Terrible Things

Chapter 24 - Then

December 30th

5 years ago

It's barely eight in the morning when I walk into the kitchen, but Jimin is already seated at the table. Decorations litter the surface - streamers, bows, and even an Anpanman piñata. I don't understand why we even need a piñata. Taehyung could barely walk without falling down, let alone swing a bat into a bunch of cardboard.

But Jimin was pulling out all the stops for our son's party, and apparently that meant getting a piñata.

"Up already," I grumble, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Jimin jumps at my voice, his cast hitting the table. He places the blue plaster to his chest, exhaling deeply. "You scared the crap out of me."

Shuffling my way to his chair, I press a kiss to the top of his head. "Didn't mean to." I move to the cupboards, gathering the necessities for coffee. "What are you doing up, anyway? We don't really need to get ready for a few more hours."

"Couldn't sleep," he mumbles.

Grabbing my mug, I let it warm my hands as I turn back to him. "Is it your arm again?"

He grabs his cast, his lips turning up in a grimace. "They said the pain would diminish by now, but it hasn't." He sighs, letting his head drop. "If anything it's gotten worse. My whole arm aches."

I sit down across from him, reaching across the clutter to pat his good arm. "Make sure you mention it at your appointment today," I tell him. He nods, chewing on his lip. I watch him for a second before chuckling. "Go ahead and just say whatever you want to say, Chim."

"A year already." He rubs his hands down his face. "He's getting so big. And he can already walk pretty well-" he swallows and meets my eyes, his own glossed over. "I'm so glad."

I rub his arm, trying to comfort him the best I could. I know how much Jimin worried that he would be a bad father, afraid that the lack of a good role model left him lacking.

But he was amazing with Taehyung. Always patient and more attentive to his needs than anything else.

"You are an amazing father, Chim. Taehyung looks up to you so much."

"Oh I don't know about that," he laughs. "I don't think you realize just how much he watches you."

"Me?"

"Mhm." Jimin leans forward, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand. "Last week I saw him playing with Kook and he was pretending to take pictures. All because 'daddy does it'."

I blush, hiding behind my coffee mug. "W-well-"

The baby monitor on the table lights up, Taehyung's quiet cries coming through it. I hold my hand out when Jimin moves, "I'll get him, love."

"You're the best," he says, blowing me a kiss. I catch it, placing it to my lips before chuckling and leaving the room.

Taehyung is waiting for me in his crib, soft sobs shaking his shoulders as tears run down his face. "What's wrong, Tae?" I lift him easily, cradling him in my arms as he keeps crying. "Did you have a bad dream?" He nods against my shoulder, still crying.

I rub his back, tracing circles along his pajamas in an attempt to soothe him. But when we enter the kitchen, he's still crying.

Jimin's up and out of his chair in under a second, rushing to my side. "What's wrong?" He hovers, his face contorted with worry. Taehyung turns at his voice, reaching out for him.

"I don't know," I say as Jimin takes him from me. "He said he had a bad dream."

Jimin rocks back and forth, pressing a kiss to the top of Taehyung's head. "Wanna talk about it?" The boy stays quiet, but his crying has calmed since Jimin started holding him. "Was it really scary?" Tae nods against Jimin's chest. "Were there monsters?" His head shakes no. "What could be scarier than monsters?"

Taehyung just latches on tighter, his cries starting up again.

"Aw, babe," Jimin coos. "What's wrong?"

"Don't go," Taehyung cries, burrowing his face into Jimin's chest.

"And miss all this time with you?" Jimin gasps. "No way. I'm not going anywhere. After all, your Daddy would never survive without me." He throws me a wink.

I don't argue because it's absolutely true.

Taehyung holds up his pinky and Jimin grabs it with his own, sealing the promise. It must satisfy our son because he stops crying. "Alrighty then." Jimin sets Tae down in his seat, moving the decorations off the table. "How do we feel about breakfast?"

And just like that, Taehyung's bad dream is forgotten.