Archive of Our Own ^beta

The amount of times a certain someone arrived at the school’s infirmary is beyond absurd.

A certain black-haired graduated college student with azure blue eyes pushed back his glasses before glancing at his notes. The tranquillity and peace in the infirmary was then rather quickly interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

Him again..

His pair of sharp, calculative jade coloured eyes had seen a fair share of people coming to his infirmary, whether it is due to tripping down the stairs, or they got beaten up, but by then they should have gone to a hospital instead. Sometimes, people come back, due to more injuries that they have sustained, but on a less serious note, there is a chance that they will be there merely to thank him for his services.

Or-

“Come in, Blade .”

The two individuals are two years apart, yet he knew him more than anybody in the campus.

“Dan Heng.”

The certain someone shuts the door behind, his crimson red eyes stared deeply into the graduated student before him, as if he was staring into the other’s soul.

Many times Dan Heng would notice something different on a daily basis; students would come into his infirmary with the most minor of injuries that doesn’t require a bandage.

Through his years on campus, he had the reputation of being a quiet and reserved student. And maybe a bit cold, but despite this blunt personality, he has a calm and serene expression on his pale and flawless face. His Aura was calm and collected, and mature for his age. Girls would come after him, placing love letters by his locker and buying him gifts during Valentine’s and his birthday.

But where do the love letters go?

They stayed in a small box, unread. Dan Heng doesn’t want to be rude, nor he wants to read the letters, knowing that many female college students are in their phase of romantic fantasies and he did not want to get their hopes up.

Now where was he?

About Blade…he is like the same as all of them, but the other found him..interesting.

He comes to the infirmary multiple times a week, with his body littered with scars and fresh cuts everyday, so the possibility of being ‘lovesick’ over the fair skinned graduate was highly unlikely.

“Blade..” Dan Heng spoke softly, and in contrast, his expression hardened, showing a tinge of annoyance and indifference before he sighed, his eyebrows furrowing before tension released from his face. “It’s the fourth time this week.”

“...mm.” Blade hummed as he glared at the other, his ruby eyes were darting all over the place after a few moments of brief eye contact. His body ached, bruises all over his body once more, along with blood that was rolling down his arms and legs. Dan Heng knew he should be concerned, but it happens so frequently that he grows blank as Blade visits him.

“..get this over with.”

Dan Heng nodded in agreement and gently entwined his gloved fingers with the other, and despite the soft white silk gently rubbing Blade’s calloused hands, as he stared at the ‘nurse’, he could feel the warmth underneath the thin layer of silk. The Raven Head sat the other down before inspecting his injuries once again.

Usually, he would ask questions to those who were brought here, like-

“So what caused those injuries?”

“....”

Silence.

“Blade.” Dan Heng spoke sternly, even though he knew with just the tone of his voice, Blade would not say anything, just like the past few months.

“My answer will not change.”

Blade retorted back as he shot his usual cold glare at Dan Heng. Despite his weakened state, his resolve is still standing while his bloodshot eyes watched as the other took out a few rolls of bandages and antibiotic cream.

He hissed as he felt the string from the cream on his wounds, followed by a soothing and soft ‘shh’ from Dan Heng. He gently wrapped the arm with bandages, seeing the bandage immediately soaking up the blood. There was silence, the tranquillity in the infirmary was something Dan Heng wished to have deep inside his heart as he stared at Blade’s eyes. There was never a single sparkle in them ever since they met. They are always dull, but sometimes he noticed that the pair of eyes would light up upon seeing a small smile on Dan Heng’s face.

His smile was rarely seen, and Blade was fortunate enough to witness that soft smile of the other multiple times, and when he does see it, the endless void within his stone heart would seem to light up with the feeling that he himself no longer knows how to label it.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“I won a competition.”

Blade walked into the infirmary without knocking, hearing a peaceful melody sounding the place while the Raven Head looked up from his laptop screen. Dan Heng noticed something unique; there’s no injuries sustained on Blade’s body today! What a surprise.

“...which is?”

“It is a writing competition. Nothing special.” Blade responded dryly, treating his achievements like it was something not worth mentioning, but he does so anyway.

“..oh?” Dan Heng perked his head up, suddenly interested. Well, he knew it was not like Blade to take part in a writing competition that was held a few weeks ago, let alone having Blade as the winner.

“And I thought your only passion is to fight and get sent here for me to treat you like the usual.” Dan Heng teased with a blunt tone and a blank expression as he glanced back at the laptop, typing away something, the soft white glow was on his face while his blue eyes—which Blade grew so be fond of, reflected the screen from his pupils.

“Well then..” Dan Heng’s voice trailed off, before turning back to Blade with a soft smile, which caught the other off guard.

“I’m Proud of You.”

Dan Heng grew soft, which is highly unusual, so much so that Blade had to look away from that proud smile of his.

He could feel the warmth in his heart, something that he does not want to feel, yet he knew he craved for.

Not again.

His heart was broken by a certain someone, and he does not need to recount the memories.

The person had already forgotten about him.

He needs to let go. He wants to let go, but it seems like the solid ice surrounding his heart melted away instantly at the sight of Dan Heng’s smile, which he once loved so much.

“..thanks.”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"Blade?"

"..."

“Blade. Answer my question.”

“No.”

“You’ve been avoiding my question for the past four months.”

"I don't want to answer you." Blade told him off simply, his face forming the expression one would say that he was seriously pissed off.

Sometimes, happy memories hurt the most.

"..why?"

"You won't understand."

To avoid any further questions getting thrown in his way, Blade stood up once Dan Heng was finished wrapping bandages on his arms and legs. The once fuzzy white bandages were now soaked with Blood, and his body hurt more than ever, both physically and mentally.

He slammed the infirmary door shut, not giving Dan Heng any chance to protest, who then slumped onto his seat as he let out a sigh of defeat.

Another attempt, and he failed.

The Raven Head then sat up straight, trying to ignore the unlabeled feeling that was clawing onto his heart. Why does he even care about Blade anyway?

Dan Heng grabbed his pair of glasses, putting them on before getting back to work sorting the data bank of patients that visited the infirmary. His glasses were round, golden, thin, and there was a little cross dangling at one of the ends of the glasses. He remembered that a friend gave him those on his birthday, yet he has long forgotten who his friend is, nor where he was now.

He was in a car accident when he was saving a random child. And it just so happened that his mind slipped a few precious memories away due to the damage.

…

Blade has visited him a total of 17 times this month.

Dan Heng sighed once more, before focusing on his work instead of his thoughts, which were nagging him about Blade, yet he ignored them.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　

Dear Yinyue ❀ ,

I bought you..a pair of glasses! I remembered when you kept on complaining that you want to get glasses for..fashion taste? It's weird coming from you, since you're always so quiet and not seeming to care about your style but eh..

I saw a pair of golden glasses in the mall Kafka and I went today! It looked so cool, and I decided to give them to you as a birthday gift! I really hope you like it.

What are you going to be when you grow up huh? A fashion designer? I heard you wanted to be in a job that could help people..doctor perhaps? Either way, I'll support you all the way!  

Anyway..Kafka and I met a new friend, Sliverwolf! She's a pro at gaming, and while I'm not interested, maybe you'll be? Oh! Maybe you want to become a gamer and play with Silverwolf? She's also a bit sassy and mischievous..somehow Kafka always have the ability to keep her mischief at bay.

Eh. I just want to say that I really hope I'll see you soon.

Yingxing ❃

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　

Dan Heng: Caelus, I’m here.
Caelus: Oh, I am sitting by the windows in the cafe, also I got the drink u wanted btw
Dan Heng: I see you.

A grey haired short man looked up from his phone, seeing his quiet friend walking towards him before sitting down and staring at his Hot Chocolate.

This is just another one of their hangouts, though most of the time the both of them would be silent, either Dan Heng did not have anything interesting in the Data Bank, or Caelus would be busy playing games on his phone.

Caelus gave his friend his awkward yet warm smile, and Dan Heng responded with his arms crossed on his chest after he had taken off his jacket and placed it on the chair.

It was winter, soft and thin snowflakes would land on the Raven Head’s nose from time to time before he entered the mall they both hangout at. The soles of his shoe would crunch the puffy snow below him, creating numerous footprints along with the footprints from the rest of the people surrounding him. Some were small, some huge, but of course, once he entered the five story small, standing on the marble flooring, he could not see any footprints.

Someone stands by the Arcade, watching his silver haired friend beating another game and getting tickets as rewards. Compared with their gaming skills, the girl with purple tinted glasses and a bunny headband would win easily, as for heights..

The girl is almost half as small as him, but she is not the one to be taken lightly in terms of games.

“Victory..” The girl mumbled out, smirking as she saw the “VICTORY” sign on the screen again. The machine pushed out a hundred more tickets, and the girl gladly took them. If the machine is a human, they probably would break down due to the amount of times and hours she stood there and played the game.

“And now...I can get another custom plushie, and of course, I’ll make it myself again!” She had a smug smile on her face as she turned to look at her silent friend, who was looming over her.

“...”

“Ugh, you’re boring you know? And this outfit of yours makes you look shady, what, are you a wanted criminal with a bounty of 8.13 Billion on his head or something?”

“I don’t care about my looks.”

“At least wear something casual, that grey beanie covering that hair of yours while you’re wearing a black mask and dark glasses gives me the idea that you’re going to steal something.”

“I’m trying to hide from someone.”

“But that would make you stand out more, don’t you think?” A fine woman with magenta hair with a dark jacket covering her back stepped out of the Women's restroom, as she stared at her other two friends.

The woman watched as the taller friend stayed silent, crossing his arms and acting all indifferent, she ignored him, turning to her shorter friend. “Anyways.. Elio just texted me..to remind you all that The Party Elio is hosting is happening today.” she says in her usual sultry voice, a little raspy and seductively in the eyes of other people..

“..wait, what?! Today? Didn’t you say it’s in a few days..?!”

“Oh really? My mistake in my statement then.” she states calmly at the silver-haired girl in front of her, who was giving her a death stare.

“Fine..but you’re going to buy me all the goods in Honkai Starrail, you hear me Kafka ?”

“I’ll let Bladie do it instead..” the woman smirked, before walking away to another clothing shop, leaving her friends behind, one was fuming, the other staying silent, probably thinking why his friend dumped it on him

“Well, you’re buying me then.”

“I did not ask to get dragged into this, Sliverwolf .”

While they were bantering in the middle of the mall, Caelus took out a small maple leaf and placed it on the glass table.

“Take it. I know you like them. I found it sticking out in the middle of snow, I questioned why it hadn't completely died yet..”

As Dan Heng’s Roommate, Caelus has grown accustomed to The Archive’s in the other’s room, which was where the data bank for important documents were stored. He could see the maple leaves preserved well and dangling on the ceiling as decorations to make the room less boring. Sometimes, he could see a book that had all the maple leaves stored by Dan Heng from all the maple leaves he had given to him, even the ones a few years ago, they look vibrant and beautiful as ever.

“...” Dan Heng stayed silent, surprised to find himself wanting to refuse, his heart had other motives..

But he took the Maple leaf, staring at it and admiring its beauty as he held it up with his two pale yet soft fingers.

The maple leaf looked surprisingly fresh, the red and orange on its tips and main were looking splendid and bright. It was big too, the size of Dan Heng’s whole palm. Despite the beauty..

Who should I give it to? He thought to himself.

“Himeko and Welt are inviting me to a party that was hosted by Kafka. Well, Himeko is spamming me with text messages.” Caelus then broke the other’s train of thought as he looked up at the Raven Head.

