This is like 3.5K words...I WRITE TOO MUCH ><

Zitao starts to attend school six months after his arrival in Korea. He’s ten and a half years old and enters at the beginning of the new semester with everyone else, but everyone still knows that he’s the new kid. His Korean has gotten a lot better, but he still has an accent and a lot of kids for it. It’s embarrassing enough for Zitao to not want to speak in class and avoid his classmates. At first he thinks that maybe he can drop back a grade and be with Jongin and Sehun, but then he knows he’d be teased for being a dummy. Then he gets the idea to ask Kris if he can be homeschooled. Zitao brings it up one Saturday when Kris takes him out for breakfast, just the two of them.

“Why do you want that?” Kris asks, glancing up from the menu.

Zitao sits up on his knees and leans across the table. “I don’t like the school,” he says, pouting. “It’s really different, and everyone teases me. I don’t know how to stand up to them.”

Kris sighs. “That’s not a good enough reason, Zitao. Lu Han, Yixing and I all work, Yixing made a big sacrifice tutoring you when you first got here but he’s working on a script for a new drama now, he can’t teach you.”

“But I can take my lessons on the computer,” Zitao says quickly. “Like Kyungsoo does.”

Kris shakes his head. “Kyungsoo does that because he’s sick, Zitao. There’s a big difference.”

Zitao looks down, biting his lip. He knows Kyungsoo has a very weak immune system and it’s hard for him to go to crowded places like a school, but Zitao doesn’t really see how it means he’s the only one who gets to be homeschooled.

“How is being teased every time you open your mouth any different?” Zitao asks grumpily. “I thought I was finally away from dumb kids who always find reasons to make me different.” He looks up and sees Kris looking a little uncomfortable, and he presses on. “I guess I just won’t talk in school. It’s no different from being back in the Orphanage, I didn’t have any friends there either.”

“That’s enough,” Kris says firmly. “You are exaggerating, it’s very different. I doubt that everyone alienates you. Maybe if you did speak up, you’d find that there are people who want to hear what you have to say.”

Zitao scowls and sits back in his seat. “Fine then,” he mutters. “I’ll stop being a whiny brat.”

Kris looks at him incredulously. “Huang Zitao, what has gotten into you?”

Zitao says nothing, playing with his spoon instead.

“Hey!” Kris says, leaning across the table and grabbing the spoon. “Knock it off. I haven’t done anything to deserve the attitude.”

He keeps his voice low, but Zitao can hear that he’s getting mad. So far Zitao has been very good and the argument with Jongin a few months back is the most trouble he’s been in. He doesn’t want to test the limits of Kris’ patience, both because he doesn’t like being in trouble and because he really doesn’t know Kris that well. Despite the fact that they’ve been living together for six months and Zitao sleeps in his room to this day, he doesn’t know all that much about Kris. In fact, he decides to make that his next line of reasoning in his argument for home schooling, because lord knows he’s not stopping until he gets what he wants.

Zitao waits until a few days after the breakfast incident to bring it up again. Kris isn’t working that day and he picks Zitao up from school and takes him out for ice cream. It’s a sunny day and not too cold yet, but it’s at the point where ice cream is almost out of season, so the ice cream parlor is almost deserted. Kris talks more than he has at one time in the whole six months Zitao has known him, all because Zitao asked him what his job was about. He didn’t know that Kris flew all around the world, buying and selling art works and that he even got to work with some famous museums. And when he’s in Korea running his private gallery, he goes to work in the afternoon and stays there later since a lot of buyers work during normal hours. It’s really a lot of fun to just talk to Kris, and Zitao’s so happy he forgets what he wants to bring up until they’re on the way back home.

“Hey, Kris?” Zitao says suddenly.

“Hm?”

Zitao looks up and smiles. “This was fun.”

Kris grins and ruffles Zitao’s hair. “Yeah, it was.”

Zitao reaches up and takes hold of Kris’ hand before he can pull away. “Can we do this more often? Like every time you have the day off?”

Kris shrugs. “We’ll see.”

Zitao bites his lip, pretending to think. “Don’t you want to do this more?”

“Of course!” Kris says quickly, “But it’s difficult to know when I might have the day off.”

