The first day of school and the first thing the students had to do was sit through a back to school assembly. For some it was exciting, others a waste of energy already low.
"We finally get to sit next to each other during assemblies," Alfred cheerfully said to Arthur, Francis, and Ivan. Freshmen and sophomores sat at one side of the gym while juniors and seniors sat at the other.
"Yes, time to sit through your overly school spirit again," Arthur blankly said.
"Where's Yao?" Ivan asked, scanning the students filing in. "He should be here by now."
As the others joined Ivan's task of searching for their Chinese friend, Arthur turned to Francis. "Hey, what did you and Yao do after you guys left the coffee shop?"
Francis turned to Arthur, giving a sly smirk. "Why?" He chuckled at his frenemy's scrunched up, fumed face. "He told me to keep it to myself, wishes I choose to respect."
"Prat," Arthur grumbled as his cousin called out he found their friend.
"There he is!" Alfred pointed out. "Who's the other guy?"
"Huh, dunno," Francis responded, noticing the boy beside Yao. "Perhaps another friend?"
"Nah, Yao only hangs with us. We'd know who he'd be if he was his friend," Alfred said.
"You can ask him because here he come," Ivan noticed.
Yao had ruffled up the unfamiliar boy's hair before the two separated. The group noticed the other heading to the sophomore bleachers.
"Who was that?" Ivan asked for the group when Yao located them.
"My little brother," Yao answered, taking a seat.
"You have a brother!?" Alfred yelled out. "How did we not know this!?"
Yao shrugged. "Never came up?"
"We've known you for years and you having a brother never came up?" Francis rhetorically asked.
"In his defense, it's not like we ever went over to his house," Arthur said with a measly shrug.
"Thank you," Yao thanked Arthur for defending him.
Ivan gave a questioning look and head tilt. "I thought you had a sister."
"What's with all of you suddenly caring about every detail of my life?" Yao hissed, annoyed.
Alfred held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. But we get to meet him later!"
"What?"
"Shush!" Arthur silenced the others. "Assembly's starting."
Four class periods later, it was lunch time. Yao rushed out of his classroom to meet up with his brother at the younger teen's classroom. When he got there, Xiang was just coming out. "How were your classes?" Yao asked, clearly worried as they headed down towards Yao's group's usual lunch spot.
"Looks like all the teachers got the email," Xiang answered. "They all called me Leon."
Yao gave a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear aru."
"You don't have to worry so much, Gou. I can take care of myself now," Xiang mumbled, the two of them beginning to approach Yao's friends. Xiang stopped walking when noticing this.
Yao stopped as well. "You had to transfer here for a reason, Didi." He ruffled his brother's hair. "Until you've proven to have fit in and get some friends, I'm going to worry."
"You'll be worrying for a long time then," the antisocial teen bluntly said, making the other laugh. "Do I have to eat with your friends?"
Yao laughed again. "Yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to. Sadly, Alfred already saw you."
"Yao!" said American shouted, waving to the Chinese brothers. "That your brother!?"
Xiang rolled his eyes as Yao just smiled at the sophomore. "Come on. It's not that bad," he said as he lead them to the table.
"Are you sure?" Xiang asked. "From what I heard from you, it is."
Yao ignored his brother, introducing everyone. "Everyone, this is my younger brother, Xi-"
"Leon," Xiang quickly cut in.
"Leon," Yao correct. "Didi, this is Alfred, Arthur, Francis, and Ivan."
"Hi..." Xiang greeted, more looking at the ground. His brother had him take a seat beside him.
"So this is the brother we heard absolutely nothing about," Arthur said.
"You sure your name's 'Leon'?" Alfred asked. "I heard, like, three different things."
"It's Leon," Xiang answered, turning to his brother. Yao just sheepishly smiled, not used to using the teen's English name.
"Why is your name English while yours is Chinese?" Ivan asked Yao and Xiang, curious.
"I, uh, prefer my Chinese name," Yao answered.
"So you have an English name?" Arthur asked, smirking. Yao's cheeks tinted, caught.
Xiang chortled. "Declan..."
"Di!" Yao yelled, flushed.
"Wait a minute," Francis started, pausing everyone. He looked carefully at Xiang, who shrunk back uncomfortably. "Aren't those the clothes I helped picked out for you?" he asked Yao. Both Yao and Xiang awkwardly turned away from the French teen.
"That's what you two were doing?" Arthur asked.
"Maybe..." both brothers answered.
"What? Why?" Francis asked.
"Don't worry about it," Yao waved him off. "Just eat your lunch aru. All of you."
"Sure thing, Declan," Arthur joked. Alfred broke down laughing, Francis joining him. Ivan was just smiling as Yao, clearly embarrassed, yelled at his friends.
"Damn it, Di!"
Xiang only held his head down, holding down his own laughter.
Always had Xiang use Leon in places like school, so thought Yao'd have a name, too! He just hates to use it haha! Declan... Just a cute headcanon name~