“...March and Stelle are spamming me, but I muted their chats.” Dan Heng responded, silently.

“Who’s coming, Caelus?”

“Well..other than 100 random strangers..we have Kafka, Asta, Sushang, Luocha, Blade-”

“Blade?”

“..Yes? He is coming..what's wrong?”

“..nothing, I just thought of something.”

Maybe I’ll give the leaf to him, and he’ll do whatever he wants with it.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“Yingxing? Did you injure yourself again?”

“..maybe.”

Yingxing hears Yinyue sigh softly as he stretches his hand out with a sheepish look on his face. There were three small cuts across the pale underside of his arm, it was dripping out little to no blood. Of course Yingxing can just leave it alone and it will heal, but since he has a friend who’s overly caring for him..

..why not?

He watched as the other grabbed a plaster from his pocket, peeling the layer off before carefully placing it on Yingxing’s small wound. “How did it happen?”

“I was playing with a cat..and it scratched me.”

“..what if the cat carried deadly diseases..?”

Yingxing looked up at his friend, surprised to see Yinyue having an overly-worried expression on his face.

“What if the symptoms don’t appear until it’s too late? What if you get rabies-?!” Yinyue's expression was then morphed to one of panic.

"We should get you to Miss Natasha..or Dr. Luocha-!"

“Shh..calm down..highly unlikely I’ll get rabies..whatever that is.” Yingxing pulled him into a hug, which made Yinyue let out a soft sniffle. He lets the other nuzzle the crook of his neck as he places an arm on his waist and strokes his back. “Yinyue Jun..It’s just a scratch, I’ll be fine, trust me.”

If someone were to glance at their way, they would probably think as if they were lovers, but at the same time, they were young teenagers just comforting each other, but the potential is still there.

“..do you have any more injuries?” Yinyue lets go of the other, glancing deeply in those Crimson red eyes of Yingxing’s. They were in the Raven Head’s apartment, the highest level in the estate. It looked modern and neat, and there was even a balcony whereby the both of them could just..stare out into the night sky, if they were lucky, they could catch a very small shooting star soaring through as the moonlight gleamed down on the cities, illuminating the streets and alleyways. If it is the evening, they could see the city's lamplights collectively turning on, brightening the shops and streets.

Now..they are shutting all the lights as the clock strikes midnight. Some of the building lights were still on, including theirs.

“Uh..no.” Yingxing gave him another sheepish smile again.

“...”

Yinyue’s face turns into a deadpan expression, his blue eyes and rosy red lips morphing into a pouty look. Yingxing finds it cute, but he is not going to admit that.

He then yelped, as his now grumpy friend suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the front door.

“Get out.”

“Nooooo…it’s midnight and I don’t have the keys to my house…” Yingxing whined softly, trying to pull away but the other kept a firm grip on his arm.

“You’re not staying in my house.”

“But your parents allow me to sleep in your house..pretty please~?”

Suddenly, Yingxing pulls the other into a hug, his head nuzzling his nape of his neck as his warm breath softly lands on Yinyue’s collarbone.

So warm..

Yinyue felt a burning blush on his cheeks as he felt the other’s arms circling around his waist. Reality, he is never fazed with hugs, and he has the most..emotionless face when he is outside, either hanging out with his other friends, or going grocery shopping with his Mother. The point is: He never smiled, until he met Yingxing.

What is so special about him that could lure out the emotional side of him?

“Fine..” He sighed, blushing even harder when the other nuzzled his neck again, letting out a soft sleepy ‘mm..thank you.’ “Are you sleepy already?” Yinyue turned around, staring at the other’s soft silky white hair, before ruffling it, combing through his long hair and letting Yingxing rest his head on his chest.

“Mhm.”

“...alright fine, I’ll bring you to the guest bedroom.”

"Aw man, I can't sleep with you?"

"Yingxing, that is highly inappropriate."

The latter then let out a small whimper of disappointment, making Yinyue sigh. "..fine."

"But you better behave, Yingxing."

"..yay!"

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“Hey~ Dance with me~!”

They get drunk quickly.

Dan Heng scanned the room for the third time, his arms crossed, his face blank as he moved away from a young woman he had never seen before.

Why did he allow Caelus to let March and Stelle spam him about it again? They did not even give him a chance to say no..

His gloved fingers gripped his white jacket, clutching his silver zipper as he moved to the entrance of the party, where he saw Welt’s hazel eyes that were boring into the crowd in front of them before March walked up to him again to ask him the same question like always, and with that puppy eyes expression that seemed to get even more cuter the more Welt refused.

“Mr. Yang..can I have at least a sip??”

“March..you’re too young.”

“Aww.”

“....” Dan Heng stayed silent, as he watched the two of them banter, until another woman walked in between them. She had fine long red hair, and she was weaning something fancy for the party too.

“C’mon Welt..she’s 21 this year.” Himeko gave him an amused grin, her voice is a little slurred though..she might have sipped on a few cups of alcohol and got a little tipsy.

“Still.”

“Well..Caelus and Stelle are drinking..and they’re 20.”

Welt crossed his arms, letting a loud, huge grumpy sigh before marching deeper into the crowd, probably trying to find the siblings..

Dan Heng then scanned the room again, before his oceanic blue eyes landed on a certain someone who was slumped against the counter. The person had black hair with red tips draping over his shoulders, his arms tucked under his head, looking depressed, but that is how he really is.

Dan Heng’s fingers subconsciously reached into his pockets, his fingertips feeling something leafy deep inside his pockets..

“Blade.”

“...”

“Blade..? Are you drunk..?”

“Mm..”

“...You’re drunk..” Blade hears a muffled voice that travels slowly to his ears. For a while now, he has been sinking into his own thoughts, his past memories slowly rising up to his weakened mind as the alcohol slowly but surely gets into his system and makes him feel a little tipsy.

How many drinks has it been..? The last time he counted was 7 cups before collapsing down on the counter.

Nobody cares about him, probably none of his other friends either. Maybe Sliverwolf and Kafka are doing other matters with Sam and Elio.

Who is this stranger?

“Blade..” The voice came again, even more muffled and distant, until he had to use the little strength that he had to focus on the person that was now tapping on his shoulder in hopes to probably wake him up.

In front of him was a young man, short jet black hair neatly combed but balanced out with a slightly messed up look on the tips, as if someone had ruffled on the person’s hair. He also had fair skin, even though it was covered with a white plain shirt that was also covered up partially with a silver jacket, jade coloured symbols and decorations covering the tips of the jacket.

He looks familiar.

“Yinyue Jun..?”

Dan Heng widened his eyes, before raising an eyebrow.

“..who?”

“Blade..you’re severely drunk..how about I take you home..?”

The pain was too much for Blade to handle.

For the longest time, he has been keeping himself isolated from society.

He could remember how his younger self would watch the movies that he had secretly rented from his friends and kept the CDs away from his parents, and how he would drag Dan Heng to his house and make him watch the movies with him. There was a particular movie that had been etched into his mind. He could vividly remember the ending, how the main protagonist watched as his lover slowly forgets about him.

“ Yinyue , do you know how it feels to have someone you know so much not remember you nor the memories that that someone and you created?!” Blade’s voice was weak, it was hoarse, the agony and pain in that voice caused Dan Heng to step away and process everything.

What does Blade know that he doesn’t..?

“I’m..not Yinyue.”

Everyone is watching.

“I gave you that stupid nickname when we were children! It’s that car accident that took you away from me..”

The people that were drunk, were now sobered up by Blade’s distressed voice.

“...Blade-”

“I don’t understand why you have to save a random stupid innocent child in exchange for our precious memories..”

“...”

Dan Heng took another step back, watching Blade not moving even an inch for a moment. He watched as the other clench his fist at the pain that Dan Heng does not understand.

“Curse you Dan Hen-”

“Heyyy what’s going on here?!” Dan Heng spun around, his gaze meeting March’s as Welt followed her from behind.

March then crossed her arms, having a curious look on her face as she stared at Blade, and then Dan Heng, and then back to Blade. “Well Dan Heng? Care to tell us please??” March then turned back to Dan Heng, giving him her usual puppy eyes. It always worked on Caelus and Stelle, even the data archiver would give in 80% of the time..

“..not now.”

“Aww.." March pouted, but then her eyes shine with determination as she places her hands on her hips.

"Then Ace detective March will figure this out!”

“...” Blade’s vision was blurry as he looked up. Seeing people comforting Dan Heng brought him a little sense of joy, but at the same time, he was crushed.

Why..why?

It should have been him comforting him, not his friends that they had only met in college..the friendship that Dan Heng and the others have with him currently was nothing compared to what they had.

In quick succession, Blade decided to dash away instead.

"...Blade-?!"

He could hear Dan Heng shouting at him, probably wanting him to come back.

Why should he?

Another young woman felt a soft breeze rushing past her as she watched Blade dashing away. She then turns to her gaming friend who is..well, gaming on her phone.

" Sliverwolf, Bladie screwed himself up."

The girl gave her a deadpan expression.

"For starters, you shouldn't have given him unlimited alcohol in the first place, Kafka ."

"You're right..I'll go comfort him.."

Sliverwolf let out a soft sigh. 

"You do you."

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

It was storming.

Yet it was midnight, so the unfortunate were caught in the rain and lightning are very few. Maybe a few would be snuggled up comfortably in their beds before getting woken up by a nearby lightning strike. A few homes still had their lights on, either from a Television screen or the ceiling lights.

A young teenage boy with silver locks had his body glued to the screen in his living room, his upper body leaning close to the TV, while his lower half was stuck to the couch.

“How does it feel to see someone you love not having a single memory of you and the time spent together?!” The protagonist screamed at a nurse in the movie scene as The Boy watched the protagonist’s lover walking away from him without a single idea of who he is.

The boy had his lips parted slightly, watching the scene in awe and curiosity before his eyes wandered somewhere else and then gasping at the time that was at the corner of the TV screen.

It was 2 am, and the boy has school tomorrow.

Even though he is on the rebellion side, he knows when he is supposed to sleep.

He immediately shuts the TV off, placing the remote control on the glass coffee table.

“Yinyue! It’s two in the morning! Why didn’t you-”

The boy glanced at his friend beside him, before realising that the other boy next to him..was asleep, snuggled up in the corner of the couch.

His friend had his azure blue eyes fluttering shut an hour ago, just that the other was so engrossed in the movie that he did not realise. He had his pale, long arms crossed on his chest, his smooth squishy looking cheeks sandwiched on the couch as he slept comfortably, but at the same time the sleeping position does not look comfortable at all.

“Yinyue..? Oh You’re asleep..”

The boy glanced at his sleepy friend, admiring his features as he decided what he should do, before gently picking his small frame up and carrying him to the guest bedroom quietly, not knowing that the same friend is he was carrying to bed to tuck him under the cosy sheets would be his only reason to keep living in the future..

..that his life goal would change to getting his friend’s memories back..

Everything looked perfect in Yingxing’s eyes, but perhaps fate had different plans.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Caelus: Y r u rummaging through ur love letter thingies
Caelus: Hello??
Caelus: Dan Henggggggg
Dan Heng: Why are you texting me when I’m less than a metre away from you?

“Dan Henggg..”

“You’re being whiny today, Caelus.”

“What..?? Can’t I be curious why you’re going through your love letter files from 3 years ago?”

“...”

“..Dan Heng?”

“I have love letters stored here, the oldest one being..I believe 7 years ago.”

Caelus stayed silent, tilting his head sideways as he watched Dan Heng pulling out a small box in curiosity. It looked old, and the pages inside were yellowed and dusty, there was even a thin layer of dust on the box and the paper.

