2544 words

Kyungsoo begins his day at seven in the morning. It takes him about an hour to fully awaken; all the while he brushes his teeth and changes out of his pyjamas, slowly walking to the kitchen to make breakfast. After eating, he climbs down the stairs to the flower shop resting on the ground floor of the two-story building he owns.

Not many people go into Kyungsoo's shop. He doesn't mind, though; he has his mother's lavish inheritance that was given to him when she died and doesn't really need the money made in the shop.

So it surprises him when someone walks into the shop not even five minutes after Kyungsoo flips the sign from closed to open.

Of course, he doesn't notice at first. Kyungsoo has a certain routine he follows daily, and he knows customers almost never come in before ten.

Kyungsoo is distracted; he has earbuds in and faces away from the door, watering a pot of dark red gloxinias. He doesn't notice the other person in the shop, the customer's gaze wandering before landing on Kyungsoo's form. The other walks up to him and calls out a few times, receiving no response. Realizing his attempts are futile, he taps Kyungsoo's shoulder.

Kyungsoo jumps, immediately pulling out an earbud as the watering can he was using falls from his grip. The can hits the ground with a loud clang, the water spilling and soaking their shoes. Both men bend down to pick up the watering can. Kyungsoo grabs it first and is about to stand when the other takes his wrist. Kyungsoo looks up in disbelief to a blinding smile.

"You're so cute," the customer comments.

Kyungsoo forcefully pulls his hand from the other's grip. "What?"

Kyungsoo quickly stands up and hurries to the back, the stranger's words echoing in his head.

"It's Baekhyun!" the customer shouts, leaning against the counter in front of the door leading to the back room.

"Are you going to buy something or...?" Kyungsoo asks, ignoring the small pout Baekhyun has on his face.

Baekhyun shrugs. "What flowers do you recommend?"

"Well," Kyungsoo moves to the pots full of purple flowers and Baekhyun follows, "delphinium bloom really nicely this time of the year." Kyungsoo picks up a particularly beautiful pot of the flowers, brushing the indigo colored petals softy. Kyungsoo hands the flowers over to Baekhyun.

"They're beautiful," Baekhyun says genuinely. His gaze flickers from the delphinium to Kyungsoo and the latter turns away abruptly.

"They're poisonous, so keep them away from pets and your mouth."

Kyungsoo turns back to the counter, Baekhyun trailing behind.

"But what if I kill the flowers?" Baekhyun stares at the other with wide eyes, clutching the pot closer to his chest. He struggles with his free hand to pull out several bills in his pocket.

"Use the internet." Kyungsoo hands Baekhyun his change but instead Baekhyun grabs Kyungsoo's hand.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kyungsoo watches with wide eyes as Baekhyun traces the veins along his wrist, his fingers leaving a burning trail. Kyungsoo rips his hand out of the other's and glances down at it, perfectly unscathed. Kyungsoo looks up and gasps.

Baekhyun's eyes are bright red.

"It is you," Baekhyun breathes out, a smile emerging. A shiver runs through Kyungsoo's entire body and he takes a step back.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Kyungsoo, please, stop messing around. We need your help. Sehun's missing."

"How do you know my name?"

Baekhyun's face falls, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. He places the plant down and steps around the counter towards Kyungsoo until the latter's back hits the wall behind him. Baekhyun rests a hand on Kyungsoo's cheek and it feels... familiar. The touch feels like it's burning through his skin, leaving a permanent mark, but Kyungsoo doesn't move away.

"What did they do to you?" Baekhyun murmurs to himself, his eyes slowly tracing Kyungsoo's face.

"Who are you?" Kyungsoo searches his brain for any memory of Baekhyun, but can't remember anything about the mysterious man before him.

"I-" Shouting can be heard from outside of the shop and Baekhyun's eyes widen, quickly glancing behind him. "There's no time. Kyungsoo, you have to trust me."

"Wait, what?" Baekhyun doesn't answer, hurriedly stripping off his jacket and picking up Kyungsoo, an arm behind his knees and another around his shoulders. Kyungsoo yelps and grabs onto Baekhyun's shirt. Kyungsoo watches in amazement as wings suddenly unfurl from Baekhyun's back. The grey feathers of the wings slowly darken to a brown color, standing out against the bright background of the flower shop.

Just as someone breaks the glass on the door of the shop, Baekhyun soars upward, the ceiling going up in flames and turning into ash. Baekhyun takes a hard right and crashes through a window on the second floor, twisting to make sure Kyungsoo comes out mostly unharmed. Baekhyun mutters a curse under his breath as he flies away from the flower shop, glancing down at the glass pieces in Kyungsoo's arm.

