Attention Seeker✔️

2

The other members were already back from their schedules by the time Minho made it back to the dorm. They had settled in comfortably, watching a movie in the living room when Minho entered and tiredly kicked off his shoes. Aside from a short greeting, they were too focused on their movie to really acknowledge the dancer. That really hurt Minho because he had never received any text after venting about what was going on at the practice room and had hoped for some form of comfort after how bad his day had been but there wasn't any. Trying to brush it off, Minho trudged to the bathroom to take a well-deserved, hot shower. He had remembered just in time to take along his little rubbed ducky and a sweet lavender soap, both items he used when he was in his headspace and really needed to unwind. Hoping the scent of the soap would ease him into his headspace, he turned on the water and sighed when it soothed his painful muscles a bit.

He didn't manage to slip even after washing up with his special soap and no amount of staring at his rubber ducky helped make him feel little. Still, he would've stayed under the comfortingly warm water for the rest of the evening if it wasn't for his rumbling tummy, reminding him that he had barely had any food that day. Despite his first attempt failing, Minho still planned to regress, so when he opened his closet in search of some comfortable clothes, he knew they had to be really cute. He threw on a pastel blue sweater with an adorable, black paw-print pattern, taking a moment to breathe in the faint scent of detergent before pulling the sleeves over his hands. His next move was rather bold, as he pulled out a clothing item he'd never wear while in his adult mindset. Minho owned a black, knee length skater skirt, which really accentuated his small waist. His little-self loved feeling cute and petite, that was why he loved that skirt so much when he was little.

Usually, just putting on these kinds of clothes would put him in his headspace already but usually, the soap already would've done the job too, yet neither of those approaches seemed to work out. Pouting, the dancer plopped down on his bed and pulled his stuffed cat into his lap. He gently ran his fingers through the soft material and although he was still big, it helped him calm his frustration, so he could try to think of a solution. His self-doubt as a dancer was still eating him up inside, not allowing him to escape. At the same time, he felt so guilty towards his members that he didn't dare to go and ask for help. Plus, he didn't feel like explaining his whole situation right now. Would they even take his frustration seriously after brushing it off earlier?

The rational part of his mind knew that going to his caregivers and telling them he needed their help slipping wasn't that big of a deal but he was holding himself back. He didn't want to seem like he was seeking attention but he was really craving some love and affection right now. He needed them to be all sweet with him and praise him a bit for how good he had done today, staying calm when someone was trying so hard to get under his skin. His scarred ego could certainly use some praise at the moment. Besides, he was still starving, so staying in his room wasn't really an option. Maybe if his caregivers just treated him as though he was little, he'd slip automatically. Yeah, that'd surely work. He'd just pretend to already be little, so they'd treat him accordingly. 'Fake it till you make it', sounded like the best strategy right now.

Nervously fiddling with his skirt, Minho made his way to the living room and noiselessly walked up behind Chan. He didn't want too much attention, feeling awkward trying to act like he was little when he wasn't. The leader looked up curiously when his dongsaeng tapped his shoulder from behind. The younger was still somewhat hidden behind the couch but Chan soon noticed the hem of the skirt peaking out around the side. The Aussie knew instantly what that choice of clothing meant and not wanting do disturb the rest of the group, he got up and guided Minho to the kitchen. The dancer was startled when Chan pulled him into a tight hug. "Didn't have that great of a day, hm?", the older cooed, remembering how upset Minho had been with the choreographer that afternoon. It would only make sense for his dongsaeng to slip due to his frustrating work day. The younger couldn't help the stray tear dripping from his lashes now that he was finally home and in his hyung's strong arms. Shaking his head, he leaned his forehead on Chan's shoulder and relaxed.

Minho had really needed that hug, although he still didn't feel remotely little, it still helped that his hyung was there for him and even remembered that he was having a bad day. Their moment was interrupted when the dancer's stomach growled loudly, causing Chan to pull away. The leader gave Minho a long, scrutinizing look, frowning: "You haven't had dinner yet, have you?" Glancing down at the floor, the younger shyly shook his head. He didn't want the hug to end just yet and desperately pressed himself against Chan's chest. "Alright", the Aussie sighed, rubbing his dongsaeng's back, "What did you have for lunch?" Minho stayed silent, guiltily biting his lip. It was only when Chan pulled away to make eye contact that the boy hesitantly shook his head. "Kitten, you can't just skip meals", the leader frowned, causing his dongsaeng to tense up. The use of Minho's petname felt off when he wasn't in his headspace and he had come to his members for praises not to be scolded. Had he not been scolded enough today? The dancer barely managed to hold back any more tears, this was really not going like he had hoped it would.

Not liking the sad frown on Minho's lips Chan sighed: "Daddy's not mad, kitten." The dancer bit his lip when his hyung referred to himself as 'daddy'. He would've expected to have slipped by now but the situation just felt strange. "I just hoped you would take better care of yourself", Chan continued, making the younger's heart break. Disappointment. This was even worse than had the older been mad at him and Minho felt his heart break. All he had been doing today was disappoint others. What a letdown he truly was. Minho wanted to rip his hair out, he had tried so hard, was it really never enough? He had tried to work hard, he had tried to make them proud, he had tried to save their reputation from someone who just didn't want to see the truth. Was it really not enough? Minho was pulled from his spiraling thoughts when Chan nudged him, humming: "Let's get you something to eat now, hm? You gotta be starving after dancing so much without a meal in between."

Apparently, the group had had chicken for dinner and was thoughtful enough to put some aside for their friend, which Chan now heated up for his dongsaeng. "Does my baby tiger want some chicken?", the leader smiled, his dimple showing as he placed the plate down on the table. For a moment, Minho felt his head go a bit fuzzy. Chan only used that petname on very rare occasions and the younger absolutely loved it, yet it still wasn't enough to make him slip. He had gotten so close to slipping just for the fuzziness to clear up again leaving him exposed to the self-doubt and criticism still stuck in his head.

Desperate to finally let go and have his mind numbed by the sweet fuzziness once again, Minho made grabby hands at his hyung. Chan carefully settled the younger in his lap and even fixed his skirt for him, which brought back some of the fuzziness, but it still wasn't enough. Sitting in the leader's lap, Minho quietly munched on his chicken. After a while, he had given up on desperately trying to slip. Chan had started to draw shapes on the dancer's back as he ate, helping the younger relax his painfully tense shoulders. Maybe he didn't have to be little for his hyung to make things okay. Maybe he could forget about the choreographer's harsh words if he only stayed in the Aussie's lap long enough and had him trace his back. Maybe just receiving some affection was already good enough, even if he wasn't truly little. At least, Chan didn't have to know that he wasn't little. As long as the leader didn't stop the soothing motion, Minho might be okay at some point and he might be able to convince himself that he had just let his entire group down today. If only Chan continued, if only Minho was able to forget the yelling and the scolding, if only the illusion was real...