Dan Heng did not bother blowing the dust away as the grey particles stained his fingertips when he picked up a few notes.

There was a particular note that was written and handed to him 7 years ago, and the same sender had been writing to him for a year non-stop, and they stopped when Dan Heng turned 17

The same year he lost his memories.

Dan Heng dug around for a little while longer, until his fingers touched a small note.

It was..really small. The size is smaller than that of his palm.

And the sender only wrote 18 words in the letter.

Dear Yinyue Jun,

I Love You, but I know you won’t read this until perhaps years later.

Yingxing

“ Yingxing.. ” Dan Heng felt the name with his lips, speaking it in such a soft and longing tone, that he was surprised with himself. His body seems to..recognize the name.

By then, Caelus had already moved away, knowing that the topic may be personal to Dan Heng.

He should also probably keep March away from Dan Heng for the time being..after all, having a nosy friend around Dan Heng when he is getting nostalgia from all around him is usually a bad idea.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"So..I heard you got rejected by some girl..oooo no hard feelings I hope?" Yingxing leaned against his locker, smirking at his friend, who got rejected by a random girl a few minutes ago.

"The girl said she's attracted to girls. I understood." Yinyue retorted back, crossing his arms and having an irritated expression on his face.

"Also, how dare you mock me, Yingxing, because I do remember a girl out right rejected you a few years ago."

"I-Hey! I'm not mocking you..I'm just saying..there will always be someone who has his eyes on you.."

" 'his'? A guy? I'm not attracted to people of the same gender."

"Ah, well, it's just a crush someone has on you, nothing else."

"..who is the person though? Do you know him, Yingxing?"

"Ah, uhm..it's just intuition..!" Yingxing's smug smirk was replaced with an embarrassed look on his face, a soft pink tint on his cheeks as he stared deeply into Yinyue's oceanic blue eyes, seemingly getting lost in them.  

"No matter the gender, I'm sure that someone would want to stay by your side, until the bitter end."

"You sound rather hopeful I'll find someone." Yinyue stared back at the other, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Well..just sayin'..with those feminine red eye liner of yours..that soft look on your face and your physique..and your soft brown hair-"

"And you sound as if you have a crush on me."

"Wh- I do not!"

"If you say sooo~"

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“Where have you been..? Do you know when..you’re coming back?”
“We were too close to the stars..I never knew somebody like you..somebody.”
“Falling just as hard..I’d rather lose somebody than use somebody..”

“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise..” Dan Heng hummed softly to the music that was playing on the radio on his desk as he continued to type in some important data in his laptop before archiving it to the data bank that was in Caelus and his room.

It was..quiet.

The last time he had seen Blade was two weeks ago, he wondered if he got himself injured again but this time he did not want to go to the infirmary.

7.54 a.m.

“Dan Heng..! Knock knock.”

There were multiple knocks following after he heard a girl’s voice.

“Ah..come in, March.”

March then burst open the door, with that usual big cheery smile that was on her face each time Dan Heng walked past her for the last few years. “Dan Heng, I..got a letter for ya!”

She then set the envelope down on the table, before grinning at him.

“A person gave me the letter! It says it’s written by a lover of yours.”

“..but I don’t have a lover-”

“Lies..spill the tea!”

“March. C’mon. Let’s not pry into private matters for our ex-student’s life.”

Yanqing stood by the door frame, his back leaning against the fine wood as his eyes set on March, who then pouted at him. Dan Heng looked at the both of them, thinking that they might start a little banter between them in the middle of the infirmary..

“March. Let us go, we have classes, unlike our infirmary caretaker.”

“But- awww..”

The Ravenhead watched as the both of them walked out of the room, before he averted his oceanic blue eyes onto the envelope that was on the desk.

The cover was plain and simple, yet elegant. It was white, complementing the marble texture of his desk, there was a red stamp on the middle to seal the envelope. There was no speck of dust anywhere, nor stains or something that could make one say that the envelope was tampered with, other than careful, gentle hands. The back was also plain, except there were two words written big on the back, and it was written in gold.

To Dan Heng.  

It was in cursive too, finest quality possible, no stray pen marks, no errors, nothing. 

It was the perfect letter to give to someone like Dan Heng.  

After a few moments of just admiring it, he did not even want to open the letter anymore, it is that elegant and nice.

But he did that anyway.

He gently and carefully pry the red wax off the letter, before opening it and reading its contents.

"Dear Dan Heng,

I Love You, but I know you won't read this until perhaps years later.  

Yingxing"

Dan Heng recognized the handwriting.

"..Blade?"

"He loves me..?"

"Can't be. And who is Yingxing?"

Dan Heng stared blankly at the piece of paper in front of him, not realising that his hands were shaking along with cold sweat sliding down the sides of his head.

He gently placed the envelope on the table, before he tried to focus his mind somewhere else. The ambiance in the infirmary is…quiet, peaceful even. Unlike the chaos that was slowly unfolding inside of Dan Heng’s head. There were mixed emotions in his heart, which was like the shore of a beach, getting waves of random confusing emotions that stain the sands. The memories were perhaps too stubborn, refusing to go back to his mind. The rest were foggy; only he feels nostalgia, will he get those muddy memories back to crystal clear once more.

“...”

He wants to cry.

"Yeah every time we realised it's crazy.."

"And you saved me."

His ears perked up at the sound.

"We were too close to the stars..I never knew somebody like you, somebody."

"Falling just as hard, I'd rather lose somebody than use somebody."

…

Maybe they were too close to the stars.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"Mm.."

Yinyue groaned as he fluttered his eyes open, and instead of the morning sun rising shining on him, clarity crashed down, and a headache immediately followed after. His head hurts..his head really hurts, it felt as if his head was about to explode.  

He hissed in pain, his vision dizzy as his mind remembered the events last night.

He could remember Yingxing convincing him to go to a party with him. And he was drunk the whole night..

Worst part? They were underaged.

He covered his forehead with a palm, shutting his eyes as felt his surroundings spinning before him. He was on the verge of passing out from the massive migraine at the back of his head. His body ached too, and everything was sore and weak.

He is never drinking Alcohol again.

"..Yinyue..?"

His body hurts so much, he did not realise someone was on top of him, Yingxing was passed out on Yinyue's chest, his hands and legs sprawled over on the milky white sheets, entangled with the other's long black hair.

"..huh? Mmp.." 

"Yinyue..! Are you good?"

"My head hurts.." He winced, which caused Yingxing to be alarmed.

Yinyue never really complained about his injuries if he ever got one, he would always either hide it or say it was not that painful.

To see Yinyue groaning in pain and perhaps on the verge of tears, the headache must be quite painful.

"..wait here, I'll get you painkillers.."

Yingxing immediately launched his body out of the bed, scrambling to his feet to rush to the kitchen, where the medicine and remedies were stored. He unintentionally trashed the cabinets in search of the painkillers, other remedies getting thrown aside onto the floor or the dining table. They were buried deep inside the cupboard, and Yingxing had to stretch his arm out.

"I'll clean it up later." He muttered to himself. 

Yinyue was his top priority.

It always has been.

By the time he came back Yinyue was curled up into a foetal position, letting out a few whines and groans. He made the other sit upright on the bed first, before handing him the pills and a glass of water. "I'm sorry..I shouldn't have forced you to take in Alcohol when we were at the party..."  

Yinyue stayed silent, curling up in Yingxing's arms and his body still on his lap, only the sound of slow breathing and the warmth emitting from him say that he is still alive. He nuzzled gently into the crook of Yingxing's neck, his rosy lips parted slightly, his breath landing softly on his skin, which caused him to shiver slightly, a tint of pink spreading on his cheeks and travelling to the tips of his ears as he watched Yinyue cuddle up to him for comfort. The tips of Yingxing's lips could not help but curl upwards, while his pale arms gently circled around the other's waist, pulling him closer.

Sometimes..he wonders if they could become something more than just..friends.

"I'll..go to sleep."

"Go. Go rest, I'll be here when you wake up."

Yinyue yawned softly, fluttering his eyes closed. His arms fell limp on his sides as he felt his hair being combed through Yingxing's fingers..

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"..."

He watched as the other had his head on his arms, peacefully sleeping away. The face was peaceful, devoid of any emotions other than sincerity and serenity. His long lashes were fluttered close, the face was rested and the body posture tells him that the person was very tired in the morning.

He gently poked the person on the cheek with his bandaged hand.

No response.

He stayed silent, before standing up and looked around.

Everything was still and quiet, save for the ticking off the clock and the soft whooshing noise from the air-conditioner. He then looked at the person again.

"Dan Heng.." He softly whispered.

The soft whisper travelled around the room, but it never ended up in the person's soft looking ears.

Blade's eyes wandered from the other's legs, to his waist and then to his…

...seemingly fluffy hair.

Dan Heng's jet black hair looked even more fluffier than he expected, and silky enough that the blinding ceiling lights from above would reflect upon it. Blade runs his bandaged fingers through the strands, feeling how smooth they were under the contact of fuzzy bandages. He caresses Dan Heng's hair softly.

Just like how he used to.

....

He could remember how long they looked, before Dan Heng decided to cut it, because the new him found his long hair to be inconvenient.

....

"You're tired..I'll let you go."

He sighed, his fingers loosening up and moving away from the hair as he watched the strands slip under his fingers and back to Dan Heng's head like they were grains of sand heading back to their home, the deserts and the sandy dunes. 

Just like how his best friend slipped away from his grasp, except there is no home to return to.

He shuffled his feet, pointing from towards the door as he started to walk away.

He only took two steps before he felt a tug at the ends of his shirt.

"..are you..injured..?"

"..."

"Blade.."

Dan Heng still had his head on the table, his cheek nuzzle and pressed against the marble, but his arm was stretched out, his fingertips clawing at coat Blade was wearing, his teal oceanic eyes were already opened, half-lidded, and now staring straight into a pair of blood coloured eyes.

He hears a small, tired sigh, before Blade opens up his bandaged hand, revealing stained blood on his bandaged palm. 

"Someone wrapped it with bandages. I'm just here to change them." 

".."

Blade hears a tired sigh, before a pair of soft hands were on his injured arm.

Dan Heng did the usual, bandaging the wounds up after spraying antiseptic on them. Blade did not hiss, and there was something unusual about the one tending to his wounds other than the fact that he looked more tired.

"...."

Dan Heng is..not asking him about where he got his injuries from? 

It seems like he gave up. 

"..Dan Heng."

Silence.

"...I accidentally cut myself when Sliverwolf jumped at me while I was cutting vegetables."

Dan Heng immediately perked his head up, as if all the tiredness and sleepiness drained out of his fair-skinned face. Now his azure blue eyes were twinkling with surprise and hidden joy.

Blade watches the other letting out a tiny huff followed by a small chuckle.

"Be more careful next time. 

There was a smile..a smile that is starting to melt that icy cold wall that Blade had spent a few years building.

“....”

Blade nodded his head, just watching him unwrap the soft used bandages and change it to new one. Dan Heng gently cleaned the wound with a tiny washcloth, and now it was a long, thin red slit in the middle of his palm. He then grabs a roll of bandages, before wrapping it around Blade’s hand, and then much to the latter’s surprise, Dan Heng gently rubbed and nuzzled his palm with his thumb, its warmth spreading to hands..and possibly his cheeks and the tips of Blade’s ears. Is this what happens when Blade tells him the cause of his injuries? Or is this out of pure euphoria from the same thing?

“It’s done now, head back to class, yeah?”

