Leeteuk wasn’t sure of what happened during Christmas but Heechul was now totally different. He was so happy it made everyone confused. 

“I still think they returned another person” - Leeteuk commented as he heard Heechul singing in the morning - “Have you ever seen him like this?” 

“Actually, he used to be like this” - Yesung smiled - “Before our parents died, Uncle was always in a good mood” 

“I wonder what changed” - Leeteuk tilted his head as he saw Heechul dancing - “But I’m happy that he is happy” 

“Me too” - Yesung giggled - “Santa granted my wish” 

“Sure” 

“Guess who just peed in the toilet like a BIG BOY” - Heechul announcement was full of double intentions- “Ryeowook, who is NOT A BABY, peed in the toilet just like BIG BOYS do” 

Ryeowook was extremely proud of it. Heechul was making it a big deal since he wanted to get rid of the potty. Leeteuk didnt care at all but Heechul hated cleaning the potty, so he love to discover that Ryeowook had no troubles using the toilet. 

“Big boy!” - Ryeowook wasn’t wearing pants. Again. 

“Where are your pants?” - Leeteuk tried - “Did you lose them?” 

“Nuh. Wookie no patz! Undies” - Ryeowook liked to show off the cute underwear Heechul bought for him - “Zee” 

“Yes, I can see it” - Leeteuk laughed - “But people don’t go around showing their underwear, Ryeokkie. We use pants” 

Ryeowook nodded and searched for his pants. Despite being stubborn he was still reasonable most of the time. 

“Teuk, I need your help” - Heechul whispered - “I was thinking to do it today. You know... the thing we discussed” 

“Are you two marrying?” - Kangin teased - “Why you keep talking like that? I really don’t care if you marry” 

“No, we are not” - Heechul found it funny despite Leeteuk’s face - “Don't tell your siblings but I’m going to take you all to the pool” 

“YOU ARE TAKING US TO THE POOL?!” 

“I can always count on them to keep a secret” - Heechul said sarcastically- “Go get ready. Tell Yesung to get ready” 

The trip to the pool was something Leeteuk didn’t think Heechul would ever dare to do. Not only they had eight children but Heechul often was against public places and games that could put risk in his boys. That trip was another proof of Heechul’s good mood. Leeteuk thought it would be exhausting but a fun experience for everyone... except that not everyone liked the idea of swimming. 

“But your twin is enjoying it!” - Heechul kept trying to convince Ryeowook- “Are you mad because you are not wearing undies but your special suit?” 

Ryeowook shook his head annoyed. The boy still had tears in his eyes from the previous discussion as he protested when his brothers got inside the pool. 

“It's ok to be scared! I will hold you all the time, I promise” - Heechul tried again - “You can hug me all you want” 

“Wookie don't wanna Pool” - Ryeowook sulked - “Scawy” 

“Yeah, I know” - Heechul adjusted the boy’s floaters again - “But you have these! You will just float around!” 

Ryeowook cried when Heechul carried him close to the pool. 

“Look at your brothers they are all having fun!” - Heechul pointed at the silly kids that played together - “Nothing bad will happen” 

Ryeowook refused to go inside once again. The boy cried when Heechul went to sit next to the pool as he wanted to keep an eye on the others. 

“When you told me we were going to a pool, I thought you meant a public one” - Leeteuk mocked - “What did you do?” 

“I bought the pool” - Heechul grinned - “Now I own a water park” 

“Being rich sure is fun, isn’t it?” - Leeteuk raised both eyebrows - “When I was a kid all I could dream of was having all kind of toys or coming to a pool like this” 

“When I was a kid I was a spoiled brat that got everything he asked for” - Heechul puffed his cheeks - “Believe me, it doesn’t matter how many toys you have if you have no one to share them with. Also, a fancy pool can not replace having friends and all the candy you can eat it’s not enough to fill the emptiness you feel when your mom doesn’t show up in your birthday” 

“But you had brothers...?” 

“Well, Gunhee was around six years older than me and the sometimes was... too much. When he attended middle school, I wasn’t in kindergarten yet . I spend most of my mornings alone since Mrs Jung was also busy taking care of Donghee who was a baby” 

“Your mom mentioned you went to daycare” 

“She skipped the part of the story when it didn’t work and I was home schooled until I was five” - Heechul did a funny expression - “Teachers couldn’t control me” 

“Ryeowook is still sulking” - Leeteuk changed the topic as he saw the toddler folding his arms on the floor obviously hoping to call the attention - “And he looks sad” 

“Let him be, he doesn’t want to come” - Heechul sighed - “I think he is too scared of water” 

“ZWWWWIMMM” - Kyuhyun was progressing thanks to the little lessons that Heechul gave him in the bathtub - “Kyu Zwim!” 

