Chapter Text
He wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his hands up and down his arms, trying to create as much heat from the movement as he could. It was a chilly night. The breeze was light but brought merciless cold drafts once in a while. And the ripped piece of cloth he called a shirt and the holed shorts were certainly not helping the situation. But the boy was used to it. When you lived on the streets and spent your hours scavenging, stealing and improvising in every way possible for survival, a little bit of cold doesn't really bother one.
He looked down at the ugly gash on his leg. The blood around on the wound was starting to clot and was moulding into a caked layer.
Stupid butcher.
His rather ambitious attempt to steal a piece of meat was met with an unfortunate slash on the leg with the fat butcher's knife.
You bloody thieving little brat!
How dare you even set your dirty hands on my fresh produce?!
The boy had escaped just in time but not before the big old grump had managed to get him at the last moment.
The pale boy scoffed as he ran his bony fingers through his dirty, matted hair. It didn't matter now. Nothing did. The boy with the blond hair was not there. The only person who meant anything to Taehyun. Choi Beomgyu. That was the blond boy's name. It was a pretty name. Taehyun remembers reading it on his uniform's lapel. He clearly remembers the first time they met. It was exactly two months ago.
~•✫f̲̅l̲̅a̲̅s̲̅h̲̅b̲̅a̲̅c̲̅k̲̅✫•~
Taehyun dragged himself along the quiet streets. Night had already fallen and he was exhausted and extremely hungry. For the first time he had not found even a single crumb to eat in two whole days. He had also gotten laid from the only job he had managed to get into. Not a lot of people were exactly willing to hire an underage boy. Much less a street rat like him. His knees were shaking, in danger of collapsing right on the spot. He managed to reach staircase near the city square. He laid on the steps and curled into a ball. He was shivering despite it being one of the relatively warm days of the year. His hair was matted with sweat and grime. His throat was burning and he could see flashes of white when he closed his eyes. It was worse than he had ever felt before.
"This is for the best." He thought to himself. "I'm finally on the last brink of my life. I'm dying, all alone."
"As expected." It felt bittersweet. Finally he could rid himself of this miserable life..
He shuddered and choked back sobs, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes expecting to never them again.
Perhaps it was imagination, but he swore he heard someone murmuring "it's fine, you'll be fine."
He felt something, no wait someone; the warmth of human touch on his cheek. But before he could take it in, it disappeared. Something soft and unbelievably comfortable was placed over his body. Never in his life had he ever felt so..peaceful.
He felt a sharp stabbing pain in his arm. His eyes shot open only to see a strange man in a white coat, with a clipboard in one hand and the other adjusting the knobs on a scary looking machine whose tubes connected to his wrist, pumping a clear liquid into his bloodstream. The man noticed Taehyun's wide eyes staring at him. "Good, you are awake." Taehyun ignored him and looked around the room. It was all white and had one tiny window. He had heard of this before, from the kids in the alley. He knew fighting wouldn't help because he had heard they had restrainers who were probably behind the door right now. So he went for the next best option.
"Please I'm not mad or under the influence of anything! Please don't put me in those electric shock chairs or drug me and throw me into prison. Please let me go. I promise I'm harmless." Taehyun begged, grasping the man's hands in his own bony ones.
The man stared at the boy in front of him with an expression of slight shock but recovered quickly. "Woah woah, where did you get that? Relax child, I'm just a normal doctor..nothing of that sort." The man chuckled. Taehyun glanced towards the bag full of the clear liquid. "Oh that's just glucose. It'll help make your recovery process faster. By the way, your friend told me you haven't been eating much. That's very dangerous for your health. Please promise me once you are discharged, you will eat more." The doctor continued with a serious expression on his face. Nothing had registered in Taehyun's mind except the word 'friend'. "My friend..?" He asked confused.
"Yes, would you like me to call him?"
"Yes." Taehyun said curious as to what exactly in the hell the doctor meant by 'his friend'. He had no friends. "Please." He added once he realised he must have sounded impolite when he said 'yes' so harshly. The doctor nodded and left the room.
He was starting to grow impatient and considered ripping out the needle from his hand to escape this trick that the supposed doctor might have played on him. But before he could even reach the bandages supporting the needle in his hand, the door burst open.
A tall boy with blond hair walked into the room and quickly came beside Taehyun's bed. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes wide and his voice sounding some what genuinely concerned. Taehyun nodded once. "Doc, can you please give us a minute?" He asked the doctor, who simply nodded and went out of the room. The blond turned his attention back to the frail boy in front of him. The boy was examining his body up and down, but not in a way that made Taehyun feel uncomfortable. "What's your name?" the boy asked. Taehyun stared at him.
