“YA! Stop hitting him! That’s right, run away! I will beat all of you if keep bothering him!” - an energetic young woman shouted - “IF I EVER SEE YOU DOING THAT AGAIN IM SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU ALL!” 
 

The boy that curled on the floor was now looking at her with a shocking expression. 

“Oh God, you are bleeding” - The girl approached him - “Lets go inside, I will treat those horrible wounds” 

“Can you check on him first?” -the young boy showed her a small bird - “I don’t know—“

“Don’t talk, your lip is bleeding too much” - the girl used a cloth to clean the blood - “Lets press it like this ok? Oh God, your brother will go crazy if he sees you like this again...” 

“Please don’t tell Gunhee” - Heechul urged - “Please Hani, Please” 

————————————————————-

Heechul didn’t have time to recover from his trip. As soon as he got home, he got notified by Leeteuk about all the meetings he would need to attend next week. He hated those. Meeting the kids’s teachers and listening to their complains always brought him troubles. Having so many children, he would be forced to attend five of those meetings he disliked so much. 

“Try to smile” - Leeteuk pinched Heechul’s arm again - “Its very important to cause a good first impression” 

“I can’t believe my mother sent you to spy on me” - Heechul hissed - “I can do this alone” 

“She said you would ruin it” - Leeteuk giggled - “And she wanted to babysit the boys” 

“I hope Kyuhyun is not giving her a hard time. Henry is an angel compared to him” - Heechul worried - “How long do we have to stay here?” 

“Long enough to listen all the teacher has to say about Yesung” - Leeteuk smiled - “He is having a blast in third grade, please don’t ruin it” 

“I hope the teacher is not a young woman” - Heechul sighed - “I get nervous If she is young and pretty” 

“BEHAVE” - Leeteuk Warned 

Yesung’s teacher only praised the boy several times. Heechul could relax as apparently, the kid was just well adjusting to the new scholar year. Surprisingly, Kangin’s teacher also praised the boy a lot against Heechul’s predictions. 

“He is got a good heart” - The teacher told them - “He is always helping the other boys and takes care of the classroom’s pet very well. He also helps watering the plants and..” 

“Are you sure we are talking about the same kid?” - Heechul interrupted - “Kangin is naughty and reckless. I swear he is a good boy but sometimes...” 

“He is just energetic as any other boy would be” - the teacher giggled - “He lacks concentration and that shows in his reading skills but with a little help he will do just fine” 

Siwon’s teacher was concerned about the boy’s shyness. Unlike his older siblings, Siwon was having a hard time adapting to kindergarten. He was starting to show regression in some aspects and Leeteuk worried Heechul wasn’t patient enough for it. The boy that was usually well behaved and independent was now clingy and fussy most of the time. He was now back to his habit of wetting the bed in a daily basis and Heechul couldn’t be more disturbed about the idea of buying diapers for a four year old. 

“You caused this” - Leeteuk lectured the annoyed parent - “Maybe we should take him back to daycare and wait another year until he is ready!” 

“Yeah, of course” - Heechul replied sarcastically- “That would solve everything” 

“Don’t you dare getting mad at him” - Leeteuk Warned - “Siwon needs support right now” 

“I KNOW” - Heechul raged - “I just didn’t expect he would be so affected by it. Last week I could swear Kangin was the one having difficulties adjusting” 

“Well, I guess he adapted better” - Leeteuk shuddered - “Try to behave. We still have two more meetings to attend” 

“I can’t wait for meeting the parents of the kid that bothers the triplets” - Heechul did a expression Leeteuk couldn’t miss - “We are going to have a long talk about it” 

“Don’t do anything stupid” 

Daycare meetings were better for Heechul as the parent didn’t fear anything the teachers could say about his kids. He even found relaxing the triplets’s meeting as the teacher would only praise how sweet they were. 

“I’m afraid the parents you are looking for didn’t come today” - The teacher sighed - “I’m also sorry for not noticing it earlier... we have separated them in different classes but even so, that kid would bully them during recess time” 

“What a brat” - Heechul rolled his eyes - “Is there anything else I can do? Please call me if that kid keeps bothering my boys. The triplets couldn’t tell us before and we just found out thanks to the marks...” 

“Sure... again, I’m so sorry” - the teacher was deeply hurt after Heechul showed him the biting marks on Sungmin’s arm 

“Alright... only Ryeowook’s class is left” - Leeteuk stretched - “You are doing well. Try to not embarrass Ryeowook please” 

“Like if I had done that before” - Heechul teased 

Actually, Leeteuk’s concern had a point. Very often Heechul would forget about things his kids found humiliating and go around sharing facts of them or just speaking his mind out. Recently, Ryeowook had started to get aware of his dad’s comments about him and ended getting embarrassed often. 

“Don’t you dare to mention about his ‘little problem’ “ - Leeteuk warned - “You know he gets upset whenever we mention it” 

“About the fact he is like a baby when he is with me?” - Heechul couldn’t care less about it - “He is freaking cute” 

“He got upset yesterday when you told your mom about it. He sulked the whole afternoon” - Leeteuk shook his head - “I know you find it silly but if that is something Ryeowook wants to keep as a secret please respect his wish” 

Heechul almost laughed when the daycare teachers described Ryeowook as a brave smart independent boy. Leeteuk also seemed amused by the way other parents would ask Heechul for advice as they considered Ryeowook a model son. 

“How you potty trained him?” - A mother approached Heechul - “We are still having troubles with my son and Ryeowook seems to be so fine...” 

“Actually, is about the kid being ready” - Heechul shrank his shoulders - “He has a twin that haven’t potty trained yet. I think every kid is different” 

“Your boy is so nice!” - Another mother told him - “Despite not being the oldest in the class, he behaves like an older brother for all our kids! My daughter truly likes him!” 

“I’m so thankful for your boy” - One young mother held Heechul’s hands - “My son is a picky eater but Ryeowook shares his snacks with him! He is so sweet!” 

