Chapter Text
Chan and Felix had been the first ones to arrive at the Im house, Felix leaving Chan (to the wolves) with his dad.
The youngest of Hime's children had already met Im Jaebeom and Yoo Youngji.
Doesn't make it less intimidating though, Chan thinks, smiling nervously at Jaebeom.
"Chan, relax. I'm not gonna bite," Jaebeom grins, a sharp fang-like incisor winking in the light of the living room.
Chan hears snickering as Yugyeom passes by and the latter quips, "Unless it's mom."
The younger of the Im Twins runs away long before Chan could register the vein throbbing on the head of the Im Family.
"Get back here, you little-!"
Chan hears his future father-in-law yell as he chases Yugyeom.
Then, upon hearing Felix loudly gasping, Chan hurriedly runs to the entrance and sees Hyunjin(?!) with Masami(?!?!). The former was halfway through taking off his scarf, neck bare unless you count the bruises and are those actual teeth marks?! adorning his neck.
"Were you mauled, Jinnie hyung?!"
Felix affrontedly asked, not noticing Masami's beet red face.
"I ran out of turtlenecks to wear," Hyunjin casually says, unconcerned about the dark bruises that littered his neck.
"Well, I didn't need to know that Masami is brutal," Chan absentmindedly says.
Hyunjin grins, casually tugging said person, who was still blushing and attempting to hide behind the older's taller frame.
"I am not here," Masami timidly says, face buried behind Hyunjin's arm.
While the three were preoccupied with Yugyeom dramatically gasping at the state of his little brother’s neck, Chan hastily whips out his phone.
[creator line]
chrischan: jinnie wtf
lenomao: oh theyre there?
lenomao: nice
chrischan: wait
chrischan: u knew?
spearbin: hyung
spearbin: have u forgotten that hyunjin’s felix’s hyung????
onlyhan: amazing what love does
chrischan: (╯’□’)╯︵ ┻━┻
Chan quickly pockets his phone once he hears Felix calling for him. Before he could take a step to go to his boyfriend, said boyfriend emerged and quickly tugged him back to the living room.
“Come on, hyung. Youngjae hyung came out of his cave after finishing his revisions so you gotta meet him,” Felix enthusiastically says as he drags the pliant older.
Chan meets Im Youngjae while the latter was in his wrinkled pajamas and clunky glasses, looking like someone who had just rolled out of bed and not someone who had spent the last five days working on revising his manuscript for his fifth novel that’s probably gonna be another bestseller (minus, of course, a few hours of working at Im Industries as their consultant).
Youngjae shakes Chan’s hand firmly and smiles at him. Chan now gets why Felix always says he’s just a ray of sunshine. Im Youngjae apparently was the sun itself, smile or no smile.
The older of the Im twins had no qualms about appearing unkempt in front of his youngest brother’s boyfriend/fiance. After all, “It’s highly likely you’ll see me looking messier than this sometime soon since you’re marrying Jihyunnie, after all.”
Youngjae merely shrugs at Chan’s concerns and excuses himself to get his appearance in order. He may be an author (and an Im Industries exec) who rarely surfaces when he’s on one of his writing binges but if his mother says he has to clean himself up before he can get dinner, then he will.
While the second Im child goes to set his appearance in order, Chan meets another unexpected face.
“Biyu?!”
Zhou Biyu, silver hair and clad in an all black ensemble, smiles as they pull away from Yugyeom’s hug.
“Oh, Chris! You’re here!”
Yugyeom huffs and slings an arm around their waist, “I told you that Jihyunnie would be bringing his boyfriend here.”
Biyu turns to Yugyeom and pouts.
The latter rolls his eyes and lightly pinches his spouse’s waist. Biyu retaliates with a slap on Yugyeom’s arm.
Felix casually slides under Chan’s arm and says, “Biyu probably forgot that I told them about you. And that you’re the person I was arranged to marry, too.”
Biyu hears them, of course, and dodges the slap coming for their (non-existent) ass from Yugyeom.
“I would like you to know, Jihyunnie, that you never told me that your boyfriend and the guy arranged to marry you were one and the same!”
“Did I not tell you?” Felix innocently asked, eyes fluttering in mock shyness. Biyu merely rolls their eyes and turns to Chan, tone serious.
“Be careful of that one.”
Chan nods solemnly while Felix protests. The former merely laughs and tightens his hold around his boyfriend, kissing the side of his head as an apology.
“Ew. Affection,” Biyu mocks, Yugyeom sneaks in a kiss on their cheek to their consternation.
