“Look at you!” - Heeyeon was beyond pleased with the result of Yesung’s haircut - “So cute!” 

“Thanks” - Yesung blushed a bit - “Do you think I look handsome now?” 

“You were already handsome before” - Heeyeon kissed him so much - “But now you look even better” 

“Mom, this is…” - Yesung got a bit shocked when Heeyeon stopped hugging him and giving kisses. She probably misunderstood his intentions. He didn’t want her to stop…

“I know” - Heeyeon got it wrong - “You are a big boy and mommy is being embarrassing” 

“No, I didn’t say that…” - Yesung sulked. He actually wanted Heeyeon to keep babying him… but his pride wouldn’t let him ask for it - “I’m fine with hugs and kisses” 

“Those are very good news, my angel” - Heeyeon was in a good mood - “Because tomorrow, mom and dad are going to spoil you lots” 

Yesung gulped down. He was nervous. Heeyeon seemed to realize so and was now giving him funny looks.

“Why are you so nervous?” - Heeyeon as they went out of the mall - “Is it because you fear not receiving what you want?” 

“I…mmm” - Yesung knew she was right… but not in the way she thought - “Maybe” 

“Don’t worry” - Heeyeon whispered to him - “If we didn’t get the toy you wanted, you can always ask for it later… I bet your dad is not going to refuse tomorrow” 

Yesung gave her a smile. It wasn’t like that. What he wanted the most wasn’t a toy or something you could buy. He wanted a nice birthday party full of good memories. Yet, he could smell troubles. Having so many little siblings, things rarely ended the way he wanted. Last year he had tried getting rid of them and ended upsetting his dad from default. 

And there was this other thing. The thing that actually bugged him the most. His true fear and what made him annoyed. Growing one year older. 

Yup. He was getting older. It was silly, since he was still a boy… There were definitely advantages of being the oldest son… but there was a big disadvantage that basically erased all perks he could get. 

“We arrived” - Heeyeon went out of the car wearing a silly smile. 

Yesung unbuckled his belt. By himself. Like he usually did. Was it too childish to wish for his mom to do it for him? He couldn’t avoid feeling guilty over all times he had gotten jealous when the adults helped the little ones. Maybe he didn’t need help… but he wanted it anyway. 

“Whoah! I think you even look taller!” - Leeteuk was greeting him - “Let me see your face… How old are you turning tomorrow? Eleven?”

“Nine” - Yesung wasn’t really happy about his uncle pretending he looked older - “Just nine” 

“Time flies, right?” - Leeteuk looked at him full of love - “You were just six when I met you” 

“I was almost seven” - Yesung was annoyed as he thought his uncle was implying he wasn’t that little anymore - “But nothing had changed” 

“Of course it has!” - Heechul was right there ready to contribute to the boy’s struggles without knowing - “You are so big now! My baby is not a baby anymore!” 

That was it. Yesung had it enough. He didn’t want to keep listening. 

“I will go to my room” - Yesung sighed - “I have homework” 

“So responsible” - Heechul clapped for him - “As expected of my eldest son!” 

For a moment, Yesung’s bad mood drifted away as Heechul reached for him in a way he knew well: he was going to lift him. He always complained whenever he did so… but today, he truly wanted it. 

“Uh uh uh” - Leeteuk was pulling Heechul’s ear - “Yesung is too big for you now. You are going to injure yourself” 

“Don’t be silly” - Heechul complained - “He is light like paper sheet” 

“Sure” - Leeteuk agreed - “But you just got that cast removed, right? And before time I must add” 

“Well, it can’t be helped” - Heechul smiled playfully - “Tomorrow is a big day! I wanted to be ready for it!” 

Yesung was going to smile back when the youngest trio started fighting over a toy. Kyuhyun and Henry were pulling the plush each by a side while Ryeowook just screamed his soul out knowing that would happen. 

“ZTOP! ZTOP!” - Ryeowook was really desperate 

“HENWY LET GO!” - Kyuhyun was pulling hard - “IZ OUWZ!”

“NUUUUH!” - Henry was screeching at the top of his lungs and wouldn’t let go - “MINEEE!”

“Uh oh, that one isn’t yours” - Leeteuk looked around - “Where is yours?” 

“oh, n— ” - Heechul bit his lips when the plush ripped apart and the boys went crazy - “That what happens when we fight over toys… Cmon, let’s not make it worse” 

“DADAAAAA!” - Ryeowook was running towards Heechul looking for comfort - “HOWD ME!”

“Come here” - Heechul carried him. Then, the other two upset boys also ran to him asking for the same. 

“Don’t you even think about it” - Leeteuk warned him as he took Henry - “Two is too much— Heechul”

“There, there” - Heechul was holding both twins. Each in one arm… meaning his recently injured arm was receiving the weight of a three years old - “It’s ok. We will find a way to fix it… and if not, we will find another friend” 

“UHUUUU” 

“Put them down” - Yesung demanded coldly - “You are going to injure yourself” 

“It’s ok” - Heechul was trying to sit on the couch - “If I sit here, it won’t be like lifting weight, right?” 

Yesung was totally unamused. There was a jealousy wave going through his body. And on top of that… he did cared for Heechul’s well-being. He was the type of child who would rather swallow his inner thoughts or feelings to keep his parents ‘safe’ and ‘healthy’. 

He left the living room slowly trying to see if any of the adults would stop him or say anything. Nothing. They were focusing on the little boys and the damaged toy. 

Dinner wasn’t better. Without the grandparents, the adult trio had more things to take care of. Which meant, obviously, less attention for the kids. And of course, less attention for the oldest boys since toddlers and little kids remained the same with or without grandparents. 

“Henry, honey” - Leeteuk was having a hard time as the boy did another mess with his food - “We don’t play with food” 

Henry gave him a dare look. Leeteuk realized the terrible two were hitting hard. It was like having a toddler going through puberty. Henry’s bad mood was a real thing that week. 

“Don’t you ever think about it” - Leeteuk managed to take the water cup before Henry emptied it on the table - “Ha Ha. Uncle won this time” 

“AAAAAAAAACK!” - Henry yelled full of anger 

“Henry, don’t be a bad boy” - Heeyeon scolded him from the other side of the table - “We don’t yell like that” 

“Henwy bad boyyyyy” - Kyuhyun used his chance to get a little revenge from the events that took place before - “Bad boy! Bad boy! Bad boy!” 

Henry was really angry as Leeteuk made sure the boy had nothing in range that he could take and use for his revenge. But, again. Henry was a toddler. He had things he could do in order to annoy the adults. 

“Ewww, he farted” - Eunhyuk covered his nose - “Henry, don’t do that” 

“Ohhhh” - Heechul did his best to not engage with the tantrum by pretending he wasn’t mad - “Henry, are you having an accident?”

Leeteuk and Heeyeon were the same. They realized that not engaging with bad behaviours was a better approaching than overreacting. 

“Uh oh, Henry peed” - Donghae pointed at the puddle forming under Henry’s high chair - “Henry had an accident” 

“Yes, he did” - Heeyeon gave them a soft smile - “But it’s ok… Potty accidents are normal at his age” 

Henry was flustered. It didn’t happen as he expected. He wanted the adults to freak out or yell at him. Instead, they remained calm and his siblings were wearing those silly smiles. He was defeated. There was no point on keeping that rude facade. 

“Did you have an accident?” - Leeteuk asked him in a sweet way 

“Ye’ ?” - Henry gave him a look full of embarrassment 

“Shall we go wash?” - Leeteuk asked first before even trying to reach for him 

Henry stretched his arms towards him. Leeteuk approached carefully and held him gently. 

“Henry, next time you have to go you should tell uncle, ok?” - Leeteuk kissed him - “and If you don’t want to use the potty, we can always go back to diapers” 

Henry panicked. That definitely was a threat. Leeteuk was using a soft sweet tone… but he was threatening him. It was a warning for him. 

“Ung…” 

Henry decided to call it a night. His tantrums were not going to bring anything good… and he had already tested their patience enough for the day. It was time to play cute and make the adults forgot about him misbehaving. 

