It’s just another day of the Jaejoong v/s Heechul staring battle. Really, Jaejoong got the glare-till-you-get-your way thing from her mother. Nobody can guess till date who would win between the mother who’s had decades of practice or the daughter who had it since she was born.

Jaejoong doesn’t even have a reason for the staring contest. She’s generally suspicious since Heechul called Jaejoong and Yunho to the library of the Kims’ country house with a sternness of an army general. Jaejoong didn’t want to leave Changmin alone because her food monster was very close to pouncing on the heating grill in the backyard even if there’s no meat on it.

She and Yoochun were keeping Changmin occupied by playing video games with him. she wouldn’t dare go out where the ducks are waddling around the pond. When Heechul curtly told her to meet her in the library, Jaejoong followed wordlessly. However, when she saw Yunho in the room fidgeting nervously, she could guess Heechul is in one of her ‘anti-Yunho’ moods. Hence the staring contest.

Heechul breathed out from her nose as narrowed her eyes. Her earlier objective forgotten in the bid to win the game she invented.

Both women ignore Yunho sitting beside Jaejoong who is fidgeting on the small desk.

Jaejoong figures it’s probably because they are sitting on school desks when there’s a set of arm chairs and a finely crafted rosewood desk in the room.

Jaejoong knows her parents have a very ‘interesting’ life. But she’d prefer to be kept in the dark about it.

“Ma’! Ma’! M-ah~!” soft thumps on the door were heard with each ‘Ma’. Jaejoong winces and blinks at the crack in the voice of the third ‘Ma’. Changmin obviously drank cold juice when she warned him not to. He’s still recovering from a cold.

“ah-hah!” the loud declaration by Heechul jolted Yunho and his giant thighs painfully hit the desk flap.  He hissed in pain and rubbed his knee and looking at Jaejoong to find a way out of here. “You blinked and looked away!” Heechul was banging the desk excitedly and making excited squeals.

“what’s she talking about?” Yunho asked Jaejoong in a whisper.

“undeclared staring contest.” Jaejoong deadpans. Jaejoong pretended she didn’t know anything about the contest and changed the subject, “Mama, if there’s nothing I’m going to Minnie, okay.” Jaejoong had lifted the folding desk to leave as Yunho admiringly watched his wife defying Kim Heechul. But both he and Jaejoong squeaked when an eraser hit Jaejoong on her cheek and stumbled back in the chair. their voices muffled the sound of Changmin coughing hoarsely outside.   

“stay where you are.” Heechul places a crystal bowl on the table, the kind you place on coffee tables for aesthetics. ''look at this?'' Heechul gestures wildly to it.

On the outset there seems nothing wrong. Jaejoong and Yunho look for a crack if anything but none. ''uh...what are we supposed to look at?'' Yunho asks Jaejoong as if only she has all the answers when it comes to Heechul.

''this!'' Heechul says louder this time, ''look at the saliva splatter on it. I got this bowl on my wedding!' Jaejoong stared hard from her seat but could not see a single spot. Yunho on the other hand... ''from whom?''

''who knows. Never really liked it.'' Heechul said casually.

''then why are you doing this?'' Jaejoong doesn't mean to be sassy but it comes out that way. ''well? I don't like saliva on my furniture thank you very much.'' Heechul retorts indignantly.

Before Yunho could say the bowl is not furniture he stops himself and says instead, ''I didn't do it! Did you?'' Yunho asks turning to Jaejoong who shook her head.

 ''I didn't say you two did it. But you two are responsible for it... Well actually...'' Heechul dramatically points a finger at Yunho that makes him flinch. "This idiot is being an idiot and Changminnie is copying him.''

''So Minnie did this?'' Jaejoong asks.

''of course he did.” Heechul looks at her daughter as if the child she gave birth to and raised doesn’t know her at all, “Wouldn’t I have murdered someone if it was anyone not him.''

''eep!'' Yunho shrieks and tries to run out of the desk without opening the table flap. ''mama you're not just trying to find some excuse to hit Yunho right? ''

''GAAAAH!'' Yunho lets out a painful sound while trying his hardest to escape but his brain is scared into stupidity to do it right.

 ''this is real. You two need to be more conscious of how you behave in front of him.''

"What did Yunho do?'' Jaejoong asked as Yunho finally escaped, not that Heechul was about to do anything to widow her daughter... but she prefers being a terror. Comes handy.

“I didn’t do anything! I didn’t do anything!” Yunho gave up on escaping and pleaded for mercy instead.

That just bored Heechul. “take him before he loses it.” Heechul made shooing gestures as she took the bowl and started wiping it with tissues soaked in sanitizer. Jaejoong took this chance to help Yunho out of the chair and he bolted out the door without looking back.

