Archive of Our Own

It was sort of stupid, just how in love he was. It made a fool of him, constantly. Stumbled words, shaking hands, face aflame.

He didn’t mind, though.

Kim Taehyung was a sight to see. He was gorgeous, to put it lightly. Tanned skin, long eyelashes, a thousand watt smile. He was loud laughter and gentle touches to a wildflower and he was so, so kind.

Yoongi was in love.

“You’re okay,” Taehyung had said to him once. It had been the first words he had ever said to Yoongi. He said it with careful hands that lifted Yoongi from the ground, that helped pat the dirt from his jacket. He hadn’t laughed at his fall, or kept walking like the others. “That looked scary. What were you doing all the way up there?”

Yoongi, awe struck and still a little dizzy from his short tumble, simply pointed. A cat meowed from one of the higher limbs of the tree.

“Oh,” Taehyung said; eyes wide and smile wider. “A good reason to fall from a tree, I think. Give me a boost?”

And they had spent the better part of an hour trying to get the scraggly little tabby cat out of the tree, only for it to jump down and run off the moment Taehyung had finally gotten within arms reach.

They’d exchanged numbers, and suddenly Yoongi had a new friend. A new, painfully beautiful friend.

The first thing he ever uttered about Taehyung to someone else was to Seokjin. They’d met up for lunch directly after the incident. Yoongi’s phone still felt heavy as stone in his pocket as he fought the urge to immediately give Taehyung a text. Seokjin had barely finished his greeting when Yoongi blurted, “Hyung, I am so fucked.”

Seokjin, because he too was lovely and awful, laughed the entire time Yoongi told the story.

“You’re right, you are fucked,” he agreed through laughter.

Five months later, and Yoongi had not managed to un-fuck himself. He was, in fact, probably even more fucked than before. Supremely fucked. Ultra fucked.

Now, Taehyung would greet him on their college campus loudly. Now, they hung out at Yoongi’s apartment surrounded by snacks and cheap beers. Now, they spent quiet afternoons studying in the library and loud mornings getting coffee with their friends. Now, Yoongi knew Taehyung. Knew him like the back of his hand - like a puzzle he’d turned over and over and over in his hands to try and figure out how the pieces fit, how the cogs moved in tandem. He had come to piece together the brilliance that was Kim Taehyung, and had loved every bit of it.

Well. Except maybe Taehyung’s habit of eating all the crust off sandwiches first. Seriously, who does that.

But his adoration was pretty solid, crust or no crust.

Yoongi wasn’t sure if Taehyung knew how far gone Yoongi was for him. He certainly wasn’t trying to hide that he got all movie moment butterflies-in-my-stomach-words-caught-in-my-throat any time Taehyung so much as glanced at him. He wasn’t sure if he could even if he wanted to. So he let the flustered glances lay out in the open. He let Taehyung see him blush like crazy when he was given a smile. He stumbled over compliments because Taehyung deserved to know just how amazing he was, and he tried his best to show Taehyung (because Yoongi, despite his affections, was still rather bad at expressing the depths of his love for his friends) that he was always, always happy to see him.

Maybe Taehyung just thought Yoongi was still shy with a new friend.

Maybe Taehyung thought Yoongi was a bit pathetic.

Maybe, just maybe, Taehyung thought Yoongi liked him. Maybe, maybe Taehyung liked him back.

Yoongi tried desperately not to see all their interactions through rose tinted glasses. Tried very hard to process everything as Platonic Bros Being Dudes. But.

But.

Sometimes, Taehyung’s touches would linger. Sometimes, Taehyung would giggle right into Yoongi’s ear at something he said; body pressed against his. Sometimes, he would choose to sit right beside Yoongi; thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder, even when the rest of the couch was empty. Sometimes, Taehyung would watch Yoongi when he thought he didn’t notice.

Sometimes, Yoongi would catch him looking and Taehyung would just. Keep doing it. Small smile on his face as Yoongi inevitably got too flustered to keep staring back.

Sometimes, Yoongi would walk into a room and Taehyung would drop everything he was doing to greet him. He would light up like a god damned sun and Yoongi wasn’t sure what he did to deserve that but fuck did it feel nice.

Being in love with Taehyung felt nice. Amazing, even. Best idea he’d probably ever had, honestly.

He told this to Jimin once, when they’d both decided to take a break from exam prepping to take a walk.

“Yeah,” Jimin replied easily. Like he’d known all along Yoongi was in love with his best friend. He probably did. They all probably did. Yoongi didn’t mind. “I think so, too. You’re so much happier now.” Jimin smiled, gave his hand a squeeze, and dodged a puddle. “You both are. I’m glad.”

“Me, too.”

“Though, I dunno. Remember your second year here? The portable coffee maker could have been a game changer if you could have figured out the logistics.”

Yoongi sighed wistfully. What he wouldn’t give for a pocket sized espresso machine. “I suppose all our dreams can’t be reality.”

Six months of knowing and probably four months of being in love (normally, he would have felt weird about thinking he was in love so soon. Taehyung was not a normal circumstance.) brought Yoongi to a loud bar. He and Namjoon had escaped the writhing mass inside that was all drunk college kids blowing off steam from exam week. They were in the alleyway beside the club Hoseok and Jungkook liked to frequent; relishing in the cool air. “You know,” Namjoon began, and took a sip of the weird indie beer he liked so much. Yoongi wasn’t sure how he got it outside without spilling it. “I think you should ask Taehyung out.”

Yoongi blinked. He hadn’t been anticipating such a talk, but he didn’t mind it. “Why?”

Namjoon shrugged. “It looks like he wants you to.”

