[yixing-centric, suho/kai] sleep walker
title: sleep walker
pairing: yixing-centric, suho/kai
rating: pg
words: 5,978
summary: yixing runs a clinic specializing in sleep studies and more.
a/n: basically step 1 of my master plan to make yixing into a psychopathic serial killer. this is an au idea that i'm actually very fond of but wish i could've explained/written better but alas, this is what i managed. written to gary jules' mad world. to exo's leader, suho, happy birthday you giant ball of fluff! ♥ and as always thanks to loveclouds for her handholding.
It’s called the Sleep Room. Junmyeon’s seen advertisements for it in the newspapers and he’s heard in passing that it’s actually quite a reputable establishment, known for having a near perfect record in terms of meeting government regulations. It’s a bit odd to him though, the concept of paying so much just to sleep in a bed that isn’t even his and even odder that he’d be paying not to sleep but to be observed as he sleeps.
Junmyeon is the type of person that naps with a blanket wrapped all around him because he likes to be tucked in, the sort of person that brings an extra pair of briefs in his knapsack when traveling just in case of emergencies, and he's exactly the sort of person that constantly lectures his friends to always be aware of their surroundings. The idea of being watched while unconscious just doesn't sit well with him, and it isn't even that he fears for his chastity or anything superficial like that. But to completely be at the mercy of a stranger sounds like the makings of a gruesome headline for the nightly news report.
Instinctively, there are things about sleep studies that make Junmyeon more than wary but he hasn’t slept properly in three weeks now and it’s starting to show physically. He hasn’t been able to focus at work because he’s too tired and he’s even started to nod off while Jongin’s talking to him. If he were to be honest, Junmyeon’s been having problems sleeping for a few months but it’s only recently that he can’t seem to catch more than an hour or two of restful sleep.
Jongin tells him that he’s been mumbling in his sleep, having conversations with himself about nonsensical things like what shoes he should wear the next day or which sandwich to pick from the cafeteria. It worries Jongin and Junmyeon can tell. Once, Junmyeon nearly fell asleep while waiting for the train and if it weren’t for a good samaritan, he might’ve fallen onto the tracks.
The Sleep Room is the last chance he has and even if it’s a chance he doesn’t want to take, he doesn’t think he has a choice. If it was solely up to him, Junmyeon thinks he’d be able to soldier on. After all, he’s able to nap on the train or during lunch but it’s been affecting Jongin’s sleep as well and that’s not something Junmyeon can accept.
- - -
“Welcome to the Sleep Room,” the man behind the counter says as Junmyeon enters, “do you have an appointment with us today?”
“Uh, no I’m afraid I don’t,” Junmyeon says, feeling panicked already when he realizes that he hadn’t even bothered to call in ahead of time to make an appointment.
As if he’s able to sense Junmyeon’s hesitancy, the man behind the counter rises and smile at him, “That’s alright, my name is Jongdae, I’m the receptionist here. Are you interested in our sleep study program, Sir?”
“I’m Junmyeon, Kim Junmyeon and yes, I was wondering how it works exactly,” Junmyeon asks, peering around the room, “is this where it takes place?”
“Oh no, this is the receptionist area. There’s a waiting room over there through that door,” Jongdae tells him while pointing to the door closest to them, “and that’s Dr Zhang’s office through there. The actual rooms where our patients sleep are down the hallway. Would you like me to give you a tour?”
Junmyeon glances at the doors and thinks it over, nervous because he doesn’t typically like to do new things on his own. Jongin promised to come with him but his study group ran late and Junmyeon’s here alone. He’s not afraid or anything but he would feel better if Jongin were here with him.
“Oh, hello there, is this a prospective patient, Jongdae?”
Junmyeon looks up to find a slim young man standing in the doorway to the room that the receptionist had pointed out to him as the doctor’s room, staring as he realizes that that makes this man in front of him the doctor in charge. He didn’t even heard the door open.
“I’m Dr Zhang but you can call me Yixing. I know how personal sleeping can be and as the one who would be observing you as it happened, I would rather there be a certain level of comfort between us. Our patients’ satisfaction has always been a top priority for us.”
Yixing is smiling at him, eyes slightly crinkled at the corners as he waits for Junmyeon to give him a once-over. He’s used to this process since most people who walk through the door aren’t exactly the biggest fans of sleep studies. The distrust people have in polysomnograms is understandable and Yixing always does the best that he can to dispel the myth that sleep studies are shady things that take place in small cramped rooms with a man breathing down your neck as you sleep. It might have been that way many years ago but not these days.
“Let me give you a tour of our facilities,” Yixing murmurs, urging Junmyeon to follow him as he leads the way, “there’s no better way to tell you about what we do here than to show you.”
Yixing built this place up from scratch and in many ways, it’s his baby. At the age of eight, he had wanted to be a doctor, someone that could help heal others and rid the world of pain. Fancy sounding dreams for an eight year old, especially one from a family that was average in all the ways possible.
His father told him that it was unrealistic for him to expect to be able to save the entire world and his mother had said that he should try for an assistant instead since that involved less schooling. The only one that truly thought he could accomplish his dream was his grandmother, the one person that Yixing himself wanted to heal the most. She passed a year before he received his license from cancer-related issues and Yixing keeps a picture of her on his desk in remembrance.
“We are a government approved facility that runs sleep study programs,” Yixing tells Junmyeon, “we undergo testing bi-annually and rest assured that we always pass with flying colors. I’m the director and doctor in charge at Sleep Room, and I am a board-certified physician in case you were curious. My degrees are in my room and I can show them to you later if you wish.”
There’s a soft cadence to Yixing’s voice as he speaks, a natural rhythm to the way his sentences flow and Junmyeon can feel his eyes are droop, embarrassed that he’s sleepy only a minute into the tour.
“Junmyeon-sshi?” Yixing says with a light tap to Junmyeon’s shoulder, smiling in an kind manner as he pauses, “perhaps you would like to take a rest in one of our rooms? I understand your hesitance to trust in us but I can assure you that we won’t be recording anything today. We’re unable to monitor you at any rate until you sign a disclosure agreement with us and we’d have to wire you up. If it makes you feel better as well, the doors not only lock from the inside but there’s a safety chain that you can use as well. Please don’t be embarrassed for this happens quite often with our patients. It can be very tiring for the human body when one doesn’t get enough rest.”
Junmyeon blinks at Yixing and finds himself nodding his head despite knowing better than to agree. He dislikes taking advantage of people and by napping in an establishment like this for free, he would be doing exactly that. Yixing’s got such a gentle smile though and despite knowing absolutely nothing about the other man, Junmyeon feels like he can trust him. It’s just an instinct he has and Junmyeon’s instincts haven’t led him astray yet.
“Okay,” he finally says, “I just-,” Junmyeon yawns and allows Yixing to lead him to the door with a number one marked on it, “I really should call my partner, I don’t want him to worry.”
“I can arrange for Jongdae to do it for you,” Yixing murmurs, voice lowering as he guides Junmyeon to the bed. “Jongin-sshi, correct? I’ll have Jongdae call him for you. Right now, all you need to do is relax and get some rest.”
“Hmm, okay,” Junmyeon manages to mumble as his head hits the pillow and his eyes close on him. The last thing he remembers seeing is Yixing’s face as it hovers over his own, a dimple in the side of his left cheek that Junmyeon somehow missed before but doesn’t now. It’s oddly comforting.
Yixing closes the door after he tucks Junmyeon in. He wasn’t lying when he said that his patients often fall asleep halfway through the tour. They’re so sleep-deprived when they come to the Sleep Room since it’s often a last resort that Yixing has officially deemed room number one as the napping room. He’s also been told that he has a very soothing voice and that it’s very effective in lulling his patients to sleep.