“We use Ryeowook as an example in our house” - One of them confessed - “Our daughter admires him so much” 

“What is going on?” - Heechul whispered to Leeteuk - “Ryeowook is like a celebrity here. It’s like if all the mothers have made a fan club” 

“I think the funny part of this is that they ask you for advice” - Leeteuk couldn’t avoid giggling - “Make sure of sharing your wisdom” 

“Don’t be silly, Ryeowook turned out good because he is good not because I did something” - Heechul blushed - “I still can’t believe they all think Ryeowook is like a genius or something. He still wets himself when he is scared and his thump when he is sleepy. He is a baby” 

“Shhhh~ Dont say those things now” - Leeteuk pointed at the toddler that walked towards them - “He is coming” 

“BOO!” - Ryeowook tried to scare his caregivers in a playful way 

“OH GOD!” - Heechul was good at faking he was scared. Kids loved it - “YOU SCARED ME!” 

Ryeowook laughed pleased. He loved seeing his daddy’s reaction. The triplets were also running in Heechul’s direction. 

“Papa... Minnie...” - Eunhyuk was the first one to confess it - “He bit Minnie again!” 

“Here...” - Sungmin showed Heechul the new marks he got from his classmate - “Hurts...” 

“I’m so done” - Heechul stormed inside the classroom looking for the culprit as he dragged Sungmin with him - “Who did it ?” 

“Him” - Sungmin accused a boy whose Mother was now aware of their presence 

“Excuse me, ma’am” - Heechul’s voice was sterner than usual - “But I need to discuss something with you about your son. Apparently, he likes bullying my triplets and I can’t take it” 

The young woman looked at Sungmin with guilty eyes. She kept checking on the boy’s biting marks. 

“I’m so sorry...” - The woman shook her head - “I swear I have tried everything but he won’t stop...” 

Leeteuk was sure that wasn’t the correct answer and therefore Heechul would just get even angrier. However, to his surprise, Heechul relaxed and just sighed. Leeteuk got even more shocked when Heechul just shook his head and walked away without torturing the mother or the child. It was an unusual behaviour coming from someone as fiery as Heechul. 

“Do you know her?” - Leeteuk whispered to him while they drove to the school - “Why didn’t you—“ 

“I haven’t met her personally but I have seen her face before” - Heechul bit his lips - “Her picture came out in the news not long ago. I think she already has enough to worry about” 

“Is she famous?” - Leeteuk was clueless 

“She is a victim of domestic violence” - Heechul sighed - “You can’t blame the kid. He probably just do something he thinks it’s normal...” 

“Oh God...” - Leeteuk pitied the family - “What should we do then?” 

“I don’t know” - Heechul was also confused about their next step - “I don’t feel like giving them a hard time”

“Sure...” 

Siwon’s class haven’t ended by the time they arrived at kinder. Heechul was told to come in and share with the boys the few last minutes of the class. Everything was going well until Siwon’s teacher offered candy to the boys. 

“You are so cute! I got one for each of you!” - The teacher was being nice to the young siblings - “These are milk candy” 

“My brother can’t have this one!” - Donghae chirped as soon as the teacher offered one to Ryeowook- “He is lawtoze intolewant and can’t eat those cuz he gets tummy ache!” 

“Oh really?” - The teacher was amused by Donghae’s worries - “Then I should give him something else” 

“He is actually doing well now” - Heechul was also amused by Donghae’s response - “I think one of those won’t be that bad” 

“He farts a lot now” - Donghae commented - “He cant eat that much cheese nor drink too much milk” 

The teacher found Donghae’s comment cute and laughed. Heechul was also laughing but Leeteuk worried as Ryeowook was now sulking. 

“Hey” - Leeteuk tried to make Heechul realize it - “Wook” 

“Ah!” - Heechul got wrong the hint - “Do you need help open it? Look how easy” 

Ryeowook didn’t smile and Heechul found it weird. He thought the toddler was having a hard time as he didn’t know how to open the candy but actually, Ryeowook was upset because of Donghae’s comments. 

“Don’t you want it?” - Heechul offered it again only to get rejected by the toddler - “Oh, if you don’t want it then I will have it~” 

Ryeowook cried the very moment Heechul ate his candy. Leeteuk sighed. 

“But you didn’t want it!” - Heechul was now confused  - “I will buy you more later~” 

“DONT WANNA!” - Ryeowook was now hitting a tantrum - “WOOKIE ANGWY!” 

“He is so cute” - Heechul wasn’t taking him seriously and that only made the toddler even more mad - “Look at the way he puffs his cheeks!”

“HPHM!” - Ryeowook stomped his feet - “ANGWY!” 

“Angry!” - Heechul imitated him in a playful way 

“AISH!” - Ryeowook’s temper got worse thanks to Heechul’s joke 

“Heechul” - Leeteuk used his warning tone. He was sure Heechul wasn’t taking it seriously but Ryeowook’s face showed so much disgust - “Try to calm him. I’m worried” 

“Come here baby~” 

“NO BABY!” - Ryeowook pushed Heechul away - “NO!” 

“But bagel! Why are you so upset~?” - baby talking was a mistake. Heechul would regret it right away - “OUCH! YOU BRAT!” 

Ryeowook didn’t have the intention to hit him so hard. He was just fussing in Heechul’s arms and ended hitting his dad’s eye by accident. 

“Ouch Ouch Ouch” - Heechul was covering his eye - “It hurts...” 

Ryeowook was crying frightened. He didn’t meant to hurt Heechul. 

“Wookie calm down” - Leeteuk was overly worried seeing how the toddler breathed - “Breath, Relax~ daddy is just fine...” 

——————————————————————

“Is she alright?” - The twelve year old asked as he held an ice pack - “They were throwing stones at her...” 

