Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Mingi laid panting on the cold floor of the dance room completely drenched in sweat. The whole group was finally taking a break after a couple of hours from practicing their new dance choreography. Well, some of the group that is. Yunho, San, and Wooyoung are on the other side of the room still going over some of the steps to the routine. Hongjoong is sitting in one of the corners squeezing in a few minutes of work on the laptop he had brought along with him. Yeosang and Jongho are sitting on the floor a couple of feet away from Mingi, munching on a snack while watching something on Yeosang's phone.

Right now, all Mingi wished was to be able to melt into the floor and never have to stand up again. His lower back was aching and his head was throbbing again for some reason. He placed his forearm over his eyes to block out the blinding lights in the room and lets out a moan.

"Are you okay Minnie?" Seongwha asks as he was walking over to sit next to him seeing that he was by himself. He reaches out to gently comb some strands of hair away from Mingi's face, and Mingi nuzzles into the touch. He likes when the members pet his hair, it feels nice. As soon as the thought comes into his head, he immediately shakes it away. He pulls away from Seongwha's touch despite not wanting to. Seongwha looks at Mingi with confusion on his face at the sudden rejection.

"A-ah yes hyungie!" Mingi stammers. "Sorry, I just have a small headache and my back is aching just a little bit."

Seongwha frowns at that. "Another headache? You had a headache not too long ago. Are you drinking enough water and eating well?" Then he narrows his eyes at Mingi. "You're not staying up late when you are supposed to be sleeping are you?"

"Of course not hyung, honest." Mingi pouts at him. If anything, he has been feeling more tired lately to even stay up so late.

Seonghwa glances over to the water bottle settled next to Mingi, and he notices that it is still practically full. "Mingi you've hardly drank any water since we came here! That may be why you have a headache, you're probably dehydrated." He scolds him as he reaches into his bag and pulls out another bottle of water.

"Here, we have plenty of water if that is what you are concerned about. I want you to drink at least one bottle before we get back to practicing."

Mingi anxiously looks up at Seongwha's stern face and with a trembling hand he takes the extra water bottle. Then he grabs his opened one and drinks half of it before closing it hoping that that would be enough to satisfy his hyung. Seonghwa sighs and looks at him with concern. He opens his mouth to say something when Hongjoong interrupts him, asking if he can come look over something.

"Coming!" He responds. Seongwha turns to Mingi, "Okay, if you don't want to drink more then don't. But if you start to feel dizzy during practice, then tell us okay?"

"Yes hyungie." Mingi nods, and Seongwha leans over to kiss his forehead before heading over to Hongjoong. As soon as he left, Mingi felt guilt settle at the bottom of his stomach.

Mingi has a secret that he has been keeping from the group and everyone else really. No one could ever know, not ever. Mingi's big secret is that he is…. a little.

-

There are three classifications that people can be classified into once they turn the age of sixteen because that is the age when their classification tendencies start to come in fully. There are Caregivers, Neutrals, and lastly, there are Littles. Now being a little is really not the problem, there are littles everywhere in society. No, the problem was that being a little means that there are some restrictions imposed on them. Some examples are littles are not allowed to drink any alcohol, but there are some things where it depends on the headspace range of a little. There are some jobs that a little cannot do depending on their headspace range like jobs that involve heavy machinery, or certain medical fields. Now while there may not be a law for it, another job that littles are restricted from is being an idol, no matter their headspace range. Society frowns down upon littles being idols. They believe that becoming an idol would be unhealthy for a little because of all the stress and demands that come from the career. To avoid any risks of lawsuits, every entertainment agency won't accept any littles in the kpop industry.

When Mingi had first gotten the result of his classification, he felt so devastated. At that brief moment he thought all his dreams were over. However, luck was on his side and he was able to make his way into the kpop industry.

A few weeks prior to the test, Yunho had expressed to Mingi that he wanted to become an idol and how excited he was to try out for the upcoming auditions in several companies. Mingi also had the dream of becoming an idol, of being a rapper and a dancer. Both were looking forward to fulfilling their dream. However, deep down Mingi was anxious. He was scared of what his test results would be because he knew that he had some little tendencies already. He would be clingy with his family and Yunho, and would love all the attention they gave him. Mingi also had a bit of an oral fixation. He would find himself sticking objects in his mouth, or sometimes he would feel the urge to suck his thumb. There would be times where his fine motor skills are lacking such as when he just couldn't tie his shoes properly. Mingi never mentioned this to anyone, not even Yunho, and somehow managed to hide it from him. It wasn't entirely hard, Yunho was always willing to do things for Mingi so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In turn, Mingi suspected that Yunho would present as a caregiver. If he does, Mingi feared that if he himself turned out to be little, then Yunho would give up on becoming an idol to stay by his side and take care of him. Because he's that good of a friend.

On the day of his exam, Yunho had accompanied Mingi to his appointment because his family was busy with their jobs and he didn't want to go alone. Yunho had done his exam a couple months ago and was classified to be a caregiver just as he predicted. As they were in the waiting room, Mingi admitted to Yunho that he was a bit nervous. Yunho hugged Mingi and kindly reassured him that no matter what his results were, he would be there for him, always. Mingi forced a smile on his face and stuffed his face into the crook of Yunho's neck for comfort, but internally he was freaking out. He can't be a little.

Once Mingi was finally called in for his exam, his hands were shaking. The man who was his examiner, didn't seem to care enough to spare him much of a glance, just went on with the examination with a monotone voice making it obvious that he did not want to be there. The examination itself consisted of a blood test, a urine test, a physical exam and psychological tests. Mingi had shed a few tears from getting his blood taken out, and he might have taken a while to pee in a cup because of nerves, but the rest wasn't too bad. The worst part was just the awkwardness he felt when he had to get undressed for the physical.

Mingi had to wait outside in the waiting room for an hour for his results to come through. Yunho kept pestering Mingi with questions on how it went. Mingi told him it wasn't too bad, which was the truth. Mingi felt a bit relieved thinking that maybe everything might be alright.

Mingi went back into the room with a bit more confidence in his stride once his examiner called him back in. "Here you go." He said dully as he simply handed Mingi his test results. Mingi's heart started thumping hard as he opened the envelope, and all he saw was:

Classification: Little
Headspace Range: 1-4 years

His heart dropped and it was all silent except for a small ringing noise in his ear. Fear, sadness, anger, and frustration crashed through his body all at once suddenly making it too loud in his head. What is he gonna do? He can't tell Yunho, he can't have him give up on his dream of being an idol, not for him. He is not worth it. But at the same time Mingi didn't want Yunho to leave him either, he loves him. Aside from his family, Yunho is all Mingi has and the thought of him not being there pains him dearly. His family were all classified as neutral, and with Yunho gone that would mean that Mingi's parents might have to hire a caregiver since he knew no one else and his headspace is too young to be without one for long periods of time. The thought scared him. His parents did have some caregiver friends but they are pretty busy with their own littles. Ugh, why did this stupid body do this to him?!

Mingi starts gasping for air as he suddenly feels like he can't breathe and his fingertips are starting to go numb. "Oh for the love of God", the examiner mutters and crouches down beside Mingi coaxing him to copy his breathing. After a while, Mingi starts to calm down from his panic attack and slumps in the chair he is sitting in.

"Look kid, it's not the end of the world. Now stop crying like a baby so I can get through the rest of my day. Do you need me to call someone to come get you?" The man said impatiently.

"No!" Mingi denied immediately while wiping his tears from his face. Then he blurted, "is there any possible way you can please put me down as a neutral instead? I can give you money." At this point he was desperate not knowing what else he could do.

The man gave him an incredulous look and then asked "how much do you have?" Honestly he hated this job, so if there was a way to benefit from it, then why not?

Mingi didn't care if he had to give away his savings. "I have $450." He offered, "but it's at home."

Wow, that's more than the man thought he would get.

"Alright it's a deal, come back tomorrow and I'll give you a new letter and certificate that you were legally classified as a neutral. But if you get found out, you better not squeal on me, got it?" The man bit out as he jabbed a finger towards Mingi's face making him flinch back. Then Mingi nodded enthusiastically, feeling relieved that he found a solution to his problem. He will live his life as a neutral, not a little.

"Good come back tomorrow afternoon, and let the receptionist know that you forgot your letter and certificate yesterday and she will send you my way."

After that, Mingi left the office with a full blown smile on his face. He excitedly told Yunho the good news that he was classified as neutral. Yunho had a look of confusion but Mingi didn't notice it as he was busy babbling about how he needed to pick up his paperwork the next day. "Their printer was broken." Mingi said as an excuse as to why he didn't get the paperwork right now.

His life as a neutral started now.

-

"S-sorry I have to go to the bathroom!" Mingi shouts over the music startling everyone right as they were in the midst of a choreography. Mingi didn't wait for any response from his members and ran to the restroom almost crashing into Yunho on his way. He whimpers as he could feel himself starting to leak into his underwear.

This is the reason why Mingi didn't want to drink too much water. Lately, he has been having close calls with almost not getting to a bathroom on time when he suddenly needs to pee. Luckily Mingi manages to make it to the toilet on time. There's only a small wet patch on his briefs, no biggie he thinks.

Mingi stays there for a while trying to pee as much as he can before he heads back. When he gets back Hongjoong comes up to him and pats his back gently.

"Are you okay Minnie? You surprised us when you ran off like that. Does your tummy hurt?"

Mingi shakes his head feeling guilty for disrupting their training, especially since everyone was doing so well. "No, I just really had to go to the restroom. I drank a lot of water. I'm sorry, hyungie." He could feel his ears warm up in embarrassment for causing such a commotion.

"It's fine. But next time go before we start, or wait till we finish the dance okay? I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt like how it almost happened with Yunho." Mingi nods in understanding.

"Yes Joongie."

"Okay everyone back to your positions! Let's do this from the top!" The captain calls out to everyone.

Mingi sighs and shuffles back to his place. It's going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

When Mingi found out he was selected to take part of a group he was so ecstatic and more when he found out Yunho was going to be with him. However, he was shocked when he learned that the rest of the members selected were all caregivers. He was scared, very scared for a while at first thinking that he would get found out at any moment. He stuck to Yunho most of the time and the others just assumed Mingi was just shy. Overtime Mingi got close with everyone, well close enough as he could get considering his circumstances. He loves them very much. He just didn't realize living with seven caregivers was going to be hard as time goes on.

-

As soon as the alarm rang, Mingi slammed his hand down to shut it off. He turns back to face the wall and snuggles into his blanket to sleep some more, not feeling ready to wake up yet. Everyone else is already up and getting ready for the day. Wooyoung and San were being loud and chaotic, running down the hallway. Hongjoong shouts at them to stop running, and tells them to hurry up and get ready. Seonghwa is in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Yunho comes into the kitchen to get some water and smells the delicious pancakes that Seonghwa was making.

"Mmm, it's smelling great hyung." Yunho takes a dramatic sniff, making Seonghwa laugh.

"Thanks, they're almost done." Seonghwa says as he puts some into a plate and goes to scoop more batter into the pan. "Is Mingi up already?"

"I don't think so? I haven't seen him yet."

Seonghwa sighs, "I swear it is getting harder and harder to get that boy up in the mornings. Can you go and wake him up please? You know we have a full schedule today."

"Yeah I can do that."

Yunho trudges down the hallway and into Mingi's room. Mingi was curled up towards the wall wrapped in his soft blue blanket sleeping peacefully with a serene look on his face. Yunho didn't want to disturb his sleep, but he knew he had to.

"Mingi," Yunho nudges his arm softly. "C'mon, it's time to get up."

Mingi hums and scrunches his face in annoyance. Then he mumbles a quiet no and tries to curl up again to fall back asleep.

"Mingi" Yunho says a little louder.

Mingi whines and gives a little kick. "No, m' sleepy!"

"Mingi get up right now, we can't be late today," Yunho says firmly. He pulls the blanket off Mingi and heads over to the closet to start pulling out clothes for Mingi knowing that he would take a long time deciding on what to wear. He picks out a soft fuzzy pink sweater, a simple pair of blue jeans, and a pair of white slip on shoes. Considering how cranky Mingi is, comfy clothing is the best way to go and easy to put on.

"Fine!" Mingi grumbles as he rolls out of bed. He keeps huffing as he pulls on his clothes sloppily. Yunho rolls his eyes at his friend's dramatics.

"Come eat breakfast after you wash your face and brush your hair. Seonghwa hyung is already finished cooking so don't take too long" He says as he walks out into the hallway.

"I know!" Mingi yells out after him and stomps towards the bathroom.

Yunho walks to the table where the rest of the members were already sitting with food on their plates.

"Well Mingi certainly woke up cranky this morning." Yunho announces to them as he sits down. He reaches over and grabs two plates for Mingi and himself. He scoops some eggs, fruit, and two pancakes into each plate. He then started to cut Mingi's pancakes into small pieces knowing that he would take a long time to do it himself and they needed to get moving soon.

"Give that to me Yunho, I can do it since I'm almost done eating." San offers and takes the plate from him.

He finishes by the time Mingi comes out of the bathroom and sits at the table. Mingi lets out a petulant huff when sees his plate and grumbles "I don't want any fruit."

"You need to eat your fruit Mingi," Seonghwa tells him, taking a sip from his coffee mug.

Mingi scrunches his face in displeasure, but says nothing.

"What's wrong grumpy?" Jongho teases lightly.

"Your face is ugly, that's what's wrong." Mingi snaps, surprising Jongho and everyone else.

"Mingi!" Hongjoong scolds him. "Drop the attitude and apologize, or we can take a trip to my room before we leave."

Shame floods Mingi as everyone stares at him waiting for his apology. "I'm sorry Jongho." He mumbles as he looks down at his plate suddenly not feeling hungry anymore, but tries to eat a couple of bites.

The rest of the meal was all silent and awkward as they finished.

-

Mingi really couldn't explain why he felt so angry today, he was just tired. It seems like everything was trying to test his patience today.

They had a small fan meet in the morning outside in the heat and he was forcing himself to smile through it all. He always loved meeting with atinys but today with how hot the weather was and how the other members were poking fun at him constantly to make atinys laugh, he felt overwhelmed. The other members stopped after they realized that he was still in a mood since this morning. He also felt envious of some of the littles and kids who were there sleeping in their strollers while he had to stay awake. Then in the afternoon when the group were getting some lunch delivered to them, Mingi was looking forward to his meal when he realized they had gotten his order incorrect. The other members offered to trade or share with him, but Mingi refused saying that he didn't like what they had, which was untrue. He was just mad. When they had gotten coffee later, he accidently spilled his drink after only taking a couple of sips, but he couldn't get another one because they had already left for their next schedule. The other members offered to share with him again, but he stubbornly refused, wanting his own drink.

Right now, they have just finished their performance. Thankfully it was the last thing they had to do for the night. Mingi was exhausted to say the least. They were all in the dressing room changing back into their regular clothes. Mingi is sitting on the couch with his head resting on the arm rest falling asleep while waiting to go home.

"Mingi, you need to get the makeup off your face." One of their stylists noonas was telling him.

"Later." He responds sleepily.

"Mingi, please go wash your face." The stylist insists.

"I'll do it later, noona." Mingi mutters irritability.

"Now Mingi, we don't want you breaking out again just because you forget to wash your face later. So do it now please."

All the frustration from the whole day courses through Mingi, making him snap at her. "I said later!" He yells loudly startling everyone in the room with his voice including himself. He has never yelled like that at one of their staff.

"Mingi!" Hongjoong walks over with Seonghwa following behind, having had enough of Mingi's attitude today. He bows to the stylist, "I'm sorry noona, he has just been very moody today. I'll make sure that this doesn't happen again, and thank you so much for your hard work."

He turns to Mingi, who was sitting there twiddling his fingers nervously, with a stern look on his face, "apologize to her Mingi."

"I-I'm sorry noona." He stutters and stands up to bow quickly knowing he is in for a world of trouble.

"Thank you, I'll just leave you to it." The stylist tells Hongjoong and walks off.

Hoonjoong grabs Mingi's wrist and spins him around laying two quick swats on his bottom making Mingi whimper. "There will be more once we get home. Now gather your stuff and go with Seonghwa to go wait in the car while I gather everyone else."

Mingi sniffs looking down at the floor not wanting to see everyone's stares, and grabs his bag off the couch. Seongwha takes his hand and leads him outside and into the car to wait for the others. After a while, everyone climbs into the car and Yeosang sits next to Mingi. Mingi latches onto his arm to get some comfort and Yeosang pets his red hair. It's quiet the whole car ride home except for Mingi's sniffling.

Once they arrive home, Hongjoong tells Mingi to go shower so they can have dinner and then they'll have their discussion. With some tears in his eyes, Mingi looked around him to see if anyone wanted to bathe with him or if they were all mad at him too.

Wooyoung notices the boy hesitating, looking unsure of himself. He approaches Mingi to offer to bathe with him so he wouldn't feel alone.

"Come shower with me Mingi, I'll help you take off your makeup and wash your back." Wooyoung says softly, knowing that the boy is sad and having a hard time. Mingi nods meekly and follows him to go shower.

After everyone has showered, they all eat dinner of chicken and rice. Mingi doesn't have much of an appetite tonight. Seonghwa tries to feed him a couple bites of food with not much success.

Hongjoong sighs and decides to get the punishment over with Mingi. He should have probably done it right when they got home so he would eat. Maybe afterwards he'll want to eat more.

"Come with me Mingi." Mingi obeys and follows him to his and Seongwha's room. Everyone else is quiet as they watch them leave. As soon as the door shuts behind him, Mingi begins apologizing over and over again. Hongjoong sits on the bed and pats his lap to signal for Mingi to lay on it. Mingi starts sobbing, not wanting to get spanked.

"Pl-please no hyung, I-I'm s-sorry!" Mingi stammers as he stays where he is at. Hongjoong can see how distressed he is getting and gently calls to him.

"Come here Minnie baby. Come sit in hyungs lap, the spanking can wait. Let's talk okay?" Hongjoong holds out his arms and Mingi reaches out to him as he runs to him. He climbs into Hongjoong's lap despite his long limbs and weight. It is one of the benefits of being a caregiver, you get extra strength.

Mingi wraps his arms around his shoulders and stuffs his tear soaked face into the crook of Hongjoong's neck and sobs. Hongjoong holds and pats his back trying to soothe him down till he stops crying. Hongjoong is actually quite surprised at how much Mingi is crying since he normally doesn't cry this much or tries not to.

After a while, Mingi's cries die down to just sniffles. Hongjoong continues to rub his back and then gently tries to pull him from away his neck so he can take a look at him. Mingi lets out a small whine and tightens his hold.

"You don't want to look at me?" Hongjoong asks him gently. Mingi shakes his head.

"That's okay, but let's talk about it. Do you want to tell me why you were so upset today Minnie?" Mingi doesn't say anything, but Hongjoong waits for him patiently so he can gather his thoughts.

"Don't know" Mingi says softly.

"Don't know?" Hongjoong repeats, and continues to rub his back to coax him to speak more.

"Mm-mm. I was just really tired today Joongie."

Hongjoong nods in agreement. "Yes, I did notice you were having a hard time getting up this morning. What about the rest of the day?"

"I wasn't in a good mood at the fan meet and I felt overwhelmed by all of you trying to play with me. A-and I was upset that lunch was bad and I was sad that I didn't get my drink."

"Mm-hmm and what happened with noona?" Hongjoong prompted.

"She was telling me to wash my face and I said I'll do it later because I was tired. And she wouldn't leave me alone a-and then I-I y-yelled at her." Mingi finishes in a whisper, feeling guilty for being mean.

"My poor Minnie, would you look at me now sweet pea?" Mingi lifts his head away from his hiding spot to look at Hongjoong timidly. His eyes were shiny with leftover tears. His nose and cheeks were rosy pink. Mingi was sniffing repeatedly so Hongjoong reached over to grab a tissue from the bedside table and wiped his nose clean.

"Now, I'm sorry that you had a bad day today Mingi, but you know that doesn't excuse your behavior towards others. Just because you are tired doesn't mean you can take it out on others. You can tell us if you are not really up to joking around and we will not force it upon you. And just because you didn't get to have what you wanted for lunch or accidently dropped your drink does not mean you can give us an attitude. We can always buy more for you later. As for your noona, she does not deserve to be yelled at, Mingi, for something that you should remember to do on your own. We have been over this before. You need to clean your face after performances because you know that sometimes you don't wash when you get home afterwards."

Mingi tears up again,"I know, I'm sorry. I feel bad Joongie."

Hongjoong pats his thigh lovingly. "I know Minnie. So what we'll do now is that I will give you a couple of swats, and then after you will go out and apologize to everyone. As for Noona, we can bring her a small gift and you can tell her again that you're sorry."

Mingi nods in agreement "O-okay."

"Aaaand" Hongjoong continues, "I think it might be a good idea if you start going to bed earlier, not staying up late on your phone. Especially with the heavy schedules right now, it's hard enough getting any decent sleep already. " Mingi opens his mouth to protest, but Hongjoong cuts him off. "Just until you are well rested enough that you won't be making a fuss in the morning. How does that sound?"

Mingi pouts and wants to reject the idea. But he figures that he shouldn't push it tonight. "Do I still have to get spanked?" He asks timidly, hoping the answer is no.

"Yes, Minnie. Let's get it over with."

-

Ten swats later, and Mingi is crying into Hongjoong's neck again clinging on for comfort. It pains Hongjoong's heart whenever he has to punish any of the other members, especially Mingi. There's something about Mingi that makes him want to smother him with love and keep him happy always. He's such a sweet gentle soul who always tries to make them happy in return.

Honnjoong smiles to himself as he recalls the time when he first met Mingi. The boy was a shy stuttering mess around them all except for Yunho, whom he stuck to mostly in the beginning. As time went by, Mingi opened up to them and they all learned how loud, energetic and adorable he is.

It's funny, Hongjoong thinks, that if someone were to ask him if he regrets becoming an idol instead of settling down and getting a little of his own, he would say no. Many people told him that caregivers would feel incomplete without having a little to take care of, but honestly? Hongjoong doesn't feel that way at all. He feels right at home with his group who have become like a family to him. He couldn't ask for more. He feels complete.

Hongjoong glances at Mingi who has stopped crying and is slightly dozing off in his arms judging by his breath slowing down. He gently pulls Mingi away from his neck and wipes his face clean of tears and snot with another tissue. He brushes the hair away from his face and gives him a small peck on his forehead.

"My Minnie is really tired huh?" Honjoong smiles at him.

"Mm-hmm," Mingi nods slowly. His eyes are closed, the lashes still wet from all the tears he shed tonight.

"You can apologize to everyone in the morning. Let's get you to bed. Okay?" Hongjoong slowly started moving to get up from the bed with Mingi when the tall boy let out a whine of displeasure.

Honjoong chuckles. "Does Minnie want to sleep with me tonight?"

Mingi nods tiredly. "Okay, okay. I'm just going to tuck you under the covers okay Minmin? Then you can sleep all you want."

Hongjoong scoops Mingi up and then uses one hand to pull back the covers on the bed and gently sets him back down onto the bed. He slides in next to Mingi and props himself up with some pillows so he can work on his laptop for while before going to sleep. He tucks the blanket around Mingi, making sure he is all covered up. Mingi snuggles close to him and drifts off to dreamland.

That is how Seongwha finds them later when he comes into the room. Mingi is sleeping, most of his body is on top of Hongjoong's. Hongjoong is on his laptop with headphones on. It is an adorable sight, Seonghwa thinks. Hongjoong removes his headphones when he sees Seonghwa coming in.

"I was wondering why you two haven't come out." Seonghwa whispers as he walks closer to them. "How did it go? We heard lots of crying."

Hongjoong hums and pets Mingi's head softly. "He was just having a bad day. Seems like he didn't sleep well and just woke up in a bad mood. I told him that he shouldn't be taking his crankiness out on others."

"It's weird that he cried that much though. He normally doesn't cry that excessively." Seonghwa comments. "Do you think there is more to it?"

"I don't know. Maybe he is just stressed alot right now, especially with how busy our schedule has been lately. I told him that for now he needs to go to bed earlier so he won't be so exhausted."

Seonghwa hums in agreement. "That's a good idea. Let's just keep an eye on him to see how he is doing."

"Sounds good." Hongjoong yawns. He sets the laptop off to the side on the nightstand, and lies down. Mingi gives a little whine when he is jostled in his sleep. Hongjoong smiles at him and wraps his arms around him pulling him to his chest.

"Good night Minnie," He whispers.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

The following days after that night Mingi tried to distance himself from the others, especially Hongjoong. As soon as he woke up that morning and saw that he was sleeping with Hongjoong, he immediately untangled himself from his warm embrace and rushed out of there. He went to his room and got dressed before anybody else woke up. When Hongjoong came up to him that morning to give him a hug, Mingi tried discreetly to brush him off by avoiding his hug. Hongjoong's face fell a bit, and Mingi felt guilty. He gave the excuse that he had to go to the bathroom. After that he avoided being alone with him. Mingi just couldn't risk anybody getting suspicious over his classification.

It was weird. Mingi couldn't understand why his emotions seem to be all over the place lately. He didn't mean to be so angry, and certainly did not mean to cry his eyes out. Crying is something that he has forbidden himself to do ever since he auditioned to be an idol. He just needs to try to pull himself together and get back on track, and that is what he has been trying to do these past few days.

Unfortunately for Mingi, today they were going to visit a Little Adoption Center to film a segment playing with littles. Mingo's hands were clammy the whole car ride over because of his anxiety. He was nervous to say the least. He never really interacted with other littles other than when the group did fan meets, and even then he didn't spend much time with one. Even when he was younger, he spent most of the time by himself until he met Yunho, and his mom didn't spend much time with her caregiver friends because she was working most of the time. In high school, there were only three students (not including him) that were classified as a little in his year, but they weren't in his class.

Once the team arrived at the center, Mingi stood behind the other members as they greeted the owner of the place. She was a woman in her late thirties with a nice welcoming friendly smile. Mingi liked her instantly.

"Hi, welcome everyone! I'm Ms. Kim. Thank you so much for coming. They are all so excited to meet you guys." She says as she ushers them inside.

"Thank you for having us. We were looking forward to this." San tells her.

She laughs, "not as much as them, they have not stopped talking about it all week. Let's go to the playroom, that's where our littles are waiting."

When she opens the door, they are met with littles everywhere. Some are running around playing tag, others are sitting at tables coloring, some are playing house, some are reading books, and playing with blocks.

Ms. Kim blows a whistle to get their attention. "Everyone! Look who's here!"

All the littles run over to get close. They are all in awe with the idols standing before them. Ateez does their usual introduction and they are all clapping excitedly.

"They came to play with you all and have lunch. They will be leaving once it's nap time okay? Have fun everyone!" Then she turns to the group, and says "Please let me know if you need anything, but it should be fine, they're all very sweet. But if any of them gives you a hard time don't hesitate to let me or one of the caretakers know."

All of the members go off on their own, and Mingi stays standing there, unsure of what to do. He glances around feeling awkward as there are some cameras pointed at him waiting for him to do something. He spots some littles playing with blocks and decides to head over there.

"Hi, I'm Mingi. Can I play with you?" He nervously asks. Why is he nervous? He should exude confidence like he is not afraid of anything. He sits next to the three of them next to a pile of colorful blocks. There was a girl who looked to be a couple of years younger than him with pigtails and was wearing a yellow dress with a smiling sun right in the middle. The younger boy looks to be about Mingi's age and he was wearing cotton blue shorts with a green shirt. Lastly, there was another boy who looked to be about 2-3 years older than Mingi and he was wearing green cargo shorts and a black t-shirt. He was also bigger and taller than Mingi.

"Yeah!" The girl responds enthusiastically, "We are makin' a castle!"

"Cool, I can help." Mingi starts building a wall. Everything is going fine for a while until Mingi's hand suddenly doesn't cooperate with him and he accidently knocks down half of what they have built so far.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry, I can fix it!" Mingi apologizes and tries to put the wall back together but it's coming out sloppy because he just can't seem to move his fingers like how he wants.

The older little notices his struggling and says, "that's okay. Ms. Kim says that it's harder for babies to do stuff. I can fix it for you!" He took the block from Mingi's hand not noticing the look of horror on his face.

Mingi is left speechless at what the older little had just said. He felt his stomach drop. But he calms himself down before he openly freaks out and causes a scene. He has to get away from him in case he says anything that might give away his little secret. But how could he know?! And why does this keep happening? It has been years since his body reacted like this. Mingi is dumbfounded not knowing what to think. He decides that it would be best if he goes somewhere else.

"Ah, I have to go do something, 'scuse me." Mingi says to the littles and gets up and leaves before they can say anything. He searches around spotting Yunho and San sitting at a table with a group of littles around them coloring pictures. Mingi walks over and sits at an open seat in one of the corners of the table. He takes a crayon and paper just to make it look like he is participating. The little sitting next to him was chatting to him about the little kitty she was drawing.

"Wha you drawin'?" She asks happily around her pink pacifier.

Mingi was lost for a moment and had to think about what he could draw. "Uhhh a baby chick?" He picks up the crayon and starts doodling a baby chick. It comes out sloppily since his fingers are still acting funky.

"Awww that is so cute! You two are doing a wonderful job!" A caretaker passing by says, startling Mingi. It's stupid, but Mingi can't help but feel a small amount of pride swell within him. He turns to shout out to Yunho and San so he can brag about the drawings he and the girl next to him did when he stopped.

Yunho has a boy on his lap and is holding his hand trying to help him draw. They both have huge smiles on their faces. Yunho is holding him gently and is looking at him like he is proud of him. Mingi looks over to San and sees how happy he is finger painting with the girl next to him. Then Mingi glances around the room to look at the other members to see how happy they all are playing with the littles.

A lump forms in Mingi's throat, and it dawns on him all of a sudden. What if they all decide to adopt a little? Where would that leave him? They are caregivers, they wouldn't need him in their lives. They would be happy without him.

He hates it. He hates this body. Why couldn't he be a caregiver just like them so he could be a part of them. Why did he have to be so needy?

Mingi stood up from the table and quickly walked out of the room without saying anything to anyone. He went down the hallway and stopped. Not really knowing where to go, he just slid down the wall to the floor. He pulls his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around them then buries his face. There are these negative thoughts swirling around in his head that he can't stop them and tears start running down his face. A cold sweat breaks out on his body and nausea creeps up on him. Soon he feels like he can't breathe. He tries to suck in some air but it's not working. Oh God, is this how he's gonna die?

He registers that someone has come up to him but he can't tell who it is. The person is rubbing his back. It takes a while but once he manages to calm down enough he finds out that it's Ms. Kim. She keeps repeating "You're okay, you're okay sweetie."

Mingi pretty much collapses into her arms and the tears continue to trickle down his cheeks. She holds on to him for a bit. "Are you okay sweetheart? Do you want me to go get one of your group members?" Mingi nods weakly, feeling like all his energy was zapped away from his body.

She leaves and Mingi sits there on the floor staring at the wall across from him. After a couple of minutes Seonghwa comes out of the room and rushes over to him. Concern is written all over his face when he sees Mingi all zombie-like on the floor. He drops down and quickly pulls Mingi into his lap, hugging him to his chest.

"Minmin, baby, what's wrong?" Mingi doesn't say anything, just shakes his head and stuffs his face into Seonghwa's neck. He can feel Mingi trembling.

"He had a panic attack" Ms. Kim calls out as she walks over and kneels beside them. "Poor thing, I found him in the midst of it when I came out here and helped calm him down."

"Thank you Ms. Kim for helping him. I'll take him home since I don't think he can continue for today. I'll message the others to let them know that we left and will send the car back to pick them up. Thank you so much for having us here today." Seonghwa bows his head to her.

"No, thank you for coming. Please feel free to come visit us again." She smiles and takes one of Mingi's hands."And I hope you feel better soon Mingi." Mingi manages to give her a small watery smile, but even that took a lot of effort to do.

With that, Seonghwa picks Mingi up as he stands and walks them out of the building and into the car. He tells the driver to take them home. Mingi was quiet the whole drive over not wanting to speak. Seonghwa just caressed his hair and gave him several pecks on his face.

Once they get home, Seonghwa takes Mingi into his and Hongjoong's room, and helps him undress down to just his t-shirt and briefs so he can be comfortable when they lay down on the bed. Seonghwa tucks them in underneath the blanket. Mingi wraps his arms around him and places his ear on Seonghwa's chest to listen to his heart beat. Seonghwa hugs just as tightly. After a while, Seonghwa feels Mingi relax and figures he will be more responsive now.

"What happened, Minnie? Did something happen for you to get a panic attack?"

"Nothing happened hyung. I just got overwhelmed there." Mingi answers hoping his hyung wouldn't try to pry too much.

"Are you sure? Mingi you know you can tell us anything right? If something is bothering you, please let us know."

"Nothing is wrong, hyung. All that happened was that there was a lot going on and it was just too much for me." Mingi insists.

Seonghwa doesn't really believe that. Mingi usually thrives in chaotic environments considering how energetic he is, but lately he hasn't been his usual happy self. He opens his mouth to say so but stops himself knowing that Mingi would clamp up if he points it out. He'll think about it and decide what to do with the others. For now, he will spoil his Mingi so he will feel better.

"Okay but promise me that you will tell me if something is wrong. I mean it, Mingi. " Seonghwa tells him sternly.

"Promise hyung." Mingi lies, and swallows the guilt down his throat.

"Good." Seonghwa pecks his forehead. "Now come with me to the kitchen. I'll make us lunch and we can come back after and take a nap."

Before Mingi can protest, Seonghwa scoops him up and carries him to the kitchen, spinning him around in his arms making him giggle in delight. He sets him down at the table.

"There's my Minnie! My precious flower." Seonghwa chuckles. "What do you want for lunch?"

Mingi hums in thought. He doesn't know if his fingers will do that weird thing again, so he thinks of a food that would help conceal that problem. "Can I have a sandwich, hyungie?"

"Of course Minmin."

-

Seonghwa gazes down at Mingi who happens to be falling asleep on his chest. He continues patting his back so he can lull him to sleep. Mingi is such an angel despite how devious he can be. It came to a surprise for him because of how he used to be when he first met Mingi. He was such a quiet little thing but overtime he learned how chaotic he could be, rivaling both San and Wooyoung. For that reason, Seonghwa is concerned with Mingi's wellbeing as of late.

An hour later he hears the front door open and it's the members coming back from the adoption center. Then the door to the room opens and they all walk in quietly. They all coo at Mingi who's sleeping at ease by then.

"What happened with Mingi?" San whispers so he doesn't disturb the sleeping young man.

"He had a panic attack at the center." Seonghwa responds."Ms. Kim found him in the middle of the hallway and helped him. Then she came and got me after. You should have seen him, he looked pretty distraught and out of it."

Jongho turns to Yunho, "has Mingi told you if anything has been bothering him lately or if he has been stressed more than normal?"

Yunho frowns and shakes his head. "He hasn't told me anything like that. But I have noticed him being off lately." He rubs his chin with his hand as he thinks. "He has been moodier and more quiet. I wasn't sure if that was just me though."

"He has been distant." Hongjoong adds. "I couldn't help, but feel like he was avoiding me after that night that I had punished him."

Wooyoung scoffs, "That Mingi, I'm gonna smother him with my love until he spills the beans."

"As funny as that would be, I think that might make him more closed off." Yeosang said as he reached over to stroke Mingi's hair.

"Mm-hmm," Seonghwa nods.

"Well, I can still try." Wooyoung crosses his arms and pouts. "He loves me the most, if anything."

San snorts.

"Shush, you guys will wake him up. He was really exhausted afterwards, the panic attack really took alot out of him." Seonghwa whispers at them.

"Guys settle down." Honjoong reprimands them. He turns to Seonghwa "Did you eat? You two left before we were given lunch."

Seonghwa nods. "Yes, I made us lunch. At first, he was going to tell me that he didn't want to eat, but I took him with me to the kitchen before he could say no."

"Good." Hongjoong says. "For the next couple of weeks, please keep an eye on Mingi. And I don't mean to smother him." He looks pointedly at Wooyoung when he says that. "Just see if you might notice anything is wrong or if he tells you something."

They all stop when they suddenly hear a small moan that comes from Mingi. He stretches out his arms while blinking his eyes open and he lets out a yawn, smacking his lips a little.

"Hi Minmin, do you want some water?" Seonghwa asks, and Mingi nods slowly, still trying to wake up. Seonghwa slowly sat them up and grabbed the glass from the bedside table. He brings the cup up to Mingi's lips and he starts taking sips. Once his vision came to focus he noticed everyone else was there in the room and they were staring at him. He gets startled and ends up choking on the water. His limbs flail and accidently knocks the glass out of Seonghwa's hand, spilling the water all over himself. His shirt is all drenched now.

It takes a couple of minutes for Mingi to stop coughing like he's about to hack up a lung. Yeosang is busy patting his back hoping that would help. In the meantime, Wooyoung went to fetch him another shirt. Mingi finally calms down enough and looks around at everyone.

"What's going on?" He asks, his voice hoarse from all the harsh coughing.

"Nothing, we just came back from the center and came in to check on you. How are you feeling Minnie?" Hongjoong asks gently.

"Yeah, we heard what happened and we were worried about you." San chimes in.

"I'm fine, really. I told Seonghwa hyung that I was just really overwhelmed there." Mingi states as he looks down and plays with his fingers, not wanting to look at them as he lies to them.

"Okay, okay." Yunho says when he notices Mingi nervousness. "Just let us know if you are ever feeling uncomfortable like that again or if there is anything wrong and we will help you in any way we can."

Mingi gives a small nod and then he makes a small "oomf" sound when Wooyoung tackles him on the bed with a big hug.

"My poor princess! Just say the word and I'll always come to your rescue!" He declares dramatically and then proceeds to press smooches all over Mingi's face. Mingi squawks like a bird while trying to shove Wooyoung off him. He's very ticklish and soon he loses his strength to push because he's tired from laughing so much.

"Yunnie help!" He gasps out breathlessly.

Yunho chuckles. "Alright that's enough Wooyoung." He tugs him off, making him the one to squawk this time.

Mingi lays there boneless, trying to catch his breath. Seonghwa grabs the clothes that Wooyoung brought for Mingi earlier. "C'mere Minnie, let's get you out of that wet shirt before you end up getting sick."

Mingi sits up and crawls on the bed to Seonghwa. Seonghwa pulls the shirt up over his head and helps Mingi put on the clean shirt.

Mingi looks over to Hongjoong, and hesitantly asks "Is management m-mad at me hyungie?" He tenses as he waits for an answer afraid that he would get in trouble for disrupting his and Seonghwa's part of the segment.

Hongjoong comes over and cups Mingi's face gently. "Don't worry Minmin, they are not mad. They understand. They've decided to just make a statement about the segment that you and Seonghwa left early due to health reasons since we couldn't re-film to the whole thing again." He says reassuringly.

Mingi's body relaxes after that. Wooyoung comes up to him and grabs his hand. "Let's go watch a movie, Minnie!"

"Okay!" Mingi beams. He gets off the bed and happily follows Wooyoung out of the room.

"What, are we not invited?" San calls out jokingly. Mingi runs back into the room and throws himself at him. San catches him easily. "Of course Sannie!"

Everyone chuckles at how cute he is. With that, they all walked out of the room to rest and enjoy a movie until some of the members had to leave for another schedule.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

It is the middle of the night and Mingi is sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was dreaming of him and his family at the beach for a vacation. He was building a sand castle with his mom when suddenly a wave of water splashed into them. The water was nice and warm, it felt very pleasant like when one soaks in a bathtub.

Mingi jolted awake when it suddenly felt too real. Turns out that it kind of was. Mingi blinked rapidly wondering why he felt wet. Once he wakes up enough he looks down at the blanket and sees a big wet patch on his lower half.

"Oh no!" Mingi gasps in shock. He tears the covers off himself and sees that he really did wet himself. He cries silently for a couple of minutes because he couldn't believe he had an actual accident. Once he is done wiping his tears away, he starts taking off the sheets from his bed and dumps them in a pile on the floor. He gets a new shirt and underwear and sneaks into the bathroom. He takes off the wet clothes and wipes himself clean of urine.

Mingi goes back to his room to gather the sheets and silently walks to the washer machine. He dumps the clothes and sheets into the washer altogether. He doesn't know how much soap he is meant to use so he just pours several scoops to make sure no evidence is left. Once Mingi closes the lid, he stands there trying to figure out how to work the washer. Normally Seonghwa, or one of the other members washes the clothes for him and he just helps with folding the laundry after.

Somehow he manages to get the machine started and goes to sit in the kitchen to wait while the load finishes. He pours himself a cup of milk and was watching YouTube videos on his phone when he heard the washer making a weird humming noise. Mingi rushed over because he was afraid the noise would wake someone up.

Mingi gasps at the sight of the washer machine. The machine was overflowing with soap suds and it was pooling on the floor. Panic floods him as he knows that he will get in so much trouble for this. Anxious, he didn't know what to do to stop the machine so he accepted the fact that he would have to wake someone up.

Mingi tiptoes into his hyungs' room and walks over to Seonghwa. He gently starts nudging him awake. "Hyung, hyungie," he calls to him several times. Seonghwa slowly roused from his sleep, blinking his eyes rapidly to see who had disturbed his peaceful slumber.

"Mmm…Minnie? What's wrong baby?" Seongwha sits up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He notices Mingi acting all fidgety with the way he kept wringing his hands together. "Did you have a nightmare?"

At first Mingi didn't know how to say it so he just blurted out "No, I made a mess."

"A…mess?" Seonghwa asked confusedly. What did he do?

"I made a mess with the washer machine." Mingi grabs Seonghwa's hand and pulls him out of bed so he would follow him to show him what he meant.

Seonghwa sucks in a breath at the sight in front of him. In the time that Mingi was away, the mess just got bigger and even water started to leak out. The soap suds just continued to build up like a barrier, engulfing the washer machine entirely.

"Mingi what happened here?!" Seonghwa asked, evidently upset at the whole mess.

"I-I'm s-sorry hyungie! I spilled some milk on my bed by accident and I was trying to wash the sheets, but I didn't really know how." Mingi lied about how the accident occurred. There is no way he can reveal what truly happened.

"Why didn't you just set the sheets aside and wait till I could wash them later? You could have slept with one of us for the time being." Seonghwa goes to try and stop the washer from continuing its cycle.

Because I didn't want you to see that I had an accident, Mingi thinks, but instead he says, "I'm sorry hyung, I thought I could do it myself."

"Whoa what happened here?" Mingi jumps in fright and turns around to see Jongho standing behind them with his mouth gaped open at the sight of the chaos. "I heard noises and came to check it out."

"Mingi figured it would be a good time to try doing laundry in the middle of the night." Seonghwa sighs loudly, running a hand through his hair.

"What, why?" Jongho asks, confused.

"Cause I spilled milk on my bed." Mingi replies, feeling his face turning red in embarrassment because he knows how stupid that sounds.

"This is going to take a while to clean, but we can't leave it like this for the morning because it will ruin the wood floors. Can you both bring some buckets, one filled with water and some towels? I'll go fetch the mop." Seonghwa says and goes to the closet to get the mop.

Jongho and Mingi went to retrieve the towels and buckets. Mingi stood by Jongho as he was filling up one of the buckets at the kitchen sink.

"Wow Mingi, you really outdone yourself there." Jongho chuckles. "Hopefully, it won't take too long to clean this up since we only have three hours left before we're all supposed to wake up."

"I'm sorry Jongie." Mingi tears up. "I'm in so much trouble."

Jongho reaches up to pinch one of Mingi's cheeks. "Don't worry Minmin, I'm sure hyung knows that it was unintentional. The worst you'll probably get is a quick spank and a lifetime ban from the washer machine." He jokes. " Let's go help hyung so we can all go back to bed. The sooner the better."

The three of them are 35 minutes into getting the mess cleaned but there was still plenty to go. The sleepiness was starting to get to Mingi, and he was kneeling on the floor fighting hard to not nod off. Even the floor was looking like an inviting bed to Mingi. He raises the wet towel he was using to wring out the water over a bucket when he starts to slowly drift off again. He jolts awake, his arms flail out to catch his balance and he accidently knocks over two buckets that were almost filled with water recreating a big puddle on the floor.

"Mingi!" Seonghwa snaps. Mingi looks up at him with wide glassy eyes knowing he did something bad again.

Seonghwa closes his eyes and pinches the bridge nose, letting out another long sigh. Mingi can tell his hyung is mad and tired, and the guilt gets too much for him at the moment. His face crumples and he starts crying.

He feels two hands grab ahold of him from under his armpits and hauls him up to his feet. For a moment, Mingi was thinking he was going to be spanked, but instead Seonghwa pulls him into a warm hug. Mingi latches onto him, immediately apoplogizing.

"I-I'm s-sorry hyungie, I d-didn't mean to m-make such a m-mess." Mingi sobs loudly.

Seonghwa pats his back soothingly "It's okay Mingi, I know you didn't mean to do it, and I'm sorry I snapped at you just now. I know you must be very tired right now."

Mingi nods affirmatively. Seonghwa raises his hand to wipe away the tears on Mingi's face with his shirt sleeve. "Alright let's get you into bed. We can't have you sleeping on us tomorrow."

"But hyungie, the mess." Mingi points at the wet floor.

Jongho jumps in, "Don't worry Minnie, I'll help hyung finish cleaning it up."

Mingi was going to protest, but Seonghwa interrupts him. "Come on, to bed now." He starts guiding Mingi to the hallway. "You can slip into my bed and I'll join you after I'm done. And make sure to change out of the wet clothes beforehand, okay?"

Mingi looks down and hadn't realized that he had accidently sat on the puddle when he started crying. His shirt and underwear were wet. "Okay. Night hyungie, night Jongie".

"Good night Minnie." They answer.

Mingi scampers down the hall and his face turns red in embarrassment. He couldn't believe he cried again. It feels like he's been doing that most days as of late. He also feels really bad about the mess that he couldn't help but feel that he only causes trouble for everyone.

After he changes again, he makes sure to use the bathroom before getting in his hyung's bed. There is no need to give Seonghwa another surprise once he comes to bed.

When Mingi leaves, Seonghwa and Jongho talk amongst themselves as they continue to clean the wet floor.

"Why would he decide to do laundry in the middle of night?" Jongho asks, exasperated. "He hasn't done the laundry before so why right now?"

Seonghwa sighs for the millionth time tonight. He rubs his tired eyes, "I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he was afraid that he would get in trouble for spilling food on his bed. I swear you guys are going to start giving me gray hairs soon."

Jongho laughs at that. "You know we love you hyung." He says teasingly.

"Is that what we're calling it?" Seongwha mutters, but smiles fondly afterwards.

-

Jongho was right. After they went back home after completing their schedule for the day, Mingi got a full lecture and a sore bottom. He was banned from using the washer by himself. Then everyone was banned from eating or drinking (except for water) in bed.

-

A couple weeks later, the group was out to do a photo shoot for a brand that was releasing a new clothing line set for the fall. They were all dressed already, and they were waiting in one of the rooms in the building as the staff were trying to get everything set up. The outfit that Mingi was given to wear for the photos consists of a maroon turtleneck with light blue jean overalls, and a pair of timberlands.

Mingi was bored. So bored. "When are they gonna start?" He whines. He is lying on the couch with his head on Yunho's lap. Yunho was playing a game on his phone as was everyone else.

"Soon Mingi, they told us that it will take a while because they are trying to fix an issue, remember?" Yunho reminds him.

"But that was a long time ago! They are taking too looooong, and I'm bored." Mingi pouts.

"Mingi, it's only been 30 minutes." Yunho points out. "Why don't you play on your phone or watch something?"

Mingi groans. "My phone is dead. I forgot to charge it last night."

"Then find something else to entertain yourself with." Yunho goes back to focusing on his game, leaving Mingi to deal with himself. He lays there quietly watching Yunho play when something caught his eye. There is a strap dangling from the sleeve of the black jacket that Yunho is wearing having come loose from its latch. It's just hanging there near Mingi's face and for some reason the urge to put it in his mouth hits Mingi.

He opens his mouth and latches onto it. Then he starts chewing on it and finds that he likes it. He lays there happily chewing on the strap as he continues watching Yunho play.

After a while Yunho hears chewing noises that bring him out of focus from his game. He feels a tug in his sleeve and looks down and sees Mingi with a strap from his jacket in his mouth just munching away on it as if it was beef jerky. Mingi hasn't noticed Yunho looking at him, still in a sort of trance looking up at Yunho's screen.

"Uhhh, what are you doing?" He questions and Mingi still doesn't look at him but just replies with a muffled "nothing".

Well that's odd, Yunho thinks. He just chalks it up to Mingi being his odd self. Although, he should stop him because who knows when the jacket has been washed.

"Mingi, take that out of your mouth, this jacket might be dirty." He says.

"No, I like it." Mingi clamps his teeth on the strap so he can keep it.

"Stop Mingi, besides we are going to do the photoshoot soon so let's not ruin the clothes."

"Fine." Mingi grumbles, he avoids looking at Yunho and his ears are feeling hot as he finally realizes what he was doing.

"Well, you have my full attention now. Let's go get something to eat at the snack table while we wait for them to be ready."

"Okay!" Mingi beams now that Yunho will pay attention to him.

-

Mingi regrets it later. He had drunk a bottle of juice and forgot to go to the restroom before they started the photoshoot because he was distracted playing a game with Yunho. Now here he was trying to hold it in as it was his turn to take pictures.

"Mingi you look constipated. Try to relax." His manager calls out. Mingi forced himself to smile and pose for the cameras until finally they were satisfied with the results.

As soon as he gets the okay to leave, Mingi starts running for the bathroom. All the members look at him curiously, but he ignores them and continues on his way. He whimpers when he feels his bladder twinge in pain from forcing himself to hold it so hard.

He slams the door to the restroom open and quickly gets into one of the stalls. At this point he is dancing in place while trying to unhook the straps on his overalls. Mingi panics as his fingers decided that right now is a good time to stop working properly. They are fumbling and he can't get the straps undone. Tears are starting to run down his face as he is now just desperately yanking at them. Please please please! He mentally screams.

Then it happens.

It begins with a few drops. Then in short bursts. Finally the whole dam breaks and warmth is seeping through the crotch area, running down his legs and pooling on the floor around the shoes. It took a few minutes before the stream dwindled into nothing.

Mingi stood there aghast, wondering if what just happened really happened. The smell of urine wafted to his nose, and it finally sunk in that yes, he really did just pee his pants.

Shame, anger, and frustration smacks him all at once. Mingi covers his face with his hands and bursts into sobs. He is at a loss, not knowing what to do. There is no way he can hide this from everyone.

-

Back with the others, San notices that Mingi has been gone for about 40 minutes. "Mingi hasn't come back yet." He says it to Wooyoung and Yeosang. The rest of the members were busy getting their photos taken.

"Hey, you're right." Wooyoung realized. His eyebrows furrow in concern. Yeosang nods when he looks around and doesn't see him anywhere.

"I will go check on him to see if he is okay. I think he ran to the restroom." San turns and leaves.

When San nears the restrooms he hears someone crying. "Mingi?!" He calls out.

He opens the door and sees that Mingi is in one of the stalls. He calls out to him again concerned "Mingi what's wrong? Do you need help? Are you feeling sick?"

Mingi cries louder in response. "Mingi answer me baby please, do you need an ambulance or something?" San asks desperately. He nudges at the stall door to see if can get it open, but it doesn't budge.

Mingi lets out a small watery "No."

San lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay then what's wrong Mingi? Can you let me in?

"No, it's embarrassing Sannie." Mingi says in tears.

"What is it, Minnie? Open the door and let me help you, or can you come out?"

"Don't wanna."

"I can try crawling under the door?" San suggests lightly.

"No, don't!" Mingi immediately protests. "Fine, I'll open the door." He relents.

He unlocked the stall and San peers in. Mingi was covering his face with his hands in shame. He braced himself for when San would start laughing at him.

San chuckles and it sets Mingi off again in tears.

San immediately apologizes and calms him down. "Shh, so sorry Minnie. I was not laughing at you, I promise. I was just so relieved to see that you were not hurt." He hugs him and kisses his tear soaked cheek.

"But this okay Mingi, accidents can happen to anyone." San reassures him. Mingi doubts that.

"The straps were stuck and I couldn't unhook them, Sannie" offers Mingi as an excuse to get rid of any suspicion that may arise.

"Don't worry Minmin, I'll help you. Let's get you all cleaned up in a different stall so we can avoid the puddle." San leads him out and Mingi follows after him, waddling to avoid the wet clothes rubbing against him as best as he can.

"Let me go fetch your bag with your clothes. I'll be right back." San turns to leave when he feels a small tug in his jacket. He looks backs and sees Mingi with his eyes downcast, avoiding looking at him.

"Ummm…can you not tell anyone about this Sannie?" Mingi sniffs, not wanting to feel anymore humiliated.

San smiles at him sadly. "I think I'm gonna have to tell Hongjoong at least. He will have to check with our manager to see what we will do with the clothing since I think we were supposed to give them back to the company after finishing the photoshoot."

Mingi whimpers and sheds a few tears. "A-are they gonna get mad at m-me Sannie? I d-didn't mean it I swear." He chokes out and he finally looks up. His eyes are all watery, red and puffy from all crying he's done. San could also see the fear in his eyes as he awaits his answer.

It breaks San's heart to see Mingi cry like this, afraid that he would get punished over something that was a simple accident. He also shouldn't have to feel scared of admitting something like this to him or the other members in fear of getting laughed at or scrutinized. They all love him so much and would be there always to help when he needs them.

San wraps Mingi in his arms tightly into another embrace and cradles the back of his head with his hand trying to give him comfort.

"Mingi, Hongjoong, nor any one of us, would ever be mad or make fun of you for having an accident like this. So if you ever have a problem or something that worries you, do not hesitate to come to any of us. We love our Minmin so much."

"Love you Sannie." Mingi says into San's neck. His words brought warmth to him, but he knew that if he told him and the others about his big secret, their reaction would be the opposite.

San pulls back and kisses his cheek again. "I'll be right back okay?" Mingi nods.

San goes out and starts walking to find Hongjoong. Luckily by that time Hongjoong was finished with his turn and was talking with one of the staff. He walks up to him and lightly taps his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hongjoong, can I uh talk to you for a sec?" San asks quietly. Hongjoong looks at him and notices that San had a look of concern on his face so he politely excused himself from the conversation with the other person. They both step away to a corner.

"What's wrong San?" Hongjoong inquires.

"Sooo…Mingi had a bit of an accident." San starts which automatically concerns Hongjoong.

"An accident? Is he hurt?" Hongjoong prompts for San to continue. San hesitates for a moment, trying to figure out how to say it.

"No, not that kind of accident. More like this kind of accident." San gestures to his bottom half. Hongjoong cocks an eyebrow still confused.

"Just tell me what you mean, San." Hongjoong insists impatiently. San facepalms at his clueless leader. He leans over to whisper in Hongjoong's ear.

"Mingi accidently wet himself."

Hongjoong's head almost smacked into San's with how fast he jerked up to look at him straight. His eyes were wide with surprise, and mouth gaping like a fish. He was at a loss for words.

San nodded. "Yeah, I know I was surprised too. I wasn't expecting that when I went to check on him when we noticed he was gone for a while. At first, I thought he was hurt when I heard him crying in the bathroom, but that was not the case."

"Oh Mingi." Hongjoong says calmly. "Did he say why or how that happened?"

"He said that the latches on the overalls were stuck and he couldn't get them undone on time." San answers. "I was on my way to get his bag to bring him his clothes and help him clean up. But I also wanted to ask you what we do with the clothes? I wasn't sure if we were going to get to keep them or if we had to give them back."

"Well the good news actually is that we get to keep the clothing from today's shoot. Our manager told me after I was done."

San sighs in relief. "That's good. Mingi was really worried about having to tell the manager about what happened. But…he was also very afraid of me telling you."

Hongjoong frowns. "Why?"

"He was worried that you and our manager would get mad at him for damaging the clothes. What worried me more is that he was scared that we would all have laughed at him for wetting himself."

Hongjoong lets out a breath. It hurt him inside to think that Mingi would think they would ever make fun of him for this. "You know we would never do that right?"

"Of course, captain. And I also told him that." San reassures him.

"Okay. Go give him his clothes and clean him up. I will talk to him later to let him know that it's okay, accidents happen. I will also try to reassure him that he can always come to us for anything. And let's keep this between us. If he does not want anyone else to know, then we will respect that."

"Sounds good. Do we have anything else after this?"

"Nope, after this we can go home. So you and Mingi can go wait in the car after you help him. I'll gather everyone else and be there soon."

"Okay, see you later Joongie." San smiles and leaves to retrieve his and Mingi's stuff.

When he gets back to the restroom, he can hear Mingi sniffling.

"Minmin, I'm back!" San happily calls out.

Mingi opens the stall and San slips in. "Good news, we are allowed to keep the clothes. And luckily I only had to tell Hongjoong about it so don't worry about anyone else knowing." San happily explains as he squats to set the bags down and opens up Mingi's bag.

"Was Joongie mad, Sannie?" Mingi asks quietly. "Or did he laugh?" He's twiddling his fingers in nervousness.

"No he is not and he did not laugh. Joongie knows it was an accident and accidents can happen." San looks at him in the eyes so he can see the truth behind his answer.

Mingi whispers "okay". He looks down at himself and then glances at his bag. He was unsure of where to begin. San sees this and takes the lead.

"Here, let me help you with the straps to see if I can get them unhooked." San reaches out and is surprised at how easily they came undone. He thinks that maybe Mingi couldn't do it at the time, because the urge to go was too great for him to properly unhook them. Mingi doesn't see the look as he himself is busy looking down enviously at how easily San's competent hands unhook the straps.

San bends down and unties Mingi's boots so he can slip them off his feet including his socks. Then Mingi holds onto San's shoulders while San pulls the overalls down along with his underwear. Mingi winces slightly at the small pain of his bladder when he steps out of the wet clothes, but doesn't say anything about it.

The cool air hits his lower half and Mingi feels super gross at the urine drying on his skin. San reaches into the bag and pulls a packet of wet wipes.

"It's a good thing Seonghwa always carries these around. I took them from his bag." San laughs. He takes one out and was going to start wiping Mingi down, but Mingi stops him.

"I can do that Sannie." Mingi flushes rosie pink and takes the wipe from San. He begins wiping down everything.

"Make sure to wipe it all. We wouldn't want you to get a rash." San informs him. "While you finish, I'm going to go clean up the other stall."

"No, I can do it, Sannie." Mingi protests. He shouldn't have to clean his mess.

"Don't worry about it Mingi, I got this." San calls out as he walks over there.

He comes back by the time Mingi finishes wiping himself down. Then he helps Mingi get dressed and placed the dirty clothes into the backpack.

"It's a good thing they are letting us keep the outfits this time. You looked really cute in yours." Mingi blushes at San's compliment.

"Are the others finished yet?" Mingi asks as he finishes slipping on his shoes.

"Yes they are wrapping things up. Hongjoong said that we can go wait in the car while they finish gathering everything." San turns to Mingi with a gleaming look on his face. "Want a piggyback ride to the car?"

"Yeah!" Mingi answers excitingly. San is glad to see the gloomy mood from Mingi dissipating. He squats down and Mingi is scrambling onto him.

They start walking towards the car. Mingi snuggles into San's back and says "thank you Sannie."

"Anytime Minnie."

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

The weeks after having the accident, Mingi starts taking extra precautions so what happened will never happen again. He is drinking less and less liquids. He is making sure to use the restroom every chance he gets before leaving to go anywhere. He had also set an alarm on his phone to wake him up in the middle of the night so he can avoid wetting his bed again. Unfortunately, as much as Mingi doesn't want to admit it, it feels like as time goes on it is getting harder and harder to hold it in. This forces him to take a step further than what he thought he would ever have to.

Mingi is standing in the middle of a pharmacy aisle staring in horror at the large selection of diapers available for littles. He had known there were plenty of options available but he never realized just how…many. Internally, he is freaking out. He doesn't even know where to even begin.

It was already hard enough for him to make his way here on his own. It had dawned on Mingi earlier today that he has never really gone anywhere without one of the members with him. He always enjoyed doing errands with them. So when he had announced to them that he was going to the store, they all had offered to come with him. He had to insist that there was no need. Especially with Wooyoung who had said he needed to get something from the store. Mingi had to repeat multiple times to him that he could get it for him, to just sit back and relax. When Wooyoung finally agreed, Mingi hurried up and ran out of there before anyone else tried to come with him. Once outside, he put on a hat, a face mask and a pair of sunglasses to make sure no one in public recognizes him trying to buy diapers.

And now here he was, being intimidated by the sheer amount of options available. Mingi hadn't realized that he had been standing there for a while gawking at the products with his mask pulled down just below his lower lip and chewing on the nail of his thumb until a woman came up to him.

"Do you need help sweetie? Are you lost? Do you need help finding your caregiver?" She asks gently with concern laced in her voice. She was holding hands with a little who was staring at him in wonder. Mingi yanks his thumb from his mouth realizing what he must look like and quickly covers his face with his mask.

"Oh uh I'm okay!" Mingi answers. "I'm not a little." He explains.

"Oh, oh I'm so sorry! Sorry for just assuming." She chuckles, face flustered. "I'll just leave you be. Have a good day young man."

"Wait!" Mingi stops her. She looks at him in confusion. "M-my cousin is a little that I will be looking after for the weekend and I was, um, going to buy him diapers just in case. Do you have any advice on which ones are good? Maybe ones that are not too noticeable?" Mingi adds. It wouldn't hurt to ask someone who might have an idea.

"Oh sure! If your cousin doesn't want anything too noticeable then you might want to try one of these pull-ups. They are for littles that are not too young of a headspace and don't really need diapers." The woman explains. "But, if your cousin is of a younger headspace and has trouble holding it in, then I would suggest you get more of a diaper since they are more absorbent. There are ones that are not too thick."

"Ah, thank you so much for helping me!" Mingi bows gratefully.

"You're welcome honey. Have a good day." Then she turns to the little, "Say bye-bye, Minjae." The young man waves to him shyly. Mingi smiles at him and waves back.

Once the two leave, Mingi turns back to what he was looking for. He selects a pack of pull-ups since they would be easier to hide underneath his clothing if he wears baggy clothes. With his mind made up, he goes to make his purchase and then puts the pack inside his backpack so no one will see it when he gets home.

-

Mingi silently winces as he and the rest of the members are walking up to their dorm after coming back from dance practice. The pull-up was rubbing against the rash around his butt and genitals. The rash had developed a couple days ago. At first it was small but it seems to be getting bigger. He couldn't wait to jump in the shower, hoping it would relieve some of the discomfort.

Once the door opens, everyone is scrambling inside to get first dibs on the showers. Mingi tries to waddle as fast as he can to try to get one of the two showers to himself first so he can avoid sharing with anyone. Sadly, with his limited movement he is the last one in line to wait. Wooyoung and San take one of the bathrooms and Hongjoong and Seonghwa have the advantage of having the other bathroom in their room. The rest who lucked out went to sit in the living room to watch TV while they waited their turn.

Mingi was squirming from where he was seated on the couch. The sweat was making him itchy. Yunho notices and asks "what's up?"

"Nothing. Just feel sticky and gross." Mingi says, scrunching his face in disgust.

Yunho laughs and Yeosang, who was sitting next to Mingi, pats his thigh in sympathy. "I'm next in line, you can shower with me."

Normally, Mingi would be all over that since he would usually shower with one of the members. He almost agreed out of habit, but caught himself in time. He shakes his head instead.

"Nah, it's okay. I can wait." Mingi lies. He can't let anyone see the pull up, and doesn't want them to see the rash because then they'll start asking questions.

He didn't see it, but the rest of them looked at each other skeptically.

"Are you sure? You bathe with one of us all the time." Yeosang points out.

Mingi flusters "Not all the time!". His face is turning red.

"Fine, MOST of the time." Yeosang corrects teasingly.

Jongho added jokingly, "You would probably be dirty if it weren't for us." Yunho and Yeosang laugh at that.

Mingi feels a sudden surge of anger at that. Did they really think he can't keep himself clean? "No I wouldn't!" Mingi snaps at Jongho who was shocked at his sudden change of mood. Yunho can see that Mingi was upset and decides to step in.

"Calm down Mingi, he-" but he was cut off by Mingi.

"I can wash myself just fine!" He yells at all of them.

"Mingi, don't yell." Yunho says sternly. "And settle down. Jongho was only joking with you." Jongho nodded to that.

"I'm sorry Mingi," Jongho apologizes to him sincerely. "I was only joking with you, we all know that you are fully capable of washing yourself. You know if I ever say or do something to upset you, you can always tell me and I'll stop." He reaches over and gives Mingi's knee a gentle squeeze.

"And we are sorry for laughing." Yeosang takes Mingi's hand in his.

Mingi feels bad. He wasn't even sure why he was mad in the first place. He knows they were only messing around, heck he would be doing the same.

"I'm sorry for yelling." Mingi chokes out. Yeosang coos and kisses his cheek. Jongho pinches his other cheek making Mingi whine. Yunho smiles at them affectionately and puts a show on.

When Mingi finally gets to shower, he couldn't help but feel lonely without someone there helping him wash his hair or his back.

-

The group was out for dinner at a small local BBQ restaurant. Hongjoong was treating them all to a nice meal after a long grueling day of hard work. However Mingi wasn't feeling too well, his head was hurting, he was tired and feeling a little nauseous. He just wanted to go home and lay down, but he didn't want to spoil the fun when everyone else was looking forward to it. He knows if he says something that the whole group will want to reschedule for another day, or someone will offer to go home with him. It's not often that they can go out to eat just to eat when it's not for a show, or a vlog. So Mingi decided to try to suck it up and go with the flow.

They sit down at a booth, Mingi is between Yunho and Seonghwa. Everyone else is happily chatting while Mingi is quietly leaning against Yunho's shoulder hugging his arm. He was starting to slowly doze off when he was startled awake by a waitress who was bringing everything they ordered. Yunho places a bowl of steaming rice in front of him.

"Here you go princess." Mingi smiles softly at him to thank him, but he didn't feel like reaching for it yet. Seonghwa and Wooyoung started putting meat on the grill to cook and soon meat was being passed around.

Seonghwa makes a wrap and offers it to Mingi, but he shakes his head, refusing it. Seonghwa frowns, "Minnie, are you not hungry?"

"Not really, I'll just have some rice hyungie."

After a while, Mingi eats three spoonfuls of rice before he decides he's had enough. He goes back to snuggling against Yunho's shoulder again. Yunho looks down at his bowl, noticing that it is still full.

"Minnie, are you not gonna eat more?"

Mingi shakes his head. "Mm-mm."

"You hardly ate anything though."

Seonghwa overhears them and looks over to Mingi's bowl. "How about a few more bites, Minmin?" He grabs the spoon and scoops some rice. He holds it up to Mingi's mouth. Mingi shakes head and smashes his face into Yunho's shoulder.

"C'mon Minnie, you haven't eaten most of the day."

Mingi whines. "I'm not hungry! I'm tired!"

"No need to yell Mingi." Seonghwa scolds him, but he is concerned. There were dark circles underneath Mingi's eyes and he was looking a bit pale. Maybe he should take him home to rest. Hongjoong looks over after hearing Mingi shout.

"What's going on?"

"Mingi hasn't eaten much. He's tired so I think I'll take him home." Seonghwa explains. "You guys finish eating."

Mingi begins to protest. "No hyung! I can go by myself. You stay and eat."

"Don't be ridiculous Mingi. It's late and you look worse for wear. I'm taking you home." He starts gathering his things. "Besides, I've had plenty already."

"I'll go with you guys. I'm pretty stuffed already too." Yunho says as he stands up, pulling Mingi up with him.

"You guys are leaving?" Wooyoung calls out with his hand covering his mouthful of food. The rest of the group is looking over in confusion.

"We are taking Mingi home, he is not feeling well." Yunho explains to them.

"You guys stay and enjoy the food." Seonghwa waves goodbye.

"Be careful on your way home." Hongjoong tells them as he gets up and out of the booth to let them slide out.

"Feel better Minmin!" Yeosang calls out as they leave.

Outside the restaurant, Yunho lets Mingi climb onto his back to give him a piggyback ride home since their dorm is not that far they will be walking back. He notices that Mingi is feeling a bit lighter. Which is kind of normal when they have heavy schedules, sometimes it's hard to get time to eat, but this time he feels lighter than normal.

When they arrive home, Mingi throws himself onto his bed and rolls around on his blanket.

"Mingi, change out of your clothes. You will dirty your bed with those." Seonghwa chastises him as he goes to the closet and pulls a sweater for Mingi to wear for bed.

"I want sweatpants too, hyung."

Seonghwa glances back at him questionaly. "Sweatpants? But you like to sleep without any pants."

"I've changed my preferences recently." Mingi lies.

"If you say so." Seonghwa hands him a pair of sweatpants. Mingi takes the clothes and zooms off to the bathroom before he says anything. He can't change in his room anymore, otherwise the members will see what he is hiding.

Mingi changes and brushes his teeth. He takes off the soiled pull up so he can use the toilet. He lets out a whimper when he pees because it burns a bit.

Yunho was walking by when he heard Mingi. He knocked on the door to check on him. "Mingi, are you okay?"

Mingi winces and responds "uh I'm okay. I-I just stubbed my toe."

Once he is done he crouches and pulls out a plastic bag he had hidden underneath the sink. He pulled out a pull up and slipped it on. He tucks away the bag back into its hiding place.

Seonghwa was waiting for him on his bed when he came back to his room. "Are you sure you don't want to eat something before you go to sleep? I can make you some porridge if you are not feeling good."

"I'm good. I just want to go to sleep." Mingi climbs into bed.

Seonghwa lets out a small sigh. "Okay." He pulls up the covers up to under Mingi's chin and leans over to kiss his forehead. "Sweet dreams Minnie. Let me know if you need anything."

"Good night hyungie." Mingi yawns out and then turns on his side.

Seonghwa gets up and leaves the door slightly ajar. He goes to find Yunho who is sitting in the living room scrolling through his phone.

