"How was the Sesame Street event? I haven't seen you since before then."
"It was good." Yoongi answers Taehyung as they walk down the hall.
"The turnout was really nice as always. Onyx got a little overstimulated though, so Harper had to take him somewhere quiet to calm him."
"In the theatre?" Taehyung tilts his head.
"Uuhh." Yoongi tilts his head as he thinks. "No. Had to be after that. He was fine in the theatre when the show started. He did get a little fussy so Harper checked his diaper and went to change him. That's when it happened, I think."
"Oohh, I see. Could it have been that he was tired?"
"Highly unlikely. He had just woken up from a nap when they got there. He wasn't really showing signs of being tired either. I think he just has to be weened into it."
Taehyung nods as they walk into the employee lounge. He thinks that it's a great idea. It was only recently that he's adjusted to his home without crying so much. It'll take a little more time to adjust to the public.
The men grab their lunches and warm them in the microwave before taking their seats at the table. They're joined shortly after by Hailey and Kyra.
Hailey takes her spinach and romaine salad from the fridge and grabs a fork before sitting down.
"Good morning, Nurse Hailey." Taehyung greets with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Doc." She smiles back at him. He winks at her as she opens her salad dressing, making her cheeks warm as she averts her eyes.
They'd just seen each other a few hours prior. Their first 'good morning' greetings have already been said. But for the sake of their privacy, - and Taehyung's teasing- they're being said again.
"Good morning, Yoongi." Hailey greets.
"Good morning, Hailey. How are you today?"
"I'm good. It's a really good day." She smiles. "How are you today?"
"Good. A little tired but I'll get through it." He holds up the can of Red Bull that he purchased on his way to work.
"Long night?"
"Meh." He shrugs as he takes a bite of his food. "Yes and no." He speaks as he covers his mouth.
They wait for him to finish chewing before he starts speaking again.
"I was up for an hour or two later than I would have usually been. But it's okay." He waves it off. "I'm not complaining."
He and Harper spent some time talking again after she finished her shift at work. The conversation flowed casually and it didn't feel like either of them had to force it.
That, in itself, should have been the warning that they'd be up later than expected. Especially with Onyx sleeping so peacefully with Jewel laid against him.
"What's that little smile for?" Taehyung asks.
"Huh?" Yoongi looks at him, realizing he'd zoned out. "Oh. Nothing." He clears his throat. "I'm just having a really good week."
"I bet so." Hailey grins. "You're going home for the holidays this year, aren't you?"
She knows that Yoongi has mentioned something about it to them. But it was very briefly and he had a surgery briefing to get to so he was in a rush.
Kyra looks at him as she listens for his reply.
"I am." Yoongi says with a smile.
"Oh, you're finally going home to your family?" Kyra asks, quirking a brow. "They must've missed not seeing you for so long."
Her tone is forced and Yoongi feels the slight condescendence in it.
He side eyes her before looking at her full on. "My family is actually always with me, Kyra. I'm surprised that you don't know that as much attention as you pay." He smiles at her before turning back to his food.
Hailey pokes her lips out, looking between them. That's the first time that Yoongi has ever openly expressed his distaste in front of them.
He always keeps his mouth closed when others are around. He doesn't care for workplace drama, nor does he care for any scene that Kyra will try to make. This is their job and they're there to work and help people. Not bicker and argue over essentially nothing.
But contrary to her usual attitude, Kyra says nothing in return. Taken aback by his sudden verbal backlash, she's mute.
She hadn't expected him to reply like that to her. Usually, he just ignores her words or sits there. The fact that he said something back is surprising to her.
It's also a matter of what he's said that has her mind beginning to think.
What could he mean? His family is always with him? How so?
How could that be? He's always at work and she's surely never seen his parents or anyone coming in claiming to be his family.
He doesn't have any tattoos, that she knows of. His skin is free of any ink, what she's seen of it anyway.
She looks at his hands as he uses the chopsticks to pick up his chicken. Sometimes he uses chopstick, other times, he uses forks and spoons. He's so random in the way that he does things.
His fingers are the same pastel shade of his neck and face. They're long and nimble; she knows. She's seen them in action. She's watches him type, she's watched him write. She's even watched him sew and stitch.
