(Hongbin POV)

Was this really happening?

I've dreamed to feel his touch again for so long and now, here I am, my hand wrapped around his thin wrist. His eyes were dull and lifeless, the blank look he gave me almost made me collapse in tears all over again. But I just pressed my lips into a thin line and fixed what needed fixing. He obediently allowed me to set the foreign device over his head and my hands shook terribly as I pressed the on button. The computer chirped and I saw a something light up within the headset. Only a few minutes. A few short minutes and the love of my life will be with me again. But would it work? The device was outlawed for a reason, maybe this was a bad idea. Dread crept up on me and I reached to take it off before it was too late, but a beep sounded, indicating the memory insertion complete. My heart pounded painfully behind my ribs and I lifted the visor, not knowing who I would see underneath - Han Sanghyuk, my lover, or a machine.

(Hyuk POV)

I try to pull the strange device off of me, but I suddenly can't move. Images flash before my eyes and if I was standing I would have fallen from the overwhelming wave of emotions that swept over me. Hate, loss, sorrow, loneliness of my life left me paralyzed. Nothing made sense. I am a machine, a robot. I'm not human. I don't have feelings. But I clearly do.

My life came back to me. I remembered neglect of my early years. After what seemed like ages, when I was just about to rip off the headset, I felt happiness. I saw the man. Memories of meeting to him were filled with love and joy and passion, and his name engraved itself in my brain - Lee Hongbin. What was happening? Was I really a person? Did this happen to me?

Had someone really given me flowers like that on my birthday? Had someone really hugged me like that from behind? Had someone really kissed me softly like that when I felt like crying? Had someone really held my hand like that when I was dying, my heart beating weakly until it stopped completely?

It couldn't be true. I remember my death. Every laboursome inhale, every flutter of my pulse, every reassuring squeeze of his warm hand.

But I was here, so he must have done...something. He brought me back. He loves me. I love him. I shouldn't be complaining; I'm here now and that's what matters.

The last image flittered before my eyes and a muffled beep sounded outside of my little cage. There was a pause before he took it off and his face, terrified and hopeful, brought everything back. My head felt like it split in two and I doubled over, holding it carefully as the new memories knocked against my skull. His hand rested on my shoulder and I managed to look up, drinking in his image now that I knew who he was. For a moment, I saw fear cross through his eyes and I understood what he was thinking. I would have felt like that, too, if we had switched places and he didn't remember. But I needed him to know that I loved him. That I knew. That I remembered.

I stood swiftly and wrapped my arms tightly around his frame, one of my hands resting on the back of his head. He tensed for a moment, then hugged back, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I closed my eyes and nuzzled his hair, kissing the top of his head affectionately.

(Hongbin POV)

Did he...not remember? My chest constricted as I watched him double over, then sit back up slowly, staring at me blankly, not reacting to me standing there. I shouldn't have got my hopes up. It became difficult to breath and I almost just left him right there.

But he suddenly stood and hugged me and I melted in his arms. This wasn't what I wanted our first meeting to be like, but I clenched the back of his shirt in my fists and cried silently into his shoulder. I felt him kiss my head and I scrunched up my eyes, savoring the moment. I breathed in deeply, wanting to feel everything I had been yearning for. He had on one of his old shirts and his scent lingered on it, even if it wasn't worn for almost a year.

After my breaths came easily, I peeled away from him and looked into his eyes, almost bursting into tears again when I saw how they were searching in mine as well.

"Hello," I managed with a watery smile. He smiled back and ran his hand through my hair softly.

"Hello," he whispered back, then cleared his throat and pulled away. I took a step back, letting my hand linger on his shoulder, and brushed off the front of my shirt. His eyes wandered over me and I smiled shyly, looking away.

"It's been a while," I pointed out with a breathless chuckle. He nodded and laughed quietly.

"It sure has," he said, shifting his weight. He swallowed and asked, "So, are we going home?" I nodded and slipped my arm around his waist, leading him out the door.

"Yes, lets go home."

...

(Nobody's POV)

Hongbin couldn't stop smiling. The feeling of Hyuk's fingers intertwined with his and hearing the other's footsteps in time with his own was almost too much and he had forgotten that this person beside him wasn't really living. They got into Hongbin's car and sat silently for a few moments, holding hands.

"Let's go," Hongbin said giddily, reluctantly breaking their contact to start the car and begin their drive home. Hyuk nodded and stared at his lover, unable to look away. It's been too long since he'd seen that smile, those beautiful dimples. His head raced and he giggled to himself, finally tearing away his gaze to observe the outside. It was vaguely familiar and he closed his eyes, deciding to rest.

Hongbin turned his head for a moment to see Hyuk asleep, a goofy smile still adorning his face. He was beautiful even when sleeping, even more beautiful than Hongbin remembered. It was almost like their first meeting, exciting and new. He let himself wallow in his happiness until they arrived. He didn't want to wake Hyuk, but unfortunately, though Hyuk was younger, he was taller and Hongbin wouldn't be able to carry him inside.

"Hyuk-ah," he whispered in his ear, brushing the maroon bangs to the side. Hyuk stirred in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes. At first, Hongbin was as happy as ever, but then he caught his lover's eyes illuminating for a moment, an eerie turquoise light shining from within, and his heart sank. No matter what it seemed like to him, this was still just a machine.

