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So, for anyone curious about my last A/N, both my EEG and MRI came back normal! Which means I don't know what's causing my current medical maladies, but it does rule out some pretty serious things I was worried about, so yay! (I just like. Spontaneously fall to the floor all the time. Like, sometimes multiple times a day)

Anywho, time to see how the rest of this conversation goes…

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Whatever nonsense the demon was saying, it was so ridiculous that Shen Qingqiu was actually distracted from thinking about Luo Binghe digging his little claws into his mind. Why was he talking about another world, other versions of them?

When Luo Binghe announced that they'd been lovers in that other world, Shen Qingqiu couldn't stop himself from laughing harder than he had in years, even more than when he was given that low dose of drugs. So, what was the demon lord saying? That he'd hallucinated some crazy adventure in another universe and got jealous of himself and a relationship that would never happen?!

"Holy shit," Shen Qingqiu gasped. "You're insane. Actually insane."

"You can ask Yingying if you want," Luo Binghe told him. "She doesn't know what happened, but she does remember when I returned injured."

"I can't believe you- You are insane."

"So you've said," Luo Binghe huffed. "But do you understand now? Will you believe me that I don't want to torture you anymore?"

Shen Qingqiu covered his mouth with one hand.

"Wait, so you," he cut himself off with a laugh. "You want me to believe that you won't hurt me because- what? Because you got jealous? Of yourself?!"

Luo Binghe raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he answered. "Do you think I would tell you this just to have you laugh at me? Take the fact that I don't enjoy humiliating myself for no reason as proof."

Shen Qingqiu felt another chuckle bubble out from behind his lips.

"You actually… You actually believe this, don't you?"

Then, Luo Binghe leaned close to him, gently taking his chin in his hand.

"I do," he said. "See it as insanity if you want. But it's true."

Shen Qingqiu could hardly think. He felt insane himself.

What a pair the two of them made. Maybe, if that other world was real, this is what happened. Maybe the both of them had simply lost it, and that was what Luo Binghe saw there.

As he started to laugh again, something soft touched his lips, swallowing the sound.

XXX

The kiss lasted longer than Luo Binghe expected, Shen Qingqiu only pushing away after a few seconds. Immediately, another laugh ripped itself from his Shizun's throat, the cackle of it breaking the air.

"You!" the older man laughed, one hand gripping his own chest. "I can't believe this!"

But he didn't stop laughing.

"Well, I suppose my words were good for your amusement, at least."

Shen Qingqiu used his other hand to cover his mouth, his attempts only somewhat muffling himself. Should Luo Binghe be concerned about this? He wasn't drugged this time, and honestly, this reaction wasn't as bad as what he'd expected. He really would have thought that Shen Qingqiu would have struck out at him by now. While still not technically ideal, this reaction was a lot better than he ever thought it would be.

The former peak lord was doubled over where he sat, his hair falling forward in front of his face like a curtain. His body shook uncontrollably, trembling as he failed to keep himself quiet.

"Is it really all that funny?" Luo Binghe asked, a bit offended, if he was being honest.

Shen Qingqiu's voice grew louder as his hand was removed.

"Of course it is! It's the most ridiculous…"

Luo Binghe sighed.

"Alright, then, have your laugh," Luo Binghe accepted. "But if you don't calm down soon, I'll have to go back on the latter half of our deal."

"Why? Because you're just so worried about me?" the man continued to chuckle. "You're just so worried that your little plaything might have snapped, is that it?"

"Yes," Luo Binghe replied bluntly.

That just made Shen Qingqiu get louder. Throwing his head back allowed Luo Binghe to see that tears tracks had started rolling down the man's cheeks again, though it was hard to tell whether he was really crying or whether it was from the force of his laughter. Had this really been the final straw, the last push he needed to make his Shizun snap entirely? He didn't think so. If anything, that had been Yue Qingyuan's death. His Shizun may not be a raving lunatic, but he was far from sane at this point.