Yesung woke up at midnight. He glanced at his Lego clock and tapped it on top to light it up and watch the time. 

“Midnight” - Yesung gulped down - “It’s my birthday…” 

“Yesung? Are you awake?” - Heechul caught him - “everything alright? Did you have a nightmare? Are you feeling sick?” 

“N-no” 

“Then? Why are you awake?” - Heechul sat on the bed next to him still with the lights off - “Can’t you sleep?”

“I don’t know” - Yesung shrank shoulders - “I just woke up” 

“Oh, I see. Then go back to sleep, buddy. You will be tired at school if you don’t sleep well” 

“Uhum” - Yesung let Heechul tuck him back in bed - “Goodnight, daddy” 

“Goodnight, buddy” - Heechul kissed him - “And happy birthday~ it’s already midnight” 

Yesung went to sleep with a big smile and feeling warm. His dad remembered even if he was half asleep. The only thing he regretted was not asking him to stay longer. He could heard footsteps running towards the other direction. At least two of his siblings were heading to the principal bedroom looking for comfort. 

He couldn’t do that… he was too old for it… it didn’t matter. His dad remembered his birthday and congratulated him at midnight. It was going to be a good day. 

Next time he woke up, the silly adults were giggling in his room. They asked him to remain quiet. 

“Good morning birthday boy” - Heechul greeted him first - “How are we doing? Ready for the big day?”

“Happy birthday, honey” - Leeteuk was holding a wrapped box 

“Happy birthday baby” - Heeyeon kissed the boy - “Did you sleep well?”

Yesung nodded. He smiled pleased. The three of them were there just for him. His dad, his mom, his uncle. All eyes on him. 

“We hope you like it” - Leeteuk gave him the colorful box - “We thought you may like it” 

Yesung undid the paper and was a little confused. He expected to find videogames or Lego since the adults around him seemed to think those were his only hobbies. But somehow… they overdid it. Somehow, they managed to surprise him in a good way. 

“Recording studio” - he read the box - “is it real? Like for music?” 

“Do you like it?” - Heeyeon did a silly face - “We thought you may like it since you like singing and… well” 

“It has a microphone, headphones,a normal keyboard and two other boards I have no idea what are they for” - Heechul pointed at the box - “It seemed like something cool” 

“I love it” - Yesung smiled widely 

“Oh, thanks God” - Leeteuk was pleased - “We were so worried you wouldn’t like it…” 

“It’s amazing” - Yesung made sure of making them happy - “I think is wonderful” 

“You heard that?” - Heeyeon was talking to Heechul - “He said he liked it” 

“No, baby” - Heechul sounded cheerful - “He said he loved it” 

“The instructions are inside but, if you have any problem we can always go back to the store and ask for help” - Leeteuk ruffled his hair - “Although you are so smart you will probably figure it out yourself” 

“I can’t believe you turned nine” - Heeyeon pouted - “Mommy’s baby is so big now” 

Yesung was going to hug them when a noise coming from other rooms made the adults get alert. 

“We should go check” - Leeteuk left first - “They are probably awake” 

“Uh, breakfast” - Heeyeon bit her lips - “Go wash your face and get ready for breakfast, birthday boy” 

“See you in a few minutes” - Heechul winked playfully as he left the room. 

Yesung glanced at his pet turtles and sighed. 

“It’s just us now” - the boy told the turtles - “But hey, they——“

“Yesung, Yesung” - Kangin was rushing inside followed by Siwon - “You won’t believe this” 

“Believe what?” - Yesung frowned. He expected his siblings to congratulate him first 

“What’s this?” - Siwon was already touching his new gift - “Recording studio?”

“Give me that” - Yesung placed the box on the bed - “It’s not yours, it’s mine” 

“Anyway” - Kangin looked around anxiously- “Siwon ‘caught’ the toothfairy”

“What?” - Yesung was shocked - “For real?”

“It’s mom” - Siwon chuckled - “You know what that means?” 

“She is not real, dude” - Kangin was definitely enjoying it - “they have been lying to us” 

“But how…” 

Yesung was feeling uneasy. He knew it made all sense in the world the toothfairy wasn’t real… in fact, he was a very smart child. He deep inside knew it. But he chose to believe… and receiving confirmation of his non existence was something he didn’t want at all. 

“My tooth” - Siwon grinned so his brother could see - “it fell days ago” 

“So?”

“I didn’t tell the adults and Kangin still put it under the pillow” - Siwon explained - “nothing happened for three nights… until yesterday mom realized the tooth and then, boom. Money” 

“I think it was dad, actually” - Kangin did a funny expression - “I caught him wandering around our rooms this night” 

“Mom probably told him” - Siwon nodded - “But the point is, there is no horrible magical creature getting into our rooms” 

“So, we came here looking for advice” - Kangin folded his arms - “I’m not sure if we should wait until we change all of our teeth for money… or if we should confront them now and blackmail them” 

“Do you think Santa isn’t real either?” - Siwon worried - “Santa Claus is real, right?” 

“I…” - Yesung shook his head - “I don’t want to think about it. Can’t we just discuss it later?”

“Oh, right” - Kangin pointed at the calendar - “Happy birthday” 

“Oh, is it today?” - Siwon hugged him - “Happy birthday! I forgot today was Friday!”

“Friday!” - Kangin ran back to his room with a silly smile 

“See ya!” - Siwon waved cutely as he exited the room. 

Yesung’s smile faded. He wasn’t amused over the fact his brothers managed to prove the toothfairy wasn’t real. He didn’t want to think about it. Specially today. 

He was still lost in his thoughts by the time he reached school. Surprisingly, none of his classmates were outside. Weird. He entered the classroom and he got surprised. 

“SURPRISE!” - his classmates were having a birthday party for him

“Whoah” - Yesung smiled as he saw the decorations- “I’m very thankful” 

“Yesung, how old are you now?” - A girl asked him 

“Nine” 

“Wooohoooo! Then, we have the same age now!” - Another boy chirped - “At least until I turn ten in a few weeks”

Everyone laughed. Yesung included. 

“So, how does it feel being nine?” - Hangeng asked him - “Do you feel older?” 

“Not really” - Yesung teased - “I don’t think there is much difference” 

“You are not going to be a baby anymore” - another classmate joked - “Well, you are still younger than us but… you get me “

“Right” - his classmates didn’t have bad intentions - “Like those kids that still believe in Santa Claus and the toothfairy…” 

“I caught my parents red handed when I was eight” 

“Me too! Me too!” 

“Those are fairytales for babies”

“I bet Yesung knew it since he was seven” - A girl turned to him - “He is so smart and mature for his age” 

(No… actually… Yikes) 

Yesung limited himself to smile. He didn’t want to sound like a baby in front of his classmates. 

Morning went better when he received a call from the school megaphone asking him to go meet the principal at his office. There, his grandparents awaited him with a beautiful cake. 

“NANA! POPS!” - Yesung was more than glad to see them again - “YOU ARE HERE!”

“Happy birthday, sweetie!” - Mrs Ahn was hugging him tightly - “How is that birthday going?” 

“It just got better” - Yesung was stuck to them - “I’m so happy you came” 

“Awww” - Mrs Ahn did a cute face - “Have you missed me? I needed to practice” 

“Practice?” 

“The cake” - Mrs Ahn pointed at it - “It took so many tries to get it done perfectly” 

“It’s really pretty Nana, I love it” - Yesung hugged them again - “Did you receive my invitation? Are you coming to my birthday party?”

“Of course, sweetie” 

“You don’t turn nine everyday!” - Mr Ahn teased 

“But don’t worry” - Mrs Ahn kissed him - “Even if you turn forty, you will still be our baby” 

Yesung felt better. At least he could count with his grandparents for that. 

“Ohhhh, did you get all that today?” - Leeteuk was helping the boy to put everything in the trunk - “is that a cake?” 

“From Nana!” - Yesung chirped - “It’s beautiful! She did the ninja turtles!” 

