“Yifan, do you ever feel like life isn’t really as big as everyone makes it out to be? I mean…it’s only a short hundred years, and then we just…die.” He looked over at the other, his attention half on what the other said and half on how he looked bathed in the crisp chill of the rising sun. The deep golden rays glimmering across those raven orbs overwhelmed him, the sight being too much for him to handle. He was forced to look away.

                The other looked over at him as he held his knees up to his chest, the wind blowing his pitch hair lightly with the tall grass that surrounded them. “Some of us aren’t even that lucky. Those are the ones who are smaller than everyone else. We don’t live quite as long as the fortunate ones.” He looked up at the other with a focused face, his eyebrows barely furrowed as he processed everything the dark beauty spoke of. In turn, the other simply chuckled lightly and closed his eyes, taking in the morning air for only a moment. “Death doesn’t scare me. I’ve already faced that fear.”

                He could only continue to stare at the other man as emotions ran through him a mile a minute. He had known the other for a long while…but never had he seen the raw spirit the man held within him, and it was a beautiful sight. As he moved over wordlessly, gathering the other in his arms and laying back on the soft grass, he knew it was only a sight for him. He’d never been happier in his life.

                “Yifan, promise me something?” He lifted his head to look at the slightly shorter boy that rested on his chest. His hand spoke for him as he gently raked his fingers through silken locks, forcing the other to look up at him and smile earnestly. Nothing was said as the man placed his head back down on his chest. He could feel his heart beat steadily against the man’s ear, knowing he was listening to it. “When we reach the end of the road, promise me you’ll say something.” It wasn’t a question. He laid his head back on the ground, frowning at the lightening sky, his hand never ceasing movement. He knew he couldn’t keep that promise.

                The sun peering over the trees in the distance rose above, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut in a moment of surprise, his lips parting in the slightest as he heard a sigh next to him. The air around him seemed to still and become stiff, and the light faded away as he cautiously opened his eyes, his pupils adjusting to the dimmed light. He was taken aback to discover the sigh came from that same man he was just cuddling with in the grass a moment ago, yet the man was standing in front of him in a white suit. Peering down at his own body he couldn’t register how he’d gotten there, dressed in a black suit, matching the beauty he stood with. Looking around he found his parents, his sister, and the mother of the other sitting in a small room, watching them. They looked so fancy, aside from a few stray tears of a mother or two.

                “Do you take Yifan to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?” Yifan’s attention was drawn to a man standing opposite the crowd, between him and the other man. It had finally registered to him what was going on when he heard the Angel speak, catching his gaze and locking him into place. He was just so beautiful.

                “I do.”

                “And do you Yifan take…” The rest was drowned out as he just simply stared at the other. He had known long ago how he truly felt about the man. The moment he first laid eyes on him when he was young, still just a naïve pre-teen. But he had known deep down that very moment their eyes crossed pathes, this was it. He’d found the one. The man speaking had cleared his throat, looking at him expectantly as if he was waiting for something, forcing him to break the contact with his Angel. He felt a little dumb just staring like a deer in headlights until he realized it was his turn to seal the deal. He nodded and moved his lips in the same motion the other had just minutes before.

                “I do.”

                “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband.” The old man looked at him and smiled, speaking softly as if only for him to hear. “You may kiss the groom.” And he did just that. He smiled big and wide, his happiness that of a toddler’s first time down a slide at a playground. He gently placed his hand on the side of the Angel’s face, delicately as if he were handling the finest China, leaned in and sealed their lips together, molding them like they were created to fit perfectly, as if they represented Yin and Yang. He couldn’t hear their family crying and laughing, clapping and cheering. He could only feel the softest of rose petals on his lips. When they parted, it was the other that whispered against his lips words that brought him nostalgia.

