Letting go of self-restraint 6 - Can we keep him... pretty please?

Chapter 1

Wei Wuxian was excitedly speed walking back to the Jingshi. He had just finished with his duties for the day and he now could not wait to see his little one again. He was already looking forward to A-Yuan's happy chattering about his very first experience outside of the Cloud Recesses without his parents.

Not that Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan did not take A-Yuan to Caiyi Town often, but today was the first time he went only with his class and teachers for a field exercise. His son had just started learning about the word and was expanding his boundaries, Wei Wuxian was so proud of him. Even after almost 5 years, he still could not believe he had such a perfect family now.

He rushed into the Jingshi, knowing fully well that his baby had arrived only minutes before him and was probably waiting for him to start telling him about his day. He opened the door a called out: "A-Yuan, I am back!"

The reply was immediate: "Daddy! Welcome back."

Only then did he search for his son with his eyes, wanting to run to him and scope him in his arms like usually, snuggling him and smooching him to his heart's content while pinching his still chubby cheeks. He opened his arms to catch his baby who he though would run to him immediately as well.

He however stopped dead between the door. A-Yuan was, as he had expected, waiting for him with a wide grin on his face. What Wei Wuxian however did not expect was that his son was not alone.

Without really meaning to, Wei Wuxian's eyes were attracted inevitably towards what A-Yuan was proudly showing him. There was a black animal comfortably nested in his lap. And it was not just any creature, it was a dog. Well, most probably a puppy judging by its size, but still a fairly big one. And with big teeth too as Wei Wuxian could see when the hated creature growled at him, probably surprised by his sudden intrusion.

Wei Wuxian wanted to immediately take a step back and run out from the Jingshi. Despite getting a better hang on his fear over the years, with a lot of unsolicited help of Jiang Chen's dog which he had to deal with every time their family visited the Lotus Pier, he was still not at all comfortable around the furry creatures.

He had somewhat gotten used to the white fluffy fur ball which seemed to escape where it had been locked almost every time he was visiting his former home, it wanted to play with A-Yuan. But this was completely different. Jiang Cheng's dog was small, adorable and as non-threatening it could get to someone who was terrified of it. This puppy however looked quite ferocious with its teeth barred at him and his fur puffed up threateningly, it was also almost two times bigger than the other one already.

Wei Wuxian's heart was beating like crazy and black spots started appearing on the edges of his vision from the sudden lack of oxygen in his lungs. He would have already run away be it not for A-Yuan being present, he did not want to set a bad example for his child.

His mind was going a thousand miles a second, trying to figure out where the dogs could have come from. Since A-Yuan was holding it in his lap, he must have been the one who brought it into the Jingshi. Did he perhaps pick it up in Caiyi Town, much like his uncle those many years ago? But why would he bring it to the Cloud Recesses? And how did he even manage to snuggle it past both his teachers and the guards at the front gate?

A-Yuan knew the rules perfectly well – although he was not brought up following them mindlessly, Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian still made sure he understood their meaning and that he should follow them with care but not be ruled by them in case of necessity – so something must have happened for him to deem necessary to break them.

Now that he had gotten over the first shock, he noticed with relief that A-Yuan was holding the puppy tightly to his chest, making sure it would not escape from his lap. That reassured Wei Wuxian a bit, at least it looked like his baby did not want the creature to run around unsupervised. It also meant however, that his hands were very close to the growling mouth and his small fingers looked so fragile and vulnerable in comparison to the sharp teeth and claws of the animal.

Fortunately, the dog stopped growling the next second when A-Yuan stroked his fur. It snuggled closer to him and hid his head under the child's hand. Wei Wuxian breathed out a sigh of relief, it seemed like the dog had taken a liking to his son and was probably not about to hurt him. That did not however mean that he was alright with A-Yuan holding the vicious creature so close to him. Animals were unpredictable on the best of days and even if it did not attack right now, the puppy could still lash out at his baby's hands or throat any second.

The only thing holding Wei Wuxian back from running towards the dog and snatching it away from A-Yuan was the knowledge that exactly such behaviour could push the creature into attack mode. So he tried to think of the best solution and said, as calmly as he could manage under the circumstances: "A-Yuan, what do you have over there?"

He wished dearly his husband was here, Lan Zhan would surely know what to do in such a situation. He would not have been scared out of his mind because of seeing a puppy. His only hope now was that he would convince A-Yuan to leave the dog in the room and come towards him. Then he would be able to quickly close the door, separating the creature from them, he could go call for help once his baby was safely in his arms, far from any danger of being bitten. Wei Wuxian had a lot of experience of that and he did not want his sweet child to ever come to get to know how it felt.

Proud that his voice was not shaking too much, he prompted: "A-Yuan, come give daddy a welcome home kiss, will you not?"

It seemed like this time, the child felt that something was wrong and he looked at him with big, questioning eyes. Wei Wuxian silently berated himself, he should have sounded more convincing and less scared. In response to his voice, the puppy got its head out from under A-Yuan's hand and looked at him as well, bearing its fangs once again.

Wei Wuxian was now outright panicking. He did not know what he should do to protect his baby without provoking the animal. His desperation growing, he called out again with a slight hint of hysteria in his voice this time: "A-Yuan, come here!"

His worries for his child were now so strong that he knew he was not thinking straight; he was also probably scaring A-Yuan as well. And he knew perfectly well, at least his now very overshadowed part of his mind, that A-Yuan was always able to get his way with dogs, Jiang Cheng's especially but others as well. He really had to get his act together, and quickly. If only his Alpha was here.