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Caelus was an unapologetic sweater snatcher.
Based on his distinct hobby of diving headfirst into trash cans within a five mile radius of him in hopes of searching for treasure, this shouldn't come up as a surprise.
In his defense, he didn't do it on purpose at first! If anyone was to blame, it would have to be Dan Heng for introducing him to the world of sharing clothes with your partner. After a particularly chilly sparring session with Yanqing—those icicle swords were no joke—, Dan Heng offered his coat to Caelus once he noticed the gray haired male was shivering.
“You can give it back to me once we're on the Express.” Those were the words uttered from his raven haired boyfriend, and so the trailblazer left it at that.
Except he never actually gave it back.
Dan Heng never said anything either, so that was more than enough for Caelus to keep that little secret to himself.
March 7th didn't make it easier on him, either.
The bubbly girl in their trio of a relationship rarely wore anything to cover herself—be it through sunny skies or stormy weathers, March always put her outfit as a number one priority. If she ever added something to her one-piece pastel/floral combo, it was only because it looked good.
Hence her being over the moon with a fuzzy sweater Natasha had given her during their next visit to Belobog.
“Check it out, you guys! No one can deny who's the cutest trailblazer on the Express now!” March was twirling and taking selfies left, right and center with her new fit, all the while bringing her boys to different places across Belobog for the entire day. It was incredibly exhausting, but neither of them had the heart to voice their protests aloud.
After their visit however, Caelus couldn't help but wonder how comfortable the sweater actually was. Stealing it was a strong word, so that wasn't it. He'd call it… borrowing.
Just like he'd borrowed Dan Heng's coat!
… and forgot to return it.
“It's not weird to want to snuggle with my partner's clothes after a long day of work, is it? Of course not, no way!” Caelus mused to himself while holding both pieces—one on each hand—above his head.
The Astral Express had just come back from a short visit to Herta's Space Station for more testing on the Simulated Universe, and the silver haired male wanted nothing more than to crash in his room with the two most important people in his life beside him.
But since Dan Heng was busy going through security checks with Arlan and March had a prior engagement with Himeko, he was all alone aboard the train. And so, their garments became his sole source of comfort while they weren't with him.
Caelus didn't have many things to call his own—a home planet, memories of a life before becoming a trailblazer, or even the answers to who, or what, he was—except for one constant truth: the Astral Express.
The people in it had become his family, and most importantly of all, his lifeline.
When there was ever any doubt, March and Dan Heng were the reason he kept going.
“God, I'm turning into such a sap…” With a long sigh, Caelus let his mind wander onto the softness of the fabrics between his fingers, relishing in the faint and subtle scents emanating from each of them as they corresponded to their owner.
Dan Heng always had a rich, earthy smell to him that Caelus could never really describe with anything other than pinecones and mirth. It was strange considering the young man barely spent time outside unless it was required for a mission, but it suited him somehow, especially now that he knew of his Vidyadhara heritage.
March was much less complicated. Sweet just like her, and with hints of peppermint that left his heart feeling warm and fuzzy despite what nature would make him think. It was a scent that reminded him of bright smiles and warm hugs and home. A content sigh escaped Caelus’ lips.
Great Akivili, he had it bad.
“There he is! Told you we'd find the little thief in here, Dan Heng!”
Caelus’ eyes flew open at the unmistakable voice of his girlfriend, calling from just outside his now wide open bedroom door. As he turned, he could see the girl pointing an accusing finger in his direction, a pout on her lips that he couldn't help but want to kiss away. Had to hold on to the intrusive thoughts for now, though.
Dan Heng stood beside her, looking as unimpressed as ever, but with a hint of amusement hidden somewhere in his dark forest eyes. He crossed his arms as he gave Caelus a look over. “Is there anything you'd like to share with the class?”
Caelus looked from one side to the other, eyes wide and most definitely looking like what others described as a ‘deer caught in headlights’. He shrugged with a sheepish smile. “Y-You guys came back early! I thought you had plans and stuff…”
March stomped from her position in the doorway, now entering Caelus’ room. After sitting down next to him on the bed, she jabbed a finger right at his chest with a look of annoyance across her face. “I was talking to Himeko about our next trip to Belobog, and then she brought up that she saw you sneaking out of my room with my favorite sweater!”
Oof. Outed by Himeko. The worst kind of betrayal.
The girl then proceeded to reach for the garment, holding it against her chest. “I've been looking everywhere for this! I was gonna show it off to Bronya the other day but couldn't find it anywhere! I figured Dan Heng or Mr. Yang must have put it in the dirty laundry by mistake, but then this guy told me he was missing one of his coats, too!”
Caelus’ gaze then shifted to Dan Heng, the slight pink in his cheeks almost impossible to subside any longer. “I, um… I-I didn't—”
“I didn't mind you keeping it. It's not like I don't have others.” The raven smiled at him slightly with an underlying fondness reserved for him and March. “I just thought that you'd give it back in your own time.”
“Wait, all this time you knew?” March's response came laced with confusion rather than annoyance. And Caelus couldn't help but feel the same. “W-Why didn't you say anything?”
Dan Heng merely shrugged. “Like I said, I thought you'd give it back in your own time. I too have fondness for the things you lend me from time to time… even if they're a little too worn for my liking.”
The trailblazer's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, only for images of him lending the Vidyadhara small things like his jacket, phone and other miscellaneous items started crossing his mind. He smiled sheepishly at the thought. It didn't happen often, but he liked sharing things with Dan Heng. Maybe this was the raven's way of saying he liked doing that too.
“Aww wait a minute! Does that mean you got to wear Caelus’ jacket?” March spoke once more, the pout returning to her lips once more as she crossed her arms in the cutest attempt at a tantrum the trailblazer had ever seen. “No fair, I wanna wear it too! Even if it is all stinky and sweaty like Caelus is…”
“Hey!” Caelus jokingly shoved against her, enveloping her entire frame in his arms with a goofy grin on his face. “I'll have you know I smell as delicate as roses! Argenti said so last time we spoke!”
March's giggles bounced across the room while she tried to escape his grasp with no avail. “Ew, he definitely did not! And if you heard that then you need to get your ears checked!”
As their giggles mixed together in the comfort of the dimly lit room, Dan Heng sneakily took a seat on the empty spot next to Caelus, wrapping an arm around the duo with another smile grazing his lips. “Himeko and Mr. Yang are still talking over some business with Asta. They might be a while. Mind if we join you?”
The gray haired male's pulse began to race as his cheeks tinted pink once more. The smile that followed after was completely unavoidable and almost felt like second nature. Everything felt like that when he was with these two. “I'd really like that… I was planning for a lonely evening anyways, hehe…”
“You dummy.” March spoke once more, still trapped within the confines of Caelus’ arms, but this time leaning upwards to give him a kiss on the tip of his nose. A pleasant chill ran across his spine. “If you wanted to cuddle, you just had to ask! No need to go around like some raccoon stealing our clothes. You're already a trash panda, anyways…”
“Hey!”
“What I'm trying to say is that we want to be here with you! We love you!” The statement was so clear and without hesitation, almost as if saying something as simple as ‘the sky is blue’. Yet March never ceased to amaze him with her bluntness.
And as Dan Heng nuzzled his chin against the top of his head, Caelus knew he felt the same.
Nothing else mattered—only them three as they eventually slept into the comfort of the night, knowing that no matter what the path of Akivili had in store for them, as long as they had each other, they could walk it without fear.
And if Himeko and Mr. Yang found them later and took a few pictures like the proud parents they were (despite Pom-Pom's insistence that ‘them being in the same room like this was inappropriate’), well, that was something they'd keep to themselves.