Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, literally. The bolster he'd stuffed into the crack between the wall and the bed had rolled away in the night. Now, he finds himself wedged sideways into the gap, crushed and helpless.

"..hyungie... h-help gukkie..." he whimpers, eyes filling with tears.

But nobody answers. Of course nobody does.

Nobody's here.

JK is all alone in the dorm.

And it feels like he'll be all alone, for the rest of his life.

Just like that, something snaps. Shuddering, his face crumples; a heartbreaking sob escapes his lips.

JK wails.

♧

Taehyung stumbles over the pile of shoes in the entranceway, cussing softly. Hobi hyung will get so mad if he sees this.

Scowling, he glares bleary-eyed at the scattered footwear on the floor. The Taehyung a couple of years ago would have shrugged and left it for someone else to clean. Now, he sighs and picks up the shoes to arrange them on the racks.

He pokes and prods them into place, making sure they sit just right. It takes much more time than it should. The way his head hangs heavy from soju is not helping at all. He should have mixed it with beer like the rest, but he hates the taste of somaek. He still can't take anything bitter, despite everyone teasing his childish tastebuds.

Finally Taehyung is left with just one boot. Frowning, he looks around for the other one but comes up empty. 

Isn't this Jungkookie's? .....Why is it here? And where's the other side?

He squints at the offending object in his hand. The distinctive green camo combat boot definitely belongs to JK. When he'd gotten the birthday present from Jin hyung, the maknae had been so chuffed he wore them for a month straight.

Jungkook's not here, is he?

There shouldn't be anyone still around in their old dorm tonight. Everyone had said they'd go back to their own place after the drinking party at Namjoon's. The only reason there were shoes out at all was because they'd stayed in the dorm the past weekend, to spend as much time as they could with Seokjin before his enlistment ceremony. 

After the ceremony ended, the six of them had piled into the van for the three hour drive back to Seoul. It was bitterly cold and everyone was silent, until Namjoon suggested dinner and drinks at his place. They eagerly agreed, and rerouted their way back to his apartment complex in Hannam, ordering food along the way.

Not that it was much of a party.

At the start, the dinner had gone swimmingly well. They ate and joked and laughed, reminiscing old times and discussing year end plans. Anytime there was a pause in the conversation, someone glossed over it. Nobody mentioned the reason why they were all gathered, sans one. The place at the head of the dining table was left empty. So was the left side of the couch next to Namjoon, when they moved to the den. They brought out the alcohol and proceeded to get steadily drunk, a random kdrama on TV that no one paid attention to. Namjoon and Yoongi had whiskey, neat and on the rocks; Hobi went for red wine and the maknae line had somaek. 

At one point Namjoon burst into a soliloquy and Jimin burst into tears; Yoongi nodded off, snoring lightly, and Hobi stared blankly into space, his characteristic smile nowhere to be seen on his wine-reddened face. Jungkook didn't look up from the phone game he was furiously playing, so Taehyung went to put on a record and swayed by himself in the corner, clutching a whole bottle of peach soju.

Their silence on Seokjin's absence was loud. 

And Jungkook had been the most silent one of all.

♧

All of a sudden, he hears a piercing cry from the back of the dorm, where the bedrooms are. Startled, Taehyung drops the boot and calls out. 

"Who's there?" 

There was no reply, but the unearthly wailing gets louder, so deafening he flinches. It's more like a fire alarm siren than something a human is capable of making.

For the life of him, he can't imagine who it could be. Just listening to the howling makes his chest start aching. 

Hastily, he hurries through the pitch black corridors, switching on the lights as he goes. It's close to dawn, but his heart is uneasy and the darkness makes it worse.

He passes the closed bedroom doors and heads straight for the furthest one, where the crying sounds were coming from. 

Jin hyung's room...? 

Bewildered, Tae pushes the door open and flicks on the lights.

♧

Even he lay there weeping, wishing for someone, anyone, to rescue him; JK knew it was hopeless. No one could possibly hear him, no matter how loudly he cries.

The very thought makes him cry even harder.

The whole mess of yesterday and the stress of the past few months has finally come to a peak.

Shuddering, JK lets all his walls crumble. Like a dam breaking, he slips into a safe space; an existence known to him and him alone.

Where everything is simple; where he can stay and hide from the everything in the hard adult world. Where he can soothe his fevered mind, until all of these complicated feelings go away. 

Until someone comes for him, and JK isn't alone anymore. 

♧

Taehyung stares at the figure huddling on Jin hyung's bed, almost disappearing into the gap between the wall and the bedframe. A quick glance shows what must have happened. Every pillow, blanket and bolster has been shoved to the floor; the solid mahogany bed frame ajar instead of flush against the wall. He vaguely recalls Joon and Jin lifting it two days ago to get a suitcase out from underneath.

He steps up closer, picking up the pillows. Only one person sleeps rough enough to kick all his bedding off; with a mounting horror he realises who it is stuck behind that bed.

"Jungkookie? Is that you?" 

Abruptly, the crying stops. Like a stream of gushing water shut from the tap, a trickle of whimpers dripping after.

"....hyungie? ...'elp me... "a tiny voice warbles. "Gukkie stuck. Hurtsss." JK looks up pathetically as Taehyung comes near.

"Oh, Kook... How did you get in there, silly?" Tae scolds gently, as he tugs ineffectually on the heavy wooden frame. Dang his noodle arms, the bed barely budges at all. 

"What are you doing here all alone, anyway?" he asks in exasperation, abandoning his weak attempts to move the bed.

The younger boy hides his face in the crook of his arm, whining out loud. 

"Gukkie miss Jin hyung. Miss aaaall the hyungies. Gukkie so sad...and, and lonely," he snuffles miserably,  rubbing his nose until it gets all red. 

In his half inebriated state, Taehyung misses out the strange way JK keeps referring to himself in third person, not to mention his inability to form proper sentences.

Tae crawls over the sheets to sit by the younger, still awkwardly stuffed into the gap, back to the wall. One arm and a leg is clutching the bedsheet, while the other limbs are out of sight under the bed. Taehyung sighs. 

"Come on, Jungkook. I'm not strong enough to move you like this; you'll have to pull yourself out. Here," he offers a hand, "hold tight, okay?" 

JK blinks owlishly and takes the proffered hand. 

Then Taehyung stands up and pulls, as hard as he can.

But it isn't nearly hard enough to move him, and JK yells in distress.

"Owwie, hyunggg. Let goooo, Gukkie stay here!" he cries, flinging Tae's hand away. "Jinjin come back soon," he declares, rubbing his teary eyes. 

Taehyung sighs in increasing impatience. Confronted with a situation he can't wrap his head around, he'd quickly sobered up.

"Don't be a baby," he snaps at the boy, "Nobody's coming back. Are you that drunk?" he demands, all annoyed now. 

He doesn't expect JK to burst into tears, even louder than before. He jerks back and stares, gobsmacked. 

"H..hyungie's a big meanie," JK stammers in anguish, "Guk...gukkie is baby! Gukkie only fuh...five," he hiccups, holding up his hand to show all five fingers. 

Startled, Taehyung's jaw drops and he gapes at the younger, who is now laboriously counting to five on his fingers, one by one. 

Something is wrong with Jungkook.

He's not sure what it is, but something is definitely amiss, with the strange way he's been acting. With none of the hyungs around, Taehyung is at a loss.

I can't handle this, I need to tell someone. 

Turning away, Tae grabs his phone and dials the first person he can think of. At first it rings and rings, then goes to voicemail. Undeterred, he calls again and again, until finally it goes through and an incredibly grumpy voice growls in his ear. 

"WHAT? Stop calling, my head is killing me."

"Yoongi hyung," Tae tries, leaning away and pitching his voice lower so as not to alarm the baby. What baby, there is no baby! his mind screams. 

"Can you come here now? To the dorm, please?" 

"What? no Tae, I have to be at the studio in... Four hours, fucksakes. I need to sleep." 

"Hyung!" he shouts, giving up any pretense at normalcy. "I need your help, something's wrong!  Jungkook... Jungkookie's hurt and I don't know what to do," he trails off, dangerously close to tears himself.

All of a sudden Yoongi sounds wide awake. "Did Jungkook hurt himself? Is he bleeding?" he asks sharply. "Get a cloth and press down on it; if it's bad call Sejin hyung, we'll get him to Dr Low as soon as the hospital opens," he curses off the line, bumping into something. 

"No! It's not that. He didn't.. he didn't try that again. It's something else. Please hyung, just come," Taehyung begs, tears spilling despite his best efforts.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Go drink some water, give him some too if he can have it. Wait for hyung, I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" 

Taehyung nods, forgetting he can't be seen. He ends the call and turns back to JK.

By now the boy has stopped crying and is softly humming instead, picking at the covers and tracing a finger along the patterns printed on the sheet. 

I better go along with his whims, for now. 

"Bunny? How're you feeling, um, baby...?" he winces at his awkward tone. Way to go, Tae.

JK glances at him from under lowered lashes, all pouty and sulky. " 'M fine, Tata. Sleepy," he yawns, before lapsing back into the humming. 

With a start, Taehyung recognises the tune of the Tomato song, the children's song had driven them all nuts when they had to sing it half asleep.

Huh. That Run episode was years ago.

And Tata?? When they first came up with their BT21 character names, JK had teased him for weeks on end, purposely calling him nothing but Tata. 

He hasn't called him that for at least five years now, has he?

They've all mostly grown out of their childish nicknames for each other.

