Archive of Our Own

Countless nights shared gazing at the moon, their fingers occasionally brushing past each other whenever they would reach out to refill their cups.  

Hushed words exchanged in the comfortable silence of the night, their gazes meeting every so often during drunken conversation.  

Or even gentle kisses placed upon just as gentle skin, the High Elder cherishing his beloved like no one else ever would. Nor ever could.   

Dan Feng lifted his gaze as he was lost in thought, staring up at the moon peeking out from among the clouds. A scoff escaped his lips, and he lowered his gaze with a shake of his head. How pitiful.  

The esteemed High Elder of the Luofu, reduced to such a sorry excuse of a person. Just where had he gone wrong, he wondered.  

Was it perhaps when he finally confessed? When he let his feelings get the better of him after years of pining, his cold facade slowly crumbling in front of that dark-haired mortal?  

Or was it back when they had first met, their fellow friends discussing business related matters as the High Elder and craftsman were reduced to exchanging occasional glances?  

Dan Feng wasn't sure.   

He just wished he could turn back time. Go back to when everything was perfect, when their biggest worry was getting caught by the preceptors whenever the High Elder was slacking off, near successfully ignoring his own duties in favor of spending time with his dearest friend.   

But none of that mattered any longer. Pondering about the what ifs of the past was useless, when it couldn't be changed anyway. The most he could do was look towards the future, which, in his case, didn't look much better either.  

Yingxing was lucky, he got to live on. Though he may currently be resting, his body needing time to get used to this sudden change to immortality, Dan Feng wasn't worried.  

In fact, he felt rather glad that the senior Vidyadhara had been taking his sweet time up until now to make a decision on how to proceed, allowing Dan Feng to go through with the procedure without having to worry about messing anything up. When he had finished, he had pressed one last kiss to Yingxing’s forehead, savoring the mild warmth radiating from the craftsman's body. Then, with a small nod to himself, he had stepped away and left the building, his human heart ever so slightly aching as he left his beloved behind.  

They would find each other again, he was sure of that. After all, they had their dragon bracers, as well as their matching jade pendants... And if worst came to worst, Jing Yuan may even be able to help, too.  

Truly, as he saw it currently, Dan Feng was convinced things would go back to normal after the punishments for his crimes. Even if he hadn't much time left before the Cloud Knights and preceptors would find him now, it would merely be a few decades, at most a few centuries. But they would be able to find each other again, he had made sure of that. And how long could a few decades really be in the face of immortality?  

 
It was only when a rustle among the leaves startled him, did Dan Feng get disrupted in his musings, now turning his head around to scan his surroundings warily.  

A frown could be seen on his face, only to be replaced by a more relaxed expression accompanied by a sigh of relief as he recognized the person stepping out from between the bushes.  

“Jing Yuan...”  

Said Lieutenant raised a hand to silence him, shaking his head at the silent question that lingered in the air.  

“You've got a few more hours, don't worry. I'm just here to check up on you, as a friend”, he spoke, stepping closer before sitting down next to the other.  

Dan Feng nodded, understanding. “Thank you”, he mumbled, wishing to say more, yet unable to find the proper words.  

“Don't worry about it.”  

Another nod. Even if he didn't show it, Dan Feng was truly grateful that he could still place his trust in Jing Yuan. After all, everyone else was already gone.  

 
After that, silence followed. Fortunately though, it was of the comfortable kind, as they sat there savoring what little peace was left.  

The rain had dissipated after just a short while, leaving behind only the wettened ground and vegetation as proof that it had at all been there. Dan Feng inhaled quietly. He probably wouldn’t see such a view for a long time, if at all anymore.  

Though even those remnants of water dried up as time passed, the morning hours slowly approaching as birds chirped and the sky gradually brightened up from a dark blue, to a soft orange, before finally turning into a lighter blue.  

Dan Feng raised his head to the sky with a sigh, shoulders dropping down in something akin to defeat. He knew it was time. Time to leave everything behind as he knew it, to let himself be sent to the Shackling Prison for his punishment as he quietly hoped that his friends would at least have it a bit easier.  

Jing Yuan turned his head towards the High Elder upon hearing the sigh, a sad smile adorning the Lieutenant’s lips. He chose to remain silent, knowing there was nothing he could say at this point that could cheer his friend up.  

Yet even so, he still reached a hand out, gently placing it on Dan Feng’s shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, before scooting a bit closer, pulling Dan Feng into a tight hug. Their last one.  

"Please take care of Yingxing...", the High Elder suddenly whispered, his voice containing a sadness like it had never before.  

Deep down he truly cared about the craftsman a lot, and while he wasn't particularly worried to leave anything behind at this point, he knew the other would miss him. Knew that Dan Feng may be the first thing Yingxing would ask about upon waking up, knew that the man with those indigo eyes might dread every day until his eventual return.   

He only wished he could've properly said goodbye.  

—✧— 

Things did not turn out well.   

No matter how much the High Elder believed to have prepared everything necessary, believed that Yingxing would be fine without him— How could he have known what this newfound immortality would turn him into?  

He wasn’t there to personally see it for himself, considering he had been sent to the Shackling Prison not too long after he had left Yingxing behind. He initially hoped he could rely on the chatty Cloud Knights watching over his cell to perhaps hear at least a thing or two about Yingxing— Yet when it came to him, they were eerily silent.  

Only once did they mention a certain arrogant craftsman, and then only to briefly discuss his sudden disappearance, quietly wondering what could’ve possibly happened to him.   

Right.   

After all, not many people were aware of the sudden change of plans Dan Feng had decided on, let alone the original plans he had so suddenly discarded once the silver-haired mortal faced death.  

It was only when the newly appointed General  –  Jing Yuan  –  came to visit him, did Dan Feng get news of his beloved. Having originally come to inform the High Elder of the Lieutenant's negotiations, Jing Yuan had to keep his voice quiet once he mentioned Yingxing.   

He had stepped closer to the other, leaning down after throwing a glance at the supervising Cloud Knights, before telling Dan Feng in a hushed voice that Yingxing had been in a coma ever since the procedures performed on him.  

—✧— 

Does it hurt? 

Losing the one person you've been chasing after for years, eventually having grown closer to them at some point due to your groups forming an alliance? 

Losing the one who had promised you eternity, unwillingly breaking that promise at some point, just to make it again years later, believing nothing could go wrong this time? 

Ren had believed he was immune to that kind of pain for at least a few more centuries. After all, Dan Heng was still far away from reaching the end of his current life cycle. 

Or so he thought anyway. 

It should've been a day like any other. He was in the middle of playing out another one of Elio's scripts together with Silver Wolf when it happened.  

At first, the flickering of his bracer between warm and cold wasn't too noticeable. Starting off rather faintly, he figured it wasn't anything to worry about, thus putting his focus back on the mission. Perhaps the thing was just malfunctioning after all these years. 

Yet how could he further ignore it when the bracer suddenly went completely cold, without even the slightest hint of warmth? 

A hiss escaped Ren's lips at the stinging pain on his lower arm, as if he had just been burned. Though the feeling was more akin to having a dry piece of ice pressed to your skin. 

Silver wolf glared at him when she heard it, giving Ren a warning look as they mustn't let any mistakes happen during their mission; yet her face turned into a concerned frown when she noticed Ren's attention focused on the bracer hidden beneath his sleeve of all things. 

She didn't know too much of what was going on between Ren and that Astral Express archivist. Though she had heard bits and pieces whenever she decided to put her attention away from her games to either listen in on the conversations around her or take a quick look at Ren's message history, but she never cared too much about the details. 

What she knew was that Dan Heng somehow managed to make Ren happy, that those bracers served to somehow connect them, and that they cared about each other, a lot even. Which in turn meant that Dan Heng couldn't possibly be a threat to the Stellaron Hunters, and knowing that much sufficed. 

So now that Ren's attention was suddenly focused on that very bracer, how could she not be concerned? Especially considering the panic visible on his expression – although he did try to hide it. 

Nevertheless, they were still on a mission, Elio might very well scold them if they messed up. So, taking a deep breath so as to not worry too much about Ren's current state, she shifted her eyes up to his face once more. One hand reached out to firmly, yet still gently tap Ren's shoulder, luckily getting his attention by doing so. 

"Focus”, she told him in a hushed voice, nodding her head towards the open door not too far away from them. At this point of the script, they had been sneaking through a building filled with security guards, just to find a specific item. 

Ren opened his mouth to speak for a moment, his mind still half with Dan Heng, the coldness from the bracer still too much, too unbearable— yet he quickly changed his mind. 

Maybe it wasn't worth messing up an entire mission. Maybe Dan Heng had simply taken his bracer off for once. Or perhaps it was merely malfunctioning. Although even if he tried to tell himself that that was all there was to it, even if it was just to keep himself calm and focused on the mission— Ren couldn’t shake off the feeling that something had to be terribly wrong. 

He was more than familiar enough with their bracers to know that they wouldn’t just malfunction like that. I mean, who was he fooling, he’s been wearing this thing for centuries. No one knew these bracers the way he and Dan Heng did. 

But what else could he do right now? They were entire galaxies apart, convincing himself that everything was fine was the most he could currently do. Thus, with a quiet sigh, and reminding himself that he could simply check in on the other later— Ren nodded. 

With Ren being able to focus on the task at hand again, their mission ended up going rather smoothly. It was as Elio’s script had foreseen, the residents on this planet were rather easy to deal with – compared with some past experiences, anyway.  

There had been only one short moment during a little break when Ren’s mind wandered to his boyfriend again, a frown evident on his face. Luckily enough though, Silver Wolf managed to distract him rather quickly, leaving not a single moment for the older to continue worrying. 

It was only when the rest of this week’s mission was done and he had returned to the solitude of his own room, did Ren find a chance to finally text Dan Heng. Fingers swiftly moving across the screen as he sat on the edge of his bed, he typed out a concerned message, then deleted it again, dissatisfied. 

Then another attempt. This time he tried to sound more uncaring, yet ended up sounding colder than usual or even intended. A frustrated groan left his lips as he once again deleted the words in the small text box, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. 

