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Yoongi’s eyes fell shut as the Daegu sun beamed down on him, and the wind blew through his hair. It’s a beautiful day, and it would be a crime to stay inside—Yeona told him as much when she woke up. Who was he to argue with that?
It’s a Sunday, so they had no other responsibilities anyway. He hoped that playing in the park with some friends would tire her out before school tomorrow. She recently turned seven and started school, and after the dust settled and they both adjusted, she’d grown to love it. She was doing so well, too, and he couldn’t be prouder of her.
He opened his eyes and instantly spotted his daughter. She had a massive smile on her face as she climbed the playground equipment, laughing loudly as one of her friends followed behind her. It’s a big open park, with a playground in the middle. It’s one of Yeona’s favorites, and they came here all the time.
Yoongi drifted off, thinking about what project he would start tomorrow until he’s yanked from his thoughts by a familiar, but almost forgotten voice.
“Yoongi-hyung?!”
Yoongi’s head whipped around towards the voice, and he saw exactly who he thought—Kim Taehyung, his childhood best friend, looking as beautiful as he did when they were teenagers.
They hadn’t seen each other in many years, since Yoongi left for college. It was one of the hardest things he’s ever done, but he couldn’t stay in Daegu. He needed to get out, to find himself.
No matter how badly he wanted to take Taehyung with him, he couldn’t. Taehyung still had to finish high school, and they wanted different things. Although, life had other plans, and Yoongi ended up moving back with Yeona once she was born. The last he heard, Taehyung had moved away to attend college too.
He could still see Taehyung’s face when he left, the tears running down his cheeks as his own eyes welled up.
Yoongi didn’t have many regrets in life, but leaving and losing contact with Taehyung is one of them.
“Taehyung-ah?” he gasped, standing up.
Taehyung walked over and immediately pulled him into a hug. Yoongi stiffened but hugged him back quickly. All of his thoughts and feelings from his teenage years came flooding back. Taehyung is taller than him now, at least three inches, enough for Yoongi’s head to fit perfectly in the crook of his neck.
When Yoongi thought of his childhood, he thought of Taehyung. They’d met in elementary school and remained friends through their teenage years. Along the way, complicated, and deep feelings formed on both ends, but neither spoke a word about it, convinced there was no way the other could feel the same.
Taehyung felt a bit shell-shocked. He couldn’t believe his Yoongi-hyung is standing in front of him, in his arms again. When he moved back to Daegu a few months ago, he’d hoped by some miracle, he’d run into Yoongi again, but he didn’t think the chances were high. That seemed like something out of a drama. But the world is clearly on his side today.
“How are you? Oh my god! It’s been so long!” Taehyung exclaimed as he pulled away, except his grip on Yoongi didn’t loosen.
Yoongi glanced down, smiling at the ground in the way that Taehyung had always loved.
“Way too long,” Yoongi repeated as he chuckled. “I-I’m good, though, what about you?”
Taehyung chuckled, and his eyes widened when he realized he was still holding Yoongi, and he stepped back, blushing. Yoongi could feel the warmth on his cheeks as he awkwardly shifted.
“Let’s sit down,” Taehyung offered and motioned towards the bench.
Yoongi nodded, sneaking a peek behind Taehyung at Yeona. Once he saw she was safe and occupied, he took a seat next to Taehyung and gave him his full attention.
“I’m great! I just moved back. Actually, I hope this doesn’t sound too lame or too forward or anything, but when I did, I thought about you," Taehyung offered, and Yoongi’s eyes widened. “L-like, I wondered what the chances were of us running into each other again. They seemed so slim, but here we are!”
Taehyung was speaking fast, over himself a little, and Yoongi could tell he was nervous. But he felt nervous too—like he was a teenager again.
“Here we are,” Yoongi echoed, shaking his head as he chuckled. “What brought you back?”
Taehyung beamed and excitedly clapped his hands together. “I just opened a studio! Finally got enough money and clients together. I figured returning to my roots, and opening up here would be a good idea.”
Yoongi couldn’t help but smile too, feeling found as Taehyung spoke. The younger had always dreamed of owning his own studio, and Yoongi is glad he’s finally able to do that.
“Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi replied sweetly. “I’m so proud of you! That’s awesome.”
Taehyung's cheeks darkened as he looked away.
It’s like no time had passed at all, their conversation flowing as easily as it did when they were young. The butterflies and soft gazes remained the same, too.
Yoongi’s chest ached with the thought of what could have been. Taehyung sitting in front of him, smiling as beautiful as he always did, seemed to bring up all of his teenage feelings. He shoved them down, for now, not wanting to think about that—not having time to think about it.
