JONGHYUN POV

My heart was threatening to jump out of my chest as I stared up at the building where he was. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Jinki hyung there giving me a silent support. We had all come together to say our good byes to him. The thought that this was the first time I was seeing him in a long while was also the last time I would be seeing him had my throat clogging up. I blinked quickly willing the tears to not fall as we began walking up the stairs to enter the hospital. I was surprised no one came running to me as I felt my heart was beating thunderously loud. How could they not hear it? Jinki hyung went over to the receptionist and then came back to us with a young nurse behind him.

"She'll take us to where Kibum is." He said and I heard his voice quivered.

"Hello. Follow me." She said politely and began walking. We followed her quietly, everyone lost in their own thoughts. She stopped in front of a door and spoke again. "This is Kibum Kim's room."

We nodded our thanks and she left. There was a brief hesitation as we looked at each other and a silent communication happened. Somehow it felt like if we go in there this would all become more real to us. None of us wanted this. None of us wanted him to die. He shouldn't have been here in the first place. He had so much to still live for. Together we pushed the door open and went in with frantically beating hearts.

I felt my heart stop as I saw the figure lying on the bed hooked up with tubes. I felt frozen where I stood. I couldn't move. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to accept this reality that he was in this state. I didn't want to accept that soon he would be no more. I had the strong urge to turn and run out of the door and pretend none of this was happening. I couldn't do this. My heart couldn't take this. I felt my throat close up on me and I tried to swallow the lump that had formed there. The sound of soft sobbing had me snapping out of my frozen state. I looked to see the others gathered around the bed and the sobbing was coming from Taemin. It struck me then that I was not the only one suffering. We were all feeling the same way. Minho had his hand around Taemin trying to comfort him. Jinki hyung had his head bowed and it was only the shaking of his shoulders that gave away the fact that he too was crying. My feet began moving of it's own in my sudden desire to see Kibum's face. Jinki hyung looked up when I came to a stop at the side of the bed he was on. I don't know what expression I had on my face but he got up and pulled me into a hug. I vaguely saw my hands come up to return the hug as my eyes had fixed itself on the person lying on the bed. I felt Jinki hyung let go of me as I moved to sit next to the bed all the while staring at that beautiful face as if in a trance. No one spoke a word and so silence reigned with the occasional interruption of Taemin's sobbing.

"He looks as if he is sleeping.." I heard myself say as my hand reached out to caress his face. "So warm."

"Kibum-ah, they say even when people are in coma they can still hear." I heard Minho said and I glanced up quickly at him to find his eyes bright with unshed tears. I looked back at Kibum's peaceful face not wanting to look away for even a fraction too long for fear that when I look back he would be gone. "I hope you can hear me. Kibum we're all here today to see you. Won't you wake up?" I heard Minho's voice crack at the last part and I felt my eyes fill up with tears.

"Key..." I heard myself say softly as my hands brushed at his hair. It had lost it's usual soft quality. "You know since you refused to wake up this hair of yours look so drab and feels so hard. Tsk tsk..It's a shame. And you skin that you loved so much...tsk tsk...it's not so smooth anymore you know. Feels like old people skin now."

I heard someone chuckle slightly and looked up to see Taemin wipe at his eyes as he smiled slightly. "You know," He said as he scrubbed his hands over his face. "He'd hit you if you'd said that when he was awake. Hyung can't you hear him insulting you?"

I heard the others chuckle lightly and I smiled before I turned back to stare at him. "I would gladly take any punch from him now if he would just wake up." I said my voice cracking as the tears spilled over. "Won't you come back to me Key?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew it was Jinki hyung. I reached up with one hand to squeeze his as the tears streamed down my face momentarily making everything blurry. I hastily wipe them away so that I could look at Key properly. I didn't want anything to obscure my view of that beautiful face.

"Kibum-ah, it's been a while since I ate food that you've cooked. We've all learnt to cook now but still I want to eat food cooked by you again Key." Jinki hyung said his voice trembling slightly. "I'd even give up chicken just to have you up and about like before. Won't you come back to us Key?"

"Key...umma...I'm a bit more matured now but I still miss you fussing over me like a mother hen. You said you'd always be there for me hyung but now why are you not? Why are you leaving me hyung?" Taemin said sitting on a chair and taking Key's right hand into his. His tears were washing Key's unresponsive fingers. "I'll give up my banana milk if you come back. Please come back. I need you."

"Kibum you said you loved us. You said we were your family. Is this how people treat their loved ones Kibum?" I asked feeling a little angry. "Why are you just lying here like freaking sleeping beauty? Why won't you wake up? Answer me Key!!"

"Jonghyun.." I heard Jinki hyung said as I glared at that beautiful face I had grown accustomed to seeing everyday ever since I had met him. That beautiful face that I had missed so much for these past few years.

"No hyung don't stop him." I heard Taemin say.

"Taemin!" Jinki hyung gasped.

"What? It's true!" Taemin said angrily. "How could he say he loved us and then put us through something like this?" Taemin's lips began trembling as the brief flare of anger died away. "Hyung please wake up before they..."

I bowed my head as the tears poured out dowsing the flame of my own anger. Taemin didn't need to complete his statement. We all knew what he meant to say.

...before his parents pulled the plug...

"Key we fought so much when we had first met...Do you remember that?" Minho said as he, too, took a seat besides Taemin. "And then after we had gotten over our awkward phase, you would annoy the hell out of me with you aegyo just because you knew how much I hated it. I would put up with ten times that now just to see you with us, conscious, once more."

"Do you remember that time after we had won that daesang award and we all got high and he totally unleashed his drunk aegyo on you?"Jinki hyung said smiling as his eyes shined with the memory.

