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Liu Qingge hates Shen Qingqiu. The man is rude, prissy, arrogant and spends too much time on his appearance, rather than his cultivation. He always picks fights with Qingge and sneers at all his other shidi and shimei. And most importantly, he is disgracefully disrespectful to Yue-shixiong.
Yue-shixiong. Who is older than them, and so much stronger, and the heir to Qiong Ding Peak, and their future Sect Leader. Who is also very kind, and always willing to help Qingge and the others with their sword techniques or cultivation. In their own generation, there is no one deserving respect as much as Yue-shixiong and Shen Qingqiu routinely completely disregards and ignores him, not even trying to conceal his harsh words and disdain. Yue-shixiong is too kind to scold him for it, but Liu Qingge isn't and he is going to set the sissy prick to rights.
He stomps onto Qing Jing Peak, glaring in disgust when its disciples escape at the sheer sight of him. How are those weaklings part of the same sect as him? Here he is, on his own and in their territory, and they run like Grass Rats before a Horned Wolf. He manages to get all the way to the main practice field - almost the heart of their Peak, if he was a demon they would have let him into the very centre of their home - before Shen Qingqiu appears before him.
"Liu-shidi," he sneers a "greeting". "What brings you over?"
Liu Qingge doesn't reply, freeing his sword in place of an answer and pointing it at Shen Qingqiu. The man doesn't even remove the fan from in front of his face, just raises an eyebrow.
"I want to fight you," Liu Qingge specifies and takes a step closer, the sword still steadily pointing at Shen Qingqiu's throat.
Shen Qingqiu's eyes narrow. "Although shixiong would be more than happy to compare notes with you, shidi, I am busy right now."
"Like your fighting could compare to mine in any way," Liu Qingge scoffs, and Shen Qingqiu's fan disappears, his hand closing tightly around his sword. "Besides I'm not here to spar. I'm here to make sure you stop disrespecting Yue-shixiong."
"Like you're doing now to your own shixiong, you mean?" Shen Qingqiu snarls, drawing his sword. "Did he ask you to do this?"
Liu Qingge colours a little. Well, it's not his fault if he can't respect Shen Qingqiu as a shixiong, he never acts like one, he doesn't work on his cultivation and he's weaker than Qingge too. There is nothing to look up to. He hides the embarrassment under a snort. "You-shixiong might be too kind and honourable to ever discipline you, but I'm not."
Shen Qingqiu's face twists at Liu Qingge words, and he replies, every word dripping with derision. "What so honourable about him? He doesn't even draw his sword when he spars with you, doesn't consider you worthy of his attention or give you correct respect as his opponent, how is that honourable?"
He's obviously trying to just make Liu Qingge angry like he so often manages without even any words, but this time he chose the wrong topic entirely. Qingge is never going to get angry about something that is just not true. "Of course he doesn't draw his sword for sparring, it's too dangerous for him."
He readies himself to attack, but Shen Qingqiu is standing rigidly still, sword down by his side, staring at Qingge with wide eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Liu Qingge frowns. "What?"
Shen Qingqiu is in his space in one leap, movements faster than Qingge has ever seen from him, grabbing his lapels. Liu Qingge wants to throw his off, but Shen Qingqiu does something - a twist of his arms and body that Qingge has never seen in any martial arts textbook - and slams him into the ground, putting his knee on his chest. "The sword being a danger to him, what does that mean?"
Liu Qingge stares up at him. Shen Qingqiu never shows that much emotion about anything, and he hates Yue-shixiong. What is this about?
"Xuan Su is bound to his life," he still replies. Shizun said it was a secret only for the Peak Lords and their heirs to know and, as much as Qingge hates it, Shen Qingqiu is in that group. He wonders why he hasn't been told by his own master. "Something went wrong during the sword claiming and Zhangmen-shibo had to seal him in the Lingxi Caves."
Liu Qingge doesn't know what reaction exactly he was expecting, but being suddenly freed, as Shen Qingqiu grabs his sword and stalks off in the direction of the Rainbow Bridge, was definitely not it. He leaps to his feet sheathes Cheng Luan and hurries after him.
