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[ How would you like to continue your romance storyline?
A. Stay with Luo Binghe.
B. Try to seduce Liu Qingge.
This might or might not be reversible, so choose wisely…/ ]
It's been weeks since Shen Qingqiu has been given this unexpected choice by the System. Back then, he was as surprised about the option popping up in front of him in the first place, just as much as he was surprised about being hesitant about the answer.
Somehow, he has thought that his path with Luo Binghe is carved into stone now that they have already changed the whole storyline of the original Proud Immortal Demon Way, but then, doesn't it make just as much sense to be able to rewrite your story once again? At least when you're not happy anymore with the way it is. To be completely honest, as much as Shen Qingqiu likes Luo Binghe, as tired he has become of Luo Binghe's demanding personality, his clinginess, his childishness, and most exhausting of it all, his overwhelmingly unsatisfied sex drive.
The System has given Shen Qingqiu the chance to rethink and restart a certain part of his new life, maybe, because Shen Qingqiu has started to get tired of his lover (literally, his partner's energy is hard to keep up with), maybe, because his ass simply needed a god damned break, or, maybe, because there's always been this tiny little voice in his head that just doesn't stop asking “Would Liu Qingge and I have made a nice couple too?”
Luo Binghe, as endearing as his clinginess could be at times, is in fact a spoilt, whiny child, and having been able to take a peak into what a relationship with him would be like, Shen Qingqiu has come to the conclusion, that it could eventually become a bit too intense for his liking. If they still were together, his ass would probably be leaking and hurting right now from heavy amounts of intimacy, and it's not that Shen Qingqiu wouldn't like to get his ass filled once in a while, however, when he tries to imagine such scenes, the face that pops up in his mind isn't Luo Binghe's recently, but Liu Qingge's.
He doesn't know when exactly this started, but nowadays, it makes Shen Qingqiu's heart beat like crazy to imagine Liu Qingge getting undressed right in front of him, or lying next to him in his bed at night, reaching his hands to touch bare skin, or to sneak away with him into the bushes during an expedition, doing the gods know what in the midst of scratchy leaves. Not that being horny for Liu Qingge was the only indicator that Shen Qingqiu likes him.
One thing is for sure, Shen Qingqiu can't deny that ever since he met his fellow Cang Qiong Mountain peak lord, he has felt an incredible amount of respect and admiration for his skills, and yeah, growing affection and interest towards Liu Qingge over the years, despite – or maybe even because of – his oftentimes cold and blunt personality.
Against all odds, the two men are even kind of hitting it off quite well, having formed a very special bond of friendship from the day on when Shen Qingqiu saved Liu Qingge from falling victim to a qi deviation in the LingXi Cave. However, from Liu Qingge's side, there have been no further signals yet whether there's anything more than friendly and loyal feelings towards Shen Qingqiu. So, whatever it was that made Shen Qingqiu make choose option B that day, it definitely decided in favour of his ass because since then, nothing and nobody has touched it.
Sometimes, a notification from the System pops up to remind Shen Qingqiu of the new path he has chosen. Something along the lines of [ Don't forget to refill your love bar. ] or [ Need a little help with your target? ] but so far, Shen Qingqiu has just swiped those notifications away. He doesn't need to be reminded that he might have to make progress at some point, or it would be pointless to have chosen this path, he just needs time. He doesn't want to rush things. And he doesn't mind to wait. That's until one day, the system comes up with another notification.
[ Do you regret the choice you made regarding Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge?
A. Yes, I want to rewind and go back to being with Luo Binghe.
B. No, I still want to try to seduce Liu Qingge.
In case you choose option B it is advised to get the story moving forward…/ ]
Shen Qingqiu doesn't like to be pressured, however, the System seems to get bored of him and thus, he'd better try and see how to make progress with the story. He even considers his choices for a second, besides his sore ass, he can't say that he's been completely unhappy with Luo Binghe, after all, but when he sees Liu Qingge walking by right at that very moment, elegantly and majestic, dressed up in his blue gown and his hair styled perfectly into a high ponytail with just a few strands of hair framing his breathtakingly beautiful face, Shen Qingqiu knows from the beating of his heart, that his new mission isn't over yet.
It would be a waste to not even try, right? It would be disrespectful towards the System and also towards Luo Binghe, whose storyline has been altered completely in order to make it possible for Shen Qingqiu to get closer to Liu Qingge and for Luo Binghe not to be hurting too much.