“How do you know is a ‘she’ ? Maybe is a boy” - Hani laughed - “All done. The bird is fine~ I will open the window and it will fly away when it’s ready”  

Heechul smiled pleased. He was covered in scars and had a new purple eye but if the bird was alright, then it was worth the pain. 

“Does it hurt?” - Hani checked on Heechul’s bandage - “I tried my best but I guess Gunhee is better than me when it comes to treating injur—“ 

“Why are you being nice to me?” - Heechul interrupted - “We are enemies. I don’t get why are you helping me” 

“You say we are enemies” - Hani shook her head - “I never agreed to that” 

“You are doing this because you think you will earn points if Gunhee knows you helped me” - Heechul scoffed - “I don’t like you” 

“Should I call him then?” 

“NO” 

“I thought we were enemies” - Hani teased - “Maybe I should call him” 

“Don’t” - Heechul stopped her -“I will go back home on time for dinner. I swear I won’t get involved in another fight” 

“For being a twelve years old, you are too stubborn” - Hani sighed - “How Are you going to walk all the way back home if you can barely move?” 

“I... I will endure it” - Heechul folded his arms - “Thanks for the help. Maybe you are not that bad after all... Gunhee is always daydreaming of proposing to you. I don’t like you but if he ends marrying you I think I could get used to it ” 

“Heechul” - Hani called the boy that stumbled - “Wait a minute. There is something we need to talk about ” 

“Uh?” 

——————————————————————

Heechul ended making a small trip to the ER next to the school. He needed to get his eye checked plus Leeteuk insisted in someone checking on Ryeowook as the boy got so anxious. 

“Are you alright?” - Heechul kept asking the toddler - “I’m sorry for eating your candy. I will buy you another one...” 

Ryeowook didn’t speak. He kept looking at his shoes with teary eyes. 

“Mr Kim?” - A doctor called - “Come to the examination room please” 

“It’s our turn~” - Heechul Carried his now extremely calm toddler - “I’m sure it’s nothing~ you will be fine” 

Ryeowook got shocked when Heechul asked the doctor to check on him first. He felt terrible when Heechul got happy as the doctor told him there was nothing wrong with him. 

“Ah~ What a relief~” - Heechul smiled - “We worried he could have a heart attack just being two” 

“Dada eye” - Ryeowook pointed at Heechul’s eye in a worried way - “Pwease... hewp...” 

“Uh? Are you worrying for me?” - Heechul tilted his head - “so cute!” 

“You got a nice son” - The doctor giggled as he examined Heechul’s eye - “My my, it was a hard one” 

“It is bad?” - Heechul covered his eye using his hand - “It does hurt a little but...” 

“It will hurt more later. Eyes are really sensible and you got a direct hit” - The doctor prescribed analgesics and covered Heechul’s eye with a bandage- “You can buy the meds at the pharmacy in the first floor” 

“This is so uncomfortable” - Heechul complained thanks to the bandage - “Can’t I take it off?” 

Ryeowook felt guilty seeing his dad struggling. He was the one who caused it and yet, Heechul was being nice to him like always. 

“Lets go bagel~” - Heechul held Ryeowook’s hand - “Do you want me to hold you? No?” 

Ryeowook thought it would be better if he walked. That way Heechul wouldn’t have to make a bigger effort. 

“Alright~ Lets go buy those meds and return to school” - Heechul giggled - “I cant wait to show your siblings that I look like a pirate!” 

Ryeowook remained silent and just pouted. He followed Heechul well behaved as he didn’t want to cause any more troubles. 

“Look! They sell those here! We are lucky!” - Heechul pointed at a package of candy - “Lets buy these but we can’t tell Teuk or he won’t let us eat them before lunch~” 

Ryeowook cried when Heechul offered him candy with a sweet smile. 

“Dada! Wookie Sowy!” - The boy kept sobbing - “Dada eye huwt!” 

“Uh? It was an accident” - Heechul was now chewing another candy - “I’m not mad at you~ I understand it was an accident” 

“UNG!” - Ryeowook sobbed soundly - “SOWY!” 

“I’m sorry too~” - Heechul sighed - “It was me who caused this. I shouldn’t have teased you... I didn’t know you were that upset” 

“Hae...” - Ryeowook sulked - “Wookie... no liwe it...” 

“I bet Donghae didn’t have any bad intentions. He just wanted to protect you” - Heechul wiped the boy’s tears - “We were always scolding him for sharing dairy food with you. He got concerned when we explained to him you couldn’t eat those since you could get sick...” 

“Uhm...” 

“Lets go back to school to pick your brothers” - Heechul Carried the boy - “They must be driving crazy our poor babysitter” 

Leeteuk was indeed going crazy. Not because of Kangin nor Yesung. Not even because of the naughty triplets. His biggest concern was Siwon now. The boy had exited the classroom with the saddest face he had ever seen plus refused to tell him why he was so sad. 

“We are back!” - Heechul cheered - “KIDS LOOK! IM A PIRATE!” 

“WAAAA!” - the triplets ran around Heechul exited - “Pirate! Pirate!” 

“You are so funny” - Kangin also laughed - “What happened? Why are you wearing that?” 

“Oh~ I got hit in the eye” - Heechul explained - “Ryeowook is stronger than he looks” 

Ryeowook blushed. He felt bad just remembering it was him who caused Heechul’s injury. 

“Why did you hit daddy?” - Yesung approached the toddler - “That’s a no no” 

“Ung... Wookie Sowy” - Ryeowook sulked as his brother scolded him  

“It was an accident” - Heechul defended the cute boy - “He didn’t want to do it, right Wook?” 

“Ung...” 

“I guess it’s fine then” - Yesung smiled - “Can you drive like that?” 

“Sure. I only have troubles realizing if there is another car around but yeah” - Heechul teased - “I think we can make it” 

“So, what do you think? Don’t you think he looks funny with that eye like that?” - Leeteuk was trying to get a response from Siwon

Siwon just sighed. Heechul seemed unaware of his new problem as he fooled around pretending he was a pirate for the triplets. He even insisted in recording Kyuhyun’s reaction to it. Kyuhyun found hilarious the way his dad looked but Henry got scared and cried. 