What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Shen Jiu stalks onto Qiong Ding Peak, ignoring the angry yells of the dumb monkey running behind him. Liu Qingge might be the greatest martial talent in the last millennium, but he is still a fucking brat and his legs are nowhere near as long as Shen Jiu's, and no matter the skills his bond with Cheng Luan is too new for flying. A good thing, because Shen Jiu is going to kill anyone who delays him from getting to Yue Qingyuan and beating his stupid face in.
Life bound to the sword. Sealed in the Lingxi caves. and Shen Jiu didn't know. He was obviously the only one left in the dark too, if Liu Qingge, their youngest shidi who joined the sect even after Shen Jiu (although to Shen Qingqiu's eternal vexation not very long after, but when a lot younger) knows. Shen Jiu is supposed to be the highest of them all, only below the heir of Qiong Ding in position. And more importantly, he and Yue Qingyuan are- He should have been the first to know!
When was it that Yue Qingyuan got his sword? Shen Jiu tightens his hand on his own, trying to remember. He definitely had it already when Shen Jiu met him as Yue Qingyuan, and he has said he was chosen as his master's successor over a year before that - now that Shen Jiu thinks about it he said it has happened as soon as he was out - and if this emergency sealing in Lingxi was anything like what the senior members of the sect did it would have taken at least 8 months. Which means Yue Qingyuan was put in the caves when Shen Jiu was still-
But if it was so, why didn't he say anything? Shen Jiu might have directly asked only once why never came back, but once is enough to say something like this! Even if Yue Qingyuan didn't know how to tell him then, they have talked so many times since Shen Jiu joined the sect, hundreds of times even after he became Shen Qingqiu. If Yue Qingyuan wanted to tell him he could have - Shen Jiu made sure to always listen to him for at least the first few sentences, no matter how annoyed he was, just in case Yue Qingyuan wanted to explain himself at any point. Or at least ask for his time to do so in private. But it's been so long, and he never has.
He needs to ask him directly. He needs to know.
He finds Yue Qingyuan talking to Qi Qingqi. The girl pulls on Yue Qingyuan robes when she sees Shen Jiu stomping over with his sword drawn. The other man turns.
"Qingqiu-shidi?"
"Fight me," Shen Jiu orders, raising his sword and pointing it at Yue Qingyuan. This is the quickest way to find out. The fucking coward is just going to lie to him again otherwise.
Yue Qingyuan smiles. It's one of the smiles that makes the corners of his eyes wrinkle, the kind that Shen Jiu remembers from his childhood and knows to be completely real, unlike the usual gentle quirk of lips which serves the same role as Shen Qingqiu's own emotionless visage. Why the fuck is he smiling now? Can't he tell Shen Jiu is angry at him?
"Of course, Qingqiu-shidi. Would you like to go-?"
Shen Jiu cuts him off by swiping his sword at Yue Qingyuan's head. The man blocks it with Xuan Su's scabbard and proceeds to just use it and his hands for the next dozen moves. When Liu Qingge finally arrives, Shen Jiu is fucking sick of it. "Draw your sword," he orders and Yue Qingyuan's flinch is already an answer to his questions. He blocks another attack with his sword sheathed.
"Shidi,-"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Liu Qingge snaps, interrupting. "I just told you the sword is bound to him, how can you ask that?!"
Yue Qingyuan expression, up to this point a mix of confusion and delight, veers widely towards horror. His body turns slightly towards Liu Qingge, but his eyes are still affixed onto Shen Jiu's face. Liu Qingge continues, "You obviously just hate Yue-shixio-"
He doesn't get to finish because Yue Qingyuan, moving faster than anything Shen Jiu ever saw, gets through the distance between them in one jump and then punches him through half of the training field. He doesn't even look to see how Liu Qingge will follow up and turns to Shen Jiu, extending his arms towards him, "Xiao Jiu..."
Well. That answers the question, doesn't it? Shen Jiu knocks his arms away with his sword and straightens his back, fighting to keep his face and voice steady. "Tell me the truth."
