Chapter Text
The side of the book dug into his cheek when Shen Qingqiu woke up, just enough to push the book aside and away from his face. Airplane’s latest approach to writing… not bad, and good late-night reading material. He would have chuckled over this habit from his former life, but his mind was still mostly asleep.
The bamboo house was silent, except for the small sounds that the animals - insects and such, small critters - made outside, maybe a bird flying overhead, and if he stretched his qi enough, he might even be able to feel the flow of his disciplines, even if he could not hear their breathing. Shen Qingqiu put his head down again.
He did not need to open his eyes to know that his husband had come back, and he did not need to move to let his husband now that he knew.
Luo Binghe slipped in as quiet as he could, but even a half-demon had to breathe. He muted his steps, no sound from them. Still.
Shen Qingqiu waited for Luo Binghe to reach the bed before he allowed gravity to pull his body back from where he had been laying on his side. He did not open his eyes, and let his limps fall with his body, his arm stretched out over his head. He felt his hair spill against the bed, unbound that it was, and the blanket slipped low to reveal his neck and an open robe. The only thing he did was stretch his neck - just a bit.
Luo Binghe’s breath hitching told him that he had seen.
“Shizun should continue to sleep,” Luo Binghe said, whispered, and his breath ghosted over Shen Qingqiu’s neck. He was too warmed up from sleep to shudder, but Luo Binghe was closer than he had thought. It was easy to fake a small stretch with his arm and to let it loosely reach over, until he found Luo Binghe’s shoulder, then his hair.
Luo Binghe chuckled. He pulled Shen Qingqiu’s hand away from his hair, pressed a kiss to the palm before he put it down on the bed again.
For a moment, Shen Qingqiu considered protesting and opening his eyes, but then he heard the telltale sign of Luo Binghe removing his robe, and felt the shift of the bed as Luo Binghe climbed in beside him. Instantly, warm arms wrapped around his middle and pulled him close.
Shen Qingqiu hummed in agreement. Sleep grabbled with him, trying to pull him under, and of course, he could talk to Luo Binghe in his dreams, but warm and soft like this, it was even better. He could do this forever. He heard a quiet ping. He had not heard from the System for some time, and he was too tired to open his eyes to see the text.
[‘Happy Ending’ achieved,] the voice chimed in, [Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!]
That woke him up just enough to smile. Good.
“Everything okay with…” he trailed off, mouth, tongue, and brain too sleepy to continue.
Luo Binghe laughed softly and dropped a kiss to his forehead, so Shen Qingqiu tilted his head until Luo Binghe’s lips pressed against his. A soft kiss only. Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, but Luo Binghe kept his closed. “Shizun should sleep,” Luo Binghe said, “This husband took care of it with Liu Qingge.”
What had they even been doing? Some mission involving the demon realm, so Yue Qingyuan had asked Luo Binghe to assist, something about the border… Shen Qingqiu tilted his head up for another kiss but was denied when Luo Binghe pushed his nose against his neck instead and rubbed his chin against the soft skin.
“And Zhangmen-shixiong?”
[3]
“Everything went well, Shizun,” Luo Binghe told him, a tad exasperated. “This husband will tell you in the morning, over breakfast.” He kissed Shen Qingqiu’s neck again, once, and then twice, as if the one time was not enough. Big kisses, nothing like the nips and bites during their love-making, but the kisses one gave their husband in thanks or greeting, or when they were sleeping. Ah, Luo Binghe… Breakfast cooked by his husband sounded like heaven, especially after he had been gone for a few days.
[2]
“This husband…” Shen Qingqiu murmured, “This husband loves you.”
Luo Binghe chuckled and Shen Qingqiu thought he would kiss him again, but instead, he tucked Shen Qingqiu’s head against his chest, pulling the blanket up. “Sleep, Shizun,” Luo Binghe said quietly into his hair, “This husband loves you too.”
[1]
Shen Qingqiu smiled and fell asleep before he could see the flashing message right above Luo Binghe’s head.
[Thank you for your work on ‘Proud Immortal Demon's Way’, User Shen Yuan, and we appreciate your support. Would you like to continue?]
[YES] [NO]
[COUNTDOWN: 5… 4…]
[Initializing standard response]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[NO]
“…yes,” Shen Qingqiu managed to whisper. His throat hurt, his body felt like it was on fire, his meridians burning through his flesh. Through the excruciating pain, he forced himself to move his fingers, one by one until he could raise his hand to reach for the button. “Yes, yes, yes--” His speech was broken up, only pieces making it out of his mouth and he could not say what was wrong, only that he needed--
He needed to tell the System--
His hand was grabbed by a larger one.
Binghe! The thought raced through Shen Qingqiu’s mind and his hand twitched.
Someone shushed him. “It’s fine, everything is fine.” Yue Qingyuan’s voice. “Xiao-- Qingqiu-shidi should rest. He is safe.”
Something was wrong. Shen Qingqiu tried to blink, but his eyes were shut with sleep crust. How long had he even slept to feel like this? Even blinking hurt and his sight was swimming. “I said, yes,” he tried again, concentrating on his voice. “--System!”
The system did not answer.
“Xi Tong?” Yue Qingyuan asked, but it did not sound like he was speaking to Shen Qingqiu.
“Probably a nightmare,” a gentle voice came from the side. Mu Qingfang’s voice. “It likely went along with the qi deviation. This was worse than all of the ones before. That is, the ones that I know of.”
Images and thoughts flashed through Shen Qingqiu’s mind, too fast and too bright to follow along. He felt how Yue Qingyuan moved his hand up and pressed his forehead against the back of his hand.
A mockery of how Luo Binghe had kissed his hand--
If Shen Qingqiu was of his right mind, he would have never allowed this. He told himself he would punish Yue Qingyuan later. Who did he think he was, almost calling him ‘Xiao Jiu’ again, grabbing at his hand--
Shen Qingqiu was a peak lord, after all. Shen Qingqiu was married to-- No, that wasn’t right. His thoughts raced. Before, he had been called Shen Yuan-- No. This wasn’t right either.
It was all wrong.
No, he was--? He was Shen Jiu?
The cry was stuck in his throat, and Shen Jiu only barely managed to avoid throwing up all over Yue Qingyuan when he turned to the side and retched, acid bile burning his throat more than the qi deviation ever could. Yue Qingyuan jumped back in surprise, and Mu Qingfang said something, but Shen Jiu could not hear them over the sounds he was making.
What was going on? He could remember going to bed with his husband, pulling him into the blankets. He could remember the kisses, the warmth. Safety.
‘System?’ he tried to call out in his mind, desperate. ‘System?’
But the system, if it had ever existed, did not answer him.
By the time Yue Qingyuan and Mu Qingfang got him back on his back, into the bed, and under the covers, he had long stopped crying. He closed his eyes - he could not hold his fan like this, but he could do this to hide how red and puffed up his eyes felt.
He was going to regret his behavior later, but right now he did not know how to stop.
Yue Qingyuan reached out, as if to stroke his hair. Shen Jiu felt the air move with his sleeve. Like Binghe would have done. The thought flitted through Shen Jiu’s head, then vanished, but it put an unwilling sneer on his face. Yue Qingyuan stopped his hand, pulled it back.
Shen Jiu turned his head to the side just slightly, just enough for Yue Qingyuan to know that he was dismissed. He breathed in and tried to calm himself as was befitting for a peak lord, but his chest rumbled with suppressed sobs that he somehow could not stop. His body felt strange to him, too hot and nauseous.
‘…System?’ Shen Jiu tried again, and then, softly: ‘Shen Yuan?’
But there was nothing and nobody else in his mind.
Shen Jiu was alone.