“That’s it! You get it! Keep kicking hard!” - Heechul cheered as Kyuhyun moved in the water - “Now use your arms!” 

Leeteuk laughed. Kyuhyun was still clumsy but he wasn’t that bad considering he was just 21 months old. The twins had started to develop more athletic skills and it was obvious who got the lead when it came to those. Kyuhyun was way taller and stronger than his twin. Ryeowook was short and very light. The boy enjoyed tasks that often needed him to focus rather than depending on his physical abilities. 

“Are you scared to go inside the pool?” - Leeteuk pitied the lonely toddler - “Do you want to play with me?” 

“Eviwone” - Ryeowook bit his finger - “Pway with eviwone” 

“You want to play with everyone” - Leeteuk often repeated the sentences taking care of every word to help the boy improve his speaking abilities- “Do you want me to hold you? We could go inside the pool and—“ 

“Nuh! Scawyy!” - Ryeowook covered his face - “Wookie no liwe i’!” 

“Fine, ehm... Dad brought some of your toys in case you didn’t want to join” - Leeteuk was thankful that Heechul had thought of it - “Here” 

“Thankz” - Ryeowook pouted - “I zit hewe” 

Ryeowook sat on the floor quietly and played with his toys without making a single noise. Leeteuk still felt sorry for the kid but he couldn’t think of a clever solution. 

Heechul often went out of the pool to check on Ryeowook. He sneezed a couple of times thanks to getting cold but he was enduring it for the boy. Ryeowook cried every single time Heechul returned to the pool. 

“You are going to get a cold if you keep doing that” - Kangin scolded - “We dont want you to get sick. You promised us you would take care of your health” 

“Yeah!” - Siwon pouted - “You promised!” 

“Papa take care” - Sungmin also joined the scolding team - “Be good” 

Heechul laughed. After that ‘incident’ during Christmas, his boys turned strict when it came to his health. They kept asking him to eat and sleep well. They would even dare to scold him if needed. 

“I will take the next turn” - Leeteuk offered - “I will check on Ryeowook” 

“Fine, I will teach the kids how to play volleyball” - Heechul couldn’t retrieve the ball after the triplets got it - “Or maybe not” 

“How are you doing, honey?” - Leeteuk approached the quiet boy - “Are you alright?” 

Ryeowook nodded. He had a gloomy face. He was obviously bored and probably sad since he wasn’t getting attention. 

“I think it’s time for a potty break” - Leeteuk took a glance at the new watch Heechul gifted him for Christmas. The parent would probably go nuts if he knew Leeteuk often used it to keep track of Ryeowook potty breaks - “Do you have to pee?” 

“Uhmmm” - Ryeowook doubted - “Nuh?” 

“You are not convincing” - Leeteuk smiled - “Come here. Hold my hand, I promise we won’t take that long” 

Ryeowook followed Leeteuk without protesting. The babysitter got aware of the sudden change of character and worried since the toddler was extremely docile when he felt either sick or sad. 

“Oh, see? You did have to pee” - Leeteuk tickled the boy - “You peed a lot. I bet you were holding it” 

Ryeowook giggled. He was in a better mood since Leeteuk was being playful. The babysitter walked slower than usual as he gave time for the boy to explore a bit. He wanted Ryeowook to be happy even if that meant taking a long time to get back to the pool. 

“Teuk!! Come over! “ - Heechul called - “ You are missing all the fun! You too, Ryeowook!” 

The boy hid his face. He sat on the floor once they approached the pool. 

“Come on, we are all enjoying swimming in a pool where Kyuhyun probably peed” - Heechul teased - “Wanna come with daddy?” 

Another refusal. Heechul felt guilty for Ryeowook not having fun and ended their visit to the pool a little earlier than expected. Siwon and Donghae played so hard they fell asleep as soon as they reached home. Eunhyuk and Sungmin seemed to be more energetic after swimming. 

