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anxious-dumpling · 7 months ago

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Chapter Two: Father's Day! (3,000 words.)

♡ Fandoms: BTS, Stray Kids!

REQUESTS OPEN :)

RULES IN END NOTES!

♡ Characters:

Little!Reader

CG Jungkook

CG Taehyung

Playcare Owner Hoseok

EA Felix

EA Hyunjin

Little Jimin, IN, Seungmin

Everyone else is Teachers!

♡ Genre: SFW Littlespace, Fluff, Non Idol AU!

After moving from the rural city of Geochang to the bustling city of Seoul, your parents Jungkook and Taehyung decide to start you in a new Playcare Centre. Life is about to be so much different!

Time to be brave!

Like a kitty cat stalking her unsuspecting prey, you crawl up onto the bed.

"Papa," You whisper, leaning in close to his angelic face as he snores lightly, his dirty blonde hair splayed messily across his pillow. You bump the end of your nose into the tiny mole on his cheekbone. As he begins to stir, you turn to tap Jungkook's arm. "Daddy."

Both men slowly blink away their sleep, smiling weakly when they realize who's sitting between them.

Taehyung grabs his glasses from the nightstand, sliding them on and pulling you in for a warm hug.

"Good morning, early bird," He rasps, kissing your hair.

"Happy Father's Day," You cheer as calmly as you can, not wanting to startle them. "Wait... Or is it, 'Merry'?"

He laughs. "Whichever you want."

"Happy-Merry Father's Day, Papa," You decide, moving to give Jungkook a hug. "Happy-Merry Father's Day, Daddy."

"Thank you, baby," He snarls, squeezing you so tight to his bare chest you think you might snap like a bread stick!

You joke, "Owww!"

"You're the cutest." His tattooed hands fall to your waist as you pull away, heart fluttering as he fondly gazes up at you. "Aren't you?"

"Uh huh. You know what else I am, Papa and Daddy?"

Tae guesses, "Oh. You're... Jeon-Kim Haen?"

"You're hungry?" Jungkook adds.

"You're sleepy?"

"My favorite girl?"

"Funny?"

You can't help but giggle at their silliness, scrunching your nose at them.

"Sweet?"

"Creative?"

"Thoughtful?"

"Smart?"

"No," You shake your head. When they send you suspicious looks, you admit, "Okay, fine. I'm all'ose things. But I'm also... a chef!"

At the same time, they croon, "Ooh. A chef?"

You give a confident nod, putting on your best acting skills and sniffing the air. "Mmmm. What's that smell, you guys?"

They catch on quickly.

Taehyung grins boxily, "Did you make breakfast for us, sweetheart?"

Jungkook throws off the covers. "Well, we have go find out."

"Yeah!" You agree, climbing off the bed. "We have to go find out! Come on!"

Before Jungkook even has the chance to pull on a shirt, you grab his hand and drag him out of the room, Taehyung loyally following along behind you. The early morning sunshine breaks over you as you turn the corner, entering the sunny kitchen area together.

They both gasp softly at the sight that greets them.

Of course you cooked breakfast!

"Haen-ie," Taehyung's grin widens.

"Sit, sit, sit!" You push him forward, pleased to see him and Jungkook taking seats at the table. "I'll get water for you!"

As you run over to the fridge, the two men share a loving glance over the plates of food in front of them. You've spoiled each of them with a pile of hot, crispy eggs and fried rice leftovers, garnished with a pink marshmallow and a very, very large side of ketchup.

"I can't believe this, baby." Jungkook giggles cutely, as you return with a jug of cold water.

Taehyung is almost doubled over. "The marshmallow. Aww."

"Water for Daddy," You announce, pouring some into his glass. It slips a little, spilling a puddle onto the table, but Jungkook's hands shoot out and help you keep the jug steady. You do the same for Taehyung's glass with some more help from him. "And water for Papa!"

"Thank youuu," He cooes, taking a sip and very seriously considering the taste, as if it's a fine wine. "Mmmm. Very good."

Jungkook asks, "Chef Haen-nim, where did you get this delicious water?"

"It's straight from the Han River," You proudly tell him, taking a seat. "Masitkke deuseyo, Papa and Daddy."

"Masitkke deuseyo."

"Masitkke deuseyo," Taehyung bows, picking up his chopsticks and trying the rice, groaning as he chews. "Mm. Amazing."

Technically, it was him who cooked it for dinner last night, but it's been sprinkled with your love now! Even tastier!

"It looks like you-." Jungkook laughs, turning over his burnt egg. "Baby, did you cook this in the air frier?"

"Yep!" You chirp, watching as he stuffs it in his mouth, politely ignoring the blackened edge. "It was so easy!"

Your Papa and Daddy always tell you not to use the stove or the oven without their help, even if you put on the protective mittens, so you had to find another way to cook breakfast. It was scary hearing the sizzling oil and the loud, robot-like beep of the air fryer, but you love your Papa and Daddy so much that you forced yourself to be brave. You showed that stupid fryer who's boss - Jeon-Kim Haen!

"You're so talented, sweetness," Taehyung praises you. "Would you like to try Papa's marshmallow?"

He holds it to your lips, popping it into your mouth.

"S'ank you!"

"What about you, Jagi?" He looks at his husband. "You should eat your marshmallow, too. Don't waste it."

"Ah. So right," The man agrees, pinching it between his fingers.

"No, no, no," He stops him. "With the rice and eggs."

You giggle, trying not to spit gooey, pink dribble all over your chin as Jungkook gawks. "Wh-?! Punk, you fed yours to Haen already!"

"She loves marshmallows."

"Yah," He complains, twitching his head to the side and readying himself for the bite he's about to take. "How convenient."

"Haen-ie, Papa's smart, isn't he?"

You nod. "Papa is very smart."

"Smarter than Daddy, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Jungkook scoffs, smiling in the dim sunlight at the both of you before taking a bite of everything on his plate.

You wait with bated breath as he tests it out, surprisingly unfazed by the mixture of burnt egg, stale rice, and the sugary gummy.

"Aigo," He mutters, coughing a laugh, swallowing it down like a thick tar. "Why is it good?"

The three of you burst into giggles.

"What?! You're weird, Daddy."

He places his chopsticks down and cradles your face, pressing a wet, sweet-smelling kiss to your cheek. "Best breakfast ever, baby."

Taehyung subtly adds, "But Papa is going to have to cook us some real food after this..."

"Hyunjin-ie!" You squeal as soon as you enter the classroom. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Haen-ie," The EA smiles gracefully, kneeling down to give you a brief, friendly hug. Leaning away, he holds both your hands, looking up at you with a gentle gaze and his long hair pulled back into a stylish bun. "How are you today?"

"You should ask me what I had for breakfast," You giggle, squeezing his fingers.

"Oh? What did you have for breakfast?"

"I had eggs, rice, and," You pause, cracking yourself up by whispering loudly, "Marshmallows!"

Hyunjin gasps like you've just slapped him, dramatic as ever. "Marshmallows?!"

"Yeah! Pink ones!"

"Why, why, why?"

"I made breakfast for my Papa and Daddy be- because it's Father's Day," You explain, beaming.

"Is that right? I can see why your Papa calls you 'sweetness', Haen-ie."

"It's because I'm sweet!"

"Yes, it is." Standing up, the man leads you over to the cubby shelves. "Sweet as a marshmallow!"

Putting away your backpack and greeting the other teachers, you head over to the toy area, where your friends Jeongin, Seungmin, and Jimin are grooving out to this morning's song, 'Wiggle, Spin!'. The three of them break out in excitement when they spot you.

"Haen-ie!" Jeongin exclaims, the alien antennas on his headband wobbling around. "Look! We're dancing!"

"I like dancing!"

"No, we're wiggling and spinning," Seungmin corrects the boy, spinning in a circle when the song tells him to. "See?"

As the rest of you follow suit and do a spin, Jimin claims, "This is dancing!"

"You gotta wear a headband, too," Jeongin grabs a matching one from the basket nearby, sliding it on your head. "There you go!"

"Thanks, Jeongin!"

"You're welcome, Hae- Oh!"

The song is suddenly telling you to wiggle your hips next, so you make sure to follow the command. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!

Once the move is over, Jeongin finishes his sentence. "You're welcome, Haen-ie."

"Who's Haen-ie?"

He tilts his head, copper colored hair falling over his eye. "What? It's you!"

"Nuh-uh. My name is Beep-Boop now!" You wag your antennas side to side. "'Cuz I'm an alien! See?"

"Ohhhh." He grins, his eyes squished closed. "You're welcome, Beep-Boop!"

"Beep-Boop," Jimin chirps.

Seungmin copies him. "Beep-Boop!"

"Beep-Boop," You agree with the alien. "Beepy-Beepy-Boop!"

"Beeeeep!"

