Chapter Text
10:38 pm
March⭑.ᐟ
When does ur shift end??
I rented out a new horror movie that I’m forcing u to watch
10:50 pm
March⭑.ᐟ
Omg r u not replying cuz ur too spooked to watch the movie
I see how it is
Hater behavior
Dan Heng skimmed through March’s messages. He was too tired to reply, but sent a thumbs-up. He knew March would get on his ass again if he kept leaving her on read. He sighed, shutting off his phone, returning it to his pocket. It was going to be a long night at the burger joint for him. He had his longest shift today, which ended at 2 am. Dan Heng placed his head on the cold counter next to the cash register. He turned to look at the clock. It was 11 pm, pouring rain, and no one but him was there. Even the shopping centre looked like a ghost town. No lights were on. He thought this was weird, since usually there would be a few people still shopping or getting a late-night burger. He guessed that the rain drove them away, which is also surprising since it rains 24/7 there.
Everything was going so slow. The heater, the radio, even himself. He cursed himself for not bringing a book. At this point, he was thinking about counting the greasy ceiling tiles. Who in their right mind would give this shift to a single teenager? He was starting to miss Boothill. Even if his jokes were cheesy, they were good for passing the time. He turned his head to the front. Big booths and overhead lights. He turned off the big light since it was hurting his eyes. The only light source was the little ones for the booths.
Outside, leaves were piling up. They were clogging the gutters, allowing the rain to flood the parking lot. Dan Heng didn’t mind this weather. It was calming to him. Though nights like these do lead to some bad memories. Nevertheless, he missed the Xuanzhou. He sprang up from the counter with a shiver. He took out his phone, almost dropping it. He skipped a few songs till he found one he deemed calming. He sighed once more. He needed a new distraction. Maybe he’ll redownload TikTok. Ew no, then March would spam him. He just didn’t want to think about that place right now. He massaged his head, trying to figure out what to do. He could start cleaning up and just leave early. No, his manager would yell at him when he figures out. He could fix the radio. It always played the same 3 Robin songs. The more Dan Heng thought about the radio, the more he believed that it was only doing that to torture the workers.
He could, of course, do something no one dared to do: clean out the old janitor's closet. There were many rumours about this closet. One past worker said that all the missing ketchup drips down from the ceiling. An old manager said he saw burgers with plastic knives talking in there. And the first ever person to be hired said they saw a sludge monster in the far back. By the sounds of these rumours, Den Heng thought that this closet door led to the gates of hell. His curiosity was getting the better of him. One of his worst traits. He wondered if he would get paid extra for this daring task. After all, he did need all the money he could get. He didn't want to get a 2nd job on top of all the school work he has been getting.
He looked longingly outside once more. Nothing was there for him. Only the howling rain. He knew what he wanted to do. He did a once-over of the inside of the building, making sure no one needed him. No one was there, so he started heading to the back, only stopping to get the cleaning cart.
Marching towards the supposedly haunted closet, his footsteps echoed throughout the desolate place. He continued pushing the squeaky cart steadily in front. He stopped suddenly. He had made it to his destination. The door loomed over, threatening him. He put on a mask and gloves, just to be safe. Dan Heng wasn’t one to believe in supernatural stuff, but he believed in hygiene. Keys shook in his hand. Why was this so nerve-racking? The key jingled in the lock only to be returned to his belt loop after use. With still having fresh air, he breathed in and out. Took one big breath and then braced himself for what might come. He put his gloved hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly. The door rattled in response.
A wave knocked him out immediately. He stammered back. The smells from the closet were ones no human should ever smell. The mucky stenches filled his nostrils. He pinched his nose hard. He shook his head violently. He wouldn’t let this smelly closet get to him. Focus.
