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0.
The neighbourhood of Yiling is, by all accounts, humble. Nestled at the foot of a mountain in the countryside, many describe the small town as having its own quiet charm, providing some reprieve from the busy pace of life in bustling cities. The architecture is old but sturdy, with worn timber beams holding the thick roofs steady. The roads are swept daily but are always lightly dusted with the grains of soil blown in by the mountain winds, from the farms just a short distance away.
There was once a time when Yiling was thought to be a cursed town, a place for the elderly to slowly walk towards their deaths. But with enough publicity and incentives from the government, people eager for a new start to life began to make their way over. The community has grown a little since, but remains small enough that everyone knows of each other, even if words have never been exchanged in person.
Apart from Lan Wangji, that is.
But Lan Wangji has never been one to listen to town gossip – if there are questions or comments being whispered amongst the residents of the town to him moving in, he has not heard it. They are not the reason why he is here, after all.
Instead, he studies the streets of Yiling that he now wanders, taking in the golden tinge of the buildings from the setting sun. After those hours of travel and unpacking, the walk is easily a welcome reprieve. For a small town, Yiling has not much to want for – there is a decently-sized grocery store in the centre, a clinic nestled a short walk away, and just down the corner…
Lan Wangji pauses. The store is small and nondescript, except for the large blue sign hanging from the top of the door. In the centre, a large faceless rabbit has been painted onto it, and below that reads, ‘welcome♡’ in a messy but endearing script.
His breath catches in his throat. Could it be?
Were it any other person, perhaps they would have probably gone in without any further hesitation. But for all that Lan Wangji has been drawn to this place, has been compelled to come here, he cannot bring himself to do more than rest his hand on the door handle. So much runs through his mind, years of conflict, pain, longing… It is more than enough to paralyse him.
Lan Wangji was never taught to believe in fate. Life is meant to be shaped by decisions and hard work, and random chance. Now, he is not so sure. If he were to believe in it, that would mean acknowledging that there was truly an otherworldly force acting on the world which has brought meaning and light to his life, only to rip it away. If he were to believe in it, then maybe he is not meant to be here, chasing the smallest of whispers and hunches across the country, and to leave things be. And that would be impossible.
But maybe it is fate when the door opens from the other side, revealing a face Lan Wangji was not sure he would see again.
“Lan Zhan?” the man in front of him says, a bewildered expression on his face. He dons a large work apron over a shirt and worn jeans, hair pulled back haphazardly in a red headband. It is longer than he remembers, and the man himself looks leaner too, but it is a face he would never forget. “No way, is it really you?”
Hearing that voice again cracks open something deep inside Lan Wangji. “Wei Ying,” is all he manages.
A smile blooms on Wei Wuxian’s face, something once so familiar that is almost blinding to look at. He takes a step back and gestures inside with a wide sweep of his hands.
“Come in! We have so much to catch up on!”
1.
Wei Wuxian owns a pet store.
Of all the things that Lan Wangji was expecting – and he has spent a lot of time thinking about Wei Wuxian – he was not expecting that.
“Chenqing is not a pet store,” Wei Wuxian had corrected him as he showed Lan Wangji around the place, playfully swatting Lan Wangji’s shoulder. “It’s a rescue centre! For rabbits!”
It turns out that with the increased farming in the area, and a few irresponsible pet owners from years ago, the rabbit population in Yiling has gotten slightly out of control. Which is not a problem by itself, but more rabbits means more foxes, and often, angry farmers. So Wei Wuxian took it on himself to save the rabbits of Yiling, buying an old corner store in the neighbourhood and refurbishing it with several small huts and large bays of hay from local farms. Then he tries to find safe homes for them, with nothing but warm beds and good food.
But the process is rarely smooth-sailing, as Lan Wangji has come to learn about anything in Wei Wuxian’s life. For every rabbit he gains, more seem to immediately take its place, with how quickly they breed. He works with a local veterinarian to neuter as many as they can, but there is only so much they can do. And with the ones he does rescue take weeks to months of desensitisation to let them know humans are not a threat. Then comes the most difficult part – finding people to take them in.
“But I can’t just leave them be. Not when there’s no one else who is going to look after them,” Wei Wuxian laments later, as they are getting dinner at a nearby restaurant where he swears they have the best food in Yiling. And, judging by the red hue on almost every dish in front of them, where they have the spiciest food.
Wei Wuxian does not let the conversation linger on that dull note. He asks how Lan Wangji has been since they last met, if he still plays the guqin, and how his brother and uncle are doing. He does not ask why Lan Wangji is here, or how he knew to find him here, for which Lan Wangji is thankful because even as someone who does not truly appreciate social customs or rules, even he knows that ‘I stumbled on a video on the internet’ is generally not well-received.
Lost, he thinks but doesn’t say, in response to the first question. But the other questions he answers the best he can. Words have never been his strong point, but Wei Wuxian dutifully waits for him to parse them together, smiling at him even as he stuffs more of the mapo tofu into his mouth. Yes he still plays, Lan Wangji tells him as he places a piece of sweet and sour fish into Wei Wuxian’s dish. And his family is doing well, even if they remain ever busy.
Wei Wuxian positively beams at Lan Wangji for the food, and Lan Wangji tries not to fixate on how red and plump his lips look after mouthfuls of spicy food.
It has been almost five years since he last saw Wei Wuxian. It should not be this easy to fall back into conversation with him, but it is, almost as if they are back in their high school days, when Wei Wuxian made it a point to wrestle at least some kind of reaction from Lan Wangji.
“You know, it’s funny that you showed up today, of all days!” Wei Wuxian says.
“Mn?” Lan Wangji hums with the slightest tilt of the head. He has long since stopped telling Wei Wuxian to not talk while eating, but it is a hard habit for himself to break.
Wei Wuxian nods, pulling out his phone from his pocket. His fingers move swiftly over the phone for a few seconds before thrusting it in front of Lan Wangji, showing him a slightly out of focus selfie with a pure white albino rabbit in the background.
“One of the new girls is at the vets today to get spayed, and I’ve been so worried about her the whole day!” he says, flicking to the next few photos of the bunny, all taken from various angles. Lan Wangji particularly likes the one taken from near the tip of her little pink nose. “I try really hard not to have favourites but she’s so cute, Lan Zhan! She’s a little older judging by her teeth, but there’s something about her that’s so elegant. Look at this one!”
Wei Wuxian shows him a photo of her sitting on her hindlegs, face angled delicately away from the camera. Lan Wangji can’t help the slight twitch to his lips, which Wei Wuxian definitely does not miss.
“See? She even makes the ever cool Lan-ergege smile!” Wei Wuxian gushes. Then he looks up from his phone at Lan Wangji, an almost coy smile playing on her lips. “… I named her Bichen, because she keeps herself so clean and white all the time.”
Lan Wangji blinks. “After my guqin?” he asks slowly.
Wei Wuxian nods, and there is a flush on his face that Lan Wangji is not sure is from the spicy food. Something churns in his own stomach, and he is so, so desperate to reach out, to just touch Wei Wuxian to make sure he’s there, that he’s real, but he is not sure how it would be received.
“She will be fine,” he reassures instead. And he means it – anyone who earns Wei Wuxian’s trust must deserve it, so he believes in the veterinarian without having even met them. Then he asks, “What will happen to her after?”
Thick, beautiful brows furrow at that question. “That’s the thing. It’s been so difficult finding new homes for them recently, and it’s even harder because the adults are always overlooked if there are babies.” He sighs. “We’re also running out of room at Chenqing… I mean, all the rabbits at the rescue will be cared for as long as we have them, but it just means we can’t take in anymore new rabbits in the meantime.”
And again that is so very typical of Wei Wuxian, to be so steadfastly selfless, worrying about the future rabbits even before they have come into his life. It is easy enough to tell that the rescue is now practically Wei Wuxian’s life, and Lan Wangji has no doubt that almost all of the funds are coming out of his own pocket. He wants nothing more than to ease the burden on his shoulders, which is why…
“Wei Ying,” he says carefully. “May I please adopt Bichen?”
Wei Wuxian’s jaw almost drops to the floor.
