"ri, would you get my ipad please?"
"die first," the girl says, pointing her gun at the injured brother who sighs dramatically and falls back on the couch when the bullet hits the plaster on his arm, closing his eyes and groans mimicking the pain of being shot. "yes! now this world is safe. i killed jeon jungkook!"
"i was a threat?" he opens one eye to glance at his sister who nods in response and points at his fractured arm, where a bunch of chemical reactions and a few math equations are written in taehyung's handwriting because he believed it would help the boy learn them if he sees it again and again.
"that is dangerous," she says, "math is not okay."
"i know right? tae hyungie doesn't understand, who puts math and chemistry on a cast of an injured person? it worsens the pain."
"there's a mango too," aera scrunches her face at him, poking the weird drawing with her pointer finger, "who made that?"
"you did," jungkook sighs, "and a bunch of other fruits. look..." he says, showing her a strawberry, two cherries, an apple and a pineapple.
"where's a chocolate and ice cream?"
"i know, you didn't draw that." aera gasps at the information, keeping her gun down on the couch next to jungkook and runs inside, returning with a few colorful markers.
"i'll make a chocolate and ice cream okay?" she says and jungkook sighs, letting her draw on the cast as it still had some space left. "can i make koo and riri on it after this?"
"you'll make me look ugly." the boy complaints and shake his head, "if you wanna draw me and you on it, ask jiminie hyung to do it. he draws well, not as good as me, but fine."
"i can draw too!" aera frowns at him, smacking his head swiftly and jumps down from the couch to avoid getting hit. she laughs when he just glares at her, unable to stand up and hit her back because of the bandage on his ankle. "i won! jungkookie is a looser!" she sings, doing a mocking dance for him, sticking out tongue and giving a thumbs down while rocking side to side on her place.
"you just wait till i get this off." he threatens, looking away and lays on the couch resting her foot on the pillow jin gave him to rest as the wound was still fresh and the doctor had told them to avoid any strenuous movements that could cause the stitches to open.
it wasn't until two days back that jungkook came home bleeding and groaning in pain with tears streaming down his face as his left hand was clutching on the right arm near the elbow joint that had swollen and reddened to an alarming extent, making the hyungs panic and rush the boy to the hospital. they came to know it was a fracture on the upper side of his arm and the blood-oozing wound on his left foot needed stitches to keep it together.
jungkook had fallen asleep much sooner after the painful procedures were done under anaesthetic condition, and none of the boys tried to wake him up, saying he should rest and they could talk later. returning home wasn't easy either with their seven-year-old asking what had happened and how her koo ended up with such big wounds. she had even cried, thinking he was going to die when she first saw him bleeding and crying on arriving home.
by the end of the day jungkook didn't talk to anyone and later when he did, it was to jimin around midnight. the elder had assured he wouldn't scold jungkook and made him a hot chocolate, sitting by the boy when he finally told him how he got into a fight with some seniors because they were talking bad about his hyungs.
jimin had sighed deeply, knowing how the boy goes absolutely crazy when someone mentions his hyungs, which he had tried to stop but jungkook's attitude was like that of a naughty child who would act all innocent and cute at home and be a don once he's stepped outside. jin and hoseok couldn't believe jungkook actually faught someone just because they said something about the hyungs, but jimin and the rest knew it was possible, considering how aggressive the boy can be when he's mad. he's a teen.
yoongi was definitely mad knowing the silly reason their youngest got his arm broken and ankle torn. but keeping the injuries and pain in mind, he had talked to jimin and decided to just take the electronics away for two weeks and freeze all of social media accounts for a month.
despite today being just the third day with the punishment, jungkook couldn't help but feel all restless not having his ipad and videogames by his side. his eyes glare at the cast and bandage, groaning in frustration as he kicks his healthy leg into the cushion.
"why are you crying? is your foot hurting?" aera asks, leaning closer as she forgets about jungkook's revenge for a moment. the boy spares her a glance, grabbing her hand and pulls her next to him, wrestling the kid and hits her head, before letting her go.
"now you know how it hurts!" he grits, "go and get my ipad."
"no!" aera glares at him, fixing her hair as jungkook messed it up between the wrestle. her hand clench into fists, eyes shooting daggers at him as she takes a step forward and kicks his leg. "you're bad!"
"yah! just because i cannot get up doesn't mean you can hit—" he stops, noticing jimin and the others coming down the stairs. he smirks at the sister and sits up, grabbing his foot and grunts in pain, "ahh! hyung! it hurts!"
aera stares at him with a frown, studying his expression that looks like he's hurting and his hands holding near the bandaged ankle. her anger fades away slowly as she comes to believe that she did kick him too hard on his wound. she takes a step back, lips forming a pout and eyes hinting a mixture of fear and confusion, "koo, i'm sorry..."
