#solicitude.

starter for … @epluhan !!

       THIRTEEN years ago, on this exact day, he’d been adopted by his family. 

thirteen years since he had been brought away from the familiar warmth of the orphanage, where the harsher syllables of mandarin easily rolled off different tongues and where he had jiejie’s and didi’s and ayi’s to make him feel at home. thirteen years since he had disrupted peace amongst those that had welcomed him with bright smiles and open arms instantly upon his arrival. thirteen years since he had been marked as a disappointment to the only people he had only ever known as family.

that thought alone was enough to trigger certain emotions within himself, stirring up the anger and disappointment and insecurity that he had always managed to stash away for most days. today, however, was an exception - and it’s mainly why he finds himself outside way past curfew and with more alcohol that he can handle.

usually, even he would be slightly concerned with being caught this late out when the moon already hangs high in the sky, but honestly, now he could care less. while cain had never been a heavyweight when it came to drinking, he’d made his way through bottles of the drowsy liquid and could barely count his fingers, let alone walk. 

it’s why when he makes a futile attempt at sneaking through the hallways as quietly as a drunken person possibly can, he fails instantaneously as he almost crashes into a pillar, feet taking careless steps in front of each other. he barely manages to regain his balance and stumbles and falls, an audible thump resounding as his entire body collides with the polished wooden floorboards. that’s all it takes to shatter any ounce of self-control he has left - and it’s definitely not from the fall.  

glance: a stray tear making its way down his cheek. 

cain hardly notices the sudden wetness on his face, if anything, only gritting his teeth as he pushes himself up and makes his way back again. god, he’s such a fucking mess. it’s no wonder he’s such a letdown to almost everyone. 

this time, he doesn’t fall backwards when he runs into a sturdy figure. instead, he stumbles back slightly and glances up to see who it is, catching a blurry glimpse of blonde hair and familiar features just as a shaky apology is already making its way out, and oh. he’d recognise him anywhere. cain isn’t surprised if he gets into trouble with the prefect even at this time, since he’s never exactly been nice to him, in fact, the very opposite. he probably deserves it.