TROUBLE BREWS

"Sam." Chen Ling simply said, pouring himself and Sam a cup of tea whilst seated at the low table of his room.

"Yes, older brother?" Sam muttered out after an audible gulp.

"Would you like to take a quick long vacation time?" Chen Ling slowly asked as he raised his teacup to his lips.

"W-Where?" Sam asked, stuttering.

"Edom."

Sam visibly paled at the former's words and opened his mouth to give an objection, but his words got stuck up in his throat.

"W-Why, b-but-" Sam managed to stutter out, but Chen Ling paid him no mind, instead his focus was on finishing his cup of tea.

After a bit of tense silence, Chen Ling lowered his now emptied tea cup, then looked Sam dead in the eye with an indifferent expression.

"What you did was unnecessary and risky." Chen Ling said in the silence in a bored tone.

"I-I-I" Sam tried to look for words of defense, but he was only able to come up with a single word.

"You have been behaving out of line and order, I think a little punishment is all that's needed to straighten you up." Chen Ling continued, still looking at Sam with dead eyes.

"No, I refuse to leave," Sam stated firmly.

"I hope I didn't give the impression that I was asking, did I?"

"Jason- I mean, Chen Ling, you cannot do this, I need to be here, I need to be close to him," Sam said, his eyes pleading, his eyebrows scrunched up in sadness, it almost appeared like he was about to cry.

"Exactly why I am sending you on a vacation to Edom, you deserve a leave." Chen Ling dryly said, giving Sam the impression that he was not going back on his words.

"You don't have to do this, brother." Sam pestered, trying his luck, even though he was positive that Chen Ling was unbendable.

"Would you like a short-term leave or a long-term leave?" Chen Ling asked, ignoring Sam's words. This was enough to clamp Sam's mouth short as he grew paler than snow.

"Short term, please." Sam stiffly said.

Chen Ling gave a curt nod, then straightened his back.

"Very well, then, a portal will be summoned for your departure." Chen Ling said as he poured himself another cup of tea.

"Older brother, with due respect, you made the same mistake, why are you not getting punished, I thought all protocols should be duly observed, is it not?" Sam muttered in a small voice with a clenched fist on his lap, all fight in him, lost.

Chen Ling lifted his gaze, his eyes softening at his brother's words and downcast figure.

"Sam, all protocols are duly observed, when older brother Zhang Wei gets back to the dormitory, I will be given my punishment accordingly." Chen Ling clarified, making Sam to gaze up at him.

"If it was up to me, I would rather not send you back home for this so-called reflection, because that would be hypocritic of me, it just has to be done; it's a rule we set down ourselves to keep us in line, it's there for a reason." Chen Ling said, making Sam's features equally soften at his older brother's words.

"He is going to find out one way or the other, and it would not be a pretty scene." Sam sadly muttered, his gaze traveled down again, to his lap.

"We have to wait it out, and hope to Lucifer that the supposed day won't be as dark as what we think it would." Chen Ling solemnly replied.

With a final sigh of dejection, Sam stood up and took his leave after giving his brother a slight bow in respect. Hearing the click of the door, signifying that Sam had left, Chen Ling's posture went slack, he felt a storm of mental fatigue brewing and he gave out a tired sigh as he massaged his temples.

"The brat wasted my fine tea."

-

"So yummy, older brother," Yuri said, enthusiastic, bouncing on his bottom as he scoffed up the large bowl of ice cream before him.

Bruno looked at Yuri with eyes filled with adoration, lazily holding his spoon with his wrist resting on the edge of the ice cream bowl.

"I bet it is." Bruno absentmindedly said, still admiring his junior with sparkling eyes.

"Older brother, I heard from the other seniors that you were the youngest up until I arrived," Yuri said, looking up at his senior with bright eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I am just twenty-one." Bruno nonchalantly said, waving his hand in the air dismissively.

"Oh, I am just eighteen, still a huge gap."

"You have no idea," Bruno said with amusement clear as day in his eyes.

"Just three years, though." Yuri countered.

"Yup. Just three years." Bruno said, amusement still dancing in his eyes as he stared at his junior.

"I hear there is a carnival going on not too far from here, would you like to see it?" Bruno asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"C-Carnival?" Yuri asked, not having any idea what a carnival means.

"Yes, a carnival."

"What is a carnival?" Yuri asked with a head tilt.

"Where people eat different food, go on rides, and visit the circus." Bruno awkwardly explained in a bored tone.

"What is-"

"Never mind, just come see it yourself." Bruno cut Yuri off, then stood up to take Yuri's wrist in his hand.

"Wha- what of the ice cream?" Yuri squeaked out as he was forced out of his seat.

"It will melt, anyway, let's go." Bruno dismissively said and dragged Yuri to the direction of where his truck was parked.

The ride to the carnival lasted almost fifteen minutes, it was a short distance from where they previously were. The ride mainly consisted of Bruno trying to explain what a carnival is really about, and a timid Yuri who hoped that he was not frustrating his senior.

"It's so big, and bright, and filled with people, and beautiful." Yuri solemnly observed, an innocent smile gracing his features.

The carnival was a whole different place for Yuri; the vast amount of people, food, games, and rides took him to a different level of ecstasy as he hopped along with his senior from one food stall to another, one ride to another, and one game booth to another. This treasured moment was so blissful, letting the duo loosen up and feeling that nothing could go wrong, losing their guard.

"Older brother, I need to use the restroom." Yuri's small voice was heard, and Bruno's attention was immediately on him.

"Huh?"

"I said I need to go to the restroom," Yuri repeated, his voice an octave lower.

"Oh, let's get to the car and drive back to the ice cream parlor, I don't appreciate you using a plastic rectangular box," Bruno mumbled with a serious expression, throwing Yuri off guard.