“He is...” - Heechul felt his heart crying - “He is ignoring him” 

“And then he pretends he is just fine” - Leeteuk stared at the small silent toddler that played with his giraffe - “But he is also suffering” 

“Wookie...” - Kyuhyun approached his twin holding his penguin plush - “Pway?” 

Ryeowook turned to the other side and kept playing with his giraffe like if haven’t heard Kyuhyun’s question. 

“Ryeowook, Kyuhyun is talking to you” - Heechul couldn’t avoid sounding annoyed - “Be nice with your brother” 

Ryeowook stood and walked to Henry. He started cuddling next to the baby that now was beyond happy since he was receiving love. 

“That wasn’t what I meant” - Heechul bit his lips - “I was talking about your twin” 

Ryeowook pretended he didn’t listen. He kept playing with Henry while Kyuhyun stood dumbfounded. Kyuhyun waited for a while but he realized his brother wouldn’t be paying attention to him. He decided to walk away and return to Heechul’s side. 

“Dada...” - Kyuhyun extended his arms - “Hewp me” 

“I know, sweetheart” - Heechul was also hurt by the coldness Ryeowook exhibited- “Did you guys fight?” 

Kyuhyun shook his head. He sulked and looked down. 

“Kyu baby...” - Kyuhyun pouted - “Wookie zad...” 

“I don’t understand” - Heechul sighed - “Is Ryeowook mad at you because you are a ‘baby’ ?”

Kyuhyun shook his head slightly. 

“No angwy, zad” 

“He looks pissed to me” - Heechul raised an eyebrow as he spotted Ryeowook throwing one of Kyuhyun’s penguins - “I mean, angry” 

“PAPA! MINNIE DID IT!” - Sungmin came running at full speed holding the book they used for reading lessons - “MINNIE READ IT” 

“HAE TOO!” - Donghae entered the living at full speed as well - “READ READ READ!”

The boys tackled their dad. Heechul protected his privates the very moment Eunhyuk jumped on him. Kangin was laughing. 

“They truly did it” - Kangin said amazed - “They read it all by themselves” 

“Oh~ so you were checking on them” - Leeteuk smiled - “Thanks for being such a supportive brother” 

“I was there too!” - Siwon chirped - “The triplets now know how to read!” 

“I guess we should celebrate it” - Heechul danced with the happy boys - “What if we—-“ 

“WHERE ARE MY GLASSES?” - Yesung stormed inside in an emergency state - “I LOST THEM! I CANT FIND THEM! UNCLE MY—“ 

“Here” - Heechul’s heart was still beating fast - “You fell asleep with them on and I put them in their case” 

“Boy, you almost kill us” - Leeteuk was lying on the floor holding his chest - “I thought you were dying” 

“S-sorry” - Yesung was embarrassed - “I just... I don’t want to live without glasses again. I didn’t know the world was so pretty and... it’s less scary than I thought” 

“Now I feel guilty for not noticing it earlier” - Heechul pouted - “My poor boy was living in the shadows...” 

“But everything is fine now” - Yesung hurried to fix it - “I mean, I even Can play basketball now” 

That was true. It turned out that not only Yesung’s grades were the ones affected by the poor vision the boy had. His social abilities and his athletic skills also got a boost thanks to the glasses... meaning that the lack of some of them were probably a consequence of it to begin with. The boy had described it very well: he was living in a new world. 

Heechul liked to torture himself thinking in how Yesung’s life could had been better if they knew the boy couldn’t see well before. One the the thoughts that bothered him the most, was the fact the boy missed the chance of seeing his parents‘s faces with those magic glasses that changed his world. 

“Come here, Helen Keller” - Heechul pulled Yesung’s sleeve - “I need your help” 

“Helen Who?” - Yesung tilted his head - “Why would you need my help?” 

“Because you are my oldest son” - Heechul bit his lips - “Nephew” 

“I think I could be both at this point” - Yesung shrank his shoulders - “I don’t promise I will go around calling you dad but I’m ok with you calling me son” 

“Good. Now listen” - Heechul whispered something to the boy - “Got it?” 

“Uhum” - Yesung smiled widely - “Roger!”

“Don’t let me down!” 

“Yes sir!” - Yesung ran to his room 

“What did you...? “ - Leeteuk was curious

“Just wait” - Heechul stretched - “I will make sure those two make up. Couples deserve to be together” 

“Couples?” - Leeteuk looked around - “ Ah~ I see. I hope you can solve this quickly... I’m out of ideas and it makes me so sad...”

“Leave it to me!” - Heechul hit his chest - “I will save the day” 

“DADADADADA!” - Henry was now hugging Heechul’s leg - “le’ Go!” 

“Let’s go!” - Heechul carried the baby and smelled his - “To the... nursery?” 

“You Can start saving the day” - Leeteuk agreed - “We are going to die from pollution” 

“ECK!” - The triplets’s complained thanks for the smell - “POOP!” 

“You guys also pooped yourselves and you were THREE” - Heechul stuck out his tongue - “You guys have no right to complain” 

Ryeowook laughed. Kyuhyun smiled seeing his brother in a good mood but that smile faded away when Ryeowook saw him and did a bad expression. 

“Wookie” - Kyuhyun blinked confused - “Angwy?” 

Ryeowook walked away and sat with a book. Leeteuk didn’t miss the opportunity. 

