Kangin came home shortly after, bringing bags of groceries with him from the car. He was greeted by a very happy looking Henry who seemed beside himself in joy and immediately relieved Kangin of two of the bags and helped him carry them to the kitchen.

“And they talked and Kibum hasn’t said so many words combined since we met him and I really think he likes being here with the boys,” Henry exclaimed, a carton of milk in one hand and a bag of carrots in the other. Kangin chuckled at the sight.

“I can’t wait to meet him. I’m so happy for you and Kyuhyun,” he admitted, Henry’s happiness very much contagious after the horrid day he had had. He really needed to talk to Eeteuk or Heechul very soon but he figured it could wait until later for now.

“Come on then,” Henry urged, practically throwing the rest of the food into the fridge before grabbing Kangin’s hand and dragging him towards the playroom. The boys were busy playing with their much beloved Lego. Kibum was holding a chicken, busy talking to the cow Hyukjae was holding.

“Appa!” Donghae squealed from where he had been sitting and drawing in his colouring book and bounced up to go hug his appa. Kangin easily caught the boy and swung him around, filling the room with Donghae’s laughter.

“Ah, you’re getting too heavy, Hae,” Kangin mock-groaned as he placed Donghae back on the ground again. Donghae pouted and stuck out his tongue as Ryeowook came over and began tucking Kangin’s pant leg.

“Wookie too fly!” he insisted, making grabby hands upwards to signal that he wanted up too. Kangin grinned and lifted the toddler over his head, making airplane noises while swaying the squealing toddler back and forth. He then placed the toddler on his hip and nodded towards Kibum.

“Who’s your new friend, bunny?” he asked with a smile directed at Kibum. The boy had scooted over to Kyuhyun and was holding his pant leg for reassurance, but he didn’t look scared, just slightly apprehensive.

“That Bummie! Bummie Wookie’s best fwiend!” Ryeowook declared, immediately bouncing up and down on Kangin’s arm to be let down again so he could go over to his new friend. Kangin chuckled and let his impatient youngest son down and followed him to Kibum.

“Hello Kibum. I’m Kangin, Ryeowook’s appa,” he greeted softly, smiling warmly at the young boy.

“And my appa!” a chorus of the three older boys came, making Kangin bark in laughter.

“And their appa. Have they been treating you well?” he asked, watching how Ryeowook was standing behind Kibum and playing with his new friend’s hair. Kibum nodded carefully.

“Hae wead book ‘bout monkey,” he shyly told the big man in front of him.

“That sounds very nice. Was it a good book?” Kangin inquired seriously though a soft smile was still playing on his lips. Kibum nodded again and let go of Kyuhyun’s pant leg to carefully stand up and go to pick up the book the older boy had read to him.

“This one,” he replied, holding the book towards Kangin. Ryeowook was on all fours by now, going through all the other books Siwon and Hyukjae had laid out.

“Do you want me to read it? Or should we read another book with Curious George?” Kangin asked, taking the book from Kibum.

“More books with George?” he asked with big eyes, not knowing that there were more books than one about the curious monkey. Kangin nodded just as Ryeowook came toddling with the book he had been looking for.

“Dis! Bunnies!” Ryeowook insisted, opening the book and almost managing to tear out a page as he showed Kibum a picture from the book where George was in a garden with a tall wall around it, the grass green and little white bunnies everywhere.

“Bunnies!” Kibum agreed, looking at the picture with big eyes and then back at Kangin, his eyes almost begging to have the book read to him and Ryeowook.

“Let’s read that one,” Kangin agreed, sharing a grin with Kyuhyun who still sat in the sofa, before he made himself comfortable on the floor and patting each spots beside him for the toddlers to come and sit down. Eeteuk and Henry was playing with the twins and Siwon, building a fort out of the simple red tree blocks in different sizes that could basically become anything with a little imagination.

“And this can be a bed and this one can be a chair!” Siwon enthusiastically decided, placing the two blocks dedicated to be bed and chair in what was now the bedroom of the fort.

“And a table!” Hyukjae happily chimed and placed another block in the square made out of blocks.

“What about a fridge?” Henry asked, almost as absorbed in the game as the boys. However, his suggestion was met with three incredulous gazes.

“They didn’t have fridges then. They only had horses and dragons and princes!” Siwon informed his uncle with a forced patient voice as if he was explaining something for the hundredth time to someone who just didn’t understand what he was saying. Henry blushed as his nephews looked at him like he was a silly child while Eeteuk laughed behind his hands.

“Appa, I’m not tired,” Siwon insisted once again, yawning loudly in the process as Kangin guided the boy into his room.

“I know, but you should still go to bed and sleep, you have school tomorrow,” Kangin insisted as he took in the sight of his oldest son rubbing his eyes tiredly with his knuckles. He tucked the blanket around the boy gently. He knew that it had been a long and exciting day for all of his sons, but Siwon didn’t usually put up such a fuss around bedtime. He placed a soft kiss on Siwon’s forehead and the nightlight on the nightstand before standing up.

“Appa?” Siwon yawned from the bed. Kangin hummed and turned around. “I like Kibum.”

“Me too,” Kangin agreed with a soft smile, turning off the lights in the room and closing the door softly so it was slightly ajar.

“Is he asleep?” Eeteuk asked, dropping the teabag into the mugs and pouring hot water in them. Kangin hummed in answer as he walked over to stand behind him, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on the younger man’s shoulder. He let one hand snake around Eeteuk’s waist and held him close while finally letting the exhaustion seep into him. It was 10pm and Siwon had insisted on coming downstairs several times, claiming that he wasn’t tired and he couldn’t sleep.

“I don’t know why he wouldn’t go to sleep, but I think he is sleeping now,” Kangin mumbled, eyes still closed as he took in the smel