Lost & Found

9 Months Earlier

9 Months Earlier
22-Years-Old

Aera groaned as she turned over in bed, trying but failing to find a comfortable position. She knew she needed to go to the market, but she'd never felt this sick before.

She had just about forced herself to get out of bed and head out when Yoongi returned home from work.

"A?" he asked, opening the door to her bedroom where she'd been laying in darkness. "Are you home already?"

"No," she groaned. "I called out today."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Period," she grumbled miserably.

"Ah," Yoongi said. "I'm sorry, A. Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head, unsure if Yoongi was even looking at her. He sighed. "No offense, but you look awful. Are you sure I can't do anything to help?"

She shook her head, but said, "I need to go to the market."

"Why?" Yoongi asked incredulously. She did not appear to be in any sort of shape to go anywhere.

Aera mumbled something that Yoongi couldn't quite hear. "What?" he asked.

"I'm out of tampons," she said a bit more loudly.

"Well, I'll go get some."

Aera peeked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "You will?"

"Well, sure. Whatever you need."

"I – "

"A, you cannot go to the market like this. You can barely even get out of bed. If you need something, I'll get it for you."

Aera breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"I'll be back in a bit, okay? If you need anything else, call me."

Aera nodded. Yoongi then quietly closed her door and grabbed his keys to head out again.

It only took Yoongi about 30 minutes to return, but by the time he did, Aera was asleep. Yoongi watched her for a few moments, noting the sweat on her brow and the way she was curled into a tight ball, arms wrapped around her stomach. He knew Aera often struggled with her period, but this time was different, he could tell.

He quietly set the tampons, painkillers and chocolate bar he'd gotten on her bedside table. Then he moved into the kitchen to put the flowers he'd also picked up into a vase. When he was done, he added those to Aera's table, then kissed her forehead as he left.

-

Over the next couple of days, Yoongi and Aera survived solely on soup, as Yoongi knew that would be all that Aera could handle. Every morning, Yoongi would make some and take it to her before he left for work. He usually left it on her bedside table, as she was typically asleep. Then every evening after work, he'd begin preparing a new kind of soup, and replace the bowl from the morning.

On the third evening, Aera finally emerged from her room. She looked much better, as Yoongi could see the color had returned to her cheeks and the look on her face was no longer one of misery.

"Hey," he said as he turned off the TV and focused his attention on her. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "Thanks for everything," she added as she sat down across from him on the couch.

Yoongi nodded. "This was a bad one, huh?"

Aera nodded. "Worse than it's ever been."

"Do you think you should see a doctor?"

She shook her head. "I think it's just a fact of my life," she answered. "I dunno, I guess I'll see if it ever gets that bad again."

"Make sure you do what's best for you, okay? I worry about you."

Aera smiled. "I will. But thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it."

"I'll always take care of you," Yoongi replied. "Whatever you need."