#if u didnt picture SY's search for lbh with a dramatic violins&piano music in the background slowing growing into crescendo u did it wrong

[zykamiliah]

Shen Jiu can be Shen Yuan’s older brother who has already graduated. He comes by for a visit and decides to sit in the club for a day, just to see what he’s been doing. Ends up being wildly popular with the girls, much to everyone’s shock, except maybe Shen Yuan.

YES!! I'm tagging @mitchievousness bc it was their idea originally

To make up the age discordance, he could have skipped a grade or two because he was a genius so he graduated first, leaving YQY behind.

(under read more bc it got too long-- almost 1k omg)

While he's drinking tea and comfortable cossing up to the female students, Yqy is pinning from a corner with a pained smile. Sqh would like to schedule more visits for SJ but he's too afraid to ask. There are legends gossip history about SJ's famous bad temper that the school paper once or thrice wrote about when he was a student. At the time of his visit Liu Qingge had to be escorted to avoid a fight and the destruction of Sqh's priced tea sets. SJ doesn't like Luo Binghe bc he sticks to his brother like used bubble gum and it's visually annoying. But he can't do anything except threatening Lbh when he can corner him alone; he wants lbh to leave his brother alone, doesn't he see how much of SY's time he's making him waste? (Lbr it wouldn't be SJ without some slightly toxic behavior) Lbh doesn't take this in a good way, and somehow all his insecurities converge with SJ's harsh words and the fact that SY got a low grade on some test and that surprised everyone (SY was not the perfect student but he was always in the top ten). Lbh hides in the bathroom for the whole afternoon and tries not to cry.

This opens up a subplot where Lbh tries to leave SY alone, spending less and less time with him, until SY catches up something weird is going on and he's the one chasing Lbh around when they aren't at the club, with the latter hiding every time he sees SY. At the club Lbh focuses on working and ends up almost but not quite avoiding SY.

SY would think Lbh is mad at him but he's still receiving Lbh's homemade lunches and snacks so what the hell is going on??

One day SJ visits again and notices that SY is a bit sad. Lbh had mysteriously disappeared they heard SJ coming, but SY didn't think much of it. Then he remarks on the absence of their newest host and his absence and SJ makes some subtly disparaging comment about Lbh and how they shouldn't allow him to skip the club activities if he was getting paid. This was definitely strange and SY had to aks: "Ge, what do you have against him? He's probably in the bathroom."

Sj: "You're defending him even when he's shrinking his work here? No wonder he's like that, with you pampering him so much"

The others didn't paid him attention bc SJ loved to come to the host to criticize from the way they spoke to the guests to the way Sqh prepared the tea to the clothes they choose to wear. Sqh was glad that SJ had skipped two grades and left Ouran for good, otherwise he'd have to contend with this on a daily basis.

But SY's instincts screamed at him that something was wrong and that Lbh's strange and avoidant behavior had started after SJ's last visit. He was also aware of what his brother was capable of, like for example, scaring of that he deemed "unfitting" to be SY's friends; it had happened a lot in the past. So SY confronts him, gets the truth out of him, and dramatically storms of the club in search of Binghe.

After almost two hours of running up and down their frankly too big of a school he finds Lbh sitting sad and alone on the roof of the maintenance building almost at the back of the school (lbh used to hide there from bullies). SY has had to run and power walk and climb stairs for so long he almost faceplants on the floor when he sees him, and he's panting like he's run a marathon.

If they were better at communicating they would actually articulate all their feelings— but that's not the case. SY is so relieved that he throws himself at Binghe and hugs him. Lbh's voice cracks "Yuan-Yuan-ge...?" and SY hugs him tight. Finally Lbh rests his hands on SY's back, and SY says in a low voice

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me?"

"I don't... I don't want—"

"Then don't do it. You should do whatever you want. Whatever... makes you happy."

Lbh cries "Yuan-ge!" and makes them topple backwards. SY "Ow"s from hitting his head, but that doesn't stop them from (platonically) clutching and then cuddling each other until they both stop crying. (SY was not crying per se but. His eyes got a bit wet okay?!)

Annd that would be the end of this little arc. SY reprimands SJ for saying those thing to Lbh and bans him from visiting the club until further notice. Sqh is secretly glad, even if it means less money.

Yqy walks SJ to the school gates,

SJ: "You should be glad, I won't be bothering your little club with my presence anymore."

YQY's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "That's not true at all."

SJ: "Really? You're not going to scold me for what I did?"

YQY: "I think your brother took care of that already."

SJ: "Hmph. Whatever you say. I'm going."

SJ goes around in flashy sport car that is as obnoxious as you can imagine. I'll let you decide the color. YQY follows out until SJ is opening the driver's door.

"I'll go visit you," he says in a hopeful voice.

SJ says another "Do whatever you want", closes the door with a bang and speeds up.

Yqy watches him go until he disappears in the distance. A shojo like breeze blows by. From a bush, Lmy and her cohorts furiously take notes.