Yoongi is agile and gentle with everything that he does. He's very patient and seemingly nonchalant. He rarely has any aggression in him at all. There are moments and times that call for him to be stern and hold a firm ground. But even then, he isn't hostile in any way.
Turning back to her meal, Kyra stares at her bowl. Yoongi's phone vibrates and he looks over at the screen as he chews. His eyes subtly widen as he hurriedly reaches to pick it up.
He unlocks it and reads the message from Harper.
Have you seen Onyx's pacifier?
If you haven't, it's okay. I'll get him
a new one. I just wanted to make sure
that it's actually lost before I get it
Oh... I lost it.. again
I apologize. It keeps disappearing
on me. I have no clue where it is. I'm
sure that I clipped it to his shirt but I couldn't find it when I needed it
It's okay. He doesn't need it right now. He's napping while I pack. I just figured that I'd ask in case he wants it later
Yoongi smiles reading her text. His stomach feels as if he's gone down a hill on a bike too quickly.Like he underestimated the decline as the pedals moved faster than his feet could catch them. His hair would blow in the wind and he'd smile like a madman as he steadily took the coast down.
I'll look for it after my shift
He sets his phone down and picks up the chopsticks as he takes another bite of his food. It's a larger bite than the previous ones have been. He's less conscientious of that as he smiles to himself.
His phone buzzes on the table, two consecutive times causing it to fall onto the floor. It falls screen down and Hailey flinches for him. She cringes as she looks at the way that it landed.
Yoongi doesn't react to the drop at all as Kyra reaches down to grab it for him. It's closer to her than him so she picks it up.
Flipping it to place it face up on the table, she gets a glimpse of the incoming messages that caused the drop.
If it's easier, you can just grab one
on your way home
If Onyx happens to be awake, he'll be happy to see you anyway
Yoongi grabs it and slides it over to read the messages and text her back. He uses one hand as the other holds his chopsticks.
The sound of thick soles and keys come into the lounge room. Hailey and Taehyung both spin around with smiles on their faces.
"Hi, Delilah." They chorus.
The woman smiles and laughs as she sees them.
"Hi, guys. How are you today?"
"Good." They say together again.
"I've got some news for you." Yoongi says he sends his text and looks up at her.
"Hm? Me?" Delilah looks surprised. "What is it?" Her expression becomes curios as her eyes focus on him.
"I'm going home."
"Early?" She raises her eyebrows. "Is it a national holiday or something?"
Yoongi deadpans with amusement and she laughs.
"I mean for Christmas."
"Oh, really?" Her face brightens up. "You must be so excited. How long has it been?"
Almost everyone that works in this building is fully aware that Yoongi rarely takes days off. It's a part of how he's introduced before people meet him.
'Dr. Min's the top surgeon in the hospital and one of the top in the state. He's got a Master of Surgery certificate and he's got more hours in the field than almost every surgeon in this building.'
In other words, 'this man is highly educated, very hard working and lives for his work'.
An admirable introduction. But if you know Yoongi personally, or read enough into it, you'd know that with his title and introduction, comes a toll that's taken.
"I am." He nods as he smiles. "It's been a couple years. Two or three."
"Oh, I can't imagine how happy your family will be to see you." Delilah sits next to Yoongi, right in between him and Kyra.
Kyra rolls her eyes and leans away from the gynecologist.
"I'm excited to see them." Yoongi smiles at his food. His phone lights up and he glances at the notification.
How was he today?
Did he do alright without it?
Yeah he was okay for the
most part. When he cried,
I just held him and walked
around while I was doing
stuff around the house
He watched me pack stuff and
was snatching up clothes and
trying to eat them as I was
trying to fold them up
Yoongi laughs as he reads it. It sounds like Jewel running through his clothes when he dumps them out onto the bed to fold them. He's decided that he's going to stop doing that. The ease for him isn't worth the task of lint rolling the pet fur out of his clothing every day.
At least he's asleep now so you can
finish what you need to
If you forget anything, we can pick
it up while we're out
Yoongi locks his phone and finishes his food before throwing his trash away.
It's okay! I think I've got
everything. Thank you though
And thank you again for inviting
Onyx and I. We're excited for this
trip
It's no bother, really. I'd be happy
to have you guys with me
"Yoongi, what day are you coming back to work?"
