The car smelt nice and the booster seat he was strapped to was comfortable. The music was a familiar dance song from a girl group that he had heard playing on the orphanage’s T.V. a few times.

Kicking his legs back and forth, excitedly, Samuel tightly hugged the stuffed bunny he just received from his new parents closer to his chest.

New parents. He had new parents! He was so happy!

Up front on the passenger seat, his new papa – Jaejoong-papa – turned his head around to flash a smile at him. “Are you excited, Samuel-ah?”

Samuel nodded his head, enthusiastically, unable to stop his lips from being in a wide grin.

Jaejoong-papa was a pretty man with pretty eyes and a kind smile. Samuel liked him immediately when the orphanage head, Mrs. Go, had introduced them to each other a few months ago.

He had played the piano for Samuel and even taught him how to play “Twinkle twinkle little star”. And then on his next visit, when he brought the handsome Yunho-appa with him (Samuel was a little afraid of him at first, until he taught him how to play soccer along with the other kids), he had brought Samuel a box of yummy homemade cookies (he wished he didn’t have to share with the other kids but Jaejoong-papa said he had to so he did).

On the driver’s seat, Yunho-appa chuckled. “We’re excited for you to come home too. And your Changmin-hyung is waiting at home.”

Oh, yes! That was another thing. Samuel was going to have a big brother too! He met Changmin-hyung once and he really liked him. The older boy reminded him of Bambi, the cute deer in that movie the orphanage staff had put on for them once during movie night.

Sadly, his new hyung didn’t play with him the last time they met. Samuel didn’t know why. Maybe he smelled bad that day? Even though he remembered taking a bath.

But, no matter! He made his hyung a present. It was a drawing that he had worked really hard on. It was now safely folded and tucked away in his backpack.

Samuel was sure he was going to love it!

After the drive that felt like FOREVER, they finally arrived at his new home. The outside of the house was everything Samuel imagined it to be! It had a steel gate, its walls were painted white, and there were potted plants and flowers displayed on the front.

He waited, impatiently, for his new father to unbuckle him from the booster seat. Yunho-appa went to the back to take out his suitcase (it was small, but his new fathers said they would take him shopping with his brother soon). Jae-papa opened the side door and smiled at him as he released him from the booster seat and picked him up into his arms, making sure to grab his stuffed bunny too.

The man looked at him for a moment before make a “squee-ing” sound and rubbing his nose against Samuel’s.

“You are too cute! We’re so happy to have you be a part of our family!”

That made the warm and happy feelings inside Samuel multiply tenfold (even though he didn’t know multiplication yet) and wrapped his arms around his new father’s neck, feeling clingy.

Yunho-appa chuckled behind them. “Come on, you two. Let’s go inside. I’m sure everyone wants to meet Samuel. Are you hungry, buddy? We have a lot of food, just for you! You can eat all you want!”

A lot of food! And he didn’t have to share with other the other kids? This was the best day ever!

Taking both of his new fathers’ hands, he skipped in between them, looking forward to finally entering his new home.

…………………..

Dressed in his best red button-down shirt, dark jeans, and his favorite Power Rangers sneakers, Changmin happily stuffed his face with snacks as he watched cartoons. He already had a few cookies and a glass of milk. His grandmother said he wasn’t allowed to eat the fried chicken until later.

He was thinking about sneaking into the kitchen and grabbing a bag of chips from the pantry when he heard the front door open and his Appa’s voice calling out, “We’re home!”

Immediately, everyone in the room ran towards the front. And by everyone, he meant everyone. His Grandma Yeojin, Grandpa Donggun, Uncle Yoochun, Uncle Junsu (Uncle Yoochun’s husband), Uncle Heechul (his Papa’s brother), Uncle Siwon (Uncle Heechul’s boyfriend), and Aunt Jihye (his Appa’s sister).

With a quiet scoff and a sigh, Changmin shuffled on his feet as he followed the adults.

His Papa beamed at the sight of him. “Minnie-ah! Come here, baby!”

