Chapter Text
Liu Qingge doesn’t come back that week. Recently, he’d been averaging one to three visits a week, so Shen Qingqiu figures his shidi is actively avoiding him.
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t entirely understand what’s going on. He’d thought, at the time, that Liu Qingge was, if not enthusiastic, at least amenable to the proceedings.
He’d definitely been participating, at least!
Even if he’d spooked his shidi, Liu Qingge isn’t exactly timid. He should’ve come back by now, surely?
Normally, when Shen Qingqiu has an issue like this, he’ll talk to Shang Qinghua or Liu Qingge. Shang Qinghua is just the sort of person who you can comfortably dump all of your problems onto, and even if the squirrelly transmigrator judges you, it doesn’t feel as though you need to take it to heart.
Liu Qingge, on the other hand, while too tacit to provide good advice, will sit there and let you talk at him for as long as it takes you to figure out what your point is, so he makes a good sounding board.
Of course, Liu Qingge is out of the question for this. Shen Qingqiu has already tried to ambush find him on Bai Zhan, but he’d been informed by the An Ding disciples (who were there repairing what appeared to be extensive damage from some great battle) that the man left.
Shang Qinghua is also no good. Just looking at how shamelessly he was petting his disciples before, how can he provide any advice on this subject?
(Thinking this, Shen Qingqiu’s head makes a sound like static from a television, and he wilfully ignores the feeling he’s censoring some spectacular hypocrisy).
So who else can Shen Qingqiu talk this through with?
Lacking any better options, he brings it up one afternoon during his now regularly scheduled tea sessions with Yue Qingyuan. He explains the situation as vaguely as he can, and he’s very proud that he manages to completely avoid explaining that he’s talking about petting. He phrases it instead as an “awkward social misstep”.
“Perhaps Shen-shidi is overthinking this matter. Liu-shidi isn’t likely to be truly bothered by such subtleties. Surely he’ll return in time.” Yue Qingyuan smiles warmly. “It’s good to see the two of you getting along.”
Shen Qingqiu returns the smile. “Indeed. Though this master admits he harboured some concerns about the changes wrought by this curse, it appears that the bonds between martial siblings are stronger than ever.”
“Ah? With Liu Qingge?” Yue Qingyuan’s smile looks a little strained.
“Indeed. The kinship between feline-presenting cultivators seems to be a little different, but they are no less deep. I hope to develop them even further before the curse wears off.” Shen Qingqiu sips his tea.
“I see.” The words come out sounding a little bit like a canine whimper. The sect leader’s ears are drooping a little. Shen Qingqiu gives him a concerned look, and his perky black-and-white ears return to a more neutral set. “Has Shen-shidi observed anything of the relations between those with different presentations?”
“It seems as though there’s a general inclination to stick to others sharing one’s own presentation, although there do appear to be exceptions. It’s not unexpected, I suppose, given the differences in preference towards physical affection,” Shen Qingqiu says.
“And what of the exceptions?” Yue Qingyuan asks.
Shen Qingqiu hums thoughtfully. “I’ve found my students all respond well to mild physical affection from me, regardless of their presentation. However that’s a relationship with a significant difference in rank, so it may present differently to relations with those of the same rank. And of course, felines are more conservative with regards to affection, so it would make sense that canines are more comfortable with feline affection than vice-versa. I’ve yet to observe strong evidence either way.”
Yue Qingyuan’s ears perk up, and he smiles brightly. “I’d be happy to assist.” He visibly subdues himself. “If Shen-shidi intends to conduct research on the matter.”
“My thanks, Zhangmen-shixiong. This shidi will keep it in mind.” It’s very nice of him to offer, but Shen Qingqiu doesn’t particularly want company whilst trying to subtly snoop on his disciples’ public canoodling sessions to try to realign his normalcy compass. He already feels like enough of a pervert doing it alone.
The rest of the conversation goes pleasantly enough. By the time Yue Qingyuan leaves, Shen Qingqiu is less worried about the situation with Liu Qingge. His shidi probably just feels a little awkward. Surely the situation will resolve itself in time.
~
Two weeks later, Liu Qingge returns with a claw-footed scorpion hound. He kicks in the door, dumps the beast just inside, and then turns immediately to leave. Shen Qingqiu is ready, though, and manages to snag his sleeve before he can get on his sword.
