Fun and games. Until it isn't

by DesertRain (NarukoAckerman)

Summary:

Ye Xiu and Ye Qiu suffer and bond. Sort of. (It's dependency anyways. almost mutual.)

 

2019 Secret Santa QZGS

Notes:

• For NeokoWritingWithTears.

Chapter 1: I'm running (I can't stop)

“Gege.”
“Didi.”

Ye Xiu stared down at his shaking younger twin brother, Ye Qiu. They two had similar facial features, although one attracted aggro and the other…..cheek pinches. Butt cheek pinches too. Honestly, they had the same face but why was it only him that got the pinches, Ye Qiu grumbled as he slowly stopped shaking. Ye Xiu glanced at the relaxing Ye Qiu before lighting a cigarette, the last one of its pack, before taking out the mini telescope they always carried.

“...We’re safe for now. Let’s get some sleep, and if we’re lucky, maybe they have a spare computer here,” said the older twin, breaking the heavy silence. The “uglier” twin didn’t spare a second at his incredulous younger brother, stepping into the abandoned internet cafe without a thought. The “cuter” twin stared blankly at the door for a couple minutes.

“Ugh, gege, still thinking of games at this time?” Ye Qiu mouth twisted into a frown, following his shameless brother into Happy Internet Cafe.

Inside the internet cafe, Ye Qiu was surprised to see the sparse decoration were mostly old Excellent Era fan merchandise someone had probably put up as a joke a long time ago. He swallowed, still feeling the familiar sting of hurt when thinking of his- their- old team. ‘A team that had crashed and burned.’ Grimacing, he turned to where the sounds of Glory came from, Ye Xiu had been unable to find a headset if the sound was so loud. For a minute, he thought about forcing Ye Xiu to get off the computer, to get away from the memories that tainted the game for him (Gege had always been stronger), to remind him of the dangers that sound attracted. But he stilled. What’s the harm of one last game, Ye Qiu thought, pain building at the thought of one LAST game, even with the terrible flashbacks Glory came with.

We only have so long after all.

 

“Didi…”

Ye Xiu sighed. Ye Qiu had never been the same ever since that terrible day. ‘It wasn’t his fault, how was he supposed to know his opponent would dare to use underhanded methods. Glory isn’t that type of game.’ However, they both had an inkling that something would go wrong. They should have listened and now they had to pay the price of their arrogance. As of now though, they still had time. They could relax for once, they were far ahead of the horde.

The former captain of Excellent Era became immersed in the game. There were other players surprisingly, in this type of chaos the world was going through, but Ye Xiu knew what kind of draw Glory had for him and other players. No matter how dangerous Glory was becoming, it was still Glory, and even from within, Glory protected her favorites. The click of the mouse grew faster, the tapping of the keyboard becoming faster, more frantic. No matter what the older twin did, the boss’ health would not go down. Apparently they didn’t have as much time as they thought they had.

“Ye Qiu! We have to move out!” As the boss brought the last of the random avatar’s health bar down, Ye Xiu bolted from the chair, reached out for his twins’ hands, and ran out the previously secure internet cafe.

Game Over

 

Ye Qiu sobbed into his brother's shoulder as they crouched in an abandoned apartment building. “Gege. I, I don’t want to keep on doing this anymore.”

“I know, Didi. I know.”

Ye Qiu looked up from where his tears left a dark mark on the old Taobao jacket. “I’m glad you’re here. After what Excellent Era did…” Ye Xiu could barely hold his poker face as the painful past drilled into him.

“Gege, I’m not 10 anymore. I’m not a kid. I’m already 25...I, I don’t want to cry anymore. It hurts Gege, it hurts!” Anger rose as Xiu-gege’s precious Didi cried himself to sleep for something that was not his fault, but the corruption of others. He couldn’t though, he couldn’t get angry; it would only draw those things in towards them, towards his precious Didi. It would have been fine if it had just been him, but his younger brother was here (his terribly damaged younger brother-) and with the state of Ye Qiu’s hands...there would be no chance.

“Where’s Old Han, Gege?" I want Old Han.
"Where Wenzhou is probably, Didi." We want them all here. 

 

The tension that had been wafting around the two brothers had reached their peak, especially with Ye Qiu's breakdown the previous day. Something was going to happen, something that might tear the two brothers apart for good if they weren't careful. 

Or not. 

"Gege! It's my turn to cook. Besides, you only know how to cook eggs!" 

Ye Xiu laughed at Ye Qiu's indignant face. "Not true anymore. Su- someone forced me to learn since I couldn't keep mooching off of them." 

"..."

"Didi?"

"...Do you mean the guy you've been-" in love with "you mean the guy who started you down the path of Glory?" 

"That was a terrible pun, but yes. Without them I would have never-well not never- started a team. But Excellent Era caused you to..." 

