Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Taehyung! Jimin! Over here!"

"Don't worry, I can see everything," Taehyung said, craning his neck to take a sweep of the bar to find their friend, Hoseok, waving at them from across the room. Jimin punched his arm.

"Asshole, you're taking a shot for every short joke you make tonight."

Taehyung laughed and looped his arm through Jimin's. "Guess I should get started then."

It was a bit of a squeeze to maneuver through the crowd, plus the dim lighting didn't help. At least twice he just barely kept from bumping into someone's drink. Finally, they made it out of the main crowd, but it left Taehyung covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Hyung!" Jimin said, scuttling forward to pull Hoseok into a big, warm hug. "Are you getting cold feet yet?"

"Yet?" Hoseok said, laughing. "What do you take me for?"

"Well, considering the lengths Jungkook had to go to just to get you to realize he liked you as more than a friend," Jimin said, raising his eyebrows at the end instead of finishing the sentence.

Hoseok rolled his eyes. "How long are you going to hold that against me?"

"He kissed you on the lips and you thought it was just an intimate but platonic greeting!" Jimin said.

"People do that all the time." Hoseok batted the air when Jimin and Taehyung stared incredulously at him. "Anyway, we've already made so many non-refundable deposits, so there's no backing out from anyone now."

"Where is your fiance anyway?" Taehyung said. While Hoseok was talking, he had looked to see who was all there, but couldn't find Jungkook. He only spotted Namjoon at the next table talking animatedly about something while pointing at his beer and Seokjin looking more and more like a Stepford wife with how homicidal his smile was getting as he listened to a middle-aged woman wearing an early 2000s powder blue tracksuit talk at him.

"Jungkook went to the bathroom with Yoongi, they should be back any second." Hoseok looked around, then flagged down a server. "What are you two drinking? It's half off for another hour."

"Taehyung's definitely doing shots."

"Wait, hold on, Yoongi-hyung is here?" Taehyung said, eyes wide. "Since when?"

"Since last night," Hoseok said, looking at Taehyung oddly before sharing a look with Jimin that Taehyung couldn't decipher. "Don't you pay attention to the group chat?"

"Yeah, but, there's always hundreds of messages. I can't read all of them."

The server reached their table and Jimin ordered for both of them. "He's Hobi-hyung's best man and Jungkook worships the ground he walks on. The wedding's next week, of course he'd be back by now."

Right, that made sense. It was weird to hear his name when it wasn't just in passing. A quick update on whatever Yoongi was doing overseas since at most he would send through brief texts, offering the bare minimum just to show he was still alive. He must have stayed in contact with Hoseok separately though if they were still close enough that Hoseok picked him over Namjoon to be his best man.

Taehyung laughed a little. "He was so scrawny before he moved, even when I was in middle school. And super lame. I bet I tower over him now."

"I didn't know you thought that about him." Hoseok tilted his head and pursed his lips. "I don't know if I'd still call him scrawny, I mean he's—"

"Shots!" Jimin yelled, raising his arms when he saw their server return with a tray of drinks. Half of it was filled with shot glasses. "Taehyung, let's fucking go." He handed Taehyung one of the glasses, and the bartender did not skimp on quantity, and took another for himself.

Taehyung hated the taste of alcohol, which meant the only way for him to stop hating it and only despise it was to get drunk as fast as possible so that taste was no longer an issue. He clinked his glass with Jimin's and knocked it back after only minor hesitation. He squeezed his eyes shut as he swallowed and stuck out his tongue after, gagging.

"Another!" Jimin said, handing Taehyung a second glass, plus giving one to Hoseok as well. Hoseok was only marginally better than Taehyung at drinking, but no one could say no to Jimin. "To Hoseok-hyung! The first of us to get hitched and it's to the baby!"

"Please don't word it like that," Hoseok said, but Jimin ignored him and was already tilting his head back like a pro. Hoseok and Taehyung were not as smooth as Jimin, but managed. At least Taehyung could feel the alcohol already working, his ears and face growing warm.

"Oh, there they are," Hoseok said, also looking fairly pink. He was smiling now though and had his arms outstretched for Jungkook to scurry up and fit inside them.

But that was not what Taehyung was paying attention to. No, what Taehyung had his eyes on — couldn't stop looking at even if a war broke out around him — was the sight of Yoongi walking towards them.

"Jimin," Taehyung said, prodding Jimin's arm aggressively. "Jimin, how drunk did you get me?"

"What are you talking about? You're just getting red right now."

"If I'm not wasted, then tell me why the fuck Yoongi-hyung looks so fucking hot."

Jimin laughed a little, sort of awkward. "Taehyung, how have you not been paying attention to anything we say? Didn't you look at that photo Seokjin-hyung sent through last time?"

"No! You have to send me those things separately to make sure I see them. Seriously, what the fuck, he's hot."

Yoongi had stopped by Seokjin while Jungkook had run ahead to Hoseok. It wasn't clear what he said, but he did successfully get the lady Seokjik had been stuck with to leave. When he laughed with Seokjin after, Taehyung thought his soul was going to leave his body. His physical form was not built to process this kind of surge in attraction.

The seven of them had more or less grown up together. Seokjin, Hoseok, and Yoongi had been friends first through their parents, then had met the rest of them over a few years. Jungkook was the one who moved into the neighborhood last, but even that was over ten years ago. It had been just over eight years since Yoongi's family moved across the country.

In that time, Taehyung had graduated from both high school and college and shot up a good six inches. Yoongi, back when Taehyung was still a gangly teenager, was a bit of a loner. Quiet unless Namjoon or Hoseok got him talking about something he was passionate about like music or literature. He was always good to the younger ones, offering advice whenever he saw them struggling even if he acted like it was a huge inconvenience and that they should have already known. Jungkook always had a hero complex about Yoongi, but Taehyung had always been cautious because he could never figure out who the real Yoongi was.

Over those eight years, he and Yoongi kept in touch the least. He knew because they hadn't kept in touch individually at all, not since Taehyung's second year of university. No one else seemed surprised to see Yoongi, who had basically turned into Taehyung's wet dream. He wasn't much taller than he'd been in high school, but had filled out a bit, his shoulders broader. His hair was longer now too and styled to be artistically disheveled and the old, ill-fitting glasses he used to wear had been traded in for a pair of black-rimmed ones that screamed hot professor. Taehyung didn't stand a chance and the alcohol now making its way into his bloodstream meant he was already imagining all sorts of lewd things.

"Oh my god," Taehyung said, rubbing his hands over his face as he leaned over the table. "Oh my god, I'm so fucked."

"I did think it was weird when you didn't say anything about Yoongi the past couple of weeks," Jimin said, with absolutely zero sympathy for Taehyung's suffering. "I thought maybe you'd — Oh, he's coming over here. Look alive."

"I can't, I'm dying. I'm dead. I'm a horny, rotting carcass."

"Hyung, I can't believe you're really here!" Jimin said and Taehyung heard Yoongi say Jimin's name with the same warm fondness. His voice was even lower now, a bit gravely, and Taehyung wanted to crawl into a hole because he absolutely did not have the self-control right now to not pop a boner.

"It's good to see you again, it's been a long time," Yoongi said. "Is that Taehyung? Is he okay?"

Jimin chuckled, sounding genuinely amused by Taehyung's predicament. "He's fine. He didn't know you were back this week."

"He didn't?"

"I know, we've already mentioned that. Now we know he doesn't pay attention to us."

"Taehyung? Are you going to let me say hello?"

A warm hand touched Taehyung's back. He shot up and found himself face to face with Yoongi. Well, staring down mostly because of the height difference which somehow only added to Taehyung's predicament. "Yes, hello, hyung. It's been a while."

