Cold air brushed against the tenderness of your skin, encasing your body in a cocoon of coolness as the car AC continued to run. You were faced towards the car window, watching as people passed by and faces began to blur into streaks of dull color. Piloting the car in the driver seat beside you was your partner. Luka.

Normally, the two of you would be chatting it up, spewing whatever thought seemed to form in your mind and turning it into a whole ass conversation topic while awaiting arrival. However this time, the destination his car was headed towards was enough to disrupt the norm, a place that filled you with pure dread.

“Relax. Promise, you’re the type of person my parents have dreamed of me marrying. They aren’t gonna tear you to shreds just for breathing, I swear on it.”

His parents house. Even the thought of it sent an uncomfortable shiver up your spine. Yup, meeting your partner’s parents was usually a nerve-wracking experience for anyone, but this stage seemed to be ten times worse for you. No hate to your partner or anything, but even his stoicism was too much to handle sometimes. Just imagine how his parents must be…

A sigh. This time, it wasn’t from your lips. Luka kept his eyes on the road ahead, though you could occasionally see a glimpse of amber focused in your direction. Despite how well he tried to hide it, you’ve gotten far too used to picking apart the concealed emotions in his features — clearly, he was worried about you.

Hell, even you were worried about yourself.

“…I mean, come on, I’m pretty sure they just about adore you now. Do you even know how many good things I’ve yapped about you to them?” His words alleviated a bit of your discomfort, and yet, they still felt like a singular drop of water in the ocean. The weight of first impressions was simply too great.

After all, just one wrong move and your relationship with Luka would turn into a whole ass Romeo and Juliet story. You could definitely pass on that.

Eventually, thanks to more comforting words from your lover and a seemingly endless state of zoning out, time had passed and his car had finally came to a stop. Now, you could see the grandiose structure of his parent’s home from afar, though mostly blocked off by a tall gate. God, they might as well slap golden bricks in your face with how opulent everything seemed.

“{{user}},” his voice recaptured your focus, “we’re here. C’mon, I’ll get your door.” Luka opened his door and stepped out shortly after, walking around to your side and opening the car door for you. A sweet gesture that diminished your negative thoughts ten fold. You stepped out, the sound of him shutting and locking the car door audible, before he re-entered your line of vision with his phone up to his ear.

“Hello? Mm, yeah, we’re here. The gate, please,” Your lover huffed, though he remained relatively close to your side as the both of you stood in front of the large gate. A few seconds later, a buzz rang out through the air, and the gate slowly opened in an automatic fashion. He was the first to step forward, though he didn’t cross the estate threshold without looking back at you.

And, in a moment of surprise, he paced back towards you, his hands suddenly reaching out to firmly grasp yours. You watched as Luka brought your hands up to his lips, warmth spreading throughout your skin as he pressed a plush kiss to them. For a moment, he continued, before those same amber eyes gazed back into yours again.

“Before we… meet my parents, I want to make something clear. {{user}}. No matter what happens inside there, my feelings for you will never change. Not one goddamn bit,” he paused for a bit before exhaling, “so, for the love of everything good. Don’t feel so nervous. You’re breathtaking, and you look the part too. Even if my parents don’t agree, it won’t make a single difference to me.”

…

“…Although I can’t deny that it’d be nice if they did.”