Jinki was relaxing on the couch, remote control in hand, as he stared boredly into the screen. It was a lazy day, at best, but he was itching to do something before returning to work the next day. He supposed his inability to settle down probably came from the distance between Minho and the rest of the family, but he wouldn’t admit that out loud. It had been hard enough letting Jonghyun go away for so long, and with Minho gone the family felt incomplete.

He couldn’t honestly think of a single thing that needed to be done, however. He’d already done the grocery shopping, even a little pleasure shopping, and the boys were all respectful enough that they cleaned up behind themselves, so there was no mess. He sighed, feeling annoyed that there was nothing to do. Well, almost nothing. He supposed he could start teaching his sons how to drive, but that wasn’t really fair with Minho gone.

He sat up slowly, telling himself that he could just give Minho some extra time when he got back. He smiled, nodding happily to himself as he got up. This was a good plan, without a doubt. What was the worst that could happen, anyway? If they stayed in the driveway, which was fairly large in and of itself, and just practiced turning around, parking, small things like that...it would be fun. He was about to head to the kitchen when there was a loud knock at the front door.

Jinki’s eyebrows pulled together in slight confusion as he turned, heading toward the door. Who would be visiting them on a Sunday? It was really unusual, but he took the time to make sure he looked presentable before pulling open the door. He was surprised to find a man in a suit standing on the other side of the door, but being that it was the polite thing to do, he stepped back in a silent invitation for the man to enter his home.

“Can I help you?” Jinki asked, his tone polite but distant. The man slid his hands into his pocket, then looked at Jinki with kind expression.

“I’m here about the boy you adopted about six months ago.” He said. Jinki’s eyebrows went up.

“My son?” Jinki asked, surprise coloring his tone.

“Yes, Jonghyun.” He said, his tone still pleasant. Jinki felt uncomfortable suddenly, but he couldn’t place his finger on why.

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Key was sitting in the kitchen, his laptop (a gift Jinki had given them all after his most recent shopping binge) on the table in front of him. He had headphones over his ears, and he was watching an English television show online. He didn’t particularly enjoy it, but it was a good way to strengthen his English abilities, so he would endure it for the time being. He was pausing the video at five minute intervals, though, as though he were waiting for something more interesting to come along and rescue him from his boredom.

He sighed, pausing the video again and taking off his headphones. He got up and went over to the fridge, pulling it open and sighing when he found nothing to his taste. He wasn’t really hungry, though, so he supposed that contributed to his lack of interest. He closed the fridge, going to the cabinet and pulling down a glass, then pulling the ice tray out of the freezer.

He plunked two cubes into the empty glass, then the tap to cold, letting it run for a minute to ensure the coldest possible temperature. He held the cup under the flow, letting it fill, then shut off the water and swirled the liquid in the cup around for a moment, watching the ice cubes until they stopped noticeably shrinking. He put the edge of the glass to his lips, sipping the cool liquid. He replaced the ice tray, then moved to the sliding glass door at the back of the kitchen.

He watched his boyfriend and hyung running around in the backyard with a smile. He knew Jonghyun had been throwing himself into his studies to avoid the thought of Minho leaving, and he had honestly been worried about how the elder would be once Minho was actually gone, but so far he was holding up well. He leaned against the wall, taking another sip of his water as he watched Jonghyun race his dog, and outrun her.

It made him happy to see Jonghyun up and moving again after his accident. He seemed to be getting healthier and healthier as time went on, first gaining weight, then healing his bones, and now he was running alongside his dongsaeng. Key wasn’t sure he had ever seen Jonghyun move so quickly before the recent months. He almost couldn’t believe they had only met seven months prior - it seemed as though Jonghyun had always been a part of their family.

The only thing that really concerned Kibum anymore was Jonghyun’s seemingly unfailing belief that he was going to be left alone again. He knew better than the others what it was like to have someone you love die, but he wasn’t sure he would ever fully understand what Jonghyun was going through. He had watched the happy boy before him bloom from a shy, sickly, and slightly angry teenager, and yet he was still sure that those insecurities lay just beneath the surface of that smile.

