Evening came Minseok was discharged from the hospital and was now standing in front of the door to their house.

It wasn’t at all a fancy house. It doesn’t even look like it belonged to a world-class scientist such as himself and a famous fashion model like Baekhyun. It was actually a simple white two-story house with a small backyard where their garden of herbs and flowers were located and an apple tree with a swing dangling on one of its large branches. A simple house for two people who wants to live a simple life just like they wanted.

“I hope you remember that this is where you live” Baekhyun teases unlocking the door with his keys and went inside. They were greeted by a warm air brushing to pass their cheeks. It seemed like they left their fireplace unchecked and Baekhyun hurriedly went to investigate.

Minseok looks around hanging his jacket by a coat rack. The cream-colored walls were still the same polished and clean just like the way he wanted it to be. The hazelnut brown wooden floors squeaky and spotless. He looks to the left to find the stuffy kitchen, to the right where the stairs to the second-floor went and in front where Baekhyun was crouching in front of the living room’s fireplace cooling it down.

He steps inside the living room, the white intricate carpet soft beneath his socks. Everything in the living room were untouched as well. The right wall where it was converted into a large bookshelf was neatly arranged by author, the coffee table and couches in the middle of the room were still there and the glass windows covered by the three layered wool curtains were shut.

“There, that should do it” Baekhyun said contentedly standing up to dust his hands.

“You mean to say you left the fire crackling the whole day?” Minseok leans by the wall with an impish grin. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns his head to just stare quietly at Minseok with peaceful eyes. Minseok a brow up, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing much. I’m just happy to see familiar eyes staring back at me here at home” Baekhyun smiles to himself his heart leaping with contentment and shrugs. “We haven’t eaten dinner yet have we?”

“I’ll cook” he offers. There was some kind of urge that kicked him to say it, something that could perhaps make it up to Baekhyun.

“No, no. You stay put and rest”

“I just got hit on the head Baekhyun. It’s not like I lost my skills in cooking” he insists and tries to squeeze pass Baekhyun who blocked him everywhere he went.

Baekhyun glowers, arms spread out. “I’m cooking. Period”

Resigning to his beloved’s determination to cook for dinner, he nods and pats his head dearly. He laughs as Baekhyun recoils. “Okay, you’re cooking”

Baekhyun smiles triumphantly and pushes him out of the living room and directed him to the stairs. “Take a bath first, I can smell so many chemicals rubbing off of on you” he sneezes twice after he mentioned it. “See? You’re going to make me sick”

“Then I’ll take care of you” Minseok felt victorious seeing Baekhyun’s face flush caught off-guard by his sudden coddling.

“Just take a bath” Baekhyun pushes Minseok towards a step of the stairs concealing his flustered face. Without any other choice, Minseok climbs upstairs to their master bedroom.

The master bedroom was the same as well. The queen-sized bed in the middle still had that same coffee-colored sheets and paper white pillows, the cream carpets underneath had no trace of dusts anywhere, his study table filled with folders, files and paperwork were all tucked away neatly into place and Baekhyun’s personal favourite wall on the left where his corkboard was located were filled with polaroid pictures of both him and Minseok. Alongside the pictures were Baekhyun’s lovey-dovey quotes he found on books that he would always recite to him every night and also lyrics from his favourite songs.

One of the polaroids attached on the corkboard was a picture of the both of them watching a musical called: Wicked, Baekhyun’s favourite broadway musical. On the other, there was a picture of Minseok wearing a Pinocchio costume which Baekhyun drew a heart over with an orange pen.

Minseok smiles. Yep, Baekhyun was the creative one indeed.

Surprisingly after the long hours that passed, Minseok hasn’t felt any pain in his spine. Whatever drug those doctors had injected in him it was helping him breathe easier – for now.  It only gave Minseok an idea however, to make use of this advantage and work all night to find that cure without any interruptions and -

The Cure. He tells himself. If I find the Cure now…

He shook his head in negation brushing his fingers down from one of the pictures of him and Baekhyun smiling and dropped his hands to the sides as Junmyeon’s voice rang in his head: Time’s ticking.

Minseok stares blankly at the photo of him and Baekhyun back when they had peaceful days, back when he could sleep all day long without having the trouble of waking up in excruciating pain or worries of losing that smile of the one he loved. Back when he…

He slips his fingers under the photo and unpins it from the corkboard with nothing in his mind but the very image of Baekhyun’s smile. He grazed his fingers gently like what he would do to him every day. Minseok then runs his eyes over to his image, giving it one considerable look before covering his picture with his palm. His brows twitched, his heart sank and he found his mouth drooping into a long frown.