"Is he asleep already?" Yunho whispers.

Seonghwa sits down next to him on the couch and nods. "I'm worried about him."

"Me too hyung."

"He looks really exhausted, and he is starting to look thinner."

"I noticed that too. When I gave him the piggyback ride, he felt lighter than normal to me."

"He is going out more alone. I mean, he's allowed to, but I feel like with the way he doesn't want any of us to come along, that he is hiding something." Seonghwa says worriedly with a frown on his face. "He also doesn't want to take baths with any of us anymore nor does he change in front of us. Again, I know he doesn't have to but it's just so out of the norm for him. Plus, he's been very moody." Then he lets out a gasp, startling Yunho by clasping his hands on his shoulders. "Do you think he's doing drugs?!"

"Whoa, slow down hyung." Yunho says while prying Seonghwa's hands off of him. He arranges to have the man lean against him and wraps an arm around him. "We don't know that. It might not even be it."

They sit there silently for a while, contemplating. "You know," Yunho says, "I think we might have to do what Wooyoung was saying the day Mingi had the panic attack."

"And what was that? Wooyoung runs his mouth alot so you have to remind me."

Yunho snorts at that. "That he does. Anyways, he said something along the lines of 'smothering Mingi' with his love. Maybe we should do that, be more attentive."

Seonghwa sighs as he rubs his face tiredly. "I'm just afraid he will close off more from us though.

"It's worth the shot, hyung. Otherwise, I don't think Mingi will be telling anything to anyone any time soon, and that's coming from me, his best friend."

"Okay." Seonghwa agrees. "We'll tell the others once they get home."

-

To say that Mingi feels like shit is an understatement. Everyday is starting to be a struggle for Mingi as he is starting to feel worse and worse. To make matters worse, it's getting harder and harder to keep his secret a secret from the others.

Mingi had been trying to keep his members at arms length, but now it seems like he can't get them off his back no matter what he tries. Mingi is quite astonished really, and quite paranoid.

It all began after the night the group went out for BBQ. All the members began to stick to him like glue.

A couple days ago Mingi was planning to go to the pharmacy again to pick up a new pack of pull-ups. He announced he was going out but was stopped by Wooyoung.

"I'll join you Minmin!"

"Uh you don't hav-" Mingi starts to say but was cut off.

"Nonsense, I need to get some things too!" Wooyoung is putting on his shoes while Mingi stands by the door at a loss.

"Youngie, I could get it for you. Stay and relax." Mingi tries his usual phrase to get the members to stay behind, but Wooyoung was not going to be deterred this time.

"No need, I love spending time with my Minnie. Let's go!" He grabs Mingi's hand and leads him out the door.

-

The next time he attempted to go out to the pharmacy is when all the members were out of the dorm doing something. Or so he thought.

Mingi hurried up and got dressed. He wanted to get back before everyone else did. He was rushing to the door and was putting on his shoes.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Jongho pops out of nowhere making Mingi scream in fright and fall flat on his butt.

"Why are you here?! I thought you all left!" Mingi says pointing to him accusingly while clutching his heart hoping it won't beat out of his chest.

"I had nothing to do. So where are you going?" Jongho asks cheekily.

"I was just going to the store." Mingi simply says with his arms crossed from where he was sitting on the floor.

"Didn't you just go like two days ago?"

"I wanted to get a snack." Mingi lies.

"Cool, I'll join you." Without waiting for a response, Jongho heads out. Mingi cries internally and leaves to follow that damn maknae out the door.

-

The third time Mingi tried to go to the store on his own, it was a failure. Again.

Hongjoong had asked him to come along with him to the studio so they could work on lyrics. The main reason why Hongjoong brought Mingi along was because today everyone else was busy and they didn't want to leave Mingi alone at home. Not that Mingi knew that, he was under the impression that everyone else was staying home today.

Mingi was excited thinking that this was a great opportunity to go to the store on his own. Usually, on days like these Hongjoong stays holed up in the studio for hours. Mingi figures he can offer to go buy lunch for both of them and quickly go buy the pull-ups.

When lunch time came around, Mingi was nearly bursting at the seams with anticipation. For the last hour, Hongjoong had observed Mingi being antsy and he wondered what he could be so eager for. He looked over at him and saw that Mingi had a look like he wanted to tell him something.

"Did you need something Minnie?"

Mingi jumps out of his seat ready to leave. "Ah, it's lunch time! Do you want me to go get us something?" He says, sounding almost breathless.

Hiongjoon sees an opportunity to try to get some food in Mingi. Seonghwa had told him to try to get Mingi to eat as he hasn't been eating much lately. It was starting to concern him as he looked at Mingi and saw how much thinner he had gotten recently. "Actually, give me a sec to save what I have done and we can go get lunch. You must be very hungry."

"Eh??" Mingi was absolutely stunned. Hongjoong never leaves his studio for anything really. "B-but Joongie, you have alot of work. Really, I can go get something for us real qui-"

"Alright I'm ready. Let's go." Hongjoong says ignoring Mingi's blabbering and ushers him out the door. He takes him to a small cafe near the studio. Mingi doesn't get the chance to go to the store that day and he ends up with a stomach ache.

-

With the members smothering him so much lately, Mingi had to change another tactic: bathing. It is hard having to share two bathrooms with seven other people. He had to start waking up very early to start showering to avoid having to share the bathroom with anyone.

The members have been offering to share the showers with him a lot lately which has put Mingi on edge. He can see the suspicions in their eyes whenever he refuses their offer. Damn, he should have avoided sharing bathrooms with anyone from the time they debuted.

One of these days Seonghwa was helping Mingi style his hair when he pointed out that he needed to wash behind his ears.

"You should let me wash your back too sometime, it's been a while." He tells Mingi nonchalantly, like it's no big deal. And it isn't.

But Mingi reacts like it is.

He clasps his hands over his ears feeling embarrassed. "I can do it myself!" He yells at Seonghwa and gets up and leaves to his room, shutting the door loudly behind him. Seonghwa just stood there wondering what the heck happened.

Minutes later Mingi comes out blubbering to Seonghwa to say how sorry he is for yelling. Seonghwa cuddles him while trying to understand Mingi's sudden mood changes.

-

Yeosang, San, Yunho and Mingi were inside a small cafe. They were just coming back from filming a small segment, and they all wanted to stop by to get some coffee before going home. Mingi on the other hand didn't want any.

While the others were ordering, Mingi was trying to discreetly move off to the side to wait for them. When they came back, Yunho handed him a cup.

"Here Princess, I got you your favorite." He grinned at Mingi. Mingi's eyes went wide as he accepted the cup.

"Oh, um, thank you Yunnie." Mingi didn't want to reject it when they kindly bought it for him. He has also been craving coffee for some time, maybe it would be okay to indulge in it today.

An hour later they are back home just chilling in the living room watching a movie. Mingi's stomach started growling uncomfortably. Yeosang, who was sitting next to him, noticed him shifting around in his spot.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Minmin, what's wrong?"

Mingi whimpers, drawing the attention of the other two people to him.

"My tummy hurts a little." Mingi says and curls up in the corner of the sofa. Then he suddenly jumps up from the sofa and runs to the bathroom slamming the door shut.

The other three just stared at each other in surprise. San gets up and knocks on the bathroom door.

"Minnie is everything alright? What's wrong?" He asks in concern.

"I'm okay. I just have…the runs." Mingi answers embarrassed.

"Ah okay, let us know if you need anything."

Mingi ends up having to go the bathroom two more times after that.

Feeling weak and tired after that, he lays down on the couch with his head on Yeosang's lap. Yeosang is running his hands through his hair, and Mingi lets himself enjoy it. San and Yunho left to go to get some medicine at the store to help settle his stomach.

"I'm tired Sangie." Mingi says as he feels his eyes begin to droop.

"Go ahead and sleep, Minnie, I'll be right here with you. I'll wake you up once they get back so you can take the medicine."

"'Kay. Love you Sangie." Mingi mumbles as he drifts off.

Yeosang's hearts melts at that. He caresses Mingi's cheek and responds "I love you too, Minmin."

-

The group is currently doing a fan meet today outside at a park with many Atinys attending. Mingi woke up feeling really sick, he doesn't feel good at all. However, he didn't say something because he didn't want to disappoint the fans and he didn't want to risk getting taken to see a doctor for fear of getting found out.

He didn't tell anyone but he had woken up in the middle of the night to vomit twice. He desperately wanted some comfort afterwards from one of them, but he couldn't let himself have that. His stomach was feeling more atrocious than it has these past few days. With his members keeping a sharp eye on him, he has been forcing himself to eat a little more. Mingi is aware that he has lost weight and the members know he lost weight, but what they don't know exactly is just how much since he has been wearing oversized clothing with some layers to hide the fact. He just couldn't understand why his stomach was feeling like this.

To make matters worse, recently everytime he peed it was hurting more than usual and his urine was darker. The rash he developed continued to spread and it is so uncomfortable. This morning, he had to stick a wad of toilet paper down his underwear because he used the last pull-up he had. The toilet paper kept rubbing against the rash and it hurt.

The sun was very bright today, making his headache more unbearable. He wanted to reach out and drink some water, but he didn't. He couldn't risk peeing his pants in front of all these people.

Mingi is just so tired. Trying so hard to keep his secret is costing him so much of his precious time to sleep. He knows how terrible his eyes look, the dark circles becoming more pronounced. He had even taken some concealer from their stylists a couple days ago so he could try to hide them from everyone.

One of the members calls him over to play with a toy that an Atiny gifted them. Mingi slowly makes his way over. His vision was going blurry and he tried blinking to clear it but it wasn't working. Everything was going quiet and muffled aside from a small ringing sound in his ears. Through the blurriness he can tell someone was there in front of him and if they were speaking to him, he doesn't know. He couldn't move. He stopped and just stood there not really registering anything anymore.

Then there was absolutely nothing.

-

Everyone was having fun playing around entertaining all the fans. Yunho picked up a princess toy wand and called Mingi over knowing he would enjoy the gift. Mingi stood up and started walking towards him slowly. Yunho immediately knows something is wrong with Mingi when he sees how sickly pale his skin has gotten despite the makeup he has on. The look in Mingi's eyes are completely blank, devoid of any emotion. He is moving mechanically like a robot, slow and stiff.

Yunho rushes over to him and grabs his arms.

"Mingi? Mingi? Are you okay?" Yunho asks him. Mingi doesn't respond to him and he continues to have that blank stare on his face. After a few seconds, Ming simply closes his eyes and just collapses in his arms, completely deadweight.

"Mingi!" Yunho shouts, gathering everyone's attention.

Chaos ensues. The members rush over to the two of them in panic along with their manager and staff. Most of the fans are screaming and calling out Mingi's name. One of the staff members grabbed a microphone telling the fans to please remain calm and to stay where they are while their manager calls for an ambulance.

Yunho remained there on the floor cradling Mingi in his arms surrounded by the members until the paramedics arrived. He was reluctant to let Mingi go, but he did only so they could make sure he was okay.

Mingi was lifted onto a stretcher and they placed an oxygen mask on him. Their manager and Hongjoong were the only ones allowed to ride with him in the ambulance. They left while the rest bid a brief farewell to the fans that were there, and were sorry to have to cut it short. The fans were understanding and all wished for Mingi to get well.

The members quickly climbed into their car and headed for the hospital. When they got there, Hongjoong and the manager were sitting in the waiting room. They immediately bombard them with questions.

"How's Mingi?!"

"Have they said anything??"

"What's wrong with him??"

"Shhh! Settle down you guys, can't you see we are in a waiting room at a hospital?" Hongjoong scolds them. "We haven't heard anything from the doctor yet. All we can do is wait right now so take a seat."

They all slump down in chairs and wait anxiously. After almost an hour, the doctor finally emerges. Hongjoong and their manager walked over to him. Everyone else is scrambling to get up from their seats to go listen, but Seonghwa stops them telling them to wait for them to come back.

Finally Hongjoong returns to them, but he looks to be in a state of absolute shock. His eyes were a bit wide staring at the ground and his mouth slightly open.

"Hongjoong, what is it? What's wrong?" Seonghwa asks worriedly.

"Hyung?" Yunho clasps one of his shoulders to get his attention.

"Mingi…" Hongjoong starts out slowly as if he is having trouble getting the words out.

He finally looks up at them. "Mingi is…Mingi is a little."

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

~Previously~

"Hongjoong, what is it? What's wrong?" Seonghwa asks worriedly.

"Hyung?" Yunho clasps one of his shoulders to get his attention.

"Mingi…" Hongjoong starts out slowly as if he is having trouble getting the words out.

He finally looks up at them "Mingi is…Mingi is a little."

-

Everyone was left stunned by what Hongjoong just told them.

"What?!" All of them exclaims.

Hongjoong shushes them to keep down the volume. Yunho steps forward utterly flabbergasted by the sudden revelation.

"How can he be a little, hyung? I was there when he got classified as a neutral."

Hongjoong shrugs at a complete loss with everything. "I don't know. Even the doctor was confused, which is why he came to talk to us since Mingi's ID states that he is a neutral."

"This is not making any sense, hyung." Jongho states, utterly bewildered.

"I know. The doctor said that he was going to look into it. Maybe his classification decided to announce itself later than normal. He also said that they are doing an extensive look over Mingi before he can give us a full report on his health."

Yunho slumps into a chair and rubs his hands over his face not knowing what to think. Back when Mingi had come out of his appointment and told him his classification,Yunho had been shocked and confused. He had thought Mingi was going to be classified as a little, but when Mingi showed him his classification letter, Yunho thought he must have been completely wrong and just accepted it. However, over the years Yunho had always had a nagging feeling in the pit of his gut about Mingi but wasn't sure what it was. Now, he knows.

"Yunho?" San calls him. "Are you okay?"

Yunho looks up and sees everyone looking at him. "Yes. Sorry, I'm okay. I'm just…trying to process this." He was silent for a moment. The members could tell he wanted to say more and waited patiently for him to continue speaking. "I've had this gut feeling ever since Mingi had gotten classified that didn't sit right with me. I've had the urge to take care of him constantly, but I held back alot because I thought that maybe it might have just been my caregiver instincts trying to come out."

Hongjoong pats his back. "You know, I also had a gut feeling ever since I met Mingi. Like you, I thought maybe I needed to care for someone and Mingi just happened to be the target of these urges."

"Me too." Seonghwa added. Everyone else chimed in as well that they've felt the same.

"Do you think he's okay?" Yeosang asks, biting his bottom lip in worry.

"I hope so." Hongjoong sighs tiredly. This was really not how he expected their day would go.

"Maybe he fainted for not eating much recently." Seonghwa says mournfully. He should have tried harder to get him to eat.

"Possibly. Let's hope that that is all there is to it and nothing serious." Wooyoung clasps his hands together as in prayer.

-

The whole gang is anxious, wondering why it is taking so long to hear back from the doctor. Both Yunho and Hongjoong were pacing around in the waiting room. Seonghwa had given up a while ago in trying to get them to sit down.

Finally, after three hours of waiting the doctor came out and asked everyone to come inside the room they had placed Mingi in.

They all gasped at the sight of Mingi hooked up to several machines with many tubes surrounding him. He looked so frail sleeping on the hospital bed. Without the makeup, the members could see just how dark the circles under his eyes were and he was still very pale. In the hospital gown, they took note of how truly thin he had gotten, something they weren't completely aware of considering the way Mingi had been dressing as of late.

Everyone was so focused on Mingi that they hadn't taken notice of a lady that was standing near one of the corners of the room. She was holding a clipboard in her hand, and she had an ID badge clipped to her suit jacket.

The doctor closes the door shut behind him and clears his throat. He introduces himself to the rest of the members he hadn't spoken with before, his name is Dr. Kwon.

"I brought all you in here because this is a serious matter. Me and my staff did an extensive check on Mingi's health and found that he has many health concerns that are alarming." He then gestures to the woman in the corner. "This is Mrs. Chu, she is a detective in the Little Protection Services unit within the police department. I had initially called her because of my concern with Mingi's wellbeing under your care." He looks at their manager and Hongjoong.

"The reason I spoke to you earlier was to see how you reacted when I told you that Mingi was a little. To see if you were genuinely shocked by the news. Which seemed like you were."

Their manager speaks up. "I can assure you that we and the whole company had no idea that Mingi was a little. When he first had come to audition under our company he provided that ID that stated his classification as neutral."

Dr. Kwon nods. "I found it odd, so I had asked Mrs. Chu if she would be able to look into Mingi's classification papers."

"I searched the classification database and located his paperwork. I did find that he was classified as a neutral originally." She stated.

"He was. I was there when he had his appointment for his classification." Yunho chimes in.

"Does this mean he was misclassified or maybe his body just started showing his true classification recently?" Seonghwa asks.

Dr. Kwon and Mrs. Chu looked at each other like they knew something. Then Dr. Kwon says, "actually we have reason to believe that Mingi might have hidden his classification from the start."

Everyone was stunned.

"What?? Why do you think that?" Hongjoong inquires.

"First, let me give the full report on his health and you'll see what I mean." Dr. Kwon walks over to Mingi. "We had to put him in a coma for now so we can try healing him through the worst of it for about two weeks. He is in one of the worst conditions I've come across for littles. In the few cases like this where littles suppress their headspace for long periods of time, it would eventually start to backfire on them. Kind of like their bodies will start to break or shut down on them. For Mingi, because he is a little with a very young headspace, one thing he experienced is incontinence. We found a bulk of toilet paper in his underwear most likely because he is losing control of his bladder. He has developed a bad UTI, and he was also very dehydrated. My assumption is that he probably withheld from drinking much water or any liquids really so he would not have any accidents. Another possible cause of the UTI is that he might have been trying so hard to hold in his urine. It's something that young littles shouldn't be forcing themselves to do as their bladders are sensitive and could leave lasting consequences. We don't know yet to what extent that would be for Mingi."

He then lifted the blanket off Mingi and showed them his lower half. The medical staff had diapered him and the others could see a red angry rash starting to run down his inner thighs. "This rash likely started to develop around the same time he started having trouble with his bladder. I'm guessing he did not know how to properly clean and maintain good hygiene when he wet himself. "

All the members were staring in horror at the painful looking rash, and some things were clicking into place. Hongjoong and San looked at each other as they recall the one time Mingi wet himself at the photoshoot. Jongho sees them looking at one another.

"What?"

"Well, we weren't going to say anything because Mingi was embarrassed, but the last time we did a photoshoot, Mingi had accidently wet himself. That's why he was gone for a while. I didn't think much about it at the time because he told me he couldn't undo the straps on his overalls because they had gotten stuck. I did think it was weird though because when I helped him unlatch the straps, it was easy to undo." San explains.

The doctor hummed at that and then added "He must have been having trouble with his fine motor skills. A lot of littles can experience that from time to time if they have a very young headspace. For Mingi, however, he might be experiencing it more frequently now if he had been suppressing his head space for a long time."

Everyone looked at Seonghwa when they heard him muttering to himself, lost in thought. "So the reason he stopped changing in front of us or sharing the bathroom with us was because he was trying to hide that rash from us. Now it makes sense!" He exclaims and claps his hands together at having found the reason.

"Hyung, remember when Mingi made a mess out of the washer in the middle of the night?" Jongho says. "We thought that it was totally weird that he was trying to do laundry by himself at three in the morning. He must have wet the bed!" He points out. Seonghwa awed at that.

"I also wanted to ask you all about Mingi's eating habits. He is also very malnourished and needs to gain much needed weight." The doctor said.

Seonghwa jumps in to answer. "He has not been eating much as of late. We've been trying to feed him but he refuses to eat. He had mentioned sometimes that his stomach was upset." The worry was evident in his voice.

Dr. Kwon nodded and was scribbling notes in Mingi's file. "Do you know if he had any diarrhea or if he had vomited at any time?"

"As far as we know, he had diarrhea one day. But based on what we've been learning so far, I wouldn't be surprised if he kept this from us too." Yunho said. He visibly looked hurt as they continued to unravel the secrets Mingi had hidden from them.

"Okay. Suppressing his headspace is really taking a toll on his body. The stress on his body can be giving him stomach aches and it could also be a symptom from having the UTI. A littles' stomach can be sensitive already, so we will try to come up with a diet for Mingi."

"Hey Dr. Kwon? Mingi has also been saying that he has a headache frequently. Is that also something that is a result of all this?" Yeosang asks.

The doctor nods "Yes, it should be from the stress and from being dehydrated. Has he been more tired?"

Everyone nods at that and Yunho explains. "He has been very tired. There are times where it is hard to get him up in the mornings, and he would be starting to fall asleep randomly."

"I figured as much. For littles with young headspaces, they need to get more sleep. I'm sure with your idol careers that it's hard enough getting proper sleep. Now lastly, has Mingi been having mood swings?"

Everyone nods again. "He would be happy one minute, sad in another, or he would get angry all of a sudden." Jongho states.

Dr. Kwon writes that down. "Littles, especially the younger ones, do get mood swings from time to time, but the stress in Mingi will certainly give him a hard time controlling them. His little hormones must be really jumbled up. Judging by how long he has been suppressing his headspace, we are not sure how long it will take his moods to stabilize. He may also be swinging between his headspaces frequently for a while."

He gestures to Mrs. Chu. "Mrs. Chu will explain the second reason why we believe Mingi has been hiding his headspace from the start."

Mrs. Chu flipped through her clipboard and then showed them a copy of Mingi's classification letter and certificate. She points at the name of the person who did the examination.

"When I was investigating I looked into who had done Mingi's classification. This man, whose name is Jong Seung, was his examiner. Turns out that he was actually convicted two years ago for falsifying documents. Specifically, he had been taking bribes from littles to get their classification changed."

Everyone gasped in shock. Yunho was feeling so angry that he punched the wall with his fist. Hongjoong laid a hand on his shoulder telling him to calm down.

Mrs. Chu watched Yunho tentatively gauging his reaction. "You said that you were there when he had his appointment. Did you not see how this transpired?"

Yunho shook his head. "No, I went with him but I stayed in the waiting room. I didn't actually go into the examination room with him."

"Was there anything out of place that you might have noticed?"

Yunho hummed as he flipped through his memories of that day. Then it came to him. "Oh! There was something that I thought was weird. When he came out after being done, Mingi didn't have his classification paperwork. He said that the facilities' printer was broken and he had to come back the next day to pick it up."

Mrs. Chu nods as if she expected this and was jotting it down on her notes.

"According to some of the littles who previously testified against Jong Seung, he had them come back a day after to pick up their paperwork. It was to give them time to bring him the money they had agreed to pay him."

"No wonder why Mingi kept saying he was broke for a while afterwards." Yunho grumbles.

"So what does that mean for Mingi?" Their manager questions.

"Well, most likely he will be fined for being involved in this bribery. The other littles who partook in it were just fined. However, the court will also determine Mingi's well-being considering how severe his condition is at the moment. They will determine his custody issues since he will need someone to care for him. They will review Dr. Kwon's professional opinion and we will get a littles therapist's professional opinion as well."

Yunho clenches his fists. "Wait, custody? What do you mean by custody?" He demands.

"Mingi is a little and with a really young headspace not to mention that he is also in a bad condition demonstrating that he is not capable of looking after himself. He will need to be taken care of full-time. We found that Mingi's family is made up of Neutrals so he will need a caregiver. If there is no caregiver available and if their family can't afford to hire live-in caregiver, then the court will make the determination of placing Mingi in an adoption agency." Mrs. Chu explains.

"Whoa, hold on there." Hongjoong says to Mrs. Chu, obviously upset at what she just said. "All of us are classified as caregivers. We should be able to take custody of Mingi."

"All of you are?" Mrs. Chu looks at them each individually.

They all nod together.

Seonghwa speaks up. "Yes we all are. Mingi is part of our family and we want to care for him."

Mrs. Chu smiles at them. "I can see that you all love him. So for now you can submit a petition if you are wanting to get custody and you can contact this number to get ahold of the attorney who will be in charge of his case." She hands them a card. "You can also hire an attorney for yourselves if need be. I would also suggest you do it as soon as possible as his case will be expedited because of his health."

"Thank you, we'll do that!" Yeosang says.

"Well that will be all for now. I will be on my way to go file this paperwork. Here is my number and the number of the employee from the Little Protection Services agency who is working with me on Mingi's case. Her name is Min Nari, and she will be able to provide you with updates if needed. I will inform her that you are looking to request for custody of Mingi."

Thank you Mrs. Chu." Everyone says as they bow to her as she leaves the room.

Dr. Kwon turns back to all of them. "I will finish explaining the treatment plan we have for Mingi so far. As I said before, we had to place him in an induced coma so Mingi can get through the worst of it. We are only gonna leave him on that for two weeks or so depending on how he is doing by then. We are giving him antibiotics for the UTI and are also giving him salts and fluids intravenously for dehydration. For the rash, we will be applying an ointment twice a day. I will be also consulting with our Little dietitian specialist so we can help Mingi gain some weight. Any questions so far?"

"You've mentioned that he has a young headspace. What's his range?" Yunho asks.

"I would say his is from one to three or four years old. But we will see when he wakes up. Some littles who have gone through a similar situation, had their range lowered.”

San raised his hand. "Mrs. Chu mentioned a Little therapist?"

"Oh yes, he is our top therapist for littles. He will be coming in tomorrow so he can look over Mingi's report and start with his own report for his case."

"Thank you Dr. Kwon." Their manager says.

"You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check on other patients. If anything occurs, do press on that button that is by Mingi's bed or you can go up to the desk and inquire with one of the nurses there." He walks out leaving the group behind.

Seonghwa walks over to Mingi and tears well up in his eyes as he takes a really good look at him. He traces his fingers over Mingi's face. The dark circles underneath his eyes are so pronounced. Seonghwa ran his fingers over Mingi's collar bones then down to his belly. He could feel each bump of his ribs. How was it possible that they didn't notice just how bad Mingi was doing? His poor baby, why did he do this to himself?

Seonghwa didn't realize a few tears had escaped his eyes and were running down his face. He felt arms wrap around his torso and a warm body pressed against his back.

"Don't worry hyung. Our Minmin will be okay. We'll have a happy baby in no time." Wooyoung comforts him while he is also trying to hold back his own tears.

The rest of their group was talking to their manager.

"Did you all really not know he was a little?" Their manager asked, still in quite disbelief.

"Of course not! If we knew, we would never have let this happen." Hongjoong growled out. He couldn't believe that their manager would think that of them.

Their manager lets out a tired sigh and rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm sorry." He apologizes. "I didn't mean to sound accusatory towards you. This whole thing has been such a mess."

"What will this mean for our group? For Mingi?" San asks.

"I don't know. We will have to see what the board decides on. I'm going to make a few calls and Hongjoong, I'll let you know if we will be having a meeting."

"Alright let me know." Hongjoong says.

"I'll be back soon." Their manager tells them and leaves the room.

As soon as he leaves, they begin discussing what they are going to do.

"I can have my family's lawyer submit the petition for custody of Mingi." San offers. "And I'll give him all the contact information as well.

"I'll go ahead and get in touch with Mingi's parents just to see what they are thinking. I'm sure we have a better chance if we can get them to support us to get custody of Mingi." Yunho says as he pulls out his phone to start looking for their contact.

"Sounds good, thank you everyone." Hongjoong smiles fondly at them. San and Yunho leave the room to make their calls. Jongho and Yeosang walk over to join Seonghwa and Wooyoung by Mingi's bedside. Jongho runs his hand through Mingi's hair to brush it away from his face.

Hongjoong sat down on the blue couch that was in the room and just melted onto the cushions. He stared up at the tiles on the ceiling pondering over everything that occurred today. He had felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach when he saw Mingi collapse in Yunho's arms. It was the scariest moment of his life. Now it turns out that Mingi has been lying to them all this time, and their baby has been suffering in silence. Hongjoong felt torn between wanting to laugh and cry. On one hand Mingi is in really bad shape. Seeing him on the hospital bed all pale and frail breaks his heart. On the other, being able to call Mingi their baby just felt so right.

Seonghwa came over and sat beside him on the couch leaning against his shoulder. Hongjoong wrapped an arm across his shoulders and they sat there, basking in the few moments of silence they've gotten all day.

"He's our baby, Hongjoong." Seonghwa chokes out, still feeling overwhelmed by what they discovered.

"He is." Hongjoong nodded in affirmation and gave him a reassuring squeeze on his arm. There will be upcoming challenges for them all, but Hongjoong knows that as long they are together, they will overcome them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Yunho is sitting on the floor in the hallway of the hospital and has just finished talking to Mingi's family. Mingi's mother was crying when she had answered his call. She desperately asked how Mingi was doing. Yunho tried to reassure her that Mingi is okay for now. He explained that the doctor had put Mingi in a brief coma and the reasons why.

"That boy, I can't believe he did this! How can he lie about that to us? I swear he will hear what I have to say once he is all better." She sobbed. "Yunho, what will we do about him? They won't let us look after him full time since we are not caregivers and busy with work. I don't want a complete stranger looking after my baby! What if they put him in for adoption?"

"Mrs. Song, that is another reason why I was calling actually." Yunho said calmly. "Me and the rest of the members were hoping to get custody of Mingi. I'm not sure if Mingi ever told you but we are all caregivers and we love him and want to take care of him.”

She gasped in shock. "Really? You want to look after him? Oh Yunho, that makes me really happy! Mingi always talks about all of you and how happy he is. All of you boys are so sweet and I know you are all capable of taking care of my Mingi. I mean, it seems like you all have been doing that for the past few years. Well, you have been doing it far longer especially," she let out a wet giggle.

Yunho felt hope spread through him. This could really happen. "Yes, we really want to do this. Mingi is part of our family." He paused for a moment feeling guilt rise up in him and felt a lump form in his throat. "I'm sorry." He chokes out barely.

Mingi's mom asks him gently, "what are you sorry for, dear?"

Yunho sniffs loudly trying to keep the tears at bay. "I'm sorry for not realizing how bad he was doing sooner and not looking after him as well as I should have." He sobs. "I'm sorry for letting it get this bad."

"Yunho, honey," She starts speaking to him gently. "Don't be sorry. You and the rest of us did not know anything. Mingi should not have lied about this in the first place. You have always been there for him and supported him in any way you could and I know you will continue to do so. So please do not feel guilty."

"Th-thank you." Yunho says, his voice slightly rough from crying.

Then she said "I will tell my husband that you and the other boys are wanting to get custody. He will be super relieved to hear that." She laughs breathlessly as if she was also relieved. "We will go ahead and contact the attorney and the clerk from LPS to let them know that we are in support of you all."

"Thank you Mrs. Song."

"It should be us thanking you and the rest of the boys instead. Do you know what the company is going to do about Mingi?"

"We still don't know anything yet. But I promise you that whatever gets decided, I will stick by Mingi always." Yunho says with conviction.

"Thank you sweetie, please let me know if you need anything else. We will come by this week or the next to see how my baby is doing."

"Thank you. See you soon Mrs. Song." Yunho hangs up.

Now here he was sitting on the floor just staring at the wall across from him but not really seeing anything. He was still thinking about Mingi. Despite Mrs. Song's comforting words, he still felt like shit inside. To think that Mingi had lied to him, his best friend. Did Mingi not trust him? Did he not feel comfortable with him like Yunho always thought? Did he not want him as a caregiver? But considering how Mingi ended up in this state, perhaps that is the case. Why else would he have put up with all this pain? Guilt continued to bubble up in Yunho's stomach. He also felt very angry at himself for being so careless, so dismissive when all the signs were there right in front of eyes. His best friend, his BABY, must have been suffering pain in silence all this time. Yunho doesn't know if he could ever forgive himself for this.

Yunho shakes his head and wipes the tears from his eyes while he straightens up. He couldn't let these guilty thoughts affect his ability to care for Mingi. Mingi needs him now more than ever. Yunho makes a vow to himself that he will never let Mingi get to this state again, to keep him happy and healthy always like he deserves to be. With that in mind Yunho stands up and heads back to the room to tell the members about the conversation he had with Mingi's mom.

-

The past days have been long and dreadful. All the group members have been rotating between the hospital, their schedule, and their dorm. At first, it was difficult on getting any of them to leave the hospital, especially Seonghwa and Yunho. They refused to leave Mingi's side. However, KQ compromised with them that one member could stay at a time while others go do whatever promotions that they needed to complete. So they have been taking turns.

KQ have released a brief statement about Mingi being treated in the hospital but his health is still being looked into. The group is supposed to be having a meeting soon with them once Mingi's family arrives to stay with him at the hospital. They will be determining what they will doing with Mingi.

The members also have a hearing coming up at the court about Mingi's case. The members have been so anxious as to how that will go. They are all afraid of having their Mingi taken away from them. According to the attorney that San's family has, there should be no problem since there are seven of them so Mingi would have plenty of caregivers taking care of him, and Mingi is familiar with them along with his family. The only thing he believes that could be a potential issue is their career and how it would affect Mingi in the long run.

-

Mingi's family came near the end of the week as they were finally able to take time off to come see Mingi and attend the court hearings. The whole group was there in Mingi's room when they arrived at the hospital.

Mrs. Song teared up as soon as she saw her precious son still in a coma. She planted a kiss on his forehead. Mingi's dad turned to the boys and asked them how Mingi was progressing.

"He is doing fine. He is starting to look better and Dr. Kwon had come by earlier to let us know that they will be waking him the day after tomorrow." Hongjoong responds, happy to give them some good news at least.

Mrs. Song turns and goes to hug each boy. "Thank you all for looking after him. It makes me very happy to know you all care about him so much."

"Of course, how could we not?" San beams as he hugs her back.

"I hate to cut this short but we have to go." Hongjoong interrupts. "We have a meeting with our manager and the board of KQ. We really appreciate you being able to look after him while we are gone."

"It's no problem. We know it's important." Mr. Song replies.

"Thank you. We will be back as soon as we are done." Seonghwa says as the members starts walking out the door.

They all pile into the car and make their way to their company.

"Do you think they will let Mingi continue to be part of the group?" Seonghwa asks Hongjoong, the one question that had also been making them all worried. They were all aware that there hasn't been a single idol who is a little so what was the likelihood Mingi could still be one? Kpop agencies have always banned littles to avoid any risks of lawsuits for situations like this.

"What if they do decide to not let him come back?" Yeosang asks worriedly. His hand clutches onto the necklace he is wearing.

Hongjoong was silent for a moment, he was mad at himself for not talking about this with the members sooner. He hasn't asked them about the possibility of Mingi not being a part of their group anymore. Hongjoong himself was willing to leave KQ if needed, but would the others when they all had worked so hard to get where they were?

Yunho speaks up, clearly angry at the thought of Mingi not being allowed to come back. "If they say Mingi won't be allowed to be part of our group anymore, then I won't stay. Mingi needs me and I won't abandon him for this."

"I will leave too. I want my baby more than I want this. If I can't have both, then so be it." Seonghwa says with no shred of doubt in his voice.

"Me too! If they say no then they can screw themselves. Our family is more important to me!" Wooyoung exclaims loudly. San hollers in agreement and both of them high five each other. Yeosang nods, on-board with everyone else.

"If we leave, do you think that could ruin our chances for getting custody over Mingi? Since we technically wouldn't have jobs anymore?" Jongho asks.

San shakes his head. "Nah, I actually spoke with our attorney in case of this possibility. I told him that even if that happens, we can get jobs with our families businesses so he said we should be good."

"Wow our Sannie was thinking ahead of the game." Yunho praised. He is so happy at that moment, with everyone wanting to be with Mingi, together. He was afraid for a moment that their family would break apart.

"I just want you all to know that you guys don't have to give this all up. I am more than willing to stay with Mingi full time while you all continue to be an idol. You all worked so hard for it." Hongjoong says seriously. Then he yelps when someone smacks the back of his neck.

"Aye hyung, don't be stupid." Wooyoung laughs.

"Yeah hyung, don't you know that Ateez is not Ateez without our captain and our Minnie?" Yeosang scolds him while trying to hold back a smile.

"He completely forgot our motto." Jongho deadpans. "Eight makes one team remember, old man?"

The rest of them burst out laughing. Wooyoung cackles loudly like a hyena.

"Alright alright, I get it." Hongjoong grumbles as he rubs the sting on the back of his neck. He smiles at them, "so it's settled then?"

"Yeah!" They yell altogether, and then try their best to hug one another as best they can from where they are seated in the car.

No one is going to tear their family apart. Absolutely no one.

-

When the team entered the meeting room, they were met with a dozen pairs of eyes looking at them as they took their seats. Their CEO smiles a genuine smile at them instantly, putting them at ease.

"Hello everyone, let's get this meeting started. You all know why we are here. To discuss Mingi's position in our agency." Everyone nods.

"So it turns out that Mingi had been harboring a secret from us that put himself in harm's way and could also do damage to our company's image if we don't act fast. So now we need to decide whether we are keeping Mingi with us or if we will terminate his contract with our agency. This will depend if the court will even allow Mingi to continue working with us."

Hongjoong shoots his hand up, "Sir, if I may say something?"

"Go ahead." The man prompts.

"I just wanted to let you all know that if the decision comes to where Mingi's contract is terminated and no longer allowed to be apart of Ateez then the rest of my team will want to terminate our contracts as well. I know its not ideal for anyone, but Mingi is part of our family and we want to be able to look after him. He's more important than us being idols. I hope you all understand where we are coming from."

Their CEO just stares at Hongjoong with a serious face and Hongjoong continues to stares back at him as well with his gaze unwavering. Everyone else looks back and forth between the two men waiting for one of them to speak.

Finally, their CEO breaks the tension by chuckling. "After you all declared about wanting to get custody of Mingi, we figured as much. Which is why we don't want that."

Hongjoong was left speechless so Seonghwa spoke out. "So…you are not planning to kick Mingi out?"

"No, we actually believe the damage would be worse if we let him go rather than keeping him. You guys have a large growing fanbase that would be more angry, thus it would not do us any favors. You guys are our most successful group so losing you all would be a big disadvantage to us. On the plus side we could use this as an advantage to garner more attention by making you guys be the first kpop group to have a little as a member."

That last statement irked Hongjoong, triggering his captain persona. "That's nice and all, but I want to make one thing clear to everyone here. Should the court give us custody of Mingi and allow him to work, I don't want Mingi to be taken advantage of here just because he is a little. Everything needs to be run by us all first before any decision is made about Mingi. I want his health and wellbeing to come first above all. If he feels exhausted or ill, he should be excused from any activity including one of us to look after him. If Mingi is in his headspace, I expect the same thing." He finishes with finesse, leaving no room for argument. The rest of the team nod in all seriousness to show that those are their terms as well.

Their CEO nods and apologizes. "I'm sorry for making it sound like we planned to exploit Mingi, we did not mean it that way. What I meant is that while yes it would be good attention for us, we won't put Mingi in harm's way. We also believe that it would also help divert the attention of the reality that Mingi had lied about his classification. We figured we could make it seem like Mingi had just gotten his true classification and that is why he is in the state he is in now. It would take the heat off of him and it will be easier for him not to feel like he would need to hide his classification. And don't worry, we completely understand that his well being is a priority. We don't want to undermine that. If anything, that would end up with us getting a lawsuit for neglecting a little which is what we want to avoid in the first place."

Hongjoong hadn't even thought about the repercussions that Mingi could have on the media if it were to get out that he lied about his classification. It would be good if they could make it seem that his classification was discovered later. Luckily, cases regarding littles are sealed. And he wouldn't even need to hide it anymore, not that the court would even allow that. They should speak with their lawyer to see if they would be able to twist the truth just so Mingi won't get backlash from this.

He nods to him "that would be good. Mingi will need to go into hiatus for a while so he can recover and stabilize himself. I'm sure they will address that in court with the doctors and all."

"Of course. We will finalize the plans after the court makes their decision." The CEO looks around at all the members. "I also wanted to express my sincerity when I mean it that we do not want to lose any of you, nor Mingi, for he has always been a great asset to the team. I never doubted that even now. We want to give him a chance and our company is willing to take that risk."

Everyone smiles, the tension finally melting from their shoulders. "Thank you, we really appreciate that you understand and are willing to make accommodations for Mingi and all of us." Hongjoong expresses his gratitude. With that relief, now the next thing to worry about is the court hearing.

-

The big day finally comes when they all have to attend the court hearing. The group was meeting Mingi's parents at the courthouse along with their attorney. Mingi's brother stayed behind at the hospital to look after him. Their manager was also coming accompanied by one of the company's lawyers.

The young men were very nervous but they tried to not show it on their face once the hearing started.

The hearing begins with the Mrs. Chu giving a full account of the whole incident and how Mingi ended in this state. She did address the evidence found on Mingi having lied and participated in hiding his classification. She had also submitted a testimony that she had gotten from Jong Seung who was still being held in prison. Turns out, Jong Seung clearly remembered who Mingi was because Mingi had been the first client he made a deal with which is what gave him the whole idea to make a gig out of this.

After her, the members each gave their statements about why they wanted custody. Their attorney had provided the necessary documents to court beforehand to demonstrate their capability of looking after Mingi. Mingi's parents also provided their statement to show their support of the young men to be their son's caregivers.

Then both Dr. Kwon and Dr. Jung, who was the little therapist, gave their professional opinions on the matter.

Dr. Kwon explained the full extent of Mingi's physical health and that it will take time to get Mingi back into a healthy state. However, he believes that after a few months of recovery, he thinks that Mingi should be able to get back to work as long as there are some restrictions. Meaning that Mingi should be getting adequate amounts of sleep as littles with young headspaces should be getting, which is about 10-11 hours. He should also not be overworked as it could put strain on his body and mental health that lead him into the state he currently is in. Next, Mingi cannot be given a strict diet, he needs to maintain a healthy weight for a little. The hospital's dietician will make a diet plan for him when he wakes up. Lastly, Dr. Kwon emphasized that Mingi should not be forced out of his headspace because of how delicate it is and especially with how unstable his headspace could be for a while, they don't want more harm to be done. He adds that he believes the young men are more than suitable to care for him as they are all caregivers that Mingi is familiar with and would be easier to get him settled with the new adjustments in his life.

Dr. Jung agrees with Dr. Kwon. He thinks that the young men should be allowed custody for Mingi. He explained that this is going to be a hard transition for Mingi as he abstained himself from his headspace for several years. From what he has seen from other littles who had done a similar thing, Mingi will put up a fight because of the sudden loss of independence. He might try to reject any help or comfort even if he may crave it. His moods may be unstable as his headspace for a while. Dr. Jung repeats that the young men would be suitable as Mingi is familiar with them and they in return are familiar with Mingi. He believes that it would be easier for Mingi to let go of any restraints he has on himself and allow himself to accept the care overtime. And because the young men are familiar with Mingi, they will have more patience for Mingi as it may take a while for Mingi to settle. He thinks Mingi should be able to get back to being an idol once he is in a good state and following the restrictions that Dr. Kwon had stated, as long as Mingi has a caregiver with him at all times.

Once the doctors are done with giving their statements. Their manager gave his statement about the young men. He indicated that they have always been good in looking after each other and always been supportive of Mingi through everything. It would be a shame to tear them apart, not only because they are part of a group, but because they have become a family. He had explained how they had the meeting with their CEO and that boys expressed how they would be willing to give up being idols, if Mingi could not continue to be one with them. He also mentioned that the company was wanting to keep Mingi in the group once he was better and that the members had also insisted that Mingi's wellbeing is their priority and they need to be accommodated. Which the company agreed to and now after hearing the doctors requirements for Mingi's health, they will heed to them once Mingi's health is suitable to return.

"If that is not love, loyalty or commitment to each other, then I don't know what is." Their manager said as his last words.

-

The court took an hour recess before the judge came back with his final ruling. The members are holding hands with one another as they sit in their seats.

The judge clears his throat. "After taking into consideration all the documentation and statements presented to the court, it is ordered that Song Mingi pay a fee of $500 for partaking in having his classification falsified. It is ordered granting Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho, Kang Yeosang, Choi San, Jung Wooyoung, and Choi Jongho full custody of Song Mingi and are named as his official caregivers. Due to the nature of harm Song Mingi has caused to himself, it is ordered that he is required to have a caregiver with him at all times for life. It is ordered that Song Mingi must get a health checkup once a month to monitor his progress for six months and then once every three months after. It is ordered that Little Protection Services do one check in each month for six months. It is ordered allowing Song Mingi to work at his current occupation once he is in stable health and is given medical approval from his doctor. He is required to adhere to the restrictions provided by the doctor and therapist. Should any of these conditions be violated, the court may reconsider the order. Due to the nature of Song Mingi's occupation and in consideration of his well-being, this court will allow the truth surrounding his classification be kept discrete, and modified to prevent any backlash or harm to be presented to the little. It is further ordered the case be sealed.

Once the Judge gave his ruling, the members were called over to the bailiff and clerk to sign the certificate making them Mingi's caregivers officially. They were also given Mingi's new classification letter.

Everyone erupted into cheers once they were all outside the courthouse. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Mingi's mother had tears running down their faces. The members all went into a group hug. All that was missing now was their Mingi.

"Alright boys, I am going to head to the office to give the good news. We will be discussing about the statement that we will be releasing to the public about Mingi's health and announce a hiatus for him until further notice. Are you heading back to the hospital?" Their manager asks.

"Yes we are." Seonghwa says with an eager gleam in his eyes. He was already pushing the other members to the direction of their car. Jongho whines at him to calm down. Their manager chuckles at them.

"Okay, be careful. I'll keep you guys updated."

Mingi's parents tell them that they'll meet them at the hospital.

"Oh I'm so happy!" Seonghwa squeals as he opens the door to let everyone get in the car.

"If you didn't say anything I would not have noticed." Yeosang says sarcastically and yelps when Seonghwa gives him a slight shove into the car.

"Mingi's officially ours to love and keep!" Wooyoung hollers happily. Hongjoong shushes them to keep it down.

"Don't act like you aren't super happy too, hyung." San laughs as he hugs their captain from behind.

"Aish, fine, fine! I'll admit I'm damn well happy. How could I not be?" Hongjoong smiles real big.

"Hyung, hyung!" Jongho calls out to Seonghwa as he settles in his seat.

"Yes Jongie?"

"We need to buy little stuff for Mingi so we can be prepared once we bring him back home." Jongho whips out his phone to start looking through little items to see what they might need. The members smile fondly at him, knowing that he will be doting on Mingi so much, even more than before.

"Yes, we do. We'll look over some stuff tonight and we can start going to the little stores as soon as KQ releases the statement about Mingi." Seonghwa says calmly, but they can all see how excited he is to start shopping for Mingi.

San notices how silent Yunho has been this whole time. "Well you're oddly quiet."

Yunho smiles and grabs one of San's hands giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm just really happy and relieved. I was afraid for a moment that he could have been taken away from us. You know Mingi, he is not good at asking for what he needs. If he had been taken to an adoption agency I don't think he would've gotten the love and attention he needs from a stranger. So I'm just so happy he is still here with me, with us. I'm glad our family isn't breaking apart." Yunho's eyes watered, he was feeling emotionally overwhelmed right now.

San squeezes his hand in return. "I was really scared too. I'm pretty sure I was holding my breath when the judge was voicing his decision. Minnie is ours now, and we will make sure that he gets healthy and cared for. Plus, all the love he can get that I'm pretty sure he will get overwhelmed. I mean there are seven of us, I don't think he'll fall short on that." San laughs. Yunho wipes the few tears away and laughs along with him.

"You're right on that. Sorry for tearing up, I don't normally but…the last few days have been hard."

"Don't apologize Yunnie, it has been really difficult, but don't forget we are all in this together. Okay?"

"You're right. Thank you Sannie."

San smiles softly and pecks Yunho on the cheek. "Anytime Yunnie."

-

A few hours later, the boys are in Mingi's hospital room watching over him. Mingi's parents and his brother had just left. They were reluctant to leave, but unfortunately they had to return to their jobs. Yunho reassured them that he will keep them updated and will call as soon as Mingi wakes up.
Seonghwa promised that they will come visit them once Mingi is able to.

Mingi is looking much better now though he is still very thin. He no longer has really deep dark circles under his eyes, and his skin is getting back its healthy glow, losing the pale sickly color it once was. Mingi's rash is receding, but it's still there. While Seonghwa was helping change his diaper, one of the nurses explained to him that it will slowly go away with time so it was important to keep applying the ointment and make sure Mingi didn't stay in a wet diaper for too long.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. Kwon came inside.

"Hello everyone, congrats again for today." He smiles at them. "I just came to remind you all again that we are waking Mingi up tomorrow, and we'll see how he is and if he should be ready to head home. Our dietician will be coming by as well to talk about Mingi's diet."

Everyone erupted into quiet cheers.

"Thank you Dr. Kwon!" Yunho beams happily.

"You're welcome. Please let the nurses know if you guys need anything. I will see you all tomorrow."

As soon as the doctor leaves, everyone hugs each other.

"I can't wait!" Wooyoung cries out dramatically. "I miss my Minmin!"

"Ow! Don't yell into my ear!" Yeosang clutches his ear.

"Wooyoung! How many times do I have to tell you to keep it down? We are in the hospital." Hongjoong scolds him while hugging Yunho and San.

"Sorry hyung." Wooyoung replies sheepishly.

Hongjoong phone rings and he pulls it out of his pocket to see that it's their manager calling. He answers by putting him on speaker and his manager informs them all that they will be releasing the statement tonight, he tells them that they will be saying that Mingi had been found to be a little and was reclassified as the original classification no longer applies to mingi. They will explain that because no one was aware that he became a little, he was not getting the proper care he needed. They will announce that Mingi is recovering and will be going on hiatus until further notice. With this new discovery, they will inform the fans to not worry, Mingi will still be part of the group if he gets fully recovered. They will also announce that the Ateez members are now officially Mingi's caregivers so they are aware that someone might be absent from time to time to look after Mingi. They will explain that the company will implement different accommodations for Mingi to ensure he remains healthy and taken care of at all times. They will make any changes as they go along as needed for Mingi, as this is their first little that they have in the company and industry.

"How does that sound to you?"

Honjoong turns to the rest of the members and they all nod in agreement that it is good.

"It sounds good to us." He responds to him.

"Good. We will release it in an hour." Their manager hums contentedly.

"Before you go, we also wanted to inform you that Mingi will be woken up tomorrow." Hongjoong announces heartily with a big grin on his face.

"That's great! Let me know how he is. I will try to stop by tomorrow to see him. I will inform everyone here so we can start canceling some things we had scheduled for you all in the next few days so you can focus on Mingi for now. Have a good night everyone."

"Good night!" They chorus.

Yunho stands up from where he is sitting. "I'm going to go buy Minnie a gift. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"I'll go with you." Yeosang stands up and walks over to join him. "Anyone else want to come along?"

"I'll come too. I could use a walk." San stretches. His limbs are stiff from sitting for a long period of time.

"You guys, have fun and be careful. I'm going to continue doing some work." Hongjoong has his laptop open on his lap.

"And we three are going to do some online shopping for our Minmin." Seonghwa says with Jongho and Wooyoung snuggled on either side of him looking at his phone.

Yeosang giggles as the three of them walk out the door. "They are going to go overboard aren't they?"

"Pretty much, but at least we know they will get everything our Minnie will need." Yunho responds.

San couldn't agree more.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Ateez woke up early this morning to go down to the hospital. They are all excited to finally see their Minmin awake. It was Jongho's turn last night to stay overnight at the hospital so once everyone gets there, he will go home to shower fast and return.

Yunho was finishing preparing his gift for Mingi. Yesterday, he spent quite amount of time in a little store with San and Yeosang trying to find a toy for him. In the end he decided on a big round cute plushie of a yellow baby chick for him. He couldn't wait to give it to him, but at the same time he was agonizing over it.

"Do you guys think he will like it?" Yunho asks as he was starting to doubt his choice after a while. He kept ruffling the tissue paper inside the pastel blue gift bag trying to perfect it.

"Absolutely. It's perfect, he will love it." Seonghwa reassures him as he prys Yunho's hands off the bag. "Now stop messing with it, it looks great."

"It's cute and very soft. The chick reminds me of him." Hongjoong comments as he was packing a bag of clothes for Mingi to wear once he is allowed to come home. He picks out a soft blue sweater, a pair of black sweatpants along with some socks, and a pair of slip on shoes. On the way home last night from the hospital, they stopped by the store to buy some baby laundry detergent to make Mingi's clothes extra soft for his skin, especially since he still has the rash. Mingi had always had sensitive skin, and now that they know why, they bought the right detergent so he will be more comfortable now. They also bought a pack of diapers, baby wipes, and other essentials needed for a diaper change.

"Yeosang, can you bring me two diapers? I want to bring some just in case." Even though they will just be bringing him straight home from the hospital, the need to be over prepared was kicking in already.

"Yes hyung." Yeosang goes to fetch them.

"Oh my gosh, our Mingi is trending right now!" Wooyoung shouts all excited as he runs into Mingi's room to relay the news to them.

"He's trending?" Yunho asks curiously. He leans over Wooyoung's shoulder to look at his phone. He can see articles about Mingi being a little. There are a plethora of comments from fans being shocked at the new revelation. Many are happy and supportive of Mingi while some are happy but are concerned about his health if he remains an idol. There are also comments from people who find the news despicable and disgusting and that Mingi should leave the group. Some say that Mingi will be a burden to the group's success. Yunho is not surprised, as there will always be those people who are toxic. However, he is really happy to see so many people who are supporting him.

"Oh, oh and you can see that we are also trending as AteezFamily!" Wooyoung is hopping up and down in excitement. "Our fans are congratulating us for getting to be Mingi's caregivers. They are even saying that Mingi has always been Ateez's baby and now it's official."

"Awww~I'm glad that Mingi is getting so much love and support." Seonghwa says with one hand over his chest feeling a bit relieved. He had been worried about what the reaction would be once the news of Mingi being a little got out to the public. So far so good, he hopes it stays that way.

San walks in holding up his phone for the others to see. "Look, Atinys are declaring Mingi as Atinys' baby. They are so cute!" He gushes and Wooyoung coos over that.

"Here they are hyung." Yeosang says as he waltzes back in with the two diapers. Hongjoong thanked him and put them inside the bag.

"I think that's it. Let's go before Jongho literally blows up my phone with messages to hurry up." Hongjoong zips up the bag.

-

When they arrived at the hospital Jongho was impatiently waiting for them.

"You guys took forever." He grumbles while picking up his stuff.

"Sorry Jongie, we were packing a bag with some clothes for Mingi in case they will be letting us take him home soon." Hongjoong replies and pats him on the shoulder.

"It's alright, I'm just tired. I'll be right back after I shower and eat."

"Be safe on your way home." Seonghwa calls out to him as he leaves.

Dr. Kwon came in shortly after Jongho departed. A nurse followed in after him.

"Good morning everyone, we are going to remove the tube that was being used to deploy the medicine that was keeping him in a coma."

The nurse goes over to Mingi and starts removing it carefully.

"It will probably be a couple of hours before he wakes up. Just let the nurses know when he does and I'll come and do a small checkup on him."

"Okay, thank you doctor." Hongjoong says.

"Oh and our little dietician, Dr. Lim will be coming by to start going over Mingi's diet with you all."

"Thank you Dr. Kwon." Seonghwa replies. Both him and the nurse walk out of the room after the tube gets removed.

There is a knock on the door 40 minutes later, and a short woman comes in. She has a warm smile on her face and greets them all.

"Good morning, I am Dr. Lim, the dietician for littles. Are you all Mingi's caregivers?"

"Yes, we are." Yunho answers and they all nod.

"Okay good. So Mingi is underweight from what normally a little should be at his height. Dr. Kwon explained to me that Mingi was having trouble eating? Can any of you give me some details on what his eating habits were?"

Seonghwa answers. "Mingi had not been eating much in the past few weeks. He would not want to eat breakfast sometimes and then around dinner, he would usually take a couple of bites but not enough. He would sometimes claim that his tummy ached or sometimes excuse himself by saying that he was too sleepy to eat. When he would want to eat, it would normally be rice or soup."

Dr. Lim jotted some notes down in Mingi's file. "Okay, that makes sense from what Dr. Kwon told me. The stress of Mingi of withholding his headspace is making him have these stomach aches, and also because of the UTI. But at least now the UTI is being taken care of and now hopefully Mingi will be getting into his headspace more often which will help with the stomach aches. So right now, we will begin trying to introduce Mingi into eating again. We don't want to overwhelm his stomach too much since he hasn't been eating properly for a while."

She reaches into the bag that she brought along with her and pulls something out. She turns and shows them a bottle of milk formula. "We will start off by giving him a bottle of this four times a day. It's a milk formula for littles for those with younger headspaces that is filled with vitamins and nutrients. Many littles have sensitive stomachs so alot of the time they don't want to eat anything, and giving them this could help compensate for the lack of food intake. It also helps littles who are underweight or those who have a high metabolism. We will try giving Mingi a bottle once he is awake."

"Are those available through regular grocery stores, or do they have to be ordered through somewhere specifically?" Yeosang inquires.

"You can find them in grocery stores."

"Are we only starting him with this or can we feed him other food?" Seonghwa asks.

"You can feed him light foods. For example, some dry cereal, jello, some slices of banana, or soup broth. We will do this for about three weeks and see how he is doing. If he is doing okay, then we can expand on the foods he can eat. We want to get him to the point of having a balanced diet and properly eating his meals and only having to drink one bottle a day of the milk."

"Is there anything we should be looking out for?" Seonghwa asks as he is typing his own notes on his phone.

"Mingi may experience some symptoms of gas or diarrhea at first so I will be prescribing some medicine to help if needed, but otherwise he should be fine. If he does get diarrhea, make sure to give him lots of water and electrolytes so he doesn't get dehydrated again. If there are any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to call my office." She hands Seonghwa her card.

"Thank you Dr. Lim, we appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Once Mingi wakes up, a nurse will bring a bottle and we shall see how he takes it." She said as she stood up ready to leave.

"Sounds good, thanks again doctor." Hongjoong bows as she leaves.

"Looks like we have to do some grocery shopping." Seonghwa states as he is already compiling a list of grocery items to get. There was no way he would be letting Mingi go hungry.

"Did you happen to already order some baby bottles or sippy cups? I mean I don't know what Mingi's headspace will be once he wakes up but I figured we should take precaution." Yunho suggests.

"He has a young headspace so he will likely need them. I ordered some yesterday evening and they should be arriving sometime later today."

Hongjoong turns to him and asks, "what else did you guys order yesterday?"

Seonghwa flushes red, knowing it's going to sound excessive. He clears his throat. "W-well I wanted to make sure we have everything for Mingi so we ordered many things…" He trails off.

Hongjoong arches an eyebrow. "Like….?" He prompts.

"We ordered a diaper bag, plastic plates and utensils, some cute clothes, a diaper mat, a cute rug, a bottle warmer, a few blankets, and some bed rails." Seonghwa lists off with his fingers. "But we didn't buy any toys. We want to take him to the store so Mingi can pick out what he likes."

He smiles softly as he glances over to their Minnie who looks so adorable as he sleeps. Mingi's hair is all fluffed up. He leans over to brush some of the strands away from his face.

Hongjoong chuckles lightly, and pats the back of Seonghwa's other hand. His own heart swells with how happy he is to see Seonghwa's motherly side coming out. He knows that will only increase tenfold once Mingi actually wakes up.

"Wow I was expecting more stuff actually."

"I know how to control myself Hongjoong." Seonghwa rolls his eyes but grins at him.

Wooyoung snorts at that. "Yeah right, me and Jongho had to put our foot down. He would've kept going if we didn't hyung." He complains to Hongjoong.

"Yah!" Seonghwa lets out and tries to smack the back of Wooyoung's head, but the other giggles and dodges out of the way. "Why can't you just let me be?"

Everyone chuckles at Seongwha's cuteness.

"Wait, why'd you get a rug?" Yeosang inquires.

"It's for Mingi to play on the floor."

San is confused. "But we have carpet…?"

"I just thought it was cute, okay? A-and, and it's easier to wash more frequently than the carpet!" Seonghwa stutters, trying to justify himself. They all laugh. Yunho wraps his arms around him from behind.

"We're just teasing hyung."

"I know." Seonghwa pats one of his arms lovingly. "Alright let's quiet down now so we don't scare our Minnie awake."

-

It's around 12 in the afternoon when Mingi finally starts to rouse from sleep. All the members are there in the room including Jongho, who had come back after taking a shower and getting something to eat. They were all doing something quietly to pass the time when they heard quiet sniffling coming from Mingi.

Everyone's heads snapped up towards Mingi waiting to see if he would actually wake. Mingi's sniffles turn into small whimpers and then he finally lets out a wail. Everyone jumps up to rush over to him except for Jongho and San, who went to get one of the nurses.

"Mingi, you're okay. You're okay." Seonghwa starts speaking softly trying to soothe him. He caresses his face gently and smooths back the hair strands away from his face. Mingi continues to cry and reaches out to Seonghwa wanting the man to pick him up. However, Seonghwa can't pick him up yet since he still has the IV stand and the heart rate patches attached to him. It breaks Seonghwa's heart not being able to hold him to console him. Mingi's eyes are squeezed shut and his face is turning red from how hard he was crying.

"Don't cry Minnie, once the nurse gets here, hyung can hold you." Yunho says as he pats Mingi's thigh.

Mingi hadn't noticed everyone else was there at first so he turned to them all. He reaches out to all of them wanting someone to hold him. When no one picks him up, he starts wailing even harder.

"Mingi, you need to calm down baby, you'll make yourself sick." Hongjoong says but he knows it's pointless as Mingi wasn't having it. It was pretty obvious to them all that Mingi was very little right now and exceedingly distressed.

Fortunately at that moment Jongho and San came back with a nurse. They halt for a brief moment when Mingi's cry pierces their ears. The nurse immediately walks towards Mingi and asks the boys to hold Mingi's limbs down so she wouldn't hurt him while trying to take the IV and the rest off him.

Once everything is off, Seonghwa hauls Mingi up into his arms and Mingi clings to him tightly sobbing his little heart out. Seonghwa sits down on the couch with Mingi on his lap and starts rubbing a hand up and down his back to comfort him. Mingi curls up in his lap with one hand fisted in Seonghwa's shirt in a tight grip. He lays his head on Seonghwa's shoulder and tucks his face into the crook of Seonghwa's neck.

After a while, his cries die down to just small sniffles and everyone lets out a sigh of relief.

"How do you feel, Minnie? Do you hurt anywhere, sweet pea?" Seonghwa asks him. Mingi doesn't respond, instead he brings his own hand up to his mouth and starts sucking on his fingers.

"I think he's hungry, can we get him a bottle?" Yunho asks the nurse.

The nurse nods, "I can bring one, but let me first call Dr. Kwon so he can come and check on him. I'll be right back."

When the nurse left the other members got closer to the two to look at Mingi.

"Hi Minnie! We missed you baby." Wooyoung coos at Mingi's big doe eyes as he stares back at them curiously. He's probably wondering why they are all staring at him.

Mingi takes out his fingers from his mouth and reaches out to Wooyoung, shoving his face back with wet fingers. The young man yelps at the sudden push and falls back on his butt. Wooyoung pouts while everyone else laughs at his predicament.

"I'd do the same if Wooyoung stuck his face in front of me too." Jongho tells Mingi as he chuckles. The grin on his face grows bigger when Mingi smiles for the first time since he woke up and lets out a tiny giggle.

"Oh God, cuteness overload." San says as he feels attacked by the sudden adorableness in front of him. He clutches his heart pretending to be in pain. "I can't take it."

Yeosang rolls his eyes at San's dramaticness and gives him a light smack on his arm. He grabs a tissue from the tissue box and goes to wipe Mingi's runny nose clean. Mingi whines at that, trying to pull his head away. Yeosang gives him a peck on his forehead afterwards.

"Good job Minnie, you are all clean now." He praises him.

There is a knock on the door and Dr. Kwon comes in.

"Hello, I hear that a certain someone finally woke up." He smiles as he sees Mingi sitting in Seonghwa's lap. He chuckles when Mingi tucks his face into Seonghwa's neck, completely shy at seeing him. He asks everyone how he's been since he woke up.

"He woke up little and he was crying, but I think maybe he was just scared of waking up in an unknown place. But other than that he's been very quiet and might be hungry because he was sucking on his fingers." Hongjoong explains. "He definitely woke up younger than what his range technically is."

"It is normal for littles when they become super stressed to become younger. I was expecting for him to probably wake up younger so do not worry. I've mentioned before that he will most likely be fluctuating between headspaces for a while. We still don't know yet if his range will be lower than what we initially thought and if it will remain that way. Alright lets do a small checkup on our little Mingi today." Dr. Kwon goes to the bed and presses the button to make it flat. "Can you lay him on the bed?" He asks Seonghwa.

Seonghwa lifts Mingi and walks him over. He tries to lay him down on the bed, but Mingi whines and holds onto Seonghwa, not wanting to be put down.

"It's okay Minnie, hyungie will hold you again once we are done okay?" Seonghwa tells him reassuringly as he manages to make him let go. Mingi lets out a sob as he is laid down and tries to sit up so he can get picked up again. It's proven fruitless when they gently push him down on the bed.

Dr. Kwon gently pulls Mingi's hospital gown up to near his chest. "Don't worry kiddo, I'll be quick."

He uses his stethoscope to listen to Mingi's heartbeat and his breathing. Then he checks his abdomen and lightly puts pressure on certain areas. Mingi lets out whimpers when the doctor pushes down gently on his stomach and bladder.

"Poor baby, you're still tender there aren't you?" Dr. Kwon says as he caresses his belly softly. "Dr. Limb told me about his diet. His stomach may hurt a bit because of the lack of food for some time, and once he starts to eat more normally it should get better. Along with the medicine, I will also be prescribing some probiotics powder that you can add into his bottles to help with his digestion."

"Hey Dr. Kwon? If Mingi happens to be in his regular headspace, would we still follow the same diet as mentioned, or would it be different?" Yunho asks.

"Stick to the diet, we don't want to overwhelm him with food that can upset his stomach more. So if he argues with you about it, stay firm."

"Sure thing, doc." Sans says.

"And his bladder?" Seonghwa asks.

"His bladder is going to take a while for the soreness to go away. We will keep giving him antibiotics to take for a while until the infection goes away fully. Don't let him force himself to try holding it in, we don't want it to get bad again. I also want to reiterate my concern that I mentioned before. I'm not sure whether his incontinence will get better. Most littles that went through this have somewhat regained it and only a few remained completely incontinent, but I'm not sure about Mingi considering how long he has been enduring this. It's still early to say, but I just want to remind you of the possibility that he may remain incontinent."

Seonghwa exhales. It's going to be tough to inform Mingi. "Thank you. We will keep that in mind."

"Now let's check that rash again to see how that's coming along." Dr. Kwon announces and untapes the diaper. He looks at his inner thighs and crotch. Then he asks Seonghwa to turn Mingi a little on his side so he can look at his rear. Mingi tries to use this opportunity to clutch onto Seonghwa and whines when Seonghwa won't hold him still.

"The rash is doing good. It's going to slowly fade away. Just keep putting the ointment and let's make sure he doesn't stay in a wet diaper for too long." He tapes the diaper back up. "Now that he isn't crying so hard, let's take a chance to check his ears and mouth. Can you please sit him up?" Dr. Kwon washes his hands and puts on a new pair of gloves.

Seonghwa helps Mingi sit up and Mingi latches onto him again. Seonghwa puffs out a laugh at how adorable he is and hugs him.

"What a clingy baby we have today." Hongjoong says affectionately at the sight of the two of them.

Dr. Kwon checked both ears and when he went to check his mouth, Mingi refused to open it.

"C'mon Minnie open wide" Seonghwa tries to coax him, but Mingi stares at him blankly.

"Here Minmin, like this. Say ahhh" Yunho demonstrates by opening his own mouth wide. Mingi opens his mouth like him and Dr. Kwon quickly takes a look.

"That's it, good job Minnie!" Yunho claps encouragely. Mingi smiles shyly and buries his face in Seonghwa's chest.

"Now we only need take to take his temperature and blood pressure and then he will be all set for today." Dr. Kwon says, and luckily this time, Mingi cooperated with him so it was quickly over with.

Mingi lets out a whine and stuffs his fingers back in his mouth.

"He's hungry, and that's a good sign that he wants food. Don't worry sweetie, the nurse will be here any minute now with something yummy for your tummy." Dr. Kwon pats Mingi on the head. "We'll just keep him for one more night just to see how he will react with the bottle and if it's all good, we can discharge him from the hospital tomorrow."

"Thank you Dr. Kwon. We really appreciate it," Hongjoong expresses.

"You're welcome. Have a good night, and as always please let the nurses know if you need anything."

Just as the doctor leaves, the nurse arrives with Mingi's bottle in hand.

"Here you go, please let me know if you need anything else." The nurse chimes politely.

"C'mere Mingi, time to feed that cute tummy of yours." Seonghwa settles down with him in his lap on the couch. Yeosang gently tugs away Mingi's fingers from his mouth and he lets out a wail.

"Don't cry Minmin, here's your bottle baby." Seonghwa rubs the nipple along his mouth and he easily takes it. Mingi drinks with much enthusiasm. The sounds of his small sniffles fill the room.

"Ah why is he so cute?!" Wooyoung gushes as he is taking pictures with his phone.

"I'm going to video call Mingi's mom so she can see him awake and enjoy the cuteness." Yunho announces to the group. She picks up after a couple of rings.

"Hello Yunho. How's everything?"

"Everything is good Mrs. Song. Guess who's awake?" Yunho teases.

They can hear her gasp through the phone.

"Oh Mingi's awake? How is he?" She asks excitedly.

"He is doing well so don't worry. He woke up very little today actually. Right now Seonghwa is giving him a bottle. He woke up very hungry which is a good sign. Here let me put you on video so you can see him." Yunho turns the phone towards Mingi who is looking at the phone while still drinking his bottle.

"Hi Mingi! How is my boy doing?"

Mingi raises his hand out to the phone and accidentally smacks it. Yunho yelps and fumbles with his phone so it wouldn't fall to the floor. Everyone including Mrs. Song is laughing as Yunho straightens his phone in his hands.

"Sorry Mrs. Song I was not expecting that." Yunho apologizes sheepishly.

