"aera, come back. we'll go home now." yoongi calls, standing up from the bench where he had taken a seat an hour ago, watching the group of children playing which included aera too.

the smile on his lips on seeing the little girl running towards him is replaced with a worried  look when she stumbles on a stone and falls down. he takes a few fast steps forward, crouching down near the girl while she groans in pain, sitting up slowly, staring at her hands and then at her right knee.

"ouch..." she says after a while, making yoongi chuckle. however he quietens down instantly on seeing aera pouting at him with a hurt look.

"i'm not laughing." he pats her head, assuring her, "riri's a strong girl, come on get up."

"no, it hurts." she mumbles, "there's blood, oppa. ouch!"

"it's not that bad. let's go home, we'll put a bandaid on it okay?"

"up" her lips mumble, puckering the lower one out as she reaches out for yoongi, leaning forward so he would carry her.

"you don't wanna walk?"

aera shakes her head, showing her injured knee and hands while eyes almost emitting radiations to compel him and get him to agree to her wish. yoongi sighs and nods gradually, taking her in his arms and stands up. the girl giggles instantly, wrapping her legs around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder.

"riri's growing up," yoongi says, patting her bottom playfully and leans near her face, kissing her cheek.

"no, you're carrying me. means i'm small."

"ah is that how it works?" he laughs, walking to the side as the girl nods.

she giggles not letting go of him even when he leans down to let her stand on the ground, "what are you doing?" he chuckles, being forced to kneel down in front of her, matching the height, finally making the girl happy.

"can i ask you one question?" she asks, showing her index finger that indicates one.

yoongi nods, waiting for her to go ahead as he stares at her in anticipation. his hands automatically make their way up, wrapping around the kid's small waist, and the other resting on her back as she smiles at him, showing a toothy smile and steps closer to him to ask, "will you be my appa?"

there's silence for a moment from the elder's side as he forces himself to believe that he actually heard what he heard. he stares at the young girl, smiling hopefully yet nonchalantly which reminds him that she's just a child and probably doesn't even understand what she's saying.

"what happened?" aera shakes his arm, "will you be my appa?"

"i... you want me to be your appa ?" hesitation and confusion is all that coats yoongi's voice when he speaks it in words.

"yes," the girl nods.

"but- uh why?"

"because you're nice. you take care of me, and you love me, take me for a drive and cook for me, and play with me, go to the park and school. you call me baby and princess and kiddo, and you scold e'ryone if they being bad with riri... you're appa!" she smiles at him, "my teacher said, that's what appa do. she said we have to write ten lines on our appa, and i asked what to write. so she said just think about the person who does all that, an-and i thought of you! so you're my appa, right?"

yoongi nibbles on his lower lip, staring down at the ground as he thinks about it too, realising aera was right. he does love her like his own child, he does everything for aera that a father would do for their child. moreover he knew he would go out of his way for this little one just to see her smile and be happy no matter what.

instead of finding the idea weird or absurd, he catches himself smiling at the thought. "i'm what?" he tries not to smile too wide and holds aera's hand, "say it again..."

"appa,"

yoongi breaks into a chuckle, pulling aera into a hug as he feels a boost of serotonin, hearing the word sounding so cute and beautiful from the girl's mouth, especially for him. he kisses her cheek, then her forehead and whispers, "my baby,"

"i'll show you my ten lines on appa." aera declares, hugging him again, "y'know, i thought i don't have appa... but i have one! i just didn't realise."

"appa..." he repeats as a whisper, feeling too good with himself and aera's words, "goodness, this is better than anything else." he chuckles lightly, kissing her face a few times, earning a sweet giggle from her.

"hm?" aera tilts her head, staring at him as she pulls back, making him smile and shake his head. "let's go home now. my knee hurts."

yoongi stands up, gesturing her to take her bike and buckles the blue colored helmet on her head as she flashes a smile at him before paddling ahead in her sky blue and white colored bike.

"come fast, appa!" she beckons, stopping at the next turning until yoongi runs to catch up with her.

all the way back to home, with the sun setting and darkness taking over slowly only leaving it for the streetlights to glow, yoongi couldn't stop smiling as aera's words repeated in his head. she's just a child afterall and children don't lie. means she actually saw him as a father figure considering that she was pretty young when her real parents had started leaving for business trips and couldn't make much memories with aera for her to remember later.

when aera reaches home and looks back to see yoongi still smiling, she gets off her bike, leaving it near the car that belonged to one of the boys. before she runs back to him, her attention shifts to the pain on her knee, making her pout again as she forgets about going to yoongi and bends down to poke her wound with her index finger only to wince and withdraw her hand back.

