Chapter Text
Jisung hasn't even been awake for a full hour, and already, today is up there as one of his worst days ever.
Appa Minho hadn't woken him up, meaning that Jisung had missed out on some special weekend pancakes. Seungmin had gobbled down Jisung's portion.
Of course, when confronted, the other little innocently smiled and said he hadn't realised, but Jisung knew he was lying. Seungmin was getting payback from yesterday.
It's so unfair. Jisung didn't think Minnie would get so upset over him painting on his picture. It wasn't like he'd said Seungmin's painting of the calm ocean and peaceful, cloudy sky was bad...just that it would look so much cooler with an enormous kraken wreaking havoc amongst the waves.
Seungmin had screamed as if somebody had physically hurt him, and of course went running straight to Minho, who gave Jisung a very stern talking to before placing him in the corner. All of his daddies gave Seungmin cuddles and kisses, with Daddy Hyunjin promising Seungmin the two of them would paint together at the beach soon.
Not Jisung, though. He just got asked if he'd learned his lesson after his time-out before being sent to his toy box with a pat to the bottom by Appa Changbin. He did apologise to Seungmin afterwards, but the other little turned away, telling Jisung he wasn't, in-fact, forgiven.
And that's how it started. The pancakes being eaten was just the first step.
"Jisung, you can have cereal, okay? I'm sorry I didn't realise Minnie was eating them, but I'm not making anymore," Minho says as he dabs away chocolate sauce around Felix's lips.
"Cereal's boring," Jisung grumbles, and then glares at Seungmin, who's hiding a smirk behind his hand. "You ate my pancakes on purpose!"
"Excuse me," Daddy Chan chides. "We don't speak to people like that, do we?"
"But-"
Chan's raised eyebrows told Jisung it was best to just drop it. With a huff, he apologises, emphasising that he's apologising to Daddy and not to silly Seungmin.
He stomps into the living room, wondering if he'll find solace in Hyunjin, however the caregiver doesn't look like he's in any sort of mood for a conversation.
Jeongin's splayed across Hyunjin's long legs, face scrunched up as he wails out babbled protests. Hyunjin's got both of the youngest little's ankles in one hand, wipes in the other, but he's clearly having trouble holding on with Jeongin's fierce kicking.
Jisung winces, remembering when Jeongin had managed to give Changbin a black eye once during a change. He doesn't understand why Jeongin kicks so much during his quiet time and diaper changes, yet when Jisung tries to get the baby to play soccer, Jeongin just stares at the ball and rolls it with his hand...it doesn't make sense!
"Shush, Innie. Daddy's only trying to help!" Jisung shouts over the baby's screaming. He's such a good helper, he thinks.
But Daddy doesn't appreciate the support. "No shouting, Jisung. My head is about to burst," Hyunjin snaps, managing to clean Jeongin up. His voice is much softer when he addresses Jeongin, murmuring: "Daddy's almost finished, baby, I promise. I know, I know."
Jisung pulls back, a lump in his throat at the unfairness of the situation. Jeongin was the one who was screaming and fussing, yet Jisung got shouted at for trying to help?
The first thing that pops into his head is that he should run to Seungmin and rant about the unfairness of it all...but then he remembers that Seungmin's being a meanie too. Just great.
"Not having the best morning, are we?" Changbin's soft voice is like a warm hug for Jisung. Finally, someone can see how he's feeling.
But when he turns around, Appa isn't looking at him, but at Daddy. Changbin barely spares Jisung a glance as he walks past him and sits down next to Hyunjin.
"He barely slept last night. I did everything I could...fed him, changed his pajamas, did skin to skin. He was pretty dry throughout the night too! But the few hours of sleep he's had haven't done much, clearly," Hyunjin sighs, massaging his temples.
Changbin pulls Hyunjin close and kisses his forehead, before taking Jeongin into his arms. The baby isn't crying anymore, but he's still sniffling and whimpering.
"Hmm, what are we going to do with you, you little troublemaker?" Changbin chuckles, and Jisung stares at the scene in envy - why couldn't his daddies be that gentle with him when he'd done something naughty?!
"I'll take him back for another hour-"
"No," Changbin says firmly to Hyunjin. "You're going back to bed. Innie can nap in here if he pleases."
Jisung's not going to stand and listen to his daddies debating over such a silly matter when there's far more important things to be worrying about. With a loud groan, he marches out, waiting for one of them to say something.
