"Eh eh."

               Sanghyuk looked up, lips parting as he saw the line of nurses all staring at him from across the nurse's station.

               "Is he sleeping?" he asked, their eyes flying to the room he was currently outside of. Then they all smiled, the oldest of the group shaking her head.

               "Go on, give him some company," she said and Sanghyuk nodded.

               Walking in, his hands reached behind him for the door. Gently closing it, he started towards the bed only to find it empty.

               Hair flexing on his neck, his eyes darted to every corner of the room.

               The toilet flushed, the sound of the faucet rushing briefly echoing. Sanghyuk steeled his spine, getting ready for the look on Taekwoon's face when he came out of the bathroom.

               It did not disappoint, and whether the reason was how absurd this was or the fact that they were in love without knowing each other, Taekwoon's surprise was delicious.

               "Hi," Sanghyuk murmured.

               Taekwoon wiped his knuckles on his gown. "Hi."

               "Do you need help?"

               At Taekwoon's shake of his head, Sanghyuk looked down. Then at the bed. It was rumpled and the sheets were pushed all the way to the right, bunched and wrinkled. Scratching at his jaw, he stretched out his hand.

               Taekwoon took it, hesitant fingers tightening as Sanghyuk led him to his bed. Then he sat at the edge of it, patting the space beside him.

               "You're off the IV," Sanghyuk said as he settled next to Taekwoon, their thighs touching. He clasped his hands in front of him, crossing his ankles. Eyes traveling, he finally turned to face the other.

               "You didn't hear?" At Sanghyuk's raised eyebrows, Taekwoon settled into an indulgent smile. "All I needed was some sleep."

               "Pfft."

               Taekwoon chuckled as Sanghyuk put his hands behind him, leaning against them. He peered at Taekwoon over the round of his nose.

               "What do you think it was?"

               Sanghyuk felt the warmth start to invade his senses, the comfort level rise around them. It was almost like it pulsed within them, lying in wait for either of them to acknowledge it.

               The past couple of days had been spent gradually getting accustomed to it.

               They were absolute strangers, but there was something inside them that was familiar. There was something celestial that drew them together and they didn't know why or when or where.

               Just knew they couldn't be without each other.

               Taekwoon spread his knees, resting his elbows on them. Sanghyuk followed the bumps of his spine, watched as his ribs showed with each inhale. The older man buried his fingers into his hair.

               "You were in my dreams," Sanghyuk started, eyes softening. "In the beginning I was so scared, because I was always jumping. There was never a night that passed where I didn't… I was so scared, but I had to.

               "And then you showed up, screaming for me." Closing his eyes, he pushed the sound from his mind. "Your soul reached for me every time I stood on the edge."

               Taekwoon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

               "You had the same dreams."

               It wasn't a question though it wasn't completely a statement. It was a feeling, an intuition that if right, meant the universe ruled their destiny. It didn't matter Sanghyuk had a girlfriend or Taekwoon was not looking for another heartbreak after the last, the cosmos said they were to find each other. By any means necessary, the universe had brought them together.

               Sanghyuk averted his gaze when Taekwoon looked at him, pursing his lips to quell his smile.

               "I didn't sleep so they weren't dreams. But," Taekwoon sighed. "You were on that ing ledge and I couldn't get to you fast enough. I did though, a couple times," he chuckled shortly without humor. "I caught you—"

               "I know. I felt it."

               Narrowed eyes slowly traveled up to Sanghyuk's serious face.

               "Those nights," he said. "Those nights I willed myself back to sleep just to feel you again. Your hands on me felt like—" Suddenly Sanghyuk paused, rouge blooming on his cheeks and neck.

               Taekwoon smiled softly. "Euphoria?"

               "That's a better term for it," Sanghyuk laughed, face falling a second later. "I chased it every time I closed my eyes."

               They sat silent for a little more, the whirr of the machines quiet compared to their thundering heart beats.

               There was a noise, a gasp of sorts and Sanghyuk found Taekwoon's eyes still on him. They stared back at each other, feeling their cores twist the same. They knew each other—not the details, no. They didn't know the trials and tribulations of their separate lives. They didn't know their aspirations and dreams, their wants, their needs.

               But Taekwoon knew Sanghyuk's heart, the one that beat double time every time he got too close. The one that pumped red when Taekwoon touched his skin, the one that fluttered every time he tugged at his ear.

               "Why do you do that?" Sanghyuk asked, the other withdrawing his hand and looking at it like he couldn't remember doing so. Then he laughed.

