a/n: warning minor character death.

Kris wiggles in his sleeping bag.  It’s at that awkward moment during a sleepover when everyone has said goodnight, but no one is asleep.  He doesn’t even know how Luhan and Yixing are tired. He can feel his toes tingling in excitement because they are all Inheriting tomorrow.

“What do you think it’ll be like?” Kris asks into the darkness, keenly aware that his best friends are still awake despite the pretenses.  Somehow, during the several hours they’ve spent together today, they still haven’t spoken about what they wish their Gifts were.  Nor, have they discussed what actually happens during the Inheritance.

Luhan is the first one to break the silence; “I heard that we have to cut our palms with a giant knife—“

“That is so stupid, Lu.” Yixing huffs from his bed, “Liyin said that they make you drink a glowing elixir, and it activates your Gift.  Then some guy reads you and announces your Gift to everyone.”

“What if Liyin is lying?” Luhan sasses back, and Kris already knows the face that goes along with that tone of voice.

“Why would Liyin lie?” Yixing snaps, and Kris can hear his eyes roll from his spot on the floor.

“She’s your sister, how should I know her motives?” Luhan scoffs, not realizing that he has just undermined himself.

“Are you serious right now?” Yixing sighs deeply, “That’s not even what’s important.  What do you think our Gifts will be?”

“I want to become a dragon.” Kris smiles, innocently stating a dream that his friends have heard a million times over.

“We know.” Luhan and Yixing groan simultaneously.  Luhan continues, “And you want to just know everything about the universe.  Please, Wu, please come up with something original every once in a while.”

“I mean if I had to be an animal, it would obviously be a unicorn.” Yixing muses, although it’s not what Yixing wants to Inherit.

“I can’t believe my best friends are such losers.” Luhan whines.

“Whatever, Little Deer.” Kris teases in a sing-song voice.

“Say it to my face!” Luhan shouts from across the room.

“BOYS, GO TO BED!” Yixing’s mother yells from the living room, annoyance flooding her voice.  She’s normally a very level-headed woman, but all things considered, it’s pretty late and they were told to go to bed an hour ago.

Yixing whispers loudly, “Just think tomorrow, we’ll be whole new men.”

___

Inheritance is a lot like how Yixing said that Liyin described it.  While glowing is a bit of an over exaggeration, there is an elixir that Kris swallows in one go.  It’s too sweet in an artificial way like it’s trying to mask its true nature, but he powers through it.  The announcement of his Gift is simple, as a strange man looks him in the eyes.  There is a flare up of red in his irises before he stands, “Kris Wu is imbued with the Gift of flight.”

“Lu Han is imbued with the Gift of telekinesis and telepathy.”

“Zhang Yixing is imbued with the Gift of healing.”

Although they never explicitly say anything, they’re all relieved.  Maybe it doesn’t need to be said now that Luhan can hear (or read) everything.  It could have been much worse.  Their Gifts guarantee that they will never be short of friends if they want it that way.

___

Kris flies for the first time at night, the night after his Inheritance in fact.  He climbs onto the roof through the window in his room after dinner.  He doesn’t know the logistics of how it’s going to happen at all, but he’s just hoping that the instinct will take over.

He carefully walks down the slope of the roof, situating himself at the lip of the gutter to peer down at the backyard.  He’s chosen to attempt jumping off above grass, so that something relatively soft breaks his fall if his flight fails him.  It’s only one story above the ground, so it shouldn’t kill him.  He hopes.  (It’s not like he has ever jumped off of a roof before.)

He in a deep breath of the fresh nighttime air.  It would be a lie if Kris says that he’s not nervous, but the nerves are also mixed with a fresh dollop of excitement.  Luhan could tell right away, and Yixing has already healed several scrapes and bruises among their peers.  Kris is the only one who is untested, unproven.

Kris bites the soft flesh of the inside of his cheek, his brow furrowing.  He glances up at the moon, silently asking for the moon to wish him luck.  He squeezes his eyes shut but soon opens them again, unable to decide whether he should be watching or not.

Kris rocks himself back and forth, counting down from three a few times before finally jumping off of the roof with eyes wide open and arms outstretched.

He falls for a moment, holding back a scream as his stomach drops.  He doesn’t even have to think about it when his body swoops upwards, carrying him away from the ground.  He lets out a happy shout that’s mixed in with laughter.

He leans his left shoulder down, and suddenly he’s turning.  It’s marvelous and wonderful, and Kris moves his limbs around to see what kind of tricks he can do.  He does several midair somersaults, and he thinks that the smile on his face is going to be there forever.