Yixing makes sure to have Jongdae call Junmyeon’s partner before he enters his office, a mug of tea in hand that he’s going to devour as soon as he gets to his desk.
An hour later when Junmyeon wakes and Jongin is there to pick up him, he’s so relaxed from his nap that he doesn’t realize that he never once told Yixing his partner’s name or number.
- - -
“Junmyeon-sshi just called to make an appointment with us for tomorrow,” Jongdae says with a knock to Yixing’s opened door.
“Ah, I had a feeling he would do so,” Yixing says with a nod, “I told you that the nap room was an excellent idea.”
Jongdae snorts, “You’re the one that’s a good idea, Yixing. I’m certain that if I was the one leading the tour, Junmyeon-sshi wouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
Yixing blinks innocently at Jongdae, “Are you saying I’m dull?”
“I’m saying you’re amazing at this. I’ve been here for three years and I still have no idea how it is that you manage to fix these people’s sleeping problems!”
Yixing shrugs as he stands to stretch and tuck his shirt into his slacks, “Sometimes, it’s just in their head, Jongdae-ah, but don’t tell them that. The human brain is fascinating isn’t it?”
Jongdae sighs as Yixing gets that look in his eyes again. He’s asked Yixing before why he chose to give up his career as a promising surgeon to open up a center specializing in polysomnograms. It definitely wasn’t for money. All Yixing had said was that he thought this was the field he could help the most in, something that Jongdae didn’t understand then and still doesn’t really understand now. All he knows is that Yixing is good at his job and some will say it’s because of luck but Jongdae knows better. Yixing’s a hard worker, always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Perhaps Yixing’s right when he says that hard work is always rewarded.
“Between you and me,” Jongdae says, “you like the brain a little bit too much.” He’s joking but Yixing wouldn’t mind even if he wasn’t because Jongdae is right.
“Maybe,” Yixing says with a laugh that makes Jongdae smile, “but that doesn’t make it any less interesting~”
He walks Jongdae out the door with a wave, making sure to lock up. He’s got his own room here that he retires to after he’s done recording the sleeping habits of his patients. The Sleep Room has a good reputation but it’s a small establishment. Yixing likes it that way. There’s only ever two patients being observed simultaneously at any given night and that’s only if they’ve got no choice. He prefers to focus on the patients one at a time. There’s too much information for him to absorb otherwise.
Tonight’s patient is Do Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo-sshi is a chef from a local restaurant that Yixing is fond of frequenting. He’s an excellent chef, the food is always fresh and well-seasoned. It’s not food that Yixing could ever hope to cook himself though, which is exactly why he’s at the restaurant at least twice a week. Kyungsoo-sshi mentioned in passing once that he’s been having a couple of restless nights and Yixing suggested he spend a night at the Sleep Room free of charge.
According to the monitor, Kyungsoo is in deep sleep right now, well into his NREM cycle. It’s the best time for Yixing to do his work since Kyungsoo is less likely to dream and require Yixing’s help.
Jongdae always tells him that he finds the act of observing people as they sleep to be creepy. Yixing knows that it’s this portion of the study that people are the most uneasy about and he can see why but he doesn’t feel the same way. It relaxes him and to be honest, Yixing finds himself more comfortable around humans when they’re asleep than when they’re awake.
“Kyungsoo-sshi,” he murmurs as he looks at the other man through the live feed on the computer, “I wish you’d tell me the secret to your delicious curry buns. They’re the best I’ve ever had.”
Kyungsoo twitches slightly as if he’s heard Yixing but he doesn’t wake, letting out a soft snore as he dreams on. Yixing smiles though, fingers interlocked as he rests his chin on them.
“Did you know that the brain is actually active no matter if we’re awake or not?” He says out loud, “and that it’s actually more active while we’re sleeping?” Yixing closes his eyes and hums a tune that’s been in his head all day, “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
The Friday after that, Kyungsoo stops by personally with an order of Yixing’s favorite curry buns to thank him for helping him sleep at night. Yixing accepts after repeated protests and he’s grateful that Jongdae waits until after Kyungsoo’s left to laugh.
“He had no idea that you already ordered in from the restaurant!” Jongdae says as he picks up a hot pork bun, “now you’ve got double.”
Yixing smiles in response, “You take a box, I’ve got too many now.”
Jongdae’s already mid-bite and he waves his thanks. It’s not until Yixing’s nearly got the door to his office closed that he hears Jongdae’s question the skin of the bun.
“It’s a bit thinner, the skin of this curry bun.”
“Really?”
“I wonder if Kyungsoo-sshi handmakes the skin for the bun himself or if someone else does it. It has to be someone else, the one you gave me earlier was much thicker.”
“I like it thicker myself,” Yixing says with a chuckle, “I suppose it comes down to personal preference. But the curry itself tastes the same?”
“Hm? Oh yeah,” Jongdae says as he polishes off the rest of the bun, “same curry. Delicious as always.”
“Good,” Yixing says as he closes the door, the corner of his mouth turned up.
- - -
Junmyeon returns to the clinic on Wednesday to fill out the necessary forms required for him to undergo the sleep study. He hasn’t slept well the past few nights, waking up so frequently that he ended up sleeping on the sofa and away from Jongin in fear of disturbing the younger man’s sleep as well. He has to admit that since he’s met with Yixing and even napped at the Sleep Room, he feels much more at ease with the entire process.
Sehun, his coworker at the coffee shop, tells him that it’s probably like being waxed for the first time. Something you hear a lot of negative things about from other people but something that can’t really be described fully until one experiences it for themselves.
Junmyeon’s biting the bullet, so to speak. He’s paid for the procedure in full and he’s already got a bag packed for the night. Jongin insisted on him taking the pillow that they usually share since Yixing had suggested bringing an item from home to help him with sleeping in a foreign bed but Junmyeon doesn’t think it’ll be much of a problem. He slept just fine that day he napped there.
Jongin’s still got his reservations about the place but Junmyeon insists that he’ll be perfectly safe there. He’s looked up articles online about the Sleep Room and he’s even read some old magazine interviews with Yixing in them. The other man really is quite charming when he wants to be, serious about his work and most importantly, absolutely genuine in his desire to help people with their problems. Junmyeon exchanged a handful of words with Yixing so he can’t say he knows the man very well but he gets a very warm feeling when he’s around him.
“I’ll be fine, Jongin-ah,” Junmyeon says, laughing as Jongin tucks a slip of paper into his jeans pocket that he knows the younger man went to the temple earlier to get for him. It’s sweet how much Jongin worries sometimes. “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Junmyeon says, “in fact, I might just get a good night’s sleep!”
Jongin knows that logistically there’s nothing to fret over. Junmyeon’s a grown man and he can take care of himself. It does relieve him to know that Dr Zhang isn’t exactly a big man in terms of size. Junmyeon can hold his own if anything were to happen.
“Alright, well, don’t go and get too comfortable there. You’ve got to learn to sleep in our bed and not some posh memory foam one.”
Junmyeon kisses Jongin on the temple and squeezes him into a hug, “See you,” he says, “love you, kiddo.”
At least it’s just one night. Besides, Jongin reasons with himself, Junmyeon doesn’t even have to take any drugs. It’s just sleeping as normal and the door has a safety chain on the inside. It’s not as if there’ll be lasting damage from undergoing a sleep study.
“Junmyeon-sshi!” Jongdae says with a wave as Junmyeon walks into the clinic, “I’ve been expecting you! Dr Zhang is just finishing up with a prospective client, you can take a seat in the waiting room and he’ll be with you as soon as he’s done.”