“Want me to read it for you?” - Leeteuk thought it could work - “Lets See~ First letter it’s ‘A’ ~ like Airplane. Like Apple” 

“Appwe” - Ryeowook nodded - “Awkcident” 

“Uh? Where?” - Leeteuk got scared and checked the boy’s pants - “Ah... ‘Accident’ also starts with ‘A’...” 

“B” - Ryeowook pointed at the next page - “Liwe Bee. Liwe Baby” 

“Right, And then is ‘C’ “ - Leeteuk continued - “Like Cat, like—“ 

“Batman” - Ryeowook interrupted 

“No, Batman starts with B” - Leeteuk almost laughed 

“Cat” - Ryeowook protested - “C” 

“Yeah Cat starts with C” 

“Batman... C” - Ryeowook tried again - “Cat” 

“First, Batman is not a cat” - Heechul laughed - “Second, Batman starts with B and Racoon starts with R like Ryeowook” 

Ryeowook seemed confused. 

“Do you which letter is this one?” - Leeteuk pointed at the K - “And which word starts with it?” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook smiled. Kyuhyun felt his heart jump - K. Liwe Kiki” 

Heechul bit his tongue to not curse. Ryeowook was smarter than them. That was a reality. Leeteuk was right when he told him Ryeowook would be the scariest one when mad. 

“Another word that starts with K?” 

“Kay” - Ryeowook said defiantly 

“That’s not word” 

“Key” - Ryeowook folded his arms - “Koala”

“How does he know that?” - Leeteuk whispered to Heechul - “He is smart!” 

“What about words that start with T?” - Heechul wasn’t giving up - “Like...?”

“Tomowow” - Ryeowook said calmly- “Tomato. Toyz. Tiger” 

“You know? ‘Twin’ also starts with T” 

“Twaitow” - Ryeowook was so sassy Leeteuk felt his blood pressure drop. 

“How come he knows that?!” - Leeteuk widened his eyes - “He just said ‘traitor’ !”

“Pfft. He doesn’t even know what it means” - Heechul teased 

“Kyu twaitow” - Ryeowook gave Heechul another defiant look - “Bad bad bad” 

“Ok, maybe I was wrong” - Heechul felt his head hurt - “What did you say?” 

“No pwomize” - Ryeowook folded his arms - “He bad” 

“A promise? Did you guys make a promise?” - Heechul tried - “and he broke it?”

“Uhum” - Ryeowook sulked - “Wookie big bowthew, Kyu Baby, daycawe...” 

Ryeowook spoke a lot like trying to explain what happened but he still lacked vocabulary and some of his words couldn’t be fully understood. Summarizing, even if he tried to explain the situation Heechul and Leeteuk were clueless. 

“I will try to understand” - Heechul was doing his best - “Are you upset because Kyuhyun promised you he would go to daycare with you?” 

“Uh... Uhum” - Ryeowook puffed his cheeks - “Wookie zad” 

“I think it’s a misunderstanding, Wook” - Leeteuk sighed - “Kyuhyun does want to attend daycare but he can’t because he is scared of it. He didn’t ‘break’ his promise... he is just taking longer to accomplish it” 

Heechul found Leeteuk’s words very wise. He hoped for the toddler to be reasonable. 

“When?” - Ryeowook asked again - “When Kyu go daycawe with Wook?” 

“I don’t know” - Leeteuk got nervous. He didn’t expect Ryeowook to be so done waiting - “It could take days, weeks.. where are you going?” 

Ryeowook returned holding the calendar Heechul had in his desk. 

“When?” - Ryeowook was staring at Leeteuk 

Leeteuk looked at Heechul like asking for help, but the parent was just amazed by the way Ryeowook thought. The kid was several steps ahead from them. 

“Look, Ryeowook” - Heechul sat on the floor to see the boy’s face closer - “Be honest with me. Do you love Kyuhyun?” 

Ryeowook’s eyes filled with tears. He folded his arms and shook his head. 

“No?” - Heechul sighed - “Are you sure? You are shaking your head but your eyes tells me something else” 

“Ung...” - Ryeowook admitted - “Wookie liwes twin” 

“Alright~” - Heechul thought it was good at least he was being honest now - “Listen to me: Kyunnie loves you too. He loves you the most. I’m sure it wasn’t his intention to hurt you” 

“Wookie Huwtz” - Ryeowook cried - “Kyu bad. No daycawe. Kyu home... no Pway Wookie. Sewfizh” 

“But he doesn’t like being there” - Heechul tried - “If you want, you can stop going to daycare so you c—“ 

“NUH” - Ryeowook shook his head 

“Then? You are being selfish too” - Heechul was starting to realize it wouldn’t be easy 

“Fiffy-fiffy” - Ryeowook puffed his cheeks - “Tawe twunz”

Heechul never thought one of his lessons could backfire at him like that. As the kids started fighting over the tv or some toys, Heechul stablished the ‘Fifty-fifty’ and ‘Half Half’ rule that consisted in taking turns and sharing. It worked when the kids got a cookie and Heechul would split it in half, or when they were both wanting to get spoiled. Apparently, the toddler understood very well in what consisted and now was using it against them like a tool to win the argument. Ryeowook actually got a point when he insinuated that they played at home but Kyuhyun wouldn’t go with him at daycare. Basically, he admitted he stopped playing with Kyuhyun at home since he wasn’t doing his part of the deal. 

“He is not smart... He is a genius” - Heechul admitted defeat - “He knows I can’t go against my own rule. I can’t believe that little bastard was saving that” 

“He also called his brother a ‘traitor’ “ - Leeteuk never felt the urge to drink alcohol before - “We are doomed” 

“He got you with the calendar thing” - Heechul teased - “When? When?”

