Never in his life would TaekWoon have ever thought he would be living the way he was with a hybrid at his side. With HakYeon at his side. When he was previously making sub-par dinner for one, he was in the kitchen with a ladle in one hand and his phone in the other, trying to figure out some new recipe he saw online all while HakYeon watched on, his tail swishing impatiently. Surely he wouldn’t have allowed being kicked off of the sofa in the middle of a nap before, but because they had spent the weekend running around with SangHyuk, JaeHwan, WonShik, and HongBin, TaekWoon allowed it just because it was HakYeon with his face mashed into the cushions, the old throw haphazardly tossed over his shoulders.

There was no way he could have seen it coming.

The only hint TaekWoon might have seen was the fact that, the night before, HakYeon quietly shook his head when TaekWoon asked if he wanted to walk around. TaekWoon was somewhat surprised. It was Thursday, and that meant the crepe man would be around the corner. HakYeon always loved running out in the evening just to watch. Well, of course he would indulge in one, but he always lingered to watch as the cheery vendor made some for the neighborhood kids. Ever since the two had discovered the crepe man, HakYeon would make no exceptions on what they would be doing that day.

But TaekWoon always let HakYeon do whatever he wanted. “Are you hungry? Do you want dinner?”

Again, HakYeon shook his head. He looked lethargic, so they just retired to the bed early that day. Not even close to sleepy, TaekWoon sat up against the headboard to read random articles on his phone. HakYeon had shuffled himself to TaekWoon’s side of the bed again even if his over-warm self started to kick at the blanket. He just mashed his face into TaekWoon’s pillow, and TaekWoon, looking down with the slightest of concern, draped his arm around the hybrid’s shoulders.

HakYeon didn’t see him off the next morning, either. The hybrid just hummed when TaekWoon went to check on him right before he left. TaekWoon lightly touched his hand to HakYeon’s forehead, but his temperature seemed normal. HakYeon continued to doze with a twitch of his ear.

As he rounded the corner at the end of the day, TaekWoon was met with an odd sight. HakYeon was standing outside of the apartment building, and before him stood another hybrid. From far away, TaekWoon could tell it was a catgirl, copper-colored ears and a tail slowly swishing in irritation that vaguely reminded TaekWoon of HongBin.

Obviously, she sensed his approach and whipped her head around, eyes full of suspicion, and the poisonous disdain in them made TaekWoon halt in his tracks. HakYeon instantly caught her attention again, waving his hands and shaking his head. TaekWoon hoped he was translating the wordless conversation between the two properly, that HakYeon was telling the catgirl TaekWoon was a good human, and it seemed like he was right.

The catgirl looked over her shoulder to TaekWoon again but with noticeably less malice in her eyes. Her eyes scanned down and then back up to lock onto TaekWoon’s eyes, held them, then looked back at HakYeon. TaekWoon couldn’t see what sort of expression she was giving HakYeon, but it made the dogboy sag a bit, looking defeated for some reason. With one last glance back at the lone human, the catgirl turned to gracefully cross the street, swiftly slinking between two buildings and disappearing into the shadows. TaekWoon finally un-froze from his spot and approached where HakYeon still stood, staring blankly at nothing in front of him.

“Another hybrid, huh?” TaekWoon commented.

That broke HakYeon from his daze. He nodded. “She’s the one who got kidnapped with me.”

“Oh, that was her?” TaekWoon looked towards the direction she had disappeared, as if he might see her again.

“Yeah. She’s pretty, right? I told you.”

“Don’t you be cheeky again. Come on. Let’s go up. How long have you two been out here?”

They trailed to the elevator. “Not long. Just a little bit before you came.”

“What were you two talking about?”

The metal doors shut, but just as HakYeon was about to reply, the ascent of the elevator suddenly made HakYeon pitch forward. His hand shot out to seize TaekWoon’s shirt just as TaekWoon reached out to catch him. Even though TaekWoon solidly held on to both of HakYeon’s arms, he could feel the hybrid sway on his feet as the elevator continued to rise. Even when it slowed to a stop was HakYeon still unsteady.