And he really was worried.

In the end, Shen Qingqiu ended up laughing/crying until he exhausted himself, and Luo Binghe watched over him quietly. Once his Shizun fell silent, he got up and left him there, thinking that it might be best to let the man think.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Shizun."

XXX

Shen Qingqiu felt a strange haze falling over him as Luo Binghe finished feeding him. Instantly, he recognized the feeling of being drugged. However, the sedative didn't usually kick in so quickly- there had always been at least a short delay before he started to feel the effects.

"Back to… drugging me, then?"

Luo Binghe gave him an appraising look.

"It's a different one this time," he responded. "I'm trying to see if this one lets you stay awake longer. Is it already working?"

Shen Qingqiu leaned forward, unable to stop himself.

"What… do you… think…?"

His eyes were feeling heavy already.

"Ah. I think this one is doing the opposite of what I want it to."

He closed his eyes and let darkness overtake him.

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He stared at the flowers floating through the air. A sea of pinks and yellows and blues swirled around him, each silky petal growing and shrinking as they moved. He reached a hand toward one of them, wanting to feel the softness he could see.

"Shizun?"

The petals exploded into little red gems and clattered down to the floor, bouncing back up and sparkling in the low light of the room.

"Shizun, do you understand me?"

A face appeared in front of him, with pink hair and giant eyes, but the expression kept changing, the liquid mass of it morphing into grotesque forms.

He just chuckled lightly and reached out to touch it.

The slime felt cold against his fingers.

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He couldn't stop shaking. His whole body had been overtaken with tremors as soon as he swallowed his first bite.

"What's going on?!"

"He's having a bad reaction to the drug, Your Highness. I'll prepare an antidote immediately!"

"If anything happens to him, you'll wish I only took your head!"

XXX

He laughed.

He just laughed.

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The wall was bare, with nothing adorning it.

There was a small crack there, though he didn't know where it came from.

"Look at me, Shizun."

He could hear the voice, but he didn't feel like looking at it.

The wall was bare, with a crack adorning it.

"Blink or something if you can hear me."

He was too tired to move.

Moving his eyes felt like too much effort.

"Shizun."

The wall was broken, with a large hole adorning it.

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"Would you just stop already?! Enough with these damn drugs!"

"I can't let you out of the room until I find something that works."

"Who asked to be let out?! I'm still your prisoner whether I'm here or in the hall!"

"Regardless, I need some way to keep you calm."

"Fuck off!"

"This is just proving my point."

"All it proves is that I hate you!"

"And that this drug does not work on you as a sedative."

"Bastard!"

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The room was full of dark, twisting shadows. He tried to escape them, but with every flinch from one, he only got closer to another.

A tendril reached out to him, its light touch running over his cheek.

"No!"

He scrambled away and hit into something firm but soft. He clung to the fabric before him, digging his fingers into it in the vain hope that it would keep the tendrils away. Something wrapped itself around him, and he screamed, curling forward but unable to pass the wall in front of him.'

"It's alright, Shizun. Whatever you see, it's not real."

He could feel the cold shadows prickling against his robes, trying to get in. Instead of a scream, all he could manage was a small whimper.

"I swear, I'm going to kill that damned doctor this time…"

XXX

He watched Shen Qingqiu, as he had been doing for quite a while now. He'd gotten the man to eat and take the latest drug earlier, and then he'd waited for it to start working. Soon after it was taken, the older man's anger began to settle down, and by now, he was sitting calmly. He was still alert to some degree- enough to respond, at least, and there had yet to be any signs that he was hallucinating again. He moved slowly, but he hadn't fallen asleep or even laid down. Mostly, he looked slowly around the room.

"How are you feeling, Shizun?" Luo Binghe asked him.

Shen Qingqiu's attention was dragged over to him, and the man blinked before answering.

"Hm, what'd you do this time…?" he asked in return, though there wasn't any venom in it.

