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Jisung is in a panic right now. He just came to his room to relax after dinner, instead he’s frantically searching the room for a particular object.
He needs his precious Leebit.
It sounds stupid and it is. However Jisung has accidentally become attached to the little rabbit SKZOO – especially when his little side came out.
Leebit was soft. Leebit was cute, despite his size. Leebit reminded Jisung of his caregiver – Minho – at times when he was gone.
But Leebit was missing. Jisung swore he put him in his bed, tucked him under the fuzziest blanket he could find which was also his favorite so he wouldn’t get cold – this morning though, Leebit vanished!
Jisung is unintentionally freaking out, and in times like these he slips dangerously fast and before he knows it he’s just a kid again who’s lost his favorite toy. His appa was gone too, because he was hanging out with the rest of danceracha and getting food at a restaurant!
That doesn’t change the fact that his Leebit is missing.
Jisung tears his room apart. First yanks his desk with incredible strength a mentally five-year-old shouldn’t have to look behind it, nothing. Then he searches every crack and crevice of his closet to find clothes. Even crawling halfway under his bed only to find the wrong kind of bunny – dust bunnies, after that he tears his bed apart until all the blankets are strewn across the floor.
He’s panicking.
He is hyperventilating.
He can’t fight the tears much longer.
Nevermind the fact that he could just get another SKZOO from the staff some time. This Leebit was special, he got it when they were first manufactured, in other words, this is the original and Jisung has so many memories with him.
Jisung was tempted to run out in the living room where most of the others were to cause a fuss about it.
So Jisung does the last thing he can think to do. Curl on the carpet beneath into a little ball and cry, not even a Leebit to his chest to remind him of how appa could have been here right now comforting him. His job of searching was pretty half-hearted, but he was panicking and didn’t know where else to look.
It doesn’t take long before footsteps thunder down the hallway. “Sungie? What’s going on?” It’s Channie’s voice. Channie is like little Jisung’s uncle and clearly he was being loud enough that he came in.
“Sungie? What’s going on – ah, I see.” He sighs though not out of annoyance. The leader takes in the sight of the room, how messy and unorganized it is and the state of the little, trying to connect the dots of what happens here. All he knows is that Jisung is upset and little.
“Need my fwiend!!!” The little calls back like a distressed baby fawn
Changbin makes himself known behind Chan. “Oh, he’s little isn’t he?”
“Looks like it.” Chan confirms.
Then, the leader approaches him on his knees. “Hey, baby, what’s going on?”
Jisung registers Channie and gives him a pout while he continues to cry. “I – I lost Weebit…”
“Weebit?” The other racha member wonders behind Chan. He’s not as well-versed in Jisung’s little side, or dealing with children in general, however lately he’s been wanting to learn from the others and how they handle him and how to help him.
“He means Leebit, you lost him?” The leader switches from talking to Changbin and then Jisung. In response, the little nods his head.
That’s when Chan looks up around the room, finally taking in the mess. “We can help you find him again. Perhaps making a mess of the room wasn’t the smartest.”
“Uh-huh” Changbin agrees, tense.
“I– I put him n’ ma bed and under the blankies this morning and he… he’s gone.”
“Uh oh.” Chan mutters to himself as the little starts hyperventilating again with more tears. “He’s special! I c-can’t lose Weebit!” – “Alright, Binnie will you search around the room more? Maybe clean some stuff up while you’re at it?”
“Yeah – of course..” Changbin gets up a bit awkwardly and starts searching.
Jisung doesn’t feel any better so instead curls up like a cat and rolls toward Chan where the older scoops him in his arms. “I wan’ appa. He can find him…”
“Let’s wait to see if Binnie can find him first.” The little doesn’t react, so he takes that as a sign of no protest and holds him in his arms. Sometimes Jisung likes to be rocked, but when Chan tries that Jisung starts squirming and gripping on his sleeves so he stops. While Changbin goes on his search Chan tries comforting the little by assuring him they will find Leebit and some point. It works for now.
Changbin starts looking and fixing up the place. The first is the bed which is easy to fix up again and again no Leebit is found there, so he looks under the bed. Jisung doesn’t really take his Leebit anywhere else so he believes him when he swears he was last in his bed. There’s the desk too, which is void of anything remotely plushie-shaped and he rolls it back into place. The closet is a weird place but seems was obviously tampered with when Jisung was searching, all he finds is clothes.
“Let me see if anyone else knows if they saw Leebit.” Changbin mutters and walks out the room. “Has anyone seen Leebit? Jisung’s lost him and he’s making a fuss about it.” The other members are huddled around the couch eating some snacks and watching a movie. They all collectively say things along the lines of ‘no’ and shake their heads. Seungmin offers to help search, Changbin politely dismisses that unless it’s really dire. I mean, where else could Leebit be???
Maybe he left him in Minho’s room or something. So Changbin checks there but doesn’t search too hard because it’s Minho’s room and he doesn’t want to intrude. He goes through the same process of looking around the bed and then under and still there is nothing. Changbin returns back to Jisung’s room reporting no sighting of him.
“I looked everywhere I thought I could. I asked the others and they said they haven’t seen them, Jisung, I’m sorry–”
“Weebit!!!” The little angrily darts out ofChan’s hold to pull on the other racha member’s pant leg. “Hey, Sungie be nice,” Chan scolds, gently pulling him away again to which he wiggles and squirms.