"Hey, friends," Yeongbok's voice comes. You look up at him, met with the lovely EA's bright smile. You feel your whole body preen like a flower under a ray of sunlight, his antennas bouncing all over the place as he approaches you. "Can I dance with you?"

Without even thinking, all four of you waste no time shouting at him, "Beep-Boop!"

He blanches a little. "Is that a yes?"

You grab his hand. "Yes!"

"Aw. Thank you, kind alien. Did you guys know it's Father's Day today?"

"Oh! Yeah! I gave my Dad a big hug this morning," Seungmin announces.

Yeongbok's crooked smile widens. "That's amazing, Seungmin-ie."

"I hugged my Dad, too!"

You tell him, "I made my Papa and Daddy breakfast."

"Oh, Yeongbok," Jimin's mouth forms a pink 'O', like he's just remembered something. "Haen-ie has two Dads, you know!"

As everyone does another spin, Yeongbok agrees, "Yeah, she does. Isn't that great?"

"She's so lucky."

You stick a finger up, wanting to set something straight. "But Jimin, two Dads means there's- there's twice the Dad-farts!"

"Haen-," Yeongbok tries his best not to burst into laughter like the boys do. "Haen-ie, we don't talk about that sort of thing."

"And you can never decide who you want a piggyback from."

"She said, 'fart'!"

"And also, you can't use their shoes for playing dress-up, 'cuz they only have ugly loafers and grandpa sandals."

"Haen-ie, I hope that's not in your presentation today," Yeongbok chides very lightly.

"What? Shoes, or farts?"

He gives you a cheeky look. "Aigo. I'm going to tell Hyunjin that you're a little trickster."

"Hyunjin loves me," You argue, squealing when the EA grabs at your tummy, digging into you with tickling fingers. "Hey! He loves me!"

"Trickster," He taunts, "You're a little trickster!"

Pushing at his shoulders, you laugh, "That- That tickles, Ye-Yeongbok-ie! Ah!"

"Get off Beep-Boop!"

As Hoseok switches off the dancing song, your alien friends all jump your attacker, dog-piling him until he trips, landing on his butt on the foam padding of the floor. Headbands go flying, legs kicking wildly as Yeongbok growls in defeat like a wounded animal.

"Okay, friends," Your teacher interrupts the chaos, smiling knowingly at you as you stand there innocently.

"I'm sorry," Yeongbok laughs in his deep voice, "I'm sorry!"

"Dance time is over. Let's head over to our desks and get ready to give our presentations!"

You thrust your hands out at the pile of your friends, shouting, "Lazer beam!"

They all flop onto their sides, slowly rising and heading over to the learning area to recover from your dangerous alien powers.

You remember on your first day at Playcare, Hyunjin explained that dancing before class helps everybody get rid of their morning jitters, but you don't think that's entirely true. You did lots of dancing this morning, and as you watch Ahyun finish her presentation and return to her table, receiving a high-five from Hoseok, you can confirm that there is definitely at least one or two jitters in your belly.

When the applause dies down, your teacher speaks.

"Okay. Next on our list is," Hoseok scrolls down the iPad screen. "Ah. Haen-ie!"

He clicks around, causing a photo of you, Taehyung, and Jungkook to appear on the whiteboard, replacing Ahyun's family.

Everyone gives you a soft round of applause as you freeze up, unsure.

Jeongin and Jimin cheer, "Yay, Haen-ie!"

"Yay, Haen-ie!"

"You got this," Yeongbok pets your shoulder, the tiny freckles on his nose scrunching as he smiles.

"I got this," You whisper to yourself, standing from your seat.

Yeongbok and Hyunjin both send you a thumbs up, Hoseok gesturing for you to begin whenever you're ready.

You got this!

You shouldn't be nervous! These are your friends!

With one last glance over your shoulder at Taehyung and Jungkook on the board, you muster up the courage to face the class and begin politely, "Happy Father's Day, ev- everyone. This is my Papa and Daddy... Papa's the blonde one, and Daddy's the tall one."

You sound a bit like a robot, reciting the speech you wrote with Hoseok's help a few days ago.

"My Papa's a hairdresser and I love him because he makes my hair pretty every day. He's good at cutting hair and making it different colors, but he also likes doing pottery and taking photos with his big camera. My Daddy, he's an accountant... I don't know what that is, but he's very good at it, too. He likes to work out and he has lots of tattoos, and I love him because he ties my shoelaces for me."

You spot Hyunjin pouting harder than ever from the back of the class, looking like you've stolen his candy.

Yeongbok simply looks like a kicked puppy.

"Oh, and he does this thing called deadlifting," You giggle, remembering. "But he uses me instead of actual weights. It's really funny."

Small smiles break out across their faces.

"There's lots of reasons I love them, but Hoseok-seonsangnim said I only have two or three minutes.... so-, um..."

If you listed all of the reasons you loved your Papa and Daddy, you'd need at least three hours.

At least!

When you're at a loss for what else to say, Hoseok helps you out by prompting, "Why'd you choose this photo, Haen-ie?"

"Oh! I chose it because it's from the- from the day we moved to Seoul, and because Papa said it has his good side in it."

"Ahhh."

You point out, "We're at a cafe 'cuz it was a long drive from Geochang, and they were hungry. Well, that's what Papa said, but they didn't actually eat much. They just buyed this, um, little cake with a love-heart and 'Welcome Home', on it, and we ate it together."

Your teacher sends you a cheerful grin. "That's lovely, Haen-ie. Anything else you want to tell us?"

You share a glance with your table, where Yeongbok is shaking his head at you and the boys are all nodding.

Your ears go pink.

Yes, there is something else!

"Having two Dads means... you get twice the," You tease, watching your EA facepalm into the table. "Dad jokes!"

He raises his head, pleasantly surprised. You had managed to go the whole presentation without mentioning farts.

"Great job, Haen," Hoseok claps, rallying the class to join in. "Great job."

Returning to your desk, you sit down in your chair, welcomed back by Yeongbok petting your shoulder again.

"I did it!" You whisper. "I didn't even cry, or anything!"

"Amazing," He agrees.

"Okay, everyone. Only a few more to go now. Next up is-!"

That night, Taehyung lets you share the rest of the marshmallows while you all watch Jungkook's favorite movie - one with no swearing, punching, or bad guys, of course - Spirited Away. It's lucky that your tough Daddy is just as in love with Ghibli movies as you are!

After Chihiro crosses the river and Sen is freed from the Bathhouse, the credits start rolling.

Wrapped up in a blanket, Tae jokes, "How many times have you guys seen this movie now? Thirty?"

"A thousand."

"A thousand," You both say at the same time, giggling and high-fiving afterward.

After that, your Papa and Daddy decide they want to watch something else.

Your performance!

You step up onto the imaginary stage, which is really just the lounge room rug, and recite your speech all over again just for them. You don't sound so much like a robot, anymore. You sound like Jeon-Kim Haen, telling your parents how much you love them.

You love them because they always hold both your hands when you cross the street, which is very important!

You love them for making sure your clothes are clean, your belly is full, and your heart is happy.

You love the warm bear hugs Taehyung gives you, and you love the bone-crushing hugs Jungkook gives you.

You love Taehyung because when he sings you to sleep, it sounds like deep thunder clouds and smooth rocks.

When Jungkook sings you to sleep, it sounds like you're already dreaming!

And of course, you simply love that they're your parents.

Jimin is right.

You're lucky!

Taehyung and Jungkook don't quite give you the three hours you'd need to list all your reasons. It's almost your bed time and they can tell you're getting sleepier by the minute, but it's definitely enough time to melt their hearts into marshmallow-goo.

"Yah! I'm not cryinggg-uhhhhh!" Jungkook whines when you're done, slapping his husband, "You are!"

Taehyung doesn't even deny it. "I am!"

"Oh, wait."

As Taehyung completes the last button on your pyjama shirt, you run over to your backpack, digging through it.

"I forgot to-... to give this to you. It's still Father's Day, right, Papa?"

"Of course." He cooes. "What kind of Dad would I be if I put you to bed after midnight?"

Ohh. Found it!

"Here."

"What's this?" He smiles, holding out his hands.

You place a smooth, colorful stone in his palms.

"It's for you and Daddy."

You Rock, The paint on the front side says, and on the bottom side, Happy Father's Day. From Haen.

"Namjoon-seonsangnim said it's a joke in English," You explain, rubbing your eyes. "He thinks he's really funny, you know."

Your Papa chuckles, kissing your cheek. "Thank you, sweetest. Maybe Daddy will understand it. Let's ask him tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," You yawn. "Tomorrow."

"Let's get you into bed. You're late for your sweet dreams."

The next morning, when you hand the stone to Jungkook at the breakfast table, he just starts giggling to himself.

"Ah, seriously... Your Dad jokes are better than ours, baby."

"Namjoon-seonsangnim is gonna love it when I tell him that."

