Chapter Text
Obviously everything is perfectly fine. Obviously Shen Qingqiu wasn’t thinking about what stupid fucking Airplane said!
“I feel like I might know a bit more about this than you, since I, like. Made him up. ”
Which, frankly, didn’t matter. I mean, for all that Airplane created Proud Immortal Demon Way , he was also an idiot. And half the things he wrote didn't even happen!
Which was worrying in and of itself, of course, since Luo Binghe seemed to have ignored every woman in his life up until the Abyss… and really, Shen Qingqiu had no way of being certain what was happening to him now!
Oh, he should stop thinking about this, it never leads him anywhere good. He should instead think about and reevaluate his relationship (don’t say it like that!) with Liu Qingge.
Shen Qingqiu wasn’t… gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s just that he, personally, was not. But if Liu Qingge turned out to actually have been gay… well, he supposed he would have to let the man down as gently as one could.
He kind of didn’t want to.
HE DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE HIM SAD, THAT’S ALL!!!
He wouldn’t date Liu Qingge, obviously not. The man was pretty, yes, one would even go as far as to say he was unfairly beautiful! But Shen Qingqiu wasn’t attracted to him. Obviously.
Obviously.
He idly played with the silver hairpin Liu Qingge gave him just that morning rather than some kind of demonic beast. It seems that he’s shifted tactics, Shen Qingqiu thought.
Wait, what tactics! These weren’t courting gifts! They were simply little things Liu Qingge decided to give Shen Qingqiu because they were such good friends!
But the hairpin truly was quite beautiful, its design intricate and floral, a bit feminine, but he hardly cared about that since it was so nice! And it paired nicely with his favorite set of robes, his Shidi was just so thoughtful!
Thoughtful, handsome, and strong, and all those good, masculine attributes that Shen Qingqiu admires!
Oh, he’d really just have to talk to him, wouldn’t he? What a pain.
And that was how, the next time Liu Qingge visited to clear Shen Qingqiu’s meridians of Without A Cure, Shen Qingqiu decided to ask, “Liu-Shidi, do you… would you like to take a walk with me?”
The War God blinked, hands falling to his side. His expression blank as if there had been some sort of factory reset in his features, pretty face gone slack.
“Shidi?”
Seeming to shake himself out of his stupor, Liu Qingge nodded. “Ah. Yes, that. Sounds lovely.”
Shen Qingqiu smiled, and stood up from his seat. “Then we ought to get going, hm? It’s quite late in the day.” Before stepping out the door, Liu Qingge following after him with a smile.
It was nearing the beginning of the Autumn season, now. The temperature dropping, winds picking up. It wasn’t long before the sun would set.
The two walked in silence for some time, comfortable just to stand beside one another as they walked through the bamboo forest. After some time, the two Peak Lords entered a clearing some ways away from the bamboo house, looking out at the vast rivers and valleys, and the villages down the mountain.
The pink and orange sky danced along the horizon’s edge, painting the clearing in a golden glow, “It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?” Shen Qingqiu sighed, and Liu Qingge could only nod.
When the War God turned his head, he was stricken by the image of the man beside him. Shen Qingqiu was… almost ethereal, his skin almost shimmering in the light. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle, upturned in a soft smile.
“Beautiful, indeed.”
Shen Qingqiu turned to face him, and… wow. What he said next could very well sent Liu Qingge straight to his death.
“Liu-Shidi… do you like me? Ah, in— in that way?”
He was— Shen Qingqiu was blushing, unable to meet Liu Qingge’s eyes. And how could any man be expected to react to something like that!
Liu Qingge grabbed both of Shen Qingqiu’s hands in his, taking a breath before speaking.
“Yes.”
Oh.
Well, now that he’s heard it, surely there was nothing else for Shen Qingqiu to worry about. Surely. His confession wasn’t even all that groundbreaking, it was just a yes or no question, and he answered.
And then he kept talking.
“I am besotted with you, Shen Qingqiu. I can hardly breathe around you, when you smile I simply can’t look away, as though nothing else exists. I owe you my life. I love you.”
Oh.
Well that’s just… “Oh.”
“Oh?”
“Did you really have to be that honest?”
So, now he knows, for certain. He didn’t plan on actually getting a confession, though. Perhaps he did too good a job setting the mood? Maybe he should have just asked back at the house. Or not at all.
Was anyone else finding it quite difficult to breathe?
“I’m sorry.” Shen Qingqiu whispered, voice strained and almost shaking. Before either man knew it, the Qing Jing Peak Lord was running away, tail between his legs and almost tripping over his own feet.
If Liu Qingge hadn’t known the man so well, he’d be rather insulted. But he did know the man, and he knew he’d perhaps come on a bit strongly.
His eyes burned, just a bit. But he wouldn’t cry. The War God does not cry.
Still, the War God dried his face with his sleeve, and picked up a green folding fan from the grassy floor.
He’d return it tomorrow.