Work Text:
“What are those?”
March flinched, turning to face her boyfriend from across the living room. To her surprise, he was staring right back at her—as he sat comfortably on the couch, wearing his usual thick green glasses with his hands firmly holding the thick workbook sprawled atop his lap.
He was supposed to be studying right now for his big test. Then again, this was partially her fault, with March springing out of nowhere, entering his apartment using the spare key he gave her and invading his personal space. To be fair, she did offer him some food and snacks as compensation.
After sharing a quick meal, they were off to their own respective duties—Dan Heng with his studies while March happily kept him company as she sorted out her latest haul for the day.
March shot him a blank look, not quite understanding what he was referring to. She looked back at the coffee table, where she laid out her mini makeup haul as neatly as ever.
“You mean these?” She pointed her fingers at the table.
Dan Heng gave a stern nod.
March smiled, followed by a lame shrug. “Oh, you know, just regular girl stuff.”
Dan Heng gave her a weird look. “Define girl stuff.”
March blinked, quite taken aback by how easily he had asked. Even with his eyes straying away to escape into the pages of his book, he still managed to try and slip her a question. March couldn’t help but shake her head, smiling.
“You know…” March began, scooting closer to the coffee table. “Basic makeup and whatnot. Not that you’ll be into it.”
Dan Heng didn’t mutter a word this time, just simply nodding his head as he refocused on the workbook in his hands.
March giggled at his lax reaction, as she too fixed her attention on her recent purchase. Unlike her beautiful big sister Himeko, March wasn’t really into makeup…however, there were a few exceptions to this rule.
Discarding the half-eaten chili oil beef stew and a pair of potato-fried sundae to the side, March huddled over the rest of her haul, which was essentially her basic cosmetics.
With a smile, March took a random lip balm and played with it. Like the rest of her cosmetics, it was driven by her impulsiveness to buy things decorated with anime—an unfortunate flaw that even Dan Heng would often scold her for (usually when she didn't use her money wisely).
In this case, it was (slightly) important.
And she was more than prepared to explain her side, no matter what!
“What did you buy?” wondered Dan Heng, breaking the peaceful silence.
March’s head shot up, blinking as she heard his words loud and clear. “Oh, well…” Forcing a smile, she held up the lip balm currently sandwiched between her fingers. “Here’s one! A lip balm!”
“Don’t you already have one of those?”
“I finished the last one two days ago!” March reasoned, puffing her cheeks. “Girls gotta live with makeup, you know, or they won’t stay beautiful!”
“You’re beautiful, with or without makeup,” Dan Heng assured her, but alas, his words didn’t quite reach her as he looked over and, to his dismay, his girlfriend seemed more preoccupied with her haul than his presence.
With a huff, Dan Heng closed his book, placing it on the couch armrest. He rose to his feet, eyes fixed on his giggling girlfriend as he managed to lower himself down on the carpeted floor to join her. He scooted closer, eyeing the lip balm in her hands.
Acknowledging his closer presence, March looked over and beamed his way. “Whatcha think? Pretty cute, huh?” She cried, still proudly showing it off to him.
Dan Heng narrowed his eyes, then glanced over to the coffee table where he found a lot more colorful lip balms. Just like the first one, each of them was adorned in different colors, with a random cute character displayed across the surface.
“March.”
“Yes?”
“Did you buy all of these?”
“...”
Dan Heng sighed, shaking his head. “March, what did I tell you about—”
“IT’S MY MONEY!” March cried suddenly, moving over to physically shield her haul from her exasperated-looking boyfriend. “AND THERE’S NO WAY I’M RETURNING THESE! THEY WERE ON SALE, YOU KNOW!”
Dan Heng simply looked at her, his brows slightly twitching from her absurd explanation. Heaving a low sigh, all he could do was shake his head.
“So be it, just make sure to use all of them.” Dan Heng advised her, “You can’t waste them like last time.”
“I know, I won’t.” March persisted, then smiled. “Because you’ll be helping me out!”
“...”
What?
.
.
.
.
.
.
Truth be told, there was another reason behind March’s impulsive purchase.
