Night and Day

Facetime

The phone call

The doctors scheduled Can's surgery as soon as he and his mother have signed the required papers. The night before his operation, Can could not sleep.

He called Tin that night. He just thought he wanted to be able to hear his voice once again--if ever it was the last time.

They spoke for hours, their phones already piping hot due to the long duration of the call.

They spoke about anything they could talk about: the weather, Can's hospital food for the day, Tin's new cactus plant he bought for Can when he finally gets back from the US, the new song Can just discovered online, etc.

They stayed on the phone up until all they did was hear each other breathing on the other line---for Can and Tin, that was already comforting enough.

The day of Operation

Tin could not calm himself down during the whole day. At school, he was anxious and nervous. No one could talk to him, he was just constantly alone, looking at his phone waiting for any update about Can, praying that everything turns out well.

The day of Operation

The first day after the operation

The second day after the operation

The third day after the operation

The fourth day after the operation

The fifth day after the operation

The sixth day after the operation, Tin received a text from Can

The treatment after surgery was surprisingly worse than Can expected. He would often feel so down and tired and unable to move every after a session. He would just sleep all day, sometimes for 16hrs straight. He just felt very worn down and has no energy to do anything but sleep.

It took five days until Can could finally text Tin again.

The effects of chemotherapy (

Can's treatment went on.

Everything was going well up until his fourth session when his body was starting to react differently to his treatment.

He was vomiting blood, would feel nauseous and would often just blank and pass out.

On his fifth week and session, his body was starting to reject his medicines.

He would be left in his hospital room under heavy sedation and pain killers because of the excruciating pains he was feeling, the effects of his body not accepting his medication well.

Finals week came, and as much as Tin would love to talk to Can on the phone all day and all night, he knew he had to study. He needed that permission from his mom to finally go see and visit Can in the US.

Finals week has passed, and Can's final treatment session was also finally over...

Tin finally arrived in the states. From the airport, he went straight to the hospital to see Can.

It was a bittersweet reunion.

Can sat on his wheelchair as Tin pushed him along the sad cold corridors of the hospital.

They reached the little garden at the back of the hospital where no one ever goes to. Can pull his green cardigan closer to his body, while he sat on his wheelchair being pushed by Tin.

"Do you feel cold, baby?" Tin asked. "We can go back inside if you want."

"No baby. l just fixed it cos it's falling." Can answered.

He has lost a lot of weight over four-and-a-half months. Deep dark circles hollowed his eyes, while his sunken cheeks emphasized his cheekbones and jawline. His body, which was once Tin's subject of envy, is now all skin and bones. He looked fragile sick, so worn down and very delicate.

"This is my most favorite place in the hospital." Can continued. "The sun just hits this place perfectly during the mornings, as the whole garden smells of lilac and white gardenia." He made a long deep inhale as if trying to pick up every scent of the flowers around, gave Tin a sweet smile. "How about you, what's your favorite part of this place so far?"

Tin knelt in front of Can and held his hand. "Right here, baby. Just beside you?' Tin squeezed Can's hand ever so slightly.

"Mind if I take your picture baby?" Tin asked as he brought his phone out from his pocket. Can shake his head and smiled. "No, I don't mind."

The reached for a few stems of flowers from the patch of plants beside them and gave it to Can to hold. "Hold this baby, so you'll look even prettier."

He took snaps of Can on his phone while tears silently run down his face.

"Are we done yet?" Can asked after he was no more hearing clicks form Tin's camera phone.

"Yes baby, you look beautiful. Always beautiful." Tin answered back.

"Hehe." Can let out a sad little chuckle. "I wish I knew what the concept of beauty

looks like." He added. Then there was a long pause.

"You know, growing up I have always only dreamed of being able to see. Something so basic and simple for anyone born with eyes, except for people like me." He slowly leaned and reached out to his side and puts the flowers down on the ground. "But now all I ever dream of and pray for is just to be able to live. Again, so basic and simple, but not for people like me."

Can's words spewed out like bullets directly hitting Tin's heart.