Junmyeon’s got a few nerves but he finds that they disappear as soon as Yixing finds him. It isn’t that he finds Yixing handsome, he can objectively say that he is, but he finds the other man very familiar. It’s as if he knows Yixing from somewhere. As far as he knows though, Yixing is a stranger to him so Junmyeon has the thought that it was in a past life that they were friends. Perhaps they were family even.
“Great to see you again, Junmyeon-sshi, we’re going to put you in room three,” Yixing winks at him, “it’s the best one we have.”
Junmyeon appreciates that Yixing tries to joke with him and relax him but it’s really not necessary. Junmyeon’s not nervous anymore. He actually finds himself looking forward to it.
“Jongin-ah was worried,” he tells Yixing with a fond smile as he stands in his pajamas so Yixing can attach the proper wires to his body, “he thought I’d get hurt or that this would somehow mess with my brain.”
Yixing laughs when Junmyeon does, “You have a very caring partner, Junmyeon-sshi. He needn’t worry though, the only thing you’re drinking is water and that’s just the physician in me nagging. No drugs here.”
Junmyeon grins and despite knowing his age, Yixing is struck by how boyish Junmyeon appears.
“You can sleep easy with us,” he promises.
Junmyeon settles into the bed, memory foam just like Jongin had said it would be and he stretches out his limbs. It’s a nice bed. He wonders how much it cost and reminds himself to ask Yixing about it in the morning. Jongin would probably like it a lot.
It takes twenty-three minutes for Junmyeon to fall asleep. Yixing watches from the room across the hall, waiting it out until Junmyeon is past his REM cycles and in deep sleep. Yixing often finds that sometimes, a peace of mind is all his patients really need when it sleep.
“Kim Junmyeon,” he says to himself, Junmyeon’s file open and in his lap, “newly promoted manager of a coffee shop. Hm, he must be really good at making coffee,” he muses. Yixing reads through Junmyeon’s file even though he’s done so already the night before. There are certain things he’s intrigued by, like Junmyeon’s multiple awards as employee of the month and his large number of friends on his social networking sites. “Popular guy,” he says.
Yixing’s a loner. It’s partially by choice and partially because he’s not the type of person that people gravitate towards. Junmyeon with his warm and open personality is clearly an easy person to get along with. Yixing wonders what it’s like to be popular and well-liked.
“Why don’t we have us a look.”
Junmyeon whines quietly in his sleep, the covers tossed back since he’s a kicker. Yixing contemplates fixing it for him but he’d have to physically get out of his seat and go into the room to do so. It’s true that the doors have a safety chain on the inside but he noticed that Junmyeon didn’t bother with his. It shows that Junmyeon really does have faith in his professional ethics.
“I’ll fix it in a bit,” Yixing says with a sigh, “I can see why Jongin-sshi would worry about you now, Junmyeon-sshi. Don’t worry though, this’ll only take a few minutes and I promise it won’t hurt at all.”
Yixing stills in his seat, slumping over slightly as his body relaxes. It took him a couple of years to really get the hang of this part and the trick is always to exhale before it happens. The average duration of Yixing’s trips are usually short. He tries not to do anything over five minutes but for Junmyeon-sshi, he can’t help but want to spend more time within him. He’s been privy to the minds of dangerous men before and boring men as well, but men like Junmyeon are always a rarity. Such a huge heart and so beloved. Junmyeon’s the type of man that always tries his best and then some. It’d be hard to dislike him and it’s easy to see that not many people do.
“Sleep well, Junmyeon-sshi,” Yixing says as he tucks Junmyeon in an hour later, well aware that he’ll have to pop into the room a few more times throughout the night to do this based on memory, “see you in the morning.”
Jongdae’s the face that Junmyeon sees when he wakes the next day. He feels a bit fuzzy and off, worried for a moment that he might actually have been operated on when he realizes that he’s actually feeling good. He slept through the entire night and his bones ache only because they haven’t been treated this well in months.
“Well, damn,” he murmurs, falling back into the sheets with a smile, “worth every penny.”
There’s a knock on the door and Junmyeon pops his head up to see that it’s the receptionist, Jongdae. There’s a tray in his hand with a bottle of water and some food. In actuality, Junmyeon’s thinking that he must’ve been paid to be pampered.
“I slept like a baby,” Junmyeon blurts out when he sees Yixing, “you are amazing.”
Yixing laughs and rubs the back of head, embarrassed at the outburst. “You’re much too kind, Junmyeon-sshi. By the way, the memory foam bed, if you’re really interested in it I can get you a discount directly with the supplier.”
“Amazing,” Junmyeon repeats, “Jongin-ah’s going to love this bed.”
Jongin doesn’t love the bed but he does like it. The memory foam is nice but the price tag isn’t. The fact is though that Junmyeon’s been sleeping amazingly well lately and for that, Jongin is grateful. It’s been a month after the sleep study and Junmyeon hasn’t had a single nightmare since then. Either that Dr Zhang is a miracle worker or it’s the bed. Jongin bets on the bed but Junmyeon’s always singing the praises of Yixing-sshi. He’s been recommending the sleep clinic left and right to all their friends, even going so far as to put up articles about Yixing-sshi in the cafe. It’s a bit excessive but Junmyeon’s exactly that sort of guy and Jongin lectures him about it but in the end he’s powerless to do anything against that face Junmyeon will give him.
As much as Jongin hates to admit it, something Yixing-sshi did was right. Junmyeon’s happy and healthy, that’s all that matters really.
“Fruit salad, hyung?” Jongin says with a wrinkle of his nose when he sees what Junmyeon’s grabbed for lunch, “you’re not trying to diet without telling me again are you?”
“No!” Junmyeon protests, sticking his fork into the piece of watermelon that Jongin was about to eat, “just wanted some fruit.”
“That’s watermelon, hyung,” Jongin says as he watches Junmyeon eat it.
“Mmhm, it’s delicious, want some?”
Jongin pauses and turns to look at Junmyeon, head tilted as the other man eats yet another piece of the fruit. “Hyung…” he trails off, “you’re- since when?”
“What?” Junmyeon mumbles, sucking on the tips of the fork before he’s reaching for more watermelon.
“Since when were you able to eat watermelon again??”
“What do you mean, Jongin-ah? Since when was I not able to?” he says with a laugh, “it wasn’t in season until now!”
Jongin stares at Junmyeon and then at the fruit in the bowl, “No...you haven’t been able to touch it ever since that time in Tokyo.”
Junmyeon scrunches his face up in the most adorable way ever and Jongin would find it endearing if he wasn’t so freaked out. “What time in Tokyo?” Junmyeon scratches the back of his head and shrugs, “I remember Tokyo but I don’t remember us having any watermelon there.”
“You don’t?” Jongin asks quietly, “can’t remember that night you had the runs because you ate too much watermelon in one go and had to go right in the streets?”
Junmyeon throws a pillow at Jongin that the younger man doesn’t bother to dodge. “I would never do anything like that Kim Jongin, don’t you lie,” he says with a laugh.
“Of course, hyung,” Jongin says after a short pause, “I’m sorry, I was teasing.”
- - -
“Where is he?” Jongin asks the moment he enters, “where is Zhang Yixing?”
Jongdae looks at Jongin in alarm. He can recognize him as Junmyeon-sshi’s partner but it isn’t as if Junmyeon-sshi is here. “I’m sorry, Jongin-sshi right? Junmyeon-sshi isn’t here?”
