EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY๏ฝVHOPE
REQUESTED BY: Cherry_Mocha (wattpad)
WARNING; angst !! soulmate au ! high school student! taehyung !! college student! hoseok !!
it is said that the age you shall die and leave with your last breath is revealed on your very own wrist on your eighteenth birthday. most people live up to the expected years; somewhere around their mid or late nineties, some even luckier to live a century. but others, not so lucky, have less than a decade, even a year if you count the rare ones. you start truly living once you grow up to whom you'd love to be, trying your best to squeeze every single thing on your bucket list, even though you know it'll never happen because your life now is shorten and everything is being rushed all at once and your time is twice as precious.
taehyung, if he were being honest, wasn't really oh-so excited for his upcoming birthday. he didn't want to know exactly what age he was bound to die, thinking about it just made him anxious ever since his older sister got hers. having only five years left for her. from there, taehyung knew he needed to start living his life at its best, knowing his genetics. but most importantly, he knew his grandmother, the only family he had left, would be devastated, already losing a daughter and now bound to lose a second grandchild. not only that, but, what hurt him most was the high possibility and leaving behind the love of his life.
at the moment, the honey-blonde senior was waiting for the clock to land and ring at two-ten; his index finger tapping ever so impatiently on his wooden school desk. class as usual was slow and the professor's lecture dragged and dragged, taehyung's ears muffling all of it from lack of attention. his uniform itched, his own fault for not wearing an undershirt this morning, scratching the one spot roughly and most likely making a small rash. he'd have to remember to get some cream for it later.
looking outside the wide, glass window on his left, taehyung starts daydreaming again, only this time he places his chin on the palm of his right hand as it rests on his desk.
the familiar squeaky voice makes taehyung turn his head with a raised brow and blank expression. now getting his attention, the boy calling him walks towards him as he struggles with his backpack and two three-inch workbooks, his uniform slightly wrinkled somehow. once he was walking at the same pace and side-by-side with the taller boy he starts chatting with him, still struggling.
"i told you to stop calling me that," taehyung sternly says. the boy next to him laughs it off as they turn left and into the next hallway.
"sorry, i forget," he looks up at his senior innocently. "force of habit," he continues, "plus, it feels wrong.." taehyung knew that it was very formal and common to address your upperclassmen but he hated it; it was just too much for him. so every time the junior, that was his friendโ for some reasonโ, called him 'hyung' all it did was make him cringe.
the two boys after walking a bit reach taehyung's destination, his locker. as he turned the lock for his combination, the younger kept talking, his chattiness just consisting of upcoming events and daily routine. the raven watching taehyung putting his textbooks away and grabbing his backpack, placing other books inside for his assignments later. his big, doe eyes full of admiration towards the obvious tired older.
"so are you excited for your birthday tomorrow?"
taehyung winces at the question as soon as they came out of the younger's small lips, dropping a small notebook on accident. picking it up on impact, the younger skims his reaction and auden shakiness. seeing this, he apologizes as he realizes the situation. it was fine though, it wasn't his fault. the older never told him how he felt or his worries, so his apologies were just being wasted.
"look, kook," he stammers, "i have to go, see you tomorrow, 'kay?" zipping the two folds of his bag, he excuses himself, speed walking away and out the double doors at the end of the hall. the faint goodbye from the younger fading away.
the walk home was quiet. his head empty. his grandmother wasn't home when he got there, a note telling her whereabouts. his shoes loudly bang going up the stairs of the two-story home, taking them off and carelessly shoving them in his closet next to his bedroom door. his room was surprisingly warmโeven though it was below twenty outsideโand he immediately removes his uniform, slipping on his regular sleepwear. plopping on his queen-sized bed face-up, the covers ocean blue with white frames as it's pattern, he lets out the deep sigh he had been concealing all day as he stares at the white ceiling above him.
before he could actually start daydreaming again or fall asleep, his text ringtone goes off. rolling over his body slumps, realizing his cellphone was still in his backpack. he groans and curses at himself for forgetting to grab it as usual. lifting himself up, his feet drag to the thrown bag on the carpeted floor, opening a pocket to retrieve the device. it lights up showing the lockscreen of a selfie of his boyfriend and him together, smiling. but it also previewed a text.
how is my peach doing๐
there's nothing sleep can't fix right ?
i just woke up from a napใ
.. ใ
did you go to the interview earlier today??
it went really well !! eeeek !!
i need to tell you everything
but pick up this time>:((
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐:
[ accept ] ย ย ย ย ย ย [ decline ]
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐:
[ accept ] ย ย ย ย ย ย [ decline ]
"hi," the said male chuckles at his boyfriend's enthusiasm and bright, positive vibe.
