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“Dan Heng, look!”
The stone-faced guard paused and turned; his dark eyes on the bubbly pink-haired figure running off to the far end of the train cart.
Himeko, Welt and Stelle had all turned in for the night, leaving him and March 7th alone. It was close to midnight and they finally agreed to go and retreat to their rooms and rest but of course, his optimist partner always seemed to find a way to distract herself.
Visually drained, Dan Heng forced himself to follow her with a deep frown. “What’s the matter?” He asked, pausing to naturally stand next to her.
Wasting no time, March points to the glass windows that reveal the cosmic landscape. “Check it, take a good look!”
Dan Heng followed her gaze, arms crossed. A parade of large rock debris floated idly by. There were a few traces of satellites here and there, but nothing else was happening.
“I don’t get it. What am I supposed to be looking at?”
March pouted, nudging him playfully. “The stars! Duh!”
“The stars?” Dan Heng echoed, sounding unimpressed.
Since they embarked on the legendary Astral Express, the cosmic landscape remained steady and unchanging. Unless they were close to their next destination, (they weren’t), ninety-nine percent of the time, the outside world looked boring.
“Come on, Dan Heng! You seriously can’t see it?”
Dan Heng shot her a half-hearted glare. “See what?”
March lets out a disgruntled groan. “Argh! Maybe it’s cause you’re looking the wrong way! Here, let me!”
Her sudden closeness to his personal space made Dan Heng blink twice. Before he knew it, March grabbed hold of his right hand and raised it high. Her chilly, unwelcoming touch aroused him immediately from his split-second daze.
“Right there! LOOK!”
Guiding his hand, she points his finger to the direction she wanted him to see.
Ignoring his burning red neck, Dan Heng’s gaze followed where she was showing and this time, he saw it. Up ahead, he spotted a tiny glimmer of light in the far-off distance.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to make sense of the abnormally divine glow steadily passing through orbit. His eyes widened.
“Is that—”
“A SHOOTING STAR!” March revealed, bounced up and down excitedly, shaking their linked hands hysterically. “Isn’t it great or what?”
She finally let’s go, much to Dan Heng’s slight discomfort (and the feel of losing her cold touch) as the latter proceeded to whip out her trusty teal colored camera to capture the moment.
“Oh wow! This is going in my slideshow, for sure~!”
Dan Heng spared a glance at the oddball girl who seemed preoccupied with her little hobby. “So, this is it? You made me stay up with you just to see a shooting star?”
March paused and turned, giving him a pouty look. “Hey, come on! Don’t be like that! Not a lot of people are lucky like us to see it so close and up here in space!”
She was right.
Since Dan Heng decided to join the Astral Express crew, so much had happened. The invasion at the Herta Space Station, the encounter with Stelle, their first great adventure together as a team with Stelle in Belobog—it was all so familiar yet brand new.
For the first time in a long while, Dan Heng never felt a greater sense of peace and comfort. Small moments such as this one, he wouldn’t have ever predicted to witness in his lifetime.
Right here and now, he felt like this was where he wanted to be, and where he belonged (like he’d ever admit it to her).
Dan Heng spared a glance at his eccentric partner, a slight twitch on his thin lips as she clicked away with her device.
Would she still be as sparkly and cheerful if she were here with someone else? He wondered, eyes closing. Knowing her, she would’ve reacted the same way with either Himeko, Welt, or Conductor Pom-Pom for that matter.
Heck, even the chatterbox novice Steele was a better option, considering how they joined the crew a few weeks ago. Didn’t they deserve the chance to see this sort of rare phenomenon?
Surely his boring presence alone wouldn’t make much of a difference either way for March, right?
“Oho, what’s this?”
Dan Heng reopened his eyes and glanced at the pink-haired girl. “Hmm?”
“You had your eyes closed!” March teased, sticking out her tongue. “I know what that means~!”
Dan Heng crossed his arms, giving his partner a blank look. “What?”