While scrolling on the internet, she stumbled across an interesting challenge geared toward lovers—the lipstick challenge. It was very simple: each time a lipstick was introduced, the one applying them on their lips would use it as an excuse to kiss their partner all over their face.
The challenge went viral with tons of celebrities joining in on the fun to increase the hype—one famous example was her all-time favorite idol Robin, who did it with her bodyguard-turned-boyfriend Boothill.
At first, March wasn’t quite sure if she had the guts to do it.
Of course, what nailed the final coffin was discovering that her best friend Stelle managed to do it behind closed doors and proudly showed off the results online.
There was no way March was brave enough to do something like that, not in a million years!
But apart from posting her embarrassment online, the challenge was…well, it was definitely enticing.
For one thing, she already had a partner to do it! And knowing Dan Heng for so long, there was absolutely no way that he’d ever say–
“No.”
March burned red, puffing her cheeks. “But couples online are doing this!” She persisted, hoping that he’d turn around and change his mind to—
“I said no.”
“WHY NOT!?”
Dan Heng fell quiet, lowering his head as he closed his eyes.
March watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing too late that she might’ve crossed a boundary. “I-I’m sorry.” And lowered her head, fiddling with the lip balm on her fingers. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you, honest! I just—”
“March.”
Hearing her name, March slowly looked up.
“Don’t force yourself to do this if you don’t want to.” Dan Heng said, his voice gentle and soft. Taking her hands with his, he squeezed them. “If you want to do this challenge, then I want you to do it on your own terms.”
“But I want to do it, I really do!” March insisted, and with every second, she could feel her face heating up and her heart pulsing hard at her declaration. “Yes, I was sorta influenced online…and also, sorta by Stelle, but that doesn’t change the fact that the only person I wanna do this challenge with is you!”
“...”
March squirmed in place, glancing away quickly as she felt her boyfriend’s intense gaze locked on her. “A-and…even if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine! Cause I got a back-up plan—”
“What back-up plan?”
March gulped. Yup, she definitely struck a nerve there.
“March, what back-up plan?” Dan Heng pushed, squeezing her hands a bit tighter. “Was there someone else you wanted to do this challenge with?”
“Uh…n-no?”
Dan Heng narrowed his eyes at her. “March.”
March fell apart. “—I’M SO SORRY, THAT CAME OUT SO WRONG! WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY IS—YES, I DO HAVE A BACK-UP PARTNER IN CASE YOU SAID NO!” Removing her hand, she resorted to covering her deeply red face with her hands. “AND THE ONE I HAD IN MIND WAS POM-POM!”
“...”
“...”
“Pom-Pom, your rabbit?”
March nodded slowly, still covering her red face.
The tension between them eventually ceased, and as silence took control of the room—
March’s ears heard an airy chuckle, and right away, she knew that it belonged to her boyfriend. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Dan Heng assured her, giving her a small smile. “I shouldn’t have doubted you. Pom-Pom is a good partner to consider.” A pause. “There’s no one else?”
March blinked, removing her hands from her face. “No, not really.” She admitted openly, and unbeknownst to her, Dan Heng sighed deeply in relief.
“So, this challenge…” Dan Heng began and once more reached out to claim her hand with his. “What is it anyway?”
“It’s called the lipstick challenge,” March explained, eyes softening as she watched her boyfriend fondly caressing her knuckles. “I kiss you with a lip balm, then you’ll tell me which flavor it is. Rinse and repeat, and by the end, you tell me which one is the best.”
Dan Heng took a moment to process what she said, then nodded. “Okay.” Now that he thought about it, the challenge sounded quite tame and not at all what he was thinking of. “Works for me.”
March gasped. “Wait, you’ll do it?”
Dan Heng shrugged, giving her a quick look. “Unless you don’t want to?”
March squealed, tackling him roughly to the floor and hugging him tightly. “THANK YOU, THANK YOU! AHHH, YOU ARE THE BEST BOYFRIEND EVER! I PROMISE THAT YOU WON’T REGRET THIS, EVER!”
With Dan Heng’s insistence, the pair made their way to his bedroom down the hall.