“I’m not looking for Junmyeon-hyung,” Jongin says as he walks up to the first door he sees and pulls it open, “I’m looking for Zhang Yixing.”
“That’s the bathroom!” Jongdae calls out, “please take a seat, Jongin-sshi. I’ll call Junmyeon-sshi and-,”
“I said I’m looking for Zhang Yixing,” Jongin repeats, ignoring Jongdae as he continues to his search.
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Jongdae finally says, “or else I’ll have to alert the authorities.”
“Go right ahead,” Jongin says with a laugh, “it’d be perfect. I want them here.”
“Jongin-sshi!” Jongdae nearly yells when Yixing appears from the end of the hallway, “Yixing this man-,”
“I’ve got it, Jongdae,” Yixing says calmly, holding up his hand to beckon Jongin towards him, “it’s alright, there’s no need to alert the authorities. He’s got an appointment that I forgot to mention to you, I’m sorry.”
“Alright,” Jongdae says hesitantly as he watches Jongin-sshi make his way to Yixing with a mix of fear and confusion.
“This way, please” Yixing says to Jongin when he’s close enough.
Jongin’s mad and Yixing knows the cause of it. There’s a reason as to why he doesn’t linger for more than five minutes and it’s not just because it’s taxing on him physically. The longer he stays, the more things can and will go wrong. He can usually get away with it since the memories are only ever altered and not erased but after an hour with Junmyeon-sshi, Yixing’s no longer sure of that.
“What did you do to him?” Jongin asks the second they round the corner, “what did you give him?”
“Nothing,” Yixing replies, “the only thing he consume was bottled water and fresh pastries from the bakery next door.”
“Bullshit,” Jongin spits out, “I don’t know how you’ve been getting away with this shit for so long but I’m not going to let you off the hook. Tell me what you gave to him!”
Yixing is neither tall nor strong and so when Jongin drags him into the closest room, he can only follow along, feet dragging slightly as he’s thrown into a chair.
“Stay back and keep your hands where I can see them,” Jongin says, eyes focused on Yixing as he pulls a taser out of his back pocket.
“Why?” Yixing asks as he leans against the back of the chair, keeping his hands in front of him in compliance, “I’m not sure what you’re hoping will happen here, Jongin-sshi but I can assure you now that it’s not going to go the way you plan for it to go.”
Jongin looks around the lab that they’re in, careful to keep himself an equal distance away from the tables. The last thing he needs is to accidentally prick himself with something suspicious and frankly, there isn’t a single thing that he’d trust in this place.
“Jongin-ssi, I have a question to ask of you,” Yixing says, folding his hands together to rest in his lap, “do you recall the color of the sofa chairs in the waiting room?”
Jongin pauses before answering, “Of course, they’re a dark brown leather-,” and immediately the image of the waiting room that he was in just minutes ago filters into his mind. He can see it clearly, the row of sofa chairs lined up against the wall.
“Dark brown leather?” Yixing repeats, the corner of his mouth curling up into a smirk.
“Yes, da-,” Jongin’s eyes widen and he cuts himself off. The image in his mind begins to shift, the leather that he was so certain was a dark brown suddenly shades paler.
“You thought I laced the drink with some sort of drug to alter Junmyeon-sshi’s memory, didn’t you?” Yixing murmurs, “but I didn’t.”
Jongin takes two steps back, the taser slipping out of his hand as he braces himself against the table behind him. “That’s impossible,” he says quietly, shaking his head, “this isn’t real. It must be air-borne then, whatever this thing is.”
“If you’d be so kind as to refresh my memory please,” Yixing says, standing up to stretch, “how did you and Junmyeon-sshi meet again?”
Jongin remains silent, desperately reciting the alphabet in his head, anything to keep from thinking of the memories that Yixing’s so easily recalling for him.
“That’s not going to help, Jongin-sshi. Did you know that information can travel between the different parts of our brain at the speed of 260mph? You could recite the alphabet until you’re blue in the face and it wouldn’t do you any good.”
Jongin shuts his eyes now, taking to mumble childhood lullabies under his breath in hopes of drowning out Yixing’s voice.
“The coffee shop on Bleecker Street wasn’t it? Junmyeon-sshi’s friend works there as a barista and you’re a frequent customer. What was that drink you spilled on him again?” Yixing asks with a tilt of his head, curious expression on his face as his eyes settle on Jongin. He smiles after a second’s pause, “Ah, that’s right, an iced coffee.”
Jongin panics, hands curling tightly into a fist as he stares at Yixing. “Why are you doing this? What could you possibly gain from fucking around with people’s memories?”
“Experience,” Yixing replies as easily as if Jongin’s just asked him for the time, “the things I could learn from a five minute trip through your memories is invaluable to me. Through the course of a lifetime, the human brain will retain up to one quadrillion pieces of information.”
Jongin inhales sharply, the fear settling into him. The scariest thing about all of this is how sudden it had happened, how it didn’t hurt at all for Yixing to change something as obvious as the color of a chair in his memory. It simply was and then it wasn’t.
“It doesn’t hurt because your brain doesn’t have any pain receptors, Jongin-ssi. Haven’t you ever wondered how surgeons operated on people while they were still conscious?”
“What are you?” Jongin demands, “a- a mindreader or something?!”
“Or something sounds about right,” Yixing says.
“Are you even human?”
Yixing laughs and Jongin swears he can feel it this time when Yixing settles into his brain, when the memory of this meeting with him shifts and changes until there exists no such thing.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Yixing murmurs, suddenly a lot closer than Jongin remembers him being, “the human brain is a fascinating organ, there’s so much about it that remains to be explored. seventy thousand thoughts can be had through the course of a day and it’s so easy to just switch the order or merge them together, don’t you think so?”
Jongin wakes to Junmyeon’s smiling face and when he’s teased about signing up for a sleep study despite all the ribbing he gave Junmyeon when he went for his, all Jongin does is laugh.
- - -
The door to the receptionist room opens with a soft ding and a customer enters, bringing the humidity of the storm in with him.
“Welcome to the Sleep Room,” Jongdae says with a smile from behind the desk, “do you have an appointment with us today?”
“Yes, I do. It’s for 2pm and should be under Byun Baekhyun.”
“Ah, Baekhyun-sshi,” Yixing says from the open doorway of his office, “we spoke on the phone yesterday. It’s a pleasure to see you.” He smiles, the dimple on his cheek making its entrance as he offers his hand for a shake, “Come into my office with me, I’ve just got a couple more questions for you.”
Jongdae closes the door behind Baekhyun, giving him one last smile before the door clicks.
“My apologies, Baekhyun-sshi, who was it again that you said recommended us to you?” Yixing asks, taking a seat at his desk.
“I don’t believe I mentioned it actually. It’s Jongin, Kim Jongin,” Baekhyun replies.
A grin stretches across Yixing’s face, the dimple in his cheek deepening significantly, “Jongin-sshi! I remember him, I trust he’s been doing well?”
“Oh, yes,” Baekhyun says, finding himself unable to resist smiling in response to the one Yixing’s giving him, “last I spoke with him, he said that he’s been sleeping very well. No dreams or nightmares at all!”
Yixing laughs, “That’s great to hear, we aim to please at the Sleep Room. Customer satisfaction has always been our number one concern. I see here on the forms you’ve already filled out that you work at a travel agency?”
“Yes, I’m a travel guide. I’m in and out of the country so often, I think that’s why I sometimes have problems going to sleep at night,” Baekhyun admits.
