Donghae POV

It took everything I had to bear with the agonized screams that escaped Sungmin as Kyuhyun was rolled out of the room.  It took everything I had not to scream alongside him.  Hadn't we suffered enough?  It was one thing to be tortured by the fact that our brother was dying, but a whole other thing to feel the guilt from the knowledge that  I was responsible for everything - Leeteuk's stitches, Shindong's bruises, Eunhyuk's instability, Sungmin's distress, Kyuhyun's death.  That was far worse than having to cope with simply the aftermath of the accident.

"D-Donghae," Eunhyuk breathed, his words almost being carried away by the continuous sobs that hacked through the stiff tension that shrouded the room, "C-Can I talk to you in private?"

I glanced at Sungmin, who had slumped over onto Kyuhyun's now-empty bed.  It was probably best to give him time alone.  I would only end up saying something that would the situation ten times worse.

Though I didn't want to leave Sungmin to mourn on his own, I nodded and followed Eunhyuk out of the room into the deserted hallway.  The smell of bleach clawed at my nostrils, making them burn; making me even more aware of the fire that continued to turn my heart to ash.

The hallway was dark, empty of the crowds of nurses and patients that had been scattered along its length earlier in the day.  The eerie shadows that crept up and down the walls made me want to stick closer to Eunhyuk's side.  He stopped, though, once we reached the end of the hall.  His face was cast in blackness, the only visible part of his face being his lips, which I watched move as he spoke.

"Kyuhyun...he still loves Sungmin.  I know you wanted to start over with him, but Kyuhyun only pretended to be in love with me to help fix your relationship with Sungmin."

What?

"When...when did he tell you this?"

"When you and Sungmin were on the bri-" he began. "I mean, when you guys were out of the room.  Kyuhyun told me."

I felt my eyebrows dip into a confused frown.  Why would Kyuhyun even think of going about it like that?  How the hell did he know that his plan would work?

"Kyuhyun's connection to Sungmin is pretty amazing," Eunhyuk whispered.  I saw the outline of his head bend down.  I assumed he was looking down at the floor. "His plan was a long shot, but in the end it worked.  Knowing how aware they are of each other and their feelings...it makes me jealous."

His voice - his soft, sweet, hopeless voice - made me want to cry.  I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be jealous.  I wanted to tell him that he had me; that I would be to him what Sungmin was to Kyuhyun.  But Eunhyuk would never forgive me for what I did to him.  I didn't expect him to.

"Eunhyuk," I said, careful not to let the words become stuck in my throat.  "I owe you...much more than an apology.  I owe you everything.  An apology can't possibly redeem all the awful things I've done and said to you."

I watched as the silhouette of his lips curved up into a forlorn smile.  I could just imagine the way his eyes would twinkle sadly, full of understanding and forgiveness.

All of these people that you've wronged are ready to forgive you.  They're ready to accept you with open arms.  Do you deserve their forgiveness, though?  Do you deserve their kindness and acceptance?

I knew the answer to that better than anyone.

"Donghae, I promise that you've redeemed yourself already.  Everything that happened at that motel...I guess I can understand why you did it.  You're different now, though.  I don't know what made it happen, but you're different.  Watching you help Sungmin through this; watching you lend a helping hand to the person I thought you were never going to talk to again...it gave me enough reason to forgive you."

Before I could stop them, tears began to roll down my face.

"W-Why are you all so damn n-nice to me?  I d-don't deserve any forgiveness."  My body shook with the force at which my emotions came flooding out.  "I ing ripped your h-heart apart, and there's still enough of it left to forgive me?"

"My heart only ever belonged to you, Donghae.  It's still yours to handle and break however you choose."

With those last words, my composure broke and I was sobbing into Eunhyuk's shoulder, my body heaving with each gasp that was ripped from my soul.  I was comforted by the warm arms that wrapped around me.  They served as my shield; a shield that would protect me from the guilt and anger that I aimed directly at myself.

What did I ever do to deserve his unwavering kindness and compassion?  Knowing that he shouldn't be forgiving me and knowing that I had no right to be apologizing in the first place threw my conscience to the dogs.  The guilt was too much.  It crushed down on me with enough force to render me completely useless.  At that moment, I couldn't support my own weight and completely depended on the strength that Eunhyuk channeled into me.

"Donghae, I know you think I should hate you.  I know you blame yourself for everything.  But I no matter what you do, it seems like I'll always keep on loving you."

You see, Donghae?  You're finally loved by someone.

I pulled back, my heart frozen; in shock.  It had never occurred to me that after everything I'd done, I still had the potential to be loved.  Hearing it come straight from Eunhyuk's mouth made the fact more substantial; more real.  He loved me.  He would always keep on loving me.

Ignoring the tears that flooded down my cheeks, I inched closer to Eunhyuk's loving, stable figure.  It took far too long to bring my lips down on his.  Warmth coursed its way through my body as Eunhyuk embraced me with all the love he possessed.  I felt it being transferred into me.  I felt my longing sprinting alongside his own.  We were finally together.  I had spent so long searching for Sungmin, that I had never realized that the only person that really existed for me was Eunhyuk.

The kiss was short and sweet.  His potent breath cleansed my mind of all worries and frustrations.  The curve of his soft lips sent shivers scattering down my spine.  No moment had ever felt so perfect.

As we pulled apart, I whispered, "Hyuk, are we together?"  My voice was weak, but hopeful.

"Yeah," he said, bringing his face back to my own.  "We're together."

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A/N: OMGGG THINGS ARE FINALLY WORKING OUT! I'm sorry ive been mia these past couple days.  Things have been kind of crazy.  I hope you guys have been waiting patiently.  I'm sorry for the wait!!! Please comment and subscribe!<3 I love you all!