"please.. p..please let me s..see him.." minghao muttered out, clutching onto the doctor who had just given the sign for his nurses to carry junhui out of his current room to see if they could be able to still save him.
"patient xu, i am not allowed to bring you into the surgery room. you have to wait in the lobby until we bring out further statement on his condition. until then he will be clarified as passed away as the chances are slim they can get him back alive." the tone in the adult's voice was harsh as he brushed minghao off himself like a piece of dirt, scurrying himself through the eternal white hallway.
no one else was to be seen at this hour, knowing that it was about four am by now. and so minghao was left all by himself, his vision blurred with tears as his legs gave up on him. he sunk to the floor rather slowly as his back was met with a wall, junhui's last words echoing through the back of his head.
he pressed his eyes tightly shut, as if it would help him forget about his pain for a second. however, his chest was filled with agony and his heart clenched together in pain, which couldn't be helped by simply closing his eyes. the memories they had made couldn't seem to stop flashing by.
"minghao? is that you?" the voice that had called out his name sounded familiar, yet minghao was too sad to recognize the slightest. instead, his head peered up in pure terror, gazing around to see who had called out his name in the empty corridor.
eight boys with equally pained expressions stood a few meters separated from him. jeonghan had been the one who called out his name, being held by a shaking seungcheol.
and with just one simple glance, minghao knew that they knew what had happened as well.
to everyone's surprise, wonwoo was the first to free himself from the group and hurried over to minghao. without hesitation he dropped his body beside the trembling boy, pulling minghao up against his chest in a warm and protecting hug. and though it felt far from junhui's arms, minghao allowed himself to be held, needing the friendly protection and safety more than anything in that moment.
"h..he's gone.." minghao choked out against wonwoo's shoulder, wrapping his arms around his torso equally as tight.
"we know.." chan sobbed, getting closer to the two hugging boys. "doc called me as soon as he got a message that junhui's life support had given up on him."
"it hurts.." minghao lowered his volume, tightening his grip around wonwoo as if it would be able to bring junhui back. "it hurts so much."
"can i tell you something." wonwoo said, knowing that everyone else was listening along to what he was telling minghao. perhaps he was just telling this to calm himself. but something inside him knew, that it might be able to calm minghao as well.
"back when i had an accident and suffered from amnesia, which i think my friends can all remember, junhui had never budged my side." tears welled up in the corners of wonwoo's eyes, dripping down his cheeks on an instant. "i barely even knew the guy back then, especially since i had forgotten the memory of him as well. yet he stayed and tried everything to convince me about my love for mingyu. seeing you like this makes me realize that you need that exact same comfort more than anyone right now."
"he has also always been there for me in that way." chan sat down on the floor as well, wrapping an arm around minghao who had averted his attention to the youngest. "when he found out a..about my parents w..who are never at home.. he invited m..me over to his apartment and we ordered in a ..a pizza.. he told me i.. i could come there anytime if i.. if i needed a breakout.."
"he never failed to make me feel better about myself." mingyu kneeled down next to his boyfriend, offering his hand to minghao who seemed to be in a big need of it. "even when i have a high reputation in school, i couldn't help but to hate myself and my background. junhui knew about this and never really brought it up, yet still made sneaky comments about it every now and then that had me feeling so much better."
"i don't think i've ever seen a person as positive as junhui." hansol joined in, giving minghao some extra reassurance as well. "he did everything for everyone around him but never asked for anything in return."
"i've known this guy for so long." mingyu sighed, wiping away the tears that were streaming down his cheeks at this point. "believe me when i say that what the two of you had was something very special. especially since junhui never had been one to pay interest in love. it was just the wrong place and the wrong timing, i think."
"he really did treat you different." hansol agreed with mingyu, gently patting minghao's shoulder. "with more care and love for sure, i don't think i've ever experienced junhui being so in love with a person."
"even i thought that what you had was something special." chan forced out a smile through gritted teeth, finding it hard to hide his immense grieve. "i don't think i've ever believed in true love as much as when i saw the two of you together."
"hey! we're still here." mingyu playfully scolded him, his cheeks soaked at this point.
"i know..a..and what the two of you have is beautiful." chan approved their relationship instantly, knowing that nothing in the world could ever manage to break mingyu and wonwoo apart. "but junhui and minghao have met under such difficult circumstances. and i genuinely think that they were able to build up a relationship that goes so much deeper than when one meets under regular circumstances."
"i just wish i c..could have been there for him i..in the same way as well.." minghao choked out, feeling how another presence slipped himself in between everyone that had gathered themselves around him on the floor.
"you were, minghao." jeonghan spoke, engulfing the boy in a warm and long lasting hug. "i don't think you know what effect you've had on junhui. i might have not known him as long as these boys, but i could tell that whenever he was with you he radiated so much more happiness."
"but.. i've never been able to cure him.."
a small silence dawned upon the group. minghao's words of honesty seemed to hurt more than they expected. yet they had to face the problem as how it was now.
"physically, no one was. you wouldn't have stand a chance with the medical help he has already received. but what you did do, is make junhui the happiest man alive in his past few months of living. and i think that counts more."
jeonghan's words were able to bring at least a little peace to the friend group who all stood gathered in the hallway, crying about their loss.
