Chapter Text
“A-Yuan.”
“...”
“A-Yuan…”
A groan slips out of Shen Yuan’s mouth. His limbs are too heavy right now, but if he could he would slap a hand over his eyes, hiding away from— what, the sunshine from the windows? Did he sleep through his alarm again?
“Er-ge…” he mumbles sleepily, knowing his brother is trying to wake him up in order to scold him for sleeping in. “Let me sleep…”
“A-Yuan!” The voice gets stronger. There’s the sound of a chair scrapping on the ground, then sheets shuffling, and then a loud thud, as a palm slaps something plastic above Shen Yuan’s head. “A-Yuan, please open your eyes!”
That voice is…
That voice is not his brother’s.
Shen Yuan’s eyes snap open, sitting up, adrenaline gripping him. Something high-pitched sounds from the side of the bed — a heart monitor!? Why is he in the hospital again!? He just got released a few days ago!
There’s a young man at his bedside, still leaning over from where he’s pressing the button to call a nurse. Long black hair and a beautiful face, looking at Shen Yuan with a teary face. He’s really, really ridiculously pretty. What is an actor doing in Shen Yuan’s hospital room?
“A-Yuan, you shouldn’t sit up,” the man says, gently putting his hands on Shen Yuan’s shoulders and pushing him back down. His voice is soft, shaking slightly with some sort of intense emotion. He takes a breath, holds it there, then says again: “A-Yuan, A-Yuan…” This time, his eyes are really watering, big fat tears going down his cheeks.
Automatically, Shen Yuan lifts his hand and pats the man’s head. The hair is silky and smooth, soft. Somehow, he’s not surprised.
The man’s expression twists. He leans forward and hides his face into Shen Yuan’s neck. His nose is cold, but his cheeks are warm.
Shen Yuan is completely frozen, hand left on top of the man’s head.
W-what? Does he know this guy??? Maybe he collapsed in front of someone again — this time being in front of this man, and he felt responsible about Shen Yuan’s health or something and got attached despite them never meeting each other??? Does that make sense? Not really.
The nurse gets here before Shen Yuan can work up the courage to ask the guy who he is. The unknown man doesn’t even look flustered when he has to separate himself from Shen Yuan’s chest. The nurse calls the unknown man “Luo.”
After a quick check-up, Shen Yuan is informed that the rest of his family is coming soon and that a doctor will come for a more thorough examination in just a few minutes.
He’s left with the unknown man.
Already used to this type of thing happening due to his constitution, he directs a question at the man: “What happened? Did I collapse again?”
The man’s shoulders droop, looking like a kicked puppy. “A-Yuan, it’s my fault. I should have stayed by your side.”
He asks again, “What happened?”
The man lowers his eyes, but at the same time gently grasps Shen Yuan’s hand. What big paws he has, and yet he is so gentle… “When I came back, I found A-Yuan collapsed… This one knew that A-Yuan was feeling bad recently, and yet I still stayed out so long. A-Yuan, whatever punishment you decide on, I’ll obey.” He peeks up at Shen Yuan with red cheeks, looking like a shy maiden.
Came back? Shen Yuan feeling bad recently?? Why is he acting as though they live together?
Faced with that shy gaze, Shen Yuan is like a caught pinned butterfly, feeling that he needs to choose his words wisely. “It can’t be helped,” he says without knowing what he’s talking about. “...Do you know when my brother is coming?”
The man scowls, all softness disappearing except for his continued hold on Shen Yuan’s hand. “Does it matter? If that Shen Jiu comes here again, he’ll do nothing but scold you again — as though you do this on purpose!”
Thank you for being offended on my behalf, Luo-bro, Shen Yuan thinks charitably, unable to keep his eyebrows from rising. “Then, Yue Qi? Is he coming?”
The man gives him a strange look. “If Shen Jiu is coming, Yue Qi is not far behind.”
??? Did their relationship get that good while Shen Yuan was out of commission? Maybe they bonded over Shen Yuan being a bother! It turns out that his sickness is not that bad then! He can’t help the smile that comes on his face at the thought. “That’s good.”
The man grows quiet, looking at Shen Yuan’s face. After a blink, he smiles back, showing a face that is truly way too beautiful. “If A-Yuan thinks so, then it must be so.”
“...” Luo-bro, it’s good that you’re sympathetic, but if you continue smiling that way, Shen Yuan’s heart will collapse!
Luo-bro seems to somehow know the feeling in Shen Yuan’s heart, because he calms down and busies himself with making sure Shen Yuan is comfortable, offering to put his pillow back into shape, get a glass of water for him, or even go down to get him something to eat, or maybe…
Shen Yuan lets himself be coddled, still a little bit lost and dazed. But he can’t exactly refuse being taken care of a beautiful man who might or might not be some sort of model/actor.
A set of hurried footsteps, and then the door is flung open. His brother and his (not-)brother spill into the room, huffing slightly. Shen Yuan looks at them with wide eyes, breath suddenly caught in his throat.
His brother… looks 10 years older.
He’s still the same Jiu-ge, yet somehow there’s something in his features that’s different — the lines of his face a little hardened, his build a little stronger and taller. He doesn’t look like the 20-something year old Shen Yuan left behind, but more like a 30-something year old who’s probably already married and with kids — or maybe not kids, maybe he has cats or something. The same goes for Qi-ge, who looks even more tired and anxious than normal.
It’s as though Shen Yuan woke up 10 years in the future.
Just… just what is going on?