"Sit." Chen Ling demanded, albeit his voice was on the soft side.
Yuri stiffly moved from where he stood to the low dinner table that was in the room which had two beanbags placed at either side, Chen Ling was seated on one of the bean bags. Yuri hesitantly sat on the vacant bean bag and kept his eyes trained on the food on the table.
Chen Ling picked up the chopsticks that were placed neatly beside the plate of tofu, he picked up the food with the chopsticks and navigated the food to Yuri's lowered face.
"Raise your head, pumpkin." Chen Ling ordered, albeit softly.
Yuri raised his head and was met with a single tofu directed to his lips, without further ado, Yuri parted his lips and took the food into his mouth. Chewing slowly, he almost sighed at how delicious his Gege's tofu tasted.
Bite by bite, the food gradually disappeared from the plate as Chen Ling fed Yuri. After the last bite, Yuri picked up the glass of water and gulped it all up. Yuri raised his head to look at Chen Ling with red-rimmed eyes.
Chen Ling sighed when he saw the devastated look on the younger's face. Chen Ling walked towards the bed and got under the covers, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He patted the vacant side of the bed, indicating that Yuri should join him.
Yuri seeing the invite, took hesitant steps towards the bed and got under the thick covers, then covered his head to keep his red face from the senior.
Chen Ling scooted closer to Yuri and wrapped his arms around his small waist, then buried his face into his rose-scented hair.
"You should listen to us more often, we always want the best for you, Yuri." Chen Ling solemnly said, patting Yuri's head.
"I'm sorry," Yuri muttered, burying his face deeper into Chen Ling's chest.
"Do not say you are sorry when you will still repeat the same thing, you are as stubborn as ever." Chen Ling interjected.
"Gege," Yuri muttered.
"Do not." Chen Ling whispered in a voice thick with emotion.
Yuri felt Chen Ling slightly tremble as he held him, he felt something wet drench his hair.
"Gege." Yuri choked out as his throat constricted, he felt a sob bubbling up in his throat.
Yuri tried to raise his depressed head, but Chen Ling's arm around it restricted his movement, as the latter's arms tighter around him.
"Gege, I am so sorry." Yuri sobbed out, wetting Chen Ling's shirt as he clenched tightly to the hem of the latter's shirt.
Receiving no response from the older made more tears escape Yuri's eyes, still burying his face into Chen Ling's chest.
"Why do you always refuse to listen?" Chen Ling suddenly said.
"I am sorry," Yuri muttered for the umpteenth time.
"Saying sorry won't change the fact that it already happened." Chen Ling sombrely said, albeit his fists and jaw were clenched tensely.
"I-"
"Enough, Yuri." Chen Ling muttered, gulping down the sob that was building up in his throat.
Minutes passed like hours and Yuri was unable to stop bawling, he was even more devastated when Chen Ling just held him tightly unmoving, not saying anything.
"Why don't you listen?" Chen Ling muttered out of nowhere, startling Yuri.
"I-"
"We can't lose you again....."
"I can't lose you again." Chen Ling muttered weakly.
As if he had been hiding it all in, Chen Ling burst out in tears, strings of heart-wrenching sobs escaping his lips as he held tightly to Yuri as if he was going to disappear any minute.
"Wha-what do you mean?" Yuri asked stuttering, as he found himself sobbing loudly and trembling in Chen Ling's equally trembling hold.
Chen Ling visibly tensed when he heard the question that was thrown at him, shaking his head he denial, he opted for a safer reply- a white lie.
"Y-You know that night at the bar, right? It gave us a scare, it felt like we almost lost you." Chen Ling slowly replied.
Yuri was not convinced by Chen Ling's answer because the elder stuttered, and none of his seniors ever stuttered, but he brushed it off and thought of it as him overthinking.
"So, does that mean that I am forgiven?" Yuri meekly asked, lifting his head slightly to peek at Chen Ling.
"There is nothing to be forgiven, Yuri, I can never be mad at you." Chen Ling said with a small smile as he looked down at Yuri who was peering up at him.
Yuri's heart clenched when he saw the look on his Gege's face, it was a mixture of fear, sadness, anger, and even adoration. Yuri tightened his hold on the hem of Chen Ling's shirt and pursed his lips in thought.
"What is going on in that little head of yours?" Chen Ling asked in a light tone, giving a short chuckle.
"I think I can make it up to you guys," Yuri said with a determined frown on his face, which almost made Chen Ling crack up.
"Make it up?" Chen Ling asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," Yuri said in that determined voice that sounded cute to his Gege's ears.
"And what will you do? Rub our feet?" Chen Ling asked, amusement and a little sarcasm dripping from his words.
"No," Yuri replied, oblivious to the sarcastic words of his senior.
"Then what are you planning to do?" Chen Ling asked, as he found himself on the verge of full-blown laughter at how cute Yuri looked even though the latter was putting on a serious frown.
"I am going to cook for you guys," Yuri concluded, his serious frown still on his face.
"Hell no!" Chen Ling almost screamed, his amused expression turning to a one of disapproval.
"Why not? and bad word," Yuri said with a pout.
"'Why not?!'" Chen Ling asked as if Yuri said he was going to visit Lucifer.
"Why not?" Yuri asked again.
Chen Ling looked down at Yuri as if he just committed murder.
"'Why not'?!"