Where love and stars collide

under the moon

(A/N: for this story to make sense, you should read the first book as this is the sequel. "Handsome || Vhope")

The moon that so often calmed him down, felt so unfamiliar to him. Tonight, it felt as though the moon had warped and become something uncanny, something he couldn't trust, something he couldn't find peace when looking at. Lately, this had happened more often than not, and he didn't understand why he could no longer find solace in it. Of course, his life had been very intense lately. Just recently he found out something that shocked him a little bit.

A heavy sigh left his lips and he closed his eyes, taking in the soft pitter-patter of the rain. It was starting to get cold. The hairs on his body rose up as the shivers went down his spine. Once his eyes were open, he wrapped his arms around himself before taking one last look at the moon that he once loved.

"Taehyung? You've been out there a while now. Maybe it's time to come inside and take a shower?" Hoseok peeked out of the balcony door, worried about his boyfriend. Lately, Taehyung hadn't felt so great. It all seemed to start when Hoseok admitted that his first love was Jin.

"If something you once loved became unfamiliar to you, no longer made you feel the same way, what would you do?" Taehyung got up from the chair and headed inside, shivering at the sudden change in temperature.

"I have been there before, you know? Where you are right now. I once loved someone who suddenly changed right before my eyes. He used to treat me with respect, but one day, that respect was gone." Hoseok wanted to fix the mistake he made, but he didn't know how.

"Sweetie, you need to shush. You haven't even made an effort to go look for Jin, the guy who was supposedly your first love. Please just... Please just don't talk for a while. I'm heading out, but I will be back." His voice didn't sound like it used to. It was more dead than usual, colder even.

"If you find him... Tell him I'm sorry? Tell him that I'm sorry for never telling him, tell him I'm sorry for dropping such a bomb on him, tell him that I'm sorry for all the times I made him worry about me..." His voice trembled as he spoke. It trembled with sadness and guilt, the guilt of knowing he had hurt so many of the people he cared about by keeping secrets. The sadness of knowing he could never fix everything completely.

"If I find him, I'll tell him..." Stopping just as he reached the door, he looked back at Hoseok who was clearly upset. "However, I really think you should be the one to tell him all of this. We're adults, Hobi. We need to act like adults and face the consequences of our actions." And with that, Taehyung left to go look for his friend.

In a different part of the apartment complex, on a balcony not unlike the one Taehyung sat on, Jin was sitting by himself, looking up at the moon with a head full of thoughts. It all made sense now, but why? Why would Hoseok continue to self-destruct in this way? Why did he get so weird when he found out that he was Hoseok's first love?

"Hoseok, you fool... You fool..." Pitter-patter. The rain was still falling, but it seemed to get heavier. Drip-drop. It was now starting to resemble a shower. The moon faded more and more as the rain set in, now drenching Jin. "Ah, rain... How fitting. Is this a cruel joke from the universe? Is all of this some sort of twisted joke? I should really get inside, but the rain feels so nice... The soft breeze from the night wind, the soothing drops from the cold rain. How calming it feels." He closed his eyes, sighing as he enjoyed the tranquil feeling of the rain.

"Jin-hyung? Where are you?" Jin was brought back to reality when Namjoon called out for him.

"I'm over here, Joon-ah. I'm sorry. We've had some long days lately and I'm... Exhausted, drained... Finished... You get what I mean?" He took a sharp breath, tearing his eyes away from the moon and gluing them onto Namjoon instead.

"Are you talking about the comeback now or something completely different?" Namjoon sat down next to the other male, looking out over the mist-covered city. He could spot a few people running around to seek shelter from the rain. Many of them stopping under small roofs to call for cabs.

"Something completely different. Touring is a good distraction, and ARMY always makes me feel better." Jin managed to tear his glance away from Namjoon, now just taking in the beauty of the view in front of him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's so weird. I've known him for ages! Or, at least I thought I did... What would you do if someone you've known for a long time suddenly walked up to you and admitted that you were their first love?"

Namjoon thought for a bit. It made him wonder what he would have done in a situation like that. He liked to think he would have been flattered, but deep down he knew it would have been awkward. "Anyone in particular?"

Jin stood up, stretching his arms before he yawned. "Hoseok said some stuff without knowing I was in the room. It... Well, it made me question a couple of things, you see. He told Taehyung that I was his first love and I don't know how to feel about it. I don't even know how to act right now, Namjoon. On one hand, he's my best friend, but on the other hand, that confession kind of changes things, don't you think?"

Just as Namjoon was about to reply, Taehyung knocked on the door before he opened it. They knew each other's door codes. "Jin-hyung, are you here?"

"He's here, Tae!" Namjoon smiled soflty, patting Jin on the back. "It seems like you two should talk. I'll go to Hoseok. See you later."

"See you." Jin watched Namjoon leave and greeted Taehyung. "It's been a weird couple of days, hasn't it?"

Taehyung sat down on one of the chairs on the balcony, staying silent while he tried to figure out what to say. "Yeah, it really has been... How are you holding up? Personally, I don't even understand why I reacted the way I did. It was long ago, but I still felt betrayed. I know that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but... That's just how I felt."

"Back then, back when Hobi was in that awful relationship, I just wanted to help him, I needed to help him. He needed me. I never thought that would lead to me being his first proper love... I mean, I can't say that it was entirely unexpected. Even back then, he treated me differently than the others..." Jin's head was filled with questions he needed answers for, but he wasn't ready to face Hoseok just yet.