Chapter Text
It felt wrong to be locked down here, especially during a day as scorching as this.
The cavernous basement was humid, hot and all things sticky, gooey and slimy. The walls seemed closer than they were, the corners much darker as well.
Yanqing wiped his brow, smearing the sticky beads of collected sweat across his forehead. He huffed out indignantly, a stray strand of blonde billowing as he carefully taped the last label onto his freshly sharpened pencils. The fan across from him only did so much when it was half-broken down and shut off from time to time; a state of disrepair that not even the mechanic across the street could fix “A lot cause kid, a lost cause” he’d say. Honestly, why did he need to put his name on so many things?! He knew which pencils were his and he wasn’t going to share them anyways!
“You never know Yanqing, someone might take your pencil accidentally” His mother’s stern voice echoed in his head, reverberating around in his skull like some mantra he was forced to recite.
Yanqing crossed his legs, he pouted, looking down at the mound of school supplies by his bare feet, all of them with freshly stuck-on labels that read his name in chunky blue letters. Like hell he was going to let someone even close to his precious pencils, he even promised to not share them! But of course, his mother’s word was the final word, and for the past two hours Yanqing had been busying himself in front of the television, half-heartedly paying attention as he mindlessly stuck his thumb and pointer finger together and watched his skin pull gently apart.
“This is…” Yanqing looked around, narrowing his eyes. His mother wasn’t downstairs, so he didn’t have to worry, “This is.. shitty.” He whispered, as if the word itself would lay a curse upon the house, forever endangering him and his mom.
Well, Yanqing thought, occupying himself with arranging his pencils in order and placing them into their respective bags and boxes, whatever work mommy is doing upstairs sure feels like a curse…
As if on cue, another heavy thump abruptly rumbled from above. Yanqing eyed the door, slightly concerned. His mother had locked it as he stood silently behind, she told him austerely to never open the door and venture upstairs until she was done. Yanqing was hesitant to accept such a request, but he conceded despite the occasional perturbing noises she made more often than not. There were instances where Yanqing had tried to open the door himself, to no avail of course.
The young boy exhaled shakily, diverting his attention back to the static television. Some old man talking about the weather, nothing interesting at all. And worst of it- his mother wouldn’t even invest into cable, so Yanqing was stuck watching the boring grown-up shows he never saw appeal in. He was even forbidden from going to certain channels, and when he tried, the television would ask to confirm his age with a stupid math problem Yanqing’s brain couldn’t comprehend.
He slumped against the mattress on the ground, reaching under the dusty pillow to grab his phone.
It wasn’t the best model by any means, actually it was pretty old and incredibly slow. There wasn’t any internet on it, meaning it was practically useless outside of texting and calling. Yanqing huffed, sometimes he didn’t understand why his mom was so strict… All his other friends got to use the internet all the time! They also had cable and didn’t need to be locked down in a dark, scary room with spiders crawling around every time their moms had to go to work!
Yanqing clicked on his phone, instantly loading his chat app.
Yanqing: I'm bored. Does anyone want to call?
Qingque and Fu Xuan are typing…
Qingque: Sorry!!! Im helping with a bake sale ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡
Fu Xuan: I’m in a tutoring session, almost done though. Can’t call.
Arlan is typing…
Arlan: Pet sitting Peppy for my mom. I can send cute dog pictures if you want?
Yanqing: Yeah! Thank you Arlan. My mommy is working again, I can’t go upstairs :(
Fu Xuan is typing…
Fu Xuan: You’re 14 Yanqing, stop calling your mother ‘Mommy’ , it's embarrassing.
Qingque is typing…
Qingque: Hey that's not nice! Are ent you supposed to be in tutoring?
Fu Xuan is typing:...
Fu Xuan: Aren’t*
Fu Xuan is offline.
Qingque: Ugh (¬_¬") don't listen to her Yanqing! She's just being mean again!
Click
Click
Click
Yanqing instantly tore his eyes away from the device in his hands, his face lighting up as he heard the basement door screech open. The conversation now shoved to the back of his mind as he threw his phone onto his mattress and ran towards the staircase, his feet drumming against the cemented ground.