It hasn't always been like that. Their fans know them for being super playful and cheeky amongst themselves. What they didn't know, however, was that as time went by, those Run episodes and VLives were really amongst the only times the boys got to clown around and be light-hearted.

As time whirred on by and their group grew bigger and bigger on the scene, the immense pressure started getting to all of them. Everything changed, overnight it seemed.

The loss of their privacy was first to go. Next, the available ways for them to relax as themselves, instead of their public personas. With the constant, crushing pressure to deliver their best, they soon ceased being so flippant and free with their affections, even with each other.

With time came distance and maturity; with fame, a hardening of their soft edges. Again and again, they faced situations that forced them to grow up and act more adult than they've ever felt.

Yet sometimes, Taehyung feels like he's faking it; all of it.

Even a member of the so-called biggest boyband in the world could have imposter syndrome; who'd have thought?

JK's had it the worst, too. He never really got a normal teenage life; at least the rest of them got to finish high school before officially debuting. 

Is that why he's being like this? Tae wonders, absently smoothing back the younger's hair from his forehead. Is he trying to relive his childhood or something? 

JK preens, leaning into Taehyung's touch. To his astonishment, the younger boy pops his thumb into his mouth and happily suckles on it, his eyes fluttering shut.

He can't be comfortable, Taehyung thinks wildly. How can the baby fall asleep like this?! 

He shakes his head and gets up, intending to fetch a glass of water like Yoongi instructed.

JK's eyes fly open and his hand shoots out to clutch at Taehyung's sleeve. 

"Hyungie," he whines, "stay with Gukkie," he mumbles, eyes closing even as he grips the sleeve tight.

Taehyung coos, finding himself impossibly endeared even though he should be finding it weird. 

"Alright baby. Tata will stay right here, okay?"

Snagging a pillow, he lies down next to the boy and resumes stroking his hair, working out the tangles in his silky black locks.

Before long, despite the uncomfortable position, both the youngest members fall asleep.

♧

Yoongi rushes into the dorm, shucking off his sneakers at the oddly clean entranceway. Despite his worst fears, the house was quiet. 

Willing his racing heart to slow down, Yoongi makes his way through the brightly lit dorm. The early morning light was already filtering in through the shutters, so he hits the wall switches as he passes. 

Why were all the lights switched on? 

Hesitantly, he calls out. "Taehyung? Jungkook? Are you there, boys?"

Silence. 

With a mounting frustration, Yoongi goes to check the rooms one by one. 

All of them turn up empty. 

Finally only one bedroom is left at the end of corridor. It couldn't be, could it...? 

With bated breath, he quietly opens the door to Seokjin's room. 

A strange sight greets his eyes. 

Taehyung is lying on Jin hyung's bed, his back to the door, sound asleep. The bedding lies messily scattered on the floor, save for what looks like a bolster in his arms.

Yoongi walks up for a closer look. Then he stills, taken aback.

That's not a bolster... That's JK.

Wedged halfway down between the wall and the bed, fast asleep, tear tracks all down his cheeks. 

Thumb lolling out of his open mouth. 

....What? What's up with that? 

As he continues to examine the boy, Yoongi notices that his sweater is suspiciously large, pooling around his shoulders. More tellingly, it is a bright cotton candy pink. 

Isn't that Jin hyung's sweater?

Jungkook had been wearing a black pullover yesterday, hadn't he? Yoongi remembers thinking if it was uncomfortable, because JK kept plucking at it through dinner, pushing up the sleeves and scratching at his arms through the material. 

Finding him here of all places, in Jin hyung's bed and wearing his sweater, thumb in his mouth... Yoongi's heart fairly bleeds for their youngest. 

Carefully, trying not to jar the bed, he shakes Taehyung awake. 

It takes a couple of tries and tweaking Tae's ear before he stirs. Grumbling, he squints open an eye before burying his face back in the pillow. 

"Taehyung," Yoongi hisses into his ear, "if you go back to sleep I'm putting ice down your neck." 

That gets him up a hurry. 

Groaning, he sits up, stretching and yawning, ruffling his shock of curly hair. Yoongi stands to the side, arms crossed and eyebrows cocked. 

Mid-yawn Taehyung stiffens, a sudden realisation dawning on his face. He whips around to look at JK. 

The boy is still out like a light, drooling a little around his thumb. Taehyung relaxes, sighing. Smiling a little, he picks up the covers and tucks it around JK, sliding the pillow under his arm. JK snuggles into it and resumes sucking on his thumb, a slight frown creasing his forehead. 

Impassively, Yoongi watches as the older boy bends over to press a kiss onto JK's forehead before getting up and tiptoeing out of the room. He turns and gestures for Yoongi to follow. 

♧

Taehyung leads them to the kitchen, filling a glass at the sink before gulping it down. Then he pulls out a couple of chairs at the dining table, making sure they don't scrape too loudly on the floor.

Yoongi's patience is hanging by a thread but he keeps his face blank. Whatever it is, Taehyung will only speak when he's ready. 

Finally, he runs out of ways to put it off. 

"So. I suppose you want to know why I called," he begins, clearing his throat and shooting a pensive look at the elder. 

Yoongi lifts an expressive eyebrow and nods for him to continue. 

"The thing is, hyung... I found Jungkookie here late last night and he was acting... pretty weird? Like, he was crying and stuff - really crying, not the silent stoic way he does," he hastens to explain. "When I got in he was wailing so loud, it sounded like a fire engine. It was so weird." 

Yoongi speaks up for the first time. "Why did you come back here? I thought you wanted to go home so your parents can drop Tannie off?"

Taehyung hesitates, looking embarrassed. "I forgot something in my room," he says vaguely. Yoongi narrows his eyes but he hurries to finish the story. 

"So I get into Jin hyung's room, right? And it's Jungkookie in bed, he kicked everything off as usual and somehow got himself stuck?? In that tiny ass gap, sobbing his heart out," Tae shudders.

"When I asked why he was crying, he said he missed us? And Jin hyung? Then he got mad at me for trying to pull him out!" 

Taehyung blows his fringe out of his eyes, impatient to end. "He also said "Jinjin" will be back. Maybe he was super drunk, but how could he forget that we saw Jin hyung off yesterday??" 

He pauses, tracing the grain of the wooden table and shooting a fleeting glance at the elder. "When I yelled at him to stop being a baby, he cried again. And he said... He said he was a baby," he finishes, voice wavering unsure, chin tucked low on his chest. 

A moment passes, then two. 

Yoongi gathers his scattered thoughts.

First and foremost was the relief he felt that Jungkook hadn't actually hurt himself, the way he's done before. Even though it happened years ago, and only a few times, the counsellor had warned that Jungkook was more prone than others to a depressive episode.

Thanks to the scare, his hyungs had taken to keeping a keen eye on the golden maknae, forcibly interrupting when he got too caught up in their activities. When he started to neglect his meals and his sleep, they would take turns to cajole him into eating and resting, so that he doesn't make himself sick by overworking. 

Now this though... Yoongi had heard of similar things happening, but in a more, ah, private context. He knows people who take part in what's known as age play, identifying as younger or older than their actual age. He also knows that it could be sexual and non-sexual, but for some reason the definition didn't strike him as accurate, when it came to what Taehyung described about Jungkook. 

Deep in thought, he pulls out his mobile and keys in the search terms "age play", which soon led him to reading up on "little space" and "age regression". 

The second one makes him sit up, eyes glued to the phone as he rapidly skims the definition and diagnosis of involuntary age regression or 'agere' in adults. 

Pausing his search, he looks up at Taehyung, who was fidgeting so much Yoongi is surprised he's remained seated. 

"How old did Jungkook say he was?" 

Taehyung gapes at him, like he's stunned at Yoongi's matter of fact tone.

"Five.. he said he was five," he finally replies. "Come to think of it, he kept calling himself 'Gukkie'? And he spoke in broken sentences, and sang to himself? Remember that Tomato song, hyung?" Taehyung starts singing with a lilting note to his voice, ignoring the way Yoongi shivered. (After that recording, he hadn't been able to get the song out of his head for weeks.)

"Enough of that," he says briskly, pulling up the latest search on his phone to show the younger. Taehyung clutches at his wrist instead, his eyes a little wild. 

"Hyung," he gulps, "Is Jungkookie... okay? Is it... Did he have another breakdown, you think? Will we have to bring him to the hospital again? You know he hates the hospital, he hates doctors, oh my god he's going to be so mad at me for telling you, I shouldn't have called, I-" 

"Hey, hey," Yoongi grips the younger firmly on his shoulder, stopping his tirade. "Breathe, Tae. Jungkook is fine. He'll be fine," he assures, briskly ruffling his hair. "And if he isn't, we'll help him through it, just like we always have." Yoongi's calm and sure voice eventually pacifies Taehyung. He breathes in deeply, then peers at the phone.

" 'Agere'...? What's that, hyung?" 

"Have you ever heard of 'littlespace', Tae?" At his mystified look, Yoongi continues, "It's a term for the headspace that someone gets into, where they feel much younger than their biological age. You said Gukkie was acting and talking like a child, correct? Basically he is a child, at least mental-wise. In littlespace people can regress from a few years, all the way to toddler or infanthood, with the same behaviours you would expect from a child of that age."

"Luckily, from what you described, it didn't seem like he regressed all that much. It would have been harder to handle if he had been nonverbal, or not toilet trained, for example," Yoongi mused, leaning back to stare at the ceiling." 

