#astral-from-afar

[phontao]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🥳 (my gift is a cursed image)

THANK YOU !!!! is that. doctor house. im losing it.

[reloaderror]

He has not connected his headphones lmao. Lev’s streamer joke has once again inspired to make a meme

fucking actual picture of me today. real.

[zukkaoru]

Ooh pretty ✨✨

assuming this is in reference to my new icon, you literally caught me 2 seconds after i changed it dfgfhgjhkjl anyway tysm!!

[genderqueer-miharu]

Thank you for warning us about chapter 47. However my heart could not take it at all 😭

Don't worry, no one's ever ready for that chapter.

[soulreapin]

“And what would you do for him?” Asks the Universe, settled upon her chair.

Keith glances behind him, watching ghostly images of Lance flit across the stars in laughter and cheer. Steel fills his bones as he turns back to the Universe and says, “Everything.”

The Universe watches him carefully, his teeth digging gently into the thin skin of their lip. “So it shall be, then.”

[galedekarios]

i need to take a moment to talk about one of my favourite details in the astral sea scene because sadly, you can't really see it too well (or at all) from afar / without the camera tool.

remember the very end?

when gale and his partner form that sort of star?

and they're little more than a tangle of limbs?

the original gale has his hand outstretched and the protag's hand slides down his arm:

until they intertwine their fingers and hold hands.

i just wanted you all to know that.

[verinarin]

𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.

cw // contains 2.2 penacony quest spoilers

Angst | years after he vanished, you found solace in the path of trailblaze. the day you departed from the astral express, however was the day another version of him greets you.

Traversing through the stars as a nameless was never something you see for yourself, but alas after years of escaping the pain of loosing you have found peace.

You boarded the express with a bleeding wound, yet departed with a new sense of self. Blazing the path of traiblaze has given you precious memories.

Memories that have become the solace you yearn for and now you reside on a planet far away from your hometown, Penacony.

Your heart still burns for the spirit of trailblazing, spreading the tales you’ve theard upon these past years was your way of keeping the spirit of trailblazing alive.

There’s hundreds of letters you have sent to the nameless who still traverse the sky full of stars, while you blaze paths for the younger generations to yearn to reach the glimmering stars above.

“Miss, is it true that the astral express has two conductors?,” a young boy that perched up to your lap asked.

“Well now we only have one conductor which is pom-pom and a navigator ! The astral express’ current navigator is Miss Himeko,” you smiled softly as you stroked the boy’s hair.

This is a glimpse of your life now, as the local’s beloved storyteller. You could be easily found reading a book or writing at a cafe near your house.

You heard a motherly voice searching for her son, “Now young man it seems that you mother is searching for you, better to go back to her alright,” you pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Alright ! Bye bye Miss Nameless,” he waved as he ran back towards his mother who offered you a thank you smile from afar.

Now you reside back at your table, a letter has found its way to you. Perhaps it was friends from the astral express, but there’s the ‘pom-pom’s signature’ stamp to be found after all.

With a smile you pressed the rim of your coffee filled cup to your lips, it’s been a while since you talked to them. As you place down your cup, a tinge of amberwood lingers in the air.

It was a scent that you found alluring years ago, it made you feel a little bit nostalgic. You close your eyes and let the tale of the past play inside your mind like a movie.

“Excuse me, Miss. Is this seat taken ?,” a voice greeted you, his voice has successfully awaken you from your daydream.

“The seat in front of me ?,” he asked as you flutter your eyes open, to reveal a man dressed in a white shirt.

The collar was unbuttoned slightly revealing a chest that harbours scars across the body, it took you seconds to tilt your head up.

You can’t really make out the man’s face, the sun that shines warmly behind him hinders you from doing so, “Yeah, the seat on your table” he chuckled, as he folded his arms.

His arms were proudly displayed against his chest, his sleeves were rolled up to display his strong arms, clean from any scars. In contrast with his chest.

“Well I’m not meeting anyone, so feel free,” you extend your hand towards the seat in front of you, letting him know that it’s alright for him to sit in front of you.

And so he did, now you could clearly study his face. He has kind eyes, rich brown in colour. His features were strong and rugged yet somehow gentle in nature. His face was decorated with salt and pepper stubble, signifying his old age.

His hair was parted in the middle, it was as long as his neck. You could tell that he cared a lot for his hair, it was well groomed, “Are you not going to ask who I am ?” he smiled as he saw you gazing through himself.

“Ah sorry for staring, you just feel familiar,” you stated honestly before brushing your hair back.

“How so ?” his eyes lingers at you, coaxing you to question more and more about him.

“Can’t tell really,” you’re not going to blabber upon the past that haunts you for so long now, would you ?

Not when you’ve grown this far.

“Heh, such a shame then,” the cadence of his voice, irks your mind. Scratches your heart in some way….

“A shame indeed,” you nodded, your fingers circling the rim of your cup as you await his reply.

“I heard you were once a nameless,” that’s a well known fact by now, at least in the area you live in.

“It was years ago but I'm glad my name still holds some fame, so do you need something from the astral express?” he will not be the first person who makes use of your past to contact the express.

“Nah, I’m just here for your audience,” he spoke, the tone was light yet somehow deep in context, shrouded in mystery.

“Who are you?” you asked the question he yearned the most, his face reflects it perfectly.

“Care to take an educated guess, Miss ?” he cocked his eyebrows as you ruminated through the possibilities.

“You still do the thing huh ?” he chuckled, his face now rested against his palm as he watches you picking apart the past and the future.

“What thing ?” you asked, he spoke those words like he knew you for years, which was odd. He’s a stranger after all.

“The thing where you’ll pout your lips slightly when you’re drowned by your thoughts,” he knew you, knew you well enough and long enough to notice these things.

“Let’s cut to the chase, don’t play games with me old man. Who are you ?” your eyes bore deep into his own, trying to pry the truth out of him.

“Funny, you used to call me that too,” he chuckles, his eyes bore no malice, just a sense of long and yearning.

You only called ‘old man' to a handful of people, but one strikes the most in this case, but it can’t be him.

You refuse it to be him.

You merely stared at him, not wanting to entertain his statement, “Fine, I’ll give out a little tip. I tend to amend things, which is why I am here now, sitting idly in front of you,”

“Amend things ? How could you amend things that are not broken ?” you questioned, the man before you was too relaxed and aloof to be talking in riddles.

“Well you’re not broken per say, but well I am,” the man merely chuckled as he looked down towards the concrete floor.

“So you want me to fix you ?” you ask, your endless pond of patience grew dry by the second.

“Close, but no,” you could see the evident smirk as he kept his gaze down.

“You’re speaking in riddles here sir, some might mistake you as a follower of the enigmata if you keep this up,” this time his eyes trained itself back to yours.

“Well aren’t you still sharp,” he mused, clearly happy that he didn’t need to elaborate on more.

“You’re not him, you can’t be him anymore,” this is a fact, even if this being was him, it is not him.

“Can’t be who ? I’ve been living countless lives before. Be specific would ya ?” the man now let his back rest against the chair, ain’t he comfortable now ?

“You know very well the life I’m talking about,” you sighed, he could be him or even a part of masked fools really.

The masked fools that’s notorious for transforming themselves into one’s beloved.

“Well say that name for old time’s sake, humour this ol’ hound,” never mind, it is him. A masked fool won’t replicate this current body that he made, he’s a stranger to you.

A foreign being.

“You’re not Gallagher, never will be him again as a matter of fact,” that type of wording was not your style to use, you felt bad for speaking those truths.

“Ouch that stings, I was him y’know,” he lips pouted, while his arms are folded against his chest. Yet his gaze still placed snugly into you.

“Past tense,” you quipped, well you felt bad about the cold demeanour, but still how would someone act in this situation ?

“Touché,” he laughed, now from his mannerisms. It reminds you of Gallagher, but he’s not him.

This man is well put, smells expensive, and it seems like he does not drink that much. When you think about it, the man before you resembles the qualities that you find attractive in a man.

As wouldn’t you know it, you told this list to Gallagher over a drink years ago.

“Let me ask you this once more, who are you ?” your stern voice was something he never listened to, but he welcomed it warmly.

“Whoever you want me to be,” he smiles, his voice sounds like he was teasing, but you know deep down that it is true.

“Why are you here ?” the question that has been clouding your mind since the reveal.

“To see through another fiction with you as my main muse,” his voice draws deeper than before.

The gravity of his statement was heavy, it made your heart stop for a mere second just to make sense of it all.

His eyes softened as he saw your shock ridden expression, your hands trembled, unsure with what to answer. He finds his way to hold them gently.

It felt nostalgic, even though the hand that held yours was not the same as before, it felt like home.

“To fabricate a new page in history, to make amends for the past, to see through another life. I’m here to live another life with you, to grow old by your side,” he continues, somehow the display of loyalty soothed your trembling hands.

“And even after death, I’ll wait for you to be reborn back into my arms, forever more,” his warmth left your hand as he stood up from his chair.

He walked towards your side, your hands now placed perfectly against your lap as he kneels before you.

“That is my reason,” he leaned down, bringing your fingertips towards his lips.

“Own my heart once more, dearest,” he begged.

The man begged for a chance once more.

[giamee]

🌺 ᯓ★୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐘!

STARRING. ノ dan heng

request. ノ anon: helloo if it's right up your alley, could you do a danheng x reader hanahaki au? one where the reader thinks he and someone else have something going on given how caring danheng is through that stoic face of his! but really, danheng is just too kind and you're much too caught up with your own feelings

word count. ノ 3.4k

contains. ノ hanahaki!reader, u and dan heng r both kinda dumb, angst pertaining to the hanahaki trope, you can tell how old this fic is because it's set during the jarilo-vi story quest, some unfounded jealousy of march 7th?, mentions of death and injury and some graphic descriptions of blood and illness

gia's notes. ノ this was the very first request that i ever received on this blog. over a year ago. i drafted this fic and wrote out about 70% of it then let it rot at the bottom of my drafts. anon, you have the patience of a saint if you're still here.

THE MOMENT THAT YOU STEPPED FOOT ONTO THE ASTRAL EXPRESS, you had the sneaking suspicion that you were doomed. Your fate was set in stone as soon as you felt the hard encasing of a seed clutch the walls of your heart in a vice grip when you first laid eyes upon him.

Dan Heng was elusive. The others had been warm in their welcome, but it took the combined efforts of yourself and March 7th to find him hidden in the recesses of the train’s records room. His greeting was a mere nod in your direction before Welt required your presence again, but that’s all you needed.

His eyes were cool, practically piercing through your skin as March 7th ushered you pack to the parlour car, and you felt yourself shiver as his intense stare burned itself into the back of your head.

And while he’s intimidating, sure, that’s not why you stayed away from Dan Heng. He had a cold and callous exterior that you had never seen crack, yet all the same you had felt the start of a crush start to take root.

And this may not have been a problem at all if it weren’t for two details that were like a slap to the face for you.

One, you were fairly certain that Dan Heng had his eyes for March 7th.

And two, if your crush didn’t return your feelings, you would die.

It wasn’t a case of exaggeration, either. You had been aware of the fact that to develop feelings for someone was dangerous, as it had been drilled into you from a young age by your parents. They had gripped your hands, steering you away from other children with little more explanation than that, always chastised you for wanting to forge a human connection, keeping you isolated from the world around you, better safe than sorry.

And you had felt so alone.

