an empty stomach but a full heart

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/43779738.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: 山河令 | Word of Honor (TV 2021), 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers -
priest
Relationship: Jing Beiyuan/Wu Xi, Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu, Gu Xiang & Wen Kexing
& Zhang Chengling & Zhou Zishu
Character: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu, Gu Xiang (Faraway Wanderers), Zhang
Chengling, Jing Beiyuan
Additional Tags: Sickfic, Sick Character, Zhou Zishu gets nerfed, Shameless Wen
Kexing, mother hen Wen Kexing, Mother hen Zhou Zishu, Wen Kexing
and Zhou Zishu are Parents of Gu Xiang and Zhang Chengling,
Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Kexing taking care of Zishu, Happy
Ending, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Wen Kexing plays dress
up with Gu Xiang while Zhou Zishu and Zhang Chengling snuggle and
take a nap, no beta we die like chenglings entire family
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-12-23 Words: 5968

an empty stomach but a full heart

by ayoforbetterdays

Summary

ZZS gets food poisoning and WKX and the kids have to take care of him.

It went from a hurt/comfort sickfic to a domestic WenZhou family fic and idk what
happened but I could not stop. It just came forth from the void. I hope it doesn’t drag on too
much,,, I just needed domestic WenZhou with their kids.

Notes

Originally this started as an mpreg with ZZS just being super sick. Then it was a non-
pregnant ZZS having food poisoning. I love hurt/comfort as much as I love mpreg so <3

This is straight up domestic WenZhou. They are the parents of ZCL and GX. WKX
adopted GX when she was a newborn. She is currently 6. They adopted ZCL when he was
a little under a year old. He is 4 years old. They met when GX was 3.

It isn’t specified what was wrong, but ZZS was really sick when he and WKX first got
together. I might write more for this and make it a series. All you need to know is that he
was very sick and in the hospital a lot and their relationship was accelerated because of this.
GX was really young but she remembers ZZS being in the hospital and seeing WKX upset
 and hurting because of ZZS illness so when she sees ZZS sick, she is instantly upset.
ZZS owns a dojo, WKX does,,,, well idk yet honestly. We don’t need that info in this but I
will figure it out.
I hope ZZS isn’t too OOC cause I know he is a hardass but with young children,,, I can see
him being super nurturing and gentle.

This is loosely based on the time that I got food poisoning and then got severely dehydrated
and had to go to the hospital. I would explain more about the dehydration part,,, but I
literally cannot remember cause it was awful <3 Please keep yourselves hydrated and avoid
what i went through cause the muscle cramping is no joke.
I am not great with writing children so I hope I did decently. Let me know what you think
please <3

Diē diē is WKX

Bà bà is ZZS

See the end of the work for more notes

Zhou Zishu had yet to leave his bed. It was currently just after 3 pm and the man still had
blankets over his head. He had called the dojo early to make Han Ying take over his classes for the
day. The martial artist hadn’t even made it to the door before he had needed to hurl into the trash
can near the door. Zishu texted Kexing that he was home sick but had held out on calling his
husband home from work until now. When he had woken feeling nauseous that morning, he had
told his worrier of a husband not to worry about it. He hadn’t wanted to call Kexing home but after
having gotten sick five times in under six hours, he cracked and called him. He was much too
unwell to care for himself. Zishu felt miserable.

He knew now that the shrimp pasta he had eaten last night at the restaurant had definitely been
rancid. The sauce had covered up most of the flavor, but he had still thought it tasted a bit odd.
Kexing and he had been drinking since it was their anniversary dinner without the kids. He didn't
think much of it, figuring the sauce was more tangy than he had remembered it to be. He now saw
that it had been a mistake. He had gotten food poisoning.

