WTCM 21. It’s Not a Damn Thing

Chen Tianxiang followed the three siblings up the stairs, arms loaded with gift bags. In his head, he kept repeating to himself. Since I’m here, just go with it. Patience avoids big problems. It’s fine. I can handle this. The sky is falling, five words come to mind…

Yeah right. Like hell everything’s fine.

The moment he stepped inside and set the bags down, he didn’t know whether to stand or sit. His hands hung awkwardly by his sides, not sure where to place them. He glanced at the little sister whispering secretly with their mom, and the older brother and father staring him down from head to toe with probing eyes. Cold sweat and hot sweat soaked through his back. His eyes drifted to a broom leaning in the corner. If the dad tried to beat his son, should he drag Qi Haiyang and run for it, or drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness? No. Maybe it was better to kneel and let the old man let out some steam.

“What are you all whispering about? Tianxiang’s work is crazy busy. He finally got time off to come see you, and none of you even poured him a glass of water.”

Qi Haiyang had already started yelling. He tugged Chen Tianxiang toward the couch, but Tianxiang didn’t dare sit. While they struggled over it, Papa Qi’s mouth twitched slightly, and he hesitantly asked, “So, you’re Chen Tianxiang, right? What do you do for work?”

“Po-police officer,” Chen Tianxiang stammered. His heart jolted, and he stood at attention on reflex, nearly saluting.

Papa Qi waved his hand, telling him not to be so tense. He sighed and said, “A cop, huh. You’re surprisingly easy on the eyes. Shame you’re a guy.”

Chen Tianxiang wiped his forehead. He had no idea how to respond. But from the sound of it, Papa Qi didn’t seem to be completely against the idea of his son dating a man.

The room fell quiet again. Qi Haiyang looked left and right, seeing nothing but frowns on both his family and boyfriend’s faces. He scratched his head, about to ask what was wrong, when his little sister suddenly yelled, “Enough already. Stop pretending. We all thought Second Brother wouldn’t say anything until he was thirty. Now that he’s come out with it early, we don’t have to keep acting like we don’t know.”

Chen Tianxiang cautiously asked, “Told them what?”

“That he likes men, of course. He thought we didn’t know, but we’ve known for ages.”

Mama Qi wiped at her eyes from the side. “That silly boy never says anything out loud, but we saw it in him a long time ago. No point talking about it now. I’m going to cook.”

“You saw it? How?” Now even Qi Haiyang looked surprised. Ever since he came to terms with his own sexuality, he knew it wasn’t something you broadcast to the world. He had never mentioned it to anyone.

“You were way too obvious. Ugh, let Big Brother explain it.” His little sister’s face turned red as she ran back into her room. Clearly, it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about.

All eyes turned to the eldest brother. He looked embarrassed, gestured a little, and then just said it.

“That… jerking off. You always used pictures of male actors when you did it, and not just any pictures. It had to be the kind where their chests were out. Once I found that out, I figured something was off. I even slipped some porn mags under your pillow just to test you. What happened? You didn’t even glance at the hot actresses. Instead, you cut out all the nude shots of the guys. Every night before bed, you had to look at them or you couldn’t sleep.”

As he spoke, Qi’s older brother looked genuinely pained. Those magazines hadn’t been easy to get. Yet his hopeless little brother had cut them up like trash, even separating couples in the photos, leaving just a woman hugging a human-shaped hole. Since there were only the four men in the living room now, he decided to lay it all out, venting years of bottled-up frustration.

“Also, I gave you an AV disc to try. A real one, with Miss Sora Aoi in it. You plugged it into the computer, gave it one look, and what did you do? You didn’t even watch it. Instead, you started searching for gay videos online. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with you?”

He kept shaking his head while talking, full of grief over how his idiot brother had wasted his treasures. Chen Tianxiang couldn’t help thinking, no wonder your dumbass brother called you worse. What kind of older brother slips porn magazines and AVs under his sibling’s pillow just to check their orientation?

“Wow, so you were spying on me?”

Before Qi Haiyang could finish yelling, his brother smacked him on the head.