Time’s ticking.

What if one day…I’m not there anymore?  

I’m terrified…

 

Baekhyun was happily humming to himself whipping up the best salmon dish he learned recently from watching too much Master Chef. He made sure to keep the temperature right, the spice and texture to send electricity in each bite and imagined Gordon Ramsey to be screaming at him if he ever did wrong. He wouldn’t want to make Minseok vomit now that he’s finally back home with him after all.

Home. Minseok’s home. Baekhyun smiles, his eyes disappearing into small crescents with a tummy overflowing with butterflies.

He could remember the horrors his thoughts conjured when he heard Minseok was hospitalized and a great terror shadowed his heart fearing that he will never see him again but then, his prayers were answered. Now, when he turned around from the fireplace earlier and saw Minseok leaning back smiling at him, Baekhyun was beyond relieved and the immediate feeling to jump and embrace him, kiss him and shower him all those words he tells that only the moon at night could hear. Now that Minseok was back, Baekhyun felt at ease.

After artistically plating the two dishes and setting up the table, Baekhyun takes out one scented candle and places it in the middle of the dining table. He dimmed the lights letting the small candle light illuminate an orange glow around the room. To complete the romantic dinner table, Baekhyun took out a burgundy wine he’s been saving for a special occasion.

“I think every day’s a special occasion with Minseok” Baekhyun’s face warmed and his feet felt like flying.

He takes out a sticky note from the refrigerator and writes the words: every day is a special day with you. He then sticks it on the fridge door and smiles contently to himself.

With their dinner set neatly and beautifully and Baekhyun gave himself enough praise, he climbs up to call Minseok for his surprise.

“Marco!” Baekhyun calls out, their little game to locate where the other one was.

“Polo!” Minseok’s voice came from inside the bedroom.

“Minseok! Dinner’s ready and-“

The excitement and momentary happiness Baekhyun had was immediately erased to find Minseok with his nose buried deep into his once neatly tucked away paper works that only boiled rage in Baekhyun.

“What are you doing?” annoyance thick in his voice.

Minseok takes a quick glance at Baekhyun before looking down back to his paper with a smile. “Do I smell dinner?”

Baekhyun slumps his shoulders in disbelief noticing Minseok avoiding the question again. “Are you working right now, like seriously?”

“Give me five minutes” there was guilt evident in his tone and Baekhyun hated it.

“I can’t believe you! You just got out of the hospital after being attacked by those rebels!”

“I wasn’t attacked” the Sehun boy didn’t touch him and it was a truth but Minseok kept his voice quiet remembering that Junmyeon created a lie to prevent Baekhyun for ever finding out his condition.

It worked to Minseok’s relief, but it only made everything worse. “Will you stop working for once and relax?”

Time’s ticking.

“I will relax. Just as soon as I finish in finding it” as soon as I find The Cure, I can finally rest.

“How long are you going to keep this up?!”

How long are you going to keep this up Minseok?. Those were the exact same words Junmyeon asked him earlier and now Baekhyun was resonating the same question.

How long was he going to keep this up? How long was he going to find this cure? What if one day all of his searching goes to waste because there was no cure for cancer? What about Kyungsoo? What about the thousands who suffers the same fate as them? What about him? What about Baekhyun?

What about Baekhyun?

Time’s ticking.

Baekhyun lets out a frustrated sigh and snatches the paper from Minseok’s hands and throws it over the bed. He has enough of this nonsense and workaholic obsession Minseok has.

Minseok stares at Baekhyun with complete utter shock and was taken aback. “How could you do that!?”

“You just got home from the hospital, you’re not fully recovered yet and now you’re going to overwork yourself again!” Baekhyun wretches a pocket mirror from one of his drawers and flashes in front of Minseok’s face. “You look sickly pale and you’re still working! How can I not do that?”

It was true. Minseok almost fell off his chair. When was the last time he looked in the mirror? It was horrible to see how devastatingly sick he looked. His chubby cheeks were gone, his face was thinner and the sharpness of his bones was strikingly horrid. His eyes were blood-shot with dark circles looming below his bags, his lips drained out of color and even his collar bones were sticking out that he had to hold back a gasp. He looked like death had already claimed him.

When Minseok got a good look at his ghastly features, he found it more harrowing to find Baekhyun’s already tear-stained cheeks that had him cursing at himself. His heart stopped, his lips parted but no words came out as Baekhyun takes away the mirror.

