#heck! look at dan’s eyes too

[psychedelicvanillabean]

“your mum” joke aside, the subtext here is astronomical

[rhenuvee]

Playing Animal Crossing New Horizons with HSR Men

Warnings: ugly villager slander, established relationship (can be platonic or romantic)

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Argenti: Your fellow knight of beauty grows quite fond of the game, immediately finding the freedom of creativity in decoration endearing. He always gives you compliments on your OOTD, and takes screenshots whenever you design a new area on your island. Argenti gave himself the gardening job- spending his bells on red rose seeds. He gets proficient in following the flower guide, and is very proud of himself if he ever gets a golden rose on your island. He loves the villagers, finding them each very cute, and even beauty in the "ugly" villagers. "Did you see the villagers wearing the red rose on their head? I must say I am flattered they love it so much. Though, I am more happy that they appreciate the beauty of our island." He enjoys documenting the beautiful places in your island with photos <3

Aventurine: From the beginning he points out the fact that Tom Nook is a capitalist, which makes you roll your eyes thinking he thinks this game is silly. However, it is quite the opposite as it doesn't take him long to get out of his home loan debt and is somehow extremely lucky. It's unfair to you that he could just log in on any given day and have the best deal for turnips. However because you are his favourite he says he’s willing to buy you whatever you want, he guesses. He happens to be able to catch rare species like the Coelacanth, and it infuriates you but you really can't be if it's helping the museum. "445 bells per turnip, sounds like music to my ears~" "What's that? You want this violin? Well I guess I could spare you a few bells... is one million okay?"

Blade: Let's not kid ourselves here- it takes a lot of convincing and help from Silver Wolf to get him to even be in the presence of Animal Crossing. He says he would much rather stand and look at the wall (SW: "You already do that everyday"). Eventually he sits himself next to you, and listens to your giddy rambling about what to do in the game while he puts on a serious face not saying anything. After the preliminary tutorial/startup gameplay, he finally says, “…why is this rat harassing me for money.” However, the loans aren't the worst but the villagers chasing him down are. He purposely ignores them and grumbles when you tell him to answer ):/. He prefers to watch you play, but because he sees you smile and laugh at his sarcastic comments, he thinks it's not so bad.

Boothill: He's definitely down to try it out, but he ends up being a bit of a troll. He doesn't really mind cute/ugly villagers, until he judges them for what they say. “That’s right, (y/n) did catch all those fish.” “Did he just ask me if he could call me Muffin.” “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I GOTTA PAY ANOTHER LOAN?!!?” Yeah… he quickly feels the grindy-ness, complaining that Tom Nook was working him like a forkin’ dog. A little bit of comical rage, but he won’t lie he is enjoying it. He also asks if there are any guns and he is disappointed, so he opts for the net. He's a little rough and rowdy, but he does it in style. That being said, he 100% spends his extra bells on a cowboy outfit.

Dan Heng: He agrees instantly- aw :(. He knows you (and March) have been begging him to play. He’s is fairly good at it- gets out of the tent quickly, masters catching creatures, a nicely organized house… He’s quite resourceful too, chopping down trees and going to mystery islands to farm the heck out of it. The villagers love him, both of you often seeing them run to him with the little sparkly flowers. And even though he's normally serious, you can't help but fawn over how sweet he is with the villagers. "...She wants to call me Shmoopy, do I-" "YES." Villagers asking him to catch a fish? He's immediately on it. He remembers their names and treats them like real people :(

Dr. Ratio: "Is it educational?" Bro is such a nerd. You deadpan at him, and sass him for expecting this to be IXL or something. He is also one to get through the tutorial part easily. You expected him to be overly critical of the game, but he finds appreciation in the museum: both the creatures and the art. Is it a farfetched idea that I think he'd know how to tell the reals and fakes right off the bat? "Do you really think Da Vinci spilled coffee on his work?" At least it saves you the troubles of wasting your bells and getting a fake. I think your island would not be a mess, and would have at least a few statues (you know the ones) which add his touch to it.

Gallagher: Honestly he's happy as long as he gets a little area for himself. Kind of a wild card this one- somehow calm and chaotic at the same time, and it's puzzling because how is he doing such weird things with a straight face? Trolls the villagers quite a bit (he's lucky ACNH villagers are nice) by hitting them with a net (just once though) and giving them different catchphrases every time they ask. "Why is Bob saying 'spaghettini' at the end of his sentences?" "Um, because I thought it'd be funny? Also I'm kinda hungry so-" "Gallagher ):/" Despite the randomness, he is wholesome at times. He is also one to compliment your new outfit, and stargaze with you on the new area you decorated.

Gepard: He's busy so you weren't expecting too much from him, but he takes pride in having a well-rounded island. He gets so excited when he catches a new species that you don't have yet- what a cutie. Also goes full throttle when there's a bug-off or fishing tourney. Despite being a video game, I feel like there will be some way he messes up taking care of plants. The flowers overgrow, the turnips rot, and he doesn't understand why the trees aren't growing? But with some tips from you along with your island designing skills, your island rank moves up and he is BEAMING. "Zucker asked about you." "...he did?" "Mhm, he asked how you were doing, and said he saw you laying out pathways on the island."

Jing Yuan: He finds it so cute when you ask him to play. Lowkey like Blade where he likes watching your happy expressions when playing. He's happy that this game provides him a way to relax while not getting bored. Secretly an enjoyer of villager drama: "Wolfgang wants to apologize to Audie with this present. What happens if I don't deliver it?" "Again? Ah, just give it to her quickly." "...what if I don't." "...Jing Yuan." Oddly I feel like he'd enjoy the group stretching (what an old man), and encourages you to join. Like the "Dozing General" he is, there will be times when he's inactive and gets the bed head.

Luocha: You weren't expecting him to enjoy the game, but he's surprisingly willing to be resourceful. His storage is full of materials, which you scold him for because this is the reason for his empty undecorated house. But he always has things you need so you can't exactly complain. Also one to be pretty smart with managing bells and resources, able to maximize their worth. When the island gets visitors like Label or Flick, he has items ready. "Luocha... where did you get that coat?" "This? It's a designer piece, from Miss Label." I'd say he does have a sense of beauty in design, so thankfully your island is gorgeous.

Sampo: Sympathizes with Redd like a true scammer. "Aw look, he just needs a bit of money to get started... he even gave us a 'cousin's discount'." However, a rivalry starts with Redd when Sampo's first art piece turned out to be fake (scammer gets scammed moment). He asks if he can be the salesman that he's supposed to be. When villagers run up to him to offer bells for an item he has, he accepts thinking it'll get him a deal along the way. Unfortunately friendship gets you nowhere in terms of home loans. I'd say he's pretty good with the turnip stonks, so there's a balance. Also TRASH ISLAND. I'm sorry, but your man is a hoarder, "But what if I need this?" (Literally me.)

Welt: When you ask him to play he asks why the animals are crossing. He finds the style and characters are so cute, and he can see why you enjoy it. This is definitely a way he gets in touch with his "youthful" side. He loves the creative freedom in the game, even getting indecisive about how to design your island, and thinking of what outfit to wear. He once made a simple t-shirt for fun, but was surprised when he saw a villager wearing it. It'd be so cute and funny when he learns new emotes- and he just spams them with a straight face. Not gameplay related, but I feel like in his free time he'd draw you both in villager form <3.

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[lyneira]

-> random, smutty headcanons of the hsr men that have been plaguing my mind

SMUT - MINORS DNI

fem!reader x gepard, jing yuan, dan heng, sampo

cw: body worship, cunnilingus, tiddy sucking, 69, praise kink, penetration, implied creampie

GEPARD

I see Gepard being into body worship 'cause heck, he would kiss the ground you walk on in general. This dude would be such a devoted lover.

During love making, he would be so slow and careful with you, especially if it was your first time with him.

He'd leave kisses all over your body, and would stop at your most sensitive spots to give them the extra affection that they deserved.

Fondling your breasts, he'd lean down to circle his tongue around one of the buds, before puckering his lips to suck on it. And as he sucked, he'd softly moan, muttering how soft they were.

Then, trailing a line of kisses down your stomach and down to your heat, he'll place a quick kiss to your clit before sliding his tongue up and down your folds and finally inserting the wet muscle into your hole.

He'd most definitely take a lot of time down there too, taking the time savor your flavor and letting his lips become accustomed to the shape of your lower ones. Look down at his face and see how flushed his cheeks would be, hot from the heat and hot from the drunkeness he has from your pussy, humming with delight and slurring out multiple, "you taste so good's"

He too, would especially be diligent with observing each of your own reactions you had to his touch, his kisses, his tongue, and to his thrusts that would caress your walls and deeply kiss your core with each stroke.

To any sharp gasp, furrow of your brows, or any cry that you'd let out, he'd immediately pause his motions and ask if you were okay. The last thing he would ever want to do in such a vulnerable and intimate activity would be to hurt you.

Let's be honest, with the way he would be touching and fucking you slowly and gently, none of your reactions would be derived from any real pain. So you must assure him they were simply from the pleasure he was giving you.

Encourage him not to hold back, and assure him that it's okay. You'll say the safeword if you truly are in pain anyway.

And lord when he no longer restricts himself from all of the love he wants to give you at last, you'll feel it.

His motions will become much quicker, and much eager. He's sure to shake the bed a lot with all the speed and pressure he's thrusting into you, lol.

Prior to this, he had never been really vocal about his carnal desires. He'd probably think that they were improper and might give you the impression that he was a lech.

Yet, now that you've given him reassurance, he'll be comfortable enough to let you know all of the numerous positions he wants to make love to you in; how he wants to feel the weight of your legs hanging over his shoulders, wanting to feel the way you squeeze around him so tightly, and feel the way you'd release yourself all over him.

With all of the various ways a person can show love to another, his desire is to try and do all of them. He love you that much and wants to make sure you know it.

On that note, I also see him as the type to chant multiple, "I love you's", when he's close to cumming. And if he can, he'd hold you tightly, needing to feel you in his arms as he finally releases.

I'd also like to add that he probably has a praise kink. Idk, I just feel it in my bones. To show him appreciation for what he does and how good he's doing would make him so happy, both inside and outside of the bedroom.

JING YUAN

'Kay I honestly don't know much about him (as I still haven't gotten too far into the story) but I think he'd be the type to enjoy having you do most of the work in bed...at first

He'll enjoy you sucking him off and riding him while he simply lays back, eyes half-lidded, wrapped up in pleasure, and letting out occasional, guttural groans

But the moment you feel your legs giving out from bouncing on his cock for so long, he will be there to take over. His hands will immediately be at your hips, and he'll lean over to your ear, whispering lowly, "You did well, darling... allow me to take care of the rest". He'll have a smile on his face as he ponders over what he has in store for you.

And before you can move or say a word, he'll then continue to thrust up into you while slamming your hips down at the same time so that his cock penetrates the deepest part of your core.

You'll let out a sharp gasp and would instinctively grab hold of his shoulders as it felt like he was splitting you open with each thrust

He'll continue to fuck you with that sheer amount of force, that your body eventually gives in and he's fucking you as if you were a ragdoll.

Anyway, I think he'd be a big fan of 69, with him lying down and you on top of him. Whatever your weight is, it won't matter. He'll be able hold you up while eating you out and relishing the way you'd suck his dick.

SAMPO

He looks like the type that is determined to make you cry and whimper during the act, but in actuality, I think he'll be crying and whimpering by the end of it too LOL

During sex, he'll like to taunt you by denying you your orgasm, often pleasuring you with his tongue and quickly pulling it back when he knows you're close.

