Author's note:

Oookay, so it looks like I'm not ready to let this story go yet! Enjoy this epilogue guys. Warning: if you're one of the people who don't approve of Y/N staying with Taehyung, you may not like this as it shows further development of their relationship. Feel free not to continue reading if you're not content with the idea of them ending up together.

***

Song for this chapter:

"There's a reason for the rainbow through the rain."

"Taehyung, the door!" I shouted, slipping yet another clip in my hair in an attempt to tame it and make it look the way I wanted it to.

"I can't!" I heard him shout from the other room. "Taeyang decided it was potty time just while I was holding him!"

"Oh God!" I exclaimed. Couldn't be mad, I had been there before. "Okay, I'll get it!"

My hair still a mess, I rushed down the stairs to open the door. The doorbell rang again just as I twisted the door knob.

"Jimin!" my lungs collapsed in a long relieved sigh. Jimin was standing on the door, one shoulder leaned towards the door frame, and raised his charming gaze from the ground just as I opened the door. "Thank you so much for doing this. Our nanny canceled last-minute."

"You know you can always count on me to save the day," he winked, raising his arm up to my eye level and waggling the bag he was holding. "Look what uncle Jimin brought for little Taeyangie!"

"Jimin, you can't keep showering him with gifts!" I scowled, my mouth twisting with disapproval. "You're spoiling him! I don't want him to grow up as an entitled, materialistic brat."

"Don't worry, I'll also lecture and teach him about the valuable things in life. Like how to pick up girls effortlessly." He flashed me a devilish grin.

"Jimin!" I hissed as my frown got even deeper.

"I'm just kidding," he raised his hands in defeat. "Where's our beloved Mr. Sweetface?"

"Taehyung is changing him after Mr. Sweetface decided to poop on him," I explained, releasing an exasperated sigh. "You know, I'm starting to think he's doing this on purpose, especially after we refused to give him candy today. He's established this kind of like a revenge tactic."

"Ew," Jimin scrunched his nose. "So that's why it stinks like baby poo in here. Leave that genius mastermind to me, I promise you he'd never poop on any of you two ever again. You know I can be quite convincing."

My brows pulled together and I gave him a hesitant look. I wasn't really keen on letting Jimin discipline my child.

As if on cue, Taehyung rounded the corner with a brightly smiling Taeyang in his hands, clad in his clean clothes.

"I'm afraid the only sweet thing left about Mr. Sweetface is... well, his face," Taehyung complained. "He just threw a temper tantrum because I wouldn't let him put his diaper on his head."

"Let uncle Jimin hold him," Jimin cooed in a soft voice and Taehyung handed the little man over to him.

"Daddy's gonna be home in time to sing you to sleep, little mister," Taehyung whispered to our son and planted a small kiss on his forehead.

"You're a little rebel, aren't you?" Jimin said, his thumb caressed Taeyang's soft cheek and he giggled cutely, bright eyes staring up at Jimin. "Oh, I just can't wait until you grow up and we can go to bars together. I'm gonna model you in the best wingman someone's ever had."

"What did you just say?" I screeched, horrified eyes darting at Jimin.

"He's just kidding," Taehyung said before turning to Jimin. "Aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, of course I'm kidding! It's not like I'm gonna drag your infant to a bar, geez guys, you need to chill!" he scolded. "Now go, go have your romantic night out, I'll take care of Taeyang."

"Okay," I let out, hesitation still lingering on my mind as I eyed him weirdly. Taehyung grabbed our coats and handed me mine. "But no shenanigans, okay?!" I raised a finger in front of Jimin's face threateningly.

"Yeah, yeah." he said casually as he made his way towards the living room leisurely. "Calm yourself woman."

Just as Taehyung and I were about to leave, I heard Jimin's hushed voice coming from the other side of the apartment.

"Now let uncle Jiminie teach you how to use Tinder!"

"Jimin!" I yelled, ready to run back and jump at him as Taehyung struggled to keep me from going all mama bear on Jimin.

"I knew you were there!" Jimin's head peeked from the kitchen door, bobbing up and down as he laughed uncontrollably. "I was just kidding, I swear! Taehyung, you need to control your baby mama, man. She's about to go feral."

