The next morning, Taehyung walked into Hoseok's room. The boy was awake, and smiled when he saw his friend. Taehyung smiled in return and took a seat at the end of the bed. This had almost become protocol.
"Why are you awake-"
"Eleven days until what?" Taehyung interrupted. Hoseok's smile faded at his words. At first, he looked confused. But confusion quickly turned to worry.
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard the conversation last night. The part about the medicine. Eleven days. Why the doctors shouldn't be sorry," Taehyung counted. Hoseok just looked at him, though there wasn't a single hint of confusion on his face, anymore. He took a deep breath and looked Taehyung in the eyes.
"I didn't want you to know yet," he whispered, almost talking to himself. Taehyung stayed silent.
"I wanted you to be worry free for the next week," he continued.
"Eleven days until what?" Taehyung repeated. It wasn't a difficult question, was it?
"I wanted you to be happy for the next eleven
days-"
"Eleven days until what, Hoseok?!" Taehyung pressed, wishing the boy would quit rambling.
"I wanted you to be okay-"
"What's going to happen in-"
"I wanted to see you smile-"
"What's going to happen in-"
"I'm going to die!" Hoseok shouted, though he still looked calm, somehow. "I thought you would've guessed that by now," he muttered.
Taehyung stared down at his lap. He had known that this was coming for a while. What was so surprising about it? Nothing. Now, he just didn't know what to say. When he spoke, his voice came out in a low, shaky whisper.
"... Then I-I'm going to make the most of your l-last days," he said with a very weak smile. He didn't know what else to say. He knew that if he even tried saying what he wanted to, it would come out as a rambling mess. Hoseok's eyes seemed to brighten.
"T-Thanks. I appreciate it. I appreciate you. More than you'll ever know," He responded, still smiling.
Taehyung's eyes drifted over to a window on the other side of the room, and they widened at the sight of a small black bird peering back at him. He immediately rubbed his eyes, and when he looked back up, the bird was gone. He just shook his head.
"... Are you okay?-"
"I love you," Taehyung interrupted with a sigh. It had been the first time he had ever said that to Hoseok, who looked surprised. But the boy's expression quickly turned into a grin.
"I love you, too. And hey, maybe it won't be as bad as we think it'll be. Maybe it'll be easy. I'm tough, remember-"
"I know. That's not the problem," Taehyung said softly as he held back tears. He had always known that Hoseok was tough. Tough enough to handle death. Tough enough to handle loss.
It was Taehyung, who wasn't tough at all.
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.