“Stay for tea, shidi?” He gets the offer out exactly as quickly as he can, so that Liu Qingge will need to rudely reject or ignore it in order to leave. It’s not foolproof if his intention were to force the man to stay, but Shen Qingqiu’s hoping this will make it clear that he wishes to overcome the embarrassment of their previous encounter. He thinks the hand on his shidi’s sleeve should be enough to overcome any impression that he’s just being polite.
Liu Qingge squints suspiciously at him for a moment, then tersely nods, and strides into the bamboo house. Shen Qingqiu quickly prepares the tea, leaving it at the table to cool, and then goes over to examine his shidi’s gift in detail.
The hound is, as usual, a perfect specimen, with an undamaged hide and no visible injuries. Shen Qingqiu has found out that Liu Qingge’s preference, when attempting to avoiding damaging the pelt, is to strangle the animals. It’s particularly impressive in this case since the beast’s tail is undamaged, and perfectly positioned to poison anyone unfortunate enough to get it into a headlock. Shen Qingqiu says so aloud, and praises his shidi profligately whilst expounding upon the creature’s apparent health and great size. When he glances up at Liu Qingge, he sees the man quickly look away, blushing.
When he’s done with his examination, he stores the beast in a qiankun pouch, washes his hands, and goes to sit at the table with Liu Qingge. There, he begins the now well-practiced process of teasing the details of the battle out of his shidi. Liu Qingge is tense at first, glaring, with his ears flipped back and his tail occasionally swishing, but over the course of the conversation he settles back into his usual comfortably seated position and relaxes. Shen Qinqiu congratulates himself on a job well done.
~
Shen Qingqiu’s students tentatively ask to reschedule their day, agreeing that they’d prefer for classes to run later if they could have a short two-hour break in the afternoon. Shen Qingqiu agrees. He’s also found he gets quite sleepy around that time lately.
A number of fixtures pop up all around Qing Jing, made of wicker or bamboo and suspiciously nest-like, with a concave base and high edges. Each is big enough for one, two, or three disciples – though Shen Qingqiu occasionally sees an improbable number stacked into a single spot. They’re all located in places that are warmly lit during the break period, and the two-hour break becomes Qing Jing’s official napping hour.
When Shen Qingqiu decides to use the break to do paperwork, he discovers a very appealing sunbeam appears in his own bamboo house this time of afternoon. He moves his chaise lounge so that the sunbeam runs along the entire length of the seat, and settles there to do his paperwork. The sun is pleasantly warm in a way that saps the tension from his muscles like a warm bath. Somehow it improves his paperwork efficiency, his mind more content with peaceful inaction in this state, and he manages to finish his paperwork with enough time to settle in for a nap before he has to return to his afternoon classes.
~
Liu Qingge has been looking at Shen Qingqiu’s ears.
Actually, that doesn’t really cover it. Every time they sit down for tea, Shen Qingqiu notices, Liu Qingge is going through a particular series of ticks on repeat. Glancing up. Staring for a moment. Then blushing and looking away.
Shen Qingqiu isn’t stupid. He knows what this is.
Liu Qingge is thinking about petting him!
It’s adorable. He wants to coo at his adorable shidi. Better yet, he wants to pet him. He wants to be petted. He wants to curl up together with him in that lovely sunbeam where he’s been doing his paperwork and lie there for just as long as his shidi is willing to sit still.
Somehow, amazingly, none of that even seems all that unlikely anymore.
He formulates a plan.
Liu Qingge seems to have finally clued in to at least some of Shen Qingqiu’s designs. Subtlety is more likely to work now, Shen Qingqiu thinks. He just needs to get Liu Qingge to realize what he’s doing is the same as last time. He should figure out the rest from there.
One afternoon, at tea, he boldly sets his seat right next to where Liu Qingge is seated. Liu Qingge stares at it, looking very aware but not alarmed. Shen Qingqiu takes it for implicit approval and sits, close enough that their shoulders are brushing.
(Since when had Shen Qingqiu become so familiar with Liu Qingge’s body language? He chalks it up to their expressive feline appendages and some new instinct.)
The first thing Shen Qingqiu notices is that Liu Qingge is very warm.
