Strawberries and Cigarettes | TaeKook Fanfic

Chapter 1

"Remember when we first met? You said, 'light my cigarette' "

Jungook whispered into the phone, glued to his ear, as his slender fingers fiddled with the stray thread from his duvet. Reminiscing the memories of the time he spent with his love, Taehyung, before he left to Japan to expand his family business.
"Yes, I remember it like it was just yesterday. I miss you..." Taehyung responsed, his smile could be heard from his voice.

A happy sigh left Jungkook's lips as he closed his eyes, letting Taehyung's smooth, husky tone wash over him like an aged scotch over crystal clear ice cubes. He drifted off to sleep as the welcoming memory of their first meeting played in his mind like the movie he would never be sick of.

Jungkook was always the athletic type, with a knack for contact sports. Some even called him a prodigy. Because of his height, competitive attitude and his quick reflexes, it didn't take much time for Jungkook to outshine previous title holders of the point guard position in his high school basketball team. Always surrounded by a group of friends and never held back by supportive parents, Jungkook was every highschooler's envy. But no matter how bratty he'd be, no one could ever hold a grudge against him.

Taehyung was the ideal son and a corporate heir, complete with the ideology that money and power can solve all problems and that letting emotions come into the picture is only going to be one's downfall.  Known by family, employees and acquaintances to be a   heartless workaholic, Taehyung didn't really have anyone he could call his friend. Somehow, the only goal he had was to carry on his family's legacy of being the most powerful business tycoons the country has ever seen.

Life was pretty monotonous for Taehyung - the same meetings, expansion plans, contract signing and going back to an empty apartment, all day, everyday. Whenever he wanted to take a closer look at how 'commoners' live, he would drive down to the basketball court at the public highschool a few blocks away, to see the students chatting and playing, without a care for the world.

That Thursday evening was also just another ordinary day, or so Taehyung assumed. He was leaving on the driver's side of his newly purchased Ferrari, absentmindedly fiddling with a packet of Malboro  while judging the outcome of the basketball match in progress when some  cheeky teenager tried to score a basket, he very well knew wouldn't even graze the hoop and landed right on the side view mirror, leaving a nasty scuff.
"Ah! I knew it was a bad idea to get this thing to such a rogue neighborhood. This is going to suck out that boy's family's life savings!"

After a careful inspection of the damage, Taehyung looked up to see the court abandoned by all except one sweat-drenched boy jogging towards him, visibly contemplating the conversation they were about to have.

"Where's that Micheal Jordan wannabe?" Taehyung snorted. "Uh... I'm sorry for what he did, Mister. It was an accident." Jungkook muttered, his eyes darting between the ground and the ball in Taehyung's hands.
"Uh huh. Tell me about it. I knew nothing good could ever come out of me trying to push myself into a world, clearly not ready to embrace my elegance. Here" he pushed the  ball into Jungkook's abdomen. "You shouldn't be driving such an expensive car in a crowded neighborhood like this, anyway", Jungkook muttered, turning on his heels to make his way back to the turf.

Taehyung opened the packet and slipped a Malboro between his lips, noticing a lighter sticking out of the teenager's pocket. "Hey, you got a light, kid?" Jungkook turned to face him. "I might. And who're you calling a kid?"
"Hey, just be grateful I'm not suing your whole team's families for messing my new ride up. As compensation, just light the cigarette and I'll be on my way."

Jungkook took out the lighter and looked at Taehyung, "But, why do I have to light the cigarette for you?"
"You obviously didn't think I'd touch that sweaty lighter, did you?!"
"Ugh, such a snob!" Jungkook uttered under his breath as he hesitantly lit the cigarette and his gaze wandered, taking in the sharp features of the handsome face in front of him. He sure was good looking. Taehyung caught him admiring his face and as soon as their eyes locked, Jungkook's ears flushed red and he turned  away.

"Ah, I need to get back. You should've chosen a BMW for these roads, Mister. Bad luck" Jungkook announced and started stepping away.  "We'll see about that" Taehyung snickered, reading the name on the Jersey before getting into his car. "Jungkook, guess I'll see you around" he said to himself, before driving off, leaving Jungkook looking back at the rich snob who he was sure, couldn't be much older than himself.