“Yanqing..?” The honey-sweet voice of his mother only made him happier.
“Mommy!” Yanqing called back out. He rounded the corner of the staircase and smiled up at his mother.
The woman looked relieved, albeit disheveled. Her clothes were a little out of place and her blonde hair looked unruly. But Yanqing couldn’t care less, his mother looked pretty no matter how messy she was! He was delighted to see her again-
(if he looked a little closer, he would’ve noticed how heavily she was leaning against the door frame)
“Yanqing… I made shrimp and tofu for dinner the other day. I hope you don’t mind heating it up.. Mommy is a little tired today.” She smiled down at her son, her eyes swirling with unadulterated adoration.. And, perhaps something more- But looking too deep into it wasn’t what he needed to do right now!
“I don’t mind!” Yanqing replied, eagerly running up the steps, the sound of the wobbly metal staircase with slight give reflected rhythmically off the hollow walls. As he reached the top, he cautiously stepped into the rest of his house, watching as his mother limped to the sofa in the middle of the living room and settled down with a sigh.
“Yanqing, dear, could you fetch me some water?” She asked, draping her feet over the arm of the couch. Yanqing nodded and quickly ran into the cramped kitchen, pulling out and stepping on a plastic stool his mom got for him just the other day. With delicate hands, Yanqing reached up and pulled at the handles of the cabinets, impatiently locating his favorite cup with tiny ninja designs decorated in equal spacing.
Like clockwork, he filled his cup with tap water. After the liquid shyly grazed the cup’s rim, Yanqing closed the faucet and jumped down from his stool, waddling his way over to his exhausted mom. She smiled at him, wearily, accepting the glass with shaky hands and taking large gulps.
Yanqing plopped himself down next to her.
“Mommy..” Yanqing looked at the floor, he picked at the dirty carpet with his fingers, his mother silently scolded him with a gentle tug at his ear. Yanqing stopped and looked up at her.
“Yes my love?” She cupped his face, fondness in her gaze as Yanqing swallowed. He knew how these conversations always went; dismissed, vaguely answered or yelled. But right now, he wanted to know more than ever.
“Can.. Can you please tell me what your job is?” The fingers around his cheeks tensed, but Yanqing continued, voice quivering,”- I promise I won't tell anyone. I just… I really want to know because all my friends-” He paused suddenly, he watched his mother’s brows knit in mild distress. At his frightened face, she merely sighed, reaching into her pocket to grasp at something, before realizing it wasn’t there. That only made her frown deepen.
“Yanqing, you’re not old enough to know, okay? I understand you’re curious, but Mommy can’t tell anyone, not even you.”
“But-” Yanqing protested, digging his fingers into his soft, bony thighs, “But I’m starting high school tomorrow Mommy, I’m not a little kid-”
“Yanqing.”
“-And I put all my stickers on my stuff like you asked, please I promise-”
“Yanqing!”
He paused, looking from the ground to meet the angry face of his mother. His heart dropped to his stomach, eyes beginning to water. He didn’t like when she yelled. But it wasn’t his fault! He.. He just wanted to know…
“I’ve told you countless times Yanqing. Don’t. Ask. Me. You continue to act out of line, I don’t like this.” Her tone sent a chill down the back of his neck, her eyes no longer held that same warmth he found himself drawn to. It was then that Yanqing suddenly felt that surge of guilt- it weighed so heavily in his tummy, the blades in his throat were back again. It was uncomfortable to even swallow.
“Sorry…”
“Go to your room. I don’t want to see you.”
“But.. Dinner-”
“Fuck dinner!” She snapped, Yanqing folded in on himself, “I can’t do this shit alright Yanqing!? Get out!” She yelled, and Yanqing knew he struck a chord he really shouldn’t have. He winced at the loudness of her voice, his chest tightening in that all-too familiar way he hated so much. He didn’t need to be told twice, he shuffled and bolted away, turning down a hallway and back to the basement.