“Really? What a lucky boy!” - Leeteuk was happy seeing the boy so excited - “Maybe you should ride in the front and hold it yourself~ you know, we don’t want it to get ruined” 

“Shotgun” - Yesung liked it when his dad let him do that. Leeteuk and his grandma were usually against it and Heeyeon barely took him out in the car - “For real?”

“Today is your birthday” - Leeteuk did a face - “And you just turned nine. You are tall enough for it to not be ‘that’ dangerous” 

Yesung pouted. He didn’t want to get reminded he was growing bigger that fast. 

“It’s only for today” - Leeteuk warned him - “You are still too little to ride in the front all time” 

Yesung smiled pleased. Leeteuk just called him “little”. 

“Careful” - Leeteuk was helping him get out of the car - “Hold it we—“

“BOOOO!” 

It happened so quickly. Leeteuk caught the box that held the cake just in time before it reached the ground… but it got damaged. 

“No no no” - Yesung was anxiously removing the lid - “I-it’s r-ruined” 

The guilty three years old was ready to receive a big scolding as Yesung turned to him full of anger… but it didn’t happen. Instead, Yesung just went inside crying. 

“Happy—- why is he crying?” - Heechul worried as Yesung walked past the decorations he and the others had prepared all morning - “Yesung?” 

“The cake…” - Leeteuk was also upset - “It’s not like you can’t eat it but…” 

“It’s my fault” - Heeyeon was out of breath after chasing the younger trio- “I couldn’t catch him on time…” 

“Yeye zad?” - Ryeowook had that face little boys did when they were about to cry - “My fauwt? Wookie bad?” 

Ryeowook had no bad intentions. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He and his brothers worked hard at daycare making drawings and little handmade gifts for his older brother. Kyuhyun was also upset since Yesung “ignored” them. 
Henry was clinging on Leeteuk trying to get his attention. Again. 

“Ukwee, Ukwee…” - Henry signed ‘crying’ - “Yeye” 

“I know, sweetie” - Leeteuk held him - “Big brother is a little sad…” 

“You should go talk to him” - Heeyeon urged Heechul- “We don’t want him to spend the whole day crying, right? We still have many fun things to do…” 

“Yesung?” - Heechul was going inside with a balloon and a little piece of lemon pie - “I— we bought lemon pie… from the store you like…” 

Yesung just kept crying. He was so upset. There were many things happening at once: first, he was upset about the cake itself. His grandma worked so hard for it… and it got ruined. Second, he almost yelled (and hit) his beloved little brother… If he haven’t walked away, he was sure he would have done so. Third… why were birthdays so hard? Why was he crying on the day everything should be happy?

“There, there” - Heechul sat next to him - “Why dont you take a bite? You love lemon pie, right?”

Yesung shook his head. He was too upset for eating. 

“I know we don’t let you have candy before meals… but today, you could eat whatever you want” - Heechul tried as he wiped away a few tears - “What do you say?” 

“I-I d-don’t feel like e-eating” - Yesung sobbed 

“Are you saving yourself for your mom’s cooking?” - Heechul nudged him - “It was supposed to be a secret… but she made your favorites” 

“I don’t feel like eating” - Yesung shook his head - “I’m upset” 

“Right…” - Heechul bit his lips - “I guess we could wait until you are ready” 

“What if I don’t stop crying in an hour?” - Yesung asked in a bad mood - “I bet you would feed them anyway” 

“Probably” - Heechul gave him a shy smile - “I can’t let them starve” 

Yesung grunted. 

“What? Would you like me to let them starve?” - Heechul widened his eyes as he was shocked 

“Not really…” - Yesung sulked - “But I do feel like I want to punish them… even though I understand they aren’t guilty at all. They didn’t want to ruin it” 

“Exactly” 

“I don’t think I’m ready to face them” - Yesung sighed with tears still falling from his tired eyes - “Him, actually” 

“Who?”

“Ryeowook?” - Yesung looked down - “I don’t want to be mean to him…” 

“You are not” - Heechul patted his back not quite understanding what the boy meant - “they made you drawings and so. They just want to show them to you” 

“You don’t get it” - Yesung said annoyed - “I am really upset. I don’t want to forget or forgive him for the cake” 

Heechul didn’t get it. Not at all. He was the type of guy who hold grudges in a very different way… actually, he was the type of guy who wouldn’t let his feelings bottle up. He would face them straight away and explode. Yesung was the non confrontational type. Just like his uncle, he would save up things until he exploded really bad. Right now, he could tell he was reaching his limit… and someone would pay. Maybe an innocent. Anyone could be the next target depending on his mood. 

“Baby?” - Heeyeon was there - “Is everything alright? Do you want to come down for lunch?” 

“He said—“

“In a few minutes” - Yesung wiped away the leftovers tears and forced a smile for Heeyeon- “I will go wash and then… I will join you” 

Heechul stared at the boy with a serious face. Once Heeyeon left, he gave Yesung a troubled look. 

“What now?” 

“Nothing… it’s just…” - Heechul smiled a bit - “Come here. Give me a hug” 

Yesung didn’t actually hug his dad in the first place. He let him do all the job and embrace him. He felt better that way. Heechul was soothing him. It was working. 

Downstairs he found a very angry Leeteuk grounding the other boys. 

“What did you do now?” - Heechul sighed. It was actually pretty obvious as their mouths were still full of cream 

“We ate cake” - Kangin had his arms up - “but I don’t see the problem… It was already ruined” 

“Papa, it’s really tasty” - Sungmin’s cheeks were a mix of green and blue - “Really” 

“What did you eat?” - Heeyeon couldn’t avoid laughing - “why is it blue? Turtles are green” 

“I bet he ate ‘Leonardo’ “ - Yesung was a bit amused - “It has a blue mask” 

“Tsk tsk tsk” - Heeyeon reprimanded them - “Bad boys. Eating candy like that will rot your teeth”

“Ohhhhh! And if your teeth get cavities… the toothfairy won’t come” - Leeteuk played his role - “And you won’t get any money” 

“EEEEK” - The triplets covered their mouths scared 

Kangin and Siwon exchanged an amused look Heechul didn’t miss. He didn’t like it. He could smell troubles. Did they… know?

“We need to brush our teeth!” - Donghae was about to run upstairs when Heechul caught him - “Daddy, my teeth—“

“You can brush after lunch” - Heechul sighed - “There is no point in washing those since you are going to eat now” 

Even if Heeyeon remained nervous the whole meal… lunchtime was a success. No one cried again and the kids seemed to be all in a better mood. Yesung even “forgave” the twins for the cake incident (she was quite sure that wasn’t completely true but she wasn’t going to point it out). 

“Hey, Yesung” - Heechul was naughtily pulling his hair a bit - “Shall we go meet grandma before tonight?” 

“I don’t have a problem” - Yesung was getting ready to go out - “but why?” 

“You see, I promised her I would take you to their place before this evening…?” - Heechul shrank shoulders - “They want to meet you before the birthday ‘dinner’ “ 

“Why does Yesung get two birthdays?” - Eunhyuk was clearly jealous- “He gets one today and one tomorrow” 

“Because, today is Friday and people need to work” - Leeteuk explained - “So, if we wanted all his friends to attend it was better to go with the party on a Saturday” 

“His friends don’t work yet” - Donghae pouted - “They are kids” 

“Their parents do” - Heeyeon pinched the boys - “And Yesung deserves the best. Just like you all” 

The boys frowned but said nothing. Going against Heeyeon or their uncle was something they wouldn’t even try under those circumstances. 

Yesung was happy to be outside with his dad. Only his dad for himself. He was about to start talking when Heechul called him to the other side. 

“Grandma’s house is over there…” - Yesung pointed to the other side - “That way leads to… our backyard?”

“Shhhh” - Heechul asked him to be quiet - “I was thinking you could ride your bike” 

Yesung was a bit confused as Heechul showed him a new bike. It was really pretty… but he haven’t see it before. 