"Don't sound so awkward," Yoongi said, hesitating for a second before deciding to step in for a hug. "How have you been? When did you shoot up like a beanstalk on steroids?"

"I don't know, shouldn't I be asking you when you got hot?"

"What?" Yoongi huffed out a laugh, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.

Taehyung's face heated up. "Don't talk to me, I'm tipsy!"

Yoongi looked at the others with comical confusion before turning back to Taehyung. "You're a lot different from the person I remember."

"Is everyone here now?" Seokjin poked his head over Yoongi's shoulder. His hand was still latched onto Namjoon's collar behind him. "I finally got this one away from lecturing about the best IPAs from each state."

"People are interested in IPAs!" Namjoon said, frowning.

"Namjoon, what year is it? Is it 2012? No, it isn't."

"Hyung's right," Yoongi said, lifting his own glass of something that had the same color as dark caramel. "It's all about whiskey and vodka these days."

Taehyung was now drawn to the way Yoongi's hand curled around the glass, how his thumb brushed back and forth over the diamond pattern around the bottom. It made him think about Yoongi's hand touching other things, specifically Taehyung. Specifically Taehyung's—

"Taehyung, are you listening?" Jimin waved his hand in front of Taehyung's face. He followed Taehyung's line of sight, which meant so did everyone else at the table. "Okay, seriously? It was funny a minute ago, but now this is just getting sad."

"I'm sorry!" Taehyung's cheeks, already flushed, grew even hotter. He grabbed Jimin's shoulders and swapped places with him so that Yoongi was at least partially out of view, but not enough for him to miss the way Yoongi's shoulders shook with silent laughter. This was so embarrassing. It was like he was a teenager again watching that scene in Goong where Chaekyeong back hugged Lee Shin in the kitchen with a dumbstruck look on her face and discovering that he, too, wanted to paste himself against a guy's back. Except now, instead of a faceless man, it was Yoongi. And instead of being a teenager, he was 24.

"Is Taehyung having a crisis at our—" Hoseok's face scrunched up in thought before he shrugged. "Well, whatever the hell this pre-wedding party is, I can't keep track anymore."

"Try less crisis and more horny," Jimin said, rolling his eyes. "I need a lot more alcohol if this is going to continue for the entire night."

"I'm still right here," Taehyung said, though he was doing his best to burrow his face into Jimin's arm.

"I'm also still right here," Yoongi said, but didn't sound any less amused than before. Taehyung couldn't decide if that was bad or very bad.

"Okay, okay," Namjoon said, always the softest one when it came to these things. He put his hand on Taehyung's shoulder. "Stop teasing him. We're here to celebrate Hoseok and Jungkookie who've decided they want to see each other's faces first thing in the morning for the rest of their lives."

"When you say it like that, it's kind of creepy," Seokjin said, but Hoseok and Jungkook didn't seem to mind. They were momentarily off in their own world again, a common occurrence whenever they were reminded of how stupidly in love they were.

"Now that everyone's here, I think the best man should make a toast to kick things off," Namjoon said.

That was clearly not what the evening's plan was if the sudden distress on Yoongi's face meant anything.

"Yeah, speech!" Jimin said, lifting two glasses of wine out of seemingly nowhere and sliding one over to Taehyung.

Yoongi hesitated, but there was too much cajoling from everyone for him to say no. He batted at the air for everyone to quiet down and cleared his throat before speaking, having to project a little to be heard over the din of bar noise.

"If you had told me ten years ago that one day Hoseok would be getting married, that wouldn't have been shocking. If you had told me one day Hoseok would be getting married to Jungkook, I would have laughed in your face. Not because the idea of them was ridiculous, but because I really thought that we'd all be in our 40s and Hoseok would still be oblivious to Jungkook's puppy love eyes and we would all just have to stay suffering."

"Are any of you ever going to give my oblivious ass a break?"

Yoongi ignored Hoseok. "It's pretty incredible that a group of kids stay friends into adulthood and I know I've been the one missing in action for a long time, but I'm really glad that these two are the reason we're all back together even for a little bit. Now enough of this, you'll have to wait until the reception to hear the real sappy shit. Tonight, we're getting wasted so none of you remember a word I just said."

"Too late, I'm already streaming this to my fanbase," Seokjin said, holding his phone up.

"Fuck off," Yoongi said, laughing as he swatted Seokjin's arm. He raised his glass. "To Hoseok and Jungkook."

"Hoseok and Jungkook!!!" They clinked their glasses. Taehyung made a face at the wine as it went down. The acidity always made his nose feel funny.

"And to getting wasted!" Jimin yelled, grabbing Jungkook by the shoulders. "I'm getting another round of shots, no one thank me!"

"No one was going to," Yoongi said as Jimin disappeared into the crowd toward the bar. "We're too old to be mixing liquor like this."

"You did just say you wanted us to forget your speech," Namjoon said.

"At what cost, Namjoon?"

Namjoon laughed. "Our livers can still handle one night of recklessness." He patted Yoongi's shoulder. "It might be another eight years before we get the next chance."

Yoongi quirked an eyebrow and shrugged in acknowledgement as he took a sip of his drink. Now that Jimin had run off, Taehyung had an open view again and met Yoongi's gaze over the glass. Taehyung suspected his fixation had something to do with the fact that Yoongi was supposed to be familiar, someone he'd known since before his voice even changed, but the person in front of him now looked so different. So he couldn't stop stealing glances, couldn't help but be curious about how much Yoongi had changed while he wasn't paying attention.

When Namjoon shifted his attention to Hoseok and Jungkook, Yoongi took the chance to step into the spot Jimin had vacated. "You really grew up, Kim Taehyung."

"I guess. Yeah. I hit a second growth spurt after high school."

Yoongi snorted. "Of course. I'm still waiting for mine."

"I'm sure it'll come any day," Taehyung said, even though he liked the height difference between them now. When Yoongi's family had moved away, Taehyung had been the shorter one still, though not by much. The urge to hug Yoongi now and confirm he would indeed fit perfectly in Taehyung's arms was strong, but Taehyung kept his hands to himself.

Yoongi rose up slightly as he leaned in close enough for his breath to graze Taehyung's ear. "So were you really staring at my hands earlier?"

Taehyung made a choked noise and stumbled back. "What? No, I was just. I spaced out. It was just a coincidence."

Yoongi hummed and propped his chin on his hand. "It's okay if you were. I don't mind." He spread his other hand on the table and wiggled his fingers.

"Oh my god, are you — is this flirting?"

Yoongi laughed. "Literally the second thing you said to me was to ask when I got hot. I'm just coasting off your confidence."

"That wasn't confidence, that was panic!"

Yoongi laughed again, but also reached up to brush his knuckles against Taehyung's face. "You grew up cute too, Kim Taehyung."

Static filled up Taehyung's head like a cloud of smoke. He couldn't tell if Yoongi had gone from teasing to just making fun of him. Regardless of how much Yoongi had changed, Taehyung didn't think it was possible for him to have become a mean person, but instead that meant Taehyung had to navigate if this was real or fake flirting.

"You okay?" Yoongi said, probably because of whatever storm of emotions was looping over Taehyung's face. "Did I go too far?"

"No," Taehyung said, but couldn't help the flood of relief when he finally saw Jimin on his way back. "Sorry."

Before Yoongi could say anything else, Jimin broke through the crowd of people and pounced onto Yoongi's back. "I started a tab," he said, trying to force Yoongi to make eye contact without much success. "Hyung, look at me when I'm trying to challenge you on who's going to drink who under the table."

"Whom," Yoongi said.

"I'm gonna slaughter you," Jimin said, doing his best to look threatening, eyes wide open and nose twitching, but Yoongi just laughed and nudged him off.

