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“Do you like anybody, Dan Heng?”
Hearing his name, Dan Heng paused in his reading. Straying his eyes away from his book, he glanced over to the only other person sitting next to him on the red plush couches. Lips fixed in a straight line, he took a moment to take note of how he and March 7th were the only ones present in the Parlor Car.
“Hey, are you listening?”
And as usual, March was always the one to break the silence between them.
“I’m listening,” He assures her gently.
“Then what’s your answer?”
Dan Heng scrunched his nose, then drew in a breath and sighed. “What’s with the question all of a sudden?” He asked, closing his book.
March shrugged lamely. “I don’t know. Just…bored, I guess?” A pause. “But anyway! Do you or do you not have a thing for someone?” She pushed, leaning in a little closer, completely disregarding his private space. “I promise I won’t judge!”
Dan Heng flinched at her sudden closeness. No matter how long they’ve been friends, he could never get used to her strange antics.
To his growing dismay, he was caught under her shimmering, curious gaze. His heart beats twice. It’s funny how for some reason, whenever she’s this close to him, it never fails to throb twice as fast as it should.
But never mind that.
Knowing March, her patience always ran thin.
Better tell her something right now or else.
“...No, I don’t think so.”
March frowned, not quite liking his reply. “You sure about that?”
Finally, Dan Heng turned to look at her, keeping his aloof expression intact.
“What about you, March?” He decides to throw her back the same question, his brow raised. He puts his book on his lap, arm resting over the frame of the couch to properly angle his body and give her his full attention. “Do you like someone?”
What was supposed to be his way of teasing her ended up backfiring on him.
Slowly, he watched her transform into a blubbering mess: her cherub face blossoming deep red, her lips quirking upwards and then her laugh, the kind of laugh tickled his insides (in a good way).
Unlike his answer, hers was...
“Ahh, come on now! What makes you say that, huh?”
She was lying through her teeth. From her mannerisms to her slightly high-pitched voice, the answer was clear: she did have someone in mind.
Dismissing the queasiness in his stomach, Dan Heng took this chance to point out, “That wasn’t an answer, you know.”
March puffed her cheeks. The redness in her cheeks was still there, but her eyes were starting to drift elsewhere…
“Why? Do you wanna know?”
Dan Heng turned quiet. Did he want to?
“…I’m heading to the archives room,” He interrupts, standing up. “Care to join me?” Without bothering to wait for her, he was already leaving for the closest exit.
“Huh—what, hey! Dan Heng! Wait for me!”
This time, Dan Heng ignored her calls and kept his focus ahead, not minding the other who clumsily staggered behind. He held his book close, his tight grip along the spine as he tried to keep his nerves together.
He knew it was just a silly little thing, an innocent question that sprang from boredom. And yet, everything about her reaction to her dishonest answer overrides his thoughts.
“Why? Do you wanna know?”
Her words echoed back in his mind, haunting him.
Like before, he chose not to say anything.
Knowing deep down, he may not be fond of her answer.
“I like you.”
It was a night of celebration.
The people of Belobog and the Underworld rejoiced as their new Supreme Leader Bronya was appointed after the untimely passing of her mother Cocolia.
In the middle of the festivities, the trailblazing trio were invited to a gathering from Wildfire, courtesy of Oleg and Natasha. After many encouragements (and constant pushing by a certain pink-haired girl), Dan Heng and the twins eventually gave in.
The party had started well into the evening and was done outside near the clinic. Many other folks joined in, bringing food and other specialties they cooked up.
Somehow, the juice Dan Heng and March took had been swapped in favor of wine, and now, here they were, very much drunk and sputtering nonsense.
“I like you.” Dan Heng blurts out to his friend in front of him.
Thankfully, it was just him and her. The twins were off somewhere, with Stelle visiting their other friends on the surface while Caelus played hide and seek with the little Mole children.
“I said I like you,” Dan Heng repeated, louder for March to hear.
He didn’t know why he did it, why he suddenly wanted March to know.
