Judicial system? So mainstream.

“Wha-“

He had wanted to do something, even if it was simple as washing dishes, but it seemed his cousin was determined to do that, too.  By this point Chao was starting to feel a little annoyed and useless. Dishpan hands. Sure. Still, with a sigh he moved aside, instead turning to head back to his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared into space for a moment before dropping his head in his hands and releasing a groan. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…” After a few minutes of moping, he finally stood, making his bed and picking up whatever remains of the alarm clock he missed, anything to keep himself busy while he waited. He had prepared everything he needed the night before, and now found himself without much to do as he waited for Dai to finish readying himself.

As he did, he found himself going through potential conversation, trying to figure out just how he was going to apologize to his far too gracious cousin. “Why am I such an asshole? Fucking city with its fucking cars. I almost miss the tree frogs at this point…” He needed coffee. Hopefully they could stop buy a coffee shop or something, and on the way he could figure out how to explain himself, and hopefully make Dai feel more appreciated.

It didn’t take a genius to know Dai was less than content with his reactions; Who would be? Especially after his efforts to make him more comfortable. Though he wasn’t too keen on his cousin hiding his discontent behind a cheery face, he supposed he shouldn’t pry; Dai was an adult, he could keep as much or as little to himself as he wanted… But really, it was so hard to ask forgiveness if the other didn’t seem to care. Chao cursed under his breath again. He was just going in circles at this point.

Head jerking upwards at his cousin’s call, he grabbed his bag and entered the hallway. “I’m ready.” He stated, hesitating a moment and giving a sort of awkward and sheepish but genuine smile, small as it was. He mentally patted himself on the back. He just needed to get into the swing of things, that’s it. It had been a couple years since he had seen Dai last, after all. Just get into routine and get a coffee, and he’d be okay.

…On that note; “…Is there… A coffee shop along the way?” He asked with a tinge of awkwardness, grabbing his red leather jacket from the coat closet and slipping it on. He grabbed his leather shoes, sitting down next to his cousin to slip them on and firmly tie the laces. While doing so, he glanced at Dai from the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back to his shoes.

This would have been a good time to apologize, probably. Probably. But for once, his brain was… Well, some semblance of its normal workings, and told him to leave it. He’d apologize later when he was fully awake. And less nervous.

If there was one thing that unnerved him, it was how fast paced the city was. Cars were always zooming by, crowds of people walking thin sidewalks… So many people at the same time! And so much noise and no one was even friendly enough to greet you back, instead staring back like he had grown another head or rudely ignoring him. And then there were trash that littered the streets, and the trains, and… He gave a mild shudder. “Why is the city always so… Busy…?” He muttered under his breath, face holding a mildly nervous expression. Embarrassing as it was, to him the city resembled a giant… Monster, of sorts. Just the thought of being swallowed up by it scared him, taken in and spat back out like those home movies he would watch with Yunlu, Tie, and sometimes Xiu on those late Friday nights.

…It’s probably very, very sad that all I know from the city is what’s from movies. I should have traveled with father more. He mused, grabbing a red headband from his bag and slipping it over his head down to his neck to bring it back up, keeping his hair out of his face. With that done, he pulled out the tie holding his hair back, running a hand through the golden locks before staring at Dai’s extremely messy hair. His eyebrow twitched.

No. Don’t do this. You will not let this OCD take over. Even if his hair is against everything you stand for. Do not get the brush. Don’t even try. You know its impossible to tame it. Don’t try. Don’t…

Almost against his will, he reached in his bag yet again, but managed to stop himself from pulling out a brush. Instead, he picked up the bag and stood, brushing any dust off his jeans. “Ready?”

(Source: judicialsystemsaresomainstream)

If Ma Dai was trying to make him feel better, he wasn’t succeeding. Instead, he made the vicegrip around his heart tighten uncomfortably as his tired eyes noticed the imbalance of their meals- How his plate was neater than his cousin’s and how the egg was unbroken. Dear gods, even the toast(though he had to admit, he actually liked his toast a bit burnt). Ma Dai was being a gracious host and he had been a most ungracious guest.

Ma Chao sighed and grabbed a fork, breaking the yolk of one of them carefully so it pooled at the center of the egg as he took a bite of a slice of toast. He had dipped the bitten end of it in the egg at the same time Ma Dai did, though he didn’t notice. He was too busy turning a mild shade of red at the fact that his cousin had seen through his admittedly pathetic lie and offered… To switch rooms. Switch rooms.