End Notes:

Of course, this is dedicated to everyone out there who's never gotten the chance to make happy memories on Father's Day <3333

Please share your thoughts and leave some suggestions for future chapters! ʕ•◡•ʔっ♡!

Things I won't write.

- Smut.

- Self-harm.

- Intense angst.

- Anything unrelated to Haen or Littlespace.

Everything else goes!

Current roles.

- Taehyung: Parent Caregiver.

- Jungkook: Parent Caregiver.

- Jin: ???

- Namjoon: Art / English Teacher.

- Hoseok: Homeroom Teacher / Playcare Owner.

- Yoongi: Music Teacher.

- Jimin: Little.

- Bangchan: ???

- Lee Know: ???

- Han: ???

- Changbin: Sports Teacher.

- Hyunjin: EA / Art Teacher.

- Felix: EA.

- Seungmin: Little.

- Jeongin: Little.

I encourage you to be friendly and patient with me! ^◡^

29 notes · View notes

anxious-dumpling · 8 months ago

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♡ Fandoms: BTS!

♡ Genre: SFW Littlespace, One-shot, Fluff!

One day, you're invited onto a shoot with BTS called, 'BTS Meets a Little for the First Time'.

(2,300 words.)

Notes: In this universe, Littlespace is permanent. If you don't know much about Littlespace, please research the topic elsewhere, since this story doesn't reflect how Littlespace functions in real life! Thank you!

When the director's countdown reaches zero, Kim Namjoon puts on a pleasant smile and begins greeting the camera in English.

"Hello, everyone! We are-!"

"Bangtan Sonyeondan!"

"And today we are gunna be meeting a Little for the very first time."

The interviewer watches them from behind the camera, holding a clipboard of simple questions for the seven K-Pop stars. When Hello82 first contacted BTS's managers and proposed an interview with them, they knew they had to accept. The concept of Littlespace has been getting more attention on the internet recently after a celebrity mentioned it during a live show, so they're hopping on the trend.

"How much do you know about Littlepsace?" The interviewer asks in English.

Namjoon translates quickly.

Hoseok pulls a cheeky grin and exaggeratedly points down at Taehyung.

"Him!" He says in English. "Him. Yeah."

Namjoon chuckles, his cheeks punctuated with two charming dimples. "Yes. Taehyung has been doing a lot of extensive googling about this topic before we got here."

"Little bit." Taehyung smiles shyly, pinching his fingers together.

"I think he would be the most knowledgeable out of all of us, to be honest. He loves kids, you know, so this is like his time to shine."

"And you guys have never met a Little before, right?"

"That's right."

"Are you excited?"

Namjoon repeats the question in Korean, and all seven members answer with varying degrees of enthusiasm, from Jimin and Taehyung clapping with cheesy grins, to Yoongi and Jungkook just smiling mildly.

"Okay, great. Well, today we have a very special guest who has kindly come from the Seoul Littlespace Care Centre with her Caregiver, Park Jongsuk, to see you." They give a small round of applause. "And to make things interesting, we are going to be putting you into three groups and giving you some challenges to complete." Ah, Jinjja?, Jungkook mutters. "You will have to attempt to feed her her favorite food, receive a hug from her, and make her laugh. The group to succeed in all three of these challenges will win."

"Woooow," They all exclaim, looking around at one another.

Jimin raises his hand, speaking in Korean. "I think she will like me the most."

"Yah," Seokjin leans forward. "I don't want to hear an amateur speaking on this matter. I deal with you guys all day, so how should this be much different? Tsk. Exactly. No doubt I'll win her over."

Hoseok barks a laugh, grabbing Jimin's shoulders while he doubles over with embarrassed giggles.

"He-" Namjoon laughs, trying to translate his bandmates' silliness, "He's saying he will win because he has experience dealing with the younger ones in the group."

"Shall we bring her out?"

He smiles. "Yeah, let's do it."

Be calm, you think to yourself, Jongsuk said they're nice!

Your caregiver leads you around the corner and into the filming studio. You squeeze his hand, using your other to tug nervously on your piggy tail. All of a sudden, three men in front of the camera greet you with bright smiles and exclamations of Gwiyeooo.

He leads you to sit on the fluffy white rug with them and sets you in his lap.

"Hello," Jongsuk says softly in Korean, bowing slightly.

The men copy his greeting. You eye them curiously, tilting your head. The one sitting closest to you and your caregiver is Kim Seokjin. You recognise him from the photocards the studio gave you to prepare for today. In the picture, he had brown hair, but you see now that he actually has pink hair! Wow. You want to reach out and touch it to see if it feels as soft as cherry blossoms, so that's exactly what you do.

He rises from his bow with a shocked chuckle.

"Aish, sweetie, hands to yourself." Jongsuk gently chides, pulling your hand back into your lap. "I guess that's her way of greeting you."

"Hello." Jin mutters sweetly, giving you a small wave. He tilts his head toward you, letting you tug on his hair again.

The two other men scoot forward, offering you some more greetings. The one in the middle is Hoseok, and he's got a lovely smile. The one beside him is Namjoon, and he's big and scary and has muscles, but he's also got a lovely smile, so you don't get up and run away just yet. Jongsuk promised you that his new friends are all very nice, remember!

You let go of Jin's hair and nervously fiddle with your sweater, making them laugh.

"You're scaring her already!" Hoseok jokingly scolds Namjoon. "Don't ruin our chances!"

"She's shy around new people." Jongsuk explains, grabbing your hands and bouncing them around playfully. "Isn't that right?"

You nod, staring Namjoon down.

"Has she done anything like this before?" He asks.

"We've actually worked with Baby Cloud on a few videos in the past, but this is her first proper interview-style video."

"And she speaks...?"

"Korean and English." He answers.

"Ah. Korean and English."

"Hi." Hoseok smiles at you in English.

"Say hi." Jongsuk encourages you.

"Hi, Hoseok-Samchon." You obidiently greet, using the title Samchon just like Jongsuk taught you, which roughly means Uncle.

You didn't think it was possible, but Hoseok looks even happier when you say that. You think he might've swallowed the sun for breakfast this morning. "Aaaah. Hi!"

"Hi, Seokjin-Samchon." You continue, offering a small bow. "Hi, Namjoon-Samchon."

"Hi," They both respond excitedly.

"Are you hungry, Jagiya?" Seokjin asks you. "We hear you like banana bread."

That's one of your favourite treats!

"Banana bread?!"

"Yeah!" He reaches behind him and pulls a packaged slice of banana bread from the coffee table, carefully tearing it open.

Jongsuk suggests, "You wanna go sit with Seokjin-Samchon?"

You think about it for a second. Hm. Then you nod. You like Jin's hair and he has a tasty snack for you, so of course you'll sit with him. You rise from Jongsuk's lap and plop down in Seokjin's instead, which is very spacious and comfy, opening your mouth eagerly.

"Aaaaah," He mirrors you, popping a piece of bread on your tongue. "Mmmmm. Good?"

You nod enthusiastically, grabbing for more.

"Aigooo, finish the piece in your mouth first." He exclaims, making you giggle.

"He's a natural." Hoseok exclaims in surprise.

"So, what does she normally eat?" Namjoon asks.

"Well, we feed her according to her mental age, which mostly ranges from two to six," Jongsuk answers, "So, you know, mashed fruits, boiled vegetables, yoghurts, but sometimes bigger meals. Meat, rice, stews. And tteokbokki. She loooooves tteokbokki."

"She doesn't have trouble using chopsticks?"

"Hmm... Sometimes. Her motor skills are mostly that of an adult's, but applying them can be challenging when you're in the mental state of a two or six year old, you know, so we sometimes have to help her with that. Or we get her children's chopsticks."

"Ah."

"Some people think she might have poor hand-eye coordination or something like that, but she doesn't."

Hoseok listens with interest. "So, physically, she's not on par with a child?"

"Correct. Unless you count chemicals and hormones in the brain," He jokes.

"And her height," Giggles Namjoon.

"Hey. Can Seokjin-Samchon have a hug?"

Without even thinking, you wrap your arms around Seokjin and he returns it, hugging you tightly.

"Gwiyeooooo," They all say at the same time.

Then Hoseok tries feeding you the banana bread while Seokjin and Namjoon ask Jongsuk some more questions. They're curious, because you're not like them. You're as tall as an adult, you look like an adult, but you know you're not really an adult. You like to play with stuffed animals and watch cartoons. You can't drive a car, get a job, or use a bank card. You don't even live in a normal house!

Not until you find a family, at least. But most people don't want a Little. They want a real child.

Once you've taken a piece of bread from each of them, they all clap lightly, making you smile around your stuffed cheeks.

"Well, team Hyung," The interviewer says, "I think you succeeded in all three challenges."

"Yaaaaaay!"

Hoseok gives you a gentle double high-five.