His left leg was bouncing uncontrollably, the anxiety that was clenching at his heart only increased with each minute that passed. His mind was still half focused on the way too cold feeling of his bracer, part of him just wanting to rip it off and toss it to the other side of the room, wishing to pretend that everything was fine. That Dan Heng’s mission was going well, that there was no actual reason to worry. 

Ren took a deep breath as he leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. A few minutes passed as he allowed his mind to calm down, his bouncing leg eventually coming to a halt as well. 

Then, he looked down at his phone again. This time in a more collected manner, he typed out another message. Then hitting send as he was finally satisfied with it, he put his phone away for the first time in what probably felt like hours. (It was at most ten minutes.) 

Hopefully, there’d be an answer soon. 

—✧— 

Dan Heng remembered the countless times they spent sitting or standing next to each other, both of them ignoring the other's presence to the best of their abilities even if they were so much as in the same room. 

He remembered missions spent fighting alongside each other, at first by force from their fellow friends, then by choice as they grew used to it, realizing they performed better than before when together . 

He remembered nights spent quietly chatting away, be it somewhere in the parlor car of the Astral Express, Dan Heng's archiving room, or even sometimes on their shared missions. 

He also remembered the stolen glances, moments of breathlessness whenever they were a bit too close by accident.  

Then, later, the kisses against his skin, gentle and hesitant at first, before growing more possessive once he gave permission; rough, callused hands finding their way onto his waist as they pulled him closer to the swordsman, claiming Dan Heng's lips in a rough kiss. 

But did any of that matter anymore? When he was now on a foreign planet, far away from his beloved as they for once were on separate missions again. A hand was pressed to the side of his abdomen, Dan Heng occasionally letting out quiet hisses and groans as he was trying not to bleed out here and now. 

He still had so much to say to Ren, so many things he wanted to do with the other. Not to mention... the promise he had made, to accompany Ren to the end. 

Yet how laughable it was that they were now so far away while Dan Heng might be reaching his final moments, unable to even say goodbye to the other. There were doubts in his mind that he was even close enough to the Luofu to be brought back for rebirth, lest a miracle was to happen now.  

His gaze shifted down to the bracer on his arm, a sad smile on his lips as he thought about how the other might be feeling the temperature changes. Part of him felt bad, knowing very well Ren was busy with his own mission right now. He couldn't possibly make his way here even if he wanted. 

Mere minutes passed before his vision grew blurry. His head felt drowsy, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Dan Heng realized just how much blood he had already lost. His gaze shifted down to peer at the wound, the surrounding clothing already drenched in blood beyond recognition. 

Making another attempt to sit upright despite his condition, pain shot up Dan Heng’s spine and a grunt left his lips in turn. Then a sad chuckle. He really wouldn’t be able to finish this mission alongside his friends, would he? 

His head fell backwards again, resting on the stone wall he had been leaning against this whole time, as he looked towards the stars again. Ignoring how blurry they seemed now compared to earlier, he wondered just where amongst them his dear Ren was. Was the other’s mission at least going better than his own? Dan Heng hoped the answer was yes. 

Exhaustion soon took over as his eyes fell shut, his mind slowly drifting into unconsciousness. A small smile could be seen on his lips as his brain allowed him to dream one last time. Dream of the time he has spent with Ren since that faithful day on the Luofu. Be it good or bad memories, the Vidyadhara was glad he could see his beloved one final time, even if it was only in dreams. 

What he didn’t notice was the small group of people searching across the now silent battlefield he was still on, soon rushing over to him once one of them – March 7th – managed to notice his figure. Worried looks were on their faces, two of them quickly patching up his wounds to the best of their abilities before he was carried back to the Express, careful not to worsen his condition. 

—✧— 

When Dan Heng opened his eyes again, it wasn’t to see the destroyed battlefield, nor to find himself in a hospital bed.  

Instead, he found himself in the Express’s parlor car, arms crossed behind his back as his gaze was wandering across the stars outside. Lights dimmed, he figured everyone else was asleep.  

Looking at the vast galaxy like this somehow had always managed to make him feel at peace, faintly accompanied by a sense of longing as if there had once been a person whom he had associated with the stars. A person who was no longer in his life at present. Or were they?  

He didn’t immediately register the sound of footsteps behind himself, mind too occupied admiring the so distant stars and watching as they twinkled about with not a single worry in the world.  

Thus, he felt nothing short of genuine surprise when a firm chest suddenly pressed against his back, one arm wrapping around his waist as the other pressed the edge of a sword to his neck.  

A small gasp escaped Dan Heng’s lips, familiar feelings overcoming his senses as he realized which memory this was.  

“Is this how you greet an acquaintance?” He heard himself mutter, actions not entirely his own as he had no control over his body in this dream. After all, it was nothing but a mere memory, something that had already happened in the now distant past.  

“Acquaintances? Is that what we are?” He heard a husky voice coming from behind with a mocking chuckle, lips brushing against the tip of Dan Heng’s pointed ear as the man leaned closer. A low hum could be heard behind him, the sword pressing tighter against Dan Heng’s skin in a warning, risking to draw blood if he so much as made one wrong move.  

“Were you really expecting me to suddenly be all nice to you because of that promise?”  

“Not really. But...” Dan Heng paused for a moment, half contemplating to summon Cloud Piercer in an attempt to put some distance between them, yet his mind quickly decided against it. Surely, he could deal with this close proximity for a while longer, even if the low breaths against his neck made his mind feel all fuzzy. “I doubt that green-eyed cat of yours would be happy if you killed off someone who’s more or less important for your group.”  

Ren’s eyes narrowed at the words, realizing the words referred to one of their next missions. One that most definitely needed the two former lovers to cooperate again.   

A few moments passed as they just stood there, Dan Heng’s eyes falling shut in an attempt to keep himself grounded. Everything about this felt so dizzying, from the lips against his pointed ears, to the sword still pressed to his neck, almost drawing blood. Meanwhile Ren just wordlessly stared at him through their reflections in the big Express window, red eyes dangerously glinting in the dark as the swordsman seemed to be lost in thought.  

Then, Ren let out a quiet sigh, stepping back as he withdrew his sword.  

“Alright... Perhaps you have a point. But don’t think that will stop me from still sparring with you in the future.”  

Dan Heng couldn’t hold back the relieved sigh escaping his lips as he heard the words, satisfied with himself at the confirmation that his life wouldn’t end so soon.  

“Fine by me.”  

—✧— 

“You’re terrible at hiding, did you know that?”  

Another memory.  

This one, too, took place in the parlor car. Dan Heng had been reading one of his books, while Ren restlessly paced around in front of him.  

Dan Heng glared at him. “I already told you —”  

“Yeah, yeah. Not what I meant.” Ren’s steps came to a halt, his gaze lingering at the tip of his sword he had been lazily holding in front of himself before he turned towards Dan Heng. His other hand was hidden behind his back, held in a loose fist.  

“I was referring to earlier, during the mission. When you were sneaking around and constantly staring at me, thinking I wouldn’t notice you.”  

A smirk made its way onto Ren’s face when a few moments passed with no answer from the Vidyadhara, the only reaction being pointy ears tinted in an embarrassed blush and a small frown decorating his features as he tried to figure out a response.  

“Dan Heng.”  

Ren stepped closer to the sitting figure, his sword moving to gently tip up the other’s chin as red eyes searched for teal ones. A small, satisfied smile made its way onto the swordsman’s lips when they met.  

“It’s been weeks by now since our groups started working together. How much longer do you intend to hide from me, pretend like I don’t exist?”  

Dan Heng averted his gaze at the question. He couldn’t answer that. Heck, he wasn’t even sure himself why he kept acting like that.  

“...” Ren let out a sigh at the lack of response, turning his back towards Dan Heng to stare out of the Express’s window, seemingly lost in thought for a while. Then, after another few moments of silence, he spoke again, voice devoid of any emotion or warmth. “If there's anything you wish to say to me, just do so.”  

After that, he left; not sparing a glance at the archivist, thus missing the frowning gaze that followed his figure.  

—✧— 

The next memory wasn’t too far in the future, taking place only roughly two months later. It had still been one of the earlier missions of the Express Crew and Stellaron Hunters working together, and of course as fate would have it, Dan Heng and Ren got separated from the rest of the group.  

Dan Heng wasn’t even sure how it had happened; everything simply went too fast as they were suddenly surrounded by enemies. And while he himself had managed to remain mostly unharmed, Ren’s body was littered with wounds. Most were small, thankfully, but there was one particular wound that had stood out.  

Initially, Ren had just brushed it off, insisting that everything was fine, despite the wound looking rather ugly. But there was only so much one could do against a stubborn Vidyadhara. Thus, the next thing he knew was that Dan Heng had pulled him into a nearby cave, pushing the taller man to sit on the floor by a wall. He had made sure to angle him correctly, careful not to let any gravel into the wounds.  

“You’re an idiot...” Dan Heng mumbled under his breath, hardly registering the words himself as his attention was focused on Ren’s leg. Thankfully, he had brought a first aid kit with him, although it had been less so his own choice as it had been March shoving the small packet into his hands, telling him he might need it.  

If the archivist could feel the burning gaze on his figure, he did not show it.  

A few moments passed before Ren scoffed quietly at the words spoken just now, crossing his arms in front of his chest in amusement. His head slightly tilted to the side, eyes occasionally moving between the now bandaged up wounds and Dan Heng’s face.  

It had been a while since he was able to see the other up close like this, what with how Dan Heng had been continuously ignoring Ren whenever they so much as were in the same room. Quite childish, Ren thought to himself.   

“Alright, done”, Dan Heng suddenly spoke, pulling Ren out of his thoughts as he sat upright again, expectantly looking at Ren’s face now. There was still a slight hint of worry in the man’s eyes, though other than that, his expression was rather neutral.  

“...You really didn’t have to do this”, Ren started after another moment, gaze burning into Dan Heng's eyes with furrowed brows. “You know very well that they will heal by themself.”  

“But regardless they still hurt, don’t they?” Dan Heng responded almost immediately, words accompanied by a flick of his tail. One hand mindlessly reached out to brush over one of the bandages on Ren’s leg, thumb rubbing gentle circles across the fabric, as if meant to comfort.  