"okayyyy so where do i even start," the boy on the other line hums before talking again, "oh yeah! right okay so i woke up this morning really lateโi'msorrypleasedon'tyellatmeโbut! i wasn't late to the interview so that's good," taehyung shakes his head, "so when i got to the place, i asked the lady at the front for the manager, and which by the way, she was so nice! she complimented my outfit like!! yes i know i snapped today huh? hehe~ anyways! right..so she got the manager for me and from there we went to like an office or something and we did my interview there and he said he'll definitely hire me!!"
"really?" taehyung asks surprised, his boyfriend confirming what he just said. "i'm so proud of you! i owe you a hug and lots of kisses for sure," he sighs happily as he hears the boy squealing on the other end with him, "now all you have to do it training and after that you'll have the job."
"yes! tae you don't know just how excited i am," the younger could tell he was pouting, "like my heart is beating out of my chest right now and i'm about to cryyyyy!" he whines. "but for now, tell me about your day peach!"
"oh ah, well y'know, my day was boring, like always," he scratches the back of his head, trying his best not to sound troublesome, "...just school things ha."
"even through the phone i can tell that you're lying to me."
taehyung sighs, his free hand rubbing his face, "yeah i know. i'm sorry, i suck at lying."
"do you wanna talk about it? you know i'm always here for you."
"yeah i know," he always knew. but the real question was; was taehyung always going to be there for him?
"happy birthday hyungโi mean taehyung!"
the raven haired boy holds up a small, wrapped box in his hands towards taehyung. the older receives it and thanks him, opening it in front of him.
"ohhh..kook you really didn't have toโ"
"i wanted to, so please accept it!" taehyung frowns and watches the younger beg for him to keep the expensive, valuable gift and leaves him behind to go home for the weekend. there was nothing he could do about it now but just place it carefully in his own backpack, zipping it up and walking out the same double doors. he felt so bad, he never wanted a friendโnonethelessโanyone in general to spend their money on expensive things for him.
spotting his boyfriend's silver car, he paces for it as he tries to actually enjoy the day his lover planned for him, knowing he always hated the thought of his eighteenths, not really knowing why he did. but it was a day he was going to make special just for his taehyungie, and nothing was going to ruin it.
taehyung, opening the right shoulder of the vehicle, hops in and greets the freshly showered and groomed boy. his warm hand holds onto his cold one, their eyes meeting and then his lips to his also warm cheek.
"so, where are we going?" taehyung. finally asks. the older jumping up from remembrance, almost pushing the gas pedal, and exclaims.
"iโm not gonna spoil it but you'll see, it's gonna be super fun!" he gives him a reassuring smile, taehyung trusting him as they drive off.
"are we there yet? we've been driving for half an hour already.."
"we're almost there, you just have to be patient puppy~" taehyung blushes at the sudden nickname, liking it too much. he much of a patient person, he could tolerate certain times but going almost an hour was his peak and he just couldn't wait any longer. not even five minutes passed again when taehyung whiningly asks, "are we there yet?" all his boyfriend could do was laugh at his own impatient one, something he loved about his character.
he pulls up to a flat, plain that was separated fairly from the two-sided road, the sound of gravel crushing against the rubber of the tires vibrates the car. putting the car in park, his boyfriend takes out the key from its place and opens his side door as he slides out quickly. taehyung, confused a bit, hesitates to open his own door until he hears the trunk close shut, seeing the older male carry out a basket and walking towards the right side of his car.
when taehyung pulls on the handle, he feels a burning itch on his left wrist. as he's flipping it over to see he spots a faded two-digit number slowly arising. but before he could clearly see anything, his boyfriend taps on the window and open the door for him. "were you waiting for me to be a gentleman," he asks mockingly. the younger, before processing anything, looks at him with anxious eyes before dropping a fake smile and played along. he gets out of the silver car, quickly offering to help carry some of the stuff the older was holding but was politely rejected.
