Nighty night

The first night with Jongin home is not an easy one. Minseok still seethes everytime he thinks about Jongin’s former guardians– the boy’s mother and father– because of what they have done to him. The fact that Jongin hardly makes a sound, doesn’t ask for anything and gets unusually scared when he thinks anyone is mad is definitely conclusive to Minseok wanting to rip them apart.

He tries to put the facts to the back of his mind, although he knows Luhan will want to talk about this later.

After having their first family dinner in which Jinri does everything but eat, Jongin seems a bit at odds as to what to do when they all relocate to the family room for some pre bedtime TV.

Minseok leads the boy by his hand as Luhan carries Jinri on his shoulder like a potato sack claiming he’s not satisfied with dinner so he’ll have to eat her.

Jongin observes quietly with a ghost of a smile on his face.

When they have settled on the couch they play rock, paper, scissors to decide who will choose the movie. Jinri wins and chooses Jurassic Park in a heartbeat.

“But we’ve watched Jurassic Park the last three times you won,” Luhan complains.

“Papa, it’s dinosaurs. How can you be bored of dinosaurs?” She asks bewildered of her papa’s antics.

As the two argue about the pros and cons of dinosaur movies, Minseok notices Jongin staring at an old toy car he has on one of the shelves.

“Do you like those?” Minseok asks him as he reaches for the model car. It had been a gift from his grandpa for his tenth birthday. “Here, you can play with it as long as you like.”

The look on Jongin’s face makes Minseok want to give this little boy anything and everything in the world he has never had before.

Luhan catches the moment and follows the initiative by taking out a plastic box containing most of his own collection of toy cars. Minseok still remembers Jinri being fascinated with the models until she was gifted a Barbie doll on her sixth birthday.

Jongin actually smiles when Luhan opens up the box and starts pulling out the most usable toy cars and placing them near Jongin. “Go ahead,” he encourages the boy.

With Luhan settled by his side, Minseok spends the entire movie watching between the TV and the little boy carefully arranging the cars and making them roll on the wooden floor, flinching every time he makes a loud noise. This is followed by him looking intently at Luhan and Minseok while they stare at the TV attempting to reassure Jongin he’s done nothing wrong.

When the movie is finally over, Luhan picks up a half-asleep Jinri and carries her to bed. “I’ll tuck her in.”

Nodding, he approaches Jongin who is battling against his own sleepiness while clutching the original red car in his hand. As he kneels, Minseok clears the hair from Jongin’s face. “Hey bud. You sleepy?”

Jongin just shrugs as he gives the car back to Minseok. “Thank you,” he whispers.

“You can keep it if you want to,” Minseok offers and the look on Jongin’s face makes it worth giving the old toy away. “I don’t use it anymore and Jinri hardly ever plays with it anymore. You keep it safe for me, ok?”

The boy mumbles something that Minseok thinks is an ok.

Minseok turns off the TV and they head to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Seeing as it is still early, he fills the bathtub with warm water and helps Jongin take his t-shirt off. “Do you want to do this yourself or do you want me to help you?”

Jongin doesn’t answer, he just looks at Minseok and holds his hand, preventing him from leaving.

“Ok, then.”

He pours warm water over him and washes the boy’s hair. He finds a couple of old bruises and scars that break Minseok’s heart into tiny little pieces. He tries not to show it, though, and continues pouring water while Jongin entertains himself with the rubber ducks Jinri keeps in the tub for when she has her baths.

He looks fairly amused with the toy when Minseok tells him it’s time to get out.

“This is your toothbrush,” he says after drying the boy up and putting the blow dryer away. “This is mine, and this is Luhan’s, and this is Jinri’s. She refuses to use her own bathroom so she leaves all her things here.”

Jongin simply nods as he clutches to his toothbrush. Minseok, not wanting him to poke his eye out while sleeping, takes it and puts it with the rest.

“How about bed, then? I bet you’re exhausted.” He helps Jongin step off the stool Jinri uses to brush her teeth and leads Jongin to his bedroom.

The boy suddenly clutches Minseok’s hand tight

“Is everything ok, bud?”

Sensing Jongin’s reluctance, he turns on the night-light Jinri used to have in her room that he had placed inside earlier and tucks Jongin in. He looks so very small in the big bed. Luhan shows then and lifts the covers up to Jongin’s chin.

“We’ll be right across the hall, alright? Our room is right there,” he says as he points to the open door visible from inside the boy’s room.

Jongin nods and turns around to lie in his side.

“Good night, buddy,” they both whisper. There’s no answer.

-

Minseok doesn’t go to sleep. He feels too on edge. Knowing Luhan has to get up extremely early for work tomorrow, he just heads to the family room, picks up the book he’s been reading, and sits on the couch. He reads page after page, not realizing the time, and when he hears a noise coming from Jongin’s room the clock shows 3am.

Stretching, he gets up and walks to the bedroom. “Jongin?” He calls silently as he enters but the bed is empty. His hearts starts racing as he searches the room for the little boy but he finds nothing. “Jongin?” He calls again, this time louder. He looks under the bed, hoping Jongin chose the same hiding spot as that afternoon but there’s nothing. Not wanting to wake up anyone at this late hour and knowing Luhan has to get up in an hour regardless, he quietly goes down the hall to check the kitchen and living room. Finding nothing, he goes back to where he started, heart beating loudly inside his chest. It isn’t until he hears shifting coming from somewhere in the boy’s bedroom that he thinks about looking inside the closet.

He kneels and opens the door to find a little boy, probably scared, holding his knees to his chest, sound asleep. “What did they do to you?” He asks no one as he takes Jongin in his arms.

As he tries to put him back in the bed, he feels tiny fists clinging to him, not wanting to let go. Minseok, instead of fighting the hold, simply lies in the bed hoping Jongin falls asleep deeply and maybe get him to let go.

It takes him a while but, eventually, sleep claims his tired little body. Minseok follows not long after, wrapping himself up in blankets and closing his eyes as he holds the boy in his arms, not wanting to leave him alone.

-

a/n: Comments are always nice! Thank you for reading!