Work Text:
“For me, it’s still the autumn leaves
These ancient canopies
That we used to lay beneath
No, by now
The night belongs to you
This bough has broken through
I must be someone new.”
- Sleep Token (Euclid)
Dan Heng let a small smile curl his lips as March excitedly showed Stelle the photo she had just snapped of him while Welt shook his head fondly behind them. The sunset in Scalegorge Waterscape painted the abandoned Vidyadhara ruins in vibrant shades of pink and orange, bathing the Astral Express crew in a soft glow that felt warm against his human form’s skin. He couldn’t help but glance back at his previous life’s statue, his shoulders feeling light for the first time since his rebirth in the dark confines of the Shackling Prison hundreds of years ago. The war inside his heart and his mind had finally ceased, and as he took a deep breath of the crisp, sea-salted air surrounded by his friends, his found family that loved and accepted him despite his burden and his closed off heart, he felt truly at peace and content with himself.
Dan Feng was an undeniable part of him and he would no longer run from the past, but they were still different. Dan Heng was his own person, and he would continue to blaze his own individual path into the future free from the shackles of the past.
He suddenly felt two people latch onto each of his arms, startling him out of his inner musings once again.
“Come on Dan Heng, quit spacing out!” March complained loudly, shaking his arm dramatically. Stelle snickered at her antics, before smiling at him playfully. He felt immense relief that she was still treating him the same despite everything that had transpired with Phantylia and the Legion.
“Unlike some people, I was taking a moment to think,” he quipped back easily, the corner of his mouth curling up subtly as he fell back into their typical and strangely comforting banter. Stelle whistled lowly as March gasped in offence.
“Whoa whoa whoa, just because you parted the sea with your super secret powers doesn’t mean you get to be extra sassy, mister,” March scolded, both hands on her hips.
“Guess you were right about him having hidden powers,” Stelle commented thoughtfully, causing the pink-haired woman to stick her nose in the air haughtily. Dan Heng bit back a smile at her usual antics.
“Of course I was right,” March proclaimed with a smug grin, Stelle applauding her sarcastically.
“Dan Heng, I have to know,” the Stellaron vessel began seriously, pointing at him for emphasis. He braced himself for the inevitable questions about his past.
“Why is your Vidyadhara outfit so slutty?”
Dan Heng wished he could throw himself into his homeland’s waters.
“Yeah Dan Heng!” March exclaimed enthusiastically, her and Stelle scrutinizing him in a way that made him feel very exposed despite his human form. “Who are you trying to woo on the Xianzhou? I’m the best wingwoman, you should’ve told us!”
“Please explain the boob window,” Stelle added seriously. “And the open back. And the slutty shoulder.”
“What does ‘slutty’ mean?” Welt asked reluctantly, adjusting his glasses and squinting at the three of them. Dan Heng let out a put-upon sigh, rubbing his temple.
“It’s like… scandalous,” Stelle tried to explain, March nodding along excitedly. “But no hate to our Dan Heng, it was a slay.” She gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, Welt mumbling to himself in the background about kids and their baffling slang.
“We should take some photos with you in your Vidyadhara form!” March proclaimed, hitting her fist into her hand. “Only if you’re comfortable though.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Dan Heng conceded, eyes flitting back to the high elder statue. “There’s still something I’d like to do.”
Despite having access (though limited) to Dan Feng’s memories and no longer resisting the previous high elder, there were still many questions he didn’t have the answers to regarding the past. The one that bothered him the most was what Blade’s connection to Dan Feng was, as there wasn’t even a glimpse of the beastly-eyed man in his past life’s memories that had returned to him. Blade clearly had history with his past self and seemed to believe Dan Feng had wronged him in some way, but even with the immortal Stellaron Hunter having chased him across the universe for centuries to make him “pay the price for his sin”, Dan Heng still had no idea why.
After leaving the Vidyadhara ruins for the day and returning to the hotel they were staying at in Cloudford, Dan Heng bid goodnight to his companions and determinedly made his way to a certain fluffy-haired general.
Jing Yuan was still recovering from the fight with Phantylia under the current High Elder’s care. He was standing by the window of the room he was currently staying in at the Alchemy Commission’s infirmary, seemingly cooing at a tiny bird that was perched on his bandaged shoulder. At Dan Heng’s entry, his expression seemed to brighten, turning to face him and the bird disappearing into Jing Yuan’s fluffy white hair or thin air, Dan Heng did not know.