A few moments of silence passed, Ren quietly looking at the shorter man. He examined his features as if wishing to commit them to memory, before suddenly turning his head with a small sigh.   

Realizing that the dark-haired man wouldn’t respond, Dan Heng let out a sigh of his own as he retracted his hand from Ren’s leg. “We should go look for the others. They’re probably worried seeing as we’ve been separated for a while now”, he said, dusting his clothes off as he got up from the floor. Then, he reached out a hand to Ren, helping him get up as well.   

“You really should be more careful though. Just because you can’t die,” Dan Heng shot a glance at Ren, as if to say that he knew how much the other wishes he could, “doesn’t mean you should just go around letting yourself get injured to your heart’s content.”  

Ren’s eyes narrowed at the words, and he opened his mouth to speak up, yet quickly got silenced as the end of Dan Heng’s tail gently slapped against his chest. “I don’t want to hear it. Let’s just get out of here”, the Vidyadhara spoke, turning his back to the other as he left the cave.  

“How trusting of you to turn your back towards me...” Ren mumbled to himself, shaking his head with a small chuckle before he followed Dan Heng.  

—✧— 

So far, it had only been around thirty minutes since Ren’s text. You could say that that wasn’t a lot of time at all, and perhaps it really wasn’t. But to Ren, it felt like an eternity. Each minute felt longer than the previous one, time endlessly stretching as his senses were overcome by worry, constantly on the verge of sending another text, or perhaps even call. 

Both Silver Wolf and Kafka had tried their best to distract their dark-haired friend, even Sam had come in for a moment to see if they could help, but to no avail. Usually, merely asking Ren to watch Silver Wolf play some of her games would’ve sufficed, yet for once, even that didn’t work, leaving her clueless and slightly worried as well. 

“Still no progress?” Sounded Kafka’s voice as she entered the room again, having previously left to go get some drinks for them. Now, she was carrying three cups, and if Ren’s mind wasn’t preoccupied with worrying about Dan Heng, he would probably wonder how she didn’t manage to spill any of the liquid, let alone drop even one of them.  

“No...” Silver Wolf’s voice was unusually sad as she answered, her shoulders slumping down in defeat. This was an especially rare sight for someone like her. “I don’t know what else to do, he’s never been like... like this...” 

Kafka lightly clicked her tongue as she set the drinks down on the small coffee table, patting Silver Wolf’s shoulder in reassurance before she shifted her gaze to Ren. 

“A-Ren. You should at least drink something.” 

For the first time in what most definitely felt like hours, red eyes left the dark phone display to look up, meeting Kafka’s eyes before shifting to look at the cup she pushed towards him, trying to see what the contained liquid was.  

Immortal’s delight, he then figured. A drink he had come to love thanks to Dan Heng. 

Ren sighed, reaching out to grab the cup by its handle. A faint smile appeared on Kafka’s lips as he raised the small container to his lips, taking a few sips. He felt sick from worry, but there was really no need to make his friends worry as well. So, without any complaints he quietly forced the sweet liquid down, glancing at his phone again when he was done. 

And as fate would have it, just in that moment the screen lit up, displaying a new text notification from a contact named ’my moon’.  

Ren’s eyes widened in surprise, almost choking on his own saliva as he hurried to grab and unlock his phone. His eyes quickly scanned over the text, initial happiness soon leaving his body as it made way for the all too familiar numbness again. 

“What’s wrong?” He could hear Silver Wolf ask, her brows furrowed into a concerned frown as she scooted closer, apparently trying to look at the phone screen herself. 

“He’s... in critical condition...” Ren could faintly hear himself say, one hand tightly gripping on the leather couch beneath him to the point his knuckles turned white. 

Anger soon flooded his senses, painting his vision red. Anger at himself. For if he had been there, together with Dan Heng, he could’ve easily protected him. Could’ve prevented something like this from happening. 

Carelessly throwing his phone onto the coffee table, Ren raised his hands to run them through his hair, near wanting to pull it out from frustration. 

A scream left his throat, barely able to control his emotions anymore as his mara was on the verge of flaring up. 

“A-Ren. Listen to me: calm down.” 

—✧— 

“Surprisingly cozy in here.”  

Dan Heng turned around, startled. He had spent the past two or so hours busy tapping at the screen in front of him, occasionally looking down at his notebook as he added new entries to the data bank.   

He was aware that the Stellaron Hunters were paying a visit to the Express today, as had been happening quite frequently in the past few months, yet he had made a point not to join them and his fellow Astral Express members. Claiming he simply didn’t feel like socializing today, which, to some degree, was indeed the truth.  

Yet why was it, that now out of all people, Ren was standing in what was practically his room? He hadn't even heard the door slide open, was he really that focused working on the data bank? And just how long had the other been standing there...  

“I... Thanks...?” He responded confused, his eyes staring at Ren's face as the man looked around, gaze lingering on Dan Heng's makeshift bed for a while before resting on the Vidyadhara himself.  

Ren pushed himself off from the door that he had just been leaning against with crossed arms, walking over to where Dan Heng was sitting to peek over his shoulder and take a look at the notes. To his surprise, they were about... Dan Feng.  

One hand reached out to grab the pencil that had been lying beside the notebook, squiggling over some lines of text before writing something new in the free space just right below them, apparently correcting the notes.  

Setting the pencil down again once he was satisfied, Ren turned his head to look at Dan Heng, curiously studying the other's expression as he read over the corrected notes.  

“Huh? But I thought your memories...” Dan Heng mumbled, voice trailing off in thought for a moment before he turned around to look up at Ren. Teal eyes meeting red ones. The swordsman let out a small chuckle upon seeing the confusion on Dan Heng's face.  

“Most of them are gone, yes. But... there's some I remember quite vividly”, Ren responded, his head tilting to the side with a gentle smile as he watched the other's expression change in understanding. “Don't worry, I wouldn't correct something I'm not sure about.”  

—✧— 

Numbness. 

Perhaps the best way to describe what the Express Crew was feeling right now. 

March had tried her best to keep her tears in as they brought Dan Heng back to the Express, Welt carefully placing him on one of the beds in their little infirmary room before he got to disinfecting and bandaging up some of the bigger wounds. March had been watching from across the room throughout the whole ordeal, small sniffles occasionally escaping her as Stelle rubbed her back.  

The next step after that had been to contact General Jing Yuan, briefly recounting what had happened during today’s mission before requesting to return to the Luofu for proper medical care. 

Naturally, the General immediately agreed. 

But that was three hours ago. 

And now they were back on the Luofu, Dan Heng’s countless wounds properly cleaned and bandaged up, as Bailu was taking care of him. 

“Everyone get out please, I need to focus”, she had told them, gently pushing the Express Crew out of the small room before closing the door. All they could do now was look at Dan Heng through that door’s small window, two pairs of eyes – Stelle and March – watching as the little High Elder was using her Cloudhymn magic on Dan Heng. 

Barely a minute or two passed before Welt cleared his throat behind them, gaining the girls' attention. “We should give her some proper space.” 

“Do you think he’ll survive?” Immediately came March’s response, her voice filled with concern as she quickly wiped a stray tear away that had dared escape her eye. 

Welt glanced through the window at the Vidyadharas figures before giving his answer, own voice calm and collected as always. “High Elder Bailu is a very capable individual. Dan Heng may be in critical condition currently, but with her by his side... I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He gave a reassuring nod, gently patting March’s shoulder before his gaze shifted over to Stelle. 

“Do you two want to go get something to eat? I’m sure you must be starving after today.” 

The duo nodded quickly, Stelle’s stomach rumbling as if to give its answer as well. March giggled for what felt like the first time in hours. It probably was. 

“I guess getting a snack won’t hurt...” The pink-haired girl started, before suddenly remembering something. “Oh, right! Did you check Dan Heng’s phone yet? Ren might’ve texted him... Probably best to let that grumpy cat know how his boyfriend is doing.” 

With a small nod, Stelle fished out her friend’s phone from her jacket. Welt had given it to her earlier when taking care of Dan Heng’s wounds, but she completely forgot to check it up until now. 

Swiftly unlocking the phone, Stelle immediately was greeted by the notification of a singular text message. Twenty-four minutes ago. She sighed inwardly, opening the notification to quickly scan over the words before typing out a response. 

Trying to keep it short, she only mentioned Dan Heng’s critical condition caused by today’s mission, and that Ren may come to the Luofu if he wished to see his boyfriend (yet she failed to remember that the swordsman was still a wanted criminal even now – something that the General failed to clear up to this day). Then she put the phone back into her pocket, giving Welt and March a small nod as confirmation that she was done. 

“Let’s go?” March asked, receiving another nod in response. She reached one hand out towards her girlfriend, who immediately accepted it as their fingers intertwined, each giving a gentle squeeze to the other.  

A small smile could be seen on Bailu’s lips as she looked up just in time to watch the trio leave the small hospital, discussing where to go for dinner. Having overheard part of their conversation earlier, a comfortable warmth settled in the High Elder’s heart at the thought of the Trailblazers being able to put their trust into her. 

She just hoped she wouldn’t disappoint them.  

—✧— 

He didn’t expect to fall in love. Not really.  

Much less with someone like Ren.  

Thinking of the Express Crew as his family, Dan Heng naturally had never considered liking any of them in that type of way. Neither did he ever really think about relationships or love in general. After all, why would he? He was a Nameless, a follower of Akivili who was avoiding his own kin ever since his exile from the Luofu; and on top of that even constantly running away from this... this madman he had apparently known in his past life. He didn’t have time for something as trivial as love.  

But... that was practically a thing of the past now.  

Ever since the Astral Express had formed an alliance with the Stellaron Hunters, Dan Heng had basically been forced to get along with what he used to consider his enemy; Dan Feng’s enemy. Don’t get him wrong, he didn’t blame his friends for deciding in favor of such an alliance, considering the benefits for both sides, but... He couldn’t deny that the decision initially made him feel everything but happy, for weeks trying his best to avoid that dark haired swordsman until he eventually came to realize that said behavior was quite pointless, to say the least.  

There was no denying that the both of them fought best when paired up together, sword and spear being able to perfectly complement one another whenever they were on shared missions. Like two objects placed upon a scale, different in so many ways, yet still balanced in a way that was just right.  

