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With the life Jae lived in the U.S, and the one Brian had in Canada, they knew about certain topics and things many other people in Korea wouldn't.
Like little space.
Jae didn't know how or when they first started talking about it, but it soon became a topic they'd talk about every now and again. They talked about idols they had a gut feeling were either Littles or Caregivers, even talking about people under JYP. It wasn't them passing judgement on people, they both had discussed that they may be caregivers themselves, it's just sometimes they could see something in people's behavior that made them believe they could be into little space.
One day their own assumption on themselves became cemented in reality when they found Wonpil asleep with a pacifier in his mouth and a stuffed animal in his hold. The former maknae woke up in horror, but was brought down from an oncoming panic attack with the help of Brian and Jae. Later on, once Sungjin and Dowoon woke up, they had a meeting about it before they made a plan to let Wonpil regress once a week and bought him more things as time went on and they found out what he liked. That was fairly early into their career as Day6, with the only people ever knowing about it being Jaebum, Jinyoung, Jihyo, Mina and Nickhun.
As of late, though, Jae and Brian had been talking about who in Stray Kids could be Littles.
"I don't know man, it's kind of hard to tell. They're still kids so of course they still act like kids ." Brian said, turning off his laptop and putting it into his backpack.
Jae hummed, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. It was late at night and he should really follow his friends lead, but he was a bit too lazy to do anything that involved moving his muscles.
" I still think that the youngest members could be little ." Jae said, words getting quieter at the end. Brian huffed out a laugh as he made his way to grab Jae's guitar to put it away.
" You always think that the youngest members in any group could be little ." Brian retorted.
" It usually is the younger ones Bri! They had to give up their childhoods to become idols. " Jae said, gaining more energy about the topic they were about to get into. " Because they chose to try and become idols they don't have normal childhoods and if they did it's hard to keep the friends they made beca- "
" Because idol life is busy and they never have free time, I know, I know. We've had this conversation before. " Brian cut in, now pushing Jae's shoulder to get him up and back to the dorms.
Jae reluctantly gave in, getting up from his chair before getting shoved out the studio with Brian behind him.
" I have a gut feeling that Jisung kid could be a Little. " Jae brought up as they made their way down the hall and towards the elevator.
"Why him specifically?" Brian asked with a raised eyebrow and switching to Korean.
"He looks like you and I think it'd be Hella cute if he was." Jae shrugged, not noticing the blush starting to rise on the youngers cheeks. "Plus the way he tries to get his members attention reminds me of Wonpil."
"You mind going back to the first part Jae?" Brian asked, only to get a dumbfounded look from the older.
"About Jisung being cute if he was a Little?"
Brian shook his head.
"Oh? About him looking like you? Cause he really does." Jae said, shrugging his shoulders as he turned around to keep going. Brian just stood in his spot, Jae obviously not understanding what he tried to ask him.
Maybe he wasn't calling me cute , Brian thought as he started to walk one again, Jae must think he's a cute kid.
"Is someone else still here?" Jae asked stopped in front of a studio that had the lights on if the bright light surrounding the door meant anything.
"Isn't this the studio Chris and his friends use?" Brian asked himself.
Jae just shrugged his shoulders before going to open the door without knocking. Brian sighed, but still followed his friend into the studio.
Once inside they could hear a track being played softly in the background. No one was at the desk with the computer and mix board, but there was someone sleeping on the couch. Brian noticed they were sound asleep, curled into a fetal position. But then Jae walked into his field of vision and he could no longer look at the person on the couch.
"Bri!" Jae whisper yelled once he got a good look at the person. "It's Jisung!"
Brian laughed at the evident joy he could hear in Jae's voice, joining his friend near the couch. Sure enough it was Jisung, who was sucking his thumb in his sleep. Glancing around the area Brian noticed a stuffed squirrel, a coloring book and crayons as well as stray pieces of colorful kids blocks.
Jae was right, Brian thought to himself, getting an elbow to the side of his arm. Looking to his right he saw Jae giving him a devilish smile that made him want to slap him, but he held back.
"Don't even think it Jae." Brian whispered through grit teeth, he really didn't want to have this conversation right now.
"I. Was. Right." Jae leaned in to whisper in Brian's ear. Once he was done Brian shoved him to the side, the action causing Jisung to stir.
Both Brian and Jae froze, eyes staying on Jisung in hopes that he didn't wake up.
But he did.
The chubby cheeked boy brought a fist to his eye to rub the sleep away, thumb still in his mouth, before his eyes opened and found themselves trained onto his sunbaes.
Brian and Jae gave the boy a soft smile, hoping to come off as friendly and not weird, considering they had barged into his groups studio and ended up staring at him while he slept, but it didn't seem to work because the next thing they knew the boy had taken his thumb out of his mouth and was close to tears.
Jae started to stammer, bits and pieces of words coming out of mouth in both Korean and English, before he left the studio and left Brian alone.
" Okay, just leave me here Jae! " Brian called out.
"Pl-please don't tell my members." Jisung choked out, tears threatening to spill. Brian quickly turned his attention back on the boy.
"I'm not sure what you are talking about," Brian started off, caregiver voice coming out, "but whatever it is I won't tell your members. Okay?"
