#sometimes you need an angry shidi to tell you to take a nap

[stardust-falling]

Old Memories, Old Wounds

requested by @gaywarcriminals on ko-fi

Fandom: SVSSS Pairing: Shen Jiu + Yue Qingyuan Summary: The pain from Yue Qingyuan's old injuries is flaring up. Shen Qingqiu, despite himself, is concerned. Words: 1.6k

“… Shixiong. Zhangmen-shixiong.”

Yue Qingyuan lifted his head, reaching up to rub at his eyes as he propped himself upright on his desk once more. That voice was familiar…

“Qingqiu-shidi?”

He was a little surprised. Shen Qingqiu rarely visited Qiong Ding Peak, and even more rarely were those visits unannounced. Yue Qingyuan didn’t think he’d called a meeting with his shidi today…

But there he was regardless, standing just before Yue Qingyuan’s desk with a folding fan held up to shield his face, dark eyes glistening like sunlight on a raven’s wing cool and distant as always. Shen Qingqiu was always like this, his chin tilted up and his expression impassive, looking down on the world around him— right now, he was looking down on Yue Qingyuan too.

The sect leader didn’t mind.

He smiled, though it was a bit stiff. “Was there something Shidi wished to ask me?”

There had been a peak lords’ meeting earlier in the day. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual mundane business, such as mediating An Ding and Qing Jing Peaks’ endless squabbling over resources. Thinking about it, though Yue Qingyuan’s present headache had been going on for a few days now, it had really gotten much worse during that meeting.

He’d needed to finish up some work afterwards, though, so he’d pushed it aside and gone back to his study… but it seemed like he had fallen asleep at his desk, since it was now late afternoon. His head was still hurting, and the dull ache had spread out through his limbs, radiating down into bones and ligaments that had once been broken and still felt the echoes of that pain. Yue Qingyuan was used to this sort of ache, of course— it never fully went away, after all, and he’d endured it for many years already. Usually, though, it wasn’t this bad.

Usually, he didn’t end up asleep on his desk in the middle of the day.

And, usually, Shen Qingqiu didn’t come to Qiong Ding Peak.

One of these things was far more important to Yue Qingyuan than the others.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t seem to be in a very good mood— in fact, instead of answering Yue Qingyuan’s question directly, he instead rapped his fan against the desk, earning a barely-suppressed wince from the sect leader as the sound rattled up into his head, sending further stabs of pain down through his body.

“Ah… Shidi?”

The scowl on Shen Qingqiu’s face only deepened, and then without any further warning, one of Shen Qingqiu’s hands reached out to snatch Yue Qingyuan by the wrist, fingers pressing lightly into the underside. Before Yue Qingyuan had the chance to protest, he felt a sudden influx of probing spiritual qi, forceful and unyielding just like Shen Qingqiu himself, rush through his meridians, weaving through his body as if searching—

Just as abruptly, Shen Qingqiu pulled back, still scowling and practically radiating irritation.

“Zhangmen-shixiong…”

“… yes, Shidi?”

“Tch. You’re a mess,” Shen Qingqiu muttered, and shook his head, reaching to press his fingers against his brow. “I thought something seemed off in the meeting earlier. You didn’t speak nearly as much as usual, and I found it strange that you didn’t try to convince me to stay for a cup of tea.”

Yue Qingyuan frowned at that. It wasn’t so much that he tried to convince him, but instead that he simply wished to extend the offer. Perhaps there would come a day when Shen Qingqiu actually wanted to accept— perhaps a foolish hope, but he was loathe to give it up. Now, though, the one day when he didn’t invite him to stay, Shen Qingqiu had come anyway…

“What happened?”

The question was so abrupt that the sect leader was taken aback— and it was one he wasn’t sure how to answer. Yue Qingyuan knew well enough the source of the trouble, it was just that… it was far too much to explain to Shen Qingqiu, especially in a situation like this. So, he simply took a breath that was slightly shakier than he’d like. “I… encountered some difficulty in my cultivation,” he replied. Technically, it was true.

“Difficulty?” Shen Qingqiu echoed, and for some reason, he seemed a little flustered. “You’ve clearly injured yourself, Zhangmen-shixiong. Shall I call for Mu-shidi?”

“No— No need,” Yue Qingyuan hurriedly shook his head, wincing a little as the movement set off a new bout of throbbing.

