bakerstreet | ( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

[galaxy brain WHAT IF WE DO BOTH...start off with sqq taking care of lqg before some dumb plot device (prob without a cure) knocks him down because he can't escape wife plots?]

[ sounds good to me! he could have been injured by the five headed mist spider for continuity's sake!!! thats what you get for not listening to his shixiong.... ]

[It was supposed to be a standard monster hunt - kill the spiders plaguing one of the nearby villages and collect the body parts for ingredients. A bit too dangerous to risk sending untrained disciples to do the job, but certainly nothing two senior peak lords couldn't handle. If this was a videogame, this quest would be a minor side mission at most and only worth a handful of experience points.

So why is Shen Qingqiu now dragging his shidi's paralyzed and bleeding body through the forest?! Liu Qingge!! Did you even bother reading the fifteen-page report on Five-headed Mist Spiders this master so thoughtfully wrote out for you!! Didn't he make it clear on page eight that their blood was a strong paralytic and to avoid being splattered by it, or on page twelve that they could use their long tongues to impale someone?!]

Please bear with the rough handling for now, shidi. [Though Shen Qingqiu is crying tears of bitterness on the inside, he keeps his voice as calm as possible with only a hint of strain in his usual even tone.] Our conditions being what they are, I would rather not risk flying on Xiu Ya unless absolutely necessary.

[That, and he's also not sure if Shen Qingqiu's scholarly nerd arms are up to the task of carrying Mr. Made-of-Muscles for the entire ride home. Luckily, it's only a few minutes later than he finds what he's looking for: a clear stream running through the woods with no enemies currently in sight. He looks at the water, back at Liu Qingge, back to the water, and very visibly debates just yeeting the man straight into the river...but no, with his luck, Liu Qingge would wind up drowning before the blood washes off and then Shen Qingqiu would be stuck bearing the blame for his death. Again. Instead, he carefully lowers Liu Qingge to the ground.]

Don't move. [Not that Liu Qingge has a choice in the matter, as Shen Qingqiu's sardonic tone of voice makes very clear. He then proceeds to rip off a portion of his outer robe before soaking it in the water.] We need to wash off the remainder of the spider's blood on you to remove its effects.

[ there is mud and blood caked onto his normally pristine white clothing, not to mention fastly-increasing amount of grass stains that are being added on as shen qingqiu drags him through the woods. as fastidious as liu qingge is about his appearance it would be enough to make him flare up - but he is staying very quiet, fortunately (?) for shen qingqiu. even though he is probably much too heavy for him to be dragging, and he still has chengluan grasped tightly in a hand.

he is probably wishing he could rather die, to be honest.

think about it; he, bai zhan peak lord, losing a fight against some forsaken insects? even if the said insects were about the size of a cottage with fangs like a thousand needles. he had dealt with worse, bigger things than that in his lifetime and could have hacked them into a thousand pieces with chengluan in a blink of an eye. but no, mu-shixiong (and shen qingqiu) just had to insist on their organs being intact! something about them being valuable and highly-prized materials.

anyway, he got careless, but never again.

they should have been made into mincemeat - no, liu qingge thinks, as he stares up at the trees, feeling a fresh trickle of blood down the line of his ribs and soaking the white cloth red to the outer layer, better than mincemeat. i will burn this whole forest down if i have to.

and then, he will make sure that nobody, nobody at all, knows about this.

who said liu qingge held grudges? when he does, it is a whole lot.

they stop, and even without hearing the faint sound of water liu qingge could tell they are near it, only for the dampness of the earth beneath.

he can do nothing more than look up at the other man (as shen qingqiu quite visibly debates on the next step) - he doesn't exactly have a choice here!

the sticky, goo-like spider blood is spattered across his face and front of his robes, and the greenish tinge of it makes his face seem even more pale than it is. liu qingge is without much expression as always, though with the way he is biting down on the inside of his cheek, the jagged wound across his side must be causing some pain. he had managed to dodge to avoid being impaled, but it was still a close affair.

he frowns, once again attempting to establish spiritual flow - but it fizzles as soon as they reach the wounded area. ]

[The blood spreading across Liu Qingge's formerly white robes isn't a good sign; with all the layers they wear, the wound must be fairly deep to have already soaked through to the outer clothing. Still, they need to address the paralyzation first, so he pushes his worry down and taps Liu Qingge's hand with his fan chidingly.]