"Toilet...trained...?" the younger echoes. "You mean- he'd wet his pants?" he gasps. 

Yoongi shrugged. "We'd have to put diapers on him, before it happens." 

Taehyung mutters darkly to himself. "Nope, been there, done that, not doing it again nosiree," he exclaims, vigorously shaking his head. "I love Jungkookie but when you've had to change your baby cousins' nappies every time they sleep over, or when the family gathers for Chuseok..." He shudders. "One time, my eldest cousin's youngest son needed a diaper change and she pushed him into my arms and ran off to the kitchen... Without telling me he'd done a number 2," he recounts grimly. "I couldn't eat a bite after that." 

Yoongi chuckles at the aggrieved expression on his face. "I don't think we'll have to do it for Jungkookie. Five year olds don't wear nappies, Taehyung-ah. I don't know if you did...." he jokes slyly, chortling when the other boy slaps at his chest in protest. 

"Hyung! Shhh! You'll wake the baby!" 

"The baby, eh?" Yoongi smirks. "Looks like someone's on board." 

Taehyung blushes and hangs his head, bashful. Yoongi straightens up, growing more serious.

"First things first, let's get this straight. This is the first time you've seen Gukkie like this, correct?" 

Taehyung nods slowly, sobering up at the change in his voice. 

"Did he use a different name for you...?" 

Taehyung nods again, startled. "How did you know?? Gukkie called me Tata! It was so strange! I thought he'd forgotten. We got into that silly fight over it, remember?" 

"Yeah, you were annoyed at his BT21 character name, cos it didn't matter when you called him Cooky in retaliation for Tata," Yoongi laughs. "You were both being very silly." Taehyung huffs, grumpily crossing his arms. 

"The point is, there are a few things we can do to help support Gukkie when he's in this headspace," Yoongi continues. "First, we make him comfortable relying on us. Whatever he can't do on his own, as his five year old self, we'll help him with it. So things like eating, if he's having trouble with grown up food. He might be pickier, might not eat much and may even need feeding." 

Taehyung shrugs, seemingly unbothered. "I can do that. I'm always stealing his food or feeding him mine, anyway." 

Yoongi nods approvingly. "Next, we want to do things that'll make him happy, as a Little." 

"A little what?" 

"What? Nothing. Just a Little." 

"Yes hyung, I can do just a little. I can even do a lot! But what?" Taehyung asks, bewildered.

Yoongi throws up his hands in exasperation. "NO, that's what we call him, what Gukkie is! When he slips into littlespace, he's a Little! You big lump," snorts the elder. 

A look of realisation dawns and Taehyung slaps his knee, finally understanding. Yoongi rolls his eyes and carries on. 

"So, a Little will be more absorbed and relaxed in their headspace if they're allowed to do the things they enjoy. For Gukkie that might be something like colouring, or playing blocks or cars or soft toys, depending on how far he's regressed. He'll probably like games like hide and seek, and enjoy cartoons and kids movies-" 

"As long as it's not Frozen 1 OR 2," Taehyung cuts in. "My cousins sang the songs to death," he shudders. "My ears will bleed if I hear them again," he exclaims dramatically, smacking the table. 

"Shhh-you'll wake the baby" Yoongi smirks, making fun of him with his own words. 

Chastened, Taehyung puts his hands over his mouth. 

"But hyung," he starts again in a near whisper, "what are we going to tell the rest?? I mean, we don't really have anymore group schedules, at least until next year. And I know Gukkie's schedule is clear for the rest of the week, he told me he wanted to leave it empty, just writing and arranging for his album–although I suspect he's left himself a few days for moping after Jin hyung enlisted," he adds thoughtfully. 

"So we're safe for the week, and he can stay in the dorm and work this thing through. I'll sleep here as well, tell my parents they can keep Yeontan until next week," he decides. "Let's just keep this between ourselves for now. I don't know how the others will take it, and how Gukkie might feel if his secret is spilled..." He trails off to look at Yoongi, who's turning away and flushing a bright red.

"....Hyung? Why are you- oh. Oh no you didn't," Taehyung groans. "Who did you tell already???"

 Yoongi stiffens, refusing to meet his eyes. "It was your fault," he says testily. "You called at 4am and said Gukkie hurt himself. What was I supposed to do?"

 "So what did you do??"

 "....I called Namjoon. But he didn't pick up! ...someone else did," Yoongi says, his eyes shifting rapidly around the room.

"Who was it?" 

 "....Hobi," he admits. "He was still there, crashing on the couch. So I told him what you said, and that I was heading over," Yoongi finishes, subdued.

 "What did he say??"

 "That if I don't update him by morning he's telling Namjoon."

Taehyung curses, glancing at the sunlight streaming in past the kitchen blinds. By the looks of that it was definitely morning. 

He groans, rumpling his hair. "This is a disaster," he mumbles. "What can we do now?"

"I'm going to call Hobi and tell him it was a false alarm,'' Yoongi declares, reaching for his phone.

Before he could do more than pull up the contacts, the front door beeps and clatters open.

Both of them freeze, Taehyung thumping his head down on the dining table.

"This one's on you, hyung."

♧

A low murmur of voices reach them from outside- not one, but two people. 

Yoongi rubs his hands over his face, steeling himself for the showdown.

♧

Chapter Text

"Yoongi hyung?" A tentative voice calls out from the living room. Yoongi sighs, steeling himself for the inevitable.

"Over here," he replies, careful to keep his volume down.

Taehyung has both hands over his eyes and Yoongi gives him up for a lost cause, even as he turns to face the two members who walk into the kitchen.

"Hey, Hobi. I was just about to ring..." he gestures weakly at the phone in his hands.

Namjoon's eyes flash dangerously as he steps up into Yoongi's space.

"Hyung," he rushes out, "Where's Guk? Is he okay?"

"...Tae? Why do you look like that?" Hobi chimes in suspiciously over Namjoon's shoulder. When nobody answers, he strides up and noisily pulls out the chair between Tae and Yoongi.

"Sssshh!!!" both of them hiss, "Don't wake the baby!!!"

A stunned silence greets their words.

Taehyung groans even louder and thunks his head back onto the table, waving a limp hand at Yoongi for him to explain.

With a steely air, Namjoon crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. "Explain this right now and nobody gets hurt," he intones flatly.

Hobi snorts. "You sound like a bad mafia flick. Sit down, Joon. I'm sure they have a very good reason why we're all here," he gestures to the room, "...sleep deprived and hungover and worried sick about Jungkookie. Right, Tae?" 

Taehyung freezes, then slowly lifts his head. Gulping, he shivers when he meets Hobi's ice-cold gaze.

If angry Hobi is scary, suspicious Hobi is downright terrifying.

"Last night Gukkie scared me-" "Let me speak, Tae-" "I didn't mean t-" 

"Guys." Namjoon's knuckles are pure white where they grip the table edge.

"Yoongi, you start." With an audible click, Taehyung clamps his mouth shut, discreetly inching away from the leader. 

With a few false starts, Yoongi lays out the story, starting from observing Jungkook at the dinner party. Taehyung chimes in eagerly when his part comes up, then leaves Yoongi to run past the technical (medical?) terms of what they suspect is happening. At some point Namjoon takes a seat next to Hobi, their faces taut with worry. 

The four of them were murmuring in quiet voices, huddled close and trading worried glances, when a scuffing sound from the doorway has them freezing in their seats. 

"...Hyungs? What are you doing here?"

JK stands at the kitchen door rumpled and yawning, face scrunched up in puzzlement as he rubs the back of his head. His sleep-mussed hair sticks out in all directions; everyone stifles an urge to coo at him.

Taehyung lunges up, almost stumbling in his haste to get to the younger. "Gukkie!" he cries out, seizing the boy's shoulders, "Are you okay?! How did you get out??" 

Jungkook shrugs. "I just pushed the bed back from the wall. It's no big deal, I've bench pressed heavier before." But he rotates a shoulder, wincing. "My arm does hurt though, like it's been pulled at."

The older boy flinches, dropping his hands and looking guiltily over his shoulder. The other three members are still stunned into silence; Hobi in particular looks like a frog with his jaw gaped open. His gaze flickers down to Jungkook's foot…

…which bizarrely, is clad in his favourite combat boot. 

Just one boot.

"Jungkookie? Did you... go to sleep with that on?" Hobi ventures, his voice wavering. 

"So that's where it was!" Tae cries out, "I was looking everywhere last night when I tidied up the shoes!" 

"You were here last night?" "You tidied up the shoes?!" Jungkook and Hobi exclaim at the same time.

Yoongi hides a smirk. He'd be hard pressed to say who sounds more surprised. 

As Taehyung scowls at Hobi, Jungkook slowly takes a step back, then another. Abruptly, he sits down on the kitchen floor and starts tugging at his boot, cursing when he finds the tangled laces too tight to pull free.

Sighing, Yoongi gets off his chair and plops himself down in front of the boy, pulling his foot into his lap to work at the knot. It's been tied so tightly he briefly wonders if they would need to cut the laces off. 

"We'll have to change your sheets and mop the floor," Hobi starts grousing, like the clean freak he is.

"It wasn't his bed; he slept in Jin hyung's bed," Tae reminds carelessly, before his eyes widen at his own mistake.

Jungkook stops trying to pull his foot away and gawks at the older boy.

"You... you saw me?" he forces out in a whisper.

Confused, Tae nods. "You don't remember me coming in? I slept next to you!"

Clearing his throat, Namjoon cuts in.

