#pendulum requiem

In retrospect agreeing to assist Ye Xiu in any scheme is a terrible idea. One moment he's adjusting paperwork and planning for next week's business meeting and somehow he's fifteen again and watching his brother get together supplies for his whole runaway adventure.

Ye Qiu lies on his bed, trying and failing to understand what the heck is happening because as a normal, reasonable person living in the 21st the words 'time travel' should be nothing more than a convenient plot twist in some random book.

And yet here he is fifteen again.

He has so many regrets.

Most of them centered around his stupid older brother.

Which reminds him...

"Why do you get to run away?" He gripes, sitting up as if the fact only just occurred to him. "I should get a turn. You try being company president this time!"

Ye Xiu his terrible brother, just laughs."Why? Have you figured out what you want to do?" he says as if it matters and as far as Ye Qiu can tell it's the most worthless thing he can say.

Even if he did have some idea of what he wanted to do, his brother would still jump ship at the end of the day. Still, he's never going to admit that.

"And what if I did?"

Ye Xiu smiles at him. "Really?"

Ye Qiu tosses a pillow at him.

XXxxxxXX To be fair, this time when his brother does leave, he's more annoyed than angry. He knows what's in store for himself as the future CEO of their family company, but at least this time it'll be easier. He already knows how to run a business, he's good at it after being in the business close to thirteen years but that's not the point.

His brother does what he wants.

Signing loudly, he sees his brother off, making sure this time that his brother takes the right ID. He's not going to have another identity crisis, not again. Once was enough.

(And if he sneaks Ye Xiu one of his many credit cards, well that's no one's business but his own.)

Before long his older brother is out the door and gone away to the people he knew.

Locking the door he makes his way back to his room, ensuring nothing was out of place, and that the handwritten note that Ye Xiu had written was on the table waiting for their parents. Everything was ready for tomorrow.

Everything but him.

Pulling his blanket up over his face he groaned.

He was so not ready.

XXxxxXX

The next morning he's awoken to the sounds of yelling. Evidently, his parents had found the note and neither were happy. It was almost amazing to him how caught off guard both of them are by Ye Xiu's actions. For all that his parents were normally calm, collected people his brother still managed to make them angry.

Glancing into the room, he debates on whether or not he should step forward. Obviously, he wasn't going to tell his parents about his part in his brother's schemes, but at the track, his parents were going the whole neighborhood would know by lunchtime that his brother had run away.

Moving into the room, Ye Qiu makes his presence known to the pair.

"What's wrong?" He asked pausing briefly to look at the two even though he already knew the answer. "Why are you yelling?"

Both of his parents spin to look at him, only just realizing he was in the room. Neither said anything for a second before his mother hissed something quietly to his father. No doubt she was ordering him to explain.

"Qiu'er, there's something we need to tell you." His father pauses, looking uncomfortable. "This was left here this morning." His father says handing him the note.

Pretending to look the note over, Ye Qiu completely misses the door opening behind him and two people stepping into the room.

"What is going on?" A stern, older voice said making Ye Qiu jump. “Is this how I taught you to behave? Where are your manners?"

Looking behind him, Ye Qiu edges away from the door. Standing in the doorway, was his grandparents, dignified and posed in their traditional clothing stand there frowning. Similar to in appearance to his father, his grandfather, and grandmother had the same golden-colored eyes and straight black hair.

This time the shock was real. In the old timeline, neither of his grandparents had been present the next day after his brother had run away and yet here they were demanding answers. Moving away from the heated looks of both sets of family members Ye Qiu does the responsible thing and escape.

So much for the timeline staying the same—

Loud bellowing, makes him run up the stairs to back to his room. His grandfather sounded angry, very angry. Apparently, his mother wasn't the only one who had issues with how the twin were being raised even from his room a floor up he can hear near every word of the lecture his parents are getting.

It almost made him pity them.

Almost.

XXxxxXX

Notes: I know very little about the Chinese language, culture or anything in between. If there's anything terrible let me know. (Even though I think its all terrible, but whatever.) Also, maybe I should I admit I've watched season 1 and the ova of King's avatar so yeah...