Innocent (TaeKook)

Meeting

Ignore the mistakes 🙏🏻

"Mummy...." A sudden crashing noise jolted the 10-year-old boy awake, prompting him to leap out of his bed in a flash.

"Mummy...... Mummy?" His voice quivered with a mix of anxiety and uncertainty, mirroring the fear that often grips children when they venture beyond their bedrooms, unsure of their parents' whereabouts. But this night was far from ordinary—a disturbing disturbance had shattered the calm.

Summoning a modicum of courage, he edged closer to the bedroom door, which lay slightly ajar. The living room's luminance cast elongated shadows that whispered of parental presence.

However, the main door stood ajar, its wide gap signaling an unexpected departure. Heart thudding like a trapped bird's wings, he tiptoed out of his room and descended the stairs with cautious grace. The sight that greeted him was deeply unsettling.

"Ummmmm..... *cough* So-So *cough* So-you-Young...." His heart raced, impelling him to sprint downstairs, his feet hurtling him toward the prone figure. "Papa...... Papa... what's happening?" Instinctively, he wiped away the frothy residue that had collected around his father's lips, his tear-laden eyes filled with a blend of bewilderment and distress.

"Ju-Jung-Jungkook...." His father's words sputtered with labored breath, imbued with an urgent plea. "M-m-.... Ta- take..... *cough* Mom-Mommy....." Despite his weakness, his fingers clung to the boy's hand, a desperate connection.

"Pappa.... Pappa." The boy gently tapped his father's cheek, a mixture of sadness and concern welling up within him.

"K-KIM" The man's utterance was laden with meaning, a final message before he succumbed, his body growing limp in the boy's grasp.

"PAPPA.... PAPPA..." Grief-stricken, the boy's gaze shifted toward his mother, who lay sprawled, half-clad, on the couch. He averted his eyes, unable to confront the sight, instead lowering them to his lifeless father.

"Jungkook." His mother's hushed voice cut through the silence, beckoning him. Despite her fragile state, she struggled to sit, bruises marking her face and body. Awkwardly covering herself, she motioned for him to come closer.

"Mommy...." Jungkook awoke with a start, his cheeks wet with unshed tears. His trembling hands reached up to wipe them away, and as his vision cleared, he glanced at the clock beside his bed.

4:30 am

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he rose and made his way to the bathroom, his reflection in the mirror a testament to his interrupted sleep. Beads of sweat adorned his forehead, and his eyes were puffy from the tumultuous dreams. He splashed cold water on his face, attempting to dispel the lingering traces of his nightmare.

Yet the nightmare's tendrils clung to his mind, an inescapable specter. Returning to his room, he opened his laptop, only to be met with an image that further ignited the flames of his turmoil—a figure resting serenely. Anger surged within him, and he slammed the laptop shut before slipping into a loose shirt.

Exiting his room, he treaded a path he had avoided for days. Pushing the door open, he entered the room with a measured tread.

Drawing closer to the slumbering figure, he hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering above the younger man's arm. But Taehyung stirred, rolling onto his side, revealing the delicate lines of his frame beneath the oversized shirt. Long lashes brushed against his flushed cheeks, and a peaceful rhythm of snores escaped his lips, a scene that captivated Jungkook's attention.

Sensations unfamiliar coursed through Jungkook, a cascade of emotions that raised questions he wasn't prepared to answer. What was he doing? Why did he hesitate? He withdrew his hand, wrestling with the conflict within.