Robert meets up with his mom AU
Robert felt uncomfortable the entire time. His back was ramrod straight, his eyes looking straight at the airline gate, and his mind going a thousand miles per hour.
This was it. He was finally meeting his mom after almost a decade of separating. And it all started because Chad decided to invite him to dinner with his family, well, the family still willing to speak to him. His older sister and her husband, his niece, and his younger brother who saw Chad was actually serious about turning his life around and was willing to make contact as a surprise. It was... shocking, honestly, seeing both of them sobbing in each other's arms, kneeling on the floor, talking in their native language when they finally saw each other. And Robert thought it was sweet of them.
And then he thought about his mom.
She had enough of his dad, how neglectful he was when it came to them despite portraying himself as a family man, how he always made unwarranted comments about anything related to her culture, how he made sure to remind her every time that their son was an American and didn't need to learn anything else since he's going to live as an American anyway. But she stayed, for him. She never told him, tried not to say anything negative, but a kid can pick up on things.
What pushed her to the brink was when she got a call from a hospital back in Korea, claiming her mom has been hospitalized and wouldn't be able to live much longer, and asking her if she would like to visit her one last time. Her dad had passed, her siblings were gone, her mom was alone, and she wanted, no, needed to go. To say goodbye to her mother one last time. His mom begged his dad to let her and Robert go to Korea to meet her, just this once. Robbie agreed initially, booked tickets and all that, then worked called and Robbie was gone and his mom couldn't use the tickets he booked for Robert without his signature. A signature he couldn't sign because he's at work.
Robert had never seen his mother as distraught as she was in the airlines, trying to stop her sobs with her hands. Hiccuping and hugging Robert and only saying words in Korean, some of which he couldn't understand, but he knew one word. Eomma. Mom.
Robert told her to go, use her ticket, say hello to grandma for him. He'll wait right here, he understands, he was a big boy, almost double digits and all that. That sent her into another fit of tears, hugging him and apologizing both in English and in Korean, jumbling up the words and mumbling them so much he couldn't figure out what she said. When she could finally talk, she called Chase to pick Robert up from the airport, and when he was finally there, she hugged both of them, picked up her luggage, and left crying.
He waited. A few days, weeks, months. Soon his dad came with a signed documents, and told Robert not to expect his mom to come back.
Everytime the phone rings left him feeling disappointed when he doesn't hear her, every time the car parked outside he had the hope she would come out. He stole some of the clothes she left, still smelling like her, and started hugging it to sleep until it lost her scent. Even sprayed her perfume on it so it could last longer. It wasn't the same.
And then his dad died. And he couldn't contact her because he didn't even know how.
A decade or so and things are different. He could do a little internet sleuthing and he could find her. Except he was terrified to know what happened. Did she have a new family? Did she not want anything to do with him? Did she resent their family? Thoughts kept him up at night, and he'd rather keep the last remaining memories of her instead of an affirmation that she didn't want him anymore. So he refused to try to make contact.
Until he found out she managed to contact Chase. And she wanted to speak to Robert, but wanted to ask first instead of springing it to him. He didn't know how to answer that.
Until he saw Chad and his family. Saw how warm and loving they were to each other. And he wanted that. He wanted it with his mom.
So he called Chase. Asked for her number. They talked. Tears flow the second his mom answered. Her voice changed from what he remembered, but the second he answered, she started sobbing the same way she did back then. It took a while for them to settle. They started small. Just calls, no face times, neither could handle that yet. She asked a lot about him, he told him he was a dispatcher now, he has friends, he hesitantly told her he has a boyfriend, and the topic stayed there with her asking about him and how they met. It was... nice, easy, talking to her about little things.
Soon, she told him she was planning on returning to America, and she wanted to ask if she could visit, if she could stay with him for a bit. It was fine if he didn't want to, she could get a hotel if she's intruding. Robert asked Chad, Chad dropped the wooden spoon he was using to cook and demanded to know why the fuck he didn't say anything about him reaching out to his mom. Of course she can stay. They'd fix up the spare room. What food did she like to eat? Does she know about them? Is she OK with them?
That lead to now, him sitting nervously on the uncomfortable chairs of the airlines, looking at each person passing by. Chad had been making circles with his thumb on his waist, his other hand holding his in an effort to calm him down.
He didn't recognize her at first. She was older (of course she was, he didn't realize he was expecting her to look the same as when she left) parts of her hair graying, though still styled in a bun. Her face had a few wrinkles, her clothes were different, but he knew it was her. She was also scanning the crowd nervously, and when she saw him, she all but broke to tears again. Rushed straight at him when he just stood up, practically threw herself on him. He didn't know when he started crying but he did.
Chad stood next to him when he saw their sobs were coming down to sniffles. Introduced himself to her, and her eyes went wide. Apparently Robert didn't tell her how handsome his boyfriend was. Chad looked at Robert like he was going to have words with him when they got back.
It was... so strange. Watching her look around the home he and Chad built for themselves. Touching ornaments gently, looking around while she sat on their couch while Chad left them to make tea.
It was surreal. It was incredible. It was terrifying.
His mom was here. She's right here.
And maybe... they could build their relationship again.
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This be a bit of me putting my love for my mom here. She passed away a few months ago and I miss her a lot.
Imma let Robert have his mom to cope😭
