Chapter Text
Chongyue was making breakfast in the kitchen. The bacon and eggs sizzled and popped on the heated frying pan, a pleasant aroma wafting out into the air.
It was the rainy season. He had woken up 15 minutes earlier than usual, intending on taking the bus to work because he refused to let his beloved vehicle (a small electric scooter) get drenched this month. It was nice to have a change of pace, anyway. Always one with a positive mindset, Chongyue hummed a few off-key notes of a melody, plated the food, then put a breakfast for two on the dining table.
One portion had a smaller serving of food than the other. Chongyue pondered for a moment, then returned to the kitchen and rinsed half a box of blueberries. He put them in a bowl next to that plate, and only then did he sit down and begin to eat. He did so quickly, inhaling his strawberry-bacon-eggs sandwich in two to three bites. Maybe next time he could try making chocolate fried bacon? He licked his lips, satisfied, then put his plate back into the sink, turning on the tap and letting it soak.
“I’m leaving, Xiao Wang. Breakfast is on the table; don’t forget to eat when you wake up,” The muscular man bent over their bed, bumping his head against the mound under the blanket affectionately like a big dog. He gingerly pecked the man on his head, through the thin summer blanket, “I’ll see you tonight, alright?”
Chongyue paused, awaiting a response. As he thought: no reaction. How cute. He was being stubborn. Chongyue grabbed his keys, calling out cheerily behind him as he went through the door, “See you tonight!”
—
The lock cylinder turned three and a half times, letting out a dry, slow, and coarse sound. The latch clicked shut. Wang waited until the footsteps grew fainter before opening his eyes and getting out from under the covers.
He tread lightly on the floorboards and quickly inspected the room, then slinked out to the kitchen where he shot the strawberry-bacon-eggs sandwich with a side of blueberries a look of utter disdain. He grabbed a handful of blueberries and slowly chewed on them. He had gotten them with Chongyue five days ago at the grocery store. When they first moved here, Chongyue picked out the kitchen appliances with much care. The blueberries weren’t exactly fresh, since they kept sitting in the fridge, but Wang thought it at least deserved all the affection it got from Chongyue for its surprisingly good attempt.
Five days ago…
There was a burst of sweetness on his tongue as his cheeks puffed while chewing. His mind wandered. It had only been a few days, but had seriously felt like a lifetime. It was bad for his perception of time to remain cooped up for so long. Although Wang usually doesn’t like leaving the apartment often, there was a fundamental difference between willingly staying at home and being illegally imprisoned.
Okay, so maybe ‘illegal imprisonment’ were the wrong words to use. He’ll only be an adult come February next year, so Chongyue was still his legal guardian. Strictly speaking, ‘house arrest’ was more accurate. He was on house arrest. Once Wang realised he was going to be locked up by his brother for a fair while, he made an internet search. The AI summary was vague, and basically amounted to saying that youngsters shouldn’t anger their family members nilly-willy, yield when appropriate, and resolve conflicts in a mature manner, so that one’s household can be happy and healthy.
He chewed on the blueberries with a bit too much force, its juices wetting the corners of his mouth. Realising the fact, he awkwardly reached for the tissues. Even abusing the blueberries in place of his stupid brother wasn’t enough. Chongyue really pissed him off. Wang threw the remaining blueberries back into the bowl and walked towards their front door.
The two of them loved the apartment’s layout when they first leased it. The spacious entryway was like a natural divider – the outside world stayed outside, and past the entryway was Wang and Chongyue’s little home. They bought a doormat with a tuxedo cat on it, with big Victorian words that said “Welcome Home”. It never failed to raise his mood when he came through the front door.
Wang lowered his gaze to look at said doormat. It had already been three years since, and its colours had faded. Chongyue had just graduated and started working back then. He gritted his teeth and spent two-thirds of his monthly salary to rent this place for no reason other than the fact that the apartment was close to Wang’s school, and he didn’t want his younger brother to wake up at dawn everyday and lose out on sleep. Chongyue even blamed himself for how gant Wang looked back then because he thought all that sleep deprivation made it difficult for him to gain weight, and once Chongyue had the means to, the first thing he did was move out of their old home in the suburbs.
Wang thought back to when Chongyue first showed him this place, his eyes and smile all sparkly and stupid as he guided him by the shoulders and told him this would be their new home. 14 year-old middle schooler Wang didn’t understand then, but the 17 year-old Wang preparing to enter university finally did – his brother was an idiot. Who would willingly spend two-thirds of their salary on rent?! Wasn't he afraid at all that they would starve to death?
It turned out well. His older brother always thought of something, and Wang was a very ambitious student. He always won gold in extracurricular competitions, managed to skip grades and completed high school early, and ended up getting scouted by hordes of Yan’s top universities. Things had improved bit by bit.
He really didn’t expect that he would one day get grounded living with his older brother, though. Life was full of surprises. Indifferent, he lifted a foot to cross the doormat, only to find tightness on his ankle, pulling him back and hindering his movement.
As expected of Chongyue, his gege. The guy even measured the distance to the door and prepared the chain’s length.
