Chapter Text
Dan Heng placed the last stacks of books on the shelf, tidying his room a little. He glanced up at the owl-shaped clock March 7th had bought recently on the Luofu. It was almost 11 o'clock; the entire crew was probably already asleep. Dan Heng thought for a moment before deciding to sort the remaining papers on his desk before bed. After the events on the Luofu, the amount of records the crew needed to store had increased, and with it, Dan Heng's workload. But the archivist wasn't sad or bored because of it. On the contrary, he was grateful. Because if he let his guard down for a minute, the memories of the Luofu would flood back, tormenting, haunting, and agonizing him. So, wouldn't it be better to just keep working like this?
Suddenly, Dan Heng's door burst open, and two familiar heads peeked in. Without even turning, Dan Heng knew who the uninvited guests were just by the way they opened the door.
"Good evening, Dan Heng! Aren't you asleep yet?" March 7th cheerfully piped up.
"First, keep your voice down, Mr. Welt and Ms. Himeko are already asleep. Second, what are you two doing here at this hour? Aren't you supposed to be asleep too?" Dan Heng said, his hands still busy sorting the papers on his desk.
"We were wondering if you'd be interested in playing Jenga?" Stelle held out a box in her hand.
"You two really have too much free time, don't you? If you're so free, why don't you help Pom-Pom clean the train? And to answer Stelle's question, no, I'm not free. If you want to play Jenga, go play by yourselves, or find Pom-Pom, though I'm not sure the conductor would be happy to be woken up at this hour," Dan Heng continued his work diligently, as if the papers on his desk were more fascinating than March and Stelle's faces.
"Hey, hey, Dan Heng. No running away so easily this time. Ever since the Luofu, I feel like you've been avoiding us, always with one excuse or another. But today won't be like usual!" March said, then pulled Stelle in and closed the door. "Today, you definitely have to play with us, Dan Heng!"
It was only then that Dan Heng finally looked up at his two friends, who were now purposefully walking over and sitting down on his cushion.
"I told you today isn't good, can't you see I'm busy?"
"Nope. And besides, I told you, you've been avoiding us for days now. We're here now, so we won't give up easily!"
Dan Heng sighed. Sometimes he felt like he was babysitting his two friends. They were always full of energy, and thus prone to doing incredibly foolish or thoughtless things.
But... perhaps that's why he cherished them.
"Alright, fine," Dan Heng sat down, sighing. "But just for a bit, it's late anyway."
"Success!" March giggled, then turned to Stelle. "Stelle, quickly get that bottle of wine we bought earlier. Jenga's more fun with punishments!"
"Hey, hey!" Dan Heng quickly interjected. "No drinking, this is just for fun."
"Eh, it's fine, this wine is light."
"Even so. Especially Stelle, don't give her alcohol. Kids aren't allowed to drink!"
***
The clock in Dan Heng's room struck 12. After more than an hour, they all started to feel the effects of the wine. Stelle was probably the worst off, sprawled in a corner of the room, curled up like a ferret and fast asleep.
"Look at Stelle, she probably doesn't know anything anymore, huh?" March chuckled, taking a sip of water.
"I told you not to give her any," Dan Heng grumbled, his face as red as Stelle's but still relatively sober.
"Who knew she was such a lightweight?" March still laughed. She was probably the least drunk among them, with only a slight blush on her cheeks.
Dan Heng sighed. They had all gone crazy in the middle of the night and now even got Stelle drunk. If Mr. Welt or Ms. Himeko saw them now, no one would be left unharmed. Especially Dan Heng, who was supposed to be the most mature and the one to stop March and Stelle's crazy antics.
The white water reflected Dan Heng's light blue eyes as he stared into it. "But today was truly fun," Dan Heng thought to himself. It had been a long time since he felt this happy. For a long time, happiness was a luxury for Dan Heng. He had always lived with the guilt and regret of what his past self had caused. He hadn't allowed himself to be happy for a long time, because sometimes he still saw himself as a dangerous criminal, a convict undeserving of happiness in life.
Then Dan Heng met the Astral Express crew. And they truly became like family to him. They didn't know about his past, and even if they did, they would pretend not to. So, they treated him with the most sincere affection; they always made him feel joyful and happy. They made Dan Heng feel like this was where he belonged. From Conductor Pom-Pom, Mr. Welt, Ms. Himeko, to even the carefree yet genuinely caring March 7th and Stelle.
A light touch on his cheek startled Dan Heng, making him turn. His surprise multiplied when he realized it was March 7th.
"Ma... March? What are you doing?" Dan Heng asked, flustered.
"It's just... it's been a long time since I saw you smile again," March 7th giggled, gently poking Dan Heng's cheek with her small finger again. "Seriously, you should smile more, Dan Heng."
"That..."
"Actually, even now, I don't fully understand everything you've been through or done in the past. But I do know one thing: the past has happened, and you are no longer the person of the past. The past was once 'present,' even 'future,' and remembering the past is also a good way to preserve beautiful 'presents' and 'futures.' But if you only live in the past, a person will never improve and will only continue to live in torment or past 'presents.' Perhaps your 'past self' made mistakes and lived with others. But now, you are no longer that person, and the entire Astral Express crew, including me, cares more about the Dan Heng of the present than the Dan Heng of the past. So, instead of living forever in the past, let's live in the present and future together with me, Dan Heng?" March 7th turned and smiled at Dan Heng.
Dan Heng's eyes widened. That's right, time is a flow that will never return, so why was he tormenting himself about it? Wasn't his present and future tied to the "Nameless," tied to the Astral Express crew?
And also... March 7th. She was a girl who, at first glance, seemed carefree and always optimistic. But Dan Heng knew she had her own unspoken pains. She lived without knowing her past, without knowing what she once belonged to, without even a proper name. March 7th knew this, and she always tried every way to find her past. Perhaps, deep down, March 7th was the one who "craved" the past the most among the crew. But facing Dan Heng, who was tormented by his past, she chose to set aside that craving to comfort Dan Heng, to help him no longer be bothered by the past.
March 7th had always been there, always by Dan Heng's side, no matter what happened. She wasn't the strongest in the crew, nor the most mature, nor the most skilled. But she was always there for Dan Heng whenever he needed her.
Perhaps Dan Heng had fallen in love with this girl and her smile.
"Just now, you said 'with me'..." Dan Heng mumbled.
"AH! Oh, well..." March 7th became flustered, suddenly realizing her slip-up. "I... I meant with... with the crew!"
Dan Heng suddenly lunged forward, embracing March 7th's small body.
"Hey... hey Dan Heng, are you drunk?" March 7th awkwardly tried to pry Dan Heng's arms off, her face suddenly turning red.
"Can't I become your man? Can't I walk with you in the present and future, March 7th?" Dan Heng looked straight into March 7th's eyes, his light blue gaze piercing her.
March 7th became more and more flustered, her cheeks flushing all the way to her ears. Was it due to the alcohol or something else? Who knew? All that was clear was that March 7th pulled Dan Heng closer to her, so she could feel the steady, warm breath and soft lips of the "Dragon's Scion."
No more words were needed; March 7th had already given Dan Heng her answer.