Not Everyone Can Be A Social Butterfly
Pairing: Taehyung & Reader
Summary: Taehyung and Y/n are polar opposites, and yet somehow, a beautiful friendship blossomed from their differences.
W/c: 1.7k
Taehyung has always been good with people. As a social butterfly, naturally he has many friends.
It is the exact opposite for Y/n. Y/n is incredibly awkward, introverted, and independent. As a result of this, Y/n has had very few close friends throughout their life. While they will never admit it out loud, it gets lonely sometimes.
How these two became friends will remain a complete mystery…
~
Y/n was working on a paper for school at the coffee shop on campus. They had been there for hours and their brain was starting to feel like mush. Taking another sip of their drink, they continued to press through.
Suddenly, someone placed a cup on their table. When Y/n glanced up, they saw a young man, probably in his early twenties. He had light brown hair and wore a boxy smile on his face. “Hi,” he said happily. “You looked like you needed another energy boost”. He slowly pushed over the cup. “It’s hot chocolate. I… didn’t know if you liked coffee.”
Y/n’s immediate thought was, Shit… is he flirting with me?
Plastering a polite smile onto their face, Y/n said, “I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“I’m Taehyung, by the way.”
Nooooo he’s trying to start a conversation. Shit. I’ve never wanted to escape a social situation so quickly…
“I’m sorry, I’m not… interested in dating anyone…” Y/n blurted out desperately.
A shy smile appeared on Taehyung’s face. “Oh, no, that’s… that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you to your work. Enjoy the drink.” He walked away and sat down at another table on the other side of the shop.
Ugh, Y/n thought. That did not go well… I feel bad…
After that encounter, Y/n had trouble focusing on their work. They couldn’t help but keep glancing over at Taehyung, debating if they should go over and talk to him.
Why am I even thinking about this? Have I already forgotten how awkward that conversation just was?! But… what if he was telling the truth? There’s no harm in… just going to talk to him… right?
Seeing as they couldn’t pay attention to their essay anymore, Y/n got up and walked over to Taehyung’s table, hot chocolate in hand.
“Hi,” Y/n managed to say, standing next to him awkwardly.
Taehyung looked up from his laptop and smiled. “Hey. How’s that paper going?”
Y/n smiled softly. “Pretty good. I… uh… I feel bad about how I handled that before. I’m sorry.”
Taehyung shook his head. “Water under the bridge. It’s just fine.”
“I’m just… not into dating. I was worried that you…”
“That’s okay,” he said kindly. “I honestly just wanted to get you a drink. You seemed a bit stressed.”
Y/n let out a short, breathy laugh. “That’s because my paper’s due tomorrow.”
“Aaaah, I know that feeling.”
Y/n stood there, shifting side to side slightly. The conversation had gotten to that point where nothing was being said and everyone was staring at each other with that awkward smile… the kiss of death for someone who is uncomfortable in social situations.
“Do you want to sit down?” Taehyung asked suddenly. “We could talk, and you could take a break from your writing. If you don’t want to, that’s just fine.”
Y/n bit their lip, looking down at the ground shyly. “A few minutes wouldn’t hurt.”
The two of them actually ended up having a lot in common, despite their glaring differences in social skills. They sat together and talked for hours, enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, their conversation had to come to an end.
“I should probably head out,” Y/n said.
“Yeah, it is getting pretty late,” Taehyung said, glancing out the window. “I had a great time talking with you!”
Y/n smiled back at him. “So did I.” After a moment, Y/n asked, “Would it be too forward of me to ask for your number? For completely platonic reasons,” they said with a half-smile.
Taehyung flashed a boxy smile back at Y/n. “Sure!” Y/n held out their phone and Taehyung typed his number in.
“I’ll… I’ll text you later!” Y/n said, standing up.
“Sounds good. Hope you do well on your paper!”
Y/n laughed while walking away. “Same, Taehyung. Same.”
~
The two became close friends after that. They spent the rest of that school year meeting up for hot chocolate and texting each other often. Y/n was thrilled. They had never had such a close friend before, and this was a completely new experience.
When the next school year rolled around, Taehyung decided to go out on a limb and ask a risky question.
Tae-Tae Hey, have a quick question
Y/n Sure! What’s up?
Tae-Tae Are you gonna live on campus this semester?
Y/n Yup
Tae-Tae You can say no. I won’t be offended. Buuuut what do you think about being roommates?
Tae-Tae I didn’t scare you away, did I?
Y/n Nonono that’s not it. I’m thinking
Y/n I’ve never had a roommate before. What if things go badly?