“Dan Heng, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Jing Yuan asked sunnily. His expression was serene as usual, but his golden eyes held a hint of concern at the serious air surrounding the Vidyadhara. Dan Heng took a deep breath before speaking.
“I remember more of what transpired in the past before Dan Feng’s sentence, but there is something that I still don’t understand,” he began to explain, deciding to just cut to the chase. “General, who is Blade and what does he have to do with my past life?”
Grief settled over Jing Yuan’s normally laidback expression like a dark cloud, filling Dan Heng with anxiety and dread.
“You know. Please, I want to understand,” he pleaded.
Jing Yuan sighed heavily gazing off somewhere far in the past before pinning the Nameless with his serious gaze. A feeling of foreboding slowly began to fill Dan Heng’s body like lead, and so mentally he steeled himself. No more running, he told himself sternly. No matter how much his mind seemed to know instinctively that the information he sought would devastate the precarious balance he had finally created within himself.
“I’m surprised you haven’t connected the dots yet. If you retained any of Dan Feng’s memories of the High Cloud Quintet, surely you remember the short-life species member that was amongst us. That arrogant craftsman, known to most as the Furnace Master, Yingxing.”
At that familiar name, memories of a middle-aged man with long, silvery white hair flooded his mind. The craftsman had had a toothy grin and kind eyes that were a captivating violet, calloused hands that passionately forged beautiful weapons day and night, crow’s feet and smile lines that gave away his fleeting mortality, and a boisterous laugh that still caused warmth to blossom in Dan Heng’s chest even in the present. From just his first few memories featuring the short-life species, it was blatantly obvious that Dan Feng had cherished Yingxing above all others. He had loved him dearly.
The memories of Yingxing that returned in his dreams always left Dan Heng feeling a messy array of emotions. Exchanging secret vows and drinking wine under the moonlight, sparring with a familiar spear made specially for him, patching the other man up and fingers lingering on freshly-bandaged skin, sneaking into Scalegorge Waterscape with hearts racing and playful banter exchanged, secret smiles and soft eyes that betrayed their deep affection for one another… Dan Heng always awoke with a gentle warmth filling his heart and feeling so unconditionally loved, but it was quickly followed by loneliness and grief knowing that Yingxing was no longer by his side.
“Yingxing,” Dan Heng murmured the name with utmost care, eyebrows furrowing as he refocused on the General in front of him. “What about him?”
“Do you remember how he died?” Jing Yuan asked quietly. Dan Heng swallowed the lump that caused in his throat. He knew that Yingxing was no longer alive, but it still caused his entire soul to ache fiercely with grief for this man that he hadn’t even had the privilege to know in this new life.
“It’s… blurry,” Dan Heng admitted. “I only remember fragments surrounding Dan Feng’s sedition, but from what I can piece together it seems that he died protecting him.” A strange itch seemed to form at the back of the Vidyadhara’s brain, like a thought fighting desperately to be recognized. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, the colour draining from his face as he stared helplessly at Jing Yuan’s solemn expression.
“Wait,” he choked out desperately, his traitorous brain scrambling to claw past his walls of denial to finally make the connection that he had refused to acknowledge in any capacity for all this time. He thought of Yingxing, an arrogant yet kind man that had added colour to Dan Feng’s dull existence and loved his previous incarnation fiercely, and he thought of Blade, the man with beastly eyes and a sinister grin that chased him across the galaxy in an endless hunt to snuff out his life. His eyes burned.
“Dan Feng could not accept Yingxing’s death and committed the ultimate sin. Blade is – or rather, was – Yingxing,” Jing Yuan told him gravely, confirming the worst. Dan Heng felt like the room was spinning, unable to swallow the cold truth.
“No,” he denied shakily, even though he knew without a doubt that it was true.
“After Dan Feng was incarcerated, Yingxing’s body disappeared. The next time he was seen again, he had become Blade.”
“What happened to him?” Dan Heng asked urgently, struggling to match the kind man from his past to the terrifying man that now hunted him. “He shouldn’t have become mara-stricken so quickly.”
