Chapter Text
It was quiet in the library today.
It was just another Saturday morning. The library was close to the campus, so usually, Dan Heng could hear people studying (or, ‘studying’), while he was helping the librarian with bland tasks. Usually, there would be keyboard clicking and chatter and laughter.
There was peaceful quiet in its place.
It had only been a few months since Dan Heng had decided to ditch the dragon descendants’ clan and live out at least one life cycle in the human world. His integration into the modern world had been going quite well, he would say. See, Ren? There was nothing to worry about.
Oh yeah. Ren, his roommate, herdmate and, embarrassingly enough, ex-mate, had come with him. Well, if he was feeding into some sort of protective you-saved-me-let’s-make-up fantasy, he could keep being delusional. Dan Heng was happy to prove him wrong. See? Everything was great!
Everything, except…
Dan Heng had the privilege to enjoy all sorts of art in the human world. The dragon descendants’ clan had bards, storytellers, and great painters, but humans had taken it to another level. You see, Dan Heng had recently started going to the cinema. He saw good films, bad films, but the cinema always had something different to show him. It was a refreshing break from the monotony of stories in praise and sorrow of the great dragon ancestors who were slayed by the evil ancient power hungry kings. Though, from his endeavors at the library, he had come to learn that humans, indeed, do enjoy a good dragons-and-kings story.
He had learned another important thing. Humans take the variety of their stories for granted.
Because, apparently, they love to discuss the endings out in the open.
It happened everywhere Dan Heng went. Cafes, the library, especially in class (he has never heard a class-related discussion in that damn university). Humans don’t care for spoilers. He’s overheard so many deaths, family reveals, betrayals. He always happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time! It was like he’d been cursed to never be surprised by a story’s ending. It had gotten very frustrating.
Back to reality, Dan Heng had just finished stacking a couple returned books into their respective shelves.
He straightened his back, then sat down on a nearby chair, pulling out his phone.
—
Yingxing
That’s cool
Or whatever
Idc what u do in ur free time
As long as u bring food when you come back
Me
Boring day today
Should I pick up another book?
Yingxing is typing…
—
A faint whisper caught Dan Heng’s attention.
‘Can you believe… they end up together?’
No, not another one, Dan Heng thought for a second, rolling his eyes. When…
‘Caelus and Dan Heng?’
He whipped around in double-quick time. Huh? Someone had to be playing a prank on him or something. A very targeted prank.
—
Yingxing
Last time u did that u locked urself in ur room all day
For 4 days straight
Me
Ren
Are you here
Yingxing
?
Like, in the library
No
Me
You genuinely will not believe what just happened to me.
Yingxing is typing…
—
Dan Heng walked around the library, searching for literally anyone, but there was nobody to be found.
Alright, okay, calm down. Worst case scenario, ghosts were playing a prank on him. Best case scenario, Black Swan, the librarian was playing a prank on him. Either way, he hoped it was a prank, because it would mean the whisper was a joke.
And not a prediction.
Dan Heng thanked Black Swan for letting him clock out early, then caught the next bus home.
.
Ren burst into howling, hysterical laughter.
‘You do realize how absolutely insane you sound?!’
Dan Heng covered his face with his palms, fake-sobbing into them.
‘Listen, I’m okay with being haunted. I’m okay with supernatural stuff, and I’m okay with being pranked across time and space. Just,’ he lowered his head further down, ‘please not him!’
Ren made no effort in hiding his shit-eating grin.
‘So, who’s the lucky guy?’
Dan Heng straightened. ‘I haven’t told you about Caelus? Grey hair. In creative writing. Annoying as hell. Has a twin in the same major. I share a marketing class with him.’
Ren raised an eyebrow, ‘the racoon kid?’
‘Yes!’ Dan Heng cried. ‘Have I told you I caught him digging through the trash once?’
‘Don’t judge so quickly,’ Ren said. ‘Maybe they’re in a bad financial situation.’
‘His sister was recording him and laughing.’
‘Okay, I take it back,’ Ren laughed. ‘I think my friends might know his sister. I’m telling them about this.’
‘Do not,-’
‘I am,’ Ren sing-songed.
.
Dan Heng made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t talk to Caelus.
Call him paranoid. Call him anything you’d like. He was making sure that this spoiler would get debunked.
As it turned out, though, the universe had its own agenda. Or, at least, Marketing in Pop Culture 101 had its own agenda.
‘Alright class,’ the professor spoke, ‘for this semester, you’ll be paired up. You will do market research, pitch an idea for a product, and present it to the class. I know some of you are here from the arts department, so the teaching assistant and I have tried to pair you with academic majors, so you can both make the most out of this project.’
She patted her stick on the board, which read the names of the pairs.
Caelus [CREATIVE WRITING] + Dan Heng [MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS]
NOOOO!
No, everything will be alright. One group project means nothing.
Everything did seem fine, at least until Caelus from a couple rows in front turned to look at Dan Heng.
The way he turned kind of resembled a little kid in a restaurant who just heard the cocomelon intro from a table behind him. Then, for no reason whatsoever, Caelus shook his head, flicking his tongue left and right. An accidental… ehm, display. He then turned back around.
At the end of class, Caelus approached him. They agreed on a time and place, that being Tuesday afternoon at the library.
Dan Heng was left traumatised in the lecture hall.
.
Back home, he was trying to explain the situation to Ren without freaking out.
‘I mean,’ Dan Heng tried to reason, ‘he couldn’t have known what that gesture meant. He’s just some guy. Some human, non-dragon guy.’
‘Why would he do that either way?’ Ren said in an amused tone.
Dan Heng’s head dropped into his arms. ‘Because he’s stuuupiiiiddd… And now I’m stuck with him and this project until the end of Juneeeee.’
‘Relax,’ Ren reassuringly put his hand on Dan Heng’s head. ‘It’s only four months.’