March was the first to settle down on his bed, rustling through the plastic bag, with Dan Heng following suit, sitting close to the edge of the bed with one leg perched on the side.
Once March placed all the lip balms on his pillow, she flashed her boyfriend a mischievous grin.
“Ready?”
Dan Heng gave her a curt nod. “Ready.”
March beamed from ear to ear, visibly shaking and jumping with excitement. This was it; at long last, they were finally gonna do the couple challenge!
“Be careful!”
“Ah, right! Sorry, sorry!”
Thankfully, Dan Heng was there to steady her, holding her down gently on her shoulders while the poor girl took a moment to compose herself.
Taking a breath, March smiled. “Okay, here comes the first one!” She cried, waving her boyfriend off. “Close your eyes, mister!”
Per instructions, Dan Heng leaned back, closing his eyes and staying still.
Applying the first lip balm and puckering her lips, March went on to give her boyfriend a sneaky kiss. It was subtle and brief—much to Dan Heng’s disappointment, for their lips barely touched the other, with March quick to withdraw.
“So, whatcha think? Any guesses?”
Dan Heng crossed his arms, eyes still closed. “Hmm…” He gave his lips a good lick, puckering a few times. His brows furrowed deeply as he tried to figure out the specific flavor. “Tastes like…muscat grape?”
“Ding, ding, ding! You got it!” March cried, clapping her hands eagerly. With a paper towel, she wiped the remnants of the lip balm as she geared up for the next one. “Alright, next one!”
“How many are there?” Dan Heng wondered, threatening to open his eyes to double-check.
But before he could, March beat him to it as she hurriedly blocked his vision by covering his eyes with both hands, even accidentally pushing his glasses a bit too tightly against his face.
“Hrgh!”
“Aeons, I’m so sorry!”
Nursing his nose, Dan Heng sighed. “Why don’t we try this?” And then proceeded to remove his glasses entirely. “I’m near-sighed anyway. There’s no way I’ll figure out what they are, even if I take a look at them.”
March smiled, nodding. “Sounds good!” Taking his glasses, she folded and placed them neatly next to his bedside counter. Once more, she fixed her sights on her boyfriend—with or without glasses, he was still jaw-droppingly handsome.
How on earth did I manage to land a hottie like him? Then again, we’ve been next-door neighbors for so long. March thought, heart racing as her mind wandered elsewhere. Perks of being childhood friends, I guess.
“Ready for the next one?”
Nodding, Dan Heng managed to cross his legs together, making himself comfortable. “Yeah.”
March beamed, her heart swelling and overflowing with immense joy. Never in her wildest dreams would she find herself in this situation—in a golden opportunity to spend some time with her over-the-top studious boyfriend.
Now that she had him wrapped up in her little finger with this game, she was determined to make every second worthwhile.
“Here we go!” Once more, she applied the next sample of lip balm to her lips, puckering them a few times and then leaning forward to give Dan Heng a good taste.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Minutes flew by.
One after another—and to March’s shock and dismay, Dan Heng got every lip balm flavor accurately (and terrifyingly) correct.
“Yuzu.”
A kiss.
“Pomegranate.”
Another kiss.
“Grapefruit.”
And another.
“Custard pudding.”
Then another.
“Marshmallow fluff.”
For a second, Dan Heng lingered a bit longer on the fourth one, almost as if he wanted a little more.
Alas, March managed to slip away, grinning as she watched his face contort, his eyes noticeably narrowing as if he was trying to contain his letdown.
Despite this, March bit her lower lip as she wandered off to the very last lip balm in her hands. No surprise, her boyfriend was crazy talented with this challenge. He’s too good at this game. Then a looming thought occurred to her. Maybe he already did it with someone else before? I don’t remember him ever mentioning another girlfriend or boyfriend before I came along…
“What’s wrong?”
March jolted abruptly, heading swinging upward as she was faced with Dan Heng’s confused look. She forced a smile, waving his concern dismissively as she tried to redirect the subject at hand. “It’s nothing, nothing!”
“...”
“Anyway, you’ve got most of the answers correct! Let’s see if you can figure out the last one!”