The second is the familiar smell. It’s not like anything else Shen Qingqiu can think of, just subtle, human, and pleasantly familiar. Shen Qingqiu has been thinking about it a lot since the last time, when he fell right on top of his shidi.
(He smells good.)
Shen Qingqiu has the urge to bodily drape himself over his lovely warm shidi. He limits himself to leaning in a little bit, turning his head to make eye contact. “Is this alright, shidi?” His tone is quiet, trying not to spook his poor shidi again.
Liu Qingge makes a tiny little noise in the back of his throat. Shen Qingqiu feels his ears flick to catch it. Liu Qingge’s looks up at the movement. They’re so close he actually has to tilt his head.
Shen Qingqiu gives Liu Qingge a moment. The man looks back down at him, and stares, wide eyed, with his ears pointed forward at Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu is wonders if he’s overstepped. He’s never seen quite this expression on his shidi before. The man’s ears (and shoulders) are showing a little tension. Not quite alarm, though, he thinks?
(He’s so very cute, with his wide eyes and fluffy ears. Impossibly cute. Shen Qingqiu wants to coo at him.)
In the end, he concludes, Liu Qingge is probably just a little shy. Shen Qingqiu thinks he might have reacted this way if someone had done this to him his first week after the transformation, before the idea had a chance to grow on him. Liu Qingge is probably just running a little slow. He’s always been a little uptight.
Liu Qingge hasn’t immediately replied in the negative, nor has he given any of his standard offended responses, like “Shameless!”, or “You!”. Still, Shen Qingqiu thinks, he’d like to have a firm answer so he can stop worrying about it.
“Shidi?” he reiterates gently. “Is this alright? You can just nod if you like.”
Liu Qingge’s blush, which had been beginning to recede, flares bright again. His brow furrows, and his ears flick, agitated. Shen Qingqiu feels the very tip of his tail twitch against his wrist.
After a long pause, Liu Qingge looks down. He peers up through his eyelashes and, slowly, nods once.
Shen Qingqiu smiles. “Thank you, shidi.” He’s still speaking very quietly. There’s no need to speak much louder, as close as they are, and he worries he’ll spook his adorable shidi if he does something abrupt again.
He decides to leave it at this for now.
Shen Qingqiu sips his tea in silence, gently leaning against his shidi’s warm shoulder. He doesn’t attempt to start a conversation, this time, instead quietly enjoying the contact.
The sun filtering through the window makes slow progress across the floor. Liu Qingge relaxes by inches, his shoulders slowly lowering and his ears gradually twitching less and less. His tail settles, and, finally, Shen Qingqiu feels him leaning in against his shoulder.
Shen Qingqiu starts purring, this time on purpose, very quietly, so as not to spook the man, and leans in, just a little. Now, they’re connected all down their sides, from their shoulder to their hips.
Liu Qingge starts shooting him little glances. Shen Qingqiu pretends not to notice. He has an odd sort of anticipatory feeling. Somehow he knows, he doesn’t have to do a thing. Something good is already happening.
He’s right. He doesn’t know how long it’s been since he started quietly purring, but Liu Qingge shifts in his seat, and Shen Qingqiu feels something settle between his shoulder blades. Something in his chest does a little flip, and he fights to keep his purr steady so that he doesn’t spook his shidi.
(His purr has been slowly increasing in volume. It’s not quite back to that point where he feels it in his toes, but he thinks it might be audible from outside the house.)
Liu Qingge’s fingertips are lightly resting just between Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder blades. They stay there, inert, for a moment, before the hand presses flat, another solid point of contact between them. Remembering the last disastrous incident, Shen Qingqiu fights the urge to lean back against it.
Something is moving. The thumb, he thinks, lightly stroking backwards and forwards. It’s hard to tell through his robes, but he can’t think of anything else that movement would be.
Shen Qingqiu patiently waits for Liu Qingge to gather up his courage. The hand begins slowly rubbing, up and down, moving sideways and pressing outwards. Liu Qingge’s thumb and fingers are rubbing against the inner curve of opposite shoulder blades. The pressure feels incredible.
The hand sits there for a long time, just gently pressing inwards with little circles of the thumb and fingertips. Shen Qingqiu feels like he could melt.
