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Part 2 of a dragon’s hoard
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Published:
2023-02-05
Completed:
2024-04-13
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overgrown lizard

Summary:

Shen Qingqiu marries a dragon.

In retrospect, Liu Qingge doesn’t know what else he expected.

Chapter 1: overgrown lizard

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The moment Liu Qingge returns to the castle, Qi Qingqi welcomes him back with the news that Shen Qingqiu has run off with a dragon.

“He what,” is Liu Qingge’s extremely intelligible and yet completely unsurprised response.

Cleaning up after Shen Qingqiu and catering to as many of the man’s whims as possible is nothing new to Liu Qingge.

No one knows where the previous Emperor found Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu. But he adopted the two boys as his own, and Liu Qingge has known both since childhood.

Yue Qingyuan has doted on Shen Qingqiu for as long as Liu Qingge can remember. Somehow, Liu Qingge picked up many of the same habits. And now that Yue Qingyuan is Emperor, Liu Qingge is the one trusted to look after the Crown Prince.

Liu Qingge’s official title is Captain of the Royal Guard, but the Kingdom of Cang Qiong hasn’t been at war since Liu Qingge took his father’s position. Liu Qingge has his late mother and adoptive sister to thank for that.

Liu Qingge’s mother was the previous Emperor’s most trusted assassin. When Liu Mingyan was still just a toddler, Liu Qingge’s mother was cursed on a reconnaissance mission. The kingdom’s healer could only buy her a few more years at most, so the Liu family adopted Qi Qingqi, and Liu Qingge’s mother trained her to maintain peace from the shadows.

Sometimes people expect Liu Qingge, the shining sword of the Royal Guard, the premier example of Cang Qiong’s morality, to object to subterfuge. But Liu Qingge doesn’t care how peace in Cang Qiong is maintained as long as it is. He’s just thankful Qi Qingqi has the capacity for subtlety that Liu Qingge sorely lacks. He’s also glad that Liu Mingyan has chosen to follow in her older sister’s footsteps instead of his.

Liu Qingge doesn’t know how to teach people. Knowing Mingyan, she’d teach herself everything even in the face of Liu Qingge’s inadequacy as an instructor, but it’s good that she doesn’t have to. The only person who has ever chosen to train under Liu Qingge long enough to learn most of what he has to offer is Yang Yixuan, and that’s why Yang Yixuan is now Liu Qingge’s second in command. Which really just means that Yang Yixuan manages everything relating to the Royal Guard while Liu Qingge runs around retrieving things for Shen Qingqiu and, occasionally, Shen Qingqiu himself.

Liu Qingge sighs. “Do you know anything about this dragon?”

Qi Qingqi rolls her eyes. “Don’t ask such insulting questions, little brother. The dragon is in one of the abandoned palaces on the edge of Huan Hua territory. Typical red dragon. Breathes fire. Flies.”

Liu Qingge frowns. “Is Huan Hua harboring the dragon?”

Qi Qingqi grins sharply. “Not anymore. You should congratulate Mingyan before you leave.”

Liu Qingge knows better than to ask why. The more ignorance he can plead, the better for Cang Qiong. “Where is she?” Liu Qingge had been planning to find Mingyan anyway. If he leaves on another trip without telling his little sister, she’ll start using him to test her traps again.

“Courtyard,” Qi Qingqi says. “Good luck with your crown prince, little brother!”

Liu Qingge scoffs, not deigning her teasing with a response. His sisters were the ones to spell out how Liu Qingge’s feelings toward Shen Qingqiu extended far beyond friendship. Liu Qingge isn’t one for idle chatter, but he’ll listen to Shen Qingqiu ramble for hours. Liu Qingge doesn’t do favors for others, but Shen Qingqiu only has to mention a beast or book once for Liu Qingge to find it.

So, Liu Qingge knows how he feels about Shen Qingqiu, but he refuses to do anything about it. What he currently has with Shen Qingqiu is fine. Liu Qingge doesn’t think Shen Qingqiu has ever thought of him that way, and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. He’s also concerned that Shen Qingqiu will suggest that Liu Qingge stop acting as his personal guard if he catches wind of Liu Qingge’s feelings. Liu Qingge doesn’t want to entrust Shen Qingqiu’s safety to anyone else.

When Liu Qingge finds Mingyan to congratulate her and say goodbye, she teases him about Shen Qingqiu too. Sadists, the pair of his sisters.

