Chapter Text
Dan Heng’s life was a series of misfortune. Orphaned from a young age, he never had a place to call home. Minor inconveniences would also plague him excessively. As a result, he was never quite close to anyone. Perhaps only life would subject such ideas of helplessness to someone so young.
It was late August when the college term formally began. Like any other important occasion, the five alarms on his phone that Dan Heng set did not go off. His biological clock, expecting this, woke him up with a start. He reached for his phone to check the time. To no one’s surprise, the phone was dead. He had plugged his faulty charger the wrong way resulting in nothing getting charged.
With a sigh, he got up. First, he tripped over the air and landed with a loud bang. He earned a glare and an annoyed grunt from his roommate. Great, another person who hates him. Next, due to him forgetting his wallet, Dan Heng was forced to go without breakfast. Which effectively also happened locked him out of his dorm (his dorm card was also in the wallet).
As if the day couldn’t get any better, a sudden shower appeared out of the blue. Dan Heng, who wasn’t able to check the weather app this morning, was drenched on the spot. He didn’t bring his wallet, much less his umbrella. He stared up towards the sky as the droplets clouded his glasses.
Nothing good ever comes out of rainy days.
Dan Heng only had a single class for the day. He took every step with resentment. Resentment for how his life turned out. Resentment for whatever being cursed him to be like this. Resentment for all the joy he couldn't grasp.
The second he made it to his class, the rain stopped. Hilarious. Surprisingly, the professor was also late on the first day of class. There weren't that many students for such a large classroom. Dan Heng was able to make his way to an inconspicuous corner easily.
Dan Heng laid his head down, ignoring the professor’s introduction. He was extremely tired from a lack of sleep and an overwhelming morning. His eyes began to shut intermittently until–
“Dan Heng.”
Dan Heng’s bleary mind felt as if something was calling out to him.
“Is there a Dan Heng here?”
Realizing that he was in a social environment, not his bed, Dan Heng gained a sudden burst of energy.
“Yes. Me. Here.” Dan Heng said, immediately raising his body. ‘What a great first impression.’
“Alright, make sure to pay attention next time,” the professor chastised lightly.
After the professor finished the roll call, she began to introduce the class with great fervor. With a sparkle in her eyes, she began to scroll through her slideshow filled with minion memes. It was a world history class specifically for studying some of the greatest historical rulers. On a more serious note, if you ignore the spinning minion gif, she went over how the class would be graded. Two-hour weekly lectures with required attendance as well as one major presentation. The presentations would be done in groups of 2 on a historical figure.
To everyone’s (except Dan Heng’s) groan, the professor also mentioned how she already picked out all the groups along with which figure they’d be doing.
She continued, “Come on, it’ll be fun. Meet new people, form new friendships, and get that college experience!”
The professor clicked next on the slideshow to a spinning transition of the same exact slogan. “Meet new people, form new friendships, and get that college experience!” This, in addition to an obligatory minion holding his hands up with the brightest smile in the room.
‘She certainly came prepared. As expected of someone who’s years deep in their craft.’ Dan Heng thought.
“Enough of all that. I bet you’re all curious about who you’re going to be working with for the whole term. Here we go.” The professor motioned.
On the board were three rows of names—two rows for the group and one for the project topic. Dan Heng’s eyes traced the board searching for his name. The names weren’t grouped alphabetically but randomly which made searching a little harder than necessary. Eventually, he saw his name. Dan Heng. Caelus. Emperor Feng.
Dan Heng felt a slight unease. Did he have to go around asking everyone for their name? He had skipped almost all of the freshman activities unwillingly due to accidents. It wasn’t his fault that a flower pot crashed into his bike from 10 stories tall and broke the frame. Then, when he tried to fix it, all the repair shops within 5 miles were closed. His list of reasons for never attending was endless. His thoughts would spiral out of focus until a voice interrupted his thinking.
“Excuse me. You’re Dan Heng right?”
Dan Heng glanced up and instantly froze—ashen-gray hair with an ethereal countenance. Dan Heng’s eyes traced the figure from his ruby-dipped lips to each fluttering eyelash. But what really drew Dan Heng in was those specific pair of eyes. It wasn’t brown, but golden like the maple leaves he collects in fall. It shouldn’t have surprised him. The college was known for their students having power ranger-colored hair and eye colors stemming from every iteration of the rainbow. Yet every part of Dan Heng’s soul churned. It churned harshly for that pair of eyes.