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He knows it’s not going to be a good day the moment his eyes open. Wei Wuxian’s rouse from sleep is pitiful and cumbersome with the weight of a bad night’s rest. The bed he’s resting on his small, and his limbs smack into the wall beside it as they search for a source of warmth that usually came in the form of a body named Lan Zhan.
Belatedly, Wei Wuxian becomes a little disappointed that his boyfriend isn’t here to wake up with him—and realizes that it’s one of those mornings where their schedules don’t line up, meaning that Lan Zhan isn’t here to comfort him with back rubs or soft pets to his ears.
Said bunny ears droop down petulantly while Wei Wuxian whines and flails around, much like a toddler does during a tantrum. He immediately regrets it when the movement causes his head to move, reminding him of the ache that pounds his skull. He’s feeling particularly bad and wants to be coddled.
Wei Wuxian’s nose twitches with the annoying itch to sneeze, but it never comes. His throat is parched, and when he swallows, it provides more pain than relief. Groaning, he wishes that his jiejie were here with him. Her soup feels like the only thing that cured him well enough, some days, and he’s really craving it right now.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yanli is nowhere near Wei Wuxian’s college—she’s not even in the same city. Wei Wuxian’s adopted sister is somewhere in Lanling, with that peacock husband of hers and their son. His brows furrow at the thought. He and Jiang Cheng have never understood how and why those two got together, but it makes her happy, so they can’t complain.
There’s a rustle to the side of the room when Wei Wuxian shifts again.
On a table pushed against the opposite wall, is a humongous rabbit cage with two small bunnies inside. He smiles at the sight of them, reminded how the situation had first been when he had gotten them—embarrassing.
In his head, they are he and Lan Zhan’s children—they’re raising them together, after all! They’ve yet to give the pair names, but the sentiment is still the same. Slowly, Wei Wuxian moves out of bed to shush and play with the rabbits. They’re excitable, and usually, he would be just as energized, but he’s too lethargic to match their energy today. Plus, the noise might alert the other students in the dorm to their presence.
Lan Zhan had broken a rule for him. (Okay, it’s probably more than just one.)
Technically, they aren’t supposed to have pets of any kind in the dormitories. But Lan Zhan wouldn’t allow him to give them away or take them anywhere else after he had gotten them, so now here they are. Wei Wuxian had been surprised, because Lan Zhan is a local, and always followed the rules of his city and school. He thinks it’s funny now because the first thing Lan Zhan had said when he saw the bunnies were: “Pets are not allowed in the Cloud Recesses.”
His heart warms at the thought. Wei Wuxian is brimming with so, so much love for his boyfriend, and he misses him badly, even though they had just seen each other last night. (Meaning, Wei Wuxian had used him as a pillow and hugged him asleep.)
“Little rabbit, don’t you miss your other Baba? Where did he go?” Wei Wuxian mutters into its fur. His voice is rough, and he really regrets speaking, but the animals are a source of comfort, and comfort he would take.
The rest of the morning is uneventful. Wei Wuxian has no lectures or labs to worry about today, as lucky, or unlucky as it is. He probably still would go to class anyway, despite his small cold. He’s paying for them out of pocket, after all.
He feeds the rabbits and grooms them. Wei Wuxian skips breakfast, mostly because he doesn’t want to get up to walk to the eating area, and because his appetite is nonexistent, and instead focuses on his little friends. He tries his best to ignore his own symptoms and grooming. There’re no painkillers or anything to help with his headache or throat, and Lan Zhan won’t be home until late afternoon, so he’s just going to have to tough it out until his boyfriend can come and rescue him.
Usually, he would text and complain, but he just doesn’t feel like it today. He knows Lan Zhan has an important test and a few lectures as well and won’t get the chance to respond anyway. That doesn’t mean he can’t be upset about it, though.