—

Shen Qingqiu is kissing a man.

Well. There go Liu Qingge’s hopes that Shen Qingqiu was uninterested because of his sexuality. There was scant chance of that anyway, but here is Liu Qingge’s confirmation. In the form of a tall, devastatingly handsome man attempting to devour Shen Qingqiu’s face.

The man has a pair of curling black horns growing out of a head of curlier dark hair. There’s also a long red tail wrapped around Shen Qingqiu’s waist. So this is the dragon.

Liu Qingge leans against the doorway and begins to polish Cheng Luan. There’s nothing else to do, really. It can take up to an hour for Shen Qingqiu to notice Liu Qingge’s presence when he’s completely absorbed in his most recent interest. This wait will probably take longer, given that the subject Shen Qingqiu is occupied with is an annoyingly attractive man.

Liu Qingge doesn’t know exactly how long he waits. But he arrived when it was daylight, and it’s dark outside by the time Shen Qingqiu finally exclaims, “Liu-di! What are you doing here?” Shen Qingqiu flushes bright red, apparently remembering what Liu Qingge walked in on. “Did we keep you waiting long? I’m sorry, Liu-di.”

At least Shen Qingqiu doesn’t seem upset to see him. “No,” Liu Qingge lies. “I just got here.”

Shen Qingqiu looks relieved, which Liu Qingge thinks completely justifies his lying. Shen Qingqiu glances at the man standing just behind him, one arm wrapped possessively around Shen Qingqiu’s waist. Shen Qingqiu blushes again when he says, “Liu-di, this is Luo Binghe. My…”

“Boyfriend,” Luo Binghe finishes for him.

“Nice to meet you,” Liu Qingge lies again. Twice in the span of a minute, a record for him. He turns back to Shen Qingqiu. “Will you come back to Cang Qiong if you can marry him.”

Liu Qingge knows Shen Qingqiu. To kiss someone like that, Shen Qingqiu is already irrevocably attached. And Liu Qingge can tell that Luo Binghe also will not be easily separated from Shen Qingqiu.

Liu Qingge has no real reasons to object to Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe’s relationship anyway. If Luo Binghe loves Shen Qingqiu, the dragon will protect Shen Qingqiu with his life. And a dragon is a stronger adversary than Liu Qingge will ever be. Furthermore, gaining a dragon as an ally through marriage will only strengthen Cang Qiong.

“Oh,” Shen Qingqiu says. “Do you think Yue-ge will agree?”

“Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge says. “Has your brother ever told you no?”

Shen Qingqiu considers this for several more seconds than Liu Qingge thinks it warrants. “That one time I wanted to keep a manticore?”

“That was me,” Liu Qingge corrects him. “Yue Qingyuan still said yes.”

“Oh,” Shen Qingqiu says. “Then I guess he never has.”

“So come home and marry your dragon,” Liu Qingge says. Liu Qingge waits for Shen Qingqiu to nod before he turns around and walks away. He’s sure Luo Binghe would rather travel alone with his new fiancé. And quite frankly, Liu Qingge wants to see as little of the dragon who won Shen Qingqiu’s heart as possible.

—

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to avoid Luo Binghe while Liu Qingge still acts as Shen Qingqiu’s personal guard. And Luo Binghe’s guard, by extension.

There was plenty of opposition to Shen Qingqiu’s marriage to a dragon. Many are convinced that Luo Binghe forced Shen Qingqiu, the pure and unsullied pearl of Cang Qiong, into marriage.

Liu Qingge has trained himself to sleep almost instantly at any location and to wake at the slightest suspicious movement of surrounding air. Liu Qingge’s rooms are directly across from Shen Qingqiu’s, and Liu Qingge always leaves his doors open. Typically, that’s enough for him to feel that he can sleep in a bed and still manage to protect Shen Qingqiu if necessary.

One might think that Liu Qingge would feel more reassured now that Shen Qingqiu sleeps with a dragon, but the problem is that the entire kingdom knows Luo Binghe is a dragon. Discovering exploitable weaknesses of dragons is as simple as picking up a beast compendium and flipping to the correct section.

And while most people who want to kill Luo Binghe believe such would be in Shen Qingqiu’s best interests, Liu Qingge knows otherwise. Shen Qingqiu would be devastated if his husband died.

