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The Astral Express crew had just came back from their quarterly visit to the Herta Space Station.
Everybody had grown tired of the constant diplomatic conversations.
So when the Crew finally came back to the Express, they all went back to their rooms, no questions asked.
Stelle was especially tired from constantly having to attend Herta's meetings and testing the simulated universe, and all she wanted now was to have a good night's sleep.
She wanted to tie her hair up before going to bed, so that it's not a tangled mess in the morning. She couldn't find any, unfortunately.
After the Xianzhou crisis, Dan Heng had finally started to become a bit more comfortable in showing his Imbibitor Lunae form.
His long, navy hair were now a common appearance during battle, or even on the Express these days.
This was also one of the reason why there was a shortage of rubberbands on the Express.
Himeko, March, and Stelle all kept their hair down during the day, but when it was night time, they all had their own unique way of tieing their hair up.
Now, Dan Heng's Imbibitor Lunae form had long hair, and an intricate hairstyle which Dan Heng was keen on keeping.
"It's a custom and makes me feel more like myself. So yes, I will maintain it whenever I switch into this form." He says unironically and with complete seriousness.
And thus came the trivial problem of not having enough rubber bands to satisfy the needs of four people.
Stelle was looking for even a single rubberband which she might be able to use.
Strike! She found one in the Data Bank.
With the both of her hands combing her silky (well, not so much after the overworking by Herta), silver-gray hair into a ponytail, she naturally picked up the rubberband using her mouth. It smelled oddly familiar, somewhat like Dan Heng.
Suddenly, she hears someone walking inside. It's Dan Heng, surprisingly in his Imbibitor Lunae form?
"Stelle, I need a rubberband, it's urgent,"
Stelle turned to look at him, unable to say anything because of the rubberband in her mouth. She makes a muffled noise, sounding more so like a racoon.
And before she knew it, Dan Heng steps forward, and grabs the rubberband.
Using his mouth.
Their lips brush against each others', and Dan Heng stays that way for a moment too long. As if realizing what he had just now done. Even so, he still made no effort to move. As if frozen, unwillingly. Though, was it really unwilling?
Stelle was quick to catch on. Immediately, in a daze, lets go of the rubberband and locks her lips with his.
The rational part of her brain was clouded with ecstacy. Ecstacy of something you may describe as hot chocolate on a cold morning.
Like Stelle's hot lips on Dan Heng's cool ones.
The rubberband falls to the floor, while their lips meet.
A kiss.
Dan Heng's face quickly blows away what he's feeling, for the blush on his cheeks evident as blossoming roses on an otherwise dry field. His mind is in a state of biwilderment. Too hot and jumbled to form coherent thoughts. As if finally addressing the whirl of emotions he had suppressed.
Stelle, on the other hand, is experiencing a bubbling feeling. A sense of euphoria.
It's as if she had been waiting for this moment. As if she has finally understood and faced her feelings for her companion.
The kiss is hot, with countless emotions and feelings which their lips may be able to convey better than words themselves.
The starting few seconds of the kiss being soft and tender, eventually faded in to being hard and rough. As if the realization of how much they both needed that suddenly struck.
Their lips finally parted. A sense of satisfaction yet disappointment lingered on them both. As if they wanted the moment to last forever.
After a few seconds in silence, Stelle finally asks, her breath still a bit ragged, and her voice husk and tired.
"So, what did you come here for again?"