Published: 9/06/2021

Words: 2560

Relationship: Bang Chan/Kim Woojin/Lee Felix

Group:  Stray Kids (OT9)

Characters: Bang Chan, Kim Woojin, Lee Felix

Tags: de-aging/age regression, little space, angst, fluff, WooChanLix

Little: Chan (age 2)
Caregivers: Woojin & Felix

Prompt: Chan happens to regress at the worst time.

Names Used
• Mama
• Dada

Requested: No

~ ~ ~ ~ || STRAY KIDS || ~ ~ ~ ~

Chan had been at the studio pretty late tonight. He was exhausted from all the work he'd been doing, and was ready to pass out in his own bed at the dorm. The leader let out a yawn, stretching his arms into the air as he sat up in his chair. The room was mostly dark, and the only light in said room came from Chan's computer screen, which didn't help the Aussie's exhaustion in any way.

He'd considered sleeping in the studio tonight, but knew that he was bound to get a scolding from Woojin if he didn't come back to the dorm for some proper rest. Not wanting to get himself in trouble with his hyung, the leader of Stray Kids stood up and exhaled deeply. Gathering his things, Chan exited the studio and was greeted by a familiar fuzziness in his brain once he'd made it outside of the JYP building.

"Seriously? I can't be doing this now," Chan grumbled to himself.

The '97 liner was regressing, and he knew it. Chan was deeply annoyed that his headspace was starting to take over his brain, knowing that he had to stay big in order to get home. He was well aware that if he regressed now, he'd be lost and alone in the dead of night. If there was anything little Channie hated the most, it was the dark.

So the little forced himself to stay big long enough for him to make it back to the dorms. The entire walk back, all Chan could think about was how soft and welcoming his bed was going to be when he'd lay down in it for the night. The thought of sleeping in his bed was the determination that Chan needed to stop himself from slipping.

When he made it to Stray Kids' dorm, Chan fumbled for the keys in his back pocket. His hands began shaking as he struggled to find the right key to unlock the door. The leader could feel himself slipping from 20, straight down to 6, and finally to 2 years old in a matter of nanoseconds.

Finally finding the correct key, Chan hastily unlocked the door and locked it behind himself. He removed his shoes and huffed in frustration when he took shaky steps in the darkened dorm. His legs felt like jelly and his head was most definitely cloudy.

"Wan' Mama 'n Dada," the little whispered with a pout on his face. He didn't want to wake anyone up at this time of night, but he was in desperate need of his caregivers at the moment.

The dorm was enveloped in the darkness of the night, making Chan feel as if he was swallowed by it. He carefully yet aimlessly made his way through the dark, trying his best to search for something he could sit on and allow himself to collect his thoughts. The leader felt surprised, followed by a brief sense of relief, when his hands touched the fabric of their sitting room's sofa.

Chan didn't even realize he'd walked into the sitting room; it was too dark for him to properly see anything.

The blonde Aussie continued to feel the sofa, allowing his sense of touch to guide him in the dark room and find a space to sit down. The now regressed little felt around until he was able to get ahold of a pillow, grasping it tightly against his chest.

That's when the tears started to fall down his cheeks.

Chan knew that everyone was asleep, so he had to be quiet; he didn't want to wake anyone up from their well-deserved rest. Though he knew that no one would get angry at him for waking them up whilst in his headspace, the leader always felt so guilty whenever one of his members' sleepy eyes fell upon a regressed Chan. Those boys worked their butts off day in and day out, and the little would never be able to forgive himself if he was the reason that one of his groupmates weren't at the top of their game due to a lack of quality sleep. He'd never want to interrupt their rest; they needed it!

Just the thought made Chan cry even more. Tears made their way down his cheeks at an alarmingly rapid pace, and his frame trembled violently with every soft sob that escaped his pink lips. Crying always made the little feel even worse – the way his breath would catch in his throat and every heave he let out as he attempted to calm himself down.

Being alone in the dark made it hard for Chan to breathe, and he was clutching the pillow so tightly that his hands were beginning to become sore from his death grip. But he was surrounded by pure darkness, which caused the young male to cry harder.