Then Zitao blurts it out. “But if I was homeschooled, we could do this every day! I m-mean,” he stutters when Kris gives him a hard look. “Since you go to work later we could hang out in the morning like we used to. I barely see you anymore,” he continues in desperation when Kris doesn’t seem to be caving. “You’re never home at the same time as me, you only get back when I have to go to sleep and then we’re both too tired to do anything. And what about when you go away?” Zitao presses, suddenly realizing that he’s actually genuinely concerned about this, he’s not just exaggerating to get what he wants anymore. “You wouldn’t leave me behind, would you?”

Kris stops walking and pulls Zitao over to a bus stop bench. “Zitao, you have to understand something, when I go away I go for business. That means I’m out most of the time in meetings and you wouldn’t be able to come with me. You wouldn’t be able to stay in the hotel room by yourself either, so I’d have to hire a babysitter. For now it’s better if you do stay here, when you’re older you can come with me.”

Zitao stares at him wide eyed and feels his lip quivering. Kris has been turning down a lot of offers to travel abroad since he just adopted, but Zitao knows that he’s going to start accepting those offers soon. Already there was one instance where Kris had to stay away for one night, and Zitao was alright only because Jongin and Sehun let him stay in their room.

“But you’d be gone for days,” Zitao whispers. “What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

“You’ll have Lu Han and Yixing,” Kris says quickly. “And you’ll have Xiumin, Chen, Chanyeol, Baekhyun—”

“It’s not the same!” Zitao cries. “I want you! You’re the one who adopted me!” He’s breathing harshly, barely holding back tears. “It’s not fair, Jongin and Sehun get to see Lu Han and Yixing way more than I get to see you. Why can’t we be friends like they are?”

It’s then that he finally allows himself to cry, and by then Kris doesn’t look like he’s mad anymore. He holds out his arms and Zitao falls into him, crying on his shoulder. For a few minutes Kris doesn’t say anything, but finally he starts to talk.

“You know, at first I wasn’t sure if I should adopt, because of my lifestyle. But when I saw you, I just knew you would be perfect for me. I was determined to make this work, and I thought I was doing what I needed to, but I suppose I should have gotten your input a lot sooner.” He pulls Zitao back and looks him in the eye. “How about we make a deal?”

Zitao rubs his eyes. “What kind of deal?”

Kris places a finger under Zitao’s chin and looks at him seriously. “If I pull you out of school and agree to let you learn at home, then you have to promise that you’ll take the work seriously. You’ll get up early like Sehun and Jongin and you’ll study hard, and when I’m not around you’ll listen to Lu Han and Yixing.”

“And you’ll make time for me every day?” Zitao presses. “You promise?”

Kris nods and holds out his pinky finger. “I promise if you promise.”

Zitao quickly locks his pinky around Kris’. “I promise!”

Kris pulls Zitao out of school the next day and enrolls him in the same kind of online program that Kyungsoo does. Zitao can start his lessons any time he wants, but once he starts he can’t close the program and go back later. The lessons are about half an hour long, with five minute breaks every two lessons and one half hour break in the middle of the lessons for a meal.  In all Zitao spends just over five hours a day learning. At first Zitao worried that Sehun and Jongin would be mad that he was getting to be homeschooled and they weren’t, but they were actually very understanding.

“You think we didn’t see you watching when we were playing with Lu Han and Yixing?” Jongin scoffs. “You’re so obvious, it’s impossible not to notice how jealous you were.”

Zitao blushes and fiddles with the action figure in his hands. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

Sehun pats Zitao’s hand. “It’s okay, we don’t blame you.”

“Besides,” Jongin says with an evil smile, “You’re still getting up early anyway, and that’s nothing to be jealous of.”

It’s true, and Zitao hates waking up early. But now when he drags himself out of bed, he has the knowledge that he’ll have about two hours to play with Kris and it makes getting up bearable. They start by having breakfast together, and then they usually play a game, like checkers (which Zitao always wins) or Go Fish. Kris tries to teach Zitao to play chess, but he doesn’t have the patience. Sometimes they watch a movie and Zitao will curl into Kris’ side and take a nap, and sometimes they’ll just talk.

“When were you born?” Zitao asks Kris one day. He’s lying with his head in Kris’ lap, the rest of his body stretched out on the couch.

“I was born in the year 1642,” Kris answers.

Zitao gasps. “No way! How old were you when you became a Vampire?”

“I was twenty one,” Kris says.

Zitao thinks over what he learned in history. “So weren’t you…kind of old for that time?” He asks.

“Not that old!” Kris laughs. “It wasn’t so long ago.”

