Taecyeon

After the excitement of Jun waking up died down, Nichkhun had taken Gain down to the cafeteria for some celebratory chocolate pudding. Soon after that, the doctor had come in to check on Jun and give Taecyeon an update on his condition.

Taec had used the quiet time to pull himself together and thank God for answering his prayers. He'd never been much of a praying man before Jun's accident.

Now that Jun was out of the woods and expected to make a full recovery, Taecyeon turned his thoughts toward the things that needed to happen next.  With Jun's permission, he was going to move back into what used to be their house.

Doctor Seokjin thought Jun would be in the hospital for another week and someone would need to take Gain to school. It would be too great a hardship to ask Narsha or Junho and Chansung to take care of Gain like that, so the easiest solution was for him to move in and let Gain and Blackie sleep in their own bed.

With his leg in a cast for the next six weeks, Jun wasn't going to be able to drive, which was another solid reason for Taecyeon to move back in. Someone was going to need to drive Jun to work. His stubborn man wasn't the kind of person to lie in bed when there was work to do. Knowing Jun, he'd be back to school on Monday if it were possible.

By the time Jun was out of the cast it would be summer vacation. Taec worked with a few kids during the summer, but didn't have nearly the same caseload as when school was in session. He knew Junho and Chansung had been kicking around the idea of renting a beach house up in Jeju, and Taec wanted to be in on that trip with Jun and Gain. He wanted them to be a family, plain and simple.

His heart had soared when Jun said that he loved Taec too, but he knew his lover was in a lot of pain and coming off some heavy duty drugs. He might not have meant what he said.

"Taec?" Jun's voice sounded weak.

"I'm right here, babe."

"Water?"

Taec grabbed the pitcher on the wheeled table next to the bed and poured him a cup. He brought the cup to Jun and held the straw while he took a few sips. When he was done, he patted the empty spot on the bed next to him.

"Was I dreaming or did you tell me you loved me?"

"Yes." Taecyeon grinned at him.

"Which was it?"

"Both." Taecyeon picked up his hand and pressed the bruised flesh to his lips "You were dreaming and I told you I loved you. Several times, in fact."

"What happened to me?"

Taecyeon wondered when Jun would ask that question "What do you remember?"

"I got Gain up for school. She was all excited because..." Jun looked confused.

"It's okay if you don't remember." Nichkhun and Doctor Seokjin had mentioned Jun might have some short-term memory issues.

"No, it's not that. I remember I was going to tell you that I loved you and that I wanted us to get back together. Did I do that, Taec?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. What else do you remember?" both Nichkhun and the doctor suggested letting Jun figure out what he remembered on his own before filling in the blanks for him.

Jun frowned "I got Gain in the car. We were singing Girls Generation."

"You were singing Girls Generation?" Taec snorted. He'd heard that part of the story from Gain, but it tickled him to think of Jun belting out one of her songs.

"Gainoo wanted me to sing with her, so I did. That's all I remember." 

"The doctor said that you might not remember the accident."

"Feels like I was run over by a truck."

"You sort of were. You were turning left onto Yongdongdae-ro and an SUV ran the red light and hit you. The car spun into the guardrail. Gain only had minor cuts from flying glass and she was a little sore from the impact, but she's perfectly fine. She stayed with Narsha and Kwanghee last night, while I stayed here with you."

"So I didn't tell you that I still loved you and wanted you back." Jun sounded disappointed.

Taec shook his head "No you didn't, but that's okay. We're both saying it now. I got an unexpected visit from Hwang Narsha, she handed my to me over the way I treated you. I was hurting so bad and she made me realized how much I missed you and wanted you back."

"She's a smart woman."

"She sure is. So, she cooked me a lumberjack breakfast and I took a shower. Put on your favorite aftershave and drove to the florist. When I showed up at the school, everyone was in a panic because you and Gain hadn't shown up yet." Taec in a shaky breath "God, Jun, I've never been so scared in my entire life."