Yoongi kept blinking. He hadn’t really noticed Taehyung acting especially one way or another to him recently. It had been like it always was. Quiet giggles and long hugs and a hand on his knee or arm and fingers tucking his hair behind his ear and -

“Oh,” Yoongi said, and kept blinking because wow. That is a lot to process tipsy. “Oh. That... is a good idea. Thank you, Good Idea Man. I will... think this over.”

Namjooon laughed, “You’re welcome, Stupidly In Love Man.”

Yoongi thought it over for all of two days.

Which happened to be the exact amount of time until the next time he next saw Taehyung. Which is to say he didn’t think it through much at all.

“Taehyung,” Yoongi said immediately after Taehyung had ran all the way across the courtyard to hug Yoongi. “Taehyung,” Yoongi said again because he liked his name and he liked Taehyung and he liked the way Taehyung’s smile was blinding and turned toward him and wow fuck he was so in fucking love. “I had. An idea. Well. Not my idea. Sort of my idea? Namjoon helped, because he’s good like that. Anyway. An idea. I had one.”

Taehyung giggled patiently. He still stood close, very close. His hands had found Yoongi’s and he was playing with the rings on his fingers. It was both very grounding and very distracting but Yoongi had found out that that was just sort of Taehyung as a person.

“I... think,” Yoongi said, because Taehyung had squeezed his hands and now he was rubbing circles in his knuckles and looking at Yoongi like he maybe hung the stars or some overused, ridiculous line like that but maybe that’s exactly what it was and wow Taehyung just looked so happy had he really been the one to put that smile on his face? “You are very pretty.”

Alright, well. Not what he was going for, but yeah sure he could roll with it.

Taehyung’s smile unfurled wider, and Yoongi wanted to take it all back - overused lines were perfect for this. For Taehyung and his thousand watt feels-like-sunshine smile; his looks like he fell from the sky like a star being wished on face because fuck he was ethereal and he deserved to have someone wax poetic about his like, soft silken hair or some shit.

“Well, thank you. Was that the idea? I don’t think that’s so much of an idea as an opinion. I’m not complaining either way, though,” Taehyung said; eyes shining like stars or lights or like someone that...

Really Liked Their Bro.

“Taehyung,” Yoongi asked quickly, because he couldn’t keep it in anymore he was actually going to combust if he didn’t say something. “Do you like me?” No wait. Not what he wanted to ask. Abort. Abort. “Uh, no, wait. Uh. I mean. First like, obviously you do. We’re friends. But you know, more like - like, uh - “

“I do,” Taehyung said easily, because he was perfect even though he ate the crust off sandwiches first like a madman. “Just so we’re clear, I definitely like you in a very gay way. Like, probably the most gay I could be. It would be really stellar if I could hold your hands and kiss you and stuff.”

Right. Example B of Taehyung not being a perfect being among mere mortals. He said stuff like really stellar for some reason.

It was pretty cute, but Yoongi was probably biased.

“Oh, shit,” Yoongi said, because that went along a lot better than he anticipated. Everything with Taehyung had always been so easy. He hadn’t really expected - “oh. Uh. Right. Cool. Cool, cool, cool. So. Hypothetically, if I were to ask you on a date..?”

Taehyung laughed again; quiet and lovely and leaning toward Yoongi like he was about to share a secret. “Hypothetically, I would say yes. For real?” Taehyung lifted one of the hands he still held, and pressed his lips to Yoongi’s knuckles. Yoongi felt himself gasp softly; eyes wide as he watched Taehyung smirk at him, lips still against his skin. “I wouldn’t wait for you to ask. So, how about it, hyung? Will you let me take you to dinner tonight?”

“Oh,” Yoongi said, eloquently. “I... would very much like that.”

Four hours later, and the night is as quiet as it can be in a bustling city. They’re walking hand in hand down the sidewalk; headed to one of their favorite mom and pop shops because they are creatures of habit but most importantly poor ass college kids. Yoongi can’t see any stars in the sky because light pollution doesn’t care about romance, but he can see the way Taehyung looks at Yoongi and that might be even better.

Taehyung hops over a crack in the cement and drags Yoongi along with him and Yoongi is so fucking in love that he can’t deal with it anymore. “I have been in love with you for four months,” Yoongi says.

To his credit, Taehyung doesn’t falter much. His fingers tighten around Yoongi’s and he throws a brilliant lovely amazing smile over his shoulder and says, “that’s good. I’m winning.” And his laugh is music to Yoongi’s ears and bells and his fucking destiny or something ridiculous like that because everyone knows love makes you think and say stuff that makes no fucking sense and god dammit - “I’ve been in love with your for five.” And he’s still laughing and he’s pointing out a cat in an alley they pass that looks suspiciously like that one tree cat from before they’d called Twiggy and he’s still holding Yoongi’s hand so tightly and looking at Yoongi like he is in love because he is holy fuck.

Taehyung is in love. He is in love and he’s telling Yoongi about his day trying to chase a mouse out of his apartment but feeling bad about it the whole time because Jimin was terrified but he didn’t want to upset the mouse because “mice have feelings too, hyung,” and he is absurd; absolutely ridiculous and gentle and so, so kind. And everything Yoongi didn’t know he wanted in a friend, a partner.

There is a tattoo on Yoongi’s hip. It had burned when it had happened. He had been staring up at big, wide eyes; head pounding and body aching from his fall from a tree. He had been thinking idly, wow, what pretty eyes. And then Taehyung had said, “You’re okay.” and those words had branded themselves right then and there.

And minutes later after the cat was gone and they were both panting and laughing from the absurdity of the entire ordeal, Yoongi had finally said his first words, “We make a good team,” to him and he had seen the realization dawn on Taehyung. He had seen the wide eyes, the hand that immediately flew to his shoulder. He had seen the moment when they both finally knew - they’d found each other. Somehow. Some way.

They were finally complete.

God dammit, Yoongi is so fucking in love.