“Kyuhyun really loves water” - Heechul told Leeteuk - “I was thinking that maybe he should receive swimming lessons as well. I could hire a private teacher—“ 

“Maybe taking him to a common lesson wouldn’t be bad” - Leeteuk interrupted - “I mean, I know you hate the idea of pools you don’t own but today I realized something important about the twins” 

“What could be?” - Heechul made a funny expression - “Those two are the opposite” 

“Yeah, and both of them haven’t played that much with other children” - Leeteuk pointed out - “It’s true they have a lot of siblings and are used to each other but they aren’t used to play alone nor play with other kids” 

“Do you think it could affect them?” - Heechul worried - “I never thought of it” 

“Sungmin used to be extremely shy before entering Daycare” - Leeteuk recalled - “He started talking a lot more after he started daycare. Otherwise, Donghae seemed to be fine and we discovered he was shy around strangers when he went to daycare” 

“So, taking the twins to swimming lessons with other kids... could help them develop new skills” - Heechul agreed - “It could work” 

“It doesn’t have to be a swimming lesson” - Leeteuk didn’t like the idea at all since Ryeowook still refused to go near a pool - “You could do some research and—“ 

“Nah, swimming lessons” - Heechul smiled - “I want them to learn how to swim as soon as possible” 

Leeteuk took a deep breath. Heechul haven’t realized how much Ryeowook hated water. 

To be fair, Heechul had realized it. It just that now that he learned Henry was still alive, he started thinking more about how to raise his children. If everything went well, Heechul could be taking another baby to the house in about a month. A baby that would need special care as he had received surgery twice in just eight months of life... not to mention he was born under awful circumstances. He wasn’t sure of how to tell the kids or Leeteuk about Henry’s existence. 

“Are you listening to me?” - Leeteuk interrupted Heechul’s thoughts - “Heeeeey, I’m talking to you” 

“Yeah... something about Ryeowook and water” - Heechul shook his head. Right now he needed to focus on the boys he already had under his care. 

“He hates it” - Leeteuk wondered if Heechul was just fooling him. He found difficult to believe Heechul wouldn’t pay him attention when talking about Ryeowook or any other of his kids - “He was frightened by it! He couldn’t even approach it” 

“Where are Eunhyuk and Sungmin?” - Heechul sudden question made Leeteuk worry - “They were here just minutes ago” 

“They are...” - Leeteuk looked around. There was no sign of the kids - “Where did they go? Upstairs?” 

“They are not allowed to go upstairs without us” - Heechul took less than a minute to react  - “SUNGMIN! EUNHYUK!” 

His shouting ended waking up the kids that had fallen asleep. Siwon and Donghae were still drowsy while Heechul searched for the other two. 

“What's wrong?” - Kangin got aware they have a problem when he saw Heechul running around - “What happened?” 

“Have you seen your brothers? The triplets? “ 

“Donghae is at the living room” - Kangin scratched his head - “But I haven’t seen the other two” 

“MINNIEEEEE~ HYUUUUUU” - The twins were also helping to look for them  

“I can’t find them” - Leeteuk was anxious. He didn’t understand how the boys could have gotten far from the living room without getting noticed. Heechul and him took precautions as the mansion was big and chasing toddlers around wasn’t easy. 

“Oh God, oh God” - Heechul ran outside. He expected the worst - “KIDSSSS!” 

“Do you think they went out?!” - Leeteuk was about to panic - “How—“ 

“The door wasn’t locked, they could have open it” - Heechul shook his head - “I often lock it but I was carrying both twins and forgot to do it. They could be in danger... I hope they haven’t gone too far...” 

Heechul ran around the garden shouting both names. Nothing. He held his heart and walked down the street shouting again. He was getting afraid the kids could be walking around the street without an adult, he had taught them many times the traffic lights and to not walk outside the sidewalks but kids were kids. 

“SUNGMIN! EUNHYUK!” 

Leeteuk kept looking around the mansion. He was about to lose it. 

“Hungwy” - Kyuhyun pulled his shirt again - “Kyu Hungwy...” 

“I know, honey, I know” - Leeteuk felt sorry for ignoring the toddler several times but he was busy - “I will get you a cracker or something” 

Leeteuk entered the kitchen quickly to search for something he could use to feed the kids. Then, he heard it. 

