Can You Stay???

His head is pounding. It’s been two hours now since Taehyung arrived at the hospital. Inhaling deeply, he tries to call someone again, pressing the phone against his ear.

When is it going to get better? He thinks, as he closes his eyes.

“Damn it, why aren’t they answering.” Taehyung curses under his breath, leaning back against the chair in the emergency room. He runs a hand through his hair, thinking about what happened a few hours before.

“Kim Taehyung? I’m reaching out after we noticed Haeun’s fever. She’s not feeling well and I would suggest bringing her to a doctor. Could you come pick her up?” His daughter’s teacher’s voice echoes in his head. His heart had dropped the second he heard about his daughter’s health. He didn’t even think twice before packing his bags and leave his job in order to pick Haeun’s up and bring her to the hospital. She’s only five, and she has been falling sick so many times lately that Taehyung started to wonder what he has been doing wrong, all this time.

Am I a bad father?

He thinks again.

It’s been four years now. Four years since he’s been left alone with his daughter. Four years that he agreed and promised to take care of Haeun and do his absolute best to be the father his daughter would be proud of. He still remembers vividly how big her eyes were when he first took her in his arms. He remembers her smile, her loud and adorable giggle the first time he took her in his arms after Taehyung’s ex left them. However… he was only twenty-four. At that time, he had to quit his job in order to find a new one which would allow him to have a calmer schedule. He had to. He wanted to be there for her, wanted to be there to wake her up and bring her to kindergarten, wanted to be there to read her a bedtime story and sing his favorite lullaby for her.

Winter Bear .

He knows that despite every hardships he went and is still going through, he doesn’t regret anything. He’s more than grateful to have Haeun in his life, to hear her laugh and get to spend wonderful moments with her.

Lately, however, Haeun hasn’t been feeling well and Taehyung has lost counts of the times he had to leave work to take care of her. Feeling a knot forming in his stomach at the thought of his daughter being sick, he tries to think of a way to explain to his boss why he suddenly left work without even warning anyone. That's why he's been in the emergency room after he made sure his daughter was under a doctor's supervision, now waiting for his boss to answer his call.

He quickly opens his eyes and jumps to his feet when he finally hears a voice. “I-” Taehyung starts in a panicked voice, quickly pressing his lips together as he gets cut off by his boss’ words. ‘ Kim Taehyung, who gave you the right to run away again like that? Do you think this job is a joke? ’ The cold voice sends shivers down Taehyung’s spine. He’s in a delicate situation. He’s aware of the amount of times he’s been missing work but he couldn’t do it differently. Not when he’s the only one taking full responsibility of Haeun.

“I apologize a thousand times, I had to leave because-” He clenches his teeth when, once again, he’s interrupted by a loud sigh and a curse. Great. This won’t be easy. He wishes this won’t be the last time he’ll get to talk to his boss. Hopefully, he won’t have to search for another job. Hopefully.

Taehyung takes a deep breath, nodding to himself before finally starting to explain the reason why he left abruptly. “I’m sorry, a teacher called me to inform me my daughter was feeling sick. I had to bring her to the hospital, therefore I won’t be able to come back to work. I sincerely apologize, I didn’t think it would happen.” He breathes out as he automatically bows down at the same time, not getting bothered by the people walking past him and forgetting he can’t be seen through the phone. He can’t help but laugh nervously when he realizes, straightening up.

That’s when his eyes meet someone else’s in the emergency room. Someone who’s probably waiting for him to finish his call since he looks like his lips are burning to ask something. Sucking in a sharp breath, Taehyung looks at the man in front of him wearing a police officer’s uniform. He notices the way the officer’s eyes suddenly shine and his mouth slightly part, probably about to talk. However, his boss’ voice quickly makes him jump out of his thoughts. You have another thing to focus on, now.

“Sorry.” Taehyung whispers in a small voice, an apologetic look on his eyes as he turns around, missing the way the officer walked closer to him. He listens to the last few words of his superior, nodding to himself and finally hangs up. He closes his eyes for a short moment, wishing everything turns out to be fine.

Please. Just let us be happy again.

Sighing, Taehyung shoves the phone inside of his pocket until he rushes back to the room where his daughter has been guided to.