“That seems like it could be a problem,” Yixing sympathizes, “but it certainly sounds like quite the interesting job.” He gives Baekhyun a wide smile, “I can’t wait to pick at your mind, Baekhyun-sshi.”
pairing: yixing-centric, suho/kai
rating: pg
words: 5,978
summary: yixing runs a clinic specializing in sleep studies and more.
a/n: basically step 1 of my master plan to make yixing into a psychopathic serial killer. this is an au idea that i'm actually very fond of but wish i could've explained/written better but alas, this is what i managed. written to gary jules' mad world. to exo's leader, suho, happy birthday you giant ball of fluff! ♥ and as always thanks to loveclouds for her handholding.
It’s called the Sleep Room. Junmyeon’s seen advertisements for it in the newspapers and he’s heard in passing that it’s actually quite a reputable establishment, known for having a near perfect record in terms of meeting government regulations. It’s a bit odd to him though, the concept of paying so much just to sleep in a bed that isn’t even his and even odder that he’d be paying not to sleep but to be observed as he sleeps.
Junmyeon is the type of person that naps with a blanket wrapped all around him because he likes to be tucked in, the sort of person that brings an extra pair of briefs in his knapsack when traveling just in case of emergencies, and he's exactly the sort of person that constantly lectures his friends to always be aware of their surroundings. The idea of being watched while unconscious just doesn't sit well with him, and it isn't even that he fears for his chastity or anything superficial like that. But to completely be at the mercy of a stranger sounds like the makings of a gruesome headline for the nightly news report.
Instinctively, there are things about sleep studies that make Junmyeon more than wary but he hasn’t slept properly in three weeks now and it’s starting to show physically. He hasn’t been able to focus at work because he’s too tired and he’s even started to nod off while Jongin’s talking to him. If he were to be honest, Junmyeon’s been having problems sleeping for a few months but it’s only recently that he can’t seem to catch more than an hour or two of restful sleep.
Jongin tells him that he’s been mumbling in his sleep, having conversations with himself about nonsensical things like what shoes he should wear the next day or which sandwich to pick from the cafeteria. It worries Jongin and Junmyeon can tell. Once, Junmyeon nearly fell asleep while waiting for the train and if it weren’t for a good samaritan, he might’ve fallen onto the tracks.
The Sleep Room is the last chance he has and even if it’s a chance he doesn’t want to take, he doesn’t think he has a choice. If it was solely up to him, Junmyeon thinks he’d be able to soldier on. After all, he’s able to nap on the train or during lunch but it’s been affecting Jongin’s sleep as well and that’s not something Junmyeon can accept.
- - -
“Welcome to the Sleep Room,” the man behind the counter says as Junmyeon enters, “do you have an appointment with us today?”
“Uh, no I’m afraid I don’t,” Junmyeon says, feeling panicked already when he realizes that he hadn’t even bothered to call in ahead of time to make an appointment.
As if he’s able to sense Junmyeon’s hesitancy, the man behind the counter rises and smile at him, “That’s alright, my name is Jongdae, I’m the receptionist here. Are you interested in our sleep study program, Sir?”
“I’m Junmyeon, Kim Junmyeon and yes, I was wondering how it works exactly,” Junmyeon asks, peering around the room, “is this where it takes place?”
“Oh no, this is the receptionist area. There’s a waiting room over there through that door,” Jongdae tells him while pointing to the door closest to them, “and that’s Dr Zhang’s office through there. The actual rooms where our patients sleep are down the hallway. Would you like me to give you a tour?”
Junmyeon glances at the doors and thinks it over, nervous because he doesn’t typically like to do new things on his own. Jongin promised to come with him but his study group ran late and Junmyeon’s here alone. He’s not afraid or anything but he would feel better if Jongin were here with him.
“Oh, hello there, is this a prospective patient, Jongdae?”
Junmyeon looks up to find a slim young man standing in the doorway to the room that the receptionist had pointed out to him as the doctor’s room, staring as he realizes that that makes this man in front of him the doctor in charge. He didn’t even heard the door open.
“I’m Dr Zhang but you can call me Yixing. I know how personal sleeping can be and as the one who would be observing you as it happened, I would rather there be a certain level of comfort between us. Our patients’ satisfaction has always been a top priority for us.”
Yixing is smiling at him, eyes slightly crinkled at the corners as he waits for Junmyeon to give him a once-over. He’s used to this process since most people who walk through the door aren’t exactly the biggest fans of sleep studies. The distrust people have in polysomnograms is understandable and Yixing always does the best that he can to dispel the myth that sleep studies are shady things that take place in small cramped rooms with a man breathing down your neck as you sleep. It might have been that way many years ago but not these days.
“Let me give you a tour of our facilities,” Yixing murmurs, urging Junmyeon to follow him as he leads the way, “there’s no better way to tell you about what we do here than to show you.”
Yixing built this place up from scratch and in many ways, it’s his baby. At the age of eight, he had wanted to be a doctor, someone that could help heal others and rid the world of pain. Fancy sounding dreams for an eight year old, especially one from a family that was average in all the ways possible.
His father told him that it was unrealistic for him to expect to be able to save the entire world and his mother had said that he should try for an assistant instead since that involved less schooling. The only one that truly thought he could accomplish his dream was his grandmother, the one person that Yixing himself wanted to heal the most. She passed a year before he received his license from cancer-related issues and Yixing keeps a picture of her on his desk in remembrance.
“We are a government approved facility that runs sleep study programs,” Yixing tells Junmyeon, “we undergo testing bi-annually and rest assured that we always pass with flying colors. I’m the director and doctor in charge at Sleep Room, and I am a board-certified physician in case you were curious. My degrees are in my room and I can show them to you later if you wish.”
There’s a soft cadence to Yixing’s voice as he speaks, a natural rhythm to the way his sentences flow and Junmyeon can feel his eyes are droop, embarrassed that he’s sleepy only a minute into the tour.
“Junmyeon-sshi?” Yixing says with a light tap to Junmyeon’s shoulder, smiling in an kind manner as he pauses, “perhaps you would like to take a rest in one of our rooms? I understand your hesitance to trust in us but I can assure you that we won’t be recording anything today. We’re unable to monitor you at any rate until you sign a disclosure agreement with us and we’d have to wire you up. If it makes you feel better as well, the doors not only lock from the inside but there’s a safety chain that you can use as well. Please don’t be embarrassed for this happens quite often with our patients. It can be very tiring for the human body when one doesn’t get enough rest.”
Junmyeon blinks at Yixing and finds himself nodding his head despite knowing better than to agree. He dislikes taking advantage of people and by napping in an establishment like this for free, he would be doing exactly that. Yixing’s got such a gentle smile though and despite knowing absolutely nothing about the other man, Junmyeon feels like he can trust him. It’s just an instinct he has and Junmyeon’s instincts haven’t led him astray yet.
“Okay,” he finally says, “I just-,” Junmyeon yawns and allows Yixing to lead him to the door with a number one marked on it, “I really should call my partner, I don’t want him to worry.”
“I can arrange for Jongdae to do it for you,” Yixing murmurs, voice lowering as he guides Junmyeon to the bed. “Jongin-sshi, correct? I’ll have Jongdae call him for you. Right now, all you need to do is relax and get some rest.”
“Hmm, okay,” Junmyeon manages to mumble as his head hits the pillow and his eyes close on him. The last thing he remembers seeing is Yixing’s face as it hovers over his own, a dimple in the side of his left cheek that Junmyeon somehow missed before but doesn’t now. It’s oddly comforting.
Yixing closes the door after he tucks Junmyeon in. He wasn’t lying when he said that his patients often fall asleep halfway through the tour. They’re so sleep-deprived when they come to the Sleep Room since it’s often a last resort that Yixing has officially deemed room number one as the napping room. He’s also been told that he has a very soothing voice and that it’s very effective in lulling his patients to sleep.