Jisung nodded his head, face becoming a little blotchy because he was feeling so embarrassed about being caught doing something like sucking his thumb, bot to mention the very childish toys that littered the floor. He also didn't like the look Brian was giving him. It made him feel small and vulnerable, but he couldn't afford to regress in front of them. If he did then they would find him weird and possibly never look at him as a normal person ever again.
"I'm back and brought something for Jisung!" Jae announced, a look of hope and determination on his face and a package in his hand. It startled both Brian and Jisung, but when Brian looked at what Jae was holding he shook his head.
" Jae, don't even think about giving him a- ”
" A pacifier? Why not Bri? " Jae challenged. Brian angrily exhaled because now wasn't really the time to be having this conversation.
" It's late dude, let's just get him to his dorms. ” Brian said instead, but Jae wasn't gonna have it.
" It won't kill him to have a- "
"Can you not talk about me as if I don't understand you?" Jisung butted in, taking both men by surprise. For all they knew only Chan, Felix, and Seungmin spoke/understood English while the others had a basic understanding. Guess they were wrong.
"What are you even trying to give me?" Jisung then asked, making Jae light up as he handed the package over. All Brian could do was sigh.
Jisung took the package hesitantly, eyes looking at Jae as if asking if it was okay for him to open it. Jae just shook his head, urging the boy to open it, which he did.
"A-a pacifier?" Jisung shakely asked once he got it open.
In his hand he held a dark red pacifier that had 'lil devil' written on the handle of it and had black horns on the circular part of it as decoration. Brian looked at it and realized it was the one Jae had planned on giving to Wonpil a few months back but had been stopped by both him and Sungjin to choose a different one. Jae of course put up a fight, saying it described Wonpil the best out of the others, but after enough arguing he instead bought a light blue pacifier with the words 'Baby Boy's written on it.
Turns out he still bought his original pick.
"Yeah! I mean, ugh, how would I go about this? You can have it if you want. I'm sure it'd be more comfortable than sucking on your thumb." Jae said. Jisung looked at him with wide eyes that swam with emotions before he looked down.
"Wh-why would you do this for me? Don't y-you find me weird?" Jisung choked out before he actually started to cry. Thankfully Brian was right there for him and enveloped him in a hug, which Jae joined in on.
"I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anybody else, okay?" Brian said. Jisung nodded his head. "Wonpil is a little too, has been for a few years now, and because of that Jae and I have a sensor, I guess, when it comes to noticing which idols could be Littles."
Brian could feel Jisung hold on tighter to his shirt, taking in all his words, before he nodded his head in understanding. They all stayed together in that hug for a few minutes before Jisung made the first move to get out. Brian and Jae let him do so, eyes following what he was about to do.
"You should keep this here hyung." Jisung said as he handed the pacifier back to Jae and wiped some tears away. "My members don't know about me being... like this."
Jae was going to say something, insist on him keeping it with him, but Brian elbowed him in the side to stop.
"That's okay Jisung, but if you ever want to regress, but you haven't talked to your members first, you can come to us and we can help." Brian said, causing Jisung to blush.
"O-okay." Jisung agreed.
Brian nodded, getting up from his spot to turn off the track that was still playing, as well as turning everything else off. Jae followed his lead and got up himself, extending a hand out towards Jisung to get him up on his feet. The younger was hesitant but took his hand nonetheless.
"Do you... do you mind if we keep these things in your studio?" Jisung asked, gesturing to all the things on the floor. Jae and Brian looked at him before looking at the floor.
"I-I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to! It was rude of me t-" but Jae was already picking the things up with Brian slinging his backpack in front of him to put all the objects in to. Jisung was a blushing mess, but he didn't have the guts to stop his hyungs from doing something he asked them to.
Soon the trio were walking out of the building together and making their way to their dorms. They talked about how Jisung should at least try and talk to his members about being little, and if he couldn't do it by himself then they would help him out. Jisung instead agreed on trying to talk to Chan first, and if he couldn't do it hed asked brian for help.
"Well, this is my dorm, so, uh, good night hyungs." Jisung said once they were in front of his building.
"We'll see you around Hannie." Brian said, ruffling the youngers hair. Jisung blushed at the nickname and affection, a thought drifting into his head about how jealous Seungmin would be if he could see what was going on.
" Brian? ” Someone called out. All three of them looked at the source to see Chris, tired as heck, staring at them.
" Hey man, why you up? It's late. " Brian asked, taking his hand off of Jisung's head to talk with his friend. Chris looked at all of them suspiciously, or maybe he was just tired, before he started talking.
"I was gonna go and get Jisung from the studio, but I see you did that for me." Chris commented with a grateful smile. Jisung smiled too before he walked over to join his leader and close friend.
"Thanks again for doing that hyungs. Goodnight." Jisung said, turning around to go and enter the building with Chris.
Jae was gonna call out after the boy, but Brian clamped a hand over his mouth.
" Don't even try Jae, let him do it on his own." Brian said, hand still over the elders mouth as he started walking away from Jisungs dorm and to their own.
Jae said something, but it was muffled by Brian's hand. The bassist didn't bother asking him what he said, even when he took his hand off of his mouth a few seconds later.
It was up to Jisung now to tell his members about his regression. They would only butt in if asked by the young rapper, but with how close he seemed with them they doubted they would even need to help out at all.