#imagine the tastiness when they find out yue qingyuan never broke his promise<3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[fairsweetlonging]

@whodecidedweneedrealityanyway your tags i NEED them

shen jiu isn't a fan of liu qingge, he really isn't; the man is a brute, uncivilized, jumping to conclusions first chance—but he's honorful, and fiercely protective over the people that he cares about, and he seems to care for the future shen qingqiu. more pressingly, though, shen jiu knows any version of himself won't take "just because" as a good enough reason to avoid someone, and in a weird way, he's glad shen qingqiu doesn't remember the horrid life and death of shen jiu, that some version of him can finally feel free, so he doesn't want to make him relive it. no way in hell.

that leaves only liu qingge.

he can't give a reason; he hates telling anyone, but he sucks it up and asks anyway, and asks again, and liu qingge doesn't know what's going or, nor does he understand the weird relation between shen qingqiu and yue qingyuan, or feels much for essentially "turning against" the sect leader. but shen jiu is asking him, shen jiu, who never asks for anything, sounding more earnestly than he has ever sounded before.

liu qingge wants to know if yue qingyuan is dangerous, and he gets this intense look in his eyes that makes shen jiu's stomach flip. he isn't. not like that. but shen jiu tells him that yue qingyuan made him a promise and he broke it, never giving him a reason or explanation, and until shen jiu has one, he can't be trusted. and he certainly can't weasel his way back in using shen qingqiu's memory loss as a cover to not have to explain himself.

liu qingge won't pretend he fully understands, but he cares deeply about shen qingqiu, having vowed to protect him with his life, and that includes this, too.

"don't let him take advantage of me. please. too many have done so already, even if my future self cannot remember. he will hurt me again. he always does."

"i won't let any harm come to you, i swear on my life."

"don't promise, just do it."

time travel au where liu qingge and shen qingqiu (yuan) end up accidentally traveling a decade back in time before luo binghe was amitted to qing jing peak and before shen qingqiu had his qi deviation, but after their generation has risen to peak lords.

which means, shen yuan realizes quickly, as they're accosted by said peak lords, that he will have to face shen jiu.

as they're being cleared for demonic energy and the likes, mu qingfang of course instantly detects the poison without a cure eating away at shen yuan's meridians. liu qingge pulls a copy of the treatment plan out of his sleeve (shen yuan blushes a bit, did liu qingge always keep that on hand?), and just like in the current timeline, they agree to keep it under wraps.

shen jiu tries various times to get a moment alone with shen yuan, but he never quite manages because liu qingge is there, who is also... nice?? to him?? for some reason?? shen jiu gets a bit flustered at the solemn politeness and skitters off.

it comes out pretty quickly that shen yuan has "memory loss", and thus can't remember anything that's currently taking place in this time. shen yuan expects scorn, hatred and disdain from shen jiu, expects to be grabbed and interrogated, to arouse suspicion.

but shen jiu looks....... sad???

being transported here threw shen yuan's qi off-balance (even liu qingge had to sit down, which means it's bad), and his cultivation is already so unstable, so when the peak lords are all squabbling and arguing and threatening and raising their voice, he can feel his body shut down. he sees yue qingyuan start to move towards him, which, knowing the future yue qingyuan, he really isn't up for right now—but before the sect leader can get to him someone else is at his back, transferring him qi, holding him up gently by his shoulders, then coaxing him up, leading him outside

shen yuan's been fed qi by every peak lord at least once. he doesn't recognize this one. that means it can only be one person.

he looks up. it's shen jiu.

and it's bizarre, getting fussed over by the scum villain, having gentle hands run along his back, his hair, that clear, soothing voice calming him down. and somehow shen jiu knows exactly what to do?? somehow it works perfectly on him?? it's almost as if shen jiu has known him his whole—

oh.

bodies, like homes, hold memories, even if the original occupants are no longer there. it's the milestone marks on the doorpost that chart a child's growth, blurry photographs faded by time, scuffed floors from well-walked paths, and tiny holes in the walls where pictures once hung.

shen jiu takes him to the bamboo house, pours him tea, and asks, calmly, what he remembers from their childhood.

it's not his childhood, so shen yuan doesn't actually remember anything, but the body he's in does. the memories it holds are emotional rather than visual; he remembers being alone, scared, and hungry. he remembers anger, pain. a dark room. loud voices. he remembers his heart skipping a beat when heavy boots stomp his way. the sound of a whip.

he doesn't have to lie. the memories aren't his own, and they're from long ago, which means shen jiu has them too. and, he supposes, this is his only chance to find out what really happened.

but shen jiu doesn't say anything about it. he just nods and stares, intensely. then he asks shen yuan if he remembers yue qingyuan. shen yuan says no, he doesn't. the conversation takes a very strange turn after that. shen yuan can't help but feel a little queasy when shen jiu asks him if yue qingyuan has taken advantage of his memory loss.

"has he come into your home? has he brought you gifts, sweets? does he invite you for tea? did you accept?"

he has. shen yuan doesn't know why that would be a problem, the sect leader has been nothing but kind and helpful and patient. and generous, too.

when he says yes shen jiu looks furious.

liu qingge (his one) comes to pick him up, and his time with shen jiu is cut short. somewhere he's glad, cuddling into liu qingge's back as he holds him while they fly. he feels a little bad for yue qingyuan, knowing he's probably caused a big fight, but it doesn't sit right with him. he wishes he knew what happened.

.

liu qingge, meanwhile, is having the time of his life fighting himself. it's good practice!