As Sungmin sat, waiting for the red light to change, he fiddled with the silver bracelet around his wrist. It was a simple bracelet, nothing fancy or seemingly expensive about it. But when Sungmin had first been given it, he thought it to be the most precious thing he could possess. He ran his thumb over the clasp and contemplated what he was doing. 

 

He jumped when the car behind him honked loudly to announce that the traffic light had been green for a few seconds. Turning his attention back to the road, Sungmin continued on the drive to his boyfriend’s house. 

 

He slowed to a stop in front of a large but tasteful house. He picked up his cell phone in order to let his boyfriend know he was there, but the silver bracelet caught his eye. 

 

He dropped the phone onto his lap and twisted the bracelet around his wrist, again. Sungmin had loved his boyfriend when he had been given the bracelet for their one year anniversary. 

 

Sungmin shook his head, running his finger over the engraved words on the inside of the band. He still loved his boyfriend; he would always love his boyfriend, but…it seemed as though things have changed lately. 

 

Maybe he was just suddenly busy, maybe it was simply Sungmin’s imagination, but it seemed as though his boyfriend had been growing increasingly distant with him for a while now. 

 

Together. Forever. As one.

 

Sungmin took the bracelet off and looked at the engraving on the inside. It just seemed as if his boyfriend no longer believed his own promise. Sungmin sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the headrest. He loved his boyfriend, he truly did, but he wanted, needed, confirmation that his boyfriend loved him back still. Sungmin needed something that could prove to him that their promise to each other, to be together forever, was still present and strong. 

 

Sungmin dropped the bracelet into one of the cup holders in the middle of his car, completely removing it from himself for the first time since he had been given it. 

 

Sungmin gasped as the car door swung opened and his boyfriend’s smiling face suddenly appeared. 

 

“Sorry. Did I scare you?” 

 

“No.” Sungmin said, a light smile taking over his face. “You just surprised me, Kyu.” 

 

“Sorry.” Kyuhyun repeated as he took a seat in the car. “So where are we going?” 

 

“To the beach.” Sungmin said with a smile. “It’s finally nice outside after a week of rain. I bet you haven’t left your computer for the whole week—you need sunlight.” 

 

Kyuhyun made a face, but didn’t deny the accusation. “I didn’t bring swim wear.” 

 

Sungmin shrugged, pulling away from his boyfriend’s house. “Neither did I. We don’t need it; we don’t have to swim.” 

 

Kyuhyun just nodded and turned to look out the window. 

 

They remained in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t quite pleasant, either. Sungmin peeked over to Kyuhyun and noticed that the other was staring quite transfixed into one of the cup holders.

 

“Kyu?” Sungmin asked. 

 

Kyuhyun didn’t look up. Instead, he cautiously picked up the bracelet he had given Sungmin. 

 

“Why aren’t you wearing it?” Kyuhyun asked, holding the bracelet as if it would break in a matter of seconds. 

 

“I-I…” Sungmin stuttered, trying to balance his attention between Kyuhyun and the road. 

 

“You haven’t taken this off in…I don’t even know how long. What’s wrong with it? Is it broken?” Kyuhyun continued, only slightly oblivious of the odd panicky look in Sungmin’s eyes, but choosing to ignore it. 

 

“N-No, it’s not. I just..I-“ Sungmin continued to stutter.

 

“Wh-…Min, why aren’t you wearing it?” The panic still evident in Sungmin eyes and now voice was beginning to manifest in Kyuhyun, as well.

 

Sungmin turned his attention to Kyuhyun, looking at him head on. “Kyuhyun, I-“

 

Whatever he was about to say was lost in the moment. Choosing to give Kyuhyun his attention, Sungmin managed to not notice the red light he completely drove through. His words caught in his throat just moments before a bright red pickup truck drove straight into the driver’s side of the car. 

 

~

 

The beeping was annoying, so ing annoying, but Sungmin seemed to have lost the ability to move or speak out against anything. He thought his eyes were open, but all he could see was blackness. 

 

Turn that stupid beeping off! Sungmin screamed in his mind, but heard nothing more than the insistent beeping. 

 

He suddenly felt something warm brush over his forehead. He couldn’t see or tell what it was, but it felt damn good. Sungmin tried to lean into the warmth, but he still couldn’t move. 

