---

 

"It's a...it's a--an ink blot."

 

 

"Yes, Kyungsoo. But do you see the pictures?" There was a pinch of agitation in the doctor’s tone, breaking past the facade of kind smiles and encouraging nods, he was clearly frustrated with the stilling progression of this simple test.

 

"What pictures?" His words were stretched, a slight slurring of letters, bottom lips jutting out, there was confusion written on his face, "I don't-I don't see any pictures," Kyungsoo stutters. Everything made no sense to him. He thought the doctor was crazy. It was clearly just a black ink blot; how could he see pictures in it?

 

The man holding the colored cards sighs a long tired sigh. Kyungsoo mimics but stops immediately, remembering that Ms. Luna told him he shouldn't offend the doctors who were trying to help him, although, he still couldn't understand how tests about inkblots would aid him in any way.

 

Scared of failure, Kyungsoo quickly adds, "But it’s a very pretty inkblot. I-I like the spikes."

 

Silence fills the room, Kyungsoo doesn't know what to say, what to do, how to act correctly in these types of situations, instead he keeps quite, sitting on his hands to keep from fidgeting. Ms. Luna just said to smile and listen to what the man had to say and everything would be well, but she must've forgotten the fact that he was as bright as a block of coal. 

 

The man tries again, asking the same misleading question, "Kyungsoo-nim, focus on the shape, imagine anything that it might look similar to," he clarifies further outlining the blob with his fore finger.

 

Nothing looks like that. He tried to focus, but leaning in to stare at the piece of paper two inches away from his face didn't exactly help either. The doctor backs off a bit, the screech of his chair that follows cause Kyungsoo to jolt in his own seat. "You scared me," he murmurs pouting.

 

The doctor shakes his head slowly and wrote down notes. 

 

Attempt after attempt, Kyungsoo still couldn’t make out any figures, even after the man gave him silly examples. “I’m sorry, you see doc, I’m not that smart. I-I’m a slow learner. Just give me another chance. I’ll get-I’ll get it right,” Kyungsoo promises.

 

The doctor flashes a fake smile and waves him off as he jots down the last of his notes, "Thank you for your cooperation Kyungsoo-nim," and leaves with the door open.

 

Kyungsoo releases his hands and twirls his thumbs. I think I failed that test. He felt disheartened; his only chance could have been possibly destroyed after failing all of these tests, the inkblot being the worst. He was left alone in a small cubed shaped room, the ceiling a bit too low for his liking even for a short man such at himself. The walls are too white but were covered with educational posters he knew he'll never understand.

 

"Ab-abdo...abdomin-min-nal..." What did that mean? He furrows his eyebrows and moves on to the next word. "Sp-ss...pi-inal..." He knew what spin means but what does spinal mean? Kyungsoo pulls out his little notepad and writes down the word. He'll ask Ms. Luna about it later in class.

 

Just after making the last of the pencil, Kyungsoo was interrupted by a knock. Maybe he'll just ask her now.

 

"Ms. Luna," he points at the word he just wrote down with bulging eyes. She follows his finger and says, "Spinal..."

 

"What does-does it mean?" he questions eagerly.

 

She smiles gingerly, shutting the door, and asks him to bend over, making her way towards him. "This," she runs her fingers down his middle back, "is your spine." he shivers, "It has thirty three individual bones that are connected together and bends to let you move. Do you understand?" she asks softly.

 

He nods, but in reality, he was still confused. He wondered what spinal meant not spine.

 

He shoves the booklet in his coat jacket and follows Ms. Luna's guiding hands out the door and down the hallway. He clutches her hand tightly, "Umm, where are we going Ms. Luna?"

 

"I want you to meet someone."

 

"Ohh."

 

They walked down the long hallway, and entered another low ceilinged room. She told him to wait for a knock and left after she seated him down with crayons and a drawing pad. Kyungsoo hated waiting.

 

He began to scribble a poorly drawn picture of lilacs and then gets frustrated; it looks nothing like his favorite flower weed. Kyungsoo works at a flower shop not too far from Ms. Luna's night time school for slow adults. He works as a florist and was pretty good at it. Although he takes quite a bit longer compared to his co-worker to arrange a $15.00 bouquet, the bundle of flowers is definitely worth more than what is paid.

 

Kyungsoo pretty much grew up alone in the orphanage, the caretakers despised his inability to think for himself; the other children shunned him and spat in his direction. Dark words were constantly thrown his way, he was laughed at, but he smiled through all of that torture. Although experiencing a lonely childhood, he was still content, his oblivious being the most part.

 

The knock on hard wood shock him out of his daze, he quickly recalled what Ms. Luna had told him and said, "Come in."

