pre·dic·a·ment

7

Jungkook rose on unsteady legs to go back inside.
He grabbed the cordless phone from its stand in the kitchen, shut himself in his bedroom and dialled Yoongi and Yoongi's number.
"Jungkook, I'm glad you called. I was going to call you today. How are you?" Yoongi's warm and friendly voice filled his ear.
"Not so good," Jungkook admitted.
"You have your results?" Yoongi's voice was all business.
"I do, and…" Jungkook choked back a sob, "And they're not good. Eun-woo wasn't Haru's father."
"I see," Yoongi said after a short silence, "Well, that brings me to what I needed to talk to you about. I've received a court order requesting that you and Haru provide DNA samples per Party A's request to establish paternity."
"I can't fight it now, can I?" Jungkook's voice shook.
"Not with the court order. Plus the swabs will need to be done under supervision with legal representatives there from both sides. I can suggest they be done here at my office if that would make you more comfortable."
Nothing right now would make Jungkook comfortable, he shook his head in mute denial, even though he knew he'd have to comply.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, "When?"
"In the next few days would be best. How about I work things out with the other lawyers and get back to you, hmm? Any time, in particular, that's not suitable?"
"The rest of forever?" Jungkook suggested brokenly.
Yoongi didn't laugh, "I'm sorry, Jungkook. But we have to do it. If this guy is Haru's dad he has rights. You can't deny him those. Nor can you deny Haru's rights to know his real father."
"I know," Jungkook said softly with a sigh.
Jungkook ended the call asking Yoongi to let him know when the meeting was arranged then sat, numb, on the bed.
How could Eun-woo not be Haru's father?
It was the final, cruellest blow in a series of them.
How could such a mistake have been made?
He wrapped his arms around himself and rocked gently on the bed, fighting back the urge to let go of his fear and scream out loud.
Jungkook had to somehow keep this all in, keep it to himself, at least until the results of the next test came through. He started to grab at straws as his mind scattered on a myriad of possibilities.
Maybe this Party A wasn't Haru's father either.
Maybe some other man was some stranger who had no wish to establish paternity and turn their lives completely upside down.
Not to mention turn them both out of their home.
If the clinic had made a mistake between two families, surely the mistake could easily extend beyond that?
Hard on that thought came another.
What if Eun-woo's sperm had been used to fertilize another couple's egg?
What if he had a direct descendant somewhere out there?
Someone who had a legitimate claim on Astro Inn?
A legitimate claim on Jungkook and Jungkook baby's home that he no longer had?
The snowball of terror just kept growing bigger and bigger in Jungkook's mind, he pushed himself up off the bed and forced himself into activity. He had to keep busy, so busy he wouldn't have time to think or time to ponder the reality he now faced.
Jungkook could only hope that the next round of tests would prove Party A was not Haru's birth father. That way, he could continue the charade that Eun-woo was Haru's dad and he and Haru could stay in the only true home he'd ever known. He didn't want to think about what would happen if the trustees who oversaw the Cha affairs discovered the truth.
Jungkook has been homeless before and he'd sworn he'd never slide that low ever, ever again.
Now, because of Haru, it was even more important that he held on to the roof over his head. He didn't deserve to lose what should have been his birthright just because of some stupid mistake.
Anger slowly began to replace the fear that had threatened to consume him.
Anger and determination.
He would protect what they had, for Haru's sake.
No matter what came Jungkook's way.
~~~
Jungkook was still antsy later that night and Haru had picked up on his mood, testing his patience to its limits. It was all he could do not to cry in sympathy when he put hiM down for the night. He resolutely clipped the baby monitor at his belt and gathered all the cleaning supplies.
He'd settle, Haru had to.
And then he could lose himself in the rhythms of keeping Astro Inn fit for habitation.
Okay, so maybe that was a slight exaggeration. He kept the old house in excellent order, but he did miss the additional help that a full staff had brought. Before Eun-woo's illness, they'd had two live-in staff and a roster of part-timers who came to assist with the work of cleaning and maintenance.
Now, he just had to grab time wherever and whenever he could.
