Summary: A bond that can’t be broken + Friends to Lovers
Pairing: Taehyung x Reader
Genre: A lot of fluff, a splash of smut, and a hint of angst
A/N: This fic was one that I started a long while ago. Because of school, and a lack of motivation to write, I picked it up and put it down a lot. Finally, it’s done.
I really enjoyed creating something that feels so pure in nature. I hope you guys enjoy it.
**In the event that you’re unable to load the fic on the mobile app, please try desktop! I learned from Act On It that the app has trouble loading long posts!**
You’ve always hated the country.
The stretching fields, the dirt roads—the smell of cow manure and the decrepit barns and abandoned houses. Your parents had always tried to convince you that getting away from the city—seeing vast land like this—was a good thing. Taking the back roads and exploring were things that children were supposed to enjoy. An adventure to find things yet seen—but to you, one corn field is the same as the next. The faded red barns and boarded up houses become an eyesore.
You really hate coming out of the city and into the country.
The only thing here that you like is your grandmother.
Oh, and the boy next door.
Your grandmother has always lived out in the country—a peaceful area to retire, with few neighbors and little disturbances. She likes it here, and you doubt that she’ll ever move. And sure—coming out to visit her isn’t all bad. She feeds you and plays games with you. Stocks up on movies for the two of you to watch, and makes spending the day with her fun.
You love your grandmother, and visiting her—but you start to love it more the day you meet Taehyung.
One day, your father parks in the driveway in front of your grandmother’s ranch-style home. He reminds you to grab your overnight bag as you climb out of the car—the ripe age of 8 and a half. You reach back in to grab it as your father closes the driver’s side door and moseys up the drive.
After swinging your bag over your shoulder, you reach up to slide your door shut, but pause once your hand touches the handle. On a whim, you glance back at the main road, eyes catching on a small figure across the street.
In the country, houses aren’t very close, but you can still make out the little boy standing in the lawn of the house parallel to you grandmothers. His dirt splotched overalls are cuffed around his ankles, red shirt sagging off his shoulder, and black hair messy on his head. He’s staring at you with amazement written on his face, and before you know it a blush has risen on your cheeks.
You don’t realize it until later on—what the heat on your face and the flutter of your heart meant (because crushes are a little hard to figure out, in your opinion)—but that’s the moment you saw him.
Your father calls after you, and you hear your grandmother open the front door. Snapping out of it, you slide the car door shut and run inside.
You don’t see Kim Taehyung until you come back to visit 2 months later.
This time, he appears much, much closer. On the front porch of your grandmother’s house, in fact—hidden behind his own grandmother’s leg shyly.
“Oh, Taehyung here says that he saw your granddaughter last time she came to visit and wanted to play. But he’s a little shy,” his grandmother says, smiling fondly as she reaches down to ruffle the boys hair.
“Oh, Y/N is a little shy too,” your grandmother laughs, placing her hand on your shoulder. “But what do you say? Would you like to play with Taehyung today?”
Your eyes flit to Taehyung, excitement and anxiousness mingling in your veins. Trying to make new friends has always been scary to you, but…
“Yes,” you say, watching as Taehyung immediately perks up—smile breaking out on his face.
“C’mon!” he shouts and reaches forward, clasping your hand in his. He tugs you right out the front door and onto the grass, beaming a box-shaped grin as he makes his way back towards the road.
“I have some action figures we can play with!” he declares as his grandmother promises to have you home by dinner in the background. “Nana just got me a new game too! It’s a game with marbles and I’m still learning it but I think it’d be fun!”
For a moment, you simply stare at him—caught off guard by his friendly demeanor, when just seconds ago he had been acting much shyer than you. And yet—
His smile is contagious, and you laugh, nodding your head as he leads you across the dirt road—hands still clasped tight.
“Let’s play with it all!”
You tell your dad that you want to start visiting grandma more. With a knowing smile, he says that he’ll try to work it out.
Taehyung is your best friend. Some people at school don’t believe that your best friend is a boy who lives in the country. In fact, the mean girls’ claim that he’s made up—an imaginary friend that you say exists since you only have a select few friends at school. But, you know that he’s real.
