Wei Wuxian falls to his knees at the rabbit meadow, panting hard. And then since he’s already halfway there anyway, collapses all the way onto his side.
His little passenger tumbles to the grass, still giggling. “Again, Wei-gege! Let’s go again!”
Little Nie Huaisang looks rather dishevelled from their journey, hair and robes mussed out of their careful styling. But Wei Wuxian can’t help but prefer him this way, laughing freely with a look of joy on his face, than the serious, wary expression that he had worn when they had first met. A child shouldn’t be so serious and careful in the presence of a friendly face.
And Nie-xiong is really just too adorable at this age! That tiny button nose! Those chubby cheeks! Those wide dark eyes that seem to suck you in as they gaze. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but to needle him a bit, just to see how he’d react.
He didn’t exactly mean to make the child cry earlier at the Jingshi, but those eyes turned watery were also so adorable! How anyone around him could resist bullying him was a wonder.
(Though now that Wei Wuxian thinks about it, it was probably a case of Nie Huaisang’s very big and very intimidating older brother threatening anyone who would ever think to do so.)
Wei Wuxian takes a glance at the child, now laying flat on his back in the grass, and rolls over onto his knees.
“Wait right here, okay, A-Sang?”
Nie Huaisang hums, seemingly content to watch the clouds for a bit while catching his breath.
The rabbits had scattered when they came stumbling into the meadow, but these are the ones Lan Zhan raised and goes to see regularly. Within a few moments of tracking, Wei Wuxian manages to capture a couple of the younger ones.
Then he turns right around, walking back to the prone child, and drops both of them into his lap.
Nie Huaisang makes a startled sound. “What-”
“Some bunny friends for the baby bunny!” Wei Wuxian grins.
Nie Huaisang blushes and avoids his gaze. “I’m not a baby… or a bunny,” he says, cheeks puffed up.
“So you don’t want to spend time with Bunny-gongzi and Rabbit-guniang?” Wei Wuxian picks up both rabbits and holds them up next to his own face as he pouts. “Then I guess it’ll be rabbit stew for dinner tonight.”
“No!” Nie Huiasang cries, sitting up. He reaches for the rabbits with both arms and tucks them into his chest when Wei Wuxian relinquishes them while hiding a smile. “Don’t be mean!”
Wei Wuxian laughs, “Alright then,” and sets off back to the bushes.
“Wait, where are you going?” says Nie Huaisang behind him.
“Well, if Bunny-gongzi and Rabbit-guniang won’t be stew tonight, I’ll have to find some other ones then, won’t I?”
“Nooo!”
They spend a long time chasing each other around amongst the shrubs, Wei Wuxian hunting down a rabbit, then Nie Huaisang hunting him down to rescue it and set it free. Somehow, it ends with Wei Wuxian burying the little boy in a pile of squirming bunnies and laughing himself hoarse as the child struggles to free himself from the fluff.
Eventually though, Wei Wuxian reaches in to lift him out, and they sit together in the quiet meadow with a rabbit each.
“Wei-gege… You’re not going to be cooking the rabbits are you?”
Wei Wuxian snickers. “No, no, Lan Zhan would be very sad if I did that. These rabbits are his precious friends.”
Nie Huaisang sighs in relief, but his expression quickly turns puzzled. “A-Zhan said that you’re not allowed to have pets in Cloud Recesses.”
“That’s right!” says Wei Wuxian. “But the rabbits aren’t pets, remember?”
Nie Huaisang’s clever eyes light up. “Oh,” he gasps, then laughs. “If they’re A-Zhan’s friends then they’re guests.”
“Exactly! Not pets.”
The boy giggles a bit more. “A-Zhan is very spoiled,” he says, patting the rabbit in his lap carefully. “Do the rabbits stay here all the time?”
Wei Wuxian hums. “When it gets dark they go to their burrows to sleep, but most of the time they like to come out here since they know it’s safe.”
