Work Text:
CODE BLUE BUNNY
No matter how long Wei Wuxian had been a doctor, he could never get used to the sound of people crying. Let alone learning how to ignore it. And if the anguish of old and young people was difficult to look at, there was nothing worse than hearing a child crying.
It was almost a normal occurrence in the pediatric ward. It was no easy task to explain to those little angels why they had to stay in that strange place, with strange people and strange smells and sounds. There was no place in the world less welcoming than a hospital, after all. And that was one of the reasons why Wei Wuxian always smiled in front of his patients.
The door of the room was left ajar, but the cry of the child was ringing in the whole hallway. There were other voices inside, small whispers of someone who was trying to console the child.
Wei Wuxian looked at the nameplate beside the door. Lan Yuan, six years old.
The memories of a similar child, many many years before, made him shiver. He fought that thought as the hospital was not the place to think about his own childhood, and that wasn't the right time for a trip to memory land.
He hesitated in front of the door. That child was not his patient and he was not even a pediatrician. He was just passing during his break because he wanted to chat with Wen Ning, one of his best friends, who had just started his internship in that ward.
And yet...
And yet he couldn't stop himself. He could have never walked away from a crying child, not without at least trying to help him.
He knocked once on the door and after a couple of seconds, a young nurse opened it a little.
«Doctor Wei?».
«Ah, Mianmian, hi! I wasn't expecting to find you here! Did you change your department? I thought you were working down at the ER».
Mianmian just rolled her eyes and she sighed. «I'm here for a patient».
«Oh yes, of course. The crying child, I suppose. Can I come in?».
Mianmian looked at him for a second before nodding. They had been friends and colleagues for years and Wei Wuxian knew that she would not let him in if it were a problem. And she was not the type of woman who minced her words either.
«Oh, come on. Just stop! You're wasting our time!».
A voice from inside rose over the cry of the child, who stopped for a moment and then started again. Mianmian sighed.
«Just come in».
Wei Wuxian thanked her. He was sure he had the same frown on his face. He could recognize that annoying voice anywhere and it wasn't a surprise to find Su Minshan beside one of the beds. He was one of the Residents in GP and he was an unpleasant person. There were few people who had to say something positive about him and, even if he was somehow a passable doctor, most of the time he was left behind or not chosen. This must have been a real emergency to send him to talk with the patient and his family.
Wei Wuxian looked around. The room was a double, but only one of the beds was occupied and there were a couple of nurses behind Su Minshan. Wei Wuxian took another step and he had to stop in front of a way too familiar scene. The child was still crying and trembling in the arms of a young man, probably the father, who was switching between sweet words to his child and angry glares towards the staff.
«Is everything alright?».
The two nurses turned to greet him with a tired smile, meanwhile, Su Minshan just glanced at him over his shoulder. «It's not your place here, Wei Wuxian».
«I don't want to steal anything, Doctor Su». God, how hated that stupid little man. «But the cries are bothering the other patients».
«This is exactly what I was talking about. If he just stopped this act we could...».
Wei Wuxian squeezed his hands to prevent himself to punch his -unfortunately- colleague and he interrupted that vile and cruel speech to talk directly to the father of the child.
«Is everything okay? Does he need something for the pain?».
The young man raised his head and for a moment Wei Wuxian had the feeling he was ascending. The person who was sitting on that uncomfortable bed with a child on his lap and the shirt spotted with tears and snot was probably the most perfect male specimen he had ever seen in his whole life. He had the typical Asian features and a the eyes of a stunning gold colour. He had a serious scowl on his face, which only made him more attractive. Wei Wuxian wondered if he could mess with that serious expression with a kiss on those plump lips.
No. Nope. Wait. Waaait.
That last thought brought him back to Earth and Wei Wuxian cursed himself for being such a mess in front of a handsome man. He was a great distraction, he could not deny it and...
Not again. Nope.
«He's just scared».
The deep voice of that God on Earth pulled Wei Wuxian out of his head and he had to concentrate to avoid saying out loud how much he wanted to climb that lap with the child. He was such a disaster.
He pinched himself and focused back on the problem. He decided to kneel beside the bed, in order to talk more closely to the child without touching him. He glanced at the father for any sign of refusal, but he didn't find anything.
«Hi, Yuan. Your name is Yuan, isn't it?».
The child moved his head just to peek from his father's chest, but then he hid again. He was still crying, but it was more subdued. He was clearly curious about that new doctor.
