Chapter Text
“Shidiiii! Oh shidiiii, why are you running from me?”
Liu Qingge, terrified of that melodic voice, was running through a thick forest, trying to escape, trying to get a grip on himself. He was overheated and dizzy with the poison that coursed through him, and his body was reacting in the most shameful way ever since that voice started to call to him.
It was a little embarrassing to find himself in this situation, especially after he was thoroughly warned of this very possibility. Of course, he played off the threat as non-existent, he would never admit that vulnerability in front of his shixiong.
And he had the antidote, had it in his very hands! But like the idiot he was, it was dropped somewhere along his escape route; his fumbling hands unable to open the jar before losing it. Cheng Luan was lost somewhere along the way too, dropped in a moment of weakness, unwilling to bear the thought of running through his enemy that bore that face.
Liu Qingge realized he was losing this fight, his body becoming increasingly sluggish and weak as he made his way through the uneven and difficult terrain of the woods. He would need to find a secure hiding place, or his shixiong would need to come to his rescue if he expected to survive this night.
He stumbled over a collapsed log, falling flat on his face, his head slamming into the hard frozen ground leaving him disoriented. He carefully turned over onto his back, trying to catch the breath that was knocked from his body. His heart slowly filled with dread as he could hear the sound of someone approaching.
This was it, he thought, the end of the war god. All because he was too foolish to take the risks seriously, too arrogant that he left his mission partner back at camp, too scared to admit his own feelings.
“Ahhhh, shidi there you are. There is no need for you to run from me anymore.” Shen Qingqiu’s image slowly came into his view, a beautiful smile splayed across his face as he knelt next to Liu Qingge.
The other man reached out his hand and placed it on his stomach before seductively sliding it up his body to curl it around the back of his head, a sweet caress that almost undid the war god completely.
“I know that you want this master.” Liu Qingge whimpered at the other’s hand started to thread through his hair. “of course, you may deny it, but the effects of the wraith’s poison never lie.”
His martial sibling rose slowly, “Should I show you what you have been missing all these years?” He watched as the man reached to undue the green belt around his own waist. Liu Qingge tried to get up, tried to fight the growing wrongness of his desire, knowing he needed to escape if he was to have a chance. But a slender leg pushed him back down against the dirt.
Shen Qingqiu’s smile widened, revealing a row of sharp fangs; distorting the refined and elegant image of the man Liu Qingge had loved half of his life.
Where had it all gone wrong?
***
“It's called a heart wraith, a very rare but very dangerous demon, even to seasoned immortal cultivators under the right circumstances.” Shen Qingqiu stated in his usual know-it-all tone while he stuffed a set of extra pale green robes into his quicken pouch. Turning to Liu Qingge, he continued “It has been making the rounds along some of Huang Hua’s border towns. There is word of over 3 dozen deaths, and of course no response from Huang Hua palace.” The other man’s words were dripping with disdain. Liu Qingge was just glad his shixiong was on their sect’s side. Woe be to those scorned by the Qing Jing peak lord.
“Surely it won’t be any trouble for the War God and the Xiu Ya sword to handle.” Liu Qingge scoffed, when were any of his missions more than he could handle? Besides, Shen Qingqiu and himself made an excellent and effective team, which was why Yue Qingyuan had tasked them with dispatching this problem.
Liu Qingge observed his shixiong, eyes glued to the other man as he prepared for their imminent departure. He watched the other retrieve a pair of elaborately decorated guards and proceed to tie them over his delicate wrists. Pride filled Liu Qingge as he recognized the guards, a gift he had presented to the other as an apology over a year ago. His heart warmed in satisfaction at the thought of the other man using them.
He was reminded of how far their relationship had come in the past two years, since the day his shixiong had saved him from a deadly qi deviation in the Ling Xi caves. He was grateful then, and even more so now that they had become friends. It had taken some time and a lot of groveling for Shen Qingqiu to forgive him for his countless slights and barbaric behavior. He considered it the great shame of his life, that he had so misjudged the other man, and to realize that his own character was blinded by prejudice.
“Are you even listening to me?” Shen Qingqiu turned to him in a huff, with his hands placed on his hips and a look of exasperation on his face. This only drew the War God’s attention to the other man’s narrow waist, perfectly proportioned to the rest of his body. Everything about Shen Qingqiu was perfect, a god in human form. There were ballads sung about the cold and aloof beauty of the Xiu Ya sword.
Liu Qingge knows he has it bad, has known for a while. It may have taken some uncomfortable and embarrassing conversations with his sister, but he was enlightened. It was a shock to realize he wanted to be more than friends with his martial brother. How suddenly their entire tumultuous relationship could be summed up as nothing more than sexual tension, at least on his part. It was a hard pill to swallow and one he would never admit to his shixiong.
Besides, Shen Qingqiu obviously preferred the company of women. He tried his best to bury his feelings of jealousy, it wasn’t Shen Qingqiu’s fault he felt this way. And he certainly would never risk their newfound friendship to ask for more.
“LIU QINGGE!”
“Yes, yes shixiong, I am listening. The heart wraith exploits and feeds off love.” He sighs, trying to wrangle in his own distracted mind. It wouldn’t do to have the other man realize why he was so unfocused all the time, a problem he has been struggling with more and more lately.
“Will this be a problem for Qingge?” Shen Qingqiu turns to stare at him, waiting expectantly for him to answer the question. He feels his heart skip a beat with those striking green eyes locked onto his own.
Too much of a coward, he breaks eye contact first. “Well, doesn’t everyone feel love? I love my parents, my sister. It would be a hard thing to avoid that kind of felling.” Wasn’t that an obvious answer and one Shen Qingqiu should already know.
“We are not talking about that kind of love, shidi.”
Oh
A spark of anxiety started to overtake his confidence with that insight. This might be more complicated than he realized.
Because of his internal panic, the war god missed the brief look of disappointment on the other’s face before the Qing Jing peak lord turned and strode over to a small table, grabbing two bottles before returning to his side.
“Mu shidi has prepared us both an antidote, just in case. The wraith feeds off the victim’s desire. Not only is their poison deadly, but it makes their victims see the wraith as their loved one, willing submitting to their deaths. Take this at that time if needed.” Shen Qingqiu places the antidote in his hand before turning away to gather the remaining of his travel necessities.
Liu Qingge coughs briefly, nearly choking on his own dry throat.
“Clearly I won’t be needing that.” He states with false confidence, pocketing the jar into his inner sleeve.
What is the saying about famous last words?