[H] Brother’s Skirt - Chapter 7.1

With my brother’s grades, getting into the best university in the country wouldn’t have been a problem, but he ended up becoming a carpenter. Fortunately, being a carpenter, he earns more than most university graduates who work diligently. That’s not quite right; what I should say is, his skilled hands, unique aesthetic sense, and strong learning ability mean he could carve out a path in almost any field, and in doing so, he ended up taking care of me too.

I held my brother’s calloused hand and told him, “Even if that house flew over here, even if those people came looking for us, we’re adults now. They can’t control us anymore.”

My brother still wasn’t happy when he heard this, his eyebrows raised and mouth downturned.

I teased him, “Is that look supposed to make me kiss you right here?”

His eyes were still red, and when he glanced up at me, there was a reluctant smile.

As we reached the entrance of the subway station, where it was a bit crowded, my brother let go of my hand. I spread his palm on my shirt to wipe off the sweat. He took the opportunity to tease back, earning a stern look from me.

“Hello, could you please fill out this survey?” A girl approached us with a clipboard in hand. “It’s about attitudes towards homosexuality.”

It was getting dark, and there she was, conducting surveys on the street, which must be hard. She mentioned her university and department while making notes on two surveys.

The first question was, “Do you know any homosexuals?”

I shook my head. My brother was distracted, so I had to repeat the question for the girl. My brother pointed at me and asked the girl, “What did he answer?”

The girl was taken aback by the question. “He said he doesn’t know any.”

“Then I guess I don’t either,” my brother replied in a tone that sounded as casual as if he were ordering a drink at a bar.

The girl regained her composure and asked the next question, “What is your level of acceptance of homosexuality? ‘Personal choice, I accept,’ ‘It doesn’t concern me, no strong feelings,’ or ‘It’s strange, I cannot accept’?”

My brother was lost in thought again, so I pinched his cheeks together and kissed him. “You’re going to get ants on your lips at night if you keep eating sweets.”

“I do brush my teeth, you know.”

After he replied, he looked at the girl standing nearby and asked what the second question was.

“I answered it for you,” I said.

My brother leaned in to check the survey, his face taking on the expression he used when he helped me with homework. “Shouldn’t the first question ask if the respondent is homosexual?” He followed the list of questions with his finger, then told the girl, “You fill in the rest as you see fit.” Then he pulled me into the subway station.

These days, my brother’s patience is reserved only for woodwork, and for me.

It was rush hour, and we had to wait for two trains before we could squeeze onto one. The subway car was packed, but two kids, oblivious to their surroundings, were fighting and stepping all over the people around them.

My brother leaned in and whispered, “Do you think they’re twins?”

On a closer look, the two boys did indeed resemble each other, fighting as if facing mirrors.

After their mother got hit by a few stray punches, she grabbed one boy by the ear and scolded, “Is it so hard for you to love each other?”

The boys hadn’t finished their quarrel and started yelling loudly.

I turned to look into my brother’s eyes and said, “They should ‘love each other.’”

And then my brother stole another swipe at my backside.

My brother and I have never spoken words like “being together” or called each other “boyfriend.” If asked to define our relationship, I think both of us would choose “brothers.” After all, anyone can be a boyfriend, but not everyone can be a real brother. The former can be added to the latter, but reversing them would challenge biological principles.

Before my brother, I had a girlfriend.

She had been in my class for three years. With one month left before the college entrance exams, she suddenly asked me to go to the beach, claiming it was our last bout of freedom before exams. My brother just happened to overhear us when he came to visit.

“That beach is supposed to be beautiful. I’d like to go too, can I come?” my brother asked with a smile.

The girl said she was happy to have him, though it felt more like she couldn’t refuse him. Before I knew about my brother’s other side, I would have believed he just wanted a break. But after discovering more about him, his smile seemed less innocent.

I took my brother to the back stairs.

“Do you want to be grounded again?”

My brother didn’t look at me, focusing on his shoes instead. “When did you start dating?”

It took me a moment to understand what he was asking. “Last year.”

“Oh, that’s quite a while,” he remarked.

“Just two weeks,” I corrected.

My brother glanced at me then looked away. I couldn’t see his mouth, but I noticed the muscles on his cheek tense and then relax.

“Oh, so it’s a reunion trip.”

“I don’t know what she’s thinking.”

“And do you know what you’re thinking?”

I noticed my brother holding an ice pop, still wrapped. I took it from him, unwrapped it, and held the melted part to his lips. He bit off a piece with his eyes downcast, the rest I put in my mouth.

“Don’t go, or you’ll end up grounded again.”

My brother jumped down the stairs, “Even if they break my legs, I won’t let you go there alone.”