Work Text:
“This early in winter?” Shen Qingqiu frowned, extending his hand out as several large snowflakes fell into his open palm.
“It’s fine, let’s just keep going,” Liu Qingge replied.
Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “Look. The clouds up ahead are so dark and heavy…the storm will only get worse, so we should land for a bit.”
“If we land now, we’ll never get there in time! Flying is the only way.”
Shen Qingqiu’s hand shot out and grabbed Liu Qingge’s wrist. “Shidi!”
Liu Qingge hissed, his sword rocking back and forth in the air beneath his feet. “What the hell are you doing, Shen Qingqiu?! I could’ve fallen off my sword just now! Don’t grab me like that.”
“Shidi, listen—” Shen Qingqiu was cut off by a sudden strong gust of wind, a heavy and thick flurry of snowflakes pelting down from the mass of gray clouds above.
Liu Qingge wrenched his arm out of Shen Qingqiu’s grasp. “It’s getting worse! If we don’t hurry up, we’ll never get there.”
“We won’t get there in time anyways. Let’s just wait out the storm,” Shen Qingqiu said. “As your shixiong, I’m not going to let you run off and get yourself killed.”
Heat blossomed in Liu Qingge’s cheeks. “Stop acting like we’re still children.”
“Will you come down with me?” Shen Qingqiu asked.
“Fine. Whatever.”
Shen Qingqiu grinned.
The two of them flew their swords down to the snowy ground below, landing in a small forest clearing.
“Now what? You’re the one who insisted we come down here,” Liu Qingge scoffed.
“Let’s look for a place to wait out the storm. We can probably find a cave or something.”
Channeling their qi down through the soles of their boots, Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu made their way through the snow-covered forest floor. Snow plummeted down in a thick curtain of white, clinging to their hair and clothes. Using Cheng Luan like a machete, Liu Qingge carved a path through the thick underbrush as he and Shen Qingqiu ascended the side of the mountain.
“Shidi, look!”
“What?”
“There’s steam coming up from the ground over there. I wonder if it’s a hot spring?”
Liu Qingge shrugged. “It could be.”
Shen Qingqiu clapped Liu Qingge on the back. “Let’s go!”
Cresting the rocky slope, the two came upon a large and flat stretch of ground containing several large natural pools, steam rising up from their surfaces, swirling hot in the chilly, snow-filled air.
Shen Qingqiu grinned and slid his arm around Liu Qingge’s neck. “Well? Should we go for a dip?”
Liu Qingge’s eyebrows furrowed, and Shen Qingqiu huffed. “You’re so uptight. Come on, it’ll be fun! Besides, it’s just us. Live a little, shidi!”
Before Liu Qingge could answer, Shen Qingqiu was already pulling him towards one of the pools. Standing beside it, Shen Qingqiu made quick work of undressing, placing his clothes on a rock.
“Are you going to wear your clothes? Take them off already,” Shen Qingqiu said as he stepped into the hot water, glancing over at Liu Qingge.
Red-faced, Liu Qingge gritted his teeth. “I will! Turn around! Quit looking at me!”
Shen Qingqiu turned around, shaking his head. “What are you embarrassed over? We’re both guys. Besides, shidi has a really good body.”
“How do you know what my body is like?!”
“Well, they wouldn’t call you the Bai Zhan War God for no reason…”
Liu Qingge stripped naked, placing his clothes beside Shen Qingqiu’s. He tentatively entered the hot pool, wading through the shallow water’s edge. Shen Qingqiu was sitting in a deeper section of the spring, his eyes closed and his back pressed against a small pile of rocks.
“Shidi, come over. The water is extra warm here.”
As if his legs had a mind of their own, Liu Qingge walked over and sat down beside Shen Qingqiu. The hot spring water lapped at Shen Qingqiu’s chest, his brown nipples stiff. The clean, untouched skin of his collarbones was like two little hills, and Liu Qingge had to resist brushing away a few stray strands of hair clinging to Shen Qingqiu’s neck.
Liu Qingge tore his eyes away from the tantalizing sight, staring out over the horizon. Still, the handsome and hypnotic image of Shen Qingqiu was burned into his mind; a smouldering flame when Liu Qingge closed his eyes.
“It’s so relaxing. Isn’t this nice, shidi?”
“Yeah.”
Shen Qingqiu frowned. “Do you not like it?”
“No, I do, just…nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
“If there’s something on your mind, you should tell me. I saw you staring at me earlier.”
The heat in Liu Qingge’s face rose up to his ears. “What!? I—I wasn’t!”
Shen Qingqiu grinned. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. Am I handsome?”
Liu Qingge pressed his lips together, glancing away. “You’re okay, I guess.”
“Just okay? What does shidi not like?”
“Enough!” Liu Qingge snapped. “Stop talking. Let’s just relax.”
Shen Qingqiu leaned forward. “I’m serious. What’s not good? Which of our brothers do you think is more handsome than me? Is it Zhangmen-shixiong…?”
“What? No. Zhangmen-shixiong is…fine, I guess, but…he’s not my type.”
“Wei-shidi…?”
Liu Qingge almost fell over. “What kind of guy do you think I am?!”
“Eh? He’s not that bad! Anyways, who’s more handsome?”
“Nobody! Nobody is more handsome…you…you—you’re…the…most…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Shen Qingqiu nodded. “Between you and me…” he glanced around, his gaze resting on Liu Qingge, “you’re the most handsome.”
“Shen Qingqiu!”
Stifling his laughter with a slender hand, Shen Qingqiu leaned back against the rock.