Save your strength for now. The venom will temporarily block you from circulating your qi, so we'll need to do this the old-fashioned way I'm afraid.

[...easier said than done though! Thankfully this was one of the few poisons where 'papapa' wasn't the cure, but that didn't make this situation any less awkward! How did the plot become this screwed up, system? The 'gently wiping down the hero's wounds' fanservice scenario should belong to Luo Binghe and Liu Mingyan, not his teacher and her brother!

Whining about it isn't making Liu Qingge any less injured though, so with an internal sigh, Shen Qingqiu sucks it up and begins to clean off the goo from his shidi's face with his wet robes. He keeps his movements brisk and efficient, trying to save both of them as much dignity as possible. Not that either of them have much of that left, but whatever! This wasn't any different from patching up his disciples, and he's done that plenty of times!]

[ liu qingge doesn't speak - not that he could, with the poison still circulating in his body - and instead stares up at shen qingqiu; the frustration in his gaze is unmistakable.

even though the paralysis is such that he can't move a hair on his body, if he could- just- move!

adding to his already battered dignity, he even has to get shen qingqiu, of all people, to assist him! to wipe the blood off his face and neck as if he were some child! once he is back to normal, liu qingge would blow this mountain sky-high, just watch him, rare spider organs be dammed.

with all these thoughts in his mind, liu qingge stares unblinkingly up at shen qingqiu as if he is the source of all his anger. of course, he doesn't mean for it to be taken that way - but his naturally cold demeanour is only accentuated by the paleness of his skin and the set of his jaws. ]

[The initial flare of embarrassment quickly fades as worry begins to set in. Liu Qingge might not be the most talkative of people, but he isn't exactly the wilting wallflower type either. While it had been a little amusing at first seeing his normally irate shidi being forced to hold his tongue, the continued silence is starting to get kind of eerie.

...the death glare he's being subjected to isn't helping either. At this rate, Shen Qingqiu won't need to worry about Luo Binghe murdering him because Liu Qingge's going to get there first!]

If you must glare, do it at the trees, not me. There's only a little bit more to go, at any rate.

[He finishes wiping away the visible remnants of the spider goo with more confidence than he actually feels. Hopefully the paralyzation will start wearing off soon, though it's not like he has any practical experience with the venom to know for sure.]

[ he isn't the only one who is hoping that!!

he glares with the last bit of strength he can muster, before looking away to stare over the other's shoulder - the wet fabric touches his face again and again, and occasionally, shen qingqiu's fingers (as cool and as gentle as the cloth) also brush against his skin. compared to that, his face feels hot, too hot - and liu qingge wants to disappear. if he had any spare blood left in his body it would show up on his face right that moment, but thankfully it has better places to be.

seeing as how immediate the effect of the poison was, liu qingge doesn't think it all that likely that it will wear off quickly - but shen qingqiu sounds pretty sure of himself.

and since it is (as much as he hate to admit it) liu qingge's fault that he did not read the fifteen-page report shen qingqiu had given to him - he has to accept it, albeit grudingly.

unbidden, liu qingge's gaze chases after shen qinggiu again, and this time it is a little more subdued. almost grateful. ]

You should keep watch. [ well, at least he can speak now!!!!

his finger twitches around the hilt of his sword, and liu qingge frowns; it will take a little while longer before he can move the rest of his body, it seems.

with that done, liu qingge huffs out a breath and closes his eyes, apparently trying to meditate and speed up the process. ]

[His (incredibly embarrassing, way too intimate) job done, Shen Qingqiu proceeds to wield the best skill in his arsenal - the ability to repress and move on. What face touching, what skinship! It was a simple medical procedure for a comrade in need, that's all! Sadly, in the midst of his attempts to stare at anything except Liu Qingge's unfairly perfect face, he completely misses the softening of that death glare.