Uh oh. Jisung has tears in his little eyes, because they are glassy and shiny which is a tell-tale sign, they’re back at square one.
“Sung, I’m sorry I haven’t found him yet as I said.
Jisung looks up at him with his quokka eyes. “I need APPA!”
“Jisung–” The little is now wailing over his lost toy. He scoops him up into his arms and props him up to where his head is on his shoulder. It’s weird to see a grown man being so easily carried like a child, but Chan is strong anyway. Channie pats the boy’s back until he stops crying. “Ah, I’m sorry Changbin.”
“No–It’s okay, I understand he just wants his toy. I cleaned most of the room up again but no Leebit.”
“It’s Weebit.” The little snarkily says in between tears. “Appaaaaaaaa need to save Weebit!”
“Okay, okay we’ll get your appa — I will, Changbin continue searching will you?”
“I already looked everywhere but I’ll try again. Sungie, you’re sure that’s the last place you left him? Your bed?”
“Yes!!!”
“Sure-sure?” Changbin tries to confirm.
“Need appa!”
“Alright, alright.”
Chan is grabbing his phone and texting Minho with one hand while sitting on the bed, Jisung soothes down a little but then gets upset all over again.
Something clicks in Changbin’s head. He never looked between the headboard as there is a small gap between it and the wall. It’s a weird place, but it’s also the only place Changbin hasn’t looked at yet.
“--Wait!” Changbin says. He peers over the headboard and finds a white mass squished in between the oak headboard and the baby-blue wall.
Chan >> Minho 😺
Chan: we need you right away
Me and Changbin aren’t really equipped for this right now because Jisung won’t stop wailing and crying. He’s little and lost Leebit and Changbin can’t find him anywhere. He keeps crying for you.
Sorry if we interrupted you :<
There isn’t a response, not even a ‘read’ shown under the text, it’s just left on delivered.
“Huh?” Changbin is fighting tooth and nail to recover Leebit from between the wall. Jisung started giggling and clapping which is what brought Chan’s attention back to Changbin.
He misses when his texts go from ‘delivered’ to ‘read’ – but no response.
“Did you find him? Do you need help?”
“I think I found him, but he’s stuck – wait!” With a ‘pop’ sound he pulls Leebit out. Looking… in rough shape, squished like a vacuum-sealed pancake ran over multiple times with a few scratches. The real question is how did he even get there? “Oh my…”
“Weebit!!!” Jisung darts out of Chan’s gold before he can stop him again. He yoinks him out of Changbin’s hand and behind him the leader scolds him lightly. “Weebit…?” His lips start to wobble as he sees the state of him. “What… what–”
“I’m here.” The door slams open, revealing Minho, he’s panting quite heavy which meant he probably ran for his life as fast as he could to get here. This startles all three of them, Jisung darts across the floor for the millionth time on his knees and gets picked up by his caregiver as Jisung holds the very smooshed Leebit.
What the hell, how did Minho even get here in just a few minutes? Caregivers must have superpowers when their little is in trouble.
“Well, Changbin found him. Somehow he got stuck in between the headboard and the wall looking like that. It’s funny because he just found him when you got here…”
“Yep.”
“Appaaaa!” Jisung yells out a little too loudly when he sees him.
“Yes, yes I’m here baby. I see you just found Leebit, though…?”
“Weebit needs fixed!!! Fix him, appa!” Jisung exclaims, waving the white rabbit in the air. Minho soothingly pats his back. “Yes, yes, nothing a little fluffing up and washing him in the washer won’t do. Hopefully he wasn’t too much of a handful, was he?”
“He fussed a little and I tried calming him down.” Chan says. “Yeah.” Changbin agrees with him with an awkward smile. “Sorry for interrupting your date night.” He apologies, and Minho waves him off, dismissing him. “No, no it’s fine. I told the others it was about little Jisung and they understood immediately.”
Jisung calmed down but now he’s getting impatient. “Fix Weebit, fix Weebit!” He shouts to Minho who gives him a firm but caring look in his eye while gently telling him to calm down. “Yes, yes, I will. We’ll get him cleaned up.” Then, looking back to the rest of the racha members; “Thank you for caring for him and finding his plushie. I don’t have any idea on how he got there either. But I think it’s time we fix Leebit up, you’re getting impatient, aren’t you buddy?” Minho switches his attention to the little. “Well, I think I should hurry before he gets too upset.” He laughs.
And the other racha members wave goodbye and head out the door. Chan says goodbye to Jisung who returns the wave, and Changbin mutters another goodbye to Jisung with a little smile. Jisung, though, grabs onto Changbin’s arm. “Tank you for finding Weebit!” To which the other’s face flushes red and he nods his head before heading back out.
. . .
That night, Jisung is tucked into bed with his new and clean Weebit in his arms. He ended up staying regressed for most of the night as he really needed it. “Sleep with me n’ Weebit.” He demands.
“Of course, of course. I wasn’t planning on any different.” Minho smiles and crawls into bed with him. This night he’ll make sure Leebit doesn’t end up inbetween the wall and headboard, that will always remain a mystery on how it got there.