Like this, there’s no way for Liu Qingge to bring his other hand into it. Shen Qingqiu briefly considers turning to give his shidi more access, but he’s worried he’ll spook him again.
Instead, he murmurs, “That feels nice, shidi.” It comes out half-purr. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes have drifted shut at some point, so he can’t see what face Liu Qingge is making.
He blinks his eyes open and looks at Liu Qingge. The man is watching him keenly, blushing just a little. Shen Qingqiu blinks at him sleepily. The hand on his back doesn’t stop moving.
Shen Qingqiu gently brings his own hand up and rests it on his shidi’s back, mirroring his position, and begins pressing little circles, like he can feel happening to him. The motion of Liu Qingge’s fingers pauses for a minute, so Shen Qingqiu stops too.
“Is this alright, shidi?” he asks again, low and intimate.
Liu Qingge seems to consider it for a moment, then replies, “Mn,” and resumes the motion of his hand. Shen Qingqiu does the same, and this time Liu Qingge doesn’t stop.
Shen Qingqiu closes his eyes again- somehow he feels more comfortable like that -and relaxes again.
He drifts a little, feeling the hand on his back and the strong shoulders beneath his fingertips, the warm body pressed up against his entire side. Somehow, he can hear the quiet sounds of Liu Qingge breathing over his own purr, which hasn’t stopped this entire time.
Shen Qingqiu listens, relaxed, to Liu Qingge’s breathing, searching for some indication that it’s shifting to a purr. But when Liu Qingge starts purring, it happens all at once, even breathing one breath giving to gentle vibrations the next.
It’s quieter than Shen Qingqiu’s, steady and sweet. It has a cadence that makes it a separate, distinct noise in the room. Shen Qingqiu has something fluttery in his chest.
He wants to move his hand somewhere better, up to his shidi’s prim white ears, to encourage that purr to increase in volume (and maybe also to feel if those ears are as soft as they look), but he’s worried about pushing his shidi’s limits too far too quick.
He wants to bring his other hand into it, but he can’t without shifting positions, and he worries that will break the mood.
Instead, he just sits there, warm and content, surrounded by the subtle smell of his shidi and the sound of their combined purring. The shadows in the room shift, and he finds himself leaning his head on his shidi’s shoulder. He feels his ears brush against the other man’s face, briefly feels a cool breath of air on one of them. He hopes he hasn’t put his ear directly in Liu Qingge’s mouth, but he also can’t seem to muster very much worry over it through the warm haze that’s enveloped the world.
Liu Qingge doesn’t seem to mind in any case. He shifts his hand up to gently rest on the spot where Shen Qingqiu’s new position has exposed his neck. The firm pressure has abated, replaced by a gentle stroke, just barely up and down, with the entire hand. Shen Qingqiu hums sleepily, disrupting his purr for a moment, and shifts his own hand to match. He doesn’t have as good an angle, because Liu Qingge’s neck is straight, but he has decent access because of the man’s hairstyle and relatively simple robes.
The purring hasn’t let up, which Shen Qingqiu takes as a good sign. He’s more comfortable now, resting some of his weight against his shidi. The smell of him is so nice, filling the room. Shen Qingqiu thinks he might be able to smell it on himself tomorrow.
They sit like that, for how long Shen Qingqiu doesn’t know. The shadows progress across the room. Shen Qingqiu thinks his legs might have fallen asleep normally, but apparently that doesn’t happen to cultivators, so he’s free to just sit there, dozing, until he falls asleep.
When he wakes, it’s dark out. He’s lying on his chaise lounge and Liu Qingge is gone.
~
Next time Liu Qingge comes by, there’s no preamble. Shen Qingqiu presses in close and puts his hand in one of the spots on Liu Qingge’s back that he’s already been permitted access to. Liu Qingge makes no mention of it.
Before their usual tea and conversation, Shen Qingqiu guides his shidi to his chaise lounge instead of the table. Shen Qingqiu herds him to the side with the raised edge, so he can lean his weight a little, and carefully settles in next to him, just as close as last time. There’s no hesitance at all this time, and Liu Qingge immediately puts his hand back between Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder blades.
