Archive of Our Own

The first downpour of the summer descends upon the city without warning, blanketing everything in swathes of grey. The rain first arrives early in the afternoon and continues to fall long after the sun has set, by which point puddles on pavements have begun to reflect ripples of golden light cast down to the ground by street lamps.

Xie Lian stands before his living room window, gazing out into the night and listening to the pelting of raindrops. He cups a mug of scalding tea between both hands, sipping at it occasionally. The burn against his tongue is soothing. It reminds him that he is warm and safe when it rains now. He’s had that privilege for several years already, but he still knows better than to take it for granted.

He remains there, silent and contemplative, until all of the tea has been drained from his mug. Only then does he turn away and move further into the apartment. Ruoye perks up from where she’s been curled up on the couch, then hops up to scamper after Xie Lian when he enters the kitchen.

“You aren’t getting any more food out of me tonight,” Xie Lian tells her in as stern a tone as he can muster. “You’ve already had dinner and extra treats. Not every visit to the kitchen has something to do with you.”

Ruoye meows in protest, rubbing her side against Xie Lian’s leg. With a fond sigh, Xie Lian bends down to give the cat a scratch between her ears. Ruoye’s purring is loud enough to fill the entire apartment, and then some.

“You’re cute,” Xie Lian says. “But that’s not enough to persuade me. You’ll get fat if you eat any more food.”

He rises again in order to refill the kettle, then gets to work making a fresh mug of tea. The warmth from his first is still lingering in his throat and chest. One more mug will be all it takes to make his limbs heavy and his mind calm enough to put him to sleep.

Ruoye gives one last chirp of dissatisfaction before padding away. Xie Lian listens to her leave with his back turned, smiling to himself.

“Silly Ruoye,” he mutters. The lever on the side of the kettle clicks, so Xie Lian pours the water into his mug while it’s still boiling hot. The scent of chamomile wafts into the room.

“Sweet, silly, Ruoye,” he continues, turning away from the kitchen counter with his mug in his hand. “Noisy, charming, plump little— Ah!”

Something small and white dashes past his feet, making him trip. He catches himself with his left hand on the kitchen island, but although he has the fortune of not faceplanting the floor, his stumbling causes the hot tea in his mug to spill all over his other hand. The liquid drips steadily onto the floor, where Ruoye begins eagerly licking it up.

“Ruoye, baby, come here,” Xie Lian says, setting aside his own pain to worry over his cat. “Did any of it spill over you?”

Ruoye whines, but she doesn’t seem to be in any pain. Xie Lian drops to his knees to give her a pat down with his uninjured hand just to be sure, and thankfully finds nothing but soft, dry fur.

“You gave me quite the shock. I didn’t even hear you coming. And look at this!” He raises his burnt hand in front of Ruoye’s nose, which wriggles as she sniffs his fingers. “You hurt baba. Please apologise.”

“Mrow,” Ruoye chirps, before butting her head into Xie Lian’s hand. The impact sends more tea spilling over the edge of his mug, and he instantly retracts his hand with a groan.

“Silly cat. Bad cat.”

He hurriedly makes his way to the sink, where he deposits the mug and turns the tap. After a quick test of the temperature with his uninjured hand, he shoves the other into the stream of water. It’s blissfully cold against his burning skin. Xie Lian’s shoulders sag, and he releases a sigh of relief.

Turning his head, he meets the eyes of his attacker once more. Ruoye is perched on the kitchen counter, swishing her tail back and forth as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Bad cat,” Xie Lian repeats.

Ruoye tilts her head, as if to say, Me?

“Yes, you.”

Ruoye’s eyes flit over to Xie Lian’s hand in the sink, then back to his face. She meows quietly, then ducks her head and scurries away. Xie Lian clicks his tongue.

“Silly Ruoye,” he says.

When his skin is no longer burning, he turns off the tap and grabs a towel to gently pat his hand dry. His fingers still sting, so he heads into the bathroom in an attempt to find some ointment to soothe the injury. However, after checking every single cupboard and drawer in the bathroom, followed by the kitchen and even his bedroom, he finds nothing.

Xie Lian curses quietly under his breath, then peeks out of his bedroom window. It’s still raining heavily, but the nearest pharmacy isn’t too far from his apartment. If he takes an umbrella, the weather shouldn’t be too much of an issue, anyway.

With his mind made up, he retrieves his keys and wallet. He slips on his shoes and jacket at the front door, then leaves with one last withering look at Ruoye. She whines in response and ducks under the coffee table. Xie Lian presumes that it’s so she can think about what she’s done.

Downstairs at the entrance to his apartment building, Xie Lian finds his umbrella amongst the many newer, nicer ones belonging to his neighbours. He takes a deep breath, then heads out into the rain.

Walking to the pharmacy isn’t actually as terrible as Xie Lian had anticipated it to be. The force of the rain seems to have lessened somewhat, and even the wind has died down. In a matter of minutes, Xie Lian is stepping beneath the overhang outside the pharmacy’s doors and shaking the droplets of water from his umbrella. He leaves it propped up against the wall before heading inside.

The interior of the pharmacy is warm, and Xie Lian takes a moment to bask in that warmth as he waits to see the pharmacist. Only one other customer stands at the counter, muttering quietly to the woman standing on the other side. She nods in response to whatever he’s saying, then retrieves something from one of the shelves behind her. The man pays quickly before hurrying past Xie Lian.

As the woman watches him leave, she finally catches sight of Xie Lian. Her lips pull up into a familiar friendly smile.

“Hello again, Xie Lian,” she greets. “What will it be this time?”

He approaches the counter and grins back at her. He’s visited the pharmacy so many times by now that he can comfortably say he’s on good terms with all of the employees here, but he always looks forward to seeing this woman—Yushi Huang—in particular. She listens well and seems to genuinely care about her customers. Something about her is especially pleasant and comforting.

“Ah, something to soothe burns, please,” Xie Lian says, holding up his hand for her to see.

Yushi Huang hums, immediately reaching for a box on one of the topmost shelves behind her.

“Did something happen while you were cooking again?”

Xie Lian chuckles as he shakes his head. “No. This time, I just spilled my tea.”

“Right.” Yushi Huang smiles, setting the box down onto the counter between them. “Place this over the affected skin twice a day, and make sure to keep your hand as clean as possible as well. You’ll probably notice some minor blistering, but it shouldn’t give you too much trouble. If you experience any pain, some mild pain relievers should do the trick of relieving that. If you think that the burn might be infected at any point, I’d recommend making an appointment with your doctor.”

Xie Lian listens intently to everything she has to say, then nods. “Thank you. I’ll be careful.”

Once Xie Lian has paid, Yushi Huang watches him massage some of the cream into his hand. She gives a satisfied nod when he’s done.

“See you next time, Xie Lian,” she says with one last smile. “Although, do try to stop getting yourself hurt so much.”

Xie Lian laughs and waves goodbye, then steels himself and walks back into the rainy night—

—only to find his umbrella missing.

The man who’d left the pharmacy before him must have taken it, he realises. Groaning, he heads inside once more. Yushi Huang instinctively raises her head to greet him, then falls silent as soon as she realises that he isn’t a new customer. She raises a questioning brow.

“Do you sell umbrellas?” Xie Lian asks. “I think mine was stolen.”

“Ah. Sorry, but we don’t have any,” Yushi Huang says. “You can borrow mine, if you’d like?”

Xie Lian shakes his head. “You’ll still need one when you go home, too. I’ll be fine. My apartment isn’t too far away.”

“If you’re sure.” Yushi Huang frowns in concern, but doesn’t push the matter.

Xie Lian bids her goodnight once more, then rushes out into the rain. He cradles the paper bag containing his box of ointment close to his chest in an effort to keep it dry, but to no avail; the rain has picked up again since he’d stepped into the pharmacy earlier, and it seeps through his clothes instantly now. Xie Lian curses his terrible luck. With his uninjured hand shielding his face against the rain, he takes off in a desperate run.

He’s only two streets away from his apartment building when it happens. As he passes an alleyway situated on his left, he registers movement in his peripherals. He comes to a belated stop a few seconds later, then takes a handful of steps backwards to peer directly into the alleyway. He cranes his neck and squints his eyes, but neither action achieves much—it’s too dark for him to make out more than a few odd shapes that he assumes must be piles of trash. The alleyway seems like a dead-end, anyway. Judging from what Xie Lian can see and hear (or not hear, to be more precise), the chance of there actually being anything of concern hiding in the dark is slim to none. As it is, the only movement he can detect now comes from the rain, which has already soaked through his clothes and chilled him to the bone.

Xie Lian sighs and turns away from the alleyway. He’s just about to take off in another run when he hears a quiet whimper from behind him. He instantly freezes. Then, with his heart in his throat, he turns back towards the alleyway once more.

