Chapter Text
So.
Yue Qingyuan had done a bad, bad thing.
He’d broken into his shidi’s house and stolen his robe.
Yue Qingyuan looked down at his nest with something like despair. His heat had ended, and he’d just finished washing the last of the accumulated grime of the last week off of him. It had left him feeling more like a person and less like a pile of uncoordinated urges.
Obviously he needed to return it. The sooner the better. Honestly, what was Yue Qingyuan thinking, lining his nest with another person’s things? Yue Qingyuan resolved not to put it off at all, and decisively picked up the robe. He’d go right now to return it.
The robe no longer smelled like Shen Qingqiu alone. Instead, it smelled like Shen Qingqiu, Yue Qingyuan, and sex.
Yue Qingyuan felt his exhausted body shiver.
He sighed and set it back down. This close to the end of his heat, he was really just inviting more trouble by smelling something this tempting. He’d return the robe when he had his self-control more firmly back in hand.
Unfortunately, that time never came.
In his defense, Yue Qingyuan really had tried to return the robe. It was just, how was he supposed to do that in the first place?
Perhaps it was just Yue Qingyuan’s nerves getting the better of him when he thought about Shen Qingqiu catching him, but he decided that he couldn’t go about returning Shen Qingqiu’s robe in the same way he’d stolen it. If he broke into Shen Qingqiu’s house again, wouldn’t that just be committing another crime to cover up the first few?
But if he just gave them back to Shen Qingqiu directly, he’d have to explain why he had them in the first place. No matter what he said to justify himself, Shen Qingqiu would definitely be more upset than he would be by just one robe going missing. If Yue Qingyuan came completely clean, Shen Qingqiu might even burn them. How could Yue Qingyuan confess the truth just to clear his own conscience when Shen Qingqiu is the one who would suffer for it?
Yue Qingyuan had originally kept the robe in his sleeve so he’d be ready for an opportunity to sneak it back into Shen Qingqiu’s house. When he’d made it as far as Shen Qingqiu’s house on unrelated business, he’d had to abandon the return attempt when he realized he’d forgotten to wash it. Once he had the time to do so (it felt so wrong to wash their scents away), he returned the robe to his sleeves to wait again.
Finally, after long enough that his next heat was almost upon him, Yue Qingyuan got another chance. He had been reluctantly invited over for tea by Shen Qingqiu, but when he arrived, Shen Qingqiu had told him he might as well go home, as something on his peak needed his attention. Yue Qingyuan had said that he didn’t mind waiting, and Shen Qingqiu had invited him to waste his time if it pleased him.
In other words, he was left alone in Shen Qingqiu’s house.
After waiting long enough for Shen Qingqiu to have made it a fair distance from his house, Yue Qingyuan sprang into action.
He swiftly made his way into Shen Qingqiu’s room and went directly to the wardrobe. Yue Qingyuan drew out the stolen robe and gave it a sniff. Good, it hadn’t absorbed too much of his scent; everything else in the room would easily cover it up until the rest of the scent faded. Yue Qingyuan returned the robe to its rightful place in Shen Qingqiu’s wardrobe. Feeling conflictingly both more and less burdened without the robe, Yue Qingyuan turned to leave.
His eyes fell on a laundry basket.
There wasn’t much in it: just a few everyday sets of robes. Yue Qingyuan’s eyes tracked to a middle layer robe, made of a soft green diaphanous silk that had draped gently over Shen Qingqiu’s hands just a few days prior. It looked gorgeous on him. Yue Qingyuan suddenly realized he was reaching out to feel it and jerked his hand back guiltily.
…Now that he thought about it, Shen Qingqiu hadn’t seemed bothered by the missing robe. And what a wonder that was, that the possessive, grasping boy he knew, who once had nothing, now felt secure enough not to notice or mourn a single missing belonging. Yue Qingyuan was truly glad.
…He’d just smell it a little.
The robe was as soft as it looked, and soon Yue Qingyuan was rubbing it all over his face with a shaky purr. It was the perfect material, and it smelled so good! If only he could take this for his nest. Actually, forget his nest—he could just curl up here, on the floor, with this single robe, surrounded by Shen Qingqiu’s smell and nothing else, and it would still be leagues better than the pathetic pile of nothing he called his nest.