Being forced to live a life in confinement was not an easy one, and despite your parents’ wishes, you had told them of your plan to to finally go out into the world, to live a life from experience and not watching it unfold as an impassive reader of a book or on your phone screen, danger be damned.

So it wasn’t really your fault that you had been so quick to develop those feelings that had been so often described in the books you read, as an explosion of butterflies erupted within you upon meeting someone else, another person for the first time.

And yet you found yourself in the same predicament- a watcher from afar. The heart wants what it wants was a bitter mantra that seemed to enjoy your misery as you watched March 7th excitedly chatter with Dan Heng, and you could have sworn the man even cracked the smallest of smiles at whatever she was saying. And really, could you blame him for it? March was kind, bubbly, outgoing- a perfect match for the stoic and seeming immovable Dan Heng.

It was more common sense than pessimism that had you concluding that you didn’t really stand a chance for his affections against someone like her. You doubt that Dan Heng even looked at you more than he had to. You, so secretive and elusive that you gave him a run for his money; and two similar poles never attracted each other. It was a funny hand that fate had dealt you, but you had to play with those cards regardless.

As if to mock you, you ducked away from the outskirts of the room, feeling a coughing fit coming. You had barely made it to your room before you doubled over, feeling your insides run ragged by the prickly thorns of the rose bush that grew inside you.

A single bloodstained petal fell into your palm.

Besides the quickly growing issue that you refused to acknowledge, life on the Astral Express wasn’t awful. You hadn’t yet confided in anyone about your condition, so to speak, and not entirely because you didn’t want to. To be completely honest with yourself, there was much that you didn’t know about it.

And so you timed it well- you waited for the subject of your affliction- for Dan Heng to leave his unofficial bedroom before you slipped through the door into the records room, desperate to find any sort of information that might help you find some sort of cure.

There was a small computer in the corner that you quickly typed your symptoms into- flower. unrequited love. coughing fits. You didn’t know if the single digit of entries was a cause for concern or not, but your brows furrowed as you began to scan through them. The number of obituary entries that were listed on this one document alone was making you shiver. You clicked out of it, about to open the next one before the door sliding open had you starting like a frightened animal.

Dan Heng strolled in, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline as he registered that you were in the room, in his room. He spoke your name, softly, as if trying not to scare you further. You would have said something, honestly, if it weren’t for the sudden explosive coughing fit that came on a lot quicker than usual.

You could barely get a word out before you were bent over from the force of your coughs, tears pricking your eyes from the newfound intensity of the pain coming from inside you. Despite your hands clasped over your mouth, a couple of petals escaped and fluttered down to the floor, some distance between you and the horrified Dan Heng.

He was frozen in place, fingers itching to reach out to you and comfort you, but with the way you practically flinched away from him, he wasn’t sure if his presence was wanted. He barely caught a glimpse of your pained face before you darted around him and back to your own room on the train.

Dan Heng scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration at his inability to act, before his attention diverted once again to the bloody petals on the floor, and the files on the record searcher that you hadn’t completely closed. He cast one last guilty glance back in your direction before heading closer to the screen and beginning to read.

The Trailblazers’ journey must progress, and your heart hammered for another reason other than a sighting of the raven-haired male who you still harboured feelings for. You had ultimately left your home to explore the world, and with the Express finally stopping at the planet Belobog- your promise to yourself was a step closer to being fulfilled. You disembarked alongside Stelle and March, doing your best to avoid Dan Heng like the plague ever since that fated day. You didn’t know how much he exactly knew, but you had no intentions of finding out.

Your plans of peaceful exploration, however, were short lived with the arrival of Silvermane guards to greet you. In the chaos of the smoke, it was not lost on you that Dan Heng had instinctively protected March, practically shielding her with his body. As Stelle dragged you along some backway path in pursuit of some mystery saviour, you felt the excruciating addition of a new thorn in your heart.

The adrenaline of the escape had worn off by now, and you could feel your secret threatening to spill over any second now. You could barely warn Stelle to let you move off to the side before you were keeled over, closer to gagging than coughing as a large ball of petals and dark, dark blood forced its way through your throat. You felt faint, barely registering the panicked calls of your name as you felt your world turn sideways, Stelle’s face and voice being quickly replaced by another deeper one, with fear in their eyes and a certain desperate edge as you felt yourself slip into unconsciousness.

It's a dreamless sleep, yet it isn't restful, judging by how you feel like you've been hit by a bus when you sit up. Every fibre of your being aches, and there's a harsh overhead light that dazzles you as you blink awake.

As your eyes grow accustomed to it, there's a surge of panic as you don't recognise your surroundings. It looks like a clinic of some sorts- and there was the cloying smell of chemicals that invaded your nostrils. You struggled to sit up, until you felt a hand place itself gently against your chest.

A dark-haired woman with a doctor's coat smiles down at you warmly, and you eye her warily.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Natasha, I'm a doctor in the Underworld. Try not to move around too much, dear. You've been unconscious for quite some time and your condition is unstable, you still need rest."

"Where's the people that I was with?"

"They've all awoken a few hours before you." She casts a quick glance at the clipboard in her hands, as if to fact check herself, giving herself a quick satisfactory nod. "Don't worry, you haven't been abandoned. They should be just outside. The young man sat by your bedside while you were unconscious only left a few minutes ago- he got whisked away by one of my... colleagues."

Your mind's racing now, wondering who she could be talking about. Hoping that it was who you thought it was. But she reiterates her request to lie back down, and you comply begrudgingly. You start to settle down, until you catch a glimpse of the mess lying atop your blankets. A visceral combination of blood and crumpled petals rest upon the fabric, and you watch the doctor's expression become grave.

"That is the unstable part of your condition that I wanted to discuss." She pulls up a chair besides you, settling neatly, hands folded in her lap. "How long have these symptoms been ailing you?"

You furrow your brows, recalling how they started a mere month or two ago, after you joined the Astral Express. After you met him.

"A couple of months." Natasha nods, a frown forming on her face again.

"Considering how quickly it has developed, I imagine that your case is rather severe." You shrug, a humourless smile on your face.

"There's not much that I can do about it, Doc."

"I'm sure that you're aware of the risks that come with a confession, but as a bystander rather than a doctor, I think that you should talk to him."

"Who?"

"The man who refused to leave your side for all of these hours."

You hoped that Natasha was right. Deciding to ignore her advice of continued bed rest, you force yourself up, walking out of the clinic in search of him. Welt was no young man, and there wasn't anyone else that came to mind based off of Natasha's description. It couldn't be anyone else than him, right?

You stumble out onto the streets of the Underworld, garnering a few odd looks from passerbys as you wander around, looking for not just Dan Heng but anyone that you recognised.

You round a corner, seeing the back of a head and clothing that looks an awful lot like him. Who you're planning to confess to. You call his name, out loud, voice a little hoarse.

And he turns, beautiful crystalline eyes meeting yours. Call it a trick of the light, but you could have sworn that they shone a tad lighter when he saw you. But your gaze drifted past him, and all bubbling hope was quelled once again in your heart as you recognised the figure of March 7th stood with him.

Of course he would be with her.

If you looked closer at the pair of them, all signs indicated an intimacy to them that made you feel sick. There was a serious look on her face, one of her hands rested against his arm, but she soon recognised you too, her face instantly perking up as she began to ran towards you, calling your name.

"You're finally awake, you're OK!" she calls out in delight, her arms wrapping around you as she practically barrels into you, threatening to knock you off balance. You stumble, returning the hug, the nausea turning to guilt as you remember how the girl has been nothing but good to you. Of course Dan Heng would harbour feelings for her, not you.

The Doctor's order was wrong.

You sigh to yourself in defeat, unwinding your arms and shooting March 7th the best smile that you could muster in the moment.

"I feel better, but I'm still feeling weak so I might go back to the clinic."

March 7th frowns, eyes scanning your figure in concern.

"Are you OK, Y/N?"

"Do you want me to walk you back?" You twitched, not even realising that Dan Heng had caught up to the pair of you. He was also looking at you with concern, and you could feel an onslaught of petals coming.

"No, it's fine, I'll go back on my own." You don't really give either of them the chance to respond, spinning on your heel and trying not to run back from where you came.

You felt... worse. Before, you had at least been able to function, but now you felt so much limper, and weaker. You cursed at yourself for allowing false hope to be instilled, just as the coughing begins. It wracks through you, so hard that you almost dry heave as you keel over, and you watch in horror as you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand and see it come back crimson.

At least the clinic was around the corner.

You barely make it inside, unable to stand up straight by this point. Natasha springs to action, helping you back into a bed, helping you through the worst of the coughing. It's so much more draining than before, and you're quick to fall into a fitful sleep.

Even unconscious, you don't get a reprieve. Even in your dreams, he's all you can think of. There's a spitting image of him stood before you, eyes soft and voice like honey as he calls out to you, hands outstretched. And you try to join him, fingers straining to touch his before you watch them turn into branches and flower before your very eyes. You look down, and it hurts, with brambles wrapping themselves around your middle. And just as fast as they grow, your new floral appendages wilt before your very eyes. Branches drooping, flowers losing their hue, and you feel yourself start to fade, his name one last desperate cry from your lips.

You wake up, tears staining your cheeks and you trembling. For a few panicked seconds, you think you're still dreaming because he is here, sat by your bed, and as he stands up to wipe your tears you shrink back in fear of turning back to branches again.

But his warm palm cups your face, solid against your trembling state, deft thumbs wiping away your tears, an uncharacteristically soft hushing and cooing coming from Dan Heng as he promises you that everything is okay now.

It's easy to believe him, with the way he moves even closer to hold you, cradle your form against his warmth, patting your hair and letting you cry until you can't any more amidst the petals on your bedsheets.

You don't know how long the pair of you stay like this, your face pressed into his chest, his heartbeat leading yours back into the range of one at rest rather than its prior pounding against your ribcage. You would stay there for the rest of time, if you had a choice, but you had to admit that the oxidation of blood and its drying against your skin was making you feel ever so slightly uncomfortable.

You clear your throat, as best as you can in your hoarse state, and Dan Heng picks up on your withdrawal as he all but flinches away from you, returning the distance that usually lies between your two bodies. But his eyes still scour your figure, your face, for any and all signs of discomfort. Like a lover would. The thought melds with the already-bitter taste of blood residing against your tongue, and you frown down at your lap. At the petals. At your pathetic form lying beneath the blanket, obscured from view.

“How long has this been happening for?” Dan Heng sounds so timid, as if he were walking on glass sheets around you. Ever since that fateful day in the records room, it felt like he had done nothing but tiptoe and tread around you, a careful dance of avoidance that you were forced to be his partner in. You sigh deeply, a hand gingerly beginning to gather the gorey sight of such beautiful pink marred by the visceral crimson that remained, not yet dried.

“I’ve had it all my life, apparently, but it only started making itself known once I joined the Astral Express.” Once I met you.

“I, um- I looked into it more. In the records.” His admission made you snap your head up to face him, cautious of his next words, whatever they may be. He looked nervous himself, with eyes that refused to meet yours and fingers that twisted into his clothes, toying with the hem of his jacket.

“I read of many such cases where people were able to make a full recovery.” He sounds so hopeful, even daring to meet your eyes, that you almost feel bad for him. It was like looking back at a past version of yourself, so hopeful for a happy ending that once sparkled in your eyes, now a dull flicker you can see when the lighting is just right.

