Chapter Text
He knew he had made many mistakes. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. His road will be paved with his mistakes. Every little mistake he made. Every cruel, painful word he spoke. He knew his path would be painful. He deserved it.
But he hoped he would have a chance to make things right, at least a little. The Gods seemed to love him. He waited two years. He suffered for two years without the man he loved.
All this just so that when he finally realized how lucky he was, everything would be taken away from him again.
Ming was driving against the rules of the road. He thought that the worst that could await him was a fine that he would pay without a moment's hesitation. He didn't expect his story to end this way. A collision with a speeding truck.
He knew he was stupid. He put Joe in danger so many times. His trust had been broken so many times. He had failed him so many times. He had been hurt so many times. He knew he had to apologize. He knew he was the one who had to reach out and bow his head first.
Now in the darkness of non-existence he couldn't do that.
There was nothing he could do anymore.
He wasted his chance, his second chance that he had been praying for for two years. He destroyed everything.
- You can come back.
A disembodied voice said.
- I can send you back to the beginning.
The voice continued. Ming began to spin around, looking for the source of the sound, although he wasn't sure if he had a body, he didn't feel like he was turning around. It was more like a mental place, like his thoughts were swirling around. It didn't matter though, because there was nothing but darkness around him. He couldn't see anything. Nothing caught his attention.
- I can return it to you...
The same voice continued.
- Everything has a price.
Another voice interrupted him.
- All. I'll give anything to get him back.
He said, even though he couldn't feel his lips, couldn't hear the words he was saying, he hoped they would reach the entity that wanted to help him. He hoped for one more, one last chance. This time he definitely won't waste it. He will never waste the opportunity he has been given. He will forever treasure and love Joe. He will be forever grateful for this opportunity.
The voices were laughing.
- So let it be so.
Both voices said at the same time, sounding like an echo overlapping ominously. Ming would flinch if he had a physical body. The only thing he felt was fear. But he closed his eyes gratefully. Whatever awaited him now, he was going to do his best to make Joe happy as he deserved.
The darkness around him began to dissipate, as if he had gone from complete emptiness to a place where there was simply no light. He wasn't sure if what he was experiencing was real, he wasn't going to test it, he only knew that he felt anything other than nothingness again. He was apparently alive again.
The last thing he remembered was a voice saying "the reward will be your suffering." He hoped he meant all the suffering he had experienced over the two years of mourning Joe and regretting every moment and every decision he had made in his life.
He opened his eyes. He was tired, even though he had just woken up. He looked around. He was lying in a hospital bed. That would be true, if the last thing he remembered was being hit by a truck, it would be hard for him to suddenly recover, so it was normal for him to be in the hospital. The light bedding covered him pleasantly. The room wasn't cold, nor was it too warm. Perfect temperature, as befits a VIP room.
He reached towards the red button to call for a nurse. A short time later, a young woman in a proper hospital uniform entered the room, smiling.
- You're already awake, it's good to see you recovering.
She said, checking the parameters on the machines near his bed.
- How are you feeling now?
She asked with a smile.
- All right…
He said. It wasn't until the words came out of his mouth that he realized something was wrong. His voice sounded different than normal.
He coughed.
- Can I…
He started again. Again, his voice sounded completely alien. The woman didn't need any more prompting. She reached for a glass and filled it with water, then handed it back to Ming. He saw a flash of pink in the reflection of the water. But it meant nothing to him. He drank with trembling hands. He gave the woman the glass back, acting as normally as he could.
He looked around, looking for something to look at. There was a phone lying face down on the table next to the bed. The nurse noticed his look, wordlessly handed him the device, and then left the room. Ming did not recognize this model. He's never had a phone like this. But that wasn't what caught his attention. It was pink again. Pink hair. His pink hair. The second thing he noticed was that the face definitely wasn't his either.
He unlocked the device with his fingerprint.
Hundreds of notifications appeared on the top bar. But that wasn't what mattered to him now. He found the camera app and turned the camera around, pointing it at his face.
He knew those eyes.
He knew those lips.
He knew that face.
Sol.
His most hated person in the world. His rival in love. Joe's friend from work.
Sol, the fucking singer and actor – Sol.
Ming probably had a momentary cardiac arrest when he realized what had just happened to him. A moment later the organ started beating twice as fast.
He knew he was in hell.
- How do I get Joe back if I'm... this.
He grabbed his hair, pulling it hard. He felt the pain it caused. He couldn't dream. So this was supposed to be his suffering. He was supposed to watch from the sidelines as he, with his own hands, destroyed Joe again and be unable to do anything about it.
Sol was the greatest bane of Ming's existence, his greatest rival, and the source of his insecurities. He hated him, even more than he loved Joe. He wanted to destroy it. He wanted to prevent him from being in the same country as Joe.
How, being in his body, he could save Joe.
He did not know. He only knew that he would do everything to save his beloved and spare him all the pain he had caused him earlier.
He had to do it.