Instead, they carry on with their debate. Jisung already knows Changbin's going to win, but he's not in the mood to tell Hyunjin that.
Not as if Daddy will listen, anyway.
"And where do you think you're going, mister?" Jisung pouts when he looks up at Chan, who has his arms crossed as he peers down at the little.
"To play?" Honestly, Jisung's not too sure what he's doing, but he's even more confused about why Chan is looking at him so expectantly.
He definitely put his toys away last night. And he hasn't done anything naughty this morning. So what could it be?
"Ah, okay. I guess Sungie would rather stay here while all of us go to the park," Chan smirks.
Jisung's eyes lighten up immediately. How on earth could he have forgotten?! They're going to the park today, and they're going to see Kai and baby Beomgyu and have all sorts of delicious treats - he'd even helped Minho to prepare some of the food!
He bounces excitedly, so much that Chan sets a gentle hand on his head to calm him down. "You'd best get dressed, bub. Do you need any help-"
"Noooo," Jisung giggles, rushing to his and Minho's room. Chan gently chides him for running, but nothing's going to break Jisung's spirit now.
He's going to see his friends, he's going to be pushed so high on the swings by Changbin, and he's going to eat so much delicious food, and-
"Jisung, you scared the life out of me!" Minho gasps, clutching his chest with his hands. Felix's expression is also full of surprise. Jisung's confused - why is Felix in here - and why is he playing with Jisung's quokka? "You should knock before barging in like that."
"But it's my room," Jisung whines. "And that's my plushie."
Felix pouts and puts the quokka in its usual place on Jisung's bed. Minho sighs, rolling his eyes. "I was just helping Lixie get his pull-up on. Do you need one too, Jisung?"
Disgust coats Jisung's face. "No, Appa! I'm a big boy! Don' need a pull-up."
Minho holds his hands up. "Alright, alright, I was only asking. You had an accident the other day so I wasn't sure-"
"Appa!" Jisung whines, and it could just be his imagination, but he swears he hears Seungmin giggling behind the door. But when Jisung opens it, there's nobody there.
Since Jisung's one of the older littles, he gets to pick out his own clothes a lot of the time, just like Seungmin. But when he tries to put on a tank top and shorts, Minho shakes his head.
"Not those, Sungie; it's cold."
Although the soft green sweater and long pants are comfy, and Jisung likes them, he's bitter at the fact he didn't get to pick out his own outfit. Seungmin, on the other hand, is praised for choosing his clothes once they're all in the living room.
"Looks like our little fashion prince has some competition," Changbin chuckles, tickling Jeongin's tummy. Jisung thinks that's a silly joke - Innie never picks out his own clothes or dresses himself when he's little. But when he goes to tell Appa that, Chan interrupts.
"Right, Hyunjin's just getting dressed, so we can head out to the car."
Of course, Jisung's stuck right next to Seungmin. Even though they're in their booster seats, Seungmin keeps poking him and pinching him when he knows their daddies aren't looking. Jisung does his best not to retaliate, but when he's dealt a very painful pinch to his thigh, he whacks Seungmin's hand hard.
"Ow!" Seungmin cries, and Jisung stares at him in dismay. There aren't even tears coming out of the other little's eyes as he whimpers: "Sungie just hit me."
"Han Jisung," Chan warns, looking at him through the rearview mirror. Jisung's mouth drops open in shock - no way he's getting into trouble for this!
"Seungmin hurt me first!" he yelps. There's being mean, and then there's being horrible, and that's what Seungmin's being now. Not only has he started a fight, but he's snitched on Jisung for retaliating.
Seungmin sniffles extra loudly, but Jisung can see how hard the little is holding back a giggle. "N-no I didn't!"
The blubbering is pretty believable, and Jisung can't help the way his chest seizes up. How could Seungmin do this?
At least Changbin can tell Jisung's getting worked up. "Alright, alright. I don't care who started it, but it ends now, got it?"
Although Jisung so badly wants to argue that it's still not fair, he knows this is the best he's going to get. So, with a pout, he nods, quietly asking if he can be moved. Changbin sighs but nods, getting out of the car to move the booster seat (and by default, Jisung), so Jisung will be sat next to Hyunjin instead.