Then again, he was Kim Kibum, master of trying too hard and caring too much. Maybe Jonghyun really was ok now, but something told him the storm they had dealt with hadn’t passed. They had taken extra care to avoid stressful situations with him, including meeting new people. Even the person monitoring Jonghyun’s school exam had been introduced slowly, carefully, and only when he was in a really good mood.

Key knew Jonghyun’s past. Jinki had told them all while Jonghyun was still in the treatment center, and it had been a heartbreaking story to hear. He had managed to get some awful combination of both Key and Taemin’s past, giving him Taemin’s trust issues, and Key’s attachment disorder. Key wasn’t really sure what this would mean for his future, but as he watched the boys playing in the backyard, he hoped it wouldn’t impact his life too harshly.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of a knock on the door, and he waited a moment to see if anyone else would get it. After almost a minute, though, with no sound coming from anywhere in the house Key set his glass down, casting one last glance over his shoulder at the two males in the backyard before heading out toward the living room. He paused, looking slightly surprised when he saw Jinki standing with a man who was seriously overdressed for a just friendly visit.

“Appa?” Key said softly, moving forward with slight caution. Had something happened?

“Oh, is this him?” The man asked, studying Key seriously for a moment.

“No. This is one of my other sons, Kibum.” Jinki said, moving toward the rainbow-streaked boy. Key felt nervous, suddenly, and he wasn’t sure why, but he stepped into his appa’s shadow, pretending to be shy. Jinki noticed right away, and smiled at him. “Did you need something?”

“No. I just heard the door, so I thought I would come see who it is.” Key said, shifting awkwardly. “Is everything alright?”

“De. No worries.” Jinki said.

----------------------------------

Roo barked, running as fast as her short little legs would carry her, but Jonghyun was faster. He ran in wide circles around the backyard, Taemin copying his actions, as both boys worked to wear off their own energy as well as the dogs. Eventually Jonghyun got tired, though, allowing himself to slow down enough that the impact when he hit the ground wouldn’t be overly painful.

Taemin flopped down next to him a moment later, and both boys stared up at the clouds, their dogs resting on their rapidly rising and falling chests. Taemin pet Eve gently, and Jonghyun saw the awe in his expression. Somehow, the younger boy had never quite gotten over the fact that Eve was really his, and Jonghyun thought it was adorable.

Roo scooted up Jonghyun’s chest, letting out small whiny sounds before she started his face. Jonghyun laughed, bringing his hands up to her soft fur, and Taemin turned to look at his hyung with a smile. They had been getting along better and better lately, and they truly felt like a family. It was a first for the maknae, as well as the eldest son, but they both took it happily.

“You think we should bring them inside to get some water?” Taemin asked. Both Roo and Eve perked up at the last word, and Roo’s tail began wagging quickly back and forth.

“Yeah, I think so.” Jonghyun said, turning to look at the puppy in his hands. He sat up, his hands holding the small brown dog securely, then stood awkwardly without using his hands to push himself up. “I think we need water too.”

“Probably.” Taemin agreed, letting Eve slide off of him before he, too, stood.

Jonghyun set Roo on the ground, and they jogged over to the sliding glass door that lead into the kitchen. Jonghyun pulled the door open, stepping inside as the two dogs skirted through his legs. He shook his head, laughing as they ran over to the water dish and began lapping at its contents. Taemin rolled his eyes, pulling down two cups and filling them, then handing one to Jonghyun.

“Where is everyone?” Jonghyun asked, looking around the empty room after chugging his water.

Taemin shrugged, setting his empty cup in the sink. Roo and Eve started barking simultaneously, and the boys looked over in confusion before following the now running dogs out to the living room. Jonghyun stopped instantly, though, when he saw the stranger standing in the living room. He looked at Jinki immediately, moving closer to the father figure instinctively as Roo crouched low, teeth bared and growling at the newcomer. Eve, however, turn tail and ran, and Jinki’s eyes pushed together as the man locked his eyes onto his eldest son, ignoring the dog at his feet.

“You must be Jonghyun.” He said, his smile making the boy he was addressing extremely uncomfortable. “You look just like your father.”