The sky had rolled into dark purple and blue by the time the doctors told Yixing to bring Yifan back to his room. They gave them a few more minutes in the center courtyard, the taller man laying with his back against the grass, with Yixing’s head perched on his chest. They stared into the starless night, the moon just out of sight, but it glowed brightly. “I loved space and galaxies when I was a kid,” Yifan said softly. “I wanted to live in space. In a nebula.”

Yixing turned and put his hands flat on Yifan’s chest, then rested his chin upon them. He was silent to make the other continue.

“I had so many books about space, and I couldn’t even read them. My mom always read them to me. I’m sure she still has all that knowledge like I do.”

“How old were you?”

“When?”

“When they took you.”

Yifan glanced down at him, then back up into the black sky. “I was seven.”

Yixing moved, laying beside him, and took his hand. He placed Yifan’s onto his chest, and the taller could feel his heart pumping. “So you really do remember it all. That’s so young, but still, you’d remember.”

“I’m sure you were around that age, too.”

“I wish I could remember. I feel like my whole life has been taken from me. Like I’m missing a piece.”

“You’d be angry too.”

Yixing sat up and smiled, just as a doctor came to bring them back to the labs. “Who’s to say I’m not?”

where would you guys like to see this story go? or, how do you think it's going to continue? i'm curious