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Wei Wuxian thinks it’s fair to say he’s experienced some terrible things in his life.
He’s lost his family – birth and found – several times over. He’s been demonised and scapegoated, cast out from society and thrown into the pits of hell. He’s died, for crying out loud.
This current predicament, while perhaps not the worst thing he’s ever faced, is definitely up there.
Not even Lan Zhan’s warm arms holding him close are enough to comfort him.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says gently, strokes his back reassuringly but Wei Wuxian just whines and buries himself back in Lan Zhan’s embrace, trying unsuccessfully to block out the world and fighting against the overwhelming urge to run away.
He hears a soft “aww” and lifts his head to shoot a reproaching glare at Jingyi, who has enough sense to look chastised. Beside him, Sizhui is shooting Wei Wuxian a very soft look, but because he is smart and kind and insightful (and no, Wei Wuxian is not biased, thank you very much, Lan Zhan has just clearly raised their son very well), he keeps his mouth closed.
Across the table from Lan Zhan sits Lan Qiren (expression one of vague disdain, as it always is when Wei Wuxian is present) and Lan Xichen (recently out of seclusion, pale and tired but still carrying an air of kindness). They are both staring disconcertingly at Wei Wuxian, clearly wanting to say something but having no idea how to start the conversation.
For once in his life, Wei Wuxian can relate.
“Wangji, do you have any idea how Master Wei has taken on the form of a dog?” Lan Xichen finally asks. Lan Zhan shakes his head and Wei Wuxian mourns pitifully, fighting against the urge to somehow scratch his way out of his body. His weird, four-legged, furry body. With a tail.
Because he’s a dog.
He knows he’s done some questionable things in the past, but has he really done something deserving of this level of punishment?
Lan Zhan scratches his side in commiseration and Wei Wuxian whimpers, pressing closer. Lan Xichen allows them several moments before he clears his throat.
“Wangji, would you recount the events leading up to this?”
Lan Zhan nods, begins narrating the day’s events from the moment he awoke to when he last saw Wei Wuxian, just before midday. He details how Wei Wuxian appeared at the time of their last meeting, just settling down for a nap after working on a new talisman, happy and healthy and very much human.
(He doesn’t mention why Wei Wuxian was settling down for a nap, or indeed how Wei Wuxian looked, sprawled on their bed, skin flushed and back arched and mouth open in ecstasy as Lan Zhan brought him to climax with his lips around Wei Wuxian’s cock and three fingers pressing inside him.
He also doesn’t mention how he flipped Wei Wuxian onto his stomach immediately after, taking him hard and fast until Wei Wuxian was keening into the sheets from overstimulation, body trembling through a second orgasm as Lan Zhan thrusts in deep and finds his own release.
In fact, the way Lan Zhan recounts events, it makes it seem as though Wei Wuxian had simply fallen asleep in the middle of the day out of pure laziness, rather than because his husband had ravished him senseless all night.
Which, to be fair, has happened before, but it was not the case this time and Lan Zhan is well aware of that. Wei Wuxian resents the way both Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen seem to accept Lan Zhan’s explanation with no questions, and huffs loudly to express his displeasure.
Lan Zhan just scratches him behind his left ear in response and Wei Wuxian feels his back left leg twitch involuntarily out of happiness. He hates this body so very much.)
Lan Xichen adjusts his position slightly, leans forward. “So when you left, Master Wei was still human? You didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary?”
Lan Zhan shakes his head, moves his hand to scratch behind Wei Wuxian’s other ear and Wei Wuxian can feel his tail thumping again Lan Zhan’s thigh happily. He tries to control it but it won’t stop, wagging harder when Lan Zhan digs his fingers into a particularly good spot.
He opens his mouth to express his pleasure verbally, you know, like a normal human would, and a high-pitched bark comes out instead, startling him enough that he rolls out of Lan Zhan’s arms and onto the hard floor with a loud thump.
“Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan exclaims, reaches out and grabs Wei Wuxian’s wriggling body, brings him close to his broad chest. “Are you hurt?”
Wei Wuxian whines loudly, his paws – paws! – scratching against the front of Lan Zhan’s robes. He’s not hurt, more shaken than anything else. He’d forgotten for a moment that he can no longer speak. Hearing the bark had immediately thrown him back to living on the streets and being chased by hungry dogs. Even now, he can feel their phantom bites on his arms and legs.
