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onenightandgone · 6 years

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Mind’s Eye - Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight KaixReaderxSehun Mutant!AU

The phones in the office ringed intermittently while staff members rushed about with files and coffee.

Dr. Bill looked closely at the large monitor. His glasses pinched and held on to the end of his nose precariously as he studied the screen.

A full human-sized pattern was spread in front of him. It looked very much like someone had shaped electrical wire into the silhouette of a body. The details would be lost to the uneducated.

‘There! Zoom in there!’ He pointed at a spot at the base of the skull.

The technologist nodded and pressed a button on the keyboard. A detailed tangle of nerves and tiny organs spread out on the screen.

‘What is that?’ said Breanne Kratz. She peered at the screen over his shoulder. Her arms were crossed over her chest self-importantly.

‘A normal individual scan would present only the stem and cerebellum in this area, however this –‘ Dr. Bill drew a wide imaginary circle around a folded mass of tissue beneath the cerebellum. ‘This is an organ we created during our genetic mapping phase. This is the source of her projection.’

‘That screaming, angry thing in the inpatient wing?’

Dr. Bill nodded.

‘Although to be honest, he didn’t come out exactly the way we had written the genome,’ he confessed.

‘And how was the projection supposed to be written?’ Breanne asked.

‘It was supposed to have the ability to manipulate the air around it, but this one – this one is different. The way he just appeared in the scanning room like that, the sci-fi geeks will go nuts if this gets out.’

‘What do you mean he just appeared? Like he rushed through the door? Please – elaborate like the scientific genius that I hired you to be,’ Breanne said harshly. Her patience wore thin.

‘It literally just appeared. I’m afraid the only modern term for it is teleportation,’ Dr. Bill said.

‘So how are we containing it?’

‘Sedation. Enough for him to be conscious when we need him to, but nothing else.’

Still in the protection of your mind, Sehun held you until you woke up. He combed through your hair as you started to come to.

You were covered by a thick wool blanket, heated by the long body that wrapped itself around you.

You waited to be sure. No, the pain was gone. The clouds covering the cavernous ceiling floated gray and innocent.

‘How are you feeling?’ said Sehun. He turned your face to look at him.

‘Better,’ you said with a nod. You pulled the blanket more securely over your shoulders.

‘Good,’ he said.

Suddenly his arms clenched tightly around you like a vice, cupping your chin firmly and forcing your focus to stay back on him.

‘Now don’t you ever pull anything like that again!’

‘What?’

‘Kai told me everything,’ Sehun said. His eyebrows solidified into a straight line. ‘You had the chance to get out and to save yourself, but you didn’t! Why – I can’t even comprehend what you were thinking.’

Your cheeks turned red at being spoken to so harshly. Tears stung at the corners of your eyes.

‘You don’t see it,’ you said. A heavy weight choked your throat even when you swallowed hard to try to get rid of it. ‘I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.’

‘You’re the one that doesn’t see it,’ insisted Sehun in a quiet tone. ‘I couldn’t live at all if not for you. You’re the reason I exist.’

Sehun softened to see your expression, the pad of his thumb caressing half-moons on your cheek tenderly.

‘You’re the reason that I would choose to continue existing. No, you don’t see it,’ he said with a sad smile.

‘I see you,’ you tried.

Sehun shook his head. He lowered his forehead against yours, momentarily closing his eyes. After a brief pause, he spoke once more.

‘You don’t see my heart,’ he said slowly. He took your hand and placed it with open palm over his chest, holding it to his body. ‘You mean so much to me. You could easily have spent all your time with Kai from the beginning. You could have forgotten about me, but you didn’t. You talked to me, you taught me to laugh and to love. You’ve been there for every part of my life, and that’s why – that’s why I love you with everything that I am.’

The tears that threatened your calm finally spilled over, and the dam that held it all back finally broke. The wall that you had so diligently constructed around yourself came crumbling down.

Your voice came in a whisper, shaking as you started to cry. ‘E-even after what I did?’

Sehun smiled. His thumb wiped away what tears he could, but he was vastly outnumbered. He nodded slowly.

‘Even after,’ he said quietly.

His heartbeat steadily under your palm, and you were drowning in everything that Sehun was. The tenderness and open emotion that he showed overwhelmed you and stole the words from your throat.

You did the next best thing. Reaching behind his ears, you guided Sehun down to meet your lips.

He responded with eager affection and pushed forward in perseverance.

You felt the softness of his mouth, the heat he blew forward as he breathed, the rich smell of warm spice and honey that his skin produced, the way his lips pushed against yours with a tender sweetness that became the air you needed, like medicine for your soul. He was Sehun and he was yours.

You wanted to stay, you wanted to be in Sehun’s arms always, to lie in the valley of his chest, the cradle of his legs. You wanted to listen to his heartbeat for the rest of your life.

Sehun broke away from the kiss as if he had just shared a secret. A soft smile decorated his features flawlessly. His fingertips played lightly on your cheek.

