Shining Star//Dimming Light (VOL.2) (Felix X SKZ ONE-SHOTS)

Found Family (WooSanLix) [PART 2]

Pairing: Wooyoung/San & Felix

Genre: Foster Care AU

!!TW!! : unreliable representation of foster care, mentioned past trauma, mild anxiety, some angst, Felix calls Wooyoung "mom" but I don't see that term as gender representative (if that makes any sense), mentioned bullying incidents

(requested by extremebackpain) 

.

.

.

Becoming a family wasn't something one just knew how to do.

It was a parent's job to nurture and care for their child, but it didn't mean that they had all of the answers. Becoming a proper parent was a learning process, a trial-and-error that simply couldn't be avoided. There was always the slight fear of the unknown, a lingering anxiety linked to the heavy responsibilities that came with raising another human being.

But taking in a child that wasn't even your own? A child who used to have another family, a child who'd already begun his journey into life with all the baggage that already came with it? No, even for a couple as caring as Wooyoung and San, and even with a child as lovable as Felix, the process of becoming a true family wasn't an easy one.

Before they could even contemplate to help Felix grow, they had to help him heal. The trauma he'd suffered from wasn't anything to scoff at, or something that could be handled carelessly. The last thing they wanted for the boy to keep on suffering for the rest of his life and, as such, they needed to mend his psychological wounds as much as possible.

Through his bi-weekly sessions with Yunho, Felix's trauma was slowly, but surely dealt with. The psychologist insisted on not putting the boy on meds unless it became an absolute necessity, and he had the patience of a saint to match his determination.

::

"Just putting him on meds and calling it a day would just be like slapping a band-aid over a wound without cleaning it. It'd probably fester until it became an even greater problem, or it'd scar wrongly and cause all sorts of lingering issues."

::

The boy's anxiety slowly shifted its focus. While his nights weren't plagued with as many nightmares as they used to, those he did suffer from stemmed from his fear of losing his new family, rather than losing his first one. When he once dreamed of how he found his grandparents, he now saw Wooyoung and San in their stead – and while it didn't happen often, it always took hours to calm him from the resulting panic attacks when it did.

Taking the time to help Felix adjust to his new life meant his social interactions were quite limited. He couldn't go to school just yet, since he had yet to receive the necessary education to keep up with children his age, and also because he couldn't speak Korean properly. The couple knew Felix would eventually go to school and, when that time came, he would undoubtedly face some trouble because of his background as a foster child – the last thing they wanted was to add to his difficulties by sending him there when he couldn't even communicate with his peers properly.

So, they quickly rearranged their personal schedules around his needs. They worked less, and usually from home, so they were always available should he need them. They used his two-hour long sessions with Yunho to go on grocery runs or other errands, but they were never out of the house for too long.

Chan had agreed to become Felix's official Korean tutor and, though he insisted he could do it for free, Wooyoung and San still paid him generously, grateful for his help. It was obvious to anyone watching the kids interact that Chan was absolutely whipped for Felix, though, and that he sincerely enjoyed looking after him and helping him out.