“Good morning!”, Youngjae called and jumped up and down. Daehyun rubbed his eyes, he looked tired.

“Oh, haven’t you slept well?”, Youngjae asked worried. Daehyun turned away.

“It hurts”, he murmured. Youngjae’s smile faded, he quickly got to Daehyun’s bed.

“I know something that helps a lot”, he said confidently. Daehyun looked up.

“Yes?”

Youngjae nodded.

“When I was hurt my mom would always buy me ice cream”, he said. “Vanilla ice cream!”, he said cheerfully. Daehyun looked away.

“Ice cream?” Youngjae took Daehyun’s arm.

“I will ask her to buy you some, ok?”, he said. Daehyun looked up.

“The doctor won’t allow...”, he whispered. Youngjae hesitated but then smiled.

“It’ll be ok”, he said. “I will be back in a minute, ok?”

He ran towards the door but stopped. “What is your favorite sort?”, he asked.

Daehyun didn’t answer, he looked down. He looked so weak and fragile sitting there alone. His hair was falling in his eyes.

“The last time I ate ice cream was, when I was 3, when I was healthy”, he whispered.

Youngjae’s eyes widened. He saw a tear dropping on Daehyun’s hands.

“I can’t remember”.

Youngjae clenched his lips and forced his tears back, he wanted to be strong for Daehyun.

“I like Vanilla...”, he murmured. “I will bring it and you can try it, ok?” Daehyun slightly nodded. Youngjae closed the door and went to the nurse’s room. His mother was drinking tea with the others, it was break time. Youngjae climbed onto the sofa.

“Mom, can I have ice cream?”, he asked. His mother laughed.

“Darling, it’s winter! Why would you like to have ice cream, it’s too cold... Drink tea. Here, it’s green tea”, she said and gave him a cup of tea. Youngjae shook his head.

“I want some for Daehyun, he hasn’t had ice cream for ages! He can’t even remember his favorite flavor”, he murmured. His mother his hair and smiled.

“You’re so kind, sweetheart. I will buy you one, they only have vanilla and chocolate here. Vanilla will do it, right? But Daehyun can only try a bit of it, ok? Don’t give him too much!”, she said strictly. Youngjae nodded and promised it. She got up.

“Give him the tea, that’s better for him”, she said. Youngjae nodded again and accompanied her downstairs to the cafeteria where they bought some vanilla ice cream.

“Here you go”, she said.

“Thank you, mom”, Youngjae said smiling brightly. He nearly ran upstairs to Daehyun’s room.

“Mom said you can try a bit of it. But the tea is all for you”, Youngjae said and put the cup down on the bedside table. Daehyun’s thin fingers reached for the cup.

“Careful, it’s hot!”, Youngjae cried, but it was too late. Daehyun winced in pain and looked down on his burning fingers.

Youngjae took his fingers.

“Ok, ok. It’s ok”, he whispered and softly blew on his fingers. Daehyun giggled quietly. Youngjae looked up in surprise.

“You should do that more often”, he said. Daehyun blinked.

“What?” Youngjae grinned. “Laughing. You look cute when you laugh”, he said. Daehyun blushed.

“Cute?”, he asked confused. Youngjae nodded. Daehyun suddenly got embarrassed and pulled his hand back. Youngjae kept smiling.

“Do you want to try the ice cream now?”, he asked and showed him the wafer with the vanilla ice cream. Daehyun nodded without looking at Youngjae. Youngjae hold the wafer while Daehyun leaned forward.

“Yah, don’t bite it. This will hurt your teeth”, Youngjae said laughing. Daehyun mumbled something Youngjae couldn’t hear and then some of the white ice cream covered his tongue and disappeared in his mouth. He didn’t say anything and just leaned back again.

“You don’t like it?”, Youngjae asked while trying not to be disappointed. Daehyun blinked.

“I like it, but this was not the right one...”, he murmured. He grabbed the cup of tea, this time he was more careful and took a little sip of it.

“Green tea...”, he said.

“Yes, it’s green tea”, Youngjae confirmed.

Then suddenly something happened to Daehyun’s face. It was like seeing the sun rising. He started to smile like never had before.

“This is it! That’s my favorite one”, he said happily. “I remember now”.

Youngjae got up.

“Really? That’s great! Next time I’ll bring you green tea flavor!”, he promised. Daehyun looked up.

“You will?” Youngjae nodded.

“Promise”, he said. Daehyun looked into Youngjae’s eyes and smiled shyly.

“Thank you, Youngjae”, he said quietly. Youngjae smiled back.

                                                                         ***

Youngjae dropped his jacket. The screams pierced through the nightly silence.

2 week had passed since Daehyun and he had met, but they’ve already became good friends. Daehyun would only talk to him and that made Youngjae feel special. He came visiting every second day, but recently he had come every day.

Today they had watched a variety show on the TV and had a lot of fun, but Youngjae had to leave early because he had to do his homework for school.

So he was secretly happy that his mother had forgotten something important at the hospital and had to go back in the evening.

And of course, he went along with her.

His mother ran breathlessly through the corridor. A doctor accompanied her, they ran into the room with the number 220.

Youngjae was standing in the corridor like frozen and the painful screams made his heart burst into thousand pieces. He couldn’t bear hearing Daehyun scream in pain and fear.

With his 9 years he was still a kid, but he knew that there was only one year left for Daehyun if not less and the time was running through his fingers.