“My goodness” - Heechul’s mother shook her head - “What did you do now? Did another parent hit you? I asked you to keep your mouth shut about other kids’s looks” 

“Blah blah blah” - Heechul made the kids laugh as he did funny faces - “Actually, no. I got hit by a toddler. My own one” 

“Really?” - the old lady seemed amused - “Oh, well~ I guess it was an accident” 

“Yeah...” - Heechul pouted - “Did Kyuhyun give you troubles?” 

“No! He was actually so nice and well behaved!” - The old lady praised the youngest twin - “He even helped me taking care of Henry~” 

Leeteuk and Heechul exchanged looks. They were equally impressed. 

“Apparently, he just misbehaves when you are around” - The old lady teased - “if you ever get tired of them, you can always send them to our home” 

“Very funny, mother” - Heechul was now serious - “My kids will stay here”

“Don’t get mad~ it was just a joke” - The woman kissed his son - “I hope your eye heals soon” 

“Me too” - Heechul sighed - “Its starting to hurt...” 

——————————————————————

“I rejected him” 

“Oh? Why? Isn’t Gunhee your type of boy?” - Heechul tilted his head - “AISH! He is probably in a bad mood!” 

“Gunhee isn’t the problem, brat” - Hani sighed as she stared at him. 

“ME?!” - Heechul laughed - “Are you insane? It’s not like you are marrying me” 

“You are his beloved brother and you don’t like me” - Hani bit her lips - “Sweetheart, listen... I can’t live in peace knowing that my boyfriend’s brother hates me. These two years... you have left very clear that you are against our relationship and I fear that won’t get better with time” 

“Oh” - Heechul nodded - “Sounds reasonable. I never thought you were so smart” 

“See? You don’t like me” - Hani sighed - “I cant do that to Gunhee. I cant make him decide between us” 

“Are you scared that he will choose me over you?” - Heechul couldn’t avoid provocation 

“No, I’m afraid he could get hurt” - Hani shuddered - “I love him... and I won’t do anything that could possible hurt him” 

“But you are giving up” - Heechul frowned - “You are a liar. If you loved him so much you would have never rejected him! Not even because of me!” 

“Sometimes when you love someone so much... you need to take hard decisions” - Hani looked at him - “I don’t hope you understand it, but sometimes, letting them go is the best we can do for the people we love” 

“that’s stupid! If you love someone then fight!” - Heechul raged - “Don’t quit so easy, damn it! Don’t... just don’t give up...” 

——————————————————————

Heechul realized what the doctor meant when his eye started killing him. He was lying down on the couch with his eyes closed when he felt tiny hands patting his head. 

“Uh? Do you need something?” - Heechul looked at the little toddler that carried a blanket - “Are you alright?” 

“Diz~ fow you” - Ryeowook offered the blanket to his dad - “Cowd” 

“For not getting a cold? Aww so sweet” - Heechul accepted the offer - “Thanks~” 

Ryeowook ran away and then returned holding Kiki. 

“Kiki” - Ryeowook placed the stuffed giraffe next to Heechul - “Hug” 

“Sure” - Heechul found cute how the toddler thought his giraffe could help. 

Ryeowook ran again. He came back this time with a water bottle. 

“Thanks” - Heechul wondered what else would Ryeowook do - “You know~ my feet hurt~” 

Ryeowook jumped on the couch and started massaging his feet carefully. Heechul really enjoyed the massage. Ryeowook’s tiny hands were sweet and gentle. 

“My legs too, please” - Heechul was getting advantage of his situation. Ryeowook did as commanded. 

“Uh~ I wonder why your dad is asking you for a leg massage if it was his EYE what it got hurt” - Leeteuk pinched Heechul’s arm - “Stop exploiting the poor boy” 

“Wookie hewpz Dada!” - Ryeowook protested when Leeteuk tried to get him down the couch - “Dada huwt” 

“Poor you” - Leeteuk shook his head - “Arent you forgetting something?” 

“Our anniversary is not yet, Honey~” - Heechul teased 

“You promised Siwon something, remember?” - Leeteuk widened his eyes - “You told him you would buy it today” 

“Ah~ the diapers?” 

“SHHH!” - Leeteuk pulled Heechul’s ear - “He asked you to keep the secret!” 

“I still can’t believe you are going to allow diapering a four years old boy. FOUR YEARS OLD” - Heechul complained - “I ordered online. I refuse to go shopping for those. It’s embarrassing” 

“Do you ever hear yourself? Siwon could get hurt if he listens to you” - Leeteuk lectured - “Stop complaining about it. It’s just a problem you caused because you keep pressing him to do something he doesn’t want” 

“Growing up?” - Heechul replied annoyed - “He is just being a baby. Eventually, he will overcome his fears of kindergarten and survive” 

“Aren’t you being too hard on him?” 

“No” - Heechul shook his head - “I’m doing what I consider the best for him” 

Leeteuk was about to protest when Kangin entered the living room shouting out loud. 

“ITS HERE!” - Kangin jumped excited - “DAD! HURRY! IT ARRIVED!” 

“I’m going~” - Heechul stretched - “Oh~ Ryeowookkie is sleepy~” 

Ryeowook’s eyes felt heavy. He was falling asleep next to his dad when Kangin appeared and ruined his precious time. 

“Dada!” - Ryeowook whined annoyed as he was too sleepy to follow Heechul - “Uhuuuu!” 

“Lets see why your brother is so excited~” - Leeteuk Carried the tired toddler - “then, let’s take a nap” 

Ryeowook pouted in a bad mood. He often got grouchy when he was sleepy. 

“ITS SO BIG!” - Kangin was bouncing around something that looked like a pet house- “I LOVE IT!” 

