A whole year had passed.
 

A year since YiFan stood in front of Chanyeol as the young man smiled a smile that was beyond his years and had vowed that he would wait for him.
 

"No matter how long it takes," said Chanyeol gently, "I'll wait for you."
 

YiFan had played the conversation over and over in his head the past year; no matter what conclusion he came up with, it didn't make sense with the thing that Chanyeol said. 
 

In the week it took for him to get to know and become close with Chanyeol, YiFan had allowed himself to feel happy for the first time in a long time. When it came to being around Chanyeol after that first night when they had fallen on the roof together, YiFan had forgot that they were strangers and allowed the younger to see a part of him that he thought had disappeared from him all those years ago in the waiting room of the hospital. Chanyeol had this way about him that made YiFan feel free and happy. It was as if Chanyeol himself radiated freedom and happiness and those two things just happened to be absorbed by YiFan whenever they were together, which was all the time in the week Shixun and his friends had came for a visit. 
 

So needless to say, YiFan was taken off guard when Chanyeol turned to face him before walking through the terminal and told him he had finally received a red string tied to his finger. YiFan was confused and tried to tell Chanyeol that there was nothing on his finger. He even held up Chanyeol's hand and inspected it himself—but to his surprise, Chanyeol merely smiled and said that YiFan couldn't see it yet, but he would eventually.
 

"Stop messing around Chanyeol," said YiFan sternly, letting go of the man's wrist, "there's nothing on your finger and you know it."
 

"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there." said Chanyeol patiently, "Someday yol will, though, when you're ready."
 

YiFan had never wanted something as much as he wanted to punch that smile off of Chanyeol's face, right then and there. That smile that haunted YiFan to this day. It was a cheeky smile that seemed to say 'I know something you don't' and 'I'm right and you know it' morphed into one. Maybe it was the fact that Chanyeol had the upper hand in this and was being uncharacteristically patient with him that caused him to lash out and tell Chanyeol that he was crazy for thinking something was there when there wasn't—but maybe it was because deep down in his own heart, he was terrified of Chanyeol being right about something. Anyway, it didn't seem to phase Chanyeol one bit, and the young man simply reached out and hugged him warmly, causing all his anger and fear to evaporate into nothingness. 
 

"You're not ready yet," whispered Chanyeol softly into his ear. "and that's okay, YiFan. I'll wait for you. No matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you."
 

Those four words. 
 

'I'll wait for you.'
 

---

YiFan stared at the clock on his dashboard, before looking out the window and staring up the stone steps leading to the old cemetery. He had a flight to catch in a few hours but YiFan didn't feel right boarding the plane without first seeing his mom before he left. Today, Shixun was to marry Minseok in a private ceremony surrounded by only a handful of friends and family (family being only YiFan since Minseok's family were against the union). 
 

Turning off the car and grabbing his scarf on the passenger seat, YiFan got out and ventured into the cold crisp autumn air. Wrapping the scarf around his neck and grabbing the usual bouquet of pink roses that were in the back seat, YiFan started his trek up the old stone steps. When he got to the top of the stairs, he let out a long sigh, readjusting his aviators on his nose, that walk up the stairs was never easy on him, whether he was young or old. Checking his watch to make sure he was still on schedule, YiFan inspected his flowers once again and continued on his way through the line of headstones and family shrines.  As he was getting to the familiar line of old weathered down headstones, YiFan stopped in his tracks as he saw a man kneeling down by his mother’s grave placing a bouquet of roses in front of the headstone. The man stood upright, his head bowed eyes focused on the small mound. YiFan couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips when he finally recognized who this man was. The man froze when he heard YiFan's gasp and turned his head slowly; a small smile graced his lips when their eyes met.
 

"Hello, YiFan-ah."
 

"Doctor?"
 

---

YiFan was sitting on his seat on the plane, staring out the small window, getting lost in the cloudy landscape. The last two hours replaying in his mind, reflecting on what the doctor, the last person to see his mother alive, informed him about how the last seven years had not only changed the Wu children, but also himself.
 

"Doctor?" YiFan exclaimed, startled, yanking his sunglasses off his face to get a better look at the surgeon to confirm that he wasn't seeing things. "It's really you...It's been a long time."
 

"Yes it has been, YiFan." nodded the doctor with a polite smile, bowing courteously to YiFan, who bowed back. "Seven years, in fact."
 