“Hello?” he calls out, taking a tentative step forward. “Is anyone here?”

He’s answered by some shuffling from the end of the alleyway, followed by another pitiful whimper. Maybe there’s some kind of animal here, he decides. A stray, or a lost pet. Either way, this is hardly a safe place for it to take refuge.

Xie Lian makes up his mind and presses on, pushing all thoughts of his own drenched clothes and shivering limbs to the back of his mind. He takes slow, steady steps towards the end of the alleyway. Whatever lies in wait for him falls silent as it notices him approaching.

“It’s okay,” he says. “I’m here to help you. Just stay there.”

As he walks closer, his eyes gradually adjust to the darkness surrounding him. Glass bottles and empty food containers litter the floor, and a few trash bags are piled up on either side of the alleyway. He carefully avoids all of the objects he can see, not wanting to make any noise that could startle the creature in the alleyway.

After a few moments, he spots something on the ground that makes him pause. There, just inches away from his own shoes, is a human foot. The foot is, of course, attached to a leg; Xie Lian lifts his head to find that the leg belongs to a small body bundled in grimy clothes.

“Oh,” Xie Lian breathes.

The sounds he’d heard hadn't come from an animal. They’d come from a person. A child, to be exact.

Xie Lian takes a steadying breath, then lowers himself to the child’s height. Up close, he can see that the child is a girl; frail and dirty, with tangled hair and round, watery eyes. She averts her gaze from Xie Lian as soon as their eyes meet.

“Hey, are you okay?” Xie Lian asks.

Despite his efforts to keep his voice as quiet and friendly as possible, the young girl shrinks further into herself in a display of self-protection. Although muffled by her hands, Xie Lian can hear the sound of her crying. He edges a little closer, placing his paper bag onto the damp ground so that he can raise both of his own hands in the air.

“I’m not going to hurt you, see? There’s nothing on me that can cause you harm. I just want to check that you’re alright. It would also be good to get you out of this horrible rain.”

He doesn’t receive an answer, but he’s not really expecting one. It’s only natural that the girl doesn’t trust him. He sighs and lowers his hands back down to his sides.

“I’m Xie Lian. What’s your name?” he asks.

Unexpectedly, the girl stops crying and glances up at him. She sits in silence for several seconds, seemingly deciding whether or not she should respond. Xie Lian smiles and waits patiently, despite the rain making him more eager to get home by the minute.

Just when he thinks that the girl isn’t going to provide him with a response, she mumbles something under her breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” Xie Lian says. “Maybe speak a little louder?”

“Banyue,” the girl repeats.

Xie Lian smiles. “That’s pretty. What about your family name?”

“Don’t have one,” Banyue says.

“You don’t have a family name?”

She shakes her head. “Don’t have a family.”

Oh, Xie Lian thinks. Dread settles in the pit of his stomach. He frowns and shuffles closer.

“How old are you, Banyue?”

Banyue ponders the question for a moment, before answering: “Nine.”

“Hm, okay. Do you know anyone at all that I can call? Is there anyone who usually looks after you?”

Banyue shakes her head again. It’s precisely the answer that Xie Lian wanted the least to receive.

She must be homeless, then. Although Xie Lian isn’t sure how Banyue managed to get herself into this situation at such a young age, there is one thing he is absolutely certain of: He cannot simply sit back and do nothing. Xie Lian knows quite intimately what it’s like to not have a home to go to. He knows what it’s like to feel lonely and scared and hungry. He wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy, let alone an innocent child.

“Would you like to come home with me tonight, Banyue?” he asks. “You can take a nice, warm bath and sleep in a proper bed for the night. I’ll even make you a hot chocolate, if you’d like. And you can have whatever food you want to eat! Then, tomorrow, we can find somewhere safe for you to stay permanently. How does that sound?”

Banyue’s bottom lip trembles, but she doesn’t let any more tears slip over her cheeks. She nods frantically, as if she can’t agree fast enough.

“Alright. Hey, do you think you can keep this safe for me?”

Xie Lian peels his paper bag from the ground, then tears it open to hand the box of ointment to Banyue. She takes it with both hands and nods again.

“What is it?” she asks.

“It’s medicine.” At Banyue’s stricken expression, he adds: “Don’t worry, it’s only for me. I hurt my hand earlier, see?”

He holds up his right hand again, and Banyue stares at his reddened skin. After a moment, she hums quietly in understanding.

“Is it alright if I pick you up, Banyue?”

Another nod. With a reassuring smile, Xie Lian gently sweeps her into his arms and stands. His knees click as he rises, and Banyue flinches at the sound.

“It’s okay,” Xie Lian soothes. “That sounded more painful than it actually was. Hold on tight, okay? I don’t live too far from here, so we’ll be dry and warm soon. I promise.”

Banyue buries her face into Xie Lian’s shoulder in response, which he interprets as some kind of acquiescence. He takes off in a light jog, careful not to jostle Banyue too much. She’s lighter than he’d expected her to be, which is concerning considering she doesn’t look particularly heavy to begin with. He dreads to think how truly emaciated she might be under all of her loose clothing.

They reach his apartment building in a matter of minutes, and Xie Lian climbs the stairs with Banyue in his arms instead of waiting for the elevator to the fifth floor. His priority is getting Banyue warm and dry as soon as possible, and the elevator would simply take too long. Once he’s reached his floor, he pauses for a moment to catch his breath before approaching his apartment at the end of the hall. He shifts Banyue’s weight until he can hold her up with one arm, then rifles around in his pocket until he finds his key. Seconds later, he’s toeing off his shoes in the entranceway of his apartment.

Banyue hasn’t made a single sound since they left the alleyway, and for a moment Xie Lian thinks that she must have fallen asleep. But then Ruoye is whining at his feet, and Banyue lifts her head to stare down at the cat with wide eyes.

“That’s Ruoye,” Xie Lian tells her. “My cat. She’s a good girl. She won’t hurt you.”

He decides not to tell her that Ruoye was actually the cause of the burn on his hand. There’s no use in scaring Banyue even more than she likely already is. Besides, Ruoye really is a sweet girl… for the most part.

“Hello Ruoye,” Banyue says quietly.

Xie Lian smiles. He gently nudges the cat out of his way with his foot, then carries Banyue through the apartment until they reach the bathroom. After ensuring that she can stand on her own, he sets to work filling the bath for her. He checks the temperature no less than four times before nodding in satisfaction and turning off the taps.

He faces Banyue and says, “I’m going to get some dry clothes for you to wear while you soak in the bath. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Banyue nods. She seems a little unsure of everything, but doesn’t protest when Xie Lian moves past her. However, before he can leave the room, he feels a sharp tug on his shirt.

“I’m hungry,” Banyue says.

“Okay. We can eat once you’ve had a bath.”

That seems to pacify Banyue somewhat. She releases Xie Lian’s shirt and turns away to begin removing her clothes. Xie Lian promptly leaves the room to give her some privacy.

He makes quick work of finding suitable clothes for Banyue to change into. They’re pyjamas from his high school days, so even they will be enormous on her, but it’s the best that he can find for now. He’s sure that with enough adjustments, the pants can be made a suitable length.

No noises escape the bathroom, so after changing into dry clothes and pacing the length of his living room several times, Xie Lian’s concern gets the best of him. He knocks on the bathroom door to signal his arrival, then pokes his head into the room.

“Are you alright, Banyue?”

Banyue turns her head to stare listlessly at him. She gives an impassive hum.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“I’m hungry,” Banyue repeats.

Xie Lian sighs. “What if I help you wash your hair, and then we’ll eat? Does that sound good?”

Banyue doesn’t refuse, which Xie Lian thinks is the best response he’s going to get for now. So, before she has the chance to change her mind, he pushes his way into the bathroom and kneels at the side of the bath.

He tries to wash Banyue’s hair as quickly as possible, but it turns out to be even more tangled than it had looked. She doesn’t complain, but it’s hard to tell whether she’s in pain or not as he works out the knots with his fingers and a copious amount of conditioner. When he can finally run his fingers through her hair without catching any knots, he rinses the strands once more and dries his hands on the towel near the sink. Finally, he leaves the bathroom to fetch a clean towel for Banyue to use, throwing her old clothes into the washing machine on his way.

Drying and dressing Banyue is an even tougher feat than washing her hair. Xie Lian’s hairdryer seems to be too noisy for her, or too hot—perhaps, both. She cowers away from it as if it’s some kind of weapon. Xie Lian has to resort to towel-drying her hair instead. When he’s done, he secures Banyue’s hair in a neat little bun using one of his own hair ties.

His old pyjamas turn out to be so big on Banyue that she can hardly move in them. Xie Lian rolls the pants at least five times, but even that doesn’t seem to solve anything. He’ll have to find some better alternatives in the next few days.

