The court outside of the hospital was usually empty, void of any motion apart from the rustling vegetation that was maintained by the gardener. Mingyu noticed this whenever he walked through the skywalks, day after day, going from one hospital room to the other.

The grass was evenly cut and so bright it threatened to blind him. Around the edges of the court were his favourite maple trees, tall and strong and a circle of fire in the fall. A stone path cut into the middle of the plain of grass, leading to park benches and a fountain that had broken too long ago for Mingyu to remember what it was like when it flowed with water.

He had memorized every rock and every flower, never failing to notice the smallest changes in the court.

That's why, on the 25th of April, he singled out the small figure sitting on a beige rock in the late evening, although it should have been barely visible in the dwindling light. He thought it a normal occurrence, just another patient outside to get a breath of fresh air; it wasn't completely unusual.

Then, on the 26th of April he saw them again. The wind ruffling the stranger's dark hair and contrasting pajamas.

On the 27th, they were in the same place.

And the 28th.

And the 29th.

And the 30th.

The 1st of May, Mingyu decided to change his usual route and skipped the skywalk, making immediately for the eerie stairway he usually avoided. It was made of grey stone, dark wood and malfunctioning lights that seemed to flicker despite the amount of times the employees claimed to have fixed it. He preferred not to use this particular stairwell, but it was the only way to reach the court from this wing of the hospital.

When he broke through the warmth of the inside of the hospital he found himself standing beside a bed of flowers that he usually only saw from above. Up close they were even more vibrant than he had initially thought, although he had no clue what type of flowers they were. He just knew they were planted in every corner.

Navigating his way through the dark court, Mingyu's eyes searched for the beige rock he had been looking at more often the past five days. He passed his favourite tree, skipped over a bush he had always thought was a bit unruly, and brushed past the new apple tree sapling they had planted a couple of days ago. At the end of his path, he found the big rock and the person sitting atop it, his long legs dangling off the edge and looking awfully cold.

It was a boy-or man, Mingyu wasn't actually sure. His face was young and his body seeming small despite his height, but his eyes were tired, giving him an air of years of sad experience. 

Mingyu was drawn in by those eyes.

"Hi." Mingyu said tentatively, taking off his white doctor's coat so that he could fold it over his arms. He took a step forward, far enough that he could lean up on the rock, the stranger now a mere foot away.

The stranger looked up, his eyes lighting up with surprise. His legs stilled and rested against the rock, brushing once against Mingyu's side.

Mingyu was overly aware of that small contact, his side warming a little despite how cold the stranger's foot was. He noticed for the first time that his feet were bare. They weren't even donning the hospital's slippers.

"Hello." The stranger finally replied, his deep voice barely audible in the evening's silence.

"Aren't you cold?" Mingyu asked.

"Not really."

The reply didn't give Mingyu much to work with, but he was determined to have a conversation with the lonely patient who definitely had a story that he wanted to hear.

"Really? Well, that's good then, we can stay out here for a while."

Mingyu hoisted himself up on the rock and settled next to the boy, making sure that he wasn't touching him in any way. There was a small space next to them that was filled with the heat of their two bodies. None of them leaned into it even though the cold air tempted them to.

"What's your name?"

Mingyu turned to look at the man who's attention was directed at the changing sky. He got a good glance of his side profile, his sharp jaw, straight nose and thin lips.

He didn't divert his focus when he replied to Mingyu's question. "Wonwoo."

The name seemed all too fitting to Mingyu. It sounded a little mysterious, and also very beautiful.

"Wonwoo." Mingyu tried, testing to see how the sounds rolled off his tongue and the one in question turned his head towards his name.

Mingyu took advantage of the situation and caught Wonwoo's gaze with his own, locking their eyes together for the first time. A grin lit up Mingyu's expression while he took in the sight of Wonwoo's eyes. They were a dark brown, so dark he had nearly mistaken them to be black.

"I'm Kim Mingyu."

"Mingyu," Wonwoo repeated before he could stop himself. The way his voice wrapped around Mingyu's name was unlike what Mingyu was used to. His voice made his name seem bright and alive even though Wonwoo's voice was even and deep.

"It sounds nice when you say it," Mingyu said truthfully, not even thinking about it before he threw it out into the wind.

