114. Eyes On You

"Finally you're back. I was thinking you two had disappeared from the face of the earth."

"Can't say I'm glad to return. I wasn't thinking I'd enjoy a stay away from everyone this much. It felt like a break I thought I never needed Yeon."

"How are Niel's grandparents? Did they give you anything for me?"

"Wild fruits and some veggies. I highly doubt they'll make it to you since Niel is in the kitchen cooking something up."

"Nice to know you two are gettign along."

"Even he couldn't resist my charm." Elric chuckled. "Anyway, you're the second person I've called since I got back yesterday. Is Stan with you?"

"No. I'm in bored in my room upstairs. My body is sore I can't move much. I seriously need to start working out. The irony that my parents are professional fitness instructors while my sister and I hate working out is ridiculous."

"Are you ill again?" There was a tinge of concern from Elric's voice.

"You should worry about Stan, I'm about to murder him..." Yeon heard Elric laugh from the other end of the phone. He'd put him on loudspeaker while he lay flat on his bed, his gaze at the ceiling. "Anyway, Stan and I had much to drink yesterday. Can you believe I passed out before he did?"

"That's impossible... Unless we are talking about a different Stan here."

"Nope. One and the same. Afterwards, I did unthinkable things to him, the kind that you'd rejoice over." Covering his eyes in embarrassment, Yeon added, "I can't even recall how I got to bed."

"So you're the type that becomes horny when drunk?" Elric laughed. "I've met your type hundreds of times...quite interesting to discover this side of you..."

"Perv."

Elric laughed even louder. "You and I are currently sailing the same boat. Except mine was an attack in the middle of the night. Hungry zaddy had decended on my lips so fiercely, pulling me tightly towards him. It was quite dark that it took me time to know it was him. I kicked and punched at his chest before I began to perceive his scent since he'd gone into heat."

"He did?" Yeon seemed surprised.

"Yea. His scent was overpowering. He whispered a lot of sweet nothings to me that I had to tell him I don't remember much about what happened when he was in his heat. In fact, that was why I called you."

"I don't wish to know your escapades with your fated. You've already shared more than I need to know."

"Don't dismiss me just yet. I needed to know how you feel about Stan now. The last time I asked, you said you neither knew if you like him for sex or just like him for him."

"If this has to do with you and Niel please do not get me involved."

"I'll make it worth your while."

"Like how you bribed me last time?"

"And look how things turned out. I ended up meeting my fated mate right? The bribe worked well too, just in time before the fire. I'm sure your dad still loves his gift to date."

Sighing aloud, Yeon gave up. "What do you want Elric?"

"I just want to know how you feel for Stan presently."

"He already marked me, what do you think?"

"...But your case is different. Stan loved you before marking you. One would think you marked him first since he became obsessed with you after the incident and we almost lost a game because of him. I've never seen him that distracted before...and he's been distracted with you ever since."

"Okay enough. I love Stan now. He knows it and I know it. Are you satisfied?"

"No. You did mention earlier liking someone means seeing them sharing a future with you. What about love?"

"Are you a kid? Like him, love him, same thing. He is my fated. Our futures are already intertwined after the marking. Remember basic biology? Seriously, why are you putting me through the torture of having to explain this?"

"Because I've begun to sense Elric yearning for me. It's overwhelmingly warm and affectionate...hardly sexual that I don't know what to do with it. I made him aware I can sense him, but he doesn't know just how much heavy his yearning feels like to me."

Yeon didn't say a word for he took his time to digested Elric's corncern. He had often sensed Stan. Initially, he'd felt his presence but brushed it off as a frustrating feeling however, upon finding out they were fated, it had been annoying to be around him. Stan's yearn often changed. It would feel soft, then overbearingly protective, sometimes sexual and other times peaceful or fresh as a morning breeze.

"Can you remember how much scent he was letting out during his heat?" Yeon asked.

"It felt heavy and overpowered me severally that I'm not sure if my memory of us during his trance was me fantasizing for he kept switching scents, pulling me back just enough so I wouldn't completely go into heat with him. I think he was doing it subconsciously."

"Doesn't that just mean he already loves you? You are quite naive for someone who has experience fooling around. Hadn't any of your 'no strings attached' ended up becoming attached and confessed to you?"

"This is different Yeon. Niel must have really cared for Mijin. If this is how much I can sense from him, I wonder if he may still labour feelings for her."

"Okay, I'm going to hang up. You're clearly wasting my time."

"Wait! Yeon! Remember I'm bribing you for helping me out. I really need your advice."

Sighing, Yeon sat up on his bed and remembered how scared he'd felt about Stan's feelings for him. Their situations were similar yet different. He'd been hurt from love while Elric had hurt others in love.

"I thought you wanted this. Are you chickening out, wishing to go back to your old ways? You won't succeed Elric. I couldn't win over fateds spiritual essence and neither will you."

"I'm not planning to part from Niel Yeon, rather, Niel's feelings feel so pure and clean while I'm the exact opposite. If anything, my yearning for him is filled with utter lust. I know I like him...or love him...Honestly, I do not wish to put a name to how I feel. I just want to live and experience a real relationship for the first time. It's crippling to completely show my vulnerability to another, trust them with my life when I can hardly trust myself to make a mistake. His past relationship also haunts me like some vindictive ghost."