«Lan Yuan», said the father. It was difficult to say if he was okay with his interference in that matter. He wasn't his child's doctor and it wasn't really his place to be. But he guessed he could just say something if he didn't approve. Or he could kick him out of the room, or pick him up with those big arms and...
Nope. Oh, come on.
«You don't have to be scared, Yuan. That doctor back there is scary, but he's good and he's gonna make your pain disappear».
«Wei Wuxian!».
Lan Yuan flinched at the loud voice of Su Minshan -Wei Wuxian hadn't even said his name, if he had such a guilty conscience it was not his problem- and then started to cry even louder. Wei Wuxian turned around and glanced at the other doctor.
«If you're not going to help just wait out of the room, Doctor Su. You're just frightening him».
Su Minshan opened his mouth to answer back, but his pager buzzed. He glared at Wei Wuxian with plain disdain and then he stomped out of the room like a guilty child.
«Oh, okay. What I was talking about? Right, right. Lan Yuan, what a nice name. I have a nephew and he's called Jin Lin, but I'm telling you a secret». He leaned close, without touching him. «He likes dogs. Brr, what a bad choice. Dogs are so overrated. What animals do you like?».
Lan Yuan's sobbing had calmed during his silly monologue and he whispered something to his father.
«Did you say lions? Aya, lions are such cool animals. I saw them at the zoo. Have you ever seen a lion? Or a tiger. Oh, also panthers are magnificent. But there are also small animals which are quite interesting. Some bugs are cute, even if they are a bit too slimy for my taste. But also birds, they are so colourful! But my favourite are foxes, they are so soft and have you even heard their laugh?».
«Rabbits».
Wei Wuxian smiled. He had noticed that the more he talked, the more Lan Yuan was calming. He wasn't crying anymore, even if he was trembling a little and he had moved from his father's chest.
«Uh, yes, rabbits! They are also so yummy, especially with my sister's sauce and...».
«That's not trued», he said with outrage. «Rabbits are not food. Baba, tell him rabbits are not food!».
«Mh».
Wei Wuxian laughed. He couldn't say who was the most adorable of the two: Lan Yuan and his cute pout or his stoic father, who was still the most beautiful man ever.
«My rabbits are not food», Lan Yuan said.
He had moved again and now he was facing Wei Wuxian with his whole body, while still sitting in his father's lap.
«Do you have rabbits? What's their names?».
«Black and White».
Wei Wuxian laughed again and Lan Yuan pouted even harder. «They were a gift from Baba for my birthday. And one of them is white and the other is black. And Baba says they are beautiful names!».
«Of course they are». Wei Wuxian glanced at the father and threw him a wink. «Do you want to go home to see them?».
Lan Yuan nodded. «I want to go home».
«Aya, I'm sure that Black and White are waiting for you. But they will be sad if you are back and you are sick again, aren't they?».
For a moment Wei Wuxian feared he had gone too far. The goal of his interference was to calm Lan Yuan enough to let the nurses do their jobs, but he was starting to think that there was something more behind Lan Yuan's fear.
The child hold his fists in his father's shirt, but he didn't start to cry again.
«I don't want to leave Baba», he said in a whisper.
«But your Baba is going to wait for you, isn't he?».
«Mh. I won't leave you alone. I'll be here when you wake up».
«But... But...». La Yuan struggled and looked at both of them with confusion. «But the mean doctor said that they have to put me to sleep and then take me away. I don't want them to take me away from Baba».
Wei Wuxian bit his tongue, but he promised himself to punch Su Minshan as soon as he could find him. What an idiot wasn't even able to explain to a child how the surgery was going to happen without frightening him?
«The mean doctor was wrong. He's kind of new and he does not know all the rules well. But I promise you that you won't be taken away and that your Baba will be with you when you wake up».
Lan Yuan shook his head. «I don't want to sleep», he grumbled. «What will I do if Baba is not here when I wake up?».
At those words, Wei Wuxian couldn't answer. His intuition that there was something more in the backstory of that child was getting stronger, but that wasn't the right place to get lost in suppositions. He glanced and the IV and noticed that it was almost empty.
He took a breath and smiled again. «Let's do this, then. What do you think if your Baba is going to hold your hand while you sleep? So that when you wake up he will still holding you».
«Doctor Wei...».
«Is it possible?».
Wei Wuxian ignored the nurse and nodded at the father. «It's not very common, but if you follow all the procedures, you can stay with your child until he's put to sleep». And not further, was the silent conclusion of his sentence. The man nodded. He probably didn't want to lie to his child, but it was for the better if it made Lan Yuan calmer.
