Finished A Sketchbook!

Finished a sketchbook!

Shen Yuan knew his roommate always had trouble sleeping. The dorm that he and Shen Jiu shared was small. When there was only a meter between the beds, it was difficult to ignore. The restless shifting of sheets has become as common as the sounds of crickets chirping at night.

Tonight was no different. Once again Shen Jiu was floundering around in his bed, unable to fight of whatever nightmare plagued him. Shen Yuan glanced up from his phone, observing the restless male.

Somehow even in distress, Shen Jiu retained his regal appearance. Long, slender fingers gripped the sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His cheeks shone has beads of sweats trickled down them.

What was new, though, was the glistening tears clinging to his lashes as if they were protesting against falling. Shen Yuan blinked dumbly before shutting his screen off.

"Shen Jiu?" he tried softly. The man didn't stir, only burying his face further into the pillow. "A-jiu..." Still nothing. Shen Yuan sighed and slipped out of his bed. As he approached, Shen Jiu's hand reached out and clutched blindly at his shirt. He smiled at the sight, placing a hand on his cheek and wiped a stray tear.

Shen Jiu's eyes flung open in shock and he flinched back a bit, shaking a couple tears free. Shen Yuan quickly hands up in an attempt to calm him. "Hey... It's just me..." Shen Jiu stared, eyes staring through him. "A-Jiu?" The glaze over his eyes slowly faded as he met Shen Yuan gaze.

"Ah- A-Yuan..." Shen Jiu heaves a shaky breath as he awkwardly sits up. "Did I wake you?"

"No. I wasn't asleep in the first place," Shen Yuan shook his head. "How are you feeling? Looked like a rough nightmare." Shen Jiu frowned and shrugged, resting against the wall.

"I'm fine."

Shen Yuan scoffed causing to Shen Jiu to give him a judgmental look. "'Fine' my ass." He plopped himself next to him and curled an arm around his shoulder, pressing his head into the crook of his neck. Shen Jiu froze for moment before melting into the embrace, twisting his arms around Shen Yuan's waist. With his other arm, Shen Yuan pulled out his phone and decided to play some random cat videos. Because what's a better way to cheer up your sad boyfriend than cats?

Shen Jiu huffs as a ginger cat tries to jump from a fridge to a table but ends up backflipping off several other surfaces. Shen Jiu's lips tip up in amusement. Shen Yuan grins at the smile and nuzzles his nose into his hair.

Shen Jiu hummed, then tilted his head up to capture Shen Yuan in a kiss. It was like a sharp bite as Shen Yuan squeaked and dropped the phone to wrap his other arm around his neck. Shen Jiu pushed further into the kiss, squeezing tighter as if he would disappear if he let go.

Shen Jiu finally broke the kiss to breath for air, Shen Yuan took the chance to speak. "Now how are you feeling?" Shen Jiu pouted at not being interrupted.

"...Better, I suppose." He looked away, face flushed, when Shen Yuan smiled brightly.

"Good. Now let's go to bed," Shen Yuan stated before tossing his phone the side and dragging both of them under the sheets.

"Wait- A-Yuan!" Shen Jiu protested, trying to sit back up but was held down by the arm draped over his neck.

"Nope! You need to sleep!" Shen Yuan gleefully argued and shifted Shen Jiu so that he was curled up against his chest. He finished argument by giving him one last kiss before propping his chin above his head. Shen Jiu grumbled in distaste before resigning himself to his fate and closing his eyes.

Notecards Solve Everything (Bingqiu)

When the door swung open to reveal Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu froze. Not out of fear, mind you, but in confusion, because Luo Binghe stood there with a rumpled pile of papers. Several of them fall to the ground as he fumbled for one that was tucked in the middle.

"Um... Shizun...uh...I wanted to-" He continued to cut himself off as he sputtered nervously. A squeak escaped him as all the papers fluttered away from him.

Shen Qingqiu blinked as he stared at the mess of a protagonist. His heart warmed as the white-lotus slipped through the black-lotus shell. As he watched Binghe desperately try to compose himself, an extremely unflattering snort escaped him.

Luo Binghe paused, his eye wide as he watched his Shizun bend over in laughter. "Shizun...?"

Shen Qingqiu wheezed as he wiped away a stray tear. "Did you seriously write notes?" Binghe slowly shuffled the papers back into a pile, still not breaking his gaze. The tips of his ear burned a bit. "Here, let this master read them instead." As he makes a grabbing motion with his hand, Binghe bounds over and shoves the papers into his hand.

Part of Shen Qingqiu still thought that he should make a run for it, but curiosity kept him glued to his spot. He tried not to stare as the protagonist kneeled on the ground before him.

His heart broke as he read the notes.

In essence, all of the notes were endless rehashings of the question "Why?" and desperate pleas for forgiveness. The more that Shen Qingqiu turned the pages, the more Luo Binghe shrunk in on himself. Well, that was one way to guilt someone. Though none of it had to do with vengeance. Just a fear driven by insecurity. Shen Qingqiu thought that maybe his disciple wasn't gone just yet.

"Binghe," Shen Qingqiu started. Binghe jolted to attention, then his eyes watered as Shen Qingqiu's hand began to pet his head. Binghe whimpered and he nuzzled deeper in his hand. "Binghe, this master is sorry. He is foolish for hurting this disciple."

"Shizun," Binghe whined.

"Hush Binghe. Come here." Shen Qingqiu opened his arms and soon found them full of a teary eyed protagonist. He closed his arms around him, running a hand through the black curls. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm here."

Might make this digital later