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Wei Wuxian had always been a creature of the wild—darting through forests, slipping into villages, stealing chickens (only when absolutely necessary!), and generally causing trouble wherever he pleased. He had spent centuries running, teasing, and laughing, with no desire to settle down.
So how had he ended up here?
Trapped—no, ensconced —in a glittering mountain of treasure, draped in silken cushions, while an infuriatingly majestic dragon lord hoarded him like some rare artifact.
He rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin in his hands, kicking his legs lazily as he surveyed his ridiculous situation.
“Lan Zhan,” he drawled, flicking his fluffy red tails over a pile of jade figurines. “This is the fifth day in a row you’ve kept me locked up in here. Are you trying to turn me into a decorative pillow?”
Across the cavern, Lan Wangji sat, as composed and infuriatingly perfect as ever, his silver-white tail curled neatly around the treasure pile. Even in his half-shifted state—horns glinting in the dim torchlight, golden eyes as deep and unreadable as ever—he radiated an air of silent authority.
“You are resting,” Lan Wangji stated.
Wei Wuxian scoffed. “I’m rotting !” He flopped onto his back dramatically, limbs sprawled across the cushions. “I need freedom ! I need chaos ! I need to cause a little trouble!” He rolled over again, tails twitching. “Maybe steal some chickens—”
Lan Wangji’s golden eyes narrowed.
“Borrow some chickens,” Wei Wuxian corrected with a grin. “But nooo, my terrifying, possessive dragon husband wants to keep me all to himself. Next thing you know, you’ll be stacking me in a neat little pile with your gold coins!”
There was a pause.
Then, in a voice as steady as stone, Lan Wangji said, “You would fit well among them.”
Wei Wuxian choked. “I AM NOT A COIN, LAN ZHAN!”
Unbothered, Lan Wangji stood, shifting fully into his human form, robes flowing like water as he stepped toward the fox spirit. Before Wei Wuxian could make a proper escape attempt, strong arms wrapped around his waist, lifting him effortlessly.
Wei Wuxian yelped, ears flattening against his head. “You can’t just pick me up whenever you want! ”
Lan Wangji ignored him, walking back to the heart of the hoard, where the softest silks and rarest treasures lay. He sat, placing Wei Wuxian in his lap like a particularly fussy cat.
“ This —” Wei Wuxian huffed, wriggling, “—is not—mmph— acceptable! ”
One large, clawed hand found its way into Wei Wuxian’s thick fur, running down the length of his tail in slow, rhythmic strokes.
Wei Wuxian went stiff.
His ears twitched.
His tail, betrayingly , twitched too.
“Y-You think you can just pet me into submission?!” he sputtered. “I’m a wild fox , Lan Zhan! You can’t just—just—” He shuddered as Lan Wangji expertly scratched the base of his ears. “ Oh , that’s cheating—”
Lan Wangji remained silent, methodically running his fingers through the thick fur, untangling knots Wei Wuxian hadn’t even realized were there.
The fox spirit wilted.
“Okay, maybe this is kind of nice,” he grumbled, his tails slowly fluffing out in contentment.
Lan Wangji hummed—a low, satisfied sound that sent warmth curling through Wei Wuxian’s chest.
Wei Wuxian wriggled slightly, pressing his nose into the crook of Lan Wangji’s neck. “So… are you ever going to let me leave?”
Lan Wangji’s grip tightened ever so slightly. “No.”
Wei Wuxian pulled back, narrowing his eyes. “No?!”
“You are mine.”
The fox spirit groaned, dramatically tossing himself back into Lan Wangji’s arms. “I should have known! Dragons are notorious hoarders! And now I’m part of the collection !” He huffed. “What’s next? Are you going to polish me like one of your fancy artifacts?”
Lan Wangji looked at him, solemn as ever. “You dislike bathing.”
Wei Wuxian gasped in betrayal. “ One time! One time I refuse to get in the bath and suddenly I have a reputation ! It was cold, Lan Zhan! Cold!”
Lan Wangji was unmoved. “You will bathe today.”
Wei Wuxian gasped louder. “A fate worse than death! ”
“A-Yuan will join you.”
Wei Wuxian froze.