He doesn’t go up very high, and he’s not quite ready to explore.  He also doesn’t know if having the ability to fly will significantly impact him.  Laws of physics probably still apply; Kris knows that he’s not about to become a jet plane or walk on top of clouds.  (Okay, maybe he might try to walk on clouds once he has more practice.)

Kris thinks about trying to land, correcting himself into a standing position with arms at his sides and legs pulled together.  He slowly begins to descend, softly landing on the roof in the same condition in which he left it.

He pumps a fist into the air, still riding off of the rush of adrenaline that comes with his Gift.  Kris has to walk off the excitement, so he ends up pacing on the roof.  He doesn’t exactly know what sort of future his Gift guarantees him; nor does he know when it’ll come to be handy.  He does know that he likes flying a lot.

___

Kris desperately wants to roll his eyes at Luhan’s proud smile.  Of course, he’s acing Korean.  Kris would love to attribute it to the fact that he has a very convenient Gift, but it’s really not.  While it may help him with figuring out whom Yixing is crushing on, there is no denying that Luhan has a natural talent for picking up languages.

It’s frustrating that despite being in everyone’s head, Luhan is just about the nicest person on the planet.  Luhan is a paradox in Kris’s opinion because Kris knows that Luhan has been unwillingly privy to dirty and violent and mean thoughts, but it hasn’t changed him at all.  Luhan is just the same, even when the world doesn’t have a filter.

Luhan has offered several times over to help Kris out with the homework, but Kris feels a deep need to know it without any help.  He doesn’t exactly know what is driving it; normally, competitiveness would be the answer, but somehow he knows that there is more behind this feeling.

Luhan is currently showing off his perfect paper to Kris’s parents.  It’s odd to say the least, but Luhan and Yixing are family.  Several years of being joined at the hip have landed Luhan’s accomplishments right next to Kris’s.  If Luhan feels the need to post his paper on the fridge, then Kris’s parents let him.  It’s weird, but it works.

Kris erases his incomplete sentence, brushing away the remnants of the soft rubber that are on the paper.  Yixing slams his face into the table, letting out a groan of frustration.  Yixing has the worst time with it by far, but Liyin will not let him quit.  (Liyin can see glimpses of the future, and she promises Yixing that if he just stays with it, he’ll get more than he could ever dream.)

Kris’s mother smiles at Luhan, pinching his cheek lightly.  She pats Yixing shoulder as she walks past them.  “Is it hard?”

“Very.” Yixing whines, “Liyin is so unfair. I’m obviously going into the medical field.  I should be learning Latin or something.”

“Korean is a useful skill!” Kris’s mother shouts from down the hall.  Kris guesses that she’s probably doing a load of laundry.  Kris is sure that there’s a parental/sibling alliance going on for Liyin and his mother to be reinforcing the potential usefulness of the Korean language.

“It’s not a conspiracy.” Luhan flicks Kris’s forehead.

“It’s a conspiracy.” Yixing mutters, striking three lines of text with his ink pen.  There’s a distinct wail of despair as Yixing lets his head fall against the table once more.

Kris snorts because Zhang Yixing can heal himself all he wants, but it’s still going to hurt.

___

“Kris?” Liyin walks up to Kris who is fiddling with his guitar on the front porch.  There’s really no reason for Yixing’s older sister to be here.  Yixing isn’t here, and Liyin should know that, unless she has ulterior motives.

“What’s up?” Kris asks, halting his random connection of notes, baffled by Liyin’s appearance.

“When the time comes, don’t push him away.” Liyin whispers prophetically, “I don’t think that I have a lot of time left to tell you, but you and Yixing need to let love in.”

“How do you mean?” Kris tilts his head.  While he completely misses her comment about limited time, he doesn’t understand why Liyin would think that a fifteen year old needs to let love in.  Kris hasn’t even had a boyfriend (or girlfriend).

Liyin sits next to Kris, running her fingers through the hair that fringes on his forehead.  There’s a soft, affectionate smile that’s full of secrets, “I know you’re not going to listen.”

“Liyin?” Kris is honestly a little freaked out.

Liyin chuckles softly, “It will be beautiful I promise.  There are colors everywhere, and he’s just waiting for you to open your arms.” Her eyes are glassy with tears threatening to spill, and her voice is so low that it hurts, “You just need to stay with Yixing, and everything will be fine.  You’ll be happy if you just let yourself feel.  Make sure that Xing follows his heart too, okay?”