Luo Binghe also has an additional weakness in Shen Qingqiu. In the weeks of wedding preparations preceding the ceremony, Liu Qingge has come to realize that Luo Binghe truly loves Shen Qingqiu, which means that Luo Binghe will give his life if it means saving his husband.

So Liu Qingge begins sleeping while leaning against the wall outside Shen Qingqiu’s door a few days after the wedding. His paranoia is rewarded on the second night when he catches a hooded figure trying to sneak into Shen Qingqiu’s rooms.

Within a few seconds, Liu Qingge has the man pressed against the wall where Liu Qingge was just sleeping, with the edge of Cheng Luan on the intruder’s neck. “Why are you here,” Liu Qingge demands.

“Captain Liu,” the man stammers, and Liu Qingge narrows his eyes. This is one of his soldiers? Well, he won’t be for much longer.

“The dragon– the dragon is dangerous, Captain. Shen Qingqiu deserves better than such a beastly man.” The intruder spits out the last word with vitriol, and Liu Qingge contemplates the temptation of pushing Cheng Luan much further into this man’s neck.

He decides against it. Liu Qingge doesn’t know how to make this look like an accident or dispose of a body. He’ll just let his sisters take care of this idiot.

“What’s your name,” Liu Qingge says.

The idiot presses his lips together, glaring now that it’s obvious Liu Qingge is unsympathetic.

“Fine,” Liu Qingge says. He steps back and sheathes Cheng Luan, letting the idiot stumble forward before trapping him in a chokehold and holding it until he passes out. Liu Qingge goes to his room to retrieve some rope, and when he returns to the hallway, Luo Binghe is looming over the unconscious heap.

Liu Qingge ignores the dragon as he secures the intruder. “This is why you’ve been sleeping outside our door?” Luo Binghe asks. There’s an incredulous note to his tone that Liu Qingge doesn’t understand.

Liu Qingge is sure he doesn’t want to know what Luo Binghe is implying, though. “Yes,” Liu Qingge says shortly, returning to his leaning position and closing his eyes. Hopefully, Luo Binghe will take the hint and go back to sleep.

No such luck. Luo Binghe doesn’t return to Shen Qingqiu’s room, instead asking, “What are you going to do with him?”

“Turn him over to my sisters,” Liu Qingge responds, keeping his eyes shut.

“You know, dragons consider it disrespectful when people don’t make eye contact during conversations.”

Liu Qingge opens his eyes and glares at Luo Binghe. “It’s the middle of the night.”

Luo Binghe tilts his head. “Ah, but you always avoid meeting my eyes. You don’t like me very much, do you, Captain?”

There is a threatening undercurrent to Luo Binghe’s words. Liu Qingge doesn’t know what lack of self-preservation pushes him to say, “Does it matter if I don’t?”

Luo Binghe’s responding smile is sharp and full of lethal promise. “It matters,” he murmurs, deathly quiet, “if you intend to do something about it.”

Liu Qingge scowls. “If I was going to do anything, I would have by now,” he snaps.

Luo Binghe leans back and studies him. Liu Qingge hates it.

Luo Binghe is a good few centimeters taller than Liu Qingge when they’re both standing straight, but the difference is stark now that Liu Qingge is leaning against a wall and defensively hunching down. It makes Liu Qingge feel like prey.

Liu Qingge knows Luo Binghe noticed Liu Qingge as soon as he walked in on Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe kissing. Preventing Shen Qingqiu from noticing Liu Qingge for that long was entirely on purpose.

And if Luo Binghe didn’t know Liu Qingge was still in love with Shen Qingqiu, now he does. Liu Qingge has all but confirmed that his feelings haven’t changed. He’s also basically admitted that he will never do anything about them, like some pathetic coward.

Liu Qingge chose this hopeless pining, and he would do the same again. Because Shen Qingqiu loves Luo Binghe. But the fact that Luo Binghe knows makes Liu Qingge feel like he’s lost a war he never intended to wage. Like Luo Binghe is a conquering king, and Liu Qingge is the disgraced enemy general at his mercy.

But there’s nothing Liu Qingge can do about Luo Binghe knowing. So Liu Qingge closes his eyes again, and this time, Luo Binghe leaves.

—

Six months after Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe’s marriage, Liu Qingge starts to feel like he can let his guard down. It’s been two weeks since the last nighttime intruder tried to sneak past Liu Qingge and a full month since Qi Qingqi and Liu Mingyan uncovered an assassination plot.