The warmth of his hand in yours as you walk around the field behind his grandmother’s house is proof enough.
Between the ages of 8-10, you are able to visit Taehyung quite frequently. Your parents work out a play date schedule with his grandmother, and at least once a month you’re able to drive out of the busy city and into the quiet country to visit him.
Since Taehyung lives with his grandmother, but your grandmother only gets to see you so often, there’s a bit of a rule—
“Make sure to spend time with your grandma too, Y/N. I know Taehyung is fun, but your grandma loves you very much and would love to spend time with you as well.”
So, you make sure to tell Taehyung that you can only play with him until dinner. He’s unperturbed.
“Let’s just ask your grandma if I can spend the night then!”
He takes your hand and leaps into action. You’re shocked at his declaration, but blushing at the thought of being able to spend even more time with him. And when Taehyung runs through the front door of your grandmother’s house and loudly exclaims his idea to her, she only laughs and smiles fondly.
“You won’t be able to spend the night all the time, Taehyung, but I’ll let you spend the night tonight, okay?” She places a hand on his dark hair that has turned a little brown thanks to the exposure of the sun, and grins at you when your eyes sparkle with excitement. “Just go home and make sure it’s alright with your Nana.”
Taehyung nods so quickly you think his neck might snap, and the next second he’s out the door.
That night, the three of you feast on grilled cheese and tomato soup. Your grandmother puts on the Lion King for you both to watch, and you sit hip to hip, shrouded in a thick blanket while your grandmother knits in the corner. When the scary parts happen, you reach for Taehyung’s hand under the blanket, and he holds you tight.
Once the movie is done, and the sun has set, your grandmother tucks you both into the double bed in the guest bedroom. She asks if Taehyung wants to use the pullout bed to have more room, but you’re both quick to interject, saying that sharing the bed will be fine.
Your grandmother only smiles.
“Goodnight, Y/N. Goodnight, Taehyung.”
“Goodnight!” you both chorus, and your grandmother flicks the light off and closes the door. Taehyung rolls to face you. In the darkness, you feel his lips touch your forehead.
“Tae!” you squeal quietly, jumping in shock as you quickly bring your fingers up to touch your head. Your cheeks feel as if they’re on fire, but Taehyung doesn’t seem to realize that he’s done anything out of the ordinary.
“What? My Nana always gives me a kiss before I go to bed!”
“O-Oh,” you stutter, wondering if Taehyung can hear the pounding of your heart in your chest. “Okay.”
It’s silent for a few seconds.
Taehyung shifts against the sheets.
“Can you…um…are you gonna give me one back?”
The heat from your cheeks creeps down your neck.
You’ve never kissed a boy before…
“I…I can. Do you want me to?”
“Mhmm,” he answers, and you wonder if he’s blushing like you are. His tone sounds shyer than before.
You take a deep breath and puff out your chest, trying to calm your frazzled 10 year old nerves. This is just Taehyung—your best friend, and…the boy…you like.
Before you can think to back out and hide yourself away in embarrassment, you lean forward and press your puckered lips to his forehead. His bangs are in the way, since you hadn’t thought to move them, but Taehyung seems satisfied nonetheless.
“Thanks,” he says, snuggling into his pillow. You nod to yourself, settling back down. The moonlight coming through the window is dim, but you wonder if it’s enough for Taehyung to see how red your face has become.
You feel his warmth spreading against the sheets, and your knees knock together. Taehyung yawns, suddenly sounding quite tired.
“Goodnight, Tae,” you respond, closing your own eyes as exhaustion from a day of fun begins to sink into your bones. Outside, you hear the chirping of crickets and the muted calls of cicadas. The sounds begin to lull you into slumber. However, just before you fall asleep—
“I love you…,” you catch the words mumbled by Taehyung, and mentally question if perhaps the boy has forgotten that he’s not at his grandmother’s home. But either way—
“I love you too,” you respond in a whisper, too tired to be embarrassed, and promptly pass out.
