After presenting her gift to Farron's parents—whose eyes lit up at the mediocre bottle of wine inside—Cora's first stop was the living room to see the grandparents. One grandmother was partially reclined in an armchair, staring at the drama on the TV while she crocheted something purple and yellow. On the couch was their grandfather and other grandmother, both hunched over the coffee table as they squinted at a barely started puzzle through their thick bifocal glasses.

"Hi Popo, hi Gunggung," Farron said to the couple at the puzzle, raising their voice slightly. "What are you making this time?"

The older man looked up, his eyes widening when he saw them. "Oh, Farron! When did you get here?"

Farron smiled as they leaned down to hug him, then tapped the woman on the shoulder. "Just now."

"Oh, Farron!" the woman exclaimed when she finally noticed her grandchild. "When did you get here?"

"Hi, Popo," Farron said, their volume and smile growing. "Just now."

"Farron, is that you?" the crocheting grandmother chimed in, readjusting her glasses. "When did you get here?"

"Just now!" Brandon yelled from the kitchen, his exclamation quickly followed by a whacking sound and a pained yelp.

"Hi, Maamaa," Farron said, their voice almost equally as loud. "Just now!"

After Farron's greetings were finally conveyed, Farron introduced Cora as their girlfriend. Cora could say with confidence that she wasn't embarrassed the first time, or even the second and third times. But when Farron began to nearly shout "my girlfriend," Cora's face warmed over the prospect of the entire neighborhood knowing their relationship status. It was a relief when their grandparents finally hummed and nodded in understanding, and even though their popo and gunggung immediately turned back to their puzzle, their quiet acceptance was more than what Cora expected from the older generation.

"What are your colors?" Farron's maamaa asked Cora, pointing to the purple and yellow yarn in her lap. "I'll make you a hat too. This one's for Farron. It's the..." She squinted at Farron. "What's it called again?"

"The nonbinary flag."

"The what?"

"Nonbinary."

Her grandmother nodded slowly, then paused. "What'd you say?"

"This could go on for a while," Brandon said, approaching Cora as Farron began to scribble something on a piece of paper. He nodded towards the kitchen. "My dad asked if you could try the noodles."

Thus began the second part of Cora's tour: acting as a taste tester for Farron's dad. Aside from the shouting in the background, it was probably the quietest part of the tour, and the most their dad usually said was "try this." By the time Cora sampled the last item, the dishes in the sink were starting to overflow, and Cora volunteered to make washing them her next stop.

"Aiya!" Farron's mom said when she returned to the kitchen. "Cora, you're our guest! You're not supposed to be doing that." Then, in a louder voice, "Brandon! Where'd you go?"

"It's fine, Auntie," Cora said, trying to speed up in case she was kicked out. "I like washing dishes."

"Nobody likes washing dishes," Auntie June said, then turned to the rest of the house. "Waverly! Get over here!"

"They're cleaning up the patio, dear," her husband said in his soft voice. "Like you told them."

"Oh, that's right." Auntie June laughed, gently placing a hand on Cora's shoulder. "Sorry, Cora, I'm getting old."

"That's not true, Auntie. You look like you could be Farron's sister."

Farron's mom laughed even more. "You are so sweet. Isn't she so sweet, dear?"

With that, Cora's third stop of her tour merged with her fourth: listening to Farron's mom talk about anything and everything.

The dishes were washed and dried by the time Cora had an intermission, and Farron's parents were summoned away by their own parents in the living room. With the kitchen in newfound silence, Cora tidied up, mindlessly wiping down surfaces as if it was another shift at Cool Beans. In one way, it was therapeutic, and Cora could finally relax from trying to make a good impression. But it was also dangerous, and her empty mind could only focus on recalling recent events: Auntie June's hug, Uncle David's soft smile, Farron's siblings' banter, their grandparents' acceptance, the auntie from the bakery—

"Cora?" Farron whispered from somewhere behind her.

Cora spun around, not sure if Farron was alone and even less sure of how she must've looked while her mind floated through the past. Thankfully, there was only Farron, and the sounds of chatter were slowly migrating from the living room to the patio in the backyard.

Farron approached her, expression pinched. "Sorry for leaving you to fend for yourself."

"It's fine," Cora said, chuckling. "There wasn't a dull moment, at least."

Farron nodded, but their brows were still furrowed as they gently took Cora's damp hands. "How are you doing? You okay?"