Luo Binghe won over the people of Cang Qiong rather quickly. He’s charismatic, handsome, and openly doting on their beloved Crown Prince. Such a perfect husband that all their condemnations about how dangerous beasts like dragons are have transformed into praises about how wonderful it is for Cang Qiong to have a protector as strong as a dragon.

Of course, this is when the most successful assassination plot finally unfolds.

Liu Qingge recognizes the delayed sedative in his food from his first bite. He spits it out, but this drug is potent enough to instantly absorb through the tongue. Whoever planned this knows that the Liu family is experienced in these fields.

Yue Qingyuan is away on a diplomatic mission, which is undoubtedly also intentional. So Liu Qingge can only alert Qi Qingqi, Liu Mingyan, and Yang Yixuan. Liu Qingge retires to his bedroom after. He won’t be of any use if he passes out in the middle of a fight.

He hears a commotion in the hallway outside his rooms moments before the sedative kicks in. As soon as he regains consciousness, Liu Qingge rushes to Shen Qingqiu’s rooms.

He’s too late. The attackers are subdued and secured, but they’ve already achieved what they wanted. They poisoned Luo Binghe.

Shen Qingqiu is catatonic. It hurts to see. Qi Qingqi quietly tells Liu Qingge that Luo Binghe allowed himself to be poisoned when he threw himself in front of Shen Qingqiu.

Liu Qingge kneels before Shen Qingqiu and places both hands on his shoulders. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t react.

“Shen Qingqiu,” Liu Qingge says. “I need you to tell me what Luo Binghe is poisoned with and where I can find the antidote.”

Yes, dragons have weaknesses. But if they could be so easily and quickly killed, they would not be creatures of legend. Dragons cannot be so effortlessly felled, not even by the strongest of poisons they are vulnerable to. At the very least, Luo Binghe has a few more days before this poison kills him.

Some clarity returns to Shen Qingqiu’s gaze. “Liu-di?” he whispers. “You’ll save him?”

“I will,” Liu Qingge promises.

—

The poison is called Stolen Fire Returned Ice. For fire-breathing dragons like Luo Binghe, it’s the fastest-acting and most deadly kind of poison. The concoction will slowly eat away at the fire that is Luo Binghe’s lifeblood, all the while replacing it with ice.

It’s a cruel way to kill a dragon. Fire-breathing dragons are creatures that never experience true cold in their lifetimes. Not unless they die from ice freezing over all the places they once harbored fire.

Shen Qingqiu thinks his husband has five days.

The Ever-Burning Fire Petal Lily will burn out the poison freezing over Luo Binghe’s veins and replenish his fire. It grows around volcanic vents.

The closest volcano is to the far south. The journey to and from will take six days with the bare minimum amount of rest possible.

The people who want Luo Binghe dead must have calculated that, too.

Well, fuck them. Liu Qingge will sooner die than live to see Shen Qingqiu’s happiness torn away like this.

Liu Qingge doesn’t sleep for four days straight, and on the morning of the fifth day, he returns with several crushed flowers stuffed into a sack. He shoves the bag at Shen Qingqiu and tells Yang Yixuan to guard their door tonight before returning to his room and passing out immediately.

An indeterminate number of hours later, Liu Qingge wakes up when his bedroom door opens, even though the intruder doesn’t make a sound slipping into his room. He stares into the darkness and asks, “Did Yang Yixuan die?”

There’s a snapping sound before a small flame appears on Luo Binghe’s fingertips. The flickering light doesn’t illuminate Luo Binghe’s face very well, but the man is inside Liu Qingge’s bedroom doing fire lizard magic, so Liu Qingge figures the antidote worked.

“Yang Yixuan is fine,” Luo Binghe says.

“Okay,” Liu Qingge responds. He stares at Luo Binghe, who doesn’t leave. “Then why are you here,” he asks flatly.

Luo Binghe’s expression twists a few times before he finally says, “No one would have blamed you if you didn’t return in time.”

Liu Qingge crosses his arms. “Are you telling me you wanted to die?”

“No,” Luo Binghe snaps. “I’m asking why you didn’t let me die.”

“You’re very stupid,” Liu Qingge informs Shen Qingqiu’s stupid dragon, “if you think I’ve ever wanted you dead.”

Luo Binghe scowls at Liu Qingge. “I don’t understand,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re in love with him.”

“And what part of that,” Liu Qingge says, “makes you think there’s anything I would put before his happiness?”

