Younger man/second chance romance/older brother and younger brother/dog-blood drama
Li Chiying never expected that when his mother remarried and brought him along, he'd end up getting involved with his stepfather's son.
Aside from being called a "fatherless bastard" a few times as a child, Li Chiying's first twenty-odd years went pretty smoothly. He was beautiful, carefree, adorably clueless, and loved by everyone.
Only two things took him by surprise.
The first was ending up in bed with his unrelated younger brother. Lu Xingchuan covered his mouth. In the darkness, the other man's eyes gleamed. "Ge... Keep your voice down. There's still someone at home who hasn't gone to sleep."
Li Chiying bit down on his palm, silently allowing him to continue.
The second was that his long-lost biological father showed up and offered him a large sum of money on the condition that he cut ties with his current family.
Looking at the growing pile of overdue bills, Li Chiying agreed. He left his bank card for Lu Xingchuan, blocked him on every platform, and quietly disappeared.
When Lu Xingchuan was eight, his father brought home his brand-new older brother and told him to take him to school.
His brother was his stepmother's son. He had a later birthday and started school a year behind Lu Xingchuan. He was a little terror who beat up all the kids nearby, then asked Lu Xingchuan if he was impressive.
But Lu Xingchuan rarely called him Ge.
The first time he did was when Li Chiying discovered his secret.
He had trapped him in the bed they'd shared for nearly ten years. Even as a teenager, Li Chiying was still as brash as ever. His ears reddened as he said, "You... You can't do that."
His gaze fell on Li Chiying's lips. "Ge..."
Just that one word softened Li Chiying's heart.
He thought it would be nice if they could keep living like this, until Li Chiying vanished without a trace.
Before going abroad, he arranged his stepmother's funeral. Every day, he sent Li Chiying messages, asked everyone who might know him, and searched tirelessly in every corner of the city...
Then one day, he accidentally pushed open the door of a newly opened shop downstairs from his office. The person he dreamed about every night stood before him, pale and still.
Lu Xingchuan's heart gave a sharp pang.
He had lost weight.
Their friend had recently noticed that these brothers were acting very strangely. Ever since Lu Xingchuan found Li Chiying, he'd clung to him all day as if they had separation anxiety. Every so often, the two of them would disappear from the crowd and not come back for half a day.
One night, the friend's home sprang a leak, so he knocked on Li Chiying's door and asked if he could stay. But Lu Xingchuan answered.
Friend: "?"
Lu Xingchuan: "My place is leaking, so I'm staying at my brother's tonight. What about you? Why are you here so late?"
Friend: "...My place is leaking too."
Hearing the voices, Li Chiying came out of the room. His pajama collar was crooked, and he was wearing Lu Xingchuan's slippers as he said something.
Lu Xingchuan led him away to get some supplies for their friend. Their voices faded into the distance.
"Ge, don't leave me."
"Ge, you can't abandon me again."
* Possessive type vs. little god of love, 70% present-day and 30% memories
* They aren't on the same household register and aren't related by blood
* Sweet overall, with a little angst that quickly turns sweet again
* No splitting up the ship or reversing the pairing
Theme: Live well and be happy