Unconsciously, he slows down when he gets closer to the door. In the back of his mind, he thinks. He doesn’t know why the person who tried to talk to him suddenly peaked his interest. He’s supposed to focus on his daughter, however he can’t help but wonder what the man wanted from him. And now that he thinks about it, he did notice at the corner of his eyes the state of the officer’s clothes… covered in a dark, red liquid?

Oh god.

At the realization, he turns slightly back, searching someone who obviously wasn’t there. Was the man bleeding? But why hasn’t he been provided with the appropriate medical care he needs? Inhaling deeply, Taehyung shakes his head to chase the thoughts of his mind. If he’s here, it means he’s going to be fine. They’re taking care of him, anyway.

He slightly knocks at the door of the room he stopped in front of before slowly pushing it open, having had the permission from the doctor to come back when he had finished the call. When his eyes meet his daughter’s tired ones, he can’t help but break into a warm smile, immediately walking in to take her in his arms and hug her.

“I’m here now. Was it scary?” Taehyung asks in a small voice, knowing very well how Haeun hates seeing any kind of doctor. He lets out a sigh of relief when she quickly shakes her head, rubbing her eyes.

“No. I’m happy you’re here, daddy.” She says, coughing.

“My baby.” Taehyung coos, laughing softly while gently rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her. Thankfully, the check-up went well and despite how actually terrified Taehyung was before bringing Haeun to the hospital, the doctor explains that the situation isn't as bad as he thought it was. He tells him that his daughter caught a cold, probably because of the presence of other kids around her who were already sick. Sighing at those words, Taehyung nods. He’s relieved, in a way, however he can’t help but feel guilty, remembering how his mother always told him how difficult it has been to take care of him because of his poor health. And now, knowing that Haeun might need more medical care than the average children her age, Taehyung feels his heart clench. Will the things I do be enough?

“I would suggest you to take care of her for a few days and stay home until she feels better.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Taehyung freezes. He tries not to panic, eyes wide, lost in his thoughts. He doesn’t know if he can miss work again. He knows that if he does, there’s no way he’s going to keep his job. There’s no way he can justify it enough for his boss to actually not kick him out. There’s also no way he’s going to admit that he wouldn’t be able to take care of his own daughter. He jumps out of his thoughts when Haeun pulls on his shirt, clenching it tightly. When he turns his head to look at her, she quickly frowns, which doesn’t fail to elicit a gentle laugh from Taehyung. She seems to be tired of being in those white rooms, and doesn’t hesitate to make his dad aware of it. “Daddy, can we go home?” Taehyung’s chest blooms with warmth. He smiles softly, nodding before pressing a gently kiss against her forehead.

“Yes, let’s go.” He answers before picking her up and thanking the doctor. He leaves the room, rubbing Haeun’s back soothingly and letting her hide her face in the crook of his neck. It’s a way for her to feel more comfortable, safer in Taehyung’s arms. “Hey, Haeun… Where’s mister Bunny?” He ends up whispering as he walks down the corridor, frowning at the realization. Did he lose her favorite plush? No way.

Listening to her calm breathing, Taehyung inhales heavily. I have to find it , he thinks. Obviously, he doesn’t want to upset her and seeing her cry about it, especially in this state, would absolutely crush him. That’s why Taehyung walks to the reception desk next to the emergency room, worry written all over his face. “Excuse me, have you seen a stuffed toy? It’s a white bunny-”

“Is this what you’re searching for?”

The sudden but kind voice startles Taehyung who jerks back in surprise. Unconsciously, he brings his hand up to cover Haeun’s head, before he meets the officer’s eyes. Oh . This time, he isn't wearing his jacket, probably still covered in blood, and instead has a plain black shirt. Blinking a couple of times, Taehyung parts his lips in an attempt to answer, but no words come out of his mouth. Instead, he darts his eyes from the other’s smile to the plushie he’s showing him. A thousand of questions run through his head, before he finally decides to take the bunny from the officer’s hand, gently giving it to Haeun, who already fell asleep in his arms.

“Thank you.” Taehyung breathes out, slightly bowing and making sure he doesn’t wake his daughter up. “Thank you so much, I thought I’ve lost it. I’m so relieved you found it, thank you!”

