The Scent of Jiaozi and Awkward Times~

[godsavemy]

WHO: Arthur and Yao
WHEN: Sunday Early Afternoon (April 11th)
WHERE: A narrow alleyway in Huayuan.
WHAT: “Next time,” Arthur thought. “No shortcuts.”
RATING: ...Let’s not go there.

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SO WERE YOUR EYEBROWS, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.

[binilao_aru]

It was that proud look on his face as Arthur looked at his hand that Yao suddenly remembered why he absolutely loathed this man. Eye twitching from being obviously ignored even though he was stupid enough to offer assistance to the now... somewhat upright man, he refrained himself from spouting a rant of Chinese curses at him and allowed himself to wallow in a pleasant feeling when it was revealed that the man had indeed, hit his head too hard.

"You'll be just fine," he waved off, still slightly irked that such an unfortunate encounter had to be with this man, "You've had worse in China, did you not?" Come to think of it... Zhi had told him that Arthur was pointedly trying to forget and not even mention events of before especially if it included Yao, but he couldn't care for he was trying to do the same. Which then reminded him that he did not want to be here at this moment at this time.

"Seeing that you'll be alright, I'll just take my leave aru. You obviously have nothing to say to me, and I to you." Yao sighed in mock disappointment and prepared to walk away from this man once and for all.

THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BROTHER'S EYEBROWS, YOU MEAN~

[godsavemy]

“Oh come off it,” Arthur groaned, clutching his head, but still remaining upright. “How long ago was it? Seven years ago? Six? And you’re still spitting tacks over it?” He probably should have just let the other man be on his not-so-jolly way, but Arthur was far too dizzy for hesitance or any façade of stoic civility.

Besides, potential head trauma was a lovely scapegoat if he said something particularly untowardly.

“It’s not as if I completely mucked up your life. And surely whatever influence I’ve had on it has faded by now.” It was true, at least in his own mind. If he was honest with himself (usually only in one of his darker brooding spells), he had done worse things to more wholesome people.

And Wang Yao certainly didn’t fit neatly into either of those categories.

It had just been a whirlwind of four weeks in China - the adrenaline of being in an entirely different culture and (admittedly) seeing what he could get up to in the short time he was there made his head spin in a good way. It had all happened so fast that, years later, the details were a little blurry in Arthur's mind. He wasn’t even completely sure how or why he dragged Yao’s younger brother with him back to England. Granted, knowing him back then, it was probably just a sudden whim of his.

He had a lot of those when he was younger.

And one of them just happened to be standing in front of him.

“But, don’t let me keep you,” Arthur remarked at length, the pain in his head settling down to a muted throb. “That is, if you really must be going. Then, by all means.” Amusement coloured his tone as he saw the irritation in the other swell. Though older, he did occasionally derive delight from riling others up.

LEAVE MY DIDI OUT OF THIS ARU.

[binilao_aru]

Oh.
Oh.
He did not just say what Yao thought he said. How dare he had the nerve to say that what he did wasn't completely devastating! Not only had those four weeks been the bane of his existence, they had ultimately ruined him. Right, well, he didn't need to get angry now seeing that it would be useless to reason with the other since it never was possible to before.

Closing his eyes and breathing steadily, Yao couldn't help but remember how he had been dragged that first opium den, which turned to once more, then ten, then twenty until suddenly, everything was just one big blur of nothing. It had taken a year of rehab before he was completely independent of the 可恶 drug and even now, anti-depressants had to be taken every now and then.

"You know absolutely nothing, Arthur," the name tasted like acid in his mouth, "and you know what? The best thing about it all is that you wouldn't even care if I were to tell you. So before I get the sudden urge to break your neck, I'll be on my way."

Get some tea, go back home, and swallow the anger and rage that was threatening to overflow.

OUR EYEBROWS MATCH~

[godsavemy]

Arthur scoffed. “I know absolutely nothing?” he parroted back, skeptical. “You’re one to talk. Knowing you, whatever you’re thinking is no doubt some great exaggeration of the dastardly deeds I’ve committed.” At least in regard to himself. No need to regale Yao with the entire history of these so-called dastardly deeds in regards to other people.

F-far too incriminating, that.

But he knew from firsthand experience that Yao had a tendency to get carried away. Arthur at the very least remember before he left, Yao prattling on about bringing shame upon his family because of those forty or so opium dens...

Now, it wasn’t his finest moment, but there honestly was only that one - which at that time was, he only visited (and brought along the other man) for curiosity’s sake. Granted, his curiosity back then wasn’t exactly an innocent one... But still, the fact remained it was a far cry from the impossible number that Yao cited.

Wrapping this up!

[godsavemy]

“But I digress,” Arthur cut off Yao before he could get a word in edgewise. “I really must be going and have no time to quarrel about past events with you.” He loftily brushed off the loose debris that had stuck to his person until he was presentable once more.

“I have a feeling we wouldn’t get anywhere with that one anyway,” he remarked wryly with a small quirk of the mouth. “Right then, off I go. …Have a nice day,” he added on in a last ditch effort for politeness, before he making his way down the alley. He disappeared around the first corner, inadvertently going the opposite direction of his original destination as going to Shizhen Medicine was but a murmur in his mind.