His ears perked up.
The little dragonling.
A-Yuan, the mischievous young dragon cub that Lan Wangji had taken under his wing, was adorable . A fluffy ball of white scales, small claws, and an endless supply of energy. The little one adored Wei Wuxian—practically worshipped him.
“…Fine,” Wei Wuxian relented, pouting. “But only because A-Yuan needs my valuable fox wisdom!”
Lan Wangji pressed a kiss to his temple. “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian grumbled but let himself be carried off.
⸻
Later that evening…
Wei Wuxian emerged from the bath chamber, thoroughly soaked, smelling of expensive dragon oils, and completely exhausted .
A-Yuan had far too much energy for someone so small. He had splashed, pounced, tried to bite Wei Wuxian’s tails (“You have nine of them, Xian-gege! Just let me have one!”), and even attempted to dunk him under the water.
Lan Wangji, of course, had watched the entire thing with serene amusement.
Now, Wei Wuxian stumbled into the hoard chamber, collapsing face-first into the mountain of silk cushions. “ Lan Zhan ,” he groaned. “I’m dead . Finished . Your tiny dragon gremlin has defeated me.”
A moment later, warmth surrounded him. Lan Wangji settled beside him, pulling him into an embrace.
“You endured well,” Lan Wangji murmured against his hair.
“ Endured?! I was nearly drowned! The boy is a menace!”
Lan Wangji made a soft sound—one that sounded suspiciously like amusement.
Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. “You’re laughing at me.”
“Mn.”
“Unbelievable! My own husband conspiring against me—”
Lan Wangji silenced him with a kiss—gentle, steady, leaving no room for protest.
Wei Wuxian blinked, momentarily stunned, before melting against him.
A warm breath. A deep, rumbling purr.
Wei Wuxian sighed. “You’re impossible.”
Lan Wangji held him tighter. “You belong here.”
Wei Wuxian hesitated.
Lan Wangji had been saying that a lot lately.
You belong here.
Not You are mine in the possessive way of dragons—but You are mine in the way that meant you are loved.
Wei Wuxian swallowed.
He was a fox spirit. He had never belonged anywhere. He had never stayed anywhere.
And yet—
Wrapped in warmth, in silks, in love , he felt something he had never felt before.
He sighed, pressing closer.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “I’ll stay. For now .”
Lan Wangji only held him tighter, tail curling protectively around his most precious treasure.
——
Wei Wuxian stretched luxuriously atop the mountain of treasure, his nine tails splaying out over gold coins and precious gems. He flicked one lazily, sending a small golden trinket clinking down the pile.
“Lan Zhan,” he mused, resting his chin in his hands. “Do you ever get tired of looking at all this gold? I mean, it’s very shiny , yes, very majestic, very dragon of you. But wouldn’t it be more fun if we—oh, I don’t know— left the cave ?”
Lan Wangji, who had been sitting nearby reading an ancient scroll (or pretending to—Wei Wuxian had long suspected he just liked the look of being scholarly), didn’t even glance up. “No.”
Wei Wuxian groaned, flopping over dramatically. “No? Just like that? No consideration? No, ‘Yes, dear husband, let me think about it?’”
Lan Wangji turned a page with a slow, deliberate movement. “You belong here.”
Wei Wuxian sat up, his ears twitching. “Lan Zhan. My dear, terrifying, obsessive dragon husband. Are you saying you kidnapped me into marriage?”
Lan Wangji gave him a long, level look.
Wei Wuxian gasped, clutching his chest. “ You did! ” He pointed an accusing finger. “You kidnapped me into marriage and are keeping me in your hoard like a stolen artifact !”
Lan Wangji blinked. “You married me willingly.”
Wei Wuxian huffed. “Details! You lured me into marriage with your handsome face and your impressive assets —” he gestured vaguely at Lan Wangji’s broad shoulders, “—and then before I knew it, bam ! I was in a cave full of gold and apparently a prisoner .”
“Not a prisoner,” Lan Wangji corrected smoothly. “A treasure.”
Wei Wuxian flopped back onto the cushions, groaning. “ That’s even worse! ”
Lan Wangji’s eyes softened—just a fraction, but Wei Wuxian caught it. He was getting better at reading those tiny shifts in expression.