His door slammed shut and Yanqing stood there in silence for a few minutes, staring at the rusted panel, contemplatively. He.. He could go back out there and comfort her… But the last time he did.. Yanqing shook his head. No, he would stay here like she asked.
Turning around, Yanqing observed his bare room. At the center of it, a mattress laid on the ground, surrounded by various books and boxes. A few posters were pinned up with sticky tack, all of them featured faces of various kendo players he admired. The sport itself seemed so intriguing and fun. If only they had the money, maybe he could’ve had the chance to fight in a real studio instead of copying the moves of his favorites on his laptop (when he was allowed it, upstairs in front of his mother), swinging a broom without its end around.
Yanqing dragged himself back onto his mattress, slumping onto his covers and pillows. He winced as his hips pressed up against his phone. Quickly, Yanqing yanked the device from under him. The group chat pulled up automatically and Yanqing couldn't help but read the conversation.
Arlan: I still call my mom mama, I don’t get what's so weird about it…
Fu Xuan: ‘Mommy’ is just.. Gross. You guys are just too young to understand.
Qingque: We’re literally one year younger than you, Fu Xuan…
Fu Xuan: And I’ve got more experience dealing with older kids and grown ups! If you’re going to continue to pester me about MY opinion, then I’m not going to continue this conversation.
Arlan: ok ok ok sorry Fu Xuan won't happen again.
Qingque: Yanqing??? You there????
Qingque: You scared him away Fu Xuan (╥﹏╥)
Fu Xuan: ok
Arlan: that seems a little… Passive aggressive.
Fu Xuan: I don’t want to talk anymore, I have violin lessons in ten minutes.
Qingque: How many lessons do you even have?! Don’t you have free time?
Fu Xuan: My definition of ‘free time’ is ‘Improving myself’, and unlike the rest of you, I’m actually doing something decent with my life.
Qingque: Booooo. Wait. Does playing chess count as ‘improving myself ’?
Yanqing: Hey everyone!
Arlan is typing…
Arlan: Yanqing you’re back! Are you okay?
Arlan: Here’s a picture of peppy btw he says hi
Arlan: (Attached a photo)
Fu Xuan and Qingque are typing…
Qingque: Awwww he's so adorable!
Fu Xuan replied: Qingque: Booooo. Wait. Does playing chess count as ‘improving myself ’?
--> Not if you lose every round lol
Qingque: Mean!!!
Yanqing: I want to pet him :(( such a fluffy little dog <3
Arlan is typing…
Arlan: Well… I might bring him to school tomorrow! My mom will probably say yes, since she’s in Luofu for a while longer. Speaking of which, I might not be returning next year :(( my mom wants to move again..
Several people are typing…
Qingque: No!!!! Arlan, don't leave me with Fu Xuan!!!
Yanqing: Well, you do have me, Qingque. But oh no! Don’t leave :((
Arlan: Sorry guys… It really isn’t my decision. But it’s not a 100% yes yet!, so don’t worry!
Fu Xuan: Did you guys get your schedules yet?
Yanqing set his phone aside, pulling out a box from beneath his dresser and rummaging through its contents. He soon located a freshly printed sheet of paper with his timetable on it. His eyes glowed seeing his picture at the top right corner, he was right to wear that shirt to picture day!
He picked his phone back up, placing the schedule on the surface next to him.
Qingque: Yeah, why?
Arlan: Yep!!! Im very excited
Fu Xuan: I was wondering if any of you have Professor Jing Yuan.
Yanqing looked down at his paper, searching for the familiar characters of his name. Sure enough, the man’s name was plastered on every block that had Math on it.
Yanqing: Yeah! I have him for math!
Several people are typing…
Qingque: I have him too!
Arlan: aww… I don’t have him :((
Fu Xuan: Consider yourselves lucky, you’ve all got the best teacher in the entirety of XHS.
Yanqing: Oh good! I was nervous I’d get a bad teacher !!
Fu Xuan: he’s good. He picks favorites though. Last year was my classmate Dan Heng.
