“Mr Zhang, Mr Kim,” the teacher takes each of their hands in a firm handshake in turn, brisk and efficient. Each time they've met her, Jongdae has had the impression of a no-nonsense, sharp personality. Someone who doesn't let impish little children push her about.

That's probably why Sunhwa respects her.

“Hi,” Yixing says, sitting down in the chair opposite her desk, as she settles down. “You wanted to see us?” He regards Jongdae curiously for a moment, wondering why his husband isn't sitting down, but lets it go. Far be it for him to question Jongdae's eccentricities. He'd be here all day.

“It's nothing bad, don't worry,” Ms Chaudhry laughs at his cautious expression, settling her skirt around her legs. She leans forward, clasping her hands and resting her elbows on her desk. Jongdae – having taken his fill of the room – finally sits down, sensing something big. “Now, I'm sure you know that your daughter is a very intelligent little girl.”

They both hum in agreement, nodding. It's gotten them in trouble more than once. Hell, it's part of the reason they're now married.

“Well,” she pauses for a moment, letting her compliment sink in, “it's coming to the time when she'll have to think about applying to secondary schools. I know you've been planning to let her apply to the same school her brothers went to – which is a very good school,” she adds hastily, “but we've been thinking – that is, my colleagues and I – that it might be a good idea for Sunhwa to apply for one of the local grammar schools.”

“A private school?” Jongdae says in surprise. It's not that he doubts his daughter's ability to get into one – it's more that he's never really been sure about sending his kids to one. They seem to breed a certain kind of person, and not one he likes.

Yixing gives him a warning look, squeezing his hand gently. He leans forward, fixing the teacher with an intense look. “So you're saying she'd pass the entrance exams?”

Ms Chaudhry nods. “We think she'd do very well in them. Of course you can never guarantee anything, but personally, I think she'd pass them, and might even be able gain financial aid because of it. Maybe a scholarship.”

Jongdae winces at the idea that they'd need it, but he can't deny they'd really struggle to afford a prestigious school's fees. “A scholarship?”

She nods again, and Yixing blinks. “I think there's a possibility she could get at least a partial one.”

“Have you spoken to her about this?” Yixing asks, wondering why Sunhwa hasn't brought this up with them. She's a fairly talkative girl, and is always full of stories about what happened at school.

“Not yet,” Ms Chaudhry has the grace to look a little embarrassed, “we thought it would be better coming from you.”

“Well,” Jongdae gathers his thoughts, “um, thanks. It's certainly something we'll take into consideration.” He looks to Yixing, who is deep in thought. “Isn't it, honey?” He pushes, elbowing Yixing in the ribs none-to-gently.

“What? Oh, yes,” Yixing snaps out of his daydream. “Definitely. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.”

Ms Chaudhry smiles. “She's a very bright, dedicated girl, and very polite.” She laughs. “To tell you the truth, I enjoy teaching her, and I don't say that about a lot of children.” She winks. “But don't tell the other parents that!”

Jongdae can't help but feel a little smug at that. Ha! His child is better than some of the others. “Of course,” he chuckles. “Is there anything else?”

She shakes her head. “No, that's all. Until the next parent's evening,” she says, a little wryly. Jongdae doesn't doubt that she dreads parent's evening. He knows he does.

Jongseok's parent's evenings are rarely without incident.

They all stand up, and there's some more awkward hand-shaking before he and Yixing leave to return to their car.

The both of them sit in silence for a moment, thinking. “Well,” Jongdae says finally, “that was definitely worth getting out of work early for. Of course,” he considers, “anything's worth getting out of work early for.”

That draws a smile out of Yixing. “Glad to see your work ethic hasn't changed in all of these years,” he says dryly. He taps the steering wheel. “So, what do you think?”

Jongdae folds his arms, taking a moment to compose his answer as Yixing pulls out of the carpark. It's still full of cars – teachers' cars, presumably. “I...don't know,” he sighs, “I think it's up to Sunhwa herself.”

Yixing nods, pausing to let another car pass them as he turns out of the inlet the school is based in. “Yeah. But I think it's an excellent opportunity for her.”

This is where their difference in backgrounds becomes noticeable. Yixing's parents pushed him to excel in every way – if there had been a chance he could have gotten into a private, prestigious school, they would have forced him to. He's not going to do that to Sunhwa – he wouldn't even think of it – but their teaching still sticks. The idea that reputation is everything is hard for him to shake.

Jongdae's parents – while expecting him to do well – did not push nearly so hard, and so – in some respects – he takes a more lax approach. “It is, but Xing...don't forget how hard it could be for her.”

Yixing's brow furrows, and he takes his eyes off the road for a second to give him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Jongdae shifts uncomfortably, “she might be very different from the other kids, especially if she's got in through a scholarship. There's a lot of pressure to fit in in secondary school, and if she's not rich like them, they might be mean to her.”

He doesn't mention the fact that having two fathers might make her a target. It's a sore point already, something they've had to deal with in the past.

Yixing swallows, unable to refute the argument. “But she might not,” he reasons, “and it would be such a good education for her. If she goes to a private school, she's basically guaranteed to get into a university of her choice. You know that.”

Jongdae nods. “I know, I know. And I'm not disputing that. I just don't want to see her hurt.”

