Shiry - The Cutest Brother Ever! | Short Story (Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

Oh huh? You’re asking about my family? Well yeah duh of course I had one, I swear haven’t I ever told you about chompers? There’s no way I haven’t ranted about him once or twice before. Mmm, it has been a really long time ago, I wonder how much I remember. Let’s go waaay back when, at least to the point in time where it was actually possible for me to hold memories.. Back when I was maybe, five-ish? I think that’s about when I can actually remember, at least vaguely. God I was so shy, papa bun would always have people coming and going, especially because I’m pretty sure a big fight just finished or something. I still remember how tightly I was gripping the sleeve of his coat, I must have looked like one of those shy adorable little children that are hiding behind their parents with a little blush. If only I was as cute as I was back then; alas, I’m not cute at all hehe.. Erm, anyway!

While I may not have been the most social, I was definitely a shy little boy, my brother, let’s call him chompers, was super social! He wasn’t scared of anything, would jump up at any opportunity to see anyone new, welcoming them in and pulling them along to where papa bun was. He was definitely too innocent, and definitely a bit rude at times without meaning to be, I mean who wants to get tugged on by a little bunny boy? I mean, I know I’d wanna be tugged on but that’s just because he’s so cute.. But it wasn’t just papa bun we helped! We spent a ton of time with mama bun too! I swear she loved her meadow just as much as she loved us, if she wasn’t feeding us she was outside, making sure everything was in peak condition.

To be fair if it wasn’t for her the meadow wouldn’t be anywhere near as pristine as it is today, partially because of how amazing she was, mixed with how amazing I was at learning~ I know I know, even as a little squirt I was still amazing! You don’t need to praise me (you should definitely be praising me right now, it’s okay.. I’ll wait~) But I do think that was at least our favorite place of playing, as much as it frustrated mama bun. Without a doubt she was a million percent worried we’d stomp on or hurt her precious meadow she spent years perfecting, but how could she say no to the sight of the two cutest bunnies in the world laughing, playing, smiling, and having the time of their lives. She was obsessive, but not cold-hearted!

While playing is when I came up with the nickname chompers too! Whenever my precious brother smiled wide enough, or laughed hard enough, I’d be able to see those adorable little chompers of his, even though they were just baby teeth at the time, those suckers were as sharp as you could ever imagine, like if he ever decided to bite me, there’d be blood for sure, but I adored them. They were so cute. Everything about him was just so perfect, the way he would always let mama bun put a new flower in his hair, the way he adored every gift that was given to him, no matter how silly, I even gave him a silly band-aid as a gift one time and I swear he wore it as if it was a fashion statement. It was always somewhere new on his body, it was almost like a game to see where exactly he was hiding the band-aid today. I think the only place he would never plop it was over his birthmark. He was so proud of our silly little carrots. I always thought it was the most embarrassing thing, but Chompers would just show it off proudly to everyone, whether it be the strangers that came into our house, mama bun for the hundredth time, or a butterfly for the thousandth time!

He loved that butterfly so much I actually gave mama bun the idea to make him a cute little hoodie, that way it could kinda match my sweater that I loved wearing, plus with how much that cutie hurt himself while exploring around the place it wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit of extra protection, I helped come up with the butterfly design on the front since he talked to a silly butterfly all the time, and with him being so clumsy, I thought it would be good to make one sleeve reaaaaally long and the other sleeve short, since he almost always seemed to be off-balanced, which was one of the few things I observed about the adorabun! I was so happy with the gift, both me and mama bun presented to him, I’m not sure I’ve ever smiled as wide seeing his face light up.. Other than maybe one other time, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Just like my observations made note of, it looked like I was right on the sleeves being mismatched, it actually balanced the cute little bun well, he fell over muuuch less after getting his outfit, which matched perfectly with the scarf he was given from mama bun, it was such a cute combo! Everything was going great, and for the next year or two we played every day, I watched papa bun work on his potions, and watched mama bun care for her garden. It wasn’t until the stupid day that he decided to actually follow that damn insect that our days of playing together no longer happened every day. That forest took him from me, it took away my precious brother, my adorable bunny companion, and my source of strength. Without him I was too scared to venture into the vast, seemingly endless meadow. Without him I felt like I was trapped, almost like walls of flowers and blossoms were ever shifting, changing, no matter how many mental maps I produced, how observant I was to little details, it looked like the shadows were moving on their own, I was scared. I needed him, and most of all I missed him.

