Long oneshot ahead, proceed with caution!

/angst/fluff

Man, this is probably my favourite bangdae oneshot I've written ;--;

Well, it started one day--

"Hyung!"

Just this one fine day well… It's a really long story. 

"Hyung!"

Let's just skip that part.

"Alright, alright. Coming."

Yongguk puts some more minced meat into a bowl full of rice along with the other vegetables, including the peas that Daehyun absolutely abhors. He half-runs to the couch and sits down beside the scrawny boy fit to be placed into his palm. He smiles a little at his little imp who already has both huge eyes plastered to the television screen. It's 7pm, Daehyun's scheduled TV time and this kid is as punctual as a clock.

"Open up."

"Ah~" Daehyun obediently opens up his small mouth, turning his head slightly to face Yongguk. The way Daehyun's eyes still remain stuck to the tv screen curls a smile on Yongguk's lips as he puts the spoon into the boy's mouth. He hid a pea in between the rice and the meat and when Daehyun chews on slowly like a tiny calf Yongguk would imagine him to be, the man gives himself a silent air-punch of victory inside. He continues on, hiding the vegetable Daehyun dislikes and covering it with loads of meat the boy loves, peering at the tv once and then as his little charge becomes more and more absorbed into the cartoon. Daehyun opens his mouth to the approaching spoon and chews like a silent clockwork and it amuses Yongguk very much. He wipes off a stray rice grain off a chubby cheek and puts it into his mouth before scooping up more bits of food, waiting until Daehyun swallows before raising it to that small pouty mouth again.

Yongguk is Daehyun's guardian and it happened just like that. It's not really something normal for a twenty-four year old man who's supposed to be living alone according his own rules-- which is no rules. Yongguk should be looking for beer in the fridge or rummaging through some snacks while he switches between sports channels at this hour, not feeding some kid with messy hair dressed in over-worn clothes.

But he has to say, having to feed a second mouth does add value to his life.

It took some time for Daehyun to warm up to him, but kids are still kids, now Daehyun wouldn't go to bed without him. It's cute, Yongguk thinks, everything that Daehyun does. He doesn't wake up to a curvy body or a womanly scent but he smiles even wider when he sees that puny body tangled up in blankets mumbling incoherent things he doesn't understand. Sometimes when Daehyun gets into trouble or throw tantrums, Yongguk doesn't know what to do, he disciplines him and sometimes when work bugs him, he flares up and then regrets after that because Daehyun comes over to his work desk tugging his sleeves, wanting a hug. And sometimes, Daehyun gets hurt, both physically and emotionally. The physical part is still alright because, boys. But the emotional things are what Yongguk does worse at and he could only offer hugs and what he thinks are useless words of advice and encouragement.

Daehyun is six this year and he thinks a lot for a six year old. It could be his background that made him more observant and sensitive than most children his age but Yongguk tries hard to preserve the childish innocence inside Daehyun. Kids should be kids and Yongguk is consoled when Daehyun finally lets out a sincere smile filled with so much naivety after warming up to him weeks after he brought the boy back to his tiny apartment made for a single man. Daehyun looks the most adorable when he smiles like this, even if he's up to mischief sometimes.

Yongguk has no idea how he got into this but somehow, he's glad he did.

"Hyung, I'm going to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight."

The tiny figure disappears into the bedroom and Yongguk quirks up a smile when he hears the creak of the bed springs. The desk lamp is a mellow orange on his skin as he scribbles through the notes on his table. Half an hour into his composition, patters of footsteps approaches him and he lifts his chin from the papers to gaze down at Daehyun standing beside him. The boy rubs a hand over his squinted eyes and Yongguk combs a hand through the jet black hair at Daehyun's forehead.

"Well aren't you sleeping."

"Sleep with me, hyung."

"Aye…" Despite the grumble, Yongguk puts both hands underneath those skinny arms and lifts Daehyun up easily before strolling towards the open bedroom door.  Daehyun is too skinny for a growing boy. You'd look like the person you're close to, this saying makes Yongguk wonder if Daehyun's malnourished-looking frame is because of his incompetent body…

"Sleep tight." Yongguk tucks Daehyun in, lifting those small hands from underneath the covers before placing his prized tigger in between them and grimaces internally once more about how undernourished his little boy is before sitting down at one edge of the bed to pat Daehyun to sleep.

"Hyung, sleep with me." Daehyun mumbles sleepily as he grabs onto Yongguk's hand.

Yongguk wraps his long fingers around Daehyun's hand, measuring the tiny size of it saying, "Hyung needs to work if not we can't buy hamburger patties."

"Then we won't eat hamburger patties. Hyung come sleep with me."

Yongguk chuckles softly, eyes softening unknowingly as he lies down beside Daehyun. "Hurry up and sleep, Hyung will go after you fall asleep."

"Mm…"

Daehyun's eyelashes flutter obstinately but sleep soon takes over and Yongguk slides out of bed after touching his lips to one chubby cheek.

That year when Daehyun turns eight, the boy fell in love with soccer and despite how much Yongguk is delighted about the exercise and fitness Daehyun's getting, whenever his little devil gets hurt on the field, Yongguk can't help but complain about it.

Yongguk was hoping that soccer would make Daehyun a bigger boy but he guesses that saying still holds.

"Daehyun-ah… Where did all the food go? Can't you grow a little bigger?"

"Huh?"

Daehyun turns eleven and Yongguk starts to feel the strain in bathing him.

After rubbing clouds of bubbles on Daehyun's back with a sponge, Yongguk drops it into the tub and rinses his hands in the tub of bathwater casually before wiping them onto his shirt.

"Hyung, where are you going?"

Yongguk turns back from the door, pulling his rolled up sleeves as Daehyun stares at him with those wide doe eyes sitting in the large bath tub. Daehyun has really narrow shoulders and the way he sits in the tub squeezing out the soap in the sponge makes him look even more like a puppy in shower. Yongguk swallows subtly when his eyes catches the moist glow in the centre of Daehyun's undeveloped chest. He looks so skinny and tiny, Yongguk blames himself.

"You can bath yourself. You're a big boy now."

Daehyun pouts hard even before Yongguk could turn his back and look away from those effectively pleading eyes.

"Hyung, bathe me!" Yongguk rubs a hand over his face. This is just bad.

But that little devil must know he gives in to his every wimp, doesn't he?

Yongguk squats down beside the white ceramic tub and fishes out the sponge before squeezing out some shampoo on it. Daehyun responsively sits up straight, pushing out his chest as his eyes follow Yongguk's hands.

God, please. Yongguk starts out at Daehyun's neck before timidly going down to that small chest where he looks away subtly. Yongguk isn't sure. Maybe he likes men as well but hell not little boys. He doesn't want to be a e-- and definitely not one after his baby boy, his little devil, his daehyun…

He scrubs Daehyun carefully, thoughts slowly wandering back to safe areas as he bathes Daehyun like how he used to, cleaning him like a baby, meticulous about every crook and corner. He lifts one tiny wrist and rubs underneath Daehyun's armpit, sending the boy into giggles and squirms. The bathroom seems especially tiny with Yongguk's low chuckles mixing in with Daehyun's high-pitched giggles. 

Daehyun bends both legs in laughter, trying to grasp balance in the tub as Yongguk tickles him. He is however, quickly relieved when Yongguk pales silently while staring at Daehyun's tanned inner thighs that make his blood go the other way--he swears, he isn't a e. He drops the sponge and storms out quickly before he could dwindle any further.

"You're big enough to bathe yourself!"

Daehyun has a high fever when he's thirtee