“Taemin!”

Taemin happily ran into his house after he heard the voice. Not even a few steps in, he could feel one pair of arms around his neck and the other around his waist. He hugged the two to the best of his ability, laughing happily with them as they continued hugging him tightly, turning him from side to side. As soon as they released him, Taemin threw off his bag and hugged them properly, one at a time.

“Luna! Jongin! I’ve missed you guys so much,” he said.

“Yeah yeah, we missed you too, now tell us about school,” Luna said.

“Geez Luna, he just got home. At least lets go up to his room first,” Jongin said. Luna sighed but nodded, grabbing Taemin’s hand and dragging him up to his own room. He greeted his parents and aunts and uncle before he allowed Luna to fully pull him. He was just happy it wasn’t Jongin doing the pulling, because Taemin was sure he’d be on the floor being dragged up to his own room.

Once they got to his room, Luna all but threw him onto the bed, and sat down across from him, Jongin following and sitting on the side on his chair.

“Now tell us. What’s it like going to school?”

“It’s... okay?”

“Okay? You are privileged enough to go to school and you say its ‘Okay’?” Luna hissed at him.

“Noona, calm down already. He’s only been there for what? Three days?” Jongin asked. Taemin nodded and looked at Luna, who huffed and crossed her arms.

“If I got to go for one day, I’d have much more to say that just ‘Okay’,” she said. Taemin sighed but then chuckled a bit.

“It’d be easier to tell you if you were more specific,” he said.

“Okay, how are your classes?” Jongin asked.

“Easy. I got moved into some second year classes because of that,” Taemin replied. Luna clapped and Jongin just smirked. Taemin looked at the two weirdly, not understand what they were thinking. Taemin was the smartest in their group, but he didn’t know that. Jongin did pretty well with his lessons, but Luna struggled a bit more. Her grades were average, but nowhere near Taemin’s. The boy was practically a genius and he didn’t even realize it.

“Of course you did,” Luna said. “But other than the actual lesson. What about the classes, the humans. How are they?”

“Normal,” Taemin said.

“Pun intended?”

“What pun?”

“You’re hopeless,” Luna said. “Anyway, be more specific! What are they like?”

“They’re like us,” Taemin said. “Just like us, except without the red eyes, the abilities, or the blood drinking. They just have a lot of strange sayings, and devices, and well, they just say some weird stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Well, one of my friends said I could be a potential victim.”

“?!”

“Friends?!”

Taemin wasn’t sure who to answer first, Jongin who had screamed ‘’ or Luna who was questioning the word friends.

“Yes but he didn’t say was going to be . He just said that because I looked cute, I could be a potential victim if I wasn’t careful,” Taemin explained. Key was actually quite nice to him, despite his bluntness. He and Minho really helped him hit into his new classes, and he was very thankful for that. Kibum made it a point to shut anyone up that tried making a mean comment about how smart he was too, so Taemin really liked Key.

“That sounds like a threat,” Jongin said. Even if Taemin was his hyung, with their looks and height difference, family friends questioned who really was the hyung, added to the fact that Taemin just had that aura around him that screamed forever youth. Intelligence wise, Taemin is older, but Jongin looked more like a hyung, and he was used to taking up the role. He didn’t want anyone hurting Taemin.

“No, he was just giving me a warning so that I’d be careful. Key hyung is actually very nice. He takes good care of me in class,” Taemin replied.

“Hyung? So he’s older than you?”

“Two years older,” Taemin said. “All of my friends so far are older. “Minho hyung is two years older as well. Jonghyun hyung is three years older, and Onew hyung is four years older.”

“Well, look who’s the maknae now,” Jongin said, smirking now that Taemin knew how it felt to be the youngest. “Anyway, friends? You know that’s dangerous right?”

Taemin nodded, a frown settling itself on his features. “I know,” he said, “but they’re nice. They won’t find out. Plus, it wasn’t like I went looking for them. They came to me.”

“They just walked up to you and asked to be your friend?” Luna asked.

“Not exactly. I got lost looking for the office on the first day, and Minho hyung helped me. Then his friends showed up, saying they were looking for him, and I met them. I didn’t plan on talking to them again, but when I was afraid to go into the cafeteria, Minho hyung came and helped me, walked me to his table, and I sat down with them. And then, they just said I was their friend, and tada! I now have friends,” Taemin said, throwing his hands up at the end and chuckling at Luna and Jongin’s blank faces.

“What have you told them about you?”

“Just that I’ve been homeschooled. They guessed that was the reason I seemed so afraid of people, which I’m thankful for,” Taemin replied.

“How can you stand being around so many people and not biting them? I don’t understand you,” Jongin said.

“May I remind you that I don’t like biting people, I prefer going after animals, that way I don’t feel bad. Plus, it is hard going through the day with them all around me, which is why I have a bottle of strawberry milk mixed with blood that I take with me for lunch everyday to calm my thirst,” Taemin said. Jongin and Luna nodded, sighing and now feeling down.

“I wish we could go to school with you,” Luna said.

“Yeah. Plus, I don’t like the idea of you going there without anyone to help you if something goes wrong,” Jongin added.