Oftentimes I would spend countless days and nights, waiting at the end of the lonely meadow, just at the edge of the forest, waiting for the spark of hope, of seeing that bright, snowy, white of his head, illuminate the dark night. Getting excited for every branch that snapped, or noise I heard, hoping that my beloved bunny had finally returned. On the first few times he ventured out to the forest, I would only have to wait a few hours, which while terrifying, were bearable. It only became nearing impossible once he would be gone for days. Mama bun and papa bun not worried about chompers, moreso worried about me, sitting there as still as I was, empty and alone with nothing but my thoughts. They knew he was strong, and they knew he was safe in the forest, as it was their refuge way back when, they’ve told enough stories about the forest for me to know.

I wasn't like him, I was frail, I was weak, I was scared. I didn’t have his toughness, his agility, his strength… When he fell to the ground he just bounced back up, if I fell to the ground I would be stuck there in tears, happily awaiting my bunny brother to pick me up, hug me, and comfort me. But no matter how many tears I shed while waiting for him, he was gone. Gone for hours. Those hours turn to a day. That day turns to days. Hours and hours alone with only my thoughts, and the whispers in the shadows to keep me company. The once terrifying meadow, and the shadows that managed to refuge underneath the blossoms, doing everything in their power to not touch the light, had become comforting to me. Over time I would just memorize all the possibilities the shadows could create, all the different paths, all the different ways the walls could move if they weren’t stagnant, an ever changing map in my mind of scenarios that didn’t even exist.

Eventually, when days turned to weeks, mama bun and papa bun couldn’t just let me sit by the edge of the meadow waiting for my chompers to return, and that’s when it finally settled in, that I would be separated. In my mind, even if I wasn’t with my brother, as long as I sat there, waiting for him, no matter how long it took, I was still with him, no matter how alone I was, I never felt truly alone, the thoughts in my head keeping me company, my thoughts of him. But I was ripped from that safe haven in my mind, taken away from it and forced to face reality, that I couldn’t just sit there waiting for him, I had to do something with my time, and so, a distraction was born.

I finally took advantage of my observations, using the time that I would typically be waiting for my brother into finding a comfy spot in the meadow, filled with all sorts of different flowers, taking delicate notes of them, and finding combinations that I have never observed my father combining. My distraction was knowledge. I was going to learn everything I could, and use my distraction to keep my mind at bay; eventually this distraction will become distracting enough that my brother would have no choice but to come back home, back into my arms, so we can go back to playing together, instead of him leaving me, leaving me all alone with only my thoughts, and the flowers that whisper the knowledge into my ears.

So over the years, me being the dumb bun I was, started doing alchemy! Making all sorts of creations without papa bun or mama bun knowing, and because I didn’t really have anyone to test on, I would just test on myself! These of course would have varying effects, from tasting like strawberries, to giving me a tummy ache, to permanently altering my eyes. Over the next few years, no matter how much scolding papa bun gave, I never stopped testing, I never stopped learning, trying to find new combinations, the combination that would finally bring home my brother that the looming forest held hostage. The deep, dark, brooding forest. I will save him.

The effects continued to vary, some life threatening, others inconveniencing, some maybe even mind molding, with every test it brought me closer to my goal, my body soaking in so many unknown concoctions that I seemed almost like an entirely different bunny. My eyesight had gone poor due to the unusual pupils that I was given, the flower in my hair would nonstop shed petals, sometimes even threatening to suffocate me in my sleep. Not to mention said flower being connected to whatever outfit I was wearing at the time. When I spoke to others I wasn’t the same shy bun I once was, now radiating confidence, innocence, though my smile was never real, it was always fake. No matter how many pleasantries I traded, how many “I’m fine”’s I told, it didn’t stop my aching bones, my burning flesh, or my heart that was in agony. All the pain came to a point when I decided to finally make my distraction be known.

