Shixun punched Kai’s upper arm and threw her head back as she laughed aloud at the joke he cracked. She has gotten used to the training around here and before they both knew; a solid 10 days has passed since they first boarded the ship. And furthermore, she has grown quite close to both Luhan and Kai, especially when both of them have been taking turns to train her. But it was mostly Kai who took over while Luhan made sure they were right on course. Kai might know how to steer the ship professionally, but Luhan has spent most of his life understanding and voyaging the world with his father when he was younger. And it was heard that he often went out to space too.

Chortling deeply at how Shixun was having the time of her life, Kai tossed a sweaty towel to her direction, only for it to land flat on to the matte floor as she dodged the object. Her eyes averted to the ground where the towel was and Kai’s own followed suit. The both soon brought their eyes up to each other and Kai threw an impressed smirk in her direction. The few days of training has increased both her alertness and agility, and as compared to the instability during the first few days, Kai noted that Shixun has indeed grew more confident session after session. But he wasn’t sure if she has indeed, accepted her fears.

“Do you want an ice cream bar?” Kai asked, turning his head around as he headed for the freezer. He pulled the door open and bent down to check which flavours were left. “Cookies and cream or, caramel coated?”

Shixun frowned and went up to him, looking over his shoulder. She has to admit, even though she’s been in the pantry for several times already, she didn’t even realise they had ice cream in the freezer.

And there weren’t only ice cream bars. There were tubs of them and some other which were bite-sized. To keep it short, there was a variation of types in there and Shixun wondered who exactly thought that ice-cream was essential while going on an important mission.

“Or do you want the ones in the small tubs,” Kai asked again and picked a small tub of ice cream which fit perfectly in his palm, and turned his cheek. “Cotton candy?”

Shixun gave a small beam and took the small tub from him without any complaints or pickiness of flavours. Kai took his own choice and grabbed two plastic spoons from the drawers. He plopped down on the chair beside the one Shixun sat on and peeled open the plastic seal from the top.

He slowly ate a scoop and watched as Shixun eagerly dived into her own tub. Her eyes shone as she did the same, and Kai wondered how often did Shixun get to eat ice cream when she didn’t even know what candy floss was in the first place. And cotton candy wasn’t only recently invented.

Kai placed his ice cream onto the table and rested his head on his propped elbow as he watched her eat. She didn’t even notice that he was staring at her; and Kai still hasn’t figured out what she’s so afraid of. He didn’t know what exactly traumatised her so much, because every time he wanted to ask; the brunette would only smile and say that it doesn’t matter anymore.

“Hey, I wanted to ask.” Shixun started, placing the ice cream down onto the table and her lips. “How come there’s gravity in the ship?”

Kai rolled his eyes and scoffed. Not that he was expecting a serious question, but it’s been more than 10 days since they were on the ship, he would’ve at least thought that she had asked Luhan about it.

“Well,” Kai muttered, scooping an ice cream into his mouth. “It’s not that there isn’t any gravity at all in space, there is a minimal amount, and we managed to invent a tool that helps extend the gravity up till our ship.”

Shixun mumbled an ‘oh’ sound from her lips as she swallowed more ice cream. Kai then broke the silence again with his next question, his eyes trained and pinned onto her face as he waited to see her change in expression.

“Did it hurt, when they— you know, inserted the antidote into your system?”

Shixun stopped scooping the ice cream and timidly on her bottom lip. It didn’t hurt when she only needed to drink it up. But the transparent serum which Boa injected into her a split second afterwards, did hurt temporarily.

But only temporarily. She didn’t even know what the transparent serum was. Because by right, from what she heard from her father; the antidote itself was sufficient. But the serum was to make sure that her red blood cells was able to produce the antidote themselves as she grows older. The sickness would continue to grow inside her because it wasn’t the scent that she breathed in like everybody else. It was the liquid itself that she consumed.

“So, it didn’t hurt at all?” Kai asked again, almost sceptical that it couldn’t have pained her.

“The antidote didn’t, but the fluid that had the epidemic did.” Shixun told, shrugging it off. “It was just during that moment.”

Kai didn’t know what to say because he didn’t understand how it could’ve felt. He was angry at the fact that he wasn’t there, to help her. Nor was he there to share her burden.

“So, once we find all the ingredients, you’re able to make more of the antidote?”

The brunette blinked, her eyes dropping down to her melting ice cream. “I don’t know Kai, there are no directions and I can’t just put everything in all at once—”

She paused and frowned, eye lighting up almost instantly a split second later as she whipped her head to Kai. “Wait! Baekhyun knows!” She recalled, beaming from ear to ear. “Well, at least he should know.”

Kai nodded in response, “He does but, he doesn’t remember how to.”

Shixun threw a dejected sigh, “It’s because of the explosion, isn’t it.”

Knowing that there wasn’t anything much to discuss anymore, Kai proceeded to ask Shixun one more question before the moment ended.

“I know you might not tell me what it is but,” he paused and took a deep breath as he pulled in his chair closer to the table. “What are you afraid of Shixun— back then, at the training room, when you were freaking out. Why did yo—”

“Being forced to give the antidote, Kai.” She confessed, poking her spoon into the melted cotton candy flavoured ice cream. “I’ve spent more than half my life running away from the researchers, and whenever I got caught; they’d force the antidote out of me. There were always, needles, everywhere.”

Shixun explained how the procedures always went. She would always be tied, fastened, onto a chair in the middle of the room. At times, there would be faces which seemed familiar to her, the people who stood by her father’s sid