But you want her to know. His conscious reminds him in the back of his mind.
And he did, doing so directly to her face.
March, on the other hand, just looked at him, red and uncharacteristically quiet.
All at once, Dan Heng was struck with a mix of scenarios playing in his head, hitting him at full force.
Oh, Aeons...did he do it right?
Now that he said it, what was supposed to happen? Wasn’t she supposed to say something back to him? Would she reciprocate? He wondered, his left leg shaking with anticipation. Would she reject him on the spot?
…Only, none of it happened.
Instead, March gave him a big, goofy smile. Her cheeks were quite flushed, and she looked equally tipsy as he was. She was giddy and cackling, kicking her legs under the table.
“No, you don’t! That’s the drink talking!” March remarked, then proceeded to hit him harshly on the elbow. “Don’t joke around like that, geez!”
“But I’m not,” Dan Heng wanted to counter back, only he couldn’t.
He knew he couldn’t.
Not in a state like this.
Wrong place, wrong time. He thought, nursing his head. Perhaps next time?
But hey, at least he tried.
.
.
.
The party was over.
The wine was no longer in his system and albeit still a bit dizzy, Dan Heng managed to keep himself together.
With Stelle and Caelus retreating to their rooms, this left Dan Heng to bring March into hers.
Gently, he puts her unconscious body down on her bed. Careful not to wake her, he brings her blanket over, tucking her in. After so much partying, March had fallen fast asleep (literally after he confessed, with her head hitting the table hard, arousing Dan Heng from his stupor).
Naturally, it was up to Dan Heng who made it his duty to look after her.
Sighing, Dan Heng allowed himself to sit on the edge of her bed.
The steady beat of silence in the room, March’s loud snoring, and her drool dribbling along the corner of her mouth, forming a small pool on her side of the pillow…
Weirdly, Dan Heng found it all endearing, making his stomach feel warm.
“You know, March…”
He reached out and ever so gently, tucked a loose hair along the shell of her ear. He let his fingers linger there for a few more seconds before eventually letting it go.
“What I told you before...it’s still true.”
I do like you.
“March!”
He calls out her name like a song he knew by heart.
They were in the middle of a ferocious battle on the outskirts of the snow plains—they had split up with Stelle and Caelus during one of their patrols and were now fighting for their lives against a high-level monster.
He was breathing hard and yet, stood firmly with his lance instilled on the ground. Standing close to him was March who had her hands pressed to his bleeding abdomen, conjuring up as much of her ice to suppress the fresh wound.
“Just stay still, okay? Natasha’s coming!” March encouraged her friend and focused hard on her work.
Dan Heng gripped his lance tight. I don’t know how much longer I could...
Slowly, His eyes drifted over to his friend. To his shock, his vision was starting to get blurry. Damn it, not now!
He was supposed to protect her, heck he even swore this to Himeko when he took up the responsibility as her bodyguard.
Now it was the reverse.
“March, I…” He starts, only to stop as a surge of pain pierces through him. And yet, he still tried to make sense of his surroundings, trying hard to keep it together for her sake.
Luckily, her bright pastel pink hair was easy to see and so, he put all his remaining energy into reaching out to her…with his other bloodied hand resting on top of her head.
“…March?”
“I’m here! Just stay with me, okay?”
“March, I—" If I don’t make it, I want you to know I—
But he doesn’t get to finish, his train of thought is cut off as the world suddenly turns upside down.
“Argh!”
In a matter of seconds, Dan Heng was hurled to the ground. Hissing from the newfound pain, he reopened his eyes and found March lying on top of him, hair tousled from the strong winds and bits of dirt and scratches from the impact.
His eyes trailed downward, noting the cluster of shiny, pink-blue ice shards springing on his chest. He noted her other hand extending somewhere and it wasn’t long until he felt fingers gently cradling the back of his head that it finally dawned on him.
She saved me from my fall.
“—Heng! Hey!”
Dan Heng furrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the noises around him.
Again, he failed to process what was happening.