“That’s not mine” - Yesung said softly 

“It is” - Heechul insisted - “we bought it for you” 

“Do I get a new bike?” - Yesung was happy. This was totally unexpected- “Whoah, I don’t know that to say” 

“This one is bigger than the one you had before” - Heechul scratched his head - “You see, last time I saw you riding your bike I noticed it was starting to be small for you” 

“Oh” - Yesung knew that was right. Lately, whenever he used his bike, his knees would bump a bit on the upper part. It just… he haven’t realized it was time for a size change. 

“Oh, Yesung you are growing so much and so fast” - Heechul was touched - “In a few years you will be as tall as I am” 

“I will be taller” - Yesung teased as he tried the bike. He struggled a bit not being used to have a bigger bike. He flinched when Heechul reached for him to prevent a fall - “I’m just getting used… I-I will get—“

“Relax, I’m not taking it away” - Heechul was just holding the other side to help him - “I just want to make sure you are safe” 

“You can let go now” - Yesung giggled- “I already got used! Watch me!” 

Yesung rode freely almost until his grandparents house. A few meters before arriving, he lost control and fell from the bike. 

“Oh no, Leeteuk is going to kill me” - Heechul ran to aid the boy - “where are you hurt?” 

“Nowhere” - Yesung sighed as he got up - “Just my pride, I think” 

“Arms? Knees?” - Heechul was checking him - “maybe I should have listened to mom. You are still too young for a bike like this” 

“No, I’m not” - Yesung was started to grow annoyed- “I’m fine” 

“I knew that it had to be you” - Mrs Kim was already outside. She pulled Heechul’s ear - “How come my beloved grandchild is already injured?” 

“Sorry” - Heechul whined - “I should have listened to you” 

Yesung pouted. He could tell his new bike would be stored far from him for weeks… maybe months, until he grew a few centimetres taller. 
He didn’t want that… he really liked the new bike. 

“It’s not that bad” - Mr Kim was there too - “You just forgot to adjust the height” 

“Oh, right” - Heechul widened his eyes - “The seller did say something about that” 

“Seriously, my love?” - Mrs Kim couldn’t believe his son - “Whenever you buy a new bike to the kids, one of the first things you do is to adjust the seat’s height” 

“I forgot” - Heechul sulked - “I was too excited about getting him a new bike…”

Yesung relaxed a bit. It seemed like he could keep the bike thanks to his grandpa. The old man was fixing the height for him. 

“Try it again” - Mr Kim smiled pleased - “Tell how it feels now” 

“Better” - Yesung smiled widely - “Way better!”

“Thanks dad” - Heechul’s sincere thanking made his parents smile softly 

“I also need to thank you” - Mrs Kim pointed at her new doormat - “It’s quite lovely, I must say”

“And it’s vomit free” - Heechul added shyly 

“For now” - Mr Kim teased 

“It has a witch?” - Yesung bent to take a better look - “But it’s not Halloween yet” 

“You know your dad” - Mrs Kim lead the boy inside - “His naughty side is part of his charm”

“Heechul” 

“It’s a joke, dad” - Heechul defended himself right away - “And mom said it was ok…”

“I’m not scolding you” - Mr Kim found funny Heechul thought so - “I just… come here. I need a hug” 

“W-why?” - Heechul was nervously approaching- “What happened? Are you feeling ill? D-did you get b-bad news at the h-hospital or something?”

“No” - Mr Kim hugged him tightly- “I just missed my son, that’s it” 

“But we have been seeing each other a lot lately” - Heechul left out in a low voice 

“Right” - Mr Kim smiled sweetly - “But even so, I like to receive hugs from time to time. My grandchildren are cute, but you are my baby boy” 

“You sound like mom” - Heechul blushed 

“It can’t be helped” - Mr Kim giggled - “You and your brothers will always be our babies”

“Dad” - Heechul was a bit nervous - “There is something I wanted to ask you… I know it’s kinda late for that but…” 

“Is this about ?” - Mr Kim whispered - “Because if you are going to ask anything about it… I believe you have way more experience on that topic” 

“It’s parenting…?” - Heechul did a face. He actually would have preferred if it was about , because, as his dad just said… he had way more experience on that - “My kids… they… I mean…” 

“How eloquent” - Mr Kim teased - “Take a deep breath. I won’t judge you” 

“How do you fight siblings jealousy?” - Heechul was truly concerned about it - “I mean, not the usual ‘that’s my toy’ thing… or when they fight about not wanting to share. This one is… real?”

Truth was, Heechul had noticed it even before Yesung himself did. He could tell the boy was sometimes ‘different’ when he babied his siblings… but Heechul couldn’t give a name to that until he read one of Heeyeon’s parenting books. And he freaked out. He didn’t know how to address it or how to take care of it without anyone getting hurt. 

“Like when your kid refuses to talk to you because he thinks you are playing favourites?” - Mr Kim tried - “I’m gonna guess this one… Yesung?” 

“How you know?” - Heechul was sad - “Did it happen to you too? Or Is this my fault…? Was it something I did?” 

“I think is normal for the older siblings to feel displaced at some point” - Mr Kim patted Heechul’s back - “Some take it better than others. I personally prefer the kids that will speak out their minds even if that mean more ‘fights’ “ 

“I don’t get it” 

“You were too young to remember” - Mr Kim giggled - “but when Donghee was born you would cry rivers and hit tantrums over the slightest thing. You would even ‘hit’ him when he was a toddler” 

“No, I do remember something” - Heechul bit his lips. Yup. He couldn’t remember at all when Donghee was born… but the years after? He wasn’t exactly a role model brother - “But I think I wasn’t ‘jealous’, I was just being an ” 

“Maybe when older” - Mr Kim nodded - “but when younger, you were indeed jealous” 

“Fine” - Heechul agreed - “Let’s say I was… but I was the type that would be loud about it. Yesung isn’t. Isn’t that troublesome? I get the feeling he is just bottling up and he will explode someday” 

“Is that why you bought him a new bike?” - Mr Kim chuckled - “Spoiling him lots? I know that trick. I tried it myself” 

“Did it work?” 

“Nope” 

“We are doomed” - Heechul was about to lost it - “I can’t take it. I can’t watch him suffer but I don’t want anyone to be hurt…”

“He reminds me of Gunhee” - Mr Kim sighed - “Your brother was a saint. A true angel, if you ask me” 

“I know” - Heechul held his chest. He loved his older brother so much - “He was the perfect brother” 

“But not always” 

“Yeah, well” - Heechul got the chills remembering all those episodes in which Gunhee yelled at him - “He would lose his temper… but I deserved it after all I did”

“Mmmm” - Mr Kim shook his head - “I wasn’t referring to that. Like I said, there are many things you don’t remember because you were younger” 

“Was Gunhee jealous when I was born?!”

“Maybe. We thought he wasn’t” - Mr Kim sighed - “He was very happy to be an older brother and he would go around talking about you non stop… but then, we started noticing not everything was as ‘happy’ we thought it was” 

——————————————————————————

Mrs Jung was helping Mrs Kim to fix some balloons. It was a birthday party for the oldest boy of the family. Gunhee was about to turn eight. He was playing a tag game with his dad and younger brother. 

“Oops! You won again!” - Mr Kim would let himself get caught by Heechul over and over again - “Such a fast boy!” 

The toddler would celebrate his tenth time winning in a row. Gunhee was starting to get a little annoyed over the fact his dad would always ‘lose’ to Heechul. He wanted to play seriously. He was fine with his dad being silly the first times… but he wanted to play well. 

“Dad, just the two of us” - Gunhee tried - “Please” 

“Fine” - Mr Kim placed the cute toddler inside a playpen - “Heechul, you play here a bit, ok?”

Instantly, the toddler started to cry. Mr Kim tried his best to console him, but he ended giving away and having to hold him. 

“You can’t” - Gunhee was scolding his dad - “I wanted to play soccer and it’s dangerous if you are holding him” 

“It’s ok, just don’t aim at him” - Mr Kim teased - “If I place him down, he will start crying again” 

A few minutes later, they were having a break. Gunhee was still upset over the fact Heechul wouldn’t stop joining them in whichever game they played. He loved his little brother… but it was annoying he couldn’t get time with his parents the way he used to before. 