The hours pass, and he can’t find it in himself to doze with the pain in his head, and the ache that’s now settling into his bones. He feels hot, sweaty, and his stomach has begun to cramp up. Wei Wuxian feels absolutely miserable by the time noon swings around. Maybe he could ask someone next door for medicine…
His phone buzzes with social media notifications, and he isn’t ashamed to admit that it distracts him. If he just squints at the screen and nothing else, it’s almost like there’s nothing even hurting him!
Wei Wuxian spends the next few hours like this—on the floor with his bunnies, body curled, and hair splayed out beneath him. The bed is right there, yeah, but does he really feel like getting back up on it? (The answer is yes, but he doesn’t think he can get up.)
Eventually, the floor becomes cold. Well, it feels hot, but it also feels cold. He’s shivering with chills, but there’s sweat matting his hair. He thinks, maybe, that he may have a fever.
Wei Wuxian can’t remember the last time he’s gotten this sick. Most of his early childhood memories are muddled, and the time he had spent on the streets is nonexistent in his brain. The earliest memory, perhaps, is the warmth of jiejie’s arms as she had taken him in, or the tightness of Jiang Fengmian hold when he had first awoken in the Jiang household.
It’s no better time like the present for Wei Wuxian to start reminiscing of the past, feeling nostalgic and vulnerable. The bunnies next to him feel his mood and don’t run around like they normally do, which makes him feel better and worse at the same time. If they’re muted like this, then he doesn’t have to waste energy tending to them—but because of that, his mind wanders.
Soon enough, Wei Wuxian thinks about what life used to be like before. His time abandoned on the streets is only met with the feeling of overbearing frost, indescribable hunger, and terrible fear. He is so grateful to the Jiangs for providing him a home, no matter if it was because of pity for his poor rabbit spirit, or because of old ties that Jiang Fengmian had to his biological parents.
Sometimes Yu Ziyuan’s words echo through his head, reminding him to try and be productive. He considers studying or cleaning up the house, but Wei Wuxian can’t find it in himself to get up. He can’t find it in himself to move. The bunnies have gone silent, now napping, and despite the dull pain of his body, Wei Wuxian is exhausted…
Lan Wangji finds him like this, maybe an hour or two later, on the floor. It’s closer to the evening than it is afternoon, and the campus streetlamps are the only light in the room. The bunnies looked like they had been snuggling with their companion, but they stir at the sound of Lan Wangji’s footsteps and at the sound of the door opening.
His face softens at the sight of his boyfriend, glamour-less and open. It was only when Wei Wuxian is around people that he trusts that he would show his rabbit spirit. Lan Wangji is glad to be one of those people, knowing how important it is.
Yet, seeing the other man sprawled out in a heap on the floor causes worry to gnaw at him. Lan Wangji’s phone shows him that his boyfriend’s messages had been uncharacteristically sparse. Lan Wangji would always make the effort to respond, even if he were busy.
“Wei Ying?” he tries, squatting down beside the body.
“Mmm, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying responds, barely lucid. Even in sleep, he will gravitate to Lan Wangji like a moth to a flame. Lan Wangji’s ears burn red at the cuteness of Wei Ying’s sleep-addled movements, hands patting around to take Lan Wangji’s hand in his.
But before Lan Wangji can bask in the glory of witnessing Wei Ying like this, he nearly flinches at the temperature of Wei Ying’s sweaty hand. Panicked, Lan Wangji presses the back of his to his boyfriend’s forehead.
He’s burning up, hotter than Lan Wangji has ever felt before.
If Wei Ying were a regular human, then maybe Lan Wangji wouldn’t be so panicked. But Wei Ying is part rabbit, and—is his biology different? Can he take usual fever-reducers and painkillers? After sharing a dorm with the other man for so long, Lan Wangji is ashamed to admit that he doesn’t know.
“Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji tries to wake him, but Wei Ying won’t ever get up unless he really wants to, even in the mornings when they lay in bed together, on Lan Wangji’s tiny dormitory cot.