Even if the younger man is inapproachable at most times, it's not like Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge aren't close, in some way. Apparently, Shen Qingqiu is the only one of the Cang Qiong Mountain sect, that Liu Qingge considers as “a friend”. The only one he talks to sometimes, without first having to be prompted to take part in a conversation, the only one who gets invited into Liu Qingqiu's private accommodation in order to have tea together, talk, have a small special training lesson, or other things people would never have expected from Liu Qingqiu.
This has to mean something, right?
“If I wasn't so sure that Liu Shidi isn't interested in anyone like that, I'd think he's secretly very interested in you,” Yue Qingyuan one day says to Shen Quingqiu as they are sharing a teapot and some leisure time between various duties they have to follow in their daily lives. The man knows very well about Shen Qingqiu's crush on Liu Qingge for a while now.
Shen Quingqiu sighs in obvious frustration and puts his empty tea cup down on the table in front of him.
“You know, hearing you say things like how I seem to be special for him, I'd believe your suspicions, but when we're alone, just the two of us, there is not a tiny bit of progress,” he pouts. “It's like Shidi has completely friend-zoned me.”
“He has what?” Yue Qingyuan asks, raising an eyebrow.
A well-known pop-up appears in front of Shen Qingqiu at the same time.
[ Mind your word choice in order to avoid confusion. ]
“Ah right, let's see,” Shen Qingqiu hesitates, searching for an understandable wording for his friend, “He is treating me like a normal friend or brother instead of someone special, not showing any interest in making progress in any other direction with our relationship.”
Yue Qingyuan nods in understanding and takes another sip of tea before he continues the conversation. “Honestly, ever since I found out that you like Liu Shidi, I can't stop wondering... why?”
“What do you mean, why?” Shen Qingqiu immediately blushes but can't keep quiet. “Have you seen that gorgeous man? He is extremely handsome, he is without any doubt the most beautiful human being, not only at Cang Qiong Mountain but most likely in the whole world!”
“You're saying, he is even more beautiful than his sister, Liu Mingyan?” Yue Qingyuan asks.
Shen Qingqiu nods. “In my eyes, yes. And this is only the most obvious of his qualities, but you surely also can see how incredibly talented and strong and knowledgable he is, how loyal to his people, how -”
“You think he's an intellectual?” Yue Qingyuan frowns. “To be honest, I have never seen him as anything different than a hard-working, also talented, yes, but mostly hard-working sword master. But knowledgable? About other things than sword fights, you mean?”
“I can see why people would think like that about him, he's not wearing it to the outside, but did you know that he's very knowledgable about all kinds of flowers for example, and that he's an avid reader of anything regarding nature and history?”
Yue Qingyuan's chin almost drops to the floor. He indeed had no idea about those sides of his fellow peak lord.
“That's impressive,” the man lifts his hand to his chin as if to fix it back in place. “When it comes to Liu Shidi, you are really...”
Shen Qingqiu blushes again, trying to hide it behind his fan, thinking, I know, I'm a total simp.
“I think you're his most passionate admirer!” Yue Qingyuan finishes his sentence after searching for the correct phrasing.
Shen Qingqiu chuckles. Well, that sounds better than being a simp, but in the end, it's just the same thing, and he can't deny it.
“You can probably feel honoured, then, those must be things he's only willing to show you!” Yue Qingyuan adds.
“Hm... yeah, you might be right that he doesn't show this side of him to everyone, but it's probably just a thing he's sharing with his friend,” Shen Qingqiu considers, knowing that this is what Liu Qingge usually describes him as. He signs before he dares asking his senior another question. “Has he really never had any kind of more intimate relationship with anyone?”
“Never, at least, not to my knowledge,” Yue Qingyuan shakes his head.
“And he has never been this close as friends as he is with me now?”
Again, head shaking. “Never. This is completely unheard of to me.”
“Do you think that this means that I might have a chance with him if I tried to seduce him?” Shen Qingqiu asks, feeling his cheeks turning pink again, his heart thumping strongly in his chest. Maybe he's just too hopeful, maybe, he's just interpreting random behaviour as clues for something he's only wishing for. “What if he's just so inexperienced that he doesn't know what to do in case someone's courting him?”
“Well, it's not like nobody had courted him before,” Yue Qingyuan continues, “However, everyone came to the impression that Liu Shidi is not interested in things like such. No matter how pretty the women had been, no matter how elegant or endearing or strong, he always seemed unaffected.”
“What about men?”
“Hard to say, before you two started getting close, the only relationships Liu Qingge used to cultivate were those with his disciples as their masters, or himself being a disciple to someone. When men showed an interest in him, it was more because they wanted to measure their strength while competing with him. He's not known to have friends or lovers, no matter the gender.”
