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His fingers tapped the desk impatiently while Ming Fan was reading aloud a text about something. Frankly, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t paying any attention.
“Shizun” said Ning Yingying after a while
“Hm?”
“Ming-Shixong finished reading”
“Next one, please”
“We have finished the text, Shizun”
“Hm?”
“The book, Shizun, the book. We have finished the book”
“Hm?" his mind landed at reality with a 'pop' and he cough once to regain hi composture "Oh! Then we have to… we have to discuss... wait, what time is it?”
“Almost noon, Shizun”
“Noon? Oh!, then... Then go… go and do your… things”
Everybody flew out of the room, even the teacher who stood up and walked away straight down to his house where he knew Liu Qingge would be waiting for him, probably with a grumpy look on his face. His visit was the reason why he could not concentrate on anything that morning.
Shen Qingqiu trot the long road through the bamboo forest with his heart beating faster at every step and, as expected, a tall and broad silhouette was waiting for him outside his house. His expression was indecipherable, as always; no matter how hard he tried to guess what that man was thinking, it was pointless. Liu Qingge was unreadable.
Beautiful -gorgeous- but so hard to please.
Seeing him waiting he changed his pace so there was less chance to trip and embarrass himself; and as soon as he appeared in the road his Shidi picked up on his presence -a terrifying ability of his– and turned to look at him. The reaction of his body was automatic, his heart flutter as a leave in the wind and the smile in his face was a gesture so spontaneous that Shen Qingqiu had to rise his fan to cover his mouth.
“Sorry for make you wait, Shidi” he greeted with his usual demeanor.
“I just arrived.” Liu Qingge replied with a nod before following him into the house.
Making tea and setting the table gave him the necessary excuse to calm his heartbeat, especially when Liu Qingge sat at the other side of the table with his eyes closed as an exquisite image with perfect eyebrows, dark neat lashes, and perfect cheekbones.
However, that day the skin under Liu Qingge’s eyes was a couple shades darker and there was a heated pink on his cheeks, a clear contrast against his fairly skin. Shen Qingqiu scrutinized him out of the corner of his eye, worry crawling up into his throat because he didn’t know how to say anything without sounding like he’d been staring at his Shidi like a creep.
“What?” said Liu Qingge before opening his eyes to look at him.
“Hm?”
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh!… mmm… is nothing" Shen Qingqiu went for the teapot and cups. When everything was set in the table he gathered enough courage to ask: "Is everything all right, shidi?”
“Yes”
"Are you sure?”
“Yes”
“Have you been sleeping well?”
“What?”
“Do you feel sick? I mean you seem...”
“You are who is sick! I’m here because you are sick! Can we start with the meridians clea-?” His words were interrupted by a muffled cough.
Silence.
“You coughed” said Shen Qingqiu
“I know”
“You’re sick.”
Grey glassy eyes looked at him before Liu Qingge sighed slowly. “It’s nothing”
Silence. Then in a fast movement that caught at his shidi by surprise, Shen Qingqiu pressed his hand into Liu Qingge’s forehead.
“What are you doing?!” was Liu Qingge’s yell throwing back his body as the pink in his cheeks grew.
“I think you have a fever. We need to go to Qian Cao Peak”
Liu Qingge crossed his arms growing.
“What was that?” asked Shen Qingqiu
“I said that I’ve seen Qingfang Shixong already”
“And what did he say?”
“…”
“Liu-shidi!”
“…he gave me some medicine and ordered me to stay in bed… only for today”
“And why are you here?”
“Because It’s the cleaning of your meridians and I promised you I would be here”
Shen Qingqiu’s anger for his Shidi’s uncaring attitude towards himself was crushed by the warm feeling in his chest.
“Thank you for keeping your promise, Shidi, but your health is first.”
“I will rest later. It’s okay”
“No. You will rest now and we can do the cleaning later”
“It’s not-“ But his protest was muffled by several coughs.
Shen Qingqiu took the opportunity to help him up and guide him to the bedroom.
“I don’t think-“
“Shh, shidi, it’s okay,” said Shen Qingqiu pushing him to the bed and taking off the brooch of his head. A waterfall of black hair fell free against the bed highlighted the whiteness of the sheets, for a moment Shen Qingqiu was mesmerized by the vision.
After mentally slapping himself to regain his aloofness and taking advantage of Liu Qingge’s confusion, he helped him to get under the covers. “Now, rest,” he said.
But Liu Qingge seemed too uncomfortable to sleep, he lay in the bed rigid as a piece of wood with his eyes fixed in the roof and the blush in his cheeks so red as a rose's petal. Shen Qingqiu was too focused pretending the situation was completely normal to notice.
Time passed, nobody moved.
After a while.
“Ehhhh, Shidi, Is everything alright?”
“I can’t sleep”
“Why not?”
Because this is your bed!!!¸ was Liu Qingge’s thought almost a shriek but he pressed his lips and growl. When he tried to get up Shen Qingqiu pushed him against the bed.
“Sleep!”
Liu Qingge tried again.
"Shidi! Sleep!" was the order. So he tried again. And again. And again. Until... “Why are you sitting on me?”
“You're going to stay here to rest”
“Get off!”
“NO! I’ll move until you are sleep”
Liu Qingge closed his eyes.
Time passed.
“Why are you still there?!!!”
“You are not sleeping!!!”
They fought. Liu Qingge trying to get up and Shen Qingqiu pushing him against the bed… the only reason why Shen Qingqiu wasn’t thrown across the room was because Liu Qingge didn’t feel well. That and because it was nice having his weight on top of him.
Not he would say that aloud.
Eventually, they stop fighting; both of them were in the bed: Shen Qingqiu still in his lap but at least Liu Qingge was sitting.
Liu Qingge tried his hardest to no stare at the other man, but it was a lost cause. He only had eyes for the long eyelashes, dark as the night, and the flushed cheeks almost as red as the mushy mouth. There was a gentle tinkling under his fingertips where he could feel the heat in Shen Qingqius writs wrapped in silky skin. The heat from the struggle seemed to rise and swathe them, clouding Qingge’s mind. He could feel his heart beating in his ears.
Then Shen Qinqiu’s fingers caressed his arms releasing an electric wave for his veins. His own fingers answered by brushing the silky skin in the same gentle pattern and when Qingqiu raised his eyes too looked up at him every sound in the world went out.
They sat there quietly as if everything they could say would communicate in those soft touches.
Shen Qingqiu was looking at him, expectant, and Liu Qingge answer was to lean towards him and gently press their lips together in a chaste kiss that couldn’t have lasted for more than a few seconds, but he felt a tingling sensation spreading throughout his body, all way to the tips of his toes.
When he leaned back, Shen Qingqiu leaned forward, so they kissed again. Lip against lip, a soft brush that grew in intensity at the same rate as their heartbeats.
One kiss and then another. An another. Too many to count.
Two days later Mu Qingfang was summoned to Qing Jin Peak because Shen Qingqiu was sick. To his surprise Liu Qingge was with him and when Qingfang ask how did he get sick both of them flushed as little maidens.