“Bawoo!” - Heechul was trying to get a balloon from the decorations- “Mine!”

“Not yours” - Gunhee sat the toddler back on the chair - “Those balloons are for my birthday party. I will let you have them after it’s done, ok? But now, we need to let them there because mommy and Mrs Jung worked hard for—- NO!”

Heechul was once again crawling out of his chair and heading to the balloons by walking on the table. 

“Bad baby!” - Gunhee caught him - “You are going to get hurt and you are going to ruin their work!”

Heechul cried. As expected, the adults were now paying they attention. Gunhee was even more upset than before when his mom suggested him to stop nagging Heechul. She didn’t scold him directly, but he could tell it was a way to avoid an argument. 

“He was being bad” - Gunhee sulked - “He was walking on the table and it was dangerous” 

“Bawoo!” - Heechul pointed at the colorful balloons 

“Oh, no you can’t have those” - Mrs Kim kissed the boy - “You can stop forgetting about them, Kim Heechul”

Gunhee rejoiced. His birthday decoration wasn’t getting damaged by his silly brother. However, the toddler was stubborn. He would run back and try to climb the table to get the so called balloons. In a moment of weakness, the older brother ended placing his desires before his own. 

(Heechul is going to get hurt if he keeps climbing to get one. It’s a just a stupid balloon…)

“Here” - Gunhee got the balloon for his baby brother - “Don’t squeeze it too hard or it will pop, Kay?” 

“BAWOO!” 

Toddlers, were toddlers. The adults ran scared when they heard the loud sound followed by crying. 

“What happened?!” - Mrs Kim was deeply concerned when she found Heechul crying - “Did he get hurt?” 

“Bawoo!” - Heechul pointed at the leftovers of his balloon- “BOOM!”

“He squeezed it” - Gunhee explained - “I gave him one of those… and it exploded” 

“You did what?” - Mrs Kim voice was sterner than usual - “Gunhee, I said Heechul wasn’t supposed to play with balloons, didn’t I?” 

“Yes, but…” - Gunhee eyes were already glassy - “He wanted one and… it was dangerous if he kept climbing and…” 

“I get it, sweetie” - Mrs Kim was still serious but she didn’t want to scold him - “But toddlers aren’t supposed to play with balloons without adults around. In fact, they shouldn’t play with those. It’s dangerous for them” 

“Why?” - Gunhee was about to cry. He just wanted to be nice! Why was him causing troubles? It wasn’t his intention to hurt Heechul or annoy his mom! 

“Because they could swallow the leftovers and they could suffocate” 

Gunhee just nodded. After the incident, he and his brother were sent away to play while his mom finished decorating. He was a bit sad since it wasn’t his intention to cause troubles. Also, it was upsetting the ways thing turned out considering he didn’t want to give Heechul the balloon in the first place. He was still sulking over it when his mom announced she was done decorating. 

“Is it…?! … done?” - Gunhee looked around. It was pretty… but there wasn’t a single balloon on sight - “Mom, what happened to the balloons?” 

“I thought it was a bad idea” - Mrs Kim sighed - “Those could be dangerous…? W-wait… don’t you like it?”

Gunhee swallowed his thoughts. He missed the colorful balloons in the decorations but… he just couldn’t say so. His parents had worked so hard… it would sound like he was ungrateful. 

“It’s ok” - Gunhee faked a smile - “I think is perfect this way!” 

Mr Kim twisted his lips. He could tell. He just didn’t want to say it. But he could tell. 

Everyday was like that in the life of the Kim family. Mrs Kim was totally whipped for her boys. She couldn’t stop thinking how good they were. Mr Kim… he struggled to said what was on his mind. He loved both boys… but it was clear the firstborn wasn’t as happy as he said about being an older brother. 

However, Mrs Kim wasn’t oblivious of the situation. She knew very well Gunhee was getting jealous of the baby brother. She just didn’t want to think about it. She loved them both so much… she hoped they would love each other as well. 

It was confusing, but what kept Gunhee from doing something ‘stupid’ was actually the same as the source of his problems. Heechul was so but so cute. Even if he grew angry at him… the moment those cute eyes were on him, Gunhee melted. 

“NO—!” - Gunhee tried to stop Heechul from emptying his backpack- “Nevermind” 

“Pway!” - Heechul was clinging on his brother - “Pway pway pway!”

“After I’m done with homework” - Gunhee ruffled the toddler’s hair 

“Nuh! Nuh! Pway!” 

Heechul stomped his feet when Gunhee took out a pencil. He recognized those. His brother would spend hours doing stupid stuff on notebooks. 

“Let your brother study” - Mrs Jung was holding the now crying boy - “It’s amazing you still have so much energy left after running all morning” 

“PWAAAAAY! GWUHEE!” 

“Someone needs a nap” - Mrs Jung took the boy away 

Gunhee laughed. He found him annoying, yet so cute. The boy was focusing on his homework when a toddler stormed inside his bedroom and climbed him. 

“Heechul, aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” - Gunhee kissed him - “Come on, go sleep sleep in your room. We will play later” 

Gunhee sighed when the toddler fell asleep on him. Now, doing homework was a little more complicated… but still, Heechul was cute. And he smelled nice. It was a mix of baby products and that sweet scent of his own. His tummy would lift and go down with every breath. 

“Is Heechul here?” - Mrs Kim shook her head when he found the sleeping boy on his brother - “Giving troubles to your brother” 

“He can stay” - Gunhee said softly - “I’m almost done” 

“Good heavens, you are spoiling him too” - Mrs Kim giggled - “Heechul is driving everyone crazy” 

Indeed, the toddler was driving everyone crazy. Later on, Heechul toddler years  would be reminded by the Kim family forever. Actually, his whole life. But his toddlers years were unmatched when it came to causing uproars. 

“Sowy!” 

It was probably the word Heechul said the most. That single word and his pretty face were enough to make him immune to basically everything. It didn’t matter if the kid ruined an expensive painting by drawing on it or ate a full chocolate box by himself… he wasn’t getting punished at all. 

“Bad boy” - Gunhee scolded the little boy for playing with markers on the floor - “Look at what you did. Mrs Jung just finished cleaning after what you did in the bathroom!”

“Awt!”

“No, it’s not ‘art’ !” - Gunhee was serious - “Geez, stop causing troubles” 

“Geez!” - Heechul mimicked him - “Geez!” 

“Look, I’m not saying you can’t draw” - Gunhee was negotiating- “I’m just saying you can do it in your paper blocks and not on the floor… or walls” 

“Huh?” - Heechul his thump. He whined when Gunhee forced him to take it out - “UHHH!” 

“Mom said no more thump ” - Gunhee scolded - “You hurt your thump for too much, remember? HEY” 

Heechul was back to drawing on the floor. Gunhee took the marker away violently. He saved those in a place Heechul couldn’t reach and as a result, the toddler cried. 

“Why is my baby crying now?” - Mrs Kim was arriving from work - “What happened to you, baby boy?”

“GWUHEE!” - the toddler cried 

“Gunhee? Did your brother scold you?” - Mrs Kim held him - “And what did you do to deserve that?”

“He drew on the floor, made fun of me, his thump and then tried to draw on the floor. Again” 

Gunhee was stressed. His parents could tell. Last few months had been hard with him running after Heechul all time. They tried spoiling the oldest using toys and things ‘little kids couldn’t get’. Since Gunhee was too old for ‘baby stuff’. It was a trick to prevent the older boy getting jealous of Heechul getting pampered all time. Mrs Kim knew perfectly well how Gunhee would look at them when she changed Heechul’s diapers or gave him a bath. 

Mr Kim tried his best too. He would take Gunhee out with him and have ‘boys time’. Riding bikes, teaching him to use a screwdriver, even fishing. Everything he could to let him know being the oldest boy had his advantages as well. 

Sadly, the adults didn’t understand that siblings would be siblings not matter what. And sibling rivalry and jealousy come along with the description. The parents haven’t understood yet , that not everything was up to them. 