The younger one didn't seem to notice however and sat up, stretching his arms and letting out an adorable noise as he woke up. With a sigh, he smiled at Hongbin, but it fell away when he saw the other's upset look.

"What's wrong, hyung?" he asked worriedly, getting out of the car and putting an arm around his shoulders. Hongbin faked a smile and shook his head slightly, locking the car door.

"Nothing, Hyuk-ah," he insisted, leading the other toward the apartment building he lived at. The younger boy seemed unconvinced, but quickly tried to lighten the mood by sweeping Hongbin in his arms and carrying him bridal style to the front door. Hongbin protested, lightly hitting Hyuk's chest, but laughed brightly as they walked. He was finally put down so he could open the door and the two walked inside, hand in hand.

Hyuk's eyes widened slightly as he looked around, his lips parting. He turned in a circle, taking it in. It definitely wasn't the biggest apartment nor the fanciest, but it was cozy and neat. Everything was in order, though most surfaces were coated in a thin layer of dust that worried Hyuk slightly. Hongbin quickly started brushing off everything, wanting it to look nice for Hyuk's return. He didn't want the other to know that he had spent the past year in his room and the reason it was so nice is because he hadn't touched anything since Hyuk had died.

Hyuk stood off to the side, keeping his hands folded in his lap. His eyes roamed the room, but he didn't want to touch anything in case he would break something. So he just let Hongbin clean by himself; the older boy looked so absorbed in it anyway, so he didn't want to bother him.

His eyes wandered to the bookshelf and he saw a break in the dust. Something was clearly recently moved or added. He walked over and studied the shelf for a few moments to find a photograph. It looked like someone tore it in small pieces, then messily taped it back together. He picked it up gingerly, then in a breath; it was a picture of him. His hair was different, all spiked up and dyed a deep purple, and he was terribly thin. His smiled was clearly forced and his eyes were dull. One edge of the photo was frayed and ripped, like part of it was tore off. Hyuk looked further on the shelf, finding the other half of the photo, and fit them together. The other half was Hongbin, smiling brightly. That half was in pristine condition, save the layer of dust on it.

Hyuk was absorbed in the photos and didn't notice that Hongbin was beside him until the latter put a hand on his shoulder. Hyuk jerked his head up and quickly set the photos down, biting his lip. A heavy silence filled the room and neither of them moved. Finally, Hyuk spoke.

"What happened to me?" he asked, his voice carefully, knowing that he was walking on thin ice. Hongbin swallowed and didn't reply. He just trailed his hand along Hyuk's shoulder and left to his bedroom, closing the door softly behind himself.

Hyuk stared at the closed door, not sure what was wrong. The air was ominous and it made him incredibly uncomfortable. He knew that something wasn’t right and it scared him. With shaking hands, he picked the photo back up and slowly made his way to the couch. He sat down heavily and stared at the photo, tracing the old image with his thumb. His breathing was uneven and his throat was closing as he shut his eyes.

Something was terribly wrong: his eyes hurt with the need to cry, but tears couldn't come.

...

Hongbin grit his teeth, walking swiftly up to his bed and falling onto it heavily. He shut his eyes tightly and burrowed his face in to the pillow, trying desperately to stop himself from crying. This wouldn't work. He shouldn't have even tried. This was stupid. Why did he ever believe it? Unless he somehow destroyed all the evidence of Hyuk's previous illness, the cyborg would find out. And what about his family? And his friends? And the law? This was not only looked down upon, but ever since last May it's been illegalized in most of Asia and all of Europe.

Time passed and by the time Hongbin realized his pillow was soaked and his eyes were dried, it was already breaking dawn. He breathed deeply and relaxed, wanting to get at least a few hours of sleep before his classes.

The apartment was eerily silent and felt too empty, even though there were twice as many people in it than usual. It first confused Hongbin why it felt that way, why it seemed so lonely to him even though he's been dreaming of Hyuk to be back here with him for months.

Then he realized. Having the younger boy in his apartment wasn't enough; he needed to be with him, to hold him, to kiss him, to hug him. Knowing they were both in the same house, but seperated made his bed seem so much larger and so much emptier than before. He imagined Hyuk sitting alone on the couch, probably asleep, but possibly still staring blankly at that photo of his sick past, either way with tear stains adorning his angular cheeks.

Hongbin bit his lip and curled against his pillow, not sure what to do. His mind raced and finally, he sat up, looking around his neat room. With another deep breath, he stood, running a hand through his hair, and carefully looked out into the living room. Hyuk was sitting upright on the couch, one arm draped over the back and the other one in his lap, the photo held in a loose fist. As expected, red streaks stretched from his eyes to his chin and his brows were slightly furrowed. Hongbin swallowed thickly and stepped into the living room, closing the door silently behind him. He couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him for a few moments before approaching him

It felt a bit strange approaching Hyuk while he was asleep, but Hongbin didn't want to be alone. Careful not to wake the younger boy, he lowered himself onto the couch and slowly leaned against him. Hyuk didn't show any signs of waking, so Hongbin rested his head on the other's shoulder and placed one hand on his chest and used the other to cover the photo. It awkward for a moment and he was afraid that Hyuk would wake up, but, after a few moments, he managed to relax. He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.