“HEY” - Leeteuk never felt so sure he could strangle a kid - “YOU BAD BOYS” 

Turned out they never left the house nor the safe zone. Sungmin and Eunhyuk had managed to hide themselves inside a cupboard. 

“Peek a boo!” - Eunhyuk chirped happily 

“Coocoo!” - Sungmin also played 

“Come here” - Leeteuk felt his pressure drop as he was relieved. The babysitter didn’t have time to lose - “You guys caused troubles” 

“Did you find them?!” - Heechul shouted over the phone - “Are they alright? Are they hurt?”

“They never left” - Leeteuk explained calmly while the boys fussed - “They hid in a cupboard” 

“Thanks God” - Heechul sighed relieved - “I’m going back. I will kill those two” 

“Boys, boys, boys” - Leeteuk was still holding both kids’s hands - “You can’t do that to us. We worried a lot thinking something bad could have happened to you” 

“We hide!” - Eunhyuk didn’t understand at all - “Play hide seek” 

“No, not hide and seek. That was dangerous” - Leeteuk felt guilty as he often played that with them - “You are not supposed to play that without warning us. Also, your dad called you several times” 

“We good” - Sungmin pouted - “Sorry” 

“Oh there you are!” - Heechul stormed inside the mansion and hugged both kids - “I was so worried” 

“Papa cry?” - Sungmin realized the tears rolling down Heechul’s cheeks - “Our fauwt” 

“Yes, I was crying because I couldn’t find you” - Heechul wiped his tears - “I thought something bad happened” 

Both boys now seemed to realize their actions. They were sorry for causing troubles despite not being intentional. 

“It’s alright, everything is alright now” - Heechul kissed both boys - “But you have to promise that you are never, never, never doing this again. You need to reply in a loud voice every time I call you, ok? I will go sick if you keep doing this to me” 

“Ung” - Both boys agreed. They felt extremely guilty for what they did. 

“Fwin you” - Kyuhyun hugged Sungmin - “Dada! Minnie hewe!” 

“Your brothers also got scared” - Heechul pouted - “They searched for you as well” 

Even after lunchtime, Sungmin and Eunhyuk remained utterly quiet. They followed Heechul everywhere and didn’t want to get apart from him. 

“You can play here” - Heechul yawned - “Its time for the twins nap but they won’t fall asleep if you guys are around” 

“I think it’s your nap time” - Leeteuk teased - “You look even more tired than the kids” 

“I ran a lot today” - Heechul stretched - “Come on, little bagels. Time to go to bed” 

“Wewi” - Kyuhyun demanded his new favourite plush 

“Wewi is in your bed” - Heechul carried the sleepy toddler - “Ryeowook, come here” 

Ryeowook stretched his arms wanting to get carried as well. Heechul sighed. He carried both twins and wondered what he was going to do once Henry was home. 

The kids fell asleep quickly as they were both tired from playing. Heechul ended falling asleep as well as he was exhausted. 

“He fell asleep” - Yesung chuckled - “We put a blanket over him” 

“Oh, what a good boys” - Leeteuk smiled - “He is lucky to have you” 

“I got his phone” - Kangin giggled - “Last one broke after he fell asleep and kicked it out of the bed” 

“Very well” - Leeteuk laughed. Heechul could afford buying a new phone when he wanted but he still remembered how sad he was after he broke the last one by accident - “Lets keep it safe” 

“I’m going to spy” - Kangin grinned - “I’m going to find the picture of his new girlfriend” 

“Don’t be silly, he has no girlfriend” - Leeteuk found hilarious how Kangin thought that his poor dad had time for that - “He is always busy” 

“Yeah, but haven’t you noticed how happy he is now?” - Kangin kept playing with Heechul’s phone - “I asked him why he was happy and he told me he had met someone special” 

“Maybe he was teasing you” - Leeteuk didn’t care about Heechul’s love life - “You should stop invading his privacy”

“I’m his son” - Kangin smiled - “I was born to do that” 

“Let me see! Let me see!” - Donghae tried to get the phone - “Hae wanna see too!”

“You can’t have it~~” 

“Give me!” 

Suddenly, a bunch of kids were trying to play with Heechul’s phone. The nanny ended confiscating the so called thing. 

