Work Text:
It is about two hours in when Luo Binghe hears his Shizun beside him give up on his Peak Lord paperwork. They are in his personal office in the Underground Palace, making sure that their lordly duties are all accomplished in an orderly fashion.
He feels his Shizun snake his delicate arms around his neck and leave a kiss on his jaw. Binghe finishes affixing his insignia on the scroll before dropping everything as well to pay attention to his thin-faced sticky husband.
"Binghe." Shizun whispers in his ear in a husky tone from sitting in silence while they worked. It sends an excited shiver down his spine.
"This master has a confession to make."
"Oh?" Consider him intrigued. Every time his husband shares something on his mind, he hoards it like a dragon would. He has always been greedy when it comes to his Shizun.
"This master has always wanted to run away."
"Shizun?" He turns to properly face his husband and waits patiently for him to continue. He has learned his lesson when he jumped into conclusions and let his mind immediately fill in the blanks without waiting to hear what his Shizun had to say.
"What do you say, Luo Binghe? Shall we do it?" But before he could answer his Shizun's question, he barrels on. He lets him. He always likes it when Shizun speaks his mind without restraint.
"It'd be the gossip of the ages!" One of Shizun's arms lets him go before gesturing like a busybody. He then looks to his left and right in mock suspicion.
"Haven't you heard?" He fake-whispers. "The Qing Jing Peak Lord ran away with his Demon Lord husband! They haven't been seen since." Binghe finds Shizun's theatrics amusing and so, so adorable.
"What would we be doing then after we ran away, Shizun?"
"Take ass and kick names, of course!" Shizun's answer startles a laugh out of him. He rarely hears his Shizun speak crassly after all.
"Surely our allies would be able to easily track us down if we're causing trouble, Shizun."
"What trouble, ah? And we'd just have to use aliases, Binghe."
"...like Hanggua?"
"Binghe!" And of course, a closed fan is softly swatted on his forehead. It is second nature at this point.
"Alright, Shizun. How should we introduce ourselves to the common folk?" This time, his husband takes a moment to answer. He immediately witnesses the blush reddening his ears.
"Shen Binghe and Luo Qingqiu." Binghe, for one feverish second, thinks that he must be hallucinating. They have already sworn their vows and donned the red but they have yet to discuss about one of them taking the other's family name.
"They might recognize us still." Binghe says weakly, continuing to play along even though his mind is just full of characters for Shen Binghe and Luo Qingqiu.
"Then, Bing'er and Yuan-ge." Shizun is going to kill him. Shizun is out to get him. Bing'er! And! Yuan-ge! Shizun's birth name. Shizun's name before Qingqiu. Shizun's! Name!
"Shizun!" He couldn't help it, he kisses his husband on the lips. And that is what they do for a while. When they eventually pause to take a breath, Shizun continues his daydreaming.
"We'd explore the world, eat new food, hunt down rare monsters."
"Surely Shizun jests. Shizun won't be able to resist helping people."
"And Binghe won't be able to resist picking up strays and getting attached. Binghe would cry for this master to let us keep them. But this master will insist that we should find them a good home instead." Binghe blinks at his Shizun's retort before warmth spreads in his chest. He'd do that, wouldn't he. Those children deserve to have a better life than he did after his mother died and before Shizun had his fever.
"But Shizun will surely pick up more than this disciple. After all, he couldn't resist as well. Shizun has a weak spot for children and small animals." His husband smacks him on the forehead again.
"This master doesn't doubt that Binghe will have met more than he does!" He lets it slide for now. Binghe will just have to look forward to the day that Shizun surpasses him in doing so. (Maybe they should run an orphanage together in the far future.)
"Shizun, are you happy?" Binghe knows he is but sometimes, a conversation like this can have underlying meanings.
"This master is. And I'm especially the happiest when I'm with my favorite disciple."
"But we can't."
"This master knows."
"We still have our duties."
Shizun heaves a sigh, "I know."
"Then, Shizun. Why?"
"You're still so young, Binghe. And I've always wanted to see the world. And it'd be nice to do so with someone you love, no?"
"Yes, Shizun. But you know that we will not always be the Demon Realm Sovereign and Qing Jing Peak Lord. We'd have to step down at some point."
"You're right, Binghe, of course. Forgive this master for being silly."
"Shizun, no! It's not silly!"
"We have the rest of immortality to take ass and kick names! Just Bing'er and Yuan-ge."
"Just Shen Binghe and Luo Qingqiu."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I'd like that, Binghe."
"Wherever Shizun decides to go, this disciple will follow."
"It's a date then."
"Shizun!"