Second Thoughts

Loved Again

Taehyung walked out of the mansion. The bright endless sunlight mocked his feelings of anger and helplessness. He couldn't deal with any of it at the moment. How his father assumed the worst of him at all times didn't surprise him, but it did hurt him. And Taehyung hated to feel hurt. Maybe this was karma's way of getting back at him for being a bad person in high school.

He looked around at the big entrance gardens and dialled Jungkook's phone, hoping the other would pick up his call. It was Monday after all, and Jungkook had to work at the country club. 

The phone rang a few times. But just when Taehyung was about to lose all hope, someone answered.

"Taehyung!" Jungkook said cheerfully. His airy voice felt like a hug. "How's everything?"

"Are you free to talk right now?" Taehyung ran his free hand through some loose strands of hair. There was no mistake in the obvious relief he felt. Just thinking of Jungkook's cheerful eyes made his day a little better.

"You caught me at a good time. I just finished cleaning the golf carts... You'd be surprised how dirty these are. Why do rich teenagers think these are motorbikes?"

Taehyung chuckled, thinking about how he and Jimin used to race on those golf carts through the fields while their parents and business partners played golf. They even learned to drift in the mud, pretending they were part of the Fast and Furious team.

"When you're bored any vehicle becomes a motorbike."

"Not wrong..." There was a moment of expectant silence. "So, why are you calling?"

"I..." Taehyung looked around, walking towards the big metal fence at the end of the driveway. 

A part of him wanted to tell Jungkook about everything: His father, Seokjin getting kicked out, becoming the new CEO, his feelings of internal conflict, the anxiety that came with being in his old house... everything that made his heart feel heavy. But instead, he sighed. Ranting about his problems would only be selfish. Poor little rich boy

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet and grab a coffee, maybe watch a movie or just hang out?"

"Are you asking me out on a 3rd date?" Taehyung could almost hear the smirk behind Jungkook's voice.

"Is it too soon?"

Jungkook's giggle could be heard through the phone. "Not at all. Your place or mine?"

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Jungkook walked into the large apartment. It had to be at least twice as big as his studio. It was decorated in black and white, with a few plants here and there to give it colour. Working for rich people also came with expensive gifts, so Jungkook knew what expensive looked like. Over the top, eye-catching, shiny, bold, and sometimes even loud. But Taehyung's apartment had that quiet luxury visible only to the trained eye. Jungkook didn't want to miss a single detail, making his wide-eyed wonder obvious.

He gestured at the soft black couch, looking particularly impressed with the Sesame Street x Kaws collab plushies. Those were collector stuffies... but he only knew that because he liked Kaws. Of course, he didn't like him enough to spend $100 on one. 

Taehyung plopped himself on the couch. "Do you want to sit down or are you just going to stare?"

The raven shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He took a seat beside Taehyung. "You surely have a nice place! I'm almost ashamed of making you sleep over in my shabby apartment."

"Oh, don't say that!" Taehyung gave the younger a playful push. "Your apartment is cozy, I loved it AND that sleepover was the best thing that has happened to me in... forever."