They stared at each other, a sense of longing in their eyes. He tried to smile at his distant lover, but his lips wouldn't curl up no matter how much he tried. He gazed down at the IV pin that was in his arm. He could feel as it pumped life into his body. It was the only thing that was keeping him alive, the only thing that was keeping his heart pumping.

His chronic disease had already taken over his life, and he had barely gotten any time to live. Dewey felt as if the IV that was stuck in his arm was taunting him. That stupid needle was a constant reminder that the disease had taken away the most important thing in his life, which was his boyfriend. Of course, it really hadn't taken away Huey from him, but it might as well have.

They could no longer hold each other, they could no longer kiss, or hug, or hold hands without running the risk of Dewey losing his life. Of all the diseases that were out there, he had to get the one that separated him from Huey. Dewey looked from the IV pin back towards his lover. The eldest triplet was still staring at him, but the longing feeling was no longer what was shining in his eyes. Instead, tears had taken to his eyes, forming at the corners of them. It broke Dewey's heart to see him like that, but he knew that he couldn't do anything about it.

The blue-cladded triplet stood up from his bed and walked over to the doorframe. Over the time that he had gotten the disease, his energy had decreased greatly. Even just one trip to the bathroom was enough to make him exhausted, and any time that he walked anywhere, it actually hurt him when his heart pounded. There were also other symptoms that came with the disease that terrified Dewey greatly, but none of them scared him more than realizing that he wasn't going to be able to kiss his boyfriend anymore. That was the worst part of his predicament.

No matter how much they wanted to touch each other, they couldn't. The desire to be with each other became too hard to resist that the two of them had to separate themselves. They could no longer be in the same room without giving in to their desire and touching each other.

It was torture for both of them, not just for Dewey. Huey knew that he would never be able to know what it felt like on Dewey's part, being the one to have the actually disease that was separating them, but he was going through some trauma of his own. He had found that almost every night he would start to hold onto his pillow as if it was Dewey instead. His own desire to touch his brother was getting stronger each night they spent apart from each other.

It conflicted Huey greatly. His head and his heart were at war with one another. While one was telling him to stay away and keep his lover safe, the other was saying to just forget it and run to Dewey, grab him by the waist and kiss him passionately.

That sounded great to the eldest sibling, but he knew that that great feeling would only last for a couple of seconds before Dewey was on his deathbed.

Knowing that that - seeing Dewey in a coffin - would be the result of giving into his desire was what ultimately made Huey keep his distance from his boyfriend. He would rather be separated than get one touch, but lose his lover immediately afterwards.

The separation had almost made him cut himself. Though he was initially keeping his brother safe, he was putting himself in danger. There were so many times where Huey just thought about running away. It was starting to become unbearable for him. It seemed as if the world was doing everything in its power to keep him and Dewey apart.

"Ow!"

Huey's head whipped around at that sound. Dewey was sitting back on his bed, tears in his eyes. Scrooge was also in there with him along with a doctor. Huey had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed as they walked past him. The doctor was holding what looked like a pack of Dewey's blood. The eldest triplet gulped hard, starting to feel a bit sick at the sight of his lover's blood.

"It's not normal, I can tell you that." The doctor told Scrooge, his head shaking slightly. The old duck sighed, glancing at Dewey. He could see the hope he was holding onto break into a million pieces.

"Are ye sure there is nothin' else ye can do?" He asked.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. McDuck. Dewford must stay away from everyone at all times."

Dewey stood up from his bed, catching even Huey, who was watching from the hall, off guard. "I can't be alone for the rest of my life! What about my boy…" he looked at Huey, who was staring right back at him.

"What about who, lad?" Scrooge asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He looked towards the door, but saw no one. Huey's heart was pounding out of his chest as he hid behind the wall that was next to the door. His breath was caught in the back of his throat. His eyes shifted to the right, hoping that he hadn't been seen.

Dewey turned his gaze back to his great-uncle, laughing nervously. "What about Huey and Louie? Uncle Scrooge, they're my brothers. I can't not see them. They're my family." Scrooge looked at the blue-cladded triplet, and for once, his walls had gained a crack. He knew all too well about not being able to see a family member. The incident with Della still haunted him to this day.

He turned to the doctor, a sense of pleading was laced into his words. "Is there any chance that he could possibly see his brothers?"

There was still some hope in Huey's chest as he watched, but it was crushed the moment the doctor shook his head. "No." Dewey backed down at the tone in his voice, and he wasn't sure why, but Huey felt a surge of anger start to boil in the pit of his stomach. He knew that the doctor was there to help his boyfriend, but he didn't have to be nasty towards him. He just wanted to be with his family, what was so wrong with that?