Chan laughs at the antics of the older couple and Felix relaxes. He knew Chan was a tad bit nervous in coming here, joining his family for dinner. Sure, his boyfriend had already met his parents multiple times but this time, Chan plans on formally asking the Ims for their blessing (arranged marriage pact or not).
As dinner time gradually nears, Chan meets the eldest of the Im children. Im Youngsoo, “Please call me Joshua or Shua hyung, either of those work,”was someone, upon Chan meeting him, who was the epitome of being a gentleman. His voice was gentle but also had a subtle hint of authority behind it. Joshua’s voice was soft, belying the way the man looked. While Joshua was elegance and softness rolled into one, Cho Seungmin, “Seokmin works better for me. Oh and you can just call me that. No need for honorifics!” was the exact opposite. He was exuberant and his voice had the lilt of joy in it. The two presented such a compatible energy, it made him jealous.
Biyu whispered to him, “No other couple gives off the same energy as they do, trust me.”
Chan was about to protest when Youngji, along with Youngjae who had finished cleaning himself up and was appointed assistant by his mother, announced that dinner was ready.
Everyone gathered at the dinner table, with Chan pulling Felix’s chair for him and sitting across him. Biyu side eyes him as he sits, the two friends having sat next to each other. Chan ignores the telling glance and faces Felix who smiles brightly at him.
“This family is made up of suns, what the heck,” he hears Biyu mutter and he clamps down a snort bubbling in his throat.
Yugyeom hears this and lightly kicks his spouse’s leg under the table, judging by the way Biyu flinched. Chan observes as the two start kicking each other under the table. Felix, used to this, ignores it.
Youngji notices this, as well, but merely sighs while lightly tapping on her (gradually getting pissed) husband’s hand.
“Yugyeom,” Joshua calls out, voice softly reprimanding. The younger grumbles but does stop.
As dinner progresses, Chan slowly relaxes as he sees the Im twins bickering over something as trivial as the taste of their mom’s bulgogi jjigae, with Youngjae saying that he tasted cucumbers in it while Yugyeom tells him it’s just his imagination. Their mom wouldn’t feed Youngjae something he’s actually allergic to.
This leads to a loud debate with Felix shrugging at Chan as the latter looks at him, eyes disbelieving of the bickering happening in front of them.
Seokmin, sat on Chan’s other side, nudged him with his elbow and said, “This happens. You’ll get used to it.”
“But why don’t they just ask Aunt Youngji?” Chan asks, curious. Seokmin chuckles at that and replies with a “They enjoy arguing. That’s how they bond, most of the time. Trust me.”
Chan looks at the heated bickering, now with Biyu egging them on while Hyunjin sighs. Apparently, Yugyeom had let him borrow one of his turtlenecks. Masami, catching Chan’s gaze, merely shrugs and continues eating, ignoring the two arguing across his seat.
“If you say so,” Chan hesitatingly answers. Seokmin beams at him, eyes crinkling in his mirth.
Oh my god. The sun! The sun!
A few more minutes goes on, the bickering intensifying to the point that Chan thinks the twins had forgotten what had started it.
Youngji clears her throat, “Gyeommie, Youngjae.”
The twins look to their mother and she narrows her eyes at them both, “There are no cucumbers in the soup.”
The twins blinked at that, looked at each other then shrugged. Chan is astounded at how easily the two go back to eating. Seokmin chuckles beside him while Biyu huffs with a tinge of amusement and exasperation.
Across him, Chan meets Felix’s eye and the latter shrugs, smiling up at him. He sees Hyunjin rubbing his ear and telling Yugyeom, “Took you long enough, hyung.” Yugyeom laughs and ruffles Hyunjin’s hair.
Halfway through dinner (Youngji had cooked enough to feed an entire platoon, his youngest had warned him about Chan’s appetite), Youngji turned to Chan, “So, Chan. Jihyunnie hasn’t told me anything about what you’re doing recently aside from District 9.”
Chan looks up, pausing to swallow his food and drink, then answers, “Honestly, Aunt-”
“Call me mom.”
The whole table pauses at that, Felix hiding his blush by lowering his head while Yugyeom snickers softly. Hyunjin squeezes his younger brother’s neck as reassurance. Youngjae quietly continues eating and Joshua pauses to check on Felix.
Masami had stopped eating, eyes observing his hyung while Biyu merely nodded.
Chan clears his throat, cheeks reddening slightly, “R-right. Uhm… mom. I’m just producing songs and helping Uncle Chanyeol with some stuff."
“I see,” Youngji answers, eyes turning to her husband but then Felix says something.
“Don’t let Chan hyung’s brief explanation fool you, mom! Chan hyung’s been working on a lot of amazing stuff.”
