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Disclaimers: I do not own Honkai Star Rail or any of the respective characters, all rights go to Hoyoverse and the respective owners.
I do not own the song A Thousand Miles, all rights go to Vanessa Carlton. Performance goes to ONE OK ROCK
‘I can’t believe I let March drag me into this.’
This was the thought that was going through Caelus’s mind as he sits in the parlor car of the Astral Express. It has been a few days after returning to Jarilo-VI and dealing with the IPC and going through the Aetherium Wars tournament. Since then a small music performance has been held in the tournament arena that was made by the IPC. Which leads to his current predicament…
“Geez why did March have to tell Serval that I can sing for the festival?” the young trailblazer groans as he lays back on the sofa. At that moment Welt enters the parlor car and sees Caelus. Casually he walks over and takes a seat next to his fellow Nameless.
“Something on your mind Caelus?” Looking over and seeing the older gentleman, the resident trash panda sits up straight.
“Well Mr.Yang, March, in all her genius, thought it would be a good idea for me to sing at the music festival down in Belabog. Now they are all expecting me to give a performance in front of a crowd of people.”
“And that makes you nervous?”
“Who wouldn’t be nervous?” He stands up and paces about the Parlor. “I mean I can sing in the shower and maybe to the songs we have on the phonograph. But I can’t imagine singing in front of a crowd of people.”
“Okay, okay just relax. Take a deep breath.” At the behest of Mr.Yang , Caelus takes a big breath in, then breathes out.
“Now if you are worried about your talent, all of us on the Express can agree that you have a good voice. Even Dan Heng finds himself humming along when you sing.”
“...Okay, that does make me feel a bit better.” Relaxing a bit, Caelus sits back down on the lounge seat. “But I still don’t have a song planned out and my performance is in a week.” Welt places his hand on his chin to contemplate a solution. Suddenly a certain song from his world pops into his head.
“I may have a song in mind. Though I have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you think you can learn the guitar?”
“...what?”
Night of the concert. Weapons Testing grounds/Aetherium Wars venue
“Seele, I should be at Fort Qliphoth.” Bronya protested slightly as she walked with her friend to the Weapons Testing grounds
“Come on Bronya, you have been stuck dealing with the IPC situation. It’s better if you get out and de-stress.” Seele replied
“Well I suppose so.” Bronya relented. Being dragged along to a concert wasn’t necessarily on the list of the young Supreme Guardian. But she couldn’t deny that she wasn’t a bit relieved to get a break. Between that whole fiasco with the IPC and working on Belobog’s reconstruction, going to a concert was a nice change of pace. That atmosphere was about the same as it was when the Aetherium Wars competition was held here except more relaxed with some people having brought blankets and chairs to relax and converse with others, a few stalls to the side with booths and snacks were also there. Seele and Bronya were only just entering the area at the higher grounds above the main stage.
“I know so, princess.” As they continue walking to the ledge of the repurposed Weapons Testing Grounds, Seele turns towards her friend. “Oh March also texted me and said we are in for a surprise.”
“Oh? What sort of surprise?”
“It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I knew, would it?”
“Hehe, I suppose it wouldn’t.”
“Hey Bronya, Seele! You both made it!” Turning around they see March walking over with Himeko and Natasha. “I was worried that you’d be too busy to show up.”
“Well, Seele was very insistent that I show up to relax.” After speaking with March, Bronya turns to address the redhead navigator. “It's also good to see you again Ms. Himeko, and under more relaxed circumstances no less.”
“Oh please just call me Himeko, we are here for a music festival after all.”
“It's surprising to see you here at the festival Nat.” Commented Seele to the Underworld doctor “Aren’t you busy taking care of the kids at the orphanage?”
“Well my assistants decided that a break from Wildfire, the clinic, and the orphanage was in order for me.” She bashfully looks down, blushing slightly. “They even got my mom to come down and help look after the kids. Mom even went as far as to say, ‘Go find yourself a nice young man like that Trailblazer at that concert, I want to see my grandchildren soon.’”
At the mention of Caelus, Bronya, March, and Seele all blushed at the idea of Natasha and him getting married and having kids. When all is said and done, Caelus has become an important person in their lives.
With March, aside from Dan Heng, he is her closest friend. They put their lives in each other's hands time and time again and been through so much in the time they have known each other. Yes, he may occasionally be a trash panda, but it always brings a smile to her face and adds more picture perfect moments for her. Even though she has no memory of who she was before, she is looking forward to making new memories with Caelus by her side. ‘Wait…when I said I wanted to make a lot more memories with him, was that basically a marriage proposal?!’