“It’s not that simple, Dan Heng.”

“What do you mean, it said that there weren’t any later cases of symptoms returning-”

“That’s because it’s not an illness from the body.” You’re snappier than you intend to be, you see it in the way his mouth snaps shut and his throat bobs against his collar, as he sits up straighter, waiting for you to continue. “The only cure is to confess to the person that I love.”

“And why haven’t you?” His voice is barely above a murmur, and even from his place in the seat next to our bed, you hear him just fine.

“Because I’m sure that he has eyes for another.” You’ve collected all the petals in your palm by now, observing them with a dry humour as you notice that they’ve begun to wither, much like yourself. You doubt that you could go on much longer after this conversation. Part of you urges to get it over with, to confess now and let yourself bloom with one last glance upon his face.

Dan Heng must have scoured each and every record, because you didn’t need to offer an explanation of what would happen with such unrequited feelings. He’s silent again, an awkward and palpable tension as you can feel his confliction from here.

He finally manages a lame “you never know” that has you laughing, a brief reprieve before you dissolve into another coughing fit. It’s hardly something to worry about, but Dan Heng is by your side again, palm smoothing over your shoulder blades as you are wracked with coughs. You appreciate it nonetheless.

“What would happen if someone else confesses to you?” You shoot him a sideways glance, confusion written all over your features, urging him to elaborate. “What if you held no feelings for them, but they confessed to you all the same. Would that cure you?” He’s earnest now, hands scooping up your dirtied ones, clasping them in his grasp as he looked at you with stars in his eyes.

Your shrivelled heart begins to beat again.

“What- what do you mean?” Play dumb. Don’t mistake curiosity for what you desire most.

“What if I told you right here and now that I love you?” His eyes are searching yours, pleading with you for an answer that you’ve been screaming at him for so long. One that he does not have to search for, because it’s been laid there at his feet this whole time.

“I would tell you, Dan Heng, that such a confession is not unrequited.” You’re grinning now, the smile on your face growing wider and wider as you watch recognition flood his features.

And then he’s smiling too, laughing, holding you ever closer to him before he pulls away again, just to cup your face now. It’s only natural to close the distance between the two of you, lips touching his for a kiss that quickly becomes searing, welcoming a new season of heat into your body.

The thorns in your heart reside. Spring begins to bloom.

➤ IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY ... enjoy the silence

roommate!dan heng x reader

➤ alternatively, you can find my hsr masterlist here!

[bigtedbear]

“ 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭: 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝗼𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 “

𝐩𝐫𝗼𝗺𝐩𝐭: 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝗼𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝗼𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞, 𝐲𝗼𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝗺 𝐭𝗼 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐚𝐧! 𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠 𝗼𝐮𝐭 𝗼𝐟 𝐲𝗼𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝

content warning: 18+ NSFW, 𝐌𝐃𝐍𝐈, gay sex, anal penetration, monster anatomy (specifically dragon anatomy), unsafe sex (cover your stump before you hump), mutual pining, mutual obsession, yandere themes, male reader, amab reader, yandere reader, yandere character, talks of mating rituals, biting, just a wee bit of blood, codependency, obsessive behavior, a lot of concerning talk but if you look at it from afar it's actually not that bad they just match each other's freak really well, march 7th, himeko, and caelus as the best enabler wingmen ever

Part 1 here: " unexpected variable "

" welcome back caller @hikarisecret! connecting your line as we speak! "

"Would you happen to be interested in meeting up more often?"

He immediately stopped in place.

Nervously, you twiddled your thumbs from the doorway to your small office.

It'd been about a month since you'd help Dan Heng get through his early heat. You'd let contact drop for a couple weeks, something he'd known would probably happen but also something he'd desperately hoped wouldn't occur. He'd only really spoken to you for an extended period of time on a handful of occasions. Being one of the few researchers that followed a path aside from the endless pursuit of knowledge, he was curious.

So maybe he'd always had a little bit of a crush, but March always called you "eye candy" for when they stopped at the Space Station. It never progressed any further than a couple chats, some red cheeks, and a some pleasantries here and there.

Then the Antimatter League wormed its way into the station and there you were, at the forefront of the evacuation efforts. Instead of being an aloof, distant researcher with a mind that was roaming the stars, you were alert and concentrated. You were so quick to help, it seemed you hadn't really wrapped your head around the imminent danger right in front of you.

That was truly when his little crush turned into something a little bit more than he was prepared to handle.

He was asking for you around the station when he had the chance, after all he was too shy to approach someone randomly and start interrogating them on the whereabouts of their coworker. He also knew he was a little bit more intimidating and came off as cold to most.

His inquiries actually did the opposite of what he had hoped. Knowing he was looking around for you, he thought you might be inclined to make yourself more available to maybe slack off occasionally or just stick around and chat for a few minutes. Instead of that happening, it seemed the more people seemed to remember your existence, the more people tried to look for you.

It was never out of malice, of course, they just remembered they had a less than social coworker. They'd make the effort to say hello to you in the halls, stop in at your office to say hi and maybe bring a coffee every now and then. But it seemed you were less than eager to entertain anyone when you were constantly burying your head in your studies.

Eventually, when your coworkers would stop in at your office, they'd find you weren't there. You were constantly switching between different labs and areas to conduct tests and gather data to solidify your latest thesis. Instead of becoming more social, easier to find, it seemed you retreated even further into your shell and avoided coming into contact with anyone else all together. Trying to find you became akin to trying to hold sand in a sieve.

That was precisely why he was so surprised when you suddenly invited him for a meeting to discuss the Vidyadhara of the Xianzhou Alliance. As soon as they were back on the Astral Express, it seemed someone managed to whisper enough information into your ear to pique your interest in the species. As of now, he had his theories, but he couldn't figure out whether it was Caelus or March that let everything slip.

When you invited him back to your office after what happened to continue your little conversation, he briefly wondered if this was a little bit too good to be true. While yes, you were nothing if not a dedicated genealogy researcher, that didn't stop him from wondering if you might have different intentions.

The last time he'd been in your office, the two of you were stuck in bed for nearly a week for his heat period. Inviting him back to your office again seemed a little bit too much like an invitation after too little time to be considered a coincidence. Did you want to get him in your bed again? Did you plan on trying to get something out of him now that you knew he actively fantasized about you on his lonesome? Then again, he realized he didn't really care if the answer to either of those questions was yes.

Of course, none of his suspicions were confirmed to be true.

You were professional, almost disappointingly so. Everything you asked him was less than personal, all aimed towards furthering your understanding of the Xianzhou Alliance as a whole. You finished your round of questions about his biology, and then you moved on to culture and social etiquette.

When you offered to walk him back to the docking area, he felt a little bit hopeless. No more closeness in conversation, it seemed you severed all intimacy the moment he wasn't in heat anymore.

But now, you stood in front of him, nervous and asking if he wanted to see you again?

'Yes, yes, yes, yes,' He would love to see you again, especially if it was for something that wasn't work related.

He would take what he could get in general. If you asked him to be your lab assistant or something, he would be so much more than just happy to say yes. Whatever time you wanted to spend with him, he would make himself available.

But he was just as socially inept as you were; Dan Heng sat in a slack-jawed stupor as he tried to his best to piece together sentences with the little fragments of thoughts swirling around in a white flurry. His mouth opened; he tried to talk, but every time he tried to make any statements, he doubled back and retracted it in favor of trying to think of something better to say.

At his reaction, you waved it off disappointedly. "Forget it, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought-" You cut yourself off again, biting the inside of your cheek.

It seemed the archivist finally managed to recompose himself, "No, I-" He paused, trying to put his feelings into words, "I'm just surprised you wanted to spend time together. I assumed that once you gathered the relevant information, we would go back to being acquaintances that didn't speak very often."

You shook your head, awkwardly trying to lighten the mood with a strained laugh, "I'll admit that's what I planned to do a month ago, but before we.." you trailed off, "...y'know, you mentioned that I only seemed to talk to you when I needed something from the astral express archives. I didn't really think it would be fair of me to keep exploiting your kindness like that."

He shook his head, "The archives are always open to whoever wishes to read them, I didn't mean to make it sound like you were taking advantage of anything."

You chewed on the inside of your lip this time, trying to think of a way to put it into words. "Well, it's not just that I realized I was benefitting from your kindness without putting any real effort back in, the thought occurred to me... I just don't speak to anyone outside of when I need to know something."

He remained quiet.

To thin out the building tension, you added on, "Arlan's told me before that it's really not healthy to live that way." You clasped your hands behind your back, "I thought since you mentioned being upset with the fact that we don't ever get to talk, maybe spending time together would be a good opportunity for me to start reintegrating into a more social scene?"

"Oh."

You nodded, "I apologize if it seems like I'm just trying to use you, I truly do want to become friends." You kicked at nothing in particular on the ground, averting eye contact. "I'm just afraid I don't know how to be friends with anyone anymore."

He let the silence take the place of the conversation. It wasn't that he was thinking about whether or not he wanted to take you up on your offer, it was how to do it elegantly without seeming desperate.

You bit the inside of your cheek, "You don't have to make the decision now, I just thought it would come off as insincere if I asked over text."

After another pause, he bobbed his head up and down slowly. "I don't know if I'm the right person to ask, but if you're asking me to be your friend, I won't say no."

"Mr. Yang, do you know what's wrong with Dan Heng?"

March played with the hem of her skirt, nerves clear and obvious to all three trailblazers in the room, "I was going to ask him if he wanted to go back to Belobog with me and Caelus, but his door's locked."

Welt hummed, "It could well be related to all that transpired on the Xianzhou. It may be best if you leave him to his thoughts."

March shook her head adamantly, "No, it can't be! He just made a trip to the Space Station a few days ago." She put her hands on her hips, "Besides, even when he's in a bad mood, he doesn't lock his door. He's always weirdly strict on insisting everyone has access to the archives."

He nodded again, putting a contemplative hand on his chin. "That is true." He offered another idea, "Well, did the two of you think to ask him? Perhaps he'd answer if you sent him a text."

"March wanted to yell at him through the door, but we thought it might be better to see if anyone knew anything first," Caelus countered.

Mr. Yang nodded, "Have you consulted Himeko? She's a little bit closer to Dan Heng than I am, she might be able to offer more perspective on the situation."

March 7th nodded enthusiastically, "Thanks, Mr. Yang!"

He nodded, returning to staring at the expanse of stars just past his fingertips outside the glass windows of the express. "It's no problem, let me know if there's any serious updates on the situation."

As the two younger and less experienced nameless made their way towards Himeko's desk at the back of the express, March did her best to try and put together the pieces in her head. While it wasn't clear whether or not she was trying to start a dialogue with Caelus, the timeline went as such.

Dan Heng is revealed to be the Imbibitor Lunae while on the Xianzhou Alliance's ship.

He resolves the crisis with Phantylia resulting in the lifting of his banishment from the Xianzhou.

He sticks around on the Alliance to deal with matters relating to his past life's status as the High Elder of the Vidyadhara.

He makes a trip to Herta's Space Station for mysterious reasons that nobody knows.

He makes it back to the express, he locks himself in his room.

Before the two of them can realize the glaringly obvious hole in the timeline, they're stood in front of Himeko's desk. March, as always, is the one to officially start the questioning. "Himeko! Have you noticed anything weird about the way Dan Heng's been acting lately?"