Kris nods, unsure of why Liyin sounds so sad.  He wonders if she’s slightly drunk at all.  She leans forward, pressing a soft kiss onto his cheek. “Soulmates exist.” She whispers into his ear as her voice cracks.  She pulls away immediately, beginning to walk away.  She glances back and waves goodbye, and Kris thinks that there might be a trail of tears on her face.

Those are the last words that Liyin ever says to Kris.

___

Liyin’s death happened two days after she visited Kris’s front porch.  She died when the bridge that she was driving on collapsed.  She drowned, and it was unimaginable.

Kris is in a black suit, looking at the ground as Liyin’s eulogy is given.  Kris doesn’t know where to look in all honesty.  He knows how he feels because it’s hard to breathe.  Sadness is sitting on his chest and squeezing his internal organs.  He’s know Liyin for his entire life, and it feels like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit.

Yixing can’t say anything.  Kris knows that Yixing feels like it’s his fault.  He shouldn’t though; he shouldn’t feel guilty.  Kris can practically taste how much Yixing hates himself.  The irony is not lost on anyone.  A girl who can see into the future drives to her death.  Her brother who can heal doesn’t even get the chance to save her.

It might even be worse when he’s standing next to Yixing with a flower in his hand as they lower Liyin’s coffin into the ground.  Yixing is quietly sniffling as he pets the petals of the white rose in his hand.  There’s a hole in his heart that can never be filled.  For as much as it hurts Kris, it hurts Yixing ten times more.  However, when it comes to loss, there is nothing good that comes with comparing.  All that he can do is offer Yixing support.

As Kris throws a flower into the grave, he comes to the realization that Liyin knew exactly what was going to happen.  Liyin rarely does, did, things without reason because she knew the consequences.

He walks up to Yixing, sitting beside him and taking his hand to give it a firm squeeze.  Yixing looks at Kris through his tears, gripping Kris’s hand as if it’s his lifeline.  Luhan comes to sit on Yixing’s other side, taking his other hand.

Yixing closes his eyes, bending over and pressing his face into their hands.  Kris can feel the dampness of Yixing’s cheeks; he suspects that Yixing has run out of tears.  His body quakes with muted, dry sobs.

Kris makes a promise to himself at that moment.  It’s a promise to Yixing and Liyin that he’ll always be beside Yixing.

___

“Why are you going to Korea again?” Yixing asks as he folds one of Luhan’s shirts into a neat square.

Luhan snatches the shirt away from Yixing, looking between Kris and Yixing, all too aware that both of their thoughts are in a harmonious confusion.  “Well, best friends, I have aspirations that involve travelling abroad.” There’s a pause, resulting in Luhan rolling his eyes as he stuffs more clothing items into his suitcase.  “You guys are disgusting and completely wrong.  I got a job at one of the premier architecture firms in the world.  You heard that right, the world.  I have no problems leaving you losers behind if I can work there, albeit in South Korea.”

“I bet they’re only sending you there because of your ‘language skills’.” Yixing mocks, pawing through some more of Luhan’s clean laundry.

“If my language proficiency got me a job, then GOD bless.  Kris, you could really go anywhere because you also have a very talented tongue.  I swear, Yixing, make one ual comment.” Luhan immediately puts out the fire that he just set with a swift hand motion and stern look.

“Yixing is enough for me thanks.” Kris laughs, spinning Luhan’s limited edition soccer ball in his hands.  It’s been weird, watching Luhan strip his apartment of all the things that make it his. Trinkets and mementos are boxed and ready to go to another country, some of them are just being moved to Kris’s apartment.

Yixing and Kris are “helping” Luhan pack up his clothes.  It’s the last leg of Luhan’s departure, and it means that Luhan is leaving tomorrow.  Luhan sighs, continuing to fold his clothes, “Did you guys come to help, or are you just going to watch?”

“I’m helping.” Yixing huffs in an almost-whine, a notable pout forming on his lips.

“Yixing.” Luhan’s voice becomes rather parental, “I am trying to pack up my life.  If you want, we can take a break and go get a drink.”  Luhan yields, reading one too many “last huzzah” thoughts.

“Sweet.” Kris says, springing up from the floor. “I’ll go get Hangeng.” Hangeng is one of their neighbors who the trio had befriended upon moving into the building.

Kris knocks on Hangeng’s door repeatedly; he almost calls out something teasing about how slow Hangeng is becoming with age when someone answers the door.  It is not Hangeng.