Lan Wangji knows pets are not to be kept on a whim; a lot of thought must be put into the matter before making that decision. And were he in any other situation, he would have. But he also knows that regardless of the time he would have taken to mull over it, he would have done the same ultimately.
Decision made, he resolves to provide the best for his new family member. The Lan family has never allowed pets in their household, so he asks Wei Wuxian for advice on what he needs to prepare.
(And if that gives him another excuse to spend time with Wei Wuxian, he cannot complain at all.)
His place is a simple two bedroom home, but there is a wide backyard for Bichen to roam it. The previous inhabitant had apparently not been too concerned about it, leaving the grass to grow undeterred, so Lan Wangji mows it down until only small shoots of grass peer above the soil. He orders a two-storey hutch online, a beautiful light blue one with ramps and windows for Bichen to enjoy the scenery when she wishes. Then he orders a smaller playpen and a large fluffy bed for Bichen to sleep in at night, and researches the best kind of diet befitting the regal rabbit.
And finally, when he is certain he has everything ready, Wei Wuxian brings Bichen over. Lan Wangji had offered to pick her up himself, but Wei Wuxian had insisted, eager to see the new set-up.
“Lan Zhan, this is… This is better than I could have ever hoped for her,” Wei Wuxian says after Lan Wangji had shown him around. Bichen sits in a crate beside his feet, nose twitching behind the door in a mix of excitement and quiet nervousness.
“I do not want her to be in want of anything,” Lan Wangji replies truthfully. “Not after you’ve looked after her so well.”
Wei Wuxian hurriedly turns away, but not before Lan Wangji catches the shine in his eyes. “Ah, Lan Zhan, how am I supposed to look at you like this!” he admonishes, hiding his face behind his palm.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan begins worriedly, but Wei Wuxian quickly snaps out of it, shaking his head.
“Let’s take Bichen out for her to explore!” he says, squatting down to focus his attention back on the rabbit. He reaches into a pouch tied to the side of his belt, and feeds her a treat in the crate. Then he lines several more from there, forming a line to her new playpen before slowly opening the door.
Bichen freezes, and in that brief moment she stays in her crate, Lan Wangji wonders if that would be the end of it. Bichen would decide she does not approve of whatever he has prepared for her, demanding Wei Wuxian to take her back to Chenqing and Wei Wuxian would disappear from his life yet again–
But Bichen takes a tentative step out onto the tiled floors, nose twitching in the air. She spares a glance at the two humans towering over her before following the trail of treats to the playpen and hopping straight into her new bed.
Wei Wuxian lets out a small cheer as he punches his fist in the air, soft enough not to startle Bichen.
“There is a high chance she’s just going to pee on that bed,” Wei Wuxian says, but before Lan Wangji can frown at that, Wei Wuxian turns to face him properly, a soft smile on his face. It is not the wide and dazzling smile that Wei Wuxian and his big heart give freely to anyone he meets, but something smaller and genuine. “But Lan Zhan… Thank you. There is no one else I would trust more to look after her.”
Lan Wangji does not trust himself enough to speak, so he just nods once. If Wei Wuxian notices how the tips of his ears are flushing, he does not mention it. Rather, he bends down to scoop Bichen back into his arms and starts walking to the other end of the house.
“Wait till you see the backyard, Bichen!” he says excitedly. “You’re going to love it!”
2.
Bichen does end up urinating on the bed, but Lan Wangji cannot find it in himself to be upset. Not when she stares up at him as she eats, hay half hanging out of her mouth as her nose sways from side to side with each bite. She is starting to show more aspects of her personality as the days pass and she settles in. From running laps around the backyard (followed by almost hours of strict grooming, of course) and watching the world go by from the second floor of her hutch, she is more than Lan Wangji could have hoped for.
Owning a pet, however, brings about many more questions than Lan Wangji thought he could prepare himself for. If Bichen is eating the grass in the backyard on top of the hay and pellets he has provided, does it mean he is not giving enough food? Is it normal for bunnies to sleep on their sides and curled up, or does it mean Bichen is too cold? Does he need to get her a coat?
The internet has many answers for him, but there is only one person he would trust wholeheartedly. So Lan Wangji brings his many questions with him to visit Wei Wuxian almost daily, along with many photos to satisfy the other man’s questions on how she is doing. Yes, it is normal for rabbits to eat grass, Wei Wuxian tells him, as long it does not seem to upset her stomach. She probably just wants some variation in her diet. He also shows Lan Wangji many photos of bunnies sleeping in various positions on his phone, on their side, on their bellies with their legs sprawled, and even sometimes on their backs. If he is worried about Bichen getting cold, then he could line the floor with thick towels for her to wrap herself in, because she probably would not tolerate wearing any clothes.
In exchange for all the advice, Lan Wangji starts to help Wei Wuxian with the daily tasks at the rescue – from feeding to cleaning, and even taking photos to put up on their adoption page. Wei Wuxian tells him that he does not need to return the favour every time, not when he’s taking such good care of Bichen, but he never stops Lan Wangji anyway. Lan Wangji wants to tell him that it is hardly a chore, not when he can spend more time with him, but he does not want to disrupt whatever they have right now.
“Say, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says one day, as they are cleaning out some of the hutches. Their current residents are in a large corner of the room that has been fenced off. “Surely you have other things to do than to pick up rabbit poo and dirty hay with me, right? Don’t you have work or something?”
Lan Wangji pauses his lining of the rabbit hutches with newspaper. “Mn,” he hums noncommittally. “Work can wait.”
Which is the truth, but what he does not say is that he has since taken a step back from his role in the family business. He still manages some of the administrative work over the internet, but it is nowhere as much as he did before, much to his uncle’s frustration and brother’s disappointment. Nevertheless, Lan Xichen still tries to be supportive of Lan Wangji’s decision to move, messaging him at least once a week to see how he is doing.
“Ah well, at least we get to see these guys all the time!” Wei Wuxian says, grabbing a handful of hay and rationing them out into each hutch.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees, reaching for a jar of chopped carrots on the shelf. Carefully, he feeds each rabbit in the makeshift pen a small piece, watching as they tremble in excitement. Then a small dark mass in the corner runs out and grabs a piece from Lan Wangji’s fingers before darting away.
Wei Wuxian laughs at Lan Wangji’s slightly bewildered expression. “That’s Suibian for you!”
“… You named him ‘Suibian’?” Lan Wangji asks, not without some disapproval. Surely the rabbits deserve proper names.
“Aw, Lan Zhan, don’t give me that look!” Wei Wuxian cries, reaching down to pick the charcoal rabbit up. Suibian’s ears are mismatched, with one upright and one bent at the base, and squished next to Wei Wuxian’s face, he looks deceptively innocent. “He likes his name, I promise! And it suits him. Suibian does whatever Suibian wants!”
As if to prove his point, Suibian starts to squirm in Wei Wuxian’s arms, digging his paws into Wei Wuxian’s face. He jumps back into the pen almost as soon as Wei Wuxian lowers him close enough to the ground. Then he sidles up to a nearby cream-coloured rabbit and nuzzles her affectionately.
“He is good with the others,” Lan Wangji comments, feeling his heart swell a little at the sight.
Wei Wuxian nods. “He was the runt of a huge litter. He definitely needs to be homed with at least another rabbit.” Then a slow grin grows on his face as he turns back to face Lan Wangji. “You don’t think Bichen is lonely, do you?”
The thought had yet to cross Lan Wangji’s mind, but… He can’t say for certain that she is not. And Wei Wuxian had said that bunnies are herd animals, so it is definitely possible. He knits his brows, a heaving stone sinking into the pit of his gut.
“Have I hurt her?” Lan Wangji asks quietly, looking at his feet. “By keeping her on her own?”
Wei Wuxian is quick to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. “No no no, of course not, Lan Zhan! Bichen has always been quite independent, and I’ve seen how happy she is with you. I just meant… Have you thought about keeping more than one bunny?”
… Ah.
It is easy enough to add on to Bichen’s set-up and make room for another rabbit in the household. He widens the playpen inside the house and orders another hutch online, this one bigger and taller than before since Suibian seems to like the space to run around. He is more concerned about introducing Suibian to Bichen. Wei Wuxian had assured him that neutered male and female rabbits generally make the best kind of pair, but there is always a small chance that they would be the exception.
