Work Text:
“I don’t think this is your problem,” Mo Xuanyu says through the crack in the bathroom door.
Jin Ling huffs and stamps his foot.
“If people are bullying you, you hafta let me know,” he insists. “We’re family!”
Xuanyu makes a choked sound and closes the door. Jin Ling waits a minute to see if Xuanyu will let him in, but instead, he hears crying.
“Poop,” Jin Ling curses. He scurries off toward the sounds of the party. He’d been avoiding it all evening -- too many grown ups who pinched his cheeks and asked about his lessons -- but he needs help for this.
He skids to a stop in the doorway and scans the crowd. His Mama and Baba are busy talking with Mr. Ouyang, who didn’t even bring Zizhen with him. Jingyi and Sizhui are back in Gusu visiting their great-uncle, the lucky jerks. He doesn’t see his shushu, but -- oh! He spies a flash of purple on the other side of the room as the patio doors open and close.
Jin Ling squares his shoulders. He’ll have to make a run for it.
He dodges the grasping hands of a variety of Jin aunties and uncles -- friends of his grandparents, not real family -- and crashes into the door.
“Whoa, easy, A-Ling!”
Jin Ling looks up at the startled face of his third-favorite uncle, Huaisang.
“Good!" He grabs Huaisang's hand. "You’re here, too! I need Jiujiu!”
Huaisang would be second-favorite if it weren’t for Xuanyu because he simply smiles and opens the patio door for him.
“Darling, we have a situation,” he calls out.
Jiujiu stomps their way.
“What happened, A-Ling?”
“Xiao-Shushu,” he says. “Come on!”
Jiujiu clears a path through the party with a command Jin Ling will come to envy, but for now, he has a mission.
When they reach the bathroom, the sound of crying has stopped, but Jin Ling still knocks.
“Xiao-Shushu, I brought reimforceants--”
“Reinforcements,” Jiujiu whispers.
“Re-in-force-ments. Jiujiu and Uncle Huaisang.”
“Noooo,” Xuanyu wails. “Go away!”
“Mo Xuanyu,” Jiujiu says, kindly but in a voice no one argues with, “open the door, please.”
Xuanyu groans, but he opens the door.
Jin Ling gasps, and even Uncle Huaisang is startled. He grips Jin Ling’s shoulder painfully.
Xuanyu has a wicked black eye and a cut across his cheek.
“Oh, kiddo.” Jiujiu reaches out and lightly grips Xuanyu’s chin so he can get a better look at the damage.
“Who are we killing?” Uncle Huaisang asks with disturbing cheer.
“I don’t know,” Xuanyu mumbles.
Jiujiu grimaces. “A-Ling, go get a first aid kit from your mother.” He rests a hand on Xuanyu’s shoulder. “We’ll get you patched up and then go for a drive, get you somewhere we can comfortably talk.”
“Can I come, too, Jiujiu?”
Jiujiu and Huaisang exchange looks, but Xuanyu reaches out and takes Jin Ling’s hand.
“I don’t mind,” he says.
Jiujiu nods. “Good.” He ruffles Xuanyu’s hair. “We’ll sort this out.”
“Yeah.” Jin Ling says. “We got you.”