#tags:single!hongjoong

[atinybitofau]

[ateez] H O N G J O O N G ➣ baby daddy au

IF THE WORLD GIVES YOU A SECOND CHANCE, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

warnings: no cut was added. (mobile edit),

a/n: I’m back bizzes

• you appreciated the things you had,

• the things given to you.

• you were never a ‘taking for granted’ kind of girl,

• rather..

• a more ‘taken for granted’ kind of woman.

• and it’s just basic morale—

• ..right?

• cause no person should ever fail to satisfy another’s needs even if that meant sacrificing yourself.

• and not once did you ever dwell on that idea that maybe you did let too many people take advantage of you.

• but by no means would you ever consider sacrificing your daughter by means for satisfying yourself.

• not when her father died the day after she was born.

• him already in a critical condition.

• no your daughter doesn’t deserve that even if you didn’t either.

• “Kei, say hi to appa, baby.”

• you glance at his picture by his grave,

• letting your two year old daughter stumble to place a bouquet of flowers by his frame.

• “It’s not fair the world took you from me and her.” you whisper almost to yourself but hoping somewhere beyond the clouds he could hear. “When I loved you so much..”

• you feel like you could already hear him.

• telling you, ‘the world takes but it also gives. only if you let it’

• and you can only reply with a tear in your eye, “What could the world possibly give me? When it stripped you of a second chance. Why would it give me one?”

• you take your daughter into your arms and walk away from his grave.

• thinking you could never have the faith you once had.

• your happiness solely relying on the smiling ball of sunshine you wake up to every morning.

• and it may not be with the man that you loved more than anything.

• but your daughter meant more to you than just giving up.

• “Oh my god! I’m so sorry— I’m SO sorry.”

• you hurriedly grab your daughter swinging her by her waist and into your arms.

• giving her a pleading glare while she giggles staring at the man she carelessly clung to.

• which, might you add, was a complete stranger

• “I’m sorry. She gets quite clingy with.. good looking men.”

• your daughter had a mind of her own.

• where she lacked a man for a father, always sought one in the attractive bunch of a crowd.

• the man smiles at you though.

• full blown toothy grin before lightly patting on her head.

• “That’s alright.” his chuckle’s low and raspy looking back to her. “And what’s your name little one?”

• your normally verbal daughter suddenly reaches her arms out for him when you have to sheepishly hold her hands back.

• “Kei, stop that. You’re bothering the poor man.”

• he chuckles again. “I wouldn’t say poor. The world’s granted me more than that. I promise.”

• his words trickle your spine like a light touch from a hammer.

• tingling all sensations of both your body and brain.

• the way he talked..

• his ease of odd situations.

• reminded you of the time you first met the once love of your life.

• “She’s two.” you take yourself by surprise when you get a little brave. “She’s always so curious. Not that I deprive her of social interaction or anything but she’s so young. She likes to talk to people even though she can’t speak actual words.”

• “She’s got her own language. No biggie, we all do.” he assures. “May I?”

• you blink in sudden blubber,

• letting a complete stranger, in midst of your attraction, take your daughter into his arms.

• she smiles.

• it’s not the first time.

• but your daughter rarely smiles like that.

• not when she’s only with you.

• “Her name’s Kei.”

• “It’s a beautiful name.” the red haired man crinkles his leather jacket to get her more comfortable in his arms. “Do you want to know my name, Kei?”

• your breath comes out haggard as you watch the interaction.

• cause no matter how much you’re able to give Kei,

• she wants a male figure.

• and maybe it’s just the air of the world.

• but you realize you probably need one just as much.

• and it’s like you can hear your dead husbands words ringing again in your ear.

• cause what was it again?

• “The world can give you the best things in life. And you don’t know they exist until they actually do.” the handsome stranger hands your back your daughter, metal rings stinging at your skin when the brush against you.

• you can’t believe you hear it.

• that the words you always made up in your head formed by a man you once loved,

• exists in another form.

• “My name’s Hongjoong by the way.” he smiles at you in the most cunning way, it’s nearly senile. “I live a few streets over. If you ever need anything, the both of you, just give me a holler.”

• you don’t know what he means.

• but he manages to give you a black card and address.

• after that, he’s sucked back into the bustling crowd.

• even Kei was searching over your shoulder for where he might’ve slipped through.

• “He was a nice guy huh, sweetie?”

• she just giggles burying her face into you.

• but you’re still strung on him.

• thinking about him.

• three days after and you still can’t get your mind off him.

