ATEEZ Little Space

Oh Sannie, Baby (Part 3)

The day has come.

San woke up big this morning, mostly out of anxiety. Yunho had been there to calm him down, help him get ready to face the others. It was late in the morning, around 10am, so everyone was awake, silently awaiting the appearance of their little bandmate.

"I'm scared, Yun. I know I shouldn't be but.." San has his head in his hands, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"It's alright to be nervous." Yunho comforts the boy, rubbing one of his hands in the boy's hair. "If you want, I can get Seonghwa or Hongjoong for you, they're a little more parent-like that I am."

San nods slightly, quietly apologising for wanting someone different. "You shouldn't apologise, I just want you to be comfortable. This is about you, Sannie."

Yunho presses a kiss to the back of San's head before leaving the room. Only a minute later, Seonghwa enters, instantly sitting beside San and wrapping his arm around the stressed boy.

"You okay, bub?" Seonghwa asks. San nods, lifting his head from his hands. "You can change your mind, y'know? We won't be mad."

"I wanna do this, I just need to calm down." San leans into Seonghwa's embrace. The elder wraps his other arm around San, letting the boy rest for a moment, mumbling sweet reassurances. About ten minutes later, San completely relaxes, curling into Seonghwa's side. Seonghwa's hesitant to say anything, not wanting to startle the boy, or come to the wrong conclusion.

After an additional five minutes of San being completely relaxed, Seonghwa decides to ask the boy, "Are you little, sweetheart?"

He gets a nod in return and smiles, happy that the little trusts him enough to regress. The door opens and Yunho sticks his head in, silent but a clear question on his face. Sannie is still buried in Seonghwa's side and doesn't notice the other caregiver, but Seonghwa gives a nod followed by a shake of the head. Yunho gets the message and leaves silently, giving the little space.

"Do you wanna get ready to see your hyungies, baby?" Seonghwa asks the little softly. Sannie nods and moves out of Seonghwa's embrace, standing up on shaky legs. Seonghwa goes to support the little but he pushes the hands away, toddling towards the closet. Seonghwa follows closely behind, but doesn't reach out towards the boy, who seems to not want his help.

Sannie plops down in front of his closet, pulling out a bucket with colourful clothes in it. He pulls out a pastel purple shirt and yellow shorts, placing them on the floor. Seonghwa tries to help the boy get dressed, but Sannie pushes away all his advances.

"Do you want help, bub?" San shakes his head. Seonghwa's a little confused, but lets the little do his thing. Sannie manages to get himself dressed with little difficulty, and Seonghwa is reminded of how long the boy had to handle himself. Once dressed, Sannie pulls his box out from under his bed, grabbing his pink pacifier, putting it in his mouth, and blue blankie, which he holds to his chest as he looks over at Seonghwa for guidance.

"You wanna go outside now?" Seonghwa asks. Sannie nods and Seonghwa moves towards the door, opening it up and letting Sannie exit the room. Sannie moves behind the caregiver, not touching but clearly guarding himself. Seonghwa moves towards the living room, where Yunho, Hongjoong and Yeosang are sat as they had agreed earlier.

All three members look up when Seonghwa enters the door frame. Seonghwa turns to Sannie. "Sannie, these are your hyungies. You know them?"

Sannie nods, moving into the room, looking unsure of himself. Yeosang is the one to speak up, "Sannie, are you alright?"

Sannie nods and moves towards Yeosang, plopping down in front of the caregiver where he is seated on the floor. The other three watch in anticipation, eager to see what the little does.