#And the thing we see him insisting on with Yanqing and Fu Xuan

[fragmentedblade]

Jingliu tells Yanqing "your zealousness inhibits your ability to hide your line of attack". This is something at what Jing Yuan excels

[lovelynim]

Hello nim!! I'm truly happy for your 500 followers milestone! Since I'm also currently obsessed with honkai star rail, please consider writing a fic with "discovery theme" with lee jingyuan and ler danheng! Since danheng's memory has been "reset", It'll be fun if he "discover" what tickles is (probably from march/trailblaizer... or yanqing doing it to jingyuan), and since he's curious, he tries it on jingyuan.

I hope this idea is good!! Have a good day!

The Dragon's Lesson

Honkai: Star Rail - Dan Heng x Jing Yuan

[500 Followers Milestone Event - "Discovery"]

A/N: Hii anon, thank you so much for your support, heheh. I tweaked a little bit the prompt, so I hope you don't really mind it. I had a reaaally hard time trying to figure how to write this pairing out, but It turned out quite nicely... I think. Anyway, I hope you like it, hehe ~

Summary: After spending some time with the general, Dan Heng finds out something pretty interesting after engaging in one of his games

Word count: 1702 words

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” March 7th pouted, crossing her arms while Caelus and Welt stood behind her, waiting for Dan Heng’s answer. After the latest events in the Xianzhou Luofu, the crew was finally able to catch some rest before departing to the next destination. And, thanks to the insistence of the general and the master diviner, Welt suggested they should, indeed, spend some more time around. But…

“Yes,” Dan Heng said with a slight smile, looking down before he resumed speaking. “There are a few things I need to take care of and… I’m not sure how welcomed it would be if I walked around the Xianzhou looking like… this,” he muttered, knowing very well how much he resembled a certain person.

The girl was ready to nag him some more, but feeling Welt’s touch in her shoulder, March decided to let it be. “Alright, just call us if anything happens, ok?” The man said, looking at the other two, “let’s get going, then, the ms. Fu Xuan wouldn’t like it if we showed up late.”

Slowly waving his hand, Dan Heng said goodbye to the members of the Astral Express as they walked out the room. It was a large, fancy place, requested by no other than the general himself to accommodate their honorable guests.

The general…

Dan Heng let out a sigh when Jing Yuan’s figure occupied his mind. He wasn’t sure how to feel about him yet, nor what kind of relationship his past self used to have with the general, but it wouldn’t be right to say that there was no feeling at all. It was just… uncertain.

Letting himself get lost in a turmoil of thoughts, one after the other, Dan Heng was caught off guard when someone suddenly knocked on the door. Shooting his eyes open, the vidyadhara turned his attention to the door, as whoever was on the other side knocked again. “Just a second,” he voiced, walking over. “Who’s there?”

He could feel the hesitation on the other side, letting the silence take place for a few seconds before the other person would finally speak. “Did I come at a bad time?” A male voice chuckled, making its identity clear.

Opening the door, Dan Heng was met with the general friendly gaze. A warm, but contained smile formed on his lips. “Not at all, general, but… do you need something? May I be of help?”

“Ahaha, there is no need for such formalities between us,” Jing Yuan said, shaking his head, “I was just hoping I could invite you for a walk. The gardens have been somewhat… lonely lately and I’d love to hear more about you.”

If Dan Heng’s tail was visible at that moment, Jing Yuan would be able to see it wagging in excitement.

“Ah… sure, it would be a pleasure.”

Taking a step back, Jing Yuan gave the other some room to step out, closing the door behind him before starting to walk side by side with the general. Dan Heng was still confused, not able to figure out exactly how he felt towards Jing Yuan and, even more, if those were his or Dan Feng’s feelings.

As they arrived in the gardens, Dan Heng couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity towards that place, but, at the same time, curiosity to walk deeper into it.

“You- I mean, Dan Feng used to come here often,” Jing Yuan said from behind, hoping to not disturb the other’s experience, “well, at least when Yingxing wasn’t around, hahah.”

Gently lifting a flower from the ground to feel its scent, Dan Heng let out a small chuckle hearing the other’s mistake. An habit that at first annoyed him, but, after spending more time with the general, he began to find it more amusing. “I see… and I suppose this was where you met him the most? What else did you two used to do when he came over?”

The general sighed in contempt, shaking his head as he chuckled softly. “It all used to happen when I was younger, hahah. You’ll have to apologize to me, but this old man’s head isn’t as good as it used to be back then.”

Dan Heng arched his eyebrow, turning his attention back to Jing Yuan, who was fondly smiling at him. “If you don’t wish to share it, general, there is no need to lie to me,” he pouted lightly, to the level where it was almost unnoticeable.

