He's NOT a Psycho

Chapter 13

After breakfast, Kun had put Yangyang down on the couch, smiling brightly as he had an idea. Yangyang had told him during their morning routine that he had never listened to music. Kun had been shocked, but honestly understood. The mental institution kept him under close watch and in padded rooms. Ofcourse he hadn't experienced the blessing sound of music yet. Kun came back from the bedroom, having grabbed his headphones, connnecting them to his phone. He sat down next to Yangyang, smiling at the younger. "I'll make sure not to put it too loud.. And we'll just try out some different songs." Yangyang nodded, not sure what to expect. Kun put on the headphones to check the volume, before carefully placing them over Yangyang's ears. Yangyang stiffened slightly at the feeling, as they weren't as comfortable for him. "Is this how all headphones feel?" Kun looked at Yangyang and shook his head. "No, there's different types and they all fit differently. We can try some in the store if we decide to get you one." Yangyang hummed and just tried to relax, Kun stroking over his back. "It's just for a couple of minutes, okay? You can always take them off if you get upset." Kun scrolled through his list of music, wondering which song would be nice to introduce Yangyang to. Yangyang watched the older, noticing how quiet his surroundings were. Even when the older had spoken, the sound was muffled, and it didn't sound so harsh and intruding.

Kun smiled and hummed as he had found a song. "Good. Okay, this is the first song I want you to listen to. If you don't like it I'll pause it." Kun selected the song and then looked closely at Yangyang, curious for his reaction. Yangyang jumped slightly at the first sound, his eyes getting big as he felt the rhythm, getting a shiver at the things he was hearing. He smiled as he got used to the beat, listening intently to the singing. "They sound pretty." Yangyang said softly, experiecing that he almost couldn't hear himself speak. Kun felt happy that he hadn't picked a bad song for the first one, letting Yangyang listen to it. Yangyang couldn't stop smiling as he enjoyed the sound, as it was pleasuring and satisfying. As the song ended, Yangyang pouted slightly at the sudden silence. Kun chuckled and looked back at his phone. "Ready for the next song?" "Yeah." Kun picked some more songs to let Yangyang listen to. Going from popular pop songs to some alternative, jazz and even soundtracks. Yangyang was more energetic with the more upbeat happy type of songs, but he felt more at ease with the slower, alternative music. He could relax fully with some soundtracks, being able to get into a sort of trance, which made him feel at ease. Kun let the last song finish before taking the headphones off of Yangyang's ears. Yangyang shivered slightly, smiling at Kun. "Thank you." "You're welcome. I'll let you listen to music more often if you want." Yangyang nodded and hugged Kun, grateful for this new experience.

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Just like the music, Kun teaches Yangyang new things everyday. Yangyang starts opening up more and more, and Kun kept realizing how harsh the environment in the mental institution actually was. However, Yangyang kept having frequent meltdowns, as with opening up and being more of himself, it seemed as if his problems got worse. Kun knew that it only seemed that way, as it was a good thing that Yangyang let out his frustrations so easily. Still, Kun wondered how he could reduce the stress, anxiety or overstimulation Yangyang was experiencing. Yangyang found it hard to explain exactly where it came from or how quickly it would build up. He tried his best to talk to Kun, but sometimes he would go mute again. Kun always felt horrible in those moments, as he wished he could look into Yangyang's mind. Luckily Yangyang was easily comforted by cuddles and food, so they spend most of their nights cuddling up on the couch with some snacks. Kun had to pick up his study again, so soon enough Ten was becoming Yangyang's regular babysitter. Yangyang liked being with Ten, as he really felt like an older brother or uncle that loved him unconditionally. Most of the times Ten would come to Kun's apartment to take care of Yangyang there, but they had also started introducing Yangyang to going over to Ten's. Yangyang was scared at first and had huge meltdowns the first few times.

Slowly but surely he got used to being at Ten's, and even met Ten's kitty Louis. Yangyang quickly became best friends with Louis, as they could understand eachother without words. Yangyang would cuddle and play and talk to the cat, and Louis would do it all without any type of resistance. Ten loved to see the both play, getting a better understanding of how unique Yangyang was. He might need more care or different methods of doing everyday stuff, but he wasn't less because of any of that. As Kun could eliminate more and more stuff on his diagnosis list, he got closer to what label he could put on Yangyang. The need for the label or diagnosis wasn't high, but Kun could close off that part of his life once he found the right one. Kun was almost certain it was ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and he had even asked his teachers about it. His teachers were confused as to why Kun was suddenly so obsessed with the subject, but confirmed his suspicions. Kun hesitated if he should tell Yangyang it or not, but he thought the younger deserved to know why he had been misunderstood for so many years. As Kun came home once day, he sat down next to Yangyang, who was drawing on the couch. Yangyang didn't look up at first, until Kun carefully placed a hand over his drawing.

