Work Text:
Listen. Shen Qingqiu has already been having a rough time. Transmigrating as a scum villain really isn’t all that it’s chalked up to be. Seriously, all of those shoujo mangas had it wrong. And sure, he’s done the cliché and changed his attitude and the way he treats people, he’s definitely reconciled with some of them.
Except the System is very, very clear that this is not the Proud Immortal Demon’s Way he hated so very much.
Fresh willow leaves rain down from branches and rainbows spark behind Liu Qingge as he smiles at Shen Qingqiu, and really, this is unfair. Shen Qingqiu tries to meet Liu Qingge’s icy eyes and the way his sharp gaze seems to melt when they meet him, and what in the world do you do when your shidi is a capture target?????? Just to top it off, the System plays a romantic little bell chime that signifies Liu Qingge’s attention is on him, and Shen Qingqiu hates that he’s been trained in a Pavlovian response to heavily blush at the sound.
How the hell did he get transmigrated into the otome game version??? He had no idea this existed— which is saying something, because Shen Qingqiu is fairly sure that he knew everything about that godforsaken novel! But sure enough, here he is.
He wonders who exactly the protagonist is. He shudders to think that it’s one of his sweet disciples— realistically, it would be Ning Yingying. He nearly cringes at the thought. His sweet head disciple, being romanced by men more than twice her age?! Horrifying, horrifying!
“Shen Qingqiu, are you alright?” Liu Qingge’s lips quirk downwards, and he raises a cooled hand to Shen Qingqiu’s burning hot cheek. “Are you sick? You shouldn’t have come.”
“No, no. Thank you shidi, This master’s mind was… Simply elsewhere,” Shen Qingqiu hesitantly trails off. Liu Qingge stares into his eyes, before his hand falls away and he looks away with a sweet blush decorating his cheeks.
Damn it, Shen Qingqiu is straight! Should be straight. It’s just that Liu Qingge, yes Liu Qingge of all people, has somehow been… Different. Charming. He had just been cannon fodder in the original novel. Two, three lines and he was gone, relegated to Liu Mingyan’s tragic backstory.
But the Liu Qingge he knows is so much more than that. He wonders if it’s part of the otome game buff that Liu Qingge is so charming. He’s got his rough side, sure, but he’s cute. He’s devoted and sweet, and he pays attention and truly cares no matter what his scowl suggests. His loyalty nearly knocks Shen Qingqiu off his feet— the way that Liu Qingge always looks out for his safety and his health is truly too admirable, especially since they hadn’t always gotten along. His gap moe is… really strong. So strong, in fact, that Shen Qingqiu thinks he has an admiration for him.
Not in a gay way, but as a shixiong. He really admires this cute “little” shidi of his, even if this shidi could easily send his heart into overdrive with just a glance. Maybe he missed out on otome games when he was alive, Shen Qingqiu muses. Although, he doubts that any of them could come close to what Liu Qingge makes him feel. Again, he’s not gay (despite what the rainbows suggest). He’s just appreciative. He knows that if he was an appropriately aged protagonist, he would want to play his shidi’s route. He’s sure that the others are nice enough, but he has a favorite martial sibling— what can he say?
And besides, he thinks, the other tropes which are being represented are not exactly his favorites. He’s not a fan of the big brother figure, or the studious and quiet type. He doesn’t like the overly loud and brash…
So really, Liu Qingge just happens to fit all of his preferences, with his seemingly cold exterior and his soft inside reserved for only a lucky few. He’s peerlessly beautiful, as one would expect from a main capture target, and the little beauty mark under his eye provides a perfect point of asymmetry that simply enhances his otherworldly looks.
Shen Qingqiu hums, distracted.
Would it really be that bad to, ah, capture his shidi? Not in a gay way, but he really does appreciate Liu Qingge. His looks, his personality, his demeanor are all honestly beyond compare. Of course, Liu Qingge isn’t a two-dimensional character, relegated to stills on static backgrounds. The Liu Qingge he knows is breathtakingly dynamic, power infused into his every step.
The goal of an otome game is to get a happy end with a favorite character. So what if Shen Qingqiu plays along? Shen Qingqiu likes the Bai Zhan War God quite a bit. And really, if this was a game, then he would definitely enter Liu Qingge’s route!
That’s all. He wonders if Liu Qingge would agree to a… a courtship??? Shen Qingqiu stops, stock still. The ridiculousness of his statements hit him like a truck, except he doesn’t get isekai’d into a different fantasy world. He just gets overwhelmed with the realization that he wants to court Liu Qingge. Romantically. What capture, what route entering?! He’s obviously not playing a game, even if this world is a game. There are real consequences to growing closer to Liu Qingge, real equivalents to entering routes. That should stop him. He should discard his thoughts on courting Liu Qingge. He glances at Liu Qingge’s lips, and he nearly spirals into despair when he realizes how perfectly shaped they are, how soft they look.
More rainbows shimmer into existence above their heads, and Shen Qingqiu hears a cheesy violin line soar through the air, complete with that goddamn bell chime ringing out at the end.
Okay, fine. Fine! He wants to be romantically involved with Liu Qingge, alright?! He’s not so straight, apparently! He wants to court his shidi!!
[ ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!! Good things must be said three times!!! User: Shen Qingqiu has officially started Route: Eh?! The Stoic War God is Actually In Love with Me?!?! Romancing the Bai Zhan Peak Lord for a Happy End!!!]
… Shen Qingqiu is going to kill the System.