Yue Qingyuan suddenly smelled something new in the air and realized with a jolt that he’d accidentally scented the robe. His heart sank. There was no way he could leave such an incriminating item behind. Yue Qingyuan cursed himself, ignoring the guilty thrill running through him.
(It would really make such a good addition to his nest!)
He’d wash it and return it, Yue Qingyuan decided, and tucked it into his sleeve where the last robe had gone. He returned to Shen Qingqiu’s receiving room to wait.
But, well, his heat was coming up soon and all.
…Would it really be so bad to keep it until after that? Shen Qingqiu hadn’t even really seemed to notice the last one was missing…
By the time Yue Qingyuan had returned to his own house, robe in hand, he’d convinced himself to keep it just a little longer. Just until after his next heat.
In the end, the robe was not returned.
After that, no matter how much Yue Qingyuan scolded himself, he couldn’t seem to stop stealing Shen Qingqiu’s things.
Shen Qingqiu’s scent was utterly addicting. Yue Qingyuan hadn’t quite understood what he’d been missing with the man himself out of reach until he got his nose into the more intimate scents soaked into robes pressed up against his body. At this point, Yue Qingyuan had started avoiding getting too close to Shen Qingqiu during preheat for fear of losing control—of trapping Shen Qingqiu in his arms to get a lungful of scent at the source. Yue Qingyuan rather thought he could bear wearing a chastity belt for his entire heat if only he could spend it in Shen Qingqiu’s lap, the ecstasy of being so close to his most precious person satisfying him better than his fingers and toys.
The number of pilfered items had grown as well—his nest had never been so full! It was no longer threadbare and pathetic, built with barely more than the disciple packs and his own robes; it was now a perfectly respectable size, overflowing with high quality materials due to the quality Shen Qingqiu demanded of his own belongings. And, of course, the nest constantly smelled of Shen Qingqiu, though Yue Qingyuan had to bathe more and let out more of his own scent to cover how it rubbed off on him, lest Shen Qingqiu find out.
All this, and Yue Qingyuan was still greedy for more. He couldn’t stop himself from fantasizing about what Shen Qingqiu’s scent would smell like laced with arousal, or heavy with rut. Twice, he’d pushed himself into an embarrassing pseudo-heat from only his fantasies and his stash of everyday scented items. He’d nearly gone down to the Warm Red Pavilion to beg for the sheets Shen Qingqiu was on when he… took the women there. But the risk was too high that they’d warn Shen Qingqiu about the insane pervert collecting his dirty laundry. Plus, he didn’t think he could contain his jealousy about the other scents that might be there, or why the sheets would be rife with Shen Qingqiu’s scent to begin with.
The whole debacle had finally convinced Yue Qingyuan to offload more of his work to others on his peak. If asked, Yue Qingyuan would say it was due to his unexpectedly long heat. If he must be out of commission sometimes, things must be able to run smoothly without him.
This was definitely true. It was just that he also now had much more time to spend rolling around in his nest.
Embarrassingly, Mu Qingfang had noticed a change in him. Just earlier today, at an intersect banquet they were hosting, Mu Qingfang had pulled him aside to praise him for better taking care of himself.
“You seem less tired these days,” Mu Qingfang had said, “and your mood has seemed better too. I’m glad Zhangmen-shixiong has finally decided to heed my advice, and I hope he may deign to do so again in the future.” Yue Qingyuan had given him a pained smile in response and thanked him for his council.
That had been a few shichen ago. Yue Qingyuan was just returning to his room after a long night of pleasantries, and he was eager to curl up in his nest. It hadn’t been long since his last heat, so he knew it could only be his earlier proximity to Shen Qingqiu that had him feeling so overwarm. He was a bit too worked up to go straight to bed, so he decided to… indulge a little first. He curled up in his nest.