“Stop it, it’s not funny” - Leeteuk shut his eyes tightly - “We got an actual problem here. You can’t blame Ryeowook’s logic. He knows Daycare is a safe place and therefore can’t understand why is Kyuhyun afraid of it. Also, he believes that if he stops playing with him here, Kyuhyun will feel pressured to go daycare”

“He is playing with fire” - Heechul bit his lips - “He doesn’t know what is he doing” 

“They will end hurting each other if we don’t do something” - Leeteuk was truly affected by the whole situation - “What should we do?” 

“My assistant is already working on it” - Heechul grinned

“Your... what?” 

Yesung ran at them holding a folded paper. He delivered it to Heechul and winked. 

“Good” - Heechul cleared his throat - “See? It’s nice to have several kids” 

“What is that?” 

“A list of places where we can take the twins to and force them to interact” - Heechul was satisfied with Yesung’s work - “The zoo, the park, pool, amusement-“

“Let’s do it” - Leeteuk was desperate- “I will go prepare them. Call your mother and ask her to watch over the others”

“You must be truly desperate” - Heechul teased - “I already called her. She will be here in a few minutes” 

The adults ended taking the twins to the petting zoo as it was a new experience and the kids would probably enjoy it a lot. 

“Here are your tickets” - The lady at the counter smiled to them - “Have fun!”

“Sure” - Heechul smiled - “Oh look! It’s so pretty! We should take a picture here! Quickly, Ryeowook hold Kyuhyun’s hand and smile!” 

Kyuhyun tried to take his brother’s hand but Ryeowook slapped him. Heechul’s blood boiled but he pretended it was just an accident for Kyuhyun’s sake. 

“Kyu is not stupid, he knows Ryeowook is upset” - Leeteuk sighed - “Maybe it was a mistake bringing them here” 

“They seem to enjoy it... but they won’t interact with each other” - Heechul pouted seeing his boys exploring the place completely away from each other - “Mmm, maybe I should have locked them inside a cage together” 

“Dont you dare” - Leeteuk hissed. Heechul’s ideas were dangerous- “We must be patient” 

“Sure” - Heechul twisted his lips - “Kyuhyun is already coming back to us” 

“Dada... Scawy” - Kyuhyun asked to be hold - “Chirp chirp” 

“What scary ‘chirp chirp’?” - Heechul looked around - “Oh, a parrot” 

“Scawy!” - Kyuhyun hid his face 

“It’s not scary, it’s pretty” - Leeteuk tried - “Lets go near, look! Ryeowook is about to play with it” 

“... where is your Mommy? Are you here by yourself?” - The lady that held the parrot was worried as Ryeowook was too small to go around the zoo without supervision- “You can’t pet if your parents aren’t here” 

“No Mommy. Dada” - Ryeowook pointed at Heechul - “Wookie wanna pway chirp chirp Pwease” 

“Sorry, he is strong willed” - Heechul rushed to get closer - “He is my son. I’m fine with him petting the bird~ He loves animals” 

“Really? Do you like animals?” - the lady asked Ryeowook that nodded shyly - “This friend here is a parrot. You have to pet him softly ok? He won’t peck you if you are nice” 

Ryeowook stretched his short arm and reached the bird. The parrot’s feathers were soft to the touch and Ryeowook seemed pleased. 

“Do you like it?” - Leeteuk asked - “Are you happy?” 

Ryeowook nodded. He was in love with the bird. 

“Wookie wantz One” - Ryeowook told Heechul - “Pwease” 

“Eh...” - Heechul blinked - “One what? A doll like the parrot?”

“No doll” - Ryeowook pouted - “Pawot” 

“You cant have it” - Heechul shook his head - “I won’t buy you a parrot” 

Ryeowook was now sad. He kept petting the parrot with teary eyes. 

“Ryeowook, let’s go. There is other people waiting for the parrot” - Heechul pulled Ryeowook’s shirt - “Cmon. There are more birds over there” 

Ryeowook sighed. He wanted to keep touching the parrot. He loved it. It had a lot of colours and it talked. 

“Look, these birds are smaller but they are also cute!” - Leeteuk tried to hype the sad boy with parakeets- “You can feed them”

Ryeowook ran to Leeteuk at full speed. He got his hands full of bird feed and did cute sounds when the little parakeets got in his hands to eat. 

“DADA! LOOOK!” - Ryeowook was excited - “CHIRP CHIRPS LIWE WOOKIE!” 

“Yes, they love anyone that has food for them” - Heechul laughed - “Kyu, let’s try feeding the birds” 

“Ouch” - Ryeowook complained a bit when one of the birds pecked him a bit - “Chirp Chirp ouchie” 

Chaos was served when Kyuhyun ran to Ryeowook and made sure the birds flew away. Apparently, he wanted to ‘protect’ Ryeowook from getting hurt as he considered the small parakeets as ‘dangerous’. Ryeowook was now in a bad mood for it. 

“BAD!” - Ryeowook pushed away his brothers - “WOOKIE NO LIWE YOU!” 

“Ryeowook, he just tried to help you” - Heechul was losing his patience as Ryeowook was being too unfair with his brother - “He thought you were in pain” 

Ryeowook sulked. He probably acknowledged Heechul was right and therefore his bad mood was even worse. He refused to talk to them and kept trying to walk away from his caretakers. 