"And Minnie," Jisung hears Changbin say quietly behind him. "If I find out you lied, I'll be very, very disappointed. Do you understand me?"
With the silence from Seungmin, Jisung feels a little bit at peace.
Jeongin's already dozing in his carseat by the time Hyunjin climbs in. Jisung can't help the jealous feeling when he sees Minho and Felix in-front of him; Appa is being so gentle with Felix, humming softly and letting the little play on his phone.
Jisung doesn't have a favourite caregiver, but nobody can deny that he gravitates towards Minho when he's little, and Minho is exactly the same with Jisung. It just feels like Minho's been strange with him all morning, even though Jisung has already served his punishment for what he'd done to Seungmin's painting yesterday.
Swallowing, Jisung closes his own eyes, wishing for just a few seconds, that he could be as little as Jeongin, without a care in the world. To be spoilt and doted on and not do anything in return.
He wakes with a start almost thirty minutes later. Jisung hadn't meant to fall asleep, but then again, he hadn't slept too well last night after Seungmin had started ignoring him. Chan gently lifts him out of the booster seat, setting Jisung on the ground, and Jisung has to grasp onto Chan's arms for a few moments so he doesn't fall over.
"Kai!" Seungmin screeches, running straight past a wobbly Jisung and into the playground.
It was becoming more and more common for idol groups to have quite a few littles. Years ago, if a member of a group was classified as a little, it was difficult for that group to continue - companies had to abide by Little Protection Laws, which meant giving them mandatory leave for headspace slips and only letting them work for four hours a day. Most companies weren't interested in putting in the extra effort, and so groups either disbanded or the littles were prompted to leave.
However, when littles started getting kicked out due to 'unforseen circumstances', their fellow group members started protesting, and pretty soon, the whole country was campaigning for fairer rights for littles in the entertainment industry. Why should their dreams be crushed because of their classifications?
Soon, companies realised that having littles was actually a benefit, as plenty of fans, especially caregivers, gushed over them and found them adorable, always enquiring how the littles were doing. It was also a great marketing strategy as more littles started becoming major fans of idol groups.
Kai, Uncle Yeonjun, Uncle Soobin, Uncle Taehyun and baby Beomgyu are all sat at a picnic table, waiting for them. As soon as Seungmin runs into the playground, Kai leaps up and bounds over to him, the two hugging and giggling with each other.
Jisung can't help the jealousy rising inside his belly. Seungmin is his little brother (by a few days, but still!) and best friend...so why has he left Jisung all by himself? Jisung knows Seungmin is mad at him, but when he played with other littles, Seungmin was the first one to get pouty and angry his big brother wasn't paying attention to him.
"Okay, boys, you go and play for a little bit. We'll call you over when it's time to eat," Changbin tells them.
Seungmin and Kai immediately rush off, and Felix drags Daddy Chan to the swings, leaving Jisung all alone.
Minho cradles Jeongin in his lap, the youngest little now awake and peering around the park curiously. Beomgyu, who is nestled comfortably in Uncle Yeonjun's lap, coos and waves at the other baby. Jisung stares at the two of them - they're certainly too little to play with.
"Why don't you go and play with Kai and Seungmin, Jisung?" Uncle Soobin asks gently, smiling at Jisung.
Of course, Soobin doesn't know about the argument that went down last night. However, before Jisung can explain to Soobin what happened, Changbin is nudging him in the direction of Seungmin and Kai.
"Go on, Jisung. Go play," he prompts. When Jisung does walk away, he hears a giggle from Uncle Taehyun, along with a tired groan from Changbin saying 'finally, a minute's peace'.
That's not nice, Jisung thinks. Especially since Jeongin's the one who's been crying nonstop and yet Changbin's still sat with him - Jisung hadn't disrupted any peace this morning; that had all been Seungmin's fault.
Speaking of Seungmin, he and Kai are currently behind the jungle gym, roaring and pretending to scratch each other. When Jisung joins them, Seungmin rolls his eyes.
"What are you playing?" Jisung asks quietly. He's played with Kai before, but the other little is definitely closer to Seungmin.
"Dinosaurs," Seungmin answers, his tone clipped.
Jisung huffs at the attitude. "Can I play?"
"No," Seungmin groans. "You'll start bossing us around like you always do. It's never fun when you play."
A look of outrage spreads across Jisung's face. "It's always fun when I play! It's not my fault you two are so bad at making up games."