It took every ounce in him not to go into the room and defend his boyfriend. It hurt him so much knowing that he could no longer do that for him.

He felt like such a crappy boyfriend, but he knew that if it meant keeping Dewey alive so he could still see his pretty face every now and then, it would be worth it.

"Is there a cure to this?" Scrooge asked, which caught both Huey and Dewey's attention. The doctor looked up from his paperwork. "So far, no," he said, flipping to the next page, "but we have people working on one. So far, nothing has worked, for once it had entered our test subject's mouth, it just made their condition worse."

"What do you mean by worse?" Dewey asked, his body trembling gently.

The doctor sighed, a sense of sadness in his eyes. As he gazed down at the blue-cladded triplet, he couldn't bring himself to answer that question. He cleared his throat, straightening one of his sleeves on his white coat. "I don't think you want to know that." He said softly.

Dewey bit his lip, looking down. The doctor turned to look at Scrooge. The old duck whispered a soft 'thank you' to which the doctor nodded gently before exiting the bedroom. Dewey's great-uncle stayed behind, sighing softly once the doctor was out of ear-shot.

"Uncle Scrooge, this isn't fair."

Huey had to force himself to watch as Dewey began to tear up. It hurt him greatly, but he had to watch. Dewey was his boyfriend, and even if it hurt him to do so, this was the only way he was able to physically see his lover. That was his only salvation through this whole ordeal. Besides Dewey himself, that is.

"Unfortunately Dewey, a disease doesn't care if something's fair or not. I'm sorry, but yer just going to have to live with it."

"I can't!" He argued. "I can't live like this forever!"

"Well, then you better start learning." Scrooge said, taking a deep breath to keep his composure. He gave Dewey an apologetic look before exiting the room. Dewey screamed once he knew he was alone. The portable heart monitor that had come with the IV pin began to speed up, reacting to the change of his heart rate. He didn't care if he lost all of his energy and just collapsed. This damn disease was ruining everything, and it frustrated him even more knowing that he couldn't do anything about it.

Tears ran down Huey's cheeks as he watched his brother break. He had been having spells like this ever since the disease had began. And each one that followed broke Huey's heart even more.

Dewey fell onto his bed, sobbing. Though there was pain where the IV was, it didn't match the emotional pain that was overwhelming him. Huey had to turn away from the door once again to compose himself. The tears that came down his face seemed to be on an endless loop, one that had no end no matter how much he tried to suppress them.

"H-Huey…"

That voice. That voice always gave him shivers that ran down his spine. Hearing his lover's voice was an indicator that he had to stop crying. If Dewey saw him in tears, he would start to lose faith that everything would be okay.

And even if he had no clue if things were going to be okay, he still had to have hope. There was still a possibility that one day, they would be able to touch each other again.

And that was enough to keep Huey holding onto his hope, and he hoped that it was enough for Dewey as well. If Dewey ever lost his faith and hope, then everything they built together would come crumbling down.

"I need you, Huey…"

The red-cladded duckling looked back into the room. Dewey was hugging his pillow as if it was his boyfriend. He could hear the soft whimpers that he emitted. They said everything his mouth couldn't. Huey could sense the longing to be held. He knew that Dewey wanted him in there, and he wanted to be in there just as badly.

But he couldn't. They both knew that, and they both hated it with a burning passion.

All Dewey wanted was to hold Huey close to his chest and never let him go. He had had so many dreams in which his disease never even existed. He dreamed of his lips up against Huey's, his hands on his waist. He dreamed of holding his hand and going on a date with him.

He dreamed of things that were impossible now, things he knew would probably never happen again.

The soft sobs that Huey heard were becoming too much for him. He loved Dewey so much, that he just couldn't stand the sight of watching him like that. If he could go back in time and prevent his lover from ever contracting the disease, he would in a heartbeat.

But no one knew the cause of it. It had just suddenly appeared in him one morning, and it was a day Huey would never forget. The way Dewey was barely breathing scared him to death.

It was a miracle that he had survived. Huey couldn't stop crying after hearing from the ER that he was going to live.

Huey reluctantly got up from his chair. He had to force his webbed feet to move in the opposite direction his lover was in.

"Hueberry, please…" Dewey whimpered, sensing that his lover was leaving.

Huey swallowed his tears so they wouldn't form in his eyes, but they did anyways, and a single tear ran down his cheek.

"I love you, Dewdrop…" he muttered before reluctantly walking away from his lover's doorframe.