Part 4 I'm mixed feeling about my motivation to write this ahha. Work has been busy and tough. 

Minho is feeling hurt. There is a pain deep in his chest. Was it the rejection. Was it because he made a mistake by kissing the King in the spare of the moment. Was it because Taemin ran away. Does he not like him. Does he think he is ugly or repulsive. Minho doesn't know, but he does know is that his heart... his soul is wounded. He wants to cry. But Minho usually always tries to keep himself brave. Men don’t cry. That’s what his uncle told him when he was 5 and beating him. So Minho should hold back his tears right. And yet. That one single tear is streaking down his face, and Minho caves. He takes one deep breath, and bursts into tears. 

The door to his room opens. And Taemin steps in, his eyes widen at the sight of a broken hearted young boy. Minho stands up, wiping his face, but his emotions have got the better of him and he continues to cry against his will. The Vampire walks over, getting him to sit down and takes a seat beside him on the bed, reaching in to wipe his tears away. Minho lets him, allowing himself to be pulled into a hug. His heart almost hopeful. . 

‘We need to talk’. Taemin whispers. He his head. ‘About what happened and why it was wrong’. 

‘I didn’t mean to-’ Minho begins figuring he can make the encounter less embarrassing. Maybe lie tell him it was a joke. 

‘Minho we can never be anything more than what we are right now. Friends, yes. But I am your guardian. I am also thousands of years older than you. You are still a child. I understand that you may think you like me but-’

‘No I think I’m falling in love with you’. Minho speaks now a little angry, He sits up facing the elder. How could he say that, he doesn't know how he feels. Only Minho knows how he feels himself. ‘I’ve never had feelings for anyone like this. I think about you in my sleep. When i’m in study. I liked you from the moment we met in the park. You were so kind and helpful-’

Taemin sighs, wiping that last stray tear. ‘No you cannot fall for me. You barely know me’. 

‘But-’

‘Minho I think it’s best if I send you away. To a boarding school. When you can finish your studies. I will make sure you are applied to the best Universities. You can be whatever you want. A doctor. A lawyer. A Business advisor, I will support you from here with costs-’ 

‘You’re sending me away?’

‘Yes’. 

‘But I thought you would look after me?’ Minho starts to cry again. ‘I thought you wanted to care for me, you promised-’

‘It’s not safe for us to be together right now’. The Vampire cups his face with both hands. ‘It’s for the best’. Minho wants to protest again. But Taemin shakes his head. ‘Pack up, you will be leaving tomorrow’. 

Minho is left stunned and feeling even worse than he did before. He watches as Taemin leaves very quickly. The young boy knows his heart is completely broken now. He gets up in a fit of rage and starts to throw his items together. His few clothing. His pens and books. He even grabs his drawings. He then pulls off some pictures from his wall. The boy had captured them in his afternoon wanders with his personal polaroid camera. Usually they were at random. One is of a surprised Jinki. Some flowers in the garden. The moon. His breakfast lunch and dinner. But his favorite was one of him and Taemin. Minho was behind the vampires chair pulling a face, and Taemin looking shocked that his guard was snapping a picture of him. He flings it at his bag and sits wiping those fresh tears that are trickling down his cheeks again. 

There is a knock at the door and Minho looks up giving them permission to enter when a small boy rushes over to hug him. His small arms wrap around his neck as he cuddles Minho is such a loving manor. 

‘Minho!’ He pouts ‘Don't cry’.

Minho is confused. He has never seen anyone younger than him before, especially a child in the palace. When the child lets go, he asks him. ‘Who are you? How do you know my name?’

‘I’m Yoogeun’. He beams. ‘I’m the Vampire King’s son. I’m glad to finally meet you’. 

‘Son?’ Minho is shocked. ‘He didn’t tell me he had children!’

‘Adopted’. Yoogeun admits. ‘I used to live here years ago’.

‘Are you a vampire too then?’

‘Yup’ Yoogeun beams. ‘The smallest and cutest of the lot’. 

‘So you are how old?’

‘258’ the boy grins. ‘Look great for my age don’t you think? He poses. 