“Just for one night Minseok, one night I beg of you” the words came out were in hushed whispers as the tears kept flowing down Baekhyun’s cheeks. “Just one night, please just one night let me be in your world Minseok”

You are my world Baek. This is why I want to find the Cure, why I’m working so hard after all these months, why I stayed in that freaking laboratory for days so I can get better. So I can…

Minseok wanted to brush his thumb over his eyes and wipe those dreaded tears away but he couldn’t. Wanted to tell him the truth about his sickness, about his fate, about the time he has left to be with him.

Time’s ticking.

“I miss you so damn much, you know? I haven’t seen here for almost a week now and sometimes I imagine you’ll never come home anymore and with those activists infiltrating Green Octagon and endangered your life, I got so terrified in fear that one day, I won’t see you come home anymore” stronger currents of tears fell from all over his eyes and Baekhyun found it harder to breathe.

Minseok’s throat went dry to hear the fear of never returning home to him, to Baekhyun. It only scared him even more to hear Baekhyun confirm the exact same thing he wanted to prevent from happening. His heart was constricted, his stomach turned.

You have to tell him someday and you know it. Junmyeon’s voice echoed in the back of his mind.

“You’re so damn stubborn that you don’t care about your own health anymore and it’s driving me insane! Look at yourself! You’re still working even when you’re too damn exhausted!”

That one cry of hurt and pain flashing through Baekhyun’s eyes was what triggered Minseok to finally stand up from his seat and ran over to take him in his arms not wanting to see any more pain from his lover. Baekhyun lets himself melt, wrapping his own arms around his waist and relished in the embrace he had always longed for the days when Minseok was nowhere in their house.

Minseok too had missed it. Missed how soft Baekhyun was, how intoxicating his scent was, how smooth his skin and how silky his hair felt grazing over his cheeks. He also missed feeling the natural warmth Baekhyun exudes whenever they’re close like this and Minseok let himself melt along with him and closed his eyes, holding Baekhyun tighter until they could stick like glue.

He was sorry. Sorry for every pain he had caused Baekhyun, every misunderstanding he wished he could say so they could ease each other’s pain. So sorry that…that he didn’t have the courage to tell him that time, was ticking.

“Time’s ticking” he whispers into Baekhyun’s ears with a small smile. “Then let me be selfish and let you be mine for a night. Let me be yours for tonight”

“Thanks for the meal. It was delicious pup” Minseok says sipping on the mug in his hands the exuberant brewed coffee.

“Of course, I’m fabulous after all” Baekhyun who chose to sit on the carpeted floor instead of the couch with Minseok smiles with eyes directed to the embers flickering from the fireplace. The very image of Minseok wolfing down his salmon dish with the sauce messily smeared over the corner of his mouth never failed to register. He chuckled inwardly and swayed.

The night was peaceful and the living room warm. Baekhyun had never felt so at home, and he could only achieve this kind of comfortable happiness when Minseok’s with him.

Standing up after finishing his coffee, Minseok walks to the kitchen a photo slipped from his pockets. Baekhyun picks up the peculiar little polaroid and smiles brightly. “Someone stole a pinned photo from my corkboard”

Minseok halts and looks over his shoulder to find Baekhyun waving the photo in his hand. He merely shrugs with an infamous lopsided grin.

Baekhyun plops back down folding his legs underneath him. “I’ve heard from one of my friends that the Broadway Musical Wicked is coming back to perform this year. I was wondering, since you’re a person who doesn’t seem to like singing-“

“Except yours” Minseok winks.

“Except mine” Baekhyun’s teeth flashed and he wiggles petulantly in his seat in delight with Minseok’s comment. “I hope you won’t get bored but, I was wondering if you’d want to watch it with me again”

Minseok comes back and sits back down on his place on the couch and leans down to meet Baekhyun’s face with a grin, his heart beating faster and faster the closer he got to him. “I’d love to watch it with you again and I never get bored with you puppy”

Inside the pockets of his pants, Minseok could feel the heaviness of the ring calling to him, urging him to pull it out and lay out the promises he was meaning to make: a full and happy life with Byun Baekhyun. But-

He leans away from that potential kiss that was supposed to take place. He wanted to give in and kiss him, he wanted to taste his lips and surprise him by slipping the ring out but he didn’t. Baekhyun, sensing his hesitation, retracted from him as well.

There’s that but again: I’m slowly dying.

How am I going to tell him? Minseok bites his lip in apprehension.

“Is something the matter Minseok?” came Baekhyun’s sweet voice of concern snapping him out of his thoughts.

Minseok stares at Baekhyun for a long considerable moment before he responded, “I just remembered something” he directs his eyes to the fireplace, his eyes lining with the color of amber. “Do you know the story of the One-Hundred Days on Earth?”