“Gege,” Banyue says when Xie Lian is done dressing her. The address startles him, but he simply smiles and nods.

“What is it?”

“I’m hungry,” Banyue says.

Xie Lian huffs a laugh. “I know. We can eat now. Come on, let’s see what we have in the fridge.”

He leads Banyue into the kitchen, where he opens the fridge door with a flourish. Admittedly, it makes the sight inside the fridge quite anticlimactic. There’s really not a lot inside of it. He hasn’t been shopping recently, so all that’s left is half a carton of milk, three eggs, a few miscellaneous vegetables, some leftovers from several nights ago which should probably be thrown out, and a packet of uncooked beef mince.

“How about pancakes?” Xie Lian asks. Children like pancakes, don’t they? Hell, Xie Lian is sure that everyone likes pancakes.

Banyue, however, shakes her head. “No. I don’t like pancakes.”

“Hm.” Xie Lian thinks for a moment, frowning at his sorry collection of ingredients. “Then… a stew?”

“No,” Banyue says.

“A stir-fry?”

“No.”

“Take-out?”

Banyue shakes her head.

Perplexed, Xie Lian closes the door to the fridge and turns to face her. She stares up at him blankly.

“What do you want to eat?” he asks.

Banyue shrugs. Perhaps, she’s too afraid to ask for what she really wants. Xie Lian can understand that. This is a foreign environment for her, and she probably isn’t sure where the boundaries lie. He needs to give her time to test the waters. When she’s ready, she’ll tell him what she needs.

“It’s getting late,” Xie Lian says, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “If you can’t decide now, then let’s go to bed. We can eat in the morning.”

He walks away before Banyue has time to respond. He doesn’t hear her following him as he walks into his bedroom.

“Keep her company,” he tells Ruoye as she winds between his legs. She glances up at him and meows, then takes off in the direction whence the two of them had come.

In his bedroom, Xie Lian throws an extra blanket onto the bed and takes away one of the pillows. He switches on the bedside lamp and draws the curtains. Just as he’s about to head into the living room with his pillow to set up the couch for himself to sleep on, he hesitates.

If giving Banyue time and space doesn’t work…

Well, he can’t let her starve. There must be another way around this. A Plan B, if you will.

Xie Lian does the only thing he can think of that might help this situation. He retrieves his phone from his pocket and calls Feng Xin. It only takes two dials for him to pick up.

“Xie Lian?” he asks with barely concealed concern. “It’s late. Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, um. What do you usually do when Cuocuo won’t eat?”

There’s a long pause on the other end of the line, followed by a quiet sigh.

“Well, when he won’t eat, that usually means he isn’t hungry,” Feng Xin says. “What does this—”

“But what if he is hungry?” Xie Lian interrupts.

“Huh?”

“What if he says he’s hungry, but he won’t eat?”

“That… What is this about?”

Xie Lian sighs. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to you later.”

He ends the call before Feng Xin can respond. It takes him no longer than a second to feel bad about it, but he doesn’t have time to remedy the situation in any way before he hears a hiss from the kitchen. Xie Lian immediately drops his pillow and rushes to the source of the noise, only to come to a screeching halt in the entrance to the kitchen. His eyes widen and his jaw drops.

The packet of beef mince that had been safely tucked away in his fridge is now sitting on the kitchen island. Half of it has already disappeared, and considering the blood smeared across Banyue’s rounded cheeks and the lump of meat in her left hand, Xie Lian fears he knows exactly where it’s vanished to.

“Banyue!” he shouts, which effectively makes her drop her handful of meat in shock. Ruoye instantly dives towards it and begins lapping up the blood.

Xie Lian rushes forward to take Banyue’s wrists in his hands. “What are you doing?! You can’t eat that, you’ll get sick!”

“But I’m hungry!” Banyue shouts back.

“I know, but listen to me! That food needs to be cooked before you can eat it. You can’t just…”

But the rest of Xie Lian’s words die on his tongue as he stares down at Banyue’s bloodstained face. Because there, hooked over her bottom lip, are two extremely sharp canines.

Inhumanly sharp, in fact.

An idea begins to take form in Xie Lian’s mind. It’s a ridiculous idea, he knows. But he can’t think of a better explanation for… Well. For everything.

“You… Banyue, what do you usually eat?”

“I can’t remember,” Banyue says through gritted teeth. She glares up at him fiercely.

“You can’t remember, or you don’t want to tell me?”

The look of anger on Banyue’s face is rapidly replaced by one of shame. She ducks her head and remains stubbornly silent.

“Banyue, you can tell me the truth. I won’t be angry or upset.”

Just mildly concerned, Xie Lian mentally adds.

“I used to eat a lot of different things,” Banyue mumbles, “but now everything makes me feel sick. My teeth also hurt a lot. Sometimes they get sharper, and I have to hide so that people don’t see them.”

Xie Lian’s brows pinch in worry. “When was the last time you were able to eat something?”

Banyue shrugs, pouting. “I don’t know. I keep getting sick, so I don’t like eating anymore. But I’m so hungry.”

Very slowly, Xie Lian releases Banyue’s wrists and picks up the packet of mince. He raises it in the air and asks, “Why did you choose to eat this?”

“It smells nice,” Banyue says matter-of-factly.

Xie Lian frowns. He raises the packet of mince to his nose and inhales deeply, then gags. It certainly does not smell nice.

“It also tastes… sweet,” Banyue adds. “And I don’t feel sick like I usually do after eating something. Please can I have some more?”

Her expression morphs into something desperate and pleading. Xie Lian feels caught between a rock and a hard place. He doesn’t want Banyue to go hungry, but if she’s lying or this is all some kind of weird coincidence…

But how can any of this possibly be explained if Banyue really isn’t telling the truth? It isn’t like regular human children can make their teeth grow on command, eat raw meat without being sick, and survive an unknown number of nights alone on the streets.

Xie Lian sighs and places the meat back onto the counter, then takes a step back. Banyue must interpret his silence as permission, because she wastes no time in stuffing her face full of the raw meat again. Xie Lian swallows the bile in his throat and leaves the room.

When he returns to his bedroom, he finds several new messages waiting for him on his phone.

feng xin
what the hell was that all about?
is there something going on?
do you need me to come over?

Xie Lian shakes his head and types frantically.

You
everything is fine! sorry, I know that was really weird. I’ll explain everything another time, I promise

He doesn’t wait around for Feng Xin’s response. Instead, he types the word vampire into baidu and taps the search button.

The results he’s provided with are… frustrating, to say the least. Most of them are related to a book (or is it a film?) called Twilight, which he immediately deems unhelpful and even a little silly. He reads a few interesting yet slightly terrifying articles about jiangshi, but other than providing him with some mild entertainment, those don’t help either. He combs through website after website, but nothing tells him how on earth he’s supposed to take care of a vampire child.

Taking care of any regular child is difficult enough. Xie Lian knows this quite well after several attempts to babysit Cuocuo. But taking care of a child who is also a vampire? Xie Lian hasn’t got the faintest idea about what to do.

In the end, he switches off his phone and returns to the task he’d been forced to abandon earlier. He retrieves his pillow from the floor and grabs another spare blanket from his wardrobe, then keeps his gaze fixed to the floor as he walks through the kitchen and into the living room. Mostly, he wants to give Banyue some privacy; although she’d admitted earlier that she often hides from other people, Xie Lian doesn’t want her to think that she has to hide from him. He wants her to know that she is in a safe space here. She can do whatever she needs to do, whenever she needs to do it.

Partly, however, he keeps his gaze averted because even the thought of watching Banyue eat raw meat again is making him feel queasy. He’ll get used to it. At least, he hopes he will.

Because Xie Lian has realised that he can no longer just take Banyue anywhere that a normal child could be taken to. Hospitals would ask too many questions about her health, orphanages are often overwhelming even for regular human children, and Banyue has said herself that there’s nobody else who can possibly take care of her. Xie Lian is starting to think that, in order to truly keep Banyue safe, his only option is to keep her here in his apartment. The thought has been lingering in the back of his mind since the moment he found her, but it was always supposed to be a last resort. Now that he knows what she really is, however, it truly seems like the best and safest option.

That still leaves him with a lot of research to do, though.

“Hey, Banyue,” Xie Lian shouts. Several seconds pass in tense silence, before Banyue’s head peeks slowly around the door. Xie Lian can’t help but smile fondly at the sight, despite the blood still trickling from the corners of Banyue’s mouth.

“Would you like to stay here for a long time?” he asks.

Banyue tilts her head. “How long?”

“As long as you need. As long as you want.”

She considers it for a moment, then nods.

“Okay. It looks like we’re roommates now, then,” Xie Lian says with a smile. “We’ll set some ground rules tomorrow. Now, though, I’m going to go to sleep. Do you sleep at night, Banyue?”