"You're the one that's been leaving the red roses," said YiFan in a hushed tone as he walked closer and pointed at the flowers already placed on the grave. 
 

"Yes," replied the doctor, stepping back from the grave to stand next to YiFan. ",I uh, come by once a week and pay your mother a visit."
 

"But why?" asked YiFan confused. "I mean, do you live nearby? Did you know my mother? Were you two friends?"
 

"I do live nearby actually," answered the man, fiddling with his hat, "I live in the nearby village where my family used to reside."
 

"Did you know my mother?" repeated YiFan staring at the doctor closely; it had been too long and seeing this man here at his mother's grave didn't make much sense to him. What was the doctor's purpose for coming here?
 

"I didn't know her previously," confessed the doctor, "I met your mother for the first time when the paramedics brought her into the emergency room and became my patient. But honestly that's all it took for me to know who she was."
 

"I don't understand," said YiFan, shaking his head trying to wrap his brain on what the doctor was saying, "What do you mean?"
 

"I spent six hours," said the man, eyebrows crinkling to reveal the wrinkles that had began to form over the years. "in the operating room, trying to the best of my abilities to keep her alive. Several times her heart rate would drop and would stop beating; I was usually more composed to handle situations like that when they would happen. But nothing could prepare me for how fearful I was whenever she would start to fade away on the table. She was the first patient I ever was afraid of losing. She would surprise me when despite the fact that the odds were stacked against her, she would hold on and keep on fighting."
 

The doctor looked up to see YiFan staring down at his mother's headstone, his expression not giving away any emotion. 
 

"You mother was coherent in the beginning, and would reassure me that she would keep fighting and stay awake." continued the doctor, "She was able to maintain a conversation with me. She told me about you and your brother; your mother mostly spoke about you two then about herself. It was admirable and endearing to see a mother so proud and very much in love with her children. I wanted nothing more than to save her so that she could go back to her family, back to you two." the doctor took a deep breath as he folded his arms and stared down at the red roses, "Unfortunately things didn't work out the way I wanted them to."
 

"I didn't know mom spoke about us to you." muttered YiFan, feeling a lump grow in his throat hearing new information about his mother for the first time.
 

"It was all she could talk about." appeased the man, "To be honest, YiFan-ah, it was because of the love she held for you and your brother that I think is the reason she held on as long as she did. That kind of devotion is hard to thing to come by in these days when everyone is only focused on themselves." 
 

"Do you have a family, sir?" asked YiFan quietly, looking at the man and stared down at his hands, searching for a wedding band to give him a hint.
 

"No," replied the doctor in the same quiet tone "My parents died a few years back and I was an only child. I was never into dating when I was younger, so I have never been married."
 

"It's just you, then." acknowledged YiFan "On your own."
 

"It's a lonely prospect, don't you think?" said the doctor softly, "Being alone all your life, never devoting yourself to someone and experiencing something like 'love' for and from someone other than yourself."
 

"I suppose," nodded YiFan, shifting on his feet slightly, unsure where the discussion was leading to.
 

"I heard your brother is getting married," commented the man, "you must be happy for him."
 

"I am," replied YiFan, "I'm leaving in a bit to Korea for his wedding."
 

"Congratulations," smiled the doctor, "Please relay my sentiments to Shixun and his partner. I'm sure your mother is happy as well."
 

"Yes," agreed YiFan, "Shixun brought Minseok here last year to meet him. They are...they have a bond. Shixun and Minseok that is." he rambled, "Shixun says that Minseok is his end of the red string."
 

"Is that so?" wondered the doctor in awe "That's incredible. To find the end of his string at such a young age."
 

"I can't be certain about that part," confessed YiFan, "I don't think it's completely true but, Minseok makes Shixun happy so I don't have any objections about their union."
 

"You don't believe in the red string then?" poked the older man, curious.
 

"Yes," replied YiFan staring at the roses again and remembering the bouquet that Chanyeol had shown him at the airport a year ago and frowned at the memory, why was he thinking about that now?
 

"I never believe in it either," concurred the doctor "I thought it was only a silly children’s story that my own mother would tell me so I would treat people better.' Because you never know who will cross your path and stay with you,' she would say," he smiled at the memory, "I didn't know how true her words would be."

"Sir?" asked YiFan confused.
 

