Heartbeat
Description
Donghae's heart skips a beat for Eunhyuk. Warning:character death.
Foreword
He had always known in the back of his mind that it would end this way, but he couldn't quite believe it. He stared at Donghae as his boyfriend lay still on the hospital bed, his skin white as snow.
Eunhyuk watched the heartbeat on the monitor, feeling his throat close up and his palms grow sweaty everytime the heart would skip a beat.
Hae had told him about it when Hyuk had first asked him for a date.
"My heart skipped a beat for you" he had said, smiling. Hyuk had called him cheesy and laughed it off, until Hae had taken his hand and placed it on his chest.
"No, I mean it" he had whispered, and Hyuk had gasped as he felt the pause in the pulse.
"Why does it happen?"
"It's just always been like that."
Ever since he had found out, Hyuk had vowed to look after the smaller boy. He had made sure that he got enough rest, that he didn't watch any scary movies or do any activities that caused an extreme increase in heartrate. But just being with Eunhyuk was enough to make Hae's heart skip.
The boy was tender and loving, and Donghae felt safe with him. Eunhyuk had allowed himself to relax, to believe in his fantasies that they would be together forever. He could see their future house in his mind, their children running happily in the garden as they cooked together in the kitchen.
But one day, during a long practice, Donghae had collapsed. He had fallen to the floor, only saved from hitting his head on the hard wood by Sungmin's quick reflexes. Hyuk had sat at his side, chanting his name and kissing him desperately as Kangin phoned for an ambulance.
Riding in the ambulance, holding Hae's hand as the younger boy lay unmoving, Eunhyuk could feel the dreams slowly drip away. The edges of the perfect house seemed to blur, the faces of the children no longer decipherable.
An hour later, sitting alone at the bedside, having asked the others to give them just a few minutes alone, he reached into his bag for the soft nemo plush. He had bought the toy the day before, on impulse. Seeing the toy in the window had made him smile, and he knew that it would make Hae smile too. He had kept it hidden, wanting to surprise his boyfriend with it after practice.
Leaning down, he placed the plush under Donghae's arm and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He had the boy's hair lovingly.
Tears formed in his eyes as he watched the soft flutters of Donghae's eyelashes.
"Hae? Hae!"
"Hyukkie?" came Hae's croaky voice. "You're here."
"Of course I'm here Hae, where else would I be?"
Hae smiled at Hyuk and jumped in surprise as he looked down at the nemo plush in his arms. "It's like me!"
"Yes Hae, it's like you." Eunhyuk's tears were flowing down his face. "And I love you so much."
"I love you too Hyuk."
Both of their hearts skipped a beat in love, but Hae's never restarted.
The long beep from the machine was the final note of their love song.
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