                “Yifan. When we reach the end of the road, promise me you’ll say something.” They didn’t look at one another, and he didn’t give any sort of answer. They just knew. He did however sigh softly, closing his eyes as he basked in the radiance of the love he felt. It was so warm it overtook his body, making him feel as if he were tanning on a beach. It was a welcome heat, but it was sudden and strange enough for him to open his eyes and furrow his brows in confusion. No longer was the man standing in front of him. No longer was their family watching. Instead he found blue skies and the sound of crashing waves, laughter in the gentle breeze.

                Around him, was only sand and what he assumed was a beach bag of things his Angel had brought. He didn’t know how they got there, but he wasn’t complaining. In the distance the laughter grew louder, forcing his mouth to curve upwards automatically. It was the sound of a young girl, a precious sound that one never forgets, no matter how old he may grow to be. Scanning the area he found the source, a little girl with locks of gold and a smile that brought a tear to your eye. She wore just a simple pink two-piece, he knew looking at it that it was what she wanted, it was pink and that was good enough for her. In front of her was a ball, just a blow up beach ball, flying towards a sight that sent his chest into the abyss and back up for air.

                “Yifan! Come play with us” the man called out, smiling and laughing as he sent the ball back to the little girl. When she managed to get ahold of the rubber sphere, she turned to him and kicked the ball to him, albeit not very far considering it was full of air and she wasn’t that strong.

                “Daddy come play!” There was no way in hell he could refuse that gorgeous little voice. He rose to his feet and embraced the warm sand between his toes as he rushed to get the ball, carefully striking it back to his baby girl, smiling as she struggled to catch it.

                When the sun began to fall, they decided to call it quits, gathering their belongings and heading back to their car parked in the small lot next to the beach. “Can we get ice cream? Pleeeease?” The little girl in his arms pleaded desperately as if it were the only time she’d ever get to have it. His shoulders bounced as he chuckled soundlessly and looked over at the other man, silently asking for his approval to spoil their daughter. Said man sighed and smiled at them, giving in.

                “Veronica you’re so spoiled. But I can’t say no to you two now can I?” The girl cheered as they reached the vehicle. The sound of her voice ringing in his ears as his vision went black, covered as he savored the music of it. As he listened, the sound continued, yet it grew it depth as if the sound had aged in a matter of moments. It was still just as beautiful to him as it had been when it was lighter, yet when he re-opened his eyes he saw her again, except she wore the most elegantly exquisite gown of pure snow, draped gracefully across the ground she walked. Her arms were laced around his as she swayed with him, a gentle melody faintly playing in the background.

                “Daddy, you need to have a dance with Ba.” She looked up at him with the sweetest smile, just barely glossed in a soft rose petal, her eyes adoring the man she loved as her Father. He simply looked down at her and smiled, shrugging lightly as if to say; “It’s up to your Ba.” She chuckled and sighed, moving to rest her head on his shoulder as the music played. “I couldn’t have asked for better parents, you and Ba were the best things to ever happen to me, even if I’m marrying Jason, you two are still my number one men in my life, don’t forget that okay?” She let him go and backed away towards the crowd, never letting her smile falter. The blonde bride grabbed her other Father’s hand and pulled him onto the dance floor towards him, despite the man’s protesting about it being her wedding and her Father-Daughter dance. Eventually he gave up and just resigned to dancing with his husband, one hand clasped in the man’s while the other lay on his shoulder.

                “She’s all grown up Yifan.” The tears his Angel wept broke his heart in two, but he couldn’t help the curve of his lips as he let go of his hand to wipe away his tears, nodding in agreement. He looked over at her, sending her a warm expression of adoration and love as she stood, huddled up to her husband. When she had started seeing a Chinese American boy, they were surprised, but they found it to be one of the cutest things she’s done when she told them she wanted to be with a Chinese man because her parents were Chinese and they were the best men she knew. Of course she was young then, but when it turned out to happen, they simply laughed and welcomed him. “Yifan. Promise me one thing.” His voice wasn’t as strong as it used to be, and he was growing a few wrinkles around the edges, but he was still beautiful in his eyes. “At the end of our road, promise me you’ll say something.” This time, he nodded.

