Chapter Text
Young Hong’er never really celebrated his birthday. Every year it came and went, and it felt like any other day. His parents still fought, his mother was likely out of the house picking up extra shifts at work, and his father – well, Hong’er mostly just tried to avoid his father.
The only change Hong’er noticed with the passage of time was when he was old enough to attend school and didn’t have to either be stuck at home or sitting in a back room at his mother’s workplace, on the occasions he was allowed to tag along.
And so, it wasn’t until Hong’er started school and was around other children that he realized that birthdays were even seen as a big deal at all. Of course, he knew when his birthday was. His mom always made sure to wish him well, and maybe give him a larger portion of food at dinner, but she was always doing that when she could anyway, so even if it was different than normal it wasn’t special.
But other kids were endlessly doted on by friends and family, they showed off the gifts they had received, or talked extensively about parties that had been thrown in their honor, with all their friends in attendance. That’s when Hong’er realized that most people put a lot of value into celebrating birthdays, and that he was not most people.
Hong’er didn’t particularly care though. You could never really miss something you never had, and growing up with little, he knew well enough it was pointless to covet the lives and fortunes of others.
So, on his birthday this year, he treated it as he would any other day, and was spending his school lunch hour alone, sitting under the shade of a large maple tree. He ate his meager lunch in silence as he enjoyed the warm breeze, poking at the dirt with a stick he’d found to keep himself entertained.
He had quickly finished up his meal, balling up his trash into a neat package, and was considering a nap for the rest of the lunch period when a shadow fell across where he was diligently stabbing at the ground. Hong’er looked up to see the figure of another young boy standing over him. Hong’er squinted but couldn’t accurately make out the boy’s face with the glare of the sun behind him.
The boy’s voice was gentle and had an almost musical quality to it as he spoke, “Hello, do you mind if I sit by you?”
Hong’er was surprised to suddenly be addressed, he was usually left alone unless he was the one picking fights. And he certainly didn’t recognize such a friendly voice, much less directed at him, so he was wary as he asked cautiously, “Why?”
“Ah, my two friends got into a fight and are spending their lunch writing lines as punishment,” the boy replied with a light laugh. “So, I decided to find another friend to eat lunch with, and you’ve picked the perfect shady spot, if you don’t mind sharing!”
He sounded so buoyant and kind, his laughter soft as bells. And even though Hong’er knew he wasn’t already this boy’s friend (Hong’er didn’t have friends), he still found himself curious and nodding before shifting over to make room.
“Excellent! Thank you!” The other boy said, plopping himself down on the grass. “My name is Xie Lian, what’s yours?”
For a moment, Hong’er was too stunned to respond. In front of him was the prettiest boy he had ever seen. With soft brown hair, half tied up in a knot and the rest loosely brushing just below his shoulders, caressing the back of the pale skin of his neck. And warm brown eyes that seemed to twinkle in the afternoon sunlight, especially when he smiled, because he currently had an enormous grin pointed in Hong’er’s direction.
Hong’er shook himself slightly out of his stupor before remembering he had been asked a question, spitting out, “Hong’er!”, and then immediately feeling heat rush to his face as he realized his just offered up his mother’s nickname for him. He quickly adjusted by saying, “But gege can call this one San Lang.”
This was mortifying. Not only had he only given Xie Lian two nicknames instead of his actual name (which he didn’t particularly like anyway), be had even been so informal as to call Xie Lian ‘gege’ after having just met and without asking if it was okay. Hong’er was sure he was going to die of embarrassment.
But Xie Lian seemed to take it all in stride, still grinning at his new friend as he turned to unpack his own lunch. “Okay San Lang, have you eaten yet? I usually don’t eat lunch alone, so I always bring extra to share.”
And this is when Hong’er was certain he had never met Xie Lian before. Most people tended to avoid Hong’er, on account of the bandage he kept wrapped over his right eye while at school that made him look as if he had recently gotten into a fight, and the perpetual scowl he directed at most other kids. But Xie Lian looked at least a few years older than Hong’er’s nine, so that was likely why their paths hadn’t crossed until now.
“Gege doesn’t have to trouble himself.” Hong’er was still hungry of course, his lunches more or less just took the edge off his hunger, but he was unused to this sudden interaction and quickly refused.