Simultaneously, this was also when someone woke up. Being woken up by his need for the bathroom, he shuffled down the hallway towards his desired destination. Having stood up too fast, his ears rang, which prevented him from hearing the cries of the regressor in the sitting room. Completing his task, the male washed his hands. The cold tap water rushing out of the faucet woke him up a bit.

After turning the faucet off, he could hear the soft sobs. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he kept the bathroom light on when he exited the room. Due to the dorm still being dark for the most part, he listened carefully to the cries and shaky breaths of the obviously upset person. Using his hearing as his guide, he made his way to the sitting room. Carefully maneuvering himself, he was able to find a nearby lamp, turning it on. The soft light illuminated the room, allowing the male's vision to focus on Chan.

The leader's knees were huddled to his chest, rocking himself back and forth on the sofa. Cries and incoherent babbles left the blonde's lips, accompanied by tears that traced their way down the older male's cheeks.

Seeing Chan in this state, the other male's eyes widened and he quietly made his way over to the crying leader.

"Hyung? Are you alright?" Felix's voice spoke, laced with worry for his fellow Aussie.

The natural deep tone of Felix's voice made Chan look up at the mentally older boy. His eyes were puffy, red at the brims, and were still watery with unshed tears swimming in them. Felix frowned in sympathy as he took in the little's appearance.

"Da-Dada," Chan choked out brokenly. He finally let go of the pillow, making grabby hands for his caregiver.

Felix's caregiver mode immediately kicked into high gear, collecting the regressor into his arms and holding him against his chest. "It's okay, kangaroo. Dada's here," he coaxed gently. "I'm here, baby."

"Felix-ah, you left the light..." Woojin began as he appeared in the sitting room, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. The eldest member stopped midsentence when he saw an upset Chan in Felix's arms. He was wide awake now. "Channie? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

The little's bottom lip quivered as he met his other caregiver's eyes, new tears threatening to fall from his own eyes. "M-Ma..." Chan tried to get out, a whine leaving his mouth when he couldn't call out for the older boy.

Woojin instantly took his seat next to Felix on the sofa, instinctively tracing his hand up and down the mentally younger's back. "Shh, baby. Mama's here; it's okay, prince. Mama's right here."

Chan whined as he wiggled around in Felix's hold, wanting to feel the warmth and comfort of Woojin as well. Whenever Chan was little and upset, he tended to become clingy with his caregivers. Not that they minded, because both males found it to be quite cute whenever their baby clung to them like a koala.

Felix, knowing what the little wanted, moved closer to Woojin. The eldest of the trio wrapped an arm around Felix's shoulders, embracing both of his lovers in his arms.

"Mama and Dada are right here, sweet boy. We've got you," the vocalist cooed to the still crying Chan. "Sweetness, can you tell Mama what you're doing out here so late, hmm?"

Chan sniffled as he tried to collect himself enough to speak to his caregivers/lovers. "Ch-Channie w-wa..." was all he could muster before he began to cry again. He'd been knocked very far into his headspace, making it difficult for his mind to produce words at the moment.

Felix seemed to understand what the little was trying to say. "Oh, baby doll, did you just get home?" He asked in English, making his Australian accent very prominent.

Knowing Chan well enough by now, the caregiver was aware that when the leader regressed, he spoke more English than Korean. It was easier for Chan to talk in English in his headspace, instead of trying to understand Korean. That's one of the reasons why Chan adored having Felix as one of his caregivers: they both spoke English as their primary language. Plus, they were both Australian, so it made Chan feel a bit more at ease to be around someone from his home country when he was little.

With Chan's tendency to speak English when regressed, Woojin spent a lot of time learning and perfecting his own English. Now, he could understand both of his Australian boyfriends whenever they would talk in English; not to mention, the eldest could speak near perfect English after taking so much time to learn the language.

Chan nodded as he leaned his head against Woojin's shoulder, inhaling his mama's comforting scent. He seemed to begin calming down when the eldest started carding his fingers through the little's hair.

"Did you get lost in the dark, baby cakes?" Woojin inquired gently.

"Mmhmm," Chan hummed and pouted as he thought back to his terrifying journey in the scary darkness.

Felix pressed a kiss to Chan's cheek, carefully wiping away the stray tears that fell from the little's eyes. "Oh, sweet baby," he cooed. "You're so brave for getting home all by yourself, did you know that?"

