Work Text:
He simply happened to pass by when those shiny, sugar-coated red things caught his eye.
The town was bustling with daytime noise: vendors and merchants calling out for customers or sales talking their wares, the giggle of children passing through even the smallest gaps in the walls, various delicious food wafting through the air. Sometimes, there is the sound of pipa and dizi coming from the tea shops; a woman's voice singing high and men's cheers as they sat around to hear the music.
Liu Qingge just came back from his nighthunt, tired and dusty as hell. His qiankun pouch empty of its usual rations, replaced by a horn of Nightshade Devouring Rhino. It was said to contain all the food you could ever wish for – a bountiful cornucopia.
Cornucopia, my ass! Liu Qingge spat. It's been days since he had the blasted thing and not even a drop of water came out. He deeply regretted not preparing enough rations to last him for a week, as he thought he wouldn't need it when he had the horn.
His tiredness made him cranky, glaring at numerous innocent pedestrians enjoying their day. He had made a kid cry more than once, causing him to pull out his night cloak to cover his unpleasant expression.
It was then he noticed a small cart near the stairs of Cang Qiong. The cart had many sticks of tanghulu, the fruit's sugar-coated appearance twinkling in the sun. Liu Qingge audibly swallowed, his stomach rumbling in hunger. In his mind, he knows those candies would ruin his appetite later. Yet, there's something in the way the light reflected on its surface, enticing him, making him forget the ordeal of his nighthunt.
He saw a middle-aged man, not quite tall but stocky, with a scruffy beard and thick eyebrows. A towel was wrapped around his neck and on his hand was an old wooden fan. The man seemed lax, flicking his wrist up and down, not bothering to call out for customers even when his cart was still full.
Liu Qingge thought him odd and pitiful. Perhaps the man is already tired? The heat was quite tolerable, but an old man like him might collapse anytime soon. His family would probably starve if this man is not able to make his sale. What fortunate luck for the old man, Liu Qingge is here to save the day!
Feeling the inside of his pockets, he found a silver ingot. Determined to help the old man, he started to approach the cart when he saw a face he never thought he'd see descending the stairs.
Shen Qingqiu saw him as well, scrunching up his nose in distaste. He was about to say something (an insult perhaps) when the middle-aged man called out to the scholar.
"A-Jiu, you're here!" came the lively greeting of the old man. Liu Qingge saw Shen Qingqiu's face soften, an expression he never saw before on the frigid disciple of Qing Jing.
"Lao Tian, have you been waiting long?" Shen Qingqiu smiled. He ignored Liu Qingge like he never saw him there, happily conversing with the old man and laughing with him.
To say he isn't shocked was an understatement. How could Shen Qingqiu – that lofty, cannot-be-touched-by-mere-peasants, aggravating scummy bastard – was able to speak so freely with a mortal like they're old friends. Wasn't he supposed to be high up on his Qing Jing peak, never to be disturbed with trivial matters of the world? Liu Qingge had to pinch his side to see if it's a dream, but the stinging pain brought him back to reality.
While he was watching them like a spooked deer, the old man gathered all the tanghulu from his cart. He handed it over to Shen Qingqiu, who gave him a string of coins. It broke him out of his stupor, stomping towards the two in an arrogant manner.
Shen Qingqiu frowned upon seeing him, turning up his nose at Liu Qingge's behavior. "What is it now, brute?" He sneered.
"I was here first," he declares. "Those are mine."
The Qing Jing disciple stared at him like he grew two heads. Then he laughed and laughed and laughed. Liu Qingge's cheeks began heating up and he wanted to do nothing but thrash the boy in front of him.
"Stop laughing!" He demanded. "And give me my tanghulus!"
Shen Qingqiu laughed until there were tears from his eyes. He poised as a proper disciple again but Liu Qingge can see the twitch on the corner of his lips. Even his shoulders trembled with the force of repressing his merriment.
"Now now, Liu-shidi," Shen Qingqiu coughed a few times to mask his giggle, "I was the one who paid for it, therefore it is mine." He waved his wrist as if to shoo him away and continued, "You can buy your tanghulus elsewhere."
In any other time, he might have backed down and conceded. After all, there's no reason to be so childish and fight Shen Qingqiu over candy. He could have gone to find another tanghulu seller, and all will be well.
But not this time.
No, this time, Liu Qingge is tired, cranky, hungry, and petty. Without preamble, he grabbed a handful of tanghulu from Shen Qingqiu's grasp, tossed him the silver ingot, then ran upstairs in his stop speed.
"You can go buy your tanghulus elsewhere!" He yelled over his shoulder. A cheeky smile spread over his face. "This tanghulu is mine!"
He was about to gobble up one stick when he detected a sharp qi behind him. He tilted his head slightly, avoiding being wounded, but the stick of tanghulu had been tragically struck and fell down.
Liu Qingge skidded to a stop. He stared at Shen Qingqiu in bewilderment, who came down from his sword.
"Give me back my tanghulus, you shameless thief," Shen Qingqiu spoke through gritted teeth. He had a stormy expression, glaring at Liu Qingge and the sticks of tangulu in his hand.
