Breathing heavily, heartbeat in a fast pace, sweat dripping down from his forehead, and head filled with questions.

Mark sat there, flabbergasted. His eyes slowly scanned the area. From the sofa he laid a couple of minutes ago, to the familiar interiors in the living room he is currently at. His gaze then settled at the little boy in front of him that's telling out a story about his morning.

"Daddy, you were calling Papa!" The child told him with exaggerated hand gestures and expressions full of emotions. "We were so worried about you!"

Mark still sat there, processing the situation he was in.

The last time he could remember, he was on the floor, crying in Jeno's arms.

The sudden news about losing his lover was what made him be in that position. Mark remembered immediately running off to the floor as to where his husband could possibly be. While doing so, he was having a severe headache. The throbbing pain he felt in his head got worse when the incoherent voices he heard became audible enough the more he ran towards where his lover could possibly be.

It didn't help him when he also had to grieve for his husband's state. Mark didn't want to accept what was happening, but he saw Jaemin and Chenle mourning over the loss of their best friend. He saw the misery in Jeno's and Jisung's face for not being able to do anything. He saw how Renjun was standing there and sobbing at the unexpected situation. He saw his husband's parents running towards their direction, equally looking as miserable as them.

The little boy tilted his head to the side, somehow unhappy at how he didn't get any response from his father. "Daddy, since you're awake, can we play?"

But the first thing Mark uttered out was a name. "Donghyuck..."

Has he gone insane? Literally lost his mind?

Has the loss of his husband made him go crazy that he's starting to cope himself with the memories of the family he made with Donghyuck?

The mention of his other father made the little boy nod his head. "Papa is—"

"Donghyuck!" Mark raised his voice filled with worry. He was still skeptical about the situation, but if this is the only way to meet his lover again, he'd gladly go crazy for it. "Lee Donghyuck!"

However, the tone of his voice scared the boy sitting right next to him. It reminded him of what he would often hear whenever his parents would argue. "Daddy..."

"Love?" Coming out from the kitchen, a man that Mark has been longing for stood there— alive and healthy. "Hey, tone your voice down. You're scaring our baby."

Their baby?

It was only then that Mark stared down at the boy who's in the verge of crying.

"It's... It's okay, Papa." The little boy curled his hands to small fists to stop himself from sobbing. "I'm okay... It's okay."

Donghyuck heaved out a sigh. "Chan, come here."

Just when the boy was about to jump down from the sofa and run to his other father's arms for comfort, he was quickly pulled in a tight embrace by his Dad that's sitting next to him. It caught the boy off guard, but nonetheless, his father's warmth made him cry as he soothed his worries away.

Their baby.

His husband.

Their house.

His family.

From what Mark thought he had gone insane, this felt all too real for him to say that he has gone mental. Holding his son, hearing his husband— those were what he has been begging to come back to.

"Hey, don't hurt yourself!" Their son panicked when he saw his father pinching his cheek when he pulled away from the hug.

Feeling his son's small hands on top of his own made Mark burst to tears. "Chan."

"Yep! It's me!" The boy didn't know why his father was crying at the mention of his name. He then wiped those tears with his small hands. "Daddy... no cry."

Does that mean he was dreaming all along?

The journey he had with his husband in rekindling their love was all just a dream?

The smile on Donghyuck's lips faded when he saw his husband lifting their kid up in his arms as he marched towards him. He took a step back, not knowing why his man looked intimidating. "Mark, what are you doing—"

Kissing him, what else?

Oh. It's definitely real.

Their child let out a gasp, quickly covering his eyes with his hands even without being told to do so. "No sight! Eyes empty!"

It probably was a muscle memory, knowing what to do if his parents get lovey-dovey. A trait that one of his Uncles taught him.

The shock in his son's voice brought Donghyuck back to his senses, pushing his husband gently away. He then whispered to him a nag. "Love, what the hell?"

Mark never knew that he'd be missing his husband complaining. But here he is, crying over his lover cussing him out.

Him crying a bucket alarmed both his son and his husband, making them frantically find a way to comfort him— only to be left with them panicking on what to do.

"Papa! You made Daddy cry!" The little boy in the man's arms scolded, patting his father's head in hopes to compose him down.

"I did not!" Donghyuck was also trying his best to hush his husband. "Maybe it's early morning tantrums?"

"It's lunch time!" The boy had to remind them of the time, but that fact wasn't helping their situation. "Daddy, it's okay! Let's not talk to Papa today. He's being mean to you!"

"Hey!" Donghyuck scoffed at their son, giving him a look of disbelief. "You're the one who woke your Dad up!"

"Because he needs to bring me to school!" Their son told them, half-lying about his reason because his other reason had something to do with playing with his action figures.

Donghyuck then realized that his son had classes this afternoon. That was the reason why he was in the kitchen a while ago, preparing for his son's snacks. "Why aren't you getting dressed then?"

Chan should have honestly said that he wanted to play with his Dad rather than reasoning out that he wanted a ride to school. Unintentionally reminding his parents about it, the little boy had no choice but to get down from his father's arm and stomp his way to the stairs with his lips pouting.

"Don't give me that attitude, young man!" Donghyuck shouted across the living room.

"I'm not showing any, Papa!" Their son retorted before running up to the stairs to avoid being scolded as he was, indeed, showing an attitude.

"This kid. Honestly, where did he get that from?" Donghyuck doesn't even know why he bothered to ask when their son is clearly a carbon copy of him.

Taking his attention away from their son, Donghyuck faced his husband who still had tears falling from his eyes, standing on the same spot looking baffled.

