TAEGI SMUTS [ᵃᵒ3]

An Old Flame Made New

Ao3 by : allways_always

Summary :

When Yoongi runs into an old friend at his high school reunion, he has a night he’ll never forget.

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“You look good, hyung,” Taehyung says, lifting his drink in greeting.

Yoongi tugs at his tie. He hates dressing up. He also hates parties, reminiscing about the old days, and visiting his hometown. So what, exactly, possessed him to attend his high school reunion? He’s been chasing the answer for an hour now, listening as his classmates bore him with small talk about their lives. There are very few people from high school that he feels any connection to. They’ve all stayed in touch since graduating, so attending a reunion seems entirely unnecessary. Still, he’s here.

He’s here, staring down Kim Taehyung, old friend and crush (the word makes Yoongi shudder — was he really that pathetic?). Time, Yoongi has learned, is quite unkind to most people. Some of his former classmates spoke to him with shocking familiarity; he squinted at them under spinning colored lights and still couldn’t recall most of their names. Everyone looked older, some heavier, some thinner, everyone more tired.

Taehyung, however, seems to be of the rare breed of human that only gets finer with age. Yoongi would’ve known that if he had kept up with social media, but he hated that kind of stuff, too. So to come face to face with Taehyung—ten years older, handsome beyond belief and smirking like he’s well aware of it—well, Yoongi wasn’t quite ready for that.

“Thanks,” Yoongi says, forcing a smile. He thought by now a couple of beers would loosen him up, but seeing Taehyung again has made him all but shut down.

Taehyung nods at the group behind Yoongi. “I see you brought moral support. Care to introduce me?”

“Oh, right, yeah,” He turns to his friend and gestures at him, “Kim Taehyung, this is Kim Namjoon. His cousin Sujin went here. Remember her? We just smuggled Namjoon in.”

He waves and smiles. “Nice to meet you, Taehyung. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The darkness of the gymnasium hides Yoongi’s death glare, and he’s grateful for Taehyung’s gracious laugh. “It’s all true. In fact, he’s probably not even telling you the half of it.” He grins and glances at Yoongi. “Do you want another drink, hyung? I’m going to grab another.”

“Yeah, sure, that would be great. Just a beer is fine,” Yoongi answers.

Taehyung nods and heads toward the bar. Namjoon leans across the high top table and swats at Yoongi’s arm. “You told me he was attractive, but you did not adequately prepare me for that.”

“What?” Yoongi asks, playing dumb. But he knows the answer: Taehyung with his dark hair swept off his face, lips pink and slick like he’s just kissed someone, his eyebrows carefully sculpted into sharp angles. The suit he’s wearing must cost more than Yoongi’s monthly rent, he guesses. Deep blue, impeccably tailored, fitted along Taehyung’s broad shoulders and tapered at his narrow waist.

“When you told me about a childhood crush, I was picturing some cute, dopey kid who maybe grew up to have a decent set of teeth and a receding hairline. Not an actual Greek statue came to life.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “We aren’t even thirty yet. Who’s got a receding hairline?”

“You’re missing the point,” Namjoon mutters, shaking his head. “Taehyung is gorgeous, and if you don’t make a move…”

“What? You will?” Yoongi scoffs.

“Well, you did introduce me as just a friend, so you left the door wide open for me.” Namjoon grins wider and smooths his hand along his hair. “Wait until you see my moves.”