“Giddy up! Giddy up!’ Kyuhyun giggled happily as he waves a little plastic sword in the air while grabbing tightly to the back of Siwon’s t-shirt.” Go! Horsy! Go!”

 

“Naaaaaay!” Siwon neighed loudly as he crawls carefully forward, mindful that his youngest brother would not fall off his back.

 

This lovely afternoon sees this brood of 9 brothers playing funfair in their backyard while their Umma is in the house busy changing all the sheets.

 

Oddly, Kyuhyun was the one who suggested that they play pretend. Knowing how precious little play time their baby brother actually afforded them, all his hyungs readily agreed.

 

And that’s how Siwon became the pony in the petting zoo, Heechul twirls his little umbrella by his side pretending to be the ferris wheel while the rest threw empty peanut shells at Donghae who all tussled up and the seat of his pants glued to a chair.

 

Heechul yawned with boredom as he watched Donghae cry out loud everytime a peanut shell hit him. The little boy’s face is all red from incessant crying, tears and snot all over his nose and mouth.

 

“Hang on tight, baby!” Siwon warned as Kyuhyun urged him to go another round around the garden, his chubby legs digging into his side rather uncomfortably.

 

“I want to play on the merry go around!” Ryeowook suddenly said. Heechul eyed the little brat at his feet looking expectantly up at him.

 

“No.” Heechul finally replied firmly.

 

“I wanna!” Ryeowook retorts.

 

“No!” Heechul glared.

 

“I wan-naaaaa!!!” Ryeowook dragged the syllable through his throat as long as his breath could hold.

 

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” Heechul retorts in similar fashion.

 

“I wannaaaaaaaaaa!!!!” Ryeowook shrieks.

 

Heechul watched warily as Ryeowook’s lips curl in a familiar way that warns of impending tears. “Ugh, fine. Climb on.” He relents, bringing his umbrella up and winding his body around slowly. Ryeowook’s face lit up as he scoots under the umbrella and crawls around his hyung.

 

Kyuhyun’s giggles grew louder as he feeds Siwon an imaginary carrot and Siwon teased by nipping his tiny fingers playfully. A particularly loud wail stopped both boys short as they turned hurriedly towards the corner where Donghae is held captive.

 

Four boys stood in a row by the crying boy’s side looking at their shoes faking guilt as Kyuhyun stomps towards them with a very worried looking Siwon in tow.

 

“Hyung, don’t cry.” Kyuhyun appeals gently to Donghae as Siwon loosen the ropes around the tiny shaking body. But when the youngest tries to help his hyung up from the chair they both got a nasty surprise that sent Donghae into a new fit of crying.

“Tell me you didn’t!” Kyuhyun turns to the rest of his hyungs with a look of exasperation.

 

“He wouldn’t keep still.” Shindong mutters timidly.

 

Siwon tries to pull Donghae loose only to let go when they heard a cloth tearing noise.

 

“I-I don’t wa-want to pla-play anymore!!” Donghae stutters tearfully but no amount of struggling could free him.

 

Kyuhyun crossed his skinny arms over his thin chest and pout. This is so totally ruining his afternoon of fun! And Donghae being his second favourite hyung, he really can’t bear to see his tears.

 

“Stop crying, hyung.” Kyuhyun coo at the sobbing boy. “Minnie hyung and Hyukkie hyung will steal some ice cream for you.”

 

“WHAT?! NO!” Sungmin and Hyukjae shouted together at the top of their lungs.

 

“Yes you are.” Kyuhyun replied coolly.

 

“We, erm…..” Sungmin and Hyukjae swallowed hesitantly. The little figure glaring at them is almost hilarious, unlike the menacing figure behind him giving them the warning looks. “OK.” They finally conceded weakly.

 

Kyuhyun’s face wore a look of triumph while Siwon’s showed a look of relief.

 

“I want ice cream too!” Heechul shouted from afar. And of course, everyone does.

 

Sungmin and Hyukjae crept into the kitchen while their brothers crowd outside the kitchen window watching in anticipation. The two juvenile thieves were bickering about whose fault it was as they moved towards the fridge.

 

“We need a stool.” Hyukjae decides after they stared at the formidable piece of furniture for a long time.

 

Sungmin dragged a kitchen chair over with much difficulty and they clambered onto it, reaching the ice box easily.

 

“Waaaaaaa ~” Both boys exclaimed in awe when they got the door opened and a blast of cold air hits them. Outside the window their brothers’s jaws dropped open and eyes widen too in envy.

 

“Ice cream!” Heechul hisses a reminder to the two giggling brothers who are rubbing their cheeks on bags of ice cold stuff.

 

“More!”

 

“I want strawberry!”

 

“Take ten ice cream!”

 

Sungmin jumped off the chair and took what Hyukjae could pilfer at the constant urging of his brothers.

 

Lee Teuk hums softly as he changed the sheets on the ninth bed today. His back would be cracking and his hamstrings screaming for mercy but after years of during the same activity over and over again, his muscles just grew stronger. Whoever said you can get fit just by doing housework ain’t kidding. You just need a lot of kids to help train you.

 

For a while he could hear his children’s happy voices in the backyard floating in. He smiled as he hears one voice or the other. He knows he has raised happy kids, he just wish sometimes that they are not so creative (read: mischievous).

 

Gradually as he got more into into his chores, he paid no heed to the background noises. He did not hear Kyuhyun’s shrill giggles, or Donghae’s crying, or Hyukjae cheering loudly. Nor did he hear the kitchen chair scraping across the kitchen floor, or the loud cheers that followed.

 

But as he straightened up from the last bed, he heard loud bickering noises coming from the backyard. Sticking his head out of the window to check, he could not really see his children where they are gathering behind the corner of the house.

 

 

“It’s time for ‘Finding Nemo’!” Donghae screeched in frustration, tears running freely down his cheeks again but no one is paying him any heed.

 

“That was mine!” Yesung wailed at Shindong his spoon clean.

 

“I don’t feel so well ~” Kyuhyun murmurs to a very worried looking Siwon before vomiting out his stomach contents.

 

Lee Teuk arrived to find Sungmin and Ryeowook fighting over a spoon of melted pink goo and Heechul sitting on the porch steps admiring himself in his little pocket mirror.

 

“What were all of you up to?” Lee Teuk asks sternly.

 

“Umma, baby is sick!” Siwon calls out in fright. The tiny body he is holding slumped in his arms felt heavy as lead.

 

Lee Teuk came forward and took the toddler into his arms. “Ummaaa…” Kyuhyun whimpers pathetically in his mother’s arms.

 

“It’s ok, baby. Umma’s here, Umma will make you feel better soon.” Lee Teuk coos comfortingly at the little tot. Turning to the rest of his brood, he gave them a stern look. “Chullie, make sure your brothers clean up the mess and themselves too. I’ll be back to check in a while.”

 

Heechul whined in protest before stomping to his brothers and smacking them each on their heads. “Clean up!” He shrieked angrily at his brothers.

 

 

Lee Teuk massaged his temples with a grimace. After putting his youngest to bed with a spoonful of tummy aid, he returned to find a group of disheveled adolescents waiting for him obediently in the yard. Apart from Heechul and Siwon, the rest were covered with dried ice cream stains. Shindong has bitemarks on his arms and Donghae is stuck to a chair.

 

“Wait till your Appa comes home tonight!” Lee Teuk warned with a streak of spite as he yanks a crying Donghae off the chair, hearing the seat of his pants tearing. “Another pair ruined!” He grumbles, ignoring his cowering offsprings.