"People cross paths with you for a reason," the older man continued, as if he didn’t hear YiFan, "Some only stay for a moment, others intertwined path and stay longer. The origin behind the story reminds us that we are all connected one way or another. It lets you know that you’re not completely alone in this world." 
 

The doctor knelt to an eye level with the headstone once again and stared at the inscription with a sad expression. "I think what surprises most about the red string of fate, is the person themselves that they are bond to. Some are blessed with finding that person sooner and getting to spend more time with them, while others are given a small amount of time. Both are happy and sad, which is what makes it so special." the doctor took a deep breath and reached out and ran his finger over the carving of the name written on the headstone. "It's what makes you want to hold onto it and cherish it."
 

YiFan's eyes widen when he saw a faint red mark on the doctors finger and the way it lingered longer on his mother's name. How could he not notice that? He was certain it wasn’t there earlier. The doctor told him he never married, why was there a red string mark on his finger?

The doctor turned and saw YiFan's shocked expression and looked at where the younger man was staring at and smiled sadly when his gaze landed on his own finger.
 

"You can go your whole life saying you don't believe in fate, but nothing can prepare you for the day that fate knocks you down a notch or two with its hands," he said quietly "humbling you, reminding you that there is a much greater power at work."
 

"How long has that been there?" asked YiFan pointing at the red string, in alarm, "Why do you have that on your finger? You said you never married!"
 

"I got this string seven years ago," replied the doctor softly, "I can't tell you why it showed up then and there-"
 

"No," said YiFan in shock.
 

"I never married, it’s true," carried on the doctor, "I couldn’t then and couldn't now, it wouldn't feel right—"
 

"Stop it," hissed YiFan glaring at the doctor, "you’re lying!"
 

"I'm sorry YiFan-ah," said the doctor soothingly. "but I am not lying."
 

"Are you saying that that string on your finger," accused YiFan shaking his head in denial, "formed seven years ago, when you were helping my mom?!"
 

"I wish that it didn't happen the way it did," said the man sadly, "but that is what I am saying. I never believe in the string of fate, but the moment I laid eyes on her, everything changed. That's why I tried so hard to save her, not just for you and your brother's sake, but also my own. I wanted to talk to your mother more, to spend more time with her."
 

YiFan shook his head and felt his legs give into the weight of what was just revealed to him by the doctor, the last person to see his mother before she drifted away from this world. His heart bloomed in happiness and broke simultaneously in heartbreak at knowing what happened to his mother. His mother got her string in the end, but it was only for a brief moment. He was happy that she had got to see it, but was hurt that she never got the chance to experience it in the way she had told them about it in those bedtime stories. It was unfair that someone as remarkable as his mom only got to see it in the last hours of her life. She deserved much better—she deserved so much more than just that small moment. She waited for so long and it wasn't even long enough for her actually taste what it was like. YiFan blinked back his tears as he stared at his mother's head stone and he felt his heart clench inside his chest. Why was everything so unfair?!
 

"YiFan-ah," said the doctor softly, getting the young man's attention once again when he touched his shoulder, "there's more that I would like to say. Will you hear me out?"
 

YiFan didn't trust himself to speak, fearing that his voice would give away the anguish he felt in his heart. Without taking his eyes off the headstone, YiFan nodded his head for the doctor to continue.
 

"After your mother passed," started the doctor, "I spent a long time blaming myself for how everything panned out. If I had just paid more attention to my surroundings and not solely on my studies or my work, I would of have noticed her lot sooner. I never knew how we were in close proximity with each other all those years. Fate always meant for our paths to cross, but I was too caught up in my own world to follow it. But mostly, the reason I never believed in fate was I didn't like the idea of me not being in control of my life. If I had let go and allowed for things to happen the way they should of, maybe fate would have been a lot kinder to me from the start. Fate waits for no one, and it can also happen when you least expect it. Don't end up like this old man YiFan-ah; don't be afraid like I was. Don't hold back because you fear losing control. There is a freedom and happiness in letting go and letting fate guide you. Be happy, and find someone who you can make happy. It's a terrible thing going through life not being the source of someone's happiness and them being the reason for your happiness."
 

YiFan stared hard at ground where the roses were placed and allowed for the doctors words to sink in. 
 

"Despite only sharing a few hours trying to save your mother, I was happy that I got to meet her and know a little bit about her." said the older man softly, "I don't regret that. I am happy that I got just a moment to be with her. Your mother was an amazing person. I know she would want you to be happy, the same way Shixun is happy. Don't be afraid to be happy or making someone happy."
 