"Jungkookie... Tae heard you crying last night."

"Is this about Jin hyung? Is that why you came back here?" the leader probes gently, sympathy written all over his face.

"No," mumbles the maknae. "I... I forgot my house keys," he fobs them off unconvincingly.

With a final tug, Yoongi yanks the boot off Jungkook's feet, nearly toppling backwards from the force of it. He would have, if Hobi hadn't materialised behind him, steadying him with a hand on his back.

"Poor Jungkookie," says Hobi, reaching to draw the youngest in a warm hug. "It's okay to be sad, sweetheart. All of us are, really. Don't think I didn't hear you crying too, Joonie," he shoots warningly over his shoulder. Namjoon shifts in his seat, discomfited, but wisely holds his tongue.

"You came back here alone, put on Jinnie's sweater and slept in his bed... You must have been so upset, darling," Hobi soothes the boy, rubbing at his back through the fuzzy pink sweater.

"Why didn't you call one of us, hmm? Or just sleep at Joonie's house with me?" The dance leader held Jungkook's face in his hands, his mouth pulled down into a sad triangle. 

Of all the members, Hobi's always fawned over Jungkook the most. They all do to some extent, but it's an open secret that Hobi has the softest spot for him. One pout from the younger would let him get away with murder, if it was Hobi he was up against. 

Yoongi keeps that in his mind as he peers at the boy's face, or what he could see of it pressed against Hobi's neck. 

He's surmised that Jungkook has either completely forgotten last night's episode, or is trying to hide the truth - how he slipped into littlespace and got caught by Tae.

Yoongi frowns. According to what he'd read, a Little who suppresses the need to regress is in greater danger of losing control. The longer it goes, the more likely it gets that the Little would have an involuntary slip into a younger headspace, even if they weren't trying. It was actually healthier for them to indulge and regress fairly regularly, within a safe environment; with or without a caregiver to look after their needs.

Given their status as idols, with each and every movement scrutinized by the fans when they are out in public, Yoongi shudders to think what would happen if Jungkook were ever to slip into that headspace outside.

None of them would forgive themselves if they had been in a position to help, but couldn't because JK hid his condition. Even after a thorough explanation, Yoongi had the feeling that the others really had to see it for themselves to understand.

And he has just the idea how.

Casually, he picks himself up from the floor, snagging the discarded boot as he goes.

"Taehyung-ah," he calls, "Where did you keep the other shoe last night?"

Jerking his chin, Yoongi gestures for the younger to come along as he leaves the kitchen.

Luckily after a bewildered pause Tae follows suit, tugging at Yoongi's elbow as he places the boot next to its lonely pair.

"Hssst," shushes the elder. "We're going to do something that will help Jungkookie, alright? I'll need you to pitch in," he tells Taehyung seriously. "Can you do that for me?"

Tae puffs out his chest and eagerly bobs his head, proud to be given such an important task. "What do I do, hyung?"

The two of them bend their heads together and start conferring in low voices. Taehyung peers around every once in a while to make sure nobody comes out from the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he snaps up his hand in a sharp salute, like Yoongi is a commander. The elder rolls his eyes and goes off to join the others, while Taehyung marches his way into the bedrooms, a determined gleam in his eye.

They have a plan.

♧

When Yoongi reenters the kitchen, he finds that Hobi has persuaded Jungkook to get off the cold floor and sit with him at the table. Namjoon has the coffeemaker on, and is rustling in the cupboards for his breakfast. 

Yoongi strolls over and grabs a few more cereal boxes, lining them up on the counter, then turns to the fridge to fetch the milk carton and a couple of other bottles, arranging them next to the cereal. Namjoon looks at him askance, then ignores him in favour of inhaling an extra large mug of fresh brew, wincing at the near scalding liquid.

Fetching his own cup, the elder joins the other two at the dining table. He looks closely as Hobi plays with Jungkook's fingers on the table, still patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Jungkookie, are you hungry? Can hyung make you something to eat?" Yoongi asks, tentatively placing his hand on top, big enough to engulf the both of theirs.

Hobi grins, pleased, squeezing Jungkook's hand in the middle. "How about a sandwich, hyung? Ooh, do we have any bacon?" he adds hopefully.

Yoongi scoffs. "Make your own breakfast Hobi, I was talking to Gukkie."

He sees the boy perk up at the mention of his Little name, then dip his head to avoid their eyes. Yoongi hides a smile.

"I'm not hungry," mutters JK. But his own stomach calls him out right away, growling loud and clear. Even Namjoon huffs a little laugh and Hobi chortles in amusement. 

Yoongi reaches over to poke at JK's stomach.

"Oh? Is that a bear in Gukkie's tummy?" he smirks cheekily, his voice clearly teasing.

JK is startled into a smile, and a little giggle escapes before he clamps his lips together. He lifts his head slightly to glance at Yoongi, big doe eyes shiny with unshed tears. The elder gives him a wide, reassuring grin, gums and all.

"How about some cereal, Guk?" Namjoon suggests. "There's Weetabix, cornflakes... Cap'n Crunch?" he squints. "I didn't know we had that. And what's this, Froot Loops?"

JK gasps softly, sitting up and zeroing in on the bright red box in Namjoon's hand. "That's Gukki- m..my favourite!" he stammers, blinking away the dampness in his eyes. He looks back at Yoongi, earnestly plucking at his sleeve. "Can I have that one, hyungie?"

Yoongi smiles in satisfaction; JK's clearly getting started down the slope into his headspace. He reminds himself to thank Namjoon later for unwittingly playing along.

"Of course, baby. Joonie, bring it here for our Gukkie, will you?"

He turns and wiggles his eyebrows at the leader. Frowning, Namjoon hops off the bar stool to do his bidding. Normally the leader has little patience for any kind of pampering, but one look at Guk's pleading face and anyone would crumble.

Meanwhile, Hobi has wandered over to the sink for his own mug. "What do you want to drink, Gukkie? Coffee?" JK makes a face at that, so he looks over to the counter.

"We have juice, chocolate milk... banana milk?" Hobi picks up and shows off the little rhombus shaped plastic bottle.

" 'Nana milk!" JK springs to a stand, pointing excitedly at the drink in his hand.

Both Namjoon and Hobi freeze in the spot at the high, childish voice that comes out of the boy's mouth, thin and sweet with a slight lisp.

Triumphantly, Yoongi grins wider than the Cheshire cat. 

There we go, he thinks, Gukkie is slipping, alright. Now we just have to make sure he goes down the rest of the way.

Turning around, he plucks the bottle from Hobi and uses his fingers to zip his mouth, clearly signalling them to hold their comments. He waits a fraction until they nod, dumbfounded, before he turns back to the boy.

JK tries to snatch the drink and Yoongi holds it just out of his reach, chuckling when he starts pouting. 

"Nuh uh. Be a good boy and eat your Froot Loops first. Then you can have this, baby," he chides, booping the boy's scrunched up nose.

JK sighs dramatically, sulkily grasping the spoon and pulling the bowl of sugary cereal to him. "Promise, Yoonie hyung?" he checks, and at the elder's emphatic yes, proceeds to happily tuck into his breakfast.

Yoongi breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Fondly, he watches as the boy stuffs his cheeks full, splashing at the milk with his spoon until it splatters. Yoongi tsks and grabs a couple of tissues, tucking one down his shirtfront like a makeshift bib, then using the other to dab at his round cheeks. 

"Messy boy," he chides, "slow down a little, baby. Otherwise you'll choke," he warns. 

True enough, JK's next mouthful went down the wrong way. He splutters hard, face turning red as the spoon clatters onto the table. 

Before Yoongi could move, the other two leap into action. Hoseok grabs a glass of water and holds it up for JK, while Namjoon thumps at his back until he stops coughing, eyes watering.

Yoongi beams with pride. Looks like Gukkie won't be short of caregivers, after all.

Waving them aside, he moves to rub JK on his chest. He wipes tenderly at the tears on the boy's cheeks.

"You see, baby? I told you to slow down."

JK's bottom lip wobbles as he sniffs back his tears.

"sowwie, hyungie. Gukkie listen next time."

Namjoon sits down heavily in the nearest chair; the glass almost slips from Hobi's grip before he places it on the table with a loud thud. 

And the smile on Yoongi's face is the brightest he's had on all morning.

♧

Chapter Text

Taehyung hurries into the bedrooms to carry out the mission Yoongi had given him. It's all very exciting, this secret plan they have. 

Basically, Yoongi said they need to get JK back into his Little headspace, for two reasons. One, the involuntary episode he had last night proved that his stress level is abnormally high, and that he needs to spend time as a Little to relieve his stress. 

Two, JK seems to have forgotten what happened last night. If he doesn’t slip now while they’re around to look after him, he could jolly well snap and slip when he was out on schedule; or worse, out by himself in public. Tae shudders at the implications of that, if it were to happen. 

So Yoongi's solution is to persuade JK into littlespace now, as soon as he can be led into it, so that in time he learns to control it.

It's like having a weapon, Taehyung thinks. If you have it, and you don't train yourself to use it, it might go off when you least expect it and endanger not only yourself but others. 

Yeah, that's it. We're helping him, he tells himself, as he rifles through the storeroom for the stuff he needs.

First he opens up the fabric box, where they store their bedding and out of season clothes. He looks for the softest, thickest blanket he can find. The one at the bottom feels the best, so he pulls it out from under the rest, undoing the neat stack. Tae shrugs and crams the lid back on. We can deal with that later. 

