It was 18:30, Friday night dinner at the Gilmores.

You, Rory, Lorelai and your boyfriend Jensen were standing in front of the Gilmore door, Emily and Richard wanted to meet your boyfriend, and he was okay with that but you were a bit scared since Jensen is always shy and anxious. That's why Jensen needed Froggy, his frog plushie he brings everywhere, 24/7. He loves them, frogs, seriously, just as much as you, if not more since he's a little dork.

"If I give the signal, run." Your mom jokes to Jensen, but he is way too nervous to understand the joke so he looks shocked until you tell him, "just a joke, Jens. Calm down, it'll go good."

He nods quickly, biting his lip as he pulls Froggy a little closer to his chest, his knuckles white. He’s wearing that soft green hoodie you both love, the one that matches Froggy way too well to be a coincidence. “O-okay. O-okay. I can do this. I—should’ve read that etiquette book, shouldn't I?” he mumbles mostly to himself, voice soft and shaky, his eyes darting to the door like it might explode open any second.

You gently squeeze his hand, and he squeezes back. “Just be yourself. I promise, they’ll love you,” you whisper.

“I-I don’t think rich people love stuttering frog guys with anxiety and messy hair,” he whispers back, his eyes wide behind his lashes.

Before you can answer, the door swings open and Emily Gilmore stands tall and proud like she always does, eyeing the group like she’s about to judge a competition. “You’re late,” she says, then notices Jensen and smiles. “Ah. You must be Jensen. Come in. Shoes off, please. We’ve just had the floors polished.”

Jensen panics for half a second, trying to undo his laces with one hand while still holding Froggy. He ends up kneeling awkwardly in the entryway, muttering, “S-sorry, I—uh—my socks d-don’t match. F-Froggy has better coordination than me.”

Emily blinks. “Froggy?”

“His frog,” Lorelai says casually, grabbing Rory’s arm to hide her grin as they walk in. “Trust me, weirder things have entered this house.”

You lean down and help Jensen up, whispering, “You’re doing amazing.”

“I almost dropped him. That would’ve been the worst way to die,” he mumbles under his breath, clearly trying to joke but still shaking just a bit.

Inside, Richard greets Jensen with a firm handshake that Jensen turns into a half-hug accidentally, and the rest of the evening begins just like that: awkward, warm, confusing, and absolutely perfect in the weirdest, Jensen-est way.