Shen Qingqiu purrs shamelessly, and they stay just like that while they have their usual conversation about disciples and missions and paperwork, completely ignoring the tea. Liu Qingge’s tail finds its way around Shen Qingqiu’s waist at some point, and Shen Qingqiu returns the gesture. He makes sure to settle it against the exposed skin of his shidi’s other hand. My tail is very soft, isn’t it shidi? Isn’t it nice?
Eventually the conversation tapers off, and Shen Qingqiu manages to encourage Liu Qingge’s hand up to his hair. He removes his hair crown again, and Liu Qingge obligingly starts massaging his scalp with his fingertips.
With Liu Qingge purring back, it’s become much easier to gauge his comfort. The purr hitches any time he’s even a little startled or disturbed. It gives Shen Qingqiu the confidence to also slowly move his hand up to his shidi’s head. The purr stays steady, so he and begins massaging his shidi’s scalp about his fluffy ears. The purr becomes so loud it almost matches Shen Qingqiu’s, who’s can feel his toes tingling with it.
He manages to brush his fingertips, just a few times, against the prim white ears, and finds to his delight that they’re just as soft as they look. Where his own ears are velvety and smooth, Liu Qingge’s are very fluffy and downy soft.
The position is just a little too awkward to fall asleep this time, so they sit like that until Liu Qingge awkwardly extricates himself and excuses himself to return to Bai Zhan. Shen Qingqiu wonders if he should have invited him to stay the night. His usually appealing nest looks a little cold tonight.
~
It’s the warmest part of the afternoon, and Qing Jing is settling in for its daily nap. Shen Qingqiu stays back a moment to talk to one of his students about an essay. By the time he makes his way back to the bamboo hut, there are already students settling into various nests in their little cuddle piles. He passes a particularly cosy looking pair of younger disciples, and thinks fondly of Liu Qingge and the progress they’ve been making.
When he opens the door to his bamboo hut, Liu Qingge is there. This isn’t unusual, the man has been coming by regularly for their mutual petting sessions.
Shen Qingqiu stops just inside the door.
Liu Qingge… is on the chaise lounge.
Positioned directly in the warm line of sunlight.
Asleep.
Shen Qingqiu is staring.
That. Looks good.
Really. Really, very good.
Liu Qingge is on his side, with his arm beneath the cushion Shen Qingqiu usually uses as a pillow. His face is even more relaxed than it is during their usual petting sessions.
The room is just a little cool, and Shen Qingqiu knows how that chaise lounge warms with body heat, and how that patch of sunlight warms him to his bones.
It looks so, so very comfortable.
Shen Qingqiu is sleepy. His body has quickly become accustomed to his afternoon nap.
He realizes belatedly, Liu Qingge is in his spot. That chaise lounge in that sunbeam is where he does his paperwork!
He frowns.
How is he meant to do his paperwork if Liu Qingge is in his spot?
He perks up.
Liu Qingge, if you’re going to poach this master’s resting place, you can’t complain about what happens next!
He busily goes about setting up for the afternoon, gathering his pens and paperwork on the end table next to the lounge.
Liu Qingge cracks an eyelid, peering up at him. Shen Qingqiu smiles warmly. The eye shuts and Liu Qingge shifts onto his back, with one leg propped up, and settles in.
Shen Qingqiu retrieves the wooden board he’s been using to rest his paperwork on, removes his hair piece, and sets his entire self down onto the lounge, right on top of Liu Qingge.
He settles in and finds a good position for paperwork, trying to avoid putting too much of his weight in one spot. Being an immortal cultivator, he knows his shidi could handle it, but he doesn’t think it seems very comfortable, and his shidi looks so comfortable and sleepy.
Once he finds a good position, he checks in on his shidi. The man is staring at him, but doesn’t seem particularly perturbed. More like he’s keeping an eye on the situation. Shen Qingqiu smiles, and Liu Qingge makes eye contact for a long moment, then closes his eyes and starts purring. Shen Qingqiu feels something sweet and tingly in his chest, and quietly purrs back.
Shen Qingqiu does his paperwork in silence, a little slower than usual. When he’s done, he sets everything aside without standing up, and curls into Liu Qingge’s side. He settles mostly atop his shidi, chest to chest with his head buried into the crook of the man’s shoulder. A hand comes up and settles atop his head, massaging about his ears. Shen Qingqiu nuzzles his entire face forward shamelessly, and his purr increases in volume. He’s surrounded by the now familiar scent and warmth of the man who’s quickly becoming his favourite person in the world.
