Work Text:
Before Shen Qingqiu had transmigrated, his sister had attempted to bait him into reading her cringe romance novels. Particularly, she’d pushed him to read horrendous tropes that Shen Qingqiu could only squirm and cringe at the idea of them. He thought that was the last of it the minute he managed to scramble out of his sister’s grasp and back into a room.
Indeed, that was the end of it.
When Shen Qingqiu had begun reading Proud Immortal Demon Way, he realized it was impossible to escape those tropes. In a fit of rage he wrote an entire essay in the hack author’s comment section critiquing the use of those tropes and tearing down every aspect.
He had definitely ignited a war within the comment section that day. Comments had come pouring in, either defending him like their life was on the front lines or there were those who came with their torches and pitchforks to argue back. He had spent several hours cramming himself by his chair, fingers typing away on multiple phones and eating cucumbers as he argued back and forth with enraged commenters.
Shen Qingqiu had dragged up every insult he could in the comment section, angering the male fans of the stallion novel.
After the transmigration had occurred, Shen Qingqiu hadn’t thought much of the tropes other than the times he was forced into the wife role unwillingly.
He didn’t think he’d deal with this dumb of a trope.
If one knew of the basic trope of two people, one bed, they’d know what he meant.
The common trope of “Apologies, we only have one room left and it only has one bed” that was a basic trope in his sister’s novels in which he shook his head at its stupidity. It only happened with two people and—
Now he was here.
This seriously had to be that same trope. It was a variation, but it was still the same!
Sure, it was two beds now—but they were three people! The “no spare room” that was utter bullshit?! Shen Qingqiu silently cursed Airplane.
Why’d he write this damn trope in this novel?
Sure he was with two people, but the system only accommodated and refused to spare Shen Qingqiu the humiliation.
This particular interaction hadn’t mentioned anything about not having space to accommodate everyone. As such, Shen Qingqiu wasn’t sure how to react, the idea of being stuck in a room with Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe was just asking for a death wish. He’d already been trying to avoid it with Luo Binghe and also having to make sure to watch out for Liu Qingge was horrifying.
Besides, Luo Binghe was gay! Did the receptionist think he was involved with him romantically? He had to, because staring at the sight before him, Shen Qingqiu realized that the receptionist probably thought that.
There laid two beds in front of him, one meant for two people and one for one person.
Looking around the room, Shen Qingqiu got a slight sense of deja vu from another time similar to this one. Right above one of the bedsides hung a painting of plants, hung from the wall with string and wood. Shen Qingqiu stared at the painting momentarily, studying the detail in how the leaves were painted and the brushstrokes along the stem. Shen Qingqiu could only assume that the inn owner had a heavy interest in plants based on all the plant motifs scattered along the room.
Shen Qingqiu walked across the room to the smaller bed, picking up a small potted plant on the nightstand to look at it. He plopped down on the bed, holding the potted plant in his palms before remembering what they were doing.
“So–” He began, looking up at the other two who were still standing on the opposite side, “‘There’s only two beds.”
“Right.” Liu Qingge answered stiffly, his arms crossed. The look on his face said he didn’t want to be here at all, but if one couldn’t already tell from his demeanor, Shen Qingqiu would be quite concerned.
“Shizun, couldn’t we stay elsewhere?” Luo Binghe asked, glancing around, “I don’t want to share a room.” The last words, “with him” were left unsaid but quite implied.
Liu Qingge shot him a glare, “I’m leaving.”
He then turned away, walking back to the door and slamming it with a loud thud. Luo Binghe glanced at the shut door then back at Shen Qingqiu, “Shishu has an attitude.” He finally declares, walking over to Shen Qingqiu and collapsing on the bed next to him.
Shen Qingqiu can only help but sigh.
“If you behaved perhaps he wouldn’t get so mad at you.” Shen Qingqiu suggests.
Luo Binghe pops up looking at him with innocent doe eyes, “What is shizun talking about? This disciple is always behaving, he can’t be at fault if shishu behaves like that!”
Shen Qingqiu shoots him a disapproving look.