Well, if that doesn't sound like a tough mission in this twisted game that Shen Qingqiu's life has become, he doesn't know what.
“Alright. I have decided that I'm gonna try and see how far I can get with him,” the man suddenly announces to his senior.
“Oh? Then, my friend, I wish you success,” Yue Qingyuan smiles, amused by his friend's determination. “May you become happy, both of you, if the gods will.”
Shen Qingqiu nods. He's been waiting for Liu Qingge to get a step closer towards him, but nothing happened so far, thus, it's time to take the initiative. After all, he doesn't want to regret having chosen Liu Qingge over Luo Binghe as his love interest. He has thought too long about this, to let any possible chances pass by for longer.
“Do you have anything specific in mind to get closer to him than you already are?” Yue Qingyuan asks. “You're not planning to force him to do anything he doesn't want to, right?”
“Of course, not! I would never!” Shen Qingqiu replies, indignantly. He might be horny, but he can keep his sex drive in check, very well. “I just want to try to make him look at me with slightly different eyes.”
“Hm, then how about some time together, away from your daily life here? A change of scenery might make Liu Shidi change his view of you as well.”
“That's actually an amazing idea!” Shen Quingqiu closes his fan, clapping it against his hand. “I should take him out on a short trip, then. But I'm not too familiar with the surroundings. Do you have any recommendations?”
“I heard there are some hot springs nearby with a guest house, why not visit them and spend a night there together?”
At the same time, the System lights up again.
[ Accept mission Hot Springs?
A. Yes.
B. No.
…/ ]
Shen Qingqiu considers his friend's suggestion and ends up really liking it, so he chooses to accept his new mission and asks his friend for further details.
+ + +
When Shen Qingqiu invites Liu Qingge to the trip, the man looks surprisingly excited. His beautiful eyes are even shining for a moment if Shen Qingqiu isn't just imagining it.
Whoever thinks that Liu Qingge is completely cold and has no passion towards anything other than sword fights, at all, has clearly never seen him like this. Somehow, that makes Shen Qingqiu a little sad, everyone seems to do Liu Qingge wrong, but on the other hand, knowing that he's probably the only one who can draw this expression out from him, makes Shen Qingqiu feel ridiculously proud.
“Shixiong, do you want us to ride the horses to the destination?” Liu Qingge asks casually as they start planning their trip.
Oh, if you knew what I'd want to ride! Shen Qingqiu tries to chase away an extremely inappropriate and uninvited thought, however, he can't keep his gaze from falling right into Liu Qingge's lap.
Of course, Liu Qingge's proper sitting position and the layers of clothing surrounding his slim figure don't reveal anything. However, Shen Qingqiu clearly remembers the last time they took a dip in the river just around the corner from Liu Qingge's accommodation, and he remembers even clearer the sight of the man's most intimate area, which revealed a long but slender, elegant, from the cold water upcurved pride, even if just for the split of a second. Maybe, it isn't as impressive as Luo Binghe's, probably nobody could ever compare with Luo Binghe in size, anyway, but in Shen Qingqiu's eyes, what Liu Qingge has to offer, looks heavenly in its own special way.
Shen Qungqiu aggressively shakes his head, pressing his eyes closed.
“Oh, you don't want to take the horses, then?” Liu Qingge asks, slightly concerned. “Are you feeling uncomfortable, riding?”
“No!” Shen Qingqiu blurts out. “I mean, I'm not feeling uncomfortable with the horses, but I thought, we could treat this trip as a chance to get to know each other better. Just us on our feet, taking our time to walk through nature, talking about whatever is on our minds.”
Liu Qingge nods. “If that's what you prefer, it's alright for me, too.”
Shen Qingqiu smiles and slightly bows his head in gratitude. He indeed prefers walking with Liu Qingge, as he wants to spend as much time with him, as possible and while walking close next to each other, it's easier to keep a conversation going.
They reach an agreement for the day of the departure, and Shen Qingqiu almost can't hide his own excitement over it. Just in a few days, they would be out and about to go on a hot spring sleepover trip. Even if maybe nothing comes out of it, at least, Shen Qingqiu would be able to spend some quality time with his crush – and maybe see his little sword once more, and as desperate as he is, he'd take as little or as much as he could.
+ + +
On the day of their joint trip, Shen Qingqiu's tactic works quite well. All those hours the two men spend together, walking and talking, bring them a bit closer to each other every hour.