“Nonsense, it’s no trouble at all! In fact, you’d be helping me out by sharing.” With that, Xie Lian pulled out a steamed pork bun and held it out in Hong’er’s direction.
And how could Hong’er refuse such a sincere offer? So, he took the bun with a quiet ‘thank you’, biting into the warm dough and savory meat as Xie Lian began describing some of the other foods he had brought, how his family’s cook often prepared his meals, then easily moving the conversation to other topics about school and himself. All the while, casually passing more food to Hong’er as they talked, as if they did this all the time.
Hong’er couldn’t exactly relate to all of Xie Lian’s experiences, clearly being in a lower social class, but that didn’t deter Xie Lian at all as he continued to ask questions and share more about himself. It was likely the longest and most enjoyable conversation Hong’er had had in a while, if ever. Other than his mother, he hadn’t ever found someone’s company to be so captivating before.
And so, they passed the rest of the lunch period this way, sitting under the maple tree and talking about seemingly everything and nothing at all. Hong’er was beginning to feel like he could spend an eternity talking and listening to Xie Lian.
With the end of lunch approaching, they were packing up to return to class when Xie Lian suddenly thought to ask, “That reminds me, San Lang, how old are you? I know what year you’re in and you call me ‘gege’, but I don’t even know how old you are.”
“Oh, I’m eight- uh, I mean, nine this year.” Hong’er quickly corrected himself, having already forgotten that today was the day he miraculously added year to his age.
“Ah, I’ll be eleven next month! When’s your birthday?” Xie Lian was clearly getting excited by this topic.
The sudden shift of focus onto Hong’er had him suddenly feeling a bit shy, but he mustered up a carefree tone as he answered, “It’s today, actually.”
There was no reason to hide it, it wasn’t a big deal after all. He hadn’t even remembered until his mother had patted his head and wished him a ‘happy birthday’ as she was rushing out the door this morning.
But Hong’er somehow couldn’t fight the creeping feeling of embarrassment, especially when Xie Lian’s eyes lit up even brighter at his answer. “Today? Why didn’t you say anything? Happy birthday San Lang!”
Hong’er was getting used to having Xie Lian’s attention while they conversed, those warm brown eyes meeting his single black one with interest. But having that attention directed at him in this way, as if he was someone important, as if he was someone important to Xie Lian was startling. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to bask in the feeling or hide, “It’s not a big deal gege, I just forgot.”
But the other boy was invested now, “Of course it’s a big deal, San Lang! It’s your birthday, and if you weren’t born then we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet and be friends, so it’s very important!”
As Hong’er was mulling over the fact that they were now friends, Xie Lian had reached down to untie a charm he had dangling from his lunch box, handing it to Hong’er with a flourish. “I didn’t know beforehand, so I couldn’t prepare a gift, but I’d like you to have this. It’s a good luck charm!”
Said charm was just a small thing, a dainty porcelain flower, threaded through with red string, and two tassels dangling below, each with a red coral bead that shined in the sun. It was still more extravagant than anything Hong’er owned, so he quickly shook his head to decline, “Gege, this one couldn’t accept a gift from you. I don’t need a gift for my birthday.”
“Gifts aren’t always about need, it’s just a way to show someone that they matter to you.” Xie Lian was still trying to coax Hong’er, but seeing his reluctance, he decided to take another tactic.
Pulling off the coral beads with a firm tug, Xie Lian quickly fashioned them into make-shift bracelets using some of the loose red string, holding out a bracelet to Hong’er with a smile as he reasoned, “Here, how about we share the charm then? That way we can both have a little bit of luck.”
Hong’er was still stunned at this gesture, never having received a gift from a friend before, but seeing the expectant look on Xie Lian’s face, his reasons for declining were starting to crumble. So, he nodded slowly before extending his hand for the bracelet, surprised when Xie Lian started tying it to his wrist instead of dropping it into his palm.
“This way, we can match.” Xie Lian was clearly pleased with his work, examining Hong’er's birthday gift with a satisfied smile as he turned the thin wrist back around to admire the red bead.
Shocked at the physical contact, Hong’er gently pulled his hand away from Xie Lian’s warm grasp as soon as the bracelet was in place. But Xie Lian didn’t notice, as he was now fastening his own bracelet to his wrist.