They share a pained look, and Jongdae knows Yixing is thinking of the same thing as he is. “Of course not,” he says gently, “she's our baby.” He stops at a red light, grip on the steering wheel tight. “But it doesn't matter,” he decides, “it's up to her whether she wants to go or not.”

“That's all I want,” Jongdae rushes out. “I just don't want to push her into anything.” He rolls his eyes. “Not that that's ever worked.”

Yixing snorts, a ghost of a smirk flickering across his lips. “That might be something she inherited from me.”

Jongdae gives him a withering look. “You don't say.” A smirky smile of his own curls his cat-like mouth upwards. “Though the smart genes – they obviously did not come from you.”

“Hey!” Yixing exclaims, insulted, “that is so not true – ”

“Aw, come on, baby,” Jongdae croons, clearly delighting in this new excuse to torture his beloved husband. “You have to admit you aren't the brightest spark.”

“I could be,” Yixing grumbles, making disgruntled noises in place of actually arguing.

Sensing he's won, Jongdae snickers in triumph. He softens at the genuinely put out expression on his partner's face. “Don't worry. All three of the kids run rings around us. Matthew does too, he's just a lot more cunning about it.”

Yixing just carries on making disgruntled noises. Admitting your children have control doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

***

They pull Sunhwa aside for a little 'chat' before dinner, and Shang and Jongseok shoot interested glances at each other as soon as they hear the word chat. Like most siblings, the idea of their sister being in trouble (instead of them) is something to enjoy.

“So,” Jongdae starts, as Sunhwa clambers into Yixing's lap like the small ape-like creature she is. He wraps his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head, and Jongdae – as always – is struck by how alike father and daughter look. He knew making Yixing be the donor was a good idea.

“Am I in trouble?” She says immediately staring at him suspiciously. “Because whatever it is, I didn't do it. It was Jongseok.” A familiar refrain around here, and the mere idea of Jongseok doing something is enough to worry the both of them.

However, as she's actually not in trouble for once, they let it go. “What? No.” He says, shaking his head. “We had a chat with your teacher, didn't we, bàba?” Yixing nods. “And she said that it might be a good idea for you to apply to a private school, like King Edward's, or something.”

She looks from him to Yixing for a second, small brow furrowing as she takes this information in. “You mean the fancy school?” She says at last, voice quiet.

“Yes,” Yixing says, turning her around to face him. “Because you're clever.”

She screws her face up. “But aren't they expensive?” Her voice is small, and Jongdae's heart aches. He wishes she didn't consider such things, but it's not as if they're a particularly well-off family.

“They think you could maybe get a scholarship,” he tells her.

“And if you really wanted to go,” Yixing adds quickly, “me and daddy would find a way for you to go, no question.” He flashes a look at Jongdae, who nods furiously.

Of course they would. If it was what their daughter wanted, they'd find a way, same as they would for something the boys wanted.

“B-but don't they make you do lots of tests and stuff?” Sunhwa looks troubled, fingers pulling at her school trousers worriedly. “I don't want to do tests.”

“It's just an entrance exam,” Yixing says encouragingly, “nothing big, baby.”

She considers that for a moment, before shaking her head decisively. “No. I don't want to.” She swings her legs in Yixing's lap, looking down. Her black hair creates a veil around her face, obscuring it from their vision. “I don't want to be all alone. None of my friends are gonna go to King Edward's.”

“It's a good school, sweetheart,” Jongdae says slowly, because even though he agrees with her, he wants her to make an informed decision. “You'd get a great education there. You'd like that, wouldn't you?”

She shakes her head again. “I'd be different,” she mumbles, still refusing to look up. “They'd be all rich, and...I'm not. I don't want to go.” She looks up, expression fierce. “Please don't make me.”

Yixing pulls her close. “Oh, baby, we weren't going to make you, please don't think that.” He sounds sad, and Jongdae knows his heart hurts as much as his own. “It's your decision, and we respect that. We just wanted to ask, because it is an excellent opportunity.” There's a longing in his voice – a longing Jongdae recognises as something that reflects on his parents, not his daughter.

He's never been able to shake the idea that he's failed them, however much Jongdae has tried to persuade him of the truth.

She buries her face against Yixing's neck, looking even younger than her eleven years. “No.” Her voice is muffled, but the word is clear. “I don't want to.”

“That's fine,” Jongdae says, taking hold of one of her hands. “It's up to you, darling. You know that.”

Yixing gives him a rueful look, Sunhwa's hair. “You know we'd never try to make you do anything you didn't want to. We couldn't anyway.” He rolls his eyes.

The bittersweet moment is interrupted by the door bursting open, and Jongseok falling into the room. “Oh, hey.” He looks sheepish, clearly clawing for an excuse as to why he was so obviously listening at the door. “I, uh, came in for the, um, Sellotape,” he says, naming the first thing he sees. He sprints out of the room before they can question him further, and as he shuts the door Shang's insistent questions about what's going on ring in the background.

Jongdae sighs. He's really not sure where Jongseok's startling lack of respect for privacy came from.

Yixing says it's from him.

Just a reminder: Jongseok is 15/16 here, and Shang is 19/20. If anyone's interested, he tours a bit with his band at this point in the timeline, but they're not quite famous. Kind of creating a rumble underground.