Sweet lord, my aunt must have been the new Virgin Mary. There was no other possible explanation as to why Ma Dai was so kind. He swallowed thickly, then took large bite of his toast, chewing as an excuse not to answer for a moment. He needed to apologize to him for his actions this morning, he really did. He would do it now, even. As… As soon as he finished chewing this toast. Any time now.

…Aaaany time now.

Well, chewing was very important. If one doesn’t chew properly, they could choke and that was never good. Sixty times, some said, was the appropriate amount of ‘chews’ one should have before swallowing. So he should probably do that, just to make sure he didn’t choke.

…Fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine, sixty! …Sixty one… Sixty two… Sixty three… Sixty four…

…Swallow, damn it.

He swallowed, looking up at Ma Dai after a moment’s hesitation. “…Thank you, but switching rooms isn’t necessary.” Oh god what was he doing he was supposed to apologize. Then again, he could probably fit in an “I’m sorry” somewhere in there. “And breakfast is fine…” He stated, voice coming off as rather cold when he aimed for warm, too tired to properly figure the difference until it was too late. And he fell silent afterwards, continuing to eat his food without another word.

I can’t apologize right now, he reasoned. We’re eating breakfast and talking during a time for eating isn’t a good thing. Its an awkward time right now anyway… And he was tired, too. Maybe when he had more energy his tongue could work properly and summon the charisma he always possessed when he wanted. Yes, that was it. Sure, the apology would be a little late, but it would probably smooth things over 100%, knowing his cousin.

…Oh hell. Today was going to suck.

Once his plate was cleared, he drank down the orange juice, then collected the dishes before him and walked into the kitchen. He paused, unsure how Dai did things, but moved to the sink anyway to begin washing the dishes. He scrubbed a bit harder than he had to, a furrow growing in his brow.

(Source: judicialsystemsaresomainstream)

He had been brushing his teeth when he heard Ma Dai by the door. He had been tempted to answer his questions, but his words would have been poison, tainted by his bad mood. Ma Chao kept his tongue, and soon found himself increasingly weighed with guilt as his cousin went on, only answering with “Orange Juice” to Dai’s question. His morning rage was largely due to his lack of sleep and the dissonance he felt in such an unfamiliar setting. True, his cousin probably didn’t mind, but it still weighed on him.

When Dai left, he finished brushing his teeth and stripped himself of his clothing, entering the shower. Ten minutes later, he opened the bathroom door carefully, remembering how he had accidentally opened it in his cousin’s face the previous night. Who had bathrooms in such narrow halls, anyway? He shuffled out of the bathroom to his room with a towel around his waist, muttering something under his breath that could have been a “Sorry” or an impression of a particularly ornery dog as he passed by the kitchen.

Ma Chao was quickly made aware of the alarms pieces scattered across the floor by stepping on one, causing him to curse vividly again. He leaned against the wall after a moment of hopping about, sighing deeply. The street cars had kept him up, and sudden pops caused him to wake easily. He had never been a light sleeper, but the city put him on edge. So much noise! He missed back home, where all he had to listen too was the sound of crickets outside his window during the night.

First day away from home and you already want to run back like a 13 year old girl? Nice. Yunlu would never let you live it down. Chao sighed, straightening back up and heading to the closet. Once dressed, he paused to clean up the pieces of the alarm off the ground, guilt growing further. Dai had bought it for him, and now he wasted his cousin’s money. “What a wonderful way to replay his kindness.” He muttered under his breath, ever present frown deepening.

Deeming the mess cleaned up enough for now, he headed for the kitchen, figuring breakfast would have been finished by then. He sat at the table, pulling his hair back into a ponytail as he stared down at the glass of orange juice before him. After a moment of silence that was painfully awkward on his part, he spoke.

“…I, uh… Managed to sleep well enough. Thank you for making breakfast…” That was rather late. “…And good morning.” Very late. He wished he had gotten more sleep, sighing as he rested his head in his hand, eyes getting heavy once again. The only thing keeping him from sleep was the smell of breakfast and his growling stomach, but found himself having little will to move.

(Source: judicialsystemsaresomainstream)