Baby Daddy

44. Memories

Rai woke from her dreams with tears in her eyes once more. She had a dream that the older Jungkook had told her goodbye in the past because he was heading home. Rolling over in the bed, she saw that where the younger version of Jungkook had slept the night before was now empty. The tears slipped free from her eyes as she sat up, immediately dragging her palms over her face to try to get rid of them.

"You probably dreamt everything..." she whispered. "You're finally losing your mind."

She heard footsteps on the stairs then, figuring that it was Seol especially when she smelled the breakfast coming her way. Seol had quite the knack for cooking due to hanging out with Jin all the time. Rai kept her eyes trained on the door; her eyes widening in shock when she saw Ava standing there.

"Ava...what are you doing here?"

Rai was certainly used to Ava coming over unannounced, but she wasn't ever used to her coming up the stairs to deliver her breakfast in bed and certainly not looking like she was ready to fight the world.

"What's going on?" asked Rai as a follow up question; Ava thrusting the plated omelet at her.

"He's here."

"Who's here?"

"Jungkook," said Ava, clenching her fists into Rai's bedsheets as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "I came over early this morning with a pie for you since you have been having such a hard time with a younger version of your husband showing up and everything. When I entered with Jin, the older version of your husband was here and he was cooking you breakfast! Needless to say, the pie ended up in his face. Jin had to drag me off your husband before dragging your husband outside into the yard. I came up to deliver you the breakfast he made, but I'm not sure if it's poisoned."

"Wait...Jungkook is back? My Jungkook?"

So it hadn't been a dream. Before she even gave Ava a chance to reply, she was already putting her breakfast on the bedside table and throwing her legs out of bed. She crammed her feet into slippers, grabbing the house coat that lay on a chair nearby and slipping it on before rushing out of the room.

"Rai wait!" called out Ava as she ran to try to follow after her.

- - -

"What did you think you were doing?"

"Something nice..." said Jungkook as he leaned up against the side of Jin's car in the driveway. His face was still dripping wet from the contents of the blueberry pie that Ava had thrown in his face. Jungkook currently had his head hanging down, but as he lifted it to try to look at Jin, he found himself squinting. "I think I have blueberry in my eye."

Jin rolled his eyes as he moved to open the driver's side door. He grabbed up the wet wipes they had stashed in the center console and began to use them to try to wipe at Jungkook's face.

"You can't just show up like this after everything, Jungkook. You know that," said Jin as he wiped up Jungkook's face. "Not to mention how reckless you just were going back to the past..."

"I just...I had to do something."

"That something could have been just as simple as showing up here and apologizing."

"I had to find Seol too though. I didn't want him thinking that I didn't care about him."

"Jungkook, you are the most reckless human being I've ever met," said Jin with a sigh as he balled up the now purplish wipe and put it on the hood of the car. He was about to reach for another when he heard the front door open. Both of them turned their heads towards it to look.

Rai stood on the front steps looking out at the two of them. Jungkook felt his heart thud in his chest as she stared at him for a moment before walking down the driveway towards him. Ava came racing out the door seconds later; Jin chuckling as she did so.

"Little late to the party, love," said Jin as Ava shot him a look.

Rai walked over to Jungkook, pausing a few steps in front of him. She just stared at him for a bit as he stared back at her.

"Come back to fulfill your obligation?" she asked with acidity in every syllable.

"No, and I should never have said that to you," said Jungkook.

"Why? It's the truth, isn't it? You are happier on your own with your music and your own little life," said Rai.

"I'm not though."

"Like I believe that."

Jungkook paused for a moment; his eyes filled with sorrow at the amount of pain he had caused the woman he loved. He had said things he regretted out of anger - and instead of fixing it in the moment - he had been a coward. He had run off and let it fester; let it break apart the relationship between them.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really truly am. I know my words mean nothing right now, and that I don't deserve to ask this, but I want another chance to make this right. I don't want a divorce. I love you."

Rai stood there for a moment; tears on the brink of falling from her eyes as she looked at his semi-blueberry clad face. She had loved him for so long, and if that memory she experienced the other night was true, than he still loved her too. He had messed with time to be with her. She felt a tear or two slipping free, watching as Jungkook's face mirrored her own. His own tears created tracks through the blueberry on his face.

"You're not an obligation," continued Jungkook. "You never were. I love you."

There were those three words again. Rai felt herself drawn closer to him until they were just an inch or two away from each other. Jin stayed where he was standing; Ava coming to stand by his side.

"I love you too..." whispered Rai back, looking down at their feet. "I..."

Before she could say anything more, Jungkook's hand shot out to grab hers. He held it firmly as he tugged her close, wrapping his arms tightly about her. She wrapped her arms tightly about him back. The weight of the past few months suddenly collapsed on her, and she felt herself slip into sobbing as she clung tightly to him. Jungkook began to cry too as he held her, pressing his face close to her ear as he began to sing the words to "My You" to her. The words became shaky the more overcome the both of them became with emotions. Eventually the two of them pulled back to lock their watery eyes on one another; crashing their lips together to communicate what they could no longer put into words.

"Be careful with my car..." said Jin as Jungkook and Rai passionately kissed; Jungkook leaning up against the car as he held her close.

Ava chuckled, putting a hand on Jin's shoulder.

"I think your car will be alright," said Ava. "Just like them."

- - -