“But still,” Zitao goes on, “You were an adult. Hey,” he sits up. “Were you ever married?”

Kris looks away and clears his throat. “Yes, I was,” he says softly. Then he looks up again. “Have you seen the two white tablets I keep on my dresser?”

Zitao nods. “Yeah, sometimes they have flowers in front of them.”

“They’re called ancestor tablets,” Kris explains. “They’re for my wife and son.”

Zitao lets that sentence sink in. “You have a son?” He blurts.

“Had,” Kris corrects. “He’s gone now.”

“Oh,” Zitao whispers. “But…he’s still your son, right?”

Kris smiles sadly. “I suppose.”

“What were their names?” Zitao asks, hoping he’s not being too nosy.

“My wife’s name was Shunde,” Kris says quietly. “My son was called Jianze.”

Zitao pulls his knees up and curls up on the sofa. “What about your parents?”

Kris shrugs. “I don’t know what happened to them, actually.”

“Me either,” Zitao mumbles. He looks up at Kris. “Do you still love your son?”

“Oh yes, very much,” Kris sighs. “I think about him every day.”

Zitao leans his head against Kris’ arm. “Good,” he says softly. “I hope my dad still loves me. I mean, if he’s still alive.”

Kris looks at him sadly and rubs his arm. “Do you know how old you were when you got to the orphanage?”

Zitao shakes his head. “It’s all I remember, so I guess I was pretty young.”

Kris nods thoughtfully. “Would you like to continue studying wushu?” He asks suddenly.

Zitao perks up immediately. “Yes! I love it, of course I want to learn it!”

So Kris finds him a school and enrolls him. Zitao is delighted to be studying martial arts again and he takes to practicing whenever he can, he even teaches Jongin, Sehun and Kyungsoo a few things. After a few months Zitao is among the top students in his age group. His family comes to his school’s exhibition and Zitao positively glows when they praise his performance.

“Maybe when I’m older I can start my own school,” Zitao muses over dinner that night.

“Look at you,” Lu Han says admiringly, “Only eleven years old and planning for the future already.”

That night when Zitao is hanging out with Jongin and Sehun in their bedroom, Jongin announces that he has a plan for the future too.

“What is it?” Zitao asks.

“I’m going to be a Vampire,” Jongin says nonchalantly.

Zitao sits up. “Really? You are?”

“Yep,” Jongin says proudly. “As soon as I turn nineteen I’ll ask Yixing to change me.”

“You dummy,” Sehun sighs, “We’ve been here since we were eight, which means you’ll have to be a Conduit for nine years before you can be Changed.”

“Well that doesn’t mean I can’t ask,” Jongin fires back. “Maybe Yixing won’t want me to be a Conduit for that long.”

Zitao’s stomach churns and he clears his throat. “Can we talk about something else?” He mumbles.

Jongin looks at him incredulously. “You’re not uncomfortable, are you? You’re going to be a Conduit too in six years.”

“I know,” Zitao snaps. “I just don’t think we should talk about it so casually. It’s a serious thing.”

“Blah, blah,” Jongin says, rolling his eyes. “It’s dumb how they make it out to be such a big deal. I don’t see why we can’t start sooner. There’s a rumor that they’re thinking about giving Conduits psychological exams to see if they can start younger, it’ll help the kids who never get adopted so they’re not stuck working in the clubs until they’re thirty. Park Kahi started it, I think.”

Zitao swallows and looks away. “I’d rather wait until I’m seventeen,” he mutters.

Jongin sits up. “Want to practice now?” He asks with a smirk. He grabs Zitao’s wrist and lunges for it.

Zitao pulls away quickly and Jongin falls face first on the bed. “Cut it out!” Zitao yelps.

Jongin growls at him. “I want your blood!” He cries, flopping across the bed and grabbing for Zitao until he backs away too far for Jongin to reach. Then Jongin turns his attention to Sehun and chomps down on his wrist.

“Ouch,” Sehun cries, but he’s laughing. “Jongin, you’re not a Vampire!”

“I’ll be one before you are!” Jongin teases, tackling Sehun to the bed and sitting on him. “I’ll always be older than you,” he says smugly.

Sehun looks over at Zitao. “Yeah, but Zitao will get to be a real Conduit first,” he points out. “You’ll have to tell us what it’s like.”

Zitao nods and starts to walk toward the door. “I have to go do my homework,” he says quickly.