Shen Qingqiu dares to ask more questions and Liu Qingge doesn't seem to see any reason why he should not answer those questions. This way, Shen Qingqiu learns a lot about his friend's past, his family life, his relationship with his sisters, which he has known only very roughly about so far, and many more things.
Liu Qingge doesn't show it openly, but the way how he talks about his sister Liu Mingyan, Shen Qingqiu can feel that the man is actually very caring underneath the cold attire he's wearing to the outside every day.
When asked the right questions, Liu Qingge also goes more into detail about his interests and hobbies, he even gets so excited about some new articles he has recently read, that he invites Shen Qingge to come visit him in his accommodation again after their trip so that he can show them to him and they could discuss them together. He'd also gladly share his new favourite tea with his guest.
Shen Qingqiu has known, or at least suspected all of those adorable traits of Liu Qingge, but getting those confirmations through their conversation makes Shen Qingqiu's heart beat faster and make him feel warm inside, falling even more for his crush.
Smiling, he keeps walking elatedly next to the other man, looking forward to all the other things he might be able to learn about him.
When they finally reach their goal, it feels like they have talked more than during all the times they had met up before.
Exhausted from their trip, the two men are glad to be already expected by the hosts of the guest house, a middle-aged woman greeting them with a friendly smile on her face and offering to show them their room right away.
“Room?” Liu Qingge repeats with a small frown on his face. “Shixiong, did she say room just now, not rooms?”
“Let's wait and see,” Shen Qingqiu unfolds his paper fan, holding it up in front of his face to hide a smirk before gently pushing Liu Qingge forward to follow their host's lead.
Indeed, Liu Qingge's ears haven't pulled a trick on him, and the woman shows them their one singular room shortly after. And on top of that, there's only one bed. Well, OK, to be exact, it's two flat beds laid out in the middle of the floor, placed right next to each other. Nothing they wouldn't be able to separate and pull into opposite corners of the room if needed. However, again, Shen Qingqiu has to hide his expression behind his fan to not give his amusement away. After the host has shown them their nightgowns as well as some washcloths that they can use during and after their visit to the hot springs right behind the guest house, the two men are left alone.
“This is unheard of,” Liu Qingge murmurs when he sees their beds lined up together and if Shen Qingqiu squints, he sees a small pink blush tinting his companion's cheeks.
Shen Qingqiu clears his throat. “If you feel uncomfortable, my friend, we can surely do something about this. Shall we call the host and ask her to prepare an additional room for us? Maybe there has been a misunderstanding regarding the reservation that I made per advance letter.”
Liu Qingge seems to consider their options, but in the end, he shakes his head. “It's fine, we don't need to bother the poor woman further. I can spend a night lying next to Shixiong.”
“As you wish,” Shen Qingqiu lowers his fan to send Liu Qingge a genuine smile. Maybe this won't be as difficult as he expected.
+ + +
After taking a look around, and viewing the beautiful flowers and trees planted in the spacious garden, the two men are called for dinner, which is included in their stay at the guest house. The dinner table that is set up on the private terrace of their room, is full of various dishes, familiar and unfamiliar, and they make the two men's eyes light up in excitement. The host gives a few explanations about some of the foreign dishes, leaving them alone after she makes sure that their cups are filled and that replenishment is guaranteed so the two men will have enough water and alcohol for the whole evening.
“I did not expect such a rich and versatile meal,” Liu Qingge admits half in awe, half critical regarding the provided food. “I have never seen some of those dishes before.”
“Are you brave enough to try them?” Shen Qingqiu asks, raising his eyebrows, and looking from said dishes right into Liu Qingge's eyes. “Or can you only eat what you're familiar with?”
Liu Qingge clears his throat and reaches with his chopsticks to pick up a piece of grilled meat with a bright-coloured garnish of unfamiliar fruits and vegetables.
“Of course, I can try the unfamiliar. I'm a warrior,” he says before putting the food into his mouth. His eyebrows furrow for a moment as if he's trying to figure out what exactly he's tasting, but in the end, he looks relaxed and content with the dish. “It's good, you should try it too, Shixiong!”
Shen Qingqiu does as he's told and agrees with his friend about the delicious taste. He smiles at Liu Qingge, who's apparently even eager to try another strange dish next, curious to find out if it will be to his liking. They continue their culinary journey through the whole variety on the table, accompanied by more cups of alcohol.
Maybe, later this evening, Liu Qingge would even be willing to try something else unfamiliar to him, Shen Qingqiu wonders, keeping an eye on the other man's cup to ensure that he always has enough to drink.
