A week had passed and Sehun was out from the hospital. He and Tao had settled everything off and decided to distance themselves from each other for a while. Sehun still has the job though, but will have much limitations now.

Sehun was back to his painful ordinary life again, missing the same person every single day.

He decided to pass along the coffee shop Luhan went to work before instead of being in the bubble tea store.

It was lunch time and the sun was constantly waving rays everywhere.

Minseok suddenly sat on the opposite side of the table, eyes reddening and lips shivering.

He handed Sehun Luhan’s Hello Kitty plushie, “I was the masked man a week ago, and the one you saw on the stretcher,” Minseok was struggling from the tears beneath his eyes,

"was him,"

“Do I really need to go? Do I-” Luhan’s voice breaks, tears simultaneously streams down from his eyes as he tries to speak, “Can you give me at least this last week?”

Minseok held on to Luhan’s shoulders, “Okay, but let’s check you up first.” Luhan nods, knowing they need to see the doctor to discuss about Luhan’s health condition.

"It isn’t something curable, but pills and treatments slow it down."

"So, it runs in your family, huh?"

"About a year? six months? three? one? a week? a few days? It’s about like that."

"Come back tomorrow and see your test results if you really have it,"

"Yes, it can kill you; mentally and physically."

"Oh, and your boyfriend doesn’t know about you having this?"

"I think your friend Minseok here is right,"

Luhan checks his phone, it was April 15, 2014; 7:00PM. Five more hours and they’re officially together for a year. Luhan smiles as he stood up, making his way to the kitchen.

He prepared their meals; Sehun’s favorite carbonara with an orange juice and his spaghetti with a strawberry juice. Sure enough it was simple, yet it meant a lot for him.

He set-up a table set, just like how they played little tea cup parties when they were young.

Sehun always hated it, though. He doesn’t like pinky stuff and girly things. Still, he loves the tiny pale boy. He always sees how happy and adorable Luhan is that he almost forgets he never liked tea cup parties and girly pretends.

He waits up for Sehun,

"Why are you here, baby?" Luhan is definitely sure it was him. He faced the younger boy and greeted him with a warm embrace,

"I’ll always be here, Sehun. I’ll be strong for you — for us. Even though you don’t know what fight we are into, I will always love you." Luhan’s mind silently speaks as he buries his face in Sehun’s broad chest.

Sehun waves goodbye as he starts the engine to go to work.

"Good luck on your first day in the coffee shop, okay? I know you’ll do well! Take care, I love you!" Sehun yells from the car outside the gate as he winks at Luhan.

Luhan smiles and turns away. He slid down from the gate wall and sat on the ground as he hugs his knees, crying almost endlessly. He bites his fist, wanting to stop the tears from falling continuously.

Luhan doesn’t really have a job. His dream was in complete failure, but thinks he has the greatest success in Sehun’s eyes. It was all lies.

He used the barista set-up to be able to have excuses when he and Minseok meets up since the latter was the manager of the said coffee shop.

Luhan feels the pain filling him up as he went to the doctor to know his test results.

He felt blank, somehow deaf after hearing the words, “I’m sorry, but you are positively diagnosed with it.” It seemed like the world disappeared in a split second while he’s still breathing. He somehow tasted death for a moment there.

Luhan goes off along the busy streets of Seoul. Various people were passing by him as he numbly walks. He then suddenly knelt and cried among the crowd. He didn’t care, and never will he. It’s a die or die kind of situation he’s in to.

Criticism was written all over the faces of every person walking around him. They were all judging this little weird pathetic blonde crying so damn hard that it felt like any moment he might commit suicide in the middle of the sidewalk.

Luhan’s phone rings. He picks it up as he tries to speak,

"H-hello?" Luhan swore he is stuttering, "Luhan? A-are you crying?! Why is your voice like that?" Sehun replies on the other line, making Luhan quickly wipe off his tears as he stands up.