At the very least, Lan Wangji can bring him to lie on the bed. Wei Ying’s body looks like it’s been laying on the floor for a long period of time like he had sat down and never got back up. There isn’t even a blanket on him, despite the bed being a few feet away.
Mindful of the bunnies, Lan Wangji lifts Wei Ying into his arms and tucks him into the bed. He grabs a few extra blankets to layer on top, and soon the top of Wei Ying’s head is just barely visible from the mountain of blankets that’s on the bed, little ears poking out and twitching.
Lan Wangji does not coo. No. He doesn’t.
Wei Ying doesn’t make much of a sound, which is worrying. The bunnies are also getting a little restless, so Lan Wangji gently coaxes them back into their cage with a bit of food and head pats. He has such a soft spot for these guys. He and Wei Ying have been bouncing back names against each other, and they can’t really decide which ones sound better. None of them are good at naming.
Unsure of what to do, Lan Wangji picks up Wei Ying’s discarded phone and dials Jiang Wanyin in another room. It picks up at the first ring, which Lan Wangji is grateful for, but he kind of regrets it when he’s met with:
“The hell do you want? Fuck off!” He’s used to the siblings’ profanity-laced antics, but it’s never been so directly aimed at him like this.
“Excuse me,” Lan Wangji replies icily.
“Oh, it’s you. What do you want, Lan Wangji?”
“Wei Ying is…sick…”
“Okay, and?”
“Mn.”
He can’t make himself elaborate anymore, but he hopes that his message of I can’t do anything is somehow making it across to Jiang Wanyin.
There’s a chuckle heard over the line. “Lan Wangji. Are you…panicking? Just give him some medicine, and he’ll be fine. Usually, though, he’d be whining over—you know what? I’ll send her over. Keep the door unlocked tonight so my sister can come and make him that fucking soup that he likes!”
“Okay,” Lan Wangji says, suddenly stiff. He’s about to tack on a quick thank you as well, but Jiang Wanyin hangs up before he can.
Jiang Yanli is coming to see him. Well, no, she’s coming to help Wei Ying, but because of that, she’ll also see Lan Wangji and their obvious relationship.
Lan Wangji has already heard so much about the famous Jiang sibling. Her level-headed temperament and her benevolent aura sometimes seem to be the only things that both Wei Ying and his brother manage to agree on. Wei Ying holds Jiang Yanli (and therefore her opinion) in high regard, so of course, Jiang Yanli had been the first that Wei Ying had informed of their relationship (Jiang Wanyin doesn’t count, apparently, since he had been present for the confession).
He thinks that he is right to be nervous about their first meeting, as unofficial as it is. Leave it to the Jiangs to forgo the formalities that Lan Wangji would usually come to expect from a higher-class family, even though Wei Ying will occasionally claim that he isn’t really apart of it (much to Jiang Wanyin’s disagreement).
After making sure that the front door is unlocked, returning to the bedroom is an easy feat, with the way Wei Ying is cutely snuggled up in the layers of blankets. Before they started dating, the two of them slept in the separate bedrooms that the dorm provided—but now that they are dating, Wei Ying never passes up the opportunity to be cuddled up next to his boyfriend. There wasn’t really a discussion about which bedroom they would use, but they had placed the rabbits in Lan Wangji’s bedroom, and so that had been that.
Lan Wangji doesn’t take too long to stare adoringly at Wei Ying when he sees him. Instead, he neatly and quietly goes through his nighttime routine before sliding under the covers and slipping his body next to the other. It’s a tight fit, with the bed technically being made for just one person, but Wei Ying instantly shifts to accommodate.
His boyfriend’s body is still hot with fever, but it feels a little better now that Wei Ying is not being subjected to the coldness of the floor. Wei Ying’s head rests on the crook between Lan Wangji’s arm and his torso, and their legs are comfortably tangled together. The rabbits have gone still in their cage, and Lan Wangji is lulled to sleep by the streetlight and the sound of Wei Ying’s breathing. It’s past nine, after all.