“Whats wrong with him?” - Heechul finally lost it after Ryeowook ignored three consecutive calls - “KIM RYEOWOOK COME BACK HERE OR I WILL GROUND YOU” 

“PTFF!” - Ryeowook stuck his tongue at Heechul and ran at full speed in the opposite direction- “No!” 

Heechul was chasing after the naughty boy when he heard Kyuhyun’s crying. 

“DADA!” - Kyuhyun had managed to lock himself inside a cage with a few animals - “DADA HEWP!”

“I— I don’t know how he got inside!” - Leeteuk was trying to open the gate without success - “He was playing here and then— oh, there is an hole here” 

“Kyu just wait we need the keys” - Heechul was scared as the boy was totally frightened as he was locked inside with a few bunnies - “They won’t hurt you. Make sure you don’t step on them ok? Just wait” 

“DADA DADA DADA!” - Kyuhyun kept trying to climb the cage - “SCAWY!”

“How come you can’t open it?” - Heechul was mad at the zookeeper- “Can’t you just hurry? My child is truly scared” 

“The key got stuck” - the man lamented - “The gate doesn’t need a key to unlock from inside but unfortunately, we are too big to use the hole he used. I will go look for something to break the lock” 

Heechul was about to say something when Leeteuk went crazy. 

“RYEOWOOK WHAT ARE YOU DOING BRAT?!” - Heechul had totally forgotten about the other toddler that was now also inside the cage - “YOU BETTER NOT TRY ANYTHING DANGEROUS ” 

“Wookie Hewe. No Cwy. No Scawy” - Ryeowook told his twin as he held a bunny - “Bunny Cute” 

Kyuhyun was now calmer. He kept sobbing non stop but at least he felt better. Ryeowook took his brother’s hand and placed it on the bunny he was holding. 

“Zoff” - Ryeowook giggled - “Bunny Zoff” 

“Ung... zoff” - Kyuhyun smiled a bit - “Cute~” 

“He is being nice” - Heechul sighed - “This is not what I expected but at least he is being nice” 

“Ryeowook is good with locks” - Leeteuk recalled - “Ryeowook! Come here! Can you open the gate?” 

Ryeowook walked to the gate and stared at the lock. He was confused at first but after a few tries, the gate opened it. 

“OH GOD” - Leeteuk hugged both twins as soon as they were out - “I was so scared! Kyu! Never never never never do this to me again!” 

“Uhm..” - Kyuhyun felt sorry for all the fuss he caused - “Wookie Hewp Kyu” 

“Yes, he did” - Heechul was proud - “He— Wook?” 

“Bunny~ Bunny~ Bunny~” - Ryeowook was chasing after the bunnies - “Pway with Wookie!”

“He is not paying us attention” - Heechul sighed - “Ryeowook~ I will buy you ice cream for being good” 

“IZE CWEAMMM!” 

“Silly brat” - Heechul smiled - “You do listen to me when it’s about something you like” 

The twins were sharing a big cup of ice cream. Heechul didn’t care about tummy aches or sugar levels since all he wanted was the boys getting along together. It seemed like if they were back to normal at first, but as soon they got back home, Ryeowook went away and started playing by himself. 

“I dont understand him” - Heechul told his mom - “He was being a sweet brother just minutes ago” 

“Maybe he got tired of Kyuhyun” - The old lady said calmly - “Maybe he needs his own space” 

“Mom, we are talking about twins. Kyuhyun is not Ryeowook’s pet. Is his brother” - Heechul got upset - “He was upset because Kyuhyun wouldn’t go with him to daycare... but still, he couldn’t dare to watch him suffer” 

“Because they love each other” - the old lady wasn’t surprised - “Ryeowook and Kyuhyun are totally different, sweetheart. It’s normal Ryeowook wants to play alone sometimes since Kyuhyun is not ready to play those games. For example, Kyuhyun can’t draw well and Ryeowook is level expert at it. He probably gets bothered when his brother is not able to catch up with him” 

“But it’s not Kyuhyun’s fault!” - Heechul pulled his hair - “Ryeowook is just too smart!” 

“Shhh” - The old lady urged Heechul to shut up as the small toddler looked at them with sad eyes - “He understands what you said” 

Ryeowook went away without saying a single word. Next day, Heechul woke up feeling his bed wet. 

“You wet the bed” - Heechul teased Ryeowook- “I told Leeteuk that was too much juice for someone of your size” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook nodded. Somehow, Heechul found odd Ryeowook didn’t seem upset. Usually, the toddler hated having accidents... and he barely had those 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone” - Heechul smiled - “I will change the sheets and then, I will go wash with you” 

“Wookie... Uhm... diapey” - Ryeowook blushed deeply as he showed Heechul a diaper - “Pwease”

“But you don’t wear those” - Heechul scratched his head - “I know you hate those. It was just an accident... I won’t make you wear them just because you—“ 

“Pwease” - Ryeowook insisted as he held the diaper - “Wookie diapey” 

“Do you want to wear them?” - Heechul was confused 

Ryeowook nodded shyly. He didn’t seem happy about it. 

“Why are you awake so early? It’s Sunday” - Leeteuk yawned - “Oh, he wet the bed” 

Ryeowook turned deep red. He walked to the bathroom unable to handle Leeteuk’s judgement. 

“He is so cute” - Leeteuk smiled - “He is embarrassed” 

“You gave him a lot of juice” - Heechul scolded - “Even the sheets smell like juice” 

“He only drank half of it” - Leeteuk shook his head - “I’m sure I left the glass— There?” 