Wonwoo's cheeks were already pink from the cold, and so the blush that crept onto his face went unnoticed by Mingyu. Although, he did notice the way his lips parted in shock and the facial expression pulled another smile from Mingyu.

"Why are you out here alone?" Mingyu continued, moving on from the topic that was clearly causing Wonwoo to become flustered.

Wonwoo had to clear his throat before he spoke. "It's nice."

Mingyu noticed that all of Wonwoo's replies were curt and to the point so he would have to be ready to follow up.

"I agree, I love the gardener's work. His name's Seokmin, did you know?"

A shake of his head.

"He comes early every morning and tends to all of the plants before the sun is yet to reach it's highest. I don't know how he does it, but all of my favourites are right here in this garden."

Wonwoo found new interest in the plants surrounding them as Mingyu talked and focused on the bush closest to them.

"Which one's your favourite?" Mingyu asked when he got only silence as a reply.

Another stretch of silence before Wonwoo shrugged. "I don't know..." He trailed off, turning his eyes back to Mingyu who had never taken his focus off of him. "I don't know anything about plants."

The fact that he had spoken more than one sentence caused Mingyu to become ridiculously giddy. It felt like a victory, no matter how small the action had been.

"I'm no professional, but there are a few things I know." Mingyu stretched out his arm and pointed at a plant that was near their feet. "That's a juniper bush, there are a few them here."

He turned his hand the slightest bit to point at the flowers resting near the rock. "And those are Muscari flowers. Great for teas and medicinal pastes."

Wonwoo nodded, and a small smile made an appearance on his lips. Mingyu was taken aback for just a second. The smile was soft and so different from what he had been expecting from the mysterious boy who had been nothing but placid looks and short replies. Mingyu found himself opening a small space in his mind for the memory of this smile.

It took an awkward second for him to go back to his task at hand.

He continued to rant on about the plants covering every inch of the court, looking back every minute to watch Wonwoo's expression. He was silent the entire time, but Mingyu delighted in the thought that he was actually enjoying what he was explaining.

Mingyu went over everything from the actual flowers to the weeds sneaking their way into the beds of different vegetation. He left out only the things he didn't know, which was the variety of flower which he had fallen upon when he entered the court. He explained for so long that the sun had set completely and the stars were shining brilliantly over their heads like glitter spilled over a sheet of dark, navy blue.

Somewhere down the line, he had casually draped his coat over Wonwoo, and was too distracted to notice that he himself was shaking from the chill.

"And that-right there, is grass," Mingyu said with a chuckle and a small snort came from Wonwoo.

"I know that much." He said, now more comfortable with the doctor who had spent the last minutes ranting about flowers, trees, and leaves. "But which one are those?"

Wonwoo pointed to the bright red-rimmed, yellow flowers that Mingyu had purposefully skipped.

"I like those ones," Wonwoo said.

"I... Don't actually know those ones."

Mingyu felt strangely disappointed in himself for not knowing, but he had always guessed they were roses because they were somewhat similar. While he was always busy with the hyacinths and Angelica flowers, he had never once stopped to see those ones.

"But you're such a plant nerd."

Mingyu's jaw dropped a little at the blunt comment that came from Wonwoo.

"Did you just call me a nerd?"

Wonwoo shrugged.

"You kind of are."

Mingyu shook his head in mock disbelief.

"I go out of my way to help teach a curious student and he insults me!" He placed his hand over his chest, wincing. Mingyu felt his acting was even better today than it usually was.

Wonwoo laughed. His white teeth showing past his pink lips, and his deep voice going a bit higher to let out bubbles of laughter.

It made Mingyu equally as happy and he began laughing as well.

Each laugh echoed in the empty court and mixed with the rustling of the trees. The sound was like music and Mingyu believed he could live the rest of his life listening to it. Having only known Wonwoo for less than two hours, he found it incredulous. But he was so comfortable with the light air that they sat in together that he just wanted to stay. 

While Wonwoo's laughter was even and controlled, Mingyu's was all over the place. He bent over and swayed from side to side, moving constantly as the laughter shook it's way out of him.

After a while, Wonwoo was no longer laughing because of what was said, but because of the way Mingyu laughed. It was ridiculous to him how someone could move so much while laughing.