With that, Liu Qingge rolls over, turning his back on Luo Binghe. Shen Qingqiu’s husband is the absolute last person with whom Liu Qingge wants to discuss his hopeless feelings for Shen Qingqiu. Especially now, when Liu Qingge has just gone four days without sleeping to save said husband.

Ungrateful overgrown lizard.

—

Luo Binghe is stalking Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge walks to a rarely used part of the castle before turning around. “What do you want,” he says to the stone walls of an empty hallway.

A cat-sized dragon slinks out from behind a wooden beam in the rafters. A few moments later, Luo Binghe, in all his taller-than-Liu-Qingge glory, stands before Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge winces, just a little. He hopes that someday, the mind-bending physics of Luo Binghe transforming multiple times in the span of seconds will stop giving him a headache.

Luo Binghe smirks at him, and Liu Qingge glares back. Of course Luo Binghe is a nuisance to Liu Qingge on purpose. Irritating magic-abusing lizard.

“Fight me,” Luo Binghe says.

Liu Qingge stares at him. “You want to kill me?”

Luo Binghe looks offended, even though Liu Qingge is certain Luo Binghe would have answered yes without hesitation before the poisoning fiasco. Liu Qingge only asked because he was surprised to hear Luo Binghe state his intentions so openly.

“I won’t fight as a dragon,” Luo Binghe says, as though Luo Binghe couldn’t still kill Liu Qingge nearly as effortlessly in his human form.

Luo Binghe stares expectantly at Liu Qingge. “No,” Liu Qingge says.

Luo Binghe pouts, and the expression makes Liu Qingge want to strangle something. Preferably himself, but a small animal will have to do. “Martial arts,” Luo Binghe says. “No cutting injuries.”

Liu Qingge levels an unimpressed glare at Luo Binghe. Does this dragon really think Liu Qingge is scared of getting hurt?

Luo Binghe pouts harder, and Liu Qingge really, really wishes Luo Binghe wasn’t so infuriatingly good-looking. “Everyone knows Captain Liu Qingge is the greatest warrior in the Royal Guard,” Luo Binghe says. “None of your other soldiers will be able to entertain me for more than a second.”

Liu Qingge scoffs and walks away.

Flattery will get Luo Binghe nowhere.

—

But being a human-shaped furnace that can apparently just decide to radiate all the heat of an erupting volcano will get Luo Binghe somewhere.

“Can you tone that thing down,” Liu Qingge snaps, “I’ve already agreed to fight you.”

Luo Binghe blinks innocently while the air around him heats up even more. “What thing, Captain?”

In a severe lapse of judgment that Liu Qingge blames on heatstroke, he throws off his sweat-drenched shirt in frustration.

Liu Qingge doesn’t remember that Shen Qingqiu came to watch his husband fight until he hears a choked sound nearby. But before Liu Qingge can pick his shirt up, shove it back on, and apologize, Luo Binghe launches himself at Liu Qingge, looking as smug as a cat that got the cream.

More than a second turns out to be a grand total of four. One to knock Liu Qingge off balance, another to push Liu Qingge down, the next to land on top of Liu Qingge, and the final to pin Liu Qingge’s wrists above his head.

It takes another four seconds for Liu Qingge to realize how compromising his position is. Liu Qingge is shirtless, and Luo Binghe is straddling him.

Liu Qingge can’t believe this is happening in front of Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe’s husband.

“You— get off me,” Liu Qingge barely manages, all too aware of how heated his face is. And with his shirt off, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe can clearly see how far down his chest his blush extends.

This is mortifying. Liu Qingge should have succumbed to death by being cooked alive rather than subject himself to this.

Luo Binghe tilts his head, smirking at Liu Qingge. “Why would I do that?” He glances toward Shen Qingqiu for a moment, and his grin only widens when he looks back down at Liu Qingge. “My husband seems to be enjoying the view.”

Liu Qingge refuses to look at Shen Qingqiu to verify Luo Binghe’s words, but Shen Qingqiu doesn’t voice any objections, which only renews the flush on Liu Qingge’s face and chest.

Liu Qingge is decidedly unwilling to squirm under Luo Binghe when Luo Binghe is straddling him, and it’s doubtful Liu Qingge could break free unless Luo Binghe allows him to anyway. So Liu Qingge closes his eyes, which makes Luo Binghe laugh.