“Mm.” Blade lets out a soft hum of agreement, before standing back up and heading out again.

“..wait-!”

“Hm..?”

“..have this.”

Dan Heng dug into his pockets, before pulling out a big, fresh Maple Leaf. “I wanted to give this to you during the party, but you dashed out before I even got the chance. Did I..say something wrong there? Apologies if I..pissed you off.”

“..”

Blade gently took the maple leaf into his fingers, tracing the edges and feeling its fuzziness. So fuzzy..and the fact that it was Dan Heng who gave it to him caused him to have a fuzzy feeling in his heart too.

It was a feeling that Blade has not felt in a long time, and he was not quite sure if the feeling was welcomed.

“It’s fine..I’ll get going now, I’d be late to class.”

Dan Heng nodded his head at Blade, letting him go. But…

Since when Blade likes to go to class? He knows his schedule—it is Math, and he knows that Blade absolutely hates that subject, actually, he despises the teacher probably, not the subject itself.

It was as if Blade was trying to ignore Dan Heng. He wants to go after him, but before he could, another random student that he does not recognize appeared with a scratched knee from falling and scraping his knee on the school field.

Oh well..Dan Heng will go after him later.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“Yinyue! Do you know, hair holds memories?” Yingxing propped his head onto Yinyue’s shoulder, gently nuzzling his chin into his collarbone as the latter was peacefully reading a book. It seemed like Yingxing got bored. “Mhm, what about it?” Yinyue asked nonchalantly, closing that thick book of his before turning his chair to face the other, who had that soft smile that could normally melt the latter’s heart.

“Can I comb your hair?” He asked, his fingers already inching towards Yinyue’s long black locks that were resting on the latter’s back and parts of his shoulders. “..alright, I haven’t comb it today, so there will be knots in them..probably.”

“Nah..it’s pretty straight..and silky.” Yingxing remarked, grabbing a comb that was on top of a vanity and started to go through his hair, finding it to be so flowy and smooth.

If he could..he wants to live in Yinyue’s hair, absurd thought, but the latter could probably tell Yingxing is starting to love his hair. “Keep it long in the future. I like it being long.”

“Yingxing, your mother usually cuts your hair to medium length, no? Is that why you keep on forgetting your homework?

“Wha- No! I did my work!”

“But why don’t you bring them?”

“W-well..fine you win!”

Yingxing pouted again, which caused Yinyue to chuckle softly in amusement, finding the other’s soft pouts to be adorable and funny.

A few moments of silence then passed, then Yingxing buried his head into Yinyue’s hair, and the latter yelped in surprise. “Yingxing?” He could not move due to the other having his hands and arms resting their weights on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

“..why don’t you tell me about your problems.”

It did not sound like a question due to the sudden change of subject and its directness.

In fact, it sounded more like a demand.

“Hmm..?” A confused hum sounded out of Yinyue, more confused than nervous, but Yingxing could sense anxiety in his voice, and so he let go, now standing in front of the other with a worried look on his face.

“I’ve seen you looking worried about something. Why can’t you tell me what’s bothering you..?”

“..because I don’t have anything to tell you.”

“Liar!..”

“..Yingxing you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I don’t have to! I want to!”

“Shh..calm down calm down.” Yinyue gently grabbed the other’s wrists, soothing him with his thumb rubbing his palm, his tone turning more soft-spoken, knowing that Yingxing will calm down sooner or later. “I’m your bestfriend..why don’t you just..tell me all your problems? I know you hate feeling like a burden but you never a burden to me.” Yingxing buried his head deep into Yinyue’s chest, nuzzling him for comfort and warmth, something that the both of them wished would last forever.

…

Forever…

“...” Yinyue hugged him back, staying silent and rubbing his hands against the other back, knowing that he could not retort back a fact, especially knowing that Yingxing was worried and concerned for his well-being on a daily basis.

“..how about this? I’ll give you..this.” Yingxing sighed softly, before handing Yinyue..a locket?

What he gave to the latter was a heart locket, the inside of it being dim, and it was decorated with Pure White Lilies, Yingxing’s favourite kind of flowers. Yinyue stared at the locket with a look of awe and admiration, before looking at the other’s locket, which was the same, except it was decorated with small Maple leaves..Yinyue’s favourite kind of leaves. Both were made out of metal, yet they felt soft and fuzzy, like they were real plants.

"I..made it for the both of us since my father is a black smith and that I have a sufficient amount of gold to make it. Whenever one of us feel down..just press the tiny button on the heart locket, it would send the other a signal. I made it such that you can wear it around your wrist."

"..alright." Yinyue smiled softly, inserting the bracelet into his left wrist. He twisted and tightened the bracelet such that he would be at the underside of his arm. Yingxing could tell in those eyes that the former had practically fallen in love with it, but he must be sure.

"..you promise that you won't throw this away..?"

"Promise. It's too pretty to be discarded. I will protect it with my life."

"You flatter me at the randomest of times, Yinyue."

For that, Yinyue chuckled once more.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

He dug around his room, pulling out sheets of love letters. However, those were not what he was looking for.

Where is that..thing that I stored somewhere? He thought to himself.

So glad March or Caelus is not here with me.

He continued to dig around, but to no avail. So he went to the next area where he stored one of the most nostalgic items he has that were possibly around a decade old: The attic. He silently climbed up the attic stairs and looked around. He knows that Welt likes to head up in the attic from time to time to look at old photos, and Himeko decided to clean it up every once in a while for Welt, which the latter is thankful for. He poked his head up the attic for the first time in a few years.

Aeons.. the smell in there was already nostalgic.

He could see the word birch wood being incredibly old, yet clean by Himeko. The first thing he saw was baby pictures of March, Stelle and Caelus, all of them being adorable in the pictures, but they were yellowed with age, and there was not a lot of photos until March was old enough and took up the habit of photo taking, and the more recent ones were March snapping photos of the sunset, Himeko's coffee, and occasionally, him.

Blade, in the pictures, those eyes were not twinkling, there was no smile..and yet, how did March even manage to convince him to take a photo of him? Most of the time he will be with Kafka.

Dan Heng sighed, staring at a few fresh pictures of Blade over the course of months to days ago.

But then he looked away, confused as he felt his heart aching.

Why?

He then walked to another section, while all his own pictures were placed. Being more of an archiver, there is not many pictures of him, the most recent ones were a few weeks ago, whereby March snapped a picture of Dan Heng carrying a drunk Caelus back to his room, the latter blabbering nonsense and slurring his words due to the amount of alcohol in his system.

That was when Dan Heng saw it.

A small box.

It has a few dust particles resting on the surface, but with a soft blow, they all floated away. He dusted off the rest of the particles before opening it. 

There were old, very old, stacks of pictures of two young people, smiling and their eyes were practically glittering. Dan Heng could clearly tell they were happy. The young boy with white hair was looking the brightest out of the two of them, a big grin on his face and his arms were on the other person, who looked calmer, but there was a tiny sparkle in those azure blue eyes, and he was looking at the boy with the long white hair. 

Dan Heng could tell they were close.

But there was also another thing he was looking for.

And it was on top of the pictures.

Dan Heng grabbed the bracelet, and inserted it into his left wrist, surprised with himself to sense that he should place the heart locket at the underside of his arm.

He also feels the desire to protect it.

The bracelet felt as if it was made yesterday, since it was looking so fresh, but it was made out of pure gold, and gold could never rust.

Just like how Dan Heng could immediately feel the love and effort the person had put in to make this, just for him. 

Whoever had made this must have loved him dearly.

Dan Heng continued to admire it as he walked down the attic stairs, not careful with his steps. 

He slips on the stairs, letting down a surprised yelp before the back of the head hits the floorboard.

He immediately slipped away from consciousness, not noticing that the heart locket was pressed against the marble floor.

Meanwhile....

Blade was knocking his head against the nearest wall, groaning in boredom while Silverwolf was too busy playing Honkai Impact 3rd to alleviate the former's desire to do something other than helping Kafka with making and drinking wine.

"Wanna play Honkai Impact Blade?"

"No."

"Geez, and you said you're bored." Silverwolf retorted back, rolling her eyes before they got glued to the screen once more.

"..." Blade turned away from his gamer friend and proceeded to almost bang his head against the wall until he felt a vibrate in his pockets that made him freeze.

He has not felt that vibrate since almost a decade ago.

He immediately dug deep into his right pocket, pulling out his bracelet and seeing the heart glowing brightly. He questions if he should be alarmed that Dan Heng may be in danger, or if should be happy that he was getting a signal after being practically cut off for more than five years? He has no time to think, his body subconsciously telling Silverwolf a quick 'I have to go' before dashing past Kafka, who was feeding a small black cat that was chilling on the couch "Bladie, where are you going huh?" Kafka smirked, already knowing Blade's intentions as the latter grabbed his coat that he had thrown on a chair the previous day. Blade did not answer, swiftly wearing his bracelet and then hooking his keys up his fingers as he made a dash to his car, not caring about the fact that he had not combed his hair and it was messy since Saturday, which was yesterday.

Dan Heng has always been his top priority.

....

It always has been. 

"..Blade??" Stelle pulled the door open to see Blade dressed in casual clothing, yet his usually emotionless face was serious "What are you doin' here?" She tilted her head to the side in a confused manner, staring up at Blade who had crossed his arms. "Stelle. Where is Dan Heng?" Blade said sharply, a sense of urgency in his voice that Stelle was not fazed, just surprised that Blade might be worried about Dan Heng.

"Oh, him? He is with Caelus."

"..Where?"

"In Dan Heng's bedroom, duh."

Stelle gave Blade a deadpan expression, before stepping aside to allow the latter to enter. Blade Immediately kicked his shoes and rushed upstairs and managed to avoid Himeko and Welt before halting in front of Dan Heng's room.

".."

He gently knocks against the door with his knuckles, before busting it open. He met Caelus's shocked gaze, while Dan Heng had a bandage wrapped around his head, leaning against the ashen coloured hair. The latter's eyes were closed, seemingly resting his throbbing head while his roommate stared at Blade with a curious gaze. "Blade..what are you doing? 

Blade crossed his arms, saying nothing and glancing away. He does not want to explain everything.

Stelle then walked towards the room, shooting Caelus a look, and the latter frowned, before sighing and poking Dan Heng awake by the arm. 

The Raven Head groaned, fluttering his eyes open, lifting up his head to stare at Caelus with a confused look, his blue eyes dazed, before they wandered to the rest of the room. He stared at Stelle, who is still giving Caelus the 'I don't know why he is here, but we should leave' look.

"..Blade?" Dan Heng widened his eyes suddenly as they landed on the lone figure leaning against the wall, a pair of crimson eyes still staring at him. "Caelus, c'mon, let's go, Blade won't harm him."

"Caelus?" Dan Heng turned to face his roommate, who stood up with a calm expression on his face. "Don't worry, I'll be back." He smiled reassuringly, ruffing his jet black hair before walking towards Stelle, who gently closed the door and they walked away, leaving Blade and Dan Heng in the latter's room.

They said nothing for a few moments, giving Blade the opportunity to see Dan Heng with a bandage surrounding his head.

"..What happened?"

".."

"Dan Heng."

"This situation is ironic. I usually take care in the infirmary because you're hurt, now I'm the one with the injury." Dan Heng remarked, sighing in dismay before lifting up his throbbing head to stare up at Blade, who surprisingly had a concerned look on his face. "What happened?" Blade repeated again, except this time he was more firm and stern in his tone, hoping that Dan Heng does not have the energy to be stubborn and keep quiet. "I slipped down the stairs head first." The latter grumbled, embarrassed 

Silence.