‘You’re perfect,’ he said, airy and rich simultaneously.

Sehun closed his eyes and rested his forehead on yours. His touch wandered down your face, memorizing you.

But something wasn’t perfect. It ate and grated at the back of your mind and clutched at your heart.

The tears streamed from your eyes as you ripped yourself away from him.

‘Sehun,’ you whispered.

Sehun opened his eyes slowly and smiled as he looked at you, waiting for you to continue.

‘I love you,’ you started.

He nodded and came in for another kiss, a tear of his own making an appearance.

You reached up to wipe it away.

‘I love you, but –‘

‘No,’ Sehun interrupted. ‘No buts, please just let me have this.’

‘But I can’t stay. I think – I think they have Kai and I have to make sure he’s okay,’ you said. Your lip trembled as you spoke.

Sehun shook his head and collapsed into your shoulder.

‘You know that it’s the right thing to do,’ you said. You struggled with the words. ‘I can’t leave him there alone. God knows what they’ll do to him.’

‘Just – just one more minute,’ he negotiated. He wrapped around you again, breathing deeply.

You kissed the top of his head, running your fingers through his hair and stroking his back.

With a deep unsteady breath in, Sehun finally stood and helped you to your feet. He took you by the shoulders and looked down at you. The soft gentle smile was gone, replaced by a look of hidden anger. A ferocity that you had never before seen burned from his eyes.

‘Promise me that after you find him you’ll still love me,’ he said, his voice low and burdened with unspoken feeling.

His thumb brushed your chin.

‘I’ll always love you,’ you said.

Sehun leaned down quickly to kiss you once more, his movements urgent. You choked back a sob as he pulled away, closing your eyes to find the right words.

‘But I can’t leave Kai to be tortured. He’s part of me too, and I – I need him too,’ you said.

The blow had been dealt.

‘Go,’ Sehun said. He took a long step back from you, his hands falling to his sides uncomfortably. He wanted to touch you, to have his arms around you – the pain of longing was obvious in his face.

The tears fell even more copiously as you looked at Sehun one last time before closing your eyes and choosing to leave the safety of yourself.

When your eyes opened – your real eyes – you were back in the room at the lab.

The IV had been removed from your arm, and a fresh set of clothes sat folded at the foot of your bed.

You dragged yourself up to sitting, your muscles screaming from the rough treatment that had been given them. Despite the complaint of your body, you eagerly traded the crepe like hospital gown for the plain cotton pyjamas. It look you much longer to change than it normally would, but when you sank into the chair by the window with some comfort, the effort paid off. It was a small measure of comfort, but better than nothing.

Outside the window you saw a large garden surrounded by high brick walls. Low clouds rolled in over the distant horizon, but there were no other buildings in sight. You weren’t in the city anymore.

You were trying to figure out your location still when the door to your room opened and the attendant entered. She held a tray of food consisting of small dishes and a pot of tea. She smiled as she set it down on the rolling table that helped to furnish your sparse room.

‘You must be hungry,’ she said. Her smile was friendly, and you wanted to believe that she was approachable. But still, she was employed by the lab, and it was with great personal reserve that you first spoke.

‘Can I ask you something?’ The words left your mouth; you swallowed all thoughts of Sehun. You couldn’t afford to be distracted. There was too much at stake.

‘Of course you can,’ the attendant said. She poured the tea into a plastic mug. ‘I’ll do my best to answer whatever I can. I know that yesterday was rough, but you’re a survivor.’

‘Do – do they have him?’ Your voice shook with the concern of perhaps putting Kai in even more danger by acknowledging your relationship to him.

‘Him? Doesn’t he have a name?’ The attendant pried carefully.

‘So that’s a yes,’ you said. ‘Can I see him?’

She put down the teapot and stood straight.

‘I can’t give you an answer right now, I’m sorry. Unfortunately that’s not my decision. What I can do is ask my supervisors, and we’ll see what we can do about arranging a visit, ok?’ She did her best to end the topic on a positive note before stepping towards the door. ‘Eat up and I’ll be back soon, ok?’

The attendant left without another word. The lock clicked behind her, and her footsteps faded down the corridor.

You took a deep breath as a rolling nausea overtook your stomach. What had they done to him? You wanted Kai, you wanted him with every fibre. You needed to know that he was safe. You needed to be with him. You wouldn’t be okay until you were. Nothing was okay.

Somehow the world kept turning and spinning without you, knocking everything out of your hands and beyond your control.

You stood carefully and examined the breakfast tray. You surveyed it with skepticism – the two pieces of toast, oatmeal, and half an orange. You grabbed the cup of tea instead and settled back by the window.

You drank slowly and looked out over the garden. You watched the comings and goings, even though there wasn’t much to look at other than the hired landscapers. That Breanne woman made a brief appearance with a tiny brown dog on an equally tiny leash. You watched it bark at the workers; they laughed at its attempt to threaten them.