Still bewildered, the Bai Zhan disciple moved his gaze from the very angry scholar to the stick of tanghulu fallen to the ground. Keeping a tight grip of the sticks of tanghulu on his left hand, he called Cheng Luan to his right. He brandished the sword towards Shen Qingqiu, who grew even angrier.
"Liu Qingge," Shen Qingqiu spat. He pulled Xiu Ya out of its sheath. Coating it with qi, he pointed his sword to Liu Qingge. "Today, you will meet your maker."
Everything had been a blur after that.
It was unknown who made the first step but the clashing of swords was clearly heard in the hundred steps of Cang Qiong. At one point, both disciples abandoned their swords and began swinging their fists. Flesh met fist, feet kicked high up in the air, groans and grunts were filling the surroundings. Tanghulu sticks fell left and right, cracking like marbles on the bricked path.
It took a quarter of shichen before their shizuns' arrived, who were mortified at the state of their disciples. Liu Qingge was sporting a huge bruise on his cheek and his mouth might've been bleeding. Shen Qingqiu was no worse for wear, as blood dripped from his nose, his left eye blackened and swollen.
Their shizuns' furious gazes was enough to wake them up from their petty fight, heads hanging low as each peak lord began screaming of sect rules, impropriety, punishment, and shame.
"In all my life, I have never seen such recklessness — Do you think that this is proper — How could you have been childish to stoop this low — You are head disciples. HEAD DISCIPLES — I have never been so disappointed — ...expected better things from YOU — ...are in house arrest for three months — ...Sect Leader will hear about — ...reflect on yourselves —"
In the end, both of them were sent to Qian Cao for treatment. They trudged beside each other reluctantly, unspeaking.
Liu Qingge broke first. "I'm sorry," he said. "I- I don't know why I did that."
Shen Qingqiu scoffed. "A mindless brute like you not thinking before acting? What a shocker."
The Bai Zhan disciple took a deep breath. He's trying to make amends but Shen Qingqiu is so difficult! He didn't want to engage into another pointless fight and get them in even deeper trouble, so he tempered his urge to hit the Qing Jing brat.
"I'm apologizing sincerely," he said slowly, leveling a calm composure. "It was my mistake. I shouldn't have taken your tanghulus."
"Damn right, you shouldn't have!" Shen Qingqiu growled. It took Liu Qingge by surprise. His prickly shixiong was never one to be straightforward in his displeasure, usually going a roundabout way using fancy words and hidden threats. The incident today had made Shen Qingqiu crankier than a housewife. His perfect brows were furrowed and his forehead creased in deep dissatisfaction. His lips were pursed into a pout while he huddled his arms over his chest. The bruises on his face surely made him more bratty-looking but also profoundly human. Gone is the perfect Qing Jing disciple who is only cold and cruel. Here, Shen Qingqiu is just Shen-shixiong, a teenage disciple like him.
Shen Qingqiu huffed and puffed, pointedly not looking at Liu Qingge. They settled in silence as they walked, the sound of the soft wind tickling their ears.
Liu Qingge faked a cough. Shen Qingqiu gave him a judgmental side eye. The Bai Zhan brat offered a small smile before holding out his left hand. A single tanghulu was still on the stick. A single eyebrow was raised, to which Liu Qingge shrugged and said, "Peace offering."
The Qing Jing disciple scoffed but took it nonetheless. "Better than nothing," he said, nibbling at the candy. "This doesn't mean I forgive you. You owe me many sticks of tanghulu!"
"En, en," Liu Qingge sighed. The sound of his shixiong munching happily tickled his stomach, giving a loud growl of hunger in return.
Shen Qingqiu eyed him pitifully. Deciding to do a good deed, he bit the candy in half, giving the other piece to Liu Qingge. The hungry boy simply stared at it.
"What?" Shen Qingqiu asked impatiently. "If you don't want it then –"
CHOMP!
Liu Qingge quickly gobbled up the candy before the scholar could even finish his sentence.
"Gross!" Shen Qingqiu whined. Then he grumpily muttered,"Now you owe me more."
Liu Qingge nodded, "En, en."
–
Shen Qingqiu awoke to the smell of fruity sugary scent.
His husband, seeing him awake, placed the plate of tanghulu sticks on the table. He picked up one stick and brought it to Shen Qingqiu.
"I brought your favorite," Liu Qingge said. He took one bite and offered the rest to his pretty husband. "Lao Tian's delivery came early so I had to meet him. Did you get cold without me?"
Shen Qingqiu stared at his husband's face, expression unreadable. Then he pulled him in for a kiss. Liu Qingge indulged him, gently holding his waist as he continued to chase the sweetness on his husband's lips.
When he pulled away, Liu Qingge's candy was in his mouth. His husband looked at him in reverence and Shen Qingqiu felt like drowning in his husband's eyes.
He placed one last kiss on Liu Qingge's lips, whispering, "You owe me tanghulu sticks."
His husband chuckled, holding his waist tighter as he nodded, "En, en."