 

Suddenly, the warmth left his forehead. Sungmin wanted to whine, but the warmth reappeared on his hand—completely encasing his hand in a comforting embrace. 

 

Where am I? Sungmin asked, but he still didn’t hear his own words. 

 

“Oh, Sungmin…” 

 

Sungmin’s ears perked up—he heard that. It wasn’t his own voice obviously, but it was someone he recognized, it was someone he cared about, someone he was glad to be near, and it was something other than the ing beeping. 

 

“Sungmin…I’m so sorry.” Kyuhyun spoke, not even trying to wipe at the tears that spilled down his cheek. He held Sungmin’s hand tight in his own and rested his forehead against his hand. 

 

The doctors said it was a coma from a traumatic head injury, but he was alive. Kyuhyun squeezed Sungmin’s hand slightly tighter at the thought—he was still alive, he was still fighting. 

 

“Just wake up, okay. I need you to wake up.” Kyuhyun spoke through a sob.

 

But…But I’m awake, Kyu. I can hear you; I’m awake.”

 

“I-I’m sorry I haven’t been paying much attention to you lately…” Kyuhyun continued, oblivious to the inner turmoil inside Sungmin’s head. 

 

Kyuhyun sniffled and wiped his nose before continuing. “And I’m…I’m sorry I distracted you…” Kyuhyun began to sob, again—there was nothing else he could do. 

 

“I-I think that’s why you took the bracelet off. Because I haven’t been paying enough attention to you.” Kyuhyun continued. “I’m so sorry, Sungmin.”

 

Sungmin could feel Kyuhyun moving, fidgeting beside him.

 

“I-I have the bracelet. But I…I won’t give it to you, not now. When you wake up, when you wake up and I can tell you how much I love you, then I will give it back to you.” Kyuhyun held the bracelet tight in his hand, running his finger over the carefully chosen words engraved on the inside of the bracelet. Just then, there was a soft cough heard from the doorway of Sungmin’s hospital room. 

 

“D-Doctor.” Kyuhyun greeted, quickly standing to his feet and pocketing the bracelet; he let one hand remain clasped around Sungmin’s hand. 

 

“Hello, how are you?” The doctor asked out of manners. 

 

“I’m…I’ve been better.” Kyuhyun responded. 

 

“V-…Visiting hours are over.” The doctor continued apologetically.

 

Kyuhyun looked to his feet and then Sungmin.

 

No, no, no! Don’t leave me, Kyuhyun! Please don’t leave. Sungmin screamed in his head—once again, not hearing his own voice or even hearing an acknowledgement from the other people in the room. He wanted to cry, to scream, to flail around, rip his hair out, cut his own arm off, anything to get someone, anyone to hear him. 

 

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” The doctor continued gently. 

 

Kyuhyun still didn’t answer.

 

“It will be good for you, too. You didn’t come out of the accident unscathed; you need rest to heal you broken ribs.” The doctor said, walking to stand next to Kyuhyun and place a soft hand on his shoulder. 

 

Kyuhyun nodded, albeit reluctantly. With one last squeeze to Sungmin’s hand, he followed the doctor out into the hallway. 

 

No, no, NO! Kyuhyun! Please, don’t leave me here alone! Sungmin screamed, feeling his eyes water out of pure frustration. Why was no one listening to him?

 

He tried to scream when he heard a door close, quieting everything except the stupid beeping. 

 

~

 

“Doctor?” Kyuhyun suddenly asked, turning back to face the doctor. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Please, tell me honestly.” Kyuhyun began, not sure if he wanted honesty or not. “Will he…What are the chances of Sungmin waking up?” 

 

The doctor paused, thinking over his words carefully. “His vitals are fine, as if nothing is wrong. He…”

 

Kyuhyun held his breath as the doctor paused. 

 

“You want honesty?” The doctor asked. 

 

Kyuhyun shrugged, now extremely unsure as to whether he wanted honesty or not. 

 

“Kyuhyun, I can see you care for him a lot—I’ll tell you honestly. I don’t…I truly don’t know why he is in a coma.”

 

Kyuhyun looked to the doctor, confusion in his eyes. 

 

“Kyuhyun, his vitals and bodily functions are working as if he were up, walking and talking with us like normal. He has brain activity that shows he is conscious and not unaware of the world. I don’t…I honestly don’t know why he won’t wake up.”

