CHILD WHISPERER. | KTH | complete

sixteen

this is the end of child whisperer i'm UPSET but enjoy.

"Hey, baby." Taehyung answers the phone, pressing it between his shoulder and cheek because his hands are full.

"You're coming, right? You've got the streamers, and the banner, and the—"

"Sol, breathe. I've got everything you need, so don't panic." Taehyung interrupts his rambling girlfriend. He gets into the back of the Uber he called and sets the bags of decorations and food on the seat next to him. It's Bo-Bae's sixth birthday party today, and Sol has been freaking out about it for the past week—not because of the party itself, rather who would be in attendance. This would be the first time Hanjin and Taehyung would be in the same room together since their first tense encounter in Sol's kitchen.

And that was when Taehyung was only a friend.

Now, Taehyung has been dating the mother of Hanjin's child for the past four months—some of the happiest months of his life, in his humble opinion. Sol makes his life so much more interesting—her sense of humor and unpredictability always keeps him on his toes. The nights they spend talking over glasses of wine complete him, the mornings he spends in Sol's bed with soft sunlight illuminating her bare skin make him feel like the luckiest man in the world. The one thing he might like just as much as his alone time with Sol is the time he spends with Bo-Bae.

He picks Bo-Bae up from school two days a week—they get ice cream on fridays, and he takes her to hang out with her six rowdy uncles on wednesdays. He spends whatever free time he can get in Sol's apartment, making dinner, playing Twister with her and Bo-Bae, watching movies with them both. He tries to be as present as he can, though he's had the difficult conversation of how demanding his life's work is with both of them. They know he's in one country one day and another the next, performing in front of people by the thousand. They know that he's adored by millions. They know that if he's not performing or with them, he's practicing, or recording, or filming, or traveling. They know he'll be departing for the second leg of BTS's world tour in two weeks, so they make the most of any time they get to spend together.

"Okay." Sol breathes as told, exhaling deeply in a sigh. "The boys are still dropping Bo-Bae off at 7?"

"On the dot." Taehyung says, but then corrects himself. "Actually, more like 7:05. Chances are, Hoseok's driving, and he gets lost easily. It isn't a trip with Hoseok unless there's at least one U-turn." He grins to himself, and manages to get a laugh out of Sol. That's the best part of their relationship, she thinks—that no matter how bad her mood is, Taehyung can make her smile like no one else.

"Okay." Sol lets out a deep breath. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit."

"I'll see you. Love you." He says, and she repeats his last two words before hanging up the phone.

•••

"Have you spontaneously combusted yet? Or did I make it in time?" Taehyung calls into Sol's apartment as he shuts the door with his foot. He hears a scoff, but can't see the short being it comes from over the boxes and bags he has stacked in his arms.

"I'll combust you if you don't set that stuff down and help me with the streamers." Sol sasses, and he laughs, doing as told and putting down all the things he bought. He retrieves the streamers from the bag and walks to stand behind her as she faces the wall. Taehyung places his free hand on her waist and leans down to press a kiss to her cheek, then to the side of her neck, then her shoulder.

"Hi. I'm sorry I had to cancel Monday night. The performance ran longer than I thought it would." He murmurs into her shoulder, and Sol's tense muscles relax a little as she leans against him and reaches back to play with his freshly dyed honey blonde locks.