It was expected for Taehyung didn’t come again to school by the next day. But, Taeyong felt something was off in one way or another. He could not concentrate for almost a whole day— despite the fact that he should be bothered with his former duties as class president, whereas Taehyung took the role per requirement that he should be the second person in charge. Yet Taeyong didn’t mind it at all though— and not even his favorite subject in the art workshop could distract him from the thought of why haven’t his best friend came to the courses.

Taeyong pulled his phone out from his bag on the studio table, to check if Taehyung had sent him a message, texting he would be meeting him by lunchtime as usual. True to his floating mind, there was a single notification popped out on the screen. It really was from Taehyung, saying that he would be seeing him after the school hours been concluded by its late afternoon.

Typical Taehyung, Taeyong thought, whom sent most of his texts to everyone with smiley at the end of it. He supposed that someday the mobile corporation should be making a special boxy smile emoji which will represent his bestest friend, as a small curve started winding on his cold lips.

As the long break of the day came about, Taeyong was sitting by himself with the curry and rice set for his lunch. It’s not like he banned his fellow learners— except Taehyung, to sit with him— most likely was his tendency of the iciest human being, which made the others felt hesitant to their permanent-top-model-student to give company. Let's say, his most intimidating eyes and overall façade. Never did he discern any distinction, since having Taehyung as his best buddy, probably was one of the best things that ever happened in any of his school year.

The platinum haired boy was devouring half of his meal when he sensed that someone was standing beside him and about to drag a chair next to.

Jungkook sat as he was raising an eyebrow, glancing to the older. “You’re going with me after school, right?”

“What?” Taeyong asked while frowning, shooting his head up to some extent.

“Taetae hyung asked me to come with you...” answered the younger, humming. “Hmm, he told me to get you along with me... Uh— well, I guess you get my point...”

Taeyong had gotten the younger’s shrug as he carried on. “Where is he meeting with us anyways? And why?”

Jungkook shrugged again, “I don’t know...”

“Does he ill quite badly now?”

“I don’t think so...”

“How does he look like the last time you meet him at home?”

”Hey,” Jungkook shot him a look. “Just because I’m close to you right here, right now, it doesn’t mean suddenly you can interrogate me like this... And no,” he sulked. “I don’t even know what is hyung up to at this moment... Sometimes I also think that you know him better than me.”

Taeyong scoffed getting such aloof respond from the younger. Even so he used to that kind of attitude of Jungkook, he felt the same nevertheless, since Taehyung had never asked both of them to meet him at the same and it seemed sort of urgent.

“He usually told you many stuff, huh?”

The younger questioned once more.

“Nope... Not this time,” Taeyong gestured. “Trust me, Jungkook-ah... I have no idea as well what is your brother planned for us this afternoon.”

Catching such rare sight of the confused other dawdled, Taeyong attempted to lessened the tense in between.

“As far as I know,” he resumed. “He always wanted the two of us to get along—“

“Yeah, right.”

The younger mocked the last sentence, although his snicker was somehow true to the words.

“Meet me at the school lobby right after classes,”

Jungkook said as he got up from the chair, Taeyong’s icy orbs motioned to follow his moves. While he did hear clearly— and slightly smiled— of what the younger used to refer him next.

“So, I’ll see you later, hyung…”

The ride with Jungkook— and Mr. Oh— felt the total opposite of what Taeyong normally experienced with his best friend. It was stiff and distracting, whereas normally was stress-free and calming. Again, it was actually Taehyung’s marvel to ease each and every one who has to be with him. Not to mention, Taeyong never had such good bonding with the younger as anyone would also know.

“Mr. Oh, where’s Taetae hyung told you to drive us?”

The old-man looked to the rearview mirror, responding to the question.

“To the house, sir...”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, glancing to Taeyong, shrugging at him on the side close to the other window.

It was the single conversation occurred on their way to the said place, as both Taeyong and Jungkook wondered on many odds in their drifting thoughts.

The two boys in the same art school uniform have arrived as later they perceived a young man and a girl sat on the same three-seaters in the sitting room ahead. It was Suzy and Seokjin, who were deep in their own tête-à-tête.

“Hey, oppa... Why did you insist to pick me up?” Suzy asked the older who was pocketing his iPhone to the denim shirt as fixing his glasses. “You knew that Jinri has moved in right next to my unit, huh?”

Seokjin chuckled, “How could you accuse my sincerity to that sort of thing?”

“Because you know I never mind to drive by myself, and... You should’ve been back and forth to my place and your house—“

“Point taken, Suzy-yah…”

He chuckled again as the younger female was playing with her hair and not so long, they grasped Taeyong and Jungkook’s presence by the doorstep.

“Jin hyung, why’re you home?”

Jungkook asked as plopping in between the two conversing persons, before he stared to Suzy on the other side.

“And you’re here, too?”

Suzy just nodded to Jungkook, while Seokjin directed Taeyong to take seat at the vacant spot and responding to the youngest’s query. Skipping the part of how tired he was, taking the first flight by the previous day as his brother requested to.

“Apparently, Taehyung needs to see us all, so...” he tapped Jungkook’s knees, signaling the four of them headed upstairs. “Shall we go and see him, now?”

Leaving Taeyong, Suzy and Jungkook appearing quite disheveled.

Taehyung had merely changing into his casual sweater and pants, saying that he had just gotten back from the hospital not so long before Seokjin had arriving with Suzy. He opted to take those people to the poolside dining area, necessitating a much more unconcerned atmosphere.

“Kookie, do you want the chef to cook us pizza or just dessert? Afternoon tea, anyone?”

