There are only 2 chapters left before the story ends. I know I haven't been updating much, and this story has been long overdue (and I'm so sorry!), but thank you for continuing to support me. FAQs section is updated as well: this is just a short story of Derek and Nero.

"I need somebody who can love me at my worst. No, I'm not perfect, but I hope you see my worth. 'Cause it's only you, nobody new, I put you first. And for you, girl, I swear I'll do the worst."--At My Worst, Pink Sweat$

My boyfriend is happy.

I don't know if it's because we've seen our friends who we missed dearly, or the fact that I've gone with him to the Thanksgiving dinner as his boyfriend. Either way, I'm not complaining, but I hope it's the latter.

Last night was quite a party. I only drank a couple of beers, but it was enough to make me lightweight. I was never a fan of beers in the first place, but sharing a few cans with my friends was fun. It made me tipsy, but so was my boyfriend. But we weren't drunk. We promised to his parents that we'd never get drunk, and I wanted to keep that promise.

Giving a good impression to your boyfriend's parents is a must.

The light is shining through the semi-opened white curtains, filling up the room. I can see the small dust floating in the air from the rays of sun going through the windows. The room is cold due to the A/C being turned on all night. Somehow, last night before we slept, Derek became suddenly hot. He told me that he wasn't really used to turning on the A/C, but he just suddenly felt hot. He wasn't sick or anything.

But I'd like to think that it's because I was sharing a bed with him. It's not the first time we shared a bed, but there wasn't any valid explanation as to why he became like that last night. We shared a bed multiple times in our little dormitory, and even when we were high school students. Whenever someone would offer a watch party, or just a slumber party, we would end up in the same bed. Fortunately, we weren't dumb enough to do anything foolish. We never had sex. But maybe, a few kisses. Maybe. I don't exactly remember much of those moments.

My fingers, as if it has a brain of its own, trail across his arm right to his exposed chest. The duvet is loosely wrapped around him. Derek clicks his tongue several times, leaving his mouth ajar, giving that little spit an opportunity to slip out the edge of his lips. I laugh as I feel his soft skin against my fingertips.

A few minutes later, Derek rolls around, his arm flying and hitting my face in the process. I let out a small yelp before chuckling. His hand roams around, and once it finds my stomach, his arm wraps around my waist. He rests his head on my chest, putting his leg on top of mine as he sleeps comfortably.

A lot of things have happened, and here we are – together as boyfriends, in a single bed. I have wasted a lot of time and opportunities to be with him, to the point that it hurt him. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. The last thing I want to see is him being hurt all over again because of me. Derek is a sunshine that I've always longed to see. He's like a firefly that gives light to dark place where I always end up at.

"Good morning," he greets me, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"Hey, good morning, sleepy head." I say, touching his cheek. Derek smiles at me as he puts his hands beneath his cheek, using it as a pillow. "How was your sleep?"

"Never been better," we continue to look at each other before he grabs my hand. His fingers fiddle with mine. "How long have you been awake? Have you been watching me sleep? That's creepy."

Letting out a laugh, I gently flick his forehead. "I just woke up, and yes, since I woke up, I've been watching you. Even when you're sleeping, you still look like a little demon." Derek pinches the skin just below my thumb. I flinch.

"I'm sorry,"

"That's all right, baby."

Baby. Upon hearing, Derek's face goes beet red, then he hides his face by pulling the duvet over his head. I let out a laugh, shaking my head in amusement, before tugging the duvet. Derek lets out a groan. I tug hard on the duvet, and Derek looks at me with annoyance, but his cheeks are still red. I lean down, closer, the tip of our nose slightly touching. I look at him in the eyes, then slowly, I lean down to plant a gentle kiss on his lips.

Derek obliges, untangling himself from the duvet, and circles his arms around my neck, pulling me close. The kiss is slow, gentle, and sensual. It's not the usual kiss we share, like the hungry ones.

The door opens, and Derek's mom's voice fills up the quiet room.

"Wake up, both of you, breakfast is – oh my god, I'm sorry!" Galina squeals as she closes the door behind her. "I truly am sorry! I honestly thought you guys were still sleeping."

"Mom, just get downstairs, we'll be there," Derek yells near my ear. I flinch.

"All right! We'll definitely talk about your men privilege later!"

"Mom!"

"All right, honey, I'm going done."

I laugh at my boyfriend, whose face is still flushed and red. He notices my expression before making a face. I copy his expressions before kissing him on the lips once again. That momentarily stops him for a while.

As soon as he's getting caught in the moment, I pull away. He lets out another groan before pouting his lips. He looks like a toddler wanting attention, which I definitely want to give. But if we continue this, who knows what would his mother might walk on. Begrudgingly, Derek gets out of his bed without his top, and the view of his exposed body is quite a sight. He notices me watching his body before he lets out a small yelp, trying to cover himself as much as possible. I roll my eyes, but giving him a smirk. Derek needs to know that he, and everything about him, has to be appreciated. I grab his waist and pull him close, planting a gentle kiss on his flat stomach before kissing his chest. Derek looks at me affectionately, his fingers resting on my hair, brushing it gently.