It soon turns out that he worries for nothing. After a few curious sniffs through the crate door, Lan Wangji gently coaxes it open for Suibian to greet Bichen properly. Suibian does not even bother looking at his new surroundings, just skips happily to Bichen and nuzzles her face. Bichen herself freezes for a second, as though stunned, but then leans into the gesture ever so slightly.
He sends a photo of the two of them huddled close in the new hutch to Wei Wuxian later, and gets a reply almost immediately.
Wei Ying
16:54
oh my god, they’re so cute, lan zhan!!! 😍
16:55
Mn.
I would like to start a vegetable garden for them.
Wei Ying
16:55
hah! good luck, suibian is going to eat all the shoots before anything grows
16:57
I will keep them separate until the plants establish.
And I will make sure they do not spend too much time eating the garden.
It will upset their stomach, right?
Wei Ying
16:57
yes!
they’re going to love it 🥰
if I didn’t know better, I would think you’re trying to take over the position as their favourite human!
16:58
Thank you for trusting me to look after them.
Wei Ying
16:59
😩 lan zhan ah, lan zhan ah!
you don’t need to say things like that! we are very lucky to have you
‘We’? A careless typo, perhaps. But Wei Wuxian sends no other message to correct himself, and Lan Wangji has spent far too long thinking about things that he should have said or done to cower away from this.
17:01
I am lucky to have you in my life too.
Wei Wuxian does not reply straight away, as he normally does, and Lan Wangji buries his face into his hands. Perhaps it was too much too soon. He has always been less inhibited when it comes to the written word and–
His phone buzzes.
Wei Ying
17:05
🐰❤️
3.
Between Wei Wuxian and the two rabbits, Lan Wangji finds himself more than a month into his new life in Yiling before he even realises. His brother is still checking on him every few days, and even though he does not say it outright, Lan Wangji knows the question of ‘what now?’ is on the tip of his tongue every conversation.
Lan Wangji does not know the answer to that question either. But what he does know is that every time he sees Wei Wuxian is like a burst of sunlight through thick mountain mists that never dims, and he is like a plant growing steadfastly towards its source of life. He may never get enough of Wei Wuxian, his need to be near him like a bottomless pit that swallows every word, expression and breath from the man, but he will be content with whatever he can get. And if that means staying in Yiling, then he will stay.
Some nights he struggles to fall asleep despite years of discipline, engulfed in worry and the fear of Wei Wuxian disappearing from his life once more. On nights like those, he opens the doors of his room to let Suibian and Bichen in, just to feel less alone. The rabbits, eager to explore the space they are normally not allowed in, hop in happily every time. After a few sniffs, Bichen is always happy to be picked up and placed on the bed, while Suibian runs laps around the room. Sometimes he even continues when Lan Wangji has long since fallen asleep while patting Bichen, which should be disruptive to his sleep but the sounds of his tiny cushioned feet against his floors are actually more reassuring than not.
It does not take Lan Wangji to realise there are other reasons why he is now rooted here.
So he tells his brother that all is well. He does not pretend that he does not notice Lan Xichen’s lingering question, for his brother knows him too well to fall for that, but he does not answer it.
Instead, he focuses on what he has in front of him. Today he is at Chenqing to pick up some hay for the rabbits, and he is about to push the door open when he hears a familiar melody playing.
As on many occasions with Wei Wuxian, his heart skips several beats at the sound. Of course he knew that Wei Wuxian still remembers this song – it is, after all, the whole reason why Lan Wangji is here – but hearing it played in person makes him go still nonetheless. The reedy sound of the dizi reverberates in his ears, sending warmth and chills down his spine at the same time.
Then he hears some high-pitched laughter that is not Wei Wuxian’s, and he is momentarily distracted. Taking a deep breath, he pushes open the door to the rescue and looks around.
Wei Wuxian is there, of course, sitting atop the counter as he pauses his playing but the dizi still pressed to his lips. And on the grey floors just a few steps away is a playpen with about five rabbits of different colours, and a small child sitting in the centre, waving around a bunch of bokchoy in the air.
“Oh it’s you, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian greets, jumping off the counter. When he notices Lan Wangji’s eyes flitting to the black dizi in his hand, he grins almost sheepishly. “Are you surprised I still play?”
I already knew, Lan Wangji thinks but does not say. “That song…”
Wei Wuxian nods. “Yeah, doesn’t it remind you of our high school days? It’s been stuck in my head all the time recently–”
Brief flashes of their days playing together in the high school orchestra appear in the front of Lan Wangji’s mind before a little voice chirps to their side.
“Xian-gege! Xian-gege!” Lan Wangji sees the young boy from earlier standing at the edge of the playpen, his head barely peeking out over the short wired fencing. “Why did you stop playing? The bunnies were dancing!”
As far as Lan Wangji knows, the rabbits were not, in fact, dancing, just busy munching on the hay and little pieces of the bokchoy (presumably from the little boy himself) strewn across the floor. But the wide-eye wonder and radiant smile from the small boy keeps him quiet.
Laughing, Wei Wuxian walks over to pick the boy up, settling on his hip as he walks back to Lan Wangji.
“Because we have to meet a new friend! A-Yuan, meet Zhan-gege,” Wei Wuxian says, waving at Lan Wangji in the hopes A-Yuan will follow. “And Lan Zhan, this is A-Yuan. I gave birth to this child!”
Lan Wangji blinks.
Although painful to think about, it would not be a surprise if Wei Wuxian ended up finding someone in Yiling to settle down and have a kid with. And even though it is odd that Wei Wuxian has not mentioned them at all since Lan Wangji’s arrival, who would not want to share a life with ever kind, generous, beautiful Wei Wuxian? But to say he ‘gave birth’ to the child… Lan Wangji was not aware it was possible. Did he mean he just went through the motions alongside the child’s mother? Perhaps a surrogate? Demonic cultivation?
Wei Wuxian must find the expression on his face amusing, because he laughs and taps Lan Wangji on the head with his dizi. “Lan Zhan, you’re too serious! It was a joke!” he says, then turns back to A-Yuan in his arms. “A-Yuan, be good. Remember to greet Zhan-gege.”
“Gege,” the boy says dutifully, waving the hand that is not holding onto Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. Then he presses his index finger playfully on the tip of Wei Wuxian’s nose. “Xian-gege, the bunnies! The baby wants a lullaby.”
“I thought you said they were dancing!” Wei Wuxian quips, as he sets the boy back down in the playpen. “Just give me a few minutes to talk to Zhan-gege, and I’ll play for you, alright? Can you sing for the rabbits in the meantime?”
A-Yuan nods excitedly, eager for some responsibility. He settles back on the ground with his legs crossed, picking up the smallest bunny in the pen and placing it on his lap as he starts to sing with clearly made-up lyrics. It truly is a small, fluffy thing, with a rich coat of light brown fur. Sooty fawn, his brain supplies from his hours of studying rabbit colours.
“Is the baby rabbit new?” Lan Wangji asks when Wei Wuxian returns to his side. He feels the corner of his mouth tip upwards ever so slightly as he watches A-Yuan pat the small rabbit as he sings about honey and broccoli.
“Mmhmm,” Wei Wuxian says, watching A-Yuan with equal fondness. “We found him in a drain just near the supermarket just yesterday. He’s just old enough to start on solid food by the looks of it, but not old enough to look after himself. We waited to see if Mum would come back, but she never did.”
Another wave of feeling crests in him at those words. He does not know what happened to Mother Rabbit for her not to return, but he does know how it feels to know that your parents will not return – the ache, the plummeting feeling in your gut that never quite goes back to normal.
“Thank you for looking after him,” Lan Wangji says solemnly, staring resolutely at the rabbit and doing his best to ignore the stinging in his eyes.
If Wei Wuxian notices that he has lost grip on his carefully cultivated demeanour, he does not show it. But he drops a hand on Lan Wangji’s shoulder anyway in comfort.. Lan Wangji can’t help but lean slightly into the contact.
“It’s what we do,” Wei Wuxian answers simply. “Besides, he’s young, and he’s going to be so easy to adopt out! Look at that face!”