He’s not able to say any of this, of course, but because Lan Zhan is the best person to have ever existed, he understands anyway. He cradles Wei Wuxian against his shoulder as he would a child and allows Wei Wuxian to hide his face in Lan Zhan’s long mane of hair.
“You are safe here,” he says quietly and Wei Wuxian nuzzles his ear with his nose, tries to stop his weird little body from trembling in shock and horror because he’s a dog. Lan Zhan strokes his back reassuringly until Wei Wuxian’s heart no longer feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest.
“Sizhui,” he hears Lan Xichen say. “You were the next to see Master Wei?”
Sizhui clears his throat, steps forward and bows.
“Yes, Zewe Jun,” he replies. “Lan Jingyi and I were passing the Jingshi when we heard barking. We know of Senior Wei’s… dislike of dogs, so we went in to see if he was alright.”
By the time Sizhui and Jingyi had entered the Jingshi, Wei Wuxian had been awake for all of two minutes. He’d arisen to find the room much larger than it normally was, and the lighting seemed strange, colours less saturated than normal. He’d tried to stand up but his body wouldn’t obey him, and when he’d tried to speak, all he could hear was loud barking.
Needless to say, he’d freaked out, bolted to the door to escape because his ears were ringing from the barks and he could hear a canine panting close by. But for some reason, the door was exceptionally tall and he couldn’t reach the latch and he thought he must be going crazy because there was hair growing out of his hands and the dog wouldn’t stop barking –
“When we opened the door, we found a small dog scratching at the door, and Senior Wei was nowhere in sight. We tried calling for him but only the dog would respond. He was terrified; he kept trying to hide behind us whenever he would bark. It was only then that we realised…” Sizhui and Jingyi both shoot Wei Wuxian soft looks and Wei Wuxian huffs.
He’s not proud of his reaction upon waking up as a dog, but come on, he’d woken up in the body of the thing he’s most fearful of! Everybody should just cut him some slack!
Lan Zhan seems to agree with him. “Wei Ying does not like dogs,” he says. “It would be unpleasant for anyone in a similar situation.”
Wei Wuxian can no longer kiss his husband, so he settles for licking his neck instead with his strangely long dog tongue. He catches a glimpse of a smile at the corner of Lan Zhan’s mouth, and he knows his husband appreciates his actions.
Across the table, Lan Qiren lets out a huff of displeasure. “Loud noise is prohibited at Cloud Recesses,” he says pointedly. Wei Wuxian is not looking, but he’s pretty sure the words are aimed at him.
Lan Zhan places a protective hand against his back. “Wei Ying has been cursed to take the form of an animal," he answers, his voice several degrees colder than it has been so far.
“Pets are prohibited at Cloud Recesses.”
Wei Wuxian can feel Lan Zhan stiffen beneath him. “Wei Ying,” he says slowly, clearly, “is not a pet.”
“Uncle, Wangji,” Lan Xichen says hurriedly, clearly trying to intervene before Lan Zhan does something stupidly loyal like draw Bichen at his Uncle and challenge him to a duel for Wei Wuxian’s honour. “This is a difficult time for everyone involved. Particularly Master Wei.”
Wei Wuxian lets out a thankful bark in response and scares himself in the process. Lan Zhan hums reassuringly and strokes his fur-covered paw, and Wei Wuxian is once again reminded of just how much he utterly adores his husband.
“I’m sure Uncle wasn’t suggesting Master Wei has to leave Cloud Recesses,” Lan Xichen continues. Lan Qiren lets out a loud huff that clearly signifies that’s exactly what he was suggesting.
“Wei Ying will remain at Cloud Recesses, with me,” Lan Zhan says in a low voice. He holds Wei Wuxian tighter. Wei Wuxian manages to wiggle himself around in Lan Zhan’s arms until he’s facing Lan Qiren. He then pokes his tongue out at Lan Qiren, watches as the man seems to inflate in rage.
“You-”
“Master Wei,” Lan Xichen interrupts quickly. “Do you remember anything from before you were transformed?”
They run into the small problem of Wei Wuxian being unable to speak because, you know, the whole being turned into a dog thing. Thankfully, Sizhui comes up with the solution of having two parchments, one labelled ‘yes’ and the other ‘no’, for Wei Wuxian to nose at in order to answer questions.
