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“Qingge, I’m so glad that you’re willing to babysit Binghe while I’m gone. I’ll be back early tomorrow, I promise.”
Liu Qingge nodded easily, leaning against the kitchen counter. The black pomeranian in question, Binghe, was currently barking his head off behind the doggy gate at the ‘stranger’ that had the audacity to enter the Shen home. Shen Yuan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He motioned for Liu Qingge to follow him into the hallway where it was quieter.
“He likes tennis balls and his orange rope, and for food he only needs two cups. Those are all in the cabinet by the back door.”
“Got it.”
“And if he rings the cowbell, it means he needs to be taken out–”
“Mhm, alright.”
“A-and if anything happens, don’t hesitate to call and I’ll be here as fast as I–”
“Shen Yuan,” Liu Qingge said, raising an amused eyebrow. “It’s just a night. Breathe.”
Inhaling a shaky breath, Shen Yuan said, “You’re right. You’re right! It’s only a night, but… Ah, I don’t know, I’ve never been away from Binghe for this long.”
Liu Qingge squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, and murmured, “Don’t worry, you’ll both be fine.”
Shen Yuan smiled, and gave Liu Qingge a chaste peck on the lips. “Thank you for this, I know you’re busy.”
His hand rested on his boyfriend’s chest, and Liu Qingge hummed, “Anything for you. Now,” he snuck another quick kiss, causing Shen Yuan to giggle, “Go enjoy the con.”
He waved from the front door as Shen Yuan pulled out of the driveway, and came back to a glaring(?) ball of angry fluff.
The “adorable baby” that Shen Yuan adored so much had already somehow escaped the doggy gate and was currently ripping into his new shoes. It looked up when it heard him come in and Liu Qingge swore the dog looked smug.
He tried to yank the shoe from Binghe’s mouth, but the dog didn’t let go. He ended up lifting the fluffball into the air, too.
Liu Qingge and the pomeranian made eye contact. He growled, mouth still full of shoe.
“...Dick,” he grumbled.
Liu Qingge had no idea why the dog only hated him.
He’s even seen it in action–Shang Qinghua, Qi Qingqi, Mu Qingfang, hell even Shen Jiu–the little dog is completely normal, charming even.
He dangled the rope in front of the half-pint of hatred, tired. “Wanna play?” The dog just gave him the stink eye and ignored him, going back to chewing on his shoe. Liu Qingge huffed and unceremoniously dropped the rope, sitting on the couch. He pulled his phone out and checked his messages, but there was nothing new yet. Hopefully Shen Yuan was having fun with Shang Qinghua–he never really understood their otaku speak, but he was still supportive.
Liu Qingge was scrolling through social media, bored, when he saw a blur of black from the corner of his eye. His head snapped up to see a light green rug disappearing around the corner, and immediately chased after it. Through the twists and turns of Shen Yuan’s labyrinthine hallway, he finally cornered Binghe in the master bedroom.
Liu Qingge smirked. “Got you now, you little shit.”
The rug dropped from Binghe’s maws with a plop, and a rush of victory washed over Liu Qingge. Then… Binghe slowly lifted his leg. Satisfaction bled into the animal’s strangely sentient eyes, and the rush he had previously felt turned into a leaden ball of dread in a millisecond.
“Wait, no, don’t you–argh!”
After locking the fuzzball of fury in the kitchen and cleaning his “accident” (yeah, right, “accident” his ass), Liu Qingge went to throw away the soiled paper towels.
And the fucking dog was sitting on the couch flicking through TV channels.
Liu Qingge stopped in his tracks, the cogs in his head turning on overdrive. He didn’t even remember turning the TV on, let alone where the remote was…
Did… did the dog do that?
Liu Qingge shook his head, bewildered. No, there’s no way that it could have. Maybe he did turn the TV on, and just forgot he did. That would make more sense, even though Liu Qingge was almost 100% sure he hadn’t touched it.
The fluffy pomeranian finally noticed him, and stepped on the remote again. The channel switched.