The baby rabbit is, in fact, not easy to adopt out.
Not for the typical reasons, however. The number of hits on the Chenqing website has actually hit an all time high, as with the number of people expressing interest in adopting from outside of the small town.
(Wei Wuxian has been pleasantly surprised. Lan Wangji does not tell him it may have something to do with him sending links of the rabbits to his brother who has a fair number of animal enthusiasts as friends, because seeing Wei Wuxian smile is enough.)
And almost everyone is keen on adopting a young, fluffy rabbit. The only thing is…
“A-Yuan, don’t run!”
Lan Wangji finds himself pausing outside Chenqing’s doors once more. He does not mean to be developing a habit of eavesdropping, but it seems like Wei Wuxian’s new life in Yiling is never quiet. He raps twice on the door, loudly and sharply in the hopes they would be heard over the raised voices, before letting himself in.
The scene before him is, simply put, chaos. The floors are now littered with ten times more hay than usual, toys of varying sizes and paperwork that have been stomped on and sullied. Wei Wuxian is in the midst of chasing a small human-sized blur running circles in the middle of everything. A woman stands in a corner, long dark hair tied in a high ponytail, an expression of both worry and frustration on her face. The rabbits are thankfully all in their own crates, staring at the commotion in front of them and noses twitching in concern.
“Wei Ying, A-Yuan,” he calls as he takes another step in. “Be calm.”
Something in Lan Wangji’s voice must make A-Yuan listen, because he comes to a stop just behind Lan Wangji, hand reaching out to grip the older man’s pants tightly. Lan Wangji notices Wei Wuxian’s phone gripped tightly in his other hand.
“Why do you listen to Lan Zhan but not me?” Wei Wuxian laments, as he rests his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. “Lan Zhan, tell him to return my phone to me!”
A-Yuan’s grip on Lan Wangji’s pants tighten, and his lips start to tremble. “No! Xian-gege is bad!”
“A-Yuan, don’t be rude,” comes the woman in the corner, just as Lan Wangji was about to say the same thing. He locks eyes with her for a brief moment, then he turns to Wei Wuxian with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot you two haven’t met yet!” Wei Wuxian says. “Lan Zhan, meet–”
“Later.” The woman cuts him off. Then she takes a tentative step towards A-Yuan, who immediately ducks further behind Lan Wangji with a cry. “A-Yuan, don’t be difficult.”
A-Yuan shakes his head vigorously, and those are definitely tears forming at the corner of his eyes.
Lan Wangji spends another few seconds looking between them, but things seem to have come to a standstill. So he slowly gets down to his knees to be at eye level with the small boy.
“What is the matter?” he asks.
“X-Xian-gege, he– he–!” A-Yuan hiccups, tears running freely now, and Lan Wangji’s heart sinks at the sight. “He wants to send the baby away!”
For a moment, Lan Wangji thinks A-Yuan means himself and is too shocked to respond. It is clear as day to anyone who has watched the two of them together that Wei Wuxian absolutely adores the child. Maybe this new woman is A-Yuan’s mother and is here to take him away?
Wei Wuxian sighs loudly. “We’re not sending him away, A-Yuan. He’s going to be adopted. And that’s good! He’ll have a new family who will look after him and give him all the treats and pats he could possibly want!”
Ah, the young rabbit from last week, Lan Wangji realises. That would make a lot more sense.
“No new family!” A-Yuan yells, clutching Wei Wuxian’s phone closer to his chest. “His family is here!”
“A-Yuan, I’ve told you before, we can’t keep all of the rabbits here, we need to make sure we have room for more–”
“You can’t send him away! He doesn’t have a mum so we looked after him just like A-Yuan doesn’t have a mum and you looked after me!” A-Yuan cries, covering his ears. Then his tiny body sags as he murmurs, “He’ll miss us. I’ll miss him.”
No one knows how to respond to that, the sudden silence in the room only interrupted by A-Yuan’s soft sobbing. Lan Wangji looks to Wei Wuxian and the woman with their pinched expressions and then back to A-Yuan. The child seems to have lost all the fight in him now, large eyes puffy and red as he continues to cry quietly. It is heartbreaking to watch.
There is a clear solution to this.
Carefully, Lan Wangji pulls out his handkerchief from his pocket and uses it to dry A-Yuan’s tears. Then he slowly coaxes Wei Wuxian’s phone from his hand and swaps it for the handkerchief before picking A-Yuan up into his arms and settling him above his hip.
“Do not argue with your family, for it does not matter who wins,” Lan Wangji recites to A-Yuan. It is one of the many rules that his uncle had long since ingrained in his memory. “But you are right. The rabbit already does have family.”
Wei Wuxian seems to know what he is thinking. “Lan Zhan, you don’t have to–”
“I will adopt the rabbit,” Lan Wangji announces, as he returns Wei Wuxian his phone. “And A-Yuan is free to come and visit whenever he wishes. Wei Ying, please tell any interested parties that he is no longer up for adoption.”
Lan Wangji does not get any warning before two small arms wrap around his neck and a damp face buries itself in his shoulder. Mouth agape, he looks to Wei Wuxian in wonder. Wei Wuxian looks shocked himself, but then transitions into a small chuckle.
“Our knight in shining armour,” Wei Wuxian murmurs just loud enough, and Lan Wangji feels the tips of his ears blush. Silently, Lan Wangji awkwardly returns the hug the best he can in their current position, reaching an arm out to cradle the back of A-Yuan’s head.
He sees the woman’s eyes flit between the three of them, as though deep on thought. Then she takes a few steps towards Lan Wangji, and he has to will himself to not back away despite her being so much smaller than he is. He stares down at her, a question in his eyes, but she is not looking at him. Instead, she reaches forward and pushes a few stray strands of hair away from A-Yuan’s face.
“Be good,” she tells A-Yuan, and the boy sniffles in response. Lan Wangji sees the briefest flash of a smile on her before her hand drops back to her side, and she steps to the door. Then she glances back at Wei Wuxian, who suddenly stands more upright under her stern gaze. “Wei Wuxian. I’ll be back to pick him up in two hours.”
“You’re not bringing him home now?” Wei Wuxian asks.
She shakes her head. “He wouldn’t leave here even if I tried.” Then she faces Lan Wangji once more, looking directly at him this time. “It is nice to meet you at last, Lan Wangji. The two of them won’t shut up about you.”
She nods her head slightly as thought in approval before exiting the place, leaving behind a flustered Wei Wuxian and a softly chuckling A-Yuan. Lan Wangji feels his ears heat up again, the thought of Wei Wuxian talking to other people about him making his heart swell.
But he decides to take pity on Wei Wuxian and asks, “Who was that, Wei Ying?”
“Oh!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, grabbing onto the question like a lifeline. “Her name is Wen Qing, A-Yuan's legal guardian. She’s also the vet who helps me with the rabbits, and even though she works with the absolutely sweetest animals ever, she’s really scary!”
Lan Wangji does not question this. If someone can make Wei Wuxian, infamous for being blatantly unafraid of almost all figures of authority, acknowledge them, then Lan Wangji does not doubt. But Lan Wangji does not miss the tone of warm affection when he says it, and as much as it makes a certain green-eyed monster rear its head in his stomach, he knows that Wei Wuxian’s judgement of people is good and his trust is always well-deserved.
“Qing-jiejie has three cats at home,” A-Yuan adds, blowing his nose on the handkerchief as his crying slowly comes to a stop. “So she said we could not keep any rabbits. But A-Yuan couldn’t just send the baby away!”
Lan Wangji nods, giving the boy a few comforting pats on his back once more. He does not say anything, letting everything that transpired slowly sink in. He stands by the decision he made, knowing just how important the baby rabbit was to A-Yuan (and himself, if he is being honest), but he can’t deny that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Now he will have to work out the logistics – the slow introduction of the new rabbit to Bichen and Suibian, new housing… And he has yet to raise a rabbit as young as this one. What if he can’t guarantee a good life for the rabbit, despite refusing to let anyone else take him?
“Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian interrupts his thoughts. Lan Wangji looks up the patch of floor he was unknowingly staring at, and Wei Wuxian is giving a soft smile. Hesitating for a moment before putting on a determined expression, Wei Wuxian covers the hand Lan Wangji has on A-Yuan’s back. He rubs his thumb in the gentle circles on the back of his palm. “We’ll figure it out together, okay?”
Lan Wangji’s throat suddenly feels very dry. All he manages is a rough, “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian’s touch lingers for a few more seconds before he reaches up to pinch A-Yuan’s cheeks.
“Now, our little troublemaker! What are we going to name this rabbit?”
4.
A-Yuan, with all his four-year-old creativity, decides to name the rabbit ‘Yuanyuan’ because of how round he looks when curled up to rest. And while it takes a little longer to introduce Yuanyuan to Lan Wangji’s current pair, the older rabbits eventually warm up to him. Bichen can often be caught grooming Yuanyuan after feeding time, while Suibian seems more interested in showing the younger rabbit how to run laps around the room and to do binkies. Yuanyuan playfully goes along with all of it, but Lan Wangji has no doubt that Yuanyuan is the kind of rabbit that loves people more than other furred creatures. He can see it in the way he positively preens whenever anyone so much as approaches him with an outstretched hand.
Lan Wangji thinks it must also be at least partly because of A-Yuan, because the little one makes it a point to visit almost every day. Sometimes, Wen Qing drops him off in the morning before she heads off to work, and on other days, Wei Wuxian brings A-Yuan over to Lan Wangji’s place to spend the afternoon together.
They are easily Lan Wangji’s favourite days.
It is another one of those days, and Lan Wangji’s heart is full. A-Yuan is sitting in the middle of his living room, feeding Yuanyuan some finely chopped spinach as he runs his tiny hands across the rabbit’s back. Yuanyuan is happily pushing up into the touch, munching away happily. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian sits beside Lan Wangji at Lan Wangji’s low table, their shoulders practically brushing from the proximity, as Wei Wuxian tells him about one of the rabbits that was recently returned from adoption.
“This Xuanwu is really a handful,” Wei Wuxian sighs as he shows photos of the accused on his phone to Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji has to tear his gaze away from the pout currently on Wei Wuxian’s lips to focus on the photos of the long-haired blue rabbit. It looks like it is about due for a groom, with some patches of fur matting at the ends. But it is, arguably, adorable in its own right, with the splotch of brown on the tip of its nose and bent ears.
“Mn?”
“Yeah, the family that took him in said that he was too much to handle!” Wei Wuxian leans further into Lan Wangji’s side, now scrolling through a message history that is presumably between him and Xuanwu’s humans. Lan Wangji sits up a little taller so Wei Wuxian can rest his head comfortably on his shoulder. “He was chewing on all their furniture, pooping in the smallest crevices that were hard to clean… He even tried to bite their cat! Now he’s coming back and I don’t know what to do with him. That was already his third home trial!”
Lan Wangji frowns. “What will happen if we cannot find someone new for him?”
“I’m hoping that won’t be the case,” Wei Wuxian says with a sigh. If he finds it odd that Lan Wangji used ‘we’, he does not show it. “Obviously, we’d keep him in Chenqing for as long as possible, but just like with Yuanyuan, it means one less space for other rabbits we rescue. And if his behaviour issues are stress-related, he’s just going to keep getting triggered by all the constant change, with all the rabbits and people moving in and out of there.”
Lan Wangji keeps silent for a few moments, thinking. He does not want to seem impulsive, but as he watches A-Yuan gently pinching Yuanyuan’s cheeks, he knows he has to offer, at the very least.
“We could keep him here,” he says, glancing at Wei Wuxian out of the corner of his eye to gauge the other man’s reaction. “And train him to be a better rabbit.”
Wei Wuxian sits up abruptly, looking at Lan Wangji with a shocked expression. “Lan Zhan! What are you saying? I couldn’t ask you to do that, you’ve already done so much for us!”
“Not asking,” Lan Wangji replies simply. “I am offering. If we find another family for him after he gets better, then good. If not… Then he can stay with me.”
There is a stagnant pause, as though Wei Wuxian can’t quite believe what is happening. Rubbing his hand over his face, he sighs loudly before looking back up at the other in front of him. “You’re too good for this world, you know that, Lan Zhan? I’m no match for you.”
Wei Ying is the one who is too good, Lan Wangji wants to say. After all, Wei Wuxian is the one with a bleeding heart who cares so much (too much) about every rabbit that goes through Chenqing.
But A-Yuan saves him the trouble of coming up with an appropriate response by running over and jumping into Wei Wuxian’s lap.
“Gege, gege,” he says, looking between the two of them with wide eyes. “Yuanyuan is getting sleepy. He needs a lullaby!”
Lan Wangji glances back at the young rabbit. Indeed, the rabbit is almost still, eyelids and ears drooping. A-Yuan himself has to stifle a yawn, leaning comfortably into Wei Wuxian’s front.
“A-Yuan, are you sure you’re not the one who needs a lullaby?” Wei Wuxian teases, but he lets the boy nestle into him nonetheless. “And I didn’t bring my dizi today, but maybe Lan Wangji still has his guqin?”
He says the last few words while peering up at Lan Wangji through his lovely thick lashes, pleading. And for all that Lan Wangji is talked up to be a noble gentleman, a master of patience and discipline, the great Hanguang-jun, he is still but a man. A man whose weakness is definitely sitting in front of him. So he gets up without question and fetches his guqin.
The melody he plays is one that comes to him naturally. Even if he were to lose his hearing all of a sudden, the feeling of the strings below his fingertips is practically muscle memory, and every note rings clearly in his head. After all, he composed it himself, and the urge to play it has been almost overwhelming since his move here.
“Ah! That song!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, then quickly lowers his voice when he realises A-Yuan is starting to fall asleep too in his lap. “I was playing it last time too. That reminds me, Lan Zhan, you never told me the title of the song!”
“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees quietly, fingers not stopping their plucking of the strings.
Wei Wuxian doesn’t say anything for a while, waiting for an answer, but when Lan Wangji seems content to just keep playing, he groans. “You’re a cruel man, Lan Zhan!”
“Xian-gege,” comes A-Yuan’s sleepy voice. “Shh. Yuanyuan is… sleeping…”
Wei Wuxian looks between the two of them with an affronted look, and Lan Wangji can’t help the slightest tilt at the edges of his lips. Thankfully, Wei Wuxian does not pester him about the song title any further, content to just listen as A-Yuan slowly falls back into his slumber.
Gradually, the song comes to its end. Lan Wangji lets the last note hang in the air, the string trembling softly under his calloused fingers as it decrescendos to silence. He tucks his hands back to his sides, and turns to look at Wei Wuxian, only to find him already staring back at him, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“Say, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian whispers, and Lan Wangji is hyper aware of how close his face is to his. “How did you know I was here in Yiling?”
It’s a question that Lan Wangji has been both anticipating and dreading. He is just surprised it has taken this long for Wei Wuxian to ask, but Wei Wuxian has always been good at reading people – he must have known that Lan Wangji was not keen on sharing when they first met.
Lan Wangji wants to lie. A coincidence, he wants to say. He just moved here for business purposes. Just passing by. But he has been brought up to be honest at all times, and he does not think Wei Wuxian would believe him if he tried to be dishonest anyway.
Taking in a deep breath, he forces out, “... A video.”
Wei Wuxian tilts his head to the side in confusion. It is distractingly adorable. “A video?”
“It came up on my suggested videos list,” Lan Wangji says slowly. He can’t bring himself to look at Wei Wuxian in the eyes anymore. “A rabbit eating hay in the background… And someone playing the dizi in the forefront.”
Wei Wuxian takes a minute to think about it, and then suddenly his face lights up. “I uploaded that just for fun months ago! To advertise for Chenqing! I didn’t think anyone would actually watch it!”
“...Mn.” It was not like he was actively looking for Wei Wuxian in videos either, particularly in one that only had about two hundred views. Maybe it was a lucky coincidence, or maybe he just had his extensive search history for instrumentals and rabbits to blame.