               "I have no idea, I… I just do."

               Sanghyuk grabbed Taekwoon's hand, covering it with his own. "So what happens now?"

               The dreaded question, the unknown answer.

               "I feel like we go our separate ways," Taekwoon muttered, starting to bounce his leg. "I mean, you have a life out there. I'm not sure what even exists between us. What this all means, you know?"

               The younger man took in a deep breath, rubbing the pad of his thumb over Taekwoon's big knuckles. He brought it to his mouth, pursing his lips against the soft skin. Taekwoon's toes curled.

               "I don't think we have a choice, Taekwoon. Every time I'm away from you, I want to be with you. I want to be next to you. I find myself counting minutes until I see you again and the relief I feel when I'm close is… more than I've ever dealt with."

               Sanghyuk smiled. "So I don't think we have the option of saying goodbye."

               The warmth that wrapped around their bones tightened and Taekwoon leaned into Sanghyuk, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

               "I have this weird feeling you've convinced me before," Taekwoon admitted.

               Sanghyuk's chest soared. "I can always find a job in Seoul."

               Blinking, the older man leaned his chin against Sanghyuk's shoulder. "I could always enroll in a school in Daejeon."

               Tilting his head, Taekwoon's nose brushed against Sanghyuk's mouth, their eyes meeting.

~

               "Taekwoon-ah, are you going to come back and visit?"

               The look on his face said it all but the night nurses, staying well past their shift, crowded the discharge office. They gave him hugs, the older one—the one he called grandma—kissed his cheek putting a hand to .

               "Please visit," she sniffled, blinking.

               "Of course."

               Looking behind him, he saw his family in the waiting room. They were trying to be patient but they wanted him home. His nephew wriggled in his sister's arms.

               "Good luck, honey."

               Nodding, Taekwoon gave them one final look before walking out of the ward. His mother clasped her hands together, then reached for him.

               It felt good to walk outside, use his body for more than just 30 minutes a day. Smiling, he hugged all of them once. He held his nephew in his arms, humming as the little boy grabbed at his face before reaching for his mother.

                It felt good to feel like he was in his own body again.

               Ambling outside, Taekwoon shielded his eyes from the sun. Immediately, his mother dug in her purse and shoved a pair of sunglasses at him but he refused them. Instead, he kept his hand above his eyes, narrowing his gaze on the man ahead of them.

               Sanghyuk had been released from the hospital before Taekwoon. The older man had a little bit longer recovery due to the seizure and while he was able to sleep again, the doctors had wanted him to stabilize before release.

                If he was honest, the hospital didn't feel the same without Sanghyuk. And despite the fact that the younger man came every day to visit, he felt Sanghyuk's trepidation as he walked towards him. He could feel the eagerness against his skin.

               Taekwoon stopped right in front of him, blinking quietly.

               Sanghyuk smiled bashfully, bringing his hands to Taekwoon's cheeks, soft and warm. Putting his forehead against his, their souls melded for a moment, their mouths meeting in the next. Lips moved against each other gently, a slight hiss at the first spark of Taekwoon's tongue as it ran along the edge of Sanghyuk's teeth.

                Pulling back, Taekwoon rested his face against the crook of Sanghyuk's neck, wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist. Sanghyuk's long arms curled around his shoulders and they stood there, holding each other.

               "Um."

               Pulling away regretfully, each touch a new memory of their lives before, Taekwoon smiled. Sanghyuk returned it, pecked it briefly before looking over his shoulder at Taekwoon's family.

               Both of their families thought their sudden connection was some type of shared response to post traumatic stress. The events, how utterly bizarre and completely uncanny, led to some sort of mutual experience and it was all they could do to explain that their sons were inexplicably taken with each other.  

               But Sanghyuk and Taekwoon knew the truth: they were universal soulmates in the previous life, this life and the next. No matter how far they roamed, eventually, they would always be brought back to each other.

               Taekwoon reached down and grabbed Sanghyuk's hand, ready to finally begin.

                The End

Well, that's it folks! I hope you enjoyed the ride :) I have to say for a day long fic, I really enjoyed the hell out of this. I really liked that I could see and sense where there might be questions and improve as we went along. Thank you to all the readers and commenters! :D

Also, I have this nagging feeling that I want to do an epilogue-- I don't want to say goodbye at this point. And for all the people wanting to know exactly why the prince jumped, perhaps I could do something with that? Let me know what you think and maybe I can play around with some ideas I have <3

Thanks everyone! - Raven