Shen Qingqiu made a point of wearing some of his finest robes at any inter-sect events, especially when Huan Hua Palace cultivators would be present. True to form, he was nothing short of resplendent tonight, in layer after layer of fine silk embroidered by his own expert hands. His hair was carefully pinned up in a more elaborate hairstyle than usual, drawing unworthy eyes to his untouched neck. His lips were stained red. He was the most beautiful thing Yue Qingyuan had ever seen.
Yue Qingyuan pressed his face against his most recent trophy—a hair ribbon, small but positively soaked in scent. Hair items were great—they got used over and over without getting washed as often as robes. His hand crept down to grope at himself through his clothes with clumsy fingers. He wouldn’t need anything involved tonight—this would be quick. “Nnh.”
Yue Qingyuan wasn’t the only one who took note of Shen Qingqiu’s appearance. Covetous eyes had followed him all night. Yue Qingyuan resented them even as he couldn’t blame them. Did they get it? Did they truly understand? Did they see him cleverly shame the Old Palace Master with a few polite words, quick-witted and silver-tongued, and want?
Really, that Old Palace Master had been obnoxiously pushy tonight. More than one Huan Hua Palace member had been trying to get Yue Qingyuan to drink the wine all night, which was suspicious enough that he hadn’t had more than a cup, and not from a different source than anyone else. He’d seen Shen Qingqiu getting suspicious too—he’d seen him stealthily squirrel a cup away, probably to test for poison later. Which was really— gods, he was so smart, so prepared, looking so condescending as he sneered at whatever scheme he’d uncovered—Yue Qingyuan could picture that same expression as he took Yue Qingyuan apart—
“Ahh, hah,” Yue Qingyuan panted. He was using both hands now, fingers teasing both places he was leaking.
Occupied as he was, the muffled voices in the hall didn’t penetrate Yue Qingyuan’s awareness at first. But then he registered footsteps coming closer, and his brow furrowed.
That was definitely people arguing in his hallway. But why? He only just made out some words here and there.
“…Shen-shixiong, wait—!”
Yue Qingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. He jerked upright, struck with a sudden, acute sense of dread, and could only watch in horror as the door slid open with a bang, revealing none other than the object of his fantasies.
Yue Qingyuan belatedly yanked his hands away from his crotch. Not that he thought Shen Qingqiu would notice—there was something much worse in the room to arrest his attention.
Because he hadn’t actually given anything back, and it had been months, and now Shen Qingqiu’s eyes—which had initially snapped immediately to Yue Qingyuan—were trailing over Shen Qingqiu’s own sheets, making up the base of Yue Qingyuan’s nest, and pillows, and robes, inner and outer, and a set of his house slippers, and a bottle of his hair oil, and two guans, a comb, and a fan that Yue Qingyuan had really only borrowed, he may have put off returning the other items but he truly intended to return those—
“Shen-shixiong, you can’t barge into an omega’s- hey!” Mu Qingfang, who must have been the other voice, was following him into the doorway only to find the door slammed in his face as Shen Qingqiu whirled to shut it on him. Mu Qingfang banged on the door. “Shen Qingqiu! Zhangmen-shixiong, are you alright?”
It took Yue Qingyuan a moment to find his voice. “Just fine, thank you. What’s going on?”
“Apparently I should be asking that question. What is this? What’s the matter with you!” Shen Qingqiu’s face spasmed as he seemed to cycle through emotions.
A sound came like someone kicked the door. “Don’t scold him, Shen-shixiong, he’s been drugged! Zhangmen-shixiong, I need to check you over. Would you like to come out here, or may I enter?”
“I’ll come over, Mu-shidi can stay there!” Yue Qingyuan called. “I’ve been drugged?”
“Morning dew dripping violets. In the wine. They don’t cause theft.” Shen Qingqiu was still staring at his nest, not looking away even as Yue Qingyuan stepped past him to crack the door open and stick only his wrist through.
“I did have a cup of wine, but I didn’t sense anything strange. Is this enough to check me over, Mu-shidi?”
“Yes, this is fine. What do you mean by theft, Shen-shidi?”