+ + +
“The hot spring is most beautiful to be enjoyed in the moonlight, I've heard,” Shen Qingqiu mentions later, when the two men have filled their stomachs and emptied the dinner table almost completely, only leaving a few things behind that are really not to their liking.
It's been a fun experience to learn about each other's taste and their reactions to the food that they enjoy best and the food they enjoy least. But now it's time for another experience.
“Are you trying to tell me that it would be best if we went to take a bath now?” Liu Qingge asks, his cheeks slightly reddened and his beautiful eyes darted into the night sky, searching for the moon and the stars.
“That's exactly what I was about to suggest,” Shen Qingqiu chuckles. “What do you think, shall we bring another bottle of booze and our cups to continue drinking there?”
Liu Qingge smirks. “If you're trying to get me drunk to see me pass out first tonight, I have to tell you that I can hold my liquor quite well.”
“I know, I know,” Shen Qingqiu waves his hand. “It's just fun to drink together, that's all. Let's go and ask the host to take care of the empty dishes in the meantime.”
Even if Liu Qingge can drink a lot of alcohol, he has already loosened up quite a bit, just like Shen Qingqiu had hoped for. They take their wash clothes and nightgowns and make their way to the hot springs, but not without being warned by their host not to drink too much while bathing or the alcohol might get to their heads too quickly. Shen Qingqiu promises to be careful.
Actually, Liu Qingge doesn't really seem affected by the combination of heat and alcohol, maybe he's really just that good at holding his liquor. So far, when meeting up, he and Shen Qingqiu have mostly stuck to drinking tea, so Shen Qingqiu doesn't know. However, he himself can feel the effect of the alcoholic beverage at least a bit, already.
He feels almost “fuzzy” and has a hard time not either giggling like crazy or drooling like a madman, ever since Liu Qingge has finally gotten rid of his clothes and stepped into the hot water, not even bothering to hold a washcloth in front of his private parts. Not that Shen Qingqiu minds, he enjoys the view. A lot.
The water is also clearer than he expected, leaving not much to his imagination even when Liu Qingge lowers his body into the water up to his collarbones. Shen Qingqiu's heart starts pounding harder, and his little friend between his legs starts to wake up. At this point, Shen Qingqiu isn't sure anymore if it's been a good or a bad idea to leave his own washcloth outside of the water, as well. Liu Qingge's gaze upon him is hard to interpret. Does he appreciate what he's seeing? Does he feel embarrassed?
Liu Qingge doesn't make a comment, however, he keeps looking at Shen Qingqiu with an unreadable expression and it makes Shen Qingqiu shudder a little bit, despite the hot temperature of the water. Liu Qingge's gaze is nothing compared to Lui Binghe's hungry eyes, however, the fact that Liu Qingge is even looking at someone like that, not taking off his gaze at all, feels more exciting and hot than anything else Shen Qingqiu has experienced in a long time. Maybe that's it, maybe Liu Qingge finally sees Shen Qingqiu with different eyes...
After looking at each other for a while without speaking a word, Liu Qingge finally breaks eye contact and faces up into the sky, a dark blue curtain lightened up by thousands of stars and the bright shine of an almost full moon. He closes his eyes for a moment when a gentle breeze tickles his forehead and rushes through the leaves of the trees that surround the hot spring. He sighs, taking in the beautiful sound of nature, before he opens his eyes again, looking up.
“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?” Liu Qingge says in his stoic and calm voice, but it sounds warm and gentle to Shen Qingqiu's ears nonetheless.
[ Attention! Attention! Don't miss Liu Qingge's very subtle flirt tactics. ]
Even if Shen Qingqiu might be a little bit grateful for the confirmation by the System about what's going on now, he quickly swipes away the annoying pop-up notification.
Can you just deactivate for some time?! Give us some privacy! Shen Qingqiu addresses the System and after leaving a short [ ...fine. ] message, the System seems to draw back.
Shen Qingqiu sighs and immediately focuses back on his crush, who has meanwhile turned his gaze back to Shen Qingqiu, who blushes hard when that stern look falls on him.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Liu Qingge repeats and suddenly, he moves closer to Shen Qingqiu, until they sit right next to each other, their shoulders touching. All that time, Liu Qingge's gaze hasn't left Shen Qingqiu's eyes.
“Very beautiful,” Shen Qingqiu whispers, but it's clear that he's not talking about the moon.
