A SMILE IN THE MIND || VK

6

Jeongguk and Ji-ah had been strolling around in the nearest park for the past 40 mins and decided to sit for a while. Now they had been sitting for 30 mins, feeling the fresh air looking at the birds fly, Children playing around, and others having a walk or jog around the park. Parents of the children were busy chatting on the benches. Ji-ah giggled, looking at how the kids were playing in the mud. Jeongguk was happy looking at Ji-ah giggling a mess. He felt tranquil after a long time. 

After 5 minutes, He flinched when his phone went off. He looked to see Rose calling him. He picked it up and placed it on his ear. "hello" he said as he bent down and threw the leaf that fell into Ji-ah's stroller. It was harmful cuz she might keep it in her mouth. 

"Hello, Jeongguk . Can you hear me?" Rose spoke from the other side, her voice sounded a little tensed. "Yeah, I can hear. why do sound tense?" He asked raising an eyebrow unknowingly. 

"Gguk, Tae woke up and he had been crying ever since. Can you come back home?" Rose said, hastily. He could hear faint crying noises from the background. He looked at the time, It was 5:40 in the evening. "gguk you there?" Rose asked, confused when she heard no reply. 

"Y-yeah, I'm there. I'll be there in 20." He said cutting the phone. He stood up and started strolling to the house. It was a 20-minute walk but Jeongguk sped his pace. 

-

Once Jeongguk reached home, He immediately looked around for Rose as he unbuckled Ji-ah from the stroller. His attention diverted towards the faint noise of someone crying from upstairs. He immediately carried Ji-ah and climbed up to the source of the voice and reached taehyung's room. 

As soon as he opened the door, he saw taehyung wailing and Rose sitting on the edge, trying to comfort him. Rose's attention turned to the door when she heard it open. "Ah, You are finally here!" Rose sighed and she took Ji-ah in her arms. "Please try to calm him down. He either calls for Kookie or Joonie. He woke up in his 3-year-old head space, So be careful" 

Jeongguk nodded his head and walked toward the little one but the little one backed away immediately with a scared look plastered on his face, covering his body and face with duvet only leaving his eyes to peak through which were flowing down through tears. 

"Gwo away, mwonsta" Taehyung threw the nearest object at jeongguk but the elder was fast enough to dodge it and catch it. "Shhh, Taehyung. Please don't throw things. I'm no monster. I'm kookie." Jeongguk removed his bucket hat and pushed his hair back. He put it aside and tried to approach the younger again but the younger looked scared of him. Rose and Jeongguk were both confused at the action. 

Jeongguk stood there confused until he realised what the problem was. "Ro, can you put Ji-ah in the crib and bring my arm sleeve from the first drawer?" He turned around and asked the girl, who immediately nodded. She immediately walked out of the room and returned after 2 minutes and passed his sleeve. 

Jeongguk immediately covered his tattoo sleeve by putting his sleeve up his arm. That's when Rose noticed his tattooed arm for the first time. She gasped a little as she always saw him in full sleeves ever since he came. She thought, he had tattoos just on his wrist and nowhere more. Her mouth was a little hung open and she decided not to comment on it. 

Jeongguk now approached the little one, who covered himself after looking at Jeongguk and his tattoos. Jeongguk sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted his thigh. "Taehyung, It's me, kookie" He spoke, gently, trying not to scare the younger anymore. 

Taehyung flinched a little and tried to back away again but Jeongguk was fast enough to beat him to it. "calm down, tae. It's kookie. Tell me why are you crying?" He moved a little closer to the little one. He held his hands, rubbing them gently. Taehyung looked around for the tattoos but his little mind saw nothing this time. He was hiccuping and burst into tears again. 

He made grabby hands to Jeongguk. The elder took the cue and hugged him closer patting his back. "shh it's okay. I'm here. tell me what's wrong?" Jeongguk spoke in his ear, softly. 

"taetae wakey n' swee no Kookie. Taetae thwought kookie weave taetae lwike j-joonie." Taehyung explained his concern, hiccuping a little in between the sentences. He threw himself onto Jeongguk wrapping his limbs around the elder's torso, clutching him tight. 

"it's okay, taetae doesn't have to be scared. Kookie is here. Kookie just went out with Ji-ah." Jeongguk spoke softly and hugged the younger one back letting him straddle him on his lap. He turned around a little to see if Rose was still there but there was no one and the door was closed. She might have left he thought. 

'N-nwo, Kookie nwo weave taetae" Taehyung cried shaking his head in vigour.

"okay okay, I'm not leaving you anymore. I'm here. I'm sorry. Forgive kookie, baby"  

He didn't realise how 'baby' rolled out of his tongue as he slowly started moving back and forth, rocking the little one a little as he does to Ji-ah when she cries. He slowly started whispering comforting words into his ear. 

He could feel taehyung snuggling his face into the crook of his neck. But what puzzled him the most was when he could feel something wet on his neck. He looked down with wide, confused eyes only to look at taehyung sniffle and shed tears quietly, comfortably, clutching onto his shirt. 

"Hey, tae, what's wrong?" He asked as he tried to let go of the younger but his attempt was futile when the younger started whining at the action. The elder could hear mewling and a little sniffing sounds from his neck. 

"P-paci" His faint mumble was only barely audible but audible enough for the elder to hear. "we'll get it" 

The elder got up from his place, hastily, lifting the younger up in his arm by his bum and walked around to find his pacifier. He opened all the drawers and finally found them in the 4th drawer. He grabbed it and wiped it clean with his shirt before trying to replace his shirt with the pacifier. After a lot of whining and stirring in his hold, he could finally put the pacifier in the little one's mouth. 

Jeongguk finally sighed and swayed the younger side to side subconsciously. He looked down again to see the younger drooling on his shirt which made him sigh. He shook his head remembering how Ji-ah drools on his shirt as well and how he has to put them to wash every time. 

He observed how the younger's eyes were drooping down. He swayed him a little more until he fell asleep completely. He walked back and forth in the room as he did for a few minutes until he made sure that the younger was completely asleep. He knew that the younger might feel sleepy again after his crying session. 

When he felt his grip loosen from his shirt, he was sure that the younger dozed off. He carefully walked to the bed and tried to place him on the bed only for the younger to whine and clutch his shirt back in his sleep. 

Taehyung started scrunching his face in distress as he clutched onto the elder.  "Mhh" Jeongguk tensed a little, not wanting to see the younger cry again. 

"Alright, Alright, I'm right here. I'm not leaving. just putting you in bed." Jeongguk softly mumbled, rocking the younger slowly, trying to reassure him and calm him down. He decided to sit there by the bed until the younger one completely falls asleep. 

He tried again to lay the younger down on the bed after a few more minutes and he was successful this time. He knelt down by the bed, holding the younger one's fingers, gently caressing them. 

He let go of the younger once he was sure that he was sound asleep with his pacifier. He covered him with his duvet and gently brushed his hair up with his fingers before standing up on his feet.

He sighed after closing the door behind him thinking about how he had to manage both his daughter and taehyung in Namjoon's presence.  Namjoon was a little help every time when it came to taehyung. He shook his thoughts away, trying not to fret over it. 

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