“ Ah, harder~”
Liu Qingge’s eyes bulged and he immediately lunged for the remote to turn it off, but the dog was too quick. Binghe grabbed the remote in his mouth and skittered to the opposite side of the room, tail wagging. Liu Qingge gave chase all over the room, trying desperately to drown out the sounds coming from the TV.
…It wasn’t working.
“ Ah, right there–AHHH! ”
Liu Qingge’s ears turned a bright red, and he dove over the couch to catch the petty pomeranian. Binghe ducked and slid under the sofa, and Liu Qingge went sailing overhead and crashed into a table. The dog’s tail wagged as he took in the chaos. Binghe’s paw slapped down on the volume button, and the TV shook the ground with how loud it was.
Liu Qingge was still rubbing his head and cursing loudly. Binghe closed his eyes in victory.
They immediately popped open again, stunned, as the room suddenly went quiet. The pomeranian looked over and saw that Liu Qingge, bloody nose and all, had his thumb on the manual power button on the TV. Liu Qingge scowled, his ears still a delightful shade of red.
Binghe stared for a second, then came to his senses. He deserved to be fucked with!
He slapped his paw onto the remote’s power button, and the TV came back on.
“ OH~”
*click* Off.
*SLAP * On.
“ No, not there~”
*click* Off.
Binghe glared, but before he could slap the On button again, Liu Qingge pulled the plug from the wall.
He jerked his chin at Binghe, smirking. As if he was proud of finally outsmarting an animal with a brain the size of a walnut.
The half pint of hatred glowered.
Liu Qingge watched Binghe sit in his dog pen in the kitchen, careful not to take his eyes off of the mischievous pup.
Ugh. He’s usually a dog person, but this… what even was this dog’s problem?
Binghe was currently sitting there, in the middle of the dog pen, staring unblinkingly right back at him. In ten minutes, that dog had not moved from that spot.
Creepy , Liu Qingge thought. Was he like this with Shen Yuan, too? He rubbed his forehead, and checked the time on his phone. It has only been two hours since Shen Yuan left.
He pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion, and when he looked back up the dog was gone.
…It was gonna be a long night.
Liu Qingge pulled a blanket from the closet and threw it over the couch.
Shen Yuan had told him that he could use the bed, but just the thought of it made Liu Qingge uncomfortable. He’d rather have Shen Yuan there if he was going to use his bedroom, anyways. The thought made his ears heat up, but he shook his head and plopped onto the couch.
He went through his mental checklist:
- he made sure to fill up Binghe’s food bowl for dinner (which was promptly swatted to the side, spilling kibble everywhere–well whatever. Not his problem the dog was a diva)
- let him out to pee (Binghe tried to slip the leash multiple times, but luckily Liu Qingge was fast enough to grab him by the scruff of his neck), and
- locked the doggie gate before he retired for the night (with the dog glaring daggers at him the entire time… he had no idea dogs even could glare).
He nodded to himself. That was pretty much it, right? Right. All he needs to do is sleep, and this hellish day would be over. Nothing against his loving boyfriend, but he would much rather never have contact with this fucking dog ever again.
Liu Qingge sent Shen Yuan a goodnight text, and his phone immediately rang. Shen Yuan’s name came up as the contact, and he smiled to himself.
“Hello?”
“A-Yuan,” Liu Qingge greeted. He shifted so his legs were hanging off the armrest of the couch, and held the phone to his ear.
“How are you holding up? How’s Binghe doing?”
“Ah,” Liu Qingge thought for a moment. “I’m fine as always, but your dog is a menace.”
He could hear a giggle on the other end of the line. “I hope he’s not too much trouble.”
“Mm,” Liu Qingge said, neither affirming nor denying the statement.
Shen Yuan’s voice softened, and he said quietly, “Thanks again for doing this, Qingge. It means a lot to me.”
That tone of voice… fuck, Liu Qingge was such a simple man. He would babysit this dumbass dog for an entire year if he could hear Shen Yuan sound this happy again. He wanted to crush this precious man in his arms and hear that warmth again, to see that sparkle in his eyes in person, to run his fingers through his soft hair and listen to him ramble under his breath about each of his newest fixations, even if he had no idea what he was talking about…
“I miss you,” Liu Qingge said simply. He was never that good with words, but it had the exact effect he needed.