"don't touch it," yoongi says, "we'll clean your wound and put a bandaid on it, then it won't hurt,"

"hm," aera nods slowly, glancing at her knee one last time and walks with slow steps after yoongi.

"jimin-ah," yoongi calls, entering the living room and flops on the couch, finding the desired male arching up a brow at him from the stairs, "aera's a hurt a bit, help her out please,"

"oppa," aera mumbles, looking at jimin and points at her knee, "riri got hurt..."

"aw my baby, let me see," jimin puts his phone down, coming towards her and takes a seat on the couch, making her sit beside him. the girl brings up her leg, showing the wound on her knee that has some dried blood now.

"don't worry, we'll make the pain go away," jimin smiles, carrying her in his arms and heads to the kitchen, while her eyes remain pinned on yoongi.

"appa, come with us," she says, holding out her right arm and yoongi nods, assuring her that he's there.

"appa?" jimin frowns, "who are you calling appa?"

"yoongi oppa is appa," aera says as jimin makes her sit on the bar stool, before turning to yoongi with a perplexed.

"you're what?" jimin asks, then turns back to aera, "are you saying oppa? appa means dad, aera. yoongi is—"

"he's appa," aera declares, "my appa, you don't know,"

"i don't know?" jimin stares at her with disbelieving eyes while yoongi laughs, "what have you taught her hyung?"

"i didn't do anything. ask her how she came up with that," yoongi smiles smugly.

"okay, what makes you think that min yoongi is your appa?" jimin sighs, taking out the first aid box and starts cleaning off the dried blood on aera's knee.

"because- because my teacher said write ten lines on appa and i said i don't have any appa," aera starts explaining, taking a deep breath between wincing when the disinfectant burns on her wound, making her whine and cry out, forgetting what she was speaking about, "ah! oppa nooo! it hurts!"

"but we've clean it, baby. stay still," jimin assures, holding her hand with his free one and kisses her palm, "hush, i know my riri is a strong girl, isn't she?"

"yes— ouch! no!" aera breaks into a sob, pulling her leg away and climbs on the counter, sitting in the center next to the basket of apples, crying.

"c'mere," jimin stands up, sighing when she shakes her head, shifting back, making jimin gasp on seeing that she's almost on the edge and might fall down, "aera, come this side," he says calmly, not wanting to startle her or try to run away that could possibly make her loose balance and fall from the counter.

"ri, c'mere," yoongi stands up, holding out his arms as he approaches her slowly and aera quickly turns around, heading his way, only to give the elders a heart attack when she actually slips, breaking the glass jug that was kept nearby. the glass shatters, spilling water and also blood as aera accidentally places her hand on it.

"ahh! oppa!" she cries louder and jimin rushes around the counter, where yoongi's already carrying her in his arms.

"aish," jimin sighs deeply, rubbing her back as he watches her hand bleeding with pained eyes. yoongi takes her over to the sink, turning on the faucet and puts her hand under the running water while jimin brings some paper towels to make the cut stop bleeding.

"appa..." aera sobs, sitting next to the sink as yoongi presses the towels on her hand, wincing at the white color turning red almost instantly.

"it's okay, look that side," yoongi turns her head away, so that she won't see the blood and be scared.

"it hurts so much..." aera sobs, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

jimin pats her head, wrapping his arm around her in a hug and kisses her forehead, glancing at yoongi with a concerned look, "it's bleeding too much hyung, is there a piece of glass stuck in or what?"

"maybe," yoongi removes the towel slowly, looking at the cut carefully and hisses, nodding his head, "get a plucker," he says and jimin leaves aera for a moment, handing yoongi what he wanted from the first aid box.

"hold her, okay?"

"yeah," jimin nods, holding aera's hand so she won't push yoongi away and hurt herself more. jimin averts his eyes from aera's little hand being covered in blood, and even getting it on yoongi's hand as he's holding it just like that, trying get the piece of glass out and make the cut stop bleeding.

"what's going o— oh my god!" jungkook gasps, rushing to his sister, throwing his bag aside, "what happened to riri?! jin hyung, joonie hyung! tae hyung! hobi hyung! riri's got hurt! she's bleeding!!"

