namjoon was diligent in the kitchen, preparing multiple dishes on different counter tops, dressed in the light pink apron that your daughter had picked out at the store weeks ago. the same apron that he always found himself reaching for, even though the one his mom gave him when he moved out always hung right beside it. perhaps it marked the new chapter in his life, or different priorities.
he hadn't expected to fall in love so quickly.
certainly not with a single mother of a very strong-willed toddler who he would have to win over as well. but he absolutely adored you and your daughter. if he was going to see himself fitting in with your little family one day, maybe even calling himself her dad eventually, he needed to put in the work now. he wanted you to know that he was serious about this, but at the same time, not in a rush.
he was quiet with his love most of the time.
he gave it to you in handmade dishes from his childhood, or discussing your favourite books that he had taken the time to read and annotate.
you felt his love in the way he would always prepare something completely different for your daughter just in case she refused the main meal or when he would surprise you with one of your favourite dishes he had learned to make. and every time you came over to visit, he always had a new surprise for your daughter.
never something big that would make you feel indebted to him, but always something special enough to create memories for years to come.
he was meticulous with his hands whether with food or crafts. the toys he made were always ones your daughter accepted with excitement.
though, they could never top her favourite thing about him, rapping with him.
every time you visited, namjoon would teach her the lyrics to a new song, and they would perform it together for you. from nursery rhymes to love songs you already knew the words to by heart, you had been an audience to their little concerts for over eight months.
you could never get over the sight of the two of them together. your daughter wasn't shy with expressing how much she loved him but it wasn't until almost a year of knowing cheol that those words finally slipped from her lips.
you were seated around joon's small dining table, a spread of warm dishes set out, each made with care in his kitchen. eating dinner together had started to become routine now that your daughter was in kindergarten. his apartment was closer to her school than your work, and he had started offering to pick her up when you were busy. your daughter loved it of course, getting excited whenever he was waiting for her outside the school.
β "appa, can i have more dumplings?"
the sentence seemed natural for your daughter, but you had to blink before the words were properly processed. you looked at him, who had a similar stunned expression on his face.
you were about to say something- apologize on your daughter's behalf or spew some awkward monologue to your boyfriend of eight months that if he was at all uncomfortable with it, you would make sure that your daughter understood that he wasn't her father.
but namjoon bit back a smile, and you could just barely see a tinge of pink growing on his cheeks. he reached over to the plate of dumplings, transferring two to her plate with his chopsticks.
β "you like them?" he asked. your daughter hardly needed to answer him given the grin on her face as she popped another into her mouth, but she did all the same.
β "they're my favourite!"
after dinner while your daughter was preoccupied with colouring pages, you brought it up again with him in the kitchen.
β "are you okay with that? with her calling you appa?"
he nodded. "i'm okay with it- as long as you're also fine with it"