Just a short, sweet, fluffy kid!au Eunhae fic :)

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"Hae, eat your breakfast, I have to leave for work soon." Donghae's mother chided, her kind hands gesturing for her five year old son to finish his breakfast. The toddler shook his head, fighting tears from slipping down his pink cheeks. 

"No! I don't wanna!" He screamed, kicking his tiny feet around so much that the Velcro on his shoes came undone, sending it flying across the room. 

"Donghae, look at your brother, he's eaten his food and gotten all of his books into his bag like a good boy. Don't you want to be like him?" Donghae's father asked, his tone on the verge of annoyance, but he controlled his outburst with steady breaths. 

Donghwa, Donghae's nine year old sibling smirked, knowing he was setting a good example but his little brother wouldn't comply. 

"No! I don't wanna go. I wanna stay home!" Donghae pouted, his tantrum exceeding the volume that was appropriate. Donghae's father sighed angrily, quickly kissing his wife on the cheek before heading out the door with a "Just listen to your mother, Donghae". 

"See you later mom, I might be late coming home. I wanna play soccer with my friends after school." Donghwa cleaned his plate and grabbed his backpack, straightening his patterned school uniform tie. 

"Just please come home safely, that's all I ask. I love you, have a good day." His mother's voice was like liquid gold, warming him with assurance. Donghwa nodded in affirmation. 

"Now, don't cause our mom any trouble, okay Donghae? Be good." He laughed towards the tear-stained boy, winking as he shut the door behind him. 

"Now Donghae. Daycare isn't that bad. You'll have so much fun! And you might make some friends. I know moving was tough for you...you loved Mokpo so much, huh?" She reached out to dry Donghae's face, and her son leaned into the touch. 

"Alright. How about we get your shoe back on, and get your favorite superhero toys to bring along with you? You won't be afraid of daycare when you have Iron Man there, right?" 

"Yeah!" Donghae immediately perked up, excitedly slipping out of his chair. 

"But I don't wanna wear these stupid shoes. I want my rain boots." He stated firmly, as if he already made the decision concrete. 

"But honey, it's not raining outside. Your sneakers will be more comfortable, don't you think? And they even match your outfit today." Donghae's mother pursed her lips and wrung her hands, remembering World War III that broke out that morning as she tried to get him dressed. 

"No. I wanna wear my rain boots." Donghae crossed his arms, determined to get his way.

"Alright... Go get your toys, and I'll get your boots ready." 

The boy exclaimed in absolute happiness as he padded to his room, with only one shoe covering his left foot. 

"I have to take you, Iron Man. You're the best! And I'll take...Superman, and...oh! Captain America!" He stuffed the action figures into the limited space his arms would allow, and walked into the living room once again with sparkling eyes. He stepped into his favorite rain boots, the spacious environment of the shoes let him have just enough room so he could still wiggle his toes. 

He placed his toys into his small backpack, save for Iron Man, whom he desperately wanted to hold onto. The drive was surprisingly uneventful. Donghae's mother expected another fit, but Donghae kept quiet. He played with his action figure, making sound effects with his mouth as he fought away imaginary bad guys. 

"Donghae, we're here! Look how fun this looks! There's a playground, and they have swings! Your favorite!" She tried her best to ease her son's apparent reluctance with her voice. 

Donghae continued to stare out the window, glancing at the other kids around his age walking in with their own mothers. He blinked multiple times. 

His mother led him inside by the hand, and his grip on Iron Man became tighter. He noticed other kids glaring at him, stopping their playtime to talk to their friends about the new kid. It made him feel uncomfortable, like he didn't belong. 

"I'd like to sign in Lee Donghae, please?" His mother chatted with the older lady behind the tall, menacing counter, and they began to say boring adult words like "registration form" and "payment fee". 

Donghae let go of his mother's hand for a moment, taking in his surroundings. He took a small glance into a classroom, where he spotted another boy around his age. He just so happened to be carrying a Wolverine action figure in his small, pale hands, and Donghae's eyes got wide. Before he even realized, he was being spun back around to meet his mother's sweet face. 