“What’s that?” - Leeteuk was now smiling- “Are we going to have a dog?” 

“Ehm...” - Heechul got anxious 

“BATMAN IS GOING TO LOVE IT!” - Kangin ran away with the pet house - “THANKS DADDY!” 

“You forgot my kiss!” 

Kangin returned and kissed his dad. 

“I love you!” - Kangin chirped happily - “You are the best!” 

“Why do I feel like I want to kill you?” - Leeteuk sighed - “Are you really going to keep that raccoon?” 

“I took it to the vet” - Heechul shrank his shoulders - “We vaccinated him. He also got a collar now~” 

“You have to be kidding me” - Leeteuk looked around - “All these boxes are for the stupid raccoon?” 

“First, dont call Batman ‘Stupid’. Second, no. Some of these are for Siwon’s problem” - Heechul sighed - “And I also ordered some stuff for the other kids” 

Kyuhyun was already getting inside one of the boxes. 

“Hehe! Kyu caztwe!” - Kyuhyun was playing inside the empty box - “Mine!” 

“Ah~ This is not what I wanted...” - Heechul lamented as he opened one of the boxes - “This is way—“ 

“MINE!” - Ryeowook was now climbing Heechul’s back to have a better look of the clothes his dad was holding - “MINE MINE MINE MINE” 

“Yeah, Well...” - Heechul was nervous - “I did buy them for you but... I think I got the wrong size” 

Leeteuk was already trying some of the clothes in Kyuhyun. It fitted him just well. 

“I guess Ryeowook’s ones should be one size less than Kyu’s” - Leeteuk sighed - “Why didn’t you—“ 

“I did so” - Heechul bit his lips - “but still... this won’t fit...” 

Ryeowook was trying out a pajama shirt that was way too big for him. The sleeves were so long his tiny hands couldn’t even show. The length made it look like if the boy was wearing a dress instead of a shirt. Heechul waited for the tantrum when the boy realized his pants wouldn’t stay up. 

“I’m sorry, bagel” - Heechul was now folding the new clothes - “I guess you will have to wait a little to use these” 

“WOOKIE TOO!” - Ryeowook stomped his feet extremely bothered as he saw Kyuhyun wearing his new clothes - “ME TOO!” 

“I will buy you something nice” - Heechul tried - “I promise that tomorrow I will take you to the mall and—-“ 

“UWAAAAAAAAAA!” - Ryeowook wailed on the floor. His bad mood from sleepiness and now the feeling of not getting what he wanted mixed up and ended causing him an outburst. 

Heechul stared at the boy for a few seconds and just went back to unboxing. Leeteuk was trying to console Ryeowook but the boy only had eyes for Heechul. 

“DADA! DADA! DADA!” 

“I’m busy right now” - Heechul didn’t even look at the boy - “Kyunnie can you help me?” 

“Uhm? NUH” - Kyuhyun giggled as he actually helped Heechul unboxing - “Diapey” 

“Yeah, those are diapers” 

“Kyunnie diapey” - The toddler grabbed the package - “Mine” 

“No~ those aren’t for you” - Heechul found cute how Kyuhyun thought it was for him - “Those are for your brother” 

“Wookie?” 

Ryeowook stopped crying and gasped. He burrowed his face in his chest. 

“I’m not diapering you, Kim Ryeowook” - Heechul laughed - “And still, I cant understand why you hate it so much” 

“Wookie no baby” - Ryeowook sulked - “Wookie good” 

“Come here” - Heechul held the boy with love - “Stop crying ok? Dada will spoil you so you are happy but I don’t want to see a single tear coming from those pretty eyes” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook wiped his own tears. The boy was now cuddling in Heechul’s arms while he his thump. Leeteuk often found curious how Ryeowook turned into a baby when Heechul was next to him. Even the psychologist found it amusing. Kyuhyun was totally the opposite. He would be more independent when Heechul was around. If his dad wasn’t in sight, the toddler would cry and act out. 

“What are those?” - Yesung pointed at the big package of night diapers - “You bought the wrong size” 

“No, I didn’t” - Heechul scoffed - “These will do just fine” 

“Those are for older kids” - Yesung read the label - “Even older than the triplets” 

“Yeah I know” - Heechul was getting nervous - “Stop asking ok?” 

“Are those for Siwon?” - Kangin was now also interested - “Is he going to wear diapers again?” 

“Don’t you dare to ” - Heechul hissed - “I already have enough to worry about” 

“HE IS GOING TO WEAR DIAPERS!” - Yesung and Kangin wouldn’t miss the change to bully their sibling - “LIKE A BABY!” 

“kids!” - Leeteuk scolded - “Stop it!” 

“Diapers For Babies” - Eunhyuk folded his arms - “Big boys wear undies” 

“Uhum” - Donghae agreed 

“Minnie pees in potty! Minnie no pee bed!” - Sungmin also joined the bullying team - “Babies wet bed!” 

“Even Ryeowook is out of diapers!” - Kangin went too far - “And he is only TWO!” 

Siwon ended crying. The boy was way too upset listening to his siblings. Leeteuk followed him to console him but he expected Heechul to act as well. It didn’t happen. The parent just remained silent and kept taking care of the new stuff like if nothing happened. 

“I change my mind...” - Siwon cried - “I don’t wanna wear those...” 

“Honey, just ignore them” - Leeteuk tried - “Its ok if you need those now. Your uncle and I—“ 

“He also thinks those are for babies” - Siwon sobbed - “He refused to buy them at the store and said I didn’t need them” 

“Because he thought you could—“ 

“He doesn’t want me to go daycare because he says I won’t stop being a baby!” - Siwon was deeply hurt - “He is mean too!” 

“Honey, your uncle loves you” - Leeteuk couldn’t deny the fact he was also mad at Heechul but still, he would pretend he wasn’t just for the boy’s sake - “I’m sure he had good intentions when he sent you to kindergarten. Maybe I should just talk to him and convince him you are not ready yet” 

“He is going to hate me” - Siwon shook his head - “Everyone is doing well! Even Ryeowook goes to daycare now!” 