Next, he hurries into Jimin and Hobi's room to their extra large wardrobe. He climbs on a swivel chair, sliding around until he clings to the top shelf. With his other hand he sweeps through the random items chucked inside. (Nobody mentions it, but they all toss in things that don't match the organised system Hobi has in the storeroom.) Finally his hand closes in on a thick, leather-covered object and he draws it out with a flourish.

Got it! Now for the last item.  

Tae jumps off the chair, careful to wheel it back into place at Hobi's desk, then bustles into the next room. He tiptoes around the pile of things on the floor (Why is it so messy? JK is neater than most). Again he zeroes in on the wardrobe. This should be easy, given it's half the size of Jimin and Hobi's. 

A minute later Tae unearths a large item, using both hands to tug it out from under a pile of sweaters. Again, the neatly folded pile cascades into a lopsided mess; Taehyung grimaces and shuts the door on it, silently promising JK to straighten it out.

Arms full, he heads carefully into the living room, keeping a ear out for the others. From the calm murmur of voices, he trusts Yoongi is carrying out his part of the plan. 

He hurries to set up the den for the scene. He arranges the blanket on the sofa, fetching cushions from the other chairs to pile them all together. Then he tucks the biggest thing into the corner, draping over the blanket to hide it.

Next, he puts the leather-bound book on the coffee table, flipping it open to the perfect page, nearly giggling out loud. 

Finally he gets the remote and cues a movie on Netflix. He picks the one he thinks JK would love (not Frozen, thank god). 

That’s it, he thinks giddily, we're ready. 

Taehyung steps back and surveys the den, then pauses when he feels something is lacking. His brain churns for a few seconds, then he swivels on his heels and heads back to the rooms. Better be quick, Yoongi will bring him out any time now. 

He pulls out the luggage in the corner of his room, throwing it open and frantically pawing through the jumble of bags. Wth a cry of joy he finds a box and tears it open.

Then he hears the voices start to drift from the kitchen to the living room. 

Heart pounding, Tae sprints back to the den, just in time to toss the things in his hand onto the floor. He uses a foot to push them out of sight under the coffee table.

"Taehyung? What are you doing?" Namjoon calls out as he wanders in, followed by Hobi, who has a slackjawed expression on his face. 

"Oh hyung! I'm watching a movie, wanna join?" Tae grins, sweeping a hand towards the set up. Without waiting for a reply, he heads over to the couch, purposely sitting in the middle and plumping up the cushions around him. 

Namjoon shrugs and chooses the loveseat, while Hobi sinks into the armchair next to the couch, still looking gobsmacked. Taehyung utters a silent thanks for small favours. If Hobi had been his usual self, he'd have grumbled about the cushions Tae hoarded for the sofa. 

Then his attention is stolen by the latest arrivals. Taehyung holds his breath in fascination.

Yoongi is leading JK into the den step by step, holding tightly onto his hand. The boy is rubbing his eyes, frowning and looking adorably sleepy. 

Something tells Taehyung that Yoongi has carried out his part of the plan perfectly.

The huge grin he gives him a second later proves it.

"Gukkie, why don't you sit here with TaeTae? Hyungie will be right back," Yoongi says warmly, practically dropping the boy in Taehyung's lap.

JK hums, limp and pliant as Tae pulls him to sit down. Giggling, Tae piles the cushions around him, surrounding the boy in a cosy nest, the thick fluffy blanket soft and warm under him. Soon only his face can be seen peeking out from the mound of cushions, still blinking in exhaustion.

"Are you sleepy, bun?" Tae laughs. JK's eyes immediately snap open and he stubbornly shakes his head. "Nuh...no. Gukkie wants to hang out with hyungies," he insists. The effect was quite spoiled when he followed up with a yawn big enough to split his face in two. Tae snickers, then wipes off his smile for an innocent look when JK glares at him. 

"Joonie, can you start the movie please?" Taehyung asks sweetly.

"What are we watching?" Hobi perks up in his seat, interested. 

"Oh, just something fun. It's too early for anything heavy," Taehyung crosses his fingers behind his back and winks heavily in their direction, praying the hyungs won't question his choice. 

It's for Gukkie, after all. 

Hobi shrugs as the music starts playing. On the screen, colourful pictures of a pretty coastline start alternating with beautifully drawn ocean creatures. He sneaks a look at JK, who leans forward to focus on the screen. 

When the title screen flashes, he frowns. ”Ponyo?”

"Yeah! Don't you love this movie, Gukkie?" 

"Isn't it too… childish?" He trails off, small-voiced and hesitant. 

"Nonsense," Namjoon replies shortly. "Hayao Miyazaki is a master of storytelling. Many of his animated films have an ethical discourse at its core..." 

As he drones on, JK snuggles back into the cushions, a tiny, relieved smile on his face. Rubbing his hands on the incredibly soft and plush blanket, he pauses when he finds the oddly shaped lump hidden away in the corner.

Puzzled, he pulls out the object and gapes when a huge rabbit soft toy lands in his lap.

"Cooky!" he cries joyfully. "You wanna watch Ponyo too?" 

Tae giggles at how happy he sounds. Even Joon and Hobi are smiling, totally endeared. 

"Look who's here! I thought he'd like to join us," Taehyung tugs playfully at one floppy ear. "He was in your closet all by himself, you know." 

JK gasps. "Sowwie Cooky… was it sooo dark and scawy? Das ok, Gukkie’s here now," he hugs the soft toy, burying his face into its fluffy tummy. He looks back up to give Taehyung a grateful smile. "Thanks, Tata hyung," he says shyly. 

Taehyung beams, his heart feeling lighter than it has all week. Little Gukkie is adorable . 

The movie plays on and JK leans forward, entranced. Cooky the toy sits on his lap, the boy fiddling with its ears as he focuses on the show, eyes wide and shiny as coins; mouth open in a little 'O'. 

Not long after, Yoongi rejoins them, freshly showered and alert. He tsks his tongue as soon as he sees JK. 

"Sweetheart, don't put that in your mouth. It's all icky, come on." 

Surprised, Tae looks over to see JK nibbling one of the bunny's ears. Guiltily, he lets it drop and looks around the room, shamefaced. 

"sowwie, hyungie. sowwie, Cooky," he adds, kissing the toy on its nose. 

Taehyung clutches his heart and pretends to keel over. He wants to die from how cute Gukkie is.

Yoongi chuckles fondly, ruffling the boy's hair. "That's okay baby. You still want the banana milk? You didn't get to have it just now." 

" 'Nana milk!" JK crows, gleeful. Then his face turns doubtful. 

"But Gukkie dint’ finish eating. Gukkie bad?" He stares woefully at the elder, his bottom lip already jutting out.

"Nawww, it's alright sweetie. He can still have the milk, right hyung?” Tae cuts in, daring Yoongi to say no.

“Yeah. Gukkie's a good boy," Yoongi hugs JK from the back, kissing the top of his head. 

This time the whole room resounds with a collective "awww", as the Little giggles delightedly, round cheeks bunched up and sparkly eyed. 

"Gukkie good boy!" he parrots, grinning as they all chorus that yes, yes he is. 

Hobi leaps to his feet and scurries over. 

"You know what good boys get?" 

"Yes, hyungie?" JK asks innocently, eyes wide in anticipation. 

"Good boys get hugs…." Hobi throws his arms around him, squeezing tight. 

"...and kisses…." he loudly smooches at the boy's cheeks, "...and tickles!" 

JK squeals, dropping Cooky in a hurry as both Hobi and Tae attack his sides, tickling the poor boy within an inch of his life. They carry on mercilessly until Namjoon tells them to knock it off before the boy ends up in tears. 

By the time Yoongi returns with the banana milk, all three of them have collapsed on the sofa, piled in a tangle of arms and legs. JK was whining softly.

"Here you go, baby. What's wrong?"

"Hurts," JK complains, rubbing at his left shoulder. "...ouchie here." 

Taehyung sits up. "It must be from when he slept all funny last night, hyung." 

Yoongi sets the drink down on the table and winces. The boy had said nothing earlier, but he could have been trying to hide it when he woke up big. 

He beckons him closer, rolling up his sleeve to examine his arm. Then he tugs down the collar of the sweater to peer at his shoulder. 

What he sees makes him hiss in sympathy. The skin around the boy’s neck and shoulder had been rubbed red, and a painful-looking rash bloomed in patches down his arm. 

"Oh, baby. Is that why you kept scratching last night? Let's give you a bath later, okay?" JK frowns reluctantly, bringing the squishy toy into his lap to hide his face behind it.

"But first, have your drink," Yoongi smiles, poking the little straw into the bottle of banana milk and offering it to the boy. 

Eagerly, JK grabs it and pops the straw in his mouth. He sucks noisily at the straw, smacking his lips at the sweet taste.

“Nummy! Want some, Cooky?” Obligingly, he pokes the straw at the rabbit, dripping sticky liquid all down the squishy toy’s face and his own arm.

Hobi slaps his forehead and groans. “Nooo Gukkie, that's so messy! Look. Now both you and Cooky are going to need a bath.” He tries to give a stern look, but pauses when JK pouts mightily, chin quivering like he could cry any moment. He fixes Hobi with beseeching puppy eyes; the elder caves faster than you can say ‘Pied Piper’, agreeing that JK can stay at least until the movie ends. 

Grinning at their antics, Yoongi pulls Tae aside. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” 

♧

The minute Yoongi shuts the door to his bedroom, Taehyung pounces. "How did we do, hyung? Did it work??" he demands, shaking the elder's arm in excitement.