Banyue shrugs.

“Hm, okay. If you do decide to sleep, you can go into my room.”

“Can you give me more yummy food to eat tomorrow, gege?” Banyue asks.

Xie Lian sighs. “I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, he lies down and draws his blanket over his head in an attempt to fall asleep. He can hear the sound of Banyue’s feet pitter-pattering around the kitchen still, accompanied occasionally by the sound of the fridge door opening and closing. Ruoye meows every now and then from whichever spot she’s chosen to occupy on the kitchen counter.

Eventually, the kitchen light is switched off and everything falls silent. It’s unclear whether Banyue has crept off to Xie Lian’s room or remained in the kitchen, and it’s even harder to guess whether she’s asleep or still awake. Xie Lian doesn’t have time to think about the matter much before Ruoye is hopping up onto the couch to curl up in a ball at his back, effectively taking his mind off of everything else. He sighs softly and reaches a hand behind himself to stroke her head.

In the end, it’s the sound of her purring that lulls him into sleep.

When Xie Lian stirs awake several hours later, he opens his eyes to see Banyue’s face hovering just inches away from his own. It takes every ounce of willpower he has to not to visibly jolt in shock.

“Good morning, Banyue,” he says. “You’re… close.”

“En. Good morning, gege. You smell nice.”

“Thank you?”

Banyue hums, then (mercifully) retreats to give Xie Lian some space. He releases the breath he’d been holding, then sits up and pats the space beside him on the couch. Banyue sits and crosses her legs, facing him expectantly.

“This is as good a time as any to start laying down those ground rules I mentioned last night,” Xie Lian mutters, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. “Listen, Banyue, there are certain things that you can and cannot do while you’re living here, okay?”

“Like what?”

“Like, you can’t stare at me while I’m sleeping. It’s rude and a little creepy.”

Banyue nods very seriously. “Can I stare at you while you’re awake?”

“Sure, I guess,” Xie Lian says. “Although, staring too much is considered rude no matter when you do it.”

“Oh,” Banyue says. “Okay. What else?”

“Hm, let’s see…” Xie Lian gnaws on his lip and picks at the edge of his blanket as he thinks. “When you’re eating, you should use utensils. That way, it’ll be easier to clean up any mess you leave behind. Also, you shouldn’t let Ruoye eat your food. She’ll get fat if she’s overfed, so don't feed her in secret.”

Stars form in Banyue’s eyes at his words, and she beams. “So, does that mean I can eat more yummy food here?”

“Yes,” Xie Lian says, trying his best not to grimace. “As much as you need.”

“Thank you, gege!”

She leaps from the couch and takes off in a run through the apartment before Xie Lian can respond, leaving him gaping at the spot she’d been sitting in. After a moment’s delay, he stands and calls after her.

“Hey, I wasn’t finished talking to you!”

But, now that Banyue has been promised more food, it seems that there’s no getting through to her. Xie Lian massages his temples, then follows after her to begin the morning properly.

Something about eating in front of Banyue when she has nothing to eat herself seems wrong, so Xie Lian forgoes breakfast and merely makes himself a cup of tea instead. He lathers on some more of his ointment while Banyue dresses in her clothes (which are now clean and dry) from the night before. The skin around Xie Lian’s thumb is starting to blister, but the pain isn’t too bad. He’s experienced worse.

After getting dressed and making sure Ruoye has been fed, Xie Lian lifts Banyue and carries her out of the apartment. The poor girl still doesn’t have any shoes, and although her clothes aren’t as ragged as they’d appeared to be when they were caked in mud, they’re still obviously well-worn and a little too big for her. The list of supplies Xie Lian needs to purchase for her keeps growing in his mind.

He fully intends to take Banyue shopping for all the food and clothes she most certainly needs as soon as possible. But, first, he still needs answers to at least some of his questions. With the internet not giving him any satisfactory results, he turns to the next best thing: the library.

Thankfully, the library isn’t busy at all when they arrive. There’s an elderly man reading a newspaper at one of the tables and a few teens milling about the computers, but the rest of the library is devoid of patrons. Xie Lian can’t help but be relieved; although Banyue seems to be warming up to him pretty quickly, he isn’t sure how well she’d cope being surrounded by a lot of people. It’s obvious, both from the way she acts and the things she’s already told him, that she hasn’t had the best experiences with other people.

Having entered through the library doors, Xie Lian crouches down until he’s eye-level with Banyue to whisper, “I need to look for a few things in here, but I promise not to take too long. You can take a look around yourself, if you’d like. Just don’t leave this room without me, okay?”

Banyue nods, then skips off towards a random section of the library. Xie Lian watches her go for a moment, sighing quietly, before heading off in the opposite direction.

It doesn’t take him long to find a section labelled Horror & Supernatural, and he immediately begins searching along the first aisle he comes across. His eyes roam the shelves quickly, but although he spots several books about ghosts and demons, he finds nothing about vampires. The next aisle brings even less luck; there is a whole collection of stories about mythological creatures, but none of it seems helpful.

Halfway along the third and final aisle in this particular section, he thinks he’s struck gold when he spots a label on one of the shelves reading Vampires. He reaches for a random book in the vicinity and pulls it out, eager to begin flipping through it. However, as soon as he sees the familiar image of pale hands cupping a red apple, he groans.

“Oh, not this again.”

“Can I help you with anything?”

Xie Lian startles so violently that he drops the book, only to see it caught immediately by someone else’s hand. His eyes trail upwards to the person’s wrist, then further to their tattooed forearm. Further still, Xie Lian discovers broad shoulders and a toned chest clothed in a red polo shirt. A name badge is clipped onto its front.

San Lang, it reads.

The stranger—San Lang—clears his throat, and Xie Lian finally takes a look at his face. He instantly has to bite his tongue to prevent an embarrassing gasp from passing his lips.

The first thing he notices is San Lang’s eyes. While the iris of his left eye is so dark it almost appears to be black, the right is a vivid red. Xie Lian can’t recall ever seeing anything more uniquely beautiful.

Next, he observes the neatly-trimmed brows and long lashes framing those captivating eyes of his; the slope of his nose, followed by his pink lips that curve into a small smile; and, finally, the sharp cut of his jaw.

San Lang is breathtakingly handsome. Xie Lian suddenly isn’t sure what to do with himself.

“Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?” San Lang prods.

Xie Lian clears his throat and wills himself to return to his senses. He doesn’t have time to be distracted, no matter how pretty this particular distraction is.

“Um. Do you have any other books about vampires? Ones that aren’t written by—” he pauses briefly, frowning down at the name on the front cover of the book which San Lang is still holding for him— “Stephanie Meyer?”

“Not a fan of Twilight, then?” San Lang grins and returns the book to the shelf, only to retrieve another from directly above it. “Not to worry, we have a few other popular vampire novels. You might’ve heard of an author by the name of Hua Cheng—”

“Sorry,” Xie Lian interrupts, wincing when San Lang’s smile fades. “I actually meant— Uh, do you have any that aren’t fiction?”

San Lang tilts his head in bemusement and cocks a brow, which is somehow the cutest and hottest thing Xie Lian has ever seen.

“You want… a non-fiction vampire novel?”

Although he doesn’t explicitly say it, the Even though vampires aren’t real? is heavily implied. San Lang’s smile returns in full force, and mirth dances in his eyes.

“I know it sounds silly,” Xie Lian admits.

“Not at all. Unfortunately, I’m afraid we don’t have anything like that here. But if you need information about vampires, I’m quite the expert myself.”

“You are?”

San Lang nods.

“Okay. What can you tell me about a vampire’s feeding habits?”

“Well, they consume blood, of course. That’s kind of what makes them vampires.”

“Yes but… How often do they feed? And how much? Should the blood be freshly drawn? Like, hypothetically, if a vampire fed on a packet of beef mince that has been sitting in the fridge for a few days… Hey, why are you laughing?”

“I’m sorry,” San Lang says, despite his shoulders continuing to shake with the force of his laughter. “Why don’t we sit down and work through your questions one by one?”

Xie Lian glances around at the practically empty library, then nods. “Okay. Ah, let me find Banyue first.”

“The young girl you came in with?” San Lang gestures to an area on the left side of the library. “Last time I saw, she was over by the recipe books.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

Xie Lian hurries towards the section containing the aforementioned books, where he finds Banyue squatting on the floor. A pile of books is beside her, and one of them is open on the ground. Xie Lian spots a recipe for pork dumplings on one of the pages.

“Banyue, what are you doing over here?” he asks.

Unperturbed in the slightest by Xie Lian’s presence, Banyue picks up the open book from the ground and thrusts it towards Xie Lian. He has little choice but to take it from her.

“These books help you cook things,” she says. “Gege likes to cook.”