"..Pft-" Blade snorted, a smile cracking up in his lips as he chuckled softly, both from how stupid it sounded and the humiliated blush was visible on Dan Heng. "Foolish." He joked, turning to face the latter with a mocking smile, and Dan Heng looked away, jabbing Blade's chest lightly with a balled fist and mumbling a 'shut it', making the latter crack up even more.

"So, how is your head?" Blade murmured, his hand gently grabbing Dan Heng's chin and turned it to face him as he caressed the latter's cheeks with his thumb, which caused Dan Heng to inevitably feel like melting into his fingers, like an ice cream under the hot sun. ".." The Ravenhead was too stunned to speak, too flustered to say anything, and kept quiet for a few moments before mumbling out a 'it is getting better'.

"Oh really?" Blade inquired once more.

"Mhm."

"So.." Blade's voice trailed off, settling himself onto Dan Heng's bed, his head laying down on the pillow, much to the latter's dismay and confusion.

Suddenly, Blade pulled Dan Heng close, causing the latter to yelp as his head landed on Blade's chest, feeling its softness and warmth.

Now he was even more flustered.

"Blade, what are you doing?"

"Shh. Be quiet and rest."

"This is not like you."

"Shush." Blade gently cradled Dan Heng's head in his arms, his limbs entwined with the other, Blade's head resting on Dan Heng's pillow while Dan Heng himself was on the former's chest, able to hear his racing heartbeat and his warmth. It's...rather comforting, more comforting than Dan Heng expected, despite being stiff in Blade's warm arms. Overtime, he slowly gets comfortable in Blade's arms, and occasionally nuzzling his nose onto his chest, his right ear pressed against Blade's soft and tender skin as he hears his fast paced heart beat.

…

"..Dan Heng?"

"..." A soft, adorable snore comes out of the latter.

Blade was surprised, amused and joyful at the sight of the other sleeping on top of him. That meant..

"You trust me.." A small, elated smile appears on Blade's face, his fingers reaching out to caress Dan Heng's jet black hair. He reached for the Air conditioner remote control, turning it on and then placing a blanket over Dan Heng's body so that he would get too cold, or be hot and bothered. This feeling..is a feeling that Blade has not felt in what he felt like it was an eternity.

He feels...calm. Happy 

They are not strangers, but not friends either.

Blade knows everything about Dan Heng, what is personality is, what he had experienced, what he likes and what he does not like, but the latter's memories of their childhood friendship were practically discarded. "That car incident..why?" Blade mumbled softly to the sleeping beauty on top of him, and that same rush of despair appeared in his mind again. He would do anything.

Anything.

To get Yiny —Dan Heng's memories back.

But for now..

He shall appreciate the moment before him.

Dan Heng, sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Just like the old times.

A sudden knock comes from the door, and Blade's tender and loving facial expression morphed back to that cold, distant persona that everyone sees him as. "Dan Heng?" A woman's voice was at the door, which was then opened ajar, revealing a fine woman with long luscious red hair and red eyes peeking through the door, along with a taller man with brown slightly messy hair along with wrinkles on his face. The man was also wearing rectangle-shaped glasses.

Welt and Himeko's eyes meet Blade's.

Himeko raised her eyebrows in surprise and amusement, a smile playing on her lips while Welt was behind her, his eyebrows furrowed and his face was frowning. Even though the latter did not want to admit it, perhaps, yes, he is protective over Dan Heng and the others, especially Himeko. However, seeing Blade tenderly cradling Dan Heng's head and allowing him to rest puts Welt at a little bit of ease. Blade shoots the both of them a glare, a finger over his lips to signal the both of them to be quiet. Himeko let out a small quiet giggle, before nodding and gently closed the door. 

Blade's expression softened again as they were alone once more, but his ears picked up the sound of Welt grumbling about something, while Himeko's giggles were muffled through the door 

"Do you think Blade has a crush on Dan Heng?"

"He better not.."

"Hehe! You're an overprotective grandpa, Welt."

"Hmph."

A pink tint spread over Blade's cheeks, but he ignored their chit-chatting as his focus was turned back to Dan Heng, who was now nuzzling his cheeks against his chest and snoring ever so softly. The former smiled, a hand moving to the latter's hair as stroking it again. He then made himself comfortable on the bed, fluttering his eyes close and falling asleep with Dan Heng in his arms.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Yingxing shrugged, pulling his headphones off as Yinyue sat down beside him. Yingxing decided to come over to the other's house to spend time with him, but they were bored out of their minds, and their eyes were glued to their phones, either studying for their upcoming exams, or listening to music. Yinyue closed his notebook, placing it on his desk as he averted his eyes to the other, who was deep in thought about the latter's question.  

"Hmm..ooh!" Yingxing then suddenly jumped up, seemingly having an answer. "I'm going to be a fighter!" His eyes gleamed, an excited look on his face while Yinyue stayed silent, quietly processing his answer. "Confirm?" The latter spoke, his head tilting sideways as he gazed at the other.

"Nah..not really, just saying it because I wanna protect you from bullies and evil people!" With his fist on his hips, Yingxing spoke in confidence, before wanting to know what his friend thought of his answer.

"Hm..? For me?" Yinyue chuckled softly, a gentle, tiny smile on his face. "Why thank you."

"But when you get injured..I guess I'll be the one taking care of you and your wounds..just as I've always done."

"Oh really? Eh..I guess that's true. You are always overly worried about me when I get a cut." Blade teased, a smug smile on his face when he saw Yinyue look away in embarrassment. "I..do not." The latter retorted back, a pout on his face which caused Yingxing to burst out in little chuckles. "You do!"

"I don't!"

"Oh yea? Here." Yingxing shows Yinyue a cut on his arm, the former grazing his long, thin wound with his fingertips. "I got a cu-" Yingxing looked up for the other's reaction, only to see that Yinyue was gone from his sight.  

"..Yinyue?"

He then hears rapid footsteps heading downstairs to his level, and sees Yinyue racing towards him with a panicked expression on his face, his hands holding antiseptic and a thin roll of bandages. The latter yanked Yingxing's injured arm to inspect it, while the white haired boy yelped in surprise. He knows Yinyue can be overly worried, but this was a whole new level. "Yinyue! It's just a cut.." He reassured the other, who calmed down when the wound was not leaking out blood.

"Be more careful next time please?" Yinyue begged with a grouchy expression on his face as he gently sprayed a few droplets of antiseptics onto the wound, and bandaged it.

Yingxing chuckled in embarrassment, nodding slowly before his eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait..I told you so! You ARE overly worried about me!”

“! No-!”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“President! Wake up!”

A short pink haired woman, who is the Vice-president of the Student Council, violently shakes the President after being fed up with his sleepy groans and whines. “Mmh..five..more minutes..” The milky white haired male mumbled again, who yelped as a slap flew to his back as a response. “That ‘Five more Minutes’ of yours turned into an hour's worth of sleep! Do you even sleep at nighttime or are you busy raging over the fact you kept losing to BaiHeng in Call of Duty at 3 in the morning?!” The petite woman stomped her foot, an irritated look on her face as she watched the other whine sleepily.

“But..it’s after school..!”

“We’re in this room because Miss Jingliu is going to be here soon to discuss upcoming events for this school! Do I need to remind you that your hair isn’t even combed? You look like you have a bird’s nest tucked away in those hairs of yours.”

At the sharp words that escaped the woman’s throat, the President immediately sat upright, not an ounce of sleep in those lazy golden eyes of his before standing up, quickly fixing his uniform and tie before tying up his hair with his signature red ribbon, made out of silk. Meanwhile, the other looked at him with a deadpan expression, but at the same time slightly amused at the mere mention of the Previous President of the Students Council was enough to keep him on his toes. She quietly sits down on her seat, her arms on the table as she turns to the door.

Soft, slow footsteps could be heard walking towards the Students’ Council door.

The wooden door that has intricate patterns on it slowly opens up, revealing a tall woman with long pale hair draped neatly over her shoulders, her pair of crimson eyes scanning the room, meeting the current President and Vice-President of the Students Council.

“Greetings…” Jingliu spoke in her quiet, smooth voice, silky, yet held power in them, enough for the President and the Vice-President to bow low in respect. “It’s an honour to see you again, Miss Jingliu..” The pink haired woman spoke, lifting up her head and looking at Jingliu.

“No need to be formal, Vice-President Fu Xuan . Even if I have already graduated from college, it is important to remind ourselves that we’re still friends despite the professional friendship.” She smiled softly, seeing the latter blushing slightly in embarrassment, but managed to keep her composure. Jingliu then turned to the President, who stayed silent and looked at the latter with fondness in them. Still, he still looked slightly sleepy, looking as if he was having the urge to just nod off and continue having his power nap..not that Fu Xuan would allow.

Awkward silence…

“ Jing Yuan ..what are you waiting for? Say something.” Fu Xuan spoke in a hushed whisper, eyeing Jingliu awkwardly and shooting a small glare at the President, who chuckled nervously, not knowing what to say to the Previous President.

“I..” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “Ahem.” He cleared his voice, before bowing again.

“I-it’s an honour to see you again, Miss Jingliu-”

Fu Xuan facepalmed herself. “Didn’t I just say that?!”

Jingliu bursted into little giggles.

“Aww where’s that composed, firm and laid-back version of you? How cute for you to be nervous when it comes to me.” The latter jokes, an unfamiliar smile on her face as she watched Jing Yuan let out little grumbles in embarrassment. “As much as I like to see that rare smile on your face, I’d much rather not be teased at my own expense.” He retorted, that cat-like grin on his face was replaced by a small pout, his eyebrows furrowed.

Jingliu grinned even more, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around his tall lean frame. “Relax..I’m only joking.”

Fu Xuan watched the scene unfolding before her, sighing softly before the tip of her lips tilted upwards at the sight of the both of them reuniting after approximately a year after Jingliu graduated and got a good job somewhere far away. Minor inconvenience, but perhaps the latter didn’t mind travelling a few miles just to see Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan again.

“Apologies for interrupting the reunion, but we have to discuss the events that may be hosted for the following months.” Fu Xuan stepped forward, glancing at Jing Yuan, who was getting back to his serious facade, before her golden coloured eyes advert back to Jingliu. “I appreciate you for coming back to join in the discussion, Jingliu. That said, you can sit anywhere you want. As you know, it’s already 5.30 pm, so most students are going home by this hour, including the rest of the student council members, so you need not worry about taking someone’s seat as it is only just the three of us here in the council room.” Fu Xuan pointed her pale, short index finger at a group of chairs in front of them, signalling Jingliu to sit anywhere she pleases.

With a smile, she nodded, heading to one of the chairs and sitting on the smooth, black leathered chair, her head resting against the headrest while her ruby red eyes scanned the room, admiring the cleanliness of the room. “So clean..and you guys managed to maintain it the way I like..” She remarked.

“Mm. We..saw no reason to move things to other places.” Jing Yuan responded, before standing up from the presidential seat and grabbing a Presenter tool that was provided by the school.

“So..I was planning on presenting my slideshow tomorrow..so I’m not done with the slides yet. But anyway, Valentine’s Day is coming, isn’t it? What ideas do any of you have? I’d like to have ideas.” Jing Yuan spoke firmly, turning back to face the others, seeing Fu Xuan contemplating ideas thoughtfully while Jingliu stayed silent, seemingly trying to think of ideas too.

