Chapter Text
The predicament Shen Yuan found himself in was really starting to weigh heavy on his mind. Maybe a kid shouldn’t have as many worries as he had but there seemed to be a lot to worry about. His current issue had a deadline that was fast approaching!
In two weeks it would be Ying-ge’s tenth birthday. This was in fact a very big deal!
His er-gege will now be a much bigger kid! With two whole digits to his age! He was one step closer to being a full fledged adult! This had to be celebrated! A suitable gift must be given!
Two years ago when it had been Lian-ge’s tenth birthday there wasn’t much he could do at all. He was only five at the time, a baby! The best he could offer was a picture he made in class. Of course, he loved it but Shen Yuan knew he was just being nice. Things are different now! He was older! Far more capable!…
Or so he thought.
He discovered what money he had scrounged up was actually quite a pitiful amount. He’d be lucky if he could afford a box of the spicy candies his brother liked. Second, he really had no way of getting anywhere! There was a strict no going out alone rule.
So he had gone to his mother asking if she’d be able to take him to any kind of store. Any at all! Her choice! She told him no. Simple as that.
“It’s been rainy, you’ll get sick.”
"B-but, if I wear my raincoat...and have my umbrella?"
“If you get sick you’ll go to the hospital.” Was her next response.
That sentence alone was enough to get him to stop. He didn’t want to go back.
He didn’t want to ruin Ying-ge’s birthday.
No way. Not again.
Shen Yuan for now retreated with his tail between his legs. For a split second his father came to mind but he quickly stomped it out.
Absolutely not.
Lian-ge was so busy…He had so many school activities going on. Sometimes he wouldn’t get home till after dinner and be so tired. His poor gege was working so hard, he refused to bother him. It was all such a mess! Shen Yuan felt despondent, like it was time to throw in the towel or raise a white flag of surrender.
That night, curled up in his bed feeling sorry for himself, Shen Yuan sat up when a knock came from his door. Before he could even give an answer it swung open and there was Ying-ge’s smiling face. His brother wasted no time in crawling into bed, his cheek resting against the top of Shen Yuan’s head.
“Someone’s grumpy wumpy,”
Hmph! The only reason he was grumpy wumpy at all was because of him! But Shen Yuan couldn’t say that! It’d mess up his non-existent surprise gift.
Even so…he did curl up closer and let out a sigh.
At least he was warm.
“I could tell, you were extra quiet at dinner. You only talked about like two shows tonight, not six! Wanna tell me?”
Shen Yuan shook his head. No way! He wasn’t gonna blab.
“Not even a little bit?”
Ying-ge poked at his nose causing Shen Yuan’s face to scrunch up.
“I said no!”
“Well, technically you didn’t say anything.”
“I shook my head! Take a hint!”
Ying-ge just huffed in reply, next lightly poking at his cheek just to annoy him some more. Shen Yuan just swatted his hand away and was tempted to leave his own room when he was pulled into a hug. This was nice…this was okay. Ying-ge was way too energetic sometimes, way too annoying. Always poking, pinching, or whatever but even when he was a pain in the butt he’d have to admit he really did give good hugs.
“Well, since you don’t wanna talk…how about story time?”
“Lian-ge is too busy for story time right now.”
“We don’t always need gege for story time! We can make our own story!”
Ying-ge let him go, shooing at him to move so he could pull the blankets down so they could get comfy. He leaned over to turn the lamp on the nightstand to a lower setting before crawling back into bed. There was some hemming and hawing until he smiled his usual bright big smile.
“Alright how about this…”
Once upon a time…
“That’s so cliché, ge. I'm not a baby."
“Hey, I’m the one starting this! Hush up!”
Once upon a time…in a beautiful overgrown forest lived a pair of brothers! A clever, playful fox named Foxxian and his fussy little kitten brother named Meowyan!
“How could they be brothers if one was a fox and one was a cat? That doesn’t make sense at all.”
“Well uhm…they’re brothers in bond! Yeah! You don’t have to be blood to be brothers! Duh! You gotta be more open minded A-Yuan! No more interruptions! Or else you won’t hear the rest of the story!”
“Okay..geez..”
Once upon a time…in a beautiful overgrown forest lived a pair of brothers! A clever, playful fox named Foxxian and his fussy little kitten brother named Meowyan! They were brothers in bond, the bestest of friends and always looking for something fun to do together! Yet everyday in the forest always seemed the same! It was getting to be rather boring after a while!
“How boring! Boring, boring!” Foxxian cried, “I want to do something new and fun! What could we do?”
“We can go chase bunnies!” Meowyan said.
“We did that yesterday!”
“We can eat some spicy peppers!”
“No, no, we just ate some! I’m all full!” Foxxian shook his head, though he’d eat some for sure later!
Foxxian wanted to do something they have never ever done before! He spun around in circles looking all around to see if there was anything at all! That’s when he stopped and began to jump up and down excitedly!