“I don’t know,” Jing Yuan replied solemnly, a troubled crease in his brow. Dan Heng couldn’t tell if he had a suspicion to what transpired and refused to elaborate or if he genuinely had no inkling of what caused Blade to succumb to the mara so fast. Either way, he feared the answer. Anything that sped up the mara couldn’t be any less than horrible.
“So I bear responsibility for his current state,” Dan Heng murmured, every word he spoke feeling unbearably heavy on his tongue. “That is the reason for his hatred, and the cause for which he has been hunting me all this time since my exile.”
Jing Yuan let out a deep sigh.
“I don’t agree with Dan Feng’s actions, however my old friend loved Yingxing more than anything in this universe. Mara eats away one’s memories until all that remains is whatever is most painful, memories with the strongest negative emotions. It distorts the truth. I doubt that Blade remembers any of the good times with his former fiancé or the other members of the High Cloud Quintet in his current state.”
“I can’t undo what my previous incarnation did, but now that I know the truth, I can’t do nothing.”
“Dan Heng,” Jing Yuan began gravely. “Just as you are no longer Dan Feng, Blade is no longer Yingxing. Please keep this in mind.”
Dan Heng took a deep breath to steady himself, the air feeling like it was quivering in his lungs.
“I know,” he acknowledged tiredly, unable to suppress the pang of sorrow for his past life’s lover turned enemy. “Thank you, Jing Yuan.”
The General of the Luofu smiled sunnily at the use of his name instead of his title, golden eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Anytime,” Jing Yuan responded kindly. “Should you need anything else or if you’d like to humour an old friend with a game of starchess, you know where to find me.”
.-.
Himeko was less than thrilled when Dan Heng sought her out later about getting into contact with Kafka as she is whenever the magenta-haired hunter is involved, but still conceded to sharing her phone number, trusting that Dan Heng would be cautious when interacting with her. Dan Heng didn’t ask why Himeko had her contact info saved – that was none of his business.
Dan Heng: Kafka
It hadn’t even been five seconds before three dots popped up to show that the other person was typing, and before Dan Heng could say anything else or elaborate, he received a response.
Kafka: Ah, right on time just as Elio had predicted. ;) What can I do for you, Dan Heng?
Dan Heng suppressed his discomfort at her immediately knowing who was texting her.
Dan Heng: You’re still aboard the Luofu, correct?
Kafka: Hmm let me guess, you want some one-on-one time with Bladie? That can be arranged. ;)
He could practically hear the woman’s condescending drawl, and the winky faces only made it worse. Dan Heng typed out his response already irritated with this entire interaction, ears burning at her less-than-subtle implications that he resolutely chose to ignore.
Dan Heng: If he is willing, I’d like to meet near the statue at Scalegorge Waterscape to… discuss some things.
Surprisingly Kafka didn’t respond right away this time, their chat suddenly stagnant and no dots present to indicate that she was typing out a response. Dan Heng assumed she was relaying this information to the man in question – the realization of that caused him to tense in anxious anticipation. Would Blade even be willing to speak to him? Suddenly, three dots appeared again on the screen. Dan Heng held his breath.
Kafka: Very well. Be there at midnight tonight, and don’t be late.
Dan Heng let out a shaky sigh, relieved that he was being given the opportunity to make things right with the man that he had wronged so thoroughly in the past, but also terrified at how things could play out. Before his thoughts could spiral out of control, he noticed that Kafka was still typing.
Kafka: And don’t worry, Bladie would never pass up the opportunity to see his precious little dragon. ;)
Dan Heng tossed his phone onto his mattress and groaned out loud in exasperation.
.-.
Dan Heng gazed at the moon, thoughts wandering through the memories that had returned to him from Dan Feng’s life. It never failed to remind him of a certain craftsman and their routine nightly escapades drinking rice wine side by side as maple leaves cascaded gently around them. In particular, the night Yingxing and Dan Feng exchanged cups and secret vows was a memory he held most dear. If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel Yingxing’s kiss from that night, taste his lips that were sweet from the wine and the adoring smile pressed against his own as they proclaimed their love for one another between intimate caresses again and again. Vidyadhara did not retain connections to past loved ones after going through rebirth even if they had held onto tokens to help them remember, but for some reason Dan Heng had always felt a strong connection to Yingxing.