YiFan nodded his head as he gave his own roses one last look and a small peck on one of the petals before placing them right next to the doctor’s roses. He kissed his finger tips lightly before planting his hand on the headstone and giving it a small smile, rising up to feet at last, and putting on his sunglasses once again.
 

"Thank you," said YiFan genuinely, "and thank you for visiting my mother the way you do. I'm sorry for calling you a liar when you weren't lying to me." he looked down at his watch to check the time, "I better get going if I'm going to make my flight." He muttered.
 

He gave one last bow to the doctor and turned to leave, only to be halted when the doctor spoke once more.
 

"Was I right?" asked the doctor suddenly.
 

"About what?" asked YiFan turning his head to look at the man.
 

"Roses," he said, gesturing to the bouquet "they were her favorite, right?"
 

"...Yes," answered YiFan with a small smile, "Red roses were her favorite."
 

"I knew it." the old man simply said before bowing more time to YiFan and staring at the grave once more, allowing for YiFan to quietly slip away.
 

---

As YiFan went over what the doctor had told him, he couldn't help but think about Chanyeol and how every time the word 'fate' came up, his thoughts went to the tall clumsy man. The words that stood out the most was the doctor telling him not to be afraid—that was something Chanyeol had told him as well. Why did they both think he was afraid? He wasn't afraid! YiFan frowned at the words that repeated in his head, what made them say that to him? Was it obvious that he was?  
 

YiFan stared down at his hands and his finger absent mindedly ran across his right ring finger, the same finger Chanyeol showed to him when he said that a red string was there. But YiFan couldn't see it and had even told Chanyeol that nothing was there. Chanyeol told him that just because he couldn't see it didn't mean that it wasn't there. He also told him he wasn't ready—ready for what? YiFan growled under his breath and turned away from the window and glared at the seat in front of him.
 

"Ridiculous," he muttered.
 

It would seem that the more he thought about it and of Chanyeol, the more frustrated and angry he was about it. Then again, this is what always happened whenever he thought about Chanyeol and what he had said to him over a year ago. Chanyeol seemed to have the uncanny ability to make him both happy and mad at the same time. It was unnerving knowing that Chanyeol had that sort of power over him, even to this day when they hadn't seen or heard from each other in a year. 
 

Chanyeol told him that he would wait for him. Wait for what exactly? YiFan hated not knowing what Chanyeol knew and meant, or the idea that Chanyeol knew something he didn't. He had no control when it came to Chanyeol, but he never did have that control to begin with. Chanyeol was free spirited and didn't want control. 
 

YiFan admired and disliked that about Chanyeol.
 

His glare eased up when he thought about how close Chanyeol and him got with each other. How easy it was for Chanyeol to worm his way into his life, he accepted him so willingly. Chanyeol made him feel so at ease that he couldn't help but let his guard down and allow himself to smile and laugh whenever Chanyeol would tell him something or do something. He also liked how easy it was to please Chanyeol.

Chanyeol was simple. YiFan liked that the most about him. Everything was simple with him. All YiFan had to do was obliged the younger and watch the happiness and pleasure show all over Chanyeol's features. YiFan enjoyed seeing Chanyeol like that so much that week that he found himself giving into the clumsy man's requests no matter how silly and ridiculous some of them were; he just wanted to see Chanyeol happy. 
 

"Don't be afraid to be happy or to make someone else happy." 
 

Is that they both meant by him being afraid?
 

YiFan glanced out the window once again as he lulled over what he just discovered. If it was so easy for him to make Chanyeol happy, why would he be reluctant about admitting it scared him? Was he worried that a day would come when he could no longer make Chanyeol happy?

Or that someday he would realize Chanyeol was no longer there for him to make him happy? That last thought scared him. YiFan felt his heart clench at the thought of never being able to see Chanyeol again and not being able to see his happy face again. No, he couldn't let that happen! Not to Chanyeol. He was afraid yes, but not enough to keep standing on the sidelines and watch it actually happen when he could do something about it.

YiFan stared down at the landscape, the clouds were starting to disappear and the sea and land started to take its place. Minutes passed and the land below started to get closer and closer as the plane started to make its decent. For the first time in his life, YiFan wished for time to go faster. He needed to get off this plane!

