Chapter Text
Your heart said that if you were going to dance, it should be with the person who you had been eager to see for the longest. Sure you had plans to spend time with Taehyung soon, but he had seemed disappointed that Jimin was included. This was your chance to show him you were serious about reconnecting.
Even though it seemed like everyone had moved around, you decided to start with the table where you had last seen Tae. He had moved on already but several of his family members were still there. “Oh, there you are darling,” his grandmother said when she spotted you. “I haven’t gotten to congratulate you properly. Your ceremony was just beautiful, we’re all so proud.”
“Thank you so much, Madame,” you responded politely, as befit her station as a member of the council of elders, though she scolded you and reminded you that she didn’t allow ‘family’ to use her title. “Sorry, Granny. Did you happen to see where Taehyung went? I was planning to spend some time with him now that my meetings are done.”
Granny’s wizened face could still light up with youthful mischief, you quickly discovered. “Oh, good, he’ll be walking on air for a week. I’ve missed how happy he was when you were around. He told me that he was going to get a drink. That wasn’t long ago, so he should still be there.”
Sure enough, you found the man you were looking for near the refreshments, a nearly empty glass in his hand. Jimin was with him, and both of them were laughing. The familiar sight brought a smile to your face as you called out their names. Both of them looked pleasantly surprised to see you.
“Finally done?” Jimin asked, checking his watch. “I’m shocked. I thought Jungkook would keep you to himself for ages.”
“Oh no, he was very courteous and wanted me to enjoy the party,” you assured him. “I didn’t realize you knew each other, though.”
“The Jeon village isn’t far from mine. I’ve known him at least as long as I’ve known you- the fun of living in two places a year was having two sets of friends.” Jimin surprised you by placing a hand under your elbow, gently pulling you in the direction of the dance floor. “I can introduce you to more of my friends from back home, too. Come dance with us. Tae turned me down.”
“Oh, well…” you turned sad eyes towards Taehyung. “I actually came looking for Tae, but I did want to dance…”
“Hey, I said no to Jimin, not you,” he replied. “Of course I’ll dance with the star of the night. It’s been too long.” He downed the last of his drink in one quick swallow that made his Adam’s apple bob, then he grinned at you playfully. “Do you think you can still keep up?”
“Still? I never could in the first place,” you laughed. Taehyung had always been more athletic and graceful than you, but he didn’t mind slowing down for your sake sometimes. He once said that he would rather dance badly with you than dance well with anyone else.
Jimin lead the way but Taehyung walked beside you, his hand hovering over the small of your back to keep you close. Apparently he still planned to keep a respectful distance, and you appreciated it for the most part, though every time his fingers brushed over the lacing of your dress one small part of your brain screamed for him to just touch you already. This careful game almost felt like a tease.
When you reached his friends Jimin pulled you forward by the hand to make introductions, but your free hand trailed behind you and grabbed Taehyung’s sleeve. You worried that if you took your eyes off of him for too long he might try to disappear. Jungkook waved at you brightly from the center of the group where he’d clearly been having a blast since you parted ways. Everyone present knew your name of course, and several had met Taehyung when he visited Jimin’s hometown, but there were still a few exchanges to be made- including you unexpectedly having to introduce your friends to Jung Hoseok since he and some cousins had joined the group while Jimin was away. That meant more than half of your suitors were right here on a single dance floor that suddenly seemed very small and crowded. Your grip on Taehyung’s shirt tightened.
Somehow, though, everything went fine. Whoever had assembled the playlist for the night must have been blessed with the Sight, because there were no slow songs to create an awkward atmosphere. Taehyung was your first dance partner, which helped you gain your confidence, then Jimin predictably stole you away when the song changed. Hoseok made sure to cut in next, and then you were emboldened enough to snag Jungkook for a turn. Everyone seemed to be having fun together regardless of who you were paired with. By the time you finished your dance with Jungkook and spun yourself back to Tae, your face hurt from smiling, laughing, and singing. “Do you need a break?” he asked, and though you were eager to dance with him again, you were also suddenly aware that you had gone hours on a hot summer night without anything to drink. It took just one nod for Taehyung to escort you off the dance floor, grab a pair of bottled waters on the way past the refreshment table, and find a quiet place near the edge of the venue for the two of you to sit and rest your feet side by side.
“I haven’t had that much fun in… literally, years,” you sighed contentedly after your first refreshing drink. “It reminded me of when we dragged everyone to the city to go clubbing for our birthdays one year. Less dark and loud, though- I can actually talk to everyone here.”
“We lost Namjoon between the first and second clubs.” Taehyung laughed at the memory, fiddling with the cap of his water bottle. “One second he was there and the next, gone.”
“Oh, I had almost forgotten that! It’s funny now, but at the time I was panicking about what I would tell his parents!” You stifled your giggles by attempting to take another drink- dawn was coming all too soon, and you wanted to re-hydrate and squeeze in a little more time on the dance floor.
“It’s good to see you smiling again.” Tae’s voice came out soft, the husky edge more intensified, and he looked at you with deep affection. “I was worried about you for a while. The last time I saw you, you had dark circles under your eyes and you never put your books down. I thought you might crack from the stress before you got here.”
“You know how it is the last few months before your ascension,” you shrugged. “I seem to recall a 3 AM phone call from you because you were out of chalk. It wasn’t even a time sensitive ritual, you just had no idea you’d been awake for almost 24 hours.”
“You’ve got me there,” he chuckled back. “I didn’t like watching you go through it, though. I’ve always worried too easily when it comes to you.” His hand stretched out towards yours, but instead of taking it as you expected he hesitated, briefly patted the back of your hand, and then moved away again.
Keeping his distance was one thing, but watching him so blatantly pull back from a perfectly innocent show of affection was too much. “Kim Taehyung,” you said firmly, watching him flinch a little. “I knew I wasn’t imagining things. Why are you suddenly terrified to touch me?”
With a heavily burdened sigh, he slumped for a moment, then raised his hand to gesture at you. “Look at what you’re wearing tonight. The next time you wear that dress will be your wedding day, you know. No man should be touching you in that dress except your husband.”
“Don’t be silly, Tae, that’s not a thing.”
Without warning he was in your space- so close that he had to lean in only slightly to rest his forehead on yours. “The ‘thing’ is that I would really like to sneak you away from here and kiss you so hard that you forget which way is up. If I let myself touch you I’ll just keep wanting more. But you have six other suitors and they’re good men- some of them friends I hope to keep for my whole life. I’ll understand if you pick someone else and I’ll probably even be happy for you. But if I have to go to your wedding and watch you marry someone else in that dress, I don’t want to be remembering the day I kissed you in it first. So please, help me out here. I’m trying to be good.” His deep voice cracked a little toward the end, nearly a whine, as if he were pleading with you.
“Oh. Okay.” If Taehyung noticed how hoarse your voice was after his sudden confession, he politely ignored it to save your dignity. He simply pressed a very chaste kiss to your hair before pulling back into his own space and finishing off his water. You did the same, trying to deal with your sudden dry mouth and racing heart before begging to go back to the dance floor for just a few more songs. If you could just keep moving, maybe you wouldn’t have to think for a while.