(Their son is a genius and Wei Wuxian won’t hear anything otherwise.)
Lan Zhan has to put Wei Wuxian down to rest on his lap, his nose level with the top of the table where the parchments are. It doesn’t take long to convey that yes, Wei Wuxian had fallen asleep human and woken up as a dog; no, he doesn’t have any idea how this happened; no, he’s not alright (this changes to a yes after Lan Zhan picks him up and makes that face where he’s all concerned and determined to do anything to make Wei Wuxian feel better, and Wei Wuxian feels like a horrible husband because he’s okay, really, apart from wanting to rip his skin apart and find somewhere to hide and never come out).
“Was the talisman you were working on related to transformations? Or animals?”
A sniff of the ‘no’ parchment.
“Have you ever come across anything like this before?”
‘No’ again.
“Do you know to change back?”
Wei Wuxian doesn’t even grace that with an answer, just stares at the man in incredulity. If he knew how to change back, wouldn’t he have changed back already?
Several minutes later, everyone in the room is flummoxed as to how Wei Wuxian had been turned into a dog, and as a result, how to change him back. Wei Wuxian lets his little body flop across Lan Zhan’s folded legs, tries to focus on anything apart from the sight of his own arms – no, paws – and the fact that he can see his own nose – no, snout – and how his teeth feel weird and how many teeth do dogs have anyway? Far too many, what do they even need them for?
“Oh,” Jingyi suddenly says. “Oh.”
All attention in the room snaps to him.
“What is it?” Sizhui asks.
“The disciples. The junior disciples. They had a lesson today about altering talismans. What if one of the junior’s accidentally created a talisman that has something to do with Senior Wei’s current state?”
Jingyi looks to Lan Xichen, who nods slowly. “That is certainly a plausible theory.”
“The junior disciples should still be in class, we can go and ask them now,” Jingyi says as he scrambles to his feet. Sizhui, Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren rise with far more grace while Lan Zhan remains seated, one hand resting gently across Wei Wuxian’s back.
“Wangji, perhaps it would be best if you and Master Wei remain here. Until we know what happened for sure, it would be unwise to let others know of Master Wei’s transformation.”
Lan Zhan nods in agreement at Lan Xichen’s words. Before he can say anything, however, there is a strange grumbling noise that echoes through the Jingshi. Everyone glances around before all attention turns to Wei Wuxian, who barks in confusion.
The grumbling sounds again, and it’s with a burst of embarrassment that Wei Wuxian realises it’s coming from his stomach. How such a little body can emit such a loud noise, he has no idea. Across the room, Jingyi is trying to cover his sniggering behind his hand, as Lan Xichen’s lips quirk into a smile.
“Zewe Jun, Grandmaster,” Sizhui says, bowing. “Perhaps I will go to the kitchens while Jingyi accompanies you to the junior disciples?”
“Thank you, Sizhui,” Lan Zhan says with a nod, and Wei Wuxian barks out his own thanks. Sizhui departs with another bow and a fond look towards Wei Wuxian; Lan Qiren, Lan Xichen and Jingyi follow behind him, leaving Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan alone in the Jingshi.
---
Lan Zhan’s hands shake ever so slightly as he deposits Wei Wuxian in the middle of their bed before perching on the edge. From the infinitesimal way his eyebrow twitches, Wei Wuxian knows Lan Zhan is extremely concerned. Despite wanting to comfort his husband, he can’t really blame Lan Zhan; Wei Wuxian is also extremely concerned at his current predicament.
It takes Wei Wuxian a moment to find his footing, having to remember he needs to use all four limbs, but he manages to stand up on his paws and slowly pads his way over to Lan Zhan, only losing his balance and falling down once. He can’t speak and he doesn’t want to bark, so he uses his nose to nudge at Lan Zhan’s hand, leans forward and tries to rub his furry head reassuringly against Lan Zhan’s thigh.
Lan Zhan lets out a barely audible sigh. “Wei Ying,” he says, voice warm. Wei Wuxian tries to climb back into Lan Zhan’s lap but his legs are too short – and seriously, what kind of dog is he, because everything around him seems ridiculously large, his husband included – and he ends up tumbling backwards onto the bedding with a yelp.
Lan Zhan is quick to catch him and sets him back on his feet. “Wei Ying,” he says again and Wei Wuxian can’t help but bark in response (and he only flinches at the sound, which he feels pretty proud of).