“There, there! Let’s go there! To the mountain to play in the snow!”
In the distance, waaaay past their forest lay a great big mountain where it was always winter! The snow fell down all year round! The most fluffiest and softest snow one could ever dream of! It’ll be so much fun to go there! So the brothers began their adventure! They jumped across rivers, climbed over fallen trees and even crawled through dark burrows until finally they reached the bottom of the mountain.
“They did that all in one day?!”
Ying-ge let out a long suffering sigh, his hands reaching out to squish Shen Yuan’s cheeks together really, really, hard!
Ow! Gege! Be gentle with your baby brother! Don’t be so rough! He didn’t even let him go right away! He squished and pulled at his face till finally he decided to grant him mercy.
“Can I go on?”
“Yeah…you meanie…”
They jumped across rivers, climbed over fallen trees and even crawled through dark burrows until finally they reached the bottom of the mountain. But despite getting there, there was a big challenge they had to face! The mountain was the home to a fierce ice dragon! It guarded the mountain like it was his own personal treasure! No one was allowed on it! Especially to play in the snow! If anyone tried they’d be frozen solid by his icy breath!!!
Foxxian wasn’t scared! He happily started to climb up the mountain with Meowyan on his back! He hopped around on the soft snow, laughing the entire way! They were having so much fun!...UNTIL the dragon appeared!!! His long body circled around them, trapping the two from trying to escape! The dragon looked down at them in…in angry silence!
“Hello! We’ve come to play in the snow!” Foxxian greeted in a cheerful voice!
“No you cannot. No one can play in the snow.” The dragon bellowed, his voice causing the whole mountain to shake.
“Why not!” Meowyan asked, his cheeks getting all cute and pouty.
“Because, it’s against the rules and there are many, many rules against fun. And if you don’t stop now I’ll tattletale on you so you get in lots of trouble…”
Shen Yuan’s eyebrows rose suspiciously, giving Ying-ge a look. Hmm…something told him this Foxxian the fox was someone he knew very well. He folded his arms over his chest and waited for an explanation.
“Did gege get in trouble today?”
“Pfft, no! Not at all…” Ying-ge laughed, he rustled Shen Yuan’s hair before pressing a big fat kiss against his forehead. “Okay, time for bed!”
“Wait! You didn’t even finish the story!!!”
Ying-ge hopped out of bed and gave a little shrug.
“Uhmm…Foxxian ate some hot peppers and was able to melt the mean old dragon with his fire breath powers! He and Meowyan were able to play in the snow for the rest of the day and everyone lived happily ever after! The end!”
What a cop out!!!
That wasn’t a good ending at all! Where did he get peppers from! How did he get fire powers! How was that enough to melt a dragon?! Why was the dragon mean? Also who in the world would the dragon tattle tale to if he was in charge of the mountain? A bigger dragon? This was not a good or complete story by any means! Just as he was about to voice all his criticisms his brother had fled from his room! Sneaking away just like a fox would!
Flopping backward he sighed, glaring up at the ceiling in annoyance. Well, that didn’t really help him at all! If anything it put him in a worse mood! What the heck was he going to do? Pressing his hands over his eyes, he let out a frustrated noise, kicking out his legs.
What could he do?...What in the world could he do?
Over and over, his mind tried to work out something. A gift, something special. He couldn’t buy anything so he’d have to make something…but he didn’t have the skills. He wasn’t that great at arts and crafts. Lian-ge was busy. Was there anyone else in this world good at making things?
A lightbulb clicked in his head and Shen Yuan sat up, wide eyed.
There might be someone after all!
___
It was easy to track down his target at school the next day. He was always in the library during lunch break! Organizing books or reading! No one else came in here, not really. Shen Yuan did but always stayed in his little corner not wanting to be distracted. With a deep breath he mustered up the courage and carefully approached him.
“Excuse me, you’re…Lan Zhan, right?”
Lan Zhan was an older boy, who was already ten and in the same class as Ying-ge. He knew this because Ying-ge never shuts up and talks about his school life constantly. From what Shen Yuan understood, Lan Zhan was a very serious person and didn’t seem to like his brother. Which was kinda understandable, his brother was kinda annoying. Ying-ge’s attempted to make friends with him but the other boy was cold…even so Lan Zhan held a crucial skill!
He knew how to make books! The kind you can bind together with rope? Thread? He wasn’t sure, he just remembered Ying-ge talking about the report Lan Zhan did for class a few months ago. So here he was! Ready to grovel at this older boy’s feet if needed! He needed his skills to create his gift!
“Mn, you are Shen Yuan? Shen Ying’s…”
“Yeah, his little brother. I know you might not like him but…I really, really need your help!”
Lan Zhan’s face made some sort of weird expression but he didn’t shoo Shen Yuan away. No, to his surprise he actually pulled out the chair beside him so he could sit. Taking the offered spot he sat himself down and became serious.
