The colors of running away

2

I was drowning, I tried to swim to the surface but my legs gave up. My lungs were burning. They wanted oxygen but if I opened my mouth they would receive the opposite. The gleaming surface was just out of my reach, taunting me as I sunk to the bottom. I gave up knowing what would happen to me as my lifeless body continued to sink.

"Yeonwoo-ah" It was like an echo.

My closed eyes opened. The head on my body searching for the sound. It had to look for the sound of my salvation as my body slowly faded away. Still fighting that this wouldn't be my end.

"Choi Yeonwoo" It repeated, it vibrated through my body this time. It was closer.

Above me, through the glistening surface, a hand broke through. It searched for something, it searched for me I realized. I reached up my hand wanting to grab it and it answered. With the force of a mountain, it pulled me out.

•••••

"Choi Yeonwoo" whispered someone in his ear. It tickled, the breath causing electricity in his nerves. Warming his cold body, pulling him back to reality.

The heavy lids opened and revealed the world for Yeonwoo. His breathing was ecstatic, raising and falling too fast. It was like a truck had run over him, every limb felt as if they weighed 100 kilos each, but he could breathe. His world was diagonal like some god decided to change gravity. No, it wasn't the world that was wrong, it was his head. It was laying against something comfortable that radiated the warmth that he missed so much.

When he was slowly lifting his head, pain attacked him. It was like someone decided to crack his skull with a hammer that continued to pound him hard. But the thing was nothing was blurry or hazy, the mist he has lived under these past weeks was gone. His senses weren't toned down anymore, no they were hay-wired. Everything was a little too much, the lighting was too bright, even a breath of air felt as if an ant crawled all over his body.

"So you are awake now, beautiful Yeonwoo?" Said the voice beside him.

Yoohan, is he here? The mono thought. Turning his head, he saw it was true. He was here in front of him, a sight he hadn't seen for months. Happiness is something that disappeared in his life after he tried to take his life. Feelings themself had been gone from his life these past weeks which is why his body felt like fire now. The happiness that he never thought he would feel again made its way through his body.

"Go Yoohan, you are really here? This is not a dream right?" Said Yeonwoo quickly, afraid he would be let down. All those times that he had woken up after dreaming about similar situations pains him even now.

The probe put a finger under the chin of his Yeonwoo. Fireworks could both of them use to describe the touch. The fullness of the touch was satisfying, fulfilling. Something the mono hasn't been able to experience under the layers of mist he had been under. When he was under those layers everything just felt so dull and smothered.

"Of course I'm here, I couldn't let somebody take my mono away from me" possessiveness laced every word that flowed from Yoohan's mouth.

The chair Yeonwoo sat in suddenly shook, making his world spin. Virgo and pain could he only describe it as. He put his hand on his forehead trying to ease the pain but everything just kept spinning. Yoohan looked at him, searching for the cause of his misery.

"Yeonwoo are you okay?" Asked the probe, his eyes filled with worry for his weak soulmate.

It was now that Choi Yeonwoo really noticed his surroundings. He was on a bus and sat next to the window with Go Yoohan on the other side of him. The window revealed the dolphin grey scenery of the countryside that continued to change. His clothes were also different, no longer was he clad in a papery hospital gown but black jeans and in a dolphin grey hoodie.

"It must be the drugs that are wearing off. You have been going in and out of consciousness these past days" said Yoohan with a cold gaze. It was not pointed at his Yeonwoo but at the people who made him like this. Even though they weren't here, Go Yoohan still imagined them in his head.

He could never forgive himself for what happened to his mono, the probe thought. Every time he closes his eyes the only thing he sees is Yeonwoo's drugged and weak body lying on the hospital bed. His voice thin as paper and his complexion pale and lifeless. He would make sure that never happened again, he told himself.

"What happened and where are we? Also, why am I wearing your hoodie?" Choi Yeonwoo asked, still a little dizzy.

"Don't you remember? I saved you from the hospital and we're on the run right now. We have been traveling by bus these past two days. About the hoodie" Yoohan looked proud when he continued. "I thought you would look cute in it. It's a little too big for you but it tells people you're mine".

"You..." said Yeonwoo but couldn't finish because he was too flustered. Red painted his cheek as he looked down trying to hide it.

"Yeonwoo-ah why are so cute?" Said Yoohan with a laugh. This made the mono even more flustered. "Why won't you look at me" he continued with a pout. Even though you couldn't see it under the mask you could hear it in his voice.

"What about you being a trainee and your family..." the mono asked, afraid the other man would regret sacrificing all this for him.

Yoohan answered by putting their foreheads together and stared into his eyes. One of them saw the world of grey while the other one saw the world of colors. Go Yoohan cupped his soulmate's face and said:

"Shhh, I gave it up because you are mine and you belong to me. Even the gods know it. Your face is the only one I see and I am the only one who can make you see colors. If that's not a sign what is? I will never leave your side, remember that. It doesn't matter that society will never accept it but you are my soulmate. My mono. I'd rather die than never see you again." The words were possessive but gentle at the same time which Yeonwoo marveled at.

"Then never forget that you are mine too. You are my probe and no one else's" he answered leaning into the touch he missed so badly, even though he would never confess it.

A few minutes later the bus stopped at a rest stop and the passengers went out quickly wanting to be at the head of the queues. The soulmates followed but they weren't in a hurry as the rest. With the help of Yoohan, Yeonwoo managed to climb down the stairs.

With their hands connected, Yeonwoo dragged Yoohan to the store to buy some snacks. He hadn't eaten for a few days and was starving. When they entered, they started searching for chips and triangle kimbap. Weaving through the shelves they finally found their targets.

"Yoohan-ah which flavor do you want?" Yeonwoo asked, studying the different bags of snacks.

"Yoohan-ah..." he said while turning around and found the reason why he didn't get an answer.

The store they were in was quite small, but it was packed with customers from the buses that stop here. All of their attention was pointed at the same thing. There was a tv in the corner showing the news and it was at it that Yoohan's attention was directed at.

"A student that is confirmed to be a mono has been reported kidnapping his classmate. The classmate is speculated to be his probe and disappeared two days ago. This while the mono escaped from a mental hospital at the same time where he was receiving treatment for depression. The police are currently searching for the two of them and urge civilians to help with the investigation. If you have seen these two, please call the number..."

On the screen were pictures of both of them. His photo was taken by Yoohan himself when they visited a park together. Yoohan's photo was without his face mask and looked like an id photo. Yoohan turned his head to look at him now, when their gazes met he said:

"Yeonwoo-ah..."