He obeyed, refusing to meet the bright and sparkling eyes of the intruder holding his Appa and Papa’s hands.

“You remember Samuel, right, buddy? We’ve brought him home to be your new brother,” his Appa said as he and Jae-papa let go of the little hands. The man prodded the younger boy forward, gently. “Samuel, why don’t you greet your hyung?”

The little intruder dared to smile, showing his teeth (he was missing a few). “Hello, Changmin-hyung. It’s nice to see you again!”

Changmin didn’t return the smile but nonetheless, he politely said, “Hi.”

The little intruder let out an excited squeal and before Changmin knew what was happening, little arms had wrapped themselves around his waist, tightly hugging him and knocking the breath out of him. Changmin’s eye twitched as the little bugger rubbed his cheek against his shirt.

“Awww.”

“So cute.”

“They’re going to be great brothers!”

All the adult cooed but all Changmin wanted to do was get this little bugger off of him so he could go back to his snacks and his show. Thankfully, Yunho-appa had patted the younger kid in the back.

“Let’s go into the living room. Everyone has presents for you, Samuel.”

With that, Yunho-appa led the little intruder into the living room while Jae-papa held out a hand to Changmin.

“Were you good for Uncle Yoochun, Minnie?” he asked, as they followed behind everyone.

Changmin nodded. “He bought me ice cream.”

“Did you thank him?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy.” His papa paused and kneeled down in front of him. “I know that you’re still scared that things will change and I understand it completely. But, just because we have Samuel now doesn’t mean we love you any less, okay? So, for today, for me and your Appa, please behave and make Samuel feel at home? You promised, right?”

Changmin did promise. And he didn’t like breaking promises to his Papa. Sighing, he nodded.

When they entered the living room, Samuel was sitting on Yunho-appa’s lap, surrounded by all the adults as he opened presents. Around him were opened boxes of clothes, various stuffed animals, and torn wrapping paper. On the table were plates of cookies, chips, and various other snacks.

Jaejoong-papa settled on an armchair and pulled Changmin into his lap.

The adults all laughed and cooed at every action made and every lisp-ed word said by that little bugger.

Was that all adults cared about?! Cuteness and improperly said words?! It made Changmin sick!

He sat there on his Papa’s lap, lips pursed and glaring at the cookies that he wanted to eat. It just wasn’t fair.

“Changmin?”

He looked up at his Appa’s voice calling out to him. Everyone was looking at him now, including that little intruder. He suddenly felt self-conscious with all the eyes on him.

His Appa was grinning. “Samuel has something for you, right, buddy?”

For once, the little bugger looked nervous and it made Changmin a little curious as to why.

He watched as the younger boy slid off his Yunho-appa’s lap, opened the little Pororo backpack on the floor, and took out a piece of folded paper. He looked at Changmin who blankly stared back, appearing to hesitate.

Yunho-appa prodded him on the back and flashed him a smile. The little intruder seemed to gain strength from that and moved closer to Changmin.

The adults’ attentions were all on the two little boys.

In little steps, Samuel shuffled forward towards Changmin. Then, he held his hands out, handing Changmin the piece of paper. The older boy stared at it, not understanding why he was being given a paper.

“Changmin, Samuel is giving you a gift,” his Jae-papa said behind him.

Oh. This piece of paper was a gift?

Changmin felt a twinge in his chest, but he ignored it. He took the piece of paper in his hands and unfolded it. His brows furrowed, as he tried to determine what he was looking at.

It was a drawing of a blue house, a yellow sun in the right-hand corner, and in the center of the page were two stick figures – one smaller than the other – drawn in red crayon. An orange basketball was in the hand of the taller figure. And at the bottom of the paper were words but Changmin could barely read the bad handwriting.

“‘To hyung. Love, Samuel’,” his Papa read for him. “Awww, isn’t that sweet, Minnie-ah?”

Oh. That was what it said. That was nice, he supposed. Changmin could do better with the drawings and the spelling. If this little bugger was to be his brother, then he better brush up on his drawing and spelling skills.