Stepping in, Dan Heng first noticed that the floor was sticky. He lifted up his shoe to inspect what could cause this. It was a multitude of things, such as grease, gum, and expired condiments, that found their way here. Maybe this is what the old coworker said when they saw a sludge monster. The closet itself was dark. There wasn’t a window of any kind. Meaning it would be harder to ventilate. The closet was also quite narrow, with millions of things crammed into it. Two large shelves stood tall on either side. Boxes, cleaning supplies, and much more were all left to rot on the dusty shelves. Dan Heng thought it was a shame that everything went to waste just because of some mediocre rumour. Scanning the place, he knew he had his work cut out for him. A flashlight swayed as he looked for the light switch. His phone was on low battery, so he had to make this quick. For some reason, the light switch wasn’t by the front door. He guessed that it was one of those pull strings. If the lights were on, Dan Heng would have looked crazy.
He was swaying his hands back and forth, trying to find the stupid thing. Then, *blonk* *swish swoop* he tripped. His phone fell from his hand, making a shattering noise as it dropped. The light from it shut off, leaving him in complete darkness. Trying to keep himself steady, he grabbed onto something fast. Unfortunately, the thing he grabbed didn’t keep him up. The lights suddenly flashed. He jumped, losing his balance. Sparks flew out as he fell. It was back to being pitch dark. Crashing sounds echoed in the hall. All these actions led to Dan Heng falling into a pit of trash, which, on impact, ripped open. “..fuck.” He groaned. If he wasn’t exhausted before, he sure was now. His head and back were screaming. He looked upon his body. His clothes were dishevelled. His arm stung. His hands clutched up into fists. He noticed that he was holding something in his right hand. He brought it closer to his face to inspect it. It was a string of some kind. ‘Of course that wasn’t going to hold me,’ he huffed. He paused. The gears were turning in his head. That was the string to the lights. He let his head fall onto the trash. He didn’t care if he was filthy anymore. He buried his face in his hands. This was indeed going to be a long night.
After some time, he got up. He stammered, trying to find his footing. He held onto one of the shelves to stabilize himself. He limped, trying to make it back to the light. Once he did, he slammed the closet shut. He ripped off his mask and gloves in a fit of rage. Was it childish? Yes, but exhaustion fueled his body. Stomping his way back, he headed straight for the lockers. He was going to call March to get him out of this miserable place. He didn’t care if he was bleeding. He didn’t care if he looked and smelled like shit. He didn’t care if he didn’t clean up the place. And he most certainly didn’t care if his manager yelled at him because, frankly, he is not getting paid enough for this bullshit. His locker swung open as he put the code in. He swiftly put on his bag, making it to the front of the restaurant. He slipped his hand into his pocket, getting ready for the wonderful call with March. And then, when things were already bad. Dan Heng's eyes widened. His hands shook.
“Where’s my phone?” He checked his front pocket, then his back pocket. No, he didn’t, did he? He double checked, triple checked. He was so pissed off that he stormed out of there. But he was holding it when he fell, wasn’t he? He groaned, debating just leaving his phone and walking home. However, taking one look outside told him to be rational.
His feet dragged behind as he made his way back. He cursed every aeon. The halls felt sunken in. When he returned, everything was left right where it was. The keys shook from the lock. The door opened in a flash. Dan Heng wanted to get in there and get out. This was a harder task than he expected. But what was to be expected? Everything has been going horribly this evening. Dan Heng thought it would be best to go back to the original plan of cleaning out the closet. Since it was pitch black, if he organized then maybe it would be easier for him to find his phone. Boxes and old relics were pushed aside in the hallway. Sprays and trash bags were put to good use. He was a madman cleaning there. After some time, all the hard work paid off. The closet was clean. Dan Heng must have smelled even worse now. His hands were covered in filth since he didn’t care to put gloves on this time. With everything cleared up, he became a worm searching for his phone. His fingers hit something under the bookcase. Pulling it out, it resembled a phone. Success! He did it. After all of the hardships, he cleaned the closet and got his phone. Turning on the phone, he noticed that it was cracked. Hopefully, that wouldn’t mess up his phone, right? The phone flashed with life. Glitching in the sunken, cracked areas. He noticed that March had messaged him again.
