“I cant sleep” - The boy whispered in a sweet voice - “I feel bad” 

“Are you feeling sick?” - Heechul’s sleepiness drifted away - “Do you have a fever? Come here, let me touch you” 

“I don’t think I have fever, Papa” - Sungmin sighed as he crawled on the bed - “I think I’m sad” 

“You are sad...?” - Heechul shook his head in a try to wake himself - “Why?” 

“I don’t know” - Sungmin shrank his shoulders - “I’m just sad” 

“Well, that’s not helpful...” - Heechul scratched his head - “What if I tell you a story? Would you feel better?” 

“Why is Minnie sleeping here?” - Sungmin asked as he pouted - “Away from Hae and Hyukkie...” 

“Are you sad Because of that? Oh boy... here we go” - Heechul the lamp next to him - “Seriously? It’s been only two nights and you see them all day” 

“It’s not the same” - Sungmin kept pouting- “Minnie belongs next to Hae and Hyukkie” 

“Nighty nite!” - Kyuhyun hit Sungmin with a pillow. Heechul was sure the twins wanted to sleep and the late conversation was disturbing them. 

“Do you think you could sleep today?” - Heechul asked softly-  “I promise I will look out for a solution tomorrow” 

“Goodnight, Papa” - Sungmin sighed. He walked back to his tiny bed holding his pink bunny plush 

“What did you do to him?” - Leeteuk asked worried as he observed the sad boy playing with his breakfast- “He is not even eating...” 

“He said he didn’t feel good” - Heechul twisted his lips - “But then he said it was because he was sad” 

“Oh That’s horrible” - Leeteuk lamented - “Did he tell you why?” 

“He asked me why he was sleeping apart from his twins” - Heechul took a deep breath- “Even when he is away from them, he only talks about them. ‘Hyukkie This’ ‘Hae that’... I bet those two are the same so why do I bother to explain...” 

There was an awkward silence. Leeteuk stopped eating. Heechul got the hint. 

“They...don’t...?” - Heechul tried

“They behave like they usually do” - Leeteuk didn’t want to say it - “I mean, I thought Sungmin was the same so... I thought it was ok” 

“I guess is fine” - Heechul tried to smile - “I mean, they are not babies anymore, right? Gosh, handling those three sure was hard... there was a time when they couldn’t separate from each other...” 

“NOOOOO! STOP!!” 

“Kids kids kids” - Heechul had to interrupt his heartbreak thanks to the twins fight with Henry - “You are not supposed to fight... there is plenty food in the buffet” 

“Last night, Hae dreamed of fish” - Donghae was telling his siblings - “I was swimming and living with fish” 

“That’s dangerous, you could wet your bed like that” - Kangin teased - “dreaming with water...” 

“You speak for experience, don’t you?” - Yesung remarked 

“Were you alone in your dream?” - Siwon asked as he ate his toast in a fancy way - “Only you and fish?” 

“Ung” - Donghae nodded cutely - “Hae and fish” 

Leeteuk giggled. He found cute Donghae’s story. He was still smiling when he caught Heechul staring at the boy in sorrow. Soon, the babysitter realized why. 

“Sungmin, sweetheart” - Leeteuk tried - “Did you have a good sleep last night? Did you dream about something?” 

“I didnt” - Sungmin went back to playing with his food - “Are we going back to the beach today?” 

“Maybe” - Heechul smiled for the boy - “Do you want to go back?” 

“I don’t know” - Sungmin’s sad smile only worried Leeteuk even more 

“What are you looking for?” - Leeteuk raised his eyebrows when he caught Heechul googling something in his iPad - “what is so important that you can’t wait to be in the hotel?” 

Heechul lifted his face when a shadow covered his screen. Leeteuk was blocking the sun using his body. 

“Can a three years old suffer from depression?” - Heechul asked scared 

“First, Sungmin is almost four. Second, of course he can. Third, you won’t find the solution on that thing” - Leeteuk hissed - “Why don’t you go play with your sons? They are waiting for you” 

“You are Right” - Heechul placed the iPad back on his backpack- “Are you playing with us? “ 

“Sure I am” - Leeteuk smiled - “Cmon” 

“I’m glad you came!” - Siwon hugged Heechul - “Uncle was helping us with our castle but...” 

“It’s kinda ugly” - Kangin sighed - “He ” 

“Thanks for that” - Leeteuk pouted - “I was trying my best” 

“That was your best try?” - Yesung asked in a sassy way 

“A boy that wears glasses shouldn’t mock people that has sand to throw at” - Heechul teased 

“Ryeowook is good at building but Kyuhyun isn’t” - Kangin chuckled - “And Henry just ate sand again” 

“What about the silly trio?” - Heechul smiled to the three kids that played together - “Are you guys building a big castle?” 

“Uhum” - Eunhyuk smiled - “Its gonna be huge!” 

“We gonna decorate it too” - Donghae chuckled 

“Can you help us, Papa?” - Sungmin smiled sweetly 

Heechul nodded. He was so happy to see his boys were hanging around just fine. The triplets seemed to be ok and Sungmin was in a better mood. Maybe he was just overreacting about the boy’s words last night. Maybe he had imagined things... or maybe not. Heechul’s smile faded away when saw Eunhyuk and Donghae whispering to each other in a way he recognized quickly. 

