¤ We Have It All
Pim Stones ↲

But haven't you heard
Hearts turn to dirt
Along with the rest of your body
It's all claimed by the earth

It will fade and it will wither
But gold, it will never
And hey, baby, don't you know
Diamonds are forever

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

A knock sounded at Taehyung's apartment door, disrupting his concentration. He set down his pencil with an aggravated sigh, leaving behind an incomplete sketch as he got up. He wasn't expecting anyone on this quiet Saturday evening, so he looked through the door's peephole. Once he saw who was on the other side, he debated pretending he wasn't home.

"I heard you come up to the door, Tae," a muffled voice declared through the wood. "Let me in."

He wasn't in the mood to host right now, but he opened the door anyway. He'd have to be stupid to turn down Min Yoongi.

"You're really going for that struggling artist vibe, aren't you?" His longtime friend asked as he eyed him up and down. "You even have dirt on your face."

Taehyung watched as the elder let himself into the apartment, wearing a tailored black suit. "It's not dirt, it's charcoal. And I was working until you rudely interupted me."

Yoongi went to the table, picking up the creamy white paper Taehyung had been drawing on. He hummed as he took in the image of a fruit bowl. "Your drawings of people are better."

"Gee, thanks," the younger said sarcastically, coming up behind him to study the drawing. It wasn't bad, but it lacked a certain passion. "I hate drawing still lifes. They're just so boring and . . ."

"Still?" Yoongi offered, setting down the paper.

"Yeah," Taehyung chuckled. He started to round up his supplies, needing to take a break from his class assignments. "What are you doing here?"

His friend gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right?"

The younger shook his head, unsure of what he was missing.

"Your parents' party is tonight."

Taehyung gave a half-smile. "Oh, that. Yeah, I'm not going."

Yoongi just rolled his eyes, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "Oh, yes you are going. Don't you realize I've been forced to summon you? If I show up to that party without you in tow, my balls are gonna get chopped off. And I'm rather attached to my balls, Taehyung."

"If we both skip, your balls will be saved. There, problem solved," Taehyung suggested, his smile widening. "Let's ditch the party and do something else instead."

But the elder didn't give in. "I don't get why you never want to go to these things. They're quite entertaining."

Yoongi didn't understand his loathing for his family, but Taehyung didn't blame his friend. He never shared what used to go on in the Kim household, not wanting to think of those moments anymore than he already did. It was all in the past, so why bring it up now?

It wasn't like he could go back in time and save himself.

"Go get ready, Tae," Yoongi ordered after a moment. His gaze was unrelenting as he stared the younger down. "I'll put your art away while you shower."

Taehyung opened his mouth to argue, but Yoongi just raised his eyebrows, daring him to make a rebuttal.

"Fine," he groaned in response, padding to his bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

He took an excessively long shower just to piss Yoongi off, letting the scalding water turn his skin red. Once he was effectively pruney and raw, he wrapped a towel over his lean waist and got out. The partly foggy mirror showed his reflection, and Taehyung peered back at it with a frown.

The curly hair on his head needed to be cut according to everyone around him, so he purposely kept it hanging in his eyes. When his peers questioned him on the messy locks, he argued the fringe shielded his view of the hardships in front of him. They retorted he had no hardships to speak of.

Little did they know.

He looked to his unclothed torso, the skin unmarked and void of definition. Quite the opposite of that model from his art class, but he didn't mind. Tentatively, he ran his hands over his reddened skin, inhaling sharply at the contact. He screwed his eyes shut, forcing his fingers to trace every inch of exposed skin.

Everywhere his hands touched caused his body to shiver and recoil.

"Tae, you done?" Yoongi knocked on the door.

Taehyung dropped his hands gratefully, his daily torture complete. He opened the bathroom door, the cooler air from outside rushing in and clearing his mind.

Yoongi held something in his grip. "Since when do you not finish portraits?"

Taehyung's eyes traveled to the canvas in the elder's hands, seeing his half completed sketch from the latest Illustration of the Human Form class. It pictured only part of that model's body, the lines jagged and unskilled. The only two things that had a great amount of detail were that tattooed arm and muscled torso.

"I just ran out of time," Taehyung responded quietly, pushing past Yoongi to get dressed. Upon entering his bedroom, he found his friend already picked him out an outfit.

Yoongi followed, eyes trained on the drawing. "Says the guy who drew an entire horse in like five minutes."

Taehyung got dressed while his friend was distracted, choosing not to respond. It wasn't like he had answers to his question anyway. He didn't know why he failed at drawing that guy when he was one of the most skilled artists in his program.

He assessed his appearance in the mirror, admiring the elegance of the grey suit. It was something he almost found foreign. While here at school, his usual uniform consisted of loose pants, loose shirts, and sandals. He preferred to be comfortable while working.

When his friend realized Taehyung wasn't going to elaborate on the picture, Yoongi tossed it on the bed. "Time to go. We're already late."

"Not late enough," Taehyung muttered under his breath.

Thirty minutes later and the two boys entered the Kim family estate, which was a beautiful house constructed for the sole purpose of entertaining. It was all cold marble and antique rugs, heavy curtains and sparkling chandeliers. To Taehyung, this ostentatious house never felt like a home.