He had wanted nothing to do with his past life, but no matter how much he wished to sever all ties to Dan Feng, he could never bring himself to part with Cloud Piercer, the bracer still secured around his forearm, or the jade pendant he found adorning his person. From his time in the Shackling Prison up until he finally found a home on the Astral Express, these items were the only things that brought him comfort. Even before awakening his first memories of Yingxing, Dan Heng had longed desperately for the person that crafted his weapon. And that yearning only grew as the memories returned to him slowly in dreams. He often had to remind himself that the person that Yingxing loved was not him, lest the lines between himself and the past become blurred.
He was startled back to reality by a very familiar sword pressed threateningly to his throat, and he forced himself to resist the urge to swallow in fear so that the tip wouldn’t pierce his unblemished skin. He could feel the weight of Blade’s fiery gaze boring into him, causing him to suppress a shiver.
“You came,” Dan Heng breathed out in acknowledgment.
“Have you finally stopped running from your sins, Imbibitor Lunae?”
Dan Heng bit back his usual retort of I’m not him and inhaled carefully.
“I just want to talk.”
“Then speak,” Blade practically growled at him, the tip of his weapon pressing uncomfortably against his Adam’s apple.
“That’s quite a difficult task to accomplish with a sword to my throat,” Dan Heng replied sharply with some of his usual sass. Blade huffed in a way that was almost petulant, but reluctantly complied, tucking his cracked sword out of sight. Dan Heng noted that the usual golden glow wasn’t present on his weapon tonight, and Blade himself seemed slightly more subdued despite his less-than-friendly greeting. The Stellaron Hunter took a tentative seat near the Vidyadhara, still leaving a few feet of space in between them. Dan Heng breathed in shakily, unable to take his eyes off the other now that he finally had more pieces of the puzzle in what was a complicated and tragic shared history.
“I didn’t come here to fight you. I remember more of the past,” he began with a heavy heart, Blade’s unnerving crimson eyes boring into him. “Many details are still blurry, but I have a better understanding of the events that led us to where we are now.”
“You understand nothing,” the hunter seethed stubbornly, glancing away from him.
“Yingxing,” Dan Heng blurted out as if the name had been ripped from his very soul. Furious red eyes snapped back to him instantly. “That was your name before you became Blade.” A bandaged hand was suddenly wrapped around his throat squeezing threateningly, Blade having moved faster than Dan Heng could even process. He winced as those fingers dug into his neck, pulse thumping wildly in his ears.
“Don’t you dare speak that name,” Blade hissed venomously, a dark glower colouring his handsome features. “That person is dead, and this wretched body is just his leftover husk that you created.” Dan Heng used both hands to pry at the other man’s wrist to try to get him to loosen his grip, enough to at least be able to speak. Blade refused to budge, but to the Vidyadhara’s surprise some of the pressure around his throat lessened.
“I didn’t know,” he emphasized with sincerity, eyes betraying the grief he felt at the truth. “I’m not him, Blade.”
The hunter’s bloodthirsty glare didn’t lessen in its intensity, but something that Dan Heng couldn’t identify seemed to flicker in those crimson irises, so he took a shaky breath and continued.
“Dan Feng was sentenced to moulting rebirth as punishment for his crimes. He died in the Shackling Prison, and I was born in it. I will no longer deny the past or that he is a part of me, but the price has already been paid.”
Silence settled over them like a thin sheet of ice on the verge of shattering as Blade processed those words.
“Tell me why,” Blade finally demanded lowly. “Why did he turn me into this?”
Dan Heng forced himself to keep eye contact despite the grief it caused as now he could see the despair lingering on the edges of the other man’s insanity and rage. It was painful to know that the broken man in front of him was the same man that had once shone brighter than the sun in his past memories, the same man that had once laughed so boisterously and loved so fiercely.
“What do you remember?” He decided to ask first, carefully.
“Only fragments remain of the memories that belonged to the man called Yingxing; the mara has eaten away or distorted most of it,” Blade began with a furrow in his brow. “But I could never forget that face or your cold eyes. I remember that you were the one that bestowed on me my immortality and condemned me to this endless cycle of suffering, robbing me of eternal rest.”
“He loved you,” Dan Heng blurted out in a pained whisper. “When you were on the verge of death, he couldn’t let you go.”