“This is not a toy” - Leeteuk told the boys - “Your dad loves his phone” 

“He has a lot of pictures” - Yesung smiled - “That’s why he is always complaining about storage” 

“Well, all parents like to take pictures of their children” - Leeteuk found cute Heechul loved to take pictures - “He also records cute videos” 

“Yeah but why would you have videos of the twins pooping?” - Yesung seemed disgusted - “That’s just gross” 

Leeteuk knew the answer to that question. Heechul often found funny the faces the kids did but still, Yesung had a point. He got distracted thinking about it, Donghae climbed the couch and ended taking the phone with him. 

“Hey! Hey!” - Leeteuk couldn’t catch the phone on time. The poor device ended hitting the floor - “Oh god” 

“Do you think it still works?” - Kangin worried - “It was Donghae’s fault” 

“Geez” - Leeteuk tried turning on the phone. It still worked - “Lets not tell dad—“

Leeteuk didn’t have intentions to look at it. The last pictures saved called his attention so badly. There was a baby that looked pretty similar to the twins but younger. For a moment, he thought it could be an old picture of the twins or the triplets but then he saw one of Heechul carrying the boy. It was taken recently. The haircut, the clothes... Leeteuk was sure Heechul was wearing those the day he fainted. 

“Did you find the girlfriend?!” - Kangin asked excited as the babysitter scrolled down the pictures 

“N-No, Its just another weird video that’s all” - Leeteuk wasn’t sure of what it meant. He was also afraid to ask Heechul about it. 

He found Heechul awake on his bed. The twins were still fall asleep. 

“Heechul, I... “ - Leeteuk shook his head - “Kangin worried you could break your phone so I was keeping it safe” 

“Did you take a look at it?” - Heechul teased - “Did I cheat on you?”

“Yes, I did” - Leeteuk admitted embarrassed- “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry” 

“It’s ok, I have nothing to hide” - Heechul stretched - “I barely have space left since I take too many pictures. Look I have— oh” 

“Who is he?” - Leeteuk asked softly - “Did Donghee—“ 

“No, this little friend is Henry” - Heechul smiled - “He is my son” 

“Did you...”

“No” - Heechul chuckled - “It's not what you think. It’s actually better... This was the boy I thought I had lost”

“Then, he wasnt...? He didn’t...?” - Leeteuk sat on the bed - “Is this...?” 

“Yeah” - Heechul’s smile said it everything 

“Oh my God! I’m so happy for you!” - Leeteuk cried as he hugged his friend - “What a good news!” 

“Next year will start with good news” - Heechul hugged him back - “Next year it’s going to be way better than this one” 

Leeteuk felt a little overwhelmed. He couldn’t stop crying. He couldn’t imagine how much it meant to Heechul.

“Of course there are still some stuff we need to take care about” - Heechul cleared his throat - “He is out of danger now but we need to be careful. He is just eight months now and he hasn’t gone out of the NICU... my mom told me doctors said they think Henry could be coming home in a month. They will run some tests to make sure everything is alright... she said something about a development test” 

“Yeah...” - Leeteuk wiped his tears - “You were asked to do some of those for the kids remember? The psychologist and the pediatrician asked you for them” 

Heechul paled. Leeteuk got suspicious. 

“You did it right? They said it was important” 

“That was right before we all got that awful stomach flu” - Heechul played with his fingers - “I forgot about it” 

“Uh? You forgot? Then...” 

“We didn’t do it” - Heechul looked to the wall. He didn’t want to ruin the moment - “I guess I will take care of it later” 

“You even collected all those annoying samples but couldn’t remember you had to take them to the development test?” 

“There is still time... the year haven’t ended yet” - Heechul pouted - “I could take them tomorrow. I will lie and instead of saying I forgot to do it earlier, I’m gonna tell them I was waiting for the kids to get vacations” 

“Uhuh” - Leeteuk folded his arms. Heechul was ready to receive another lecture - “Heechul, let’s just wait until next year. I don’t think you will find one of those clinics open tomorrow” 

Leeteuk had started to realize that money had more power than he ever thought when he found himself in the waiting room with eight children and a nervous parent. 

“Did you also buy it?” 

“What? Did I forget something?” - Heechul was too nervous to joke - “ Ah, the clinic? No, I just asked a friend for a favor” 

“I didn’t know you had friends” - Kangin teased 

“Believe it or not, I still have a few” - Heechul shuddered - “Please behave ok? I want a good evaluation” 

“This is stupid” - Kangin sighed - “I wanted to play with my new game today” 

“Is it possible to fail this test?” - Yesung worried - “What happens if I don’t get an A?” 

