Beomgyu arrived at the hospital, same exact time as the day before. He didn't need to grab a chart, having been assigned to Taehyun's aid for the time being. The elder tugged on his sleeves as he breathed on his cold fingers, trying to warm them up. He was dressed in a black sweater, this one was hand knitted by his grandmother. He paired it with some distressed jeans and his tattered converse. He wasn't much of a stylist, but he liked his arrangement of sweaters he always wore during the fall.
"Taehyun, it's Beomgyu!" Beomgyu called from behind the door. "I'm coming in."
Beomgyu opened the door and was met with Taehyun watching out the window again, except this time there was shredded paper near his feet and the boy's cheeks were visibly stained with tears. Beomgyu filled with anger, who had hurt this precious soul enough to make him cry, and why did they just leave him here with no comfort.
"Taehyun, what happened? Why are you crying?" Beomgyu walked over to the younger, kneeling in front of him.
"Soobin Hyung is stupid. He's mean." Taehyun sniffled. "He told me he didn't trust you. He should trust you Hyung. You're nicer than he is."
Beomgyu chuckled to himself. He began picking up the shredded paper, noticing it was one of the drawings off Taehyun's wall. He placed the pieces on the table and tapped a finger under Taehyun's chin, making the younger look at him.
"Tell Hyung what really happened," Beomgyu spoke softly, "Please."
Taehyun looked at Beomgyu and sighed. "Soobin told me he doesn't want anyone else around me. He told me I could get sick. I told him you would never be that stupid. Soobin He just - He doesn't get it. I've never been good at making friends. And now that I finally have a friend besides him he decides to be a jerk." Taehyun huffed, wiping his eyes on his sweater sleeves.
His was a pink today. But not a bright pink, a softer, almost whitish color. It was very big on his tiny body. It covered his hands, and part of his thighs. But that didn't change the fact that he looked absolutely stunning in it.
"Hey, He's probably just looking out for you. It can't be easy for him to know that he only gets to see his bestfriend during visiting hours during the day, which only last for about two hours. I know that if Hueningkai was stuck here, and I wasn't volunteering, I'd be worried sick about him." Beomgyu responded, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"I ruined his picture." Taehyun cried. "I tore it up because I was mad."
"Hey, shh. It's alright Tae. I'll fix it. Hyung will fix it, okay?" Beomgyu whispered, getting up to retrieve tape from where the staff kept extra supplies in all the rooms. He returned to his spott across from Taehyun and began piecing together the picture. It wasn't perfect, but it was fixed and that's what mattered.
"Woah Hyung. Thank you," Taehyun gasped. He gently took the paper from Beomgyu's hands. Taehyun leaned over and brushed his soft lips against Beomgyu's cheek before he stood to hang up the now fixed drawings.
His kiss caught Beomgyu off guard and he felt his cheeks flush red. Beomgyu brought his finger tips to his cheek, gently touching the same place Taehyun's lips had been a mere moment ago.
Stop it Beomgyu, you've only just met.
"Gyu? Are you alright?" Taehyun looked at him puzzled, curious as to why the boy was sat there in silence, not moving. "You look pale."
The lack of honorifics didn't bother Beomgyu and he nodded. "I'm alright Tae. Just zoned out." He proceeded to stand up, helping Taehyun tape the paper to his wall. It looked out of place next to the beautiful art pieces.
"It's all broken," Taehyun whispered. "And it's my fault." He sighed, covering his face with his hands as he whimpered softly.
"Hey, hush up. There's nothing wrong with being broken. Sometimes you have to fall apart in order to fall back together." Beomgyu whispered back. That was probably the wisest thing the sixteen year old boy had ever said in his life. And truth be told, he'd only remembered it from seeing it one of those tumblr blogs.
"You're so wise Hyung." Taehyun smiled. "You always fix everything."
Beomgyu convinced Taehyun to relax for awhile, reading him a few chapters of The fault in our stars before dinner arrived for them. For Beomgyu, he was having kimchi fried rice and a sparkling water and for Taehyun, He was having kimchi kimbap and water.