"That wasn't your fault. You knew the team had been scheming against you for a long time. I was glad to have taken your place. If it had been your hands that were injured..." 

Ye Xiu pulled Ye Qiu into a hug. He usually wasn’t the one to initiate them, in fact, both of them weren’t tactile so it was blind territory. Ye Xiu probably would have cheered Ye Qiu up in another way in a different time, but the long days of being on the lookout and tense nerves had gotten to both of them. Or else Ye Qiu would have never been injured. Su Mucheng wouldn’t have been left behind. Excellent Era wouldn’t have- Actually, on a second thought, they still would have kicked Ye Xiu out.

But many other horrendous things would have never happened. The twins stared at the clear sky, the nature around them continuously moving as if everything was normal. The sun and moon still rose and set. Earthquakes and rain still graced them with their presence. The world still moved on. Earth still moved on. Even as Glory tore everything apart. And because of Glory, human cities were abandoned. Families ripped apart. Nations collapsed. People suffered. One Autumn Leaf and Lord Grim were lost to them. Ye Xiu and Ye Qiu. At least they still had each other. At least they still had each other. 

 

“If only Glory hadn’t been real.” If only Glory hadn’t been real. 

 

If only Glory hadn’t been real. 

 

---

 

Chapter 2: A shrine for Brick-gongzi

Summary:

While Baozi...Well, his shrine could do with a little touching up...

"Baozi…I've been wondering, what happened to that brick you had when you first came to Happy?"

“That brick? Oh, it’s on my shrine of course!"

“S..Shrine?!”

“Ow! Boss Lady, have you been taking lessons from the tree guy?”

“Tree guy? Wait that’s not the point Baozi. Where did you say your brick was?”

“On a shrine of course.”

“A shrine? ….Why?”

“Because Boss Lady, that's how I get the bricks strength in Glory. Like how everyone has a shrine of Boss! That’s why Boss is so powerful!”

“I see…”

 

“Ye Xiu...I think you have some explaining to do.”

“Boss Guo? Wha- OW!! ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` ).”

“Don’t give me that look Ye Xiu. What’s with telling Baozi lies-.”

“Lies? I haven’t told Baozi anything. Besides, I do gain strength like that.”

“Y-You shameless old man! You just agreed you told him.”

“But they weren’t lies Boss.”

“B-B-But you can’t be serious!”

 

“Hey Baozi, come over here.”

“Boss! Why are we whispering? Is it because of Boss Lady?”

“Partially. Do you still have your brick shrine?”

“Of course! I’ve been adding to it everyday! Today I brought in a brick from downtown that was a couple hundred years old!”

“?” When did he have time to do downtown?

 

“Baozi...Where are you taking that really life like brick plushie??”

“Huh? Life like? It is a real brick!”

“...you mean it's not a plushie?...”

“Lady Boss! Boss Lady! Are you alright!!”

 

“Baozi wake up!”

“Sis Mucheng!”

“...”

“...”

“Baozi…”

“Yes Sis Mucheng!?”

“Why do you have a life sized Ye Xiu plushie??”

 

“Ye Xiu! Call off Baozi!”

“Ye Xiu! Baozi is making a for you!”

(“Psst”
“What?”
“I thought it was already done?”
“Who knows? Just don’t go against Sister Mucheng.”) 

“Ye Xiu! Excellent Era is here! C-” 

“Ye Xiu-”

“Ye Xiu-”

(“Ye Xiu” “Ye Xiu” “Ye Xiu” “Ye Xiu”) 

 

“Baozi! Where are you!” 

“Boss Lady! I was updating my shrine again with some Brick ofuda and Ye Xiu brand sake!” 

“You shouldn’t run off like- Wait, what did you just say? Ye Xiu brand sake?!” 

“Uh huh! It’s supposed to taste exactly like Boss!” 

“Taste...like...Ye Xiu…”

“Boss Lady? Lady Boss? Boss Lady? Did I break her?” 

“HOW WOULD ANYONE KNOW WHAT YE XIU TASTES LIKE??!!” 

“But?” 

“But what!” 

“But Sis Mucheng and Misty Lady and Sis Ruo always talk about his harem...whatever that is.” 

"H-His HAREM! WHY WASN'T I INVITED!" 

"..."

"To talk about it, nothing else!"

"..."

"..."

“Baozi..”

“Yes Boss Lady?” 

“Why are all those people carrying...brick plushies???”

“Because I started a cult. For worshipping bricks.” 

“...are all those people Glory players…”

“Mhmm.” 

"..."

"..."

“Gimme one too.” 

 

Baozi, also known as Bao Rongxing, looked down at the mass of people below. He raised a brick he held in his right hand and the crowd went wild.

“ALL HAIL THE BRICK!” 

“ALL HAIL THE BRICK!” 

His work was done here.