“We can do a series of events like the previous year to save the school’s budget..maybe we can get a few groups of singers or host a talent show?” Jingliu softly suggested, her palms under her chin, as she glanced at Jing Yuan for approval. The president nodded in agreement, and turned to Fu Xuan. “Fu Xuan, any ideas?”

“I was thinking about..oh, in each other of different grades, a teacher can choose two people in the class for a Valentine Runway. 

“..good idea, Fu Xuan.”

“What about the graduated students here that are still staying back, like Dan Heng?" Jingliu inquired, tilting her head sideways 

"..it will be up to him if he wants to participate in the runway."

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“Wanna visit that new cafe across the street?” Yingxing turned to face his best friend with a look of curiosity in his eyes as he searched for any sign of agreement to his question in those glamorous blue eyes of Yinyue’s, who was quietly sipping on a small plastic bottle of Bubble tea, his eyes scamming the buildings that he had grown fond of over the years of visiting Yingxing’s town. In the heart of a bustling flat, where towering apartment blocks formed a labyrinth of home, there stood a small, recently built cafe that was tucked neatly under an apartment building, with people going in and out of it.  

“..sure, if you wish.” Yinyue spoke softly, shooting a small glance at the other as they walked to the town square, admiring the cars and motorcycles zooming through the busy and slightly crowded town along the asphalt made roads. They stood by the corner of the pathway, waiting for the traffic to be set to the colour green.

Yingxing had a soft smile on his face, yet he could not shake the feeling that something horrible was going to happen to his best friend. He tried his best to let his smile falter as he turned to glance at Yinyue, who was looking ahead, arms uncrossed, his expression blank and innocent like usual as he observed the accumulating pedestrians that were standing across the street opposite him along with the pavement that he was standing on.

He could see the look of impatience on some people that were glancing at their watches from time to time with annoyance. They were probably going to be late for work or something like that, but it was not Yinyue’s problem, afterall, Yingxing and him were on a school break for a few days.

Yinyue continued to sip on his bubble tea, before shaking it, noticing that only ice remained in his drink. He lets out a small groan of disappointment, but shrugged as he went to look for a rubbish bin, which was only a few feet away from him.

Whatever. He can just reach the cafe and buy a new one..

..right?

The sound of a small child suddenly appeared, and people turned to look, seeing a tiny, cute toddler happily looking around in curiosity, unaware of her surroundings. The Mother raced towards her trying to grab her tiny little hand, but the child was wobbling around, wanting to get across the road. Her tiny frame accidentally came into contact with Yinyue’s leg, who turned and looked down, widening his eyes in alarm when the child walked towards the road.

Shocked gasps and murmurs erupted in the crowd of pedestrians, along with the sound of a Mother’s cries calling for her baby to come back, that it was too dangerous for someone as little as her to be walking about alone, that when the lights are still bright red, it was trying to signal everyone that it is not safe for anyone to across the road just yet.

Alas, the child, as young and small as her, are oblivious to such things.

At the spur of the moment, Yingxing saw a blurry figure dash across the road, the wind bouncing on to his face when he realised that Yinyue had practically glided to the child, pushing her away from an incoming car as his Yingxing let out a startled cry.  

The sounds of a car trying to force into a stop erupted along with the noise of a sickening crash.

Pedestrians from both sides of the road were gasping in horror, the Mother of the child was crying in shock, the child herself was wailing beside the road that had scraped her leg. But that was the least of YIngxing’s worries, who stood still and frozen, his eyes big with horror as he watched a pool of blood forming around his best friend's body.

Cars and motorcycles halted to a stop, drivers, including the one that crashed into Yinyue, opened their vehicles’ doors to inspect what had happened, only to sharply inhale their breaths when they saw the damage done 

A loud sob filled the air, and everyone turned, seeing Yingxing’s body shaking and tears welling up in his eyes, looking as if he was going to have a panic attack as he ran up to his barely conscious best friend whom he vowed to never let anyone with ill intentions to lay even a finger on him.

“..DAN HENG-!”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

He jolts awake.

Large droplets of cold sweat slide down the sides of his face as the nightmare passes by. He sighs in relief, wiping the sweat off of his temples, his mind finally registering the annoying beeping of an alarm clock.

Without looking at the time, he shuts it off, before picking up his phone to check his notifications, most of them were from his Ashen haired roommate.

Caelus: Dan Heng!
Caelus: Wakey wakey.
Caelus: We're gonna be late for school!
Caelus: ..actually u know wut, im going to ditch u
Caelus: Cya im heading to skool now.

“Going to be late for school..? Huh-?” Dan Heng swiped down his phone to check the time.

7.49 a.m

School starts in 11 minutes.

Himeko was silently brewing her usual cup of coffee, her eyes adverted to the man that was quietly reading the newspapers, gently humming to a song he has been listening to recently.

“Welt, what are you humming to, hm? 

“Samudratha.” Welt hummed, bobbing his head up and down slightly as the other giggled while grabbing her coffee.

“I see you like listening to that song. Shall I put it on our playlis-”

The both of him could suddenly hear rapid and loud footsteps racing down the stairs, and Dan Heng burst into the kitchen, panting softly as he looked around. He glanced at Himeko and Welt, nodding a little as a sign of greeting, before dashing off to the front porch.

“Dan Heng! Remember to eat and don’t trip and hurt yourself while going to the infirmary!”

“Got it Himeko.”

“..Caelus? You’re still here?” Dan Heng exited the house, finding his roommate chilling on the passenger seat. “Well..I can’t drive…” Caelus spoke, a sheepish smile was on his face as he watched his roommate facepalm himself. “..right. And you're lazy to just take a bus?” He spoke, sarcasm laced in his tone as he went into the driver’s seat, grabbing the steering wheel and immediately drove up at the maximum speed the law allows, because clearly arriving at school late is better than getting stopped by a police officer and getting a speed ticket and potentially getting into jail.

"Well..."

"Admit it. You're being insanely lazy."

..

“Caelus, Dan Heng! Both of you are just in time!” A tall male with blond hair and a pair of oceanic blue eyes squinted at the both of them, crossing his arms as he stared at the sheepish look on Caelus’s face, while a blank, slightly guilty look was plastered on Dan Heng’s, the latter looking away.

“Well..they actually are just 5 seconds late..” A girl with platinum blonde hair suddenly appeared beside the gentleman, who gave her a small smile of respect.

“..We can actually mark them as late, Gepard .” She spoke, her tone teasing as she shot Gepard a smile back.

“..You’re not going to..right??” Caelus muttered, a look of slight panic on his face until Dan Heng jabbed him on the forearm. “You can tell by Bronya ’s face that she would not be doing that.” He sighed, seeing a relief look on his roommate’s face.

“Orrr we can mark Caelus as late, but not Dan Heng because he really isn’t student anymoreeee…” Another girl walked by, dressed in casual clothes while her long purple hair was slightly messed up, a few strands were poking out and was in front of her light purple eyes.

“..I- Hey! Unfair!” Caelus whined, pouting slightly while the girl chuckled. “Nahh..I’m kidding. Relax, jeez I’m not gonna sabotage my friends like that..” She stuck her tongue out at him, who was still pouting..and now looking away with a dramatic ‘hmph’, earning him a facepalm from Dan Heng.

“.. Seele ! What happened to your hair? Do you need a hair tie from me?” Bronya walked towards her best friend, moving away the stray stands from Seele’s face as the latter looked at her with deadpan eyes. “Oh..nah I don’t need a hair tie..buttt if you’re wondering who had the audacity to mess me up..”

The purple haired girl shot a glare at Gepard, who backed away in confusion.

“..huh? I haven’t seen you since 3 days ago though..?” The latter tilted his head in worry in his afternoon sky coloured eyes, only to have Seele sigh in exasperation.

“No..! Gepard I meant the person behind you dummy.”

“..Huh?!”

Suddenly, a series of lyrics were blasted into his ear.

“He’s bouncin’ off my booty cheeks-”

“ Sampo ! Quit it!”

A light hearted chuckle was heard behind Gepard, who jabbed Sampo by the chest, which made the latter laugh even harder. “Aww..I’m just tryna have funn..” He smiled, showing off his pearly whites before playfully pinching Gepard’s cheeks. “Your cheeks are just so chubby I wanna squish them..” He smirked, before yelping as the other shoved him away.

“Sampo, this is a public space! Flirt with me when we’re in private.” Gepard tried to be firm, only to have an embarrassed blush spreading to his cheeks as he watched the troublemaker whine.

“Woah..what am I hearin’?! You guys are together??” Caelus butted in, his eyes wide with shock until Gepard quickly waved his hand in disagreement. “I- no.”

“Ahh..but Gepard and I are now valentines for the day~!” Sampo propped his head onto his ‘valentine’ ‘s shoulder, a cheeky smile on his face as Gepard shot him another glare that he had grown to be quite used to, since he was the type to be pulling pranks around the school..

..especially him.

“Sampo Koski, I did not agree to this.”

“Ah huh...well now you did.” Sampo’s lips curled into a playful grin, as he pulled out a rose from his pockets and sliding it above Gepard’s ear before dashing off.

“Toodles.”

“..I- Hey! Come back!”

Seele watched as he remained stunned for a moment, feeling the softness of the rose petals with his fingers for a moment before snapping back to reality and dashing after Sampo. “..currently wondering how they’re not together yet.” She pursed her lips, amusement shining in those amethyst coloured eyes of hers as she turned back to the rest of the group, seeing Bronya stifling a giggle. “Seele..want to be my valentine? I wasn’t planning on finding one since I’ll be helping out with the set-ups..but the Jing Yuan allowed me to join in the fun after I’m done..” She muttered, albeit a bit shyly, her grey eyes lighting up when Seele let out a snort.

“Duh. I’ll be picking a girl like you over anybody.”

Caelus watched as the girls wandered away to the crowded hallways that were filled with students asking each other out as their valentine for the event that was happening a few hours later.

“..currently wondering how they ’re not together yet.” He puffed up his cheeks for a moment, before turning around to head to class early, only to yelp as he realised Dan Heng was behind him and being so silent that he forgot he was right behind him.

“..” Dan Heng stares at his roommate, blankly as the awkward silence fills the air, despite a horrible harmony of voices from other students were by them, creating an awful string of sounds of what one would hear when a speaker suddenly goes haywire with ear-piercing screeches sounding through.

“..uhhh..” Caelus’s gaze trailed away, thinking about a topic they could discuss.

“Ah! Dan Heng, have you gotten a valentine yet??”

“..No.”

“Well..do you want a valentine??”

“..I guess so?”

Caelus tilted his head to the side, staring at Dan Heng’s unreadable expression before looking around, before seeing a tall male with jet black hair looking through his lockers.

“..?” Dan Heng raised an eyebrow as he watched his roommate’s mouth curling up into a smirk.

“Heyyyy..Dan Heng…” Caelus started walking towards him, a sly expression on his face, the one that signals the other that he was about to pull up something with a mischief intent. “..whatever you’re thinking, no.” Dan Heng morphs into one of grumpiness, seeing Caelus being pouty again.

“C’mon! Nothing harmlesssss….”

“..confirm?”

“Yes, now here.”

Blade hears a faint surprised grunt from afar, but he was too focused about looking through his childhood bestfriend’s pictures that he secretly stuffed into his locker to realise that two short people were walking towards him.

Well, one of them is dragging the other.

“..Caelus why did you bring me here?” A familiar voice could be heard beside him, but as he continued staring at the pictures, time seemed to have slowed down and the voices from other students blabbering away sounded further and further…

“..” He sees the picture of a white haired boy with a bright smile, while the other, the calmer one, had an arm wrapped around the boy, both of their eyes were filled with peace and happiness. They looked like they were magnets to each other, always together, smiling and caring for one another, like those inseparable friendships people would see in books and movies.