“Oh.” Nie Huaisang lowers his gaze to his hands. “Wei-gege, did you know? My da-ge said that I’d be going to Cloud Recesses to study soon.”
“Really?” says Wei Wuxian, tone carefully neutral. “That’s rather early.”
Nie Huaisang nods. “It’s safer than the Unclean Realm, since it’s far. Further away from the Wen territories.”
The child’s eyes are shadowed, his shoulders drooping slightly. Wei Wuxian watches him exist in the meadow, a wonder and an aberration to the one-way flow of time, and thinks about the Nie-xiong he had known as a teenager, the way that he had on some days just gazed at the northern horizon for hours as the sun set.
“It is very far,” says Wei Wuxian. He fixes his gaze on the rabbit in his lap. “It’s scary to be so far away from home though, isn’t it?”
He hears Nie Huaisang inhale roughly beside him before giving a jerky nod. “It is.” The child’s voice trembles, a hint of the fear and anxiety that he’d hidden so well underneath that veneer of politeness finally coming to the surface. “But… But A-Zhan is here, even if he’s different. And Da-ge will be coming to get me soon, like he promised. So- so I can wait and paint with A-Zhan, or if he doesn’t want me around anymore I can go- go see Xichen-ge and grind his ink for him. I’m good at that. And then Da-ge will come and we’ll go home to-together.”
Wei Wuxian puts his rabbit back onto the grass and it hops away to join the rest of its family.
“My Da-ge is big and really strong. You’ll see, Wei-gege. He can fight off ten- no, a hundred Wen cultivators at once with his saber. And he can fly really fast, so no one can catch him. He’s so fast it-it’d be impossible. You’ll see when he comes, Wei-gege. He and Xichen-ge can race and you’ll see.”
Wei Wuxian watches him as he fights to keep his composure, those little shoulders trembling slightly. Nie Huaisang had always been perceptive, especially when it comes to what people would rather hide from him. But Wei Wuxian had hoped that just this one time he wouldn't be so insightful, to spare him the pain at the very least.
“Da-ge will- Da-ge will-” Nie Huaisang chokes on a sudden sob. He coughs, swallowing it down and biting down on his lower lip. The boy’s voice lowers into a bare whisper, as if he was scared of being heard. “Da-ge won’t be here, will he.”
“No, A-Sang,” says Wei Wuxian, equally quiet. “He won’t.”
Nie Huaisang lets out one loud cry, a sound so full of pain that the rabbit in his lap flinches. Wei Wuxian can see him trying his hardest to stifle it, the sound cutting off when the boy’s tiny hands come up to cover his mouth. Nie Huaisang sits there on the grass, thin shoulders shaking as he tries to even out his breaths, and Wei Wuxian can’t bear to leave him be, trembling on the ground in a place far from home. He takes a hold of the child and draws him into his arms.
“Oh, little bunny. I’m here, it’s okay.” He tucks the boy’s head under his chin, enfolding him fully to shield him from the world for a little while. “It’s okay. Your Wei-gege has you. Oh darling,” he says as the boy bites back a wail. “It’s okay, let it out.”
His eyes catch some movement on the edge of the clearing and he sees Lan Zhan watching them. Wei Wuxian smiles at him sadly, and he nods, quietly moving to sit beside him. Wei Wuxian has to sigh at that. So wonderful this husband of his is. He takes the offer of comfort and leans in against Lan Zhan’s side.
The boy in his arms peeks his head out at the movement, blinking the tears out of his eyes. They quickly fill again when he spots Lan Zhan, the child burrowing his face back into Wei Wuxian’s robes. But slowly, a hesitant little hand creeps out towards Hanguang-Jun, palm up.
Lan Zhan takes it and squeezes gently, stroking his thumb over the back. “A-Sang.”
“What- What am I going to do now, A-Zhan? Where do I- Who’s going to-”
“A-Sang does not need to worry. I will take care of him for as long as you need caring.”