Kris doesn’t really have words because he’s caught off guard.  The man in front of him is rather pretty, and that’s just about the only thing that Kris can use to describe him.  “You’re not Hangeng.” He states the obvious.

It elicits a smile from the stranger, “No, he moved out, something or other about Heechul.”

Kris thinks about it; the name sounds familiar, but it’s not really all hat important at this point. “Um, then, do you want to go drinking?”

The stranger drums his fingers on the door. “Alright, um, let me get my shoes and a jacket.”

“When you’re done, we’re in 209.” Kris nods, turning to leave.

“Um, I’m Junmyeon.”  He says, sticking his head out of the apartment, offering an awkward wave.

“Kris.” He nods, walking back to Luhan’s apartment.

“Luhan, when did Hangeng move out?” Kris asks immediately after making his way back into Luhan’s room.   Luhan shrugs, and Yixing shakes his head.  Kris clears his throat, “I invited the new guy living in Hangeng’s apartment.”

Both Luhan and Yixing turns to look at Kris with bewilderment, “He’s Korean, and I felt bad for knocking on his door.”  Kris explains, using his hands to accentuate his point.

“How do you know he’s Korean?” Yixing snorts, still folding Luhan’s clothes and handing them to Luhan.

“His name and his accent, I spent several years studying the Korean language you know.” Kris brags, slightly smug because it took Yixing much longer to get his grip of Korean than Kris or Luhan.

Luhan sighs, shaking his head and putting his hands, “Yeah, fine.”

There’s knock on the door, calling the attention of everyone in the room.  Junmyeon is standing there with his knuckles still on the wood of Luhan’s door.  He smiles, waving with his other hand, “The door was open.”

“Ah, Junmyeon.  Guys, this is Junmyeon.  Junmyeon, this is Luhan and Yixing.” Kris introduces everyone, gesturing at Luhan and Yixing prospectively.

“Am I intruding?” Junmyeon asks, intuiting quite a bit.

Luhan speaks, “No, not at all.”  Luhan shakes his head, “Let’s drink.”

Junmyeon nods shyly, eyes flicking over Yixing quickly.  Kris doesn’t miss the sudden blush that’s flooding Junmyeon’s cheeks.

As it turns out, Junmyeon is a pretty nice person.  His mother is Chinese, so his words flow very smoothly aside from some hiccups because of disuse.  He politely corrects some of Luhan’s mispronunciations while showing off his language skills.  Luhan nearly slams his face into the table, but Junmyeon rushes to tell Luhan that it’ll be fine.  He says that Luhan is great, and no one will really notice all that much.  Even if they do, they probably won’t care.

Yixing seems like he might be okay with Junmyeon existing.  Kris knows that Junmyeon pays extra attention when Yixing is talking.  It’s like every word is precious to Junmyeon and he doesn’t want to miss a thing.  Yixing lets nothing show, but Luhan has a coy smile that tells Kris the feelings might be mutual.

It’s going fine until they finally ask Junmyeon about his Gift.  Junmyeon tells them that he can control water or anything water-based so long as it is in liquid form.  He makes a comment about it being useful when his younger brother and his friends recklessly jump in the pool, something about a kid named Sehun and poor decision-making.

Yixing hardens at that point.  Any charms that Junmyeon may have laid on Yixing are all erased by the simple nature of his Gift.  Luhan gives Kris a worried look.  Junmyeon doesn’t notice anything.

Luhan leaves the next day.

___

Junmyeon is playing video games with Kris on the floor of Kris’s unit.  Yixing is fast asleep on the couch; he’s long since fell victim to his exhaustion.

Junmyeon carefully drapes a blanket over Yixing’s sleeping form.  For a moment, Kris feels like he’s intruding.  He has to remind himself that Junmyeon is in the middle of an unrequited crush.  Yixing is willingly oblivious despite the fact that it hurts them both.

As soon as Junmyeon sits to grab the controller again, Kris decides to say something, “Just ask him out already.  It’s almost been a year.”

Junmyeon swallows audibly, pressing buttons even though the game isn’t in play, “What if he says no?” Junmyeon mumbles quietly, insecurity showing through the cracks of his confident facade.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.” Kris replies in a hushed tone, nudging Junmyeon slightly with his elbow.

Junmyeon offers a small smile, glancing at Kris before nudging him back.  They play video games until Junmyeon yawns for the fifth time in ten minutes.

“Thanks.” Junmyeon says sleepily for leaving.  Kris knows that it’s about his advice, but he doesn’t really want to admit it.