 

Kyuhyun continued to stare at the doctor, this time in slight horror. “Y-You don’t k-know?” 

 

“I’m sorry.” The doctor sighed and hung his head. “We…We haven’t told his family that we are unaware of the cause, just that his brain activity shows that he is responsive.”

 

Kyuhyun had nothing left to say, angry and horrified all at the same time. He turned to walk away, but paused in his step when the doctor spoke, again. 

 

“Visiting hours do not begin until 11am, but…But you are welcome to come when the receptionist comes in at 8am. It will be good for Sungmin to have someone around to speak to him.”

 

Kyuhyun nodded before walking away, not turning around to show the tears that were, once again, slipping unrestrained down his cheeks. 

 

~

 

Open your eyes! Sungmin yelled to himself through gritted teeth. Open your ing eyes, goddammit!

 

Sungmin could still feel the tears filling his eyes out of frustration and anger. What was happening? Where was he, and why could no one hear him?

 

This is for survival, Sungmin. Open you ing eyes!

 

Sungmin whined, and tried to squirm, but couldn’t for some reason. 

 

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore—he screamed. A loud, long and desperate scream. He could feel his head pounding, and his vision going impossibly darker. If he hadn’t already been aware that he couldn’t move or open his eyes, he would have thought he was going to pass out. But he continued to scream, continued to cry, continued to let out all of the frustration in him until…everything went silent and darker, darker than ever before. 

 

~

 

That ing beeping… Sungmin thought as he awoke suddenly, although he couldn’t remember falling asleep. 

 

“Can’t someone just turn that off?” Sungmin mumbled. He froze. Along with the beeping…he had heard his own voice!

 

“Hello? Hello!” Sungmin spoke just for the sake of hearing his own voice. “Ah-ha! Now, just open your eyes!”

 

With the final words and a bit of effort, Sungmin opened his eyes to a blindingly white room. Sungmin groaned as he blinked his eyes to get used to the sudden brightness. However, as he looked around, he noticed that through the one window in his room, it was dark outside, maybe midnight. But the room was still so bright. 

 

“S-Sungmin?” 

 

Sungmin snapped his eyes to look to the doorway. 

 

“Kyuhyun! You’re back!” Sungmin exclaimed, trying to sit up, but failing as a pain in his torso sent him to his back again. 

 

“Back?” Kyuhyun questioned, loudly dragging a chair across the room to sit beside Sungmin.

 

“Yeah. I heard you the last time you were here. I was trying to talk to you, but you couldn’t hear me.” Sungmin spoke, trying to reach his hand out to hold Kyuhyun’s; however, the younger pulled his own hands away from Sungmin’s bed and placed them in his lap. Sungmin scrunched his eyebrows in confusion at the movement, but quickly choose to ignore it.

 

“Sungmin, I haven’t come here before.” Kyuhyun said blankly, leaning back in his chair. 

 

Sungmin scrunched his eyebrows, again. Kyuhyun seemed like a completely different person today. He had never acted this coldly to him before, and last night (or a few hours ago—Sungmin was unsure of how the time has passed), he had been in tears, begging for Sungmin to wake up. Why did he suddenly have this cold demeanor?

 

“A-Are you okay, Kyuhyun?” Sungmin asked hesitantly, slightly afraid of the answer.

 

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?” Kyuhyun answered, crossing his arms. 

 

“I heard…I heard the doctor say something about your ribs. Are you okay?” 

 

“I’m fine.” Kyuhyun repeated. “Only a few scratches, thanks to you.” 

 

At that, Sungmin closed his eyes and sighed. “I am so sorry, Kyuhyun. I…I j-just wasn’t paying attention. I’m so sorry.” 

 

“Hm.” Kyuhyun simply hummed. Sungmin opened his eyes, again with a confused expression—Kyuhyun never acted like this. 

 

“What…What’s wrong?” Sungmin mumbled. 

 

Kyuhyun uncrossed his arms and leaned forward in his chair. “I won’t be coming back.” 

 

Sungmin’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. He knew Kyuhyun had seen that he had taken the bracelet off; hell, that’s why he got in the car accident in the first place. But even though he took the bracelet off, it didn’t mean that breaking up was what he wanted. 

