The next few months seemed to pass in a blur, and while Jungmin’s illness still loomed over their heads, every day was a baby step towards him getting better. They were making the best of a bad situation, cherishing time together as a family as they had realized how precious and fragile such life was. Everyone seemed to blossoming just well, and despite the situation, their house was a happy house. The holiday season had dawned upon them, and due to Geun and Shura’s constant successes and good behaviors in school, the lads decided to provide them with all the best gifts possible. Besides, they could afford to do so, so why not give their children a very well earned, and vast variety of Christmas presents?

“We’ve loaded these carts with everything on Shura’s list,” Hyunjoong remarked as he looked through the list on his phone, “Anything else we could provide her with?”

“She was eyeing the iPads on the television the other day.” Jungmin pointed out, linking arms with his partner. Hyunjoong chuckled away, shaking his head in despair as they made their way over to the electronics section of the shop. After speaking with the sales associate in the section for a few moments, they selected the iPad as well as a pink protective case as well as they both knew how clumsy their daughter could be. The friendly sales associate sweetly recommended they pay for all their items in the area to avoid the chaos of having to wait in line at the front of the store; something the fathers were grateful for as they knew it would most likely be a nightmare to find a decent line at the front when Christmas was a stone’s throw away. A few moments later, Jungmin was collecting the receipt after swiping his card; all the gifts for Shura being in various bags piled inside the court. Just as they were about to make their way throughout the store to find the others, Youngsaeng and Kyujong found them first, escorting the children over to them. Hyunjoong and Jungmin were forced to smile as they saw Shura and Geun holding each other’s hands, forever having that protective nature between them ever since they’d been adopted together the months earlier.

“Found all the gifts then?” Kyujong asked, only to snigger at the roll of the eyes he received from the fathers.

“Far too many gifts, but it’s fine - all sorted.” Hyunjoong replied, the men all chuckling together as they exited the store. As they reached the car, Jungmin’s grip tightened on Hyunjoong’s arm, a slight wheezing sound starting to escape his lips. Immediately realizing that the oxygen canister was due to be changed, Hyunjoong opened the passenger door of the car to help his partner sit down, before quickly changing the canister. He did so with surprisingly calm hands, managing to just relax even though deep inside, he wanted to panic each time this happened.

“Thanks hyun.” Jungmin thanked him once he got his breath back. Hyunjoong nodded, breathing out before helping the others to put the bags into the car. A short while later, they had reached another store, this time to find a Christmas tree. As they walked into the large warehouse type store and saw the large variety of trees, they all exchanged a glance, wondering how in the world they would ever agree on one Christmas tree to please everyone.

“I think we should go for something small - or a fake one with the lights already on; whatever.” Kyujong remarked.

“Purely lazy,” Youngsaeng nudged his partner, “Come on; let’s go all out - get a proper big tree that we’ll have to stand on things to decorate and stuff.”

“That’s effort.” his partner scoffed, giving him a raised eyebrow. Youngsaeng rolled his eyes.

“The magic of Christmas, babe.” he remarked; their banter causing Jungmin and Hyunjoong to simply chuckle away at their playful nature.

“Considering it’s Shura and Geun’s first proper Christmas in a happy home, they should choose the tree.” Jungmin suggested.

“I think they already have.” Hyunjoong remarked, nodding his head in the direction of the brother and sister. The two were smiling happily as they gazed up at a large, fur tree; their little faces staring up at the large tree in awe.

“Is that the one you want, kids?” Youngsaeng asked.

“Ne, please; it’s the best one.” Geun replied. The men exchanged a glance before nodding, knowing that they best not bother arguing with the two children as the children would always get what they wanted. After paying for the tree - and having a bit of help to strap it down to the roof of the vehicle - the guys and the children headed off back home. The journey was quite short it seemed, as they found themselves back home in no time. Kyujong and Youngsaeng carefully carried the tree into the lounge and settled it down so that it was sturdy, whilst Hyunjoong and Hyungjoon wandered upstairs to grab the boxes of ornaments to decorate.

“This is going to be a great Christmas; I can already tell.”  Jungmin remarked, watching as his partner returned with the large boxes of ornaments and lights for their Christmas tree. He heard his remark and smiled, dropping a light kiss onto his forehead.  

“Anything for you all.” Hyunjoong winked, causing Jungmin to chuckle happily as he jumped up to help with the decorating. Christmas music played in the background as the family dashed around together, decorating their tree with a vast variety of ornaments and tinsel, as well as other magical, sparkling figurines that gave life to their tree. All the fathers were simply glad to see the smiles on the faces of their children, knowing this meant a lot to them as they hadn’t ever had such a happy Christmas before such as this.

“Appa, I want to put the star on, budi .” Shura spoke up once they finished with the main decorations. Hyunjoong smiled, lifting her up which allowed her to place the star securely at the top of the tree. Once they were finished, Kyujong switched on all the lights, allowing the tree to glow whilst they looked at it.

