Terrible Things

Chapter 13 - Now

I lean forward, careful not to jostle the child on my lap. Reaching into the box, I pull out different photos, sifting through them until I find the one I'm looking for. I hand it to Taehyung, his eyes wandering over it excitedly.

Jimin smiles out from the picture, his happiness almost palpable through the glossy paper. He's holding up his hand, showing off the ring that adorns his finger.

The ring itself is a silver band, small diamonds set into the metal. Though it can't be seen in the photo, on the inside there's an engraving that reads: "Let's believe in love." It was small, not big enough to be a bother or harm anyone during dance routines, but Jimin always acted like I gave him the world to wrap around his finger.

"It's so pretty," Tae breathes, his finger running across the ring.

"It better be," Hoseok grumbles. "Your dad drug me around to every jewelry store with him until he found it."

"You complain, but it was worth it wasn't it?" I give him a glare. "You loved Jimin's reaction."

"Who wouldn't?" Jin giggles. "He cried for days. Every time he looked at the ring, he'd get all teary-eyed." He looks at Taehyung. "Your Dada was a bit of a crybaby."

"Must be where Tae gets it from," Jungkook mumbles.

"I'm not a crybaby!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Even if he is," Namjoon cuts off their argument. "It's not something he should be ashamed of." He gives Tae a comforting smile. "Omega's are sensitive, they feel compassion and happiness more deeply than we Alpha's do. It's something you should be proud of." He drops his gaze to his son, "And you, Kook. You shouldn't make fun of it. As an Alpha, it's your job to protect him from anything that could make him cry."

"Obviously," Jungkook scoffs. "I'd never let anything make my Tae cry."

"You make me cry more than anyone else, Kook," Taehyung huffs, crossing his arms.

"That's just because he likes you," Hoseok stage whispers.

Jungkook's mouth drops open, his cheeks turning a deep scarlet."D-Do not!"

Jin pats his head, trying to soothe his embarrassment. "That's okay, Kook. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. One day you'll love someone and you'll want to spend all your time with them. You'll get married, become mates, and live happily ever after."

Taehyung turns in my lap, his curiosity hitting me full force. "What's mating, Daddy?"

The circle goes quiet, everyone waiting to see how I handle this situation. I swallow, the room suddenly feeling a lot hotter. This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have today, or ever for that fact. I had always hoped that Taehyung would just never ask me.

It was a hopeless dream, after all.

"Mating is, uh, well you see...." I take a deep breath. "Mating is something you do with the person you love. You give each other little marks-"

"Like tattoos?" He asks.

"Kind of. But they're more special than that. You know why?" He shakes his head. "Because it's something that only you two share. It links you together, bonds the two of you, forever and ever."

Jungkook turns to Jin, his gaze darting between his parents. "You guys are mated, right Daddy?"

Jin nods, a smile on his face. "Your daddy and I have been mated since before Yoongi and Jimin. It's been around 11 years since we mated."

"That's a long time," Tae points out.

"Well sometimes when you meet someone, you know they're the one meant for you. You already feel like you know them, know that your life is meant to have them in it." He shrugs, his hand drifting to grab Namjoon's. "It may seem like a long time to you, but for us, it feels like,just yesterday."

"Do you have a mark?"

Jin tugs down his collar, the kids scooching closer to get a better look. There on his shoulder are two crescent marks, each one a deep purple. Black lines run through them, crisscrossing across the expanse of Jin's skin. Namjoon's eyes stray to them, his gaze soft - his thoughts probably going to the matching set on his own skin. The marks certainly were pretty.

So pretty you could barely tell it originally spread from a bite mark.

Jin pulls his shirt back up, Tae retreating back to my lap now that the show was finished.

"Does Uncle Hoseok have one?"

"Unfortunately, no," Hoseok sighs.

"Why not?" Tae pouts.

"Well, you see, mating is something Alpha's and Omega's do. As a Beta, I can't mate."

"What do you do if you really love someone?"

"We get married," Hoseok explains. "We get married and are bonded that way."

"But you still get to be in love?"

"Yes," his eyes drift to mine then back to Tae's, "We get to be in love."

"And you, Daddy?" Tae turns around. "You have one too, right? A mark?"

My hand drifts unconsciously to my shoulder, even through the fabric of my shirt, I can still feel the little bumps there - the evidence of a bond that's long since gone silent on the other side. I take a shuddering breath, trying to push through the emptiness I can feel creeping over me. "I do," I finally manage to choke out. I pull my shirt down, not as much as Jin had since my mark is up higher. I look up at the ceiling, trying not to think about what I'm showing, but when Tae sucks in a breath, I know he sees the difference. Two crescents sit on my shoulder, the black outline of them popping out against the paleness of my skin. At one point they had been a beautiful gradient of colors, the center a dark pink and gradually transitioning to black as it neared the edge.

Now the colors were nothing like they used to be - the mark was a washed out, faded version of its former self.

Much like I am of myself.

Fingers touch my skin, but retreat when I flinch. I look down, guilt flooding when I meet Taehyung's sad gaze. "It's faded," He observes, his eyes moving back to the mark. I don't say anything, just nod. I avoid the sympathetic gazes I know my friends are giving me, opting to keep my eyes on the rug just passed Taehyung's head. "Why is it faded? Uncle Jin's is like super bright."

"Tae-" Jin starts, his voice quiet.

"It's fine," I say, taking a breath to steady myself. I close my eyes for a second, collecting my thoughts, then meet my son's eyes. "You're right, Tae. My mark is faded."

"Why?"

"It happens when a bond is broken," I explain. "When people no longer want to, or are unable to, be mates anymore. The bond breaks and what is left is what you see, a washed out reminder of what used to be."

"Y- Your bond is broken?" He frowns, creases forming on his small forehead. "The one with Jimin? With my other dad?" I nod. Tears build in his eyes, his voice shaky when he asks, "Why?"

"If I tell you, it'll spoil the rest of the story." I rub my finger across his forehead, smoothing the wrinkles there. "Don't you want to hear how it all went down? Or does knowing it doesn't end the way you hoped make you not want to hear it? Because we can stop if you want."

"No!" His eyes go wide, his hands grabbing the front of my shirt. "I- I want to hear it."

"You sure?" He nods and quickly wipes his tears away. He turns back around in my lap, settling so he's facing the room once again. I keep my eyes on the back of his head, not ready to see the pity I know is written all over my friend's faces.

"I'm ready, Daddy."

"Well then," I sigh. "Where were we?"