“None of your business,” Shen Qingqiu snapped. He started towards the nest and Yue Qingyuan made a half cut off noise. Shen Qingqiu stopped his approach to give Yue Qingyuan an incredulous glare.
Yue Qingyuan felt cool qi probe his meridians, scanning for the poison. “…It seems that you’re indeed unaffected. I suppose with your cultivation, the low dose they used would have run its course by now with only one cup. You said you are feeling normal?”
“Perfectly normal, Mu-shidi.” Yue Qingyuan withdrew his hand and closed the door with a snap. “Thanking shidi for his concern; it is truly appreciated, but he should feel free to resume whatever I disturbed him from.”
There was a confused silence from the other side of the door. “…I see. I’ll… take my leave then…?”
Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu listened to the sound of retreating footsteps in silence. Then Shen Qingqiu resumed his progress towards Yue Qingyuan’s nest. Yue Qingyuan followed him, urgently hovering over his shoulder.
Shen Qingqiu shot him a dirty look. “What? I’m not allowed to approach your nest? If I took back everything that was mine, there wouldn’t be a nest left!”
“Please don’t,” Yue Qingyuan blurted, then cringed. What claim did he possibly have over anything here? It was his own fault for making a nest out of someone else’s belongings.
Shen Qingqiu looked like he was going to say something else, then visibly changed course as he noticed something. “You took my sheets?” Incredulity crept back over his face. He kneeled down to fuss with the sheets himself, as though by touch he could find that they were someone else’s.
Unable to hold back the instinct any longer, Yue Qingyuan crawled back into his nest. He worriedly watched Shen Qingqiu examine each piece.
“Why did you do this? Is this-” Shen Qingqiu gasped. He picked up a more extravagant outer robe. “This went missing months ago!” He whirled on Yue Qingyuan.
“Please don’t take it,” Yue Qingyuan cried, “I’m sorry, I know I have no right to ask, but I…”
Shen Qingqiu frowned down at the nest, deep in thought. “…You like my scent that much?”
I like you that much, Yue Qingyuan thought but did not say. “Please,” he said instead.
Shen Qingqiu’s face darkened as he thought. He moved to tuck the robe away into his sleeves. Seeing this, Yue Qingyuan’s heart sank.
He burst into tears, shocking both of them.
Shen Qingqiu looked aghast. “What- stop that! What are you crying for?”
Yue Qingyuan tried to speak, but his voice stuck in his throat. Ashamed, he just shook his head. His face crumpled pathetically.
“I’m not- It’s one robe, you have ten others here!” Shen Qingqiu said, abruptly frantic.
“S-sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-” Yue Qingyuan gasped, scrubbing at his face like he could stuff the tears back in by force.
“Fine, fine, you can keep it!” Flustered, Shen Qingqiu threw the robe back at him. “Since when can you cry on command like this!”
Yue Qingyuan gasped in relief, burying his tears in the reclaimed robe. The instinctive fear of his nest being destroyed partially abated. Shen Qingqiu watched him in consternation.
“How is it,” Shen Qingqiu said, eyebrows gathering together like storm clouds, “that Zhangmen-shixiong has become a shameless thief, yet I’m the one in the wrong again? I’m not good enough for you, but my scent is so good you’re willing to forget who it’s attached to long enough to cry like a bullied maiden when its rightful owner dares to take it back?”
Yue Qingyuan was shocked out of his tears. “What?”
“Forget it,” Shen Qingqiu snarled, “I’ll scent anything you like. Any way you’d like. Make as big a nest as pleases you, but you don’t get to forget that it’s me you’re smelling.” Shen Qingqiu prowled closer, reaching out his wrist to daringly rub at the scent glands on Yue Qingyuan’s neck. Yue Qingyuan’s eyes fluttered as he let out a shocked high noise. He was abruptly reminded of what he was up to before Shen Qingqiu got here. “See? That’s what I’m doing to you. Remember that.”
Was Yue Qingyuan dreaming? Nothing was making sense all of a sudden. Yue Qingyuan fought through the sudden haze to respond. “I don’t want to forget it. I know it’s you,” Yue Qingyuan said, baffled, “Why do you think want it in the first place?”
