The colors of running away

4

The blinding sunlight pierced the window, it was the sun's way of saying that the morning had arrived. It also woke the sleeping by being exposed to the bright rays. Yeonwoo was a victim of just that.

Slowly his eyelids fluttered open, trying to adjust himself to the brightness that the morning brings. Even if last night's sleep amounted to less than he was used to, he woke up refreshed as ever. With a big yawn he stretched out his long limbs like a cat, but something felt wrong. Turning his head, he noticed that a body was missing in the bed.

"Yoohan-ah, Where have you gone?" He asked himself while staring at the spot where his probe should be.

Thinking that he may be out buying breakfast, he dismissed the thought about him leaving. But he couldn't shake the eeriness that crawled up his spine.

"Yoohan said he would never leave me so he will be back" he tried to tell himself. "Everything will be fine", he repeated.

The now alone mono crawled out of the bed to make himself ready for the day. On his way to the bathroom, he saw the mess from the night before. Their clothes from the day before were all scattered and forgotten as they weren't as interesting as what they did then.

He paused when he passed the door where two black duffel bags were laid, dropped by Yoohan upon entry in the room. If it weren't for the probe packing them two bags before he left to bail him out, they would have needed the same pair of clothes every day. The bags also contain the small sum of money they owned. He rummaged through the bags, picking the day's outfit and then went to the bathroom.

When he entered he saw himself in the mirror. His light grey skin was covered with dolphin grey marks. The sensitive skin of his neck to his chest was all painted darker by Yoohan.

"That... piranha, he couldn't just settle for one place. The people on the news worry about Yoohan's safety while I'm the one in danger. Always biting when he has a chance, tsk tsk tsk. ." It was the only thing the mono could say about the possessive behavior of his soulmate, not that he obliged.

There was always a voice in the back of his mind saying that Yoohan would leave him. That he would one day want to leave him to live a normal life. The voice wanted him to stop that from happening by doing unspeakable things, it wanted to convince him that it was the only way to keep him forever. That's why he never minded Yoohan's behavior because it made him ignore those thoughts.

He turned on the shower letting the hot water rain down on his body. His sore body aching from the night before welcomed the warm sensation so much that he couldn't stop a moan from escaping his throat. As steam surrounded him, he washed his body clean.

When he came out of the bathroom dressed in the clothes he picked earlier the motel room was still empty. Yeonwoo's flushed face from the shower lost all its color as dread crept over him. The location of Yoohan was still unknown. Not wanting to risk being tracked when running away, Yoohan didn't bring a phone with him so there's no way for them to contact each other now. Later on, they didn't have enough funds to buy new ones now.

Needing to do something he picked up a water bottle that was in the room. Hastily he opened the bottle and started chucking down the water. He tried to swallow it but it was like he had a clump of ice in his throat, blocking the water from going down.

"What if something happened to him? No that can't be Yoohan is smart, he's fine. He is always fine." Yeonwoo said, trying to calm himself, but it didn't work.

After ten minutes of pacing he decided to go out, no longer being able to wait for his beloved. Not caring for anything, he slammed the door shut and sprinted down the hallway. When he ran past the clerk he noticed it was the same as the night before. But instead of the deep frown he wore then, he was smirking. As if he had won the lottery and he had offered to split the prize with someone before winning but the person declined.

As he continued his way outside there still was no sign of Yoohan. The only thing he saw was a bright sun and a sky completely clear of clouds. It was like a big sphere of light grey. His eyes were jumping from left to right as he kept on running, searching for his probe. He took a sharp left cutting the corner as much as he could which resulted in him almost running into two people.

"Sorry", he said, with no remorse, only thinking about the missing Yoohan.

Looking at the people before him, Yeonwoo knew that running left would be one of the gravest mistakes in his life. Before him, were two police officials who looked at him with recognition. Without a face mask or a hood, he would be too easy to recognize especially after a nationwide announcement of his crime he didn't commit.

As fast as he stopped, he turned around and sprinted. Behind him, he could hear how the cops reported to their colleagues about their meeting. He had already been running for minutes so it was no surprise for him when his legs started burning, screaming for more oxygen. The sound of steps from his chasers could be heard closing in on him.

Choi Yeonwoo was never the one to push his limits, being mediocre had always been the best for him. You wouldn't stand out if you were it and most importantly it made him feel normal. Not as a person with mononervechromacy that's painted red by society just because we can't see colors normally. But for Yoohan he would push himself. He would push himself beyond his limits so he could keep on running and not being caught.

He took a right onto a crowded street, trying to disappear in the crowd. While weaving his way through the mass of people he looked back seeing that the police were still on his tail. Their uniforms gave a stark contrast to the civilian's clothes. Thanks to the crowd the chase became slower giving Yeonwoo time to collect himself.

Right now he was on a plaza with three ways out. Only one way was blocked which is the way he came from. Then he would have to choose the east or the west exit. If he took the east one it would lead him back to the motel and maybe Yoohan was there right now. If he wasn't, Yeonwoo would still be able to collect their stuff.

With a quickly beating heart and adrenaline-infused in his veins, he made his way east intending to get out of the crowd and escape. Getting closer to his goal he noticed cops coming from that direction also.

Panic started to manifest in the limbs of the former student. Now it was only one way out and if he didn't make it he would never be able to see his Yoohan again. With the stakes even higher now he pushed his way through the crowd and didn't try to avoid the people. But it was of no help as the police also guarded the west exit.

Frozen stuck in the ground he knew this was the end. It was only a matter of time before they caught him. He didn't even get to say goodbye to his probe, he didn't get to mutter an "I love you". This was where their futile attempt at living their dream came to an end. This is where the story of the two of them came to an end.