Title: Not a Pet
Fandom: Modao Zushi
Rating: PG
Characters: Lan Zhan|Lan Wangji
Length: 266
Summary: Pets are not allowed in Cloud Recesses. How fortunate then, that there are no pets in Cloud Recesses.


Pets were not allowed within the confines of Cloud Recesses.

Lan Zhan knew all the rules by heart. He’d grown under their careful guidance, his uncle explaining each and every one of them to his young self, and teaching him to lean on them when he didn’t know what to do.

It was the rules that had kept Lan Zhan from resenting everyone and the world when his mother had died. He’d retreated into them with fervour, letting them guide him out of his grief with their steadiness and implacability.

Maybe that was why Lan Zhan was so angry when he saw the rules disrespected. He wondered how his uncle had managed to remain so calm having to teach them to gaggles of students who didn’t seem to care, while Lan Zhan had nearly exploded just having to drill them into Wei Ying’s head.

Wei Ying…

The fur under his hand squirmed, and Lan Zhan realised he’d tightened his grip on the bunny currently nestled in his lap. He breathed out, letting his hand resume its petting motion on the bunny’s back. It was soft, that fur, the rabbit warm and grounding.

Lan Zhan cradled the rabbit carefully in his hands, bringing it up to his face. Its nose twitched rapidly this way and that, hind leg shaking like it wanted to stomp the ground. Still, it didn’t try to jump out, remaining calm in his grip, trusting him.

Pets were not allowed within the confines of Cloud Recesses. How fortunate then, that these rabbits didn’t belong to anyone.

There were no pets in Cloud Recesses.