“I wish you could go too, but would your parents let you? Also, I’m not alone. Taesun hyung is a teacher there,” Taemin replied.

“Taesun hyung is a teacher?!”

Taemin nodded. “Crazy right? He’s my history teacher.”

“Wait, so if Taesun hyung is there, do you think our parents will let us go there too? It’s still early in the year, we could get in with no problem!” Luna exclaimed. Taemin and Jongin brightened up before running down the stairs to talk to their parents. Taemin didn’t really have to ask his parents anything, other than if Jongin and Luna could stay with them if they were allowed to go to school with him. His parents agreed, thinking it would be better if Taemin had more people with him, and all that was left was to convince Luna and Jongin’s parents.

They were stubborn, but they allowed it after awhile. It wasn’t until they agreed that Taemin realized the time, and realized that he was supposed to be on his way to Minho’s house already. He apologized to his cousins and left, promising that he’d talk to them the next time they came, and left, remembering to grab his phone which had Minho’s address and his laptop for Minho to help him learn what he needed to.

“Taemin! You’re here,” Minho said. Taemin nodded, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. He had run all the way from his house to Minho’s which wasn’t very close, especially considering his house was out in the forest.

“Y-Yeah, sorry I’m late. I had family over, and got caught up with my cousins,” Taemin said.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I’m pulling you away from them. If you want, we can just do this another time,” Minho said.

“N-No, i-it’s okay. I’ll see them again soon anyway. W-We just finished convincing their parents t-to let them go to my school,” Taemin replied.

“Oh, what school did they go to before?” Minho asked.

“T-They were homeschool, l-like I was.”

“Does your family have something against schools or something?”

“N-No. W-We’re just very.. uh- c-closed off people.”

Minho nodded, accepting the answer and letting Taemin into his house. It wasn’t too big, much like his own. It was a normal sized house, fit for any family. Taemin took off his shoes and walked into the home. He quite liked the feeling inside the house. His house felt empty, simply because it was all he had ever known, and because no one ever really visited, there was no need to decorate too much or add in much furniture. Everything he had at home was just necessary items, nothing more.

That was why he liked Minho’s house. It had much more feeling in it, a touch of each family member around it. It was fully furnished and decorated nicely, with random paintings placed here and there. The kitchen was full as well, filled with different devices and equipment. Taemin was used to the stove, he had one in his own home, but some of the other machines, he was not used to.

“Hungry?” Minho asked. Taemin shook his head, and Minho nodded, leaving the kitchen and leading them to his own room. “My parents are at work right now, but if you want, you can join us for dinner later and meet them.”

Taemin shrugged. “I-If thats okay.”

“Of course it is,” Minho replied, ruffling Taemin’s hair. “I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

Taemin nodded and set his bag down when they entered Minho’s room. As soon as he got in, he decided that this room was his favorite so far. The room gave a clear definition of Minho, and all of his interests. Soccer posters were all over the room, as well as basketball and swimming posters. The room was fairly clean, not overly organized though. It was simple, and Taemin liked it.

“So, have you started the homework?” Minho asked. Taemin shook his head, and gladly accepted Minho’s offer to do it together, for the three classes they now had together. Minho had to admit that Taemin was indeed a great help, because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do the math homework if it wasn’t for Taemin’s help. Not to mention their chemistry work. It was only the third day of school, but teachers were already getting so into the work. It really annoyed Minho, but Taemin didn’t seemed to mind, and caught on to everything with ease.

“You’re really smart you know that?”

“N-No, I just studied a bit of this stuff before,” Taemin said.

“Before? So you know all this stuff already?” Minho asked.

“N-Not all of it. Just s-some. Umma went by the lessons pretty slowly, so when I’d already learned something, I just went ahead, so that she wouldn’t take too long on the next lesson. In the end I went a few chapters t-to far.”

Minho nodded and continued doing his work, asking Taemin for help here and there. It hurt his pride a little to be asking someone two years younger than him for help on his schoolwork, but Taemin was incredibly smart. It wasn’t his fault he just caught on to things quicker than more. He could probably go up against Onew in intelligence.

A while later, Taemin excused himself to the bathroom, and Minho went to get them drinks. He wasn’t sure what Taemin liked, but he settled for getting him some milk, since Taemin seemed to like that, seeing as he drank it everyday at lunch. When Taemin returned, Minho was already back in his room with a bag of chips along with their drinks. He assumed that even if Taemin wasn’t really hungry, he would still go for a snack, right?

Taemin brought out his laptop now that they were done with homework. Minho began showing him the different programs he could use, as well as common social websites he might be interested in. Minho explained that it was a great way to keep in touch with people, like old friends, or keep up with recent events. He even helped Taemin set up his own account, making it private so that no one could look at his pictures until they were his friend.

“You’ll need a picture of yourself for your profile,” Minho said.

“Picture?” Taemin asked.

“Yeah, you know what a picture is right?” Minho asked. Taemin nodded and waited for Minho to continue explaining. “You’ll need a profile picture, that way people know it’s really you.”

