Stay [Bts x Child! Reader]

Chapter 16: Y/n

You woke up the next morning cuddled next to Huening Kai's plushies, as well as the boy himself, staring at you, then his plushies, then you again.

"What?" You mumbled sleepily, shoving your face into the pillow again, trying to ignore the fact that your hair was probably a rat's nest right now. Oh, don't forget the morning breath, too. That was probably terrible as well.

"They're my plushies," He pouted, brown hair swirling over his forehead. See? Child.

"I don't know much about idols," You yawned, lifting your face from the pillow. "but don't you have work?" You peered up at him with bleary eyes, rubbing them.

Huening Kai smiled brightly, grinning. "We asked PD-nim if we could have the day off since yesterday was...chaotic." You're eyes darkened slightly, but you didn't feel that uncomfortable anymore.

"Are the others awake?" You grumbled, sitting up.

"We're right here!" Beomgyu shouted, and you turned to the medium-brown haired TXT member. "That's rude, Y/n-ie! You didn't even notice us!"

Rolling your eyes, you jumped up out of the extra bed, spilling the blankets on Huening. "Oppa, Huening Kai-oppa was right in front of my face with plushies, why would I notice you? And I'm short," You pouted, grumbling about how much you hated being short and having short legs.

"Aw, don't worry, Y/n, you'll grow in time," Soobin said sympathetically, warm brown eyes kind.

"That's easy for you to say," You sulked, crossing your arms and plopping down on Huening Kai, who'd just turned around and let out an 'oof' as you did. "You're tall," and you pouted even bigger, bottom lip sticking out.

Soobin laughed sheepishly, smiling cutely at you. "Not that tall, Y/n."

"Are you kidding?!" You shrieked in outrage. "You're taller than Namjoon-oppa, and he used to be the tallest according to the internet!"

Yeonjun chuckled, patting your head. Oh, come on! You weren't that young. "Look at you, Y/n, now you're starting to search things up on the internet. What happened to the 'no searching things up about us' rule?"

You shrugged, nearly hitting Huening Kai in the face, and said, "I don't know. Ever since they gave me their album, I guess."

"Hm," Yeonjun hummed in response, and you knew they were just avoiding the question.

"Oh, will you just spit it out already?" You grouched, glaring at everyone except Huening, 'cause he you couldn't.

Yeonjun, Beomyu, and Taehyun all elbowed Soobin and Huening Kai pointed at him a little. "You do it, you're leader," They all said in unison, looking away uncomfortably.

"I-" Soobin looked around angrily, then sighs, deflating. "Fine," He muttered. He looked up. "Do you want to go back to them today, or, you know, later."

Though you knew you'd asked for it, you flinched. You could talk about these 'them' just fine, but actually hearing the question out loud was painful. You couldn't help but wonder, despite all of what TXT said, if they still loved you. You now realized it was foolish, but anything was possible, and you were worried.

"I..." You trailed off, squeezing Huening's dolphin plushie so tightly it looked...odd, needless to say. You struggled to find an answer. "I...may..be...?

Soobin looked pained to have caused your small, thirteen year-old heart pain and said as gently as possible, "If you don't want to, we don't have to, we have the day off afterall."

"No...I..I want to," You blurted, leaning out from your seat (AKA Huening Kai). "I wanna go back to BTS-sunbaenims."

The leader looked at you carefully, cautioning. "Are you sure?"

You gulped, and nodded. "I'm-I'm sure." Not.

Yeonjun sighed, then, scrubbing his face with his hands, and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, okay, I guess...if you're up for it."

"I am. IamIamIam." You chanted it like a litany, repeating those two words over, and over, and over again. "I can do it." Maybe if you kept saying it, you would believe it. Maybe, you wouldn't chicken out when you see them. Maybe, they'll want you and you wouldn't have to worry anymore. But that was a lot of 'maybes.'

And 'maybe' meant "perhaps, possibly."

Not guaranteed.

Soobin winced. Literally winced. "Maybe..." There it was again. That word. "Maybe you...don't... have to?"

"No." You shook your head forcefully, sending h/c hair flying, nearly smacking Huening Kai in the face, which would've been funny had the current situation not been at play. "No. I have to do it. I'd never do it otherwise. We have to. I have to." And you were already starting to chicken out.

"We don't have time to think!" You shouted when they didn't respond, like it was the apocalypse. In a way, it was. To you. "Come on, we have to go!" You lurched forward to our feet and gestured for them to do the same.

"Okay," Beomgyu whispered, big brown eyes full of concern. You felt that way, too.

---

In a few minutes, you were hand in hand with Beomgyu and Huening Kai, walking toward the BigHit building like one big, happy family. No, not really. You were missing someone. Seven someone's.

You were sweating nervous, your palms slick with it as you gripped Beomgyu and Huening Kai's hands like they were lifelines.

None of the members asked if you were sure again, as if they knew you were going to chicken out if they added one more insecurity. You could do this. You. Could. Do. This.

When you finally reached the front doors, you were so nervous, you swore you could've run away, back to TXT's dorm, right then and there.

But you didn't.

You couldn't run away now. Your family was on the line.

As you entered the building, the members not holding your hands, pushing open doors, you tried to shrink out of sight. Everyone was staring at TXT. Then at you, the small, young girl, clinging on to their hands, eyes darting around like you're trapped.

"O-oppa," You mumbled, pulling on the hood from the white hoodie you'd borrowed from Huening Kai. "Everyone's staring..." Your grip on their hands tightened as you knew you drew closer and closer to the missing puzzle pieces in your life.

"It's fine, Y/n," Beomgyu whispered to you. "Just ignore them."

"Why?" You didn't like being at the center of attention; at the orphanage, it was always a bad sign.

"We don't typically come on days off," Soobin explained patiently and gently.

"Oh," You said quietly, and you continued to walk to where you knew BTS would be (TXT asked the staff).

You walked silently, only the slight squeak of your shoes against the floor was any indication that you were walking. You walked like you were in a trance, like you didn't want to go, but something was forcing you.

And then you were there, outside the door that held the first people who'd showed you any love at all in five years.

Yeonjun raised his fist to knock on the door, but then looked at you first. "You ready?" He asked quietly, but not whispering. At your nod, he knocked on the door.

Once.

Then twice.

Then three times.

And the door opened.

Without realizing it, you untangled your hands from Huening and Beomgyu's and launched yourself at the familiar figure. You wrapped your small arms around their waist, squeezing tightly.

"O-oppaaaa!" you sobbed, burying your face in his chest. "Oppa, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Y-Y/n???" He asked in disbelief as you looked up into Taehyung's beautiful, kind face.

And you cried some more as you realized you'd made it home.