Chapter Text
“Ah, Zhangmen-shixiong. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Without another word, Shen Qingqiu stepped aside to allow him into the Bamboo House. Yue Qingyuan blinked at the surprisingly warm welcome—no cold glare? No claim that he was too busy?
Well, perhaps Shen Qingqiu’s latest mission had gone better than Yue Qingyuan anticipated. “Qingqiu-shidi has yet to submit his mission report, so this shixiong wanted to make sure nothing was amiss,” he explained as he sat down.
“Of course not.” Shen Qingqiu stood with his back to Yue Qingyuan as he prepared the tea. “The succubi were child’s play to deal with.”
Yue Qingyuan doubted that, and had even been worried when Shen Qingqiu refused his light suggestions of bringing Liu Qingge along for the mission. But Shen Qingqiu seemed hale and whole, so perhaps the reports of succubi activity that the sect had received were exaggerated.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Yue Qingyuan said.
Shen Qingqiu gave him an unreadable look as he approached with the tea service. A floral scent bloomed as he poured Yue Qingyuan’s cup, slightly different from Shen Qingqiu’s preferred blend. There was a floral taste as well, and Yue Qingyuan gave a thoughtful hum. When he lifted his gaze to ask about it, though, he found Shen Qingqiu watching him closely.
“May I ask how Qingqiu-shidi dealt with them?” he asked instead.
Shen Qingqiu blinked, and then started in on the story.
It had been a small-group of mostly young succubi, still building out their habitat and trying to establish a foothold. The missing young masters were prey being used to build up their strength. When Shen Qingqiu confronted them, the leader had tried to strike a deal with him to let them stay.
What sort of deal? Yue Qingyuan wondered, but didn’t dare ask. Given Shen Qingqiu’s brothel-going habits, there was an answer to that question that he was afraid to hear. “Shidi refused the deal, I assume.”
“Obviously,” Shen Qingqiu scoffed, offended. “I killed some and drove the rest out. They scampered over into Huan Hua territory, so it’s their problem now.”
Yue Qingyuan pressed his lips together and carefully refrained from commenting on that.
All throughout the story, every time Yue Qingyuan lifted his cup to his lips, Shen Qingqiu’s gaze would turn intense as he watched him drink. There was a smug, pleased sort of air to him once Yue Qingyuan finally drained his cup.
Still musing on the floral undertones, Yue Qingyuan asked, “Is this a different blend from the usual?”
“Of course not.” As though to prove it, Shen Qingqiu poured him a second cup. This one tasted just the same as always—perhaps there had just been some sort of imbalance in that first cup.
The mission report had been Yue Qingyuan’s main excuse for coming over, and he had half-expected Shen Qingqiu to shoo him out once it was done with. Instead, he now had a second cup of tea in his hands, and Shen Qingqiu was calmly sipping at his own. Feeling hopeful, Yue Qingyuan inquired after the new paints that had recently been delivered to Qing Jing Peak, and to his delight Shen Qingqiu engaged in the discussion.
The visit continued in this way, with Yue Qingyuan repeatedly feeling sure that Shen Qingqiu would choose now to invite him to leave, and with Shen Qingqiu repeatedly…not doing that. Even after they drained the entire pot of tea, Shen Qingqiu seemed content to continue chatting about inconsequential things. Was his mood truly that good? Why?
Before they knew it, the sun was starting to set. Yue Qingyuan couldn’t remember the last time he’d had the pleasure of Shen Qingqiu’s company for so long, and he was afraid to put an end to it. He eyed his shidi, wondering how far he could hope to push his luck. Shen Qingqiu, similarly, watched him closely, though Yue Qingyuan couldn’t begin to guess what was going on in his mind.
“If Shidi is amenable,” he braced for rejection, “perhaps we could take dinner together this evening?”
To his utter shock and delight, Shen Qingqiu brightened.
Citing Qing Jing’s simple fare as the reasoning, Shen Qingqiu suggested they take dinner in the town at the foot of the mountain. Yue Qingyuan readily agreed, too happy about the situation to consider suggesting anything else.
