136. Double Date

"Yeepee! I'm having a great time! We should have done this sooner!" Dad Robin spoke cheerfully while leaning on his partner's shoulder as they strolled around the mall, Yeon ahead of them while Stan a few steps slightly behind.

"I don't think Stannie finds it as enthusiastic as you do and neither do I." Dad Joss complained, his eyes on his son then looked around, thinking to himself how much money he'll have to part with today.

"Ow shut up! When was the last time we went on a double date?"

"Double date my ass! We are at the mall! A proper date encompasses fine dining and dressing up a little."

"Will you two keep it down! I'm trying to concentrate! Jeez!" Stan whispered angrily, looking back at his parents.

"You're the one who asked us to tag along!"

"Honey, Yeon is going to hear us!" Dad Robin whispered then proceeded to free his hand from his partner. "What has you up in a twist? You were happy coming with us initially."

"That's because it didn't feel like how it feels now. Stannie has his attention on Yeon the way my brother goggles his eyes at his wife."

"Then what do you want him to do? Goggle them at you?" Dad Robin retorted and paced ahead towards Yeon, who seemed distracted by the sight of items on sale, prompting Stan to stop briefly. He took his phone out of his pocket and clicked a picture of his fated.

"You're acting like a tourist Stannie, Yeon being your main attraction." Slapping his forehead, dad Joss added. "Forget what I said. Why did you ask us to accompany you for a date with your fated in the first place? It's upsetting your dad agreed to tag along instantly while in fact, I've been asking him to spare some time for the two of us and voila! You ask once and he says yes without a single hesitation."

Clicking a picture of both dad Robin and Yeon, Stan smiled and looked at his father. "He only agreed because of Yeon, at the same time, there will be shopping involved."

"He is going to empty my pockets thats for sure." Dad Joss complained. "You know that a big sale is usually trap, only tricking buyers to purchase more items they don't need."

Stan laughed. "You've never stopped being stingy. Anyway, in actuality, I wanted to buy Yeon some clothes. He's been putting on the same ones since he came to live with us. I don't know why I never thought of adding going out shopping on my to do list with him."

"Well you can cross out double date on that list of yours..." Dad Joss stopped talking at the sight of his son's piercing stare. "My bad."

"You two should stop snooping around my things or else Yeon and I will really move out."

"After that scare days ago? As much as I want the house to my self and my Robin, I'll have to disagree with you on that at least not for now."

"Yea, the situation the last couple of days has been rather grim."

"Not only that. I've become fond of Yeon and seeing him having nightmares like that gave me déjà vu since I was the one who mostly spent the nights with him when he moved in. I somewhat feel protective, like he's become my second son."

Clearing his throat, dad Joss added. "Don't tell your dad I said that. I have a nonchalant reputation to keep."

"Since when did you become so thoughtful and sentimental? This is weird."

"Will you just continue taking your pictures! And why are you taking so many of them?" Dad Joss asked, seeming embarrassed and irritated at the same time.

"I'm keeping an eye on the things Yeon might like the most. I may not be able to remember most of them later."

"I don't get you. I thought you were just taking pictures of him out of hobby."

"Let me teach you a trick. Move closer so they don't hear us." Stan gestured with his finger to his dad. "If you want to look thoughtful and heroic, surprise dad with something he wanted but couldn't get it. I can only remember four to five things Yeon touched and smiled longingly at but more than that, I don't have that much of a good memory so if I take pictures of him with the items, I can always come back and follow up then voila! He's going to ask me how I knew he liked what I bought and I'll be like 'I pay attention to your needs' then afterwards, he'll give me anything I ask of him."

Dad Joss smirked. "You're an evil genius!"

They both laughed, prompting both dad Robin and Yeon to glance back at them.

"Carry on." Dad Joss waved them away. "I should take pictures too. We didn't get to celebrate our aniversary because of work and all these restrictions placed by Elric's mother, but my Robin sure is going to be thrilled after he sees how thoughtful and thorough I am."

"Yea." Stan nodded his head and looked back at his fated. "Being cooped up in the house will also not do Yeon any good especially after the incident with Mora."

