The song of the Nightingale was said to be the most beautiful sound in nature, a sweet medley of whistles and trills. But as Chanyeol lay in bed resting his head on Baekhyun's firm chest, listening to the sound of his voice combined with the soft heartbeat pounding in his ear, he couldn't help but think that Baekhyun was his own Nightingale—though his song was much more beautiful than any Nightingale could ever produce.

Baekhyun would always sing to Chanyeol at night as they cuddled close, only stopping when he could hear his quiet snoring, a noise which Baekhyun found endearing. Huffing, Chanyeol would always say, snoring is not cute, no matter who does it, although a twinge of pink could always be visible on his cheeks. He found solace whilst listening to his serenade, a solace that could only be found in the notes Baekhyun would create in the back of his throat.

The boy's eyes found themselves closing as Baekhyun stared down at his figure and leaned in close to press a soft, lingering kiss to the top of Chanyeol's head. Engulfed in silence, their gentle breathing the only sound in the room. 

"So," Chanyeol spoke, voice barely audible, "only two weeks?"

The latter stared off into the distance as the two of them stood in the hallway of the hospital, biting his lip and refusing to make eye contact with the boy infront of him; that was enough confirmation for Chanyeol. He refused to cry, not now—not when Baekhyun was in his most vulnerable state. Taking deliberate steps towards his boyfriend, he wrapped his arms around his frame. Feeling his tears seep through his thin ivory t-shirt, he tightened his embrace, blinking furiously to surpress his own tears from falling.

There was a clock in the back of both of their minds counting down the hours, the minutes, the seconds, until everything would come to a stop. It would tick until time ran out, until the very last moment of they had together. When it stopped, it would be over. Everything would be a figment of their past; like the last page of an unfinished book.

It wasn't until later that night when Chanyeol finally cracked, his emotions spilling in the form of tears. Lying beside him was Baekhyun pretending to sleep, trying to ignore that evident pain coursing through his body—the feeling of his heart constraining more with each cry he heard.

Sunlight seeped through the blinds, a gentle glow illuminating their shared bedroom. Distant birds sung. A soft breeze. The light rustle of the trees. 

"Why is your voice so," Chanyeol trailed off, trying to come up with a suitable adjective, "perfect?"

Confused, Baekhyun halted his singing. "Is that a rhetorical question, Chanyeol?"

The said boy chuckled, continuing to fidget with Baekhyun's slender fingers, tangling their legs together as they sat with each other on the bed, Baekhyun's head resting against Chanyeol's broad shoulders.

"No, I'm just wondering, is all."

A small smile graced Baekhyun's lips, "Maybe you think my voice is perfect, but to others it might not be."

"But," he spoke, "I think it's perfect. That's what should matter, right?" In a quieter, faint voice, Chanyeol added, "Because you're perfect to me,"

Moments like these were the ones Baekhyun treasured the most. One out of the many things he would miss when he was gone. Hearing a flustered Chanyeol mutter the most affectionate of words made him feel a comforting warmth inside of him; a warmth he would no longer feel in one week's time.

One week. It felt like it was just yesterday when he broke the news to Chanyeol that he had a kidney failure. The doctors had told him he had a limit of six months to live, though Baekhyun was stronger than that. He managed to pull through and lengthen his original six months to one full year. Now, he only had one week.

Seven days. Ten thousand eighty minutes. Six hundred four thousand, eight hundred seconds.

"You're perfect in my eyes."

Time passed and he grew weaker, though still managing to sing for Chanyeol despite the constant pleads for him not to strain his throat. You're weak enough as it is, Chanyeol would say. Don't push yourself just for me, to which he would respond by pressing their lips together to stop his rambling. Singing for him was something Baekhyun wanted to do, no matter the circumstances.

He wanted to use his last breath singing for the love of his life.

Soon one week became five days and rather than cuddling at home, they were cuddling in a hospital bed. Chanyeol would sit on a chair beside the bed, his head resting beside Baekhyun's and their hands intertwined. Even if he would wake up with a sore neck the next day, he thought it was worth it.