He will be borderline humiliating you, saying things like, "Aw, can't take it anymore? Does my little slut want to cum? Well, you'll have to beg for it, sweetie" while massaging your inner thighs, knowing how it gets you even more worked up

But don't worry, you'll have your chance for revenge when you're riding him. Simply insert the tip of his cock inside of you, and sure, slide up and down it a bit, but nothing more. The way your walls squeeze him so deliciously will make him try to thrust up as he'd need more stimulation, but don't allow him to. That's when you'll be able to make him beg as well

DAN HENG

Love-making with Dan Heng would be special. Rarely is he ever so willing to be vulnerable like this, giving both of yourselves to each other, both body and soul, but you are so dear to him that he feels safe to do so.

I think sex wouldn't be iniated by carnal desire alone (at least on his part) but would mostly be initiated by his emotional needs, particularly when he needed your comfort, your touch, and your essence; or when he fears of losing you, his desperation will settle in and give him the need to hold you protectively to him; and other than that, like anyone else, he'll do it when words can no longer express how much he loves and adores you.

And depending on which reason, his touches can range from being gentle and soft, to being desperate and needy.

Either way, what will never change is his praises and words of assurance to you. He'll always make sure to tell you how good you feel, how well you're taking him, and how beautiful you are.

He'll tell you all this as he fucks you, and most importantly, he'll ask you if you understand how precious you are to him.

And if you couldn't answer quickly even after all the love he's given you and had thrusted into you, even to the point of overflowing, then he wouldn't stop until he made sure you understood it, continuing on, no matter how long it would take

a/n: It's clear to see that my favorite is Gepard, haha

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, OR REPOST MY WRITING ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[imaprettygirl]

A drop of ink, a blot spread across time

(Vintage au)

Plot summary: It was 1950s when pen pals were popular and almost everyone had one! You used to have a handful of them but the camaraderie between you and them faded as you got older. One day, you found a newspaper on your late great-grandpa's shelves in his bedroom. Excitedly, you flipped the papers to get to a specific page and bingo! There was a section for the addresses of people who are looking for a pen-friend much like yourself. After randomly choosing, you sent out your first letter and he replied back! However, you noticed something weird in the photo he sent...

Crds to @drinkthesky for the divider!

Men I deem fit: Alhaitham, Albedo, Imbibitor Lunae/Dan Heng, Dr Ratio, Diluc, Zhongli, Venti, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Sunday.

(Fck alphabetical order, I can't do that sh*t)

The amber glow of the afternoon sun bathed the room as the open windows situated at the opposite of the door allowed sunlight streams to enter the room as its panes quivered in hushed symphony due to the beckoning of the hot air. If you moved closer to the windows, you could see dust particles illuminated by the natural light. Even after the passing of your great-grandfather, the bookish scent of his cologne still lingers in his bedroom along with his possessions which were either coated with a thin layer of dust or covered with a big white cloth.

The wooden floor creaked beneath you as you walked towards his bookshelves in hopes of finding pieces of classical literature and maybe learn a thing or two from it. You delicately traced your index finger through the long vertical rows of books, leaving a trail of dust on the pads of your digit. As you peruse through countless novels only to be unsatisfied until you saw a newspaper at the edge of the shelf, untouched by the dust that plagues the rest.

'How strange...' you thought to yourself as you rubbed your thumb and index finger against the surface of the paper to determine its texture: it was sandy and rough, definitely ancient but the format was similar to the ones your dad reads in the morning so it must be a freshly produced newspaper, albeit printed in a different quality of paper.

Or so you thought...

The newspapers in your hands gave you a glimmer of hope; it was an opportunity to find a pen friend! You used to have a few ones but stopped writing to them either because they used too much colloquial words or they had at least twenty spelling mistakes in each sentence which gave you a migraine whilst trying to make out if your correspondent was writing in a foreign language or not. But this time, maybe you could hit the jackpot and find an actually nice pen-pal. Excitedly, you flipped through the papers and stopped at the specific page which had a list of names along with their addresses under the bold heading:

'Pen-friends! Make new friends around the world!'