---

Sehun stood by the public stairs and glanced at every passerby that walked into his line of sight, searching for his brother. He moved from side to side anxiously hoping to see his brother was coming just like he said he would. A minute passed and to his luck, there was no sign of YiFan anywhere. Sighing in frustration, Sehun fished out his phone from inside his tux and immediately found his brother's number and pushed send. 
 

"You got to be kidding me," said Sehun under his breath when his call was immediately rejected and a generic message told him the caller was out of service and to try his call again later. "Where are you ge?"
 

"Sehun?" came a quiet but gentle voice.
 

Sehun turned around and saw Minseok was behind him watching him closely with a worried expression plastered on his face.
 

"He's not here," said Sehun is a disappointed voice, "He promised he would be here and he's not here Minseok."
 

"Did you try calling him?" asked Minseok.
 

"His phone is out of range," answered Sehun sadly.
 

"He's probably on his way right now, Sehunnie," replied Minseok calmly, reaching out and catching the tear that escaped Sehun's right eye before it rolled down his cheek, "Don't be upset."
 

"Ah, there you two are!" exclaimed an exhausted voice, causing the two to turn around and see Chanyeol taking the stairs two at a time, "It's almost time guys, we should get back before Kyungsoo gets impatient again and that ticket guy really does charge us."
 

"What do you wanna do 'Hun?" asked Minseok patiently.
 

"I don't want to start without my brother," said Sehun quietly, "But we've already wasted enough time...let's go 'Minnie." 
 

Sehun grabbed Minseok's hand led the other down the stairs to where the rest of his friends were waiting for them. Minseok noticed the sad look in Sehun's eyes and leaned forward, giving the younger man a kiss on the cheek, hoping it would cheer him up. Sehun looked at Minseok one more time and tighten his hold on the other's hand, but kept on walking. As both grooms made their way to where the small ceremony was to be held in front of a large sculpture, Chanyeol turned away and gave the art museum's entrance lot one more look around hoping to see the tall blond man making his way over. 
 

Chanyeol knew how punctual YiFan was, so it was surprising that the older male had not arrived yet. Something didn't feel right; Chanyeol couldn't help but feel worried about YiFan. 
 

"Where are you YiFan?" Chanyeol asked quietly, turning away and following after Sehun and Minseok.
 

---

YiFan pushed the 'crosswalk' button impatiently, cursing himself to seven gates of hell and back for getting himself lost. He had missed his stop thirty minutes ago and ended up on a different side of the city. To make matters worse, his phone died on the plane over. It wasn't like him to get lost. YiFan never got lost; it just wasn't him to be lost. He always knew where he was going and how he was going to get there.

YiFan looked both ways before he took off in a mad sprint to get to the other side when the signal said 'Cross' on it. YiFan had to make it to the museum; Sehun was counting on him being there and more importantly, he needed to see Chanyeol. He had to see Chanyeol. There was so much he needed to tell the other. 
 

YiFan heaved a deep breath and kept on running. If he kept running he would get to the museum a lot sooner. His legs felt like lead and his chest hurt, but he didn't care. There were more important things to worry about than his lack of endurance.
 

Fifteen minutes had passed since he had started running, several times he had to come to a halt by almost crossing into oncoming traffic, four blocks laid behind him from when he first started running. He would look at the streets signs from time to time informing him that he was a block or two away from the museum. 
 

"Hang on Shixun," he muttered under his breath, "Gege is coming."
 

---

Sehun and Minseok were walking in front of them hand in hand with their new wedding bands on their fingers when Chanyeol felt a strange tug in his heart. As the rest of the small wedding party were celebrating and tossing rice onto the newly weds, Chanyeol stepped away from the crowd and walked to where the entrance of the museum overlooked the city. Chanyeol scanned the area to see if something was a miss when a gasp escaped his lips just as he caught sight of a familiar tuff of golden blonde hair fluttering in the wind, running toward the museum. Chanyeol couldn't bring himself to stop as he suddenly broke into a run and fled down the steps, his eyes not leaving where he saw YiFan.
 

"Chanyeol, where are you going?!" shouted Kyungsoo from on top of the stairs.
 

