"Daddy... wake up.."

"Daddy.."

Jungkook opened his eyes, hearing his son's trembling voice. His heart clenched when he saw him in tears.

"Hey, baby. What happened?" He asked, voice hoarse from just waking up.

"Junghyun's scared." Junghyun's lips quivered as he hugged Jungkook tightly.

"Why, baby? Did you have a nightmare?" Jungkook asked, cupping his son's face.

Junghyun shakes his head.

"Then why?" Jungkook asked as he stared deeply in his son's eyes.

"Junghyun is scared because daddy's been crying in his sleep." He said which made Jungkook pause.

"I did?" Jungkook asked, quickly touching his face and realized that it's wet with tears.

"Did daddy have a nightmare?" Junghyun asked as he moved closer to Jungkook.

The ravenette wasn't able to respond as he hugged his little one.

"Yeah.. I guess I did." Jungkook whispered.

"Junghyun thought daddy won't wake up." Junghyun blinked his tears away which made Jungkook sigh.

"Thank you for waking me up, baby." He said, caressing his son's hair.

"Thank you for waking me up from my nightmare." He murmured, planting a soft kiss at Junghyun's temple.

"Let's go back to sleep, baby." He said, keeping him closer.

"Promise me daddy, you won't cry again." Junghyun lifted his left pinky which made Jungkook smile.

"Promise." He took his son's pinky and sealed his promise.

"Now go back to sleep so you'll have a lot of energy tomorrow." He kissed his forehead once more as his little angel finally closed his eyes.

"I love you, Junghyun." He murmured, cradling him closer.

---------

Jimin had been staring at Taehyung's back as both of them went lying on the bed.

On their way home, he noticed how Taehyung was so quiet. Yoongi was also acting a bit uncomfortable, a normal thing for him but tonight was a bit different.

He could sense that something was off.

He shifted on the bed, ready to tap Taehyung's shoulder when he noticed that he's shaking.

"Tae?" Jimin quickly sat on the bed, slowly turning Taehyung to face him.

Only then was he able to see that Taehyung was crying.

"Hey, Tae. What's the matter?" He asked, cupping Taehyung's face.

Taehyung didn't answer as he continued to sob.

"Is it about that jerk again?" Jimin asked in an annoyed tone.

Taehyung bit his lips to suppress his cries, remembering the conversation he had with Yoongi that night when they're about to leave the reception.

"I'm not taking sides, Taehyung. That's the least from my intentions right now." Yoongi uttered after telling everything to him.

Everything that Jungkook had gone through for the past years.

Taehyung doesn't know that he's holding his breath, feeling his chest tightening at the thought of Jungkook harming himself because of him.

Because he said those awful words out of anger.

"I know he had hurt you so much, I'm fully aware of that... we all are. I could understand that you couldn't find in your heart to forgive him, but it's been seven years, Taehyung." Yoongi said in an exasperated tone.

"He had admitted to himself that everything was his fault. He had paid for all his sins, if you think it's still not enough, then I don't know what else could he do anymore but that's still up to you." Yoongi paused, his annoyance finally starting to subdue.

"You can hate him for all you want but please... don't make it seem like he doesn't have the right to move on." Yoongi said as he looked deeply in his eyes.

"I know Jimin and Jin were just trying to protect you because they don't know anything about what Jungkook had gone through, and that's fine. They're your friends and it's just natural for them to protect you.. but please.. don't make it look like Jungkook was the only one at fault here." Yoongi sighed as he looked away.

"I'm not making it seem that way.." Taehyung answered in a low voice.

"Well that's not what your face was showing the whole damn time." Yoongi muttered which made Taehyung pause.

"We're not blind Tae and you're definitely not good at hiding what you truly feel." Yoongi remarked.

Taehyung lowered his head, admitting to himself that Yoongi has a point.

When he saw Jungkook earlier, looking happy with his son, he felt anger and self pity.

He thought that he shouldn't have the right to look so happy, not knowing that before Jungkook could smile like that, he had gone through so much.

Just like him.

"Seriously. The two of you should just talk for once. Clear all the misunderstandings and move on with your lives." Yoongi said, hands in his pockets as he sighed.

"It's tiring to see the two of you still bothered by the past." He added in an exasperated voice.

"If after talking and you still can't forgive him, then move on. At least the two of you were able to say everything that you've been keeping inside." Yoongi looked down on the ground, doesn't even know why he's saying all these things.

