Cha Hakyeon woke in the middle of the night, the sounds of a car crash echoing through his mind. Letting out a small sob, he sat up, pulling the large, plush bear against his chest. The hospital room was quiet with the exception of the whirs and beeps of machines. Alone, his cries sounded louder than he thought they would, full of emotion.

“Hakyeon?” Taekwoon entered the room holding a tray of food. Sitting it on a table, he raced to the bawling man’s side. Hakyeon held the bear tightly as Taekwoon wrapped his arms around him, rocking him gently. “Shh... Shhhh... I know... I know it hurts...”

“Taekwoon...” Turning, Hakyeon looked up at the other man, lip quivering. Their lips met in a soft, loving kiss, and then Taekwoon was jumping away, panic on his face.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Frantic, he began almost running backward toward the door. “I didn’t... Hakyeon... I-I’ll go...”

“Wait... Taekwoon, please...” Hakyeon attempted to scramble out of the bed after the other man, his tubes stopping him from doing so. “Don’t leave me alone here...”

“W-what?” The two stared each other down, one scared of being left behind and the other confused by the implications of his own actions.

“I can’t... If you leave...” Finding difficulty finding the right words, Hakyeon looked away. “If you leave, I just can’t do this without you...” A wave of self hatred hit him, feeling a sense of betrayal toward his husband, but then only resignation remained. Wonshik would not be returning to him and if the man he loved had wanted nothing more, he had at least always wanted Hakyeon to be loved and safe.

“Hakyeon...” Taking a step forward, Taekwoon seemed unsure and Hakyeon didn’t blame him in the least.

“Taekwoon...” Slowly, he held his arms out to the other man. “I need you by my side...”

“I... Then I wont leave you...” Moving quickly, he went to Hakyeon and embraced him. It hurt to be in the arms of anyone that wasn’t Wonshik, but if he had to move on, then Hakyeon supposed that the only other person he had ever felt so strongly for was a fairly good compromise. After all, once upon a time, hadn’t Taekwoon been his hope for a happily ever after?

Jung Taekwoon held Hakyeon as he slept, the two sharing the hospital bed. In the morning they would be cleared to leave and, though he knew there would be so much progress they still needed to make, more grieving and a deeper build up of trust, he couldn’t help but have hope in what the future may bring. Maybe, in the end, they’d be okay. Hakyeon would probably never stop missing Wonshik, and he knew he could never replace the dead man, but maybe, just maybe he could eventually be enough to bring the smile back to Hakyeon’s lips.

Leaning down, he kissed the tan man’s forehead, accidentally causing him to stir from his slumber. Yawning, Hakyeon slowly looked up and gave him a small, sleepy smile, a smile that Taekwoon had fallen in love with a long time ago. Without hesitation, he kissed the injured man, savoring the sensation on his lips.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Hakyeon mumbled, snuggling back against him. Grinning, Taekwoon ran his fingertips over Hakyeon’s jaw lightly.

“You are just too beautiful to look away from...” Kissing Hakyeon’s forehead again, he wrapped his arms around the smaller man. “I just don’t want to miss anything.”

“I was sleeping, Taek... You wont miss anything.” Pouting lightly, Hakyeon closed his eyes again and Taekwoon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Even asleep, you’re everything.” Taekwoon sighed, closing his own eyes. “I love you, you know.”

“I know...” There was a moment of silence before Hakyeon spoke again. “Hey, Taekwoon?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you, too.” And with those simple words, Taekwoon felt everything finally began to settle into place. If Hakyeon could say those words, he was sure that everything would be okay.