The campus is quiet when Jiang Yanli gets there. The drive from Lanling to Gusu is not too far, but the time is just enough to be unfavorable that it isn’t convenient to make frequent trips. Her two brothers attend the local university, and they have dinner together at her husband’s house every month or so, but she would still always miss them whenever they are away.
Sometimes, Jiang Yanli would think back to the time when she had been in high school, and her brothers were still boyish and spoiled. She had always enjoyed indulging them to their hearts' content, and together in Yunmeng, the trio had been inseparable. However, now that both a-Cheng and a-Xian are busied by university life, and she herself with her husband and son, the distance between their family has never felt so great.
Still, if any one of her siblings are to ask anything of her, be it a small or big favor, Jiang Yanli would always try her best to accommodate. She knows the hardships that each of her siblings face and realizes that sometimes she is the only one they can look to for help. So, when she received a late-night text from her youngest brother, claiming that Wei Wuxian is sick and needy and that, maybe, they should get together again, Jiang Yanli was already up and packing for an early morning trip.
It was far too late for her to go out then, so she had just gone to the store to get extra groceries for her brother that night and rested up until the morning. She woke before the sun rose and made the trip to Gusu from Lanling alone.
Her husband, Jin Zixuan, stays behind—he’s the love of her life, yes, but she would rather not have a fight between him and her siblings if she could avoid it. Besides, he and their son could use the free time to do some father-son bonding. She had pecked him on the lips with a reminder to take pictures of said bonding before driving off.
The backseat of her car was filled with extra groceries and ingredients. A-Cheng had mentioned that a-Xian is sick, so that’s really just code for: “Come make us your special fucking soup, jiejie! We miss you!” She giggles at the thought. The youngest is really so crass with his words, but that really doesn’t hide any of his wants all that well.
Technically, she’s not really allowed to visit the student dorms past curfew—since it’s not even 5AM when she arrives. But because it’s Gusu, the criminals are practically nonexistent—the most crime there could ever possibly be here is jaywalking. So, her entry into a-Xian’s dorm goes relatively unnoticed by anyone who would care enough to cite her.
Her plan is to prepare the soup before a-Xian wakes up, which shouldn’t be hard. There’s rarely an occasion that he would be up before 9AM. And, if he really is sick, then she has some medicine in one of the grocery bags that she carries. If a-Cheng isn’t already there, then she’d call him over so they can enjoy breakfast.
She’s aware that a-Xian has a roommate by the name of Lan Wangji, and though she’s been here countless times over the past couple of years, their paths have never crossed. Despite it being still early, she’s sure that they will have the chance to meet now. Jiang Yanli’s time spent with a-Xian mostly revolved around the topic of Lan Zhan-this and Lan Zhan-that, and then when they started dating, it’s become my boyfriend here, and my boyfriend there. It’s quite amusing to hear over the dinner table—especially when a-Cheng’s jealousy and annoyance show through.
Her knock at their door is unanswered, which is to be expected. She would be worrying if anyone actually answered this early. It’s unlocked, so she slides inside as quietly as she can, minding the grocery bags, and nearly trips over the shoes at the front of the door with how dark it is. She doesn’t spot her youngest brother’s shoes, so she shoots him a text to come over whenever he’s ready while unpacking the groceries.
He answers quickly, and, satisfied, Jiang Yanli gently opens the door to a-Xian’s bedroom to check up on him. Yet, the bedroom is empty, and the sheets on the cot are uncharacteristically made. He must be in the other bedroom—if she listens very hard, she can hear the sounds of light snoring on the other side of the wall.
Smiling to herself, Jiang Yanli heads back into the kitchen to prepare the meal. The soup she cooks is initially bland, which is not how she usually does it, but she knows that the Gusu diet is generally very dull compared to Yunmeng’s—and Lan Wangji especially would probably like it better that way. Perhaps the only thing that a-Xian would complain about is Lan Wangji’s sensitive tastebuds.