After taking another drawn out sip of her coffee, she hummed... "I suppose I have, but he's also just come back from a place with what I can only assume is a lot of bad memories. I'm sure if he's given a little bit of space, he'll be back to the same old Dan Heng in no time."

March 7th pursed her lips, "I would agree with you if this wasn't so weird!" She crossed her arms, "He doesn't ever lock his door! Not when he's in a bad mood, not even when he's changing for crying out loud!"

Himeko nodded, bringing her mug back up to her lips silently. "I guess that is a little bit weird... do you two happen to have any idea what he's been up to lately?"

"Well, when we all boarded the Express again, he made a stop at the Herta Space Station. We could be looking at this all wrong." Caelus crossed his arms, "Maybe instead of something happening on the Xianzhou, something happened at the Space Station. He was there about a month ago and then again a few days ago. I think he stayed for around a week the first time."

The moment the words passed the newest addition to the astral express's lips, both women paused in their tracks.

"..."

"..."

Himeko was the first to break the silence, lowering her "lifeblood" back onto its coaster on her desk. "March, you don't think... do you?"

Immediately, after Himeko broke the silence, March 7th let a happy squeal and started waving her hands around, "Oh, my, aeons! Himeko, do you know what this means?!"

Caelus could only look between the two of them in complete and utter confusion. "Am I missing something?"

Before Himeko could answer any potential questions, March was already running back towards the archivist's locked door, yelling his name at the top of her lungs, "Dan Heng, you sly dog!"

Caelus could only look back at Himeko with a brow raised.

She cleared her throat, "Well, I guess now is a better time than never to find out."

"Find out?" He voice trailed up at the end, "Find out what?"

Himeko put her hands on her desk, "Well... Dan Heng, as you know, is not always the most approachable person." She drummed her nails on the desk, "But it happens even he isn't immune to his emotions."

The trailblazer paused, "So Dan Heng's acting like this cause he likes someone? And they work at the space station?"

Himeko nodded her head, gesturing towards the hallway. "I'd tell you more, but it seems March is pretty intent on getting those answers out of him for herself."

Caelus nodded, uncrossing his arms. "Well, can I ask you a question?"

Himeko nodded, turning back to her monitor and gripping her mug of coffee once again. "Sure, go ahead." She lifted it to her lips, taking in a long swig.

"Is it that one guy March started texting about Vidyadharas?"

Immediately, she let out a strangled noise into her drink.

Were you even the same person?

"Arlan? Arlan!"

You snapped your fingers in front of his face, "Earth to Arlan? Hello?"

He shook his head back and forth, trying to snap out of the mini daze he was in. "I- Yeah, sorry. You're just... different, is all."

You raised your brow, looking down at your uniform. You pulled at your collar, "Did Miss Asta's suggestions really do all that much? I don't think I look too different."

Arlan's brows creased at a point on his forehead. "I guess they did, work-life balance looks good on you."

Instead of the barely alive looking researcher he constantly found himself hanging out with, it looked as if you were glowing in the fluorescent light of the cafeteria.

You nodded, "You know, I feel a lot better than I usually do." You paused, poking at your well-portioned and prepared meal in front of you, "Sometimes I still feel guilty about how little work I get done in comparison to when I didn't focus on the little things."

Arlan was quick to agree, "Yeah, I understand the feeling." He picked at his own food, eating a mouthful of the fried-rice Lady Asta loved so much. "Still, if you're looking better and feeling better, you're doing better all around."

For the first time since you set foot on the station, you'd taken the week off under the guidance of Lead Researcher Asta. She always scolded your ear off for working your fingers to brittle bone, but it seemed when you actually took her recommendations to heart, something in you fundamentally shifted.

Instead of skipping sleep to observe DNA strands for a few extra hours near midnight? You were turning in at a specified time every night and waking up at the appropriate hour the next morning. It was the first time you'd really grown accustomed to the sound of your phone alarm. Usually, you didn't sleep for 48 hours and then you would crash for 16.

Instead of getting so absorbed in your research you were forgetting to eat, you set aside the new found time taken away from research to make yourself a healthy, nutritious meal for each sitting of the day. You made yourself a breakfast that would warm up well in the morning, made yourself a hearty lunch to make sure you had enough energy to get through the day, and then a light dinner to make sure your digestive system wouldn't have to go into overdrive while you slept.

Originally, when you read up on self-care, you weren't all too sure you could make all the changes without some kind of drastic shift in your schedule immediately. But you were determined, you wouldn't let your social life pass you by any longer!

Instead of shying away from the challenge, you started small. You'd implement times in your routine where you would regularly stop and eat based on timers on your phone. You set an alarm for yourself to remind yourself it was time to stop working and go home.

Then, when you finally were ready to make the big leap, you consulted Asta and managed to get her to pull a few strings to get you some time off.

You took your week off to strengthen all of your healthy habits and kill off all the bad ones. You didn't have the opportunity to neglect yourself when it really was the only thing you could do. You started working out again to pass the time, you even got Arlan to drop Peppy off to keep you company when he was getting to be a handful around the station.

Arlan took a moment to thoroughly chew his food and swallow it, "As happy as I am that you're finally seeing the light, what exactly prompted all this change?"

You paused, seemingly chewing your own food slower in response. "Well, I want to start trying to make more friends."

He raised a brow, "I guess it's usually easier to make friends if you're taking care of yourself."

You nodded, "I mean, yeah, but I didn't really feel the need to look or feel better because I was really focused on my work and stuff like that." You averted your eyes, "You have to promise not to laugh at me if I tell you this."

Arlan could only feel himself getting more suspicious by the second, "Okay... I won't laugh at you. But why would I laugh at you?"

"I'm a little pathetic," you laughed, awkwardly at best. "I-". You paused again, taking a deep breath, "I don't know, I set up to meet with this guy in Aurum Alley on the Xianzhou Alliance ship and I didn't want him to have to walk around with someone that looked like a walking corpse. You and Asta always joke that I'm the walking dead and I-"

Arlan held up his hand, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's a lot to unpack to start off with." You blinked at him, snapping your jaw shut immediately. "Me and Asta only joke about that because you treat yourself like you want to be walking corpse. You hardly take care of yourself."

You nodded, swallowing a glob of spit.

"Second of all," he picked up another spoonful of rice, "Who are you meeting? Why do you think you need to change yourself to be good enough to just walk around someplace with him?"

You sighed, "That's the problem, I don't really know." You poked at your food with your fork, "He's just really cool. He's got a lot of friends and he has a really exciting life but he kind of just chooses to try and hang out with me. I don't really think I'm worth that much effort and yet he goes out of his way to try and look for me? It just feels like I'm letting him down if I don't put in the same kind of effort."

Arlan's face scrunched up, "Are you talking about Dan Heng?"

You tilted your head, "How did you know?"

"Well, he kind of follows you around like a lost puppy dog." He took another bite of his food, "He's not gonna care whether or not your eyebags are darker or if you're a little bit on the thinner side. He's already long decided he wants to be around you even at you worst."

You bit your lip, considering it for a moment. "I don't know what it is, but I feel like if anything goes wrong in Aurum Alley it's going to be life-ruining."

"What do you mean by that?" He frowned, "That... sounds really ominous."

You held your head in your free hand, "I don't know, I just feel like if he thinks I'm weird or disgusting or anything like that I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Hey, let's back it up." Arlan set his spoon down on the table, "It's just a meet-up with a guy, nothing's going to happen if your date fails. If you have an awful date, there's always going to be the chance to make it up the next time. Besides, as long as you two are good spirited about it, there's no such thing as a bad date unless he like... I don't know, poisons you or something."

You chewed on the inside of your cheek, thinking it over.

For the first time during the entire conversation, you looked him directly in the eyes.

"...I just feel like letting go after getting in this close isn't an option anymore."

"March? Caelus?"

Said girl nervously laughed, shrinking behind the newspaper she was trying to hide her face in.  “Uh oh…”

Next to her, Caelus shook his head, “Busted.” 

Dan Heng stood, a little bit behind you, huffing through his nose.  While he didn’t say anything momentarily, the nature of his expression indicated he was more than just cross with the other nameless tag-alongs.  “What are the both of you doing in Aurum Alley?  I thought you both said you were busy today.” 

March quickly went to defend herself, folding the rather large newspaper shut.  “We are busy! We… just happen to be busy here!” 

Next to her, Caelus nodded his head intently.  

His arms across his chest, the tail trailing from his lower back smacked against the ground in an annoyed fashion.  He tapped his finger on his forearm a couple times, “What exactly are the two of you busy with?  This is the one day I told the both of you I would be visiting the Xianzhou Alliance.”

While nobody outright accused each other of anything, the implication was clear.  March 7th and Caelus were here because they knew Dan Heng would be on a date.  They were only here because they knew he would be on a date.  Instead of just checking in on him, they took it upon themselves to follow their fellow passenger and his unfortunate partner around.   With all the tension that started to blot the air like little rain clouds, you took it upon yourself to try and cut through it.  “Aren’t you in charge of commerce in Aurum Alley?  I heard from one of my coworkers that his wife has started ordering from the Food Stand here.” 

Automatically picking up on your out, Caelus nodded, “I was, but I handed it off to the Commerce Guild’s acting president.  She, uh-”  He sputtered over his words, “She asked for some help packing up a few Starskiffs and March didn’t have anything to do today, so… she tagged along?” 

You nodded, a little bit shyly, “Speaking of which, have you tried any of the food from the stand?  I’ve heard they recently upgraded their entertainment, but I haven’t heard much about the food quality.” 

March excitedly added in her two cents, “Oh! Me and Caelus were about to head that way!  He said that the Tall Auntie running the place usually has some freebies for him since he helped the store set-up their take-out ordering system!” 

Your eyes glinted excitedly, “Really?  I didn’t hear about that part.”  You clasped your hands together, “You really live up to all the rumors I hear on the station.  Didn’t you also set up the marketing campaign with the current High Elder of the Vidyadhara?”

Before he could answer, Dan Heng waved the pair off with a hand. “I’m sure we can continue this conversation some time later.  They said they were busy, we wouldn’t want to make them late to anything.” 

March was quick to interject, “Actually! We’re going on a lunch break real quick!”  She turned to Caelus, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Right?”

He nodded again, “We should all go to Tall Aunty’s Food Stand.” 

You opened your mouth to voice your agreement before your companion cut in, “No need, we planned on grabbing lunch later.” 

You looked at him, blinking a couple times.  Before you could say anything, March was already up in arms.  “It wouldn’t hurt you guys to move up your lunch plans, besides, this is our only lunch break until we have to go back to work!”

Instead of confirming or denying March’s statement, the trailblazer stood back and simply listened to the argument.  You chose to do the same.  

Dan Heng, on the other hand, let more displeasure drip into his expression.  “We didn’t plan on running into each other while we were out, your plans and our plans happen to be different.  We can arrange another time for the four of us to get lunch at the food stall.”

March put her hands on her hips, “Well, you guys are just hanging out, right?  It couldn’t hurt to just push back those plans to roam so you can spare some time to talk with friends.”  When she didn’t get any response from Dan Heng, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest, “Please?  Pretty please?  It’s been so long since all of us have seen each other!” 

“Hmph.” 

The person you’d originally come to Aurum Alley with was unmoved by her earnest plea, but you were somewhat swayed.  Your face twisted in sympathy.  “...Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just go out to lunch with them this once.  Aurum Alley will still be here when we get done eating, I haven’t had the time to meet up with March lately or even get to know Caelus.  It might be good for me to make more friends.” 

He opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off by March.  She threw her arm over your shoulder, “See? He gets it!” 

You curled in on yourself from the sudden change in position, leaning to the side a bit so she could actually hook her forearm around your biceps. Caelus finally decided now would be the best time to contribute to the conversation, “I don’t think I’ve talked to [name] before, I’ve been curious about their work since Lady Asta, Herta, and Arlan seem to hold him in high regard as a researcher.” 

You shook your head, putting your hands up.  You were a little scrunched in the position, “Oh, please don’t misunderstand, I’m really nothing all that special.” 

March shook her head, “Nonsense, you’re one of the best at the Space Station!  I heard you used to help a lot of interns before you started focusing on Genealogy!” 

You crumpled in on yourself, “Well, that’s usually the usual career path for researchers at the station in general.  Before we find our specialized area of research, you generalize and if anyone asks you to train them, you train them.”  Scratching your chin nervously, “Besides, I’ve kind of put work on the back burner in favor of trying to take better care of myself.” 

“Oh! I’d been meaning to ask about that, your skin is glowing!” March added,  “I remember Asta always used to call you some kind of zombie whenever you came up in conversation.” 

Caelus tilted his head to the side, “Really?” 

Your cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, “Yeah, everyone says I look really different now.  I usually get a lot more comments about how there’s more color in my skin or something along those lines.”

The conversation went on for a little longer before Dan Heng sighed, he pressed a couple of his fingers to his temple.  “I-” He closed his mouth, pinching the skin of his lip between his upper and lower set of teeth.  “-I guess getting lunch together wouldn’t change our plans all that much.”

“Yes!” March threw a fist into the air, ecstatic at the sudden change in plans.  She pointed a thumb over at the trailblazer, leaning in to talk behind her other hand.  “Caelus has been wanting to meet you, Dan Heng mentions you a lot on the express.” 

You felt your cheeks smolder at the suggestion, “He… does?” 

Dan Heng cleared his throat, his own cheeks dusted a matching scarlet, “We should get going, we don’t want to get caught up in the middle of the lunch rush.” 

March gave a cheeky smile, “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Dan Heng.” 

"I'm not exactly sure what you mean by... a 'surprise'."

“A surprise is just something you don’t know about,”   Caelus answered, rather monotone.  

Dan Heng grimaced ever so slightly, “If that’s the case, can I be sure I want to be privy to this...surprise then?”

March 7th punched her gray-haired raccoon-in-crime in the shoulder.  She shot him a stern look, as stern as she could look with her cutesy exterior.  Turning her attention back to the man they were trying to convince to head out to the lobby of the Express, she did her best to plead her case, “You’ve been holed up in your room since last week!  We just wanted to give you a little gift that might cheer you up a bit.” 

He raised a brow quizzically, arms still crossed over his chest.  “Can you guarantee this is a gift I’ll like?  Or is it going to be something like being invited to you and Himeko’s girls’ night again.” 

Caelus’s head snapped to March.  

Said passenger cleared her throat, “This is something you’ll like-”  She put a hand on her heart, the other balling into a fist resting on her hip,  “I swear it on all my honor!” 

Dan Heng looked over them again, gaze swapping between the two incredulously.  In the meantime, both of them were sweating bullets.  They didn’t know how long they had before “the surprise” would arrive at the station.   After a drawn out pause, however, he shook his head, “Fine, but if it’s anything like your previous gifts, this is the last time I trust you.” 

Marched pumped a fist into the air with a loud cheer, Caelus, on the other hand, put both hands on Dan Heng’s shoulders.  He flipped his fellow trailblazer around to face towards the door to his room, all but pushing him.  March followed after him excitedly.  The one thought running through the guy usually dragged into all their shenanigans was an inner turmoil sparked by the dread swirling through his cranium.  

The short walk to the door dividing the lobby and the residential areas of the train was punctuated by Caelus hurriedly covering his eyes.  As such, said swirling dread started to elevate into alarm bells sweeping through his nervous system as well.  This wasn’t a simple invite to an event or anything of the sort, it was tangible and you could see it. 

“Is covering my eyes necessary?” 

March confirmed this from behind him, “Yes, absolutely necessary!” 

As the door to the lobby swung open when they got close enough, he could hear faint chatter from Pom-Pom, Welt, and Himeko through the door.  The alarm bells dotting his body seemed to blare all the louder and cast off more red light when the talks quieted down immediately. 

His hands balled up into fists at his side, flexing and unflexing as a result of his nerves.  Before he could ask any more questions, the hands that were covering his eyes suddenly were retracted.  

He blinked a few times, trying to figure out what exactly he was seeing.  Okay so, the first elephant in the room.  You were in the middle of the parlor car, in your street clothing rather than your uniform.  One hand wrapped its fingers around the handle of a rolling suitcase.  Your other arm was hanging limp at your side and your posture sort of crumpled in on itself.  Even when you spoke, your voice was just a smidge shaky.  "Surprise?"

Even though he hadn’t meant to be aggressive in the slightest, his voice was a little bit sharp when he questioned, “What are you doing here?”

In response, your own voice seemed to get stuck in your throat filter, “Well, I-” You started, making a circular motion with your free hand, “I thought it might be time for me to make some changes in life and I got an invitation from the astral express…”  the sentence trailed off afterwards.  

“So you’re saying…” 

You shrugged, “I just thought it’d be rude since the astral express doesn’t ever really invite anyone to become a passenger and I was already a little bit bored on the Space Station-”  You coughed into a fist, “Himeko was the one who reached out originally, stating there was a gap in the Express’s skill set.  She said that since I was already a friend, the train would be happy to have me.”  

Dan Heng waited for you to continue, but when you didn’t he added in his own little stamp of input.  “When you said you were moving, you meant you were going to be… joining the express?”

Your hand finally left your suitcase, held up defensively alongside your free hand, “Well, March told me it’d be best to keep it a secret!”  You nervously averted eye contact, “When I asked Lady Asta whether or not it'd be okay, she agreed it’d be a harmless little prank.”  

Mr. Yang hummed thoughtfully, “It seems only you and I were kept in the dark.  I only learned there would be a new addition to the crew yesterday.” 

Himeko chortled next to him, crossing her legs in her seat, “Well, I guess it slipped my mind.” 

You took a deep breath, “I was getting pretty tired of the same wake up, research all day, eat a few times, and then go back to bed.  I was always a little bit jealous of all the stories you’d tell from your trailblazing expeditions as one of the nameless because I’ve only ever known my home planet and the Station.”  You motioned to the navigator of the Astral Express, “Himeko said that there would always going to be new things you all haven’t encountered before, it would be useful to have someone learned in technology that could dissect any new contraptions we came across.”  You sighed, “I might’ve jumped the gun a little bit, but can you blame me?” 

When you gave him the chance to speak, he immediately asked about the only real concern he had, “But... your research, you always talked about how important it was to you.” 

You nodded, “Oh, don’t get me wrong, it's more important to me than life itself. That's why I didn't quit my job, Arlan and Asta pleaded my case to Herta and I’m transitioning to remote work.”  You kicked at the air with one foot, “It also helps that Lady Herta has been interested in expanding her areas of research so she can implement new things into the Simulated Universe.” 

Dan Heng took a second to mull it over, “So you’re going to move onto the express, for good?” 

You nodded excitedly, grabbing the handle of your luggage again.

“Yes, I’m becoming one of the nameless.”

"You asked to see me?"

Arlan glanced up from where he was sitting at his desk.   Setting down the tablet he was reading a new report on, he pushed it to the side.  “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be here so soon.”   He gestured to the seat in front of him, “Please, have a seat.  I just had a couple things I wanted to talk about.” 

The archivist nodded, pulling the chair out so he could properly settle in.  “Of course.”   Upon seating himself and getting comfortable, he broke the silence again, “What is it that you wanted to discuss?” 

The head security officer bit at the inside of his cheek, trying to find the most sensitive way to broach the topic.  He tapped his finger on the desk, before deciding to rip off the band-aid pretty quickly, “Have you noticed any changes in [name] as of late?” 

Dan Heng blinked a couple times.  “Not particularly, did you?” 

“Well,” He swallowed, “I’m just a little worried about him.  I don’t know how he’s been doing since he left for the express, but before he left he said some concerning things.  I couldn’t tell if he meant them or not.” 

In response, Dan Heng tried not to pry too hard.  However, since it did concern you, he felt it also concerned him.  “What kinds of things did he say?” 

Arlan paused again, trying to really think things over before making an even bigger deal out of them, “I don’t know if you can call them weird on their own, but he just doesn’t… say things like that ever.  It’s out of character for him and I’m afraid it’ll get worse now that me and Lady Asta won’t be there to keep him in check.” 

“I can’t exactly help if I don’t know what he said,” Dan Heng reasoned, “The only real change I noticed was his relationship with his work.  Since he’s been on the express, he’s been working a lot more.  Aside from that, he seems to enjoy setting aside time to run around with March and Caelus.  I find I have a lot more time alone because it seems they’ve started alternating between the two of us to rope into their schemes.” 

Arlan nodded, “I guess that makes me feel a little bit better.”  

The other man nodded back at him in response, “Still, what did he say that had you concerned?  As one of his friends, I feel obligated to make sure he’s alright.” 

“Well, I feel a little bit awkward saying it since it was originally about you.”  To this, Arlan drummed his fingers on his desk, “It started a couple days before the two of you went out for the first time to Aurum Alley.  He started talking about how he felt he wasn’t cool enough to be around you, that he needed to change somehow so he wouldn’t embarrass you.” 

Dan Heng nodded, keeping his mouth shut. 

The security officer’s frown deepened, “But it just got worse from there.  I don’t want to scare you or anything, but he’s… weird about you-really weird.”  

“...about me specifically?” Dan Heng’s head cautiously leaned to the side.  

Arlan bobbed his head up and down quickly, “Yeah, just you.”  He let his hands go limp on the table, “He’s been doing really good otherwise.  It’s just like he took all his unhealthy habits and converted them into these weird thoughts and ideas about you.”  He raised one of his hands to count out each of the changes on his fingers, “He’s started eating healthy, eating regularly, working out again, he actually sleeps on time, and he’s making friends, arguably he’s doing better than he has for a long time.”  He leaned his face on his other hand, “But then he’ll start talking about you and it’s like a demon’s hiding under his tongue.” 

The astral express passenger pursed his lips, trying to hide the audible drumming of his heart in his ears.  “Well, what kinds of things does he say?” 

Arlan paused, chewing on his lip, “He talks about you like this kind of unattainable goal.”  He shifted to rest both his forearms on the table.  “There’s just this weird far off look in his eyes and I can tell he’s only saying half the stuff on his mind.  All these half-baked thoughts about how he doesn’t deserve to hang out with you, muttering about ways he can change himself to be more ‘worthy’ of your time or whatever.  It’s scaring me.” 

“...” 

“...I don’t know.”  Arlan sighed, “I want to be happy for how much progress he’s making but he isn’t making it for himself.” 

“...he really said all those things about me?”

Arlan seemed a little taken aback, “Uh, yeah… he did.”  

He swallowed a glob of spit down his throat, “And you’re saying all these changes for the better have been because he wants to impress me?” 

Arlan took a moment to think before responding.  Slowly, he nodded his head, “Yeah… it’s why I asked if you noticed any changes.  He talks about you a lot and you guys seem to be hanging out more than ever.” 