He looks up from his phone and to his group of friends.
"Uh, not sure yet. Why?" He looks at all of them.
More specifically, he looks at Hailey. She's always the one asking him to go out places with them. She's always the one offering to get him out of the office and out of his apartment. If anybody's planned anything, it's her.
She's the unofficial designated outing planner of their group.
"I want to go do something together. It's been a while since we've all been out and it'll be the first time of the new year." Hailey tells him.
"Plus," Delilah adds. "Hailey wants to invite the new receptionist from your floor and I have yet to meet her."
"She's a receptionist." Kyra obviously points out. "Since when have you ever cared to meet the new employees?"
"She cares because I care. I've met Harper and I think she'd fit right in with us." Hailey speaks directly to Kyra. "Delilah would love her and I think Harper would like her as well."
"How can you say what she'd like? You barely know her."
"Okay, but who doesn't like Delilah?" Hailey's tone slightly drops the joyous pitch. She quirks a brow as she looks at her coworker.
Kyra raises her eyebrows back, staring at Hailey. Taehyung looks between them and inhales deeply.
"Okay." He claps once and puts his hands on Hailey's shoulders. "Yoongi, we have to get back to our lovely, especially snotty patients this winter season. I'll call you later about the outing. Delilah, it was lovely seeing you as always. I'm sure you'll be hearing from one of us later tonight. Kyra...." He smiles tight lipped. "Have a good rest of your shift."
He guides Hailey out of the lounge by her shoulders. She looks up at him as they walk and he blinks at her.
"What?" She whispers. "I didn't do anything."
"Of course you didn't, honey." He whispers back. "Of course not."
Yoongi looks at Delilah to find that she's wearing the same expression that he is. He licks his lips and drags a breath in through his mouth.
"I've got some paperwork to finish for the rest of my lunch." Delilah tells him after warming her food. "Walk with me?" She looks at Yoongi expectantly.
He takes the hint and they walk out of the lounge together. He releases the breath and puts his hands in his pockets.
"Why does she always have to kill the mood?" The woman groans.
"I think being pessimistic is apart of her personality at this point." Yoongi says. "I don't see how it couldn't be the way that she speaks on everything."
"You know, for a while, when she first started working here, I thought that she liked you. But then that wouldn't make much sense with the way that she's constantly talking down on you and everybody in this building."
Yoongi's eyebrows furrow before he shrugs.
"I don't know. I'm not sure but I also haven't thought about that."
"Are you going to?"
"No." Yoongi says promptly.
She barely finishes her question before he's responding. Delilah laughs as they approach the elevator.
"You're a very likable man, Yoongi." She presses the elevator button. "Hailey and I are both surprised that you're not a complete heartbreaker."
Yoongi smiles sheepishly as he looks away from her.
"Don't say things like that." He shakes his head. "I couldn't be. I don't see the point in things like that."
"Ah, right." Delilah nods. "Ever the 'husband of the third floor trauma unit'."
"Are they still calling me that down there?"
"Of course they are." She says as if he should have expected it. "The pediatric and gynecology nurses love you."
She steps into the elevator with a smile.
"Don't worry. I'll tell them that you're 'pending off the market'."
Yoongi smiles at her warmly.
"Thank you. I'll see you later, Delilah."
"You're welcome. Have a Merry Christmas, Yoongi. Enjoy the time with your family."
"I will. You have a merry Christmas, too."
The elevator doors close and Yoongi turns around to face the hall again. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before he starts walking down the hall.
He goes into his office and sits down at the desk. Running his fingers through his dark colored hair, he pushes his bangs out of his face.
Yoongi yawns as he sets his phone on the desk. Grabbing his laptop, he opens it up to do his notes for the shift.
######
Harper stares at the object on the top of her dresser as her heart thumps in her chest. She's mostly unblinking, not having any conscious control over whether or not she needs to.
Her mind is elsewhere as she stares at the pregnancy test on her dresser. She remembers looking at the results for the first time. She remembers throwing the test into the garbage as the uncertainty coursed though her. She remembers it being found, the reaction had and the chills that plagued her body with the response that was given.
If she knew back then what she knows now, she's have left then. She'd have gotten her things together and left the very next night. Everything she could grab, she'd have gotten up and been gone.
