《Single Father • Namjoon + BTS!Kids》xxix.
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Namjoon had had to take three days of work off to take care of his kids. He'd called Mark and had him cover his shift, which Mark had been more than happy to do, having been through similar situations himself.
So Namjoon had played the good parent and tucked his kids into bed, made them soup, gave them medicine, and spoiled the living hell out of them.
He'd even let Yoongi stay home from school as well, mainly because he couldn't risk driving Yoongi and leaving the others home alone.
What if something happens and they can't call me?
What if there's an emergency?
What if they forget my phone number?
What if-
So Namjoon gave Yoongi a pass, to which Yoongi happily accepted without complaint.
Namjoon ran around, making sure they were all as comfortable as could be, that they were resting, that they had food to eat whenever they had appetites. He never fully slept, instead opting to take light naps on the couch so whenever one of his angels said, "Daddy? I need you," he could bolt up and run to their room and see what the problem was.
He changed their sheets and pillowcases every night, washing them to get rid of the germs, and made sure they had clean ones.
He checked temperatures four times a day, after breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. He recorded them every time, comparing them to see if his kids were getting better.
Finally, after 3 days, all of them had made full recoveries and were itching to go back to school.
"They might be worried about me," Yoongi mused quietly to himself.
"Who, Suga?" The name had sort of stuck after the lunch bag incident.
"Kihyun and Wonho. They've probably noticed my absence and wondered where I was," Yoongi said, looking awfully pleased with himself.
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Namjoon smiled tiredly. "That's nice, sweetie. Are they your friends?"
Yoongi paused before nodding. "Yes."
"Well then I'm sure they missed you," Namjoon said. He tried to inject energy into his voice but he was just so exhausted. Maybe I should start hiring a babysitter...give myself some time off...
But then Namjoon felt guilty. Ever since his wife had left, he'd been trying to handle everything, mostly out of necessity, but some part of him wanted to stick it to her.
We don't need you.
You left? We hadn't even noticed.
Don't bother coming back. We've got it all covered.
But hiring someone else to look after his kids was like admitting defeat. He didn't want to hand over his kids to anyone, and he certainly didn't want to let his wife - ex-wife - win.
He knew that was the wrong way to think about it, but he couldn't help it. He felt stubborn, like he had to prove her wrong by being the best fucking dad he could be.
Even when that meant never sleeping and checking temperatures four times a day and doing a hundred loads of laundry.
"Daddy?"
Namjoon jolted upright. Did I just fall asleep? "Sorry baby, what's up?" he asked, blinking and trying to orient himself.
"We have to leave for school, Daddy. Or we'll be late," Jin said, seeming very mature, as though he had realized just how much Namjoon had needed a rest.
Namjoon rubbed his eyes. When was I last awake? Was that last night? He swallowed. "When did I fall asleep?" he asked Jin, trusting the oldest boy to give him an answer.
"Last night," Jin said. "While you were talking to Yoongi. But don't worry, Daddy. I made sure everyone took their medicine and brushed their teeth." He hesitated, giving a sheepish smile. "I tried to change the sheets but I couldn't make them work, so I left them. Sorry, Daddy."
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Namjoon just stared at Jin, amazed. "That's fine, baby. Um, did...did you all eat breakfast yet?"
Jin nodded. "I got the cereal out and Yoongi got the bowls and Hobi got the spoons and Jimin got the milk and Tae and Jungkook...well they didn't really do anything. Except, they put the bowls and spoons in the sink, so I guess they kind of did. Oh! But we didn't have time to wash them. I can wash them when I get home from school, Daddy, okay? I promise."
Namjoon just nodded slowly. When did Jin grow up so much? Namjoon sighed. "Jin?"
Jin flinched, looking down. "Did I do something wrong, Daddy? I'm sorry..."
"Jin, look up."
Jin brought his head up to meet Namjoon's eyes.
"Come here," Namjoon instructed, and Jin walked over into Namjoon's arms, which wrapped around him tightly. "I love you so, so, so much, Jin. Thank you, sweetie."
Jin smiled but squirmed in Namjoon's arms. "Okay, Daddy. But we don't have time to hug. It's already 7:25. We can hug later though, okay, Daddy?" Then Jin slipped out of Namjoon's arms and ran off to put his shoes and coat on.
Namjoon just sighed and stood up, stretching. "No time for hugs," he mumbled grumpily before getting in the car and dropping all of his kids off at their various schools. Then he went back home.
Time to get some decent sleep, he thought to himself before he sneezed.
No.
Nope.
Nopity nope nope.
Then he coughed.
Gosh dang it.
He went to the kitchen and opened the medicine cabinet, searching for whatever the kids had been using, only to find it empty.
Damn it.
He sighed. Well, it's fine. I've had colds before. I just have to tough it out.
And so Namjoon went to his bedroom and laid down in his bed, only there was no one to ask him if he wanted soup or take his temperature or buy him a box of the special lotion-infused tissues. He was sick, and he was alone.
He felt his eyes shutting of their own according just as he remembered something. He reached for his phone even as his eyes were closing.
Oh, shit. I have to...
His hand fell limp on the sheets as he settled into a deep sleep.
Set my alarm.