Shen Qingqiu’s good mood continued throughout dinner. In fact, Yue Qingyuan might daresay it improved as the night went on. He was pleased with the private room they ate in, declared the wine potable, and ate all his food with only a few criticisms. The sight of Shen Qingqiu enjoying himself was so intoxicating that Yue Qingyuan found himself unwisely pushing his luck. He dared to pay Shen Qingqiu a compliment here, or serve him an extra portion of food there. Once, their hands accidentally brushed, and Yue Qingyuan nearly stopped breathing.
But every time, rather than snap at him or abruptly end the evening, Shen Qingqiu took these actions in stride. His mood was even bolstered by them, and there was a smug air about him as though he’d won something. Yue Qingyuan couldn’t remember the last time Shen Qingqiu had been anything but annoyed by a compliment from him.
Yue Qingyuan was still unsure what could have brought all of this about, but he didn’t dare question it and ruin the evening. Perhaps it was selfish of him, but he reasoned that things would likely be back to normal tomorrow anyway. Once the strange bubble around them popped, Shen Qingqiu would return to his senses and treat Yue Qingyuan no less distantly as always.
So for now, Yue Qingyuan would allow himself to enjoy this rare pleasant evening.
It was a shame that dinner eventually had to end, and they had to return to the sect. Still hoping to prolong things as much as possible, Yue Qingyuan offered to escort Shen Qingqiu all the way back to the Bamboo House. He expected Shen Qingqiu to sneer and accuse him of insinuating that he couldn’t find his way back to his own peak by himself, but instead a faint pink dusted Shen Qingqiu’s cheeks as he averted his gaze and nodded.
Perhaps I’m dreaming after all, Yue Qingyuan thought to himself as they walked up the path to the Bamboo House. This whole evening certainly felt like the sort of thing that could only occur in his most selfish dreams. Any moment now, he would wake up back at his desk on Qiong Ding Peak, having accidentally fallen asleep trying to finish up some paperwork. He discreetly pinched the skin of his own wrist, and the light prick of pain served as reassurance that he really was awake.
Finally, they reached the front stoop of the Bamboo House. Shen Qingqiu turned to him with an inscrutable expression, which Yue Qingyuan met with a smile.
“Thanking Qingqiu-shidi for a lovely evening,” he said. “Please take care.”
He barely managed to turn around, though, before slender fingers wrapped around his wrist to stop him. Stunned, he looked back to find Shen Qingqiu glaring up at him. “Shidi?”
“You…” Shen Qingqiu searched his face—for what, Yue Qingyuan had no idea. Then, he straightened his shoulders. “Doesn’t Zhangmen-shixiong wish to stay the night?”
Yue Qingyuan was speechless.
This… Surely this wasn’t what it seemed like, right? Even if Shen Qingqiu had been especially personable today, it was unthinkable that he would want—that sort of thing with Yue Qingyuan.
But at the same time, what else could this be? It was far from late enough in the evening to justify this as mere solicitousness. And even if it were late, Qiong Ding Peak was hardly a chore to get to from here.
“I…” Yes, obviously, the answer was yes, but— “Is that…what Shidi wants?”
Shock flashed across Shen Qingqiu’s face. For a moment he only stared at him, before his grip tightened and he all but yanked Yue Qingyuan towards the door.
Once inside, Shen Qingqiu wasted no time shoving Yue Qingyuan against a wall, planting his hands on either side of his head, and then—he stopped. There was something almost frustrated in the way he glared up at Yue Qingyuan, though the latter had no idea what could be the cause of it. For his part, Yue Qingyuan was too stunned by everything to even process what was happening. All he knew was that he was inside Shen Qingqiu’s house, with the man himself pressed close to him as though about to—
Yue Qingyuan barely dared to breathe. He felt that one time a little bird had perched on his knee while he was meditating outside. He’d gone stock-still for nearly a half-shichen, afraid that even the slightest movement might send it off in a flurry of feathers. He stayed carefully still now, as well, for the same reason.
His patience was rewarded when Shen Qingqiu visibly steeled himself and surged forward.
It wasn’t good. In his haste, Shen Qingqiu had moved too quickly and with too much force, and the end result was something more of a bruising impact of mouths than a kiss. He pulled back a mere moment later, scowling and flushed with angry embarrassment. He looked ready to step away and abandon the whole endeavor.
But his actions just now emboldened Yue Qingyuan, who moved on impulse to catch him by the waist and pull him back in.
