Leeteuk was aware they had a big problem. He used to worry about them not being able to be the caregivers Henry needed but turned out that was actually an irrational fear: Henry was really easy to care of and he loved being in the house. 
 

The real problem was, he never expected so much anger from the siblings. Except the triplets who seemed to not care at all about having another baby brother, all the kids had changed their behaviour radically. Maybe it was because the triplets were born being three and the twins were born soon after them, they didn’t get jealous easily. Maybe. Leeteuk wanted to believe it was because of that and not because they didn’t understand Henry wasn’t a toy or a pet. 

Heechul was still sulking over the fact his older kids started giving him a cold treatment. Kyuhyun’s tantrums increased in number and intensity. The boy went as far as trying to slap the baby in a few occasions. Ryeowook was a time bomb in Leeteuk’s eyes. The boy seemed to love the idea of being a big brother but the fact Henry could compete for Heechul’s attention was something to worry about since the boy was totally used to Heechul often doted on him. Thing that had started to get worse as the parent felt guilty. 

“He can eat by himself” - Leeteuk scolded again after catching Heechul feeding Ryeowook on his lap for the fourth day in a row - “Stop doing that. He was just fine eating by himself in his high chair” 

“He is wearing a cast” - Heechul was always defensive when it came to excuse Ryeowook’s spoiled behaviours - “He eats better like this” 

Ryeowook glared at the babysitter. No one would sabotage his daddy spoiling time. Not even him. 

“He is manipulative” - Leeteuk sighed - “He is not different from the others. He also wants your attention but the difference is that he is smart and cunning” 

Ryeowook leaned on Heechul’s chest in a cute way. Heechul kissed his head several times. 

“He is going to overpower you in a few days and I don’t want to interfere” - Leeteuk warned - “You already have tons of things to worry about. You just can’t create another problem” 

“Don't talk like that. You make it sound like if it was his fault he is got a broken arm” - Heechul got upset - “He is just clingy because he feels sick, nothing else” 

Leeteuk could swear he saw Ryeowook giggling at him. He just rolled his eyes and decided that while the boy didn’t try anything risky, he would just let it pass. 

“Have you seen my backpack?” - Yesung entered the kitchen. 

“I think I—“ 

“I wasn’t talking to you. I was asking Uncle Teuk” - Yesung cut Heechul coldly - “Have you seen it?” 

“That’s not the way to speak to your uncle” - Leeteuk lectured - “And yes, I saw it on the desk right behind the nur—“ 

“THANKS!” - Yesung disappeared. 

“He is still upset” - Heechul gulped down - “And mad at me” 

“I didn’t expect Yesung to be so mad about it” - Leeteuk folded his arms - “I thought he would be used to welcome little siblings” 

“What do you think?” - Kangin asked as he showed off his new pajama - “Today is pajama day at kindergarten and we were told to wear one. I chose this one but I’m not sure” 

“I think it’s cool” - Heechul smiled - “Give me a hi five” 

Kangin did it with a smile. The boy wouldn’t get angry unless the baby was around. He wasn’t mad at Heechul but he disliked the baby. Leeteuk was more worried about the fact Yesung’s jealousy towards him was now redirected at Henry. 

Siwon was a whole new level. The boy was now utterly quiet and experienced what Leeteuk called ‘a regression’. He even behaved more childish than his own younger brothers. Bed wetting was an issue again and he seemed to have troubles adapting to his new life as the daycare teachers sent Heechul some worry reports. 

“Oh, Henry is awake” - Heechul listened to the baby’s cry - “I should go get him” 

Ryeowook pouted the very moment his spoiling time was over and Heechul placed him on the floor. Action that Leeteuk didn’t miss. 

“Are you sad?” - Leeteuk tried 

“Nuh” - Ryeowook shook his head - “Hewy zad” 

“Henry is crying because he wants attention” - Leeteuk explained - “He is very small and needs help all the time. Are you also a baby?” 

“No. Big boy” - Ryeowook folded his arms. The boy had a temper - “Wookie big bowthe! No baby!” 

“Ok ok” - Leeteuk apologized - “I just wanted to make sure” 

“Hmp!” - Ryeowook stomped his feet. Leeteuk was sure the boy was jealous but his pride wouldn’t let him admit it. 

“Look who is also awake” - Heechul had a hard time convincing Kyuhyun to walk as the boy just wanted to get hold - “Kyunnie is in a bad mood today! Again...” 

“DADAAAA...” - Kyuhyun refused to sit in his high chair - “NOOOO!” 

It only got worse when the toddler demanded a bottle like the one Heechul used to feed Henry. It started a discussion between the two adults as Heechul granted that wish and Leeteuk was against it.

“Not a bottle! He is 21 months old!” 

“Exactly! He is 21 months old! He doesn’t care about it! He is jealous because Henry got one and he didn’t!” 

“You can’t just pretend it’s normal! You are teaching him it’s alright to behave like that!” 

