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This morning sucked. Leehan woke up and felt like he’d been hit with a pile of bricks, a fuzzy cloud looming over his head- begging for him to indulge and stupidly, he’d forgotten to check that Taesan- his primary caregiver- was home before he did.
He thought he’d be okay, Sungho and Jaehyun had stayed behind- opting to sleep in instead of going to the market with Riwoo, Taesan and Woonhak.
Keyword, thought.
It became evidently clear that while Sungho and Jaehyun were amazing babysitters- they weren’t his caregiver, his Taesannie, his kitty. Very quickly, Leehan’s mood turned sour. His ability to form word gradually grew more difficult, a lump forming in throat and a knot tying in his stomach.
Leehan frowned, slumping in his seat as he pushed his food around with his chopsticks. As his frown grew deeper, his eyes wandered from the food to his fish tank that was in front of him- great, now his eyes were watering.
“Hannie? What’s wrong, did Yeppi not make it right?” Sungho questioned, his brows furrowing in concern as he realized the little had yet to take a single bite of the meal he’d prepared. Leehan shrugged wordlessly, just casting his gaze towards the fish tank- a deep set sadness evident on his face.
Sungho’s worry grew, had he done something wrong?
The brunette thought for a moment before a lightbulb appeared in the back of his mind. Quickly, the vocalist rushed towards the leader’s door- not bothering to knock.
“Dude! Knock next time!” Jaehyun scolded, though his tone made it obvious he wasn’t actually mad. “What’s wrong? Where’s the little fish?” He asked, peering behind the man in his doorway. “I need help.” Sungho admitted, leaning against the wooden doorframe. Jaehyun’s brows furrowed together as he sat up straight, “What’s wrong?” He asked- tone sincere.
“He won’t eat,” The man in the doorway explained, moving slightly as Jaehyun moved past him and towards the dining table. “Guppy?” Jaehyun called out, making Leehan’s eyes drift away from the fish tank. His glossy eyes looked up at his leader, waiting for him to continue.
Jaehyun crouched down to be eye-level with the sitting little, tilting his head ever so slightly at the boy’s sad expression. “What’s going on guppy?” Jaehyun questioned, eyes glancing down to Leehan’s untouched food- “Are you feeling okay?”
Leehan only shrugged, mumbling with his mouth closed as he looked away from the black-haired man. Jaehyun sighed, looking up at Sungho who looked equally disappointed. “C’mon, open up.” The leader cleared his throat, plucking the chopsticks from Leehan’s fingertips and fixing the perfect bite- in his humble opinion.
“Say ahh~” Jaehyun sing-songed, his classic grin plastered on his face as he held the food in front of Leehan’s lips- cupping his hand under the bite of food just in case his grip on the chopsticks faltered. Leehan craned his neck in the opposite direction, a firm ‘no’ echoing around his head. Externally, the curly-haired blonde’s face wrinkled up and his glossy eyes grew wetter.
Sungho crouched down next to Jaehyun, adding to Leehan’s frustration. Why couldn’t they just understand that Leehan wanted to be alone?
Well…he didn’t really wanna be alone. He wanted his kitty, he wanted to be held and told that everything was gonna be okay. Alone with Taesan, that’s what Leehan wanted.
The conflicting feelings made the knot in Leehan’s stomach tighter and the lump in his throat thicker, the uncomfortable dining table chair hurting his legs and the gloss from his tears making his vision blurry. Everything was either too much or just plain wrong.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Leehan felt chopsticks grazing his lips- making any emotions he was already battling 10x stronger.
The curly-haired blonde pushed Jaehyun’s hand away- not caring that he caused the leader to drop some food on the floor. Leehan swallowed the lump in his throat to the best of his ability before speaking, “Bein’ mean jaehyunnie…” The little pouted, growing frustrated with the leader’s persistent actions.
Jaehyun’s eyebrows knit together, surprisingly hurt by Leehan’s accusation. “I’m not being mean, I just want you to eat.” Jaehyun attempted to explain. Leehan shook his head back and forth rapidly- making himself slightly dizzy.