                The man sighed happily and mimicked their daughter, resting his head on his shoulder as they swayed to the melody. He couldn’t have been happier, life had struck him with hardship and despite it all, he found happiness in it. Because of it, he found his love. He found his family. He found his future. He closed his eyes and put his head down on top of the man’s head, breathing in the refreshing scent of crisp morning air. He hadn’t a clue how he managed to make his hair smell like that, but it brought him back to when they were teenagers, sitting in that tall grass while they waited for the sun to rise, birds chirping in the background. His body relaxed at the memory, but the birds in it for whatever reason wouldn’t stop chirping in a steady beat. The scent he breathed began to smell clean, sterile even. Opening his eyes he found his love in his arms, simply resting as he was, yet they were laying down in a bed, a very stiff bed made for one person. He found the other to be dressed in a gown given to patients, and tubes connected to his arm. He knew why they were there; this one was lain out plain and simple for him, no confusion. His Angel was admitted to the hospital.

                Back when they were kids, he had learned of the illness the other had. He remembers the fear his love had about telling him, scared he would leave. He had HIV, given to him by his father. The man was a horrid being that put things in his body as a young child. His father was not the subject of many conversations, just a bad memory in the past. The first time they made love, he refused to use a . He knew the repercussions of his actions, but he wanted to prove to his Angel that he was there with him through it all. It was stronger than any vow he could have given.

                “Yifan.” His voice broken and raspy. “When we reach the end of the road” he began, having trouble with his breathing. He had begun to silently cry, hurting inside to hear the other like this, see him so defeated, know what was coming, “promise me you’ll say something.” He didn’t nod, he didn’t shake his head, he only held the man close as he sobbed in silence. The birds sung a long note, as he closed his eyes, laying one last kiss to his Angel’s lips as the birds took him away.

                He had sobbed for what seemed like an eternity, yet when he had finally calmed down enough to become aware of his surroundings, he was shocked to find himself in that same bed. To his right, his daughter sat at the edge of the bed, concern written all over her face. His body felt weak and as he brought a hand up into his vision he noticed he was shaking horribly, his once smooth skin now moderately wrinkled with a few age spots strewn across the back of his palm. “Daddy what’s wrong?” His attention was drawn back to the woman. She had aged herself, her young face having matured into a gorgeous woman in her mid-thirties with the world ahead of her but a world of experience behind her. He was so proud of her, he simply shook his head and sent her a smile, and that’s when he felt it. It pooled in his chest and deepened as he struggled to catch his breath, the woman frantically trying to call a doctor into the room and hold his hand at the same time.

                “Yifan. Promise me one thing.”

                His eyes moved left and there he was, in all his young and beautiful glory. There stood his angel, moving to hold his free hand. “When we reach the end of our road, promise me you’ll say something.” He could only smile as best he could despite his body resisting him. He couldn’t hear his daughter, he couldn’t see her. The only thing in his sight was his Angel standing in front of the horizon, the birds fluttering about as the sun rose in the background. He held on to the other’s hand for dear life as the birds’ chirping grew longer and louder in his ears. Eventually they overtook it all, but he managed one thing that was audible above it all. The only thing his Angel had ever wanted to hear.

                “Tao.”

A/N: This isn't beta'd but I was an English tutor and a grammar nazi so I'm hoping I caught all of my errors. Taoris is my only ship anymore, and it will forever be my one true OTP, I don't care what anyone says. Kris may have left EXO but distance is only a factor in the mind, not the heart. I'll totally be honest about this fic too, I may have cried writing it I got so overtaken by the emotions behind it. I had to take breaks and "hold it in, hold it in" until the end where I just let loose after I finished. It was hideous ugly sobbing but oh my god did it feel good. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my fic, and I would absolutely love some feedback.

Just a side note, but I had "Curtain Call" by Ayumi Hamasaki playing on repeat as I wrote this. And please don't call me Oppa. I hate that term.

"Ba" is Mandarin for Father. At least that's what a lot of Google searching told me.