The car ride to the hospital was silent. 

Amber, Jongin and Kyungsoo were seated in the back seat of the car and no one dared to speak a word. Amber was staring out the window, her face void of emotion. The other two had their fingers intertwined the whole time, sharing a sad half-smile every once in a while. The atmosphere in the car was heavy and Kyungsoo could tell by the looks on their faces that they were worried. He hated seeing them that way. He kept praying the surgery would go well so they wouldn't stay like that. The rest were praying too, especially Jongin who was the most desperate of them all, for the surgery to succeed.

He didn't want the love of his life to be blind.

His hand tightened around his lover's as he let a shaky breath escape his lips. One would think he was even more nervous than Kyungsoo himself. 

"We're here..." Junmyeon said monotonously as he pulled up into the hospital's parking lot. Jongin was so lost in his thoughts he diidn't realize they already reached and unconciously tightened his grip on the elder's hand, as if afraid of letting him go. 

"Kyungsoo-yah..." Junmyeon sighed as he turned around to face him from the driver's seat, "You can always turn back. You don't have to do this now." 

Kyungsoo studied all of their faces, and it was clear what their eyes said. But he shook his head. He just wanted it to be done and over with.. After the surgery, whether he would see or not would be final, and his heart would be at ease no matter which it was. He didn't like living in uncertainty. He didn't want to live with the fact that he could turn blind at any given moment. He was going to fix it when he had the chance. 

And he was scared he would change his mind if he waited any longer.

It was his final decision.

"I made up my mind and... I won't turn back."

Jongin closed his eyes and sighed. If this was what Kyungsoo wanted, then he would have to comply. 

"Okay." Junmyeon nodded understandingly before turning off the car. The five of them exited the vehicle before making their way towards the tall building that stood in front of them. Jongin visibly gulped a few times as they made their way to the reception, to which Kyungsoo would give his hand a reassuring squeeze. The receptionist informed them that the nurse would call them out of the waiting room when it was time. They sat there in the same suffocating silence.

"Do Kyungsoo." The nurse walked in and the five of them instantaneously stood up. "This way, please."

They followed the nurse through a long hallway, hearts growing heavier by the second. Just as Kyungsoo was about to enter the operating room,  Jongin pulled him back and engulfed him in a warm hug.

"I love you." Jongin whispered, "No matter what happens in there... I still love you."

Kyungsoo sighed, "I know. I love you, too." 

The elder pulled away to stare into Jongin's glossy eyes. "I want to see you smile."

Jongin forced the corners of his mouth upwards to give him the biggest, cheesiest smile he could muster. Kyungsoo's grinned happily, a tear rolling down his cheek. He kissed the younger on the lips before pulling away from his hold, afraid he wouldn't be able to let go if he stayed any longer. He noticed the people around them giving them looks but he wasn't bothered by it in the least. He shared a few brief hugs with Jungah, Amber and Junmyeon and, not wanting the nurse to wait any longer, he nodded at them reassuringly one last time and followed her into the room, the door closing behind them.

A few hours passed before the doctor left the operating room. As if on cue, all four of them stood up.

"How did it go?" Jongin was the first to ask. 

The doctor smiled, "The surgery went exceptionally well. However, Mr. Do will have to stay in the hospital for a week while his eyes to recover from the surgery, We'll only be able to tell if it succeeded by then.  We did our best, the rest is up to God."

All four of them visibly sighed in relief. "Can we see him?"

"He's not awake now but yes you can. Try not to be too long."

Jongin was the first to enter the room, only to see Kyungsoo laying down on the bed with a white fabric covering his eyes. He bit his lip. 

It reminded him too much of the first time he saw Kyungsoo. He was standing in their porch, his eyes covered as if a mystery waiting to be unraveled.

It was the day he fell in love with him. When he gazed into those beautiful, large, doe eyes of his.

Seeing him lying in bed like that, it almost felt like they were back to square one. But Jongin knew it wasn't like that at all. He knew that whether or not Kyungsoo emerged victorious from this ordeal, their relationship would be the same, if not even better. He was going to keep his promise. 

He could tell his family shared the same sense of deja vu once they saw him. 

Jongin was the first to approach the boy and held his hand, bringing it up to his lips to plant a small kiss onto it. He then brought his other hand to caress the elder boy's hair. 

"You really love him, huh?" Amber asked with a soft chuckle, but it was more friendly than teasing. Jongin turned to her with a serious look on his face.

"More than you can imagine."

Kyungsoo could feel the all-too-familiar sensation of cloth around his eyes. Eyebrows scrunched up, he reached his hand up to his face to make sure he wasn't just imagining things.

What happened? Was this all a dream? Jongin... Jungah... Junmyeon... Amber... were they all just a dream? 

No... He began to panic. His hands dug into the mattress. No no no... It can't be...

Why would God show him such a beautiful world then wake him up to the terrible fact that it was all a dream?

Jongin...

No. He wanted to go back to sleep and never wake up. He sat up in his bed, hyperventilating, fingers digging into the blindfold around his as eyes as he desperately tried to get it off.

"Kyungsoo what are you doing? Kyungsoo stop!" He heard a familiar voice shout and warm hands grasping his own. "It's okay... Calm down... It's me."

Jongin?

He began to breathe in and out deeply, body slowly going back to its relaxed state.

"That's it..." The boy cupped his cheek, running circles across it with his thumb. It was too familiar. It had to be Jongin.

"Jongin?"

"Hyung." He could almost hear the smile in his voice. So it wasn't all just a dream, right? Then why was he wearing a blindfold? It brought back too many memories.

"What's going on? Why am I..."

Jongin sighed, "You'll have to wear it for a week while your eyes heal up."

"O-Oh..." Kyungsoo kept quiet, not knowing what to say. 

"How are you feeling?" Jongin asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm okay. My eyes are a little sore though."

Kyungsoo could hear some shuffling before Jongin gently pressed his lips over the cloth on his eyes. "How about now?" He whispered. 

The elder giggled softly, a light blush covering his cheeks. It was difficult for Jongin to just watch those heart-shaped lips so he leaned down to kiss them softly. "I should go tell omma and appa that you're awake, or they'll have my head. I'll be right back." He said after pulling away.

"Okay." 

The smile faded from his face once Jongin's warmth left him, and his heart dropped a little when the door closed. He felt alone again.

Just like those days when he was left alone at home when his mother went out to work.

Seven days... Just seven days and it would all be over.

X X X