When he realises that Liu Qingge isn't ready to take the first step, Shen Qingqiu decides to throw all of his doubts out of the window and takes things into his own hands. He reaches one of his hands up to touch Liu Qingge's cheek, cups it to hold him in place, and slowly leans closer. Liu Qingge doesn't move and lets Shen Qingqiu place a couple of short soft kisses on his cheek, but the man's slightly quivering lips and stiff shoulders show how unfamiliar he is with such a situation. Shen Qingqiu draws back a little, looking gently into Liu Qingge's eyes.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks in a whisper, excited to know he's really most likely Liu Qingge's first kiss, and full of affection towards him.
When Liu Qingge swallows and then shakes his head, he smiles. Shen Qingqiu lifts his other hand and slowly lets it glide over Liu Qingge's naked chest up to the nape of his neck to pull him into a real kiss, lips on lips.
This time, Liu Qingge feels a little more relaxed, as he allows himself to give in to the other man's affection. While their kiss deepens, they scoop closer to each other until Shen Qingqiu almost pulls Liu Qingge on top of his lap, however, he keeps himself in check and before lust completely overwhelms him, he ends their kiss. They are both panting and Shen Qingqiu brushes his thumb over Liu Qingge's cheek softly while leaning his forehead against Liu Qingge's.
Liu Qingge swallows. “Did... did I do it wrong? Why did you stop?”
Shen Qingqiu chuckles affectionately and immediately shakes his head. “You did nothing wrong, you did amazing. I was just thinking that we should probably continue this in our room, what do you think? Before someone else walks in on us here?”
“Ah!” Liu Qingge blushes heavily. “Of course, you're right!”
Smiling, Shen Qingqiu places a kiss on Liu Qingge's forehead. And so they move to their shared room after quickly washing up.
+ + +
“And you are absolutely sure that you want this?” Shen Qingqiu asks when he's about to undress Liu Qingge. He doesn't want to make the other man change his mind, but in case he did on the way from the bath to the bedroom, he would have to respect it.
“I want this,” Liu Qingge replies. “I want this, but I want it only with Shixiong.”
Shen Qingqiu's heart skips a beat at this unexpected confession. It makes him so happy to hear something like that. Still, he wants to make sure that his crush knows exactly what he's getting himself into.
“You know what we're about to do, right, Shidi?”
Liu Qingge nods.
“Are you experienced in something like this?” Shen Qingqiu has to ask, even if he knows the answer would be negative.
Liu Qingge slowly bites his lower lip. “It's not like I did something like this with anyone before, but I read things...”
“Oh?” Surprised, Shen Qingqiu raises his eyebrows. “In books about human nature?”
Slightly hesitatingly, Liu Qingge shakes his head. “Shang-shixiong lent me some... books last time he visited Cang Qiong Mountain.”
Shen Qingqiu tries to hold back laughter. Of course, what else did he expect from Shang Qinghua than spreading gay porn to his fellow peak lords, after his relationship to Mobei Jun has come to light? But it probably just plays into his favour if Liu Qingge at least knows a little bit about what's awaiting him. He doesn't want to shock him too much in their first night together, after all.
“We can take our time. I can show you things. Just follow my lead,” Shen Quingqiu replies softly.
After Liu Qingge nods, Shen Qingqiu finally starts to undress him. He slowly pushes the collar of the nightgown down the slender man's shoulders, brushing his hands over the exposed skin that's still warm from their bath. Wandering down to Liu Qingge's middle, Shen Qingqiu unfastens the string that holds the piece of clothing together. The nightgown falls to the ground, collecting in a puddle of soft fabric around his ankles.
After admiring the view for a moment, Shen Qingqiu can't hold back anymore, so he takes a step forward and puts his arms around Liu Qingge, holding him close. He closes his eyes and breathes in the comforting scent of the younger man.
“Liu Shidi is even more beautiful than the moon,” Shen Qingqiu whispers, picking up their conversation from before.
Liu Qingge still seems to be a little lost about what to do, how to move, and where to put his hands, but when Shen Qingqiu asks him if he also wants to undress him, he nods and gets to it immediately, almost gratefully to get his hands busy, until they are both undressed, pressing their bare skin against each other, feeling the warmth spreading between them, their arousal growing. They kiss again as they slowly get down to find a comfortable position on their bed.
Never would Shen Qingqiu have expected to teach someone else about sex. But out of them, he is in fact the more experienced one in this field. Either way, he has to admit that it is very endearing to see Liu Qingge lost and confused, and still trying to get things right and make things good, despite the lack of experience. His fighting spirit to become one of the best in anything he does, or at least try to do so, also seems to show in this aspect of his life, now that his interest has been awakened, and he soon turns out to be both, an avid disciple and a devoted lover.