“But…” Wei Wuxian props his chin on one of his hands, contemplative, and Lan Wangji knows what he’s going to ask even before he speaks. “I made sure my face was hidden in the video. And I wasn’t playing the song you wrote… So how did you know it was me?”
Lan Wangji feels lightheaded. It feels like answering will reveal far too much, and there is so much at risk that Lan Wangji does not want to lose again. But he owes Wei Wuxian the truth after he’s embraced Lan Wangji so easily back into his life again.
He doesn’t realise that his nails are digging into his palms painfully until Wei Wuxian gently holds him by the wrist on one hand and pulls it into his lap. Gently, he pries open Lan Wangji’s fingers and rubs soothing circles over the red crescents left behind. Ears flushing, Lan Wangji takes a tentative look at the beautiful man in front of him, only to see Wei Wuxian staring down as his hand in his lap instead.
“You don’t have to tell me, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian murmurs, as his fingers skirt over Lan Wangji’s palm. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
And that’s all it takes for the invisible dam to break.
“Your hands,” Lan Wangji finally confesses, his voice hardly audible over A-Yuan’s peaceful breathing. “I recognised your hands.”
The long, elegant fingers and sun-kissed skin. The small scar near the base of his fingernail on his left ring finger. Lan Wangji had spent far too long in their youth staring at those gorgeous hands.
Wei Wuxian looks back up at him then, and his face is endearingly flushed. He looks like he wants to say something, possibly some wisecrack that Wei Wuxian is known to spout, but then he thinks better of it. Then slowly, almost hesitantly, he stops massaging Lan Wangji’s hand, and slides his own fingers between Lan Wangji’s, palms pressed warmly together.
Lan Wangji’s whole world seems to slow down and revolve solely on that point of contact. His whole body feels like it has been set aflame, and all he can do is stare uselessly at where their hands are joined. He can’t quite believe this is happening, but he does not have the willpower to draw away.
Maybe he should say something. But for once, Wei Wuxian is content to linger in the silence, and slowly, gradually, Lan Wangji starts to relax. He gives Wei Wuxian’s hand the smallest squeeze. There is a soft chuckle, and then Wei Wuxian is leaning his head back onto Lan Wangji’s shoulder. Whatever tension Lan Wangji has left immediately dissipates.
They sit there together until Wen Qing arrives to pick A-Yuan up, hands and sides pressed up closed together even as it gets a little too warm for comfort.
5.
Something between them changes after that, but almost everything stays the same. Lan Wangji still spends most of his time between spending time with Wei Wuxian, be it at Chenqing or just relaxing with his rabbits at his place, often with A-Yuan accompanying them.
But the touching. Oh, the touching. Wei Wuxian has taken to initiating some form of contact with Lan Wangji whenever they are together, from draping his arm casually over Lan Wangji’s shoulder to firm hugs in greeting. And sometimes, when the atmosphere is quiet but full, he intertwines their fingers like he did before and just rests his smaller hand in Lan Wangji’s until he has to leave. Lan Wangji used to call Wei Wuxian ‘shameless’, but now he’s the brazen one, leaning into every touch, every casual gesture, hooking their fingers tighter each time.
They are standing on a precipice, waiting for something to tip over. But it seems like they both are content just enjoying the view from this height. And Lan Wangji is content with whatever Wei Wuxian is willing to offer him.
Lan Wangji is watching Xuanwu frolic around in his backyard during his scheduled outdoors time – the rabbit turned out to be a menace to other rabbits as well, so Lan Wangji has had to keep him in a separate room and made sure the others are kept safely away when Xuanwu is out to roam, but they are working on it – when his phone starts buzzing in his pocket. After briefly making sure Xuanwu is not near any potential hazards (and that Xuanwu is also not a potential hazard himself to anything in the garden), he pulls his phone out and frowns slightly at the caller ID. Wei Wuxian is calling him, which rarely happens. Wei Wuxian much prefers sending texts full of contractions and emojis, or speaking to him in person if the need arises.
“Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji asks worriedly, the moment he picks up the call.
“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian sounds breathless and flustered. “I-I– The rabbit– Wen Qing said– The clinic–”
‘Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says firmly. “Be calm. Deep breaths.”
It takes him a while to stop incoherently muttering, but Wei Wuxian does as he’s told, taking long, measured breaths audible even through the line.
Then when his breathing starts to even out, Lan Wangji prompts, “Tell me.”
“The rabbit. The one we rescued last week,” Wei Wuxian says hoarsely, and Lan Wangji immediately knows the one he is talking about. A small, predominantly white long-haired rabbit with grey-brown patches over her eyes and fawn speckles over her back, trapped from the wild herd only a while ago. Wei Wuxian had taken to her immediately, admiring her unique coat and affectionate personality, and Lan Wangji was helpless to follow.
A feeling of dread settles uncomfortably in his stomach, and he braces himself for the bad news as Wei Wuxian tells him about how she had stopped eating last night, and has been quiet the whole day. Now she lays hunched and curled forward in her hutch, not even responding when Wei Wuxian offers her some much-loved tomatoes. And after looking after so many rabbits, he knows what it means.
“I-I called Wen Qing and she said the same thing – bloat.” Wei Wuxian’s voice is starting to shake again. “She said that she needs to be seen right away, b-but she can’t send anyone to pick her up right now and there are dogs in the clinic. I can’t– I don’t know if I can–”
Lan Wangji is already picking up Xuanwu and returning him to his crate, much to the rabbit’s displeasure. Then he grabs his keys and starts to put on his shoes.
“I will be there in five minutes,” he tells Wei Wuxian. “Please get the rabbit ready to go.”
He does not wait for a reply before he starts to run. Lan Wangji wills each stride to be faster, longer. The distance between him and Wei Wuxian has never felt this far, even when the other disappeared for years after being expelled from their high school.
Wei Wuxian is waiting outside Chenqing by the time Lan Wangji gets there, a travel crate for the rabbit already on the ground beside him. Lan Wangji does not have time to recover his breath before Wei Wuxian envelops him in a hug, arms wrapping tightly around the back of his neck.
“Lan Zhan, thank you,” he whispers into Lan Wangji’s ear. Then as quickly as he grabbed onto Lan Wangji, he releases him, picking up the crate beside them. “Let’s go.”
Lan Wangji blinks. His chest is still heaving from the sprint here, but he’s sure he did not hear the other man wrongly. “You… are coming?” he asks, eyeing Wei Wuxian warily.
“I… I have to,” Wei Wuxian replies, looking down at the crate with a determined expression. “I just can’t leave her alone.”
“But, the dogs…” Lan Wangji starts. Surely Wei Wuxian’s old phobia of canines has not changed, if their phone conversation was anything to go by. Lan Wangji’s mind briefly flashes back to the one time when they were approached by a stray dog after school, many years ago. Wei Wuxian’s face had turned ashen, a strangled scream escaping his lips. He had run off immediately, dragging a startled Lan Wangji with him.
“I have you,” Wei Wuxian says in the present, so softly that Lan Wangji wonders if he’s heard it wrongly. But there’s no mistaking the way Wei Wuxian intertwines their fingers together, clasping it tight.
Lan Wangji swallows, but does not allow himself the time to have an internal crisis as he usually does when Wei Wuxian touches him. There is a rabbit at risk, and they cannot afford any more delays. So he holds on tight to his love’s hand and he starts to run once more, and hearing the resounding echoes of another pair of footfalls calms the fire inside him.
Having Wei Wuxian next to him brings clarity to his mind even as they sprint as quickly as they can to Wen Qing. Perhaps to an outsider, dropping everything to accompany someone and their rabbit to a veterinary clinic, only to protect them from presumably friendly pet dogs, is absurd. But to Lan Wangji, it is only natural. His mind flashes back to their last day together in high school, when Lan Wangji had heard of Wei Wuxian being expelled. He remembers begging Wei Wuxian to come back with him, to apologise even if he did not mean it, in order to be protected. And when Wei Wuxian had turned him down and walked away, Lan Wangji felt something deep in his core splinter.
This, however? Protecting Wei Wuxian, keeping him and what he values safe, having him by his side – it keeps the rhythm of his heart steady and strong, and envelops whatever pieces that remained on the day Wei Wuxian left.