By the time a-Cheng gets here, the soup is done. A-Xian and Lan Wangji still aren’t awake, despite it being 6AM, but she’s hoping the smell of her cooking would coax them out soon.
“Jiejie!” Her brother greets her enthusiastically, going in for a hug. She pinches his cheeks, and they catch up on what’s happened in their lives over the break. Mostly, a-Cheng complains about his brother’s antics, and what he and Huaisang have been up to.
“It’s like every day there’s something new about Lan Wangji that I never needed to know,” he whines.
Jiang Yanli lets him lament all his woes and listens attentively, but it just sounds a bit like he’s envious of his brother’s newfound requited love. (Though, it’s probably been requited for a long time before they even got together…)
“I’m happy for him, no shit, but like…he needs to shut up sometimes! I do not want to hear about how his boyfriend’s cheeks are so round and how attractive his backside apparently is.”
“I’m sure he’s just trying to share his happiness, a-Cheng. A-Xian has always liked Lan Wangji, after all.”
“Yeah, and they wouldn’t have even gotten together if not for me,” he scoffs.
When Wei Wuxian wakes up, he feels unbearably hot. His whole torso feels sticky with sweat, and there’s an even more present warmth beneath him. A large hand runs up and down the entirety of his backside, soothing despite the ever-present heat. Lan Zhan.
Wei Wuxian has two limbs thrown across his boyfriend, with his head resting somewhere else on top of him. The steady rhythm of Lan Zhan’s breathing nearly lulls him back to sleep, but he resists it in favor of wanting to escape the stifling temperature of his skin.
“Lan Zhan,” he whines, voice nasally and so unbearably exhausted. His eyes aren’t even open yet, and it takes an embarrassingly long time to realize his senses again. Suspiciously, he thinks he can smell the enticing aroma of his jiejie’s famous soup coming from the eating area, but he chalks it up to his fever-haze.
“Mn,” the rumble of Lan Zhan’s voice is like a deep instrument that echoes in the room. “I am here.”
The words strike a heavy arrow of love through Wei Wuxian’s heart, making his breathing hitch and his words high. The rabbit ears on his head spring up and down, twitching in response to his emotions. “Lan Zhan! Warn me before you say things like that—I can’t take it!”
“Your sister is here,” he says in lieu of a response, “She has prepared breakfast for us, it seems.”
Wei Wuxian looks up, uncaring of his sickly appearance. He narrowly misses bumping the top of his head against Lan Zhan’s chin in his haste. “Jiejie is here?! Why didn’t you start with that?!”
The tips of Lan Zhan’s ears are tinted pink, and Wei Wuxian finds it endearingly cute. “Lan Zhan! Don’t tell me…are you…nervous!?”
His boyfriend doesn’t meet his eyes, and the redness of his ears also starts to travel down his neck. Wei Wuxian has hit the nail on the head—he’s proud of himself for being able to read his boyfriend so well. “Aw! Lan Zhan, don’t be nervous. My sister is the nicest person in the whole world! You’ll love her.”
Wei Wuxian gives one of his blinding smiles, minding his morning breath, but starts to cough. Hacking and wheezing, he pushes himself off and rolls over. “Ugh, Lan Zhan! Save me, I’m dying!”
“Come out and die outside, where jiejie can see you!” Jiang Cheng’s voice hollers through the wall. “Soup’s been ready for an hour already!”
“Aw, even my dear a-Cheng is here!” Wei Wuxian cackles, voice still rough. He wheezes loudly, and Lan Zhan rises to soothe him. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, Lan Zhan—I just have a cold.”
His boyfriend gives him a solid deadpan stare. “I found you passed out on the floor last night. It is not just a cold.”
“Nonono! I feel way better, I swear!” Wei Wuxian ignores the way his heart pounds in his chest at the prospect of Lan Zhan carrying him to bed.