Taehyung is a year older than you, so he starts middle school a year sooner. According to him, middle school is a lot harder than elementary school. You come to believe him when his grandmother sadly tells you that you won’t be able to come over and play as much, since Taehyung needs to focus on his studies. You tell her that you understand, but a part of you doesn’t want to.
Either way, you give Taehyung a hug and wish him good luck before running back across the road to spend the afternoon with your grandma.
Your trips to the countryside lessen—cut in half. You see Taehyung perhaps once every two months, and in order to try and make up for his lack of appearances in your life, the two of you begin substituting play dates for phone calls.
Once a week, Taehyung and you sit down and talk for an hour. He tells you all about middle school and the friends he’s made and the kids who aren’t exactly nice to him. In return, you tell him about how you’re looking forward to starting middle school next year, and how you’ll always protect him from bullies. He laughs and assures you the same.
For a time, you think that this substitution will work just fine. Except…you miss him, and talking to him on the phone makes you miss him more.
You want to see him—his skin that is tan from the sun and his clothes that are always a little dirty from helping his grandmother tend to the field. His voice gives you comfort, but nothing can replace the feel of his hand in yours and the way he smile so brightly every time he sees you…
“Y/N?” Taehyung questions when he hears you sniffle on the other end of the line. “Are you okay?”
From the comfort of your home, you shake your head. Tears roll down your rosy cheeks, and you curl into yourself, bottom lip trapped between your teeth. Taehyung’s heart breaks, worry flooding his chest as he listens to you try and stifle your sobs. He attempts to calm you down, asking again what’s wrong, and it takes a minute before you’re able to gather any words to say.
“I miss you,” you sob, quiet and broken, and Taehyung jolts—as if to jump through the phone and give you the biggest hug he possibly can.
“I miss you too,” he says after a few seconds, and you can hear the sadness in his voice. “But we’ll definitely see each other again, Y/N. I promise.”
“Promise?” you echo, messily wiping the tears off your cheeks with your palm.
“I promise. Even if it isn’t on the farm we’ll meet again. I’ll find a way.”
“Okay,” you respond with a smile, finally feeling reassured. “Good.”
“Now no more crying!” he declares, his tone goofy, and it immediately makes the mood brighten. “You should only smile when you think of me!”
You giggle. ”Okay, Tae, when I think of you, I’ll smile.”
Reclining back against his mattress, phone pressed to his ear, Taehyung blushes happily.
It takes a while, but you and Taehyung meet again. It’s not a planned meeting—in fact, it’s not exactly meant to happen, but you decide to make it happen.
“Y/N!” your father calls after you as you hop out of the car and run back down the drive way towards the dirt road. You pass a few cars on the way—those belonging to your aunts and uncles—but despite the fact that you have somewhere else to be your heart is alight with excitement.
“I’ll be right back!” you call to your parents as they watch you run across the street, shaking their heads. “I just wanna say hi!”
“Don’t be too long! You’re not here to play!” your mother responds, and you understand. You’re here for a family gathering, not to hang out with Taehyung.
You hop onto the doorstep of the home of Taehyung’s grandmother, and knock at the door. You’re giddy with excitement, shoe tapping against the ground. It’s been over a year since you’ve seen Taehyung, and 6 months since the phone call where he’d promised that you’d see each other again.
You worry if he actually wants to see you, since it’s been so long, but oh—how you’ve missed him.
The door is pulled open, and a boy with short black hair stands before you. He blinks, brown eyes wide, and you have to glance up to meet his stare. His chest is broader and his legs are longer but—
“Taehyung?” you question, as if you’re deceived. How can one boy grow up so much in just one year? And yet, the sound of his name coming from your mouth has his signature grin breaking out on his lips, and he nods excitedly. His arms extend outwards, and he envelopes you in a tight hug, your feet nearly lifting off the ground.
“You’ve grown up,” you giggle against his shoulder, wrapping your arms around him in return. Taehyung laughs, leaning back, and there’s a blush on his cheeks.