And when they started willingly fighting side by side on missions, so did they started talking more. What were once mostly one-sided arguments back when Dan Heng had still been running away from Ren, (the latter always trying to rile the Vidyadhara up whenever they crossed ways and inevitably fought), soon turned into short conversations with only the occasional awkward small talk.  

For the rest of the Express Crew, it had been... interesting, to say the least. Sometimes March or Stelle would catch the long-haired duo just sitting or standing somewhere, be it on the Express or during breaks on missions, just chatting away as if they had never been enemies in the first place. There would even be times where one could catch them smiling at each other, or perhaps even laughing at whatever had just been said. March would then get her camera out, sneaking some pics here and there so she could tease Dan heng about them later.  

Dan Heng, of course, would then try to change the topic, his pointed ears lightly twitching as they were tinted in a soft red, part of him clearly embarrassed. Or perhaps it was rather shyness more so than embarrassment, who could truly tell? Only Dan Heng would know for sure.   

Weeks, even months, would pass like this.  

And then the realization hit.  

March had caught Dan Heng throwing lasting glances at Ren during one particular evening, the Express Crew and Stellaron Hunters just sitting on the floor of the parlor car playing card games and the likes.  

She had gently nudged her elbow into his side, looking up at her friend with a wide smile as she playfully asked if he had a crush on Ren. Of course, not without mentioning how longing the man’s gazes seemed to be, although the accompanying giggles made it hard to tell whether they actually were as longing as she described.  

Though Dan Heng barely paid said giggles any mind, as his gaze soon moved away from his bubbly friend to look at Ren again. A small frown made its way onto the Vidyadhara’s features, this being the first time he really thought about his feelings in such a way. Did he really have a crush on him?   

Dan Heng really had never spent much time thinking about romance, not particularly having the time for it, nor the desire to settle down anywhere.   

But with Ren, he wouldn’t have such worries.  

Trailblazer and Stellaron Hunter, both were essentially travelers. There wouldn’t be the possibility of having to stay somewhere and leave his current family behind, not when their groups had formed an alliance that allowed them to meet almost whenever they wanted, wherever they wanted.  

Dan Heng had thought long and hard about it, probably spending hours mentally going over all the conversations and interactions he has had with Ren up until this point. And no matter how he looked at it, he could only ever come to the conclusion that he was, indeed, crushing on this dear friend of his.  

Yet, with the realization came also the need to accept those feelings. Something that was much easier said than done.  

He soon found himself having an easier time to simply avoid Ren altogether, each moment spent around the dark-haired swordsman only contributing to the Vidyadhara growing more and more self-conscious of his actions and words.  

Slowly but surely, they seemed to talk less; Dan Heng purposely avoiding Ren’s presence whenever possible, trying his best to ignore it if they were forced to be in the same room or on the same mission.   

And Ren, in turn, felt... confused.  

Because what really was there that could cause Dan Heng to distance himself again, just like he had in the beginning? Unless something bad had happened or Ren had said something he shouldn’t have— there'd be no reason, would there?  

Merely two or three weeks passed like this before Ren decided he had enough. All of this only served to make him feel as if he had been rejected, when there hadn’t even been a confession to begin with.  

On some nights he didn’t get a single second of shut eye, the possibility of having said something that might’ve upset Dan Heng practically eating away at him.  

Thus, after one such night—  

Ren let out a low hum, eyes fixated on the ground in front of him as he was lost in thought. He had been lazily sitting in the parlor car for a while now – possibly hours – not busy with any missions for the day. In fact, nobody on the Express was busy today, not even Dan Heng, yet he hadn’t seen the Vidyadhara all day. Almost as if he was avoiding Ren.  

His mind wandered back to yesterday, when he also had barely caught a glimpse of Dan Heng. It had been a tiring day for the Express members, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Dan Heng had excused himself right after dinner, mumbling something about going to his room for an early night.  

Ren had almost followed him right then and there, desperate for answers. Yet he did not, for he could see the genuine tiredness in Dan Heng’s eyes and movements. No need to bother him with something that could easily wait another day, he figured.  

The door suddenly slid open, easily catching Ren’s attention as he finally looked up from the ground, red eyes meeting teal ones.  

...Only for said teal eyes to widen in surprise, quickly looking around the room in slight panic before Dan Heng turned around again, clearly planning to leave the way he came.  

So he had been avoiding Ren.  

Dan Heng almost managed to slip back into his room when a hand caught his wrist, effortlessly turning him around and pressing his back against the wall. Red eyes stared down at him, narrowed.  

“You’re avoiding me. Why?”   

Dan Heng averted his gaze, refusing to answer the question. How could he possibly tell Ren that the reason he’s been avoiding him is the fact that he had come to realize his own feelings towards the swordsman? What if his words would be met with a mocking laugh, or straight up rejection, or—  

A bandaged hand reached up to grab his chin, Dan Heng’s brows furrowing in a frown as he looked up again.  

“I... I’ve just been busy", he mumbled, tail twitching nervously behind him. Part of him was tempted to just summon it away right then and there, ever so slightly uncomfortable with how easily the teal-colored limb could sometimes manage to show his deepest emotions. The following sound of gentle thumps against the wall caused Ren to peer down, one eyebrow cocking up as he watched the tail in amusement. How cute, he thought.  

The dark-haired man then looked up again, gaze trailing over Dan Heng’s features. He took all of it in, as if wishing to commit to memory; the still slightly sleepy eyes, gently twitching pointed ears, lightly rose-tinted cheeks, messy bed hair— Beautiful, Ren thought.  

The bandaged hand moved to caress one said cheek, Dan Heng subconsciously leaning into the touch before his face heated up in embarrassment once he realized just what he was doing. Internally he even cursed himself for having such a reaction.  

“If you were simply busy...” Ren said, gently brushing his thumb over the Vidyadhara’s lower lip as he watched him with hooded eyes, “then you hardly would’ve been so panicked upon seeing me just now.”  

Dan Heng averted his gaze. How foolish of him. Of course Ren would see right through that lie. What else did he expect?  

A sigh could be heard, then the hand on his chin disappeared.  

“Did I do something wrong?”  

“No!—” Dan Heng’s eyes widened at his own sudden reaction, panic settling in his stomach for a brief moment. “You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just—”, he cut himself off with a groan, trying to find the right words. Should he just confess? He didn’t want to mess up whatever it was that was going on between him and Ren, but staying silent clearly did more harm than good...  

Ren’s gaze flickered between Dan Heng’s eyes, trying to figure out what was going on behind the usually calm visage. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”  

“That’s—” not it, Dan Heng wanted to say, yet the words were stuck in his throat. It really wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Ren, but what would become of them if confessing turned out to be a mistake? He clenched his fist with a sigh, frustrated with himself. Distantly in his mind, he registered a louder thud coming from below him. His tail seemed to have slapped against the wall in his frustration.  

Lost in thought, Dan Heng barely noticed the hand that reached for a strand of his hair, Ren playing with it and twirling it around between two fingers as he let out a low hum. “Take your time... I won’t get mad whatever your reasoning is, and I’m sure you know that", the taller man spoke, brows slightly furrowing into a frown at the end before they relaxed again, his eyes locking with Dan Heng’s.  

Right. After all this time spent avoiding Ren, Dan Heng nearly forgot how patient the other could actually be with him. He let out a small nod in response, his restless tail slowly calming down from whatever tantrum it was that it had been slapping against the wall.  

“Could we... go into my room then?” Dan Heng asked hesitantly, only now realizing how easily someone could eavesdrop on them. One hand reached out to grab Ren’s wrist as soon as his question was answered with a nod, quickly sliding the door to his room open before pushing the both of them inside and closing it again.  

“So? What’s up?” Ren asked after a moment of silence, walking across the small room to rest on the desk chair as he spoke. Dan Heng silently watched the action, throat going dry as Ren placed an elbow on the armrest, legs slightly spreading to sit a bit more comfortably.  

“Dan Heng?” The mentioned man let out a choked sound upon registering the two syllables, quickly trying to cover it up with a cough as he silently prayed that the blush on his ears wasn’t too noticeable. And if Ren did notice, he most certainly didn’t say a word about it.  

“Right, okay. So...” Dan Heng started, averting his gaze as he tried to look anywhere but at Ren. “It’s just... One or two weeks ago, March noticed me kind of staring at you during one of our game nights. And she... she jokingly asked if I have a crush on you, but then I started actually thinking about it and realized that, yeah, I... I guess I do, and – ” Slight panic started settling in moments after Dan Heng began explaining, causing him to stumble over his words and then cut himself off before he could further embarrass himself.  

Ren’s gaze had been fixated on him the whole time during this small speech, only further adding onto the uncomfortable awkwardness Dan Heng was feeling. Perhaps he should’ve just kept his mouth shut; maybe even pushed Ren out of his room and locked the door instead of making a confession that might very well end in rejection.  

A few moments of silents passed, in which Dan Heng’s eyes wandered everywhere around the room, his bookshelves, bed, tiled glass floor— anything, just to avoid looking at the man sitting right in front of him. Somewhere during his small speech, his hands had found their way into the pockets of his jacket; now they were balled into small fists, knuckles turning white as he tried to resist the urge to simply leave the room and pretend this never happened. His tail had even managed to wrap around his own waist somewhere during all of this, as if to seek comfort.   

Ren tilted his head with a thoughtful hum, gaze fixated on nothing in particular as he absentmindedly bit down on the knuckle of his right index finger, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. He hadn’t seen Dan Heng quite so... nervous like that before, which made this whole thing a bit tricky to deal with.  

“You’ve never liked someone like that before, have you?” Dan Heng, being taken aback by the direct question, finally looked at Ren. More out of surprise than anything else. Was it really that obvious?   

“...No", he said hesitantly, which was met with another hum. Then, the Stellaron Hunter looked up again, red eyes directly locking onto teal ones as a small smirk made its way onto the man’s lips.  

“Well... Can’t say I have either. But...” Ren trailed off for a moment, studying Dan Heng’s figure as he seemed to hesitate. “While I can’t say for certain right now whether I feel the same... I wouldn’t mind giving this a try. Giving us a try. If that is what you wish for.”  

