Terrible Things

Prologue

Taehyung crept into his daddy's room, looking frantically around him to make sure his dad was nowhere to be found. He slipped into the dark room, fear making his little heart beat rapidly. Taking a deep breath, he felt around for the crate he had hidden by the door earlier. His hand grabbed the edge of it, a breath of relief escaping him as he pulled himself on top of it. He stretched his arm up, raising himself up on his tiptoes so he could reach the light switch.

Light floods the room as he flips the switch, but he loses his balance and falls over, a small cry escaping him as he tumbles to the floor. He sniffles for a moment, the urge to cry bringing tears to his eyes, but he fights them off. Crying would make too much noise and he didn't need his daddy coming to find him.

He wipes his eyes and pushes himself to his feet, his mouth set in determination. He walks over to the closet, his footsteps soft as he approaches the doors. Uncertainty swirls in his stomach, but the the feeling was familiar by now.

It's been weeks since he started sneaking into his dad's room, always anxious that today would be the day that he would get caught. But still he risked it. To Taehyung, it was worth it.

Jumping slightly, he's able to knock the handle enough that the door comes open slightly. Pushing it wider, he crawls in, moving the bottoms of his dad's clothes out of the way so he can crawl to the back of the closet, the carpet soft against his exposed knees. He crawls farther and farther, squinting his eyes as he searches the dim closet.

Then he finds it, a smile lighting up his face. He grabs the sides of the shoebox, scooting back and bringing it out of the closet with him, only stopping when he's back into the brightly lit bedroom.

He bounces excitedly, his grin spreading.

The box was big, almost as big as Taehyung when he sits beside it, the outside a glossy black. To most children it probably would've been intimidating. But not to Taehyung. It would never be scary to Taehyung.

Because inside this box was nothing but happiness.

He lifts the top off gently, careful not to bend it or scuff it in anyway. He reaches his hand in, his small fingers carefully grabbing the edge of one of the pictures inside. He pulls it out, a smile spreading across his face when he sees that it's a new one.

His dad smiles out from the picture in his hand, one of the happiest smiles Taehyung's ever seen on his daddy's face. His little finger traces over his dad's hair, the strands green instead of the black he was used to seeing on him now. Why would he change from such a nice color?

He looks to the person by his dad's side, arms wrapped each other's waists as they smile at one another. He was just a little smaller than his dad, his hair a cotton-candy pink. Taehyung smiled, tracing over the man's features.

Were they in love? They both seemed so happy in all the pictures he saw them in, but why did his daddy keep the pictures in here? This person seemed to be important to him, so why didn't he put the picture where the world could appreciate it?

And not just this picture. There were tons of pictures in the box, some that Taehyung hadn't even gotten the chance to look at yet. All of them had the man in it, sometimes by himself or with other people.

Taehyung furrowed his dark brows, his eyes studying the face of the pink-haired man. Turning over the picture, he concentrated on the writing, struggling to read the names on the back:

"Yoo-yoongi."

The name sounded strange on his tongue, but it was familiar. It was what Uncle Namjoon and Jin called his daddy. Taehyung wondered why they didn't just call him daddy like he did. He moved his attention to the next name:

"Ji-Ji-Jimin."

"What are you doing in here?"

Taehyung screams, the picture in his hand fluttering to the ground as his dad's voice startles him. He turns, heart racing as he looks up at his dad. He's leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Taehyung puts on his most innocent smile, "Daddy! I was looking for you."

His daddy smiles, but his eyes go to the box in front of him and it falls back to a frown. "What are you doing, Taehyung?"

"Daddy, who's Jimin?"

His dad slowly walks over, scooping Taehyung up in one arm and the box in the other. He settles them on the bed, with Taehyung cuddled into his side. Taehyung looks up at his dad, his chest aching when he sees the pain lurking behind his eyes.

He places his hand on his daddy's cheek, his voice soft as he asks, "What's wrong, Daddy? Did you not like Jimin?"

Yoongi gives a sad laugh, but smiles down at Taehyung. He shakes his head slightly, his hand coming to cover his son's. He wraps his hand around Taehyung's small one, pulling it down between them and giving it a small squeeze. "I loved him, Taehyungie." He takes a deep breath, his eyes staring out into the space in front of him. "When I was 20, I would've given anything to fall in love. And that's when I met him, he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. He was the man of my dreams." He looks down at his son, a smile gracing his lips. "He was your father, Taehyung."

"My father?"

"Mhm."

"Then where is he?" Taehyung bounces excitedly, squeezing his dad's hand. "Kookie has two dads! And now I have two as well? Where is he? I wanna meet him!"

Pain flashes in Yoongi's eyes, his smile faltering. "You can't meet him, Taehyungie."

Taehyung freezes, tears stinging his eyes as he pouts at him. "Why not?"

Yoongi stiffens, he takes a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions at bay. "Taehyungie, are you sure you want to know?"

Taehyung nods. It couldn't be that bad could it?

Yoongi gnaws on his bottom lip for a second, then sighs. "Okay. But son, I'm only telling you this because sometimes life can do terrible things."