“Thank you gege. I’m not sure I’m deserving of such a gift. And I don’t know if I could return the favor.”
Hong’er was starting to feel a bit of worry, because there was no way he’d be able to give Xie Lian such a gift for his birthday. And even having only known him for less than a day, he was already certain that Xie Lian deserved much more than Hong’er could offer.
Seeming to sense his distress, Xie Lian’s smile softened, but his voice was confident when he proclaimed, “It’s not about returning the favor. Gifts from the heart are all that matter, big or small. And I think San Lang deserves the best.”
Any further argument Hong’er had was cut off by the sound of the school bell, signaling the end of lunch. The two boys got to their feet, dusting off their clothes before starting to make their way back to their classrooms.
As they turned towards the direction of the building, Hong’er was suddenly overcome with the thought that this might be the only chance he got to spend with Xie Lian. Sure, he had called Hong’er his friend, but he also mentioned other friends he regularly spent time with. Obviously he had been fine before they met, so there would be no reason for them to spend more time together. Xie Lian was just someone who was kind enough to pass the hour with Hong’er.
If Xie Lian noticed his sudden silence, or the way Hong’er was now determinedly looking at the ground as they began walking, he didn’t mention it at all. Instead, he cheerfully swung his lunchbox at his side before asking, “San Lang, should we meet under the same tree tomorrow?”
This brought Hong’er’s thoughts to a screeching halt. Tomorrow? Did Xie Lian really want to keep spending time with him then?
Xie Lian continued, oblivious to Hong’er internal turmoil, “I’ll bring different foods to share tomorrow. What are your favorite foods, San Lang? I can ask the cook to make some of your favorites, as a late birthday meal.”
Hong’er had stopped in his tracks, staring at Xie Lian with his eye wide, still stuck on the idea of tomorrow. Xie Lian, noticing that he was no longer being followed inside, stopped and turned around to look for the smaller boy.
At the questioning look in Xie Lian’s eyes, Hong’er asked his own question, “Gege isn’t going to be spending lunch with his other friends?”
Xie Lian merely laughed as he made his way back to Hong’er, “Ah, no. They’ll being writing lines the rest of this week, so it’ll just be the two of us.”
Reaching down to grasp Hong’er hand again, Xie Lian tugged him along so they wouldn’t be late to class. “But you’ll get to meet them next week. Feng Xin and Mu Qing argue with each other a lot, but they’re great once you get to know them.”
It was slowly dawning on Hong’er that Xie Lian actually meant it. He really did plan to keep having his lunches with Hong’er. But still not having found his voice at this revelation, Xie Lian misunderstood his silence for reluctance, “I promise they’re not bad, they’ve been my friends for years. I’m sure you’ll get along!”
They were approaching the doors to the gray school building now, so knowing he had to say something, anything, to make sure Xie Lian knew that he absolutely wanted to spend more time together (even with Xie Lian’s other friends tagging along), Hong’er quickly agreed. “I’m sure gege is right. We’ll meet under the tree for lunch then.”
Xie Lian flashed him another brilliant smile at this, “And what foods would San Lang like?”
“I don’t have any favorites, anything gege likes will be more than enough.” Hong’er didn’t have the luxury of being picky with his foods after all, so he was more than happy to let Xie Lian decide.
The older boy frowned a little at this but didn’t have time to question him further as they were now inside and needed to head in opposite directions to their respective classrooms. “Alright then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Pulling away, Xie Lian started down the hall before turning around again, walking backwards as he called out with a smile, “And happy birthday San Lang!” His hand waving, the red bracelet glinting on his wrist.
Hong’er was still standing in the middle of the hall, just barely bringing his own hand to wave back before Xie Lian turned back around and walked towards his class. He stared after him for a moment, still a little shocked at the events of the last hour.
His gaze caught on the single red bead tied around his right wrist, and Hong’er couldn’t help the small smile creeping its way across his face.
A gift. A birthday gift, from his new friend.
As he finally turned to start towards his own classroom, his thoughts were filled with Xie Lian’s smiling face and the sounds of his laugh. If his birthday meant that he got to spend more time with Xie Lian, then maybe it was something worth celebrating after all.