Both Seungmin and Kai stare at him, irritation coating their faces. Then, Kai says: "We don't wanna play with you if you're gonna be mean."
Mean. Mean! How on earth is Jisung the mean one here? He's had his pancakes eaten, been scolded by his daddies all day for things that aren't his fault, been pinched and poked and practically blamed for disrupting the 'peace' in the household. If anything, everyone else is being mean. Seungmin especially.
"I'm not mean - he is!" he yells, pointing at Seungmin, who rolls his eyes. Then, a smirk spreads across Seungmin's face.
"Yeah, I'm mean and big and cool and that's why I'm a dinosaur. You're too annoying to be a dinosaur, Jisung. You're more like a bee that's always buzzing," Seungmin giggles, and then he starts making a loud, droning buzzing sound.
Kai giggles and joins in. Jisung swallows.
"That's not-"
But they don't stop, instead continuing to buzz obnoxiously. Jisung just waits for them to stop, but as soon as he opens his mouth once they've gone silent, they start up with the buzzing again.
"Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz," Seungmin laughs. "Like an annoying little bee. You're so annoying, Jisung."
"Yeah, when you talk, you sound like this. Buzzzzzzz," Kai echoes.
They don't allow Jisung to get a word in edgeways, always cutting him off with the buzzes. Jisung starts to feel sick; they don't even look at him, pointedly excluding him from their game. It's not fair at all - he'd never do that to one of them!
With a grunt, he stomps back to the picnic table, ready to rant to his daddies. Sadly, they don't give him a chance to speak, either.
"Oh good, Sungie, we were just about to have the picnic. Uncle Soobin's phone said there'll be a thunderstorm in an hour, so we'd best hurry," Chan states, clapping his hands. "Do you wanna go get the others?"
"No," Jisung pouts. "They're being mean."
Yeonjun raises his eyebrows. "Is Kai being mean, Jisung? That boy, honestly. I'll just-"
"Ah, don't worry Yeonjun. I'm sure it was just a little game that got a bit out-of-hand. Our Sungie doesn't just let other littles walk over him," Chan chuckles, nudging Jisung to sit down.
Jisung's mouth drops open. Chan's right that he'll always defend himself, but that doesn't make what Seungmin and Kai is doing okay! Jisung knows that if Seungmin came running to his daddies saying Jisung and another little were excluding him, it would be a different story.
Before he can squeak out his protests, though, Minho rubs a gentle hand across his back. "Let's just settle down and have some lunch, okay?"
He knows his daddies are trying to keep the peace, but Jisung still thinks this is all wildly unfair. Chan returns with a giggly Seungmin and Kai while Changbin carries Felix to the table, having been to wash Felix's hands as the little was playing in the sandpit. Plates of cool, delicious food are set down. Minho quickly gets everyone to sanitise their hands before they all dig in.
Jisung pouts at how Seungmin and Kai are whispering to each other. He angrily loads his plate with cakes, only to frown when Minho puts a hand over his. "Eat some proper food as well, Jisung."
"But Appa-"
"I'll pick out some for you if you won't," Minho scolds.
Jisung sighs but obediently piles some rice and vegetables into a bowl.
"Wow, Seungmin, you're such a healthy boy! I can barely get your Uncle Soobin to eat that many vegetables," Yeonjun praises. When Jisung looks over to Seungmin, even he is surprised with the amount of vegetables he has gathered. The two of them usually try and sweet talk their daddies and appas into giving them sweet treats over fruit, which never works, but now Jisung is alone in that, too.
Seungmin smiles and basks in the praise, and Jisung glares as Seungmin makes eye contact with him, smiling very widely, rubbing it in Jisung's face what a good little he is.
Jisung's not even hungry. Not that he had anything for breakfast (which nobody noticed, by the way!), but his tummy is still churning and bubbling.
"Is there a problem, Jisung?" Changbin asks, quirking an eyebrow up at Jisung. Oh shoot, Jisung thinks - he'd been caught glaring at Seungmin! He shakes his head quickly, while Changbin nods, saying: "Let's keep it that way, then."
The picnic is full of loud chatter and laughter. It seems the caregivers are thrilled to catch up and give each other all the gossip. Seungmin and Kai continue their game of dinosaurs, feeding each other and letting out roars as they do so. Jeongin and Beomgyu are fed their bottles by Hyunjin and Taehyun, but even when they've finished, the two babies babble to each other animatedly, as if they can understand each other.