"Okay. Donghae, this lady's gonna take you to a really fun room where you can play. Mommy will be back very soon, okay?" Donghae's mom knelt down to kiss her son on his forehead, brushing away his soft hair. A few tears left Donghae's eyes in protest, and he whined as he stomped his feet. 

"No! I don't want you to go!" 

"You're gonna have so much fun, I promise. I'll be back soon." She got out of Donghae's range of vision as she stood, adjusting her purse and waving goodbye. 

Then she was gone. 

"Donghae! What's that you have there?" The elderly woman asked him in a friendly voice, leading him into the room he examined briefly before. Donghae his lips nervously and fidgeted with the toy in question. 

"Um...I-Iron Man..." He stuttered out, his tone soft and fragile due to continuous falling tears. 

"Isn't he a superhero? Oh, I know just the person to introduce you to. You two will be the best of friends!" The lady cooed over Donghae, making remarks about how he was so adorable, and led him to a large, colorful carpet with trains printed on it. 

"You can play here with the other kids. I'll go and get your new friend. Wait here, okay Donghae?" She smiled, more wrinkles forming on her face. She made a beeline to the boy with the Wolverine toy in his hands. His eyes looked scary to Donghae, but he couldn't stop staring at how angular they were. 

Finally the lady brought over the other boy with the unsettling eyes, and introduced them both. 

"Hyukjae, this is Donghae. He's new. He just moved from Mokpo. He has a superhero doll like you! I think you two will get along great." 

"No, Wolverine's not a doll, he's tough, and he has claws that can rip you to shreds!" The boy, Hyukjae, exclaimed, tossing around his action figure with vigor. 

Donghae was horrified. He certainly didn't like the idea of Wolverine slicing his Iron Man in half with his steel claws. The elderly woman stood, soon leaving Donghae alone with his new violent friend. 

"How old are you, anyway? I saw you crying when your mom was leaving, you seem like a crybaby." Hyukjae stated bluntly, messing with his toy and making it do flips in the air. 

"I-I'm...five." Donghae whispered, afraid. 

"I just turned six. That means I can tell you to do whatever I want!" Hyukjae proudly crossed his arms, standing over a sitting Donghae in dominance. 

"Why?" He asked, his voice breaking. 

Hyukjae rolled his eyes. 

"Because I'm older than you. Why does your voice sound weird? You talk funny." He told Donghae, scrunching up his round nose. 

"I talk funny...?" 

"Oh yeah, you're not from Seoul. You should start talking better, cause now you sound like an idiot." 

Donghae absentmindedly took Iron Man's helmet off, revealing Tony Stark's painted face inside. He stared at his toy, almost looking for it to give him the courage to talk back to Hyukjae.

Crybaby? Idiot? 

Donghae didn't understand these strange words. Maybe they were part of a six year old's vocabulary and once he turned six himself, he could use them. 

"Iron Man ." Hyukjae stuck his tongue out in Donghae's direction, searching for a reaction out of the younger. 

"W-what?" 

"He's not cool. Wolverine is really cool. He can make the bad guys bleed a lot. Iron Man only shoots them, and no blood comes out, so he's not cool." Hyukjae added, ripping the action figure out of Donghae's small fingers. 

"Hey! He's mine!" Donghae protested, getting up and grabbing for his belongings. 

Hyukjae laughed evilly, holding the toy above his head, and because Donghae was very much shorter than him, he couldn't reach, even if he jumped as high as he could. Donghae began crying again, yelling at Hyukjae for being so mean. 

"Let him go! He's really cool!" 

"Fine, go get him then." Hyukjae launched Iron Man into the air (with his own force, not with the aid of Mr. Stark's flying boosters), and threw the figure across the room. 

Sobbing, Donghae ran after his beloved fallen hero, and clutched the plastic in his arms. 

"I won't let him hurt you again, okay Iron Man?" As soon as Donghae thought he saw Tony nod his very stiff head, Donghae turned around and saw Hyukjae playing with his own Wolverine figure as if nothing had happened.

"It's snack time! Come on children, let's all gather on the mat!" The old lady entered the room, carrying plastic bags of graham crackers. 