***

"God, I really hope Taeyang will be alright with Jimin," I chewed on my lower lip anxiously while staring straight ahead at the road sightlessly. "You know how they say the first three years of life are crucial? So you have to be very careful what and who you expose your baby to? Oh my god, Taehyung, what if we fuck this up?" I rambled, my heart drumming erratically in my chest.

"Calm down," the rumble of Taehyung's deep baritone engulfed me, an agreeable huskiness to it. He placed one hand over my thigh and squeezed it. "You're overthinking this. We've left Taeyang with Jimin before, remember? They'll be just fine. Jimin may act all nonchalant and shit, but he'd never let a single hair fall from Taeyang's head."

My heartbeat slowly steadied as I listened to his comforting words. He was right after all. Jimin had loved Taeyang from the first time he laid his eyes on him. I had never seen a man being so loving and affectionate with a baby that wasn't even his.

That day when we introduced our baby to him, it was like things finally fell back into place. Jimin looked at me, holding Taeyang in his arms, and at that frozen moment in time, we both knew. We never would have worked out, him and I. Taeyang was the living, breathing confirmation of that. My heart had chosen Taehyung. We had created a life together, and that was the most precious thing there was. I belonged next to him, it was as simple and evident as that. Things had fallen into place just the way they needed to.

Another proof of that was how seamlessly Taehyung and Jimin's relationship improved. It was like Taeyang entering our lives just fixed everything. That's why I'll always say that he was our biggest gift of all.

There was no tension between the two men any more, no strain. That little baby reminded us there were far more important things in life than some ridiculous rivalry and pointless jealousy. In some unspoken way, Taehyung and Jimin both decided they would raise above all that, above the tension and the strain.

Of course, I had to admit that this was partly because of Taehyung's conscious choice to change and be a better version of himself. He didn't look at Jimin with menace in his eyes anymore. He let all of that go and I was very proud of him for finally putting his faith in us and our relationship, trying to overcome his trust issues, instead of focusing on his insecurities.

He got better with each day that passed. Of course, there were still some dark episodes when he'd struggle, but they were becoming more and more rare. Understandably, no one changes overnight. That's just not how life works. It was a long process and I was ready to be with him every step of the way.

"Oh my god, he's posting selfies in the group chat now." I sighed, scrolling down through my messages. Taehyung glanced over at me, a subtle smile painted over his lips. "Look!" I shoved the phone in his nose, showing him a picture of Jimin cuddling Taeyang on our couch.

Jimin: Movie night with with my lil' bro! #brosforlife #bromance #TaeMin #bestwingmanever

And of course, the guys replied almost immediately:

Hoseok: OMFG ASDFGHJKL ADORABLEEEEEE!!!!

Jungkook: Awwww, why didn't you guys invite us to bromance night? Uncle Jungkookie is so jealous!

Jimin: It wasn't planned. Y/N and Taehyung's nanny canceled last-minute but uncle Jiminie was here to save the day!

Namjoon: Cute! Are we still on for Taeyang's birthday party this Saturday? Uncle Namjoon has prepared the best present!

Jin: For the last time, Namjoon, you can't give Carl Jung's 'Psychology of the Unconscious' to a two-year old!

Namjoon: He has to educate himself, Seokjin!

Yoongi: That book weights more than Taeyang, Namjoon, for fuck's sake.

Jin: DON'T SWEAR IN FRONT OF THE BABY!!

Yoongi: What baby? There's no baby in this chat!

Jin: He's with Jimin right now, they're probably looking at the chat!

Yoongi: ...

Yoongi: You know two-year olds can't read, right?

"Oh my God, they're too much sometimes." Taehyung sighed, a small chuckle rolling out of his mouth.

"They're just overly excited," I said with a simper. "At least we know Taeyang would always be surrounded with love from his six uncles and they'll be looking out for him."

"More like smothered." Taehyung corrected, still smiling.

"Where are we going, anyways?" It was then when I finally directed my attention to the road. Taehyung had kept me in the dark about our romantic night out, and I had settled on not asking him any more questions about it. So it was safe to say, I had absolutely no idea where he was taking me.

"It's a surprise." He uttered.

"Please don't let it be some flashy restaurant, I feel like I still reek of baby poop." I whined.

