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Chan pulled into an empty spot next to Abby's car outside her apartment building. He left his bag of belongings in the backseat, knowing that he was only going to be inside for a moment, and checked his phone to see if Abby had texted him any updates since her message that she was getting in the shower but would leave the door unlocked for him as he headed up to her apartment. He let himself into the apartment and promptly froze as the creature napping on the couch perked his head up to glare at him. "Hello, Kookland." Chan greeted the cat--or, as Abby called him, her oldest child--with a curt nod. "Lovely to see you today." Kookie continued to glare at the alpha as he slipped his shoes off and padded over to the couch, flopping onto the far cushion to keep some distance between himself and the cat.
As Chan got comfortable, a black and white blur darted out from under the couch and jumped onto his lap, curling up comfortably on him. "Hi, Koya!" Chan greeted Abby's second child much more warmly, lovingly running a hand over her body. "I'm so glad you've finally warmed up to me!"
The 33-year-old continued to love on Koya, cuddling and petting her as Abby's other two children, Hannie and Rue, chased each other around the room, darting in and out of the tunnel wrapped around the base of the Christmas tree in the corner. Eventually the 35-year-old omega emerged into the living room, looking equally drained and refreshed from her shower. "Don’t move." She said, pulling out her phone to take a picture of Chan and Koya. "I have to document this."
"You do this every time I come over." Chan pointed out. "And I come over quite a lot."
"I know but it's still so surprising!" Abby exclaimed. "She's feral and hates everybody! She even runs and hides from Katie who has spent nearly every weekend for the past 10 years here!"
"She probably decided I get enough hate from that one." Chan nodded to Kookie, who was still glaring daggers at him.
Abby gave him an exasperated look, a whine seeping into her voice. "Chaaan!"
"He is literally plotting my death right now." Chan said.
"Quit it!" Abby pouted. "That's my child and he would never bring harm to anyone."
"That's what he wants you to think." Chan said as Koya decided she had enough and jumped down. The alpha took the opportunity to stand up and walk over to his girlfriend, pressing a soft kiss to her pout. "Are you ready to go or you need more time?"
Abby nodded. "Yeah I just gotta get all my shit together." She gathered multiple bags containing her necessities to spend the night at her mom's house and all the Christmas presents she'd bought, which Chan promptly took from her to carry as soon as his shoes were on his feet. "Bye, my babies!" Abby waved to the four cats who were now all staring at them as they prepared to leave. "I'll be home tomorrow night! Don't fuck up shit too much! I'm looking at you Hannie!" She pointed at the youngest of the cats and gave her an attempt at a stern look before stepping out of the apartment with Chan, locking the door behind them.
When they arrived at Abby's mom's house, they were immediately greeted by the omega's younger siblings, mother, and stepfather. "It's so nice to see you again, Chan!" Abby's mother smiled at the alpha until her gaze fell on his overnight bag. "Oh, you're staying the night too?"
Chan immediately felt awkwardness creeping up as Abby blinked at her mother. "We talked about this. You said it was okay."
Abby's mother hummed. "Must have slipped my mind." She smiled almost apologetically at Chan. "Do you mind sleeping on the floor though?" Abby gave her mother an incredulous look. "I just want to keep things appropriate."
"We're all adults here." Abby reminded her.
After the awkward exchange, Abby and Chan headed into the room they'd be staying in to drop off their stuff, Chan immediately moving to set up a pallet on the floor for himself. "What are you doing?" Abby asked in confusion.
"Setting up my bed." Chan said.
"Uh-uh, no, sir." Abby shook her head, gathering up the blankets he'd already set out on the floor and dropping them back on the bed. "You are not sleeping on the floor."
Chan frowned. "I'm trying to be respectful. I want your family to like me."
"They do like you." Abby assured him. "Trust me, they do." She cupped his face and pressed a few gentle kisses to his lips. "Come on, we gotta help clean and get the food ready before everyone comes over."
As they got the house ready, Chan listening to Abby's instructions and also stepping back when she took over to do it herself as he knew how she got when she was in her cleaning moods, Chan felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and found that Jeonghan had texted the group chat with his and Seungcheol's annual Christmas Eve family picture in front of their tree. Abby must have glanced over and saw what was on his phone because she promptly gasped and said, "Let me borrow this for a second." She snatched his phone out of his hand and held it out to show the picture of Jeonghan and Seungcheol to her mom. "What did I tell you? Are they not the most beautiful couple you've ever seen?"