“That’s… a little bit concerning.” 

Arlan didn’t answer back immediately.  He could feel something was a little bit… off.  “Yeah, that’s… kind of why I wanted to bring it up to you.” 

Upon hearing the suspicion in the other man’s tone, Dan Heng did his best to try and clear the air, “Sorry, it’s… just a lot to take in at once.  I didn’t expect that was what you wanted to talk about.” 

Trying to shake off the unease, the head security officer shrugged, “I could only really imagine.”  He sighed, “My main concern is whether or not he’s acting weird on the express.  I tried to write it off as him being excited to make a new friend early-on, since I knew he only really had Lady Asta when he arrived on the Space Station.  When he started making a lot more friends and he was still acting weird about you, I didn’t really have an excuse for him anymore.” 

Dan Heng nodded, “I don’t really think you have to worry anymore.” 

Arlan tried to ignore his stomach dropping through the floor. “...Oh.” 

Dan Heng nodded, “I mean to say, he can’t hold me on a pedestal anymore because we are both nameless.  He doesn’t have anything to look up to when we are both on equal footing.” 

Your former best friend tried to agree, he really wanted to.  He wanted to believe that Dan Heng was just innocently naive about the nature of your words and actions, but the archivist wasn’t stupid.  He should’ve obviously known something was wrong.  “...I guess I can see where you’re coming from. But can I just ask one thing of you?”

Arlan was right to be suspicious, because Dan Heng was only really telling a half-truth.  As selfish as it sounded, the nameless was more than happy for this sudden change in circumstance.  

The archivist hummed, "Of course."

"Be careful." Arlan paused before continuing, "I know you might think you'd be able to handle it if he gets out of control, but he's a lot stronger than he looks. He's been working out too and I'm scared he might... end up becoming dangerous."

Instead of further pushing the conversation, the express passenger acknowledged his worry. "I can see where you're coming from. But, I feel that he's starting to mellow out. He's not just spending time hanging around me or anyone on the express in particular. I promise that you don't need to keep worrying about him."

Even as he tried to convince Arlan that his intentions for encouraging him to trust in the express were pure, he knew that he was only making excuses. If the head security officer chose to peel back just a couple more of the layers to his act, he would find the man's true thoughts.

‘You don’t need to worry about him, because feeling like that is normal, isn’t it? I feel the same way.’

"Oh, the group already headed out for the Festival. Did you plan on telling them something before they left?"

You stood near Himeko’s coffee maker, cradling one of the many mugs you’d brought with you to the express. Judging by the steam wafting off the top of the coffee, you’d just freshly brewed yourself a drink and were getting ready to retreat back into your hastily thrown together room to continue working on some kind of research project.

Dan Heng, on the other hand, hadn’t been doing anything in particular before the conversation. Fresh out of his room, he'd opted to leave his heavy coat hung up. “No, not in particular.”

You tilted your head, eyes still focusing on your hot beverage, “Alright, is there any particular reason why you asked if they were gone yet?”

“Well, the two of us are alone on the entire express. The residential compartment is completely cleared out…”. He trailed off his sentence, crossing his arms across his chest.

You raised your brow curiously, setting your drink down on the counter to go about swapping the coffee filter. “Yeah…? I guess we are.”

Dan Heng chewed on the inside of his cheek, “Well, if we were going to do anything that might necessitate being alone, now would be the best time since everyone else is at the Charmony Festival.”

Your cheeks flushed pink, “I guess, but I can't really think of anything that the two of us would do, that is unless you’re going into another heat?” You murmured to nobody in particular, “Most reptilian species only have a mating period during a certain season though.”

“Do you…” he paused, considering his words carefully, “Do you think that would be the only time I'd be interested in doing something like that?”

You could feel a tingly warmth creep up your neck, “W-Well,” you dropped the used filter in the trash can. “That was the last time we did anything like that and I just thought, y’know…”

Dan Heng’s lips pulled into a tight line, “If I wasn't going into heat? If I just wanted to sleep together?”

You faced away from him, rummaging through the cabinets for the coffee grounds. “I-” You fumbled with the satchel, grasping a new filter with your other hand,

“I wouldn't say no…?”

"Ahn~ Right there, right there, right thererightthere-"

His fingers dug into the spots of your headboard right next to your skull, chest pushed forward and hips angled backward to form a beautifully lewd arch.

You gave another pointed jolt of your hips, positively radiant when Dan Heng exploded into shudders of ecstasy. Thighs shaking, he did his best to try and encourage them to lift a little. When he reached as high as he knew he could get, he dropped his hips back down onto yours rather unceremoniously with a pornographic mewl.

Despite the drool leaking down his chin, you leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. The moment your mouth was on his, it seemed almost like a silent invitation. Even with the lack of any real stimulation, he hands transferred from the cracked and scarred wood to your shoulders. He groaned into your mouth tracing his left hand’s pointer finger over your exposed collarbone.

Even with the building fatigue burning through his lower half, he did his best to pick himself up again. Your hands slithered from squeezing his love handles to gripping the curve of his ass. Supporting his hips, your arm strength added to the diminishing strength in his legs, dragging his insides up your length before slamming him back down to meet your pelvis forcefully.

“Oh~” he let out an airy moan, expertly swiping his finger along the dip in your skin from your collarbone up to the side of the neck. Instead of focusing on further chasing his release again, he leaned down to plant a sloppy, wet kiss on the side of your neck just underneath where the pads of his fingers rested on your pulse point.

You squirmed from the foreign sensation of the drool trailing down the sensitive skin, unexpectedly squeezing his ass in response. He smiled against your neck, shameless while he trailed a forked tongue over the artery hidden beneath your skin.

You weren't used to the sudden spark of confidence, shying away from his excessive touch with a quiet, nervous embarrassment. Your hands trailed back towards his waistline, pulling him up by the tempting dip in his figure, only to slam him back down again. When you were rewarded with a breathless, blissed call of your name, you didn't hesitate to do it again.

Before long, it seemed the two of you didn't have any thoughts running through your head but the desires of the flesh.

Firmly planting your feet on the mattress, the two of you seemed to get lost in the sudden plowing of your cock even deeper into his ass. The combined force of his weight, gravity, and your own aggressive rhythm contributing to the growing bulge of your tip just below the center of his abs, you felt lost to the sensations. Even in your sex-drunk haze, you didn't fail to realize the heightened nature of his vocals, it seemed his voice box was all but tearing itself apart with each of the punched out shrieks he pushed out right into your ear.

Even stranger, instead of moving his hips in tandem with yours, he seemed extremely fixated on the specific, certain spot of your neck he’d laid claim to just a few short moments earlier. With each drawn out groan forced out of his mouth, he lavished his affections on the same spot. Kissing the same point over and over in a silent worship.

The tips of your ears burning a stark red vermillion, you let a shaky roll of your hips smack into his insides especially sharp, “Shihittt~” In your attempt to combat the sensation, your face burned a deeper crimson when he moaned directly into your ear.

Even after a particularly harsh thrust, it seemed he was still dead set on focusing on that one specific point on your neck. With all the kisses suctioned to that specific square of flesh, the skin bruised a shy pink hue, and it only seemed to further encourage him.

In response, you gripped one of the horns on the crown of his head to finally get him to put his lips elsewhere. Peppering shy, messy, saliva-soaked kisses to an eager and hungry mouth you could feel your pace speed up as you crept up higher and higher towards your peak. His face contorted in the shape of each electric current of ecstasy wrapping itself like a cord up his spinal column. Even if he wanted to let out more pathetic whimpers and sobs, he couldn't find the strength to pull away from equally addictive kisses.

Shyly, you pried open his lips with your tongue. He reciprocated with a tantalizing whine, further welcoming you into his mouth. Without any delay, you dragged your tongue over the roof of his mouth, swirling your spit with his right on top of his Jacobson organ.

He shook in blissed out euphoria, brain flashing a blinding white before he pulled away from the kiss specifically to shriek your name. Pushing his chest up against yours, his arms bent awkwardly from where they were positioned on your upper body. Again he dipped his head into the crook of your neck, nipping at the same patch of wet, pinkening skin with the tips of his fangs.

You grunted, only further confused as he moved from just barely scraping fangs over your jugular to starting to suck a hickey into the raw redness.

In the haze of sex, the overloading of the nerves in just one spot only seemed to further stack on top of eachother in a salacious torture. It felt so good, it was starting to burn. Instead of trying to coax him off the spot, the flexing and twitching of his own neck muscles only seemed to become more and more inviting.

Ultimately, you tried licking a stripe up the same artery in Dan Heng's neck, rewarded with a delicious squeak. His teeth caught on your skin, only further amplifying the dizzying haze and spin that seemed to capture the rest of the world.

A few short seconds later, he pulled his mouth off your neck just a few sparingly merciful breaths away, “Clohhsseeee, cuhlossseee-” He seized up in another mewl, lower back arching to push himself even closer to your pelvis. “Plehease~ Can I, can I, can I-” With another press of the tip of your dick straight into his prostate, he threw his head back with a scream. Still, determined for some kind of permission, he opened his mouth to keep babbling impossibly loud, “can I, can I, canicanican-”

Eyes shut as you sped up to chase your own orgasm, you finally nodded your head in the crook of his neck. “Yes, yes, yes-”

He keened at the go ahead, once again rushing to bury his nose against the abused, purpled, and irritated skin on the side of your neck. Instead of continuing to suck more and more hickies into the canvas laid before him, he opened his mouth wide before injecting his extremely long, needle-like fangs deep into the side of your neck, just barely missing one of the most crucial arteries in your body. The taste of your blood hitting his tongue caused another loud squeal to spill from his lips before he got impossibly tighter and creamed all over both of your stomachs.

You seized up, hips stuttering from the sudden all-consuming pain stemming from your injury before unloading into his awaiting body. In your shock, you couldn't even think about how to ask him what just happened. Even then, you weren't sure you wanted to know.

As the two of you laid there, sweaty and spent, he continued to nurse the wound with the gentle ticklish touch of his forked tongue. Two large, heavily bleeding openings in your neck, he nuzzled up against like they were all he had left.

What your knowledge failed to encompass, Dan Heng’s instincts didn't fail to fawn over. Something the two of you hadn't covered in your research were the mating rituals of the Vidyadhara. Three things were of specific relevance.

One, Vidyadharas mate for life, and the span of multiple lives should time and memory allow it.

Two, mating must be done with permission.

Three, mating is officiated with a mark in a visible area, popularly the neck.

He ran his fingers over the dripping red pouring from the side of your neck. A happy trill resounded from the back of his throat as he lapped it up with his tongue again, drinking in the groan of discomfort and the explosive shivers that wracked your body.

...

...Perhaps it would also be important to mention, mating marks were permanent.

There's a note on the side of the phone booth, read it?

" every time I say I'm going to update the same day, I end up either procrastinating or rewriting the same scene 7 times because I can't figure out what I want to happen specifically "

THIS IS A REPOSTED WORK FROM MY ORIGINAL ACCOUNT BEFORE IT CRAPPED AND DIED ON ME

I USED TO BE FOUND AT @steadybear

I FEAR YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH SEEING @bigtedbear INSTEAD FROM NOW ON

[chaeyoei]

Dan heng with a vampire reader who's been holding the urge to suck Dan Heng's blood, but one night they couldn't hold it in anymore and came to his room to suck his blood by biting his neck.