Dan Heng’s eyes widened at the words, brain needing a moment to fully understand what they meant. Then, he nodded, his nervous expression soon turning into a small, content smile instead. “I'd like that...” He mumbled, nodding again as if to reassure himself.  

His tail slowly withdrew from around his waist and his hands relaxed in his pockets. He even dared to step a bit closer to Ren, the latter extending a hand at the motion, which Dan Heng accepted without a second thought. He watched as their fingers intertwined gently, a blush silently making its way onto his ears and cheeks as he noticed the size difference.  

Dan Heng’s own hand, while slender and a little above average size, still indeed looked rather small compared to Ren’s own hand. Said man wasn’t wearing his glove today like he usually did, so Dan Heng even had a chance to admire the calluses and scars littered across Ren’s skin.  

“Your hands are cold...” Dan Heng could faintly hear the other mumble, before a second, bandaged hand reached out for his other one. The sudden action elicited a gasp from him, and he looked up again to search for those red eyes he was growing to love, yet quickly failed. Instead, he could hardly make out the other’s features, just barely noticing the focused frown which was hidden behind dark strands of hair as Ren’s own gaze focused on their intertwined hands.  

“You’re staring", Ren suddenly said, gaze lifting to meet Dan Heng’s. His frown relaxed in an instant, making way for a rather playful smirk as he used their current position to press a kiss to Dan Heng’s knuckles. And then another, and another. It would be a lie to say he didn’t find amusement in the way Dan Heng’s cheeks turned into such a beautiful shade of red, making him look all the more lovely.  

“Ren! – ” The Vidyadhara finally managed to choke out after a few seconds, averting his gaze as he had nowhere to hide his flustered face. Ren could only laugh in response, gently squeezing Dan Heng’s hands as the teasing kisses came to a halt. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop", he said, eyes crinkling up in a rare smile.  

Perhaps, they both could get used to this.  

—✧— 

His leg was bouncing. Again. 

It felt like hours since Ren had arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu, Jing Yuan personally coming to escort the Stellaron Hunter so late in the evening just to guarantee his safety; considering that he was still a criminal, after all. And to see Dan Heng for himself, too, even if the General did not say as much. After all, the amount of care and love the white-haired man still had for his former companions could hardly be considered a secret. 

The walk on the way to the hospital had been rather short, filled with a near unbearable silence after the initial greeting. Though even that could hardly be considered as anything other than awkward. Perhaps it was simply the lack of communication between the two during all those years, but Ren simply didn’t know how to react to the fondness in Jing Yuan’s eyes. Or the soft smile accompanied by a gentle nod when they came face to face with each other again. 

Once the two men arrived at the hospital where Dan Heng was stationed, a Foxian nurse had welcomed them and instructed the two to remain in the small waiting room. They hurried off again after mentioning that Lady Bailu would be available shortly, seemingly having some business of their own to attend to. 

Ren had frowned at the words, wishing to see his boyfriend now instead of having to wait any longer. Every minute of the past few hours had felt like torture to him, from the bracer going cold, to sending that text asking Dan Heng if he was doing well, to then getting a rather undesired response and having to come back to the Luofu. Not without letting the General know of his arrival this time, of course. He still remembered the way his heart twisted back when he had arrived unannounced, when Jing Yuan just had to mention that with that damn smile of his. 

Right now, though, Ren was trying his hardest not to succumb to the mara again. Kafka was too far away as that she could keep him calm with her Spirit Whisper this time, much to Ren’s dismay. His hands clenched into tight fists, knuckles turning white and fingernails painfully digging into his palms as his gaze was focused to a spot on the floor; the thoughts in his mind were racing.  

Everything felt like too much . Like he was going to go insane any minute now. 

“General!” 

Both men looked up at the same time, Ren momentarily alerted at the sudden noise, while Jing Yuan seemed to remain calm as ever. Or at least that’s as much as he would dare show in public. No one had to know of the way his heart jumped in excitement upon finally catching a glimpse of Dan Heng’s figure. 

The door to Dan Heng’s room was open now, Bailu’s head peeking out as she gestured for both men to come over. Her tail swished back and forth in a gentle, yet happy motion as she watched them approach; quickly going back to stand on the stool next to Dan Heng’s bed once they had entered the room. 

“He’s in a coma right now, but I managed to stabilize his condition. Some of his injuries were pretty bad, especially the one on his abdomen...” The young High Elder frowned at her own words. “It’s a surprise he managed to survive at all. Most people would’ve died even before his friends found him. Being a Vidyadhara doesn’t really make a difference there either.” 

“But!” She turned around to face the two men again, face lightened up as she felt a tinge of proudness towards herself. Her hands rested in small fists just right above her hips as she spoke. “He’ll most likely get better from here on out! You’re free to visit him during daytime as he recovers, though it’ll take a while for him to wake up from his coma. Roughly two weeks in his current condition if I continue with regular Cloudhymn treatment.” 

Ren couldn’t help the loud sigh that escaped his lips when Bailu mentioned the allowed visit times. The High Elder, in turn, couldn’t help but playfully roll her eyes at the sound. 

”Of course, if a certain someone wishes to stay by his boyfriend’s side even at night, I’m sure that could be arranged— Right, General?” 

Said General only laughed as he always did, eyes crinkling up in a smile as he responded. “That can be arranged if he wishes for it, yes.” 

And thus, Ren now sat here, right hand tightly holding onto Dan Heng’s as he watched the other sleep. The moon could be seen through a small window, being almost the only source of light in the otherwise dimly lit hospital room. He had previously taken his glove off, wishing to feel some of the warmth of Dan Heng’s body against his own. 

Every once in a while, his eyes would scan over the Vidyadhara’s body, checking for any possible movement, yet for most of the time, he just rested his head on the bed. He knew it was pointless anyway, still remembering Bailu’s words. The position he was sitting in wasn’t the most comfortable, but the swordsman had definitely experienced worse. He didn’t care, so long as he could be close to his beloved in a time like this. 

Occasionally, his eyes would fall shut and he’d doze off for a few minutes. Both the General and High Elder had advised Ren to ”please use the spare bed in this room to get some rest, you need it” , but deciding to be rather stubborn, he refused. ”I don’t need sleep”, he had said. Yet, quietly sitting around like this had only managed to increase his tiredness, as both the exhaustion from his last mission and the stress of worrying about Dan Heng slowly came crashing down on him. 

And so, he eventually slept, with his head rested next to Dan Heng’s arm and their fingers intertwined. 

The next time he awoke, it was to the sound of birds chirping and the sun illuminating the small hospital room. 

It took Ren a few seconds to remember just where he was, but not soon after, his gaze fell onto Dan Heng. Dan Heng, who was still asleep —  no, more precisely still in a coma. 

Ren sighed. It had only been one night, and his patience was already wearing thin. How could he survive three weeks like this? Or possibly even longer... 

“Ah, you’re awake.”  

Ren’s head whipped around at the familiar voice, brows furrowing into a small frown as his eyes met calm amber ones. 

“Jing Yuan...” 

Said man simply nodded as he stepped inside, closing the door with one hand as the other held up a small bag. If Ren was bothered by the General’s continuous refusal to say his name, he did not show it. 

“Hungry? I brought some food if you feel like eating yet", Jing Yuan spoke, carefully closing the door behind himself before walking over to Ren, who was currently trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. To the General, it was certainly amusing to watch a small frown form on the man’s features when it took a few attempts before his vision cleared up properly.  

“Depends on what you brought", he eventually mumbled, directing his gaze at Jing Yuan for but a moment before he looked down at Dan Heng’s sleeping figure again. Although you could hardly refer to a coma as sleep. 

“...” Jing Yuan’s smile faltered for a few seconds as he looked at his old friend as well, his left hand gripping the paper bag a little tighter upon seeing the rather unusual state the other was currently in. He wondered just what had happened for Dan Heng to end up this way; since, after all, the Dan Heng he knew was hardly this reckless to let himself be injured so deeply. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before the smile returned to his lips. Then, he walked over to the small table located just a few meters away from Dan Heng’s bed by the wall, placing the paper bag on top of it in the center. A wooden chair stood on one side of the table, the other matching one being the one that Ren had pulled over to Dan Heng’s bed last night, now currently sitting on it. 

Jing Yuan hesitated for a moment as he glanced at the food containers, before he decided to take them out of the bag one by one as he talked. “While contacting me about your sudden arrival, Kafka told me about how you didn’t eat much yesterday. Which is understandable, considering what happened. So, I brought cake along with some simple Ramen, in case you were feeling better today.” 

“What type of cake?” Ren asked briefly, his eyes leaving Dan Heng’s figure to instead watch as the General emptied the small paper bag bit by bit. 

“Jujube cake. I remember it was one of your favorites back then.” Jing Yuan paused for a brief moment at the memories rising to the surface of his consciousness like little bubbles, fond expression adorning his features before he continued. “Sweet, yet not too sweet, with a pleasant flavor that lingers for a while even after you’re done eating. I still remember how you once fed it to me, back before I was familiar with the dish.” 

“Jing Yuan." The dark-haired man interrupted him with a grumble, frown evident as his hand gripped tighter onto Dan Heng’s. “You know very well that I’m not the man I was back then.” 

“Right. I’m sorry.” The General only gave as response along with a small nod, guilt taking place in his chest as he now took out two pairs of chopsticks along with some napkins before folding the paper bag and putting it away. Perhaps if he pretended to ignore the irritated sigh coming from Ren’s direction, it simply didn’t exist. 

After Ren had moved his chair back to the table, the two men proceeded to eat in silence, both seemingly unsure of what to say now, as the only sound that was filling the room was of chopsticks occasionally hitting against their wooden bowls. 

“So...” Jing Yuan started once they had finished eating, the white-haired man slowly growing uncomfortable with each minute that passed in silence. Now, he was packing the empty food containers and bowls back into the paper bag, trying to stall time as insecurity pooled in his gut. What if Ren preferred the silence? But even so, it was too late by now. “How has life been treating you? Have your missions been going well?” 

