Baekhyun stiffens when Chanyeol’s lips connect with his. His breathing halts as his eyes expand in surprise.

The kiss is tender, at first, as if Chanyeol isn’t sure how Baekhyun would respond. When the brunet doesn’t pull back, Chanyeol’s lips fully explore the baker’s; his tongue switching between tracing Baekhyun’s lips to delving into his mouth, teasing him, testing his reaction. When Baekhyun finally parts his lips, letting the taller man in, Chanyeol takes his mouth with fiery hunger, as if he wants to kiss Baekhyun forever. His sharp intake of breath sends hot desire through the smaller man. Baekhyun is sure he has never been kissed like this before – so tenderly, yet so intensely at the same time. Chanyeol tastes of mint, and has the distinct, delicious scent of musk and soap. Baekhyun lets out a moan as Chanyeol inhales and pokes his tongue deep inside Baekhyun’s mouth, possessing him. Baekhyun is so lost in the kiss, so lost in the moment as the feeling of peace and serenity he had felt moments earlier from watching the children fall asleep is replaced by pure and shameless desire. He reaches his arm around Chanyeol’s neck to pull him closer, right before the shuffle of the child beneath them brings both men to their senses. Baekhyun glances down and watches as Jongin turns over in bed to grab the blankets closer around himself, and mutters something that sounds jarringly like “Papa”.

Baekhyun looks up as Chanyeol pulls away, panting slightly, his expression showing longing…and regret. It’s enough to sober Baekhyun as he takes a step away from the bed, hanging his head, inhaling deeply to calm his breathing. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Chanyeol croaks, running a hand over his face. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun responds. ‘It’s not like I stopped you.’ His hand unconsciously moves up to touch his lips. There is no doubt in his mind that he feels something for the single father, and that Chanyeol was attracted to him. However, whether or not something would become of that attraction, Baekhyun was unsure. “I should go,” he says, taking a final glance towards the sleeping boys, and then their father, before exiting the room.

Chanyeol stands, frozen to the spot, as he watches the one person who had managed to wake his vacant heart walk out of the room, and possibly out of his life. He groans as he runs a hand through his hair, frowning at the picture of his late husband hanging on the wall. ‘What do I do now, Kyungsoo?’

“What are you saying?” Chanyeol asks, dumbfounded, as he holds onto Kyungsoo’s hand. “WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?” His husband squeezes his hand beside him, sending him a look, before signaling for the doctor to continue his explanation.

The doctor sends the couple a sympathetic look before continuing. “The results of Mr. Do’s-“

“Park,” Chanyeol interrupts with a scowl.

“I apologize. The results of Mr. Park’s physical and neurological examinations suggested the possibility that he had a brain tumor. I spoke to him about this, and requested for a CT scan and a MRA, along with a biopsy to determine whether or not the tumor was cancerous. The results came back positive.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Chanyeol interrupts again, turning to Kyungsoo. “Why didn’t you call me home?” Kyungsoo shakes his head, shushing the taller man, and motions for the doctor to continue. Chanyeol exhales in aggravation before turning to the man in the white coat. “What can we do?”

“Unfortunately, because of the location of the tumor, I fear that operation may be more harm than help. Of course, it is the patient’s choice regarding whether or not they would like the operation to be performed, and I would gladly talk to you both about the details of the operation should you choose to do it. As a doctor, it is my responsibility to warn you, however, that choosing to operate would be risky. Because of where the tumor is located, and because tissue and fluid moves within the brain during surgery, it is difficult to ensure that all of the cancer cells will be removed; and even if we did manage to remove them, there is always a chance of them reappearing.”

“Do you think it’s worth trying?” Kyungsoo speaks for the first time since entering the office.

The doctor sighs. “It is not my place to make that decision for you. All I can offer to you is information. Brain tumors are generally graded from one to four. While grade one and some grade two tumors can be cured by surgery, treatment for some grade two tumors and higher-grade tumors is no longer about curing, but for prolonging life. You, Mr. Park, have a grade four – what we call GBM, or glioblastoma multiforme.”

“W-why haven’t I gotten any symptoms until now?” Kyungsoo chokes, trying hard to keep it together for the sake of his husband. “I’ve only recently started getting migraines…”

“Your functional neurological status at the moment is at a 90 according to the Karnofsky Performance Scale, meaning you are able to carry on with normal, day-to-day activities with minor symptoms. Unfortunately, for some people, symptoms do not surface until it’s too late.”

“And I’m one of those people?”

The doctor looks at the patient in front of him, and then to his husband. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“How long do I have?” Kyungsoo whispers, blinking back tears that are threatening to fall. “We just had a baby…”

“You’ll notice that your functional status will gradually begin to decrease as time goes on. I-“ the doctor pauses, glancing warily at Chanyeol before continuing. “I’m estimating you’ll have about a year left, maybe less.”

“A year…” Kyungsoo repeats softly, staring down at his hands. The tears are freely falling from his face now as the reality of his predicament hits him. “Sehunnie will just be a little over one-year-old…”

“Stop,” Chanyeol growls softly, although his voice is heard loud and clear in the quiet room. “You’re not dying. You’re not leaving us!”

The doctor promptly and quietly stands up and heads for the door. “I’ll give you two some time,” he says before exiting. 

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo begins as soon as the door shut.

“No,” Chanyeol seethes, his shock quickly changing to anger. “This is not happening. We made a promise, Kyungsoo. You promise me!” the taller man yells as tears cascade down his face. “You promised it would be me and you…forever.”

“Baby…”

“Our babies! What about Jongin and Sehun?” Chanyeol continues, crying in earnest now. “I can’t raise them by myself, Soo. I need you.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo emphasizes his name, grabbing hold of the man’s face in both of his hands. He brushes away the tears on his husband’s cheek, disregarding his own creeping out of his eyes. “I know you’re scared, baby. I am too.”

“Please, Soo…” Chanyeol sobs. “Please don’t leave me. I love you so much. I won’t be able to live without you.”

“But you have to, Chanyeol. For our babies. Think about Jongin and Sehun…they can’t lose both parents.” Chanyeol chokes on a sob at Kyungsoo’s words. Kyungsoo wraps the taller male into a hug, rubbing his hands up and down his back, allowing Chanyeol to lean on him as they both cried in the comfort of each other’s arms.

Kyungsoo winces as another shot of pain stabs through his head. He gently lies Sehun in his crib, admiring the angelic baby sleeping peacefully, completely innocent and unaware.

“Papa?” a quiet whisper comes from the doorway. Kyungsoo turns around and hides the grimace on his face as best as he can. “Is Papa sick?” Jongin asks, hesitantly stepping towards