Work Text:
March was, all in all, quite the lovable young woman.
Dan Heng appreciated her and Stelle a lot. Having spent so much time alongside her and the other express crew members, he grew attached to sometimes eccentric and outright chaotic aspects of her personality. Yet he found that strangely endearing about her, the optimism and never dying curiosity bringing a smile to his face. Which is exactly why he never doubted her reaction to his new (old?) relationship.
“He’s intimidating, but I can see why you like him so much.” was the only thing she ever said on the topic, choosing to respect his trust and mind her own business.
Yet it didn’t mean she wouldn’t get exited over them. She easily found a way to get along with Blade as well, dragging him into their movie nights whenever the Hunters stayed on the express, asking them to pose together for pictures whenever they bumped into each other outside. March was just that easy to befriend.
Blade seemed to not mind her, joining them in idle conversations, lending his phone for her to take pictures, sharing that soft smile in his eyes with Dan Heng whenever she was rambling about something. Yes, the man seemed to like her company just as much. That was a relief, truly, to know the important people in his life were getting along well.
As such, Dan Heng wasn’t really surprised when she invited the two of them out with her, to check that new cafe Asta told her about, as March 7 herself stated. They both were free and didn’t plan on going anywhere, so, when Blade gave him a small nod, Dan Heng was quick to accept her invitation.
Of course, nothing is ever that simple with March.
They were met with a soft sound of a wind chime as March opened a glass door, entering the cafe right behind her. A hum of working coffee machines hit their ears, low rumbling of people talking to each other accompanying it. Somewhere in the background played a catchy tune, adding to the atmosphere.
The cafe looked nice. Light beige walls with dark wood accents were lit by dim orange lamps that hung from ceiling, imitating old technology still found in some underdeveloped civilizations. The floors were also dark wood, switching to black tile near the bar area of the cafe, golden accents on the edges of each tile. There were a few empty round tables near the big panoramic windows, some words written backwards in cursive on them. March led them straight to one of the tables, sitting down at the creme colored leather chair and placing her one leg on the other, swinging it in excitement.
“Do you like this place?” she asks them, as they join her at the table, sitting on both her sides. Pinks melt into blues in her eyes, sparking with joy, looking around and catching every single detail. “It’s so pretty in here, right?”
“I think so.” Dan Heng sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. “This place is nice, you’re right.”
“See? Told you!” March giggles, then folds her hands on the table in front of her and leans in. “I absolutely have to take pictures of you two in here. The interior is perfect for that!”
Blade adjusts his shades, huffing in amusement at her statement. “I’m afraid I’m not dressed for such occasion.”
“No, you look great, big guy.” March already got her camera out, waving it in front of them. “Come on, let me snap a few pictures of you two!”
“Only if you join us in the photos.” Dan Heng says, adjusting himself in the chair and smiling at her in defeat. “You’re with us here too, are you not?”
“Deal!”
She jumps out of her chair, taking a few steps back and moving around to find the best angle. Then her camera makes a few clicks, photos captured, and she sits back at the chair with a satisfied grin.
“You two look lovely.”
A waiter approaches them, and as they get to choosing what they want, the conversation dies down. It wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward though, just something they forgot about quickly, new things catching their attention.
The food was nice. March enjoyed her cup of strawberry bubble tea, the pearls bright red on the bottom of it, moving up slowly as she pulled them up with her straw. Dan Heng on her left was poking at his cheesecake with a fork, cup of green tea emitting hot steam next to his plate. He looked out the window, not engaging in a conversation, as March and Blade discussed something. His reflection looked back at him, his humanlike appearance and short fluffy hair looking almost surreal. He got too used to having his other form out.
“Dan Heng!” the young woman called, expression determined. “Strawberries are way better than cherries, right?”
“What?” he looked back at his companions, confused. “Is that what you’re arguing about?”
Both nodded at him, the pink haired one being twice as enthusiastic as his partner. He let out a sigh, massaging his temples.
“I prefer cherries.” At that, Blade hums in acknowledgment, and March jokingly pouts, folding hands on her chest and staring both of them down. She seems quite amused just bickering with the two of them. That’s nice, Dan Heng ponders, because the other three members of his crew would rather let Herta experiment on them than try to fight with Blade over something so irrelevant.
March’s phone rings, and she excuses herself, quickly picking it up from the table and hopping towards the exit door. They can still see her through the window, gesturing in the air and rolling from toes to heels on her spot, as she cheerfully talked to someone over the phone. She pouts, though, then frowns, quickly ending the call and rushing back inside.
“I’m sorry guys,” she starts, as she approaches the table. “Stelle just called me, she’s having some trouble and needs me there asap. How about we hang out next time?” There’s a hopeful gleam in her eyes, an upset expression on her face as she grabs her camera and attaches it back to her waist. “How much was it?”
“I’ll pay, don’t worry.” Blade speaks up, looking concerned. “You should hurry and help Kafka’s little troublemaker.”
March blinks, confused, then laughs lightly. “I’m really sorry, you two.”
“Go. We’ll just have a movie night later, ok?” Dan Heng says, giving her a reassuring smile. March nods at that, then turns around and leaves the place, leaving the two of them behind.