Beomgyu assisted Taehyun with setting up his dinner tray, laying out all the food beautifully. Beomgyu loved food art, he enjoyed making it for himself and for others. He'd done it since he was a child, always making art out of his fruit until he moved on to bigger foods.
"Hyung is there anything you're not good at?" Taehyun was amazed. How could Beomgyu do that so well? Decorate his plate with food so neat it looked like a real artist had created it.
"I suck at making friends."
Beomgyu thought to himself. Just as the elder sat down the boy's room door was slammed open. Beomgyu watched as a boy came in and folded his arms. He didn't like the vibe he gave off, He came off as rude and intolerable. Beomgyu hated rude and intolerable people.
"Who are you?" Beomgyu questioned. "Visiting hours ended."
"I'm Soobin, Taehyun's friend. I'm sure he doesn't mind if I'm here." The boy answered, folding his arms. "Right Taehyun?"
Taehyun didn't say a word, he simply ignored the boy and looked away from him. He was still mad at him for what he said about Beomgyu. Beomgyu was looking over Soobin. He looked about the same height as Beomgyu, his hair was dyed a dark blue color and he wore big round glasses.
"Come on Taehyun. Don't ignore me." Soobin said.
"I told you to go away and I meant it. I don't want to see you right now." Taehyun replied.
For the first time in the entirety of their friendship Taehyun didn't refer to Soobin as Hyung. And that infuriated the blue haired boy. He clenched his fists and inhaled sharply. "Address me properly." He spoke angrily.
"You don't deserve to be called Hyung right now. You're not being a very good friend. Beomgyu Hyung is harmless." Taehyun spat back. "He's a volunteer at this hospital. He helps people."
"He does it for pity. You just said he's a volunteer." Soobin retorted, moving closer to Beomgyu.
Beomgyu stood up, standing in between Soobin and Taehyun. He looked down at the male, his eyes dark with anger. "I suggest you watch yourself." Beomgyu spoke, his voice deep with frustration. "Around me, you treat him kindly." He added, folding his arms.
Soobin scoffed, he couldn't believe this.
"Let me through." Soobin snarled. "Or else."
"Or else what? You'll hit him like you hit Sunoo? Just go away Soobin." Taehyun shouted, pulling Beomgyu away from Soobin.
"Whatever. But when he gets tired of taking care of the cystic fibrosis patient don't come crying to me." Soobin replied, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.
"Are you okay Taehyun? I didn't mean to upset you." Beomgyu apologized, turning around to view Taehyun. He took his fragile, pale hands in his own, caressing them softly. "Hyung is sorry."
Taehyun was quiet. He kept his mouth closed. Something about the way Beomgyu was holding his hands made his heart flutter. Of course he'd had crushes on boys before, his first crush was Soobin in middle school. He looked the way his tiny hands fit perfectly inside Beomgyu's. Their proportions complimented eachother oh so perfectly.
"Can we go to the garden again Hyung? I like the pretty leaves." Taehyun asked. "Plus we can read out there too."
"Let's go then," Beomgyu smiled. He helped Taehyun stand and then grabbed their copies of the book they'd been reading. Beomgyu slipped them into his shoulder bag and began walking slowly with Taehyun.
"Where are you two boys headed?" Beomgyu's mother asked as they brushed past her.
"The garden miss Choi. I love it out there." Taehyun smiled as they passed pathways, his dimples prominent as his eyes creased. Beomgyu's mother was happy to see Taehyun smiled so brightly, she hadn't seen that since he'd arrived at the hospital.
Beomgyu's mother watched as the pair walked together. Their sleeves overlapping eachother as they walked hand in hand. She knew Beomgyu liked boys, there was no question about it. But did he know? Did he know it was okay to love another boy? Had she taught him correctly growing up that love is love, no matter who with?
"They're so cute together," A nurse said from behind the desk. "It's good to see Taehyun moving around, not cramped up in his room all day. I was beginning to worry about him."