12:00 am
March⭑.ᐟ
U made it to 12
Hru holding up??
12:08 am
March⭑.ᐟ
Earth to Dan Heng
12:11 am
March⭑.ᐟ
Hello?? r u ok? Did u get
kidnapped??? 😭😭
12:13
March⭑.ᐟ
Don’t die twin we still
gotta kickstart our band
🥹🥹❤️🩹
That was all he could read before his phone flashed again. His eyes met the low battery icon. Then it fully shut off.
“No no nooo..” he murmured. Pushing the on button did nothing. All that showed was a red low battery icon. Then he was met with a darkened screen. His head hung low as he began to take out the trash. The back door pushed open. He could smell the rain. Luckily, there was a shelter where the trash bin was. Lids slam shut as the trash is put in. He sighed, looking off in the plaza. The scenery was gloomy. No light illuminated the shopping centres. It was raining even harder now. He turned his head to go back in when his eyes landed on something. It was tall and slender. It looked human but had another head. He rubbed his eyes. This couldn’t be an actual monster, could it? It started to grow closer and closer, almost seeming to increase in size. Dan Heng could only watch. He didn’t know if it was fear or the tiredness catching up to him, but he couldn’t move.
“Hey- are-“ the figure huffed. A scream came out of Dan Heng's mouth. The figure in the distance screamed back at me. Dan Heng quickly covered his mouth with one hand, he paused. His gaze followed the frame of the “monster”. Its jeans clung to its legs. Its waist was slim, fitted by a multitude of belts and a raccoon tail keychain on the side. Its baggy shirt clung to it in an unflattering way. The top of its shirt, however, showed off its sleek collarbone, slipping down on one side. Its neck was topped with silver necklaces. And his face. His expression was one of bewilderment, but his eyes were illuminated by the lights behind him. Colors of amber shone bright through messy, wet silver hair. The guy in front of Dan Heng did not have a second head, but he did, however, have a guitar case. He was puzzled as to why this guy stood outside.
“Did,” he paused, “did you just scream?” Dan Heng questioned.
“I should be asking you that, you don’t just scream at a guy!” The boy replied, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.
“Well, typically, people don’t show up out of the rain at one in the morning. I thought you were some kind of monster.” He was trying to be serious about the situation, but his voice cracked with his words. He knew he was starting to take his stress out on this guy.
“I thought you were a monster! You look like a zombie, straight out of a horror movie! And is that blood on your arm? Ewww, so creepy..” He placed his hands on his arm as if he were cold pretending to shiver his body, trying to make a point. Dan Hung looked towards his arm, and the boy was right. He forgot to clean it up after he fell. This forced their conversation to a halt, the awkward atmoshpere taking root. The boy only stared at him. His expression was blank as he opened his mouth. “I’m sorry, I looked in the front and no lights were on, but it said it was open so I went to the back to check.” The guy's eyes widened, “Now that I’m saying this out loud I sound crazy. I’m so sorry I just needed a place out of the rain.” He explained. The guy was indeed soaked to his core. He was even shivering as he spoke. The worker took pity on him.
“You can come in if you want, we’re still open.” Dan Heng realized that his night couldn’t get weirder than it already was. “Actually! Oh my god you're my savior. If I had to spend another minute outside I think I would evaporate!” The silver grinned.
The guy followed Dan Heng happily inside. Truth be told he wasn’t allowed in the back, but Dan Heng could not give a fuck right now. He found his way to his locker not caring for what the other guy was doing. Opening it he received his bag. Scrambling through it, there was no charger to be seen. His back hit the lockers as his feet gave out and he slid to the floor. He hugged his bag close to his chest, laying his dark hair on it. The noise alarmed the other. He walked over, putting his guitar case to the side to sit down with the man. “Uhh, crazy night, huh?” Dan Heng sighed, he glanced over towards the mysterious person sitting by him. He held an awkward smile as he was waking his brain for some inspirational message. “Tell me about it,” he muttered. “Why were you in the rain?” His question came out mumbled. “I just got back from my friend's house. I only realized when I was halfway back that I forgot my phone, and well a jacket.” He huffed. “You only realized when you were halfway that you had forgotten your jacket?” Dan Heng was in disbelief of the other actions. The other only pleaded, “I was hungry and trying to make it back to eat.” “You're such an idiot.” He rubbed his temples. The silver haired man could only giggle before asking a question. “What about you? You look like shit.” The worker sighed, recalling all that had happened. He turned, giving his full attention to the other to retell the events of the night.