He hadn’t dated anyone since he moved back to Daegu with Yeona. She’s his world, and he didn’t have time; between work and caring for her, he didn’t have room for anyone else in his life—or his heart.
But with Taehyung smiling so brightly at him, he thought that maybe he wouldn’t mind making room for him. Although, he thought perhaps he wouldn’t have to work too hard because maybe Taehyung never left in the first place.
“What about you? What have you been up to? I didn’t think the Min Yoongi would ever find himself back in Daegu. You had such big dreams. How’s that going?”
Yoongi let out an awkward chuckle. He’s ambitious by nature, and even more so when he was younger. He hadn’t achieved many of those dreams from his younger days, but now he had different ones involving many firsts with Yeona and being there for her. He can’t say his life has gone exactly according to plan, but he wouldn’t change anything about where he ended up.
“Uh, well—” Yoongi was cut off by a shriek of laughter.
Taehyung and Yoongi’s heads snapped to the sound, only to see Yeona barreling towards Yoongi. She threw himself into his lap, yelling, “Appa! Appa!”
Yoongi held her close and placed a kiss on her temple. “Hey, sweetheart,” he cooed. She threw her arms around him and hugged him.
He looked to Taehyung, expecting to see a hesitant look, but found Taehyung beaming at the little girl, eyes wide with adoration. He’s taken aback. He didn’t expect Taehyung to react this well.
“This is what I’ve been up to.”
Taehyung smiled, eyes crinkling as he looked between Yeona and Yoongi.
“Oh yeah? Who’s this adorable little creature?” Taehyung asked, leaning forward.
Yoongi chuckled as Yeona beamed back. When she first started school, she had been shy but recently came out of her shell and had lots of friends, coming home and excitedly telling him all about them. “Can you introduce yourself, baby?”
Yeona nodded enthusiastically. “My name is Yeona, and I am seven years old!” she chirped.
Yoongi smiled fondly at her. “And you know this is only okay because he’s not a stranger, right? I was already talking to him. We were friends when we were younger. This is Kim Taehyung.”
She rolled her eyes, and Yoongi frowned, poking her side. She giggled.
“Yes, Appa, of course, I know. Don’t talk to strangers,” Yeona recited. “Nice to meet you, Taehyung-ssi!”
Taehyung bowed slightly in response, coming back up with a smile. “Nice to meet you too, Yeona-ssi!”
She giggled at that.
The interaction warmed Taehyung’s heart. He didn’t know Yoongi had a daughter, obviously, but seeing them interact and how happy Yoongi looked is an indescribable feeling. He thought about Yoongi many times over the years and could only hope the older man was happy—and he seemed to be.
Yoongi didn’t know what to say next and swallowed nervously. “Honey, did you want something?” he asked Yeona.
Her face lit up. “Oh, yes! Eun-mi had to go home. And I’m hungry.”
Yoongi glanced at his watch and then at Taehyung. It was getting late, and they should probably head home. “Okay, I think we can fix that. But first, I know it was supposed to be just us tonight for dinner, but would you mind if Taehyung-ssi joined us?”
Yeona’s head tilted to the side, contemplating as Taehyung’s eyes widened at the offer. “Hm, nope!” she declared. “Can we still have jjigae if he comes?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Yoongi replied and glanced to Taehyung. He didn’t know what he expected to see, but it wasn’t the younger-looking excited. “Do—um—do you want to come over for dinner, Taehyung-ah?”
Taehyung’s eyes looked like they were sparkling as he happily nodded. “If you guys would have me, I’d love to.”
“Yes, yes, Taehyung-ssi! Please come!” Yeona exclaimed.
Taehyung and Yoongi smiled at each other as Yoongi pulled Yeona tight against him. She squirmed and protested with a whine.
“Appa! Let go!”
Yoongi complied as Taehyung grinned. He always loved kids, and tonight seemed like a good opportunity to catch up with Yoongi and to get to know Yeona.
Yeona got off Yoongi’s lap and took his hand, attempting to pull him up in the most adorable way. The men couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.
“Apparently, someone’s ready to go,” Yoongi chuckled. “Do you need a ride, or should I send you the address?”
“You can send me the address,” Taehyung replied with a smirk. He stood up too, and the three of them walked to their cars together.
During the walk, Yeona started to tell Taehyung about her favorite show. He listened happily and asked her all the questions he could think of. Yoongi could barely keep up, impressed at the speed at which they talked.
They reached the car, and Yoongi strapped Yeona in her car seat, turned the car on, and then walked to the front, meeting Taehyung there.