Shen Qingqiu simply sighed and crossed his arms, turning and leaving without another word. Yue Qingyuan was a little confused— but he couldn’t exactly say he was unhappy. It was… always good to see Xiao-Jiu, especially in moments like this. He’d almost been able to see a glimpse of his old friend beneath that mask he always wore.

…or was that just a delusion of his pain-addled mind?

Either way, he still had some work to get through, and tomorrow he needed to leave the mountain for a meeting with the other sect heads. It seemed as if whatever Shen Qingqiu needed wasn’t that important after all.

A few moments and a few papers later, the door opened again. Shen Qingqiu was back, and this time he had a jar of medicine that he placed down on the table with a light thump.

“Take this,” he demanded, and he seemed rather upset about it too.

Yue Qingyuan glanced at him, then at the medicine— it was a simple painkiller and strengthening solution, and the jar was half empty. More likely than not, it was what was left over after Shen Qingqiu’s last qi deviation. “Qingqiu-shidi… I have medicine of my own…” the sect leader protested, but he was cut off before he could continue.

“Then why didn’t you take it earlier?”

“It’s because… well, it was just a bit of a headache this morning,” Yue Qingyuan sighed, grimacing at the pain that laced down one of his arms… it was like he could still feel that sharp snap of the bone breaking.

Shen Qingqiu sighed again, and picked up the jar, opening it up and taking out a pill. Which he promptly pushed up against Yue Qingyuan’s lips.

“Take it,” he snapped, “Then go lie down.”

Yue Qingyuan felt his face flush a bit— well, in this case, he surely couldn’t refuse, so he took the pill and swallowed it. That second bit, though… the idea of climbing the stairs to his sky house right now was rather daunting. Less comfortable though it may be, he preferred to just stay here, wait it out. Surely, this bout of pain would pass just as all the others before it had.

“Shidi… I assure you, I’ll be fine,” he insisted. Why was Shen Qingqiu so concerned now? He could admit that he didn’t exactly mind it, it was just unusual.

He hadn’t thought that Shen Qingqiu really paid him that much mind, these days.

Or maybe he really did look the worse for wear.

“Nonsense,” Shen Qingqiu snorted, and stepped around Yue Qingyuan’s desk. He seemed to spend a moment in internal debate before reaching out and taking hold of the sect leader’s arm. Much to Yue Qingyuan’s shock and surprise, he then looped it around his shoulders, lifting Yue Qingyuan up from his seat— and then he went even further than that.

Yue Qingyuan could hardly believe what was happening. He must still be asleep— this certainly could only be a dream. There was no way that Shen Qingqiu had just scooped him up, carrying him in his arms like he was some kind of helpless maiden that needed rescuing.

“Shidi, really— I’m quite alright.”

“Shut up.”

“But I”—

“Hmph.”

Shen Qingqiu, still holding his taller shixiong in his arms, carried him out the back door of Qiong Ding Hall, summoned Xiu Ya with a flick of his fingers, and flew him back up to the sky house nestled near the peak’s highest point, before depositing him unceremoniously— but still not roughly— upon his bed.

“Zhangmen-shixiong, your role in the cultivation world is quite prominent,” he muttered, even as he set Yue Qingyuan’s head down on the pillow. “If you must suffer a lapse in your cultivation, the least you can do is make sure that you recover well afterwards.”

It wasn’t a new problem, but, well, now wasn’t the time to talk to Shen Qingqiu about that. Especially since his mood seemed so strange right now. He didn’t take well to any of Yue Qingyuan’s protesting, so the sect leader could only sigh deeply and murmur, “Very well, very well, Shidi. I’ll be more careful.”

Shen Qingqiu paused from where he stood next to the screen, glancing back over his shoulder at Yue Qingyuan. His expression was still rather unhappy, but there was an odd look in his eyes, that almost made him look a bit anxious. Could he possibly… be worried about Yue Qingyuan?

Quickly, Shen Qingqiu looked away again. “I’ll fetch you some tea,” he muttered. “Don’t even think about trying to get up right now. Honestly… do you always have to be so impulsive?”

That last bit is spoken under his breath as he leaves the room, and Yue Qingyuan pushes himself up on one arm, only to let himself fall back a moment later. The pain is still radiating through his body, but it’s lessened a bit now… and in the end, he really doesn’t mind that much, does he? If this is the sort of thing that happens when he feels this way, then it might well be worth it.

Ah, Xiao-Jiu… I’ve truly missed you.