"You gotta be careful. You never know how a baby might react."

"We've noticed. He pushed Wooyoung's face earlier." Hongjoong adds.

She chuckles. "So what has the doctor said? Did he check on him already?"

"Yeah, he just left a few minutes ago. He told us everything is good for Mingi. Mingi still has some pain in his bladder and stomach but he said that it will improve as he takes his medication and starts eating better. His rash is looking better too. He has to stay overnight again and we will see how he is tomorrow. If he is still good then Dr. Kwon will discharge him tomorrow." Yunho tells her.

"Oh that's wonderful. I'll be sure to tell his father and brother the good news. Please let me know if anything happens and have Mingi call me once he is able to."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Song."

"Have a good night everyone, and bye-bye my baby." Mrs. Song coos at Mingi who is just finishing his bottle. Everyone waves bye to her.

San takes the empty bottle from Seonghwa while he sits Mingi up in his lap and begins trying to get him to burp.

"Seonghwa, I can take him so you can rest for a while." Hongjoong offers as the man has been holding Mingi for most of the afternoon.

"Okay, I need to go to the restroom real quick." Seonghwa lifts Mingi and sets him down on Hongjoong's lap. Hongjoong resumes the task of trying to get Mingi to burp. After a couple more taps to the back, Mingi lets out a small burp.

"Good job Minnie!" Hongjoong praises him. Mingi smiled and hid his face in Hongjoong's neck.

"Is my baby shy?" Hongjoong teases him and gives him a tickle on his belly. Mingi squeals in laughter. He hugs him tight and Hongjoong kisses his cheek, feeling so much love in that moment.

Yunho sits next to them, happy to see Mingi all smiley now than he was earlier. "Can I hold him hyung?"

"Of course, but maybe you should ask him first though." Hongjoong says amused. "He seems very selective today."

Yunho holds his hands out to Mingi. "C'mere my precious Minnie. "

Mingi reaches out to him with grabby hands and it makes Yunho's heart melt at the sight of him wanting him. He scoops him up in his arms and Mingi nuzzles into his chest. Yunho feels super grateful and relieved to have Mingi back with him.

They stay like that for a few minutes when Yunho starts hearing sucking noises and looks down to see Mingi trying to suck on one of the strings from his hoodie. It reminds him of the day at their last photo shoot when Mingi was chewing on one of his jacket strings.

"Now I can see why you like putting things in your mouth." Yunho chuckles. "Sorry princess, but you can't have that in your mouth." He pulls the string away and in doing so Ming latches onto one of his fingers to suck on. Yunho laughs and pulls away his finger. "Sorry, you can't suck on that either Minmin." Feeling of dread sinks into him when he sees Mingi's face scrunch up and then he lets out a wail.

He panics for a moment because they don't have a pacifier with them, but then Jongho steps up and pulls something out of his bag. "Here hyung, this might help." In his hand was a box with a pastel blue pacifier with a pink heart in the middle. He takes it out of the box and holds it up to Mingi's lips. Mingi rapidly sucks on the pacifier and he calms down once he realizes no one is taking it away from him.

"Where did you get the pacifier?" Yeosang asked Jongho.

"I got it from a store before I came back." Then his face flushes pink and he mutters shyly. "I wanted to get our baby a gift."

Everyone awed at Jongho which made him turn more red.

"Our Jongie is so sweet!" Wooyoung wraps his arms around him and San sneaks up at his other side does the same. Then they both quickly pressed a kiss on each of his cheeks before Jongho even had the chance to dodge. He lets out a piercing screech and cringes away from them as if he'd been poisoned. Seonghwa happens to come back at that moment and is wondering what the heck he just walked in on?

"Jongie had bought our baby a pacifier on his way back here." Yeosang explains when he sees his confused expression.

"Awww Jongie, that was very sweet of you." Seonghwa looks at Mingi who is happily sucking on the pacifier while he is playing with Yunho's hands.

Hongjoong looks up from his phone and tells them "Manager-nim wants me to go to the studio for a bit to help out with something. I won't be gone long since I told him that Mingi had woken up already. Do you guys need me to bring anything when I come back?" He asks as he stands up and grabs his bag.

Seonghwa shakes his head. "No, I'll text you if we need anything."

"Okay let me know if anything happens." Hongjoong walks over to give Mingi a kiss on forehead "Hyungie will be back soon baby."

Once he leaves, everyone else settles down quietly. Mingi was cuddling with Yunho with his head resting on his shoulder getting sleepy. A while later, Mingi starts whimpering.

Yunho rubs his back, "what's wrong baby?" Then they all could hear Mingi's stomach growl.

"Is he hungry again?" Wooyoung asked skeptically. He didn't think that would be it since he ate not too long ago.

Mingi lets out another whine and then a fart could be heard.

"Yup no, that's not it." Yunho chuckles lightly.

"Poor baby. He must have a tummy ache right now from the milk." Seonghwa says as he rubs Mingi's stomach. He's waiting for Mingi to finish before he changes him. "Sannie, can you go ask one of the nurses if they can give you the medicine that Dr. Kwon prescribed? I forgot to ask about it when the nurse was here."

"Sure thing, hyung." San jumps up and heads out the door.

Mingi starts crying right in Yunho's ear, making him wince. "I'm pretty he is done now."

"Put him on the bed while I grab the supplies." Seonghwa tells him. His phone chimes with a notification letting him know that the stuff he ordered had been delivered. Shoot, he forgot about that. "The items I ordered have been delivered. Can some of you go home and bring them inside and start installing the bed rails?"

"Yeah hyung, I can go with the others and get it all set up." Yunho states as he places a sobbing Mingi on the hospital bed. Mingi is squirming around uncomfortably. "I know baby, hyungie is gonna change you now okay? Wooyoung, can you stay with hyung to help him with Mingi while we go and set everything up?"

"Yeah I'll stay and help with Minnie." Wooyoung agrees eagerly.

San comes back in with a nurse who has a dose in her hand. "Sorry, I forgot to mention earlier that we would bring you a dose. I can't give you the whole container of the medicine yet because it needs to be refrigerated. But we will give you the prescription once Mingi is discharged so you can take it home." The nurse explains to them and holds out the syringe with the liquid medicine.

"Thank you for bringing it to us." Seonghwa says as he takes the syringe from her.

"You're certainly welcome. The medicine can be given to him twice a day if needed. You can toss the syringe once you give it to him."

When the nurse left, Seonghwa asked Yunho to take the pacifier out of Mingi's mouth so they could give him the medicine. As soon as he removes the pacifier, Mingi lets out a louder wail.

This is going to be a long night for everyone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Hongjoong and Yeosang stayed overnight with Mingi at the hospital in order to give the others, especially Seonghwa, time to rest at home. Mingi was really fussy for the rest of the day yesterday and clung mostly to Seonghwa and Yunho once he returned. Hongjoong felt guilty for coming back to the hospital later than he thought he would and he offered to take care of Mingi through the night. Yeosang offered to stay with him so he wouldn't be alone and so Seonghwa wouldn't worry about them too much. The man needed a break but he was being stubborn. He did not want to leave their baby for even one second. It was tough getting him to leave and they had to reassure him multiple times that Mingi will be fine before Seonghwa finally relented.

The rest of the members arrived early in the morning. They giggle when they see Hongjoong passed out on the hospital bed with Mingi snuggled on top of him. They immediately whipped out their phones and took plenty of pictures. Yeosang is asleep face down on the couch, his brown hair all tousled with one arm hanging off the couch. They look like they had a rough night.

Hongjoong stirs awake when he feels someone's finger poke his cheek. He squints his eyes trying to see through his blurry vision. Seonghwa beams a beautiful smile at him when he is finally able to see him.

"Good morning Joong, how did it go last night?" He whispers quietly, trying not to wake their baby.

Hongjoong rubs his hand along Mingi's back. Mingi lets out a sigh and smacks his lips. The pacifier is lying on Hongjoong's chest having fallen out of his mouth sometime during the night.

"It was a long, long night. He woke up in the middle of the night needing to be changed and we couldn't get him to stop crying for sometime until he finally fell asleep right here. I'm pretty sure he wanted you. We all missed you." He looks at Seonghwa with a lazy smirk.

Seonghwa can feel the heat rise to his cheeks and looks away from Hongjoong's stare focusing instead on what the other boys were doing. Wooyoung and San both laid down on top of Yeosang to wake him up and he grunted with the sudden weight. The other two were sitting on the floor against the wall. Jongho was on his phone and Yunho was playing on his Nintendo DS.

"San, Wooyoung, let Yeosang breathe please." Seonghwa chastises them. They both pout and they reluctantly get off the poor young man. Yeosang glares at them sleepily and nods at Seonghwa as thanks.

"Will you two be going home t-" Seonghwa stops himself when Mingi starts whimpering and starts crying softly. Hongjoong hugs him and starts patting his back to console him.

"Morning baby, don't cry, hyungie is here." He murmurs to Mingi softly trying to wake him up gently.

"Eo-eomma? Wan’ eomma." Mingi whines, his eyes full of tears when he opens them to look at Hongjoong. Well shoot, Mingi's mom is not here, Hongjoong thinks. He and the rest of the group were also surprised that Mingi spoke. Guess his headspace is a little older today.

"Sorry baby, your eomma is not here right now but we'll take you to see her soon okay?" Hongjoong tries to placate, but Mingi didn't like that answer. He starts sobbing and lets out a screech, calling for his eomma again.

Seonghwa steps up and rubs Mingi's back. "Don't cry Minnie, we can try calling your eomma right now."

Mingi gets startled by Seonghwa, not knowing that the man was there. He reaches out a hand towards him.

"Eo-eomma!" Mingi sobs out.

"Eh?" Seonghwa is dumbfounded. Did Mingi just call him eomma?

"Yes! I called it!" Wooyoung shouts while pumping his fist in the air. "See I told you guys that Mingi would pick Seonghwa as his eomma." He tells San and Yeosang.

"It was kinda obvious though, Seonghwa has always been considered as the 'mom' of the group." Yeosang replies as he sits up and yawns.

Once Seonghwa falls out of his stupor, he reaches out and picks Mingi up from where he has been using Hongjoong as a pillow. Hongjoong grunts when Mingi accidently hits him with one of his legs making Seongwha huff out in amusement. Mingi wraps his arms around Seonghwa's neck, clinging tightly to him.

"How's my precious flower?" Seonghwa says and presses a kiss to Mingi's wet cheek. Mingi squeals happily now that his eomma is here with him.

Hongjoong gets up from the bed and pulls a tissue from the box on one of the tables. He starts wiping Mingi's tears from his face. Mingi tries to pull his face away.

"A-appa, no!" Mingi whines while trying to bat away Hongjoong's hand, but not aiming correctly. Hongjoong pauses briefly in stupor, then the next second he has the biggest smile any of them has ever seen on the man.

"Appa has to make sure his Minnie baby is clean." He pecked his cheek after wiping his face.

"Ooh ooh! I want to see what names our baby has for the rest of us." San approaches them and places himself in front of Mingi. "Minmin, who am I?"

"Papa!" Mingi shouts joyfully. He raises his arms to San. San feels his heart erupt from being too full of love.

"C'mere baby, papa has missed you so much these past few days." He gathers Mingi up in his arms and gives them a little twirl making him giggle with glee.

"San, can you lay him on the bed? He hasn't been changed yet this morning so we have to get him out of that wet diaper." Seonghwa says.

"Sure thing hyung." He sets Mingi down and starts pulling up the hospital gown then undoes the diaper tabs. Seonghwa takes out a fresh diaper from the drawer and the rest of the items including the ointment for Mingi's rash. In the meantime, Mingi is contently sucking on his thumb. Seonghwa grabs his pacifier and asks Jongho if he can go rinse it off.

"Here you go Minnie, your paci." Jongho gently tugs Mingi's thumb out of his mouth once he comes back and slips the pacifier in. Mingi latches onto it eagerly. "I think he is hungry, hyung." He laughs at the cute sight in front of him.

Yunho puts away his DS and stands up from the floor. "I'll go ask the nurse for his bottle and see when Dr. Kwon can come check on Mingi. I'll be back."

"Thanks Yunnie," Seonghwa pats his back affectionately as he leaves. He turns back to Mingi and sees teary eyes looking at the door. The pacifier falls from Mingi's mouth onto the bed.

"Daddy go?" Mingi asks on the verge of crying. San struggles to finish wiping him down as Mingi starts wriggling around because he is upset.

"No, baby. Daddy is not going. He will be right back. He is getting your yummy milk." Seonghwa says to calm him down. Mingi perks up at that. His eyes widen at the prospect of food.

"Milky?"

"Yes, baby. Daddy is getting your milk for you." Seonghwa chuckles.

"Our Minnie deserves his milk for being such a good boy! He did so good at staying still while papa cleaned him right eomma?" San says playfully as he finishes taping up the diaper. Seonghwa nods in agreement and coos when Mingi giggles. "He also deserves some fun tickles."

Mingi lets out a shriek of laughter when San starts tickling his ribs. San frowns for a second but quickly plasters a smile right back on his face. The feel of Mingi's pronounced ribs only serves him the sad reminder of how much Mingi caused harm to himself because he couldn't trust them. San thinks back to the day of the photoshoot and remembers the copious amount of fear the boy expressed that they would laugh at him for wetting himself. This is something that he would have to talk to the others about. He's positive that the doctors will be right about Mingi fighting them at first.

"Papa no!" Mingi tries to push against San's hands and gives a little kick.

"Ah no more tickles? Okay, no more tickles from papa."

Yunho comes waltzing back into the room with a bottle of milk in hand. "I'm baaaack," he sings.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Mingi shouts excitedly when he sees Yunho. He makes grabby hands at Yunho's direction.

"I'm daddy?” Yunho asks happily while in the background they all hear Wooyoung groan. Yunho ignores him in favor of getting to Mingi who was squirming on the bed, limbs flailing. Seonghwa is there beside him to prevent him from accidentally falling off the bed. "Here Princess, daddy has your milk."

Yunho scoops him up and sits him on his lap. Mingi began sucking on the milk enthusiastically. He places his hand over Yunho's holding the bottle.

San walks over to Wooyoung who is sulking on the couch looking out of the window. "What's wrong with you?" He asks.

Wooyoung doesn't look at him but simply huffs out a breath. He hesitates for a moment but then mumbles something that San could not hear clearly.

"What was that?"

"I said that I'm sad that Mingi hasn't called me anything." Wooyoung says glumly.

"Why? He hasn't said anything about Jongho or Yeosang either." San points out.

"But what if Minnie doesn't like me?" Wooyoung finally admits what has truly been plaguing his mind. San scrunches his eyebrows in confusion.

"Mingi loves you Woo. Why do you think he doesn't?"

"Because he hasn't wanted me since he first woke up yesterday. He even pushed my face away. And while you guys were gone yesterday, he only wanted hyung to hold him." Wooyoung crosses his arms and sadly pouts. "What if that means he doesn't like me as a caregiver?"

San chuckles softly and takes one of Wooyoung's hands into his. "Mingi has only woken up recently and doesn't really seem to know what is going on around him since he is in such a young headspace. I'm sure he wasn't rejecting you when he pushed you away, but instead is simply having a hard time with his motor skills. Plus, obviously Seonghwa is his favorite, he practically has been latching on to him the whole time.”

Wooyoung hums, not fully pleased.

"Try interacting with him more, you'll see that I'm right and that he loves you even as a caregiver." San tells him.

"You're probably right." Wooyoung squeezes his hand and lets out a small sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I guess I was feeling a little left out watching you guys with him and Mingi calling you guys so sweetly."

"Don't worry about it Woo. You'll soon have a cute baby all over you." San smiles softly at him. Wooyoung beams at him, his cheeks a little flushed.

"You know, sometimes you are a little too sweet." Wooyoung points out. San smirks.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Wooyoung smirks right back at him.

"Not at all."

-

Mingi was working through his bottle so quickly that Yunho had to pull out the bottle briefly so he could slow down. They didn't want to have a sick baby on their hands.

"When is Dr. Kwon coming by?" Hongjoong sits back on the bed beside them. He looked all rumpled with his hair all messy from sleep.

"The nurse said that she will notify him. She said that it will probably be around 30 minutes before he comes by since he is still finishing checking on several patients. Oh and she will be bringing Mingi's antibiotics so we can give him his morning dose." Yunho tells him.

Seonghwa reaches over to try to comb Hongjoong's hair with his fingers to make it look decent enough. "Will you and Yeosang be going home to wash up?"

Hongjoong shakes his head. "No, we'll just wait. If Dr. Kwon is coming soon, then we will just wait to see if Mingi is given the okay to go home so we can all go home together. Are you okay with that Yeosang?" Hongjoong calls over to him.

Yeosang looks up from where he was sitting next to Jongho, tiredly leaning against his shoulder and nods. "Yeah hyung that's fine with me."

Mingi pulls away from his bottle and some milk spills out of mouth down his chin. Seonghwa pulls a rag that he had grabbed from one of the drawers near the bed. He wipes the spillage from Mingi's cheek. "Such a messy baby." He coos at him, making Mingi giggle.

"Here Minnie, finish your milk." Yunho says and brings the nipple back up to his lips. There is still a little less than a quarter left in the bottle. However, Mingi turns his face away, not wanting to drink anymore.

"No!" Mingi whines.

"No more milk?" Yunho asks him.

"Daddy no." Yunho hands the bottle to Hongjoong and sits Mingi up to burp him. After he pats his back a couple of times Mingi lets out a burp with some spit up.

"I might need to order more burp cloths for him." Seonghwa mentions as he cleans Mingi again.

There was a knock and the nurse came in. "Hello everyone, I've come to give Mingi his antibiotics, and I also brought a bottle with water for him."

Seonghwa takes the syringe from her and turns to Mingi. "Say ahh Minmin". He demonstrates by opening his mouth wide. Mingi opens his mouth not knowing the horror that's to come. As soon as the medicine hits his mouth, his face scrunches in disgust.

"Daddy!" Mingi wails and clutches onto Yunho, not liking the yucky taste in his mouth.

"You're okay baby. Eomma was just giving you medicine to make you feel better" Yunho pats his back and kisses his cheek. He reaches out to grab the bottle with water from the nurse. "Here Princess, this will help."

Mingi takes a tentative sip and hums happily when the water helps takes away the nasty taste of the medicine.

"Dr. Kwon informed me that he will be here soon. Sorry for the wait everyone." She apologizes.

"That's okay. Thank you for letting us know." San tells her.

When she leaves, Mingi starts playing with Yunho's hands again. It reminds Yunho that he still hasn't given Mingi his gift.

"Jongho, can you give me Mingi's gift?"

"Sure hyung." He stands and hands him the gift bag.

"Guess what Minnie? Look what daddy got for you because you've been such a good baby."

Mingi tilts his head in confusion. His eyes go wide when Yunho pulls out a big round yellow chick plushie out of the bag. His hands grab ahold of the toy and he squeals at the feel of the plushie. The soft material of the plushie felt so good that Mingi couldn't help rubbing his face in it.

"Appa,'' Mingi holds the chick up to Hongjoong to show him what he got.

Honjoong gasps, "Oh my gosh look how lucky you are!"

Then he holds out the toy to Seonghwa so he can also see what daddy gave him. "Wow, it's so cute just like you baby." He gives Mingi a peck on his forehead. "Give daddy a kiss to say thank you."

Mingi leans towards his daddy and gives him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Yunho's heart melts at his precious baby. He gives him a kiss in return.

Mingi starts wriggling trying to get down from Yunho's lap. Right when he takes his first step Mingi's legs give out. Luckily Yunho still had his grip on him and immediately caught him before he hit the ground.

"I got him." Yunho tells the others who all jumped up to run and catch him. "His muscles must feel weak from days of not using them. Where did you want to go Princess? Daddy will help you."

With no response, Mingi starts trying to walk to where Wooyoung and San are sitting on the couch. Yunho has an arm around his waist and is holding one of his hands while Mingi is clutching the plushie to his chest with the other. Once they were close Mingi held up the plushie to show the toy to them both.

"Oh what a nice toy daddy got for you baby!" Wooyoung exclaims, making Mingi happy that he likes his new friend.

"Nuggy,” Mingi says.

"Oh is Nuggy its name?" Wooyoung asks him.

Mingi nods then opens his mouth and bites Nuggy. He begins to chew on the plushie.

"Where is his paci?" San asks the others. Seonghwa brings it over and slips it into Mingi's mouth.

"Baba" Mingi says through his pacifier while reaching out to Wooyoung.

Wooyoung felt his heart stop for a moment, not really sure if he heard him correctly. "I'm…baba?"

"Baba!" Mingi whines and does a little stomp when Wooyoung doesn't move to hold him. That snaps Wooyoung out of his mini trance. A huge smile graces his face and leaps forward to snatch Mingi up from Yunho's grasp and places him in his lap. Wooyoung's eyes glisten as he looks at everyone.

"I'm baba." He announces proudly.

San cocks an eyebrow at him amused. "See I told you to give it time. Satisfied?"

"Extremely."

There was a knock on the door and it's Dr. Kwon. "Good morning everyone. How are we doing today?"

"We're doing just fine, thank you doctor." Seonghwa says. "It seems that Mingi woke up just tiny bit older this morning."

"I'm glad to hear that." He looks at Wooyoung. "Can you place him on the bed for me please?"

Wooyoung walks him over and tries to lay him down on the bed but Mingi clings onto him.

"N-no baba!" He whimpers, dropping the pacifier from his mouth and starts sobbing when his Baba doesn't listen. “Wan’ baba!”

"Just for a little bit. We can play afterwards with Nuggy."

"P-lay? Nu-nuggy?" Mingi sniffs as he looks at Wooyoung with those big doe eyes filled with tears. Wooyoung kisses the tip of his nose.

"Yes, we'll play with Nuggy. Be a good boy and try to stay still okay?"

"You can keep your Nuggy with you. This will be very fast and then you can play." Dr. Kwon says.

Mingi covers his face with his plushie, feeling scared of the doctor. He feels Wooyoung run his hand through his hair and relaxes a notch. Dr. Kwon begins the same routine as yesterday's checkup.

He pulls up Mingi's hospital gown to his chest and uses his stethoscope to listen to his heartbeat and breathing. Like the previous time Dr. Kwon puts minimal pressure around Mingi's abdomen area and Mingi lets out a small whine this time.

“Owie baba.” His eyes wet as he looks up at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung smooths back his hair. “Your tummy hurts, baby?”

“Owie,” Mingi repeats.

“We'll give you medicine so your tummy can get better, okay sweetie?” Dr. Kwon tells him kindly. Mingi hides his face again behind his toy when the man speaks to him.

Then the doctor proceeds to untape the diaper to check out the rash. Lastly, he checks Mingi's ears, mouth and blood pressure. Luckily this time around Mingi did not put up much of a fuss. Wooyoung just had to coax him out from hiding his face in his plushie.

"Everything seems to be going well. Did he experience anything when he was bottle fed yesterday?"

"He had diarrhea twice and he was a little bloated." Seonghwa explained.

"I did hear some rumbling in his stomach. Did he have any diarrhea from the bottle this morning?"

"So far, no." Yunho answers. "But he didn't completely finish his bottle."

"How much was left?"

"Less than a quarter of the bottle."

"That's not bad. However, if he starts to avoid eating or only drinking half his bottles consistently then you need to bring him back here. We would need to put him on the IV again so he doesn't become super malnourished again."

"We will keep an eye out for that." Hongjoong says seriously. There was no way they were going to let Mingi get back to that state.

Dr. Kwon nods and then claps his hands together. "Well good news, Mingi gets to go home today!"

Everyone cheers while Mingi looks at them all confused as to what they are doing. Wooyoung grabs his hands and claps them together, making Mingi squeal excitedly. He thought they were playing a game.

"I'm very glad to see our little guy in such a happy mood." Dr. Kwon says with genuine fondness in his voice. "You will need to fill out some paperwork to discharge him from the hospital. A nurse will come by to give you his medicine and the prescription for a refill. You can change him out of his gown as well. I would like you all to bring him in three weeks so I can do another checkup. The nurse at the desk will schedule that for you when you go to fill out the forms. Do any of you have any questions for me?"

Hongjoong looked at the others, but no one said anything. "Not at the moment. Thank you so much Dr. Kwon, and we will see you in three weeks."

He bows and everyone follows suit.

"You're welcome. See you soon." After Dr. Kwon leaves, both Hongjoong and Seonghwa announce that they will be going to the front desk to fill out the paperwork and get the appointment scheduled. Yunho follows them out and is going to call for someone to pick them up. San and Wooyoung are busy packing all their things that they had brought along with them.

Yeosang grabs the backpack that they had brought in yesterday to start changing Mingi into his clothes.

"Time to go home Minmin." Yeosang sits him up and unties the hospital gown, taking it off of him. Before Yeosang can start putting a blue sweater on Mingi, he gets a face full of plushie. "Oof!"

He can hear tiny giggles coming from Mingi. Solace floods his heart and it will continue to do so for a long time as long as Mingi is happy. Yeosang has been missing his laugh in the last couple of weeks. Mingi had been like an empty shell, not really wanting to interact with any of them despite them sticking to him constantly. Yeosang had been concerned, but torn with wanting to respect his privacy. Now he felt guilty for not stepping up sooner because it led to Mingi getting hurt to this extent. From now on, Yeosang vows to ensure Mingi is safe and taken care of.

"Mama, Nuggy!" Mingi shouts happily, he still hasn't finished showing off his new friend.

A beautiful smile graces Yeosang's face when he hears what Mingi referred to him as. It is such an honor. He swallows the lump that formed in his throat, and hugs the toy.

"Wow, Nuggy is so cute just like our Minnie!" Yeosang says and leans over to peck Mingi's cheek. Mingi's squeals and clings onto Yeosang wanting to be picked up. Nuggy is squashed between them.

Yeosang laughs at his eagerness. "Let's get you dressed and then Mama can hold you, baby."

"Did you just call yourself Mama?" Jongho asks as he joins them.

"Minnie called me Mama." Yeosang explains to him, and Jongho can tell by that little sparkle in his eyes that he's very content by this.

Mingi pulls back from hugging Yeosang and snatches Nuggy away from him only to hold it out to Jongho. "Dada, Nuggy!"

Jongho is taken aback by his words. His expression must have been unpleasant because the next thing he sees is Mingi's crestfallen face.

"N-no Nuggy, Dada?" Mingi's voice wavers and his eyes well up with tears. He's upset that his Dada doesn't like Nuggy. Yeosang discreetly elbows Jongho who snaps out of his shock.

"Uh yes! Yes, Dada loves Nuggy just like Dada loves Minnie." Jongho quickly reassures Mingi before the waterworks could start flowing. He takes Nuggy from Mingi and gives it a huge hug. He even gives an exaggerated smooch to Nuggy making Mingi giggle, clearly pleased. Yeosang huffs a tiny laugh, endeared by Jongho's playfulness. Jongho's ears flush, but quickly gets over the awkwardness he felt once he sees that Mingi is laughing, no longer on the verge of tears.

While Jongho is holding Nuggy, Yeosang takes the opportunity to slip the sweater on Mingi. "So what happened there? Oh, his diaper is wet, can you hand me a new one and the baby wipes?" Yeosang asks Jongho quietly as he makes Mingi lay back on the bed.

"Nothing. I was just really shocked to hear Mingi call me Dada." Jongho chuckles as hands him what he's asked for and also passes him Mingi's sweatpants.

"'Shocked' is an understatement, I wasn't even sure if you were breathing. Poor Mingi thought you didn't like Nuggy because of the look on your face." Yeosang teases but then asks "why were you shocked?"

Jongho moans, his hands covering his eyes. "Hyung, don't remind me, I feel bad that I almost made him cry unintentionally." Jongho then fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt. “I was surprised because I never thought Mingi would ever refer to me as a parental caregiver to him."

"Why not?" Yeosang asks curiously. He was finishing taping up the diaper.

"Well he's my hyung who has practically helped raise me since we became a group so I guess I just never thought that he would ever see me that way." Jongho hands Nuggy back to Mingi because he is whining for him. "Don't get me wrong though…I'm really happy for him to see me as a parental caregiver."

Yeosang sees the cute blush on Jongho's cheeks when he admits that. Yeosang puts a hand on his shoulder and tells him, "I'm glad for you, but honestly it is not all that surprising really."

Jongho looks at him confused. "Really?"

"Yes, Jongie. Despite Mingi helping look after you since debut, you've also been a big pillar of support for him. Not to mention you've also been taking care of him in return. Mingi has always needed help with doing things and now we know why, but even before we knew, you never hesitated to help him with anything."

Jongho was speechless for a moment. He never realized it but Yeosang is right. Then he smiles, now he will be taking care of his precious hyung. Their baby. He feels Yeosang's hand on his.

"You'll be a great dada, Jongie." He says sweetly with confidence.

Jongho intertwines their fingers and tells him, "and you'll be a great mama."

"Mama!"

Yeosang and Jongho break eye contact with each other, their faces tinged pink, and look at their precious bean smiling at them. Yeosang pulls his hand away from Jongho and hurries up and puts Mingi's sweatpants on him.

"There, all done, Minmin."

"C'mere you rascal. Time for us to go home." Jongho says while picking Mingi up and settling him on his hip."

"Eh, dada Nuggy." Mingi reaches out towards the bed where he left the stuffed toy.

Jongho smiles and grabs Nuggy. "Of course, we can't leave your friend behind."

He hands the plushie to Mingi, who hugs it to his chest. He starts walking out the door with Yeosang trailing along beside them. Mingi yawns and lays his head on Jongho's shoulder, his eyes feeling droopy.

"Someone's sleepy." Yeosang pulls Mingi's pacifier out of his backpack and slips it in his mouth.

Jongho pats Mingi's head and murmurs to him. "Go ahead and sleep, baby. We'll be home soon."

Mingi sighs and snuggles into his neck, feeling completely content in his dada's arms.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

The day after coming home from the hospital, Mingi slowly wakes up in his own bed early in the morning. Once he blinks away the bleariness from his eyes, the first thing he sees are bars right next to his face. Then small hazy memories are coming through his head.

Fuck.

They know.

Mingi sluggishly turns on his side towards the wall and curls up into a fetal position. Tears start cascading down his cheeks and the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness drowns him. Sobs rack his body. He tries to muffle his cries by stuffing his face into the blankets.

What can he do at this point? Everything that he did to try to prevent others from learning his secret was a waste. Is he out of the group now? Do the others hate him?

The thought of the others hating him makes him wail in misery. He is going to be all alone isn't he?

No, he needs to toughen up. He needs to show KQ and his group members that he's not really little, that he won't be a burden to them. Maybe then he won't be tossed away for being useless. He'll work harder.

-

Mingi is still crying and does not realize that someone has entered his room. During all his bawling, he failed to see that there was a baby monitor set at the top of the bed rail, alerting one of the members that he was awake.

Mingi yelps when someone scoops him up from the bed.

"Good morning, Minnie. You're okay, don't cry. Eomma's here baby." Seonghwa's gentle voice passes his ears when he holds him against his chest and pats his back trying to soothe Mingi. Mingi relaxes a little and hugs his hyungie. He misses his hugs, but then becomes high alert a second later. He shouldn't do this, be a burden or else he'll lose them.

Mingi wiggles so he can be put down on the ground but Seonghwa tightens his grip. "Careful baby, I don't want to drop you accidently." He says.

"Hyung, I'm not…little." Mingi tells him, his voice all rough from crying. Seonghwa quickly pulls back a little bit to look at his face. His eyes are wide with surprise and then he smiles. He hugs Mingi again so tightly to himself, surprising him.

"Oh Mingi, my precious flower, we were so worried about you!" He gives Mingi a kiss on the cheek before setting him down to the ground. Seonghwa holds Mingi's face gently between his two hands. "Why are you crying? Are you hurting somewhere, sweetpea?" He asks as he looks over his body. "Does your tummy hurt?"

Mingi shakes his head. "No I'm um…I'm just confused. I'm okay."

He wipes his tears with his hands. So much for showing them you're not little, he mentally scolds himself.

Seonghwa sighs in relief. "Okay, let's get you changed first and then we can all talk about all that has gone down these past couple of days."

He goes and grabs a rolled up mat that was leaning against Mingi's small dresser. Then he proceeds to unroll it on the floor. The mat has cute little animals decorated in a pattern all over. Mingi stood there transfixed on the object, wondering what it was for, that he didn't hear Seonghwa calling his name several times.

"Sorry, what hyung?" Mingi asks once he hears him and sees him kneeling by the mat.

"I said to come over and lay down so we can get you changed."

"Eh?" Mingi was confused. Then he notices several items beside Seonghwa. A diaper, wipes, cream, and baby powder. His brain short circuits and he splutters "Wha- I, I d-don't need to be changed! I don't even need a diaper!"

"Is your diaper not wet?" Seonghwa asks skeptically.

And that's when it hits Mingi that one, he is wearing a diaper and two, he feels an uncomfortable cold wetness in his lower half. Mingi's face turns red for not realizing it sooner.

"I'll go clean myself. I want to shower anyway." He mutters.

"I'll join you then. I was going to do that when I heard you wake up." Seonghwa goes over to his closet and picks out some clothes for him.

"Hyung, I wanna take one by myself." Mingi insists, crossing his arms. He needs to demonstrate that he can take care of himself.

Seonghwa can tell by his stance and tone that he is not going to budge on this. He recalls how Dr. Kwon had informed them littles that had been in similar circumstances would deny help even if they may want it. Maybe that's what Mingi may be doing right now? However, Seonghwa understands that Mingi may be confused right now with everything so he'd rather not have an argument with Mingi before they can talk about everything that has happened, and what they know. The thing is, he can't leave Mingi by himself if his headspace is unstable right now. What if he becomes little when he is in the midst of his shower? He decides to give Mingi two options, so he can choose for himself.

"Listen Mingi, right now your headspace might be unstable and I don't want to risk you getting hurt if you become little in the shower. So we could do this in two ways. You can shower with me, or you can shower by yourself and I can just sit there on the toilet while you finish."

"I'm unstable?" Mingi asks, confused.

"Likely yes, but we'll talk all about it after." Seonghwa responds.

Mingi huffs petulantly, arms still crossed. "I guess you can sit in, but I'm telling you now that there is no need." He pouts.

Seonghwa ignores what he said. "Come, let's go to my room then."

He gathers Mingi's clothes and they head to his and Hongjoong's room. It's all quiet as the rest of the members are still sleeping. Mingi starts undressing once they are in the bathroom. He hesitates for a moment when he is reaching to pull down his pants because he remembers how bad his rash is and feels embarrassed on letting his hyung see it. So while Seonghwa is getting his phone from the room, he takes off his sweatpants. He rips off the diaper, chucking it into the trash and hurriedly hops on the shower before his hyung returns. He takes a moment to look down and sees that his rash is looking much better, but it's still big. He sighs in relief that it's not hurting so much like before.

Mingi lets out a moan when the warm water caresses his body. Seonghwa chuckles when he comes in and sits on the closed toilet.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Uh huh." Mingi smiles.

He reaches for the shampoo and pours a good amount in his hands. When he runs his hands through his hair, a glob of shampoo runs into his eyes and it burns.

"Ouch!" He yells out.

"What's wrong Mingi?" Seonghwa asks.

"Shampoo went in my eyes." Mingi rubs his eyes but the sting becomes more painful. "Hyungie, it hurts!"

"Here, let me help baby." Seonghwa quickly whips the shower curtain open and a wet Mingi clings to him.

"Eo-eomma! O-Owie!" Mingi cries with his eyes squeezed shut. He has slipped back into his little headspace.

"It's okay, baby. Let eomma see your face." Seonghwa gently caresses his face and helps him flush his eyes with water. There are footsteps rushing towards the bathroom and then Hongjoong appears at the doorway, his hair in disarray as he just got out of bed. He hears small sobs coming from Mingi in the shower and sees Seonghwa with half his body outside of the shower.

"What's going on?" He asks worriedly.

"Mingi got some shampoo in his eyes."

"Why didn't you shower with him to help?" Hongjoong asks.

"I would've but Mingi woke up not in his little headspace and he wanted to shower by himself. So I told him I would sit in here just in case and then this happened." Seonghwa explains.

"He woke up big?" Hongjoong eyes widen in shock.

"Yeah, but it didn't last for long as you can see." Seonghwa finished flushing his eyes. Mingi finally manages to open his eyes that are now tinged pink. "My poor baby, that must have hurt alot."

With teary eyes, Mingi sniffs and nods. "S-sorry eomma. I-I try by myself."

"You don't need to say sorry, Minnie. You were doing your best and it's okay to ask for help okay baby?"

Mingi nods, still holding on to him.

"How old are you, Minnie?" Seonghwa asks him. He seems to be older than he was when he first woke up in the hospital, so he is curious as to what Mingi will answer.

Mingi holds up three fingers. "This eomma."

"Wow, my flower is growing so big! Joongie, can you believe our baby is three?" He calls out to Hongjoong.

"Wow, we have a big boy." Hongjoong says in awe. He leans against the doorway, waiting in case Seonghwa needs any help.

"Let's finish your bath Minmin."

Mingi tightens his grip on him fearfully. "No more owies?"

"No more owies, eomma will help you." Seonghwa grabs a baby washcloth, "Hongjoong, can you pour some body wash on this, I don't want to let him go in case he slips."

"Sure hyung, here you go." He pours a nice amount.

"Thank you." Seonghwa scrubs Mingi from head to toe. "Can you get the towel ready? I just need to rinse him off."

"I'm ready." Hongjoong holds open a big fluffy towel. Seonghwa helps Mingi step out of the shower and into the awaiting arms of Hongjoong, who quickly wraps him up so he wouldn't get cold. Hongjoong looks at Seonghwa and all his upper half is drenched. "Hyung, go ahead and shower since you're practically almost done. I can get him dressed."

Seonghwa nods and starts pulling off his wet long sleeve shirt. Hongjoong turns and carries Mingi into the bedroom and lays him on the bed. He can hear some of the others in the kitchen already.

"Okay Minnie, let's get you dressed so we can join everybody for breakfast."

"Hungry, appa." He puts his thumb in his mouth, and Hongjoong quickly gets to work.

Hongjoong dries him with the towel and then rubs baby lotion all over his soft skin. Mingi giggles and curls up.

“Tickles, appa.”

Hongjoong grins, “Sorry Minnie, appa will try to not tickle.”

He diapers him and lets Mingi try to put his sweater on by himself because he wants to be a big boy. Mingi whines when he gets lost inside the sweater, and Hongjoong tries to discreetly help him find his way through the neck hole. His head pops through the neck hole and Mingi's eyes turn into those adorable little crescents that Hongjoong loves seeing, as he smiles at him.

“Appa, did it!”

“Good job! You did so well Minnie.” Hongjoong praises him and helps him put his arm through the sleeves.

Mingi beams and Hongjoong finishes putting on his pants and socks. Hongjoong sets him on the floor and Mingi takes off out of the room.

"No running Mingi!" Hongjoong calls after him, but Mingi doesn't listen and continues on to his destination.

Mingi runs into Yunho who is walking out of the kitchen. Yunho was caught off guard but catches him before Mingi hits the floor after he bounces off the man.

"What the-? Mingi?" Yunho was not expecting him to be up early and certainly not running.

"Daddy!" Mingi squeals and hugs him.

"Good morning Minnie. But remember, no running inside the house." Yunho reminds him. Then he sees Hongjoong walking towards them. He can see on Hongjoong's face that he wants to say something to him. "Hey Princess, why don't you go tell mama and baba good morning? They are right there in the kitchen."

"Kay daddy." Then he toddles off into the kitchen yelling out "Mama, baba!"

Both Yunho and Hongjoong watch him leave with a look of absolute fondness. Then Yunho turns to look at Hongjoong.

"What's up? Is something wrong?"

"I just wanted to tell you to keep a watchful eye on Mingi. Seonghwa said he woke up big today a-"

"Wait, Mingi woke up big? How was he?? What did he say??" Yunho bombards him with a flurry of questions.

Unfortunately Hongjoong can only shrug his shoulders. "I don't know, Seonghwa hasn't told me much yet. I got up when I heard Mingi crying in the shower. Apparently Seonghwa said that Mingi insisted on showering by himself and then he accidently got shampoo in his eyes. He cried and slipped back into his little headspace. He wasn't big for long."

Yunho frowns and lets out a deep breath, his worry for Mingi seeping through. Hongjoong gently cups his face between his two hands. Yunho's eyes widened slightly at the affectionate touch from him, and could feel his ears get warm.

"Don't worry Yunho, we will eventually get to speak with him about everything soon." He reassures him. "I just wanted to let you all know so we can keep an extra eye on him because it really does seem like he will be moving between headspaces frequently. He said that he is three today, what a big boy huh?" Hongjoong smiles.

"He really is cute isn't he?" Surprise forgotten, a fond smile blooms on Yunho's face.

"The cutest."

-

"Papa, looky!" Mingi screeches loudly in excitement. "Looks like daddy!"

He's holding a big dog plushie with floppy ears out to San. San, Jongho, and Wooyoung took Mingi out to a littles' toy store so he could pick out some toys to play with at home. They had to mask up and put on hats so they hopefully wouldn't get recognized while shopping. They weren't sure how Mingi would react to having a lot of people coming up to him while he's little.

"Wow Minnie! It really does look like daddy huh? Cute and playful." San says to him and Mingi nods enthusiastically. He hugs the soft toy tightly to his chest.

"Get for daddy?" Mingi looks at San with his own puppy eyes filled with hope. And oh boy, San can't say no to that now can he?

"Of course baby, daddy will love your present to him."

"Yay present!" Mingi puts the plushie into the cart they had and starts clapping happily.

"Awww Minmin is such a sweet baby, always thinking of others!" Wooyoung gushes as he is walking back to them carrying a few coloring books and a big box of crayons. He places them in the shopping cart.

"Would it be okay to give him crayons? He has the tendency to put stuff in his mouth." Jongho asks. He has a big colorful ball under one arm and a soccer ball in the other.

Wooyoung snorts. "Are those for him or are those for you?"

"Both. I can take him to the park to play. Anyways the crayons?"

"It should be fine. We'll only let him use it when he is at this older headspace and with one of us watching him." San answers.

"See?" Wooyoung said smugly at Jongho who rolled his eyes. Then he glances behind Wooyoung and San, and freezes. "Uhh, guys? Mingi's not there anymore."

The other two men whirl around to find Mingi absent from where he was standing minutes ago. The three immediately split up to go find him. They call out Minnie or Minmin instead of Mingi so they wouldn't catch the public's attention. It's a big store so they wondered how far he could have wandered off.

"Minnie! Where are you?" San calls worriedly. Amidst the crowds, he hears a familiar giggle. "Minnie!" He shouts again.

This time he gets a response. "Papa! Found dada!"

San follows the voice and finds Mingi sitting by himself in a corner surrounded by different plushies. Relief washes over his body when he sees that Mingi is okay. He was hugging a big bear plushie. San walks over and lifts him off the floor and into his feet.

"Mingi, no. You do not leave by yourself, okay? You always stay with one of us." San explains with a stern voice.

Mingi's bottom lip wobbles and he bursts out in tears. He hides his face in the stuffed bear. San pulls him in for a hug. "S-sorry papa!"

"Next time stay with me okay? We'll look at the toys together." San softens his voice and he thumbs away Mingi's tears. "We don't want to lose our little Minnie."

"Found dada, papa." Mingi sniffs.

"Dada? Where?" San looks around confused, not seeing Jongho anywhere.

"Dada." Mingi shows him the big brown stuffed toy in arms. San bursts out laughing.

"Dada's a bear huh?" Mingi nods and hugs it to his chest.

"Get dada?" He asks meekly.

"Of course, bub." San finds it very adorable how Mingi is associating them with animals.

"Present?" San's heart is going to be a literal puddle after this. Mingi has always been such a considerate person and even now as a little.

"Yes baby, we can give it to him as a present." San plans on buying two bows at the register to let Mingi stick them on the toys before he gives them to them. He pulls out his cellphone to call the other two and let them know he found Mingi. "Let me call your baba and dada to tell them I found you."

He calls Wooyoung first and he answers right away. "SAN! Please tell me you found him!" Wooyoung yells into the phone, making San wince.

"Yes I found him Woo."

"Oh my gosh, he found him." Wooyoung tells someone, likely Jongho. "We'll meet you by the registers."

"See you." San hangs up and turns to Mingi. "Let's go, baby."

He takes his hand into his, not wanting to lose him a second time today.

-

"Daddy!" Mingi shouts as soon as they are back at the dorm. He's really eager to give Yunho his gift. Behind him are the other three who are struggling with bags in their arms filled with plenty of toys.

Seonghwa comes out of the kitchen to welcome them back, but his mouth instantly drops open in shock at the sight of everything they bought.

"Wha-? Why did you guys buy so much?" Seonghwa asks San, Wooyoung, and Jongho.

"You try telling him no, hyung" Jongho says, even though they are the ones who picked a lot of toys for Mingi instead.

"Our baby deserves the best hyung." Wooyoung states after him.

"That doesn't mean you should buy the whole store." Seonghwa says, exasperated.

After he sets down the bags, San wraps an arm around Seonghwa's waist and says, "Don't worry hyung, we will find a place to put everything."

"Daddy?" Mingi asks.

"Daddy is taking a shower, baby. He's almost done." Seonghwa tells him as he takes his hat and mask off him. He helps him take off his shoes.

"Did someone call for daddy?" Yunho asks as he emerges from the bathroom.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Mingi calls out and as he rushes to him. He grabs Yunho's hand and tugs him back to where the others are.

"Wow! Look at all the neat toys you got." Yunho sees all the colorful bags sitting on the floor. He looks at Mingi who sits on the floor and is rummaging through the bags. When he finds what he is looking for, he turns around and eagerly thrusts a bag towards Yunho.

"Present for daddy" Mingi says happily.

"For me?" Yunho says surprised. He pulls out a big dog plushie that looks like a golden retriever with some floppy ears. There is a big red bow placed on its head.

"Looks like daddy!" Mingi exclaims. "Papa said daddy cute like puppy."

"Did he now?" Yunho asks. He could feel his ears burning.

"Papa's right." Seonghwa agrees, making Yunho's ears turn a darker shade of pink. Yunho bends and gives Mingi a kiss on the forehead and a hug.

"Thank you princess, daddy loves it very much." He notices Mingi looking at the plushie longingly. "I need someone to take care of my puppy for me. Princess, can you take care of him for me?"

"I take care of puppy!" Mingi takes the plushie into his own arms. Then he crawls to another bag. "Dada! Present!"

"Present? For me?" Jongho asks dumbfounded. He was not expecting to get one.

"Found dada!" Mingi shoves the bag into Jongho's hands.

"You found me?" Jongho was completely lost. He opens the bag and pulls out a big brown stuffed bear with a blue bow on its head. Seonghwa awes and Yunho lets out a snort which Jongho deliberately ignores. "Thank you Minnie. I love your gift."

He leans to give him a hug and also a kiss on the cheek. Mingi giggles happily. "Will you also take care of my teddy bear?"

Mingi nods, "I take care teddy, dada."

They all look at him with adoration as he hugs both plushies to himself. "Friends with Nuggy."

"Yeah, Nuggy needs lots of friends." Wooyoung tells him as he takes a picture.

"Well let's start putting things away. Who wants to give Mingi his bottle? We need to give him his medicine and then he needs to have his nap soon." Seonghwa tells the others.

"I'll give it to him, hyung." Wooyoung says and goes to prepare the bottle. When he comes back, everyone is putting the toys away and Mingi is sitting on the floor watching them while sucking his thumb. Wooyoung calls him over. "C'mere Minmin, time for your milky baby."

Mingi stands up with his two new friends and toddles over to Wooyoung who sits on the couch. He climbs onto Wooyoung's lap and Wooyoung gets a face full of plush.

"Hey Minnie, let's put your friends right here beside us while you finish your bottle." Wooyoung gently takes the two stuffies away from Mingi's grasp, making him whine. "Don't worry baby, they are right here."

Mingi curls up in his lap, lets out a yawn and then suckles on the bottle. He grasps onto Wooyoung's shirt with one hand and Wooyoung couldn't help but coo at him. His Mingi is such a cutie. When the bottle is drained, he gets Mingi to burp. Time for his medicine now.

"Hey Yunho, can you bring me his medicine?" Wooyoung asked the young man as he was walking by. They were still working on putting away the toys.

"Yeah, be right back." He answers.

Yunho retrieves the syringe with the proper dose on hand. As soon as Mingi spots what's in his hand he starts squirming, and Wooyoung has to tighten his grip before he falls off his lap. Mingi hates the taste of the medicine so it's hard getting him to take it.

"No want it! Icky!" Mingi whines loudly, trying to get away but Wooyoung won't let him budge.

"I know it's icky Princess, but it's to help you feel better. We don't want our Minnie to get sick." Yunho says, trying to coax him into drinking it.

"No!" Mingi refuses.

"But Minnie, if you don't get better then who is gonna take care of puppy and teddy?" Wooyoung says. "And Nuggy too?"

Mingi looks at him with wide eyes as if he didn't even think of that.

"Me baba!"

"That's right, so take your medicine so you can get better to take care of them." Wooyoung brushes some strands of hair away from Mingi's face. Mingi nods, now with a determined face and opens his mouth. Yunho quickly gives him the medicine before he changes his mind.

"Icky!" Mingi yells with a disgusted look on his face. Yunho and Wooyoung chuckle at him.

"Medicine is never yummy, but it helps us get better." Yunho tells him.

"That's right." Seonghwa says as he comes back into the living room to put more things away. Now that he can, Mingi gets down from Wooyoung's lap and runs towards the bags. Before he could find the toy he wants to play with, Seonghwa tells him, "it's nap time Minnie."

Mingi whines. "No, wanna play."

"You can play after your nap."

"No, now!" Mingi yells at him. He continues ruffling through the bags.

"Mingi, don't yell at your eomma. It's nap time now." Yunho reprimands him.

"No sleepy, daddy!" Mingi says while rubbing one tired eye.

"You're tired Mingi. C'mon, let's get you to bed and we can play after." Yunho tells him as walks over to him. Mingi flops his body on the floor.

"No!"

"Mingi, if you do not get off the floor and come for your nap, you will be getting a time out." Seonghwa warns him.

"No!" He shouts again, this time kicking out a leg and hitting one of the bags of toys.

"Okay buddy, I think it's time for a time out." Yunho says as he reaches down and picks up a wriggling Mingi off the floor. He tries to squirm out of Yunho's grasp. He breaks out in sobs when he realizes that he can't and he's being taken away from the toys.

"W-wanna play da-daddy!"

"I know baby, but you can't yell at eomma like that. When we tell you it's time for your nap then it's time for your nap. You can play after your nap." Yunho places a crying Mingi in a corner in the living room. "10 minutes for your time out. Don't turn around, one of us will tell you it's over."

Mingi clings onto his arm when Yunho tries to walk away. "Daddy!" He cries.

"Only 10 minutes, Minnie." Yunho tells him calmly and gently pulls away his arm. He puts a timer on his phone for 10 minutes. Mingi continues to cry in the corner.

"Thank you Yunnie for helping." Seonghwa hugs his arm.

"No problem hyung. He's just tired and cranky. I'm used to that, believe me." Yunho laughs.

Wooyoung slinks up on his other side and links arms with him. "Who knew our Yunnie could be so daddy." He purrs and then breaks into giggles when he sees the tips of Yunho's ears turn pinkish.

Yunho scoffs and shakes him off. "I'm starting to think that if anyone should be given a time out it should be you. Maybe it'll give you time to think before you spout nonsense."

"And miss out on your cute reactions? I don't think so."

"How about you two continue helping me and the other two with putting the toys away before time out is over? Seonghwa interjects and the two men relents to helping out.

Ten minutes later, Yunho goes to tell Mingi that his time out is over. Mingi clings to him crying.

"S-sorry daddy." Mingi hiccups. His eyes puffy from all the crying

"You're forgiven Minnie. You were a good boy staying in the corner during your time out." Yunho praises his good behavior.

Mingi gives him a small watery smile and nuzzles against his shoulder. "Good boy?" He asks timidly.

"Yes, Minnie was a good boy." Yunho pats his back reassuringly. "Now let's go find eomma so you can tell him sorry and then we'll go nap okay?"

Mingi nods. "Sleepy, daddy." He rubs his tear soaked eyes.

Yunho puffs out a tiny laugh. "I know, sweet pea." After pressing a loving peck on his forehead, he carries his drowsy baby off to bed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

The whole gang is chilling in the living room. It is one of those rare days where no one has a schedule to attend to. Even Hongjoong is taking time off from working by himself on his laptop. He is sitting in his armchair reading a book. Seonghwa and Wooyoung are in the kitchen preparing something simple for lunch. Yunho, San, and Jongho are sitting on the floor playing a video game. Yeosang is lying on the couch watching the three play, with a dozing Mingi on top of him taking his nap.

They were all being quiet until San accidently let out a shout of defeat at having lost the match. The loud shout startles Mingi awake. His heart is beating rapidly and his breathing is heavy. Yeosang rubs his back trying to calm him down.

"San! You woke Mingi up! Poor baby got spooked." Yeosang nudges San's shoulder with his foot.

"I'm sorry, it just came out!" San apologizes. He crawls up to Mingi's face and caresses his cheek. "Sorry Minmin, go back to sleep baby."

"S-Sannie?" Mingi croaks out softly. He is still trying to fully wake up. Everyone else stops what they are doing when they hear him say San's name instead of calling him papa. It had been four days since Seonghwa said Mingi had woken up in his normal headspace and they were starting to get concerned.

"Yes Minnie? How are you feeling darling?" San asks as he brushes some strands of hair away from his face. Mingi closes his eyes and hums, indulging in the brief affection. He is slowly coming around, and he realizes that he is lying on top of someone.

"Are you okay Minnie?" The voice comes from the body underneath him. It's Yeosang.

"Yes Sangie, I'm just…trying to wake up." Mingi finishes with a yawn.

"Take your time Minmin." San tells him.

Mingi takes the next few minutes to try to compose himself. He's afraid. He doesn't know what the next few minutes will bring him. Does he no longer have his career? Will he be losing his family? Will they hate him for keeping this from them? But maybe….Maybe they don't know he's been hiding it. They are not yelling at him, and he's still here so that must be it. Maybe he could play it off as if he just got his true classification recently. He takes a deep shuddering breath, and slowly sits up. Yeosang sits up as well.

Seonghwa and Wooyoung come to sit with the rest of them in the living room. Mingi is feeling nervous with them all staring at him expectantly. He begins to twiddle with his fingers. It's Wooyoung who decides to take initiative and breaks the silence.

Wooyoung lunges at Mingi and pulls him into his arms, laying his chin on top of his head. "Mingi, we were so worried about you!"

The rest of them came up to him and each smothered him into a hug. Inside, Mingi can't stop the warm feeling flooding throughout his body.

Hongjoong, being the last one to hug him, kept one arm around him as settles down next to him. He rubs his back and asks him, "how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Mingi hums. “I just feel some discomfort in my belly and I guess I'm just confused. Hyungie had mentioned that I was…unstable if I remember correctly?"

"Let's start with this. What do you remember about the last few weeks?" Hongjoong questions him.

"Uh I fainted I guess. And…I have hazy memories of being…" Mingi swallows, "...a little."

"Anything else?"

"No." Mingi lies. He widens his eyes a little to appear innocent. "I'm a little now? How is that possible? Is it possible for people to change classifications later like that?"

The members look at one another. They are all thinking the same thing. Mingi is still lying.

"So you don't remember feeling off or sick at any time leading up to when you fainted?" Hongjoong asks skeptically.

"Uh well I-I was feeling a little ill prior to our fan meet. Being out in the hot sun probably made me faint." Mingi said, starting to get nervous again. He didn't realize that he was outright displaying his nervousness through his body language. Fidgeting fingers, avoiding long eye contact, and a bouncing leg.

"Why didn't you tell us that you weren't feeling good, Mingi?" Seonghwa asks the fidgeting male.

"Because we had a fan meet. I didn't want to disappoint the fans hyung."

"What about the rash you have Mingi? That's something that took awhile to spread to that extent. Why didn't you tell us about it sooner?"

"I have sensitive skin, I think it must have just been an allergic reaction to a new lotion I was trying out. I didn't say anything because I was embarrassed, hyung!" Mingi says loudly, his cheeks turning pink.

"What lotion is it? Can I see the bottle? I want to bring it in for your next appointment for a check up. We can ask the doctor to do an allergy test so he can tell us what's causing your rash." Seonghwa suggests. He is testing Mingi to see what else he will lie about.

"Uh I-I can't. I already threw the lotion away and I don't remember the name of the brand."

"So you didn't experience any little tendencies before this?" San asks. "Like at all?"

Mingi crossed his arms. "Of course not San! I was classified as a neutral remember? I don't know why my body decided to just now say otherwise." Adding more guilt to the pile inside him as he continues to lie to them.

Yunho has been clenching his fists tighter and tighter as Mingi continues to lie to them deliberately. Quite frankly, he's had enough of this charade.

"Why are you lying Mingi?" He asks with a serious tone.

"I'm not lying!" Mingi yells to them, but it was more like he was trying to convince himself instead now. He isn't fooling anyone anymore.

"Mingi, we know that you have been lying." Jongho says calmly.

"Okay fine, I was feeling sick for a while these past few weeks. Happy now?!" Mingi snaps angrily while trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"We are not talking just about that, Mingi." Yunho says. "I'm talking about the fact that you've been hiding your classification this whole time."

A loud silence surrounds them. Mingi feels his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. They are all looking at him expectantly and he is at a loss for words. So they know.

"Are you ready to tell us the truth Minnie?" Yunho takes Mingi's trembling hands into his own warm comforting hands. Hongjoong gives his waist a reassuring squeeze, and Yeosang softly strokes the nape of his neck.

Mingi looks down at their joining hands, they are blurry from the tears in his eyes. He lifts their hands up and leans his forehead against them, clamping his eyes shut tightly. He lets out a huge shuddering breath and then with a broken voice he quietly says, "I'm sorry."

He starts sobbing and is desperately chanting "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry….", over and over again like a mantra.

Those warm hands in his pull out from his grip leaving his own hands feeling cold. Mingi felt anguish rip through his heart in that second thinking that this is it, they are rejecting him. "Please don't hate me!" Mingi wails desperately.

Those warm hands that left were replaced with warm arms and he was pulled up into a comforting embrace. His face was pressed against Yunho's chest. Soon Mingi is surrounded by them all. He is gently cocooned in a gigantic hug making him feel so safe. Listening to Yunho's heartbeat calmed him down slowly, reducing him to quiet sniffles and hiccups.

"Our Mingi, our Minnie, our Minmin, our baby," Yunho says softly, "we can never hate you, love."

Mingi hesitates for a moment, but slowly cracks his puffy eyes open to look at him. He can see Yunho's earnest eyes looking right at him. "R-really?" He asks shyly, still afraid that it's not true.

Yunho leans his head and gives Mingi a little Eskimo kiss. "Yes, princess."

If it's even possible, his whole cocoon got even tighter.

"My precious flower, we can never hate you." Seonghwa says from behind him and kisses the back of his neck. "We all love you so, so, so much."

"They're both right, Minnie. Don't ever doubt that." Hongjoong says firmly but fondly. “I can never hate my little Minnie baby.”

"If you ever doubt it, I'll knock some sense into you." Jongho jokingly said, with a smile. He gives Mingi's hair a little ruffle.

Yeosang reaches through to place a hand on Mingi's cheek, turning his head to face him. "Don't worry I'll keep him in line." He thumbs away some of the tears on Mingi's face. "Love you so much, my sweet angel."

San pats his head softly. "You never have to worry about any of us ever hating you, bub. I think that's literally impossible. My heart will never accept that." He laughs lightly.

Then two hands cupped Mingi's face and it was Wooyoung. "You're such a cutie pie Minmin. I agree with San, I don't think it's possible for us to ever hate you baby. But if you ever have those thoughts in your head, I'm just gonna have to tickle them out of you."

Then he gave Mingi's stomach a little tickle, making him squeal in laughter. His laughter slowly turned into small sobs.

"Why are you crying Minnie? Did I hurt you?" Wooyoung asks worriedly. Mingi shakes his head.

"I-I'm s-sorry I'm just s-so happy. I-I was scared all of you were going to hate me if you knew the truth." Mingi says tearfully.

They all smile at him lovingly. Hongjoong takes Mingi's hand and goes to sit on the couch. He pulls Mingi onto his lap and Mingi curls up and snuggles into his warmth. He has missed this so much. He missed them. These past few months have been so lonely and dreadful because he tried so hard to alienate himself just to keep this all a secret.

Seonghwa picks up the blanket that had fallen off the couch and wraps it around them. The rest sit around the two.

"So now that you know we know, will you tell us everything now?" Hongjoong asks. "And I mean the truth this time."

Mingi nods and starts playing with one of Hongjoong's hands. "Where do I start?"

Yunho speaks up. "Why don't you start with why did you hide your classification?" He suggests.

Mingi squirms a bit in Hongjoong's lap feeling nervous. He stuffs his face into Hongjoong's neck so he wouldn't have to look at Yunho. He mumbles something that the others couldn't understand. Hongjoong taps his thigh. "None of that Mingi, you need to be honest with us."

Mingi whines and pulls his face out from his hiding spot. He shuts his eyes and blurts out, "because I couldn't tell you I was a little."

Yunho was taken aback. "Why not?"

"Because then you would have taken care of me," Mingi says.

"So…you didn't want me as a caregiver?" Yunho asks, feeling upset at the thought.

"No! Not that," Mingi immediately denies it. "Both of us had dreams of becoming idols. But we knew that there is no place for a little in the kpop industry. I knew that if I were to tell you that I was classified as a little then you would have abandoned all your dreams to stay with me and to take care of me because I had no one else. And l…I couldn't do that to you, Yunnie.”

Tears swell up in Yunho's eyes. He couldn't believe that Mingi had gone through all this for him. Guilt settles in his stomach.

Mingi continues to speak. "But I was also selfish because even if you did decide to go still, I didn't want you to leave me either. I wanted so much to pursue our dreams together and stay together." His voice was heavy with tears.

Yunho was sitting next Hongjoong and so he reaches over to pull Mingi into a big hug. His own voice thick with tears.

"Ever since I met you Mingi, my dreams always came second to you. I had suspected that you would be a little back then and I was more than eager to take care of you because you are my everything princess." He tells him and Mingi lets out a small sob. "I was upset when I found out that you lied to me all these years, but if I have to be honest, if our situations were reversed, I would have done the same thing. So I'm not upset at you baby. I'm just sad that you suffered alone all these years."

"Yunnie." Mingi chokes out and hugs Yunho.

Seonghwa hands them both a tissue and also to everyone else. They have silently been tearing up at hearing Mingi confessing his reason.

"So we know that you had bribed that person who did your classification exam. How did that happen?" Hongjoong asks him once they all manage to compose themselves.

"I was panicking after getting my results and I just blurted out my offer. I was surprised when he accepted it, but then again he didn't seem like he liked his job so I just got lucky honestly."

"Apparently you were his first customer. The detective spoke to him and he easily remembered who you were."

"Detective?" Mingi asks curiously.

"After you fainted, you were taken to a hospital. You were in really, really bad shape and when the doctor realized you were a little and not a neutral, he contacted the police because he suspected you were being abused. But after he did a full check up on your health and when the detective did further investigation, they concluded that you hid your classification. Especially after they pulled up your classification letter, that man was actually convicted for taking bribes from multiple littles to falsify their classification." Hongjoong explains.

"Oh man, oh man." Mingi panics. "Did I get you all in trouble?!"

"No, we are not in trouble. Don't worry." Hongjoong reassures him before he can get worked up over it.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Mingi asks, dreading what the answer is. "A-am I out of the group now?"

"Hold on, let me explain." Hongjoong grabs one of his clammy hands. "While you were out, we went through a whole court case for you to determine who will have custody of y-"

"Am I gonna be sent away?!" Mingi shrieks in panic.

"Mingi," Seonghwa chastises him. "Let Hongjoong finish explaining, and no you are not being sent away."

"Sorry hyung." Mingi apologizes and takes a breath to calm down his heart.

"As I was saying, there was a hearing at court to determine who will have custody of you and we all were granted that privilege. You're staying with us baby, we are officially your caregivers." Hongjoong smiles when Mingi beams at that, and pinches one of his cheeks. "As for your participation in the bribe, you were given a fine, which we paid already. The court also determined you are still able to work as an idol as long as you are able to recover and if you are given medical approval. But there are also requirements that we need to follow for your health if you want to continue having any job. And lastly, because of how much harm you caused to yourself, the court ordered that you are required to have a caregiver with you at all times…for the rest of your life."

"Wait what?" Mingi asks confusedly. "What harm?"

Seonghwa steps in to explain this part. "The doctor did an extensive check on your health. You were severely dehydrated and malnourished. You are much underweight, you have an UTI, and a big rash. Not to mention that you've been having mood swings, stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, you're having trouble with some of your motor skills, and lastly, you can't control your bladder."

Mingi is left stunned. His mouth is gaping open.

"Yeah, it's that bad. " Seonghwa tells him. "Mingi, you should know that all this happened because you suppressed your headspace for so long. Your body was starting to shut down on itself. You also need to know that Dr. Kwon isn't sure what the aftermath will be in the long term, but we'll be taking you to see him to do checkups from time to time.”

"...okay." Mingi mumbles quietly. "So have I been kicked out of the group?"

Hongjoong smiles, "You'll be glad to know that no, you are still in. KQ decided to take a chance with you, and we will see if it works out. You'll be the first little ever in kpop history."

Mingi lets out a shout of happiness. He couldn't believe it! "I'll make sure to work hard so they don't regret it!" He pumps his fist in the air.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. Remember, this is only if you can recover and be given medical approval. So you are currently on hiatus for a while until further notice." Hongjoong states. "Plus, even if you are given approval, there are requirements set in place strictly for you.

"What kind of requirements?" Mingi pouts, already not liking the sound of it.

Hongjoong brings up his hand to list them off with his fingers. "KQ can't give you a strict diet, you can't be overworked, you can't be forced out of your headspace, and you need to have at least 10 hours of sleep each day."

"What?!" Mingi screeches. "10 hours a day?? You guys can't be serious right? Sometimes we barely even sleep three or four. How are we supposed to keep up with the crazy schedule we have if I have to sleep that much?"

"That's for us to deal with, not you." Hongjoong tells him.

"That's stupid." Mingi grumbles unhappily. He can't let that hinder the group's success.

"Think as you may, but you're going to be getting those 10 hours." Hongjoong says firmly. Mingi pouts, but doesn't say anything knowing it's a lost cause to argue with them right now. He decides to just cuddle with his hyung for the time being.

Then Hongjoong turns to look at Seonghwa and Wooyoung, "is lunch ready?"

Wooyoung nods. "Yup all done! Let's eat."

Jongho goes to bring the table to set it up in the living room while Wooyoung, Seonghwa and Yeosang go to the kitchen to get the food. Mingi gets up from Hongjoong's lap and starts heading for his room.

"Where are you going?" Yunho asks him when he passes by him.

"Gonna change."

"Change?"

"Yeah. I'm not little so I'm going to put on some underwear. " Mingi tells him and continues on his way.

"Uh sorry no can do. You need to keep the diaper on." Yunho says.

Mingi raises an eyebrow. "No I don't, I'm big. I don't need it."

"Mingi, you've done some damage to your bladder, you need to have a diaper on. We don't know if you can hold it, and the doctor doesn't want you to force holding it in and hurt yourself more just in case." Yunho explains, and Mingi balks at him.

"That's ridiculous. Of course I can hold it." Mingi turns to Hongjoong who is looking at his phone. "Joongie hyung, Yunnie is saying I have to keep the diaper on, but I don't, right?"

"He's right Minnie. You have to keep it on."

"But I don't need a diaper now, hyungie." He whines.

"Diaper? Do you need a change, sweetpea?" Seonghwa asks as he comes from the kitchen.

"No! I said I don't need a diaper!" Mingi is getting annoyed.

"Lower your voice Mingi." Seonghwa scolds him. "You need to keep it on.”

"Just watch, I'll prove to you that I don't need it."

"We'll see then." Seonghwa sighs. The fight has begun already

Mingi grumbles under his breath and goes to sit at the table scowling. Yeosang calls out to him.

"Hey Minmin, do you want your milk in a bottle or in a sippy cup?"

"Milk? I don't want milk Sangie. And if I did, I would want it in a regular cup."

"Sorry Minmin, I forgot to tell you about your diet for right now. The dietician said that you need to drink those bottles of specialized milk four times a day." Seonghwa explains to Mingi. "You can have something light as well. So like some jello, slices of banana, bits of cereal, and soup broth."

"Whhyyy?" Mingi whines. He slams his head down on the table.

"You weren't eating much before because you had a lot of stomach aches, remember? Doctor wants to try to reintroduce you to food because she doesn't want you to overwhelm yourself and get sick. Littles' stomachs are sensitive."

"This is dumb!" Mingi growls out. "I don't want milk!"

"It's not that bad Mingi. You like it. Plus, it's only for two more weeks and we'll be seeing your dietician again." Yeosang tries to placate him, seeing as he was getting worked up.

"I said no!" Mingi smacks the container out of Yeosang's hand, leaving him stunned. Seonghwa pulls Mingi up and gives two swats on his behind, making him whimper.

"You don't rudely smack things like that out of people's hands, Mingi." Seonghwa scolds him and then pulls him to a corner. "Time out for 10 minutes."

"I-I don't need a time out hyung!" Mingi says, angrily tearing up.

"What you need is time to cool off. Stay here for 10 minutes, I'll let you know when time is up. Don't turn around." Seonghwa leaves him there fuming.

The sounds of utensils clanking against plates and chit chat fills the room. Mingi stands there with his arms crossed silently cursing in his head. He is also feeling embarrassed at being put in time out like a kid. He blinks, now that he thinks about it, why is he even listening and standing there?

Mingi turns around and starts walking. "I'm going to my room." He mutters past them.

"Mingi, get back where you were. This is your last warning, you'll be spanked if you don't." Seonghwa warns him.