• you pout at the picture of your husband on your work desk hoping he might have the answers to your questions.

• “It’s so fast.” you mumble thumb grazing over his face in the frame. “The feelings.. it’s wrong. It’s not right. The world took you from me. It’s only right for me to dedicate my life to you.. right?”

• you wait a couple seconds.

• hoping you can hear your dead husband’s voice again in your head.

• but your mind’s blurred with thoughts over this new men you had only just met.

• “Kei! How was your day with grandma, sweetie?”

• she runs into your arms, your mom following suit behind her.

• Kei babbles wordless sentences and as you try to form them,

• one stands out in particular.

• “Hongjoong?”

• your mom catches your attention with a soft laugh. “We bumped into him at the grocers earlier and he recognized her right away. Said he met the both of you a couple weeks back. He seems like a good man with a sense of... liberty.”

• “What is that supposed to mean?”

• “His friends were a little out of touch with community standards.” she bites back at her smile. “They aren’t exactly bad people but—“

• “Mom...”

• “Let’s just say I wouldn’t bet the world on whether or not he’s done some immoral things, sweetie. But he just wants me to remind you the card he gave you still works. And I’m not against anything you’re given the chance to.”

• you think about your mom’s words.

• but the thought of him just gets worse.

• and all of a sudden the world does give second chances.

• with a little teeny tiny twist.

• “H-Hongjoong?!”

• you were on your way home from work when you screech your tires to a full halt,

• catching a familiar head of red hair, his abdomen bleeding out over one hand and a gun being pulled towards a string of vehicles.

• people were running.

• cars were racing.

• you were frozen when you think time did too.

• as if the world was giving you a sign right then and there.

• “HONGJOONG GET IN!”

• you have no idea what had possessed you to put yourself in this kind of place.

• but the moment his eyes found yours through the open window, he runs towards you like the world depended on it.

• eventually he takes your place behind your wheel while you apply pressure against his wound.

• but you just stare at him.

• bewildered by how you got in this position.

• somewhere in your head you can hear your dead husband telling you,

• ‘the world does give second chances. you just have to be willing to take them.’

• Kei’s asleep when you bring him home.

• you aid his wounds in silent darkness and you can feel his eyes burning into you.

• “Thank you.” he mumbles. “I was really hoping I’d do the saving before you did. After all, that was what the card was for.”

• your breath comes out like a soft laugh, “I was thinking about how I should use the card you gave me. There just wasn’t a perfect time for it. Timing’s everything.”

• Hongjoong stands and limps from your couch after noticing the endless frames in your home.

• of your past love.

• the life you had before your husband’s life was taken from you.

• “Is this your husband?”

• you have your hands folded over your chest while admiring the sight again each time. “Yes.”

• “That yes didn’t sound all that convincing.”

• it’s like the tides were right the moment Hongjoong turned to look at you.

• as if the moon aligned with his eyes the second they fell upon yours.

• “He uh.. he passed away when Kei was born. He was sick already. When I met him. The timing was just a little off.”

• “A little?” he makes the moment humorous in his own way, making your heart flutter at the sound. “I’m sorry... That the world was cruel to you.”

• you can’t stop the feeling.

• it’s not in your line of morality how you feel about Hongjoong.

• he reminds you so much of a man you fell in love with.

• or maybe that wasn’t the case at all.

• he’s just a man who deserves a second chance just as much as you do.

• “My girlfriend died in a prostitution ruse back in ‘16. I know what it feels like. The heavy burden of moving on. From the world taking what you thought was your everything.”

• “Away?”

• “Forever.” he sits back on your couch rubbing at his hands. “And it sucks. Cause for 6 years, I got myself into a mess I can’t exactly get out of. I kind of stopped looking for my second chance too.”

• you didn’t realize he stood back up.

• how close he was to you.

• you want to use the darkness as an excuse.

• but that excuse was W E A K.

• “How did you know I was looking for a second chance?” your voice comes out as a whisper.

• his breath fans against your lips and your eyes glance at his own.

• the way he parts them in order to speak.

• but somehow also inching in hopes to kiss yours.

• “You wouldn’t have stopped to save me if you weren’t.”

• he kisses you.

• and for something you thought was wrong felt so right.

• you never once stopped thinking about Kei’s father.

• how he mattered to you just as much Hongjoong does.

• but when the world offers a second chance like this, you can’t let it slip by you that easily.

• “I’m hoping I could be Kei’s second chance too.”

• now how could an always giving mother say no to that?

@atinybitofau