Chanyeol had always said his love for Baekhyun was boundless. Right from the moment he’d met the petite brunet, he’d known that Byun Baekhyun was the man he’d want to spend the rest of his life with. His friends had called him foolish; they’d told him that love at first sight was a temporary thing; that he was actually in lust rather than in love. Chanyeol had nodded, but deep down he knew that they were wrong; because the feelings that Baekhyun brought about in him were not simply of lust; Byun Baekhyun instilled in him a sense of ease; he was the breathe of fresh air Chanyeol needed; he was the dissimilarity; and he was the color in Chanyeol’s monotonous life. 

To say that Chanyeol’s parents were upset when he’d told them that he would be marrying a baker and an orphan - someone so far from their social status - would’ve been an understatement. His father had threatened to disown him, while his mother had cried and looked at him in gloomy disappointment. The moment they met the petite baker, however, everything changed.

Byun Baekhyun had waltzed into their life and stolen away their hearts just as he had done to Chanyeol. 

Marriage life with Baekhyun was everything Chanyeol could have ever dreamed of. 

After spending a week in paradise for their honeymoon, they’d return home to their own slice of heaven - the homey flat decorated by Baekhyun’s careful hands. They’d been forced to return to reality, each focusing on their own work. Being away from Baekhyun was the hardest thing for Chanyeol; but what got him through the day was the thought of coming home, into the open arms of his loving husband, and to the smell of the best food he’d ever tasted in his life. 

He enjoyed every moment they spent together. Baekhyun made every chore an adventure; even washing and drying dishes. 

When it came time for them to turn in for the night, Chanyeol would pull the smaller male into his arms. He would tell Baekhyun about his day, purposely making it seem like he’d enjoyed it; like it didn’t kill him that he was forced to spend hours apart from his love. He would smile when Baekhyun would, in turn, tell him about the customers who’d been pulled in by Baekhyun’s charm; sometimes, he would become jealous of these strangers…for they were able to see and spend time with his husband when he couldn’t. 

When he noticed Baekhyun’s eyes slowly drooping, and when his husband began making the soft, whimpering sounds that he loved so much, Chanyeol hugged him tighter. He would wait for his nightly kiss before burying his face into Baekhyun’s sensitive neck, allowing Baekhyun’s scent and his puppy sounds to lull him to sleep.

Chanyeol never liked fighting with Baekhyun.

He hated knowing that he was the reason Baekhyun wasn’t smiling; because he loved when Baekhyun smiled. He loved the way his husband’s mouth would form a soft rectangle, and the way Baekhyun’s eyes would crescent; but even more so, he loved Baekhyun’s melodious laughter. 

Baekhyun had always loved lilacs. He’d once told Chanyeol that the purple flowers stood or first love, and had admitted, shyly, that Chanyeol was his first love. 

From that day on, Chanyeol loved purple lilacs as well; but not as much as he loved Byun Baekhyun - his first, and only love. 

When Baekhyun told him he’d wanted to adopt, Chanyeol felt his heart drop. 

“I just need you. I need us, together. I need a family.”

‘I’m sorry, Baekhyun, but I can’t give you that.’

Baekhyun had always liked cute things, and Chanyeol had hoped that a dog would be able to keep his mind off of the aspect of family. He’d spent days scouring the city, going from pet store to pet store, and finally, he’d found him - the little white puppy at the run-down animal shelter. 

The white powder puff of a dog - who Baekhyun had deemed as Buddy - had seemed to make Baekhyun happy for a while. It’s merry temperament and peaceful attitude made it the perfect companion for Baekhyun. Chanyeol had only wished he’d picked a dog with less of an issue with separation anxiety; the cheerful puppy would whine and cry every time they left the house, giving them sad, wistful looks as it watched them close the door. The look that Buddy gave them…Chanyeol couldn’t help but think about the way it resembled the expressions Baekhyun gave him when he thought he wasn’t looking every time he left the house. 

“But…I didn’t have symptoms.”

“Unfortunately, these types of diseases can sometimes be asymptomatic; and symptoms only start showing when it’s too late. I’m sorry, Mr. Park.”

“I- How long?”

He didn’t have to explain for the man to understand what he was trying to ask. He was sure he’d heard similar questions countless times in his career. 

“At the stage you’re at, we can only try and make you more comfortable, and possibly try to prolong your time.”

“How long?”

“Two years, at the most.”

The migraines had started getting worse and worse, becoming more frequent, incapacitating him. 

On certain nights, Chanyeol would find himself curled up on the lone leather couch in his office, hands fisted in one of Baekhyun’s sweatshirts that he’d always kept in his office, waiting for the pain to pass. 

He’d always make sure to bring the hoodie home and switch it out for a new one every time the scent would start to fade. 

“Chanyeol, have you seen my Supreme hoodie?”

“Hmm?” Chanyeol would look up from his laptop, watching in amusement as his husband went about the entire house, lifting up pillows and cushions, looking for his lost article of clothing. “No, I haven’t,” he would respond with a knowing smirk when Baekhyun groaned in frustration. 

“They keep disappearing and then reappearing weeks later in the laundry room!” Baekhyun would say, getting on all fours to look under the couch. “Yeol, I think we have a ghost.”

Chanyeol would chuckle, sending a knowing smile towards Baekhyun before looking back down at his laptop.

The sweatshirt took Baekhyun’s place in comforting him; it allowed him to imagine that Baekhyun was there, gently his back and telling him that everything would be all right. 

As the migraines became more frequent, he’d started going home less and less. He didn’t want Baekhyun to see him in pain; he didn’t want to hurt Baekhyun too. 

And when he was home, the constant pain took its toll on him, making him too tired to do anything else.

“Chanyeol, do you want to watch a movie?”