Chapter Text
After fooling around one afternoon, Binghe curling himself into Shen Qingqiu’s chest as they cuddledlaid on their sides, he realized he had technically made Luo Binghe himself as he laid out on their bed.
Although he transmigrated right as lightning struck Luo Binghe and allowed him to become animated, he still felt like a scummy cradle-robber.
“Binghe,” Shen Qingqiu said guiltily as he looked down at the fluffy head he was petting, “You are aware that this master is the reason for your existence, yes?”
“Hmmm,” Luo Binghe confirmed smugly.
Shen Qingqiu sat up against the wall, dislodging Binghe from his position. Luo Binghe immediately pouted, his eyes starting to water.
“Does it not bother you?”
A delicate frown graced his refined face as he looked down at Luo Binghe. Binghe crawled until he was laying in Shen Qingqiu’s lap and smiled like a cat that drank cream until his belly got full. His eyes, completely dry, crinkled and shone brightly with immense contentment; Shen Qingqiu was almost too distracted from his ethical dilemma as he gazed tenderly at his husband’s handsome face until he ruined it by opening his mouth
“It’s very appealing to have been made by Shizun’s hand,” he purred. “Nothing makes my blood run ablaze more than remembering my entire being was carefully crafted by Shizun’s elegant hands, including what brings him pleasure.”
A heavy flush bloomed on Shen Qingqiu’s face as he tried to reach for his fan to smack Luo Binghe for his shameless insolence. Of course Maiden Luo doesn’t care; give him a small concession and he’ll only do what he wants in the end.
He dug his hands into Shen Qingqiu’s thighs, indenting the plush flesh as he dragged him back down their bed. As his back hit the mattress, his view became overtaken by Luo Binghe.
“If my husband doubts my words, let me prove it,” he said and moved his mouth downwards.
“W-wait, Binghe, we just did tha--ah!… Binghe!”
******
Recently, Luo Binghe had hit a critical stage in his cultivation, in which he should maintain a calm state of mind and not partake in things that aroused his desires. However, after spending a whole afternoon and night with his husband, he has begun to face the consequences of his actions.
Shen Qingqiu kept pulling and squishing his chubby cheeks as he glared at the lack of sympathy he received for somehow becoming stuck in the body of a 5-year-old. Being held in his husband’s arms somewhat quelled his anger, yet it also reminded him of the fact that he couldn’t help him as he cooked breakfast.
“Shizun,” a high sweet voice sang out.
“No, Binghe, you can’t help me. You could burn yourself right now!”
Luo Binghe deflated like a sad little worm, his tiny limbs going limp as Shen Qingqiu stirred the congee. He didn’t give him an ounce of attention as he ladled congee into two bowls before moving them towards the dining table.
Shen Qingqiu cooed as he sat down and noticed Luo Binghe was too small for the table. His tiny adorable face barely reached the edge of the table.
He really does look like a sweet, innocent little bun! Especially those cheeks!
“Shizun,” a tiny voice whined. “I can’t reach the table.” A wide pair of teary dark brown eyes pleaded for help.
“Come here,” he said and patted his lap.
“Why is it easier for this disciple to be in Shizun’s lap when I have such a weak body?” Luo Binghe pouted deeply.
“Hush and eat up!”
Shen Qingqiu fed him willingly, which made Luo Binghe’s pout even more severe. It also made Shen Qingqiu pinch and prod his cheeks once more after he finished his breakfast.
He quickly scampered off and retreated to his room to grow mushrooms in solitude. Shen Qingqiu laughed airily at his husband’s antics. He just looked so cute, he couldn’t help but baby him when he looked like a baby.
Since Luo Binghe was in a mood, Shen Qingqiu decided it was a good time to tend to his garden. While Binghe attended to everything concerning the house, Shen Qingqiu noticed that there were plants growing out of the snow that previously hadn’t been there. He needed to identify them to know whether or not they would be a good addition to the garden.
While he wrapped himself in proper winter clothing, Luo Binghe sat in a corner of his room, darkly wishing for revenge against his own body for betraying him so ruthlessly.
An unknown amount of time passed before odd sounds came from inside the house.
“Shizun?”
Luo Binghe stepped out of his room, trying to locate where the sounds were coming from. He realized rather quickly that they were coming from the hallway that led to the experimentation room.
Apprehensively, he creeped towards the hallway and slowly opened the door, making sure to not let it creak.
The only thing that met him was an empty corridor.
He tiptoed slowly towards the end of the hallway towards the room. He cupped his hand against his ear and approached the door, trying to hear beyond the door. Since he heard nothing amiss, Luo Binghe let himself in; it could be an animal that wasn’t hibernating, and he refused to share his Shizun’s attention with something that wasn’t as cute as him.
He pulled back the fabric covering the (now enormous) stretcher and peered below.
A shadow loomed on top of his shadow. Before Luo Binghe could turn, a sharp pain spread throughout his head before he completely lost consciousness.
******
Shen Qingqiu admired the Sweet Everlasting Golden Honeysuckle trying to overtake his other plants.
Not only did it increase the effects of any medicine, it also tasted quite sweet, and was a common ingredient for certain desserts. He hummed as he plucked a few springs for baking when all of a sudden he saw a small figure dart out of the bamboo house.
He turned to see Luo Binghe in mere sleeping robes.
“Binghe!”
The little bun froze in his tracks, gazing warily at him. Shen Qingqiu took off his fur-lined coat and bundled Luo Binghe up.