The rest of the night passed with relatively less embarrassment for Taehyung. There was one moment when Yoongi had Hoseok's attention, so Jungkook found his way over to Taehyung's side of the table and didn't say a single word, just looked at Taehyung, then at Yoongi, then back to Taehyung with his big, bright eyes and a chilling smile.

"Isn't this bullying?"

Jungkook leaned in and cupped his hand over Taehyung's ear. "I heard Yoongi-hyung is considering moving back."

Taehyung expected him to say more, but Jungkook stepped back again and stared at Taehyung as if there was something he was supposed to do with that information. "Okay."

Jungkook rolled his eyes. "You're almost as bad as Hoseok-hyung."

Taehyung didn't know what Jungkook meant, but he was offended anyway. "How dare you."

"Hyung, stop. You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?" Jungkook glanced across the table. "Whatever, I'm sure something will happen."

Taehyung liked it better when they had been in school and Jungkook had come running to him all the time during the semester he had to take calculus because Taehyung had been the smarter one.

"Either way, don't forget to thank me later," Jungkook said, then proceeded to chug the rest of his beer looking like a child drinking milk.

Whatever it was that Jungkook knew but he didn't, Taehyung was definitely going to make sure that he absolutely did not thank Jungkook later.

+

It was past two in the morning when they finally called it quits. At this point Hoseok was being propped up by Jungkook, face tomato-red and was going back and forth between dozing off and having an existential crisis.

Yoongi and Jimin were still having their unofficial contest even though Taehyung could tell Jimin was at his limit. It was a miracle that neither of them had puked yet, but if there was anything stronger than the alcohol it was their stubbornness.

Since Taehyung was a lightweight, he had been nursing a string of ciders and drinking water in between. He didn't really feel drunk anymore, more like someone had filled his head with cotton.

They were out on the street waiting for open taxis when Hoseok's mood swung again and he started yelling gleefully and jumping on Jungkook for a piggyback ride.

"Jungkook! Hyung has a secret to tell you!"

"Is the secret that you're in love with me?"

Just like that, Hoseok looked like he was going to cry. "You know already?"

"Isn't that why you're marrying me?"

Hoseok went quiet and hid his face in the curve of Jungkook's neck. They were off in their own world again just like that, Jungkook smiling at whatever Hoseok was mumbling between them now.

"Taehyung!"

Taehyung turned to see Seokjin and Namjoon manhandle Yoongi and Jimin away from each other.

"Say that I won!" Jimin said, making Namjoon hold up his entire weight it looked like.

"I won't because you didn't," Yoongi said, pushing Seokjin away except most of his attempts were just him batting at the air.

"I can't believe they're still this fucking childish," Seokjin said, craning his neck back and begging Taehyung with his eyes when they locked. "Taehyung, come here, they'll listen to you."

That seemed unlikely, but Taehyung wasn't going to argue. He walked over and stood in the middle, wondering how two grown men could look so ridiculous. At the very least, he wasn't having horny breakdowns over Yoongi anymore, but looking at him still felt weird.

"Can he go home with you?" Seokjin said and it took a second for Taehyung to realize the question was directed at him.

"What?"

"I got a message earlier and there's some fire at work I have to deal with in the morning so I can't look after this idiot," Seokjin said, and if he didn't look so irritated by it Taehyung would think he was just acting to get out of dealing with Yoongi. "Can't believe I have to give up my weekend."

"You should find a new job."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Seokjin said, heaving when Yoongi tried to get away again. "So can you take him? Jimin's already going with Namjoon."

Taehyung hesitated, but sighed. "Sure, hyung."

"Great, come on Yoongi, go with Taehyung," Seokjin said, dragging Yoongi over. "You like Taehyung."

Taehyung almost blurted out that Yoongi didn't but realized Seokjin didn't mean it like that to begin with. He was the one still in his own head. "Hyung, stop arguing with Jimin, you're both petty."

"I am the most petty," Yoongi said, latching onto Taehyung's arm like a young monkey swapping one branch for another. "I won."

"We should work on your goals," Taehyung said, hobbling over to the curb and sticking his arm out. Jungkook was having trouble since Hoseok kept trying to hold his hand every time he attempted to hail a taxi.

It took a bit for an empty one to come by since it was peak hours, everyone trying to head home at the same time. Jungkook had just coaxed Hoseok into the backseat when he popped back up and said, "Hyung, you and Yoongi-hyung can ride with us since your place is on the way."

Taehyung was about to decline, but Yoongi got that look in his eyes that indicated a second wind, muttering Jimin's name under his breath. "Great, thanks!" he said, grabbing Yoongi by the torso to drag him toward the taxi. He yelled a hasty goodbye to the other three, wincing when Jimin answered back before he could get in.

"Don't fuck that sore loser, Kim Taehyung! I don't care how in love you still are!"

Taehyung's blood went cold. He didn't bother to reply and got into the taxi, shutting the door a little too hard and earning a glare from the driver.

There was a brief reprieve on the way to his apartment. He automatically sat up front since Jungkook and Hoseok had to be together. Jungkook looked comical perched in the tiny middle seat, though what really rounded it out were the two passed out idiots on either side of him. The reprieve only lasted a short while since Hoseok and Yoongi being unconscious meant Jungkook talked to Taehyung instead.

"Taking Yoongi-hyung home with you, I see."

Taehyung rubbed his temples. He was so tired. "Jungkook, don't."

"What? You were two seconds away from jumping him at the start of the night. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I get it, I'm sure it was hilarious earlier watching me have a breakdown over Yoongi-hyung for no reason."

Jungkook snorted. "Right, no reason."

Taehyung turned to glare at Jungkook. "Stop with the cryptic stuff. What are you talking about?"

"Don't ask me. Ask 18-year-old Taehyung."

Jungkook had joined their little group the spring after Taehyung turned 18. What could he know about the Taehyung of the past? He thought back to what had happened that year. Senior year of high school. Graduation.

The last summer Yoongi spent with them. The last time Taehyung had seen Yoongi in person until tonight.

Taehyung's vague memories were intentional.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Without any traffic, they arrived at Taehyung's building quickly. He got out and Jungkook helped with Yoongi.

Taehyung steadied Yoongi with one arm around his waist. Yoongi grumbled and his head lolled against Taehyung's shoulder. "If you were able to see it then," he said, staring at the ground. "Then everybody saw it."

"Yeah, probably," said Jungkook, scratching behind his ear. His hair was as long as it had been back when he went through a punk band phase. He had wanted to cut it, but Hoseok had been smitten with the idea of Jungkook in a ponytail for their wedding. "Hoseok-hyung wouldn't say it, but I could tell he didn't know how you would react to seeing him. You surprised him in a good way. But I guess that was just your way of dealing."

Taehyung rubbed his face. "God."

"He never saw it," Jungkook said, gesturing at Yoongi when Taehyung glanced up. "I think he was the only one."

That only offered Taehyung minimal relief. He sent Jungkook off since it was almost three now and slowly made his way inside, half dragging Yoongi with him.

His apartment was modest, a decent size for someone living alone. By the time they made it past the door, Taehyung's muscles ached and he was sweating. He propped Yoongi against the wall so he could take off their shoes, then brought Yoongi into his room, dumping him onto his unmade bed with a grunt.

Yoongi's face twisted up like he was in pain and he curled up on his side, smacking his lips before quieting down. Taehyung the waste bin and set it next to the bed just in case.

Even though he was exhausted, he went to take a quick shower, too sweaty and gross. But he wasn't tired enough to avoid thinking more about his conversation with Jungkook.

Taehyung met Yoongi when they were 15 and 17. His family had just moved into the city and Jimin was his neighbor. Jimin's family had introduced Taehyung's parents to all the other families and suddenly they were doing everything together.