“Yeah, well, I’m almost 14. Puberty is finally starting to kick in, I guess,” he laughs, scratching at his cheek, and your eyes flit up to his hair.
“Your hair looks better this way,” you tell him, fingers lifting to comb through the short, black locks on his head. He no longer has the shaggy bowl cut you’ve always seen him with.
Taehyung blushes visibly at the compliment, the feeling of your fingers in his hair foreign, yet welcome. You toy with the soft strands for another few seconds before you notice the pink color on his cheeks, and you end up feeling quiet warm as well.
Quickly, you pull your hand back, and it’s at that moment that Taehyung’s grandmother appears over his shoulder.
“Oh! Y/N, it’s been so long!” she says, and Taehyung steps aside to give his grandmother room to hug you. She seems frailer than you remember, so you try not to squeeze too hard.
“Hi Grandma Kim, it’s nice to see you.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to show up again!” she exclaims, and then turns, heading back into the small home. “Wait right there, I’ve got something to give you!”
“Okay!” you respond as she disappears, and your eyes immediately return to Taehyung. He smiles, a fond twinkle in his eye.
“Is middle school as great as you thought it would be?” he questions, and you huff.
“Not exactly. It’s hard, and I have a lot of homework, but it’s still fun I guess. More teachers and more exciting classes.”
Taehyung’s eyes shift to the side, the sound of his grandmother coming back towards the door reaching his ears.
“Well, next year I’ll be in high school, so once school starts I’ll call and let you know what it’s like in comparison to middle school, if you want.”
“Of course!” you respond, beaming a smile, and at that moment Grandma Kim reappears.
“Here you go sweetie,” she says and reaches past Taehyung, slinging a thick red blanket around your shoulders. You blink, reaching up to secure the large blanket tighter around yourself. Grandma Kim smiles.
“I made it for you. You always did get cold in the winter, and the colder days are approaching.”
Your lips part, and you find yourself speechless. She…had made this for you and waited all this time…?
“Thank you…,” you say sincerely, and Grandma Kim ruffles your hair.
“Of course, sweetie. Now run on home—I bet the rest of your family is waiting for you.”
“Okay!” you nod, smiling, but when your eyes shift to Taehyung your smile wavers. You’d barely gotten to talk with him, and who knows when you’ll be able to meet him again…
You push forward and wrap your arms around him once more, squeezing him tightly. Taehyung blinks, caught off guard, but is quick to hug you back, his fingers digging into the fabric of the blanket around you.
“We’ll talk soon,” you tell him, and he nods.
“Alright,” you both pull back, but Taehyung doesn’t get too far. You feel the blanket on your shoulders shift, and Taehyung blinks in surprise as a loose thread follows the retreat of his body—curled tightly around one of his fingers.
“Ah—,” he pauses, head turning to look back at his grandmother, fearing that he’ll be in trouble for ruining the blanket she had put so much time into making, but his grandmother is far from mad. In fact, there’s a look of wonder on her face—one that lasts only a few seconds, before her eyes soften with understanding.
“You know, you two,” she begins, finger lightly tracing the unwoven strand that keeps you and Taehyung tied together. “It’s said that a red string connects two people that have linked fates.”
“Really?” you question, and she nods.
“Really. This just shows that no matter how far apart you two are, you’ll always be connected. Don’t you think so?”
You and Taehyung glance at each other, a soft blush having risen on both of your cheeks, and you smile. Together, the two of you bob your heads in unison. Grandma Kim smiles.
“Good,” she says, and unties the string from around Taehyung’s finger. At that moment, the door of your own grandmother’s house opens, and the voice of a child is heard.
“Coming, Kook!” you shout back, and take a step backwards, raising a hand to the two in front of you. “Bye, Tae. Bye Grandma Kim!”
“Bye!” Taehyung yells, waving back as you turn and jog across the street, red blanket fanning around you like a cape. A few seconds later, you disappear through the front door of your grandmother’s house, a small brown haired boy closing the door, and Taehyung feels a little empty again.
Little did either of you know that that would be your last time seeing each other.
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