Lan Zhan wanted Wei Ying to...stay with...him?
Lan Xichen recovered quicker than Wei Ying, smiling brightly as he continued to work.
"Okay so Master Wei will be staying in your room, Wangji, anything else you would like to request?" Xichen turned back, to see Wei Ying still looking at Lan Zhan's with wide eyes and mouth hanging open. Lan Zhan simply shook his head, causing his brother to turn back around, walking a few paces ahead of the two.
Lan Zhan looked down at Wei Ying, the latter getting caught in those grey eyes once again. He could see that the kitten wasn't too sure about this situation, his pupils swirling with unease.
Therefore, Lan Zhan brought his hand up and gently patted Wei Ying's head, slightly rubbing one of his fluffy ears. A quiet purr erupted from Wei Ying's chest, not audible for Lan Xichen to hear, as he pushed his head further into the hand on instinct.
It had been a while since Wei Ying had felt the comfort of another, treating him so lovingly since his parents left the earth. He wanted to bask in the attention and the comfort as much as he could, but he realised that it was wrong to ask too much of people. So reluctantly, he took his head away and smiled his pretty smile, hoping the other didn't see the disappointment in not having the touch anymore.
Soon the three arrived at the place, but as they approached the gates, the guards looked disgusted at the kitten they had brought back. Wei Ying looked down towards the floor, avoiding their gazes, trying to not look at his ripped, dirtied clothing. Lan Zhan saw these looks and glared threateningly back at them, the guards instantly regained composure, eyes shining in fear.
"Xichen, Wangji, welcome back your royal highnesses," they bowed politely, trying to forget the look of the prince moments ago. Lan Zhan wanted them to remember their places, so picked up Wei Ying's hand and held onto it, ignoring what they had said and simply walked past.
The whole way to wherever, Wei Ying didn't know, people were staring at him and whispering to each other, looking him up and down, laughing. He tried to ignore it the best that he could, putting his ears against his head tightly, blocking out the noise.
"Gossip is prohibited." Lan Zhan's voice came from above him, blunt and stern. As soon as he said those three words, the whispering became silence and the workers dispersed, going back to their jobs.
Wei Ying's lips curled up a bit, almost forming into a smile, he had never been stood up for and protected like this. It was another new feeling, but was a good one, most certainly.
They soon reached a little house on the edge of the palace, secluded within flowers and trees. It was like it wasn't part of the palace, yet still looked as elegant as the real thing. The house had pond surrounding it, lotus plants growing from within, a bridge connecting the outside to the front. Cloud patterns decorated the door and the surrounding walls, as well as the windows. A small patch of grass was to the left of the house, on it stood flowers of different kinds, mainly purples, blues, pinks and whites. A group of white bunnies laid and hopped around happily, a single black white emerged on a sea of snow.
"Where are we?" Wei Ying's small voice asked, looking around the place, eyes shining and wide. He had never seen somewhere so beautiful in all his life, he really was mesmerised by everything.
"This is my room," Lan Zhan spoke out delicately, walking through the archway, Wei Ying following closely behind. Wei Ying was surprised that the prince of the most famous city, lived in a house that wasn't even connected to the palace.
"You live...here? Why do you not live in the palace, like every other prince does?" Wei Ying tilted his head cutely while looking at Lan Zhan, orbs glistening in wonder and confusion. Lan Zhan swore he felt his heart stop for a few seconds, before he regained composure and nodded his head.
"Mmn, rather live here. The palace is too noisy and busy," he stated as they reached the front door. Lan Zhan opened the sliding doors and made his way inside, lighting candles to make the room feel warmer and brighter.
"Wangji, I will take my leave now that I know the both of you have got to the Jingshi. I will go and find Uncle, tell him about all this," Xichen bowed, smiling lightly, before turning around and leaving, shutting the doors once again.
The sky was now becoming darker, the sun setting, creating a comfy atmosphere inside the Jingshi. Inside, Wei Ying just stood in the centre of the room, not wanting to dirty anything with his clothes. Lan Zhan, on the others hand, was preparing a bathtub for the kitten to clean himself up in.
Once the bathtub was filled and to the correct room temperature, Lan Zhan went to find Wei Ying. He walked back into the main room just to see Wei Ying stood awkwardly as he fiddled with his tail. A smile formed on his lips, looking at the kitten in front of him. He had never seen someone so beautiful and breathtaking before, he was in awe.
Wei Ying slowly looked up, feeling eyes on him and smiled when he saw pretty golden irises staring at him. Once their eyes locked, they both found it hard to look away, cheeks dusting with a blush. Feeling as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest, Wei Ying looked away.
"Your bath is ready," Lan Zhan walked towards Wei Ying, grabbing his hand, and leading him towards where the bath was.
"Won't I dirty it?" Wei Ying exclaimed innocently, as if what he said was something completely normal. However, Lan Zhan's reaction was anything but normal.
