Chapter Text
A ringing noise keeps playing inside his head over and over again, causing a massive headache. He wants to wake up, yet he still remains unconscious no matter how hard he tries.
He seems to hear... voices. it sounds like two people talking. Who are they? What are they talking about, what's happening? Where is he?
Many thoughts cross his mind, but it only makes his headache worse, his head hurts so badly. He wishes for it to stop.
"... Is- ... Going to be alright?- ... ...."
Suddenly, he can somewhat understand what the people next to him are talking about. Some parts of it, but at least it doesn't sound like total gibberish to him now.
It sounds like a male voice... Who is it? Why... Can't he remember anything? He can't help but feel nervous and scared, who is he supposed to be?
"I understand your concern, ...- took quite the hit, but- ... ... With some proper rest, he should recover- ... ... ...."
He wants to listen in on them more, and understand what they're saying, but everything that comes after just continues sounding blurry to him. His mind suddenly blacks out.
He feels himself turning over on the bed, and the rustling sound of the sheets. His eyes slowly flutter open, and he sits up on the bed. Everything is so blurry, he practically can't see anything at all.
His head is suddenly hit by a sudden pain, it feels like it's splitting in half. It's so painful he winces in pain. "... Ow..." He holds onto head with his hand, trying to adjust.
Someone comes near him, he noticed he woke up, getting next to him and helping to support his head.
"Caelus, you're awake. How is your head?" His soft and gentle voice reached his ears as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. His vision is still blurry, making it hard for him to focus on the figure next to him.
"... It hurts, but I think I'm fine." He replied before even looking up at the person, still wincing in pain as he held his head with his hand.
"That's good. It's natural to feel dizzy and numb after being knocked out cold. You also got injured during the fight, so please rest for the time being." His voice is filled with concern for him.
He doesn't say anything more, focusing in calming down the headache and pain he has instead by rubbing his head. His mind clears up a little, and he feels like he mustered up enough strength to slowly turn his head up to look at who the person next to him is.
"Who's this?" He can't help but think to himself when he finally sees the persons appearance for the first time. Even if he can't see him well he can still tell apart some features he has. Black hair, and... Blue eyes?
Despite the disorientation, there was something about his presence that felt comforting, as if he was a reassuring anchor in the midst of confusion.
He felt an odd mix of relief and confusion at the presence of the person beside him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should know this person, but his memory remained frustratingly blank.
"Thank you, but... I have to ask, who are you again? Am I supposed to know you?" He feels very confused, he wants to know who this person is to make him feel this way.
"It's me, Danheng." Danheng says his name, as if assuming Caelus should know who he is.
"... Um, thank you, Danheng. But that doesn't really answer my question." Caelus looks around the room he's in, but it ends up confusing him even more. This room feels so familiar to him, yet so unfamiliar at the same time. He has no memories or recollection of being here.
"Where exactly am I?" Caelus decides to be straightforward and just ask Danheng who's next to him.
"...We're in your room." Danheng continues talking to him in a soft tone, it sounds like he's worried for him even though Caelus still can't see his face clearly.
"Why does he sound worried?" Caelus can't help but wonder, as he tried to make sense of the situation.
"Your head must really hurt for you to forget everything... You do remember the expedition we went on... right?" The concern is evident in Danheng's voice. His concerned voice brought back a sense of familiarity to Caelus, but it felt like grasping at a hazy memory that's scattered in his mind somewhere that he just can't find.
"That's... Well, I think I remember some parts of it. Mainly blacking out." Caelus tries to recall, but the effort only intensifies the throbbing in his head, causing him to clutch his forehead tightly.
"Yes, you were knocked out by a fragmentum creature we encountered. We managed to fight it off, but you didn't wake up so I had to carry you back." Danheng explained, still sounding concerned for him.
"Do you remember anything before that? We were doing an expedition to collect data and investigate any oddities we might have found in the area," He probed further, but his inquiries only brought a blank response from Caelus.
"I don't remember any of that happening." Caelus replies nonchalantly, as if he was discussing a distant event he had no personal connection to.
"You say you... Don't remember it at all, as in this whole entire time being on the Express and working together?" Danheng asked, growing increasingly concerned for Caelus, possibly due to the implications of his memory loss.
"What is the Express?" Caelus looked confused and curious. But the question stirred a sense of deja vu in him, as if he had asked the same question in the past before, he's not sure how he feels about that.
"Are... Are you serious right now?" Danheng sounds completely bewildered and almost as if he can't believe what he's hearing from Caelus.
"Wait, before you ask again... Who am I to you exactly? I mean, what am I to you?" His voice softened, hoping for any glimmer of recognition.
"... I'm not sure, have I lost my memories or something?" Caelus looks genuinely confused, staring at him a bit before speaking up again. He seems unaware that he did lose his memories.
"I don't remember you at all, but you seem familiar. But, I can't... Wrap my head around it." Caelus's head starts to hurt even more when he tries really hard to remember who he is, wincing in pain again as he leans into his hand for more comfort.
Danheng notices Caelus's headache worsening, realizing that pushing for memories might be more harmful than helpful.
"Caelus, please don't force yourself to try remember if it only hurts your head more. That said, you've completely forgotten everything we've gone through together?" His concern for Caelus remains evident.
"... I think so, I can't remember anything about you. Can you tell me, what our relationship is?" Caelus looks up at him with hopeful eyes for a answer. The memory loss clearly had a big impact on him.
"Well... You see... I'm your boyfriend." It comes out so easily, as if he's said it before many times that it's natural to him.