Chan rolled his eyes slightly as Abby's mother also gasped. "They're gorgeous! And this is real? Not AI?"
"100% real, live art in the flesh." Abby nodded seriously.
"I do not get your obsession with them." Chan said, gently taking his phone back from her grasp as it vibrated repeatedly from what he was sure were replies from the others in the group.
"I do not get why you don't see them for the divine specimen that they are."
Chan scrunched his nose. "Because I've been exposed to their disgustingness for 20 years." He pocketed his phone and resumed cleaning.
It didn't take long after they were done for the house to be alive with Abby's immediate and extended family, leaving Chan feeling like he was back in high school being the only Asian in a room full of white people--with a few black people sprinkled in. But at least Abby's family had moved on from making comments about him being the odd one out following a very awkward moment during the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Little Rock earlier that year. He filled a bowl with some of Abby's stepdad's chili and went to sit next to his girlfriend as she was locked in conversation with her mother. "I'm telling you, the check will be coming in the mail any day now!"
"Mom." Abby stared at the older omega. "It's been eight years. That check is not coming."
After a long night of presents, drinking once the cousins with pups had left, and helping Abby's mother wrap presents once everyone was gone, it was about 3:00 in the morning when Abby and Chan finally crawled into their bed for the night. "You had fun tonight, right?" Abby asked as she played her favorite untangling rope game on her phone while Chan reviewed some videos he had taken of his students before the studio had closed for the holidays.
Chan glanced over at her. "Of course I did."
"Really?" Abby asked almost anxiously. "Because I know how my family is and that sometimes they make you feel like an outsider when we're all together and-"
"Tonight was great." Chan assured her, giving her a soft smile. "I loved spending time with your family, and I love you."
Abby blinked. "'Kay…" Chan chuckled and shifted to be able to press her lips to his only for her to push him away. "Stop, you're gonna make me lose this level!" She resumed untangling ropes frantically. Chan let out another laugh and pressed a kiss to her cheek before returning to his dance videos until he fell asleep.
It felt like his eyes had only been closed for a few seconds when he was rudely awoken by Abby's little sister bursting into the room. "Come on, everybody, let's go!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "We gots things to do!"
"Katie!" Abby whined. "It's way too early!"
"Like I said, we gots things to do!" Katie argued. "So get up and get moving! We're going to Meemaw's!" As Katie left the room, Chan climbed out of bed to start getting ready, leaving Abby to process their abrupt awakening until she dragged herself out of bed too.
Once everyone was ready to go, they headed to Meemaw's house, quickly joining Abby's older sister and niece in the living room where they were waiting for everyone to arrive so her niece could begin opening her presents. As everyone made themselves comfortable, Chan chose an armchair to sit in, only to hear horrified gasps sound throughout the room the second his ass met the cushion. He looked up and found Abby's wide-eyed gaze on him. "What?" He asked. "What's wrong?"
"You're sitting in Meemaw's chair." She whispered in a tone that had Chan feeling like his life was legitimately at stake. The 33-year-old alpha jumped to his feet and distanced himself from the chair just as the elderly omega in question hobbled into the room.
"Merry Christmas, everybody!" She crooned as she lowered herself into her chair with some assistance.
"Merry Christmas." Chan smiled politely as he sat next to Abby instead. "Why didn't you warn me?" He whispered.
"I thought you'd feel the aura!" Abby defended herself.
After presents were exchanged and everyone began winding down, Abby and Chan excused themselves to head to Conway to Chan's parents' house, as it was their turn to host the large joint Christmas lunch with the Yoons and the Chois. "Remind me again who all will be there." Abby said as they drove down the interstate, the 35-year-old omega texting her best friend, Katie--not to be confused with her little sister, Katie, as it still sometimes took Chan a few minutes to figure out which one Abby was talking about when she was telling him stories.
"Me, my parents, my brother, and my nieces obviously." Chan said. "Then my mom and Jeonghan's mom have been best friends for, like, forever, so Jeonghan, his parents, his sister and her mate. Then of course Seungcheol and his and Jeonghan's soccer team. And Seungcheol's parents, his brother and his mate, since they started getting grouped in back when Jeonghan and Seungcheol were just dating."
Abby gave a tiny nod. "A lot of people. Cool."
"A lot of people who love you." Chan said, reaching over to squeeze her thigh lightly before returning his hand to the wheel.