——————————————————————————-

“So… Gunhee was also jealous sometimes?” - Heechul scoffed - “I didn’t even notice”

“Because he was so good to you…” - Mr Kim smiled sweetly- “He was a very nice kid. But even the nicest kid in the world feels jealousy of their siblings at times. It’s a feeling they need to learn to live with”

“Right, but what can parents do?”

“Not scolding them that much and like your generation likes to say: ‘validating their feelings’ “

“I think we already do so?” - Heechul sighed - “But even so, something seems to be bugging him”

“Well, birthday dates are always a little hard”

“Mine were hard because you guys weren’t there” - Heechul made a face when he noticed his dad pouting - “I didn’t— what I mean, is that is not the same for Yesung” 

“He is growing older” - Mr Kim shrank shoulders - “I bet he has a lot in mind right now” 

“Do you think he…” - Heechul blushed a bit - “You know… girls?” 

“Maybe. Gunhee started getting interested in girls pretty fast but you took longer…” - Mr Kim smiled sweetly- “All boys are different” 

“Right. What else could a nine years old be worried about? “ - Heechul started pacing around - “videogames? Sports? I don’t know” 

“You tell me” 

“Dad! Grandpa!” - Yesung was running back to them - “why are you taking so looooooong?”

“Sorry baby, we were just talking” - Heechul feigned ignorance - “Where is your grandma?”

“Right here” - Mrs Kim was placing a few beverages on the table - “Hot choco for the birthday boy… and his dad. Coffee for the REAL adults” 

“Very funny” - Heechul rolled his eyes - “Did you put marshmallows in it?”

“Yes, sweetie” - Mrs Kim chuckled 

“Don’t tell mom you had this” - Heechul glanced at Yesung - “or your uncle. Too much sweets for the day… and you are brushing your teeth as soon as we get home”

“Or what?” - Yesung was annoyed since his dad was nagging him - “Is the toothfairy not going to come?” 

“Exactly” 

“She is not even real, is she?”

Heechul almost choked with the hot beverage. The old couple laughed as they helped Heechul to clean his face. 

“It’s not real” - Yesung seemed upset - “You lied to me” 

“What? No, Yesung” - Heechul tried his best - “The toothfairy is real…?”

“I want the truth!” - Yesung folded his arms - “The whole truth! I want to know about the toothfairy, Santa claus, Easter bunny…”

“What did you do now?” - Leeteuk opened the door in a bad mood as Heechul was back from their parents house with a pretty crying Yesung - “seriously? Today is his birthday”

“It’s not my fault! He asked for the truth!” - Heechul was about to cry himself - “I just thought… I didn’t think… I mean, he is nine already!”

“Mom is upset too” - Leeteuk sighed - “She says you not only traumatized him but also stopped them from having a nice warming moment at their place” 

“She exaggerates”

“She said Yesung wouldn’t calm down” - Leeteuk did a face - “And that he didn’t receive their gift for him because he was too busy crying” 

“Right, the gift” - Heechul was sad knowing so - “I suppose they can bring it here? I mean, we are going to gather for the birthday ‘dinner’ “

“I don’t want a birthday! It’s awful!” - Yesung sulked - “Santa is dead!”

“Yesung, Santa didn’t die” - Heechul was ready to make it worse - “It never existed to begin with… how could it be dead?”

Yesung cried harder. 

“Nice job” - Leeteuk smiled sarcastically- “Truly ‘A’ plus parenting” 

“Teuk, I…” 

Heechul sighed when Leeteuk took the boy with him and closed the door leaving him outside. He had keys… but the gesture was a way of saying you ‘have done enough’ . Heechul limited himself to park the new bike he had to drag to the house since the boy was too upset to ride back. So far, Yesung was having a hard time during his birthday. 

“Why are you crying?” - Sungmin asked his brother the very moment Yesung upstairs full of tears followed by a busy Leeteuk 

“NOTHING IS REAL! TOOTHFAIRY ISNT REAL! SANTA IS GONE! 

He slammed the door. The boys playing in the living room exchanged confused looks. 

“I think is hormonal” - Sungmin told a very panicked Heeyeon - “My friend has a big sister that is going through puberty and is just the same” 

“Mom, toothfairy isnt real?” - Eunhyuk frowned - “Why?” 

“Santa is” - Donghae said confidently- “He brings us presents all Christmas” 

“They are all real” - Heeyeon tried - “Yesung must be confused” 

“No, he is not” - Siwon shook his head - “My tooth fell a few days ago and there wasn’t money. But then we told you and boom. Money” 

“Well, that’s because the toothfairy doesn’t really come personally to each house” - Heeyeon prayed for her imagination to be big enough to satisfy the children - “She is like the bigger boss. One of them. And she hires another people and fairies around the world to help her accomplish her tasks” 

“Whoah” - the boys eyes sparkled 

“So, the toothfairy is your boss?” - Siwon was so gullible

“But how does she send you the money?” - Kangin inquired - “And how you send her back the teeth?” 

“Mail” - Heeyeon said full of confidence- “I mail her your teeth and she sends me money directly at my bank account” 

“Whoaaaaah” - Eunhyuk was happy - “Mommy, is it because you are a fairy?”

“Sure” 

“Is Cherry going to be a fairy too?” - Donghae placed his little hands on Heeyeon’s belly - “Is she going to have wings?” 

“I don’t want her to have wings” - Siwon pouted 

“She won’t” - Sungmin replied first - “Mama doesn’t have wings” 

“That’s right” - Heeyeon nodded - “Not all fairies have wings” 

“I would have liked to have wings” - Donghae shrank shoulders - “Like a bug! Bzzzzz!”

“I would have been a pretty butterfly” - Eunhyuk said dreamy 

“I think you got stuck as caterpillar” - Kangin  

“Chilling inside a cocoon seems nice” - Sungmin stretched merrily 

Heeyeon breath peacefully as she managed to solve the situation about magic creatures for a while. She knew that trick would not last that much since Yesung wasn’t going to fall for it… and the boys would all grow older. But, she just wanted to protect their innocence for a little longer. Somehow, she thought that believing in magic and that type of stuff, would make them kids full of imagination and happy memories. 

Yesung was still in despair. He asked for the truth… but he didn’t think he wouldn’t be able to face it. He somehow thought Heechul would lie to him again and say all those creatures were real. He felt his childhood falling apart as they took from him that cute feeling of joy whenever he found something a magical entity left for him. 

“Uncle… when did you learn toothfairy wasn’t real?” - Yesung asked sadly 

“Mmmmm” - Leeteuk twisted his lips - “I think when I was seven?” 

“That young?” - Yesung pitied him - “Why?” 

“Because… I started attending elementary school and realized that children from outside the orphanage received actual coins in exchange from their teeth” 

“You didn’t get any money?” - Yesung was now feeling even sadder - “ No one did the trick for you?”

“They did” - Leeteuk smiled softly - “But not with money. Our ‘toothfairy’ had money issues, so, it left us a few wrapped candies… you know, those that are really colorful” 

“What about Santa?” 

“Pretty much the same” - Leeteuk gave him another smile - “He actually left toys but… he never got us what we asked for. We only got cheap toys that you could find in the town store” 

“Sounds… sad” - Yesung looked at him with big sorry eyes - “I’m sorry” 

“For what? I think my childhood was awesome” - Leeteuk hugged the kid - “I got something even better than coins or a cool toy”

“What was that?”

“Magic” - Leeteuk playfully shook the boy - “The same one your dad tried so hard to give you” 

“But it’s not real” - Yesung gulped down - “It’s all a lie” 

“Not everything” - Leeteuk touched his chest right on his heart - “Tell me something. How did you feel last Christmas when you found that present under the tree?”