Shen Qingqiu stared at him. His pupils had blown wide from the aggressive scenting. “Me. You want me,” he said, doubt in his voice.
Yue Qingyuan tried to answer in the affirmative, but Shen Qingqiu pressed harder, and it came out as a shameless “Uhh-.” He flushed. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes tracked down to his lips.
“Since when,” Shen Qingqiu spat.
“Always.” Yue Qingyuan reached up, slowly, hesitantly, wondering if Shen Qingqiu might let him reciprocate, when Shen Qingqiu’s breath quickened in anger. Yue Qingyuan found his wrist caught as he was tackled onto his back.
The mood whiplash was killing him. He was pretty sure they were arguing, somehow, but Yue Qingyuan didn’t know what about. Which wasn’t unusual—he couldn’t seem to say the right things to Shen Qingqiu—but it was especially baffling in this case, as Yue Qingyuan knew what he had done wrong, except that that didn’t seem to be what Shen Qingqiu was actually upset about. It was getting very hard to continue to puzzle over that, however, as Shen Qingqiu was pinning Yue Qingyuan to the floor of his nest. Yue Qingyuan clenched his thighs together to try to control the sudden rush of slick.
Shen Qingqiu’s nostrils flared, and Yue Qingyuan realized that he’d lost control of his scent. He was now obviously leaking arousal in more ways than one. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
Shen Qingqiu yanked Yue Qingyuan’s head back by his hair using the hand still teasing at Yue Qingyuan’s neck glands.
“Stop apologizing. Yue-shixiong always says such pretty things, but does he mean them? Will Yue-shixiong put his mouth where the money is? Should I bite him?”
Yue Qingyuan’s heart jumped. He tilted his head back as far as it would go, presenting. “Yes, please.”
Shen Qingqiu’s grip faltered, then tightened to bruising. “You’d never be rid of me,” he warned, “You could never take this back. I wouldn’t care if you said yes because you were thinking with your dick, Mu-shidi confirmed you were clearheaded. If you regret this later it won’t matter, because you chose it yourself.” Shen Qingqiu spoke right up against his scent glands, lips brushing him with every word. “You will be mine, forever.”
“Please,” Yue Qingyuan gasped, “Mark me!”
“You asked for this,” Shen Qingqiu snarled.
His teeth sunk in, and Yue Qingyuan whited out.
When he came back to himself, it was to the sight of Shen Qingqiu looking positively undone above him. His hair was a mess from where Yue Qingyuan had clutched him close, his pupils had blown wide, and Yue Qingyuan’s blood was staining his mouth a deep red. He looked crazed.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Yue Qingyuan’s mouth hung open. Belatedly, he realized those sounds were coming from him. With difficulty, he swallowed.
“You really…” Despite not being the one bitten, Shen Qingqiu was panting for breath.
The sweet scent of heat began to spread throughout the room, triggered by the mating bite.
“You’re really mine now,” Shen Qingqiu whispered.
“Xiao J- Qingqiu- Alpha,” Yue Qingyuan couldn’t screw his head on straight enough to figure out which name he should call. “Alpha, my alpha,” he whimpered. Yue Qingyuan spread his legs wide and whined when this made a growl rip from Shen Qingqiu’s throat.
Shen Qingqiu shoved Yue Qingyuan’s knees up to his chest, bending him in half. He fumbled to draw out his cock. “You want this? If you want more, I’ll give you more. Yue Qingyuan, I’ll get you pregnant,” Shen Qingqiu hissed, voice deranged. Yue Qingyuan felt the thick head press against his now exposed folds. He keened as if he were in pain and threw off Shen Qingqiu’s grip, grappling to be on top.
Without further ado, he sat down fully, taking Shen Qingqiu to the hilt in one go. They moaned in tandem, and Yue Qingyuan decided that he’d never heard anything better in his life. Shen Qingqiu stared up at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. Yue Qingyuan lifted himself up to slam down again and relished the shocked “Ah-!” it earned him. He did it again and again, winning a new sound every time.