250 YEARS AGO. 

Taemin marches through the palace. His guards are behind him. There is a loud thunderstorm echoing outside. Vampires and donors are all stood at the entrance. There are two humans stood. A man and a woman who holds a very sickly looking 8 year old child. 

When Taemin makes his appearance the woman and the man dropped to their knees placing the child at his feet and begging ‘Please save our son. Make him one of you. Please we beg of you!’’

Taemin shakes his head ‘I do not change children, he isn’t old enough to decide if he even wants this life!’’.

“Please please. I will do anything’ The Mother begs. ‘I will give him to you as a humble servant. We shall do anything you ask. We shall be your servants until our dying breaths. He has suffered all his life in pain in agony. I want him to live a full life’.

‘Is it not better he suffer human than live forever as a child. He will never have a normal life’

‘But he will walk. He will exist. We shall give him to you as a gift, a servant. Our families shall be his donor’. The father pleads.

The child looks at Taemin with his sweet eyes. His hand reaching out. The King looks away. ‘Everyone return to your rooms’. He waves a hand and the vampires and donors slowly leave. Guards back away with only two still by his side. Taemin feels a tug. He find Minho at side, holding onto his clothing. ‘Please, save him’. Minho asks quietly ‘We could adopt him, he could be our son. You know I always wanted children. I will care for him I promise’.

Taemin is torn. He only changes those who have tormented lives that needed a do over. Men and women who want a second chance because their life was painful. But a child...Taemin would never change a child. Too young. Too innocent. It’s stealing their life. And Taemin hates that. But Minho is looking at the child with so much worry. They had spoken about it. Wondered if any young child could be their child. Adopt a human and raise it. He looks at the parents and the child who’s little eyes plead for help from his pain. Minho kneels down, taking his hand. And Taemin finds himself smile. 

‘Fine’. 

He kneels down, the child shaking a little as he sees his fangs grow. ‘From today on, you shall be my son. But you will never grow anymore than this. You will forever be the child I see right now. Do you want this?’. 

The boy nods. ‘Yes’ he replies. 

He leans in biting his wrist and placing it at the child's lips. ‘Drink it’ he requests. The child obeys. Taemin clenches and opens his hand to produce the substance. Then pulls back. The child coughs and chokes. Taemin looks at Minho ‘Go to our room’. Minho nods. Leaving with a guard. He looks at the parents ‘You too, or he will kill you’. The child then gasps struggling to breath. He takes one last breath and looks dead. His parents leave quickly thanking him and Taemin stands. He counts. 

1

2

3

The child jumps up, fangs out, eyes red, he growls and Taemin catches him by the throat. He locks eyes with the child. A controlling power overcoming the small boy. 

‘You listen to me’ he orders. 

The child hisses. 

‘You do everything I ask’. 

‘Yes’ The child responds, conflicted but controlled. Taemin feels him struggle. ‘You shall not feed tonight. I will have you trained to only have blood during feeding hours. If you finally pass the test you may become my son. Understand?’

The child nods. ‘Yes’.

Taemin for a while had him kept in the dungeons. The child going through the emotions and struggles. The thirst and the desire for blood. Minho would comes down for Taemin’s feeding hour. And watch as Yoogeun hissed and growled in want. He was left with bags of animal blood. Until one day his red eyes become brown. Taemin finally was able to get proper eye to eye contact, and his controlling training began. The child obeys. Remaining in his small form as he grows into a teenager. Until finally he is let free and runs into the arms of the human Minho for a hug, welcoming him into their family.  

Taemin often watched  Yoogeun and Minho play together. Minho was very loving. And Yoogeun loved being loved. He treated him as his age was and not how he looked. On the night of Minho’s death. Taemin had expected him to be angry. But the small boy instead cuddled him close and helped him through his broken hearted grief. He was there to hold his hand as they buried his body in the gardens, in the plot of land that also had the bones of his ancestor… Taemin’s first Minho. 

