Title: Self Defence for the Unpowered
Fandom: Guardian
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei & Ye Zun, Zhao Yunlan & Ye Zun
Rating: G
Length: 2264 words
Content notes: Post-canon. Everyone lives/nobody dies. De-aging.
Author notes: For the shelter prompt and also the 'any prompt' prompt on my bingo card. Many thanks to mecurtin for the beta and helping me kick the ending into shape. <3 Also, the title is shamelessly swiped from a beta comment because it's perfect. <3
Summary: "Why," Zhao Yunlan gritted out, "would you give a ten-year-old a knife?"



"Why," Zhao Yunlan gritted out, "would you give a ten-year-old a knife?"

The fact that said ten-year-old, dressed all in white and with long black hair braided back from his face, didn't seem to know how to hold the thing properly didn't matter. Nor did the fact that his expression flickered between terrified and furiously determined as his hands gripped the knife tightly.

Shen Wei blinked at him, as if he didn't understand the question, and it had been a long time since he'd pulled that hapless, confused professor look on him. Weren't they past that by now? He'd thought they were past that by now. "He felt unsafe."

Born 10,000 years ago, Zhao Yunlan reminded himself. Also, Shen Wei was the owner of a blade that could be any shape he needed it to be, whenever he needed it to be; giving a kid a knife to help them feel safe probably made sense somewhere in that head of his. Especially when said kid had also been born 10,000 years ago.

The boy edged to Shen Wei's side, giving the whistling kettle a wide berth but still giving Zhao Yunlan a glare that promised pain if he fucked up. And if the kid could get up his nerve.

"Now I feel unsafe!" he protested, narrowing his eyes at the kid and trying not to let fear shiver up his spine the way it wanted to. Just because he was a kid now - and apparently with only the memories from before he and Shen Wei were separated - didn't make Ye Zun any less dangerous. The de-aging thing could wear off at any point, giving Ye Zun the chance to gut them all the moment it did. Or stick the knife into their chests and inhale them...

"Would you like a knife?" Shen Wei asked, deadpan, and while Zhao Yunlan would usually appreciate that, now was not the time. Okay, maybe he appreciated it a little; it dragged him out of that fucking memory at least, Shen Wei's stealth sass.

"I have a gun," he pointed out, only for Shen Wei to step slightly in front of the child his brother had returned to being.

"No."

And there was his Envoy voice, implacable and unyielding. Great, just great. "Shen Wei."

"No," Shen Wei repeated. "I failed him before, I won't again."

"Gege." It was quiet, barely a whisper but it echoed in the tense silence of their kitchen. And that was another thing: how much of child Ye Zun recognised adult Shen Wei as his brother and how much was clinging to a kind adult that wanted to help?

Fuck.

"Everything's fine, didi," Shen Wei said, looking down at him with a small smile and a brief stroke of his hair.

"He's angry."

Zhao Yunlan flinched at the tremor in his voice, directing his gaze to the ceiling as he forced the tension out of his body bit by bit. No child - even a child Ye Zun - should be afraid of him. He had to get this under control.

"He's... worried," Shen Wei countered, crouching down at his side to meet his eyes.

"About me?" There was a sceptical tone to that that was achingly familiar, even if it was coming from the other twin and in a voice that hadn't even broken yet. "Why would anyone be afraid of me, gege?"

So many reasons, so little time. No. No, this was not productive and it would get them nowhere if he couldn't get over himself. Shen Wei was doing a better job of communicating, for fuck's sake. Shen Wei. Releasing the last of his tension - or at least as much of it as he could - Zhao Yunlan sat down on the tiles of their kitchen floor, one leg stretched out, the other curled beneath him. "You're stronger than you think," he said, and was rewarded with another scornful, sceptical look before Ye Zun hunched over, coughing hard enough he had to brace himself against the nearest sideboard, with the hand not holding the knife.

Shen Wei reached out, a swirl of dark energy in his palm before he pressed it against Ye Zun's chest, his face blank in a way it only ever was when he was worried and didn't want to show it. Ye Zun's cough eased, then stopped altogether and there was one moment of stunned astonishment on his face before his knees gave way as he passed out. Shen Wei caught him, brushed his hand against Ye Zun's hair again, just for a moment, then scooped him up in his arms as Zhao Yunlan carefully pried the knife loose from his grasp.

Shen Wei held out a hand for it and Zhao Yunlan raised his eyebrows in a silent really??

"He needs to know he can defend himself, Yunlan."

Oh, now that was unfair. How was he supposed to argue with that pleading expression and the way Shen Wei said his name like that? No one could be expected to resist that, surely.

"Fine," he sighed, handing it over reluctantly. "Just make sure he doesn't stab Da Qing with it."

The corner of Shen Wei's mouth quirked up at that. "He won't."

"And make sure he doesn't stab himself with it by mistake," he added, stepping closer to brush his thumb against Shen Wei's cheek. "He doesn't even know how to hold the thing."

Shen Wei's smile grew and his eyes flickered shut at the small caress. "He won't."

Taking a deep breath - a final, stern reminder to get over himself - Zhao Yunlan let the touch fall away. "I can teach him the basics, if you want. He'll probably feel better once he knows how to use it properly."

Shen Wei blinked in true surprise this time. "Are you sure? I could-"

"You have power, he doesn't," Zhao Yunlan interrupted. "Let the non-powered kids work together a bit, Professor. You can be on hand to kiss any bruises better."

He grinned as Shen Wei rolled his eyes at that last part, but he was serious about it having to be him who did the teaching. Some things Shen Wei couldn't teach and this was one of them. Once Ye Zun had confidence in defending himself against someone non-powered, they could work their way up to throwing Dixing or Yashou powers into the mix. Also breathing exercises that would help with his control so there was less inhaling people whole. That was for another day, though, when they'd all gotten some sleep and were less tense.

Zhao Yunlan rested his forehead against Shen Wei's, closing his eyes and breathing him in, the two of them sharing air for just a moment before he pulled back. "Go on," he said lightly. "Go put your brother to bed."

Shen Wei pressed the palm of his free hand against Zhao Yunlan's face. "Thank you."

He leaned into the touch, greedy as always for whatever he could get from those hands. "What for?"

Shen Wei just smiled, fingers ghosting across his cheek and jaw. "Everything."