“Thank you,” he politely said to the younger kid.

At once, Samuel’s eyes went huge and before Changmin realized what was happening again, the little intruder had moved forward, attacking and knocking the breath out of him again!

Seriously, this little bugger had got to stop catching him off-guard! Why was he so clingy?!

To his relief, Samuel released him quickly and once again, all the adults’ attention focused on the younger kid.

Changmin sighed. It was going to be a loooooong day.

Sliding off of his Jaejoong-papa’s lap, he stalked towards the plate of cookies on the table.

He might as well indulge. He was happy that no one scolded him since they were all busy paying attention to that little intruder.

Samuel was definitely a good distraction for the adults, he would give him that.

…………………..

It had been truly a long and tiring day yet every second of it was worth committing to memory. As Jaejoong put away the last of the leftovers from dinner, he couldn’t help the smile that refused to leave his lips.

Everyone in their close family circle had welcomed the newest addition to their family with open arms, hugs, and kisses. And judging from the non-stop laughs and smiles from Samuel, the 6-year-old was also thrilled to meet them all.

If only Jaejoong and Heechul’s parents were able to come up from Gonju, but their father’s back was acting up again and their mother didn’t want to leave him alone at home. They did promise to come at some point when their father was all recovered. For now, Jaejoong simply e-mailed them some photos.

The day had come to a close so after helping him and Yunho clean up, their guests all left for home with promises to visit. While Jaejoong busied himself with putting the leftovers away, Yunho was giving their children a bath.

Jaejoong smiled at that thought. Their children.

He was so happy that he barely registered the tiredness in his bones.

When he was done, he turned out all the lights and headed up to the second floor where the bedrooms were. He went into Samuel’s first.

They had converted the spare room into a bedroom, given it a new coat of paint, and adding the necessary furniture (like a bed, a chest of drawers, and a side drawer). Once Samuel was fully settled, they could go shopping for more things he might want.

Jaejoong and Yunho were ready to spoil their new little prince.

His husband was just tucking in the little boy into the bed when he entered. Samuel broke into a gummy smile when he saw him, his eyes sparkling with adoration.

“Papa!”

Jaejoong’s heart filled with warmth as he approached. “Hi, baby. How are you settling in?”

“Good! Today was really fun! And Changmin-hyung is so cool! I hope he starts to like me… cause I like him a lot…” His voice trailed off a little before his face lit up again. “Thank you for my room! I’ve never had my own before.” Then, his little lips protruded a little into a worried pout. “But I’m scared to sleep alone...”

“Do you want one of us to sleep with you for tonight?” Yunho asked, immediately.

Jaejoong himself had gotten a little worried after the confession from the little boy. He could sympathize – it must be scary being in a new place for the first time and with new people, at that.

Samuel seemed to shrink into his covers. “No… I’m okay…” he answered in a small voice.

“Alright, if you’re sure,” Jaejoong said, with a nod. “So, why don’t you let Appa tell you a story while I go check on your hyung? Your Appa is really amazing with voices.”

The little boy had quietly agreed and Jaejoong leaned in to kiss his forehead “good night” before leaning into his husband to lovingly kiss his lips.

“I’ll see you in our room,” he reassured the other man before leaving the room and heading down the hall to Changmin’s room.

He knocked before pushing the door open.

Changmin was already in bed, a story book on his lap, waiting patiently. He looked up when Jaejoong came in and he smiled at his baby, who insisted that he was no longer a baby (but Jaejoong disagreed with the fact).

“Ready for bed?” he asked, coming up to the bed.

Changmin nodded before asking, “Is Appa coming to read to me?”

Jaejoong slid into the bed. “He’s reading Samuel a story right now.”

The little boy’s face fell. “Oh.”

“Do you want to go to Samuel’s room and we can listen to Appa tell the story there?”

Changmin shook his head as he pouted. “No, thank you.”

