'...No, I don't wanna be afraid, afraid to die...'

Kris awoke to bright lights and a searing pain that stabbed at his body like a thousand needles. He blinks warily, eyelids sore from disuse. He feels like he's been asleep for years.

"Hey, sleepyhead." A voice causes him to slowly look to his side.

A small smile stretches his lips and he reaches out towards the slightly blurred face.

"Kyungsoo..." His hand drops down and he quickly returns to the land of unconsciousness.

Jongin sighs and grimaces, grabbing Kris's cold and clammy hand. This is the fifth time today that he awoke and mistook him for Kyungsoo. And speaking of the doll maker, he was currently on the other side of the hospital.

In a medically induced coma.

Jongin feels tears in his eyes as he brings Kris's hand to his chapped lips to kiss them softly. He feels his throat tighten with guilt as he takes in the colorless face of his mother. He had decided that mother-father was too long of a name to call Kris once they meet, and believed that the taller male had a nurturing aura that soothed him emotionally and physically. Like a mother. Though Kris is obviously no woman, but the title fit him. At least for Jongin it did.

"I'm a horrible son." The DOLL weeps softly, tears hitting the white hospital sheets.

It was his fault that they were here. It was his fault that he ruined their chances of being together. His mother and Creator would not got their happy ending and he hated himself for that. He felt like the villain of their story. And he won. The 'villain' won. Jongin's body shakes with sorrow, staring at the wilting body in front of him. Jongin didn't even know if Kris would come out of this alive. Kris had died three times in the past three weeks while in the hospital. He had also died right in front of Kyungsoo.

Four times Kris's heart stopped beating and his lungs stopped breathing.

When Jongin saw the ambulances speed past the shop, he grew frightened. When he ran all the way to the scene, his heart almost collapsed at the sight of Kyungsoo unconscious and Kris being given CPR. He was openly sobbing and screaming in a stranger's arms at the sight of the paramedics attempting to bring Kris back to life.

They almost failed.

Jongin releases a shaky breath, wondering if Kris would forgive for what he'd done. He had almost killed them both but now he thinks that death would most likely be their best option. Jongin has no idea how Kris is still alive.

Kyungsoo's physical presence had caused Kris to have a heart attack four times.

Jongin heavily regretted using the string to lead them to each other. He never thought that it would snap. The two loved each other dearly, why would it? Because he had made a mistake.

He was a fool to let Kyungsoo go through this. Five years of suffering could not be healed in a couple of days. Kyungsoo is still in a state of imbalance and Jongin was too blind with wanting to see his mother to see it.

Kyungsoo's lowered life expectancy had took a fatal toll on Kris's body. The string was like a tube that was sharing Kyungsoo's sickness. He should have went to find Kris himself and should have let his Creator rest.

"I'm sorry." Jongin chokes out and traces Kris's face with a warm finger.

Kyungsoo had awoken after a couple of hours in the hospital and immediately went to Kris's side, screaming in horror as they told him what happened. He never left Kris's side, watching the man he loved slowly deteriorate in front of him.

And that was when Kris died the second time. Kyungsoo had lost it, kicking and screaming while being held by nurses as doctors tried to resuscitate the blond.

Jongin could only watch with soulless eyes as he watched Kyungsoo become better while Kris became nothing but an empty shell. It took until Kris died the fourth time for Kyungsoo to realize that he was the problem. His physical presence was destroying the one he loved. He begged the doctors to put him into a coma as far away from Kris as possible. At first the doctors relented, saying it was illegal and not something they can just do. After hours of convincing, Kyungsoo said that if putting himself in a coma did not help Kris at all, he would be the one to pull the plug on his lover. Though death is a serious matter in their waning population, he knew the doctors were beginning to lose hope and keeping Kris alive cost a lot of money. They would most likely try not to bring Kris back if he were to die for the fifth time.

Jongin had immediately retaliated. Screaming and fighting that Kyungsoo had no right to take such a risk. He had no right to play god and be the one to permanently kill Kris. Kyungsoo had snapped, saying that Kris would die even if he didn't do this. It took two days to convince him but he watched as Kyungsoo slipped into unconsciousness before going back to the West Wing to see Kris.

He hadn't showed any bad signs since.

Jongin lets go of Kris's hand to stop the broken sobs from releasing. It physically pained him to know that one could not live while the other was okay. He did not want to think of the decision to come that would choose whether Kris or Kyungsoo would be the one to live. Kyungsoo would take his own life in a heartbeat if it meant Kris would live a long and happy life. But Kris would do the same for Kyungsoo.

Jongin chuckles bitterly for their sad story is far more tragic than Romeo and Juliet. Humans were so strange. Having Kyungsoo's memories and emotions living through his blood sometimes scared him. Kyungsoo himself could not handle his own emotions, how could Jongin? No matter how much he prayed for their happy ending, he knew it would not come.

Only time could be the story teller of their fate.

While the DOLL had been incredibly filled with sorrow, he had become angry. He refused to go back to Kyungsoo after he had been put in the coma. That had been four days ago. He winces and wonders if he should go see him. While seeing Kris slowly regain his color and breathing healthily and not slow, ragged breaths, he was afraid of what he might see if he went to go see his Creator. Deciding he had no right to be a coward, both of them needed him, he slides his chair back and gets up.

He pats Kris's hand softly and turns around to walk away, heading for the door. He freezes when he hears an audible wheezing and turns around to see Kris attempting to sit up.

"Kyungsoo." He croaks.

Jongin ignores the envy in his heart before slowly walking back to the bed.

"Sit back, you're still too weak." Jongin says softly, pushing him back and running his hand through his hair to soothe him.

"Kyungsoo." Kris smiles up at him, grabbing his hand and caressing the back of it with his thumb.

Jongin bites his lips nervously and clears his throat, "Go back to sleep, it'll be okay."

Kris looks at him in confusion, eyes squinting as he studies his face. His eyes widen and he smacks his hand away.

"You're not Kyungsoo." Kris says fearfully, and attempts to back away.

"Go to sleep." Jongin shuts his eyes and looks away.

"Where's Kyungsoo? I want Kyungsoo." Kris reminds him of a five year old searching for his mother.

"If you go to sleep, he'll come." Jongin grits his teeth, clenching his hand.

"Really?" Kris stares at him with half-lidded, cautious eyes.

Jongin nods slowly and places the blanket back on top of Kris's body when he relaxes and lays back down. He sits back down in the chair beside the bed and watches as Kris returns back into his deep sleep. Jongin hides his face in his hands as he tries not to throw up. He decides against going to Kyungsoo as he watches the rise and fall of the blond male's chest. There is hope with Kris. He is not broken from years of solitude. He had a whole life ahead of him. Kyungsoo had nothing but a tombstone around the corner. Jongin did feel like a villain right then, just for a moment.

It didn't look like Kyungsoo was ever going to wake up again.

'....But the only thing that doesn't die is love...'

(thank you for standing by my story. the epilogue remains)