“We both know that’s not true, you’re just a professional ragebaiter.” Shen Qingqiu retorts. He sets down the potted plant and takes out his fan to smack Luo Binghe on the forehead.
“Rage—ow! Baiter?’ Luo Binghe complains, “What is—owwww—Shizun–talkingabout?” He says the last two words in one breath because Shen Qingqiu keeps smacking him in the process. Shen Qingqiu aims once again to give him another hard smack to the forehead but Luo Binghe interferes by grabbing his wrist and yanking the fan out of his grasp.
“Shizun! Be kinder to this disciple!" He whines, “What’s a ragebaiter?”
Shen Qingqiu coughs loudly to avoid answering the question, “I’m going to find your shishu.”
He pulls his hand free from Luo Binghe’s grasp and stands up, dusting off his robes.
“You can be in that bed with Liu Qingge,” Shen Qingqiu motions back toward the larger bed, “You two need to work out your issues.”
By the time Luo Binghe processes what Shen Qingqiu said, Shen Qingqiu has already reached the door. So when he pulls it open he hears the loud wail of “Shizuuuuuuun!” from Luo Binghe which quickly becomes faint when he shuts the door and steps out into the hallway.
Shen Qingqiu has to keep himself from laughing, mainly to prevent Luo Binghe from rushing out and begging him for mercy. He had to feel slightly guilty, but the plan to stay in a separate bed was his idea all along so this interaction allowed him to execute it.
Shen Qingqiu wanders the inn for a long while, being left in complete confusion at where Liu Qingge could’ve gone.
He walks past every door in the inn, trying to see if Liu Qingge had somehow managed to change rooms though the possibility of that was very unlikely. Shen Qingqiu wanders down the hallways a few times before coming to the conclusion that Liu Qingge is nowhere in the inn despite how much he searches. He ends up walking outside, hoping that the other hadn’t wandered that far. Fortunately Liu Qingge is quite close and is practicing with his sword.
“Shidi!” Shen Qingqiu calls, “Are you going to be out here for a while?”
Liu Qingge slows with his movements, turning around with his sword hanging loose, “What reason would I have to stay inside?”
Shen Qingqiu blinks, looking up at the sky, “It’s getting dark out–”
“I’ll be fine,” Liu Qingge cuts him off, “There isn’t any issue with me staying out here for as long as I’d like.”
“But–”
“There won’t be any monsters or demons I can’t fight off if you’re talking about that. It’s safer in this general area.” Shen Qingqiu feels his face flush slightly red at that, he hadn’t forgotten that…Liu Qingge probably didn’t stay at an inn most of the time…he didn’t! At all. Shen Qingqiu would swear on his life (he already was on his second one—what was a third to him?) that he remembered this.
Finally finding the confidence to speak Shen Qingqiu continues, “Shidi, I’m not concerned about you fighting monsters, if I’m being honest, I’m more afraid for the monsters,” Liu Qingge raises an eyebrow, “So, for their safety, can you please come back into the inn?”
“More reason to stay outside and fight them.” Liu Qingge answers. Shen Qingqiu stares at him deadpan, did he have to seriously drag this man back inside?
“We’re not doing this today.” Shen Qingqiu huffs, he walks over to Liu Qingge and pulls him by the wrist back into the inn.
“Hey!” Liu Qingge exclaims in protest.
“Put away your sword.” Is the only answer he gets, and though Liu Qingge could easily break out of his grasp, he doesn’t which makes Shen Qingqiu’s job easier. Liu Qingge complies for once and Shen Qingqiu is at least relieved of one task. When he gets back into the room Luo Binghe hasn’t moved an inch from the bed and Shen Qingqiu almost mistakes him for a stone statue.
“Shizun!” Luo Binghe exclaims, jumping up from the bed.
He wraps his arms around Shen Qingqiu excitedly, acting like a lonely puppy who hadn’t seen his owner all day. He shoots Liu Qingge a quick glare before focusing his attention back on Shen Qingqiu with the pathetic doe eyes he had given him before.
“Shizun you didn’t mean it before did you?” He begs, wet tears forming in his eyes.
In the meantime, Liu Qingge breaks free from Shen Qingqiu’s grasp, rubbing his hand as if to soothe an injury. “What are the bed arrangements?” He asks.
