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Liu Qingge thinks that this is stupid. Liu Qingge thinks that this might be the stupidest thing that he’s ever done in his entire life—and he has done many, many stupid things. And he knows for sure that this wasn’t his idea- probably that stupid stupid Shang Qinghua who he just knows is somewhere giggling his fucking ass off at a drunk plan he had made. That rat bastard.
A very drunk, and a very well thought out plan.
Liu Qingge curses Shang Qinghua.
“So?” Liu Qingge starts, glaring at the pair of cuffs that bound them together as if they had just wronged his entire family line. “What’s your plan?”
“My plan? What the fuck makes you think that I have a plan? Maybe you should use your pea brain for once and think of one!” Shen Qingqiu hisses with an equally aggressive tone as he struggles against the chains. There’s a tint of defensiveness in his voice that Liu Qingge decides to ignore.
Liu Quingge recoils and glares back at the other boy. “You’re the scholar! Shouldn’t you know?”
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t say anything to that, but his harsh glare says more than enough. He scoffs, was he just too prideful to back down or something? Not that Liu Qingge wasn’t the same, of course — he knew that much, but seeing him and that prissy bastard being so similar made him a little sick.
A few more beats of silence. Shen Qingqiu sighs, opting to glower down at the ground instead of making eye contact. “I don’t have a plan. The Soul Binding Chains can’t be broken unless we’re truly…” He pauses to scowl, and says the next word like it disgusted him. “…truthful with each other, whatever that means, or after a day of being bound like this.”
He glares back up at Liu Qingge, eyeing him up and down with disgust before turning away with a wave of his hand and a particularly obnoxious sniff. “…I don’t think that I can handle being in the same radius as you for another second, let alone while you butcher the rest of those Bai Zhan brutes.”
“And you think that I want to be with you while you go to your stupid brothels?”
Shen Qingqiu whips his head around with a scoff. “I don’t even go there for the reasons you think I do, you small minded brute. Although, annoying as you are, I suppose I wouldn’t mind your company — on occasion, you can be endearing. I kind of like you.” He decides, hand on chin like he’s thinking hard about the topic.
Shen Qingqiu pauses, eyes widening at the mindless words as he clasps his hands over his mouth, the sound echoing around the forest (How did they get here, again?), along with the jangle of chains. “I- what the fuck?” He stares wide eyed at Liu Qingge like he’s the one that has done something wrong.
Liu Qingge short circuits. He blinks. For once, he finds that he doesn’t have anything to say - or rather, doesn’t know what to say. What the hell are you supposed to say when your supposed rival calls you endearing?
The statement is so absurd that Liu Qingge might’ve even laughed before trying to throttle whoever said it, if only he and Shen Qingqiu hadn’t been bound with the goddamned Soul Bindinh Chains, the cursed things, that may or may not be forcing the ‘truth’ out of them.
Of course, he hasn’t crossed out the idea that the other boy might be lying, because Liu Qingge of all people would know what a deceptive snake he was, but he also knew that Shen Qingqiu would never do anything like this — at least not willingly.
Shen Qingqiu is the future strategist of the peak, and as much as he hates the boy, Liu Qingge can at least acknowledge that he’s smart. Efficient. He wouldn’t do anything that didn’t benefit him, and this? This definitely didn’t benefit him. Anything that has to do with being vulnerable or feelings was supposedly below him — he had trouble telling Yue Qingyuan that he loved him, for gods sake!
Gods. Did the Soul Binding Chains actually make you tell the truth? The bastard wasn’t lying when he said that?!
Then that would mean that… Shen Qingqiu likes him.
The very same Shen Qingqiu who he was sure was trying to kill him half the time, with his little stunt at the cave and all the dirty tricks he’d used. The very same Shen Qingqiu who had fought him with a clear disgust in his eyes when they’d first met. The very same Shen Qingqiu who hated him.
”I— what is wrong with you? What the hell?”
Shen Qingqiu springs back, an offended look on his face. “I told you, you moron! It’s the chains!”
Liu Qingge tilts his head, eyes wide. “So then… you- you like me?” He squawks in astonishment. “You think that I’m endearing?!
Shen Qingqiu glares at him , looking more like a disgruntled kitten if anything, with the growing blush on his face. He bites his cheek, clearly trying to not betray himself with his words. “…yes.” He finally chokes out. Then with more venom- “Didn't I already say that, you brute?”
“Then why’d you try to kill me? In the caves?”
The other boy cocks a brow, which might be a sign that he sounds too eager. But from the way Shen Qingqiu’s eyes slightly spark with interest, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Are you even going to believe me?” The corners of his mouth lift upwards in a bitter grimace.
“Of course,” Liu Qingge says easily. Shen Qingqiu glares at him like hes stupid.
“…I never tried to kill you.” Shen Qingqiu crosses his arms in what even Liu Qingge can see is a weak attempt to shield himself, a scowl growing on his face at how he was being forced to tell the truth.
Liu Qingge blinks, his eyebrows furrowing. Normally, he wouldn't even consider Shen Qingqiu’s words, maybe even lash out at him, but judging by the boys distrustful glare and the way he shields himself, Shen Qingqiu expected that. Well, fuck.
Maybe its the alcohol from earlier, or the Soul Binding Chains themselves, but Liu Qingge thinks he might actually hear Shen Qingqiu out on this for once. “What do you mean?”
