1 secret, 12 hyungs | Dino Kid Fic

S.Coups¹

Keeping Dino's pretty-much-unusual secret wasn't too challenging, to be honest. The fact that he could transform into a literal child was something nobody could know, but it wasn't overly difficult to keep under wraps. It didn't happen very often, more like once in a while, and each time it occurred, it was either in private or away from prying cameras. The team speculated that the maknae somehow sensed it coming and made an effort to wait until they were alone or finished with work, but no one would mention it out loud.

And if everything wasn't weird enough, there were instances when Dino's adult mindset remained intact. It seemed to be like a spectrum, ranging from him being entirely a child to just an adult stuck in a 3-year-old body. There were middle points or various percentages, with him sometimes having 70% of a child's mind and other times 90% adult. However, during these occurrences, he would never acknowledge that he was behaving somewhat or mostly like a child, so the team avoided bringing it up in front of him.

The most common scenario was Dino being his usual self, but ironically, those were the times when handling him became the most challenging. He wouldn't let anyone carry him, detested being treated like a kid, and flat-out refused any help. They could understand his stance, because it was a position that wasn't easy being to, but it got frustrating when, more often than not, he wouldn't even talk to the members. He seemed overwhelmed and irritated, preferring to keep to himself, all while not wanting to burden others with his problems, like he always did.

As the leader, S.Coups felt a special sense of responsibility regarding the maknae's situation. But, regardless of this fact, he wasn't usually the one in charge of him, and he couldn't shake off the guilt. He felt like he wasn't the best at looking after Dino, even though a part of him wished he could be the one the dancer turned to first. However, realistically, that idea seemed far-fetched. There was no way he could be Dino's favorite caregiver, because he wasn't taking care of him the way others could.

In the beginning, he used to invest a lot of time being with the youngest, trying to wrap his head around the situation and offer a steady presence. However, as they started to figure out the reasons behind Dino turning into a child, he unintentionally started to distance himself. The realization that the maknae transformed when he was really distressed put a weight on him he couldn't carry, adding the pressure of feeling incapable of providing the care he needed during those moments.

If Dino was a typical kid kid, maybe he would buy him kid or baby things, but when the dancer transformed into a child with the same adult mind, he left every task to others. He would check in from time to time, trying to see if things were going smoothly, and also step in if any scolding was necessary, but beyond that, he would mostly be absent.

But now, Dino was growing increasingly distant from him, and the oldest believed he knew why. He had also come to understand that his sudden withdrawal and avoidance when the younger one transformed into a child might be sending the wrong message, so when Dino woke up one day as a kid and started avoiding him, S.Coups realized the high possibility of it being because of his own actions. If not, the dancer wouldn't have been the one keeping his distance from the older one now.

S.Coups considered letting others handle the situation and discover by themselves what was wrong with Dino this time, but when Jeonghan informed him that the youngest hadn't eaten much through the day, refused their help, and was holed up in his room without a thought of going out, the rapper knew he had to step in.

Running his hand through his hair like it would solve all his problems and dissolve the stress, he made his way to Dino's room, letting out a sigh before opening the door. The room was dimly lit, with the lights off, but he could tell from the way he saw the small figure squirming in bed that the youngest was awake. Walking over, he observed the maknae, obviously pretending to be asleep.