The kiss this time was a bit better—still clumsy, but not painful. Yue Qingyuan’s heart pounded in his ears, overwhelmed by the feeling of Shen Qingqiu held close like this. After a beat, confusion caused him to come back to his senses. He pulled away. “Shidi—?”
“Stop talking,” Shen Qingqiu said, then looped his arms around his neck to pull him down.
Yue Qingyuan was still confused, but it was hard to think with Shen Qingqiu kissing him like this. Shen Qingqiu was kissing him. He was holding Yue Qingyuan and had pressed up on his toes for better reach and had all but lined their bodies together. Something pressed at the seam of his lips and Yue Qingyuan parted them on instinct, only to realize after the fact that it was Shen Qingqiu’s tongue, which was now in his mouth.
Some sort of noise escaped him. Shen Qingqiu briefly stilled at the sound, only to dive back in with renewed hunger. The slick sounds of lips and tongues filled the otherwise-silent Bamboo House. At some point Shen Qingqiu’s hands started wandering, trailing slowly down Yue Qingyuan’s chest until they reached the sash around his waist and started plucking at it. Yue Qingyuan’s breath hitched. On reflex, his hands came up to catch Shen Qingqiu’s and stop him.
Shen Qingqiu gave him a challenging glare. “Do you not want to?”
“It’s not that…” Yue Qingyuan had no idea what to say. Of course he wanted to, but he was still baffled by the idea that Shen Qingqiu wanted to. Not to mention certain other…obstacles.
When Yue Qingyuan failed to give a true protest, Shen Qingqiu huffed and swatted away his hands so he could get back to work. He did the bare minimum of untying and pushing aside Yue Qingyuan’s robes, hesitating for only a moment before shoving his hand inside like he was trying to catch a live snake rather than—well.
Yue Qingyuan’s hands—which had returned to Shen Qingqiu’s waist—tightened in their grip. That was Shen Qingqiu’s hand around him. Those were his slender, elegant fingers encircling one of the most sensitive parts of his body.
Shen Qingqiu frowned at the feeling of the limp thing in his hand and muttered, “Did it not work…?”
Having misheard him, Yue Qingyuan’s face heated. “Ah, no, it…doesn’t work.”
They stared at each other.
“What do you mean it doesn’t work?” Shen Qingqiu asked. He accidentally squeezed, causing Yue Qingyuan to choke around his next words.
“It, ah, it’s just like this, Shidi, I—” A sharp inhale as Shen Qingqiu squeezed again, on purpose this time. “It’s—really nothing to concern yourself with.”
Like many young men on the cusp of adulthood, Yue Qingyuan had once dealt with certain bodily urges. But ever since bonding with Xuan Su, that part of his body simply didn’t work anymore. On the rare occasion that he gave in to the desire to reach down there, it wouldn’t be long before he gave up due to the lack of reaction. Yue Qingyuan had never considered it that much of a loss in the grand scheme of things, but now he found himself sorely wishing he could live up to the expectations that Shen Qingqiu apparently had for him. But since it wasn’t in the cards, he would much prefer Shen Qingqiu focus on his own pleasure rather than on something so futile.
The crease in Shen Qingqiu’s brow deepened. He looked like he was facing a complex puzzle that he had yet to find a solution for. Really, there’s no need to trouble yourself, Yue Qingyuan wanted to say.
The determined look in Shen Qingqiu’s eyes stopped him short, though. After a few moments, he glared down at Yue Qingyuan’s pants. “It has to work,” he gritted out.
Yue Qingyuan was speechless.
Cautiously, Shen Qingqiu started stroking him. Yue Qingyuan’s head fell back against the wall with a thump.
“Is it bad?”
“No, it—feels good.” Yue Qingyuan’s breath stuttered as Shen Qingqiu’s thumb traced over the tip.
It was subtle, but Yue Qingyuan noticed the way Shen Qingqiu perked up at the reassurance. He continued his careful, hesitant movements for only a few more moments before his patience ran out. With a huff, Shen Qingqiu yanked Yue Qingyuan’s pants down to expose him, and then spat on his dick.
Yue Qingyuan choked.
“What?” Shen Qingqiu snapped as he started spreading his—his saliva along the shaft. “Surely it can’t feel good for it to be so dry.”