Mingi huffs and rolls his eyes, not even stopping for one second. Seonghwa gets up and leaves to follow him. Yunho and San stand up to help, but Hongjoong shakes his head at them.

"Seonghwa needs to show him that he's not a pushover. Remember, you are all his caregivers now. He is going to be testing boundaries. If he does it to any of you, just remember to be firm about it." He explains to all of them and they all nod in understanding. "The next few weeks are going to be hard as we try to help Mingi adjust to all of this."

-

Seonghwa stops the door from being shut in his face with his hand. Mingi tries to push the door closed shut, but he can't compete with a caregiver's strength.

"No fair hyung! You're stronger than me!" Mingi yells through the door. All the bravado starts seeping out of him as Seonghwa carefully moves the door back inch by inch. "Uh h-hyung? I-I was just kidding." He nervously chuckles.

He squeals in fright when Seonghwa manages to slip inside and wraps an arm around his waist before he can run away. Seonghwa closes the door behind them. He goes to sit on the bed, and pulls Mingi on top of his lap.

"What have we said about shutting the door on our faces?" Seonghwa asks sternly.

"Uh th-that i-it's rude and I-I could hurt someone including m-myself." Mingi starts blubbering, feeling defeated when he can't budge.

"That's right. You're getting two extra spanks for that. We've been over this before, Mingi."

Mingi begins crying. "I'm sorry hyungie."

Seonghwa hugs Mingi to his chest. "Before we do that, would you like to tell me what had made you upset earlier, Minnie?"

"I didn't want milk hyungie." Mingi feels embarrassed now that he thinks about it.

"We explained to you why you need to drink it, Mingi. You are very thin, and you've been having alot of stomach aches. This is temporary until we can start giving you more food and you won't feel sick. We just want you to be healthy and feel better." Seonghwa gently caresses his head. "But even if you are upset, that does not mean you can be rude to us or others. You especially can't smack things out of people's hands when we are only trying to help."

Mingi sobs and hugs Seonghwa desperately. "I-I know I'm sorry hyungie. Didn't mean to be mean. I just f-feel so…". His voice trails off trying to think.

"Overwhelmed?" Seonghwa suggests.

Mingi nods, "yeah. I don't know why I got so mad all of a sudden, hyungie."

Seonghwa cradles him and gently rocks him a little. "We understand. The doctor explained that you are going to be experiencing mood swings more frequently for a while and also going to be changing headspaces frequently. He said it will take some time for it to stabilize."

"R-really?" Mingi asks surprised.

"Yes, but don't think that we will excuse the bad behavior." Seonghwa tells him. "We will be giving you time outs to give you a chance to calm down and to think. If not, then you should expect to get spanked."

Mingi whines at that.

"I understand that it's a lot that you are going through and that you learned a lot today. But just remember that we are all here for you because we love you." He gives Mingi a peck on the cheek.

"Love hyungie." Mingi sniffles and snuggles into him.

"My sweet baby." Seonghwa then maneuvers him to lay on his lap "I'll be giving you 12 spanks."

"Okay." Mingi sobs out.

Twelve spanks later, Seonghwa cradles Mingi in his arms again as Mingi cries and seeks for comfort from him. He calms down 15 minutes later, and tells Seonghwa that his head hurts.

"It's from crying so much today. Don't worry, once we are out of the room, you are going to apologize to Sangie. Then you are going to drink your milk and I'll give you some pain medicine for your headache."

Mingi sniffles and nods. They were halfway to the door when Mingi suddenly stopped. He starts shedding tears again, making Seonghwa worry.

"What's wrong, flower?"

"I-I wet myself! And I d-didn't even know when." Mingi sobs, feeling mortified.

"It's okay sweet pea. Let's go to the bathroom so you can clean yourself up and I'll be there in case you need my help." Seonghwa offers. He gathers all the materials needed and brings the mat just in case.

Mingi whines when he is trying to take off his soiled diaper, but he is struggling with his fingers. When he gets it off he chucks it into the trash, but when he tries to pull a wet wipe from the packet, he lets out a frustrated huff. He looks at Seonghwa who has been standing there patiently, with teary eyes.

"C-can you help me hyungie?" He asks meekly, his ears turning pink.

"Yes Minnie, do you want me to pull out the wipe for you?" Seonghwa patiently waits for Mingi to answer. He can see how Mingi is struggling internally to ask for his assistance. Mingi needs to learn that it is okay to ask for help. He also wants him to know that being a little is nothing to be ashamed of.

"Yeah….and with everything else." Mingi shyly admits. He feels bad that he can't do this himself and that he has to have hyung help him when he shouldn't have to. When he's big.

"Of course baby." Seonghwa gives a comforting smile. He unrolls the diaper mat and pats it for Mingi to come lie down. The whole time he was diapering him, Mingi was covering his face with his arms. He can hear little sniffles coming from him and it breaks his heart. "There, are all done, sweetpea."

When he sits up, Mingi's cheeks are all red, and eyes all watery. "Sorry hyungie." He says quietly.

"No need to say sorry Minnie, you can always ask me or any one of us, for help with anything and anytime."

Seonghwa embraces him lightly. Deep down he knows it is going to be a long road for Mingi, but he and the rest of their family will be there for him every step of the way. Always.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

All the members know that these next few days are going to be hard, based on Mingi's outburst from yesterday. Luckily enough, Mingi fell asleep early on his own so they did not have to go through the whole ordeal of telling him that he is getting a bedtime just yet. That will fall on Seonghwa. Seonghwa decided it would be best if he stays home with Mingi for the first few days. The others agreed since Seonghwa is Mingi's favorite hyungie, and figured he will be able to help start getting him adjusted to this new change.

-

Mingi yawns and stretches his arms as he wakes up. He tiredly looked around confused as he was pretty sure he had fallen asleep on the couch last night. He sits up and glances at the bed rail wondering how to lower it. There is a latch to unhook and a knob to turn. The problem is, he can't undo it himself. Mingi scowls, wondering what is the point of it in the first place.

He decides to just climb over it. It's a good thing he has long legs as he easily plants one foot on the ground. However, when Mingi swings his other leg over, his pant leg gets caught in one of the screws. He tries to wiggle his leg to get his pant leg unstuck, but he ends up losing his balance and slips and falls. On the way down, the bottom of Mingi's jaw slams against the rail.

For a second, Mingi lays on the floor stunned, and the next, he starts wailing. Not a minute later, the door to the room opens wide and Seonghwa comes rushing in. He panics when he sees Mingi on the floor crying. He hurries and picks him up.

“Baby are you hurt? Did you fall out of the bed?” Seonghwa tries not to sound too frantic so as not to scare Mingi even more, but inside his heart is pounding like crazy. He wasn't expecting to find Mingi on the floor first thing in the morning.

Mingi doesn't answer, and continues to cry hard. Seonghwa speculates that Mingi is little right now if he didn't answer. He inspects his body carefully. For a moment, he thinks that Mingi is probably just spooked because he doesn't find any injuries, but then he notices a big red spot under his chin. That's going to be a bruise for sure. Seonghwa continues to hold Mingi and bounces him as he paces around the room. After a couple minutes, he finally speaks.

“H-hurts, hyungie.” Mingi sobs into Seonghwa's now drenched neck.

“My poor flower,” Seonghwa pats his back. “We'll put some ice on that. Do you want to tell me what happened, sweetpea?”

“I wo-woke up and I was trying to get down and then my pants got stuck and I-I then I fell and hit my chin on that.” Mingi points at the railing.

“You should have called for me so I can help you down.” Seonghwa says. “I can also show you how to lower the rail.”

He stands up to demonstrate how to lower it. Mingi tries to do it, but his fingers feel a little clumsy. He lets out a frustrated huff.

“I can't.”

“That's okay flower, we'll try it again later.”

Seonghwa goes to pull out the diaper mat and the supplies needed. He gestures for Mingi to lay on the mat. Mingi blushes and shakes his head.

“Don't need it.” Mingi lies. He's wet but he's too embarrassed to admit that.

“Minmin, I know that you're wet, baby.” Seonghwa's eyes soften as he looks at Mingi's face turn redder. He had felt the diaper when he was comforting him. “You need a change. Would you like me to help you?”

Mingi immediately shakes his head. “I-I can do it.”

He pauses. When Seonghwa doesn't move, he adds “by myself.” To give his hyung a hint to leave.

“Are you sure? Are you okay with your fingers now?” Seonghwa was skeptical because he just said that he was having trouble.

“Yes, hyung!” Mingi snaps a little and crosses his arms.

Seonghwa is taken aback again by the sudden change in mood. He was going to offer to stay just in case like last time again, but decided not to. He'll let Mingi try by himself since he said his fingers are not troubling him at the moment.

“Okay, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

Mingi watches him leave, and gets up to shut his door. He leans back against it and groans. Why did he cry like that? This whole plan of showing that he is not a baby is not going well. Although, his hyung's hug was very nice…Mingi shakes his head, no he shouldn't want his hyung to hug him after getting hurt. He should take care of himself, like everyone else.

He looks at the pile on the floor, thinking of how to begin. It can't be too hard right? Yesterday was a different story, today he will do it. He'll make sure.

Twenty minutes later it's proving to be difficult. Mingi struggles with the cream and the powder, creating a mess on the floor. His hyung will definitely not be happy about that. He finally manages to tape up his diaper, but he doesn't really like how it feels. At least he did it, Mingi thinks to himself. He picks everything up and chucks the dirty diaper into the trash. He tries to brush away most of the powder on the floor with his hand, hoping it wouldn't be too noticeable.

Mingi walks to the bathroom to wash his hands, brush his teeth and then heads to the kitchen. Seonghwa is adding some powder into a sippy cup and then starts to shake it to mix it in the milk. He turns to look at him when he hears him come closer.

“Oh I was about to come check on you. Everything good, Minmin?”

“Yup. Is everyone gone?” Mingi takes the cup from him.

“Yes, they all had a schedule today. Do you want something else to eat with your milk?”

Mingi shakes his head. “Not really hungry, hyungie.”

Seonghwa frowns slightly. His eyes roam over Mingi's thin body and has a feeling it might take a while to get his weight up if he continues to not eat sufficiently. It might be because he still doesn't feel well enough right now, but he hopes overtime Mingi will gain a healthy appetite.

Mingi goes to the couch to watch some TV while he drinks his milk. Seonghwa brings him an ice pack to nurse his wound. The cold bites into his tender flesh, making Mingi hiss.

“Is it really cold? Do you want me to bring another hand towel to wrap around it?”

“No, it's fine hyungie.” Mingi tells him.

“Okay, I am going to be doing the dishes. Let me know if you need anything.”

Mingi is left by himself to watch TV. He finishes his milk and winces when he accidently puts more pressure onto his wound. He thinks back to that stupid bed rail and questions why they even bothered to install it. There is no need for it. Mingi decides that he is going to take it down.

He stands and goes to give Seonghwa his empty cup. He heads straight to the hallway closet to search for the small toolbox that they have. The tools clink against each other as he hauls the box to his room. Mingi settles on the floor and inspects the rail. He opens the tool bag and gets to work.

-

Seonghwa is still washing the dishes when he hears some clanging noises. He pauses and turns off the faucet to listen but hears nothing. At first he thought he must just be imagining things, but a second later he heard the clanging noises again. He dries his hands with a towel, and walks to the living room to find Mingi not there any more.

He walks down the hallway and hears noises coming from Mingi's room. He peeks inside just in time to see Mingi put down a screwdriver and then lifts a hammer, ready to strike down at the bed rail.

“Mingi!” He shouts, startling Mingi who ends up dropping the hammer onto the floor with a thump. To Seonghwa's relief, the hammer didn't land on Mingi's fingers that were mere inches away. “What are you doing?!”

“Hyungie, you scared me!” Mingi turns back to reclaim the hammer in his hand. “I'm just trying to take this off.” He gestures to the rail.

Seonghwa walks up and snatches the hammer before Mingi swings it. “Absolutely not!”

“I don't like it, I want it off.” Mingi argues and then tries to reach for the hammer only for Seonghwa to move it out of his reach. “Hyungie, give it back!”

“We need to keep that on Minnie. We don't want you to accidentally roll off the bed and get hurt when you sleep in it.” Seonghwa explains.

“Yeah well I didn't roll off the bed and I still got hurt by that stupid thing!” Mingi points at the object of his ire.

“It's staying.” Seonghwa states firmly. “Next time, ask for help if you need help getting down. And why were you even using a hammer?”

Mingi scowls, crosses his arms, and mumbles “‘cause I couldn't use the screwdriver.”

Seonghwa packs up the toolbox, and that is when he notices the mess on the carpet from baby powder. He opens his mouth to say something, but stops. He didn't think it would be good to accidentally make Mingi feel discouraged about his diaper change abilities.

“How about we go watch a movie?” Seonghwa suggests, maybe he could use some quiet time to relax. Mingi perks up and nods, rail forgotten. He scrambles up from the floor and runs out of the room. Seonghwa chuckles at his eagerness, he didn't have the heart to scold him right now for running inside.

They both lay on the couch. Mingi rests on Seonghwa's chest, allowing himself this brief moment of cuddles. Seonghwa smiles to himself when he feels Mingi's body relax, and pets his hair.

It's right in the middle of the movie that that peaceful tranquility is disrupted. Seonghwa was highly focused on the film when he suddenly felt something wet on his body. He glances down and notices Mingi's diaper is leaking. Mingi is so entranced by the movie that he hasn't noticed it himself, and unfortunately he has to break the news to him.

“Hey flower,” Seonghwa tries to get his attention, “let's take a quick trip to your room.”

“Hm?” Mingi was still looking at the screen.

Seonghwa slowly sits them up, and Mingi finally looks away from the screen with a confused look on his face. Before he can ask Seonghwa why he is getting up, his eyes widen and he looks down to see a wet patch on his pants. His face reddens like a cherry when he notices that there is a small patch on his hyung's pants as well and he breaks out in tears.

“Hey, hey, it's okay baby.” Seonghwa cups his wet cheeks and presses a loving peck. “It's just a small little leak.”

“S-sorry, hyungie! D-didn't mean it, I swear!” Mingi weeps. He couldn't believe he got some pee on his hyung!

“It's all right. It was just an accident.” Seonghwa pauses the movie then picks him up and walks to the room to get him changed. He pulls out the mat then sets him on the floor. He grabs a new pair of sweatpants from the closet and gathers the rest of the supplies.

“I-I c-can't right now h-hyungie.” Mingi hiccups through his tears, making Seonghwa's heart hurt from seeing him so upset.

“That's okay, flower. Remember, you can always ask hyungie for help at any time.” Seonghwa reassures him and starts pulling his sweatpants off. “You can tell me when you need a change, or if you are having a hard time doing something.”

When Seonghwa reaches for the diaper tabs, he notices how loose the diaper is. That would explain the reason for the leak. He undos the tabs and… it's a mess of baby powder and cream. Well that also explains the mess on the carpet. He's going to have to insist on helping him from now on.

“It looks like the diaper was a bit loose so that's why there was a bit of a leak, and you put a lot of baby powder and cream.” Seonghwa explains to him.

“D-didn't feel good when I did it.” Mingi cries. “C-can't do it.”

“Minnie, you could've told me that it didn't feel good.” Seonghwa frowns. He's upset with himself for not realizing Mingi was uncomfortable this whole time. “Hyungie can still help you if you want to do it by yourself. Just like last time, I can stay with you to help. Okay?”

Mingi sniffs, “okay. Not mad, hyungie?”

“Of course not, baby.”

Seonghwa cleans him up and has him in a fresh diaper and sweatpants in no time. Seonghwa goes to change his pants, and Mingi heads back to the couch with Nuggy in his arms. He sinks his face into the plushie, still feeling mortified. So much for not wanting to burden the others. While waiting for Seonghwa to come back to finish the movie, Mingi ends up dozing off.

Seonghwa comes into the living room to find him curled in an awkward angle on the couch with his butt in the air sleeping with half his face stuffed into the toy. He giggles at the cute sight. It was perfect timing, he was going to inform him of his nap time so hopefully since he is sleepy, he won't get too upset. Seonghwa gently rubs his back trying to wake him up. Mingi barely cracks his eyes open, confused.

“Hey flower, let's go put you down for nap time.” Seonghwa whispers to him. Mingi mumbles tiredly and Seonghwa lifts him into his arms.

It's when they're halfway there that Mingi realizes that Seonghwa said nap time. He pushes against his hyung's shoulders to get down, fully awake now.

“Hyung, I don't need a nap time.” Mingi declares.

“There is nothing wrong with having a naptime, Minnie.”

“But I don't need it.”

“Mingi you were sleeping right now. You're tired, flower.” Seonghwa tries to coax him to admit it.

“No I'm not!” Mingi denies stubbornly.

He suddenly turns to his room and slams the door shut at his hyung's face just like yesterday. He sits against the door and lets out a big shuddering breath. He knows he'll get in trouble again, but he couldn't help it. Everything is just so damn frustrating. It feels like his emotions are just swirling around and around inside his head like a tornado, out of his control.

“Minnie? Baby?” Seonghwa knocks on the door, and it is his soft voice that cracks Mingi. Tears began to flow again and he didn't want to seem too needy, but he really really wanted his hyung right now.

“H-hyungie.” Mingi sobs out to him.

Seonghwa gently pushes the door, and Mingi moves away, letting the man in. He holds out his hands and Seonghwa doesn't hesitate in taking him into his arms. Seonghwa sits on Mingi's bed with him in his lap, and rocks him while patting his back.

“My precious flower, you're having a hard time aren't you?”

“S-sorry hyungie!” Mingi cries.

“It's okay to cry, let it all out.” Seonghwa tells him.

It takes a while and Seonghwa patiently waits for Mingi's cries to die down. He cuddles him through it all and pressed many kisses to his face. Seonghwa grabs several tissues from the box and helps Mingi blow his nose.

“How are you feeling, baby?”

“T-tired.” Mingi admits quietly, sagging against his hyung. He is feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Not to mention that his stomach doesn't feel too good.

“I know, sweetpea. You need your nap.” Seonghwa reminds him.

Mingi whines and rubs an eye with his fist. “But hyungie I'm not little.”

“Minnie, you don't need to be little to take naps. Like I said before, there is nothing wrong with that. We all pretty much take naps frequently with how little sleep we get.”

“Don't like it though.” Mingi grumbles.

“I know, but you need to get plenty of rest so you can remain healthy, especially if you get approved to get back on stage with us. If that means having nap time then you will have a nap time.” Seonghwa pauses, then adds, “and a bedtime too.”

“What?! Hyung, come on!” Mingi shouts. This is absurd, he's getting a bedtime too?? “You can't be serious?”

“I'm very serious.” Seonghwa tells him and presses a loving peck on his forehead before standing up. “And I don't wanna hear any complaints about it.”

He walks Mingi to a corner in his room. “Here, 15 minutes in the corner for slamming the door shut like that again. Consider yourself lucky that I'm not going to give you a spanking this time. After your time out, we can take a nap together.”

Mingi wants to argue about it but decides to figure it out later how he'll weasel his way out of nap times and bedtimes. So he simply grunts and stays in the designated corner. Not even six minutes pass by and Mingi starts getting antsy staying in one spot. He turns back to the older man.

“Not time yet?”

“Not yet, baby.”

Mingi hums disappointedly and turns back to face the wall. He shuffles his feet. He's decided that corner time sucks. After a couple minutes, Mingi swears that it's been longer than 15 minutes. He turns around again.

“Now?”

“Not yet Minmin. No more turning around, hyungie will let you know when time is up.”

Mingi pouts unhappily, but listens to him and turns around. As he stares off into space, his thumb makes its way to his mouth.

Seonghwa glances up from reading an article on his phone when he hears shuffling noises. Mingi wobbly squats down to the floor.

“Mingi,” Seonghwa chastises him, “it's not time yet. This is the last time I'll tell you to turn around.“

Without acknowledging him, Mingi simply sits his butt on the floor. Seonghwa opens his mouth, but when Mingi looks up at him with tear filled eyes does it occur to him that Mingi is little again.

“Ah!” Mingi whines, and Seonghwa hurries to get to him before he starts crying, knowing he must be so tired. He goes to swoop him up into his arms and blows raspberries into his neck making Mingi let out a wet giggle. He pulls back the blankets, and climbs in with him.

Seonghwa picks up the pacifier from the bedside table and gives it to Mingi who latches onto it. Mingi cuddles into his chest letting out small little sniffles with one hand gripping his sweater. Seonghwa pats his back and it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep.

-

“No, we don't touch that Minnie.” Seonghwa says to Mingi who is still very little after his nap. He has been crawling around the living room grabbing anything he can get his hands on despite his toys being right there. Right now he was going for the cords from the TV connecting to the electrical outlet. Seonghwa moves him away from those only for Mingi to start crawling towards his next destination to explore, the kitchen. Once again ingoring his toys.

Seonghwa was glad that they had taken the time to thoroughly go through the whole dorm and baby proof the place. Mingi likes to get his hands on everything. Just three days ago, he had gotten his hands on a sack of rice, and soon after the floor gained a new layer on its tiles. The good thing is they stopped him from putting a handful of uncooked rice into his mouth. So now they have special locks on their cabinet doors. They've also put corner guards around the house, outlet covers, and door knob covers.

He follows Mingi to the kitchen, and he decides to make him his next bottle while Mingi scours the kitchen. Little thumps can be heard as Mingi attempts to open the cabinet doors accompanied with small whines. He gives up and crawls to Seonghwa. He sits next to him and hugs one of Seonghwa's legs, tugging his pants.

“Hold on baby, eomma's just getting your milk and then I'll hold you, sweetpea.”

He puts the bottle in the bottle warmer, and then picks Mingi up from the floor, setting him on his hip. Mingi eyes the bottle, and whines while making grabby hands for it. Seonghwa chuckles and grabs the bottle once it's done, walking back to the couch. He gives Mingi his bottle.

Everything is peaceful with Seonghwa watching television as he feeds Mingi. Mingi is enjoying his bottle until the fuzzy feeling in his head begins to dissipate. He pulls his mouth away from the bottle and kicks his legs, trying to get up from his hyung's lap. Seonghwa, who doesn't know yet that Mingi is big again, helps him sit up thinking that maybe he needs to burp. Before Mingi gets a chance to say anything, Seonghwa pats his back and he lets out a small burp. While it did make his stomach feel better, Mingi's face turns pink at how easy his hyung got him to do that.

“That's better now huh sweetpea?” Seonghwa smiles. He starts leaning him back again, bringing the bottle up to his mouth. “Here, finish your milk baby.”

Mingi squirms and turns his head away. He holds his hands up in front to stop the bottle from coming closer. “H-hyungie I'm big.” Mingi says shyly.

“Sorry flower, I didn't realize that.” Seonghwa smiles down at him. He sits him back up, still keeping him in his lap. He holds the bottle up to him for him to take. “Here, finish drinking this, and I'll give you your next dose of medicine.”

Mingi takes the bottle, and then stands up. There's no way he is drinking from a bottle.

“Where are you going Minnie?”

“Gonna get a cup.”

“I can go and pour it for you.” Seonghwa reaches for the bottle and Mingi pulls it away.

“No, that's okay. I can do it, hyungie.”

“Okay, but make sure to use a sippy cup.” Seonghwa reminds him, to which Mingi rolls his eyes. Seonghwa's eyes narrow in warning, “Mingi.”

He does not appreciate the attitude.

Mingi rushes to the kitchen before he can get himself into more trouble. He finds a cupboard filled with plenty of sippy cups and bottles. Immediately, his eyes are drawn to a set of sippy cups. One had cute little chickies patterned all around with a pastel yellow lid and another cute turtles all over with a pastel green lid. Each had their own matching bottle. He bites his lip and clenches his fist to keep himself from reaching out for one of them. Instead Mingi picks a plain sippy cup, so he doesn't seem too childish.

He opens the lid of both the bottle and the sippy cup. He is in the middle of pouring his milk when his hands decide to be clumsy and let the bottle slip through his fingers. The bottle crashes to the floor, spilling out the rest of the milk, and making a mess on the kitchen floor. His socks instantly get soaked. Mingi huffs in frustration and Seonghwa walks in after hearing the loud noise. He looks down and it doesn't take much to figure out what happened.

“I swear it was an accident, hyungie!” Mingi waves his hands around worriedly hoping he won't get mad for the mess.

“I know sweetpea, it's alright.” Seonghwa reassures him gently. “Wait right there, don't move, Minmin. I'm going to bring the mop and a new pair of socks for you.”

Seonghwa comes back with socks in his pocket, holding the mop in one hand and a pack of baby wipes in the other. To his relief, Mingi listened and stayed in place. The last thing he wanted was for Mingi to accidentally slip and get another bruise to add to the other one he already has. He sets the objects aside and reaches for him. He sits him on the kitchen counter. He grabs the baby wipes and pulls out the socks from his pocket.

“Hyungie, I-I can clean myself and the floor.” Mingi offers. The others aren't obligated to clean up after him, and they shouldn't.

“It's fine, Minnie. Hyungie can do it.” Seonghwa pulls the wet socks off and then runs a wipe over Mingi's feet, wiping off the milk. Seonghwa slips on the new socks on him and then quickly gets to work on mopping up the floor. Once he's done, Seonghwa goes to pull out a new bottle of milk formula.

“Hyungie, I don't want more milk. Can I just have a banana instead?”

Seonghwa frowns, he hadn't even drunk half of the bottle before it had fallen. “Flower, you need to have more milk, especially since you have to take your medicine. Is your tummy upset sweetpea?”

Mingi shakes his head.

“Are you not hungry?”

Again, Mingi shakes his head and bites his bottom lip, his hands wringing in his lap. What if he just makes a mess again?

“Banana?” He asks again, hoping his hyung will just give him one. There's no way he can make a mess out of that.

“Minnie. I'll give you some bananas, but only after you drink some more milk first.” Seonghwa looks at him to see if he understands, but Mingi turns away.

Minutes go by with Mingi sitting there, and Seonghwa patiently continues to stand in front of him. The only sound that could be heard is from the television in the living room. Mingi starts fidgeting more. The awkward silence gets too much for Mingi. His face crumples while making a quiet, keening noise in the back of his throat, and holds out his hands to his hyung.

Seonghwa brings him in for a hug and kisses his temple, softly petting his hair. “Do you wanna be honest with hyungie? Why don't you want milk?”

“Don’t want to make more messes for hyungie.” Mingi croaks into his neck.

“My sweet baby.” Seonghwa hugs him tight and rocks them side to side. “This was an accident, okay? I will not get upset for any messes you make by accident. I know you will have a hard time doing many things on your own because of your fine motor skills. I am well aware that messes will be inevitable, but I don't mind one bit on helping to clean or fix them. Okay, Minnie?”

“I can help too.” Mingi mumbles quietly into his shoulder.

“I know you'll help us when you can, baby. But don't force yourself when you can't.”

“‘Kay, hyung.” Mingi pouts, still not liking it.

Seonghwa pulls away, and looks into his eyes. “Will you drink your milk now?

Mingi nods, and Seonghwa kisses his nose.

“Do you want to keep me company here while I prep stuff for dinner?”

Mingi shyly smiles and nods. Seonghwa goes and prepares a new sippy cup of milk. He gives Mingi a banana to eat after. He tells Mingi that he will be making a stew for them tonight so Mingi could have some broth. They chit chat about many different topics as Mingi enjoys his meal and watches his hyung move around the kitchen. He hums peacefully while still sitting on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth.

Mingi's happy mood fills with dread when he feels his diaper become wet again. He doesn't want to tell his hyung so he ignores it and continues to eat his banana. Later, it is becoming difficult to ignore because it starts to feel really itchy. Mingi squirms from where he is sitting, and stops when Seonghwa looks his way. However, Seonghwa catches him one time.

“Do you wanna get down, Minnie?”

Mingi tells him no. However, he soon reaches the point where he can't stand it anymore. It's super uncomfortable.

“H-hyungie?” He stutters.

“Yes, flower?”

“I-I'm wet.” He says it so quietly that Seonghwa almost didn't hear him. He washes his hands in the sink before going to him.

“Thank you for telling me.” Seonghwa praises and helps him down from the counter. “Let's go get you changed.”

Once Seonghwa has him laying down, he undoes the diaper and sucks in a breath. The rash looks highly red and irritated, clearly indicating that Mingi has been sitting in a wet diaper for a while. Mingi is hiding behind his hands.

“Mingi, you need to tell me sooner. I'm sure it must feel very uncomfortable, sweetpea.” Seonghwa says, but Mingi remains silent, not wanting to speak. Seonghwa internally sighs, and continues changing him.

This is going to take time.

-

“Mingi!”

The other members just arrived home, and were greeted by Seonghwa in the living room calling out for Mingi as they entered through the door.

“Hi hyung! What's going on?” Wooyoung asks. He bounds up to him to hug him.

“Welcome home.” He smiles at them all warmly as he hugs Wooyoung back, but then frowns and gestures with a hand towards the rest of the dorm. “We just finished taking a shower and I told Mingi it's time for bed. He's hiding now, and I've been trying to get him to come out from wherever he is.”

He turns to shout again “Mingi come here right now! This is the last time I'm telling you, and if I have to come find you, you will not be happy.”

Yeosang puts a hand on the small of his back, “long day?”

“Very.” Seonghwa nods tiredly. “How about you guys? You all must be exhausted.”

“Not too bad. It was weird not having you two with us.” Jongho responds. “Do you want us to help find him?”

Seonghwa reaches out to take a piece of lint off of Jongho's hair. “That would be great. He needs to get used to having a bedtime.”

“And the only way to do that is being firm about it.” Hongjoong adds, reminding them again, and they all nod in understanding.

They all set their stuff down before heading off to search for Mingi. They break off into twos to go into each bedroom and Seonghwa stays behind to look around the living room and kitchen. There's only so many places Mingi can hide at their dorm, so it shouldn't take long.

San and Yeosang enter one of the rooms. Yeosang kneels on the ground to check underneath the beds. San checks behind the closet door and then goes inside the closet. They have a lot of things shoved into the closet so San carefully tries to shift through items.

San lets out a sudden yelp when the hanged clothing in front of him pulls apart from each other revealing a scowling Mingi. Before he can utter a single word, Mingi pushes past him to make his getaway. Yeosang's head shoots up and barely catches sight of Mingi rushing by him. He calls his name, but Mingi ignores him. He turns a corner to go down the hallway only to run into Jongho. Mingi turns to run away, but Jongho wraps his arms around him.

“Hi, Minnie!” Jongho deliberately says loudly enough to let the others know he has him.

“Jongie!” Mingi whines, and tries to yank himself out of Jongho's arms. “Let go!”

“It's time for bed.”

“No!” Mingi shouts and then lets his body go limp. That catches Jongho off guard and Mingi slips to the ground, out of Jongho's grip. The freedom is short lived and he feels another set of hands get a hold of him. Mingi turns his head to see San who has caught up to him and he gets lifted off the floor, into the man's arms.

“Let go, Sannie!” Mingi shouts.

“Minnie, it's time for bed. Hyung is looking for you, baby.” San starts carrying him to find Seonghwa.

Mingi makes his body go limp again so San will lose his grasp on him just like Jongho did. Unfortunately for him, San was prepared for it and tightened his hold. Seeing that his plan didn't work, Mingi screeches in frustration. He throws his head back, almost colliding with Jongho's face.

“I'm not tired!” Mingi yells.

Everyone is in the hallway now, and Seonghwa gestures to San to head into Mingi's room.

“I made some stew today if you guys are hungry.” Seonghwa says to the rest of the members as he walks to the room. He closes the door behind him. San has put Mingi down, and Mingi is laying on the floor kicking out his legs, going through a full tantrum now. He is crying and screaming, his face turning red.

“Mingi!” Seonghwa chastises him. San places a hand on his shoulder and he turns to look at him.

“Let him cry it out, hyung. Here, sit next to me while we wait.” San pats the spot next to him on the bed, beckoning him over. Seonghwa sits and San rubs his back. “Has he been like this all day?”

“We've had many ups and downs today. Honestly, I'm surprised he hadn't blown up like this sooner.” Seonghwa pats San's thigh. “His emotions and frustrations have been all over the place. He just needs time.”

San nods as he understands. He looks back at Mingi, noting the bruise underneath his jaw and asks about how that happened. Seonghwa explained how Mingi had slipped from getting out of bed this morning and hit his jaw on the rail.

Mingi's full blown cries and yelling dies down eventually. He rolls onto his stomach and looks up at them with a tear soaked face. Mingi reaches out with a hand towards them.

“H-hyungie, S-Sannie.” Mingi whimpers, eyes welling up again.

“Come here, Minnie.” San opens his arms to him, and Mingi scrambles to get up, stumbling into his arms. San pulls him into his lap.

“What did we talk about earlier, Mingi?” Seonghwa stares at the younger male. Mingi shyly shrugs and clings to San. He rubs his face on San's shirt. Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him, and decides to remind him again. “We talked about you having to take naps, and having a bedtime now. You need to have plenty of sleep.”

Mingi whines unhappily, rubbing one of his eyes. “B-but hyungie, it's not fair. Why can't I decide when I go to sleep? I did it before.”

“Mingi, you were constantly tired and cranky because of it. Even Hongjoong had to tell you to sleep earlier at one point.” Seonghwa points out, making Mingi's cheek flush brighter from his still red face, and he looks down at his fingers. “And you are a young little, you need plenty of sleep to help you be healthy, and all of us, your caregivers, will make sure of that.”

“B-but I don't want to hold us back, and it's not fair to you guys if I keep slacking off.”

At hearing this San hugs him tighter, “Minnie, you will never hold us back. We are a team, a family and we are all here for each other. It's important to us that you are well and happy.” He smashes their cheeks together, making Mingi whine but secretly loving the affection from the man.

Seonghwa laughs at San's loving nature. “Sannie's right, baby. It's important for us that you are doing well. You are not slacking off if it depends on your health.”

Mingi releases a small sigh of defeat. “‘Kay, hyungie.”

“Tomorrow, I will give you a time out for 20 minutes because it is already way past your bedtime.” Seonghwa informs him. “But, be aware that you will be spanked if you do this again.”

“But-”

“No buts, you will be having a bedtime Minnie.” Seonghwa tells him firmly. He gets up and pulls back the covers on the bed. “C'mere let's tuck you in.”

Mingi whines softly, and tightens his hold on San, not yet wanting him to leave. He hadn't had the chance to see any of them today. If he were to be honest, he was also secretly hoping one of them could stay a bit longer at least until he fell asleep.

“I can stay with him hyung.” San says as if he read Mingi's mind.

“Are you sure? You can go change and eat and I'll stay with him.” Seonghwa suggests. “You all had a busy day.”

“I'm sure, hyung. I missed my cutie Minmin the whole day!” San squishies Mingi's cheeks between his hands, and gives one of them a tiny playful bite, making Mingi squeal in surprise. He lays him down and Mingi's hands automatically reach out for him, wanting cuddles. San lays beside him pulling him in for a snuggle.

Seonghwa pulls the blanket up, mostly tucking it around Mingi since San will be leaving once he falls asleep. Mingi rubs his cheek against San's chest, looking to get comfortable. San kisses the top of his head with such adoration, hugging him as he starts to pat his back. Seonghwa's heart leaps at the sight of San being affectionate with Mingi.

“Good night, baby, and sweet dreams. Hyungie will see you in the morning.” He leans down to kiss cheek. “If you need anything, you can come to hyungie’s room if you are able to or speak into the baby monitor.”

“Night-night hyungie.” Mingi cutely puckers his lips to give him a kiss too which Seonghwa gladly leans in and accepts. Mingi yawns, the exhaustion seeping through after the whole fiasco now that he is feeling relaxed.

“Good night, hyung.” San says as he also puckers his lips to get his own kiss.

Seonghwa cocks an eyebrow at him, “I'll be seeing you in a bit.”

“Still, why waste an opportunity on getting a kiss from a gorgeous man?” San grins at him. Seonghwa blushes a little and softly gives him a pinch on his arm, and after hearing the man let out a small yelp, he gives him a kiss on the forehead.

“You're impossible.” Seonghwa says as he turns to leave. Behind him he hears San laugh quietly.

“Love you too hyung.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

"No."

"Mingi."

"No."

"Stop being ridiculous."

"No."

"Call your eomma."

"No."

Yunho lets out a big sigh. Everybody else was out doing something for the group, and Yunho is on babysitting duty today. KQ decided it was time for Seonghwa to start doing activities again. The man reluctantly left, but not without reminding Yunho a million times that if anything happened, to call him. It made Yunho chuckle, finding his mother heness endearing.

Mingi had been surprised to see him instead of Seonghwa when he had woken up. They had spent the morning cleaning their dorm with Mingi insisting he help out despite Yunho telling him that he should rest. Even if Yunho had to sometimes clean after what Mingi cleaned, it still warmed his heart at Mingi's kind nature. Then he had gotten Mingi to take a nap by inviting him to his bed to lay down and to watch him play video games. Mingi fell asleep without realizing it. While Mingi was taking his nap, Mingi's mom texted him asking how Mingi is doing. Yunho didn't respond to her yet, deciding to wait till Mingi woke up to tell him to call her. So here they are now.

Yunho is still playing his game and Mingi is lying beside him holding Puppy to his chest. Yunho has been trying to coax him into calling his mom for the past 15 minutes. Mingi, being stubborn, is refusing.

"Please."

"No." Mingi turns away from him towards the wall and sulks.

Yunho pauses the game and turns to Mingi. Why is he being stubborn about this? He reaches out and rolls Mingi over back to him, making him yelp. Yunho lays down so he can look at Mingi face to face.

"Hey princess, what's wrong? Why don't you want to speak with your eomma?"

Mingi doesn't answer. Instead he hides his face behind Puppy. After a couple of minutes he finally pulls away from his hiding spot.

"Eomma must be really mad at me for lying. What if she doesn't love me anymore? Or my appa or my hyung?" Mingi asks anxiously, his eyes a little watery. He has been thinking about it ever since he had told the members about the truth. He has been putting off calling her, too scared of what she'll say.

"They all love you Mingi." Yunho answers confidently.

"How do you know?" Mingi pouts at him, not really believing him.

"Well if they didn't then they wouldn't have bothered to come see you at the hospital, they wouldn't have supported us when we petitioned to get custody of you, and your eomma would not be texting me for constant updates about you."

“She's been texting you?”

“Yes, very much actually. She loves you princess, and what has happened has not changed that one bit.” Yunho wipes the one sole tear that managed to escape using his thumb.

Mingi sniffs and quietly mutters, "I guess you're right."

"So you'll call her?"

Mingi nods and then shyly asks, "will you do it with me, Yunnie?"

"Of course princess. Do you wanna do it now?"

Mingi fidgets with his fingers and nods nervously, "yeah, before I chicken out."

“There is nothing for you to be scared about, I promise.”

Yunho sits up with Mingi on the bed and grabs his phone and video calls Mingi's mom. Mingi clings onto Yunho's arm and rests his head on his shoulder. He is anxiously biting his thumbnail, secretly wanting to suck his thumb, but fights the urge because he doesn't want to seem like a baby.

"Hi Yunho, how are you?" Mingi's mom answers but she is grabbing something from a shelf so she hasn't noticed Mingi in the camera too.

"H-hi eomma." Mingi says tentatively, taking his thumb away from his mouth. Mingi's mom immediately stops looking for whatever she needed and stares right into the camera in surprise.

"Oh Mingi! My sweet baby! I'm so happy that you are finally able to call me!" She shouts excitedly. "How are you doing? Are you feeling better sweetie?"

"I'm okay, eomma. I'm getting taken care of well."

"I'm glad baby." She pauses and then asks the big question. "Care to explain why you did what you did?"

"Ummm…I-I wanted to be an idol?" Mingi says more as a question than as an answer. "I'm sorry for lying to you eomma. Are you mad at me?" His body tenses as he awaits her answer.

"Mingi, I'm not mad. However, I am upset. What if something bad had happened to you worse than what did happen? I was so scared when I was informed that you were in the hospital. What if it had been worse?" She said tearfully.

Mingi starts crying, feeling so guilty of the anguish he must have put her through. "I-I'm sorry eomma. I r-really am!"

"Let's not cry anymore. What's done is done.” She wipes the few tears she had. “I'm just so happy that you are okay and are getting better. However, don't ever lie to me or any of us like that again. I mean it, Mingi.” His mom chastises.

"I-I won't, promise." Mingi tells her while trying to rub away his own tears.

"Alright no more of this sad stuff. Tell me, when are you going to visit me? I've been asking the boys to bring you." She gives Yunho a pointed look as she teases him and laughs when Yunho blushes slightly.

"Yeah Yunnie, when are you going to take me?" Mingi teases, finally getting into a chipper mood.

"Once we have time, I promise we'll go for a visit. As long as Minnie behaves like a good boy."

"Are you misbehaving Mingi?"

"No I'm not! Don't listen to him eomma, Yunnie's lying!" Mingi pouts and bites Yunho's shoulder in retaliation.

"Ouch! Mingi!" Yunho yells while laughing. He tickles Mingi's side and he squeals, letting him go.

"Looks like you and the other boys have a handful." Mrs. Song tells Yunho. "I have to go, but Mingi I expect you to behave and call me often. Make sure to eat plenty. Love you baby."

"Love you eomma. Bye~" Mingi sings songs and hangs up.

"Now that wasn't too bad was it?" Mingi shakes his head. Feeling like some weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He melts into Yunho's side, giddy with relief. Yunho gladly pulls him in for some cuddles, happy to see the smile on his face.

"No. Thank you Yunnie." Mingi grins at him.

"Anytime Minnie."

They lay together in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Yunnie, what time is hyungie coming home?"

"Seonghwa? I think he will be getting back late in the evening. Why?"

Mingi bites his lip, his mood starting to dampen.

"Just wondering."

He feels that his diaper is wet, but he didn't want to ask Yunho to help him change. What would he think if he knew Mingi couldn't change himself even when he is big? He's been going to only Seonghwa for help, but he didn't know the man would be going out today. He really hates his fingers. Why can't they work normally? Why is it happening more?

An hour later, both him and Yunho are in the living room watching a movie when Mingi starts to get very uncomfortable. It's feeling really itchy. All of his wriggling gets Yunho to notice him.

"What's wrong Minnie? Does your stomach hurt?"

Mingi shakes his head, "Mm-mm." Seven minutes goes by before Mingi starts shifting around again on the couch.

"Mingi, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing." Yunho cocks an eyebrow at him, obviously not believing him.

"What did we tell you about lying?"

"I'm not lying." Mingi avoids his eyes when he says that. He tries to discreetly squirm in his spot but Yunho notices it.

"Stand up." He tells Mingi.

"Why?"

"Stand up Mingi."

"No."

Yunho lets out an exasperated sigh and walks over to Mingi. He lifts Mingi up from the couch and Mingi shouts "hey!" He tries to wiggle his way out of Yunho's hold. He turns Mingi around and checks his diaper, finding it wet.

"Nothing huh? Why would you hide this Minnie?" Yunho asks concernedly. He can see that his rash is flaring up and it must not feel good.

Mingi hides his face with his hands and starts to cry. Yunho sits down on the couch with Mingi on his lap and hugs him to his chest. Mingi wraps his arms around his shoulders, crying into Yunho's neck and Yunho runs his hand up and down his back to comfort him. When Mingi finally calms down enough he apologizes to Yunho.

"I'm s-sorry, Yunnie. D-didn't want to lie." Mingi hiccups.

"Can you tell me why you did?"

"Hyungie is not here, and I-I can't change by myself." Mingi shamefully admits and Yunho grabs him a tissue on the small table beside them.

"But I'm right here, I can help you, Minnie."

"I'm embarrassed, Yunnie!" Mingi gasps in frustration. "I'm big I should be able to do it by myself, but my dumb fingers don't work right and I can't! I'm not even supposed to wet myself when I'm big either but I can't help it!" He sobs his heart out.

Yunho holds his hands in his and speaks to him gently while looking directly into his tear filled eyes. "Minnie, it's normal, baby. There are plenty of young littles that might have a hard time holding it even when they are big. The majority of those littles need help getting changed even when they are big sometimes. It's not a bad thing."

"R-really, Y-Yunnie?" Mingi asks, his eyes looking into Yunho's seeking for that reassurance that he so desperately needs.

"Absolutely princess. You don't ever need to be embarrassed over something that is common for young littles. You can always ask us if you need help with changing or help with anything from any one of us. Whether you are big or little, it does not matter."

"B-but what if it gets annoying?" Mingi looks down at his hands.

"If what gets annoying?" Yunho questions.

"Me always n-needing help."

Yunho chuckles. "Oh Mingi, if you only knew how that is the complete opposite of how we all feel. We love that you let us care for you, whether you are big or little. We will never ever get annoyed with you because we love you. But I would be cautious of saying it to Wooyoung because he will attach himself to you 24/7 just to prove it to you."

That makes Mingi giggle, finally turning that frown upside down.

"And let's not worry too much about your fingers right now. Dr. Kwon had said that it's normal for littles with young headspaces to experience problems with their fine motor skills from time to time. He said that you will be experiencing it more often right now because of your circumstances, but we will be checking with him often to see if there is any improvement overtime."

"Okay."

"Now, let's go get you cleaned up and into a fresh diaper. We don't want that rash to start spreading again." Yunho stands up and carries him to his room.

"Love you, Yunnie." Mingi snuggles into his neck. He feels a bit better after speaking with Yunho. He only hopes his words are true.

"Love you princess."

-

“Roll the ball, Minnie. Just like how daddy showed you.”

Mingi had become little a while ago and he was full of playful energy. In just a short time, the living has become a colorful mess with toys strewn all around the living room. The sight makes Yunho very happy, knowing that Mingi is enjoying playing with his toys. Right now, they are playing with a bowling play set. Mingo had found the set in his closet when he went to get Teddy from his bed, and was intrigued by the colors. He showed Yunho his finding, and Yunho opened it up to show what the toy was. Yunho had just finished demonstrating to Mingi how he should roll the ball to hit the pins. He set up the bowling pins for Mingi to try.

“Ball daddy?” Mingi looks up at him with wide eyes. He is sitting on the floor with his legs spread apart holding the petite ball in between.

“Yes, roll the ball. Try to make those fall.” Yunho gestures to the colorful pins.

Mingi listens and pushes the ball. The ball rolls to the side and knocks one of the bowling pins over.

“Daddy, hitted it!” Mingi announces proudly.

“Good job princess!” Yunho claps for him. “Do you think you can hit more of them?

“Uh huh daddy.” Mingi nods eagerly.

Yunho retrieves the ball and hands it back to him. This time he throws it which unfortunately misses knocking any pins down. Mingi frowns, and looks up at Yunho.

“N-no hitted daddy.” Mingi cries and Yunho hugs him.

“That's okay, we can try again. It's a game, and we are supposed to be having fun.” He pats his hair. “Do you wanna play Minnie?”

“Play?” Mingi perks up again.

“Yes, let's keep playing.” Yunho retrieves the ball again and hands it back to Mingi again. “Let's see if you can. Do you think you can win against daddy?”

“Play daddy.” And if Mingi scoots closer to the pins, Yunho doesn't say anything. Instead he smiles in amusement as he watches Mingi toss the ball. He manages to knock three down this time. “Did daddy!”

“Yay, you did it! Good job baby!” Yunho praises him. “That's why we have to keep trying. Do you want to help daddy stand them up for daddy's turn?

“Minnie help!” It took several tries, but eventually he got them all up standing. “Daddy turn!”

“My turn.” Yunho agrees, and he rolls the ball, purposely missing the bowling pins. He was simply letting Mingi win to have a happy baby, but he was faced with a teary one instead. Mingi crawls up to him and into his lap. Then he hugs him.

“‘Kay daddy.” Mingi says softly. “Try?

Yunho is confused at first until it dawns on him that Mingi is trying to comfort him because he “missed”. Though it seems like Mingi needs more comfort than he does. His heart bursts with love at such sweet kindness, and hugs him tighter.

“Daddy's okay. I will try again.” Yunho reassures him. “Do you want to get daddy the ball?”

“Mm-hmm daddy.” Mingi gets off of him and goes to get the ball. He gives it to Yunho with a huge grin. “Ball daddy.”

Yunho takes it from him and kisses his cheek. “Thank you, princess. Let's try this again.”

This time he made sure that he didn't miss this time, knocking over two pins. Mingi's face lights up in awe and starts waving his hands while bouncing a little on his butt. He wobbles onto his feet and stumbles to Yunho.

“Yay daddy!” Mingi shouts. “Daddy did!”

“I did because I had my princess cheering me on.” Yunho kisses his nose. He doesn't bring up who won because clearly that doesn't matter to Mingi. Yunho hears Mingi's tummy growl. “Are you hungry, princess?”

“Hungry, daddy.” Mingi put his hands on his stomach to show him.

“I know, baby. Can you be a good boy for daddy and wait here while I get your milky?”

Mingi nods and grabs Teddy to cuddle with on the rug. Yunho goes and makes a bottle. He helps Mingi get up from the floor and onto his lap on the couch. Mingi drinks his milk and almost finishes the whole bottle before he decides he's done with it.

“No more?” Yunho asks.

Mingi tells him no. “Wan’ apple, daddy.”

Yunho helps him burp first before he gladly goes to fetch some applesauce for him. He returns with the table also and sets it up on the floor. He pulls out a bib from his pocket and gestures to Mingi to come sit by him at the table. He slips the bib around his neck. Yunho holds out the spoon to him.

“Do you want the spoon Minnie?”

“Minnie try daddy.” Mingi grabs the spoon with his whole fist and he still has Teddy under his other arm.

“Okay but let's put Teddy aside so he won't get messy.” Yunho suggests. Whenever they let Mingi try to eat on his own, it tends to get messy.

Mingi makes a sound of protest. “Wan’ Teddy.”

“I know, baby, but you can play with him later.”

Mingi relents and Yunho sets the stuffie aside. Mingi digs into the cup, scooping copious amounts of applesauce into his mouth. He happily hums and wiggles from where he sits as he eats, making Yunho smile. He has always found Mingi's habit of humming and making up little random songs so adorable.

“Daddy, apple?” Mingi holds the spoon towards him. Some of the applesauce slides off the spoon onto the table, adding to the mess already there.

“Sure daddy would like some.” Yunho indulges him and leans into the spoon to only get a tiny bit of it, however Mingi's hand shoots up at the last minute, smearing the sauce all over his left cheek.

“Oh oh daddy.” Mingi says, and Yunho grabs a napkin ready to wipe the mess off his cheek. Then he grabs a wipe to clean Mingi's mouth too since he has been getting it all over the place.

“It's okay princess.” This time when Mingi brings up the spoon, Yunho also holds it so he can eat some of it. “Mmm, that's very yummy. Thank you, baby.”

Mingi is delighted and eagerly scoops another spoonful to give Yunho more. Yunho laughs and takes the sticky spoon from him and holds it up to his mouth instead.

“Here baby, you should be eating your yummy apple. Daddy's full.”

Mingi eats it, and Yunho feeds him the rest of it. Yunho gets a wet wipe to clean Mingi's face and hands. He takes off the dirty bib and wipes the table clean.

“Alright, it's bath time, Minmin.” Yunho informs the little, who is back with his toys again. Mingi looks at him and shakes his head.

“No daddy.”

“No?”

“No bath.”

“Yes, it's bath time.” Yunho tells him again. He goes to pick him up, but Mingi doesn't want to go.

“No daddy!” Mingi yells. “Wan’ play!”

“No yelling Minnie.” Yunho chastises him. “You can play in the bath.”

“Toy?” Mingi eyes widen.

Yunho nods, “yes you can play with your bath toys.”

This time Mingi holds his hands up for Yunho to pick him up. “Bath daddy.”

Yunho huffs a small laugh, knowing that Mingi only wants a bath now that he mentioned his bath toys. He lifts him up onto his hip and plants a small kiss to his temple. Once again, feeling very grateful to still have him by his side

-

Yunho drags his feet as he makes his way back to the living room to be with the others after finally getting Mingi into bed for the night. He thought after giving Mingi a bath, he would have calmed down and easily be put to sleep. Nope.

Yunho drapes himself across San's, Seonghwa and Jongho's lap on the couch. Everyone else is all tired after such a long day of doing different activities. Hongjoong is leaning back in his armchair with his eyes closed. Both Wooyoung and Yeosang are both lying in a pile on the floor.

Jongho brushes back the hair on Yunho's face. "How was your day with Mingi, hyung?"

"Very eventful and emotional." He looks up at Seonghwa. "Hyung, you should have told me about his insecurity with diaper changes."

"What happened?" Seonghwa asks with concern on his face.

"Mingi had been waiting with a wet diaper for you to come home to help him change. He was too embarrassed to ask me to help. It was only because I noticed him fidgeting when he was sitting that I checked his diaper and found it wet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said anything." Yunho states up at the ceiling, upset as he thinks back to it. "He cried. He told me he is too embarrassed that he wets himself and can't change himself when he is big because of his fingers. I explained to him that most young littles have a hard time holding it in and still need help when they are big, that it's normal. He's also afraid that we will find him annoying for needing too much help. I tried to reassure him that we love to care for him and will always be willing to help him whether big or little."

The room is silent. Then Seonghwa sighs tiredly and leans back rubbing his tired eyes.

"I should have told you, I'm sorry. Mingi got comfortable enough with me changing him recently that I didn't think he would not ask you to help him. But I guess it was only with me." Then he looks at them all apologetically and then looks down at his hands clearly upset with himself. Jongho takes hold of one of his hands and gives it a comforting squeeze. San puts an arm around his shoulders.

"It seems like Mingi is going to need constant reassurance from each one of us so we will try to work on that in order to get him comfortable with all of us. I believe it's the only way to get him to learn to come to us when he needs us." Hongjoong tells them all. "Let's make it a point to inform each other everything that concerns Mingi so whoever is looking after him is aware of anything." They all nod in agreement.

"Oh, we also talked to his eomma today. I had to convince him to do it. He was afraid of talking to her." Yunho tells them.

"He was afraid? Why?" San asks. He remembers how much Mingi loves his mom so he is confused.

"He was too worried that she would hate him for lying. But he was happy to know that she doesn't." Yunho smiles, "she did bring it up again that she would like us to come visit her."

Hongjoong laughs, "hopefully sometime soon we can do that."

"Yeah, Mingi was very happy at the idea."

Soon they all head off to bed. Seonghwa was lying in his bed, but he was unable to fall asleep. He turns on his side, on his stomach, and on his back again.

"What's plaguing your mind Seonghwa?" Hongjoong says from his bed. He's been listening to the man toss and turn for several minutes to the point where he had to say something.

"Nothing."

"Nope, don't start that with me. Tell me." Hongjoong presses. He knows Seonghwa only does this when he is worried about something.

"I guess I just feel bad for Mingi." Seonghwa sighs, and turns to look at Hongjoong with eyes full of guilt. "He was waiting for me and I wasn't there for him."

Honjoong lifts his blanket and scoots over to make some space on his bed. "Come over here hyung." He pats the bed.

Seonghwa's eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

"Join me."

Seonghwa's face flushes, but he gets up from his bed and slowly makes his way to him. He hesitates for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you look like you could use a hug." Hongjoong gives him a small reassuring smile.

"...I do."

Seonghwa climbs in and settles down next to him. Hongjoong gently pulls him towards him and spoons him from behind. He yanks the blanket over them both. They lay there in awkward silence for a couple of minutes until Hongjoong breaks it.

"I've been wanting to do this for a while." Hongjoong confesses quietly, feeling his face go warm. He hesitates wondering if he should just say it all, but then figures if he doesn't say it now, he'll probably be too chicken to do it in the future. He quietly says, “I-I like you, hyung.”

His body tenses as he waits for the older man's response.

Seonghwa feels his heart race and his mouth forms a tiny smile. Then it turns a little devious.

"It's about time, I've been waiting for you to finally say something."

"Wha- You knew?! Why d-didn't you say something to me then??" Honjoong splutters.

"Please Hongjoong. You kept looking at me with hungry eyes, I thought you would say something sooner. I was starting to think you were just toying with me."

Hongjoong's face blazes but he stops himself from yelling in embarrassment. He didn't want to accidently risk waking up Mingi.

"Hyung, I would never." He tells the older one sincerely. “I wouldn't play with your feelings.

Seonghwa giggles shyly, "I know. I was just messing with you."

Hongjoong scoffs, but smiles giddily. Then he decides to bring up what had been bothering Seonghwa in the first place.

"Don't feel too bad, hyung. We are all in this together okay? We are all his caregivers, each one of us is here to take care of Mingi. Don't feel like you have to take most of the responsibility. Even though you are Mingi's favorite." He adds.

"Thank you, Joong." Seonghwa gives the hand on his abdomen a small squeeze. "And I'm not his favorite." He denies and he feels Hongjoong's chest rumble in laughter.

"He's clearly eomma's little baby." Hongjoong tightens his arm around his waist. "It's cute hyung."

Seonghwa hums and his eyelids start to feel heavy. He feels so warm and content inside. Never would he have thought that Hongjoong would actually reciprocate his feelings. They danced around each other for so long that he really did believe it was all in his head and Hongjoong was simply getting over his aversion to touch.

Warmth and comfort radiates from Hongjoong's body lulling Seonghwa to sleep finally. When he sees that his hyung is asleep, Hongjoong rests his face against the crook of his neck taking in a little whiff of gentle lavender as he is slowly falling asleep along with him.

That is, until Mingi's cries filter through the baby monitor, startling both men awake. It was their turn tonight to have it in their room that night. Seonghwa is already sitting up to get out of bed to go check on him when Hongjoong places a hand on his leg.

"I'll go check on him hyung, go ahead and sleep."

"Are you sure? You must be tired Joong." Seonghwa yawns as he says it and Hongjoong snorts.

"I think you are more tired out of the both of us. Stay and sleep." He orders him to stay in bed.

Seonghwa didn't argue after that and snuggled back under covers. Hongjoong gets up and makes his way into Mingi's room. He turns on the lamp beside his bed and sees that Mingi is all tangled up in his blankets. His pacifier laid beside his head while he's sobbing.

"My precious baby. Here Minnie baby, appa's got you." Hongjoong scoops Mingi up in arms after he lowers the bed rail and sets him in his lap. "Did you have a scary dream?"

Mingi doesn't answer and just continues to cry into his neck. Hongjoong cradles him and gently rocks him. After Mingi calmed down a little he stuck his thumb in his mouth, and Hongjoong picked up the pacifier. He wipes it clean before giving it to Mingi who latches onto it eagerly, and continues rocking him.

"Appa has a little secret to tell you." Hongjoong begins to tell him knowing Mingi is in his really young headspace to remember anything, and he is feeling too euphoric that he needs to tell someone at least. He can't believe it.

"Appa has finally confessed to eomma." He whispers to him avidly. "One down, five more to go…hopefully." He whispers more quietly into Mingi's soft hair.

Mingi's eyes were closed at this point and Hongjoong went to lay him back into his bed. Mingi whimpers and lets out a small sob when he lets him go. Hongjoong does little shushes and gently pats his chest to calm down. In the end Mingi wouldn't stop crying until Hongjoong had him in his arms again.

"At this rate both of us are not going to get any sleep. You can sleep with appa tonight." Hongjoong takes him to his room. He sees that Seonghwa is deeply asleep in his bed. "We'll sleep in his bed since eomma needs some rest."

He climbs into Seonghwa's bed with Mingi and covers them with the blankets. Mingi is on top of him, laying on his chest. They found that Mingi really likes listening to their heartbeats because he finds it soothing. Hongjoong hears him let out a small whine. He sees that Mingi doesn't have his pacifier, it has fallen out beside him.

"Here you go Minnie baby, have at it." He tells him gently when he places it in Mingi's mouth and starts patting his back. "You know, I'm starting to think that you like using me as your bed. But I don't mind it one bit, sweetpea." Hongjoong chuckles softly and presses a light kiss on top of his hair.

Soon both get lost in the rhythm not even aware when they had each fallen asleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

"Please finish your milk, bun." Wooyoung tells Mingi when he walks by him. Everyone is busy cleaning up the dorm, preparing for their first house visit from LPS today. Mingi's check up at the hospital is also today, so everyone is scrambling to get everything done on time.

Mingi is on the couch watching an anime. The others had just finished eating breakfast, but Mingi had yet to start drinking his milk, not really hungry. The nerves were really getting to him today, making his stomach feel unwell. He is not excited at the thought of a stranger coming to their dorm to judge them. He doesn't want to go to the doctors either. He's never liked them much and he hasn't been to one since he had gotten classified until now. Well, other than when he would get injured from dancing, but it's never been thorough. Mingi sighs and lays down on the couch on his stomach.

Minutes later, Wooyoung comes by again and finds Mingi splayed out on the couch.

"Did you finish already? Let's go take a bath then." Wooyoung says and picks up the sippy cup to take it back to the kitchen only to find it still full.

"Minmin, why didn't you drink your milk?"

"I'm not hungry, Youngie." Mingi replies and gets up from the couch ready to head off to the bathroom to shower.

"Are you feeling sick, bun?" Wooyoung asks and Mingi hesitates for a moment.

"My tummy feels upset." He admits quietly. After his conversation with Yunho about a week ago, Mingi has been trying to get better at telling them the truth. Keyword trying. Is it working? Not so much.

"Try to drink some milk, I can give you some medicine for your stomach to help you feel better but you need to have something in your tummy first baby. Your milk has probiotics mixed in and that should help too." Wooyoung explains and hands him his sippy cup back. Mingi pouts at the sippy cup, still not liking that he has to use them, but it's a precaution when his fine motor skills go haywire constantly.

Mingi whines and says "do I have to?"

"Yes baby, you can't take it on an empty stomach. Let me get you some bits of cereal, it might help you with your appetite." Wooyoung goes and brings some cheerios from the kitchen. He sits down next to Mingi.

Mingi eats some which helps a bit with the nausea. He curls up towards Wooyoung, practically sitting in his lap.

"Can…can I have cuddles?" Mingi asks quietly. He's been trying hard to not seem needy, but he really really wanted comfort right now. So he gives in and asks.

"Of course, bun. I'll give you all the cuddles you need, Mangi." Wooyoung pulls him closer to him and presses a kiss to his cheek. He grabs the cup and hands it to Mingi again. This time Mingi drinks the milk after feeling comfort and warmth in Wooyoung's arms, leaving only a little less than half.

"I'm done, Youngie." Mingi announces.

"Good job, Minmin. Let me get the medicine for you." Wooyoung untangles himself from Mingi and goes to the kitchen. Seonghwa walks in the kitchen after noticing Mingi still sitting on the couch.

"Hey Woo, I thought you were already in the shower with Mingi. We need to head to the hospital soon." Seonghwa reminds him.

Wooyoung turns around after grabbing the medicine from the fridge. "Sorry hyung, Mingi has an upset stomach and I was trying to get him to drink his milk so I can give him some of this to help."

"A stomach ache? Did he manage to drink all of the milk?"

Wooyoung shakes his head and shows him the cup. "Only about half."

Seonghwa makes a mental note to tell the doctor. "Okay. I'll make sure to mention it in his appointment. Now hurry up and go get him ready please. Me and the others will start tidying up the living room and the kitchen."

"Dang hyung, is all this thorough cleaning necessary?" Wooyoung whines. Seonghwa has been nagging them all morning since they woke up to do this or do that. He was being very nitpicky about having every crook and cranny be sparkling clean.

"With no doubt, yes." Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him. "I'm not about to have a person come into our home and write us up for exposing Mingi to something unsanitary or unsafe. I don't want to risk giving them a reason to say we are not good caregivers for Mingi and take him away from us." He scowls at the thought while crossing his arms defensively.

Before Wooyoung can respond, they hear a small thud in the living room. Wooyoung peeks out to check on Mingi who remains seated on the couch.

"Minnie, you good, baby?" He calls out to him.

Minnie doesn't turn around to face him, but answers him with a yes. Wooyoung turns back to Seonghwa.

"Hyung, relax. Don't worry your pretty little head off. Our home is just fine, there is no reason for them to write us up for anything." Wooyoung reassures him.

"I know, I know, I'm just nervous. I want everything to go smoothly." Seonghwa sighs and his shoulders relax. Wooyoung wraps his arms around his shoulders and softly pecks his cheek. A light blush covers Seonghwa's cheeks, and Wooyoung grins.

"It will, you'll see. Now I'm gonna go because I have a cutie to bathe with." He drops his arms from his hyung's shoulders.

"Don't take too long." Seonghwa calls after him as he turns on the sink to begin washing the dishes.

Wooyoung walks back to Mingi, who grimaces when he sees the syringe containing the nasty medicine that he is carrying. Wooyoung laughs and holds it up to Mingi's mouth. Mingi tries not to gag when he swallows it, and quickly drinks some water to wash it down.

"It's gross." Mingi mutters and stands up to walk with Wooyoung to go shower.

"They always are." Wooyoung tells him and quickly drops off the syringe in the sink.

Mingi goes to his room to pick out some clothes to change into.

"Make sure to pick out some sweatpants. They're easier to change into, and also a thicker hoodie. It's colder outside now." Wooyoung tells him and he goes to pick out clothes for himself.

Mingi is shifting through the clothes in his closet but he's not really paying attention to what he's looking at. He is thinking about what he heard Seonghwa say earlier. Mingi had gotten up to go to the kitchen so he could drink the medicine there so they could go straight to the shower from there, but he stopped when he heard Seonghwa speaking with Wooyoung. Mingi had banged his foot when he ran back to the couch after overhearing them.

A lump forms in his throat. What if LPS decides to take him away? He shakes his head trying to get rid of the thought, but the worry still remains.

"Did you find something yet?" Wooyoung pops up from behind, startling Mingi.

"Um this?" Mingi pulls out a thick black hoodie and a pair of dark gray sweatpants.

Wooyoung nods in approval. They shower in the bathroom inside Hongjoong's and Seonghwa's room. The other one is being cleaned by Yeosang and San at the moment.

"Hey baby bun, why so quiet today?" Wooyoung asks as he scrubs Mingi's back.

"Nothing. Why are you calling me bun now?" Mingi asks in hopes of straying Wooyoung from asking him further questions, but he was also genuinely curious to know why the sudden new nickname.

Wooyoung grins, "I saw alot of atinys referring to you as a cute bread because of your pretty smile. I thought it was cute and now you are a bun!"

Mingi blushes at that, but he secretly likes it. Atinys…Mingi hasn't looked at his phone at all since he became big after coming back from the hospital. He's been too afraid of what people might be saying about him being a little.

"W-what have they been saying about me as a l-little?" Mingi decides to ask, he'd rather someone tell him first before he looks for himself. His body tenses as he waits for Wooyoung to answer. Wooyoung gives him a tiny slap on the back.

"Relax Minnie. They've been saying good things honestly. Atinys basically said that it's confirmed that you've always been our baby and now you are their baby as well. They've adopted you too! Aren't they awesome?"

Mingi's heart flutters at the thought. They don't hate him? His eyes swell up with tears and he sniffs.

"Hey." Wooyoung turns around him carefully. "Those better be happy tears, baby."

Mingi nods. He hadn't disappointed them yet. He needs to work harder for them now.

"Lets rinse you off and you're all done." Wooyoung tells him. They both hop out of the shower and dry themselves off. Wooyoung sees Mingi wiggling his fingers to see if he is having trouble with them. He offers his help in case he needs it, so he can decide for himself. "Do you need help with putting on your diaper, Minnie?"

Mingi's cheeks flame but shyly nod yes. He grabs the mat that they have in the bathroom and sets it down so he can lay on it while Wooyoung gathers everything else. He covers his teary eyes as Wooyoung diapers him.

"Sorry Youngie." He whispers in embarrassment, it's his first time asking Wooyoung to help. He is still working on trying to push past the shame he feels but it's hard. He still hesitates in asking Yunho and Seonghwa for diaper changes. Usually he waits until they become aware of him being uncomfortable, and it just ends with his rash bothering him.

"No sorrys needed, Mangi.” Wooyoung kisses his cheek. “There, all done. Do you need help with the clothes?"

"J-just my socks and my shoes. I can't lace them."

"Finish putting on your clothes and then I'll do them for you."

When they were done, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were waiting for him in the living room. They will be the only ones taking Mingi to his appointment and the rest are staying to finish cleaning. When they get to the car, Hongjoong points to the seat in the middle of the car where Mingi is supposed to sit. Mingi furrows his eyebrows in confusion when he sees there is a special type of car seat recently installed in the car for littles. The seat has a belt that is like a harness similar to the ones used for baby car seats, designed for young littles to keep them safe and unable to undo the seat belt themselves.

Mingi shakes his head, "I don't need that right now Joongie hyung. I'm big."

"I know you are, but you still need to sit there Minnie, just for your safety." Hongjoong explains to him.

Mingi pouts, "I don't want to sit there."

"Please Mingi, we don't have time to argue right now. We are running late so please just sit there." Hongjoong tells him.

"No, I want a window seat." Mingi argues and climbs into the car sitting down on the other side by the window.

"Mingi." Seonghwa tells him from the passenger seat. "Sit down in your seat."

"I am sitting, hyung." Mingi sasses back at him. This was getting annoying. First, they are taking him to see a doctor for a check up he doesn't even want. Second, a stranger was coming to their home, and now he can't even sit where he wants in the damn car.

"Mingi, I'm giving you to the count of three to sit your butt right here." Hongjoong warns and starts the count. "One."

Mingi ignores him and yanks the seat belt from where he is sitting to buckle himself in.

"Two."

Mingi scowls at him and fumbles with the belt trying to get it to click together but failing.

"Three."

Mingi squawks when he is manhandled from where he was sitting and into the car seat by Hongjoong. His limbs flail but Hongjoong easily buckles him in with the seat belt harness in record time. Hongjoong settles next to him and tells the driver that they are ready to head out now. As they head off to the hospital, Mingi fights with the seat belt. The buckles refuse to become undone under his stumbling fingers. Then he resorts to yanking on the straps with all his might. Hongjoong pats his knee to get him to calm down.

"Stop Minmin, you can hurt yourself, baby."