As silly as Elric's fears sounded, Yeon understood him well for he'd once been in the same spot, warding off Stan's gestures of affection but Stan had been resilient. Also, being hurt from love and vowing never to love again.

"You mentioned he was saying sweet nothingness to you during his heat."

"He said he loved me a couple of times."

"He probably meant your scent."

"How would you know?" Elric asked, feeling hurt by Yeon's statement.

"Isn't it obvious? Your scent was bound to induce his heat sooner or later. I'm guessing it was the same scene as when he scent manifested and was in search of your scent. I was there when he marked you while you shook like a leaf, whimpering away like a new born baby freezing from cold."

Elric chuckled. "You've seen me at my worst haven't you?"

"Look Elric, you needn't ponder this. First and foremost, it doesn't suit you at all and secondly, there is a reason you two are fated. You can't both be similar in personality. Look at Stan and I. Sometimes I fear he is doing everything in our relationship, especially now that he's idle and despite him being annoying, I don't mind enduring that part of him. You on the other hand are the extreme opposite of Niel. Call it karma. It's great he was the one who marked you and you had to imprint on him, making you love him first. Now you can relate to the many heartaches you've left while you lived wildly."

"Aren't you just saying that because you were cheated on?"

"Exactly and it feels fantastic."

"I can see Stan's character is rubbing on you real fast."

"Like I told you, I don't mind at all. Therefore, this being your first time feeling this way about someone, you should cherish the experience because there is no coming out of this one Elric. Niel devoted his all to Mijin. He loved her for the longest time. Now that you are his fated and have began sensing him, his feelings will only grow stronger. Whatever affections he had for my sister are nothing but a past memory."

"That makes me relieved. I want his focus to be only on me."

"You sound like Stan. Or has his romanticism started rubbing in on you too?" Yeon laughed, Elric joining him too.

"Just a heads up. I don't think Niel has ever gone into heat. He's been taking suppresants for years and scent inhibitors because Mijin couldn't take his scent, but now that he is off them, you should be expecting a series of attacks from him so do not be easily startled as you earlier confessed."

"What a fated's doctor you've become. Stan's uncle has been at work."

Yeon laughed and added. "You may also be interested about something I can do for you too. Remember when you told me about you and your mom when you visited Stan's parents home to check on me after I moved in? Well, I believe I can help you out. It would be especially easier now since you scent manifested."

Elric didn't say a word, probing Yeon to continue. "Or you could just pay me a visit in the lab and I can walk you through the procedure. It's completely harmless and besides, your mother has helped my family a great deal, taking over my case, Stan's and Mijin's, not forgetting funding my parents gym with your help. This is the least I can do."

"It just occurred to me that you are the second person I mentioned that to after Stan."

"Speaking of the case, it's been too quiet lately. My parents won't tell me anything even though I know they are in constant communication with your mom."

"They are prioritizing safety. I told my mom not to contact me while I was away and we fought over it. Anyway, that is a story for another day. I just spoke to her before calling you and according to her, Mora's brother will be transferred to be checked by another doctor seeming that he was previously fated to Mijin. His health condition is not good so they suggested he receive treatment as a fated and not pair. As per mother, she and Mora have been working together keeping him alive, even though Mora's father is fighting for rights to make decisions for his son. It's twisted and ridiculous really.

As for your case, she won an appeal to have it reviewed again but since it concerns Mora's brother, your case and Stan's would be best if quieted down. This is just my opinion. Considering what Mora's brother did, it would be best to let this go. You can't sue a crazy person...especially one that is the father of your sister's child."

"So you know about that too?"

"I spoke with my mother for almost an hour. I also know you want to let everything go, well, that's just my assumption judging from how I know you to be." When Yeon didn't deny it, Elric added. "As someone who's studied law and grew up in it, following up this case will get ugly and as much as we've successfully kept it under wraps, if we continue to chase after your case and Stan's...including the fire since it was Mora's brother who is the culprit of everything, we stand to loose not just the case but a lot more if information is leaked out. That will be catastrophic to not just your family but Stan's too. Keep in mind, you all are going to need to put up with Mora's brother...and probably Mora for the rest of your lives."

"You're right. I've wanted to let this case go for the longest time. I just want to move on...be happy with Stan. I'm tired of people watching my every move."

"I'm glad. That will leave us to put our full attention on bringing down Mora's father. He is a formidable fiend. Bringing him to justice might free us off Mora in many ways."

"I see you still don't trust her."

"I've never trusted her since I saw you two sitting close together when you first came to the support group. She seemed too friendly towards you. I once thought of hitting on her but something about her felt off."

"What do you mean?"

"Mora has always been looking at you Yeon, but not the 'I like him' kinda way. It felt like she was studying you, and that gave me chills whenever I noticed her. That's why the day she rattled out on Mijin when you confronted her, she kept reaching for your hand. I couldn't stand it and pushed her hand away."

"I never payed much attention to it..."

"No matter, it's time for my gift to you for listening to my yapping." Elric said excitedly, trying to change the mood from becoming duller than it already was. "Have you ever gifted Stan anything?""Not really.""If you want him to be less needy, try recimprocating his affections. Often times, people who tend to be too affectionate do that with the hope of being treated the same way." "How I'm I supposed to come up with a good gift for him, a thoughtful one at that?""Ask his dads or his uncle... Yes! He is the best person for this since he is exactly like Stan."