Blood Roots

03. Him

"Daddy is back, baby bread.", Jay chirped as he walked out of the bathroom while ruffling his wet hair with a towel. However, he frowned when he didn't hear any incoherent words or babbling from the crib. Ae-Cha always responds when she hears his voice but this time, she didn't. Why?

He immediately went towards the crib to check if she was sleeping but his eyes widened as his heart almost leapt out of his mouth on finding it empty. What the heck? Where was his daughter? He had cast a spell to make sure that no one could enter the room. Then, where was she? It wasn't like she could walk or run. So, he was certain that someone had come into the room when he was in the bathroom.

"Ae-Cha...", His voice was laced with worry and fear as he scanned the whole room but didn't get a single sign of her daughter.

"Ae-Cha! Baby, where are you?", He yelled as he wasted no time in making his way out of the room.

"Ae-Cha-", Jay called again as the fear in his voice was getting evident with each passing second. However, he stopped when he heard a hearty, shrill laugh, followed by a deep, male voice, both voices being extremely familiar to him.

He didn't waste any time as he raced towards the hall, from where he had heard the voices.

However, his steps eventually slowed down as a deep sigh of relief escaped his lips, when he saw the scene in front of him. Taehyung was sitting on the couch with Ae-Cha on his lap, who was all smiles when her favourite uncle cupped her face between his hands and placed a soft peck on her forehead.

"Ae-Cha.....", Jay spoke softly as he sauntered towards them with a much-relaxed demeanour.

"Oh, hi Jay!", Taehyung beamed happily while Ae-Cha was too busy playing with his finger, to notice her dad's presence.

"Hi....", Jay replied but rather unenthusiastically, probably due to the mini heart attack that he had given him. He leaned forward as he picked up the little bean and hugged her gently, keeping her head close to his chest.

"My baby... I was so scared...", He mumbled quietly before kissing the top of her tiny head. He softly caressed the back of her head as the tiny girl didn't complain. Her father's embrace was the safest place for her. She didn't whine or anything as she silently rested her head against his chest, taking in his warmth.

"Taehyung... You gave me a heart attack, man. I thought that something happened to my child.", Jay spoke as he rubbed Ae-Cha's small back with one hand while the other one was snaked around the hamstring region, holding her securely.

"Sorry, bro. I just came here to visit you but I decided to check your room when I didn't find you anywhere. I didn't disturb you 'cause you were bathing and that baby bread of yours extended her arms towards me as soon as she saw me, wanting to get carried. So, I did as my princess wanted.", Taehyung shrugged narrating the whole incident.