Chapter Text
The park was beautiful. It was endlessly green. The sky was blue. Taehyung felt blissful. He had no idea where he was but the place was calming. In the middle of the park he sees Jimin. Jimin turns around sees Taehyung and smiles his bright smile. Taehyung smiles back and runs to his father. He gets down and hugs him tightly. He just keeps on looking at the lively face of Jimin and Jimin keeps on looking at his son.
"What is this place?" Taehyung finally asks, sitting down beside Jimin.
"ummmmm.... It's someplace in between. You come here when you are..... How should I put it?... Neither alive nor dead." Jimin says. "What are you doing here Taetae?" Jimin says lovingly while running his hand through his son's hair.
"I..... I wanted to come to you. I wanted to say..... I'm.... So.....sorry.... Be.... Because it was all my fault." Taehyung says sniffling with tears rolling down his face.
Jimin hugs him tightly and Taehyung burries his head in his father's neck just like a small child.
"Oh baby..... It's not your fault." Jimin says.
"Yes.... Yes it is.... And.... And then I treated Kookie so badly... I am so bad papa."Taehyung keeps on crying.
" Sweety, listen to me. Look at me baby. " Jimin says and Taehyung looks at Jimin.
" Taehyung, we all make mistakes. Some mistakes are small and can be ignored. Others are really serious and cause great harm. But in both the cases the most important thing is to forgive yourself. Make amends but also forgive yourself. Would you have done what you did if you knew that it would result in all this. " Jimin asks.
Taehyung shakes his head while Jimin wipes his tears stained cheeks with his thumb gently.
" Then you understand my Taehyungie. Forgive yourself and go back. "Jimin says again hugging Taehyung closely.
" What..... What about you? "Taehyung asks.
" It's not my time yet. " Jimin says with a sad smile on his face.
" But...... But papa... "Taehyung stammers. He did not want to leave Jimin.
" No Taehyung. It's time to wake up. "
" Taehyung? "
" Taehyung? "
Taehyung slowly opens his eyes. He feels like someone is saying his name in the distance.
" Taehyung? "
But this was not his papa's voice. Who is it?
"Taehyung. Are you with us?"
There was another voice. But the light was blinding and he was unable to keep his eyes open to actually see who was speaking.
"Tae?"
He finally recovers enough to understand what was happening. His Appa was the one speaking. Hoseok was also there. There was also a doctor. Papa? But there was no papa? Was it a dream? But papa forgives me.
"Jungkook?" Taehyung asks immediately, looking at his Appa.
Yoongi is confused. Taehyung had lost a lot of blood. The doctors were barely able to save him and the first thing he asks after having a near death experience is 'Jungkook'.
"He... He is outside baby." Yoongi says.
Taehyung tries getting up.
"No... No stay there." Yoongi comes running towards his bed.
"I... I have to see him." Taehyung's eyes had regret in them.
Yoongi had Hoseok both have a questioning look on their faces.
"I'll go get him." Hoseok finally says.
After some time. Jin and Namjoon enter with Jungkook in Jin's arms. Jin has an apologetic expression on his face.
"I'm so sorry Taehyung. I acted on impulse. I should not have done that ." Jin's eyes fill with tears. He had put his own grandson in danger.
Taehyung just smiles and says "we all make mistakes. Can I..... Can I have Jungkook."
Jin nods and puts Jungkook in Taehyung's lap all the while being careful of all the wires.
Taehyung just hugs Jungkook tightly and says "I'm sorry. I treated you unfairly." he has tears in his eyes. Jungkook looks at Taehyung with his big eyes and smiles the biggest smile seeing his brother. He tries to hug him back but his small hands only cover half of Taehyung's waist.
"Taetae!" he says.
"Awwww my baby." Taehyung says with a teary laugh.
Papa said, it is important to make amends. Taehyung understands!
Yoongi leaves the room unable to place his feelings. His feet take him to Jimin's room where his mate lies, unconscious. He sits beside his bed and holds his hand gently. A single tear escapes his eye.
"I messed up Minnie. I mess up without you. I started choosing between the kids. I.... I thought I needed to protect Taehyung more. I.... I made so many wrong choices. I need you to come back. I..... I can't do this alone." he openly starts crying.
"Sometimes choices are difficult. But that's the thing about life, you can always make a different choice." Yoongi looks around to see Namjoon at the door.
The older alpha comes and sites beside the younger after kissing Jimin on the forehead.
"But... I abandoned Jungkook when he needed me." Yoongi says. Guilt was evident in his voice.
"Because Taehyung needed you. We didn't realize his condition was this serious. Sometimes choices are difficult Yoongi. I don't think Jimin would blame you for anything." Namjoon says with a soft smile.
"You.... You think that?" Yoongi asks hopefully.
"Yes. He understood forgiveness." Namjoon says.
*****
Hoseok stands outside Taehyung's room while Taehyung insists on keeping Jungkook with him.
Jin comes to him and keeps a loving hand on his shoulder "You okay Hobi?" he asks.
Hoseok looks at his grandfather. "I wanted to blame someone so bad that I ended up blaming papa and even Jungkook for everything. I just wanted things to make sense. I just wanted to understand how things could have been different. I just wanted someone to take the blame. Someone, I could hurt the same way they hurt me by taking away papa from me. I.....i was so wrong. I just didn't want to blame Tae. I wanted it to be someone else because I badly wanted to protect Tae. So I started blaming others . But Seeing Taehyung like that.... I realized.... That sometimes things happen we have no control over and sometimes there is no one to blame. It's not Tae's fault. It's not Jungkook's fault. It's not Papa's fault. Hanyoon is not mine to deal with. The law will do that. It's just..... "
"Circumstances." Jin competes his sentence with a sigh.
"Yes." Hoseok says and continue with a gentle voice. "I wanna go to Jungkook too. Finally be his big brother."
Jin smiles and nods.
Hoseok enters and sees a sleeping Taehyung with a sleeping Jungkook in his arms. He smiles and goes and kisses both of them on their foreheads quietly whispering "Your big brother will always be at your side."
******
Yoongi and Namjoon are sleeping on the couches in Jimin's room when Jimin slowly moves his finger and then gently opens his eyes for the first time in months and smiles a faint smile seeing two out of the six people he loved most in the world.