Your eyes scanned across the list of names, allowing your intuition to guess the personality of that stranger based on their names alone. But then, a specific name caught your eye- it was uncommon which was the main reason it stood out from the rest of the names which probably were taken from 'Top 10 best names for children of this year'. You took a closer look of the address below that person's name and turned out, both of you lived in the same area! A surge of enthusiasm rippled throughout your body and immediately tucked the newspaper into the inside pocket of your coat.

~~~~~♡~~~~~♡~~~~~♡~~~~~

The curtains of your living room slowly opened as you peeked your head out and pressed your face against the glass. A day had passed after you had sent your very first letter and heck, you even went a mile far by sending a photograph of your two cats to make a memorable first impression. Then- just like you had anticipated- the postman on his bike suddenly came into view and halted his vehicle by your mail-box and placed a letter inside. You clutched the folds of the curtains unable to contain the happiness blossoming inside you. As soon as the postman disappeared out of your eyesight, you rushed outside to take the letter out of the mailbox. The first thing that greeted your eyes was the immaculate handwriting and the scent emitted from the paper.

'How sweet of him...' you thought as you continued reading the letter in your mind. The paragraphs were neatly organized and made of outdated vocabulary that you wouldn't understand had you not taken an interest in classic literature. You could tell this man practiced utmost eloquence just by his letter alone. Overall, he wrote a few things about himself and asked you about your hobbies, what you like and blablabla.

But then, something struck within you concerning with the photograph he sent and notes written behind it:

"The construction of the mall is making my ears bleed. I cannot stand the constant sounds of the drills and other sounds coming from it. I daresay, you must be experiencing the same disturbance as we are only one street apart from each other. Perhaps we should plan to meet up after the mall opens. What do you think of it?"

The more you stared at the photograph and the note, the more confused you became. The picture showed the mall with the same as the one down the street but it was still in construction according to the photo. 'Huh?' A frown stretched across your face. That specific mall had been going on more nearly a century now to the point that the community had been urging the government to shut it down in order to build a more innovative one. Didn't it finish construction like a hundred years ago? But his photo told a whole new different story.

Suspicions rose inside of you as a spiral of questions revolved around your head- you found it difficult to process it. Not missing a beat, you hurried to your room to find that newspaper you took from your late great-grandfather's shelf. You mumbled in frustration when you couldn't find it; you swore you left it either on the desk or on the bed. Finally, you found it under the bed and oh my...

The letter was published a century back in time which meant that...

"T-The man I just sent a letter...was from the past...." The newspaper dropped from your hands. Your letter had ripped its way out of the fabric of time and went into the mailbox of a man who lived in the same area as you but different time period. He was in the past, you were in the future.

Still, a part of you felt curious about the interaction between two people of different dimensions. So you decided to reply back to his letter. What could go wrong...right?

To people who are more knowledgeable in time travel or parallel universes, pls don't attack me, I know what I wrote may or may not make sense for some of you but pls don't mind me 😭😭😭

And also, not proofread because I wrote this around midnight and I'm literally on the verge of dozing off- (Ik I have such healthy sleep cycles and I have to wake up at 6 am yayyy!! Sleep-deprived-students-core😘🙆🤗)

[sheyfu]

"i love you."

"what do you want? a massage? food? money? orrrr do you have a fever right now, dan heng?" you place a hand on his forehead, trying to find out if he actually does have a fever or just really sleep deprived.

it's not everyday dan heng acts like this. heck, it's even weirder as you two haven't even gotten to that kind of relationship.

"your skin is cool, and you don't seem to need anything other than, uhm.. sleep?" scratching your head, you look at him dumbfoundedly, trying to find out what the hell was happening to dan heng.

"i love you." cold dragon young says with more conviction as he stakes a step closer to you.

now that's suspicious.

"uhmmmm.. are you really sure you're okay?" worriedly, you place your hand on his forehead again, double checking to see if he was actually okay. "dan heng, please tell me if you're not feeling well-"

"i love you. i love you so much i can't even take it. every time i see you, my heart skips a beat, my breath gets caught in my throat, my hands start shaking like some fucking washing machine. you're so beautiful. too beautiful to the point that i want to throw myself out of the express because my brain goes into overdrive like 'bazinga'. i love you so much. i love you so very much to the point where i want to give everything up just to take care of you. i want to give you flowers, i want to hug you, kiss you, dance in the rain with you-"

"okay, cut! what the hell was that, dan heng? i thought we were supposed to film an introductory video for the belobog music festival and not a confession video??" a confused march 7th asks in the distance---a deep, scarlet blush coating her cheeks as she processes what the fuck just happened.

"hmm. how romantic." welt yang nods his head in approval. clearly proud of his (son) friend.

"i never knew you could be this sappy, dan heng~" himeko lets out a giggle, clearly amused with his spontaneous confession.

"sigh" a tired pom-pom expresses, head low as they walk back to the conductor’s carriage.

"did pom-pom just say 'sigh' and then actually sighed?"

"not a word, trash bomb man!"

"damn pom-pom. what did i do to you?!" caelus drops to his knees as he bangs on the floor. crocodile tears flowing from his eyes as he takes in the "betrayal" of their dear conductor.

"a- anyways.. let's do this again, shall we? by again, i mean introducing yourselves and.. a- and not.. confessing?" letting out a nervous chuckle, march sets up her camera, preparing to take another shot.

meanwhile, both of you and dan heng are left to bask in each other's embarrassment.

"soooooo" you let out a nervous chuckle. "was that, you know, uhh, part of the script? did march give you the wrong script to mess with you?" looking at his face for answers, you're left disappointed as the same, uninterested expression stays on his face.

after a few moments of awkward silence, march finally calls out your attention.

thank god, march! if it weren't for you, i would've already called [omi] to swallow me whole!

"get ready! remember, an introduction video. have some decorum! we can't let the whole of jarilo-vi catch us lacking~ anyways, on the count of three. one, two-"

"i mean it by the way." dan heng cooly says as he returns back to his original position.

"three!"

"WHAT?!"

"hey! i thought i said decorum!"

well, having no decorum is better than accidentally confessing to your crush in front of your (parents) coworkers anyway. right, dan heng?

[omi] - part of mother yn's kit; a void she can summon to eat her enemies up (kinda looks like ix and is very cutesy pie mhm)

[cloudshuffle]

cuteness aggression. yan!luofu

Blade

As much as you'd like to encourage his wishes, Blade has this nasty habit of his that's called not dying.

Unfortunately for you, you're very capable of that, and so someone has to feed the two miserable, lonely people living under his roof.

You're in his kitchen again, having restored it to minimal working capability, making a simple cabbage and dumpling stew. Occasionally Kafka would get too busy to ask you both out, meaning that Blade had no plans for dinner and you'd go hungry.

The house is blessedly empty, your humming echoing slightly off the sparsely furnished walls. No Blade there, sitting on the couch, doing nothing but boring a hole through you as you prepare dinner.

Keys rattle in the lock, and your face falls just as Blade comes through the door.

He smells sharply of salt and electricity - the scent of blood, still wet on his cuffs. The two of you stand, frozen, eyeing the other for a moment.

Then suddenly he's in front of you, his expression dark. You utter a small yelp, taking a step back, and Blade follows, chest heaving just an inch from your skin.

"...Hi?" you say meekly, trying not to wilt under his smouldering stare. You're not sure what you might have done this time, but you don't feel like sticking around for the aftermath.

He hesitates. Then you're pressed tightly against him, wound up in his embrace, his stained fingers running through your hair.

It feels almost reverent, if not for the fact that he's... crushing you.

"Blade," you manage to gasp out, pushing uselessly against him. "Too tight."

He looks down at you sharply, as if disappointed that you'd be so weak, but releases you slightly. His amber eyes move slowly, from your eyes to your lips, then back up.

"What's going on?" you ask, face still smushed against him.

A moment of silence. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Jing Yuan

You're curled up in his windowsill, entirely submerged in the pages of a book, the late afternoon turning the paper golden. You've more or less forgotten that he was supposed to be at his desk doing paperwork - until a shadow falls over you.

You look up just in time to see Jing Yuan hoist you into the air. You yelp, helpless as he carries you to the desk and into his lap.

"What- Jing Yuan, what the heck?" He's awfully gentle with you as always, and you're more annoyed at having lost your place in the book than your sudden relocation. He wears his trademark half-smile, full of affection, cuddling you to his chest.

"Nothing, nothing." He chuckles, pressing a kiss onto your head and then inhaling the scent of your hair. "Stay here."

These moments happen often - Jing Yuan suddenly being struck with a surge of affection or whatever it was and interrupting whatever it was you were doing. Cuteness aggression was what the books called it. An annoyance was what you were inclined to name it instead.

Still... at least he was kind. And you had to admit it was nice to be shown affection like this every once in a while. So you settle in, content to indulge in him... just a little while.

Dan Heng (IL)

His tail undulates on the floor in front of you, flicking back and forth like a cat's. And like a cat, you glance at him, making sure his back is turned, and reach out a hand to catch the end, scraping your nails lightly along the scales. They feel so much like a snake's, yet more... luxurious, somehow...

You pause. Suddenly it seems like he hasn't moved in a moment.

Glancing up, Dan Heng's staring back at you, face impassive, expression unreadable.

You let his tail go slowly. "S-sorry..."

Something flickers deep in his green eyes, and you barely register the snarl on his lips before he's pounced, caging you in place on the mattress.

You flinch away, feeling the prick of sharp fangs right below your pulse, his chest heaving against yours, the rumble of a growl building in his chest. Dan Heng's tail flicks, brushing one leg to the other.

But he doesn't move. And you get the courage to open your eyes, just a little.

His eyes are fixed on yours, his lips on your skin but frozen, as if he's afraid to move.

"Heng?" you whisper.

Your voice seems to break whatever spell he's under.

"Sorry. I'm... I'm sorry." He moves away from your pulse, burying his face in your chest instead. "I shouldn't... I'm sorry."

His expression is crestfallen, whatever high he was on immediately crashed.

"It's... it's okay." Hesitantly, you pet his hair. He utters an affectionate rumble, like a giant cat.

[deltaromeo3]

𝟷-𝟸 𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚝𝚜 ⋆ Daniel Ricciardo

pairing: daniel ricciardo x teammate!reader

• as requested by: lovely vex!

“They’re gonna think we’re idiots!”

It was a raining cats and dogs on race day. You were sat in your driver’s room because the race has been red flagged. You decided to wander out to the garage just for the heck of it.

You exit your drivers room and walked to the garage, only to be greeted by a sea of mechanics and engineers who were also feeling down due to race being postponed. You smiled and greeted them back, but your eyes were searching for someone else; your teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

Your eyes scanned the garage. Ah there he is! Seated beside Tom, his engineer. They were busy discussing about what you assumed were data and statistics, and he seemed so in the zone, listening closely to what Tom was saying, so you took this chance to scare him from behind.

Tom saw you creeping up to Daniel but you put a finger to your lips as if to say “Don’t blow my cover”.

“Boo!”

“Jesus!” Daniel jumps in his seat, turning to look behind to see which bugger scared the living shit out of him.

“Gotcha,” You said as you laughed. Daniel smacks your arm in response. After that, you decided you didn’t want to leave. Instead, you took a seat on his right thigh, wrapping your arms around his neck and instinctively, his hands wrapped around your waist.

You listened as Tom was talking to him. Daniel of course was nodding along and asking him questions but you didn’t care so much.

Everyone around the both of you seem to not care that you were seated on Daniel, they knew that this was a common occurrence.

“Aw cmon Dan! Open your mouth wider!” You said as you tossed him another M&M.

The chocolate lands in his mouth. “Yes!” You celebrated. Daniel smiles and pumps his fist up into the air, celebrating as well.

The pair of you have been at it for a solid 10 minutes. Anything to chase away the rainy day blues, am I right?

“I have excellent aim.” You complimented yourself, a smug look apparent on your face.

“Oh is that so? Okay, your turn.” You nodded, getting into stance, opening your mouth wide to catch the M&M Daniel was about to throw.

Unfortunately you missed. You pout and Daniel laughs. “Cmon Y/N you can do it,” He squeezes your shoulder for encouragement. You took a deep breathe and stood in position again.