“I have an offer!” From his pockets he pulled out crumpled bills and coins, setting them all out on the table along with various candies he had smuggled into the school. “I need your help, I’ll give you everything I have if you can help me! Help me make a book for my brother’s birthday!”
Lan Zhan didn’t respond right away, no, he just was staring at him. Shen Yuan again couldn’t tell what the heck he might be thinking but he had to push forward!
“Ying-ge is turning ten! Ten is a big deal! I have to get him something good, but, but this is all the money I have! An-and I suck at making things! I want to do something extra special! Super special but I need help and I don’t have anyone else to turn to! Ying-ge says you know about book binding! That your family has done it forever and ever! That you even brought in a book you made yourself!” Shen Yuan begged in one desperate breath. “He says you’re the smartest kid in the whole school so if anyone is capable it’s you!”
There was a long stretch of silence that Shen Yuan was sure was rejection. Who was he to come in here and ask some strange older kid for help? Especially someone who didn’t like his brother. His money and candy were pushed back toward him and he couldn’t help but physically deflate. He was really on his own in this, wasn’t he?
Trying to keep it cool, he started to gather up his things, biting down on his lower lip not to show he was upset. He wasn’t a baby, he wasn’t a baby.
Crying doesn’t help anything, it doesn’t get anyone anything.
“Do you have a first draft?”
Confused, he glanced up at Lan Zhan. A draft?
“You can’t just make a book in one day, you need a first draft of the story, then you clean it up, we’ll need to know what exactly will be put down on paper.”
Was this? Was he really?
A smile broke out across Shen Yuan’s face, eyes glimmering.
“You’ll help me?!”
“Mn,” Lan Zhan nodded, he almost seemed amused by his reaction. “I have a big brother too. I always want to do my best when it comes to giving him gifts.”
AH! LITTLE BROTHERS IN ARMS!
So he too knew the struggles of being a little brother on his own! What a guy, what a hero! How the heck could an upstanding fellow like this be a cold ice prince in his brother’s eyes?! With hope renewed in his heart, Shen Yuan was practically vibrating in his seat! He wanted to get to work right away!
So began his business partnership with Lan Zhan! As told he went home that night and rewrote the story Ying-ge had spun him the night before, though it seemed pretty rushed and lame, he needed to come up with a new conclusion for sure. When he returned with his work, he told Lan Zhan as much, watching the older boy read it over.
“A-Yuan has quite neat handwriting,”
Yes, he prided himself over it quite a bit! Even if it wasn’t as good as his brothers, he’d surely catch up one day!
Lan Zhan continued to read, his brow furrowed slightly, clearly scrutinizing the sloppy ending of the story just as he had. Though something else seemed to be a little off with him? Did he not like the story at all?
Well, it didn’t really matter if Lan Zhan liked the story, this was a gift for his brother after all. Please be objective here Zhan-ge! It’s a silly kid’s story, not a masterpiece by any means!
“...The dragon…”
The dragon? What about it? His companion had grown silent once more, leaving Shen Yuan to somehow understand that very cryptic statement. Did he not like the dragon?
“Yeah, the dragon guards the snow on the mountain, I think it’s pretty lame. Why’s it gotta be mean?”
There was a hum of perhaps agreement that followed.
“If I lived in a world where there were dragons? I’d be their friend for sure!”
A second hum.
Hm, Lan Zhan really wasn’t a chatterbox in the slightest was he?
Leaning over to look down at the draft he plucked it from the other’s hands and smiled.
“Which is why I’m changing the story! Instead of the dragon being melted away he’s going to become friends with Foxxian and Meowyan.”
Lan Zhan didn’t seem put off about the paper being taken from him but did seem a little more curious now at least.
“Will your brother be upset? With you changing his story?”
“I don’t think so…I think he made it up on the spot just cause he saw I was upset. Ying-ge may be a lot sometimes but…he’s the one who always makes me smile. He likes making people smile, he says it does his heart good.”
Of everyone in their family it was Ying-ge who made him smile when he was at his saddest. Some of his earliest memories are of his brother doing his best to make him smile while he was sick or scared. Sharing laughter and secrets when everyone else was too upset or serious about Shen Yuan being in the hospital. As miserable as Shen Yuan can feel…his brother would crawl into bed and tell him a story about anything if it meant keeping him distracted. Sure, not all the stories were great or even good narratively but they meant something to him. To both of them.
“...Shen Ying is a good brother,” Lan Zhan's voice is softer and tone maybe even a little more fond?
Shen Yuan would hype his brother up more! Make the other see that he isn't just a troublemaker!
“Yeah, he is…so I’m going to make this a happy story. Besides, who doesn’t like making friends? Especially with a dragon!”
And then, the softest of laughs escaped from Lan Zhan’s lips, Shen Yuan’s mouth nearly fell open. And a smile too?! His shock only lasted a few seconds until Lan Zhan nodded his head and set down a blank piece of paper.
“Shen Ying is also lucky to have a little brother like you. Now, let’s get to work.”