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Chapter Text

Jin Zixuan was going mad. Last week, at an evening meal, he went to ask his son a question about his day, and his words got caught in his throat. There was a peach-coloured monster staring at him with its mouth open, its sharp teeth glinting and its tongue licking his son. He stood quickly gripping his sword, ready to kill the beast before it could eat his son, and he blinked, it was gone, and his son and wife were staring at him, startled. He sat down quickly, embarrassed.

Jin Zixuan had been terrified of The Bunnys since his father was eaten by one. He had nightmares for years, and recently they have been getting worse; he is now having waking nightmares. His poor son had been desperate to bring one home, but he could barely stand going to Gusu Lan, seeing all those little monsters everywhere, and he swears they follow him around, so he was not having one in his home. Luckily, Jin Ling seems to have gotten a toy bunny from somewhere, probably Wei Wuxian, which has appeased him at the moment. Though, he brings that damn thing everywhere but at least it is not the real thing. Right.

Jin Zixuan nods his head, it’s a toy, and walks into his son's room to wake him up for training and freezes. Again, the same beast was watching him with its beady eyes, threateningly nuzzling his adorable, defenceless son. He let out a startled noise, which woke his son. Jin Ling looked at his dad and asked why he was being weird, picking up his toy bunny and cuddling it. Jin Zixuan had to blink a couple of times to convince himself he was hallucinating; it was a toy. Not real. He turned around and walked out of the room.

Later, he had managed to get to sleep after looking under the bed and in his wardrobe in case they had managed to sneak into his 24/7 guarded room. Yanli said it was a bit excessive to guard his room with 6 guards, 4 specifically to look for bunny monsters. He ignored her, she was friendly with the little beasts, she didn’t understand the fear of them imagining him on a dinner plate.

In the early hours of the morning, he awoke to find one sitting on his chest, staring down at him. It looked hungry, and he was sure he was about to become a midnight snack. He shut his eyes and held his breath. After a few minutes, he opened them. Nothing. He was going mad. He woke his beloved wife and told her that there was one of the Lan demons following him. She had laughed and patted his cheek and said there was nothing to worry about. He got up and searched the room again.

He loved his wife, but she underestimated the seriousness of the situation. That night, he lay trap upon trap in his bedroom, ready to show his wife that there really, really, was one of those demons stalking him, that it must have seen him the last time they were at Gusu Lan a week ago and thought him delicious, just like his father. No traps were sprung, however, his robes looked like they had been nibbled on and set alight. When he showed his amazing wife, she looked at him and said that it was probably mice. MICE! No, it was the little monster torturing before he became the main meal.

The next week, the monster was everywhere he went. No one else seemed to notice it. Not sitting on his sword, not the droppings in his shoes (they blamed mice again, MICE), not even when it stole a peach from his hands and ribbed it apart in front of him, probably imagining it was his body. He got told off by Yanli for wasting food. She did not seem to listen when he explained it was the evil bunny that got a taste for Jin flesh and followed him home!

It even followed him into the bath, and it screamed like someone being murdered. It frightened the life out of him. It seemed to be amused by that because from then on, every time he was alone, it would scream. The monster seemed delighted in torturing him. Tapping its claws on the floor out of sight, making an awful scratching noise against the glass. It was always there at the corner of his eye, and the scorch marks everywhere. He did not know how it was even doing that. Has Wei Wuxian been experimenting and equipped them with fire-starting powers? They were scary enough without fire powers.

After two weeks of hell, he was losing his mind. He could not sleep in case the monster was hiding in his room, he had ripped it apart twice. His lovely Yanli was starting to look at him wearily. He was convinced the little creature was sent by Wei Wuxian to punish him. When he mentioned this to his incredible Yanli, she had laughed and told him not to be ridiculous. He was not, it was here, he knows it is, and he was going to catch it.

It did not help that his smart son was carrying his little toy everywhere. It gave him the creeps, but his son loved the thing, and it stopped his asking for one of the little monsters. So it was all okay.