It wasn't ideal, he thought as he went into the library and flicked his duster along the shelves, but it would have to do. At least until he could get some cash flow going again and hire a part-timer to help around the place.
Jungkook found a peaceful rhythm in the housework, in the scent of the wood polish he used on the olden furniture and the leather treatment he used on the chairs.
It got him thinking about the past.
When he'd found work here at the inn he thought he'd landed in heaven.
It was a long way from the dingy, rundown trailer park where he'd grown up on, even further from the abandoned building where he'd lived with a group of misfits after years of running away from his mother's abuse.
That had ended badly.
Very badly.
The taste of bile rose in his throat as a hand settled on the monitor at his hip, turning up the volume.
Haru had settled, but just thinking about the past, about what had happened, sent Jungkook flying back down the hall to their rooms to check on him.
He pushed open his bedroom door and peeked into his crib, he lay there like an angel with his beautiful lashes spread in tiny twin fans on cheeks still flushed from his earlier crying.
Jungkook reached down to straighten his covers, resting a hand on his little tummy and feeling the rapid draw in and out of his breaths.
He was okay.
He breathed deeply, settling the old jangle of nerves that had spooked Junghim kook as he'd thought of the past.
Of someone else's baby who hadn't been as loved as his little boy.
A baby they'd all failed.
Yes, Haru was okay.
He was doing everything right, this time around.
A sound in the kitchen filtered down the hallway, he gave Haru a gentle loving pat and left his room, pulling his door closed behind him. He was surprised to see Taehyung in the kitchen, who had dinner on a tray in his study tonight, saying he was finally on a roll with his book and didn't want to take a break. He fought back a smile as he took in his unusually dishevelled appearance.
"Tough day?" he asked, entering the room.
"You have no idea. You'd think I knew better. That I'd have backed up."
"You didn't?"
Taehyung shoved a hand through his short-cropped hair, making it stand in all directions, "I'm an idiot. I saved over my file. All that work today, is gone."
"Hey, we all make mistakes. Don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, aren't you the software guru? You must be able to retrieve something, surely?"
Taehyung barked an ironic laugh, "You'd think so, wouldn't you? But no such luck."
"Maybe you just need a break. You've been working hard all day. Why not come into my sitting room, have coffee or something and we can just talk."
In the back of Jungkook's mind, he thought about all the things he still had to do this evening, but right now it seemed more important to give Taehyung the comfort he so obviously needed.
Besides, he could do some company himself after revisiting the memories of his dark past.
"Sure, I'd like that," Taehyung said.
"Coffee then?" Jungkook asked, moving toward the espresso machine.
"I wouldn't mind a glass of something stronger."
"No problem. Wine or spirits?"
"Whiskey?" Taehyung asked with a smile.
The young host laughed, "Go and take a seat," gesturing to the sitting room, "I'll pour your drink."
Jungkook reached up to the top shelf of the glass-fronted hutch for a cut-crystal tumbler, took a bottle of aged single malt and poured a generous measure.
Taehyung started to walk toward the sitting room but hesitated for a moment by the wine fridge. He hadn't had an alcoholic drink since the IVF procedures with the surrogate and he'd almost completely stopped drinking alcohol.
Drinking had gotten Jungkook into enough trouble in the past, but tonight was different.
Making a decision, he put Taehyung's drink down and quickly poured himself a small glass of a chilled pinot gris. Jungkook had settled Haru for the night and he was certain his baby boy would sleep through until early morning.
Jungkook took the two drinks and found Taehyung studying a montage of baby photos on the wall that he'd accumulated of Haru, starting with his first ultrasound.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" he said, handing Taehyung his drink.
"Life never fails to amaze me," Taehyung took the glass and raised it to Jungkook in a small toast, "To a job well done."
"So far," he concurred, taking a small sip of Jungkook wine.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing a great job with Haru. It can't be easy on your own."
"No, it's not. But it is worth every second," Jungkook gestured for him to sit and took a seat on the couch opposite.
"I hear you," he said, taking a sip of his whiskey, "Ah, that hit the spot."
"Have you ever thought of marrying ag—" Taehyung shut himself off and took a deep breath before continuing, "Look, I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. I hate it when people say the same thing, I have no plans to ever marry again. So, I don't know why I thought it was all right for me to ask about it."
