Work Text:
It wasn't even the end of the actual year.
They were just celebrating the last peak lord meeting of the year, for which their already-inebriated shidi Lu Qingtao had brought out the good liquor “to test”. Most of the esteemed peak lords were in various states of disorderly drunkenness, and even Shen Qingqiu himself had been nursing a cup or two of his own. At a purely social gathering of such a nature, Yue Qingyuan was, of course, in high demand, and so was pulled in this direction and that, over and over, by their overzealous shidimen. Shen Qingqiu was getting quite sick of it.
No one was paying him any mind anyways. Shen Qingqiu tossed his drink back like a drunk at a rowdy bar and slipped out the door into the cold.
He’d made it barely ten strides from the door, when—
“Qingqiu-shidi!”
Unbelievable. Already?
“What, zhangmen-shixiong?” Shen Qingqiu turned to face Yue Qingyuan, who was rather flushed from the alcohol or cold, or perhaps both.
“Qingqiu-shidi, you're leaving already?” Yue Qingyuan’s eyes reflected the lights of revelry.
“I've stayed quite long enough, don't you think?”
Yue Qingyuan hardly seemed surprised at his dismissal. Still, he remained. “I won't keep you long if you want to go, but... ah, have you chosen a resolution?”
Right, this absurdity. Not even from Shang Qinghua's own hometown, but rather some town nearby. An unimportant neighbor of an unimportant place, yet he still brought the tradition to each of them. “Surely zhangmen-shixiong isn't so naive as to think that anyone is truly going to adhere to their promises? Even those that mean it today will give up within the month. Liu-shidi resolved to do less collateral damage.”
“Perhaps, but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. A month spent in the way you intend to spend it is better than none, isn't it?” Shen Qingqiu frowned. Liquor compelled Yue Qingyuan's tongue further, “What's something you want? If it's something I can help with, I'll do anything in my power to grant it to you. That's worthwhile, isn't it?”
His proposition was ridiculous. He stank of alcohol. Shen Qingqiu was in a perfectly enviable position in his life, and what improvements he could imagine were only matters that Yue Qingyuan either could not or would not grant him.
For a moment, he pictured getting the truth out of Yue Qingyuan like this. Excellent resolution, he'd say, I didn't come back because I was better off without you. Aren't you glad you made a new year's resolution for this?
Obviously, that wouldn't really happen; Yue Qingyuan was being anything but sincere. He also wouldn't help Shen Qingqiu hurt Liu Qingge, even if he resolved to do so. He wouldn't act in any way unbecoming of a sect leader, or stoke problems between the peak lords, or do anything even remotely controversial, so what was the difference between this and any other day?
It wasn’t even actually new year’s!
Yue Qingyuan swayed gently where he stood. His lips were red from wine.
“Forget it, there's nothing.” Shen Qingqiu turned away dismissively. Yue Qingyuan reached out and grasped his sleeve.
“Shidi, surely there's—”
Firm pressure against his lips. Shen Qingqiu hadn't even realized he'd moved. Yue Qingyuan was pressed against a wall, wide-eyed before him. Shen Qingqiu bit his lips swollen, just as he'd been thinking of, before licking deep into Yue Qingyuan's mouth as though he could find the subtle notes of their shidi's expensive wine if he only persevered a little longer.
He pulled back. Yue Qingyuan gasped for air, shellshocked.
Shen Qingqiu licked his lips.
“There. I've gotten what I wanted.” Yue Qingyuan wasn’t meeting his gaze. “Is zhangmen-shixiong satisfied?”
“…Mm-hm,” he nodded dazedly, not seeming to process the words.
“Good. Then I will see you next year, zhangmen-shixiong.” Shen Qingqiu drew up his fan to hide his face, turned away, and did his best impression of an individual who was not fleeing as fast as possible from the scene of a crime.
He felt Yue Qingyuan's eyes on his back the whole way.