The man was curled up, clenching his teeth and trying to focus on anything except for the
churning of his stomach. He had already taken some Pepto Bismol, but it had hardly helped him at
all. The poor man hadn’t even been able to keep water down, already feeling the early effects of
dehydration. He groaned as the stomach cramps made it nearly impossible for him to relax, arms
tightening around his middle. The cramping was rather intense and had only gotten worse
throughout the day. Zishu thought he let out a whimper, but his mind was too hazy from pain to
think about it too much. The bedroom door opened and the blankets were carefully moved away
from his face. His eyes were squeezed shut, entire body tense. “Lao Wen.” His voice was strained
and quiet. He was focusing on not throwing up again.

"A-Xu..." Zhou Zishu had his back facing his husband and a large hand started to soothingly
rub circles into his lower back. "You should have called me earlier. I would have come home to
take care of you." Wen Kexing set a grocery bag filled with gatorade onto the bedside table. He
looked down at his husband with worry, his other hand now resting on Zishu's stomach, hoping the
heat and soft massaging would soothe him. He had heard Zishu’s whimpering when he first
entered so he could only assume he was in more pain than he had expressed over the phone. Zhou
Zishu couldn't speak. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would puke again. He grabbed
onto his partner's hand, tightly holding onto it, pulling it off of his stomach. The cramping was
much too uncomfortable for there to be added pressure on his abdomen.

Wen Kexing stroked back Zishu's hair and leaned down to kiss his forehead, allowing his
husband to hold onto him. He felt that Zhou Zishu was burning up and the man shook his head .
“A-Xu, you really should have called me.” He was stroking his husband’s hair, hushing him as
Zishu held back another cry of pain. "Let me make you some ginger and chamomile tea." Wen
Kexing was mentally taking stock of any medicine they had in their house. Chengling had been
sick a few weeks ago but he doubted the children's brand of medicine would do much for his sick
husband. He noticed the bottle of Pepto Bismol on the nightstand and his frown only deepend. If
that hadn’t worked, they would need to call Wu Xi. The man had the day off today, but he would
prefer that they called him before rushing to the emergency room.

Zhou Zishu let go of Kexing's hand, curling up on himself once more, wrapping his arms
around his stomach as the cramping started up again. “The shrimp.” He managed to grunt out,
shutting his eyes tighter.

“The shrimp? From dinner last night?” Wen Kexing was about to go to their kitchen and pull
out the leftovers to test this theory himself. If it was indeed the shrimp from his pasta last night,
someone would pay,

Another whimper-like noise escaped Zishu’s lips. Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes from
pain. The cramping was rather intense and the man truly had nothing more for his stomach to give
up. He took in a deep breath, swallowing. "Lao Wen…” He felt the roiling in his stomach become
worse. Bile rose up in his throat and the man scurried to get out of the bed, throwing the blankets
off of himself. He pushed past Wen Kexing to get into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door
before he could be followed.

"A-Xu! A-Xu let me in!" He heard his husband retching and his heart dropped into his
stomach. He hated that Zishu had been sick all day without him here. He sat down on the floor
with his back against the wall, frowning as he listened to Zishu from the other side of the door. He
knew his soulmate was probably feeling self conscious and didn't want to be seen like this, not
liking when he was perceived as weak. Kexing put his head down, debating on calling the
restaurant they had eaten at last night. He was furious that his zhiji was sick due to their food. It
was a five-star place and Kexing had paid a good amount for a table. It was unacceptable that Zhou
Zishu had gotten sick. They would be lucky if he didn’t make this into a big deal. He enjoyed
taking revenge on those who had wronged him or his family and he would take them down in one
way or another.

Wen Kexing waited outside the bathroom door until his husband opened it. He looked pale
and sweaty and miserable. Kexing stood and pulled Zishu into a tight hug. The older man slumped
into his husband weakly. "Lao Wen... I-I don't feel well..." he was shaking his head, breathless. He
felt too weak to hold himself up, so Wen Kexing lifted him off the ground, holding him much like
would hold A-Xiang. It took a lot for Zhou Zishu to admit to weakness. He must really be feeling
awful. Kexing held his husband close, not liking how much he felt Zhou Zishu trembling. His head
rested on Kexing’s shoulder, arms weakly wrapped around his husband's neck. The man could
hardly stay conscious.