Jongsuk was right! These new friends are great. They're friendly, they're gentle, and one of them even has pink hair!

The second group comes out after the first leaves, making you a little sad.

"Hi, Yoongi-Samchon," You shyly greet them as they sit on the rug, "Hi, Jimin-Samchon."

Yoongi gives a shallow bow, while Jimin grins and leans forward, offering you a high five like Hoseok did. Ah! His face is suuuuper close to yours! You shrink back into Jongsuk, shaking your head nervously. The poor man giggles and turns red at your rejection, covering his face.

"Aigoo," He exclaims, "I'm sorrrrrryyyy!"

Yelling?! Why's he yelling? His loud voice disturbs you even more, and just like that, your eyes are stinging and filling with tears.

"No, no, no, please don't cry," Jimin panics. "Oh, no. We just sat down!"

"Jimin-ah," Yoongi laughs, "You're awful at this."

"It's okay," Your caregiver laughs along with him as he wipes your eyes. "Oh, it's okay. Jimin-Samchon didn't mean it."

Jimin tells you in English, "I'm sorryyyy."

"Here, you want some yoghurt? Strawberry yoghurt?" Yoongi reaches behind him for a small tub of pink yoghurt and a spoon. He rips the seal off and Jongsuk pushes you off his lap, encouraging you to go over to Yoongi. "Here. Come here."

Sniffling, you kneel down beside Yoongi. He opens his mouth and you copy him.

"Shuuuuuuu," He does the areoplane with the spoon, and you eat the yoghurt with no problems.

"Aish," Jimin flops onto his back dramatically. "Hyung, what's your secret?"

Jongsuk pats him on the shoulder.

As Jimin sits back up, he opens his arms and wiggles his fingers, asking for a hug.

You get back up and run behind the camera.

"Aigoooooo," Yoongi hits him with the spoon. "Look what you've done."

The interviewer chuckles. "Okay, I think we should move onto the next group."

"I'm sorry, Jagiyaaaaa." Jimin pouts.

Seokjin cackles at him from the back of the room.

The final group is Taehyung-Samchon and Jungkook-Samchon. When they enter, they make sure to keep their voices low and their movements small, not wanting to make Jimin's mistake of being too loud. Taehyung's smile almost takes up his whole face.

"Helloooo," He says in English as the two of them sit down. "My name is Taehyungie. Nice to meet you."

"Hi, Taehyungie-Samchon." You mutter. "Hi, Jungkook-Samchon."

"Hello." Jungkook also says in English.

They offer polite greetings to Jongsuk as well, and then Taehyung pulls a watermelon flavored lollipop from his shirt pocket and takes the plastic off, offering the candy to you with a warm expression. How did he know that's your favorite flavor of candy?

You take it from him and pop it in your mouth, making him clap giddily and pet your knee. "Yaaaay."

Jungkook laughs. "Hey, you can't bribe her with candies!"

Tae ignores him, keeping all his attention on you.

The interviewer asks, "Taehyung, was this part of your research?"

"I watched all the Baby Cloud videos she's been in," He explains, "And I saw that the watermelon candies were always her favorite."

"Smart." Jongsuk praises him.

While you suck on the candy, Taehyung shows you a stuffed animal plush that was on the coffee table, and Jungkook asks, "So, is this what her everyday life is like? She doesn't ever... I don't know, behave like an adult?"

"Right. Her brain is perfectly healthy, and she's perfectly smart, but she'll always function within the emotional range of a child."

"Ah. Okay."

"It can take a bit of getting used to, can't it?"

He hesitates for a moment, not wanting to say anything offensive. "Uuhhh. A little bit."

"I understand that. I mean, it can be hard to grasp the fact that she's not pretending or exaggerating. But this is just how her brain works."

"Do people think she's pretending?"

"All the time. They keep waiting for her to snap out of it or drop the act, but of course, it won't ever happen."

"Mmm." He hums thoughtfully, gazing at you.

"Can Taehyungie-Samchon have a cuddle, Jagiya?" He asks you nicely, opening his arms.

You scoot over to him and give him a short, loose hug just to be nice, because he gave you a candy.

"Aaah, thank youuuuuu."

"You're welcome, Taehyungie-Samchon."

"Good manners, Jagiya." Your caregiver smiles at you. "What about Jungkookie-Samchon? Does he get a hug?"

"Mmmm...." You look at Jungkook's heavily tattooed arm and his facial piercings, shaking your head. "No."

All three of them laugh at your blunt answer.

"Alright, I think that concludes this segment."

Taehyung waves goodbye to the camera with you. "Buh-byeeeeee."

"So, what did you guys think of this experience?"

"So cute!" Hoseok exclaims, his Korean accent thickening under his excitement. "Her- Her face. Awww. So cute! Right?"

"Well, Jimin wouldn't know anything about that," Jin sasses, turning to his junior, "Because you made her cry, didn't you?!"

"Aigo," He groans, "I didn't mean to."

"Can you believe this guy?"

The interviewer swiftly cuts off their shenanigans. "Team three - Taehyung and Jungkook - managed to get two points during their segment. Taehyung expertly charmed her with a candy, and received a hug. Team two, however..."

Laughter breaks out among the seven members.

"Only received one point. They impressed us by upsetting her in record time, but Yoongi saved it with the strawberry yoghurt."

The mentioned man gives the camera a smug thumbs up, while the younger of the two continues to fake-sob dramatically.

"That leaves team three as our winner!"

"That's right!" Jin shouts suddenly in English, clapping loudly. "That's right! What I tell you, huh?!"

"After a small hiccup in the beginning, she managed to overcome her nervousness thanks to the help of her charming Jin-Samchon, and happily ate some banana bread with all three members. They also made her laugh and received a hug! Well done!"

"Well done," Namjoon repeats with a smile, clapping along with everyone. "Thank you for letting us meet her."

"Thank you, Hello 82!"

"Thank you!"

As they bow and wave goodbye to ARMY, the video comes to an end.

32 notes · View notes

anxious-dumpling · 8 months ago

Text

Chapter One: First Day at Playcare! (6,600 words.)

♡ Fandoms: BTS, Stray Kids!

REQUESTS OPEN :) RULES IN END NOTES!

♡ Characters: Little!Reader CG Jungkook CG Taehyung Playcare Owner Hoseok EA Felix EA Hyunjin Little Jimin, IN, Seungmin Everyone else is Teachers!

♡ Genre: SFW Littlespace, Fluff, Non Idol AU!

After moving from the rural city of Geochang to the bustling city of Seoul, your parents Jungkook and Taehyung decide to start you in a new Playcare Centre. Life is about to be so much different!

Time to be brave!

Notes: Welcome! ʕ•◡•ʔっ♡!

This is a very fluffy, very relaxed series that hopefully you can immerse yourself in!

There will be some angst but mostly fluff!

In this universe, Littlespace is permanent. If you don't know much about Littlespace, please research the topic elsewhere, since this story doesn't reflect how Littlespace functions in real life! Thank you!

The car's tyres grind against the tarmac as Jungkook pulls into the Little Sunshine Playcare's car park, a single storey building coming into view. It's made of caramel colored wood and black metal, a big welcome sign at the front that has a smiling cartoon sun attached to it. Arts and crafts are stuck to insides of the windows, so many colorful handprints reaching out to you as if giving you high-fives.

You tuck your chin into the soft collar of your pink sweater, peering at them nervously through your lashes.

As Jungkook chooses a parking space and turns off the engine, Taehyung twists around in his seat.

A kind smile graces his face. "Are you ready for your first day, sweetness?"

"Umm-..."

You glance back outside.

There's a man holding the hand of a colourfully dressed woman walking up to the front safety gate. He pulls the little knob and guides her through to the door, stopping to poke some buttons on a square thingy on the wall before heading inside.

"I dunno, Papa," You mumble as they leave your sight.

What if they don't wanna play with you? What if your teachers are meanies, and not nice like your Daddy and Papa?

"You don't know?" He sing-songs, pouting and reaching out to pinch your knee playfully. "Are you a little bit scared?"

Hang on.

You didn't say that!

Jungkook turns just in time to see you gasp, giggling to himself.

"I'm not scared!" You protest. "I'm not scared of anything, Papa!"

"Aww. I know."

Jungkook is sceptical. "No? Not even Lord Tirek?"

You think back to last night, when the big, scary monster appeared on the screen and you just had to hide in your Papa's arms.

You admit, "Maybe I'm scared of some things."

Taehyung smacks your Daddy on the shoulder, eyes wide behind his black glasses. "Luckily there's no Lord Tirek here then, right?"

"Right, Jagi," He agrees guiltily.

"Come on. It's time to get out now, sweetness."

You hug your teddy bear to your chest as they both exit the car.

Taehyung appears at your window, pulling your door open and leaning over you. He takes the big, red car seat buckle laying on your belly in his hands and clicks the two halves apart. The straps fall over your shoulders as he slots his hands under your armpits.