Jisung, however, is totally silent. He eats his food slowly, peering around, but it's as if he's invisible. The only time somebody makes contact with him is when Minho wipes some sauce from his mouth, but even then, Appa carries on talking to Soobin about some new recipe he'd tried. Jisung just allows him to do it - he knows if he chimes in, he'll just get a nod and an 'oh, that's really interesting, Sungie', before being pushed out of the conversation.
"Right boys, you've got about twenty minutes left before we need to go home," Chan announces. Seungmin and Kai both start whining, until Chan says: "Don't worry, we know the weather's annoying, so we'll all be going back to our house."
Oh great, Jisung thinks. He won't even be able to sulk in the comfort of his own home because Kai and Seungmin will probably terrorise him. At least if it was just Seungmin, Jisung would be able to tell his daddies, but they probably will just brush Jisung off to not make a scene in-front of everyone else.
Jisung, Seungmin and Kai are told to go play. There is a massive forest behind the playground where they had their picnic, but of course, they have to stay where their daddies can see them, and are directed to the fenced playground.
"Take Lixie with you too," Hyunjin says. "He wants to play with you."
"Yay!" Seungmin squeaks, grabbing Felix's hand. "Let's go. Felix is a baby, so we've gotta be gentle, Kai. He's not as little as Innie, but..."
Jisung tunes Seungmin out, pouting as he stomps behind them. He doesn't want to play with Seungmin and Kai, but when he'd tried to sit back down with the caregivers, Chan had gently nudged him in the direction of the others. Basically saying Jisung's presence wasn't welcome.
Well, Jisung knows where he's not wanted. He follows the littles, checking behind him to see if his daddies are acknowledging how good he's being, but they're talking amongst themselves again.
Seungmin decides that Felix is too little to play dinosaurs. Felix seems determined to play fairies, anyway.
"Sungie, you gots to be the flower prince fairy! B-because you're so pretty," Felix orders, jumping up and down.
Jisung rolls his eyes as Felix starts gathering daisies, as if he can make a crown out of the tiny white flowers.
"Fairies have wings," Kai chuckles, and then suddenly, he and Seungmin start buzzing, flapping their arms and zooming around in circles.
Jisung growls, fed up with two of them. "S-stop doing that! It's annoying!"
"Do you hear something, Kai?" Seungmin giggles, pretending to stare right past Jisung.
Kai shakes his head. "No. Oh wait, I think it might have been an annoying little bee!"
And then the buzzing starts again. Jisung clenches his fists, feeling tears blur his eyesight, but he really, really doesn't want to cry in-front of Seungmin and Kai, or he'll never hear the end of it.
Sadly, Seungmin sees how red his eyes have gotten. But instead of backing down and leaving Jisung alone, it just fuels him on even more.
"Are you crying, Jisung? You're such a baby! Like Innie and Beomgyu!" he jeers.
Jisung gasps in outrage. "N-no I'm not! I'm bigger than you, Seungmin," he cries.
Seungmin laughs, but there isn't a smile on his face. It's clear he's still furious about his painting that Jisung ruined last night.
"Yes you are! I heard Appa saying that you had an accident the other day, and he was gonna put you in a pull-up. I haven't had an accident in ages, which means you're the baby!" Seungmin spits out.
Kai nods, giggling, but it's clear he's uncomfortable from the arguing.
"You're being such a meanie, Seungmin," Jisung whines. "I said I was sorry about your painting - I was only trying to help! But you can't just ignore me and say bad stuff."
Seungmin glares at him. "Yes I can! I said I don't want to play with you, but you keep annoying us, like the annoying little bee that you are!"
Biting his lip, Kai steps back. Unfortunately, Felix, who doesn't know how tense the atmosphere is, gets involved.
"Bee!" the little giggles, and then, he starts his own buzzing.
Jisung's eye twitches. Before he knows what he's doing, his arm swings out and knocks Felix backwards, right onto his bottom. Felix lands softly in the sandpit, but his eyes are wide with shock and fear.
Staring at his hand as if he can't recognise it, Jisung's own eyes are wide open. Had he really just pushed his little brother?
And then, Felix bursts into tears, and everything erupts.
"You pushed Lixie!" Seungmin screeches, jumping into the sandpit and helping Felix up.