"What the hell just happened?!" Kyungsoo glances down but immediately regrets it, the height too much for him to handle. Baekhyun sees the other's eyes flash green and the earth around the flower shop concaves. Kyungsoo doesn't notice.

"I really don't like being in the air like this," Kyungsoo mutters after several minutes. His arms have moved to circle securely around Baekhyun's neck, not wanting to risk falling. Kyungsoo's eyes slowly close, the morning's events finally hitting him, the adrenaline wearing off. He dozes off in Baekhyun's arms.

Kyungsoo jolts awake on a bed, his heart racing. Pain shoots through his arm and he winces, glancing down. His arm is bandaged tightly and Kyungsoo sits up in the bed, groaning a bit.

"You're awake." Baekhyun walks over with a wet rag in his hand, shirtless, his wings tucked back into place. He slowly unwraps Kyungsoo's arm, dabbing the cuts with the rag. Kyungsoo winces as Baekhyun presses against a particularly deep gash, his hand clenching. Baekhyun runs his other hand down the unwounded underside of Kyungsoo's arm, leaving a soothing warmth at its wake. Baekhyun wraps Kyungsoo's arm again, briefly walking away to toss the soiled rag into the bathroom connected to the room.

Baekhyun sits on the edge of the bed and reaches out for Kyungsoo's hand but decides against it.

"So, you really don't remember who I am?" Kyungsoo shakes his head and Baekhyun sighs. "Well, I'm surprised you aren't freaking out then. I did just take you to another place. And I have wings."

Kyungsoo glances down at his hands, the fingers twisting over each other. "I feel... safe around you. Like I know you're going to protect me. And I- I feel content here. It's weird." Kyungsoo's mouth tilts up into a skewed smile. "Also I wasn't sure if I imagined the wings part or not."

Baekhyun grins, standing up. "You want to see?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." Baekhyun turns and takes a seat on the bed, letting his wings unfold from the two deep slits cut on his back. Kyungsoo shifts forward on the bed, sitting up on his knees. His hand first presses against Baekhyun's back, where the wings meet. His touch drifts, grazing the light grey feathers. His fingers wander downward, lingering on the brown feathers at the tip of the wing before pulling away completely. Baekhyun retracts his wings and Kyungsoo falls backward, startled. He sits back up and his gaze locks on the long, deep cut down Baekhyun's arm.

"You're bleeding," Kyungsoo says, alarmed.

"Oh, right." Baekhyun lifts his arm up and Kyungsoo begins to notice all of the other cuts along Baekhyun's body, running down his back and twisting to his torso. He turns to Kyungsoo."I hadn't finished taking out all of the glass in this cut but you woke up so..."

Kyungsoo's heart clenches and he furrows his eyebrows, confused. "You should've tended to yourself first."

"You're more important."

Kyungsoo bites his lip, turning away from Baekhyun's gaze. "Why?"

Baekhyun smiles, a small laugh escaping. "You know, you have wings too."

Kyungsoo's eyes widen, his hands flying to his back. "Really? How did I get them?"

Baekhyun's smile drops and he glances down at his lap. "Maybe I'll tell you everything another time, okay? But right now, let me just-" Baekhyun shifts closer, ing Kyungsoo's shirt.

"What-" Kyungsoo's heart races and the floor beneath them begins to shake, his eyes burning a bright green.

"Hey, hey," Baekhyun says soothingly, "calm down. This shirt doesn't have any cuts in it so it'll obstruct your wings when they open."

Baekhyun's hand rests on Kyungsoo's bare chest, pressing against his heart, warmth seeping through his skin. Baekhyun's eyes glow a soft amber color.

Kyungsoo's eyes fade back to brown.

"How do you do that?" Kyungsoo asks quietly as Baekhyun helps him out of the sleeves of the shirt.

"Spoilers," Baekhyun teases, winking at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and rubs his neck, twisting to glance at his back. His wings slowly unfurl and Kyungsoo grins excitedly.

"How does this even work?" Kyungsoo's auburn wings twitch and weakly flap, a faint gust of wind blowing through the room. The red tips of the wings catch Kyungsoo's attention, his fingers running over them.

"You're taking this really well, if I'm being completely honest." Baekhyun studies his cuts, pulling out stray pieces of glass. He winces, breathing slowly through his teeth.

"I feel like I'm living a fantasy." Kyungsoo grins. "Like this is all a really vivid dream."

"It's not, I promise. You were only gone for a couple of hours but-" The front door slams, interrupting Baekhyun. He slowly stands up, a finger to his lips. His wings peek out and his eyes blaze.

"Soo? Baek?" A voice rings out and Baekhyun relaxes, pulling open the room door.

"Jun, we're in the room!" Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo. "Junmyeon is here. He'll be able to help explain everything."

