Lan Wangji had never had a favorite animal before. But now he had no doubt that it was the rabbit.
Little Carrot and Snowball loved him just as much, leaning into his touch as he petted their heads.
Lan Wangji was grateful to Lan Xichen that he didn't force him to release the rabbits. Last night after the corpses broke out, Lan Xichen had gone to talk with him about it. Both rabbits took a liking to his brother quickly.
Sometimes, Lan Wangji spotted a gray rabbit dashing around the forest. He couldn't tell whether it was male or female. Little Carrot perked up at the sight of the gray rabbit. But the gray rabbit would immediately flee, leaving poor Little Carrot dejected. Meanwhile, Snowball would just fixate on the gray rabbit but not pursue it.
There must be rabbits within the Cloud Recesses other than Little Carrot and Snowball. An entire nest from where Little Carrot, Snowball, and the gray rabbit originated from.
As Lan Wangji thought about how to find the nest of rabbits, Little Carrot's head suddenly jerked up. The rabbit sniffed the air and then shot off up the path.
Lan Wangji heard a laugh.
"Hey there, Little Carrot. Been a while. Did you miss me?"
There was a pause.
"Oh? You want me to follow you? What is it that you want to show me?"
Pan Wukun appeared in front of Lan Wangji with Little Carrot.
Noticing Lan Wangji, Pan Wukun froze. "My apologies, Lan-er-gongzi. I will leave."
As Pan Wukun started to walk away, Little Carrot tugged at her pants leg with his mouth, stopping her.
"You want me to stay, Little Carrot?" Pan Wukun looked at Lan Wangji and then back down to Little Carrot. "Sorry, little guy. I have to go."
No matter how much Pan Wukun tried to pull her pants leg away, Little Carrot would not back down.
Lan Wangji observed them.
Little Carrot was fond of Pan Wukun. So the rogue cultivator couldn't have been a wicked person.
But Pan Wukun had used Wei Wuxian to smuggle the Library Pavilion's books.
For someone the same age as his brother, Lan Wangji expected better from Pan Wukun.
But then Pan Wukun saved Lan Wangji from getting ambushed by that walking corpse in the forest.
Pan Wukun had done both noble and questionable deeds.
Just what kind of person was Pan Wukun?
While Lan Wangji pondered about Pan Wukun's character, Pan Wukun nervously wondered if she was seriously annoying Lan Wangi for interrupting his alone time with the rabbits. She wanted to leave so badly but Little Carrot was latched on to her pants like they were lettuce.
Pan Wukun, realizing that she couldn't get away from Little Carrot without ripping her pants or seriously hurting him, accepted defeat and sat down on the ground.
Little Carrot happily hopped onto Pan Wukun's lap while Snowball moved to lay on Lan Wangji's.
Little Carrot sniffed at the small bag attached to Pan Wukun's sash belt. He pawed at it enthusiastically.
Pan Wukun smiled. "Aw. Little Carrot could smell carrots like a bloodhound! He's really living up to his name!" She took a carrot out for Little Carrot to happily munch on.
Pan Wukun cast a hesitant glance at Lan Wangji. She held out some carrots to him. "Uh…here. For Snowball too."
After Little Carrot and Snowball finished their meal, they blinked up at Lan Wangji and Pan Wukun cutely.
Both Lan Wangji and Pan Wukun's hearts melted.
They gently petted the rabbits' heads.
Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji turned to look at each other.
Pan Wukun was relieved that Lan Wangji wasn't coldly glaring at her. That was a good sign!
…Or maybe the rabbits put him in too good a mood for him to be irritated with her? Or perhaps he didn't dare show anger in front of them?
Pan Wukun turned her eyes away from Lan Wangji.
Lan Wangji continued staring intently at her but found that he couldn't think of anything to say to her.
So the two of them only knew to continue petting the rabbits in silence.
Of all the things Pan Wukun thought she'd be doing at the Cloud Recesses, petting rabbits with Lan Wangji was not one of them.
Little Carrot gently nudged his head against Pan Wukun's hand, purring contentedly.
Pan Wukun smiled softly as she gently rubbed her thumb over Little Carrot's head.
Then without warning, Little Carrot and Snowball switched laps between Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji.
Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji stared in shock.
Little Carrot made himself comfortable on Lan Wangji's lap.
Snowball lifted his head to touch Pan Wukun's hand.
Pan Wukun blinked. "Oh…Snowball. Do you like me now?" She hesitantly began brushing her fingers against Snowball's fur.
Snowball purred and relaxed on Pan Wukun's lap.
Pan Wukun's lip trembled. - Snowball's warmed up to me! I can't believe it!
Pan Wukun smiled as she was finally able to pet Snowball for the first time.
