Work Text:
After a long day of fighting beasts and demons, Shen Qingqiu felt irritated, exhausted, and sore all over. His joints sighed with relief as he immersed himself in the pleasantly warm water of the hot spring, which smelled of fresh herbs and fragrant flowers.
From the moment he came down the mountain, he thought to himself that it would be worth going on a mission with that stupid and brute Liu Qingge for the chance to soak for a moment in these hot springs that were reputed to heal all kinds of injuries no matter how old or severe they were.
And it seemed to be true, for his limbs became extremely limp, his muscles completely relaxed, and his mind began to wander. The only meaningful thought he had was about what story the ladies in the Red Pavillion would tell him when he returned.
He would have fallen asleep if it weren't for the familiar footsteps he heard behind him.
Opening his eyes and looking over his shoulder, he saw Liu Qingge standing in the doorway, clutching a robe. The only thing Shen Qingqiu managed to tense up at that moment was his brows, which he tried to convey his unease and irritation.
“I don’t have plans to leave yet, so if you want to come in, do it now or leave.”
And he closed his eyes again, pretending to relax again, but in reality he concentrated so he could listen carefully to Liu Qingge, who after being silent for a moment, dropped his robe and also got into the water. The place wasn't exactly spacious, so Shen Qingqiu wasn't sure how far apart they were, so he opened his eyes again.
The sight that greeted him was Liu Qingge removing the last meter of bandage around his torso, revealing a green and purple mark with traces of dried blood right above a pair of ribs on his right side. It certainly seemed to be such an ugly and painful wound that even someone like Liu Qingge couldn't ignore it.
Just as Shen Qingqiu tried (and failed) to ignore the pair of soft breasts on Liu Qingge's chest.
He looked up at the sky and observed the stars, managing to count a few before his mind decided to intrude on Liu Qingge's life.
Now his personality makes a little more sense. Although that doesn't make him any less stupid.
Did he use the bandage on the wound, or does he always have them on?
If he always covers them up, he shouldn't be going around fighting and training, how can he even breathe?
They didn’t seem put correctly, maybe part of that bruise is from the bandages.
Shen Qingqiu didn't know if his thoughts were caused by the salts of the hot spring or the recent peace treaty Liu Qingge had offered him. They had never gotten along, and Shen Qingqiu held no hope that they would ever get along, nor did he care if they remained on bad terms throughout their lives, but their relationship had changed since the incident at the Lingxi Caves after he had saved him from a qi deviation.
No matter what Shen Qingqiu said or did to upset him, Liu Qingge would simply turn away or pretend not to have heard or seen anything, instead of shouting and fighting like he always had in the past. Shen Qingqiu wasn't sure how to feel about this sudden change. On one hand, his daily life was much calmer, but on the other hand he felt uneasy about no longer being able to predict Liu Qingge's actions and words.
There was a certain sense of frustration building inside Shen Qingqiu no longer fighting with Liu Qingge. At this point in his life, he was so used to it that it felt strange to not have to worry about his peaceful nights in the Red Pavilion being interrupted, or to not have a sore throat after a meeting with his other martial sibling, or to allow himself to have his gaze and senses focused on something insignificant like the sky instead of a dangerous man.
He felt a chill when Liu Qingge let out a soft moan and lost sight of the sky. Liu Qingge had almost turned his back on him and had waded into the water up to his shoulders but his neck, flushed from the heat, still looked tense. Shen Qingqiu let out a sigh before stepping out of the water.
His robe was next to Liu Qingge's, so he reluctantly had to make himself as vulnerable as the other man, even though it was a fair exchange. Shen Qingqiu quickly covered himself and took the bloody and dirty bandages Liu Qingge had removed, which had the familiar scent of blood, sweat, and pus.
“How long have you been using them?” Liu Qingge didn’t answer but his face turned even redder than before. He looked just as angry as he had in the old days, and Shen Qingqiu almost expected him to explode, and they would start fighting right there. Almost.
