xv.
Experiment 00Yifan was much like a newborn deer trekking through spring snow for the first time when they left his room. His large hand gripped Yixing’s as the shorter let the door shut behind them, his blunt nail digging into his pale skin, but certainly not hurting him.
It was the first time in a very long while for Yifan to leave his room for his own leisure. It was the first time where he didn’t have to fear the doctors sticking needles into his skin or inspecting him like a dying dog. He held Yixing’s hand tightly as the shorter led him up the stairs, taking a hall once they were on the main floor that was reserved for workers. He knew that know was allowed to see him, which did make him feel less than human. Even in the open world of the facility, with the wide and clean windows looking out into the blue sky and green forest surrounding the building, he felt trapped. Even with Yixing’s dimpled smile and glowing eyes gazing up at him, he felt that little human in him was still clawing at his chest to escape.
Was he even human anymore, to begin with?
Yixing ran his warm hands over Yifan’s forearms, the pink scar that ran up his wrist was disappearing, but even Yixing’s healing couldn’t make it go away. It was a reminder to Yifan, all of his scars were. It was a reminder of his anger, and the emotions that tried to take from him. It was the reminder of what safety he sacrificed just to touch Yixing. It was a reminder of what they took away from his beloved. If he died, and Yixing was safe in the world outside, with a family and with people to help him get back into society, he would be the happiest corpse in the world.
Yixing brought Yifan’s hand up to his mouth and kissed each of his knuckles, the skin around the joints damaged and still red from his scars. “Yifan?” he whispered, his breath tickling against the raw skin.
Yifan peered into his face and hummed.
“I think, for all that you’ve been through, you’re the bravest person I know.”
“You’ve been put through the same.”
“But, you remember it all.”
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