Chapter Text
Following a series of unexplainable events, six year old Lan Wangji wakes up one morning with a warm head.
A very warm head.
There is also fur tickling his nose.
He thinks he might be wearing a hat, but then his hat snores and Lan Wangji realises that his hat is, in fact, a little fox.
Little Lan Wangji didn’t know what to do. He had not planned for any additional persons when he’d decided to sleep outside, the light of the stars his only company.
It was something he used to do with his mother, back when Lan Wangji was a baby dragon with a curiosity broader than the expanse of his fathers back. He’d laid next to his mother in the tall grass, small face kept in the same stoic almost frown it always was, except for when his mother would tickle him.
She would point out the stars, telling him in a bright voice about the constellations and all the stories that accompanied them.
Lan Wangji still remembers every word.
The fox atop his head is snoring gently, with occasional hiccups that make his entire — tiny — body shake.
Lan Wangji decides to let him sleep, a funny feeling in his heart.
(The feeling was love, not that Lan Wangji knew it yet.)
The fox lets out a little sleepy burp as if in thank you, disturbing itself enough that one eye cracks open, blinking blearily into the early morning light before deciding that it was too bright, oh dear, and it was better to go back to bed.
Lan Wangji smiles then, the soft curves of his cheeks rounding up into something so very lovely and innocent.
He likes this fox, it is cute. He thinks he wants to keep it.
The fox shifts atop his head, rolling onto its back with its paws tucked in tight to its chest and exposing a soft and fluffy underbelly that Lan Wangji wishes he could bury his face in. It looks like it would be very warm. Luckily Lan Wangji only has small antlers at his age, otherwise his new companion might be more uncomfortable with all the tossing and turning he was doing on the young dragons head.
As it was, one little paw was wrapped around where Lan Wangji’s antlers were just beginning to grow out of his head, as if making sure Lan Wangji didn’t try to run away.
Not that he would get very far, given that his passenger was actually on his body.
Despite that, Lan Wangji was still cautious, making sure he didn’t wake up the fox by staying as still as possible.
(This was in fact, very still. So still he looked for all the world like a little dragonji shaped statue.)
He maintains this immovable stature for many long minutes.
That is, until a fluffy tail begins to brush at the sensitive underside of his nose.
The young dragon tries his best to hold back the sneeze but alas, it is to no use, the tail is simply too fluffy.
“AAAAAAHHHH CHOOOOOOOOO!!!”
The force of his sneeze is so great it sends the young dragon's head flying forwards. Unfortunately, this sends his fox hat flying forwards too.
There is an alarmed screech as dark fur hurtles through the air, and dragonji can only watch in dismay as the fox lands just past his feet, a splat of inky black on the green grass.
Dragonji tries to stand up, but ends up tripping over his tail which has grown recently, long where the rest of him is short and rotund.
His ears go red from the embarrassment, and Lan Wangji wishes he had ears like this fox so he could hide it.
“Are you okay?” He asks the fox, who is pretzeled in a ball of black fur.
The fox huffs pitifully, drawing itself into a tighter ball, and Lan Wangji fears the worst. He has grievously injured the poor thing, and in doing so undoubtedly ruined any chances he may have had at —
A small voice suddenly sounds out;
“Mean gege.”
Dragonji’s go even redder, but something new also happens.
His tail waggles.
His tail waggles so much he almost falls over again.
“Mn, I am sorry.” He inclines his head, hoping to hide the flush sitting high on both ears.
(His tail is still waggling)
A small face with bright eyes peaks out from over the top of… five? bushy tails. The fox’s intelligent gaze regards Lan Wangji, piercing yet oddly adorable in its level of focus.
Lan Wangji is almost achieving lift off at his current moment, what with how fiercely his tail is wagging.
“If I forgive you you have to promise not to do that again, gege.”
“I promise.”
Lan Wangji does not even question before agreeing.
“You swear it?”
“I do not swear.”
The fox unexpectedly bursts into laughter, rolling onto his back with his legs kicking in the air. Sweet giggles ring out into the air, and continue, only growing louder and more amused sounding until foxxian is barely more than a wriggling ball of laughter.
Dragonji is confused.
“Silly gege! Swearing something means you’re promising it!”
Oh.
“Mn, I swear it then.” Lan Wangji nods stoically, as if to affirm his statement, and the fox giggles again.
“Thank you, gege.” He plods over to Lan Wangji, winding around his ankles before nudging his head at dragonji’s hand, until dragonji gives in and strokes his ears and oh, he is very soft, very, very soft. Especially behind the ears where Lan Wangji gives extra scratches, the fur silky smooth beneath his fingertips.
Lan Wangji is a bit obsessed.
“No need.”
“No need for what?”
“No need to thank me - -“
Dragonji realises he doesn’t know his name, and he is devastated.
He must rectify this.
“I must apologise,” Lan Wangji says, very serious and sincere, just as his uncle had taught him, “but I do not know your name.”
“Oh! Hehe!” The fox giggles, and it is the sweetest thing Lan Wangji’s ever heard, “I’m Wei Ying! What’s your name, gege?”
“I am Lan Zhan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lan Zhan gege”
“Mn, and you...Wei Ying.”
And when little Lan Wangji sat down, Wei Ying (Lan Wangji likes his name. He knows he wants to say it for the rest of his life) curled up on his lap, a small ball of life and energy that radiated warmth, purring away happily.
His numerous tails wrapped around dragonji’s arm, like furry braces, and Lan Wangji diligently combed each one, until foxxian was barely recognisable from the straggly runt he’d resembled when Lan Wangji first woke up.
He was still cute then though. Lan Wangji thought Wei Ying was always adorable, but especially when Lan Wangji tickled under his chin and he looked up at him with his tongue hanging out his mouth.
At some point foxxians stomach grumbled, insistent, so Lan Wangji all but abducted him back to the cloud recesses, even with the young foxes insistations that he was fine.
He’d fed foxxian until he said he was full, and then a little more, because Lan Wangji discovered that despite being only six he quite liked being able to provide for the small fox currently nesting on his pillow.
Mn, he liked it a lot.
He asked Wei Ying if he had a home, but Wei Ying said no, so dragonji offered him his.
And Wei Ying said yes.