A Dog Father Cannot Beget a Dragon Son

World 52: Part 2

Fei Chuan thought he'd be more panicked when [They] came back. He would have imagined there to be more screaming. But while he wouldn't not deny the tendrils of terror crawling their way up his spine, he was still somehow able to ensure Liam didn't dehydrate on the couch. The thermometer read 39 degrees Celsius. Not too bad, but still a cause for concern. 

Eventually, Fei Chuan relented and also gave the boy some aspirin. 

"Uncle, what's that?" Liam asked, once he was a little less groggy. He gazed at the large, lumpy plastic bag with curiosity. 

Fei Chuan, in the middle of picking up the bunched tissues scattered about the couch, replied. "Chicken." 

"Uncle," Liam sounded disapproving. "Did you buy a whole chicken again?" 

Oh, was that characteristic of the host? Fei Chuan would probably have been pleased with himself if he hadn't taken his newfound wealth a bit too far. "....two chickens." 

The boy had real technique in rolling his eyes. "Uncle, I'm sick, not starving." See, this was what Fei Chuan remembered about how a young adult acted, from how his nephew used to treat any person taller than 5'5" in his immediate vicinity. Excluding his precious uncle, of course. Fei Chuan let that linger before locking the thought away. There was no use missing people he could never see again.

"I also brought a gallon of hand sanitizer. Use it well," Fei Chuan said as a distraction. His body was instinctively moving towards a cabinet underneath all the kitchen utensils. Bemused, Fei Chuan let muscle memory take over and pulled out a carton of bleach and several collapsible mops. 

So Navi Anderson liked to clean. Well, Fei Chuan wasn't one to begrudge sanitation.

Liam groaned when he saw what Fei Chuan was doing. "You know mom mostly invites you over for your free cleaning services, right?" 

"Did you finish your tea?" Fei Chuan said in response. At the boy's nod, Fei Chuan handed him a cloth to wrap round his nose. "Then put that on and go back to sleep." 

Liam sighed, but did as he was told. 

****** 

"My adorable little brother," the woman-who-was-probably-Helen gasped, once she opened the door to a face full of lemon scented air. "Big sister loves you sooooo much." 

Fei Chuan looked up from the book he was reading, and motioned for her to be quiet. 

"You're my favorite person in the whole world," she said, deliberately pitching her voice even higher. "I love you more than my stupid son who plays in the rain when it's below zero outside."

The fluff of brown hair pressed against Fei Chuan's thigh shifted. "Mooom," complained Liam. "It was not below zero. That would be snow." 

"If it had been, you'd have a better excuse for being sick," Helen informed tartly. "Where's the Indran immune system we're supposed to be known for? This scene is just disgraceful." Her son stuck out his tongue. 

Fei Chuan took the chance to observe his sister, who looked to be for all intents and purposes fully related. She had the same eyes as Nicole Indran, Henry Anderson's hair, and the same jawline Fei Chuan saw in the mirror. And yet, Henry Anderson expressly only had two children, and sons at that. So many questions, yet no opportunity to ask them. Should he try to feign amnesia? 

Helen scraped off her outer jacket with all the disgust she could muster, and trudged into the kitchen. A few moments later, her voice called out again. "Two chickens? Navi, you dumb brick. You better help us finish this off!"