“Hey, are you okay?” TaekWoon inspected him, noticing how HakYeon’s face had become paler. “You’ve been off since yesterday. Do you feel sick?”

They stopped off the elevator. “No… I’m…” HakYeon didn’t continue to let out a shaky breath.

“Lay down when we get in. I’ll call MinWoo.”

The apartment door shut behind them, and TaekWoon continued to hold up HakYeon until they were about halfway through the living room, TaekWoon releasing him so he could stride to the fridge to make something for dinner with his hand already in his pocket to pull out his phone. He’d only just gotten his other hand on the handle of the fridge when he heard a loud whump. Startled, he spun around.

He couldn’t see HakYeon.

“HakYeon?”

When he stepped around the counter bar, he spotted HakYeon on the floor, just short of the sofa. But the way he was laid on the floor was odd. Not as if he’d laid down to rest; more like a marionette that had its strings cut…

“HakYeon?”

In two long strides, TaekWoon was at HakYeon’s side, pressing a hand from the hybrid’s forehead to his cheek to his neck and finally to shake his shoulder. None of his touches stirred a response.

“HakYeon?! Yah, HakYeon, wake up!”

His breaths were shallow. Oddly, TaekWoon didn’t sense a fever of any sort. Why would he suddenly faint? Without sparing a thought to answer his questions, he hefted HakYeon onto his back and charged straight out the door.

He burst through the entrance of the clinic, anxiety rising when he didn’t see anyone in the waiting room or at the desk. “Hello? Is anyone here? MinWoo?”

It was a brief second before he heard footsteps shuffling in the hallway behind the door that led to the back. Then the door swung open, and, thankfully, MinWoo was there, and then he was rushing to TaekWoon’s side without any hesitation.

“What happened?” he asked immediately.

“I don’t know.” Why did TaekWoon never know? “He just collapsed after I got home from work.”

The vet indicated the long benches in the waiting room. “Lay him down here. Tell me what happened.”

Carefully, the two slowly lowered HakYeon onto the bench, and MinWoo immediately started to examine the hybrid, pulling back an eyelid and prodding here and there. TaekWoon was fretting, and he balled his hands into fists atop his knees.

“Ever since yesterday, I think, he’s been tired and didn’t want to go out or eat. He was already downstairs when I was coming home from work, but when we went up the elevator, he got dizzy and lost his balance, and then he fainted as soon as we got to my apartment.”

“Did you go anywhere different recently? Eat anything?”

“No… No, nothing. I don’t know what could’ve…”

While TaekWoon racked his brain to try and pinpoint anything, he jumped when HakYeon suddenly gasped out in pain. MinWoo retracted his hands, and TaekWoon jumped forward. HakYeon was stirring, eyes blinking slowly to take in his surroundings. He froze when he realized where he was, whining at the sight of the vet, and he tried to roll away. TaekWoon quickly caught his shoulders and held him still.

“No, HakYeon,” TaekWoon tried to chide as calmly as possible. “You fainted at home. Let MinWoo see you. Let us know what’s wrong, okay?” HakYeon whined again and gripped TaekWoon’s hands atop his shoulders with his own, looking up at TaekWoon half in fear, half in pain. “You’re okay, puppy. Tell me what’s wrong.”

HakYeon’s eyes suddenly squeezed shut and he groaned. Frantic, TaekWoon looked at MinWoo. The vet leaned forward again. “HakYeon, let me know where it hurts, okay?”

He moved from gently pressing various spots along HakYeon’s neck, behind and below his dog ears, against his cheekbones and temples. At one point, HakYeon stopped breathing, his brow furrowed and jaw clenched tightly, which made TaekWoon almost throw MinWoo back, but the older man stood back, one hand shielding his mouth as he processed his observations.

“I need to do another test.”

TaekWoon picked up HakYeon bridal-style this time and quickly followed MinWoo through the door to the back. They turned down a different way but were met halfway with the male employee. The hand off was difficult, HakYeon not wanting to let go of TaekWoon and TaekWoon feeling the same.

MinWoo grimaced apologetically. “Sorry, trained staff only beyond this point. I promise this won’t take long. Just wait in room four.”