He awkwardly breaks off a little piece of his dessert, chewing on it. Blade next to him takes a sip of his black coffee. A plate with small cherry cream filled pastries sits untouched in front of him.
Dan Heng sneaks his free hand over the table to grab Blade’s. The man looks at him, his eyes smiling. Silence of their interaction is comforting. Yet he knows, sees it in these red sunset eyes, his partner wants to say something.
“What is it?” he asks. “You look like there’s something that is bothering you.”
“It’s about what happened the other day.” Blade admits. He flips his palm, grabbing back at Dan Heng’s hand. “You said you would tell me.”
He feels dread run down his spine among a rush of goosebumps, freezing in place. He was hoping they’d never bring that up again. A shaky sigh escapes him uncontrollably, as he looks somewhat cornered.
“You don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.” Blade reassures him, thumb stroking at his knuckles gently. “I’m just worried about you.”
He takes a deep breath, clearing his thoughts. It’s not like he didn’t want to talk about it. Well, kind of, but leaving Blade to worry for him made him feel extremely guilty. Yet explaining what has happened meant remembering the details, and that was enough to make him gasp for air, hints of panic raising from within his mind.
“I-“ he started, but found no words in himself. Another deep breath. “I’m just… It’s complicated.”
Blade’s expression softened, and he stood up from his chair, moving to sit next to him instead. An arm snaked around his shoulders, tugging him in. The man waited for his response, no matter what it was.
“It’s that place.” he reached for his cup, taking a small sip of tea. His throat was feeling tight. He had to remind himself to breathe. He’s safe.
“It’s not your fault.”
He looks up at his partner, searching for something in these red eyes. All he sees is warmth. That’s enough to calm him down, surprisingly, and he unclenches his jaw. He didn’t even notice he clenched it. “It scares me.” Dan Heng admits.
They sit in silence some more, Blade’s hand is still on his shoulders, comforting. The man picks up one of his pastries, trying it, then he offers one to Dan Heng, bringing it up to his mouth. Embarrassed a little, he shifts forward, taking it from his hand with his teeth.
His phone vibrates, a message received. He picks it up, checking his chats, a text from March 7 teasingly sitting at the very top of the list.
“I hope you’re taking the opportunity to finally have a proper romantic date while I’m busy over here!” it states, a silly blue message bubble adorned with a flowery lace that March likes to use so much.
He quirks an eyebrow, typing a reply. “Why do I have a feeling you planned all of this?”
“Not at all! Stelle actually had some troubles to deal with. Quite the coincidence, don’t you think?” she then proceeded to send a few laughing Pom-Pom stickers to the chat. “So anyways, how about you put your phone down and kiss your boyfriend?”
He sighs, putting his phone away. Blade laughs on his ear, and as he turns to face the man, it is evident he saw the messages. He feels his checks get hotter, and looks down, avoiding his gaze.
“I could do it, you know.” With one last chuckle, Blade takes a bite of another pastry. The pastries were very sweet, soft dough melting in the mouth, cherry cream stuffing contrasting it with the perfect touch of sourness and silkiness. Dan Heng spared a glance at Blade’s plate, then quickly switched it with his own. Blade only smiled at him, accepting the trade.
“Do what?” he asked, watching the man take a small bite at Dan Heng’s cheesecake. It was unfair just how gracefully his partner could eat anything. No, he wasn’t staring. He was just admiring the man’s beauty and natural attractiveness and… ok, maybe he was staring just a little.
“Kiss you.” Blade hums, enjoying the bite. Dan Heng feels his face getting hot, bright red adorning his features as he feels the need to hide his face away again. “That’s what people do on dates, right?”
“No!” he exclaims, embarrassed. “Well, yes, but… not out in public!” This man will be the death of him, one way or another. He shoves a pastry in his mouth, turning away and chewing at it, trying to ignore irrational desire to just kiss him there and then. No. He has some sense of shame to not do that in front of other people.
“You’re adorable.” whispers the man near his ear, leaving a small peck on it before moving away and focusing on eating his dessert. Dan Heng almost groans. This is unfair.
“And you are insufferable.” he answers.
They take their time, enjoying their food, both lost in their thoughts. It feels nice, to just be able to sit like that and share a moment together. Yet Dan Heng can’t help but wish March stayed with them, her bubbly personality lightening the mood easily.
“Want to go back?” Blade asks, looking at him. “You seem to be out of it.”
He blinks, considering, then nods slightly. “Not a fan of public places. Can’t talk about certain things out in the open.” At that, Blade calls the waiter over, asking for a bill. He pays, then gets up from his chair, their food packed up in to-go bags at his request, and offers Dan Heng a hand.
“Care for a walk, then?” he offers, waiting for his partner patiently. The other man gets up as well, taking the hand, intertwining their fingers. They exit the cafe, taking a path down the road.
The streets are relatively quiet, rare cars passing them by, clouds up above them lit up a pretty shade of yellow in the light of two suns this planet has. Overall, this is a nice place. Maybe they would visit it again sometime later.