But what do they have in common?

They break apart.

Perhaps the two friends would meet the same fate? Oh, they already did.

How unfortunate the young boy with the white hair was no longer smiling.

Blade gently caressed the photo with his thumb, the bandages surrounding his wrist were getting old and were losing its grip on his arm, the ends dangling and hanging for dear life. The former could feel the rough edges of the photo, it was yellowed with age, its corners chipped away and a few wrinkled lines were on it too, one distinct large line was separating the two friends.

“..cya and wish ya luck!” A voice breaks through Blade’s train of thought, and he turns to the side, seeing Caelus dashing away from his friend, who was looking at the latter with an icy cold expression on his face.

Dan Heng took out his phone, typing Caelus a short ‘I’m getting you back.’ message before shutting his phone off and sighing, turning around and immediately meeting Blade’s emotionless gaze.

Oh, no wonder Caelus dragged him here.

They stayed silent for a moment, both staring at each other intently, trying to decipher the other’s thoughts and feelings about the whole situation.

“..do you have a valentine?” Dan Heng blurted out softly, tilting his head upwards and seeing that Blade was processing his question.

“..no. What, want me to be your valentine?”

“You read me quickly. Yes, if you want to. 

“..fine.”

“..serious?”

“..oh you want me to decline?”

“I didn’t say any of that, Blade.”

“Well..you were implying it.”

“..no I don't want you to decline, I just want your confirmation.”

“Very well then.” Blade let out an irritated breath of air before speaking sarcastically. “I would humbly accept your request to be your valentine.”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Yingxing has never been more disgusted to see a child.

It’s not like he hates kids, in fact he sees them as cute, itty-bitty creatures that have their whole life ahead of them, he sees them as young, innocent versions of himself, and he always hopes that they would have a happy life.

But the one he is seeing? The child who almost killed his best friend due to her stupidity? The one that just got her bandage on the scrape on the knee that she sustained from the accident that is so minor compared to Yinyue’s? The same one that is now resting on her mama’s shoulders, sleeping away without a care in the world in front of his very eyes?

Vile. 

He would never forgive those who hurt Yinyue, intentional or not.

He drowned out the mother’s apologies by shutting his eyes and listening to his own thoughts as he leaned against the wall, too exhausted to say anything insulting to the apologies. 

He listened to his heart beating worriedly for his best friend's safety, his mind praying that a miracle would happen and he would be alive, safe and sound, and could return back to his arms in just a few weeks time. He could feel goosebumps arising on his forearms as a gust of wind breeze past him, chilling his tired and weakened body to the core and making him shiver violently, but that was the least of his worries.

All he wanted was to wake up from this dream..this..nightmare.

What if Yinyue dies? What if the accident caused him to have deformities? What if the car crashed into those fragile ribs of his and tore his heart into shreds? What if he goes blind, or has a limb missing, and he had to live out the rest of his life in misery because of some stupid car crash?

What if-

“I’m sorr-”

“Shut it. If you’re really sorry then you better shut up.” Yingxing snapped at the Mother, who shrank away from his deathly gaze. Perhaps she has never seen someone so furious while grieving at the same time, but he doesn’t care.

As much as he would like to beat that child into a pulp, that would be rather immature.

The silence was tension, and there was unspoken hatred that Yingxing had for everyone in the same hallways as him, a people, especially nurses, would walk by, and would hear him utter a curse in anger as he sensed their pity from their body language, and he feels even more disgusted.

Why pity me? Pity Yinyue instead.

“Stupid..idiots.” He muttered, his left fingers entangling themselves into his light grey locks, tugging on a few when he felt like lashing out.

What if Yinyue doesn't make it? Who would take care of him when he gets injured? Who would be there to bandage him up if ever he gets even a minor cut he would get from a playful cat? Who would be there to caress his back and soothe him and say ‘everything is fine, I’m here.’ when he cries? Who would be there to comb his hair so gently, making sure that no hairs would fall and all knots are unmade?

Who would be his life support?

Who would encourage him to move forward without those familiar smiles and laughs of his best friend?

Yingxing lets out a soft sob before he instinctively looks away and faces the wall, his forehead on the concrete, tears slowly welling up in his eyes and dripping onto the floor.

One would best believe that Yingxing would bash his head against the wall if Yinyue slips away from him.

How many tears have these hospital walls witnessed? How many of those tears were collected on the floor? How much screams and cries of agony have been bounced off the ceiling and echoing through the hallways?

Would they see Yingxing in the same grieving state too?

He lets out a soft sniffle, wanting to imagine that the wall was his best friend, holding him and supporting him all the way, catching his tears on his shirt and shoulders while warm arms and hands would be on his back, caressing him, calming him down and soothing him from his problems.

Only Yinyue and him were alone in his apartment, would he be vulnerable and helpless to his tears that the former could see sliding down his reddened cheeks, the same one who would never complain about his emotional side, only hold him and prevent him from collapsing in on himself as he has a mental breakdown.

His ears perk up upon picking up the sound of a door creaking open, revealing a doctor with long blonde hair which could drop to his slim waist, his flawless face and olive green eyes carrying a solemn expression on his face.

Yingxing could only fear the worst.

“Dr. Luocha, tell me he’s alive. Please,” He pleaded, another wave of tears threatening to overflow.

“..Yingxing.” Due to his tall frame, Luocha could easily tower over Yingxing’s height, only because the latter was barely an adult yet.

“..I have good news, and unfortunately, bad news, which one would you like to hear first?”

“Of course the good one.”

“..Fortunately..He is alive and awake-”

Luocha immediately gets shoved away to the door frame as Yingxing bursts into the hospital wards.

"However I must warn you that he-  

The doctor stops dead in his tracks, sighing with a forlorn expression on his face, but he stays silent and lets the boy swarm around his best friend before he gets hit with the bad news..

"Dan Heng..?"

Yingxing stares at the body that was wrapped in bandages. They were hugging the body of his best friend, who was staring at him with curiosity and confusion on his face.

He wanted to smile, smile that he was alive, but he could not bring himself to.

He could not recognise the warmth emitting from Yinyue, that familiar feeling was gone.

“..Who?”

“..It’s me! Yingxing! I was your best friend for Aeon’s sake.”

“..Apologies I don’t know anyone with that name.”

He could only stare at Yingxing blankly, who stared back, wanting to cry but he couldn’t.

Why would he cry for someone who doesn’t know him anymore?

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

They walked to the cafeteria, with Blade quietly mentioning that someone would be taking over the infirmary, so Dan Heng didn’t have to worry about getting patients that had sustained a few minor injuries. They then went silent as they walked towards an empty table and sat down on the chairs, both staring at each other as if signalling the other to say something first.

“..”

Dan Heng looks away from Blade’ imitating gaze, as his azure blue eyes wander.

He sees two cleaners sitting at one of the tables a few feet away from him, one has an animal scratch mark on his forearm, the other was fuzzing over how careless the cleaner is.

“How did you even get it anyway?!”

“You know that cat that was chilling down the stairs by the parking lot here? It scratched me while I was trying to move it.”

Dan Heng watched as the second cleaner sighs loudly.

“Jeez! What if you get diseases huh?! I heard that rabies could be passed down from animals-”

“Hai ya! You’re very worrisome. I’ll be fine!”

Blade was staring at Dan Heng the whole time, but then he averted his crimson eyes to the cleaners, who were too busy arguing over one another to notice. He then turned back to Dan Heng, and he saw a few waves of nostalgia washing over in those eyes. He stayed silent, his mind also returning to those memories of him being taken care of by Yinyue.

Will he remember?

Dan Heng breaks away from the sight of two cleaners, blurry memories resurfacing again, he could hear a person’s voice, but it was too distorted for him to remember the exact words, or identify the person’s name through the voice.

“Yinyue..It’s..scratch..be fine..”

“..midnight..don’t have..house..”

Why is it so familiar?

Dan Heng remained silent, trying to figure out who that voice belonged to, and he didn’t notice the person in front of him, staring coldly and watching the sweat sliding down Dan Heng’s face.

“Dan Heng.”

The latter broke away from his thoughts, now staring at Blade, who has that usual icy cold frown.

“..sorry.”

A small sigh follows suit.

“..take a walk or something, I don’t care what you do. Just meet me when the events are starting.”

With a small, cold huff, Blade stood up abruptly, and left without even pushing in the chair which he once sat on. Dan Heng sighed, standing up as well, that lingering feeling of nostalgia still sticking onto him as he exited the cafeteria to get some fresh air, just like how Blade ‘suggested’ it.. 

A small rumble from above sounded, followed by thunder, causing a few people, especially timid girls to scream in terror and shock.

..or not.

Those that were in the rain immediately rushed in, some were complaining about how the weather was so sudden, others were shivering from the cold as the winds flew by. But none of that mattered to Dan Heng, who was now looking at two students that were by another table, one was seemingly watching a movie, their eyes glued to the screen, the other was on the table, fast asleep.

Why is this scene so familiar..?

He stares at the student that was awake, and the student used their fingers to swipe up, probably too see the time, because the student gasped in shock.

“Hey!” The student turned to the one that was sleeping. “We’re supposed to be in the classrooms by now! Why didn’t you alert me- oh..you’re asleep..”

Dan Heng continues to stare at the two students, who seem to be lovers..or at least borderline best friends. “Hey..wakey wakey.” The student then poke the other, who instantly woke up with a small sleepy groan. “We have school, remember?”

“..right. Let’s..get to class.”

The Ravenhead watched as they walked away, another wave of nostalgia hit him once more, which made him have his hand on his forehead.

Waves and waves of nostalgia is not something he wishes to have right now, especially when he feels familiarity from something that he could not lay his finger on.

He makes his way to the hallways, meeting Stelle and March, both of whom did not notice him 

"So..I heard you got rejected by a boy .." March looked at Stelle with interest as to what she had to say.

"The boy said he’s attracted to the same gender as him . I understood."

" Well.. there will always be someone who has her eyes on you.."

" 'her'? A woman ? I'm not attracted to people of the same gender."

"Ah, well, it's just a crush someone has on you, nothing else."

"..who is the person though? Do you know her , March ?"

"Ah, uhm..it's just intuition Stelle ! No matter the gender, I'm sure that someone would want to stay by your side, until the bitter end." 

"You sound rather hopeful I'll find someone."  

“ Hey! I’m just sayin’!”

Dan Heng stared at the two of his friends, trying to bite back not only Nostalgia..

.. but pain .

It was as if an Aeon of Cruel jokes decided to play a small prank on him by setting up scenes that would make his mind run blank and defenceless to the tapestry of lost memories that was left to rot after a car decided to knock into his past self as he tries to save someone, at least, that was what he was told by a doctor with blonde hair after his consciousness was regained.

A notification pops up on his phone, and he opens it up, seeing that it was from Caelus.

Caelus: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Dan Heng: ?
Caelus: o hi

Dan Heng: ..do you need anything?
Caelus: im helping Bronya with her hair for the events cuz her hair stylist was sick n Seele was toooooo busy with other stuff to tend to her hair
Caelus: Talking bout hair, i didnt know that ppl involved in events have to style their hair, kinda unnecessary tbh
Dan Heng: ..do you want me to accompany you?
Caelus: yea. Bring Blade along if u want

Dan Heng: He would not be coming.

Caelus: o ok  

Hopefully spending time with Bronya and Caelus would help him ease up a little 

“I’m here.”