“If you are so smart then why you don’t fix it yourself?!” 

Again, Leeteuk was sure he caught Ryeowook laughing at him. 

The triplets were as cheerful as always. They ran to their teachers and waved goodbye like everyday. Siwon refused to let go Heechul’s hand. 

“What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?” - Heechul asked the boy that would only groan instead of talking. 

Siwon nodded. 

“Really?” - Heechul kneeled down - “Does your tummy hurt?” 

Siwon nodded again. It was obvious he was lying but Heechul seemed to fall for it. 

“I’m sure it just nothing” - Leeteuk pulled Heechul’s ear - “We have to go” 

“But...” 

Siwon cried when Heechul turned to the other side. Heechul’s heart got hurt. Leeteuk just sighed as the parent tried to get back. 

“Don’t do it. It’s going to be worse if you give him hopes” - Leeteuk felt bad for them but the kids just couldn’t get whatever they wanted just because they were upset. 

At the mansion, Kyuhyun kept hitting awful tantrums every single time Heechul checked on Henry. About every five minutes. 

“Dada... hug me...” - Ryeowook was up to his show again - “Huwtz” 

“Your arm?” - Heechul carried the boy. He was sure Leeteuk was right about him melting for Ryeowook but still couldn’t fight it - “Awww my poor boy” 

Kyuhyun stopped crying and was now busy playing with a few toys Leeteuk got him. The babysitter knew that it was better to redirect their focus rather than giving up and giving them what they wanted. Heechul didn’t see it that way. He thought that if he showed his kids more affection than ever, they would forget that insane fear of getting displaced. Sadly, he didn’t realize it wasn’t like that for toddlers and he was just creating a looping in which he spoiled all the kids like he never did before. Even allowing things that weren’t good at all. 

“If your arm hurts, we can always call the doctor to give you a shot” - Leeteuk told the toddler that cuddled in Heechul’s arms - “I bet he has a really big needle” 

“Nuh!” - Ryeowook shook his head - “No Huwtz! Tummy weidz !” 

“Ah~ so is your tummy?” - Leeteuk rubbed the boy’s belly - “Do you want to go potty? Maybe if we sit in the toilet for a while, you will poop and it won’t hurt anymore” 

Ryeowook shook his head and his thump. Heechul only laughed. 

“Let him be” - Heechul told the nanny - “I know you think he is lying but it’s maybe because of the pain killers. Ryeowook is a good boy~ right?” 

Ryeowook nodded. 

“Uhm, Then he won’t mind if we go to the kitchen for a moment right?” - Leeteuk gestured Heechul to leave the kid alone - “We need to prepare the snacks” 

“ ‘nackzz!” - Ryeowook chirped excited - “Give Wookie nackzzz!” 

“Nackz! Nackz!” - Kyuhyun clapped happily 

Henry did some babbling as he heard his brothers. Kyuhyun cried as soon as he remembered Henry was still there. 

“Come here” - Leeteuk took Heechul to the kitchen - “Sit. We need to have a talk about you and your way of spoiling them because you feel guilty” 

“I know! But I can’t stop!” - Heechul admitted it was true - “It's not only the twins... I have also fallen for the other ones. I bought Yesung new puzzles and a new soccer ball for Kangin. I know they don’t need those but I can’t just...” 

Heechul was stressed. He wasn’t sure of how to handle it. The kids were obviously upset since they learned they had a new baby brother and they probably saw him as a rival for Heechul’s attention rather than a new sibling. Heechul didn’t want to hurt any children’s feeling. He wanted to please everyone but at the same time he feared the kids could learn it was ok to resent Henry. He was sure he wasn’t giving a clear message. 

“We will figure it out, don’t worry” - Leeteuk patted his friend‘s back - “we just need to give them time to adjust to the idea and set some limits. I agree that we need to show them Henry is not replacing them, but there are better ways to make a kid feel loved rather than just granting their wishes” 

“DADA! WOOKIE AWKCIDENT!” - Ryeowook shouted - “PEE!”

Heechul sighed. He looked at Leeteuk and nodded. 

“It’s alright! I’m coming!” - Heechul went out the kitchen expecting to find a wet child and puddle in the floor. But he didn’t find that. 

“Oh God” - Heechul checked the toddler’s pajama - “Teuk!”

“Wookie sowwy” - Ryeowook thought Heechul could be angry at his accident since the parent remained silent for a while - “Awccident... undies...” 

“What... oh my God” - Leeteuk realized Ryeowook was probably not lying when he said his stomach felt weird. The boy had soiled his pants with something that wasn’t close enough to be called poop. 

“He got diarrhea” - Heechul carried the boy carefully - “Lets get you clean, Wookie. It’s ok, you did well” 

Heechul felt sorry as the boy keep telling him he had an accident. He told him several times it was ok since he was sick but Ryeowook felt guilty for the mess. 

