Dearly Detested: Grooms in Hate

F(B)unny Rabbits

“Ta-da! Look, isn’t it pretty?”

Lan Wangji, however, was too busy staring at the beautiful man before him to comment objectively on the drawing in that man's hands. He forced himself to focus, not wanting to be caught absent minded a second time.

“Stunning.” But it can't beat you, irrespective of how well you make it. Which was half-true, considering that both the idea and the art were true masterpieces. Delicate yet firm strokes, creating an elegant crown of lotuses and peonies, with encrusted gems. 

“That’s all? I’ve been drawing for an hour! How about, “Wei Ying, your artistic mastery awes my humble eyes, and the beauty on the page far overshadows anything I’ve seen in this lifetime?”

Lan Wangji felt the corners of his lips curl up involuntarily and had to stop them before they followed their wayward path.

“Excess flattery is prohibited.” answered Lan Wangji quickly.

“Ah, Lan Zhan, this, that, and everything in between is prohibited in your Clan! Tell me one thing that isn’t prohibited in the Cloud recesses!”

Without thinking, Lan Wangji responded.

“Wei Ying.”

As the horror of what he had just said dawned on him, he saw Wei Wuxian’s face turn a pretty shade of pink, as he furiously hid his face behind the drawing in his hand.

“Lan Zhan! You’re shameless! Besides…”

Suddenly, the smile left his voice as it dropped to an almost inaudible whisper.

“Aren’t demonic cultivators prohibited in Cloud Recesses? Which means I can never come meet you. But that doesn’t mean you stop meeting me! Right? You’re welcome to see me whenever you want.”

“Whenever?”

“Yep!”

I would like to see you everyday then, Lan Wangji thought. He brushed the thought aside. Wei Wuxian, at present, was in his most volatile state. Taking advantage of that was something Lan Wangji would never do.

Just then, the waiter arrived. After looking far and wide, the duo had circled back to the Lan disciple’s inn, getting their own private room with the view of a grassy lawn, occupied by a couple of rabbits. Apparently, they reminded the Lan disciple of home. The room itself was cozy, with wood and blue interior, reminiscent of the Lan style. It felt quite a bit like Cloud Recesses.

He set down a plate of dumplings, a bowl of soup and some fried meat with spicy sauce. Wei Wuxian, who was starving since the morning, gorged on the food as Lan Wangji watched. He then picked up a dumpling and nibbled on it.

“Ah, the food here is to die for! It's way better than the bland stuff in the Cloud Recesses. I wonder where he learned to cook like that… ” Wei Wuxian looked up with his face smeared with sauce. It was a comical sight, yet endearing. Lan Wangji felt his heartbeat quicken.

He  pulled a handkerchief out of his sleeve, and reached out to wipe Wei Wuxian’s face.

“If I may.”

Maybe the sauce was too spicy. Wei Wuxian’s cheeks were completely flushed, as he let Lan Wangji wipe his face with no protest, his eyes staring deeply into Lan Wangji's.

“Gods, I’m such a mess. How does the pristine Second Jade of Lan tolerate me?” he mumbled in between, shifting his eyes down. 

Lan Wangji said nothing and focused on his task. His ears heated up as he wiped at Wei Wuxian’s lips. They felt soft to the touch and looked so pretty and inviting.

As his thoughts turned towards indecent paths, he pulled his hand away. At which point he was already mentally reciting the 3000 rules of his clan. Oh, having Wei Wuxian around was intoxicating and dangerous for his heart. He had almost thought of asking Wen Qing for medical advice, because his heart was constantly achieving new feats, but then he thought better of it.

“Now, Lan Zhan, focus. This crown has a nine petaled lotus in the center, made up of nine spell stones. The central stone is a ward and healing stone, which will keep away low level beasts and help with minor wounds. The two stones next to it are energy stones, to help someone whose core strength has depleted. The next two are tiny bombs which can be thrown at an enemy to cause a distraction, and - OUCH!”

He was rudely interrupted by a rabbit jumping into his lap. Now, no one could  have seen that Lan Wangji had cast a spell to summon a cloud carrot onto Wei Wuxian’s lap while he spoke, to lure the rabbit there, so he could enjoy seeing the man he loved with his favorite animal. Why would anyone suspect the Second Jade of Lan for a rabbit’s temperament? 

This particular rabbit had moist ruby eyes, which looked up at Wei Wuxian adoringly (or rather, hungrily).

“Aw, look at her! What a brat, to jump into the mighty Yiling Laozu’s lap!”

All the hostility in Wei Wuxian’s eyes had disappeared as he looked at the rabbit nibble at Chenqing’s tassel. He gently nudged her under the face with his index finger, in a move to dissuade her from her fervent endeavours. However, this only served to encourage the little one.

Wei Wuxian laughed, one of his clear, genuinely happy laughs, as he showed the rabbit to Lan Wangji. “Look! What would people say if they saw a rabbit teething on Chenqing? Surely they would suspect me of wanting to kill rabbits, or enchant them to eat everyone’s grains so everyone starves!”

Lan Wangji didn’t like hearing that.

“Wei Ying is not like that.”

“Ah, I’m not, I’m not, but you know how it is. One day I’m seen with you, and people think I’m trying to brainwash the Lan Clan's Second Heir. If I grow and sell a radish, they suspect it’s a horrible weapon or poisoned. Anything I do is bound to be misinterpreted. Besides, I’m too lazy to clear their misunderstandings. Let the people say what they want!”

The man smiled, but this time it hid his pain, that could only be seen in his eyes, that slowly stopped shining with every sentence. After all, Wei Wuxian was barely twenty years old. While others his age were pursuing pinnacles of cultivation and lovers of their choosing, he was trying his best to protect the remnants of a clan which wasn’t even his, just for the sake of righteousness. He was a feared and hated figure, whom no one wanted to be associated with. And it was all because he was too kind.

Yes, Lan Wangji didn’t understand why Wei Wuxian would choose to stray onto the dark path for his purposes, but he had come to terms with it. He loved Wei Wuxian irrespective, as he had come to realize.

As Wei Wuxian continued to play with the rabbit, Lan Wangji felt a twinge in his heart. He wanted to show the man before him to the world, to question them about their cruelty and lies, to demand of them the love Wei Wuxian deserved, but a small part of him wished to hide him away at the same time, to keep this happiness and truth to himself, like a well- guarded secret.

He finally found the words he wanted to say.

“Wei Ying.”

“Yes?”

“This will pass. You’re not alone.”

And Lan Wangji saw how a real smile showed up on the latter’s face again.

“Mhm!” 

I hope you guys are enjoying the story! : )