"I'll call Wuxi." Kexing carefully placed Zishu back into their bed. Helping him to remove his
soiled shirt. He went over to his own dresser and pulled out a fleece lined sweatshirt before helping
Zishu put it on.

The older man was shivering, even after having blankets piled onto him. "I'm sorry you left
work…” His throat felt raw and his voice sounded rough. He felt like the room was vaguely
spinning so he closed his eyes, hoping it would go away. His head felt foggy and his muscles were
aching. Maybe he was more dehydrated than he had thought.

Wen Kexing hushed Zhou Zishu and kissed the crown of his hair. "I would rather be here
taking care of you, A-Xu. Let me call Wu Xi. I am going to pick the kids. Just stay in bed and
rest." He pulled the blankets up to his husband's chin. Zhou Zishu gave Kexing a weak nod,
shutting his eyes. His stomach seemed to have calmed down for the moment.

Before he left, he went to fill up the hot water bottle and then carefully placed it onto Zishu’s
middle, hoping the heat would soothe him enough to let him sleep. Quietly he left the bedroom.
The man looked over to the clock on the stove. Gu Xiang would be getting out of school very soon
and Chengling would need to be picked up from daycare. He grabbed his car keys and as soon as
he was on his way to pick up Gu Xiang, he called Wu Xi.

The front door opened and Wen Kexing entered, two bear themed book bags thrown over his
shoulder. He slipped off his shoes and then corralled his children inside, shutting the door behind
them. He placed the bags down and then went into the kitchen to grab them some apple slices and
peanut butter. He kissed them both on the head and then got them settled in front of the living room
TV. After he found Gu Xiang’s favorite cartoons, he left to go back to Zhou ZIshu’s side. He
didn’t want to be away from him for a single moment longer.

Chengling sniffed the air and walked into the kitchen after his diē diē had walked away. There
was herbal tea brewing. He recognized the scent. Chamomile and ginger. It was the tea diē diē
brewed when anyone in their house had a tummy ache. He looked over to his older sister and then
walked over to his bookbag, pulling his teddy bear out of it. He clutched the stuffed toy to his chest
and then went off in the direction of his parents room, forgetting about his afterschool snack. When
he passed Gu Xiang, she looked over from the TV. Her head tilted in curiosity and immediately,
she followed after him, her pigtails bouncing. The younger child pushed open the door to their
parents room, both of them peeking inside.

On the bed, diē diē was holding bà bà. Zhou Zihsu had his head in the wastebasket, his back
resting against Wen Kexing's front. He was panting, clutching the basket.

"Bà bà..." Chengling immediately wanted to help in any way that he could, walking into the
room with Gu Xiang standing in the doorway, her eyebrows scrunched in worry. Chengling's lip
started to quiver, salty tears pooling in his eyes. He gripped his bear tightly, standing in front of his
sister in the doorway.

Wen Kexing looked over to their adopted children and he frowned. "Bà bà is okay, he's just a
little sick right now." He looked back to his husband as Zhou Zishu leaned into him, gasping
slightly. He had set the waste basket aside and looked over to the doorway, trying to regain some
composure. He swallowed, trying not to gag again.

The sick man attempted to give his children a reassuring smile, sweat pouring down his face.
"I'm okay, kids... Bà bà... bà bà is just..." He swallowed again, gripping Kexing’s hand. He was
trembling like a leaf, body burning up but still freezing. “... just not feeling well today.” He
continued, taking in a deep breath.
 Chengling was already crying, rushing over and climbing onto the bed, Kexing helping him so
he did not fall down. "Bà bà..." The little boy was very emotional, he wore his heart on his sleeve.
He loved his diē diē, bà bà and jiě jiě so much and he hated to see any of them unwell.