Nevertheless, March laughed anyway. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Geez, you’re too serious! Loosen up a little!”
While Dan Heng brushed her off and kept his composure, March took this opportunity to move a bit closer, once again invading his personal space. She lightly nudged his elbow, alerting him.
Ebony eyes met her pink-blue ones.
“So? What didya wish for?”
At this, Dan Heng looked away, blushing. “…I’m not telling.”
“Aww, but that’s the fun part! Come on, don’t be shy now~”
He shook his head. “…Nope.”
“Pretty please! I won’t tell anybody!!”
“Hmm…” Dan Heng thought hard about it, trying to play along. “Okay.”
“Yes!”
“But on one condition.”
March blinked, tipping her head. “Yeah, what is it?”
“Tell me, why did you wanna see the shooting star with me?” Dan Heng finally asked, curious to know her answer. “Is it because I’m still awake or is it because you can't fall asleep?”
This time, it was March’s turn to remain silent.
“March?”
The pink-haired girl smiled nervously, the blooming red flush on her cheeks quite evident that there might be something more. Right away, Dan Heng quickly looked elsewhere and cleared his throat, suddenly feeling uneasy.
Could she possibly have her ulterior motive behind this? Or maybe he was just imagining it? Deep down, Dan Heng was hoping that maybe, there could be something more.
Then again, this was March.
She was the social butterfly of their group. She had a magnetic personality and everybody he knew loved her company. Knowing her, she was bound to invite any person to join her in this kind of scenario.
“Never mind, this is stupid,” Dan Heng said quickly, bangs obscuring his crestfallen eyes. He was ready to march out of here and go to his room and hide and—
“…Cause I wanna do this only with you, Dan Heng!”
And there it was.
Dan Heng turned, having his focus entirely on her. He watched as the latter squeaked and squirmed where she stood, trying her best not to look like a hot mess right now.
Sparing no time, he walked over and took her cold hands with his own.
Albeit her blushing, March looked up, her iridescent eyes slightly glassy and biting her lip.
Dan Heng gave his partner a long, knowing look. "Do you really mean that?" He asked, his words growing softer.
Her weak nod was all he needed to take the next step.
He moved closer and she didn’t dare to.
He tipped his head over, foreheads touching. His eyes half-closed with March doing the same.
The great shooting star passed through, its brilliant light emitting a vibrant overcast on the Express engine. And yet, it didn’t seem to matter to the pair, the confusion, curiosity, and coldness replaced with a sort of sweetness, understanding and warmth.
This moment was theirs alone.
Both Dan Heng and March stayed that way, bodies close—one arm around his neck and her other hand placed closely against his chest while his enclosed around her waist. Lips touched, breathing even, hearts beating fast and rapid.
Their kiss sparking an array of fireworks inside their stomachs.
This was new, this was special and only for the two of them.
It wasn’t until the vanishing light from the shooting star eventually ebbed away that reality sunk in.
March was the first to pull away, cheeks still rosy and red. She looked up at her tall raven-haired partner, his usual stone-cold face melting into a rather shy, reserved one.
Seeing this new look on him made March stifle a giggle.
Dan Heng creased his brows, returning to his naturally, scowling look. “What?”
“Nothing~” His partner replied, grinning away. She glanced over to the window, startled to see that the shooting star was no more.
“What?! It’s gone! Already?” She whined, “But I didn’t get a chance to make a wish!”
“I did,” Dan Heng confessed, causing the latter to look at him with widened eyes.
“Really?” March squeaked, suddenly getting jumpy. “Well, what was it? Spill the beans!”
Dan Heng gave her a rare smile and leaned in. He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and tucking it behind her right ear, his hot breath tickling her exposed neck. I wanted to be with you, He wanted to say but couldn't. Instead, he decided to tease her a bit.
“It came true.” He chuckled into her ear with an awfully teasing grin that mirrored hers. “What about you?”
March beamed, tackling her surprised lover onto the floor and then showering him with a bunch of sweet kisses.
Her answer was crystal clear.