“Don’t compare yourself with your brothers. Forget about them. You are all different” 

“He likes Ryeowook more than me!” - Siwon continued - “He also likes Kangin more! And Kyuhyun! And and—“ 

“That’s not true, he loves all you the same” - Leeteuk wanted to believe that was true but sometimes Heechul did showed preference towards some of his boys. He understood it wasn’t on purpose, Heechul just happened to be closer to some of his kids thanks to their personalities. 

Siwon was way too upset for being reasonable. All he could think of was that Heechul hated him and that’s why had insisted in taking to a place he considered hell. 

“Is he still crying?” - Heechul asked unbothered - “You were taking too long so I put the twins and Henry to sle—“ 

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you go upstairs? Siwon thinks you hate him and instead of helping yourself you stayed here pretending everything was fine!” - Leeteuk couldn’t hide his disappointment - “Why can’t you show him a little support?” 

“I bought the diapers” - Heechul was confused - “isn’t that what he wanted? It goes against my will but I still bought them” 

“That’s not what I mean!” - Leeteuk raged - “Why don’t you go and talk to him?” 

“Because... I’m not suited for the job” - Heechul looked away - “You are better at that—“ 

“BUT HE WANTS YOU” - Leeteuk insisted - “Stop hiding yourself and go confront him! You were the one that caused this! “

“I KNOW! I KNOW I CAUSED THIS! It is my fault! I understand that!” - Heechul finally exploded - “But I don’t know what to do because I really thought I was taking the right decision! I have nine kids and he is the only one I can’t fully understand! This is also frustrating for me and you can’t see it because you are blind! I can see better with only one eye!” 

“What?” - Leeteuk was so scared. Heechul seemed to be out of his mind - “I’m calling your mother” 

“You should do so” - Heechul scoffed - “You can ask her to take Siwon with her if you don’t mind”

“Say that again” - Leeteuk glared at the parent 

“I said, that since you are giving her a call, you should ask her to take Siwon with her” - Heechul repeated defiantly - “You asked me to confront the problem. I’m doing so” 

Leeteuk got hurt. He went away without thinking twice and did called Heechul’s mother to complain. The old lady showed up in the house soon after but she seemed calm about the situation. 

“Where is he?” - The old lady even sounded amused - “Is my son still in the house or he went out to drink?” 

“He is still here” - Leeteuk was still mad at Heechul - “He locked himself inside his room along with the youngest boys” 

“Mmmm” - The old lady smiled softly - “He haven’t changed at all” 

“I’m so mad at him” - Leeteuk let out his feelings - “One day he is like a hero and a model dad and the other one he goes around asking people to take care of his sons for him” 

“His son” - The old lady made emphasis - “Siwon” 

“You don’t seem too surprised” - Leeteuk pointed out 

“I was expecting this outburst since long ago” - The old lady giggled - “Heechul has never been good controlling things that he can’t understand. He is brilliant but at the same time, his obnoxious mind can’t go too far when it comes to adapting to new rules” 

“So...?” 

“He is scared because Siwon is behaving strangely and he thinks he broke him. That’s why he insisted in sending the boy with me” - The old lady sighed - “He basically just admitted defeat. I never thought I would live to see that with my own eyes... Heechul is so stubborn he would rather die than admit he can’t solve something” 

“That’s silly! He just took a bad decision but he is still on time to solve it!” - Leeteuk couldn’t understand at all - “Why would he give up?” 

“Because the child already got hurt once” - Heechul replied from the stairs - “I don’t want to hurt him twice. My pride is important but Siwon is more important than that. I don’t care how many times I have to admit defeat if that means he is going to get better... I’m begging you. HELP ME” 

“Forget about your pride, this is about Siwon” - Leeteuk tried to remain calm - “You took a wrong decision but is not the end of the world. Just send him back to daycare—“ 

“That won’t solve the problem” - Heechul shook his head - “Teuk, this is not about daycare. Siwon would be equally broken even if I send him back to daycare. This is about me as a parent. I failed. I can’t understand him” 

“Do you really want me to take him with me?” - Heechul’s mother interrupted the discussion- “If That’s What you want... I really don’t mind taking care of him”

“Please take him with you” - Heechul didn’t doubt. Leeteuk panicked. 

“Why do I have to go with Grandma?” - Siwon asked Heechul - “Are you mad at me...?” 

“No” - Heechul shook his head - “It’s just... I think maybe this is the best for you. I promise that I will go visit you and you can come over all you want but... maybe you will do better with her. I’m stupid and I can’t go around pretending anymore” 

“Really?” - Siwon pouted - “How long Do  I have to stay with grandma?” 

“As long as you want to” - Heechul bit his lips - “I will tell you a secret: she is an awesome cook. Her cookies are the best” 

Siwon smiled a bit. 

“I’m going to miss you” - Siwon turned to Leeteuk - “I will come to play tomorrow” 

“Sure” - Leeteuk forced himself to smile. He just wanted to kill Heechul right there. 

As soon as Siwon left with his grandmother Leeteuk was ready to fight again. He was about to confront Heechul when he spotted the teary eyes the parent had. He could even swear he saw him crying later. 

—————————————————————-

“You truly love him, don’t you?” - Heechul asked calmly while Hani drove in silence - “You put your own feelings after my brother’s ones... You must care a lot about him” 

Hani kept driving in silence while the boy looked at her face on the mirror. 

