Alphabet Soup ✞ myg.pjm

𝓞𝓷𝓮

Jimin didn't think this was a problem.

It was a close secret to Jimin. Something he'd probably never tell another soul. But as he watched cartoons attentively and stuffed his face with candy, he thought perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if the others found out he was a Little. His only fear, really, was being made fun of, or worse, being sent somewhere to fix his 'problem.'

Being a Little for Jimin usually meant regressing maybe back to being six years old, sometimes younger if he was feeling lonely or upset. And six-year-old Little him liked cartoons, candy, and giggling. At least in his experience. A five-year-old Little him liked drawing and playing with toys.

Currently dressed in a warm sweater and his legs pulled up close to his chest, Jimin felt content in being a Little at that moment. He was warm, he was entertained, and he was happy. But then a knock came at the door.

"Jimin?" a familiar Namjoon-sounding voice said, and Jimin looked around panicked before he realised he was already wearing the rubber band around his wrist. He snapped it once, twice, and used the pain to get his out of the headspace. It was a trick he'd learned a year prior, and he was thankful Little him and Big him each knew how to pull him from one headspace to another.

"Yeah?" he called back, and the door opened. Jimin started to flip through channels, pretending he was looking for something to watch. "What it is, hyung?" Jimin's asks fumbling with his rubber band.

"We're making dinner right now, just saying," Namjoon said, and his eyes fell on the candy. "Don't be stuffing your face with crap." Jimin rolled his eyes but nodded, closing up the bag of sweets and putting them away. "Good. Be out in ten?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jimin affirmed, and he was again left to his own devices. He took a deep breath. Little him hated forcing himself back and letting Big him come take charge, if only to keep his secret. It was tiring, and it seemed to be sending Jimin into Little Space far more often than he'd realised. Every day now, he'd taken at least an hour or two to just be in Little Space alone, to regress back and try to calm down from the stresses he'd had.

One of the stresses being keeping his secret. He had yet to find a caregiver, another stress on Little him. Little him wanted desperately to have someone take care of him, but Jimin refused. This was for him and him alone. Except that it wasn't. At least, not the next week.

Jimin hadn't expected to wake up and already be Little. especially a five-year-old Little. He whined at himself and looked around the room. It was too big. And he didn't know where his toys were.

Oh, wait. They were in his backpack. How had he forgotten that? Jimin crawled off the bed and stumbled his way towards the bag and started to dig through for the stuffed toys, really needing something to hold close to him. He also took the time to pull out his coloured drawing supplies and paper, thinking that maybe it would be nice to draw him and his hyungs together.

His lines were sloppy, but he loved his work all the same. He smoothed out the edges of the paper and giggled to himself as he admired his crayon colouring. It was pretty, and he was sure he'd cherish it forever. He held the stuffed toy closer to him as he hummed to himself, thinking about what else he wanted to do. He was hungry, but he was sure his hyungs were awake. He didn't feel like coming out of Little Space quite yet.

"Jiminie?," a voice said, and the door opened before Jimin could react, with Seokjin standing there, "are you awake?" Jimin's hand, though shakily, went to snap his rubber band. "Jimin?" Seokjin repeated, eyes staring down the sight of Jimin with the stuffed toy pressed to his face and the drawing on full display. Seokjin leaned to look at the drawing, picking it up and inspecting it. "Did you draw this?" Jimin could only close his eyes and hope dearly that Seokjin left so he could find his rubber band. "It's...interesting?"

"N-No," Jimin finally said, and Seokjin looked over to the younger again. "What's wrong, Jimin? Why're you holding a toy?" The eldest knelt down and went to take the toy, but Jimin shook his head and kept it close.

"No, Jiminie like toy," Jimin said carefully. He was in so much trouble, He would never go back into Little Space again, would he? It was his job to keep the rubber band on, he should've been paying attention. "Jimin...like toy...?" Seokjin repeated, but it earned no response. "H-Hold on, let me go get...something." And Seokjin left the room, leaving a crying Jimin on the floor with nothing but shame.

"Seokjin-hyung?" Yoongi called, on his phone. "Have you seen my-"
"Yoongi-ah," Seokjin said, practically running into Yoongi with full force. "Something's wrong with Jimin." Yoongi looked up and raised an eyebrow. "As in?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know, he was like a... A child, or something. He was holding onto a stuffed toy for dear life." Yoongi looked down at Seokjin's hands, which still held the drawing. "He drew this, but it looks kind of..."

"Is that me?" Yoongi asked, pointing to a particular figure. "This looks nothing like me, I mean he didn't even bother coloring my skin in!" Seokjin put the paper down on the table.

"Yoongi-ah, this is serious," Seokjin said firmly. "Hyung, it really isn't." Seokjin raised an eyebrow. "Really? How is this not serious, why is he, like... Regressing back to a child?"
Yoongi patted the latters shoulder squeezing it after. "There's nothing to worry about Seokjin, since i was making my way to my room I'll just ask him if everything's okay."

Jimin was peeking behind the wall listening to their conversation, he stumbled back to his room and repeatedly pulled on the rubber band hoping it would get him out of his little space. "Why am I so tired?" Jimin mumbled pushing his papers and crayons aside and snuggling in the covers.

"Jimin, Seokjin is being-oh he's asleep."

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Jimin is honestly really cute and I wish I could see him while he's in little space.