“Ready?” He asks.

You nod. “Ready. Toss me one!” You open your mouth.

The M&M lands in your mouth. Your eyes widened in excitement. Daniel comes over and daps you up, “Atta girl!”

Little did you know the cameras caught all of that. Practically everyone saw what the two of you were doing…

Post Race Interview

“Hey Y/N! It’s nice to see you again. How was the race? Congratulations by the way, 1-2 podium with Daniel by your side, how does it feel?”

“It’s nice to see you again too. Thank you! Um, it feels great actually! And it’s even better that it’s my home race. I feel happy. Even happier that I managed to finish ahead of Daniel.” You cheekily smile.

“So we understand that the race was postponed correct?” You nodded. “What happened there? Back in the garage? You and Daniel seem to get along well.”

You laughed, realising the cameras caught your nonsense. “Oh you meant- ah right!” Just as you were about to answer, Daniel comes into frame, scaring you from behind.

“Oi!” You turned around to be met with Daniel laughing.

“And that is how you scare the race winner, folks!” He says to camera and you rolled your eyes.

“Sorry I got a lil’ distracted there as you can see,” You rolled your eyes again, “Maybe Daniel can answer that question, right Daniel?” You looked over to Daniel.

“Y-yeah sure! What’s up?” He steps in front of the mic.

“We’re just wondering, what happened back in the garage? Was a lot of chaos as we saw it.”

Daniel laughs. “Oh that?” He looks over to you and the both of you exchanged looks, a stiffled laugh coming out of you.

“Nothing! We were just tryna.. um.. I don’t know, chase the blues away. It was raining and we were bored out of our minds.”

“So I take it that you both have a good relationship off the track?” The interviewer asks.

“Yeah of course. She may be annoying at times but I’m used to it y’know?”

“Hey!” You smacked Daniel’s arm. “As annoying as I am, at least I finished ahead of you.” You quipped back.

“She’s feisty,” The interviewer says to Daniel.

“Yeah. And thank God you’re not on the receiving end of it,”

The interviewer laughs before continuing to ask the both of you a few more questions before they finish off.

You walked away with Daniel, side by side.

“See, I told you!”

“Told me what?”

“That if anyone saw us, they’re gonna think we’re idiots!”

He laughs. “Well, the two idiots they just saw won a 1-2 podium. I’d say we make a pretty good team.”

“Yeah… I agree.”

[feroluce]

“-and that's why I ain't allowed in Pier Point no more!” Boothill throws his head back and cackles, somehow completely comfortable on the bare floor of the archives. He's the very picture of ease, his arms behind his head, his legs bent and crossed.

Dan Heng barely looks up from his notebook, not much surprises him anymore after the first few tales of lawless exploits. “So they really have that many laws and restrictions there.” 

“And prob’ly a few more now that I've been through there! Heck, ya think they named any after me? I'm hopin’ so.” There's so much smug cockiness seeping through his voice Dan Heng could bottle it.

Silence settles in, stretches out. Dan Heng doodles pensive circles in the corner of his page.

He shouldn't ask. It's a private matter. It's none of his business. He of all people should know-

Something pokes his shoe, and when he looks up, Boothill has stretched one arm up to tap metallic fingertips against his foot. “Ain't like ya to hesitate.” With his head tipped back on the tiles and gazing at him upside down, Boothill's hair is out of his face and spooling out all over the floor, offering a rare view of his right side. His right eye is sealed over with a pitch-black patch, stark against his skin. Dan Heng wonders what he looks like behind it. “C'mon, then, out with it. Spill the beans, brother, just say it.”

“What does ‘Boothill’ mean?”

The man blinks at him, the crosshair in his cybernetic left eye flickering. Dan Heng shifts, smooths out his long coat. “I tried to look it up once. It's not in any database as a name...other than your wanted posters.” There's a thread beginning to fray near the hem, he should sew it up. “I couldn't find it anywhere.” 

He nearly takes it back, but- “Heh, ya that curious about me, darlin’?”

Dan Heng quickly levels his face into the most impassive, nonplussed expression he can muster, but Boothill has already turned away, head pillowed on his arms and face once again turned to the ceiling.

“But nah, ya wouldn't. Hah, like they'd allow any record of the language, fudgeheads.” One arm sweeps around blindly until it finds the edge of Boothill's hat, sets it back where it belongs on his head. Dan Heng shuffles around, scoots a little closer, but the brim is pulled too low to see his eyes anymore.

“It's ‘cause it's not a name. It's a noun.” All that's visible of his face is a sharp grin, pulled too tight at the edges.

“It's my people's word for a grave.”

Dan Heng's pencil stops.

“It's the kinda grave fer someone who died with their boots on. If ya catch my drift there.” Boothill's foot starts to bounce. “There was a war, and it got reeeeeal intense, yup. Folks started droppin’ like flies, ‘n’ there was bodies faster'n what we could bury ‘em.” A cooling fan kicks on somewhere. Dan Heng is pretty sure it's not any of the Express equipment.

“We lost some real good people there, real good. Mighty shame.” His hidden Vidyadhara ears detect a quiet metallic click, a whir, pressurized gas. Boothill's next words waft steam from his angry circuits into the air. “When I left, I decided to leave my name there, too. Didn't feel right otherwise. The life I lead now is a whole ‘nother existence.” And then Boothill turns his head, raises his hat, and Dan Heng suddenly feels pinned dead center, caught in that crosshair.

“Ya know what I mean, don'tcha?”

Dan Heng swallows.

Does Boothill know? Who he is and who came before him? There had been that moment in the Penacony Grand Theater, after he activated the Jade Abacus… Dan Heng had tried to shoo him out, keep him from seeing anything, but Boothill has the astounding ability to turn up exactly wherever people are trying to keep him away from.

If he did see, does he actually understand it? Does he know what a High Elder is? Does he know about the sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, the transmutation arcanum, everything Dan Feng had done and Dan Heng was punished for?

He doesn't want to explain it all. Not now. Possibly not ever, truth be told.

And it's not the same as Boothill leaving behind his old identity when whatever event happened that caused him to leave home. Not really. But…

But so far, Boothill has slid so easily into Dan Heng’s routine. His presence never feels like an intrusion. He's already figured out what he can push and when to back down. And even Dan Heng finds himself able to roll with whatever punches Boothill throws with baffling ease. They share too much in their methods and ideologies, and sometimes Dan Heng knows what Boothill will do seemingly before even Boothill himself knows.

“...Tell me about Talia and the Nailscrap Town.” Boothill must know he's avoiding the topic. He must. But the man just throws his head back and cackles, melting easily back into what they had been doing before, as he speaks fondly of a planet that Dan Heng has never visited.

Not today. But.

Dan Heng inches just a little closer, just enough to nudge his foot against a metal leg. Boothill doesn't pull away.

Maybe someday.

[antimatterz]

cute boy on the bus

dan heng x gn!reader

summary: you're crushing on the cute guy who sits next to you on the bus.

cw: pining, fluff, short drabble, modern college au

content under the cut | masterlist

the bus drew to a halt, and your heartbeat picked up in your chest. this was it. the stop your crush always got on the bus. the doors slid open with a puff, and various people exited while others waited to enter. you swiftly pretended to gaze out of the window, but from the corner of your vision you paid full attention to the bus' entrance.

and indeed, you spotted a familiar raven fringe as dan heng entered the large vehicle. you felt giddy, because basically all the students that took this bus stuck to their 'own seats'. and he just so happened to always sit down next to you. this time was no exception, and you watched excitedly how he greeted some friends left and right as he made his way through the isle, heading straight towards the seat next to you.

you sat up, fixed your hair, thanked the aeons that you had the window seat so you could look outside, and waited for dan heng to arrive – like you always did. you occasionally ran into him in the college hallways, and you even shared a class with him, but being so close to him as you were on the bus was always the little highlight of your day.

if you thought about it, it was such a silly crush. your friends often teased you with it, and you understood why. you didn't acknowledge each other's presence while you were in school – or, dan heng didn't, but shared little moments while you rode the bus that took you back and forth between home and college. yet it was safe to say that you were simply smitten for this guy.

finally, after what seemed like an all-too cliché slowmotion moment, he sat down next to you. he greeted you briefly, a simple "hello y/n," that fell off his lips and was like music to your ears. you greeted him back, albeit shyly.

and that was about it. you sat next to each other in silence, occasionally exchanging an accidental glance that lasted for but a second before you both looked away hurriedly. you spent around twenty-three minutes like that before the bus arrived near the campus, where your paths would separate. from then on, you'd look forward to the way home, when you got to sit next to dan heng on the bus again.

even though your interactions were so limited, they meant the world to you. they held the power to make your day a little brighter between the long and stressful college hours. dan heng was your little light, though he was completely unaware of that.

but you had completely missed the way his eyes had lit up when he found you on your usual seat, nor did you know these moments made his day a little better just as much. you didn't see his eagerness to talk to you, or the way his cool and stoic demeanor faltered when he was near you – heck, the usually quiet male was dying to talk to you, but words refused to spill as he was just as nervous as you were. he wasn't shy, like you, but he was equally flustered by simply being near you. because yes, your little bus-crush was just as whipped for you.

[yccoffeesimp]

𝑊𝒉𝑦 𝐷𝑖𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑂𝑘𝑖𝑒 𝐷𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑒? | ??? 𝑋 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Prolouge:

Warnings: Disturbing Contents Blood/Gore/Obsessiveness/Manipulation/Mentions of suicide/Knives/Violence/mentions of mental illnesses (like depression)/Dan Heng & Blade being in the same atmosphere/Character Deaths/Gaslighting

Please if you are triggered by any of this. Consider not reading.

"Y/n! Wait up!" You heard a familiar voice from behind you. Turning your head, you saw your childhood, and only best friend, Gepard running towards you. For the past year , he's been sleeping in and making you wait for him every morning. At first you didn't have a problem with it until he started sleeping in way too much which nearly caused you to arrive to school late. You weren't dealing with angry teachers for your tardiness so you left without waiting for him.

The blondie finally caught up with you when you finally stopped at the cross walk. "You-You really gotten faster." He breathlessly said as you placed your hands on your hip.

→ "Maybe don't sleep in next time."

You say. The blonde stood up straight, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Apologies Y/n," he said,"I'll try not to keep you waiting."

→ "It's fine. I guess."

You said. Gepard smiled shortly at you before he looked to come to a sudden realization. "Oh Y/n! I almost forgot. Have you decided what club you want to be in for this year?" He asked.

You froze. It dawned on you that you promised Gepard to join a club this year, and you entirely forgot."Y/n? Don't tell me you're planning not to join one."

→ "Uhhhh- I was totally planning to join one. Just not now?"

You explained. You heard the blonde sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Y/n, you promised to join one this year. How can you get any friends when you constantly are playing on your phone ,and refusing to socialize?" He said, you rolled your eyes.

→ "Says you." You say. Gepard looked shocked and yet slightly red. "Well- I'm trying too and plus I've been able to make more friends ." He said.

→ "Uh huh, yeah sure. Say that when you have other people to sit with at lunch."

Gepard sighed. "Look, will you at least actually try to? Your happiness matters to me Y/n. I don't want to see you alone, and plus I want you to have others around you when I can't be." He said, causing you to sigh.

→ "Fine, I'll actually try. But I can't promise that I'll join one."

Gepard smiled. "I'm glad you're at least trying."

You felt a smile on your face. Seeing Gepard happy, made you feel happy too. He's been stressed with school and home so to put a smile on his face and his mind at ease was something you were proud and happy about.The nice moment was ruined of course when in the distance you both heard the school bell ring. Both of your eyes widened before immediately dashing towards the gate. Out of breath as you both managed to get to school before the gate closed. "I guess see you at lunch?" Gepard asked, wiping off a bit of sweat from his forehead. You nodded.You both waved bye before heading your separate ways.

-X -

The end of class bell rang as the day flew by. You were sitting at the back of the class of Bio when it rang. 'I should probably start looking at clubs now. *Ugh*I might as well start with the gaming club.' You were spacing out when you felt a tap on your shoulder. Instinctively you immediately went to hit whatever it was until you saw a familiar blonde with blue eyes male.

→ "Hey Gepard."

You said, relaxing a bit. "Hey Y/n, sorry to disturb you but I was gonna meet you outside but I saw you in here doing nothing alone." You looked around, seeing that you were the only one there, heck even the teacher was gone.

→" Oh-"

"So have you taken into consideration what club you wanted to join?" Gepard asked, helping you get your stuff.

→ "Not yet."