Lan Zhan's body was slightly overtaken with anger at what this gorgeous kitten thought about himself, but he instantly relaxed after realising that it wasn't his fault. Society had wronged this beautiful creature and Lan Zhan made a silent promise to himself to do whatever it takes to change this.
His hand rose and stroked Wei Ying's fluffy ears in a comforting manner, "You are beautiful, how could you possibly make something dirty?"
Wei Ying's blushed deepened at the compliment, a deep purr coming from within, showing his happiness and joy at that moment.
"Have a bath and then we will sleep, it is getting late," Lan Zhan stroked Wei Ying's head once more before he left the room, leaving Wei Ying to bathe in dignity.
The bath went smoothly, much to Lan Zhan's delight, and soon Wei Ying walked in the room with just a thin robe on. His hair was dripping down his face and back, causing him to shiver and shake slightly.
Lan Zhan looked up from his book when he heard the light footsteps coming out of the room, his breath getting caught in his throat. Wei Ying was even more stunning with his hair shinning and face cleaned of dirt and dust. He quickly walked over to Lan Zhan a smile gleaming wider than the snowy man had ever seen before.
"Thank you Lan Zhan!" he bowed, showing how thankful he was for having basic hygiene again. Lan Zhan instantly got il and straightened his posture, pulling him out of a very much unnecessary bow.
"No need," Lan Zhan muttered, sorting out Wei Ying's clothes so that he his now dressed properly. The kitten smiled sheepishly, embarrassed, looking away from the soft eyes of the other.
"It is late, we need to sleep," Lan Zhan softly stated, waking Wei Ying over to the bed, hand in hand once again.
"You will sleep here. I will sleep there," Lan Zhan first pointed to the bed and then spun round to the makeshift bed, just a little away from the actual bed. Wei Ying was shocked, he naturally assumed that he was going to be the one on the floor.
"No, no, Lan Zhan, it should be the other way around. Did you accidentally say it wrong?" he was genuinely confused as to whether the prince had made an error in his speech or not.
"No. I never mess up," Lan Zhan stated slightly proudly as he walked over the fake bed on the floor, "Now sleep, Wei Ying needs rest."
"Lan Zhan~," Wei Ying whined, stopping Lan Zhan in his tracks, just as planned. His body turned and they met eyes again, both smiling in the candle light.
"Umm.. sleep here...with...me, the bed is...umm...big enough," Wei Ying regretted his sentence when the other didn't say anything, just started at him blankly.
Wei Ying just wanted to feel some warmth and comfort when he slept, now that there was someone who could give it to him. Well, and the fact that he didn't want Lan Zhan to sleep on the floor, the man was a prince after all.
Lan Zhan still had said nothing, but he did start to walk over to where the other was stood. Wei Ying gasped in surprise as he was picked up and gently placed down onto the bed, the blanket being moved to cover him. Wei Ying began to worry, feeling that Lan Zhan was going to leave again.
"Don't leave," Wei Ying called out and grabbed Lan Zhan's hand as he turned around, preventing him from moving away. Lan Zhan's heart melted at the desperation in his kitten's voice, and turned around to take the others hand.
"I was just going to put out the candles," an amused smile crept onto Lan Zhan's face when he saw the realisation that struck the beautiful man's face. The other slowly released his hand and let the man in white go.
Lan Zhan went and quickly diminished the flames, then walked back over towards the bed and laid next to the kitten. He picked up the blanket and made sure that Wei Ying was covered, then covering him just enough to be warm.
"Umm...Lan Zhan...?" Wei Ying's small voice broke the silence that had overtaken the pitch black room.
"Mmn?" the prince hummed, letting the other know he was listening.
"Could I maybe...umm...hug you?" the uncertainty was obvious in his words, his fingers fiddling together in nervousness.
Without saying anything, Lan Zhan wrapped his arms around the other and pulled him close to his chest. Wei Ying was actually surprised that the prince had done as he requested, making him purr loudly. His chest rumbled in joy, feeling warmth for the first time in years.
Lan Zhan smiled at the effect that just a hug had on the other, and decided to make the other more relaxed. He raised his hand up and pet the kittens soft ears, knowing that it brought him immense comfort, and wasn't surprised when the other pushed his head closer.
"Sleep now," Lan Zhan's voice was so gentle that it was barely auditable, however the room was completely silent, so both heard it loud and clear. Wei Ying said nothing though and simply just nodded, cuddling further into Lan Zhan's chest, closing his eyes.
His consciousness was slowly slipping away, finally in the safety of a man he felt totally connected to, in a place he thought he'd never be, not in a million years. Before he completely fell into a dream world, he felt a kiss land on his forehead and Lan Zhan's smooth voice.
"Never again will you have to suffer alone again. From now on I'll always be here for you, to protect you through anything."
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
Words - 1974
Vote, comment and request if you enjoyed this oneshot!
See you next story xx