The child hid his face in Zhou Zishu's shirt. He still had his bear tightly clutched in one of his
hands. Zhou Zishu hushed him, hand carding through Chengling's hair. "Don't cry, golden bean..."
He frowned as he hugged the little boy close to himself. The older man glanced to his husband and
then over to the door where Gu Xiang still stood, looking close to tears herself. He could feel his
stomach constricting but he swallowed, forcing himself to keep it down. He couldn’t risk upsetting
his children further.

When Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing had first started dating, Zishu had been very sick. He had
been in and out of the hospital and Kexing and Gu Xiang had moved in with him after the pair had
only been dating for a few weeks. Wen Kexing had wanted to take care of Zhou Zishu before they
even really knew each other, knowing that he loved him almost immediately. He had been
extremely sick, and there had even been a period of time where they thought that he was going to
die. Chengling hadn’t even been born yet, but Gu Xiang had been three.

She remembered seeing her bà bà attached to machines and IVs in the hospital, being
unconscious after surgeries and weak after treatments. She remembered her diē diē crying and
worrying a lot. She remembered them fighting about bà bà’s health and she remembered thinking
she would lose bà bà after her diē diē had finally found him. She couldn't help it when tears welled
up in her dark eyes, little storm clouds appearing above her head. It reminded her of back then,
when her bà bà was dying.

Wen Kexing reached out a hand to her and she rushed over, taking it and allowing him to heft
her onto the bed. He watched his little girl with sadness as she curled up into Zishu’s side. Both
children were now holding onto their bà bà, crying against his sweater.

Zhou Zishu, though still feeling unwell, held them both as tightly as he could, shushing them
and rubbing their backs. "I'm okay, I promise. I just ate something bad that made my tummy hurt."
He hated that he was the cause of their worry and tears, guilt ripping through him almost as harshly
as the stomach cramps. He wiped Chengling’s crocodile tears away with his thumbs and watched
as Kexing did the same with Gu Xiang. "I just need some rest and medicine." He looked at his
husband. "Uncle's Beiyuan and Da Wu are coming over.”

"Uncle Beiyuan is going to help you both with your homework so diē diē and Wu Xi can take
care of bà bà." Kexing spoke lightly, adjusting his husband and his children so they all fit
comfortably in his lap.

Gu Xiang looked up to her father, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She let out little
hiccups as she struggled to speak. "W-will bà bà b-be okay?" She was wiping tears away with the
cuffs of her sleeves now, trying to stop her tears and be strong for her dì dì and parents. “He… he
won’t go back to the hospital, will he?” She was trying to stop her tears but her bottom lip jutted
out, quivering as she looked to her parents.

Wen Kexing hushed the child, smoothing out her hair. "Bà bà will be okay, A-Xiang." He
knew why his daughter was so upset, because he was still worried about his A-Xu after everything
the man had gone through. It had been a while since Zhou Zishu had actually gotten sick after he
had recovered.

Zhou Zishu was cradling Chengling to his chest, rubbing his back and keeping him close. He
looked wearily at his husband and daughter, clearing his throat. He felt like he was about to get
sick again. "I just have a bad tummy ache A-Xiang." He gave her a small smile. "Diē diē and Da
Wu will make me feel better soon." He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Why don't you and A-
Ling put on a movie and wait for Uncle Beiyuan and Da Wu?" He squeezed her little hand and
swallowed. The cramping was becoming worse. He couldn't allow the children to see if he were to
get sick again.

Gu Xiang sniffled and looked at her little brother before she nodded. "Dì dì, let's go watch
How to Train Your Dragon ." She put on a brave face, wanting to be strong. Her dì dì needed her
and her bà bà always told her that she needed to help take care of Chengling since she was his jiě
jiě . He needed her to be a good big sister!

The little boy was sniffling still, having cried all his tears into Zhou Zishu's sweater. He
looked up to his fathers before he nodded, reaching out for Gu Xiang and taking her hand. He
looked back to Zhou Zishu and then held out his bear. “Bà bà, you need Mr. Snuggles more than
me.” Zhou Zishu took the bear, unable to talk as his body was rigid. Wen Kexing had noticed and
he helped the two children get off of the bed, moving to get out from behind Zhou Zishu. The
children left the room, hand in hand with Kexing quickly following behind to help set up the
movie.

