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The atmosphere in Aurum Alley is even more lively during the festival. Aromatic scents from various food stalls wafting through the air, noises from crowds and music here and there. Bright, colorful lanterns along the road.
It almost feels like an explosion for your senses, but in a nice way.
Dan Heng would usually prefer to be in a much more quiet place, paying zero mind that it's a holiday where people would celebrate. But this year... it's different. He has Caelus now. And now that they have Xianzhou Luofu as one of the Express' destination lists, he wants to escort Caelus to the event, so he could get to know about his tradition better.
Caelus was so eager when Dan Heng asked him for the date the day before. He even re-read all the brochures he collected, then showed him everything he wanted to try and experience: the dice game, the lantern parade, the dragon dance. And lots of Startaro Bubble.
It's supposed to be a fun experience... but apparently it's not really.
Dan Heng glances at Caelus' face who sits beside him in a table as they wait for their food. He looks despondent - it's as if the Goddess of Misfortune is smiling at him. At first, he lost the gamble when he played the dice game. Then when they went to see the dragon dance, a child accidentally stepped on his foot and spilled her Immortal's Delight all over his clothes. Even when they bought a paper lantern, it suddenly combusted when he held it.
As for the last... the Startaro Bubble... didn't taste as enjoyable as advertised (Dan Heng had already warned him though). It even tasted that bad he could feel his life span got cut by a month.
Caelus sighs and does a faceplant on the table.
"I'm sorry, Dan Heng..." He feels guilty for not being able to hide his upsetness. "It's... supposed to be a nice date with you, but... Ueeehh..."
Dan Heng is about to give a pat on his back to console him, but a waitress comes and places a plate of Songlotus Cake on their table.
"Enjoy!" She says in a cheerful tone, but her face is that of a living dead. It must be a really busy night for her...
"Caelus, the food is here. How about taking a bite while it's still warm?" Dan Heng tries to cheer him up, caressing his silver strands gently. Caelus peeks at him, his eyes are a bit teary and his face already sulks. Dan Heng can't help but chuckles at that.
Dan Heng takes one of the cake with chopsticks and offers it to Caelus. Just as Caelus takes a bite, a sudden crisp laughter comes out from the snack, making him almost jump from his seat. But the sudden movement causes the food to drop to the ground.
"Aaahh not anymoooree!" Caelus hugs Dan Heng, feeling desperate. "Dan Heng, let's just go hooomee..."
Dan Heng pats at Caelus' head, knowing that he likes it. "Sorry, Caelus... I forgot that Songlotus Cake might startle you."
But he still has another plan for tonight... so as though he wants to agree and take Caelus back to the Express, he tries to coax Caelus to stay.
"Can you please accompany me for a bit more, Caelus?" Dan Heng persuades in a soft tone, his voice is almost drown by the noises from the crowds. "I don't want the whole events leaving you with a bad impression about tonight's date..."
Caelus lifts his head a bit, enough for him to take a look at his boyfriend. He seems to hesitate, but eventually nods. Dan Heng smiles and pinches Caelus' cheek gently which earns him a playful smack on his arm.
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Dan Heng brings Caelus to a more secluded area, keeping their distance from the crowds. Caelus leans on the railing along the river and sighs as he looks up to the night sky.
"At least the moon is pretty," He murmurs, and a smile automatically blooms on his face.
You're the one who's pretty, Dan Heng almost blurts it out of his lips that he chokes on his own spit. He coughs to make it sound as natural as possible, but the act only attracts Caelus' attention.
"Dan Heng? What's wrong? Are you cold?" Caelus initiates a hug. Dan Heng smiles at the affection, and presses that smile on Caelus' hair.
"I'm okay, Caelus. Anyway... Here's what I want to show you." He leans back from the hug, then takes some steps backward.