The other toddlers squealed for joy at the thought of food, and Donghae wiped his red eyes. They arranged themselves into a circle, clearly eager for their snack. Donghae made sure to seat himself as far away from Hyukjae as possible, to protect Iron Man, of course. 

"Mrs. Shin! I want the snacks first!" Hyukjae selfishly cried, holding Wolverine in his lap. 

"Hyukjae, we have to be polite, what do you say?" 

"Mrs. Shin, I want the snacks first, please." 

"Well...at least you're working on your manners." She handed him a bag of graham crackers and passed out the rest of them. 

"Here, Donghae. Are you having fun yet?" She said with a kind voice as she smoothed out her flower printed skirt. 

The boy's eyes widened, unsure of how to answer, and he blinked five times in a row. She accepted that as an answer, and continued to speak to the classroom of young children. 

"Today, we get to talk about what kinds of pets we have! Do you have any dogs or cats? Please raise your hand before you answer." 

Hyukjae shot his hand up into the air, the force of it almost taking his whole body with him. 

"I have a pomer...pomer...pomer-something and she's really fluffy! She can do all kinds of tricks, too! I taught her myself. Her name is Choco!" Hyukjae's mouth was spilling out cracker crumbs as he spoke excitedly. 

"That's great, Hyukjae! Just remember to chew with your mouth closed before you speak. Anyone else?" The old woman entwined her fingers together in interest. 

"My family has a cat! He's crazy sometimes, but he likes to sleep in my bed with me!" Another girl in a pink dress spoke, smiling. 

"Thanks for sharing, Hyesung! How about you, Donghae?" She prodded, knowing he wouldn't speak unless she asked him upfront. 

Donghae's mouth went dry. 

"I...I have a dog named Bada...she's nice, and has white fur. I...like to put bows in her fur to make her look pretty." A furious blush found its way onto Donghae's cheeks as he finished his story with a small whisper. 

"Very cute! You think she looks pretty, Donghae?" 

He nodded and stared at his rubber rain boots, trying to hide himself from the gazes of the other children around him. 

After a while of silence, another boy threw his empty bag into the air and shouted: 

"Mrs. Shin, I have a pet lizard!!" 

--

Donghae carefully placed his beloved Iron Man on top of his lap as he swung on the playground swings, enjoying the quiet atmosphere. The silence only lasted a couple seconds, however, and soon Hyukjae stood in front of Donghae's swinging feet, his rain boots just inches from knocking the six year old to the mulch on the ground. 

"Hey. Let's go play ball." Hyukjae ordered with a stern voice that took a bit to muster. 

Donghae skidded to a stop, his action figure flying off his lap and in front of Hyukjae. The older of the two children tapped his foot impatiently, trying to tell Donghae that he didn't have a choice. 

"O-okay." Donghae stuttered, stooping down to pick up Iron Man, but Hyukjae was quicker. He toyed with Mr. Stark's removable helmet and blasters on the palms of his armor. 

"I mean...maybe he's kinda cool. Whatever, come on." He threw the toy back to Donghae, motioning for him to follow. 

"Okay, I'll toss the ball to you, and you have to throw it back." Hyukjae set down the rules, and picked up a lonely looking red ball from underneath the jungle gym. 

"But you can't hold Iron Man while you play ball." Hyukjae added, raising a small eyebrow at the shorter child who just stared back. 

Donghae contemplated the invitation, and ultimately decided to set his action figure onto the safety of the slide so that he could play freely.

"Ready?" Hyukjae asked before he threw the red ball rather hard, and soon all Donghae could see was a flash of crimson followed by black. 

--

"Hae, I told you to make friends...what happened?" Donghae's mother cooed, taking her son into her arms as he cried, incomprehensible speech attempting to slip between his lips. 

"It's alright. We can always try again tomorrow, right?" She asked, wiping Donghae's eyes from endless tears. 

"He was mean to me! I don't wanna go back! I don't wanna!" Donghae yelled, pulling on his clothes with persistence. Donghae's mother caressed his flushed cheeks, sighing as she calmed him down. 

"Tomorrow is another day. It'll be different. You'll see." 