Mingi continues to yank and pull until he gets tired. He lets out a frustrated yell and kicks out with his legs hitting Seonghwa and their driver's seats.

"Mingi, enough!" Hongjoong snaps at Mingi. "You're getting a time out later."

Mingi's bottom lip begins to wobble and he bites on it to stop it. His eyes fill with tears, but he fights to not let them spill. He's been crying alot and refuses to cry anymore. Crying is for babies and he's not a baby, he'll show them.

His brain starts to feel fuzzy minutes later, and the tears finally come down his cheeks. Mingi starts sobbing and feels the overwhelming need for his appa to hold him.

"A-appa!" He reaches out to Hongjoong. Hongjoong turns towards him and cups his cheek.

"Yes, Minnie baby?" He asks him. Hongjoong had guessed that Mingi was starting to feel little. He changes headspaces randomly, but usually when he gets fussy like this it is highly likely that he will slip into it.

"Wa-wan’ appa!" Mingi wails loudly and clutches onto Hongjoong's arm. He tries to swing his leg over to get on Hongjoong's lap but the harness constricts his movements.

"We are almost there and then appa will be able to hold you, baby." He tries to placate Minnie. "Hey hyung, do you have his pacifier in your bag?"

Seonghwa scrimmages through his bag and pulls it out and hands it to Hongjoong. He slips it into his baby's mouth and clips the strap onto his hoodie. Mingi sucks on it and calms down after a while only letting out small sniffles. He is still hugging Hongjoong's arm, and Hongjoong is smoothing back his hair.

They reach the hospital, and Hongjoong unbuckles Mingi from his seat. Mingi holds out his arms for Hongjoong to carry him, and he does. Mingi cutely rubs his cheek against his. Seonghwa coos at the sight.

"My little flower loves his appa, don't you baby?" Seongwha softly pinches his other cheek, making him giggle.

Mingi lets his paci fall from his mouth and loudly shouts, "Love appa!" He happily swings his legs from where Hongjoong is holding him as they walk inside the building.

"And appa loves his Minnie baby." Hongjoong says to him and then whispers into his ears, "wanna know a secret? You're appa's favorite."

Mingi smiles shyly and tucks his face into his shoulder, making Hongjoong chuckle at his adorableness. They reach the receptionist desk and Seonghwa checks in while Hongjoong sits in one of the chairs with Mingi on his lap. Seonghwa sits next to them after he finishes speaking with the nurse there.

"The nurse said that it will probably be around 30 minutes till we can see Dr. Kwon." He tells Hongjoong. Mingi whines after he says that.

Both Seonghwa and Hongjoong look at each other and frown. "What's wrong, baby?" Seonghwa asks him.

"No doctor, eomma." Mingi whimpers and hugs Hongjoong. "No likey."

Ah, so that might be why Mingi always cried at first before his checkups when he was in the hospital last time. That could also explain why he was being fussy earlier, Hongjoong thinks. He looks at Seonghwa again and he is also thinking the same thing.

"You shouldn't be afraid, Minmin. Doctors are here to help you get better and healthy. They fix your ouchies." Hongjoong explains to him. Mingi just grunts, not really believing him.

"Don't worry baby, eomma and appa will be with you the whole time okay?" Seonghwa reassures him.

Mingi looks around the waiting room and his eyes fixate on the brightly colored toys that are in the middle of the room. There were other littles playing with some of the toys and they looked like they were having fun. Mingi wanted to play, but he was nervous.

Hongjoong notices him looking at the toys. "Do you want to play Minmin? You can go play with the toys too." He encourages him, and sets him down on the floor.

Mingi looks at Seonghwa with wide eyes just to be sure and he gives him a reassuring smile. "Go play."

Mingi slowly walks over to the toys. He picks up a red cube that has many different colorful shapes inside it. It is one of those toys where you have to push the shapes into the correct hole to get it inside. Mingi walks back to Hongjoong and Seonghwa with the toy in hand. He sits down by their feet and shakes the cube rattling the shapes inside.

"Here flower, let me get the shapes out for you." Seonghwa opens the cube for Mingi and dumps them on the floor in front of Mingi. "You have to put the shapes through the correct holes now. Like this." He demonstrates using one of the shapes.

Mingi puts one shape through the correct hole and looks up at the two men. "Did!" He announces proudly with a big smile and eyes shining bright.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa both beam proud smiles for him. "Wow, our baby's very smart!" Seonghwa lightly claps for him.

"Good job Minmin!" Hongjoong ruffles his hair. "Can you get them all in?"

Mingi nods eagerly and gets to work. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sit back leaning towards each other as they watch their baby play. At some point their hands found each other over the armrests without them realizing it.

After a while a nurse comes out and calls for Mingi. Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa stand up gathering their bags. Mingi was only half way done with getting the shapes inside the cube and whines when Hongjoong tells him it is time to go.

"No did appa!" Mingi pouts at him.

"That's okay. You have a toy like this at home. You can play with it once we go home. It's time to see the doctor now." Hongjoong explains.

"No doctor, appa!" Mingi cries and holds up his arms to Hongjoong who picks him up.

"It's okay baby, Dr. Kwon is going to make sure you are getting better. Me and eomma will be with you." Hongjoong pats his bum as he carries him down the hallway following the nurse and Seonghwa.

"Please place him on this scale. We'll check his weight first." The nurse points to a black weight scale along the wall. Mingi clings tighter to Hongjoong when he tries to set him down.

"No!" Mingi screams.

Seonghwa turns to the nurse and apologizes.

"Sorry about him, we just learned that he does not like going to the doctors."

The nurse waves away his apology and smiles.

"Don't worry, most littles that come here are afraid." She looks at Mingi who returns her look with red teary eyes. "Hi Mingi! We are only looking to see how big you've gotten. If you let me check, you'll get a sticker for being a good boy!"

"St-sticker?" Mingi perks up and rubs an eye with one of his hands.

Hongjoong bounces Mingi in his arms. "Yeah you can get a sticker for being a good boy. Do you want a sticker, baby?"

Mingi nods timidly and Hongjoong gently sets him down on the scale. He makes sure to stand next to him so Mingi knows he is right there. The nurse quickly writes the number down.

"Wow thank you Mingi! You were such a good boy!" The nurse gushes and then reaches over a counter to grab a box. "Here Mingi, you can pick out any sticker you want from this box."

Mingi skims through the box and finds a sticker with a cartoon dog with golden fur. He shrieks gleefully and holds up it to show both men what he found. "Eomma, appa, looky daddy!"

"Oh that's great baby! Daddy's always cute isn't he?" Hongjoong asks Mingi and he eagerly nods.

"Wan’ daddy."

"You'll see him once we go home." Seonghwa takes hold of his hand. They follow the nurse to a room and Dr. Kwon shows up five minutes later.

"Hi, it's nice seeing you all again." He turns to Mingi and asks him, "how are you feeling Mingi?"

Mingi stuffs his face into Seonghwa's shoulder. Dr. Kwon chuckles.

"Still shy I see."

"Sorry, it seems like he's afraid of doctors." Hongjoong informs him. "We realized that today."

"It's quite alright. Most littles and kids are. Can you place him on the bed?" He gestures to Seonghwa. Laying Mingi down was quite the challenge as he refused to let go of Seonghwa. The nurse promised another sticker. Mingi finally let go, but continued whimpering and sniffling.

"It's okay Mingi. I'm going to listen to your heart and your tummy first." Dr. Kwon assures him. "How are his eating habits these past few weeks?"

"They have been good for the most part. He has had a couple of stomach aches, one of them was today. He only drank half his bottle this morning." Seonghwa tells him.

"I can hear his tummy rumbling, he's a bit bloated. He might have a stomach ache today because he is nervous about the visit here. Hey Mingi, can you be a good boy and tell me if it hurts when I press on your tummy?"

Mingi nods meekly afraid that he'll get mad if he says no, and Dr. Kwon gently presses around his abdomen area. When he presses on his stomach, Mingi quietly says that it hurts. Then Dr. Kwon lightly taps that same spot and listens.

"Sounds like he might just have some air trapped. You can keep giving him medicine to help with that. You can also message his stomach when he is laying down to help with that as well. But he seems to be doing well. He had gained about three pounds since the last time I checked him. After this you can speak with Dr. Lim about expanding his food choices. How are his bathroom habits? Any dark urine or has he said if it hurts him to go?"

Seonghwa shakes his head. "No, his urine is normal, we've been making sure to give him lots of water and give him his antibiotics. He has not mentioned that it hurts him to go. Our only concern is that…he can't hold it when he's big. It's been upsetting him."

"Okay good, I believe I don't need to prescribe anymore antibiotics but we will double check that. Unfortunately it's still pretty early to really tell what the aftermath will be. At this point all we can do is wait and see. Have you or any of his other caregivers talked to him about the possibility of remaining incontinent?"

Both Seonghwa and Hongjoong shake their heads at him. "No…Mingi has been upset about it the most that we didn't think it would be good to tell him now. We were hoping to get him more comfortable with diaper changes when he is big so maybe he would be less upset if he does remain incontinent."

Dr. Kwon nods in understanding. "That would probably be the best way. The other littles who have gone through this, only three of them have remained completely incontinent. They also had a hard time accepting it, but their caregivers also did the same. Young littles in general have a hard time already holding it in whether they are big or small, and it's something that these littles had a hard time understanding. They got so used to what's normal for a neutral versus what is normal for a little. Which is what I'm guessing Mingi is dealing with and will continue dealing with for a while. Now the reason why I say there is great possibility with Mingi ending up incontinent is because he is the longest out of all the littles so far to suppress his little headspace. My theory for why he even lasted this long is because he had been living with seven caregivers all these years. You guys unknowingly helped him really."

"Hey Dr. Kwon since we are asking about the possible aftermath, Mingi is also very frustrated with his fingers. He has been saying that he is going through longer and more frequent periods where he can't control his fine motor skills. Has there been any little whose fine motor skills remained like this permanently?" Seonghwa asks worriedly. He looks at Mingi who is still laying down happily entertained by his sticker and smiles fondly at him.

Dr. Kwon shook his head. "I have not come across any little that's completely lost control of their fine motor skills. There are some where it took a very long time for those periods to decrease. But again, it's one of those things that it's normal for young littles to experience from time to time. The only abnormality is how long and how frequent they would experience it when they are big. Everyone is different, so we'll just have to wait and see for Mingi."

Both men nod. "So I'm guessing that his mood swings and switching between headspaces is also going to take a long time to sort itself out?" Hongjoong asks.

"Exactly." Dr. Kwon confirms.

"Mingi has certainly been crying and throwing tantrums here and there." Seonghwa chuckles.

"It's hard for babies to process emotions sometimes. Emotions can feel very big for them and they can get overwhelmed. It may seem a little more intense right now for Mingi because he did not have that smooth transition period as most littles do when they are first classified." Dr. Kwon explains to them.

"Eomma!" Mingi calls out to Seonghwan, reaching for him.

"Yes, flower?" Seonghwa pats his hair.

"Wan’ eomma." Mingi whines. He is trying to roll over to get off the bed. Seonghwa immediately stops him.

"Wait baby, eomma will hold you once Dr. Kwon finishes."

"Let me just check the rash quickly and then your eomma can hold you, okay Mingi?" Dr. Kwon asks the little who was starting to get teary-eyed.

Hongjoong carefully removes his sweatpants and then Dr. Kwon untapes the diaper. He looks Mingi over, noticing that the rash is spreading again.

"I can see that it's wanting to spread again. Is he being left in a wet diaper too long?"

"We try not to, but Mingi is having a hard time letting us know he needs to be changed when he is big. Sometimes he may stay in a wet diaper until he gets the courage to tell one of us, but usually its when we point it out that he seems uncomfortable." Seonghwa sighs sadly. "It's one of the reasons why we were telling you about his worries earlier."

Dr. Kwon hums as he retapes Mingi's diaper. "I understand, but I think you all will have to take the initiative on checking his diaper regularly. While he might find it embarrassing, we can't have him getting his rash back to the same state as it was before or worse.”

"We were thinking that we had to start doing that." Hongjoong mentions.

"Here's an idea. You can buy those diapers that have a mark that appears when the diaper has been used. If you keep checking his diaper every now and then for that mark, it might prompt Mingi to start telling you when he needs a change rather than waiting for you to check." Dr. Kwon suggests.

"That's a great idea. I completely forgot about those diapers." Seonghwa says in awe.

"Hopefully it works out, but if he continues to not say anything, then you will just have to keep checking him constantly. Okay, now I just want to have Mingi get some imaging done to make sure everything else is still good internally and have him do a urine test to make sure the UTI is completely done. While you wait for the results. Dr. Lim will come by briefly to see about any changes to Mingi's diet."

"Thank you doctor for taking the time to talk about our concerns and everything else." Hongjoong tells him and Seonghwa bows gratefully.

"You're welcome, its no problem. I just want to make sure our little guy over here gets well." Dr. Kwon smiles and gives Mingi's stomach a tiny tickle making him giggle. "The nurse will come by to get the exams done."

The nurse comes by and luckily Mingi was cooperating with them in getting the exams done. Dr. Lim comes by as they waited for the results.

"Hi Mingi! How are you today?" She gives him a bright friendly smile. Mingi shyly waves hello to the woman and then attaches himself to Seonghwa. "He's adorable."

"Yes he is." Seonghwa beams at her.

"So I see here that Dr. Kwon wrote that his stomach bloated today but he has been doing good so far on his diet. Has Mingi been eating consistently?"

"He has. There were only a few times were he didn't finish the whole bottle of milk." Seonghwa answers.

"Good, has he also been eating soup broth, bits of cereal, jello, or anything of that sort?"

"Yes, he would usually eat something additional in the morning or in the evening."

"Has he had any upset stomach after eating?"

"Yes, it was mostly in the beginning when we first started this. He had a stomach ache this morning before he drank his milk, but Dr. Kwon believes it's because he was nervous about his appointment today." Seonghwa explains.

"Okay, very good. I think now we can try introducing him to food like rice in some broth, soups with vegetables, and yogurt. Foods that are not too heavy for his stomach. I would say give him milk 2-3 times a day. He will start putting on more weight now that he will be starting to eat more foods."

"We'll do that, thank you." Hongjoong tells her.

"Of course! I will prescribe more medicine for his stomach in case he gets stomach aches now that we are introducing more foods. Other than that, I'll see you all again in a couple of weeks."

The young men thank her, and soon the nurse comes back with Mingi's results.

"It appears that all is clear. He does not have a UTI so no need to give him anymore antibiotics, and everything else is looking great. Here is the prescription that Dr. Lim provided and also another prescription for the ointment from Dr. Kwon." The nurse hands over the slip of paper to them. "We want him to come back again in three weeks for another checkup, and you're all set."

"Thank you so much. Mingi tell her thank you for the stickers." Hongjoong gives him a little nudge.

Mingi's cheek is lightly dusted pink and he meekly says, "th-thank you." Then he hides his face in Seonghwa's shoulder. They all grin at his adorableness.

"Awww he's such a sweet baby." She coos and waves bye to them.

"We bye-bye?" Mingi asks them curiously.

"Yes baby, it's time to go home." Hongjoong says as he takes his hand and starts to walk.

Mingi's other hand feels empty and looks at his eomma. "Wan’ eomma." He pleads with puppy eyes, making both Hongjoong's and Seonghwa's hearts melt.

"I want my baby too." Seonghwa grasps his hand. The three walk happily back to the car hand in hand.

-

It's late in the afternoon and everyone is in the living room or kitchen. They were waiting for the social worker from LPS to arrive at some point during the day.

Mingi was sitting on a colorful rug on the floor. He just woke up from his nap about two hours ago so his hair is all tussled up in many directions. Jongho is right beside him playing with him. They are playing with a similar toy to the one Mingi was playing with at the hospital.

"Dada! Did!" Mingi calls for Jongho's attention to show him that he found the correct slot for the shaped block in his hand.

"Good job Minnie!" Jongho ruffles his hair. "Such a smart baby."

"Dada turn." Mingi hands him a shape. He picks up another shape for himself. It was pastel yellow and crescent moon shaped. It looked yummy so Mingi stuffed half of it in his mouth and started sucking on it.

"Nah ah ah ah. Minnie take that out of your mouth." Jongho chastises him.

Mingi muffles out a, "no! Mine!" He takes off crawling when Jongho reaches for him.

"Mingi!" Jongho crawls after him.

Mingi giggles when he sees Jongho chasing after him. He ends up dropping the toy from his mouth onto the floor as he laughs. He leaves it behind and continues to crawl.

"Hurry Minmin or the bear will catch you!" San yells from the couch.

Jongho decides to play along now that Mingi doesn't have the toy in his mouth. Jongho pretends to growl and continues crawling after Mingi. Mingi shrieks in laughter and starts trying to crawl faster to get away.

"It's time for a snack. Gotcha!" Jongho catches up to Mingi and springs on him. He carefully turns Mingi over and pretends to eat him by blowing raspberries around his neck. Mingi screeches loudly in laughter, squirming underneath him trying to avoid the tickles.

San watches them fondly. His heart flutters on seeing how sweet and playful Jongho is with Mingi. The boy is normally well composed with an air of maturity. Of course, he's always been more relaxed with Mingi, but to see Jongho being this silly and loving with their baby…the sight is very beautiful.

"Pa-papa! Papa help!" Mingi reaches a hand out to him and how can San say no?

San dives into the pile on the floor, but careful to not accidentally hurt one of them. San attacks Jongho's own neck with kisses making him screech in surprise. "San!" He shouts all flustered as he lets go of Mingi in order to push San away with no success.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and the two of them froze. Mingi looked at both of them wondering why they weren't playing anymore.

San gets up from the floor and goes to notify the others in the kitchen.

"Hey, I think the LPS person is here."

Jongho gets up from the floor and picks Mingi up, taking him back to where the toy is. "Someone is here to look around our home, but you can keep playing with your toy Minnie."

Hongjoong goes to open the door and seconds later a middle-aged woman is stepping inside. While they are all greeting her, Mingi notices that she has an ID badge clipped to her blouse. He sees the letters LPS and he gets an inkling feeling of dread for some reason. In the back of his foggy mind, he is trying to remember what it was. He shakes head trying to get rid of the icky feeling, but to no avail. Without thinking, he stuck another shape into his mouth.

Eomma? Eomma scared? Mingi feels like his mind is trying to resurface but it can't. Someone was coming here today, but why? Mingi starts sucking on the block rapidly feeling really uneasy, his breathing increasing. Then it hits him.

The lady is here to take him away. Eomma said that someone was going to take him away.

-

Mrs. Min just finished explaining to Hongjoong that she is just going to look around their home and then try to speak with Mingi just to see how he is doing.

"Of course. Let me introduce you to him and then I can show you around." Hongjoong tells her.

They all turn to Mingi who is sitting on the floor, furiously sucking on a block with eyes wide. They take a few steps forward to him when they notice Mingi's breath increasing and he starts trembling.

"Minnie?" Hongjoong asks worriedly as he approaches him, but Mingi doesn't acknowledge him, instead his full focus is on the Mrs. Min who was concerned.

When she takes another step forward, without thinking Mingi takes the block out of his mouth and throws it at her, hitting her in the forehead. Mrs. Min lets out a small yelp in surprise.

"No!" Mingi shouts and starts bawling his eyes out. Hongjoong sits on the floor and pulls him in his lap. He clings to Hongjoong desperately, letting out heart wrenching sobs. Yunho, San and Jongho surround them, trying to inspect Mingi in case he was hurting anywhere, and trying to soothe him.

Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Yeosang are with Mrs. Min who is clutching her forehead. Yeosang is holding the clipboard that she had been carrying.

"We're so sorry Mrs. Min. We don't know why Mingi acted out like that." Seonghwa apologizes. Wooyoung left to go get an ice pack for her.

"It's fine. I'm more concerned about him though." She looks over to the distressed little who is still crying his little heart out.

"Honestly, we are surprised too. Mingi has never lashed out like that. Normally, he is very shy and quiet when meeting someone new." Yeosang tells her.

"He must've been spooked by something." Wooyoung comes back and hands Mrs. Min the ice pack so she can place it on the small bump on her head. "He looked frightened."

"But with what?" Seonghwa wonders. "He was just sitting there quietly."

Yunho tries to give Mingi his pacifier, but he just spits that out. Hongjoong stands up with Mingi in his arms and starts pacing around the living room. He bounces him gently and they all watch on as Mingi's sobs begin to fade down to soft cries.

"Minnie baby? Do you want to tell appa what's wrong? Do you hurt somewhere, sweetpea?" Hongjoong asks him as he rubs his back. Mingi sniffs and tightens his grip on Hongjoong's jacket.

After a few minutes, Mingi hiccups out, "A-appa no l-leave!"

"Leave?" Hongjoong looks at the others in confusion and they all share the same look. "I'm not leaving, baby."

Mingi whines and kicks out with his legs, making him jostle in his arms. "M-Minnie!" He cries.

One by one, everyone's face lightens up in realization. They look back at Mrs. Min who is starting to understand why Mingi had thrown the toy at her.

Hongjoong sits on the couch, and tries to pull back Mingi so he can see his face when Mingi lets out a high pitched scream, making everyone wince. Mingi wails and latches onto Hongjoong's jacket. He's babbling incoherently as his cries are making it difficult for them to understand him. Hongjoong pulls him against his chest.

Yunho sits next to Hongjoong and wraps a blanket around them. Then he wraps his own arms around them to help Mingi feel more safe and secure.

"It's okay princess, you're okay. Daddy's here baby." He presses a kiss to Mingi's forehead. "Appa too, everyone is here baby."

It took about 10 minutes for Mingi's cries to die down again. Throughout that time, both Hongjoong and Yunho whispered to him to reassure him that he's okay. Now that Mingi wasn't crying Hongjoong took the opportunity to speak to him to let him know that he wasn't leaving.

"You're okay baby. You are not leaving us." Hongjoong strokes his hair.

"N-n-no l-leave?" Mingi stutters to say, his voice cracking harshly. He finds the courage to look at Hongjoong. It saddens Hongjoong looking at how red and swollen his baby's eyes are. However, what hurts the most is the look of fear in his eyes. Hongjoong will put an end to that.

"No, you are staying with us because you are our baby, who we love so so much." Hongjoong presses their foreheads together and smiles at him so dearly. "My precious Minnie baby."

"L-ove a-appa." Mingi croaks out and nuzzles into his shoulder.

"Did you think Mrs. Min was here to take you away? Did you throw the toy because you were scared?" Yunho asks Mingi gently, and he nods.

"N-no leave."

"Can you tell me why you thought that baby?"

"Eo-eomma scared. Eomma tell b-baba." Mingi says tearfully.

Seonghwa gasps in shock quietly and everyone looks at him. "He must have heard me this morning when I was talking to Wooyoung. I was telling him that I was worried about the visit and wanted to make sure our home was perfectly clean before you came by Mrs. Min. Oh jeez I was just being dramatic." He rubs his tired face with his hand and feels bad for causing such a misunderstanding.

"He must have misunderstood you hyung." Wooyoung says. "And he must not have heard me after when I said that everything will go fine."

Seonghwa walks over to his baby so he can see him and he brings a tissue to wipe his face clean.

"I'm sorry, flower. You are not going to be taken away from us. Mrs. Min is just here to make sure our home is nice, clean and safe for you. She wants to make sure you are happy here." Seonghwa explains to him. "She will be coming often to look okay, but that's it."

"K-kay eomma." Mingi blows his nose into the tissue. He then rests his head against Hongjoong's shoulder feeling worn out. Seonghwa puts a hand on Mingi's forehead and he feels really warm. He hopes it doesn't lead to a fever.

San came back from the kitchen with a bottle of cold water for Mingi. "Papa brought some water for your throat, baby. Wanna come with Papa?" He asks just in case. He didn't want to accidentally make him think he was being taken away again.

Mingi nods tiredly and San takes him from Hongjoong's arms. He settles down on couch with him and wraps him up in the blanket again. Mingi quickly suckles on the nipple once San brings the bottle to his mouth.

He looks at the others. "You guys can start showing Mrs. Min the house, I can look after Mingi."

"Thank you, Sannie." Hongjoong smiles and then gestures to Mrs. Min. "If you are feeling well Mrs. Min, we can start the tour. We understand if you would rather come back at another time so you can get some rest."

Mrs. Min waves her hand at that. "Nonsense, I'm okay. Lead the way."

They all go except for Jongho and Yeosang who wanted to help San if needed. Jongho sits beside San and places Mingi's legs on his lap. San pats his bum in a steady rhythm lulling Mingi into a sleepy state. He keeps blinking his eyes trying to fight off sleep and San chuckles.

"It's okay, sweet pea. Go to sleep, Papa will stay right here with you." Those adorable eyes finally remains closed and he is off to dreamland.

San pulls the bottle away and Yeosang slips the pacifier in Mingi's mouth. Yeosang takes the bottle to the kitchen.

Jongho presses against San's arm and rests his head on his shoulder. San glances at him.

"You okay Jongie?" He asks Jongho.

"Yeah, it just hurt to see him so scared like that. But I'm going to make sure that he never feels unsure of our love for him, and his place here with all of us hyung." Jongho speaks determinedly to San. "If he thought I was annoying him before, just wait. I'm going to be the most annoying little shit he's ever met."

San snorts in amusement. "I can't wait to see that. I think that's exactly what he needs."

"And you," Jongho pokes San's cheek with his finger, "you're lucky our baby is asleep right now or I would've bitten you right now for that attack earlier."

"You're more than welcome to. I like it a little rough."

"Y-you!" Jongho splutters trying not to yell obscenities at the muscled man next to him. San didn't think Jongho could get this red. He loves it.

"Alright, alright. San stop it before you make him pass out from blushing so hard." Yeosang says as he comes back from the kitchen."Then I wouldn't be able to have some fun~."

Turns out Jongho can turn more red. San and Yeosang laugh at their cute maknae.

"You guys are the worst." Jongho mutters and lays against San's shoulder again. Yeosang comes to sit next to Jongho and rests against his shoulder. The three of them sit there peacefully watching as their baby sleeps serenely.

-

"Thank you for coming Mrs. Min, and again, we are so sorry for what happened." Seonghwa apologizes.

They finished showing her the whole house and now they are walking her to the door. Mingi is still asleep so Mrs. Min will talk to him next time she returns.

"You're welcome, and really, I'm fine. I was really concerned about him. I had spoken with Dr. Kwon before and he did mention that Mingi's emotions will be erratic for a while."

"Yeah, we are hoping he will get better soon. It's been hard on him." Hongjoong tells her.

"I wish him all the best. Everything looks good now, and I shall be back sometime next month for another visit. Hopefully I can speak with Mingi next time."

"Sounds good, you have a wonderful night Mrs. Min." Yunho tells her and they all wave her off.

Once they close the door, they all join the others in the living room. Wooyoung collapses on the floor, Hongjoong goes to his armchair. Before Yunho takes a seat, Seonghwa walks by and tells them that he is going to take a shower. The others didn't see it, but Yunho saw the crestfallen look on his hyung's face. He follows him to his and Hongjoong's room.

Seonghwa doesn't acknowledge him, he just continues to gather his towel and clothes. Yunho follows him to the bathroom.

"Hyung."

Seonghwa doesn't turn around, so Yunho can't see his face. He started taking off his shirt.

"It's not your fault, hyung."

Seonghwa pauses and Yunho sees him starting to tremble slightly. Then small barely contained sobs start to rack through his body. Yunho wraps his arms around the man's naked torso and hooks his chin over his shoulder.

"Because of my carelessness, Mingi was so frightened." He chokes out between sobs. Yunho only tightens his arms. "What if he had another panic attack because of me?"

"Hyung, you didn't do it deliberately. You didn't know he heard you and misunderstood things. That's out of your hands, hyung."

"I'll make sure to keep things to myself." Seonghwa mumbles as he wipes his tears with his hands.

Yunho spins him around and looks right into his eyes. "Don't. You can tell us anything, hyung. Don't be afraid to tell us what your worries are. We are a family hyung."

Seonghwa hugs him, "okay." His voice was muffled by Yunho's sweater.

"And I'm sure there will be other times where Mingi has doubts about his place with us, our love for him, but we will always be there to clear things up for our baby."

"Mm-hmm." Seonghwa hums into Yunho's chest. They stand there hugging each other for comfort and then Seonghwa pulls slightly away to kiss Yunho's cheek. "Thank you, Yunnie."

"Anytime. Now let's hop into the shower, you need some pampering so I'll wash your hair for you."

"You don't ha-"

"I want to." Yunho cuts him off.

Seonghwa groans once the hot water hits his body. "I've been needing this all day."

"You deserve it hyung, so enjoy it." Yunho pours some shampoo into Seonghwa's hair. He runs his fingers through the soft silky hair, lathering it all with shampoo and gently massaging his scalp. He helps rinse off his hair and he places a gentle kiss on the back of his neck. His heart flutters when Seonghwa releases a sigh of bliss.

"Your turn." Yunho yelps when Seonghwa suddenly switches places with him and now he is standing under the running water. Seonghwa pours shampoo and starts scrubbing his hair.

"Hyung! The whole point was to pamper you only, not me." Yunho argues, but he still melts into his touch.

"You deserve it too." Seonghwa responds lightly. Then he slightly tiptoes to press a soft peck on the back of the other's neck too. Seonghwa giggles to himself when he sees the tips of Yunho's cute ears turn red.

Once they finish and get dressed, they walk out into the living room and are met with everybody snoozing away. Somehow their captain ended up snoring sideways in his armchair, and Wooyoung is all stretched out on the floor. Yeosang, Jongho, and San are leaning against each other with Mingi still comfortably wrapped up in San's arms.

"Looks like everyone's all pooped out." Yunho smiles at them.

"Yup, let's let them sleep for 15 more minutes and then we'll wake them up. Otherwise it will be hard to put Mingi to sleep at bedtime." Seonghwa suggests. "I'm gonna get started on dinner."

"I'll help." Yunho offers.

Seonghwa was about to say he doesn't have to, but then decides not to. He could appreciate his company right now.

Without speaking, they intertwine their fingers and walk together to the kitchen to prepare a meal for their family.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

It's early morning the next day. Everyone is having breakfast except for Mingi who is still sleeping. Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, San, and Jongho have schedules to attend to today so Yeosang and Wooyoung will be home with Mingi for the day.

"Can you guys go to the store today?" Seonghwa asks the two before taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

"Sure, hyung. What do you need us to get for you?" Yeosang answers. He scoops up the last bit of rice from his plate as his hyung fishes out a list from his pocket.

"Just some groceries. I also added a couple of food items for Mingi since his dietician told us that we can start expanding his food options."

"Oh yeah, how did his appointment go yesterday? We didn't really talk about it." Yunho asks.

"The appointment went well. We found out that Mingi is afraid of doctors, but he can be bribed with stickers." Hongjoong laughs when he thinks back on how excited Mingi was when he got the stickers.

Yunho smiles fondly, "he ran up to me when you guys got home and gave me the sticker he found of me."

"That was so adorable." Wooyoung gushes, "he was just like 'daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Gots daddy sticker!'"

"His cuteness really is gonna be the death of me." San moans as if he was in pain.

Yeosang playfully slaps his arm and then turns back to Seonghwa. "So what did the doctor say?"

"Mingi's doing well. He doesn't need his antibiotics anymore. He's gained about three pounds, which is not alot yet but his dietician said that he will start gaining more weight now that we are able to give him more food that is not heavy on the stomach. She said we should give him milk two to three times a day."

"We also brought up Mingi's worries to Dr. Kwon, but unfortunately he didn't have much to tell us about right now since it's still too early. But he did mention that it would probably be best to wait till Mingi is more comfortable about diaper changes so he won't get too devastated about the high possibility of remaining incontinent. So far only three littles have remained incontinent from suppressing their headspace for a long period of time. And as far as he knows, there hasn't been a little that has had their fine motor skills permanently affected. He said that it took a very long time for those episodes to decrease back to the normal frequency that a little would experience them. So Mingi will just have to wait and see if he will experience those episodes less and less overtime." Hongjoong explains to the members.

"So basically there is no guarantee in anything." Jongho clenches a fist. It sucks that there is not much they can do about it.

Seonghwa shakes his head, "No. He told us that Mingi is the little who has repressed his headspace the longest so far. His theory is that the only reason he even lasted this long was because he was living with us, seven caregivers and we had helped him without even knowing."

Yunho exhales a deep breath and he leans forward resting his elbows on the table covering his eyes with his hands. "God, I don't even want to think of what would've happened to him if we weren't caregivers."

Hongjoong rubs his back "Let's just think about the fact that we are lucky Mingi is better than he could've been. We found out before it was extremely life-threatening."

They all nodded their heads, internally they were all grateful that their baby is not worst off.

"The only thing right now is Dr. Kwon is concerned that Mingi's rash is starting to spread again. I did explain to him that Mingi is insecure about diaper changes when he is big so he's not telling us right away that he needs a change. He said that we are going to have to start checking his diaper often even if Mingi doesn't come to us because his rash is spreading again. Dr. Kwon suggested that we buy those diapers where the mark appears when the diaper is used so if we keep checking his diaper then it might encourage him to come tell us himself instead of waiting."

"That's a good idea, but I know Mingi is definitely not going to be happy about it." San points out. They can all agree on that.

"Even so, we have to do something. Me and Hwa hyung are the ones he is most comfortable with, but one of us can't be here all the time to change him, like today. And even if we are, sometimes he waits to tell us. His rash is going to get worse and worse at this rate." Yunho sighs in frustration and leans against Hongjoong who tightens his arm around his waist.

"It's going to be hard, like yesterday he barely managed to ask me for help. So we are just gonna do what we have to do." Wooyoung says as he brings down his fist onto the table with determination.

"Yes." Seonghwa agrees. "I put the diapers on the list, so please don't forget about them."

"Aye aye hyung." Wooyoung says playfully.

Their conversation is disrupted by small cries and whimpers coming through the baby monitor they brought to the table.

Seonghwa stands up from the table and heads over to Mingi's room. He finds him laying in his bed with one arm hugging Nuggy and his other with the thumb in his mouth.

"Good morning, flower. Did you sleep well?"

Mingi doesn't answer, just whimpers tearfully and grunts. He kicks out with his legs.

"Is my baby feeling extra small right now?" Seonghwa asks concernedly. Mingi has been like this since he woke up from his second nap yesterday. Then he scolds himself for forgetting to tell Dr. Kwon about Mingi feeling smaller than his range more frequently than they thought he would.

Seonghwa lowers the bed rail and quickly gives him a diaper change. He slips Mingi's thumb out of his mouth and replaces it with his pacifier. He scoops him up and walks out to the living room.

"He's still very small." Seonghwa announces to them as he sits down with Mingi in his lap.

"Still?" Jongho asks as he comes back from the kitchen with a bottle for Mingi. "Here hyung, I can take him."

He takes Mingi into his own lap and quickly replaces the pacifier with the bottle before he can start crying. Mingi places his hand over Jongho's that's holding the bottle.

"We forgot to tell Dr. Kwon about Mingi's extra smallness, Joong." Seonghwa tells him.

"I know, but that can wait for next time." Hongjoong replies. He coos at his pretty baby, his hair is sticking up everywhere.

"Maybe I should stay home today." Seonghwa suggests not wanting to be apart from his baby when he's like this. He strokes one of Mingi's soft cheeks with his finger.

Wooyoung scoffs, "Hyung you don't have to. Me and Yeosang can look after him. Besides you're the one who's mostly been staying home with him. It's our turn." He pouts.

"He's right. We are a team, remember? Don't worry, we'll be fine." Yeosang chimes in. He gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Fine." Seonghwa sighs gloomy. "But call me if anything happens.”

"Yes, mother hen." Wooyoung jokingly says with a grin.

"Only for Mingi, not you." Seonghwa deadpans and then chuckles when Wooyoung gasps.

"We should go or else we'll be late." Hongjoong stands up and stretches.

Jongho kisses Mingi's forehead before handing him to Yeosang. "Be good, my little cub. Dada will be back soon."

The rest of them line up to give him goodbye kisses, making Mingi gurgle happily as he continues to drink his bottle. Some milk spills from the sides of his mouth and Yeosang wipes it away with a burp cloth.

"We'll be back soon." Yunho says as they walk out the door.

Wooyoung stands up and starts grabbing the plates from the table. "I'll wash these while Mingi finishes eating."

Ten minutes later Yeosang is on the couch trying to burp Mingi. He lets out a loud one with some spit up.

"I bet that was one satisfying bottle huh, angel?" Yeosang says as he wipes it up. "Good thing your eomma bought alot of these clothes for you. Our angel is such a messy baby." He nuzzles his nose against Mingi's making him squeal in delight.

Yeosang walks with him to the kitchen so he can drop off the bottle for Wooyoung to wash.

"Do you want to go to the store after I am done with the dishes?" Wooyoung asks as he takes the bottle from Yeosang, and gives Mingi a small kiss on the cheek. His cute cheeks really are irresistible.

"I was thinking we can go later to see if Mingi might feel older by then."

"Good idea." Wooyoung agrees.

-

Most of the morning was spent with Yeosang and Wooyoung taking turns playing with Mingi. Mingi remained extra tiny for the most part, but he was happily playing and babbling to both caregivers. He definitely loved playing peek-a-boo with his silly baba who always made funny faces as he pops out from hiding behind his hands. Yeosang watched on with a fond smile. Most people probably wouldn't believe it, but as much as Wooyoung is chaotic and sometimes behaves childish himself, he's always been so attentive towards others, especially Mingi. Always cheering him up, comforting, helping, teasing and being playful with him.

Yeosang was in the middle of dressing Mingi on his bed getting him ready to go to the store when he let out a small moan. The younger rubs his eyes with his hands as if he is waking up.

"Baby?"

"S-sangie? Mingi questions. His head was feeling a little fuzzy.

"How are you feeling, angel?"

"Mmm…weird hyungie." Instinctively, Mingi reaches out and wraps his arms around Yeosang seeking some comfort.

"Hold on, let me just put some sweatpants on you. It's cold and I don't want you to be freezing, Minnie." Yeosang tells him, making Mingi whimper. "I'll be quick, don't worry."

Yeosang hurriedly puts the sweatpants on him and gets on the bed. He lies back opening his arms and Mingi automatically clings to Yeosang's side, throwing a leg across his body. He rests his head on his chest. Yeosang patiently waits for Mingi to orientate himself.

Mingi's mind still feels cloudy. It usually feels that way when he goes back to his big self but for some reason it feels like it's taking longer for that cloudiness to go away. Unconsciously, his thumb makes its way into his mouth. He then feels a hand grab his wrist and gently tugs his thumb away from his mouth and something rubbery replaces it. After a few minutes of basking in Yeosang's warmth and the fogginess clearing, did it occur that he was sucking on a pacifier while he is big.

Mingi immediately spits the object out of his mouth as if it had burned him. The pacifier lands down on Yeosang's belly.

"Is something wrong with your paci, Minnie?" Yeosang asks as he picks it up to inspect it.

Mingi sits up, his cheeks turning pink. He shakes head and bites his bottom lip.

"No, I don't need it." He avoids looking at Yeosang and looks down at his fingers instead, feeling embarrassed. Because he's supposed to be big.

Yeosang notices the rosy cheeks and the way Mingi avoids looking at him. "Are you sure? It's okay if you want your paci, baby. You can have it at any time you want."

Mingi shakes his head again. He glances at the floor and perks up when he sees one of his pairs of shoes. "Are we going somewhere?"

Yeosang frowns internally but decides not to push the subject. "Yeah, we need to do some grocery shopping for hyung today."

Yeosang helps Mingi put on his shoes, and Wooyoung pops in to check on them. "Are you finished getting Minmin ready?"

"I'm ready, Youngie!" Mingi chimes happily, wanting to get some fresh air. He squeals when Wooyoung swoops him up, and gives him a little spin.

"Hi baby bun!" Wooyoung smooches his cheek. "I didn't know you became big again. Let's go, the car is ready."

When they get to the car, Mingi gets inside not acknowledging the seat meant for him. He simply sets himself down in one of the window seats and manages to put the seat belt on with his own hands this time.

"Minmin, you know you have to sit in your proper spot." Yeosang calmly tells him and pats the seat with his hand.

Mingi groans, "do I have to?"

"Yes, Minnie. Littles need to sit in the middle where it is safest and with the proper car seat." Yeosang explains to the younger man.

"But I'm not little right now!" Mingi yells and crosses his arms in frustration.

"Mingi lower your voice, and it's regardless whether you are big or little." Yeosang tells him. "Now c'mon, angel."

"But, but Sangie." Mingi whines, giving a little kick.

"There's nothing wrong with sitting in a car seat." Wooyoung reassures him.

"I don't want to!" Mingi responds angrily.

"Well you have two options right now. One, you can either sit in your seat and we can go to the store, or two, if you don't want to, then you and I can stay home while Wooyoung does the shopping." Yeosang says nonchalantly, sounding as if either option he chooses doesn't matter to him. "So what will it be?"

Mingi grunts, remaining silent and doesn't budge. He has his arms crossed and he stares down at Yeosang, thinking the man will give up eventually. He's mistaken.

“Okay, me and you are staying home.” Yeosang announces when Mingi refuses to say anything, and starts to undo his seat belt, ready to get him out of the car. Surprise runs through Mingi, not having expected Yeosang to not cave.

“No! I wanna go!” Mingi yells. He pushed away Yeosang's hands when the man tried to pull him out of his seat.

“Then sit in your seat.” Yeosang says in a firm voice.

Mingi begrudgingly undoes his seat belt and scoots into the middle. Yeosang smiles softly and kisses his forehead as he helps him buckle the harness.

When they got to the store, they made sure to put on their hats and masks before exiting the car. Yeosang grabs ahold of Mingi's hand as they walk to the store and Wooyoung grabs the shopping cart. Mingi happily swings their arms as they walk, with a bounce in every step.

"What do you need me to get, Sangie?" Mingi asks eagerly.

Yeosang contemplates for a moment and figures he could let Mingi roam around gathering things if they are in the same section.

"Here, you and Wooyoung can gather the veggies while I gather the fruit. Do not wander off on your own." He gives Wooyoung a pointed look, and he nods in understanding. To keep an eye on Mingi.

Mingi rushed all around the produce section, gathering all the vegetables that are listed. He just placed a cabbage in the cart when he saw a store sign pointing to where there are some books and magazines located. He glances back at Wooyoung and Yeosang and sees that they are still gathering stuff. Maybe he can take a quick peek at what they have while he waits. Mingi slinks away to the aisle near the other end of the store undetected.

He scans through the shelves full of magazines. Mingi finds a magazine that has some chapters of various manga series, and he becomes completely engulfed with it. He becomes tired after a while, and sits on the floor of the aisle. Time passes and Mingi doesn't realize how long he's been sitting there reading.

"Mingi!" Yeosang, the normally quiet man, shouts from one end of the aisle, startling Mingi. As he walks closer, Yeosang sighs in great relief at having found the other. Him and Wooyoung were freaking out when they didn't see Mingi anywhere. He reaches down and pulls Mingi up onto his feet, giving him a spank on his bottom making Mingi whimper.

"Mingi, why did you wander off? I told you not to." Yeosang scolds him as he brushes off the dirt on Mingi's butt from where he was sitting on the floor.

"I just wanted to look at the books, Sangie."

"It doesn't matter, you need to stay with one of us. You could have asked for one of us to go with you."

Mingi scoffs, "it's not a big deal, Sangie. I can go on my own."

Yeosang shakes his head. "You can't. What if you were to become little out of nowhere? You can get lost or hurt." He sends a quick text to Wooyoung to let him know Mingi has been found. "You scared us, Minnie."

Mingi feels torn. On one hand, he's annoyed and on the other, he feels bad for worrying them both.

Yeosang takes his hand and starts pulling him along. "Come on, let's go back to Wooyoung."

The poor man had been apologizing profusely to him for taking his eyes off of Mingi for a second. His brain was rattled with guilt, and Yeosang had to reassure him that they would find Mingi, even though he himself was super worried.

"Wait, I haven't finished reading yet!" Mingi tries to yank his hand out of Yeosang's grip, but Yeosang continues walking.

"Sorry Minmin, you should have asked us first before you wandered off on your own."

Mingi whines, upset. When they find Wooyoung, he first scolds Mingi and then smothers him in a hug with a huge sigh of relief.

"Now, stay by us at all times." Wooyoung says and Mingi nods reluctantly.

They go to the baby/littles aisle next. Wooyoung is getting some cases of the milk formula and Yeosang goes to look for the diapers that Seonghwa mentioned this morning. Mingi is just cruising along the aisle when he finds some pull-ups. He looks down on himself, eyeing the bulk around his hips. It's not super prominent since he is wearing baggy sweatpants, but you can still see he is indeed wearing a diaper. Eventually he wants to wear some other type of pants. No one else needs to know that he has to wear diapers all the time.

Mingi grabs a pack and contently skips back to the cart. He drops the package in and then waits for the other two men to return.

"Hey bun, I got your milk." Wooyoung puts the heavy cases into the cart. Mingi shyly smiles. He hates to admit it, but he grew to really like the milk.

“Next time we should go to a littles’ store. They have bigger bulks.” Yeosang calls out.

Mingi glances up and his face pulls into a frown when he sees Yeosang coming back with a box of diapers. Once Yeosang is close enough, he stops him from putting the box into the cart. Yeosang looks at him in question.

"Not those Sangie, I want these instead." Mingi gestures to the other package in the cart.

Yeosang picks it up looking over it and sees that they are pull-ups. He shakes his head.

"Sorry Minmin, but these won't work for you."

"What? Why?" Mingi frowns, taking back the package into his own hands.

"Those are not too absorbent, you need diapers, angel." Yeosang tries to explain calmly. He notices Mingi tightening his grip on the pull-ups.

"No I don't! I used these before and all I needed to do was not drink that much water." Mingi says, but it's not helping his case at all.

"Is that why you were going to the store by yourself all those times?" It suddenly clicked in Wooyoung's mind. "To get pull-ups?"

Mingi cautiously nods, briefly wondering if he revealed too much.

He did.

"Mingi, you can't withhold yourself from drinking water. It's not healthy, and you can make yourself really sick, which did happen. We're not getting these." Yeosang says. "We'll see if later on we are able to try them without you having to withhold liquids."

"No! I want them now." Mingi hugs the package to his chest, not wanting to let them go.

"No, we are not getting them. Put them back, Mingi." Yeosang says again, much firmer.

Mingi stomps his foot, but he still listens to him. He goes to put back the pull-ups, but when he does it, he does it roughly which causes several packets to fall off the shelf onto the floor.

"Mingi, pick those up and put them back nicely. I don't want to have to put you in timeout when we get home." Yeosang chastises him.

Mingi answers by sticking his tongue out at him and then yelps when he feels a smack on his butt. He turns to look at Wooyoung in shock, never expecting for the younger to spank him.

"Don't stick your tongue out like that to people. It's one thing to do it when you are teasing and playing with us, but it's another to do it to be rude." Wooyoung did not like how Mingi was behaving towards Yeosang and decided to reprimand him. Wooyoung himself may be a brat most of the time, but he does it to play around with the others not to be mean. "Now, pick up and put back the packages on the shelf nicely like how Yeosang told you."

Still slightly shaken up, Mingi crouches down to slowly gather the packets into his arms. He never had Wooyoung scold him like that, or can't recall him ever being mad at him really. Mingi's anxiety is spiking as he starts to worry if the younger hates him now because he was being mean to both of them but mostly to Sangie. Tears are pooling up in his eyes at the thought. Mingi tries to hold them back from spilling while he puts the several packages back on the shelf with trembling hands.

Once Mingi is done, he takes a minute to compose himself before turning around to face the other two men.

"I'm sorry, hyung." Mingi mumbles to Yeosang and plays with his fingers.

Yeosang nods and thanks him for picking them up. He takes Mingi's hand in his and gives him a reassuring squeeze.

"Do you want to pick out some yogurt for yourself?" Yeosang gently pulls him to head towards the dairy section. Wooyoung trails behind them with the cart after placing the box of diapers at the bottom.

Mingi's eyes widened in wonder with sparkles in his eyes, completely forgetting about his previous worry. "I can get yogurt?"

"Yeah, Minnie." Yeosang laughs softly. "Doctor said that you are able to eat lighter foods. You can eat yogurt now."

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I have strawberry, Sangie?" Mingi bounces in place and points towards the flavor.

"Of course, angel." Yeosang tells and grabs a pack.

"That should be it, right?" Wooyoung asks as he reads over the list.

"Yup." Yeosang confirms.

They get through the line for the register, and walk back to the car. Mingi glances at his seat and looks back at Wooyoung. He hesitates, but decides not to fight it this time. He lets himself be buckled in and sits back to enjoy the ride home.

When they arrive home, Mingi takes off his shoes, but before he can scurry off, he feels a tug at the back of his pants. He looks behind his shoulder and his face burns when he sees it's Yeosang who's checking his diaper.

"Hey!" Mingi squeaks out and maneuvers out of Yeosang's hold.

"Let's get you changed before we start putting away the groceries."

Before Mingi can protest, Yeosang is already leading him to his room with a diaper in hand from the box they just bought. He gathered the baby powder, wipes, cream, and the diaper mat.

"Are you able to do it? Or do you need help, Minnie?" Yeosang looks up at him.

"I-I can do it myself." In truth, Mingi wasn't sure. The past times he tried to do it himself even when his hands were "working", he didn't do a very good job of it and Seonghwa and Yunho would either way have to fix his sloppy job. Wooyoung didn't laugh or get mad at him for needing help yesterday, but would Yeosang make fun of him or be annoyed that he can't do it himself?

Mingi takes off his diaper and tosses it into the trash can in his room. He wipes himself with baby wipes and Yeosang tells him to not forget to wipe his behind too. The cream was messy, he had accidentally put too much and Yeosang had to help him take some off. Lastly, the baby powder was a disaster. As soon as Mingi grabbed the container, a huge puff of white powder was released when he accidentally squeezed it too hard. The two stared at each other, both covered in white dust and they burst out laughing.

The tension that was weighing down on Mingi earlier, slowly ebbed away as he laughed and laughed along with Yeosang. They both look so ridiculously funny.

A fond smile tugs at Yeosang's lips as he watches Mingi giggle like crazy. The boy had been so tense and skittish as he stumbled in trying to change by himself. He grabs a baby wipe.

"Here let me clean your face. Can't have you inhaling the stuff in." Mingi's body shakes with giggles as Yeosang tickles him while he cleans him up. "We'll just have to change your clothes, they're too powdery. Mine too."

"Sorry, Sangie". Mingi apologizes but Yeosang sees that little deviant glint in his eyes.

“I'm sure you are.” Yeosang says sarcastically. “Here, let me help with the baby powder.”

Surprisingly enough, Mingi timidly said okay and laid down for Yeosang. Yeosang lifts his legs to pour the baby powder and then without asking, he puts the diaper on Mingi. Mingi doesn't say a peep about it, but he does cover his face. For a moment Yeosang suspected that Mingi was little at that moment, but then Mingi quietly said “Thank you, Sangie,” and his suspicion went away. He wasn't about to question him and have him get discouraged.

Mingi takes off and tosses his shirt onto the floor. He hops and bounces on his bed while Yeosang is in his closet picking out clean clothes for him. His eyes land on his cellphone laying on the small nightstand next to his bed. Mingi bites his lip, contemplating on looking at his phone. Despite what Wooyoung has told him about their fans, he is still afraid of what backlash the group might be getting because of him. After all, no one really approved of littles in the kpop industry so why would they now?

Mingi shakes his head before he can go deep into his thoughts on that. He decides to use his phone to just play games for the time being, and maybe call his mom. He has been using Yunho's phone to do that, and though the man never complained, Mingi didn't want to keep pestering him to use his phone when he has his own.

Yeosang comes back with a fresh pair of sweatpants and a sweater. Mingi quickly puts them on and follows Yeosang out of his room with his phone in hand. He finishes helping Wooyoung finish putting away the groceries while Yeosang goes to change his clothes.

“Can I have some yogurt?” Mingi asks eagerly.

“Of course, bun.” Wooyoung hands him one of the yogurt cups and a spoon. It made them happy whenever Mingi would ask for food instead of them having to prompt him to eat something like before. They want their baby to be at a healthy weight again. “I'll get you your milk too.”

Mingi hums happily as he settles down at the table enjoying his treat. Wooyoung gives him his sippy cup, and then he prepares some lunch for Yeosang and himself. They were chatting about random topics when Yeosang gets a text from Seonghwa asking Yeosang if he or Wooyoung could pick up Mingi's refill from the pharmacy.

“I have to go to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine.” Yeosang tells them as he finishes eating and then stands up.

“For Mingi?” Wooyoung asks. Mingi is too engrossed in a game he is playing on his phone to listen to what they were saying.

“Yeah.” Yeosang stands up to go wash the dishes in the sink.

“Do you want us to go with you?” Wooyoung gets up and joins him at the sink. He rinses the dishes as Yeosang finishes scrubbing them.

“No, Mingi needs to have his nap soon. Unless, you want to go instead?”

Wooyoung shakes his head, “I can stay with Minmin. I'll put him down for his nap.”

Later, Mingi is on the couch, still playing on his phone. He is starting to get frustrated because his fingers were starting to slow him down and he was losing in his game. Wooyoung is off gathering all their dirty clothes to start doing laundry.

After Wooyoung starts the washer, he walks by Mingi who is lying on his stomach on the couch playing on his phone for some reason aggressively tapping on the screen. He reaches down and slightly pulls down the waistband of Mingi's sweatpants. Sure enough, there is a blue colored line around the waist of Mingi's diaper indicating that he needs another diaper change.

Mingi whips his head around with eyes wide open, trying to glance at what Wooyoung is doing.

“Hey!” Mingi shouts in surprise. His hand grabs and yanks his waistband up back into place. Then he scowls at Wooyoung, “I'll tell you guys when I need a change okay?!”

“Are you not wet right now?” Wooyoung stares at him, patiently waiting to see if he would tell the truth.

“No!” Mingi splutters, cheeks burning. Wooyoung raises an eyebrow skeptically.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, Youngie.” Mingi glares at him while trying to not fidget as his butt starts to itch. He is wet, has been for 20 minutes, but there's no way he's admitting it now.

Wooyoung frowns and without another word simply swoops in to pick Mingi up from the couch. Mingi lets out a screech and tries to wiggle out of his arms. Wooyoung takes him back to his room and manhandles him onto his back on the diaper mat on the floor. Honestly, if Mingi wasn't so annoyed he would be utterly impressed by how such a short person can easily handle a person of his stature even with caregiver strength. That doesn't mean he will make it easy on him though. He wiggles and waves his limbs all around just to annoy Wooyoung.

“Mingi baby, stay still please.” Wooyoung tries to reason with him, but he doesn't listen. “Your rash looks very inflamed, I want to make sure to put enough ointment so it won't bother you.”

Despite all that fighting Mingi did, Wooyoung still got him diapered and clothing back in order. Mingi sat there sulking on the floor while Wooyoung was tossing the soiled diaper into the trash.

“It's nap time Minnie.” he announces.

Mingi snaps his head towards him. He glares, “no.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Mingi stands up, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Yes.”

“No! I don't want to.” Mingi turns around to leave his room.

“Mingi come back, or do you want to get a time out?” Wooyoung warns him.

Mingi mutters “whatever” under his breath and continues walking. Who does Wooyoung think he is to boss him around like that?

He walks to the couch and is going to grab his phone from where he dropped it when Wooyoung swoops in and swipes it away from him.

“Youngie! Give it back!” Mingi stomps his foot. “It's mine!”

“You can have it back after your time out for 10 minutes and after your nap. Go stand in the corner, Mingi.” Wooyoung points to a corner in their living room.

“No way! You can't tell me what to do!” He shouts at the shorter man.

“Would you rather get a spanking?” Wooyoung firmly asks him. He doesn't want to have to give him one, but he will if he has to. Hongjoong had told them before that they needed to remain firm with Mingi when he acted out. He figures Mingi is testing the boundaries with him. Which would make sense, he has never needed to discipline him before since that was mostly up to Hongjoong and Seonghwa because of their age. But he's his caregiver too now, and can't let Mingi's bad behavior slip especially when it concerns his well-being.

“No!” Mingi yells angrily.

“I'll give you the count of three to put your butt in the corner.” Wooyoung informs him and holds up one finger. “One.”

Mingi just glares at him with his arms crossed.

“Two.”

Mingi blinks and starts to panic then. He didn't think Wooyoung would be serious when he continued to count. All the confidence and anger he was feeling earlier slipped out of his ass.

“Three.” Wooyoung stalks towards him and Mingi shrieks when he barely manages to dodge out of the way. He goes around the couch.

“I'm sorry Youngie!” Mingi whimpers. “I'll take a nap!”

That doesn't stop the other from coming after him.

“I'll put myself in the corner!” Mingi offers.

“Too late, should have done that in the first place.” Wooyoung says, and gently pulls a reluctant Mingi, who starts tearing up, to him. “I'm only giving you ten spanks, baby.”

Mingi hung his head in defeat.

-

Minutes later, Wooyoung is carrying a sobbing Mingi, who has a freshly spanked bottom, to his bed and climbs in with him. Mingi immediately scrambles to lay on top of him wanting cuddles. Mingi feels terrible and guilty as he thinks back to how poorly he behaved with Wooyoung and Yeosang throughout the day so far.

“Sorry Youngie!” Mingi sobs, and his anxiety is spiking up again when he recalls his worry from earlier today. What if Wooyoung doesn't like him anymore for being bad? What if the others don't once Wooyoung tells them about it? He tightly grips onto Wooyoung's shirt and he didn't realize that he was starting to breathe heavily.

“Hey, hey, hey baby. You're okay Minnie.” Wooyoung holds him and gently rubs his back. He continues to whisper sweet things to him gently trying to get Mingi to calm down and breathe. Fortunately, he was able to help Mingi from going through a full blown panic attack. “My sweet baby bun, you're okay baby.”

Mingi's eyes are red, swollen and full of tears when looks up at Wooyoung, but what hurts Wooyoung's heart is the look of fear in his eyes.

“S-sorry Youngie.” Mingi hiccups. “D-do you not l-like me anymore?”

Wooyoung's eyes widened in surprise at the question.

“Wha- Mingi of course I still love you. Why would you think I don't anymore?” He cups his cheek.

Mingi sobs and squeezes his eyes shut. “C-cause I was b-bad, to you a-and Sangie today. Y-you got mad.”

“Minnie, you are not a bad person. Yes, you were being naughty, but you were punished already so all is good now. I do expect you to apologize to Sangie, and for the future, I hope you will talk to us about what is upsetting you instead of lashing out at us. And remember, when it's nap time then it's naptime.” Wooyoung tells him and then hugs him to his chest. “I love you so much Minnie. I could never hate you, my precious baby bun. So don't ever be afraid of that, baby. Even if you were to be naughty again, you will be scolded, but never hated. Okay?”

Mingi nods with tears pooling in his eyes, seeing all the love in Wooyoung's eyes directed at him. He couldn't help but feel shy, warm and gooey on the inside. He melted in Wooyoung's embrace.

“What's going on here?” Yeosang appears in the doorway with a smile, startling both men. Neither had heard the door open. His smile drops when he notices Mingi's tearful puffy eyes and pinkish face telling him that he had been crying. “Why are you crying Minnie? What's wrong angel?”

“I'm sorry Sangie.” Mingi chokes out as a few tear drops cascade down his cheeks. Yeosang looks at Wooyoung for an explanation because he is confused and worried.

“Mingi was a bit naughty when you left, and now he's apologizing to us for today.”

Yeosang climbs over them, situated himself on the other side and Mingi slips down from Wooyoung to the middle in between them. Yeosang hugs him and pecks his forehead. “I accept your apology, baby. Why were you so upset earlier today angel?”

Mingi clings to Yeosang. “Mmm…at the store I was mad cause I-I wanted the pull-ups…they're less noticeable than the diapers and easier.” He mumbles the last part.

“I'm sorry Minnie, but pull-ups are not really absorbent. I didn't want for you to get your hopes up that they won't work out for you right now. Remember, I promise that if later on you are able to hold it in, we can try them.” Yeosang brushes back his hair.

“And there is absolutely nothing wrong with diapers, Mangi. They are there to help you and other littles too.” Wooyoung chimes in.

“B-but won't I get laughed at? Once I go back on stage?” Mingi asks quietly.

Wooyoung and Yeosang look at each other. They know that there will be people that may dislike littles or anti-fans who will say whatever just to try to put them down.

“Look, we won't lie and say that there won't ever be people who are just plain hateful. But just know that we, the people who love you and our lovely fans, won't ever make fun of you for being little.” Yeosang reassures him.

“Okay.” Mingi says softly knowing what they say is true. Being an idol has never been easy. They constantly get attacked by mean people for no reason. It's hard not to feel discouraged, but Mingi does want to try for their fans, for the members. For himself. Even if he is afraid.

“And it's okay to come to us for diaper changes, baby. Your rash is getting bad again. All we want is for you to be healthy and comfortable.” Wooyoung tells him.

“I-I'm sorry.” Mingi whimpers and covers his face with his hands. “It's hard. Y-Yunnie said that b-but I still can't help f-feeling like a burden to you guys for always needing help for even the dumbest things I should be able to do when I'm big.” He sobs.

“Awww my baby, don't cry sweetpea.” Yeosang cradles him closer to his chest. “All of us are so grateful to have you here with us. We want you here, we want to care for you, Minmin.”

Wooyoung laughs, “if I have to be honest, I've been holding back my affection for you. Thought I would annoy you with my love.”

That pulls a wet giggle from Mingi making Wooyoung and Yeosang smile real big.

“Hey, what are you giggling about?” Wooyoung pouts and nudges at him.

Mingi pulls his face away from hiding in Yeosang's chest. “Y-Yunnie told me to be careful of telling you because then you will always stick to me just to prove you're not annoyed.”

Yeosang snorts and Wooyoung busts out laughing loudly. “Why does everyone call me out on stuff? Just let me live!”

Yeosang reaches out and pokes Wooyoung on his cheek. “Yunho's not wrong though.”

“Yeah, the man's right.” Wooyoung reluctantly admits. “Anyways, Minnie, don't feel bad for needing help from us. We will always help you with anything whether you are big or little because we love you more than anything. Just like how you always help us when we need you.”

“M-me?” Mingi says in disbelief, “I don't help with anything.”

“You're very helpful, angel.” Yeosang uses his thumb to brush away the tears on Mingi's face. “For example, you always help Joongie with writing lyrics.”

“You always help us with doing some chores and errands.” Wooyoung jumps in.

“You always ask us how we are doing to make sure we are okay.”

“You help us when we are struggling with a choreography.”

“You help Sannie keep count of his reps.”

“You let us cuddle you.”

“You helped raise Jongie.”

“You make us laugh and cheer us up when we are feeling down.”

“B-but those are small things.” Mingi says. “You guys also do that.”

“Even small things have a great impact, Minnie.” Yeosang points out. “And that just shows that we are all willing to help each other with anything because we love each other.”

“Mm-hmm.” Wooyoung agrees, and Mingi starts to tear up again. “Don't cry, bun, you're okay baby.”

“Sorry, I'm just feeling very happy right now.” Mingi tries wiping the tears from his eyes. Wooyoung and Yeosang coo at him and they wrap their arms around him, squishing him in between them. Mingi's thumb finds its way to the inside of his mouth without him realizing, until Wooyoung is prying it out and is holding his pacifier up to his mouth. Mingi is taken by surprise and jerks back a little. He lets out a tiny whine, torn with wanting it and the feeling that he shouldn't want it.

“It's alright if you want your paci, bun.” Wooyoung rubs his tummy trying to get him to relax.

Mingi hesitates, but looking at their kind faces nudges him to open his mouth and accept the pacifier. He gives it a few tentative suckles and when they don't ridicule him, his muscles finally relax. He basks in their comfort and his eyes begin to droop. His beautiful eyelashes flutter as he tries to fight off sleep, making both men chuckle quietly at his adorableness.

“Go ahead and sleep, sweetpea. You're long overdue for your nap.” Wooyoung kisses his hair.

For once, Mingi decided not to fight it and let himself sink into the bliss of darkness in the comfort of his caregivers.

-

“Who knew the parent life could be this tough?” Wooyoung whines. Both him and Yeosang crept out of Mingi's room after he fell asleep so they wouldn't disturb him. Now they are laying on the couch, with Yeosang on top of Wooyoung.

“What are you talking about? You did great.” Yeosang plays with one of the strings on Wooyoung's hoodie.

“I'm pretty sure you wouldn't think that if you saw me practically having to wrestle him into a new clean diaper earlier.” Wooyoung rubs one hand down his face, tired. “And then he refused to take his nap so then I told him to go to the corner, he refused again and so then I had to spank him. You came home and now here we are.”

“You wrestled him?” Yeosang's eyebrows shot up.

“Well, I kinda had to. He was lying about not having a wet diaper, and, well, we can't leave him like that, so I changed him despite him not wanting to. I am not about to let him do more harm to himself.” He said seriously.

“See, you're a good ‘baba’.” Yeosang confirms. “And you were very sweet with him.”

“I hope so, I felt bad punishing him. He thought I didn't like him anymore.”

Yeosang laughs, “oh Woo, he is not used to this stern side of you.”

“Damn, if he gave me this much trouble, imagine how it will be with Jongho.”

Yeosang contemplates this. “Maybe just with the age thing, but honestly, I'm sure Jongho will have it handled. He's very mature, and always been good at keeping him in line in his own way.”

“True.” Wooyoung says. His hands come down to rest on Yeosang's waist giving it a squeeze, and his eyes light up with eagerness. “I think we might be making progress with our baby, he actually accepted his pacifier when he was big.”

Yeosang smiles just as big. “I'm glad. It hurts to know that Mingi denies himself of things he wants and is allowed to have.”

He lifts himself off from Wooyoung, making the man grunt in displeasure.

“My personal heater is abandoning me?”

“No, I'm taking you with me to finish the laundry.”

“Is that all I'm good for, chores? Is that why you stuck with me all these years?” Wooyoung claims with faux hurt in his voice as he clutches his heart.

Yeosang snorts. “Of course not, there are plenty of other reasons, trust me.” He looks down at Wooyoung with those gorgeous eyes of his as he gently brushes some strands of hair away from his face.

Wooyoung is taken aback and he feels his cheeks warm up. He quickly recovers and sits up with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Kang Yeosang, are you flirting with me?!”

Yeosang's face explodes in red at the sudden accusation. “Wha- That's h-hardly flirting!”

“I'll still take it!” Wooyoung glomps onto Yeosang nearly knocking the man down. “I never thought I would see the day that my Sangie reciprocates my love!”

“Don't make me regret it.” There is a tiny smile on Yeosang's face, knowing that he won't.

“Don't worry, I'll treat you like the prince that you are!” Wooyoung says happily as he squishes their faces together, cheek to cheek. “Now we just have to get the others on board.”

“On board?” Yeosang asks tentatively, not wanting to give away the tiny hope he feels. However, Wooyoung, who's known him forever, sees right through him.

“Oh come on, you can't tell me you haven't noticed how we've all practically been eye-fucking each other recently. I've seen you looking at Jongho and San.” Yeosang brings his hands up to his face, covering his flaming cheeks, at having been caught. He thought he had been subtle about it all this time. Wooyoung continues, “San has been cozy with just about everybody, and then there is Hongjoong who surprisingly has been getting more handsy late-”.

“Okay, okay I get it.” Yeosang throws his hands up flustered. “Wow, you are quite observant.”

“I have to be, especially since now that Minnie needs all of my love and attention.”

Yeosang smiles warmly at that. “He does indeed.”

Wooyoung reaches for his hand and intertwines their fingers together. He starts walking towards the washer bringing Yeosang along with him. “We'll get it all figured out.”

Yeosang hums in agreement and Wooyoung leans to give him a small peck on his cheek as they make their way.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

It was a bright and beautiful morning when Jongho and Hongjoong decided to take Mingi out today to a park for littles. Hongjoong was originally going to go to the studio to work on producing, but opted to join the two at least for the morning. Afterwards, he'll go to the studio for a while until he has to meet the others for an interview later.

Seonghwa is upset about not being able to go, saying that he is missing out on some of his baby's firsts. Seonghwa makes sure to at least bundle Mingi up in warm clothing because the weather is getting colder and he didn't want his baby to get sick. He also prepares Mingi's diaper bag, filling it with not just stuff for diaper changes, but also with snacks, and several bottles.

“Hyung, is all this food and bottles necessary? Jongho will bring him back by the afternoon for his nap.” Hongjoong questions him as he watches him with wide eyes, stuffing everything into the bag.

“Of course it's necessary, what if Minnie gets hungry or thirsty?”

“But that much?” Hongjoong asks skeptically. “He still doesn't eat that much.”

Seonghwa stares at him as if he just said something idiotic making Hongjoong shrink under his gaze. “I don't expect him to eat or drink all of it, Joong. However, it would be easier to get him to eat something if he has a variety of choices available.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.” Hongjoong says with a sheepish grin. They have been encouraging Mingi to eat more. It's not that his stomach hurts, but he tells them he's not hungry. Fortunately, he still drinks his milk.

Seonghwa huffs. “You're such a dummy.”

“But you like this dummy.”

“I'm starting to question why.” Seonghwa says jokingly, his cheeks slightly pink at Hongjoong's teasing.

It's been weird, or maybe it's just Seonghwa himself that is making it weird. There's been tension between the two ever since Hongjoong confessed that he liked him and him in return. They are more touchy touchy, but nothing has come out of it really. And Seonghwa knows the reason why.

He really loves Hongjoong, but…he's not the only one in his heart in the romance department. Seonghwa is in love with all the members except for Mingi, for him it's all platonic of course. It was when his classification was revealed that Seonghwa now understands why he never saw Mingi in a romantic light.

Seonghwa doesn't even know when it happened, when he started to fall for them. When they first started off as a group he never expected to get so close to the members, but over time he learned just how wonderful they all truly are. He doesn't think he could go a day without their kindness, support, trust, honesty, their charming and charismatic selves.

