TAKE ME BACK TO THE START...

He forced himself to put one foot in front of another, to walk down the cold floors of the building called a hospital. Hospital. Donghae hated that word now. Hospital meant caged in. It meant confined, a prison, much like it was keeping him prisoner now. His foot steps stopped at a room labeled 501 and he stopped for a moment, cocking his head questioningly at the sweet sound that came through the barrier. He gently pushed it open, breathing in the smell of chemicals and sanitized items.

To his surprise, Eunhyuk was sitting up, his back propped with pillows. his cheeks were sunken in, his body thinner than the last time he had visited. Despite his physical condition, however, there was a smile on his face and his eyes shone with more emotion than he could ever remember. His voice rang out clearly in th room, like crystalline bells tinkling.

"When you try your best, but you dont succeed

When you get what you want, but not what you need

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse..."

Eunhyuk glanced at him, his gummy smile spreading wider in recognition of his presence. His singing continued.

"And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose comething you can't replace

When you love someone but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?"

Donghae let a frown touch his lips as Eunhyuk suddenly stopped for a moment to let out a cough that racked his body. His expression softened slightly and he moved to his side.

"You shouldn't push yourself," he muttered. "It's bad for you."

Eunhyuk only shook his head in response and resumed his song, taking his hand. Donghae froze for a moment at his touch and a look of hurt crossed Eunhyuk's face. He slowly relaxed, withdrawing, and realized Eunhyuk had slipped a piece of paper into his grasp.

"Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones..."

Eunhyuk made a gesture for Donghae to read it. He glanced at the top of the folded sheet.

"...And I will try to fix you."

Fishy~

(^You know you love that nickname...)

A faint hint of a smile curved the corners of his mouth and he turned it over, unfolding the white paper. Eunhyuk's voice continued as he read his words, fading into the background.

"And high up above or down below

When you're too in love to let it go

But if you never try you'll never know

Just what you're worth..."

Donghae-

I'm sorry that I haven't been around for awhile. They had to move me to a different hospital overseas for therapy. The nurses tell me that you've been visiting often though I'm not here. If I could, I would have told you about my absence. Sorry about that, but really, have you been sending fresh flowers every day?

A light scowl crossed Donghae's features and Eunhyuk's eyes shone with laughter at his reaction. He looked up meeting his gaze and the frown softened. His eyes continued to flick across the words.

"Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you."

Anyway, onto a more serious note.

I know that I am losing this battle. You don't have to hide it from me anymore. No one needs to, actually. I know I am weak against this deathly disease that no one knows how to cure yet, I'm hopeless.

I'm losing against cancer, and I've finally accepted that.

The doctors talk about me behind my back, but I can still hear them, though I doubt that they know. From what I've picked up on, I only have about a week left.

...Yes, Donghae. A week. I know.

"Tears stream down on your face

When you lose something you cannot replace

Tears stream down your face

And I..."

Donghae stared at the paper in shock, freezing his body. A week wasn't enough. A week was too short. A week...

...And he would be gone from this life.

Despite his will to stay calm and collected, he couldn't stop his hand from trembling and he gripped the paper more firmly. Eunhyuk's eyes widened slightly at his action but he kept his gaze locked upon his face.

"Tears stream down on your face

I promise you I will learn from my mistakes

Tears stream down on your face

And I..."

I know this is kind of a shocker, but I've been pretty lucky to survive so far. They expected me to leave about a year and a half ago, but I've extended my life for another eighteen months since then.

I've had a good run, Fishy. It's going to be okay.

Right. Onto my main point.

All I wanetd to say was thank you for supporting me all this time. My gratitude is beyond description and all I can say is that you've been the one who's helped me the most, the one who's cheered me up every single time I see you. Thank you. Thank you so very much, Lee Donghae. You've made my life the best it could be.

In return of what you've done for me, I'm going to let you in on a little secret, one I've been keeping from you ever since we first met. I want it to be just between you and me, just the two of us and no one else. There's something I want to get out before I leave this world... Before I leave you.

The paper slipped from Donghae's hands and felled to the ground. He stood there, a blank look in his gaze, shoulders shaking lightly.

Donghae...

I love you.

"Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones..."

A cool hand rested on top of his own and he looked past his building tears to see Eunhyuk's face, sadness trapped in their depths. His voice reached the last stanza, the last part of the song. With a cracking voice, Donghae joined him, their lips moving in sync at the last six words.

"...And I will try to fix you."

...AND FIX ME.

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-Serenity