Jaejoong walked leisurely rolling her eyes at her mother who just put on rubber gloves and started scrubbing a single spot on the outside of the bowl. She knows her mother’s not normally like this otherwise Jaejoong would’ve said something. It’s because Changmin’s recovering from a minor bout of viral cold and Heechul’s quite finicky about hygiene at such times. Jaejoong shuddered remembering the day she returned home after her second surgery and Seunggi had a case of stomach flu. When Heechul couldn’t convince Hankyung and the doctors to let Jaejoong stay in the hospital longer, she practically locked Seunggi in the guest room and had Yoona force him to health.

Jaejoong opened the door and found Yunho running down the corridor. “Take coveeeeer!” screamed and Jaejoong wondered why.

“Mama!” a rough squeak and a tug on her dress had Jaejoong look down and she nearly shrieked.

Changmin was in his blue pants and white shirt soaked from head to toe. In his hand is the handle of a cart toy which has a yellow horse on it. the cart is supposed to play a song every time it is moved, something like a winding toy, but Jaejoong doesn’t think it’s going to work anymore considering it’s dripping wet.

Jaejoong scowled and looked left and right for the culprit who soaked her ill son. “You’ll never catch me alive!” Leeteuk yelled running down the hallway with Yoona. They stumbled on the wet floor making Yoona drop a water gun. They still kept running nonetheless.

Jaejoong looked at the water gun and deduced this is why Changmin is wet. And then she broke out in cold sweat.

Her mother was going to kill anyone.

“Hands where I can see them Teuk!” Seunggi suddenly showed up pointing a yellow and blue water gun at Jaejoong.

Jaejoong was startled and pulled Changmin behind her before he got any more wet. but Seunggi lowered the toy gun which at the moment looked more threatening than a real gun.

“Oh Joongie, I thought it was Leeteuk. Can you do me a favour and move out of the line of fire.”   Seunggi made hurried shooing motions to Jaejoong.

Jaejoong though was too offended to comply. “Samchon why is Minnie wet-” Jaejoong squeaked when a large spray of water came from behind Seunggi soaking his back from head to toe. “Dammit!” Seunggi whined and stomped his feet.

“you shouldn’t just stand around in a war zone Seung.” Hankyung drawled as he walked towards them blowing imaginary smoke off the nozzle of his gun.

Jaejoong looked horrified at the sight of what looked like a gardening hose attached to a large tank of water on Hankyung’s back. Surely, her father knows the consequences of angering Kim Heechul.

“D-daddy! What are you doing? Mama’s going to kill you!” Jaejoong shrieked so loud, Changmin flinched and clutched the back of her dress tighter. But Hankyung blinked back confounded. “Your Mama went bowling. You know she bowls for eight hours straight. We’ll clean up before that.”

Jaejoong opened to say not bowling, but her mother went over dramatic about a bowl. However, before she could, she was very rudely interrupted.

“Attaaaack!” Junsu yelled out of nowhere and started swinging two water pistols madly.

“take that ers!” Yoona blasted a stream of, to Jaejoong’s horror, blue tinted water. “You're going to be washing the ink out of your hair for a week!”

“same goes for you honey!” Seunggi yelled and shot streams of ink water at his wife and daughter.

“Dammit Seung! I ousted you!”

“only death takes out a soldier Han!”

“whose side am I on?” Yoochun came with the same apparatus as Hankyung.

“Hey! I just went round the whole floor!” Leeteuk came from behind Seunggi and Hankyung.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me you are all here?” Kangin arrived carrying two water guns and three others strapped to his back.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” Yunho came behind Junsu holding two plastic bottles filled with coloured water and labelled ‘ammunition’.

“Guys~” Jaejoong whimpered. She wanted to talk them out of this but words failed her. “Mama play too!” Changmin said the last thing Jaejoong wanted to hear.

“It’s decided!” Yoona suddenly yelled and gestured towards the two groups of people. “it’s us versus you guys!”

Jaejoong wanted to counter but Changmin badgered her asking which team they are on. Meanwhile, the two impromptu teams played mind games silently waiting for the cue to battle.

The cue came in the form of the doorbell.

“FIIIIRE!” Leeteuk yelled.

“TAAAAKE THEM DOOOWN!!!” Junsu yelled so loud Changmin let go of Jaejoong’s pants to cover his ears.

Standing behind his mother, Changmin was well protected. Jaejoong on the other hand was in the middle of the line of fire. She let out a strangled sound when she heard Heechul’s voice from inside the study. Her traitor of a husband had run off saying he’s getting the door. Jaejoong’s head drooped and she groan.

It’s over.

“What’s all the noise?” the door opened, Heechul stepped out, the water battle ceased, the water soldiers turned white.

“apocalypse…” Jaejoong sighed just as she could hear Heechul grind her teeth agitatedly.