Then everything solidified pretty much when it was discovered Mingi is a little. All those feelings just increased and keep increasing as he watches how they are all so sweet, loving and careful with their baby. Seonghwa yearns for them to be a family forever. Mingi is his priority, and he can't risk ruining what they have now just because he has feelings for the other members. They all claim to already be a family, but what if this is the one thing that breaks them apart? He doesn't want them to become uncomfortable and wants to leave because they don't feel the same way. He can't do that to his baby.

He is starting to wonder if he probably should have just rejected Hongjoong's confession in the first place. It's not fair to him that he's also pining for the other members. Seonghwa internally curses at himself as he thinks back to that one moment he had with Yunho. Yeah no, he needs to tell Hongjoong. But how? When?

Seonghwa isn't aware how long he has been standing there leaning against the kitchen counter biting his lip and staring off into space until Hongjoong snapped his fingers in front of him trying to get his attention.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Hongjoong asks, his voice laced with concern.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I was just thinking about the interview we have later.”

“Anxious?”

“Yes.”

“We'll be fine, hyung.” Hongjoong says while also trying to reassure himself. This is their first interview they are having since the whole incident with Mingi began, and he's not too sure how it will go. He brings his hands up to rest on Seonghwa's waist wanting to bring the man closer.

Luckily, Seonghwa can hear Mingi making his way to the kitchen so he had a reason to pull away from Hongjoong's grasp without having to think of an excuse.

“Eomma!” Mingi calls out as he runs (or more like waddles) into the kitchen hugging Teddy to his chest. “Hide Minnie!”

Seonghwa smiles and opens his arms wide, ready to receive his baby. Once he has him in his arms he gives Mingi a little spin, making the little squeal in glee. “I'll hide you baby, but remember no running inside.”

“Kay eomma.”

“Who are we hiding from, flower?” Seonghwa asks him as he fixes the white beanie on his head.

“Dada bear!” As if on cue, Jongho comes prowling into the kitchen making little growling sounds.

“Have any of you seen a yummy looking baby around here?” He asks both Seonghwa and Hongjoong who look at him with amusement.

Mingi giggles and hides his face in Seonghwa's neck. Jongho pretends not to see him.

“I haven't seen a baby pass by here.” Hongjoong smiles and shrugs as he plays along. “You, hyung?”

“Mmmm…nope can't say I have.” Seonghwa answers.

“I swear I can smell a delicious baby nearby.” Jongho pretends to sniff around. As he gets closer and closer to Seonghwa, Mingi tightens his grip on Seonghwa's sweater while giggling. Then Jongho springs on him, making Mingi scream in surprise. “Gotcha!”

Jongho presses kisses in his neck pretending they are bites, making Mingi squeal in laughter. His legs give out and Seonghwa has to catch Mingi before he lands hard on the ground.

“Alright Dada bear, settle down now.” Seonghwa tells him for his own peace of mind. “My Minnie is not food for you.”

“Did you two pick out toys to take with us?” Hongjoong asks. He finishes packing all the snacks into the diaper bag and zips it up.

Mingi shouts eagerly. “Toy!”

“Yeah, I left the bag and soccer ball in the living room.” Jongho tells him. He turns to Mingi “Let's go leave Teddy in your room before we leave.”

Mingi shakes his head, “wan’ Teddy, dada.”

“We can't take Teddy, baby. What if he gets dirty or lost in the park?”

Mingi frowns and clutches the plushie closer to his chest. “Lost Teddy?” His voice wavers.

“We don't want that. Let's leave Teddy with your other friends and we can play with them once we get back.” Jongho tries to avert the waterworks when he sees some tears in Mingi's eyes.

“Kay, dada.” Jongho guides Mingi back to his room to leave the plushie.

“Whoo, I thought we were going to have a meltdown before we could even leave the door.” Hongjoong sighs in relief as he looks at Seonghwa who chuckles along with him.

“Jongho's really cute with Mingi.” Seonghwa smiles softly as he thinks about him.

“Yes he is.” Hongjoong agrees wholeheartedly. “It's nice seeing this extra playful side of him with Mingi.”

The two reappear in the kitchen. Jongho has a backpack filled with toys strapped to his back and is holding a soccer ball in one hand.

“Are we ready to go?” Hongjoong asks mostly to Mingi and he gets a nod in response.

“Go, appa!”

Then he turns to Seonghwa, “I'll see you later, hyung.”

“I expect lots of pictures.”

Hongjoong laughs, “We'll take plenty.”

As they head for the door, Mingi turns to look back at Seonghwa. “Eomma?”

“What do you need, flower?” Seonghwa asks.

“Go?”

“Sorry baby, I can't go. You're going with appa and dada to the park. “ Seonghwa explains.

Mingi whines and comes up to hug him. “Wan’ eomma.”

“Eomma's busy, baby.” Hongjoong comes up to them.

“N-no wan’ eomma!” Mingi starts tearing up and clings onto Seonghwa. Seonghwa hugs him and tries to soothe him.

“Eomma has work to do right now, sweetpea. But you'll have so much fun with your appa and dada. You can tell eomma all about it later once I'm home.” Seonghwa kisses his cheek and wipes Mingi's tears with his long sleeve. He's also upset at not being able to join them, and it breaks his heart seeing Mingi crying for him. “Don't cry, flower. Eomma loves you.”

“Love eomma.” Mingi sniffs and he gives Seonghwa a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

Hongjoong swoops him up in his arms. “We'll have plenty of fun playing, and we'll tell eomma all about it. Say bye-bye Minnie.”

“Bye-bye.” Mingi does a little wave.

“Bye baby, have fun!”

-

Mingi is left speechless as they come up upon the little park. There is a huge playground surrounded by sand and several swing sets.

“Appa, dada! Looky!” Mingi would point, but he has both hands occupied with both caregivers’ hands.

“Wow! Do you want to go play there, Minnie?” Jongho asks him. Mingi nods eagerly and he walks with him to the huge structure while Hongjoong goes to set their stuff at a picnic table. Luckily, because it's morning and in the middle of the week, they have the playground to themselves.

Once they reach the jungle gym, Mingi stops and hesitates. Suddenly the ginormous structure seemed a little scary to him and he clings to Jongho's side.

“It's okay, Minnie. Dada will go up with you.” He ruffles his hair and takes his hand. They make their way upstairs on the playground.

They stand in the middle of the bridge looking around. Hongjoong walks across the sand with his phone in hand to stand near the bridge. He raises his phone to take a picture.

“Minnie baby, say hi to the camera!” Hongjoong calls out to him.

“Hi appa!” Mingi eye's turn into tiny crescents with how big he is smiling. He waves his hands all excitedly. “Appa tiny!”

Jongho snorts, “yeah, I don't think that will ever change.”

Hongjoong gives him a look, letting him know he heard him. Jongho just smirks in response. He leads Mingi to one of the towers where there is a long twisted slide located.

“Do you want to go down the slide, Minmin?” Jongho asks him.

Mingi takes one look down and is intimidated. He clings to Jongho, whimpering. “Scary, dada.”

“It's not scary, it's fun. Dada will go down with you.” Jongho tries to reassure him.

Hongjoong can see that Mingi is scared. “Minnie baby, appa will catch you! I'll be right here. “He goes to stand at the end of the slide.

Jongho sits and brings Mingi onto his lap. He tightens his grip on Jongho's arms that are around his waist.

“Here we go.” Jongho tells him. He pushes off and off they go. He hears Mingi screech, but as they go around and around, that screech turns into laughter.

At the end, Hongjoong grabs hold of Mingi and soon he has a bouncy baby in his hands.

“Again! Again!” Mingi shouts excitedly while waving his arms around so full of energy.

Hongjoong smiles, “Ah you liked the slide, Minnie?”

“Uh huh appa, like it.” Mingi nods. “Appa go?”

“Of course baby. Let's go.” Hongjoong gives Jongho his phone to take some pictures. Then he takes Mingi's hand and lets him lead the way up to the tower again.

When they get back to the slide, Hongjoong sits and Mingi climbs onto his lap. Jongho laughs to himself when he sees that Hongjoong practically disappears behind Mingi. Jongho calls to them to look at the camera and he quickly snaps a couple pictures.

“Dada gots Minnie!” Mingi yells down at Jongho, who dutifully does as he is told.

“Dada bear is ready to catch his baby cub.” Jongho stands hunched over at the end of the slide with his arms out making Hongjoong snicker. One would think he was playing football.

“Ready baby?” Hongjoong asks even though he knows Mingi is ready, judging by the way he is very bouncy in his lap. He is absolutely ecstatic. It's just so adorable, he can't help but tease him.

“Appa go!” Mingi yells and latches onto his arms. They zoom down the slide with Mingi giggling through it all. Jongho helps Mingi get off Hongjoong's lap.

“Are you having fun?”

“Fun, dada!” Mingi grins. “Go?”

Hongjoong and Jongho alternate between riding with Mingi several more times. The next time Mingi wants to go again, Hongjoong tries to see if he wants to try sliding down the slide by himself.

“Minmin, do you want to try sliding the slide by yourself this time?”

“No appa, dada?” Mingi looks anxiously up at the slide.

“I'll walk with you up there and let's see if you can slide down.”

They both walk up to the tower and once they reach the slide, Mingi clings to Hongjoong. He lets out a whimper.

“S-scary, appa.”

“It's okay Minnie, you don't have to go down the slide by yourself if you're not ready.” Hongjoong felt bad. He didn't mean to make Mingi upset. “Appa can still go with you.”

“Minnie!” Jongho calls out to get his attention. “Dada is here to catch you. Nothing to be afraid of, dada promises.”

“Dada's right, there's nothing to be afraid of. Both of us are right here, baby, and dada will make sure to catch you.” Hongjoong says to him hoping to encourage him.

“M-Minnie t-try, appa.” Mingi sounds nervous, but he's willing to try. He wants to be a big boy for his daddies. Mingi sits and his heart starts pounding with nerves. He closes his eyes and then lets himself slide. He finds out that it's actually still super fun! Dada catches him like he promised.

“Dada, appa! Minnie did!” Mingi announces proudly, slightly out of breath.

Now it's Jongho's turn to have a bouncy baby in his hands. Both Jongho and Hongjoong feel an overwhelming sense of love at seeing their baby so happy and they feel so proud of him. Jongho gives Mingi a twirl to celebrate.

“Our Minnie was so brave! Right appa?”

“Really brave!” Hongjoong confirms. “Such a big boy! Does my Minnie baby want to do it again?”

“Again!”

“Do you want to come up by yourself?”

Mingi nods more confidently now. “Minnie try!”

“Okay baby, appa will wait up here for you. Don't rush, take your time.” Hongjoong tries to warn him. Usually when Mingi is pretty young in his headspace, he is more uncoordinated with his feet. Luckily, his big self isn't really affected by this like with his fine motor skills. Still if they could avoid a crying baby, the better.

Mingi stumbles his way up the stairs and over to Hongjoong, but he does it. “Minnie did, appa!”

“Wow my Minnie did so well!” Hongjoong pats his head and kisses his cheek. “Alright, time to go down the slide.

Mingi goes down with ease. Both Hongjoong and Jongho clap for him. Hongjoong comes down the slide right after and it freaked Mingi out for a moment because Jongho didn't go to catch Hongjoong at the end of the slide. However, he relaxed when he saw that his appa didn't fall.

“Dada no gots appa?”

“Your appa knows how to catch himself on the slide.” Jongho explains to him. Mingi's eyes widened in awe. His appa is amazing.

“Let's go get you changed Minnie, and then you can have a snack before going back to play.” Hongjoong dusts off his hands when he gets off the slide. He had noticed his diaper looking a little saggy in his pants.

“Icky, appa.” Mingi squirms from where he is standing now that Hongjoong pointed it out.

“Let's go fix that, so you can feel better.” Hongjoong takes his hand and grabs the diaper bag. “We'll be back Jongie.”

Both returned about thirty minutes later. Jongho looks up from where he is sitting at the picnic table and sees Mingi walking towards him pulling Hongjoong along behind him.

“Dada!” Mingi waves excitedly towards him. Hongjoong decides to let his hand go now that they are close enough to the other man. Mingi runs as best as he can to Jongho. Jongho opens his arms and brings him into a hug once he reaches him.

“My Minnie is back. Are you all clean now?”

“No icky, dada.” Mingi informs him.

“Good. Do you want something to drink, baby?” Jongho brings up the small bag that was holding the bottles and snacks.

Mingi nods. “Wa’er, dada.”

Hongjoong reaches the table. “Wait before you give him his bottle, let me give him some hand sanitizer.” He rubs some into Mingi's hands.

“What do you want for a snack, cub? We have applesauce, some cereal, bananas and strawberries.” Jongho's lists off as he pulls them out to lay them out in the table so Mingi can see what he wants.

Mingi was busy drinking his water to answer him. Some droplets were falling from the sides of his mouth and Hongjoong pulled out a cloth to wipe them away.

“Why did hyung pack so much stuff? Mingi's not going to eat it all.” Jongho asks in confusion while looking at all the options laid out in front of him.

Hongjoong laughs, “you know I said the same thing to him. He said it was to have plenty of options for Mingi to choose from just to get him to eat.”

Jongho thinks about it. “Well that makes sense. Mingi can be kind of a picky eater sometimes. Right baby?” He gives Mingi a pinch on the cheek.

Mingi pulls the bottle away from his mouth. “Appa, wan’ it.”

“What do you want, baby?” Hongjoong asks.

“Apple.”

Hongjoong opens the container and spoon feeds Mingi the applesauce. Mingi happily eats it until it's all gone. Then his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Play?”

“What do you want to play?”

“Toy?” Mingi points to the bag next to Jongho.

“Let's go play in the sand.” Jongho asks as he pulls out a plastic pail, some sand molders, and two shovels.

“I'll join you two in a bit. I have to make a phone call.” Hongjoong was frowning while looking at his phone, disliking that he was being disrupted from his time with the two.

They walk out to the sand and Mingi plops down on his butt eager to play. He runs his hands through the sand liking the feel of grains through his fingers. He wonders if it will taste as good as it feels. He snags a handful and brings it up to his mouth. Luckily, Jongho turns to look at Mingi just in time to see him bringing sand up to his open mouth, and quickly reaches out to stop him before he puts it in his mouth.

“No Minnie, don't put that in your mouth.”

Mingi whines and tries to tug his hand away. “Wan’ it, dada.”

“Sand is for playing, not eating.” Jongho tries to explain to him while trying to pry his fist open to release the sand.

“No! Wan’ it!” Mingi yells. He uses his other hand that is not being held to get another handful of sand. Jongho moves to grab his other hand to prevent it going to his mouth. Mingi lets out a scream of frustration and kicks out his feet making sand go flying.

“Minnie let go of the sand now.” Jongho tells him sternly.

“No!”

“Minnie, no eating the sand. Only playing, understand?”

“No, wan’ it!” Mingi stubbornly shouts and kicks out more sand.”

“Okay, we'll try to play with the sand later.” Jongho mutters and gets up from the ground bringing Mingi up with him. Mingi gets startled and accidently lets go of the sand he had in his hands. He starts sobbing when Jongho starts carrying him away from the sand. Jongho walks back to Hongjoong, who is trying to end the call when he hears Mingi start crying.

“What happened?” He asks once he disconnects the call. A bawling Mingi raises his arms towards him and he takes him from Jongho's arms.

“He wants to eat the sand.”

“Dada meanie!” Mingi cries.

“I'm mean because I wouldn't let him eat the sand.” Jongho deadpans.

Hongjoong tries hard to keep a straight face and not to laugh at the situation because it will cause Mingi to cry more. But seeing Jongho's face is making it hard so he turns to look at Mingi.

“You're not supposed to eat the sand, it can make you sick, baby.”

“Wan’ it, appa.” Mingi continues to cry. Hongjoong rocks him and pats his bum to try to calm him down.

“I think he's too small to play with sand right now.” Hongjoong speaks to Jongho.

“Yeah I figured. I'm going to go collect the toys.” Jongho says and turns around, walking back to the sand.

It takes a few minutes to get Mingi to stop crying. He keeps snuggling in Hongjoong's arms while sniffling. Jongho seeks out the tissues from the diaper bag and hands one to Hongjoong so he can clean Mingi's face. He takes a wet wipe and cleans Mingi's hands from the dirt.

“Now more tears, baby. We're here to play and have fun.” Hongjoong gives him a tiny peck on the nose. “How about we play with the ball? Doesn't that sound like fun?”

Mingi gives a small nod. “Play?”

“Yes Minnie baby, let's play ball with dada.”

The three of them go out in the field but still close enough to keep an eye out on their stuff at the picnic table. Mingi is all hyped up again, eager to play with the soccer ball. Hongjoong stays with Mingi while Jongho goes further away to kick the ball to them.

“Ready Minnie? I'm going to pass the ball to you.” Jongho calls out to him. He pulls his leg back and gives a small kick sending the ball over.”

Mingi giggles and crouches down to pick up the ball in his arms. “Gots it, dada!”

Both men clap for him, making him feel so good inside. He sets the ball down by his feet. He raises a leg and tries to kick but he misses the ball. He gives it a second try and makes contact this time. It goes off to the side rather than at Jongho, but what does that matter? He kicked it.

“Good job Minnie!” Hongjoong is recording this on his phone and Minnie squeals happily. He does a little happy dance that consists of him trying to wiggle his butt. Hongjoong grins because he knows that the others will love seeing this cuteness later.

They pass the ball back and forth for a while. At one point Mingi fell because he had accidentally stepped on the ball rather than kicking it, sending him to the ground. It took a few minutes of sobbing and cuddles to reassure him that he was fine. Hongjoong and Jongho tried to get him to continue playing, but Mingi refused.

“No ball, dada!” Mingi sniffles. He didn't want to play with it anymore.

“Okay, no more ball for today.” Jongho nods. “Let's go try the swings.”

They walk over to the swing sets. Hongjoong lifts Mingi up and seats him in one of the baby swings. Mingi just sits there unsure of what he needs to do. Hongjoong goes behind him and gently pushes so he can start swinging. Jongho is in front of him with his phone out to record this.

A look of wonder overcomes Mingi's face, his eyes going wide and twinkling in amazement as he ascends higher and higher. Then a gummy smile spreads across his mouth. He squeals in delight and kicks his feet back and forth. He reaches out towards the sky with one hand curious to see if he would be able to touch the fluffy clouds.

“Minnie fly!”

“Whoa, our baby's flying!” Jongho shouts.

They continue for a long while and soon Hongjoong slows it down as his arms are getting tired.

“Jongho, can you push him for a bit? My arms are getting tired.”

“I don't think you have to do it any longer hyung,” Jongho says as he gestures for him to come around.

Confused, Hongjoong walks around and sees that Mingi is starting to doze off in the swing. His head kept jerking up everytime he began to nod off, trying hard not to fall asleep.

Hongjoong coos, but then asks Jongho, “why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have stopped pushing.”

“He was enjoying it, you were basically rocking him to sleep in the last 15 minutes.” Jongho looks at their Minnie so tenderly.

“Let's head home then, since Mingi is sleepy, I doubt he will want to walk back so I'll have my ride drop you off before I head to my studio.

“I'm surprised Hwa hyung hasn't bought a stroller for Mingi. It would be convenient for days like this.”

“I'll tell him about it later, it would be useful to have one.” Hongjoong makes a mental note.

Jongho goes to lift Mingi off the swing and Mingi whines. He tiredly tries to bat away Jongho's hands, but instead he bats the air. “P-play.”

Jongho chuckles. “We can play later at home.”

Mingi decides not to argue and simply slumps against Jongho with his arms around his neck. Hongjoong gives him his pacifier just in case Mingi decides to suck on his thumb on the way home before they can wash his hands. They packed up their bags and began walking to the car.

“How come you're so playful with Mingi, but hardly with the rest of us? I don't think I've ever seen you like this before.” Hongjoong asks out of curiosity.

Jongho huffs out a laugh. “Because Mingi is Mingi, and you guys on the other hand can entertain yourselves.”

“Is that so? Well I guess that's unfortunate for us. We love it.” Hongjoong says. He wraps an arm around Jongho's waist.

Jongho stiffens a little, not really expecting that from his hyung. He tries to glance at his hyung from the corner of his eye and sees him just staring off ahead of them. He looks really relaxed and just plain happy. Jongho hardly gets to see that look anymore considering how busy and stressed they have gotten recently. A smile tugs onto his own lips knowing that just being with them is what is making his hyung happy right now.

A tiny blush dusts his cheeks as he decides that he also doesn't mind the feel of his hyung's arm on him. As soon as the thought comes into mind, he cringes at himself wondering what the fuck was that.

“Something wrong, Jongie?”

“Nothing at all, hyung.” Jongho looks away to hide the blush on his cheeks.

-

Jongho bids Hongjoong farewell and shuts the door after him. He sighs and leans back against the door. Warmth spreads across his face as thinks about the man that had just left.

“Ugh!” Jongho rubs his face with his hands as if that would scrub the fluttery feelings away.

Hongjoong had walked up with them back to their dorm. He insisted on helping Jongho carry the bags and the ball while Jongho carried their baby even though Jongho said he could do both. Jongho thought that the arm around his waist was a one time thing, but to his surprise, his hyung did it again when he walked with them. His ears flushed red and if his hyung noticed, he didn't say anything.

When they had gotten to the dorm, instead of leaving right away, Hongjoong came in to set the stuff down and helped take off Mingi's shoes and extra clothing. He had followed Jongho to Mingi's room to lay him down for his nap. Jongho watched with a soft smile as Hongjoong tucked the blanket around Mingi and gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead to say goodbye. He really is an appa like their fans have always claimed. Soon they'll get to witness moments like this if everything goes well for them.

Before Hongjoong departed, he informed Jongho about a change in plans for the evening. Confused, Jongho asked if everything was alright. He could see the stress in his hyung's eyes, but they are also filled with hard determination. Hongjoong didn’t tell him any details, only that he'd make sure everything turned out smoothly. While it worries Jongho about what it is, he knows that he will be told about it later, and he trusts his hyung to handle it.

Hongjoong gave him a hug goodbye, which made his face burn scarlet. Frazzled by it, the only sound Jongho made was a small eep. He knows that his hyung knew he was flustered, judging by how he had a small smirk and called him cute. Then he left, and now Jongho is still here trying to compose himself with this whole new ordeal.

Jongho is at a loss by his own self. When he had initially been selected to be part of Ateez, he thought that it was simply going to be him working with a group of guys for several years before they parted ways. However it became more than that to him. THEY became much more than that to him.

What started as living with strangers turned into living with people who have become like family to him. And maybe a little more…Okay so he will admit that he might have developed a little more than friendly platonic feelings for his hyungs recently in the past few months. One exception being Yeosang who caused his first gay panic experience a few years ago, and Jongho has been developing a crush that has been growing ever since. Now it's with everyone, and how could he not? They've been so kind, caring, the people who he has come to trust the most, and Jongho can't believe he's thinking this, but are attractive as well.

Jognho rubs his eyes again, he doesn't know where to go with this. Hongjoong really threw him through a loop right now. Jongho knows it took him himself a while to overcome his aversion to touch, but when did his hyung suddenly become so comfortable to start taking the initiative? Hongjoong used to flip out when anyone would initiate a hug when they played around. But fuck it, Jongho is not complaining at this point.

The sound of sobs drift down the hallway pulling Jongho away from his jumbled thoughts. He enters the room, and finds Mingi rubbing his eyes as he continues to sob. Jongho comes over to him and starts petting his hair back, trying to soothe him.

“What's wrong cub? Did you have a bad dream, baby?”

Mingi finally brings his hands down from his face to reach out to him and nods. “Jo-Jongie!” He hiccups.

Jongho lays down next to him and pulls him in for much needed cuddles. Mingi rubs his face into Jongho's sweater.

“Careful, you're gonna rub off your nose onto my sweater.” Jongho chuckles. “What did you dream about, Minnie?”

Mingi sobs and clings tighter. Jongho cups the back of his head and rubs his back. “Y-you guys leave.”

Jongho frowns. Clearly, it is going to take time for Mingi to realize that they all want him with them, that they'll never leave him. “It's just a bad dream. We would never leave you, cub. We love you so much.”

“S-sorry, Jongie. I-its stupid.” Mingi cries, feeling bad for being a dumb crybaby over a stupid nightmare, especially to Jongho. He should be better than this.

“It's not stupid, Minmin. You're allowed to be afraid of things, and we'll be here for you always to help you if you're scared.”

“I-I should be taking care of you instead.” Mingi mumbles quietly into Jongho's shoulder. “Not the other way around.”

“Well that can't be true. We're supposed to take care of each other.”

“But I'm the older one.” Mingi sniffs and can't stop from letting out a yawn. He blinks rapidly as if he was trying to fight off sleep. He had been sleeping peacefully until the horrid nightmare disrupted it.

“That doesn't mean I can't take care of you too, Minnie.”

Mingi whines softly, not really satisfied at the thought of having the younger look after him. Jongho notices Mingi squirming more than usual, and is not sure if it's due to him being unhappy or if his diaper is wet again so he decides to discreetly check it. Sure enough there's a blue line around the waist. He untangles himself from getting olders embrace.

“Hold on, I'm just getting a few things, cub.” Jongho reassures him when Mingi whimpers at the loss of warmth.

Mingi closes his eyes ready to fall back asleep now that he knows Jongho is still here. As he is about to drift off, he feels his body being maneuvered. He opens his eyes slightly and sees Jongho reaching for the waistband of his pants.

“No!” Mingi whines and tries to squirm away, too embarrassed to let the younger man change him.

“Minnie, you need a change.”

“Nuh-uh! Not wet!”

“No lying, Minnie.”

“Not!” Mingi argues. Jongho thinks that he is about to slip back into being little again based on his limited speech.

“I think you are, cub.” Jongho says, trying to get to tell him the truth. “Be honest with dada.”

“N-not!” Mingi stubbornly keeps up with his lie. He tries to wiggle away, but Jongho keeps firm grip on him

Mingi stares at him with a scowl and kicks the container of baby powder on the bed hard. It flies halfway across the room and spills around the floor.

“Minnie, no! You don't kick stuff just because you're mad.” Jongho scolds him.

Mingi continues to glare at him. Next, he aims to kick the wipes and cream. He doesn't get the chance to kick them because Jongho stops his foot with his hand.

“Mingi! What did I just say? We don't kick things like that. I think you need a little timeout to settle down. Let's get you changed before I put you in the corner.”

Mingi is left stunned at hearing Jongho reprimand him again. A wave of emotions rolls over him, and it's so overwhelming that Mingi starts sobbing uncontrollably.

Jongie won't love him anymore. He was mean to Jongie. He was a bad boy to dada. Dada won't love him. No more dada bear? The thought makes him wail harder.

Strong arms lift Mingi into an embrace, and Jongho begins pacing around the room, bouncing him with one hand cradling the back of his head. Jongho is concerned but not overly worried, as his hyungs had told him that Mingi's emotions tend to overwhelm him and he has outbursts like this from time to time. This is his first time looking after him on his own, and he was expecting something like this to happen. That doesn't mean it is any easier to hear him cry.

As time passes, Jongho's firm embrace of him is making Mingi feel so warm and so safe. His cries begin to lessen, and he continues to hold a tight grip on Jongho's hoodie with his face stuffed into Jongho's neck. He is still afraid that once he pulls away, there will be no more hugs from dada.

“N-no Jongie!” Mingi cries when Jongho begins to pull away.

“It's okay cub, dada will keep holding you. I just want to look at you so we can talk.” Jongho reassures him. He sits back on the bed with his baby on his lap and decides to get straight to the point. “Why did you try to kick the stuff off the bed again when I told you not to?”

Minvi tears up, “d-didn't mean it, Jongie. Was m-mad.”

“Even so, do you think it's okay for someone to make a mess because they're mad?” Jongho questions him.

“No.” Mingi hiccups, feeling bad that he misbehaved. He tries to tuck himself closer to his dada's warmth.

“That's correct.” Jongho nods and decides to bring up the reason behind Mingi's frustration. “I know you were lying to me earlier about your diaper not being wet Minnie, do you want to tell me why?”

Mingi anxiously wrings his hands, and then brings them up to cover his eyes. He lets out a small sob.

“Em-embarrassed, da- uh Jongie.” Mingi admits tearfully and adds, “can't do it by myself.”

Jongho had figured as much, but he wants Mingi to tell him in his own words.

“I meant what I said earlier, you know? That we are meant to help each other, not just you helping me. I can help you change, or with anything. You don't have to be embarrassed about anything with me, cub.”

Mingi sniffs and lowers his hands down to his lap. However, he looks down to avoid looking at Jongho's face.

“S-sorry Jongie. I, I just feel like I'm failing you. You should be able to rely on me, not me having to rely on you instead. Don't wanna trouble you.”

“Minmin, you are not troubling me at all. I love taking care of you. I would not have signed the certificate to officially be your caregiver if I did not want to.” Jongho smiles at him and rubs his back lovingly. Mingi leans against him and wraps his arms around his neck. “And look, the dynamic between us might change a little because I am your caregiver now, but we'll get there like we always do.”

Mingi hums into the crook of his neck, and then softly admits, “was afraid.”

“What were you afraid of?”

“No more hugs.”

“Why no more?”

Mingi whines tearfully, “‘cause Jongie m-mad.”

Jongho's heart cracks a little at this, seeing him genuinely upset and afraid that he won't be given hugs anymore from him. That is not right.

“I will always give you plenty of hugs. Just because I am upset if you misbehave, does not mean I will never love you anymore. It just means that I have to help you understand what you did was wrong, give you a little punishment, and then give you all the hugs that you want after.”

“Kisses too?” Mingi asks timidly. He was finally able to face Jongho. His lovely eyes shining with tears.

“Kisses too. All the love that my little cub deserves.” Jongho grins when a shy smile comes across Mingi's face. Mingi curls up more in his lap, making Jongho chuckle. He stands up and lays Mingi down on the bed. He really needs to get his diaper changed. “Alright cub, time for a change.”

Mingi huffs and turns onto his side. Jongho goes to pick up the baby powder from the floor. He's gonna have to vacuum up the mess after Mingi's nap. Mingi quietly whimpers as Jongho gets him diapered, still shy about it, but he feels better as Jongho tells him small praises of how he is being so good.

After Jongho has him dressed up, he tells Mingi that he is getting 10 minutes of corner time.

“Jongie!” Mingi whines as Jongho places him in the corner. He tries to latch onto him, but Jongho is not going to let him get out of his punishment. “S-sorry dada!”

“Only 10 minutes, Minmin. That's all you're getting for kicking the baby powder.”

Mingi quietly cries for those 10 minutes. Once the time is up, he stumbles over to Jongho, where he is received with much love.

“You were such a good boy during your timeout, cub.” Jongho tells him and Mingi preens at the praise. The sleepiness crawls back over him and he lets out a big yawn.

“Does my cub want to take a nap with dada bear?” Jongho asks when Mingi cuddles up with him on the bed.

“Wan’ dada bear.” Mingi pauses briefly and then says, “wan’ appa.”

“Appa is at work right now.” Jongho informs him.

“No appa? Appa go?”

“Appa is working right now.”

Tears well up in Mingi's eyes again, and starts bawling again. “Wan’ appa!”

“Appa will be back soon, baby. Dada promises.” Jongho pulls him against his chest so Mingi can listen to his heartbeat to try to soothe him. He knows Mingi is being fussy because he's tired. Jongho's gives him his pacifier and starts patting his bottom to lull him to sleep.

Jongho smiles once Mingi's tearful whimpers turn into soft sniffles. He kisses the top of his head, wishing him nothing but good dreams. Jongho will make sure to keep his cub happy.

-

Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, and Wooyoung are sitting with their manager in the midst of what was originally supposed to be a small interview that turned into a press conference. That is what the phone call was about earlier. Their manager called Hongjoong to inform him of the big change in plans. Apparently the company has been getting so many requests for an interview that they've decided to just hold a press conference to try to get everyone in at once. Although they are weary of it, it would be good to try to provide their cover up story of Mingi only recently coming into his true classification and the group's future plan. Even though the company had already released a statement about it, sometimes it's better to hear it from the source's mouth.

It's been about ten minutes and already most of these people clearly have an agenda to try to make them look bad, or to make Mingi seem like he will hold back the group. At least a few people were genuinely interested in just knowing Mingi's wellbeing.

“How has Mingi been since his release from the hospital?” One reporter with a kind smile asks. “We all hope he is doing fine. I'm sure this whole thing has been quite a shock for everyone.”

“He is doing very well and getting better. It's all new to him, but we are all happy to help him adjust and are happy that he is okay. Thank you for asking.” Seonghwa answers with a warm smile.

“The seven of you live with him, how is it that none of you realized he was a little?” Another reporter asks, his tone filled with criticism.

“It is very rare for a person to come into their true classification late. It's not the first thing that would come to mind.” Hongjoong states. They have to make sure to make it seem that Mingi's true classification had recently surfaced. If society knew the truth, they would eat him alive. “Mingi felt under the weather, but he thought he simply had a cold.”

“Based on how he fainted on one of your fanmeets, isn't that a telltale sign that he isn't capable of being an idol? It's too much for a little to endure.”

“Again, at the time we were not aware of Mingi's new classification. Now with this knowledge, KQ will be making accommodations based on his doctor's recommendations for Mingi so what occurred will not reoccur. We will test the waters for now to see if things will work out.” Their manager answers. “He will be on hiatus until further notice, he will only return if his doctor gives his approval and will only remain with us as long as his health does not decline overtime.”

“Would this not have a negative impact on your group's success? If more than one member is constantly absent, how will you achieve as a whole?”

“We are all close to one another in our group. We all support each other in everything, and if our members need time off, the rest of us can make up for that. I don't believe that will hinder our success.” Hongjoong answers confidently. He knows his team works hard and are capable of fulfilling each other's roles when needed.

“As Mingi's new caregivers, shouldn't you all be more responsible? Care more about his well-being than your idol career? Why still have him continue being an idol? Or is the whole being his caregiver just an excuse to use him for your benefit?” Another reporter spits out and thrusts his microphone as close he can to them.

Hongjoong notices Yunho tense up next to him and quickly puts his hand over his clenched fist underneath the table to stop him from lashing out. As much as he also wants to yell back at the reporter for such outrageous insinuations, they need to remain calm and composed because it would only look bad on them and affect Mingi.

“Mingi is very important to us all, he is like family to us. We will always put his health, safety and happiness first. Mingi wants to continue as an idol and as long as he is healthy, we will allow that. He deserves to have that chance. If he did not want to continue to be one, we of course would not force him.”

“There's been a rumor of people wanting to start a petition to make an official law prohibiting littles in the kpop industry. What do you guys think of that?” Another female reporter shouts.

Bring it on, Hongjoong thinks bitterly. Out loud he tells her, “For now, we'll continue with our plans. Should the time come then we'll deal with that obstacle as a group.”

-

The members trudge through the door as they finally make it home for the night. They felt worn out from that whole ordeal. The other members were also feeling guilty for basically leaving Hongjoong to handle most of the obnoxiously malicious reporters. Hongjoong goes straight to his reclining chair after taking off his shoes. His head was starting to pound from the stress of the evening.

He sits and reclines back a bit. He closes his eyes with his hands resting on his lap, and lets out a deep breath. The other members are shuffling silently around him, trying to not to disturb him.

Then there is a sudden loud thump from one of the rooms that had everyone turning their heads. Out comes Mingi toddling down the hallway with Nuggy in his arms. Jongho follows behind him. All the members coo at how adorable Mingi looks in his light gray onesie that's covered in little soft pastel green and pink stars. Jongho had been getting him ready for bed.

“Appa! Appa!” He shrieks out in excitement seeing that Hongjoong is home.

Hongjoong immediately sits up and opens his arms with a big smile on his face. Screw being tired. Mingi wraps his arms around his neck and Hongjoong pulls him into his lap.

“Hi Minnie baby, did you miss appa?” He asks as he strokes some of Mingi's hair away from his face.

“Appa go!” Mingi pouts unhappily.

“He was upset to wake up and not find you with us anymore after you left earlier today.” Jongho explains to him.

Hongjoong's heart twisted in guilt, and he cups one of Mingi's cheeks with his hand. “Sorry Minnie baby, appa had to go to work.” He kisses his cheek.

Migni returns it with one of his, making everyone awww at them.

“Can I get a kissy too?” San pouts at Mingi.

Hongjoong snorts and gives Mingi a little pat on the bum. “Go tell all your daddies and mommies hi and give them kisses. They all missed you too.”

“Kay appa!” Mingi slips off his lap. He takes his time going to each one of them and gives them all kisses. He squeals happily when San tickles him when he presses kisses all over his face. “No papa!”

“Alright I'll stop, bub.” San grins at him.

Mingi goes back to Hongjoong's lap afterwards.

“Minnie, how was the park? Did you have fun with your appa and dada?” Seonghwa asks as he sits on the couch. The rest of them follow.

Minnie nods and then proceeds to eagerly tell them all about the park.

“Like it! Minnie slide!”

“Minnie was a big boy. He went on the slide all by himself.” Jongho praises him.

“Minnie did!”

“Ohh my flower is a big boy!” Seonghwa's face lights up feeling very proud of him.

“What else did you do, princess?” Yunho asks.

“Minnie play ball. Gots owies daddy.” Mingi pouts and grabs his knees, showing where he got hurt.

“Poor baby, do you want me to kiss to make them feel better?”

Mingi nods shyly, and Yunho walks over to lightly kiss each knee.

“Better?” He asks him.

“Uh huh, daddy.” Mingi smiles and kicks his legs out to demonstrate.

“Tell them about the swings, Minnie.” Hongjoong prompts him.

“Like it! Minnie fly!” Mingi raises his hand in the air to show them how high he went.

“Minnie flew? That's so cool!” Wooyoung says, amazed.

“I wish I was there to see it.” Yeosang sighs sadly.

“We got some pictures and videos. I'll send them in the group chat.” Jongho says while pulling out his phone.

Minutes later, everyone is gushing over them.

“That's it, we are going to the park more often now. It's been decided.” San announces in a serious tone.

Mingi perks up. “Go?”

They all laugh at his eagerness, and Mingi just sits there looking confused.

“Of course we'll take you again so you can play.” Jongho promises him.

“Joong, what would you like to have for dinner? I can make something real quick so you can eat and then take medicine for your headache.” Seonghwa asks as he gets up from his seat.

“Just some simple noodles would be fine, thank you hyung.”

He leaves for the kitchen and Hongjoong leans a bit back in his chair to listen to the others chit-chat. Mingi snuggles into his chest, resting his head against his shoulder, and gives a tiny sigh. One of his hands is fisted on his jacket. Hongjoong chuckles when he sees how Mingi's butt is sticking out and tries to pull him closer to him. Then he starts to gently rock him back and forth on the recliner while rubbing his back.

Hongjoong reflects back to the conference and lets out a deep sigh. He thinks back to all the questions thrown at him and his responses. He hopes he did well as a leader, and as a caregiver for Mingi's sake. If Mingi where to get hurt because of hi-

Hongjoong let's a out a yelp when he suddenly feels something wet on the place between his neck and shoulder, completely yanking him out of his deep thoughts. It takes him a moment to realize that Mingi started sucking on him in his sleep. Mingi whimpers at having been jostled when Hongjoong got startled.

“Shh, shh, shh, you're okay baby. Sorry, appa was surprised.” Hongjoong tries to soothe him. He turns to the other's, “can one of you bring me his pacifier? He started using me as his paci.”

They laughed, and San went to get it for him.

“Here you go hyung.” San hands it to him. “Do you want me to take him?”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “Not right now. Let me rock him back to sleep first.”

He gives Mingi his pacifier, and starts rocking him again while patting his back. Mingi snuggles back into place again making Hongjoong's heart melt. He thinks about how much Mingi has suffered to get to where he is today. How hard he works, how helpful he always tries to be, and how sweet and loving he is. Hongjoong presses a kiss into Mingi's soft hair, and takes in the sweet strawberry scent of his baby shampoo they started using on him.

He vows to make sure Mingi gets through all this mess unscathed. Even if he has to deal with thousands of these asshole reporters. They will learn why he is the captain.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

“C'mon Minmin, it's time to wake up princess.”

Mingi groans from underneath his blankets, not happy at being woken up. He decides to ignore Yunho and roll over towards the wall snuggling back into his blankets.

“Mingi.”

No response. Well that's a good start.

“Are you little right now baby?” Yunho asks gently.

Mingi huffs out a muffled “no.”

“Okay, well it's time to wake up now. Remember you have your appointment today.” Yunho reminds him. “And we also have a house visit from LPS.”

“I know.” Mingi grumbles, still not moving.

“I'll give you ten minutes to try to wake up fully. I'll be back.” Yunho says and walks out.

He walks to Seonghwa's and Hongjoong's room to find their eldest, who is busy cleaning their room. Hongjoong isn't here and will be gone till late afternoon. Yunho will be accompanying Seonghwa to Mingi's doctor's appointment today.

“Hey hyung.” Yunho says when he finds the man picking up strewn clothes from around the room. “I have a feeling we are going to have a cranky Mingi today.”

Seonghwa drops a handful of clothes into a pile on his bed and lets out a sigh. “Were you able to get him out of bed?”

“Not yet. I'm giving him ten minutes to try to wake up. Would you like some help cleaning the room in the meantime?”

“It's okay, I've got it. Can you prepare his milk and start preparing his diaper bag while he eats?”

“Sure thing, hyung.”

Yunho walks into the kitchen and grabs a sippy cup from the cupboard. He warms up the milk and pours it into the cup while also mixing in some probiotic powder. Afterwards he goes back to Mingi's room to check on him.

Mingi was snoozing away, having fallen back asleep. Yunho sighs as he lowers the bed rail and then reaches over to start nudging him awake again.

“Mingi, you have to get up now.” Yunho tries to tell him as gently as he can in hope that he will be in a better mood now.

Mingi stirs a bit, “no…” He mumbles sleepily. His face scrunches in irritation at being disturbed again.

Yunho gently pulls him across the bed and onto his lap. Mingi whines in protest at being pulled away from his warm blankets and Yunho simply embraces him, squishing their cheeks together with his arms around him. He rocks him a tiny bit.

“Yuuuunnnie.” Mingi whines in protest again, still having his eyes closed. He felt so nice and warm being held like this. His mind was starting to get that floaty feeling. He was about to fully sink in when he remembered the agenda for today. He shakes his head to try to force the floaty feeling away. A small throb of pain shoots through his head, and he whimpers.

“Minnie? What's wrong?” Yunho asks worriedly after seeing him shaking his head.

“N-nothing.” Mingi wiggles his limbs and slides off Yunho's lap. He rubs his head. What was that?

“Now that you're up, let's go to the kitchen so you can drink your milk before we go shower.”

“I'm not hungry, Yunnie.” Mingi walks to his closet.

“Is your stomach hurting, Minnie?”

“No.”

“Okay you can drink the milk later, but you need to eat something at least. Would you like some bananas? Some applesauce? Or-” Yunho suggests but Mingi cuts him off.

“I'm not hungry!” Mingi shouts, annoyed. He is struggling to yank a red sweater off a hanger. “I just wanna shower!”

“Okay, first of all, calm down. There is no need to shout.” Yunho walks over to him and helps to pull the sweater off for him. “If you want to shower first, fine, but then you'll eat something afterwards.”

He collects the rest of Mingi's clothes and sets them on the bed, and guides him to the bathroom. He already had his own clothes set there having prepared them earlier. There's an awkward silence as they shower. Yunho kept trying to make conversation with him, but Mingi kept mostly quiet. His responses mostly consists of small grunts. He isn't up for talking as he feels his anxiety is wanting to consume him. He doesn't want to go to the doctor and he doesn't want to face the LPS lady today. But not it's like he can get out of it.

What if they both decide he's too broken to continue being an idol, or worse, they decide he can't stay here with his family because of how messed up he is? The idea makes him both mad and terrified. Mad that it's something that would be out of his control, and for that reason too, he's afraid.

It's not until they are in Mingi's room and Yunho is diapering and helping him get dressed that he gets really concerned. Normally Mingi is pretty quiet during diaper changes because he still gets shy, but this time he seems so moody and distant. He can't seem to stop fidgeting either. Obviously something is bothering him. Yunho cups his cheek to inquire if he is okay, and Mingi just smacks his hand away, not in the mood.

“Okay,” Yunho decides, “you need a small time out.”

“No I don't!” Mingi yells out. He scrambles up his bed and tries to get into the furthest corner to be out of reach. However, Yunho easily reaches his ankle and drags him across the bed back to him.

“You've been cranky since you woke up. I don't know why, but you need time to cool off and then we can talk about it.”

“You cool off!” Mingi tells him even though he is the one shouting.

Seonghwa walks in the room just in time to see Mingi trying to kick at Yunho while Yunho is avoiding his attacks and trying to pick him up.

“What is going on here?!” Seonghwa says loudly. It catches Yunho by surprise which allows Mingi to land an actual kick to his ribs making him hunch over in pain.

“Fuck!” Yunho wheezes and lets Mingi go. He drops down to the ground. Mingi is clambering to get back on his bed knowing he is in big trouble now.

“Mingi!” Seonghwa yells and grabs him before he can go any further. He turns him around and points to a corner in the room. “Go stand in the corner. Now.”

Before Mingi moves, San, Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho come barging in at the doorway.

“What's going on?” San asks. “We heard you guys yelling…”

His voice trails off as he takes a glance around the room. The three see Yunho on the floor clutching his side with a wince on his face, and Mingi standing next to Seonghwa sobbing. Seonghwa is standing in between them with a tired exasperated look on his face.

“Saaannnie” Mingi blubbers and starts walking towards the man seeking comfort. San was about to open his arms when Seonghwa stopped Mingi.

“No. Corner, now.” Seonghwa points to the corner again leaving no room for argument. This time Mingi does as he is told and goes to stand in the corner. He continues crying. “I'm giving you ten minutes. No talking.”

“Sooo what happened here, hyung?” Wooyoung asks.

“Quite frankly, it's something I would like to know too. I just came in to see Mingi kick Yunho in his ribs.” Seonghwa states. He reaches down and helps Yunho slowly get back onto his feet. “Yunho, care to explain?”

“Well he has been cranky since I woke him up this morning. I was just going to ask him what's wrong when he slapped my hand away. Then I told him that he needed a time out to calm down so then we could talk, but he refused. I was trying to put him in the corner when you walked in.“ Yunho finishes with a groan of pain.

“That was a hard kick. Does it hurt? Do you need to get checked out?” Seonghwa asks concernedly. They can hear Mingi start sobbing louder.

Yunho shakes his head. “Nah, I don't think that would be necessary. I might just get a bruise from it.”

“Do you want an ice pack?” Yeosang asks.

“Not right now.”

“Alright, you can move from the corner now Mingi.” Seonghwa announces.

Immediately Mingi runs to Yunho, and hugs him. “I-I'm sorry Yunnie! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! I-I didn't mean it! It was an accident!” Mingi chokes out, barely understandable from how hard he is crying. He feels so bad and guilty.

“Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, Minnie, you're going to make yourself sick.” Yunho sits on his bed and cradles Mingi in his lap against his chest. They stay like that for a couple of minutes while he rubs Mingi's back until his cries start to slow down and get his breathing under control. His face is red and blotchy covered in tears. San cleans his face with a tissue. “Do you wanna tell us what's bothering you princess?”

Mingi sniffles, “D-dont wanna go to the doctor's dad- uh, Yunnie. A-and I don't wanna see the LPS lady.”

They all took note of how Mingi almost called Yunho, daddy. They wonder if he is slipping into his little headspace.

“Why?” Yunho prompts. “Dr. Kwon has been helpful and caring. And Mrs. Min is very nice.”

Mingi grunts tearfully, “I'm scared.” He clings onto Yunho tighter.”Wha-what if they tell me I can't be an idol anymore, or, or, tell me I can't be with you guys anymore because I'm all m-messed up?”

“My princess.” Yunho thumbs away the tears that started running down Mingi's face again. “While we still don't know for sure if you being an idol will work out, Dr. Kwon is trying to help you get better. He wants you to get better, and you should know, he actually supported you to be able to keep being an idol in court. So there is no need to be afraid of him, and we will be with you always, baby.”

“And you don't have to be afraid of Mrs. Min, flower. '' Seonghwa runs his hands through Mingi's wet hair. “She is only concerned with making sure that you have a nice and safe home with us, and also that you are happy here with us.” He kisses Mingi's forehead.

“A-and they won't yell at me for what I did if I'm b-big?” Mingi stutters out.

“Of course not, angel. They only want you to get better. “ Yeosang reassures him.

“Anyways, if they do then we won't hesitate to set them straight.” Jongho says as protective as ever.

“That's right, no one messes with our baby.” Wooyoung throws a fist into the air.

“I-I'm sorry, its stupid of me to freak out over this.” Mingi says, embarrassed of how he overreacted. He looks down at his fingers. He can't believe he kicked Yunho either. He feels ashamed of his actions.

“It's not stupid Minnie.” San tells him.

Yunho cups his face and Minnie lets him this time. “Yeah, it's not stupid Minnie. Your feelings are valid. I just want you to know that you are able to come to us if anything is bothering you instead of keeping these feelings bottled up inside. You cannot keep lashing out like that.”

“Okay. I'm very sorry Yunnie. I never really meant to kick you for real, but I did anyway.” Mingi sniffs, “D-do you hate me now?”

“I don't hate you, and I accept your apology, I forgive you.” Yunho squeezes him tightly.

“I'm only going to say this once, so everyone pay attention.” Seonghwa calls for everyone's attention. “If I ever see any of you hit one another like that, your ass will be whooped.”

“Even when play fighting?” Wooyoung fake pouts, making Yeosang giggle.

“Don't be a smart ass, you know what I mean.” Seonghwa shuts him up. “Alright, Mingi I will finish your punishment later. Now we have to hurry because we are running late. I will finish dressing Mingi up. Yunho, pack his diaper bag please. And you four, please try to finish cleaning up.”

In record time, Seonghwa dried and combed Mingi's hair, placed a beanie on his head, got his socks and shoes on, etc. Then he drags both him and Yunho out the door. This time Seonghwa sat and buckled Mingi in his seat, not having time for another argument over it.

Once they arrive at the hospital and get out of the car, Mingi seeks comfort by taking both Yunho's and Seonghwa's hands. They start making their way towards the building. Mingi likes the secure feeling from holding hands and walking in between them. He needs the extra comfort. Despite their talk, Mingi still can't help feeling anxious about doctors after having spent so long trying to avoid them as much as possible over the years.

“It'll be fine Minnie, I promise” Seonghwa tells him when he notices Mingi starting to slow down and they practically have to keep tugging him forward. “Do you want me to carry you, flower?“

Mingi shakes his head. He does not want other people to think he is a scaredy cat.

Once they get to their respective waiting room, Seonghwa goes to check them in with the receptionist. Yunho walks Mingi to one of the few empty chairs to sit down. Mingi latches onto Yunho's arm and rests his head against his shoulder.

“Do you want to go play with the toys?” Yunho gestures to the pile in the middle of the room where other littles were playing in. Maybe it will distract him a bit. However, Mingi shakes his head.

“Not little.” Mingi murmurs quietly.

“You don't have to be little, Minmin. You can go play if you want to.”

Mingi still shakes his head. Then he looks up to where Seonghwa is still with the receptionist. “What's taking eom- uh hyungie so long?“

His face flames up when he realizes he almost called Seonghwa eomma while he's big just like he almost called Yunho daddy earlier. Yunho stares at him pensively, having caught that again.

“Are you feeling little, Minnie?” Yunho asks him a second time today.

“No!” Mingi says all flustered and then remains quiet, twiddling his fingers.

“It's okay, for you to call us that you know? When you're big.” Yunho says, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Mingi covers his face with his hands. “Isn't it embarrassing? I can't help it, it-it just wants to come out without me even thinking about it.”

“No. If anything it makes us really happy to know that you trust us as parental caregivers and that you feel comfortable and safe with us.” Yunho states truthfully. “So feel free to call me daddy, or Seonghwa eomma anytime, princess. The others wouldn't mind either. Besides, there are plenty of littles that call their caregivers the same whether they are big or little.”

Mingi nods shyly. Then he stuffs his face into Yunho's shoulder making him chuckle. Seonghwa comes back and sits next to Mingi.

“Why are we hiding?” He asks after situating himself.

“I was telling Mingi that he c-” Yunho started to say but was cut off by a pair of hands landing on his mouth.

“Don't tell him Yunnie!” Mingi squeals in embarrassment.

“Tell me what?” Seonghwa sees Mingi's pink face turn even redder. “You can tell me, Minnie.”

Mingi slowly took his hands off from Yunho's mouth. Then he starts wringing them together in his lap, nervously.

“Um w-would it be o-okay if I called you eomma when I'm big? I-its just that the names slips out of my mouth without me even thinking about it sometimes.”

“Of course you can, flower. You can call me that whenever you want. You don't have to be embarrassed, in fact it makes me really happy.”

Mingi stares at him with wide eyes in shock. “Really?”

“Really, really.” Seonghwa kisses his nose.

“But…what if I accidently call you that in public? Won't it look bad since we are idols? Won't you be embarrassed, hyungie?”

“Nope, it will still make me really happy.” A genuine smile graces his face. “And second, it doesn't matter if we are idols Minnie. We are your caregivers, and you are our baby. What matters is what is between us, not the rest of the world.”

Mingi relaxes and turns to snuggle against Seonghwa. Yunho smiles at them affectionately and gives Mingi's cheek a little pinch.

“See? Told you, princess.”

But that moment of relief was short-lived when a nurse came out and called for Mingi for his turn. Mingi stiffens in his seat, and shakes his head. Seonghwa and Yunho stand up from their seats and gently pull Mingi onto his feet. He automatically grabs both of their hands in his and they walk together over to the nurse.

“Hi Mingi! It's nice to see you again.” The nurse greets him with a warm smile.

“Hi.” He shyly responds, still clinging to both men.

“Let's have you step onto this scale.” The woman points to the same scale along the wall. Mingi hops onto it and she quickly takes note of his weight. “Looks like you've gained another two pounds since your last visit. Let's step this way and Dr. Kwon will be right with you.”

Ten minutes later, there is a knock on the door and in comes Dr. Kwon. “Good morning, how's everyone doing?”

“All good Dr. Kwon, thank you.” Seonghwa responds. “Mingi is big today.” He informs him, and he feels Mingi tense up beside him.

“Hi Mingi, I think this is my first time meeting you like this. How are you feeling today?” He smiles at him.

“Good.” Mingi squeaks out. He is wringing his hands together in nervousness.

“That's good. All we are doing is a simple check up today. Can you lay on the bed for me please?”

Mingi nods tentatively and he lays down. Dr. Kwon pulls up his sweater and lets him know that he will be pressing down on his stomach to see if anything hurts. At one point, he made a noise of discomfort.

“Does that not feel good?” The doctor asks him and Mingi shakes his head. The doctor takes his stethoscope and listens. “I hear alot of rumbling. What did you eat today?”

“Didn't eat.” Mingi mumbles timidly and covers his eyes, afraid he would be yelled at.

Dr. Kwon looks over to Seonghwa and Seonghwa makes a small gesture to him. Yunho looks between them wondering what is up.

“Why did you not eat? Was your stomach hurting?”

“Not hungry.” Mingi mumbles quietly.

“Ah, were you nervous about coming here today? I know sometimes when someone is nervous or anxious it may make them lose their appetite. It could make their stomach hurt too.”

Mingi nods meekly, and Dr. Kwon smiles softly.

“There's no reason to be nervous, okay? I just want you to get better and healthy. That way, we can try to get you back on stage with your family.”

That gets Mingi to start lowering his hands from his face. His eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” He asks softly.

“Yes.”

Mingi looks over to both Seonghwa and Yunho, his eyes twinkling as if asking them if they heard what the doctor just said. They both beam fond smiles at him.

“Now, let's try not to skip meals. If you let yourself go hungry, it could leave your stomach feeling irritable like it is right now and that's not fun is it?”

“Mm-mm” Mingi shakes his head. Dr. Kwon messages his stomach a little and then a toot could be heard in the quiet room. Mingi turns blazing red and then covers his face with his hands again. “I-I'm sorry, I couldn't help it!”

“It's okay sweetie, messages like that are meant to help you with gas which could help lessen the irritability. You can always ask your caregivers for help.” He reassures Mingi. “Now let me take a look at the rash to see how that is going.”

Mingi whines and shakes his head. He looked over to Seonghwa with eyes that were starting to fill with tears. “Hyungie!”

Seonghwa stands and walks over to him. Mingi sits up wanting a hug, and when Seonghwa opens his arms, he buries his face in the older's chest. Tears fall out and Seonghwa runs his hand through his hair soothingly.

“It's okay baby, you're okay sweetpea.” He pecks his forehead. “He'll only do a quick check.”

“I'll be quick. I only want to make sure that it's getting better, or if I need to prescribe a stronger ointment at this time.”

“Okay…” Mingi mumbles against Seonghwa's chest. Once he lays back down, he brings up his hands to cover his eyes. Although he knows Dr. Kwon has already seen his rash, Mingi can't help but still feel embarrassed about it. What if he changes his mind about letting him go back to being an idol because he struggles with doing things himself? He braces himself when he feels his diaper being untaped.

Dr. Kwon looks him over and then says, “I like what I'm seeing. The rash is starting to recede again. You're doing so well Mingi.” He praises him as he retapes his diaper back on.

Mingi peeks through his fingers in disbelief. He thought for sure the man would say something bad for sure. He blushes slightly at the praise. “Hyungies do it…mostly.”

“Even so, you're letting them help you and that's a very brave thing. Good for you.” The doctor smiles.

Mingi feels his heart flutter at more of the man's praise. He looks up at his hyung only to see him staring down at him with so much love and Mingi feels like his body wants to melt into a pile of goo. He sees Yunho also smiling proudly at him and Mingi looks away shyly.

“I don't believe we need the stronger ointment at this time, just keep doing what you are doing. I will just prescribe more refills. Next thing I want to ask is how are your fine motor skills coming along? Is it getting better, worse, or about the same?”

“Mmm about the same.” Mingi replies sadly. Dr. Kwon makes a note of it.

“Before you ended up in the hospital, was it better, worse, or about the same as it is now?”

“It was better than it is now. Now it lasts longer and it's more frequent.” Mingi answers him.

“Okay. We'll just have to wait and see if it will improve over time. All that's left now is just to check your ears, mouth and your blood pressure. Then after Dr. Lim will be in to explain what changes to your diet will be and you'll be all set.” He quickly does the rest. “I'll see you all again in three weeks. Take care Mingi.”

Seonghwa walks with Dr. Kwon to the door and steps out with him. “Thank you doctor for being very nice to him. He's been very reluctant to come here, afraid that he would get yelled at, or criticized.”

Dr. Kwon smiles, “it's completely fine. He's very adorable. I do hope he will be more okay with coming here on future visits. I did want to ask you if there has been any changes to his incontinence? I wanted to ask but I didn't want to bring it up to him right now if he's still struggling with it.”

“There's been no improvement, he still can't hold it in at all.” Seonghwa sighs and crosses his arms.

“At least his rash is improving. Has he started to come to you guys for diaper changes?”

“Not really, no. It's mostly just us having to check if he's in need of a change and changing him then and there.”

Dr. Kwon nods. “So that's why he said you guys mostly do it. But at least he's letting you all change him so that's good.”

Seonghwa chuckles, “he still puts up fights sometimes, but he's getting better.”

“Babies can be fussy, but I'm glad he's getting there. Don’t worry too much right now, as I've said before, it took other littles a long time to come to terms with it. If it becomes a normal routine, the easier it will be for Mingi. Then we can start talking about it with him.”

“I also wanted to mention to you that Mingi has been more younger in his headspace. I think he's only been three several times, and would mostly stay at around one, two, or younger. He hasn't been four at all yet. I wasn't sure if it's too early to say if his range is lowered?” Seonghwa tells him. He hadn't wanted to bring this up with Mingi in the room as he was already insecure about diapers and his fine motor skills.

Dr. Kwon puts his hand under his chin as he thinks about it. “Hmmm…That's a great question. I want to say yes because Mingi seems to be pretty stressed out still with everything that could still be affecting his headspace. However, there is the high possibility that his range could be lowered as a side effect of withholding his headspace. I want to give it more time before declaring anything.”

“Understandable. Well, I won't keep you any longer since I'm sure you have plenty of patients to attend to. Thank you so much, doctor.” Seonghwa bows.

“You are certainly welcome, I'll see you all soon.”

Just as Seonghwa was going to go back inside the room, he spots Dr. Lim walking down the hallway towards him. He waves hello to her.

“Hi Dr. Lim.”

“Hi Mr. Park, it's nice to see you again. How's Mingi?” She asks kindly.

“He's doing well. He is big today.” Seonghwa opens the doors for her and walks in after, shutting the door behind him.

Mingi was sitting next to Yunho and he perks up when he sees that Seonghwa has returned. He shyly looks away when he sees Dr. Lim was standing there as well.

“Hi Mingi! How are you doing bud?” Dr. Lim beams a friendly smile at him. That seems to put Mingi at ease.

“Hi.” He gives her a small wave.

“I saw that you gained two pounds since your last visit.” She lightly claps. “We are slowly making our way there. Good job. How has your tummy been feeling so far with eating?”

“Okay.” Mingi answers.

“Any stomach aches?

“Sometimes, my hyungies give me medicine when that happens.” Mingi explains.

Dr. Lim notes that down. “I see that Dr. Kwon made a note that your stomach gets quite irritable if you don't eat. So please don't skip meals. I will suggest you try eating small meals throughout the day instead of three meals a day. Many littles should eat like that instead of overwhelming their stomachs under three big meals.”

“We'll do that.” Seonghwa says. He has his phone out to type notes just in case.

“I say it is okay for him to start eating anything now. However, just a reminder, littles shouldn't have any caffeine so no energy drinks, no coffee-”

“What?! No coffee?” Mingi shouts at the absurdity, cutting her off.

“Mingi, don't interrupt rudely.” Yunho chastises him.

“But, but, I like coffee!” Mingi whines, upset. He looks ready to cry. “It's not fair!”

“Hold on Mingi, I was going to say no coffee unless it's decaf. Decaf is fine to have, but only small amounts.” Dr. Lim explains to him.

“Oh.” Mingi sniffs and apologizes. “S-sorry.”

“You're okay sweetie.” Dr. Lim gives him a fond smile. “And no soda, and absolutely no alcohol.”

“Of course not.” Seonghwa agrees.

“Try not to give him so much red meat. Try to give him light meals as having a lot of heavy, greasy, or overly spicy meals can lead to stomach aches for littles, and just remember young littles like mostly mushy foods when in headspace. Keep junk food to a minimum. Lastly, I want you to give him at least one bottle of milk a day.” She lists off for them. “Young littles often have off days where they may not be feeling good, or may not feel like eating any foods really. So in that case just make sure to give him three to four bottles of milk to compensate for the lack of food intake.”

“Okay,” Seonghwa nods as he types in his phone. “In case he does not want to eat anything, at what point should we bring him here?”

“If he hasn't eaten anything for more than a day, bring him in. At that point he might be sick and we can look into it.” She states. “Because he will be starting to eat normally, I will give him another prescription for refills in case of tummy aches. In the next checkup we will see where he is at with his weight. Do any of you have any questions?”

When neither Yunho or Mingi says anything, Seonghwa shakes his head. “Nope, I think we got it all.”

“Alright, well I guess that is it for today. I will be seeing you all again in a couple weeks. Feel free to give my office a call if you have any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you again Dr. Lim.” Yunho says, and Mingi gives her a wave goodbye.

The three head out the door ready to go home. Mingi is elated now that he got that part over with, feeling like a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders. He thought for sure Dr. Kwon would have been meaner to him once he was big.

Yunho and Seonghwa notice the adorable bounce in Mingi's footsteps as he walks ahead of them.

Yunho turns towards his hyung remembering the look passed between him and the doctor. “What was that earlier?“

Seonghwa looks at him in question.

“Between you and Dr. Kwon.”

“Oh.” Seonghwa first gestures for him to be quieter so Mingi wouldn't hear them. He leans closer to Yunho so he could whisper to him. “When I was at the reception desk, I asked the girl if she could relay to Dr. Kwon about Mingi's fear this morning. While we know Dr. Kwon would've been nice to him either way, I wanted to see if he could give Mingi extra reassurance.”

“Oh, thank you for doing that hyung.” Yunho smiles gratefully. “He's so much happier now.”

“I try my best.” He hums blissfully.

Mingi stops and turns around with bright eyes and a pout. “Hyungie, I'm hungry.”

“That's what happens when you don't want to eat breakfast.” Seonghwa tells him. “Once we get home we'll finish your punishment while Wooyoung fixes something for you. After you eat you'll help Yunho clean your room and then you'll take your nap afterwards.”

Mingi whines and pouts again, but doesn't argue. Seonghwa holds out his hand and Mingi happily takes it. Instinctively, Mingi reaches out with his other hand and Yunho takes it in his. They walk happily back to the car with Mingi giddily swinging their hands.

-

“He did what?!”

“Yeah, he kicked Yunho pretty hard on the ribs this morning, hyung.” Jongho was telling Hongjoong, who had just come home, about the event that occurred in the morning.

Jongho, Yeosang, and Wooyoung were sitting on the floor in the living room playing a video game. Yunho is lying on his side on the couch, nursing an ice pack on his ribs. Seonghwa is sitting in one of the armchairs with a book in his lap.

“You should have seen it, hyung! We came in and there was Yunho knocked out on the floor! We weren't even sure if he was breathing!” Wooyoung exclaims while still focusing on the screen in front of him.

“Psh, don't exaggerate it too much Woo. He was clearly breathing, but it's true that he was on the floor, hyung. “ Yeosang says which does nothing to qualm Hongjoong's bewilderment.

“What?! Oh jeez, Yunho do you need to get checked out? Seonghwa, did you have him checked out while you guys were at the hosp-”

“Hyung, chill. I'm okay.” Yunho calls out to him. He lifts his shirt to show him the damage. There was a decent purplish blob on the side of his chest. “Just a small bruise.”

“What were you guys even doing?” Hongjoong inquires.

Yunho took the time to explain to him about how Mingi had been cranky when he woke up. “I was just trying to put him in time out.“

“That's no excuse for kicking you that hard. Where is he? I should talk to him.” Hongjoong said, getting into his lecture mode.

Seonghwa speaks up. “We already talked to him, and I already punished him for it. Aaaannnd,” Seonghwa pauses to make a point, “I told them all that if any one of them should hit each other like that again, their butts will be whipped.

“Absolutely.” Hongjoong reaffirms it sternly.

They stop when they hear noises down the hallway. San was walking towards the living room carrying a sleepy Mingi in his arms. He had been trying to wake him up from his nap. It usually takes time for Mingi to fully wake up, but today he was having more trouble arousing from sleep because he felt exhausted from everything this morning. San decides to just bring him to the living room so he can get cuddles and slowly wake up from hearing them all talk amongst themselves.

“Sannie…tired.” Mingi muffles into his neck.

“I know bub, but if we don't wake you up now then you won't be able to sleep later.” San murmurs to him quietly. He glances up and sees Hongjoong is standing there. “Oh looky, Joongie hyung is home. Do you want to say hello?” He tells Mingi, and then greets the elder. “Hi hyung, good to see you're back.“

“Hi hyungie.” Mingi croaks sleepily, with his eyes still closed. He barely manages a small wave.

“I was wondering where you two were,” Hongjoong smiles. He walks up to them and smooths back Mingi's messy hair. “Is my baby still sleepy?”

“Mm-mm.” Mingi tries to shake his head, completely the opposite of what he just told San. Yunho sits up on the couch to make room for them, and San sits down with Mingi on his lap. While everyone else is talking, San continues to rub Mingi's back while he tries to pull himself together. After a while, he is finally awake fully and hears the sound of a video game being played.

“Can I play?” He chirps brightly.

“Yeah, here you can use my controller, angel,” Yeosang offers and hands it to him. Mingi takes it and slides off San's lap, joining the three on the floor. Yeosang pulls him to sit in front of him, letting Mingi rest against him.

The next hour was spent with the four of them hollering at each other, trying to see who is the better fighter in the game. The rest were talking amongst each other, mostly Yunho and Seonghwa updating Hongjoong on how Mingi's appointment had gone. Then the mood starts to sour when Mingi's issue with his fine motor skills starts kicking in.

Jongho and Wooyoung are having a death match with each other while Mingi is fighting a CPU player. He is struggling with his fingers and the CPU is beating him left and right. He groans in annoyance when he loses a life. It's embarrassing to be losing to a CPU that's on easy mode. Another life is lost, and tears begin accumulating as he struggles to continue. He starts smacking the buttons on the controller with open palms at this point.

Yeosang notices this and the little huffs and puffs of frustration coming out of Mingi. He caresses his tummy.

“What's wrong Minmin?”

“Can't play mama.” He whines angrily. Yeosang doesn't blink at that word. Earlier Seonghwa and Yunho told them about Mingi's worry about calling them their caregiver names he'd given them. They all love it honestly. Yeosang kisses the top of his head.

“Do you want me to help you?”

Mingi wipes his wet eyes and nods. Yeosang takes the controller from him.

“Watch me beat them all.”

Mingi giggles when he hears Wooyoung and Jongho shout in surprise once Yeosang goes after them in the game after defeating the CPU. Yeosang is the victor of the match. While the others are sulking in defeat, there is a knock on the door.

“That must be her.” Hongjoong gets up and opens the door. “Hello, come on in Mrs. Min.”

Mingi tenses and Yeosang feels it. He knows Mingi is still nervous, and he pulls him closer, hugging him tighter. Mingi takes the invitation and curls up against him. He jumps in Yeosang's hold when the lady turns and sees him.

“Mingi this is Mrs. Min, she is your social worker.” Honjoong introduces her when they walk over.

Mrs. Min squats to be more at eye-level with him. “Hi sweetie, it's nice to meet you properly this time.” She smiles and holds out her hand.

“Hi.” Mingi squeaks and with a slight tremble, shakes her hand. At this rate, nobody would believe that this is the same Song Mingi who has performed in front of hundreds of people.