“We only got one room, don’t even think I’m going to let you sleep next to me with these dirty things on.” With a wave of his hand, the bandages burned and turned to ash. “Mu Qingfang must have given you fresh ones. Use them.”
“…Those were the bandages Mu-shidi gave me.”
“Hm. I thought you stole them from a dead person, they smelled like one.” Shen Qingqiu walked to the exit of the hot springs, peered inside, and said loudly, for no particular reason. “It seems only the employees are awake, though they’ll probably hide if they see you. You didn’t give them a friendly impression.”
Liu Qingge finally turned to look at him. “Me? I wasn’t the one who got upset because they didn’t have any more rooms available.”
“But you did throw a tantrum because the hot springs were occupied.” Although Shen Qingqiu was somewhat grateful because it gave him a chance to relax alone and no one, apart from Liu Qingge, had seen him naked. “I’ll see if our dear Mu-shidi was gracious enough to give me some bandages too.” Without another word, Shen Qingqiu entered the inn.
It was only when he had finished brushing his hair that Liu Qingge entered the room they shared. He was wrapped warily in his robe, but Shen Qingqiu paid him little attention. He didn't even look at him when he took out the clean bandages Mu Qingfang had (obviously) given him, but he put them back the moment Liu Qingge reached out to take them.
"The hot springs couldn't heal your wounds, or why do you want them now? Wait until morning."
When he lay down on the bed and Liu Qingge didn't move from where he was, Shen Qingqiu's nerves were on edge. Who was this virgin maiden, and where had she left the brute of a shidi? Liu Qingge usually had no problem getting into bed with him when he was in Red Pavilion; they even had the opportunity to roll in the sheets like a pair of lovers once when Liu Qingge wanted to drag him back to Cang Qiong by the ankle.
“I’m used to sleeping with someone, but don’t worry about me touching you, I only like cuddling beautiful women. Brutes like you aren’t my type, as you should know by now.” Shen Qingqiu turned to his right and closed his eyes.
Perhaps the combination of excessive physical activity and a relaxing bath had caused Shen Qingqiu to fall asleep before he realized it. He didn't know exactly how long Liu Qingge pondered whether to actually occupy the empty spot on the bed or sleep on the floor. He didn't feel the other side of the bed sink, nor did he learn how Liu Qingge usually slept; the only trace that told him they slept together was the warmth and the sweet scent that his shidi rarely smelled of.
They both woke up almost at the same time, accustomed to Cang Qiong's schedule, so they had no choice but to take turns getting dressed. Shen Qingqiu woke up a couple of minutes earlier, so he was the first to do so. This time, he allowed himself to see Liu Qingge from top to bottom while holding the bandages.
“Do you even know how to put them on correctly?”
“I think I have more experience with injuries than anyone.”
Shen Qingqiu pointed at his chest mercilessly. “ This isn’t about wounds, it’s not the same.”
“And what do you even know about this?”
“More than you think. I’ll prove it to you.” Shen Qingqiu expected Liu Qingge to kick him out of the room, but surprisingly he just bowed his head, took off his undergarment, and stretched out his arms.
“Go ahead then, shixiong .”
Shen Qingqiu wasn't lying. He had plenty of experience binding breasts to make them look like pecs, not because he was like Liu Qingge, but because he used to help an old friend this way every day. He tried not to look more than necessary, sometimes instructing Liu Qingge to hold his breast in a certain way so he wouldn't even have to touch him, though he did notice that the ugly bruise from yesterday was gone.
When he finished, Liu Qingge looked extremely confused. “Why do you know how to do this?”
“You’re not the only one in the world who’s like that.”
"You-?"
“Clearly not.” Shen Qingqiu let out a dry laug and picked up his fan, finally stepping away from Liu Qingge. “Hurry up. I want to return to Cang Qiong before it gets any hotter.” He walked to the door and paused before closing it behind him. “By the way, you’ll take care of the report. For the bandages and the binding, undertood?”