"I decided to find the next herb myself. This one is supposed to have strong calming effects," Luo Binghe told him. "Though, it's a bit of a rare herb to find, so I planted some in the castle gardens."

Really, it hadn't been too hard to find, despite its description saying the plant was so rare that few bothered to look for it, considering that all it did was calm people down a little. Even still, he'd managed to find it in only the third patch of forest he checked.

"Did you kill the doctor?"

Luo Binghe tapped his fingers on the table.

"No," he answered. "I need to find another doctor that knows that healing spell before I get rid of him, just in case you find a way to tear your arms up again."

"Hm," Shen Qingqiu hummed. "Alright."

"So, how are you feeling?" Luo Binghe repeated.

Shen Qingqiu brushed his hair over his shoulder so it all fell down his back.

"I don't know," he replied, idly picking up one of the books Luo Binghe had brought him.

The demon lord sighed.

This one seemed to be working the best so far, out of all the different drugs he'd tried. There hadn't been any negative symptoms yet, but Luo Binghe knew that he couldn't give it to him all the time. The herb could become addictive with prolonged use and require higher doses, and really, he didn't want to end up causing another problem by making Shen Qingqiu entirely reliant on drugs. If this one continued to cause no problems, he would use it whenever he took his Shizun out of the room. He could use the first sedative if he needed to keep the man calm in the room and the second for a faster, emergency way to knock him out. The rest were going to never pass his Shizun's lips again, because they were all terrible.

Shen Qingqiu spent the rest of the evening reading, with Luo Binghe watching carefully, and he didn't seem very bothered at all.

If only it could be like that every day.

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Luo Binghe was still spending a lot of time in that room. Surely, there must be something (someone) interesting inside of it.

How mad would her husband be if she were to just take a little peek…?

XXX

Eventually, Luo Binghe decided that he could let Shen Qingqiu out of the room, though only for a little while, and the demon lord fully intended to use the blood parasites the second his Shizun looked like he might try to do anything, whether that was run off or try to injure himself. As such, he'd prepared by informing (ordering) everyone they should stay away from one particular garden and the halls leading to it. He'd also brought a veil and the newest drug with him when he went to visit his former teacher.

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrow when he saw the veil, a silent question behind his lips, but he didn't voice it out loud. Luo Binghe didn't mention it yet, either, merely setting it down onto the table alongside the food he'd brought today.

"Shizun," Luo Binghe greeted, giving the man the same kind of smile he gave to politicians he had no particular liking nor malice toward. "I would like to discuss something with you."

Though Shen Qingqiu's body tensed, he still sat down at his usual spot by the table, having grown used to the routine of it by now. He crossed his arms, and this time, his question was spoken aloud:

"What is it this time, Little Beast?"

"It's nothing bad," the demon lord reassured, and actually meant it.

"I doubt that."

"I'm sure you do," Luo Binghe huffed, amused. "But I mean it."

Obviously, Shen Qingqiu still didn't believe him. But that was fine. He would figure it out eventually.

"After you eat, I'm going to take you into the garden for a bit," Luo Binghe announced.

He observed the man's immediate reaction, dull emerald eyes widening, his body growing even tenser than before.

"You don't mean that."

"I do," Luo Binghe disagreed. "That's why I brought this veil. It's to hide your face while we're out- I don't want anyone else seeing you right now."

Shen Qingqiu's attention was brought back to the wispy cloth for a moment before he shook his head.

"What's the catch?"

Of course, there wasn't really a 'catch'. This wasn't a deal. This was something he was doing in his attempts to get Shen Qingqiu to like him. It was a small step in an ongoing plan that would hopefully result in some end reward. But, he knew Shen Qingqiu wouldn't believe that yet. The man still expected deals and deception, and perhaps he preferred it that way. Maybe he was more reassured by a reason for Luo Binghe doing something nice than him doing it for the sake of it. So, he could play along with that, if it made things easier.