"Yeah, it did," smiles Yoongi. "You did great, Tae." 

"So Jungkookie is really Little now? Oh boy, I can't wait to tell Jimin about it! Did you see him hyung?? He's sooo cuteeee," Taehyung gushes, flinging his hands about in enthusiasm. 

"That's what I want to talk to you about, actually. Slow down a little." Yoongi sits on his bed and pats the mattress next to him. 

"Now, I know Jimin crashes hard after a late night of drinking like yesterday. It's just past ten am, so he's probably still asleep at home. Do you know what plans he has today?" 

"Yeah, he was gonna meet me in the afternoon to do some shopping," says Taehyung, settling down next to Yoongi on the bed. "We both wanted to get more presents for when we go back home to Busan and Daegu next weekend." The band was getting the rest of the month of October off from group schedules, so some of the members had decided to visit their hometowns for a spell. 

"Perfect,” says Yoongi. “Text Jimin and ask him to swing by the dorms first. Brief him about what's happening with Jungkook, and tell him we'll explain more when he gets here," he instructs. 

"Gukkie just managed to slip, and I don't want Jiminie to scare him out of it. But I also want him to see Little Gukkie, so he can decide if he wants to help out or stay clear of the whole thing. At any rate, everyone should at least be aware of the situation right now." 

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Taehyung whips out his phone and begins furiously texting. 

Yoongi leans back and considers if there was anything else he missed out. Outside, the sounds of the movie play on; occasionally Little JK’s voice pipes up with a question, and he’s gratified to hear both Namjoon and Hobi answering the Little, in their own fashion. 

Abruptly, Tae speaks up, oddly tense. “Do you think Jungkookie will get mad at us for like, trapping him in this headspace?” 

Yoongi pauses, appraising the younger boy beside him. Taehyung has always had a strong sense of right and wrong; it’s only natural that he would worry about the implications of what they did. 

He shrugs, not overly worried. “We won’t know until we have a proper discussion with him - which we will, as soon as he’s Big again. I don’t think he’ll be too upset, once he understands that we did it for his own safety.” 

Relieved, Taehyung leaps to his feet and shoves the phone back in his pocket. 

“Okay hyung, if you say so. Come on then! I wanna see how little Gukkie is doing,” he calls out, hurrying back out to the den. 

Yoongi smiles ruefully at the younger’s enthusiasm. He's glad that Taehyung is taking to it like a duck to water, although he should have expected it, given the boy’s ease and comfort with kids. All that experience with his cousins, nephews and nieces have really come in handy with Little Gukkie. 

♧

Taehyung skips his way to the living room, all eager and excited to see Little JK. 

Hobi has settled on the sofa, JK snuggled up nice and cosy next to him, holding tight onto the huge Cooky stuffy even though it almost blocks his view of the movie. 

Taehyung pouts, miffed at having his place taken, but settles down on the carpet in front of the sofa, leaning against JK's legs. He sees that the movie is about halfway through. Remembering Hobi's threat to drag JK for a shower the moment the show ends, Tae starts to think of ways he can delay it so he has more time with the Little. JK is still watching Ponyo with rapt attention, so he'll have to get his notice somehow.

Casually, he looks over at the coffee table. 

"Oh! What's this we have here?" he muses out loud, pulling the big rectangular book closer.

He flips it open to reveal a bunch of photos, all neatly arranged and labelled. 

"Awww, look at that! It's all of us as babies! Look, hyung!" He plops the album onto Hobi's knee. Obligingly, the elder examines the pictures, flipping the pages and laughing out loud at what he sees. 

"Is this from when they told us to bring our baby pictures from home, for the show? Look how adorable these are!" 

Tae grins happily, pleased that Hobi is reacting just as he hoped. 

His interest perked, JK turns away from the show to peek at the album.

"This Gukkie?" he asks wonderingly, pointing at a snapshot of two boys in a sandpit, grinning gap-teethed with spades in their hands. 

Tae chuckles. "No, sweetie. That's Yoongi hyung! And his older brother. This is you, see?" He flips the page to show a toddler in blue overalls, a yellow binky in his mouth.

"Gukkie small?? Gukkie so baby!" giggles the Little, smacking at the photo.

"That's right, pumpkin," Tae says fondly, petting the boy's head. "You were even littler then! Just an ickle widdle babie. You couldn't have been more than two years old," he declares. "How old are you now, sweetheart?" he adds slyly. 

JK beams, cutely crinkling his nose. "Gukkie is five! Gukkie big boy now," he says proudly, holding up a hand to show all five fingers. 

From the corner of his eyes, Taehyung sees Namjoon doing a double take; he whips around to glare at the leader, silently willing him not to say anything. Namjoon gives a hesitant nod, his hands held up placating.

Hobi pulls JK into a side hug, ruffling at his hair. " Aigooo, look at our little baby, all grown up now," he croons. 

Taehyung heaves a sigh of relief that at least one of his hyungs seems to be taking it in his stride. 

Time for the next part of the plan. 

"Hmmm, if Gukkie's a big boy…. guess he wouldn't like these toys," he says regretfully, shrugging as he turns away. 

"Toys? Tata got toys??" JK gasps, bouncing excitedly in his seat. 

Taehyung grins and draws out a bunch of stuff from under the coffee table with a flourish. 

"Let's see… here's Spiderman…. Wonderwoman… and who's this one again…" 

"IronMan!" JK jumps out of his seat with a shout, reaching over to snatch at the action figures Tae has lined up on the table in front of him. 

The older boy quickly blocks him with an outstretched arm, shaking a finger in his face.

"Nuh uh, that's not how we get things, baby. You have to ask nicely!" 

JK blinks and puts on his sweetest smile. "Tata hyungie, can Gukkie haf toys? Pweaseeee," he draws out, tugging at the older boy's wrist. 

A loud snort makes everyone look back. Yoongi leans against the wall, arms crossed and a big smirk on his lips. 

Taking advantage of the distraction, JK ducks around Taehyung to grab the toy and burrow into the corner of the sofa, giggling. 

"Why, you little….! Come back here," growls the older boy, pouncing on the Little and pretending to attack him. 

As the two shriek and yell in a play fight, Yoongi beckons to Namjoon and Hobi for a quiet talk. He checks in with them and how they're taking the situation with Little JK. They were quick to assure him that although they found it astounding at first, both of them are finding the Little unfairly adorable; Hobi admits sheepishly that he can see himself being a total pushover, even more than usual. 

In the raucous din of their playing, no one hears it when the front door beeps. 

Then it crashes open and someone rushes in with a loud cry, startling everyone out of their skins. 

"Gukkie! Where's my baby, what have they done to you?!" 

They all gape at the newcomer in their midst, who stands glaring at everyone with his arms on his hips, chest heaving and looking fit to burst.

"... Minnie hyungie!" a joyful shout greets him, and Jimin rushes over to the den, bullying his way past an astonished Taehyung to gather Little JK in a fierce embrace. 

"Owwie, hyungie," JK whimpers, clutching at his shoulder. Jimin hurriedly loosens his grip and holds him by his arms, peering worriedly at the Little. 

Whipping around, he sends a death glare at everyone in the room. 

"Why is he hurt? If any of you did or said anything…" he hisses. 

Yoongi steps forward cautiously, throwing Taehyung a puzzled glance. 

"Jimin-ah? Why are you so mad? Didn't Taehyung say to come over so we can explain?" 

Jimin scoffs, putting his arms protectively around the younger boy, who snuggles into his neck with a happy sigh.

"Yeah, he sent a text saying, 'Gukkie is a big baby. Come now but don't say anything.'" 

Yoongi groans, rolling his eyes at Taehyung, who shrugs as if to say 'well what else did you expect me to write?'

"Have you guys been making fun of him while he's Little?" Jimin continues ranting, face turning quite red the more he gets worked up. "It's not his fault. He can't help it, okay?!!" 

"Wait," Taehyung says slowly, "...so you know about him being a Little?" 

"Of course I know. I'm his closest hyung, aren't I?" he snaps. "I've been keeping an eye on him since it's been ages since he's slipped, but after yesterday I should have known he'd fall right into headspace," Jimin grimaces, rubbing the boy soothingly on his back. 

His words meet a shocked silence, before a clamour of voices rise to make themselves heard, demanding an explanation. 

JK flinches at the raised voices, burying his face further into the crook of his hyung's neck, whining in distress. When Jimin looks down, the Little has his thumb firmly in his mouth, eyes screwed shut in discomfort. 

"Pipe down, all of you! Can't you see you're scaring him?!" he demands, pulling the boy closer into his grasp.

At that, everyone falls into a guilty quiet. 

After a few moments, JK cautiously opens his eyes, then raises his head to look around the room. 

He seems preoccupied, mumbling to himself as his head swivels around to each of the members. 

"Minnie hyungie… Tata hyung… Yoonie hyung… Hobi hyungie… Joonie hyung…" 

Suddenly, his Little voice pipes up. 

"Where JinJin? …JinJin hyungie not come back?" he asks hopefully, looking imploringly at each of them. "Gukkie miss JinJin," says the boy, his bottom lip wobbling precariously.

To a man, their faces turn ashen as they exchange panic-stricken looks. 

How will they explain to Little Gukkie that Jin hyung has left for the army, and won't be coming back for a long, long time? 

♧

Chapter Text

When JK stirred awake, it was gradually at first. Beams of sunlight filtering through the blinds fell in fat stripes across his face. Screwing up his eyes, he smacked his lips a few times, the pillow damp with a patch of drool. 