“Teuk, you have to believe me!” - Heechul was trying his best to make it sound important- “It’s a conspiracy! Those two are leaving him out on purpose! They are sharing their secrets and—“

“Ok, I have been part of this family for a couple months now” - Leeteuk glared at his brother - “and I have known you for over a year... and I know you are crazy. But this is going too far” 

“I swear I saw them!” - Heechul stomped his feet 

“I’m not saying you didn’t” - Leeteuk shook his head - “Its just... maybe you got it wrong. Maybe they were just playing, you know? Kids are like that” 

“No no no” - Heechul shook his head with a silly smile - “not mine” 

“Why are you so scared? Do you know something I don’t?” - Leeteuk raised an eyebrow - “Is there something you are hiding away from me?” 

“N-No” - Heechul looked at the sand in his toes - “It’s just that... being left out is kinda hurtful and I don’t want Sungmin nor any of my boys to experience that, ok? It’s just not ok” 

“I’m sure there must be a reason why they behave like that” 

“What If not?” - Heechul gulped down anxiously- “Why are they leaving Sungmin outside their plans? Is this because I chose him to sleep with me? Are they taking revenge?” 

“I don’t think so” - Leeteuk puffed his cheeks - “By the way, they are fighting” 

“Who? Why? Hey! Fighting is a no no!”

“And so it is peeing our castle!” - Kangin complained - “Babies cant hold it!” 

“I’m sure it was an accident” - Heechul tried to the defend the two boys that looked guilty - “They were just too excited and forgot their potty break, right? They are sorry” 

“Sowy” - The twins apologized. The boys had teary eyes. 

“Nothing bad happened” - Heechul washed them with sea water - “It was just an accident and we are all good now” 

“They ruined it all” - Yesung complained - “Walls fell and now our castle is gone” 

“Hang on, I will solve it” - Heechul rolled his eyes - “Nothing an architect can’t solve... Uh? Are you going to help me?” 

“Ung! Minnie helps!” - Sungmin was filling his bucket with sand using a tiny shovel 

Heechul was sure of it this time. He caught those two laughing again. Eunhyuk and Donghae were whispering something to each other while they looked at their twin. 

“Can you tell daddy your secret?” - Heechul was feeding Eunhyuk - “Uh? What’s so important you keep discussing it with Donghae?” 

“Nuh Uh~ It’s our secret!” - Eunhyuk giggled - “Daddy cant keep it” 

“What? I’m better than you keeping secrets” - Heechul scoffed - “Here is chicken” 

Eunhyuk ate a big piece of it. He was chewing with a silly smile while Heechul did funny faces. 

“Where did you find chicken?” - Kangin holding his plate - “I only found f—“

Heechul covered the boy’s mouth and pointed the way. 

“That’s not chicken...?” - Kangin whispered softly - “I don’t understand” 

“Yesung, would you mind?” - Heechul tried 

“Come here, Kangin. It’s time you learn the truth” - Yesung took his brother back to the buffet - “There is no chicken today. It’s fish. But Eunhyuk is a picky eater so Dad told him it was Chicken” 

“And he believed it?” - Kangin asked amused 

“Dont laugh, we used to do the same with you when you were younger” - Yesung smirked 

“By the way, I was thinking of playing this afternoon in the game room but I will need Dad’s card” 

“Dont you have it?” - Yesung found something he liked - “I’m pretty much sure I gave it to you” 

“Yeah... but I put it on the desk and now is gone” - Kangin explained - “I thought you took it” 

“No, I didnt” - Yesung paled - “Are you sure you don’t have it?”

“Dude, I wouldn’t joke with that” - Kangin paled too - “You are not teasing me, are you? We... we...”

“We lost it?” - Yesung gulped down - “It cant be. It must be a mistake. Let’s wait after lunch and look for it together” 

“Yeah! Maybe just fell” - Kangin tried to relax too - “There is no way we could have lost Daddy’s card” 

“He would kill us” - Yesung agreed - “I’m pretty much sure we didn’t lose it” 

“Why is this chicken red?” - Eunhyuk kept eating cheerfully. The kid was now targeting breaded shrimps. 

“Zhwimp!” - Ryeowook tried to steal one 

“Uh? This chicken” - Eunhyuk corrected - “Daddy said it was chicken” 

“Uhhhh” - Ryeowook focused on the shrimp - “Nuh” 

“One for you” - Heechul made sure a Ryeowook got distracted with food so he stopped talking 

“Hewy  happy” - Kyuhyun chirped amused - “Hewy liwes chicken!” 

“Sure, he... does?” - Heechul felt dizzy - “YOU GAVE IT TO YOUR BROTHER?”

Heechul must have prevented that. He knew older kids often fed the younger ones and sometimes they didn’t have a clue they were doing something wrong. They only wanted to share tasty stuff and didn’t know if it was dangerous for younger kids. Triplets often fed Ryeowook milk and cheese when the boy was still intolerant to it. Now, Kyuhyun fed Henry a shrimp. 

“Calm down” - Leeteuk thought Heechul would faint - “If he was allergic, we would have known in the very second he had it. Also, don’t scold Kyu. He thought he was feeding Henry something he usually ate...” 

Henry kept searching for his breaded victims all lunch. He was sulky after Heechul found out what Kyuhyun gave him and he stopped receiving his share. 