“I-I miss you too.” God, he sounded flustered! Liu Qingge’s heart skipped a beat, and he threw an arm over his face to hide his smile.
“Anyways, you’re probably exhausted, so I’ll let you get to sleep, then. Have a good night,” Shen Yuan said. Liu Qingge nodded, his eyes indeed getting heavy. He stifled a yawn.
“Good night, A-Yuan.”
After the dial tone, he set his phone to the side and shifted to a more comfortable sleeping position. He was out like a light.
Liu Qingge woke up to the sound of footsteps too heavy to belong to a shitty pomeranian.
He sat bolt upright, his ears straining to hear them again in the otherwise quiet house.
There!
Liu Qingge grabbed his concealed carry and crept closer to where he heard the noise. It was coming from the kitchen.
He slowly peeked around the corner and froze.
There was a strange young man, probably no older than 15, standing in front of the open fridge, drinking from a gallon of milk. His handsome profile was lit by the light coming from inside the refrigerator, and he wiped his mouth with a hand.Then he stilled. The boy knew that someone was watching him.
Liu Qingge rounded the corner with a hardened scowl, gun raised. “Who the fuck are you.”
The boy held up his hands innocently, one still holding the jug of milk. He winked. “Liu Qingge, so good to finally meet you in person.”
“How did you…?”
The teen smirked. “I’m Shen Yuan’s son,” he said, as if it were obvious, and Liu Qingge bristled. Yeah, right.
“How did you get in?”
“I live here, duh.”
Liu QIngge’s hackles rose. This stalker had been sneaking into Shen Yuan’s house? For how long?
And also… where was Binghe?
“What did you do to the dog.” Liu Qingge’s grip on the gun never wavered, pointed at the intruder’s chest.
The boy’s eyebrow raised. “Wha–Why do you care? I thought you hated the damn thing.” He sounded suspicious more than anything, which was confusing.
Liu Qingge gritted his teeth, and his glare intensified. He didn’t need to give answers.
“Where. Is. It.”
“Relax, he’s still here,” the boy said. Liu Qingge glanced around in confusion, but saw no angry fluff. Fear rose in him at a thought–if something happened to that dog, he’d–
“Hey, hey, easy John Wick! Control that twitchy finger of yours!”
The teen began to argue with himself silently, looking increasingly frustrated, before he blew out a breath. He slowly put the milk on the counter. “I’m Binghe.”
Liu Qingge had enough of this nonsense.
“I’m calling the poli–”
Before he could finish his sentence, though, the teen before him shifted into the familiar form of a pomeranian.
The kitchen was silent.
Liu Qingge slowly lowered his weapon, not taking his eyes off of the dog.
“Explain. Now.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And the best part? No one will ever believe you.”
Liu Qingge glared at the carefree human sitting across from him at the dining table. Binghe stared at him unflinchingly, just as he did when he was a dog.
Well, at least all that makes sense now, Liu Qingge thought. Then: What the fuck, how am I not phased by this.
“I’m surprised you’re taking this so well,” Binghe couldn’t help but remark.
Liu Qingge’s frown deepened, and he asked, “What are your intentions with Shen Yuan?”
Binghe shrugged. “To live with him, plain and simple. He’s a kind soul, and I happen to like kind souls.” Unlike YOU he added silently, but the subtext was obvious. Liu Qingge snorted despite himself. Fair enough. He wouldn’t exactly describe himself as a “kind soul” either.
“Were you originally a dog, or a person?” Liu Qingge couldn’t help it, the question had been burning in the back of his mind since he first saw him transform.
Binghe made a face. “Yeah… Not answering that.”
“Dog, then?”
The pomeranian-man-whatever huffed, looking away in a manner that only moody teenagers know how to do.
Liu Qingge could feel a headache coming on. “I’m telling Shen Yuan.”
His lazy demeanor immediately stiffened. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Try me.” He was already getting up to grab his phone.
“He won’t believe you!”
“I don’t care.”
“Wait, please–!”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Binghe panicked, then shouted after him, “I just wanted a family!”
