☾ something buried, something found [KNJ]

"this is where we first met, isn't it?"

A/N: prompt above from selcaboys's tumblr! quick little fic that i posted on my tumblr, ncmjoonie, but decided to drop on here as well. i have more work on my blog if you wanna check it out! 

A child's laughter rings like a bell against the cool autumn wind.

She stumbles through leaves of red and brown, smiling whenever the foliage responds with a satisfying crunch. She makes sure to stomp on the big piles, heaving a hefty huff of air as her bright yellow boots rustle in it.

Behind her, at a pace less urgent, a man and woman walk, hand in hand, watching the little one with warm smiles and rosy cheeks.

The man chuckles when the girl lets out a yelp of excitement, her tiny hands tossing crunched up pieces of leaf into the air.

"She's so full of energy today," he shakes his head, but there's a glimmer in his eyes as she shrieks with laughter.

"What'd you expect?" his wife shrugs, looking up to meet his dark eyes. They soften under her gaze. "She loves the fall."

"Just like her mother," he muses, a soft smile playing on his lips as she giggles. He watches her eyes crinkle, his breath catching in his throat at the sight. His heart is almost as warm as his cheeks.

"Guess she gets that from me, huh?" she says, leaning against his shoulder.

His lips part to respond, when suddenly they hear a soft thud in the distance. The shrieks of laughter become wails of pain as their daughter finds herself on all fours.

"Yeah, but the clumsiness is from me," he sighs, and they both rush forward to help the little one back on her feet.

"Oh no," she murmurs, scooping her daughter up in her arms. "You took a rough fall there, didn't you, sweetie?"

The little girl only whimpers in response, sniffling as her father gently rubs the small rocks and dirt off of her palms.

"It's okay," her mother hums, rubbing the girl's back softly.

She buries herself in her mother's neck, savoring the warmth. The tears come and go as her mother rocks her gently.

After a moment, when the pain finally subsides, the girl reemerges, and when her eyes land on her father, she cries once more, reaching out for him.

"Ah, you want daddy?" the woman asks. A warm feeling blooms in her chest as her daughter nods, bottom lip trembling. She wiggles her little fingers in his direction.

"Namjoon," the woman whispers his name tenderly, shifting their daughter's weight into his outstretched palms.

He shares a knowing glance with his wife before bringing the little one into his arms. Almost immediately the girl's cries stop, and she can only smile, snuggling into her father's chest as she mumbles softly, "Hi, Daddy."

Namjoon chuckles, placing a soft kiss on her head before murmuring, "Hello, Princess."

His wife smiles as she watches on, entranced by the gentle way he handles their daughter. He whispers words only the little girl can hear, and it isn't long before she's giggling, looking up at her father with nothing but pure adoration in her eyes.

It really is true when they say a daughter's first love is her father.

The wind picks up, and from the corner of her eye the woman sees a pile of red leaves swirl around a colossal tree. She turns away from her family to slowly walk towards it. There was something about this tree that felt familiar, a feeling of home that settles in her bones as her fingers run against the rough bark.