LITTLE BY LITTLE ☆ SVT AGERE

0.2

Minghao doesn't hear the bell when it's first rung.

He's running dishes under the kitchen faucet, the water drowning out any noise from the other rooms.

He hears it the second time, though. How could he have not? He's never heard their cheerful little bell sound so exasperated.

Dropping the dishes into the sink, Minghao heads to the front as quickly as he can, drying his hands off on his apron.

Seungkwan is already behind the desk when he arrives.

At the front are two young men. One is easily taller than both of the caregivers, probably almost as tall as Mingyu. He's wearing a soft brown sweater, cat plushies tucked under his arms. His big, round eyes are glossed over with unshed tears as he looks between Seungkwan and the other man holding him by the back of his shirt.

Minghao's heart lurches. A regressor.

The man next to him is shorter, but his hold over the boy is strong. In his other hand is a backpack as big as a diaper bag stuffed with things. Tags and plush keychains hang off the zippers, swaying as the man gestures with the bag.

"I can't take it anymore!" he's yelling. "He's been couch hopping for weeks and never listens to me! I can't handle him anymore and no one wants him. I've asked."

Seungkwan tries to calm him, "Sir, this is a sensitive situation, please—"

"Whatever. I don't care. Just take him. He's not coming back to my place, that's for sure."

The regressor whimpers, turning to the man who has let him go to push him towards Seungkwan. But when he speaks, it isn't in Korean.

"I want to stay with you!" he sobs in Chinese. "Please, ge, I want to go home!"

"No," the man responds firmly. "This is where you have to stay because you can't even take care of yourself."

Seungkwan gapes at the pair, and Minghao sends him off to the playroom knowing the others are alone there.

The short man drops the backpack on the floor and the tall regressor follows, crouching beside it and crying into his plushies. Minghao circles the desk to get to them.

"I'm sure we can take him in, sir," he reassures the man first. He hopes he's not some heartless dick. "Just give me a few minutes to get him settled, yeah? Please don't leave, it would mean so much if you could help us fill out a little paperwork before you go. You can sit in the chairs over there, I won't be long."

The man sighs, but it's more tired than it is annoyed. He goes to sit in a chair.

Minghao crouches next to the boy still hiding his face in his toys. He wishes he knew more about him already, but that's not something he's been afforded. Besides, he's trained to handle situations like this.

He knows the regressor doesn't want to be here, likes cats, and is a handful. He doesn't have a permanent home and may or may not be struggling to communicate. He's under stress and needs help, whether he realizes it or not.

"Hello," Minghao starts by saying. The little holds his cat plushies tighter, refusing to look up. "Do you want me to speak Korean instead?"

The boy cries. "No," he answers, muffled into his kitty.

Minghao hums. "It's scary to move homes, hm? You don't want to leave ge?"

"'M not bad," he says.

"I know you aren't. I believe you."

Finally, he looks up from his toys. His eyes are red and puffy from crying. Minghao frowns. He must be so stressed and tired.

"Gege says I'm annoying," he reveals softly before wiping his runny nose on the back of his hand. Minghao tries not to grimace at that.

"He doesn't know how to take care of you. He's been frustrated. He probably just wants the best for you, yeah?"

And he whines high in his throat before insisting, "I want to go home."

"I know, little one, I know. But we can take good care of you here and find someone who can help you. Let's focus on getting comfortable for now. I bet you've wanted to sleep in your own bed for awhile!"

The regressor follows Minghao reluctantly down the hallway, dragging his backpack along with him. He eyes the door to Mingyu and Wonwoo's room warily but follows the caregiver inside anyway.

The decor inside is simple and mostly blue. The boys' favorite drawings are hung on the wall over their bed. A soft underwater-themed rug with bubbles and fish lays in the middle of the room. Glow-in-the-dark stars dot the ceiling. There are places for their clothes and a bin at each bed for personal things and toys. All the shared toys belong in the playrooms, so there isn't much room for anything else.

They had tried to get Mingyu and Wonwoo to sleep separately as the room was designed, but it was no use, so they left the second bed available for emergencies like this. Minghao pats the comforter and the boy sits with a sniffle.

"What's your name?" he asks, wanting to get the most important thing out of the way.

"Wen Junhui. Just Jun is okay, too."

"You have a pretty name, Junhui. My name is Xu Minghao. Myungho is my Korean name. The other little ones call me hyung, and you can too if it makes you comfortable."

Junhui tucks his legs under him and smiles. "Okay, hyung."

Minghao doesn't waste time and cleans Junhui up, helping him blow his nose and washing his face off with a wet towel. The little isn't too chatty, but he leans comfortably into his touch, unafraid of Minghao now that they've gotten to know each other.

"Do you know how old you are, Junhui?" the caregiver asks as he's finishing up.

"I'm six and a half!" he answers proudly, perking up.

"Wow, such a big boy! I bet you're really brave, too!"

Junhui nods quickly and talks just as fast. "Mhm, Mhm! I'm really brave, hyung! One time, when I went to the doctor, I had to get a shot, a-and the needle was soo big but I didn't let it scare me so it didn't hurt at all!"

"Some things are only as scary as we make them. Since you're such a big boy, can you do me a favor? I need to go talk to your friend for a few minutes. Can you unpack your things from your bag while I do?"

Once again, Junhui responds with an eager nod. "Hyung... I'm gonna stay here? With you?"

"Yes," Minghao assures him. "With all of us. Come find me at the desk if you need anything"

He pets his hair one last time before leaving him in the bedroom with a soft smile, the door left slightly ajar just in case.

The man from before is still waiting, looking at his phone when Minghao comes back.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," the caregiver says politely. "I have a couple of questions for you, if that's okay."