Despite the awkward atmosphere, it's still a relief to hear Liu Qingge's voice again. As confident as he'd tried to sound, he'd already started wondering whether they'd be trapped here for hours or more; the fact that at least some of the paralyzation has faded is a good sign.]

Understood. [That said, he can't help giving the wound in Liu Qingge's side a concerned look. While he's aware that their bodies are much more resilient and heal faster than normal humans, the transmigrator inside him is still screaming about blood loss and infection. He might not be a doctor, but even he knows the woods aren't a sterile place to be in!] Shidi must tell me if he starts feeling dizzy or feverish though. There may be side-effects to the spider's venom we aren't aware of.

[Not that he'd be able to do much with his limited amount of medical knowledge, but he'll worry about that if it happens. For now, he unsheathes Xiu Ya and goes to stand guard, eyes scanning the area and ears on alert for any suspicious noises.]

[ at that remark, liu qingge cracks an eye open to stare at shen qingqiu. with his golden eyes and sharp features, he looks like a hawk - albeit, a broken up one. he looks angry, as per usual when it came to the other peak lord, but it is a little bit subdued than normal.

after studying the other's form (with a little critical edge of his mouth, as if shen qingqiu was not his shixiong but some new member of his peak), liu qingge closes his eyes again with a little, strained huff of breath. the effect is like a strong light being turned off. ]

I'm fine.

[ of course he would say he's fine, while bleeding out though a gash on his side in the middle of a forest filled with spiders!

his fingers twitch on the hilt of cheng luan again, as if impatient at the slow progress. his qi circulation is still sluggish and moves as if some drunk beast, but for liu qingge, it can't be fast enough. ]

...

[ it is only a little while longer before liu qingge opens his eyes again to stare at shen qingqiu again, at the line of his shoulder to arm to xiu ya. ]

...You are too tense.

[ is that something you can say, while laying paralysed and injured in spider forest? really?

liu qingge continues, though his eyes dart away from shen qingqiu's face to stare at the trees to the side. ]

I can tell if anything is moving within one li of us.

In this sort of situation, it's not unusual to be a little tense.

[Not all of us can be war gods, you know! Some of us are scholarly nerds who would rather lift books than lift weights! Still, it's a little embarrassing being called out as if he were some inexperienced disciple instead of a fellow peak lord, so he lets his grip on Xiu Ya relax a bit.]

If you can tell, why bother asking this master to keep watch? [He raises an eyebrow.] Could it be you're trying to distract me from how bad your wound is?

[ despite everything, liu qingge laughs - it is more like a strained sort of bark, cut off in his throat and aborted before it could be any real sound, but the corners of his lips quirk. ]

No, [ he closes his eyes again, and his skin is almost as pale as his robes. ]

Just commenting.

[Did...did Liu Qingge just laugh? Shit, they're in more trouble than he thought.]

You must be losing too much blood if you find this amusing. [His tone is dry, but he means every word - he really doesn't like how pale the other man's gotten. Circulating qi won't do any good if he falls unconscious before the wound's closed up, and Shen Qingqiu doesn't have Mu Qingfang's gift of healing others.] Then allow me to put my faith in shidi's abilities. You'll warn me if anything approaches, won't you?

[With that, he resheathes Xiu Ya and leans over Liu Qingge's body, focusing his attentions on the wound in his side. For the first time he's grateful for how many layers he has to wear - they make a great source for bandages.]

I don't. [ deadpans liu qingge without a flicker of expression. he can... turn his head now, somewhat, which he uses to his full advantage to glare at shen qingqiu as he steps closer to him. ]

That's what you assume.

[ don't come near me, his body language seem to say, if not the general aura of murderous irritation coming off him in waves.

it is humiliating, really, for a bai zhan peak lord to be laid out with a wound like this... and to be honest, it looks bad. it is not quite impalement but it has come close to it, ripping into the side of liu qingge's waist. the blood flow has slowed down, but the area around is soaked, staining the grass below as well. liu qingge doesn't pay it much mind; he has had it worse, after all.

he grunts as the other steps closer to him, attempting to sit up.

it doesn't quite work. ]

I'm fine.

[He sees that murderous aura all right, he just chooses to ignore it. It's not like he doesn't understand what Liu Qingge's going through - Shen Qingqiu knows full well what it feels like to be helpless and dependent on others - but pride isn't something worth dying for.