«Is this okay, A-Yuan?».
The child was clearly unsatisfied. «I don't want to sleep», he said again.
«It's necessary if you want to heal», said the father. «The doctors are going to get you better while you sleep and when you get up, your tummy won't hurt again. And then we can go home to see Black and White».
Lan Yuan took a moment to think about those words, then nodded slowly. «If Baba can hold my hand, then I'm okay. But I want to go home quickly».
Wei Wuxian and the nurses at his back sighed in relief. «I promise we'll be super quick».
«Do you promise?».
«I do. Look». Wei Wuxian took the blue-ink pen he had in his gown's pocket and ripped a page from his note's memo pad. He scratched a quick sketch of two rabbits hugging and wrote at the top «get well soon, A-Yuan». He also added a couple of hearts and flowers for good measure. «A good luck charm», he said.
Lan Yuan took the piece of paper and he opened in the first smile of the day. «Thank you, Doctor Wei».
«You can call me Wei Gege, I'm not your doctor today».
Lan Yuan nodded and looked again at the drawing.
«The nurses are going to help you change, and then we are going for a stroll with the bed and then you'll meet the doctor who is going to heal you».
«Are you coming with us, Wei Gege?».
«I can, for a little». He winced when he noticed that his break had gone far too long. But he couldn't leave, and if there were an emergency the nurses could page him.
Lan Yuan was more calm than before and he let the nurses work around his IV to get him ready for the surgery -a simple appendectomy, as he learned from the folder at the end of the bed.
Wei Wuxian smiled at Mianmian, who shook her head in exasperation. «Here we got the Child Whisperer», she joked.
«You know me. I can't stand a crying child. They are way better when they smile».
Mianmian had been his friend for long enough to read behind those words. She understood how his need to comfort a crying child went beyond his job, how it was almost a necessity. As if he could soothe his own memories with those actions. She didn't say anything out loud and she just smiled before walking out of the room. She went directly to the operation rooms to notice the staff that their reticent patient was coming and that they would need to make space for his father as well.
When he was finally ready, the nurses unblocked the wheels of the bed and Lan Yuan giggled. «Are we really going around with the bed?».
«Of course we are!”, said Wei Wuxian. «Do you think I was lying? Why do you think so lowly of me?».
Lan Yuan giggled again and he hold in his free hand the drawing with the blue bunnies.
They talked about random stuff until they reached the elevator. Then, Wei Wuxian's pager biped and he sighed. «Wei Gege has to go to help other ill people», he said while kneeling again beside the bed. «But your Baba is going to stay with you all the time. If you are scared, close your eyes and hold your Baba's hand and think about Black and White».
Lan Yuan nodded and he let go of his father's hand to show his pinky to Wei Wuxian, who smiled. «I promise», he said.
Wei Wuxian's pager rang again and he jumped on his feet. He smiled again at Lan Yuan -and at his stoic beautiful father, who would forever stay in his memories as the most handsome man who ever walked on Earth- and then he run back to the E.R.
What was supposed to be a quick break, had become an interesting meeting he would probably remember for a very long time. It would be a lie to say that he didn't hope to meet them again, maybe in a less dramatic situation, but Wei Wuxian could lie to himself if it was needed.
He could only focus on his work and hope that the chaos of the ER could make him forget the tears of that child and make him remember just his happy smile. And the penetrating gaze of his father.
---
Lan Wangji had always been proud of his self-control. That was before adopting A-Yuan and experiencing in his own skin the blind fear of a parent who can't help but watch their child hurting and crying.
That hadn't been the first time that A-Yuan had been so stubborn and scared. He could remember the first day of kindergarten and the first time at the summer camp and other similar situations. In the beginning, almost three years before, A-Yuan had been inconsolable every time Lan Wangji had to leave even for small things in their apartment, like going to the bathroom or taking a glass of water. Then, after some time and lots of patience, he learned to trust him and that his Baba would never leave him.
Lan Wangji could understand where that fear came from. The first two years of his life had been full of people who had left him: his parents, who had died during a car accident, and then his grandmother. For sheer luck, Lan Wangji had been informed of the death of the old lady, with whom he had been in contact for his volunteer work. And also for the same luck -even if he wasn't so naive to think that his money and the name of his family hadn't helped- he had managed to obtain custody of the child, Wen Yuan. After many exhausting months, he had finally completed the adoption procedures and Lan Yuan had finally become his child.