You lied, you were thinking about joining the gaming club. It was fun and would be less boring plus you don't think anyone would bother you anyways. It would more than likely be filled with introverts and nothing more but gaming challenges etc. "Then how about you join my club?" He smiled.

→ " Your club? What is your club even about?"

"Well it's the literature club-"

→"No."

You said with no hesitation. "Come on, it isn't that bad plus..." Gepard seemed nervous.

→ "Plus what?"

"I kind of promised everyone that I'd bring a new member.." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Right then and there you wanted to facepalm yourself.

→ " That's a personal problem."

Gepard rolled his eyes.

"Come on, please Y/n. You don't have to join- Just at least give it a chance." He said, looking at you desperately. "Dan Heng already made tea and a tray of desserts for this." He continued.You looked at him at the mention of food and tea.

→ "Fine, I'll go see your club."

Gepard's face lit up. "Wait- Really?" He asked. You nodded. He smiled brightly the entire way you both went up to the fourth floor of the school.It was primarily used for storage and club activities, plus the teacher's lounge was located here too. You both walked until you reached the end of the hallway to which Gepard stopped at the room to the left. He looked back at you, probably checking to see if you were ready, before opening the doors.

The classroom had three bookshelves filled with many genres and a back closet. It seems to have 20 desks, a teacher's podium in the front with a whiteboard on the wall with a reminder. 'Festival is happening soon!' You were too busy looking around the room to pay any attention to the three insanely attractive men in front of you before Gepard spoke.

"Hey guys, I brought the new member!" He announced. Your head snapped at him.

→ "Don't call me the new member."

You muttered.

"Welcome to the club." You heard a voice say, you turned to see a black haired male with cameo blue eyes and two translucent turquoise horns. "Mhm..." Another black haired male hummed, the ends of his hair faded to a tint of red and his eyes were an orange red.

"Everyone, I want you to meet my friend, Y/n." Gepard said. "It's lovely to see you again." A familiar voice said. Immediately you turned to see the one and only perfect student, Jing Yuan warmly smiling at you. "Y/n meet Dan Heng, Blade, and I assume you already know Jing Yuan?" Gepard said, introducing everyone. Jing Yuan nodded."We are fairly acquainted already." He chuckled.

→ " We both had Mr. Svarog for homeroom last year right?"

You asked. "Indeed. I'm glad to see you taking interest in the Literature club.""I am as well, I'm Dan Heng by the way." Dan Heng said. The one you assumed to be Blade didn't say anything but simply stared at you. Then there was a high pitch whistle as Dan Heng immediately went to go get the tea.

"Please take a seat at the table Y/n." Gepard smiled. At the near back there was a table with four chairs. Blade then moved an extra chair before Gepard could and motioned for you to sit.You sat down beside Gepard as Dan Heng set tea cups in front of you all, pouring the perfect amount of tea with Blade setting down a tray of sweets and pastries.

-x-

"So tell me Y/n, what made you want to join our club?" Blade asked, obviously glaring at you. You glanced at Gepard, you already knew that if you told the truth he'd be in trouble so you came up with the only excuse you had.

-> "Well I was looking for something to occupy my mind for a while and Gepard seemed to enjoy this club so I wanted to give it a shot."

You lied, putting on the fakest smile you could. "Well I'm glad you decided to join us." Jing Yuan smiles at you again. You felt your face slightly heat up. Having one of the most attractive and popular boys smile at you so warmly and genuinely made you feel some time of way.

"It's nice to see you join, we've been trying to get others to join as well but they won't give it a chance." Jing Yuan said as Blade nodded. "I made this club with the intention of having others show and have their love for literature grow, to be able to express ourselves if that's easier to put it."

"Our goal is to make the Literature club popular before we graduate next year. "Mhm." Dan Heng hummed, taking a sip of the tea. Gepard nodded alongside Blade.Dang these guys seem to be serious about this club. "So what books do you read anyways?" Blade asked, still glaring at you.

→"Well I don't read a lot but the few I have were fantasy or adventure fiction, but a lot was fanfiction."

Dan Heng's head perked a bit at the topic but he didn't say anything.

→ "What about you Blade?"

Blade kept quiet before Jing Yuan spoke."He reads horror novels and books a lot. Some vampire ones too from the books I've seen him read once or twice." Immediately Blade glared at Jing Yuan, obviously not liking how he spoke for him. It was obvious from the moment you met Blade, he was a loner and probably someone who causes fights easily, yet to see someone with that kind of attitude about them read was kind of cute in a way.

"Oh- Dan Heng, I forgot to mention earlier but at the last meeting you seemed to forget your notebook." Jing Yuan spoke, before sliding a notebook with maple leaves on it to Dan Heng.

"Thank you Jing Yuan.." he said. "Isn't that the notebook you were writing that novel of yours in?" Gepard asked, Dan Heng nodded. "It's still a working progress.."He explained. "Really? I thought by now after 6 months it would be at least done by now." Gepard said.

→ "You write your own novels?" You ask Dan Heng. He nodded.

→ "That's quite impressive, not gonna lie." Dan Heng slightly smiles. "Perhaps one day you can share it with the rest of us." Gepard said. "Speaking of writings, Blade, don't you write as well?" Jing Yuan asks him.

"No-" Blade was cut off by Gepard.

" But I saw you writing-"

"Shut up." Blade snapped at him. "Seems that we have to give you some confidence. Say this gives me an idea." Jing Yuan said.The three of you looked at him expectively. "Tonight we go home and write a short story and at the next meeting, we read them aloud. Plus since we have a new member now, it would give us a chance to learn more about each other." Jing Yuan said.

→ "Actually about that- I never said I was joining. I might've come to see it but I still have other clubs to- Uhh."

You froze, seeing the four boys slightly sad and rather disappointed faces. "I see, apologies for assuming you were joining." Dan Heng said. Blade was still glaring at you but more intensely. "Well- This is rather unfortunate but I do hope we can one day welcome you as a new member some day." Jing Yuan said, the disappointment in his voice was clear. "Y/n.." Gepard looked at you with a solemn expression, he was obviously hoping you'd actually join.

You felt a sting of guilt and shame as you sighed. Today is the day you sell your soul just to see some hot dudes who read and tea.

→ "I've decided... I'm joining."

Their faces immediately lit up as Gepard pulled you into a tight hug. "Thank you y/n." He whispered before pulling away. "Well then welcome to the Literature club, Y/n l/n. Alright everyone, I think today's meeting can end on a good note."

After that you walked home...Unaware of the new surprises you'll now face...⁠♡

[razorblade180]

I like your honkai headcanon that Stelle and Caelus are both members of the express and work together. Do you have any headcanons of the crew you've made so far?

This is more of list of vague ideas and perceptions I get.

March is a big fan of Dan Heng and Caelus. Her limited social filter works over time when they are both around her.

Caelus and Stelle sleep on the couches because they don’t have rooms; unless March is away. She always comes back to see one on top of the covers and another on the floor. They claim she has the only room that feels like a room.

Stelle goes into the Simulated Universe 10 times more than Caelus. He tends to end up dealing with more of the social requests

Kafka made Caelus how he is with Silver Wolf in mind. The implications of that drive the girl mad because what the heck does that mean!? Caelus love’s teasing her.

Stelle has conflicting feelings about Gepard. She knows he’s nice, but the Simulated Universe runs has put him at the top of her fake hit list.

Seele regularly introduces Luka as a lost dog that she is more than happy to put into someone else’s hands.

It roughly seven hours before Seele finds the person she let Luka run off with and demands his return into her custody. They’re never surprised by this. Luka told them this is how it always ends.

Bronya is dating Seele and thinks Luka is a very sweet man.

Asta has an automated reply to the trailblazers that says “ is it Svarog again?”

Completely on accident, Qingque became the trump card everyone will play in dire situations. She’s just too reliable and it makes her upset.

Sushang is everyone’s favorite. The battle is never over unless Sushang says it’s over. (She just saves my life so much. 😂😭)

Stelle:Could say things about Welt but nobody would ever look at her the same ever again. Not that Caelus can’t tell from a glance that girl wishes Welt was a man with loose integrity.

Stelle carries Clara a lot. Caelus carries hook respectfully and Bailu like a briefcase. She just pouts about it.

Stelle will go to sleep if Caelus carries her on his back. It’s like a rule of nature.

Natasha loves everyone, but desperately waits for the day another healer shows up to free her ever so slightly.

Asta thinks both trailblazers are cute and texts them the most.

Bronya likes Caelus’s hugs. He is very brotherly towards her and wishes not to stress her about anything.

Serval and Stelle are best friends.

Seele strangely feels relaxed enough to sleep anywhere as long as Luka is around keeping an eye out.

Fu Xuan has seen many possibilities where Stelle tries talking the General. The only times it works is when Stelle brings Caelus to “distract” her. She just thinks this short lived life form is pretty neat and tall. He’s starting to think Kafka just knows how to disarm short stubborn women and that’s alarming.

Sushang and Seele have been seen taking on an entire separate groups of enemies and winning without giving anyone else a turn. Instead of being tired afterwards, adrenaline and speed buffs had them acting like kids in a candy store. Everyone was impressed.

Both trailblazers are fairly introverted and accidentally called Himeko mom. They now get allowances.

[teaberrii]

Chapter 23: Stelle

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

“You remember me,” Sampo says, smiling. “Gosh, that makes me feel so special.”

Pom jumps out of bed as Sampo walks to the kitchen. He flips open cupboards, looking for something to eat just as Pom skids to a stop at the doorway.

“What in the world are you doing here?”

“Gosh, Pom. We haven’t seen each other in so long. You aren’t even going to offer me a drink?” Sampo casually flips the cupboard shut. “How rude.” Just before he moves on to the next, Pom stops him. Then, Sampo sighs. “Take a wild guess. Why do you think I’m here?”

“Surely not for tea and cookies, that’s for sure.”

As Sampo walks into the living room, he says, “Don’t worry. I’m not here to take your souls or suck the life out of you and Cupid. I’m simply worried for my dear ‘ol friends.”

“Friends? We met by chance, but you never met Cupid.”

“Are you sure?” 

Pom crosses his arms. "Sure I'm sure! We met that time on the Astral."

When Sampo looks down and smiles, Pom starts rubbing his fingers against his palms. Why does it seem like Sampo knows something he doesn’t? But then again, Pom always had a… strange feeling about this man.

Sampo’s relationship with the gods is a business. He takes souls to the afterlife when it’s their time, and he has made a name for himself. Those who don’t personally know him  call him the Grim Reaper. Those who do call him Sampo, but even Pom has his suspicions that’s just an alias.

“Did we?”

“I am not going to play games with you,” Pom says. “I know that was the only time we met. And while I have no idea what the heck you’re doing here, leave us alone.”

Suddenly, Pom is held against the wall. Sampo’s hand is around his neck. Pom’s eyes widen as he desperately claws at Sampo’s gloved hand but the man’s grip is too strong.

“You were always so unwelcoming, Pom.” Sampo leans closer until he’s next to Pom’s ear. “Maybe if you'd behaved, the gods wouldn’t have given you that final verdict.” Pom gasps when Sampo gives him a rare opportunity to breathe. "The time is coming for you to start thinking about yourself." Sampo moves so he can look Pom in the eyes. "There are no lifelong friends."

Pom blinks, and as soon as he opens his eyes, he’s back on his bed, staring at the white ceiling. He immediately sits up and puts a hand around his neck. Was that a dream? A hallucination? Pom quickly gets out of bed and peeks into the kitchen and then the living room. Everything is the way he’d left it.

Maybe that was a bad dream. It had to be. Why would Sampo visit him out of all people? And what was with all the talk about gods and final verdicts? Sounds like fiction, a joke, nonsense that—

Pom freezes as soon as he sees his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He swallows as he slowly puts his hand around his bruised neck, proof that whatever happened was far from a dream. Pom slightly shakes his head. Okay. First things first. He needs to get in touch with you. Or, should he call for Lan? Nanook? Do they know Sampo is here? Do they know why? Or, better yet, will they know what Sampo’s talking about?

Suddenly, Pom’s phone goes off, startling him out of his thoughts. He walks over and picks up his phone off the counter.

“Stelle. What’s up?”

“Are you free tonight?” she asks. “Everyone’s coming over for Game Night. Was thinking if you’d like to drop by, too.”

“Everyone…?”

“Yeah. Gepard, March, Dan Heng…” There’s a slight pause before she says your name. “You should come if you’re not busy.”

“I’ll be right over.”

Before Pom can hang up, Stelle suddenly asks, “...Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Cupid. Who… Who is she? Really.”

Pom opens his mouth but the words are caught in his throat. “I… What do you mean, Stelle?”

“...You’ve been friends for a long time. Right?”

“That’s right. But… she’s just a student. She’s—”

“No, she’s not.” Pom’s palms start to sweat. Where is Stelle getting this confidence from? “Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I saw her… I saw her with a woman who looked a lot like Dan Heng’s mother.”

