The Helping Unicorn Clinic
The moment Kris walked through his front door, his day went from bad to worse.
It really wasn’t his fault, though. It wasn’t his fault that his overly perky boss, Luhan, decided having an automated coffee machine in the office would be a great idea (but when coffee refused to stop gushing out of the evil contraption, Kris was the one who had to deal with it, causing his crisp, clean white shirt to transmogrify into a soggy brown cloth that clung to his chest).
It really wasn’t his fault that Kyungsoo, one of his coworkers, thought it would be absolutely hilarious to hit on Kris and make Jongin (Kyungsoo’s boyfriend and one of their coworkers) very, very jealous. So jealous, in fact, that despite Kris’ pleas for Kyungsoo to stop and please go away so he can finish his work, Jongin just had to go and lecture Kris about “keeping his overly large hands to himself because Kyungsoo belongs to Jongin, and only Jongin, and if Kris tries to get in the middle then he’s going to regret it.”
Kris could tell that Kyungsoo enjoyed the show more than he probably should have, judging by the satisfied smirk on the smaller man’s face, and Kris is glad that at least someone will be getting laid that night (and sadly, no, it’s wasn’t him).
It really wasn’t his fault that he was having such a terrible day, but despite everything, he was looking forward to getting home so he could change into some comfortable (and preferably coffee free) clothes, and cuddle on the couch with his adorable golden retriever, Suho.
Kris dug in his pockets for the keys to his apartment and pulled them out, silver glinting in the harsh hallway light. He half expected his puppy to come rushing at him, golden fur waving and tongue lolling, but the fluffy lump on the couch didn’t move.
"Suho?" Metal keys clattered against the cool marble and Kris finds himself kneeling on the hardwood floor by the couch, fingers curled in Suho’s bright coat. Suho didn’t look good. His usually damp, black nose was dry and crusty, his usually sparkling eyes were dull and listless. Kris scooped up the sick dog and curled him up and against his chest before rushing out there door and straight to the vet.
Kris was greeted with white walls and the friendly aroma of coffee wafting from a small desk across from the entry. A young boy, maybe 18 or so with light blonde hair sat at a keyboard, typing furiously.
"Hello, and welcome to the Helping Unicorn Clinic, where we will heal your pet with the magic of love," the blonde boy intoned with as much enthusiasm as a high schooler forced to watch Sesame Street with their two year old baby sister, "My name is Sehun, what can I help you with today?"
Kris shifted his body weight so he was leaning on his left leg, “I think my dog is sick, can you help?”
Sehun glanced up from the moniter in front of him and rolled his eyes, and Kris could have sworn he muttered a “No shit, Sherlock” under his breath before replying,”Have a seat and Dr. Zhang will be with you in a moment.”
Kris nodded and went to sit in a chair across from the desk. Sehun’s long fingers began rattling away on the keyboard again filling the waiting room the soft murmur of clicks and clacks.
Within minutes, a man wearing a long white lab coat and pale blue scrubs walked into the room, “Is Kris here?”
Kris glanced at the man, whom he presumed was Dr. Zhang. He was shorter than Kris, with warm brown eyes, sandy brown hair, and a dimple that appeared when he smiled, something he did as he looked over at Kris and the pup in his arms.
"Hi, I’m Dr. Zhang, but you can call me Yixing." He motioned for Kris to follow him down a hallway and into a clean exam room, "So what seems to be the problem?"
Kris gently set Suho onto the metal examination table, “I think Suho is sick and I don’t know what to do, I mean I came home and saw him like this and do you think he’ll be okay?”
Yixing inspected the golden retriever in front of him carefully, “I don’t think this is too serious, Kris.” He shone a light in Suho’s eyes and watched the pup’s eyes dilate.
Yixing nodded, “It’s just a minor cold. I’m sure he’ll be better with plenty of rest and relaxation.”
Kris’ shoulders visibly relaxed and Yixing smiled at him knowingly, “Suho means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”
Kris reached down to run his fingers through Suho’s golden fur, “Yeah, he does…”
Yixing turned away to scribble something on his clipboard before turning back to Kris, “Okay, I want you guys to come back in three days so I can check up on how Suho is doing.” The vet bent down to look into the pup’s chocolate eyes and ruffled its fur, “He should be right as rain in no time, so don’t worry too much, alright?”
Kris scooped Suho into his arms and gave Yixing a dazzling smile, “Thank you so, so much. You don’t know just how much Suho getting better means to me.”
The corners of the doctor’s mouth curled upward, and he hummed, “It’s no big deal.”
Kris thanked the vet, his eyes lingering on the small indent on Yixing’s cheek. Kris always thought dimples were pretty, and the vet’s was no exception.
"Well," Yixing cleared his throat and Kris realized that he had been staring at the other man for quite a while, "I will see you in a few days, so, uh, make sure Suho gets plenty of rest and come back early if things get worse at all, okay?"