“I can’t risk you to have a reaction” - Heechul hugged the baby - “You are still too young and is your first time eating seafood” 

“UHUUUUU BAD!” - Henry complained again - “Dada bad!” 

“Would you like some cake?” - Heechul knew it would work - “Choco cake” 

“Choco cawe” - Henry repeated with big eyes - “Hewy cawe” 

Leeteuk returned to the table and found what once was his youngest nephew covered in cream and sprinkles. 

“Really? After all my warnings about sugar ?” - Leeteuk smacked Heechul’s head when passing next to his chair - “If he throws up, I’m not cleaning” 

“Yes, you are “ - Heechul giggled - “He sleeps in your suite”

“Oh damn it, that’s right” - Leeteuk closed his eyes and tried to forget about it - “I hope he doesn’t” 

“I like this cake” - Sungmin was eating the frosting using his finger - “It’s tasty” 

“Me Too! Me Too!” - Donghae was also enjoying his share - “Hae could eat it all day!” 

“Its perfect” - Eunhyuk was eating one strawberry he found on top - “Chocolate And strawberries” 

Heechul took out a little notepad and wrote something. He put it back in his pocket. 

“What was that?” - Eunhyuk asked with his mouth filled with cake 

“My secret” - Heechul teased 

The boy only smiled playfully. Leeteuk sighed. 

“Have you found it?” 

“Not yet. I think we lost it. Dad is going to kill us!” 

“Ok ok Relax” - Yesung tried to keep calm - “Maybe we forgot it somewhere... like the store, right? Maybe we left it there!” 

“Y-Yeah” - Kangin tried to smile - “I’m sure it was that...” 

“I hope we find it there” - Yesung sounded nervous - “I don’t want to disappoint him...” 

Leeteuk was victorious. He managed to convince Heechul to not take the kids to daycare that afternoon. He promised he would look after them by himself but Heechul was too stubborn to let it happen. 

“HEY! WITHOUT HITTING YOUR BROTHER!” - Heechul was using once again that horrible whistle he bought at the hotel’s souvenir shop- “DO YOU WANT ME TO BAN YOU FROM THE POOL?” 

“Nuh” - Eunhyuk apologized- “It was an accident” 

“No, it wasn’t” - Siwon accused - “You hit him on purpose” 

“Daddddyyyyyy! I want one juice too!” - Donghae came out of the pool and pointed at the big fancy cup Heechul was holding - “Can I Have someeeeeee?”

“Me Too! Me too!” - Sungmin and Eunhyuk also got out - “Pleaaaaaase” 

“No” - Heechul held the cup away from the children - “This is not juice” 

“Strawberry juice” - Donghae pouted - “Thats strawberry juice...” 

“And Uncle had  pineapple juice” - Eunhyuk tried as he pointed at the empty cup next to Leeteuk’s place - “Dont be mean~ Share with us...” 

“Sharing is caring” - Sungmin sulked 

“Pay attention little devils, these are not juice” - Heechul showed them the cup - “You smell that? Alcohol. Can kids drink alcohol? No. This is not juice. This is an strawberry daikiri and your uncle has what we call a piña colada. Now, stop whining. If you want some juice then I will take you to the store and buy you some—“

“But I want this one” - Donghae was about to cry - “This” 

“But you. cant. have it. ” - Heechul was doing his best for not shouting 

“Why are you so mean?” - Eunhyuk whined - “You are drinking juice without us!” 

“This is not...” - Heechul felt guilty when the silly trio started crying - “Fine fine. Uhmm... let me see... I think I brought some for the twins... Here” 

“THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT” - Donghae cried louder when his dad gave him a juice box 

“Dont you like apples?” - Heechul checked on the juice - “Oh no, please don’t cry. You are going to disturb people” 

Heechul found himself on a crisis. He couldn’t understand what his sons wanted. 

“Hey, quit it. This is an stupid tantrum” - Heechul whispered to the kids - “Cmon, Cmon... we came here to have fun. If you cry, you are taking away all the fun” 

“I just wanted a juice too!” - Donghae cried upset as Heechul hugged him - “One like daddy’s!” 

“One... like mine” - Then it clicked 

“Ung!” - The triplets were trying their best to stop crying 

“Alright, crying is not a solution” - Heechul was cleaning their wet faces - “When I cant understand what you want, instead of crying, you could help me understand” 

“Kay...” - Sungmin agreed 

“What you want is the fancy cup I have” - Heechul tried his best as he coaxed the boys - “But you can’t drink this one because it has alcohol, ok?” 

“Kay...” - The boys were still sad looking at Heechul with their gloomy expressions 

“I guess, you could go there to the bar and ask them to make you a drink you can have” - Heechul tried to think - “Something without alcohol. Like a colada or a daikiri without alcohol... That is basically strawberry juice and ice” 

The kids stared at Heechul with confused eyes. The parent feared the boys didn’t like the plan. 

“So? Aren’t you going to ask Mr bartender to make you a drink?” - Heechul bit his lips - “You don’t have to worry about money. You don’t need to pay, is everything included” 

“What was the name again?” - Eunhyuk asked in a low voice as he wiped his red nose - “Dari what?” 