“Let’s just wear a diaper ok? I know you don’t like them but you are sick” - Heechul pampered the boy in a try to avoid a tantrum - “Tell daddy if you need to go potty or you need a change, ok? No one will get angry if you have an accident” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook didn’t understand at all what was going on with his body. He just felt sorry as he couldn’t prevent the accident. He was so confused he couldn’t even distinguish if he had peed or pooped. 

“How is he?” - Leeteuk felt sorry for not believing the boy - “Gosh, I thought he was faking it” 

“Me too” - Heechul scratched his head - “I wonder what could have caused it. At least he looks fine” 

They kept an eye on Ryeowook as he played with his toys. The boy seemed energetic as always. Leeteuk relaxed a little bit and tried to just take it easy. 

“Look how he crawls” - Heechul was beyond pleased seeing his youngest son crawling towards him - “You are so good, Henry!” 

“TARAHSHAHA!” - Henry often screamed weird things as he got happy - “Thehshashsb!” 

“Hewy noizy!” - Kyuhyun complained as he threw a block to his brother 

“Hey!” - Heechul stopped him on time for the second one. Leeteuk was thankful for the fact Kyuhyun was bad at aiming. 

“Look, he wants to play with us” - Heechul sat Kyuhyun on his lap in a try to teach him how to treat his new brother - “He is just learning to crawl” 

“Ztupit” - Kyuhyun grunted 

“No, he is not stupid. He is just a baby” 

Ryeowook also wanted to play. He started crawling next to Henry and the baby couldn’t be more pleased. 

“ASISJSJ!” - Henry laughed out loud - “WEISJSHA!” 

“DADADADADA!” - Ryeowook tried to imitate the sounds Henry made - “KUKUKU!” 

Henry loved it. Heechul was happy seeing how two of his sons found a way of communicating. Leeteuk admitted he was wrong. Apparently, Ryeowook was just fine with Henry and loved the baby. 

“Be careful” - Heechul warned in a soft way - “You are bigger than him so you are stronger” 

He wanted Ryeowook to play with the baby but he also worried the boy was clumsy as he used to play with older kids. He probably could hurt Henry by accident. 

“Wookie hugs Hewy!” - Despite being a victim of Ryeowook’s unintentional violence, Henry was happy. 

“We are lucky Henry is tougher than we expected” - Leeteuk smiled - “He will need to survive to Ryeowook’s love” 

“Love hurts” - Heechul agreed. He took a deep breath when Ryeowook kissed the boy violently. 

The caregivers were so immersed looking at the scene they didn’t realize when Kyuhyun stopped complaining. The boy was just looking at his brothers calmly. 

“Uh oh” - Ryeowook suddenly stopped playing and walked to Heechul - “Diapey” 

“Let me check” - Heechul sighed. Whatever it was it wasn’t over yet - “Let's go wash” 

Leeteuk was thinking about Ryeowook’s stomach problem when he saw Kyuhyun approaching the baby. He wanted to stop him as he feared for Henry’s well-being but Kyuhyun only patted his head. 

“Are you playing with Henry?” - Leeteuk was sure Kyuhyun was trying to play just like he saw Ryeowook did - “You can touch him like this” 

“Soft” - Kyuhyun giggled as he rubbed Henry’s cheeks - “Hewy soft” 

“He is soft” - Leeteuk giggled 

“Tiny” - Kyuhyun found amazing how small were Henry’s feet - “Baby” 

“All done”  - Heechul returned with a clean Ryeowook only to find Kyuhyun hugging Henry - “What on earth...?” 

“WOOKIE PWAYS HEWY TOO!” - Ryeowook ran to his brothers 

Henry had a long way to go as he had to survive his brothers’s love. The twins were still pretty clumsy and sometimes went too hard on him but Henry loved it anyway. Being the new toy of the twins was way better than lying alone in a incubator. 

“Kyu, you are also a big brother Now” - Heechul explained - “Are you ready for that?” 

“Uhum” - Kyuhyun nodded happily. Heechul was sure Kyuhyun still didn’t understand but at least he wasn’t crying anymore - “Kyu loves Hewy” 

“You do? Wow that’s amazing” 

“Hewy Cute” - Ryeowook giggled as Henry rolled. The toddler imitated his little brother. 

Leeteuk had a hard time now that the twins wanted to help with the baby. He got a shock when the kids tried to feed him something colourful. 

“Hey Hey Hey” - Leeteuk confiscated the soft weird candy - “You can’t just feed Henry this~” 

“Sowwy” - The twins apologized. They didn’t have bad intentions. They just wanted to share. 

“Where did you get this?” - Leeteuk found the animal soft candy weird. He haven’t seen it before. 

“Hewe!” - Ryeowook showed him a bottle filled with colourful animal candies that somehow made Leeteuk suspicious. The babysitter inspected the label and almost die. 