At that moment, Jaejoong felt sorry that he and Yunho had been so busy making sure Samuel would feel right at home, that they sometimes forgot that it may take Changmin a little more time to get used to the changes.

“Hey, why don’t I take over and read tonight, hmm?” he tried to compromise. “Appa will read to you tomorrow.”

He wasn’t as good as Yunho with voices, but he could do a decent job. Changmin knew this so he agreed and Jaejoong wasted no time in reading about a group of kids and a magic tree house.

He was halfway through the book when Changmin’s quiet voice calling out to him stopped him.

“Papa, I love you.” The little boy wrapped his arms around Jaejoong’s waist, burying his face into Jaejoong’s chest.

The man’s heart melted and he brought his son closer to him.

“I love you too, baby,” he replied, kissing his hair. “Always remember that, okay?”

“M’kay.”

Jaejoong gently ran a hand through the dark locks. “Tired? We don’t have to finish the book.”

Changmin quietly nodded so Jaejoong marked the book and placed it on the nightstand before getting up and tucking Changmin into bed. The little boy’s eyes were fluttering, fighting to stay awake as he waited for Jaejoong to finish wishing him ‘good night’. He may act like a big kid these days, but Changmin was still his baby in many ways.

The transition from being an only child to suddenly being an older brother won’t be easy for the little boy. But, Jaejoong knew that despite the little boy’s apparent nonchalance for Samuel’s presence, he would grow to love his new brother as much as Jaejoong and Yunho already did. They just needed some time. Changmin may be a little spoiled and mischievous, but he really was a good kid.

Jaejoong was confident that it would all work out somehow.

“Hey, you were really good today,” he told his son, smiling before kissing his forehead. “You made Samuel feel very welcome. And he’s excited to be your brother. I’m very proud of you.”

Changmin appeared to blush but smiled a small smile. Saying “good night”, his eyes fluttered close.

Jaejoong his nightlight, switched the lights off, and closed the door.

His heart full and his steps light, he headed off to get ready for bed.

It took a good half hour for Yunho to join him and the two cuddled under the covers.

“You think Samuel will be okay?” Jaejoong asked, worriedly, as he absentmindedly drew patterns on Yunho’s chest.

“I hope so,” Yunho answered, his fingers running through Jaejoong’s hair. “But, I told him that we’ll leave the door unlocked so he can come in anytime.”

Jaejoong looked up at him with a pout. “No y times for us then? And to think that I was going to take care of you tonight,” he teased.

Yunho seemed to realize just then that Jaejoong did promise him that morning just and his eyes fell on the unlocked door. He swallowed hard as Jaejoong’s touch became feather light, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Maybe just for an hour…” he said, before getting up quickly to lock the door.

Jaejoong couldn’t help but laugh at his husband’s eagerness. Even after ten years of marriage, Yunho still managed to make him feel like the most desirable man on earth.

This day was truly one of the absolute best.

…………………..

Changmin was already in dreamland, dreaming about fighting a dragon hoarding a mountain of donuts, when he was rudely awakened by a poke on his side and a soft, “Hyung” in his ear.

He frowned at the 6-year-old clutching a stuffed bunny standing at the side of his bed, dark brown hair all messy.

“What are you doing here?” Changmin asked through his hazy mind, feeling disappointed that there was no mountain of donuts waiting for him.

The little bugger’s protruding lips quivered as he swayed in place. “Can I sleep here, hyung?”

Changmin blinked at him. Why did he want to sleep in Changmin’s room when he had a perfectly nice room to himself? Changmin would know, he (reluctantly) helped decorate.

He sighed and cuddled back into his covers. “Go back to your room and sleep. Don’t bother me. I’m tired.”

“Hyung…”

But, Changmin turned his back and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

“Hyung…”

He didn’t answer. It was silent for a long time and Changmin wondered if the younger kid had fallen asleep on the floor or something.

Finally, he heard a sad sigh and some shuffling before the door opened and closed, softly.

Now, he could finally go back to sleep in peace. He hoped that this was a one-time thing and the kid would at least leave him alone.