Chanyeol ignored his friend and jumped the last flight of steps, landing for the first time gracefully at the bottom and he kept on running. He could see that YiFan was now by the crosswalk which was still a good distance away from where he was now. The traffic was loud so Chanyeol didn't bother to shout right away, but as he got closer and he saw YiFan much better he didn't hold back or restrain his voice from calling out to YiFan. The same name he would whisper from time to time, the same name he would wake up to hear his own voice say.
 

---

"YiFan!" 
 

He heard that voice many times before, but for reason this time it was different. YiFan stopped running and he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Chanyeol across the road running to him. Everything seemed to be blurry and the only thing that was clear was Chanyeol.

YiFan's attention was now and only on Chanyeol. It was as if the only thing that could stop YiFan was what was running toward him right now. And he never wanted to it to stop. He needed to be with Chanyeol, which was the only thing that was clear to him now. He had fallen for Chanyeol.
 

---

Chanyeol's heart fluttered hard in his chest when he saw YiFan look up at the call of his name and their eyes met for the first time in over a year. How Chanyeol had missed that feeling YiFan gave him every time they looked at each other. He never thought he would feel that again. Chanyeol couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips as the happiness of seeing YiFan again radiated through his body. Picking up the pace, Chanyeol ran faster.
 

---

YiFan felt his world go hazy when he saw Chanyeol smile at him from a distance—he wasn't even aware that he had walked into oncoming traffic. All he saw was how Chanyeol's smile vanished from his lips and his face fell in horror, and then he heard Chanyeol scream his name.
A force toppled him over, then everything went black.
 

---

-beep, beep, beep-
 

He could hear his alarm going off—was it time to get up already? YiFan mentally groaned, he felt like he had barely closed his eyes and his alarm was now waking him up, informing him it was time to get out of bed and get ready for work. He tried to open his eyelids but they felt too heavy for him to move. YiFan groaned from the exhaustion and tried to lift up his arm so he could turn his alarm off when his body also felt too heavy, and in pain. Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion, YiFan started to get the feeling that he wasn't in his bedroom, and that that wasn't his alarm he was hearing. Slowly opening his eyes, YiFan's vision was fuzzy and white. 
 

As his eyes adjusted from his sleep, he noticed that he wasn't in his room or in his house for that matter, but in a strange and foreign place.

YiFan turned his head slightly and he got his answer when he saw a heart monitor beeping to his right and a hospital curtain was pulled around his hospital bed. Why was he in the hospital?
 

He got his answer when he looked down and saw his left arm and leg were wrapped up and had a cast on each limb. Slowly reaching up with his right hand, he felt a bandaged too was wrapped around his head. What the hell happened to him?
 

YiFan looked up when he saw the curtain open and his brother came walking in, holding a cup in his hand looking exhausted but still sharply dressed in a black tux. Shixun ended up dropping the cup of coffee he had brought for himself to the floor when he saw that YiFan was awake. 
 

"Gege," whimpered Shixun, rushing to YiFan's side and throwing his arms around him, hugging his brother tightly.
 

"Shixun, that hurts," mumbled YiFan against Sehun's shoulder.
 

"Gege," croaked Shixun, pulling away from his brother and touching his cheek gingerly, "thank god you're okay."
 

"What happened?" asked YiFan feeling confused as to why he was in a hospital. He barely remembered anything.
 

"You ran into oncoming traffic and..." started Shixun before he broke down in tears, "a delivery truck bumped you...your leg was broken and so was your arm. Your head it the asphalt really hard too, there was so much blood. If Chanyeol hadn't stopped that other truck from crashing into the delivery truck, you would have been..." Shixun's voice faultered toward the end as he lunged toward his bother again, wrapping his arms around the other's waist
 

"Where's Chanyeol?" asked YiFan suddenly feeling scared suddenly as to what happened to the other.
 

Shixun wiped his eyes of the tears that were there and pointed off to his right side. YiFan turned his head and could make out Chanyeol's body curled up in a chair that was as close as he could get it to the bed, sleeping soundly, both his hands wrapped around his uninjured hand. YiFan felt huge relief as he could feel the other next to him and he relaxed back into the hospital bed. Thank goodness, he's okay, he thought to himself.
 

"How long was I out?" he asked out loud suddenly
 

"About 14 hours." replied Shixun quietly, "It's four in the morning."
 

"I think that's the most I've slept in five years," mumbled YiFan, closing his eyes.
 

"You really scared me, gege," whispered Shixun, his voice quivering, "I really thought I was going to lose you."
 