“You get a B” - Heechul teased - “Oh no no! It was a joke! They don’t really score this... do they?” 

“I think they actually score it but a little differently” - Leeteuk started to worry - “It’s not a big deal. They will just check if the boys are ok according to their age and so” 

“So... this is more important for the little ones right?” - Yesung relaxed a bit - “I hope we all do good” 

Heechul kept a frozen a smile all the time. He was sure the triplets wouldn’t get a good score as they kept messing the instructions doctors gave them. They asked him to fill several sheets of paper for each child and answer some questions. He realized he was probably in troubles when he started answering the questionnaire about each child’s behaviour. 

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” - A doctor called Heechul after two intense hours of playing with the children - “In private” 

“Whatever you want to tell me, you can say it here” - Heechul looked at Leeteuk - “He is our babysitter and he could need to listen to it as well” 

“I wanted to have a talk about the children’s personalities” - The doctor urged - “You know I would never lie to you” 

“Oh God” - Heechul covered his face. It had been years since he saw his friend being nervous - “What is wrong with them?” 

“They are all good kids, I assure you” - The woman sat next to Heechul - “But there is a little friend...” 

“The triplets” - Heechul covered his face - “My beautiful triplets” 

“No, not the triplets” - The woman twisted her lips  - “Actually, they did very well” 

“The twins? There is nothing wrong with them” - Heechul chuckled - “There must be a mistake. Those two are smart and quite normal compared to—“ 

“Ryeowook is a very bright kid” - The doctor shook her head - “But that doesn’t mean he has no problems. Kyuhyun is a little better than him when it comes to expressing himself but Ryeowook... I am afraid he shows some signs I don’t like” 

“Like what?” - Heechul was getting anxious. He didn’t expect the twins to have troubles. He was expecting everything but that. 

“Both of them have separation anxiety but it’s expected at their age. However, Ryeowook seems to have gotten a trauma at some point. He shows signs of insecure attachment” 

“It cant be” - Heechul refused to accept the truth - “He is super clingy but all kids are like that. He loves me” 

“I’m not saying he doesn’t love you. He loves you a lot, for him you are his world” - The doctor explained - “but these children have gone through a lot. They lost their parents, so it’s normal to develop this kind of stuff. It’s not your fault” 

“When I started taking care of them, they cried a lot” - Heechul still remembered those days - “But then they got better and I thought everything was alright” 

“How can we help him?” - Leeteuk actually prepared for it. He knew that even if Heechul was a good father, the kids didn’t have an easy year. He was expecting that kind of result and actually relaxed knowing only one of the kids fell in that category. 

Heechul listened carefully to the explanation. Even if he was a little sad to hear the news about Ryeowook feeling insecure, the other results were so good he exited the place with a smile on his face. 

“Yesung is a shy boy” - Leeteuk read the evaluation - “But he is doing fine. She even wrote he is really smart and mature for his age” 

“Kangin got better at expressing his emotions~” - Heechul read pleased - “Siwon is just fine, the triplets are just mischievous brats but they still fall under the docile category. Apparently, toddlers tend to be rascals and they are very sweet so they got extra points for that. Sungmin improved a lot” 

“Kyuhyun’s isn’t bad either” - Leeteuk was pleased as well - “It says he has a strong personality, but everything here is good. He is growing up just well” 

“Ryeowook got good scores at everything but being social” - Heechul sighed - “Kyuhyun’s isn’t good at all but Ryeowook... this is way too low” 

“He is a little shy” - Leeteuk tried - “Nothing else” 

“He is scared of people” - Heechul widened his eyes - “and exhibits a tendency to irrational fears” 

“Do you think the pool is one of those? I think it’s kinda rational to fear drowning there if you don’t know how to swim” - Leeteuk teased - “Maybe he is just... cautious ” 

“They measured his IQ. It says it’s not accurate because is hard to be precise with young kids but, apparently, the brat is brilliant” - Heechul was proud of it - “Maybe that’s why he succeeded potty training” 

“Maybe he is smarter than us” - Leeteuk joked 

“I actually believe the one who got separation anxiety is me. I just thought about them going to the university and almost cry” 

“Kyu poop” - Kyuhyun announced cheerfully- “Poop~~~~” 

“Yeah, Well” - Leeteuk laughed - “There is still a long way to go” 

Leeteuk took the cheerful toddler with him. Heechul stayed at the living room reading the reports. He stared at the other toddler that focused on drawing. 