"what's going on?" jimin's voice makes her turn around and point at jungkook. "kook, you okay?" he sits by the boy, removing his hands slowly from the foot while the younger shakes his head.
"it hurts hyung, she kicked on my foot..." jungkook says, "she keeps hitting me and running away because i can't get up! you tell her to stay away from me."
"aera," jimin closes his eyes, sighing deeply before turning to the youngest girl, "did you hit him?"
"uh uhm a little bit..." aera pouts, moving back as she leans by the wall, "i didn't wan— mean to hurt kookie, oppa i promise... he got hurt on his own..."
"that's very bad, aera. you should not hit him, he's your big brother right? then why did you hit him?"
"he hit me...!" she points at jungkook who rolls his eyes, shaking his head when the hyungs glance at him for confirmation. "he's lying!"
"you were hitting me first!"
"because you were being bad!" aera stomps her foot on the floor, glaring at him with teary eyes. "i don't like you..."
"as if i like you," he scoffs, "i don't want a sister at all actually. you're— just go away."
"i don't wan' a brother too! i'll go very far away and then you'll cry and call me, but i won't come back!"
"yeah yeah, go." jungkook rolls his eyes, "i'll have some peace."
aera breaks into a sob, stomping all the way up the staircase and to her room, rubbing her eyes and sniffling softly, making the elders sigh. jimin looks at jungkook with a questioning look, "is that how you talk to your sister?"
"she started it," jungkook huffs, "you keep taking her side all the time, that's why she keeps behaving like that."
"so what should i do? scold her? lock her in her room? she's a child, jungkook, she just wanted to play, and the way you talked to her is really disappointing. you might not be in the best mood, but that doesn't mean you can tell something that mean to anyone." jimin says, making jungkook look down as he keeps quiet and nods slowly.
"now, did she really hurt you?" yoongi asks, "and don't lie, i saw what you did."
jungkook gulps, glancing at the elder and nods, trying to see if he could negotiate, but sighs and shakes his head on seeing that yoongi is not affected by his tactics, "she did kick me..."
"on your injured foot?"
"uh she di—"
"did she or not?"
"no..."
"then why did you lie?" yoongi crosses his arms over his chest, maintaining a strict gaze on the boy who is staring at his lap, not saying anything now, "no one's saying anything to you because we know you're hurt and it's not easy to just sit at one place with a cast on your arm. don't take that for granted. and stop being so rude to your sister, how would you feel if jimin said the same words to you? if he said he didn't want a brother or told you go away and not come back so he could have some peace? how would you feel?"
jungkook nods slowly, acknowledging how harsh his words actually were that he said to his sister who is much younger than him. jimin sighs and pats his back, making him look up, "i know you didn't mean it and you were just frustrated, but pay attention to what you say to anyone. those are not the words anyone would like to hear, especially a seven-year-old. aera doesn't understand if it was out of annoyance, she believes every word that leaves our mouth, champ. and we don't want her to think that we don't love her right?"
"hm i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that." jungkook says in a soft voice, "it's just so boring to sit doing nothing. please give me my ipad back, i promise i won't get into fights ever."
"we don't skip on punishments, jungkook." the elder sighs.
"i have an idea, why don't you draw?"
jungkook glances at hoseok's excited self trying to lighten the mood, and shakes his head, lifting his right arm with the plaster, making the elder look down with the obvious answer. "uhm then how about you watch a movie— oh you're not allowed to, yeah right." taehyung sighs, frowning at the boy and then at his hyungs, "then what is he supposed to do? he'll die like this. i can't let my only younger brother die!"
"he's not dying, tae." namjoon shakes his head, "he can always read and study. it's a good habit and also a great past time."
"i don't lik—" jungkook quietens, hearing faint footsteps coming down the stairs, gaining attention from the rest of the boys too who frown in confusion watching aera with her bagpack on her back, hugging her light blue elephant plush with one hand while the other hand is balled into a fist, rubbing her eye.
she looks away from the boys, mainly jungkook and walks to the side of the room where her electric car is parked, dumping the bag and the elephant on the passenger seat before sitting herself on the driver's. she buckles the seatbelt both for her and her plush toy, then drives towards the front door.
"hey, where are you going?" jin asks, earning a brief glance from the girl however she doesn't stop and ends up driving into the wall. she huffs at the elder, taking a reverse and turns her car towards the door.
