Byul noona 🦾
Is Yeosang there yet? He's not answering me

Yunho 🐶
No? It's almost 7pm, he's an hour late

Byul noona 🦾
I haven't heard any accident reports. You? Ugh. I'm so worried about him. This morning I wasn't even sure he'd go

Yunho 🐶
No I haven't heard anything. But Mingi's an EMT so he'd let us know if anything was called in
Aww Yeo doesn't want to see me?

Byul noona 🦾
Lol don't take it personally. He's not talking to Hwa, Woo, or San either

Yunho 🐶
San?

Byul noona 🦾
. . . No one told you?!

Yunho 🐶
I'm hurt. Who's San??

Byul noona 🦾
Yun!! Wooyoung found his soul like two months ago. He looks scary but is super sweet

Yunho 🐶
. . .that kid better show up I need details and an apology
I'm worried now

Byul noona 🦾
If you're worried imagine how I his parent feels 😭

Yunho 🐶
I just tried calling Yeo
Ugh I'm calling Mingi

Byul noona 🦾
I already did, no answer

Yunho 🐶

.
.
Mingi's out on an emergency call

Byul noona 🦾
WHAT?

Yunho stopped his pacing once hearing a knock on the door. Phone in hand he ran over, flinging it open to reveal a flinching Yeosang.

"Hi Uncle Y-- oof." Squished between Yunho's arms and chest, Yeosang was feeling a little uncomfortable. Not with the proximity, he had grown up being cuddled by Yunho, but he was now being hugged really tight.

His uncle's phone started to ring and it was immediately answered; hearing his mother frantic on the other end, Yeosang was feeling even worse.

More guilt.

More nausea.

He looked at the ground.

"Noona, noona, it's okay! He's here! Yeosang made it safely. Please calm down. I-I'll, uh, text you later?"

Hanging up, he sighed, and the focus was back to Yeosang in the doorway, "What took so long?"

He cleared his throat, "uh," more throat clearing, "you know I love you uncle, but I was just, I don't know, I just pulled over for a little. . ."

"To avoid having to come." Yunho finished for him and Yeosang reluctantly nodded.

"Come o~n~," Yunho was cranking up the aygeo like in the old days, like all those years ago. It always made Jongho laugh. . . "I'm not that sca~ry~." He pouted and finally Yeosang smiled.

"No. You're not scary. Like a big puppy."

Dramatically as possible, Yunho rolled his eyes, "You've been spending too much time with your mo~m~. You know her and Mingi have been calling me that for years?"

Giggling, Yeosang looks at the adult in front of him, though it's hard to imagine he is one at the moment. "I've never once heard Appa call you that."

"You know your parents met through me, right? You owe your existence to me." Yunho took a proud stance, but Yeosang's eyes fell back to the floor, his smile gone.

Yeah, he thought, unfortunately I do.

"Sorry," was the mumbled response Yeosang gave. "I don't mean to be difficult, or cause worry."

"I know love. Come on. I got ice cream~."

He perked up at that, but, to Yunho's dismay, barely, "New York cheese cake?" He asked.

"Ha. You think I got you imported ice cream? No, it's cookies and cream."

Yeosang entered the kitchen grabbing spoons and bowls, the same bowls his parents had bought Yunho back in university. Yeosang could feel the way Yunho looked at him, like he was so delicate, so breakable, and it made him sick. Again.

He hated himself for making Yunho worry, for making his parents so worried. For not talking to Wooyoung or Seonghwa- Seonghwa. . . Sick again.

But he pushed it back, "Anything but mint chocolate. Appa's obsessed with the stuff so I've had enough to last a lifetime."

Yeosang could feel the nerves in him, like the atoms of his body were at war. He wished they would just fight harder. Mutually assured destruction. But he pushed it back.

They say down in the TV room. "Your eomma told me some gossip that I can't believe took me months to find out." He side eyed Yeosang who smirked.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Is Wooyoung okay with you telling me?"

Scoffing, Yeosang nodded, "Yeah, pretty sure he wants everyone to know. Those two are soooo clingy- bleh. . . But he's--San's his name by the way--he's really considerate." Yeosang smiled at the recent memories. Only a month, but the three bonded fast.

Yeosang could feel Yunho tiptoeing around him again. "I heard you went to a psychiatrist the other day. Could we talk about it some?"

"Yeah. . ." A part of him really did want to talk, but wasn't it burdensome? Like he felt it was to Seonghwa. . . oh. He now noticed Yunho hadn't brought up Seonghwa at all yet. Thankfully.

"Um, how was she?"

Yeosang looked down, twirling the soft ice cream in his bowl. The cookie pieces standing out against the melting white.

"He actually. He was Kim Hongjoong's hyung, actually. He was kinda short, but cute and-"

"Eww, Yeosang don't talk about your doctors that way!"

"Sorry," he laughed a little. "Well, I told him this thing has been going on for a few years, up and down. But. . . well I think it's gotten worse recently. . ."

Yunho nodded. Unfortunately, he knew far too well.

Eyes on his uncle, Yeosang had a clear view of his downcast face. Look what you did now, Yeosang, can't even--ugh.

Shut up. Please shut up.

"Um," Yeosang asked, "did you ever, like, go to a doctor for that kind of thing?"

Yunho was once again brought to the past. "For mental health? No, but I knew someone a long time ago who did. Someone I was very close to."

"My appa?"

"No actually, but good guess," he chuckled. "Mingi dealt more with anxiety, whereas you and the person I'm thinking of are more on the depression side."

Yeosang cringed. "I hate that word. No one even knows what depressed means. It's used like all the time and therefore has so much baggage."

"Okay, that's a good point. . .What do you call it then?"

He took the last bite, sip really, of his oozing ice cream. It wasn't going to waste. "Mental instability. That's what I told Kim-ssi."

When Yunho was quiet he continued. "Because it's not that I'm always sad, but you never know how I'm going to feel and act next. I could be good or, not good."

Yunho noticed Yeosang brushing his fingers over the birthmark next to his eye, seemingly having a conversation with himself. First, Yeosang's face was happy, a bittersweet happy, like he was reminiscing. Like what Yunho's face looks like when he drinks americanos. But then the boy grimaced, his beautiful face twisting into a look of guilt as his hand fell.

And Yunho dared to comment. "You were just touching your soul mark."

Yeosang looked down. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"I haven't asked you about Seonghwa yet, but it looks like you miss him."

No. Tears. Gasping, Yeosang covered his mouth and stopped breathing. Quiet. Quiet. Calm.

"Yeah. . .C-can we please not talk about this y-yet." And after seeing his uncle nod, Yeosang ran upstairs.

Stripping down, he entered the shower and let it almost burn him. The waring atoms had calmed down, but now they were back. His tears mingled with the water and down the drain. Desperately scratching under his eye, Yeosang tried to peel off the soul mark. Even knowing it was a useless feat, he just wanted to give his mark to someone else. To give Seonghwa a different soulmate.

***

A/N: 1-7-22 soo I tired to write characters that weren't based on my personal life, but nope. The relationship between Yeosang and Yunho is totally me and my honorary aunt. She and my mom met in university. She's a friend more than an "aunt," to me (if that makes sense?) so that's why Yeo is so comfortable around Yun 💔❤️

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