“Daikiri” - Heechul sighed - “Just wait here ok? Wait, first tell me what you want” 

“Daiwiwi!” - Donghae chirped 

“The pink one” - Sungmin smiled a bit 

Leeteuk returned from his short trip to the toilet. He carried Henry with one arm and held hands with the twins with his free one. 

“What happened? Did you cry?” - Leeteuk worried when he found the silly trio wrapped in a towel sitting on Heechul’s spot - “Did daddy scold you?”

“No...” - The boys replied embarrassed 

“Didn’t you cry?” - Leeteuk tried again 

“Uhmmm... no” - The triplets lied automatically 

“Little liars” - Heechul kicked with his foot the kids in a playful way - “Then why are your eyes red? Was it the pool? Too much chlorine?” 

The triplets laughed. Leeteuk scolded Heechul for his kicking action. The twins tried imitating his dad by kicking each other. 

“Siwon~ Come Here~ I ordered one from you tooooooo!” - Heechul called for the remaining kid in the pool - “Come, come” 

“Alright! I have seven strawberry daikiri without alcohol” - The man in a strange uniform approached the kids with several cups - “enjoy~” 

“Thank you, Linus” - Heechul teased - “Now, be careful of not spilling ok? Both hands on the cup” 

The kids were so happy with the beverages that Leeteuk couldn’t avoid taking pictures. 

“They barely stay quiet like that” - Leeteuk smiled to Heechul - “It’s a good time for pictures” 

“Yeah... Those crying faces sure will look good in an album” - Heechul bickered about it - “Why can’t we have normal vacations? Even in vacations I made my kids cry” 

“Why you ordered seven?” - Donghae asked cutely as he spotted the cup with a missing owner - “We are six. One, two, three, four, five...” 

“You are missing yourself” - Heechul laughed 

“Six” - Donghae hit his chest - “But you ordered, one, two, three..”

“I get it, I get it. Six of you and seven cups” - Heechul found funny how Donghae thought he had committed a mistake - “I just thought one of you would spill and we would need another one. Or, maybe one of your big brothers would show up demanding one as well. You never know” 

“Henry can drink this?” - Eunhyuk asked the very moment Henry got some from his brother 

“You should ask before actually giving it to him” - Heechul sighed - “But yeah... he can have it” 

“He likes it” - Siwon laughed seeing the expression Henry made thanks to the cold beverage 

“It must be sweet” - Leeteuk giggled - “Henry likes sweets” 

“What about Ryeowook and Kyuhyun?” - Heechul smiled seeing how the twins were incredible focused on their drinks - “You guys take after me” 

“They are number one when it comes to food” - Leeteuk agreed - “Actually, all our kids eat pretty well” 

“Excepting you” - Heechul stuck his tongue to Eunhyuk - “You are the black sheep of our family” 

“HEECHUL” - Leeteuk warned. He was sure Heechul had not bad intentions but still, calling his own child like that didn’t feel good 

“What? I was my house’s black sheep too” - Heechul shrank his shoulders - “A very dark one”

“Were you picky too?” - Siwon asked amused 

“Nah, I ate like a pig” - Heechul shook his head - “I was just... naughty” 

“Wookie iz’a zwheep too! Meeeeh! Meeeeh!” - Ryeowook tried imitating a sheep - “Baaaaah~ Beeeeeh~” 

“That sheep sounds sick” - Heechul teased 

“Baaaaaaaaah~” - Henry tried too - “Maaaaaaah” 

“Henry likes to imitate Ryeowook & Kyuhyun” - Leeteuk smiled pleased 

“Teuk zwine” - Ryeowook whispered to his baby brother 

“Teuw zwine” - Henry repeated 

“Unfortunately, they also imitate Robin” - Leeteuk worried - “Henry, forget that word, I beg you” 

“Zwine” - Henry repeated amused 

“Any idea?” - Leeteuk turned to Heechul. The parent was holding a camera - “Are you serious?” 

“You said you wanted memories from this vacation” - Heechul explained - “I’m documenting it” 

“And you need to film Henry’s swearing?” - Leeteuk tried not to kill him. The camera was still on. 

“Yes” 

It happened too quickly. Leeteuk tried to snatch the camera and Heechul dropped it by accident. 

“, the camera” - Heechul lamented 

“Fu’ e’ camewa” - Henry chirped 

Leeteuk tried to believe no one would ever understand what the boy was saying. 

“I give up” - Yesung was at the verge of tears - “We lost it. He is going to hate us for it but we can’t lie to him” 

“I know... He said we shouldn’t hide things from him” - Kangin was in despair - “But is not your fault... I was the one that lost it” 

“Nuh Uh. Both of us were in this together” - Yesung sulked - “I’m as guilty as you. We were both responsible for it” 

“He is gonna get mad us” - Kangin worried - “Do you think he will ground us?” 

“Probably” - Yesung pouted - “Lets just end with this” 

“Uhum” - Kangin held his brother’s hand - “I’m scared” 

Heechul almost crashed with the two boys. 

“Daddy!” - Kangin said shocked

“Uh? What are you doing here, little troublemakers? I thought you wanted to try the game corner today” - Heechul ruffled the boy’s hair - “Did something happen?”

When his older sons started crying, Heechul found himself lost and scared. 

