Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

Long Lost🍼

Little: Wooyoung

Caregiver: mainly Yeosang

No one's POV.:

Wooyoung had been a little for years already. The stress of training in the kpop industry and attending school too much for the dancer to handle. Usually, he and Yeosang shared every secret with each other but his headspace was a tiny detail that Wooyoung didn't plan on ever telling anyone, not even his closest friend. It was a bit difficult to keep it a secret though when the group moved into a dorm together and he ended up sharing his room with Yeosang and later with Jongho too. Despite his compromised privacy, Wooyoung still managed to hide his littlespace. He didn't slip as frequently anymore but sometimes got the chance to when they got time off and he visited his family. In his own room, he could at least slip at night after spending the day with his family and was always much more at ease when he returned after the break. The members of Ateez didn't think much of it because everyone was expected to return from their time off relaxed. When they went for a long time without any breaks, Wooyoung would be on edge, often complaining about headaches but everyone figured it was just the lack of sleep, when in reality the main problem was the neglect of his headspace.

Preparing for another comeback, the boys soon found themselves in a similar situation as they had to work late into the night and go weeks without a day off. They knew that wouldn't last forever but that knowledge was only a small comfort for Wooyoung, who needed to slip now more than ever. A few times, he had managed to slip at night after a long day of work with both of his roommates in the same room. He had to refrain from using his pacifier and ended up suckling on his thumb instead, hoping he wouldn't fall asleep with his thumb still between his lips. As Yeosang was usually the first member to wake up, he once found his dongsaeng suckling on his thumb in his sleep and although he was confused, he gently tugged at the other's wrist. He would never make fun of Wooyoung but he was afraid the dancer would feel humiliated if Jongho saw him sucking on his thumb too. Although Yeosang never mentioned the incident to his friend and Wooyoung probably didn't even know it had happened, the older had started to do some research as to why an adult would behave that way. He was left with a dawning suspicion about what might be going on but wouldn't mention it to the other because he'd feel embarrassed if he was wrong and didn't want to make the younger uncomfortable either.

Wooyoung had been holding on alright so far, despite the stress. Sure, Seonghwa and Yeosang always reminded him to drink enough water and sometimes discreetly passed him painkillers on the days his headache was worst but other than that, the boy was handling himself quite well. At least, that was what it seemed like on the outside. Being usually loud, it didn't go unnoticed by anyone, that Wooyoung was uncharacteristically quiet but no one complained because they were tired too and actually kind of grateful for the silence. On a few occasions, San tried to cheer the younger up but if he got any reaction, a tried smile was the best he could get. He blamed his friend's low mood on the exhaustion and the headache, Seonghwa had told him the other had. Like Yeosang, he made sure to stay close to Wooyoung, whenever they had schedule together. Even if there might not be much he could do, he at least could be there.

Lonely, that's what Wooyoung felt, despite his closest friends being right beside him. Keeping such a big secret all to himself without a single person he could share it with, the dancer felt like he was standing alone, no matter how many other people were present. He knew he'd have to slip soon, if he didn't want to lose his mind. Wooyoung already struggled badly to focus and often was so out of it that he didn't even remember what was scheduled next, so he'd usually just be dragged along by the other members. A zombie, was the closest thing Yeosang could compare the other to. The boy that usually wore his heart on his sleeve had withdrawn so far into his own mind that it was tough to guess his emotions. He gave short answers when he was asked something and would rarely speak otherwise, partly because he easily spaced out, which made it difficult to follow a conversation but also because he often got close to slipping at really inconvenient times and was afraid he'd accidentally use his little voice, which would be humiliating and the thought alone terrified him.