Blade went eerily silent, like his entire world had been tilted on its axis then barked out a maniacal laugh. The sound was heart-wrenching and made Dan Heng’s chest ache fiercely.
“Because he loved me,” Blade repeated in hysterical disbelief, gripping at his navy bangs with a shaking hand. “You say that he turned his beloved into a monstrosity that can never know peace in an act of love?” He let out another harsh, humourless laugh, something even more broken in his deranged expression.
“What a cruel joke, Imbibitor Lunae.”
Dan Heng had always thought of Blade as a cold-blooded monster throughout their deadly game of cat and mouse across the galaxy, but even though he was not Dan Feng, right then at that moment looking into Blade’s carmine eyes that seemed to have dulled from the new knowledge and practically being able to feel the other man’s desperate desire to rest permanently, he felt like the monster.
“I can’t undo what he did to you, but I want to break this cycle of resentment and tragedy,” Dan Heng admitted earnestly. “I don’t wish to fight you anymore.”
“There is still a price to be paid, you and I must atone for our sins,” Blade insisted stubbornly like a broken record, though his words sounded resigned.
“Blade, look at all that has transpired – we have already paid the price and continue to do so. Haven’t we suffered enough?”
Before Blade could argue, Dan Heng urgently pressed on to make his intentions clear.
“I’m not suggesting that we forget the past or ignore it altogether. We may be faint shadows of two people who no longer exist, and whether we like it or not, they are unchangeable parts of our identities, but we must learn from all of our combined mistakes and move forward.”
Blade gazed at him for a long moment, processing his words. The tension between them was stifling, Dan Heng practically holding his breath as he waited for Blade to say something.
“You really are so different from him,” Blade finally commented tiredly, hand absentmindedly lingering on the shorter male’s neck. Dan Heng blinked at him in shock, so used to having to emphasize that he was his own person separate from Dan Feng. “It sounds like you are suggesting we reconcile.”
“I am,” he replied with conviction.
“You make it sound so simple,” Blade muttered bitterly, before his expression and voice seemed to soften imperceptibly. “I… didn’t expect this.”
“I don’t hate you, Blade,” Dan Heng murmured sincerely, cautiously placing his hand over the other man’s still resting at his neck. He did his best to quell his shaking fingers. “For a long time, I did, or at least I thought I did. You were a stranger viciously hunting me down for something that I had no knowledge of, destroying any sliver of safety or reprieve I could find for myself after being exiled. But now that I have more of the puzzle pieces pertaining to our shared past, I simply can’t. I don’t know if this sentiment is Dan Feng’s lingering affections for Yingxing, or maybe it’s pity, but regardless it is how I feel. We are mere echoes of our past selves, and perhaps we are cursed to bear their mistakes for eternity. But if you wish, I will accompany you to the end.”
Blade gazed deeply into Dan Heng’s eyes in astonishment as those fateful words settled over him, the moon’s shadow painting his dark hair in a familiar silver. Deep inside the broken husk of a man where a heart that barely resembled one, that wasn’t even his, that beat unnaturally and against his will, he felt something begin to heal. It would take time, eternity even, for all of his grievances for the past to be soothed, but they had forever as was the curse of immortality, and now that he was no longer bearing the curse on his own, for the first time this sentiment brought him a sense of peace.
“Very well… Dan Heng.”
“If you’d like, perhaps I could share some of the good memories that have returned to me pertaining to Yingxing, Dan Feng, and the rest of the High Cloud Quintet,” Dan Heng hurriedly continued, suddenly feeling shy with their vulnerabilities so openly on display.
“I think I would like that, but on one condition.” Blade paused to finally let go of the other male, adjusting the bandages on his hand. “Alongside those bygone memories, I would like to learn about you.”
“M-Me?”
“You are not him; you are Dan Heng. The person I wished to hold accountable is no longer here. Even with this monstrous body that cannot die, I am tired of chasing a ghost. If you are agreeable, I would like to know the person you are now, separate from the man that loved and betrayed me in the past.”
Dan Heng blushed despite himself, having not expected this turn of events at all. It was welcome, though, and it gave him hope that they could salvage something from the ashes of their past.
