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Liu Qingge wasn’t the sort of man that people got close to. This was, in fact, because he took great pains to avoid getting close to anyone, ever, as it was wildly mortifying any time he made the mistake of getting in casual touching range of basically anyone. Not, of course, that anyone could tell this by his face. He was very good at keeping his emotions off his face.
That said, he was also very good at keeping everyone else’s emotions off his face as well. His sister was a bit less good at it, thus the veil, but nobody was perfect, and he loved her anyway. Thank all the gods he never had to say so. They could brush hands, make eye contact, and just know these things.
The downside was that he couldn’t expect anyone else to understand his silent regard thus... Shen Qingqiu. In general. Old, new, it didn’t matter, both versions posed very unique and distressing problems. The old one? Even if he wanted to try to understand the man, he made an art form of dodging casual touch the same way he did. The new one? He touched, and touched, and touched and never ever did the emotion on the outside match the inside. To say nothing of the man’s thoughts.
If all he got was the emotions then maybe it would have been easier, ultimately. He could touch people, get a sense of the situation, and then back off. That seemed to work for his sister, whose gift was simple empathy. But no, it wasn’t just emotions for him. In fact, it was mostly not emotions so much as the thoughts that came along with them that was his curse. His blessing, his mother used to say, but he knew better. Curse it was.
This situation, for instance, was a prime example of every part of this stupid thing that made it a curse. He’d been fighting Luo Binghe again, more a spar really, when Shen Qingqiu had come to watch and suddenly the soothing familiarity of sparks of focused battle planning coming through to him while they fought took a swerve into Shizun, Shizun, Shizun with the dizzying, nauseating blend of happiness, insecurity, lust, and fear> that he so hated.
He immediately broke off the fight, of course, which he was sure the other man took to mean that he was about to go talk to Shen Qingqiu, but he wasn’t, not today. He’d already been in a bad mood after an altercation earlier in the day with Shang Qinghua, and the fighting was supposed to make it better. When people fought, they almost always just thought about fighting, and if they didn’t, they at the very least were focused when he came at them. But no, not Luo Binghe. Somehow, this was still better than those horrible five years, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t think it was good for either of them, honestly, and he’d been keeping his peace.
Shen Qingqiu, unfortunately, didn’t seem to realize that Liu Qingge breaking off the fight startled the man’s husband and immediately presumed. As he was wont to since his change. Of course. “Binghe! Did you pick a fight with your Shishu again?”
If nothing else, it called the man off him rather than him trying to give chase. He wasn’t sure if that was better or worse, honestly. “No! Shizun, no! This disciple was good!”
“Then why are you fighting your Shishu?”
Worse, it was definitely worse, and it was irritating that the man didn’t even consider that their fights might be an equal enmity. He supposed on a better day he’d appreciate it, but it wasn’t kind to either of them. “Because I challenged him to it.”
Shen Qingqiu turned to him, eyes widening in startled surprise, and he took a step forward to look him over, letting off his fretting over the demon he’d married. Oh yes, that would make it all better. It made him want to rub his temples. “You did? But why? Is everything alright, Shidi?”
His gaze slid to the fuming countenance of his rival, and Liu Qingge decided then and there that he’d had enough of dancing around the mess that was these two. Especially given that he was smack in the middle of it in the most uncomfortable way possible. After all, outside of Shen Qingqiu and his habit of putting a hand on people when they were near, he and Luo Binghe sparred nearly every time they saw one another. These two people were, unfortunately, the ones he knew best in the world.
How horrifying.
Still, his gaze returned to the man who had spoken as the silence drew out, and the concern in those green eyes intensified even as the demon’s lips turned down slightly in something a bit more wary. Just what he didn’t need was both of them trying to get answers. “It’s fine. I was in a bad mood, he was here.”
Of course that wasn’t enough for Shen Qingqiu, the most baffling man on the planet, even with years of steady exposure. It wasn’t even a surprise when he reached out to touch his arm, and it just made Liu Qingge sigh. “Is that really all? You can finish your spar, if you like.” Though losing again would probably be bad for his mood, so maybe not. Too late now though.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been pinned with such an uncharitable thought, and he doubted it would be the last, but he really wasn’t in the mood for it today. He didn’t always lose any more than Luo Binghe always won. They usually fought to a draw. So, eyes narrowing slightly, he looked the man in the eye and spoke very carefully, and firmly. “I really don’t understand why you think I lose to your demon all the time.”
“What are you-”
As the other peak lord snatched his hand back from him, clearly thinking it was some new malady at play, he turned his gaze on the demon brat. “And you! Have some confidence in the man who chose to marry you! He’s been thinking about you and nothing but you as long as you’ve been on this mountain. It hasn’t stopped, or gotten better, so stop trying to give me a headache with your emotional whiplash!”
“Shidi!”
Shaking his head, Liu Qingge just gave the aghast man a level stare, so thoroughly done. “The amount of times that your thought process has gone though you thinking about how pretty I am into how I happen to not be as pretty as Binghe because no one is apparently as pretty as that man in your eyes! It’s exhausting knowing that every time I get a bit of his end of it which doesn’t match up at all! Tell him that! Thinking it very loudly isn’t going to get your message across!”
“You might need to go see Mu-shidi, you’re clearly being afflicted by-”
“No. If I am, it’s something that makes me more impatient. I’m leaving.” He pointed at Luo Binghe. “We’ll try this again later.” Then he pointed at his Shixiong. “And you! Use your words!”
Now recognizing that Shang Qinghua had probably given him something to make him less likely to hold his tongue while they were having their little dispute earlier this morning, Liu Qingge wheeled around and hopped on his sword to go directly there, ignoring the fact that Shen Qingqiu was calling after him. He wouldn’t be surprised if the little rat wasn’t even there, but he might be, and if he was he could shake answers out of him.
If he wasn’t, well. He could wait. Waiting was half of monster hunting anyway.