The intensity of strokes of Liu Qingge's hand around Shen Qingqiu's penis varies between overly careful and clumsily strong, the uncontrolled contrast between the two types of touch creating excitement and moments of surprise, which heightens the man's sense of sensitivity and sends him further into a state of elation.
When he returns the favour, the red flushed face of Liu Qingge is the best reward, Shen Qingqiu could have wished for. The quivering body beneath his touch, the half-swallowed moans, the panting of his breath and the heaving of Liu Qingge's chest, the digging of his nails into Shen Qingqiu's shoulders, he can't get enough of either of those things. The shuddering of Liu Qingge's whole body after he reaches his first climax is the most satisfying view Shen Qingqiu has seen in a very long time and he thinks, he's already gotten addicted to it.
They don't stop at this point, planning to go until the end.
Shen Qingqiu wants to make it as comfortable for Liu Qingge as possible since it's his first time. It makes the most sense for him to let the other man top him, so he shifts their position until he's the one lying underneath Liu Qingge. To make them fit more comfortably, Shen Qingqiu slightly spreads his legs so his crush can lie between his thighs. Their hot, already half-recovered erections touch and Liu Qingge immediately blushes again, insecure about whether to risk a look down there between them or keep staring into Shen Qingqiu's eyes. He looks embarrassed and excited at the same time. Shen Qingqiu slowly brushes his hand over the other man's cheek, trying to make him relax.
“Shhh, calm down, it's not a problem if you haven't done this before, I'll show you everything I know,” he gently smiles at Liu Qingge. “Would you want to be the one who... takes me, first?”
Liu Qingge sharply pulls in the air, his breath slightly shaky, before he quickly nods.
“Alright...,” smiling, Shen Qingqiu places his second hand on Liu Qingge's other cheek and gently pulls his face down to place a kiss on his beautiful lips.
The other man reciprocates the kiss, first slowly and gently, before their kiss turns deeper and messier, filled with passion. Shen Qingqiu then takes one of Liu Qingge's hands and intertwines their fingers while he reaches with his other hand underneath one of the pillows to pull out a flask filled with an oily liquid. He lifts it between him and Liu Qingge as they break their kiss and upon seeing the young man's lost look, he quickly explains what it is and what's about to happen next. He then gently helps Liu Qingge to coat the fingers of his dominant hand with the oily liquid and leads him down between his legs, letting it brush over his erect penis just for a second before guiding it down further, between his buttocks to his hot waiting entrance. He presses the tip of one of Liu Qingge's oily fingers against it, holding it in place.
“I might seem like I'm not enjoying this when you start to push in your fingers but trust me, it's just the initial phase. It will be fine very soon and then I will feel very very good. You want to give this a try?” Shen Qingqiu asks, looking deep into Liu Qingge's eyes, who hesitates for just a second before he nods.
Shen Qingqiu smiles. “Then, please... don't let me wait for longer.”
Following his shixong's pleading, Liu Qingge takes a deep breath and starts pressing his finger into the warmth of Shen Qingqiu's body, slowly, very slowly, and carefully. Shen Qingqiu, one of his hands still down there to help Liu Qingge, the other clamping around the man's upper arm, releases a moan, his eyebrows furrowed in a slightly painful expression.
When Liu Qingge stops pushing, he immediately snaps his eyes open. “Don't stop!”
“But -”
“No buts, it's alright, just keep doing what you're doing, it's good, trust me.”
So, Liu Qingge continues pushing in carefully and paying close attention to the other man's facial expression, until Shen Qingqiu releases another moan, this time filled with much more pleasure and way less pain.
Liu Qingge's lips form a silent ”oh” when he realises that this must be what Shen Qingqiu has been talking about. It feels good now. Shen Qingqiu even encourages Liu Qingge to add another finger and keep moving and it triggers so much pleasure that it's hard for Shen Qingqiu to hold back and not to scream. As soon as he's fully used to the sensation, he reaches at the flask of oily liquid again, pouring out a generous amount and reaching down to Liu Qingge's erection, who pulls in a deep breath at the sudden touch. He's already so sensitive, Shen Qingqiu realises, biting his lower lip. It's time for the next step.
Signalling Liu Qingge to pull out his fingers, Shen Qingqiu readjusts his position. He even places one of the pillows underneath his butt so it's easier for him to lift his legs and spread them further. Luckily, Liu Qingge doesn't need much more hints or instructions than Shen Qingqiu letting his hand slip up and down once more Liu Qingge's length and then placing the tip of his penis against his puckering hole.