"N-No! Of course I’m not," Luhan weakly chuckles. "I’m not the crybaby you used to know back then, silly. And besides, why the hell would I cry in the first place?" Luhan added as he puts on his best smile to laugh away the pain he carries inside.

Sehun knows Luhan well enough that he can even tell what he deeply feels with just a simple sigh coming from him. But this time, it was different — everthing was vague.

He had the urge to ask Luhan again but, “Wait, I need to go! Uhm, Yes, boss! Number seven chocolate latte coming right up!” Luhan tries to segway the topic as he ends the call, but never forgetting those four words for his boyfriend, “I love you, Sehun.”

September 15th and Sehun falls asleep on Luhan’s lap. They spent the whole day cuddling in the couch as they watch their favorite movies continuously.

Luhan takes a good gaze at the younger boy, sleeping delicately. He caresses Sehun’s cheek as tears started to form under his almond-like eyes. “Sehun… Sehun…” Luhan repeatedly calls him as he ruffles his silver hair.

He grabs the plushie as he speaks, “Baby, I’ll be away for a while, okay? It will hurt a little, just a little…”

He hurt him. He lied to him. He cursed him. He tortured him. But he needs to do all these for him — everything for Sehun.

Luhan wasn’t in States, really. Luhan didn’t made out with Minseok, too. It was all a . It was all lies.

"He’s m-my life now, okay?! And I don’t care if I’ll di-e any moment while I’m wi-th him cause’ I’ll die anyway!" Luhan hollers at the nurses as he wheelchairs himself out of the emergency room despite of being weak and wasted.

Room 412. Luhan went inside as he sees Sehun sleeping preciously.

He placed himself beside Sehun’s bed while he ruffles Sehun’s silver hair.

Luhan grabs the plushie Sehun had given him,

"Are you alright, baby? What happened? Why are you here in the hospital, too…" Luhan holds back his tears,

"You look so perfect. Wait, no, you’re beyond perfect. I love you, almost too much, actually. And I think I love you more than the limits I’m allowed to someone…" Luhan sniffs, but still continues to record his voice as it breaks,

"Lies are sometimes helpful, you know? It eases the pain. Yeah, I know. I also find it funny when bad things can actually make someone a little happier, to make someone grip on to a little string of hope. It’s hilarious." Luhan weakly giggles.

"But… I just need… to go. I need to leave you… Minseok took care of me, don’t worry…" He burst out crying so hard to the point that he might just break down, but still manages to control his cries as he bites his bottom lip,

"I have Leukemia, okay? Sooner or later I’m gonna die. I can’t, I just can’t see you suffering. Sacrificing your remaining days for someone who’s going to disappear, anyway. That’s too much of my selfishness. I know it’s gonna hurt, baby, but it’ll fade. I promise. Just like how I will, too…" Luhan gave a soft peck on the other’s forehead as a tear rolled from his almond-like eyes down to Sehun’s cheeks, still soft for the latter to feel.

"You’ll find someone, Sehun. I know you’ll do. I’m safe with you, but you’re not with me. I’m sorry. We lost our fight. No, I lost. You can still go on," Luhan wipes off his tears as it falls on to the younger’s face making Sehun quiver a little.

"By the time you hear this message, I would probably be gone now…" Luhan cries harder,

"I had probably hurt you now… I’m sorry, baby. But I need to do this… Don’t get mad at Minseok, okay? He doesn’t have anything to do with us…"

"I need to leave you now, you have to start moving on by this time. I did these lies for you, okay? Please know that I will always love you, but…" Luhan finally kisses Sehun’s lips, too lightly for the younger to respond as Luhan’s tears endlessly streams down from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t protect you.”

A/N: I finally finished my first ever chaptered story omg it's my first time and idk how did it go with all of you :c can u give me comments abt this pls lol i really have no idea how i did :cc thank you to all those patient subscribers who anticipated my updates i hope you didnt regret my story! love you all guys x