As soon as he knew the children were not in earshot, Zhou Zishu snatched the basket up and
began to retch and gag into it. He had been holding himself back but the stomach cramps had
become too much. There was nothing to throw up so he just gagged, his insides tightly clenching to
expel itself.

"A-Xu..." Wen Kexing was already back at his side, brushing Zishu's cropped hair from his
forehead. He had moved Mr. Snuggles to sit next to his husband, climbing onto the bed and
rubbing his back.

When Zhou Zishu was done, he curled up into Kexing, shutting his eyes. He was shivering,
weakly gripping Kexing's shirt and his son’s beloved bear. He was nearly unconscious due to
exhaustion. He felt as if he would be vomiting blood soon. It hurt so badly and he had nothing left
within himself.

Kexing lightly rubbed Zishu's stomach, soothingly whispering as he eased him to sleep. The
hot water bottle had gotten cold and he couldn’t bear to leave his husband alone again to refill it.
Zhou Zishu let out a soft noise. The massaging made his stomach hurt just a little less. Wen Kexing
gave both of his children belly rubs when they were sick so he figured it would work on his
husband too. His hand lightly traced figure eights on Zishu’s soft skin, massaging with a feather
light touch.

"Wu Xi is bringing an IV and fluids. You are really dehydrated A-Xu. You Should have called
me before it got this bad." His voice was stern with worry. Zhou Zishu often did not take good
enough care of himself and he was a little upset that his husband had waited so long to call him.
Food poisoning could be very serious, and dehydration was evident already. Zhou Zishu needed to
get hydrated and fast.

The younger of the two continued to lightly rub his husband's stomach, watching Zishu relax
from the slight massage. He had shifted so Zishu was once again in his lap, body resting against
his chest. Zhou Zishu had managed to fall asleep like this, Mr. Snuggles still tucked into his side
and his head against Kexing’s collar bone.
 It had taken Wu Xi and Beiyuan longer than expected to arrive. They had been out on a date at
the fruit market when Kexing had called and traffic in the city had been rather awful. The men had
let themselves in. The children got excited, immediately running over to meet w=their uncles in the
door. Beiyuan promised to return to the children so that they could watch TV together, he just
wanted to check on their bà bà first. He and Wu Xi removed their shoes and then quickly went
down the hall.

Wen Kexing looked up when they came in, hand still massaging Zishu's stomach. It had kept
his husband soundly asleep so he had no plans of stopping anytime soon. The latter was completely
unconscious. "I'm glad you are here..." Kexing finally exhaled. "I just got him to doze off finally.
He's still having stomach cramps and his body is still rejecting everything, including water." He
looked at them with an expression that hid nothing. His nerves were shot and he was near tears
himself. Zhou Zishu infuriated him with how little he cared about himself. “He is really
dehydrated…” The man looked down to his husband and stroked his cheek lightly.

Wu Xi quickly set up his portable IV stand. He glanced at his own husband. "Beiyuan, you
should entertain the children. Zishu will need his rest." He gave his husband a reassuring glance,
knowing how Beiyuan also worried about their stubborn and idiotic friend. With just his eyes, he
told his life-partner to go out and play with the children to distract them and himself.

Beiyuan gave a slight nod in understanding and then passed a reassuring smile to Wen Kexing.
“I will take care of the children tonight. Don’t worry about dinner.” He gave his husband’s
shoulder a squeeze before he left to go back into the living room, sitting on the sofa between
Chengling and Gu Xiang so that they could both snuggle into their uncle. He wrapped long arms
around both of them, smiling as the children began to babble about what they had done that day.
He adored these moments with them, glad that he could be called “the fun uncle.”

