Wang Yao sighed as he finished cleaning his house alone. Although Xiao Mei, Cheng Wang, and Imyong had promised to help him tidy things up before that Arthur Kirkland jerk came over, they all ditched him at the last moment. Xiao Mei said she already had plans to go shopping with Lien Chung. Cheng left in a hurry, shouting that he had some business he needed to take care of. Imyong left when they had finished with Yao's room, disappointed he couldn't find Yao's diary or undergarments.
Technically, Li Xiao Chun could've helped clean. But the teenage boy was "too busy" to help the older Chinese man. Yao grimaced at the thought of Xiao Chun. Why did the child never do as he said? True, he had only just returned from the clutches of that British dope...but...
Just then, the doorbell rang, a ding-dong echoing throughout the near-empty house, snapping the sentimental Asian man back to reality. Yao was in no rush to open the door. But when he did, he greeted the person standing in front of him with a cool "Good afternoon, Opium."
"Is that how you speak to a 'honored guest' in your home?" a tall man with spiky blonde hair and bright green eyes said, trying to keep his annoyance hidden, but ultimately failing.
"Come inside, aru," Yao said, ignoring the other's reply. He led the way to his living room.
"Sit," he commanded.
His guest obliged.
"Anyways, how have things been?" Arthur asked, doing his best to sound polite. His boss had made it clear that he had better not get on Yao's bad side.
"Rather peaceful, ever since I got Li back, aru," Yao replied.
"And Li? Is he...is he happy living back with you?"
"Uh...," Yao didn't know what to say. Xiao Chun almost never expressed his emotions; how was he supposed to know whether the boy was happy or not? He could hear the teen rummaging through the kitchen in the next room. Perfect timing. "Why don't you ask him yourself, aru?" he avoided answering the question. "LI XIAO CHUN. COME IN HERE," he called. A minute later, the Cantonese teenager opened the door, a pork bun in his mouth.
"What is it, Teacher. I thought you said BrowBoy was over for important business and I'm not supposed to intrude." Xiao Chun's face was blank, just like always.
"Well, Opium here wanted to know how you were doing."
"I thought I told you not to call me Opium!" the European man protested. "And you...don't call me BrowBoy!" He then sighed. "But yes, your 'teacher' is right. How have you been doing?"
"I was like, totally fine until you got here," Li replied, without skipping a beat.
"Why you-!" Arthur lost his temper for a few moments.
"Now, now, Opium. Just let me sign those last few papers, aru. Then you can go home, and Li can go back to being 'totally fine', aru," the Chinese man smirked.
"It's not like living with you is particularly fun either," Li Xiao Chun said before leaving the room.
"That ungrateful little...," both Yao and Arthur growled at the same time. Upon realizing this, they looked at each other.
"You mean, you've been having problems with him too?" Arthur was surprised.
"S-slight behavioral issues, aru. Nothing more. He's still happier with me than with you, aru."
"I'm not talking about that right now!" the foreigner exclaimed. "I mean...don't you think as his guardians, we should teach him to show some gratitude?"
Yao pondered for a moment. "I suppose so, aru," he sighed, giving in.
Arthur held his hand out to Yao. "Can we say that we're at least against Xiao together then?" he asked.
The Chinese man frowned. "You're treating it as if it's some big war, aru...," he said hesitantly, refusing to shake the other's hand.
"I'm not, I'm not...," Arthur reassured. "I'm just suggesting that we beat Li at his own game," he said. Before Yao could say another word, Arthur said "I'm saying we're declaring a pranking war against Li."
Although Yao looked a little taken back at first, he quickly matched Arthur's smile witha grin of his own. The two shook hands-it was official now.
"Now then...," Yao asked. "How do we start, aru?"
"Well...we could start by listing out all of his strengths and weaknesses...," Arthur replied. The two smirked. They were totally going to win this.
"Idiots," Li murmured as he pulled away from the door. "I am the pranking king. They'll, like, never beat me," he finished the rest of his pork bun, and rushed to his room to make plans of his own.
