Work Text:
Desperate times called for desperate measures and, as such, Qi Qingqi had temporarily permitted Shen Jiu entry into Xian Shu.
The Qing Jing disciple was clearly distrustful of her motives, loitering by the base of the rainbow bridge and throwing suspicious glances at anyone who passed by.
"Good, you're here!" Qi Qingqi called as she dived towards the ground, her wings snapping open at the last possible moment. Even so, her landing barely made any sound, as graceful as always.
"Shijie requested this one's assistance," Shen Jiu gritted out through clenched teeth.
Qi Qingqi preened slightly at that form of address. Oh, she'd milk it for all it was worth! Once Shen Jiu was officially named the Head Disciple - and everyone knew he would be, his shizun just liked to play mind games with her disciples - she would have to call him a shixiong, so she would enjoy this deference for as long as it lasted.
"I did request your presence, yes!" She put her hands on Shen Jiu's shoulders, one of her wings outstretching behind his back.
His own wings were folded tightly against his own back, as they were practically every time Qi Qingqi had seen him. Even during training or missions he never unfolded them, never showed them off, only ever flew on his sword.
"Though it's more like I'm going to assist you," she added, leading the unwilling shidi deeper into Xian Shu.
"What do you mean?" Shen Jiu asked, his permanent frown deepening.
"You'll see!"
Qi Qingqi could feel him stiffening, but it was okay. Once she was done, he'd be finally feeling relaxed!
Shen Jiu allowed himself to be led all the way to Qi Qingqi's rooms, a stand-alone abode near her shizun's. He never once dropped his guard, muscles taunt like a guqin string, but he never said a word of complaint.
She pushed him to sit down at the table, busying herself with the tea service. It was only once Shen Jiu started drinking, and she had confirmation that the tea was to his tastes and, as such, would keep him there, that she got to the heart of the issue.
"Your wings-" That's as far as she got. Before she could finish her sentence - she was planning on saying "are a complete disaster" - Shen Jiu was already out of his seat and across the room, wings pressed against the corner. "...shidi?"
Shen Jiu glanced towards the doors, then the window, his eyes shining with a wild sheen.
"I just meant-" Qi Qingqi found herself at a loss for words. She expected some push-back, she expected vitriol and insults and having to blackmail Shen Jiu. But this... This was fear. "They're a mess. As it is, shidi is an embarrassment to the sect even as a regular disciple, let alone a head disciple-"
"I'm not a head disciple."
"And you won't be, unless you start taking care of your appearance. So if you'll just let me-"
Shen Jiu bared his teeth, literally growling at her while pushing himself even deeper into the corner.
Alright, enough was enough. Qi Qingqi had prepared for this, using a tea set she didn't particularly mind losing.
Tossing the entire teapot right in Shen Jiu's face, she launched herself with a step off the table and went to grab him, wrapping around his body with all her limbs like a particularly tenacious net.
Shen Jiu had somehow managed to save the pot from shattering, clutching it in his arms, but it made him unable to push Qi Qingqi away. She was free to pull at one of his wings, outstretching it as far as it could go.
"Ha-ha!" She exclaimed in triumph. "Now just sit still while I... fix... this... mess...?"
The words trailed off as she took in the state of the wings. She expected them to be unkept, feathers crooked or even broken, dirt built up between them. But this...
They were ruined. Deliberately so, patches made entirely bare with skin covered in scars, pinions cut absurdly short, some bits even burned out.
Those were the wings of someone who went through torture.
"Go ahead," Shen Jiu spit out, refusing to look at either her or his wings. "Laugh, so that this could be over with and I could return to my studies."
Laugh? Qi Qingqi felt like crying.
"Why didn't you go to Mu-shixiong...?"
Shen Jiu snorted, pulling closer the pot in his arms. "Does that look like something that happened in the last two years?"
...No. It didn't. It looked much, much older. Which meant... That all that was done to someone who was essentially still a fledgling.
