OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER (A WANGXIAN STORY)

Extra 11 (A): A Brother.

A year later...

Gusu

Lan HuiZhong was careful about what he did with who when his cousins were around. He agreed that another three hours long talk about responsibilities with his old man could turn him deaf and blind.

 At the same time, Lan Xiang grew more miserable by the day. A Lan may find it easy to forgive others but it took ten folds more to learn to forgive themselves. He broke his brother's trust and the distance spawning between them was clearer than his porcelain skin. Although nothing bad was heard of YongMing, third Young Master Lan had to endure seeing his brother stick to Bolin more than often; sitting together, sneaking off to the library at night, acting secretive in ways he would not admit to. 

"Did anything happen today?" Lan Xiang asked when Xing got back from community service.

"Nothing, just washing tablecloths, helping the aged, cleaning, and then more washing of table cloths. I have a class with Grandfather in thirty minutes. Haa, wake me up in twenty-five," Lan Xing tossed his shoes at the entrance and slipped into bed.

"Shouldn't you take your bath?" Lan Xiang put away his jade flute. He walks to the bed and attempts to help the other undress. 

Xing took his hand off. "Thanks but no thanks, I will have my bath when I wake up,"

"But you will be late for your class," Xiang said.

Lan Xing sat up, addressing his brother's lonesome face." Three minutes is enough for me to bath. And stop trying to strip me, we're not kids anymore. Tch! People will think it's weird," he pats YongZheng's head with a smile that was meant to soothe the other- that everything was okay between them. Xing goes back to lying down, curling himself on the bed.

But Lan Xiang believed that all was not okay with them and he did not in any way feel soothed. It was his fault Lan Xing was serving. He sat down, his back facing the bed. "You said you forgave me, but you won't talk to me," he tilts his neck to the side, peeking at a sleeping Lan Xing. "You said nothing happened today but you fought a corpse by accident in the woods. You told Bolin about it... not me." He lamented. "Ge, you used to say that I was your better half. I will become your brother again. I promise," Xiang wiped a drop on his face.

**

Xing stretched his limbs, yawning after a much-deserved nap. "Huh?" His heart leapt in his chest when he heard an orchestra of crickets performing behind the window.  "No... No, no, no," Xing slapped both hands on his head after confirming it was pitch black outside. Xiang did not wake him up. He missed class. "Grandfather will kill me," Lan Xing run a hand over his face depressingly. 

Hurriedly he goes to the closet for something to change in. That bath will havAmidhe midst of the chaos, the outer door slid to the side. "You! Why didn't you wake me?" His face morphed into a frown when he set eyes on his doppelganger. Lan Xiang was calm, approaching at the pace of a snail. "You were tired, you had to rest."

"And miss class? Grandfather will not let me hear the end of it!" Xing yelled.

"I took care of it," Lan Xiang said.

"Took care of what, what do you mean?"

"I told him you took ill. You only have to fake it when we go to Uncle in a while."

Xing was taken aback,  "And he believed you?"

"Why wouldn't he? It's not like I can tell a lie," Lan Xiang raised his blank face at Xing, only a faint curve poking at the corner of his lips. Xing stood there, confused. "Thanks... But don't do that again, you could get in trouble. Besides, I wasn't that tired," he said.