Holding On To You | k.th + j.hs

Oxygen Tank

"Do you need help?"

"No, Tae. It's fine, I've got it."

"Okay, don't fall."

"I'll try not to. Catch me if I do, though, okay?"

"Okay, I promise."

      Taehyung walked behind the boy as they headed up the stairs to the school. They would've been at the top by now, if it weren't for that damn oxygen tank and Hoseok constantly getting tangled in the cord.

Once they made it to the door, they both wiped the sweat off their foreheads in sync. Why did a school need so many flights of stairs?

       They head down the long hallways and past dozens of classrooms, the hum of the tank following along behind them. At last, they reach a door at the end of a hall. Hoseok leaned against the wall and caught his breath. Though he had the tank, it was still difficult.

It was always difficult.

Taehyung waited for the boy before they entered the classroom.

      Inside, there were tons of empty seats. The clock on the wall read 7:30AM. School didn't start until another thirty minutes. Though, Hoseok liked to be early, because he was never sure how long it would actually take him to get there. Some days he would be an hour early, some days he would be thirty minutes late.

But no one cared, because this was quite normal.

Technically, Hoseok didn't even need to come to school. The hospital said they would leave the decision up to his parents, but Hoseok insisted that he goes. He actually liked school, which was the dumbest thing ever to Taehyung.

      They sat down at two empty desks that were side by side to each other in the back of the room. Taehyung knew that Hoseok didn't like the front. Or the sides, or the middle. He liked the back corners. He liked the shadows and the quiet. Taehyung liked the exact opposite, but he liked being next to Hobi even more.

      As the minutes passed, more and more people began arriving. Soon enough, the whole class was there, including the teacher. The clock read 8:03AM.

Class seemed to go by in a blur. A quick, fuzzy blur. In the blink of an eye, the clock read 3:20PM. A bell rang. Everyone got out of their seats and nearly tumbled out the door. Everyone except for Hoseok and Taehyung, who were in no rush to get home.

"Class went by so fast. I don't remember anything we learned," Taehyung sighed as he turned to Hoseok who was drawing in a notebook.

"I think I fell asleep. I'm really tired," Hoseok said, and Taehyung could tell. He could see it in his eyes. The boy looked groggy, almost as if he were about to pass out. But nonetheless, he still wore a smile. Which made Taehyung smile in return.

"Hey, why don't we skip tomorrow?" Taehyung suggested out of nowhere.

"What?"

"Like... Skip school."

"What?! Why?! Do you know how much trouble we could get in?! We're only in fourth grade-"

"Exactly. If they find out, they'll let us off easy 'cause we're young. Sound like a plan?" Taehyung asked. Hoseok's eyes were wide as he thought about it.

"It'll be much more fun and memorable than sitting here for countless amounts of hours. Plus, one day shouldn't hurt. It'll be fun," Taehyung grinned.

"Even if we did, what would we do? Where would we go? How would people respond to two nine year olds wandering around alone together?" Hoseok asked, though, curiously not doubtfully.

"They can mind their own business," Taehyung muttered. Now, Hoseok looked doubtful.

"And you don't even have to bring that tank with you-"

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No, you don't."

"Uh, yes I do. Do you want me to die or something?" Hoseok asked as both boy's stared at it.

"Of course not-"

"Then I'll have to bring it."

"No you won't."

"Yes I will, Taehyung."

"No you won't. Don't bring it. It'll only slow us down. I think you can last one day without it. Maybe not even an entire day. Maybe we'll only be gone a few hours and then you can have your precious machine back. Okay?" Taehyung stuck out his hand for Hoseok to shake. The boy looked skeptical, but in the end, he took his hand in his grasp and shook it with a sigh.

"If I die, it's your fault. If I go to the hospital, it's your fault," Hoseok muttered as he sat back in his chair. Taehyung stared at him.

"Technically, it's not. Because you're the one who agreed to do it. I was just throwing out a suggestion," Taehyung smiled, though Hoseok just rolled his eyes and continued drawing.