“Wait, Stelle.” Pom tightens the grip on his phone. “Was this a dream? Why are you suddenly asking about Cupid?”

Earlier in the day, Stelle had just gotten off the phone with her father. She was walking into the living room when she sensed that she wasn’t alone. She turned and saw the curtains flutter from a breeze through the window. Perhaps she was overthinking. She just wanted company. When she turned back, her eyes went wide as a hand covered her mouth. But what frightened her to the core was that she couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream.

“Hello, dearie.” Sampo could see the fear in her eyes, and it made him smile.

Then, after a snap of his fingers, he removed his hand from her mouth, and Stelle suddenly asked, “Who the hell are you?” But she still couldn’t move.

“Well, some people call me the Grim Reaper… but that’s not how I’m going to introduce myself to a pretty woman like yourself.” Stelle went as pale as a sheet. “Call me Sampo.”

“What do you want? Why are you here?”

Sampo opened a cookie jar on the counter and reached inside. Then, he pulled one out. “Chocolate chip… my favourite.” After taking a bite, he said, “How much do you know about Cupid and Pom?”

“...You know them?”

“The three of us go a long way back.” Sampo smiled. “But not as long as you and Cupid.”

“...Me and Cupid? I’ve only known her for—”

Sampo gestured for her to stop talking, and while Stelle didn’t want to, she was forced to. “Oh, my dear Stelle, you've known her much longer than you think.” She blinked and Sampo was suddenly standing right in front of her. He put a hand behind her head and said, “Should I show you what I know?”

A sharp pain shot through her head. Sampo watched with amusement as he released her and she fell to her knees. When she closed her eyes, she suddenly saw you and a woman who looked a lot like Dan Heng’s mother. She had you pinned to the ground. One of her hands was around your throat. The other was holding a knife.

“Stelle heard the woman say: "I should’ve known better than to trust my son."

Stelle couldn’t see what you did from behind the large bush she was hiding in, but you somehow wrestled out of the woman’s grip and quickly got to your feet.

“I’m not your enemy,” you said with conviction.

“You’re supposed to be dead!”

The woman’s movements were so fast that Stelle couldn’t make out what was happening. One second the woman was standing a few feet away. The next, she stood behind you, except you’d used a knife to block her attempt to slit your throat. You were shaking. The blade was getting dangerously close to your neck. You pushed back, and the woman skidded across the ground.

“Why… Why would Jing Yuan choose to save you?”

You tightened the grip on your knife as you circled her. “...Choose to save me? Jing Yuan never saved me.”

“You were the one who was supposed to die that night!” Then, after a choked sob, she said, “Not… Not my son.”

“Is that what Jing Yuan told you? Is that how he got you to cooperate?” When the woman held your gaze, you said, “You used black magic to conceal the entire execution. Even if Jing Yuan tricked you that he was going to kill me, why would you help him in the first place? He’s human.”

The woman scoffed. " That didn’t stop my son from getting involved with you.”

“We loved each other." Metal clashed against metal as Stelle watched with wide eyes that you stopped the knife inches from your stomach. “...And I still love him. I always will.” You pushed back and after multiple clashes, the woman’s blade fell to the ground. “Don't you see we have a common enemy?"

“I'll be damned if I work with someone like you." She watched you cautiously as she said, "Your parents… they ruined everything. They killed the man I loved… left me with nowhere to go. Humans are the real monsters.”

“...It’s going to get ugly, dearie.” Stelle’s eyes widened when she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her. “I suggest you get out now before you get yourself killed.”

Pom is almost shaking. Is that how you end up cursing Young's mother that night? But more importantly, what was Stelle and Sampo doing there that night? Did they cross paths with you? Pom goes pale as he considers another terrifying possibility.

Did you kill Stelle?

“...Pom.” Stelle’s voice drags him back to the present. “Help me understand what’s happening. I… I don’t know who to trust or what’s going on.”

“Don’t trust Sampo,” Pom says before he can stop himself. Is it possible Sampo made Stelle see something that never happened? No. He doesn’t have the power to do that. He’s just a mercenary whose job is to take lives. Well, so he says… “I don’t know what he’s after, but—”

“Before that,” Stelle interrupts. “I want to know about what I saw. Do you know what I'm talking about?”

Pom sighs. “I don’t know. I wish I could tell you. Believe me. I do. But… please. Whatever you do, I hope you’ll trust me. And Cupid… And…”

“...And?”

“...And Dan Heng.”

“Dan Heng? What does he have to do with this?”

“He—”

Pom hears some muffled conversations on the other end. Then, he hears March ask, “Who are you talking to?”

“Pom,” Stelle answers.

Then, March’s voice becomes louder. “Pom! You’re coming over, right?”

Pom won’t miss this for the world… but now it’s for another reason entirely.

◆◆◆

Nanook has his feet on a desk. He's flipping through the Grimoire of Black Magic when he hears footsteps behind him.

Without turning around, he asks, “Bored already, Sampo? Maybe you should go back to Hell where the weather is right up your alley even with the global warming.”

"Never thought I'd see the day where I'd see you pick up a book."

The God of Destruction looks over his shoulder and sees Sampo casually tossing a coin in his hand. "Fuck off."

Sampo stands beside him and looks at the Grimoire. “How much do you know about it?"

Nanook closes the book and puts it down. Then, he spins around. “And you're asking because...?”

"Because even though you're the owner now... it wasn't yours to begin with." Nanook narrows his eyes. "Did you know Cupid found it when she was human?” Sampo nods at the Grimoire. “Centuries ago, that went missing, and I was tasked to find it. Guess who it led me to?” He tosses the coin up. “She used it to create The Withering. She tricked Pom… not telling him everything she knows about the curse.” Then, Sampo smiles at Nanook as he catches the coin. “She was so interesting I had to watch it all happen.”

Nanook puts his hands together on his lap. "I know the Grimoire. Some curses are very similar, but nothing exactly like The Withering is in there."

Sampo gives the Grimoire a tap and shoots Nanook a look. "You might want to look again." The God of Destruction reluctantly opens it just as Sampo turns around. "The Grimoire holds curses from all kinds of different creatures." When Nanook finally finds the missing pages, Sampo spins back around. "I'd like to say that I'm a proud author myself."

Nanook looks closer and his fears have been realised. There it is. At the end of the book written in blood red ink. 

"I'd been thinking about finding a guinea pig to test my curse," Sampo says. "Never thought the Grimoire going missing and having it land in Cupid's hands would be so helpful. Her potential truly brought out its true horror."

Nanook slowly looks at the mercenary, his gaze cold and sharp. "You... You were the one who created The Withering?"

"Well, Cupid was the one who brought it to life. But, I guess you could say I was the brains behind it all." Sampo smiles. "Hell is a marvellous place for dark inspiration. You should visit sometime, Nanook. It'd be right up your alley." Nanook tosses the book aside. But before he can stand, Sampo puts his hands on the chair's armrests, forcing Nanook back. "I know how hard you’re trying to help her… You and Lan. It’s cute how fond you two are of the God of Love, and I know you've been searching for answers." He takes out a blade but Nanook doesn't flinch. "But if you want them… let's start with changing that attitude of yours.”

“Drop it, Sampo.”

Sampo rolls his eyes as he turns around. “You were interrupting a perfectly good bonding moment, Lan. Since when did you two become such good friends, hm?”

"It's not your job to threaten us." Lan steps forward just as Nanook appears beside him. “...It's also not your job to get involved with humans.”

“Why are you so interested in Sampo?” Himeko asked.

Lan stood in front of her as Himeko put her papers down to give Lan her full attention when he mentioned Sampo. “Because he never does anything if he’s not paid for it.” Lan put his hands on Himeko’s table and leaned forward. “Why is he here, Himeko? And, you’d better tell me the truth.”

“Is that a threat?”

“I just don’t want anyone to die.”

“That might not be up to you to decide,” Himeko said, standing. “Sampo wasn’t lying. He’s here to eventually carry out Cupid’s wishes.”

“Yet I saw him with Stelle,” Lan said, leaning upright. “He says he's standing idly by until he has to do whatever he has to do. Then, tell me. Why is he wasting time visiting a human who has nothing to do with him?"

“What he does in his off time is not my concern.”

Lan stopped Himeko from taking another step. “Then, tell me. What choice does Cupid have to make?”

Himeko looked Lan in the eyes and said, “To save herself… or someone else.”

“Gosh, I didn’t know the girlie had a stalker,” Sampo says. He tosses the coin, and it freezes in midair. “I was simply being a good person by returning some of her memories.” He slowly walks towards the gods. “It’s only fair, isn’t it? Cupid never cursed her."

"You're still just a plain Jane mercenary." Nanook scoffs. "How would you have the power to do that?" 

Sampo's eyes turn dark. "I'm a mercenary who created one of the most powerful curses in history. Surrounding yourself with the right people... it'll get you places."

"Pfft. People." Nanook rolls his eyes. "Demons, you mean."

“I was there… on the night Cupid killed a woman." Sampo leans against a table. “It was quite a show.”

Stelle couldn’t tell if you were shaking as you held the grip of the sword that had pierced through the woman’s stomach.

“...My parents were horrible people,” you said as the woman dropped to her knees. “But, you were the one who couldn’t take responsibility for your actions. Falling in love with a noble. Abandoning Jing Yuan to the humans and returning to the Middle Kingdom to start a new life and save face. That was all you.” Before the woman could drop to the ground, you grabbed her arm. She slowly looked up at you as blood trickled down from one corner of her mouth. “You may have thought you were protecting them, but you turned your sons against each other.”

"I loved both of them," the woman said quietly, glaring at you. "There was never a day where I didn't think about Jing Yuan."

“You may have tried to kill me, but Young is dead because of you.” When you pulled the sword out, you could see the life slowly leaving her eyes. You reached into your hanfu and pulled out a vial with black mist. “I don’t want you to die,” you said. With one hand, you opened the vial and grabbed her by the throat. “I want you to suffer.”

Stelle couldn’t keep watching as you forced the woman to ingest the black mist. Then, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

“Told you it was gonna get ugly.” She spun around and saw the man she’d met moments ago. “Do you believe me now?”

“...Who are you?” she asked quietly.

Sampo smiled. “Someone who’s been watching from the sidelines.”

Stelle blinked once, and the man was gone, but she sensed someone behind her. When she spun around, she was knocked far from the bush she was hiding in. Her back hit a large tree trunk, and as she struggled to get up, she felt a blade near her cheek. When she slowly looked up, she saw your cold, dead eyes.

“Should I continue?” Sampo asks. “Or, are you starting to get anxious?”

“You—”

Lan holds up a hand to stop Nanook before stepping forward. “...How much does Stelle know?”

Sampo chuckles. “Are you afraid, Lan? Afraid that the more Stelle knows… the crazier she'll become?”

Nanook’s face pales. “Is that what you’re after? Are you fucking trying to start a bloodbath?”

“Now that’s going a little overboard,” Sampo says. “Cupid will eventually remember all of this. I’m just giving Stelle a small head start.”

“Why? So, Cupid can make her decision faster?” Lan asks. “Are you asking her to either sacrifice herself or kill Stelle all over again?”

“You forgot another possibility.”

Nanook scoffs. “You know a human can’t kill a god that easily. Stelle killing Cupid is out of the question.”

“Oh, but they can. Under the right circumstances that is.” The coin Sampo tossed suddenly shoots at Nanook who catches it with one hand. When he opens his palm, it's heads. “I’m always looking to make a little extra money.” With a little, sly smile, Sampo asks, “Should we make a bet?”

◆◆◆

“Pom!”

Pom will have given March a tighter hug if he isn’t in such a hurry to find you. Gepard comes out of the kitchen with two drinks.

“Hey, you’re right on time, Pom!”

Pom hurries inside and looks around. “Is Cupid and Dan Heng here yet?”

“They went to the nearby market with Stelle to grab some food.”

“What?” Pom looks at the clock. “How long have they been gone?”

March and Gepard look at each other. “Thirty minutes?” Gepard puts a cup on the counter. “When I got here, Stelle was already gone.”

Before either of them can say anything else, Pom is already out the door while taking out his phone.

Why aren’t you responding?

Dan Heng picks up some sauce off a shelf when he hears footsteps approaching him. He looks to the side and sees Stelle with a small smile.

“Hey.” Dan Heng puts the sauce in his basket just as Stells walks up to him. “Can I… ask you about Cupid?”

Unbeknownst to both of them, you’re directly on the other side, hearing everything that’s going on.

“What about her?” Dan Heng asks.

"Is she really a student?" Before he can answer, Stelle says, "...I saw her with your mother."

“...My mother?”

“She looked like her, at least,” Stelle says. “But just a little different… like a character from a fantasy novel. With horns and a tail.”

Your heart starts racing as does Dan Heng’s.

“Was this a dream?” Dan Heng asks.

“Sort of…” Then, quietly, “I’d like to think so.” Stelle looks Dan Heng in the eyes. “I actually asked Pom earlier. But he said something interesting.” A slight pause. “He said that he hopes I’ll trust him… and Cupid… and you.”

“...Stelle—”

“But I don’t know what he’s talking about. Is something going on?”

“It’s a long story.”