And then—a sharp slap hit him right across the face, forcing him back to reality.
“HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?”
Blinking wildly, Dan Heng finally looked up and saw her—really saw her: her eyes, her quivering mouth, her face full of scratches and dirt…
March.
That’s right, she was here with him.
“COME ON! GET UP!” She cried, rising hastily, and then grabbing his hand with hers. “WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!”
Dan Heng mustered all the strength he could and slowly, he could feel himself get lifted...only to be left startled as March somehow managed to pull him up with all her strength.
Hoisting his other injured arm, she effortlessly puts it over her shoulder, serving as his crutch.
“LET’S GO!”
Together, they ran away.
.
.
.
“You gotta be careful next time!”
“...”
“For someone who hates violence, you sure do like to fight a lot, don’t you?”
“...”
“Honestly, I can’t believe—hey! Are you even listening?”
“...I’m listening.”
Hearing him, March snorted.
Even so, she still put in the effort into patching him up with a roll of bandages in hand. “Okay, there! That oughta do it!” Taking a step back, she watched as her quiet friend studied the dressings. “It’s not much, but it should do for now.”
Dan Heng nodded, eyes traveling from his wrapped abdomen and then to the side of his right elbow. Finally, his hand made its way over to his cheek, where he felt the familiar touch of the cool patch.
“So... how is it?”
Dan Heng slowly looked up, his expression unreadable.
“It’s okay.” He muttered, shrugging. “Thank you, March.”
His rare appreciation puts a smile on her face and naturally, the sight of it made Dan Heng’s heartbeat twice.
“Yeah, anytime! What are friends for!”
They were supposed to head to Penacony.
But after a random chance encounter with a Stellaron hunter (his friends’ words, not his), they were here at the last place he wanted to go.
Since the beginning, Dan Heng has verbally expressed his refusal to join them.
...Until he found out that he was also there.
March, Mr. Yang…Caelus and Stelle—his friends, were all in the Xianzhou Luofu, not aware of the imminent danger they were in.
He knew he couldn’t sit here at the Astral Express and wait and hope they would come back safe.
Not when that criminal was out there, possibly crossing paths with them and hurting them.
Hurting her.
And so, Dan Heng ventured off.
.
.
.
His secret was out.
He didn’t have a choice, not when that criminal Blade threw that sword and pierced him in the heat of battle. But here he was, in his true form.
The scion of Long the Permanence.
The successor of the previous High Elder, the Imbibitor Lunae.
A long-lived species.
A Vidyadhara.
And they were here—Mr. Yang, Caelus, Stelle...March.
What would they say?
What would she say?
“You’re Dan Heng, right? What’s with the horns?”
She was the first to speak on behalf of their group, and her reaction was expected.
Like him, March was also conflicted with what else to say.
Despite their untimely reunion, there was heavy tension and a mix of emotions in the air.
“It’s me, March.” Dan Heng delivered his words softly, careful not to scare her.
But...in a typical March fashion, she puts on her cheery smile and goes on to try and lighten the mood.
“This statue, could it be…Dan Heng’s brother?”
When she said those words, his heart thumped in his chest.
Her words…if only she knew how much it meant to him.
From the way she said it and that smile, Dan Heng knew how easy it was for her to accept him.
She saw right through him—his insecurities, his growing doubt, his worries of having to forcefully live under the shadow of his past lives.
But he was here in the present, surrounded by the people who saw him as him.
Not as his predecessor Dan Feng.
Not as Imbibitor Lunae.
Just Dan Heng.
.
.
.
A week passed since their battle against Phantylia.
To Dan Heng’s dismay, the Astral Express crew was adamant to wander around and do some last-minute sightseeing and shopping in the Xianzhou Luofu.
As usual, March tagged along to provide him company as Dan Heng tried to memorize the remnants of his old home.
“You’ve got a pretty place to return to,” March points out.
“Not really. Since I was born here, I’ve been exiled.” Dan Heng explained with his head hung low. “So, this place...even with all its grandeur, it never really felt like home to me.”