It’s alright Lan Zhan, he wants to say. I’m not hurt, I’m just a monstrous beast right now, but hopefully we can figure out what happened really soon and change me back.
It comes out as a series of high pitched yaps which hurt Wei Wuxian’s ears, but somehow Lan Zhan understands him even in dog form because he hums in agreement, carefully cups Wei Wuxian’s face in one of his palms and lightly scratches the top of his head.
“We will figure out how to change Wei Ying back,” Lan Zhan says determinedly and Wei Wuxian barks again, tries to climb into Lan Zhan’s lap and manages to succeed after hopping several times on his back legs. He snuggles into the fabric, lets his senses be surrounded by Lan Zhan’s familiar sandalwood scent and the reassurance that he’s not alone in this.
Of course, because Wei Wuxian is Wei Wuxian, he only lasts several minutes before he’s squirming to get down. Lan Zhan helps lower him to the floor, and keeps a watchful eye as Wei Wuxian explores the Jingshi in his new form. It’s familiar and yet different; for starters, Wei Wuxian quickly becomes acquainted with the undersides of the furniture. He also finds several of his own belongings, including talismans, trinkets and in one case, a misplaced hair ribbon.
(Maybe he gets stuck between the wall and a cupboard when he tries to get the ribbon out, and maybe Lan Zhan has to rescue him. He’s not allowed behind the cupboard after that.)
By the time Sizhui has returned with a plate of food, Wei Wuxian has, for the most part, mastered running on his four legs. He proudly runs up to Sizhui, who very kindly does not laugh at his unbalanced gait, and props himself up against Sizhui’s legs, barely reaching his calves.
Lan Zhan follows and takes the plate of food, allowing Sizhui to bend down and pick Wei Wuxian up (and isn’t that a weird experience, Wei Wuxian remembers when Sizhui was small enough to cradle in his own arms, so he can’t be blamed for finding this mildly disconcerting). Their son is careful as he holds Wei Wuxian, lets his body rest on his hand and along his forearm, and it takes Wei Wuxian a moment to realise he’s being held like a rabbit.
(Wei Wuxian thinks he finally understands why the rabbits squirm away when he tries to hold them. The lack of support around his sides and the way his legs hang uselessly in the air makes him feel as though he’s about to fall out of Sizhui’s grip any moment. It’s very unsettling.)
He barks, wriggling wildly and Sizhui lets out a yelp, brings his other hand up until Wei Wuxian’s body is completely surrounded by billowy white sleeves. Wei Wuxian noses his way out of the mass of fabric, pops his head up and Sizhui lets out an embarrassed laugh.
“Sorry Senior Wei,” he says apologetically as he walks them across the Jingshi to the table where Lan Zhan has placed the plate. Wei Wuxian barks again, glares at Sizhui, who ducks his head, then glances back up, cheeks ever so slightly flushed.
“Sorry A-Die,” he corrects himself and Wei Wuxian sniffs approvingly, places his front paws on Sizhui’s chest and stretches up until he can press his nose lovingly against Sizhui’s chin. Sizhui’s resulting laughter rings out like bells inside the Jingshi, and Wei Wuxian is reminded of a much younger A-Yuan running through the Burial Mounds, shrieking with laughter and yelling for his “Xian-gege”.
It sends a pang of both joy and hurt through Wei Wuxian’s chest. Before he can dwell on the memory for too long however, Sizhui places him down on the table. Wei Wuxian pads over to the plate of food, which has now been joined by a bowl of water, courtesy of Lan Zhan. He watches as his husband and his son take a seat on either side of the table, before focusing his attention on the food.
Sizhui has somehow managed to convince the kitchen to give him sliced carrots and some cooked chicken, despite the fact that obtaining food from the kitchen between meal times is strictly prohibited.
(Sizhui is, after all, a product of both his fathers. Lan Zhan teaches him the importance of rules – but that you should never follow them blindly. Wei Wuxian teaches him to question every rule – and how to break them.)
Wei Wuxian sniffs at the food, instantly drawn to the chicken. His stomach growls in hunger again, and he becomes so focused on the prospect of eating that it’s only when he’s trying to use his paws to pick up the food that he remembers he can’t. He hesitates, looks at Lan Zhan for help.