It was luck or serendipity, as Jimin liked to think of it, that they all got along so well. To Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin were just really cool hyungs because they were older and seemed to know so much more. To him, it was a miracle a group of 17-year-olds thought they were worth hanging out with.

Hoseok had moved into Yoongi's neighborhood the next year and Jungkook two years after that as the youngest, surly and emo before they got him out of his shell.

For three years, Taehyung grew close to them. For three years, his attention was drawn to Yoongi more and more. He attended almost every basketball game after Yoongi made the team. During rehearsals for the fall musical, he would abandon the cast during breaks and perch himself at the edge of the stage, peering down at Yoongi sitting at the piano in the pit orchestra. After Yoongi had gone to college and only returned in the winter and summer, Taehyung would have the days marked on a calendar and pester the others to get together the moment Yoongi got back.

The summer after Taehyung graduated was when Yoongi told them all his family was moving away, nearer to his university but that was just confidence. It would be the last summer, the last month all of them were together. Yoongi had said things about visiting, that he would save up for flights, but somehow it never happened. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. For a couple years, Yoongi's mother was sick, then after Yoongi graduated he landed an internship he couldn't pass up.

They had all understood. By then, they were scattered across the country, living different lives. But Taehyung, perhaps foolishly, had held onto hope the longest that they would find time again. Not all of them had dispersed. Jimin attended the same university as him and Jungkook joined them a couple years later. During school breaks all of them but Yoongi still saw each other a couple times, but it hadn't been like before. It was at one of these rare get-togethers, the six of them huddled around a bonfire in someone's backyard, that they had drunk dialed Yoongi and found out they were interrupting a special dinner date. An anniversary date.

It had been that same night Taehyung had learned the kind of jealousy he was capable of, one that was angry and bitter, the kind that made it seem like a void had opened up in his chest and stolen his breath. More than that, he saw that no one else seemed to react the same and had watched them goad and tease Yoongi until the line abruptly disconnected and that was how he learned what he felt for Yoongi was different.

Taehyung stepped out of the shower and dried off. He brushed his teeth and stared at the mirror, feeling as stupid as he did all those years ago. Jungkook said everyone saw. Here he was, still the last to know and making a fool of himself in public. Still tied to someone who didn't see him.

Taehyung opened the door to let the steam out and shivered when the cooler air came in. He was just about to leave when there was a noise of something hitting the wall and Yoongi barreled in, shoving past him to collapse in front of the toilet and immediately vomit up the contents of his stomach.

It was extremely unpleasant to listen to but Taehyung stayed. He didn't do anything to comfort Yoongi, but did flush for him and dug out a spare toothbrush and the mouthwash to leave on the counter. Yoongi probably didn't even know whose toilet he was hunched over.

"Rinse and brush your teeth," Taehyung said when Yoongi seemed to be done. He left and went to the kitchen to fill up a glass of water and grabbed a bottle of painkillers. When he came back, Yoongi was standing with his hands braced on the sink and head hung low. None of what Taehyung set out had been touched. "Hyung?"

Yoongi rubbed his face, then looked at Taehyung as if he just realized where he was. "Is this your place?" he said, sounding every bit as miserable as he looked.

"Yeah."

"Why am I here?"

"Seokjin-hyung had a work emergency."

Yoongi tore open the toothbrush tiredly. "He should quit."

"Maybe he'll listen if you tell him."

Yoongi snorted. "I know you don't believe that."

Taehyung smiled a little and went to his room to set the water and pills on the nightstand. He dug out a spare blanket from the depths of his closet and went back to the living room, sighing quietly at the lumpy state of his secondhand couch, but it was just for one night.

"You're sleeping here?" Yoongi stood at the edge of the room, looking around at Taehyung's things.

"Yeah, you can take the bed. It's not much better, but you're the guest."

Yoongi lingered quietly, then came over to Taehyung and grabbed his hand. He was still intoxicated if the flush of his cheeks was any indication. That and the way he stumbled when he tried to pull Taehyung with him, but got his feet twisted up and Taehyung had to grab his waist to keep him from falling.

"Hyung, go to bed," said Taehyung, not thinking about how close they were until Yoongi looked up and he could feel Yoongi's breath on his lips.

There was also a sadness in Yoongi's eyes that was unsettling, but Taehyung didn't want to open that door.

"Sit with me until I fall asleep," Yoongi said, trying again to pull Taehyung with him, this time successful at least in staying upright. Taehyung didn't budge though and Yoongi frowned looking down at their hands.

"You're not a child, hyung," Taehyung said, a slight edge creeping into his voice from how late it was. He eased his hand out of Yoongi's and nudged him toward the bedroom. "Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Taehyung started to settle in on the couch, arranging one of the throw pillows behind his head. Yoongi continued to stand there clearly with something to say, but Taehyung just didn't need this right now.

"Hyung. Please. Go to bed." It was as nice as he could be and he refused to think about how it wasn't nice at all, not to the person who had been his friend during such formative years.

"Okay. Good night, Taehyung."

"Yeah," Taehyung said, facing the back of the couch as he curled up to fit. He listened to Yoongi walk away and closed his eyes, but no matter how badly exhaustion weighed him down, sleep did not come easy.

It was long past morning when Taehyung did wake and his apartment was silent. He knew without having to check that he was alone. It was as if last night had been a hallucination, but his bed was made and a single glass sat drying next to the kitchen sink.

+

Taehyung didn't see anyone again until rehearsal the day before the wedding.

Everyone was already there when he arrived just a couple minutes before the start time. Jimin gave him a look that said multitudes yet was indecipherable at the same time. He was unhappy, that was all Taehyung knew. Had known the moment he decided to ignore Jimin's calls a couple days back. Unfortunately, avoiding Jimin stopped today. Jimin was Jungkook's best man and he was Jungkook's sole groomsman.

While Seokjin, who was officiating the whole thing after getting ordained on some website that looked like it was a scam, was walking through his part with Hoseok and Jungkook, Jimin pinched Taehyung's side where no one could see, hard enough that Taehyung's knees almost buckled.

"I don't know what the fuck happened last weekend," Jimin said without moving his lips, which was still pulled back in a perfect smile. "But I will make you tell me."

Taehyung didn't say anything. It was futile to pretend with Jimin. Instead, he focused that energy elsewhere, smiling and looking everywhere but at Yoongi who was standing just a few feet across from them.

It didn't seem like Yoongi was interested in him anyway since he didn't look over even once.

The ceremony was being held on a beach and dinner was at a restaurant on the boardwalk within walking distance. There were two large tables set up for them and Taehyung waited to see which one Yoongi headed toward so he could grab a seat at the other one. Jimin appeared next to him, which he expected. Seokjin sat down across from them, which was less so, but the other table was filling up fast with family.

While most of their table made small talk, Jimin didn't waste a single second.

"What happened between you and Yoongi?"

"Nothing. He puked in my bathroom and stayed the night and left the next morning before I woke up."

"You slept together?" Jimin said, leaning in closer.

Taehyung grimaced. "No. I took the couch. Why would you ask that?"

"You were salivating over him when you first saw him." Jimin's voice softened. "He was happy to see you."

"He was happy to see everyone considering he hasn't been back for years."

"You two should talk," Seokjin said, though he showed no visible interest in the conversation. He seemed more absorbed in piling carbonara onto his plate. "You used to talk, I remember."

"When? In high school? That was almost ten years ago, it means nothing."

"How could it mean nothing?" Seokjin said, twirling his fork until he had a giant ball of noodles balanced on the end of it, much too big for any person to fit in their mouth and yet if anyone could it would be him. "You followed him around like a little duckling." He shoved the pasta in his mouth and couldn't talk after that, but made some exaggerated gestures with his face as he pointed behind his shoulder to where Yoongi was.