“Ah, no, you’re—you’re right…” The room suddenly felt much hotter than before. Could he ask Shen Qingqiu to do that again? No, then he really might pass out…
Shen Qingqiu kept going, glaring down at the cock in his hand like he could make it stiffen through sheer force of will. Said glare snapped up to Yue Qingyuan’s face. “Are you just going to keep standing there uselessly?”
Yue Qingyuan struggled to process his words at first. When it clicked, his jaw dropped. Shen Qingqiu was really asking him to— Really wanted him to—
His hands fumbled with Shen Qingqiu’s robes, wanting simultaneously to take his time with something like this, but worried Shen Qingqiu might change his mind if he took too long. Unlike his own, Shen Qingqiu’s cock was already stiff when he wrapped a hand around it. As soon as he touched it, Shen Qingqiu’s jaw tightened, as did his grip around Yue Qingyuan. A pretty blush spread across his cheeks as he averted his gaze.
After a few moments, he bit out, “You have to do more than just hold it.”
Ah, right. In his distraction, Yue Qingyuan had forgotten to do anything. He swallowed back an apology and started moving his hand, careful and unsure.
He was grateful to be allowed this—not just for the obvious reasons, but because he now had somewhere productive to fix his attention. With a task and a goal in mind, Yue Qingyuan could put aside anything his own body was doing and focus on figuring out how to bring Shen Qingqiu pleasure.
He paid careful attention, noting when something made Shen Qingqiu’s face twitch like he was holding back a reaction, or when something else distracted him enough that his own hand briefly stilled its movements. Pink stained Shen Qingqiu’s cheeks, and at one point he unthinkingly started biting his bottom lip, worrying it a dark red. Yue Qingyuan felt himself being drawn in by some invisible force, until his own lips pressed gently against Shen Qingqiu’s cheek.
Shen Qingqiu blinked and looked up, surprised. “What was that?”
“May I do it again?” Yue Qingyuan asked breathlessly.
“Why would you—” He scowled and looked away. “If you want,” he muttered. “You can do it properly too, you know.”
Given permission, Yue Qingyuan wasted no time pulling him in. Shen Qingqiu’s mouth yielded to him surprisingly easily—Yue Qingyuan had half-expected him to take charge again like he had earlier, but perhaps he was too distracted by everything else. That was fine. Yue Qingyuan had learned a lot about Shen Qingqiu’s preferences thus far, and was eager to put his knowledge to the test.
His free hand came up to cup Shen Qingqiu’s jaw, lightly massaging the joint to encourage him to stop clenching it so hard. He was rewarded as Shen Qingqiu relaxed and a small noise escaped him—followed by a sharp inhale as he realized the sound he’d just made. Not wanting to give him time to feel self-conscious, Yue Qingyuan deepened the kiss and stroked upwards on his cock, relishing in the quiet, second noise that earned him.
Pressed this close, the angle made things difficult, but Yue Qingyuan was determined to meet Shen Qingqiu’s expectations and pleasure him properly. The sensations slowly building in his own body escaped his attention as he kissed Shen Qingqiu, twisted his hand upwards, spread the moisture leaking from him back down the shaft, and repeated.
Before long, Shen Qingqiu pulled away to catch his breath. The blush had spread across his entire face by now, and his lips were a shiny red. His free hand clenched tight in Yue Qingyuan’s robes, crumpling the fabric, as he squeezed his eyes shut and unthinkingly nuzzled into the hand still cupping his jaw. “Ah—”
Realizing what was happening, Yue Qingyuan’s breath hitched before he redoubled his efforts. He wanted to do something good for Shen Qingqiu, he wanted to make him—
Shen Qingqiu came with a gritted-out curse, teeth bared and brow furrowed like he was angry. It was a far cry from the lustful expressions normal men might dream of seeing on their lovers, but to Yue Qingyuan it was the most beautiful sight in the world.
And then Shen Qingqiu squeezed him almost painfully tight, and Yue Qingyuan realized that perhaps he shouldn’t have ignored his own body so much.