-

‘And so after he changed me, he spent a whole 3 years training me. And I became good at being the vampire he would respect and I became his son. When I turned 30 I left home and I have been working for the underground secret services. I am great for tricking people into thinking I am a child. I have broken apart child trafficking rings for the past 80 years. The last mission I was taken. The guy called me a cursed demon because I burst into flames when they brought me outside. It was so funny the guy who had taken me wet himself. And then another time this one guy tried to me and I bit off his-’

‘You shouldn’t be sharing your work secrets Yoogeun’. 

The boy looks over at the guard smirking at the door. ‘Look what waltz in here! Acting like you own the place again are we Yoogie’. 

‘Jinki! You’re looking old!’

‘Hey!’ The guard gasps, he looks to the youngest. ‘You know him Minho. He was a real jerk. He played so many pranks on us. The King should have let the bugger die!’

Yoogeun hisses at Jinki with a smirk. ‘Respect me I am your King’s son. 

‘I will respect you when you act your age’

The small boy suddenly jumps away from Minho and onto Jinki. ‘Come here you wrinkly old man I’ve missed you’. 

Jinki grins. ‘Missed you too teeny weeny’. 

Minho smiles as the two cuddle. ‘You are close friends?’

‘Can’t stand each other’ Yoogeun chuckles. 

‘Yep hate each other's guts’. Jinki confirms. 

‘Yep now let me go grandpa’

‘Of course’ Jinki drops him. ‘Your nappy is smelling’. 

Yoogeun swears something awful. That alarms Minho. But Jinki ignores it and places a suitcase in the room. ‘The King said you would need this’.

Yoogeun looks at it. ‘Where is he going?’

‘Boarding school’. Minho mumbles. He sighs. ‘I guess I should pack’. 

Minho starts collecting his pile and shoves them into the suitcase. Yoogeun begins to help him. ‘Well that isn’t fair I only just got here. How am I meant to show you how amazing I am if you aren't here’.  

Minho thinks. ‘Pen pals?’

‘Pen pals! Minho i’m 250 I can come visit you anytime. He can’t tell me what to do. Well he tries but I never listen anyways’. He giggles. He hugs Minho’s side smiling at him. ‘Do you like games?’

‘Yeah’. 

‘Wanna go play nighttime football?’

Minho grins ‘Sure’.

~

The next morning Minho is packed and ready to leave. The sun isn’t up yet and it’s also raining. Taemin stand with an umbrella as Minho gets into the car. Both are quiet. Yoogeun is waving from the entrance. ‘Byeee Minho’. 

Minho waves to him and looks to the King. Taemin leans in to kiss his head. ‘I shall visit you soon’. 

The boy nods. ‘Bye’ he mumbles sadly. 

Taemin can see Minho is ready to cry again and closes the door quickly. He can’t bare to see it again. As the car drives away. Taemin lowers the umbrella allowing the rain to hide his tears.

Yoogeun calls him over and the King renters. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m gonna miss him’. 

The tiny vampire nods. ‘Why couldn’t he stay?’

‘Because if he stays I will fall in love again’. 

‘Don’t you want to?’ Yoogeun is suprised. ‘But aren't you soul mates?’

Taemin shakes his head. ‘Not this time. Everytime he finds me death follows’. 

‘It happened once!’ Yoogeun growls. ‘The old one died of old age. The second was an accident. What if he is your 3rd chance. You could change him. Make him one of us. He could be with us forever’. 

‘NO!’ Taemin growls. The small one lowers his head. ‘I have not changed anyone since you’. The King walks off ‘And I will never change any version of Minho. While blood pumps through his veins he shall always live. To change him is to take his life and kill his soul’. 

When the car arrives at the school. Minho is greeted by the headmaster who leads him to his sleeping area. Taemin made sure for him to have his own private room rather than to share with the others. It’s bare when he enters and the Headmaster states he will start classes the following day and someone shall come to give him a tour of the building. He is given a uniform and small laptop. 

Minho places his bag on the bed and sits down on the mattress. With the sound of a bell to alert the students that their first class is starting Minho lays down and sobs himself to sleep.

So erm... what do you think. ??