Jun squeezed his hand "Am I gonna be okay?" 

"You are. It was touch and go for a while yesterday. The doctors put you in a medically induced coma because your brain was swelling. He said you'll make a full recovery although you may never get the memories back from the accident itself, which is a blessing if you ask me."

"Having you at my side and telling me that you love me is the blessing, Taecyeon."

Minjun

Jun felt like he'd been run over by a bus. Everything from his head to his toes ached. It must have been a pretty severe impact for him to be hurting like this. He had to agree with Taecyeon that not having memories from the crash was for the best “Does Gain remember what happened?"

Taec nodded "She told me she remembered that you were singing Girls Generation together."

Jun snorted "She listens to that damn Lion Heart song all the time. Says it's Blackie's favorite song. Only a five-year-old could think a cat has a favorite song. It's a catchy tune, kinda hard not to tap your feet or maybe sing along."

"Don't ever be ashamed of loving your daughter, Jun. I think this accident is going to end up changing a lot of things for the better, which is why I'm moving back in with you." 

It must have been the head injury, but Jun thought Taecyeon said he was moving in "What?"

"Well, unless you've got Deadpool's healing powers, you're going to be in the hospital for about a week. I thought it would be easier on Gain if I stayed with her at your house, that way she and Blackie can get back to their regular routine."

"No super healing powers here." Jun shook his head. He and Taec had only been talking for a few minutes and he was feeling dog tired "I think you staying with Gain is a good idea. Since you stayed with us before, you know her schedule and how she can be a bit of a diva in the morning."

"I'm glad we agree on that, Jun."

"We agreed on a lot of things, you know."

"I do know. Jun, I just..." Taec sighed. He got up from the bed and paced around the room "I sat here for two days not knowing if I was going to lose you. It made me realize how petty and stupid I'd been before and how short life can be. All of the things we squabbled or fought over are just so small in comparison to living my life without you. I don't care if you hog the blankets or get insecure from time to time." Taec laughed "I'll just come to bed with an extra blanket and will do everything I possibly can to make you feel secure about our relationship. I love you, Jun and I don't want to spend one more day without you." 

"Does that mean you're staying with me when I get out of this place?"

"I would love nothing more that to move in permanently, but I will totally understand if you think that's moving too fast."

Jun considered what Taec was saying for about thirty seconds "I want you to move in permanently. I want you in our lives full-time, Taecyeon. I thought a lot about what you've said too. I was wrong to treat you like you were some kind of employee helping me out with Gain. You are the one who's responsible for bring our family together."

Taec shook his head "No, Jun. That little girl loves you so much. She just needed some time to get used to the fact that her life would never be the same. In her shoes, I would have been a little crabapple too."

"She may love me, but you were the balm that healed her soul and made her open to loving again. Are you responsible for her calling me Daddy too?"

"No, that was all her, Jun. I can't tell you how many times over the last few days that kid has totally broken my heart."

Jun narrowed his eyes "What do you mean?"

"Before you woke up, she asked if you were gonna die before she could call you Daddy." 

"Jesus Christ." Jun felt tears building in his eyes. He wasn't too proud to let them fall "That poor kid."

"I don't mind telling you I was crying too after she said it. I told her that you could hear us talking while you were asleep and that if she wanted to start calling you Daddy, now would be a good time."

"It's the greatest gift ever, aside from having you back in my life."

"No, babe, Gain calling you Daddy is definitely the greatest gift. Having your daughter accept you as her father is extraordinary. I'm just some guy you like to kiss."

Jun couldn't help feeling humbled by Taec's words. The old Taecyeon would have never said anything like that. He never would have put another person before himself. Jun wasn't going to say anything now, but Taec had all the makings of a good father too. Jun yawned, caught off guard by how tired he was.

"Okay, Superman, time for your nap."

"No arguments here. Are you gonna be here when I wake up?"

"You bet, babe. I love you."

Jun grinned, already half asleep "Love you more."