“Don’t lie to me. Stop- stop lying to me,” Nie Huaisang sniffles, scrubbing at his face with his fists. “Da-ge is the one that loves me the most. If he’s- If he’s- I won’t be a burden, not to anyone. I refuse.”
“Xiao Nie, Nie-xiong, you aren’t,” Wei Wuxian finds himself saying. He catches Nie Huaisang’s hands and ducks his head to look the child in the eyes. “Never ever. It would be an honour, you understand? An honour to have you be part of our lives.”
“But I’m- my spiritual roots are weak, and I’m- I’m not-” Nie Huaisang wilts. “I’m not very smart. It takes me so long to learn all the formations and stratagems. A-Zhan knows. A-Zhan-” he turns, wide watery eyes shifting to Wei Wuxian’s husband. “A-Zhan, you know. I’m not ever going to be a good cultivator, and that’s okay because Da- Da-ge promised that he’d do the saber stuff as long as I do the poetry, and painting, and letter writing things for him. But- But- A-Zhan you don’t need me to do that for you. You’re good. And I’m- I’m-”
Lan Zhan reaches out with both hands to hold Nie Huaisang’s face gently. “A-Sang is good. He is not a burden. Nie Huaisang sat with this one when this one’s mother died. Nie Huaisang was the first person to say that he enjoys this one’s company. Nie Huaisang… “ Lan Zhan takes a deep breath. “Nie Huaisang gave this one a second chance with his husband. Wangji in return has been a poor friend.”
Nie Huaisang looks at him. “But A-Zhan, that’s not- I didn’t do those things. I’m- I’m nine.”
“Yes,” Lan Zhan nods. “And you need the help of a friend. I am a friend.”
“Me too,” Wei Wuxian chimes in. “Wei-gege is your friend too! We’re going to get along so well, A-Sang!”
He moves to hug Nie Huaisang close again, but Lan Zhan pulls the boy out of Wei Wuxian’s lap and into his own arms.
“Wei Ying made A-Sang cry,” says his husband. “A-Sang is mine now.”
“What?” Wei Wuxian protests. “Hey! Who decided that?”
“Wangji decided. A-Sang likes A-Zhan better.”
“He doesn’t. When did he say that?”
“It is obvious.”
“To who?!”
“To everyone.”
“No, ask Rabbit-guniang and Bunny-gongzi! Or was it Rabbit-gongzi and Bunny-guniang? They know that I’m the favourite.”
“Impossible. Wangji is.”
Nie Huaisang gives a wet sounding giggle, fist scrubbing at an eye. “A-Zhan isn’t my favourite. My favourite is Xichen-gege.”
“Nie Huaisang,” Wei Wuxian gasps. “How could you betray us this way! To forsake our love… and for what? A pretty smile? My smile is pretty too!”
“Xichen-gege isn’t just pretty,” says Nie Huaisang. “He’s beautiful. And he’s good at painting.”
Wei Wuxian splutters. “Lan Zhan is more beautiful.”
“And good at painting. A-Sang said.” Lan Zhan tilts his head. “Or was he lying?”
“Yeah, A-Sang,” Wei Wuxian snickers. “Were you lying when you said Lan Zhan’s art was good? Are you a liar?”
“I’m not!” Nie Huaisang scowls. “If anyone’s a liar here it’s you!”
“Says who?”
“Says me!”
“Oh yeah?” Wei Wuxian readies his trump card. Guaranteed success against a bratty shidi or shimei. “Prove it,” he says, lifting his chin.
“I- I-” Nie Huaisang flounders. “A-Zhaaaan. He’s- Hmph!“
His husband nods gravely. “A-Sang is right. Hmph.”
“Lan Zhan you traitor!”
Nie Huaisang laughs and Wei Wuxian basks in the warmth of it, reaching out to wipe off the tear tracks on the boy's cheeks with his sleeve.
He’s not sure what has Nie Huaisang locked into this form, what reason anyone or anything could have for doing this. But as he exchanges a look with his husband he is sure of one thing. Nie Huaisang will be taken care of and loved, here with the two of them, for as long as he needs.