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Lan Zhan is all of four years old when he’s faced with the first birthday cake he can remember. He stops in his tracks with such force that he practically bounces off an invisible wall. His eyes go wide with excitement and joy and greed, and his family coos to see it—he’s always been relatively quiet as a child, serious and calm, so the fact that his interest has been so thoroughly piqued would usually be a good thing.
Usually.
The problem is simple: the cake isn’t his. It's xiong-zhang's. As much as Lan Zhan’s family wants to see him happy and excited, they’re loath to encourage it at his brother’s expense. And despite all their wheedling and coaxing and cajoling, Lan Zhan is resolute.
Somehow, Lan Zhan maneuvers past every attempt—emotional, intellectual, and physical—to separate him from cake. Several close saves ensue between his mother, his uncle, and, most memorably, Nie Huaisang (who was willing to let him slide as long as he got a bite too) and Nie Mingjue (who was not).
Poor Lan Zhan is carried out under Nie Mingjue's arm, squalling and making sad eyes at the cake, the cake that is now getting farther from him, fueling more feelings of utter agony, woe, and despair. It’s tragic, though somehow the gathered audience seem to be hiding smiles behind their hands.
By the time xiong-zhang is ready to cut the cake and blow out candles, Lan Zhan has cried himself out, eyes red and puffy. His lip still quivers as he's carried closer, and Lan Huan can see how his baby brother's eyes fixate on the cake as he approaches, how his lower lip sticks out as he braces for yet another cruel attempt at separation.
It's so cute, Lan Huan laughs. He pats his lap for his didi, murmuring praise as Lan Zhan comes quietly and manages to mostly hoist himself up into Lan Huan's lap; when Lan Zhan's pudgy fists shoot straight out, grabbing for the cake, Lan Huan carefully grabs each of his brother's hands with his larger hands.
"Together, A-Zhan, okay?" he asks, sensing Nie Mingjue nearby in the background, helping him to cut and plate the cake for everyone. Extremely begrudgingly, Lan Zhan nods, waiting as everyone sings happy birthday to Lan Huan and takes pictures of the two of them.
Lan Huan is supposed to take the first bite, but he looks at how Lan Zhan's eyes are glued to his utensils, the fruit piled high on his bite of cake, and he heaves a tiny sigh. Instead of raising the cake to his own lips, he brings it to Lan Zhan's, watching as his didi opens his mouth wide—so wide!—and eats the whole bite. It’s impressive how quickly the entire forkful disappears into his brother’s mouth.
The second bite is his, and he closes his eyes while savoring the fluffiness of the cake, the slightly-sweet sugar chiffon heaped with fresh fruit. It’s a rare treat for his family to let them indulge in so much sugar, and he savors it fully.
When he opens his eyes, Lan Zhan is staring at him.
"Cake?" A-Zhan asks, and Lan Huan scoops another piece for his didi. Instead of eating the whole bite as before, Lan Zhan shakes his head. "Xiong-zhang cake," he says, looking almost guilty. "Xiong-zhang eat."
Well then. It looks like his baby brother is learning to share, which is possibly the best gift an older brother could receive. Lan Huan smiles. "Let's eat it together, okay?"
Lan Zhan nods and dutifully opens his mouth on his turn. Together, they polish off their generous helping of cake, one bite after another. In no time at all, their slice is gone.
Years later, Wei Ying will flip through these photos and coo over how cute they were, what respectable twin jades they must have been even in their most troublesome years. Nie Huaisang will laugh behind his fan, and Nie Mingjue will laugh directly out loud, shoulders heaving at the memory of how baby Lan Zhan outran half his family members in his quest to eat cake.
Lan Huan will smile and pat his brother's back. How quickly time flies.