Kris’ cheeks burned, “Oh, um, okay. I’ll come back if anything, uh, happens.” He turned and walked out the door, down the hall and into the waiting room where Sehun was still typing away.
Upon seeing the giant, Sehun sighed and began reciting in a monotone voice, “Thanks for visiting the Helping Unicorn Clinic, we hope that we were able to help you and your loved one. Have a good day.”
Kris thanked the boy, and left the clinic (although, he was 97% sure that Sehun muttered a “whatever” under his breath as he exited the building).
And although his day started off terribly, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, a certain vet’s dimples floating across his mind.
Kris could feel a certain puppy wiggle his way under his comforter, and he groaned. Not because Suho bothered him, but because it was the morning and the sun was too bright and the birds outside chirping were too happy.
And maybe a part of it was because his puppy woke him up.
"G’morning, Suho." Kris opened his eyes and cringed, bringing his hand up to protect them from the sun glaring through his window.
Suho popped out from underneath the comforter near Kris’ feet and tromped over the bed towards his owner’s face, which he nuzzled happily.
"I see you’re feeling better," Kris chuckled, squinting in the harsh morning light. He sat up, blankets pooling around his waist and stretched his arms into the air. Waking up was always his least favorite part of the day, and falling asleep was his favorite. His dreams were always something to look forward to, and his dream last night was about-
Kris froze. His dream was about Yixing. It was about a man he met for the first time the day before. Normally, Kris dreamt about things such as being rich or famous (or both). But to dream about a guy that he’s known for less than 24 hours? That was unheard of.
Kris stumbled out of bed, now wide awake and he tried to forget about the vet, with his kind brown eyes and his hair that shone like hardwood under the soft light of the clinic, and, oh god, his dimple-
It wasn’t working. Kris muttered a string of curses as he managed to work his way to the kitchen. He pulled a red, plastic cup out of the cupboard and filled it with freezing water from the tap.
Suho pounced on his foot and Kris looked down at the pup, “Are you sure you’re feeling all better, little guy?”
He set the glass down on the counter and scooped the pup into his arms. Suho let out a little sneeze and Kris immeadietly went into panic mode.
"Oh my god, you’re still sick. I need to get you to the clinic so cute Dr. Yixing can fix you right up- wait. What the fuck am I saying?" Kris ran out to his car, Suho in hand, "Cute? I did not just say that…"
Sehun looked up from his keyboard as Kris walked into the clinic again and frowned, “What are you doing? Your dog is fine, isn’t he?”
Kris shook his head, “No, I need to see Yixing.”
If Sehun noticed Kris’ cheeks turn pink, he didnt say anything about it, “Whatever, just go and stand somewhere and the doctor will be out soon. Probably.”
He didnt have to wait long, “Kris? What are you doing here?”
Kris looked up at the man in front of him and his cheeks flamed, “Oh, um, hi. I woke up and I was playing with Suho and the next thing I know he sneezed, and um, I just wanted to make sure that he is okay and everything.”
Yixing sighed, putting his hands in the pockets of his mint green scrubs, “Kris. He is fine, no need to freak out, okay?”
"Kris." Yixing locked gazes with the giant, "Go home."
Kris did (after much persuasion).
"You know, Yixing, I’m almost 100% positive that Kris guy likes you." Sehun yawned after Kris left, "You should have seen the way his face turned red when he said your name."
Yixing smiled, his dimple appearing again, “I think he likes me too.”
Another night passed and Kris dreamt of a certain vet with friendly eyes and a sweet smile. He woke up with a grin plastered on his face.
This time, he was able to control his urges to run to the Helping Unicorn Clinic (and hottie Dr. Yixing) when Suho let out a cute snease.
Kris spent the day playing with Suho, who was almost back to perfect shape, and the next day (after another wonderful dream with Yixing) they went back to the clinic.
Sehun paused his fast paced typing when Kris entered the clinic for the third time, “Oh. It’s just you.” Sehun sighed, “Go on back, Yixing doesn’t have a patient right now.”
Kris nodded, “Thanks, Sehun.”
Kris walked back to the exam room to find Yixing’s back faxing him, the vet scribbling away on his clipboard.
Yixing turned and grinned at Kris, “Ah, you’re here! Come on, set Suho down on the table so I can get a good look at him.”
Kris did as he was told, and set the pup on the table. Suho’s tail wagged happily as Yixing’s hands felt all over the pup’s body. Yixing checked his heartbeat and shone a light in the puppy’s eyes, the dark orbs dilating in response, “You know, Kris, I think Suho is perfectly healthy now.”
Kris grinned, then the grin was wiped off his face- if Suho was better, he wouldn’t be able to see Yixing anymore. His shoulders slumped and Yixing smiled.
"Hey Kris," he began, turning away to grab a slip of paper before thrusting it into the giant’s hands. Kris looked at it and saw a number scribbled on it, "You can call me whenever Suho- or you- need me."
Kris didnt have to dream about Yixing anymore after that. Reality was far better than anything his mind could conjure up in the middle of the night.
[Written for pringlays who is amazing!]