“Happy?” - Yesung sulked - “But that was before I knew Santa wasn’t real” 

“But that’s a good memory, isn’t it?” - Leeteuk tried - “And it’s a good one. Even if you know what really happened that day, it doesn’t change how you felt and all the magic of the moment” 

“B-but now that I know that it isn’t real I won’t have more magical moments” - Yesung was sad about it - “I can’t just pretend it’s real” 

“The magic doesn’t stop there” - Leeteuk said softly- “Once you get older and you realize toothfairy or Santa aren’t the ones leaving your gifts… you become them yourself and help spreading the magic” 

“How?” - Yesung wiped his face using his sleeve 

“You could help your dad setting the gifts under the tree or going shopping for them” - Leeteuk whispered - “You are a Santa’s helper now” 

“Oh” - Yesung liked the idea - “And I, uhm, collect the letters too?”

“Yup”

“Ok, I like it … but how is that magical for me?” - Yesung asked looking for comfort

“There is no better magic than joy” - Leeteuk was doing his best - “and there is no bigger joy—“

“Than sharing!” - Yesung nodded - “Thanks uncle! I feel a lot better!”

“You are welcome” 

Heechul opened the door and almost crashed with the boy. 

“Yesung, I—“

“Dad, I want to apologize” - Yesung cleared his throat - “uncle made me realize, I was wrong. I appreciate all you have been doing for me” 

Heechul was speechless. He just accepted the kind hug his boy gave him before storming out of his room. 

“Don’t thank me” - Leeteuk patted his shoulder - “You are the one paying for my studies so” 

Yesung’s first birthday party was a success. Donghee and his family, the Kim couple and the Ahn were all there. The adults had a nice chat while the kids played hard. They sang the birthday song and it was time to blow the candles. 

“Blow them, Yesung!” - Heechul was recording the moment 

Yesung took air… and Eunhyuk blew the candles first. 

“Oh boy” - Mina bit her lips

“Hyukkie!” - Heeyeon scolded from behind Heechul 

Yesung didnt even bother putting on a face, crying or throwing a tantrum. He carefully removed all candles… and then pressed Eunhyuk’s face into the cake very deep.  

“How weird” - Heechul turned to Leeteuk and Heeyeon - “You are not saying anything”

“He deserves it” - Heeyeon sounded upset - “I worked hours on that cake” 

“He is not harming him” - Leeteuk shrank shoulders - “Just teaching him a lesson” 

“Well” - Mr Kim was telling his wife - “This brings back some memories” 

“Gunhee would have never do that to Heechul” - Donghee scoffed 

“No, but Heechul did it to you” - Mrs Kim nodded with a blank look 

———————————————————————————

“Why is he here?” - Gunhee tried to hide his annoyance without success - “He is not going to like it” 

“Maybe he will” - Mr Kim was holding an squirming toddler - “and Mrs Jung needed some free days” 

“Heechul, do you need to go potty?” - Mrs Kim squinted her eyes at the boy she was trying to potty train - “Do you need to pee?” 

The toddler shook his head and laughed. Gunhee sighed. It was supposed to be a nice family outing… for only him and his parents. Heechul was still too small to take part of most games at Disneyland after all. 

“WHOAAAAAAH!” - Heechul wouldn’t stop screaming out of happiness whenever he recognized a popular character - “WAAAAAAA!” 

It’s not like he had a bad time, but Gunhee was upset since they couldn’t do anything they wanted. Heechul was a toddler and like any toddler… he had his own agenda, that, of course… dragged the whole family. Eating breaks, diaper changes, naps… Gunhee was so done when Heechul demanded over and over the same attraction for the third time straight. 

“We already did that!” - Gunhee protested - “Let’s move and do something else!”

“Nooooooooo” 

“Gunhee, sweetheart” - Mrs Kim tried - “why don’t you go with your dad and I stay here with your brother?” 

“We came together” - Gunhee complained - “We are supposed to be together”

Gunhee thought for a moment. His parents would do what Heechul wanted… if so, then he only needed to trick Heechul into asking for another attraction. 

“Hey, look at that” - Gunhee held his baby brother - “See? It looks fun, right?”

“Fun~” - Heechul’s eyes sparkled- “Wanna twy!” 

“Of course, you do” - Gunhee was pleased - “Now go tell mom”

Heechul accomplished his mission. Minutes later, Gunhee was face palming himself. His brother only had eyes for the ice cream… he misunderstood the assignment. 

“Oh, Heechul” - Mrs Kim saw crying coming when the boy’s ice cream ended on the ground - “Shhh, it’s ok. We will have another one” 

“GEEZ!” - Gunhee whined when Heechul also managed to make him drop his ice cream… on his pants - “Look at this! Such a mess!” 

“Poo?” - Heechul pointed at the now stained pants 

“UNLIKE YOU, I DONT POOP MY PANTS” - Gunhee was red from embarrassment- “THIS IS CHOCOLATE THAT YOU SPILLED” 

“Oh” - Heechul did a face - “Sowy” 

“Gunhee, enough” - Mr Kim sighed - “I will go look for more ice cream…” 

“And I will get you some napkins” - Mrs Kim walked away a few meters - “Keep an eye on your brother, I will be right back” 

“Sure” - Gunhee gave Heechul a bad look - “It’s not like you could disappear, right?” 

Gunhee rolled his eyes and turned to the other side to see their mother asking for napkins. 

“Such a mess” - Gunhee sighed and turned back to the kid… but he wasn’t there - “HEECHUL?” 

Gunhee panicked. How? It was just a few seconds and he lost it?! His parents were going to kill him… but also… what if something happened to him?! He was a toddler! Lost in a big crowd! 

Gunhee started looking around. He walked away trying to find his little brother. He got mixed with the crowd and ended getting far from the bench they originally were. 

“Heechul?” - Gunhee looked around - “Heechul?!” 

“GWUHEE!” - Heechul’s voice echoed 

“Heechul, where are—- “ - Gunhee had never seen his mother so angry - “Mom?”

“What were you thinking?! Running away like that!” - Mrs Kim was so scared when Gunhee disappeared from her sight - “How could you this to me?” 

“I… Heechul…”

“He was there!” - Mrs Kim held the toddler tightly - “When I turned to you, he was the only one there! You were running away!” 

“Dizzapeaw!” 

Heechul playfully covered his face using his hands. Gunhee got it. Heechul was playing hide and seek and he fell for it. He was so but so angry… 

“I think it’s enough for today” - Mrs Kim turned to almost crash with her husband holding two ice cream - “we are leaving” 

“Now?” - Mr Kim was puzzled - “Why…?” 

Gunhee ignored his dad and followed his mom full of anger. 

“Gwuhee, loo’ “ - Heechul was having ice cream inside the car… and making a mess - “Ize cweam” 

The older boy turned his face the other way when the little one tried to feed him. 

“Uh?  Ahhhhh” - Heechul was trying to feed him an spoonful - “AHHHH” 

“I don’t want ice cream!” - Gunhee grunted - “This is all your fault!” 

“Gunhee, don’t talk like that to your brother” - Mrs Kim warned 

The toddler didn’t understand what was going on. He just kept making his mess with ice cream while his brother refused to talk to him. 

Gunhee cried himself to sleep that night. He was so but so close to hurt him. He felt horrible just thinking about it. The very moment he understood Heechul had played a joke on him… his first thought was relief… but the second? He wanted to punch him. The only reason he didn’t do so was because their mother was there. 

A few days later, Gunhee turned nine. Birthday party was good, even though Heechul did his own mischief. The firstborn got gifted a beautiful camera. He loved photography and had been starting to show big interest on that field. 

He spent the whole week after his birthday looking for things he could take a photo of. Flowers, bees, a kitty… everything. As a result his first film roll was filled pretty quickly. His dad asked him to wait for him to replace it… after all, cameras were delicate and if the film roll got ‘exposed’ the whole pictures would be ruined. 

He went to shower. He needed to be ready by the time his dad came for him! They were going to the store to reveal those precious first pictures! He was coming out of the bathroom when he heard noise in his room. It wasn’t unusual Heechul would get inside to play. 