Yue Qingyuan himself was hardly better. He did his best to hold back his own sounds to better hear Shen Qingqiu’s, but muffled whimpers still escaped him. “Haah, Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu-! Get me pregnant!” Yue Qingyuan dropped down in a filthy grind, slow and deep. Shen Qingqiu gasped and jerked up into him. His hands flew to Yue Qingyuan’s hips, and he started dragging Yue Qingyuan down to meet his thrusts.
Shen Qingqiu grew frustrated with the fabric in his grip, and tore Yue Qingyuan’s robes open roughly. His expression was ravenous as he felt Yue Qingyuan up, sneaking a hand around to grope his ass, then up to pinch at his nipples. Yue Qingyuan whined and arched his chest out. “You’ll look good,” Shen Qingqiu panted, “leaking here for our child.”
“Oh,” Yue Qingyuan moaned. If Xiao Jiu kept saying such things, he wouldn’t last at all. His hand shot down to clutch at the base of his dick. He didn’t want to come this time without Xiao Jiu’s knot! “Xiao Jiu, please, fill me up, knot me, knot me…” he chanted.
Shen Qingqiu’s face was scrunched up. He almost looked agonized. His thrusts grew jerky as his knot began to catch “Yue Qingyuan, you’re… mine, my omega, my- a-ah, fuck, Qi-ge-!” Shen Qingqiu cried. Yue Qingyuan gasped, stroked his cock properly, and came screaming as Shen Qingqiu’s knot popped inside him.
Sparks popped behind his eyelids. His whole body trembled like a plucked string, centered around the very core of him. Breathy, desperate noises filled the air, and it was only belatedly that he realized they were coming from him.
Below him, Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were closed and his head was thrown back in obvious ecstasy as he continued to cum inside Yue Qingyuan. Yue Qingyuan’s eyes tracked down to Shen Qingqiu’s lips. If they were already like this, surely he wouldn’t mind…?
Yue Qingyuan leaned down and kissed him gently.
Shen Qingqiu flinched, eyes flying open. Then, with an inscrutable expression, he reached up to guide Yue Qingyuan into a deeper kiss. Shen Qingqiu licks into Yue Qingyuan’s mouth, and Yue Qingyuan moans and presses back. There’s something not only desperate about it, but yearning, and it makes Yue Qingyuan’s heart ache. They caught their breath together.
Shen Qingqiu pulled back just far enough to speak. “You’re purring,” he said wonderingly.
Ah. So he was.
“I’m happy,” Yue Qingyuan confessed. Shen Qingqiu wanted him. Maybe not in all the ways Yue Qingyuan wanted him, but enough for this. Enough to mark Yue Qingyuan for everyone to see, enough to kiss him like he loved him.
Shen Qingqiu looked at him for a long moment. Then slowly, without breaking eye contact, he tilted his head back, baring his neck.
Yue Qingyuan’s breath caught in his throat.
“Well? Does Yue-shixiong want to have a one-sided bond forever?” Shen Qingqiu said, something fragile in his voice. The slight disappointment Yue Qingyuan felt from going back to being “shixiong” after being called “Qi-ge” again was drowned out by the blood rushing in Yue Qingyuan’s ears.
Shen Qingqiu claiming Yue Qingyuan was one thing. An unexpected, glorious thing that could happen due to simple lust. Shen Qingqiu could ignore the bond, after all, while Yue Qingyuan would have to deal with the consequences. But Yue Qingyuan biting him back… “Xiao Jiu, are you sure? I can?”
“Don’t call me that…” Shen Qingqiu muttered. “You can call me Qingqiu. If… if you really want, I’ll call you Qi-ge. And don’t doubt me. I’ve already made up my mind.”
Anticipation coursing through his veins, Yue Qingyuan leaned down. Shen Qingqiu stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulders to make pointed eye contact. “But… Qi-ge. Never again. You don’t get to leave me ever again,” Shen Qingqiu said, eyes crazed, “I won’t let you. I’ll hunt you down if you run from me.”
“I won’t, I won’t ever leave. Xiao- Qingqiu, I’ll stay as long as you let me.” Yue Qingyuan pushed all the sincerity he could into his voice.