Yue Qingyuan flinches away from him again. His hands are opening and closing on his sword as he hugs the scabbard to his chest, keeping his face down and avoiding looking at Shen Jiu. But in the end, he does as Shen Jiu tells him - he takes a deep breath and begins, " I rush- I messed up claiming my sword and Shizun had to seal me away in Lingxi Caves to stabilize me. But the only way to do it was to connect the sword to my soul. Whenever I draw it... it impacts my life force. I'm so sorry."
Does- does that mean he wanted to come back? That he didn't mean to leave Shen Jiu in that hell for that long? That Qi-ge still wants him? And why is he sorry, claiming a sword isn't easy, especially a powerful one like Xuan Su, it's not that uncommon for accidents to happen. It was Shen Jiu's fault for not waiting for him and for resenting him for not coming back without waiting for an explanation first, he should have known that Qi-ge did not abandon him, he always was a much better person than him. He was also a fucking idiot.
He opens his mouth to yell his questions out, but nothing comes out. Unable to withstand the silence, Yue Qi looks up at him and then freezes, eyes wide.
Xiao Jiu is crying. Xiao Jiu never cries. Not even when he was a baby, abandoned in a ditch, or starving in Yue Qi's arms when their masters decided he didn't work well enough to earn food for two. Yue Qingyuan forgets himself in his panic and extends both hands to him, dropping his sword to the ground. Xiao Jiu takes a step away from him at the sudden movement and slowly lifts his hand to his cheek, catching on the tears on the tips of his fingers. His face goes red and he rubs at his eyes frantically, moving away again when Yue Qingyuan takes one more step closer.
"Xiao Jiu...," he tries, taking one more step closer.
Shen Jiu lowers his hand and glares at him, but his eyes are red and swimming with tears and if it is meant to make Yue Qingyuan back off, it is having the exact opposite effect. He wants to leap through the little bit of space between them and take Shen Jiu into his arms, kiss the tears away and-. He doesn't even have a chance to finish his thought when Shen Jiu whirls around and sprints away in the direction of the Rainbow Bridge.
Yue Qingyuan stares for a second, before bending to grab his sword and chase after him. Liu Qingge tries to stop him to ask something, but Yue Qingyuan shoves past him, too focused on getting to Xiao Jiu to care at the moment. He'll make it up to his shidi later.
Shen Jiu is nowhere in sight as Yue Qingyuan gets to the rainbow bridge and then onto Qing Jing Peak. He asks every disciple he meets, but none of them can - or want to - help him. He is interrogating a whole group of little disciples when the Qing Jing Peak Lord appears next to him, standing tall and elegant in his green robes, tapping a fan on his hand. He doesn't say anything, just raises a brow when Yue Qingyuan looks at him, smiling ever so slightly when he salutes and bows to him.
"This disciple apologises for causing a commotion at your Peak, Shishu, I was just looking for Qingqiu-shidi. It's really important."
Wu-shishu tilts his head, looking him up and down. The movement makes his hair slide off from his shoulder, drawing Yue Qingyuan's attention to the side. Where he can see, past the edge of the open doors to the library, just half an inch of a crouching figure - a graceful shoulder; inky, black hair spilling past it onto the floor; a small ear, reddened on the top; the line of a sharp jaw. There might not be much to others, but Yue Qingyuan could do very little but watch Xiao Jiu since he joined the sect, and he could probably recognise him just by his shadow.
He bows to his shishu - did he just interrupt him? He will come back to apologise for his rudeness later - and goes into the library. Xiao Jiu is no longer by the entrance, but Yue Qingyuan can hear him moving around between the bookshelves. He is obviously running from him still, there is never any need for this much haste in a library. But, in the end, the building is only so big and Xiao Jiu runs out of the places to escape to.
"Xiao Jiu- Xiao Jiu, I'm so sorry."
Xiao Jiu stiffens and whirls around, eyes still teary. He pushes Yue Qingyuan, shoving him into one of the bookshelves. "I don't need your apologies!"