“Perfect.” Geun remarked, smiling up at them. Shura nodded, giving him a fist bump which amused everyone greatly. However, some moments later, Jungmin began to wheeze slightly, leading Hyunjoong to quickly increase his oxygen before glancing at his watch. It was time for him to have his medicine, so Hyunjoong wandered off to fetch the medication whilst Jungmin sat down on the sofa. YoungSaeng, Kyujong, and Hyungjoon smiled sheepishly at them, finding it so heartwarming to see how well Hyunjoong handled any situation with Jungmin. Once Jungmin had his medication, the guys all randomly decided to have their own mini concert of Christmas carols for the children to help lift their spirit. Laughter reverberated throughout their the lounge, lifting everyone’s spirits as usual which was great. After the mini concert - and after praise from the children - it was time for everyone to settle down for the night. Once the kids were settled and in bed, everyone else turned in for the evening, the home feeling so happy and light that for once, everyone went to sleep with a positive heart and mind.

******

The next day seemed to pass quickly; the lads got on with their own bits and bobs around the house while the kids went to school for their final day before they were released for Christmas break. The schools released rather early, so Shura and Geun were home in time to have some lunch with everyone.

“How was the last day, guys?” Hyunjoong curiously asked.

“I had a test, but I only made a C - which isn’t bad, I guess?” Shura shrugged before smiling slightly as Jungmin gave her a pat on the shoulder, making her feel a bit better about things.

“We just had a class Christmas party.” Geun chimed in, causing Shura to pout profusely as she looked at him.  

“Lucky.” she gave him a moody stare to which he simply laughed, nudging her arm.

“Sorry sis, but we all know Mr. Shin is a bit on the crazy side.” he remarked, causing the others to laugh as they continued eating.

“Well at least you’re finished for a while now, so you can rest and we can hang around.” Hyungjoon remarked.

“Agreed, I will truly enjoy us all spending time together.” Jungmin remarked, giving them all a smile to which they returned.

*****

Later in the evening, Jungmin began feeling quite weak and tired, leading him to simply relax in bed for the remainder of the day. Shura decided to help him out, as she was quite bored anyway and plus always went for any available opportunity to help her father when he was ill.. He wound up having to spend the rest of the day in bed.

“Appa, are you going to be okay?”  She asked, climbing onto the bed beside him. Jungmin gave her a warm smile, putting his book aside as he cuddled her into him, kissing her forehead.

“Yes sweetheart; I'm just a little weak right now, that's all.” He reassured her. She nodded her head, giving him a slight smile.

“Can I stay with you, appa?”  she asked. Jungmin gave her a nod, holding his arm out for her. She gave a warm smile back and slid onto the bed next to him, cuddling into his warmth as he kissed her forehead.

“I love you appa.” She whispered.

“And I love you too.” He replied in that quiet voice laced with exhaustion. Before long, the father and daughter fell asleep, looking as adorable as ever as Shura rested her head against his arm. They were oblivious to the fact that Hyunjoong had walked in and was now watching them with a sweet smile on his face while happy thoughts raced throughout his mind. Covering them both with another blanket, he said a silent prayer to himself, thanking the Higher Being for blessing their lives with a sweet little angel such as Shura. Meanwhile down the hall a bit, Youngsaeng and Kyujong were having a quiet moment together where they cuddled up in each other’s arms for a bit.  While everyone’s minds seemed to be plauged with a bit of worry for Jungmin, they did have to admit that having the children around gave light and happiness to the home and helped them to carry on with their lives.

“The kids are really the light of our lives, hey?” Youngsaeng questioned, smiling as he received a kiss on the forehead from KyuJong.

“Definitely, and it’s clear that Shura gives Jungmin ah something to fight for everyday.” he remarked. Just as they were about to share another kiss, they noticed Hyunjoong passing by their room, heading towards the lounge. They exchanged a glance before getting out of bed themselves, going to join him in the vast lounge where he was sat on the sofa, flicking through television channels with a slightly troubled expression on his face. Hyungjoon had joined them in the lounge as well after having just returned home from visiting with some other friends. He too noticed the troubled expression on their friend’s face, exchanging a glance with the other boys whom simply shrugged their shoulders. Sighing slightly, he approached the eldest member, sitting down beside him and giving him a warm smile.

“You look like something’s bothering you,” he gave him a knowing look, “What’s the matter, hyung?”

Hyunjoong sighed; there was no way he could hide how he was feeling from the people who knew him better than he knew himself.

“I'm just worried about him,” he kept his voice quiet, though the wobble could be heard as emotion overwhelmed him, “He just keeps getting weaker and weaker and there's nothing we can do.”

“These things happen, but you’re doing the best you can, Hyun; please don’t worry too much.” Youngsaeng tried to give some words of encouragement. Hyunjoong shook his head, sighing slightly.