Even though the door shut behind the three which left TaekWoon alone in the empty hallway, he still stood there without a word, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. His brain barely processed his body turning around to heavily trudge to room four at the opposite end of the hall. All of his thoughts whirred at hyper speed in his mind as he collapsed onto the sofa, his head in his hands.

All of his mental strength was spent chasing away the scarier thoughts, the things he ruled out immediately. Every time he tried to backtrack to think of what could have brought this on, dark thoughts would cloud over, and it was all he could do to listen to his voice of reason.

What was taking so long? TaekWoon sat up to seek out the clock. When did they even arrive? How long had it been since they took HakYeon to that mystery room to do whatever test MinWoo was wanting to run? Would it even make sense to go out and check on them?

He didn’t have to. The door suddenly pushed open, and TaekWoon leapt to his feet at the sight of HakYeon leaning heavily on the girl named SoYeon as she slowly led him into the room. Relieved, HakYeon pushed off of SoYeon to collapse into TaekWoon’s arms with a sigh.

“Is he okay?” TaekWoon asked. “Were you able to see anything?”

Smiling kindly, SoYeon just opened a cabinet and retrieved a bottle that looked vaguely familiar. She jabbed a straw through the foil top and handed it to TaekWoon. “Mr. Lee is still checking the results. He’ll call you when he’s done. HakYeon can have this in the meantime. It has a small concentration of painkillers in there.”

“Right. Thanks…” TaekWoon tried to convince himself the smile she was giving off wasn’t forced.

As the door softly closed, TaekWoon tried to maneuver HakYeon so that he could sprawl across the sofa, but the hybrid only managed a feeble whine, and he pulled himself closer to lay his head across TaekWoon’s legs.

“What’s wrong, HakYeon?” TaekWoon murmured.

“It… It hurts,” HakYeon replied. “My head… It feels like someone is sitting on it.”

What could it be? TaekWoon pried one of HakYeon’s hands from gripping his pants leg and pushed the bottle into it. “Drink this. It should help, at least.”

HakYeon held it back suspiciously at first, sniffing carefully. But then he seemed to remember the scent and sipped at the mystery concoction. He still kept his grip with his other hand securely around TaekWoon’s leg, though.

It was another long wait that had the loud ticking of the second hand of the clock raising TaekWoon’s anxiety to a new level with each beat. He had given up on thinking, only focused on HakYeon. His heart jumped at the sound of light knocks before the door opened once again, this time with MinWoo on the other side. His face was a very forced blank slate.

His voice was just as cold cut. “TaekWoon, come with me. Let HakYeon rest here.”

Not encouraging, at all. However, TaekWoon wasn’t met with too forceful opposition; whatever cocktail HakYeon was drinking had doped him a bit. He still whined when TaekWoon carefully stood, but he didn’t try too hard to hold him back.

“I’ll be right back, okay, HakYeon?” TaekWoon lightly ran his hand through HakYeon’s hair. “Just rest for a while.”

HakYeon’s eyes were slowly fluttering, but he could still manage a look of contempt. Without another word, TaekWoon followed MinWoo to the cluttered office, and MinWoo shut the door behind them, gesturing for TaekWoon to sit in the chair in front of his desk. TaekWoon sat, watched as MinWoo sat, and waited.

MinWoo was silent for a long time, gazing at his computer screen. Finally, his jaw flexed, and he sat forward, clearing his throat. “HakYeon… has cancer.”

Silence muffled the room again. TaekWoon could only stare back at the vet. What was he supposed to say? What…?

“I…” His voice wouldn’t come out. “I don’t understand… What…?”

“It’s called a brainstem glioma,” MinWoo added. Robotically. “Evidenced by its name, it’s a cancerous tumor that sprouted on the brain stem.”

“But what does this mean? What do we have to do now? Is this something he…”

His response was robotic again. “Much like many other forms of cancer, the cause is unknown. Obviously, because the location of the tumor is in such a risky spot, surgery will be impossible, even if he was a human. The brain stem contains too many important parts that control too many important functions.”

“Then what about medicine?”