“Why would you care?” Ren responded coldly, his piercing glare almost making Jing Yuan wish he could just disappear into the ground right this second. Almost. But to make matters worse, the swordsman decided to add on. “I don’t know what’s up with you to first bring up the past like that, and then want to ask about personal matters, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t. Perhaps we were friends back then, but now?” Ren let out a small scoff. “Most certainly not.” 

The Stellaron Hunter got up from his chair as he spoke, moving it to stand beside Dan Heng’s bed again, before directing his gaze at Jing Yuan once more. “And if that would be all, I’d appreciate you leaving now.” 

Ouch. Okay. 

Jing Yuan wasn’t sure just what he had even expected, after clearly having already messed up when talking about the food earlier, but he couldn’t deny that, somewhere deep down, those words hurt. 

Feeling something akin to a lump in his throat preventing him from speaking, Jing Yuan simply nodded instead. His gaze lingered on Dan Heng’s figure for a moment, as he had initially planned to stay a while longer, but he’d have to save that for another day instead then. If he could still find the time amongst all his duties, that is. 

Under Ren’s judging gaze, the General finally got up and marched over to the door, taking the trash filled paper bag with him. He would throw that away once he got out of here.  

Once the room fell silent again, Ren let out a sigh. Absentmindedly he wondered if he had perhaps been a bit too cold, but he also refused to just let it pass that Jing Yuan would still treat him like him .  

Abandoning that train of thoughts with a small shake of his head, Ren turned to look at Dan Heng again. His eyebrows furrowed in worry, and callused hands reached out to grab Dan Heng’s again. He had discarded his bandages sometime during the previous night, all the stress from worrying and coming back onto the Luofu having made his hands feel all warm and sweaty.  

Now that he had some time to calm down though, his mind started wandering. He remembered the times Dan Heng would notice his scars, at first only looking at them quietly, before eventually they had sat together on one of their missions, talking for hours into the depths of night about whatever came to mind. He remembers how Dan Heng would point at some of his scars, asking about the origins and history behind them as he slowly traced the damaged skin with his own fingers. 

The memory put a smile on Ren’s face, and warmth on his cheeks. He rested his head back down on the mattress, gaze lingering on his boyfriend as his thumb subconsciously drew soft circles across Dan Heng’s palm. With nothing else to do for the day, he decided to just stay like this for a while, watching over his boyfriend even when a nurse came in briefly to check up on his condition. He knew it was pointless. After all, Dan Heng was in a coma. But what else could he do, really? 

Multiple days would pass like this. Occasionally, someone from the Express Crew, or even the other Stellaron Hunters or the General himself would show up. Sometimes they’d bring food and something to drink for Ren, one time March and Stelle even convinced him to leave the hospital for a few hours to have a proper meal and put his legs to use again. Other times, whoever came over would simply sit in silence with him. Ren didn’t particularly mind, so long as a repetition of that first day with Jing Yuan didn’t happen.  

Eventually, a week had passed, and Ren was forced to temporarily leave the Luofu again for another mission. At first, he wanted to argue with Elio, to ask for someone else to go in his place instead. Though that quickly proved pointless once he actually read through the script. His presence seemed more than needed for this mission to go smoothly. 

Time seemed to pass in a blur as he waited for Sam and Silver Wolf to come pick him up. His gaze lingered on Dan Heng for a while longer before pressing a kiss to the Vidyadhara’s forehead as goodbye. Absentmindedly, one hand reached to the back of his head to take out the small, golden hairclip and place it on the bedside table. Just in case of Dan Heng waking up during Ren’s absence, he’d at least know that the other still spent some time here during his coma. 

—✧— 

“Do you know what these flowers mean?” It almost felt like a trick question.  

“Mm... No. Do you?” Liar. Though only partly. Distantly, he did remember the meaning of these flowers. But, perhaps, he preferred listening to Ren explain it to him instead.   

“Actually, I do.” The taller man crouched down as he spoke, strands of long hair falling over his shoulder as one hand reached for a blue-purplish flower bud. Dan Heng watched the motion, filled with a surprising amount of gentleness for someone like Ren.  

“This one, for example,” Ren started, “stands for hope and faith. Naturally, other colors have different meanings, though this one is a blue Iris. Additionally, they’re also a sign of deep trust, so you would typically gift them to someone very close to you.”   

Ren paused. Dan Heng crouched down next to him. “What about this one?” He pointed at a small patch of Hyacinths. Blue and purple.  

“Sincerity, and forgiveness.” Ren lightly tilted his head as he spoke. “They’re Hyacinths. If you were to gift them to someone, you’re most likely asking for their forgiveness because you messed up.”  

A hum could be heard as the Stellaron Hunter looked around. His gaze ended up on a set of wild roses, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips before he looked over at Dan Heng. “Do you know what wild roses stand for?”  

The archivist’s head perked up at the question, and his gaze wandered around too before it found that very same set of wild roses. Pointed ears twitched as he thought about whether he should lie again. Though in the end, he decided against it.  

“I do, actually.” He straightened up, teal eyes meeting Ren’s. “They’re typically seen as a symbol of immortal love, or a union that will never fade; neither by time, nor death.” One hand reached out to gently caress the flowers, subconsciously resting his other hand on Ren’s lower thigh to keep himself balanced. A moment passed before he plucked two of the wild roses along with part of their stem, leaning back again once he had done so.   

“They’re also pretty resilient, having a tendency to flourish under conditions of neglect.” He handled the flowers with care as he spoke, not wishing to get pricked by any of their thorns. “I think... If I’d have to pick a flower to describe our relationship, it would be this one.”   

Ren’s gaze softened at those words, and his bandaged hand reached out to grab one of the roses, fingers briefly brushing against Dan Heng’s. “How bold of you...” He huffed in amusement. “Though, you’re right. I would too.”  

They sat there for a while longer after this, discussing some more of the surrounding flowers as they enjoyed the warm midday sun. It was interesting, really, how they could spend time like this now, when they used to chase and fight one another. This very memory had taken place just roughly a year after their groups started working together, and Dan Heng could feel a warm fondness in his chest as he thought of how far they’ve come since that day on the Luofu.   

—✧— 

 “Eh?” Silver Wolf tilted her head in confusion.  

She was currently busy playing one of her countless rhythm games on Ren’s phone when a text notification popped up at the top. And now that she thought about it, the last time she managed to snatch his phone on a mission had been forever ago. (That’s a lie. She’s being dramatic, it’s only been a week.) 

That said though, directing her attention at the notification for the brief moment that she did so successfully managed to mess her combo up, resetting it back to zero. A groan escaped her at the realization, quickly tapping out of the app as frustration spread in her chest. How could she of all people ever mess up like that? “ Ridiculous” , she murmured to herself. 

“Now... What the hell was that about?” Were the next words escaping her lips in another murmur, quickly swiping her thumb across the display to look at the lock screen. Her eyes widened when she read through the text notification again, before quickly turning to scan around for Ren. Shit, where had he gone this time? 

She half contemplated just not showing the message to him at all, but quickly changed her mind once she thought of how happy it might make him — even if he’d never dare show such a thing. But it’d be worth it either way. 

“Sam, do you know where Ren went?” Silver Wolf asked as she turned to the metal humanoid who had been standing beside her. She watched as they looked around for a moment before raising their arm to point in a certain direction. “Over there. Looks like he wants some time for himself, though”, they said, before looking down at Silver Wolf’s crouching position. Said girl let out a hum in response as she looked at the small, distant figure that was Ren. She didn’t seem to particularly care about Sam’s words though, as she hurried to get up with a small stretch. 

“Don’t care, you know that.” Her tone had the usual hint of playfulness. “Someone sent him a dm that I’m pretty sure he’d appreciate seeing right now. Especially if he’s sulking because he can’t be with his boyfriend for a few days.” A laugh could be heard from Sam at her words as she pocketed the phone for now, before making her way across the empty warehouse room the duo had been resting in for the past hour or so. Ren, on the other hand, had been spending his time just right outside of one of the few entrance doors, seemingly enjoying the cold night air. No wonder Silver Wolf couldn’t spot him on her first try, his dark hair and coat fit right in with the surroundings. 

“Ren! Emo gayass, you there?” She called out as she pushed the huge, slidable metal door further open, leaning her back against it a moment after to look up at the taller man. Seemingly zoned out, she waved a hand in front of his face, which in turn earned her a scowl from Ren. 

“The mara didn’t get to you again, did it?” She joked with a grin, successfully getting an eyeroll and scoff from Ren in return. 

“Pft. No.”  

  Silver Wolf hummed in amusement. “Good then. ‘Cause I’ve got some news for you”, she said, fishing Ren’s phone back out of her pocket. Her eyes paused on the boring, black phone case for a moment, shaking her head at it. “You should really get a prettier phone case sometime, though”, she mumbled, before unlocking the display. Not a moment later, she held the phone in front of Ren’s face, with the earlier text notification now enlarged. 

“Didn’t mean to snoop around, but you forgot to mute your notifs, so this messed with my Horizon run earlier", the short girl said, referring to one of the songs in her currently favorite rhythm game. Ren just stared blankly at her in return, clearly not caring for whatever games she likes to play, nor even really knowing anything about them in the first place. 

“...Well! Anyway, read it, it’ll make you happy”, Silver Wolf said after a moment of silence, grabbing one of Ren’s hands and shoving his phone into it. Said man quietly obeyed as he finally paid the phone some attention, his friend’s words clearly making him curious. 

Another few seconds of silence passed in which he read the message sent by none other than Jing Yuan, eyes slightly widening at what he came to find out. 

Meanwhile earlier on the Xianzhou Luofu...  

A few days after Ren had left the Luofu, Jing Yuan was suddenly messaged by Lady Bailu to come to the hospital, claiming it was about Dan Heng and urgent. He still had quite a few more documents to sign for that day, but seeing as Bailu’s message mentioned his old friend, the General decided those documents could wait another day. 

“Oh great, you’re here!” Bailu said as she jumped up upon hearing Jing Yuan’s footsteps. She had been sitting on a chair by Dan Heng’s bed while she waited, much like Ren had done for the past week.  

Jing Yuan greeted her with a nod. “So, what’s going on?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his gaze fell onto Dan Heng. 