Dan Heng closed his eyes instinctively, leaning forward and waiting for her.
March smiled, blushing, and for the umpteenth time, applied the last lip balm to her lips. Of the seven lip balms she bought, this one was her personal favorite.
“Okay, here goes.”
And she leaned forward.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It was supposed to be a quick, easy kiss.
But as soon as their lips met, something changed, as Dan Heng was more than eager to take the lead this time. For so long, he kept his resilience; each time they kissed, the fire inside him steadily grew. The more he played along with March’s little game, the hungrier and more desperate he became; her short, brief kisses weren’t enough to satisfy him anymore.
And if this was the last lip balm for now, then surely she’ll make an exception, right?
All the logic and reasoning Dan Heng prepared in advance—in the case that it didn’t go well as planned—flew out the window as he reached out, cradling his lover’s face gently with both hands and deepening the kiss.
And then he heard it, his favorite sound.
Her moans.
It was electrifying, so delicious and in tune with his own.
It seemed March shared his thoughts as he felt her arms travel behind his back, grasping a few strands of his black hair and pulling him closer.
Dan Heng responded naturally, leaning forward with one hand locating the sides of her tousled pink hair and caressing it fondly.
Her taste, mixed with this sweet lip balm, was like a drug to him.
And Dan Heng would happily indulge himself more, so long as March allowed him to.
Tongues overlapping, wet smacks and pops here and there—for each time the other broke off, the latter would eagerly chase after the sensation.
Shared muffled breathing and lingering, breathy moans filled the open space of the bedroom, the friction between skin against skin heightening the tension between them.
Until finally…
March broke free, gasping breathlessly as she looked up to find the most beautiful set of teal eyes.
She hiccuped, eyes wet and blurry with tears threatening to slip. Even so, she managed to flash her boyfriend a genuine and toothy smile, completely disregarding the obvious trail of drool connecting their lips.
Dan Heng simply stared back, taking a moment to appreciate March’s glossy, crimson face and her slightly swollen lips.
A comfortable trail of silence filled the room, allowing the pair a moment of clarity and peace—
“Brown milk tea.”
March blinked, looking up. “Huh?”
“Brown milk tea,” Dan Heng repeated, fondly trailing the side of her swollen lips with his right thumb. “That’s the lip balm flavor, right?”
March blushed hard, then nodded slowly. “Yup, that’s the one.”
“It suits you,” Dan Heng went on, settling himself down next to her with one arm naturally wrapping over her. In turn, March did the same, tangling her legs with his and her arms snaking up around his neck. “I think this is it; it’s the best one.”
March grinned, head tilted adorably. “You think so?”
Dan Heng nodded, his eyes slightly narrowed as he leaned closer. “But don’t ever use it in public.”
Hearing this, March pouted. “What? Why not? What’s the point of buying the whole set if I can’t—”
“—I have regular lip balm you can use,” Dan Heng reasoned with her, keeping her close as he tipped their foreheads together, his eyes half-closed. “You can choose whichever one you want; I don’t care.”
March bit her lower lip. “But my character lip balms—”
“I never said you can’t use them,” Dan Heng pointed out, then moved his head over to stare at her lips one more time. “But if you do, then I want you to…” He fell quiet all of a sudden, alerting the latter.
March blinked, following his direction, and that’s when it clicked for her.
“Oh? You want me to what?” She teased, wiggling her brows.
Dan Heng said nothing, his face heating up.
“What would you like me to do to you, hmm?” March whispered into his ear, causing the latter to visibly quiver at her voice.
Composing himself quickly, Dan Heng cleared his throat. “Then I’ll volunteer…” He revealed, nearly stumbling over his words. “That is, if you decide you want to test out the lip balms or anything in general.”
March beamed at his words. “Now that you mention it, Himeko did gift me a few lipsticks from her recent trip. I haven’t tried them out yet.” A pause. “Would you like to help me out?”
Dan Heng scooted close, the tips of their noses touching. Once more, he happily indulged in the opportunity to fully kiss her milk-tea-flavored lips.
His favorite flavor, his favorite lips.
“I’m all yours.”