“Whats wrong? Why are you so sad?” - Heechul inspected both boys trying to find a reason 

“WE LOST YOUR CARD” - The boys confessed 

“What card? My credit card?”  - Heechul didn’t seem troubled at all - “Oh... that’s bad” 

“I know! We— we—“ 

“Yesung calm down” - Heechul smiled softly- “Its not the end of the world. I will just call the bank and cancel it” 

“Thats... all?” - Kangin asked worried - “Aren’t you mad?” 

“I gave it to you” - Heechul shook his head - “I knew you could lose it. I prepared for it. Things like this happen all time” 

“You knew we were going to lose it?” - Yesung asked sadly - “Don’t you trust us?”

“Honey, even being the most reliable person on the planet, this things happens” - Heechul giggled - “When I was a little older than you, I lost Gunhee’s car keys” 

“How old were you?” - Kangin giggled 

“Around twelve, I think” - Heechul chuckled 

“So... we are not grounded?” - Kangin tried 

“Why would I ground you for that? It was an accident, right?” - Heechul sighed - “Man, do I feel like someone scary?” 

“Sometimes” - The boys laughed 

“That hurts” - Heechul pulled their ears - “But I’m proud of you. You guys chose to tell me the truth and that’s something wonderful... Why are you sounding so strange?” 

“I lost another tooth” - Yesung smiled - “See? Right here” 

“Oh my GOD” - Heechul held the boy’s face - “WHEN? Is that freaking rat fairy coming over?!” 

“She is!” - Yesung giggled - “Now I have three missing teeth in a row. It’s hard to pronounce like this” 

“Oh boy” - Heechul laughed - “You really have three missing teeth in a row. Now when you smile you will look so funny” 

“Really?” - Yesung covered his mouth 

“Toothless” - Heechul did a rainbow with his hands - “Sounds nice, right?”

“Ok, I have to admit that is actually clever” - Yesung nodded 

“Let’s go back to our room” - Heechul seemed happy - “I wanna call mom before dinner. She sent an email saying something about me ignoring her” 

“She is probably right” - Kangin whispered 

The family was heading back to the rooms together when Ryeowook pulled Heechul’s sleeve. 

“Dada” - Ryeowook stretched his arms towards him - “Hewp!”

“Alright... do you need to pee? Hang on, we are almost there we only need to—“

“Beep eeh!” - Ryeowook chirped excited as he tried to use a card to open the door. He had seen the adults do it before. He was sure he had done it well. But the door didn’t open. 

“Wookie, that’s my card” - Heechul was trying to not laugh - “Its not a key card but a credit card” 

“Hah?” - Ryeowook stared at the card - “No wowkin’ boring” 

“Wanna trade? “ - Heechul tried - “My super beeping card for your boring card?”

“Ung!” - Ryeowook exchanged the cards and tried again - “Beep eeh!”

The door opened. Heechul laughed hysterically as soon as he showed the ‘missing’ credit card to his older sons. 

“How did you get it?” - Kangin was so shocked 

“Magic” - Heechul joked 

As Heechul’s room was too messy, the silly man decided to videocall his mother from his brother’s suite. Leeteuk found funny how all kids sat on the big bed to watch tv excepting one. 

Ryeowook was now inside Leeteuk’s suite. A new place for exploring. He was being the curious boy he was: opening and touching everything he saw. Leeteuk let him wander around while Heechul tried to convince Henry to say hi to his grandma. 

“Zwine” - Henry giggled 

“What did he say? Did you teach him another bad word?” - the old lady sounded flustered 

“What? Noooo. Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae come here and tell your grandma what you drank today” 

Ryeowook opened the closet. He found a weird box lying on the floor. The boy lifted it carefully. 

“Wookie founff giff!” - Ryeowook ran to Heechul holding the colourful package - “Faiwy!” 

“What? Ryeowook, I’m trying to talk to your grandma” - Heechul tried to prevent his phone to fall as the boy climbed the bed 

“AHHHHHH! OUR SECRET!” - Eunhyuk and Donghae pushed Ryeowook away instinctively- “Uh oh” 

“Mom, I call you later” - Heechul caught Ryeowook in the air just at the right moment before he bumped his head. Anyway, the toddler cried scared. 

“You cant see this” - Eunhyuk and Donghae hid the package behind their backs - “Wookie ruined our surprise!” 

“And you almost kill him” - Heechul grunted - “It’s a tie for me” 

“What is that?” - Sungmin asked curiously- “Can’t I See it?” 

“You are not supposed to” - Eunhyuk pouted- “It was a secret...” 

“Lets give it to him now” - Donghae whispered to his twin  

“Ung!” - Eunhyuk smiled - “Minnie, come here” 

“What...?” - Sungmin approached his brothers carefully 

“We bought it for you” - Donghae explained as both boys showed him the colourful package - “We found it” 

“It was in the store” - Eunhyuk smiled softly- “The one with the playsets” 

Sungmin was confused at first. He ended doing what his twins wanted him to do: opening the package. The boy’s face was full of light in just a few seconds.

“PAPA LOOK! THE ONE MINNIE LOST!” - Sungmin jumped excited as he held his plastic toy with one hand - “LOOK! LOOK! THIS THE ALIEN MINNIE LOST!”

Heechul suddenly remembered it all. He haven’t made the connection. 