"My son tries his best to be kind. I know it's hard for him to adjust to the idea of being friend with Taehyun, but I'm proud to see him doing something so amazing for Taehyun. He needed a friend." Beomgyu's mother replied, a soft smile appearing on her thin lips.
Beomgyu and Taehyun reached the garden and sat down on a patch of grass. Beomgyu crossed his legs and Taehyun laid down, resting his head on Beomgyu's leg as the elder began to read the next part of The Fault in Our Stars using his best british accent to give a better reading experience. Taehyun listened to him, closing his eyes while imagining the wonders of love.
"Hyung, what's a soul mate?" Taehyun looked up at him. "What does it feel like?"
"Well, um. It's kind of like a bestfriend, but more. It's that one person in the universe who knows you better than you'll ever know yourself. They make you a better person. Actually - they don't do that. You do that on your own, they just inspire you to be better. A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever." Beomgyu answered, once again thoseold tumblr posts and his passion for writing came in handy with giving the younger male wise answers.
"Could you be mine?" Taehyun looked into his eyes.
"Be your soulmate?" Beomgyu replied, "I think the universe decides that."
"But I want you to be mine Hyung. I want to be your soulmate." Taehyun huffed, "Why can't I be your soulmate?"
"Oh sweet Taehyun, time will tell. Someday you'll meet your real soulmate. You've gotta be patient though, it won't happen right away." Beomgyu stroked the younger male's temple with his fingers softly, his brown hair brushing against his hand.
"Then be my soulmate for now. Until I meet my real one," Taehyun smiled.
"I guess I can do that," Beomgyu smiled back.
The sun had begun to set and Beomgyu knew now would be the perfect time to capture a few photographs on his old camera, even it wasn't the best, it was all he had for the time being. Taehyun sat up quickly, pointing out the beautiful sunset. The colors of pink, blue, purple and even orange painted the sky like an exquisite mosaic.
"It's so beautiful Hyung! I love it, I love it, I love it," Taehyun giggled, moving to stand beneath a few trees.
It was golden hour, the sun gleaming a brisk golden hue as it set in the horizon. The color of the sun on Taehyun's skin was beautiful, it made him glimmer like a fallen star. Beomgyu smiled softly, capturing a few photographs of Taehyun. As the younger turned around Beomgyu focused his camera lens elsewhere, snapping a few photos quickly.
"You never told me you took pictures! I wanna see!" Taehyun exclaimed, running over to Beomgyu. "Show me Hyung!"
"No no. It's not working right now." Beomgyu lied. "It's broken."
"Can't you fix it?" Taehyun hummed. "You fix everything."
Beomgyu laughed softly, putting his camera back into his shoulder bag. "I wish I could, but I cannot fix everything." Beomgyu answered. The wind had picked up a bit and Taehyun shivered, pulling his arms together to warm up his small body.
"What do you take pictures of Beomgyu? Do they have meaning?" Taehyun curiously looked at him.
"I photograph the things I love. Like the trees, or my cat Juno. Or my family members on the days we gather for dinner. I love it. I love photography." Beomgyu spoke passionately, beginning to explain where he had discovered and how excited he was when his parents gave hims his first camera on his thirteenth birthday.
"Oh no, Oh my god I'm a horrible friend," Beomgyu said as he realized the time. "I was supposed to meet Hueningkai at the park at seven. It's thirty minutes past. I'm terrible." He said, sending a quick apologetic text to Hueningkai.
"It's fine Hyung, You can go," Taehyun replied. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Beomgyu questioned. "I really don't want to leave you."
Taehyun nodded. "I promise I'll be okay Hyung, go have fun with Hueningkai."
Beomgyu smiled softly. He stood upland went to walk away, but her turned back on his heels and bent down in front of Taehyun, slipping a paper with his cell phone number on it. "If you need me, call." He said softly, pressing a gentle and quick kiss to Taehyun's forehead.
"Goodbye Hyung," Taehyun smiles, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow Taehyun." Beomgyu waved, running off down the street towards the park.
What Beomgyu didn't know, is that by tomorrow, everything would change.