“I have lost many fights in my life” - Heechul looked outside the window - “I get involved into fights very often because I can’t live with myself if I can’t defend what I like. Of course, I am not invincible and sometimes I just lose. It’s just happens” 

“I’m guessing you won today” - Hani finally spoke - “The bird is alive and safe” 

“I actually ‘won’ an important battle today, but somehow I don’t feel like I did. I feel like a looser” - Heechul pouted - “I wish I had surrendered” 

“What happened to not giving up?” - Hani teased 

“I admit defeat” - Heechul shrank his shoulders - “I like you. And Gunhee loves you. If you don’t date Gunhee, I will consider this my biggest loss” 

“Oh... that’s sad... I guess I can’t sabotage your records” 

“No, you shouldn’t” 

“If I dated your brother...” 

“We will stop being enemies” - Heechul nodded - “I won’t consider you my rival. I will see you as my own sister” 

“Would you do that for us?” - Hani widened her eyes - “Really?” 

“You are not the only one that loves Gunhee” - Heechul smiled - “Also, you are not that bad” 

“You are also better than I expected” - Hani scoffed - “By the way, you need to improve your skills. You lack techniques. Your fighting style Is too basic”

“Were you spying on me?” - Heechul raised his eyebrows - “Nobody asked you for your opinion, witch” 

“If you are going to be my little brother, you better don’t go around embarrassing me with those moves” - Hani joked - “I will teach you how to fight properly. I’m really good at taekwondo” 

“Oh~ now we understand each other!” - Heechul was now excited - “Noona! Please teach me!” 

—————————————————————-

Siwon had fun with his grandparents. He loved getting all the attention as his siblings weren’t around plus, they shared a lot in common . Unlike Heechul, his grandpa wouldn’t for his fears of monsters and actually helped him to build a castle out of boxes in the living room. His grandmother baked cookies for him and made sure they didn’t have anything he was allergic to. 

“Aren’t you going to dinner?” - Leeteuk started suspecting Heechul’s tears weren’t just part of his imagination - “Mrs Jung cooked the stew you like” 

“I’m not feeling well” - Heechul replied from the bed - “I just want to sleep” 

“Are you sick?” - Leeteuk tried approaching - “You Look... sad?” 

“Stop nagging me” - Heechul covered himself with the blanket - “Leave me alone” 

“Sadly, I won’t. I’m still mad at you but I think that maybe I could have missed something” - Leeteuk pulled the cover away - “Look at me and tell me that you really want Siwon to live with your mother” 

Heechul just cried.

“So, you don’t want that” - Leeteuk sighed - “If you didn’t want that then why on earth you asked her to take him away?”

“Because I’m not a good parent to him” - Heechul was clearly upset - “I hate to admit it but my mom understands him better” 

“Heechul, parenting is not easy. Everyone makes mistakes” - Leeteuk sat next to the man in sorrow - “You should know that. It’s not the first time you take the wrong decision” 

“I know! But this one hurt me a lot!” - Heechul was crying so hard Leeteuk could barely understand him - “I cant take it!” 

Leeteuk just sat in silence while Heechul cried. He still couldn’t understand at all what the parent meant but he got the feeling this wasn’t about daycare just as Heechul had said before. 

“Time to go to bed~” - The old lady approached the kid that played with a toy car in his pajamas - “Tomorrow, you are going to school like always”

The old lady was about to turn off the lights when Siwon spoke again. 

“Grandma” - Siwon called in a nervous voice 

“Yes, honey?” 

“Can you tell uncle I love him?” - Siwon asked 

“Sure” 

The boy smiled. He went to sleep feeling better. 

“Your mother sent us a picture of Siwon slee— HEY” 

“Let me see him” - Heechul snatched the phone like if he was some wild animal - “He looks so peaceful ... HE NEVER LOOKED LIKE THAT HERE!” 

When Heechul started crying again, Leeteuk lost it. He ended hitting the parent with a pillow until he stopped crying. 

“Are you done? I’m getting tired of this game” - Leeteuk flicked Heechul’s forehead - “Either you tell me what is going on or I swear I will go to ask a psychiatrist for help” 

“Siwon is not acting out because I changed him to kindergarten” - Heechul had a head ache for crying too much - “Henry will turn one in a few days” 

“What does Henry have to do with—“ 

Leeteuk felt stupid when he saw Heechul’s expression. He had forgotten about that. He had missed that big detail. 

“It’s not about daycare. It’s about the dates” - Heechul sulked - “It’s going to be a year since they died” 

“Heechul, I’m so—“ 

“He told me he wanted his parents to take him to kinder” - Heechul seemed troubled - “I think that he got upset when he saw all the moms in the aperture ceremony. I can’t change that. I can’t bring them back. I started getting hurt everyday I saw Siwon wetting the bed because he is sad since his mom isnt here for him” 

“You should have told me about that” - Leeteuk soothed his words - “I thought you were just going crazy” 

“I... I just did what I thought it was the best for him...” - Heechul held his chest - “Sometimes, when you love someone too much, you must take hard decisions...” 

“You...” 

“I didn’t want him to go away. I just want him to be happy... if that means that he needs to be away from me and living with my mother then I will just endure it! I— I just love him too much to watch him suffer!” 

“It’s alright~ We will find a way to make it work” - Leeteuk was now hugging his crying friend - “It’s alright~ It’s alright~ We will figure it out. You just need time to think...” 

“Grandma” - Siwon was still sitting on the table after breakfast- “Can you take me to my house? I want to see uncle before going to school” 

“It’s almost time for leaving the young ones at daycare” - Heechul’s mother checked the clock - “If we hurry, maybe we can meet Heechul there” 

“Sure” - Siwon smiled - “I really need to see him” 

“Hey” - Leeteuk was trying to get Heechul’s attention - “Are you alright? What are you looking for?” 

“That boy...” - Heechul pointed at a boy around the triplets’s age - “He is the triplets’s bully” 

“So? I thought you—“ 

“His mother isn’t around” - Heechul seemed nervous - “And that man just slapped him once” 

“What?” - Leeteuk stared at the weird pair. The man seemed to be in a bad mood while he basically dragged the kid by force. The toddler could barely tripped with a stone and the man lost it. 

“Can’t you walk well?!” - the man hit the boy’s head - “Hurry up, bastard!” 