“Oh, I see.”
Sensing her hesitancy, Dan Heng was quick to bring up, “My place is not here. It’s with you and the others and the Astral Express.”
He watched as March suddenly perked up and looked at him, eyes wide. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He confirmed truthfully, eyes softening. “Why, did you expect me to leave so soon? Who would be looking after you and—” Suddenly, he stopped himself from finishing that sentence.
“...Dan Heng?”
Now March was looking at him with concern.
Collecting himself, Dan Heng starts to speak again and this time, chooses his words carefully.
“I’m Dan Heng, a descendent of the Vidyadhara and also a member of the Nameless.” He addressed, his tone of voice a bit robotic.
“Yeah, you are!” March suddenly cheered, smiling. “So, if you need some reminders, Stelle and Caelus and Mr. Yang and Himeko and Pom-Pom and I—we’re all gonna be here to tell you that!”
Dan Heng blinked, startled by her outburst. Processing her declaration, he allowed a small smile to appear. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
And there it was, that lovely smile of hers which saved him a hundred times over.
Even after discovering his true self, March still manages to dispel his worries and exchange them with something warm, familiar, and comfortable. She really is something.
More and more, he was falling hard for her.
“Hey, Dan Heng?”
“...Hmm?”
“Remember way back, I talked to you about liking someone?”
“Yeah?” How could he not forget that? “What brought this up again?”
How he wished he could take his words back.
By the look on her face—how brightly her eyes and face shone, how she was on her tiptoes and bouncing to show her visible delight. The light dusting of redness on her cheeks…
“Well…I’ve got great news to share!”
It was then that his worst fear had come true.
“I confessed to Luka and turns out, he likes me too!”
“Huh.”
“Yeah, right? And we’re gonna go on a date tomorrow!” pressed March, grinning from ear to ear. “Isn’t it awesome? I’d get to finally experience love for the very first time!”
Dan Heng stared at her blankly.
So, she did find someone after all. He thought and he could feel the heavy weight of it sink to the pits of his stomach. I was too late.
What other words should he tell her now except—
“That’s great.” He murmured, nodding. “Congratulations.” Then returned his fixation on the book on his lap.
Despite his aloof answer, March chose to smile anyway.
“Yeah! I wanted to drop in and tell you first!”
Nodding, Dan Heng closed his eyes.
“Anyway, I’ll catch ya later! I’m off to go tell Stelle and Caelus the news!”
His ears picked up the sound of pitter-patter along the floorboards and as he reopened his eyes, March was gone.
And he was all alone in the archives room.
After attempting to read another sentence and only to fail miserably, Dan Heng closed his book and looked back at the door. Deep down, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, this was all just a dream and that March would come back and assure him that she was pulling his leg to get a reaction out of him.
Only, it wasn’t.
It became clear to him when the Astral Express crew came together later for dinner when March announced it for the second time.
This was real and it was her decision, her happiness.
...She just didn’t choose me.
.
.
.
That night, Dan Heng dreamt about her.
Of their time in the Parlor Car, enjoying each other’s company as always.
“Do you like anybody, Dan Heng?”
Since then, that question never once left his head. Since day one, it was always haunting him, tormenting him, and on a constant loop.
Except this time, Dan Heng wanted to give her an answer.
No more waiting, I need to say it.
And so, he opens his mouth to say something, ready and prepared to tell her his bottled feelings.
“March, I—”
He paused, furrowing his brows. Strange...how come his words weren’t coming out? He tried again, and again. Still nothing. What’s going on?
A flash of pink and white invades his vision and Dan Heng dares to lift his chin.
March was already jumping out of her chair, grinning.
“I’ll catch ya later! See you then, Dan Heng!”
He watches in horror, as March decides to leave his side for another, the distance between them expanding.
“Wait, March!”
He wanted to raise his voice, to stop her from leaving but he couldn’t.
Another person enters his line of sight and it’s Luka.
March joined the brawler, hands interlocking with his.
