Chapter Text
Shen Qingqiu’s return to consciousness comes in sharp bursts.
A sound not too far away from him: someone humming, some furniture being moved, wood on wood. The feeling of someone or something brushing his cheek softly. He tries to pull away from the tickling sensation, only to realize that his arms are bound above him. What? Ah, whatever. Probably just Binghe…
Shen Qingqiu almost fades back into sleep, only to be hit with the sudden realization that Binghe isn’t supposed to be here, sent away to the Demon Realm for a while to deal with some vague attempt at a rebellion. Did he come back early?
His head hurts… Shen Qingqiu persists until his eyelids somehow manage to flutter open.
It’s Luo Binghe’s face indeed that welcomes him: smiling gently, eyes curled happily… Caressing his cheek in his sleep again, that sap. He’s already dressed, too. With a braid in his hair…
Wait.
Shen Qingqiu freezes shock still, cold sweat suddenly going down his back.
Why is he bound? Why is Binghe looking at him with red, red eyes? Why does Shen Qingqiu’s body hurt so much? Why does this bedroom look so unfamiliar, clearly not from Qing Jing Peak or Binghe’s Palace?
“You,” he says, his voice coming out in his shock.
“Good morning, Shizun,” Luo Binghe (?) purrs. “This disciple has been waiting for you to wake up for so long… This disciple feared that Shizun might have been… too tired due to previous activities.”
???
Shen Qingqiu does a scan of his body, but there is nothing truly suspicious besides his headache. “What did you do,” he demands, struggling in his bonds again. He looks up to find that his hands have been shackled to the bedpost. “Is this how you treat someone you call Shizun? Let me go.”
Luo Binghe pulls an apologetic face, eyes watering already. “Apologies to Shizun, but this disciple cannot.” Apparently, in the few months since Shen Qingqiu last met him, this Luo Bingge learned how to act just like his Luo Bingmei. Even the puppy face is similar!
Faced with this, Shen Qingqiu can only grit his teeth, reminding himself that this man is not actually his beloved disciple and husband. “What is the meaning of this? Why would you take me… What happened to my husband?”
It seems like those are the wrong words to say. Luo Bingge’s indulgent face drops, replaced with a cold sneer. He leans over Shen Qingqiu’s bound body, placing a hand on each side.
“Your husband?” he repeats, voice quiet. “Shizun must have lost his mind — clearly, his husband is right in front of him.”
“You are not my Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu snaps back, nerves frazzled. “I will not be fooled again.”
“I am better than him,” Bingge continues, as though he heard nothing. He climbs onto the bed, straddling Shen Qingqiu. One of his hands goes back to caressing Qingqiu’s cheek. His red eyes lose their menacing red, replaced with some sort of quiet emotions, roving over Shen Qingqiu’s face, taking in every detail. “Why won’t Shizun choose me? This lord is better than… than the fake Shizun married.”
“You have enough wives,” Shen Qingqiu counters, closing his eyes and turning his face away. He just can’t bear the sight of his husband’s face looking at him like this. “I can’t help you, Luo Binghe,” he says quietly. “Let me go. This will only bring pain to all those involved.”
Bingge laughs. “On the contrary, I feel quite satisfied right now. Shizun, I finally caught you.”
There’s just no reasoning with him , Shen Qingqiu concludes quickly, not needing any more to come to that conclusion. This Luo Binghe is both incredibly familiar and so far from the Binghe he knows… He just doesn’t know what to expect.
“Are you not the one who killed me? Strung me up, cut off my limbs, destroyed my sect and killed my Sect Leader… You had the opportunity to catch me ages ago. Don’t come to regret it now — it’s too late for regrets.”
But Bingge looks unaffected by his words — instead, he continues to look amused. “Shizun underestimates this disciple if he thinks I have not noticed the difference between you and my old teacher.”
Fuck . How is he supposed to convince Bingge to let him go?
Despite his best efforts, Shen Qingqiu can’t help but look away, feeling sick and unreal. This can’t be happening, right? He was so happy with his Binghe, what felt like moments ago…
How long has he been gone? Through which way did Bingge take him away? Is there any way back home? What is Bingge intending to do to him? If Binghe manages to get to this world again, will he be able to defeat the Original Luo Binghe?
Too many questions, and no answers.
Heavens, his Binghe… What must he be thinking? Sleeping peacefully one second, and then suddenly his Shizun is gone, once again. Please, do not let him think I chose to leave on my own, Shen Qingqiu prays. Please do not break my husband’s heart again.
“What is Shizun thinking about?”
Already preparing himself for the worst, Shen Qingqiu turns his face away and refuses to answer.