"Let's not forget your present," He reminds you, lifting you out of the seat and onto the ground.

As Jungkook rounds the car, he catches you chewing on your teddy's ear.

"Ah-ah," He chides, his tattooed hand coming up to pull it from your lips. "That's yucky. Be nice to Mr Bear, okay?"

"Sorry, Mr Bear."

"And?"

"Sorry, Daddy."

"Thank you."

"Here it is." Taehyung pulls out the bakery carry-box, slamming the door closed and carefully passing it to you. "Gentle hands."

"Good job." Jungkook praises. "It's not too heavy?"

"S'fine, Daddy."

Walking through the car park together, Taehyung strokes his hand through your hair, fixing the few fly-aways that have slipped from your piggy tails he very lovingly styled you in this morning. Your Papa is great at doing hair. Oh, and at picking outfits.

He's wearing a beige knitted vest over a plain white shirt, baggy pants, big shoes, and a beret.

The hairdresser's he works at lets him wear whatever he wants!

Jungkook, though; He has to wear a suit every day.

"Wooooow. Is that right?" Your taller parent exclaims. "You must be very strong?"

"Yes, I am, Daddy." You agree, plodding along.

For some reason, as he opens the gate and lets you through, both of them break out in chuckles above you. You don't know what's so funny about saying that! When you carried that heavy bag of rice at the shops yesterday, Daddy only had to help a little.

The door makes a clicking sound as the code is punched in, Jungkook pushing it open gentlemanly.

As you step into the foyer, you're suddenly hit with the feeling of being lost in a new place. You got lost in the supermarket once and it was so scary. Even scarier than Lord Tirek. You were about to be lost forever and ever until your Daddy finally found you.

You don't want to be alone again. No, no, no! A sad moan leaving your throat, you drop the bakery box onto the floor and wrap your arms around Jungkook's waist, smooshing your face into his breast through the black fabric. You're never letting go!

"Oh!" Taehyung exclaims, picking the small box back up. "Whoopsies."

"Whoopsies," Jungkook croons.

"Good morning," The lady at the desk greets, before her eyes widen. "Would you like some help?"

"We've got it." Your Papa assures her. "We're here to sign in Jeon-Kim Haen, please."

"Of course. Just a moment."

"I'm scared," You muffle.

"It's okay, baby." Jungkook soothes, rubbing your back. "Remember what you said before?"

I'm not scared of anything!

"I lieeeed." You complain. "I'm sc- scared of Lord Tirek and the air frier and scorpions and getting lost!"

Taehyung plucks a tissue from the reception desk box, bending to mop the yellow frosting off the floor.

Jungkook tsks sadly. "Maybe. But you're still very brave, Haen-ie."

"I'm b'ave?"

"Of course you are. Can you say, 'I'm Daddy and Papa's strong, brave girl'?"

"I'm- I'm Daddy and Papa's strong, b'ave girl."

"Good morning!" A new voice comes lilting into the room. You squeeze Jungkook even tighter, turning your head ever so slightly to get a look at the newcomer. A man as tall as your Daddy is approaching the three of you, dressed in an orange hoodie and looking like he swallowed the sun and all the stars for breakfast, the light trying to escape through his face. "Did we have a little accident?"

"We did," Tae laughs, throwing the used tissue and squished cupcake into a nearby bin.

"Don't worry. No harm done!"

His black hair is tousled neatly over his forehead, a rainbow lanyard laying against his chest.

"She's nervous about her first day." Jungkook explains, stroking your cheek. "Had a bit of a scare coming in."

The man smiles, his eyes turning into crescent moons. "You must be Haen-ie. I'm Hoseok-seonsangnim. It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Hoseok-seonsangnim." You murmur politely. "Are the cupcakes okay?"

Taehyung chuckles. "They're for her classmates."

"Wow, that's very nice of you." Hoseok gasps, looking through the little plastic windows. "Ooooh, yummy. They look perfect."

You let him know, "You can have one, too."

The three of them burst into soft laughter.

"Awww. Thank you, Haen-ie. You're a very kind girl. How about we go share them with everyone? Would you like to do that?"

You pause, thinking about it for a moment. "Okay."

"Awesome! Good idea." He praises, even though the idea was his, taking the box. "You'll have so much fun today!"

"You hear that? Come say goodbye to Papa-bear, sweetness."

You let go of your Daddy to fall into Taehyung's embrace, trying not to feel too scared as he wraps you up safely in his arms, rocking you gently from side to side and growling like a big, happy bear. When he pulls back, he kisses your forehead and passes you off to Jungkook, who gives you a quicker, lighter hug and reminds you not to chew on Mr Bear because he likes his ears to be clean.

"I won't, Daddy." You promise, earning another kiss to the forehead.

"Good girl. Daddy and Papa will come and pick you up later, okay?"

"Okay."

One last kiss. "We love you."

"Love you," Tae smiles.

"Love you, Daddy, Papa."

Hoseok offers his hand to you. "Come on, Haen-ie. Let's go share these yummy cupcakes, huh?"

Taking his hand in yours, you bravely let him guide you away.

"What flavor are the cupcakes, Haen-ie?"

"They're chocolate," You tell him, remembering what Papa asked the baker-lady for this morning.

"Oooh. I loooove chocolate." Your teacher gushes, giving your hand a bit of a squeeze as you walk side by side down the bright corridor. Splodgy paintings and crayon drawings hang from little wooden pegs along the wall, all the cats and dogs and dragons and two headed shark-giraffe hybrids all grinning down at you with silly faces and glittery decorations. "Is chocolate your favorite, too?"

"Uh-huh." You sheepishly nod. "I like it- I like it even betterer than vanilla, but Papa likes strawberry."

"He likes strawberry, does he? What about Daddy?"

"Daddy likes chocolate, too. He goes to the gym a lot, but he says it's healthy so we can eat lots!"

He laughs at that. "Well, I don't know about 'healthy', but it sure is delicious. Oh, look! Here's our classroom!"

You come to a stop in front of a door with a sticker on it that says, 'A2.'

Glancing back down the corridor, you notice the foyer is suddenly very empty. No Daddy, no Papa. Hoseok distracted you. You face forward again, taking a deep breath and telling yourself, I'm Daddy and Papa's brave girl, as he knocks on the door.

It opens. A man with long, wavy hair smiles sweetly at the both of you, moving to let you inside.

"Good morning!" He greets, closing the door behind you. "This must be our new friend, Haen-ie."

The classroom is bustling, filled with squealing laughter as Baby Shark plays loudly from somewhere.

"We're doing some dancing right now. It helps shake out all those early-morning jitters." He explains. "My name is Hyunjin-ie. It's so exciting to meet you! I'm one of the EAs in this room, so I'll be helping you get settled in today! Does that sound good?"

"What's an EA, Hyunjin-ie?"

"It means, 'Educational Assistant'. That means my job is to be your best friend and help you with your work!"

When you giggle, Hoseok adds, "We've got some delicious chocolate cupcakes here for everyone, too."

"Ohh! Cupcakes? I knew today was going to be a great day."

"Excuse me, friends!" Hoseok calls out over the song, getting everyone's attention. "I know we're all having fun dancing, but we have a new classmate here joining us today and she's very kindly brought us some delicious cupcakes to eat together!"

Exclamations break out across the room. "Cupcakes!!"

As the kids come running over, Hoseok sets the box down on the nearest activity table. "Everyone, say thank you to Haen-ie!"

"Thank you, Haen-ie!"

"I love you, Haen-ie!"

A shy smile makes its way onto your face, realizing that nobody here is mean like you thought they would be.

Your classmates jump up and down like pieces of popcorn as Hoseok hands a small cupcake to you first, then sharing the rest of them to the gathered crowd, reminding them all to be patient and thanking them for their nice manners.

Peeling back your cupcake's paper liner, you take a big, big bite.

Mmm. Chocolate with sweet, yellow frosting and a tiny, bear-shaped cookie sticking out of it.

"Thank you, Heun-ie!" A boy exclaims, his chin smeared with frosting. "Dis is soooo yummy!"

You smile, "My Papa buyed them."

"I love your Papa."

"I love my Papa, too."

"Nice manners, Jimin-ie." Hoseok praises him, handing the last of the cupcakes to EA Hyunjin and two other men who must be teachers. "Haen-ie, you've already met Hyunjin, but this here is EA Yeongbok-ie and Teacher Yoongi-seonsangnim."

The first man, Yeongbok; he has blonde hair, the color of vanilla cookies, and a wonky, toothy smile sweeter than every cookie in the world. He gives you an enthusiastic wave, his voice deeper than even your Papa's. "Hi! Nice to meet you!"

The second man, Yoongi, looks a bit like a sleepy, smiley cat. "Hello, Haen-ie."

