Work Text:
When Shen Qingqiu got up this morning he was not expecting to be greeted with his husband Liu Qingge thrusting a small child at him.
Shen Qingqiu blinks, unable to believe what his eyes are seeing.
Yes, that’s definitely Qingge, and he definitely is still holding a small child. “Where did you get that?” Shen Qingqiu asks, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.
Liu Qingge shifts the child on his hip. “I found him. Look at him, he looks just like you.” Liu Qingge sounds entirely too cheerful about this.
Shen Qingqiu forcibly reminds himself that he loves this insane man.
With a sigh, Shen Qingqiu runs a hand over his face. “Well, let me see.” he watches Qingge turn the child in his arms so he’s facing outward.
Probably a boy, with round pink cheeks and tufts of silky looking black hair. His eyes, though, are bright green, the color of jade, exactly like Shen Qingqiu’s. The boy meets Shen Qingqiu’s eyes and babbles happily. He looks to be close to a year old.
Shen Qingqiu gets up and crosses the bedroom. He stands in front of Liu Qingge, leaning forward at the waist, peering at the child.
The child grins and stretches his arms out, reaching for Shen Qingqiu. He chatters some nonsense.
Now, Shen Qingqiu has never had any desire whatsoever for children. He has plenty of them he’s responsible for already and he doesn’t even like most of those!
Liu Qingge juggles the boy. “This is your baba, isn’t it? Yes it is!” The baby chortles and gives Liu Qingge a big grin. He has several small, very white teeth.
Shen Qingqiu gapes. His husband is…good with kids. He had no idea. “Qingge, tell me seriously, where did you find this child?”
“I wasn’t lying,” Liu Qingge assures him. “You know I was tasked with hunting the purple-tan goat eagle owl. Well, I was leaving an inn in a small town in the middle of nowhere, and he was by himself in an alley.” He turns the child around in his arms, settling him on his hip again, and tickles his soft little tummy. “Yes you were! And you were such a dirty boy, all covered in dirt, poor little thing.”
“He was by himself, Qingqiu. Positively starving. Weren’t you?” Liu Qingge prods the boy’s little belly.
The child giggles, and puts his thumb in his mouth. He lays his cheek on Qingge’s shoulder.
In spite of his trepidation, Shen Qingqiu melts. That unfortunately is perhaps the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.
He moves closer, and the baby watches him intently. “Hello, little one.” He brushes his thumb over the boy’s cheek.
“He looks just like you, Qingqiu.” Liu Qingge says, giving Shen Qingqiu a soft expression. “How could I not rescue him from being a street child?”
“I don’t have any children.” Shen Qingqiu remarks. He sees his husband open his mouth. Shen Qingqiu says, “If you say any version of ‘are you sure’ I will banish you from my bed for the next week.”
Liu Qingge closes his mouth. The baby blinks slowly, and his body relaxes, held securely in the war god’s arms. He falls asleep like that between one moment and the next.
Fine. Why not?
“Give me the baby,” Shen Qingqiu says.
Carefully, Liu Qingge passes him over. It takes a moment for Shen Qingqiu to get the hold right but it’s not too difficult to cradle the baby against his chest. Little puffs of warm air against the front of his neck, make gooseflesh rise on his arms.
“Qingge,” Shen Qingqiu says, “Since you have given me a child, I demand that you provide for him. He will need a cradle, soft cloths for his messes and some sort of manual for child rearing.” he meets his husband's eyes. “As well as a name.”
“Oh, I’ve already thought of one,” Liu Qingge smiles. “Shen Yuan.”
News travels quickly, especially for such juicy gossip, and within a sichen, Shen Qingqiu’s disciple Luo Binghe, is sticking his nose in, offering to help care for the child, and cook him whatever Shen Qingqiu would like him to.
Shen Qingqiu sighs. His sticky little beast is unfortunately a superb cook. He’s only allowed to cook breakfast for Shen Qingqiu, but Shen Qingqiu might just relent and start letting Luo Binghe do more.
