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Liu Qingge.
Shen Qingqiu could talk for hours about him.
Obviously, Liu Qingge is the most beautiful man that exists in this world; a peerless beauty with a flawless face. He looks nothing like the warmongering brute everyone had imagined him to be; there are no scars covering his skin and he isn't 6 feet of pure muscle and violence.
Instead, Shen Qingqiu could imagine this young man sitting at a table and arranging flowers with careful movements, a serene smile gracing those cherry lips.
But that's not what Liu Qingge is like, either.
He is the Peak Lord of Bai Zhan. He's the War God, undefeated to this day. Everyone has heard of him. Everyone fears or admires his strength.
His face would look soft if not for the near permanent scowl on it, elegant brows drawn together. He is muscular but in a way that's not obvious at first glance, his raw strength hidden under tight-fitted clothes and light armour. His hands look almost dainty but they're strong enough to rip monsters apart - a sight Shen Qingqiu will never forget.
(It was unfairly hot in a very gruesome way. Don't blame him.)
Liu Qingge is unrivaled in his beauty and yet he's said to be untouchable. Unapproachable. He's said to fight against affection of any shape or kind with as much ferocity as he shows against monsters.
Well , Shen Qingqiu thinks with a smile. Whoever says that has not bothered to take the time to really get to know Liu Qingge.
The Liu Qingge Shen Qingqiu knows is all the things mentioned as above - but he's also so much more.
He's someone who gets up at the crack of dawn, physically unable to sleep in, no matter how terrible and hostile the weather outside might be. He lives for a good fight and he breathes for monster hunts, going bright-eyed at the mention of something strong that's been wreaking havoc in some poor village.
He's someone who enjoys sparring with his disciples, training them through mistakes made and corrected. He is someone who smiles , quick and private, whenever one of his students does well . (That's a detail Shen Qingqiu will bet anything nobody has ever noticed. It had taken him five whole weeks to see it but now he looks for it, delighted whenever he spots it.)
Liu Qingge, at home, is someone soft .
He allows Shen Qingqiu to fuss over him when it's just the two of them. He will let Shen Qingqiu brush out his hair in the evening and he'll let him put little braids into it in the morning.
(The braids had started as a joke, really. A small gesture to show goodwill back during their meeting in the Linxi Caves. Liu Qingge had been full of fire, snarling and scowling but unable to move with his cultivation running rampant and Shen Qingqiu had sat with him, smoothing out his wild qi with his own and he'd put the braid in Liu Qingge's hair just for fun.)
((Imagine his surprise when, from then on, Liu Qingge always wore one or two braids in his hair.))
It's not often but Liu Qingge also gets cuddly when he's truly exhausted. Shen Qingqiu thinks fondly of all the times his lovely shidi had stumbled into the bamboo house, too worn out to slam the door as usual, all but falling into Shen Qingqiu's waiting arms. Knowing that there won't be anyone else who sees this soft, vulnerable side of Bai Zhan's War God kindles the fire in Shen Qingqiu's heart with overflowing love.
If someone were to ask him what his personal favourite thing about Liu Qingge is, Shen Qingqiu wouldn't be able to pick.
No, really!
Ask him!
There's nothing that he'd truly change about Liu Qingge and there's nothing that he likes most.
… okay maybe that's not entirely true.
His favourite thing about Liu Qingge is probably the beauty mark right under his left eye.
It's cute. It's adorable. If Liu Qingge is already the most delicious cake then his beauty mark is just the cherry on top!
Shen Qingqiu likes to kiss it.
He works up to it, starting at Liu Qingge's jaw, peppering kisses along the jawline and trailing upwards over his cheek until he reaches it. Liu Qingge always blinks at him when he kisses there and he never fails to blush over it. It's low-key unfair for him to be both hot and cute.
"A-Yuan," Liu Qingge says softly. Shen Qingqiu blinks at him, pulled from his poetic musings - he realizes that he's probably been staring at his shidi for quite some time now and he feels his cheeks heat up.
"Mhmmm, what is it?" He tries for nonchalance and is rewarded with an all too knowing smirk . Liu Qingge moves closer.
It's already evening and they're alone. It's time for bed but Shen Qingqiu doesn't feel like moving. But he does feel like kissing Liu Qingge's cheek, so he does just that.
"I really, really like you," he says with a fond smile. Like is an understatement, far too weak a word for the warmth in his chest and the skip of his heart and the hitch of his breath.
Liu Qingge bites his lips and ducks his head, trying not to smile. Too cute, shidi! Way too cute!
"Good," Liu Qingge mutters. And then, much quieter: "I like you too."
He is already swaying closer again, perfectly within reach for another kiss. This time, Shen Qingqiu meets warm lips and he sighs, completely enamoured.