Changmin saw his mother soaked and got as angry as an almost three year old can get. Picking up the abandoned water gun from earlier, Changmin started pumping it like he’s seen the actors do so coolly in the action movies and charged randomly in Yoochun’s direction. “Levenge for Mama! AAAAAH!” he let out a war cry as everyone watched him dumbfounded.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Changmin slipped on a puddle and fell flat on his face making the spectators flinch. His water gun fell beside him but managed to hit his . The onlookers flinched at that small hit. The water barrel separated from the gun and splashed all over Changmin’s back. His family flinched at his little squeak and then became flustered when Changmin started wailing loudly and banging his fists on the puddle.

~~~

“I didn’t even do anything~” Jaejoong cried as she wiped a wooden coffee table in the living room.  

''it's the same with me but I'm here aren't I...'' Taehyung laughed but it felt like he’s forcing optimism.

As it turned out, Taehyung was the one at the door. He was in Seoul on some business and Leeteuk had convinced him to stay a few days more. As it is it is vacation time and Taehyung has always been one who had to be forced to take a break from work. Hankyung even said they should all make a trip to the countryside for the weekend. Taehyung was going to join them after finishing his work, but he was put to work instead.

The poor man was quite startled when Yunho opened the door and Heechul's voice was heard yelling about drowning people in the dirtiest puddle in the hardwood flooring. And then he was wound up mopping water in the living room. Taehyung passes Yunho as he heads to the stairs to give Seunggi a hand at cleaning.

Yunho comes to Jaejoong and hugs her back. He kisses her neck before she turns and lets him kiss her full on the lips. He chuckles hearing Changmin squawking about his mother getting eaten. “I investigated and found my dad smuggled the guns here and Junsu actually mixed Min’s paints in the water.”

“I’m never talking to them again.” Jaejoong pouts furiously and picks on a yellow frilly strap over Yunho’s black sweatshirt. Who would’ve thought Heechul would double the sentence for the men and put them in frilly aprons. Hell! She put Changmin-sized apron on Changmin too. It’s almost as if she had them in case she had to teach the boys a lesson.  

“Mama~!” speak of the devil. Changmin tugs on her pant to get her attention. Yunho sits down cross-legged on the floor and pulls Changmin to him. “why aren’t you talking much chatterbox?” Yunho nuzzles Changmin’s hair. He’s a little worried because Jaejoong said his cold is gone but he’s still a little lethargic and he’s not speaking much apart from the occasional ‘Mama’ or other one-word answers.

Changmin pulls away a little and pokes his throat with his index and middle finger. “Pain! Pai-” Changmin poked his throat too much and his voice cracks and another coughing fit ensues.

“Is he okay?” Junsu pokes her head in after hearing the small coughs.

“he’s still recovering. Can’t do much at this point.” Jaejoong says in an attempt to not worry Junsu.

“I think he’s hungry too.” Yunho says with a smile feeling Changmin’s stomach rumble in his arms. and Changmin also nods vehemently with determined eyes and fists as if he’s about to set out on some important task.

“I’ll feed him.” Junsu announces and before his parents could even respond, Changmin walked out of Yunho’s hold and to Junsu. Jaejoong and Yunho watch amusedly as Changmin holds Junsu’s hand and pulls her to the kitchen.

“Wow! He really was hungry…” Yunho chuckles while standing up and dusting his pants. Jaejoong wrinkles her nose seeing Yunho’s pants are dirty already. “You’d think he’d wait to remove to remove the apron.”

“I bet Junsu’s going to keep it on him like some bib.”

Sure enough, Junsu does nothing to untie the long apron off Changmin as they walk to the newly-made bar in the Kims’ villa. It’s not stocked yet so there’s no chance of Changmin asking for anything in his vision and it’s the only part of the house that’s been spared of a aquatic battle.

Changmin struggles to climb the tall bar stool and gives with a huff. He’s about to ask Junsu why they can’t sit on the perfectly fine dining table when she lifts him and puts him on the stool. “I wanted to try the new chairs.” Junsu said bouncing on the stool but Changmin doesn’t pay her any heed trying to get in a comfortable position.

He’s not used to a chair without a back rest and there’s no support to his feet whatsoever. So he takes a while till he’s sure he’s not going to fall. Junsu waits hoping he stops before his kimchi stew gets cold. When Changmin was done he looks at Junsu expectantly. “Done?” Changmin nods.

Junsu fed him stew which he slurped noisily. Some of it dripped on his chin and Junsu quickly wiped it away before it fell any lower. “Don’t drop it okay. Imo might get more upset if you dirty the apron.”

“Apron?” Changmin chirps.

“Apron.” Junsu points at the blue chequered apron with black lace frills. With his matching blue pants and white shirt underneath, it looked like a cute girl’s dress. Not to mention C