“Why would you leave it on the floor?” - Heechul chuckled - “Were you too sleepy?”

“No... And it’s empty” - Leeteuk grabbed the glass - “Who woke up first? You or him?” 

“Him” - Heechul realized it - “That brat poured juice in my bed on purpose. What did I do to anger him?” 

“He didn’t seem angry” - Leeteuk didn’t understand what was going on - “He even played along with the bed wetting thing” 

“And asked me for diapers” 

“What?” - Leeteuk widened his eyes - “That’s not... normal” 

“I know. Maybe he is having a regression” - Heechul shrank his shoulders - “Maybe he wants to be a baby again and pretended he had an accident so we wouldn’t complain about giving him diapers” 

“Well... in that case, what do you want to do?” 

“I will diaper him” - Heechul shuddered - “I’m not fond of the idea of losing his achievements but I fear he will get upset if I don’t give him the diaper. I hope it’s just a one day thing” 

And so, Ryeowook got diapered. Heechul was helping the triplets with their reading lessons when he let out a big sigh. It was the third time already. 

“Let’s end it Here” - Heechul smiled to the kids - “Daddy is tired” 

“Why do you look so down?” - Leeteuk - “They are improving a lot” 

“Donghae keeps reading backwards and changing letters” - Heechul sighed - “I think he is dyslexic” 

“He is a toddler” 

“Kangin was the same when he was his age and is dyslexic” - Heechul pointed out 

“Kangin is...?” 

“Shh. We didn’t tell him. He was too young to remember and Gunhee told me it was the best for him to not to know” - Heechul giggled - “I will take Donghae to a doctor and get him checked. If he is dyslexic, the sooner we know it, the sooner we can help him with it” 

“Oh, sounds good to me” - Leeteuk sometimes got surprised of how Heechul handled some things - “You make me proud” 

“You are going to be even prouder” - Heechul pointed at the twins - “Those two had been playing together all morning. If I knew a diaper would fix it all, I would have done it earlier. I don’t care if they wear those until kinder” 

Leeteuk started noticing Ryeowook was restless. He kept wandering around the living room unable to focus. The toddler also did some moves that were familiar to the babysitter. 

“Do you have to pee?” - Leeteuk asked the boy - “Wanna go potty?”

Ryeowook was even sweating. It seemed like an urgency but the toddler shook his head. 

“Do you want to use the diaper?” - Leeteuk tried - “I don’t care about it~ I just think it must hurt to hold it” 

Ryeowook nodded. He tried to concentrate but he found hard tricking his trained bladder to pee while wearing clothes on. He actually didn’t want to wet himself. He hated that. He hated diapers. He just... 

“You cant do it...?” - Leeteuk pitied the troubled boy - “Lets go to the toilet then” 

“Whats going on?” - Heechul was confused when Leeteuk called him - “oh, he needs to pee” 

“Yeah I know that” - Leeteuk sighed - “Problem is, he says he wants to use the diaper but can’t do it and I worry that he will hurt his bladder” 

“Why won’t you pee in the potty?” - Heechul asked the toddler - “You can tell me. I won’t make fun, I promise” 

Ryeowook’s bladder hurt too much. He decided he could give it a try. He whispered something to Heechul’s ear and the parent made a confused face. 

“Ehm... I propose something” - Heechul scratched his head - “Lets go pee and after that, you will explain to me what do you mean” 

Ryeowook agreed. He just wanted to get rid of that nightmare. He found extremely nice relieving himself after holding it so long. Heechul was staring at him while the boy couldn’t hide the fact he was indeed enjoying his time at the toilet. 

“We have a deal, remember?” - Heechul didn’t even lift the toddler from the toilet’s seat - “You are supposed to tell me why you want to be a ‘baby’ again. I thought you hated it” 

“Wookie no baby” - Ryeowook seemed sad - “Kyu baby. Wookie Wanna Pway Kyu... Wookie baby Pway Kyu” 

Heechul took a few seconds to decipher it. 

“Are you saying that Kyuhyun is still a baby and you want to be a baby so you can play with him?”

“Ung!” - Ryeowook nodded. Finally someone understood something he said. 

“Sweetie, you don’t need to be a ‘baby’ to play with your brother” - Heechul tried - “You Can play with him being ‘big’” 

“Nuh... bowin’ “ - Ryeowook sulked - “Kyu baby Pway... no Fun” 

“You don’t like playing Kyuhyun’s games?” - Heechul was now starting to understand a little more - “You find them boring” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook felt guilty for it. He was moving faster than his twin and the old games they enjoyed once together now were boring for the smaller one. 

“That’s why you wanted Kyuhyun to attend daycare with you... so he could learn to play your new favourite games” - Heechul sighed. Toddlers were more complicated than he thought - “You want him to catch up with you...” 

“Ung” - Ryeowook agreed again. He was being lucky now that Heechul finally seemed to understand him. He awaited for the solution. His dad always solved his problems. 

“I... I don’t know what to say” - Heechul was being honest - “I think Kyunnie won’t change that much that quickly... Kyuhyun, he is different” 

Ryeowook cried. He knew that. He hated that fact. 

“Wookie Wanna ztupid” - Ryeowook cried sadly - “no zmat”

“Come here” - Heechul hugged the boy in sorrow - “Sometimes being too smart means you will face loneliness...” 

Leeteuk’s heart got hurt when Heechul explained it to him. It made sense. Ryeowook was way ahead of his twin in cognitive development. He probably felt burdened when he learned it was ‘his fault’ since Kyuhyun was the ‘normal’ one. 