He laughed. "I promise you it's not. But now I need you to close your eyes." he said as he steered the wheel.

"Hm... okay." I mumbled suspiciously, closing my right eye.

"Y/N, I can still see one of your eyes is opened!" Taehyung frowned. "Do you not trust me?"

"Alright!" I amended, finally squeezing my eyes shut. "Okay, now they're both closed."

"Good," he approved. "Keep it that way for a little while..."

"Tell me when to open them." I said, impatient to see where he was taking me.

"Just one second." He said and I felt how the car glided to the right before taking on what felt like a steeper road. "Okay, now you can open them."

Just as my eyelids fluttered open, Taehyung smoothly brought the car to a halt. I blinked and refocused, twirling around and my brows knit together as I struggled to recognize this place.

"Is it..." I gasped, wide eyes flashing back to him when the realization dawned on me.

He nodded rapidly, shifting in his seat to face me properly.

"It's where I kissed you for the first time." He muttered.

I pivoted my head to the right to take a good look at the scenery. It was the magical place you could see the entire town from, the lights of the buildings and the streetlamps glowing in the dark like a thousand of little stars scattered over the night sky.

"What a cliché, huh?" he chuckled softly behind my back. "That's what you told me when I brought you here for the first time."

"You still remember this?" I asked in amazement.

"I can never forget anything when it comes to you." he said gently, his hand gravitating towards my cheek.

"Tae, this is..."

"Cheesy? I bet you wished we were at that restaurant right now."

"No, it's romantic. It's beautiful."

"This was where everything started," he whispered. "With that kiss. I never knew how it would change my life."

"Neither did I." I admitted, overwhelmed with all the memories that flooded my mind.

He scooted closer, his dark chocolate eyes swirling in a lovestruck haze.

"Would you have done it again? If you could turn back time, would you? Knowing it would turn into that brokenhearted mess..." his eyes peered deeply into mine, hesitation and insecurity swimming in them.

"Y-yes..." I stammered breathlessly, pressing my cheek closer to his hand that hovered over it cowardly. "I wouldn't change a thing in our story, Taehyung... Though sometimes I wish you never broke my heart, I realize yours was crushed too..."

His face fell and I practically saw how the breath hitched in his throat. "Do you regret meeting me?"

"I could never..." I replied.

"I was crumbling every day that I was without you, baby girl," he said softly. "When you left me in front of the hospital that day, I was destroyed. I realized... I had really taken it too far with all the shit I made you go through. A lifetime would not be enough for me to apologize and make it up to you..."

"Stop. I don't want you to live with that kind of guilt."

"How do you not hate me?" his eyes heavy regret. "I keep asking myself this. How did you find it in you to love me despite everything?"

I felt myself breaking at his words. "Taehyung, I admit... in that period of time where we were away from each other, there were many moments where I hated you... I wished I could un-feel your touch on my skin, or un-see the way you'd look at me. Un-light the fire that you started in me. I prayed every night that I could un-say the words I said to you and un-hear your voice caressing my ear, the sweet promises you'd given me, I wished I could un-receive them... I wished I could un-kiss you. Undo it all. I begged myself, my heart and my mind... I begged them to un-love you."

The hurt laced in my voice got to Taehyung, dominating his features. His face softened, suspended between joy and pain. Redness brimmed his striking hazel orbs but they would not look away from mine.

"But the bitter truth came back night after night, hitting me square in the chest... un-loving you was the hardest thing I ever tried to do."

"Baby, don't cry." he cooed, stroking my cheek with his thumb as his long fingers cradled my jaw.

"This heart," I pressed my hand to my chest. "It could not erase you, Taehyung."

I gazed straight into his eyes, seeing the reflection of his pain, its depth way bigger than I imagined. He gulped and took a sharp intake of breath, blinking away the tears.

"When I saw you that day with Taeyang on the playground, I felt as if my soul had left my body," he confessed. "To say that I was shocked would be an understatement and I don't think it would even convey the feelings I was drowning in at that moment. Day after day, I lived with this intense guilt that you lost that baby because of me.

"And to this day, I'm almost convinced; maybe you did. Because I neglected you, caused you pain, and that pain reflected and put pressure on your body for so long, it drained you physically, mentally and emotionally until you could not take it anymore and it pushed you over the edge.