“These are not candy, Wook” - Leeteuk shook his head - “These are medicines” 

“Uh? Where did you get that?” - Heechul pointed at the bottle - “Those are the laxatives I bought for Kyuhyun” 

“And you told him it was candy” - Leeteuk started to understand - “Why would you give them the bottle? It’s dangerous!”

“I didn’t give it to them. The triplets took it from me but I didn’t care since the lid is special and kids can’t open it” - Heechul shuddered - “Even I had troubles opening it. Just try” 

Heechul was right. It wasn’t easy. Leeteuk struggled for a while before succeeding. He put the lid back on and shook the bottle. Ryeowook asked for it. The babysitter just gave it to him. 

“Well you are right, they can’t—“ 

Ryeowook removed the lid with skill. He somehow learned how to do it and made it look so easy the adults got scared. 

“Maybe he is smarter than us” - Heechul paled 

“Heechul... how many of those...?”

Heechul got the hint and retrieved the bottle quickly. He emptied it contents on the table and counted. 

“Oh God” - Heechul realized his mistake - “I underestimated you. HE ATE THEM!” 

Ryeowook chuckled. He didn’t understand at all but he found funny he ate the ‘candy’ Heechul thought he couldn’t get out of the bottle. 

“Now we know what gave him diarrhea” - Leeteuk face palmed himself - “Please keep that bottle in a safe place. Ryeowook is smarter than we think” 

“Sweetie you cant eat whatever you want” - Heechul tried to explain the toddler - “You have to tell Dada first ok?” 

“Uhm” - Ryeowook doubted - “ ‘Kay”

“I hope he didn’t share” - Heechul sighed 

“He was trying to share with Henry” 

Heechul almost fainted. He still remembered that triplets also shared their food with the twins despite his warnings about Ryeowook being lactose intolerant. Donghae shared his cheese omelette with the boy more than once. 

Lunch time was better that day. At least Leeteuk convinced Ryeowook to get into his high chair and Kyuhyun didn’t cry from jealousy when Heechul fed Henry. The youngest toddler took a spoonful from the baby’s food and concluded that his dad must hate Henry because it was awful. 

Henry seemed to love it but the toddlers found It disgusting and couldn’t understand why Heechul would feed Henry something that tasted ‘bad’ . 

Ryeowook ate well and then succeeded at warning Heechul. They avoided another accident despite the boy eating enough laxatives for a week. Lucky for them, the effect only lasted one day. 

Leeteuk thought next day would be easier but he woke up thanks to a boy screaming. 

“You are going to wake up the others!” - Heechul was trying to calm down Siwon - “I think he had a nightmare... a really ugly one!” 

“Oh poor him” - Leeteuk pitied the kid even he ended waking up the three youngest kids - “He must have been so scared” 

Leeteuk wondered what could possibly happen in the boy’s dream but he had not time to lose. He worried as he couldn’t heard the twins and that only meant the kids found a way to entertain themselves. 

“Heechul... did you let the crib’s gate down again?” - Leeteuk only found Kyuhyun playing in the floor - “Ryeowook is not here” 

Leeteuk sighed and walked to the toilet. He found Kangin staring at Ryeowook while the boy sat on his special toilet seat. 

“How do you know if he is done?” - Kangin asked - “He said he had to pee so I helped him to get there” 

“Ah~ thanks” - Leeteuk didn’t know Kangin could be that helpful- “So, you were the one that set them free right?”

“What are you talking about? Ryeowook was walking alone when I found him” - Kangin didn’t understand- “I woke up thanks to Siwon and came to brush my teeth but Ryeowook was asking for help” 

“Oh, I see” - Leeteuk didn’t understand at all how Ryeowook and Kyuhyun got out of their crib - “Thanks for being such a good brother. I will take it from here~ you can go get ready for school” 

“Gin hewped Wookie cuz wookie zmall and and and big Pwotty” - Ryeowook explained to the babysitter - “Wookie wanna pee” 

“So Kangin helped you because you wanted to pee but couldn’t get on the toilet seat by yourself” - Leeteuk translated- “That’s nice, but I still don’t understand something. How did you get out of the crib?” 

“Liwe diz” - Ryeowook touched the locker on the sides of the gate. Leeteuk got the chills. 

“Do you know how to take them out?” - If Ryeowook’s answer was ‘yes’ then the crib wasn’t a safe place anymore 

“Ung!” - Ryeowook did a demonstration. The boy was skilled - “Ta da~” 

“I think we will need a toddler bed or something” - Leeteuk sighed. It was risky if Ryeowook played with the crib’s gate. He could end hurting a finger or getting his hand trapped. 

“That brat is smarter than you and I together” - Heechul observed the playful toddler that took off his socks - “He learned how to undress, how to unlock the crib, how to open that weird lid... he almost potty trained himself to be honest” 

“We can’t deny he is smart” - Leeteuk agreed - “But I worry what he knows and haven’t show us yet. I mean, what if he already knows how to open the security gates you put all over the house?”