“Will you allow me to learn about you as well?” He asked tentatively. Blade averted his eyes, reluctance, and a frightening sense of foreboding in his suddenly dark expression. Dan Heng suddenly and bizarrely wished that they were still touching so that he could squeeze his hand to keep him grounded. “Please, allow me to share your burden.”
Blade closed his eyes as if he was in pain for a moment, breathing in deeply through his nose. When he opened his eyes again his demeanour had calmed.
“If you wish.” He paused, seeming to hesitate on what he wanted to say next, Dan Heng waiting patiently for him to continue speaking.
“Does this mean that you have finally stopped running?” Blade finally asked.
“Yes,” Dan Heng answered sincerely, stiffening in alarm as Blade slumped forward unexpectedly to rest his forehead on the shorter man’s shoulder like a puppet with its strings cut. He closed his eyes, heavy with exhaustion, letting centuries of accumulated tension bleed out from his broad shoulders now that the chase was finally over.
“That’s all I ever wanted,” Blade admitted quietly.
With the promise to start anew, the two decided to meet again the next night at the same spot before Blade quietly slipped into the shadows, leaving Dan Heng alone with a swirling mess of thoughts and emotions. He made it back to the hotel the crew was currently staying at in a daze and was immensely relieved that March and Stelle were already fast asleep in their room for the night. As much as he loved them, he really wouldn’t be able to handle their inevitable pestering right now. But before he could retire to his own room for the night, he noticed a familiar head of curly red hair in the corner of his vision, and he turned around to see Himeko sipping calmly at one of her ghastly coffee concoctions. She smiled gently at him.
“How did it go?” She asked warmly. Something about her almost motherly nature and everything that had transpired that night seemed to catch up to him in that moment, and suddenly there was a prickling sensation in the back of his eyes and throat.
“Good,” he responded shakily, alarmed as his vision began to blur with tears. He blinked rapidly to try to dissipate them, but they stubbornly spilled down his cheeks, smudging his red eyeliner in the process. He scrubbed roughly at his face with his sleeve in embarrassment. “Better than I anticipated.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Himeko responded sincerely, thankfully not bringing attention to his tears. Her golden eyes were filled with genuine care as she gazed at him, causing him to swallow thickly with emotion.
“You’ve come a long way, Dan Heng. I’m so proud of you.”
He bit his lip as a fresh wave of tears nearly blinded him, clearing his throat awkwardly and averting his flustered gaze.
“Thank you, Himeko,” Dan Heng managed to choke out.
“Rest well tonight, I’ll make sure the girls don’t bother you first thing in the morning,” she promised with a twinkle of mirth in her eye. Dan Heng gave her a grateful, albeit wet, smile and bid her goodnight.
That night he didn’t dream of the past. He was in a familiar place from the past, a grand maple tree with bright red leaves cascading around him as he sat cross-legged on the ground gazing up at the moon, but he was himself. He had a tiny cup of sake in one hand, a half-empty bottle at his side. And instead of Yingxing settled beside him, it was Blade.
He was downing his own cup of sake, Adam’s apple bobbing attractively as he swallowed, Dan Heng frozen watching him. Sensing his gaze, Blade’s smouldering crimson eyes zeroed in on him as he wiped his mouth with the back of a bandaged hand. Without a word he refilled his cup, lips quirking up slightly in amusement at Dan Heng’s dumbfounded stare.
“To new beginnings,” he murmured lowly, clinking their cups together. Dan Heng blinked, his eyes softening as they took in Blade’s uncharacteristically playful expression under the moonlight and his lips curved into a tiny smile.
“To new beginnings,” he repeated softly, downing his cup in one go.
.-.
The following night found them in the same place in Scalegorge Waterscape, sitting near each other with a thermos of freshly brewed green tea that Dan Heng had brought with him under the moonlight. The air between them was slightly awkward now that the previous hostility was gone, and there was still a thick tension lingering. They were both men of few words, so Dan Heng was wracking his brain anxiously on what to say before Blade cleared his throat.
“Tell me about Yingxing and Dan Feng.”
And so Dan Heng did. He started from the beginning, stumbling through the memories he had retained of the two of them from the time they met and how they fell in love. Blade listened attentively to every word, his expression changing slightly throughout. Lips quirking up at the corner when Dan Heng mentioned Yingxing’s bold arrogance, or a deep chuckle at the trouble they got up to sneaking around to see each other. When Dan Heng got to the part where Dan Feng and Yingxing exchanged vows the night before everything went wrong, he suddenly had an idea.
