Hope ~ Taekook

A very short chapter in which everything appears to go right for five minutes

09:16. 

Tae was standing in front of a faded green wooden door with his finger just centimeters away from the doorbell. He was shaking so hard he feared he would miss it. He couldn't mess this up, this was his last chance to find a proper home for now since all other places were either too expensive, too far away from the shop, or they found someone more suitable. He took a last big breath and pressed the bell.

Nothing.

Tae pressed again.

Nothing.

Wrong address? The little note Jimin wrote him yesterday was in his pocket, his fist closed around it tightly. As Taehyung pulled his hand out the knuckles where white. No, the address was right. Did they leave early for work? Was it all a joke? He should have known better than to trust Jimin. This was always a problem he had, trusting and forgiving too easy.

He waited a few more seconds before giving up but before he could turn around, the door behind him opened.

"You must be Taehyung?"

He nodded. The boy standing in front of him wasn't Jimin. He had maroon hair and looked at him with almond shaped eyes. He had some faint sleeping marks on his face, Tae figured he must have woken him up.

"And you must be Jungkook?"

"Oh look, you have heard about me already. I hope only good things." He smirked.

"Nothing at all actually. Besides your name of course."

"Oh, a shame. But come on in anyways." Jungkook said, gesturing to follow him inside the house.

They didn't come far before Jimin hurried down the stairs to welcome their visitor.

"You made it!" In contrary to Junkook he managed to smile, however it did seem a little faded compared to yesterdays.

Jungkook had disappeared without Tae noticing, so Jimin started the house tour with just the two of them. Taehyung had been impressed before even taking his first step into the house because he had imagined a flat or an apartment, but this was almost a mansion according to his standards. At first, he thought this must have been the wrong address. No, he rather hoped this was the wrong address because he would never be able afford the rent for a place like this. The furniture seemed expensive and the walls were plastered with paintings and all sorts of other art.

The two boys filed down the hall, through the living room in the direction of the backyard. The screen door was unlocked, and they stepped out into the sun. It was already too warm and bright at that time of the day so they decided to head back inside.

"Your room will face that same direction, so you get the first sun in the morning. Sorry man." Jimin laughed and before Tae could even start the argument that this was probably not going to happen, he grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him through the door and up the stairs where all their bedrooms were located. One room for Jimin, one for Jungkook and in between the two, the room for him. It was the smallest but still bigger than anything he had ever lived in before and far more inviting than the storage room in the back of his shop.

Tae felt an unusual twist in his stomach looking at the bed that could have been his, the dresser that could have been his and these roommates that could have been his. Couldn't he stay? Even if it was just for a little bit? It was an impossible thought, but he just couldn't get it out of his mind while Jimin was blabbering about some irrelevant stuff concerning the wood the floor was made from and the dresser.

Through the window, Tae could see the backyard and the trees surrounding it. Slowly, he turned around avoiding the other boy's gaze.

"You know, it is an amazing house, I love the room and I would gladly, gladly live with you, but I have to be honest... I don't think I can afford paying the rent for a place like this." Tae said quietly.

"What do you mean rent?" He heard someone say from the other side of the room. It was Jungkook "Did Jimin tell you that you would have to pay rent?"

Jimin had an equally confused look on his face as Tae: "What... what do you mean?"

Tae didn't understand the look on his face. It was a serious expression but there was a strain around his eyes which made it seem like this was not all of it: "You don't have to pay rent. I've already paid off the house off, even before Jimin moved here."

"But why...?"

"Just forget about it Taehyung. If you decide to live with us, you won't have to pay rent. Jimin just wanted to test your personality or something like that, am I right?" Jungkook shot the other boy a meaningful glance and he nodded.

"Exactly."

"Okay good. Now that we have that out of the way get out of my house and pack your stuff before your shop opens. You don't want us waiting since we have dinner at seven thirty tonight. We will pick up you and all your stuff half an hour before."

Tae just stared at him in silence. This was too good to be true.

"But what abou-"

"Oh, and don't forget this!" Jungkook threw something at him and surprisingly Tae caught it. It was a key with a small key chain on it. A soft flower made from fabric. Tae lifted his hand to look at it and noticed the hardware logo engraved in it meaning it was a copy. To what, Taehyung didn't know but it only took him a moment to figure it out. He saw Jungkook using it to unlock the door when he first arrived and then took it off the ring before he left him and Jimin. Now he was giving it to Tae.

"Let's go. What are you waiting for?" Jungkook said and went around Tae over to his room.

Tae left as fast as he could but only made it as far as the main street. As soon as he got out of sight of the house, his legs locked, and he grabbed desperately at a lamppost. It only took him a moment to gather himself and get his breathing back to normal but he should have taken his medicine this morning, he thought. He shoved himself away from the post and was running before he reached the crosswalk.

What if he could stay? What if this would change the hopeless future he has been seeing for himself for years? Tae was smart enough to not believe something like this but the thoughts haunted him every step on his way until he reached the store.