He didn’t understand why Daehyun should die, why he would be taken away from him. He had his friends at school, but no one was like Daehyun and although he was the one he knew for the shortest time, he was his most important friend.

So he breathed in very deeply and then entered his room.

“Youngjae, get out here!”, his mother cried. She busily checked the monitors next to Daehyun’s bed. Daehyun had stopped screaming but he was still crying and sobbing loudly, he writhed under the hands of the doctor.

But Youngjae didn’t leave, he stepped to Daehyun’s bed and took one of his shaking hands.

“Daehyun, it’s me, Youngjae. I’m here now, I will never leave your side, I promise. Please, don’t cry no more. I will bring you lots of green tea ice cream tomorrow”, he said quietly. Daehyun breathed heavenly.

His sobbing stopped, but he was still writhing. The doctor looked at Youngjae in anger.

“Boy, get out here”, he said.

“No, wait. He listens to him. Look, he’s calming down!”, Youngjae’s mother said excited. Youngjae got closer to Daehyun, he leaned in so close that his lips nearly touched Daehyun’s ear.

“It’s me, Youngjae. I won’t leave you. It’s ok now, you’re safe”, he whispered. Daehyun breathed out and started to relax. The doctor’s mouth fell open and he looked extremely stupid with his surprised expression.

“Can you open your eyes? So that you can see me, you only have to look at me, ok?”, Youngjae said and for the very first time, he touched Daehyun’s face. He just softly brushed over Daehyun’s cheek, but through this contact Daehyun seemed to realize that Youngjae was really there.

His eyes twitched and then slowly opened. “Youngjae”, he whispered. His voice was hoarse and his eyes red.

“Yes... yes. I’m here”, Youngjae answered. Daehyun’s head fell against Youngjae’s shoulder, when he started crying again.

“I dreamt of... I’m scared...”, he whispered and his voice cracked at the last word.

Youngjae wrapped his arms around Daehyun’s shaking body.

“I don’t want to die, not yet”, he whispered so quietly that only Youngjae could hear him.

Youngjae tensed up. He could feel the tears burning in his own eyes.

“Mom says, heaven is a nice place... they have ice cream there”, he said while his tears where running down his cheeks. He could feel Daehyun’s warm breath against his neck.

“Do they...?”, he murmured.

“There’s also green tea flavor”, Youngjae added and tried to smile but he failed.

Luckily, Daehyun couldn’t see it either way, because his face was buried into Youngjae’s shoulder. Daehyun didn’t say anything for a long time, so they thought he had fallen asleep, but when Youngjae’s mother softly pulled him back and lied him down into the bed, he opened his mouth again.

It was a very, very quiet whisper, but Youngjae heard it.

“But they don’t have Youngjae up there”.

Youngjae looked down and smiled through his tears.

                                                                                     ***

“They’re children! But they have to act like adults by being confronted with death! Youngjae is talking weird since he’s visiting that boy! What have you thought by introducing them to each other? One day this kid will die and I tell you, this day is pretty soon. And what then? Do you know how much Youngjae will suffer? Have you thought about that for a second?”

He could hear his father’s voice so clearly, although his room’s door and the living room’s door were closed. He was angry.

“Don’t scream! You’ll wake him up! I have thought about this every single second, ok? But I also see how much they need each other, Youngjae is the only person on this whole planet with whom Daehyun is talking properly to. And I don’t know what it is, but Daehyun can give Youngjae something that makes him happy. One day he will be confronted with death, we all will and we can’t change that! No matter the age, it will be always cruel!”, his mother said fiercely.

“No matter the age? What’s wrong with you? You let a 9 year old boy watching his friend die? Are you mentally ok, what is this?”, he asked. Youngjae heard his mother cry and he closed his eyes. He pulled the blanket over his head. He hated it when his parents were fighting.

It’s ok, mom. It’s ok. Please, don’t cry. Dad is wrong. I’m thankful to you for introducing me to Daehyun. Stop crying, mom.

His own tears fell into his pillow.

“Daehyun, I won’t let you die. Don’t be afraid”, he whispered into the darkness.

-

Daehyun didn’t die. The days turned into weeks and months, but he kept on living.

Youngjae went to see him every day, he didn’t come home after school, because he went to see Daehyun. He made sure to bring him one time a week his favorite ice cream, more often wasn’t allowed.

When Daehyun had nightmares he would beg as long as necessary to make his mother allow him to stay with Daehyun. Because after all he was the only one who could comfort him and calm him down.

And Youngjae would save all his pocket money to buy Daehyun a birthday present and a present for Christmas.

Daehyun cried and was upset because he couldn’t give Youngjae something in return. Youngjae would laugh.

“I only have one wish. You know that”, he would say every time.

“One more day”, they said in synch.

“Give me one more day with you”, Youngjae said seriously. They intertwined their fingers. The months turned into a year and the wish for one more day turned into their motto.

Youngjae was probably more afraid of losing Daehyun than Daehyun feared his own death.

Of course, Youngjae was grateful and happy for every day with Daehyun, because he had turned 10 this year and according to the studies this would be his very last year.

It was a wonder that he even experienced his 10^th birthday.

Wow, so many new subscribers!!!

I never thought that *__*

thank you so much for reading <3

Ok, I know that Green Tea is actually Youngjae's favorite ice cream flavor, but I had to change that...