"so," he starts, "what's with all the stuff?" pointing at the junk in his boyfriends arms, he asks curiously. the other boy just held his hand, dragging him towards a free, green and grassy spot. he lets go of his hand to unfold and place a large, wide square-patterned blanket on the ground as well as the rest of the stuff. once done, he wipes the sweat off his forehead and childishly huffs out.
'how cute', the younger thought. it was really just one of those nice days and now that the sun was soon to set, it started to feel more enjoyable and lovely. the older really was trying his best to make him feel special and it showed.
"do you like it?" his boyfriend asks a bit panicky, hoping he did, "or is it too cheesy?? i can fix it, i mean we can go do something else orโ"
taehyung pats him in comfort, "i love it." he smiles gently as he lays his head on the older's shoulder.
"mine said i have until i'm ninety-six, so basically i'll have a full life," hoseok exclaims when taehyung asks about his age expectancy, not really having an interest in it based on his expression and tone. well, the younger was happy at least knowing his hoseok was going to live long. in the same sense, his wrist itched again only this time the numbers appeared darker and vividly. not wanting to catch hoseok's attention to it, he pulls his sleeve down more and avoids using that arm for the rest of the day.
it really pained him to hide anything from him, especially something as important as this. but, it would be less hurtful to say goodbye, that's why...it was better this way. it was better for them both to not acknowledge it. and if he ever asks, he would just have to lie.
their hands hold onto each other as they watch the sunset disappear slowly by the minute, all the snacks and food hoseok made and packed, gone. letting out a deep sigh and closing his eyes, taehyung turns over to the boy on his left. "hoseok," before he could tell him anything, their eyes lock, the number on his wrist aching, not only on his skin but his heart as taehyung holds back his words, replacing it with a genuine, "i love you." a tear rolling down his cheek as their foreheads meet.
happy late birthday btw !!
i owe you your present when i see you
taehyung chuckles at his friend, "he's always so serious," he mumbles to himself before taking a sip of his dark coffee, that was sitting on the counter, out of the red mug when the small pounce in his head hits again. his face scrunches in pain, hand pressing on the spot.
hoseok's concerned voice echoes the kitchen. "yeah..just," he rubs his temple, "my head's been hurting all morning.."
"probably because you drink too much coffee," hoseok jokes, taking a sip of his own mug. taehyung glares at him before walking out to the living room. and it wasn't long until he was watching the news, later skimming through channels. hoseok takes the empty space next to him on the couch, wrapping an arm around him once he settled on a show. something about cuddling always made them feel happy, even though the younger's head was pounding.
they had been living together for three years, taehyung moving in after graduation. their new home felt cozy and just right, a quiet, nice neighborhood with a lot of green surrounding them. the younger hated leaving his grandmother behind, he loved her dearly, but she had told him that it was time he start his life and that she'd be fine, being the strong, independent woman she was. and so, he listened.
seeing his mug almost empty, taehyung gets up, the older's arm slipping off his shoulder, and heads to the kitchen again. his hand grips on the coffee pot's black handle, the glass hitting the clay mug as it pours hot coffee slowly. but he shakes, his head pounding slightly harder this time. still grabbing ahold of the pot, he winces at the sensation, his face scrunched and he groans. once he feels it go away, he proceeds to pour the rest of his coffee, taking the mug in his hands as he heads for the living room to join hoseok.
before he could fully turn around, though, another pounce strikes him, only this time more painful that it makes the mug slip out of his hands and drops his body to the ground, his unsupported weight causing a loud thud when it comes in contact with the wooden floor. he could hear a low voice calling out to him, a pair of hands wrapping around him. but, somehow, the rhythm of his breathing or heart beating weren't there. he couldn't sense or hear them anymore. and all of the pain he was once feeling, was gone.
everything was gone, including him.