“And now we’re here. My phone is dead so I can’t call anyone for a ride home. Honestly, I’m just tired. This week has been a lot for me. Sorry.” “What? Don’t say sorry. Now you're the idiot. What are you even apologizing for? Humans get tired, it's what we’re supposed to do.” He nudged Dan Heng’s shoulder. “No, I’m sorry for taking my stress out on you.” “It’s whatever dude, both of us were stressed.” He lifted his head to meet the other. Just the other already beat him to it. He looked at Dan Heng with such a bright smile. He was amazed. He couldn’t help but smile too.
“My name is Dan Heng, nice to meet you traveler.” He scoffed at his own joke. The other just hummed, “Nice to meet you Dan Heng, my name is The Galactic Baseballer!” He exclaimed. ‘This can not be his actual name’ Dan Heng thought. He didn’t want to say anything rude so he just stared. On the other hand the other guy started to snicker. “That’s not my actual name, dumby, it’s Caelus. Now c’mon” Caelus got up on his feet, pulling out a hand for him. “Lets get ourselves cleaned up.”
Dan Heng wavered, but took his hand. Caelus pulled him up swiftly. Dan Heng was impressed by how strong the other was. Or maybe he was just light.
When up, the worker started to lead towards the sink, the other following him closely. He put the dishes to the side so that he would have space. Before he began he asked Caelus to get towels. He agreed and walked off to fetch them. The water ran cold. He put his arm in and recoiled. A soft whine came from his mouth. The wound stung under the water’s icy pressure. The silver haired man returned with towels. He placed them by the sink. “I didn’t know how many we would need so I got a bunch” he scratched his neck. “Thank you.” Dan Heng mumbled. He groaned as he put his arm back under the water. “Do you want my help?” The new guy questioned. “No, I'll be fine.” Another whine escaped from him. “Here you're not doing it right” He scooted closer, bumping shoulders with him. He took Dan Heng’s arm in one hand and in the other got a small towel. He began to rub the towel firmly against the cut. The worker inhaled sharply from the touch. “Yeesh this water is cold!” He yelped. “I tried to turn it warmer, but the water heater sucks. If it’s too cold for you please don’t continue. I don’t want you to get sick from helping me.” He urged. The other only giggled in return, “I’ll be fine! This is the least I could do for you since you're letting me stay here.” “If you insist.” He sighed letting the other care for him. He was amused with how careful Caelus was with him. On the exterior he seems rough, but on the inside he’s a sweet guy.
When Caelus was done washing off the cut he wrapped it in new towels. Setting his arm off to the side of the sink. “Do you guys have a first aid box?” Dan Heng was pulled out of his thoughts by a concentrated voice. “We should have one in that cupboard.” He pointed off. “Cool, wait here and keep pressure on the towel.” His voice was steady. His now cleaned hands pressured firm on the towel. This was weird. Dan Heng hasn’t been cared for like this since he was a kid. “You keep spacing out, you don’t have to hold it anymore.” A voice broke through once more. “Hm, don’t worry about that, I’m exhausted right now.” A sigh slipped from him. “That’s so real,” he yawned. “I should have crashed at my friend's place, I’m beat.” While conversing more, he took Dan Heng’s arm and wrapped it up neatly. “All done! How do you feel?” He chirped. The worker swung his arm a bit. “It feels much better, thank you.” He gave Caelus an honest look of satisfaction. “Here since you helped me.” He straightened his back to be at eye level with the other. He took a dry towel and wrapped it around Caelus’s head. He began to ruffle his silver hair by drying it. Under Dan Heng’s touch he froze. A light blush rose to his ears. When the worker was done with his work he put the towel on his shoulder. His hand lingering by his hair. The silver haired man stammered back a bit, bringing his hand to cover his mouth. “That you.” He managed to murmur.