Eyes wide, the officer blinks at the unexpected reaction. He’s probably not used to people being so kind to him, and he would lie if he says he hates it. Instead, he laughs, shaking his head. “It’s nothing. I found it earlier, but when I wanted to give it back to you, you were already leaving.” Taehyung presses his lips together, an apologetic look on his face. “It’s a good thing that we ended up seeing each other again.” Unable to think of anything to say, Taehyung nods silently, smiling. “I’m Jungkook, by the way. I know we’re probably not going to meet again but, you know, just in case.” He laughs almost nervously, before Taehyung immediately answers.

“Kim Taehyung.” He breathes out, stealing a glance at his daughter, only to see her peacefully sleeping. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem in pain. “And she’s Haeun.”

“I hope she’s fine. I heard her cough when you two arrived…”

Raising his head, Taehyung stays silent for a moment. He then looks down at where he saw the blood earlier; Jungkook’s stomach. He swallows thickly, wondering if the younger -he presumed- actually saw a doctor. “Are you okay?”

The question surprises Jungkook, who tilts his head to the side in a confusing look.

Cute .

“Are you alright?” Taehyung repeats. “You were bleeding before, right?”

Jungkook’s eyes grow wider. Is it the first time someone asks him about his health? “I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad...” He answers, a laugh escaping his lips. He nods, more to himself, as he probably tries to ignore the way his cheeks are burning red. “It happens, you know…”

“Not really.” Taehyung laughs. “You have to be careful.”

“I probably have to change clothes, first.”

They both break into laughters, until Haeun slightly moves in Taehyung’s arms, making them immediately stop. “She’s still sleeping.” Taehyung reassures, rubbing small circles against her back.

Nodding, Jungkook smiles. “Despite all of this… Happy Christmas Eve."

Taehyung can’t deny the way his heart clenched at his words. “Happy Christmas Eve, Jungkook.”

“Daddy, who was the boy you talked to?” Haeun sleepy voice elicits a small laugh from Taehyung who kisses her forehead. It’s been two hours now since they came home, and they’ve been laying on the bed, waiting for the little one to fall asleep. However, she’s way too curious to actually let herself fall into Morpheus’ arms. And Taehyung can’t help but find it so endearing. She reminds him so much of someone he used to know in kindergarten. His best friend, when they were the same age as Haeun. But as time passed, they lost contact and ever since, Taehyung seems to slowly forget how that boy actually looked like.

“He doesn’t look that young, little one.” Taehyung says playfully, gently pinching Haeun’s nose and eliciting a squeal from her. He laughs at her reaction, moving his hand to brush her hair back. “Also, I didn’t know you were pretending to sleep. It’s bad to eavesdrop.”

“I wasn’t!! I heard you talked to him!” She immediately responds, a pout forming on her lips. Taehyung throws his head back against the cushion, laughing warmly before hugging her close to him. They go silent, breathing calmly, forgetting the time that passes. Until Taehyung looks down, smiling as he notices Haeun’s closed eyes.

“What do you want for Christmas, angel?”

“Why are you asking, daddy? I already saw the big box in our living room.”

A sad expression makes its way across Taehyung’s face. “I… Didn’t have time to think about a proper gift. I didn’t even have time to make a Christmas tree…” How sad. he thinks. Isn’t it?

“But you put shiny stars all over the house.”

Eyes wide, Taehyung looks at her. He quickly breaks into laughters when he realizes she’s talking about the lights he put on the walls, in their apartment. It’s incredible . She’s so young and yet she knows what to say to remind Taehyung how good of a father he is to her.

However, Haeun’s next words suddenly make Taehyung’s heart drop.

“I want to have someone else in our home.”

Swallowing thickly, Taehyung presses his lips together. Did he hear it right? She has never, never talked about another person living with them after her mother left. But now? “What do you mean, little angel?”

“We need someone who makes you happy and someone I can trust like I trust you.” She says, opening her eyes to look at his father’s surprised expression.

“Look at you, growing up so fast.” Taehyung giggles, before looking up. He sighs, taking a moment to think about her words. Until he smiles. “Is there someone like that?”

A sudden, loud sound startles them both. Turning around in her father’s arms, Haeun asks in a worried tone, “What was that?”

“Nothing, I probably left the window opened.” Despite knowing how bad his lie is, Taehyung rubs his daughter’s arm soothingly, trying to stay as calm as possible. “Stay there. I’m coming back right away. Try to sleep, okay?” He takes Haeun’s face in his hands, smiling softly. He waits until she nods to kiss the tip of her nose and leave the bed, walking outside of the room.