Qingque is typing…
Qingque: Dan Heng? The guy who went missing?
Fu Xuan: Yeah, him. He was really quiet though, I don’t know why Professor Jing Yuan liked him so much… I answered all his questions, participated the most and everything…
Arlan: Sounds like you’re jealous.
Fu Xuan: I’m not! Shut up.
Qingque: Oooooh does Fu Xuan have a crush on her Math teacher??
Fu Xuan: You guys are disgusting. Goodbye.
Fu Xuan is offline.
Arlan: Karma.
Yanqing: Wait, Dan Heng went missing? When? (Idk who he is)
Qingque: Oh yeah, forgot you have no internet.
Qingque: A student from the highschool we’re going to. He disappeared one day and no one was able to find him. News says they found blood splattered across a large cave in the forest and it matched his DNA… Really creepy.
Yanqing shivered, staring at the screen with pursed lips. Was this why his mom didn’t want him surfing the news? Now he felt a little better about the ‘strict on television’ thing.
Yanqing: Oh poor him :(( I hope he’s alive somewhere!
Qingque: yeah me too
Arlan: Okay guys I gotta go now, thanks for talking though. Taking Peppy out for a walk.
Qingque: Bye Arlan! I need to go too :(( Mom wants help with selling cookies.
Yanqing: Ok!! Bye :)
Yanqing set his phone down, looking up at the ceiling filled with darkened corners and thick spider webs. He yawned, turning on his side, limbs splayed out atop the mattress.
He hadn't remembered his mother mentioning a disappearance before. But he did remember her being stricter about his curfew and whatnot last year. Not that he particularly cared, because he wasn’t allowed outside of the house either way, unless he snuck out which seemed incredibly scary and unattractive to someone like him.
Knock knock
Yanqing peered up from his pillow, looking at the staircase. He yelled out a small ‘ come in!’ before his mother opened the door and hesitantly walked down the rickety steps. As she descended, Yanqing noticed she changed from her usual attire (which wasn't much anyways). Now, she wore a bathrobe, albeit messily. Her neck was filled with tiny bruises Yanqing hadn’t seen before. He frowned, but didn’t comment on them. ‘I’m very clumsy, Yanqing, it happens sometimes’
Quietly, his mother sat down onto the bed next to him, looking at him; hollow. Yanqing scooched closer and embraced her from the side.
“I’m sorry for lashing out on you.” His mother said, her voice a bit broken and her eyes blurry. Yanqing only held her tighter as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Don’t worry mommy, I forgive you.” Yanqing whispered into her arm. His mother picked him up, placing him on her lap. He was small, not yet hitting his growth spurt like the rest of his friends. His frame was still slender and short, enough so that his mother could cradle him in her arms. He laid his head against her chest, closing his eyes.
“You shouldn’t. You’re such a sweet boy.” She hugged him tighter, her fingers weaving through his golden hair, the same shade as hers.
Why wouldn’t I? He wanted to say, but he began to feel himself slipping. His mother’s embrace felt comforting, her careful hum lulled him into a gentle peace. His fingers tightened on her robe, before his eyes fell shut.
REPORT OF THE CHIEF CONSTABLE TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ASTRAL EXPRESS.
DIVISION: 12
2067/01/10
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS 'STELLARON HUNTERS'
Members of the organization last seen on January 8th 2067 at 11:45 PM boarding a suspicious van. Suspects include ▇▇▇▇▇▇ (Male) and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ (Female)
Both are under suspicion of ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, evidence provided with the attached pictures below. Might be linked to ▇▇▇▇ case. Case also attached to the document.
Suspects are both wanted criminals across the criminal space. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ . Other members are unknown. Potential suspect includes ▇▇▇▇ (Female)
▇▇▇▇ pictures were taken at the site they were last seen at. Forensic evidence is being sent to the lab to test for DNA. So far, at the scene ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ and ▇▇▇▇ were found.
Discovered (with attached evidence) there could be members in ▇▇▇▇.
Report over.