A warm hand ghosted over his back, fingers trailing through the thick fur of his tails.
Wei Wuxian twitched. “Lan Zhan—”
“You are mine,” Lan Wangji murmured, voice low, soothing, absolute .
A shiver ran down Wei Wuxian’s spine. His tails betrayed him first, fluffing up instinctively at the touch.
“ Ugh ,” he groaned, covering his face with his hands. “You cheat ! You always do this! You think you can just—just pet me into submission?!”
Lan Wangji, the shameless dragon, continued stroking his tails, utterly unfazed.
Wei Wuxian melted.
His ears twitched.
His limbs went boneless.
Lan Wangji hummed , as if pleased with himself.
“You’re insufferable,” Wei Wuxian mumbled.
“Mn.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Mn.”
“You’re doing it again.”
Lan Wangji leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Rest.”
Wei Wuxian grumbled something incoherent but let himself be gathered up into Lan Wangji’s embrace, the warmth of his husband’s presence lulling him into a sense of security he wasn’t used to.
Not that he would admit that, of course.
⸻
The next morning, Wei Wuxian woke up in his usual predicament: completely and utterly trapped in Lan Wangji’s arms.
The dragon lord was wrapped around him like an overgrown snake, one arm firmly caging Wei Wuxian against his chest while a powerful tail curled protectively over his legs.
Wei Wuxian sighed.
“ Lan Zhan, ” he whispered. No response. “ Lan Zhan, let me go.”
A soft exhale.
Wei Wuxian narrowed his eyes. Carefully, he began to wiggle.
Nothing.
He tried a full-body squirm.
Lan Wangji’s grip tightened.
Wei Wuxian growled under his breath. Fine . Desperate times called for desperate measures. He slowly, carefully, maneuvered one hand up—
And poked.
Right between Lan Wangji’s eyebrows.
Lan Wangji’s golden eyes snapped open.
Wei Wuxian grinned. “Good morning!”
Lan Wangji stared at him in silence.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he closed his eyes again.
“ HEY! ” Wei Wuxian barked. “You can’t just go back to sleep!”
“I can,” Lan Wangji murmured, voice thick with drowsiness.
“You won’t ,” Wei Wuxian corrected. “ Because! Today is the day I escape your evil clutches!”
Lan Wangji remained unmoved.
Wei Wuxian wiggled harder . “I mean it, Lan Zhan! I am a free fox! I am wild and untamable! I— ”
Lan Wangji rolled over , effectively pinning him beneath a solid wall of dragon.
Wei Wuxian’s ears flattened against his head. “ You absolute beast. ”
Lan Wangji exhaled, pressing his forehead against Wei Wuxian’s hair. “Sleep.”
Wei Wuxian went limp. “I hate you.”
“Mn.”
Wei Wuxian sighed.
Defeated, he nuzzled into his husband’s warmth, tails wrapping instinctively around them both.
⸻
Later…
When Wei Wuxian did manage to slip away (by very sneakily tickling the back of Lan Wangji’s neck until he relented), he found himself intercepted by a very small dragon.
A-Yuan—Lan Wangji’s tiny adopted dragon cub—bounded up to him, golden eyes bright.
“Xian-gege!” A-Yuan cheered, latching onto Wei Wuxian’s leg. “Are we playing today?!”
Wei Wuxian hesitated. He had been planning to make a grand escape—perhaps cause a little chaos in the nearby villages, steal some good wine, definitely not get caught.
But A-Yuan was looking up at him with such hopeful eyes, his tiny claws curling into Wei Wuxian’s robes.
Wei Wuxian sighed. “ Fine , fine,” he relented, scooping the little dragon into his arms. “I guess I can delay my great escape just for you.”
A-Yuan giggled happily.
Lan Wangji appeared a moment later, watching them with that soft, unreadable gaze.
Wei Wuxian huffed. “Fine. I guess I can delay my escape for both of you.”
Lan Wangji stepped closer, resting a hand on Wei Wuxian’s waist. “Mn.”
Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes but leaned into the touch.
Maybe being hoarded wasn’t so bad after all.