Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

Birthday B(u/a)bbles🍼

Little: Yunho

Caregivers: Ateez

Idea by: flufflyblankets

No one's POV.:

Yunho had been a little even before he had debuted with Ateez and used his headspace to escape after being criticized during their frequent evaluations. Sure, he usually did well when being examined but he was also pretty strict with himself and having his mistakes and insecurities pointed out over and over again did take a toll as he became certain those would be the reason why he would never be able to become an idol. Mingi had found out about his friend's headspace early on, wanting to hang out with the other after their evaluation but the dancer had been so frustrated with himself that he had slipped, whining to the other how he couldn't do anything right. The rapper was understandably worried about Yunho, who was usually such a cheerful spirit, and tried to figure out why he was acting so unlike himself. Trusting Mingi enough to allow himself to be vulnerable, the little had given him a rambled explanation as to what was going on but only succeeded in confusing his friend more. With the help of a few internet articles, the two finally worked things out and Mingi became Yunho's first caregiver, comforting the dancer after each evaluation and pointing out all the things he had done well but always decided to ignore in favor of dwelling on the smallest mistakes.

Their dynamics didn't change after their debut but eventually, they had to let their group in on the secret. With their schedules and living arrangement, it had become difficult for Yunho to secretly slip and he didn't get nearly enough opportunities to, which resulted in a constant headache, varying only in intensity. The members hadn't known each other all that long, so Yunho was nervous as to how they would take it, not wanting to ruin his chances on a lasting friendship so early. It'd be a pain to work with the others if they hated him for being weird. When the pain finally outweighed the fear, Mingi managed to talk the older into opening up to the rest of the group. They started with Yunho's only hyungs, struggling to find an opportunity to sit the two oldest members down for a talk without any of them being in a rush. Finally having a night when Hongjoong wasn't holed up in his studio, Yunho and Mingi knocked on the door to their room and entered when Hongjoong called them in. Poor Yunho looked like he was being led to his slaughter, which worried Seonghwa. What could they have to tell them that had the dancer so frightened?

The oldest patted his bed, inviting Yunho to take a seat next to him. Fiddling anxiously with his fingers, the boy sat down next to his hyung and gave Mingi a pleading look. The younger sat down with him and Seonghwa, holding Yunho's hand to comfort him. As it didn't seem like Yunho himself would find the courage to speak, Mingi took a deep breath and announced: "This is a bit of a difficult topic for Yunho-hyung to talk about, so please keep an open mind and hear us out, hyungs. Hongjoong-hyung, you probably know better than anyone else that the stress can get a lot sometimes. Yuyu has found his own way to deal with it." Yunho tensed at the use of his nickname and clenched his hand around Mingi's, who gave a comforting squeeze back.

"Have either of you ever heard of age regression or littlespace?", the rapper continued, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible for Yunho's sake. The two oldest members hadn't, so Hongjoong asked him to explain. By the time Mingi finished his explanation, tears stung Yunho's eyes as he couldn't read his hyungs at all, their reaction or rather the lack thereof scared him until Seonghwa shrugged: "Rather that than drugs, right? How can we support you with that?" Surprised by how naturally the oldest had taken it, Yunho couldn't help but slip on the spot, looking at his hyung with glossy eyes. "Generally, I have it handled", Mingi sighed, sensing the change in his friend, "I usually take care of him, basically making sure he eats and drinks enough while he's regressed and doesn't reveal his secret to people who aren't supposed to know. It's just hard to make sure no one finds out as we're all constantly around each other, so mainly we wanted to let you in on it, so we wouldn't have to hide it in front of you." - "What does that mean for the group? Are you going to tell the rest too and is it going to interfere with our work?", Hongjoong worried, studying Yunho.