Just before she was about to nod, Cora paused, her gaze drifting down to their hands. As much as she wanted to smile and insist that everything was perfect in the world, she couldn't. For one, she didn't want to pretend—not anymore. That, and she knew Farron's narrowed eyes would easily see through the lie. While Farron hadn't asked about the run-in with the bakery auntie, they were clearly still worried about it. Their hushed tone and soft touches spoke volumes, just as they had been doing ever since they left Chinatown the day before, and for the entire mooncake-making night that followed.

"I'm just...surprised," Cora said. "Your family seems nice." She took a deep breath, the inhale shaking slightly near the end. "But I think I'll be fine. Thank you."

When Cora raised her eyes, Farron smiled. "Any time."

After Cora regained her composure, she followed Farron outside to join the rest of the family, only backtracking once to grab the gifted bottle of wine from the fridge. Night had fallen since Cora and Farron first arrived, and the backyard was only lit by the lights from the house and small lanterns interspersed along the fence line. The large tree and its roots took up one corner of the yard, and the swing on its branch swayed in the gentle breeze. In the other corner, Farron's family was getting settled on the stone-paved patio where cushioned chairs surrounded tables filled with the food cooked throughout the day.

"Oh, yes, the drinks!" Farron's mom exclaimed when she saw the bottle in Cora's hand. "That will go perfectly with the roast duck."

"You think everything pairs perfectly with wine," Waverly muttered as she handed her gunggung a plate of food. "You would pair wine with more wine."

"Farron!" Their popo beckoned them over, then tapped the chair next to her. "You two sit here."

Farron turned to Cora with a soft smile, taking her hand. "Ready?"

Much to Cora's surprise, she was. While her time with Farron's family had been unexpected, it was far from unwanted. And as Cora stared at the charming patio before her, watching Farron's family chat and laugh and eat, a single feeling rose above her hesitation: she wanted more.

"Yeah," Cora whispered, entranced by the warm glow of the lights in Farron's dark eyes. "Yeah, I am."

If there had been a hint of worry still lingering in the back of Cora's mind, it didn't stick around for long. As soon as Cora and Farron joined the group, Cora was swept up in the festivities as if she had always been there.

Within seconds of being seated, Farron's popo had a piece of pomelo peeled with her wrinkled but nimble hands, and she held it up to Cora's mouth with an expectant expression, not backing down until Cora obediently ate it. Later, when Cora took extra care to nibble every last bit of her ginger chicken, she was initially embarrassed to find their gunggung watching her with narrowed eyes—that is, until Cora set the cleaned bone on her plate, and after glancing at it, the older man nodded with approval. All of the elders eagerly accepted the tea and wine Cora poured for them, then bickered over who got to return the favor first. And after Auntie June sliced the first mooncake, she smacked Brandon's hand when he tried to sneak a piece, then offered it to Cora instead.

Even when the eating slowed and the conversations calmed, Cora's nerves didn't return. It was as if the family's presence alone was comforting enough, and Cora was content with listening to the sounds of light laughter and chatter fill the cool night air. In fact, as she huddled together with Farron on the wide patio chair, their arms pressed against each other, Cora didn't want the night to end. So she focused on savoring the moment, remembering the feeling of Farron's warmth against her skin and every time their knee would brush against her thigh, all while listening to the quiet festivities around them.

"Hey," Farron whispered.

Cora turned. "Yeah?"

Farron's fingers brushed against Cora's before intertwining them with a gentle squeeze. "I'm happy you're here."

Cora's smile came easily—maybe because it was already there. "I'm happy to be here."

With a soft chuckle, Farron rested their head on Cora's shoulder before turning to the sky above.

At that moment, at that sight, at the feeling of Farron's weight against her skin, Cora's breath caught in her chest. That familiar warmth spread throughout her body, and for a few seconds, Cora couldn't do anything but admire the way the glow of the lights around them seemed to caress Farron's cheeks. As much as Cora wanted to reach out and do the same, she was frozen in place, worried that even the slightest motion would ruin everything they had.

But when Cora's sensibility finally returned, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

So after squeezing Farron's hand, Cora rested her own head atop Farron's, then followed their gaze to the night sky. Above them, the full moon illuminated the surrounding darkness, shimmering slightly in Cora's wavering vision. Even though thick clouds streaked across the sky, the moonlight showed through, muddled, but still bright.

"It's beautiful," Farron whispered, their warm words brushing against Cora's arm.

Cora smiled, her cheek shifting over the top of Farron's head. "It really is."