Despite all the difficult times and the moments he had feared he could not be a good father -and the ones in which he had to fight his fear of becoming like his own father- in the past three years he had managed to build a strong relationship with A-Yuan.
There were still particular occasions in which all that work seemed to just disappear. Like that day.
That night A-Yuan had woken him in the middle of the night and Lan Wangji would never be able to forget the tears streaming down his cheeks and the sobs full of pain and fear. He had rushed to the ER where, after an IV of painkillers and some exams, a doctor had explained that they could schedule an appendectomy in a couple of hours. Then, while A-Yuan was sleeping, some nurses had come to take him to the pediatric department, where he could wait for the surgery. When he had woken up again, that incompetent doctor had arrived to prepare him.
Lan Wangji wished he could just blame the lack of empathy of that doctor -and he would complain with his uncle, he was sure that Lan Qiren had enough connections to get everyone into some problems if he wished- but he knew that the crisis was inevitable. A-Yuan was scared and sore and the only idea of leaving his safe person, even for just a moment, was enough to push him into a crying fit.
Lan Wangji had tried everything. He had tried comforting him with words, hugs, with his favourite song, and the plans for a trip to the beach with some friends.
The only thing he hadn't thought of were rabbits. He knew how much A-Yuan doted on them: he always helped with their food and he cleaned after them. He had so many books about rabbits that his room almost needed another library. It should not have been a surprise, then, that talking about rabbits was the secret to making him calm down.
But even in his most crazy dream, he could have imagined that scene. He was looking at the most handsome man kneeling on the floor and blabbing about animals and rabbits as if it was the most normal thing ever.
Lan Wangji had always been secure enough in his sexuality to explore with some men, especially during his university years. But no one had lasted enough to know him past his expressionless face. He knew he was too serious and boring for the majority of his peers, and his few experiences had been more about sex than feelings. But, to be honest, he had never felt the need to build something romantic with another person.
The adoption of A-Yuan had filled that place at his side and the child was enough to colour his everyday. He didn't need a relationship, not with a child to take care of.
But after all, he could admire a nice-looking man without immediately thinking about getting serious. And in that way, he just looked at that Doctor Wei -Wei Gege- and silently enjoyed his lively grey eyes and his bright smile and happy laugh. Despite the situation, he was inexplicably attracted to that young man, not just his face and his body, but his whole person.
A quick meeting of under twenty minutes had left him with a sour spot in his stomach, but he had a child to give his attention to.
As promised, the nurses gave him a scrub, gloves and a cap for his hair before letting him into the operating room. The doctor from before grumbled, but luckily he was just the assistant and the main surgeon welcomed him with a smile after a quick explanation.
He held A-Yuan's hand until he fell asleep and then a nurse showed him to the waiting room. Wangji spent the whole house wringing his hands and walking for the whole room more than once. His brother Xichen arrived in time to see the surgeon walking out of the operating room with a smile and then they followed the nurses that brought A-Yuan back to his room in the pediatric ward.
A-Yuan started to cry as soon as he opened his eyes, but this time he calmed as soon as he saw that both his Baba and his uncle were beside him. He even smiled when Xichen showed him some pictures and videos of Black and White.
«Baba, where is Wei Gege's drawing?».
Wangji took the writing from his pocket and he gave it to his son.
«Look, Uncle! I told Baba they were the same! Can we show Wei Gege a picture?».
«Wei Gege is helping other people now, A-Yuan. If we can find him when we go home you can thank him».
A-Yuan nodded and Xichen glanced at his brother with an amused smile.
«Wei Gege?».
Wangji had to keep himself from rolling his eyes in front of his brother's expression. «One of the doctors», he explained. «He helped A-Yuan to calm down before the surgery and he gifted him the drawing».
«Is this Wei Gege's name Wei Wuxian?».
Wangji was surprised. «Do you know him?».
«He's Huaisang's friend. I met him a couple of times when he was still living with Mingjue. I remember he was a doctor, but I didn't know he worked here», he explained.
«Mh».
«I can get his number if you want. So that you won't have to look for him in the whole hospital».
Wangji ignored again his brother's tone of voice and nodded. «Mh. Thank you. A-Yuan will be happy».
«Not just A-Yuan».
«Brother!».
«Okay, sorry», his brother laughed. «I'll write to Huaisang later. Meanwhile, do you want to hear a story, A-Yuan?».
Lan Wangji sat beside the bed and looked while his brother entertained A-Yuan with a book about rabbits. In the end, after a whole day of being scared and on edge, he could take a deep breath. A-Yuan was fine. He was going to heal and they were going home in a couple of days.