Chapter Text

Two Weeks Ago,

Jin Ling loved to visit his Uncle Wei Ying, not because he liked being with the boring Lan or his ridiculous Uncle, though he guessed his cousin Lan Yuan was okay, but he really liked to visit The Bunnies. They were so fluffy, and it was funny when he squeezed his favourite one tightly, and his Baba would have a very funny look on his face and twitch like he wanted to rip it away from him. Mama said his Baba was traumatised or something, as one of The Bunnies ate his grandpa, and he was scared it would eat Jin Ling. Which was ridiculous, he had told his favourite one, secretly called Tao due to its love of peaches, to never eat him or Baba, and of course it would listen to his wisdom. He was 5 years old and therefore wise.

He had not managed to convince his parents of his need to have one yet, but he was sure they would come around soon. He had been teaching Tao tricks like collecting peaches and attacking on command. He would have the most fearsome bunny to help him night-hunting. Soon, his parents will see what a great team he and Tao were.

“A-Ling," his Mama called as she came into the clearing where he was teaching Tao to roar. It was not going well; all he could get was a high-pitched screaming sound.

“A-Ling, it’s time to go home”, his Mama said as she came over to him “Say goodbye to your friend now.”

“Mama, can I take the Bunny home with me? I am 5 now and very responsible. Look, I have taught him some tricks. Tao breath….”

His Mama interrupted him with a sigh, “We have talked about this, A-Ling, it wouldn’t be fair to take your friend away from his family, and your father is still very frightened of them. I have not taken home my bunny friend either. Maybe when you’re older.”

Jin Ling whined, “You always say that! I want to take him home now!”

“I have said no, I’m sorry, but we are not able to take him now. Maybe in the future. Now say goodbye to your friend and then come say goodbye to your uncles and cousin. It is time to go home.”

Jin Ling huffed and glared at his Mama, then sighed. He could not stay angry at Mama.
“Okay, Mama, I’ll say goodbye” Jin Ling smiled at his Mama “Can I be alone to say bye to my friend?”

“Thank you, A-Ling, and yes, come find me when you are done. If you are not there in five minutes, I will not be happy!”

“Okay, Mama”, he called and watched as she disappeared into the trees.

“Okay Tao, I can’t take you with me as Mama said no, but… if you find me when we are far from Gusu Lan then they’ll have to let me keep you until we come back and, in that time, I’ll show what a good caretaker I can be.”

He looked at Tao, chewing on a bit of grass, and nodded. Well done Tao. She was acting normal to make sure there was no suspicious behaviour.

He waved bye and slowly walked backwards out of the field, waiting for Tao to follow. She did not, and with another sigh, he turned around and slowly walked towards his Mama. She ruffled his hair and took his hand. He walked sadly back to his uncle’s house to say goodbye.

On the long journey home, he kept poking his head outside the carriage he and his mama where in to see if he could spot Tao, but he could not see anything but horses and flying sword people. When they finally got back home, he slowly walked to his bedroom, hoping to hear a little squeak to tell his Tao had made it to his home.

He gave another sigh as he walked up 5 flights of stairs, and he sighed again when he got to his room and threw himself onto his bed. A stray thought entered his mind that he was acting like a little mistress, but he ignored that Lan boy's voice. He was allowed to be upset that his friend had not followed him. He gave another loud sigh and turned over.

“Squeak”, Jin Ling sat up and looked around. Was that… could it be….

It was! Tao was on the windowsill. He ran to get him and bring him inside. A slight thought entered his mind as to how he managed to climb up there, but he ignored it, too excited to see his friend.

He hugged it tightly and then dropped it on his bed. He grabbed a peach he had hidden in case his friend joined him. He threw it in the air, and Tao sprang up, ripped it apart and happily ate the flesh of it. He finally had a friend in the Golden Carp Tower. He just had to make sure his parents did not find out. He looked at Tao and thought he looked like an excellent toy.

Chapter Text

Jin Zixun, hated bunnies. He had lost an arm and a leg to them when they attacked him for kicking a few Wen Dogs. His cousin was such a stick in the mud about it. Confining him to the tower, he would not even let him have women to entertain him, and his cousin made sure he only had male servants. Also, he would not make the Lan apologise to him. Everyone knows they can control the monsters and that the Devil Wei Wuxian taught them his demonic tricks. They probably ordered them to attack good, upstanding individuals. He heard the Lan heir has even adopted one of the dogs. His uncle would never have stood for this, and it might be up to him to put everything right with dogs and servants back into their place.