"How could I forget!" Minho said making a face. "After having to deal with him, you two totally got into wrestling and nearly destroyed everything in sight!"

"I-It wasn't that bad!" Jinki hyung said blushing slightly embarrassed by his drinking habit.

"Was too!" I piped in remembering that incident with an amused smile.

"H-Hey! How would you know? You were busy crying in a corner for no reason!" Jinki hyung fired back.

"Yah! Hyung I was not crying! Something had just gotten into my eyes and refused to come out." I retorted lamely, embarrassed myself at my own drinking habit.

"Yeah right!" Minho said rolling his eyes. "You were totally crying."

I heard someone chuckling and turned to find Taemin looking at us with an amused expression on his face. "What do you find so funny? I'm sure you have your own embarrassing drinking habit now that you're all grown up." I said glaring at him and I saw him flush and look down. I was suddenly curious as to what his drinking habit was. "Do you still take off your clothes while you sleep?"

He blushed brightly and stuttered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Omo! That's a guilty-as-charged face right there. He totally still does!" Minho said laughing. "Ahh Onew hyung do you still sleep all wrapped in a ball?"

"It's downgraded to a semi-ball now." Jinki hyung replied smiling. "I bet Jonghyun still sleeps with his eyes open."

"Yah! I don't do that..anymore.." I said wondering if I really still did that. I had never asked her and she had never mentioned it. "...I think."

"Hahaha!! It feels just like old times." Taemin said laughing and we all laughed before the mood turned sober.

It wasn't like old times. Key was not with us joking around. He was lying in the bed in a coma; a coma from which he would never wake. Come tomorrow he would be no more. Something was clawing at my heart viciously and blocking off my air supply. I touched his face again as the tears began forming in my eyes. The warm skin beneath my fingers would turn cold tomorrow when they turn off his life support machine. I would never again be able to reach out and take his hands in mine. I would never again get to see his lips curve up into that cute smile he always gave me. Never again would I see his eyes shine brightly in excitement when I surprise him with something fashionable. Never again would those arms wrap around me. Come tomorrow Kim Kibum and SHINee's Key would be no more. He would never hear me tell him that I loved him as well. I would never hear that he loves me ever again.

"Key.." I whispered brokenly. The tears were flowing again. "Kibum I love you. I love you so damn much that it hurts. It hurts Key. Do you have any idea how much it hurts? I can't live without you Kibum. Please don't leave me."

The machine that showed his heartbeat rate beeped loudly causing us to jump and look around wildly before looking back at Kibum. There was no movement from him. I had read somewhere that sometimes things like this happened and merely meant that the patient wanted to reply but the body would not allow it and so they remained in coma. I his face.

"I know you love all of us very much and that you love me a little bit more than usual." I asked speaking to him softly. I took his hand in mine and kissed his fingers lightly. "I love you too. You're my life. So don't leave me."

I didn't care that the others were hearing these deep heartfelt words that went farther than familial or friendly love. It didn't matter at all. Everyone was quiet. No one said a thing after my pronouncements. I felt Jinki hyung's arm around my shoulder and Taemin and Minho had reached across to squeeze my hands. In that moment, I knew that they understood and did not care that my feelings were more than they should be. They were there to support me.

"We...knew...a long time ago." Minho said quietly and the other two nodded. I turned to look back at Key's face but I squeezed their hands in a silent thank you.

"Does..." I heard Jinki hyung hesitating. I knew what he wanted to ask.

"Yes, she does." I said feeling slightly ashamed as I Key's fingers lightly.

No one said anything more and we just sat there in silence staring at the boy we held deep in our hearts. Sometime later, a nurse came in to tell us that visiting time was over before leaving us to say our goodbyes.

"Well Key. Looks like this is it until tomorrow." Minho said as he got up. He leaned over and kissed Key lightly on his forehead. "Wake will ya. We need you. See you tomorrow Key."

"Hyung, when I come back tomorrow you'll be awake right?" Taemin said as he reached over to kiss Key lightly on both sides cheek. "Don't let me down hyung."

"Kibum-ah, I really wanna eat your food again and go shopping with you." Jinki said said as he too kissed Key on his forehead. "Tomorrow it's time to wake up. You'll wake right?"

It was my turn now and I just sat there staring at him not wanting to move. The others exchanged a look and then Jinki hyung said, "We'll give you some time alone with him."

I nodded my thanks gratefully as they left the room. I stared at the only guy that had ever held my heart. The guy I couldn't live without. "Key.." I could hear how broken my voice sounded. The monitor beeped again. "Key...Key..Key...Kibum...you can't leave me." I said as the tears ran down my cheek. "You need to fight this! Fight your way back to us. You're a fighter love. Even when things looked bleak you never gave up. Don't give up! You heard them earlier. We all want you to wake up from this coma." I his face as he remained unmoving in the bed.

"Umm, excuse me but you need to---" the nurse began as she saw me still in the room.

"Just...Just gimme one more minute." I begged and she sighed and left. I looked back at Kibum. I got up and cupped his face. "Come back to me. I love you so very much. Please..Comeback to me."

I leaned over and pressed my lips to his cool ones. I remembered how his lips had felt on mine that fateful day when the van had ran off the road. Everything had changed that day. I pressed my lips to his one more time before whispering in his ears, "Come back to me Kim Kibum."

With a last kiss to his neck, I turned to leave the room. My heart felt as if it was being shredded to pieces. Outside I collapsed onto a chair and the others gathered around me. Then we were all crying and hugging each other unaware of what had happened.

a/n: ahh my throat feels clogged...sniff sniff...Key..no you can't die... TT^TT

anyhoos~~ do comment....btw did you catch it? well if you didn't you'll just have to wait for it~~

until next time~~annyeong~~saranghae subbies and readers~~