“Captain,” Luo Binghe coos. “You’re surprisingly cute like this.”

Despite recognizing the futility of struggling, Liu Qingge can’t just lay there after Luo Binghe says that. So he jerks away from Luo Binghe, and surprisingly, Luo Binghe lets him up.

After Liu Qingge retrieves his discarded shirt, he hears Luo Binghe say, “Join us for dinner, Captain.”

Liu Qingge doesn’t want to look at him or his husband, so he pretends to have gone spontaneously deaf.

Then Shen Qingqiu says, “Please, Liu-di? I miss you.”

Liu Qingge’s head snaps up toward Shen Qingqiu. He looks between the two men staring at him, one smug and the other hopeful. But what surprises Liu Qingge is the hunger written across Luo Binghe’s face. And the echoes of something similar in Shen Qingqiu’s expression.

Liu Qingge swallows roughly, and both pairs of eyes follow the movement of his throat. The realization makes Liu Qingge feel light-headed.

Not trusting himself to speak, Liu Qingge nods, then turns around and walks away from the couple as fast as he can without running.

Liu Qingge doesn’t understand what just happened, what it means, or what they want from him, but he needs to kill several things. Immediately.

—

Liu Qingge learns Luo Binghe is exceptionally skilled in the culinary arts over the next few weeks. The first time Liu Qingge tried Luo Binghe’s congee, he let out an involuntary sound of surprise that instantly drew the attention of both Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Liu Qingge refused to look at anything but his congee bowl for the rest of that meal.

Luo Binghe also keeps picking fights with Liu Qingge, which invariably end with Liu Qingge pinned underneath Luo Binghe’s weight in one compromising position or another. Admittedly, Liu Qingge doesn’t try very hard to avoid being goaded into fights. Liu Qingge is easily distracted by how Shen Qingqiu visibly brightens when Luo Binghe starts taunting Liu Qingge.

Liu Qingge tries not to think too hard about it.

That lasts until Liu Qingge gets up after yet another dinner with Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe, and Shen Qingqiu says, “Liu-di, why don’t you stand guard in our bedroom tonight?”

Luo Binghe isn’t in the room when Shen Qingqiu asks. Liu Qingge is just turning toward the kitchen to look for him when Luo Binghe seemingly materializes at his side.

“You know, Liu Qingge,” Luo Binghe purrs, pulling Liu Qingge closer with an arm around his waist, “dragons don’t like to share.” A tail wraps around Liu Qingge’s leg, snaking upwards, and Luo Binghe bites Liu Qingge’s ear before whispering, “But we love to hoard.”

Notes:

Honorable mentions for my favorite lines:
> the man is inside Liu Qingge’s bedroom doing fire lizard magic
> “You’re very stupid,” Liu Qingge informs Shen Qingqiu’s stupid dragon

Chapter 2: proposal thief

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“You know,” Luo Binghe says, “you stole my proposal.”

Liu Qingge turns to look at the man, who’s just entered the room where Liu Qingge is training.

“What,” Liu Qingge says when Luo Binghe doesn’t elaborate.

Luo Binghe walks over to where Liu Qingge is standing. “Why don’t you ever ask me to train with you?”

“You ask me to fight every other day. I don’t need to train more with you.”

“You’re so mean to me. What if I just wanted to watch you train?”

Liu Qingge eyes Luo Binghe suspiciously. “Why?”

Luo Binghe sighs dramatically. “You invite another man into you and your husband’s bed, and he still doesn’t realize you find him attractive. Woe is me.”

Liu Qingge’s ears burn. Of course, he’s realized that Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu find him attractive. But… “What does that have to do with my training?” he demands.

Luo Binghe stares at Liu Qingge for a beat, then shakes his head. “Never mind.” He waves a hand. “Go on, I’ll just watch.”

—

A few days later, Liu Qingge remembers what Luo Binghe said about his proposal. He makes his way into the kitchen after dinner, where Luo Binghe is washing dishes.

Luo Binghe looks up. “Qingge?”

“What did you mean by I stole your proposal?” Liu Qingge asks.

“Oh,” Luo Binghe says. “I mean, you basically proposed for both me and Shen Qingqiu.”

Liu Qingge frowns. “Does that bother you?”

Luo Binghe tilts his head. “Hmm.” He taps his fingers on the countertop. “It bothered me more before I decided I wanted you as well.”