“It’s not really that I like to cook, Banyue,” he mutters, flipping a few pages and skim-reading the recipes. “It’s just a necessity for people like me. Put all of these back, okay? I’m going to have a chat with the librarian, and then I’ll come find you again.”

Banyue pouts slightly, but does as she’s told. After placing the book she’d handed to him back on the shelf, Xie Lian turns to find San Lang standing nearby. He’s grinning from ear-to-ear as he watches the two of them.

“Your daughter is cute,” he says.

Xie Lian blanches. “Ah, she isn’t my daughter! I’m just, uh… taking care of her for a while.”

“Oh, I see.” San Lang grins. “That explains why she calls you ‘gege’. May I do the same, as I haven’t yet had the privilege to know your name?”

For some reason, Xie Lian feels his cheeks flood with warmth. He nods.

“My name is Xie Lian. But you may call me ‘gege’, if you wish.”

San Lang’s smile grows impossibly wider. The tip of his tongue peeks playfully between his teeth, running under one sharp canine before retreating again. Xie Lian tears his gaze away, embarrassed at being so transfixed by the sight.

“Let’s sit down, gege. This way.” San Lang gestures to a table nearby, which Xie Lian follows him to in silence.

Once the two of them are seated, San Lang wastes no time in answering Xie Lian’s questions. He seems to know everything there is to possibly know about vampires, including what kind of blood they should consume and when they should consume it. Xie Lian discovers more than he’d thought it was possible to know about vampires. He takes notes in his phone, nodding along to everything San Lang has to say.

“So, let me just recap everything to be a hundred-percent clear,” Xie Lian says, when they’ve been talking for almost forty minutes. “A vampire’s diet can consist primarily of non-human blood, so long as they have access to fresh human blood whenever they need it. They can feed several times a day, but it’s possible for them to survive by only drinking human blood once a week. Too much blood can make a vampire sick, just like too much food can make a regular human sick. However, not drinking enough blood can make a vampire weak and more susceptible to injuries. Did I get that all correct?”

San Lang nods, curving his lips into a smirk. “Gege is a good listener. That’s all correct.”

“Ah, good. Thank you so much, San Lang.”

“If I may ask,” San Lang begins, to which Xie Lian immediately nods in encouragement, “what’s made you so interested in vampires, gege?”

Really, Xie Lian should have known that his curiosity would raise questions. How is he meant to answer San Lang now? He clears his throat and smiles sheepishly.

“I recently had an encounter with… someone, and they, um. Piqued my interest in the subject,” he explains.

San Lang hums. “Well, I’m always happy to answer questions. Why don’t I give you my number? That way, if you think of anything else you’d like to ask, I’m only a phone call away.”

“Really?” A thrill shoots through Xie Lian, and he beams. “That would be very helpful, San Lang. Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. I’d love to talk to you more.”

In a matter of seconds, Xie Lian has San Lang’s number saved in his phone. He adds a little vampire emoji beside his contact name, giggling quietly to himself at the sight.

Banyue approaches a moment later with a book in her hands, and she sets it down onto the table with a resounding thud. When Xie Lian takes a look at the front cover, he isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Banyue, I already know how to cook,” he says, pushing the recipe book back towards her. “Put it back, please.”

“But I want to know how to cook, too,” Banyue says. She juts out her bottom lip and tacks on a quiet, “Please, gege.”

Feeling helpless, Xie Lian nods. “Fine. We can make some things from this book together.”

Banyue cheers and reaches for the book again, then rushes off to the front desk with it clutched close to her chest. Xie Lian watches her go, shaking his head fondly. Why she’s so insistent on learning how to cook when her diet consists purely of raw meat and blood is unfathomable. However, Xie Lian can’t deny that he finds her determination adorable.

After joining her at the front desk, San Lang signs out the book for her while Xie Lian takes her up into his arms again. They part with matching smiles, and Banyue even waves at San Lang over Xie Lian’s shoulder on their way out. Xie Lian huffs a laugh and gives her cheek a gentle pinch.

“You’re rather cute, Banyue,” he tells her. “Very weird, but very cute.”

Initially, Xie Lian plans to wait for a day or two before contacting San Lang again. He doesn’t want to seem too eager, although he doesn’t think he’s ever been more eager about anything in his life. There’s just something about San Lang that entices him. Apart from the fact that he’s been extremely helpful so far in regard to caring for Banyue—not that he knows it, of course—Xie Lian just thinks he’s an all-round nice guy.

However, his plans are dashed quicker than he could’ve expected. Not even a full hour after leaving the library, Xie Lian is impatiently listening to the dial tone of his phone as he anxiously paces the cereal aisle of his local grocery store. San Lang picks up after several agonising seconds.

“Hello?”

“San Lang, it’s me!” He blushes, then backtracks. “I mean, it’s Xie Lian. From the library.”

“Ah, hello gege. Have you thought of something else you’d like to ask already?”

“Yes. But, uh, if you’re busy—”

“I’m free as a bird, gege. Ask away.”

Xie Lian smiles. “Right. So, what I wanted to ask is… Is it true that sunlight hurts vampires?”

“Hm, a little,” San Lang says. He pauses, and Xie Lian can imagine him scrunching his nose as he considers the best way to explain his answer. (He’d done that a lot when they’d been speaking earlier. It was extremely endearing). “It’s most likely to cause an unbearable itch on the skin, paired with soreness. A bit like extreme sunburn. It also makes a vampire weaker.”

“And what about fluorescent lighting?” Xie Lian asks.

“Fluorescent lighting?”

“En, like the lights in a grocery store, for example.”

“Um. I don’t think they’d cause a vampire any harm.”

Xie Lian releases a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. So, if fluorescent lights don’t hurt them or make them weaker, what other reason could there be for a vampire suddenly falling asleep in the middle of the day?”

“Well, vampires are creatures of the night. Think of them as being nocturnal, if you will. Falling asleep during the day is only natural so that they can conserve their energy for nighttime. Of course, excessive drowsiness might also be an indication of malnutrition.”

Xie Lian’s gaze travels to the multiple packets of uncooked meat in his shopping trolley, piled up high beside a sleeping Banyue. After today, malnutrition shouldn’t be an issue. He’ll make sure of that much.

“Okay. So, are vampires generally more active at night?”

“About as active as a normal person would be during the day, I’d say,” San Lang responds. “Of course, that doesn’t mean that a vampire will spend every night hunting. There are a lot of different things that a vampire can do.”

Xie Lian decides to ask him to elaborate on that another time. Banyue is shifting uncomfortably in the trolley, and it seems like the sooner he gets her home, the better.

“Alright. Thank you again for your help, San Lang.”

“It’s my pleasure, gege.”

The call ends, and Xie Lian pockets his phone. Banyue whines quietly in her sleep, scrunching her brows as she fidgets again. Feeling unbearably fond, Xie Lian reaches into the trolley and brushes her hair away from her eyes. San Lang’s words echo in his mind, and he laughs.

“Let’s get you home to bed, my little creature of the night.”

Cooking, as it turns out, is neither Xie Lian nor Banyue’s forte. When Xie Lian had told Banyue that he knows how to cook, he’d meant it in the most literal and basic sense. Whether he’s actually any good at cooking has been up in the air for most of his adult life, and the general consensus amongst his friends seems to be that he most certainly isn’t.

But the two of them have fun trying, if nothing else. Over the next few days, they manage to make fried chicken which is only slightly too soggy, a stew which Xie Lian insists doesn’t taste as burnt as it looks, and a batch of cookies which are a little difficult to chew but otherwise taste divine. Banyue sulks whenever she remembers that she cannot eat any of the food they cook together, but she always perks up again as soon as Xie Lian sets a plate of raw meat onto the kitchen counter for her to eat.

Rather quickly, Banyue seems to realise that the flesh itself provides more texture than any real sustenance; after a few days, she takes to squeezing the blood directly into her mouth or suckling on the meat until it’s bone-dry. When Xie Lian gathers the courage to call San Lang again and ask him about it, he helpfully explains that while eating flesh can help a newly-turned vampire become more accustomed to their change in diet, it won’t remain an integral part of their diet for very long.

“Once a vampire realises that the blood alone is what they’re truly craving, they’ll ditch the meat altogether,” San Lang explains. “By itself, the flesh would have very little flavour. A vampire eating raw meat is more or less the same as you eating a steamed bun. You can eat the entire thing, but the real flavour is what’s hidden on the inside. The exterior of a steamed bun is mostly tasteless, but it does a good job of keeping the good stuff safely packed inside. For a vampire, the exterior of the bun is equivalent to flesh, and the bun’s filling is equivalent to blood. Raw meat is readily available, which makes the consumption of blood easier and faster. That’s why eating flesh is helpful when the vampire isn’t used to their diet yet, doesn’t have access to any other blood source, or has been malnourished for a while.”