When they arrived at Chan's parents’ house, they entered the living room to find Yumi and Jiwoo attached to their phones in the corner, the younger pups separated into various groups as they played with toys Chan's parents always kept on hand for those occasions, and, to Chan's dismay, Jeonghan helping Soyeon latch onto his breast for a feeding. "You know, your boobs should not be so normalized in my life." Chan said without even properly greeting Jeonghan.
The omega raised his middle finger in the air towards Chan before looking up and smiling. "Hi, Abby! It's so good to see you again!"
"You too!" Abby exclaimed, and Chan could tell she was containing her full excitement over being in Jeonghan's presence.
After dropping their presents off under the tree and making their rounds to greet everyone, Chan and Abby settled in the living room with the others just as Abby's phone starting ringing with a call from her mom. "What does your mom want?" Chan asked.
"Who even knows?" Abby replied with slight exasperation as she answered the call. "Hello?"
Due to her mother's volume, Chan was able to hear her despite not being on speakerphone. "Where are you?"
"In Conway." Abby said.
"Why are you in Conway?" Her mom asked incredulously.
Abby shared a 'what the fuck' look with Chan. "Having lunch with Chan's family like I told you."
"Oh, right…must have forgotten. Well, nevermind then. I'll see you later!"
"See you for dinner." Abby said before ending the call.
Jeonghan looked up from where he'd been cooing at Soyeon as she nursed. "You're not going to Jun and Minghao's tonight? It's hotpot night."
"Unfortunately, no." Abby said. "My family always goes out for Chinese Christmas night." She paused, her eyes widening a bit. "I see how that sounds, turning down authentic Chinese food for Americanized but…this is the white side of my family so…" Jeonghan let out a little giggle at that before turning back to the six-month-old in his arms.
Chan could instantly feel the anxiety rising in Abby, growing steadily all through lunch and presents until they were in the car heading back to Maumelle. "They hate me!"
"Nobody hates you." Chan assured her.
"Yes they do!" Abby whined. "They think I'm some weirdo racist who's gonna cut you off from them and never let you hang out with them ever again!"
Chan bit his lip to hold back a laugh because even though that whole idea was ridiculous, he knew Abby was genuinely concerned about that. "They do not."
"Now I'll never be a part of their religion!" Abby exclaimed.
The 33-year-old alpha furrowed his eyebrows. "Jeonghan and Seungcheol aren't religious-"
"They are the religion!" Abby informed him as if that made complete sense.
Blinking slowly, Chan reached over to squeeze her thigh comfortingly. "There, there. You can still be a part of their religion."
Abby looked at him with wide eyes, her lips pouting out. "Really?"
Chan nodded. "Really. You know Saturdays are hotpot night at Jun and Minghao's, and Christmas doesn't change that. They gave an open invitation for anyone who was free to come over tonight. But we are not free, and no one's going to even bat an eye over us not being there."
"You promise?" Abby asked in a small voice.
"I promise." Chan squeezed her thigh again.
After a dinner of Americanized Chinese food with Abby's family, the two finally returned to Abby's apartment where Abby immediately went to change into more comfortable clothes. Chan followed her into her bedroom after giving Koya some love. "I don't have to stay." He informed her. "I know you're most likely overstimulated from yesterday and today, so just say the word and I'll leave."
"Well, yes, I am." Abby confirmed. "But I'm also horny." Chan nearly choked on his spit, as at the beginning of their relationship, Abby would be too flustered to be so outright with her wants, but he guessed after 10 months she no longer had those qualms. "So come on." She laid back against her pillows and gestured for Chan to climb on her. "Give me that knot."
"Have I ever told you how ridiculous you are sometimes?" Chan asked, although he was already removing his jeans.
"Many times." Abby nodded.
Once Chan was down to just his underwear, he joined Abby on the bed, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss as he climbed over her. However, he'd only just gotten settled on top of her when he felt a furry body joining them on the bed. "Kookie, no!" Abby whined, causing Chan to jump off of her and put distance between them before Kookie could finally end his life as he knew the cat wanted. "You're too young to see this!" Kookie ignored her and climbed onto her chest, curling up on her before glaring at Chan.
"I don't think he's leaving anytime soon." Chan whispered.
"Well fuck." Abby sighed, making Chan let out a laugh. "I guess we'll just have to wait him out then." Chan hesitantly made himself comfortable next to his girlfriend, eyeing Kookie warily to make sure the cat didn't make any sudden movements, while Abby turned the TV on and put on Bob's Burgers.