The Universe Makes Mistakes Sometimes - Touch

Sadness and the Sea

Doyoung is sure now. He sees him running around with Taeyong and Jaehyun, asking frantically 'Kim Jungwoo, have you seen him? A little shorter than me, adorable? No?'.

And when he had lifted up his tray piled with uneaten food, his sleeve slipped back and it had been there.

And it all makes sense.

The party, the mystery figure Jungwoo kept meeting in the sports shed, it all makes sense.

Because Kim Jungwoo and Wong Yukhei are soulmates.

Yukhei, Jaehyun, and Taeyong left the canteen.

Doyoung followed them.

(Sicheng and Yuta did too).

~~~

"So let me get this right," Yukhei muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

"So Jungwoo showed up at your house, exhausted, beaten - dripping with BLOOD - and you didn't take him to hospital?" He snapped.

"He refused to go. I don't think he even spoke. He just asked for a bath."

"A bath? A FUCKING-"

"Yukhei," Jaehyun interrupts, "Stop it. This isn't Doyoung's fault, don't blame him. We just need to find Jungwoo and sort this mess out."

~~~

Jungwoo isn't there when they get to Doyoung's house, Yuta and Sicheng standing outside the door.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Taeyong snaps, "Where did he go?"

"I-I thought he was here I t-told him to s-stay h-here-" Doyoung stuttered.

"Well he's not here is he!" Taeyong growled, "We need to find him!"

~~~

"Oh God," Sicheng murmured, staring at his phone screen.

Junguwu: I'm sorry for being such a bad friend Sichengie.

Junguwu: I was so caught up in my own drama that I pushed you away and I regret that.

Junguwu: But I don't regret being friends with you.

Junguwu: I love you.

Junguwu: Tell Doyoung, Ten and Taeyong that I love them as well.

Junguwu: I'm sorry.

Junguwu: Goodbye.

"Fuck!" Sicheng swore, his hands shaking.

"Babe be quiet, they'll hear us!" Yuta whispered "Wait what's wrong? Sicheng you're shaking."

"L-look," the younger sobbed, shoving his phone screen in Yuta'a face. "Yuta I think he's going to..."

"Shit!" The older interjected "We have to tell the others. We have to find him."

~~~

Jungwoo was full of regrets. He regretted disappointing his parents. He regretted being horrible to his friends. He regretted agreeing to marry Taeho.

But Jungwoo didn't regret going to the sea. The sea was pretty.

Jungwoo liked how it rolled lazily under the shining sun, like a blanket of glinting sapphires. And he liked how it lapped lazily against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, bouncing back in a cool shower.

When he was little, he used to go on picnics with his mother. Hand in hand, they'd skip along the white beaches, the fine sand crunching underneath their feet.

Jungwoo thought the sea was pretty then, too. He'd been obsessed with mermaids then. He'd said he wanted to live in the sea like Ariel, just swimming and swimming and swimming endlessly.

In that moment, Jungwoo wanted to live in the sea, just as he had when he was a younger.

But God it was such a long drop.

~~~

Rosemary had only felt like this once before.

Forty years ago.

"Oh that boy. What is he going to do," She murmured.

She heaved herself out of bed - damn her old joints - and hobbled to the entrance, ignoring the panicked shouts of 'Rosemary dear, where are you going?' as she pushed open the door and burst out into the street.

As soon as she had limped out into the street, a tall figure shot past. She grabbed his wrist, her sharp nail of her bony thumb biting into a dark soulmark on his wrist. The boy looked down with wide eyes.

"It's you!" he exclaimed. Rosemary rolled her eyes. Teenagers were so stupid these days. Her son had been much smarter.

"Yes, of course it's me. Who else would I be?"

"Look, lady. I know your probably lonely, but I've got to go and find-"

Thwack! Yukhei grimaced as Rosemary's hand slapped across his cheek.

"How dare you! And it's you who'll be lonely if you don't hurry up. I know where he is."

Yukhei froze in his spot. First this old hag had the audacity to slap him and now she claimed to know where 'he' is. Yukhei could make a pretty good guess as to who 'he' was.

"You're talking about Jungwoo, right?"

"Honestly, boy, were you born without brains?" the elderly lady snapped, "Let me get on your back and I'll take you to him."

Yukhei stepped back as the woman tried to climb onto his back.

"What are you doing?"

"Well it will take to long if I have to hobble along these streets. If you carry me on your back it will be much quicker."

Yukhei rolled his eyes. Couldn't she just tell me where he is? But there was no time to squabble, so he bent down and waited for the elder to settle comfortably on his back before he stood up.

"Ok. Where to?"

~~~

This chapter is a little shorter than the rest, only cos I'm suffering from writer's block at the moment :((

*IMPORTANT* would you guys prefer the NCT chatfic I've been talking about to be released (I haven't started it so you're not missing out) OR would you like me to carry on Summer 127????