Sensation crashed through him, both familiar and unfamiliar due to how long it had been. When he calmed, Shen Qingqiu was leaning against him, forehead propped on his shoulder as he caught his breath. Yue Qingyuan watched the steady rise and fall of his back, wondering if he’d be allowed to gather up the waterfall of hair and lift it off of Shen Qingqiu’s neck for a brief respite. He found himself hesitating, though. Now that they had—finished, perhaps Shen Qingqiu would come back to his senses and finally push him away. Whatever had caused him to act like this was likely out of his system now.
In hindsight, Shen Qingqiu had probably been afflicted by something; succubi were known to brew aphrodisiacs, so it was entirely possible that he had been struck by one. Why he would choose Yue Qingyuan to help him through it, he had no idea.
He should have asked more questions instead of getting caught up in the euphoria of it all. What if Shen Qingqiu hadn’t actually chosen him, and Yue Qingyuan was simply the only person nearby once the effects became too great to withstand? He had helped Shen Qingqiu, yes, and hadn’t overstepped egregiously as far as he could tell, but it was still a violation—
“You really came from that?” Shen Qingqiu’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He pulled away from Yue Qingyuan’s shoulder to look down. “You never got more than half-hard,” he mused, as though to himself, “and your spend…”
Rather than a normal consistency like Shen Qingqiu’s, it was thin and watery. Yue Qingyuan didn’t think it worth commenting on; it was more surprising that he came at all.
He busied himself with memorizing the lines of Shen Qingqiu’s thoughtful frown. Any moment now, Shen Qingqiu would kick him out and tell him never to darken his doorstep again. Yue Qingyuan wanted to cement everything about this day in his memory, so he could selfishly pull it out to marvel at every now and then in the future.
“Well,” Shen Qingqiu gave a haughty sniff and met his gaze, “I suppose we can do things the other way around, then.”
Before Yue Qingyuan could begin to process his words, Shen Qingqiu pulled him towards the bedroom.
Yue Qingyuan had always been aware of the fact that one’s life could change in an instant. He had grown up at the whims of others, had been powerless to stop Xiao-Jiu from being taken away, and had been even more powerless to rescue him. His cultivation—his entire being, right down to his bones—was doomed to irrevocably change the moment he first grasped Xuan Su’s hilt.
What he wasn’t used to was his life changing in a positive way.
Even the discovery that Shen Jiu was alive all those years ago had come with the realization of how he hated Yue Qi for his failure—justifiably so. Even watching Shen Qingqiu rise to the top of his peak had included the bitter taste of his new name on their tongues.
So with this new development to their relationship—wonderful and euphoria-inducing as it was—Yue Qingyuan couldn’t help waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He expected Shen Qingqiu to wake up the next morning full of outraged regret. Instead, Shen Qingqiu had made a sleepy, grumpy noise of protest when Yue Qingyuan tried to get out of bed. As the following days turned into weeks, Yue Qingyuan expected that at any moment Shen Qingqiu would finally come to his senses. Instead, Shen Qingqiu kept stopping by to visit him, or demanding that Yue Qingyuan visit him on Qing Jing Peak. And to top it all off, he kept wanting to—to—
Yue Qingyuan hadn’t known there were so many different ways to have sex.
The possibility of subterfuge occurred to him, of course. Shen Qingqiu was not acting like himself. Yue Qingyuan tested him with talismans, and then discreetly asked Mu Qingfang to look him over. And then, as a last resort, he brought Shen Qingqiu near Hong Jing.
Every test came up clean. Which meant that either this truly was a random change of heart, or—
Yue Qingyuan didn’t even know what else it could be.
He was afraid to ask Shen Qingqiu about it and risk ruining everything. How disgustingly selfish of him, to want to keep this undeserved attention. But the thing was, Yue Qingyuan would have pushed past his own desires and kept investigating, if not for the fact that Shen Qingqiu seemed so much…lighter, like this. He was in a good mood more often than not. His disciples were nearly thriving. He got in far fewer fights with Liu Qingge, and argued less with the others during peak lord meetings.
He seemed…happy.
The most compelling part was that Shen Qingqiu’s cultivation had vastly improved—and they weren’t even dual-cultivating! Mu Qingfang’s working theory was that perhaps Shen Qingqiu had overcome a few heart demons, which would explain both the shift in personality and his improved cultivation.
So, strange and undeserving as this change was, what could Yue Qingyuan do but allow it? If this was what Shen Qingqiu wanted, if this made him happy, then who was Yue Qingyuan to say no?