Yixing makes sure to have Jongdae call Junmyeon’s partner before he enters his office, a mug of tea in hand that he’s going to devour as soon as he gets to his desk.
An hour later when Junmyeon wakes and Jongin is there to pick up him, he’s so relaxed from his nap that he doesn’t realize that he never once told Yixing his partner’s name or number.
- - -
“Junmyeon-sshi just called to make an appointment with us for tomorrow,” Jongdae says with a knock to Yixing’s opened door.
“Ah, I had a feeling he would do so,” Yixing says with a nod, “I told you that the nap room was an excellent idea.”
Jongdae snorts, “You’re the one that’s a good idea, Yixing. I’m certain that if I was the one leading the tour, Junmyeon-sshi wouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
Yixing blinks innocently at Jongdae, “Are you saying I’m dull?”
“I’m saying you’re amazing at this. I’ve been here for three years and I still have no idea how it is that you manage to fix these people’s sleeping problems!”
Yixing shrugs as he stands to stretch and tuck his shirt into his slacks, “Sometimes, it’s just in their head, Jongdae-ah, but don’t tell them that. The human brain is fascinating isn’t it?”
Jongdae sighs as Yixing gets that look in his eyes again. He’s asked Yixing before why he chose to give up his career as a promising surgeon to open up a center specializing in polysomnograms. It definitely wasn’t for money. All Yixing had said was that he thought this was the field he could help the most in, something that Jongdae didn’t understand then and still doesn’t really understand now. All he knows is that Yixing is good at his job and some will say it’s because of luck but Jongdae knows better. Yixing’s a hard worker, always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Perhaps Yixing’s right when he says that hard work is always rewarded.
“Between you and me,” Jongdae says, “you like the brain a little bit too much.” He’s joking but Yixing wouldn’t mind even if he wasn’t because Jongdae is right.
“Maybe,” Yixing says with a laugh that makes Jongdae smile, “but that doesn’t make it any less interesting~”
He walks Jongdae out the door with a wave, making sure to lock up. He’s got his own room here that he retires to after he’s done recording the sleeping habits of his patients. The Sleep Room has a good reputation but it’s a small establishment. Yixing likes it that way. There’s only ever two patients being observed simultaneously at any given night and that’s only if they’ve got no choice. He prefers to focus on the patients one at a time. There’s too much information for him to absorb otherwise.
Tonight’s patient is Do Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo-sshi is a chef from a local restaurant that Yixing is fond of frequenting. He’s an excellent chef, the food is always fresh and well-seasoned. It’s not food that Yixing could ever hope to cook himself though, which is exactly why he’s at the restaurant at least twice a week. Kyungsoo-sshi mentioned in passing once that he’s been having a couple of restless nights and Yixing suggested he spend a night at the Sleep Room free of charge.
According to the monitor, Kyungsoo is in deep sleep right now, well into his NREM cycle. It’s the best time for Yixing to do his work since Kyungsoo is less likely to dream and require Yixing’s help.
Jongdae always tells him that he finds the act of observing people as they sleep to be creepy. Yixing knows that it’s this portion of the study that people are the most uneasy about and he can see why but he doesn’t feel the same way. It relaxes him and to be honest, Yixing finds himself more comfortable around humans when they’re asleep than when they’re awake.
“Kyungsoo-sshi,” he murmurs as he looks at the other man through the live feed on the computer, “I wish you’d tell me the secret to your delicious curry buns. They’re the best I’ve ever had.”
Kyungsoo twitches slightly as if he’s heard Yixing but he doesn’t wake, letting out a soft snore as he dreams on. Yixing smiles though, fingers interlocked as he rests his chin on them.
“Did you know that the brain is actually active no matter if we’re awake or not?” He says out loud, “and that it’s actually more active while we’re sleeping?” Yixing closes his eyes and hums a tune that’s been in his head all day, “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
The Friday after that, Kyungsoo stops by personally with an order of Yixing’s favorite curry buns to thank him for helping him sleep at night. Yixing accepts after repeated protests and he’s grateful that Jongdae waits until after Kyungsoo’s left to laugh.
“He had no idea that you already ordered in from the restaurant!” Jongdae says as he picks up a hot pork bun, “now you’ve got double.”
Yixing smiles in response, “You take a box, I’ve got too many now.”
Jongdae’s already mid-bite and he waves his thanks. It’s not until Yixing’s nearly got the door to his office closed that he hears Jongdae’s question the skin of the bun.
“It’s a bit thinner, the skin of this curry bun.”
“Really?”
“I wonder if Kyungsoo-sshi handmakes the skin for the bun himself or if someone else does it. It has to be someone else, the one you gave me earlier was much thicker.”
“I like it thicker myself,” Yixing says with a chuckle, “I suppose it comes down to personal preference. But the curry itself tastes the same?”
“Hm? Oh yeah,” Jongdae says as he polishes off the rest of the bun, “same curry. Delicious as always.”
“Good,” Yixing says as he closes the door, the corner of his mouth turned up.
- - -
Junmyeon returns to the clinic on Wednesday to fill out the necessary forms required for him to undergo the sleep study. He hasn’t slept well the past few nights, waking up so frequently that he ended up sleeping on the sofa and away from Jongin in fear of disturbing the younger man’s sleep as well. He has to admit that since he’s met with Yixing and even napped at the Sleep Room, he feels much more at ease with the entire process.
Sehun, his coworker at the coffee shop, tells him that it’s probably like being waxed for the first time. Something you hear a lot of negative things about from other people but something that can’t really be described fully until one experiences it for themselves.
Junmyeon’s biting the bullet, so to speak. He’s paid for the procedure in full and he’s already got a bag packed for the night. Jongin insisted on him taking the pillow that they usually share since Yixing had suggested bringing an item from home to help him with sleeping in a foreign bed but Junmyeon doesn’t think it’ll be much of a problem. He slept just fine that day he napped there.
Jongin’s still got his reservations about the place but Junmyeon insists that he’ll be perfectly safe there. He’s looked up articles online about the Sleep Room and he’s even read some old magazine interviews with Yixing in them. The other man really is quite charming when he wants to be, serious about his work and most importantly, absolutely genuine in his desire to help people with their problems. Junmyeon exchanged a handful of words with Yixing so he can’t say he knows the man very well but he gets a very warm feeling when he’s around him.
“I’ll be fine, Jongin-ah,” Junmyeon says, laughing as Jongin tucks a slip of paper into his jeans pocket that he knows the younger man went to the temple earlier to get for him. It’s sweet how much Jongin worries sometimes. “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Junmyeon says, “in fact, I might just get a good night’s sleep!”
Jongin knows that logistically there’s nothing to fret over. Junmyeon’s a grown man and he can take care of himself. It does relieve him to know that Dr Zhang isn’t exactly a big man in terms of size. Junmyeon can hold his own if anything were to happen.
“Alright, well, don’t go and get too comfortable there. You’ve got to learn to sleep in our bed and not some posh memory foam one.”
Junmyeon kisses Jongin on the temple and squeezes him into a hug, “See you,” he says, “love you, kiddo.”
At least it’s just one night. Besides, Jongin reasons with himself, Junmyeon doesn’t even have to take any drugs. It’s just sleeping as normal and the door has a safety chain on the inside. It’s not as if there’ll be lasting damage from undergoing a sleep study.
“Junmyeon-sshi!” Jongdae says with a wave as Junmyeon walks into the clinic, “I’ve been expecting you! Dr Zhang is just finishing up with a prospective client, you can take a seat in the waiting room and he’ll be with you as soon as he’s done.”