"hey, quiet," yoongi gives the younger a look, making him shut up, nibbling on his lower lip for his eyes chaotic gaze is stuck on his sister.

"did i just hear riri being hurt?" jin appears, still wearing his office clothes and gasps on seeing blood, "my goodness! what were you guys doing?! poor kid— yah! move aside, let me see," he says and yoongi obeys, giving the plucker to jin.

"there's a piece of glass stuck," yoongi says, "get it out, it's hurting her and the blood won't stop,"

"gosh! you should've called me sooner," jin shakes his head, taking aera's hand with some paper towels in his hand as he hasn't washed his hands yet and looks carefully, trying to ignore the voice of the little girl getting tired from crying continuosly.

"do it fast hyung," jungkook gulps, "it's bleeding so much..."

"yeah, don't worry," jin hums, getting the piece out and washes the wound one last time before grabbing a few more paper towels and covering aera's hamd with it, applying some pressure so that the blood will stop oozing out endlessly. 

"it's done, princess," jimin assures her, rubbing her back to ease her coughs and hiccups, "shh, don't cry, we don't want riri to have a headache do we?"

"oppa... 'is hurtin'..."

"i know, my love, jinnie's trying to help riri out. he'll make the pain go away," jimin kisses her head, carrying her up and makes her sit on his lap as he takes the seat on the dining chair, for jin to put on a bandage on her hand quickly.

"why's ri crying? i was in a video conference— ri? oh my god, how did you get hurt?" namjoon hurries over to the child, followed by hoseok and taehyung as they both look worried as well, seeing aera crying so much and jin applying medicine on the cotton, placing it on her wound.

"ri, please don't cry," jungkook stands near jimin, stroking aera's hair gently, "it's almost done okay?"

"koo, i' hurt..." aera looks up at him, "it hur's so much..."

"i know," jungkook nods, leaning down to give her a hug and pecks her lips, "i've got a chocolate for you. do you want it now?"

aera nods once, resting her head on jimin's shoulder as jungkook jogs to get the chocolate from his bag, that his friend gave him today and he had saved it, thinking that aera would be happy if he gives it to her. the elders smile at youngest boy as he comes back with a bar of milk chocolate and gives it to aera, who pouts further, whining when she can't open it with one hand.

"give it here," jimin sighs, opening it for her and breaks it into half, giving one of it to aera and keping the other in his hand.

"oppa, give me," aera mumbles, peeking at jimin's hand, not minding her wound anymore as jin stands up, done wrapping the bandage around her hand.

"finish this first," jimin says and glances at jungkook, "do you have another one for you or you were supposed to share?"

"i had only one," jungkook shrugs, "i don't want it though, it's for riri, she was crying so much, so..."

jimin smiles at him, leaving aera on her feet as she's busy eating her chocolate despite the tears dried on her cheeks. jungkook's about to leave too when namjoon stops him and tells him to fold up his sleeve a little. jungkook gulps, shaking his head and grabs his bag, ready to head to his room like he was supposed to do as soon as he came back. but the mess he met, diverted his attention enough to make him forget the minor injury he got himself.

"why do you guys end up getting hurt so much?" jimin takes a deep breath, "what's it? show me,"

"it's nothing hyung, i'm fine. look after riri, she's more hurt,"

"i said show me where you're hurt," jimin says, shaking his head when jungkook still hesitates. so jimin makes the boy sit in front of him, pulling up the sleeve of his dirty vest and finds some dried blood on his elbow.

"how did this happen?" jin asks, not keeping away the first aid and lets jimin use it to clean jungkook's wound.

"we were playing soccer and dan and i bumped into each other and fell down," jungkook shrugs.

"be careful next time," jimin says, putting on the bandage and closes the box, "go and get changed, then stay with aera for a while. i don't want her to end up crying once her chocolate is finished,"

"yeah," jungkook nods, leaving the elder boys alone as he goes to his room.

"now, what were you saying earlier?" jimin asks  yoongi, "why was aera calling you appa?"

"what?" the rest of the guys frown and yoongi nods.

"yeah, she told me that her teacher asked the kids to write about their fathers and aera asked who'd she write about because mr jeon isn't there anymore. so the teacher told her to write about someone who takes care of her, protects her and like scolds others for her, feeds her and all the things like that which fathers usually do for their children. and our aera said she thought of me, and wrote about me. she's been calling me appa now,"

the boys break into a smile on hearing yoongi's words, "aw, she's such an innocent and adorable kid," hoseok cooes.