[A few weeks ago] 

“Papa, Minnie cant find it” - Sungmin dragged his feet in sad way - “It’s gone” 

“What?” - Heechul asked carefully as he spotted Sungmin’s twins hiding under the bed covers - “One of your aliens? Oh, I’m sure you must have left it somewhere. Maybe at the park or at your friend’s house” 

“No, I didnt” - Sungmin sulked - “I always count them before leaving...” 

“I cant find it” - Leeteuk entered the room with a sad expression - “Mrs Jung couldn’t either. This is why I don’t like kids taking their toys out of the house” 

“But Minnie... I didn’t lose it” - Sungmin worried - “I... I... I...” 

“Honey, lets do something” - Leeteuk kneeled down on the floor - “Lets go to the store and buy another set” 

“Ok...” - Sungmin agreed. He didn’t feel right at all, but still was a better plan that missing one of his colourful aliens and therefore leaving his collection incomplete- “I won’t lose it this time...” 

Heechul waited for Leeteuk to leave with the boy. The very second those two were out of his sight, the parent returned to the triplets’s room and dragged Eunhyuk and Donghae out of the covers by force. 

“Why do I get the feeling you two are involved in this?” - Heechul twisted his lips - “I have told you many times that you can’t play with someone’s else toys without asking permission” 

“It was an accident” - Donghae cried - “We were playing in the park and it fell!”

“We are sorry” - Eunhyuk cried too - “We won’t do it again” 

“Kids... you know Sungmin loves those toys” - Heechul sighed - “Just how Yesung likes to collect bugs and Siwon collects cars, Sungmin loves his alien collection. It’s very important to him” 

A sad Sungmin returned holding hands with his uncle. Leeteuk’s face said it all. 

“We had no luck” - Leeteuk shrank his shoulders - “They said it was a limited edition and there is no stock left. At least not in this city” 

“Sungmin, listen” - Heechul grabbed the boy’s shoulders - “Dad promises that he will look for the alien you are missing. I get to travel for work sometimes and maybe I could get it that way” 

“Its ok” - Sungmin shook his head - “I don’t want you to travel. I want you to stay home with Minnie, Hyukkie and Hae” 

“Of course” - Heechul tried to smile 

“I looked for it on internet” - Yesung was shaking his head - “But they are not selling it anymore. I guess we have to wait until someone gets tired and starts reselling those” 

“It was our fault” - Donghae was hugging his brother - “We lost it!”

“We... we... we took it without asking for it...” - Eunhyuk explained - “And we lost it!”

“You bad!” - Kyuhyun hit his brothers using his penguin - “Minnie sad!” 

“Kyu, don’t hit them” - Sungmin giggled - “Its ok. I love them more than my toys” 

“Now, I want to cry” - Leeteuk sat on the couch covering his face - “Our Sungmin is so precious” 

“Nuuuuuh!” - Henry climbed Leeteuk - “Ukweee...” 

“Leeteuk, quit it. Henry gets worried whenever you do so” - Heechul laughed - “he is about to cry” 

“Ah, sorry” - Leeteuk uncovered his face and looked at Henry - “I’m fine I’m not crying” 

“Ukwee~” - Ryeowook was also nuzzling his face against Leeteuk’s knees - “Zmile! Zmile!” 

“Lets Play together” - Sungmin held his brothers’s hands - “I will teach how to use my rocket!”

“Be careful, Min” - Heechul shouted before the silly trio disappeared- “Last time that thing flew, we almost lose a lamp” 

“Oh my... cant believe Sungmin is still willing to share with those two after what happened” - Leeteuk sighed softly- “Maybe he does come from another planet” 

“He comes from heaven” - Heechul shook his head - “It had been always like this. Sungmin is so lovely and so patient. I think I hit the lottery with him” 

“The other two are also lovely” - Leeteuk pouted - “All the kids are~ right, Henry?”

“PTFFFF” 

Heechul just stared at Henry and Ryeowook. He was thinking about what Leeteuk said when he felt Kyuhyun climbing his back. 

“KYU RIDE!” - Kyuhyun bounced on Heechul’s back 

“I’m not sure” - Heechul was now playing as a horse with three boys on his back - “Maybe Sungmin was the limited edition himself” 

——— [ Two days ago] ———————-

“I want this too” - Donghae was carrying three packages of gummies - “Jelly” 

“Cmon, I came here to buy the stupid diapers I forgot at home” - Heechul was having a hard time. He forgot to pack Henry’s swimming diapers and Leeteuk wasn’t pleased about it - “Not to buy you candy. Anyway, you got the wrong flavour... these are sour. You won’t like these” 

“Uhm... Hae will have a better look” - Donghae kept playing around the store. He went to put the jelly back where they belonged when he realized something - “They sell toys here!”

Heechul cursed. He was waiting for the employee that went to see if they still had Henry’s size at the storage. Eunhyuk and Donghae had insisted in going out with him as they woke up first than the others. 

“Daddy! Let’s buy this!” - Eunhyuk was running across the shop holding a plastic package Heechul knew well: One of those plastic eggs that came with an alien inside. Sungmin collected those - “Look! Is the one we need!”

“Sure sure” - Heechul didn’t have patience that day - “Just dont open it here. I bet you will lose it and then I would have to buy another” 

“Uhum” - Donghae agreed - “MRS CAN WE HAVE THIS FOR GIFT?” 

