Fluffy SKZ Oneshots EP.2🧸

Hold you tight🍼🌡️

Sickie/Little: Seungmin

Caregiver: Changbin

No one's POV.:

Over the past month, Stray Kids had witnessed their second youngest act increasingly irritable. Seungmin never intended to snap at his friends, it just happened. As much as he loved his life as an idol, he couldn't deny that the constant pressure and busy schedules were wearing on him. For a short time, things seemed to be improving for Seungmin, when he learned about a coping strategy called 'age regression'. He never told his group about it because he had only just tried it out and wasn't comfortable sharing this vulnerable part of himself quite yet. Soon, the vocalist had to realize though, that they were way too busy to make time for him to spend any time in his safe headspace, causing his stress-level to stay at an all-time-high.

Most of the members kept their distance, knowing just how scary Seungmin could be if someone upset him. It wasn't only his work stress the vocalist had to deal with now, it was also the grief over losing something that had felt safe and comforting to him. He tried to make the best of the situation, telling himself that he enjoyed the project he was currently working on. Seungmin had picked a few Christmas songs that he would be covering as a Christmas present for Stay. The songs were his favorites, so he was supposed to be enjoying himself, right? Somehow, he couldn't. Now that he needed to practice them to perfection and frequently found parts, where he disliked the way his voice sounded, he started to like the songs less and less. It didn't help that these particular songs were frequently played in cafés and stores, so Seungmin couldn't even escape them in his free time, hearing the tunes already enough to frustrate him.

Seungmin could tell that his friends were distancing themselves from him, which made him sad but he couldn't really blame them. He knew he acted unusually harsh and mean but he couldn't stop himself, often ending up crying himself to sleep remembering the hurtful things he had said during the day. Maybe it was really for the best if the others kept their distance, at least, that way Seungmin couldn't hurt them as much, so what if he was crying on his own? With them having grown so distant, nobody really caught on when Seungmin started to come down with something. His throat had started to hurt but the boy figured it was from him over-practicing because he didn't feel satisfied with how his first few recording attempts sounded. The vocalist only opened his mind to the possibility something else might be up when he also developed a persistent headache.

Though he didn't have time to slip, Seungmin still followed different age regression blogs and learned that neglecting one's headspace could cause headaches, so he finally had an explanation for what was happening with him or at least, he thought he did. Aside from vocal practice and recording sessions, Seungmin was placed on strict vocal rest. Well, he wouldn't say mean things anymore if he wasn't talking at all, the vocalist thought bitterly. Chan had offered for them to have a talk if he needed someone but Seungmin didn't know what he was supposed to tell his hyung. That he had bought himself a baby bottle and liked suckling on his thumb at night? Yeah, what a way to ruin his reputation.

Chan remained a supportive presence by Seungmin's side, though he didn't know what the younger was dealing with. Felix too eagerly provided his friend with hugs whenever the vocalist looked like he might accept some affection, which wasn't often the case but he tried. Still thinking Seungmin was on vocal rest because he had to practice so much, nobody caught on to him falling ill, while the boy himself finally accepted that he might have a cold when his nose started to get stuffy. That didn't mean he'd bring it up though, as it was only a nuisance and nothing serious. It did make him yearn for the comfort of his littlespace even more though and he started to withdraw even further. He didn't want to go out with the others for lunch, merely travelling between the schedule and their dorm. The group didn't know but Seungmin was actively trying to avoid public places that might play music at all costs, afraid he'd break down crying from frustration.