter one. The rest of the conversation isn't long, he asks a few things. I walk out of the room, unsure whether to feel relieved or utterly exhausted about the conversation. I decide to settle with feeling relieved.

I walk back up to Hu Tao's room, it's a little later now, but I may go to sleep earlier regardless of the time today. I knock and wait for an answer.

They both open the door quickly, "How did it go?" Yanfei asks first.