And if from this bad day, they could gain a friend -both A-Yuan and himself- maybe they could have something positive to remember.
---
A-Yuan wanted to go home.
He had been sleeping two whole nights in that big bed with a strange smell and he wanted his clothes and his shoes and to go home to play with Black and White. Baba had said they could go home, but he had already eaten his lunch and they were still there.
«Babaaa. When we go home?».
«We are waiting for the doctor, A-Yuan. He needs to see you and decide if you need any more medicine».
«I don't want any more medicine. And my tummy doesn't hurt. Please Baba, can we go home?».
«I'm going to talk with a nurse, okay?».
Lan Yuan grimaced, but then he nodded. He wasn't happy to be too far away from Baba, but he also wanted to go home. And if this nurse could make him go home and give him back his clothes, he could manage to wait a little for his Baba. He trusted him to come back.
As he thought, Baba was back before he could count ten rabbits on his hands and he was followed by the mean doctor of the other day. A-Yuan folded his hands on his chest to try to tell Baba that he didn't like the doctor, but the stitches on his tummy hurt and he put them back on the bed. The mean doctor looked at his scar, then he nodded and told a nurse to dress it again.
«You can go. I'm going to prepare the documents for the discharge and the papers for the medication and the medicines».
He stopped to listen and he smiled at the kind nurse who was putting a white bandage on his scar. The young man showed him two different plasters and told A-Yuan to choose the one he liked the most. He chose the one with the dinosaurs. There wasn't one with bunnies, and dinosaurs were better than dogs.
He was telling to the nurse Wen Ning why he thought dinosaurs were better when he recognized a familiar voice. On the door, there was Wei Gege!
«Wei Gege!».
«Lan Yuan! Good choice, dinosaurs always win. But not on bunnies».
A-Yuan nodded and grinned. «I made you a drawing». His Baba was the best because he was already giving him the notebook for the drawings that his uncle Xichen had brought the day before. He flipped the pages until he found the correct one, and then he showed it to Wei Gege.
«They are Black and White», he said. «Baba. Baba, show him a picture, please».
«Aya, you're an artist! They are the same as the original», Wei Gege said with a big smile after watching the picture on Baba's phone. «You also wrote their name».
«Of course, I know how to write. The white one is White. He has a brown spot on his leg and on his front paw and on the ear. Then Black has a little white spot on his back».
«Wow, you did great!».
«Baba helped me», A-Yuan said, because being sincere was important and it was true that Baba had helped him. «And today I can go home!».
«Really? The pain has disappeared?».
«It has! A-Yuan is super okay. Can we go home now, Baba?».
Baba smiled and nodded. «You can get dressed and then we can go home».
«Wei Gege, do you want to come to see Black and White?».
«I'm sorry, but I have to go back to make people feel better».
«Oh, I see. Is it important?».
Wei Gege nodded. «Super important».
«Then it's okay. Can you come another day?».
Wei Gege looked at his Baba and A-Yuan blinked with his best cute face.
«Mh. We can plan something».
«Yay, thank you Baba! I can show you Black and White and their home, their cushions, where they sleep and where they eat. And Baba is building an en-en-ecosire?».
«An enclosure. I'm building it in our garden».
Wei Gege laughed again. «I can't wait!».
«Do you? Can you come tomorrow? Can he, Baba?».
«Mh. If Wei Wuxian is free he can have lunch with us. It's Sunday tomorrow and you don't have school».
«Can you come? Baba cooks really well».
«You are lucky, Lan Yuan. Tomorrow I'm free and I can come to meet Black and White». Then he blinked with just one eye at Baba and smiled with all his teeth. «And to eat your Baba's cooking». A-Yuan grinned and watched as Baba gave Wei Gege his number and their home address.
«Now I have to go back to work. See you tomorrow, Lan Yuan!».
«See you tomorrow, Wei Gege», he waved.
«Mh. Tomorrow, Wei Wuxian».
«Wei Ying, you can call me Wei Ying».
«Lan Wangji. Lan Zhan».
Wei Gege smiled again. «See you tomorrow, Lan Zhan. It's a date!».
Lan Yuan clapped ad waved again as Wei Gege left his room.
He could finally go home and play with Black and White and sleep in his bed. He really wanted to eat Baba's food and then sit in his lap while he read him his goodnight story. And he promised to drink all his medicines if they could go home quicker.
A-Yuan was really happy.
He was looking forward to the next funny day with Wei Gege and Baba!