Liu Qingge stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to see that Binghe was close to tears, and despite himself he felt sympathy for the dog…child? Teen? Ugh.. He sighed, tired.
“If I’m not having a nightmare right now, we’ll discuss it further in the morning.”
Binghe immediately brightened. “Thank–”
“But,” Liu Qingge gritted out, “I will not be lying to Shen Yuan about this. So… Manage your expectations.”
The teen deflated. “Alright.”
Liu Qingge took one last look behind him at the teen, then shook his head in disbelief. This had better be a dream.
“Good night,” the dream apparition called after him. Liu Qingge just grunted, before flopping on the couch and squeezing his eyes shut. He pulled the blanket over his head. Despite the desire to, he wasn’t able to fall back asleep for a very, very long time.
Liu Qingge opened his eyes to the morning light streaming through the windows. His neck was sore from sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t mind it all that much. He blearily sat up and rubbed the back of his neck idly, his mind blissfully blank. Running a hand through his shoulder-length hair, he yawned and cracked an eye open.
The dog.
The dog was sitting there in front of him, eerily still. It gazed unblinkingly at him, assessing him almost, and Liu Qingge felt a shiver crawl up his spine. What in the actual fuck …?
He suddenly remembered the weird dream he had. He squinted suspiciously at the puffball. “You’re not actually a dog-person, are you?”
Binghe stuck out his little tongue and shifted side to side, looking like how a dumbass pomeranian should. He wagged his tail cutely, his ears perking up at the address.
Liu Qingge wanted to test something. He held out a hand towards the dog. How far’s this kid going to go to convince him?
Binghe ran up to him and nuzzled his hand, happily licking his thumb and practically brimming with good-intentioned energy.
Liu Qingge frowned. No fucking way.
He pinched his nose, barely holding back a sigh. “Nice try, brat. Suddenly being nice makes it even more suspicious.”
The pomeranian’s tail stopped midair, and the dumbass happy face disappeared. In a swirl of smoke, Bingpup transformed back into the boy he saw last night. He glowered, and spat to the side, as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. Binghe wiped his mouth, and Liu Qingge sat there unimpressed.
“Worth a shot.”
“Sure.”
Silence stretched on for a while, before Liu Qingge sighed to himself and moved to make room for Binghe on the couch.
Binghe didn’t move, though–he just eyed the other man warily.
Liu Qingge shrugged, and reached for the TV remote. “A-Yuan’s not gonna be back for another few hours, and I’d rather not drop this on him over the phone. I don’t care what you do in that time, but I’m watching Hell’s Kitchen.”
Binghe suddenly turned and left the room, which confused Liu Qingge a little bit, but he didn’t question it. He pressed the power button, then looked down at the remote in surprise before he suddenly remembered that he took the batteries out yesterday. He dropped the remote on the seat next to him and let his head drop back onto the couch’s cushion.
Someone cleared their throat next to him, and he opened his eyes again to see Binghe snatch the remote from the seat and plop down next to him. He made quick work of the battery cover and shoved new double As into the slots. His deft fingers closed the cover with a crisp snap and handed the remote to Liu Qingge.
Liu Qingge accepted it with a raised eyebrow. Binghe shrugged, intentionally not looking at the man next to him. “What? I can do things.”
Liu Qingge snorted, and turned the TV on.
“Harder, AH~”
The remote fumbled in his grip and he hurriedly switched it to a different channel. An infomercial played in the background as he let out a sigh of relief. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw Binghe smirk quietly to himself.
Dick.
Chef Ramsay was in the middle of chewing out this one lady for throwing out all the spaghetti when Liu Qingge heard the front door unlock and creak open, a telltale sign that Shen Yuan had finally returned. He switched the TV off and turned to tell Binghe something, but the teenager was already back as a pomeranian, wagging his fluffy little tail and everything.
Liu Qingge made a face, and got up from the couch to meet his boyfriend.
“Qingge!” Shen Yuan beamed, his arms full of shopping bags (probably filled with more anime merch… how cute)
He dropped the bags on the floor and threw his arms around Liu Qingge, who returned the embrace just as tightly.