“You mean the fences? The baby gates? No way, the triplets try to climb those because they can’t open them” - Heechul laughed - “An small toddler like Ryeowook can’t open those” 

“Ta da” - Ryeowook showed off how he easily opened the baby gate. Heechul pulled his hair and screamed in despair. The toddler found Heechul’s reaction hilarious and ran to play with him. 

“Why did you turn out so smart?” - Heechul kissed the boy several times - “You are supposed to be a cute innocent toddler but you are too smart” 

Ryeowook just giggled. He was still a toddler. He was smart but didn’t stop being a toddler, and that’s exactly why Leeteuk was worried. 

Siwon’s refusal to go to daycare ended in crying when Heechul tried to go away. He ended taking the boy back to the mansion against Leeteuk’s instructions of not giving up. 

“You never listen to me, do you?” - Leeteuk sighed as he saw Siwon returning home- “Why you brought him back?” 

“Because I am not a bad man that would let a scared child in a place he doesn’t want to be at” - Heechul sounded upset - “I just can’t. I know this is about him getting clingy and me being overpowered by the kid but still, Siwon is my son and seeing like that hurts me” 

“Alright, but then use this chance to understand why is he upset so we can solve it” - Leeteuk said as he rocked Henry - “I will leave it to you. I will take care of Henry for now and will try to keep an eye on the other two” 

“I can help with the twins” - Mrs Jung offered - “They arent that difficult to look after” 

“Fine” - Heechul took Siwon with him - “I will have a fun morning with this cool boy” 

Siwon didn’t smile. He just leaned on Heechul’s shoulder like if he had no energy left. 

“Let’s play with your cars” - Heechul tried to cheer up the boy - “Vrooooom! Vroooom! Beep beep!” 

Usually, Siwon loved to play with cars. That day, it didn’t seem to be working. 

“Look! I’m a dinosaur!” - Heechul did all kind of silly things to make his boy smile but Siwon remained quiet - “Raaaawr!”

After two intense hours of ‘playing’, Heechul got up and tried to leave the room but the boy followed him. 

“Oh... I’m actually going to a place I would really like to be alone ” - Heechul teased - “Wait here, I will be right back” 

Siwon pulled his sleeve. The boy shook his head. Heechul recognized the look. 

“Don’t you want me to go?” 

“No” - Siwon shook his head - “Please don’t go” 

“My boy, I’m just going to the toilet” - Heechul giggled - “You dont need to worry. I always come back alive” 

His little joke went too far. Siwon started crying. 

“What's wrong?” - Heechul realized his trip to the toilet would have to wait. He hated himself for holding it for about an hour but it couldn’t be helped - “It’s alright, let’s go back to your room” 

“Henry...” - Siwon sobbed - “Henry came back...” 

“Yes, he did” - Heechul wasn’t sure where was that heading - “He was at the hospital but he is better now and—“ 

“Where is my mom?” - Siwon cried full of emotions - “Why didn’t she come back too?” 

Heechul bit his lips. He didn’t see that coming. He had explained to the kids that Henry was born months ago and that he lived in the hospital because he was sick and hurt from the accident. He never expected them to hope for their parents to come back as well. To be fair, Heechul often dreamed with it but he knew it wasn’t possible. For a four years old, that dream seemed possible as he didn’t understand at all what it meant to be dead. He just saw his little brother coming home after so long and probably thought his parents would also do it. 

“Siwon, listen” - Heechul hated himself as he never wanted to give the boy fake hopes - “Mommy is not here anymore... she is in heaven. Daddy went to heaven too” 

Siwon just cried louder. He hugged Heechul for a long time before speaking again. 

“I want them to come back! Please bring them back!” 

Heechul also wanted to cry. One of his biggest fear was the kids asking for something impossible. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that...” - Heechul felt the first tears coming out - “You can’t bring back someone who already died” 

“Yesung told me they will never come back” - Siwon sobbed - “He told me the baby wouldn’t come back... but the baby is here!” 

“Yeah, Well” - Heechul was already crying - “It was a miracle but he survived” 

“I wish mom had survived” - Siwon cried upset - “I don’t want Henry, I want mommy!” 

“It doesn’t work like that! You don’t get to choose who lives and who dies!” - Heechul didn’t realize he was already shouting as he was also crying - “Dont you think I also wanted your parents to be alive? I would have exchanged my life if that was possible! I— I...” 

“I don’t want you to die” - Siwon shook his head - “I don’t want you to go away” 

“I know! I’m just upset because I also miss them! “ - Heechul cried - “I miss my brother and I miss my sister in law! They were my family...” 

Heechul was so happy to get Henry back that for a moment he forgot about the pain he felt when losing his brother and best friend. All that pain came back and hit him hard once Siwon brought the topic. He not only understood Siwon being upset for the fact Henry returned and his parents didn’t, but he also felt it. He wanted to have all three but he knew it was impossible. He wanted his mom to call him and tell him she hid from him the fact his brother survived.