Their eyes meet, Shen Qingqiu nods and says, “Don't hold back.”
Liu Qingge places his hands next to his shixiong's head to find a good stance and pushes in, centimetre for centimetre until he's filling out Shen Qingqiu completely. They both moan, Shen Qingqiu wraps his arms around Liu Qingge's neck and arches his back. Their breath is hitching and again, Liu Qingge doesn't dare to move until Shen Qingqiu nods and encourages him to do so.
While becoming familiar with each other's shapes – although they seem to fit perfectly, anyway – and finding the right rhythm, the two men share more kisses, hungry kisses, sweet kisses, deep kisses, lingering between them. The faster the pace of Liu Qingge's pushes gets, the sloppier the kisses and the more frequent the moaning become and it feels so good when they both reach their climax at almost the same time, it feels heavenly.
Liu Qingge halts when he orgasms before his legs start shaking and his elbows give in and he collapses on top of Shen Qingqiu, who catches him in his arms. They stay like this for a few minutes, embracing each other and still connected. Shen Qingqiu reaches one of his hands to run it over Liu Qingge's head, who nuzzles his nose against Shen Qingqiu's neck, taking deep breaths before he eventually slides down from Shen Qingqiu, and out of his hot body, to lie down next to him.
“This was... incredible,” Liu Qingge says, turning his head to look at Shen Qingqiu, who's already smiling at him. “Maybe we should have gone bathing after... this...” he adds murmuring, tired out from their actions. “I am probably not smelling good anymore, I feel like I fought in a tournament.”
Shen Qingqiu can't keep a loud amused laugh from escaping from his lips. “Don't exaggerate.”
“Alright, but I feel as satisfied as if I won a tournament, though.”
“You are endearing,” Shen Qingqiu smiles after releasing another chuckle. “You know that?”
Liu Qingge looks at him, his cheeks bright red and his eyelashes fluttering shyly when he can't keep eye contact anymore. He doesn't reply, feeling too bashful to do so. Shen Quingqiu turns his whole body towards Liu Qingge now and reaches his hand to gently place it on the man's cheek to caress it.
“There's more I can show you, if you want,” Shen Qingqiu says, smirking.
When he sees that curious sparkle lighting up in Liu Qingge's eyes, he takes that as permission, so he lifts his naked body and proceeds to tower over his lover, lowering his head just to place kisses all over his face and an invisible trail down his neck, his chest, lingering for a moment in the navel of his belly and then going further down, down, until he reaches the man's most private parts again to fully re-awaken his lust.
This time, though, Shen Qingqiu is the one diving into the heat of his lover's body, taking over a part that he hasn't been able to try out yet, but is dying to explore. And it is good. It's so good, he actually hasn't expected to enjoy it that much. And Liu Qingge seems to enjoy it as well, after a short phase of adjusting. Soon, they both reach their climax for another time this night, before they fall asleep in each other's arms, satisfied and happy.
+ + +
It wouldn't be Liu Qingge, if the man didn't at least try to go back to his completely stoic and earnest self after such an intimate experience, so when the exact same happens the next day in the morning, Shen Qingqiu isn't surprised. They do not talk about what happened the previous night, but soon, Shen Qingqiu can feel that things between them have shifted, and he's very excited and happy about it.
Somehow, Liu Qingge seems to look at Shen Qingqiu more often, even if he's trying to hide it, like a shy young boy. Shen Qingqiu can't help but smile to himself about the cute behaviour of his shidi. He also notices, how Liu Qingge is – maybe subconsciously and even if seeming a little lost on how to – treating him with more care, asking if he needs more water, more food, anything, without becoming overly affectionate. It will probably still take time for him to adjust, depending on which level of intimacy the two of them will want to keep from now on.
They still need to discuss their current relationship status to avoid any future misunderstandings and set some rules between them so none of them would feel uncomfortable. After breakfast, when he'll be walking back home with Liu Qingge by his side, Shen Qingqiu will try to find the right words to make things clear.
In fact, not only Shen Qingqiu seems to feel the need to clarify this, the System is back operating, too, presenting him with another choice for his future path.
[ How would you like to continue your romance storyline?
A. Stay with Liu Qingge.
B. Go back to Luo Binghe.
This might or might not be reversible, so choose wisely…/ ]
When Shen Qingqiu looks at Liu Qingge, their eyes meet and for a tiny moment, Shen Qingqiu can make out a soft smile on the younger man's lips.
With that, the answer to the System's question is clear to Shen Qingqiu, so he quickly logs in his choice and focuses back on their breakfast.
THE END