“Felix…”
Felix beams at his boyfriend and then launches into one long-winded tale of what Chan has been working on. He does it so enthusiastically and brightly that Chan, despite his embarrassment, lets him continue.
Youngji smiles at this and pays attention. The Im children all notice their dad perking up and avidly listening to what the youngest is saying.
“Oh. I didn’t know you were working closely with Jae hyung’s kids,” Jaebeom remarks. Chan stammers out a “ We’re close friends ” at that. Jaebeom chuckles and nods.
“It’s good that the three of you have so much energy to work on a lot of things, including maintaining District 9.”
“Seungjin hyung’s good at helping me with it.”
Youngji raises her eyebrow at that, “One of Wonpil’s kids?”
Chan nods. Youngji hums and the younger looks at her. The Im matriarch laughs and tells him that she and Wonpil are friends.
“Seungjin’s a fully capable child.”
“He is.”
“Then, that’s good. I have heard from both Younghyun and Youngjin that you work yourself too much, to the point that you forget to rest at the right time. Even Masami had said something about it,” Youngji remarks. Despite the statement not being aimed at him, Jaebeom squirms in his seat, unnoticed by most of the table’s inhabitants.
Chan blushes at that. He eyes both Felix and Hyunjin while Masami pretends to not feel the eyes of the older on him.
“Well… I get distracted, sometimes.”
Felix affronted by his reply, objects, “What do you mean sometimes?! You…!”
Hyunjin laughs at that and tries to calm his agitated brother.
“Felix, love. I’m sorry.”
“You better be.”
“I’ll try to tone it down.”
“Good,” Felix decisively nods, “I’ll hold you to that, hyung.”
Youngji chuckles, eyes her husband, “Reminds you of something, dear?”
Jaebeom winces, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure. Whatever you say, dear.”
Dinner was over and dessert was served. It was chocolate mousse that Youngjae had made yesterday when he had taken a two-hour break away from his revisions.
After the loud dinner, everyone had dispersed around the house. Chan grasped Felix’s hand and squeezed it.
Youngji and Jaebeom were with them in the living room, the former calmly enjoying a glass of wine while Jaebeom was on his second serving of chocolate mousse.
Chan clears his throat, the older couple looking up.
“Sorry, I…” He takes a deep breath, Jaebeom straightening up from his seat and Youngji putting her glass down.
“I know that Felix and I are already arranged to be married but I also wanted to ask you, Felix’s parents, for your blessing. I just wanted his parents to know that arranged marriage or not, I would still marry Felix and I would like it if you could give us your blessing and let me marry Felix.”
Youngji smiles at that, although Chan doesn’t see it as he has bowed lowly in front of them.
“Chan ah, stand up,” Jaebeom quietly says. The younger looks up and sees the both of them smiling.
Chan does stand up, Felix holding his hand again.
Youngji then adds, “The both of you already had our blessing the moment Jihyunnie showed up and told us about you so happily.”
“I…”
Jaebeom holds up a hand, “We’ve never seen Jihyun so happy before and we’ve seen how much you care for him. Not to mention, Hyunjinnie and Biyu had told us about you.”
Chan holds his breath as Jaebeom continues, “The heart of the matter is that we trust you, Bang Junchan. We know you’ll take good care of Jihyun and his happiness. And so, you have our blessing.”
Relaxing under Felix’s grip, Chan sighs in relief, “Thank you.”
The older couple smiles at him then and leaves, after Jaebeom had given him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.
“Eyyyy!”
Biyu loudly says, pouncing on Chan and thumping his back enthusiastically.
Hyunjin follows them in with Masami in tow.
“Hyung, my respect for you has gone up,” Masami quietly says. Chan stares at him, “It was very low back then, wasn’t it?”
Masami shrugs. Yugyeom thumps Chan’s back in commendation. Joshua and Seokmin quietly congratulate him while Youngjae pats him on his shoulder.
“Take care of our littlest brother, yeah?”
“Of course, hyung.”
Youngjae smiles at him, Chan barely suppressing his wince at the brightness.
The nine children had all stayed up late at night to celebrate with Chan staying over at Felix’s room and Joshua telling him, “You’re all grown up. Don’t be too loud.”
Chan had blushed the deepest shade of red he’d ever done after that. Joshua smirked at that and left the two alone. Apparently, there was a side of Im Joshua that wasn’t so gentlemanly.
Of course, they didn’t do anything, not because they were in Felix’s house, but because Chan had been worn out after all the excitement and had barely managed to pull his future husband close to him before he was out like a light.