"Jungkook said something to you, right?" said Jimin, looking at Taehyung like he was hoping to see something specific.

Taehyung wished he were a bigger drinker since this would be a prime opportunity to down a glass of wine in one go. "Yeah, something."

Jimin's mouth twisted to the side, clearly debating whether or not to say what he was thinking.

"Spit it out."

Jimin sighed. "I know we've never talked about it, your feelings for hyung."

"And we're not going to," said Taehyung, the only thing keeping him from leaving was how rude it'd be to Hoseok and Jungkook. "There's nothing to talk about. I had a dumb crush on him when I was a teenager."

The way Jimin said Taehyung's name was filled with pity. Taehyung hated it. He hated all of this, that the appearance of a single person knocked so much off balance. That he was so off kilter as if he no longer had any control over himself.

"Stop lecturing me like there's something I messed up and need to fix. There's nothing. After this weekend, we're all going to go our separate ways again."

"What are you so afraid of?" said Seokjin. "That he'll tell you to never speak to him again? From what he said, you two don't really talk anyway, so what's there to lose?"

"Hyung," Jimin said, frowning.

Seokjin shrugged and waved around another forkful of pasta. "Am I wrong?"

Taehyung didn't answer and hunched over his food even though he had lost his appetite at the start of this confrontation. He knew Seokjin was right. He was scared. If he didn't give Yoongi the opportunity to reject him, then he would never be hurt.

But the alternative he was in was just as bad, if not worse. Taehyung spent years assuming he had moved on only to be brutally reminded that he'd just been living a lie. If he didn't find closure now, would he ever have another chance? Would he spend the rest of his life unconsciously comparing every person he was mildly interested in to a boy who lived mostly in his memories?

Taehyung looked over at the other table and watched Yoongi laugh with Namjoon and Hoseok and knew deep down that no matter what he did, he might never want to let go.

+

The wedding made everyone cry, except for Hoseok who spent half the ceremony wiping away Jungkook's tears and smiling so big that it ended up filling Taehyung with dread when thinking of his own problem. He used to smile like that to Yoongi, when he was the only one who didn't know what that kind of smile meant.

They took photos on the beach, a few romantic ones for the newlyweds, but mostly ridiculous group photos that really made Taehyung want to cry when he thought about how badly he had wanted the seven of them to be together again years ago.

The very last shots were just Hoseok and Jungkook by themselves against the sunset. Taehyung was too caught up in watching them to notice Yoongi come stand next to him.

"They're good together, aren't they?"

Taehyung didn't know how he was supposed to act. Yesterday, Yoongi had barely even looked at him, much less wanted to speak. "I'm happy for them."

"Can we talk later? After the reception?"

It was the last thing Taehyung wanted to hear and there weren't any good excuses he could give. It wasn't as if either of them had anywhere to be. A hotel had been booked for all the guests for the weekend. If he declined, it would be obvious that Taehyung didn't want to, not because he couldn't.

"Yeah. We can talk."

Yoongi gave a terse smile and slipped his hands into his pockets, looking back out toward the water. Jungkook had Hoseok in a dip, the two of them laughing into a kiss; they were glowing and not just because of the sun setting behind them, the sky bursting into pinks and purples.

After that night around the bonfire when Taehyung had his unwelcome epiphany, things changed. Taehyung decided to change them. He stopped sending Yoongi messages, stopped asking when all seven of them could finally get together again, and gradually stopped replying when Yoongi checked in with him until Yoongi stopped trying on his side too.

It was easy for Taehyung to convince himself he didn't have feelings for Yoongi when he removed almost all evidence of Yoongi's existence. The only place he still heard from Yoongi was in the group chat and Taehyung became good at letting the messages build up until there were so many that he could end up justifying that it was just easier to clear them out instead of read them.

That was how Yoongi's presence last week was able to catch him off-guard. He knew, of course, that Yoongi was going to fly in for the wedding. In his head he somehow assumed that because it had been so many years, they would barely interact at all. But instead Yoongi had flirted with him and looked at him as if he knew everything and it reignited all the memories and feelings that Taehyung had convinced himself were in the past.

But in reality they had always been there, content in occupying an innocuous corner in back of Taehyung's mind, patiently waiting for when they would be needed again. Now, every second that passed with Yoongi back in his periphery, Taehyung realized that those feelings were never just a teenage crush. They helped form who he was. In the way he interacted with people, in how he treated himself, all influenced by the passing comments and late night conversations he had with Yoongi a decade ago.

It was a terrifying thing and he didn't want to confront it, but running away wasn't really an option. He didn't hate Yoongi, but he sort of wished he could.

When the photoshoot wrapped up, Hoseok and Jungkook walked up to them hand in hand. Hoseok leaned over to say something in Jungkook's ear and whatever it was made Jungkook's face flush. It was disgusting. It made Taehyung envious.

"How come you didn't go ahead to the reception?" said Hoseok once they were in hearing distance. His gaze went back and forth between Taehyung and Yoongi, brows pulled together slightly.

"We love secondhand embarrassment so we stayed behind to watch you two be cheesy and nauseating."

"Shut up." Hoseok smacked Yoongi's arm, then let go of Jungkook to pull Yoongi into a headlock. Yoongi complained that his hair was going to get ruined, but Hoseok shot back that it was his wedding and he could do what he wanted.

"Hyung, come on," Jungkook said, linking his arm with Taehyung's. "I'm so fucking hungry. We spent the most on catering, wait 'til you see the buffet it's sick."

Ahead of them, Yoongi escaped Hoseok's clutches and slung his arm around Hoseok's shoulders as they made their way to the hotel where the reception hall was. They chatted quietly enough that Taehyung couldn't really make out what they were saying over the ambient noise of the boardwalk and the waves coming ashore.

"Hyung, you good?" Jungkook said, an unfair thing for him to have to ask on his wedding day.

But the sky, now a fiery orange, seemed to surround Yoongi and turned him into gold while the sea breeze carried away his laugh. He was the only thing Taehyung could see and the longer he looked the harder it was to give Jungkook an answer.

+

The reception, like their get together a week before, lasted well into the middle of the night, but passed by in a blur for Taehyung. It was hard to enjoy himself when he knew the end of the night meant a conversation with Yoongi, but there were moments where the anticipation stepped aside for a moment.

Hoseok and Jungkook surprised everyone by pulling off a moderately difficult waltz for their first dance and made it look like no effort at all. Yoongi's best man speech was as sappy as he had promised, but there were jokes too. But nothing amused the crowd more than when Jimin followed up with his own best man speech, which Jimin never directly said was competing with Yoongi's, but it was apparent enough from the content.

After that though, time seemed to move faster. Taehyung spent half of it on the dance floor in the middle of Jimin and Jungkook. It wasn't like Jungkook suddenly being married meant anything was different for them, but it was still a milestone and they felt like the version of their friendship where no one was married yet deserved to be sent off with a celebration.

The guests started thinning out after midnight and soon it was just the seven of them and the DJ and it felt like they had been transported back a decade to the weekends and summers where they would stay up until the sun rose just being as ridiculous as they could manage. At one point, loosened by however many glasses of champagne, Taehyung grabbed Yoongi and twirled him around twice. When they were younger, Yoongi hated this kind of thing and he probably still did, but he had drunk enough too it seemed and allowed Taehyung to do whatever he wanted.

The evening couldn't last forever, if only because the DJ was only paid for a certain amount of time. The last song was a slow one and they made Hoseok and Jungkook dance alone again. It was a good way to end the night and filled Taehyung with content.

He had actually, for a moment, forgotten about what he promised Yoongi until they got off the elevator on their floor and Yoongi followed Taehyung to his room.

"Do you still want to talk?" Yoongi said, leaning against the wall. His face was still red, but his eyes were clear. "I don't know why I suggested now. You're a little drunk."