“I’m not lying,” Jing Yuan insisted, raising his hands in front of his chest. Dan Heng sighed, he didn’t seem to want to push the matter further, having a bad feeling about it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little upset. “I swear I can’t remember, don’t be mad ~” Jing Yuan mused as he walked over, watching the Vidyadhara Elder slightly turn his face away.

“You are acting just like Yanqing when I turn his spar requests down,” the general teased, noticing how Dan Heng insisted on treating him with silence. “If you keep this up, I’ll have to treat you like I treat him, then.”

Dan Heng needed to keep looking away, otherwise Jing Yuan would be able to see his lips curling into a smile as well. This playful approach of the general enticed his curiosity even further, making him wonder what he had up his sleeve.

Then, before he could wonder about Jing Yuan’s next step, Dan Heng felt a pair of hands attack both his sides, gently squeezing the spot. Letting out a surprised - and embarrassingly loud - squeal, Dan Heng quickly moved away from the general, turning back to him with an annoyed look. "What was that about?!"

"Oh, so you were listening to me, huh?" Jing Yuan laughed, wiggling his fingers menacingly towards Dan Heng. "But it seems you are pretty sensitive…"

"Don't you dare, general. Or I-"

"Or you what, Dan Heng? Come on, it's just a little tickling…" He took one step forward, making the other take one step back, trying to keep the distance between them the same despite Jing Yuan`s attempts to get closer.

"Or I will tickle you," Dan Heng said, not thinking properly before snapping back at the general. Those words, however, only seemed to amuse Jing Yuan even further, making his grin grow larger. There was no way he was letting such a discovery slip through his fingers like that.

"Oh? You'll tickle me?" He continued in a defiant tone, trying to read through him. If it was Dan Feng, he would be sent flying away in a blast of water for trying such a thing. But Dan Heng? He was pretty sure he could beat him in this kind of fight.

Tired of waiting, Jing Yuan decided to make the first move, reaching out his hand towards the other man. However, as he was merely inches away from Dan Heng, the general could only catch a glimpse of his tail moving in a defensive manner, landing a heavy - but not so strong - strike against his middle, enough to tackle him to the ground.

Letting out an audible grunt when his back hit the gardens’ ground, Jing Yuan could only let out a chuckle. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to ann-”

“I warned you, general,” Dan Heng interrupted him, smirking as he sat down on the other’s lap, his nimble hands already finding their way to Jing Yuan’s waist, pinching the spot through the cloth in his way. “And it seems… you are also a little sensitive, hm?”

A crooked smile quickly formed on his lips as some panicked giggles escaped. Wait, was he for real? Was he actually fighting back like that? The general tried to hold his wrists and push him away, twisting his torso as he attempted to escape. “D-Dan Feheng, wait- ahaAH!”

A louder cackle escaped right before he could say something else. The vidyadhara gave him a stern look, shaking his head in disapproval. “That’s not my name, general, how many times do I need to tell you that I’m not him?” Dan Heng said, feigning annoyance as he dug a little harder on Jing Yuan’s sides.

But there was no doubt this wasn’t the former elder, not a single one. After all, Jing Yuan knew very well Dan Feng would never engage in his “foolish and childish” games. Maybe that was the reason why his reincarnation could catch him off guard so easily.

“S-sohohohorry! A-ahAHah, y-you can stohohop now!” 

“Didn’t you say yourself that “it’s just a little tickling”?” Dan Heng mused with a smile, clawing at the general sides, making his laughter grow a little louder. If anyone from the Astral Express saw him right now, he wasn’t sure how he would explain himself - but it was just too early to stop.

With his legs immobilized under Dan Heng’s tail’s weight and his waist straddled, there was very little room for Jing Yuan to squirm - not to mention the fact that the other placed himself in such a way that he was sitting just out of the general’s reach, make it actually really hard (or impossible) to properly fight back the tickling. “I-I wahas wrohohong, Dan Heheheng!”

Jing Yuan pressed his eyes shut and laid his head back as he gave himself into the laughter, unable to do anything else other than hope to receive some mercy. “AhahAH, j-juhust quihihit it!”

Dan Heng slowly stopped moving his fingers, chuckling to himself. It was a rare sight to see the general laugh so carefreely, a much different sight from his usual self. “Guess Yanqing isn’t the only one that needs to learn… how to properly pick up a fight, huh?”

“A-ah, I suppose… I still have a few things to learn…” Jing Yuan sighed in relief, shyly giggling at himself. Just when he thought it was over, the general could feel the tip of the other’s tail tapping against his leg. Taken by curiosity, he opened his eyes, looking up to Dan Heng to be met with a mischievous grin.

“So… let’s see if you really learned your lesson, general.”

“Hah… surely, I look forward your teaching, Dan Heng.”