As soon as he closes the door behind him, he sucks in a sharp breath. He can hear his heart pounding in his ears, but most importantly… Multiple sounds, telling him that someone else is indeed in his apartment . The sound of something scratching against the wood, of drawers being opened and closed again, of papers being thrown around…

Shit .

Taehyung doesn’t think anymore. He rushes towards the living room, searching for his phone he swears he left here earlier. “F-! where is it!” He curses under his breath, as he looks around, moving the pillows as fast as he can. He doesn’t realize he’s been trembling until he finally catches his phone and sees the way his hand is shaking. He feels like his head is going to explode. His only preoccupation now is Haeun; he can’t let her stay alone in her room for so long. He has to do something.

However, when he’s about to dial the number, his blood quickly runs cold. He hears, feels someone moving towards him and pushing him forcefully until his legs give out. Stumbling forward, Taehyung catches himself on the sofa, clenching his teeth as he sees the phone slipping out of his hand to fall on the ground.

But he can’t do anything. He’s paralyzed by fear. Eyes wide in shock, he sees the robber walk past him. Towards the bedrooms. Towards Haeun’s room.

Lips parting silently, Taehyung doesn’t move. He doesn’t know how much time passes. He doesn’t know how he ended up on top of that man, trying to restrain him. He doesn’t know how nor when the police entered his apartment, shouting at the robber to put his hands up.

It all went so fast.

It’s only when he hears Haeun’s voice calling for him that Taehyung comes back to reality. “Oh my god… Haeun!” He calls back in a worried voice, quickly moving back to catch her daughter into his arms. Hating the way she starts to cry as soon as he closes his arms around her, Taehyung’s heart breaks. “It’s okay, it’s nothing. Hey…” He tries to reassure, despite the fact that his voice is also shaking. Picking her up, he looks around, and he can’t help but feel his stomach turn at the scene in front of him. He quickly realizes that the one handcuffing the criminal is none other than the officer he met a few hours before.

How? How come he keeps meeting him now?

Pressing a kiss on top of Haeun’s head, Taehyung keeps stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down. He whispers a few reassuring words, walking back and forth in the living room.

“D-Daddy, there’s no more shiny stars in the living room…!”

Oh.

Taehyung’s chest tightens horribly at her words, nodding unconsciously. “I’ll hang more. I promise.”

“I’ll help.”

Freezing at the sudden voice, Taehyung goes silent. He doesn’t know what to say, nor how to react. He realizes Jungkook came back inside, probably after bringing the man to the car. But… he has so many questions to ask, he doesn’t know where to start. What happened? Who was that? How did they entered the apartment? How did YOU entered the apartment?

“Aren’t you… supposed to be resting?” are the only words escaping Taehyung’s lips. And finally, he turns around to face the younger. He doesn’t really understands why, but when his eyes meet Jungkook’s, he lets out a heavy sigh of relief.

“Yeah. I should.”

Taehyung shakes his head in disbelief, pressing his lips together in an attempt to not laugh. “You really want to hurt yourself, don’t you.”

Idiot.

Quickly realizing he might have stepped over his limits, Taehyung opens his eyes wide, cheeks burning with embarrassment. He parts his lips, searching for his own words. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“No, everything’s fine.” Jungkook reassures and that immediately seems to calm Taehyung who sighs in relief. And when Haeun starts moving in her father’s arms, body still shaking from the sudden overwhelming emotions, they both turn their attention towards her. She sniffles loudly, eyes brimming with tears.

“Hey angel, there’s nothing wrong anymore.” Taehyung whispers, bringing a hand up to brush her daughter’s hair out of her eyes.

“The bad guy w-went away?”

Laughing weakly, Taehyung nods. “The bad guy went away.” He repeats after her, pressing his forehead against hers. He closes his eyes when he feels Haeun’s small hands against his cheeks, warmth pooling in his stomach. They both stay silent for a moment, until they hear Jungkook’s voice.

“I think it’s time for me to leave you both.” At his words, Taehyung immediately opens his eyes to look up, raising his head. “Next time, don’t let your door open. it’s easy to enter, like that.” Jungkook jokes. However, the smile slowly fades from Taehyung’s face, as the latter feels his chest heavy. He refuses to say anything about it, doesn’t want to sound selfish. But he can’t deny how disappointed he feels. They’re going to be parting ways. Again. and Taehyung… he feels like this could be the last time.

