Found you!
this is an age regression drabble; if you don't like that, don't read it. age regression is a sfw coping mechanism, so i will be blocking anyone who sexualizes it
word count: 1,4k gender neutral reader
"Now, remember; don't run too far little one! I'll stay here and count to 60, so you'll have plenty of time, but don't go too far and don't bother any of the other idols, okay?" Dongil pulled the finger he had placed under your chin away and you nodded and looked around for inspiration on where to hide for your game of hide-and-seek with your caregiver, Dongil, or Bear, as you like to call him.
Dongil placed his hands in front of his eyes, though with a sliver of air between his fingers, so that he could keep an eye on where you were venturing off to. He started counting loudly, only to quiet down and hold his breath as you left his sight. He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and a person coming up beside him to look in the direction you had disappeared off to.
"Hyung, you look like you'll never see them again. The building is filled with security and people who know their way around, they can't get that lost, even if they tried." he knew Sungmin, who was the one trying to comfort him, meant well, but he still had a slight breathlessness and panic brewing inside of him. "Besides, if you didn't trust that nothing would happen, why'd you say yes to playing hide-and-seek?"
"I didn't want to but they're my baby and they were pleading and begging like it was their biggest wish and then Seongsik made a comment about how it would be fine or something, and that was the end of my reasoning. I might as well have been mute because if 'fun uncle Seongsikkie' said it was okay, then what does my opinion matter?" his pout worsened and he looked at his watch. He always gave you double, even triple the time he said he gave you when you played hide-and-seek with him, as he knew you took longer to get settled in a hiding place. It didn't make him want to start looking for you any less, though, and preferably as soon as he could, while still following the rules he had put on himself as a caregiver.
"If they didn't trust you to find them and keep them safe, they wouldn't leave your side, hyung. You know that." Sungmin reassured him. "But they're just a little baby, my tiny little one. They don't know what's safe and what's not!" he was freaking out. What if you were kicked out because you'd lost your backstage pass? What if you ran into some rude idols? What if you ran into a dangerous part of the building?! "Dongil hyung, you don't give them enough credit here. They may be in a younger headspace, but that doesn't erase everything they've gone through and the things they've learned. They'll know what not to do and where not to go if it seems dangerous."
Dongil knew Sungmin was right and he relaxed a tiny bit, not a whole lot though. He'll only be completely calm when he had you back in his arms.
He had been looking for you for a good 20 minutes and was starting to get scared something bad must have happened to you, mind going a mile a minute and the scenarios in his head were not helping his anxiety in the slightest. He ran around, looking for any sign of you when he heard some pretty familiar giggles coming from one of the artist rooms. Now, the artist rooms were located in very different places depending on who the artist that had the room was. DKB wasn't as well known as a lot of other groups, but still had a decent amount of fans, so they got a room, which they shared with one or two other artists or groups, whereas the idols who weren't really known didn't even get a room, but had to use the restrooms and hallways to get ready and such.
Now, there was also the other end of the scale, which was where Dongil was headed to locate the giggles he heard. Those were the rooms located a bit farther away from the stage where idols would perform, which gave the opportunity to have some peace and quiet. Those rooms didn't have to be shared either. They were for the bigger names in the industry. Groups such as MONSTA X, ITZY, and even Stray Kids would have rooms here. Dongil had always wanted to be there and belong, not like he was, sneaking around, looking for his lost baby.
He heard the giggles become louder and louder as he neared one room in particular, and his heart was pounding in his chest as he knocked and slowly opened the door.
"Um, I'm sorry but have you seen-..." he stopped himself as he saw the five members of TXT standing before him, smiling and getting ready. Dongil could feel his ears burning as he looked at them. They had only debuted about a year before his own group had and he was older than all of them, but there was still an aura of superiority about them, probably stemming from the knowledge of who is in their label. 'C'mon Dongil, you're a leader, now act like it!' he berated himself and stood up straighter. "Have You seen someone sneak in here? I'm... playing hide-and-seek with someone, and I think I could hear them in here." He looked at the tall idols in front of him and tried not to let it show how out of place he felt.
As the silence fell over the room, with Yeonjun and Soobin smirking at each other and Beomgyu glancing over at a rack of clothes, Dongil suddenly heard the familiar giggle coming from said rack and he could see you peaking out from between the clothes. He chuckled, trying to seem cool and in control, when all he felt was relief. You hadn't been hurt or kidnapped, only hiding in a place he'd never even thought to look, and with good reason.
He hugged you tightly and said, "found you!" and you giggled loudly, glad to see him again but also having fun knowing that you'd found a good hiding spot. He released you from the hug and held your hand, turning towards the TXT members. "I'm sorry if you were disturbed. I tried to tell them that they shouldn't bother others." he subconsciously moved more in front of you to shield you from any negativity that may come your way, but the boys stood in front of him just smiled and told him that it was no trouble and that you were fun to have around in the dressing room.
Dongil said his thanks and goodbyes, while you waved to the boys with the brightest smile, when he was stopped by Soobin, who told Dongil that he looked forward to seeing their stage and then sang a few words from the chorus of their newest song. Dongil's brain switched off and he must have looked somewhat stupid, mouth hanging open in shock like it was. He stuttered out a 'thank you' while trying to process the situation, which led him to not even think about saying no when you tugged on his shirt and asked for 'uppies'.
As he carried you over to the room DKB was in, his brain was still trying to process what had just happened. With you in his arms again, he was able to think more clearly about other things. He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to feel about Soobin knowing their song and saying that he'll be watching their performance but he did feel honoured. TXT was a big deal, and if someone who was a big deal was enjoying their music, then they must at least be a moderately sized deal.
By the time he had gotten back to the room, he had forgotten everything about scolding you about going so far away from where they were and bothering other people. He just put you down, you wanting to go over and play a bit with Heechan, and stood still.
"Hey man, what happened? Where were they hiding?" of course Changmin knew what was going on. "They were hiding in TXT's room" Dongil said, laughing incredulously. Changmin's eyes went big and looked over at you, just playing with Heechan's fingers, like you didn't have a care in the world. He also let out a quiet laugh, not sure how to react to hearing that. "By the way, we're going to have to do good today if we want to impress Choi Soobin," Dongil said before he went over to you again, now ready to cuddle you and talk about the games you would be playing in public in the time to come.
this again became much longer than i had meant it to but i was just sitting with the idea in my head at 5 am and couldn't sleep until i got it out, so here it is. sorry about any mistakes.