“Calling you here might’ve been a bit sudden, so I apologize for that", Bailu pulled over her stool from last time as she started, climbing onto it to get a better look at the fellow Vidyadhara as well. One hand reached out to push some of the man’s hair out of his forehead, and it was then that Jing Yuan noticed the small drops of sweat. 

“Firstly, don’t worry about the sweat, please. One of the newer staff seems to be a bit clumsy, so the air conditioning broke. I’ll get that fixed soon”, she said, placing a towel-wrapped ice pack on Dan Heng’s forehead. Indeed, the room felt warmer than usual. “Secondly, his overall condition seems to be getting better! After a bit over a week, just like I predicted.” Jing Yuan listened attentively as the High Elder spoke, though he couldn’t help but notice the small wag of Bailu’s dragon tail in the corner of his eyes, which was clearly her being proud of herself. 

“Look", a small hand reached out for Dan Heng's much larger one, and it was then that Jing Yuan observed the twitch of his friend’s fingers when the High Elder’s fingers met his. “His body has been getting responsive to outside stimuli, so that’s good. I’ll keep up with the Cloudhymn treatment, so there’s a good chance he’ll regain consciousness within a week.” 

She turned around to look up at the General, tilting her head in question. “That boyfriend of his should be back by then too, right?”  

Jing Yuan hummed in response. “Indeed, he should be. Would you like for me to let him know of this?” 

“That’d be great, yes! I don’t have his number, so I can’t personally text him...” Bailu’s words trailed off when a large hand reached out to pat her shoulder gently, mercury eyes widening in surprise. It had been a while since anybody really showed her that they were proud of her. Thus, the action caused a warm, fuzzy feeling to well up in her chest, and her tail swung from side to side in happiness. 

“Alright, I will do that then. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave again. There’s still a pile of documents waiting for me to sign, after all”, Jing Yuan said, finishing off with a small, pained laugh. Bailu half guessed that he’d probably rather sleep the day away than work through those documents. 

The General turned around without another word after getting a nod from Bailu, leaving the room again, but not without throwing one last glance at Dan Heng. Thankfully, his condition was getting better. 

—✧— 

“Did I wake you up?” Dan Heng barely registered the words as he rubbed his eyes.  

“Mm... No”, he responded with a mumble, slowly sitting up with a drowsy expression. One hand raised up to hold the side of his head as he looked towards the person who had just entered the archive room. Ren.  

Said man’s brows furrowed in concern, and he placed his sword next to Dan Heng’s spear by the door before walking over to the makeshift bed. Crouching down, one hand reached out to grab Dan Heng’s wrist, pulling it away from the man’s head before feeling his temperature.  

“You’re sick?” A nod. Ren sighed. “Do you want me to get you anything?”  

“Some water and painkillers would be nice...” Dan Heng said, leaning into Ren’s touch when the hand moved to cup his cheek. A soft hum could be heard as a gloved thumb rubbed small circles into his skin, making the other feel sleepy again. As a result, he grumbled quietly once the hand disappeared, dissatisfied.  

“I won’t be long.” With that, Ren got up and left the room again, being careful not to make too much noise as he opened and closed the archive’s door. Dan Heng’s head dropped back down into his pillow as he waited, a groan escaping his lips as the sudden motion momentarily worsened his headache.  

It felt like an eternity until the other came back, to the point that Dan Heng dozed back off while cuddled up in his blanket. Though truthfully, barely five minutes passed. It would’ve been even less than that, if Ren hadn’t spontaneously decided to make a cup of tea for Dan Heng on top of getting some water. So now, said man struggled to open the door with a hot cup in one hand, and a water bottle and box of painkillers in the other.   

And if he would’ve used his brain a little more, he could’ve easily put the latter two in the pockets of his coat. But alas, one of them ended up falling to the ground just as he finally opened the door, the noise successfully waking Dan Heng right back up.  

“Sorry", Ren hurriedly mumbled as he quickly went over to place the cup on Dan Heng’s desk, before going back to pick the water bottle up and close the door again. His gaze fell on Dan Heng who just watched him quietly, head tilting in question once their eyes locked.  

Without another word, Ren walked back over to the bed, crouching down next to it to hand Dan Heng the bottle and painkillers. A few moments of silence passed as the Vidyadhara took them and swallowed one of the pills with some sips of water.  

“So...” Ren cleared his throat, “I got you some tea as well. For your throat. Since it sounds a bit hoarse.” He pointed towards the cup on the desk as he spoke. Dan Heng’s eyes followed the movement, lips forming into a small smile as he noticed the design of the cup. Two black cats with their tails entwined, red and teal eyes each.  

“Thank you”, he said, sitting up a bit more properly as Ren got up to get the cup and hand it to him. “Careful, it’s hot”, Ren said, though more so guessing as he had grabbed it with his gloved hand. Dan Heng just nodded silently, carefully holding the cup and blowing air at the hot liquid for a while before taking some sips from it.  

They ended up sitting together like this for a while, comfortable silence between them as Dan Heng sipped on his tea, while Ren leaned against the wall by Dan Heng’s bed. Once the cup was empty, Ren put it back onto the desk before climbing into the bed as well. With one arm wrapped around Dan Heng’s shoulders and the archivist’s head resting on Ren’s chest, they eventually fell asleep like that.  

—✧— 

Roughly half a week passed after Jing Yuan’s text, in which Ren finished his mission with Silver Wolf and Sam, went back to their headquarters to grab some things, and contemplated a ridiculous amount of time over whether he should get his boyfriend flowers, a plush cat, anything else, or simply nothing at all. In the end, with Kafka’s persuasion, he ended up getting both a black plush cat and a bouquet of flowers. Hydrangeas, mostly, along with some smaller types that he couldn’t care to remember the name of. The point was that they looked pretty, and Kafka assured him that Dan Heng would love it. 

So now he stood here, in front of the hospital again, nervous to go in. Jing Yuan had escorted him on the way just like last time too, wishing to see Dan Heng just as much. He had been too busy with work to still pay any visits, he said. “Though of course, as the General, I can still make some time for a special occasion like this”, he had laughed. Ren had rolled his eyes, hiding a content smile. 

In truth, he himself had looked forward to this since that day almost three weeks ago, when his bracer had suddenly gone cold. That day felt like a distant memory now, more like a blur than anything. He wasn’t sure if that was to blame on Kafka’s spirit whisper, or simply on how stressed and worried he had felt. Perhaps it was both. 

“Oh, there you two are!” A rather childish voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and his gaze dropped down to see a cheerful Lady Bailu holding the entrance door open as she looked up at the two men. Her tail swished around happily, occasionally knocking against the door with a thumping sound. “He should wake up any minute now, so I’d suggest you two hurry up and come in if you really wanna be there for the big moment!” 

Jing Yuan let out a small laugh, amused by Bailu’s obvious excitement. “Alright, just give us another minute. You go back in and make sure he has it comfortable, yeah?” he spoke, Bailu nodding quickly in return before the door closed again. “You ready?” Jing Yuan’s gaze fell on Ren. 

Was he ready? For some reason, Ren couldn’t tell. Of course, they’ve been apart for longer before, their individual mission schedules clashing too much every once in a while. But this? This felt different. Any other time they had to be apart in the past, they were still able to text each other. Dan Heng had eventually gotten into a habit of checking in on Ren daily, which sometimes was the only time they actually got to talk to one another. And admittedly, Ren missed that. 

So perhaps, yes, he was ready. So, he gave Jing Yuan a nod. And the other smiled. “Then, let’s go.” 

The way to Dan Heng’s temporary room felt eerily long. Granted, Ren had only walked it twice. Halfway down one corridor, two floors up the elevator, and then down another corridor before they finally stood in front of the small sign that read ‘Dan Heng’. The last time he had stood here was a week and a half ago when he had to leave for a mission. He thought back to how he left without his hair clip and with empty hands, and now he stood here again with his hands clutching down on a cat push and flower bouquet. He loosened his grip a bit once he realized just how tightly he had been holding them. 

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his daze. “He’s alright, you know that. No need to be nervous”, Jing Yuan said to him in a low voice, reassuringly. Ren nodded, before stepping into the room once Jing Yuan opened the door. 

When his gaze fell onto Dan Heng, everything felt like it slowed down. It was like his nervousness disappeared in an instant, and he even subconsciously let out a small smile. The breath he apparently had been holding in finally escaped him too, and it felt like all the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. 

“Just in time, huh?” he heard Jing Yuan say with a chuckle, as the man pushed two chairs to stand by Dan Heng’s bed. Ren’s gaze fell to the two items in his hands, silent for a moment before putting them down on the table that was still placed on the other side of the room. Just like last time. 

“Yeah”, Ren started, taking place on the chair on Dan Heng’s right side. The one that usually wore the bracer nowadays. Though, of course, it wasn’t there currently. If Ren remembered correctly, that pink-haired girl - March? - had said something about leaving it in the Express’s archiving room with Dan Heng’s other belongings. It had been drenched in blood from the man’s injuries, so she wanted to clean it for him, and most likely forgot to bring it back to the Luofu. Ren could already imagine the fond smile on Dan Heng’s lips once he’d find out about his close friend being forgetful once again. 

“I’ll go get some water for him; his throat will most likely be dry once he wakes up.” Jing Yuan’s words. Ren simply nodded. His attention was too focused on Dan Heng, eyes scanning over every detail of his boyfriend’s face as if committing it to memory. Perhaps he was. Or perhaps he had already done that long ago, and was simply checking for any differences now. Though he didn’t find any. 

“God...” He half scoffed, half laughed, closing his eyes for a moment. The realization was only now starting to hit. Absentmindedly, he took off his glove from one hand, unwrapping the bandages from the other. A part of him wanted to directly touch Dan Heng’s skin with his own, not be restricted by leather and gauze. 

“Like this, you look so...” ...peaceful and beautiful. He didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t need to, there was nobody else who could hear it anyway. One hand reached out to grab Dan Heng’s hand, Ren’s expression turning fond as he held it with both his hands and distantly took notice of the size difference.  

Though like this, with their hands together, he also quickly noticed the small twitch of Dan Heng’s fingers, and how they tightened around his own. The motion caused Ren’s eyes to widen, staring at their entwined hands for a moment longer before shifting to look at Dan Heng’s face. 