“Everyone knows that story Minseok” Baekhyun leans his cheek on the seat of the couch in amusement. “What’s got you so curious about it? I thought you don’t believe in such “unscientific” story”

“It’s kind of fascinating really, the funny concept of the afterlife where in this story, they don’t exactly immediately go to heaven or hell rather, their souls roam around the earth for a hundred days. They go around searching for answers they never got when they were still alive, go to places they went or never visited, see their loved ones one last time before they disappear forever on their last day”

It was a pathetic excuse to dive indirectly into the topic of dying but…

“I’m impressed Dr. Kim Minseok, you actually believe such a story!”

“Hey, even though I’m a man of science, it doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to like stories like that” he says in his defense.

“I’m no Scientist but those kind of stories are rubbish really”

“You think its rubbish? Gasp! Are you sure Byun Baekhyun?” Minseok laughing at his joke.

“It’s a children’s story Kim Minseok, just like Pinocchio wanting to be a real boy. That’s how rubbish it is” Baekhyun laughs happily.

“So is Wicked and the Wizard of Oz”

“You take that back!” Baekhyun slaps Minseok’s knee and pouts petulantly, a little jokingly offended by Minseok calling his favourite story and musical stupid.

“Come on, a Tin Man wishing for a heart? A Scarecrow wishing for a Brain?” Minseok makes a teasing kissy face when Baekhyun scrunching his nose and struck out his tongue.

“You know nothing Kim Minseok” Baekhyun bit his lip, repressing that goofy smile curving from his lip.

“I may not know everything in the world, I don’t know if there’s really another planet inhabited by aliens, if souls do really stay to roam the earth for a hundred days, or a wizard who grants wishes, or if there really is a God but I assure you, the only thing I believe that is real is that, I love you Byun Baekhyun”

Baekhyun was speechless, his eyes bulging out of its sockets. He leans away to look into Minseok’s eyes and wondered if he had gone mad, but there were no evidence in it. It was all just genuine and heart felt words and a widening smile.

“I love you and my love for you is real. If there was really a Wizard of Oz, I will wish nothing else but be by your side at all times puppy”

“You haven’t read the Wizard of Oz or actually paid attention to Wicked, have you Minseok?”

A guilty blush and smile.

Baekhyun throws his head back and laughs fruitfully. “The Wizard’s a fraud Kim Minseok”

“Then the list of why it’s a rubbish story too goes on” he says and earned a smack on his knees.

Shortly after, Minseok felt the ring growing heavy in his pockets. He reached for it and held the ring in his palms, fondling it ever so lovingly while staring at Baekhyun.

“What now?” Baekhyun a brow, his face beaming.

Minseok grips the ring tight in his hands. He wanted to pull it out – he didn’t. “Even if I don’t ask that fraud of a Wizard from Oz, I would say that my wish has been long granted”

And there, they stare at each like that in the middle of the living room in front of the fireplace and only the sounds of their beating hearts panged in their ears and the mutual feeling of peace and undeniable happiness apparent from their smiles and bright-red stained cheeks.

Baekhyun’s eyes jolted with his heart leaping uncontrollably in his chest to find Minseok taking him into his arms and hauling him up to sit on top of his lap. He wasn’t supposed to be surprised to see how strong Minseok but to have him be carried to sit beside him was- he didn’t care anymore, he submits himself to the butterflies in his stomach begging him to kiss Minseok back with a fiery passion to make up for those days and even months when they didn’t see each other.

They moan into each other’s lips, relishing in that sudden burst of fire that exploded from their mouths surging all over their veins with the panging hunger in their heart. Synchronized breathing and frantic hands going crazy just to touch each other’s skin, pulling each other closer until they could glue themselves and never separate in fear that they’ll let go once the kiss is over.

Baekhyun grew weak, his head falling right into the couch’s pillowed arm rest with Minseok straddling above him. Minseok pecks his lips thrice slowly that their lips would stick until they would part until he dives in for another passionate kiss but slower this time, as if he they had all the time in the world.

Time is ticking.

“I love you so much Baekhyun” Minseok breathes into Baekhyun’s mouth.

I love you and no cancer’s going to separate you from me.

He let his mind drift into a wonderland that transported the both of them in their passionate kisses until they both fell asleep in front of the fireplace on the carpeted floor.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:  Sorry for being gone so long. Anyway I will DOUBLE UPDATE today, so wait for Chapter 6 <3 Thank you~
Thank you so much for the endless support guys! Both AFF and AO3 really makes me happy from the kudos and the comments <3