Shen Qingqiu raises a brow, growing interest evident in the twinkle in his eyes. Liu Qingge decides that he likes it more than the usual distrust, even it's almost immediately replaced with the former scowl. “There was a demon behind you, you blundering idiot. It dissipated when I struck it.”
“Oh.” Liu Qingge blinks in a daze, finally taking in everything that’s been said. “Oh.”
Goddamnit, why the hell had Shen Qingqiu let him believe that he had tried to murder him? And- Liu Qingge’s face burned- Shen Qingqiu liked him? What the hell.
He pauses, the only sound being the soft rustle of leaves and the faraway sound of a few other disciples laughing and bickering. “I like you too.” Liu Qingge says bluntly, a constipated look on his burning face.
Another pause. Shen Qingqiu lifts his head to properly face him, a baffled look on his face. “What the fuck? Clearly this isn’t working properly on you, is it because of your stronger cultivation..?” He says, drifting off into incoherent mumbles that Liu Qingge doesn’t bother deciphering.
Liu Qingges eyebrows furrow. This bastard. He sighs, averting eye contact and interrupting whatever theories the other boy was thinking of. “Shen Qingqiu, I like you. It’s working on me.”
Shen Qingqiu looks at him with a deadpan.
Liu Qingge groans internally- this stubborn prick, he really thinks that he’d lie about this? “You’re stupid-“
“I’m the scholar here.” Shen Qingqiu cuts in, using Liu Qingges own words against him, the bastard.
Liu Qingge ignores him. “I hate you. I hate your terrible, terrible trust issues and I hate how you let me- everyone, make up shit about you when it's clear that most of what they say is just exaggerated gossip. I hate how you let people think that you couldn’t care less about anyone other than yourself even if you do, so much more than you let on, and I hate that stupid thing you do with your hands when you’re thinking and oh gods it’s really cutemmf-“
Liu Qingge stops his mindless ramble, clamping his hands over his mouth. Gods, this was mortifying.
Shen Qingqiu looks at him with wide eyes that he imagines he’s mirroring before starting to snicker. “You- is that what you really think, huh? Never thought I’d hear you almost describe something as cute.” He says, a slight smirk on his face. Liu Qingge can tell that he doesn’t believe him.
Liu Qingge groans in frustration and in a flash, his lips are on Shen Qingqius.
He’s never kissed anyone before, and guessing from the way that Shen Qingqiu seems to not know what to do with his hands or mouth, he hasn’t either. Wait. He freezes - what the hell. Why the fuck did he do that? This was his sworn rival! Oh gods.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. He prepares to be shoved away, maybe punched if Shen Qingqiu decides that he was in a real bad mood today - something that Liu Qingge wouldn’t blame him for. He hasn’t even asked (something that his mother was very persistent on him doing) before doing that and -
oh.
Oh.
He’s being kissed back. He’s being kissed back by Shen Qingqiu.
Liu Qingge blanks, freezing for a moment before Shen Qingqius hands settle on his arms, snapping him out of his trance, and he wraps his arms around Shen Qingqius waist and kisses him. Really kisses him, with his hands fumbling and confused before settling them on Shen Qingqiu’s face.
…it’s much different than what he’d imagine kissing Shen Qingqiu would be like. It’s doesn’t resemble any of the infamous battles thus had, nor like the sharp tongue Shen Qingqiu normally has — its soft, and their limbs tangle together like the branches of trees brushing together with the breeze.
It’s gentle and calm and tender, words that he never even would’ve thought to associate with Shen Qingqiu before. It’s
It’s not what anybody would consider a good kiss. It’s awkward and it’s clear that neither of them know what they’re doing, but it sends electricity through his veins all the same and Liu Qingge thinks that it’s kind of nice.
It ends much sooner than Liu Qingge would’ve preferred. Shen Qingqiu pulls back, his face red with a small scowl.
Shen Qingqiu’s scowl quickly turns into a look of realization, fingers brushing against his lips absentmindedly as his mouth forms into a small grin. “So. You really meant it? The great War God of Bai Zhan really likes the trashy scum of the sect?” He laughs sincerely, his words a little more self depricating than Liu Qingge had ever even thought possible from someone like him— he'll just have to add that to the list of things that they'd figure out together.
Fr dShen Qingqiu looks up to meet Liu Qingges eyes, a smug grin plastered on his face with eyes that twinkled in amusement. “This might be the worst decision that you’ve ever made, Liu Qingge.”
“I know.” Maybe he should be asking one of the many questions running around in his head like 'why had he never cleared things up?', or 'what are we?'. He doesn’t ask. “Do we… hold hands now?” He offers, obviously not knowing what to do next.
Shen Qingqiu’s face scrunches up, scoffing as he leans closer. “No.” He says before pressing his lips to Liu Qingges again, kissing him with a confidence that wasn’t there before as Liu Qingge seems to melt against him, his lips molding to Shen Qingqius.
Shen Qingqiu kisses him with a childish delight, hands tracing Liu Qingges face and tongue exploring his mouth however he wishes- Liu Qingge takes note of how their fingers were quickly intertwined with each other despite the other boy's earlier words. Not close enough to be called holding hands but close enough, he almost says something but, god, he almost forgot how Shen Qingqiu is kissing him breathless, not allowing him any interjection. Cheeky bastard.
Liu Qingge can feel the grin that Shen Qingqiu always seems to be hiding behind a fan, and he can feel himself grinning back. They'd figure this out. Together.