Caelus and Bronya turned to their sides, seeing Dan Heng going through the curtains and stepping to them. The latter’s roommate gave him an elated smile, while Bronya gave the latter a smile wave while Caelus continued to fumble with her light gray locks. Dan Heng could see the small frustrated frown on his face as he tried to untangle the smallest of knots on the tips of Bronya’s hair.

“..want me to help?”

Caelus perked his head up at Dan Heng, before nodding eagerly and practically shoving the comb to the latter before standing back. Bronya continued to stare at the both of them through the mirror, her hand palm on her chin as she watched Dan Heng slowly and meticulously unweave every single one of the knots.

“.. did you know, hair holds memories? ” Bronya asked Dan Heng, innocently.

Dan Heng hitched his breath.

Remain calm..

“..yes.”

“I heard Mr. Yang is the one in charge of cutting Caelus’s hair. Is the reason why Caelus forgets his homework was because his hair usually gets cut after it has bypassed the school’s dress code?”

“Hey! Don’t mention my hair!” Caelus himself pouted, crossing his arms and having a frown on his face, which made Bronya crack up a small smile.

“..” Dan Heng continued to comb through the latter’s hair, feeling its soft and silky strands slide  through his fingers as his jade blue eyes soften, deep in thought. He could feel someone burying their head onto the back of his head for comfort, ruffling it, caressing it, bringing Dan Heng a sense of peace, but when he turns around, he woukd see that no one was truly behind him, that he was all his figment of imagination, like a spirit was playing with him. 

Caelus continued to banter with Bronya in a light and friendly manner, until he sees the blank, unresponsive look on his roommate’s face, his eyes containing a sense of sadness and nostalgia in them. “..you good Dan Heng?” He pointed out, and Bronya dropped their playful arguments, now also looking at Dan Heng, her smile faltering as she stared at Dan Heng through the mirror, who remained quiet, his eyelids drooping slightly.

Dan Heng may be quiet, but he would not be that quiet.

“..just reminiscing.” He responded vaguely.

Bronya and Caelus looked at each other, possibly thinking of the same thing.

A tense silence fills the air, one that either the two of them would dare to break.

…

Everyone was there 

Kafka, March, Jing Yuan..a sea of people rushed claim the limited chairs, while others had to sit on the ground and get their legs to feel sore and tingly.

The event was a blur, with the contestants at the back of the hall, Student Council Members were on stage, including the President and Vice-president that were resting on the stairs as they watched everyone grabbing their friends to a few available seats. The previous president also sat down next to them, who also decided to being her best friend along, who had the reputation of having incredible luck for getting out of fights unscathed the time before they graduated, along with beating the hell out of the current President of the Students Council in a game of Call of Duty.

The event was a blur, with a girl with pink hair and pink and blue eyes with a cheerful and overly excited attitude being the host of the event, while a boy with yellow eyes and blonde hair being the co-host as they both stood on the stage, each of them taking turns to call out two people to come to the runway. 

The event was a blur, with a boy with short raven hair and a taller male with long jet black hair being call to the stage by the host.

The event was a blur , with a tall woman with bright red hair was golden roses on her long lusicous hair as decorations smirking at the two boys who were practically dragging themselves onto the stage as they walked side by side on the runway, while an older man with short brown hair with a streak of white and golden eyes was beside her, having an unreadable expression on his face. 

The Event was a Blur , with another woman with red-wine coloured hair that she ties in a messy ponytail two loose bangs on either side of her face and seductive dark purple eyes as she stared at the tall male on the runway beside the short male, smirking while a girl beside her was uninterested in whatever was going on, and was instead playing Honkai Impact 3rd on her phone was sipping on grape juice that she hacked into a vending machine to get it for free, oh, and she also got all the coins that were inside the vending machine after getting her grape juice.

The Event Was A Blur, as Dan Heng silently walk out after the event was done. He was stuck in his own thoughts as they swirled in his head, not giving him a moment to rest and feel at ease. His eyes were dazed, the voices of students and friends’ around him alike were drowned and tuned away, with only one thought above everything else.

“Don’t care about the traffic, walk.”

Blade had his arms crossed, staring into space as he leaned against the concrete wall, his crimson eyes fluttered shut. Kafka mentioned that she and Sliverwolf would be heading somewhere, and that he should not wait for him. Even though he does not know where they had gone, it was not like he cared 

Something brushed against his arm.

His eyes slowly opened, seeing Dan Heng walking out into the road.

“..” He gets off the wall, staring at the other with squinted eyes.

This scene is also quite..familiar.

“Dan Heng.”

No response. 

“..Dan Heng!” Blade raised his voice even higher, still no response.

..he is not himself, is he?

A few students looked that their way, before realising that a car was..coming straight towards him. 

“DAN HENG! Can you hear me?!” Blade finally shouted in panic, an emotion he has not felt in years, causing the former to break away from his trance. However he was too late.

A terrifying sound of a car trying to force itself to stop, followed by the sound of it crashing into a human body, eliciting shock and terror to the students and passers by.

Blade widened his eyes, his heart sinking as he rushed to Dan Heng, who was lying in a pool of his blood.

No no no..

Since when History has the audacity to repeat itself?!

“Are you an idiot?!” Blade screamed into the other’s ear as he placed his bloodied body into his arms and he knelt down, immediately checking his pulse.

None.

Fresh, crimson blood stains his calloused hands as he hugged the corpse of Dan Heng, a tear sliding down as he stares at the latter with empty eyes, not sure if he should burst into screams and tears, or stay silent as reality crashes down on him.

Dan Heng is dead.

His Beloved Yinyue has completely slipped from his grasp, his hopes of him regaining all his memories has shattered him completely. His lifegoal was gone. The only thing that had kept him afloat all this time..

..was gone.

He bit back the rest of his tears, his hair cascading down onto Dan Heng’s dead body, his red tips turning even more red as it gets stained as well. “ Yin..yue..” He murmured, his voice turning even more weaker and strained with pain as seconds go by. “Don’t..leave me..” He sobbed, clinging onto the body along with the hope that Dan Heng would miraculously wake up and greet him with a smile like he had always did years ago when they were still together as friends, never leaving each other’s side through thick and thin.

Even when Dan Heng had lost most of his memories, at least he was alive, as least he was still there, standing, giving Blade a chance of redemption to make him recover all his memories and be friends once more.

But that had never happened, not even years after, but that was alright for Blade, after all he had all the time in the world.

Now there were no longer any chances.

“You were the only person that had ever taken care of me..like me..stay by my side through all my stupid, foolish shenanigans..why..why must fate take you away from me..? Why must she be so cruel..?”

This was not the first time he had cried, but his situation for crying would break the remnants of his already broken heart.

He stares at Dan Heng’s body, limp in his arms, cold to the touch, his chest that was once full of life and heaving up and down stopped moving, his eyes wielded shut knowing that Blade could never see from oceanic eyes again, the same ones that would drown him into the depths of the care he once had for him.

He tried to feel for his heart as he press his hand onto his chest, for anything, anything , that said that Dan Heng was still alive, he was in denial that he had passed on after all.

None.. 

Blade quietly sobbed into the crook of Dan Heng’s once warm neck, wishing that he could travel back to time that they would enjoy each other’s company, with his head resting on the former’s shoulder while getting his white hair caressed like how a cat-lover would stroke the fur of a cat. He did not care that everyone was watching him, some in amusement, some in pity.

All of them, were watching.

And yet not a single one of them noticed another car heading straight towards them in the speed that could instantly stop Blade’s throbbing heart on impact. 

The latter noticed movement along with the rumbling of an engine near him, and he perked his head up to the side, his teary ruby red eyes averting away from Dan Heng for a second to see a car that was about to ram into him.

He widened his eyes again, and time seemingly slows down once more.

Is this it? Is this the end for him?

During his time in the hospital, waiting for Luocha’s verdict about Dan Heng’s condition years ago, his mind was thinking of the worst, that he would be dead, and as he thought about it, there was only one thought.

If he dies, he would be dying with him, no excuses.

Now, as he looked at the car in front of him, he knows that there would be nothing he could do to get away from the car, as fate too, was awarding Blade for being so patient for Dan Heng by making him await his own death after the latter slips away.

He did get what he wanted, did he not?

To die alongside Dan Heng when the times come was his only dream.

Blade looked down on the other, noticing that the face, despite being pale, had a sense of peacefulness in it.

He closes his eyes for the last time, mumbling out his last words.

“I love you too.”

In the end, the car unleashed its final blow, and left Blade and Dan Heng in the withered grave.

The miraculous thing is that in their moment of death..all the pain went away..

..like when they drank to drown their sorrows..

…

Two females were sitting on the roof at a nearby building. Kafka looked at the scene, before glancing at Sliverwolf, who finally had her phone turned off and was looking at scene below them with concern in those dark gray reflective eyes of hers. The former turned back to the scene, her eyes having a rather empty gaze in them, her seductive smile was no longer there, instead there was only a grim, accepting line on her lips as she finished her task. 

“Eilo’s script said to help you ease your pain and misery. I did my work. I hope you’re happy up there, both of you.”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

“And if a double-decker bus..crashes into us..”
“..to die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die..” Yinyue turned to stare at Yingxing as the latter continued to sing his heart out of the blue as they stared out into the night sky, watching the stars shine and glisten on the black canopy of the sky. Sometimes, he wonders how a person so arrogant like Yingxing could ever get along with a quiet person as Yinyue, but surprisingly, their friendship had blossomed after meeting each other three years ago. 

“..And if a ten ton truck..kills the both of us..” “

..to die by your side..Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine..”

“How Poetic of you.” Yinyue remarked as Yingxing scooted closer to him as they continued their stargaze. “It’s a song, dummy.” He chuckled, poking the former lightly with his fist.  

“..so?”  

“..so what?”

“Why did you sing it? Did something happen?”

“Ah, nothing actually..I just happened to wonder what woud happen if we just..you know..”

Yinyue frowned as his best friend trailed off, instantly knowing what he was about to say. “..How about you don’t think about that? We’re barely young adults, why are thinking about such things?”

They both got silent for a moment, before Yinyue sighed, thinking about lightening up the mood.

“Just so you know, I won’t be dying anytime soon, and if you get yourself in some stupid, life-threatening situation, I won’t be there; instead I’ll be bandaging you up force your conscience back on Earth. Got that?”

Yingxing chuckled at the other’s response, smiling cheekily. “Alrighty then. Those are your words, lest you get yourself into that same situation. Then it would have been quite ironic.” He then looked up at the sky, admiring the stars surrounding the Earth and themselves as they rested on blades of grass on top of a hill. Meanwhile, Yinyue remained silent, glancing to his best friend. He watched as the stars were being reflected into those eyes of Yingxing’s, and only made him more determined to outlive him.

Suddenly, Yingxing felt a weight on his right shoulder, and he looked to the side, seeing the other resting his head on him. He did not mind, and went back to staring at the stars.

Wherever they go. Whatever life throws at them..the stars in the sky will always have a place for them.

“If you die, I die. Alright?”

Yingxing looked to the side again, hearing the other’s hushed whisper.

“..got it.”

“..I love you.”

He suddenly widened his eyes, what did Yinyue just say?

“..pardon?”

“..what?”

“..did you say something, Yinyue-Jun?”

“No.”

“..Don’t lie.” Yingxing pouted, and the other could only blush. 

“...you..heard nothing.”

He then gave Yinyue a deadpan expression, before it then morphs into one of amusement as he sighed contently.

“Alright..I’ll pretend you didn’t say anything.”

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