"Hello," You wave back.

"We can meet the rest of your teachers later, but Yeongbok here is our second EA, and Yoongi is our very talented music teacher."

The man snorts. "I play recorders, Hoseok."

"All the same."

"Do you like music, Haen-ie?" Yeongbok asks as he pulls out a wooden seat for you, sitting in the one next to it.

"Okay, everyone! Sit down to eat, please!"

As everyone gets settled, you sit down next to Yeongbok and Hyunjin while Yoongi walks off with his cupcake.

"I like to sing with my Daddy and Papa," You tell the friendly EAs, your two new best friends.

"You guys just moved here from Geochang, didn't you?"

"Yeah," The mention of your old home sends a pang through your heart. It was a lot different than here. The streets were lined with wild grass and old, proud houses, always a breathtaking view of the mountains sitting on the horizon. "We got here two days ago."

"Well, we're very happy to have you here." Hyunjin smiles like a pretty prince. "What do you like about Seoul so far?"

Oh, um... You've never thought about that up until now.

"I like Han River," You guess, popping the biscuit in your mouth. "And we're going to Teseum Teddy Bear museum this weekend."

"Uwaaah," Yeongbok exclaims, "That sounds exciting?"

You nod, chewing, the wet crumbs falling from your lips and into your lap. "Bea'ws are my fav'ite animal."

"Oooh, careful," He warns, taking the handkerchief out of his pants' pocket and using it to clean you up.

"Oh! Sorryyyy."

"Don't worry." He brushes the crumbs off your sweater, and then your bear's fat, brown nose. "Look. It's as if nothing ever happened!"

"Daddy doesn't like it when I get my things dirty," You babble, giving the teddy a kiss as an apology, "Or chew on Mr Bear's ears."

"Aaah," Hyunjin hums understandingly, "So you're going to be one of the messy ones."

"You're going to love art class."

"I love art class!" A nearby boy butts in. "I made a painting for my Mommy yesterday!"

"Yes, and you used yourself as the canvas, didn't you?" He jokes, pinning him with an cool, sassy look.

The boy does nothing but giggle, his teeth covered in bits of chocolate cake, before running off to join his friends again.

"That's Jeongin-ie."

As you bite and swallow the last chunk of your cupcake, Yeongbok stands from the small seat, leaving his own cupcake on the table and offering his hand to you. "All done? Let's go put your bag away in the cubby before class starts, okay?"

"Okay, Yeongbok-ie." You agree, grabbing his pale hand and following him.

He takes you over to the wall besides the classroom door, where the cubby shelves are all stuffed with the other Little's backpacks, books, spare clothes, and water bottles. Coloured strips of paper are velcroed above each one, their names printed on them.

'Jimin', 'Jeongin', 'Maru', 'Nathan', and even your name! You point it out to Yeongbok, who chuckles in that delicate, tinkling way of his that makes it sound like he's a magical xylophone. He takes off your purple backpack and places it in the cubby below your tag.

Returning to the sitting area together, you spot Hyunjin and Yoongi helping tidy the aftermath.

"This one was yours," Yoongi nods toward an empty liner, wiping down the table with a cloth. "Go put it in the trash, please."

Hyunjin adds, "You too, Jeongin."

"Okayyyy." The boy sing-songs. "Fine."

Scooping up your trash and dumping it in the nearby bin, everybody works hard to clean up before settling down in their assigned seats at the activity tables strewn across the room. You're unsure where to go, awkwardly hugging Mr Bear, but sweet EA Yeongbok is there to help you again, taking your hand and guiding you to a table near the toy boxes. Jeongin and Jimin are sitting there, too.

"Ooh, Haen-ie. Look." The man points at the back of the chair. "What's that?"

You follow his finger.

Wow! It's another tag with your name on it!

"My name!" You exclaim proudly as you sit down. "This is my chair, Yeongbok-ie!"

"You're right. It is your chair," The man praises this genius discovery, as he drags another chair over and sits next to you.

Hyunjin and Yoongi are both sitting at other tables, joking with the kids around them.

"Hi! I'm Jimin!" The boy in front of you cheers.

"I'm Jeongin!"

"These are your table-mates, Haen-ie. Say hello?"

"Hello," You greet, using Mr Bear's fluffy arm to wave to them. "It's my first day today!"

"Why is it your first day?"

"We moved here." You explain, "And my old playcentre is too far away to visit, now."

"Awwww," Jimin pouts.

"That's so sad!"

"It is a little bit sad," Yeongbok validates, his tone comforting, "But she's going to make lots of new friends here, isn't she?"

Jeongin nods so fast you think his head might fall off. "I'll be your friend, Haen-ie!"

"Me, too! Do you like dinosaurs?"

Glancing at the T-Rex printed on his blue sweater, you shrug. "Um... A little."

"Oh." He deflates, perking right back up again afterwards. "It's okay! I'll still be your friend!"

"Yeah! He's friends with me, and I like sharks, but he doesn't like sharks, and we're still friends."

"Okay, guys," Yeongbok interrupts, placing a finger over his lips, "Sh, sh, sh. Let's listen to Hoseok-seonsangnim, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay!"

"It's time for our first class of the day, friends." You turn your attention to the front of the classroom, peering over Jimin's shoulder as Hoseok drags the wheelie whiteboard into view, uncapping an orange marker and smiling brightly at his class. "Now, Yoongi-seonsangnim and I were nice enough to let you guys have some cupcakes before class this morning, weren't we?"

"Yeah!" You all reply at once.

"Yeah! Fun, right? So do you think you'll all be able to put your learning caps on, now?"

As he mimes putting on a big hat, you all copy him.

Even Yoongi, Hyunjin, and Yeongbok, too!

"Perfect!" He lowers his hands. "Does anyone know what we're going to be learning today?"

The whole class starts giggling hysterically as he glances at the laminated chart on the wall, which very obviously reads, Monday, 1. Music, 2. Arts and Crafts, 3. Snack Break, 4. Math, 5. Nap Time, 6. Lunch Break, 7. Reading, in bubble letters.

Everyone shouts out, "Music!"

"It's Music!"

"Music, Hoseok!"

"It's what?" Your teacher squints, cupping his ear. "We're learning what?"

You join in the chaos, shouting, "Music!!"

"Aaaaah. Music! Why didn't you say that the first time?"

Silly Hoseok-seonsangnim. You guys did say that!

"Let's start with our word of the day first, and then we get out the instruments." Turning and writing, Word of the Day, at the top of the whiteboard, he faces forward and looks directly at you. "How about you choose today's word, Haen-ie?"

Oh! You?!

"There's no wrong answers," Yeongbok encourages you when he notices your apprehension. "What about Bear?"

You give a quick nod. "You say, please?"

He happily reports back to your teacher, "The word of the day is Bear!"

"Oooh. Good choice. Let's all use the letters at our tables and have a go spelling Bear!"

"Oh! I know, I know!" Jimin exclaims, wiggling impatiently as your EA reaches into the middle of the table and pulls out a velcro board and a cup of felt letters from the basket of supplies, splaying them out. "Let me do it! I know!"

He grabs the pile of letters, pulling out a flimsy G character and sticking it to the board.

"Good job, Jimin-ie." Yeongbok slides the letters in front of you. "Haen-ie's turn, now. We have to work as a team!"

Humming thoughtfully, you sound out the word Bear in your head. There's a Guh, and then an Ohhhhh. Must be O.

You stick the O character below the G.

When it's Jeongin's turn, he sticks down an M character, completing the simple Hangul symbol.

"Is everybody ready? Show us your boards!"

Chatter fills the room again as Yeongbok holds up the board for you.

Hoseok glances from table to table, nodding, "Correct! Yep, correct! Well done! Yeongbok's table, correct!"

Your EA gives you a high-five.

Yay!

"Hyunjin's table," He sucks in a breath at the last group, "I'm afraid that's not quite right."

Everyone at the table groans in defeat and starts throwing accusations around.

"I told you it was just one M!"

"Hyunjinnnnn!"

"You didn't listen!"

Yoongi's laughing behind his hand, shoulders shaking.

The kids keep heckling him as he grumpily throws down the letter in his hand.

Yeongbok laughs, "Maybe you need to move to the baby's room, Hyung? What do you guys think?"

"Baby's room!" The girl next to Hyunjin chants. "Baby's room!"

Hyunjin sticks his tongue out at her.

"Okay. Okay," Hoseok chuckles, taking back control of the room as Yoongi stands up. "Time for music, now."

When Namjoon checks his watch, he announces, "Snack break, everyone!"

Jumping up from your seat and pulling your bucket hat on, you can't wait to eat!

You file out into the play yard with everyone else, finding a spot at one of the picnic tables. Hoseok and Namjoon-seonsangnim wheel out two carts of food, approaching each table and handing out the small bowls. Namjoon; You met him during Arts and Crafts. He's tall and muscly like a sports teacher, but he actually teaches art and English, his face round like a toffee candy, both cheeks dimpled.