(Any hypocrisy there might be in that last statement is promptly blocked from his mind.)

The one good thing about Liu Qingge being paralyzed is that it means the guy can't beat the shit out of him when he loosens his robes to get an unobstructed view of the wound. Shen Qingqiu exhales lightly but makes sure to keep any sign of pity or distress off of his face. He does, however, let some exasperation show in his eyes.]

If there's anything this shixiong has learned, it's that Liu-shidi's definition of 'fine' is very different from everyone else's.

[He's not about to wash an open wound with river water and sadly isn't the type of person to carry alcohol on him wherever he goes, but his inner robes should be clean enough to at least stem the bleeding until Liu Qingge's qi can take care of the rest. Ripping the sleeves off, he starts winding the fabric around where the worst of the bleeding is.]

[ shen qingqiu reaches his hands out, and liu qingge, despite not quite knowing why, holds his breath as the other man carefully pulls back the layers of his robes.

shen qingqiu really is more suited for books rather than the sword. his touch is gentle - slender, scholarly fingers pulling apart the stained cloth, but liu qingge flinches away from it (or at least, tries to), the skin of his nape flushing hot. ]

... Shameless!

[ if anyone comes across them accidentally, what would they think??? ]

[If anyone comes across them accidentally, what they would hopefully think is 'Wow, Shen Qingqiu is such a thoughtful friend and trustworthy ally! He's definitely not someone we should sentence to be horribly tortured and turned into a human stick!'. At least that's his story for why he's stripping down Liu Qingge and he's sticking to it!]

Yes, yes. You can scold me about it after you stop bleeding all over the place.

[Honestly, it's difficult even for someone as thin-skinned as Shen Qingqiu to worry about propriety when confronted with a wound severe enough to - as far as he can tell - cause Liu Qingge to flinch from pain. The only other time he can recall seeing the man showing any sign of physical distress is their first meeting, that fateful qi deviation when he'd been inches away from a predestined death. He doesn't like the recollection, that reminder that the Bai Zhan war god is flesh and blood as much as he himself is, and it shows in the furrow of his brow as he carefully tightens the bandages around his side.]

Don't- [ but shen qingqiu is insistent, no matter what liu qingge has to say about it, and it is a rare sort of moment for him - to be treated as if he didn't know any better. liu qingge has gotten used to getting his way, most of the time. liu qingge has gotten used to going wherever, fighting whoever, and feeling that all his actions were accountable only to himself.

it is strange, to read the concern in shen qingqiu's eyes.

he manages, somehow, to reach an arm up - not to touch him, not directly, but to push him away; his careful fingers, the careful eyes. ]

Don't touch me.

[He isn't surprised by Liu Qingge attempting to push him away, but soldiers on nonetheless.]

I know you find it distasteful, but try to bear with it for now. I promise I won't try to touch you again after this.

[He can't blame the man for being repulsed - after all, who would enjoy being touched by the scum villain of this world? As much as he's tried to change others' perspectives on him, he knows he has a long way to go to begin making up for the hateful actions from the original goods. That Liu Qingge is able to tolerate his presence at all is already surprising in and of itself.]

That's not-

[ liu qingge stops himself, biting at the inside of his cheek, and drops his gaze away from the other. it's... so shameless! just laying here, his body bared so openly... if he could qi deviate now, he sure hoped it could happen soon.

his fingers twitch minutely, grasping a handful of dirt beneath. ]

You don't need to.

I'm fine.

I know I don't need to, I want to. Is it so hard to believe that this master doesn't want to see his shidi in pain? [yeah he's just going to casually use their shared brain cell to completely misinterpret liu qingge's meaning!!

He finishes wrapping the bandages, tying the ends into a knot before surveying his work with a frown.] I've done the best I can, but I'm no healer. Once the paralyzation fully wears off, you should still pay a visit to Mu Qingfang.

[Naturally, it's at this moment that movement can be detected in the woods.]

( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

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sqq........... please, so oblivious

it's his number one talent

they only have 1 brain cell between them

sometimes they have zero brain cells at all!!