Xie Lian studiously takes notes about everything San Lang tells him. Over the course of the week, he thinks he’s starting to piece together a lot of information about Banyue that he otherwise might not have discovered so quickly. Considering both what she’d said about once being able to eat all kinds of food, and what San Lang has told him about flesh being a part of a newly-turned vampire’s diet, he thinks it’s safe to assume that Banyue hasn’t been a vampire for very long. This leads him to wonder who turned her, and for what reason. It couldn’t possibly have been a family member—Banyue has already made it quite clear that she has no family. But that only confirms that she’d been living on the streets even when she was a human, and Xie Lian almost can’t bear to think about that, so he decides not to ponder anything too much.

What matters is that she’s with him now. She’s safe. He may not have much experience in taking care of children (and he certainly has no experience in taking care of vampires) but he’s determined to make this work. Even if he has to buy out his local grocery store’s entire stock of raw meat each week, he’ll do it if it means that Banyue can be happy.

Although, it really would be better if he didn’t have to buy so much meat. With Banyue now only extracting the blood from it, Xie Lian worries that a lot of the flesh will go to waste. It’s hardly economical to continue purchasing something which will only be thrown out after a few days. Xie Lian can only cook so much food for himself, after all.

He briefly wonders whether there’s a way to procure more blood for Banyue without buying so much meat, and it’s then that inspiration strikes. Xie Lian himself is a walking bag of blood. He mentally kicks himself for not thinking of letting her drink from him sooner.

“Hey, Banyue,” he calls from the living room. He’s taken to sleeping on the couch permanently until he has enough money to purchase a spare bed for Banyue. Despite the fact that he’s still unsure whether Banyue actually sleeps at night, giving up his room for her seems like the polite thing to do.

Banyue pads into the room, wearing the new pyjamas which Xie Lian had bought for her a few days ago. The pants are a little short on her; she’s so skinny that Xie Lian had to buy them in a size smaller than is average for her age. Nonetheless, she seems to adore them. They have little bunnies all over them, which even Xie Lian will admit look cute.

(“Their teeth are kind of like mine,” Banyue had said while the two of them were combing through the children’s clothing section of the local department store.

“Hm, kind of,” Xie Lian replied.

They nodded at each other in tacit understanding, and the pyjamas quickly joined the rest of the clothes they’d picked out in their basket.)

“What is it, gege?” Banyue asks now, tilting her head to the side as she always does when she’s curious about something.

Xie Lian beckons her over, and she walks closer to where he’s sitting on the couch.

“We’re going to set a new rule, okay?”

She nods once. “Okay, gege.”

She’s growing more polite and obedient by the day. Xie Lian grins. He can’t help but reach out a hand to gently ruffle her hair, to which she giggles and slaps his hand away. He removes his hand from her head, but keeps his arm stretched towards her. He points to it with his other hand.

“I’m going to let you drink from me once a week,” he says. “If I pass out while you’re drinking, you have to stop and let me rest. Okay?”

Banyue’s eyes widen. She immediately takes a step backwards.

“But gege, I can’t drink from you!”

“Why not?” Xie Lian cocks a brow. “You like the taste of blood, don’t you? I bet mine is yummier than the stuff you’ve been drinking so far.”

“But… I don’t want to hurt you.”

Something warm instantly fills his chest. He grins at her.

“If it hurts, I’ll ask you to stop. Let’s just try, hm?”

So, they try. And honestly? It’s not the worst experience in the world. In fact, when Banyue latches onto Xie Lian’s arm, he’s reminded of the way Ruoye would sink her little baby teeth into his hand when she was a kitten. It’s rather cute. Xie Lian chuckles softly and strokes Banyue’s hair as she drinks as much blood as she can take from him.

(Xie Lian does, unfortunately, end up passing out. He wakes up later to find Banyue sitting next to him with tears streaming down her face. Apparently, she’d thought she killed him. So, they might need a little more practise at this whole blood-drinking thing. But it’ll be fine. Xie Lian will guarantee it.)

On Sunday, Xie Lian makes the executive decision to return their recipe book to the library. Mostly, it’s because neither he nor Banyue have made much progress with their cooking skills despite exhausting the book’s recipes. Partly, it’s because he wants to see San Lang in the flesh again. It’s not a big deal. It’s not.

Besides, Banyue is excited to see San Lang again, too. She practically skips the entire way to the library in her new light-up sneakers, humming a song she’s clearly made up on the spot. Xie Lian trails after her, smiling to himself.

When they arrive at the library, San Lang grins from ear to ear at the sight of them and immediately waves them over to the front desk. In a show of strength that possibly none of them are expecting, Banyue does a gigantic hop and lifts herself to perch on the edge of the desk. San Lang blinks in shock for a moment, then laughs.

“Looks like you have a little gymnast on your hands, gege,” he says, poking Banyue’s cheek.

“Ah, it appears so,” Xie Lian agrees, still processing what he’s just seen. He clears his throat and places the recipe book down on the desk, sliding it towards San Lang. “We came to return this.”

San Lang nods and begins the process of signing it back into the library. “Get any use out of it?”

“We sure did. However, neither of us seem to be very good cooks.”

“Now, I’m sure you’re being too humble,” San Lang says. He grins, poking his tongue between his teeth. Xie Lian has missed that expression on him ever since the first time he saw it almost an entire week ago. It makes San Lang look mischievous and so, so cute. The sight instantly brings warmth to Xie Lian’s cheeks.

They chat a little more while San Lang works. Banyue sits between them, kicking her feet in the air and fiddling with one of the pens on the desk. When Xie Lian realises that San Lang has already long-since finished logging their book back in, he glances at the clock and sees that they’ve been at the library for almost an hour. Although there are no other patrons around, he can’t help but worry that he and Banyue have taken up too much of San Lang’s precious time.

“Ah, I think we’ll leave you to your work now,” he says, opening his arms for Banyue to latch onto him. She pouts, but obediently slides off the desk and wraps her arms and legs around him.

Like a little koala, he thinks affectionately.

San Lang watches the two of them prepare to leave with a barely noticeable downwards curve to his lips. He seems to hesitate for a moment, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. Xie Lian can’t help but follow the movement with his eyes, zeroing in once again on San Lang’s sharp canines.

Finally, San Lang says, “I’m actually almost finished up here. We close early on Sundays. Would you like to spend some time together?”

“Yes!” Xie Lian immediately exclaims. Banyue startles a little in his arms, and even San Lang jolts in shock. Xie Lian clears his throat and wills away his blush. “I mean, if you’d like to! We haven’t got anything else planned for the day, so it would be nice to spend some more time with you.”

San Lang beams once more. “Great. Give me a few minutes, then. I’ll meet you outside when I’m done.”

True to his word, it only takes a few minutes for San Lang to join the two of them again once they’ve stepped outside. Xie Lian watches as he takes out a key from his pocket and locks the doors to the library. When he’s done, he turns to face the two of them with a brilliant smile.

“Right, then. What now?”

Xie Lian hums, glancing at Banyue in his arms. “What would you like to do, Banyue?”

“Shopping!” she shouts without hesitation.

Laughing, Xie Lian explains to San Lang, “We’ve been stocking up on new clothes and other necessities for her, recently. She seems to enjoy spending my money. Unfortunately, I have very little of it left at the moment.” He makes eye contact with Banyue once more as he adds, “Teachers don’t get paid much during school holidays, you know.”

Banyue stares at him blankly.

“Let’s go shopping, gege,” San Lang says. “If she sees something she likes, I can always buy it for her.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that!”

San Lang laughs. “You aren’t asking, gege. I’m offering, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

His laughter is contagious; Xie Lian can’t help but chuckle, as well. With both San Lang and Banyue looking at him hopefully, he’s helpless to do anything but agree.

“Oh, alright then. But,” he adds, giving Banyue a stern look, “I’m setting another ground rule just for today. You’re only allowed one gift from San Lang, so choose it wisely.”

Banyue nods eagerly, smiling so hard that dimples appear in her cheeks. Xie Lian instantly melts at the sight.

It turns out that San Lang, much like Xie Lian, doesn’t own a car. As a result, the three of them take the bus to the nearest department store.

When they arrive, San Lang turns to Banyue and asks, “What sort of gift would you like?”

“How about a toy?” Xie Lian interjects. “I’ve already bought you clothes, but you don’t have anything interesting to play with.”

Banyue thinks about it for a moment, then nods. Satisfied, San Lang steers them both in the direction of the toys.

The three of them spend a while roaming the various aisles, as Banyue inspects each toy closely. Alas, they don’t seem to be having much luck. Every now and then, Banyue will pick something up from a shelf and weigh it in her hands, turning it from side to side with a contemplative frown. But she always places it back where she’d found it and moves on silently.