“I'm just here to look around your home and then I'll talk to you, okay?”

Mingi nods. She walks back and follows Hongjoong, Yunho, and Seonghwa towards the rooms. Mingi continues to cuddle into Yeosang.

“Do you want to keep playing?” Yeosang pats his hair.

“No.” Mingi still felt too anxious, and even if he didn't, his useless hands wouldn't let him play either way. “Can I just watch you play, Sangie?”

“Of course, baby. We'll be a team.”

“No fair, I want Mingi on my team!” Wooyoung complains as he is selecting a player.

“But I can't even play.” Mingi tells him, wondering why he would want him on his team.

“It's all about moral support. I want my baby to cheer me on.”

“I would cheer for you anyways, Youngie.” He replies truthfully.

“Awwww! Our Minnie is truly the sweetest baby on earth!” Wooyoung jumps on him to hug him and presses smooches on his face, making him giggle from the tickles.

“Yah! You're squishing Yeosang!” Jongho scolds Wooyoung, looking at the poor man pinned underneath both of them.

Wooyoung gets off of them and Mingi launches himself on top of him while also knocking Jongho down on the floor along with them. Jongho grunts now underneath their weight, however, he couldn't get annoyed, not when he hears Mingi laughing happily. He also couldn't get annoyed with Wooyoung either, as he is the one to make Mingi smile brightly when he has been feeling so anxious all day. He decides to play along and begins to tickle them both. Soon there is a pile of tangled limbs including Yeosang, who joined in. What started as a tickle fight soon turned into some sort of wrestling match. San puts a stop to it when he sees Mingi struggling to breathe from how hard he's been laughing.

“Alright guys that's enough. Poor baby needs to breathe.” San pulls Mingi out from the pile and back on the couch. “Let's go get you some water, Minnie.”

“Thirsty, Sannie.” Mingi wheezes out and follows him into the kitchen.

San takes a red sippy cup from the cupboard and fills it with water, handing it to him. Mingi sips on it eagerly, enjoying the cool water running down his parched throat. They hear footsteps approaching and Mrs. Min steps into the room with Hongjoong, putting Mingi back on high alert again.

“Hi Minnie baby, Mrs. Min wants to talk to you for a bit. You can talk here.” Hongjoong tells him and gestures to San for him to follow him out.

“B-by myself?” Mingi bites his bottom lip in worry as he watches San head towards Hongjoong.

“Just for a little bit. We'll be in the living room, promise.”

Once they leave, there is a brief moment of awkward silence of Mingi just staring waringly at the woman. Mrs. Min smiles softly at him and brings up her clipboard as if ready to jot down notes.

“Okay sweetie, I'm simply going to ask you a few questions and that's it. Just remember that you can tell me anything.” She tells him when she notices the nervous fidgeting coming from the young man.

“I know that you've been through so much and there's been many changes that you're facing. I want to know how you've been feeling?”

“Ummm good. I'm still trying to get used to…everything.” Mingi answers quietly. He tries to take a glance out of the kitchen to see if everyone is still there in the living room like Joongie hyung promised.

“I am also aware that you are working to get back to a healthy weight, but I did want to ask if you feel like you are getting fed enough here?” She brings his attention back to her.

Mingi nods, “they make sure I eat well.”

“Good,” she says, “since your caregivers are still busy doing idol activities, are you ever left by yourself?”

“No,” Mingi shakes his head. “They don't leave me by myself. At least one of them stays home to take care of me.”

The questions went on and on like that. Mingi slowly relaxed as they were pretty easy to answer.

“Are you happy here? Do you feel like your needs are being met?”

“Uh huh, I am happy to still be here with them. They are my family, and they take very good care of me.” Mingi answers her truthfully.

“Good, good. Well that's all the questions I have for now, I will be back again to check on you to see how you are doing.” Mrs. Min finishes writing on her clipboard. She walks out with Mingi back to the living room to bid farewell to the other members and make her leave.

“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Min.” Seonghwa says at the doorway. “See you soon.”

He comes in and goes to sit at his armchair again to relax for a bit before going to see what they should have for dinner. Hongjoong leaves to go shower and everyone else is happily chatting now that they can relax again. Mingi walks up to him, but hesitates. Seonghwa smiles knowingly, and pats his lap for him to come sit. Mingi shyly smiles, climbing onto his lap and settling against him.

“How are you feeling?” Seonghwa murmurs to him. “Was Mrs. Min nice?”

Mingi nods enthusiastically, “she was nice, hyungie. I feel better now, but my legs are kind of sore.”

Seonghwa massages his thighs tenderly with his hand hoping to relieve some of his soreness. “My sweet flower, you’ve been so tense the whole day. You can relax now, baby.”

Mingi melts into his warm embrace, and they both watch as the others continue to play.

“Do you want to play with them?” Seonghwa asks as he sees Mingi staring at them with a longing look on his face.

Mingi shakes his head sadly. “I can't really work my fingers right now. There would be no point.”

Seonghwa frowns at that. He's upset that there is nothing much he could do for him. Then he suddenly gets an idea.

“How about you and me play some Animal Crossing together?” Seonghwa reaches for his game system that was laying on the small table beside them. “I was hoping to do some fishing today.”

Liking the sound of that, Mingi curls up more and rests his head on Seonghwa's shoulder to get more comfortable to watch the man play. His thumb makes its way up to his mouth. At the sound of his sucking, Seonghwa looks at him and then reaches towards his sweater collar. He pulls out the pacifier that had gone underneath his sweater.

“Here you go, sweetpea.”

At first Mingi was reluctant, but seeing his hyung's caring smile, he took it in his mouth. He goes back to watching his hyung play. He's feeling so good, so safe, and so warm with his hyungie, that Mingi didn't realize the fuzzy feeling had taken him in its grasp. However, there is no need for him to worry because his eomma will take care of him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

Mingi is lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling in the living room bored out of his mind. Everyone except for San and Yunho is out of the dorm doing something. Yunho is supposed to be leaving soon to go dance practice and then do some vocal lessons afterwards. Mingi sits right up when he gets an idea to cure his boredom.

“Yunnie! Sannie!” Mingi calls out as he stands up from the couch. He walks to find both men he is looking for.

“I'm in the bathroom, bub. I'll be out in a minute.” Mingi hears San's muffled voice down the hallway.

“I'm in my room Minnie.” Yunho responds to him after. He is packing up a duffle bag with an extra set of clothes when Mingi walks in. “What do you need, princess?”

“I'm bored.” He declares.

“Bored? Maybe San can take you to the park today.” Yunho replies. He is in the closet rifling through the clothes to pick out a jacket. Mingi climbs onto his bed with a pout and opens his mouth to speak when San walks into the room.

“What did you need Minnie?” San asks when he enters. He joins Mingi on Yunho's bed, lying next to him.

Yunho gives them a pointed look, “both of you better make my bed again if you make it messy.”

Mingi ignores him in favor of telling San that he is bored.

“You're bored? We can go take a walk around the park today!” San offers.

“No! I don't wanna go to the park.” Mingi pouts when they don't understand what he wants. “I was kinda hoping if I could come with you to the dance studio, Yunnie?”

Yunho pokes his head out of the closet to look at Mingi. “You want to come with me?”

“Yeah!” Mingi says, already getting excited. Yunho and San share a brief look that Mingi doesn't catch.

“I don't think that's a good idea, Mingi. You're supposed to be resting and wait until you're healthy again.” Yunho comes out of the closet with a jacket in hand.

“Just a little bit. Please Yunnie? Please Sannie?” Mingi pleads. He rolls on top of San and gives him his best puppy eyes that he can pull off. Too bad for San because Mingi knows that he has a hard time saying no to his cute eyes.

“Maybe only for a little while?” He looks at Yunho. Mingi smiles in victory now that he has San on his side.

Yunho wants to throttle San for how easily he gave in. He gives San a small scowl, but relents with a sigh.

“Fine, but nothing intense, okay? And you'll take constant breaks.” Yunho says firmly. The last thing he wants is for Mingi to faint or get hurt.

“And we are only staying for a little while. We'll come back for lunch and your nap.” San ruffles his hair.

“Fine.” Mingi rolls his eyes. He'll try later to persuade San into staying longer. He gets off of San and starts walking out the room so he can go change his outfit since he was still in his pajamas. Yunho holds him back before he can leave and takes a quick peek at his diaper. Yup, blue line right there.

“Let's get you changed first.” Yunho walks to the hallway and Mingi trails behind him.

“I can change him so you can finish packing your stuff.” San offers as he gets up from Yunho's bed. He makes sure to smooth out the bed.

Before Mingi can protest, Yunho agrees so he can finish. “That would be great, thank you.”

As San ushers Mingi out of the room, Mingi is mentally debating with himself. Sannie won't make fun of him…will he? Sannie hasn't changed him before when he's big so he doesn't know what to expect. But Sannie has seen him wet his pants before and he didn't laugh? Ugh! It's that uncertainty that drives Mingi nuts every single time.

Mingi stiffly moves into his room and San already has the mat laid out on the floor for him. Mingi lays down while San gathers the rest of the supplies. Mingi's cheeks flush as San begins changing him.

San starts changing him when he hears little sniffles. He glances up and sees Mingi chewing on his thumb. His eyes are getting all teary and San panics, thinking he did something wrong.

“Baby, what's wrong? Did I hurt you??” San freaks out as he looks him over. Guilt is already settling in like a heavy brick in his stomach at the thought of hurting Mingi. “Do you want me to get Yunho?”

“N-no.” Mingi wipes his eyes. “S-sorry Sannie, I-I was just feeling embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?” San says, confused. Then it clicks in his head. He realizes this is his first time changing Mingi when he's big. Now he understands why Mingi is feeling that way. This is his opportunity to start getting Mingi more comfortable with San taking care of him, big or little. “Oh Minnie, you don't have to be embarrassed about anything, bub. Remember I'm always willing to help you with anything, and I will never make fun of you.”

“I-I know Sannie, but I still can't help feeling doubtful sometimes.” Mingi plays with his fingers. “Sorry, I overreacted again with this.”

“Don't say sorry, bub. It's understandable, you're still getting used to all this, and that's okay Minnie. You take your time.” San quickly finishes diapering him, and pulls him in for a big warm hug. Which Mingi indulges in, feeling better. “My lovely baby, love you.”

“Love you, Sannie.” Mingi says into San's shoulder.

“Now let's pick out some clothes for you so we can go dance for a bit.” San declares after giving him a kiss on the nose, and Mingi springs up onto his feet, hopping around excitedly.

“I can't wait! I've been so bored lately.” Mingi tells him. He was feeling like he might start going crazy if he continues to be stuck inside these same walls. After becoming an idol, he has gotten used to always being on the move, schedule after schedule. Staying home so much these days just doesn't feel right. He goes to his closet to look for some pants and a shirt. San follows him and helps him look.

“I'm sorry that you've been bored Minnie. There's just been so much to do, and not enough time to hang out with each other.” San explains to him while pulling out a gray pair of sweatpants for Mingi.

Mingi turns to look at him in confusion. “I thought you guys were close to finishing whatever promotions were left to do? Why are you guys so busy then?”

San freezes for a second. Shit, he probably said too much. As his brain is rattling to come up with an excuse, Yunho comes to check on them.

“I'm ready. San, I can finish helping Mingi so you can go get dressed.”

San quickly takes the chance to make his escape, and runs out of the room. Yunho looks at Mingi with an amused smile. “He must be really excited to dance too.”

“Me too!” Mingi exclaims, forgetting about his question. He finds a black hoodie and pulls it from the hanger.

“Look, I know you're excited to dance, but remember, no overdoing it. I mean it, Mingi.” Yunho firmly reminds him while helping him slip the hoodie on. He then grabs the diaper bag to prepare it.

Mingi waves him off. “I got it, I got it.”

-

He doesn't got it.

How can he? When the music is running through his limbs, there is no stopping the need to move to the rhythm and the beat. Feeling that loose freedom is just too addictive for a dancer like Mingi. Since the time they arrived at the dance studio, Yunho and San had already scolded him like six times by now to take it easy.

“C'mon time for another break.” San calls him over to get some water and sit down to rest.

Mingi huffs and petulantly stomps his feet over to the man. He plops on the floor and San hands him a water bottle that they recently bought for him. Mingi is embarrassed to bring a sippy cup or bottle out whenever they take him out while he is big, so they bought him a water bottle with a push pull cap that he can use and wouldn't spill much if he accidentally dropped it.

“But Sannie, I was just getting into it!” Mingi whines in frustration as he reluctantly takes the said water bottle into his hands. He was feeling a bit tired, but wasn't going to admit that to them. “You guys are worrying too much.”

“I'm sorry bub, but you have to rest. You're still not at one hundred percent right now.” San scrimmages through the diaper bag to pull out a small granola bar for Mingi. Mingi shakes his head, refusing it.

“Not hungry.” He grumbles, feeling antsy to get back up.

San frowns and puts the snack back into the bag. Mingi watches Yunho, who is on the other side of the room. He appears to be in deep concentration. He wasn't really dancing, but more of like he was planning out the moves carefully, which piqued Mingi's curiosity.

“What are you doing Yunnie? Are you working on a cover?”

“Something like that.” He answers, but doesn't say more than that. Mingi grumbles thinking the tall man was too deep into his head to talk to him.

Mingi gets up and stretches, ready to get back to dancing. San gets up alongside him. They continue for another hour. Mingi is well into it, having fun until San dumps the dreadful news that it is time for them to leave.

“What?! Already?” Mingi stops in mid dance to look at San in disbelief. San nods his head as he holds up his phone to show him the time.

“C'mon, let's pack up our stuff. We can shower at home, have lunch and then you can take your nap” San wipes off the sweat on his forehead with a towel.

“Just a little longer please!” Mingi begs. He didn't want to leave yet. He was having fun.

“We told you, you two were only going to be here for a little while.” Yunho reminds him as he walks up to them. “It's time to go home.”

“Just one more hour.” Mingi says, and both Yunho and San tell him no. Mingi pouts, disappointed. Then he walks up to San and unleashes his puppy eyes, knowing the man can't say no, always giving in to them. “Just thirty more minutes, please Sannie?”

Yunho narrows his eyes, knowing exactly what Mingi is doing again. He looks over to San ready to put his foot down when San surprises him.

“No Minnie, it's time for us to head home now bub.”

Mingi stands there bewildered by being told no by San, not having expected that answer. His eyebrows furrow slightly, he needs to try harder. “Pleeeaaase Sannie?” He grabs San's arm and gives it a slight shake.

“No Minmin, we're going home.” San continues to pack up their stuff.

“Please, please, please!” Mingi bounces up and down on his toes while still hanging on San's sleeve. He was starting to become frustrated. Why was Sannie saying no to him?

“No. We'll come back another day, okay?” San tells him. That's reasonable, but at this point Mingi didn't want to listen to reason.

“Sannie!” Mingi stomps his foot.

Oh boy, Yunho knows what's coming after starting to learn the signs of when Mingi is about to throw a tantrum. He contemplates if he should intervene, but he decides not to. San needs to show that he can put his foot down and not be a pushover to Mingi. So he won't jump in unless San needs him to.

“I said no, Mingi.” San says it in a more stern voice this time. He picks up their bags. “Let's go.”

“No, I'm staying.” Mingi crosses his arms and stands his ground. His jaw set in a stubborn manner.

“No you're not, we're leaving.” San takes one of Mingi's wrists.

“No!” Mingi pulls back trying to use his whole body weight to keep San from moving him. San wouldn't budge an inch. Mingi drops down to the floor, face laced with determination.

San sees Yunho looking at him silently asking if he wants some help getting him home. San shakes his head and mouths to him that he can handle this. He turns back to Mingi.

“I'm only telling you one more time Mingi, let's go.” San repeats. “Get up from the floor.”

Mingi shakes his head and remains on the floor, glaring up at him. San checks the time on his phone and they need to get moving. Mingi still needs his nap and Yunho needs to try to get some practice for what he actually came here for before he needs to leave for his vocal lessons.

“We'll be leaving.” He says to Yunho and then reaches down and lifts Mingi up onto his feet by under his armpits. “We'll see you later Yunnie.”

“No, no, no, no!” Mingi tries to use his heels to stop San from dragging him out the door, but it's proving to be fruitless.

“Mingi, please.” San tries to tell him. He really doesn't want to have to carry Mingi out, knowing that it would only upset him further.

“No! I wanna dance!” Mingi shouts loudly in the quiet hallway as they head to the elevators. He keeps trying to pull back. Eventually, San has had enough and swoops him up in his arms. “Papa!” Mingi yells in shock.

He tries to maneuver out of San's arms by wiggling and kicking to no avail. They go down the elevator and San walks them out to the car. The driver that was waiting for them hurries up and opens the door for San, seeing that his hands were pretty occupied at the moment. He takes their bags while trying to avoid Mingi's flying limbs. San thanks him and Mingi whines angrily when San is buckling him into his seat. He tries to shove San's hands away, but that doesn't deter San from getting the job done.

“Sannie!” Mingi complains, his voice coming out in a slightly higher pitch. His vision becomes blurry and now he's fighting to keep tears in bay. “Gonna tell eomma!”

“What are you telling eomma?” San asks calmly, hearing the tell tale sign that Mingi might be regressing. He sits back to buckle himself in and tells their driver that they are ready to go.

“You're being mean.” Mingi pierces his lips trying to hold back a hiccup. He will not cry. He's not a baby.

“Is papa being mean to his baby?”

“Stop!” Mingi clasps his hands over his ears. “‘M not little!”

“I'm sorry, you're not little.” San tries to apologize for getting too ahead of himself.

Mingi simply crosses his arms and then tries his best to turn away from San. For the rest of the ride Mingi ignores San, and San hopes the silence will lessen the annoyance with him. That hope lasts shortly when they arrive, Mingi continues to ignore him as they go up to their dorm. Once they enter, San tells Mingi that they will go shower first, but Mingi stubbornly disregards him and goes to crawl under the blankets on his bed.

“Minnie, it's bath time.”

“No! Go away!”

Instead of listening to him, San grabs the blanket and lifts it up to slide in behind Mingi. He feels him start to shake, and then hears a quiet sob. San gently turns Mingi towards him and hugs him to his chest. At first Mingi tries to shove him away, but then he clings back and cries and cries. San lets him cry so he could let it all out. By the time Mingi's cries die down, a large soaked spot is left on San's hoodie, but San doesn't care.

“Papa…” Mingi hiccups quietly.

“Mm? What is it bub?” San wipes the tears with his sleeve.

“Why-why you say no?” Mingi's speech is a bit slurry, and San is pretty positive now that Mingi will be slipping soon.

“I know how much you love dancing Minnie, but the only reason why I had to say no to you is because you still need time to get better. We can't let you overdo it. Although I may indulge you in many things,” San looks at him pointedly. Mingi blushes because he realizes now that San has known he has been going to him to get stuff he wants. “Your health and safety is my priority. You might find it annoying or stupid, but I care about you so much Minmin.”

He kisses Mingi's cutely pink face, and Mingi buries his face into his neck.

“‘m sorry, papa.” Mingi sniffs. “N-not meanie.”

“I'm not mean?” San teases him lightly and pats his back. Mingi doesn't answer, but instead he just snuggles in more by wrapping his limbs around San. “Should we shower now? We're still sweaty.”

Mingi doesn't respond again and San pulls back worriedly to look at him. Mingi lets out a whine of protest when San pulls away, and San realizes that Mingi is little now. Very little if he's not speaking.

“Baby are you feeling really tiny?” He asks just to double check. The only verbal answer he receives is just little whines from him. He wants his papa to hold him close again. San tucks him back to him and internally screams at how cute their Mingi is.

After five minutes of cuddling, San slowly gets up from the bed with Mingi in his arms. “Let's give you a bath, so my baby can be squeaky clean.”

San gathers Mingi's big fluffy towel and sits Mingi on the bathroom rug so he can run the bath and pour some soap for bubbles. When Mingi is little, they all prefer giving him baths instead showering with him because they don't want him to slip and fall accidently. Besides, Mingi loves it. He enjoys playing with his toys in the water and the bubbles.

San turns back to Mingi, “is my baby ready?”

“Ah!” Mingi holds his hands out to him. San peels off his clothes and diaper then gently sits him in the warm water. Mingi eyes the bubbles surrounding him, and tries to grab a handful only for them to pop in his hand. “Eh?”

San chuckles at Mingi's dumbfounded face. “You need to be gentle with bubbles. Here, let papa get some of your bath toys.”

He brings out some rubber animals, and some toy boats and cars. They splash into the water, and Mingi squeals happily at the sight of them floating around him.

“Look Minnie! It's your favorite, duckie!” San holds up the yellow rubber toy and Mingi's eyes widen as if San had lit up the whole world in one second. Mingi giggles and begins splashing the water ecstatically with his hands. A wave of water smacks San in the face as a result, making him splutter in surprise. He wipes his face with his hands, “Don't splash so much baby, you're getting water everywhere.” He still says it even though he knows Mingi wouldn't fully understand.

San plays along with him for a while. Once Mingi starts trying to put duckie into his mouth, San decides it's time to get him out of the tub. Mingi must be getting hungry since it's around lunch time and he refused the granola bar from earlier. He grabs the bottle of Mingi's strawberry scented baby shampoo and body wash and starts lathering it into his hair. He's careful when he rinses Mingi's hair, trying to avoid any suds getting into his eyes. San scrubs and rinses off his body, leaving Mingi all nice and clean.

San wraps him up in a large fluffy towel and carries him to his room to lay him down on the bed to change him. When San is drying him off, Mingi stuffs some of his fingers in his mouth emitting small whimpers.

“I know, I know, baby. Once papa finishes changing you, we'll get you some yummies in your tummy.” San diapers him quickly, but he struggles a little to put the clothes on because Mingi starts wriggling in frustration. Mingi is sobbing by the time San manages to button him up in a soft pastel yellow onesie. “There, all done, bub!”

He picks up his baby and they walk to the kitchen. San prepares a bottle of warm milk as it's the easiest and fastest meal he can give Mingi at the moment of his dire hunger. San walks to the living room and sits down with a crying Mingi on the couch. A bib is placed on Mingi and San finally feeds him his bottle.

The tears stop flowing as soon as the bottle touches Mingi's mouth and he eagerly drinks his milk. San coos as he looks down at Mingi, those big pretty brown eyes stare back at him. They sparkle from the leftover tears, but the sadness is no longer present in them. San presses a light peck on his forehead and Mingi lets out a happy gurgle.

San still wonders how is it that they got so lucky to have this precious baby in their lives? Since day one of meeting Mingi, San instantly thought he was just the cutest little thing and felt the need to look after him. There was a period where San was conflicted about his feelings towards the members and Mingi. Over the last few years he found himself starting to develop not so platonic feelings for the members as they spent more time together and learned about each other. But with Mingi, those feelings were different, and San could not understand why. His caregiver instincts would flare up around Mingi, and like the others, he felt guilty that maybe he was just projecting those instincts onto Mingi. Because the truth is, he always wanted to have a little.

Before San joined the company, he was torn with what he wanted. On one hand his dream was to become an idol, be a singer. On the other hand he always wanted a little to love and cherish. San knew he had to sacrifice one of the two because being an idol would not leave him with any time to care for a little and it is not like he would be allowed to bring them along with him. After stressing for long grueling weeks, in the end San decided he would try out for several companies and if he didn't make it, then he would settle down and look for a little to adopt. He was over the moon when he learned that he was selected to become a part of Ateez, but a part of him still mourned over not having a little. That was something that was going to have to wait till he retired.

There were nights where he stayed up late talking to the other caregivers in the group. It helped that he was able to relate to them. After all, they all had to make similar sacrifices to be here. They were in this together.

Being together with everyone has made him feel whole. Gone was that half empty feeling. Now when they found out that Mingi is actually a little, everything made sense, and San has never been happier than the day he had officially adopted Mingi with the people he loves.

As cliche as it sounds, San likes to think it was fate that brought them all together. He also believes that they will be together till the end. He'll work on making that happen.

At the sound of an empty bottle, San sits Mingi up and pats his back. After about five minutes, Mingi lets out a satisfying burp. San checks the time on his phone and sees he is running late on Mingi's naptime. San knows it won't take long to get Mingi to sleep once Mingi rests his head on his shoulder and his arms droop with fatigue. San smiles and starts rocking him to sleep. Once Mingi falls asleep, San will hurry up and try to shower as fast as he can before he wakes up. Such is the life of a papa.

-

Later in the evening, Yunho tiredly opens the door to their dorm. After taking off his shoes he is greeted by an endearing sight in the living room. Mingi is sitting on San's lap on the ground in front of the couch with a set of plastic keys in hand, jingling the toy around while babbling to the man. San smiles at him, nodding to whatever he is trying to say to him even though he doesn't understand any of it. The sounds of a cartoon could be heard coming from the television. Neither have noticed his arrival yet.

“I'm home!” Yunho calls out, startling the two. He holds out his arms after putting down his bag, and Mingi excitedly crawls over to him. Yunho swoops him up off the ground. Mingi snuggles into his neck, happy to see him.

“Ah ah!” Mingi shows him the keys he has.

“Those are some awesome keys you have, princess!” He walks with him to sit on the floor beside San.

“He's very happy that daddy is home.” San softly pinches one of Mingi's cheeks making him giggle happily. “See?”

Yunho smiles at him. “So how did it go after the both of you left? Did he go into a full tantrum?”

“Everything went fine. He did have a whole tantrum, but it wasn't too bad actually, even if there were alot of tears.” Sans says. “I did hint to him that I know about how he comes to me for things he wants.”

Yunho raises an eyebrow at him, doubting it. “So you were aware that Mingi would give you puppy eyes? And here I was surprised that you told him no back at the studio because I didn't think you were aware of what he was doing.”

“Of course I knew. I like to indulge him, but I did tell him that his health and safety comes first and foremost.” San explains. He has known for a long time despite what everyone thinks. Even before Mingi turned out to be a little, San always had a soft spot for him but he knew his limits on when to indulge him or not.

“What about today then?” Yunho points it out. “Why did you say yes?

San hums thoughtfully as he recalls earlier today. “I only said yes because both me and you would be there to stop him from getting carried away. Plus, I'm sure you also noticed how bored he has been feeling lately, not just from today.”

Yunho looks at Mingi who is still on his lap. He is currently mouthing on one of the plastic keys. Drool is slowly escaping his mouth down his chin. A small fond smile tugs at Yunho's lips and he reaches over for one of the small burp cloths they keep in the drawers of the small tables near the couch. He wipes the drool from Mingi's chin.

Yunho lets out a long exhale because San's right. “Yes, I've noticed. He hasn't been subtle about it. I've been wanting to talk to Hongjoong about it to see if there is a possible chance that we can take some days off. Maybe to visit his mom finally. Especially if we are going to…do another comeback soon.”

At the end of last week, Hongjoong had relayed to them that the company is planning for them to do another comeback soon. The news left them stunned at first since they didn't expect to start working on a new comeback so soon. However, management wanted them to get a head start since they wanted to see how it would work out with their new situation.

“When are we going to tell Mingi?” San asks. “He was asking me earlier why we have been so busy and lucky for me, you came by before I accidentally said something.“

“We can't say anything until Hongjoong gets confirmation for sure of how soon we'll start.” Yunho looks at him. “So keep your mouth shut.”

San gets a mocked hurt look on his face. “You don't think I can keep a secret? I'm hurt.”

“You literally just told me that you could have accidentally said something to him earlier!” Yunho says, exasperated at the young man next to him.

“I know, I'm just messing with you.” San gives a cheeky grin and Yunho's scowls at him. San pinches his cheek. “You're cute when you try to glare.”

Before Yunho can retort, Mingi hands shoot up trying to jingle the keys and accidentally slaps San's face with them.

“Ow!” San clutches his cheek, trying to soothe away the sting.

Yunho laughs out loud, making Mingi giggle along with him. San pulls Mingi towards him onto his lap again and cups his cheeks.

“You're trying to stop papa from wooing your handsome daddy huh?” San gently lays Mingi down on the floor, beginning to tickle him with kisses. Mingi squeals and happily kicks his legs in the air.

Meanwhile Yunho's ears erupt in pink upon hearing San's words to Mingi. He felt his heart thump and then he mentally kicked himself in the next second. Surely San was only joking when he said that, just like how Wooyoung does it all the time. But at the same time,Yunho can't simply just be imagining everything as of late right? All the increased physical affections between them all? All those lingering glances? He noticed Wooyoung and Yeosang being more intimate than usual lately. San has been flirting with everyone more than normal, and shockingly Jongho hasn't been so adversed to them being cuddly with him. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were up to something for sure. However, Hongjoong has been hugging him more which he likes honestly, but there are times where Yunho would catch these looks towards him that would make him blush. Then Yunho thinks about his intimate moment with Seonghwa and couldn't help but blush at how bold he was to kiss his neck the time they showered together, and then the fact that Seonghwa gave him one in return.

Yunho sadly lets out a small sigh. Maybe he is hoping for something that isn't there at all. He probably is just imagining things because there is no way they all could possibly reciprocate his feelings right?

The sounds of giggles snaps him out of his deep thoughts. He looks to see San playing peek-a-boo with Mingi who is laughing every time San pops his face out from behind the cushion he is holding in his hands. Yunho smiles, their baby is so precious to them all. Yunho can't help but fall more and more in love each day when he watches the other members take care of his Mingi, his soul mate.

Mingi crawls back to him, and this time he is dragging Nuggy along with him. He shoves the plushie towards him.

“Ah!” Mingi flashes a gummy smile, his eyes turning into that crescent shape that Yunho adores seeing so much.

Yunho decides that this is enough for him. His baby is happy, and loved, and that's what matters most to him. So even if his romantic feelings for the other members are not reciprocated, just being here together as a family is enough.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

The smell of savory chicken permeates the air within the small restaurant. Mingi's mouth waters and he takes deep breaths to inhale as much of the heavenly scent as he can. He has been waiting for this for weeks. Seonghwa had been reluctant to let him eat any greasy foods right off the bat after having been given the okay at his appointment. However today when Seonghwa had asked them what they wanted to eat tonight, Mingi jumped up and begged for some fried chicken. To his surprise, the man agreed this time. So here he is at a restaurant with Seonghwa and Yeosang waiting for their order.

“I think our order is next!” Mingi chimes. He is bouncing on his heels making both Seonghwa and Yeosang chuckle.

When Seonghwa grabs the bags from the employee, Mingi insists on helping to carry at least one. Seonghwa hands him one bag, and Mingi hugs it to his chest. Yeosang opens the door for them, and they begin to make their way back home. Mingi hums happily as they walk. The cold air brushes against him, but the delicious chicken is keeping him warm.

“Here, let me pull up your hood Minnie. It's cold and we don't want you to get sick.” Yeosang stops him briefly, noticing that his hood was down. “You should have just stayed home, angel.”

Mingi whines in protest as the man fusses over him, “I wanted to help bring the food. I already have the beanie on because hyungie made me wear all this.”

Mingi points at the other man who stood off to the side looking pleased. The only way Mingi was allowed to come along was if he agreed to wear several layers of warm clothing.

“It's cold outside at night.” Seonghwa explains.

“We are barely in November, hyungie!” Mingi pouts and Seonghwa smiles at him.

“It's still cold, baby.”

Mingi groans, knowing it's a losing battle anyway. They start walking again, content to be heading home.

-

By the time they get home Hongjoong is already there, having come back from a meeting he had with management.

“Joongie hyungie!” Mingi shouts excitedly when he sees the man sitting with the others in the living room. Hongjoong rises up from his seat and walks up to him, kisses his cold rosy cheeks.

“Hi Minnie baby, hyung missed you.” Hongjoong grins, noticing Mingi hiding a bag behind his back. He can feel Mingi's body vibrating with the urge to tell him something. Even though Hongjoong already knows what he has because he could see that Seonghwa is carrying the same bag with the name of the restaurant, he still indulges him. “Whatcha got there, Minmin?”

“We got chicken!” Mingi announces and shows him the bag of food that he had behind his back.

“Oh wow, thank you baby! How did you know hyung would be so hungry for chicken tonight?”

Mingi preens at the praise. “We haven't had fried chicken in a long time, I really wanted some.”

“Here let me take the food so Hwa hyung can help you out of your warm clothes. I'm sure he overdid it with the layers.” Hongjoong laughs when Seonghwa sends him a miniscule glare. He takes the bag from Mingi and then takes the bags Seonghwa was carrying.

Seonghwa helps Mingi take off the scarf, coat the extra jacket and his shoes. He puts the hoodie Mingi was wearing before they left back on him before he sends him off to wash his hands for dinner. The other members start gathering the plates and cups, setting everything up at the table. Mingi returns and sits down eagerly reaching for his long awaited chicken before everyone sits down to eat. He just couldn't help himself. He moans in delight after taking his first bite into the savory goodness.

“Mished this.” Mingi says with his mouth still full. Pieces of crumbs from the chicken's breading surround his mouth, and Wooyoung wipes his mouth with a napkin. San sets down Mingi's sippy cup in front of him, and hands Wooyoung a light green bib to put on Mingi. Mingi twists his body to avoid Wooyoung's hands coming towards him with the darn thing. “Nuh uh, I don't want it.”

“Would you rather I put a paper towel on your shirt?”

“No, my hands are working. I don't need it, Youngie.”

“Just in case, bun. You don't wanna accidentally get a grease stain on the cute hoodie Jongie got you right?” Wooyoung asks him.

Jongho had recently bought him the soft light brown hoodie that has bear ears on the hood. He had seen it at one of the little stores and couldn't resist buying it, thinking it would be perfect for their baby. Mingi fell in love with its softness claiming that it was like wearing a blanket, especially since it was long enough for him considering his height. The hem reaches just above his knees. Mingi is also too shy to admit that he loves it because he really does feel like his cub, as Jongho refers to him as.

Mingi immediately shakes his head, and lets Wooyoung put the bib around his neck. Wooyoung snaps it on, glad that he didn't fight it this time. Their washer and dryer have been going at it nonstop. They have been having to change his clothes frequently after he eats because Mingi would refuse his bibs when he is big, and oftentimes his fine motor skills will fail on him catching him off guard leading to a mess on his clothes. As much as he hates it, they have to insist on him wearing a bib when he eats.

They talked and laughed as they enjoyed their meal. Chicken after chicken goes through his mouth and down to his stomach. By the end of it Mingi looks like he is encrusted with all crumbs and grease stuck on his face and hands. That doesn't matter though because his appetite is completely satisfied. He wishes that he can eat more, but he is too stuffed already. Instead, he focuses on sucking the crumbs off his fingers. Yeosang goes and brings back a couple of baby wipes to clean Mingi off.

Before anyone could leave to do their own thing, or start getting Mingi ready for bed, Hongjoong called for their attention.

“So I have some news for everyone.” Hongjoong starts, and they all look at him. Everyone except Mingi knew what his news will mostly be about. “Management has decided that we will be doing a comeback in a couple of months.”

Mingi sits there unmoving, letting the information sink in for a couple of seconds. They want them to do one already? But what about him, he's still not allowed to even dance much? A little spark of hope fills him thinking maybe his doctor gave his permission already and that's why they are doing a comeback now.

“When do we start hyung?” Mingi chirps out all excited now. However, his smile quickly vanishes from his face when Hongjoong's smile had a slight grimace to it. He also notices the other members wearily look at each other. Mingi looks down sadly at his fingers on his lap. “I'm not going to be a part of it, am I?”

Hongjoong gets up, and walks around the table to hug him. Mingi burrows into his hyung's warmth, feeling upset, but it was to be expected. He just thought he would have more time to recover and avoid missing out on many group activities.

“Well…yes and no.”

Mingi pulls back, confused by what his hyung means by that.

“You will only be able to participate in recording the songs. I know it may not seem much, but at least you will have a part in the title track. I was only able to get permission for that from your doctor. Everything else will have to wait, sweetpea.” Hongjoong rubs his back in comfort. “KQ is wanting this comeback mainly just to see if things will work out with our new circumstances. Especially if the unfortunate happens.”

Mingi nods, but that still doesn't stop a few tears from falling down his face. He buries his face in Hongjoong's neck and Hongjoong hugs him tight while patting his back. Mingi hates it, but what can he do? However, he is grateful that Hongjoong tried to get him to be included as much as he can.

“Th-thank you hyungie.”

“You're welcome. Please don't cry, Minnie baby. We'll try hard to make this work, we promise.“ Hongjoong reassures him. Everyone else felt sad as they watched Mingi cry, especially when there is only so little they can do right now. They can only offer their love and support.

“Okay.” Mingi wipes his eyes with his sleeves.

“When are we starting hyung?” Jongho brings up the question again.

“In about two weeks. Hongjoong answers and then he smiles at Mingi. “Speaking of which, we do have a surprise for you, Minmin.”

That piques Mingi's interest. He pulls away from Hongjoong's neck.

“Surprise?”

“Yup.” Hongjoong nods. “We will be taking time off before we start fully working on the new comeback, and we were thinking of taking you to go visit your eomma.”

Mingi's mouth drops in disbelief at what he just heard. “Eomma? Really??”

“Yup. Yunho is the one who suggested it to me and I got it cleared by manager-nim.”

Mingi is so happy. So so so happy that he squeals loudly. “Thank you Joongie hyung!”

Hongjoong chuckles and ruffles his hair. “You should be thanking Yunho for that, Minnie.”

Mingi got up and practically threw himself at Yunho, and Yunho caught him out of habit by now.

“Careful.” Yunho lightly scolds him, but pulls him closer into his embrace. Mingi ignores that in favor of nuzzling into his neck, his hair tickling Yunho's cheek.

“Thank you, Yunnie.” Mingi mumbles against his neck.

“No problem, princess. We all know how much you've been missing your eomma. You better start packing because we are leaving in two days. Your mom is already expecting us.” Yunho informs him. “I had called her a week ago to arrange everything.”

“Wha- two days?!” Mingi waves his hands in panic at the short notice. “I need to get her a gift! What should I get her? Flowers?!”

“Flowers would be a nice gift.” Seonghwa agrees. “We can pick out a pretty bouquet for her once we arrive there.”

“We can also get your parents a nice fruit basket.” Jongho suggests.

“Yeah!” Mingi claps his hands at the idea. He couldn't wait to see his mom. He's really been missing her these past few weeks, and he still feels the need to apologize to her in person for lying to her all these years. Even though she said she had forgiven him, he still feels guilty. Aside from Yunho, his eomma had always been there for him, showering him with love all his life. That's not to say that his dad and brother didn't, but it was always his mom that he felt the closest to.

He is so focused thinking about his mom, that Mingi didn't notice his stomach start growling at first. Then his stomach starts to hurt, and everyone hears a particularly loud growl.

“H-hyungie?” He looks at Seonghwa, clutching his stomach and winces. “My tummy hurts.”

Oh oh, Seonghwa thinks as he knows what's coming next. Now Seonghwa doesn't mind cleaning up messy diapers, but he knows Mingi will be mortified to mess his diaper badly while he is big again. The first time it happened, it took a long time for him and Yunho to coax Mingi from hiding to get him cleaned up. Mingi continued crying for a few hours afterwards, refusing to leave his room. It was heart wrenching for Seonghwa to hear his cries. Mingi is slowly making progress with getting comfortable about being a young little but there is still a long road ahead of him.

He probably should not have let him eat too much fried chicken right off the bat, since Mingi hasn't eaten much fried or greasy foods yet. He just didn't want to discourage him from eating when he was excited to. Seonghwa springs up quickly and starts ushering Mingi to the bathroom. Hopefully they can make it on time. If he could prevent another meltdown, the better.

“Come on, let's get you to the bathroom just in case.” Seonghwa states calmly to not make Mingi panic. “Can one of you guys please get his medicine ready for me?”

All of them hear the bathroom door slam shut, and a loud groan could be heard a second after.

-

Late next morning, Yeosang quietly opens the door to Mingi's room and peeks in. He sees that Mingi is awake, and comes in.

“Good morning angel. How are you feeling?” Yeosang stands by the bed and smiles at the funny sight. Both Yunho and Seonghwa are snoring away completely dead to the world around them. Mingi is laying on top of Yunho and Seonghwa is curled up next to them with his arm thrown around Mingi's waist.

Mingi pulls the covers over his face, still feeling embarrassed from last night. He…didn't make it to the bathroom. Once Seonghwa helped clean him up, he spent most of the night sitting on the toilet out of fear of getting the runs again, and messing himself. Seonghwa and Yunho took turns looking after him since Mingi refused everyone else and stubbornly refused to budge. That is until Yunho finally convinced Mingi to leave the bathroom and get some sleep. He said that if it happens again, then it happens and he will be there to help him clean up. Even then, Mingi was too paranoid to fall asleep right away. He knows that he has no say of when his body has to go. It's just…there is a difference between it happening when he is big and when he is little. But his issue should get better soon right? It won't be like this forever?

Once they were laying in his bed, he spent a while trying to make conversation with Yunho and Seonghwa in order to look out for any signs that he may need to go again in the meantime. However, eventually Yunho and Seonghwa passed out from being too tired. For the next hour, Mingi had a whole internal debate with himself between still loving chicken and not wanting to eat it ever again. In the end, chicken won. He accepted that chicken is just too delicious to give up. Not long after, Mingi fell asleep, not able to keep his eyes open any longer.

Mingi groans, his stomach still feels a little funky, and it's not exactly pleasant. Overall, he's tired, his head hurts, and he is miserable.

“Awful.” Mingi grumbles from underneath the blanket.

“Poor baby. Do you wanna come to the living room with me?” Yeosang asks, holding his hands out towards him. “You can lay down on the couch and watch some TV if you don't feel like sleeping anymore.”

Mingi peeks one eye out actually liking the sound of that. The rest of the dorm is quiet so he assumes the rest of the members are also sleeping in. He should also let Yunho and Seonghwa sleep peacefully considering he kept them up almost the whole night.

Mingi uncovers his head and nods at Yeosang. He slowly gets up, careful to not jostle either man. Yeosang helps him get down from the bed, and then has him lay down on the diaper mat for a quick diaper change. To Mingi's relief, he hasn't exploded in his diaper since he fell asleep. He follows Yeosang to the living room and comes to find that everyone else is lounging around already.

“Minmin!” Wooyoung pops his head out from the kitchen where he had been making a late breakfast for everyone. He immediately latches onto Mingi giving him a big smooch on his cheek. “How are you feeling, baby bun?”

“Tired.” Mingi hugs him back.

San, who was lying on the couch, gestures for Mingi to come over to him. He pulls Mingi onto his chest, letting him lie down between his legs. Mingi sighs happily into his chest when San starts rubbing his back.

“Are Yunho and Seonghwa still sleeping, bub?” San asks Mingi.

“Mm-hmm, they snore a lot, papa.” Mingi's answer makes them all laugh.

Hongjoong giggles, “normally Seonghwa doesn't snore unless he is really tired.”

Hearing that makes guilt bubble up in Mingi, knowing he is the reason why Seonghwa and Yunho are super tired. Everyone goes out to work long hours everyday, and when they are home for the day they still have to look after him. Mingi can't wait till he recovers so he can lessen their burden.

He feels his stomach cramp a little, and he whimpers softly gathering everyone's attention. Wooyoung walks over to him with a bottle he had been preparing in the meantime.

“Here bun, have some milk and we can give you another dose of medicine to help your stomach feel better.”

Mingi turns away his mouth, afraid that his stomach will hurt if he drinks or eats anything.

“I don't want it. I'm not hungry.” Mingi whines and moves his mouth away again.

“Just a little bit, cub.” Jongho chimes in from where he is sitting on the floor near the couch. He reaches out and lightly pats one of Mingi's hands that is fisted in San's shirt. “Only enough to take your medicine and that's it.”

Mingi sits up and crosses his arms with a frown, “no, I don't want anything.”

“Alright, alright,” Yeosang says for them to stop before Mingi gets too upset as he comes back from the kitchen. He is shaking a sippy cup filled with water to mix in some powder of electrolytes for littles. “At least have some water for now so you don't get dehydrated, Minmin.”

Mingi nods, he can do that much. He holds his hand out to take the cup, and leans to rest against San, who had sat up. He suckles on the spout as he watches everyone else set up the table and gather around it to eat. San takes him with him to the table and sits him on his lap again. While they eat, San tries to offer Mingi a couple bites of food, but Mingi declines them each time. Instead he focuses on playing on San's phone while continuing to drink his water. He doesn't notice everyone's frowns when he refuses each offer.

After everyone finishes, Hongjoong, San and Yeosang work to clean up the kitchen and put away leftovers for Yunho and Seonghwa to eat once they wake up. Mingi spots a loose crayon on the floor near him and picks it up. He fiddles with it in one hand, wanting to color but feeling too shy to do it with everyone being home.

Wooyoung sees him holding it and surprises Mingi by asking, “do you wanna draw, baby bun? Here let me go fetch some paper and the rest of your crayons.”

He comes back with a drawing pad and Mingi's box of jumbo crayons. Wooyoung yanks a piece of paper for himself and settles next to Mingi at the table. Wooyoung smiles when Mingi scrunches his nose as he shyly contemplates which color he wants to choose with a hand hovering over the box.

“Hand me a piece of paper, I want to draw too.” Jongho says as he scoots next to Mingi. “What do you plan on drawing, cub?

Mingi mouth drops, surprised that even Jongho wants to color with him. He didn't think that any of them would ever want to partake in a childish activity when he wasn't little. Heck, Mingi tries to not want to play with any of his toys when he's big because it should only be for when he is little. However, coloring is something he's come to like recently enough to do when he is big from time to time despite still getting shy over it. He's only really ever colored with Seonghwa and Yunho since they are with him majority of the time.

“Yo-you want to color? With me?” Mingi asks in awe and he turns to look at Wooyoung with wide eyes. “And Youngie?”

“Of course.” Jongho affirms. “Drawing can be fun. I haven't done it in a long time. ”

“I like coloring, and I've been wanting to color with my Mangi.” Wooyoung pinches one of his cheeks. “Now, our baby gets first dibs on choosing a color.”

Mingi's heart does a little leap. With a little more confidence now, he starts contemplating again on which color he wants. He ends up choosing a pink crayon from the box.

“I'm gonna make a flower.” Mingi tells both men, still a little shy.

“That's a great idea! I'm going to draw a fox.” Wooyoung announces and takes the orange crayon.

“I'll draw a bear.” Jongho adds and grabs the brown crayon.

Mingi starts focusing on his drawing, and Wooyoung coos at how cute he looks. The way his cheeks puff up and his brows furrowed in concentration is just too adorable.

It has been a long arduous week, or more like these past weeks have been quite stressful. With having demanding schedules, plus having to deal with a plethora of people still pestering them about Mingi, it's exhausting. Wooyoung has been wanting nothing more than to spend more time with Mingi. Every morning, Wooyoung's mood would dim once it was time to head out the door and leave Mingi behind. He's even ashamed to admit that there were times that he felt jealous of Seonghwa or Yunho. Their company rotates mostly between the two most of the time depending on who gets to stay behind with Mingi, and it makes sense since Mingi is more comfortable with them. But he still wants more time with Mingi, to get him more comfortable with him about his little side and just be there for him. Usually by the time they arrive home late at night, Mingi is tucked away in bed and the opportunity is gone.

About two weeks ago, he shared what he was feeling with Yeosang, and Yeosang, like the kind person that he is, attentively listened to him. Yeosang suggested that he talk to Hongjoong to see if he can arrange with management about Wooyoung being able to rotate more often to stay home with Mingi. Wooyoung didn't think it would be a good idea. He felt like he would also be letting the members down by not doing his duties for their group. Yeosang tried to convince him that he would be doing no such thing, but Wooyoung still insisted on not speaking with Hongjoong.

Yeosang reluctantly accepted his decision, and then he comforted him by telling him that soon he will get time to spend time with Mingi. And sure enough, soon after, Hongjoong informed them that they will be taking a break. Wooyoung had been so ecstatic that he spun their leader around and around until Hongjoong flicked him on the forehead to get him to put him down.

“How's the flower coming along, Minnie?” Wooyoung asks him.

“Could be better.” Mingi is trying hard to get the outline of the petals just right. He looks at Wooyoung's still blank paper. “Baba, you haven't done anything yet.”

“He probably needs help. You've seen his drawings before.” Jongho jokes.

Wooyoung snorts and points over to his drawing, “says the person who is drawing what looks like a meatball with stubs instead of a bear.”

“Hey!” Jongho shouts, making Mingi giggle. He startles when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

Yeosang peers over his shoulder and smiles, “I like it, it looks cute, Jongie.”

Jongho brightens up at his words. San and Hongjoong finish washing up and the three of them settle down at the other side of the table.

“Oh that's a pretty flower you got going there bub.” San praises Mingi. Mingi meekly mutters a ‘thank you’ as he looks down at his paper. “I can see why your hyungie calls you his flower. Our baby is very pretty too!” He gushes.

“Sannie!” Mingi whines and covers his eyes as his face turns hot at the compliment. The others all jump in to agree with San and he covers his ears. He lets out another whine, “stooop!”

“Okay, enough teasing him you guys.” Hongjoong tells them. He grabs the drawing pad and takes a sheet for himself and passes two to the others too.

Mingi is in awe at seeing all of them sitting down to color with him. It feels so nice to finally have them all home and he wants to make sure he draws the prettiest flower to impress them. The only thing that sucks is that he doesn't feel too good. He was starting to get hungry too but didn't want to risk getting a stomach-ache without Yunho or Seonghwa being with him in case he messed himself. He grabs the crayon again and goes back to drawing out his flower in hopes of distracting himself.

Half an hour later, Mingi's left hand makes its way up and his fingers go into his mouth. Yeosang sees him first and frowns.

“Angel, are you hungry?” Everyone stops coloring and Mingi looks up from his drawing with wide eyes. He doesn't seem to be aware that he is sucking on his fingers as he continues.

“Mm?”

“Are you hungry, sweetpea?” Yeosang repeats.

Mingi shakes his head and pauses when he realizes that his fingers are in his mouth. He blushes and quickly pulls them out. He slowly wipes his fingers on his shirt.

“N-not hungry.” Mingi stammers and picks up his crayon to begin coloring again. He doesn't look up at them, trying to get through the awkwardness.

Yeosang sighs and shakes his head as he waits. It's not even ten minutes later that Mingi's fingers end up in his mouth again and like earlier, it doesn't seem like he is aware of it. At first, they think that maybe Mingi just wants to suck on something and just hasn't bothered with his pacifier, but that notion is rapidly thrown out the window when they hear his stomach rumble quietly.

San gets up from the table, remembering what happened the last time he looked after Mingi and how fussy he got from being so hungry. He goes into the kitchen towards their pantry and grabs a small pack of saltine crackers to help with his appetite first before trying to give him milk.

Mingi feels a pair of hands on his waist and looks at Wooyoung who gently pulls him into his lap, away from his drawing. He wonders why and sees San walking over to them from the kitchen with some crackers in his hand. Mingi pulls his fingers out and squirms in Wooyoung's hold.

“I said I'm not hungry!” Mingi shouts and then blushes when his stomach lets out a growl following his statement. Mingi doubles down on his effort to break Wooyoung's hold on him.

“Minnie, you're hungry.” Wooyoung says as a matter of fact. Mingi slumps and Wooyoung cradles him against his chest with his face in his neck. “Why are you scared of eating, baby bun? Remember we have medicine to help you feel better. But you need to eat a little, sweetpea.”

Mingi lets out a small distressed sound into his neck. “Baba…”

“What is it, baby boy?” Wooyoung pulls him back and Mingi quickly looks down to avoid his gaze. The tip of his ears are red, and Wooyoung presses a hand to his forehead to make sure Mingi is not coming down with a fever. His hand met cool skin so it wasn't that at least. “You can tell us, Minmin.”

Mingi pierces his lips and then closes his eyes shut. After a brief moment, he blurts out, “I-I don't wanna get the runs again!”

Wooyoung's eyebrows shoot up in confusion. “It's normal to get the runs sometimes when you have an upset stomach. Even Jongho had the shits last week.”

Jongho squawks in indignation, although while it was true, he was not expecting to be exposed out of nowhere like that. That pulled a small giggle out of Mingi and the mood in the room grew warmer. “What the he-”

Jongho stops mid sentence when he sees Yeosang shoot him a look to shut up and go along with it. Ignoring the prominent burning sensation on the back of his neck, Jongho clears his throat and he corrects himself. “Yeah, it sucked but it's no big deal. It happens to all of us from time to time. ”

“B-but what if I…mess myself really badly?” Mingi asks in a small voice and then adds quietly, “while big.”

Jongho reaches up to pat his head gently. No matter how many times he needs to repeat it, Jongho will reassure him every time Mingi needs to hear it. “There's nothing wrong with that, cub. The diapers are there to help and we will always be there to help too, okay? Big or small, it is okay.”

Mingi blushes but nods. Seonghwa and Yunho talked to him about it and they said the same things too. Although he is still having a hard time getting used to all things that come from being a little, it's nice to hear Jongho's words.

San squeezes in between the two and starts opening up the packet of saltines. He holds up a cracker to Mingi.

“Here bub, have one. I think you just have indigestion so bland foods will be good for you.” San says and Mingi takes it.

Mingi stares at the cracker in his hand and tentatively takes a small bite of it. Wooyoung rubs his back to encourage him more and smiles when he feels Mingi relax against him.

“I think you might have eaten too much chicken last night.” Yeosang tells him. “Your stomach must have been overwhelmed.”

Mingi grunts unhappily and continues to munch on the cracker. “I like chicken though.”

“Of course, chicken is very good, but we should keep to smaller portions as it will help you as you get used to eating your normal foods again.” Yeosang explains to him. “It's why Hwa hyung didn't want to rush into letting you eat fried foods so soon.”

“Man, this is so annoying.” Mingi whines at the unfairness. He just wants to eat without worrying about how his stomach will react.

San hands Mingi another cracker as soon as he finishes the first one. Yeosang gets up to go and retrieve Mingi's medicine from the refrigerator. He looks up and a fond look overtakes his face as he watches Wooyoung cuddle Mingi in his lap while everyone else gives him small praises. Mingi's hesitation lessened with each bite, which in turn decreased Yeosang's worry.

Yeosang walks back to them with the filled syringe. Mingi spots what is in his hand and immediately grimaces, knowing what's to come. Mingi turns his face away once Yeosang lifts the syringe to his mouth.

“Here sweetpea, now that you've eaten a little, you can take your dose of medicine.” Yeosang explains. He knows how much Mingi detests the taste of it so he adds, “it's okay, baby. Just a little so you can feel better.”

Reluctantly, Mingi opens his mouth to receive the dosage and gags a bit as he swallows the medicine down. He gives a small sniff, trying to reel in any tears that are brought forward by the gross bitter flavor. Jongho hands him his sippy cup and Mingi takes it so he could drink some water to get rid of that atrocious taste in his mouth. After taking several gulps, he slumps back in Wooyoung's arms feeling a little defeated. He relishes in the comfort Wooyoung's arms are providing to him.

“Do you want your milk now, cub?” Jongho asks, and Mingi shakes his head.

“I wanna finish coloring first.” Mingi responds, already scooting off Wooyoung's lap to get back to his drawing. He can see them all frown again and before they protest, Mingi quickly says, “I promise I'll drink it after. I just wanna finish this first.”

Mingi shuffles into his spot after an idea occurred to him seconds ago. He wants to finish his drawing and give it to them all as a thank you gift. They all have been working hard and yet still have to care for him while he doesn't do anything. They even sat down to color with him! Mingi hopes they will like it. Both Yunho and Seonghwa always like his drawings and it makes him feel good inside. With that in mind, he goes full on concentration and decides to add more flowers to his drawing to make it prettier for them.

Everybody else went back to their place to join him. Wooyoung and Jongho continue to bicker with each other on whose drawing is better while Yeosang is trying to keep the peace between the two. San pulled his phone out, trying to draw his cat and Hongjoong was drawing out an idea for a new clothing design.

Mingi happily decides that he wants his second flower to be purple. He grabs the purple crayon from his box and begins outlining the petals. He is in the middle of drawing a curve when he feels his grip loosens a little and the curve comes out a little wobbly. Mingi frowns, but continues on when he begins to feel that unwanted sensation of not having full control of his fingers. Mingi curses under his breath. He loathes how frequent this stupid problem comes and goes.

He whines as he makes another ugly line to close the petal. Mingi's eyes begin to sting and he lets out a small frustrated huff. Everyone looks at him after hearing him and notices that Mingi is struggling.

Wooyoung scoots closer to him, “here baby bun, I can help you with drawing the flo-”

“No!” Mingi shouts, pulling away from Wooyoung's hands coming his way. “I can do it!”

Wooyoung puts his hands up and backs off at the sudden shout, apologizing. San tells Mingi not to shout, but Mingi ignores him. Mingi fists the crayon in his hand and glares down at his paper feeling so angry. He presses the crayon down hard on the paper trying to keep it steady as he attempts to draw out another petal. One small movement he did had the crayon skidding across the paper leaving a purple line going through the pink flower. The crayon ended up snapping in half in his fist.

In one minute Mingi sat there stunned staring at his ruined drawing and then the next he was wailing. He is laying on the floor kicking and crying after chucking the broken crayon across the room. His foot accidently connects with the table and almost knocks it over but San and Hongjoong were quick to grab onto it. Some of his crayons spilled out from the fallen box, and their papers were strewn around them.

Wooyoung lifts Mingi up and cradles him in his lap again. He starts trying to soothe him while Mingi continues to sob. In the meantime, Yeosang and Jongho are picking up the mess on the ground while Hongjoong and San are putting the table back in place. Once Mingi's sobs slow down to soft cries, he clings onto Wooyoung.

“There, there baby.” Wooyoung tells him softly while rubbing his back. He knows that Mingi was upset over his drawing. “I'm here for you, baby bun.”

“Ruined it ba-baba!” Mingi cries into his shoulder. He couldn't even draw a picture for them.

“I'm sorry that happened Minnie, but it's okay baby, we can draw plenty of more pictures together.” Wooyoung reassures him.

Mingi sniffs and hiccups.“I-I wa-wanted to m-make it pretty for all of you!”

Yeosang reaches over to wipe the tears from his cheeks with his thumb. “You did a good job, the first flower was really pretty, Angel.”

“Yeah, and Yunho and Seonghwa have shown all of us your other drawings before. They're all so amazing and colorful!” San chimes in with a big smile.

Mingi's teary eyes widened, he hadn't known that they had shown them his other drawings. He croaks out, “you l-like them?”

“Of course!” Hongjoong walks over with a tissue to wipe Mingi's nose. “I didn't know my little Minnie baby was so good with his colors. Here, blow.”

Mingi blows his nose into the tissue. A shy smile tugs on Mingi's mouth once Hongjoong pulls away. The small praise warms him up. He is happy to hear that they like them. Mingi lays his head on Wooyoung's shoulder. His head was beginning to throb more and it was starting to feel too much for Mingi.

“What's wrong, baby?” Yeosang asks when Mingi rubs his head into Wooyoung's neck and whimpers softly. He starts tearing up again.

Mingi says, “head hurts mama.”

Wooyoung coos and kisses his forehead. “You didn't sleep well last night, did you baby bun?”

Mingi softly shakes his head, and he brings up his fingers to his mouth again. Jongho quickly jumps onto his feet to heat up the bottle of milk that Wooyoung had prepared earlier for him. In the meantime, Wooyoung nudges Mingi's fingers away from his mouth and replaces them with his pacifier. Mingi sucks on it eagerly, still letting out soft whimpers. He was clearly trying to hold back his tears.

“My poor baby, you're tired and hungry aren't you baby boy?” Wooyoung asks him as he pats his back. Considering the late night he had with an upset stomach and his crying session just now, it's no wonder why Mingi's head hurts. It is obvious how bad he feels since Mingi is not shying away from their nurturing while he is still big right now. Though he could be starting to slip.

“I have his bottle ready.” Jongho announces as he walks back to them. Yeosang holds out his hand to Jongho and he helps him stand up. Then Yeosang held both of his hands out to Mingi.

“Here sweetpea, wanna come and have a nap with mama?”

Mingi rubs an eye and nods. He reaches out to Yeosang who takes him into his arms and Mingi wraps himself around him.

“You can use my room.” Hongjoong offers so they won't be disrupted. Seonghwa is still asleep and he has everything he needs right here.

“Thanks, hyung.”

Yeosang adjusts his hold on Mingi and walks towards his hyungs’ room. Jongho followed from behind with Mingi's bottle on hand. He pulls the covers back from Hongjoong's bed so Yeosang can lay Mingi down on Hongjoong's bed. Mingi looks up at Yeosang, his eyes blurry with fresh tears. He lets out a frustrated whimper behind his pacifier and gives a little kick. Yeosang lifts Mingi's head to place a pillow underneath so he can rest his head. He settles down next to him and takes the bottle from Jongho.

“Here you go, Minnie.” Yeosang gently pulls the pacifier out of his mouth and is surprisingly met with no hesitation when he slips the bottle into Mingi's mouth.

Relief blooms in Mingi's chest as sweet warm milk trickles down his throat to his stomach. Yeosang grins when Mingi eagerly starts gulping down his milk. He even reached up to hold his bottle and Yeosang lets go. He begins patting Mingi's bottom to lull him to sleep, and Mingi scoots closer to him.

“Come join us Jongie.” Yeosang pats the bed next to Mingi. Jongho climbs onto the bed and lays down next to them.

They lay there in comfortable silence with only the sounds of Mingi's sniffles as he continues to drink. Yeosang chuckles once he sees Mingi's eyes beginning to droop along with his hand holding his bottle. He takes over for him and holds the bottle up so Mingi can sleep. An annoying strand of hair fell over his eyes and he shook his head to try to get it out of his way. Jongho reaches over and gently tucks it behind his ear for him.

“Thank you.” Yeosang smiles gratefully at him with a light blush on his cheeks and looks back down at Mingi. He has finally fallen asleep and Yeosang pulls the now empty bottle out of his mouth. He replaces the pacifier back in his mouth and places a small peck on his forehead. Mingi snuggles closer to him and Yeosang tucks the blanket around him. “Isn't he cute?”

Jongho couldn't stop gazing at his hyung's beautiful face as he looked down at Mingi with soft eyes filled with so much love. He didn't think Yeosang could get any more beautiful, but he was proven wrong again.

“The cutest.”

-

Wooyoung is busy putting back the crayons into its box when he notices Hongjoong staring at him. He was resting his chin on his hand with a smile on his lips.

“What?”

“You're very happy.” When Wooyoung tilts his head in slight confusion Hongjoong points at his face. “You can't seem to stop smiling.”

Wooyoung touches his mouth. He hadn't realized he had been smiling this whole time.

“I'm just happy to be home.”

“I know.” Hongjoong says. “You've been missing Mingi.”

Wooyoung pauses, wondering how he knew and asks, “did…Yeosang say something to you?”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “I've noticed how you started to get quieter each morning when we leave, not really being your normal cheery self. You would joke about wanting to stick to Mingi but I could see how reluctant you actually were to leave. Yeosang didn't tell me anything, but I put two and two together once he started suggesting to me that you can stay home to help out with Mingi if Seonghwa or Yunho needed it.”

Wooyoung sucks in a breath. Has he been obvious this whole time? He had thought joking about it would make it less subtle.

“Sorry, hyung. I just…I just really missed Mingi.” Wooyoung lets out a quiet laugh, thinking maybe he is being ridiculous about it, but he felt a void in his heart. He wants to be there more for Mingi, be there to care for him. “I don't know why I've been feeling kinda empty without him.”

Hongjoong reaches across the table to place a hand over his and gives it a comforting squeeze. Wooyoung's heart thumps a little at the warmth of his hyung's touch.

“Littles are not the only ones that can experience things like loneliness or separation anxiety from being deprived of what they need. Us caregivers also have our own needs sometimes, though it may not be as often or as strong as littles. We want to feel needed, or we want to care for others.” Wooyoung listens attentively as Hongjoong continues to explain. “I think that now that we know Mingi is a little, our attachment with him has increased and it's still relatively new. It may be why you feel kind of empty. You want to be close to him.”

Wooyoung nods in thought. The empty feeling makes much more sense now. “Hyung, have you ever felt that way too?”

Hongjoong hums as he thinks about it. “A little when I first got classified. But that slowly faded away when I became a trainee once I met each one of you, especially Mingi. Who knows why, but I've taken a liking to looking after all of you.”

“Hyung!” Wooyoung pouts at Hongjoong's teasing, but his smile bounces right back on his face. He gets up and zooms around the table to glomp onto Hongjoong in a strong hug. “You do like us!”

Hongjoong chuckles and softly pinches Wooyoung's cheek. “Of course I do. Now remember that you can always talk to hyung if something is troubling you. I will make sure to have management rotate us more often.”

“Thanks hyung. I was afraid that I would be letting you all down if asked to stay home with Mingi more often.” Wooyoung confesses quietly. Hongjoong pulls him in closer to his side and Wooyoung leans into his embrace.

“No, I'm sorry for not doing anything sooner for you.” Hongjoong apologizes.”I should have talked to you about it sooner.”

“Hyung, you don't need to apologize. You're always looking after all of us.” Wooyoung hugs him. “I'll make sure to come to you if I need something. But you can count on me too if you need anything Joongie hyung.”

Wooyoung clings to him like a koala, making Hongjoong chuckle. He hasn't tried to pull away quickly as he usually would so Wooyoung decides to soak it all in. San walks back into the living room and stops at the sight of them.

“I leave for one second, and you all start cuddling without me?” He says with a pout.

Wooyoung waves him over to them. “Quick, hyung is open to hugs right now.”

San doesn't hesitate and rushes over. He envelops both of them in his arms tightly. He laughs when Hongjoong starts to squirm underneath them.

“Okay, okay, I need to breathe please,” Hongjoong wheezes. San lets them go and Wooyoung also releases his hold on their captain. They both roll their eyes as they watch as he clutches his chest to gasp for air like a drama queen. San helps fix his hair once Hongjoong sits up.

Wooyoung was sitting there watching them when he had a sudden epiphany. He was thinking about how upset Mingi got when he ruined his drawing earlier. He thought of an alternative that might be fun for Mingi.

“You guys!” Wooyoung gets their attention. “I just thought of something Mingi might like.”

-

“Do you like it?” San asks Mingi.

Mingi was feeling much better after he woke up from his nap. They all decided to go out shopping to prepare for their small trip to see Mingi's mom. Right now they are at a Little store to pick up some diapers, baby wipes and more milk formula for Mingi. Mingi and San were wandering around the store until a onesie caught Mingi's eye. It was a soft pastel pink onesie with little floppy bunny ears on the hood and a small fluffy tail on the back. It had a carrot on the chest.

Mingi really likes how soft it looks, but is hesitating to reach out and grab it. He is afraid that it would be weird for him to like something like this. It is too babyish for him. He shakes his head to San but inside he wants it. His shoulders droop in disappointment.

San sees the longing in his eyes and takes the clothing off the rack. He holds it up to Mingi's body and smiles brightly.

“It would look so cute on you Minmin.” San tells him. Mingi shakes his head again in disbelief and crosses his arms, looking away. San puts a finger under his chin and makes him look at him. “What's the matter, bub?”

“Wouldn't it look too weird on me?” Mingi mumbles. He looks around to see if anyone is staring at them.

“No way, it would look so lovely on you baby!” San places the onesie over his arm. “The others will love it on you. Do you want it?”

Mingi looks at him with hopeful eyes. “It's okay?”

“Of course it's okay, baby. All that matters is that you like it, nothing else." San ruffles his hair. “Papa will get it for you.”

San takes Mingi's hand and they walk off to find everyone else. He swings their hands playfully between them making Mingi giggle. They find Yunho, Jongho, Hongjoong and Seonghwa over by the diaper aisle. Yunho was lifting a big box of diapers from the bottom shelf and putting it on top of the milk cases inside the cart.

“Where have you two been?” Seonghwa asks as they approach them. He sees how ecstatic Mingi is and wonders what has him so happy right now.

“We were just looking around.” San answers.

Jongho notices the fabric on San's arm and points to it. “What is that?”

Mingi slightly moves behind San, getting shy again about the onesie he wants. San understands and holds up the pink clothing for them to see. “We found this! Don't you guys think this would be so cute on Minnie?”

Seonghwa snatches the onesie and gushes over it. “This is adorable! Oh I can't wait to see this on you Minmin!”

“My Minnie baby will be the cutest.” Hongjoong agrees and Jongho chimes in with his agreement as well.

Excitement bubbles up inside Mingi now that he knows they all like the onesie. He hops around as he holds Jongho's hand while they finish getting the last few items they needed from the store. He was so distracted that he didn't notice that Wooyoung had placed something in their cart once he and Yeosang met up with them again.

-

“Minnie, come, I have something for you.” Wooyoung waves him over. They had just arrived home from the store and he cannot wait to show Mingi what he got him.

Mingi, curious to see what was inside the shopping bag, almost fell down trying to quickly take off his shoes near the door. Jongho catches him and helps him take them off. Yunho reminds Mingi not to rush. Mingi ignores him and skips to Wooyoung. He drops down next to him on the floor.

“For me, Youngie?”

“Yes, just for you baby bun.” Wooyoung answers. He reaches inside the bag and brings out a big colorful box. Mingi's mouth drops in shock and points to the box.

“Are those finger paints?”

“Yup.” Wooyoung begins opening up the box. “I thought this could be something we could do together if you wanted to do some art, but are having trouble with your hands. We could get really messy with this and have fun.”

“Oh wow! Look at all these colors!” Mingi looks at all the paint cups and picks one up. He looks at Wooyoung with a giant smile on his face. “Thank you, baba! Can we paint now?”

“Sure!”

“Hold up.” Seonghwa comes over to them. “Let's go for a change Minnie while Woo and the others set everything up.”

Mingi blushes and whines but lets Seonghwa help him up onto his feet. They walk down the hallway and everyone hears Mingi asking Seonghwa if he saw all the pretty colors. They all grin at each other over his excitement.

“He really liked it. It was a great idea, Woo.” San says to him.