“So, you have a kid?” Taehyung asked, a smirk on his face.
Yoongi nodded, smiling shyly. “Yeah. I still can’t believe it. She’s so big and keeps getting bigger. I tell her to stop growing every day, and she gets so frustrated when I say that because ‘Appa, I can’t just stop growing. Don't be ridiculous.’ I love her so much, Taehyung-ah.”
“I can tell,” Taehyung replied, smiling fondly. “I don’t know the whole story or much about how your life has been over the past decade, but can I say I’m really proud of you? You’re doing such a great job with her, I can tell already.”
Yoongi’s smile faltered as Taehyung held his gaze. His heart swelled, and he tried to keep his eyes from welling up with tears.
The truth is, it had been a hard few years. Raising a child on your own isn’t easy, even with all of the help in the world. It touched him that Taehyung felt he’s doing well, especially since Yoongi thought they might have left things on bad terms.
“T-thank you,” Yoongi muttered and tried to collect himself. “Address! I need to give you my address. Do you want to exchange numbers?”
Taehyung’s head tilted to the side. “It hasn’t changed.”
“Really?” Taehyung nodded. “Looks like I still have it, then.”
They both smiled, and Yoongi took out his phone and texted Taehyung the address.
“See you in a few,” Yoongi told him and bowed before making his way to his car, and Taehyung did the same.
--------------
Yoongi and Yeona made it to the apartment first and waited so the three of them could walk together. Yeona happily greeted Taehyung when Yoongi took her out of the car. It filled Yoongi with a sense of joy to see them interacting so well. It just made him wish they hadn’t missed out on so much time and never lost touch at all.
“How hungry is everybody?”
At the same time, Yeona and Taehyung both replied, “Starving.” It made Yoongi snort.
“Okay, I can get started on dinner in that case,” He turned to Yeona as they reached the apartment. “Do you want to watch something on tv while I make dinner?”
She nodded excitedly. “Can Taehyung-ssi and I watch Pororo?” She glanced between the two men with a mean set of puppy eyes that neither of them could even begin to resist.
“That sounds good to me, but I think you have someone else to ask,” Yoongi replied.
Yeona set fixed her puppy eyes right at Taehyung, pouting a little for effect. “Tae-ssi, do you want to watch Pororo with me? I told you about it earlier!”
Yoongi watched Taehyung practically melt in front of him.
“I would love to,” the younger affirmed, smiling down at her.
Yoongi punched in the numbers to the keypad and opened the door. Yeona ran inside, and Yoongi chuckled and shook his head.
“Yeona! Shoes!” He called out after her. She came to a stop and then turned back around, coming back to the door, muttering an apology as she took her shoes off.
Taehyung and Yoongi followed suit as Yeona ran off to her room.
“Are you—um, okay with entertaining her while I make dinner?” Yoongi asked, shifting nervously.
“Of course not. I came for her as much as you. Don’t worry, hyung. I love kids.”
A beautifully gummy smile spread across Yoongi’s face. “She should go to bed early tonight because of school. If you’re able to stay that long, we can catch up after?” he offered.
The same beautiful smile spread across Taehyung’s face. “I'd love that.”
They stood there, smiling at each other, until Yeona came running out, shoving her favorite plushie, a penguin, towards Taehyung. He could tell that penguins were her favorite animal.
“This is Duri! He’s my favorite plushie!” she announced. Taehyung and Yeona fell into a deep conversation about plushies and penguins, and Yoongi slipped off to start dinner.
Yoongi’s a happy person, especially with Yeona in the picture, but with Taehyung here, he felt a different type of happiness and a special surge of excitement at the idea of spending time with Taehyung later.
He started to cut up the various ingredients, hearing laugher coming from the living room. He heard the tv start and the familiar sound of Pororo coming from the TV. It’s an old show that Yeona had watched many times, but it’s her still favorite.
He got the stew going and made his way out to the living room. He hovered at the doorway, taking in the sight of Yeona in Taehyung’s lap as they watched the show. He grinned and waited to see how long he could get away with it.
Yeona caught him first. “Appa! Come watch too!”
Yoongi nodded and sat down next to Taehyung, and Yeona crawled from Taehyung’s lap to his own. She cuddled into him. He set a timer for the stew to know when it’s done. Then, he settled into the couch, with the two of them, laughing along with them and getting into the show.
Soon enough, the episode ended, and dinner was ready. They made their way to the kitchen, Yoongi grabbing bowls for the three of them, and they made their way to the table.
Yoongi couldn’t help but feel content as Taehyung and Yeona ate their food. They were excitedly talking, Yeona talking about how much she loved jjigae. Taehyung complimented Yoongi as well, making him blush.