“What are you drawing?” - Heechul approached - “Can I join?” 

“Appwe” - Ryeowook pointed at a few red dots he made with his crayons - “Cawot” 

The carrots were orange lines. Heechul inspected the drawing. He then grabbed Ryeowook’s crayons and painted an apple with skill. 

“Appwe!” - Ryeowook pointed at the new apple - “Dada appwe, Pwetty” 

“Let’s do it together ok?” - Heechul held Ryeowook’s hand carefully - “First we make a big round shape with the red crayon...” 

Leeteuk returned to the living room and found Heechul playing with a happy boy. Ryeowook seemed to be enjoying the little art lesson. 

“Which color is this again?” - Heechul asked the cute boy - “The color of leaves” 

“Gween!” - Ryeowook was excited - “Diz puwpwe!” 

“And this is purple” - Heechul agreed - “This one?” 

“Yeye” - Ryeowook giggled 

“Yellow” - Heechul chuckled - “Yesung is your brother” 

Ryeowook laughed a lot. Heechul waited for the boy to be in a really good mood and then started making questions. 

“Ryeowook, do you like me?” 

“Looooootzzz” - Ryeowook did a big circle with his arms - “Love dada!!” 

“What about Teuk?” 

“Ukwee Love” - Ryeowook did cute actions to please his caregiver - “Love Love!” 

“And your brothers?” 

“LOVEEE!” - Ryeowook chirped excited. He was enjoying the little game without suspecting Heechul’s intentions of getting information. 

“Are you happy?” 

“Ung!” - Ryeowook kept doing silly moves as he was cheerful - “Happy! Happy! Happy!” 

“Do you like the pool?” - Heechul asked with the same enthusiasm but Ryeowook got quiet - “Ryeowook~ do you like the pool? Yesterday? Remember?” 

“No” - Ryeowook’s mood changed. He seemed upset - “Wookie no liwe pool” 

“How do you feel now?” 

“Zad” - Ryeowook pouted - “Wookie zad... no liwe pool” 

“Are you sad because you don't like the Pool?” - Heechul was doing his best effort to understand his son - “Were you scared?” 

“Ung!” - Ryeowook hugged Heechul in a way he recognized right away. He was getting stressed and therefore got clingy. 

“Why are you scared of the pool?” - Heechul kissed the boy and hugged him tightly. He wanted him to feel secure- “I would never let something bad happen to you” 

“Bad mwowstewz’ liwe in Pool” - Ryeowook pressed his face against Heechul’s chest. The boy was even shivering - “scawy mwowstwez!” 

“Scary monsters” - Leeteuk got it first - “He said scary monsters” 

“Scary monsters? What scary monsters?” - Heechul wondered if one of the elder siblings had said something like that or it was just Ryeowook’s imagination 

“Bukz!” - Ryeowook was getting really clingy. Heechul did his best to hold the boy in a way he could still see his face. 

“It’s ok, it’s ok. You are safe here” - Heechul reassured - “but I need to know which ‘bugs’ you are talking about” 

“Bugs... monsters...” - Leeteuk was also trying to figure out what Ryeowook tried to explain - “Bugs that live in the pool... monsters that live in the pool...” 

“Bukz mawe Wookie zic” - Ryeowook his thump - “Dada zic” 

“Sick?” 

Then something made sense. Heechul wanted to cry from joy. 

“He is talking about germs” - Leeteuk smiled - “You said pools were filled with germs and he thinks they are monsters” 

“Ryeowook is not crazy he is just too smart” - Heechul hugged the boy - “Are you scared of germs?” 

“Ung!” 

“Don’t worry, you are safe here” - Heechul kissed him several times - “And you know what? Not all germs are bad. Germs are not monsters, Wookie” 

“No?” - Ryeowook bit his finger - “Bukz”

“No, they aren’t bugs either” - Heechul kissed him again - “They are small little creatures, that are so, so tiny you can’t see them. Really really small” 

“Eat Wookie?” - Ryeowook asked softly 

“They can’t eat you. You can eat them but they can’t eat you” - Heechul found funny that Ryeowook thought germs could eat him

“Zic” - Ryeowook pouted - “Huwtz” 

“You won’t get sick for getting inside the pool” - Heechul tried - “You won’t get hurt if you are with me” 

There was a moment of silence and then the boy smiled a bit. He seemed relieved. 

