Little things - Taekook (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 27

YOUR CHOICE: Let's see Kook in caregiver mode uwu 

Only a day later, I get a text from Hoseok, asking me to look after Taehyung. As his caregiver, it's now kind of my job to make sure he's safe at all times: we decided as a group that we shouldn't start living together just yet. It would be too soon, and we're still trying this whole thing out. 

I know it sounds weird, but I really want him to feel safe around me. I don't want him to be scared of me, I don't want him to feel like he's got nowhere to be. If this doesn't work out, I don't want us to stop being friends. Maybe it's selfish of me, but I don't want to lose him completely, no matter what happens this week. 

I send a quick reply, letting him know that he can send Taehyung round as soon as possible. If I'm supposed to be his new caregiver, Tae will have to be comfortable in my apartment, at least to the extent that he feels like he can be himself here. I know it's weird, but I want him to like this place. 

I hurry round each room, checking how messy it is, and then rush back to my front door the moment I hear a knock on the door. And there he is, dressed in a baggy sweater and jeans, trying his best to avoid sucking his thumb, Mookie tucked under his arm, his silver hair slightly messy. 

Adorable. 

The moment the door opens, the anxious expression on his face makes way for childish delight. "Koo!" I beam at him, letting him into the apartment and closing the door behind him.
"Hi, honey. How old are you feeling today?"
"Um..." he pauses to think, head tilted in concentration. He holds out his hand, counts the years on his fingers. "Six?" 

I just nod in understanding. "I see you've brought Mookie along?" His eyes widen, and he stares at me for a few seconds. "Did...did I say something wrong?"
"You remembered his name?" he breathes, genuinely surprised. I shrug.
"Of course I did. He helped me understand what you needed, and that's important. And anyway, he's your best friend. Kinda rude if I forgot about him, right?" 

Taehyung just wraps both arms around my waist, pulls me into a hug. "Nobody ever normally remembers his name," he mumbles into my chest, and I return the embrace gently, a frown tugging at the corners of my mouth at the admission. 
"Well, I'm here to try and be the best caregiver I can be," I tell him firmly, and he pulls away to smile brightly at me. 
"You already are, Koo." 

I look around the apartment, trying to think of something for him to do. "Oh! I got something," I say suddenly, perking up when we walk into the kitchen. Taehyung glances over at me, frowns in confusion. "I don't know if it's your thing, but I was heading home from uni one day and I saw a pack of colouring pencils in the window of a stationery shop. There was a really cute colouring book in it, so I figured-"

"You actually bought it?" he interrupts, amazed, and I shrug.
"I don't know if it's the kind of thing you enjoy when in Little Space, but if you don't like it, I can just return it. Have a look before you decide what you think, because you might  not wanna colour this stuff in. I figured it was worth a go."

I cross the room to my 'miscellaneous crap' drawer, take out the materials required, and hand it to the excited little, who opens the colouring book eagerly, flicking through the various pictures. "I know it sounds weird, but I didn't want a book that just had fairies or just had cars, just in case you didn't like one or the other." 

"You wouldn't mind if I liked fairies?"
"Why would I care? As long as you're happy, that's what matters to me. In fact, I was a professional doll fairy maker when I was younger. Made loads for my cousins. They loved me for it," I recall, laughing a little at the memory. "Fairies are just a form of magic, and magic is pretty cool in my eyes." 

He flicks another page, and then he beams. "Iron Man?" 
"The best superhero," I state, laughing when he narrows his eyes at me. 
"No he's not."
"Who's your favourite, then?"
"I like the Hulk."