In the bedroom, Wu Xi had set up the IV drip, carefully connecting it to Zishu’s arm. He
looked to Wen Kexing with a frown. “I have medicine connected to the IV drip that should help his
stomach. I think he should get at least 2 saline bags. Maybe three.” Wu Xi always had supplies
laying around since he often did house calls for his patients.

Wen Kexing had given him a nod, hand still steadily massaging his husband’s stomach,
despite the fact that it was starting to cramp from so much use. “Thank you. He is so stubborn. If
he would have just told me he was sick this morning, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad…” He let out
a sigh and shook his head. “Stubborn idiot.” His eyes had been watching Zhou Zishu’s face,
rationalizing that his husband was okay and would be alright after some rest.

Wu Xi smiled slightly. “You have to be just as stubborn to stay with him all these years.” The
man looked back to his unconscious friend. “Do you want Beiyuan and I to take the children to our
house tonight? We can bring them back sometime tomorrow after Zishu has recovered. It would be
easier on you both.”

Just as Wen Kexing was about to answer, he was stopped by his husband’s groggy voice.
“No… No, I want the kids here…” He had half-lidded eyes, looking over at Wu Xi. “I want…” he
swallowed. If his cheeks hadn’t already been flushed with fever, they would be bright pink from
embarrassment. He needed the comfort of his family, feeling more sick than he had in a long
while. “I don’t want them to leave tonight. A-Xiang might be too upset to leave…” He was making
excuses, not wanting to admit that he needed their presence for his own comfort.

The youngest man in the room smiled, leaning down to plant a kiss on Zishu’s forehead.
“What if we have a sleepover in bà bà and diē diē’s room then?” He grinned at his husband,
wiggling his eyebrows. “We can snuggle as a family A-Xu.”
 Zhou Zishu rolled his eyes at the suggestion, but secretly he felt overjoyed by the idea. He
wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by his husband and children. He would never say it out
loud, but their presence made him feel safe. “If you think the children would like that.” He brushed
it off, watching as Kexing smiled more. He knew his husband could see through his facade and
was grateful that he at least pretended he didn’t know. The man shifted, looking at the IV in his
arm and sighing. “I don’t want A-Xiang or A-Ling to see me like this though. They are already
upset enough.”

Wu Xi stood up, nodding to his friend. “Beiyuan and I will take them out for a movie and
dinner. It should give you more than enough time to use the saline bags and to rest some more.”

Wen Kexing nodded, smiling back to Wu Xi. “Thank you Da Wu, we appreciate it.” The man
clad in all black gave them a small but warm smile before he went out to Beiyuan and the two kids.
In a minute, they heard excited laughter followed by the front door shutting.

Kexing looked down to his husband. “Are you feeling any better A-Xu?” He had never
stopped rubbing Zishu’s stomach.

The older man smiled. “I am… I think whatever Wu Xi gave me has me… a little high…” He
chuckled softly, nuzzling closer to Kexing’s body heat. “I hate seeing the kids upset like that. Do
you think they will be okay? I know A-Xiang is still affected from when I was in the hospital…”
His voice trailed off, thoughts spiraling downwards.

Kexing frowned, sighing as he thought about it. “I think she will be okay. She just gets
worried. She was so young when you were sick. It must have been confusing and scary to such a
young child. She will be okay, A-Xu. Our girl is strong. I think as she gets older, she will be able to
understand it better and be less scared.” His other hand stroked up Zishu’s arm now. “As for our
little golden bean, I think he will also be just fine. He is emotional, but that is his strength. You
worry too much, A-Xu. You like to call me a mother hen, but it has always been you.” He placed a
kiss on the man’s brow and the elder rolled his eyes again.

Wen Kexing let out a bright laugh, hugging his zhiji closer as he did. “When the kids get back,
we will all snuggle up around you, A-Xu.” He grinned from ear to ear, pecking the tip of Zishu’s
right ear. Zhou Zishu blushed and then hid himself in Kexing’s sweatshirt, snuggling up close into
his side. He was already feeling a little bit better. He rolled onto his side, face resting against his
husband’s neck, feeling the lulling thrum of his zhiji’s heartbeat and drifting back to sleep.