 

“I came to say goodbye. I figured I could at least give you that much.” Kyuhyun said, standing to his feet and pushing his chair back. 

 

“K-Kyuhyun…wh-what-“ Sungmin didn’t even know what to say, what to ask. 

 

“You look confused.” Kyuhyun said with a surprised expression.

 

“Wh-Why are you doing this?” Sungmin stuttered out.

 

“Me?” Kyuhyun asked, scrunching his eyebrows. “You were the one who took the bracelet off. Clearly you had already thought about this happening.”

 

Sungmin fell silent, tears pricking at his eye. This was never what he had thought about. 

 

“Goodbye, Sungmin.” Kyuhyun said as he turned away.

 

“W-Where’s the bracelet?” Sungmin suddenly asked before Kyuhyun could walk out the doorway.

 

“Excuse me?” Kyuhyun turned around slowly to face the other.

 

“Y-You said you had the bracelet when you were last here. You took it. Where is it?”

 

“I told you, I wasn’t here. I haven’t come to visit you until now.” Kyuhyun said sharply.

 

“No. You were here. I know you were here; I could hear you, I could feel you!” Sungmin said, once again trying to sit up, but once again, failing as a shooting pain forced him to lie back. 

 

“I wasn’t here, Sungmin. When I saw you had taken the bracelet off I…I was already done.”

 

Sungmin’s eyes widened. This wasn’t the Kyuhyun he knew, this wasn’t the Kyuhyun he fell in love with…this wasn’t the Kyuhyun he still loved. 

 

“Why are you saying this? I-I know you were here. S-Stop lying!” Sungmin yelled, gripping the sheets tightly. 

 

“I’m saying this because you wanted this to happen. And I’m not lying, Sungmin. Your bracelet got lost in the accident, and I don’t have it. It’s not like you would want it anyway, right?” Kyuhyun turned toward the door.

 

“Kyuhyun! I love you. I always loved you.”

 

Kyuhyun paused, but didn’t turn around. 

 

“Yeah…Well, I never did.” And with that, he was gone. 

 

Sungmin stared at the empty doorway for several minutes, trying to digest what just happened. What had so drastically changed in Kyuhyun within just one night? And why had he so vehemently denied having been in the hospital room before when Sungmin knew he had been there? Sungmin had heard him, felt him, and even cried out for him to stay. 

 

Sungmin leaned his head back and sighed—all he wanted to do his throw up and cry. But instead, he screamed. He screamed loud and long, squeezing his eyes shut and tensing his whole body. He took a breath, but screamed, again—no one was coming to stop him anyway. Sungmin continued to scream even as he began to feel lightheaded, continued as his vision began to blacken, continued as he felt his body weaken. He only stopped when he lost consciousness. 

 

~

 

“Sungmin?” A gentle voice called out in the silent room. “Sungmin? Can you open your eyes?”

 

Sungmin could hear the voice, faint at first, but it was steadily growing louder. 

 

“Sungmin, please wake up. Just…Just open your eyes, please.” 

 

Sungmin could hear the voice clearly now, but he couldn’t believe who it was. 

 

“Sungmin, I love you so much. I-I miss you, Sungmin. Please open your eyes for me.”

 

Sungmin scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, keeping his eyes closed. 

 

“S-Sungmin? You…You can hear me? Sungmin! I saw you move, please open your eyes!”

 

He didn’t want to, but the pleading in the voice touched a weak spot in Sungmin’s heart. He opened his eyes to see Kyuhyun staring at him with tear stained cheeks. He made to ask why Kyuhyun came back, but the younger had already pulled him into a tight embrace. 

 

“Sungmin!” Kyuhyun managed to yell as they both winced from the pressure on wounds from the accident. 

 

“K-Kyuhyun?” Sungmin muttered in disbelief. 

 

“I’m here; I’m here.” Kyuhyun answered, pulling away from the hug in order to take Sungmin’s face in his hands. Sungmin still had a look of complete confusion and disbelief.

 

Though his face was still held by Kyuhyun, Sungmin could see out of the window that it was morning.

 

“B-But…Why are you here?” Sungmin mumbled, turning his attention to the still watery eyed Kyuhyun. 

 

Kyuhyun paused, dropping his hands from Sungmin’s face in order to hold onto Sungmin’s hand. “What do you mean?” 