“Spying my ass. We shared a room. You did all that stuff out in the open. Even if I wanted to pretend I didn’t see it, I couldn’t.”

Papa Qi sighed again. “After your older brother told us, we went to ask someone what this was all about. We even went to the provincial capital to consult a psychologist. They all said this kind of thing is inborn. Forcing him to be with a woman wouldn’t bring him any happiness. And we heard… people like that tend to fool around a lot. Our whole family was just worried that he might end up catching something serious.”

“AIDS,” Qi Haiyang’s little sister chimed in, poking her head out of her room again. She looked straight at Chen Tianxiang with a very serious face. “So when we saw Second Brother bring you home today, it made us feel a little relieved. At least now there’s someone decent keeping an eye on him so he won’t mess around. You don’t know how dumb my brother can be. He never thinks before he acts. Leave him alone out there for three days and he’ll be corrupted by someone for sure.”

“Hey. Is that any way to talk about your brother? I went to college for three years and I didn’t turn bad. I even brought back someone this great for you.” Qi Haiyang glared at her, then hesitated for once. “Should you call him sis-in-law… or brother-in-law?”

“What the heck? Tianxiang isn’t a girl.” Qi’s little sister giggled, stuck out her tongue, and disappeared back into her room.

“Xiao Chen, we really had no other choice.” Papa Qi took Chen Tianxiang’s hand and gently pulled him down to sit beside him. “He’s going to stay in the provincial capital after graduation and work there. We can’t watch over him all the time. Better to have someone who loves him keep him grounded than let him run wild out there. The psychologist told us this isn’t an illness. As long as he stays clean and has a steady partner… well, you know what I mean. Even if it’s with another man, they can still have a happy life together. As parents, we just want our kids to be happy. As long as he’s doing well, we won’t object.”

“Hehe. Told you, didn’t I? I know my parents.” Qi Haiyang was already grinning ear to ear. “Dad, don’t worry. I’m already set on Tianxiang. He’s the only one for me, for life.”

Papa Qi had made it official. They had already known for some time but kept quiet because their son hadn’t said anything yet. Now that everything was out in the open, he held the hand of the young man who might now be considered a son-in-law or maybe a son-in-son, and he felt relieved. This handsome, responsible young officer really did seem like someone he could trust to take care of his son.

Mama Qi came out of the kitchen carrying dishes and added with a smile, “Xiao Chen, you’re family now. Don’t be a stranger. Come visit often, and make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Auntie… please don’t worry, I’ll make sure Haiyang is happy.” Chen Tianxiang’s nose stung with emotion. He hadn’t expected Qi’s parents to be so open-minded. When he thought about his own family in comparison, sorrow welled up inside him, leaving him on the verge of tears.

Then Papa Qi let out a light laugh and said in a much more relaxed tone, “We should also pay a visit to your parents. Once Haiyang graduates, we’ll start arranging the wedding.”

“Ah… right… hehe…” All Chen Tianxiang could do now was laugh dryly. So this is where Qi Haiyang got his ridiculous streak. Plenty of parents panic about their gay kids and try to marry them off to a woman. But parents rushing to plan a wedding for their two gay sons? That had to be rare, no matter which country you were in. But maybe that’s exactly why this family could accept him so easily. They were simple, sincere, and only wanted the best for their child.

Yes. Every parent wants their child to be happy. Maybe it was time for him to finally go back to that house he hadn’t stepped into in three years. Maybe he needed to sit down with his parents and have an honest conversation. Maybe they could change too.

One week later, on the ride back home, Chen Tianxiang looked over at Qi Haiyang, who was still singing his favorite line, “The sky is falling, few words come to mind.” He reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Haiyang, come home with me. To my parents’ house.”

“Alright! Time to propose!” Qi Haiyang grinned and shook his head to the rhythm of the tune, singing even louder. Chen Tianxiang couldn’t help but join in, voice blending with his.

With this pure, fearless fool by his side, no matter what hardships lay ahead…

Hey. It’s not a damn thing.

-The End-