The sky was pitch black outside of the building, the candles about to burn out around the room, their light coating everything in gold.

It was cold inside, cold enough for Hongbin to hug Jaehwan, trying to pass some heat over to him. Jaehwan had an arm around Hongbin's shoulder, and it was slightly uncomfortable to lean on Jaehwan's chest from the chair he was sitting on while Jaehwan was lying in the bed, but Hongbin had absolutely no intention of sitting upright. He wanted to hear Jaehwan's heartbeat—every single faint throb that seemed to become quieter by the second.

“I love you,” Jaehwan whispered, nearly no sound leaving his mouth.

Hongbin lifted his head and looked at him: almost transparent skin, blue veins running under it, lips purple. Hongbin swallowed back tears he didn’t have anymore, fingers curling into the blanket thrown over Jaehwan's body. Even in the grip of death, he looked beautiful beyond words.

“Don’t talk,” Hongbin said, the words tearing at his throat.

Jaehwan smiled the ghost of a smile, probably thought it was silly Hongbin shushed him when it didn’t matter anymore, when these were his last words. He tried to caress Hongbin's back, but had no strength; his face twitched when he moved, the large wound on his left side probably sensitive.

“I’m going to miss you,” he breathed. “Let’s meet in another life.”

“Stop saying that,” Hongbin cried, sitting up. “What if there are no more lives, what if— what if this is it? Don’t make me believe things that are not true.”

Tears started to spill from his eyes again, and Jaehwan only smiled, eyelids moving languidly like he was about to fall asleep, but it was not time yet, Hongbin couldn’t let go of him just now. They said they’d be together forever, and a sword in Jaehwan's abdomen should not have ended it. It couldn’t.

‘Come here,’ Jaehwan mouthed.

Hongbin stood up, hand clutching Jaehwan's as tight as possible, leaning over him and pressing a few kisses to his icy lips, taking his face into his free hand. Jaehwan looked up at him, eyes shining wetly, and a moment later, the shine died out in them.

Hongbin thudded back on the chair, resting his face on Jaehwan's unmoving chest, crying, and wishing he could follow Jaehwan to wherever he had gone.

They’d meet in another life.