 

“I thought you weren’t coming back? You…You left me.” Sungmin said, tears pricking at his own eyes. Kyuhyun had seemed cruel the last time he had come, but coming back and acting as if nothing happened was even crueler. 

 

Kyuhyun’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about, Min? I…I was here last night, but I had to leave.” 

 

Sungmin closed his eyes and rested his head back. Kyuhyun finally admits to being here last night, but he is still playing stupid about what he did. 

 

“Sungmin?” Kyuhyun was getting nervous at how the other was acting. “Sungmin, look at me.” 

 

Sungmin opened his eyes and rolled his head to face Kyuhyun.

 

“I didn’t want to leave. The doctor told me visiting hours were over. I came back as soon as the receptionist came in this morning. I was here even before she was. I only left because I couldn’t stay the night, Sungmin.” 

 

At the explanation, Sungmin scrunched his eyebrows. 

 

“You left when the doctor told you that you had to leave, but…but then you came back.”

 

It was Kyuhyun’s turn to look confused. “Sungmin, I…I didn’t come back. I mean, I did, but only just now.” 

 

“You broke up with me, Kyuhyun.” Sungmin deadpanned. “And you wouldn’t give me the bracelet back…You said you didn’t have it.” 

 

“What? Why would I break up with you? And…And I do have the bracelet.” Kyuhyun said as he reached in his pocket with one hand, leaving the other intertwined with Sungmin’s. “The police said I was still holding it when they put me in the ambulance.”

 

Sungmin stared with curious eyes as Kyuhyun held up the simple silver letters, the engraved letters showing in the morning sunlight. 

 

“B-But you said it was lost in the accident…” Sungmin mumbled, tentatively reaching a hand out to see if the bracelet was real.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sungmin.” 

 

Before his fingers touched the cool silver, Sungmin looked up to Kyuhyun’s eyes. “What about…the accident…What happened to you? Are-Are you hurt?” Sungmin remembered hearing two different outcomes from Kyuhyun.

 

“My ribs.” Kyuhyun muttered, placing the bracelet on Sungmin’s stomach to reach down to his own chest.  “Two are broken, and I had a concussion. But that’s it.” 

 

Sungmin nodded, appreciating that the story matched with the doctor’s. But he was still having a hard time understanding all that was happening. 

 

“But you were here, and you said…you said-“ Sungmin cut himself off at the thought.

 

“What did I say, Sungmin?” Kyuhyun asked, curious, although he was starting to understand that Sungmin had either hallucinated, or had a realistic dream while in the coma. 

 

“You said…You s-said that you never loved me.” Sungmin struggled to get out. 

 

Kyuhyun fell silent for a moment. “Sungmin, you were hallucinating. I didn’t come back until now, and I would never say I didn’t love you.” 

 

Sungmin stared, toying with the bracelet resting on his stomach, acutely aware that his other hand was still held tightly between Kyuhyun’s. 

 

“I know…I know I hadn’t been paying enough attention to you before. I know, and I’m so sorry.” Kyuhyun reached over and took the bracelet from Sungmin.

 

“I told you I would only give this back to you once I could tell you how much I loved you.” Kyuhyun unclasped the bracelet and gently looped it around Sungmin’s wrist. “I have always loved you, Sungmin. I would never break up with you just because you took the bracelet off.” Kyuhyun added the last bit with a small chuckle. 

 

Sungmin looked to the bracelet and back to Kyuhyun.

 

“I didn’t want to break up with you. I just…I don’t know what I meant with taking it off.” Sungmin said with a sigh.

 

“It doesn’t matter, Sungmin.” Kyuhyun said, placing a hand over Sungmin’s cheeks and forcing the elder to look at him. “I don’t care. I promise that I’ll pay more attention to you from here on out. I love you so much Sungmin.” 

 

Sungmin could feel tears spilling over his eyes. This time, it wasn’t out of frustration, it wasn’t out of confusion or hurt; it was out of pure love for the man sitting beside him. 

 

“I love you, too, Kyuhyun.” Sungmin said, sniffling away the tears as he held tight onto Kyuhyun’s hand. 

 

“Like the bracelet says,” Kyuhyun began, leaning in close to place a kiss to Sungmin’s lips. “Together forever. As one.” 

 

the end.