"Do you want to be homeschooled? While the others go to school?" Kyle asked with a smirk.
He knew very well how Alex would take that - adversely, with great dissatisfaction. Not only for the fact that he would not be with his friends, but also for the fact that he would most likely have his Demon Father as the instructor.
"My love, stop it," Sayuri admonished him gently, "I think you've teased him enough."
Kyle pursed his lips and went all serious.
He leaned forward so that he could face his son as he talked - rather than talking to him from above. Eye contact is important and maintaining the same height - equally so.
"Did you ever wonder whether I, or your Aunt Kay, were bored in school?" Kyle asked.
He waited for a while so that Alex could process this.
"And if we had been bored, why would I subject you to it as well?" Kyle continued.
After a minute, Alex asked tentatively, "We're not sent there to study?"
Kyle pursed his lips, "Well, you are - but not what you think."
He looked at his hands and held them together then looked back up at Alex, "What is your greatest weakness, Alex?"
"Not being able to control my temper," he answered promptly.
"Back home, the only one that actually can rub you the wrong way," Kyle said with a nod, "Is me. So you won't really learn unless you mix with society. At least, in school, it's a controlled environment and you have your friends to back you up."
"But that is not the only reason I sent you to school," Kyle continued, "School is where you can meet other people besides our little brotherhood here. You need to learn the social skills and how to deal with them. You will be faced with many types of people and without experience, you can be taken advantage of. Or, you can close yourself up and become a recluse but that won't help you in life."
"So stop thinking that you need to pay attention in class - you only do so if you're not sure of the lessons," Kyle said, "As long as you don't make trouble or be disruptive, you are being a model student."
"So what do I do during that time?" Alex asked, his face frowning.
"Study people," Kyle replied, "You start off with the two at your desk. Shirley Temple and Shane Rogers."
"Figure them out. Suss their weakness and strengths. Why is Shane so quiet? Is it just because he is shy? Why does Shirley not question anything when you tell her things?" Kyle said, listing out things.
Alex frowned.
"How do you know all of that? You only met them when you sent me and Rory to class," Alex said.
Kyle smiled and started reciting all the names of the kids in the class, including their parents' names and what they did. He also gave a brief summary of what they had done the entire day.
Including Lee asking them to do some worksheets - and added that Teacher Lee had started discussing excitedly about that to the other teachers.
Alex's frown became a bit more pronounced.
"Oh come on," Kyle said, waving his hand in front of his face, "You didn't think I'd let my kids go to school without checking it out first?"
"This is beyond checking it out," Alex said.
Hearing this, Xing Han started laughing, "Oh, Alex. You have no idea of the things your father was up to while he was in school. He wasn't just making friends with those in class, but also those in other classes. If not, how else would he have found Ali and Sam? He was a stalker, I tell you. A stalker!"
Kyle leaned back and bumped his shoulder to Xing Han's shoulder, "And who was the one sticking to me all the way? People were saying you were my tail!"
"I was!" Xing Han declared proudly, thumping his chest, "If you see Kyle, you'll see me. Two peas in a pod!"
"Yeah, if one pea was bigger than the other," snorted Sam.
"You're just jealous cuz *I* was Kyle's first friend," Xing Han said, looking at him smugly, "And Kay's!"
Sam just raised one eyebrow and gave Xing Han 'the look', indicating that he really wasn't bothered by it.
"Anyway," Kyle said after laughing for a bit, "You'll find that your feelings would commensurate with your perspective."
Alex's face scrunched up, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," Sayuri said, touching Alex's shoulder, "If you are going to school with the mindset that it is boring, then it will be. You actually have an advantage that many people would kill for."
Alex's gaze was much softer as he looked at his mother, and asked, "And what is that?"
"That you don't have to listen or study and still get good grades," Sayuri answered, "You can focus your attention on other things and just … play."
"Our son does not know how to play," Kyle said with a grin.
Sayuri hit him on the arm, "Oh, just stop it. You and Alex are more similar than you realise."
At this, both Kyle and Alex gave a slight snort, then stared at each other in consternation for having proven Sayuri right.
No one dared to laugh but lips were twitching.
"I will think about it," Alex said solemnly as he turned to head back to his friends.
"He's such an old person in such a young body," Xing Han said with amusement, "Kyle was like an old soul but he was playful. Alex is way too serious for his age."
"Takes after his mother, he does," Kyle said, pursing his lips.
"More like his father, he is," Sayuri countered.
"As long as he doesn't become like Kylo Ren, he's good to go," Xing Han said. Referring to one of the main characters in the Star Wars franchise.
"You do realise that Kylo Ren killed his father," Sam pointed out.
"Why else do you think I said that?!" Xing Han said with a huff.
"But aren't you being a little bit harsh on him, Kyle?" Betty asked, "He's just a child, after all."
At this, Kyle sighed a bit and looked at his children, saying slightly softly, "I have to be."
Sayuri placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it. Kyle turned and smiled at her, then kissed her softly on the lips.
"He has his mother to balance it out," Kyle said, then shrugged, "He loves her more anyway and would turn to her if things get too bad."
"Oh Kyle!" Xing Han wailed, "I'm sure Alex loves you, too. How could he not?"
With that, and before Nitocris could stop it, Xing Han glomped on Kyle. Kyle swayed a bit on the chair before he stablised himself and Xing Han rubbed his cheek on Kyle's cheek, "There, there. All your kids love you. I love - aaak!"
With a low growl, Nitocris had stood up, placed his hands underneath Xing Han's armpits and lifted him up easily, "That's enough, Puppy."
He then sat back down and put Xing Han on his lap, his arms wrapped around his waist. Xing Han, unperturbed and acted like it was perfectly normal to be sitting on his husband's lap, said to Kyle, "As I was saying, your kids love you."
Kyle smiled, nodding but didn't say a thing. Of course he knew that his kids loved him, even Alex. He just wouldn't show it and would rather die than admit it.
Then he turned towards the others, his hand out with his palm up, "I win. Pay up."
Everyone rolled their eyes at his shamelessness but took out their wallets nonetheless.
✿ Author posts on WN and neovel ✿
Alex thought seriously about what his father had said.
Earlier, he already had that inkling of a thought when he saw how his sister and friends relieved the boredom. They had their own little ways.
Rory would draw. Fleur would talk and play. Ziad would just take care of Fleur. They still did their school work and did not talk during class, so the teacher did not remind them about the rules.
Alex began thinking back on the entire day and what his mother had said.
To see it from a different perspective.
He had been bored out of his mind so he had been resistant to everything and had focused intently on trying to maintain the demeanour of a serious, obedient student. He felt he had to pay attention even though he already knew the lessons.
But now, if he was to remove that need, what did he have?
Alex's face scrunched up as he thought hard and to his dismay, he couldn't think of anything.
Because he had not been thinking of anything else.
Pursing his lips, he then made a decision to see what it was like the next day. This time, he would not need to focus so much on the teacher, but on his surroundings. With that thought, he became much more relaxed as he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Kyle, who was quietly observing him in the distance, saw how his son now appeared to be much more relaxed - and he smiled. Sayuri, noticing this as well, leaned over and gave her husband a side hug.
"He'll be fine," she said. "He learns fast."
Kyle nodded in agreement, but gave a slight snort, "Yes, but he's still a sourpuss."