“I wish I could help a little more.” he quietly spoke. Throughout the night, sleep was the farthest thing from Hyunjoong’s mind as he remained in the lounge, even long after the others had left him and gone to bed. He could never imagine his life without Jungmin, and whilst he tried to hold on to his faith and continue to pray for the healing of his partner, there was also part of him that felt that the inevitable was happening - and that he would have to face life without the one person who made him happiness. Tears brimmed in his eyes as the thought crossed his mind, a ball of anxiety forming in his stomach. That was truly a scary thought; he pushed it away and tried to regain control of himself.

“Hyun; you never came to bed.”

The quiet voice startled Hyunjoong slightly, causing him to look up. Jungmin was standing over him, giving him a happy yet tired smile. Hyunjoong smiled slightly, shuffling over a bit so that Jungmin could sit down.

“Morning,” he kissed his partner’s temple, “I’m sorry; just had things on my mind.”

“May I ask what you were thinking about?” Jungmin questioned with a raised eyebrow. Hyunjoong hesitated before replying.

“I’m just worried about you,” he ran his hand over his face, “I’m worried constantly; I just want you to be okay.” The exhaustion due to not having slept combined with emotion just overwhelmed him, causing a couple tears to stream down his cheeks. Jungmin reached up with his thumb, wiping them away before softly kissing his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Hyun, you just have to believe that things will be better,” he his fingers under his boyfriend’s chin, encouraging him to look at him, “I will be alright; I believe it - I have faith.”

Faith was the only thing Hyunjoong seemed to be holding on to these days - and he was holding on by only a thread.

*****

A short while later, Hyunjoong and Jungmin - as well as Shura - were at the doctors’ offices again due to Jungmin having an appointment to check and see how things were going. The others were off pottering around the city doing their own bits and bobs, so the couple decided to bring Shura along and take her to lunch after. The doctors office smelled of disinfectant and plastic plants, latex gloves and random colognes and perfumes of the other patients and nurses and doctors. Truthfully, Jungmin hated this place, but he knew he had to be here to make sure things were going okay.

“Appa, I’m bored.” Shura whispered as she sat between her parents in the waiting room. The two men chuckled, reassuring their daughter that this would be over soon and that they would be going for food as soon as they were done. Jungmin felt slightly anxious as he was called into the doctor's’ exam room a short while later. Whilst he was being checked out, Hyunjoong was trying his best to entertain Shura - and to keep his mind off any negative thoughts. He prayed silently as he occupied Shura, simply praying to any Higher Being that there would be good news to follow this doctor's’ appointment.

‘I do believe in miracles.’ he thought to himself, smiling as Shura began showing him something in a magazine. Within twenty minutes, Jungmin was returning to the waiting room as his appointment was over. The solemn expression on his face was one that told Hyunjoong straight away that today’s visit did not result in any good news, causing a knot of anxiety to form in his stomach as they approached the car. Once they got in, he braved it and finally asked;

“Min, what did the doctor say?”

The response from Jungmin shook him to the core.

“It’s getting worse, so I need to be ten times more careful, oxygen constantly, and no more performing.” There was a hint of bitterness in his tone, anger almost for having to deal with such illnesses. Hyunjoong sighed out and his head back against the seat for a moment, needing to process this for a second as everything just felt so surreal.

‘We have done everything right so why is everything still going so wrong?!' the question screamed out in his mind whilst his eyes remained closed as he tried to make sense of what he had been told.

“Don’t worry appa; I will still help you get better.” Shura chimed in, forever being a pillar of strength to her parents with her strong nature. Though the situation worried her too, she was determined to be strong for her fathers.

“I appreciate it, sweetheart.” Jungmin replied, giving her a warm smile to which she happily returned. The rest of the day was more subdued as everyone simply chilled out, though Hyunjoong really had his mind on other things. The remainder of the day and night passed quickly, and the next morning, Christmas came around bringing a light-hearted, cheery mood. Wrapping paper was strewn about in the lounge as the kids unwrapped their gifts with excited looks on their faces while the guys sat around and watched. The kids seemed to very happy, which helped to give that cheery, Christmassy vibe to the home. As the afternoon rolled around, the children continued enjoying their gifts while Kyujong and Jungmin headed out to the pharmacy to get a quick refill of Jungmin’s medication. While there, Kyujong had the odd sense that something just wasn’t quite right, and while he couldn’t exactly place what was wrong, the anxiety was consuming him. The atmosphere felt still and suffocating, as if something was about to happen.

“We better hurry before the place closes,” he breathed out, “It’s still early but it’s also Christmas, so they’ll be wanting to get out of here.”   

“You're right about that; let’s hurry.” Jungmin agreed as they made their way to stand in the line among other patients. The line seemed quite long, and truthfully, Kyujong’s anxiety was starting to worsen with every passing second.. Darkness had dawned over the city once the pair finally excited the pharmacy, both of them grumbling under their breaths at how long it took. As they began making their way to the car, Jungmin suddenly began to feel a bit weaker, leading Kyujong to gather on to him as he stumbled slightly whilst they stepped onto the street to go to the car. However, as they both did so, the unthinkable happened as a speeding car suddenly crashed into them both; the two of them hearing the faint sounds of car tires screeching and screams of witnesses before everything went black.