teddy bear

chapter twenty five

thank you guys so much for waiting so patiently. this is a big chapter! i meant to write a lot more but what is below was a lot bigger than i previously thought

so enjoy!!

"Are you excited?" Hoseok asked her with a bright smile, his arm around her as Yoongi drove them home.

Kaia nodded, holding one of the bouquets tightly against herself. "I'm, nervous."

"What are you nervous about?" Hoseok whispered, tapping his fingers against her shoulder. "Yeontan, Bam, and Winnie are the only ones waiting for you."

"What about, my Dad?" Kaia mumbled. "He's going to be mad."

Yoongi adjusted the rear view mirror so he could see Hoseok and Kaia in the back. He stared at her with worried eyes, Hoseok glancing up at him, nervous now.

"Your Dad isn't there." Hoseok rubbed her shoulder. "He's very far away from us. He can't hurt you anymore." Hoseok touched the flowers gently. "Which one is your favorite? Do you want to count them with me?"

"I've already counted." Kaia looked down, blinking slowly. "The rose has twenty one petals. And that one has fifteen."

"That's good." Hoseok smiled softly. "That's really good Kaia."

"Are you mad at me?" Kaia pulled off one of the petals of a rose, making the number go to twenty.

"Oh no Kaia, I would never be mad at you." Hoseok's voice cracked, pulling her a little closer. "I-"

"You didn't like me when we first met." Kaia ripped the petal in half. "You thought I was stupid."

"You're not stupid Kaia." Hoseok's mouth was dry, desperately trying to pull himself out of her negative memory. "I just never understood you."

Kaia was quiet for a moment, ripping the petal again. "Thanks for dealing with me."

"You're one of my closest friends Kaia. I love being around you." Hoseok prayed and prayed she would agree with him. He didn't want to be such a negative thought in her mind. He wanted her to be happy when she thought of him. He never knew she still held onto their relationship when he first met her.

Kaia didn't respond to him. Instead, "Do you think Winnie will still like me?"

"Why wouldn't she like you?" Hoseok dared to ask, scared of her answer to this.

"Because I'm covered in bruises and I'm broken."

"Kaia, Honey, can you listen to me carefully?" Yoongi finally spoke up, looking at her through the rear view mirror. He wanted to pull over so he could be face to face with her, but he deemed getting home faster was more important.

"Yeah.."

"Winnie, Yeontan, Bam, Jeju, everyone. Everyone in the whole wide world will still like you." Yoongi spoke gently, glancing at the road when necessary.

"Not everyone." Kaia mumbled, looking at the mirror. "You're lying."

"I would never lie to you." Yoongi promised. "Winnie sees Kaia when she sees you. She sees the girl who giggles with happiness and the girl who always asks permission to lift her up. She sees how truly kind your heart is, Kaia."

Kaia pushed the bouquet of flowers in Hoseok's lap, crossing her arms. "I don't believe you."

"That's okay." Yoongi accepted her answer, turning onto their road. "We'll just let Winnie prove it to you. That's fair, right?"

Kaia just nodded, turning her body away from Hoseok. "Je veux mon grand-père." (I want my grandpa).

"I'm sorry Kaia, I don't understand." Hoseok held the flowers tightly. "Could you-"