“The con was so fun! I met at least 3 Hua Cheng cosplayers, and the Fengqing cosplays were gorgeous! Ah, and I even got a signature from my favorite artist, you know velinxi, right?”
Shen Yuan finally loosened his hold around Liu Qingge’s neck and continued rambling about his experience at the con with Shang Qinghua, and even though Liu Qingge had no idea what half of it meant, he was happy to see Shen Yuan happy.
“And, wait…” Shen Yuan stopped, looking around. “Where’s Binghe?”
“Ah, A-Yuan, there’s something we need to tell you.”
Shen Yuan’s brow furrowed in confusion. “ ‘We ?’”
A small arf came from the doorway across from them. Little Binghe was looking up at them, his ears droopy as if he was guilty of something. Which he kinda is, Liu Qingge reminded himself.
“C’mon brat, show him,” Liu Qingge prodded, once he saw that Binghe just stood there, hesitating.
The shitty little pomeranian seemed to sigh before there was a swirl of ink-like smoke, and suddenly the pomeranian was gone and replaced by one gangly-limbed teenager, no older than fifteen, his long hair jet-black and fluffy, just a little past his shoulders. He rubbed an arm guiltily, and smiled up at Shen Yuan sheepishly, “Um… Surprise?”
Shen Yuan’s jaw dropped.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Shen Yuan laughed incredulously and swept Binghe up into a hug.
“You’re adorable! Qingge, how did you finally talk him into revealing his human form?! I’ve been trying for months!”
“You knew??” Both Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe yelped in unison. Shen Yuan laughed again, and finally set Binghe down, ruffling his floofy hair. Oh dear, Binghe looked like he was about to dissolve into tears.
“Food kept disappearing from the fridge, and I know that I don’t eat that much, so… I got suspicious. I had cameras installed in the kitchen a few months ago… You’re not as sly as you think you are, kid,” Shen Yuan grinned, patting his head again.
“But… but you never called me out?”
Shen Yuan shrugged. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. I didn’t think that you being ‘ready’ meant scaring the hell out of your shushu first, though.”
Liu Qingge could only watch the exchange silently, his mind blank from the shock that Shen Yuan already knew. What the fuck???
Luo Binghe’s eyes filled with tears, and his body trembled with relief. He buried his face in Shen Yuan’s shirt and cried, saying, “A-Die, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–”
A comforting hand rubbed up and down Binghe’s back as he cried, and Shen Yuan finally made eye contact with Liu Qingge over his head. I’m sorry, he mouthed sheepishly.
Liu Qingge finally snapped out of it, and rolled his eyes. Tell me next time, he mouthed back.
Shen Yuan laughed, and Liu Qingge pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting back a smile and losing.
Well, at least Shen Yuan wasn’t… upset?
Liu Qingge was at a bit of a loss, but whatever.
“Oh, A-Die, are you hungry? I’ve been wanting to try this one recipe for a while,” Binghe offered, his eyes taking on an inspired shine, excitement practically radiating from his little face.
Shen Yuan ruffled his hair again, and smiled. “Whatever you wanna do, kiddo.”
Binghe beamed, and raced off to the kitchen. Cabinets and drawers opened and banged shut in the other room, and it was just Liu Qingge and Shen Yuan again, alone.
Liu Qingge crossed his arms, leaning against the wall and facing Shen Yuan. “You know, a heads up would have been nice?”
Shen Yuan laughed nervously again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um, yeah. I’m sorry, Qingge, I should have told you.”
Liu Qingge studied the man in front of him: his lanky figure, his long-ish black hair brushing past his brow, with wire-rimmed glasses that sat delicately in front of his enchanting green eyes. His long fingers, currently combing anxiously through his hair as he waited for Liu Qingge’s response. The man he fell in love with. The man that could be so wrapped up in his own head that he missed the obvious 99% of the time.
Liu Qingge let out a breath, and stood up to wrap his arms around Shen Yuan’s waist, pulling him gently closer. Shen Yuan rested his chin on Liu Qingge’s shoulder, and Liu Qingge hummed a quiet response.
“The little prick chewed up my shoes,” Liu Qingge said grumpily, eyes closed. Shen Yuan made a strangled noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, burying his face further into his shoulder.