“DAD, YOU HAVENT SIGNED IT” - Kangin was holding a few paper sheets and a pen infront of Heechul’s face - “I NEED IT FOR TOMORROW” 

“Ah... Yeah” - Heechul’s mind was somewhere else - “Yesung, bring me yours as well” 

“What are those?” - Leeteuk wanted to distract his mind for a while - “Oh ~ It’s time to choose the clubs” 

“I already chose the ones I want!” - Kangin seemed excited - “And dad said yes!” 

“All sports” - Leeteuk twisted his lips - “Are you sure you want to spend all your afternoons going after a ball?” 

“YES” - Kangin was so cheerful 

“Let me see, I will start with Yesung’s ones” - Heechul yawned - “You only can join three clubs at once. You chose Spelling Bee team, Math club and... basketball. Kangin also chose basketball so you guys will be a team” 

“Wait what?” - Both boys seemed disturbed by the idea 

“Didnt you know that?” - Heechul raised both eyebrows - “You are both in the same elementary school, brats” 

“Yeah but When I chose basketball Yesung didn’t know how to play!” - Kangin protested - “Can’t you choose something else?” 

“Why me? You choose something else! It’s the only sport I am good at! You are good at everything!” 

“But I cant join clubs where you need to be smart!” - Kangin pulled his hair - “And Dad already said I couldn’t do anything that involved fighting” 

“What about tennis?” - Leeteuk asked 

“That’s for girls and nerd boys like Yesung” - Kangin was now upset - “I want Baseball, Soccer and basketball!” 

“Why cant you both go to basketball?” - Heechul sighed - “That way I only have to attend once to those stu— to those games” 

“BECAUSE I DONT WANNA BE IN THE SAME TEAM!” - Kangin raged - “HE IS MY BROTHER” 

“EXACTLY!” 

Heechul thought for a while and then shook his head. 

“Yesung will go to basketball” - Heechul said. Yesung jumped and celebrated - “And Kangin will choose something else. You got all sports kid, your brother is only good at that one” 

“It’s not fair!” - Kangin was about to cry - “I wanted to be in the basketball team first!” 

“Yeah but you also wanted to be in Taekwondo, karate, Rugby...” - Heechul bit his lips - “I will let you choose one of those. Even if they involve fighting” 

“I don’t want them!” - Kangin stomped his feet 

“If you don’t choose another club today, you only will get in two. We need to deliver this tomorrow” - Heechul showed Kangin the paper sheet - “Stop being a crybaby and read the list again” 

Kangin started crying. Leeteuk felt sorry but Heechul had a point since Yesung needed to exercise more. 

“What about joining the scouts?” - Heechul asked as he read the list - “Gunhee was a scout” 

“That’s for nerds!” - Kangin sobbed - “I don’t wanna be a scout! They only sell cookies!” 

“Ugh, you are wrong” - Heechul found funny Kangin only knew that about scouts - “They teach you how to tie knots, climb trees, play with animals... It’s a lot of fun. I was once a scout too” 

“Really?” - The three of them looked at Heechul 

“I got kicked out after setting our leader’s tent on fire” - Heechul smirked - “Ah~ what a good times” 

“Cool” - Kangin was now interested - “Do they teach you how to make a fire?” 

“Yeah” - Heechul smiled - “They also give you badges for every achievement. Kangin, you would do great with them~ You love playing outside, don’t you?” 

“I WANT TO BE A SCOUT!” - Kangin was now once again excited - “PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!” 

“Cool” - Heechul smiled. He had won - “Done. Be careful, you need to give it to your teacher” 

“I’m going to be the best scout ever!” - Kangin ran upstairs 

“Thanks” - Yesung smiled pleased when Heechul gave him the sign for basketball- “I love you” 

“Uh no, you will need more than that” - Heechul teased - “I just made your brother cry because of you” 

Yesung kissed Heechul. The parent giggled. 

“Did you really set the tent on fire?” - Leeteuk asked as soon as there were no kids around - “You also burned the Christmas tree. What are you? A pyromaniac?” 

“I also set the girls’s on fire” - Heechul did a dirty joke as his kids weren’t around - “They melted for me. I was too hot to handle” 

The week started as usual. Heechul took the kids to school first since Yesung and Kangin were troubled with them being ‘late’. Daycare boys didn’t care about missing five minutes of class. 

“Ah~ I’m sorry~ We took too long at breakfast” - Heechul explained to the triplets’s teacher - “It’s my fault” 

“Don’t worry, this is daycare” - The teacher laughed - “They are always here on time. I worried because I thought you weren’t coming today” 

Heechul was waving goodbye when he felt a kid hugged him. Ryeowook chuckled.

“Oh~” - Heechul looked down at the boy that hugged him - “Hi~ Mingyu” 

The kid’s eyes sparkled and went really big. He pointed at the wall where drawings were attached with tape. 

“Oh, is that me?” - Heechul saw the drawing the kid pointed at. There was a super hero and a bunch of round little persons he understood were kids - “And those are the triplets and you” 

“YES!” - the boy bounced happily before returning to his class 

“He truly admires you” - The teacher smiled - “He keeps talking about you. He is very good friends with the triplets now” 

Mingyu was the boy that once bullied the triplets. Apparently, he didn’t understand what he was doing at all. He just wanted to be friends with them and tried to play... but he copied the wrong behaviours showed at home by his father. He thought it was normal to hit and get hurt. When Heechul stopped his dad from hurting him, he started seeing the crazy man as a hero. Thanks to that, now he was learning how to play with other kids and the triplets and him grew closer. 