“Oh, okay,” Taemin replied. Minho got up to get his camera, and if he was right, his plan would work. He turned the camera on, making sure to turn on the face before moving closer to get a good shot of Taemin’s eyes.

“Smile,” he said, and before Taemin could fully smile, the flash had already gone off with Taemin’s eyes wide from the brightness. He moved away and sat back, looking at the picture and zooming in to get a better look at his eyes. He froze when he saw them, his eyes wide when he looked back at Taemin.

“Your eyes are red,” he said. Taemin’s eyes widened more than before, panic clearly written on his face and he inched away from Minho. “Why are your eyes red?”

“T-They’re not,” Taemin said.

“Don’t lie to me, I can see them clearly in the picture,” Minho said. He moved forward, ready to grab Taemin if he tried to run. He wanted to know exactly what Taemin was, and he wasn’t leaving until he found out.

“I-It’s a condition,” Taemin said. He moved further back, until his back was against the wall and he had nowhere to move to. Minho had already cornered him, grabbing his wrists and trapping him there.

“What are you?”

“L-Let me go,” Taemin said, struggling to get out of Minho’s grip. “P-Please let me go!”

“Not until you tell me what you are! A monster?”

“N-No! I-I’m not a monster!” Tears were already pouring out of Taemin’s eyes and Minho faltered a bit. He felt a pain in his chest seeing Taemin cry, but he needed answers. Red eyes weren’t normal, nor were they some condition. He let go of Taemin wrists and settled for holding his head, his thumbs rubbing away the tears.

“Then what are you?” he asked gently, doing his best to calm the boy. He hadn’t meant to scare him so much, but he couldn’t help it. The shock had taken over, and he couldn’t control it. “I know you have red eyes behind those contacts. I know you have some sort of ability. I heard you and your brother talking about it.”

“Why?” Taemin sobbed. “No one was supposed to know. You weren’t supposed to find out! Why did you have to find out?!”

“I’m sorry,” Minho said, now hugging the boy to his chest, letting him cry there and wet his shirt. “I’m sorry I find out, but please tell me. I tell anyone, but I need to know. How can I know you don’t plan on hurting someone?”

“Hurting someone? I’m afraid of people hurting me,” Taemin said. “All of those stereotypes have made people fear us, but there are always those people who want to study, research, and they will do everything they can to take us. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen what happens when we are discovered. Humans join together and rebel, and we are helpless against them. We have our abilities, but not all of us get them as soon as others, nor are the abilities always as strong as we hope for them to be.”

“Us? We? Stereotypes? Taemin, there are a lot of stereotypes. I need you to be more specific,” Minho said.

“Vampires,” Taemin said. “I’m a vampire.”

“V-Vampire?” Minho asked. That was the last thing he had expected. “B-But, how are you able to walk around. S-Should you be hurt by the sun? O-Or sparkle or something?”

“No, Taemin said. “Those are just stereotypes. We don’t sparkle, the sun has no affect on us, garlic does not repel us, and a stake through the heart is enough to kill everyone, not just us.”

“Are there any other stereotypes I should know about?”

“We don’t all have super strength or speed. We all have our own separate abilities. It is true that our strength and speed are somewhat increased, but only when truly needed, not always,” Taemin said. “We won’t die of illness or any other natural causes, but if someone were to stab us or shoot us in a vital area, we would die.”

“And you are really sixteen years old?”

“I am, and I’ll live for hundreds of more years if I’m not killed. Taesun hyung I believe is around 70. Umma and Appa are in their late hundreds,” Taemin replied. “Why don’t you see so shocked?”

“I am, but I’m too shocked to react the way you think I would,” Minho said. “How can I know you aren’t lying? How are you able to go to school if you’re a vampire?”

“My strawberry milk? I fill it with blood, so that it keeps my thirst down. I really prefer banana milk. I dislike biting humans, despite their better taste, so I settle for animals, I’ve done so for years now, that’s why I can control myself around humans,” Taemin said.

“And now?”

“Now?”

“Do you feel thirsty?”

“I always do when I’m around humans,” Taemin said, “but I hold back the desire. Like I said, I don’t like biting humans. I feel bad when I do.”

“How can I be sure you won’t bite me?”

“I would’ve done so the moment you told me your parents weren’t home.”

Minho was silent. What could he say? He couldn’t even move. Someone as fragile looking as Taemin was actually a vampire? Despite the proof, he couldn’t imagine it. He couldn’t see Taemin was anyone that drank blood. How was he supposed to believe that Taemin was some sort of friendly vampire that didn’t drink human blood? It was strange, too strange, and although Minho didn’t want to believe it, the evidence was all there.

“You can’t tell anyone, hyung, please. I just want to be normal and live here for as long as I can before I have to move again. Please don’t tell anyone,” Taemin begged. Minho stared at him for a while. How could he tell anyone when Taemin was begging him like his? And move, leave? Minho didn’t want Taemin to leave. He felt a pain in his heart just thinking about Taemin leaving.

“I won’t,” Minho said. He held Taemin tighter against him, letting the boy rest his head against his chest as he ran his fingers through his hair. Something about Taemin just made him want to protect the boy, and hold him, and Minho wasn’t sure what.