Stelle frowns. “Well, why does it seem like I'm involved if I saw Cupid kilk a woman who looked like your mother?”

Dan Heng fully faces her. “...You saw Cupid kill her?”

“A knife to the stomach.” Stelle crosses her arms. “She… forced some black mist—”

“How did you see this?” Dan Heng interrupts.

Stelle stiffens. “Did that really happen? Is that why you’re asking me?” She steps toward him. “What did I see?”

“Stelle.”

Dan Heng looks past his friend while Stelle turns around and sees you.

“...Can we talk?” you ask.

Chapter 24

End notes: The climax is coming. There's also a plot twist coming in the next chapter. A small hint: Is it really Cupid who killed Stelle? 🤔🤔

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @tanspostsblog @theprinceofkhaos @nqctre @lunavixia @akwardbiscuit @sunsethw4 @hiqhkey @n8mareee @kplatzman (I cannot find your user anymore =()

[seas-storyarchive]

Or just an au where Jack and Maddie stabilize all the clones, Dan is forced into a teen form and it's all chaos.

Jack and Maddie went from having Jazz, Danny and Dani (adopted) to having 5 extra kids all Danny's age.

It gets confusing when Danny, Prime and Dan are all in the same room because they all look alike. Dan eventually grows a mullet. And Prime gets earrings.

Jazz is the only "normal" kid they have. And she SUFFERS.

The ghosts all like ectoplasm on their food. ALL the time, it doesn't matter if it's a different one each time, it's at EVERY meal.

They find out that each clone has problems:

tiny ghost is non-verbal, so everyone learns sign language to help him out.

The monster has an anger management problem.

Dan is.. well, Dan. He's also technically a teen because he hadn't mentally aged past Danny in his timeline despite also having Vlad's ghostly powers.

Bed sheet is thin and is frequently needing to eat in order to gain body fat.

Prime has nightmares and is scared of being submerged, frequently worried he'll melt at any moment.

And then, Clockwork brings in the Danny from Dan's original time. This Danny is excited to see Jack, Maddie, Jazz, Sam and Tucker alive (heck, he's even excited to see Mr. Lancer later on). But he is freaked out at the sight of Dan, hiding behind one of the other clones or Jack or Maddie (he's also admitted he's scared of Vlad too). He decides to pick a new name. Danvin. He wears contacts to give him Maddie's eyes.

Make that 6 extra kids.

[scarletwritesshit]

🛋️ Dan Heng x March 7th 🛋️ Great Friends, they say

March 7th couldn’t bring herself to take her eyes off of Dan Heng. Everything about his new look, from his horns, tail, long hair, everything was tempting her more than she would’ve like to admit. She had the urge to touch his horns ever so gently, stroke his incredibly long hair, shove her face into his chest, and so on. But, all she could do was sit beside him on the red leather couch and admire him with wide eyes.

"It’s rude to stare," Dan Heng commented.

"Aaaah! I didn’t mean to!" "March said, flustered. "It’s just that you’re so…eye-catching, that’s all!"

Dan Heng shyly looked away, as if he was taking some sort of offense to her words.

"It’s a good thing!" she reassured him. "I swear it is!"

"It brings unnecessary attention upon me. Not to mention, it has proven to be quite inconvenient."

"Inconvenient? As in, do you trip over your tail all the time?"

Dan Heng shot March a rather annoyed look. That gesture alone gave her the answer she needed; he just did not want to confirm it. She laughed a little, and Dan Heng flicked his tail with a sense of annoyance in response, which she could feel brush against her lower leg. It was now that she realized that Dan Heng had his tail lightly curling around March’s back, dangling off the couch close to her leg on the other side. It seemed as if he wanted to pull her in closer with it, but instead chose to force himself into remaining distant.

"Oooh, do you mean how you’re always cold and have to resort to using the heat radiating from the servers to stay warm at night?"

"...Cold blood is a bit of a small issue, but that’s not exactly-"

"Then why didn’t you say so!" March said, perhaps a little too overjoyed at his response. "I could give you some of my spare blankets, a sweater to cover yourself up better around the Express, or I could even-"

"Blankets and sweaters cannot fix what Dan Feng has broken, March."

"Well...that was all Dan Feng’s problem, not yours"

"Tell that to the Luofu. Besides, his sins are mine to bear alone, and so this form has become a curse to me as a result."

"Oh please, that Vidyadhara nonsense doesn’t pertain to the code of the Astral Express crew. As far as I am concerned, the only real problem that you have to deal with is a cold body," she said, grabbing him by the shoulder and toppling him into her lap.

Dan Heng did not move, as he simply remained still in her lap, laying on his side.

"And what do you expect to accomplish by doing this, March?" he asked.

"This," she said, resting her arm on him as she began to gently stroke his long, soft hair.

"Thats...it?" he asked, confused.

"Unless you want me to stroke your horns too.~"

"March, I think you’re doing more than enough for me as it is," he said, trying to sound annoyed.

"Then why haven’t you gotten up and moved yet? You have more than enough strength to send me flying out the window if you hated it that much."

He let out a low growl, as he had no interest in exposing how he truly felt about March 7th’s kind gesture.

"Come on, Dan Heng! Were all friends here, nobody is going to shame you for liking a few pets! Heck, compared to a space warping grandpa and a trashcan lovergirl, that’s one of the more normal things for you to be into!"

Reluctantly, he moved in closer to March and stretched out his legs until they were draped off of the armrest. His tail uncurled from behind her and draped onto the ground, practically begging for the careless to trip over.

"Friends here, huh?" he said, voice now tainted with tiredness.

"Yup! Friends! Great friends, even!" March said, stumbling over her words.

"Mm. I believe you," Dan Heng said, relaxing further as March continued to pet him.

She ran his incredibly long hair through her fingers, surprised at how well kept it was for a man who was very likely far older than she was. A few head scratches behind his horns lead to her gaining the confidence to stroke them, something she often feared to think about asking. They were quite smooth and cool to the touch, as if they were crafted out of glass that she didn’t have to fear accidentally shattering.

And the entire time she was taking care of Dan Heng, he moved not an inch. Her legs were registered immobile, as if a large cat was weighing her down, but she had no reason to move, so it did not bother her one bit. She looked down at him, admiring just how peaceful he had become, but not without a sense of longing in her eyes. She wanted to tell him how she really felt, that there was a little something more to this "friendship" she frequently mentioned.

Perhaps Dan Heng was well aware of this. It’s not like she was doing a great job of suppressing her emotions that happened to slip out anyways. It was likely that at the very least, Dan Heng did not mind this, considering his lack of protesting for being pulled down onto her lap.

March stopped herself from thinking too hard about this. For now, she simply wanted to enjoy a moment of peace between each other, with Dan Heng relaxed on her lap.

He needed it anyways.

March was so distracted by him, that she failed to realize that Welt and Himeko were standing right up from her. They stood there for a few moments, wondering how to get her attention without making things agonizingly awkward.

"Miss March," Welt said, breaking through the silence that weighed heavy in the parlor car.

She froze and her eyes went wide. March did not want to look up, terrified of the sight that she would be met with. But, she knew who she heard, and was only delaying the inevitable by stalling. Slowly, she looked up to see Himeko and Welt standing there.

"Uh...h-how long have you been standing there?" she asked, flustered.

"When you have a moment, I would like you to come with me to discuss more of our journey through your eyes," Welt said, completely ignoring her question.

Now, she had just hoped that Welt and Himeko wouldn’t stick around for too long. Perhaps the less time they spent standing there, the less they would think about her and Dan Heng.

"I’ll be there as soon as I can!" March blurted out.

"Take your time, you two," Himeko said. "I still have yet to finish my cup of coffee."

You two!?

"Second cup of coffee. And she will probably go for thirds as well," Welt added.

March had no words to say, as she just sat still with her face steaming red and mouth agape. Thankfully, Welt and Himeko seemed to have gotten the message and left her and Dan Heng be.

Her heart was racing. If they didn’t know, then they definitely knew now. What could she do about it, in all honesty? If it’s that obvious at this point, why deprive Dan Heng of the attention that he secretly craves just to attempt to hide something that everyone knew already?

She took a deep breath and relaxed herself by continuing to stroke Dan Heng as he peacefully slept on her lap. Looking around, she made sure that nobody was within sight, before she quietly whispered to him, "I love you."

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Trash Boss's Chapter 131

TLDR; Trash subordinates wanted to go with their boss, but was not allowed by Brain Demon. Heavenly Demon met Cale and figured out that Cale was not a martial artist.

Soos? LSH = ❌ CJS = ❌

Cale's Headache-Inducing Trash Subordinates This part started off as funny, but soon became tense and serious.

Sima Jung: I'm going too! Ha Mun: Me too! Cale: ... Cale: *glances at the other Sima siblings* Sima Dan: *has flushed cheeks* Cale: Are you drunk? Sima Gong: She's been drinking for 17 hours now. Cale: Sigh... Sima Gong: *licks his lips in excitement as he thought of making a bet again* Raon: Human! Sima Gong looks strange! Cale: Sigh...

Hahaha.... Sorry, Cale, but your "subordinates" are just too funny 🤣🤣🤣

The serious and tense part began when Brain Demon said no and pushed Sima Jung and Ha Mun to the ground, declaring that unauthorized visitors to the Demon Cult were viewed as attackers.

Sima Jung and his father, the Evil Alliance Leader This part was sad yet heartwarming. So the reason why the Good and Evil Factions did not recklessly touch Sima Jung despite him being trash was because of his father. Everyone saw his father's shadow in him.

But Toonka and Cale were different. They saw him as just "him" and not "the son of the Evil Alliance Leader," so he liked the two. Awww....🥰

Now, why was Sima Jung's father brought up? Because Brain Demon said that he did not care about offending Sima Jung's father. In the end, Sima Jung swallowed his pride and bowed, politely asking for permission to enter the Demon Cult's place.

The "Messenger" The last part was exciting. We finally meet Heavenly Demon! 🎉

And it doesn't stop there. Heavenly Demon also busted Cale (via Chi Hidden Voice) for not being a martial arts master! 😂

What about the "messenger" part? Heavenly Demon had actually disguised himself as a messenger from the Demon Cult when he met Cale, and only Cale figured it out (because Raon told him that the messenger was the strongest person he ever met in this world).

If anyone asked what Heavenly Demon looked like, he was described as dressed in a black "ninja"-like outfit and had black eyes.

The chapter ended with Cale being asked if he could be trusted, and Cale replying yes.

Ending Remarks Overall, this chapter was good. I thought the author was going to spend a chapter describing their journey to the Demon Cult like how she did when Cale visited the Murim Alliance Leader. But lo and behold, we meet Heavenly Demon this fast!

I guess she wanted to speed up a bit because the murim arc is taking too long. We have not even met the Blood Cult, the Blue Blood family, or figured out what Karin Orsena was doing with them. Heck, Zed is still missing. And our Cale misses the Roan Kingdom already (and his slacker life)...

Anyway, that is all for today. See you all on Friday!

[secretlywritingstories]

Go out with a bang as it were | phan one shot

Summary: The cursor was mocking Dan as he was trying to work on his Terrible Influence Tour script and he kept getting distracted thinking about his life with Phil and the relationship to their audience. Until Phil shows up with water, steals his laptop, makes him faint and promises to love him for 100 years.

Tags: Established relationship, 2024!phan, domestic fluff, introspection, Terrible Influence Tour prep

Warnings: Brief fainting (he is okay!)

Word count: 3k

A/N: My 100th phanfic posted. First one I posted back in September 2016 (this one) and now we're here. Can you believe it? I certainly cannot. I could never have imagined I'd get here and have recieved so much love for my phanfics. It's a gift and I treasure it. Dan also decided to personally award me (as I see it) with my first ever Twitter notice when I was editing this.

Read below or on AO3

Dan was aware that his and Phil’s life felt a bit too much like a fanfic at times. He never felt it more keenly than when he had to sit down and write something that reflected their life.

Still, he liked to lean into the absurdity, fate and grandness of it all because there was nothing more lovely than romanticising stupid, silly parts of their life. And they did also have a frighteningly number of actual fanfictions written about them. It had been overwhelming at first but now they were veterans. They understood how fandoms worked. They’d always encouraged creation in their viewers and creative writing borrowing their likeness was no different.

He was quite sure that the number of the fics written had dropped during the hiatus. It was the natural cycle after all. In general, when less new content was coming out, there was less engagement in the belonging fandom. There were exceptions obviously, but it was still the rule.

It had happened with his and Phil’s audience too. They had anticipated it but it was still strange to see. 2018 had been the era of giving the audience what they wanted, absolutely committing to doing the most ever, so that Dan could take a step back and work on something else.

Something new. Solo projects.