Dan Heng abruptly rose from his chair, letting his book drop to the floor as he attempted to chase after her.
“March!” He wanted to call out to her again, to stop her. “Wait, I—!”
He was now pleading, reaching out desperately to her. Please, don’t leave!
“—MARCH!”
But his voice kept failing him. Not a word was coming out.
March was too far away, already too far out of reach.
Damn it! Dan Heng quickened his pace and as he moved closer, he saw it—the way her face brightened up a little more, her natural pink blush deepening, her laughter…
Dan Heng stopped in his tracks, eyes still trained on the lovebirds.
She didn’t choose you. His conscious lectured him. She deserves more, she deserves better. She’s a short-lived species, don’t you remember? It will never work.
He always knew.
He knew the truth from the beginning he grew fond of her.
He knew that this thing he had for her was never going anywhere.
He knew but he still didn’t want to accept it.
That he was a descendant of the Vidyadhara—the draconic species known for its unescapable fate of endless rebirths.
He knew he couldn’t give her a future and he knew he couldn’t give her children even if she wanted to.
What more could he give her than false hopes and a brief life?
As much as it was hard on him, he knew he needed to let go.
He needed to let her spread her wings and enjoy her life to the fullest, be it joyful or sorrowful and impending heartbreaks.
And so, he stood and watched sorrowfully and allowed the person he truly loved to walk away.
He hasn’t seen March in three weeks.
Then again, it was for the best.
Seeing her in high spirits, so full of life…it pained him to know that it was all because of someone else.
But if it makes her happy, then...I should also be happy. For her sake.
Dan Heng chose to keep to himself in the archives, busied himself by tending to the usual missions and even sparing some time with the trailblazer twins.
Time and time again, his mind would drift and explore the what-ifs.
If I had confessed sooner, would she still be here with me?
Would she allow me to kiss her, wrap my arms around her?
Would she be taking my hand and showing it off proudly to everyone?
But of course, that was the voice in the back of his head talking.
Eventually, Dan Heng managed to distract himself by drowning in his line of work.
Time went on.
Although he managed to suppress the negative thoughts, the hole in his heart never quite healed.
.
.
.
When Dan Heng meets March again, he finds her in a vulnerable state.
He didn’t mean to see her that way and yet somehow, perhaps one may call it fate.
It happened one evening. Himeko came over, requesting Dan Heng to check up on March.
"I'm getting worried. She hasn't stepped out to get lunch yet."
Wasting no time, Dan Heng dragged himself over to her doorstep. The first thing that surprised him was how easy it was for him to enter her room. Normally, March would lock it up, forbidding anyone from stepping in without permission.
But today, it was different.
“Come in, the door’s open.” She said from the other side, her voice muffled.
Per her consent, Dan Heng headed inside.
There he found her, hunched in her big, round, and pink chair. She was surrounded by a horde of blankets with her head popped out. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair in a tangled mess and her hands pressed to her puffed cheeks. Piles of junk food and half-opened containers of ice cream with plastic spoons littered the floor.
In Dan Heng’s eyes, she still looked beautiful.
“What’s wrong, March?” He asked, coming over.
Sniffing, March looked up. Her pink-blue eyes twinkled once she spotted him.
“Oh, hey Dan Heng.”
Her usual chirpy voice was lowered, softer, weaker.
“What happened?”
March forced a smile. “Luka and I, we…we broke up.” As she said those words, fresh tears flooded the corners of her swollen eyes. “I-I’m sorry... I know we haven’t seen each other in a while and this is the first time you’re seeing me like this—ahh, God! I’m so stupid!”
She was blabbering nonsense.
But for Dan Heng, it didn’t matter.
It pained him to see her so broken like this. She doesn’t sound like herself.
“...I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” He managed to say.
Wiping away her tears, March puts on a toothy smile.
“It’s okay! We ended it on friendly terms!” She assured, voice cracking. “It’s just...” She dipped her chin down, closing her eyes. “I thought...what I had with him was what I wanted but turns out, it wasn’t.”
