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“Jingyi” Lan Sizhui’s soft voice carried surprisingly well through the door of the room he’d set up as a makeshift studio. He supposed coming from a rich family had more than a few benefits, not the least of which was being able to afford a house near campus where he and Sizhui could both have additional space for their courses, a music room for Sizhui and an art studio for himself.
“S’up, Sizhui?” he called and the other opened the door at the acknowledgement.
Sizhui waved the mobile in his hand at Jingyi, “A-Ling wanted to know if we minded if he brought his dog and we went to the park. The dog just got out of quarantine from his move back from Europe”
“Sure, that’d be cool, we like dogs, right?”
“Right. I’ll let him know” he typed out a quick response on his phone and walked over to the art Lan Jingyi was working on. “Are you having any more luck?” he asked, knowing this particular piece was causing him a lot of trouble.
“No, it’s utter crap. I’m not getting anywhere, it’s completely stupid” he pushed himself up from the stool and stretched to release the tension in his shoulders. “I’m going to have to get my arse in gear soon but I’m not helping myself just sitting here staring at it right now” he noticed the pastels smeared over his fingers still and faked chasing Sizhui around the studio, his cousin was just as much of a neat freak as his dad, and the thought of being smeared with pastels was enough for him to take to his heels.
“Jingyi, don’t be so mean” he screeched, laughing as he ran away.
***
Lan Jingyi could vaguely remember Jin Ling from the very few occasions he’d met him as a child, they had never spent any serious time together and had only known each other in passing as relatives of Sizhui from different sides of the family. He seemed to remember Jin Ling being a bit of a sulky, argumentative boy; with anyone except his beloved cousin Sizhui that was.
Lan Jingyi couldn’t vouch for his current temper now he had matured some, but Jin Ling was certainly something to look at these days. His features were even and pleasing, even if there was a little trace of a frown mark between his eyebrows. He wasn’t frowning now though, as he and Sizhui threw sticks and balls for Fairy, his dog, (yes, his dog really was called Fairy, oh well, he wasn’t the only person in the world who was terrible at naming pets).
Jingyi was currently seated under a tree while the other two exercised Fairy. He tried to give them some space to let Lan Sizhui have some time alone with Jin Ling to catch up. Sizhui hadn’t seen his cousin in person for a few years, as Jin Ling had been abroad with his family, but when Jingyi had suggested he let them go alone this afternoon,Sizhui and Jin Ling had insisted he come along.
He felt a little guilty though, Lan Sizhui had spent some of the summer with his aunt, uncle and cousin a few years ago in Italy but that was the last time they’d met in person, and maybe it would have been better for them to have some time to themselves first.
But as he was here he was taking advantage of the situation; with a new spurt of inspiration as the others played around. He’d taken out his pastels and his sketch pad and let his mind wander.
Eventually, exhausted, the other two came over to sit in the grass beside him. Fairy’s energy seemed used up for now and she panted as she lay next to Jin Ling, who took out a bottle of water and used the Frisbee they’d been playing with to pour some water our for her to drink.
“Oh wow, Jingyi, you’ve gotten past your block. A-Ling look at these sketches”
As he’d finished one he’d pulled the page out and left it on the grass scattered around him. There were three finished sketches of the three of them playing fetch, of Sizhui and Jin Ling laughing together, and one of Jin Ling wrestling with a stick with Fairy.
“They’re OK” Jin Ling sounded dismissive at first, but just as Jingyi was about to retort Jin Ling added, “I like how you’ve caught Fairy” he seemed to have realised how his first statement might have been taken and hurried to amend his tone. Perhaps Jin Ling was one of those people that just spoke before thinking of what it might sound like.
Jingyi couldn’t see them getting on particularly well if that was the case, because his own temper and mouth were quick to respond to real or imagined slights. If so they would be very much chalk and cheese. He’d try, for Sizhui’s sake, though.
Lan Jingyi picked up the sketch of Jin Ling wrestling with Fairy and held it out to him, “You can keep this if you want. Be careful of your clothes though as its pastel and it’ll smudge”
“I can see that, but thanks” Jin Ling laughed, and looked at Sizhui, “You’re right, your Lan cousin is a bit of a dork” with that, and before Lan Jingyi had time to react, Jin Ling took out a handkerchief and wiped at the side of Lan Jingyi’s face, where smear of pastels had been transferred to his cheek. Lan Jingyi felt a blush of embarrassment.
“I’m a dork?” he demanded, giving Sizhui a reproachful look. Lan Sizhui had the good grace to look embarrassed, “I’m not the one carrying around a handkerchief like it’s the nineteenth century” he snipped, and the last rub of the hanky was a little more harsh than it needed to be.
He bit his lip then, as he’d fully intended to ask Jin Ling’s permission to use him and Fairy as a study for his pastel piece. He’d struggled with inspiration for the medium until this afternoon, and it had been Jin Ling with his dog that had sparked his creativity. If he pissed him off though there would be no way he’d say yes.
Unless he guilted Sizhui into working on his cousin. If there was one person in the world Jin Ling wouldn’t say no to it was Sizhui.
“I can’t believe you’d say something like that about me, your best friend, Sizhui” he lamented, laying it on thickly, and Sizhui waved his hands.
“No, no, I said adorkable, not a dork”
“Like that's any better!” Jingyi exclaimed, “It’s the same thing!”
“No it’s not, because you’re adorable with it” Sizhui explained and Jingyi sighed.
“Betrayed by my own kin. How can I bear this? How will I ever trust again”
“Don’t be so dramatic” Jin Ling rolled his eyes, but Sizhui's eyes had gone wide and doe-like.
“I’m sorry Jingyi, how can I make it up to you?”
He went in for the kill, “Get your cousin to agree to let me use him and his dog as my subject for my pastel piece”
“What?! You!” Jin Ling exclaimed, but Sizhui, neatly railroaded into doing Jingyi’s dirty work, turned those big eyes on his cousin.
“It would really help Jingyi, A-Ling”
“No!”
“And I bet Auntie would love to see it when it’s done” really, Lan Sizhui might act all pure and innocent and sweet but he was absolutely without mercy sometimes.
“Lan Yuan!”
“And Jingyi is really good, but if he doesn’t get this piece done it’ll be terrible for his course” Sizhui’s face had taken on a sombre look then as if the thought of Jingyi failing ripped his heart out of his chest.
There was a pause of about thirty seconds, as Jin Ling wavered between annoyance at being manipulated and the need to protect his cousin and remove that melancholy look from his face.
“Fine, whatever. He can draw us, or whatever it is that he needs to do”
Lan Sizhui beamed like the sun, “Thank you, A-Ling, you’re the best”
“At being manipulated” he shot a fulminating look at Jingyi then, “Dork” he snarked. But Jingyi didn’t care, Jin Ling was already signed, sealed and delivered with Lan Sizhui’s masterful help.
Lan Jingyi’s smile was pure smug triumph.