"Hello, everyone." He greets, placing a plastic bowl and spoon in front of you. "Did you have fun in art today?"

"Thank you," You remember your manners, licking your lips at the sight of the sliced fruit and yoghurt.

"You're welcome, Haen-ie."

As you stick your spoon in, Seungmin exclaims, "Yeah! I maked a rainbow! It was really pretty."

"'Made'." Hoseok calls out.

The boy corrects himself. "I made a rainbow."

"Yes, I saw. It was pretty."

Gulping down the dollop of yoghurt and crunchy apple pieces, you gaze out at the patch of sunlight nearby. Your class's art creations are drying in the sun, the pieces of paper swaying in the breeze, wrinkled from all the glue and pom poms on them.

"I made a dinosaur with Jimin," You garble as Namjoon walks away with the cart, your mouth full.

The boy nods. "It was a brontosaurus. Brontosauruses are the ones with the-!"

"The long necks," The girl across from him rolls her eyes. "We know."

Your dinosaur's neck was five pompoms long!

He gasps. "You like dinosaurs, too, Ahyun?!"

"No. You just talk about them all the time." She glances up from her bowl. "Haen, you have glue on your elbow."

You do? Shrugging a shoulder, you peer down at the side of your arm and scratch the dried flake off.

"And paint on your shoulder."

Oh, she's right. There's a pink splat on your sweater. You hope your Daddy won't be too upset.

"And on your hand."

... Oh.

"She got really messy," The girl beside her giggles. "She's like my baby brother, and he's only one!"

"I think she's messier," She jokes, making your cheeks go hot.

"Are you one, Haen-ie?"

"No. I'm nineteen," You mumble uncomfortably, hiding your paint-covered hand under the table. "And four on the inside."

"You should go sit somewhere else," Ahyun chirps. "I don't want you to get me dirty!"

"She won't," Jimin frowns.

"Yes, she will!"

Whatever. You don't want to sit with Ahyun, either. You pick up your bowl and stand from the wooden bench, storming over to the playground and ducking under one of the platforms. You hide away in a dark corner to finish eating your snack in peace.

Tears start burning at the edges of your eyes when you catch a second glimpse at your ruined sweater.

"Haen-ie? Sweetie?"

Sniffling, you watch Hyunjin as he searches the playground, coming to a sudden stop when he sees you. He looks like he's about to explain that you're not allowed to eat in the playground, but something in his expression changes and he crouches down.

"Haen-ie, sweetie, what are you doing all the way over here?" He asks. "What's the matter?"

Glancing behind him, you catch the other teachers watching the two of you, before they go back to what they were doing.

Hyunjin crawls in and sits beside you, long hair framing his face as he tilts his head at you.

"Haen-ie?"

You pout, "I don't wanna sit at the tables."

"No?"

You shake your head, poking sadly at your yoghurt.

"You don't want to sit with your friends? Jimin and Jeongin?" He tries, only to be met with silence. "Me and Yeongbok-ie?"

You admit, "I don't wanna sit with Ahyun."

He pauses. "Did Ahyun say something a little bit mean?"

You nod. "Her friend said I'm like her baby brother because I'm messy. And then Ahyun said I'm even messier than him because I got paint and glue on my clothes in art class, and then she said I can't sit with them, so I came over here to hide."

Sympathy washes over his face. He muses, "That wasn't very nice of her, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," You agree.

"Did it make you sad?"

"Uh-huh." It did make you sad. "I didn't get messy on purpose, Hyunjin-ie. It was an a'sident."

"Awww, Hyunjin-ie knows it was an accident, sweetie. And you know what?"

"What?"

"Art class is all about getting messy, little friend. Wouldn't it be boring if the paint only got on the paper?"

"My Daddy doesn't like it when I get dirty. He likes it when things are perfect and nice and clean."

Your Papa calls him a 'Perfectionist'.

"You're already perfect and nice," He argues. "And Yeongbok and I are going to make sure you're clean, too."

"You are?"

"Yeah. Yeongbok is new, too, you know. He's only been here a week. And he says I should be in the baby's room. Pssh. After art class ended, I had to teach him where to find the extra wet wipes, but you went outside to eat before we could clean you up!"

Ohhh. You remember now! After class ended, Yeongbok told you to wait, but you forgot and ran outside!

"I was too excited to eat!"

"Yes, you were." He chuckles, taking your hand. "Come on. Let's go get clean!"

"Okay!"

He helps you crawl back out from the playground, leaving your bowl at the table and stepping inside the empty classroom.

It's much quieter in here. The aircon hums above you, tables all clean and glossy. You see Yeongbok standing behind the partition of the exposed bathroom area, peeling open a package of wet wipes and digging through your purple backpack.

Both of you approaching him, Yeongbok gasps dramatically with a big, sunny smile. "Haen-ie!"

Hyunjin squeezes your hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you, Yeongbok-ie," You apologize sweetly. "I got distracted and forgot to wait for you!"

"Aw. That's okay." He says, pulling out a spare shirt with a big strawberry on it. "Let's get you into some clean clothes."

The two nice men work together to remove your paint-covered sweater and stuff it back into your backpack, wiping down your fingers and palms with the wet wipes afterwards. Yeongbok quickly dresses you in the green shirt and adjusts your bucket hat.

"There we go," He celebrates, zipping your backpack up. "That was nice and easy, wasn't it!"

"Thank you, Yeongbok-ie and Hyunjin-ie!"

"See? Nothing bad about getting messy." The older EA holds his hand out to you. "Come on. Let's go finish eating, little friend."

Uh oh.

"Do I have to?"

Yeongbok makes a confused face. "I thought you were excited to eat?"

"I am, but," You twist your shoe into the floor. "Ahyun was mean to me."

He frowns. "Oh, no."

"Hyunjin-ie will make sure Hoseok-seonsangnim tells Ahyun's parents she was being mean to one of our friends," Hyunjin promises. "And you can sit with me, if you like, or we can ask Jimin and Jeongin if they want to move tables with you?"

You wanna sit with all of them!

"Let's all sit together!"

"Okay, sweet friend." He praises as you take his hand. "Let's go. Your yoghurt is waiting for you!"

You giggle. "I'm coming, yoghurt!"

Hyunjin guides you back into the play yard, approaching the picnic table.

"Excuse me, guys," The man politely interrupts, pointing to a nearby empty table. "I'm going to take my friend Haen-ie over to the kind-friends table over there, and we want to know who else is going to join us."

"Ooooh," Ahyun's friend exclaims. "I do!"

Not wanting to be left out, Ahyun agrees and raises her hand. "Me too, Hyunjin!"

"Sorry, Jenna and Ahyun. This table is only for kind friends. You weren't being a very kind friend to Haen-ie today, were you?"

She gawks. "Wh-?!"

"Maybe when you're feeling a little bit kinder," He suggests, "You can come and join us later."

As she scoffs angrily, Jimin raises his hand. "Can I come, Haen-ie?"

"What about me?" Jeongin adds. "I wanna sit with you!"

"Me, too!" Seungmin agrees. "I'm a kind friend!"

You go pink under all the attention. "Okay!"

"Yay!"

"Let's go!"

"Kind-friends table!"

The four of you grab your bowls and go sit at the other, better table together. Hyunjin offers his lap to you since you might still be a little sad. Even though you're feeling better now, you still climb up onto his thigh, while the three boys sit around you.

"There you go," Hyunjin cooes, bouncing you up and down a little. "Ooooh. Apple? What else did you get?"

"I got banana," Seungmin answers, pointing at his friend's bowl. "Jimin got some, too!"

Jeongin pouts, "I got grapes."

"He hates grapes," The boy beside him explains helpfully.

You ask, "Do you like apple?"

When he nods, you hold your bowl over his, using your spoon to flick the apple into it.

"Thanks, Haen-ie!" He gasps, before giving you his grapes. "You can have mine!"

"Thanks, Jeongin-ie."

"Woooow," Hyunjin exclaims, "Nice sharing, you guys."

"My Papa says it makes our friends sad when we don't share," You tell him. "And I don't like it when people are sad, Hyunjin-ie."

The man suddenly clutches his heart through his baggy shirt, wincing like he's in pain. "Dawww."

You giggle at his outburst. "What, Hyunjin-ie?"

He makes a Grrrrrr sound as he mimes grabbing your cheeks. "You're adorable, that's what!"

You push his hands away. "Silly Hyunjin!"

Yeongbok comes into view as you all laugh together, setting his bowl on the table. "Hey! Don't have all the fun without me!"

"How are you guys going over here?"

As Hoseok approaches your table, you pout your lips around the pencil in your mouth.

Not good. Math is hard!

He takes notice just like all good teachers do. "Needing some help there, Haen-ie?"