Lan Zhan, seeing his husband-turned-dog in apparent distress, of course immediately decides to hand feed Wei Wuxian. He places a piece of chicken on his palm and holds it out for Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian whines and shakes his head. He’s all too aware of how sharp his teeth are, and he doesn’t want to accidentally scratch Lan Zhan’s palm with them.
“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan coaxes but Wei Wuxian shakes his head again, takes several steps back. Lan Zhan eyes him for a moment, looking ever so slightly hurt and Wei Wuxian is definitely not okay with causing Lan Zhan to feel that way. He moves forward until he can reach out and tap Lan Zhan’s palm with his paw, then bares his teeth at Lan Zhan.
It takes a moment, but then Lan Zhan’s expression shifts as he understands Wei Wuxian’s worry. He reaches out with his free hand to scratch behind Wei Wuxian’s ear reassuringly. “Wei Ying’s teeth won’t hurt me,” he says quietly.
Wei Wuxian just stares at him disbelievingly, until Lan Zhan proves his words by pressing a finger to one of Wei Wuxian’s teeth, and then shows him the unmarked skin. Wei Wuxian sniffs suspiciously at the finger, still half-convinced Lan Zhan is trying to trick him.
(He knows Lan Zhan would never try and trick him, especially about something like this, but his fear of dogs runs deep and has a tendency to override his logical thought processes.)
“It’s okay A-Die,” Sizhui confirms from behind him, reassuringly strokes a hand down Wei Wuxian’s back. Faced with Lan Zhan’s calming comfort, Sizhui’s earnestness and his own grumbling stomach, Wei Wuxian ever so cautiously noses at the chicken still resting in Lan Zhan’s palm. He slowly, slowly opens his mouth and uses his tongue to help manoeuvre the chicken into his mouth, before pushing it towards his back teeth to chew.
All in all, it’s an arduous process and Wei Wuxian doesn’t think he’s ever enjoyed a meal less. Lan Zhan calmly places individual pieces of chicken and carrot on his palm and Wei Wuxian carefully eats each one, a pit of anxiety in his stomach at the prospect of accidentally biting Lan Zhan, despite the earlier reassurances.
By the time he’s finished eating, Wei Wuxian feels mentally and physically drained. Sizhui has been stroking his back the entire time he’s been eating, which has the unintended side effect of making him sleepy. It’s then, however, that he’s faced with his next challenge: the water bowl.
Wei Wuxian pauses next to the bowl, tries to figure out how he’s supposed to drink the water. On his first attempt, he accidentally sticks his entire snout into the water and reels back from the shock, nose burning from inhaling water. He shakes his head, desperately trying to figure out how to get the water out, and he doesn’t realise he’s making weird wheezing noises until Lan Zhan picks him up with a worried “Wei Ying”.
(Wei Wuxian responds by sneezing loudly, the force causing his entire body to jolt in Lan Zhan’s arms. They stare at each other in shock for a long moment while Sizhui tries in vain not to giggle.)
On his second attempt, he places too much weight on his front paws and face plants, knocking the bowl over himself, water and all. It leaves him soaking wet, his fur clinging to his body, and he tries to shake himself dry but eventually gives in and allows Lan Zhan to wrap him in a blanket instead.
Wei Wuxian approaches his third attempt far more cautiously. He makes sure his body is carefully balanced, and that he doesn’t stick his snout too far into the water. He tries to open his mouth and drink but all he manages to do is get his jaw wet.
“Wei Ying, dogs use their tongues to drink the water,” Lan Zhan says quietly beside him.
Wei Wuxian shoots him a dubious look, but leans forward and sticks his tongue into the water, then brings it to his mouth. It works, but it’s also incredibly slow. For Wei Wuxian, who is used to tipping whole bottles of Emperor’s Smile into his mouth in one go, the prospect of having to lap up water in small amounts seems entirely unreasonable. Wei Wuxian lets out a loud huff, drinks for as long as his patience will last, then turns his back on the offensive bowl of water and whines until Lan Zhan picks him up and allows Wei Wuxian to curl up in his lap.
Sizhui smiles at the sight, before standing up and advising that he will return the dishes to the kitchen. Lan Zhan offers his thanks, while Wei Wuxian lets out a soft bark and perks his head up expectantly until Sizhui bends back down to pat his head one last time before leaving.