More tears slid down her cheeks.
Dan Heng simply stared. He reached out and ever so gently, wiped away her tears with his thumb. He ignored her burning gaze as he took it upon himself to make sure there were no more tears left.
He allowed the silence to take control, his ears picking up her constant sniffling and hiccups from her recent sobbing session.
Once Dan Heng was done, he felt March place her head on his right shoulder. He stiffened from the contact until eventually, allowed himself to relax.
This is March. He reminds himself and he, too leans in, knocking the sides of their heads together. Shutting his eyes, he breathed in her scent.
Aeons, how he missed this.
How he missed her so.
“...I miss you, Dan Heng,” mumbled March, moving her head a bit as she nuzzled her nose along the crook of his neck, making herself comfortable.
I miss you too. He wanted to tell her, but as he tried to open his mouth, he stopped and then swallowed it.
Haunted by a certain dream, he decides to let his body language show it to her.
Slowly, he put his arms around her tiny, trembling body and pulled her in.
He catches her off-guard, but only for a moment.
Sighing, March allows it to happen.
And when she does, Dan Heng slowly rubs his hand on her back, over and over.
They stayed that way, no words exchanged.
Never again, Dan Heng thought, tightening his hold on her. I don’t want to ever see you like this again.
Now that she was here, there were so many things he wanted to tell her, but right now...he settled with the safer option: “I’m always here for you.”
And for the first time in a while, Dan Heng hears his favorite sound—her laughter.
“I know. Thank you, Dan Heng.”
“I think I’m in love with someone.”
Dan Heng moved his head, glancing over to the blob of pink sitting on the highchair, back visibly hunched as she was focused on reading the fourth volume of her favorite mystery novel series.
They were in her room this time, surrounded by the heaps of books he’d offered her during her time of isolation.
Without moving from his spot on the bean bag, Dan Heng waits for her to elaborate further. In the back of his mind, he recalls a certain memory, of their time in the Parlor Car. Feels like deva ju.
“I see.”
“Yeah, and I’m not sure how to tell him.”
Dan Heng shifted in his seat, eyes glued to his book. “Oh.” was all he could say, clearing his throat. Slowly, it was getting hard for him to keep his composure. “Do I know them?”
“Yeah, actually,” March revealed and this time, closed her book. She finally gave him a look, face rosy and with a nervous, wobbly smile.
Dan Heng snuck a peek at her and when he did, his heart skipped.
Silence permeated the room.
“...What are they like?” He decides to ask, a little curious.
“He’s pretty cool…” March begins to describe and at the mention of a male pronoun, Dan Heng was quick to start listing off several candidates in his head.
Now that he thought about it, there weren’t so many guys they’d encountered in their past few adventures. Yet, that doesn’t stop him from overthinking and trying to rule out which one she was specifically hinting at.
Could it be Gepard or Sampo? Maybe General Jing Yuan? He wondered, already knee-deep in his mental search. Or perhaps...this is her way of saying that she’s into Luka again?
“He’s tall, dark, and handsome. Very considerate of others and kinda funny!” March went on, getting bolder with her description. “He’s reliable, kind, and amazing.” A short pause. “Though he doesn’t quite get a few social cues, it’s okay because...”
And slowly, a smile resurfaces. “His heart is where it counts.” She inhaled a breath. “I think, that’s why it didn’t work out with Luka. Because...whenever I was with him, I thought of the one I loved instead...”
“Huh.”
“Yeah.” March mumbled, head hung low. “I just hope...that he also feels the same way.”
Dan Heng went quiet.
After connecting all the dots, he finally narrows it down to one person.
It’s Caelus. He guaranteed, his heart sinking.
Of course, it was him.
Logistically speaking, it made sense.
They were always together, always on the same wavelength. Aside from being a scatterbrain, he does get things done and a lot of people rely on him.
“I’m sure he’s into you,” Dan Heng murmured, eyes downcast as he looked away and returned to his book…completely unaware that March’s eyes were still on him.
“When do you think is the right time to tell him?” March asked, breaking the silence.