Caelus tilts his head in wonder but says nothing. Then his eyes widen, his lips make a small opening - a faint image of water clumps suddenly appear on top of Dan Heng's head and forming dragon horns. He hasn't even got the chance to express his awe, but then Dan Heng moves his hands to the river, summoning a pair of small water dragons to leap up to the sky.
"I can't make bigger ones, don't want to risk attracting other people." His arms' gentle movement looks almost like a dance, and Caelus' eyes seem like they're trained to the water dragons that sway in front of them.
"Whoa-" Caelus steps back when the dragons are circling around him for a few moments. He couldn't restrain a smile from forming on his face. He extends his arm to try to touch one of the dragons, and when he does, it breaks into bulbs of sparkling water that reflect the moonshine and the colorful lanterns nearby. Caelus' face lights up, and he touches the other dragon for more bulbs. A soft laughter comes out from Caelus as he spins around, finding himself surrounded by water fireflies.
"Dan Heng, this is amazing!" Caelus exclaims in a whisper, Dan Heng's warning not to attract other people is still clear in his mind. Dan Heng smiles at the praise as he steps closer to Caelus, joining in the spot where the tiny lanterns made of water flock around. He takes Caelus' hand, then places something on his palm and keeps his hand there for a while, making Caelus unable to see what it is.
"Dan Heng...?" He looks at Dan Heng's hand, to his face, then to his hand again.
Dan Heng's smile falters a bit like he's being shy about it, but eventually he removes his hand, revealing a small comb made of jade. Caelus blinks - as long as he can remember, he has never used any comb in his life. He only uses his own fingers to comb his hair and it's all set.
"Umm..." Caelus looks at the comb intently. He knows that jade is valuable, but he also knows that Dan Heng is a man with depth. There must be any reason on why he would give him a comb... "Are you saying... that my hair is too messy and I need this for it...?"
Dan Heng bursts a suppressed laughter, and Caelus' face heats up. He knows that his answer sounds ridiculous to Dan Heng now.
"Don't laugh at meee!" He smacks at the water bulbs, trying to splash them to Dan Heng but only ends up getting himself wet. By the time the water bulbs are all gone, so are Dan Heng's dragon horns. Dan Heng pulls Caelus into an embrace and strokes his hair in an attempt to tame him from the tantrum. It's so effective since Caelus' immediate response is to hug him back, hiding his face on Dan Heng's neck.
"I'm sorry," Dan Heng steals a kiss from Caelus' lips. Caelus pouts as he leans back a bit, looking at Dan Heng like a puppy pleading to be taken home. Dan Heng is about to steal another kiss but Caelus whines and covers his lips with one hand. Dan Heng chuckles a bit more, then gently pulls Caelus' hand that is still holding the comb.
"There's a saying that... giving a comb to your loved one means we would be together until our hair turns white." Dan Heng glances at Caelus' silver hair, "...You need quite a long time to wait for me to reach there, though."
Caelus giggles at Dan Heng's shenanigans, but then his brain finally catches up.
"...Are you flirting with me, Dan Heng?" He grins, pinches Dan Heng's cheeks with two hands.
Dan Heng takes Caelus' hands off his cheeks, giving them a soft squeeze before bringing them to his lips. Caelus flushes at the act as he can feel his heart pumps a little bit too fast.
"I'm giving you my devotion, Caelus. I will stay by your side... until the end." His eyes are tender, but his gaze is sharp with determination.
"I promise you this soul to protect you, always. Until death do us part."
The streak of red across Caelus' face is turning darker by each of Dan Heng's words. But he smiles at the assurance.
To live together, forever with Dan Heng...
He feels like he couldn't ask for a happier thing.
Just like fireworks that light the night sky with beautiful colors,
so does your presence in my life.
It might be a short round, compared to my lengthy, endless life span,
but in this cycle,
with this current soul,
with this current name.
I would like to spend my all with you,
for you.
The wafting aromatic scents from afar,
The suppressed noises that are omitted from their attentiveness inevitably.
Under the full moon,
A new vow between the two has been sworn.