When they meet for the first time, Yena greets her as ‘Yul.’ 

Which is fine, given that Yena mostly knows Yuri by that name, just like how Yuri knows Yena by ‘Ducky.’ But Yuri is embarrassed by calling Yena that in public, especially for their first meeting, and opts for a more simple greeting.

“Hey, Yena! I—“

And that’s as far as she gets, really.

The rest of Yuri’s words are lodged in and she can’t even think to vocalize them properly. They’re stuck stuck, and Yuri gives up on the greeting altogether. Yena pats her on the back, waits for her to continue, and when she doesn’t, she just shrugs before asking what she wants to drink. Yuri stutters our her order and Yena leaves to place it, leaves Yuri alone still shocked and frozen in her seat, leaves Yuri to realize everything on her own.

It’s groundbreaking, live or die, and Yuri wants to cry right then and there, in the middle of a coffee shop with Yena grinning down at her like a dense idiot after placing her bubble tea order. With Yena having no idea that once she says Yuri’s name, that it’s game over.

With Yena being oblivious to the fact that they’re soulmates.

That they’re made and meant for each other. 

“Yul? Are you alright?” Yena asks worriedly, her raspy voice suddenly music to Yuri’s ears, even after they’ve voice called and facetimed a bunch. She guesses things change when you realize someone is your soulmate.

And, with the recent discovery, Yuri finds herself annoyed.

They’ve facetimed and voice chatted more than a hundred times at least, but Yuri’s just learning that Yena is her soulmate now?

To Yuri, that’s just annoying. 

But not as nearly infuriating as how long she’ll have to wait for Yena to say her name. Because, yikes, does she have no idea what’s coming.

***

Yena and Yuri meet as mutuals on stan twitter. Which is why they don't really refer to each other by their actual names.

It’s impulsive the way they meet, really. Just one of those ‘retweet to be in a group chat...’ things that Nako, another close friend of theirs, starts.

Yena retweets it with the intention of making new friends, despite the dozens of chats she’s already a part of.

Yuri joins because for once she wants to feel included, to be seen, to meet somebody and just click with them.

And that’s exactly what happens.

They talk practically every day. Both in the group chat and privately amongst one another where they send memes and sometimes have deep conversations. Yena and Yuri are just two peas in a pod with the 10 other members of their group chat teasing them to no end about that fact. 

Chaeyeon says that she and Yena are cute, that they should get married, that ‘ soulmates because if you and Yena aren’t then I don’t want to meet mine!’

Well, Chaeyeon’s lucky, then. Yuri and Yena are soulmates, so Chaeyeon gets to meet hers.

(Yuri thinks she already has.)

But just how long is Yena going to go without saying Yuri’s name?

***