Taehyung waits at the entrance of a small apartment complex. The air is freezing cold, the winter months drawing closer and closer. With every breath he takes, a small cloud appears in front of him. He can see his own breath in the cool air. He waits and waits, expecting Hoseok any minute. The watch on his wrist reads 6:32AM. He waits.
6:58AM. Finally, a boy comes trudging out of the maze of complexes and towards Taehyung. Though, stopping midway to catch his breath, of course. Taehyung can see each time the boy takes a breath. It's visible in the cool air.
Barely.
7:04AM. Hoseok finally stands next to him. He smiles as he breathes long, deep, heavy breaths. He doesn't have his oxygen tank. He doesn't have that stupid cord tangling him up and tripping him.
"Wow, you managed to walk here in six minutes. That's a new record, I think," Taehyung smirks. The boy chuckles and grabs onto his shoulders for support.
"So, where are we going? Not too far, I hope," Hoseok asks in between breaths. Taehyung thinks for a moment.
"Let's just walk and see where our feet take us," He decides after a few seconds.
They both walk and talk as they continue down the sidewalk, avoiding eye contact with anyone who stares. It isn't normal, seeing two nine year olds walking alone together down the street. They wonder how long they'll last before someone calls the cops.
"How'd you convince your mom to let you leave?" Taehyung asks as they pass multiple shops and kiosks.
"I lied," Hoseok says with a small smirk. Unlike Taehyung, Hoseok isn't normally the mischievous one. So for him to lie is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.
"Oh really, now? And how'd you do that?" Taehyung asks doubtfully yet jokingly.
"Well, I told her that I was going to school early. She didn't seemed shocked, though. It didn't even faze her, really. She's used to it," Hoseok sighs.
"And how'd you leave the house without your oxygen? I know how frantic she gets when you don't have it on," Taehyung rolls his eyes.
"I left with it. I told her bye, wheeled it out the door, and once I was outside, I threw it in the bushes. Hopefully she doesn't find it, or else I'm in big trouble," Hoseok says as he nervously rubs his hands together. Taehyung slaps the boy's wrists.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"You need to chill. So what if she finds it? What's she going to do to you? Beat you with it? Relax, this day is supposed to be fun. Don't be so tense," Taehyung scolds with a smile.
"Fine. I guess I worry too much."
"No kidding. But hey, you're doing pretty well so far," Taehyung points out. He notices that Hoseok hasn't stopped to catch his breath once since earlier that morning. He feels proud of his friend. It's as if he's accomplished something.
-
By 11:57AM, the two boy's reach a seemingly abandoned railroad. There are old trains that haven't seemed to be used in quite a while. Cautiously, they climb up a ladder and onto the roof of a train car. They sit on the edge, their legs dangling above the ground. There's a pause. A moment of silence that's quickly interrupted by the sound of church bells ringing in the distance.
"You know, we should've invited our other friends to come with us today. It could've been like a-"
"Have you forgotten that we're ditching school right now? If all seven of us are gone, people will start to question where we really are. Especially since we're all friends. Plus, this was suppose to be you and me. Just you and me," Taehyung reminds. Hoseok frowns and swings his legs back and forth.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," Hoseok says after a while. Taehyung looks over at him.
"Really? Me neither. I had a bad dream about-" he stops himself. He doesn't want to tell Hoseok what it was about. He doesn't want to worry him. The boy stares at him, waiting for him to continue.
"-never mind. I just couldn't sleep, either," Taehyung finishes. Hoseok just shrugs and lays back, closing his eyes, breathing deeply. He isn't asleep. Not yet.
"Seriously? On a day like this, you're going to sleep?" Taehyung exclaims. Hoseok nods, not opening his eyes.
"I'll be more energized when I wake up. Then, we can do real exploring," Hoseok smiles.
Taehyung lays back next to him, staring up at the sky. After a few minutes, he looks over. Hoseok is finally asleep. Taehyung tries to do the same, but he can't. He has to keep an eye on his friend. He has to make sure that he can breathe. He has to make sure he wakes up.
-
Taehyung awakens to the sound of coughing. Hoseok is choking on air again, going through another coughing-fit. He just pats him on the back as the boy tries to regain himself.
"I'd give you water, but I don't have any," Taehyung sighs.
"It- it's fine. I'm okay-" Hoseok sputters in between gasps for air. Taehyung stares down at his dangling feet as Hoseok takes deep breaths of the cool air surrounding them. After a few minutes, the boy finally regains control. And he smiles.
"I think I'm ready to explore, now. I'm energized," Hoseok says cheerfully. Taehyung grins in return.
"Let's go, then. We only have a few hours left before we have to go back home. Let's make the most of it," Taehyung says and jumps down from the roof of the train, landing on the pebbles below. Hoseok looks as though he wants to do the same, but instead he takes the safe way and carefully makes his way down the steel ladder.
The rest of the day consists of laughing.
And talking.
And smiling.
And coughing.
And choking on air.
They'd finally been able to explore more of Seoul, which is something Hoseok has wanted to do since he was able to talk.
-
By the time they wore out, the sun had already left them. It's 9:27PM. The two boy's sit on a bench by a deli, the smell of fresh food lingering around them. Taehyung sighs as he thinks about how angry his parents will be when he arrives home. He isn't supposed to stay out this late. Especially alone.
But he's not alone.
Hoseok is with him. A boy who can't outrun him even if it wasn't a race. A boy who's life depends on a cord. Taehyung stares at him.
"We better get home. It's late. Really late. Our parents are probably worried," Hoseok yawns before Taehyung has the chance to.
"Okay. I'll walk you home," Taehyung smiles and gets up, waiting for his friend. Hoseok grips onto the arm rest of the bench and hoists himself up. He's losing energy. Taehyung can tell. It's quite obvious, anyway.
Slowly and carefully, they make their way to Hoseok's apartment.
By the time Taehyung gets home, his wristwatch ticks to 10:00PM.
YOU ARE READING
Holding On To You | k.th + j.hs
Fanfiction-"He watched the boy fade away, taking the beautiful world with him." | In which young Hoseok has cancer and his best friend, Taehyung, has to learn to let go. [DISLAIMER] Even though it's Vhope, there's no romantic relationship, just a friendship.