Blade tugs at his hand, leading him to the gates of a small park that was nearby. Black iron swirled in beautiful curls, holding the sign with the place’s name on it. Somewhere in the distance murmured a river, its surface covered in ripples. The atmosphere was quite peaceful.
“We should get out like this more often.” Dan Heng notices, turning to see Blade’s expression.
“Not with my, ah, reputation.” was the answer. Yet the man smiled, noting what kind of dates his partner liked.
They spend some time at the park, just walking around in silence, enjoying almost perfect solitude, no one but a few people ever passing them. In the end, they decided to go back to one of the Hunters’ bases, one being conveniently nearby their current location. Dan Heng was already there before, having stayed the night prior. So he zoned out on the trip there, not paying attention to things. The planet the base was located at was pretty hidden, not a lot of people even acknowledging its existence, which was perfect for the Hunters.
The base itself wasn’t that big, just some apartment building, a flight of stairs leading them to the very top, where there were small apartments designated to each of the members. Blade’s was fairly empty, barely nothing in there but basic furniture and some souvenirs Silver Wolf or Kafka had insisted he should keep in there for decoration.
Upon closing the door behind their backs, Dan Heng sighs in relief, getting his coat off, closing his eyes briefly and letting his dragon features seep out, no longer hidden. A stream of long hair flows down his back, couple of horns forming on forehead. He looks back, Blade watching him with a quirked eyebrow. “No tail?” he asks.
“You seem to like it too much.” answers the man, amused, then a scaled part snakes out of his body down, the tip laying on the floor. He shakes his head, getting used to a different hairstyle again, his tail rhythmically hitting the floor in a nervous manner. A hand lays on its base, caressing. The touch was pleasant.
They left the bags with food on the kitchen counter, then sat down on the couch nearby, Dan Heng leaning against one of the armrests with his back, resting his head on the couch’s back. They stared at each other for a bit, waiting for the other to start talking. Eventually, Dan Heng gave up first.
“So,” he started, “I have no idea what to tell you, honestly.” He closed his eyes, thinking. It was far too complicated of a topic to discuss, his past, his feelings, what even happened. He never voiced any of that out loud, not to anyone, and so doing it now felt scary, and very intimate.
“The water?” Blade asked, “Why did you mention that runny tap?” He looked up, the man in front of him sitting in a relaxed pose, patiently waiting. It felt almost surreal to have him be so understanding, so caring, considering their history, but he would never trade that for anything.
“I can’t stand the sound of it. Not in the dark. Reminds me of too much.” Dan Heng tried to sound calm, the image of the Shackling Prison vivid before his eyes. Deep breath, then he continues talking. “It’s scary, you know. To just… find yourself existing in such place, not knowing who you are or what is going on.”
He feels a hand on his cheek, looks up to be met with the sunset in the other man’s eyes. He smiles weakly. It’s ok. He’s fine.
“I used to hate him, you know. For making me go through all that for something he did.” Dan Heng looks away and out the window, searching for something. But he never finds anything, the cold skies above, and abandoned city down there. “Looking back, I don’t anymore. I know why, now. Having you around was worth it.”
“You-“ Blade gasps, then leans forward, his forehead against Dan Heng’s shoulder. “-it’s unfair of you to say things like this.” He laughs, almost maniacally, his hands snaking around the man’s waist to pull him in for a hug.
“But it’s true.” he hums. Hugging the man back, he closes his eyes, thinking about things. Perhaps, voicing them out loud would help his internal conflict to die down? “I may not be him, but he is certainly me. It was much later that his memories got back to me, but I still couldn’t understand why. Now I do. It is my own decision to be here, with you, and only now do I see all the why’s.” The turmoil inside him has been so harsh, so violent in its desire to consume him whole, that it was almost impossible to get rid of it now. Yet, even if for a brief moment of peace, if it meant finally sharing his thoughts with someone else…
“I love you.”
He hugs Blade even tighter, his tail snaking around his waist. The embrace is soft, affectionate, and feels like home to him. How weird is it, he came from not having a single place he could call his home, to having one, somewhere he’d be always welcome at, a family even. Someone he loved, really did, and who loved him back regardless of his past. How surreal would that sound to his past self, someone so caught up in running from anything and everything he couldn’t stop, even for a second, to appreciate the beauty of what was around him. He felt extremely grateful to the people in his life, all of them.
“I can’t help this feeling, though.” he says after a while. “This… panic. I don’t see that dream often, but every time it returns I just feel… as if I’m trapped there again. Don’t think I’ll ever be able to rid myself of that. I’m sorry you had to see it.”
“Don’t be.” a usual reply. “We will deal with anything like that, ok? So don’t ever feel bad about it. I’m here for you.” Blade leaves a small peck on his pointy ear, fingers drawing circles on his back. It felt nice to just sit like that. Anything about this man felt nice, a stark contrast to their previous interactions. Having this man be so delicate, so in love with him felt surreal. He still could not seem to comprehend such simple fact, yet each their interaction left him craving for more.
“Your clinginess seems to be contagious.” he whispers, snuggling his head in the crook between the man’s neck and shoulder. All he hears back is a lighthearted laugh.