Jisung wishes that was the worst reaction. But when a shadow falls over him, he feels his insides turn freezing cold. Of course, his daddies must have seen everything.
"Han Jisung," Chan seethes. Jisung clenches his eyes shut as he turns around, trembling. "Look at me right now, young man."
"D-Daddy," he whimpers. "D-didn't mean-"
"Do not give me that, Jisung!" Chan snaps, and Jisung curls in on himself. Minho brushes past him and gathers Felix into his arms, not even sparing Jisung a glance. "You have been in a foul mood all morning. Having a tantrum at breakfast, arguing with Seungmin in the car, and now pushing over your little brother? No more park for you; you can sit in time-out."
"But...but..."
He doesn't get to say any more as he's hauled up onto Chan's hip and deposited at one of the other picnic tables. Changbin follows them and sits down, shaking his head at Jisung before quietly ordering him to sit still. Chan leaves quickly to check up on Felix; Jisung can hear Seungmin ranting about how 'mean' Jisung has been to him and Kai the whole time they were playing, and of course, Chan nods along, believing every word.
What really breaks Jisung's heart is when Minho eventually looks over. They lock eyes, but Minho shakes his head; words couldn't even describe how disappointed the caregiver looked, his eyes narrowed and forehead pinched, and Jisung hates that the look is being directed at him.
He feels so defeated. He'd had his favourite breakfast eaten and none of his daddies noticed he hadn't eaten anything, Hyunjin had told him off for trying to quieten Jeongin down, Minho was giving him the cold shoulder, Kai and Seungmin had been total meanies but now he's the real meanie because he's just hurt his baby brother.
"I wanna say sorry," he sniffles, going to stand up, but Changbin fixes him with a firm look.
"You will stay right where you are and have a good think." Changbin's tone is full of warning.
Jisung swallows. "But Appa-"
"Jisung," Changbin bites out, and Jisung knows that's his cue to be quiet. He doesn't need to embarrass himself any more; if his daddies get any angrier with him, he might just end up over one of their knees in-front of everyone, which he would never live down.
It's clear Felix is more shocked than physically hurt. His little whimpers break Jisung's heart, and Jisung wants nothing more than to run over and grovel to Felix, to apologise for being the world's worst big brother. Because Felix hasn't done anything wrong, yet he's the one who Jisung took his anger out on.
He feels terrible.
"Okay, okay, you're alright, darling," Minho coos to Felix, dusting the sand off the little's pants. "You can carry on playing or you can come and sit with me, alright?"
Huh, Jisung wishes he'd had that option, but it seemed his caregivers wanted to be rid of him so they could talk to Soobin and Yeonjun and Taehyun.
The more Jisung thinks about it, the more he thinks his daddies have been annoyed specificially at him today. He couldn't imagine Chan or Changbin just telling Seungmin to go play if he looked upset, even though he was the same age as Jisung. Jeongin caused everyone migraines with his screams and yet they hadn't told him to just 'go play' (not that he could - but still!). And Felix...well, he's just the sweetest little one; no wonder Minho wants to sit with him.
Even growing up, Jisung was always known as 'a handful', as 'the problem child'. He just had a lot of energy he needed to burn off, so many things he wanted to tell people, so much excitement to be shared. He's definitely more acquainted with the time-out corner than his brothers, but until now, Jisung had never thought that was a problem - some littles acted out more than others because they had different needs, but their caregivers still loved them all the same.
But now...now Jisung's not sure. Punishments were usually over and done with, yet he can't help but feel his daddies are still mad at him about Seungmin's painting. Seungmin certainly is, and while Jisung knows he can't force his brother to accept his apology, he wishes his daddies would pay a little more attention, and talk to Seungmin about his own behaviour.
That's not the case, though. It's only Jisung's behaviour that's the problem. He knows he pushed Felix, and he's full of so much regret, but he also feels so alone. He's always teary when one of his daddies scolds him, but Chan hadn't even put Jisung into time-out himself; he'd just passed him off to Changbin to deal with.
"Appa..." Jisung sniffles. "W-wanna say sorry to Lix. Please-"
"Be quiet, Jisung. Or your time-out will start again," Changbin mutters, massaging his temples.
Jisung sighs sadly, obediently closing his mouth, eyes red and teary. Of course, Changbin doesn't notice.