"No need to apologize, Taehyung. It's okay. Besides, I feel the same. Well.. until Haru is at least old enough to take over the inn. It's his legacy. Handed down generation to generation of Cha's and it's my job to make sure he has something worth inheriting."
Somehow he had to continue to believe he could carry it off.
"That's quite a commitment. Putting your whole life on hold for your son? What if he doesn't want to work at the inn?"
Jungkook shrugged, "I'll cross that bridge when I get there. In the meantime, it's our home and our income. I'm duty-bound to protect that."
"Is that what you want to do?"
"It's what I have to do. Management of the property has been handed over from father to son since his forefather. Haru's father was the last and he will be next. It's his legacy."
Jungkook said the last words emphatically as if by saying them aloud it could make them true.
~~~
And if Haru was his son? Taehyung thought.
Where would that leave Jungkook?
No wonder he was dragging his heels about the DNA testing. This home was Jungkook's son's birthright but only if Haru was his husband's biological child.
Taehyung gave Jungkook a searching look and whistled softly, "That's a tall order of a responsibility."
"I know, which is why I have to get it right. Build the business back up again and make sure Haru has something. Eun-woo and I closed down operations when he became ill and let our staff go. A hard decision but the inn was too much for me to run on my own and when Haru arrived we found out Eun-woo wouldn't get better, it was too late to change our minds."
"You didn't want to put managers in, just to keep the business running?"
"No. I did suggest it, but this was Eun-woo's family home as well as our business. He didn't want strangers making decisions he should be making. He was pretty old-fashioned that way."
Taehyung looked at Jungkook, he looked tired.
Worn-out.
As if all the cares of the world had settled on Jungkook's shoulders.
He knew the feeling, he also knew how hard it was to pull yourself out of that deep darkness.
A sudden yawn seemed to catch Jungkook by surprise.
"You're tired," Taehyung said immediately, rising from his seat, "I'm keeping you."
"No, it's okay," Jungkook protested, "Please, sit down. Finish your drink."
He sat down again, watched as the latter took another small sip of his wine, admiring Jungkook's grace as he did so.
Even though the young host always seemed as though he was on the go, he did so with a fluidity of movement that he found distinctly appealing. Since their kiss last week, he'd found himself watching Jungkook at the oddest times.
He even left his office door open sometimes when the younger came up to make up his room or replace the linen. Seeing Jungkook bend over the bed and smooth out the comforter, watching how the fit of his jeans was so perfect across his hips and the softly rounded curves of his buttocks.
It had been a slow and silent torment.
One he'd begun to relish.
"Forgive me for asking," Taehyung began, leaning forward just a little in his chair, "But you seem a bit distracted tonight. Something on your mind?"
Jungkook laughed, a self-deprecating sound, "You could say that."
"Anything I can help you with? As clichéd as it is, you know what they say, a problem shared is a problem halved."
"I think I'm beyond sharing my problems," the younger said with a wry twist to his mouth, "I've gotten so used to handling everything on my own. Thanks, but don't worry, I'll be fine. Haru was a bit of a handful today and I got a little behind on things is all."
"Maybe I can look after him for you occasionally during the day," Taehyung suggested, his heart beating a little faster.
Would he go for it?
Jungkook has been a perfect host so far, ensuring that Haru's daily routines didn't infringe on him as a guest, but he'd give just about anything to spend more time with the little boy.
Every day he was more and more certain Haru was his child, yet he had to wait until Jungkook obeyed the court order for the DNA testing.
Sure, he could steal a snip of Haru's hair, or at least try to, but that wouldn't hold up in court.
Everything had to be done properly.
Every 'T' crossed and every 'I' dotted.
"Oh, no. I couldn't expect you to do that. You have your work to do. Besides, you don't have any experience with babies, do you?" Jungkook must have seen the stricken look that crossed his features because he hastened to add, "I'm sorry, that was careless of me."
"It's okay," he reassured him, "But still, if I'm not busy and you want to get things done around the place while Haru's awake, I don't see why I couldn't mind him for you."