You mumble, "Yes, p'ease."

Yeongbok gently pulls your hand away. "We don't chew on pencils, little friend. There you go."

As he goes back to helping Jeongin, Hoseok takes a seat next to you. "Tell Hoseok-seonsangnim what you need help with."

"Yeongbok-ie is busy with Jeongin and there's-! There's too many steps!"

"Ahhh, I see. Don't worry. Let's break them down together, shall we? Can you read the question to me?"

You look down at your paper, making sure to ignore the cartoon gardener at the bottom because he's annoying you. "Taeyun buys some-... some flower seeds. He plants five seeds in normal soil, and five seeds in special mulch. The seeds in the... in the special mulch grow double the flowers than the seeds in the regular soil grow. How many flowers will he have when they're done growing?"

See?! That's super hard.

Taehyun should ask somebody else about his flowers, because you have no idea.

"That was great reading," Hoseok praises you, before grabbing a blank piece of paper and some crayons from the supply box. "I've got an idea. You know what helps me when I can't figure out a question? Drawing it out!"

Your eyes widen. "There's questions you can't figure out?"

A laugh escapes him. "Yes, there are. Even teachers need help, sometimes."

"But you're super smart?"

"The only way to get smart is to be wrong a lot of times first." He explains, drawing some dots on the page. "Let's draw what we need to know. First, I'll draw the seeds... Five normal seeds on the left and five special seeds on the right."

When he's finished, he hands you a green crayon.

"Now let's draw the flowers coming out of the seeds."

"Okay. I'll try!"

"That's what I like to hear, friend. You should draw two flowers coming out of each special seed, remember?"

Nodding, you get to work drawing the stems.

After that, you add a yellow ball and colorful petals to each one.

"Let's add some ladybugs!" You suggest, reaching for the red crayon.

"Hang on. We don't need any ladybugs right now." He reminds you. "Maybe you can draw some in art class tomorrow, okay?"

Awwww. "Okay."

"Let's count the flowers instead. Ready?"

"Uh-huh. One, two, three," You concentrate hard and count every flower. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen!"

"Fifteen. Well done!" Hoseok exclaims with a big, excited grin, giving you a double high five. "You did it!"

"I did it!"

"Go ahead and write the answer down and we'll have a go at the next one."

"Okay! Thank you, Hoseok-seonsangnim."

"You're very welcome, sunshine."

By the time you've filled out the math booklet, you're in serious need of a nap. Being smart is lots of effort. How does he do it?

Luckily, it's nap time.

You grab Mr Bear and head into the toy area, where the EAs have moved the furniture out of the way and set up sleeping mats on the floor. Your Papa packed your softest, pinkest bedding today. You kneel on the cotton fabric, yawning and laying your head on your pillow as Hyunjin pulls the curtains over the windows. Hundreds of stars light up the walls when Yeongbok switches on the lamp.

"Who needs a little extra help getting to sleep today?" He asks quietly, switching on the speaker next.

The sound of somebody playing the piano graces your ears.

A couple of kids raise their hands, including you. No matter how tired you are, it's still scary falling asleep in a new place.

Hyunjin comes over to you.

"Close your eyes, sweetie," He whispers, settling beside your mat.

With him slowly stroking your hair, you're drifting off into dreamland before you even realize it.

At the end of the day, while you're all sitting on the rug, Hoseok asks, "Who here had a good day today?"

"Me!" You all shout.

"Let's share three things we're grateful for today," He says, gesturing to a student. "Let's start with you, Jihyun."

She tilts her head. "Ummm... Art class, Yeongbok helping me find my pencil when I lost it, and... Oh! Haen's cupcakes!"

"Oooh. They were yummy, weren't they? Jimin?"

He's got his answer right away. "Meeting my new friend Haen-ie!!"

Jeongin's got his, too! "Haen-ie sharing her fruit with me!!"

"Aw, those are great answers. I'm grateful for our new friend, too."

When it's your turn, you shyly stare back at the class. It's difficult to choose only three things! You're grateful for the EAs, who made your first day as easy as possible for you, Yoongi for making you laugh as he taught you how to hold the recorder, Namjoon for opening the glue pot for you when it was stuck, and Hoseok for being such a great teacher, even if he's bad at drawing flowers.

"I'm grateful for my friends and my teachers and the EAs... and nap time, and brontosauruses."

That might've been five things... But Hoseok doesn't mind. "Aww. I'm so glad, friend."

Hyunjin does that thing again where he looks like he's going to die.

Yeongbok chuckles, petting his shoulder in support.

Parents start gathering in the corridor outside the classroom as the rest of the kids share their three things. You keep an eye out for your Daddy and Papa, your legs squirming and your heart racing like it's trying to break out of you and go find them.

The last time you glance through the window, they're both there!

When they spot you, their faces light up like they always do when they spot you in school assemblies and sport events.

They wave to you.

"Daddy, Papa," You cheer under your breath, trying to keep your hand in your lap. "Daddy, Papa are here."

"Okay, my friends." Hoseok eventually concludes. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!!"

"Bye, Hoseok!!"

"It's home time!!"

As soon as he opens the door, you jump up and run over to the big group of parents, straight into your Papa's open arms.

"There you are!" Taehyung gasps happily, holding you tight. "There's our sweet girl!"

"Papa!!"

"Did you have a good day?" He asks you, kissing your hair and letting you hug Jungkook next. "You didn't miss us too much?"

"I missed you so much," You muffle into Jungkook's button shirt. "But I had a good day at the same time!"

"We missed you, too," Your Daddy chuckles.

As Hyunjin approaches the three of you, handing your backpack and artwork to Jungkook, you pull away slightly.

"Here are Haen's things," He smiles.

He thanks the man. "Wow. Is this a dinosaur, baby?"

"I made it with my new friend, Jimin! He said I could keep it because he has a lot of dinosaur drawings at his home already."

"It's so cute."

Taehyung adds, "I love it."

"She had a good day," The EA smiles. Yeongbok and Hoseok are talking to some other parents behind him, handing more backpacks and artworks out. As Jungkook gives your dinosaur craft to his husband and unzips your bag, making sure everything is in there, Hyunjin explains, "We did have a little hiccup this morning, though. You'll find her sweater in there. It just has some paint on it."

Guilt squeezes you as you watch Jungkook turn the fabric over in his hand. "Sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay, Haen-ie." He shakes his head, zipping it up. "Daddy just wanted you to have fun today, okay? We can wash it out."

"I also got crumbs on Mr Bear," You admit.

He laughs at your sudden burst of honesty, slinging your bag over his shoulder. "We can wash him, too."

"He'll love it," Tae agrees. "It'll be like a spa day."

Some people might think your Daddy is the stricter parent, but he actually breaks more of his own rules than you do, and it's him who's always spoiling you with new toys, treats, and clothes! He's a big softie!

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Haen-ie!" Hyunjin says. "High-five!"

"Buh-bye, Hyunjin-ie!"

After you smack hands, Taehyung and Jungkook thank him again and they each take one of your hands, leading you out of the Playcentre. They listen intently as you babble about every detail of your day all the way to the car, where Tae lifts you in.

"Did everyone enjoy the cupcakes?" He asks, helping you thread your arms through the straps.

"Oh! Yeah! They were really yummy, Papa."

"No dessert tonight, then, I guess." He pouts, clicking the buckle together, before grinning cheekily at you. "Just kidding."

You stick your tongue out at him.

"Hey," Your Daddy chuckles, watching you in the rear-view mirror. "Save that little tongue for your ice cream tonight."

"We're having ice cream?!"

Tae closes your door and settles into the passenger seat as the car starts. "Didn't we tell you? Brave girls get ice cream, baby bear."

"Yay! Thank you!"

Cupcakes, new friends, a good nap, and ice cream?

You wish every day could be your first day at Playcare!

When you get a whole bowl's worth of chocolate ice cream all over your pyjamas that night, Jungkook just fondly smiles at you and sneaks you a second scoop while Tae isn't looking. He taught you that chocolate is healthy when you want it to be, after all!

Notes:

Please share your thoughts and leave some suggestions for future chapters! ʕ•◡•ʔっ♡!

Things I won't write. - Smut. - Self-harm. - Intense angst. - Anything unrelated to Haen or Littlespace. Everything else goes!

Current roles. - Taehyung: Parent Caregiver. - Jungkook: Parent Caregiver. - Jin: ??? - Namjoon: Art / English Teacher. - Hoseok: Homeroom Teacher / Playcare Owner. - Yoongi: Music Teacher. - Jimin: Little. - Bangchan: ??? - Lee Know: ??? - Han: ??? - Changbin: Sports Teacher. - Hyunjin: EA / Art Teacher. - Felix: EA. - Seungmin: Little. - Jeongin: Little.

I encourage you to be friendly and patient with me! ^◡^

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