Yoongi hadn’t realized how much he missed someone else’s company like this until this moment. Everything so far felt so domestic, a feeling that Yoongi hadn’t let himself yearn for since he broke up with Yeona’s mom, which was before she was born.
It wasn’t anything big and dramatic. The couple just realized it wasn’t going to work out. They wanted different things and weren’t able to make it work. Although, they did agree on one thing, and that was Yeona. They managed to co-parent her to the best of their abilities.
They’ve made mistakes, of course, neither of them are perfect parents, but they’ve done a great job raising her. It warms Yoongi’s heart to see Yeona blossoming and growing every day.
The three of them made small talk over dinner, chatting about their days and Yeona’s school and such. They finished up soon enough. Yoongi went to collect the dishes, but Taehyung stopped him, took their bowls, and cleaned them in the sink. Yoongi could only blink, touched by Taehyung’s familiar generosity.
Yeona asked if they could watch a movie before bed and both Taehyung and Yoongi happily agreed. She insisted upon sitting in Yoongi’s lap. She’s in a clingy mood, but Yoongi didn’t mind. He loved his little girl and knew it wouldn’t last forever.
Yoongi and Taehyung tried to talk a few times, but Yeona quickly shushed them and insisted they pay attention. They couldn’t help but chuckle and then did as they were told.
Yeona had been finding her voice lately, with school, which led to her discovering her bossy side. Yoongi didn’t mind, although he had to rein her in a few times and scold her. Overall, she was using it for good. He couldn’t get upset with that.
Taehyung inched closer and closer as the movie went on, and Yoongi didn’t notice until halfway through when their shoulders and legs were touching, pressed together. Taehyung shot him a shy smile, and Yoongi returned it. Yeona ended up halfway in both of their laps, and it warmed Yoongi's heart—the domestic feel of it all.
He’s glad she took a liking to Taehyung because he hoped the younger would be around more. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss him during their time apart. He didn’t want to lose contact again, either.
Yeona yawned and stretched and then buried her head in Yoongi’s neck, the telltale sign that she’s ready for bed.
“Alright, I think someone’s ready for bed,” Yoongi spoke, and Yeona made a noise of agreement. He kissed her head and looked at Taehyung. “Give me like twenty minutes, okay?”
Taehyung broke out into the most beautiful smile and nodded, content to entertain himself for a bit.
Yoongi helped Yeona get ready for bed, but it mainly consisted of proudly watching as she brushed her teeth and got herself into bed. He still can’t believe how much she’s grown. He feels like it was just yesterday; she was born, and then took her first steps, and uttered her first words, and so on.
He tucked her into bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you. Sleep well, baby.”
She smiled back, pulling the covers close. “I love you too, Appa. Have fun with Taehyung-ssi.”
Yoongi cheeks darkened. She’s perceptive, one of her best qualities.
He wished her goodnight again and then made his way out to the living room. He smiled upon seeing Taehyung cozy on the couch.
“Hi,” he mumurred.
“Hi there,” Taehyung replied and motioned for him to sit on the couch.
Yoongi hesitated but then sat down. He left some space between them, but Taehyung didn’t let that fly and scooted closer to him. Yoongi snorted.
“So, catching up,” Taehyung remarked.
“Where did you wanna start?” Yoongi asked.
“What have you been up to? I remember when you wanted to be a big-time producer. I thought you would make it, actually. I loved all of the demos you showed me. You’re really talented, hyung.”
Yoongi flushed, shifting awkwardly. It didn’t go unnoticed how Taehyung used talent in the present tense. He hadn’t thought about his music in years, shelving that dream to pursue a different avenue, that included financial stability.
“Ah, you’re funny, Taehyung-ah. I tried some freelancing for a while after I graduated, but I needed to get a stable job when we found out about Yeona.”
Taehyung’s face fell slightly, but he recovered with a smile, but Yoongi still caught it. “Oh, we?”
“Oh, yeah, Yeona’s mom, Soo-Min.” Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “We’re not together. She lives in Incheon. We have a custody agreement, but Yeona lives here most of the time. We’re—um, not together. We were, but it just didn’t work out for us. Soo-Min still had another year left of college when Yeona was born, but I had already graduated, so I moved back to Daegu with Yeona, and the rest is history, pretty much. My parents helped me get this job and helped me a lot with Yeona. I’ve been working my way up ever since.”
Taehyung listened with such fascination, a fond smile on his face, nodding along as Yoongi spoke about his life over the last decade. “What do you work in now?”
