Chapter Text
The practice room was quieter than usual.
Not silent—never silent—but quieter.
Music still played faintly from the speakers at the front of the mirrored studio inside KQ Entertainment while half-empty water bottles littered the floor beside abandoned jackets and bags. The members had technically finished practice almost forty minutes ago, but nobody had actually left yet.
That happened sometimes.
One person fixed the choreography while another replayed recordings. Someone ordered food. Someone else started arguing over whether a move looked cooler in formation three or four.
Across the room, Mingi sat tucked into the corner near the wall-length mirrors, knees pulled loosely to his chest beneath his hoodie.
At first, nobody noticed anything was wrong.
Not really.
He looked normal enough.
Just quiet.
A little tired maybe.
But as the members continued talking around him, Mingi's gaze slowly unfocused against the polished floor. The conversation around him started blending together into noise instead of words.
Too much movement.
Too many sounds layered together.
His hoodie sleeve disappeared between his teeth before he even consciously realized he'd done it.
Chewing.
Slow.
Mindless.
A habit.
A sign.
His jaw worked softly against the fabric while his fingers curled tighter around the sleeves covering his hands. Across the room, Seonghwa glanced up mid-conversation.
Paused.
Watched.
Mingi was chewing harder now.
Not enough to damage the hoodie, but enough that the fabric kept pulling between his teeth every few seconds. His shoulders looked tense despite how curled in on himself he'd become.
Dissociating.
Slipping.
Seonghwa immediately recognized the signs.
Especially because Mingi had stopped responding entirely.
"Did you hear me Mingi ?" Wooyoung asked from somewhere nearby after apparently trying to talk to him twice already.
No response.
Mingi blinked slowly.
Then lowered his eyes again.
Seonghwa stood before anyone else could push further.
"I got him," he said gently, already crossing the practice room.
The giant rapper barely reacted when Seonghwa crouched beside him, though his chewing slowed almost immediately at the familiar presence.
"Hey, sweetheart," Seonghwa murmured softly.
Mingi's eyes finally lifted.
Heavy.
Distant.
There it was.
That quiet, floaty look he got whenever he slipped too far into his headspace without realizing it first.
"You with me?"
A tiny nod.
Barely there.
Seonghwa smiled faintly before carefully tugging the damp hoodie sleeve away from Mingi's mouth.
"Mm-mm. Not the sleeve."
Mingi made the softest displeased sound in the back of his throat.
A tiny whine.
Across the room, Hongjoong immediately looked over from where he'd been reviewing dance footage.
One glance at Seonghwa holding Mingi's sleeve away from his mouth told him everything he needed to know.
"Oh," Hongjoong said quietly, voice instantly softer. "He's slipping?"
Seonghwa nodded once.
"Think practice pushed him too hard today."
Mingi shifted closer on instinct the second Seonghwa sat fully beside him. Large hands immediately grabbing lightly at Seonghwa's hoodie sleeve instead now that his own had been taken away.
Clingy.
Another sign.
Seonghwa let him.
"Joong," he called gently without taking his eyes off Mingi, "did you bring the black case?"
Hongjoong was already moving before he finished asking.
"Got it," Hongjoong answered immediately.
The leader crossed the practice room toward the pile of bags near the speaker system, already unzipping one of the smaller side pockets. The others had gone noticeably quieter by now, all of them aware enough to recognize what was happening.
Yunho subtly lowered the music volume another notch.
Jongho stopped tapping rhythms against the floor.
Even Wooyoung, who usually teased Mingi relentlessly, softened instantly.
Meanwhile Mingi had practically folded himself against Seonghwa's side.
His chewing had switched targets now.
Instead of the hoodie sleeve, he'd found the drawstring near Seonghwa's collar.
Slowly gnawing on the plastic tip while staring blankly at the floor.
Seonghwa gently brushed sweaty bangs away from his forehead.
"Hi, baby."
Mingi blinked once.
Another tiny whine left him.
Nonverbal.
Fully slipping now.
"You did really good today," Seonghwa continued quietly. "Practice was long, huh?"
A small nod.
The movement looked sleepy.
Heavy.
Hongjoong returned a moment later carrying a compact black case covered in tiny stickers that absolutely added to his intimidating captain image.
One side read:
PRINCESS EMERGENCY KIT
Which San had apparently labeled months ago and nobody was allowed to remove it.
Hongjoong knelt beside them, already opening it.
Inside sat two customized pacifiers, sanitizing wipes, a chew necklace, noise-reducing earbuds, and a little plush bbyongming keychain Mingi liked holding when small.
The pacifiers were very obviously Hongjoong-designed.
Stylish.
Black and silver.
One had eight tiny stars painted around the shield while the other had
FIX ON
written across the front in sleek lettering.
Mingi's eyes immediately locked onto the case.
Chewing paused.
"There he is," Hongjoong murmured softly.
Mingi reached out almost instantly with grabby hands toward the case but stopped halfway, hesitating.
Like he suddenly felt shy about it.
Hongjoong's expression melted immediately.
"Oh, sweetheart." His voice dropped impossibly softer. "You never have to ask."
He carefully placed the star-themed pacifier into Mingi's hand.
The reaction was immediate.
Relief.
Visible relief.
Mingi pushed it into his mouth almost desperately before curling further into Seonghwa's side, shoulders finally loosening as the chewing need got redirected somewhere safe.
A faint sucking sound filled the quiet room.
The members collectively tried very hard not to coo.
Failed terribly.
"He's so tiny right now," Wooyoung whispered emotionally from across the room.
Mingi immediately hid his face against Seonghwa's shoulder at the attention.
His ears flushed pinkish red.
Seonghwa smiled knowingly and rubbed slow circles into his back.
"Too many people lookin' at you?"
A tiny nod against his shoulder.
Hongjoong glanced at the others.
"Alright, wrap it up," he said softly. "Give him some space."
The room immediately shifted into quiet cleanup and pack up mode without complaint.
They all knew the routine.
Mingi stayed tucked against Seonghwa the entire time, pacifier bobbing faintly every few seconds while his eyes grew heavier and heavier.
By the time the practice room had mostly emptied, he was practically asleep, sitting upright against Seonghwa's chest.
Hongjoong looked down at him fondly.
"our little rapper, hm." Seonghwa spoke, adjusting the giant rapper more securely against him.
Mingi answered first with a sleepy noise and tightened his grip on Seonghwa's hoodie.
Hongjoong smiled softly.