Tae-Tae I don’t know… I guess that’s a risk we’d have to take
Tae-Tae I won’t invade your personal space! And if you need a social break I’ll leave you be!
Tae-Tae And I won’t eat your food! That’s the most important one lol
Y/n Can I think about it? Tae-Tae Of course. No pressure 😋
In the end, Y/n decided to move in with him. The two of them ended up getting along perfectly and neither of them regretted the decision.
~
No matter how long you live with someone, you will still constantly be learning new things about them.
One evening, Taehyung and Y/n were binge-watching a show together and Y/n seemed a bit on edge. Y/n was curled in on themself on the sofa, picking at their nails anxiously. Taehyung picked up on it immediately.
“Hey. Is everything okay?” He asked tentatively, nudging them in the shoulder.
Y/n glanced over; eyes wide. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
Taehyung tilted his head to the side. “You know, you can always tell me anything.”
Y/n nodded but didn’t meet his gaze.
Deciding that it was probably best to leave Y/n alone, Taehyung didn’t ask anymore and focused on the show again.
A few minutes later, Y/n slowly began to shift closer to him on the sofa, inch by inch, almost so subtle that he wasn’t sure that they were actually moving. Eventually, Y/n had moved so close that the sides of their legs were touching ever so slightly.
After a short pause, Y/n rested their head on his shoulder. Taehyung’s eyes widened in surprise. Y/n was never a touchy person, so this was completely out of character. When he glanced down at Y/n’s face, he saw sadness flickering in their eyes. Knowing that it was probably best to not say anything, he gently rested his head on top of Y/n’s and gently took their hand.
A quiet gasp escaped from Y/n’s lips and their hands began to tremble. Leaning in closer, tears began to fall from their eyes.
Taehyung looked down and saw the tear stains on their cheeks, his heart turning in his chest. “Y/n?”
Y/n curled up against Taehyung’s side, silent sobs slipping out of their lips. Taehyung reached over and wrapped Y/n in the tightest hug, pressing them against his chest.
The two of them remained like this for some time, holding each other as close as possible. After the episode had finished, Taehyung looked down and saw that Y/n had fallen asleep. He didn’t have the heart to wake them up, so he stayed where he was and eventually fell asleep as well.
The next morning, when Taehyung had woken up, he found that he was alone on the couch. As he slowly and groggily remembered what had happened the previous night, he got up and searched around the apartment for Y/n.
As he walked by the bathroom, he heard the shower running, so he knocked on the door softly. “Y/n?” No reply. “Y/n? I… are you okay?”
After a pause, a quiet voice said, “It’s unlocked.”
He slowly opened the door and entered. After he closed it behind him, he said, “Is everything alright?” No reply. Taehyung hopped up to sit on the counter. “It’s okay, Y/n.”
After a few moments, Y/n began, “I have never had many friends. You are… the only close friend that I have.”
Taehyung knew this. Y/n had been an awkward an anxious person ever since they first met. Making friends was never easy because of it.
“My parents have always been affectionate with me, but… there’s something different about… being loved by a friend,” trailing off at the end, a bit embarrassed.
Everything immediately clicked when he heard this. “You’re lonely,” he said in revelation. Y/n didn’t respond, but he was positive that he was correct. “Y/n,” he said gently. “You mean so much to me. Did you really think that I wouldn’t want to be there for you if you needed something?”
“I was nervous,” Y/n whispered.
Taehyung nodded. “I get it,” he said, looking down. “I’ve had my fair share of friends that didn’t treat me well. But you know me! I love you so much, and if you want all of the platonic hugs and cuddles in the world, then of course I will be there to give them to you.”
The shower turned off and a hand reached out to grab a towel. A few moments later, Y/n stepped out, wrapped in the towel, hair dripping on the floor. “Really?” Y/n asked, hesitantly looking up.
Taehyung slid off of the counter and put his hands on Y/n’s upper arms. “Of course.” As the hints of a smile appeared on Y/n’s face, Taehyung wrapped them into the tightest bear hug.
“Taehyung!” Y/n cried. “I’m going to get your clothes all wet!”
“Doesn’t matter,” Taehyung mumbled into Y/n’s shoulder. “I have other clothes.”
They stood there, in the bathroom, hugging each other for quite some time. The rest of the day was spent in each other’s arms, “making up for lost time”, as Taehyung called it.
This physical affection became the new normal in their relationship. After all, not all intimacy has to be sexual. Sometimes, these kinds of relationships can have the most intimate of bonds.