Ba Reum was feeling happy when he softly splashed water at Hyuk in the warm bathroom. Taking a warm bath was something he didn't indulge in often, seeing that it would cost a whole lot more than just a short shower.
And even though he had been afraid at first to splash at Hyuk, the smile on the caregiver's face was reassuring.
"Why don't we get washed now," Hyuk said, gently grasping Ba Reum's hands in his larger once, stilling the little, who smiled at him.
"Okay," Ba Reum said, settling in the bath and looking at Hyuk who patted his head before taking some shampoo.
"Why don't you lean back a little," the big man said, and Ba Reum followed his instructions, enjoying the feeling of someone taking care of him and he could feel all the earlier stress go out his body while he let himself lean against the caregiver.
Hyuk looked in amusement at the little leaning against him, the shampoo in Ba Reum's leaving suds all over him, but Hyuk didn't push him away. He did lift him on his lap, so he could raise his legs and get Ba Reum above water. A washcloth quickly ran over the body, being extra careful when he came to the genitals.
The skin there was awfully red and looked almost inflamed, just like the folds of his groin and Ba Reum let out a little sound of discomfort when Hyuk carefully ran the washing cloth over it.
"It's okay sweetie, we just need to keep it clean," Hyuk muttered, "could you stand up now? Then I can do you backside."
"Okay," Ba Reum softly said, loving the gentle way Hyuk took care of him. It felt so warm and comforting, and if he closed his eyes a memory of his mother washing his brother came up, her soft voice talking to him and sounding encouraging while Ba Reum hadn't been allowed nearby.
Was this how a mommy should be?
"That's a good boy. Now a quick rinse, and I got some nice clothes for you," Hyuk said, standing up next to Ba Reum himself. Shyly, the little looked at him. He shuffled closer to the big man, and smiled when he felt the arms coming around him. It wasn't quite a hug, but it felt good, nonetheless.
Hyuk frowned at the little, stilling him. It was dangerous to move like that in the tub, but he didn't want to give a negative remark right now, scared to break the mood and to have the little sad. Instead, he just kept on holding Ba Reum's upper arm with one hand when he reached out for the shower head and rinsed them both.
Lifting the little from the tub, Hyuk put him in his bathrobe, which looked a little oversized for Ba Reum.
"Soft," Ba Reum said burying his face in it neck of the item, "thank you m..."
Ba Reum stilled, the word on the tip of his tongue suddenly swallowed. Mommy. He had wanted to call the big man mommy. Looking wide-eyed at Hyuk, Ba Reum felt his body grow tense, wondering if the big man had noticed.
"I something wrong, sweetie?" Hyuk asked, having noticed the stiffening of the little, who had seemed happy enough during bathtime.
"Uhm, Uk no bathrobe?" Ba Reum asked, looking at the naked man besides him. Saying the words made him realise that he had probably taken the man's robe, and he immediately tried to shrug it off, but Hyuk took hold of the sides and pressed it close, before tying the rope.
"That's fine. I'll quickly dry with a towel, and then we can get dressed," Hyuk said, grabbing a towel and drying himself before taking one for Ba Reum's hair.
"Hyuk dress first," Ba Reum said when they were walking towards the nursery, and the big man nodded, not wanting to make Ba Reum feel uncomfortable by insisting the little should be dressed first. He knew Ba Reum was nice and warm in his bathrobe, and seeing that he just had an accident, it was unlikely he would wet again immediately.
"Do you want to see my room?" Hyuk asked, and Ba Reum nodded his head enthusiastically. He had seen the nursery the last time they had been here, and he could remember the door the man had pointed out. Like expected, they went through it, and Ba Reum looked in awe at the giant bed in the middle of the room, the plush carpet, the expensive furniture and the probably expensive paintings decorating the room.
"Wow," Ba Reum said, feeling a little intimidating. The nursery had looked expensive as well, but it was soft and playful. This was a whole less soft and playful, and Ba Reum even had the feeling that just his presence was diminishing its value.
"Here, why don't you sit while I get dressed," Hyuk said, and lifted Ba Reum on the bed. The little sat stiffly for a moment, looking at Hyuk getting out a jogging. The bed was soft and bouncy, but Ba Reum was feeling very uncomfortable.
What if he had an accident right now?
Slowly, he got up from the bed, and waited for Hyuk, standing awkwardly and afraid to move or touch anything.
Hyuk did notice the stiffness of the little when he turned around but chalked it down to nervousness. He guessed that once Ba Reum got used to it all, the stiffness and shyness would diminish a little.
"All dressed," Hyuk said, approaching Ba Reum, "now, let's get you into something nice."
"Got my reserve clothes," Ba Reum said softly, knowing that they were a whole less nice than what he had been wearing before. It was his second-best set, but it was already getting threadbare.
"No, leave those for when you need to go," Hyuk said, shaking his head, and lifting Ba Reum, who automatically wrapped his arms around the strong neck. Secretly, he was pleased, because this position gave him a change to be close to mo...Hyuk, close to Hyuk.
Biting his lip, Ba Reum laid his head against the broad shoulder, frowning at the intrusive thought. He barely had been near the man, and he didn't know him very well, and now he wanted to call him mommy?