"Have you satisfied your curiosity yet?" His words were full of venom. "May this lowly one leave, now?"
"No," Qi Qingqi blurted out. "No, come on, sit down. Have some more tea."
Shen Jiu, despite all the vitriol, did nothing to stop her from pushing her to sit back down. He placed the tea pot back on the table, the wing Qi Qingqi manhanded still outstretched and trailing behind him.
Now that she had seen the damage, she wondered whether he even could fold it back up, or if he'd have to do that manually, force it into that curled up position.
"It might be... worse than I expected," Qi Qingqi said, feeling Shen Jiu's eyes follow her across the room as she grabbed the wing grooming supplies. "But I can still improve it somewhat. Just let me work."
Initially, she intended to blackmail him; Not that she had anything to leverage other than the fact that she could spread fake rumours, but it worked almost as well.
Now, though... She grabbed a cultivation scroll she had recently received, as well as her emergency stash of sweets, depositing it all on the table.
The blatant bribery earned her a suspicious glare, but it seemed like she had correctly gauged what would catch his interest.
"...Knock yourself out," Shen Jiu allowed, grabbing the manual like he expected her to rip it out of his hands.
Qi Qingqi ignored him, kneeling behind his back. She began by unfolding the other wing, more carefully now that she knew what waited inside.
They were both in an equally pitiful state, and there truly wasn't anything she could do about fixing their functionality - she would need to ask Mu Qingfang for advice there, and she would be asking him - but she could still make them feel more comfortable.
She started raking her fingers through, flinching with every pass that left her hands full of feathers. Most had been broken for a long time already, and she wondered how Shen Jiu could stand keeping them in his wings.
Then again, he didn't flinch even when she had to pull a stuck feather; He only reacted when she brushed against his back or arm. She couldn't tell whether his pain tolerance was just very high, or if he couldn't feel anything at all.
By the time she felt satisfied with the results, the pile of discarded feathers was almost larger than what was left on the wings.
It had taken so long that Shen Jiu had already finished reading the manual. He was now laying upon his crossed arms on the table, the snacks completely demolished. Finally relaxed, he seemed halfway to sleeping if not asleep already.
Qi Qingqi dug into the box, unearthing a specialty oil for helping with wing injuries. It had been a gift from a-niang when she had been named the Head Disciple; She hadn't had a chance to use it herself yet, but she doubted there would ever be a better occasion.
The smell of Fierce Lotus petals permeated the room as soon as she uncorked the jar, strong and spicy.
Shen Jiu's wings and nose twitched at the smell.
"It'll do you good," Qi Qingqi promised.
"Mhm," Shen Jiu's voice was muffled. "Yue-jiejie always says Fierce Lotus oil is best for hurts of the body, and Fierce Lotus wine is best for hurts of the soul."
Qi Qingqi snorted. "Sounds like a woman I'd like to meet."
She poured some of the oil onto her hands, putting the jar away to start rubbing it into the skin. It caused some more reaction, the wings twitching constantly.
Shen Jiu muttered something - something about the feet of the mountains? - but she couldn't make it out. She focused on her current task, slathering the scar tissue in the hopes of making some difference.
Next, she used her regular oils to moisturize and secure what little feathers were left, brushing them into the proper alignment.
The finished result was... well. Better than what they had started out with, but still pitiful in comparison with anyone else.
Qi Qingqi wouldn't let one of her future fellow Peak Lords sport wings in such a state. She was certain there had to be something that could be done to fix them. It'd just need some deep research.
She was confident she could make Shen Jiu go along with whatever it required.
For now, though, her shidi was very thoroughly asleep.
Looking at the slumped form, Qi Qingqi debated her options. She could bring him to a bed somewhere but... she was certain that would wake him up. And judging by what she heard about his sleeping habits, well. A nap would serve him well, even if it was taken while sprawled over a table.
Also, there were limits to her generosity.
Figuring that Shen Jiu would be fine as he was, she tidied up her wing grooming box and retired for the night.