"'M bwave, dada?" Channie questioned with his big glossy eyes looking between Felix and Woojin. "Channie bwave, mama?"

Woojin pressed a kiss into Chan's hair. "Of course you're brave, pumpkin. You are mama and dada's super brave baby boy," he praised sweetly.

Felix nodded in agreement with his lover, kissing Chan's temple. "You're the bravest baby boy ever, sweetheart."

Chan let out a soft giggle when Felix and Woojin kissed his cheeks at the same time, rubbing his tears away with his little fists. Felix carefully brushed some of Chan's blonde hair out of his face, connecting his lips to the other Aussie's forehead.

After a few minutes of silence, Chan let out a yawn and exhaled through his nose as he nuzzled into the crook of Woojin's neck. Woojin chuckled as he pulled the little into his embrace. "Are you sleepy, prince?"

The blonde nodded, bringing his thumb to his mouth. Normally, he would suck on his dummy, but seeing as he was currently without it, his thumb was the next best thing.

Usually, Woojin would scold Chan for sucking on his thumb, but he let it slide just this once. "I think it's time we get you to bed, baby." The vocalist noted as he stood up with Chan on his hip.

Chan shyly peeked over Woojin's shoulder, pouting when he looked at Felix. "Dada go sweepies too?"

Felix chuckled as he stood up from the couch. "Don't worry, baby kangaroo. Dada's going to go sleepies, too."

"Baby, do you want some milk before bed?" Woojin asked the little.

"No tank chu, mama. Channie jus' wan' go sweepies." Chan declined tiredly.

The eldest smiled as he repositioned the leader on his hip. "Okay, sweet cheeks." He looked to his youngest boyfriend. "Let's take our baby to bed, Lix."

"I'm coming, Woojie," Felix replied as he followed his hyung and the little out of the sitting room and upstairs to their bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, Woojin placed Chan on his (Woojin's) bed. Felix headed for the set of drawers in the room, pulling out Chan's kangaroo onesie. Both caregivers assisted their little with getting into the onesie he was going to wear for the night.

Woojin opened the drawer on his bedside table, pulling out Chan's baby blue dummy. "Here, baby. Mama's got something for you."

Though his eyes were struggling to stay open, Chan was able to comprehend that Woojin had the little's favorite dummy in his hand. Almost instinctively, the blonde opened his mouth, sighing in content when the comfort item was placed in between his lips. He began sucking on the piece of plastic, staring at his mama through exhausted eyes.

Woojin turned around, making sure to turn on the nightlight right next to his bedside table. He and Felix had bought the small item for Chan a few months prior, knowing that their precious little one had a terrible fear of the dark.

Turning back, Woojin slipped into bed, holding his arms out for Chan to fill them. The little made no hesitation to burrow into the elder's chest, feeling a sense of security in his lover's arms.

Before either male went to sleep, Woojin looked around the room for Felix. He smiled warmly when he found the younger boy laid out on his own bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Lixie, love, come to bed with us."

Felix looked over at the older boy, smiling endearingly at the invitation. Setting his phone down on his own bedside table, the young Aussie made his way across the room, lying down in bed next to Woojin. Chan was now sandwiched between his two caregivers, but he didn't mind it; the bed was big enough to fit all three males.

Felix let out a soft chuckle when he saw that Chan was already fast asleep. Given the events that happened earlier tonight, it calmed both of the caregivers to know that Chan had fallen asleep so quickly.

Woojin glanced at the sleeping little, a small smile on his face. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Mama loves you so much," he whispered.

"Sweet dreams, baby doll." Felix said very quietly, so he didn't disturb the blonde's sleep. "Dada loves you."

Woojin let his eyes settle on Felix, reaching over and grabbing one of the younger's tiny hands. "Night, Lixie. I'll see you in the morning; I love you."

Felix smiled tiredly as his hand rested in his lover's. "See you in the morning, Woojie. Sleep good tonight – I love you, too."

Once the two finished bidding each other goodnight, they both fell into a dreamless sleep with Chan snuggled in between them.

The three males never woke from their slumber at all for the remainder of the night.

~ ~ ~ ~ || STRAY KIDS || ~ ~ ~ ~

My first time writing a little space one shot for Stray Kids! How'd I do with writing this? I'm hoping you guys enjoyed this.