Taehyung has appeared as his usual self, a bit far from the sickly figure everyone would have expected. He did have frequent time of being unhealthy— mostly for flu and some other minor stuff— and his appetite has never been normal like anyone else. But, it was Taehyung after all and everyone knows him pretty well.

“Hyung, what is it you want to tell us?”

Jungkook cut the pep talk and came straight to the point, which quite represented all and sundry.

“Jungkook,” Taehyung sighed as his shining brown eyes turned darker— no matter how much he tried not to— once he eyed the others started from Suzy, Seokjin and lastly, Taeyong, who kept being silent, yet he recognized the bestfriend demanded an explanation.

“Well... I actually have this one condition I need to talk to all of you—“

Taehyung flashed his upmost boxy smile seldomly, as he described the acute lymphoblastic leukemia— pretty much relating of how he has gotten skinnier each year and his craving seemed never had coming to the surface— he had it since he was about to have his tenth birthday.

The perplexed Suzy could get that Jungkook was quivering, as the younger sat next to her while the other two guys were happened to be across them. Taeyong, had always been his silent self as he was listening carefully to every word that flew out from Taehyung’s relaxed edge. Not signaling any of his fear, discussing about his own sickness. He probably waited for the right time to jump in and bombarded the best friend with many of his concerns.

Everyone, except Seokjin, could not hide their mixed feelings of receiving such bad— and brand new— information from someone they thought they had known very best. Said that the eldest in the room had identified about Taehyung’s condition many years ago, just the same as both their parents. Therefore, Seokjin had almost dropped his glasses whilst brushing his nose bridge, when later Taehyung commenced the topic about stopping the medication he has been taking for nearly a decade. And his jaw has practically dropped as Taehyung had casually saying,

“My doctor stated that I’ll survive without it maybe for a year, or so... I still have some time until next year with you guys...” Taehyung flashed his signature boxy grin as each person befell in the longstanding stillness.

He, himself, knew that he probably wouldn’t have to add anything else to make the situation had gotten worse, unless,

“Well, I’ll still get to spend one other Christmas and New Year, and my birthday within—“

Jungkook’s sudden move of dragging the armchair and had spontaneously made him off by standing, somewhat has turned everyone’s eyes at him, thus it was quite expected. Taehyung seemingly had this thing, which he could understand what the younger was saying only by the watches, except the tears pooled on the edge of it pretty much defined the disappointment he had for the beloved older brother. He stormed out, and Taehyung was sure that he was headed to the bedroom on the second floor, as he detained the urge to run after him as what he used to.

Staring to the other three pair of eyes, Taehyung intended to begin his laid-back session.

“I’m still the same person you guys known for all this time...”

Hence Taeyong could not keep his mouth shut at this while.

“Yeah, but we only get to have you around until the next year... And what?”

Never once Taehyung did get that kind of aloof watch from his bestest friend, who resumed.

“You expect that we should be acting normal for your decision? What do you think of getting to know that someone means so much in your life chose to end his...without fighting for the best and try to survive till the very end? And thanks for telling me this just now, by the way.”

Although he hesitated, he kept it in stable pace which made Taehyung felt even more guilty.

“But, I’m tired Taeyong-ah...”

The darkness in his used to be shone orbs henceforth caused Taeyong sensed his weak knees. He motioned so that the best friend would continue his justification.

“The pills are not even making me feel sick enough while taking it and now, I should go through much more extreme way such as chemo—“ he looked down before carrying on. “And they never guaranteed that I’ll be wholesome after that...  Not even fifty percent  chance I got even after all of it.”

Taeyong shifted his stare to Suzy who could not take away her eyes of the best friend. He knew, she must’ve been have many things to confer whilst holding back the tears, such as Seokjin in his own silence.

“If my life should be ended... I want to spend the rest of my time, living it normally in a good way, I know will be the best for me...” Taehyung glanced at him once more. “With all of you and without having to gone through such difficult phase while most likely just wasting it...”

He knew what was Taehyung talked by the time was true from his heart. Taeyong decided to approach the best friend, before was squeezing him and whispered.

“I’m sorry, Tae...”

Taehyung be discerned if he has been called with such name then Taeyong must be not mad at him anymore. He hugged him back as Taeyong pulled away in mere seconds.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school...”

Attempting to curve the edge of his cold lips, Taeyong did before taking his school bag and then leaving the Kim’s mansion.

Afterwards, Taehyung shifted his glance to other two persons that remained in the space along. It wasn’t he cared less for Seokjin, but Suzy was the only one who kept the tongue-tied through all of it and thinking about that quite making him feel bad.

“Hey...”

He wrapped her gentle fingers and could feel that she fidgeted. She barely was glimpsing at him, thus the remorse inside Taehyung’s chest became greater.

“I think... Jungkook needs to be with you right now,”

Suzy muttered, shortly as she pulled off her hand from his.

Taehyung pouted, “You sure?”

He was already in stance to rush by way of the second floor, to talk to the said person, and she just nodded. Trying to smile widely as she could, as Taehyung replied with the same thing— much more easily— in advance of he pecked her crown, afore dashing upstairs.

“You sure are a great liar...”

Seokjin mumbled, shoving his hand to the trousers and Suzy squinted at him. The waterworks held for long finally were pouring down through her cheeks. She wiped it away since she didn’t need anyone to see her being depressed, not even Seokjin who had known her pretty well.

“How could you expect me to be okay with that?” she responded him short.

Seokjin sighed whilst offering his handkerchief.

“Well then, let me take you back to your place...”

A/N: Taehyung, please don't go... T__T

HOPE YOU ENJOY!!! ^.^v