Your entertainment was ruined by a sudden knocking on your door. The lock clicked open; Dr. Bill stepped inside. He held the door ajar behind him.

‘Oh, you’re awake. How nice,’ he said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘We were very pleased with the progress you’ve shown in the tests we did yesterday, very promising. So we brought you a small reward. Angela?’

Dr. Bill pulled the door wide open and held it there.

Angela pushed in a large wheelchair, and you gasped to see what it carried.

You covered your mouth.

Kai sat strapped into it, an IV drip dragging behind him. His arms and legs were strapped to the frame tightly, the IV hooked into the vein at his elbow. His head lolled to the side against the headrest, his mouth open and eyes closed.

You stood quickly with your fists clenched.

‘What did you do to him?’ you said. You tried to hide the tremble in your voice.

‘Just a mild sedation to keep him calm,’ Dr. Bill said. ‘We’ll leave him here with you for the afternoon. Have a nice visit.’

Angela and he left without another word, the lock clicking shut again.

Your calm broke as you were left alone with your thoughts and with Kai. You choked on the sob in your throat, taking a step towards him hesitantly. What else had they done to him?

Your hands floated over the binding that locked him in place before settling on the bare skin of his forearm. He was still warm. The images of how he held you, his brilliant heat as the limb braced beside you as he hovered over you flashed vividly. You could still hear the soft breaths of his sleep, the gentle ruffle of his fingers in your hair as Kai held you over his heart.

You swallowed most of the overwhelming tears as you took in his current state, very much opposite to the fiery, unpredictable Kai that you had come to love.

Now he was nearly comatose, helpless. He had been dressed in a paper-thin gown exactly like the one you had been given when you first came to. The mock cotton barely covered his broad frame, and your stomach turned to think of strange hands undressing him.

You sniffled and stepped around to his face. His eyes closed gently in a feigned sense of peace. You reached to wipe the wide stream of saliva that had fallen down from his open lips.

‘Kai,’ you whispered. ‘Wake up.’

You outlined the wide cheekbones, the carved marble of his forehead. You brushed back the messy tangle of unwashed white hair. You leaned down slowly, your abdomen complaining at the strain, and laid a tender kiss on his cheek.

‘Please, please wake up,’ you pleaded. ‘I’m here now, it’s ok.’ You found yourself repeating the words that Sehun had comforted you with only hours ago.

Kai stirred slowly, he moved his face against the feather-soft touch of your hand, seeking you in the darkness. His eyes opened and struggled to focus. Kai mumbled, slurring over the syllables of your name.

‘I’m here,’ you said. A single tear escaped. ‘I’m here, Kai.’

Finally his eyes seemed to adjust to the sudden brightness of the room and he held his head straight. The puzzle still remained in his expression as he tried to reconcile you with his location.

‘D-did I save you?’ His eyebrows furrowed as he gazed up at you, still fighting off the haze of the drugs. Not knowing that they would never fade.

The same lump in your throat croaked out, a tear trickling down your face again. You were so tired of crying, and you needed to be brave for Kai; you fought it off as best as you could.

‘No, not yet,’ you said softly. You tried to smile. ‘But I know you will.’

Kai took a deep breath. You combed through his hair tenderly, taking his needle-free hand.

‘Wh-what happened?’ Kai looked down as he tried to reach for you and found himself unable to. ‘Where are we? NO! What is this? LET ME GO!’ He fought against the restraints with all of his might, twisting and struggling; but they were restraints for a reason and, after a few moments, Kai lost his battle handily.

‘No, no, please!’ you pleaded again. You quickly moved to cup his chin in your hands, and you brought his gaze up to yours. ‘Don’t, don’t fight, ok? They’ll only put you to sleep again. Please, you have to stay awake for me. I – I need you.’

More tears escaped, and this time Kai saw them.

‘They – they were hurting you,’ he said. ‘And I tried – I tried to stop them!’ Kai’s words all ran together, his feelings catching up as he found himself with nowhere to go. ‘I tried-’

Kai closed his eyes and leaned his head against your hands.

‘I know, I know,’ you said softly, your thumb running gentle circles over his skin. ‘It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out.’

He raised his eyes again, looking at you in a blur, but meeting your wrist with his lips. His breath shook as he let it out, and the sedatives began to take their effect again.

‘Y/N,’ he whispered lowly. His head lolled like a ragdoll against your hand. The drugs forced his eyelids closed under their weight.

‘I’m here, it’s okay.’

‘Y/N.’ Kai tried to lift his head again, trying to fight off the slow drip of the sleep-inducing cocktail in his veins. ‘Kiss me while I can still – while I can still remember.’

You nodded, blinking back emotion and the sharp sting of tears. You leaned down slowly and pressed your lips to his. Kai responded weakly, losing the battle to hold his head straight, and he slumped to the side as you pulled away.

‘I love you…’ Kai breathed out the words as he was finally lost to the chemical darkness once more.

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