Does he want it to be the last time? Not really. But more importantly… why does he actually feel like he knows Jungkook, in a certain way? Why does a pang of loneliness suddenly sweeps over him, when he thinks about the fact that he could probably never meet the younger again?

Why does he feel like he’s being abandoned again?

“Daddy…”

Jumping out of his thoughts, Taehyung darts his eyes to his daughter, shaking his head vigorously. “Yes?”

“Can he stay?”

Both his and Jungkook’s eyes open wide in surprise at the sudden, unexpected request.

“What?”

“Can he stay?” Haeun repeats innocently, small hiccups still leaving her lips. As if it wasn’t enough, she extends her tiny arm towards Jungkook, rubbing her nose with her free hand. “Him.”

Jungkook laughs at how adorable she looks, giving her an apologetic look. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

Pressing her trembling lips together, Haeun tries as best as she can to not break into tears once again, which immediately makes Taehyung panic. Oh. Not again. “Hey, hey, calm down… What’s happening now?”

“He makes you happy!”

He freezes at the way Haeun suddenly raised her voice. “Calm down. Why did you say that?”

“W-When you look at him, you smile really big!”

Taehyung is mortified. His face grows incredibly red. What do you mean, I smile really big? He’s trying to shush his daughter as best as he can, knowing it’s probably not going to work. “Don’t say things like that, of course I smiled at him. He protected us. That’s the least I could do.”

Pouting, Haeun looks at him, and at Jungkook again. She doesn’t seem convinced by Taehyung’s explanation, or rather, she doesn’t want to believe in it. Taehyung knows that she’s been trying to find all the solutions to help him. Despite being so, so young, she already wants to help him with anything she can. And Taehyung couldn’t ask for more. He’s so incredibly lucky to have her.

But does he really need this “special someone”?

“Even though I can’t stay today…” Jungkook starts shyly, running his hand through his long hair. “We can still, mh, meet for a coffee?” Silently, Taehyung stares at him. He blinks a couple of times, jaw dropped, unable to give any kind of answer, which elicits a soft laugh from the younger. “Or an ice cream, for Haeun? I mean, I don’t know if it’s too mu-”

“Perfect. Yes. I would love to- we would love to.” What an idiot, stuttering like that, Taehyung thinks, blushing at the realization that the words stumbled out of his mouth so fast that it barely made sense. Thankfully, Jungkook understood, nodding happily.

“Let’s see each other again.”

a few years later…

“You were literally bleeding to death when you left our apartment that day.” Taehyung laughs as he walks closer to Jungkook, wrapping his arms around him. Pressing his chest against Jungkook’s back, Taehyung puts his chin on the younger’s shoulder, looking at them through the mirror in front of them, in their shared bedroom.

“I wanted to impress you.” Jungkook admits, smiling. He takes Taehyung’s hand in his, gently playing with the ring on his finger. A similar one he’s wearing.

“You worried me. Idiot.”

Jungkook breaks into laughters at his words, remembering the way Taehyung actually yelled at him, that day, for coming to work in such a state. “You looked so adorable.” Turning around into Taehyung’s arms, Jungkook brings his hands up to cup the elder’s cheeks, a warm smile making its way across his face.

Taehyung scrunches his nose. He wants to disagree and tell Jungkook how actually scared he has been in the past. How, ever since the first day, he got worried about his life. What if Jungkook gets stabbed again? What if he faces a more dangerous situation? What if? However, it’s been years. Years of them, reassuring each other that they’re going to be fine. Years of them promising each other that they’ll spend the rest of their life together.

“What are you waiting to kiss me?”

Jungkook blinks a couple of times at the sudden request, before a soft laugh escapes his mouth. “You’re the idiot, here.” Letting Taehyung bring him closer, Jungkook catches his lips in a gentle kiss, smiling.

“Stop smiling, I can’t kiss you properly.” Taehyung whispers playfully before they both get lost in each other.

That is, until a sudden, loud knock on their bedroom’s door startle them.

“Daaaaaaaaad, can we go to the amusement park now? I wanna ride the big rollercoaster with you two!!”

They laugh at Haeun’s adorable voice, chest blooming with warmth. This is their everyday life, now.

“We’re coming!”

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