Junmyeon’s got a few nerves but he finds that they disappear as soon as Yixing finds him. It isn’t that he finds Yixing handsome, he can objectively say that he is, but he finds the other man very familiar. It’s as if he knows Yixing from somewhere. As far as he knows though, Yixing is a stranger to him so Junmyeon has the thought that it was in a past life that they were friends. Perhaps they were family even.
“Great to see you again, Junmyeon-sshi, we’re going to put you in room three,” Yixing winks at him, “it’s the best one we have.”
Junmyeon appreciates that Yixing tries to joke with him and relax him but it’s really not necessary. Junmyeon’s not nervous anymore. He actually finds himself looking forward to it.
“Jongin-ah was worried,” he tells Yixing with a fond smile as he stands in his pajamas so Yixing can attach the proper wires to his body, “he thought I’d get hurt or that this would somehow mess with my brain.”
Yixing laughs when Junmyeon does, “You have a very caring partner, Junmyeon-sshi. He needn’t worry though, the only thing you’re drinking is water and that’s just the physician in me nagging. No drugs here.”
Junmyeon grins and despite knowing his age, Yixing is struck by how boyish Junmyeon appears.
“You can sleep easy with us,” he promises.
Junmyeon settles into the bed, memory foam just like Jongin had said it would be and he stretches out his limbs. It’s a nice bed. He wonders how much it cost and reminds himself to ask Yixing about it in the morning. Jongin would probably like it a lot.
It takes twenty-three minutes for Junmyeon to fall asleep. Yixing watches from the room across the hall, waiting it out until Junmyeon is past his REM cycles and in deep sleep. Yixing often finds that sometimes, a peace of mind is all his patients really need when it sleep.
“Kim Junmyeon,” he says to himself, Junmyeon’s file open and in his lap, “newly promoted manager of a coffee shop. Hm, he must be really good at making coffee,” he muses. Yixing reads through Junmyeon’s file even though he’s done so already the night before. There are certain things he’s intrigued by, like Junmyeon’s multiple awards as employee of the month and his large number of friends on his social networking sites. “Popular guy,” he says.
Yixing’s a loner. It’s partially by choice and partially because he’s not the type of person that people gravitate towards. Junmyeon with his warm and open personality is clearly an easy person to get along with. Yixing wonders what it’s like to be popular and well-liked.
“Why don’t we have us a look.”
Junmyeon whines quietly in his sleep, the covers tossed back since he’s a kicker. Yixing contemplates fixing it for him but he’d have to physically get out of his seat and go into the room to do so. It’s true that the doors have a safety chain on the inside but he noticed that Junmyeon didn’t bother with his. It shows that Junmyeon really does have faith in his professional ethics.
“I’ll fix it in a bit,” Yixing says with a sigh, “I can see why Jongin-sshi would worry about you now, Junmyeon-sshi. Don’t worry though, this’ll only take a few minutes and I promise it won’t hurt at all.”
Yixing stills in his seat, slumping over slightly as his body relaxes. It took him a couple of years to really get the hang of this part and the trick is always to exhale before it happens. The average duration of Yixing’s trips are usually short. He tries not to do anything over five minutes but for Junmyeon-sshi, he can’t help but want to spend more time within him. He’s been privy to the minds of dangerous men before and boring men as well, but men like Junmyeon are always a rarity. Such a huge heart and so beloved. Junmyeon’s the type of man that always tries his best and then some. It’d be hard to dislike him and it’s easy to see that not many people do.
“Sleep well, Junmyeon-sshi,” Yixing says as he tucks Junmyeon in an hour later, well aware that he’ll have to pop into the room a few more times throughout the night to do this based on memory, “see you in the morning.”
Jongdae’s the face that Junmyeon sees when he wakes the next day. He feels a bit fuzzy and off, worried for a moment that he might actually have been operated on when he realizes that he’s actually feeling good. He slept through the entire night and his bones ache only because they haven’t been treated this well in months.
“Well, damn,” he murmurs, falling back into the sheets with a smile, “worth every penny.”
There’s a knock on the door and Junmyeon pops his head up to see that it’s the receptionist, Jongdae. There’s a tray in his hand with a bottle of water and some food. In actuality, Junmyeon’s thinking that he must’ve been paid to be pampered.
“I slept like a baby,” Junmyeon blurts out when he sees Yixing, “you are amazing.”
Yixing laughs and rubs the back of head, embarrassed at the outburst. “You’re much too kind, Junmyeon-sshi. By the way, the memory foam bed, if you’re really interested in it I can get you a discount directly with the supplier.”
“Amazing,” Junmyeon repeats, “Jongin-ah’s going to love this bed.”
Jongin doesn’t love the bed but he does like it. The memory foam is nice but the price tag isn’t. The fact is though that Junmyeon’s been sleeping amazingly well lately and for that, Jongin is grateful. It’s been a month after the sleep study and Junmyeon hasn’t had a single nightmare since then. Either that Dr Zhang is a miracle worker or it’s the bed. Jongin bets on the bed but Junmyeon’s always singing the praises of Yixing-sshi. He’s been recommending the sleep clinic left and right to all their friends, even going so far as to put up articles about Yixing-sshi in the cafe. It’s a bit excessive but Junmyeon’s exactly that sort of guy and Jongin lectures him about it but in the end he’s powerless to do anything against that face Junmyeon will give him.
As much as Jongin hates to admit it, something Yixing-sshi did was right. Junmyeon’s happy and healthy, that’s all that matters really.
“Fruit salad, hyung?” Jongin says with a wrinkle of his nose when he sees what Junmyeon’s grabbed for lunch, “you’re not trying to diet without telling me again are you?”
“No!” Junmyeon protests, sticking his fork into the piece of watermelon that Jongin was about to eat, “just wanted some fruit.”
“That’s watermelon, hyung,” Jongin says as he watches Junmyeon eat it.
“Mmhm, it’s delicious, want some?”
Jongin pauses and turns to look at Junmyeon, head tilted as the other man eats yet another piece of the fruit. “Hyung…” he trails off, “you’re- since when?”
“What?” Junmyeon mumbles, sucking on the tips of the fork before he’s reaching for more watermelon.
“Since when were you able to eat watermelon again??”
“What do you mean, Jongin-ah? Since when was I not able to?” he says with a laugh, “it wasn’t in season until now!”
Jongin stares at Junmyeon and then at the fruit in the bowl, “No...you haven’t been able to touch it ever since that time in Tokyo.”
Junmyeon scrunches his face up in the most adorable way ever and Jongin would find it endearing if he wasn’t so freaked out. “What time in Tokyo?” Junmyeon scratches the back of his head and shrugs, “I remember Tokyo but I don’t remember us having any watermelon there.”
“You don’t?” Jongin asks quietly, “can’t remember that night you had the runs because you ate too much watermelon in one go and had to go right in the streets?”
Junmyeon throws a pillow at Jongin that the younger man doesn’t bother to dodge. “I would never do anything like that Kim Jongin, don’t you lie,” he says with a laugh.
“Of course, hyung,” Jongin says after a short pause, “I’m sorry, I was teasing.”
- - -
“Where is he?” Jongin asks the moment he enters, “where is Zhang Yixing?”
Jongdae looks at Jongin in alarm. He can recognize him as Junmyeon-sshi’s partner but it isn’t as if Junmyeon-sshi is here. “I’m sorry, Jongin-sshi right? Junmyeon-sshi isn’t here?”
“I’m not looking for Junmyeon-hyung,” Jongin says as he walks up to the first door he sees and pulls it open, “I’m looking for Zhang Yixing.”