"Taehyung!" His mother exclaimed the moment he stepped inside. "Go talk to the Min family about your drawing for the Prime Minister. I told them how well received the piece of art was and they're dying to hear all about it."

Taehyung exchanged a brief look with Yoongi. They were both used to this - the subtle competition between their families to see which son could be more successful.

He knew there was no getting out of this, so he nodded his head once. "Yes, Mother. But first, how have you been -?"

She had already walked away.

"Right," Taehyung said as he lost her in the crowd of her obnoxious and expensively dressed friends. "Nice to see you, too. I've been fine, thanks for asking."

Yoongi patted his shoulder in consolation. "Let's go get a drink and find Jin. He should be here by now."

Taehyung let himself be led through the swarm of people, smiling tightly when they all greeted him. He hated being here. Everyone was fake and manipulative, only acting nice to get what they wanted. But that was the world he grew up in, and by now, he was accustomed to the lies and schemes.

Glasses of champagne were handed to the two boys by a server, who was precariously balancing several other flutes on his small tray. Yoongi turned towards Taehyung and raised his drink.

"To getting through the night," the elder toasted with a wry smile.

Taehyung clinked his glass against his friend's and drank. One sip, two sips, three, four. He downed it all.

Yoongi followed the younger's actions. "So it's going to be that sort of night?"

"You have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," his friend answered as he grabbed two more drinks from a passing tray. He handed one to Taehyung. "Drink up."

Taehyung pressed his lips to the cool glass, prepared to consume the sweet liquid once more. Though he was stopped as a familiar grip landed on the back of his neck, squeezing hard in warning.

"Slow down in your indulgence, Taehyung. We both know you can't handle your alcohol."

Lowering the drink, Taehyung turned to face his father. "But you taught me indulgence is meant to be enjoyed. Isn't why we have all this shit in the first place? And why you have all those women -?"

"I'll watch after Taehyung, Mr. Kim," Yoongi spoke over him quickly. "I'll keep him in line."

Taehyung's father nodded sternly, distaste clear in his eyes. "Go find the Jung family, Taehyung. Tell them all about your scholastic performance this year and your placement in those advanced classes you take."

With that, the man stormed off and Taehyung turned away in disgust.

"It's nice to know they only want me here for bragging rights," he said to Yoongi. "What's wrong with our families?"

Yoongi finished his second drink swiftly. "If that isn't the question of the century. But let's not worry about them tonight. I want to have fun. And anyway, I just found Jin and Hoseok."

"Hoseok is here?" Taehyung asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"Of course. I invited him so he could piss off his parents."

The two headed over to their friends, Yoongi instantly pulling Jung Hoseok to his side. They shared a secret look, one only lovers could understand.

"It's about time you showed up," Kim Seokjin, better known as Jin, lectured Taehyung as Yoongi and Hoseok talked softly to each other. "I was getting bored babysitting Hoseok here."

The aforementioned boy looked up. "I never said you had to stay with me. I can fend for myself."

Jin grimmaced. "You think I'd leave you exposed to the wolves?"

"That's an oddly nice term for my parents," Hoseok responded sarcastically, his arm resting around Yoongi's waist.

Taehyung chuckled, scanning the room for the Jung family. In his opinion, the Jungs were far worse than his own parents. Hoseok was arranged to marry the daughter of a business partner in the hopes of creating a massive corporation. When news of Hoseok's relationship with Yoongi spread, the deal fell through and the Jung family was left furious. They cut off their son and forced him out.

"How's the tutoring been going, Hoseok?" Taehyung questioned, realizing he hadn't caught up with the elder in a while. He hadn't really talked to any of his friends in a while.

Hoseok's eyes lit up. "I love it. The families have been really kind and some of my students even want to learn how to dance. I think it's my calling."

"You don't have to work, you know," Yoongi told his boyfriend. "I'll support you."

Hoseok patted his cheek but shook his head. "It's about time I stand on my own two feet. Besides, you're letting me live with you for free."

Taehyung admired Hoseok for his response to everything he'd been through. Instead of complaining, the elder worked to prove to his family that he could be successful without them.

It was what Taehyung longed to do as well.

The four boys broke away from the crowd, finding a private space to hide from the expectations and judgements of their families. When they were together, the pressures of their world didn't feel so heavy. They could talk without the risk of being criticized. They could pretend for a moment their worlds were simpler, their lives less tied to money and prestige.

But they'd never truly get away from it. They could only hope they didn't one day end up like their parents.

A few drinks later, Taehyung left his friends in search of some quiet. He didn't really drink, and although he hated to admit his father was right, he had a hard time handling his alcohol. But before he could find a place to sober up, a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a secluded corner.

His father.

"Hello, sir," Taehyung drawled, his wrist throbbing from the tight grip.

A harsh and unforgiving slap landed across Taehyung's cheek.

"That was for your comments before," his father sneered. "Don't be an ungrateful leech. You have everything you could ever ask for, so show some respect, son."

The older man walked away, leaving Taehyung with a hand clutched over his burning skin. He smiled sardonically to himself.

Oh, yes. He had it all.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

First off, I think We Have It All by the Pim Stones has been my one of my favorite songs for like 3 years haha.

But more importantly, thanks everyone for your support on this new story! Always means the world to me.

Love you all, my valentines ❤