Here it is.

Gender Neutral Reader.

While bloodlust maybe common in most vampires, to live harmoniously amongst humans they had to quit this habit and feed on animal blood, although that will weaken them and they will eventually die. Otherwise, they would be exterminated once and for all.

Vampires are spectaculed to not have the ability to love or feel love. And you believed it until you met him. You boarded the Express before March 7th or trailblazer.

For some reason, his scent attracted you more than anyone else. Those bloodlust instincts got strong around him.

The main pivot of this friendship started when you both were placed together on a mission. "Take the right. I'll jump from here." He composed a plan, looking at the adversary. He leapt into the air with the help of spear as you rushed forth to distract the enemy. But the monster had seen through this plan. It hurled at attack at Dan Heng, making the situation inescapable as he was bound to get hurt by the attack or fall damage. Without a moment's hesitation, you leapt up, flying towards him to get him away from the attack. Catching him mid air and landing safely (Totally not inspired by MSA). It was.. amusing to see a baffled look on the stoic man's face. But you both couldn't talk now not until the monster is defeated. ———— "So you can fly?" He randomly asked as you both walked towards the station where the Express was parked in. You felt conflicted. Should you tell him the truth or not? "You're a vampire, aren't you?" He already knew the answer. An individual without wings and being able to fly, that was a vampire. Nevermind. Looks like he figured it out. "Yeah." "I thought Vampires had a bloodlust for humans?" He asked, seeming curious. This would be great information for the Data Bank. "They do. But if we want to live, we have to quit such habits. If not, humans will hunt us down and we'll go extinct." You answered with somewhat of reminiscent look. "..." He looked at you. "It suddenly comes to light why you take care of the Express and go on night missions. Do Himeko and Welt know about this?" You shook your head. "They don't and I'll tell them when I think it's best. If you could-" "Don't worry I'll keep this secret safe." He knew what you were about to request and he would abide by his statement until you told Himeko and Welt about this.

Being around for centuries and travelling amongst the planets before made you a reliable support for the Astral Express.

"Y/N, you know what that planet's name is?" March 7th asked eagerly, wanting to know what the blue planet afar was. "It's a gaseous giant named caeruleus. I believe it has a ring system but it's barely visible." You answered chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm. "So we can't explore it?" March asked to confirm, disappointed to know the truth. "The train and we would implode by the high pressure." Dan Heng raised a logical argument. "It's still very pretty." March mumbled. The girl was prone to getting curious about things she found pretty.

After the Belobog mission, you set foot on the icy planet to make a brief about its condition. And Dan Heng accompanied you, wanting to make a report on the different creatures as they may come useful for the Data Bank.

Unfortunately for you both, a strong hailstorm occurred, making anything barely visible in the wind. Dan Heng wrapped his arms around you, being familiar with the way and dragged you to the hotel where the trio had stayed previously.

"We'll finish our work once the storm ends." He said, ruffling out any snow in his hair.

You agreed, it was the reasonable thing to do. A cold breeze sweeping past you both from the door, showing how cold it was.

And one you both woke up, it was a sunny morning. You were and would be cooked. You hid in the darkest corner of your room.

"Y/N, ready to go?" His voice came from the other side of your door.

"I can't. The sun.."

He entered the room, realising what you meant. He closed the curtains and sat down beside you. "I have a question. How low of a temperature can you survive?"

"I've lived in -3°C but that I don't think that's about it."

"How good of a memory do you have?" He raised another question.

"Photographic."

".. Can you tell me where I kept my phone?"

"Wasn't it in your pocket?"

He searched his pockets, finding the device there. He sheepishly scratched his neck. "I was looking for this all morning."

This talk continiued until the sun set and you both finished your work and returned to the Express.

————

You were humming about your work, with the back of your head replaying all the moments you've had with and most importantly his smile. You would gladly sell your soul if it means to protect that rare smile.

"Y/N, they're here." Himeko called out to you and you rushed forth ofcourse to see that special person. But your face fell seeing something else.

"Dan Heng?" You were confused. Was he cosplaying as someone? You admit to yourself that he does look majestic with the attire embroidered with gold matching his teal, long hair with sea blue tips and horns adorned on top of his head. But he's not a person who'll do a thing as.. cosplay.

"Yeah. It's me..." He paused trying to string together a sentence.

"You both are so awkward!" March couldn't handle the odd atmosphere.

.

He later pulled you aside to talk. "Hey.. do you not like me in this form?" He wasn't one to care about looks so this was baffling. "I'm still Dan Heng." He sounded like he was trying to assure himself than you.

"I know. You're still Dan Heng just with long hair and a different attire." You cracked a smile but a realisation hit you. Different. It's because he's a Vidyadhara that his scent attracts you much more than anything. How come you've not realised that yet?

"So.. do you like this form?" You caught the underlaid eagerness waiting for your approval.

"I definitely do." Now you can't just praise him to your heart's content as you want to. You'd look like a fool.

————

"...They look like anything but friends" March eyed you both talking to each other, one of Dan Heng's hand holding yours.

"March let them be. Attention doesn't necessarily equate love. They might just enjoy each other's company and holding hands is just another form of it" Welt suggested, putting down his newspaper.

"..hmm, even offering the other their coat?"

"Of course. Would you not lend a coat to a friend who needs it?" Himeko tried to make her understand with an example.

"I still smell love between them." Unfortunately for the pink girl, she had no statement to back it up.

————

The Express set foot into the land of festivities, Penacony. Since it was always night time, you also joined the group.. on the last day because you stayed behind with Dan Heng and Pom Pom.

You took the lone streets, this tranquility clear your head except for one person, him. It's like he had captured your brain. He'll be in your head when you think, eat, shower, anything.

It was nice to have a moment alone but your nostrils picked up the pungent smell of blood from the empty roads. With all you had, you resisted the thrist for blood albeit your fangs grew. You ran away from there and back onto the Express, not wanting to do anything impulsive.

You hurried to your room and locked yourself. It was unbearable to control yourself with grown fangs and his scent nearby. Your body was going overdrive, with faltered steps trying to go back and te scent driving you towards his room. You knocked on his door before opening him finding him awake.

"Oh Y/N, do you need something?" He asked unaware of your true intentions which made you feel a pang of guilt.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." With each laid step on the floor, the guilt increased.

"I also wanted to say something." He patted the side beside him. "You know the first person I tried to bond with was you. You intrigue me." He continued with his words.

Then it hit. He trusted you. He saw himself in you. A person struggling to live because of their origin. That's why he was more open to you, because you both were in a similar situation. He could resonate with you and he knew that..

This made you feel more guilty with the intentions you've come to his room with. The scent reaching your nostrils made it more hard to keep your composure. Would he even agree to such a horrendous request? His consent matters, you'll be no less than a groomer If you just force yourself on him. Still you needed to ask.

"Dan Heng.. I have a request." If he showed a negative reaction, you were going to pretend it was a joke and immediately leave his room. "Can I bite your neck?"

"Is that serious question?" His inquiry completely butchered your plan.You were sweating buckets. What do you do now? Keeping pushing it or just play it as a joke? After avoiding his gaze and looking here and there, you answered. "Yes?"

"..."

"You don't have to agree if you don't like-" You were cut off. "Sure." he answered."You won't mind if I suck on your blood?" You were confused. On what basis was he letting you do this?

"Did you... not get the hint? Was I not obvious?" He started to question himself. "Why do you think I did the things I did?"It all came crashing down.

"Oh..." You can't believe you were that dense. You need to walk away and bang your head for not noticing. Your cheeks were now dusted with pink. His words were a confession not simple talk.

"Are you going to do it?" Why did he look excited?

"Yeah, can you-" He already knew what to do, lower his jacket and shirt from his shoulders, revealing his collarbone. "Okay." You were only getting more red. The cause of your death was going to be him and not weakness at this point.

You were getting what you want, then why were you so nervous? You shifted closer, placing your left hand on his left shoulder and your right hand on the the right side of his neck. "Tell me if it hurts."

You buried your head into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. Your canines finally coming in contact with his skin. The fangs inserted into the blood vessel. It had been so long since you've fed on human blood, your pupils dilated as you felt power return to you. But as much as you want keep drinking. You stopped after an adequate amount.

"Does it sting?" You looked at the mark formed on his collarbone.

"A little." He answered, fixing his clothes.

There was still something you needed to confirm. "So what are we after this?"

————

"See I knew they were in love!" March jumped around happily, having disproven both Himeko and Welt.

"Looks like we have to relying on March for these matters. Anyway, Congratulations you both." Welt chuckled.

"They're both a young but old couple." Himeko patted you on the shoulder.

They were happy about your relationship and already knew the things going on between you both. You both glanced at eachother, were you both the only ones who to the longest to understand? Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore.

So this was very much rushed. And I'll update it if brain rot hits.

[lizdive]

Sunday who finds out his older sibling is a trailblazer and later gets to hang out with them more once he joins the Astral Express (^-^)

and the nameless sunday series continues !! i <3 all the older sibling requests people are sending KEEP EM COMING GUYS ��️🔥💯‼️ i did this in 90% head canon format because I couldn’t properly brain storm a good fic-esque formatted beginning and I have a lot of ideas for this,,, i’m sosososo sorry,,,, thank yew for the request :3 if you are not satisfied just tell me and i’ll redo it !! <33

notes 𐙚 gender-neutral reader — "you" + "older sibling" used to refer to reader ,, reader as an older sibling ,, platonic relationships ,, this isn’t proofread ,, ignore typos

⭑ I’d like to start this by saying that childhood was probably not the best part of your life. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t the best part of your life story. You had to fend for yourself and your siblings before Gopher Wood came in and adopted you three, and even then he would probably try to manipulate you into his perfect pawn by using your siblings against you.

⭑ For a while you just.. went with it because while you had a dream, you didn’t know how to accomplish it unlike Robin. And so, you and SUNDAY, the perfect dreamless children that you both were, were perfect for Gopher Wood to manipulate and isolate.

⭑ But since you were older and had a bit more life experience, you knew not to trust his every word. You tried to help SUNDAY, you really did, but you also needed to help yourself. There is definitely some older sibling guilt in this.

⭑ It wasn’t until you heard of the Astral Express that you finally realized how to accomplish your dream. Join the express and finally be able to see the cosmos while escaping the grasp of Gopher Wood. To abandon the path of harmony and order and join the trailblaze — that was what you wanted.

⭑ How you managed to join is up to your interpretation.

⭑ You told SUNDAY you were going to accomplish your dream before you left, and you offered him to join you — you almost begged him to join. But he stood firm in his decision to stay and wished you well on your journeys. You knew you couldn’t force him, and so off you were onto the Astral Express without him knowing the means of how you would accomplish your dream.

⭑ You kept in touch with SUNDAY and Robin of course, and you visited Penacony every chance you got. Watching your little brother grow up from afar hurt a bit, and as he matured with the mindset that was forced upon him, you wished you had taken his place. But SUNDAY is a man of his word, and you know the promise he made to you and Robin will not be broken so easily.

⭑ But you always supported him, because at the end of the day he was your little brother. You may or may not have a soft spot for him.

⭑ SUNDAY is smart and perceptive, so when you showed up at the same time the Astral Express did during the Penacony quest, he quickly connected the dots. So that’s how you did it — hopping from planet to planet so easily without struggle and without running out of money.

