Jungkook, a single father of his five year old daughter aera, His daughter longs for her mother, who vanished five years ago.
Jungkook, haunted by the ghosts of his past relationship, had yet to explain why her Mommy wasn't there.
A mistake, a rash...
Aera sniffled back a tear, wiping a bit of grass from her scrape. Aera walked back towards her Papa, her shoulders slumped and a tear glistening on her cheek.
"Want to go home"
Jungkook looked up from his phone, his brow furrowing slightly, his gaze landing on Aera standing awkwardly, Her usual bright eyes were dull now and there was a small pout on her lips
He glanced down at his watch, noting that only twenty minutes had passed since Aera went off to play. This wasn't like her, something was definitely wrong
"Want to go home already, princess?" he asked gently
Aera looked up, her lower lip trembling slightly. For a moment, she simply stared at him
Then, in a small voice barely above a whisper, she mumbled, "Want to go home."
Jungkook stood up from the bench, He reached out a hand, gently holding aera's little hand "Alright, princess," he said softly "Let's go home"
As they started walking hand-in-hand towards the exit of the park, Jungkook's eyes landed on Aera's leg. A gasp escaped his lips. He hadn't noticed before there was nasty scrapes on her knees.
He stopped abruptly, "Hold on, princess," he said, kneeling down in front of her. He examined the scrape, his brow furrowing slightly. It wasn't deep, but it looked sore. "Did you fall?" he asked gently.
Aera sniffled again, her chin trembling. She nodded, but didn't elaborate. Jungkook understood as he nodded his head
He reached into his backpack, pulling out a pack of colorful bandages decorated with playful animals. "Here comes the magic cure" he announced playfully, a forced smile on his lips.
Aera managed a weak smile in return. Jungkook carefully cleaned the scrape with a wet wipe he also kept handy, his touch gentle and soothing.
"Thank you dada" aera said avoiding Jungkook's eyes
"Anytime, princess" Jungkook smiled kissing her cheek
"Now, how about some ice cream on the way home?" Jungkook asked
Jungkook's smile faltered as Aera mumbled a small "n-no" to his ice cream offer, Jungkook frowned hearing her, she never says no to ice creams
This wasn't just a scraped knee anymore. Something deeper was bothering his little princess. He decided to postpone the ice cream for another day.
"Alright, princess," he sighed, his voice laced with worry. "Let's head home then" he smiled scooping aera in his arms
The walk home was filled with a silence aera usually tells about her day and stories of her friends animatedly But today, she lay limply in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Jungkook's heart ached looking at her
Back at home, dinner was also quiet, Jungkook had made Aera's favorite – cheesy noodles, she always devors it every time, But tonight, she barely touched her food, picking at the noodles with lack of interest.
Jungkook tucker her into bed after making her wear her night dress Jungkook couldn't hold back any longer. He sat down on the edge of the bed, "Aera, princess," he asked holding her tiny hand "What's wrong?"
Aera stared back at him, her big brown eyes filled with unshed tears. Her lower lip trembled, and for a moment, he thought she might finally open up. But then, she just shook her head, a single tear escaping and tracing a glistening path down her cheek.
Jungkook reached out, wiping the tear away with his thumb.
"I miss mommy" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Jungkook's breath hitched, he choked back his sob as he pulled her in a soothing hug
"I miss him too, princess," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. He held her close, letting her tears flow freely onto his shoulder. There were no easy answers, no magic words to erase the longing in her heart.
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But he could be there for her, hold her hand through the grief, and shower her with the love of a father who was determined to be everything she needed, even if it wasn't quite enough
There was long silence stretched between them, broken only by Aera's soft sniffles. "I want to see how my mommy looks," she whispered against his chest, her voice barely audible.
Jungkook's heart ached. The dam had broken, and the pain of missing her mother that Aera had been holding back all day came flooding out. He held her tighter as he remained silent.
Aera's sobs grew louder, shaking her whole body, He couldn't bear to see his princess in such pain, He stroked her hair gently, whispering soothing words that he hoped would ease her pain.
"Next week is your birthday, princess," he began gently, stroking her hair, He saw her head tilt up with hope filled in her doe eyes "How about I show you your mommy's photo then? It can be your special birthday surprise."
Aera wiped her tears with the back of her hand "M-Mommy's photo?" she said, a giggle escaping her lips. The sound, innocent and full of life, warmed Jungkook's heart.
"Yes princess"
"Yes dada yes! Want to see mommy's photo"
Aera snuggled closer, her tiny body relaxing in his arms, her tears finally stopped.