It’s not that Zitao is uncomfortable with the idea of being a Conduit, he’s just worried about what it will be like. After Jongin brings it up, Zitao finds himself thinking about it more and more until finally he has no choice but to mention it to Kris during one of their morning hang outs.

“Have you ever had a Conduit before?” Zitao asks cautiously.

Kris looks up from the cards in his hands. “No, you would be the first.”

Zitao jerks his head up and gapes. “Really?! But you’re so…I mean, how did you…?”

“Up until recently I fed on animal blood, and when I was young my Sire and I would hunt down criminals,” Kris explains. “Now of course I can afford to have donated blood, but even then I mix it with animal blood.”

“So in other words, mine would be the first purely human blood you’ve had in a long time,” Zitao says slowly.

Kris lays his cards down on the table. “Is everything alright, Zitao? You look pale.”

“Fine,” Zitao assures. “It’s just…how will you know what to do?” He asks. “Is there a training manual for this?”

“Actually yes,” Kris says. “See when I officially take you on as my Conduit, we will go to the Council and they will have a doctor examine you, and based on your overall health they’ll tell me how much blood I can take from you and how often.”

Zitao blinks at him. “Will you measure it out with a cup or something? I thought it was just a bite…”

“It is, but I can tell about how much I’m taking from you. I know how to measure it out without making you bleed into a measuring cup, Zitao.”

Zitao has to admit that the image is kind of funny and he laughs a little. “But gege, do you know anyone who is a Conduit?”

“I know several people,” Kris says quickly. “Would you like to meet them?”

A week later Kris brings Zitao to his friend Kyuhyun’s house. No matter how hard he tries, Zitao cannot pronounce Kyuhyun’s name and eventually gives up. Kyuhyun’s friends names are a lot easier for him—Siwon and Han Geng, both Vampires.

“You’re from China too?!” Zitao gasps upon meeting Han Geng. “How did you get here, and when?”

“About fifteen years ago, I guess,” Han Geng tells him. “And my sire found me working in one of the clubs. He’s a pretty well respected man in Korea and China, so he gave the Council a bunch of money and they let him take me.”

Zitao knows he looks shocked. That sounds a lot like this man bought Han Geng.

“You were both Conduits, right?” Zitao asks, shaking himself out of his thoughts. When they both nod he presses on. “What’s it like when they, um…bite you?” There’s really no better way he can think of to phrase the question.

Siwon gives him an understanding smile. “You feeling a little nervous about that? It’s okay, I was pretty wary at first too. It took me a long time to be comfortable with the idea.”

“How’d you get over it?”

Siwon looks thoughtful. “I guess I really didn’t until after Kyuhyun bit me the first time…I mean I was willing and everything, but that anxiety didn’t go away until after I’d experienced it first hand and realized that I had nothing to be afraid of.”

Han Geng taps Zitao’s arm to get his attention. “What is it that you’re most worried about?”

Zitao thinks for a second. “I guess if it hurts,” he finally says.

“Only a little bit,” They answer together.

“Trust me,” Siwon adds, “You get over it. After a while it just becomes something you ignore. The satisfaction you get from knowing what you’re doing for this person who cares about you unconditionally is so overwhelming.”

“Yah,” Han Geng laughs, shoving Siwon’s arm, “Don’t get poetic, Romeo. He’s just a kid.” He smiles at Zitao. “Anyway, he had it sort of right, there’s an emotional side but also a physical reaction. Vampire saliva has a lot of hormones in it, including one that will numb the pain and make you relax.”

Zitao nods. “Is it like in the movies where the Vampire bites the girl on the neck while she’s sleeping?”

“No, not at all!” The pair of them chorus.

“That’s a nasty rumor spread by Hollywood,” Han Geng explains. “It’s nothing like that at all, first of all you don’t have to lie down, although you probably will for your first time in case Kris is worried about you getting light headed or something. Not that you will,” he adds quickly, “It’s just that it can be stressful, especially if you have reservations about it. Lying down will help you relax.”

“And he won’t bite your neck,” Siwon says firmly. “Not at first, maybe not ever. The neck is a very sensitive spot to bite, usually it’s only done between a Sire and their Fledgling, or between lovers.”

“Or to show dominance when it’s on the back of the neck,” Han Geng adds. “Most Vampires stick to the wrist, it’s easier and less symbolic.”

In the end, Zitao isn’t sure if the meeting helped him or confused him, but he’s not worried about pain anymore so he figures it must have been a good thing.

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