“They won’t come back... right? Never” - Siwon sulked - “It’s impossible...” 

Heechul nodded. 

“You... have to promise you will never go away” - Siwon rubbed his eyes - “I can't live without you” 

“I won’t” - Heechul wiped his tears as well - “I promise I won’t go anywhere” 

“I was scared you would disappear just like mommy and daddy” - Siwon sulked - “Nightmare... you didn’t come back... I was in daycare waiting for you...” 

“That won’t happen” - Heechul hugged the kid tightly - “I will always go and get you back home” 

Heechul hugged Siwon for a long time. The boy sat on his lap and calmed after a while. 

“Why are you doing that?” - Siwon asked curious seeing how Heechul’s leg moved awkwardly- “Stop! It tickles!” 

“Sorry” - Now that the little crisis was over Heechul remembered he had a bladder - “It’s just that I really need to pee” 

Siwon found it funny and laughed. Heechul didn’t care the boy was laughing at the fact his bladder was killing him and just smiled shyly. 

“I really really have to go now” - Heechul blushed - “Can I go now? Pleaseee? I don’t want to ruin your floor” 

Siwon laughed again and nodded. 

“Thanks” - Heechul rushed to the closest bathroom only to find he wasn’t alone - “You have to be kidding me” 

“Wookie Wanna pee!” - the toddler announced much to Heechul’s disgust - “Wee Wee!” 

“Fine” - Heechul cursed internally as the toddler got to relieve himself first than him - “But next it’s my turn!” 

Ryeowook found hilarious the weird moves Heechul made. 

“Are you done?” - Heechul was getting desperate- “Please tell you are done” 

“Done~” 

“Good!” - Heechul didn’t care at all and just took off the special seat and prepared to relieve himself - “Hey, Hey” 

Ryeowook seemed curious about what was Heechul about to do. 

“Dada pee pee” - Ryeowook seemed amazed - “Big boy!” 

“Yeah, Now go to play or something” - Heechul felt nervous as he feared Ryeowook could try something weird - “I won't take long” 

“Why are you taking so looooong?” - Siwon also entered the bathroom. Heechul cursed his own stupidity for not locking the door - “Are you going to pee?” 

Heechul ended peeing while two of his sons did comments of how amazing he was. The parent was deeply embarrassed when Ryeowook described the scene to the babysitter. 

“Dada pee loooooootz” - Ryeowook even did Heechul’s pose and imitated the sounds - “Liwe diz!” 

“At least Siwon is in a better mood now” - Leeteuk found hilarious Ryeowook’s imitation. He wanted to record it but Heechul seemed too embarrassed. He would record it later when the parent wasn’t looking. 

“Please stop” - Heechul was bright red - “That’s not something you should go telling around” 

“Wookie too, pee liwe big boy!” - Ryeowook pulled Heechul’s shirt - “Teach me!”

“Oh no, I won’t teach you to pee standing until you are at least fo— five” - Heechul changed his answer as he remembered Siwon was already four - “Only in special occasions” 

“Like when we peed in the tree!” - Siwon chirped 

“What tree?” - Leeteuk couldn’t avoid asking - “did I miss something?” 

“Uncle helped me to pee in a tre—“

Heechul covered the boy’s mouth. It was one of those little secrets he kept from Leeteuk as he didn’t want to get scolded. 

“What did you do? Did you let the kids relieve themselves in a public place?” - Heechul started to remember how it felt when Gunhee pulled his ear really hard. Leeteuk was also good at it - “Even if I have told you several times to use the restroom like a normal person?” 

Leeteuk often fought with Heechul about it. The parent often forgot to take the kids to the toilet before going out and it ended in emergency calls in the middle of nowhere. It was true toddlers were unpredictable but Heechul was the one to blame for all the potty accidents that happened when walking back from daycare. 

“You know you are supposed to take them to the toilet even if they say they don’t need to go” - Leeteuk kept lecturing him 

“It’s ok no one has seen us” - Heechul puffed his cheeks - “They are just toddlers... they can’t hold it very long and I don’t want to walk home with a wet child just because the babysitter finds gross to water a bush” 

“How many times?” - Leeteuk pulled Heechul’s ear again - “Dont dare to lie me”

“Just twice” 

“More than five” - Siwon chuckled 

Leeteuk smacked Heechul’s head. He was sure it was probably way more than just five. It probably happened all the time Heechul took the kids out by himself or went to look for them without Leeteuk’s help. Heechul was a good parent overall but sometimes, he just didn’t have that much idea of what was right or wrong. Leeteuk sometimes felt he was also raising Heechul. 

“You know, I helped Siwon today” - Heechul tried after a few minutes - “He was sad because his mom didn’t come back...” 