“You two in the large bed and I’ll take the small one.” Shen Qingqiu answers, giving a response to both questions at once.
“What?!”
“Shizun!”
“You two figure out how you’re sharing the bed, I’m sleeping here.” Shen Qingqiu plops onto the smaller bed, pulling back the covers and getting in. He can feel the two stare at him but he keeps his eyes squeezed shut, pretending as if he can’t feel their gazes.
“You’re still clothed.” Liu Qingge answers, more confused if anything else.
“Why would he change in front of you? You could have bad intentions.” Luo Binghe accuses.
“You of all people, are asking me that?” Liu Qingge hisses, irritation creeping into his tone, “You were the one who kept his corpse for so long instead of burying it.”
Luo Binghe makes a sound similar to growling, “That’s because I care about him, you’re way too violent, who would trust you?”
Liu Qingge scoffs, “I deal with monsters and fight them. You’re always managing demons and creating bigger issues that your shizun has to clean up. I don’t want to hear you say otherwise.”
“Oh yeah?” Luo Binghe counters, “Might I remind you that you were the one who kept ruining my palace creating a mess for five years straight.”
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t hear Liu Qingge answer anything for a long minute and he wonders if the two have settled their differences. Right after he thinks this, a loud crush rumbles throughout the room as he hears the huffing of the two men who seem to have begun wrestling. Shen Qingqiu doesn’t risk opening his eyes but he hears thump after crash before finally the two seem to have slammed into the other bed.
“Fuck—” Shen Qingqiu hears Liu Qingge swear.
“How do you like that shishu?” Luo Binghe retorts, sounding closer.
“Get—off me!” Liu Qingge protests, “Ow, fuck!”
A heavy slam follows this complaint, “Seriously, that couldn’t have hurt that bad. Shizun gets worse from me.”
Shen Qingqiu gets the feeling that if he could cough out blood at the moment, he would. The only time he even got close to whining or protesting at that level was when Luo Binghe was fucking him, so he really didn’t want to think of what Luo Binghe was implying.
“What are you doing to him that has this level of violence?!” Liu Qingge hisses, “You foul beast have no end to your disgusting behavior!” Liu Qingge have mercy, Shen Qingqiu was right there! He was nowhere near sleeping yet and he could hear every single word with never-ending clarity. Luo Binghe only lets out a harsh laugh.
“Is shishu implying I hurt shizun?”
“...”
“...You said it yourself.” Liu Qingge retorts, “I don’t know where—owfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, thathurtsyoufuckingbeast.” Suddenly his voice had taken a much more pitiful manner and Shen Qingqiu could only help but wonder how this poor soul was being tormented. Following that, there was another light thump, but much softer this time.
“Behave so we can go to sleep.” Luo Binghe states.
“Fine, just let go of my hands.” Liu Qingge whines.
A second later Liu Qingge makes a sound of relief, “Truce just for tonight?”
“Truce.”
Once the two had settled their differences, Shen Qingqiu had heard the rustling noises of the covers being moved and the two settling into the bed. At that moment, he wondered why they’d questioned him going into the bed with his robes still on when they had done the exact same thing. Since they’d at least met a truce for the night Shen Qingqiu wasn’t going to disturb things and instead he relaxed his eyes and let his dreams take him away.
On the other bed, Luo Binghe was digging his fingers into the pillow, his eyes focused on Shen Qingqiu. The other’s back was moving slowly, at the pace of a person who still lay awake. He watched the movements of his breathing, and they slowly began dropping in speed and becoming much more slow paced which meant he had fallen asleep. Liu Qingge was still awake on the bed next to him though his back was also to Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe rolled over just slightly so his head was looking up at the ceiling.
From the corner of his eye, he could see that Liu Qingge seemed to be gently rubbing at his wrist from the movements of his shoulders. He didn’t feel bad in the slightest for doing all that, Liu Qingge would have to learn to behave properly.
Though he might not admit it out loud, he did like having the man pinned underneath him.
At that thought, Luo Binghe concluded he should sleep. He was starting to have crazy thoughts.