Donghae had no idea what "different" meant, but he knew he wanted nothing to do with Hyukjae and daycare ever again. Donghae's eyes got even wider as he came to a sudden realization. He gasped loudly. 

"No! Iron Man!" He screamed, shaking his head back and forth. 

"What...what about him?" His mother wondered, placing her hands on his tiny shoulders. 

"I left him at daycare! I can't sleep without him! He's by himself! I need him!" Donghae pried his mother's hands off of him and he ran to the front door, jumping up to try and reach the doorknob. 

"Honey, you're going back tomorrow, you'll see Iron Man when you go back to daycare." Donghae's mother lifted Donghae off the ground and away from the door despite his protests and writhing. 

"It's past your bedtime, Hae. We have to get to bed now." 

"No! He doesn't have me with him! And I don't have him!" He kicked his feet and pouted. 

"You'll see him tomorrow, Donghae. You have lots to look forward to." 

"I don't like Hyukjae. He's scary." Donghae's mind got onto a different subject, and his fit came to a halt. Donghae's mother smiled as she placed him into his bed, pulling his baby blue comforter up to his chin. 

"Why not? I'm sure he's lovely." 

"No! His eyes are scary and he made fun of the way I talk! He hit me in the face with the ball, and he took Iron Man away from me!" Donghae scrunched his nose up. 

"Maybe that's how he says that he likes you. I'm sure he's nice." His mother got up from the bed, inching toward the bedroom door. 

"Put my night light on..." Donghae whined as he pointed desperately to his favorite fish shaped night light near the door. 

"Of course. Now, get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

The door shut with a faint click, and Donghae temporarily forgot about Iron Man's whereabouts in order to drift off to dream. 

--

"Hey. You forgot this yesterday." Hyukjae tapped Donghae's shoulder once he arrived at daycare the next day, his rubber rain boots squeaking unpleasantly as he turned to face him. Donghae gasped in delight.

"Oh, Iron Man! I missed you!" He gripped the precious plastic in his small arms, swaying back and forth as he did so. 

"Sure, you're welcome." Hyukjae shrugged, accepting the fact that Donghae didn't thank him. He studied the smaller boy for a moment, before taking a step closer to Donghae.

"Wanna play superheroes? I have Wolverine." Hyukjae offered plainly, taking out his own toy. 

Donghae shyly looked down at his boots, blinking multiple times in thought as he nodded cautiously. 

"Cool! Let's go!" He grabbed the sleeve of Donghae's jacket, pulling him forcefully toward some blocks with numbers painted on them. 

"Okay, I'll build a tower first, and then Iron Man and Wolverine can fight on top of it!" The older of the two began stacking colorful blocks on top of others, creating a slightly wobbly building. Donghae sat next to him, watching him build intently. 

"You don't talk a lot, do you? I mean, with that voice, I don't think I would either." Hyukjae noted, making Donghae stick his bottom lip out in a practiced pout. 

"Why do I talk funny?" 

"You're not from here. So you don't talk like me. But I guess it's okay. I don't really care." Hyukjae softened his words lightly, placing a makeshift roof on top of his finished tower. 

"You've got Iron Man? Okay. So, I'm Wolverine, and he's mad at Iron Man cause he stole the last chocolate chip cookie, okay?" Hyukjae gripped his own toy in his hands, and suddenly the angered grimace on Wolverine's plastic face struck fear in Donghae's heart. 

"He won't hurt him, right?" Donghae asked. 

"Of course he will! He stole a cookie! That's really bad." Hyukjae added, Wolverine's long claws. 

"What if Wolverine and Iron Man fight a bad guy together?" Donghae suggested, protectively shielding his action figure from Hyukjae's gaze. 

"That's no fun. They do that all the time." 

"But then they don't have to die. A bad guy can die, and Wolverine and Iron Man can eat cookies after." 

Hyukjae sat and pondered on Donghae's statement, and then reached around him to grab a Barbie doll with knotted blonde hair and marker stains on her face.

"This is an alien leader of a colony in outer space, and she's trying to take over New York! We have to stop her!" And as Hyukjae emitted action noises from his mouth, Donghae sat back, confused at a bunch of grown up words he was saying. 

