LITTLE BY LITTLE ☆ SVT AGERE

1.1

"There you go, sunshine," Minghao coos as he wipes the last of the toothpaste from Seokmin's mouth. "Now you're ready for bed. Why don't you go wait for me?"

Seokmin nods, knowing this routine well enough. His hyungs always know what's best for him, so he tries his best to listen to them. He skips out of the bathroom and down the hall to his bedroom, pushing open the colorfully decorated door and jumping onto his mattress pulled out from underneath Joshua's bed.

The lights are still on and the older littles are keeping to themselves. Joshua has a thin chapter book and Vernon is still playing with his favorite puzzle cube. Seokmin gathers his stuffed animals up and gets them ready to sleep.

It isn't much longer before Minghao knocks on their door and comes in.

"Are you all ready to sleep?" he asks. "It's bedtime."

"Just a minute!" Joshua pleads, eyes rapidly scanning over the pages of his book. "I'm almost done."

"Me too," Vernon pouts.

Seokmin look around his bed and sees that everything is in order. He looks up at Minghao, the caregiver patiently paused by the door. "I'm ready, hyungie..."

And Minghao smiles, stepping up to straighten out his blankets for him. Seokmin lays down with his stuffed animals, allowing the caregiver to tuck him in. Minghao kisses his forehead for good measure.

"Goodnight, sunshine. Sleep well."

"Love you, hyungie," Seokmin replies.

"I love you, too."

He stands up again only to lean over Vernon's bed. The little whines when he plucks his unfinished puzzle cube out of his hands, but he knows it's for the better because he's already sleepy.

"Your cube will still be waiting for you in the morning, 'Nonie." Minghao tucks Vernon into bed and kisses him on the head, too. "Goodnight, dear."

"Night," Vernon says mid-yawn. He snuggles down to sleep.

Minghao has to pry Joshua's book from his fingers, and the regressor only relents once he's read the last sentence of his chapter. He settles down with a huff, pulling his blankets over his shoulder himself but still letting Minghao kiss him goodnight.

"No reading after bedtime, understood? You need to get lots of rest."

"Okay..." Joshua sulks.

As Minghao leaves, he turns off the overhead light, leaving their duck nightlight to illuminate the room in a soft golden glow.

As he lays in bed, Seokmin finds that he can't fall asleep yet. He still feels excited over having someone visit their home to play with them.

It's not too often that people visit them. When they do, they're always nice and fill the littles with imaginative dreams of having their own caregiver. Today felt no different, and Seokmin felt a certain way about Jeonghan that he didn't anyone before. He hopes the older liked him.

He hopes he comes back.

Seokmin rolls over to look up at Joshua's bed. He sits up, struck with the sudden urge to sleep with the older, and is pleased to find that he is still awake too.

Without invitation, Seokmin climbs into bed with Joshua. The older glares at him a little for intruding on his space, but it isn't supposed to be mean.

"Not sleepy yet?" Joshua whispers, mindful of Vernon trying to fall asleep on the other side of the room.

When Seokmin shakes his head, the older asks, "Did you like playing with Jeonghan-hyung today?"

"Mhm," Seokmin hums with a nod. He thinks about how nice the older was and how he always made sure to play with him and adds, "Was nice."

"Me too. I liked him."

Seokmin settles down beside Joshua, face pressed against his arm. "Again?" he whispers.

And Joshua just rubs his back sympathetically and says, "I don't know if he'll come back, 'Minnie. Maybe he wasn't looking for much."

"Oh..."

Maybe Jeonghan didn't have as much fun as they did. Seokmin hopes that isn't true. He'd like to see him again, if only just once.

"Don't worry too much, 'Minnie. Let's just sleep."

The next time Joshua meets Jeonghan, he isn't regressed.

He's taking Seokmin to the bathroom when he nearly runs into him and Minghao in the hallway. Seokmin squeals at the near collision and jumps off of Joshua's back as the older locks eyes with Jeonghan.

"Shua!" the older cries in surprise. "Seokminnie, too— nice to see you!"

Seokmin hides shyly behind Joshua as best he can, and the older greets Jeonghan.

"Hello, Jeonghan—" He pauses when he realizes he doesn't really know anything about Jeonghan. Is he supposed to call him hyung? "Uhm, what year were you born in?"

Though he seems a little confused by the straightforward question, he answers, "'95. What about you?"

By now, Minghao has gone ahead to the playroom. Joshua almost wishes he hadn't, because even though he wanted Jeonghan to come back, standing in front of him like this makes him nervous.

"Oh!" he gasps. "Me too."

Jeonghan nods, smiling. His smile is pretty. "You're not regressed today?" he asks, having noticed how differently he was acting.

Just as Joshua is shaking his head, Seokmin tugs on his sleeve from behind. He turns to look at him immediately, startled into remembering he was still there in the first place.

"Hyung, potty?" Seokmin murmurs.

Ah, right.

Once Seokmin is settled back in the playroom and Jeonghan has excused himself from the game he was playing with Junhui, they can properly talk. They sit together in one corner of the playroom watching the others.

Joshua learns that Jeonghan is very smart and very sensitive and very pretty. He isn't experienced in taking care of people, but he was curious about age regression, and now that he understands better, he finds it endearing.

He understands that littles are all quite different from each other and that some have a lot more difficulty with their headspace, and it makes him sad that there aren't more willing caregivers in the world to take care of them.

And, he admits shyly, he thinks Joshua is very cute, and he likes him and Seokmin a lot.

Joshua feels warm and happy at those words. Seokmin toddles towards them, nudging himself between them to sit against the wall. He doesn't say anything or try to grab their attention beyond that, so Joshua wraps his arm around him to give him the cuddles he knows he wants.

"How much do you like us?" Joshua asks Jeonghan.

And he can see it in Jeonghan's eyes. They've only really just met, but Jeonghan is so fond of them. Joshua is hopeful it means more.

Pinching a squealing Seokmin's cheek with a grin, Jeonghan says, "Almost enough to take you home with me!"