Should he trust him..?
But then again what had he got to lose..
"Kang Taehyun."
The boy stared into Taehyun's eyes and Taehyun stared back. His eyes were pretty. They had a warm brownish hue. Then without a word the boy stepped forward and wrapped his hands around Taehyun. He froze. Nobody..nobody's had ever hugged him. Not even once. He had absolutely no memory of his parents and had grown up in the rough streets of the city. It was every man for himself.
Taehyun had no idea how to react so he just kept his hands to himself and let himself be hugged from this complete stranger who had he never met before in his entire seventeen years of life. The boy quickly left him and stood back awkwardly. That's when Taehyun noticed the lapel on his uniform.
It said 'Choi Beomgyu' in bold neat letters.
The next day he had gotten discharged and just like that he was alone on the streets once again. He felt better. That glucose liquid really had worked. But he was still hungry.
He considered stealing but wasn't very sure if he would be able escape judging by how much energy he had left. He simply wandered the whole day, steering clear of trouble for the first time and as the sun set, he went back to the same staircase as the night before. His temperature was still slightly high but it wasn't as bothering as yesterday. He laid down on the steps and stared at the sky, hoping to fall asleep as soon as possible when he heard feet shuffling and a crinkle of plastic wrapper. He shot up and looked around for signs of danger. He spotted a figure climbing up the stairs towards him. He stepped back involuntarily as the figure came close to him.
"Please don't be scared. It's just me."
Taehyun raised his eyebrow. What was the boy doing here? He remembered last night, he had simply told him to get rest and left. Today he was discharged from the hospital, without a word. The boy must have paid, he realised. Taehyun looked at the boy who was now offering him something that looked like food. He looked up at his face, making no effort to take the eatable. He didn't want to be indebted to some random stranger.
"Please take some. You look as if you haven't eaten a proper meal since ages." Taehyun simply ignored him and sat down on the steps. The boy sat down beside him. Why was this boy behind him? Didn't he have a life?
After a few minutes, it got unbearable for Taehyun. "Go away, kid." He growled hoping to scare the blond away.
"Not unless you eat some."
"The way I live my life is none of your business."
Silence.
"You're right, it's not. But I'm not going to watch you waste it."
"You don't even know me!" Taehyun shouted.
"Doesn't mean I can't get to."
"I don't want to get to know you."
"Fine. But please take this. I'll leave you in peace if you do."
Taehyun looked at him.
"You promise?"
I promise. I won't come in your way anymore."
"Fine."
Taehyun grabbed the packet from him. He looked at the boy.
"I thought you were leaving?"
"I spent my own money on that. I'm going to make sure you eat it at least."
Taehyun let out a frustrated sound.
He ripped open the packet and stuffed one of the bread slices in his mouth.
"Happy?"
"Very." The boy smiled and got up.
"Bye Kang Taehyun."
Taehyun didn't respond but felt bad once the boy was down the steps and called out "Thanks."
He finished the food and laid back down. The gnawing empty pit in his stomach had calmed down. He was grateful but confused. Why did blondie care so much? He was nothing. Merely a poor boy who lived on the streets. Perhaps he was doing this for some project or something. Taehyun rolled his eyes.
At least he would never see him again..and boy was he wrong.
The rest of the week, Taehyun would go to the steps at night and sleep over there. He found out he liked sleeping under the stars. And every single day he would find a similar packet on the steps. The first two days he refused to touch it but by the third day he found himself slowly opening the packaging and gingerly taking the food and eating it. Somehow he found himself feeling guilty. Guilty, that he had been so rude to the boy who was trying to help him. So he made a plan.
On the fourth day, he came early to catch the blond boy red handed. He hid behind the building with a clear view of the staircase. After just ten minutes of waiting, he saw him. The boy placed the familiar packet on the steps and sat down. He took off the huge bag from his shoulders and placed it beside him. He zipped the bag open and took out a brown guitar. He adjusted the strings and began to strum a few chords which soon turned into a beautiful melody.
Taehyun watched him from his hiding spot, mesmerised. He could have stayed there for an eternity, listening to the blond boy play his guitar with delicate fingers, without getting bored. Time flew by, and before he knew it, it as already dark. The boy on the steps got up and packed up his stuff. Then with one last disappointed look behind his shoulder, he left.
Taehyun cursed in his mind. He forgot to meet him. He would surely do it tomorrow.
Morning came and Taehyun was getting impatient as the day dragged for longer than necessary.
He ran to the steps and found the boy already sitting and doing some work. He ran up right next to him and plopped down next to him, breathing heavily. The boy stared at him in surprise. "Can I help you..?" he asked politely, but to Taehyun it sounded as if he were mocking him.
