This drawing is from a fic I've been chipping at on-and-off for a couple months during walks
It's nowhere close to done but I recently found the document again and it's better than I remembered, so I've put a plot synopsis and the first scene under a read more (because that's all I've got edited)
The loose plot is that Brassius' parents have become convinced that Hassel is dating their son and insist that he comes to the family Christmas party as Brassius' date. When Brassius asks Hassel to pretend to be his boyfriend, they don't have the foresight to plan more than a backstory.
They don't question how easy it is to maintain the charade, especially once the Extra Festive Drinks start flowing and Brassius isn't so embarrassed and Hassel isn't so concerned with keeping his hands to himself...
And as is relevant to the drawing: in the last third-or-so, there's not enough chairs in the living room and they have to share (obviously there's also only one bed and it wouldn't be a Christmas fic without mistletoe...)
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“—Of course we know you're very busy and your work is important, but have you given any thought at all about getting back into dating?”
“You've never brought anyone home for the Christmas party and— we’d just love to see you settle down with someone. You're not getting any younger and we just worry about you being lonely.”
It's the same thing every year. Brassius had just finished ironing out details on video call with his parents about visiting for the big family Christmas party, and now they have to emphasize how everyone else is bringing a significant other except him.
As one of the oldest among his cousins, his parents have been on him about being the only one who isn't married yet ever since his youngest cousin got married four years ago.
“How could I be lonely? I've got Hass!”
The pause on the other end was long.
Suspiciously long.
“Of course! He's been over a few times we've called—”
“—And the times he hasn't, you're always talking about him!” his dad finished, with a laugh in his voice “The pet names you have for each other are so sweet”
“What? We're not— it's not like that” Brassius sputtered and turned bright red, but all his protests would be ignored
“Last time we called, we had to cut it short because he was meeting Hassel for a picnic…”
“May I remind you that we live in Paldea? Everyone picnics. Picnicking is the national pastime”
“Picnicking in the center of a hedge maze sounds pretty intimate…”
“It's the closest shaded area to have a picnic near my work.”
“And it seems like all the photos Brassius's sent us in the past few months have been of the two of them together - there was that lovely photo last month near Levincia! The smiles were almost as bright as the Million Volt Skyline itself!”
“Oh truly, how did we not notice before? The most famously romantic location in all of Paldea—”
“It's also just a pleasant walk from my house”
“How fortunate for you two; your father and I would take a flying taxicab there back in the day to—”
“—I DON'T NEED THE DETAILS!” Brassius interrupted
His parents laughed at his outburst and then got back to business, “Anyways, you simply must bring Hassel to the Christmas party as your date!”
“We know he's not got his own family's Christmas events to be at so there's no reason he shouldn't come!”
“How would you know?”
“We do actually listen to the things you say, you know, and we can hardly forget how ‘avant-garde’ it was that he ‘chose passion over his birthright’ after the third time hearing it”, he spoke and gestured extra dramatically while quoting his son
Brassius covered part of his face with a hand. Somehow he was even more embarrassed than he already had been and his hand could feel the heat radiating off his face.
“I'm hanging up.”
“I’m so glad you've found someone you so clearly adore; we look forward to seeing you and Hassel next weekend! Love you!”
“Love you too. I'm going now”
Brassius hung up abruptly and slunk down in his chair.
How on earth is he going to bring this up to Hass? It's not his fault that his parents were so wrong, but on the other hand they were far too close to the truth for comfort and this whole situation is humiliating.