Frustrated tears threatened to spill from his boba-like eyes, “You are! Mean ‘hyunnie!” The little’s emotions spilled out like an overflowing cup of water; hot tears sticking to his bareface which only added to how wrong Leehan felt. Jaehyun’s heart sank as the little’s tears spilled out, quickly discarding the chopsticks to the side and opening his arms- an invitation for the distressed boy to receive comfort.
Leehan shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself and dissolving into quiet sniffles and tears. Sungho and Jaehyun shared a look of concern, silently asking each other what to do. “Hannie,” Sungho made sure to keep his voice soft, as to not upset the little any further. “Hannie, Yeppi and Hyunnie can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong.” He tried explaining.
Leehan whimpered, shaking his head and taking multiple shaky breaths to try and stop his sniffles. “You’re going to make yourself sick.” Jaehyun said, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on the blonde’s arm. Leehan’s lip quivered as he hugged himself tighter, trying to replicate the feeling of Taesan’s arms around him. Sungho bit his lip anxiously, thinking silently to himself as Jaehyun ran a soothing arm up and down Leehan’s hoodie sleeve.
“Should we call Taesan-ah?” Sungho suggested, instantly capturing Leehan’s attention. Jaehyun noticed this, perking up at how the little seemed to calm at just the mention of his primary caregiver; the leader quickly dug into the pocket of his hood- retrieving his phone and unlocking it.
Leehan leaned towards Jaehyun, teary eyes glued to the leader’s phone screen as he scrolled through his contacts- pressing his thumb on Taesan’s contact. Jaehyun put the phone on speaker, smiling at Sungho at how Leehan’s tears were beginning to dry. Sungho returned the smile, proud of his idea.
Ring, ring, ring…
“What?” Taesan’s voice rang out from the phone’s speaker. Leehan’s face instantly brightened, bumping shoulders with Jaehyun in an attempt to be closer to the phone. “Someone-” Jaehyun was cut off. “We’re about to pay, can I call you back in-” Taesan cut himself off this time, “Where’s Leehan?” He asked- tone now serious.
Leehan wriggled in excitement in his seat, a toothy smile growing on his face. “Kitty!” He chirped, making both babysitter’s heart’s melt. Taesan let out a breath of relief, “Hi guppy.” He smiled. “Someone’s been missing you all morning.” Sungho spoke up, “And dealing with some pretty big feelings.” Jaehyun tacked on- making Taesan frown. “Is that true, Leehan-ah?” The black-haired man asked.
Leehan sunk into Jaehyun’s side, letting out a small “uh-huh” noise.
“K-” Taesan cut himself off, realizing he was still in public. “Sannie will be there in ten minutes, okay?”
Leehan looked up at Sungho excitedly, who gave him a reassuring smile. “Hurry ‘ome, kitty.” The little whined, his usual demeanor already creeping back into his tone. Taesan laughed, before promising he would and thanking Jaehyun and Sungho for dialing him.
Leehan wasted no time bouncing up from the sofa as soon as he heard the door to the dorms open. “Kitty!” He chirped, grateful that Riwoo and Woonhak moved out of his way- creating the perfect path for Leehan to tackle his caregiver into a hug.
Taesan smiled, holding his little close and breathing in the familiar scent of his peach scented shampoo. “Hi guppy,” The caregiver hummed, allowing the little to bury his face into his jacket. “Were you good?” Taesan asked, a raised eyebrow pairing perfectly with his tone. Leehan’s cheeks tinted a soft shade of pink as he shrugged- causing Taesan to look towards the two babysitters who were obviously exhausted from their morning with the little.
“Apologize to Hyunnie and Yeppi, please.” Taesan’s tone was firm, yet soft. He wasn’t mad at his little- he never could be mad at Leehan…but it was important that the regressed boy didn’t forget his manners.
Leehan whined slightly before pulling away from his caregiver, sheepishly gazing towards the floor. “M’ sorry for callin’ ‘ou a meanie…and for spillin’ m’ food…” Leehan apologized, Sungho and Jaehyun smiled at the blonde.
“It’s alright Hannie, be good for your Kitty- yeah?” Sungho bent down slightly to meet Leehan’s gaze. Leehan nodded eagerly, grabbing Taesan’s hand and pulling him towards the stairs. Taesan laughed, looking towards the two babysitters and mouthing a quick- yet sincere- “Thank you.”