“Oh~ They are so cute!” - The employee pinched Eunhyuk and Donghae’s cheeks - “Of course you can! I will give wrap it for you~ Choose the paper you want!”

“WE WANT THIS ONE! MINNIE WILL LIKE THIS ONE! OUR TWIN LOVES THIS—“

“Kids kids kids” - Heechul covered his ears - “Would you please stop?” 

“Sorry daddy” - The boys were so cute everyone in the store looked at Heechul with dreamy eyes 

Heechul blushed. Kids just wanted to have fun and so did he. 

“Are we going to the pool today?!” - Donghae asked in a loud voice while holding his shopping bag - “are we going to swimm?!”

“Yes, we are” - Heechul smiled sweetly. He realized everyone stared at them. Some people even waved to the kids for them to wave back - “I think you are going to be famous here. You are so noisy everyone is looking at us” 

“UNCLE UNCLE! WE BOUGHT HENRY’s DIAPERSSSS!” - The kids ran to Leeteuk the very moment the uncle opened the door - “WE GOT THEM!”

“Were you good? Did you give daddy a hard time?” 

“Ehm...” - The Boys doubted 

“They are wellbehaved” - Heechul patted both boys heads - “They are so cute people stare at them” 

“Really? Oh, that’s so nice!” - Leeteuk tried to ignore the fact the boys ran to the closet and slammed the door right after - “Watch out for your fingers!” 

———— Present time ———————

“I cant believe you paid for it and didn’t remember” - Leeteuk laughed amused as Heechul recalled all what happened that day - “You must have been so stressed...” 

“I was. At that time I was worrying about Henry’s swimming diaper and nothing else” - Heechul laid on the bed - “I forgot we bought something else... and I didn’t pay attention at all to what they chose” 

“Well, now that I think about it, it makes sense they still had that limited edition” - Leeteuk smiled - “I remember you said it was more likely to be found in a small store since big ones were the first places where parents looked in” 

“Thats Right” - Heechul got up quickly and walked to the door 

“Where are you going?” - Leeteuk asked amused - “I thought you were tired” 

“I’m going to the store in the lobby” - Heechul stretched - “I’m going to buy all their stock of the limited edition. If I know my sons well, they will need it” 

“WE ARE GOING TOO!” - The triplets were now pulling Heechul’s shirt 

“DADDY CAN WE SEE IF THEY HAVE ANOTHER CAR?” - Siwon was also tagging 

“ZTICKER ZTICKER!” - Ryeowook and Kyuhyun also chased after Heechul 

“Oh my” - Leeteuk looked at Henry - “What are we going to do? They are going to drive him crazy” 

“Zwine!” - Henry grabbed Leeteuk’s nose 

“He was already crazy” - Yesung said in a low voice. He was falling asleep thanks to the exhaustion 

“Hey~ Dont fall asleep with your glasses on, buddy~” - Leeteuk took the glasses from the boy and realized something- “Did you lose another tooth? Oh my, look at that smile ~ Now you are cuter than ever” 

“Toothless” - Yesung giggled a bit 

“ And I think this one is also about to fall” - Leeteuk touched it - “It’s almost out” 

“ WHAT?” - Yesung’s sleepiness drifted away. The boy ran to the mirror and smiled - “No no no! It can’t happen! If this one falls I would have four missing teeth in a row!”

The kids were playing with their new toys at the table. Heechul somehow had agreed to take them out not wanting a tantrum during dinner. His bad mood drifted away seeing his kids so happy. 

“I’m doomed” - Heechul sighed - “I cant get mad at them not matter how hard they try to drive me crazy. Just look at them... so cute and innocent...” 

Sungmin noticed his Dad’s face and smiled to him. Heechul smiled back. 

“You are happy Now, Uh?” - Heechul tickled the boy’s tummy - “Your brothers sure gave you a hard time” 

“Papa, Minnie is so lucky” - Sungmin smiled sweetly- “I don’t feel bad when Hyukkie and Hae are around” 

“I think you can’t be separated from them, honey” - Leeteuk agreed - “Do you want to try sleeping with us tonight? It won’t be as nice as having your own bed but...” 

“Nuh” - Sungmin shook his head - “Hae kicks a lot. Hyuk drools” 

“He is very smart” - Heechul chuckled - “He loves his brothers but he is not stupid” 

“My my~ Who would have thought of that?” - Leeteuk stared now at the twins. Ryeowook was feeding Kyuhyun with skill - “I guess having twins must be fun” 

“What are you talking about? You have me” - Heechul leaned on Leeteuk. Henry cried. 

“Do I have to worry? He does that every time we hug or you get too playful” - Leeteuk sighed - “I think he is jealous” 

“He even cried when that little girl hugged Ryeowook at daycare” - Heechul scoffed 

“Wasn’t that Kyu?” - Leeteuk asked confused 

“Oh no, Kyuhyun tried to push her away” - Heechul corrected 

“Ah, that’s right” - Leeteuk remembered 

“I wonder how it will be once one of them gets a girlfriend” - Heechul looked at all of his boys - “Siblings tend to be worse than parents when it comes to couples” 

“Really? I never thought of that before” - Leeteuk chuckled 

“My girlfriend had a hard time since Gunhee wouldn’t accept her” - Heechul left out by accident - “When I met Hani, I—“

“Your what?” - Leeteuk smiled curiously. He never heard Heechul talked about his previous relationships. He knew Heechul dated before, yet the man would never mention it. 

