Chapter Text
The next time Caelus saw Tingyun, he had a goal in mind - to repay Tingyun for her efforts.
“Would you like to take a look at the Astral Express?” Caelus asked, hoping that she’ll agree.
“That’s where you’re living, right? Sure, Caelus!” Tingyun smiled and said, waving her fan.
After taking her past the security and visitor verification, Caelus took her to the lounge car.
Looking at the Xianzhou Luofu through the windows in the lounge car, Tingyun gasped with awe. “Is this what the xianzhou luofu looks like? I’ve left it before, but it always feels weird looking at it being so big. Usually, it gets smaller when I leave it to travel…”
“It looks really big when you view it from this way, right?” Caelus said, looking at her. “The view from the Astral Express is always different and striking, be it the Luofu or other planets.”
“It truly is marvellous, Caelus.” Tingyun smiles, batting her eyelashes, looking around the lounge car now.
“If you want to, you’re more than welcome to take a seat on the sofa. Um, all the sofas except that one,” Caelus says, gesturing, “You can try, but for some reason only I can sit on it…”
Laughing, Tingyun walks over, trying to sit down. Unsurprisingly, she fails, making her laugh even harder.
She doesn’t bother to try again, instead moving over to sit down on a different sofa. Caelus sits down beside her.
“Ah, the express lounge seats are so comfy. Not to mention, the aesthetic and colour is so distinctive and matching,” Tingyun remarks.
“I kinda feel that this place gives off quite the regal feel. Red or fuschia coloured seats, black and yellow paint…” Caelus smiles while mentioning.
Caelus proceeds to look at Tingyun, while she’s observing and looking at the Express’ decor. He looks at her attire, her little hint of cleavage, her shoulders, her oriental fan, and marvels at how he got to be so close to her. He wonders if he should try to ask her out on a date - they’ve practically been on several of those before already, just that they didn’t call them so.
Thinking back, he smiles at a time when Tingyun accidentally called their outings a “date” - both of them blushing and looking flustered, leading to a period of awkward silence between them.
Now, looking back, he was surprised that Tingyun turned out to not be the flirty and suggestive kind - that was the first impression she gave off to him. But after knowing her for longer, he realised she was as shy as anyone, just covering it up to outsiders and people she didn’t trust.
“Caelus, maybe… maybe you would like to try sleeping on my lap?” Tingyun’s voice cut through his reverie like a sword cutting through butter.
"S-sure, if you wouldn't mind." Caelus blushed, speaking slowly.
Following, he gently laid his head down onto her lap. Her warm thighs did nothing to stop his deepening blush, only further excaborating it.
Looking up at Tingyun's eyes, he looked into her deep brown pupils, and his heart dropped in his stomach. I've really fallen for her, pretty badly too, he thought.
He felt bad looking into her eyes, and shifted to see other things in the carriage. I hope March or Welt doesn't come in, Caelus thinks, I'll never hear the end of it if so.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of Tingyun's voice. "Caelus, I want to tell you about something… Lately, I've gotten closer to you, and I've realised how much I enjoy your company. I want to spend more time with you, even if we are separated for quite some time. I like you, your funny jokes, your boisterous personality, and your strength in helping others. I want to be your girlfriend."
Caelus wouldn’t believe his ears. The person he had a crush on secretly also had a crush on him back? Is this real? He stared at Tingyun, shocked.
After a while, he managed to regain his composure and replied, “Across these ‘dates’ that we’ve had, I’ve enjoyed your company more often than ever. Your smooth and silky voice never fails to mesmerise me. Your clothing fits you perfectly, outlining all your curves and your figure perfectly, shining out your skin and your model-like shape. Your teasing always leaves me flustered. I have gradually realised that I’m looking forward to these dates more than ever.
Everytime I see you, my heart beats from how cute you appear. Every time your eyes move bat, your eyelashes flutter, I find myself drawn to them. In a room filled with other people, my attention always goes to you. I’ve actually wondered before how a future with you would be.So, thank you. For letting me hang out with you. And I would love to be your boyfriend.”
After speaking this, looking at Tingyun’s blushing face, Caelus stood up from his location. His face was now eye-level with Tingyun, eye to eye, mouth to mouth, with a small distance in-between them.
He moved in first to kiss her. Feeling the instinct, he moved his mouth to meet hers, staying there for a short while, basking in the wonderful feeling of kissing his crush, Tingyun.
Breaking away, he heard a vaguely-sad “Aww” from her. Laughing, Caelus teased, “What, missing me already?”
“Yeah…” Tingyun responded with an adorable pout.
“Aww, cute.” Caelus said, cupping her face with a hand.
Met against her reddening face, which was quickly turning as red as a tomato, Caelus only smiled and replied,
“Don’t worry, we’ve got all the time in the world.”