haneul’s words do not go unheard by the injured male, no matter the fuzziness audibly surrounding him. titus is grateful for the firm hand holding his own ― his arm is weak, hanging limp although fingers soon turning blue don’t hesitate to use their last bit of power to clutch his lover’s. he knows he’s slipping fast, he can feel it; and yet, internally, while his body screamed for rest, he fought off the waves of the void that tempted to draw him to sleep. ❝ and miss giving her that new puzzle I made? or have us fight over whose pasta is better? not a chance… ❞ despite the pain evident across his features, titus allows a small grin to tug on his lips, attempting to alleviate the fear of his death soon approaching. hope wasn’t undermined within the macgyver ― despite the reality of the situation, he still clung to whatever chains keeping him tethered to this world and haneul’s side, his stubborness daily coming in handy as he refused to simply disappear. seeing the other male in pain was something he’d never hoped to be caused by him….directly, or indirectly so. but now? titus just hoped that he could hold on long enough to see him smile once more.
❝ h-han… ❞ the adviser’s name bubbles out of him in a frothy manner, a sign that things were taking a worse turn as titus coughs roughly. he can taste copper on his tongue, a weighted pressure forming on his chest as he tried to take a deeper breath. his confession was intentional, although the outcome was not ― even if haneul hadn’t shared the same sentiment, titus promptly thought ‘screw it’ and went with his instinct in the limited time he had left. yet, what he receives back, including the adviser’s brief confirmation that he did too, has tears blurring in his eyes and trailing down his cheeks to mix with the blood around him. ❝ it’s true…. ❞ his chest jumps as titus takes a shortened breath, his other hand slowly raising to limply hold over haneul’s. even in distress, the macgyver would always try to support the other male….and moments before death, this wasn’t an exception. yet, for once, it isn’t loud noises or haneul’s pain that distracts him ― it’s the echo of clattering boots against the ground farther down the hallway he had forgotten they had walked through. it’s difficult for him to see; pictures are blurred together as he strains to tilt his head up and look behind him, kaleidoscope vision and a headache worth a thousand hammers making him groan. for a moment, panic fills titus at the possibility of more henchman arriving, urgingly pushing into haneul’s hands to run while he still could. but a flash of white and silver has him letting out a choked breath, the feeling of more hands against his broken body causing him to shake ― instead of a gun against his head or a knife against his throat, it’s a needle and some bandages. and despite the darkness now pulling him limp from the conscious world, he doesn’t feel afraid, because he knows he may still have a chance of seeing him again.
seven days . it’d been the longest week of his life as he does nothing but sit by titus’ bed and wait for him to wake up . the steady beep of a heartbeat from the holter echoes in the room , proof that his boyfriend was still alive ― all that was left was for him to open his eyes . haneul enters and shuts the door gently before making his way over to his bedside , the folding chair still in the same spot he left it in the previous day . he had a love and hate relationship with these visits ― he enjoyed being in the presence of tangible evidence that titus hadn’t left this world , but also hated having to fill the silence by himself . ❛ i have to admit i feel kind of stupid talking to you knowing you probably won’t respond . ❜ haneul lets out a breathy chuckle after sitting down , leg bouncing anxiously and hand reaching out to touch the other’s delicately . ❛ you’ve always liked the sound of my voice , right ? if you can hear me then i hope you’re not sick of it yet , ❜ he sighs and pauses for a moment , ❛ i love you , titus . i didn’t say it before because i was too stubborn and scared but i do , i love you ... i think. i’m sorry i made you sit through days of one sided conversations for me to say that . i want you to be awake the next time i say it , okay, so please , wake up ... for me . ❜ his eyes roam over the macgyver’s features and then to the monitor displaying the rhythm of his heart . he watches it with bated breath and , as if on cue , he feels the other male’s fingers brush his own and he’s overcome with shock. ❛ t-titus ? ❜