“Tell him what?”
“My feelings.”
“...”
Damn it, the Aeons were really testing him.
Dan Heng closed his eyes, fighting off the urge to just drop everything, walk back to his room, and just sleep for the rest of the day. Or better yet, pretend that he hadn’t heard her at all.
...No, I can’t do that. She’s sharing something personal with me. I can’t push her away.
And this is March of all people.
She needed him.
Still, of all the questions she could’ve asked, why did it have to be about love?
Why ask someone whose only experience is heartbreak?
But again, this was March.
And so, just this once (and surely not the last time), he surrenders to her.
“For starters, make sure the two of you are alone.”
March nodded, face still deep red.
She gets off her chair and joins him on the floor, scooting a bit closer to him to try and listen to him.
Dan Heng took notice of this and gulped.
Putting his book to the side, he decides to give her the same attention.
“What’s next?”
“Set the mood.”
March crinkled her nose. “What do you mean by that?” Her voice is softer now, her face getting closer.
“Not sure.” He admits, shrugging the implication off. When he felt her intense gaze still on him, he cleared his throat, careful not to get hypnotized by her beautiful eyes. “Maybe...try something like lowering the lights if you two are in the same room?”
On cue, the lights inside March’s room started to dim.
Startled, Dan Heng looked around. What’s going on?
“What’s next?”
Hearing her, Dan Heng turned back.
Now March was dangerously close to him, merely inches apart from where he was sitting. On her hand was her book and the other...it was the remote controlling the lights in her room.
Oh.
Oh.
“...March?”
“Yes?”
“This person you’re in love with...” Dan Heng starts, blushing. “Do I know him?”
March blinked, then puts on a smile. “I’d like to think so.”
From her hint alone, Dan Heng’s heart raced. It’s not Caelus, then. This person she likes, could it be—
“I’m sorry it took so long for him to figure it out.”
“That’s okay,” March said, scooting closer and closer. Now she was really invading his personal space but at this point, Dan Heng didn’t care anymore.
Because...
Right now, it’s just him and her.
Alone in her room.
Dan Heng leaned in, eyes half-closed. His heart was thrashing wildly against his chest. “Can you ever forgive him?”
March giggled as she felt his forehead lightly hit hers. Looking up, she was met with his clear and cool teal eyes. “I suppose one more chance couldn’t hurt.” She replied, voice turning into a whisper.
As the room became shrouded in darkness, the interstellar lights from the window magically came into view.
Neither Dan Heng nor March cared one bit as their focus centered on each other’s orbit, simply staring. Their steady breathing mingled, highlighting their close proximity.
March was the first to move, her lips lightly brushing along his.
Feeling it, Dan Heng sighed. Tilting his head, he moved to recapture hers, eyes slowly closing as the tips of their noses touched…
And finally—finally, it happened.
.
.
.
“Say, Dan Heng?”
“Hmm?”
“Will you still love me even after we find out who I really am?”
“You did the same for me, didn’t you?” Dan Heng reminds her, not missing a beat.
March flashed him a smile. “Yeah, but I mean...what if I turned out to be a fish?”
Dan Heng frowned, casting her a weird look. “If you’re a fish, I’ll still love you.”
March beamed. “Yeah? Would it still matter if my true form is a worm?”
Shaking his head, Dan Heng sighed. “Fish, worm, snake, dragon, Stellaron hunter, bounty hunter—I will always love you.” He declared to her directly and truthfully.
March squealed, throwing her head on his lap, and laughed hysterically.
To anyone’s eyes, she would’ve looked completely crazy.
But for Dan Heng, such a sight made his heart melt. Maybe I’m the one crazy for loving her. He wondered, eyes softening.
“Do you really mean that?” asked March again, grinning. “Will you really love me in any form?”
Now it was his turn to smile. Dan Heng brought her closer, enclosing his hands with hers. “You know, if you’re still not convinced…” He began, eyes half-closed and leaning in. “I’ll just have to show it to you.”