Eventually Wolverine had to call Iron Man for backup, and the two played without regard for time. 

--

"Donghae, come over here!" Hyukjae called, his tiny body jumping up and down in excitement. Donghae huffed, breathing hard from his hurried journey up the grassy hill during recess.

"We should totally check it out." Hyukjae stared longingly into a small hole in an old wooden fence, a mischievous gleam in his narrow eyes. 

"I-I don't think so..." Donghae warned, stepping backward with his head shaking in disapproval. 

"Who's gonna know? Mrs. Shin is over there reading a book! We won't get in trouble." Hyukjae teased, pulling Donghae close to him by his wrist.

"I don't like this idea." The toddler pushed Hyukjae away from him, crossing his small arms with defiance. 

"Just let me go first then. I'll make sure it's safe. I'm older than you, that's what I'm supposed to do." Hyukjae raised his round nose into the air, smiling with all his teeth, even revealing the gaps in them where the loose ones had come out. He got onto his knees, the dirt coating his pale skin. Hyukjae peered through the hole despite Donghae's words of discontent, and quickly crawled under the fence, seeming to disappear into another world. 

"Oh no..." Donghae was frightened once he couldn't hear Hyukjae's voice telling him he made it okay, the fear making him shake all over. 

The short brunette peered under the fence, worried for his new friend. 

"BOO! " Hyukjae stuck his face back under the fence, laughing obnoxiously as he caught a glimpse of Donghae's startled expression. 

"You're so mean!" Donghae chided, kicking the fence with his boots out of anger. 

"Come on over here and I'll apologize. It's really pretty~" Hyukjae sang, eventually sweet talking Donghae enough to make him crawl under the hole to join him. 

"Wow." 

A dense forest occupied the area just outside the daycare, the billowing trees towering high above the two children, making Donghae feel smaller than he ever had. 

"I didn't know trees could grow that big." 

"I'm gonna get that tall when I'm a grown up. Just watch." Hyukjae proudly sighed, daydreaming. 

Donghae laughed. 

"Yeah, right." 

"Hey! Now you're being mean." Hyukjae spat playfully, nudging Donghae's shoulder with his own. 

The brunette didn't know why, but the lightest of touches from Hyukjae made his heart beat faster and his face get hot. 

What was this feeling? 

"We're gonna get in trouble." 

"Would you stop worrying about that? Let's go exploring." Hyukjae dusted off his scuffed up knees and started to make his way into the forest behind the daycare. 

"Hyukjae, no!" Donghae cried, shifting his weight around in his heels nervously. 

Hyukjae had disappeared into the bushes, green vegetation camouflaging him from possibly being seen. After a while of Donghae arguing with himself about whether to run after his friend or turn back the other way, Donghae sprinted into the forest, yelling Hyukjae's name shakily. He ended up tripping over his big rain boots, falling face first onto the ground and wincing in pain. 

Donghae glanced up and suddenly saw a tall, muscular looking german shepherd, its eyes glistening with a terrible malice. The fur on the back of the dog's neck stood up at attention as it bared its white jaws. 

Donghae scrambled to his feet, fear shaking his body like a leaf in the wind. Donghae had a dog, but Bada was nowhere near as frightening as this one was. She was princess-like, and this dog was the evil dragon that trapped her in a tall tower. His teeth chattered, lips quivering as the german shepherd inched closer, snarls coming from its foaming mouth. 

"Hey, get away from him!" 

Hyukjae appeared from deep within the trees, yelling at the dog with the loudest voice his small body could muster. The dog turned its head and jeered at the older of the two children instead, Hyukjae standing protectively in front of Donghae. 

"Go away, you stupid dog!" Hyukjae screamed, trying to shoo the animal away with his small arms. 

The dog came closer, growling. Hyukjae didn't back down, staring the dog right in the eyes. 

"Hyukjae..." 

"Keep quiet, I got this." He whispered. 

The wild dog its lips, continuing to stare until he suddenly lost interest in the two, sniffing and turning around to head deeper into the forest. Hyukjae sighed in relief.