⭑ Initially, he’s a bit hurt you never told him and you kept such a secret for so long, and he’ll give you silent treatment for some time until you apologize with sweets and a looonggg explanation with detail. It’s like those reddit stories.

⭑ The halovian is a bit protective of his older sibling, so it’s no surprise he began asking you if they were treating you well and that if you ever want to leave them but continue traveling he can give you all the credits need and more.

⭑ He does not question you on switching paths. He would never question his older sibling who has doted on him and cared for him and Robin and who he loves so so much. Also he knows he isn’t innocent, either.

⭑ He appreciates the offer of him joining, but he would never do that. As head of the oak family, he needs to fulfill his duties.

⭑ When Robin’s 'death' occurs, SUNDAY finds himself swarmed with horrible what-ifs. No longer will you be with your Astral Express friends during your stay. Please just stay close with him, he can’t bear the thought of losing you, too.

⭑ And when the Charmony Festival comes and he is forced to fight against you, he tries to take the easy route. Why fight you when you can be put in the order’s dream once more? He knows you and your weakness. He can lull you into slumber once more.

⭑ Please fall for it… he just.. he doesn’t want to hurt his family. If you’re a support unit during it all like Robin, please stay far away from the fight.. and most importantly, please don’t hate him.

⭑ During his fall from grace, he expects a gaze of hatred from you. He who has hurt your team and put you all through an endless amount of hardships. He who has deceived not only the crew but you as well. You, who has been nothing but supportive of him.

⭑ But your embrace that follows Robin’s makes him feel all the more horrible. Because you have forgiven him despite him not deserving such a blessing.

"I… think I’ll take you up on that offer…" SUNDAY’s voice is faint as he looks down in embarrassment and shame. His wings subconsciously hide his lower face and his gaze is downcast. For once, he is not the elegant and mysterious SUNDAY that the world knows him as.

Right now, he is SUNDAY, your little brother that you used to share your books with and show him all the various planets you’d visit one day. He is SUNDAY, your little brother who would do the most just to impress you.

March wants to protest, and so does the Trailblazer. But before they can speak, Himeko holds up a hand to keep them silent. This is not their decision to make, it’s yours. Because Himeko knew that you offered him to join many times and she was okay with it — Pompom, too.

Penacony needs him no more. He serves no purpose other than to live now. To exist and find the path he wishes to tread. And if he has decided that the trailblaze is that path, then who are you to deny him of his wish? The one wish that was his.

A step, and then another. You take his gloved hands into yours. He flinches, hesitantly looking at you. Your gaze is tender and welcoming. "You’ll have a lot of fun, I promise."

⭑ I’ve said this in my other nameless SUNDAY posts: The crew would not want to interact to him too much. But I think in this scenario Himeko would be more open, and the crew would be more understanding of why you’re so kind and gentle with him.

⭑ Sleepovers!! SUNDAY will room with you for the first few months nights. He had nightmares of what happened to Robin and he’s very anxious so you being in the same room as him is very comforting. May sleep in the same bed as you, too, if the nightmares get too bad.

⭑ Honestly if you don’t mind this arrangement he’ll probably room with you forever. It doesn’t inconvenience him too much. It all just depends on you.

⭑ Your solo vacations have become duo vacations. He’ll rarely ask you directly to join but he will hint at it. He understands if you don’t want to take him, though.

⭑ If you do, however, take him, it’ll be a very fun time! SUNDAY will make a list of activities so the trip seems much more organized which then leads to less stress and you’ll be able to do everything you want and more!

⭑ Trust that 99% of your time on the Express will be spent with SUNDAY. So much time missed out during childhood,, doing 'childish' activities with SUNDAY !! Coloring with crayons, messing around with stuffies, etc. would be very fun, especially playing with stuffies and dolls because he takes his roles 100% seriously.

⭑ Likes being held in your arms. Not in a weird way, he just likes feeling like a kid again when you used to hold him whenever he’d get upset. Whether it’s cuddling or hugging, SUNDAY just really likes to be held in his older sibling’s embrace and be comforted.

⭑ Likes playing board games with you. Also collects them.

[phontao]

Kei!!! Hows it going friendo? Dont know if anyone else has said these for the ask game but 11,18,22.

THINGS ARE GOING OK RIGHT NOW ACTUALLY!! YIPPEE!! happy to see you :D

11- (something you want to do again next year?)

i drove down this really pretty mountain road and sat by the river a few months back during a thunderstorm. i wanna drop by there again, it was so nice

18- (best meal you had this year?)

i had some really really good pasta and made some funky lime sauce that for some reason tasted really good with it??? yummy

22- (favorite place you visited this year?)

went home to lithuania and saw family over the summer. definitely my favorite place to go- its so refreshing to be surrounded by your native language again :]

[reloaderror]

Trick or treat 😈

WIDJAJDHAIA no where did his party in the back go now my man’s all anxiety

[sunday-kisser]

So like — Sunday lives rent free in my mind and I thought, why not share some thoughts and ideas?

In this little thread, reader is also a nameless on the express but not the trailblazer — gn!reader

imagine Sunday joins the astral express (instead of, as highly anticipated, the stellaron hunters)

you've grown closer with him after everything that happened on Penacony

or more like, you've developed a crush after getting to know more and seeing more of him — and you don't know how exactly he feels about you, if he even feels the same

you don't want to overwhelm him after having to leave everything behind, after having to get used to his new life

March has noticed a long time ago that Sunday is dear to you, very much so, very romantically so

she decides to tell Stelle about it and chaos ensues from then on

they try to play matchmaker, trying to get you and Sunday to confess, so that one of you eventually breaks and finally addresses the huge elephant in the room

because it's not only you having the hots for the halovian no, he certainly also takes his time to admire you from afar — he just isn't used to this feeling and doesn't know how to make sense of everything that is happening

so you keep and keep sneaking glances at each other, casually exchanging the smallest of touches whenever one reaches out to give something to the other

March has had enough and makes plans with Stelle

one of her plans being to push you into Sunday as you walk together, with you crashing into him — unfortunately leaving more bad than good impressions as you spill March's drink on him in the process (she made you hold it on purpose)

she thought it would be all romantic as you would try to wipe it off him in a rushed panic, just like in the various romance movies she has watched

sadly enough, it took a wrong turn

Sunday would glance down, breathe out in a calm manner and say something like "vile"

it would be clear yet quite quiet too

and you would feel ashamed, an apology already on the tip of your tongue before he excuses himself and disappears

you would look at March and Stelle, apologizing to March for spilling her drink

after that, you would avoid everyone who has witnessed the scene, including your victim of spillage — after all, you were so sure Sunday would not fancy to see or talk to you ever again as you thought he found you to be vile

March would feel bad (she did the whole time) and so she would search for Sunday and explain the whole situation to him — unfortunately also laying your feelings for him in the open in the process of it all

later in the evening you would hear a knock on your door, expecting it to be March or Stelle you don't even bother to turn around and only tell them to come in

to your surprise, March's voice sounds deeper — it is Sunday

you turn around immediately but before you can say anything Sunday beats you to it and your apology dies on your tongue yet again

he listened intently to March and her explanation of the situation earlier and so he immediately assures you — he didn't mean you when he spoke the word vile, but rather the sticky and wet sensation on his suit

he tells you how March has planned this after all and that you aren't at fault

and even if you were, he couldn't be mad at you

then Sunday does something he has never done before, he indulges in HIS OWN wants and needs and lets you know exactly what he feels and how he feels about you

it is then, that you find out he's been aware of your feelings for him (Sunday doesn't tell you that March has confirmed it for him too)

you two get to plan your first date — March gets to live in fear of you getting back at her

you don't, after all, everything worked out in the end

Sunday and you are now the first couple on the express

everyone is happy for you and Sunday is glad that he gets to experience this new life with you by his side

it's been so long since I've written something of that kind — noticeably so, I know :')

Also, it's so cliche but do I care? Nah lol

©written by sunday-kisser

[genderqueer-miharu]

For the ask game: 💛🎧🌸 :D

(Ask game)

💛 Do you have any piercings?

I don't, thoughi think they look cool. Maybe one day i'll try to get one to see how much i like it

🎧 Headphones or earbuds?

I use earbuds but i think i'd like to have headphones. Can't say which one would be better i think it would depend in the situation for me.

🌸 Best compliment you ever recieved?

Um. Every time people have complimented my art heheh <333. Also recently at school someone said they liked my hair which made me happy :)

[spiriteddreams]

“there was before you, and there was during you. for some reason, i never thought there would be an after you.” warnings: angst (but with open ending (hopeful?))

with dan heng, who returns to the xianzhou luofu bearing the weight of the memories of a past life that he curses and wishes he could forever run from. but the memories cling to his shadows, festering in his denial and avoidance until they manifest in the form of you. 

except that it’s not quite the “you” that he remembers. because while you are still as lovely as the day he left you, your hands clenched around the jade abacus that he held the matching pair with, you now look at him with a sense of unfamiliarity that has his breath catching when you ask, “do i know you from somewhere?”

jing yuan catches his eye and dips his head. to his astral express companions, it’s nothing but a gesture, but to dan heng, it feels like a silent apology. and the weight of it begins to feel like it’s crushing his chest. your smile isn’t as relaxed as he remembers it to be, but how can he blame you if your memories don’t align like his do. this new reincarnation that you’ve found yourself in, this you that not only he, but the general failed to protect, tears open his old wounds. but you don’t see the blood that you’ve drawn or the slight tremble of his bottom lip as he dips his head in greeting, allowing your name to fall from his tongue as you return the greeting. 

your name is bittersweet on his tongue and the taste lingers as he watches you with an expression that only jing yuan seems to be able to read. memories seem to flicker before dan heng’s eyes, the sound of your voice from the time you first met, ringing in his ears. time seems to pity him and allows him a moment of grace, to allow for every memory of you that he treasured to come flooding back. he recalls the unexpected first meeting that blossomed into a friendship. such a friendship could only lead to lovers with years of memories so deeply intertwined that when he selfishly severed that bond, the flower of your longlasting relationship began to wither. 

there is no bringing back to life even the loveliest of flowers, and with your reincarnation standing before him, dan heng is painfully reminded of this fact. you do not have the same memories that have haunted him for years, and yet he can’t help but let his eyes linger on the jade abacus that rests at the base of your neck. his own is tucked between the layers of his clothes, purposefully hidden out of fear or something else, dan heng isn’t quite sure.

but what he does know, is that when you ask him for a moment of his time after everyone else has decided to part ways, he can’t help but feel a hint of hope flare up in his chest. 

“you remind me of someone i think i may have known from my past life. there’s something about you that i can’t quite put my finger on. but, if you’re free, would you like to join me for tea sometime? i’d like to get to know you better,” you smile at him warmly and for a moment, dan heng believes that you still remember him. jing yuan shoots him a look from over the shoulder, a tilt of the head that is most definitely encouragement to take up your offer. and so he quietly accepts your offer, heart and body following after you.

bonus: the jade abacus on the base of your throat is warm and when you turn around to lead dan heng away. your breath is just as shaky as the hand that you shove into the pocket of your clothes. seeing him from afar was one thing, but hearing him in front of you, voice as soft and gentle as you remember, you feel those old wounds reopen. he doesn’t know that you remember him, that for all this time, you’ve waited for him to return with hope hanging at the base of your neck. but with a little push and shove (in the form of jing yuan), perhaps you’ll find your way back to one another once more.

reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! <3