"the door is locked, isn't it?" yoongi asks in a lower voice for taehyung to hear. the boy shrugs, and the elder nods towards the door, "lock it." taehyung nods, jogging to front door as aera tries to push it open with a few heavy bumps of her car.
"nooo!" aera whines, glaring at taehyung who locks the door and puts the key in his pocket.
"why do you wanna go out?" he asks.
"because nobody loves me! i'll go away!" she says, accelerating ahead and hits taehyung's legs, making him groan and step away.
"aera, it's not like that baby. come here." yoongi says, sighing when the girl looks away, reversing the car.
"no, you will scold me."
"we won't, i promise." jin says.
"...no," aera pouts, her hand pointing at jungkook, "he will hit me. i will go away... oppa said daddy and mamma are far away with the— with the angels, i'll go there. koo don't love me..."
the boys stare at her soft gazes on hearing those words from the little girl. for a split second jimin finds his throat getting tight, his mind running to the day they were standing in front of their parents' casket, crying out the agony and hoping someone would shake him and wake him up from that bad dream. he releases a breath, blinking a few times and stands up, kneeling down by the car and holds her hand to stop her from driving away.
"don't say that," he hushes out, "please don't ever say that again."
"no," the girl huffs, trying to pull her hand back and whines when the brother doesn't let go. a sob leaves her lips with tears rolling down her cheeks, making jimin sigh.
he leans forward, unhooking the seat belt and carries her in his arms, patting her back as he hugs her, "don't cry, princess. why do you wanna leave oppa? am i that bad?"
"koo is bad..." she sobs out in jimin's neck, hugging him tightly, "he was saying i'm bad and don't want baby sister... i'm not wanna be bad..."
"i'm so sorry, honey. he didn't mean it. i scolded kookie for being a meanie. appa scolded him too, you can ask him if you want."
aera glances af yoongi, stopping for a second and sees him nodding in agreement with jimin's words. she sniffles softly and rubs her eyes, "okay... i'm not going away..." jimin chuckles hearing that and kisses her head.
"my baby, oppa loves you a lot," he whispers, "always remember that."
"mm i love oppa too," she nods, "but not kookie."
"i'm sorry," jungkook says, "i can't come there, so it'll be great if you can come here."
jimin smiles and walks over to the couch, sitting next to the brother with the sister on his lap. jungkook shifts a little closer and smiles softly, "i'm sorry aera, i didn't mean to say anything like that. i love you very much and i'm so happy to have a baby sister y'know? if i didn't want you then i'd've given you away when you were a baby. but i didn't do that because i like you. you're my only sister and i love you ri, i'm sorry for being rude."
"you don't wanna send me away?" aera asks quietly, looking at him and jungkook shakes his head quickly, "and you said want peace when i go away..."
"i said that out of anger. how can i have peace if my sister will be away from me? i will feel like dying if you're not near me."
"don't die..." aera pouts, glancing at jimin who smiles and pats her back, "tell him not to die, i don't want koo to die, oppa..."
"uh no, i'm not dying, ri. we just say it like that." jungkook shrugs, "now will you give me a hug?"
aera nods and leans forward, wrapping her short arms halfway around him and glances at the cast, "i'm sorry for hitting you. i'll be a good sissy, don't be sad okay?"
"yeah thanks." he nods, patting her back, "i love you, you're my favourite."
"you're my favourite too." aera smiles, kissing jungkook's cheek, "i won't go away even if you push me now."
the boy laughs and hugs her tighter, "thanks a lot for that, and yeah but i won't push you." he pecks her lips and says, "you wanted to draw me and you on my cast right? you can do it, but make sure i look handsome."
"okayy!" aera nods quickly getting and grabs the markers, sitting near jungkook and starts scribbling on the white surface of the plaster.
the elders smile with fondness, seeing the two getting along with each other and talking as if they didn't just fight and aera was never on the verge of leaving the house. jimin chuckles, patting their heads and stands up, exchanging glances with the elder hyungs who are smiling as well.
"no, wait! my hair is not like that!" jungkook hisses, "ri, you're doing it wrong."
"it looks like you."
"it looks like a rabit..."
"yeah," aera nods, grinning at him, "oppa said you're a bunny."
"you don't have to actually make me a bunny! it looks like a girl is taking her pet rabit out on a walk!"
"this is riri," she says, pointing at the caricature of the girl wearing a yellow dress and a long black line going from her hand to the bunny next to her, "and this is bunny and his name is kookie. when riri will kiss the bunny if will become a prince! and his name is—"
"jungkook?" the brother smiles nodding his head on understanding the story and hugs her, "it's not that bad."
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a/n- how's the chapter? 😚😚
also a new cover, i didn't really like the previous one 😓
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