 

The door revealed an over excited Ms. Luna, "This is Dr. Kim Jongin," she gestured at the figure hidden behind her. When he stepped forward, a handsome young doctor stood. He had dark brown hair that looked a bit on the dry side, prominent cheekbones and a sharp jaw line, tanned skin and he was tall. But what stuck out the most to Kyungsoo were his ashy brown eyes, it made him look older than the rest of him. Dark circles ringed under his eyes, adding a couple of more years. Kyungsoo's eyebrows twitched and he abandons the purple crayons, awkwardly waving to the stranger.

 

They exchange odd looks while shaking hands as Kyungsoo introduces himself. Electricity seems to bolt through Kyungsoo’s fingers while as Dr. Kim remains indifferent.

 

"Hello, I am Dr. Kim. Let's work well together."

 

Kyungsoo flushes a mad red and nods quickly.

 

"You're very pretty."

 

 

In the late afternoon of an unusually warm autumn night, Lay had just begun arranging the first of many flower vases for a last minute wedding: twenty small, red rose center pieces and five grand, eye catching flower spheres. It was going to be a long night. He was currently weaving a strand of pearl beads around the roses when a loud ding runs through the shop. Kyungsoo runs in with a face full of glee and greets, "Hyung!"

 

"Kyungsoo," Yixing places the beads on the table and collects his friend in his arms and ruffles his hair, "How was school?" He asks in his soft and gentle tone. He continues to pat Kyungsoo’s hair as the other replies.

 

"I didn't go to school today," Yixing frowns and meets his eyes.

 

"Where did you go?" he inspects him thoroughly, scared for the worse, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He was greeted with a fit of giggles and light punches from the other, "That tickles."

 

Yixing furthers his frown and in a serious manor repeats, "Where did you go?"

 

Kyungsoo releases from his grasp and sat down on a near stool by the working table. "I was with Ms. Luna..." well that was a relief, "she took me to this really, really big building. Then s-some crazy doctor asked me to find pictures in inkblots and even-even forced me to make up lies," he continues his blabbering, "and then I-I-I met this really handsome man that's going to make me smart," that last one really threw him off the boat.

 

As Kyungsoo continues sputtering nonsense, Yixing tries to figure out what the heck was going on. Ink blots? Doctors? Possible increase of intelligence? 

 

"Wait, Kyungsoo, wait..." Lay stammers and the shorter male quiets. It takes while for him to grasp the situation and then proceeds, 

 

"What did those doctors want with you, why did Ms. Luna bring you there?" he looks away from Kyungsoo and focuses on his current order.

 

"They said they're going to make me smart like you!" Kyungsoo giggles happily. Yixing's heart ramming against his chest as anxiety fills up his heart. He picks up the beads once more and plays with it until he was satisfied with the final look.

 

"That's...wonderful."

 

Impossible, ridiculous were the right words, but he didn't have the heart to voice out his thoughts.

 

“Are you going again tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I’m going with you, okay?”

 

“Sure.”

 

 

"This building, do you remember its name or location?" 

 

"Nope," Kyungsoo took a fresh baby breath and fiddles with it, "I fell asleep in the bus."

 

 He decides to further the conversation the next morning.

 

"Do you-do you need help, hyung?" Kyungsoo asks after a long pause of silence.

 

Yixing looks up from his fourth vase and smiles his dimpled smile. He hums and instructs the other to copy what he has done so far. He needs as much help as he can to get all of these delivered by the morning.

 

In the middle of quiet working, Yixing goes to the mini refrigerator in the back room and retrieves a roll of cut kimbap, "Fill up a bit, I'll make dinner later," he explains.

 

Kyungsoo ate slowly, without complaining, even though it was a bit too bland for his taste.

 

A whole plate of kimbap, and half an hour later, Kyungsoo announces, "I'm done," and shows off his prize. Yixing was just about done with his eight arrangements, all identical, but Kyungsoo's was special. The beads were handled more careful than his, the baby breaths somehow emphasizes the roses more than his, although small, it was still beautiful. His finds his lips curving and pats the smaller's head, "Thank you, Kyungsoo, are you still hungry? I'll make something now if you want?" Kyungsoo nods furiously and Yixing takes it as a yes.

 

He finishes the final touches of his own center piece and leaves the closed store in Kyungsoo's care.

 

---

 

A/N: Happy Kaisoo Day~ 

Man, I miss writing so much and kaisoo and lay being the reason I'm back ASDFGHJKL;' I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter as much as I enjoyed wrting it. The next one will be upload in a day or so idk. Please comment/sub/upvote! I'd really like that^^

 

side note: ERR MY GOD KAISOO DAY GIVES ME SO MANY FEELS I MEAN I WAKE UP TO KAISOO EDITS AND KAISOO FANFICS I JUST CANT THE GAYYYYYYYYYYY

 

yehet.

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