He had heard his cousin might be losing his mind. According to servant gossip, he has been hallucinating murder bunnies and acting erratically, trying to prove it for the last two weeks. Jin Zixun thought about how to get back at his cousin, and the ultimate evil plan came to his mind. He just needed to escape. His cousin is acting crazy, talking about a monster. Well, accidents happen. Especially to small children.

Jin Zixuan was walking along the wall, his sword in front of him, looking both ways in case the creature was following him. Yanli was walking next to him, stopping to wait for him to catch up.

“Love, why are you walking like a nervous crab?” Yanli asked with a small smile on her face.

“It’s here, I know it is, I can hear it, smell it”, he turned behind him quickly, “see it.”

Yanli turned around and looked at the empty hallway. “I think you’re not getting enough sleep”

“It’s here, I can sense it, the evil foreboding choking me like smoke, can’t you feel it?” Jin Zixuan turned to Yanli, eye twitching. “You believe me, right?”

“Well, I haven’t seen any Bunnys except A-Ling’s toy, are you sure you’re seeing one. Describe it to me”

“It’s got eyes as dark as the abyss and teeth as sharp as swords that glisten with venom, it makes this horrible screaming sound. Its fur is a light brown colour, a bit like peach.”

Yanli looked up at that and frowned, “You mean the colour of A-Ling’s new toy?”

Jin Zixuan nodded frantically, “Yes, exactly that colour, where did you even get that toy from? Wei Wuxian?”

“I didn’t get it for him, I thought you did to stop him from asking for his own Bunny?”

“If you didn’t get it and I didn’t get it, who got it for him?” Jin Zixuan frowned, then frantically looked left and right in case the beast snuck up on him.

Suddenly, there was a yell down the hallway. They looked at each other and ran. It came from Jin Ling’s room. Bursting through the door, they saw Jin Ling sitting on his bed, his toy in front of him, and Jin Zixun lying on the floor, his wooden arm and leg smouldering next to him.

“What…. What happened here?” Jin Zixuan stammered out.

“Mon… Monster”, Jin Jixun said, pointing at Jin Ling.

Yanli kicked him in the head “What did you say about my baby?”

Jin Zixun grabbed his sword and went to stab Yanli with it when….

“Attack” yelled Jin Ling.

WHOOSH

Fire burst from the Bunny and burned Jin Zixun’s hand. He yelped and pulled his hand close. Jin Zixuan hit him on the head with the end of the sword, knocking him unconscious and then stared at the monster that had saved his wife and son, smoke still drifting from its mouth.

“I told you I was teaching her tricks, Mama. It’s the first fire-breathing bunny ever.”

“I was right”, Jin Zixuan cried, “I wasn’t crazy, I was right!”

Yanli blinked and looked from the Bunny to her husband to her son. “Yes, dear, you were right, A-Ling, why do you have a bunny with you. I told you to leave him in Gusu Lan.”

“He followed me home, Mama, what was I supposed to do. But you didn’t know he was here for weeks, I looked after him all by myself, showing how good a caretaker I am, right”

“I guess so, okay, you may keep your Bunny, but you need to apologise to your father for making us and him think he was going mad, and it’s not allowed to play with your father anymore. It can play with your uncle instead.”

“Thank you, Mama,” Jin Ling brought the bunny up to his face and squeezed it.

“Play?” Jin Zixuan whimpered.

“Yes, they only follow those they like”, Yanli smiled.

Jin Zixuan looked at the bunny and whined as it showed off its teeth and licked its lips.

“Sure, play, yes, you can keep… it… as long as it plays with uncle Zixun instead of me” Jin Zixuan didn’t take his eyes off the beast.

“Excellent, and the next time we go to Gusu Lan, I will bring home my Bunny; we need to create a home for them here.” Yanli clapped excitedly.

“More bunnies!” Jin Zixuan cried and fainted.

Yanli looked down at her husband, “Aww, he was so excited he fainted.”