"Seriously?" Jungkook gave him a cheeky grin that made his heart do a crazy flip-flop in his chest, "And if he fills his diaper?"
"I'll do my best," Taehyung said stoically.
He'd have to do his best if Haru did turn out to be his. He had every intention of being a major part of his son's life.
"I'll think about it," Jungkook said with another smile.
"You're beautiful when you smile like that," Taehyung said, without thinking, "Well, you're beautiful all the time, but especially when you smile."
A flush of pink warmed Jungkoo'sk cheeks, "Thank you. I don't remember the last time anyone said anything like that."
"Then I'll remember to tell you more often," he said, his voice pitched very low.
He drained the last of his whiskey in one swallow and rose to his feet, "I should probably be off, see if I can retrieve that file. Thanks for the company, and the drink."
Jungkook stood, as well, "You're welcome, I'd forgotten how civilized it could feel sitting and sharing a drink with someone."
Jungkook smiled again and Taehyung felt the impact of it on his gut. The latter took a step closer to captured one of Jungkook's hands and lifted it to his mouth.
"Being civilized is vastly underrated," Taehyung said, lifting his eyes to meet hers as his lips pressed against Jungkook's skin.
He saw Jungkook's pupils dilate at his touch, his nostrils flare ever so slightly. He didn't let go of his hand as he lifted his head, instead he pulled him closer, into the circle of his embrace.
Jungkook didn't protest, not one bit, not even when he lowered his face and caught his lips with his own, relishing the sensation of the warm body against his.
The firmness of Jungkook's chest pressed against his chest, the soft swell of his hips against his arousal.
Taehyung groaned.
This was crazy.
Crazy and completely impossible to resist.
His mouth parted beneath his, his tongue gently flicking against his own.
God, he couldn't get enough of the taste of him.
He plundered Jungkook's mouth, angling his head so they all but fused. His hands shoved under the edge of Jungkook's T-shirt, pushing the soft fabric up to expose skin.
Skin that was soft, enticing.
Warm, when he'd felt cold to his very soul for so long.
He lifted higher, breaking their kiss only long enough to pull it over Jungkook's head and to let it drop on the floor behind him.
Jungkook opened his doe eyes and he was struck by the vulnerability he saw there in their dark brown depths.
Taehyung said the first thing that came to mind, "I want you, Jungkook. Tell me to stop now and I will. Or tell me you want me, too."
He felt the tremors that ran through Jungkook's body and took a step back, giving the space he thought he needed.
JUngkook could turn him down, he wouldn't hold that against him.
Sure, he'd be uncomfortable, physically, but he wasn't the kind of guy who forced himself on a beautiful man no matter how much his desire for him threatened to consume him.
"I… I want you, too," Jungkook said softly.
He'd spoken so softly he wasn't entirely sure he'd heard what he wanted, or what he'd meant.
"Jungkook—"
"I want you, Taehyung," he said more firmly this time, "But I don't know what you want out of this, or from me."
Taehyung felt his heart squeeze, he knew exactly what he meant.
They were raw with emotion in their ways.
"I don't know either," honesty forced him to admit, "But I do know that I've felt alone and empty for too long. I think you know what I mean, how it feels."
He paused and felt his pulse skip a beat when he nodded slowly, Jungkook eyes locked with his, "I think we can make that emptiness go away, for a while, together. We deserve that, don't we?"
He watched as Jungkook pressed his lips together as if weighing his options before giving him the answer his body was begging for.
"And in the morning?" Jungkook asked, "What then?"
"I won't think any less of you, Jungkook. I can promise you that. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since we kissed. I know you felt something, just as I did. You even said it was what was right for us at the time. And so is this."
He took one of Jungkook's hands and laid it flat against his chest, could he feel his heart leaping about in there as he did?
Could he feel that he did this to him?
Turned him from a man intent on escaping from the world, an analytical software designer and developer, into someone who was now ruled by baser instinctive needs and emotions?
Jungkook's fingers curled beneath, his grip tightening on his shirt, it was shaking in earnest now.
Had he pushed Jungkook too far?
Had he destroyed the closeness they'd only just begun to explore?
"Kiss me deep," Jungkook whispered, "Make the emptiness go away."