Bronya saw Caelus almost like a figure from the fairy tails her mother used to read her as a child. A brave, handsome warrior who fights for what is right. Even though at first they were at odds, she saw his kind and noble heart as they began the journey to free her world from the Eternal Freeze. More so as she noticed his dedication to the reconstruction of the Belebog museum, even going as far as to give respect to her mother in the portrait that hangs proudly in its exhibit. Of course he is a bit odd with his fascination with trash cans, she had to let the Silvermane Guards know to ignore him and to let him do his thing. Either way, he treats her not as the Supreme Guardian, but as a friend. As Bronya. ‘ No, I mustn't think about those kinds of things! I am the Supreme Guardian…although maybe after I am able to step down from my role once Belebog is able to join the galaxy and I can travel with him on the Express… ’
And lastly for Seele, it's a bit more straightforward than the other two. He is honestly a very cool guy that isn’t really afraid of her. He’s a little weird with a few of the jokes and references he makes, but she does enjoy spending time with him. Aside from the occasional spar they have, she does enjoy just chilling around with him, especially when they talk about comic books. He even managed to bring her a bunch of comics from the other planets he visited. Thinking back on it, when he got back up after being stabbed with an ice lance from Cocolia, his new fire lance in hand, it was like something straight out of her comics. Him also taking the time to help everyone around the underworld, even looking after the kids like Hook and the Moles for Natasha, has shown what a kind and gentle person Caelus is. Even if he is a bit of a dork.
‘He’d probably make a good husband one day…Woah hold on! There is no way I actually like Caelus like that, he and I are just friends…right?’
After recovering, Seele coughed out. “Speaking of Caelus, where is he?”
At that moment Bronya also spoke up. “Yes, I was wondering that as well when I saw you, March.”
“Oh, well Caelus had to do some preparations before the concert.” Replied March.
“Preparations?” questioned Natasha.
“Well you see-” March was about to reply but was stopped by the Navigator of the Express, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Now March, let's not spoil the surprise.” She looks down to the center stage. “Especially since it looks like the show is about to start?”
“Oh wow you’re right Himeko!”
Lower level behind the stage
‘ Oh wow that is a lot more people than I thought there’d be. ’
Looking out from the side of the large monitors, Caelus took in the sight of the crowd. He knew this event was gonna be big but he didn’t think that there was gonna be about as many folks out here as there was for the Aetherium Wars tournament. At that moment a hand reached over to touch Caelus’s shoulder.
“Hey Caelus, we got quite the crowd waiting for us right now.” Serval, the blonde scientist and rock star stated.
“Yeah…it's a lot more than I was expecting.” His hand slightly gripped the acoustic guitar he received from Welt nervously.
“Got a lot of nerves? Reminds me of my first concert.”
“How did you get over yours the first time?”
“To be honest, you just have to focus on the music and don’t worry about the stares.” She leans in closer to Caelus and puts her hands over his ears.
“Can you hear your heartbeat?” Serval asks. Slightly blushing at the intimate contact, Caelus manages to nod, making sure to keep his eyes above her neckline.
“Now close your eyes and relax a bit. Breathe in and out.” The Trailblazer follows her instructions, his nerves going away.
“You got this okay Caelus?” She takes his hands and rubs them with her to warm them up and relax them. “You’ve done a lot that most people your age could only dream of. This concert is small compared to that.” She looks him straight in the eye. “Now go out there and rock out!”
“…Okay thanks Serval!”
“Good, now I'm gonna go and announce you as our opening act.” The guitarist states as she heads out stage, microphone in hand.
“Hello everyone. We have a beautiful and lively crowd tonight. Now normal me and my band Mechanical Fever would show up and do an awesome performance, today we have a special guest here. Please welcome onto stage, the Galactic Baseballer himself-” That got a chuckle out of the Trailblazer. “-Caelus!!!”
‘Okay…let the show begin.’ Getting a running start, he heads onto the stage as a few Silvermane Guards bring out a xylophone, with Clara following behind. We also see Dan Heng getting set up on his keyboard.
‘Glad Dan Heng was willing to get out for a bit to help with this.’ Looking at his fellow nameless who nods at him. He then looks over to Clara who gives him a shy thumbs up. ‘I'm honestly surprised that she wanted to play in the concert, but it looks like she’ll do fine, we did practice.’
Turning to the audience, he grabs the microphone stand in front of him. “Good evening Belebog” The crowd roars excitedly. “Now I’m not sure I can give you guys the same kind of pulse pounding performance as Serval and her band Mechanical Fever-” The crowd laughs at his humbleness. “-I hope you like this song.” The crowd goes silent. Taking a deep breath he counts down with his feet, he motions to his fellow performers. The guitar, piano, and xylophones work in harmony to create a lovely melody. And after what feels like an eternity to him, he sings.
