Tora quickly cleared his plate, washed it, dried it, and put it away as if it had never been used. Finally, he hurried back upstairs.
As he climbed the stairs, Tora glanced at his older brother's bedroom door. Located directly across from the stairs, it was visible even to those who would rather not see it. Always shut, he would respond with insults or indifference to anyone daring to enter. Well, everyone except his parents, of course. He had an image to maintain after all.
"He should put up a "No Entry" sign, it would suit the place perfectly."
This time, the door was ajar. Tora quickly glanced inside out of curiosity. His brother's room was three times larger than his, which wasn't surprising, considering Tora's room was essentially meant to be more of a storage space.
Inside, a massive TV screen was embedded in the wall, accompanied by a PlayStation, an Xbox, and a Nintendo Switch, all lined up next to each other like mere books on a bookshelf. A turret was connected to a monitor, complete with a keyboard and mouse. Two laptops (as if one wasn't enough) sat proudly on a desk. A large bookshelf, filled to the brim, held an array of books on medicine.
Three tables occupied the space : one for working, one for his PC, and one for eating. Everything, literally everything, seemed to cost a fortune, whether it was the lamp, the rug, or even the wallpaper.
He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary
Tora went back to his room, exasperated, thinking about his older brother's behavior. He quickly went over his lessons and tidied up his papers, which took him at least two hours, even though he only had ten sheets, at most. After that time, his brother, Amayaka, arrived at his door with his right cheek twitching slightly and his brows furrowed.
— What the hell are you doing ? Don't tell me you're studying ? Can you even read ? Seriously, you make me feel sorry for you.
Tora remained silent and pretended he didn't hear anything, but that only fueled Amayaka's anger. He kicked the table, knocking over the papers that were gathered on it. After that, he stepped on each sheet scattered on the floor, crushing them one by one.
— When I talk to you, you could at least look me in the eyes, you piece of shit !
With every sentence pronouced, it was another hit. His favorite spots on Tora's body were his stomach, his head, his back, and his butt.
Tora wasn't as weak as he claimed to be. Zayn had realized this himself. As an athlete, he knew how hard it was to carry someone on ones back, but Tora had done it with surprising ease. He was only out of breath, as if he had just run a sprint.
He might not know how to fight, but he had physical strength. He literally spent all his time locked in his room, every day (except school days). He had nothing to do with his time. Sure, he had a phone, but that didn't entertain him, or at least didn't make him feel alive. So, he did push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and pull-ups on the edge of his door (thankfully, it was sturdy enough for that). He didn't even know what else to do. He wasn't a prodigy destined to become super powerful, nor was he someone who was patiently waiting for a decisive moment in his life to prove his worth. No. He was just someone with too much free time and an insatiable desire to feel his heart beating in his chest.
As a result, his body had developed over the past ten years, allowing him to endure the blows his brother dealt him more easily, especially since his brother hit like a wimp.
He also forced him to undress, observing his body with disgust before hitting the parts he found repulsive. In reality, Amayaka was overweight. He weighed around a hundred kilos and hardly ever exercised. He spent most of his time partying, drinking alcohol, and playing video games when he wasn't studying. He was therefore deeply envious of Tora's physique.
— Fuck !! You wanted to embarrass me in front of mom earlier, didn't you ?! Why do you always get in my way, huh ?! It's because you're useless that mom and dad put so much pressure on me ! Do you have any idea what that does to me ?!
He was panting violently. After scanning the room, he grabbed Tora's pencil case and threw it at his face with all his might. The blow to his nose sent a slight shiver of pain through his head, and tears began to form at the corners of his eyes.
At school, he could respond to the teacher, and he had even defended himself against someone who had tried to kill him. But why was it that only in his own home did he feel completely defenseless ? He couldn't fight back, because everyone would automatically side with his older brother, and it wasn't like his brother regularly beat him anyway.
This whole story had started last year, when his mother had beaten Amayaka for ranking second in the end-of-year academic contest, instead of first. He had worked so hard, sacrificing precious hours of sleep to study more. It had become an obsession for him, but a simple moment of inattention had cost him the top spot.
All the accumulated stress, mixed with his exhaustion, the disappointment from his mother, and the physical wounds she had inflicted with an iron, had shattered something inside him. An essential part of his personality had broken that day. Since then, he would occasionally have outbursts over the slightest inconvenience, no matter how trivial.
"I should have been more careful. It's my fault."
— You know what pisses me off the most ? It's that there's nothing of value in your room, so I can't take anything you care about, and you don't even react when I hit you. So how am I supposed to punish you ?
— You... hmm.
He fell silent almost instinctively.
— What ? Did you say something ?
— You know, if we were in a movie, your character would be shitty as fuck, because the whole older sibling taking out their stress on their little brother is such a cliché. The number of views are going to drop if you don't get off your fat ass and make your story more interesting. Haha, just saying.
He wasn't really talking to him. His gaze was vacant.
— Actually, I prefer you when you don't speak, because the moment you open your mouth, only shit comes out.
His brother then continued to hit him until he was exhausted.
Finally, when it was all over, Tora calmly tidied up his room and ironed the papers his brother had crumpled. Once his room was in order, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.
"You said you were my hero and that you would come to my rescue, but why aren't you there when I need it the most."