"No, I'm awake," Taehyung said, unlocking the door. A little liquid courage was what he needed anyway. He untucked his shirt which was gross with patches of sweat and started unbuttoning it. "Let me change."

"Do you have a spare?" Yoongi said, doing the same.

"Yeah," Taehyung said, digging out two t-shirts. When he turned back around Yoongi's shirt was open and he was kicking off his slacks.

"Which one's for me?" Yoongi said when Taehyung just stood there and stared.

It was hard not to. Yoongi had gotten broader and filled out a little more, which wasn't saying too much given how lanky he'd been in high school and college, but it was enough that Taehyung couldn't help but fixate and try to catalogue all the differences.

"Sorry, here," Taehyung said, thrusting one toward Yoongi who shrugged his dress shirt off and tugged the t-shirt over his head.

For a few seconds, Yoongi had been standing in only his underwear in the middle of Taehyung's hotel room.

"What are you writing about these days?" Yoongi said, dragging his hand through his hair a couple times which only messed it up more. "The piece you did on the scandal within the toilet paper industry was a page turner."

Taehyung went to the minibar and grabbed two bottles of water, handing one to Yoongi. "You read that?"

"Yeah," Yoongi said, pausing to take a drink. He licked his lips. "I've read most of your stuff."

Taehyung didn't know that. Granted he had never asked, but Yoongi had also never said anything to him, so he just assumed.

Yoongi smiled. "Why are you surprised? Every time you get published, you send the link to everyone."

"Yeah, but." Taehyung sat down at the foot of the bed and shrugged. "No one knows how to read."

"Well, I do," Yoongi said, leaning against the desk. "It helps me work, actually. Sometimes I get stuck on a design and I'll read one of your articles. Your writing pulls people in and your photos are fucking phenomenal. Every time I see one I think only Kim Taehyung could have taken this."

"Hyung."

Yoongi laughed softly, ducking his head. "Sorry, I'm rambling since I'm not sober."

Taehyung picked at the damp label on the water bottle and bit his lip. "I've got a few things in progress, but after today I might poke around the world of wedding buffets."

"Oh yeah, the fact that there was caviar? And those fucking lobster tails? I don't want to know how much they paid for that." Yoongi came over and sat a respectable distance from Taehyung. "I figured you weren't doing too bad, but I'm glad to hear it."

"What about you?" Taehyung said, feeling guilty that he couldn't say the same. All he knew was that Yoongi had gotten a full-time position at an architect firm a few years ago, but he didn't know a thing about it or what kinds of projects Yoongi even worked on.

"I'm doing okay," Yoongi said, leaning back on his hands. "This is the first vacation I've taken in years though. My boss almost didn't believe me when I asked for days off."

"Why do you work so much?"

"I don't know, I like it." Yoongi snorted and fell back, staring at the ceiling. "I don't have much going on outside of work anyway."

Taehyung bit his lip. "You could have visited," he said quietly.

Yoongi glanced down at him for a moment and folded his hands over his stomach. "Could I have?"

"Of course."

"I didn't know if everyone wanted to see me."

Yoongi could only be talking about him. It didn't feel fair, because Taehyung had been the only one for years trying to get everyone back together before That Summer. He knew that from Yoongi's point of view, everything was fine until it wasn't and Taehyung was no longer talking to him, but just because Yoongi didn't know didn't mean he was justified.

"You could have asked. Or just shown up."

Yoongi sat up again. "I did ask. Taehyung, you stopped talking to me. I got the hint."

Taehyung frowned. The alcohol which was supposed to make this conversation easier didn't seem to be working. If anything, he felt more sick. "I — it happens. People grow apart. I don't talk to Seokjin-hyung or Namjoon-hyung a lot anymore."

"But you still talk to them," Yoongi said, folding his legs up as he faced Taehyung. "I end up asking everyone else how you're doing because it feels like we're strangers now. I feel like if I reach out to you, you'd still ignore me. And I don't know what happened." He looked off to the side, hunched over a little and looked smaller than usual. "Hoseok let slip that you didn't know I'd be there last weekend. I thought you did and the fact that you still showed up made me optimistic that maybe we could pick up where we left off. You even talked to me, joked with me! But then at your place it was hard to ignore that if you had any other choice, you wouldn't have let me stay."

Taehyung's lip was sore from how hard he was biting it while listening to Yoongi. Nothing he said was wrong and it made Taehyung feel like the bad guy. Maybe he was. Maybe everyone else was just being nice not to call him out.

Yoongi clasped his hands behind his neck and looked up at Taehyung from behind his fringe. He seemed so young suddenly, like they were back in their old neighborhood and it was again the last summer they saw each other. "Am I off about any of this? I just want to know what I fucked up." He laughed dryly. "I've spent way more time than I'd like to admit going over our last conversations trying to figure out what I said and I just — I don't know. No one would tell me either. They all said it wasn't their place and that it should come from you, but you stopped wanting anything to do with me."

Taehyung's vision turned blurry and he wished he could hide from Yoongi, both to keep Yoongi from seeing him and so he didn't have to be confronted by all the things he had convinced himself wouldn't matter because he and Yoongi had never been the closest, that not talking to Taehyung wouldn't be a loss for Yoongi at all, and that was how he had kept the guilt away. It was impressive how well Taehyung had managed to push that guilt aside, but now it had been exposed and it was viscous and heavy, coating the inside of Taehyung's chest and making it hard to breathe.

"And it," Yoongi said, sucking in a breath like he had to physically gather the strength to speak. "It fucking hurt. You know? We were friends for years and I knew you looked up to me, so literally watching you slip away was just — it was fucking painful. But more than that, it terrified me, the thought that I did something so unforgivable that you thought your only option was to cut me off."

Taehyung couldn't hold it in anymore and covered his face as he took a shuddering breath and burst into tears. He had only thought about himself and had been all too happy to buy into the lies he made up, jumping through all sorts of hoops just to avoid being an actual friend and talking to Yoongi. He should have just sucked it up and confessed at the time and taken the rejection. Who knew what would have happened. They could've still drifted apart, but at the very least Yoongi wouldn't have spent all these years thinking he was the one who was in the wrong.

"Shit, Taehyung." Yoongi tried to pull Taehyung's hands away but Taehyung wouldn't budge, too ashamed. "Fuck, don't cry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have vomited all that out like that."

Taehyung just cried harder, but didn't have the energy to push Yoongi away when he shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Taehyung's shoulders. He shook his head in a poor attempt to communicate that Yoongi hadn't done anything wrong, but also that he didn't deserve any of this comforting.

It took awhile for Taehyung to calm down. Yoongi kept silent the whole time except for when he asked Taehyung if he should leave, but Taehyung had responded by grabbing the sides of Yoongi's shirt in a death grip and so Yoongi made them lie down and held Taehyung properly.

"You didn't mess up, I did," Taehyung said, muffled into Yoongi's chest. "I got scared and ran away."

"What were you scared of?"

Taehyung didn't know how to answer. He knew what the answer was, but didn't know how to tell Yoongi. What was even the point now? He shook his head and tried to sit up, but Yoongi tightened his arms.

"You said we could talk."

"Yeah, but there's nothing to — you didn't do anything. That's all you need to know."

"You say that but you're still acting like you don't want anything to do with me."

Taehyung wrestled out of Yoongi's grip and sat up. "Hyung, please."

"Please, what?" Yoongi pushed himself up too, ducking his head to try and get Taehyung to look at him. "Are you going to run away again? Do you think it's not going to hurt this time just because you pulled an 'it's not you, it's me'?"

"That's not fair," Taehyung said, but it was weak. Yoongi knew it too because he scoffed and pushed his hand through his hair roughly, frustrated.