He doesn’t bother to inform the Sect leader that he and Qingge have essentially adopted a child. Somehow, Yue Qingyuan finds out and arrives at their doorstep within days, laden with a qiankun pouch filled with the softest blankets and pillows, plush stuffed toys, and enough children's books to fill a small library.
Once Yue Qingyuan has seated himself on the floor, A-Yuan walk-stomps over to him. He trips and falls forward, but Yue Qingyuan catches him easily in one large hand. “Easy, little one,” he says, beaming happily at the baby. “Qingqiu shidi, he looks-”
“Just like me, I know,” Shen Qingqiu says with a sniff. He sits on an actual cushion and watches A-Yuan charm the sect leader.
“And how is fatherhood treating you?” Yue Qingyuan asks, while Shen Yuan looks at the various books scattered in front of him.
Shen Qingqiu doesn’t know exactly how to answer. He’d not been expecting to grow attached to the child so quickly. But A-Yuan greets him with smiles every day, and looks to him for consoling when he falls and hurts himself. It’s Shen Qingqiu that the baby looks at like he’s hung the moon (although Qingge does come in a close second.)
Things that would have been deadly boring in someone else’s child now seem utterly fascinating. Watching A-Yuan grow and learn things is fascinating. Above all, Shen Qingqiu is determined that this boy will never have to know what it’s like to go without food, to have no home, to be alone in the world.
Just thinking about it makes his throat close up. He pushes those thoughts away and says, “Well enough, I suppose.”
Shen Yuan looks up at Shen Qingqiu and says sagely, “Baba!” He gets shakily to his feet and cross to Shen Qingqiu and flings himself into his Baba’s lap.
Automatically, Shen Qingqiu’s arms close protectively around his son.
“A-Yuan will always have a place here at Cang Qiong sect,” Yue Qingyuan says. “No matter what.”
Arching an eyebrow, Shen Qingqiu says, “Really. What if Shen Yuan marries a demon someday?”
“Bing Bing Bing!” Shen Yuan babbles happily.
But Yue Qingyuan just laughs. “Even then, he will always have a home here. Demon spouse or not.”
Shen Qingqiu relents and allows Luo Binghe to start preparing more of their meals but only if it doesn’t interfere with his cultivation. Annoyingly, the little beast has advanced quickly in the year since Shen Qingqiu ‘lost his memory’. Even more annoyingly, A-Yuan loves the meals the little beast prepares for them.
And also, Shen Yuan just loves Luo Binghe. Not more than he loves Shen Qingqiu or Liu Qingge, but still. Whenever Luo Binghe is around, Shen Yuan’s large green eyes follow the little beast around the room.
After several weeks of watching them closely together (Luo Binghe seems to have infinite patience for helping out with the baby) Shen Qingqiu decides that his sticky little beast can watch A-Yuan for short periods of time when Shen Qingqiu is teaching somewhere on the Peak.
He returns to the bamboo house one afternoon and finds Luo Binghe sitting on the floor with A-Yuan in his lap, reading a book. Shen Qingqiu watches from the doorway. The boys are sitting in a sunbeam, and Shen Yuan is relaxed and sleepy in Luo Binghe’s arms. Luo Binghe looks completely happy to be taking care of Shen Yuan.
The baby happens to glance up and spy Shen Qingqiu lingering silently. “Baba!”
Luo Binghe’s head whips up. “Shizun!”
Shen Yuan pushes out of Luo Binghe’s lap and excitedly toddles over to Shen Qingqiu. He holds up his arms in the universal gesture for up. “Baba!”
Scoping him up, Shen Qingqiu gathers him close. Parenthood, he is finding, is much different from being a shizun, a much more distant figure. “Hello, A-Yuan. Were you having fun with Luo Binghe?”
“Bing Bing!” Shen Yuan agrees, looking in Binghe’s direction. “Baba home?”
“Yes, Baba is home.”
A delighted smile breaks across A-Yuan’s face. Shen Qingqiu thinks fleetingly that he never expected to be greeted with a look like that in his entire life. It’s something he never would have wished for. But somehow the fates gave him exactly what he needed.