"i know right?" namjoon chuckles, "i could've never thought she'd come up with something like that,"

"kids," jin smiles fondly, "yoongi's lucky though,"

"appa!" aera runs in the kitchen, showing her bandaged hand to yoongi with a pout, "it hurts... appa and jiminie oppa, and jinnie oppa, joonie oppa, tae tae, hobi oppa and- and koo kiss it better,"

"c'mere little one," yoongi carries her up, kissing over the bandage and then on his cheek, "it'll get better, okay? don't cry now,"

aera nods, showing her hand to jimin next, waiting for him to kiss it as well. he chuckles, kissing her wound better, then jin, namjoon, hoseok and taehyung kiss her hand as well.

"does it feel better?" taehyung asks.

aera shakes her head, looking back to find jungkook, "koo didn't kiss it better,"

"ah right, go and call him," yoongi says, leaving her on her feet and watches her climb upstairs slowly as her knee hurts as well.

"koo! my hand— kiss it better!" she calls.

"yeah, what?" jungkook walks down to her, putting on his t-shirt and holds her hand, going downstairs to the kitchen again, "i'm hungry hyung,"

"yeah, dinner's ready, sit," jimin says.

"koo, kiss it better— in my hand," aera says, lifting her arm up for him to kiss it easily, making the elders laugh silently as jungkook kisses the bandage and makes aera sit with him for dinner.

"since you've hurt your hand, i'll feed you today," he says and aera smiles st him.

"thanks koo, my tummy is hungry,"

"yeah? your tummy might want some tasty food,"

"tummy want chocolate!" she giggles.

"i gave you one,"

"koo's so nice, i love you," she hugs him tightly, sitting on his lap and faces him. as jin helps jimin set the table, jungkook and aera talk in whispers  and murmers. the boy pats her back gently which he doesn't realise makes aera sleepy for the boys usually make her sit like that or lay down and would pat her back in a slow pace to put her to sleep.

"aera, come let's eat," yoongi says, gesturing jungkook to eat as they knew aera would take time and with jungkook she might not even eat and just keep playing.

"mm," the girl nuzzles closer to jungkook, making him look down, realising that she fell asleep.

"hey, aera isn't your tummy hungry?" he shakes her a little, earning a whine from the kid.

"what's wrong princess? c'mere," jimin takes her in his arms, rubbing her back as she wraps her arms around his neck instantly nuzzling back to sleep.

"she must be tired with all the pain and crying," jin smiles softly, stroking aera's hair, "it's fine, let her sleep. you can feed her later if she wakes up at night,"

aera lifts up her head for moment, looking around and pouts for some reason, breaking into a sob, "what happened? do you wanna eat first?"

"appa..."

"yeah, appa's going to have dinner with us. let him eat then you can go to him—"

aera shakes her head, looking back and reaches out for yoongi once her eyes find him. he smiles at her, standing up and carries her in his arms, "is it okay now? riri's with appa, nobody's saying anything,"

aera nods, sniffling softly, cuddled against his chest and looks around quietly as the boys settle in to have dinner. yoongi takes his seat as well after seeing that aera has her eyes open and not sleeping. "who's tummy is hungry?" yoongi whispers in her ear, making her smile as she points at herself and opens her mouth for yoongi to feed her.

"is it good?"

"yeah," aera muffles out with full mouth.

"jiminie oppa cooked today. say thank you jiminie oppa,"

"thank you—" aera gulps, "jiminie oppa,"

"you're most welcome, sweetheart. eat well," jimin smiles.

"say i will," yoongi tells her, feeding her another bite and waits for her to finish it.

"i will," aera nods, then glances at yoongi, "water..."

"here," he holds the glass, letting her take a few small sips until she pulls her head back and wipes her lips in the fabric of yoongi's shirt, giggling at him as though she wasn't almost crying a few minutes ago.

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a/n- how are you guys doing?

i've been having pretty fucked up days for the longest time idek now. i deleted all my social media last night. the anxeity is getting so nad and my parents just don't understand. srsly, i told one of my frnds and she was like "don't worry, take your time and i'm there if you wanna talk but do it person. that helps." i'm really thankful to her 😭

just thought of updating u abt my mental health 😔 anyway, take care ❤️

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