Work Text:
"Bro, is that a hickey?!"
Shen Qingqiu stills. Dumbly, he asks, "…What?"
Eyes bulging, Shang Qinghua stands on his toes to peer closer at Shen Qingqiu’s neck, lasting only a few moments before he’s beaten back with a fan. He yelps, retreating back a step. "That’s definitely a hickey! And a bitemark! Where did you get that?! Who gave-"
"Shut up," hisses Shen Qingqiu, snapping his fan open to hide his rapidly heating face. When he'd dressed that morning, he was certain the collar of his robes were high enough to cover any marks.
Evidently, he was wrong, and now that damn rat was going to point it out to everyone by screeching so loud!
As if to prove Shen Qingqiu's internal worrying, Qi Qingqi slinks closer to her two martial siblings, her eyes gleaming with an ominous level of interest. She says, "What are you two arguing abou- Is that a hickey?!"
Shen Qingqiu wishes he was dead.
In her surprise, Qi Qingqi screeched those damning words loud enough to summon the rest of the Peak Lords already present for the meeting. To Shen Qingqiu’s utter dismay, the only Peak Lord who hasn’t yet arrived seems to be Liu Qingge. All he can do is cower behind his fan and pray he arrives soon.
"Qi-shimei," starts Yue Qingyuan, lightly frowning. "Is everything okay?"
She squawks. "Yes! Something is very wrong! Zhangmen-shixiong, Shen Qingqiu has a hickey!"
The words are spoken with such disbelief that, despite his thin face, Shen Qingqiu is slightly offended. Surely it's not that unbelievable!
Sniffing with no small amount of indignation, Shen Qingqiu says, "This master does not know why Qi-shimei is acting so surprised. More care is usually put into concealing any lingering evidence, sure, but it's not that-"
Eyes lighting up, she demands, "Just who are you sleeping with so often, Shen Qingqiu?"
None of the other Peak Lords speak up, but their expressions are loud enough to convey exactly what each one of them thinking—varying from confusion, interest, disbelief, and even delight. Not one of them looks like they actually understand what's happening, though, aside from Mu Qingfang. Given the Qian Cao Peak Lord is intimately familiar with both Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge's personal health history—including their chosen partners for any unexpected encounters with sex pollen—his lack of reaction isn't much of a surprise.
Still, the reactions of his other martial siblings is enough to have Shen Qingqiu pausing. He can't stop is own confusion from appearing on his face, his brows slightly pinching together in a delicate furrow. Now that he thinks about it, Shang Qinghua had definitely started to ask who had given him a hickey, but it hadn't fully registered until now since he'd been so freshly embarrassed at the time.
Did... did his martial siblings not know?
Somewhat lamely, Shen Qingqiu hedges, "...Shouldn't Qi-shimei know the answer already?"
Surprisingly, his words have Qi Qingqi blanching, her pretty face aghast. "Is it more than just one person?! I thought you stopped going to brothels!"
"What?!" He exclaims. He does not shriek. Shen Qingqiu is taken aback by such an appalling suggestion, snapping his fan closed and scowling at her without another thought. "This master would never cheat on his cultivation partner."
At this, Yue Qingyuan sputters, his face paling alarmingly. "C-cultivation partner?!"
Shang Qinghua cries out, "Bro?! How could you keep this a secret from me?!"
Shen Qingqiu opens his fan again, snapping, "What secret?! This master thought it was well known. Its hardly this master's fault if his martial siblings are too daft to take notice of something so obvious."
Qi Qingqi opens her mouth to undoubtedly snap something back, but the door bursts open before she can. Shen Qingqiu has never been more grateful for Liu Qingge's brute-like entrances. He whips his head toward the newcomer, shooting a pleading look his way.
Noticing the chaotic state of his fellow Peak Lords, Liu Qingge approaches the group and comes to a stop beside Shen Qingqiu. "Shen Qingqiu. What's wrong?"
Ignoring the fact that the question was addressed to Shen Qingqiu, Qi Qingqi says, as if she's divulging some great secret, "Shen-shixiong has a cultivation partner!"
Liu Qingge just blinks once. Twice. "...Yes?"
"What do you mean 'yes'?!" She guffaws.
Incredulously, he asks, "You didn't know?"
"Of course not! Are you saying you did?!"
Looking dumbfounded, Liu Qingge says, "...Obviously." He looks to Shen Qingqiu. "Is it really so surprising? I thought they knew."
"Thank you!" Shen Qingqiu could kiss him right then and there, thin face be damned. Subconsciously, he sheds formality now that he's talking to Liu Qingge instead of his insane martial siblings. "That's what I said!"
Mu Qingfang sighs, speaking up for the first time since Shang Qinghua's unfortunate observation. "Shen-shixiong, Liu-shidi—perhaps it would be beneficial to make a proper announcement."
Shen Qingqiu immediately turns bright red, raising his fan to hide nearly his entire face and making it extremely clear that he will not be properly announcing a damn thing. Liu Qingge's ears burn, but he still manages to scowl at the Peak Lords now looking to him for answers. Looking at the embarassed fury contorting his pretty features is almost enough for Shen Qingqiu to feel bad for sacrificing him to their martial siblings. Almost.
Liu Qingge glares at each Peak Lord in turn, tightening his grip on Cheng Luan where it’s sheathed at his hip. "Shen Qingqiu and I," he bites out through gritted teeth, "are cultivation partners."
"What?!" Yelps Shang Qinghua. "For how long?!"
If looks could kill, Shang Qinghua would be dead. Surprisingly, Liu Qingge still says, "Years."
Qi Qingqi asks, "And you never told us?!"
"It’s not like we were hiding it."
And it’s true. They’re together more often than not, share a single room when out on missions, and make no secret of the gifts they exchange—and their martial siblings have been witness to each of those things more than once. To be honest, they wouldn’t even bother to conceal their frequent hickeys and bite marks if Shen Qingqiu didn’t have such a thin face.
Likely having finally processed, Yue Qingyuan sinks into a nearby chair, face pale as if he’s moments away from passing out. "Xiao Jiu, you-"
"Don’t call him that," interrupts Liu Qingge, crossing his arms over his (muscular) chest.
Bless him. He mentioned once in passing that the Sect Leader’s habit of calling him that makes him slightly uncomfortable, and Liu Qingge had been determined to correct the man ever since—even without knowing the reason why it bothers him in the first place. He’d tell him, but he’s almost certain the System would reboot just to send his soul back to his original body if he tried to explain that he feels bad for replacing Shen Jiu.
You know, considering everyone, including Liu Qingge, still thinks he is Shen Jiu. He tries not to feel too guilty about it.
Shen Qingqiu clears his throat, lowering his fan by just a hair. "Thank you, Liu-shidi, but it’s alright. Yes, Zhangmen-shixiong?"
Yue Qingyuan gaze burns into him for a moment, but is soon hidden behind a sheepish smile. "Ah, you have my congratulations, Shen-shidi. You as well, Liu-shidi. I apologize for my surprise."
Choosing to believe him despite his doubts, Shen Qingqiu offers a small smile. "Thank you, Zhangmen-shixiong." Liu Qingge just grunts in agreement.
Shang Qinghua sidles closer with an ominous smirk on his face. "So," he starts. "Liu-shidi is a biter, eh? Good for you bro!"
Needless to say, the meeting is postponed until Liu Qingge can pry Shen Qingqiu off of Shang Qinghua and the An Ding Peak Lord’s injuries are treated.