At first, Wang was just locked in his room without any bodily restraints. After the 7th time he escaped via the window, Chongyue silently bound his feet to the foot of the bed. Carrying out measurements over the course of a few days, Wang determined that everything he was permitted to do in their apartment had already been accounted for by Chongyue.
“Xiao Wang, you need to behave. We’re on the second floor. What if you had sprained your ankle? Do you really want gege to break your legs?” Chongyue put his wide palm on Wang’s thighs as he spoke. Wang was always short and skinny as a kid, and even when he started growing, he kept getting taller and taller, but never put on much weight. He could encircle and hold the thickest part of his calf with one hand. …It really seemed as though his legs could be broken with only a bit of force.
The look in Chongyue’s eyes had scared Wang, so he curled up into a ball. Still, Chongyue continued to gently caress his hair, then took out a bundle of chains from a paper bag. He affixed one end to the foot of the bed, then the other onto Wang’s right ankle.
—
Picking a chain for this mustn't have been easy, either. It was both lightweight yet strong, and Wang could barely feel it on his ankle, except for when he tried to cross the doormat earlier. It actually wasn’t all that different from usual, being ‘imprisoned’. His older brother took care of everything, and other than the lack of personal freedom, Wang could even describe it as pleasant – he doesn’t like leaving the house much anyway. He vigorously resisted on those first few days, not because he wanted freedom, but rather simply because his brother wasn’t doing the right thing, and that made him upset. After kicking up a big fuss and receiving chains accompanied by a threat, he sort of got tired and threw in the towel.
Afraid he would get bored, Chongyue got up early in the morning and sorted Wang’s electronics neatly on his desk. The wifi was smooth, he could use any app he liked, and Chongyue even downloaded his favourite weiqi game and a few other timewasters. This confounded Wang. Wasn’t Chongyue even remotely scared he might use the internet to ask for help, or worse, make a police report?
“Would you do that, Xiao Wang? Would you let other people take your older brother away?” Chongyue had smiled, propping his chin on his hand as he asked. His tone was more so of curiosity than a threat. He truly wanted to know his younger brother’s decision.
Wang could only sigh helplessly. He had never considered calling for help; he really doesn’t want anyone to take his brother away. This… mess is still something to be sorted out between them, and others shouldn’t butt in. Who cares if Chongyue is basically a mental ward patient? That’s still his brother.
“You’re so well behaved, Xiao Wang,” Chongyue replied in a self-satisfied manner, then affectionately held Wang in his arms and began to pet him like a cat. The younger man struggled to leave, but Chongyue caught him quickly and started his attacks anew. Only when Wang gave up and fell lazily back into his embrace did the older man stop. His younger brother was like a pretty, pleasant to touch squishy foam toy. So fun to play with.
That being said, Wang didn’t want to be a sitting duck and allow his older brother to do whatever he pleased. In regards to his ‘imprisonment’, Chongyue’s plan was already airtight, so much so that he was beginning to think this wasn’t his brother’s first time. Still, Wang was nothing but resourceful; he would use his intelligence for the purposes of fighting with his brother daily. He had spent half a day on the internet learning about lock mechanisms and lockpicking techniques, then waited until Chongyue left today before starting the fight for his personal freedom.
Inserting a pin into the lock, Wang gently pressed down on the lever to lift the latch. Slide… then pry it open… just a bit more. He worked intently on the restraints around his ankle, his body and breath tense. He raised an eyebrow when the mechanism started loosening bit by bit. Then… click. The sturdy lock fell away.
Am I not a genius? I’m even good at this sort of thing.
“Xiao Wang, what are you doing?” A crackling voice rang out from behind him, causing Wang to jump. The metal chains clinked as they fell to the ground.
He frantically whipped his head around to find the source of the voice, but spotted nothing. Hang on, that’s not right…
Displayed on the bookshelf were a row of stuffed toys, the majority of them souvenirs from his travels with Chongyue. His older brother loved displaying a variety of knick knacks, claiming it breathes life into the apartment. Wang couldn’t understand, but he at least respected that. Either way, it wasn’t all too bad having all these memories with his brother around. Chongyue wouldn’t call him out on these thoughts. He loved watching Wang hug the stuffed toys stealthily. His younger brother was rather cute that way.
The stuffed toys. He was right. The sound came from inside a stuffed toy. When he got a closer look, there was indeed an eerie red light in the eye of a plush doll.
“...You’re monitoring me?” This has got to be too much. There’s no other way to cut it. A chill ran down his spine. It enveloped his back, thick, as though it was a tangible thing.
“I’m very worried about you, Xiao Wang. Look at the bad things you’re up to when I’m not home,” The voice continues, “There’s going to be a huge downpour soon, so they’re letting us off work early. I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”
“I’m so glad I don’t have to wait until night! See you later, Xiao Wang.” The crackling cuts out.
The room fell into silence, except for Wang’s breathing. His body was stiff, and his thinking grinded to a halt as he looked at the toy in front of him. It smiled radiantly back.
See you later, Xiao Wang.