It was in that same moment that those teal eyes opened, still looking drowsy from sleep, yet soon directing their gaze at Ren nonetheless. Ren’s breath hitched, and his grip on Dan Heng’s hand tightened ever so slightly. “You’re awake...” His words were met with a nod, and Dan Heng averted his gaze to look around the room. His eyes briefly rested on the two gifts Ren had brought, a smile twitching at the corner of Dan Heng’s lips upon recognizing the cat plush and his favorite type of flowers. 

“How long was I asleep?” Dan Heng asked, sitting up properly as he looked at Ren once again. 

“Two weeks, roughly.” Ren licked his lips. Then, he took a deep breath. “I almost thought I’d lose you...” At that moment, something inside of him felt like it was breaking. Like those two weeks took a bigger toll on him than he had initially thought, or even realized. He felt a tear rolling down his cheek. 

Dan Heng watched him silently, gaze softening when he realized how vulnerable Ren seemed right now. “Come here”, he said quietly, raising his free arm for a hug. Ren looked at him in half disbelief, before turning his head away with a small scoff. “I’m fine– I'm not like that pink-haired friend of yours”, he said in an attempt to make himself look tough. Though it only caused Dan Heng to roll his eyes with a small smile. 

Next thing Ren knew, that slender hand slipped out from between his own, and two arms wrapped around his upper body, pulling him closer. The unexpected motion caused Ren to almost fall headfirst into the bed, just barely saving himself in time as one arm reached out to support himself on the mattress. 

“I missed you, dumbass”, Dan Heng mumbled, clinging tightly onto Ren’s figure as he hid his face in the man’s shoulder. A familiar feeling welled up in Ren’s chest, and a sigh escaped him before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as well. A few minutes passed just like this, with neither of them saying anything, simply enjoying each other’s company instead. 

The next time the two men moved their heads was when a knock came from the door, followed by the clearing of a throat. Dan Heng’s cheeks heated up in embarrassment upon seeing none other than the Luofu General himself, and Ren couldn’t help but fake a scowl at the fact that their peaceful minutes together were ruined so quickly. 

“Now now”, Jing Yuan laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. I said I’d come back with some water for our friend, didn’t I?” He raised one hand as he said those words, revealing three bottles of water that he somehow managed to balance without problems. “I brought some for us as well.” 

Ren parted from Dan Heng's embrace with a sigh, his chair letting out a small creaking sound as he leaned back on it. Though his gaze remained on Jing Yuan as the man closed the door and walked over to take a seat as well, Ren still reached out to grab one of Dan Heng’s hands again, near subconsciously intertwining their fingers. Dan Heng couldn’t help but smile fondly at the small gesture. 

The next hour or two were spent with the three of them talking about what had happened these past two weeks, Ren seeming especially curious about how Dan Heng had come to be so heavily injured in the first place. As Jing Yuan observed, the Stellaron Hunter sure cared a lot about his boyfriend’s safety, going so far as to stubbornly demand that the other wouldn’t go on missions without him anymore. Though they both knew that wasn’t possible. 

Once that particular discussion was over, Jing Yuan asked how the two of them had been doing since their last visit to the Luofu. And if they were to look a little closer and pay a bit more attention to the General’s body language and facial expressions, they could notice the hints of longing as Dan Heng spoke of his adventures on other planets. After all, deep down Jing Yuan still wished he could travel among the stars just like the Nameless did as well.  

The three men were so engrossed in their conversations that the next thing they knew, another loud knock sounded from the door, and a pink-haired girl came storming in with balloons, screaming Dan Heng’s name at the top of her lungs as her girlfriend followed with an apologetic smile. 

Startled by the sudden noise, Dan Heng fell silent for a moment before letting out a genuine laugh, his brain having needed a moment to catch up on what was suddenly happening. He watched with a fond smile as March attached the balloons to the side of his bed, before then promptly sitting down on the mattress next to him as there were no spare chairs left in the room. 

“We brought you food!” The bubbly girl started, gesturing for Stelle to come over as well. “I asked Miss Bailu if it’d be fine to bring you something, since hospital food is usually pretty bland”, she made a bleurgh sound as she said that, playfully hitting Stelle on the shoulder when the other failed to stifle a laugh. 

“Anyway!” March continued. “It’s self-made!” 

“From both of us”, Stelle chimed in. 

“The most you did was hand me the ingredients because you burned everything on the first try!” 

“So? I still helped!” 

Dan Heng shook his head to himself as he watched the two girls bicker, one hand raised to hide the smile on his face. “Thank god we’re not this bad”, he could hear Ren mumble from beside him, to which he threw the man a pointed look. “Yeah, we’re worse”, Dan Heng responded in a whisper, referring to the countless times they’ve fought and sparred in the past. 

Ren didn’t respond, but the smirk on his lips still caused Dan Heng to roll his eyes with a fond smile. They would probably spar again once Dan Heng was out of here and fully healed. 

“March,” Dan Heng interrupted his friends’ bickering, thankfully causing them to stop and pay attention to him again. He cleared his throat when four pairs of eyes expectantly looked at him, realizing that the room had fallen completely silent. Slightly flustered, he averted his gaze to look at the Tupperware box in his friend’s hands. “Thank you. For the food, I mean.” 

“Oh– Of course!” March responded as she finally handed him the said box, apparently having forgotten about it until now. 

After this, the small group fell back into conversation as Dan Heng ate the food made for him. It turned out that the two girls had even baked cookies in case anyone else was there to visit their friend, so in the end, everyone sat there and munched on those cookies in between talking. 

At some point, Bailu came in to check up on Dan Heng as well. Looking over his remaining wounds and general condition, she eventually announced that he would stay at the hospital for a few more nights just as a precaution, before he could be released to roam around freely again. 

To Ren’s silent relief, and with Jing Yuan’s permission, the High Elder even mentioned that he could stay overnight again just like last time, if that’s what he wished to do. Of course, she didn’t have to tell him that twice. 

Those next few days passed by a bit more calmly. Bailu encouraged Dan Heng to take small walks around the vicinity of the hospital since he had been unconscious for so long, to which Ren of course accompanied him.  

Other times, the swordsman went out by himself to get takeout for the two of them, one time even coming back fully drenched as it had started pouring on his way back. Dan Heng had only laughed upon seeing how his boyfriend looked like a grumpy wet cat. 

Like this, together, it felt like time was passing faster than usual, and suddenly Dan Heng was standing outside of the hospital together with his belongings, ready to go back to the Express. The flowers Ren had gifted him had withered by now, but at least the small cat plush remained, and was currently held very tightly in one hand. The other one was holding Ren’s hand, like so often since Dan Heng had woken up from his coma. 

“Will you be busy for long?” Dan Heng asked, looking up at Ren. 

Right. 

He had to leave to play out another one of Elio’s scripts. 

“A week at most. You’ll be fine without me, no?” Ren asked with a tilt of his head, a playful smirk visible on his face. The question only got a nod out of Dan Heng, the both of them falling back into silence afterwards. 

Not too much time passed before Mr. Yang arrived to pick Dan Heng up as agreed. Pressing one last kiss to Dan Heng’s forehead, Ren watched for a while as the two left and walked through the Luofu’s streets, before deciding to leave as well. 

The next time they met was when Ren knocked on the archive room’s door. 

Dan Heng happened to be busy working on some entries in the data bank while the rest of his friends were on another mission of their own. “ You should stay here and rest”, Himeko had said. So that’s what he had been doing. 

“Wanna go on a date?” Ren now asked with a slight tilt of his head. Seems that rest could wait a while. 

“Where to?” Dan Heng responded, closing his notebook with a quiet thud and resting his pen atop of it. His eyes scanned over the room for a moment before facing Ren again as he grabbed his coat. The other man watched as Dan Heng put it on before reaching his hand out, silently asking to hold his boyfriend’s hand. 

"Well,” Ren started, “Kafka recommended it to me. It’s an abandoned city on the same planet your friends are currently on. But,” Ren pulled Dan Heng closer in a sudden motion to press a teasing kiss to the other’s lips, “it’s perfect for stargazing and drinking rice wine.” 

“Old habits die hard, huh...” Dan Heng mumbled, visibly flustered by the kiss as he avoided Ren’s gaze. Next thing he knew, the taller man had picked him up bridal style and didn’t waste another minute to leave the Express for this spontaneous date. 

—✧— 

Dan Feng let out a grunt as his back hit the floor. His spear – Cloud Piercer – was closely hovering above his chest, both hands tightly holding onto it as he pushed the weapon back against Yingxing’s sword.  

His eyes narrowed, brows slightly furrowing as his gaze moved from their clashing weapons up to Yingxing’s eyes. The craftsman had his knees positioned on both sides of Dan Feng’s waist, cornering the High Elder against the floor. A confident grin could be seen on the human’s visage as he realized he could for once win one of their spars. Dan Feng’s stomach felt fuzzy.  

“Giving up yet?” Yingxing spoke, tilting his head in the process. He leaned closer, his breath hitting Dan Feng’s lips as he let out a chuckle.   

“Though I’ve got to admit...” His voice trailed off as his eyes scanned over the High Elder’s figure, lingering a little too long on his waist before moving back up. “You look beautiful underneath me like that.”  

Dan Feng’s breath hitched in his throat. His eyes widened in genuine surprise, and before he realized it, Yingxing had grabbed his spear and kicked it away. Silence followed as jade eyes stared into indigo ones, a blush forming on the High Elder’s cheeks as he noticed Yingxing’s gaze trailing down to his lips.  

“Could this mere mortal be so bold as to steal a kiss from the High Elder?” He hummed in thought, one hand moving to gently grab Dan Feng's chin.  

“...” Dan Feng averted his gaze, eyes scanning over the area. It was still early in the morning, so the training ground was mostly empty safe for the two of them, as well as their other friends from the High Cloud Quintet. From a distance, he could see Jingliu teaching Jing Yuan some new techniques, with Baiheng watching from not too far away as she sipped on a drink. One of her favorite tea variants, probably.  

“Only one”, he finally said, looking back at Yingxing again. The craftsman’s expression turned into a smug grin in response, before he dipped his head down to connect their lips.