Finally he cracked his eyes open, and all at once realised his odd position on the bed. 

His shoulder was all squished behind the bed frame, the wall cold against his back; his left arm and leg hidden altogether. 

Groaning, JK gathered his strength and pushed against the wall, biceps straining against the heavy bed frame. Reluctantly, it shifted away from the wall until eventually he freed himself from the gap.

Wincing, he sat up and swung his legs off the bed. 

When his foot met the floor with a thud, JK froze. 

Huh. Why didn’t I take this boot off? 

He frowned, his head kind of achy and fuzzy. Must have been the somaek last night. 

He stood up with a big stretch, grimacing at the sore tug on his shoulder; then paused as he took in the bright pink fluffy sweater he had on.

...Isn’t this Jin hyung’s sweater? 

Actually, isn't this his room…?? 

Confused, he made a slow turn, taking in the clean walls, free of any posters. The floor too was spotless, other than the pillows he'd kicked off in his sleep. 

Yeah, definitely not my room.

For a long, perplexed moment Jungkook just stood in the middle of the room, wracking his brains for any memory of how he had ended up sleeping in his hyung’s bedroom last night instead of his own. 

It felt like he was forgetting something really important, but what? His head felt stuffed full of cotton but gripped in a metal vice; skull too tight for his swollen brain. The more he strained to remember, the more it pounded. Even hitting the back of his head with an open palm didn't help. 

Everything from after the dinner party was coming up a big blank. 

Discomfited, JK finally gave up and headed outside. He was starving for some breakfast. Food first; anything else can wait. 

Wandering down the corridor to the kitchen, he heard a murmur of voices and perked right up. 

Ooh, hyungies are home! Maybe someone will make me breakfast, he thinks happily. Odd, he didn’t think any of them would be at the dorm today, but he’s eager for company so he doesn’t mind. 

He entered the kitchen with a skip to his step, still yawning widely as he tried to stretch himself awake. 

“Hyungs? What are you doing here?” 

Strange. Everyone just froze and gaped at JK, as if he was the intruder. 

The next few moments kind of passed by in a blurry rush. Taetae hyung was fussing all over him, Hobi hyung grumbled about his dirty boot and Yoongi hyung… Well Yoongi hyung didn’t say much, as usual, but he very kindly helped JK take his boot off. 

And then Taehyung innocently said he saw JK last night. And Namjoon hyung started asking why he was crying. 

JK felt so confused and upset, he didn’t feel like he could even speak anymore. His memory of last night was starting to filter back in bits and pieces, and he could fill in the rest. It's obvious what must have happened; he must have slipped on his own, badly, and Taehyung must have seen it. JK started to quietly panic.

Anything he said now would be an excuse; even if he told the truth, they wouldn’t believe him. They’d still think he was lying. They’d be so hurt and disappointed and grossed out and and nobody would love him anymore-

With a start, JK found himself sitting at the dining table. Yoongi hyung and Hobi hyung were holding his hand tight. JK felt his chin start to wobble. 

Hyungies can’t know Gukkie’s secret, he told himself fiercely. Hyungies won’t like Gukkie no more. 

He shook his head, trying to clear away the fuzzy feeling with little success. He tried to get out of breakfast, but then his tummy growled so loudly Yoonie hyung asked if it was a bear! 

Silly Yoonie! Gukkie is boy, not bear. JK chortled, trying but failing to keep his giggles to himself.

Then Joonie hyung showed him that super bright red box, his faaaavourite cereal in the whole world! Gukkie was so happy! Gukkie wanted it so much! 

Maybe if he asked nicely they’ll give it to him? 

JK pulled at Yoongi’s sleeve, giving his best puppy-eyed look. "Can Gukkie please have that one, hyung?" he asked sweetly. 

And he got it! Oh boy, this was gonna be so great~

And and omigosh wait… Was that his favourite drink too?! 

“ ‘Nana milk!” JK crowed in his high, childish voice, overjoyed to see the bottle in Hobi’s hand.

He wondered why only Yoonie hyung was smiling so cheerfully, though. Joonie and Hobi hyungies looked funny with their mouths open so big like that, JK giggled to himself. 

Wrong move. In a flash, the cereal he was shovelling in went down the wrong way. JK started coughing and spluttering, his eyes tearing from the sharp pain.

He kept whining and gagging until hyungs helped him drink water, and finally the coughing fit passed. 

JK was still shaken and breathless, but Joonie and Hobi were being so nice and good and he liked them lots.

Still, his favourite might just be Yoonie hyung. 

Even when Yoonie was scolding him for not eating slower, he kept his voice low, not overwhelming JK's sensitive hearing. And he still had a little smile twitching his lips, so JK knew he wasn't really angry. 

"sowwie, hyungie. Gukkie listen next time," JK cutely apologized, sniffing back his tears. 

(Again, he almost giggled at the funny faces Joonie and Hobi hyung made, but this time he managed not to.)

Meanwhile Yoongi had cleared his bowl and the mess he made, and was now patiently waiting for JK to calm down by stroking his thick, wavy hair. His soothing touch and soft murmurs made JK feel all light and floaty, like a soap bubble flying gaily in the wind. 

Something popped and JK felt his chest loosen. It just became easier to breathe. It was like a huge weight falling off his shoulders; so much he forgot what he'd been trying so hard not to do. 

So when Yoonie hyung tugged softly at his hands, Gukkie obediently stood up and followed him. Carefully, still wobbly on his feet. But he didn't even think to ask where they were going.

It's his Yoonie hyung, after all. Gukkie would follow him anywhere. 

♧

As he trustingly went with his hyung, he faintly heard the TV switching on in the den, and Yoonie telling him they could watch something fun.

In a minute, he found himself plopped onto someone's lap.

Oh. It's Tata hyung, he thought vaguely, smiling to himself. Gukkie likes Tata. 

JK was starting to feel sleepy again. A part of him had been yammering away in a panic, far back in his brain; but he was so tired now. He just wanted to stop. 

All the problems that Jungkook carried by himself everyday, getting heavier and heavier the more he hoarded them, not letting anyone see the depths of his growing despair. 

He just wanted to let it all go. He wanted to not be Jeon Jungkook for a while.

Not the hwangeum maknae, the ever talented youngest of BTS, accidental superstar and darling of K-pop fans all over the world. He loved his fans, he really did. He wouldn't have inked them into his skin otherwise. But it was all so much. Too much, sometimes. The times got lesser and lesser, when he got to be-not BTS Jungkook, but JK--just JK. 

Just a boy, longing for the lost freedom of his youth, if he even had one. 

Maybe this time, he could.

Maybe now, he could even be just Gukkie, for a little while. He had his hyungies here, after all. Hyungies would keep him safe, right? 

Between watching the movie Ponyo and playing with his Tata hyung, and fielding tickles and kisses from sweet Hobi hyung, Gukkie quite forgot everything that had been making him so unhappy, even how he woke up stuck behind the bed this morning.

That is, until he saw his Yoongi hyung again.

Right on cue, Gukkie whined for his attention, only now aware of the pain in his shoulder and the itching of his skin. 

But it backfired when they said he needed a bath.

Pouting, Gukkie tried to hide behind his friend Cooky. The big squishy rabbit was so huggable and fuzzy and soft; Gukkie loved him so much. He was so glad Tata hyungie rescued his friend from the scary dark cupboard. 

All of a sudden Gukkie remembered just who had given him Cooky the squishy. 

As if by magic, Jimin burst in through the front door, crying out for his Gukkie.

Next thing he knew, Minnie hyung was hugging him so tight. And Little Gukkie just melted into his arms, pushing his face into his beloved hyungie's neck, cowering away from the loud voices of the others. 

He didn't get why they were all shouting. Gukkie hated it when they did. He just wanted everyone to get along and be happy.

Everyone…?

Twisting around, Gukkie started to count all the hyungs in the room, mumbling to himself. 

"Minnie hyungie… Tata hyung… Yoonie hyung… Hobi hyungie… Joonie hyung…" 

He held up a hand and peered at his fingers. That was five. 

Five hyungies. But...That's not right.

Gukkie had six.

Six hyungies whom he loved very much. And who he would be devastated not to have around all the time, like he's always had.

So where did the last hyung go?

"…JinJin hyungie not come back?" he asked hopefully, looking imploringly at each of the hyungs in turn. 

But noone answered him. Everyone just looked stunned, or shocked, or even scared. 

It gave Gukkie a bad feeling in his tummy. 

"Gukkie miss JinJin," he repeated shakily, face crumpling; a big sob building up in his throat. 

The bad thing inside grew even bigger; the overwhelming feeling that he was forgetting something, something important.

In the end, it was the panicked looks they shot each other that finally tipped him over. 

Gukkie broke down, sobbing like his little heart was breaking. 

♧

If Jimin thought he couldn't panic any more than he did getting Tae's message this morning, he was wrong.

This is him panicking, right now. Gukkie in his arms, sobbing his little heart out; the others standing around shell-shocked, unable to move or say a word. Jimin's own chest was squeezing like a burst balloon, all the anger and frustration leaking out leaving only the sad rubber shape of his sorrow. 

Gukkie was hurting, and he found it devastating that he didn't know how to help the little one. 

Just as Jimin was about to burst into tears himself, warm hands settled on his shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. He recognized Yoongi hyung's firm, calming touch at once.

Turning around, Jimin gave him a pleading look. 