MinWoo shook his head. “Like I said before, the amount of medicine approved for hybrid use is microscopic compared to human medicine. Three-fourths of the stuff I’ve given HakYeon were either things that have finally been medically approved or human medications that were broken down or reduced to incredibly small concentrations. It’s the stabilizing fillers in human medications that hybrid systems can’t deal with. Never mind the fact that cancer drugs are non-existent for hybrids. The only thing I could treat are the symptoms.”

It felt as if cold acid was being poured down TaekWoon’s back and it was rerouting its way up his esophagus. “No surgery… No medicine…” He looked back up to MinWoo, not really sure what his voice sounded like at that point. “Then what? What can I do?”

MinWoo stopped, silent again. Shook his head again. “Nothing. I don’t know what else we can do.”

It would’ve been normal to get angry, even hysterical. Bargain. Plea. Ugly sob. Say it was a joke. Accuse. Demand something be done. Anything.

But TaekWoon felt nothing. The acid was gone. His mind had buzzed to white noise. Even if he tried to come up with words, nothing came to mind. So he stood up.

“I’m… going home.”

He caught a glimpse of MinWoo nodding as he turned to leave that office. He had to go back to HakYeon. How would TaekWoon even begin to explain this to him?

He was saved the trouble, after all. As he opened the door to room four, HakYeon was already sitting upright on the sofa, no longer drowsy, staring dumbstruck at the space in front of him. His head jerked up when TaekWoon entered, and nothing would have prepared TaekWoon to see HakYeon’s face twist as the tears began to fall.

“I’m sorry…”

Those were the only words that made it out of HakYeon’s mouth before he was incomprehensible. Whatever TaekWoon had steeled himself with melted, and he was pulling HakYeon towards him, giving soothing and shushing noises while HakYeon mashed his whole body against TaekWoon’s, face buried in TaekWoon’s shirt.

“Don’t apologize. You’re okay. Don’t cry.” It seemed like that was the new soundtrack that would be replaying from TaekWoon’s mouth. His voice and expression soulless.

“She knew…” HakYeon finally managed. At least, that’s what TaekWoon thought he said. It was hard to discern words when HakYeon was still hiding his face in TaekWoon’s shirt.

“What?”

“The catgirl. She knew I was sick. I… knew it, too, but I didn’t know… I’m sorry.” He was gone again.

“Shhh, you’re okay. Don’t apologize. You’re okay.”

He doesn’t know how long they stood there. He doesn’t remember when they left to go home. He’s pretty sure, from the corner of his eye as they turned down the hallway, MinWoo had swiveled his chair to stare blankly out the window of his office. The waiting room was empty, and the glass door shut behind them. They didn’t speak a word all the way home.

TaekWoon was slipping off his shoes in the entryway when, for whatever dumb reason, gravity existed, and he was falling over with one foot still halfway in a shoe. He banged his knee against the fake tile, cursing loudly at the pain and his stupidity.

“TaekWoon?!”

He looked up, and HakYeon was there, frantic and concerned. It doesn’t make sense how he could have gotten this far without having lost control, but that did it. His throat constricted, and he was yanking HakYeon to him again, crushing him in his arms so that HakYeon wouldn’t have to witness such an unsightly visual.

“God, HakYeon…” Even his voice was disgusting. “Please don’t leave me…”

HakYeon whined, wrapping his arms around TaekWoon’s waist, and that made it worse. The tears fell even more, and TaekWoon pressed his face into HakYeon’s neck.

How was it even fair? Even though their relationship was awkward in the beginning, this wasn’t how things should have turned out. They’d spent so much time together, opened up to and learned from each other. What was he supposed to do now?

“TaekWoon… TaekWoon.” HakYeon wriggled a bit so he could look into TaekWoon’s eyes. “Right now… Right now, I’m still here, right? We’re still here, like this, so… let’s just keep living like we were.” His voice caught, so he took a shaky breath, voice wavering as he kept going. “We can’t change anything, so we don’t have to change. Let’s keep living like this, okay?”

What an idiot. What an optimistic idiot. TaekWoon reached up to weakly toy at one of the dog ears. He’d need someone to be an optimistic idiot to live through this. He wrapped his arms around HakYeon again.

“… Yeah.”

A/N:

Were you ready?