Finally alone, Wei Wuxian snuggles closer against the crook of Lan Zhan’s knee where the majority of his body is currently resting. He feels Lan Zhan’s hand begin stroking his back, slow repetitive motions that cause his eyes to droop. He thinks he can fight against the pull of sleep, but then Lan Zhan starts humming their song and Wei Wuxian knows he’s a goner, lets himself be dragged into the land of dreams, still safe in the arms of his husband.
---
When he wakes, Wei Wuxian is momentarily confused as to where he is. He sees a sea of white robes around him, smells the familiar scent of sandalwood. He’s in Lan Zhan’s lap, but something is different. And then the disappointment hits.
Oh right. He’s still a dog.
“You’re awake,” Lan Zhan comments, gaze soft as he looks down at his husband. Wei Wuxian nods sadly, then head butts Lan Zhan’s hand lightly until Lan Zhan lifts it slightly, allowing Wei Wuxian to wriggle under it. Wei Wuxian lets out a loud sigh as Lan Zhan begins scratching behind his ears again. He doesn’t know whether this affinity for ear scratches is something he’s always had, or whether it’s a specific dog-related quirk. He supposes he’ll have to do some experimentation with Lan Zhan once he’s back in his regular human body. Speaking of which –
“Brother came by while you were asleep,” Lan Zhan says as if he can read Wei Wuxian’s mind. “They found the talisman that likely caused your transformation. It was originally a talisman to assist in facing ones fears. The alteration accidentally changed it to becoming ones fears.”
Wei Wuxian lets out a confused bark and Lan Zhan hums. “We found the talisman near the Jingshi. Brother suspects that the disciple who was in charge of discarding the talismans dropped it, and it was somehow carried here.”
That’s all well and good, but Wei Wuxian is mostly concerned about how long he will continue to be affected by the talisman. He stares desperately at Lan Zhan and somehow, somehow his husband understands him, because he pats Wei Wuxian’s head reassuringly before miraculously answering Wei Wuxian’s unasked question.
“Thankfully the talisman is weak. Brother suspects you should return to your normal form by tomorrow.”
Wei Wuxian jumps to his feet, lets out a series of loud, excited barks. He scrambles out of Lan Zhan’s lap and begins to run around the room, feeling relief surge through his body with every step.
He won’t be stuck as a monstrous beast forever! He’s going to be human again!
He finds himself pouncing on the ends of Lan Zhan’s robes, jumping in and out of his lap as his happiness feeds into his energy and he’s struck with the strong desire to play. Lan Zhan just watches, lips upturned, as Wei Wuxian runs to grab his discarded hair ribbon and brings it back, noses one end into Lan Zhan’s hand and grabs the other end with his teeth. He tugs once and Lan Zhan immediately lets go of his end, allows Wei Wuxian to have the ribbon.
Wei Wuxian huffs, runs to nose the end of the ribbon back into Lan Zhan’s grasp. He licks at Lan Zhan’s knuckles, tries to relay that he wants Lan Zhan to hold onto the ribbon in a game of tug-of-war, but Lan Zhan doesn’t seem to understand, lets go of the ribbon every time Wei Wuxian gives even the slightest tug.
(In hindsight, Wei Wuxian thinks he should have known better. Whatever Wei Wuxian wants, Lan Zhan will find a way to give him. It goes against Lan Zhan’s very nature to deny his husband anything, hair ribbons included.)
Undeterred, Wei Wuxian continues to run around the Jingshi instead, trying to burn off his energy. He feels himself growing more coordinated in his dog body as he tests his ability to weave between table legs, to turn sharp corners, and to launch himself into Lan Zhan’s waiting arms.
They pass the remainder of the day quietly. Well, Lan Zhan passes the remainder of the day quietly, reading through night hunting reports and essays the disciples have written while keeping a watchful eye on his husband.
Wei Wuxian manages to spill a jar of black ink on himself, leaving inky black paw prints across the table, the floor, Lan Zhan’s white robes, and several of the essays Lan Zhan is marking. He also has to suffer through another unconventional meal time, although he only knocks over the water bowl once, which he feels pretty proud of.
By late evening, Wei Wuxian is moodily wandering around the Jingshi while Lan Zhan takes his bath alone. Wei Wuxian had already been bathed earlier in a small tub after his tussle with the ink jar, because Lan Zhan was worried about him accidentally drowning in the big tub. It had been nice at the time, but it means that Wei Wuxian is now alone and he’s bored.