It doesn't take long for Felix's tears to dry up. Seungmin and Kai bounce around him, eagerly promising Felix that they'll play whatever game he wants in the time they have left. Minho smiles fondly at them, sitting down on one of the benches inside the playground to watch over the littles. He doesn't look back at Jisung at all.
Sniffling, Jisung watches as his brothers and Kai flutter around, pretending to be fairies. Felix is enamoured with Kai, saying he should be the fairy prince instead. It's as if everyone's totally forgotten about Jisung.
"I'm just taking mister for a change," Hyunjin announces tiredly, sitting Jeongin on his hip, the baby sucking his pacifier quietly.
Jisung swallows. He hadn't even realised he'd needed to use the restroom, but now, he realises he'd unconsciously been pressing his thighs together, desperately needing to go.
"I need to go," he tells Changbin, who peers at him for a second. Thankfully, Changbin believes Jisung, and nods to Hyunjin, but firmly reminds Jisung that his time-out isn't over and that he'll be going straight back on the bench when he gets back.
Hyunjin storms ahead, so Jisung has to run to catch-up, almost tripping a few times. He knows Daddy just wants to get the change over and done with, but he could have at least held Jisung's hand.
The restroom is...disgusting. The walls and floor are coated in grime, and Jisung can see quite a few tiny critters scrurrying about. Hyunjin gags, warning Jisung not to touch anything. But when he opens the family cubicle, Hyunjin groans in annoyance.
And then...
"What a fucking joke."
Jisung gasps - caregivers aren't supposed to swear, especially not around littles!
Hyunjin realises his mistake too, for a look of horror crosses his face. "I...uh - don't repeat that, Jisung!" he begs. "Look, we're gonna have to go and get another caregiver. This cubicle is tiny; no way are all three of us going to fit in."
But Jisung really can't be bothered going back. He needs the restroom now, and with Chan and Minho being preoccupied with the others, Appa Changbin will have to be the one to take him, and Jisung doesn't really want to speak to him right now.
They'll all get more annoyed with Jisung, having to take precious time away from the others just so he can use the restroom.
"Daddy, no! I'll just go, please!" Jisung whines, crossing his legs. "Need to go now!"
Jeongin starts whining too, and Hyunjin looks as if his head is about to explode. "Okay, okay! But you will wait for me, okay? If you run outside when I'm not done, you'll be in a lot of trouble, do you understand?"
Jisung nods, and then bounds into one of the other cubicles. He hears Hyunjin sigh as the caregiver makes his way into the family cubicle with Jeongin.
Of course, Jisung's done before Hyunjin is. It sounds like there's barely any space to move, so Jisung knows it must be hard for Hyunjin to get Jeongin changed, especially with how much of a squirmer the youngest is.
"Jisung, are you still there?" Hyunjin calls out.
"Yes, Daddy," Jisung responds, washing his hands. A sigh of relief can be heard.
But when Jisung goes to stand outside the family cubicle, he looks outside. The forest catches his attention; the restroom was a little walk away from the playground and picnic area, just on the outskirts of the forest. If Jisung walked just a few metres, he'd be right in the forest.
The forest, which goes on for miles and miles. Jisung knows because he'd been for walk through it once with his daddies. He hadn't liked it too much; there was no playground, and as it got to dusk, the forest got a little spooky.
But now, looking at it, Jisung wonders if it would be a good thing to have a walk in the forest. His daddies surely wouldn't be able to find him; everything began to look the same after a while in there.
No, what is he thinking - of course he can't do that! His daddies would be so worried and upset and...
Wait, would they? Thinking about it, Jisung's not too sure. They've showed nothing but annoyance towards him all day, Seungmin doesn't even want to talk to him, and he'd hurt Felix. The more Jisung reflects, the more he thinks it might be good after all.
They won't have to deal with him, and he won't have to deal with their looks of exasperation. Maybe they'll be happy for a bit of peace and quiet. Sure, they'll still have Jeongin, but it's okay when he's loud - it's not when Jisung is, his daddies had proved that.
Breath hitching, Jisung tiptoes past the cubicle Hyunjin and Jeongin are currently occupying, and steps out into the sunlight.
Nobody will be able to see him run into the forest from this angle, as the tiny building the restroom's in is blocking the playground and picnic area.
Peace and quiet, Jisung thinks. He runs.