Until the End

.

Shallow breaths pass through chapped lips, tired eyes closed peacefully shut with darkness beneath them. Darkness like bruises. And how it tugged at the heartstrings of the other to an extreme extent. He said for the man in the bed to take a break, things were getting worse. He said it out of love and his love acted out of pride. Sadly, now Jack seemed to be paying the price.
As Mark laid still, he still looked so kind, Jack holding his hand as it seemed cool to the touch. It was sadly so as he wished to warm Mark up again, wished for his love to bring Mark back to him. So cold, how could this world be so cold. "I told ya so, Mark...I told ya," Jack whispered, his words as gentle as an autumn breeze. But it was punctuated with the pain of a breaking heart. Marked with the fear of losing him. Please no, he couldn't lose him again.
Guest were told to leave, but they left Jack with Mark still. And Jack wouldn't have left anyways, he'd simply argue that he needs to stay until Mark is awake and well again. Jack needed it to happen, he needed Mark to be okay.
As the sun set, the pain in Jack's heart grew as Mark's eyes didn't open. His heart broke as he simply saw Mark sit up. But his body still rested on the bed. The monitor was flat lining and Jack teared up as he hugged Mark close. Not the body, but his spirit. "Mark," he sniffled.
"Jack? Are we in the afterlife?" Mark asked, looking at Jack as the other nodded.
"I missed ya so much...I really did," Jack said softly, wiping at his eyes. Not that any tears could actually fall as he hid his face. He didn't like people to see him cry, and apart from in his video, Mark had only seen Jack cry twice.
The first time Jack had cried, Mark had asked Jack to marry him. And Jack cried tears of joy, having never thought he could be married. Having never believed someone would love him that much. Especially not Mark himself. However the second time wasn't happy. For the second time was when Jack was diagnosed with cancer, a cancer that hadn't made itself known until it was too late, until the only effect chemo could have was to make Jack's hair fall out and take away the once loud and proud man down to his knees in tears. He cried again after that, the day they told Mark he couldn't come visit him. The day Jack had screamed because rather than go into the surgery that would actually take Jack's life, he'd want to be with his husband. With the man who had made him happiest in the world.
Now, they were together again, although Jack had watched all that Mark suffered. Especially as Mark worked himself to death in the end, not wanting to think about Jack, but then again unable to not think about him. Unable to distract himself from the fact that Jack had died. Today would actually be the anniversary of his death, a full year since Jack had died. But it wouldn't be a shock, because everyone could see Mark deteriorating before their very eyes. Everyone knew it would happen, and now, Jack was just glad it was over.
Mark held Jack close to him, rubbing Jack's back carefully. "I love you, Jack. I love you so much," he whispered softly. Mark looked so much healthier, in the prime of his health now that he was a spirit, as did Jack, looking the best he ever had in life.
"Mark?" Jack asked softly.
"Yeah?"
"Ya know the 'til death do we part shit?"
"Mhm, yeah, we said that when we married."
"I never left, 'nd I'm never goin' ta leave, so I'd get ready for that," Jack chuckled.
"Really? Are you some kind of guardian angel or something?"
"I guess ya can say that. I was just goin' ta say I'm too annoyin' ta leave ya alone, so ya better not have gotten used ta me not bein' around ya."
"Well I'm glad, and you're not annoying, you're perfect," Mark said with a gentle peck to Jack's lips before the spirits seemed to vanish from the room. And finally, with both spirits together, Mark and Jack could move onto the great promises of the afterlife together. And the sadness that burdened both would be nevermore.