There were people everywhere. It had been a long time since so many were gathered together. Ryeowook didn’t recognize a lot of them, but figured that they were Hyungsik’s good friends. The teenagers were all sitting together in the living room, laughing and eating, while Ryeowook stood in the kitchen decorating his husband’s birthday cake.

“Why didn’t you just buy a cake?” Hyungsik laughed, coming up behind the shorter male. He kissed him on the shoulder softly.

“I wanted it to be perfect,” Ryeowook responded, smiling and tilting his head back to sneak a kiss on the lips, “and store bought cakes just aren’t that.”

The younger male blinked a few times before turning the young man around and kissing him deeply. Ryeowook’s eyes widened and he frantically tried to pull back, only to ending up slipping and getting further tangled in the tall boy’s embrace. “Hyungsik…,” his voice was muffled, trembling laughter bubbling up inside of him.

“Hey…do you know what I want to do right now?” He pressed Ryeowook back against the counter top, one hand moving to balance on the edge of the surface. His eyes were trained on the small, blushed figure, a strange little light flashing in his dark depths.

“B-But…,” Ryeowook backed up, the tube of decorative icing in his hand.

“I know it’ll be messy, but it’s my birthday, so can’t I do at least this much?” he breathed, leaning in slowly.

The shorter male blushed harder, looking away. Carefully, he squeezed the tube in hand and then turned back to Hyungsik. Simultaneously, Ryeowook shot the icing at his husband’s face and Hyungsik shoved a handful of birthday cake into that cute face.

“Hey!” they exclaimed, laughing at once and pushing at each other.

“So you abandoned our party for your own little party in here?” one of the friends called, coming into the kitchen with the others.

Ryeowook shoved caked into Hyungsik’s face when he was distracted and then quickly ducked to avoid a handful of batter. “I’m sorry!” he managed between giggles. “You guys can always play with us too…if you don’t make too much of a mess…”

“You’re saying that now?” Hyungsik’s mouth twitched as he wiped away the cake crumbs on his face. “Aren’t you a little late?” He looked around the kitchen which was already covered in batter, crumbs, and frosting.

His friends joined in without further ado, grabbing whatever they could find and throwing it around the small area.

Ryeowook fought within himself, but in the end decided to just give it up and enjoy the momentary fun. “Happy Birthday, Hyungsik!” he shouted over the noise, kissing his husband’s frosting covered lips.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” the younger boy rolled his eyes, laughing and plopping a bowl of pudding over Ryeowook’s head. “You must be going crazy right now with all of this mess, huh?” he teased, dodging a slap to the chest.

“Oh hush,” Ryeowook pouted, “Don’t make me think about cleaning up right now.”

“It’ll be just as beautiful as it was before once you’re done,” Hyungsik assured, amused. From behind, one of his friends brought down some of the leftover and uneaten birthday cake. It smashed and tangled in Hyungsik’s hair, causing the boy to stumble and growl. “Yah!” he couldn’t help but laugh some more, lungs burning as he went to tackle his friend.

“The cake tastes delicious, Hyungsik’s husband!” the attacked boy called, trying to fend for his life.

Ryeowook smiled, leaning back on the counter and watching the merriment. “Thank you!”

***

“I can’t believe you finished cleaning that fast…” Hyungsik muttered, leaning against the wall just outside of the kitchen. His hair was still a bit wet from showering and his pajamas were slightly rumpled from lying on their bed playing with his gifts.

Most of the things he had received were letters or charms. There was nothing tangible that his friends could give him that…would really last. And so they apparently chose to just tell him their feelings before it all crashed and burned.

Ryeowook washed his hands and then dried them off with quick precision. “We need to get back to hospital,” he said softly.

“…ah,” Hyungsik mumbled, coughing quietly. He swallowed the urge to hack up something – he wasn’t sure what – and then smiled at his husband. “You know, I felt pretty good tonight. Maybe we don’t have to go back to the hospital—”

“—you really overexerted yourself today,” Ryeowook interrupted, turning serious eyes to the other male, “we can’t take chances. If you got worse because of our little food fight—”

“—I’M GOING TO DIE, RYEOWOOK,” Hyungsik nearly screamed, running fingers through his hair as he tried to calm down. “…Look, I know that you want me to go to the hospital and maybe they’ll miraculously come up with a cure. But that’s not going to happen. There’s barely a month left and I’d much rather be next to you than in a white room by myself. They can’t do anything for me anymore. Why won’t you accept that?”

He stayed quiet, fingers twitching and fiddling with nothing.

Hyungsik swiftly walked forward, pulling Ryeowook into his arms. Although he was taller, he was deeply aware of how their body frames were becoming more similar. It wasn’t because Ryeowook was getting bigger. Every time he touched his husband, he knew that that was another moment used up. You can’t relive a day and you can’t relive an experience.

Every kiss,

Every hug,

Every touch and breath,

Each one meant something different and Hyungsik had only begun realizing that in the past few months.

It was almost as if with each affectionate caress, came a loss. He could feel his body shrinking into something weak and withering, yet no matter what anyone did, it wouldn’t stop.

“Please just stay with me for a bit longer…I’m sorry for yelling at you just now,” Hyungsik whispered, “but…but I don’t want you to keep praying for me. Just enjoy every second we have left. I’m scared of letting go of you. I’m ing terrified of dying because you’re not going to be with me anymore. But I’m not going to hope that things change. There’s no future to look forward to, so please…please just stay in the present with me.”

Ryeowook was crying silently by then, his entire body quaking. “I don’t want you to die…,” he pleaded, clinging onto the thin boy with everything he had. “Please don’t die…I don’t want to see you die…,” he buried his face in Hyungsik’s shirt, not able to recall how many times he had been in this situation.

How many times had he pleaded for the boy to keep living? It was such an impossible wish and yet that was all he ever wished for. “You’re everything,” Ryeowook breathed shakily, eyes squeezed shut, “…I don’t have anything else…”

“Ssh…,” Hyungsik mumbled, letting the tears fall without a sound, “…you’re going to be alright. You’re going to find something to occupy your time…you’ll make friends…and if you ever miss me…just watch our videos because you know what?” He smiled, dropping his head as he pulled Ryeowook tighter to himself, “…we aren’t a tragedy. We’re a happy ending.”

“W-What?” he mumbled, confused and frustrated and so many other things.

His husband his hair gently, pressing soft kisses to the top of his head. “We grew up together and we fell in love and we faced trials and we moved in together and we travelled to America…and then we got married, and now we’re at the end of the timeline,” Hyungsik felt himself beginning to shake, but he ignored it, “See? We have our happy ending.”