Lifetime

Ours

I noticed the way my nerves awakened during my father's final round of treatment, his liveliness a contrast to the worst case scenarios I'd been imagining. They were both aware of the way my head turned every time he moved to rise from his seat in the clinic, lingering behind Seokjin and I to chat with other patients and staff. It became a habit of both of theirs over the next few weeks to utter reassurances that they were okay before I could ever ask.

"He's fine." Seokjin's fingers pulled at my chin, directing my attention back to his lips rather than to the partially cracked curtain that hid us from view. "He's only taking longer so we'll have a minute to do this." His mouth ghosted my jaw, pressing into my neck slowly and until the swish of fabric a few feet away let us know we weren't alone anymore.

I was comfortable in the routine we developed for the coming weeks, the top always spent between the clinic and caring for one or both of them. I switched off on spending nights at my dad's apartment and Seokjin's house depending on who needed me most.

Often, on nights when I opted to stay with my dad, Seokjin insisted on coming back to the apartment. I was left to deal with an extended day of their usual antics until my dad was worn down enough to venture to bed. Seokjin would only hold out until a millisecond after hearing my dad's snoring cue up, squeezing into my bed that felt a quarter the size of his to share the quietest of kisses.

On the evening after Seokjin's final treatment session they both crowded the kitchen. I opened a window to release some of the heat that filled the apartment, avoiding stepping within an inch of them as they made menbosha together for the first time through humorous teasing and soft encouragement.

Our chairs were divided evenly among the table so that I could see them both with the slightest glance to either side. We spent the first few minutes of dinner in silence outside of the clinking of utensils and sounds that affirmed the satisfaction of food, my dad finally breaking the silence when he raised his glass toward the center of the table.

"For good results." He nodded toward Seokjin, waiting to feel their glasses rest against one another. My dad's toast ended there, with their eyes locked on each other. In it I saw the chipper, strong front they'd been putting on for me fade, the momentary exchange an unspoken hope for the other as much as himself.

I held my cup on the edge of my lips, pulling a hand up to wipe away the tear that fell over my cheek. I was already taking a sip, but they still nodded toward me before tilting theirs back with a small addition.

"And for Seline."

It was rare that I woke before Seokjin but with my mind reeling at the anticipation of my dad's follow-up appointment, I had the perfect opportunity to study every handsome feature up close. I was gentle about brushing away the hair that hung over his forehead, letting the tip of my nose feather his until I could no longer resist the sight of his pretty, parted lips.

They were so soft that I wondered if he could even feel anything past the fullness. Still, he stirred awake, an arm reaching out to pull me closer and deeper into the early morning kiss.

"Let's go on a date." He said.

"I'm going with my dad to get his results today. Did you forget?" I asked though I was sure that he hadn't. He was rarely forgetful.

He made a point of clicking his phone screen so that it lit up with a display of the time. "You have a couple of hours until then. We'll go to a cafe and bring breakfast back for him."

Caffeine was always an efficient tool of persuasion. "I'm showering first." I uncovered myself from the bedsheet, climbing over him clumsily to get to the door. I reached into the linen closet on my way to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked to release steam from the shower.