Yesung covered his mouth. 

“Your girlfriend?” - Leeteuk asked amused as Heechul froze 

“My tooth... it came out” - Yesung showed the little tooth to Heechul while covering his mouth with the other hand 

“Oh my! Let’s go wash! Cmon, hurry” - Heechul had a excuse to run away from the table 

“I met her once” - Kangin told Leeteuk - “Dad’s girlfriend” 

“Really?” 

“She was nice” - Kangin shrank his shoulders - “And very pretty. She looked like mom”

“Oh? How unusual” - Leeteuk giggled 

“Why? Cousins tend to look alike, right?” - Kangin said innocently - “I wonder if our new cousin will look like us... I bet Dad is going to become a fool for her” 

Leeteuk stopped listening after Kangin’s revelation. Heechul and Hani’s cousin?

Heechul returned with a flustered Yesung. 

“This is not fair” - Yesung sulked - “Missing four front teeth...” 

“Don’t worry Toothless” - Heechul smiled - “I saw two of the new ones are about to pop out” 

“I cant wait for it” - Yesung covered his mouth - “I wont smile until I get them back” 

“You are missing the four incisors in the upper row” - Heechul worried - “How Can you eat like that? You should worry about it instead of how you will look in pictures” 

“I will worry about both things” - Yesung puffed his cheeks - “I hope tooth fairy gives me a lot of money” 

Siwon paled. He hated the idea of the tooth fairy coming over. Specially now that he was sharing a room with Yesung. 

The next few days were with filled joy as always. Heechul kissed the floor as soon as he set a foot inside the mansion. He was so thankful for the fact they made it back safely. The kids stormed inside right after. Most of them stepped on his dad.

“BATMAAAAAAAAN DID YOU MISS MEEEEEE?” - Kangin ran to the backyard full of energy 

“WOBIN!” - The twins and Henry rushed to greet the bird that was noisier than ever 

“Robin must be so happy to see you” - The old man smiled - “The poor bird was quiet all this time~ but started getting crazy when he heard Your car” 

“Hi Dad” - Heechul didn’t bother to lift his face from the floor - “Please do me a favor. Schedule all meetings you Can for this week. I don’t wanna be home... I had enough of my kids for a while” 

“A long flight?” - The old man teased as he spotted Leeteuk sitting on the floor next to Heechul - “You don’t look like if you have gotten back from a vacation” 

“I think we need vacations from the vacations” - Heechul hissed 

“It was fun” - Leeteuk smiled sweetly- “But I’m so tired...” 

“By the way, your mother asked me to deliver a message” - The old man clenched so Heechul could hear him better 

“Whats so important for her that she isn’t here for welcoming his sons after a week out?” - Heechul grunted 

“I’m here, stupid son” - The old lady pulled Heechul’s ear 

“Then, what was the message?” - Heechul had no energy to fight 

“Lunch is ready” - The old lady kissed her son 

“I will take room service, thank you” - Heechul yawned. He was exhausted. 

“I think they fell asleep” - The old man looked at his sons with worried eyes 

“I think they died” - Yesung tried getting a reaction from Heechul using his foot 

“I guess we Can feed the kids first” - The old lady smiled as she held Henry - “Yesung, help me set the table. Kangin, go wash your hands. No, The raccoon can’t eat with us at the table. Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae leave the toys in the box, you can’t play with them now. Ryeowook, Kyuhyun go potty before you have an accident...” 

“Teuk...” 

“Uh?” - Leeteuk turned to his friend - “are you awake?”

“Next time, let’s take mom with us” - Heechul muttered 

“Grandma says that if you want to eat you should sit at the table” - Siwon was pulling Heechul’s arm - “She said that you shouldn’t sleep on the floor” 

“When do I get vacations from the kids?” - Heechul asked to his parents as the triplets helped their brother to drag him like if he was some kind of prisoner 

“Never” - The old couple giggled 

———————————————————————

Author notes 

Collections

As mentioned in the story, Heechul has a geek side that includes liking stuff related to comics, manga and videogames. Some of his kids seems to have inherited part of the trait as they like to collect stuff as well. Yesung likes bugs, Siwon likes cars and Sungmin likes aliens. The twins like stickers. 

Builders 

Heechul loves all games related to building stuff. He also majored in architecture mostly as a hobby. Some of his kids are also good at building. Yesung and Ryeowook are truly good at it. They are also good with puzzles. 

Swimming 

Heechul is a good swimmer. Most of his sons receive lessons as he wants them to learn in a early age (despite his refusal of the pool being filled with germs). While most of his sons like water, Kyuhyun loves it  and Henry seems to dislike it. Ryeowook used to be really scared of water but he overcomes his fears little by little. 

Siwon’s allergies 

Siwon was born with several allergies that had been getting better by age. Some of the allergies listed included: pollen, bugs, ants, dust, cinnamon, some types of honey, dogs, cats and perfumes. He is getting treatment for those. He is a lot healthier than before. 

Hope you are having a great time! ^-^ Hopefully, we will read each other sooner than expected!