Terrible Things

Chapter 2 - Now

"What happened next, Daddy? What happened next?" Taehyung bounces around me, his eyes glimmering with excitement. He stands, throwing his little hands in the air. "I can't wait to hear what happens next!"

"Sit down, Taehyung," I advise. "You could fall."

"No I won't," he giggles. Still he sits, leaning into my side once again. "If I started to fall, you'd just save me. Wouldn't you, Daddy?"

He stares up at me, absolute trust reflecting back from his dark eyes. I ruffle his hair, mussing up the pink locks. I pull him to me, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. "Of course I would, Taehyungie."

"Knock, knock," Namjoon calls from the doorway, peeking his head in.

"Uncle Joon!" Taehyung cries, shooting up. He crawls across the bed, jumping off the edge and into Namjoon's waiting arms.

"Taehyung!" Namjoon cries, squeezing the boy to him. He pulls him back, holding him under his armpits. "How is today's special boy?"

Taehyung beams up at him and holds up six fingers. "I'm six today, Uncle Joon! I'm a big boy now!"

"Oh are you?"

"Mhm," Taehyung states proudly. "I'm big enough that Daddy is telling me about Jimin!"

Namjoon freezes, his face going blank for a second. His eyes slide to me, taking in the box by my side and the picture still in my hand. He recovers quickly, plastering a smile on his face. "Really? You must be so excited to hear about him." He sets Taehyung down, ruffling his already messed up hair. "You even have the same hair color as him."

Taehyung pulls on a few of the strands, his tongue poking out as he tries to pull it far enough for him to see it. I can tell when he pulls too far because he winces slightly, letting the strands fall back against his forehead. He looks up at Namjoon. "Do you think he'd be happy if he saw it? Should we invite him to my party?" My heart crashes, my mind going blank. Namjoon must;ve had the same reaction, his smile faltering for just a brief second before it's back in its previous spot. Taehyung continues, not even noticing our reaction. "I know it's last minute, but he'd come if we asked right?" He turns to me, hopeful. "He'd come, right Daddy?"

I clench my fists, uncertainty wrapping around my heart. What do I do? Do I lie to keep him happy? Or do I tell him the truth and risk ruining his birthday?

"I don't think he can come, TaeTae," Namjoon beats me to the punch.

Taehyung's face falls, tears glistening in his eyes. "Why not?"

"We-well," Namjoon looks to me, begging me to help him out a bit.

Sighing, I sit forward and stand. I walk to Taehyung and place my hand on his shoulder. I wipe away a stray tear that had creeped down his cheek. "Your dada is busy, Taehyung. That's why he can't be here."

"What could he be so busy with that he can't come to my birthday?" Taehyung huffs, stomping his foot.

I give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He's far away right now, but I'm sure he's thinking of you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I just know," I say, smiling at him. "So don't be too mad at him, okay? He wouldn't want you to spend your birthday upset. Can you cheer up for us?"

Taehyung nods, sniffling a bit and rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears there.

Just there Jungkook bursts through the door, his eyes going wide when he sees Taehyung sniffling. He jumps between us, stretching his arms out and glaring at me. "What did you do to my Taehyung?"

"Kook," Namjoon scolds. "You know we don't talk to our elders like that."

Jungkook's face falls and he stomps his foot. "But dad, he made Taehyung cry!"

"It's okay, Kookie," Taehyung whispers, resting his head on Jungkook's shoulder. "They didn't make me cry. Please don't be mad at them."

Jungkook watches us skeptically, way too suspicious for any six year old to be. He sighs, dropping his hands to his sides. "Okay." He turns, cradling Taehyung's cheeks in his hands. "Happy birthday, Taehyung!"

"We're finally the same age now!" Taehyung cries, jumping up and down. He grabs Jungkook's hand, pulling the boy behind him as he leaves the room, calling to me over his shoulder. "Kookie and I are gonna go play!"

I sink to the ground, leaning back against the bed. I put my face in my hands, groaning into them. Namjoon settles down next to me, bumping me lightly with his shoulder before speaking. "You know you're going to have to tell him eventually."

"I know," I answer into my hands, my voice muffled. "But what do I tell him that won't hurt him?"

"You'll just have to tell him the truth."

"But he's so young and what if-" I suck in a deep breath, unable to continue my question.

"What if what?" Namjoon asks gently, urging me on.

"What if...." I take a deep breath. "What if I'm not ready to talk about it?" My voice cracks on the last word.

"You're just going to have to be strong." He places his hand on my knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You've been so strong for him this whole time. I'm sure the last four years have been rough on you, but you never let it show. Jin and I are so proud of you and the way you've stepped up for Taehyung." I peek out, lifting my head a bit to look at him when he pauses. He stares off into space for a few seconds, his jaw clenched. "But we're also worried about you, Yoongi."

"Worried about me? Why?"

"It's been four years since he left us. And I don't know if you ever really gave yourself a chance to feel it, to really feel the sadness that comes with something like that. Are you sure that you're not just afraid to tell Taehyung because then you have to face your own feelings about it?"

Jin pops his head in the doorway, his hair in disarray. "Namjoon can you come help me for a second? Taehyung and Jungkook are being a little wild."

Namjoon stands, laughing. "When aren't they wild? Especially when they're together." He presses a kiss to Jin's forehead, then looks back at me. "Take a minute, Yoongi. We can get the boys under control, then it's time for cake."

"Thank you," I say quietly. He nods, closing the door behind them. I drop my head back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I wonder how you're doing... Jimin."