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Adagio of the Enlightened
The Elders will tell you the stories and lore. Of our ancestors, their deeds, and of the foes of yore. They will praise to you the chariot, and how it flew to the stars. How it stole the sun's light and slew the night’s roar.The Shamans will tell you the tales of their wisdom. Their wars on schism, and the unlettered world of ours before. Perhaps they will sing you the songs of what our clans' ancient customs tore. Poems of how our ancestors took what the discs had offered them, the manna and the mundane, and made it more.The kings will tell you of the follies, the sins, and the anecdotes of all our ancestors' wrongs. They will curse to you their names, the Ender of Fate and the Ruined Song. How they had dug up the hearts of the discs, euchred its relics, and blasphemed its prophecies, with oracles withdrawn.But they will only tell you the legends, recount the myths, and sing the allegories washed ashore.The Elders, the Shamans, and the kings can only retell what the storytellers of their own time had voiced. What they have read in books or heard in the minstrels' songs they adore.They don't know what really happened. They were never there.They can't tell you how our ancestors slew the angels from the sky, and sent them back to where they belonged. How they poisoned our minds, and made our people slothful and feeble, with the reforms they had undergone.But I can.I can tell you how the Ender of Fate severed destiny's strings, weakened them, and weaved them to our feeble flesh and souls.I can tell you how the Ruined song razed the heavens with her blood-stained melody, and reshaped our hell into utopia, with the deaths she deplored.Because I was there. I can tell you the truth, with my virtue strong. ----> Disclaimer: This will be a slow-burn, character-driven, non-harem, slice-of-life web novel with cultivation and kingdom-building elements. Also known as "The Hidden Sage and the Star Chariot" on "Reddit HFY". Schedule: First 7 days, 3 chapters daily. Then 1 daily chapter until November. Patreon - (Unlock up to chapter 67) [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 184Phenomena the Basic Witch and the Evil Book of Love
What if you could write yourself into a better person? What changes would you make to yourself and would it be worth it? Young sorceress Phenomena Willow had never experienced a true tragedy in her life until now. Having to live with her caretaker, Deidre Love, while she was away from her school—the floating castle of Nightdream Academy, Mena finds her life a lot duller than it used to be. On her thirteenth birthday, she sneaks out against Deidre’s wishes to a magical book festival and learns her favorite author, Melina Penwell has released the latest in a series of romance books: Love Across Dimensions. Mena purchases a copy from a mysterious robed figure before the festival and Deidre’s ranch are both attacked by legions of fiends from Anguish the Blood Siren. Mena is rescued, but Deidre’s fate is unknown, causing grief and self-loathing for the young witch. To distract herself, Mena learns that her Love Across Dimensions book is a magical interactive experience where the reader controls the destiny of the characters within. Not only that, but Fabias the handsome warlock on the cover speaks to Mena, telling her that if she doesn’t like something about herself, or the world around her, she can write within the book to change it. Mena realizes her life isn’t perfect, but it soon can be. All it takes is the touch of a quill. But will her desires to change herself erase the parts that made her who she is? Read on to find out in this slightly darker, but still amusing installment of Phenomena the Basic Witch.
8 132Warrior's Heir
-Theo- Greetings. My name is Theodore Arturian the Twelfth. {Smack} -Anita- Would you stop introducing yourself to everyone we meet? We are supposed to be incognito. -Theo- Oh come now, my dear, it's not like anyone believes me. -Anita- That's not the point. What if someone does? -Theo- Then we shall fight our way to freedom in a heroic dance of blades. -Anita- You know what -sigh- never mind. Come on. I heard there is a dungeon nearby. Let's go check it out. Cover by gej302
8 112Flashback: Siren Song
The year is 1969. Yancy Lazarus—bluesman, gambler, future world-class mage and fix-it man—is just a dumb, unlucky kid serving with the 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines in Vietnam.With just a few weeks left to go until Yancy gets shipped back to the States, he’s just trying to keep his head down and avoid a body bag—no mean feat in Nam. But when his squad is tasked with conducting a routine patrol deep in enemy territory, everything goes to nine kinds of hell, and he quickly sees his chances at survival slipping away.When the radio operators start to pick up some funky, dirty ol’ blues all the way out in the backcountry, it’s a nice change of pace. At least until the men in Yancy’s squad start losing their minds, turning on each other with murderous intent as the music works its deadly power within them. Convinced it’s some kind of new psychological warfare initiative, the squad leader forces the men to push deeper and deeper into the Vietnamese jungle, obsessed with locating the music’s source. What they find, however, isn’t some new technology, but an ancient spirit awoken by the terrible war. Even worse, the music is changing Yancy too, awakening something buried inside of him. Only one thing is certain, nothing is ever going to be the same.See how it all began … *** PRAISE FOR SIREN SONG:Hunter's writing is as low-down, gritty, and insidious as the blues Yancy Lazarus loves. Just like the mysterious music drifting through the jungle toward Yancy's squad, Siren Song will get under your skin and sink its hooks into your mind. —eden Hudson, Author of Halo Bound (the Redneck Apocalypse series) *** Hey everyone, this is James Hunter. This story isn't a full length novel--its a novella length work (25K words), and is part of my Yancy Lazarus series. Its already free on Amazon, so I thought I'd post chapters here for the good folks of Royal Road. If you don't want to wait for updates or would prefer to read it on Kindle, you can pick it up for free here: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01066TLC0
8 148Tear It Apart⇸Finnick Odair [2]
❝Sometimes I wish I had died in the arena.❞❝It's all in your head. It's all in your head.❞❝Love is enduring. Everyday. Always. Because you know it's all for them. I would endure this forever if it meant he didn't have to.❞❝Sometimes I feel as though you should have just left me there to die.❞❝Ah, but you're so good at games, Terra, you always win.❞[Mockingjay][Finnick Odair][Started: 2019-02-13][Finished: 2020-01-18][Unedited]
8 135Killer Frost • Stiles Stilinski / Boyxboy
"People say that monsters don't have nightmares. Oh but sweetheart,How do you think Monsters are born?" Stiles X Killer Frost (Chris Snow)
8 110