Well maybe because he doesn't want Taehyung nor Jungkook to keep living in hatred and pain.

He had witnessed Jungkook break down. He doesn't want to witness it again, may it be with Taehyung nor Jungkook.

"I'm no expert when it comes to these fucked up things, but growing up to a household where my father would constantly change wife year after year made me see the importance of communication in any kind of relationship." Yoongi sighed, feeling tired from all the talking he did.

"Damn. Do whatever the two of you want." He finished, finally walking to the driver's seat as Taehyung was left still standing outside.

And throughout the whole drive, Taehyung could only think about Yoongi's words and the truth he had found in them.

"Did that jerk say something to you without my knowledge?" Jimin asked, still annoyed at the ravenette.

Taehyung shakes his head. He's crying because he had imagined Jungkook and the time he had tried to kill himself because of him.

He thought that he's the only one who had suffered.

He thought that he's the only one who had gone through hell.

When he went to live in Canada, he felt so alone. He thought he couldn't survive for the first few months but through the help of Namjoon and his two best friends, he was able to cope up.

He missed home, but the people around him had treated him well enough to help him move on little by little.

While Taehyung found his way out of his depressive state, Jungkook had lost his way and destroyed himself.

Yoongi was right.

Both of them are at fault.

Taehyung was too focused on his miseries that he didn't acknowledge that he too did a lot of stupid things, said a lot of hurtful words.

Both of them have suffered enough.

He lost his father, but Jungkook lost his mother too.

Jungkook didn't trust him, but Taehyung was just the same. He was the first to show that he didn't trust Jungkook when he had asked him about his mother and about his past.

Jungkook called him names, said a lot of hurtful words that pierced in his heart. He had hurt him with words, but Taehyung did too.

The two of them kept on dragging each other down, not knowing that in the process, the ones whom they're truly hurting were themselves.

"Why is it so hard to forgive, Jiminie?" Taehyung asked as tears flow down his eyes.

The older looked at him with a sad smile. He held him closer, letting him cry in his arms.

"I don't know, Tae. But there's one thing I'm sure of." Jimin cupped his face.

"You cannot give what you don't have." Jimin wiped Taehyung's tears.

"You cannot forgive because you haven't forgiven yourself yet." He said as Taehyung stared at him in the eyes.

"Forgiving takes time, Tae. It's something you give to someone because you truly want to." Jimin smiled as he tenderly caressed Taehyung's face.

"And once you forgive, it's not only for the person who caused you pain. It's for you too." Jimin could see the sadness in Taehyung's eyes. He wanted to wipe it of and change it with a smile.

"Remember when I had this argument with Yoongi way back because of his sports car?" Jimin smiled, remembering the time when he had to deal with Yoongi's temper.

Taehyung finally chuckled, the vivid memory flashed in his mind as he nodded.

"He was so angry at me that time, even asked me to pay for the damage. Damn. That's fucking expensive." He shakes his head as a silly smile crept on his face.

"I was begging him to forgive me, just pushing my luck after months and guess what, he said he forgave me just like that." Jimin grinned at the memory of Yoongi's bored face as he said those words.

"Well maybe because he already fell in love with you that time." Taehyung commented, now with a soft smile.

Jimin laughed. "Well maybe you're right." He winked as he chuckled at the other.

"But that's not the point. He had said something that really made me fall for him head over heels." Jimin giggled as he stared at Taehyung.

"If that's something gross then I'm not going to hear it." Taehyung playfully said as he sniffed.

"Omg stop!" Jimin laughed as he pinched Taehyung's cheeks.

"He said that a person should forgive just as much as he had sinned." Jimin softly uttered.

"Because who doesn't commit sin anyways? We all do." He continued.

"Yoongi could say some pretty shits sometimes." Taehyung commented which made Jimin laugh.

"You bet. That's just one of the things I love about him." Jimin confessed as a loving smile appeared on his lips.

He looked at Taehyung as he slowly cupped his face once more.

"But then again, it's easier said than done, Tae. Don't force yourself if you're not yet ready to forgive. Do it in your own pace." He finished, offering a hug to Taehyung who quickly let himself be caged on Jimin's arms.

"Do it when you're ready."

Is he finally ready to face Jungkook?

Will he be able to forgive him this time?

As Taehyung closed his eyes, he finally got the answers as he searched for it in his heart.

---------

Love you 💜