“It really was.” Hongjoong agrees, and walks over to the colorful rug that was rolled up in one of the corners of the living room. “We should put this down first. Seonghwa will have a heart attack if paint gets on the carpet even if they are washable."

Yunho helps him roll out the rug, and San brings over their table to set it up. Jongho brings a stack of paper while Wooyoung and Yeosang start taking out the cups of paint from the box.

Mingi hurries to Wooyoung after Seonghwa changes him. “Ready Youngie!”

Seonghwa adds in, “you guys can paint till dinner is ready.”

“To think it's already dinner.” Yunho groans as he stretches. He was still feeling a little achy from sleeping most of the day. “I can't believe we slept for so long. I'm not used to it.”

“You two needed it.” Yeosang tells them. “You guys were completely out. Didn't even move when I helped Mingi out of bed.”

Yeosang sits down next to Mingi to help him roll up his sleeves while Wooyoung does his own. Mingi dips his fingers in the pink cup and starts recreating the drawing he wanted to do earlier. It was messy, but Mingi found that he liked it that way. He wasn't worrying about messing up and was having fun.

Mingi moves on to making more flowers of different colors. He asks them every now and then for their opinion on what colors to use. Both of his hands get all covered in paint and he accidentally gets some splatters on his clothes.

Wooyoung laughs and says, “looks like most of the paint is ending up on you rather than the paper.”

Once he finishes, Mingi holds up his paper to show everyone. They all ooed and awwed. Mingi blushed as soon as they started complimenting it. He couldn't help but feel proud that they all liked it.

“This deserves to go up on the fridge.” Yunho opens a kitchen drawer and takes out two magnets. Mingi shyly hands over his painting to him and Yunho puts it right in the center. “There. So beautiful.”

“Okay, let's start cleaning up for dinner.” Seonghwa says as he wipes his hands with a kitchen towel. “Dinner is almost ready and it looks like alot of you need to wash up.”

“Awww already?” Mingi whines. “There is one more thing I wanted to try.”

“What did you want to try, baby bun?” Wooyoung asks as he finishes the cat he had been painting.

“I want to try doing one of those hand turkeys I've seen people do.” He holds up his hand to show him.

“Oh I know those. We should each do one together.” Yeosang suggests.

“Yeah!” Mingi claps his sticky hands, delighted at Yeosang's idea. “One from everyone.”

“I'm in.” Jongho says and he retrieves a sheet of paper from Mingi's biggest art pad. It's big enough for everyone's hand print to fit on it.

Everyone begins coating their thumbs and their palms with brown paint. Then they painted their other fingers with any combination of red, yellow, and orange. One by one they took turns pressing their hands onto the sheet, leaving behind a turkey. Yeosang did the honors of painting their beaks, the wattles and adding the eyes with a paintbrush. Jongho wrote their names under each one.

They all stand back to look at the finished art piece. Mingi squeals and giggles at how much he loves it. Each caregiver's heart soars as they watch him laugh and point out each detail that he loves. In their minds, they can only think of how much they want to see him happy always.

While everyone starts to clean up, Yeosang walks with the picture and goes to hang it up on the fridge too, right underneath Mingi's other painting. He pauses to look at each handprint again and smiles.

For a long time he had felt lost, not sure where his place in life should be. Then he met Wooyoung who had turned his life in the right direction. They both decided to take a chance to go for their shared dreams. Their hard work finally paid off and they ended up debuting together in Ateez. He doesn't know what he would ever do without Wooyoung by his side. Now here they are, with mutual feelings, Mingi being their baby, and the other members as their family. Yeosang can only hope that Wooyoung is right and that they would come to reciprocate their love for them.

He traces over the handprints with his fingertips.

Yes, this is where his place in life is. With them.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

“Look, we're here!” Mingi shouts excitedly while trying not to crush the flower bouquet he is hugging to his chest.

Mingi kicks his legs out eager to get out of the car once they are pulling up to his parents home. He tries undoing his seat belt, but he can't.

“Calm down Minmin, you're practically vibrating in your seat.” Jongho teases, and helps him undo his seat belt. He grunts when Mingi crawls over him to get out of the car.

Without waiting before the other members can get out of the car, Mingi dashes straight to the entrance of the building. He enters the lobby, quickly pressing the button on the elevator to go up. Just as the elevator dings, signaling its arrival, the door of the front entrance opens abruptly.

“Mingi!” Hongjoong comes in huffing and puffing from trying to catch up to him. “What do you think you're doing?!”

“Going to see my eomma.” Mingi replies. He's bouncing on his toes ready to go.

“Mingi, you can't go running off by yourself, you know that.” Hongjoong reprimands him.

“It's not like I'll get lost. I know where eomma is located, hyung.” He doesn't see what the problem is.

“I know you do Mingi, but you need to have one of us with you. You know you are not allowed to wander off by yourself.” Hongjoong reminds him. “After we greet your parents right now, you'll stand in the corner for a few minutes.”

“What?! That's not fair, hyung.” Mingi whines, “I didn't even do anything.”

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow at him and Mingi pouts. Hongjoong takes his hand in his, leading him back out the door.

“Let's go back and help the others with the bags first.”

Mingi's sheepish smile pops out when he realizes that he completely forgot about their bags. “Sorry hyungie. I forgot about them.”

“I know you're really excited. Don't worry baby, it will only be a couple minutes till we see your eomma.” Hongjoong squeezes his hand and leads him out the door.

-

“Eomma!” Mingi squeals while jumping up and down as soon as the door opens revealing his mom. He doesn't give her a chance to say hello before engulfing her in a huge hug. The poor flowers get smashed in between them.

“Hi baby! I'm so happy to see you and everyone.” His mom greets them with a warm smile while still hugging her tall son. They continue holding on to each other for a couple minutes until Mrs. Song pulls back to get a good look at her son's face. His cheeks are starting to fill out a little and the deep dark circles he had before is still there but is receding. “How are you feeling sweetie?”

“Good eomma, I missed you! I got you some flowers!” Mingi answers eagerly. He smiles so wide as he holds out his gift to her, but the smile falls when he notices that most of the poor flowers got squished. “Oh. Sorry eomma, they got smooshed. I wanted them to be pretty for you.”

“They are perfect, I love them, baby.” She takes the flowers from Mingi, and then she gestures for the other boys to come in. “Come in, come in, you boys can take your things to Mingi's room and his hyung's old room though two of you might have to sleep in the living room if it's too cramped for you.”

“Mrs. Song, we can stay at a hotel. It's no problem with us.” Hongjoong offers again, feeling awkward for invading their space so much. Yunho had told him that Mrs. Song had insisted they all stay with them during their visit, but Hongjoong keeps feeling like they are intruding. “We don't want to intrude on you and Mr. Song too much especially since it's eight of us to deal with.”

Mrs. Song waves it off. “It's no problem at all. Make yourselves at home boys. Mingi please show them the way.“

Mingi leads the way and proudly shows off his room and his brother's. The young men look around and think that maybe two will have to sleep in the living room. No one minds though because Mingi is so happy to be here. After setting their things down, they walk back down to the kitchen.

“Eomma where's appa?” Mingi asks when he doesn't find him.

“He's working, he should be home by dinnertime. However, he is going to catch a flight afterwards. Apparently one of your uncles got sick so your dad is going to pay a visit for a couple of days.”

“Oh.” Mingi is upset that he won't see his dad that much.

Mrs. Song pulls cups from the cupboard and grabs a pitcher of water from the fridge. San hurries over to help carry them to the table. Yeosang begins serving them all water.

“So how has Mingi been? A good boy I hope.” Mrs. Song asks teasingly as the members sit down at around the kitchen.

“Of course eomma, I'm an angel!” Mingi exclaims brightly.

“Yeah, an angel that still has to stand in the corner for 15 minutes.” Hongjoong reminds him. Mingi tries to protest when the man starts guiding him to a corner. He thought for sure his hyung would have forgotten about punishing him. His cheeks warm, not wanting his mom to see him be in trouble.

“He had wandered off on his own earlier before we arrived.” Yunho explains to Mingi's mom

“Mingi, you shouldn't be going off on your own, always stay with one of the boys.” His mom chides him lightly. “We don't want something to happen to you.”

Mingi groans, and thumps his head in the corner Hongjoong just placed him in. “I know.”

“Remember no turning around, and no talking until we tell you when your time out is over.” Hongjoong reminds him as if he doesn't know already by now.

Mingi thumps his head again. “I knnooow.” He repeats.

“Mingi.” Seonghwa warns, and Mingi remains quiet, knowing not to push his buttons.

He listens to his mom as she tells the members how she plans to make a nice stew for them to eat tonight. They all offered to pitch in to help and will go buy the groceries for her. Mingi wanted to jump in and say he will help too, but didn't want to get more minutes added to his time out. His shoulders slump and he sulks in his little corner.

There is a knock on the door, and it's his brother who came to visit, knowing that Mingi was coming by today. His brother greets everyone and pauses when he sees Mingi staring into a corner. He looks at everyone with a confused look, gesturing to Mingi with his hand, and they tell him that he is in timeout making Mingi's ears tinge pink.

“Still getting into trouble huh?” His brother teases, and Mingi wishes he could stick his tongue out at him at least.

It feels like an eternity before Hongjoong finally gives the okay for him to get out of the corner. Mingi happily skips his way over to the table sitting next to his mom and latching onto her again. He looks warily at his brother.

“Hi hyung.”

“Hi Mingi, how are you holding up?” His brother leans back in his chair with a scrutinizing look.

“Good.”

“Good.” His brother repeats calmly, but then suddenly whirls towards Mingi. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Mingi is taken aback at the sudden change in demeanor, “um…”

“Well?” His brother demands.

“I-I just wanted to try being an idol.” Mingi stammered meekly. He fidgets in his seat when his brother stares at him hard. The other members are now sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if they need to intervene, but then Mingi's brother simply nods.

“Fine I get it. I know you had always wanted to be an idol, but if you ever pull a stunt like that again,” he points a finger at Mingi, “I will personally come and whoop your bottom. Understood?”

Mingi gulps, and nods anxiously.

His brother opens his arms gesturing to him. “Come here.”

Mingi walks with hesitation, and once he is within reach his brother pulls him in for a hug. “I'm glad you're okay.”

“Sorry, hyung.” Mingi mumbles quietly into his sweater. Everyone stares at them fondly. When the two pull apart, the older playfully spanks his butt making Mingi let out a squeak. “Hey!”

“Just one for good measure.” His brother responds with a smirk.

“Eomma! Hyungie's being mean!” Mingi tattletales on the man as he walks back to her. They all laugh, making Mingi pout at them.

His mom tugs him down next to her. “Be nice to my baby.”

“It's funny how you had always called him your baby, and it turned out to be true huh eomma?” The man laughs and Mingi sticks his tongue out at him.

“Not a baby.” Mingi mumbles while rubbing an eye while trying to hold back a yawn. He relaxes more against his mom, beginning to feel very cozy with her arms wrapped around him. From all the excitement of seeing his mom, Mingi had a tough time sleeping last night. Then he didn't want to sleep on the way here thinking he would miss out on picking out the perfect bouquet for her. Now, the exhaustion is finally catching up to him and his mom's warmth is not helping. He loves her hugs.

Seonghwa notices Mingi's eyes drooping and checks his phone and sees that it is almost time for Mingi's nap. He stands up and walks to Mingi's room to rummage through the diaper bag to retrieve Mingi's sippy cup. He returns to the kitchen to start preparing Mingi's milk.

“Hey flower, it's almost time for your nap. Do you want to drink your milk here before we go to your room?”

“I don't need it. We should go buy the food for the stew.” Mingi suggests. He sits up straight and tries to rub the sudden wave of tiredness away from his eyes which didn't convince anyone. They just got here, and he doesn't want to miss a single minute with his mom. Mingi's mom pats his hand.

“You should nap first, sweetie. The stew can wait till after you've had some rest.” She smooths his hair. From raising him over the years, she recognizes the signs when her son is tired.

“I'm not tired, I don't always need to nap.” He whines a little. “I wanna go out to help buy the food.”

“Mingi, you need your naptime. You need plenty of rest, sweetheart.” His mom tries to placate him. “We'll wait after your nap.”

“No, I'm not little right now, I don't need one!” Mingi stomps his foot and crosses his arms with a huff. “I wanna start now!”

“Mingi, it's naptime. Come on now, you'll have your milk in your room for some quiet time.” Seonghwa decides for him and gestures for him to come with him. “We talked about this.”

“No!” Mingi slams a hand on the table and kicks one of the legs making the cups on it rattle. One of them tipped over and spilled water on the table soaking the table cloth.

“Mingi!” Hongjoong snaps, standing up now. He hauls Mingi up on his feet and lands one spank on his bottom. “This is not how we behave.”

With everyone staring at him, Mingi couldn't help bursting out in tears and covered his face with his arms. Someone walks up to him and hefts him up into their arms and he latches onto them for comfort. The hint of vanilla bean lets him know that it's Wooyoung. Wooyoung carries him to his room and Seonghwa follows along behind them with the sippy cup in hand. They sit on the bed.

“Baba!” Mingi cries when Wooyoung pulls back. Wooyoung does little shushes and rubs his back trying to calm him down enough. Both men wait there patiently for their baby to stop crying.

“S-sorry hyungie, sorry Youngie.” Mingi hiccups. “W-was bad.”

“I'm glad you realize that that was not nice.” Seonghwa says as he wipes his tears with his sleeve. “What did we talk about before we came here?”

“T-that just because we're not home, doesn't mean I can skip out on taking naps and when it's time for bed, then it's time for bed.” Mingi reiterates softly.

“Mm-hmm, so why were you putting up a fuss right now?”

“I-I didn't want to lose any time with my eomma.” Mingi confesses. Both Wooyoung and Seonghwa give him kisses on his wet cheeks.

“Flower, you don't have to worry about wasting your time with your eomma. We promise that we will bring you here to visit her at every chance we get okay? Just enjoy the time that we are here right now. I know your eomma is really happy that you are here.” Seonghwa smiles at him brightly, making Mingi feel better than he was earlier. “And she is up to date with your diet and sleeping needs. She knows that you need plenty of rest and have nap times.”

“Yeah! We've been updating her on everything, because she cares about you so much, bun.”

Mingi nods, but then he begins to wonder what it is that they have been telling her. What if they told her that he's too high maintenance? Too needy? What if she gets worried? He really needs to try to do more things by himself.

“I'm not going to spank you this time, just a final warning and another timeout.” Seonghwa informs him.

“Hyungie!” Mingi whines tearfully. “I didn't mean it!”

“I know but you shouldn't be yelling at your eomma or kicking things either, especially since you already knew that you would be having naps still. Now go stand in the corner for 10 minutes, and once you're done, you'll have your milk and then nap.”

“O-okay, hyungie.” Mingi hiccups and goes into the corner to spend the next few minutes weeping into it.

-

Seonghwa walks awkwardly beside Hongjoong as they head inside a cafe. Hongjoong had volunteered them to go on a coffee run for everyone after he came out of Mingi's room. Wooyoung decided to nap alongside Mingi because he wanted someone to snuggle with.

Along the way to the cafe, Seonghwa would tense up whenever their hands would brush against each other as they made small talk. After ordering the drinks, both men sat down at a small table in a lonely corner to wait.

Hongjoong smiles at him nervously and clears his throat to say, “So I was wondering…”

Oh no. Seonghwa feels dread fill the pit of his stomach. He has an inkling feeling from the way Hongjoong is looking at him. Hope was blooming in those eyes despite his nervousness.

“Now that we have a little bit of free time, I wanted to ask if you would like to have a date with me?”

Seonghwa's stomach churns. He tries to smile but it is hard with the lump that formed in his throat. Hongjoong must see something in his face because the next minute, he frowns. Then a small sad smile replaces it.

“Look, it is okay if you don't feel the same way as I do, Seonghwa. I don't want you to force yourself to reciprocate my feelings, if you really don't and are just afraid to hurt my feelings. I would completely understand.”

Seonghwa looks down at Hongjoong's hands lying on the table. Those pale fingers that are always typing away on his laptop, with the one fingernail that contrasts all the other nails. The hands that always radiate support when they held his own hands all these years. He can only hope those hands will remain there. Seonghwa swallows past the lump and lets out a shuddering breath.

“I do like you Hongjoong.” Seonghwa starts slowly.

Hongjoong stares back at him with confusion. “But then…why have you been so fidgety around me lately? Am I putting too much pressure on you? We can start this slow at your pace, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“It's not that, Joong.” Seonghwa tries to blink back the tears that are wanting to gather in his eyes.

“What is it Seonghwa?” Hongjoong places a hand over his and there it is. The familiar comfort.

“I really like you Hongjoong, but… I-I also like Yunho, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung and Jongho.” Seonghwa finally confesses. There he said it. “I like them too and I-I can't do this with you because it won't be fair to you that I'm also pining for other people. I'm sorry.”

Seonghwa braces himself as he waits for any tongue lashing that Hongjoong might give for the absurdity of it all. Instead, Hongjoong just sits there silently gawking at him with his mouth open. Then Seonghwa jumps in his seat when Hongjoong starts cackling like a loon.

At this point, all the fear that Seonghwa was feeling is melting away and is being replaced by annoyance. He crosses his arms as he waits for Hongjoong to finally calm his ass down. Hongjoong is gasping for breath, and Seonghwa lightly kicks his shin under the table making the man let out a startled yelp. Hongjoong clutches his leg, rubbing the sore spot as he looks up at him in surprise.

“Are you seriously laughing at me?” Seonghwa grits out. “I was being serious, Hongjoong.”

His voice cracks near the end and the laughter immediately leaves Hongjoong's mouth. Hongjoong reaches for Seonghwa's hand, but he pulls his hand away before Hongjoong can touch it again. Shit, he fucked up.

“Hwa,” Hongjoong calls for his attention. “Please listen to me.”

Seonghwa looks at him with hurt in his eyes, and Hongjoong must make it right. He can't screw this up now. “What?”

“I wasn't making fun of you, I swear.”

Seonghwa looks at him skeptically, and Hongjoong clears his throat before he continues.

“I laughed because I was feeling super relieved to hear what you said. I also feel the same, hyung. I like the others too.” Hongjoong looks at him with a warm sheepish smile as he admits his own secret. “I have been racking my mind trying to think of a way to bring it up to you without scaring you off or something. I'm sorry if I made you think I was laughing at you.”

“You're not lying to me right?” Seonghwa needed to be sure.

“I'm not. I meant what I said to you the other night, I would never play with your feelings like that. You all mean so much to me, I could never ever do anything that would hurt any one of you.” Hongjoong replies in a serious tone. His eyes are so earnest that Seonghwa believes him.

“So what do we do?”

“Let's start with this. Seonghwa, would you like to go on a date with me?” Hongjoong holds out his hand.

Seonghwa smiles softly, his heart silently racing. That heavy weight he has been feeling in his chest crumbled.

“I would love to.” He shyly places his hand in the smaller one. He blushes when Hongjoong holds his hand as if he were holding some kind of delicate treasure.

“I'll try to find when and where we could go in the next few days.” Hongjoong says. It's going to be tough considering who they are, but god damn it, he will make it happen.

“Staying home is always nice. We can start with a movie night in our room.” Seonghwa suggests, his heart fluttering at the prospect.

“Sounds like a great idea to me. Let's focus on us two first and then we'll see how to approach the others.” Hongjoong explains. “But if opportunities arise, don't be afraid to take them, hyung.”

Seonghwa nods and then gets an uneasy smile. “Can we at least promise each other that if it doesn't work out, that we won't let it affect Mingi? I'm telling you right now that my baby is my priority.”

Hongjoong chuckles, “Mine too, I promise. But don't worry, I'm positive that everything will work out just fine. We'll take it one step at a time.”

“Okay.” Seonghwa smiles softly. Hongjoong's confidence never ceases to amaze him.

They finally get their order and start walking back to the apartment. Silently, both men wish they can walk closer to the other, but unfortunately the coffee drink carriers are in the way. No matter, they will have plenty of time later.

-

Wooyoung wakes up from the alarm on his phone and then starts trying to wake up Mingi.

“Wakey wakey baby. It's time to get up, baby bun.”

Mingi's eyes flutter and then close them again. He whimpers at being woken up. Wooyoung caresses his cheek with his hand and then he laughs when Mingi tries to latch on one of his fingers while half asleep.

“Are you feeling little, baby?”

The only response he gets is Mingi starting to cry. Wooyoung quickly gets up and tries to find Mingi's pacifier in the diaper bag. He gives it to him and holds Mingi in his lap, rocking to soothe him. Mingi lays his head on his shoulder.

“Baba.” Mingi sniffs and rubs his face in Wooyoung's jacket. Good thing Wooyoung clipped the pacifier to his sweater because it would have fallen to the floor.

“Take your time baby.” Wooyoung tells him and slips the pacifier back into his mouth. He waits patiently for Mingi to wake up so they won't have a fussy baby.

The door to the room opens slowly and Yeosang pokes his head in on them and finds them both up. “All good?”

“Yup.” Wooyoung nods, “He's just having a hard time waking up from his nap. He is little right now.”

“Mama,” Mingi whimpers through his pacifier.

“Does Minnie wanna come with mama?” Yeosang holds out his hands. Mingi reaches out and Yeosang takes him into his arms.

Yeosang sits down onto the bed with him and Wooyoung pulls him to rest against him between his legs as he sits against the headboard. Wooyoung wraps his arms around both of them, happy to have them close. He rests his head over Yeosang's shoulder. They spend the next few minutes all snuggled up together. Both Wooyoung and Yeosang smile as they watch their baby slowly come out of his sleepy state. He blinks up at them, and reaches a hand out and yanks on Yeosang's hoodie string.

“Someone's finally awake.” Wooyoung giggles and Yeosang tries to keep Mingi from rolling over now that he is wiggling around more energetically.

“Let's go say hi to everyone, angel.” Yeosang stands up and places Mingi on his hip. Wooyoung follows them out of the bedroom.

The three whisk away to the kitchen and as soon as they step in, Mingi wiggles to get down. Once he is set down, he walks up to Seonghwa and his mom, who were sitting next to each other. For a moment he just stands there blinking at them both, looking unsure of himself.

“What's wrong, flower?” Seonghwa asks. It takes a few seconds for Mingi to work out what he is thinking about. Instead of answering him, Mingi points to him.

“Eomma.” Then he looks at his mom for a moment and then points to her and says, “Ma.”

Ah, it clicks to them all that Mingi might have been confused with both Seonghwa and his mom being his eommas. Mingi's mom finds it very endearing.

“Oh my sweet baby, I'm your ma?” She gushes brightly. Mingi looks around the room.

“Pa?”

“Pa is not here yet sweetie. He'll be home soon.” She already knows who Mingi is referring to.

Mingi walks to Seonghwa and Seonghwa sits him on his lap. “Apple, eomma.”

Seonghwa combs his hair with his fingers to smooth it down. “Are you hungry, flower?”

“I bought a pack of applesauce for him when Yunho told me that he loves it. Here let me go fetch one and a spoon for him.” Mingi's mom gets up.

“We can go to the store after he eats.” Seonghwa says to everyone.

San goes and grabs a bib from the diaper bag, then places it around Mingi's neck. Mingi tries his best to scoop applesauce into his mouth on his own and it's a messy affair. It gets worse when he accidently knocks the cup over from the table, getting most of the applesauce dumped on himself and some on Seonghwa's pants.

Hongjoong and Yunho rush to clean what they can off their clothes. Mingi's mom goes to get another applesauce cup. This time she spoon feeds Mingi instead. Mingi claps his sticky hands happily after each spoonful, lightly swinging his legs.

“Is he always this messy when he eats?” Mingi's brother grimaces as he looks at how much applesauce got onto his face and clothes instead of his mouth. It's cute, but he doesn't think he could handle daily messes like that.

“Kind of, we are trying to let him eat by himself to see if he can except for soups, but we usually take over and feed him. But if he's feeling extra small then we feed him or sometimes he only wants a bottle.” Yeosang answers him.

Mingi's mom coos, “Mingi was messy like this when he was a baby!” She is clearly having the time of her life right now. All the members are beaming smiles, glad to have been able to bring Mingi to see her.

She brings up another spoonful, but this time Mingi moves his face away, not wanting any more. Jongho comes by with baby wipes, wiping Mingi's face and hands clean, much to Mingi's annoyance.

“Dada no!” Mingi screeches. “No likey!”

“Sorry baby, but Dada needs to keep his cub clean.” Jongho tells him as he finishes wiping him off.

“Alright I'm just going to change him and myself out of these clothes before we head out.” Seonghwa takes him to the room with San following them to help out with Mingi.

-

“Here baby bun, do you wanna take this over to your papa?” Wooyoung hands Mingi a bag filled with some green onions.

“Papa?”

“Yes baby, give it to papa.” Wooyoung points to where San is standing with the shopping cart. He giggles as Mingi waddles cutely with excitement over to San, the bag swinging all around. Whether he's big or small, Mingi loves to help in any way he can. Their baby has such a big heart.

“Papa!” Mingi holds out the bag to him proudly. San takes it from him and places it in the cart. San leans in and kisses his nose.

“Good job, Minnie. Papa's proud of you.” San claps making Mingi smile.

Mingi turns to shout to Wooyoung. “Baba! Did!”

“My baby is such a good boy!” Wooyoung gushes loudly, making some customers turn their heads towards him. He smiles sheepishly and apologizes for the loud noise, making San shake his head, finding him endearing.

“See? This is why we need to use our inside voices.” San tells Mingi, bringing his finger up to his lips and making a small shushing sound.

“Shh,” Mingi cutely mimics him.

“Minnie!” Seonghwa calls to get his attention as he and Yeosang walk up to them. He places a pack of meat into the cart.

“Eomma, shh!”

Seonghwa's eyes widened after having been shushed at. San cackles at the dumbfoundedness on his face and Yeosang snorts. Mingi laughs and claps thinking he did something good.

“I was telling him how we need to use our inside voices because baba was being too loud inside the store. Right baby?” San asks Mingi who nods eagerly.

“Loud.”

“I see.” Seonghwa now amused and then tells San that he will take Mingi to look at something and they'll be back. Yeosang trails along with them.

Mingi happily holds his and Yeosang's hands. Seonghwa guides them to the bakery section.

“What are we getting from here hyung?” Yeosang asks curiously as he looks at all the baked goods.

Hongjoong's birthday is coming up close and Seonghwa thinks it would be nice to celebrate all together. He figured the man would want to go to visit his family on his actual birthday, plus he will be doing a birthday livestream for atinys so today would be great to do it. He is going to let Mingi pick out the cake.

“I was thinking we could get a cake to celebrate Joong's birthday.” Seonghwa turns to Mingi, who is looking at some of the cupcakes, eyeing the ones with cute animal plastic rings on the frosting. “Hey Minnie, would you like to pick a cake for appa?”

“Cake? It's not his birthday yet, hyung.” Yeosang replies.

“I know, but I was thinking it would be nice to celebrate it together in case he wants to go see his family for it since we have a bit of free time. And I know you all are going to want to see your families while we have time too.”

“That's a good point actually. Man, if I knew we were going to celebrate hyung's birthday, I would have brought my present for him.” Yeosang pouts.

“Don't feel bad, I just thought about it this morning.” Seonghwa explains.

“You care so much about him, don't you hyung?” Yeosang teases lightly.

“I do,” Seonghwa pauses briefly, thinking back to Hongjoong telling him about taking opportunities as they come across. ”But I also care about you.”

Yeosang's eyes light up and he beams a smile, clearly pleased. Seonghwa looks away to hide the flush adorning his cheeks. Gosh, he is not good at this.

“Wan’, eomma!” Mingi is crouching with both hands pressed against the glass counter. He is fixated on the tray of colorful cupcakes, specifically at the plastic ring of a cute turtle sitting on top of one of the pastries.

“You want a cupcake?” Seonghwa asks. “But we are supposed to pick a big cake for appa.”

“Turtle,” Mingi whines.

“I guess he just wants the ring.” Yeosang turns to the woman behind the counter. “Excuse me, do you have any extra turtle rings that we can get? Our little one would like one.”

“Sure, we just made our last batch of these and we have a few of them leftover.” She goes and grabs one that is meant for littles. She looks at Mingi and holds it out to him with a kind smile. “Here you go sweetheart, just for you.”

Mingi looks unsure and looks at Yeosang and Seonghwa. They both smile and nod, letting him know that it is okay to take it. Mingi timidly reaches out and takes the ring from the nice lady. He turns around and shows it to both men with a big toothy grin on his face. “Turtle!”

“Very cute!” Yeosang tells him enthusiastically. “Say thank you, Minmin.”

“T'ank you.” Mingi shyly says and toddles back to his caregivers. He holds his hands to Yeosang, wanting to be held. Yeosang happily obliges and picks him up, settling him on his hip.

Seonghwa looks over the selection of cakes and narrows it down to three options to make it easier for Mingi to choose one. He waves to Yeosang to come closer with Mingi. “Hey baby, which of these cakes should we buy for appa?”

“Appa?”

“Yes for appa.” Yeosang tells him.

Mingi surveys the three cakes that Seonghwa keeps pointing to. There is one with red roses with red borders that catches Mingi's eyes. He reaches out towards the cake.

“Likey, mama.”

“Me too. Good choice, angel.” Yeosang kisses Mingi's cheek. “You got your answer hyung.”

“That's my favorite too!” Seonghwa agrees. “Appa will love it.”

“Wan’ appa.”

“We'll see him soon, baby.” Seonghwa tells him. Hongjoong, Yunho, and Jongho had gone to buy some drinks for dinner. At first Hongjoong wanted to tag along with him, but Seonghwa ordered him to go buy drinks so he wouldn't see the surprise he planned for him. The man was reluctant but listened to him with a pout. “Sangie, I'm just going to have her package the cake if you want to go back to San and Wooyoung to see if they are finished.”

“Okay, we'll meet you there.” Yeosang looks at Mingi, “let's go find your papa and baba.”

They find Wooyoung and San still by the produce. Wooyoung is picking out some more vegetables, and San is leaning against the shopping cart, his eyes never straying away from the man in front him. Yeosang giggles to himself. After Wooyoung had pointed out that they have all been looking at each other, that is all he can see now.

San turns and smiles widely as soon as he sees them walking towards them.

“Papa!” Mingi reaches out for him.

“There's my baby!” San takes him from Yeosang and kisses his cheek. “Papa missed you, bub.”

“Turtle papa!” Mingi wastes no time in showing off his new ring. He practically shoves his hand into his face. San looks at the smiling turtle with little blushies on its cheeks.

“Awww, that's a pretty ring! Did mama get that for you?”

Mingi flaps his hands excitedly, “appa cakey!”

San looks at Yeosang, “cakey?”

“Hwa hyung is surprising Joong hyung with a cake later.” Yeosang explains with a knowing smile. “He thought it would be nice for us all to celebrate with him in case he wanted to go visit his family for his birthday and we do too. Minnie picked out the cake for Joong hyung.”

“Oh you picked it out?” San asks Mingi who is resting against his shoulder. “What did you choose, Minmin?”

“Cakey, papa.”

“A very pretty cakey.” Yeosang confirms. “Is Wooyoung almost done?”

“Yeah, he only needed to get one more thing.”

“And I got it~” Wooyoung sing-songs as he walks up to them.

They walk to the registers. Mingi eyes all the colorful candy and little snacks surrounding them. He spots a blue raspberry flavored lollipop that is shaped into a heart. He tries to grab it, but whines because he can't reach it.

“What is it, bub?” San asks after hearing his whines.

“Wan’, papa!”

San looks at what he is trying to grab, and sees the lollipop. “You want a lollipop, baby?”

He grabs the candy and tells the man at the register that he will be paying for the candy. He unwraps the candy and hands it to Mingi, who happily takes it. He holds the lollipop in his whole fist and sticks it in his mouth. Yeosang looks up and sees this.

“San, he is gonna be having cake later!” Yeosang scolds lightly. “He shouldn't have too much sugar.”

“It's fine, only for today.” San excuses.

Yeosang snorts, knowing that's a lie. “Try telling Hwa hyung that.”

“Tell me what?” Seonghwa comes back with a big white box in his hands, holding the cake. He stops when he sees Mingi contently sucking on a lollipop. His lips and his hand are already turning blue.

“I told him about the cake, hyung, and he still gave him the candy.” Yeosang tells him.

“San, he shouldn't have too much sugar.” Seonghwa sighs. Well, it's not like they could take the candy away from Mingi now. “This better not ruin his appetite later.”

“Wait, we're having cake?” Wooyoung eyes the box in his hyungs hands.

“Yup, hyung is going all out for Joong hyung's birthday.” Yeosang answers.

“Wow, hyung. Real slick.” Wooyoung winks at him, making the beautiful man splutter.

“Yah! Pay attention, we are next to check out!” Seonghwa tries to divert the attention away from him. His poor ears are going to burn to a crisp at this rate.

Both Wooyoung and Yeosang snicker between themselves.

-

“What the? What happened to Mingi?!”

Jongho walks in through the door and stops when he sees Mingi sitting on the floor in the kitchen. He was surrounded by several pots, pans and other containers. He was playing with them. Mingi's mom, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were there, carefully cooking around him.

Hongjoong and Yunho come up from behind and look over to see what Jongho is talking about. They both glance at Mingi and notice the blue all over him. His mouth, cheeks, chin, his shirt, and his hands were completely stained with blue. Mingi squeals seeing who has come home, and slaps his sticky hands repeatedly on one of the pots that is upside down on the floor. He smiles widely, and all three men can see that his teeth and tongue are stained blue.

“San bought him a blue lollipop at the store.“ Wooyoung explains. “It left him all blue.”

Mingi wobbles onto his feet and scurries over to the three men. He lifts his arms up towards Hongjoong.

“Hi, my precious Minnie baby.” Hongjoong smiles and lifts him up into his arms. Mingi snuggles into his neck making Hongjoong wince. “Oh- Oh yeah, he's very sticky.”

Everyone laughs at his predicament, and Yunho decides to up it a notch.

“Minnie give appa a kiss hello.” He grins as he watches Mingi listen to him and presses a cute smooch on Hongjoong's cheek. Despite the stickiness, Hongjoong accepts it with all his heart, and everyone coos at the adorableness. Mingi puts some fingers into his mouth and starts sucking them.

“Think you guys can clean him up?” Seonghwa asks. “Maybe give him a bath? I think he might be too sticky to just wipe him down, and we are going to need to change his clothes anyway.”

“Yeah we'll give him a bath. I'm going to have to change my shirt too.” Hongjoong's shirt has some blue stains now to match Mingi, including his face and neck. He turns to Yunho and pokes him in the chest with a finger “You will help me bathe him since you got me into this sticky situation.”

Yunho shrugs in amusement. “I don't mind, especially since I get to spend more time with my darling princess.”

He holds his hands out to Mingi, who squeals happily. He tries to launch himself into Yunho's arms, almost giving Hongjoong a heart attack. The three of them walk off and disappear into the hallway.

Mingi's mom lets out a soft happy sigh. “Mingi is very lucky to have you all.”

“It's us who are really lucky to have him.” Seonghwa states and the other two nod in agreement.

“I really want to thank you all. I was very worried about what was going to happen to him after the truth of his classification was discovered.” Mrs. Song confesses to them as she stirs a pot. “I didn't want him to end up in an adoption facility to be taken care of by strangers. I know he wouldn't have been happy there, and we wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. So really, thank you all so much.”

“You don't have to thank us. We are family, it's what we are meant to do.” Seonghwa reassures her. “We all love Mingi very very much.”

“Yeah, our Minnie is very special to us. We can't be without him.” Wooyoung chimes in.

“You can count on us. We will always be there for him.” Jongho adds, as he sets the drinks down at the table.

Mrs. Song smiles, knowing that her son is in good hands.

-

A freshly bathed Mingi is sitting on the living room floor in front of Jongho, who is drying his hair off with a towel. His eyes are focused on the television watching a cartoon. He was completely hooked that he hadn't heard the door to the apartment opening, and in came his dad.

Mr. Song greets everyone, and that is when Mingi finally notices the man. The pacifier slips out of his mouth after it drops in surprise. He squeals and stands up to make his way over to his dad.

“Pa!” Mingi hugs him.

“Hi sweetheart,” Mr. Song hugs him just as hard, and gives him a little spin. His wife has been texting him throughout the day about Mingi, and he couldn't wait to get home to see him even if it is for a little while before he has to leave. Hearing his son call him pa is doing many things to his old heart. “How's my boy doing?”

“Wan’ pa.”

“I'm right here, sweetheart.” Mingi's dad walks them back to the couch and he sits down with Mingi on his lap. Mingi cuddles into him and everyone coos at the cute sight.

Mr. Song engages in conversations with his other son, and the other members. He asked questions about Mingi and how he is doing. Mingi is sucking on his pacifier as he snuggles with his dad. One curious hand is playing with one of the buttons on Mr. Song's shirt. It accidentally ripped off his shirt and his dad waves off the apologies from the other members, saying that it's simply a button that can be sewn back on.

Eventually Mr. Song has to hand Mingi over to the members so he can go shower because he will be going to catch his flight after dinner.

While his dad is away, Mingi slowly comes back to his regular headspace. He stays snuggling with Yeosang and Jongho on the couch. He thinks about how his dad was super nice to him in his little headspace, and he feels guilty. He untangles himself from Yeosang and Jongho.

“Where are you going, angel?” Yeosang inquires, not liking that he is losing his cuddly baby.

Mingi fidgets, looking nervous.

“Gonna talk to appa.” He responds in a low voice. Jongho and Yeosang take note of the worried pitch in his voice. Based on what Yunho told them about how scared Mingi was at first to talk to his mom, and how nervous he was to talk to his hyung earlier, they can take a guess that it is the same feeling Mingi is experiencing but with his father this time. Jongho grabs his hand and gently caresses the back of it with his thumb.

“It'll be fine, cub.” He tells him, and Yeosang nods along. Mingi blushes, feeling a bit foolish for being such a scaredy cat, but he can't help it. He is scared. Despite being scared, he needs to talk to his dad before he leaves and loses his chance.

Mingi heads down the hallway, and knocks on his parents’ bedroom door. After a couple of seconds, his dad opens the door.

“Hi appa.” Mingi says softly. He's wringing his hands.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Mr. Song notices his son is not little at the moment, and is being so fidgety. “What's wrong kiddo?”

“C-can I talk to you?” Mingi stutters.

“Of course, come in.”

Mingi sits on the bed. He pulls his legs up to chest and wraps his arms around them. Mr. Song sits next to him and waits patiently for his son to speak.

“I- uh, just wanted to say that I'm very sorry for lying to you and eomma these past few years.” Mingi then quietly adds, “Please don't hate me.”

Mr. Song's eyebrows furrow at his quiet statement at the end. “Is that why you're so nervous right now? Mingi, I don't hate you.”

Mingi meets his dad's eyes, his own brimming with tears.

“Really?”

“Yes, kiddo.” Mr. Song sighs and rubs his face with a hand. “Look, I will admit that I am disappointed that you lied to your eomma and I. We were scared out of our wits end when we received that phone call from the hospital and then we found out you partook in falsifying your own classification. What if something worse had happened to you in these last few years because no one knew that you were a little?”

Mingi lets out a choked sob. “I-I'm sorry a-appa.”

“I understand that you wanted to be an idol, that it's your dream. But your well-being and safety matters to me more than anything because I love you, and even despite all this, I always will. That's never going to change.”

Still crying, Mingi raises his arms towards his dad silently asking for a hug. Mr. Song doesn't hesitate in taking him into his arms.

“But no more lying to us, okay? I don't want your eomma worrying so much constantly and I don't want you getting hurt.”

Mingi sniffs and nods. He wipes his nose with his sleeve.

“And I am trusting the boys to keep you out of trouble.”

At that, Mingi pouts at his dad who just chuckles at him. All the nervousness he was feeling is slowly dissipating now that he can see that his dad is genuinely not angry at him. A smile finally appears on his face.

“There, that's better now.” His dad pats his back. “Now go get ready for dinner while I finish packing.”

“‘Kay,” Mingi says and he gives his dad one more hug before he leaves. “Love you appa.”

He runs out of the room giddy with joy now. Mingi goes back to the living room and dives into Yeosang's and Jongho's open arms, settling in between them.

“Everything went well, angel?” Yeosang brushes some strands of hair away. Mingi beams a big smile.

“Good, now relax.” Jongho smiles deviously and places his hands on Mingi's shoulders to give him a brief ‘massage’.

“Aaack!” Mingi yells, and bursts into laughter at Jongho's ticklish massage. He hunches his shoulders trying to evade the man's hands. He shrieks when Jongho digs his fingers deeper. “Mama! Jongie's being weird!”

“Stop being weird, Jongho.” Yeosang says, trying to dodge flying limbs.

“Alright, I'll stop tickling.” Jongho stops and wraps his arms around Mingi. Mingi huffs and whines, struggling to get out of his hold. He slumps back in defeat. When did Jongho become so clingy? It was always the other way around.

Yeosang giggles and pinches Jongho's side, making him squawk in surprise. “Stop messing with my angel.”

“Alright, alright.” Jongho gives in and lets Mingi go. Mingi gets up and sticks his tongue out at Jongho before he runs out of the living room making both men laugh. Mingi's brother jokingly mutters that he's a brat.

Mingi slows down once he steps into the kitchen. All the pots and containers that were previously strewn all over the kitchen floor were no longer there and the floor had been mopped up. The smell in the air is mouth watering and Mingi cannot wait to eat. He bounces over to his eomma to see what she needs help with. He wasn't expecting to slip into his little headspace earlier, so he feels bad that he hasn't been much help at all today.

“Eomma! Eomma! What can I help with? Do you need me to chop anything?”

“Hey baby,” Mingi's mom wraps an arm around his waist and pecks his cheek. “Nope, we're just about done. Seonghwa and Wooyoung were a very big help in getting all this done.”

Mingi frowns and sees Yunho grabbing some ceramic bowls from the cupboard. He thrusts his hands out to take them from him so he can help set the table at least. His quick movement startles Yunho, making him fumble with the dishes.

“I can take them, Yunnie!”

“H-hey! Be careful Mingi, we don't want to drop one by accident.” Yunho chastises him.

“I know that!” Mingi scowls at him. He's fully aware that the bowls are fragile.

Yunho lets him take the bowls though with some reluctance. Mingi places some bowls at the kitchen island since there is not enough room at the table. He scurries around the table placing a bowl at every seat. His heart beams with happiness when San thanks him for setting a bowl in front of him. As Mingi places the second to last bowl down, he loses his grip on the last dish and it tumbles down ricocheting off the bowl he just placed on the table. It falls off the table and shatters into many shards on the floor. The other bowl suffered a large crack, rendering it unusable as well.

Everyone was speechless for a couple of seconds after being shocked by the sudden loud noise. The silence is broken by Mingi's frantic apologies.

“I-I'm sorry! It was an accident!” Mingi babbles.

“What's going on?” Jongho, Yeosang, and Mingi's brother peek into the kitchen after hearing the commotion.

“Mingi dropped a bowl accidentally.” Wooyoung explains.

“Minnie, stay where you are. Don't move.” Hongjoong tells him, hoping that he will listen since Mingi is just in his socks. Luckily, the bowl didn't land on Mingi's feet. Hongjoong had been on his way to the table with handfuls of spoons.

“I can clean it up!” Mingi announces and bends down ready to start picking up some of the broken pieces, but everyone protests against it. He pouts and stands right back up.

San gets up from his seat and reaches for Mingi.

“C'mere bub, we don't want you to get hurt.”

“I wouldn't have gotten hurt.” Mingi whines. San sets him down by the kitchen entrance, away from the debris.

“You don't have any shoes or slippers on.” San points out. “It will hurt if you accidentally step on a broken piece. Yeosang, can you take him to get changed while I try to help them?”

Yeosang nods and takes Mingi's hand, “here baby, let's go for a quick change, and wash our hands to get ready for dinner while they clean it up.“

Mingi's face flushes, he didn't even realize he was wet. He follows him and looks back to see his brother, San and Hongjoong cleaning up the shattered pieces. His mom and Seonghwa are hovering around them pointing out the small pieces.

After getting cleaned up, both Yeosang and Mingi come back to the kitchen. Everyone is already gathering at the table, and the counter. Seonghwa brings over the huge pot to set in the middle of the table. Yeosang nudges Mingi to go sit beside his mom.

“Hungry, baby?” Mrs. Song asks and Mingi nods eagerly, he couldn't wait to eat. He happily babbles to her on how much he missed her cooking, that it's the best. Jongho comes by with a bib on hand, interrupting them briefly.

“Jongie,” Mingi whines in protest. Why couldn't they just leave those at home? Now his mom will think he can't eat properly on his own. “I don't want it.”

“You need it, cub. So your clothes don't get messy.” Jongho wraps the cloth around his neck. Mingi grumbles and Jongho gives him a little loving noogie on his head before he goes to his seat.

Mingi reaches up to undo it, but is stopped by his mom to his surprise.

“Leave it on, sweetheart.” She smiles and Mingi drops his hands, not wanting to disobey her. He'll prove to her that he's fine and doesn't really need it.

Everyone is seated and they wait for Mr. Song. After a few minutes, they hear him coming down the hallway, and it sounds like he is bringing something with him. No one thinks much of it, assuming that he must be bringing his luggage to set it down in the living room.

Mrs. Song stands up and claps her hands once, gathering everyone's attention to her.

“Before we begin eating, we have a little surprise for you Mingi.” She gestures towards the living room and everyone turns to look. Mingi's mouth drops open when a black stroller appears being pushed by Mr. Song. Three congratulations little themed balloons are tied to the handle of the stroller. One of them said “Hurray, He's A Little!” The hood is pulled back and in the gray cushioned seat sits two huge gift bags.

“F-for me?” Mingi croaks, eyes still wide in shock trying to take everything in.

“All for you, baby. We wanted to spoil you with presents since we never got to celebrate your true classification.” Mrs. Song answers him.

His mom's words hit him straight in the heart. Mingi's mouth quivers and the next minute he begins crying his heart out. He covers his eyes with his arms. Thin arms wrap around his shoulders and his mom's sweet perfume floods his nostrils.

“Sweetheart, why are you crying?” His mom lays her cheek on top of his head and she slowly sways them both side to side, trying to soothe him.

“S-sorry eomma,” Mingi hiccups. He didn't think he deserves this after lying to them for so long. Yet here is his family, still showering him with love.

“Sorry for what baby?” She brushes some tears away with her thumbs. Yunho gets up and brings a napkin over to them and helps clean his face.

“For-for lying.” Mingi looks up at her with wet eyes and sniffles. “I shouldn't get gifts.”

Her embrace tightens around him. “Honey, I already accepted your apology a long time ago. The only thing important to me is that you are healthy and happy.” Then she smiles and kisses the top of his hair. “But if you really want to make it up to me, then you can let me spoil my baby to my heart's content.”

That pulls a small wet giggle out of Mingi.

“You're not being fair eomma.”

Everyone chuckles, glad to see Mingi starting to smile again.

She grins, “Am I though? All I want is to love my baby boy.”

Mr. Song walks up to them and pats Mingi's head. “Remember what I said earlier. I'm not mad sweetheart, I've forgiven you. Your eomma and I love you and you better get used to your eomma doting on you.”

Mingi's brother lets out a snort, “as if she didn't already. Now, stop crying bud, we're not mad. Go ahead and open your gifts so we can finally eat.”

Mingi's mom lets him go so he can get up and he slowly walks up to the presents. He shyly picks up one big pink gift bag and opens it up. He reaches inside and pulls out a very soft and fluffy baby blanket. One side of the blanket is pink and decorated with white hearts patterned all over. The other side is white. Mingi instantly falls in love with it and squeezes it with hands, reveling in the softness of the blanket.

“Ooh that's very cute!” Seonghwa gushes, and Mingi smiles, glad that his hyungie likes it.

His excitement bubbles up even more as the rest of the members all express how awesome the blanket is. Mingi lets out a little high pitched giggle and gives a little jump and claps his hands. In the next gift bag he finds a big green turtle plushie with a little blue bow stuck on its shell, a light purple pacifier, and a baby blue rattle.

“Looks like you have a new friend to bring home.” Hongjoong says and Mingi nods and hugs the turtle tightly.

Mingi skips to his parents and hugs them both.

“Thank you eomma and appa. I love you!” Mingi says, his eyes watering up again at how happy he feels. He makes a promise to himself to make sure to never disappoint his parents again.

“We love you baby.” His mom gives him another peck on the cheek. "Okay let's eat, I'm sure everyone is starving.”

Both Mrs. Song and Seonghwa work together to serve everyone stew. Seonghwa serves a bowl for Mingi, and works to cool it down before setting it in front of him. He scoops a spoonful and Mingi blushes when he brings it up to feed him.

“I can do it, hyungie.” Mingi stammers shyly. He wants to show his mom he doesn't need that much help despite the bib still around his neck.

“Okay here you go, flower.” Seonghwa hands him the spoon. He holds out his hand for the turtle to put it aside for now. Mingi frowns not wanting to part with him just yet. “I'll put your new friend on your blanket while you eat.”

Mingi shoves the plushie into Seonghwa's hands realizing that he is being too babyish for not wanting to part ways with his stuffie. He still looks though to make sure his hyungie placed his turtle where he said he would.

They all dig into their bowls, happy to have a hearty meal. Mingi is savoring each bite of the stew, and compliments his mom on her cooking, saying that it is the best as always. He is not halfway through his bowl that he begins feeling his fingers movements becoming more difficult. He has been doing so well avoiding making any stains, only having a few drops landing on his bib. However, now with an unsteady hand, a few drops land on the tablecloth and his pants. He changes his grip and uses his whole fist to hold the spoon. He does not fare any better. By the time the spoon reaches his mouth most of what is scooped up is gone and the state of his clothes and his mom's tablecloth worsens.

Mingi gets fed up eventually and sits back in his chair. He sticks the spoon in his mouth and sucks on it while staring longingly at his bowl. Internally he whines as his stomach growls. He wanted to prove to his mom that she won't need to worry about him much like his dad mentioned, and that he is still capable of doing things himself. He also didn't want to disrupt any of the members while they were having fun talking and enjoying their meal. So Mingi stayed quiet.

Seonghwa glances next to him and sees Mingi with the spoon in his mouth. He takes notice of his bowl being still pretty full. When Mingi doesn't budge for the next few minutes, Seonghwa steps in.

“Are you finished, flower?”

Mingi squirms in his seat and gives a small nod. Seonghwa grabs Mingi's bowl.

“Minnie, you need to eat a little more baby. Is your stomach hurting?”

“Nuh uh,” Mingi mumbles quietly.

Seonghwa sits there slightly confused because Mingi had been looking forward to his mom's cooking, talking about it nonstop for the past few days. He takes note of all the food stains on Mingi's clothes and then on the tablecloth. Lastly, he looks at the way Mingi is holding his spoon. It hits him what seems to be the problem. He should've known.

Mingi feels his face burn when it seems like everyone's attention has turned to him now. “I'm not hungry, hyung.” He tries to explain but then his stomach growls.

Seonghwa doesn't call him out on it though because the last thing he wants to do is prevent Mingi from wanting to eat by making him feel embarrassed. Instead he takes the spoon from Mingi and scoops a spoonful of stew.
“Just a little more, flower. Please?”

Mingi is surprised. He didn't think Seonghwa would want to feed him after he initially rejected his help, but he is secretly grateful nonetheless. Mingi easily gives in because he can't deny himself that he is hungry and doesn't want to miss out on his mom's cooking that he has been yearning for so much. Seonghwa smiles and gives a little coo when Mingi opens his mouth eagerly like a little baby bird awaiting food. It still makes him sad that Mingi still hesitates asking for things. To make up for it, Seonghwa and the others have been learning to look for signs when Mingi needs a little help.

“Make sure to eat plenty sweetheart.” Mingi's mom encourages him. She also wants to see him gain more weight.

“We need to get more meat on those bones.” Mingi's brother tells him.

Mingi pouts, “I eat.” He opens his mouth for another mouthful from Seonghwa.

“Yes, my bub eats plenty. You're almost finished with the whole bowl.” San throws in a praise making Mingi smile shyly.

Seeing that everyone is done, Mingi tries to hurry up and finish so they don't have to wait for him. Yunho is quick to reassure him to take his time, that there is no rush. Mingi relaxes seeing that they are all happily chatting as he eats slowly, and that Seonghwa doesn't seem to mind having to keep feeding him.

Mr. Song checks his watch and announces that the cab he requested should be here any moment to take him to the airport. He stands up and goes to fetch his luggage and Mingi's brother goes to help him. His mom also gets up from her chair to get ready to send her husband off. Mingi watches her walk off and he turns his head away at the next bite of food.

“Hyungie, I'm done! I'm gonna go say bye to appa!” Mingi gets up and runs out of the kitchen.

Seonghwa shakes his head, “that boy never listens. Well at least he almost finished his bowl.”

Wooyoung giggles, “let him be hyung. He's too excited to be here with his parents.”

“I know, I'm happy he's enjoying himself.” Seonghwa smiles, “but that doesn't mean I want him to slip and fall or break something for running inside.”

Jongho comes up from behind Seonghwa and clasps his hands on his shoulders, startling him on purpose. “Relax, hyung. You can take a break from nagging for a while.”

Seonghwa reaches over and tries to smack him and huffs when Jongho gets out of the way.

Mingi comes back into the kitchen with his mom and brother following behind. Seonghwa asks Mingi if he is for sure done with his stew.

“Uh huh, hyung,” Mingi nods and reaches for his sippy cup. Seonghwa kisses his cheek as he gets up from the table. Mingi's mom follows him to the fridge.

“Shall we move on to the next surprise?” Mrs. Song whispers to him and he nods in return. Earlier, Seonghwa had asked Mingi's mom first before he told the others if it would be okay for them to buy a cake for Hongjoong. She was all for it of course. She informed him that Mingi mentioned that Hongjoong's birthday was coming up in one of their weekly phone calls.

Seonghwa pulls out the cake from the fridge while Mrs. Song pulls out more plates from the cupboard. Hongjoong's eyebrows shoot up in confusion when Seonghwa places a white box in front of him.

“What's this?” He looks up at Seonghwa, but the man ignores him in favor of opening the box first.

“Surprise!” He along with everyone else shouts as he reveals the cake.

Hongjoong is taken aback, not having expected this. He hasn't even thought about his birthday at all, in fact he forgot all about it. His main focus has been on Mingi and the others as of late, making sure everything is fine.

“Thank you everyone, but what brought this on?” Hongjoong looks at all of them.

“It was all Seonghwa hyung's idea.” Yeosang puts a hand on Seonghwa's shoulder.

“I thought it would be nice to do a small celebration together, in case you wanted to go see your family for it later.” Seonghwa feels his face warm up when Hongjoong gives him a knowing smile.

“It's a very beautiful cake.”

Wooyoung walks up to Mingi and hugs him from behind. “My Mangi has very good taste.”

Hongjoong sees Mingi look down at the floor looking so bashful. His heart melts, “Oh my Minnie baby chose my cake?”

Mingi looks up and gives a tiny nod. He opens his arms invitingly, gesturing for the tall boy to come to him. Mingi gets up and quietly makes his way to Hongjoong. He pulls him onto his lap.

“Do you really like it, hyung?” Mingi leans against him, and bites on the nail of his thumb, waiting for his response.

“I love it so much! Thank you, baby.”

Relief settles inside Mingi, feeling like he finally did something right this whole day. He relaxes when Hongjoong wraps his arms around him, hugging him to his chest.

“Everyone gather around Hongjoong for a picture.” Mingi's mom pulls out her phone from her pocket.

They all scuffle around the two. Wooyoung deliberately maneuvers Seonghwa to sit on the other side of Mingi so his hyung can have be can next to Hongjoong with their baby in the middle. He squeezes in beside him. Yunho sits on the other side of Hongjoong. Jongho, Yeosang, and San stand behind them. Mingi has a big grin and lets out an ecstatic shriek when San gives his cheek a loving pinch. Mingi's mom's heart melts at seeing her son so happy with his caregivers. She can see how much love they all have for him.

“Smile,” she tells them.

They all hurry up and make hearts with each other and smile at the camera. She is definitely going to be framing this and hanging it up on her wall.

“Let's eat cake!” Seonghwa announces, and gets up to start cutting up slices. The others help clear the table to make more space. Mingi remains on Hongjoong's lap, loving his cuddles.

Hongjoong sees Mingi look at the cake and then stare down at his hands with a frown.

“Wanna share a slice with hyung?” Hongjoong asks him as he might still be struggling with his hands and doesn't want to admit it. It would also be a good idea not to overwhelm his stomach with too much sugar. Mingi nods, and Hongjoong turns to Seonghwa who begins cutting into the cake. “Seonghwa, can you just cut one slice for me and Mingi to share?”

“Of course.” Seonghwa places their plate in front of them, and ruffles Mingi's hair. “Enjoy it, sweetpea.”

Hongjoong takes turns in feeding both him and Mingi. He mostly focuses on feeding his baby more. With his arm around his waist, Hongjoong feels how thin Mingi still is. Mingi's brother is right, they need to get him nice and plump again, but in due time. He chuckles as he listens to his baby let out cheerful little hums and wiggling in his lap. Mingi is probably not even aware he's doing it and it makes it much more adorable.

Hongjoong glances around the room, seeing everyone smiling and eating, having a good time. It's moments like these that Hongjoong cherishes the most, spending time with people he loves and cares for. He locks eyes with Seonghwa from across the table and tries to convey how thankful he is for his surprise through his gaze. Seonghwa gives him a small little wink in return.

-

Tonight, Yunho volunteered to put Mingi to bed while everyone else is helping to clean up the kitchen. Yunho zips up Mingi's onesie, the new one that San got him recently. It took several times to reassure Mingi that wearing onesies outside of their home is okay, that there is nothing to be embarrassed about.

“There, all done. Let's go brush your teeth, princess.” He nudges him towards the bathroom, and sits him down on the toilet.

Mingi looks up at him, and opens his mouth to let him brush his teeth. Mingi stares off to the side, and Yunho knows that it's because he still feels a little shy at having him help with this task. Since he had candy and cake today, he makes sure that he brushes Mingi's teeth extra thoroughly.

“All done Minnie. You can rinse now.”

Mingi hurries up and spits into the sink. He climbs into his bed where his new turtle is already waiting for him. Yunho climbs in after him. Mingi clings to his side like a koala hanging on a tree with his head on his chest. He lets out a sigh.

“We should go help them clean, Yunnie.” Mingi mumbles. There were so many dishes that needed to be cleaned and here he is in bed already.

“They got it and I will be helping them afterwards. You, on the other hand, need to sleep.” Yunho says as he rests his head back and closes his eyes.

“But I'm not tired yet.” Mingi pouts, ready to start begging. “Can I go-”

“No, Minnie, it's bedtime.” Yunho reminds him. “We talked about this.”

Mingi frowns at Yunho because usually he isn't so quick to shut him down. Now that he thinks about it, Yunho is being unusually quiet. He's normally cheerful and playful during bedtime. He must be upset about something. Is it him? Maybe he didn't want to deal with putting him to bed. Or maybe, maybe Yunho was upset that he had broken two dishes when he'd wanted him to be careful from earlier today.

“Sorry, daddy.” Mingi apologizes quietly.

Yunho snaps his eyes open and looks down at Mingi in surprise.“Sorry? For what princess?”

“'Cause I broke the bowls earlier when I took them from you.”

“It's alright princess, accidents happen.” Yunho lays a kiss on his head. “I just want you to be more careful.”

“Why are you mad then?”

“Mad? I'm not mad.” Yunho replies. Where is this coming from? “Why do you think I'm mad?”

Mingi squirms, “you're being kinda quiet.”

“I'm sorry princess, I'm just tired.” Yunho yawns, “it's been a long day. I could use some cuddle time.”

Mingi feels the familiar surge of guilt rise up in his chest. Yunho must be tired from doing all this for him. They all must be. They are meant to be on vacation, and yet they are all here for him instead of going where they want. Mingi tries to cuddle closer to Yunho if that's even possible. He wants to provide comfort for Yunho since it is something he could at least do for him.

Yunho chuckles as Mingi ends up on top of him.

“Feel better, daddy?”

“Absolutely, thank you for the cuddles.” And he does feel better. His Mingi makes everything better. Yunho begins the familiar butt pats to finally get Mingi to fall asleep. “Are you enjoying yourself, princess?”

“Mm-hmm, I missed eomma.” Mingi mumbles tiredly against his chest. His eyes were beginning to feel heavy. Mingi had lied about not feeling tired but he wanted to help them out.

Yunho feels Mingi begin to mouth at the collar of his hoodie and realizes he forgot to clip Mingi's pacifier onto his collar after changing him. He reaches over to the bedside table and picks it up. He clips it to Mingi's onesie and puts it into his baby's mouth. Yunho resumes the butt pats until Mingi falls asleep, all snuggled to his chest.

“Goodnight, baby.” Yunho whispers into Mingi's hair.

He cradles him for a little while longer before he starts to get up to go back and help the others out. He slips the turtle plushie into Mingi's arms and smiles when Mingi clings to it. Yunho makes sure to make a pillow barrier around Mingi to prevent him from rolling off the bed. He leaves the door slightly cracked open. They didn’t bring the baby monitor with them and they need to make sure they can hear Mingi if he cries or needs help until they go to bed.

Yunho rejoins everyone in the kitchen. San and Jongho are washing the dishes while Hongjoong is drying them up and putting them away. Mingi's mom and Seonghwa were packing away the leftover stew and cake. Yeosang was throwing away trash and Wooyoung was sweeping up the floor.

Wooyoung looks up at him in surprise, “Mingi's already asleep? That was quick.”

“Yup, he was really tired.” Yunho yawns again, “honestly, I'm pretty tired myself.”

“Same. I can't wait to fall asleep” San admits and everyone else voices their agreement. Now that they have time to relax, all the exhaustion from the last few months is catching up on them hard.

“Yunho, can you be a dear and start bringing out the futons and blankets from the closet down the hall?” Mingi's mom asks.

“Sure thing.”

Yeosang volunteers to help him bring everything out. They both set up a futon in each room and they work to set up two of them in the living room. Yunho collapses on top of them once they finish preparing them.

After everyone finished, Mingi's mom bid them goodnight. Yunho reluctantly gets up to join the others in getting ready for bed. He comes back to the same futon in the living room and dumps himself on it, refusing to move anymore. Hongjoong and Seonghwa take off to Mingi's room. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San slink off to Mingi's brother's old room.

Yunho comes out of his half sleep state when he feels a sudden weight softly settle on top of him. He cracks open an eye to see that it's their maknae. He smiles and places a hand on Jongho's head, brushing back his hair. It's not often that Jongho cuddles with them, but Yunho finds it cute every time. He's happy to see how much Jongho has been opening up to them over the years.

“Tired?” He asks as he continues running his hand through his hair. Jongho leans closer to his touch.

“Very.” Jongho mumbles tiredly with his eyes closed. “You're very warm, hyung.”

Yunho chuckles and prompts Jongho to get under the blankets. Jongho rolls off him and Yunho tucks the blanket around him to make sure he won't get cold overnight.

It's not long after that they both fell asleep.

-

Mingi wakes up and the room is dark. He finds Seonghwa sleeping next to him with an arm thrown around him. The clock on the bedside table shows that it hasn't been too long since he fell asleep. He startles when suddenly he hears a snore come from the floor and quickly calms down realizing that it sounds like Hongjoong. He must be the one sleeping there.

Mingi tosses and turns but can't seem to fall back to sleep. He disentangles himself from Seonghwa's arms and carefully slips out of his bed. Neither men stir at all.

Mingi closes the door behind him and the hallway is shrouded in darkness. The only light source is the slight moonlight shining through the window curtains in the living room and a faint light from his mom's closed door. He quietly knocks on her door in case she is asleep by now.

The door opens and his mom looks surprised to see him there. Her hair is wrapped up in a towel having just finished showering.

“Sweetie, what are you doing up? Are all the boys sleeping already?” She opens her arms invitingly, and Mingi sinks into her embrace and nods. “Did you need something, baby?”

Mingi shakes his head. “I can't sleep. Can I stay with you, eomma?”

“Of course, baby.” She ushers him inside and closes the door. “I really like your pj's. It's adorable.”

“Oh!” Mingi flusters. He shyly runs his hands down his body to smooth out the fabric. He forgot he was wearing the onesie and now felt self conscious. “Umm Pa-uh, Sannie bought it for me.”

“That is very nice of San.” She walks over to the bed and begins to pull back the blanket so he can lay there while she finishes drying her hair. “All of them are so sweet. Yunho is getting more handsome every time I see him. Oh and Wooyoung and Seonghwa really know their way around the kitchen.”

That only reminds Mingi that he didn't even help them out with their big meal today. The only thing he did was break something and they cleaned it up for him. Then Yunho said he was tired so that must mean they all are considering they are all sleeping by now. Mingi shuts his eyes, starting to feel overwhelmed by these intrusive thoughts. He pulls the blanket up and over his face then rolls over onto his stomach. He lays like that until the sound of a blow dryer goes silent. There is a click and the lights go out. The bed dips and Mingi's mom gets underneath the covers. Mingi peeks out from underneath and rolls over to her. She takes him into her arms and hugs him closely to her chest. She begins rubbing his back and he lets out a small shuddering breath.

“What's wrong sweetheart?” Mrs. Song asks. In the past when they would sleep like this, Mingi would always be very chatty before they fell asleep. But there were plenty of nights when Mingi would be very clingy and quiet because something was bothering him. Mrs. Song recognizes that this is one of those nights. “Tell eomma what's on your mind.”

“I'm scared, eomma.” Mingi says quietly.

“What are you scared of?” She prompts him.

Mingi bites his bottom lip and then says, “what if they all get tired of me?”

“Who? The boys?”

“Yeah.” Mingi traces over the intricate embroidery of the neckline of his mom's nightwear. “They've told me they love me and will always help me….but I'm still scared I might be too much for them.”

“Did they say something or anything to make you think that?” Mrs. Song questions.

Mingi shakes his head. “Mm-mm. But they've all mentioned that they're tired before and I feel like I add to that. A-and and, they are supposed to be on break and yet they are here for me instead of doing what they want.”

“Mingi, baby,” Mrs Song gently tilts his head so he can face her. “I don't think you have anything to worry about, sweetheart. You've told me before that your extensive schedules could be super tiring for you all. They must be tired from working too hard but that doesn't mean that looking after you is something that burdens them.”

When Mingi gives her a look of disbelief, she continues. “Think of it this way. When you were still living here with me, there were many times that I would come home from work exhausted. But I never dreaded coming home to you. If anything I always looked forward to coming back to you because I love you and miss you and caring for you always makes me happy. It was never a chore for me.”

“But, you're my eomma. You're supposed to love me.” Mingi pouts at her, “and they are my caregivers, they need to care for me.”

“It's not just that they need to care for you, but it's that they all want to care for you.” His mom points out. “Being your caregiver was not an obligation to them, none of them had to do it. Yet, they all chose to be your caregiver, each one of them.”

Mingi was silent at that. He hadn't thought about the fact that it's true. None of them had to do it. He could've easily been placed in an adoption center. He shudders at the thought. The last few years, he'd been so scared of getting found out and being placed in one of those facilities to be looked after by random strangers.

“And like you said Mingi, they are on break, but they decided to come here with you because they wanted to be here for you. All of them didn't have to. They love you so much, sweetheart. They've told me countless times, and I believe them. Their actions also speak so loudly to me.”

Mingi lets her words soak in. That was true too. They didn't have to bring him to see his mom, but they did. Only one of them could've brought him, but they all decided to come.

He thinks about all the hugs and kisses they give him everyday. He's a chaotic mess and yet they've been patient with him. They are always quick to comfort him when he needs them. The countless I love yous he gets from them.

Maybe his mom is right. Maybe they will love him forever and not get tired of him.

“I hope you are right, eomma.” He mumbles softly.

“I know I am.” She playfully bops his nose with her finger and he giggles. “You can always talk to me, but most importantly, you can talk to them, okay sweetheart?”

Mingi nods and then he remembers what his dad said to him earlier. About not worrying his mom more. Fuck, that's what he is doing right now isn't he?

“Eomma, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine, I promise!” Mingi says, but Mrs. Song doesn't miss the anxious tone in his voice. Not to mention his body suddenly became stiff in her arms.

“What's this now?”

“I-I just don't wanna make you worry about me.” Mingi looks down playing with his fingers. “A-appa told me not to worry you anymore.”

Mingi anxiously up and sees his mom pierce her lips in mild annoyance.

“Ah your appa is such a worry wart.” Mrs. Song waves her hand at the nonsense of her husband. “Don't listen to him. I know the boys will look after you, and I know my baby will behave won't he?”

She gives him a look, expecting an answer, and Mingi gives a small groan as he hides his face into her shoulder.

“Yes, eomma.”

“And I will continue to check in with you and the others to see how things are.” She declares and Mingi knows she definitely will. There's no doubt about that.

“Try not to worry too much about what the others say about me.”

“Like what?” His mom looks at him curiously.

“Just…if they say I'm having trouble with doing things.”

Mrs. Song laughs softly and kisses his forehead, making him smile. “I won't worry too much. I know they will help you baby. Now it's late, you should be getting some sleep.”

She pulls him closer to her. Mingi giggles as he remembers how his mom used to say he would be clingy when he slept in her bed, but now she is the one to hang on. She tucks the blanket around him to avoid him getting cold at night despite him wearing a onesie. Yunho had told her that Mingi has the tendency to uncover himself while he sleeps which is why they have him wear onesies to bed in this current weather.

Mingi closes his eyes and rests his head against her chest, taking in the familiar rose scented lotion she always wore. She starts humming a little tune. Mingi lets out a sigh, feeling so comfortable and warm. It's been so long since he slept in his mother's embrace, he really missed it. He's so happy that his mom has forgiven him for his long lie. It had relieved a heavy weight on his mind that had settled there for ages. He doesn't know what he would've done if she hadn't. He couldn't bear to think about it.

“Love you, eomma.” Mingi mumbles sleepily.

“Love you too,” She responds softly. “My sweet little Mingi.”