Issues • Kim Taehyung x Reader

iii.

His friends pulled up in two separate cars and parked along the curb. Jungkook, Hoseok, and Yoongi got out of the first, Yoongi having driven, and Jimin, Jin, and Namjoon got out of the second car.

That's funny, Namjoon drove. Maybe it's because it's Jimin's birthday? Because Jimin usually drives-

Taehyung cut off his thoughts. He hadn't seen them in years. He didn't know who drove what anymore. He sure as heck didn't have the right to be surprised by it or to make baseless assumptions about what they would do.

They'd all grown up and changed without him.

But he'd changed too.

"TAEHYUNGIE!" Hoseok yelled out, already running over to crush him in a hug.

"Taehyung," Yoongi said, smiling.

But Yoongi was always annoyed with me. Maybe he's had something to drink? Why else would he be so happy to see me?

Yoongi pushed Hoseok out of the way to give Taehyung a hug himself, and Taehyung couldn't move. He felt so torn between wanting to hug back and realizing that he wasn't allowed to.

They hadn't left him. He'd left them. He didn't deserve hugs. He didn't deserve to be happy with them.

But he wanted to. How much he wanted to.

"V," Jimin said with a smile, calling him by the stage name he hadn't used in eight years, and Taehyung froze up, feeling as though he'd been transported back in time.

"V! We're grabbing a snack after practice. Come with us!"

"Please, TaeTae? It's no fun if you're not there! Ow, Jimin! Don't smack me!"

"Don't say I'm no fun!"

"...Fine, you're a little fun, but TaeTae should come with anyway!"

"Fine, fine," Taehyung said, laughing. "I'll come just so Jimin won't smack you."

"Praise Jesus for Tae!"

"Good to see you," Jimin said, suddenly standing right in front of Taehyung, who swallowed before nodding, looking down.

"Happy birthday, Jimin," he said, his voice thick.

"Hey, look me in the eyes when you say it at least," Jimin said, laughing as he put a finger on Taehyung's chin and lifted his face up so their eyes met. "See? Aren't my eyes pretty? So don't stare at the grass, please and thank you."

Taehyung nodded before Jimin hugged him. Taehyung's fingers curled around the fabric of Jimin's jacket briefly before he drew back. Of course, Namjoon and Jin wanted hugs too, so Taehyung complied, but he still felt uneasy. Maybe because he felt like they betrayed them somehow. Maybe just because he hadn't seen them in so long and they all looked like real adults now. Maybe because they'd never been to his house before.

He didn't know. That stuff was for his psychologist to sort out.

"Well invite us in already," Hoseok said, grinning, and Taehyung had little choice but to comply.

"All right..." he said, turning towards his house before taking a deep breath and walking towards the front door, but before he could open it, his wife was already there, smiling at his friends.

"It's been such a long time," she said. "It's so nice to see Taehyung reuniting with his old friends."

Old friends. Like we aren't friends anymore, like we won't ever be friends-

"Ah, it's so nice to see you too!" Jungkook exclaimed, giving her a hug as he went in. He'd always done his best to support their relationship since Taehyung had been his best friend and Jungkook had wanted him to be happy.

"I knew Taehyung was hiding his lovely wife around here somewhere," Hoseok joked as he joined Jungkook inside, and Taehyung's wife giggled.

After everyone was inside and seated, she brought in a plate of snacks and some drinks.

"Please, help yourselves. I'm sorry we don't have any alcohol, but Taehyung doesn't drink much." She smiled.

Who was it who told me that I wasn't allowed to?

"No problem!" Jimin said and Namjoon nodded, holding up two six-packs. "We brought some with us."

She smiled again, but Taehyung noticed that it was tighter than usual, which meant she wasn't happy about something. After a moment, she waved. "I'm going to go to sleep, but you all enjoy yourselves. Nice seeing you! Good night."

Everyone yelled out "Good night" and she left.

Taehyung was able to breathe just a little bit more easily.

Namjoon got to work opening the beers, but when he passed them out, Taehyung declined, thinking about his wife and how she would already be upset with him tomorrow. No need to make it worse. "Come on, Taehyung! Live a little!"

Reluctantly, he nodded, accepting the can.

"So?" Jimin asked, leaning forward eagerly. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"Yeah, give us the scoop!" Hoseok added, propping up his head with his fist.

"Nothing really," Taehyung mumbled before taking a sip of beer and cringing. "What about you guys?"

Yoongi brightened up. "We got picked up by a new music label. They said we're getting too old to dance, which is their nice way of saying they want to give other groups a chance to try and be as good as us, which they won't be. But! They heard some of the new stuff I was writing, and they signed a contract with us. We record singles and do some voice acting on the side."

"Not just VOICE acting!" Jin piped up. "We've gotten a few acting jobs, mostly dramas because they're in need of people with pretty faces. Hey! Taehyung, you should join us!"

Taehyung chuckled nervously. "Can't. I've already got a job, and..."

"And what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just can't."

Jungkook watched the two of them, smiling sadly. "Just drop it, Jin, okay?"

Jin nodded, sighing before bringing up a different topic that excited him, and Taehyung smiled tensely at Jungkook to thank him.

It was well into the early hours of the morning when Jimin and squad got up to leave. Somehow, they still had energy even though Taehyung was exhausted. Still, though, there was something electrifying about seeing them, and that kept him awake.

He congratulated Jimin again on his birthday and they all filed out the door. Last to go was Jungkook, but he hung back inside for a second, giving Taehyung a quick hug. "I hope you'll tell me what's going on soon," he whispered in Taehyung's ear before pulling back and patting him on the shoulder. "Bye, TaeTae." He smiled before walking away, waving at Taehyung over his shoulder without looking back.

"Bye, Kookie," Taehyung whispered, his heart clenching as he watched them all get in the cars and drive away.