"Don't even mention that name. If I tell you her intentions with the drug, I'm afraid you'll feel threatened and suffocate everyone here with the power of fated mates."

"Don't worry. I'm more calmer now. Well, not like I have much of a choice. I don't want Yeon to think he can't trust me with a secret. I felt very bad he couldn't tell me he was being blackmailed since he feared how I'd react."

"Honestly if I were in his shoes I wouldn't tell you either. When you went into a coma, Yeon suffered a lot."

Stan kept his eyes on his fated, his thoughts drifting to how it felt to wake up from his long slumber and not finding Yeon beside him. "Dad, I want to know. Tell me."

"If I tell you it wouldn't be for free. Once Yeon gets better, ask him to visit my lab even just for a day. I'd really appreciate it big time."

"Deal."

"You agreed so quickly I'm growing suspicious." Dad Joss chuckled. "Anyway, it wasn't easy reaching that discovery. Mora must have wanted Yeon to want her on his own, sexually of course. However, since Yeon would never agree, his will taken away from him and with the desperation to be freed from the painful heat, definately he'd say yes. It's similar to what she did to her brother. Using his desire to see Mijin against him. It's inhumane if you ask me."

"Now I'm pissed."

"Careful. You said you'll handle this amicably. Anyway, according to a medical evaluation done to her, it appears from a psychotic point of view, she must have wanted to see Yeon as broken as possible. Don't tell your father I told you this but I feel you need to know too. Yeon may be Mora's form of weakness."

"Why him?"

"Because to some weird level, Mora is drawn to blood but she did confess that making Yeon bleed made her appear genuinely sorry. Don't get me wrong, I don't trust her at all. However, as a doctor who's dealt with multiple patients experiencing rapid hormonal outbursts, she gets endorphins at the sight of blood but threw a fit at Yeon's blood to the point of admitting to have been careless enough to cut him with the broken glass. I dont think it was as accidental as she claimed and as twisted as it sounds, she still prefers a broken Yeon. Perhaps, she opted keeping your fated as a pet as the way he kept her brother."

"She hurt her brother dad and cut him who knows how many times..."

"I'd have to be a psychologist or psychopath to understand that. Either way, I think it's a good thing we came out today with Yeon. Rather than him giving us a robotic 'I'm fine' kind of response, I feel today, if we were to ask him how his day was, he'd mean what he say."

"I hope so dad."

"I know so." Dad Joss affirmed. "Why did you invite us anyway? Are you that skeptical about you two walking alone?"

"Honestly, yes. I've become too conscious of those around us that I'm not ashamed to ask for extra pair of eyes just incase. I also don't want Yeon to get bored always seeing me around him all the time so I'm distracting him with other people like you."

"The heck!"

"Dad, sometimes I wonder if Yeon and I will divorce in future because of my overbearing protective nature. To think I'd thought he was cheating on me with Mora... I must be so insecure to doubt him as such. If he asks me to part from him, I won't give be able to even if he were to force me through a divorce. Still, I'd like to know how you convinced dad to take you back just incase I cross that bridge too."

"It wasn't easy. I promised to buy him anything he wants. Of course at that time I was out of my mind to make such a promise but I was desperate to have him believe my love for him was sincere. You should know, Robin doesn't forgive easily and is no fool to charm alone, so I threw that out like some dying wish and I saw his face light up. Since that time, my bank account has suffered a great deal."

"Sounds like you're complaining."

"Of course not! The alternative is to live without him. I was already miserable without him it was suffocating. Everything seemed dark and there was no one to scold me. My small apartment was too quiet and too loud to hear myself breath. I was dying by day and if it weren't for my brother, always showing off how amazing your aunt is, I'd have never become envious of him enough to see my mistakes. He taught me one thing I'll never forget and I'll pass it on to you. Never ever voice your opinion out loud. You are wrong and that's it. Don't argue, just agree. No one cares how right you are."

"I'm already doing that. I can't have Yeon mad at me the way dad was with you, I'd go crazy."

"If you're smart enough to know that, stop wasting your time thinking of divorce. Yeon is practical enough so he balances out your irrationalism. Aside from being fated to you, if he couldn't bare to be with how annoying you are right now, he wouldn't have accepted you from the start, or be fated to you."