“Heechul, you better be not peeing on my stuff again” - Gunhee sighed. So far, potty training was a nightmare - “And if you did, I would appreciate you told me where before I found it the bad way” 

“No pee pee!” - Heechul puffed his cheeks - “I good” 

“I’m good? Sure, buddy” - Gunhee was dressing himself when he spotted his camera open - “Why is this…?” 

He spotted Heechul holding something in his little hands. 

“No, no” - Gunhee grew nervous - “Give it back, please” 

“Diz?” - Heechul showed it up playfully - “Catch me!” 

“HEECHUL IS NOT FUNNY!” - Gunhee ran behind his brother - “Give it back! Come on!”

“Noooo~ !!” - The toddler was running fast 

“Kids! Hey!” - Mrs Jung chased after them - “Don’t play like that! You are going to hurt yourselves!”

“Give it back, Heechul!” - Gunhee was running really fast but the toddler had height advantage as he could fit behind furniture - “Heechul!”

“Pway! Pway! Pway!”

“What’s going on here?” - Mrs Kim arrived from work and found the house upside down - “Gunhee?  Heechul?”

“Mommy!” - Heechul ran to her and dropped the film roll 

“I got it” - Gunhee noticed the exposed film. Apparently, his little brother had managed to pull the film out somehow… meaning his pictures were most likely ruined - “N-no way” 

“Gwuhee! Mommy!” - Heechul ran to his older brother to tell him their mom was back - “Loo, mommy!” 

Mr Kim was crossing the door when he saw the scene. Gunhee slapped Heechul really hard and his wife couldn’t prevent it at all. Even if it was just one time, he could tell that if the mother haven’t reacted fast… more would have followed. 

“Gunhee, are you out of your mind?!” - Mrs Kim was protecting Heechul- “He is a toddler! Look at his face!” 

“I…” - Gunhee shaking his head - “H-he ruined my film” 

“To the corner ” - his mom was truly unhappy - “You earned a time out”  

“But—“

“NOW” 

Gunhee left in tears. It wasn’t his intention. He knew he did wrong. He just… couldn’t help it. He was so upset about the pictures he forgot Heechul was really little for a moment. Also, considering what he had done… he didn’t think his mother ‘punishment’ was enough. He was sitting on a chair facing the wall but that was it. He was so lost in his own mind he didn’t realize he wasn’t alone. He flinched when he felt something leaning on his knees. 

“H-Heechul…” - Gunhee squeaked from crying - “W-what are you doing here?” 

Heechul gave him a sad but tender look. The toddler pouted like little kids did. 

“Gwuhee zad…” - Heechul rubbed his face against his knees. It was as far as his height let him be at the moment- “No cwy…”

“Look at your face” - Gunhee felt even worse noticing the red swollen cheek - “I did this to you… Oh my, oh my…” 

“Howd me, howd me” - Heechul was stretching his arms - “upppppp!”

“No ‘up’ now” - Gunhee said softly - “I’m grounded. I can’t play now… and pretty much sure I shouldn’t be talking either” 

“Hmmm” - Heechul sat next to him on the floor. In silence. Something weird coming from the usually noisy toddler 

“What are you doing now?” - Mrs Kim was walking towards them holding an ice pack - “Cmon, Heechul. Let me see your face again” 

“We gwounde’ “ - Heechul frowned in a funny way - “shhhh! No tawkin’ !”

Gunhee looked at his mom. Both of them laughed. Heechul was definitely the same silly brat as always. 

“Were you a bad boy?” - Mrs Kim laughed again when Heechul nodded - “do you know that did you do wrong?”

“Kamewa” - Heechul pointed at the film roll his dad was holding - “No touchin’ “ 

“No touching, right?” - Mr Kim shook the camera roll a bit - “We talked about this before. You shouldn’t play with your brother stuff” 

“Bad boy” - Heechul pouted 

“Are you alright?” - Mrs Kim was hugging Gunhee - “I’m sorry, sweetheart” 

“I’m the one who is sorry” - Gunhee cried again - “I hit him! I shouldn’t have! Look at his face!”

“I know you didn’t want to” - their mom was understanding. She knew Gunhee had been bottling up some feelings for a long time - “It’s not easy being an older brother but you are amazing” 

“I slapped him” - Gunhee sobbed - “So hard… over… pictures!” 

“It’s hard to control your emotions all time” - Mr Kim ruffled his hair - “but you know? I think it would be easier to speak what’s on your mind rather than exploding when you less expect it. I bet it had been hard for you since Heechul was born” 

“You are not angry?” - Gunhee looked at his parents - “He is your baby” 

“And so are you” - Mrs Kim kissed him - “Forever. Not matter what” 

“I won’t hit him again” - Gunhee wiped his tears - “I promise” 

“I would like to say he won’t ruin your pictures again… but you know that’s impossible” - Mr Kim chuckled - “And he will find other ways to drive you crazy in the future” 

“Please don’t hit your baby brother again” - Mrs Kim hugged her sons - “don’t fight, ok? Mommy doesn’t like it when her boys fight”

“Here you go” - Mr Kim placed a new camera roll for the boy - “You can start all over”

“What should I take pictures of?” - Gunhee looked at his lovely baby brother - “I get it. You are going to be my first model” 

Heechul tilted his head. His cheek was doing better thanks to the ice pack. 

“Stay here, don’t move” - Gunhee placed the toddler in the middle of the living room much to his parents amusement- “I will search for the perfect angle” 

They played like that for over an hour. Gunhee would even go as far as changing Heechul clothes or setting stuff for scenarios. Their parents were truly enjoying the photo session. They already knew the kid was going to end using the whole roll that night but who cared. At least they were playing together and looked happy. 

“Is he going to do what I think…?” - Mrs Kim bit her lips noticing Heechul’s awkward pose 

“Yup” - Mr Kim was holding back his laughter 

“What are you doing?” - Gunhee was upset when Heechul moved during a picture- “You are not supposed to squat now” 

“Poo?” 

“Oh, well you can poop” - Gunhee sighed - “But you are not supposed to do it in your underwear” 

Heechul stood up again and gave his brother a puzzled look. 

“Come here” - Gunhee was holding a potty for kids - “we pull down our pants and sit here” 

“If Gunhee manages Heechul to poop in the potty we are buying him a new bike” - Mrs Kim told her husband 

“Stay there, ok?” - Gunhee took some distance 

“What’s he…? Oh” - Mr Kim laughed - “This is funny” 

“Well, I do admit he looks cute but…” - Mrs Kim also chuckled when their firstborn decided to continue their photo session. 

(He is cute… and also, one day I could blackmail him with these) Gunhee kept taking pictures with a huge smile. 

—————————————————————————————-

Yesung was too energetic to go to sleep. He felt great. He was busy checking the gift from his grandparents. It was a cute camera. 

“Say cheese!” - Yesung took a picture of Heechul as soon as he entered his bedroom - “It came out nice! Look at your face!”

“I guess your grandparents will like to know you are giving it good use” - Heechul teased - “It’s way past bedtime and tomorrow we still have a big day ahead” 

“We are going to the museum” - Yesung was happy since he got to choose the place of their next outing - “And my birthday party in the afternoon”

“Exactly” - Heechul kissed him and removed his glasses - “that’s why you need to go to sleep” 

“Fine” - Yesung let Heechul tuck him in the bed - “Goodnight, daddy”

“Goodnight, buddy” - Heechul turned off the lights when the kid took his hand - “Something the matter?”

“Not really” - Yesung cuddled in his bed - “But I would like you to stay until I fall asleep” 

“Do you want me… to tell you a story?” - Heechul tried 

“But not read” - Yesung shook his head softly - “I want to hear yours. From when you were young” 

“Do you want to hear about the time I set on fire  the Christmas tree or when I put a frog in your uncle’s backpack?” 

“I already know those” - Yesung yawned - “Tell me another one” 

“What about the time I flooded the backyard?” 

“I don’t know that one” - Yesung grew interested 

“Neither your grandparents” - Heechul whispered - “Only Gunhee and Mrs Jung knew” 

———————————————————————————

Author comments: 

Another update yay \O/ 
Yesung is such a funny boy ><