“AISH~ you are so lucky!” - Heechul teased Ryeowook since all the girls kissed him as soon as he got inside the classroom - “My son is a playboy” 

“Mr Kim, do you have a minute?” - One of the teachers asked him - “Its about Ryeowookkie” 

Heechul only listened to it with a blank face. 

“Mr Kim?” 

“What do you mean with ‘not normal’ ?” - Heechul couldn’t about closing his eyes - “He is just a toddler” 

“It’s not something bad” - The teacher smiled sweetly- “We just noticed he is way smarter than the other kids” 

“I already know that but... I don’t...” - Heechul didn’t have words to express his feelings - “I’m worried” 

“Oh no! Don’t worry! Like I said, It’s not something bad” - the teacher felt guilty seeing the parent so troubled - “We just discussed it and... we think he would do better receiving the help he needs. We don’t want him to get bored” 

“I understand” - Heechul pressed his teeth tightly - “I just don’t want to believe it” 

“With older kids?” - Leeteuk was changing Henry’s diaper when Heechul explained it to him - “Oh my, Ryeowook must be truly a genius”

“Yeah... that’s not the problem” - Heechul covered his mouth - “The problem is, that if Ryeowook starts playing with older kids now, he will take a liking in those and will forget about ‘baby’ games” 

“You are worried about Kyuhyun” 

“And Ryeowook as well” - Heechul felt the world was falling on his shoulders - “I barely know how to raise a normal child, I can’t even imagine how hard it is to raise a genius baby” 

“You are Right... I have no clue” - Leeteuk bit his lips - “I admit Ryeowook doesn’t stop surprising me” 

“I was thinking in asking a true specialist for help” - Heechul sighed - “Donghae already got an appointment for the dyslexic thing and I was thinking in taking Ryeowook as well. I really don’t know how to handle this” 

“DADA! LOOK!” - Kyuhyun had drawn in the walls again - “Ta da~” 

“Thanks God Kyuhyun is as smart as the triplets” - Heechul rolled his eyes. 

“She is my girlfriend” - Siwon introduced the shy girl to Heechul - “Jiwon” 

“Hi Jiwonnie ~ “ - Heechul never thought he would meet an in law that quick - “Nice to meet you, I’m Siwon’s uncle” 

“Hi~” - The girl smiled to him. 

Heechul found funny how Siwon would hold hands with the girl and share snacks together. Love was in the air. 

“Today was awesome!” - Yesung commented at lunch - “I learned how to throw the ball! Uncle! Let’s practice later!”

“Uhum” 

“Dad, help me with my math homework” - Kangin chuckled - “I don’t understand a single bit of it” 

“I have a better idea” - Heechul his finger after Henry’s baby food got on it - “Why don’t you help each other? Kangin you help Yesung practice with the ball and Yesung you teach maths to Kangin” 

“Ah?” - Both boys were about to complain but Heechul stopped them. 

“No Fighting ok? Leeteuk will tell me If you guys misbehaved” 

The boys glared at the babysitter. Leeteuk sulked. 

“I would rather potty train Kyuhyun that watch over those two” - Leeteuk pouted - “Dont do this to me” 

“Now that you mention it, I will need your help this weekend” - Heechul smiled - “I mean, more than usual” 

“Why?” 

“I’m going to start potty training Kyuhyun” 

“that’s madness” - Leeteuk folded his arms - “He is not ready” 

“He is” - Heechul twisted his lips - “He is just lazy and coward” 

“What a way of describing him” - Leeteuk scolded - “But still, he—“ 

“He wakes up dry, he knows when he is about to poop, he stays dry for a few hours, he knows how to pull down his pants and he is talkative” - Heechul hit the table - “Yes, Leeteuk; I did read the stupid books you got me when we were potty training the triplets” 

“I didn’t know you knew how to read” - Leeteuk joked - “Fine. I will help. But don’t expect him to be as easy as Ryeowook” 

“I know~” 

“Come back safe” - Leeteuk waved goodbye as Heechul took Donghae and Ryeowook with him. 

“Where we going?” - Donghae asked amused since he was going out without his two twins - “Minnie Hyukkie home...?”

“We are going to play with doctors”’- Heechul explained to the kids - “Don’t worry, these ones don’t use needles” 

As expected, toddlers loved games. Donghae and Ryeowook were being evaluated but they had no clue of it as they played with nice doctors and a bunch of new toys. 

Heechul was already receiving the results while the boys played in the same room. 

“Donghae is indeed dyslexic” - The doctor did a funny expression - “And he has a little tendency to be hyperactive. Nothing bad”

“Yeah... having nine kids means you win the lottery most of the time” - Heechul teased 

“Speaking of which... you did won the lottery with the friend over there. It has been years since I met one of those” - The doctor seemed amazed with Ryeowook- “He is gifted. You were right: he is not a common toddler” 

“What should I do?” - Heechul wasn’t that happy with the news - “He has a twin and... you know... Since his is moving fast, they are starting to have troubles finding games they both can play. Just a few days ago Ryeowook even refused to play with him at home since he was upset because his brother wouldn’t play the games he wanted” 

“I’m not going to lie” - The doctor swayed his head - “Having a gifted child is both: great and scary. You probably have noticed at some point you can’t treat him like his brothers. He is different and you don’t know what to expect” 

“Exactly!”