"I still have a lot on my bucket list." Can continued. "I want to be able to scuba dive and feel what it's like deep down the ocean. I want to feel the adrenaline rush of scuba diving. I wanna go to college and study film and become the first-ever blind filmmaker. How ironic, isn't it?" He chuckled, his eyes are now brimming with tears. wanna own a big house with a garden full of cacti and succulents. I wanna get married and have three kids..."

Tin picked up the flowers from earlier and handed it back to Can. "Then let's get married right here, right now." Tin uttered.

Can gave Tin a sad smile. "But we need someone to officiate." He joked.

"I'll be the officiator, and your groom as well." Tin answered he positioned himself in front of Can, both knees kneeling so their faces level with each other.

"So, Mr. Can Kirakorn, do you accept the handsome Mr. Tin Medthanan as your husband?" Tin recited. Can pat his shoulders and busted into a soft little chuckle.

"You're saying it wrong. It should be... Mr. Tin Medthanan, do you take Mr. Can Kirakorn as your lawfully wedded husband, through sickness, and in health, death do you part?" Can almost choked on his last phrase.

There was a short pause for Tin.

"I do." Tin answered. "Now, Mr. Can Kirakorn, do you take Mr. Tin Medthanan---who loves you very very much. Who will stay with you through sickness and in health---not even death can break you apart?" He started sobbing and so did Can.

Can reach his hand out to wile Tin's tears away. "I do." He uttered.

Tin held Can's delicate face and leaned in closer. He wiped Can's tears starting from his eyes down to his cheeks and chin.

"I love you so much, baby." He whispered.

"I love you too." Can answered softly.

They locked lips, for the very first time. Starting slow and steady, overflowing with love and honesty. Can wrap his arms around Tin's neck, and as soon as he finally got the right movement and pace, their lips started to dance in a loving passionate rhythm.

None of them doesn't want to pull away.

Three years have passed

"Can, baby, come here." Tin shouted as he sat on the patch of grass under a huge willow tree. He carefully arranged the beautiful pot of various cacti he prepared for the occasion.

"Daddy----daddy!?" The little boy shouted. Tin stood up to fetch his blind son, and make him sit in front of Can's grave.

It's the third year since Can has passed, but the pain of losing him remained the same.

After Can died from cancer, life was never the same for Tin. He felt like a huge part of him was gone. He was never complete. Every waking day was as painful as the last one.

One year has passed and he finally started dealing with his loss. He would often break down in tears, on random moments that he remembers Can, but the longingness seemed to be getting much easier to swallow. And with the help from his friends, his mother and even Can's family whom he already considered his own, he was able to slowly put himself back together, broken piece by broken piece---because that's what Can would have wanted him to do.

On one fateful day during his high school outreach programs, he met a cute baby at the orphanage they visited. He reminded him so much of the love of his life, not just because the baby shared the same name with Can, but because the baby was also blind. He thought it was destiny.

He waited until he was old enough to be able to adopt the baby and call it his own.

"I know that up there in heaven, you can already see me---see us. Our baby is growing up so fast now, I couldn't even keep up with his energy anymore." Tin started talking to Can's photo on his epitaph. "I still miss you every day, baby. And my love for you has never changed?'

"I am starting university this coming school term. I'm taking up medicine. It's what my mom wanted anyway, and I am glad I could finally make her happy and proud of me. And promise, when I finally become an eye doctor someday, you will always be the first and last person I will think about for every patient that I cure."

"Thank you so much baby for your love. It has and always will continue to shape me, to transform me into the kind of person you want me to be. That is the numbered days that we were together, your memories in my heart will be more than enough to inspire me forever."

"Papa...pa---papa." Baby Can spoke as he points out his fingers to the sky.

Tin teared up, looking at the sky, knowing that moving forward, Can Kirakorn, the greatest love of his life, will always be there for him, watching over him and loving him and their baby Can from afar...

: I would like to thank everyone for reading and following this story. I might have cried as much as, if not more than the tears you shed for both the lead characters. Thank you so much for your support and kind words. 💜 I appreciate them all.

I'm sorry for any spelling/typographical errors and grammar inconsistencies throughout the fic. Oftentimes, when I write, I just let my emotions flow without even getting to edit my material before I post them. I do apologize for some parts which may have appeared confusing.