"Are you okay? Your face looks scratched up." 

"I-I'm okay...I fell down." Donghae admitted, still gazing in unblinking wonder at the six year old who talked down a rabid dog. 

"Oh. Let me see." The taller child held Donghae's face in his hands, squishing his cheeks and observing the damage done to it. 

Hyukjae giggled. 

"You still have baby fat." He said, lightly patting Donghae's puffy and now bright pink cheeks. 

Donghae wanted to say something, ask if Hyukjae felt the same strange way he did; if he experienced a similar upside-down feeling in his stomach and the pace of his heart quickening. But before he could, Hyukjae was speaking again.

"Let's go back, Mrs. Shin might realize we're gone. Come on." He grabbed Donghae's arm, pulling the astonished five year old back through the hole in the fence to safety. 

"Thank you." He mumbled, nervously picking at a hangnail on his index finger. 

"That was nothing. It wasn't that big of a dog anyway." 

--

"Okay children! This is the aquarium! Who knows what lives in an aquarium?" Mrs. Shin opened her crescent moon shaped eyes wide and kneeled down to properly face her class. She decided to take the children on an exciting field trip, and the aquarium clearly won the popularity vote. 

Donghae pushed other children out of the way in order to be in the front, waving his arms around to get her attention. Mrs. Shin was surprised to find Donghae so excited and out of his shell, so she nodded in his direction, signaling that it was okay for him to answer. 

"Fish!" Donghae squealed, his small voice carrying very well over the chattering of the crowd. 

"That's right! Do you like fish, Donghae?" 

The brunette nodded enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear. 

"Then let's take a peek at all the fish inside. Come on!" The elderly woman slowly climbed up the steps to the entrance, her class exploding with conversation behind her. 

Donghae remained at the front of the class, ecstatic. He did realize however, that a certain someone was following close behind him, watching him in an almost protective manner. 

Hyukjae, Donghae's shadow, was tailing the five year old as best as he possibly could, elbowing other children out of the way to keep a close eye on Donghae's whereabouts. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a compelling need to take care of Donghae. He felt something like affection. Hyukjae did not know what affection or even love meant, he was too busy fighting bad guys and playing in dirty mud. 

Despite this, he didn't let his eyes wander from the brunette, he felt his heart beat faster when he saw how Donghae's face would light up at the sight of the swimming creatures. 

"Kids, this is the coral reef exhibit. Many types of fish live in a coral reef, and most of them are colorful so they can blend in with the vibrant corals and sponges." Mrs. Shin explained, pointing to some large tanks with a multitude of colors painting the inside. 

Donghae's mouth dropped open at the sight, gasping in disbelief. 

"Go on kids, have a look around!" Mrs. Shin prodded, going to sit on a bench to watch from afar. 

Donghae sprinted to the fish tank, pressing his face up against it to be as close to the animals as humanly possible. Hyukjae followed, stepping behind Donghae and observing the fish as well, but certainly paying attention to Donghae more. 

"Wow! Lookit this one! And that one! This one right here is blue, my favorite color!" Donghae shouted, nearly falling over from pure excitement. 

Hyukjae frowned and shrugged. 

"They're okay, I guess." 

"That one is hiding under a rock! Oh, they're so pretty." Donghae sighed, stepping back a few paces to take in the full tank. 

"You wanna know what I think?" Hyukjae spoke softly, but surprisingly deep for a six year old. 

"What?" 

"I think you're more pretty than these stupid fish." 

There it was again. 

The sound of Donghae's heart pounding in his ears and the excessive amount of blinks he had to get out of his flustered system. Hyukjae's face seemed to get a bit pink too, and Donghae realized he might feel the same way. 

The brunette hid his red face with one of his hands, speechless, and Hyukjae took the opportunity to grab Donghae's free hand in his own. Donghae stopped breathing, and he was very confused by the emotions he felt. 

Hyukjae held Donghae's hand firmly, not looking at him directly with that blush still dusting his cheeks. After a while of silence, Hyukjae pulled on Donghae's hand wordlessly, taking him to look at another beautiful fish tank. 

And for the rest of the day, Donghae didn't ever think about letting go.