"This devastated me, because you did not deserve to be the target of my cruelty, intentional or not. Nor did our unborn baby. I admit sometimes I caused you pain on purpose. That was horrible of me, but it also spoke how there was something very, very wrong with me in the first place that needed fixing. I had no idea how love worked and how to deal with it. You're the first person to have stuck with me despite my unforgivable flaws.

"Regardless, there's no excuse for how I treated you. That day at the playground, after my brain exited the initial state of short-circuit, my first thought was that I should be relieved. After all, there was a baby! But instead, a sickening feeling pooled in my gut. Yes, there was a baby... a baby I had left you to take care of all by yourself."

"Taehyung, you couldn't have known about Taeyang," I sniffled. "I didn't tell you."

"Yes, but I should have reached out earlier," he shook his head as one of his hands gripped mine, inadvertently squeezing. His jaw clenched and he assumed a determined look, as if he wanted to punish himself for his mistakes. "I should have tried harder to find you and be next to you even though I did not know you were pregnant at the time. But what can I say... I was a coward back then," he spat. "I hate myself for doing that to you."

The harsh words he was putting himself down with were starting to feel bothersome to me. I cupped his cheek gently.

"Hey," I mumbled. "All of that is in the past. I had my dark period, too. Losing one of the twins almost killed me. I had to focus all of my attention on Taeyang in order not to slip down into depression."

"You're so strong," Taehyung said with admiration. "You are the reason I'm still holding on. You're the reason why my head is still above water, Y/N... I wish I could give you everything. If I could give you the Moon, I'd reach out for it and grab it for you."

"I'll settle for you only," I smiled warmly. "And our little family."

"Who would have thought we would have gotten here from that kiss?" Taehyung asked, sighing softly.

I let my mind drift back to the past as the memories played before my eyes like a fast-paced video montage. Yes, it was that kiss that had started everything... All the drama, the heartache, the hurt and the tears. The lies, the secrets, everything. And I realized something.

My love story with Taehyung wasn't perfect. I'm not sure whether I could even call it a love story, given that love wasn't always the main character in it. Let's just call it a story. A story about two people who found each other only to fall apart later on. Two people who wanted to love each other, but didn't know how. Two people who hurt and scarred each other only to nurse one another back to life later on. Two hearts who could not unlove each other, after all.

A relationship never stays the same. It evolves, just like the people involved in it. Taehyung and I were a disaster back then. A trainwreck. But during that time we spent separated, both of us learned important lessons. We matured. Changed.

It's very easy to love someone who is light. Show me someone dark. Someone broken. Show me the most damaged corners of their soul. Then love them until they heal. Love them, I dare you. Until the last delicate crevice is gone and what is left are thin, tiny scars to remind them of who they are.

It's very difficult, I know. But it's worth it in the end. There's a reason for the rainbow through the rain. You can find beauty in all the pain.

My gaze shifted back to Taehyung sitting next to me. I was short of breath just looking at him. Even after everything, my heart always skipped a beat when our eyes met. Despite the hardships and the woes, it felt like the world made sense when our fingers touched.

"I love you." he uttered suddenly.

And unlike the first time he had shouted it at me in front of that hospital, this time I knew it. I knew it was true. I felt his love for me radiating through his body, as well as his love for our son. It was immense and infinite like an ocean, and I was so proud of him for finally unleashing this. For finally getting rid of that part of himself that forbid him to love himself or other people. Of releasing his fears and stripping himself of his insecurities.

There was nothing else for me to do except reciprocate.

"I love you." I replied.

Taehyung drew closer and pressed his lips to mine. His hands found their way around my back as he pulled me closer, releasing a soft gasp into the kiss. Electric currents lined my skin as I felt the familiar goosebumps his touch evoked. I could never get enough of him and of the way his lips were drinking me in, his hands expertly caressing every inch of my body. My fingers weaved into his soft black hair, the texture gliding on my skin.

This time I was confident in the way I felt about him and vice versa. This time, I didn't question or wonder about his feelings. Because this time, when I looked into his eyes, I was sure of it with my whole heart...

We were both loved.

author's note:

excuse me while I deal with all those feels.

should we have one last smut scene?