Leeteuk sat on the floor with his arms outstretched, his smile bright as he called to the three-year-old. "Eunmi, come and play with appa!" But the girl remained shy in the corner, her eyes wide as she looked at Leeteuk. 

"Do you want a sweet?" Leeteuk rustled the crinkly wrapper and the girl looked up and smiled. She began to take tiny steps towards him, but stopped halfway and sat on the floor. "Come on." 

The girl looked harder at Leeteuk and then ran away again, with tears in her eyes. As Sungmin walked out from the kitchen with the soup, she smiled brightly and ran to him. "Appa!" she called happily and hugged his legs. He picked her up and hugged her.

"Hello Eunmi! Have you been playing with Teukie appa?" 

The girl shook her head and looked unhappily at Leeteuk. 

 

Leeteuk sighed as he thought about how many more weeks there were left of the show. His heart sank as he watched how happy Eunmi was with Sungmin. Leaving the room quietly, he went to the bedroom and lay facedown on the pillows. He began to cry, his sobs shaking the bed and the tears wetting the soft material as he wept. 

Feeling a soft hand touch his shoulder, he looked up to see Sungmin sitting next to him. "Hyung? Don't cry, she doesn't hate you. She's just shy that's all." His voice was gentle and reassuring, but Leeteuk felt anything but. 

"No, she really doesn't like me Min. I don't know what to do." 

He sunk back into the pillows, cuddling one tight against his chest as Sungmin his back gently. The younger boy put a bowl of soup on the bedside table and left to check on Eunmi.

He had an idea. 

 

"Eunmi! Appa has to go out for a while. Stay safe with Teukie appa, okay?"

And then Leeteuk heard the door shut as Sungmin left. What was the man doing? Now it would be even worse in the dorm because there was no Min to buffer the two.

 

He got to his feet, and, wiping his tears, went to see Eunmi. The girl was sitting in the corner, but Leeteuk was used to this by now. He sat on the sofa, and the television to some cartoons. Sitting cross-legged, he felt a small tap on his knee, and looked down in surprise to see the little girl. 

"Eunmi" he whispered, "Have you come to see appa?"

A tiny nod. "Look appa" she said, holding out a picture. It was two people holding hands, and a small girl next to them. 

"What is the picture about Eunmi?"

"Appa, and appa, and me. And then a unicorn." She gestured to the pink creature in the corner of the page. 

Leeteuk smiled happily. "Who has the unicorn?" 

"Minnie appa."

"Do I have a pet?"

"You can have a dragon." Eunmi settled on the floor to draw a big green dragon next to the happy couple. Leeteuk looked at the picture closely and felt his heart swell as he noticed the the picture-appas were holding hands.

 

"Appa, here!" 

"It's a beautiful dragon Eunmi."

"What should I draw now?"

"You should draw the beach. That would be nice."

 

But this time, when she presented Leeteuk with the picture, she climbed into his lap. Leeteuk cuddled her close, and she rested against his chest. He only noticed how long they had been sitting there when Eunmi fell asleep in his lap and he felt his legs go numb. 

Sungmin entered the dorm quietly, and saw Leeteuk sitting on the sofa surrounded by pictures and with the little girl asleep on his knee. 

 

Sitting next to his boyfriend, he touched his shoulder gently and leaned in to kiss him.

"I told you she liked you" he whispered into the older man's ear. 

He rested his head on Leeteuk's shoulder and Eunmi's hair softly. Leeteuk looked at Sungmin's face as he looked at the child, and made a decision. 

"Let's adopt" he murmered into the smaller boy's hair. 

Sungmin looked up, his eyes wide and bright. Putting his arms around Leeteuk's neck, he squeezed happily and kissed him. "Really?"

"Yes really, we'll see more about it after the show, okay?"

Sungmin nodded and nuzzled into the material. "Do you want a girl or boy?"

"I don't mind. Either is perfect."

They sat quietly for a while, each warm and comfortable with each other.

 

"Where did you go Min?" Leeteuk asked after a while.

"I just went out with Ryeowook for lunch, so that you and Eunmi could bond."

"Is everything okay with those two?"

"Yes, Yesung proposed and I heard all about it. It sounds so lovely, and the ring is perfect, oh Teukie you should see it! It's so shiny and so beautiful an-"

Leeteuk smiled as his lover gushed about the proposal, and slid his hand into his pocket. He pressed the diamond ring into his palm and pulled it out of his pocket secretly.

This was the beginning of their own happy family.