“Oh! Yeah, I work in marketing. I got into marketing when I realized I needed to settle down, and like I said, my parents helped me here, and now I work at a big marketing firm. Not what I imagined exactly, but I like what I do a lot, and it pays good, so I can’t complain too much.”
Taehyung gasped, “Hyung, that’s so cool!”
Yoongi’s could feel the warmth from his cheeks, and he shook his head, bringing a hand up to hide his smile. “Oh, you hush.”
“Why would I do that when it gets you to smile like that? All shy and adorable,” Taehyung teased.
Yoongi’s eyes widened at the sudden boldness. Although, it should have been expected. Taehyung was always bolder out of the two of them. He just didn’t expect it right off the bat when they were still getting comfortable with each other again.
Taehyung’s eyes widened as Yoongi’s did, and he backtracked. “Oh god, I’m sorry. That was too strong, wasn’t it? I-I-” he cut himself off with a huff. “No, you know what? I don’t want to lose any more time, or lose you,” Yoongi’s eyes grew wider, and his heartbeat sped up as the younger continued. “Can I tell you something, hyung?” Yoongi nodded warily. “I used to have such a crush on you. Or well, it was more than that. You were the first crush I ever had on a guy. You gave me quite the sexuality crisis,” Taehyung let out an awkward chuckle, and Yoongi’s mouth fell open. “I thought I got over it, I really did, but spending time with you today just made me realize that I didn’t get over it. It just... went dormant. Seeing you again today just awoke all of those feelings again, hyung.”
Yoongi did the only thing he could think of and surged forward, throwing his arms around Taehyung’s neck and crashed their lips together.
Taehyung made a surprised noise from the back of his throat but quickly placed his hands at Yoongi’s side and kissed him back. He squeezed Yoongi's hips, and the older man gasped. Taehyung took the opportunity and slipped his tongue into Yoongi’s mouth. Yoongi threw his leg around Taehyung and climbed into his lap, pressing the younger into the couch. He could feel Taehyung smirk against his lips.
Yoongi pulled away before things could go further, panting as he hid his head in Taehyung’s neck to keep him from seeing the deep blush on his cheeks.
"D-daughter—sleeping," Yoongi stammered.
Taehyung couldn’t help but chuckle and kiss the elder’s temple. “Of course,” he replied and gently pushed Yoongi back so they were face to face. “We should probably talk anyway?”
Yoongi nodded, but his eyes fell to Taehyung’s lips again. “One more kiss?”
Taehyung chuckled and leaned forward, connecting their lips in a slower, more passionate kiss. Yoongi shivered from the emotion it contained.
The funny thing is that Taehyung kissed just as Yoongi imagined—strong, yet gentle, confident, yet still hesitant, content to let him take the lead.
It’s everything that Yoongi pictured and more. It was worth the wait.
Taehyung pulled away first this time and pressed a kiss to the corner of Yoongi’s mouth.
"Taehyung-ah," he whispered, and Taehyung hummed in response. “I’ve loved you since we were kids.”
Taehyung’s face lit up into the biggest, boxiest smile that Yoongi had ever seen from him. It made him feel warm all over. He leaned forward and kissed him again, but it did nothing to diminish the smile on his face and made it hard to kiss him properly, but Yoongi didn’t care.
The younger pulled away, kissing along his face, down his jaw, and then his neck, and buried his head in it, letting out a soft whine.
“What's up?” Yoongi asked, nuzzling his head against Taehyung’s.
“Just—” he exhaled. “Teenage me is screaming inside right now.”
Yoongi burst out laughing, and Taehyung couldn’t help but join him.
“Same here,” the elder murmured.
Once they calmed down, Taehyung pulled back and fixed a serious look at Yoongi. “Okay, so, talking,” he started. "I-I know you’re probably crazy busy, and your heart is probably full already—which, by the way, you are an amazing father. I can’t even put into words how great of a kid she is and the amazing job you’ve done raising her,” Yoongi’s face scrunched up, and he tried to stay focused, but his heart started beating wildly in his chest, and a blush spread to the tips of his ears. “But, um, I was wondering if maybe you had some more room in there—” he poked Yoongi’s chest for emphasis, “For me too?”
Yoongi completely melted head tilting to the side and all. He grabbed Taehyung’s hand. “You know, you’ve always had a spot in here.” He brought Taehyung’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.
Now, it was Taehyung’s turn to melt.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Yoongi leaned forward and kissed Taehyung gently. “I love you too.”
It turns out that they were right; Yoongi didn’t have to look within himself too deeply—that Taehyung always had and always will have a place in his heart.