The clinic soon comes into view, but Lan Wangji does not let his guard down. He readjusts his grip on Wei Wuxian’s hand and gently leads him inside, keeping an eye on their surroundings. They only manage a few steps into the waiting room when he spots it – a long-limbed, short-haired black dog staring straight back at them. While it is comfortably nestled on a travel mat a few metres away from them, its ears are pricked up and its long nose is sniffing interestedly in their direction. Its owner is busy talking on the phone, letting its lead hang loose from his arms.
Lan Wangji feels Wei Wuxian stiffen next to him, and because of their proximity, he notices the full-body shudder that accompanies it. Instinctively, Lan Wangji raises an arm to shield his companion, but the dog for some reason takes this as a sign to stand up and investigate.
Wei Wuxian makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat, inching closer to Lan Wangji and tightly gripping the back of Lan Wangji’s shirt with his free hand. The dog does not seem to notice, taking a few slow steps towards… Ah, Lan Wangji realises. It smells the rabbit.
“Lan Zhan,” whispers Wei Wuxian into his ear, and Lan Wangji can feel the man trembling behind him now. The dog inches nearer, tail starting to wag.
Lan Wangji makes a quick assessment of their situation. The owner is so engrossed in his phone call that he hasn’t even noticed his dog has left his mat, but there is an open door just ahead to a blissfully empty consult room, with only the dog in between them. He can work with this.
“Wei Ying,” he says in his calmest voice. “Hold on tight.”
“Wh-What– Ah!”
Wei Wuxian doesn’t get the chance to finish his question, because in a split second, Lan Wangji turns around and wraps one arm around Wei Wuxian’s shoulders while tucking the other one behind his knees. Wei Wuxian barely has any time to reposition the rabbit crate onto his chest when he is lifted off his feet as though he weighs nothing.
The dog barks this time, tail wagging even quicker and tongue lolling out of its mouth. It bows down on its front legs, eyes still fixated on the crate, but Lan Wangji does not entertain it. He crosses the distance of the waiting room in a few long strides, making sure not to jostle Wei Wuxian and the rabbit as much as possible. The dog follows, but Lan Wangji kicks the door shut behind him before it can follow them inside.
They stand there in silence for a couple of minutes, Wei Wuxian trying to catch his breath and Lan Wangji watching him quietly as he holds him in his arms. Then there is the rustle of newspaper from the crate which brings them back to the present.
“Wei Ying, it is safe here,” Lan Wangji murmurs, and Wei Wuxian swallows, but nods tersely.
“Th-Thank you, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says, and his hold on the crate loosens slightly.
“Mn.”
“Um, Lan Zhan?”
“Mn?”
“You can, uh,” Wei Wuxian turns away, face flushing. “You can put us down now.”
Lan Wangji blinks. It would be logical, since there is no reason Wei Wuxian can’t move on his own now, but having him in his arms consoles the unease in him, the protective feeling that arose when he felt Wei Wuxian shiver behind him.
Still, it is Wei Wuxian’s decision, so gently, he places Wei Wuxian back on the ground.
Lan Wangji is brushing a stray lock of hair from Wei Wuxian’s face when the other door bursts open. Wei Wuxian jumps back, eyes glancing rapidly around for the presence of any dogs, but it’s just two people. Wen Qing stands there in dark red scrubs, a scowl on her face, and is shadowed by a timid-looking young man in a similar uniform.
Without a word, she marches towards them, snatching the rabbit crate out of Wei Wuxian’s hold and smacking him with the back of her hand at the same time. Lan Wangji frowns, quickly stepping between the two of them and shielding Wei Wuxian once more.
“Ow! Why did you–” Wei Wuxian complains, but stops short when he sees her glare intensify over Lan Wangji’s shoulder.
“Because you’re an idiot!” she snaps. “I told you to wait at home and we would come pick her up when we were free!”
“Wei Ying is not an idiot,” Lan Zhan interjects, but Wen Qing just turns her glare onto him. If he were a lesser person, if he didn’t have Wei Wuxian behind him to protect, Lan Wangji has no doubt he would have backed down at the intensity. Even Lan Wangji had to admit that she’s an intimidating force despite her short stature.
“Do not enable him,” she says sharply. Then she turns back around as though she does not want to waste her breath on them, and nods at the man behind her. “A-Ning, take the rabbit and get the x-ray machine ready.”
“Yes, jie,” the man replies, taking the crate from her. He casts an apologetic glance at Wei Wuxian as the man gives him a wave, before shuffling quietly behind her as she storms out of the room.
That leaves the two of them alone in the room, and after the whirlwind of everything that has happened in the past hour or so, Lan Wangji is surprised that he does not know what to do with the silence as he normally is.
“So… I guess we wait,” Wei Wuxian says after a beat.
“Mn,” Lan Wangji agrees.
Then, only with the slightest hesitation, Wei Wuxian picks up Lan Wangji’s hand in his own again, squeezing once and smiling when it is returned.
And so they wait.
The rabbit turned out to have some sort of obstruction in its gut, and Wen Qing barely had time to chase them out before she went back in to perform surgery. Don’t stay here and take up the room unless you can help me with the anaesthetic monitoring, she had said. Wen Qing’s brother then escorted them outside when he was sure there were no dogs in the vicinity.
“We’ll text you as soon as the surgery is over,” Wen Ning had said kindly.
They find themselves back at Lan Wangji’s place, and they sit in the backyard with Lan Wangji’s rabbits (bar Xuanwu) as they wait to hear news. By then, the sun is setting and shadows are just starting to form under its orange rays. The scene reminds Lan Wangji of the first day he moved here.
Beside him, Wei Wuxian lets out a big sigh, slumping against the sliding doors they are sitting between. Suibian hops up to him, nudging his fingers until he gets pats, but even though he complies, Wei Wuxian still does not smile.
“She will be fine,” Lan Wangji promises, just as much to himself as to the other man. “Wen Qing is a good veterinarian.”
“She is!” Wei Wuxian agrees wholeheartedly, but he does not look up from Suibian. “But she wouldn’t even have needed to do surgery if I only just watched the rabbit a bit closer.”
And Lan Wangji will not stand for anyone talking down Wei Wuxian, even if it is Wei Wuxian himself. “It is not your fault,” he says, and it is true if all the research on rabbits that he has done is anything to go by. Bloat can happen in any rabbit with some bad luck.
Wei Wuxian looks at him then, a sad smile on his face, neither agreeing or disagreeing. He nudges Suibian away to go play with Bichen and Yuanyuan, who are both snacking on some of the vegetables in the garden that Lan Wangji has grown for them. Then he fixes his gaze on Lan Wangji.
“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian says slowly. “I… Thank you. For everything.”
“There is no need for thanks between us,” Lan Wangji replies easily, and he means it.
Wei Wuxian huffs. “I should have known you’d say something like that. But I’m serious. I don’t mean just today. I’m glad to have you back in my life at all. When I saw you in Chenqing for the first time, I almost couldn’t believe it. I sometimes don’t even believe that you’re here now.”
Lan Wangji’s heart twinges at how sad Wei Wuxian looks. “I am here,” he reassures, covering Wei Wuxian’s hand with his own. Holding hands is almost a natural feeling now, the number of times that they’ve done it. Lan Wangji wants it to be that way forever.
“... Yeah, I know,” Wei Wuxian says with a small rueful laugh, turning his hand palm up to return the hold. “Guess I’m not quite used to having things last.”
“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji starts, but then hesitates. It was easier, earlier, when they had a goal in mind, something to take his mind off of whatever it is they have between them. But now that all they can do is wait, he is left unsure. He looks at Wei Ying, hoping that he can convey whatever he feels through his eyes.
But then he remembers that was what had led to him losing the man in front of him, all those years ago – his inability to put his thoughts into words. Perhaps if he had just said what he felt, instead of asking Wei Wuxian to put aside his morals, they would have been able to work something out, instead of compelling Wei Wuxian to move thousands of kilometres away without a trace.
“Wei Ying,” he says again, heart thundering in his chest. “I– I will be here for you as long as I am able. As long as you will have me.”