"Someone's being affectionate," he teases.

"I am being affectionate," I say, chuckling. "I'm just happy I finally belong with you." I take his hand, slipping my fingers through his. "You have no idea how many times I've wished for this to happen, for us to be finally together without any nightmare following me. I have wanted you before, I want you now, and I will keep wanting you."

"Okay, you're definitely going to make me cry,"

True enough, tears pool in Derek's eyes as he watches me. He tries to brush the tears away, but it just keeps coming. He takes a deep breath, then exhales, and sniffs loudly. I laugh at his reaction.

"That's the only type of tear I want to see rolling down your cheeks," I tell him, finally standing up. My boyfriend is shorter than me a few inches, and that's always been one of the things I like. "I don't want to see you getting hurt just because of me. I'm not worth it. You can tell yourself that it's okay, but it's not. You deserve so much better, and I'm working on being that person."

"Okay, first, what the fuck?" Tears are now freely flowing on my boyfriend's cheeks, unable to stop it. "Second, stop making me cry. I just literally woke up like 10 minutes ago, and you're doing this. No one deserves to cry in the morning, you know."

"Come on, don't cry now," chuckling, I give him a tight hug, in which he returns. Derek sniffles again, louder this time, and takes another deep breath. "Let's go downstairs, yeah? We don't want your mom coming in here again, so we better get our asses down."

"Okay, but I'll wash my face first."

"Okay, baby." He lets out another groan.

Derek washes his face, and as he does so, I just continue to watch him. He looks surreal to me. He has everything I ever wanted in my life, and I can't really believe that he's in my grasp now. As he brushes his teeth, he occasionally throws me glances through the mirror.

As soon as he's done, he lends me the toothbrush he was using since I forgot to bring my own toothbrush, and unfortunately, they don't have enough extra. For some, it's a gross thing, but hey, we've swapped spit many times, so we're good. After that, we head downstairs and find Galina and Dima are already seated on the table. Galina is busy typing on her phone, a knowing smile on her lips, while Dima is busy fetching himself a coffee.

Galina frequently looks at her son, pursing her lips, and Derek remains oblivious. He grabs himself some egg and bread, and pretends that he hasn't noticed his mom staring at him. Of course, I'm still quite shy at what happened earlier, but there's no point in hiding it anymore. Galina knows what she saw, and well, in her perspective, it looks like we were about to have morning sex.

This family is quite extraordinary. Galina looks like one of those people who do women empowerment stuff while Dima is the type of guy who supports every letter there is in LGBTQIA+. All in all, I'm glad that they have raised such a wonderful son that I get to call as my boyfriend.

Derek ends up having a staring contest with her mom. Galina probably wants to talk about what she has seen this morning, and I'd be happy to explain things with her, but Derek is beginning to be annoyed, and I don't want to get on his bad side today. Dima couldn't care less. He just keeps eyeing the French press, waiting for his coffee to be done.

Later that afternoon, I have received a text message from my parents, saying that they want to see me. At first, there's a teeny, tiny hope that they'd accept me and Derek as my boyfriend, but remembering what happened before Thanksgiving, that hope quickly dies down. Although I'm contemplating whether I should accept the offer or not. My parents are bringing so much conflict in my head, and I know they love me, but their belief is interfering with the love they have for me. This is the first time I've missed the Thanksgiving dinner with the family, and although I hate Thanksgiving dinner, I miss having them around me. We would just talk about random stuff, and my mom would videocall my aunt who's living in South Korea. And then my aunt would ask me random things and what I would want from where she is.

I show Derek the text I've received from my parents, and he just gives me my hand a gentle squeeze. He tells me that whatever my choice is, he'd respect it. He even offers to come with me if I want to. The same day, I decide that I will see them. I tell Derek about it and tell him that I can do this alone, and this is something that I have to do alone. All I need is his support, which he offers immediately with a huge hug.

Since my house is just a few blocks away from where my boyfriend lives, transportation is not an issue. I used to walk around the neighborhood a lot. Walking gives my mind enough freedom to wander. I send a reply to my parents' invitation.

By night, I haven't worn anything special. A black tee, rugged pants, and Converse shoes that my mom bought for me last year. I haven't put up much effort on making myself look better in front of them because they are going to be shitty if they want to be shitty, regardless of what I'm wearing.

Bringing only myself, I head over to my house. A few minutes later, I've received a text from my boyfriend. It reads: Let me know how it goes. Regardless of what happens, I'm here for you. I'll be waiting for you so we can talk about it, if you'd want.

I reply: I like that. Thanks, Derek. You really mean a lot to me.

I haven't received a reply back, but I know that he's over there on his bed, a phone in his hand, smiling widely as he reads my message over and over again. And honestly, all my troubles go away as I walk a bit faster to my house.