Drunk

Yitian was coming late from the library, so he missed all the trains home, leaving him the only choice of walking back. He had last money and he couldn't take a cab, because he wouldn't have left any for food the next day. His mom wasn't home for three days straight so he needed to make some food and wait. But Yitian had to say he was not so afraid now. She wasn't home, he hadn't made any problems in university and soon he will leave for a field trip, leaving her again. He had even arranged some tutoring, so he would have pocket money and buy a phone. Then he would find Chao at his faculty and be friends. Without a phone, it would be useless to find him because he would have no way of how to keep in touch. So, soon he would go to the Faculty of Computer science and ask around.

Yitian was going through a park when he saw an obviously drunk person, walking from one side of the road to the other. Yitian wanted to evade him but that person was so drunk, that even the highway would be too small for him. He stood there waiting for the person to come closer, so he could go to the opposite side. But the drunkard suddenly fell towards and ended up on the ground. Yitian quickly ran to the person and kneeled beside him.

"Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked and tried to pick up the human, who seemed oddly familiar. Yitian was too weak to lift him up but he managed to take a good look at the person's face and was shocked. It was Jin Chao. Drunk so much he only mumbled a few undistinguished words.

"Come on, Chao, get up! You are too heavy. I can't lift you," he shouted after a few tries to lift him, without a single success.

"Yitian?" Chao lifted his head looking at the person in front of him, blinking a lot to hush away the hazy fog he had in his mind.

"Yes, Yitian. Now get the hell up. I will help you to get… Where do you live?" Yitian asked. But he got no distinctive answer except one sentence, he could understand, about something like Chao has nowhere to go. He wasn't so sure about that.

"I will call you a taxi. Lend me your phone.'' They both sat up, Chao looking like he sobered up a bit, but it wasn't true. He was still swaying around, but he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and held it before his face. When he unlocked it he lent it to Yitian. Yitian was glad for his quick and smart brain.

"I was searching for you. I don't want you to leave me," Chao said, shocking Yitian in the process of searching for a taxi number.

"What?" Yitian asked with a surprised face.

"You need to be my friend. You can't leave me. Nobody can leave me. Don't leave me as my mother did." Chao hugged Yitian while saying this and started sobbing afterward. Hiccuping he tightly held Yitian around his waist. Yitian's hands were free so he put them on Chao's back and stroked him, patting him and whispering calming words.

"Don't worry. I'm here, I'll be here for you. I won't leave you again." Yitian whispered to Chao, his heart breaking. These little sobs made him sound so vulnerable. And broken. They were sitting there for a while, when Yitian called the cab for them, Chao was even able to walk with his help. They got into the car and Chao leaned against Yitian's shoulder. Laying down his head.

"Where are we going?" Chao asked once he woke up a bit more from the alcoholic haze. Yitian stroked his hair and looked forward with a stony face.

"I'll take you to sleep over at my home," he whispered quietly and Chao rose up immediately. when Yitian continued, he calmed down again. "Don't worry, I haven't seen my mother for three days. She won't be probably coming home tonight." Chao calmed down and sat back to the car seat. The taxi stopped in front of the apartment building and Chao looked up as if he never saw something like that before.

"How high are you?" he asked, a bit excited. Yitian blinked twice and shook his head.

"Only the eighth floor," Yitian said and opened the door, they took an elevator upstairs and he opened the door for them. It was the first time ever that Yitian took someone home. So he was pretty nervous. Thinking about how much he cleaned his room and everything. He helped Chao to his room and laid him to his bed.

"Do you want some water?" Yitian asked when Chao nodded he went to get some to the kitchen. He came back with a glass and handed it out to Chao. "What about a shower? Clothes?"

"Can I? Would you find something for me? I dirtied myself when I fell to the ground." Chao said while looking down. His shirt and jeans were dirty from the grass and mud he fell into. Yitian just nodded, showed him where the shower was, and gave him a towel.

"I will look for something you can wear. I have some oversized shirts that may suit you." Yitian said and closed the door. Then he proceeded to look through his clothes. He found a big shirt and big trousers that he bought himself thinking he would grow up more, but he never did, so he slept in them sometimes.

"I'm coming in," he shouted after knocking on the door. without following the urge to look at Chao he left the clothes at the cabinet and went to find some clothes for himself. They shifted in the bathroom and when Yitian finished his shower, he found Chao stretching out on his bed.

"I'll sleep on the couch then." Yitian opened the door when Chao shouted.

"Don't! The bed is big enough for us two. I won't rob you of your place to sleep. And if I will take up too much space, you can kick me down." Chao laughed and Yitian too. But he was right, the bed was big enough. He climbed to the bed laying down.

Soon after the only sound that was heard was calm breathing. They were so comfortable with each other that during the night they ended up holding their hands. Not knowing about this involuntary connection. Only the red string remained.