___

Kris is walking back from a late night at work; in fact it’s almost dawn.  His job modeling does tend to have odd hours.  The sky has already begun to lighten.  Kris doesn’t really want to fly at this point, sometimes it’s nice to just walk around and stretch out his legs.

He admires the buildings in the dim light, taking in the beauty of the city at dawn.

His eyes travel down the street where he sees Junmyeon getting into a cab.  He doesn’t put think anything of it.  Junmyeon must need to get to the office early.

___

There is a knock on Yixing’s door.  Kris is the middle of eating a burger, and Yixing rolls his eyes.  He kicks Kris from under the table.  Kris sighs, annoyed that he has to set down his meal.  He finishes chewing his food, swallowing as he moves to answer the door.

He pulls the door wide open, finding a smiling Luhan.  “Oh my god!”  Luhan smiles widely, throwing his arms around Kris’s neck.

“What?” Yixing calls from the kitchen, muffled by distance and the food in his mouth.

Kris pulls away from Luhan, beckoning for Luhan to follow him into the kitchen.  Luhan chuckles, tiptoeing behind Kris until he can’t wait anymore.  He jumps out, “SURPRISE!””

Yixing’s face is stuffed with fries, making his cheeks chubby, but his eyes give away everything.  It’s a very happy surprise.  Yixing gets up, wrapping his friend in a tight hug as he continues to chew his food.  When he finally manages to swallow, he let go and asks what’s on his mind, “What are you doing here?” 

Luhan snorts, his thumb and rubbing at a ketchup stain on Yixing’s cheek, “There’s an awards dinner for the firm, and since I was here, I decided to take an extra day to see my best friends.”

Yixing smiles after rubbing away Luhan’s saliva, “Let’s go get a beer.”

Luhan nods, giggling at Yixing reaction to his mothering.  Kris pats Luhan on the back, “I’ll go get Junmyeon.  Do you remember Junmyeon?”

He ignores the pointed look that Yixing sends his way as Luhan thinks back, “The new guy that drank at my going away shebang?”

Kris nods, quickly making his way over to Junmyeon’s unit.  He hopes that maybe having Luhan present will force Yixing to say something.  They haven’t seen Junmyeon as of late, and Kris is pretty sure that Yixing might have done something to mess it up.  He knocks with both fists on Junmyeon’s door.

The door opens, but it’s not Junmyeon, giving Kris a weird sense of déjà vu. He sighs, “You’re not Junmyeon.”

The stranger shakes his head, “Junmyeon moved a few days ago.  He was really gracious about it too.”

“Where’d he move to?” Kris asks, keenly aware of the sinking feeling in his stomach.

The stranger gives him a funny look; somewhat disbelieving that Kris wasn’t in the loop. “He went back to Korea.  We did a swap since the company pays for the apartment.  Again, he was really nice about it.  He did seem kind of sad though…”

Kris is already in Yixing’s apartment by the end of the sentence, leaving the new guy with his head sticking out from the doorframe, completely confused.  He walks in on Luhan showing Yixing something on his phone, “…and this is my boyfriend, Sehun.”

“Junmyeon is gone.” Kris states, drawing everyone’s attention.

“What?” Yixing asks, his voice sounding very small.

“He moved back to Korea.” Kris states.

Luhan gasps, turning to fully face Yixing,  “You what?!”  It’s obvious that he read Yixing’s mind, and he does not like whatever thought might have popped into his head.

Luhan grips Yixing’s ear, dragging him out the apartment.  Luhan glares at Kris. “Get his passport and wallet.”

___

Kris, Yixing, and Luhan are sitting in a row on a red eye flight to Seoul.  Luhan is done being mad at Yixing, although a few choice words were thrown his way.  Kris caught a little bit of the blame, but most of it was Luhan lecturing Yixing about keeping his mind open.

Luhan commanded them to buy tickets and go to Seoul to find Junmyeon and make it up to him.  Luhan mentions soulmates several times over.  He’s found his soulmate, and he’s happy.  Sehun (that’s his name) is the most wonderful thing that Luhan has ever found, and Yixing needs to fight for the people he loves.  And Yixing shouldn’t even try lying about his feelings towards Junmyeon because Luhan can read his mind.  Luhan doesn’t mention Liyin outright, but he does a lot of heavily implying that she would disapprove.

They land in Seoul after a relatively short flight.  Going through security and customs is relatively quick and painless, setting them out on the streets of South Korea before the sun has gone down.

