Little Ba Reum AU - The roads not taken

Chapter 27

Hyuk had been peacefully asleep after a good day of finally taking care of his own perfect little. It was almost as he had been living in a dream.

He had been looking forward to the next day, when he and Ba Reum could still do loads of things together and his sleep had been deep and undisturbed.

At least, until he hears the shout coming from the nursery. Hyuk shot awake, the sudden cries of Ba Reum echoing with the thunder.

Before the caregiver even registered what he was doing, he had jumped up and ran towards the nursery, quickly opening the slightly opened door completely and turning on the light.

The little blinked at him, standing up while grasping the top rail of the crib. The sudden influx of light had silenced him, but when a thunder boomed, Ba Reum's face scrunched up, and he lifted his arms towards Hyuk, the lack of hold making him fall on his diapered behind, not big enough to keep on standing without help.

"Mamaaaa!" the little wailed. Hyuk was surprised to hear the word, only for a moment, before he surged forward, the need to protect greater than the need to analyse the term that Ba Reum was using.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here," Hyuk said, immediately lowering the edge of the crib so he could take Ba Reum easily out of it, "did the thunder scare you?"

"Mama," Ba Reum cried out again, seemingly too little to form words. The moment that Hyuk lifted him, Ba Reum wrapped his legs around the man's waist and his arms around his neck, trying to bury his head.

"Right, uhm, don't you worry," Hyuk said, feeling something warm inside him at the unexpected title Ba Reum had granted him.

He had hoped to have a title soon, but he had expected daddy or papa, and he certainly hadn't expected it in the first weekend they were together. But it seemed like Ba Reum had a role for him in mind, and the tall man couldn't say that it bothered him.

Walking around the room, he held Ba Reum tightly, patting the diaper a little in the hopes to comfort the little, but another thunder made him whimper again.

"Shh, it's okay. Mama got an idea," Hyuk said, immediately flushing when he used the term to refer to himself. It felt weird, but at the same time, he was honoured to be called that.

After all, in a lot of children's lives, the mother was one of the main caregivers when they were young, and perhaps Ba Reum's bad childhood had wanted to replace one of his most important parents with someone better.

Ba Reum sniffled, and Hyuk was glad when he lifted his head enough to look at Hyuk.

"Mama?" Ba Reum asked, and Hyuk smiled at him.

"Hey there. Why don't we get you in a dry diaper and you sleep with mama," Hyuk said, going with Ba Reum to the changing table.

It was a challenge to get the little to let go of him long enough to change the diaper, and when he managed to scared big eyes looking up at him made him feel so sad for the little.

"Don't you worry, mama will stay right here with you," Hyuk said, patting the head before opening the sleeper. Ba Reum tucked his fingers in his mouth, biting on them fearfully when another gust of wind sends the raindrops against the window, the noise scary.

Mama didn't seem scary though. The big man was smiling at him, and saying loads of words but his tone of voice was calm. Ba Reum made a small noise when mama turned away, but it was only to get a diaper.

"Mama," Ba Reum said, again, tugging on his shirt.

Again, the big man said words he couldn't understand, but the tone wasn't mean at all, even though Ba Reum had probably woken him up. A frown appeared when the little thought about that.