Archive of Our Own

“Yuan-ge, Yuan-ge!”

“Wh—”

Shen Yuan looks up blearily to find Shen Tang jumping up and down on his bed, giggling with unrepressed glee. Still half-asleep, he peers at the clock to the side to see that it’s barely six in the morning.

With a soft groan, he buries himself back under the covers. He feels little hands trying to pull down the covers.

“Nooooo Yuan-ge! Get up, get up!”

“A-Taaaang, it’s too early, let me sleeeeep…”

“Come ooon! Up, up, upupup!” She jumps a few more times, her entire little 10-year-old weight making the bed creak.

“Fine!” Shen Yuan throws the covers back, sitting up to glare at the little devil bouncing on his bed. “What!”

She gives a little impish grin before throwing herself into his chest to give him a tight hug. His arms come up around her back automatically.

“Happy Birthday, Yuan-ge!”

Oh.

He squeezes her tight against his chest, softening all at once.

“Thank you, Meimei. That’s very sweet—” Wait. He holds her at arm’s length again, eyes narrowed. “And why did you come wake me up for that?”

The innocent look she throws him only makes his suspicions worsen.

“It’s your 16^th birthday, Ge!”

“So?”

“Soooo…” She pounces on his pajama-covered arm, already tugging at his sleeve. “Show me your mark! You said you’d tell me!”

Right. He did say that, didn’t he.

Ah, whatever. What harm could it possibly do to let A-Tang know?

“Ok, ok!” He laughs, pulling his arm to safety. He ruffles her hair, making her pout up at him. “I haven’t looked yet, let’s look together, okay? Settle down first.” He drags her over and pulls her snug against his side, wrapping his arm around her to hug her tight.

She giggles softly and settles down slightly, still bouncing in place lightly.

He brings his other arm around in front of her, palm up to show the inside of his wrist.

The place where his soulmate’s name should have appeared on his 16^th birthday.

“Okay, I’ll count to three, and then we’ll look together, Meimei?”

She nods vigorously, staring intently at his still-covered arm, impatience written into every line of her tiny body.

“Okay, one… two… three!”

He lifts his sleeve and, together, they look down at his fated person’s name

---

“Yuan-ge.”

Shit.

That delighted tone of voice never bodes well for him, especially coming from Shen Tang. Can he still hang-up and pretend he isn’t here? Maybe he can toss his phone out the window too, she’ll never know, right?

“Yuan-ge! Answer me!”

“What?” Fuck. He’s already on the defensive.

“So.” Shen Yuan can almost hear the teasing grin in her voice. He just knows she’s grinning from ear to ear, wherever she is. “Remember that webnovel you were gushing about? Arrogant Immortal Demonic Path, or whatever?”

“Proud Immortal Demon Way!” Shen Yuan corrects instinctually, before he can restrain himself.

“Yeah, that!” Shen Tang sounds even more pleased by his reaction, barely swallowing back laughter. “What’s the name of the protagonist, again?”

He pulls the phone away from his ear to stare at it suspiciously. What the hell is she trying to get at?

“Luo Binghe, why?” He says hesitantly into the phone.

A loud burst of laughter comes through from the other side of the call and then a loud clattering sound.

Did she…? Did she just drop her phone from laughing so hard?

“Shen Tang!” He yells into the phone. “What the hell? What are you laughing about? Shen Tang! Pick up the damned phone! Shen! Tang!”

Her laughter gets louder and louder as she, presumably, bends down to pick up the phone.

She’s still laughing when she starts speaking again.

“Like—HAH! Like your—AHAHAH! YOUR SOULMATE!” She finally gets out, before another burst of laughter takes her out.

Like—

Shen Yuan looks down at his wrist.

Fuck.

He hangs up, cutting off her peals of laughter.

AAAAAAHHHH—!

He never should have told her.