“Wei Ying should do what he needs to feel better because he is not yet well.”
“Hmmph, fine. What I need to feel better is jiejie’s soup!”
Wei Wuxian is already out of bed, tugging at Lan Zhan’s wrist. They stumble out of the room together, minding the rabbits (it seems Lan Zhan has already fed them) and into the eating area.
Jiang Cheng stands behind the island counter, wrinkling his nose. And next to him is the goddess that is Jiang Yanli. Wei Wuxian leaves the comfort of being nearby Lan Zhan to heave himself into his sister’s loving arms with a yell.
“Hey! Get your hands off of her before you get her sick!” Jiang Cheng yells.
Wei Wuxian pouts but croons at the feeling of Jiang Yanli patting his head and rubbing his ears gently. “I won’t get her sick! Shut up, Jiang Cheng!”
“A-Xian, why don’t you freshen up so we can eat?”
“Okay, okay…”
Minutes later, the four of them are seated at the table meant for eating, with Wei Wuxian next to Lan Zhan and across from his siblings. To Wei Wuxian, jiejie’s lotus and pork rib soup is the most heavenly thing on earth, and he nearly moans at the taste flooding down his tongue.
“So good…”
Despite his earlier attitude, Jiang Cheng looks to have similar feelings about the soup. The two of them empty half their bowls so quick, before Lan Zhan even takes the first spoon to his mouth.
“Lan Zhan, you have to try this. I know you don’t like foods that aren’t super bland…but…”
“I didn’t spice the soup as I usually do,” Jiang Yanli provides, “So, I hope it is to your liking. There is no meat in your bowl since I prepared it separately.”
Lan Zhan lifts the spoon to his lips with perfect posture. How he manages to do it while looking so handsome escapes Wei Wuxian. Even Jiang Cheng pauses to glare at Lan Zhan, ready to pounce if he even shows a little disliking to the dish.
Wei Wuxian watches the bob of his throat as Lan Zhan swallows. He sees the way his eyebrows go up slightly, and how his eyelids flutter in happiness. Before Wei Wuxian can scream, Lan Zhan says: “Mn. Very good.”
“He likes it!” Wei Wuxian laughs, giddy. He knows that Lan Zhan isn't one to praise excessively. Jiang Cheng nods stiffly but is obviously satisfied, and Jiang Yanli beams.
The meal is filled with mindless chatter, and Wei Wuxian is delighted to see that Lan Zhan gets along so well with his sister. He can tell that his boyfriend had been nervous at first, but as expected, he warms up nicely. Wei Wuxian is happy to see that Jiang Yanli approves of Lan Zhan as well, much to Jiang Cheng’s faked displeasure.
An hour later, Wei Wuxian feels a thousand times better. He’s taken some medicine and is relaxed beyond relaxed. The heat from the meal has cleared most of his sinuses, and his breathing is less wheezy. He still feels hot, but it will pass.
And then, his stomach cramps.
“Jiejie…! My stomach hurts…” He whines immediately. They’re all on the couch now—which somehow snugly fits the four of them—though Wei Wuxian is basically in Lan Zhan’s lap at this point.
“You ate too fast, a-Xian.”
“Then why doesn’t Jiang Cheng have an issue?!”
“Because I am superior, obviously,” Jiang Cheng snarks, diving for the remote.
Wei Wuxian ignores him and pouts. Then he feels a weight on his tummy. Lan Zhan’s hand is so big as it starts rubbing soothingly at Wei Wuxian’s abdomen. Wei Wuxian doesn’t believe it helps all too much, but he loves the feeling of it. Sighing deeply, he snuggles closer to Lan Zhan (ignoring Jiang Cheng’s gags) and kisses his cheek.
“You are so good to me, Lan Zhan…”
He misses the way his siblings exchange knowing looks at each other, and the way his boyfriend’s ears turn red at the sight of it. Wei Wuxian is perfectly content and at peace with his siblings and boyfriend all nearby.