"Why..why are you helping me?!"
"Because I want to."
"But why?! I mean nothing to you!"
"So? Is it a crime to help a stranger?"
"I don't need your help."
"Well that sucks, 'cause I'm still going to!"
"What have I landed myself into.." Taehyun muttered.
Both the boys sat in silence for a while.
"What are you doing?"
"Math homework."
"Sad."
More silence.
"Do you go to school?" The boy asked.
"Nope. I taught myself how to read. Thats all I need."
"Cool."
Taehyun was glad he didn't comment further.
After sometime, the boy dumped his books in his bag and got up.
"Eat something and sleep well."
Taehyun nodded.
"Bye Kang Taehyun."
"Bye."
Somehow this became an everyday routine. The blond boy would come and do his work and talk about anything and everything while Taehyun kept him company, not talking much, aside from a few words of acknowledgement here and there. Though neither of them admitted it, they enjoyed their evenings in each other's presence.
One night though, the blond individual was suddenly interrupted by Taehyun.
"Do you play the guitar often?"
"Huh? Oh- uh no, I play it once in a while; whenever I feel like it."
"Oh."
"Wait- how do you know I play the guitar?"
"Oh-uh I.." Taehyun's face turned slightly pink in embarrassment.
"I heard you playing that day.."
"Oh."
"Do I play well?"
"Extremely well." Taehyun blurted out.
The boy in front of him grinned.
"Means a lot coming out of your mouth."
"Oh uh thanks..?"
He giggled. "Your welcome!"
Taehyun turned his head away, the tips of his ears red.
"Can you play it for me sometime?"
"Someday maybe.."
"Okay."
Taehyun didn't press further but he really wanted to hear the boy play his guitar again.
~•✫ e̲̅n̲̅d̲̅ o̲̅f̲̅ f̲̅l̲̅a̲̅s̲̅h̲̅b̲̅a̲̅c̲̅k̲̅ ✫•~
Again. This was the fourth day in a row, he hadn't come. Taehyun sat down on the steps.
Maybe Beomgyu was finally sick of him. It made sense. After all who would want to be friends with someone like him..
Involuntarily, tears started forming in his eyes. It was stupid to cry over some boy, but this boy wasn't just anybody. Taehyun knew he was overreacting, but he didn't care. Even a day without him, hit him hard. Sucking back the tears in, he got up and was about to leave when suddenly he heard someone yelling. He froze on spot.
"Taehyun! Kang Taehyun! Wait! Don't leave!"
He turned around slowly, his expression hardening by the second.
Beomgyu ran up to him, panting and gasping.
"What do you want." Taehyun snapped.
"What do you mean, what do I want? I come here everyday!"
"Right. Sorry, you should continue with your work. I have to go."
Taehyun started walking faster, to get away from there as soon as possible.
"Wait!" Beomgyu called out.
Taehyun ignored him.
Beomgyu ran and caught his wrist.
"Taehyun-ah, what happened?"
"Nothing."
"I know something happened. Tell me."
"I told you already, nothing ha-"
But Taehyun was cut off by Beomgyu who caught his other wrist and pulled Taehyun closer. Staring right into Taehyun's eyes, "You're a terrible liar."
Taehyun's pale face revealed an involuntary blush at the close proximity between the two.
"W-why didn't you come these past few days? Am I not your friend anymore?"
Beomgyu left his wrists.
"That's why you are angry?"
Taehyun didn't respond and looked away.
"I have a reason you know.."
"Don't you want to know?"
Silence.
"Suit yourself."
Beomgyu started to walk away.
"Wait!"
"Hm?"
"I'm willing to hear why you didn't come."
Beomgyu smiled and pulled Taehyun back to the steps. They both sat down as Beomgyu opened a case and took out his guitar.
Taehyun looked at him confused.
"You remember you asked me to play the guitar for you?"
"Yes..."
"Well, I was practicing until late everyday for this."
Beomgyu began strumming the cords and soon the whole square was filled with the melodious notes.
And very much like the first time, Taehyun was star struck. This time, not only by the music, but also the boy in front of him.
Plucking the last string, the music died down but the effect it had on its surroundings did not.
"Did you like it?" Beomgyu asked shyly, biting his lip.
"It's beautiful." Taehyun said, his gaze still fixed on the blond in front of him.
"Mhm, I'm glad."
Now Beomgyu's eyes were also focused onto his.
Then as if by some mysterious magnetic force, both of them started pulling in, eyes closed. The moment they connected, Taehyun was sure of one thing.
Choi Beomgyu was his first friend.
First comfort.
First person whom he cared for.
And he wanted the same boy to be his first everything.