The kid seemed used to it. He just lifted his backpack again and kept walking. Leeteuk was nervous as he watched the scene when the rude man tried to hit the boy again... just that this time someone stopped him. 

“Hey” - Heechul was still grabbing the man’s arm - “Dont you dare hitting an innocent child. He is your son, isn’t he?” 

“Mind your own business, princess” - The man shook off Heechul’s grab - “I will do whatever I want with my brat” 

The man tried to smack the boy’s head but Heechul interfered.

“I don’t think so” - Heechul seemed angry - “If you touch him or his mother, I will make sure you regret it” 

The little kid smiled a bit. The man noticed it and before Leeteuk could ever react Heechul was receiving a hit as he protected the child. 

“I warned you” 

That was the last thing Heechul said before showing Leeteuk another part of his self. Everything happened really quickly, but for Leeteuk’s heart it took a while to recover. 

“IM DONE WITH THIS !” - The man raged as the police took him - “IM GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!” 

“I’m afraid you won’t be seeing the sunlight in a while “ - The cops replied 

“I guess I look more like a panda now” - Heechul scratched his head - “My my~ It’s been a while since I fought” 

“MR YOU AWEZOME!” - The little kid jumped excited - “MY HERO!” 

“Ah~ Do you think so?” - Heechul felt flattered- “Be good to your mom ok? Don’t give her too much troubles” 

“UNG!” - The kid was now seeing Heechul with sparkling eyes. 

“Well, dont skip school and eat your veggies” - Heechul ruffled the boy’s hair - “My my~ I’m so tired~” 

“DAD THAT WAS SO COOL!” - Kangin imitated Heechul’s moves - “First like this! And then like that!” 

“I didn’t know you were so good at this!” - Yesung was also impressed - “You are even cooler than I thought! You are super cool!” 

“HERO HERO!” - The triplets clapped their hands 

“Uncle...” - Siwon stared at Heechul with big eyes - “Where did you learn to fight like that?” 

“Your mother taught me” - Heechul blushed - “She also taught me to fight for the things I love. She was a very special woman, indeed” 

“My mom...?”

“Siwon” - Heechul placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders - “I promise I won’t give up” 

“He wanted to show you something” - Heechul’s mother called Heechul - “Look” 

“Are those...?” 

“My sheets!” - Siwon extended the white sheets proudly - “I didn’t wet them last night!” 

“ YEAH! “ - Heechul was full of energy - “LETS ALL GO TO EAT ICE CREAM!” 

“Not before school!” - Heechul’s mother pulled his ear - “Alright kids, show time is over. Daddy needs to go check his eye before turning into a panda” 

“Hey! HEEY!” - Heechul complained as his mother pulled him away- “TEUK! HELP!”

“Mother used to say that she and uncle were rivals once” - Yesung giggled - “She also told me uncle was her best friend” 

Siwon chased after Heechul and his grandma. He approached them slowly. 

“Uh? Something wrong?” - Heechul asked as the boy stared at him with curious eyes - “Dont worry, I have had purple eyes before” 

Siwon hugged him. Heechul seemed surprised. The boy just smiled and then ran back to Leeteuk. 

“I can’t understand my son” - Heechul sighed

“Neither can I ” - Heechul’s mother said softly - “and I’m not talking about Siwon” 

Heechul looked at her amused. She just smiled. 

“Hani understood me” - Heechul’s eyes got teary - “She always did” 

“I miss her too” - The old lady hugged her son - “she would be proud of you” 

Heechul felt warm. Maybe that was what he wanted to hear. Maybe... just maybe...

A few hours later, Leeteuk was checking on Heechul. He found him holding Kyuhyun and Henry on his lap along with a big photo album. 

“She is your mom” - Heechul explained to them - “She was a nice cheerful woman that brought light to this house. She was so pretty even fairies felt jealous” 

“Mama?” - Kyuhyun pointed at the pictures - “Kyu mama?” 

“Yeah” - Heechul nodded - “She is your mom” 

Kyuhyun stared at the pictures and smiled. He then kissed the photo album and Leeteuk felt his heart jump. 

“Mine” - Kyuhyun insisted in hugging the photo album - “Mama Mine” 

Heechul laughed and closed the album. 

“Nap time, troublemakers” - Heechul kissed the boys - “I hope you guys meet your mom in dreamland” 

The busy parent put the kids to sleep and then walked outside the room only to meet Leeteuk’s sad eyes. 

“Hani would have laughed if she saw me with both eyes like this” - Heechul teased -“She would be proud of Ryeowook’s strength. I swear that the eye he hit hurts a lot more than the other one” 

“I wonder if he inherited it from you or Hani” - Leeteuk smiled a bit 

“It wasn’t from Gunhee” - Heechul chuckled - “He was athletic but he didn’t know how to hit” 

“I was talking about the bad temper” - Leeteuk grinned 

“Ah” - Heechul doubted for a second - “That’s definitely me” 

“Heechul... are you going to be ok?” - Leeteuk couldn’t avoid worrying - “In just a few days—“ 

“We will be celebrating Henry’s first birthday and I will probably cry a river” - Heechul smiled - “but you know? Everything is going to be just fine” 

[a few days later] 

“So... do you know why are you here today?” - The psychiatrist looked at Heechul - “Mr Kim?”

“Please call me Heechul” - Heechul twisted his lips - “And yes, of course I know why I am here. LEETEUK IS A ING TRAITOR!” 

“I’m guessing he is not calmer” - Heechul’s mother  commented as soon as the doctor went out of the room - “He had always been a troublemaker, but I swear he is a nice person” 

“Is he still mad at me ?” - Leeteuk asked softly 

“Are you Leeteuk?” 

“Yes” 

“Oh boy...” - The doctor shook his head as he fixed his glasses - “I think you better go hide or something. I can’t promise our sedative will work that fast... and he is strong...”