WenZhou Oneshots

Chosen Family

"Shishu, how have you been? What about shifu?" came a soft masculine voice from the other room where Zhou Zishu slept. His mind whirled for a bit before he willed his eyes to open only to be greeted by a dim light that shrouded their entire room. Or at least what resembled as a room for him and his partner, all around them were books, scrolls and ancient texts stacked neatly in shelves and tables. And the only place where he could lay his head to rest was a hard wooden bed with a few thin sheets and thinner cloth that substituted as a poor blanket on the nights when the wind picked up and snow howled just outside the armoury. Zhou Zishu pushed himself up and found a small table with a lit candle beside their makeshift bed, he turned to his right to find that Wen Kexing's side of the bed had gone cold, when did his shidi leave the bed anyway?

"I suppose it's not at all that bad, what I would give for a decent bed and a clean space though" Wen Kexing's humorous voice filled the silence again as Zhou Zhishu pulled another layer of robe and slipped it on before meandering towards the door leading to the main room of the armory. "Shishu, I could always bring a few necessities for you here, ah and I can also call some brothers to help me-"

"Ah Ah Ah- little idiot, don't you get any ideas now, it's dangerous for anyone to travel from here to Shiji manor over and over again, your master and I will be okay, just until I heal" his husband replied.

Zhou Zishu turned a corner and had to stop to take in a very familiar and nostalgic sight before him, Wen Kexing and Chengling around a low table with cups of tea. One was cold and the other piping hot as the not-so small disciple still needed to warm up after his travel up the mountain. This was a picture he would have wanted to stay and live in for the rest of his life, but what they had now was not as bad as his past self had imagined him to end up on anyway. To have Wen Kexing and Chengling or live a life alone, he would rather die with them.

"You're speaking on my behalf again, Who said I was comfortable here?" Zishu asked, in his usual stand offish tone, although his face betrayed his voice as a smile formed on his lips when his disciple yelled an enthusiastic "Shifu!" before giving him a hug.

Warm, Chengling was just as warm as Wen kexing was even in the coldness of the chamber, his found family never failed to give him the light he never thought he would see again.

"A-Xu, what are you talking about, haven't we discussed that we are doing just fine?" Wen Kexing smirked and stood up to meet the two halfway, his silver hair swaying with every step he took. (Zhou Zishu decided that he will never get tired of seeing his Lao Wen with silver hair) "What? With you and your mouth? Never" Kexing feigned hurt, his eyebrows met and his frown dipped "Oh? A-Xu is so mean today, are you saying my mouth is not enough then?"

Chengling snorted beside Zhou Zishu who let out a stern  "Lao Wen!"

The silver haired man laughed and guided them both back to the table where there were already three cups of tea waiting for them. Small talk filled the air and playful banters were exchanged between the three of them, Zishu surveyed Chengling for a bit as he humored his
Shishu with a story about how the new disciple had nearly set off one of the defense traps in the four seasons manor.

Chengling had grown a couple of inches taller despite them only being away for about a year, Wen Kexing's meridians had indeed been severely damaged that they had to wait out the storm and let the snow melt all the way before they even thought of any healing methods for him, even sharing Qi proved a bit of a challenge for both of them, by the time they had managed to dig themselves out of the entrance it had been 3 months passed and Ye Bai yi already attempted to visit three times, his third time giving good results as he could finally crawl in to check on how they were doing. It felt so long already that Zhou Zishu forgot just how he missed his first disciple, now a man co leading his own sect and the newly resurrected Mirror Lake Manor.

Wen Kexing cocked his head to the side towards A-Xu to ask a stupid, thought provoking question again only to stop himself when he saw the pensive look on his husband's face looking at Chengling talking animatedly. An endearing smile bloomed on his face.

"Shifu, Shishu. Are you sure you both will be okay here?" Chengling asked once again, breaking Zishu's train of thought, the raven aired immortal huffed a laugh before reaching out to pat the disciple's head "You're being a worrywart, Chengling. Don't worry about us, I'm sure your shishu can survive for a few more months here, either way he brought this upon himself" Zishu smirked and Wen Kexing mirrored "Of course I'll be okay, with you A-Xu I'll always be okay" and the same shameless smile appeared on his face as Chengling playfully rolled his eyes and Zishu fought the urge to retort back, at least not when someone else was with them (he had learned a long time ago that nothing appropriate would ever follow if he humors his husband too much)

"Whatever you say Lao Wen, ah Chengling don't go back down the mountain without resting first, I know this isn't typically the best place to sleep but we'll find you a spot somehow" Zishu offered to which his husband sprang to his feet with a newfound enthusiasm in him "Ah A-Xu I have the perfect spot for our little idiot, you two wait here I'll prepare it"

"Eh Lao Wen-" before he could stop the silver haired man he had already fled around a corner. Zishu could only smile in response. "Shifu, I'm really glad that you and shishu are alive" Something inside Zishu breaks, like a dam that had been built up for so long now only given the chance to crack and give way. He swallowed and put on his best smile as he responded "Of course we're alive little idiot, neither me nor your shishu will ever go down without a fight" Chengling smiled, the small tea cup in his fingers was warm but somehow his heart felt warmer at the thought that he would still see his masters every now and again, although not as often but Chengling would take every little time he could get to see the two people that was kind to him, who took the time to know and love him even when he didn't have anything to offer back. The tears threatened to fall once again and if Zishu noticed he didn't comment on it, stead he reached for Chengling's free hand and gave it a reassuring pat, that seemed to have switched some kind of light into the disciple as he abandoned his spot across his master and came rounding to give him a tight hug, his head buried softly in Zishu's chest, the immortal was caught off guard for a second, of the sudden contact and the spreading warmth in is body, he unconsciously let out a soft sigh as his arms slowly wound around his not-so- little disciple. They stayed for what felt like hours when another pair of arms joined in on the hug making everything break in Zishu, his tears fell along with Chenging's quiet sobs and Lao Wen's gentle cooing in their ears. Here, no one was out to get them, here they were able to be themselves, show their scars and lick their wounds until the day were they are mostly healed of everything that happened, the world can wait, for now this was their time, their place, for now it was just them.