There it is again, that slick little intruder munching on fish scraps. This time he's going to get it. Stealthily at that. He learned his lesson last time. Making a sound sends it scampering away. No, he has to do it like his loyal lackey taught him during his late-night hunting 101 workshop.

He soundlessly switches one hiding place from another till he's close to his oblivious target. Close enough, he waits for the right opportunity.

Yunho and Jaejoong are busy preparing for the party when they hear the screeching of a cat from outside. "Poor Coco got it again." Jaejoong sighs, pitying the stray cat who's been visiting them lately.

"He's only jealous of the cat coz he thinks you like it more." Yunho grabs the knit blanket draped on the couch before he heads out in the cold morning. "He gets that from you." Jaejoong hollers after him on his way to the kitchen to check on the cake.

Yunho shivers as he opens the door to the backyard and throws the shawl over his shoulders. "Changmin..." he looks around till he spots Changmin behind the frosty lawn chairs, pinning a cat down with his entire body weight. "Let him go Min." Yunho's stern tone was all it took for Changmin to release the cat that escaped like a bat out of hell. The Umma-thief escaped again but Changmin didn't care, running to his father.

"You ran out in the cold again, you naughty little monkey." Yunho picks him up and cocoons him inside the shawl. The toddler loves the attention and comfort, nuzzling against Yunho's chest and mewling blissfully. "Your Umma says you're like me but right now you're behaving just like him." Yunho nuzzles his koala of a demon as he enters the house and they're immediately hit with the sugary aroma of cake.

Changmin's head perks up and he looks around excitedly for the confection. It'll be a while though, Yunho reckons, since it seems Jaejoong has got the cake out of the oven. Yunho carries him to the kitchen, the aroma getting stronger much to Changmin's delight.

"Cake!" Yunho chuckles at his desperation to go to the cake. "Patience Bambi. You'll get the cake soon." He tells the hungry little demon just as they arrive at the kitchen where Jaejoong has laid out two freshly baked cakes on a cooling rack. He too laughs seeing Changmin drool over the sight of cakes. Yunho merely teases his baby, holding him but not going anywhere near the cake. "Appa! Cake!"