“Maybe she doesn’t know what she likes,” Xie Lian remarks to San Lang, as the two of them follow Banyue on her quest to choose a suitable toy. “I don’t think she’s had much of a chance to explore her interests until now. Not that she’s had a chance to do much of anything. Hell, I don’t even know if she can read.”

At that, Banyue perks up a little. She returns the toy she’d been holding to the shelf in front of her, then walks back towards Xie Lian and San Lang.

“I know what I’d like,” she says, staring pointedly up at San Lang.

“Oh?” he asks.

“I’d like a book.” She glances at Xie Lian, who raises his brows in surprise. “I want to read. Gege can teach me.”

“Of course I can,” he says, because even if he’s shocked, he wants Banyue to know that he’ll assist her with whatever she needs. “If you’re sure that's really what you want.”

It would be ideal for Banyue to start reading soon, he thinks. She must already be so far behind other kids her age in terms of studying, and if she’s staying with him for the long-run (which Xie Lian would like very much) then he’ll eventually have to enrol her in school. The fact that she’s willing to catch up on all the learning she’s missed makes Xie Lian’s job a whole lot easier.

Banyue nods. “I would like a book.”

“A book it is, then,” San Lang says. “Let’s go see what they have.”

With the guidance of Xie Lian’s expertise as a teacher, they eventually pick out a book that will be easy enough for Banyue to learn how to read. Judging from the artwork on the front cover, Xie Lian assumes that it must be about rabbits. They’re quickly becoming one of Banyue’s favourite animals, he thinks. It’s all about the teeth.

Banyue hugs the book close to her chest as they leave the store. Once they’re outside, she grins up at San Lang.

“Thank you,” she says.

San Lang ruffles her hair. “Enjoy your book, kiddo.”

As the three of them walk to the bus stop together, Xie Lian tries desperately to think of a way to delay having to part from San Lang. The three of them pass a strip of smaller, privately-owned shops during their walk, and Xie Lian zeros in on a bakery amongst them.

“Would you like something to eat, San Lang?” he asks, trying not to sound too hopeful.

San Lang follows Xie Lian’s line of sight to the bakery, gnawing on his bottom lip. He seems conflicted for a moment. After some hesitation, he shakes his head.

“I’m not hungry right now,” he says. Xie Lian’s disappointment must show on his face, because San Lang rushes to add: “But I don’t mind sticking around to keep you company if you and Banyue want to eat something.”

Xie Lian considers it, but ultimately decides not to take up any more of San Lang’s time.

“No, no. Don’t worry about us. It’s best for Banyue to eat at home, anyway.”

San Lang makes a quiet sound of understanding. “Right, of course.”

They’re (unfortunately) forced to part at the bus stop. As it turns out, San Lang needs to catch a different bus in order to get back to his own apartment in another part of town. Xie Lian only allows himself to feel disappointed for a brief moment; after all, they’ll have a chance to meet again another day.

At least, he hopes so.

“You don’t mind spending time with us, do you?” he asks San Lang before his and Banyue’s bus arrives, just to be sure.

San Lang seems slightly taken aback for a second, but quickly gathers his composure to say, “Not at all, gege. I really enjoy spending time with you.”

“And you don’t mind me calling you so much?”

“I like hearing your voice,” San Lang says, smiling. “You can call me whenever you’d like.”

Xie Lian flushes from his head to his toes, but pushes aside his own embarrassment to say, “Alright. I will.”

Their bus arrives shortly after that, and Xie Lian reluctantly leaves San Lang’s side to usher Banyue into the vehicle. They find seats by the window, and Banyue grins when she sees San Lang standing just outside it. He makes a funny face at her through the glass, and she giggles.

As the bus starts to move, San Lang waves. Banyue returns the gesture, then glances back to make sure that Xie Lian is doing the same. He chuckles and joins her in waving goodbye to San Lang.

Their eyes meet briefly, and Xie Lian feels a spark of something in his chest. A moment later, the feeling settles in the pit of his stomach; warm and pleasant.

It remains long after San Lang is out of sight.

A routine quickly takes shape, after that. Xie Lian continues to pepper San Lang with questions over the phone throughout each week, and San Lang always answers as best as he can. No question Xie Lian asks seems to be able to stump him. The list of vampire facts in Xie Lian’s phone grows exponentially longer, and it genuinely seems to be helping him to take care of Banyue. She’s growing more and more comfortable with him by the day.

On Sundays, they meet San Lang after the library closes. They spend most of their time in Xie Lian and Banyue’s apartment, but occasionally they venture out to various places together. San Lang takes them both to an indoor arcade one week, and Xie Lian pays for them all to visit the aquarium the next. Each day they spend together is unique and fun. The only consistency seems to be that they never eat while they’re together.

By the time a month has passed since he and Banyue first met San Lang in the library, Xie Lian has come to three conclusions:

1. San Lang must be a vampire. The clues have been there all along; his unique eye colour, his sharp teeth, his unusual eating habits (or lack thereof), and, of course, his seemingly limitless knowledge about vampirism. Xie Lian just hasn’t felt the need to put the clues together until now. Perhaps, it was out of respect for San Lang. He likely would’ve told Xie Lian the truth about himself explicitly by now if he wanted to, so there’s a possibility that he doesn’t like to discuss that aspect of himself. Xie Lian will give San Lang all the time he needs to be able to talk openly with him, but that won’t stop him from observing the obvious.
2. Xie Lian is maybe a little bit in love with San Lang. This, too, has been glaringly obvious for a while. But Xie Lian has been hesitant to address his feelings—this time, it’s not because of respect, but because of fear. He has a good thing going with San Lang right now. He doesn’t want to ruin things by asking too much of him, especially when he’s not actually sure that San Lang sees him as anything more than a guy who asks him a lot of questions about the undead. If he makes his feelings known, San Lang might want to spend less time with him and Banyue, which is the complete opposite of what Xie Lian wants.
3. Xie Lian is in love with a vampire.

Despite Xie Lian’s best efforts to refrain from actively addressing any of these conclusions for the foreseeable future, they all inevitably culminate in a single moment that changes everything.

Six weeks have passed since everything began. That’s six weeks of living with Banyue and knowing San Lang. Xie Lian thinks they might be the best six weeks of his entire life so far.

It’s a Sunday, and San Lang has spent the last few hours reading to Banyue in Xie Lian’s room. He’s taken to gifting her a new book each week, which only fuels Banyue’s hunger for knowledge. It’s a good thing, too; not only are her reading skills progressing quickly, she also seems to grow bored of things just as fast. Once she’s managed to read an entire book by herself, she loses interest in it. Apparently, the only things she cannot grow bored of are rabbits, Ruoye, San Lang, and Xie Lian.

And blood. Obviously.

It’s already late in the afternoon when San Lang walks into the living room, where Xie Lian is nursing a cup of tea and idly petting Ruoye between her ears. He smiles when he sees San Lang, then shuffles a little to make more room for him on the couch. San Lang sits, stretching his legs with a tired sigh.

“She fell asleep,” he says. “I think she managed to exhaust herself with all that reading.”

“It looks like you’re exhausted, too,” Xie Lian says, smiling fondly. He sets his mug down on the coffee table and turns his body towards San Lang, careful not to jostle Ruoye too much in the process. “Come here. Your hair is a little messed up. Were you lying down earlier?”

San Lang nods as he shifts a little closer. His eyes flutter closed as Xie Lian begins gently running his fingers through his hair.

“Your bed is comfortable, gege.”

Xie Lian feels himself blush. It’s a good thing that San Lang’s eyes are closed, he decides.

He continues playing with his hair for a while, enamoured with how soft and silky it is. Gradually, San Lang’s head moves closer and closer to him. It takes Xie Lian a while to realise that he’s dozing off. As much as he’d like nothing more than to have San Lang fall asleep with his head in his lap, he doesn’t think that they’re quite at that stage yet.

Reluctantly, he pulls his hands away and waits for San Lang to open his eyes. It takes a few seconds, but he’s eventually greeted with the sight of red and black once more. The two of them are currently closer than they’ve ever been before, Xie Lian realises. It allows him to notice each shade of red in that beautiful eye of San Lang’s.

“Xie Lian,” San Lang says.

Nothing else—just his name. That’s all that San Lang has to say for everything to change.

Xie Lian isn’t sure who leans in first. Initially, he thinks it must be him. After all, he’s been thinking about this moment for longer than he’d like to admit. But as soon as their lips meet and he feels the vibration of San Lang’s soft hum against his mouth, he begins to think that maybe—just maybe—San Lang wants this as much as he does.

But it doesn’t really matter who made the first move. Within seconds, Xie Lian is melting into the kiss and forgetting about everything else entirely.