"Hm, it's not really a catch so much as some conditions," he hummed. "First, as I said, you'll be wearing this veil. We will also be going after you eat. You can choose whether it's willingly or not, but even if I have to force you, I will still take you to the garden. I will also be drugging you with the same one from the other day, and if you try to do anything, I will activate my blood parasites. So don't think you'll even be able to attempt an escape, because I'll freeze you before you can even get out of arm's reach. Understand?"

His Shizun looked at him for a moment, confusion lightly twisting his features as he couldn't quite figure out Luo Binghe's motivations for this.

"… Why?" he asked eventually.

At least he wasn't being difficult so far.

"Because I'm trying to keep you from going completely insane," Luo Binghe told him honestly, though he left out that he was also trying to convince the man that he could be nice. "Prolonged captivity can make people snap, you know, and that's not really my goal anymore, so. We'll be taking a walk through the gardens."

Shen Qingqiu let out a scoff, and really, Luo Binghe expected it, so he didn't mind.

"You're ridiculous."

"Be that as it may, you know I'm going to do what I want, right?" Luo Binghe said. "I want to bring you to the garden, so you'll be going to the garden."

Shen Qingqiu looked down silently for a moment, as if he were deliberating.

"Why do you need to drug me if you can just freeze me with the parasites?" he asked eventually. "You'll be right there, won't you? So it's not like you need to keep me 'calm' while you can't babysit me."

"Because I don't want you to even try," Luo Binghe answered. "I might as well have as many safe-guards as I can, right? And besides, that drug wasn't so bad, was it? You were calm but awake, and there weren't any terrible side effects, were there?"

"It's still a drug!"

"So what?" Luo Binghe shrugged. "You were actually able to sit and read a book normally, and you didn't end up crying or screaming or laughing or hallucinating. If I wasn't worried about you getting addicted, I would just give it to you all the time."

"Oh, great, so the drug is addictive."

"If you use it too much, yes," Luo Binghe agreed. "But I will only give it to you when you are leaving the room, so you'll be fine."

Shen Qingqiu gave him a calculated look.

"Does that mean you'll stop drugging me when I'm here?"

Luo Binghe sighed. Concessions, he reminded himself.

"For now, yes," he informed him. "If you seem to be relatively fine in here, I will only drug you as necessary. But if I think I need to keep you calm, I'll give you the same sedative as before, and if I need to, I'll use the one that just knocks you out."

The other man was still looking at him, disbelief and confusion overtaking his expression. Obviously, Shen Qingqiu hated that Luo Binghe drugged him. So, he should be happy that Luo Binghe wasn't going to do it as much, right? Then again, maybe he didn't like that Luo Binghe had already set circumstances in which he would be drugged anyway. It's not like the demon lord just wouldn't use the sedatives if he needed to, though. And lying about it would just make Shen QIngqiu angry. As it was, he was already hesitant enough to stop the constant drugging, what with the man's recent tendency to require forced soothing to keep him from harming himself. He was hoping that going outside might help without the need for drugs, give his mind something else to think about besides the monotony of a room and the thoughts that could fill it. Regardless, though, he would do what he had to do to stop Shen Qingqiu from causing too much damage to himself or having another qi deviation. And Shen Qingqiu already knew he would do what he wanted, whatever it took to reach his goals, so really, the man must have already known that further drugging wouldn't be completely off the table.

Apparently, that was good enough for his Shizun, so with an almost-defeated sigh, he picked up the chopsticks and began to eat slowly. His hands still had a slight shaking weakness to them, and it seemed like they might always be that way- the man had done a good bit of damage to his arms and likely messed up a nerve that wasn't quite healed enough by the doctor. It was a shame, really, that the new body Luo Binghe had worked so hard on was already imperfect, already scarred.

Well, scars were scars, and perhaps, even if you tried to erase them, they would still reappear on your skin.

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LBH: I want you to be my bf. Also, alternate universes.

SQQ: Haha what the fuck…

LBH: *drugs*

Like, I know I wrote this, but bro, WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGGGGG?

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