"Mark, is there something wrong?" Donghyuck asked, genuinely worried about him.

Just as he raised his hand up to check for his husband's temperature, Mark quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back for a warm embrace. He engulfed Donghyuck tightly in his arms, scared of the thought that this situation might be the dream instead.

That he's making up scenarios to cope up with his husband's death.

That he's going to wake up at the reality of losing the love of his life.

"Love?" Donghyuck made an attempt to gently push him away, failing to do so. "Hey, I have to take a bath and prepare."

"I'll go with you." Mark responded, his voice hoarse and worn out.

But the sudden initiation caught Donghyuck off guard. "In taking a bath?! I'm in a hurry. I'll bring Chan to school."

"I'll go with you!" Mark repeated, pulling away from the embrace, but placed both his hands on his lover's shoulder as he looked at him with eyes full of pain and agony. It was as if he went through a lot to be traumatized like this. "I'll go with you, Donghyuck."

"Well, I guess you can tag along." That meant taking their son together to school. Donghyuck looked concerned at his husband's state. First was witnessing him cry in his sleep, and now seeing him panicking over not being left alone. "You can go home after. I still have to go out and buy a few groceries."

Donghyuck took a step away thinking that it was alright for him to go and begin his routine, but Mark was stable enough to hold him still.

He gave his husband a look, having no idea what was going on. "Do you want to report to work? I told Jeno you were sick, though. But if you want to stop by your office after sending Chan to school, maybe you can just call him."

"I want to be with you, Donghyuck." Mark told him, repeating the same line over and over again. "I want to stick with you until I wake up."

Until he wakes up?

That line hit Donghyuck like a truck— literally exactly what happened to him in his own dream before waking up and having his son smiling at him first thing in the morning.

"Mark..." This suddenly took Donghyuck aback. He was speechless, not knowing where to begin in explaining to him.

"Donghyuck, please. If this is the only time I get to see you, then let me be with you. I can't... I don't want to open my eyes... Knowing that you're not with me." Mark stuttered with his words. His desperation was what's causing him to get emotional.

Loss for words, Donghyuck could only bring his hands up and wipe the tears on his husband's face. He then tried to comfort him by caressing his cheeks and hushing him down. At this point, his lover is going to hyperventilate from always catching his breath.

"I love you so much, Donghyuck. More than you could ever imagine. It's making me go insane to know that you're not here with me." At this point, Mark wanted to stay insane if being insane is the only way to be with him. "I don't want to wake up."

"Love," Donghyuck leaned forward and gave him a soft peck on the lips to give him all the reassurance he needed. "You're already awake."

Bewildered, Mark stared at him with eyes widened like saucers. "What?"

"I'm sorry, did I leave you too early?" The situation they were talking about wasn't a laughing matter, but Donghyuck couldn't help but chuckle at the coincidence. "I don't know either, but my body moved on its own, as if it was being controlled, and followed the cat that tried to cross the road."

What are the odds? They both have the same dream.

"Donghyuck..." It was Mark's turn to be speechless. "You also..."

"Such a rollercoaster ride, don't you think so?" Donghyuck continued to share his thoughts about their dream. "Going back in time and having to go through things all over again."

Mark's hands dropped from his husband's shoulders and down to his arms. Reaching for his lover's hands, he interlocked their fingers to feel the last warmth he felt on that very hospital bed.

"It's so crazy, if you think about it." Donghyuck let out a laugh, noticing that the depressing tension between them had disappeared. "What do you mean we actually got Chenle and Jisung to join the marriage booth? Oh, and our school winning the soccer match because of me? That's some olympics core right there. Don't forget about us spoiling Jaehyun everything—"

He was then cut off from oversharing when Mark pulled him for their lips to touch once more. He closed the gap between them immediately, making sure one last time if he hasn't really gone crazy.

Or Mark was just really crazy for his husband's everything.

His touch, his lips, his warmth, his voice, his annoying personality— everything about Donghyuck.

"Mark... Hahh..." Donghyuck placed both his hands on to his man's chest, pushing him a centimeter away just to catch his own breath. He had his husband wrapping his arms around his waist, making Donghyuck impossible to get out. "Gosh! I was talking!"

"And I love you." Mark told him. "I love you so fucking much."

That caused Donghyuck to sink into the moment, being the one to initiate the kiss this time around. It was Mark's turn to get caught by surprise, but he wanted it nonetheless. Not breaking their lips apart, Mark guided his husband to the nearest wall and pinned him there. The two went on, panting for air every once in a while. Donghyuck had his hand on his husband's nape and the other playing with his hair, and Mark was sneaking his own hands under his lover's shirt.

It was then a sound was heard by the stairs that alerted Donghyuck, being the only one who heard it as Mark was too desperate to finally be in this situation.

Seeing that he couldn't push him away, Donghyuck decided to settle it with a violent solution.

"Ahh!" And that was to bite his lower lip. Mark hissed in pain, licking the sore spot with his brows furrowed.

Well, that definitely confirmed him that things were real.

"Sorry..." Donghyuck gave him an adorable pout, purposely acting cute since he knew he could get away with it. "Chan is watching us."

He finished preparing for his class that quick? Mark turned around while rubbing his lips. The frustrating frown on his face immediately turned to an affectionate smile when he saw their son hiding by the big pot of plants. "Baby Sun?"

Being called by his nickname, the little boy panicked as he tried to figure out how to make things casual and not awkward. He then cleared his throat and decided to come out, bringing his hands up and covering his eyes.

"No sight! Eyes empty!" Chan repeated that same old line.

— last chapter