"Was I interrupting something?" Junmyeon leans against the doorframe, gaze flickering between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

"Jun, I need to talk to you about something." Baekhyun walks over and slips on a spare shirt, whispering with the other. Kyungsoo fidgets uncomfortably on the bed, his wings withdrawing. He trails his hand down his back, running along the deep gashes in his back where his wings are. He pulls on his shirt, buttoning it.

"Kyungsoo," Junmyeon calls out, motioning for him to come closer. They walk through the hallway and to the dining room, taking a seat at the table. Baekhyun sits beside Kyungsoo. He takes his hand and Kyungsoo flinches. Baekhyun's grip tightens.

Junmyeon watches the interaction with mild interest. "Kyungsoo, what do you remember? You've only been gone for half a day but you seem to not know anything. It makes me wonder what they've done to Sehun if they could do this in just a few hours."

"What I remember? What is there to remember?"

"Soo, we have wings and these special abilities. You can control the ground beneath us and can control plants' growth. We were taken by scientists as children and were experimented on, hence the wings and abilities. We escaped several years ago, us three and Sehun, and now we live here."

"But... what about all of the memories I have right now? Are they completely fake? What about my mother, who died a year ago, or my father, who left when I was eight? What about my flower shop and my friends?" The heat from Baekhyun's palm keeps him distracted enough to not accidentally destroy the building they're in.

"Kyungsoo, tell me a name from your memories. Anything. A friend's name, or your mother's name. What's your shop's name?"

Kyungsoo pauses. Panic sets in when he realizes he doesn't know. He can't recall a single name, not even a single face to match his so-called memories. Even thinking of the name of his flower shop makes him draw a blank.

Kyungsoo's eyes flash green, his breath quickening and his grip on Baekhyun's hand tightening. "I- I don't-"

The entire house sways and the bushes surrounding the house grow out of control, cracking the windows and seeping into the house. Junmyeon locks eyes with Baekhyun and he nods imperceptibly. Baekhyun turns back to Kyungsoo, taking his other hand.

"Kyungsoo, please, calm down. We're going to help you through this okay, get your memories back, but right now you have to just breathe and keep your heart rate steady. Please, Kyungsoo."

Kyungsoo just shakes his head, his breath coming out in quick, short bursts. His eyes are a bright emerald, Baekhyun's a dark vermilion in turn.

"I need you to stop, Soo," Baekhyun says softly. He shifts his hands up to Kyungsoo's face, the warmth from his palms attempting to relax Kyungsoo.

"Baek," Kyungsoo whimpers, his voice shaking, "help me."

Kyungsoo slumps against Baekhyun and Junmyeon sighs, the eldest's eyes returning to its usual brown color.

"What the hell was that for?" Baekhyun demands, glancing down at Kyungsoo's unconscious state. "If you just gave me a few more minutes-"

"We don't have a few more minutes to waste." Junmyeon says sharply. "Sehun is still missing and now we have to find a way to get Kyungsoo's memories back. Right now, he's a liability, especially with how he can't control his abilities. He's drawing attention to us and we can't have that problem too."

"He's scared! Not only does he now know that he's a runaway experiment, but everything he thought was his life is now a lie! How would you react to that?!"

"You said Kyungsoo seemed fine when you showed him your wings and helped him with his own."

"You know exactly why he's more calm around me."

Junmyeon groans, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, okay? You know I didn't do anything, just raised the melatonin in his system to make him sleep. He'll be awake soon. I just-" he rubs a hand over his face, "I haven't been away from Sehun for this long in years. I'm terrified of what might've happened."

Baekhyun carries Kyungsoo over to the couch, gently placing him down before turning to Junmyeon. "We're all scared, okay? But we can get through this, just like how we've gotten through everything else."

"Stay by Soo. Help him with his memory, and if you two feel up to it help search for Sehun." Junmyeon grabs Baekhyun's arm, pulling it towards him. "And don't ignore your injuries."

Junmyeon's eyes turn a dark navy, a soft glow emitting from his hands. The cut along Baekhyun's arm slowly patches together, small pieces of glass falling onto the floor.

"Really, Baek. I know you put Soo before yourself but you have to remember that you're not invincible." Junmyeon lets go of his arm, straightening his shirt. His pure white wings emerge and Junmyeon rolls his shoulders. "Don't burn the house down. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't be such a hypocrite, Jun. We both know what lengths you would go to for Sehun's safety. Be careful and don't get yourself killed."

Junmyeon nods, walking over to the balcony where he takes off, leaving Baekhyun alone with Kyungsoo.

This is my first try at a chaptered EXO fic, so I'm excited. It would be great if you guys could up vote or comment on here or send me some encouragement over at my tumblr