“What now?” They returned to their original seats on the floor after a while. “There’s not much we can do since both our phones are out.” Dan Heng’s head lightly hit the locker. “Uhhhhhhh…” Caelus rested his head on his hands. He was deep into thought. “Oh! Oh!” He exclaimed. The Raven wiped his head. “Aren’t there usually phones at fast food places, why don’t you use that and call your friend!” “You're a genius.” He pronounced. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell people.” The other scoffed. But before the worker could hear him he was gone, his things included. Caelus arose, picking up his guitar case. He headed towards what he assumed was the front. Exiting the back he found himself at the fount counter where Dan Heng was. He was already dialing a number. He placed the phone towards his ear, suddenly recoiling back from it. Caelus heard a high pitched voice from the other end.
“HOLLY SHIT, DAN HENG YOU HAD ME WORRIED! ITS PAST YOUR CLOSING TIME AND YOUR STILL NOT HERE WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU OK DID YOU REALLY GET KIDNAPPED BECAUSE I WAS JUST JOKING!” She claimed. He slowly returned the phone back to his ear. “March I’m ok, I wouldn’t be dumb enough to get kidnapped, you on the other hand.” “Hey!” “I’m just kidding, I’m truly fine, my phone died, that's all.” “If you say so, but wouldn't you have called earlier if that was it?” She doubted. “Well um, I may have rescued someone from the rain. He also needs a ride if that’s alright.” “That’s fine with me as long as he’s not the kidnapper!” “What’s you and all these kidnapping themes? Have you been watching true crime again?” “Maybeeee…” she giggled “You're going to get so scared that you can’t piss without someone being outside the door again” he sighed “That only happened once! Do you want to get picked up or not?” “Sorry, yes I want to get picked up.” “Alright, I’ll be there in a few, make me a milkshake if the machines are still working.” “Ok, see you, bye” “bye bye!” The phone was lowered from his ear returning to its nesting area.
A snort from beside him got his attention. Caelus was ghosting by the back door. The worker didn’t even realize he was there. When did he even get there and had he been listening? Dan Heng thought. “Sorry for laughing. You seemed so pissed off. Is that your girlfriend or something?” He chuckled, ruffling his hair nonchalantly (not really). The other was astonished, “Ugh no.. I would never stoop so low. That’s my sister if anything.” … … … “Oh my god! I’m so sorry for thinking in that way. I just would have thought someone as good looking as you would be dating someone. Uhh unless you are dating someone else.. uh! sorry I should just shut up now.” The silver haired rambled on. “You think I’m good look-“ “C’mon! Let’s go get a cleaning so then we can leave!” He abruptly interlocked his arm with the worker, pulling him to the back to clean. This left no words for the worker to say.
She held an umbrella as she walked out of her car. The rain soaked her sneakers as she jogged towards the building. When she opened the door it jingled. “Heyyy!! I’m here to pick you up, loser!” March yelled. She moved closer to the counter by the cash register. The whole place felt like a ghost town. She was used to the hustle and bustle atmosphere. She didn’t have to wait long in this empty place as someone would fill it. The worker stepped out of the back door with a milkshake in hand.