But she didn't know. She didn't know anything. Twenty-two year old Harper Taylor knew nothing of what waited for her for the duration of her pregnancy.
She only had subtle feelings of negativity that she chucked up to the weight of her realizing that she was pregnant. She chucked it up to uncertainty. She chucked it up to the usual cold feet and doubt that every mother feels at some point.
Thinking that it would be a temporary feeling for her, she ignored it. She forced it down. She payed no further mind to her feelings about that.
Only now does she wish that she'd have listened to her gut.
Ding!
Harper's text tone startles her out of her thoughts. She looks back at her son as she picks her phone up from the bed. He's sleeping on his back in the crib, lips slightly agape as he smiles on his sleep.
Harper smiles as she unlocks her phone. Looking down at the notification, her heart leaps in her chest. Her breathing hitches and her eyes widen. She looks at her dresser and snatches one of the top drawers open. Throwing it inside, she gets it underneath other clothing and quickly closes it.
She speedwalks down the hallway and into the living room. When she gets to the door, she stops and takes a deep breath. She releases it as she reaches for the door handle.
Harper opens the door and finds Yoongi standing there with three pacifiers in his hand. They're still in their individual packaging, newly bought from the store.
Harper looks from the pacifiers to his face. It's got a pink tint to it, warmed from being freshly washed and patted dry. His hair still a little damp from his shower. He blow dried it but not completely. He prefers for the last of it to dry naturally to give it a less thin look.
Yoongi opens his mouth when the door opens to greet her but his voice gets caught in his throat at the sight of her.
Her curly hair is up in a puff with a silk scarf tied around it to protect her edges. Showing off the complete frame of her face for him, she's oblivious to how his heart skips in his chest at the sight of her.
Her long sleeved shirt is cropped a bit at the bottom and fitted against her torso. Her high waisted cotton sleep pants are flared at the bottom, covering the length of the her feet down to her unpolished toenails.
She's kept up with the clipping and filing of them but as far as polish goes, she hasn't the time.
But still, Yoongi finds every bit of her to be attractive.
"Hey." He greets casually, finding his voice after several seconds.
"Hey."
"I got the pacifiers. I would've been over earlier with them but I wanted to freshen up first."
"That's okay. He's still sleeping so that's a good thing. I'll take that over anything." She says with a quiet laugh.
"Ah, yes. He's sleeping through most nights now. Right. So he'll probably be up during the car ride then?"
"Part of it. We're leaving at five, right?" Harper asks, looking to the clock on her wall.
"Yes. We've got some time. I just wanted to drop by with the pacifiers and see you for a minute." He holds them up for her and she takes them.
The smile that comes up on her face when she processes what he said is beautiful. All of her teeth show along and her nose scrunches. She feels her cheeks warm as the heat creeps up her neck.
"Thank you" is all that she can muster up saying.
"You're welcome. I'll see you soon and then we'll get going." He flashes a smile at her and she returns it.
"Can't wait." She says quietly. "See you later."
Yoongi backs away from the doorway before his face bursts into flames. He walks down to his apartment and Harper closes the door to hers. She locks the door and stands with her back against it.
Staring down at the pacifiers, her heart beats a little faster. Her cheeks feel the slight burn from smiling so hard.
He didn't have to get the pacifier but he did. He definitely didn't have to get three. Harper thinks as she walks back to her room.
He's so fine. He's kind, he's considerate. She wants to go on but she realizes that she can't.
Harper doesn't know any more about him. She knows his occupation and place of work, but nothing more to justify this budding crush to herself.
Feelings mean nothing in the grand scene of things. She reminds herself.
I can like him all I want and that still won't change anything about him. It'll never change the type of person that he is.
But what type of person is he?
Harper doesn't actually know. But she wants to. She wants to know exactly who he is so she doesn't make the same mistake twice. There's no way that she could. She's not going to. Not even life has been looking up for her in a way.
Above all, she has a son to protect. In no way will she allow harm to come to him.. or herself who takes care of him.
So I'll have to get to know Yoongi...
For the protection of Onyx.
A|N
#From here on, we'll start seeing more Harper and Yoongi content <3 So we'll need ship name suggestions:) Thank you always,
-Kae 🌙