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<<Citizens, we can now confirm that the asteroid is heading rapidly towards Earth. Astronomical associations place the asteroid in a location to hit Earth in one month’s time. Stay tuned for more information.>>
Minhyuk turns off the TV, placing the remote control neatly on the coffee table in front of him. He can hear the frantic yells and the slamming of doors around him. He wonders if he should also go outside, talk with others, lament of the end of days. Instead, Minhyuk double checks the locks on the doors are secure before going back to bed.
“I wanna get married,” Minhyuk says the next day.
“I hope you mean to me.”
Minhyuk smiles, warmly. “Always, Heonie.” His fingers are shaking as he holds out a ring. When he drops to one knee, he realizes his legs shaking as well. He doesn’t know if his chest is going to explode because of proposing to the man he loves or because of the asteroid threatening to end everything.
Time passes in odd ways when the end of time is known. The first day, Minhyuk thinks everything passes by very slowly. He remembers Jooheon curling against him in bed, barely awake as he scrolls through his phone. Minhyuk can remember the exact moment Jooheon read about the asteroid, the stiffness in his body.
And now he stands before him, smile sad as he accepts the proposal.
“Where did you even buy this ring?” Jooheon asks, slipping the ring on his finger. Shops of no necessity are being closed and shut down.
“I bought it last year.” Minhyuk ignores the blaring countdown on the screen outside. “Figured I had to outdo last year’s birthday present.” He smiles at the memory of Jooheon's arcade game.
Jooheon isn’t sure why he’s crying.
The world calms down by the end of the week. Minhyuk ignores the rising death tolls. The halls of the apartment smell like decay. The windows stay boarded up, hoping to stop impending doom the same way to stop storms.
Jooheon holds out the picnic basket they bought earlier. “Debut picnic?” They haven’t left the house since the announcement, except to collect rations.
Minhyuk glances up from the countdown. His lips curl into a smile. “Near the dog park?”
The other nods. “Of course.” He packs leftovers from the night before, a radio, and a blanket.
The hallways are congested, overturned with tenants trying to escape the city. Jooheon trips a few times in the rush, but Minhyuk wraps an arm around him, pulling him along. The pair look comical without giant backpacks and panicked faces.
It’s noon when they arrive at the park, one they visited often before. Minhyuk tries to ignore the hysteria around them. It’s not hard to block out the traffic and crowds, but he can’t deafen his ears to the sobs.
There’s three days left when Minhyuk suggests the beach.
“You think the whales will show up?” Minhyuk sounds hopeful.
Jooheon snorts, but says, “They might.” It's not ever en route for whale migration, but everything is askew now.
Minhyuk licks his dried lips when they step onto the empty beach. They walk closer to the water, passing backpacks with notes and clothes left alone. The atmosphere is somber, a striking reminder even without a countdown.
They sit just a ways down from the water, away from any backpacks, any clothes, any notes.
Jooheon’s body is tight, a tangle of tension and stress. There’s an aching to see the countdown, as if the reminder is needed for a better gauge of time that flies too fast.
For a moment, they want to forget. Like others around them.
A burst of water pushes through the sea and Minhyuk’s eyes light up, voice happier that its been for the past month. “A whale!”
Jooheon stares in disbelief. The world is askew. He feels his emotions about to spill, but he holds them back. Minhyuk is laughing.
“Of all the places,” Jooheon grunts following after Minhyuk the next day. “You chose to not only wake me up at 4am, but you also want me to climb this mountain?”
Minhyuk beams. “Yeah! We’re always so close and we never even climbed this.” There isn’t much more time. The countdown says one more day.
It’s the first time they see their city from the top of the mountain. The hole in the sky is only tiny, if a cloud passes over it, it's nonexistent. Minhyuk can feel the sting in his eyes as the tears threaten to spill. Beside him, Jooheon is softly sniffling. They don’t dare say anything in case it’s too much.
<<Citizens, please remain calm and return to your homes. The countdown will continue for as long as it can. It has been our pleasure working for you and beside you.>>
“Do you remember?” Minhyuk starts as the hole in the sky widens. “When you first saw me?” The rooftop is bare save for the two boys and the blanket beneath them. Minhyuk fights to keep the tremble from his voice as he looks to his right.
Jooheon chuckles, pulling his knees up to his chest. “Yeah. You walked into my class an hour late with starbucks. I decided i was gonna fail you for sure.” HIs nails rake against the knuckles of his hands, tearing at skin.
Minhyuk’s laugh is light as the air around them stills. It still sounds quiet even in the silence that is their world now. “I woke up late!” he argues, shoving the other man to the side. “I needed caffeine!” His hand doesn’t fall from Jooheon’s shoulder. Instead, it rests there until it slides lower, grasping at a waiting hand and filling in the gaps easily.
The street that they live on is busy. It’s on one of the main streets that lead down the university they studied at and the city center they worked at. Usually, when they wake up, no matter how disgustingly early, there are shouts and noises of people starting their lives, beginning their days. Soon, Minhyuk and Jooheon join in.
Except the streets are quiet now. Hushed. People retreat to their homes, windows locked so no one hears the choked sobs. Unless you’ve already left.
Then, of course, the gaping hole in the sky hardly a concern.
Jooheon’s heart thrums in his chest and he hopes the other can’t hear it. Hopes. He clears his throat before speaking. “Remember when you tried to proposition me for a better grade?”
Minhyuk makes some kind of sound, indignant perhaps. “I did no such thing. I asked if there was any way to bump my grade.”
“With your hand on my thigh.”
Minhyuk shrugs“You have nice thighs.”
Silence washes over them for moments. And then...
“Kind of seems pointless now.”
Jooheon fights back a sob. “Don’t.”
“Fighting for that one point when it’s just gonna--”
“Minhyuk, shut. Up,” Jooheon snaps gruffly. The air on the roof is stifling.
He hears a sniffle then and the blanket being moved as Minhyuk pulls his knees up to his chest so he can bury his face.
“We promised.” Jooheon pleads.
“What’s the point of keeping promises now?”
Jooheon is silent for a moment. “You think we’ll blow up or be blown up?”
“Heonie!”
“I’m serious. I want to know the degree of pain to expect.”
Minhyuk laughs. “Maybe we won’t feel anything at all. Everything will just go black.” He pauses for a moment before drawing in a shuddering breath. “I’m scared, Heonie.”
Jooheon stays quiet, his arm tight around Minhyuk. “Me too. I hate feeling like that though,” he laughs. “All my life I’ve been a scaredy cat and now too.”
“You’re not a scaredy cat,” Minhyuk retorts. “You’re a scaredy kitten .”
The countdown blares louder, as if the gaping hole isn’t present for all to see. It gets harder to keep emotions steady, to stop the tears. Minhyuk interlocks their fingers as the bright light becomes unbearable.
“I love you, you know,” he says quietly. Minhyuk rolls his body to face Jooheon.
There’s a large crash, an explosion shaking the earth on its last stand.
Jooheon exhales sharply, facing his husband. “I love you too. For eternity.”
Minhyuk scoots closer, melding their bodies as tightly as he can. There’s another explosion, louder and stronger. Their apartment shakes and Minhyuk wonders if the building’s collapse will kill them before the end.
Jooheon leans forwards, placing a chaste kiss to Minhyuk’s lips. “Next time, we’ll get it right.” He closes his eyes, tears sliding down to Minhyuk’s cheeks.
There isn’t enough time to fulfill everything they want, but Jooheon thinks his heart has never felt so full. Even when he hears the last explosion, he thinks his last moment, is one of happiness.