Wei Wuxian blinks. He looks shocked, eyebrows raised and lips hanging slightly open, and Lan Wangji wonders if he’s said too much. He wants to reach out and tell him to forget everything he’s said, cursing himself for being too forward. He has been telling himself over and over again to be satisfied with what he has, to have Wei Wuxian back in his life, but he has ruined things by wanting even more.
“Wei Ying, I’m–”
“Oh.” Wei Wuxian whispers, looking and Lan Wangji and then back down at their joined hands. Then he glances back up, face turning scarlet. “Oh.”
“Wei Ying?” Lan Wangji asks worriedly. “What’s wrong?”
Wei Wuxian seems to only turn a shade more red at the question. “Nothing! Nothing at all! I, uh, I just noticed–”
Wei Wuxian’s phone buzzes. He scrambles to read it, and Lan Wangji forgets to ask him what he was about to say. Even though Lan Wangji also desperately wants to know how the surgery went, he silently mourns the loss of Wei Wuxian’s hand in his, as he often found himself doing in recent months.
But the feeling is short-lived. Because after a few seconds, Wei Wuxian turns back around and hugs Lan Wangji for the second time that day.
“The surgery was a success!”
(Needless to say, Lan Wangji adopts the rabbit too. He tells Wei Wuxian that keeping her with him is the logical decision, since she will need time and space to recover after the surgery, but he knows that is only part of the reason. Even though he has yet to spend much time with the rabbit, the idea of sending her away to someone who did not understand what they had gone through today is absurd.)
+1?
“You know, Lan Zhan, you still haven’t given the bunny a name.”
Lan Wangji looks up abruptly, temporarily stopping his administration of pats to his latest addition to his home. He stares blankly at Wei Wuxian hovering at the entrance of his home, not expecting the sudden visit today.
He was not expecting to see Wei Wuxian for a while, to be honest, for the man had become oddly distant in the days that followed the rabbit’s surgery. He would still reply to Lan Wangji’s texts and welcome Lan Wangji’s help in getting things done in Chenqing, but Lan Wangji can’t help but feel that there is something else on his mind, if the distracted stares into space are anything to go by.
Lan Wangji does not question or push him for answers. Despite how easygoing Wei Wuxian tries to portray himself to be, Lan Wangji has long learnt that he will only open up to him when he is ready.
Even so, Lan Wangji finds his carefully cultivated patience fraying at the edges. He’s worried that it is something he has done that has finally tipped Wei Wuxian over the edge, to make the other man realise that the amount of time Lan Wangji seeks to spend with him is more than what normal friends should be having. And Wei Wuxian would be far too kind, far too selfless, to tell him to pack his bags and go home to his face.
Wei Wuxian is still looking at him, hovering by the door frame as though waiting for an invitation to come inside. Lan Wangji’s heart sinks slightly – Wei Wuxian normally lets himself after a few knocks, and Lan Wangji liked to think he was comfortable being in his space. What has he done to make Wei Wuxian so unsure in his company?
He does his best to relax his shoulders, to make himself look like less of a threat, and gestures for Wei Wuxian to come in. Wei Wuxian complies, but the silence that follows the shutting of his heavy door is deafening.
“... I have,” Lan Wangji says at last, when Wei Wuxian crouches by his side to greet the rabbit, but does not make any further attempt at conversation. “Named the rabbit, I mean.”
Wei Wuxian turns to face him again, wearing a small smile that Lan Wangji has come to recognise as one that means there is more on his mind.
“Well, what did you call it?”
It is only the next logical question, yet Lan Wangji hesitates. He is not sure if revealing the name will break the thin ice that they are on. How is he supposed to tell the person he has been pining for for the past few years that he named the rabbit after the two of them, just as he named the song that he wrote before?
When Lan Wangji does not respond, Wei Wuxian laughs softly and stands up. Lan Wangji is quick to follow, afraid that his lack of a reply will chase him away as well. He feels the bottom of his stomach give out, worried that whatever he does, Wei Wuxian is going to push him away.
“Wei Ying, I–” he tries, but Wei Wuxian shushes him with a wave of his hand.
“Ah, don’t mind me, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian is studying the wall opposite them intensely. Lan Wangji resists the urge to reach for his shoulder. “What am I doing? I didn’t come here to pester you for answers.”
Asking Lan Wangji for the name of their rabbit is hardly ‘pestering’. And maybe if Lan Wangji’s head wasn’t so full of Wei Wuxian, he would have been able to come up with a better name that he would not be embarrassed of revealing.
“Wei Ying,” he tries again, but Wei Wuxian turns around on his heel and flails his hands in the air.
“Please, Lan Zhan, I know I’m being rude, but please, let me finish,” Wei Wuxian continues. Then he buries his face in his hands, avoiding eye contact. “Ah, I’m so bad at this.”
What do you mean? Lan Wangji wants to ask, but Wei Wuxian has asked for his silence and he gives it easily, even if his heart is threatening to beat out of his chest. Wei Wuxian takes another minute more, breathing heavily as he continues to hide behind his fingers. Then, slowly, gradually, he lifts his head and locks eyes with Lan Wangji.
“Lan Zhan, I… I’ve been thinking,” he starts, and he is thrumming with so much nervous energy that Lan Wangji wants to wrap him up and hold him. “Ever since I’ve moved to Yiling, I’ve never dared hope for much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m content with the little life I’ve made for myself here. Being able to help the rabbits, to bring joy to people’s lives by adopting them out… That’s it. I’ve been content.”
He steps closer to Lan Wangji, until Lan Wangji can count the moles on his beautiful face. There’s one just on the left of his chin, one tucked under an eyelid near heavy lashes. Lan Wangji nearly forgets how to breathe as Wei Wuxian continues. “But these past few months with you, the rabbits, Chenqing… There are no words. I’ve been happy. Happier than I ever let myself believe I could be ever since I left Gusu.”
He lifts a hand, hovering just an inch away from the side of Lan Wangji’s face. He hesitates there, and Lan Wangji, drawn tight like a bowstring, can only stare helplessly back. Another deep breath, then Wei Wuxian cups his face in that hand.
“Wei Ying,” he breathes, unable to help leaning into the touch.
Wei Wuxian smiles softly at the response. “I was telling the truth, you know. When I told you I was lucky to have you. I meant it then, and I mean it now. And after what happened last week, I realised…”
His voice is starting to shake again, and Lan Wangji, spurred on by both his need to protect Wei Wuxian and his own nerves, covers the hand on his face with his own. He rubs soothing circles on the back of Wei Wuxian’s palm, and the other man lets out a watery laugh.
“I realised I love you,” Wei Wuxian says, and this close, Lan Wangji can see the shimmer in his eyes. “I think I always have, since I first tried to rile you up in our first class together.”
When Lan Wangji just continues to stare blankly at him, Wei Wuxian chuckles slightly, then takes another step closer, until their chests are pressed together. “The other day, you– you said you’ll be with me as long as I’ll have you. Well, what if… What if I said I want you here for the rest of our lives?”
Time seems to stop.
Lan Wangji doesn’t realise he’s crying until Wei Wuxian swipes his thumb under his eyes to wipe away the tears. “Lan Zhan ah,” he says fondly. “Don’t cry. I only want to make you happy.”
You do, Lan Wangji thinks. So much.
“Wei Ying,” he replies at last, reverently placing his other hand on Wei Wuxian’s waist. “Forever. Whatever you want, forever.”
Wei Wuxian’s laugh bubbles out of him, and Lan Wangji decides to throw all remaining caution to the wind, and finally, finally close the distance between their lips.
Kissing Wei Wuxian is everything he dreamed of and more. The softness of his lips against his, the smell of hay surrounding them. Wei Wuxian’s kisses are just like his personality – sweet and passionate. They move together naturally, and Lan Wangji wonders how he could have lived without Wei Wuxian’s lips against his for so long.
I love you too, Lan Wangji mouths against him. For as long as he can remember, he has always loved Wei Wuxian.
“Forever, huh?” Wei Wuxian says when they finally break apart, leaning his forehead against Lan Wangij’s. He combs his fingers through Lan Wangji’s hair with a soft sigh. “Imagine the number of rabbits we’d end up keeping!”
It is more than anything Lan Wangji could ever ask for.