San Lang inches closer, cupping Xie Lian’s cheek in one of his palms. Xie Lian leans into the touch, revelling in the coolness of San Lang’s skin against his own burning face. He throws his arms around San Lang’s neck and reaches a hand back into his hair, scratching his nails lightly along San Lang’s nape. It draws a quiet moan from him, which is all it takes for the dam between them to break.

Ruoye leaps off of the couch with a screech of protest as San Lang rises on his knees to straddle Xie Lian. He only feels sorry for Ruoye for a moment before San Lang’s tongue runs along his bottom lip, effectively frying his brain and making him incapable of coherent thought. An embarrassing whine leaves his lips, but it only seems to spur San Lang on.

They kiss for long enough that Xie Lian starts to feel breathless. He doesn’t want to stop, but his lightheadedness eventually becomes too much to handle, and he forces himself to break the kiss. For a single, terrifying moment, he thinks that it’s all over. The spell has been broken by his own hands, and now San Lang will realise exactly what they’ve just done and never want to see Xie Lian again. But then San Lang is kissing along Xie Lian’s jaw, and oh—

Oh.

“You can— Bite,” Xie Lian says. “You can bite, if you’d like.”

A guttural sound tears from San Lang’s throat, and his grip on Xie Lian tightens. His lips trail from Xie Lian’s jaw down to his neck. Sharp teeth graze his skin, making him gasp.

But that’s as far as San Lang goes.

Xie Lian swallows thickly and tries to focus on more than the feeling of San Lang’s weight over him, the gentle kisses being pressed against his throat, and the rushing of blood in his ears. San Lang must be able to hear it, too. He must be able to sense just how worked up Xie Lian is. The last thing Xie Lian wants is for San Lang to hold back, but he’s not sure how much more transparent he can possibly be.

“I really mean it,” he says breathlessly. “You can bite me. I don’t mind. I let Banyue do it all the time.”

At those words, San Lang suddenly stops. Xie Lian is grateful for the chance to catch his breath, but the absence of San Lang’s mouth draws a whine from his throat, nonetheless.

“Gege,” San Lang says, retreating until their faces are aligned again. Like this, Xie Lian can see the bewilderment in San Lang’s eyes. “What… are you talking about?”

“You know. Biting.”

San Lang huffs a quiet, slightly nervous laugh. “Yes, I got that part.”

“Honestly, when I let Banyue do it, it doesn’t hurt much at all,” Xie Lian says. “It’s just a small prick, and I only let her drink from my arm, so it’s a bit like giving blood! But, well… You aren’t Banyue, and, uh— What I’m s-saying is that I’d be fine with it. If you wanted to bite me.” He gestures to his own neck. “Here.”

San Lang gapes at him for several seconds, before eventually exclaiming, “You let Banyue drink your blood?!”

“Of course!” Xie Lian frowns. “Is that a bad thing? You told me that a vampire can consume non-human blood as long as they always have access to fresh human blood when they need it, but it’s not like it’s easy to find people willing to let Banyue drink from them! If I’m fine with it, then what’s the problem? Besides, why is this so surprising to you? You’re a vampire, too!”

In the moments following his speech, the expression on San Lang’s face changes too many times to count. At first, he seems horrified; then confused; then surprised; and, finally, amused. He takes a deep breath and settles each of his hands on Xie Lian’s shoulders, staring directly into his eyes.

“Gege,” he says slowly. “I am not a vampire.”

“You… You aren’t?”

“No, gege. On the contrary, I’m just a bit of a nerd.”

“But your eyes—”

“A nerd with heterochromia,” San Lang amends. “Which is, I believe, a slightly more common attribute than vampirism.”

Xie Lian frowns. “Then, what about your teeth?”

“What about my teeth?”

“They’re sharp,” Xie Lian says, then immediately feels dumb for saying such a thing.

San Lang snorts. “I guess I just have sharp canines.”

“Right.” Xie Lian ducks his head, feeling more mortified than ever. “So… you really aren’t a vampire?”

“No, gege. Unfortunately, I am not a vampire.”

“How do you know so much about them, then?” Xie Lian asks.

“Extensive research, gege. Very extensive. Like, they’ve been an obsession of mine since high school and I’ve written two novels about them. That extensive.”

Xie Lian blinks up at him in shock. “I didn’t know that you’re an author.”

“I don’t like to tell many people,” San Lang admits. “I use a pen-name.”

“Ah. What is it?”

“Hua Cheng,” San Lang says.

Huh, that’s weird, Xie Lian thinks. Back when we first met, San Lang tried to recommend a book to me which was written by a person with that same name.

It takes an embarrassingly long time for everything to click into place in Xie Lian’s brain.

San Lang is Hua Cheng. It was San Lang’s book.

Xie Lian sucks in a breath and feels a fresh wave of heat rise to his cheeks.

“Oh,” he says. “Oh. Oh my god. Wow, I’ve been so stupid.”

San Lang bites his lip. Xie Lian suspects that he does it to stop himself from laughing.

“No, you haven’t. It— I mean, you’d just assumed. Based on… context clues?”

“Yeah.” Xie Lian nods weakly. “Those.”

There’s a brief pause, before realisation dawns on San Lang’s face. He tugs excitedly at Xie Lian’s shirt.

“Wait, so— Banyue is…”

“A vampire,” Xie Lian confirms.

San Lang’s eyes widen until they’re practically the size of saucers. “Holy shit.”

That draws a startled laugh from Xie Lian, and he feels himself relax a little.

“I could probably convince her to show you her fangs, if you want to see them,” he says. “She likes you a lot, so I don’t think she’d have any objections.”

San Lang nods eagerly. “Yes please.”

“When she wakes up,” Xie Lian says.

“Yeah. Okay.”

An awkward silence settles between them. Xie Lian shifts a little, and San Lang mutters a quiet, “Ah,” before lifting himself off of his lap. He sits beside Xie Lian once more, staring down at his hands as he twiddles his thumbs.

With the conversation about Banyue out of the way, Xie Lian knows that there’s still one more thing that they need to discuss. Although he doesn’t quite feel ready to put his feelings out in the open, they need to address the kiss before the opportunity is lost.

He takes a deep breath to steel himself, then says, “I'm really sorry if I made things weird earlier.”

“You mean, when you asked me to bite you?” San Lang asks.

Xie Lian grimaces. “Sure. That. And, uh. I know that all the stuff about Banyue is… a lot to take in. If it’s too much for you, I understand.”

“Too much?” San Lang frowns. “Gege, neither you nor Banyue could ever be too much for me. You did hear me when I said that I’ve had a decade-long obsession with vampires and written two entire novels about them, right? Finding out that Banyue is an actual vampire has pretty much been a dream come true for me. And you…”

He trails off, then averts his gaze. Xie Lian realises with no small amount of wonder that San Lang is blushing.

“Me?” Xie Lian prompts.

San Lang smiles. “You. Gege, you’re just so wonderful. I’ve liked you since the moment that we met in the library, and spending time with you since then has been great. I love talking to you and knowing that you’re always listening. I love how attentive, kind, and patient you are. I also love how much you dote on Banyue.” He pauses, then lowers the volume of his voice to add: “Admittedly, she… reminds me of me. When I was her age, I was in a situation similar to hers—minus the thirst for blood, of course. It makes me happy, knowing that she has someone who is so willing to take care of her. If I’d had someone like you in my life back then, I would have been really happy. As it is, I’m extremely happy to have you in my life now.”

“I’m happy as well, San Lang,” Xie Lian says, somewhat dazedly. “Surprised, but happy.”

“Surprised?”

Xie Lian nods. “I didn’t expect you to like me in the same way that I like you. A lot of the time, I thought that you must just be humouring me.”

“Never. I could never merely be humouring you, gege. It’s always been so much more than that. It always will be.”

He says it with so much conviction that Xie Lian has no choice but to believe him.

“In that case,” he says, mustering the courage to settle a hand atop San Lang’s knee, “can I kiss you again?”

San Lang’s smile is wider and brighter than Xie Lian has ever seen it. His tongue briefly peeks between his teeth as he nods.

“Yes, gege,” he says. “Feel free to kiss me as much as you wish.”

For as long as he possibly can, Xie Lian intends to do exactly that.

“That is so fucking cool,” San Lang says, watching Banyue’s canines elongate. It’s the third time in a matter of minutes that she’s shown him exactly what her teeth can do, but neither of them seem to be any less enthused than they were when she’d first performed this little trick of hers.

Xie Lian clicks his tongue and, with the hand he isn’t using to pet Ruoye, reaches up to lightly pinch San Lang’s ear. “Language, San Lang.”

“Sorry, gege.” San Lang grins. “This is just unbelievably awesome. I’m so happy right now.”

The corners of Xie Lian’s lips tug upwards in a smile. He glances between Banyue and San Lang and says, “Me too.”

“Me fwee!” Banyue exclaims, lips curving behind her teeth.

Yeah, Xie Lian has definitely never been happier.