“Shidi is so warm,” he murmurs into Liu Qingge’s neck. The man’s purr stutters- it sounds as though his breath caught for a moment -then resumes. Shen Qingqiu drifts off to the sound of it.
When he wakes, the sunbeam is no longer anywhere near the lounge, but Shen Qingqiu is still delightfully warm. He realizes he must’ve slept through at least one of his afternoon classes. No one’s come looking for him, either. The students must’ve just assumed it was cancelled.
(They didn’t. When Shen Qingqiu didn’t show up, one of the students had come to the bamboo house, seen what was going on, and left without saying anything.)
Shen Qingqiu begins to try to extricate himself from his spot atop his warm, purring shidi. Liu Qingge gives him a deeply aggrieved look. Shen Qingqiu can’t help but agree.
“I have to take my afternoon classes, shidi. But you’d be very welcome to sleep here tonight, if you like?” He offers hopefully.
Liu Qingge says, “Ok,” with almost no hesitation. Shen Qingqiu smiles happily. Liu Qingge is staring at him.
Shen Qingqiu finishes the deeply unpleasant task of extricating himself, fixes his hair and robes, and goes about his business, keenly anticipating the night ahead.
~
Liu Qingge apparently leaves sometime after Shen Qingqiu departs, but he comes back late that evening, just as Shen Qingqiu is also returning to his bamboo hut for the day.
Shen Qingqiu invites him into the sleeping area and goes behind the folding screen to change into his sleeping robe. When he emerges, Liu Qingge is standing right where Shen Qingqiu left him, still fully clothed. He doesn’t seem to have brought his own sleeping garments.
“Would Liu-shidi like to borrow one of my sleeping robes?” Shen Qingqiu asks. Liu Qingge blushes, considers it for a moment, and then nods, somehow managing to peer up at Shen Qingqiu through his eyelashes in spite of being nearly an inch taller.
Shen Qingqiu digs up a spare robe and guides Liu Qingge behind the folding screen. When he comes out, his hair loose is and Shen Qingqiu’s robes are just a little too narrow about the shoulders and won’t close completely over his chest. He looks undone, strangely vulnerable in a way Shen Qingqiu hasn’t seen before.
Shen Qingqiu gets into his nest. Liu Qingge hesitates, looking a little wide eyed, staring at the cosy mess of pillows.
Shen Qingqiu reaches out a hand. Liu Qingge takes it, and Shen Qingqiu tugs him down into the nest. He corrals his shidi into the croissant position he himself favours. He settles so that they’re face to face, close enough that the gentle puffs of his shidi’s breath are still warm and slightly humid when they hit his face.
Shen Qingqiu laces one hand into his shidi’s hair and starts petting him, and Liu Qingge returns the favour. They both start purring. With the hand beneath his body, he reaches for Liu Qingge’s resting hand, and laces his fingers between his shidi’s.
Surrounded by the ambience of pleasant vibrations, warm and safe and immersed in familiar smells, Shen Qingqiu has one of the best night’s sleep he thinks he’s ever had.
~
In the morning, Shen Qingqiu wakes to all-encompassing warmth and a familiar smell. At some point, they’ve shifted so that Shen Qingqiu is curled into Liu Qingge’s back, with his face pressed into the crook of the man’s shoulder. The man’s hair is up out of the way, and Shen Qingqiu can see the fine hairs on the nape of his neck. There’s sunlight filtering through the window, lighting the curve of his jaw and the delicate shell of his ear.
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have it in him to move, so he stays just like that, until Liu Qingge wakes up. Shen Qingqiu knows he’s awake because he starts purring again immediately.
Liu Qingge shifts for a moment, testingly, and then turns over to face Shen Qingqiu. The morning sun highlights his already radiant features. Shen Qingqiu thinks he looks as though he’s glowing.
They look at one another for a minute without speaking. The light is right on his eyes. His slitted pupils have shrunk, and his eyes look gray instead of their usual black with the bright sunlight shining through them.
Eventually, Shen Qingqiu murmurs, “Liu-shidi would be quite welcome to return again tonight, if he likes.”