“That’s nice, but I won’t forgive you just because Siwon is better now” - Leeteuk actually forgave him a couple of minutes ago but he wasn’t letting Heechul know that - “You shouldn’t encourage wrong behaviours” 

“I know” 

“And you shouldn’t hide them from me just because you know you are getting scolded” 

“Sorry” 

“Is there something else you would like to confess?” - Leeteuk looked at his friend. Heechul seemed nervous. 

“N-No! N-Nothing” - Heechul laughed anxiously - “I think it’s time to go look for the kids! Look! It’s getting late!” 

Actually, he had a long list of things to confess... starting with the fact he was the one that taught Donghae to make that fart sound every time Leeteuk sat on the couch ... and the fact Eunhyuk learned a bad word he said by accident. He wasn’t sure if he should add to that list that he let Kangin play with the new soccer ball inside the house and broke a window. 

Leeteuk found about the broken window that afternoon. Heechul got lectured about it and got grounded. Yeah, grounded. 

“I’m not a child! You can’t do this to me!” 

“Go to your office and meditate about your actions, please” - Leeteuk pointed at the office - “After you do so, you can start working on your next project before it’s too late. Last time you were almost caught by deadline and stressed everyone in this house” 

“But moooooom” - Heechul teased - “Fine fine” 

Leeteuk looked after the kids. He was putting the younger ones to nap when he saw Kangin running to his room holding a few things. The babysitter rolled his eyes. Usually, kids were kind of predictable when it came to that behaviour: they were in troubles. 

“Can I come in?” - Leeteuk knocked the door 

“No! I’m !” 

“Really? I don’t think so” - Leeteuk entered the room. He spotted the problem right away. 

“Please don’t tell dad” - Kangin urged - “It’s just a scratch” 

“How did you get that?” - Leeteuk observed the bleeding knee - “were you playing with your scooter again?” 

Kangin nodded. 

“I fell” - Kangin explained - “The skin came off and it hurts a lot. I brought alcohol to clean it but it just hurt more” 

“Well, yeah alcohol will prevent an infection but it does hurt” - Leeteuk took a look - “Lets press it like this so doesn’t bleed anymore” 

“You are not telling dad, are you?” - Kangin seemed nervous - “I can handle it by myself. There is no need to call him” 

“You could need stitches” - Leeteuk sighed - “It seems like a deep one to me” 

“Can’t I just use a band aid?” - Kangin pressed the cloth just like Leeteuk taught him - “Dad can’t know about this” 

“Kangin, stop being so worried about your scooter being taken away” - Leeteuk shook his head as he cleaned the injury - “I’m sure Heechul understands that it was just an accident. He is crazy but reasonable... most of the time” 

“It’s not about the scooter. I really don’t care if he takes away the scooter or my bike or whatever he wants” - Kangin did a painful expression - “I just don’t want him to get mad at me. I’m not ready to receive that kind of scolding right now” 

“What kind of scolding?” - Leeteuk tried some bandage on the boy - “Have you guys fight or something?” 

“Not yet” - Kangin bit his lips - “Our relationship is way better now and I don’t want to ruin it! But then when I thought everything would be alright, Henry came and... and... and I know what it means when a new baby comes to the house” 

“What would that be?” - Leeteuk twisted his lips. He started suspecting the older kids had some motives to be upset but he and Heechul didn’t understand - “Don’t you like Henry?” 

“It’s not Henry” - Kangin pouted - “It’s about having a younger sibling... again. When babies arrive, the older kids get scolded more often because parents get tired. The triplets can’t remember because they were too young, but Yesung and I got in troubles thanks to them, Siwon and the twins” 

“You are afraid Heechul will change” - Leeteuk couldn’t believe Kangin felt like that - “You think he could become stricter towards you” 

“Look it’s not like I didnt like my parents. I loved them!” - Kangin whispered - “But they weren’t perfect... and everyone gets tired. Babies tend to be a lot of work and require attention... so every single time a new baby crossed that door, our parents got stressed. And stress leads to misunderstandings” 

“So, you are telling me that your parents used to be... Uhm, stricter with you when that happened” 

“I won’t lie. I wasn’t the one who got it worse” - Kangin sighed - “They used to scold Yesung over everything” 

Leeteuk pitied the older boys. It must had been hard having so many younger siblings. Kangin had a point: parents sometimes forgot that their older kids didn’t stop being kids just because a new sibling was born. Maybe they thought they were behaving like always but the kids noticed the change of attitude towards them. 

“Kangin, honey” - Leeteuk held the boy’s hands - “I promise you that if Heechul ever gets mad at you without a proper reason... I will smack him as hard as I can” 

Kangin giggled a bit and shook his head. 

“Please don’t hurt my daddy” - Kangin sighed - “He is a good dad. He is crazy and sometimes doesn’t know what to do, but he tries his best” 

“Lets go tell him about that knee” - Leeteuk gestured the boy to stand - “I will go with you” 

They found Heechul fall asleep in his office. 

“HEY” - Leeteuk tapped Heechul’s forehead - “You were supposed to be working” 

“I was... meditating” - Heechul yawned - “I also work like that. Ideas come when I have nice... z z z” 

“HEECHUL”

“I’m awake!” 