Shen Qingqiu’s grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. He shut his eyes with a pained expression. After a long moment, he spoke. “And just… tell me what I did to make you decide I wasn’t worth saving,” Shen Qingqiu said, voice small. His hands were trembling minutely. “It’s not fair if I don’t even know what I did wrong. How am I supposed to avoid it?”
Ice flew through Yue Qingyuan’s veins when he processed the words. “What?” Yue Qingyuan croaked. “I never decided that.”
Shen Qingqiu opened his eyes to glare, something resigned in his expression. “So, what? You lost track of time? I get it, you were busy. You had a nice, shiny new life and no time to spare for some fucking street rat-”
“No!” Yue Qingyuan cried, “That wasn’t it! I didn’t do it on purpose! Qingqiu, have you thought that this entire time?”
“And just what am I supposed to think instead?” Shen Qingqiu snapped. “You don’t explain yourself, you- I asked, back when we met again, why you didn’t come back for me! If there was a reason, why wouldn’t you explain yourself-”
“Because I’d failed you either way!” Yue Qingyuan interrupted, “It was my fault. This worthless one made a mistake, and he couldn’t master his sword fast enough. I took too long, and by the time I could come, you were already gone. The Qiu manor had burnt down, and everyone I talked to said that there were no survivors among the men. Xiao Jiu- Qingqiu, you must understand this: the day I found out you were alive was the day I lived again.”
Shen Qingqiu stared up at him in disbelief.
He was silent for a long time as Yue Qingyuan waited for his judgement. Then he smacked Yue Qingyuan hard on the shoulder. “Then why the fuck didn’t you say anything!” Shen Qingqiu said, furious. His expression wavered. “You really… came back for me?”
“I tried to,” Yue Qingyuan said miserably. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t-”
“Don’t- don’t apologize anymore. You’re so stupid, Qi-ge.” Yue Qingyuan was alarmed to see tears in Shen Qingqiu’s eyes. Shen Qingqiu wiped them away before they could fall, and his expression hardened into resolve. “Fine, I forgive you, okay? But in exchange, Qi-ge has to listen to me from now on. And no matter what, he always has to try his best to come back to me.”
Yue Qingyuan lost his breath. Shen Qingqiu… forgave him? It seemed too good to be true. “That’s easy. I never want to leave Qingqiu in the first place.”
“Even better. Now come on. Don’t you have something to finish?” Shen Qingqiu tilted his head back, and Yue Qingyuan’s eyes snapped to his neck.
But rather than go straight for what Shen Qingqiu was obviously suggesting, Yue Qingyuan couldn’t help but lean down and clutch Shen Qingqiu to himself desperately. In such an intimate position, a chaste hug like this seemed ridiculous, but Shen Qingqiu allowed it without comment.
Yue Qingyuan buried his face in Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder, and they stayed like that for a long moment.
“I love you,” Yue Qingyuan said, voice muffled. Shen Qingqiu’s breath hitched. “I can’t believe you didn’t know. I thought I was too obvious.”
“Whose fault is that?” Shen Qingqiu grumbled, but his arms were also around Yue Qingyuan. Yue Qingyuan finally turned his face into Shen Qingqiu’s neck and kissed it gently, lips and then tongue finding the perfect place. Shen Qingqiu thumped him gently on the back. “Don’t tease.”
Yue Qingyuan hummed and obediently set his teeth into Shen Qingqiu’s neck. Shen Qingqiu stifled a breathy noise as the bite took, and before long, the scent of rut began to fill the air.
Yue Qingyuan greedily took in lungful after lungful, squeezing around Shen Qingqiu as he hardened for round two. It was really just as good a scent as Yue Qingyuan had imagined. He immediately set about enjoying it thoroughly, multiple times, in several positions, through the rest of his heat.
And while Shen Qingqiu did eventually take back the one robe he had tried to recover earlier (it had been a gift from his shizun upon his ascension), he made good on his promise to give Yue Qingyuan as many scented things as he’d like for his nest to replace it.
More importantly, though, Yue Qingyuan had the man himself in his nest, which was by far the better prize.