“That’s the bathroom!” Jongdae calls out, “please take a seat, Jongin-sshi. I’ll call Junmyeon-sshi and-,”
“I said I’m looking for Zhang Yixing,” Jongin repeats, ignoring Jongdae as he continues to his search.
“I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Jongdae finally says, “or else I’ll have to alert the authorities.”
“Go right ahead,” Jongin says with a laugh, “it’d be perfect. I want them here.”
“Jongin-sshi!” Jongdae nearly yells when Yixing appears from the end of the hallway, “Yixing this man-,”
“I’ve got it, Jongdae,” Yixing says calmly, holding up his hand to beckon Jongin towards him, “it’s alright, there’s no need to alert the authorities. He’s got an appointment that I forgot to mention to you, I’m sorry.”
“Alright,” Jongdae says hesitantly as he watches Jongin-sshi make his way to Yixing with a mix of fear and confusion.
“This way, please” Yixing says to Jongin when he’s close enough.
Jongin’s mad and Yixing knows the cause of it. There’s a reason as to why he doesn’t linger for more than five minutes and it’s not just because it’s taxing on him physically. The longer he stays, the more things can and will go wrong. He can usually get away with it since the memories are only ever altered and not erased but after an hour with Junmyeon-sshi, Yixing’s no longer sure of that.
“What did you do to him?” Jongin asks the second they round the corner, “what did you give him?”
“Nothing,” Yixing replies, “the only thing he consume was bottled water and fresh pastries from the bakery next door.”
“Bullshit,” Jongin spits out, “I don’t know how you’ve been getting away with this shit for so long but I’m not going to let you off the hook. Tell me what you gave to him!”
Yixing is neither tall nor strong and so when Jongin drags him into the closest room, he can only follow along, feet dragging slightly as he’s thrown into a chair.
“Stay back and keep your hands where I can see them,” Jongin says, eyes focused on Yixing as he pulls a taser out of his back pocket.
“Why?” Yixing asks as he leans against the back of the chair, keeping his hands in front of him in compliance, “I’m not sure what you’re hoping will happen here, Jongin-sshi but I can assure you now that it’s not going to go the way you plan for it to go.”
Jongin looks around the lab that they’re in, careful to keep himself an equal distance away from the tables. The last thing he needs is to accidentally prick himself with something suspicious and frankly, there isn’t a single thing that he’d trust in this place.
“Jongin-ssi, I have a question to ask of you,” Yixing says, folding his hands together to rest in his lap, “do you recall the color of the sofa chairs in the waiting room?”
Jongin pauses before answering, “Of course, they’re a dark brown leather-,” and immediately the image of the waiting room that he was in just minutes ago filters into his mind. He can see it clearly, the row of sofa chairs lined up against the wall.
“Dark brown leather?” Yixing repeats, the corner of his mouth curling up into a smirk.
“Yes, da-,” Jongin’s eyes widen and he cuts himself off. The image in his mind begins to shift, the leather that he was so certain was a dark brown suddenly shades paler.
“You thought I laced the drink with some sort of drug to alter Junmyeon-sshi’s memory, didn’t you?” Yixing murmurs, “but I didn’t.”
Jongin takes two steps back, the taser slipping out of his hand as he braces himself against the table behind him. “That’s impossible,” he says quietly, shaking his head, “this isn’t real. It must be air-borne then, whatever this thing is.”
“If you’d be so kind as to refresh my memory please,” Yixing says, standing up to stretch, “how did you and Junmyeon-sshi meet again?”
Jongin remains silent, desperately reciting the alphabet in his head, anything to keep from thinking of the memories that Yixing’s so easily recalling for him.
“That’s not going to help, Jongin-sshi. Did you know that information can travel between the different parts of our brain at the speed of 260mph? You could recite the alphabet until you’re blue in the face and it wouldn’t do you any good.”
Jongin shuts his eyes now, taking to mumble childhood lullabies under his breath in hopes of drowning out Yixing’s voice.
“The coffee shop on Bleecker Street wasn’t it? Junmyeon-sshi’s friend works there as a barista and you’re a frequent customer. What was that drink you spilled on him again?” Yixing asks with a tilt of his head, curious expression on his face as his eyes settle on Jongin. He smiles after a second’s pause, “Ah, that’s right, an iced coffee.”
Jongin panics, hands curling tightly into a fist as he stares at Yixing. “Why are you doing this? What could you possibly gain from fucking around with people’s memories?”
“Experience,” Yixing replies as easily as if Jongin’s just asked him for the time, “the things I could learn from a five minute trip through your memories is invaluable to me. Through the course of a lifetime, the human brain will retain up to one quadrillion pieces of information.”
Jongin inhales sharply, the fear settling into him. The scariest thing about all of this is how sudden it had happened, how it didn’t hurt at all for Yixing to change something as obvious as the color of a chair in his memory. It simply was and then it wasn’t.
“It doesn’t hurt because your brain doesn’t have any pain receptors, Jongin-ssi. Haven’t you ever wondered how surgeons operated on people while they were still conscious?”
“What are you?” Jongin demands, “a- a mindreader or something?!”
“Or something sounds about right,” Yixing says.
“Are you even human?”
Yixing laughs and Jongin swears he can feel it this time when Yixing settles into his brain, when the memory of this meeting with him shifts and changes until there exists no such thing.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Yixing murmurs, suddenly a lot closer than Jongin remembers him being, “the human brain is a fascinating organ, there’s so much about it that remains to be explored. seventy thousand thoughts can be had through the course of a day and it’s so easy to just switch the order or merge them together, don’t you think so?”
Jongin wakes to Junmyeon’s smiling face and when he’s teased about signing up for a sleep study despite all the ribbing he gave Junmyeon when he went for his, all Jongin does is laugh.
- - -
The door to the receptionist room opens with a soft ding and a customer enters, bringing the humidity of the storm in with him.
“Welcome to the Sleep Room,” Jongdae says with a smile from behind the desk, “do you have an appointment with us today?”
“Yes, I do. It’s for 2pm and should be under Byun Baekhyun.”
“Ah, Baekhyun-sshi,” Yixing says from the open doorway of his office, “we spoke on the phone yesterday. It’s a pleasure to see you.” He smiles, the dimple on his cheek making its entrance as he offers his hand for a shake, “Come into my office with me, I’ve just got a couple more questions for you.”
Jongdae closes the door behind Baekhyun, giving him one last smile before the door clicks.
“My apologies, Baekhyun-sshi, who was it again that you said recommended us to you?” Yixing asks, taking a seat at his desk.
“I don’t believe I mentioned it actually. It’s Jongin, Kim Jongin,” Baekhyun replies.
A grin stretches across Yixing’s face, the dimple in his cheek deepening significantly, “Jongin-sshi! I remember him, I trust he’s been doing well?”
“Oh, yes,” Baekhyun says, finding himself unable to resist smiling in response to the one Yixing’s giving him, “last I spoke with him, he said that he’s been sleeping very well. No dreams or nightmares at all!”
Yixing laughs, “That’s great to hear, we aim to please at the Sleep Room. Customer satisfaction has always been our number one concern. I see here on the forms you’ve already filled out that you work at a travel agency?”
“Yes, I’m a travel guide. I’m in and out of the country so often, I think that’s why I sometimes have problems going to sleep at night,” Baekhyun admits.
“That seems like it could be a problem,” Yixing sympathizes, “but it certainly sounds like quite the interesting job.” He gives Baekhyun a wide smile, “I can’t wait to pick at your mind, Baekhyun-sshi.”