"Yes, it's your birthday cake."

~~~

Changmin is happy. After that wretched cat escaped, he had to endure a very long wait for cake. And also what was that unnecessary gimmick where they stuck candles on his cake - what if it ruined his precious cake - and hovered him above it till they sang obnoxiously!

If he didn't get the cake at the end of it, some people would have their own personal rainclouds in this freezing weather.

But he has his cake now, and he's happy. His Umma gave him a spoon, but he couldn't be bothered with formalities, shoving handfuls of cake into his mouth. His Umma is also close to giving up cleaning icing from his face and hands.

"His appetite is impressive." Changmin looks at his grandmother who spoke beside him. He kind of has a love-hate relationship with her because she's either hogging his Umma or clinging to him so he can't go to his Umma. But she also gives him food. So there’s that. "He started walking and talking much earlier too."

Jaejoong hums as he thumbs a bit of icing under Changmin's eye. He's slightly distracted by the ruckus in the backyard after Yunho's parents unravelled the play kitchenette they got for Changmin and then all the Kim kids wanted to try it. Changmin didn't care as long as he had his cake.

"He's not going to leave any cake for us is he?"

"It's okay. Dara and Taemin bought two desserts each. And Hojun made his signature pork. Have you tried it before? It's amazing."

Siyeon feigns a scoff, "Please! I can make it just as good."

"Umma, the reason I became good at cooking is coz you at it. We kids needed to survive."

"I was only pretending to be bad so I could escape cooking for 11 people. Ask Minyoung, I made the best omelette."

"Sure..." Jaejoong drawled, intent on teasing his mother more. But a little chirp interrupted him. "Umma, Pork!"

"Sometimes I think he started talking early just to demand food." Jaejoong whines, wiping the remains of cake off Changmin's face.

Siyeon helps him when Somin shuffles into the kitchen, shivering despite her fat faux furcoat. "It's really freezing out there. Why did you guys have an outdoor party?"

"We didn't. You guys just go straight for the garden every time. We should call them in now." Jaejoong moved but Changmin clutched his shirt with a whine. Seeing that, Siyeon stood up, "I'll heat up the food." Jaejoong mouthed a thanks to her and proceeded to help Changmin drink water.

Somin observes them for a second before she abruptly sounds off, "it's not good to give him so much sugar." She has a hint of censure in her tone which Jaejoong finds odd. But he didn't show it as he responded, "try keeping him away from food. He burns through it in minutes."

Jaejoong can't tell her that human biology doesn't apply to this future demon king who's sprawled on his lap contentedly. He also has a feeling his sister won't drop the subject.

"He's really attached to you." Jaejoong feels an unsettling spasm at her way of speaking that's not like the fond way Yunho's mother says the same. "Is that a bad thing noona?" Jaejoong is surprised at his own clipped tone. It's his sister after all.

Somin has always been a bit of a know-it-all. With a Ph.D. in a branch of physics, she's a lot more qualified than the three eldest daughters who opted to work and support the household over further education and the other four Kim siblings who followed their culinary, artistic, and fashion dreams. She occasionally likes to point out her academic prowess and they don't really care. Though their mother doesn't let her get away with it. 

"Somin, I've told you to stop making other kids out to be sociopaths!" Siyeon admonishes from the kitchen. "Just because you've read a few parenting books doesn't make you an expert."

Somin doesn't like the jab at what she only meant as well-intentioned advice. "Enabling a clingy child is not good. Joongie gets I mean well." More like to show her expertise, Jaejoong and Siyeon think to themselves. But both Jaejoong and Yunho have read a lot about parenting, surrogacy, and raising an adopted child before Changmin entered their lives. And he knows a thing or two too.

"I get it noona." Somin looks at her mother chuffed until Jaejoong continues, "But ignoring or leaving them alone only prolongs the clingy phase. At least that's what our counsellor told us. Besides Changmin is still too young before we even attempt to condition his behaviour."

"Exactly, he's too young. And so is Hayoung." Siyeon adds, "stop overthinking everything they do and let kids be kids."

If Somin didn't bristle before, she's definitely upset now. She can't help but feel attacked, especially when she had a similar argument with her husband not long ago.

"Do you have to attack everything I say?" Somin directs at her mother.

Jaejoong wants to dissipate the tension with something. Fortunately, his nephew Jeonghu arrives bouncing in. "Changmin-ah~" the three--year-old boy hurries in with a toy basketball, Changmin's gift from Jeonghu's parents. He's taken quite a liking to Changmin since having another boy in the family. Jeonghu climbs on to the chair vacated by Siyeon and holds out the ball to Changmin, "Hyung is giving you this. So, you have to play with hyung okay?"

Jaejoong doesn't know how much of that Changmin understood until his baby demon broke into silent laughter. Changmin's little hands dig into the soft basketball and he scoots out of Jaejoong's lap. Jaejoong puts Changmin and Jeonghu on their feet before they tumble down the chairs, "why don't you play inside." Jaejoong directs the two boys to the living room and they toddle off.

"Well, what do ya know! Looks like Changmin is capable of socializing." Siyeon declares smugly, making Siyeon huff. "Umma..." Jaejoong chides their mother on his way to call everyone back indoors.

As the adults are shrugging off their winter clothes and helping themselves to the food, the children run off to where Changmin and Jeonghu are. The kitchen is filled with the usual buzz of chatter when a child's shriek of pain cuts through the house.

Everyone rushes to the living room where a group of stunned kids were frozen in their places. The crying was from Hayoung, splayed on the carpet and wailing. Changmin is in front of her, sitting on his and blinking in confusion. The other children are also at a loss when Hayoung