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Shen Yuan was in a dangerous spot, but he wasn’t panicking.
He was fully out of mana, and his health bar was flashing a dangerously low red, but that was fine. He’d run out of health potions and mana restoration potions, but - that was alright. So what if he was unprepared for this encounter? He’d known it was coming, but had just intended to scope out the way the battle went, then reset the game and go back in with a suitable strategy. He hadn’t been playing the game for too long, so logically this first encounter with the game’s antagonist shouldn’t have been so thoroughly impossible.
Luo Binghe was strong. The strongest opponent Shen Yuan had fought in this virtual world so far, but that made sense, considering the half demon was the game’s end villain. He didn’t quite know how the fight would play out fully, but regardless, the reset plan was firmly in Shen Yuan’s mind. See how long this would play out, reset before his avatar, Shen Qingqiu, died, and start over again better prepared and with a better battle plan in mind.
His sword was struck by Luo Binghe’s downswing, sending Shen Yuan back into the craggy wall of the canyon they were fighting in. The rough surface had no right being as painful as it did as it dug into his back, but Shen Yuan paid it no mind and quickly brought up the System menu, eyes flickering to the power options -
They were gone.
As were the Load and Save buttons.
Shen Yuan froze.
The System menu still looked the same, other than that. The button for his party remained, for the inventory, his skills and equipment…
But everything else was just - gone.
And the game was still playing, even though bringing the menu up should have paused it. Shen Yuan was made aware of this fact very abruptly when a large figure dressed in black flowing robes appeared in his line of vision, and he only managed to dodge to the side on sheer instinct -
The sword was driven into the rock wall, pinning Shen Yuan’s robes and preventing him from going anywhere.
Luo Binghe stepped close, right into his personal space, his lips curled into a vicious smile. Red eyes danced with an emotion Shen Yuan was unable to identify as Binghe crowded his frozen form right against the rocky surface, and he purred, “I finally caught you, Shen Qingqiu~”
Shen Yuan could only remain still, staring with wide eyes - at the system menu, still in place. At Binghe, suddenly so close, and so real looking he could - he could feel the heat radiating off of the half demon’s body from where they were almost touching, chest to chest.
Truthfully, Shen Yuan had been looking forward to this encounter. He’d managed to avoid a great deal of game spoilers online, only really learning of the characters and the game’s general plot and had a vague idea about the ending, and Luo Binghe had been one of the characters to draw the most of his attention.
The game model and art produced for him had been utterly beautiful. Long wild black hair, almost snow white skin, red eyes framed by long, thick lashes, blooming red mark stark on his brow - he didn’t look like a typical demon, like a lot of the in game monsters had, but that could be due to him being half human, or him hiding a more monstrous appearance behind a human facade. From what Shen Yuan knew, in the original game Luo Binghe acted the antagonist to drive the player to level up and acted as the boss villain for several levels - up until the end, where he takes out what appeared to be the big boss Tianlang Jun, his own father, and takes that roll for himself.
Shen Yuan had admittedly been quite taken with the antagonist’s design and had read up on him where he could without trying to spoil himself for the game too much. The details were vague however - other than apparently having a tragic backstory that had shaped him into the monster he now was, there was very little information on Luo Binghe.
But Shen Yuan wasn’t really thinking about any of that as Luo Binghe closed that short distance between them, pressing their bodie’s flush and - he felt solid, too solid for a VR game, and Shen Yuan’s mind began to run in circles because a sudden ridiculous notion flashed in his mind and -
What if this wasn’t a game anymore?
But that was just - silly, wasn’t it? As if this wasn’t a game! The System Menu was still there, it was just - just missing several key features and-
And Binghe was leaning really, really close and god he really was too pretty and he felt very warm and -
The demon chuckled, the sound deep and pleasing to the ear, and Shen Yuan - now Shen Qingqiu, he supposed - could feel the vibrations in his very bones. “It took longer than intended to track you down, Shizun. One would think you were trying to avoid this disciple.”
Shen Qingqiu’s mind screeched to a halt.
‘Shizun’? ‘Disciple’? What was Binghe talking about?
Suddenly - a scrap of information crossed Shen Qingqiu’s mind that he’d read on the character’s info page. Binghe had been trained in the human world by a human master before he was banished to the demon world and -
No. No, surely not.
Surely Shen Qingqiu wasn’t Luo Binghe’s human master?? Surely that knowledge would be more widespread? Surely he would have been spoiled for such a juicy piece of information?
Shen Qingqiu’s mind was very close to short circuiting, and panic was creeping along the edges. He was apparently - stuck in the game (and wow wasn’t that a can of worms he was trying very hard not to focus on), unable to get out, pinned to a wall in a canyon with none of his other party members around by the game’s main antagonist who was apparently his avatars student and-
Okay, he was trying very, very hard not to panic. He had to calm down, panicking certainly wouldn’t help in this situation!
He wished he wasn’t pinned to the wall so he could utilise the fan the avatar kept on him at all times and hide his face from those red, red eyes, looking at him with an emotion Shen Qingqiu couldn’t identify. It was too intense!
Binghe was much too intense!
Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat and struggled to get himself under control. He could - he could panic later, after he was out of this situation and back with his party and hopefully all healed and rested up. There was no telling what losing the remaining fraction of his health bar could result in. He didn’t want to think about actually dying for real in a virtual reality videogame.
“Please, forgive this master.” Shen Qingqiu said haltingly, slowly straightening himself up. A moment’s thought, and he placed a hand on Binghe’s chest and applied pressure in an attempt to get him to move away. And that was a - a very firm chest, indeed it was. “I was - startled, and did not recognise Binghe for who he was.”
Binghe’s eyes flickered with something unidentifiable, and instead of moving away from the light pushing - he leaned in further, and they were face to face, their breath’s mingling, and Shen Qingqiu’s mind screeched to a halt.
Too close, too close, too close! What was Binghe doing-
“Careful, shizun.” Binghe’s lips were curved into a carefree smile, but his eyes were dark. A hand, adorned with sharp black nails was suddenly at Shen Qingqiu’s throat, and his stomach jolted at the contact, a flash of fear curling in his mind as the red flashing of his healthbar was very, very noticeable and -
And Binghe didn’t apply pressure. His hand remained still, grip hard, but not tight enough to cut off airflow. Shen Qingqiu looked at Binghe with wide eyes, and the demon closed the distance between them, and Shen Qingqiu had the sudden thought that Binghe was going to kiss him -
Binghe tilted his head, bypassing Shen Qingqiu’s lips to puff hot breath against the shell of his ear. A shudder crawled down Shen Qingqiu’s spine and something entirely inappropriate for this situation warmed his gut, and Binghe’s voice was a low rumble in his ear. “My father has many spies, this disciple can’t guarantee that we are entirely alone. Pray Shizun forgives this disciple for overstepping his bounds.”
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t say anything - too shocked, again! What was going on? What was the original Shen Qingqiu’s relationship with Luo Binghe? What is actually going on??
He swallowed thickly - the action difficult with Binghe’s hand at his throat - and he said as evenly as he could, “It’s alright, Binghe. Pray… tell this Master what is going through your mind?”
Shen Qingqiu inwardly applauded his acting skills. He’d played many VR and regular games of a similar premise to this, so at least he knew how to act. And so far Binghe hadn’t made the connection that he wasn’t the Shen Qingqiu he apparently once knew. At least, he hoped.
Binghe’s hand on his throat tensed a little, causing Shen Qingqiu’s pulse to jump, but it didn’t tightened. He felt the demon sigh - a hot gush of air wafting over Shen Qingqiu’s ear, making him shiver. “This disciple knows he is risking both his and Shizun’s standing with their respective peers, but… I had to find you. To warn you. My father planned a trap, not too far ahead, one this disciple knows could be very dangerous to Shizun and his party.”
There was another sigh, and Shen Qingqiu’s mind reeled.
Binghe was… warning him of an impending trap?
“It would be best if Shizun chooses another route.” Binghe continued. Something moved the fabric of Shen Qingiu’s robes - Binghe’s other hand, and Shen Qingqiu floundered inwardly. Just what was he doing? He was - messing with the supply pouches hanging from his belt? “To avoid the trap entirely. This disciple prays that Shizun heeds this warning.”
The hand by his supply pouches withdrew, and hot lips caressed the shell of Shen Qingqiu’s ear and this was - too much! Entirely too much!
Shen Qingqiu shoved again, and this time Binghe withdrew entirely - the hot mass before him disappeared, the sword pinning his robes withdrew -
And Shen Qingqiu had the barest second to dodge the blade swinging towards his neck. He fumbled for his own sword, his hands numb and shaking - a flash of pain on his arm as Binghe’s blade struck again, before Shen Qingqiu had the time to leap to the side, creating more distance between them.
Binghe didn’t chase after him again, thankfully. Shen Qingqiu clutched his bleeding arm, watching the demon with narrowed eyes, and Binghe just grinned at him, all sharp teeth and - Shen Qingqiu had the sudden realisation that those sharp teeth were very, very close to his ear and oh no, why did that cause his stomach to flutter -
“I’ll let you go now, Shen Qingqiu.” Luo Binghe declared, head tilted, face a mask of arrogance. Carelessly, he sheathed his sword. “You really are no threat to us, so there’s nothing wrong with keeping you alive, for now. It should be fun, watching where this goes.”
There was a shimmer in the air, almost like a mirage - and then Binghe was gone, as if he had never even been there.
Knees suddenly losing all strength, Shen Qingqiu collapsed against the rock wall, his chest heaving for breath. His hands were shaking as he felt around for his supply pouches, hoping that there was something in there that could stop that damn health bar from flashing out of the corner of his eye so he could ease the building panic -
Health potions. Quite a few of them, and of high quality too - health potions that Shen Qingqiu most certainly didn’t have before.
He remembered Binghe’s hand there, when he was pinned to the wall - he had… slipped them to Shen Qingqiu?
Static buzzed in his ears, and Shen Qingqiu slid down the wall to take a seat on the dusty, rock littered ground. There was no one around, he didn’t need to keep face.
Surely he could panic now. Surely.
He uncorked the potion and downed it, only a modicum of relief filling him as the health bar was filled to its entirety, and the bleeding cut on his arm vanished without a trace -
And then he drew his knees up, placed his head between them, and tried not to scream.