(A Thousand Miles - ONE OK ROCK)
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home-bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you tonight
While the crowd is transfixed on the performance, certain people who are close to the gray haired trailblazer are surprised by his performance. Them being Bronya, Seele, Natasha, and even Serval.
‘I never knew that Caelus could sing so beautifully.’ Bronya looks at him in awe.
‘Damn, he’s got a set of lungs on him.’ Seele, impressed by his vocal skills, begins tapping her feet to the beat.
‘He sings so… no calm down Natasha! There’s no way he would go for an older woman like me…would he?’ Blushing greatly the underworld doctor shakes her head before returning to watch the performance, her intrusive thoughts still lingering.
‘Oh wow he is doing such a good job singing, and he is good at playing guitar too!’
“Well it seems like he is doing a good job out there isn’t he, March?” Looking next to her, Himeko sees March taking multiple shots of Caelus with her camera. Chuckling to herself she continues looking to the stage.
It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder if you ever think of me
'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your precious memory
'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you tonight
And I, I don't wanna let you know
I, I drown in your memory
I, I don't wanna let this go
I, I don't
‘This song is so…romantic.’ Bronya looked at him dreamily.
‘...does he think of Belebog… of me a lot when he’s traveling?’ Seele wondered as she looked at him longingly.
‘...maybe mom was right. I should just ask out Caelus on a date.’ Smiling softly, Natasha continued to watch his performance.
‘I usually prefer rock and roll, but this is nice. …his voice is…comforting.’ Serval mused as she swayed to the rhythm of the music.
‘I knew Caelus was good at singing, but seeing him sing on stage, he looks so cool…and cute.’ March pondered, no longer taking photos with her camera and choosing to focus on the moment.
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home-bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass us by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could just hold you tonig ht
As the final note played, the audience erupted into a round of applause. Many people were cheering, jumping, and howlering over the performance.
“Amazing!”
“That was beautiful!”
“We love you Trailblazer!”
Waving to the adoring fans, Caelus then bows and speaks into the mic. “Thank you very much, but please give a round of applause for my friends Dan Heng and Clara.” The crowd obliged his request, with Dan Heng giving a simple nod of gratitude, with only the slightest smirk, and Clara shyly bows. As they leave the center stage, Serval rushes over to Caelus.
“Caelus, that was amazing!” grasping his hands, Serval leaned closer to Caelus, causing him to blush. “I had no idea you could sing that well, we have got to do a performance together!”
“Oh geez, thanks Serval, but I don’t know about that. I was already super nervous performing on stage. I’ll have to think about that.”
“Oh alright, I won't pressure you into it.” Serval then proceeds to whisper into his ear. “But if you change your mind, my shops always open.” She steps back, letting go of his hands but not before giving a seductive wink.
“Um yeah sure. You’ll definitely let you know.” Lowering his head a bit in order to hide his blush he turns around and begins putting away his guitar.
While he is doing that, Serval is thinking about her gray haired friends before her. Specifically how she feels about him. As a musician, she has had many fans confess their feelings for her, mostly guys with a few girls here and there. She hasn’t really had anyone to consider that way, not since Cocolia basically ruined their friendship. Aside from her own family, and other people she really trusts in her life, she didn’t want to get close to anyone. Being free from Cocolia’s shadow has been liberating since then, especially when Caelus himself helped her through it. Looking back on it, she showed herself at her weakest and he never onced judged. He was supportive and kind in helping her move forward. It felt great having someone like that in her life again. Of course she has her siblings, but that wasn’t quite the same as this. With Caelus, he always swings by the shop to help her with some odd jobs, gives his opinions on lyrics she is writing, and even helps drive off her more extreme fans. Even occasionally making her food if she is stuck in her mechanic work or writing a song.
‘Whoever gets Caelus as a partner is gonna be lucky…’ Thinking that maybe she should take more of an initiative, she reaches her hand out towards him, only to stop after she notices a sight she is all too familiar with.
Fangirls.
“Caelus, we need to move. Now!”
“Huh? How come Ser-” at that moment a cacophony of high pitch screams is heard. The trash panda turned around to see a swarm of twenty or so female fans rushing towards him. In a moment he is surrounded by all of them.
“We love you Caelus!”
“Are you single?!”
“Is Dan Heng dating anyone?”
“Go out with me!”
“Have my babies!!!”
Having been caught off guard by this onslaught of fans, Caelus can hardly respond to everything they are saying. All these fans seem to pull at him wherever they can grab, from his arms, to his clothes. Feeling confused and overwhelmed, he tries to find a way out of this, seeing Serval's hand trying to reach him as she struggles through the crowd. Desperately reaching towards her, their fingertips barely touching when suddenly…
*CLACK*
“Enough of this! Release Caelus this instant!”
