**I didn't wanna come up with names so its just noah's mom and noah's dad throughout like the whole thing. o well
also two fics in two days frick yeah
honestly this is so short but what even ever**
"This is less of a disaster than I thought it was going to be."
"Ah, but the night is still young, my love."
"Don't call me that, it makes me feel like we're married."
"And you're against that specifically tonight because…?"
"Did I say married? I meant old, my dear."
"Yeah, okay, sure," Noah said with a giggle. Messing with Jake was his favorite thing to do, "Actually I'm surprised it's going this well, what with all the shit I've talked about you since 3rd grade."
"…3rd grad-"
"Can you honestly blame me?"
Jake huffed a little but shook his head. He crossed his arms as the two of them waited for Noah's parents to come back from what Jake could only imagine was deliberating whether or not he was good enough. Jake wasn't sure if he was prepared for the answer, his tense demeanor making that obvious to Noah and probably his parents too.
Although Jake had to admit, for someone who's had a lot of partners but not a lot of serious relationships, he was pretty good at meeting the parents.
Things hadn't gotten off to a great start and Noah hadn't expected them to, mostly due to his parents, not Jake, but when Noah just happened to mention to his dad that Jake played basketball, his dad was mostly sold. He couldn't help but get in one comment about how maybe Jake would rub off on Noah, but both boys had simply cleared their throats and quickly changed the subject. They were both well aware of Noah's parent's wish to change him, but neither would encourage it in any way.
Either way, dinner had gone swimmingly, only hitting a few snags along the way that made everyone feel uncomfortable before recovering rather quickly, and now all there was left to do was wait for either their impending doom or a pleasant surprise.
"So, Jake," Noah's mom began as they walked back into the living room after 'deliberating', sitting in one of the nice chairs across from the sofa, "We should have asked you this sooner, but what exactly are your intentions with my son?"
Jake's eyes widened slightly and he couldn't stop himself from glancing at Noah for help, he wasn't expecting that. "Uh… well, what do you mean by that?"
"Well, my husband and I are both very aware that you used to bully Noah and, to be frank, we don't know how safe it is for him to be in a relationship with you."
She does not beat around the bush, Jake thought, his mouth agape as he tried to process what she had said and for a second he wasn't even sure if he heard it right. He looked at every face in the room, ending with Noah, who pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, looking as nervous as Jake felt.
Jake had no idea how to respond to that. He could bullshit his way through hell and back, but at this, he was drawing a blank. The answer was obvious - of course, he'd rather be stabbed to death with a spork than hurt intentionally hurt Noah, but he was having trouble forming those words in a more formal way.
"Well?" Noah's mom asked again, looking less like a worried parent and more like an interrogator. In fact, every time they had asked a question, that's what it felt like. He was shocked that she would so outright ask it, but he wasn't surprised that it had come up.
Jake wasn't even sure if he could answer that, but he tried damn hard to, for Noah's sake, "Mrs. Foster, the last thing I ever want to do it hurt Noah. I promised him early in our relationship that I've changed. He had the same… concerns as you do, but I swear to you and to him that I will never do anything to hurt him again. This is the most serious relationship I've ever been in and I'll do whatever I can not to mess it up."
Jake was sure he blacked out for the 30 seconds that he talked, but when he turned to Noah the other boy was smiling at him, not exactly beaming, but it was happy none the less. He must have said something right.
Looking back at Noah's parents, they, too, seemed satisfied with his answer and that was enough for Jake, honestly. It was like going into a math test, knowing you're going to fail then coming out with a solid C-. Jake had never been one for A's anyways.
He had felt pretty good when him and Noah were heading out the door to go back to Jake's house until Noah's dad had pulled him aside to warn him, "Don't make promises you can't keep, son." Jake had swallowed the immediate fear that came after the statement, but nonetheless, he nodded and rushed out the door to his truck, for once, feeling awkward as he climbed into it.
Later that night, when it was finally just him and only one Foster, Jake finally felt relaxed. Noah cuddled up to his side and kissed his cheek, which only made him melt a little bit, and Jake's arm around his shoulder tightened.
"That didn't go so horribly, did it?" Noah asked and Jake let out a breath that he felt like he had been holding in since before the dinner.
"Let's just leave it like this: you're definitely my favorite Foster."