They laughed so hard they couldn't breathe, and Mingyu leaned over onto Wonwoo by accident, their bodies pressed up against each-other. They were both freezing and now their bodies refused to stray too far from the warmth coming from each-other. They stayed liked that, howling laughter flying around them in echoes and clear tones.

The night only ended once Wonwoo claimed to hate Mingyu's laugh. 

Mingyu learned that the flower's name was Begonia, and that they sold them at the florists shop a street down from them. When he had found out he had raced to the skywalk without thinking, his eyes landing on the beige rock within a second. He was wrong to do so, of course, because Wonwoo only sat on the rock in the evenings, something that Mingyu should have known.

He had to walk back to his office with his head hanging, avoiding the curious stares of the nurses who adored gossip. They had eyes like hawks' and Mingyu had been the subject of their whispering far too many times for his liking.

As he turned the last corner before his office, he saw a familiar pattern in his peripheral vision. It could have been any patient's pyjamas, but he found the one he was looking for passing him in the hallway with a nurse holding his arm.

"Wonwoo!" He exclaimed a little too excitedly.

The two paused and turned to the doctor who resembled a dog, wagging its tail in excitement.

"I figured out it's name. It's a Begonia," Mingyu said without a second for a breath, examining the way Wonwoo's eyes lit up at the information given. "It's good for stomach diseases."

Wonwoo smiled, a genuine smile that was bright and just as excited. "It's a nice name."

Mingyu felt a little stupid, grinning so widely, but Wonwoo's love for the flower was a subject of interest for Mingyu, and he enjoyed the expression on Wonwoo's face. He wanted to know more about him, and everything that he saw, heard or felt was propelling him to satisfy his curiosity.

The moment was broken when he noticed the nurse motioning to him that he needed to go.

A knot of unease unfurled in the pit of Mingyu's stomach as he nodded, waving to Wonwoo. He had forgotten that they were on their way to somewhere, and if it were somewhere in the hospital it couldn't have been very good.

"It seems you have to go. I'll see you later?"

Wonwoo waved back just as a doctor rushed in between the two of them.

"Bye."

And Wonwoo was making his way down the hall again, leaving Mingyu with his unanswered question. 

"I met Seokmin the other day." Wonwoo said, his fingers twirling a bright begonia that had been given to him by the said gardener.

It had been four days since Mingyu found out the flower's name, and it was the second day since then that they actually met up. The first was in his hospital room. Mingyu had thought that he had been discharged-or something worse had happened. Needless to say, he had raced down the stairwell when he had seen Wonwoo sitting atop the rock.

"Yeah? What did you think? He's pretty funny, isn't he?"

Wonwoo nodded. "He made some really bad puns."

Mingyu knew very well the kind of jokes Seokmin liked to make, and the idea that he had shared some with Wonwoo caused a chuckle to tumble through his lips.

"Did he tell you the joke about his fear of gardening?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh, you have to hear it."

Mingyu shifted and crossed his legs underneath him, his shoes catching in his coat. He had to take a second to readjust himself, and in that time, Wonwoo turned to face him.

Mingyu opened his mouth to start but stopped short when a laugh came out involuntarily. He attempted to suppress it with his hands and Wonwoo was rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry -- sorry," Mingyu gasped as he straightened himself. "Okay." He cleared his throat and squared himself so he could look Wonwoo in the eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Mingyu noticed that they seemed to be the same height.

"So, Seokmin was always afraid of gardening..." Mingyu brought up his hands for added dramatic effect.

"And then he decided to grow a pear."

Mingyu tried his best to stay straight faced but his body gave in faster than he would have liked, laughter throwing him around as it always did. He couldn't control himself as he attempted to repeat the punchline between bursts of giggling.

It took Wonwoo a second to join in, his reason for chuckling very different from Mingyu's.

"That was so stupid," Wonwoo said cheerily, his entire face lit up by a smile that showcased his teeth.

Mingyu pointed a finger right at him. "But you're laughing!"

Wonwoo quickly covered his mouth with his hand, turning away from Mingyu so he was looking towards the windows of the hospital. The lights were beginning to turn off, as they always did at that time of the day.

It took Mingyu a bit before he could calm down, and when he finally did, Wonwoo was still smiling at him although the smile had softened.