“Are you scared of the pool now?” - Heechul tried 

“Uhmmmm...” - Ryeowook seemed to be thinking - “Dun knuw” 

“Come here” - Heechul carried the boy with him. He took him to the big backyard that he never used as he disliked the idea of the kids playing there - “Do you know what is this?” 

“Eww” - Ryeowook made a disgusted face as Heechul pointed at the mud that had formed thanks to the rain  - “Gwoz” 

“Gross? No, that’s mud. I never let you play with that right? Because it’s just eww” - Heechul taught the boys that it was gross so they wouldn’t touch it at the park - “Now, watch this” 

Leeteuk thought Heechul was insane the moment he sat on the mud. The babysitter was spying on them through the window.  Ryeowook got frightened the very moment mud got in contact with his skin. He even tried to climb Heechul without success. 

“DADA DADA DADA DADA!!” - Ryeowook was freaking out - “NOOO!” 

“It’s just mud” - Heechul held the kid - “Nothing bad will happen to us. See? We are safe, we are safe here” 

Ryeowook cried silently. Heechul just remained calm with the boy on his lap. He even stayed quiet when he felt the kid was peeing on him. 

“Are you alright?” - Heechul wiped Ryeowook’s tears - “It doesn’t hurt right?” 

Ryeowook looked around. He touched the mud and showed Heechul’s his hand. 

“That’s mud” 

“Mud” - Ryeowook repeated - “No scawy” 

“Look, we can even draw here” - Heechul knew he could regret it later but Ryeowook’s mental health was first - “I’m making an apple” 

Ryeowook giggled. He still had a runny nose from crying but he seemed fine. 

“Wookie wet” - Ryeowook squirmed uncomfortable- “Pee” 

“You peed on me, but it’s alright” - Heechul didn’t give importance to the boy’s accident - “After we play a bit, we will go and take a bath together” 

Leeteuk sighed. He wasn’t sure if the psychologist would approve Heechul’s methods but at least they worked most of the time. 

“Wee Wee” - Ryeowook did his potty dance 

“Again? You just peed” - Heechul teased - “You drank too much juice” 

Ryeowook whined as he held his crotch. Heechul sighed. 

“Let’s go inside, then” 

Ryeowook didn’t seem to listen to him. He kept staring at the garden with curiosity. 

“Do you want to pee or not? “ - Heechul found cute how Ryeowook seemed to be in a dilemma- “What do you want to do?” 

“Pway mud” - Ryeowook pointed at the garden - “Fun” 

“Do you want to keep playing?” - Heechul was almost sure Ryeowook did have to pee as the boy kept doing that weird expression - “Come here” 

Leeteuk was immersed looking at the scene when he saw it. 

“NO NO NO NO! NO WAY YOU ARE TEACHING HIM THAT!” - Leeteuk rushed to the garden as soon as he saw Heechul teaching Ryeowook how to pee standing up - “THATS A NO NO” 

“Wookie pee” - Kyuhyun giggled as he saw his brother relieving himself in the garden. 

Heechul had to endure an intense lecture of how bad it was to teach a kid to do that while Ryeowook kept messing around happily. Leeteuk only cooled down after Ryeowook hugged him. 

“Oh~ Now you got dirty” - Heechul teased 

“Wookie iz HAPPY!” - The toddler told Leeteuk - “Happy! Happy! Diz fun!” 

“I can’t get mad at you, can I?” - Leeteuk sighed - “Gosh, you two sure deserve each other. I hope you don’t teach him more wrong behaviours” 

“I’m teaching him life skills” - Heechul had that naughty smile again - “If someone had taught me how to relieve myself without getting caught, I wouldn’t have ended in jail” 

“I should have asked your friend to evaluate you” - Leeteuk couldn’t believe it - “You are the crazy one” 

“Oh God” - Heechul was laughing again. Leeteuk turned to see Kyuhyun imitating what he just saw. 

“Kyu too!” - Kyuhyun was proud of peeing in the mud. 

“Good news is that he will get interested in potty training” - Heechul gave Leeteuk an apologetic smile - “Maybe we can potty train him next year” 

“I’m going to kill you before the year ends” - Leeteuk muttered softly