"I'm sorry," said YiFan softly, "I didn't mean to scare you."
 

"Don't ever do that to me again," said Shixun with a frown, as he leaned down and hugged his brother, again. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."
 

YiFan tilted his head till it met his brothers and he nuzzled Shixun's hair with his cheek. 
 

"I promise Shixun." he vowed quietly, kissing the top of his brothers head.
 

The brothers stayed like that for several minutes before Shixun pulled away first and gave YiFan's cheek one more touch and stepped away from the bed.
 

"I better get going," said Shixun quietly, "Minseok is probably still up waiting for me."
 

"Go on home then," said YiFan softly, "I'm not going anywhere."
 

"We'll come back for a visit in the afternoon okay?" offered Shixun, pulling his jacket over his shoulders.
 

"Okay." nodded YiFan.
 

Shixun waved at his brother and then left the room quietly, leaving YiFan alone with his thoughts and Chanyeol. YiFan wiggled his hand free from Chanyeol's grasp and rested it on top of Chanyeol's hair, digging into the brown locks. Chanyeol sighed in his sleep and leaned into the touch, causing YiFan to smile at the action. YiFan frowned slightly when he saw something different about his right hand. Pausing and releasing his hold on Chanyeol's hair, YiFan raised his arm slowly and stared wide eyed at what he saw.
 

On his right pinky finger, was Chanyeol's ring. What was that doing on his finger? The ring was wide and silver, a black marking was made on one side that was facing upwards. The ring was also a little big on his pinky. Curious as what the markings were on the ring, YiFan slowly pushed the ring up his finger with his thumb and slid the ring off his finger. A gasp escaped his lips when he saw something else was under the ring. Dropping the ring on top of his lap, YiFan brought his hand closer to his face and blinked in disbelief at what he saw. 
 

At the base of his pinky, wrapping it delicately in bright red, was a thin red string. 
 

"I told you would be able to see it when you’re ready," came a low rumble beside him.

YiFan whipped his head to the side and saw Chanyeol staring back at him with one eye, smiling at him from where he was sleeping. YiFan felt his heart slow down and speed up at seeing Chanyeol smile at him the way he did. Warmth spread throughout his body seeing Chanyeol. YiFan watched as the younger man sat up in his seat and leaned over to grab his hand once again. It was then that YiFan saw that the string on his finger was tied to Chanyeol’s string that was wrapped around his ring finger. 

"How long has that been there?" asked YiFan quietly, staring at Chanyeol in shock.
 

"Since the day we fell on the roof," answered Chanyeol with a nervous grin, his thumb rubbing YiFan's pinky.
 

"Why didn't I see it before?" wondered YiFan.
 

"Because you didn't believe it was there." replied Chanyeol, as if he was stating the obvious.
 

Chanyeol looked up to see YiFan is staring at him with an apologetic look on his face. Before Chanyeol could ask what's wrong, YiFan pulled his hand away and brought to his lips, covering his mouth as it started to quiver.
 

"And I made you wait this whole time," whispered YiFan realizing how much time had passed since he had seen Chanyeol, "all because I didn't believe you."
 

"Don't beat yourself up about it too much, YiFan," said Chanyeol reassuringly "I knew you would see it eventually."
 

"But-" started YiFan
 

"But nothing, Yifan. I would have waited forever if it meant that I would get to spend it with you in the end." Chanyeol softly said, taking back YiFan's hand and intertwining their fingers together, "It was worth the wait.”
 

YiFan stared down at their fingers and smiled to himself; Chanyeol was a fool. But at least he was a patient one. And he was his.
 

"You're unbelievable," said YiFan softly before quickly adding, "And cheesy."
 

"You better get use to it," retorted Chanyeol, "Because it's gonna get cheesier from here on out. You're stuck with me forever, ‘ya know."
 

YiFan laughed at the younger’s statement and pulled Chanyeol closer. Blinking his eyes in curiosity, Chanyeol allowed himself to be pulled by YiFan. A small gasp escaped his mouth when he felt a pair of soft lips on his own. YiFan was kissing him. Closing his eyes in pure happiness, Chanyeol pursed his lips and kissed YiFan back, holding that man's face in the palms of his hand. They stayed like that for a minute before YiFan pulled away first and stared up at Chanyeol one more time and said:
 

"I wouldn't have it any other way."
 

-The End-