The area behind the stage was grimy compared to the bright flashing lights up there in front of the large cheering crowd. Kyungsoo is sitting alone in the darkest corner behind the complicated layout . He closes his eyes as he tries to even his breathing. He's waiting patiently to go on and perform his solo, something that was added at the last moment. It was hard, and Kyungsoo had to do a lot of pleading, but he eventually got his manager to agreed to letting him do the performance.

But even though he has performed so many times, his body is shaking with nervousness. His throat is drying up and he's blinking rapidly to try to contain his emotions. He's on the brink of probably exploding. Holding in all of these tiring feelings inside is causing him to feel nauseous, and he wants it to stop. He wants everything to just stop.

 

 

 

 

The walls were white, the soft sound of a patterned beeping was the loudest noise in the room. The only other sound was the light breathing from the small vocalist who sat in a standardized chair, and the man lying on the bed next to him.

Kyungsoo eyes weren't really focused on anything. They were looking in the general direction of the man's chest, watching it slowly rise and fall with every heavy, labored breath. But the singer's vision was blurry, and his throat started to constrict harshly as he tried to keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo can hear the ending beats of EXO-M's song, and that's his cue to get into position. He leaves his lonely corner and jogs to where he was assigned to be, which is under the stage. He sit's on a single chair standing in the middle of a platform that is preparing to be raise onto the main stage. He holds his microphone close to his chest as he coughs to clear his throat. His body is still shaking when the music changes and the floor starts to rise.

He closes his eyes to focus on his breathing, his last desperate attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart. He hears the cheers of the crowd, the chanting of his name, and even though it would normally make him smile, at this moment, it only makes tears form in the back of his eyes.

 

 

 

 

He allowed the first audible sob to break free when his glossy vision moved its way from the man's chest to his face. His beautiful face. It looked so peaceful while he slept, but the tubes that surrounded his handsome features and the ones embedded into his arm proved that he was not at peace. Kyungsoo dropped his head onto the bed, allowing his arms to comfort his head as his shoulders shook with how hard he was crying.

 

 

 

 

The lights go dim as a bright beam shines on the small vocalist, lighting up his presence and causing everyone in the stadium to scream with joy. He's dressed in an all black suit, which causes his white skin to look so much brighter. He opens his eyes slowly when the slow melody of a sole piano starts to play. His eyes looking at the edge of the stage, allowing himself to focus on the first few beats that play before he has to sing.

 

 

 

 

A soft shaky hand lightly runs through his styled hair, stopping Kyungsoo's weeping for a decent moment. He looked up from the bunker of his arms to see a pair of beautiful brown eyes looking at him. The man offered a small smile, which only made more tears run down the smaller boy's cheeks. The singer bit his lip to stop another sob from escaping.

"Are you crying, Kyunggie?" The man's voice was weak and raspy, and it caused Kyungsoo to cringe. His voice used to be so soft, so nice to listen too, but now it only showed how deteriorated the man he loves has become.

He wanted to deny the statement. He wanted to wipe away the wetness and to smile at the man, laughing off his appearance by saying he got something in his eye. But he couldn't, because the tears didn't stop and his body continued to shake.

"I'm sorry." The singer said as his eyes glanced up to connect with the other's exhausted ones. 

 

 

 

 

The piano is playing and Kyungsoo eyes are still focused on the edge of the stage when he sings his fist line.

"Is this the moment when I look you in the eye?"

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo's cheeks were soaked as he mumbled. "I'm so sorry…"

 

 

 

 

"Forgive my broken promise that you'll never see me cry…"

 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo let more tears fall as he head rested on the bed again. A fragile hand remained in its position as it ran through the smaller's hair in a gentle gesture, and it only made the small boy cry even harder.

It wasn't fair. The one person Kyungsoo felt safe with, who he loved and admired for so long for his strength and passion, was lying on a white bed, his body weak and frail. His normally healthy vibrant skin was now paled and indented inward as evidence of his physical instability. It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be happy, to laugh together and share so many more memories. Their lives weren't supposed to change like this.

 

 

 

 

"And everything, it will surely change…"

 

 

 

 

"You should go." The voice caused Kyungsoo to look back up to the sickly man. He was still supporting that small kind smile that he always had. 

Kyungsoo knew he should leave. He had so much on his schedule that he was required to attend, but he didn't want too. He didn't want to leave.

"No…" Kyungsoo mumbled, his throat strained because of all the crying. "Not yet…"

 

 

 

 

"Even if I tell you I won't go away today…"

 

 

 

 

The man's smile was still on his face, but Kyungsoo could see the sadness through it. It made him feel terrible, because all he wanted to do was please the other. To do whatever he said, no matter what. But he just couldn't leave, he couldn't. The thought of leaving the man, him being alone, all alone to himself with the sound of his life beeping away, it scared the small singer. The image alone was too much for Kyungsoo to handle. 

 

 

 

 

"Will you think that you're all alone,"

 

 

 

 

He grabbed the man's hand that was previously patting his head. He held it firmly but gently as he rubbed the skin that stretched across bones and thin veins. He looked at the hand, chocking a little at the memory of how the hand was before everything changed. 

 

 

 

 

"When no one's there to hold your hand?"

 

 

 

 

"Where's the show?" Th