Chapter Text
Yunho thought they must have looked ridiculous, two grown men on a swingset, and he supposed he felt a little ridiculous. Why couldn’t he stay strong in the face of Mingi? Weeks of successfully avoiding him, wasted.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Mingi finally spoke after several minutes of silence.
“Really?” Yunho asked. “Because it looks like you’re camping out down the street from my doctor’s office.” Mingi followed the direction of Yunho’s hand with his eyes, landing on an offshoot of a well-known hospital in town.
“I mean, I guess I am, but I’m waiting for my dad to get out of work.” Mingi pointed to the same building. It didn’t take long for Yunho to put together the pieces. Dr. Song. Song Mingi. His cardiologist was Mingi’s father. The doctor he had been seeing since he was just an infant. He could see it now. They had the same kind eyes, Mingi’s just had less wrinkles.
Yunho laughed. “So much for my mini-vacation.”
Mingi shrugged out an apology. “I kinda live here. But since you’re here, wanna have dinner at my house? We’re celebrating Jongho’s birthday.”
Yunho flushed slightly. Eating dinner with his crush’s (oh god, did he really just call him that?) family, one of whom was his doctor. His doctor who he had just told about his heart palpitations. How could this possibly go wrong? He was at least thankful that he hadn’t named names during the appointment.
But he agreed. Mingi lit up with a wide smile, and Yunho felt his heart squeeze.
“Sweet! Let’s go meet up with Jongho. He should be done at the gym by now.”
Mingi regretted everything. He had almost forgotten how much his parents loved Jongho, doting on him like he was their own child. And now he had brought Yunho, the literal embodiment of sunshine into his home. His mother was enamored, fascinated that he was taller than Mingi, and had already pinched his cheeks to the point of redness by the time Mingi’s father got home. It was worse after that, because now everyone knew Yunho, and he became the second favorite son, pushing Mingi to third. And that was a hard position for an only child to be in.
Mingi watched as his family and Jongho shared stories with Yunho. He stayed quiet for the most part, watching as Yunho laughed at tales of Mingi’s awkward youth. He felt warm, probably from embarrassment, although he found that he wasn’t really all that bothered. That changed when his mother brought out the old photo album after Jongho went home.
“Mom, that’s enough!” Mingi nearly shouted. “We don’t want to bore Yunho.” He pleaded with his eyes at Yunho for understanding.
With a grin, Yunho betrayed him. “Oh, I’m not bored at all!” Mingi groaned and resigned himself to his fate.
It wasn’t long before his mother found the page in the album where toddler Mingi was naked and covered in finger paint streaks. “This was the day little Mingi declared that he was a rainbow. That was the first time we realized that he could see in color.”
Yunho looked up at Mingi, amusement swiftly changing to confusion. “Soulmate or whole-soul?” He asked softly. “I never realized. I should have.”
Mingi chuckled. “Soulmate, somewhere, I think. I don’t really know.” His mother shut the photo album quietly, standing up as her husband came into the room.
“Hey, there’s something else you kids have in common. The only kids I know of with color vision as little ones.”
”Dad, what are you talking about?”
Yunho coughed. “I’ve always been able to see in color, too. But I’m pretty sure I don’t have a soulmate. That’s why I was sick. My body couldn’t handle having a whole soul.”
Mingi’s dad shook his head. “You kids and your crazy theories. Anways, it’s great seeing the two of you together again. It’s been years.”
Mingi sighed. “Dad. What are you talking about?”
“Of course you don’t remember. You were too little. Your mom used to bring you down to the clinic all the time, I worked such crazy hours, it was the only time I saw you. That was back when I first started seeing Yunho. He screamed so much when he first came to me.” Yunho flushed, weirdly embarrassed by his bad behavior as a baby. “The first time he saw you, though, that was the first time I heard him quiet.”
Mingi and Yunho looked at each other. This was a lot to process.
They didn’t speak about that night until after they were back at school. Neither of them could really handle the bomb dropped on them. Yeosang immediately picked up on Yunho’s changed mood when he got back to the dorm, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. How do you explain that your entire life was a lie? What if he had a soulmate after all? He had thought he was an anomaly, but it turns out there was someone else like him. Or, he was like them. He didn’t even know anymore. For once in his life, he was glad his alcohol tolerance was low, because he really needed a drink right about now.
Mingi, on the other hand, was putting the pieces together. The early color vision, the lack of interest in dating, and the strong pull towards Yunho all made sense now. He just hated the fact that it was his dad that pointed it out to him. Mingi was more convinced than ever. He had a soulmate. And that soulmate was Yunho. God, he could use a drink.
About a week after they got back, Wooyoung and Yeosang kicked Yunho out of his room. Well, it was more, they made him uncomfortable enough that he decided to find alternate arrangements. The common room was full, and it was too cold to hang out in the quad. He thought about San’s room, but remembered that Jongho was coming up this weekend, and decided against it. That left one place. Yunho groaned. It was time to face the music.
Mingi opened the door to a very apprehensive-looking Yunho. He stepped aside wordlessly to let him into the room. Yunho walked in, just as quietly, the tension palpable, and took a seat backwards on Wooyoung’s desk chair. Mingi hopped back onto his bed. The spent the next few minutes in silence, looking anywhere but at each other.
“So,” “So…” They broke the silence at the same time, laughing at the snapped tension.
Mingi sighed. “I believe in soulmates.” He confessed. “I believe the whole love story, and I want to find a happily ever after. I never thought I would. I thought I missed my chance.”
Yunho nodded. “I do too. I never thought I had one, so I gave up. But maybe I was wrong.”
“It’s happened before.”
“Shut.”
Mingi shrugged.
Yunho continued. “Maybe I’m right, I don’t know. But I feel something. And I really hope I’m not alone.” His cheeks flared red as he looked anywhere but at Mingi.
“I’m not any good at this.” Mingi confessed. “But I think you’re it. I think you’ve always been it. The endgame.” Mingi stood up from the bed and slowly made his way over to Yunho. He rested his hand briefly on Yunho’s shoulder before moving it up to card through his hair. Slowly, oh so slowly, he leaned down until their faces were inches apart. “And I think we both win.”
Yunho stretched up to connect their lips, a meeting of plush silk that sent shivers down his spine. Mingi angled his head slightly to press more firmly against him, pulling him up out of the chair. Yunho’s hands grabbed at the fabric around Mingi’s waist, nearly desperate for more contact. He licked against the younger boy’s lower lip, startling him into opening his mouth. Yunho took that chance to wrap his tongue around Mingi’s, a battle for dominance quickly beginning. The initial spark kindled by the kiss blazed hot and fast, and they soon found themselves panting, foreheads resting against each other.
Yunho grinned. “Not endgame.” He shook his head. “More like a sequel.”
“Gross.” They heard from the doorway. Wooyoung stood there, keys in hand, door propped open. Neither one had heard the door open. “Took you fucking long enough though. I owe Jongho 20…”