Stepping back had never been about his love for Phil. Their relationship had never been for the audience. It was for them and they chose to share glimpses. The community they had created had been a crazy by-product through their shared passion and goofing off on camera. Just for the heck of it. Because they liked each other so much and it was easier doing something when they could look over and find each other’s eyes.

It was what Dan had missed the most during his solo tour. He’d kept Phil updated through messages and video calls, just to see each other’s faces but it hadn’t been the same. He had missed sharing the stage. And now he was going to have it again.

Their third joint tour was happening. It had felt surreal ever since they had come up with the idea. Even now, a month out from the announcement and so many venues sold out, it didn’t quite feel real. It wouldn’t feel real until they stood in front of their audience again.

The cursor was blinking at Dan, almost mocking him for how he could get all lost in his head but he couldn’t get it down on paper. He was trying to edit a monologue piece for the Terrible Influence tour and he’d decided that opening a new document would be a good idea. Let only the best bits carry over instead of overly nit-picking his existing script.

Phil came into the lounge, glasses at the very tip of his nose and pyjamas pants slouching as he walked. He was carrying two glasses of water, only it was the tall glasses that they’d used for the mukbang video.

“Dishwasher overloaded again?” Dan asked, as he sat up a little, adjusting his laptop in his lap before reaching out for one of the glasses. They were trying to maintain healthy habits to be in good enough shape to endure so many months of tour.

Phil just hummed before he plonked himself down at the other side of the sofa. He didn’t reach for his phone or his laptop. Just held his glass with two hands and slowly sipped.

Waiting for something.

No, waiting for Dan.

“I’m fine,” Dan insisted.

“You’re rewriting again,” Phil pointed out. “The first show is in less than a month.”

“Diamonds are made under pressure,” Dan said, staring at the cursor again. Blinking judgingly at him.

When he was in the zone, the cursor was his friend, it stayed a little black line just appearing after the words. The words that spilled from his fingertips as easy as breathing. He knew this shit. It was a show about them. It should be easy to write.

“It’s meant to be fun, you know,” Phil said and cocked his head just a little to the side. His blonde hair had a slight silver tint at the moment and it was growing out just enough to flop adorably. Phil would get a haircut before tour but he’d wait until they were closer to the first date.

“It is fun,” Dan said.

And it had been. Gaming videos, even though that was a very loose definition of the kind of videos that they were putting on the joint channel at the moment, were fun and easy. Outsourcing the most of the editing had been a weight off their shoulders and made it sustainable in the long term to have active channels. But big projects were something different.

It was Dan’s greatest joy and his greatest enemy. Because he felt like it had to be perfect, even though he knew no such a thing existed. He still wanted to strive for it, maybe because he was trying to capture that fanfic-worthy essence of how his and Phil’s life had fallen together like long-lost puzzle pieces.

They were embracing the moment and trying not to think too far ahead, mostly for Dan’s sake, but this time, it could actually be the last chance for a tour to see their audience. An audience that was really their audience now. No longer people who thought they were cool because they were British, tall, shippable and “popular” YouTubers. No, the ones still around now loved them for them and they were all a bunch of little weirdos, just like him and Phil.

Phil reached over and closed Dan’s laptop screen. He barely managed to pull his fingers back before they would have been snapped off.

“You want to cut my fingers off right before tour? You want to do tour with fingerless Dan?” Dan joked and shot Phil an accusing glare that carried no heat.

“No, your fingers are too essential. We can’t have them be gone,” Phil said and there was a glint in his eye that told Dan exactly down which kind of gutter Phil’s mind had disappeared into. It had been a while since they’d last done that.

But Dan didn’t rise to the bait. He tried to open his screen again, but Phil pushed it down once more.

“I can do this all day,” Dan said, attempting to open the screen again, just for Phil to shut it.

Again.

“Watch something with me,” Phil proposed. “Or we’ll be stuck here forever like that Syphilis guy.”

“Syh- PHIL, it’s Sisyphus! Syphilis is an STI!” Dan spoke with increasing volume and completely forgot about the computer in his lap. He was too busy staring at Phil in disbelief.

“Oh, my mistake.”

He was grinning. He was being a little shit on purpose.

“You said it wrong deliberately, didn’t you?”

“No? You know, I mess up my Greek mythology. That’s your nerdy area,” he said and he was a picture of innocence but Dan knew him too well. Just a tiny twitch of his left eye and it was enough to give away the lie.

“Don’t distract me with mythology, unless you want me to write a two-hour speech that ends up becoming the whole tour,” he threatened and wagged a finger in Phil’s face.

Phil, of course, simply tried to catch the finger with his teeth. His teeth actually graced Dan’s finger before he was able to pull it back without getting mauled.

“It doesn’t have to be that serious,” Phil said. “Just vibes.”

“It’s our lives,” Dan countered.

“Our lives are mostly vibes, if you think about it.”

Dan blinked at Phil several times. Worst part was that he was kind of right about it. He’d just put it so concisely that it was kind of annoying that he could be so poignant with so few words. Dan needed space to open up a discussion, arranging many words into sentences to make sure that he conveyed the right nuance.

Phil’s brain worked quite a bit differently.

“Fifteen years of vibes?” Dan asked, eyebrow raised, even as he tried to keep the smile off his face.

“It’ll be sixteen years when we’re on tour,” Phil corrected, and then he reached out to actually bop Dan on the nose. Clearly, it was just one of those impulse thoughts because he smiled so self-satisfied when Dan almost went cross-eyed trying to track the movement of his finger.

“Shut up,” he muttered.

“Yeah? Says the guy who got me a 100-day gift, and who made a point to figure out when we’d been together for 100 months too, now that I think about it. You could write about that? Your cute little thing about wanting numbers to be special. When will the next one be, when we’ve been together 100 years?”

Dan snorted. “You think we’ll get that old? Phil, our bodies will have fallen apart by then. We’re not getting to be 120 something.”

Phil shrugged, unbothered. “You never know. They could develop some kind of technology. We could just be floating brains in jars. Or like stretched-out like that lady from Doctor Who. Do you think we could reserve pods next to each other?”

Okay, Dan was taking back that part about Phil being poignant. His man was insane. Actually insane.

Even if his heart actually skipped a beat at the idea that even in some distant science fiction future, where they’d been turned into just skin or brains, Phil still wanted to make sure that they’d be next to each other. Obviously even in that scenario, they could not be separated.

“And be stuck with you for eternity while technology keeps us in some twisted kind of immortality? No thanks,” he said deadpan but his voice was too strained to be casual.

As he said it, he felt how his heart refused to fucking calm down. It was stupid. He knew Phil loved him. He knew Phil had chosen him again and again. It was their thing. They had gone through so much shit together that they wouldn’t let anything pull them apart. It was the long haul, and evidently also beyond mortal life, if Phil were to be believed.

But the reminder of that commitment never ceased to floor Dan. He’d not had a best friend for the first eighteen years of his life and now for the last fifteen, he’d had Phil. Phil who was his very best friend like he could never have dreamed, his favourite person in the whole wide world and the one person he always wanted to be around.

That was the kind of sentiment that he needed to capture for the monologue. Perhaps not that personal but to parrot Phil’s words, he should get the vibes of it at least.

He tried to open his laptop to grab the thought and get it down before it scurried away but he didn’t manage before Phil had evolved his tactic and snatched the whole laptop out of Dan’s hands.

“We’re watching anime, you still need a break,” Phil said, narrowing his eyes in a way that was perhaps meant to come off as threatening, but he just looked slightly constipated.

“I just need to get this down,” Dan insisted, jumping up from his sofa crease and trying to swipe the laptop out of Phil’s hands.

Only, he had probably been a little too overzealous and he’d once again forgotten that his stupid blood pressure and his stupid tall body liked to combine into a fainting nightmare.

“Oh, no,” was all he managed to say before he could feel himself falling forward.

His vision turned spotty and he was just in free-fall. He just had time enough to hope that he wasn’t going to hit their coffee table before he felt arms actually reach out to catch him.

Only to promptly continue falling while Phil was now yelping very loudly in his ear. It was enough to pull him back to the presence, even if his eyes took some more time to adjust.

They were on the floor.

“What happened?” Dan managed, trying to push himself up but feeling a little like his arms were jelly.

“You fainted again, idiot.”

“Thanks. I got that,” Dan said, dripping with sarcasm. “You caught me? Tried?”

“Tried being the opportune word here,” Phil said and he tried to sit up but he quickly gave up and just lied down on the floor sprawled out again when he realised it wasn’t easy to push Dan off him.

“You okay?” Dan asked, scrunching up his face and trying to make his eyes properly focus. He wanted to rub at his eyes but he knew that would only make the fussy sensation worse.

“You’re heavy,” Phil just said as a complaint, which Dan took to mean that he was actually fine.

“This is what happens when you try to steal my laptop,” Dan chastised and finally managed to push himself off of Phil. Only the prospect of actually standing up right now was a little daunting, so he ended up just rolling over to lie next to him. Now they were just both sprawled out on their backs net to each other.

“You need someone to steal your laptop every now and again,” Phil said and flopped his hand over so it hit Dan in the chest softly.

Phil was undoubtedly very right, but Dan wasn’t going to concede that right now. He wanted to tell Phil to shut up, get all whiny and annoying but really, he was a little too fucking emotional to commit to the bit right now.

“I hope we do make it to a hundred years of being together just so I can know I’ve gotten to annoy you for a whole ass century,” Dan said and tried to ignore how Phil had let his hand just rest on Dan’s chest after he’d playfully hit him.

It was a light weight, barely there, but it was resting right over his heart.

“An ass century?” Phil giggled.

He retaliated by trying to hit at Phil’s chest, mimicking what Phil had done to him. He’d planned to pull his hand back to himself but he found that his arm didn’t quite obey. His hand lingered, palm up, right on Phil’s chest.

Neither of them made a move to get up. Floor time was good after all. At least when it was this kind of spontaneous floor time and not the face-down existential dread kind. Phil was the one who pulled away that metaphorical laptop too, when he thought Dan had been down there for too long.

They probably made quite the picture right now. He wondered how it would have been described or pictured. It made Dan chuckle.

“What?” Phil asked softly.

Phil moved his hand a little, grabbing onto Dan’s old and soft T-shirt. The same shirt he’d grabbed hours ago when he’d pulled Dan into a lazy kiss good morning, which was really noon, because none of them could keep a normal sleep schedule unless forced.

“Just imagined if phan artists or phanfic writers could see us right now. Lying on the floor like this,” Dan said honestly.

Phil let out a thoughtful hum. “What’s sexy about fainting though?” he asked and pushed himself up into a sitting position, breaking the contact between them. “It’s just like super inconvenient.”

“It’s not about the sexiness and you very well know that,” Dan countered and found the strength to push himself up to sitting now that Phil had done it. It was always easier to do something when he had Phil doing the same right next to him.

Phil shot Dan a look.

“Sure, some of it’s about the sexiness, obviously, but it’s about the little moments too. The smallest moment can make a beautiful picture. What binds a good story together is the characters and how they care for each other or their surroundings. A story is nothing without that.”

“Must be why we’re so popular then,” Phil said with a completely serious face as he heaved himself off the floor. “But for now, let’s try to remember your fainting issue, so you don’t go out with a bang, yeah? Cracking your head open on the round marble coffee table would make a terrible end to our story.”

 Dan made an affronted noise at Phil’s even tone. “You wouldn’t even be sad?”

Phil rolled his eyes at him. “I’m the one that always dies, am I not?”

There had been a great deal of fic where Phil died. Dan had written one himself as well.

“No, that’s not allowed. You just told me you’re going to live until you’re 122. I’m going to hold you to that,” Dan said accepting the hand that Phil was extending, so he could get his ass off the floor. “A hundred years together, yeah?”

“Sure,” Phil said easily, as if it was something he could really promise.

Like the world would bend to his whims just because he’d said so. Like he believed so much in them that he trusted they would be together for as long as humanly possible and then even beyond that.

If anyone could manage it, then it would be Phil. It would hardly even be the strangest thing in their life. It would just be another curveball in the life of Dan and Phil.

“Seriously, let me just write a couple of notes and I’ll put away the laptop, yeah?” Dan said. “We’ll watch something together.”

Phil smiled like he had won and perhaps he had. But Dan had Phil, so he never really felt like he could lose in any way that mattered.