I know chompers, I knew my brother, if there’s anything that’s going to bring him home, it will be me. I just have to put myself in so much danger he has no choice but to come home. A date was set, I knew both the parent buns would be out on their meeting that they have to do every few months when all the community leaders of Ploomland come together to talk about whatever they talked about. The concoction was made, I didn’t know if it was perfect, all I knew is it was something papa bun has been trying to perfect since even leaving his original home. With all my tests, all my observations, I feel like I finally knew the answer to making the ultimate flames, the alchemist’s fire, which cannot be put out, and will eat away until nothing remains. If my brother was going to come back, I had to put myself in true peril, such danger that he couldn’t ignore, I needed him, and I was willing to give everything away to finally have my beloved brother back from the bark gripping him with their ivy stained hands.

I had no hesitation, I had no fear, I felt nothing, It just felt right. I sat down at the steps of our home, our home that had never felt so empty, and poured the bottle on top of me. Despite only being eight, I knew this could possibly be the last time I ever get to see his face, his smile, and it felt worth it, it felt like it was the right answer, all other answers to all the equations racing through my mind, only one permanent solution to an infinite amount of questions radiating through my mind. Of all the possibilities and sequences, this was the only one I saw that would bring him home. And so, I felt warmth. It didn’t hurt, I didn’t feel pain, though I could see the beautiful flames begin to travel, gluttonously chasing up the walls of our home, quickly enveloping everything in a wonderful purple flame, which the further it traveled turned blue, only to turn white near the roof. It was oddly hypnotic, sitting in the middle of the inferno that even hell would be envious of. A heat that felt welcoming, with my eyes closed.

As the time passed, the only thing that felt pain was my ears, hearing the shriek of someone that wasn’t chompers, but mama bun. That pain quickly dissipated and the feeling of a new warmth filled my body, it was arms wrapping around my body tightly. My parents were trying to save me. I don’t know why? Can’t they see I was waiting for my brother? He’s the one who’s supposed to save me.. I already knew you two loved me, but I needed to know, I did know, I wanted to know, I know I knew, but the weeds around my heart planted seeds of doubt. Why wouldn’t he come to see me, why did he spend so long in that disgusting place? Why did he leave me all alone? The seeds planted went against everything I knew. The seeds told me he hated me, that I was weak, that I was boring. The whole purpose of these flames was to burn away these seeds of doubt, and let a new lily blossom, a lily of truth, instead these flames were burning away the people that undoubtedly cared for me. Yet, the flames chose not to burn myself. Why? Did I miss my calculations? Did it not affect the creator? Did all my testing make me impervious to flames? Did it only devour what I cared about? Did I not care for myself?

I know both of them were apologizing, I know papa bun was amazed by what he could never accomplish, and I know mama bun loved the beauty of the flames, which all came to a point in a beautiful blossom, myself situated in the middle, unaffected. I was moved from the house in the burning arms of papa bun, and put towards the safe ground outside. I still had not spoken, though finally my eyes had opened, I’m sure they were as crimson as the flames should have been, darting around, actively searching for the one I needed. Words continued to enter my ears as my parents continued to apologize, they whispered sweet things to my ears, wanting to make sure to hold no regrets or remorse, they assured they lived a long life, and retired a long time ago, and were happy to have given life to two beautiful boys. I was not processing their words, my mind elsewhere. Only the years after hearing them, would my mind finally allow me to process and accept them.

Though, that beautiful boy finally came sprinting in, eyes wide. I knew it. I knew he would come, I knew he loved me, I know he cares, I knew he would come to save me. And finally, the seeds had burned away, finally letting me give a real smile, no more falsities, a true, ear to ear, grin, possibly the brightest smile I could ever give. Finally words reached my ears. “Why?” I will never forget that voice, as sweet as strawberries to my ears. I couldn’t answer with my smile too wide, my heart too happy. I wanted to answer, I wanted to tell him it was all for him, I wanted him home, I wanted to finally be back with him, I wanted things to go back to normal, I was jealous of those horrid woods, I wanted my brother back. It was all for the cutest brother ever~

But yeah, that’s essentially all the family stories I got for ya! I would love to stay and try to cook up some more stories for you, enjoy a nice vacation in memory lane, but I can already hear customers starting to come in, so I need to get to work. Thanks for listening though! Mwaah!