Luhan hails a cab, forcing everyone in the back seat.  It’s cramped, and Kris somehow ends up in the middle despite having the longest legs.  Luhan gives the cab driver the address for Junmyeon’s attorney firm, which he finagled out of Yixing in less than a minute. (He prescribes by the “don’t think about it” way of living.  It gets Luhan pretty far in terms of secrets.)

They arrive in front of a very tall building, and Kris is wary.  He likes Junmyeon just as much as the next guy, but if this course of action negates Junmyeon’s attempt to put distance between himself and Yixing.  That, of course, assumes he left because of Yixing.

Luhan drags them into the building and up to the floor where Junmyeon is supposed to be.  There is a girl behind the reception desk with very short hair and a button nose, “Hi, do you have an appointment?”

Luhan shakes his head, “We’re looking for Kim Junmyeon.”

She clicks her tongue, “He’s gone for the day.”

“Do you know where he might be?” Yixing asks, giving away his interest now that Junmyeon is nowhere to be found.  Kris sighs internally, how typical.

She itches the back of her neck; “He did mention that his brother was holding a thing at his company.”

“Where is that company?  A name is fine if you don’t know.” Luhan immediately asks.

She leans back, projecting her voice towards an office door that open, “Donghae, what was the name of that company that you met Eunhyuk at?  Junmyeon’s brother’s thing?”

“Complementary Colors!” A muffled reply comes from the office.

Luhan gasps, whipping around to face Kris and Yixing, “Junmyeon is that Junmyeon?”

“Which Junmyeon would that be?” Yixing asks as Luhan literally pushes them out of the office, herding them to the elevator.

“Well, at least I know where Junmyeon will be.”

___

Kris can’t help but gape.  Junmyeon is slow dancing with someone that none of them know; and he looks like he is enjoying himself.  Yixing sighs, “See he’s over it.”

Luhan hits him upside the head, “We need to find Tao and sort out this mess.  Your mess.”

Luhan weaves through the crowed, knowing exactly where he needs to go.  He touches the shoulder of a man who isn’t facing them, resulting in a mildly startled man whipping around to face them.  He has an air of undue confidence with face that screams he’s beautiful and he’s well aware.  His eyes are slightly puffy, but it does nothing to subtract for his attractiveness.

He looks surprised, although he instantly recognizes Luhan.  His eyes flick over Yixing, barely sparring Kris a glance.  He tries to concentrate as Luhan explains that he needs to see Junmyeon as soon as possible.  Luhan slows to a stop because Tao has fixated his gaze on the space between Kris and Luhan.

Tao’s eyes shift, meeting with Kris’s.  He just stares at Kris with a look of amazement that seems uncalled for.  It just makes Kris feel awkward.

Luhan clears his throat, supplying names along with faces, “This is Kris and Yixing.”

Tao giggles dreamily, “Hi Kris.”  It makes Kris a little bit uncomfortable because he’s just met this person.  Something sparked in Tao’s eye as he processes the second name, “Did you just say Yixing?”

Yixing seems taken aback while Luhan simply gives an affirmative nod.  “Zhang Yixing from China?  Zhang Yixing from China who used to live next door to Junmyeon until recently?”  His voice shows his escalating panic in light of understanding, “That Zhang Yixing? JUNMYEON’S SOULMATE?”

Luhan nods vigorously, which is news to everyone but Luhan.  Yixing isn’t even bothering to hide his shock.  Luhan tries to quiet Tao, “Okay, well, that’s conjecture at this point because neither of us saw it happen, but yes that Yixing.”

Tao puts his hands on his knees as he tries to breathe properly, “Okay you’re just going to have to give me like a minute because this is overwhelming.  I mean Kris and I just went clear, and Junmyeon is dancing with Minho.  Yixing is here at my event, and, wow it is hot in here.  Can you get me some water or something?”

Luhan nods, smiling awkwardly, “Yeah, totally, Yixing come with me, and, um, Kris, rub Tao’s back please.”

Kris begins to protest but gives up halfway through because he’s alone and no one else is going to do it.  He places his hand on Tao’s back, making small circles on his upper back, “Are you okay?”  He’s genuinely concerned for this stranger’s wellbeing.

The only thing that he gets in response is: “I’m Tao.”

Kris plays along, “And I’m Kris.”  He pauses for a moment, thinking back on what Tao said earlier, “Hey, Tao?”

“Yes Kris?” He replies in fairly bright voice.

“What did you mean when you said that we went clear?” Kris wants to know, but he isn’t sure if it’s crossing boundaries that should be left alone.

Tao looks up, straight into Kris’s eyes, “It means that we’re soulmates.”