If there was one good thing about staying at the Cloud Recesses, it was getting to spend time with cute rabbits.
Wei Wuxian hid behind a tree, watching Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji pet Little Carrot and Snowball from a distance.
Lan Wangji wasn't being rude to Pan Wukun at all. Good.
But if Lan Wangji acted badly, Wei Wuxian would throttle him.
Wei Wuxian closely watched Lan Wangji tenderly rub his hands over Little Carrot's soft black fur.
Who knew someone so strong could be so gentle?
This was a side Wei Wuxian had never seen from Lan Wangji before.
Was that who he was outside of his usual uptight strictness?
Perhaps this was why Pan Wukun told him to give Lan Wangji a chance and get to know him beyond his cold exterior…
If Wei Wuxian wanted to know something, whether that be a mysterious object or a compelling person, there was no stopping his curiosity.
A plan started forming in Wei Wuxian's head.
He would talk to Lan Wangji and find out whether he was worth befriending once and for all.
Tonight.
Wei Wuxian had gone to see if Lan Wangji was in his room. But he wasn't there. So he must've been on patrol.
Wei Wuxian walked leisurely to the border of the Cloud Recesses, the same wall where he had encountered Lan Wangji the first time he smuggled in Emperor's Smile. He avoided running to show the GusuLan sect cultivators he wasn't up to any mischief. He even made sure that it wasn't curfew yet.
Reaching the wall, Wei Wuxian spotted Lan Wangji standing on one of the rooftops.
Wei Wuxian stood still, admiring how Lan Wangji's well-sculpted figure was illuminated in the moonlight.
Wei Wuxian snuck onto the rooftop. "Psssst! Lan Zhan!"
Lan Wangji jumped, startled. He unsheathed Bichen and pointed it at Wei Wuxian's throat.
Wei Wuxian gulped, raising his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Wait! It's just me! I'm not here to fight you!"
Lan Wangji didn't relent, keeping Bichen pointed at Wei Wuxian.
Wei Wuxian sighed. "…or to cause any trouble. Look! I didn't even bring my sword with me this time! And I don't have any Emperor's Smile with me! I'm completely empty-handed!"
For a moment, Lan Wangji stared hard at Wei Wuxian, scrutinizing him.
Wei Wuxian shot Lan Wangji his most charming smile, hoping to disarm him.
Since it was nighttime, Wei Wuxian couldn't see Lan Wangji's ears turn pink.
Seeing Wei Wuxian wasn't making any sudden movements to run away, Lan Wangji sheathed Bichen.
Wei Wuxian sighed in relief. "Lan Zhan…could I talk to you?"
Lan Wangji's eyes narrowed but he made no statements or sounds of protest.
Wei Wuxian took a long breath. "So…I know we have argued with each other sometimes. But I think we just misunderstood each other and jumped into fighting too quickly."
Wei Wuxian grinned at Lan Wangji. "So let's start over!"
He saluted to Lan Wangji. "Wei Ying, courtesy name: Wuxian! The handsome and talented head disciple of the YunmengJiang sect! Who might you be, young and attractive cultivator of the GusuLan sect?"
Lan Wangji stiffened at first, thinking about how to react. Then he saluted politely as he usually did in standard greetings to other cultivators. "…Lan Zhan, courtesy name: Wangji."
Wei Wuxian smiled and sat down on the rooftop. He patted the spot next to him.
Lan Wangji silently sat down beside him.
"I'll stay with you until I have to go back before curfew!" Wei Wuxian playfully nudged Lan Wangji on the arm. "You could always use an extra set of eyes during guard duty, right?"
Lan Wangji nodded slowly. "…Mn."
Wei Wuxian pointed up at the sky. "The moon is so big and bright tonight! It's beautiful…"
Unknown to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji turned his eyes from the sky over to him. "Yes…beautiful."
Wei Wuxian laughed.
Lan Wangji's shoulders relaxed and he silently enjoyed the view of the moon with Wei Wuxian.
Lan Wangji lay in bed, his heart fluttering.
He successfully held a heartfelt conversation with Wei Wuxian. They even watched the moon in the sky together without any trouble.
Wei Wuxian looked so ethereal in the moonlight.
…And he was right there next to him the entire time.
A soft smile made its way onto Lan Wangji's face.
He fell asleep dreaming of flying with Wei Wuxian on their swords across a moonlit sky.
A/N: I hope I did Wangxian justice with how I portrayed them in this chapter. What do you all think?
So Little Carrot and Snowball helped Pan Wukun and Lan Wangji spend time calmly together. The rabbits also helped Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji reconcile under a moonlit sky. Can't go wrong with the moon and cute rabbits.