After Beiyuan and Wu Xi had returned to drop off the kids and check on Zishu, it was
determined that the three fluid bags had been enough. They helped get the kids ready for the night,
and then left so that Wen Kexing could get everyone settled into the large plush bed.

Zhou Zishu was half-conscious, snuggling his children close to himself as Kexing read them a
chapter from the adventure novel that Gu Xiang had chosen. He was content, feeling warm and
comfortable with his head resting on the pillow above A-Xiang’s. The kids curled up between their
father’s, both of them intently listening to the story that was being read for them.

After only a few pages, Kexing looked up from the book. Zhou Zishu was soundly asleep with
Gu Xiang snuggled into his chest. Chengling had drifted off, Zishu’s hand still resting in his soft
mop of hair and his little body tucked against Wen Kexing’s. The only of the four left awake,
carefully shifted the child and shut off the light on the nightstand, setting the book down. He
wrapped an arm around his little boy and then snuggled in closer to his family, finally relaxing for
the night. He felt that no moment could ever make him happier than this. It was all he could ever
ask for.

Zhou Zishu woke up feeling a little better than he had the day before. He glanced around
groggily. He ached a little, but his stomach wasn’t doing backflips. The bed was empty so he
glanced over to the clock on the wall. It was only seven in the morning but it was a weekend so he
had no idea why anyone in his house was up this early. He glanced around and then stretched out
his limbs and back, sighing as he snuggled back into the warmth of the bedding.

He had fallen asleep curled up with the three people in this world he adored most and even
though he still felt a little unwell, his heart felt full . He was content with his pest of a husband and
their two adorable children. Zishu smiled, laying his head back down on the pillow to relax into it
again. He would sleep for as long as wanted.

The man was fully asleep by the time the bedroom door had been opened. Wen Kexing helped
Chengling get onto the bed and watched as Gu Xiang pulled herself up, she had insisted on doing it
without help since she was a big girl.

The children hugged onto their sleeping parent, giggling as he began to wake up with a soft
huff of frustration. “Can bà bà not sleep in?” He was smiling, only feigning annoyance as he
scooped both of them into his strong arms, hugging them close as he sat up. The two children
giggled, wrapping their tiny arms around him and snuggling in close, happy to see that he was
feeling better.

Gu Xiang looked up to her diē diē and smiled as Wen Kexing joined them on the bed. He
kissed his two troublemakers heads and then gently placed a kiss to his husband’s lips. “I made you
some congee and bought you some ginger ale to heat up. I don’t want you eating anything that
could hurt your stomach so congee or toast only for the next three days. Wu Xi said your immune
system could still be fighting it off for the next few days, so you need to take it easy on your
stomach A-Xu.”

“Lao Wen, I am fine.” He rolled his eyes. “I don't need you to mother hen me. I am perfectly
capable of-” He was cut off by his six year old.

“Bà bà, you are sick! Diē diē always takes care of us when we are sick.” She crossed her arms
in front of her chest, looking at him with a big pout. Both of her parents snickered, Zishu covering
his mouth his his hand as he burst into a small fit of laughter. She looked so adorable when she
tried to look angry like this.

“O-okay A-Xiang!” He looked over to his husband, the other man grinning widely. Chengling
was still sleepy, so he didn’t talk, just curling himself up close to Zhou Zishu’s body heat. Zhou
Zishu stroked the hair back from his forehead and the man kissed his hair. “A-Ling, do you want to
curl back up and sleep with bà bà?” Little Chengling nodded, turning to hide himself in Zishu’s
protective embrace. The man smiled at his husband and then shut his eyes, allowing sleep to
overtake him once more.

Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang tucked them in and then turned off the light, going to her room to
play. She wanted to have a tea party with her stuffed animals, and her diē diē was the guest of
honor. Wen Kexing allowed his little girl to dress him up however she pleased, ending up with his
hair in very crooked braids and lipstick smeared across his face. He was not shy, knowing it did not
affect his masculinity in the slightest. He wore the crown she had handed him and poured tea when
she asked. They didn’t often get to have long playtimes like this and his hearts soared, adoring this
precious time with his daughter.

Zhou Zishu had woken up after a few hours and he carefully left his son so that he could use
the bathroom. On his way back to the bedroom, he was stopped by bright laughter coming from Gu
Xiang’s room. He tilted his head and then walked over to peek inside, his heart inflating with so
much love for his husband, that he nearly swooned.

Gu Xiang looked up and she squealed happily, holding up a tea cup. “Bà bà! Join us for the tea
party! Diē diē just served cookies!” She ran a little plastic plate over to him and the man smiled
fondly as he took it from her.

“How is your tummy bà bà?” She pulled him over to sit at the little table and the man let her
lead him, sitting next to his husband and smiling more as Kexing pretended to pour him tea.

“My tummy is almost all better A-Xiang.” He gently ruffled her hair, looking down at the
purple plate in front of him. He looked at his zhiji, deciding to play a bit longer. “Can I eat the
cookies, Lao Wen?”

The taller of the two rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking from his daughter to his soulmate.
“Well… If you are feeling better A-Xu, you can have one cookie.” The younger man put an arm
around his husband’s shoulders and Zhou Zishu pretended to eat the cookie, patting his stomach
when he was done.

Gu Xiang had them play with her until Chengling sleepily walked in and mumbled that he was
hungry. Wen Kexing scooped up both of his kids and made them wash up before quickly and easily
making them grilled cheeses and dino nuggets.

Zhou Zishu helped the children get settled at the table before he went to take some more Pepto
Bismol. He no longer was having stomach cramps, but he would rather keep the nausea at bay with
medicine. He hadn’t heard his husband come into the bedroom and didn’t know he was there until
strong arms wrapped around him from behind him. The Pepto Bismol was taken from his hands.

“I can give you more belly rubs if you want. They seemed to help you yesterday.” He was
smiling devilishly, knowing his husband would be embarrassed now that he was feeling better. His
hands rested on Zishu’s stomach, already drawing comforting circles into the material of his shirt.

“Lao Wen!” His face flushed red and he bit his lip. “Don’t… don’t call it that. It makes it
sound so…” He dropped his sentence, glancing at his husband. Wen Kexing had his head resting
on Zishu’s shoulder. He had cleaned the makeup off of his face but his hair was still in haphhazard
braids.

“If I call it something more manly will you let me do it?” He stroked hair behind Zishu’s ear,
teeth flashing still. “I will give your abdominal muscles a massage.”

“Fine.” Zhou Zishu was bright pink, the tips of his ears even being shaded at this point. He
 turned in his husband’s embrace, wrapping his arms around Kexing’s waist. “Lao Wen.” His little
family always managed to make him feel so filled with happiness and love that he could say, he
knew what love was. He had never imagined that after years under Helian Yi, ruining people's
lives, including his own; he would finally be happy and in love, content with every aspect of his
life. His heart was full .

“A-Xu.” Wen Kexing answered, lips hovering just above his. He gave him a smile, leaning
down and deeply kissing him, pulling the shorter man flush against his chest. They pulled back and
Kexing smiled more, handing Zishu back the Pepto Bismol. “After I get Chengling down for his
nap, I’ll come and massage your abdominal muscles.” The man laughed as he said the second part
of the sentence, making Zhou Zishu turn pink yet again.

He pulled away from his zhiji and then took the prescribed dose of medicine. Wen Kexing
went out to get Chengling put down for his nap. Still feeling a little sick, Zishu curled back up to
sleep until Wen Kexing came in to take care of him. He was feeling so content that being sick,
besides causing him a great deal of discomfort, really wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

End Notes

THE END (there will be more for this AU because I adore them).

Thank you for reading <3

This was 100% self-indulgent

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