"You know, Baekhyun," Chanyeol said as he faced Baekhyun on the bed, "you're like a nightingale."

"Why... do you think that?" he whispered, now unable to reply back in his usual tone.

Chanyeol nodded, grinning. "Because you're always singing me to sleep and your voice is pretty, just like a Nightingale's." Involuntarily, he found himself carressing Baekhyun's face, eyes glued to his pale complextion.

"Will you always be my Nightingale?" Their eyes met as they both breathed heavily, at a loss of breath for no reason.

Almost inaudibly, Baekhyun responded, "Always." 

With three days remaining, Baekhyun could barely lift a finger. He had difficulty concentrating during conversations and oftentimes felt himself short of breath, dizzy and in pain. Witnessing him in this state was unbearable for Chanyeol, when just a few weeks ago he had been the normal Baekhyun he was used to; the Baekhyun that was always laughing and smiling; the Baekhyun that never let a single negative thought phase him; the Baekhyun with a voice so strong and full of emotion.

All he was left with was a whisper, barely noticeable. But to Chanyeol it was the only thing he could hear. 

He still sang, though not in the way he had in the past. It didn't even seem like he was singing, just a bunch of sentences slurred together in hushed tones and painful whispers. Chanyeol still found it melodious.

"Baekhyun, you don't have to keep doing this," Sighing, Chanyeol his soft, dark magenta hair with hints of red undertones splashed in.

"I should," he heaved heavily, "but didn't I say that I would always be your Nightingale?"

That night, Chanyeol unwillingly shed tears for the second time in two weeks.

Three days became one day and the two of them knew that tomorrow would be when the clock would stop, when the countdown would be over.

Baekhyun was the most helpless Chanyeol had ever seen him. Most of the time Chanyeol would be the one doing the talking, Baekhyun doing the listening. The only time he could ever hear his voice was at night when they were as close as the petite bed could allow them to be, Baekhyun hardly managing to release the soft harmony from his lips. A full song was now shortened to a few lines with long gaps in between, though that could hardly bother him, just as long as he could hear one word the boy uttered.

"Can you be my Nightingale

Sing to me I know you're there

You can be my sanity

Bring me peace, sing me to sleep

Say you'll be my Nightingale."

As Baekhyun finished the last note, he took a deep intake of air, his strength slowly being out of him. Both of them fell asleep to the sound of two hearts beating as one.

Chanyeol awoke to someone panting beside his ear.

His eyes widened, shooting up from his sleeping position to see Baekhyun struggling for air. Mind blank, he stared, thoughts jumbled in a swirl of anxiety, the only thing running through his mind was, he's dying.

"Baek, Baek!" Jumping back to his senses, he grabbed his hands in his own, vision blurry, impaired by the tears he desperately tried to hold back. "Wait, just hang in there, I-I'll call the nurses, please—"

Suddenly, his rushed speech was cut off by Baekhyun's hoarse voice attempting to sing one last line.

"I love you, I'll always be your Nightingale." Scarecely a whisper, just on the brink of silence, but louder than anything Chanyeol had ever heard. 

There was now only one heartbeat in the hospital room. Only one heaving chest. One half of a broken heart.

Biting his lip so hard that it bled, Chanyeol finally released all the pent up emotions he kept locked away, hidden deep in the depths of his mind where no one, not even himself, could find them. Tears fell one by one, each holding a piece of his crippled soul.

Doctors and nurses flooded the room but he was completely oblivious. All he could see was Baekhyun being concealed in a pristine white sheet while the only thing he could do was stand and watch, wishing that the clock never existed, that they could have spent their forever together.

That night he lay frozen, facing the now vacant right side of their shared bed, the spot where Baekhyun would usually be. The sheets still smelled of his musky fragrance and he could almost picture him laying there, smiling right back at him with that signature toothy grin of his.

Closing his eyes he drifted off into a slumber, an empty nagging feeling in his heart.

A Nightingale sang its song in the distance.