He’ll never forget the day he met the boy, whose blonde hair fell gracefully upon his cheeks and whose eyes made Sungjoo feel as if he had never seen such beauty before. He had to be one in a million, the way he carried himself with such elegance and the way his long features, which would appear lanky on some, fit his frame with ease. Every piece of him came together perfectly to create the most amazing person he had ever laid eyes on, a God among men.

His apprehension to approach the boy made him weary yet he ignored it as he pressed on, willing to take the chance if it meant even a single moment graced with the presence of someone so unique and truly mesmerizing. Ignoring the cold expression that graced the figure’s gorgeous features, he tactfully worked his way into the other’s life, careful and slow. He was surrounded by walls that Sungjoo infiltrated with ease, the ice melting from his bones to reveal the soft pinkness of his skin and the warmth that radiated from his heart.

As time wore on they discovered they balanced each other, completed each other, two halves of the same whole. To himself, he was just a flower in a garden but to Sungjoo, he was the moon among stars. Incomparable, irreplaceable. To Yibo, Sungjoo was the sun. He warmed him, lit his life, and guided him when it was too dark to see even his own hand in front of his face. He chipped away at Yibo’s defenses until he was and vulnerable and while it scared him, it thrilled him. His heart pounded when the other’s warm palms touched his chilled skin and a fire ignited in his soul that woke him up from a slumber he had not realized he was even in. It was like the haze that had surrounded his entire life was suddenly clearing and all he could see was the boy who had saved him.

Weeks turned to months and months turned to years and Yibo wanted to save Sungjoo too. He promised he would. But, reality set in, and it became apparent that while he could try his hardest, somethings were just out of his control. It did not discourage him from trying, if anything, it encouraged him to try harder. Yibo spent every waking moment with Sungjoo, there for him even in his darkest hours. He held his hand tightly as the nurse prodded at his already weak veins with the needle.

He wiped his tears after he was told he didn’t have quite as long as they had thought. He rubbed his back as he hunched over the toilet, the medicine that was meant to cure him destroying his body more than the cancer ever could. He helped him shave his hair the day it started to come out in chunks. He drove him to and from countless doctors appointments and research centers, looking for anyone who could help him hang on just a bit longer. He cooked for him, cleaned for him, helped him bathe, everything he could possibly do, Yibo did.

Then, he helped him die.

He laid in the large bed the two had shared so many nights, holding Sungjoo’s frail body close to him. He took soft, shallow breaths, aware that his time had finally come. Yibo kissed his hair, which had just began to grow back, and told him it was okay. He had fought valiantly, and now it was time give up and finally rest. He assured him that he would be okay and would go on without him, though he would certainly never forget him.

Sungjoo took his last breath in Yibo’s arms that night and finally went limp against the other’s body, what little life he had left finally drained from him. Yibo cried quietly to himself, but not of sadness, of joy. He was finally free of his body which the cancer had ripped through mercilessly, and he was free of all the pain, all the suffering. He could be him again, the Sungjoo that Yibo had fallen in love with. He would miss him, but, above all else, he was grateful. Grateful that he had gotten the chance to be with someone who brought sunshine back into his life.

While Yibo would always be the moon, he would never be the same again without his sun.