“My biggest concern with kids like him is that parents often forget their children age. He is indeed smarter than the common toddler but not because of it he stops being a toddler. He is still a baby boy that wants his dad’s attention just like his brothers. He is more independent than the others but still wants to receive that attention from you” 

“Alright...” - Heechul was sure of it. Sometimes he found himself discussing with Ryeowook like he would with Siwon but the boy was actually a two years old. It was unfair getting mad at him for things he was supposed to do at his age. 

“Don’t push him but do not stop him” - The doctor fixed his glasses - “The worst thing you can do is asking him to stop. These kids enjoy learning new things and curiosity fills their head most of the time. Pay attention to his questions and try to answer them the best you can... don’t ignore his requests even if you are tired” 

“Sure! I always read to them before going to sleep” - Heechul nodded - “He loves that. He also loves drawing and... singing. He loves music” 

“Finally, is not like he has bad temper. Try imagining how would you feel if no one understood you” - The doctor made a sad expression- “Somehow, he can feel he is different. He doesn’t know how to express his frustrations about it and he gets upset. Don’t yell at him when those episodes happen... try to understand” 

“Dada~” - Ryeowook was nuzzling his face in Heechul’s leg - “Pway Wookie~”

“He truly loves you” - The doctor smiled pleased - “We performed an attachment test and the results were... wow. You must be an excellent dad. Donghae also loves you a lot” 

“DADDY! HAE DID— Uh oh” - Donghae’s building fell apart when the boy lifted it - “Sorry” 

“We will survive” - Heechul teased. 

Heechul was still thinking in the doctor’s words at night. He wondered what kind of adventures would bring having a gifted child. He was immersed in his own thoughts when he saw the twins sleeping together with almost no space in between. They were cuddling. 

“You guys need each other” - Heechul both boys’s heads - “Never forget that” 

“Dada~” - Ryeowook woke up - “Wookie dweam pawot” 

“Were you dreaming with a parrot?” - Heechul found it cute - “Oh that’s nice~ what else was there?” 

“Kyu” - Ryeowook his thump - “Kyu too” 

“Were you guys having fun with the parrot?” 

“Ung~” - Ryeowook went back to sleep. Heechul kissed both twins and was about to turn off the lights when Leeteuk called him in a playful way. 

“Come see this” - Leeteuk was giggling- “You won’t believe it” 

Yesung and Kangin were tangled together in the same bed. Both boys seemed to be sleeping peacefully. 

“They fight a lot but they also love each other” - Leeteuk was taking pictures - “Today Kangin improved a lot thanks to Yesung’s advices. Yesung could be a teacher in a future” 

Heechul went to sleep with the biggest smile on earth. Sadly, he would wake up a few hours later thanks to his phone. 

“Heechul, whats wrong?” - Leeteuk rubbed his sleepy eyes - “It’s not—“ 

“Yeah Yeah” - Heechul seemed troubled - “I understand. I’m going. Please prepare the plane” 

“Plane?” - Leeteuk observed how the troubled man did a suitcase in about seconds - “W-where are you going?” 

“Teuk, Something bad happened in one of our companies” - Heechul explained quickly - “I will be out of town for a few days. Mom is coming to help you with the kids and Dad is going with me. I’m so sorry, this... this is something I can’t change” 

“I understand” - Leeteuk worried - “Good luck...? I hope everything goes well” 

“I’m sorry”  - Heechul shook his head again -“I will come back as soon as I can and I promise I will call you at least once a day” 

“S-sure” - Leeteuk was getting scared. He spotted Heechul’s parents arriving - “They already came” 

“Oh baby!” - Heechul’s mother kissed her son - “Please take it easy ok? Teuk and I will look after the kids so you don’t have anything to worry about except from ‘that’ “ 

“Thanks. I love you mom” - Heechul kissed her back - “Dad, let’s go” 

“Bye Teuk” - The old man waved to him with an expression that Leeteuk understood well. 

Heechul was looking at the dark sky while his dad drove in silence. Only a few sniffles coming from him could be heard. He couldn’t help but tear up a bit imagining he would be away from his kids for a few days. 

“I know how you feel” - Heechul’s dad broke the silence - “But torturing yourself won’t change anything. Right now, you need to focus on solving the problem so you can go back home soon” 

“Is this how you guys felt when you had to leave me behind?” - Heechul felt his throat hurting - “Did you also—“

“Yes” - Heechul’s dad sighed - “But like I said, torturing yourself won’t solve anything” 

Heechul bit his hand. He was scared. How long was he going to be away from home? 

“I didnt kiss them before leaving” - Heechul cried - “I also forgot to tell them I loved them” 

“They already know that” - Heechul’s dad felt his heart hurt as well - “They will be fine” 

“Why isn’t dad here?” - Kangin asked - “Why did he go?” 

“He is busy with work” - the old lady explained - “It is an emergency. Your dad will come back as soon as he can” 

“Is he going to be alright?” - Siwon worried - “I miss him” 

“Daddy will save everyone” - Eunhyuk said confident 

“Ung! He hero!” - Donghae chirped 

“Papa will come back soon” - Sungmin hugged his bunny plush tightly- “He is good” 

“DADA!” - Henry joined the cheering team - “DADADADADA!” 

(When are you coming back? I hope you will be alright...) Yesung sighed as he saw the rain fall from the living room’s windows. Somehow he could feel Heechul needed them. 

“YEYE!” - Kyuhyun jumped on him - “PWAY UZ!” 

“UNG!” - Ryeowook was also on his brother now 

Yesung smiled. He wouldn’t have time to feel lonely.