Liu Qingge flushes red. How can Luo Binghe just say things like that? He shakes his head. “Is there anything I can do?” he asks, ignoring Luo Binghe’s last statement.

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Luo Binghe says. “Unless you plan to propose, there isn’t much.”

—

Every six months or so, Luo Binghe leaves the palace for a day or two to let his full dragon form spread its wings. There’s only so long that a dragon can get away with staying in a human or miniature form of itself, after all.

Liu Qingge watches as Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe embrace. If he’s being honest, he still feels a bit out of place in a scene like this. It reminds him of the day he first met Luo Binghe.

Except here and now, Luo Binghe opens his eyes and lifts a hand from Shen Qingqiu’s back to gesture Liu Qingge over. As Liu Qingge approaches, Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe separate.

“Qingge,” Luo Binghe says, beaming at him.

Liu Qingge’s cheeks heat. “…Binghe,” he says quietly. Luo Binghe’s smile grows even wider.

“You’ll take care of Qingqiu, won’t you?”

Does Luo Binghe even need to ask? “Of course,” Liu Qingge says.

He’s unprepared when Luo Binghe also wraps him in an embrace. “And take care of yourself as well,” Luo Binghe says in Liu Qingge’s ear.

Hesitantly, Liu Qingge wraps his arms around Luo Binghe in return. “You… also take care,” he mumbles.

It’s a few more seconds before Luo Binghe draws back. “Alright, husband and boyfriend,” he chirps cheerfully. “I’ll see you both in a few days.”

“Mn,” Shen Qingqiu says, stepping to Liu Qingge’s side. “Come back safe.”

Shen Qingqiu leans against Liu Qingge as Luo Binghe mounts a horse and rides off. “And he’s gone,” Shen Qingqiu says wistfully.

Liu Qingge stays quiet for several more seconds, watching as the figure of Luo Binghe becomes a speck in the distance. “Do dragons have hypersensitive hearing?”

Shen Qingqiu turns to Liu Qingge, blinking. “In their dragon form, yes. But not in their human form.” He tilts his head. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you think Luo Binghe can hear us now?” Liu Qingge asks instead of answering.

Shen Qingqiu shakes his head. “Even in his dragon form, he’d be too far away now.”

Liu Qingge takes a deep breath. “How do I propose to Luo Binghe?”

—

A few months later, Shen Qingqiu suggests that the three of them observe unicorns during their mating season, and Liu Qingge knows this is his chance. Right before they leave, he tucks the box containing the ring he had a jeweler make weeks ago into his inner robes.

Shen Qingqiu first catches sight of the unicorns and rushes ahead, with Luo Binghe trailing close behind. Liu Qingge follows and drops to one knee behind Luo Binghe, pulling the ring box out of his robes.

When Luo Binghe turns around, it takes him a moment to see Liu Qingge kneeling in front of him. He gapes for a second before whispering, “Qingge?”

Liu Qingge swallows, hard. “Luo Binghe,” he says. “Will you marry me?”

Luo Binghe just stares at Liu Qingge for a few seconds, and Liu Qingge’s heart drops. Only after Shen Qingqiu nudges Luo Binghe does the man seem to come to his senses. “I— yes. Of course.” He extends his hand, and Liu Qingge lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Luo Binghe then looks at Shen Qingqiu. “But we were…”

Shen Qingqiu smiles at Liu Qingge. “Liu-di, why don’t you get up? I have something for you, too.”

Liu Qingge rises to his feet, uncertain. What could Shen Qingqiu have for him?

Without warning, Shen Qingqiu drops to one knee and pulls a small box out of his robes as well. “Liu Qingge,” Shen Qingqiu says. “Will you marry us?”

Liu Qingge’s heart catches in his throat. “Yes,” he whispers. His hand shakes as Shen Qingqiu places the ring on his finger.

Luo Binghe then wraps Liu Qingge in a tight hug. “I’m sorry,” he says into Liu Qingge’s ear. “I wasn’t expecting you to propose, knowing that I had planned a proposal with Qingqiu.”

“I planned it with Shen Qingqiu, too,” Liu Qingge says.

Luo Binghe laughs and draws away from Liu Qingge, looking over at Shen Qingqiu. “Then I suppose he got one over both of us.”

Shen Qingqiu just smiles. “It’s not my fault the two of you asked me for help with proposing to each other.”

“No,” Liu Qingge agrees. “It’s not.”

Notes:

happy Bingliu week!!

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