“Here I made you a strawberry one.” He yawned, placing the tall order in the girl's hands. He quietly dragged himself towards the exit. Turning back, another exited the back door. This person March had never seen. The first thing she noticed about him is that he was carrying a guitar case. “Omg! Dan Heng! You never told me he plays guitar!” Her head snapped towards him. Caelus stood by the cash register like an awkward dog. “Oh uh yea, can we go now?” He said, overly blunt. “Yes, we can go.” she turned back to the silver haired man. “My name's March by the way! Dan Heng prob already told you, but I'm his friend.” She carried a big smile, reaching out her hand to give him a handshake. He took it without wavering. “My name's Caelus, thank you for going out of your way to drive me, is there any way I could pay you?” She laughed in response, “pushhh- you don't have to do anything.” She waved her hands in front of him. She then had an idea. Her smile turned into a smug one. “Wellll, if you reallyy want to repay me then you could join my band. Of course if you’re not in a band right now” she sped through the last of her words. Before he could think of a response he heard the whines of a certain overworked worker. “Can’t we just talk about this in the car, March?” He groaned. “God, you’re such a crybaby when you're tired.” She giggled.
“Whats your address, Caelus?” she started to steer the car out of the parking lot. Right now in this small car, March was upfront driving, Caelus’s guitar was being the passenger princess, and Dan Heng was making a weak attempt at staying awake next to Caelus. “Oh it's xxxx xxxxx” he replied softly as to try and let the raven sleep. “Oh shit! That's right by our school Dan Heng” she received a sleepy “uh huh”. “Do you go to school there!?” she mused. “Uh yea! I just transferred there this week.” he scratched the back of his hair. “No wonder I haven’t seen you! Well we're officially friends, so please say hi in the halls. If you fan me I will cry.” Caelus giggled. “Ok it's a promise then.” “Yayy! Oh oh!” she exclaimed, forgetting that the person behind her was drifting in and out of consciousness. “That reminds me about the band thing earlier. I know I didn't explain it that much, so I will now!” She paused before noticing Caelus nodding for her to go on in the mirror. “So it all started one day when I had a revelation! I was like “Yo why don't I make a band, I already know how to play drums and I have contacts that can get me gigs. And maybe I will become super famous!” So I asked Dan Heng to join and as the wonderful friend he is, he declined soooo many times. Until finally he said yes. And then I was like “boom yes! We’re so back” So now all we need is a guitarist and vocalist and then we're set. I literally got so excited when I saw you with a guitar case. It's so hard finding one, especially one your age. I've been scouring the internet for a guitarist willing to join. I can't believe Dan Heng didn't say anything on the phone.” she explained. “Wait I'm getting super ahead of myself. Please think about it before you make a decision!” A sigh of relief left him. He was worried about saying the wrong thing. He really liked hanging out with Dan Heng and March, but he just met them. Still he wanted to join their band. Spending time with the both of them would be a lot of fun. “Well, I don't have anything going on for me at the moment so I'll think about it.” He awkwardly chuckled. He hoped he said the right things. “YAYY!! Thats good enough for me!!! Did you hear that, Dan Heng? Our band is coming together!” She turned to the back. Her focus off the wheel entirely. “March! Celebration later. Eyes on the road!” He stuttered. “Woops my bad!” The car fell into comfortable silence.
Flashing lights swooped by. The rain made their effect look like stars. His attention was brought back when a weight fell upon him. Raven hair settled in his neck. He couldn't move. He was so close. Looking towards his face he looked so peaceful. Before his face was full of wrinkles and tiredness. It was strange to be so close to someone. Heat rose to his ears once again. What was this weird feeling? He tore his gaze off of him. The outside scenery was the only safe place to look at.
“Where here” Caelus got out to receive his case. Fortunately for him before they got to his stop, Dan Heng moved to rest his head somewhere else.
“Thank you again, and I will definitely think about your offer.” he bent down to meet March’s eyes. “Here take this,” she handed him a sticky note. “Give me a text if you decide to join. Or just give me a text just cuz. I also put Dan Heng’s number at the bottom, don't tell him!” They laughed together at that. “Ok I'll definitely text, bye.” “See you at school, bye bye!” He took one final look at the raven before closing the door. The car drove off after. It was strange. It felt like he had known Dan Heng and March all his life. He just fit seamlessly with them. He was excited to see where this was headed.