Hyuk would surely not want that. Hell, Ba Reum wondered if the man even did want to be called anything but his name by Ba Reum.
"Uk," Ba Reum said out loud, making the caregiver look at him, but Ba Reum didn't even notice it. He was just trying to cement the name in his mind, so he would make less mistakes with it.
"Here we are," Hyuk said, putting Ba Reum on the changing table and supporting the little while he simultaneously pushed him down, so he was lying. Ba Reum looked up at him, lifting his arm to his mouth and chewing on the sleeve of the bathrobe.
Hyuk smiled and took something from a shelve. Ba Reum was curious, and tried to see what it was, but before he could, Hyuk was softly tugging away the sleeve in his mouth. Ba Reum let it reluctantly be pulled out and was surprised when something else was suddenly put in his mouth.
"Wha?" he asked, taking it out immediately to look at it.
"It's a pacifier," Hyuk said, looking down at Ba Reum, who was still lying down, "I thought you might like them."
"Oh," Ba Reum said, putting it back in his mouth. He never had a paci before. Slowly he went with his tongue around the plastic in his mouth, concentrating on the item and the feeling of the shield against his lips. Giving a suck, his eyebrows lifted, and then he sucked it again. It felt nice and soothing.
Ba Reum was so occupied with the paci that he didn't even notice when Hyuk opened up the bathrobe and put a diaper underneath Ba Reum. What he did notice was the sticky cream suddenly on his skin.
"Gross," Ba Reum said, trying to wiggle away from the sticky fingers that went across his skin.
"You don't like it?" Hyuk asked, seeing the frown on Ba Reum's face.
"No, icky," Ba Reum said, hoping that the caregiver would stop with putting it on him.
"But doesn't the rash hurt?" Hyuk asked, putting a sticky hand on Ba Reum's hip to stop him from wriggling too hard.
"Is okay," Ba Reum lied, but by now he was used to almost permanently have some kind of irritation around that area. Either it was from small leaks and sitting in wet underpants the whole day, or from when he had been little on his own and had been sitting in a soiled pants for hours on end.
"No, it isn't, sweetie. The salve will make the owie go away," Hyuk said, "why don't we try it out? The icky feeling will soon disappear."
Ba Reum stared at Hyuk, wriggling uncomfortably. On the one hand, he wanted to loudly protest, to say no and to not have the sticky salve on his skin. But this was Hyuk, the man who was taking such good care of him, the man who cared more about him than even his relatives did.
The man didn't deserve any of his bad behaviour.
Feeling his lower lip wobble, Ba Reum settled back.
"Okay," he said in a tiny voice, sucking the paci a little harder while he felt the big hands being oddly delicate against his skin. It didn't take long before the salve was gently rubbed in, and Hyuk closed the front of the diaper, making sure that it wouldn't be too tight, but wouldn't leak either.
The feeling was still very alien to Ba Reum, but Hyuk pulled his attention when the man suddenly produced an item of clothing and held it to Ba Reum.
"What's that?" Ba Reum asked, sitting up so he could look at it better. He heard the diaper crinkle and felt it underneath him when he sat.
"It's a sleeper. It's nice and soft, here feel," Hyuk said, and Ba Reum shyly reached out, touching the soft cloth.
"It's pretty," Ba Reum said with a smile, "like rainbows."
"That's good," Hyuk said, his whole face softening when he smiled as well, "let's get it on you."
"Okay," Ba Reum said, not feeling like protesting anything right now. He felt his feet being slipped into the footsies, and the cloth being pulled over him. It was nice, light, and warm, and soft. Hyuk put Ba Reum on the floor, letting the little have a few moments to enjoy the new clothes.
"Is pretty," Ba Reum said, his cheeks flushed and happy to be wearing something as pretty as this. He never had owned anything like it.
"Yes you are," Hyuk said, smiling at Ba Reum, who looked at him startled, before flushing.
"Not me. The sleeper," Ba Reum said, pinching some of the fabric in his grip and pulling it away from him, wanting to show Hyuk what as pretty.
"It is pretty. And you are too," Hyuk said, giving Ba Reum a kiss on the top of his head, before hugging the little close.
Ba Reum melted in the embrace. This was a real hug. A real warm hug. The contact did something with his brain, and he could just get lost in the hug forever.
But Hyuk let go too soon for Ba Reum, who didn't protest it, knowing that he was already getting so much more than he deserved.
"Let's go see if we can get us some lunch," Hyuk said, determined to feed Ba Reum up a little now he was here. Seeing the little naked, it was clear that he was skinny, perhaps a little too much.
"Okay, Uk," Ba Reum said, slipping his hand in Hyuk's, and letting the big man guide him down, slowly taking the steps on the stair one by one and trying to hurry.
Hyuk frowned at the way Ba Reum was trying to go faster, not liking the risk it posed. Standing in front of Ba Reum, the little stilled, frowning up at the caregiver, and then giving a surprised squeal when he was picked up.
"This is much safer, little one," Hyuk said, patting the diapered behind and making Ba Reum go boneless against him, sucking the paci while being in his favourite position ever.
Held closely by his mommy.