Break My Stride

One

The thing about small towns is that there are usually only one or two good hangout spots. This makes it really easy for people to track down their friends after work without the bother of calling or texting them all because chances are high that they're already going to be there. This is why Min Yoongi finds himself walking into the same pizza joint he's been going to for twenty-something years, tired from work and looking to share a few pitchers with his friends.

The owner, Mike, greets him from his usual spot behind the counter, a quick nod towards the back signaling they were already here. Yoongi doesn't have the energy to force a smile, so a simple nod back does the job before he heads straight to their usual table.

There used to be a couple sets of booths in the back corner when they were growing up, and those were fine for a while. By middle school, however, their little group had grown too big and they'd tried to steal tables from other parts of the restaurant to be more comfortable. Mike had not liked that. Around the time eighth grade had rolled around, the owner had finally had enough and put the booths in other parts of the place and now the entire back section housed a huge round table. It was perfect for them, and except for the two months that Seokjin had worn a plastic crown and declared himself King of the round table, they were content with their own little chunk of the town.

As Yoongi neared the table and heard the familiar sounds of his friend's laughter and general noisiness, he could feel the stress of the day lifting from his shoulders. He loved his job working for the only Veterinarian in town. However, between everyone's expectation that he'd be taking over the practice someday and his own tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist, it could be difficult. After the day he'd had, he was probably going to need a pitcher to himself first thing.

The boys cheer and shuffle around a bit when they see him, allowing him to sit in his usual spot. Namjoon and Hoseok were already being ridiculously gross and feeding each other because nothing says romance like greasy pizza. Jimin and Taehyung were being equally gross, being entirely too handsy in public. Thank God for Seokjin, who mostly kept his hands to himself, although his heart eyes towards Namjoon and Hoseok were not as subtle as he thought it was. The table was already well into two pitchers (no doubt one being devoured by Jimin alone) and an extra large pizza, but he knew Mike would come along with some more now that he was here too. He had a feeling like something was missing, but he was so exhausted that he couldn't figure out what.

"You look really wiped out, Yoongi. Hard day?" Seokjin asked as he passed him a plate with a couple of pizza slices. He accepted it with a nod and took a bite, groaning as the hunger of skipping lunch caught up with him.

"Today was mostly just really busy, but Mrs. Moon let that mutt of hers go running free again and he was nearly stomped to death by a horse. Luckily he made it out with only a broken leg. Doc had me take lead for the surgery," he explained tiredly, pausing to let Mike slip a new pan of pizza on the table and fill his first cup of beer. He sips loudly, sighing in contentment as the cold brew hits his throat.

"Congratulations! That's a big deal, right?" Jimin exclaims, smiling widely.

Yoongi nods, "Yeah, I guess it's a big deal. Means he trusts me. I did well too, it's just really tiring and stressful. There's no room for error with that kind of thing."

"So the dog is still alive then?" Seokjin asked with a mouth full of breadsticks.

Yoongi glared, insulted. "Of course he's alive."

Seokjin shrugged, taking another bite. "Just wanted to be sure. Didn't want to congratulate you for killing a dog."

Yoongi shook his head and started picking the olives off his slice of pizza. When he turns to his right to give the olives away, he realizes why he'd felt something was wrong.