At that moment, everyone stopped and all eyes turned towards the commanding voice. Almost immediately, bystanders to this spectacle parted, as the path cleared to reveal Bronya, followed by Seele, March, Natasha, and a small squad of Silvermane Guards. As they all continue to walk forward, the increasing echo of Bronya’s heels convey the gravity of the situation. This causes all of the fans surrounding Caelus to step away, also giving Serval a chance to stand beside Caelus, and keeping on guard in case anyone tries to get closer to Caelus.
“I am truly appalled by the behavior my people are displaying at this very moment,” lectured Bronya, stopping just in front of Cealus and Serval and turning to address the fanatics with her guards forming a semi-circle around them. “Not only have you essentially accosted Belebog’s own hero, you have embarrassed your fellow citizens and disturbed the festivities many worked hard to make happen.” She then turns to address a Silvermane Lieutenant. “Lieutenant Pryce, please see to it that all people involved in this incident are detained, at least for tonight.”
“As you command Lady Bronya. Alright men, let's round up all of them.” After a chorus of, ‘Yes sir’, the group of guards round up and escort the fans away from the area. Finally getting a chance to breathe, Caelus lets out a sigh of relief as he turns to Bronya.
“Thank you, Bronya. I was super surprised, it all happened so fast.” Still shaken up over the ordeal and clutching the strap of his guitar case slightly.
The young Supreme Guardian smiles softly. “Please, it was the least I can do for you.” Blushing slightly, she clears her throat. “Perhaps it would be best if we continue this conversation over at Fort Qliphoth.” Grabbing his hand she begins walking with Caelus in tow.
‘This is just to make sure no one else tries to accost him. Yes Bronya, you are just looking out for your friend. Your handsome, kind, friend…’
‘Is it just me or was Bronya blushing?’ Caelus shrugs the thought aside, opting to just follow Bronya out of the arena.
Meanwhile, the remaining 4 heroines are standing there slightly slacked jawed at what happened.
‘Bronya you little…! Well played, but I won’t be far behind. Not that I’m jealous or anything, just checking in on a friend.’ Seele thinks as she glares daggers into the young Supreme Guardians back.
‘Oh no, she went for the more direct approach. Even going as far as to hold his hand! Just like in my romance novels!’ March internally dramatized, her eyes focusing on her friend/love interest holding hands with the authority figure of a whole planet
‘...if I had a shield for everytime someone named Rand took something from me, I’d have 2 shields. Which isn’t a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Regardless, ain’t no way I’m letting him go without a fight.’ Serval swore to herself.
‘Aren’t you a popular young man, Caelus. Looks like I have some competition. And I thought all that flirting was just you being cute. Guess I’d better not fall behind.’ Natasha inwardly mused.
“Well I should probably go and make sure that Caelus doesn’t have any serious injuries after being almost bombarded by those fans.” Wildfire's secret leader said as she began to follow the Trailblazer and Supreme Guardian.
“I should probably go too,” voiced Serval. “This is kinda my fault so I should make sure he is okay.” After a second she began walking over to check on her favorite Trailblazer.
“Umm… I’m going too!” Shouted March as she started running to them.
“Hey wait for me!” Exclaimed Seele, following quickly behind the ice archer.
Off not too far we see Himeko along with Welt looking at the interaction with amused expressions.
“My, my. It seems like our dear Trailblazer has quite a few women chasing after him don’t you agree Welt?”
“Haha, it does seem that way. This does feel like the plot of some slice of life anime I worked on once when I had the job.” Looking at Caelus walking hand in hand with Bronya, he feels a slight sense of joy and a bit of overprotectiveness.
“Something the matter Welt?” Himeko asks, noticing his pensive stare.
“If I'm being honest…I'm somewhat conflicted.” Adjusting his glasses, he continues. “I once had students very similar to Bronya and Seele. To see them…interested in Caelus is giving me some parental instincts.” Crossing his arms, he continues. “I know Caelus is a good man and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt them, but with how many girls are interested in him…well I just hope no one's feelings are hurt.”
“Come now, I’m sure Caelus will handle this situation as rationally as any normal person would. He’ll be fine.”
Qliphoth Fort, Bronya’s private work space
‘I feel like I asked this before but how did I end up like this?’
Our young protagonist now finds himself in the private workspace of the Supreme Guardian, seated on a couch surrounded by 5 different women. March and Natasha sitting at his left and right respectively, Seele and Bronya at her desk glaring at each other and Serval behind the couch looking down at Caelus.
‘I think I’m in more danger here than with the fan girls. ’