(Wei Wuxian and dogs are not a good combination.
Wei Wuxian and boredom is not a good combination.
Wei Wuxian, bored and turned into a dog?
Terrible combination.)
It’s only a matter of time before he finds trouble. Trouble being when he’s running and takes a corner too fast, his paws scrabbling against the floor as he accidentally slides into the side of a drawer and sends a vase crashing to the floor, where it shatters into large pieces.
Wei Wuxian freezes, heart pounding and surrounded by broken ceramic that have come extremely close to hitting him. He hears the sound of water sloshing from the next room, followed by Lan Zhan’s voice calling his name, but without the ability to speak and still in shock, all Wei Wuxian can do is whimper.
He hears his name being called again, the sound of feet against wood, and then there’s Lan Zhan, dripping wet and dressed only in his innermost robe which is soaked through, rushing towards him and Wei Wuxian is frozen for a whole other reason because Lan Zhan looks breathtaking.
(It’s not like he ever forgot this fact. Because it is a fact. But amidst the chaos of the day, Wei Wuxian had been somewhat distracted from thinking about how stunning his husband is, up until this very moment. And then he feels a flash of frustration because Lan Zhan may look gorgeous but Wei Wuxian is a dog and he can’t do anything about it.)
Wei Wuxian is interrupted from his less-than-pure thoughts about his husband by said husband calling his name worriedly as he picks Wei Wuxian up from the middle of the mess on the floor and carries him to their bed. He places Wei Ying on the sheets, then kneels down on the floor and immediately begins checking for wounds.
“Wei Ying, are you hurt?” Lan Zhan asks urgently as he runs his fingers carefully over the underside of Wei Wuxian’s paws, his belly, his head, searching for any signs of an injury. Wei Wuxian shakes his head no, paws reassuringly at Lan Zhan’s hand until Lan Zhan stops. It’s only then that Wei Wuxian realises his husbands fingers are trembling, and his lips are pressed firmly together the way they always do when he’s worried about Wei Wuxian.
Lan Zhan, I’m fine, it’s okay, he wants to yell. Instead, he has to make do with nuzzling against Lan Zhan’s chest until Lan Zhan picks him up and holds him close, and hope that Lan Zhan gets as much comfort from the embrace as Wei Wuxian does.
After such a scare, Lan Zhan refuses to let Wei Wuxian out of his sight. He dries off and changes into a new set of inner robes, makes sure Wei Wuxian is safely in the middle of the bed before cleaning up the shards of ceramic still on the floor and blowing out all the lit candles. He then returns to the bed and lays down, allows Wei Wuxian to scramble up until he’s settled on Lan Zhan’s chest, curled over his heart.
They lay there in silence for a while, both aware the other is still awake. Surprisingly (or perhaps not, given he’s the only one still capable of speech), it is Lan Zhan who breaks the silence.
“Love Wei Ying,” he murmurs softly as he runs his forefinger gently over Wei Wuxian’s ear. Wei Wuxian lets out a soft bark, nuzzles closer against Lan Zhan’s chest and listens to the rhythmic heart beat beneath his body.
“Miss Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan continues, and Wei Wuxian wants to protest because he’s right there but he understands what Lan Zhan means. More than anything, right now all Wei Wuxian wants is to kiss his husband and hug him tightly. He lets out a mournful whine, feels his heart ache with longing.
Lan Zhan shifts slightly beneath him as tugs up the blanket until it covers Wei Wuxian’s body. “Will always wait for Wei Ying,” he finishes, presses a finger to his lips, then to Wei Wuxian’s nose; the closest he can get to a good night kiss. Wei Wuxian makes sure to nuzzle and lick Lan Zhan’s finger before it retracts; the closest he can get to a good night kiss.
After the day’s events, it doesn’t take either of them very long to fall asleep.
---
(Wei Wuxian wakes up the next morning sprawled across Lan Zhan’s body, entirely human.
He and Lan Zhan spend the day very enthusiastically celebrating his returned body.
So caught up in each other, they both fail to look at the altered talisman that had caused Wei Wuxian’s transformation. If they had, they may have noticed the easy-to-miss small stroke near the bottom of the talisman, indicating reoccurrence.
It probably would have saved them a lot of confusion when, several months later, Wei Wuxian turns into a dog right in the middle of the Lan Sect’s Discussion Conference.)
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