“Dad, I fell and hurt my knee” - Kangin rushed. He didn’t want Heechul fall asleep before he confessed it - “I was playing with my scooter and and and—“ 

“Let me see” - Heechul was still drowsy. He checked the bandage and swayed his head - “A few stitches, I think” 

Kangin looked at Heechul anxiously. 

“It’s alright, I’m pretty much sure it won’t hurt that much” - Heechul patted the kid’s back - “Let's get going. We need to make sure you dont end with a scar” 

“Aren’t you mad?” - Kangin asked as Heechul helped him to get in the van - “I mean, you told me several times to not to—“ 

“Why would I get mad for that?” - Heechul stretched as he started the car - “Accidents happen. Sometimes we can’t just avoid them even if we took all precautions”

“I thought you would get mad because you are stressed and this would give you more work”

“Who told you that crap?” - Heechul looked at the child using the mirror - “You and your brothers are my top priority. The company can go to hell if needed” 

“I wasn’t talking about your job in the company” - Kangin looked down - “Babies—“ 

“Just because another baby crossed that door doesn’t mean I stopped caring about you, Kangin” - Heechul pouted - “I mean, it’s true I will have more work to do but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. I’m happy that Henry is in home with us” 

“So... you won’t change?” 

“Change? Ptffft” - Heechul laughed - “Do you think I look different now?” 

“Not really” - Kangin smiled - “You look like always” 

“Like someone who has nine little monsters to take care of” - Heechul teased - “I don’t remember if I brushed my hair today” 

“You didn’t” - Kangin chuckled - “But it looks cool like that” 

Kangin felt way better not only because of the anesthesia the doctor gave him but because Heechul seemed to be the same as always. 

“You know something...” - Kangin rubbed his eyes as he was sleepy - “I actually think Henry is kind of cute” 

Heechul smiled as he saw in the mirror Kangin was falling asleep. He drove back carefully to not wake up the boy. He carried the kid to his room and put him in his bed. 

“Do you have a minute?” - Yesung asked him 

“Don’t you want two? I’m actually doing the shares and I think the oldest kid gets around three minutes daily” - Heechul joked - “What do you think?” 

Yesung hugged him. Heechul wasn’t expecting that. 

“I know what you did for Kangin and Siwon” - Yesung said - “Thanks” 

“You’re Welcome?” - Heechul got playful and shook the kid - “Why weren’t you talking to me, jealous brat?” 

“Nevermind” - Yesung stuck out his tongue - “My three minutes are over. See ya later!” 

“Hey!” - Heechul protested - “Come back here rascal! You still owe me an apologizy for being mean to me!”

“I will think about it!” - Yesung teased from his room - “I will send you an email or something!” 

“DON'T YOU DARE!” - Heechul stomped his feet - “I wanted my hug and my kiss! Two kisses!” 

“What about three?” - Yesung ran back and hugged the confused parent - “Gosh, I will have to practice. Only three minutes...” 

“We have all the time we need” - Heechul smiled as he hugged the kid - “Nothing can stop—“ 

Henry was crying. Heechul did a painful expression but Yesung just laughed. 

“Just go, silly” - Yesung nodded - “My three minutes ended a while ago. I will be waiting for the next few ones” 

“Thanks” - Heechul walked to the new small crib where Henry was already laughing - “Hey, he stopped crying” 

“We play with Henwy” - Sungmin was making cute faces to the boy - “He happy” 

“Henwyyyy~ looooook~” - Donghae also helped making the baby laugh - “Peek a boo!” 

“Henwy likes us” - Eunhyuk giggled softly- “He cute” 

“Henry is lucky to have so many good siblings” - Leeteuk observed pleased how all the boys were now under Henry’s charm 

“Well, since everything is under control here, I will go and finish the work I had started “ - Heechul yawned - “I will make sure to finish it before dinner~” 

“Have a good sleep” - Leeteuk chuckled - “You earned it” 

Heechul was about to leave the room when the baby started fussing again. Leeteuk gestured him to go anyway but then, it happened. 

“DADA!” - Henry finally managed to say his first word - “DADAAA!” 

“HE TALKED!” - Yesung jumped excited - “HE SAID HIS FIRST WORD!” 

“His first word...” - Heechul felt his heart warmer- “COME HERE BABY! WE NEED TO CELEBRATE!” 

“Dada~ Dada~” - Henry repeated a few times. 

Henry was happy to receive attention. He liked having many brothers to play with. He was never bored thanks to them. The next few days were as chaotic as always but Heechul enjoyed every moment thanks to his boys. Leeteuk found out Heechul’s diary where he wrote all kind of confessions of things he did that were wrong. The babysitter had fun after learning the older two boys blackmailed Heechul for it. 

“Sometimes I feel like I am babysitting ten kids” - Leeteuk smiled sweetly