Terrible Things

Special Chapter - TaeKook

October 4th

Age: 9

"Will you marry me, Tae?"

I look up from the leaves I've been playing with to see Jungkook staring at me, a black spider ring - one of the plastic ones that you can buy a ton of - in his hand, stretched out towards me.

"What?" I scrunch my nose, allergies starting to make themselves known.

"Will you marry-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to say no," I cut him off, going back to my leaves.

"What?" He stomps over the leaves and crouches down until he's pouting in my face. "Why not?"

"I'm too young to get married," I shrug. "Besides what if I meet someone that I love as much as my dads loved each other?"

"I love you that much," he grumbles.

I roll my eyes. "Do you even know what love is?" I scoop up what remains of my leaf mountain. "We've been friends forever, Kookie. That's why you love me."

He stands suddenly, hands placed on his hips as he beams down at me. "I'll prove it," he proclaims. "And when you finally realize that we're meant to be together, you'll beg me to marry you!"

And then he runs off and I'm left staring at his back.

February 1st

Age: 12

The house is quiet, my dad tucked away in his studio for the rest of the night. I'm not sure when he sleeps, really. He's with me in the afternoons and after I've gone to bed he slips into work mode and stays up all night. But he's always up and awake to help me get ready for school.

I've told him plenty of times that I'm old enough to do it by myself, but he always just mumbles something about wanting to do it.

I lay awake, staring up at the stars that dot my ceiling - a leftover design from my astronaut phase when I was 8. I know I should sleep, but it's one of those nights where my mind just runs in circles, never settling down enough for me to actually rest.

A small sliding noise sounds throughout the room, bringing my attention to the window just as a familiar head of brown hair pops through.

Jungkook looks to my bed, throwing me a grin when he catches me already watching him, before pulling himself the rest of the way through. Slipping his shoes off, he tiptoes quietly to the unoccupied side of the bed.

"You don't have to do this every time," I whisper to him.

He slides under the covers and I turn to see him shrug. "I want to. Besides we live like a few houses apart and I can't sleep feeling how restless you are."

"You can't feel it."

"Can too," he insists.

"Yeah, yeah," I say, rolling my eyes.

"So what's got you up so late tonight?"

Settling on my side, I rest my hands under my chin. "It's probably dumb."

"Nothing you think about is dumb."

Those words should sound cheesy and most would cringe just thinking them but Jungkook says them easily, like it's simply a fact that needs stated.

I can't help the small blush that I feel rising in my cheeks and I've never been more thankful for the darkness of my room.

"Do you think my dad will be alone forever?" I ask him, letting him in on what's been bothering me.