Work Text:
Shen Qingqiu can hear the wailing of a very upset child as he walks up to the bamboo house. He and Airplane had managed to scoop up baby Binghe from the river a while back and ever since his cries had become a common part of the soundtrack of their second lives. He steps up onto the porch and opens the door. He feels a headache coming on as the screaming gets louder. Once he steps inside he can see Binghe laying on his back on the floor kicking his feet as he screeches like a banshee. Shang Qinghua is standing nearby looking tired and utterly defeated by the tantrum. Their eyes meet and Shen Qingqiu raises his brow in a silent question. Shang Qinghua mouths back one simple word, bedtime.
Shen Qingqiu let out a deep sigh before kneeling down closer to Binghe’s writhing form. His presence has gone unnoticed so far as Binghe’s eyes are squeezed tight but they fly open when Shen Qingqiu speaks. “Binghe, why are we screaming on the floor? It’s very unbecoming of someone as old as you.”
Binghe’s screaming stops but he’s still crying his breath hitching often and interrupting him as he speaks. “A-die says I have to go to sleep but I wanted to wait for you.” Once he’s finished explaining he lifts his arm to messily try to wipe the snot from his face.
“Screaming isn’t how we deal with that. You need to listen and lay down when it’s bedtime you know that.” Shen Qingqiu reaches into his sleeve to grab a handkerchief to quickly clean up Binghe’s face before continuing. “Alright there we go. Now you need to apologize to your A-die and then he’ll put you to bed.”
Binghe’s eyes immediately start filling with tears again. “But I want you to.”
“Nope. Next time if you lay down when you’re supposed to I’ll come see you when I get here but since you didn’t listen to A-die he’s gonna tuck you in not me.” Binghe opens his mouth as if to argue but at Shen Qingqiu’s stern look closes it into a pout. Shen Qingqiu can’t resist the baby protagonists charms and gently pulls him into a hug and softly kisses his fluffy curls. “Alright I’ll see you at breakfast goodnight my little sheep.”
Binghe continues to pout but does allow Shang Qinghua to pick him up and carry him off to bed.
_____
Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua are happily chatting as they arrive home from a peak lord meeting. As they step in the door they find Shang Qinghua’s head disciple, Shen Huachen, who they’d left to babysit frantically scrubbing at the wall. On the wall is some suspiciously child like drawings.
“What happened here?” Shang Qinghua asks.
Shen Huachen freezes before turning around and wailing dramatically, “Shizun it was an accident I swear!” She visibly deflates before explaining that she’d gone to use the bathroom and come back to scribbles all over the walls.
The culprit is casually playing with his toys off to the side too absorbed in his play to have noticed his parents’ arrival. He looks up when Shen Qingqiu calls his name, quickly bounding forewards to greet his baba.
Shen Qingqiu returns the hug Binghe gives him before leaning down to address the issue. “Did you draw on the walls while we were gone?”
Binghe looks down at his feet and sways a bit before nodding silently.
“You made poor Huachen scrub that wall. If you want to draw it needs to be on paper okay little sheep?”
“Okay baba.”
“Now say sorry to Huachen.” Shen Qingqiu prods.
“Sorry. I’ll draw on the papers next time.”
_____
Shen Qingqiu makes a noise as he stretches. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes before turning over. He sees Shang Qinghua sleeping beside him with his braid falling apart and his cheek smashed into his pillow that has a little bit of drool on it. The sun shining in from the window forms a sort of angelic halo around him that contrasts his messiness.
Shen Qingqiu gets ready to curl back up and wait for him to wake up when Shang Qinghua makes that little snort that means he’s waking up. His golden honey eyes blink open a few moments later as expected.
“Happy Birthday.” Shen Qingqiu says through a stifled yawn.
Shang Qinghua grumbles and blinks a few times before mumbling. “Oh yeah, birthday today. Thanks cucumber-bro.”
Shen Qingqiu’s eye twitches a bit. “How many times have I told you not to call me that? We’re married with a kid I’m not your bro.”
Shang Qinghua gets a playful glint in his eyes that spells trouble. “What should I call you then? Baobei?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Wifey?” Shang Qinghua teases.
Shen Qingqiu pulls the down pillow out from under his head and does his best to smother Shang Qinghua with it as the man laughs.
The two’s playful wrestling stops at the sound of a loud bang from somewhere else in the bamboo house. They both hop up to go check on things. As they round the corner towards the kitchen they find a small child caked head to toe in flour.
“Hi baba. Hi a-die.” The child greets them.
“Binghe, what happened here?” Shang Qinghua asks, looking around the room to see it equally covered in flour.
“I’m making a-die breakfast for his birthday.”
“How did that turn into a flour explosion?” Shen Qingqiu asks with a raised brow.
“Oops.” Binghe giggles making Shang Qinghua let out a deep sigh.
Shang Qinghua turns to Shen Qingqiu and suggests, “I’ll get him cleaned up if you clean up the kitchen.”