Liu Qingge makes a quiet noise of agreement, and his eyes flutter shut again.
Shen Qingqiu is late for his first class that morning.
~
Liu Qingge remembers to bring his own sleepwear that night. Shen Qingqiu cajoles his shidi into helping him comb his hair. It’s so relaxing, Shen Qingqiu already nearly comatose by the time they’re ready for bed. Liu Qingge very considerately carries him to their nest.
The following morning, Shen Qingqiu cajoles Liu Qingge into allowing him to return the favour. The man’s hairstyle is simple, even with the intrusion of his fluffy white ears, and Shen Qingqiu spends more time than he probably needs to combing it into place. In his defence, Liu Qingge is purring a lot.
Over the next few weeks, Liu Qingge’s things start slowly migrating to Shen Qingqiu’s bamboo house. A few familiar uniforms show up in his closet, sleeping robes in his drawers, and toiletries in his washroom. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t mention it.
~
Shen Qingqiu is, for the first time since the start of this whole thing, feeling truly, deeply content. He thinks he has a handle on the new culture, and he’s adjusted to his new schedule. Best of all, he has a cuddle partner who he absolutely adores.
Then people start licking one another.
He notices it first in the disciples of Qing Jing, as usual. They’ve begun peppering clearly affectionate licks in amongst the usual social grooming he’s observed in semi-private spots between classes. The licks are oddly intimate, usually landing on someone’s face or hands. The dogs seem to be doing it a little more than the cats, but the cats are definitely doing it too.
Shen Qingqiu thinks this is one trend he’ll probably ignore.
~
Shen Qingqiu travels to the regular peak lord meeting that month together with with Liu Qingge. Outside the building, they run into Ling You peak lord, who seems to have gotten there the same time as them. He envelops them both in a massive hug, and licks each of them directly on the face.
Liu Qingge punches him in the chest.
It throws him to the ground, where Liu Qingge glowers at him, brandishing his fist with his ears flat against his head and tail floofed up. Ling You peak lord doesn’t seem cowed. Instead he laughs, gets up- Shen Qingqiu notices he keeps well out of range -and heads into the meeting room. Liu Qingge glares after him. Shen Qingqiu soothes him with a gentle hand between his shoulder blades.
Liu Qingge turns his glare to him. Shen Qingqiu can see a wet stripe on his face. He can feel a matching one on himself. He retrieves a handkerchief from his sleeve and wipes his shidi’s face, then hands it to him without saying anything, and Liu Qingge returns the favour. They stand together a little while longer, just standing close and sharing familiar, comfortable contact, until Liu Qingge settles.
They go into the meeting together. Yue Qingyuan seems a little put out, which Shen Qingqiu attributes to him being late.
The meeting is uneventful. Mu Qingfang has concluded testing on his pseudo dual cultivation solution, which apparently involves an herbal tonic and a short session with a healer. The process has been found to give complete control over the transformation, has no side effects, and doesn’t result in the curse coming back over time. The attached instincts apparently go away completely when the extra appendages are hidden.
~
That evening after the meeting, Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge briefly discuss the matter of retaining the curse. They’re apparently on the same page on that – if the traits can be switched on and off at will, there’s no reason not to keep it. Shen Qingqiu is secretly relieved.
That night, in the nest which Shen Qingqiu thinks he can now safely say belongs to both of them, Liu Qingge licks him once, gently, on his jawline. Shen Qingqiu finds he doesn’t mind much at all. The angle has given him the right position to gently press his own lips against the downy fluff of his shidi’s ear. The ear twitches, and Liu Qingge licks that spot again, and again, and again, and keeps doing it until Shen Qingqiu falls asleep.
~
In the end, only one out of every 22 residents of Cang Qiong choose to discard the curse. Most of them are residents of Qian Cao or Ku Xing, who’ve found that it interferes with some aspect of their lifestyle or work. None of Shen Qingqiu’s students do.
Liu Qingge has, at some point, completely moved into the bamboo hut. Shen Qingqiu commissions some new furniture from An Ding to accommodate his (relatively sparse) possessions. He also orders a new, slightly larger bed, just big enough to allow some new positions, but not enough that they can sleep without curling up. Liu Qingge doesn’t comment.