"Fuck, I'm not being fair? After years, you still won't tell me? Instead you want me to accept this bullshit about how it isn't my business because it was all you? I deserve to know. I lost my friend and I deserve to know why!"

Taehyung stood up, frenetic and feeling cornered. "Because I didn't want you as a friend anymore!"

It was awful watching Yoongi's face crumble. "I don't — but why? Because I couldn't find time to come back?"

Taehyung pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. "Hyung, please don't make me do this." The bed shifted and then Taehyung felt the careful touch of Yoongi's hands on his wrists, easing his arms down. He kept his eyes closed, knowing Yoongi was staring right at him and feeling like if he looked he would simply fall to pieces.

Yoongi did not ask for Taehyung to open his eyes. He only said, his hands slipping into Taehyung's, "What did you want me to be if not a friend?"

The thread which held Taehyung together frayed and broke. All the yearning and resentment and adoration he had for Yoongi pulled him under and took away with it the last of his strength. "I wanted you to be mine," he said, tired. "But you weren't and I was angry and that's why." The back of his neck prickled when he forced himself to look, expecting pity and rejection.

It still gutted him to actually see it.

Yoongi broke away this time, casting his eyes to the floor, and Taehyung couldn't do it. He jerked his hands from Yoongi's like they burned and went over to his suitcase, digging around like he was looking for something when really he just needed something, anything, to keep him from losing it. "Is our talk over now?" he said, shuffling through the same three shirts. "You got your answer."

"I — Taehyung."

Taehyung whirled around with his hands balled up at his sides. "Please, I'm begging you!"

Yoongi stepped back as if slapped and looked around in a daze. "Sorry, you're — I'm sorry," he said, heading for the door. He glanced back at Taehyung once, but Taehyung turned away again pretending to be occupied with refolding his clothes.

The door clicked shut quietly after Yoongi left. Taehyung fell into the chair and held his head in his hands, allowing himself a moment to grieve over something he never had. Then he gathered up all the pieces of himself which had quietly loved Yoongi all these years and locked them back up, this time determined never to let them out again.

+

It was late in the morning when Taehyung woke up to banging on his door.

"Taehyung? Open the door! Can you hear me?"

Taehyung groaned and rolled out of bed, hit with a rush of vertigo as he stumbled his way to the door, needing to press his hand against the wall to keep himself from running into it. It took a couple tries for him to undo the latch and turn the handle, barely cracking it open when Jimin barreled inside.

"I thought something had happened to you!" Jimin all but screeched, his brows drawn together and his mouth terse. He looked furious, but Taehyung could see the worry and fear. "Why the fuck aren't you answering your phone?"

"I didn't hear it," Taehyung said hoarsely, shuffling back to the bed to sit down until the room stopped spinning.

Jimin didn't say anything and stared instead, no doubt considering whether to interrogate Taehyung further or let it go for now. He seemed to pick the latter after a while, sighing heavily as he looked around the room. "Check-out's in an hour. You're not even packed."

Taehyung didn't bother to even move while Jimin went around and started shoving all of his things into his suitcase. He pulled out a pair of t-shirt and shorts first, throwing them at Taehyung.

"Get changed and wash up. You look like shit."

"Give me a second," Taehyung said, pinching the bridge of his nose when the spot behind his eyes throbbed.

"We're late—"

"Just fucking give me a second!"

Jimin paused for a moment, then went back to packing, but he lost most of his irritation. "Okay," he said, much softer. "Just a couple minutes."

When Taehyung finally felt like he wasn't going to topple over, he made his way to the bathroom to shower and try to become a semi-functioning human. He could hear voices outside as he was drying off, but didn't care enough to figure out who Jimin was talking to.

It was humiliating when he thought about how everyone must know by now what had happened. How much did they pity him, someone who had been so naive that he didn't even know he had been in love this whole time?

Jimin was sitting at the desk when Taehyung ventured out, typing furiously on his phone. He glanced up and finished whatever he was doing and stood up. "Hoseok-hyung and Jungkook are heading to the airport," he said, grabbing Taehyung's bag. "They're leaving in five minutes." He left without another word.

Taehyung grabbed his remaining bag and checked he had his keys and phone, the only things really he couldn't leave behind.

Downstairs, it was easy to spot everyone. They were the only group in the lobby, crowded around Hoseok and Jungkook to send them off. Taehyung caught a glimpse of Yoongi who was luckily facing away, but his presence was enough to make him hang back.

Hoseok and Jungkook were herded toward the exit, but Jungkook kept looking back and waved when he spotted Taehyung. "Hyung! What are you doing? Aren't you going to say bye?"

Taehyung waved back at first, but was forced to head over when he saw Jungkook tug on Hoseok's sleeve and the both of them waited. Yoongi watched Taehyung too.

"Can't believe you were going to give us that shitty send-off," Hoseok said as both he and Jungkook pulled Taehyung into a hug. Maybe Taehyung was still a bit off from last night, but it didn't feel like a simple goodbye hug between friends and the way they looked over his shoulder when they pulled away confirmed it.

"You look a bit rough," Hoseok said, fixing Taehyung's hair. "Not really what we expected."

Taehyung shrugged. "Didn't sleep well."

Jungkook frowned. "I thought you talked to Yoongi-hyung."

"I did," Taehyung said, staring at the ground. The sun was blinding even in the shade and his eyes hurt. "Not everything is a happy ending, I guess."

"Well," Jungkook said, twisting his mouth to the side and sighing in exasperation. How many times over the years had he made this exact face to each of them when they were being ridiculous? "Hyung, did you even ask for one?"

"You should listen to my husband," Hoseok said, covering his mouth as he laughed, turning to Jungkook. "That still feels weird to say. We're married!"

Jungkook sighed again, but it was with a smile. "I know, I was there," he said, but the way he gazed at Hoseok with a bit of wonder made it seem like he was also still in disbelief.

Hoseok patted Taehyung's shoulder. "Don't be this gloomy when we come back, okay?" He didn't wait for any acknowledgement and grabbed Jungkook's hand, giving one last wave to everyone before they ducked into the taxi.

After their ride left, Jimin came up beside Taehyung and looped their arms together. "Sorry for being mean to you this morning."

"I deserved it."

"We still have a bit before we need to go," Jimin said, tipping his head onto Taehyung's shoulder. "In case there's anything else you need to do."

The attempt wasn't subtle at all, but Taehyung didn't care. He glanced across the lobby at where Yoongi was standing in a corner, pacing back and forth while on the phone. His body language seemed nervous and Taehyung wondered what the call was about.

"No, nothing," Taehyung said, ignoring Jimin's frown.

"Taehyung," Jimin began to say, straightening up to look at Taehyung properly, but faltered when Yoongi suddenly appeared next to them.

"Sorry," Yoongi said, awkward and stiff. He glanced between them, settling on Taehyung. "Can I borrow you for a bit?"

Taehyung had wanted to leave with as little nuisance as possible, but with Yoongi asking directly he couldn't say no. He nodded and followed a few steps behind Yoongi to a quieter part of the lobby, glancing over his shoulder to see Jimin giving him a hopeful smile.

There was a lounge area in the corner that was empty and partially secluded. Yoongi didn't bother to sit though, turning around suddenly and stopping Taehyung in his tracks. He opened his mouth a couple of times, then rubbed his temples before trying again.

"I just got off a call from this firm I interviewed at a couple weeks ago. They offered me a job. It's a higher position, better projects, and way better pay."

"Okay," Taehyung said slowly. He didn't know why Yoongi was telling him this. "Congratulations."

"Their office is here. Well, not literally here, but you know. I'd be moving back." Yoongi kept looking at Taehyung, like he was waiting for a specific reaction.

"Oh. Um, that's — is that good?"