“Why are you outside in this weather without any proper clothing?! And what happened to your hair?”
A tiny face popped out of a too-big hood. His loose hair was a mess; it resembled a big cloud full of tangles.
“Did you fight something?” Shen Qingqiu scolded. “How many times does this master have to tell you to run if you face something you can't beat?”
He fixed the hood to fit more snugly against Luo Binghe’s head, making sure to smooth out his hair as much as possible so his ears could be fully covered.
“Let’s go back inside and fix your poor hair.”
He scooped him up into his arms and made his way back inside the bamboo house, missing the cold, intense look on Luo Binghe’s face.
******
Shen Qingqiu hummed happily as he washed Luo Binghe’s hair in warm water. He finger combed from the very bottom of his hair before moving his way upwards, detangling knots and loose hairs as it swam in the tub. Once his hair was tangle free, Shen Qingqiu reached for his hair products and started to distribute it evenly into his hair before scrunching it up to encourage his curls to form. He reached for a green hair ribbon and styled his hair into a low ponytail. Because the ribbon was specifically made in mind for drying hair, Luo Binghe’s damp hair disappeared; his curls poofed out from the low ponytail fully dried, and tempted Shen Qingqiu into styling him with pigtails instead.
“There we go,” Shen Qingqiu said.
Although Luo Binghe’s eyes held an odd glint to them, Shen Qingqiu took no notice as he poked his little nose.
“Shizun?”
“Hmm,” he hummed as he tucked an errant curl behind his ear.
“Shizun.”
“Yes, Binghe?”
Luo Binghe gazed upwards towards a Shen Qingqiu that wore a face that promised to give him everything his heart desired. Anything that it hungered for, and not voice a single complaint.
“Shizun,” a syrupy sweet voice called out.
“I’m right here,” Shen Qingqiu replied in good humor. “Let’s go to the kitchen, it’s almost lunch time!”
Shen Qingqiu carried Luo Binghe before placing him in one of the chairs for the dining table and bundling him up in a warm blanket.
“Don’t try to help me with anything right now, Binghe. You’re too small to even reach the counter!”
As Shen Qingqiu began to peel and cut vegetables, he felt a small body stick to his lower half.
I’m getting deja vu from when he was a newborn. Such a sticky child!
Once lunch was completed, Shen Qingqiu waddled his way to the table before prying Luo Binghe off of his legs. As he put him on his lap and started to spoon a small bite, the door leading to the outside room slammed open with a bang.
A tiny Luo Binghe with a shiner on his cute little forehead glared at the scene before him.
Why are there two of them?! I can’t even handle one!
“Binghe, what happened to your forehead? Let me see.”
Shen Qingqiu stood up and tried to put the Luo Binghe in his lap onto his chair. A growl echoed in the room as he dug itty bitty little claws into Shen Qingqiu’s arms, refusing to be let down.
“Get away from Shizun, you bastard!”
Shen Qingqiu stared at him, aghast; hearing a young voice spout such a word took him by surprise.
Binghe sprinted and clawed at the imposter’s eyes, who let go of Shen Qingqiu to protect his face. The chair toppled over as the two children began to brawl. High pitched screams replaced the previously peaceful atmosphere as they tussled on the floor.
Bing-mei took the lead as he ended up on top of Bing-ge and started to slap the actual shit out of Bing-ge with his small hands, really putting his back into it. Somehow, he also had little claws on his hands that left red lines on Bing-ge’s face.
Bing-ge snarled and bucked Bing-mei off of himself. He pulled him by the hair and dragged him to the living room before Bing-mei grabbed him by the ankle and yanked him towards the ground. A sickening crack rang out as his face hit the floor.
A pool of blood formed beneath Bing-ge’s face before Bing-mei stood on top of his back and placed a dainty foot on his head before stepping harshly, putting all of his weight on that foot.
His eyes glowed red, a sneer full of sharp teeth on his face as he looked down at the imposter.
“Binghe!”
Shen Qingqiu lifted him by the back like a mother cat holding one of her kittens.
“Shizun,” Luo Binghe whined, tears spilling down his cheeks. His glowing red eyes were gone, and his teeth were back to normal.
“He hit me and I lost unconsciousness! This imposter has not a single good intention!”
“With such a big bump on your forehead, I need to check you for a concussion!”
“Shizun,” the Luo Binghe on the floor whined before sitting up. With blood flowing from his nose, he made for a pitiful sight. “This disciple got hurt badly.”
Although his words were perfectly pitched and soft so as to arouse sympathy, his eyes held not a single drop of innocence as one of his hands made its way towards the inside of his sleeve.
Before he could take out what was in there, Shen Qingqiu quickly turned around and covered Luo Binghe with his own body, effectively shielding him from what may come.
Bing-ge’s face cracked as he pulled out a small sword that radiated demonic qi. He slashed at the air next to him; a lavish room appeared behind the slash, and he stepped inside. He turned to look at the bamboo house before the air closed and went back to normal.
Luo Binghe peered out from Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder before turning towards him.
“Shizun, did that imposter do anything untoward to you?”
“No, Binghe” Shen Qingqiu sighed. “I thought that was you.”
Luo Binghe pouted, aggrieved at being mistaken for that creature, before smiling.
“Shizun, you owe this disciple an apology,” he said coyly.
He pulled Shen Qingqiu down to the floor before he remembered the circumstance he was in.
Shen Qingqiu looked at him with pity as he howled in anguish before carrying him into his arms to treat his head.