Kris stops his actions, straightening his back as he tries to process Tao’s words.  It’s not at all what he was expecting, if he was expecting anything at all.

He moves away from Tao taking a seat on one of the barstools.  He doesn’t like what Tao is implying.  He doesn’t want to have no choice in the person he loves.  Is he just supposed to get down on one knee and propose then and there?  He doesn’t even know Tao or anything about him other than the fact he’s Junmyeon’s brother.  He doesn’t even know if he believes in soulmates and true love and all that jazz.

___

Kris stares at his plate because he doesn’t want to look at Tao or Luhan or Luhan’s boyfriend.  The dinner is nice, but the conversation is not flowing.  All that can be heard is the clanking off silverware against porcelain dishes in the dining room of Luhan and Sehun’s shared condo.

Kris glances up to see that Tao is pushing mashed potatoes across his plate with a dejected look on his face.  Kris would rather that Tao didn’t look so sad, but he also doesn’t want to be here.  Luhan said something about at least trying to get to know Tao.

So far, through very forced questions that offered little elaboration, Kris has been told that Tao can see auras, therefore knowing when soulmates meet.  Kris lies to himself when he says he’s not curious, but he doesn’t let it show.  Tao owns a matchmaking business because of this.

Sehun asks Kris about himself, and Kris also gives barebones answers.  It’s terribly awkward, and Kris just wants to leave because Luhan and Sehun expect something to happen.  Tao probably does to, but he’s a lot better at concealing his feelings.

___

Luhan sets a cup of coffee in front of Kris with a look that tells Kris they’re about to talk.  Kris has been staying with Luhan, while Yixing has become the tentative roommate of a guarded Junmyeon.  “Why aren’t you trying?”

“I don’t even know him, why would I want to attach myself of his wagon?” Kris is trying to be pragmatic.  He doesn’t like butting heads with Luhan, but Tao is just…. Kris doesn’t know really know how to explain the complicated mess of emotions that surround Tao.

“He’s your soulmate, if you would just get to know him, you would realize it.”  Luhan sighs; he looks just about ready to yank out his hair.

“Luhan, I just don’t think I’m ever going to get there.” Kris decides to be completely honest for a moment, “I wouldn’t still be here if Yixing wasn’t here so…” He trails off because Luhan doesn’t need Kris to articulate the rest of his thoughts.

Suddenly Tao’s voice rings out through the condo from the hallway, “Sehun, I’ll be back later.” Tao makes a beeline for the door, avoiding the gazes from the table.  Kris tries to keep his face neutral because his mind is far from it.  He feels guilty, like he somehow led Tao on.

Luhan glares at Kris.  “What?” Kris’s tone is immediately defensive.

“That really hurt him, and please stop denying your feelings.  I can read your mind.” Luhan retorts.

Kris sighs, choosing to drink the coffee Luhan gave him.

Half an hour later, Junmyeon barges into the condo.  “Sehun, I need you to drive me to the hospital.”  He sounds annoyed but also slightly worried.

Sehun looks up from the magazine that he’s reading on the couch, “Why?”

Junmyeon shifts his posture, still annoyed but more compliant, “I don’t have my car, and I cannot be in a confined space with Zhang Yixing right now.”

Sehun nods, jumping to his feet, and Luhan seems to be trying to read Junmyeon.  He gasps, slightly offended, whispering to Kris, “He’s blocking me.”

Sehun plants a wet kiss on Luhan’s cheek before leading Junmyeon out of the condo.  Yixing appears a minute later, “Something is wrong."

“Let’s go in your car.” Luhan nods.  Kris follows them without an explicit invitation.  None of them actually know what’s wrong, just that something is off.

___

Kris doesn’t know what to do with the sinking feeling in his stomach as he sees Junmyeon hunched over with hands clasped together and his eyes glued to the ground.  Sehun sits next to him, absentmindedly rubbing his back.

Yixing is the first one to make it to Junmyeon, crouching down to catch Junmyeon’s eye.  Junmyeon’s eyes are kind of red, and in the moment, he doesn’t care that he’s mad at Yixing; he just throws his arms around Yixing’s neck, letting him be the shoulder to lean on.  Sehun notices Kris and Luhan standing there with confused looks.

Sehun walks over, kindly explaining, “Tao is in surgery and the doctors won’t tell us anything.”  His voice is shaky, but Kris just hears ringing in his ears.  “He was in a car accident.  That’s as much as I know.  I called everyone already.  I’m supposed to keep them updated.”