"It's my favourite joke," Mingyu said honestly, never one to deny something that made him happy. He had learned long ago that no matter how silly, sharing happiness in any form was always the right thing.

"Is he actually afraid of gardening, though?" Wonwoo questioned, his lips turned down in curiosity.

"Yes, actually."

"Really?" Wonwoo's head tilted in the slightest way, and Mingyu's heart stuttered so quick that he nearly missed it happening at all. "How do you know?"

"I was his doctor."

Wonwoo nodded slowly, realization dawning on his face. "So you're some kind of psychologist?"

"Yeah. I'm a psychiatrist."

A pause. The lights in the rooms across from them turned off.

"Is that why you're talking to me? Is there something wrong with me?"

"I don't know." Mingyu's gaze was fixed on Wonwoo, while the latter's was towards the ground. "You're at the hospital, you tell me."

The lights from the skywalk flickered off.

"... I don't think there's anything wrong with me--mentally."

His voice was barely above a whisper, filled with uncertainty and questioning.

"What's your reason for being at the hospital, then?" Mingyu asked, straight forward.

Wonwoo raised his head to meet Mingyu's gaze, his eyes gliding over all of his features, searching for something. Mingyu felt a sad confession coming, and he began regretting asking the question at all. At least his curiosity would be satisfied.

"I have stomach cancer."

The last lights from the lobby turned off, and they were immersed in darkness. The sky was clear, but the moon was nowhere in sight. Only the stars were twinkling, though they didn't do much in terms of illuminating.

Mingyu had the sudden urge to ask something else, although he was afraid it would seem like he was avoiding the subject.

Maybe he was. He didn't think he should've felt so afraid, but maybe he didn't want to hear a story that could hurt him.

He decided to ask. "Why are you always out here alone?"

Mingyu couldn't see Wonwoo in the darkness, but he could tell he was confused at the sudden change in topic.

"I said before, it's nice-"

"But that's not all of it."

Silence. Mingyu wished he could see Wonwoo's face, wished he could decipher what was going on inside of his mind. He leaned forward, fully aware that their faces were inches apart but from that distance he could see those dark eyes that held so many mysteries. His head was tilted down, eyelashes fluttering as he blinked fast.

"You're right."

Mingyu could feel Wonwoo's breath on his neck and he swore his heart was going to stop.

"I was sitting out here in the hopes that someone would find me." Something akin to a wry smile was visible in the dark light. "That's childish, I know."

"Why do you want to be found?" Mingyu breathed, leaning back so that his heart would stop attempting to make its way through his chest. He wondered why it was so frantic. He didn't have anxiety and he never had panic attacks before. Mingyu made a mental note that he would have to look into it later.

"Because I'm dying, because I never lived the way I wanted to live, because I don't want to leave as a forgotten tragedy... There are lots of reasons."

Mingyu had heard these things before, too many times for him to count. He had sympathized for all of them, tried to put himself where they were, but none of them made him feel as he did then. He felt as if someone had dropped an entire country's stresses and worries on his shoulder, crushing him to the point where he couldn't breathe. Just one glance at Wonwoo's eyes caused the feeling to double.

"And so? You've been found, what now?" Mingyu continued, wondering what it was that Wonwoo wanted from a stranger who had found him.

Wonwoo seemed hesitant, as if he were picking apart the words that he wanted to say. He started, but stopped. And started again, and stopped again.

It took him a while to form a full sentence.

"I don't want my story to end as a one person tragedy..." Wonwoo trailed, thinking of a way to continue.

"You want a happy ending?"

Wonwoo's head finally came back up, and from where Mingyu was sitting, it looked as if a crown of stars had been placed above him. Mingyu knew then that he was the most beautiful person he had ever had the luck of meeting.

"Yes." His voice was quiet, even more than it usually was. "I want you to give my story a happy ending."

The lamps in the court finally came to life, flickering around them like fireflies in the spring. The stars were now dull from their spot in their own world.

Mingyu was normally rational, he normally told his patients that things weren't always fluff and positivity, but maybe it was the silent night, or the look in Wonwoo's eyes that made him start a promise he couldn't guarantee he could keep. He felt the stars would forgive him even if he betrayed his doctor's oath.

"Then I will. I won't let you go as a forgotten tragedy."