Hyung, he begged with his eyes, help our Gukkie, please. 

Carefully, Yoongi eased himself onto the sofa next to them. From the corner of his eyes Jimin saw Tae bury himself in Hobi's arms, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Namjoon sank into the armchair with an air of despondency, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

Yoongi alone was the calm in the eye of the storm.

Gently, he prised Gukkie's hands away from where he had them clutched in Jimin's pullover in a death grip.

"Gukkie, baby? Will you listen to hyung, sweetie?" 

After a couple of minutes, both of them soothing their hands over his head and shoulders, Gukkie drew a shuddering breath and grew still. 

Jimin murmured soothing nonsense to the boy in his arms, giving Yoongi another look.

But in the end, it was Namjoon who surprised them all.

"Gukkie? Which one did you say this is, sweetcheeks? Oh! Hyung knows…. Is it Superman? Superman wears red, right?" 

Surprised, they looked up to find the leader perched on the edge of the coffee table, an action figure in his hand. He held it up to catch JK's attention and tilted his head. 

All of them craned their necks to check out Gukkie's reaction. The boy was rubbing furiously at his face, smearing snot and tears all over his sleeve. Then he shot Namjoon a scathing look.

"NO, Joonie! That's Ironman, silly hyungie. Gimme! Gukkie want," he demanded crossly, stretching his arm to snatch at the toy.

Yoongi tsk-ed his tongue and JK paused, hand wavering in the air, peeking over Jimin's shoulder at the elder. 

"What did Tata tell you about asking nicely, bun?"

All he had to do was quirk an eyebrow and Gukkie slumped in his seat, chastened. 

"And good boys don't shout at our hyungs, do we?" 

Snuffling, Gukkie sullenly shook his head and looked back at Namjoon. "Gukkie sowwie, Joonie hyung. G…Gukkie want Ironman. p..pls hyungie?" He blinked fetchingly, his big wet eyes bringing a pang to their hearts.

Namjoon made a show of tapping his finger on his chin.

“Will Gukkie promise to be good, then?” 

JK nodded earnestly, bobbing his head up and down till his hair flew everywhere.

Chuckling, Namjoon brushed the fringe out of his eyes. “Good boys don’t throw tantrums, do they?” The Little shook his head fervently. “And do good boys listen to their hyungs?” Gukkie nodded, a little slower this time. "So will you listen first to what we have to say? After that you can have Ironman, promise." 

Gukkie looked at him doubtfully, then glanced at Yoongi hyung. He twisted around to see Jimin smiling at him, and then turned back to Namjoon, still hesitating.

"Go on Gukkie," Tae prompted, "I'll give you all of the toys to keep in your room, if you listen." 

Eagerly, JK nodded, fingers sneaking into his mouth. Yoongi smiled indulgently and let him, so he could self-soothe while they had the difficult talk. He made a mental note to ask Jimin if Gukkie actually uses a binky when he slips. Assuming he has slipped with Jimin around, which Yoongi could definitely see happening from how protective he was around the boy. 

“Baby? I want you to listen first before you ask any questions, okay? Can you do that for hyungie?” Yoongi coaxed. 

JK nodded, furiously sucking at his thumb with a deep crease between his eyebrows. 

“Thank you, pumpkin.” He takes a deep breath and goes for it. "So you know in our country, all grown up boys have to serve in the army. They do this in many countries, so that the men can help to protect the people. Just in case something happens, right?" 

Gukkie looked pretty clueless, but he nodded to show he was listening. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath, one of them loudly gulping. Yoongi continued, his tone softening.

"Remember how Jin hyung is our oldest hyungie?" JK bobbed his head. "So our Jinnie turned 30 years old this month--yes, that big!" Yoongi smiled as JK's eyes widened, his mouth falling open in amazement. Smiling and rubbing the boy's back, Jimin picked up the discussion.

"Do you understand, pumpkin? Jinnie has to go away, to the army. So they can train him to be a soldier," he paused to check in with JK. The Little's eyes were huge as he stared at Jimin, and Yoongi, then back at Jimin. 

"....JinJin hyungie go ‘way?” he lisped, "but… but when?" 

"Babybun," Tae joined in, "Jinnie hyung already went. You don't remember? All of us went to the camp to send him off yesterday. Look," he showed his phone, "We all took pictures." 

JK stiffened. He looked shattered. He stared into thin air, his eyes rapidly glazing with a familiar wetness. When he spoke again his voice was barely a thread. "No," he whispered. "Gukkie don't want Jinjin to go." He started breathing hard, hands clenched into fists.

A tense silence fell over the room.

Impulsively, JK reached out and smacked the phone out of Taehyung's hand. "Tata’s lying! Jinjin hyungie can't go away! Gukkie won't let him," he shouted, furious as anything, arms flailing as Jimin tried to keep him from slipping off his lap. 

For a moment nobody moved as JK struggled. Yoongi reached over to help, but it was Namjoon who finally stood up and hauled the hysterical boy off poor Jimin.

He took the Little by his shoulders and sat him down firmly in the armchair, leaning forward to cage him in with his arms. "Jeon Jungkook," Namjoon warned, "behave yourself." 

JK stopped trying to escape, panting as he glared up at the leader. Jimin hissed in displeasure at Namjoon not calling Gukkie by his Little name. The last thing they needed was for the boy to slip out of headspace while he was in turmoil. It could all go wrong, if he was shocked out of it like this.

If he didn't feel safe in littlespace, Jungkook would never slip again. And that would spell disaster for all of them, sooner or later. 

Before Jimin could yell, Hobi moved forward. “Joonie, let me speak to Gukkie.” 

Reluctantly, Namjoon stepped back, arms folded in anger. Hobi crouched down so that he was looking JK in the eyes. The Little had his knees drawn up, arms clutched tight around them, rocking his body side to side. His thumb was back in his mouth, face wet from sobbing. 

Hobi’s heart ached to see his beloved JK so unhappy.

“Darling, will you calm down for me?” He placed his hands reassuringly on top of JK’s knees, mindful not to make it seem like he was restraining him in any way. Hobi waited until the Little blinked at him, eyes brimming over with fresh tears. “Baby, you know hyungies love you so much, don’t you? Yoonie hyung, Joonie hyung, Minnie hyung and me?”

Again, he patiently waited until JK gave a grudging nod. 

“And Taehyungie hyung? You know he loves you too, right?” The Little stiffened in his seat, shooting a quick look at Taehyung, who had squeezed in next to Jimin and was furtively wiping away his own tears. Tae gave him a wobbly smile, and JK hastily looked away, hiding his face behind his knees. 

“Gukkie, would Taetae lie to you? Hmm?” Hobi tilted the boy’s chin so he could meet his eyes, love and compassion shining clear in his gaze. 

Shakily, JK drew a deep breath and shook his head. 

“Look at him, Gukkie. You made him so sad when you hit him earlier. Jimin hyung, too. They were just trying to help you.” Hobi's voice was gentle and soothing as he tried to reason with the boy.J K shuddered, dashing away his tears while Hobi rubbed his knee. “You know what to do, baby.” He stood up and nodded towards the sofa.

It took a couple more seconds, then JK was flinging himself out of the armchair and barrelling into his two hyungs, wailing and babbling his apologies. Soon all three of the maknaes were hugging fiercely, giggling through their tears as JK pressed snotty kisses all over their faces. 

The older members sighed in relief, flopping into the other chairs around the den. They conferred in low voices, discussing if the crisis had been averted for now, and Namjoon volunteered to double check again if JK truly understood the situation. 

“Taetae and Jiminie, will you let Gukkie go for a second?” 

The two of them paused their fussing as JK looked up at him expectantly, still perched in their laps. Joon smiled at the picture they made, and in a much kindlier voice, asked if JK understood now about Jin leaving. 

The Little pouted, but didn’t immediately tear up like he’d half feared. 

“Gukkie’s a big boy, hyung. Gukkie knows Tata told the truth. Jinjin… Seokjin hyungie went to the army. He gonna be a brave soldier and and, if any bad people come near us he will shoot them! He gon’ be a hero,” declared the Little, eyes shining. “Gukkie’s hero! Just like Ironman!” 

Laughing delightedly, Taehyung handed him the toy and JK swooped it through the air, going 'pewpewpew'. All of them looked immensely relieved, amused and besotted with the Little’s antics. Soon enough Hobi was nagging them to go wash up, covered in snot and tears as they were. 

“Come with me, baby. I’ll run you a nice hot bath,” Yoongi coaxed, reaching out for the boy. 

“'kay, Papa. Upsies?” JK held his arms up, puppy eyes begging to be carried. 

Startled, Yoongi laughed and gathered him up, perching the boy securely on one hip before staggering to the bathroom. 

“Did you hear that? Papa,” Jimin whispered, sniffing away happy tears. "Oh, I’ve been longing for Gukkie to have a proper caregiver... He’s too stubborn to even let me do it. Oh, this is going to do him so much good,” he rambled on, beaming at the others. 

Everyone went quite giddy, as all the tension of the day dissipated.

Until Taehyung cleared his throat. 

“So who’s gonna tell him that we’re all going to have to enlist in the army? Like, soon?” 

If all of them groan and start pelting him with cushions, well he very much deserved it. 

As for that particular question…. They can worry about it another day. 

♧

Chapter Text

Just to update that the next part of the series is up! Too Fast Too Soon is a bit more serious and will see more of big Jungkook, plus some drama with the hyungs. Excited to share it with all of you! 💜