Kris takes a seat on the bench outside of the operating, thinking very hard about Tao.  For the first time in years, he thinks about Zhang Liyin.  He really thinks about her, not just passing thoughts and wishful remarks.  She told him that soulmates exist.

For the first time in his life, he’s been handed proof that Liyin wasn’t just full of it.  She even knew about colors.  He stares at his hands, wishing he had listened to her.  There are hundreds of what ifs running though his mind, and all of them are related to Tao.  He finds himself hoping that if, when, Tao wakes up, he’ll be willing to wipe the slate clean.

After a while, a doctor comes out, telling them that everything is okay, and the appendectomy went well.  Junmyeon looks about ready to strangle to the surgeon then and there.

They tell Junmyeon where Tao’s recovery room is, and that they should meet him there, although it’ll be a while before the anesthetic wears off. 

___

Kris has volunteered to stay at the hospital while everyone else changes and goes home. Junmyeon seems forgiving, but Kris doesn’t know if Tao will treat him with the same kindness because he doesn’t deserve it.  Kris doesn’t even think that Tao will wake up when everyone is gone.

Kris comes back from getting subpar vending machine coffee, finding that Tao is very much awake and trying to yank his IV out.  Kris drops his coffee, prompting Tao to look at him, slightly bewildered.

All of his worries and fears seem to melt away at the sight of Tao sitting up.  Kris rushes forward, cutting off Tao’s greeting with a kiss before he realizes what he has done.  It’s quick, and it doesn’t even begin to convey Kris’s willingness to begin anew.

Kris pulls away, sitting down in his bedside chair.  It takes Tao a minute to form words, “Um, what happened?”

Kris quietly tells him, “You got into a minor car collision, but you had appendicitis.  So they brought you in for surgery, and called your brother.  They were unnecessarily tight-lipped about the whole appendectomy, so everyone panicked and thought you were dying.”  Kris tries to hide his bitterness towards the doctors.

“How did you feel about my life or death situation?” Tao questions, a hint of hope in his voice.

“I would like a second chance at a first date.” Kris blurts out, insecurity lacing his voice.

The most beautiful laugh Kris has ever heard in his life rings out, “I’m available from now to the rest of eternity.”

___

Kris takes Tao to the movies for their first official date, and it goes poorly.  Kris accidentally buys tickets for a horror movie, and Tao spends the entire time with his face pressed into Kris’s shoulder.

Well, the movie is the only thing that goes poorly.  Kris gets to walk Tao back to his apartment with their fingers tangled together, and Kris finds that he very much likes his soulmate.

He’s already in love, just a few hours into the official start of their relationship.  Tao has a wonderful smile and laugh.  He’s afraid of bugs, but that’s okay because Kris is willing to protect him from them.

Kris offers to show Tao his Gift, and Tao eagerly accepts.  “Put your arms around me."

Tao giggles looping his arms around Kris’s neck, placing his weight on the tips of Kris's toes.  Kris begins to rise, and Tao lets out a cute chuckle of disbelief and amazement.  “Wow.”  He looks down as they continue rise with a giant smile plastered across his face.

Tao looks back at Kris, and his smile slowly fades.  Kris can practically hear his own heart beating, blood rushing through his ears as his heart encourages him to kiss him and mean it.  Kris tentatively leans forward, and Tao doesn’t even miss a beat, pressing his lips flush against Kris’s.

Their second kiss is far from chaste.  There is tongue and much more noise involved.  Soft moans paired with sliding tongues define their second kiss amongst the stars.

___

Kris is very content to just have Tao in his arms, close enough to continuously breath in the scent of his shampoo.  It’s a lazy Sunday morning, and sunlight is peeking into their room with the first rays of the day.  He’s spent countless mornings waking up next to Tao, and this is just as wonderful as the first time.

“DAD!”

Kris flinches, rolling over to find his twelve-year-old daughter with her arms crossed.  He squints at her through the grogginess of sleep, “Yes sweetheart?”

“Your son just said that I have to kill a rabbit at Inheritance!” She whines.

Kris groans, rolling back over and cuddling into Tao who gives him a pathetic look. “You’re the one that wanted children.” Kris mutters, letting his eyes slide shut.

Tao sighs, “I love you.” He whispers, before rolling out of bed to put out the proverbial fire that their son set.

“Love you too.” Kris mumbles into the pillow.  

a/n: oh look trash i haven't edited woopdeedoo
feel super bad for killing off Liyin.
will write a junmyeon story... give a few weeks.
sorry about this garbage really,
ily. comment/upvote/subscribe