Yangyang looked at the older, seeing the doubt on his face. Kun took a deep breath. "Yang, you know the reason I first came to care for you, right?" "Yeah.. you wanted to see what was wrong with me." Kun nodded. "Well, there's nothing wrong with you. You have uh.. You have Autism. It's pretty common, but it is mostly misunderstood." "Autism..." Yangyang repeated softly, before looking down. "Mom said she was scared of that." Kun furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the younger. "Your mother mentioned Autism?" Yangyang nodded and glanced at Kun. "She was scared to have a disabled kid. So she.." Kun could see tears forming in Yangyang's eyes, and he quickly wrapped his arms around the tiny frame of the younger. "Shh, it's okay. She isn't here and she won't ever harm you again. I'm here to care for you." Kun stroked over Yangyang's back, feeling his sniffles. "Am I a freak?" "No you aren't. Yang, you are one of the most amazing people I ever met. You are special and unique. Nobody should tell you otherwise." "But.. but.." Kun tightend his grip slightly. "No buts. You are you. There should be no shame in that. Autism is not bad and it is a very interesting mental disorder. You experience the world so differently.. I always am amazed at how your brain works. I wish I could see things like you." Yangyang held onto Kun. "Why does it feel like a curse.." "Because society sadly isn't made for people like you. But I know what to do, and so does Ten. There's nothing to be afraid of. I promise I will always take care of you, just the way you like it." "Thank you Kun gege.."
The two hugged tightly, Kun reassuring Yangyang, and Yangyang seeking comfort in the older's arms.

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"Yang? Later today a few friends will come over. Do you want any preparation for it?" Yangyang looked up from his drawing, Kun standing right in front of him at the other side of the table. Yangyang blinked as he had to switch subjects, thinking about Kun's question. "Are they friends I know?" Kun shook his head. "No, they're different ones. Ten will be there, but there will also be some new guys for you to meet." Yangyang nodded and looked down. "Are they loud?" "I can tell them to try and stay calm. But I can't promise that they'll laugh loudly or raise their voice." Kun smiled gently and ruffled Yangyang's hair. "I can let you wear the headphones with some music on to muffle the sound if you want." Yangyang shrugged, not sure if that would be helpful. "Can you tell me their names and ages?" Yangyang asked, being curious and wanting to have time to let the information sink in. Kun nodded and sat down in a chair. "Their names are Jaemin, Haechan, Mark and Yuta." Yangyang repeated the names softly, nodding softly. "Jaemin and Haechan are both 20, like you. Mark is 21 and Yuta is 25. He is one year older than me." Yangyang closed his eyes, processing the information. Kun smiled and got up. "I'll prepare some food for when they come, okay? If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me." Yangyang didn't react, too distracted by mentally preparing himself.

The first meeting went well and the six guys all settled down in the livingroom. Kun went to grab some snacks from the kitchen, letting the others talk freely. Ten was sitting next to Yangyang, helping him a bit to conversate with the others. Yangyang was pretty shy, but he couldn't help but smile at some of the jokes. Ten tried to put in some subjects that Yangyang could understand, but soon the conversation drifted off to more diverse things that Yangyang couldn't talk about. Yangyang just sat there, happy Kun joined them when he was done getting the snacks. Kun happily joined the conversation, letting Yangyang snuggle up to him. Yangyang looked around the room, studying the four unknown guys. He froze as one of them was staring back at him. Yangyang furrowed his eyebrows slightly, not sure what the guy's intention was. Ten had noticed Haechan staring at Yangyang and chuckled. "Haechan, if you keep staring like that, your eyes will be glued to Yangyang forever." Haechan averted his eyes and chuckled. "No no, that won't be the case. I'm just interested in our new friend." Haechan tilted his head. "Kun, you said he had Autism?" Kun nodded. "Yeah, why?" "Ah, just curious. That makes him even more interesting." Kun shrugged and just continued his talk with Yuta and Mark. Haechan smiled gently at Yangyang. "Would you be interested in hanging out with me sometime?" Ten quickly picked up on Haechan's intention. "I'll come along to watch over you. I know how to handle when somethings happens." Haechan sighed and nodded. "Fine.." Yangyang didn't quite know how to react, so he just let it happen. He felt hesitant however, still not able to guess what Haechan was after.