"I know. But I'm still sorry," he says again, moving in a little closer. "Can you- can you forgive Qi-ge for this?"
Xiao Jiu doesn't reply, staring at the wall. When he finally talks, it is quiet and soft, unlike the accusations, Yue Qingyuan was expecting. "Just tell me one thing."
"Anything."
Xiao Jiu turns his head slightly, just enough so he can look him in the eyes.
"Did you come back?"
"I did," he whispers back. "As soon as I was let out of the caves I rushed back, but- there was nothing left. Until you appeared in front of me with that man, I thought you were dead."
Xiao Jiu doesn't say anything for a very long while. Yue Qingyuan takes a step closer to him, then another, and then Xiao Jiu turns into a blur of white and green robes. His back hits the floor and the bookshelf hard, head bouncing off the bound books, as Xiao Jiu lands in his lap and hits his chest with his fist. He lands a few more hits before he raises his head to look at Yue Qingyuan and lets tears drop from his eyes and a sob escape his throat. Yue Qingyuan panics, reaching out to him, terrified and then-
"Qi-ge," Xiao Jiu sobs, bending down and pressing his forehead into Yue Qingyuan's, his tears falling onto his face. "Qi-ge, you idiot."
Yue Qingyuan feels like he might start crying as well. He missed this so much. "Mhm, Qi-ge is sorry."
It only makes Xiao Jiu sob harder, so Yue Qingyuan reaches up to cradle his face and he presses a kiss right below his left eye, taking the tear away. He repeats it on the other side and then his cheeks, trying to make sure no more drops hit his Xiao Jiu's skin. Another kiss is to the corner of his mouth and when he goes to press the next one just slightly below, Xiao Jiu turns his head a little bit and their lips meet.
Xiao Jiu tastes like salt. His lips are soft and warm, and he opens them just a little, a soft breath of air escaping from his mouth and into Yue Qingyuan's. He takes his hands away from Xiao Jiu's face so he can settle them on his waist, putting his arms around him and bringing him in closer.
His kissing must be wrong because, after a few more seconds, Xiao Jiu huffs an annoyed "stupid Qi-ge" at him and then presses himself close, his tongue easily teasing Yue Qingyuan's mouth open. He tries to follow that lead, licking into Xiao Jiu's mouth in return, careful to repeat the motions that are making his head pound and his blood heat. Inside, Xiao Jiu tastes better than anything Yue Qingyuan ever tasted and he can't get enough.
Xiao Jiu wraps his arms around his neck and slides one hand into his collar, stroking his nape and spreading the fire further. He doesn't even try to touch Xiao Jiu's robes, he doesn't think he could even untie his belt right now, so he just clutches on the fabric closest to his hands.
And that, with Xiao Jiu on his lap, both their robes in disarray, is how Shishu finds them. The scramble apart, both frantically fixing their clothes and using spiritual energy to clean them up. Xiao Jiu opens his mouth but doesn't say anything at the glacial glare thrown his way. Shishu is far too dignified to drag them out by their ears, but making them kneel in front of him while he explains to them, in detail, how shameless, improper and outrageous their behaviour was. Yue Qingyuan gets an additional scolding for being rude beforehand, and not asking his cultivation partner's Shizun permission to court him before "committing any deeds". Xiao Jiu colours deeply at the mention of cultivation partners, but he doesn't protest that they have not done anything scandalous, allowing his Shizun to essentially betroth them to one another then and there. Yue Qingyuan is more than happy to take responsibility, especially if it means he is going to be allowed to drag Xiao Jiu to his bedroom sometime soon.
They are ordered to kneel by Shishu's bamboo house until the midday bells the next day. It has been a long time since Yue Qingyuan got punished like this, but he would have done a lot more for Xiao Jiu, and they more than deserve it after all, but it's still not easy to stay kneeling properly as the time passes. Although it does get a lot easier when the sky grows dark and all activity on the peak seizes, and Xiao Jiu shuffles in closer, pressing himself to Yue Qingyuan's side, his cheeks and ears adorably red.