"I verbally accepted already on the call," Yoongi said in a rush. "I'm taking it."

It was hard not to read into what it might mean that Yoongi accepted a job in the city and decided he needed to tell Taehyung first. But at the same time, he still didn't know what Yoongi expected to hear from him, especially after last night.

When Taehyung stayed silent, Yoongi said, "If I'm moving back, can't we… I mean, we could talk again."

"Talk like last night?"

"No," Yoongi said, frowning. "Like, be friends again."

"Friends," Taehyung said faintly, then snorted and hugged himself, looking away.

"You don't want that," Yoongi said, clearly taken aback by the rejection.

Taehyung's immediate instinct was to end the conversation, but Jungkook's words from earlier came back to him. If he was so ready to walk away again, then there was nothing to lose if he asked for the moon and the stars.

"I don't want friendship if that's all you'd be offering," Taehyung said, biting his lip. "I want you."

Yoongi's mouth parted slightly in shock and it would have been amusing if Taehyung's heart wasn't going a million miles an hour from what he just did. He didn't have anything to lose, knew what the likely answer was, and yet was terrified all the same because he couldn't help but wonder what if.

"It wouldn't be," Yoongi said, and Taehyung's world stopped.

"What?"

"I'd be offering more," Yoongi said, scratching behind his neck and smiling a little. "I just thought we could start at being friends again first, since we lost that for a while. But we could also learn how to be friends again at the same time we learn...more."

"This isn't funny if it's a joke," Taehyung said, though he knew deep down that Yoongi wouldn't do something like that. But the alternative was that Yoongi meant every word and Taehyung never allowed himself to think of a reality where that was possible. He had, because of Yoongi's physical absence and the one glimpse he'd be given into Yoongi's personal life, blocked any chance of it.

"It's not," Yoongi said, taking a step forward. "You know I wouldn't."

"I just don't get it," Taehyung said, shrinking into himself more. "Yesterday when I told you, you pitied me."

"What? I didn't pity you. I felt sorry, yeah, but not because of what you said but how long you've been keeping it to yourself." Yoongi wrung his hands and bit his lip. "Shit, it probably looked really bad from your side. I should've reacted better, but I was just pissed at myself."

"Why?"

Yoongi shrugged. "Because I was responsible for it too, us drifting apart. I could have tried harder to talk to you, I should have made time. I mean, it's been almost ten years, Taehyung. And you — this whole time?"

Taehyung looked away, both ashamed and overwhelmed to be confronted by how long it had been. He didn't want to cry again and especially not in public even if no one was around. He took a deep breath. "How do I know then that this isn't just because you feel sorry?"

"You'll just have to believe me," Yoongi said, looking like he wanted to reach out and touch Taehyung, but didn't. Taehyung was grateful for that. "I was up all night thinking about it though. I'm not taking this lightly."

"I'm not the person you remember."

"I'm not either," Yoongi said, smiling a little. "This could ruin your entire image of me."

"That's pretty bold assuming I see you as perfect."

When Yoongi's smile grew, Taehyung's mind automatically started getting ahead of himself. This wasn't a prank, but Yoongi telling him face to face that the possibility of them was completely within his grasp if he wanted it. It was terrifying, for sure, and Taehyung had to push down his flight instinct, that gut reaction that something this good couldn't be real. But the truth was Taehyung had already spent a very long time miserable, for reasons that in hindsight were driven by fear, so maybe he deserved this. Maybe he could allow himself to believe this was overdue.

"I'm perfect to you, Kim Taehyung?"

Taehyung finally smiled. "The past you, but since you say you've changed," he said, shrugging.

"I'd rather you start out with no expectations and then I can work my way up," Yoongi said, mouth parting slightly like he just remembered something before he took out his phone. "I should go grab my things, my ride will be here soon." He raised his head again. "It'll probably be a couple months before I make it back out here, but let's not be strangers anymore?"

Taehyung nodded and followed Yoongi back to the main lobby area. There was still weirdness between them, but it was no longer something that weighed Taehyung down. Yoongi kept glancing over his shoulder as if Taehyung might not be there if he didn't check. It was cute.

Jimin was sitting by himself preoccupied on his phone, but glanced up immediately when Taehyung and Yoongi came into view. Taehyung caught his eye and wished he didn't given how Jimin smirked at him.

"Just give me a second," Yoongi said, going over to the bellboy. That was more than enough time for Jimin to come up to Taehyung with a spring in his step.

"What are you so happy about?"

Jimin gave him an innocent, wide-eyed stare. "What isn't there to be happy about?"

"Nothing happened."

Jimin made a noncommittal noise and threw his arm around Taehyung's shoulders. "Oh, hyung, are you off?" he said when Yoongi returned with his luggage.

"Yeah, back to the real world."

"It was nice having us all together again," Jimin said. "You should come back out here soon."

"Right," Yoongi said, glancing at Taehyung who made a slight face in lieu of shrugging. "Maybe, yeah."

There was a round of awkward silence, which Jimin seemed to bask in. Finally, he seemed to take pity and say, "I'll go grab Seokjin-hyung and Namjoon-hyung, tell them you're leaving." He patted Taehyung on the back as he wandered off.

It wasn't any easier to find words when it was just the two of them again. Taehyung sucked his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Before they come back, it was really good to see you again," Yoongi said, not quite meeting Taehyung's eyes, but it was clearly out of shyness. "It was really overdue, I know, but."

"But it happened."

Yoongi smiled. The corners of his eyes wrinkled in a way Taehyung didn't remember from when they were younger. Taehyung suddenly was looking forward to finding out what else had changed. "Hopefully you'll think I'm still hot when I come back again."

"Hyung," Taehyung said, covering his face in embarrassment. But his heart soared when Yoongi laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever is going on here, but Jimin said you're taking off." Seokjin came up and stood with his hands on his hips. "This is an intriguing development though."

"Hyung, shut up," Yoongi said.

"Telling me to shut up only makes it more suspicious."

"Is it going to be another decade before we see you again?" Namjoon said.

"I don't really want to see your face sooner than that."

"I appreciate your friendship too."

They followed Yoongi out when his ride to the airport showed up. There was a round of hugs and Taehyung was the last one. Knowing the others definitely suspected something made Taehyung self-conscious, but he ignored it as best he could and enveloped Yoongi in a bear hug. Yoongi made a quiet, surprised noise only Taehyung could hear, which only made Taehyung go further by lifting Yoongi a few inches off the ground.

"Good, I like this sort of thing," Seokjin said.

Yoongi sputtered and was probably making all sorts of faces, but this was his one opportunity, so Taehyung made it last as long as possible. Yoongi's face was a couple shades more pink when Taehyung finally set him down.

"Okay, well, goodbye," Yoongi said, not making eye contact with anyone and escaping into the car. Taehyung ducked down and waved before closing the door behind him.

Taehyung watched him drive off and smiled to himself. He didn't know how things would be going forward, but the hope he had felt good.

"Then there were four," Seokjin said, dropping his arm around Taehyung's shoulders. "Since I'm driving all you suckers home, I've made the executive decision that we're going to have lunch first and you, my friend, are going to talk."

"About what? Do you want to hear my new pitch about wedding buffets?"

Seokjin's face lit up. "It was going to be about your love life, but actually yes, I want to talk all about buffets. Actually let's go to one with all you can eat seafood. I could eat at least ten lobster tails today."

"That's incredibly disgusting," Namjoon said.

"Fine, Namjoon, I'll only eat nine, are you happy now?"

While they bickered, Jimin laughing beside them, Taehyung's phone buzzed in his pocket. When he looked, there was a single message waiting for him. It was only a few words — Is this thing on? — but it was a first step toward something Taehyung had been wanting for a long time.

Yeah, hyung. I'm here.