“Blade, would you like to see this memory for yourself?” Blade eyed him warily, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
“Is that possible?” He asked hesitantly, Dan Heng carefully moving the half-empty thermos of tea and their cups out of the way so that he could be closer to the other man.
“I think so, but I’ve never actually tried it,” Dan Heng admitted sheepishly. “Will you allow me to try?”
Blade nodded, obediently closing his eyes when instructed to. Dan Heng took a deep breath, goosebumps erupting on his arms as he gently pressed their foreheads together and he closed his own eyes. He focused hard on the memory he was trying to share, pulling up from the well of Imbibitor Lunae’s seemingly bottomless power to allow Blade to see what he was seeing. He knew it had worked when he heard a sharp intake of breath from the other man.
They watched together as Yingxing and Dan Feng drank wine under the moonlight, maple leaves bright as they fluttered in the gentle night breeze. They watched as they laughed together, exchanging intimate caresses and intertwining their fingers, Yingxing’s smile bigger and brighter than the sun and Dan Feng’s normally cold azure eyes impossibly warm and fond as they gazed at the craftsman. They watched as they proclaimed their love to each other, murmuring private vows and drinking from each other’s cups and sealing their words with kisses that grew more and more passionate.
When the memory ended, Dan Heng opened his eyes and carefully severed their connection by moving his head back to a respectable distance. He glanced at Blade’s face and felt his heart freeze in his chest at the wetness on the other man’s cheeks, a bittersweet smile curving his mouth.
“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested –”
“Dan Heng,” Blade cut him off swiftly, causing the Vidyadhara to snap his jaw shut. The hunter sighed wistfully, scrubbing a hand roughly down his face and gazing out into the seawater and ruins without seeing anything. Dan Feng’s warm expression as he looked at Yingxing was etched permanently into the backs of his eyelids, and he was struggling to merge the image of the High Elder deeply in love with a mortal with the cold High Elder that turned him into a monstrosity.
“It’s fine,” Blade reassured Dan Heng quietly. “Is there more that you are willing to share?”
“Hmm, there is a memory that I return to often for comfort,” Dan Heng mused aloud. “It’s a simple memory of the High Cloud Quintet.”
“Show me.”
They pressed their foreheads back together and closed their eyes, an image of the High Cloud Quintet laughing together and drinking sake as they teased Yingxing and Dan Feng for their loss sparring against Jingliu flooding into Blade’s mind. Before the nostalgic smile could make its way to Dan Heng’s lips, Blade had ripped his forehead away as if burned.
“Blade?” He asked in alarm, immediately noticing the gold glowing brightly in Blade’s crimson irises with fury, his mara flaring up suddenly.
“Don’t show me her,” he growled out, placing a trembling hand on his forehead and breathing heavily, fighting the surge of bloodlust and agony coursing golden through his veins. Dan Heng wasn’t sure whether he was referring to Jingliu or Baiheng but realized that now was not the time to ask.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t – ” Dan Heng paused in the middle of his apology, an idea forming and he quickly changed tactics. “Wait, I might be able to help. I’m going to press our foreheads together again, just close your eyes and breathe, okay?”
Blade grunted in affirmation, his hands shaking noticeably as he squeezed his eyes shut. Dan Heng fought the strange urge to hold his hands to quell their shaking and pressed their foreheads back together. He conjured up a familiar maple tree in a secluded pavilion, the sun warming the pavement and the air soft and tranquil as leaves fluttered gently to the ground. This was his inner sanctuary, his safe place, somewhere private for him to meditate and calm his thoughts – a place he had never shared with anybody else. But in the moment, it was all he could think of to try to calm Blade’s mara.
“Just breathe with me,” he instructed softly, taking measured breaths in and out while Blade followed his example. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there simply breathing together, the only other sounds being the gentle breeze causing bright crimson leaves to swirl around their legs, but eventually Blade let out a deep sigh through his nose.
“What is this place?” He asked calmly, the dark aura of rage and bloodlust having finally dissipated from his person.
“My inner sanctuary,” Dan Heng explained, relief palpable in his voice that his split-second decision had worked. “I come here often to meditate and be alone with my thoughts.”
“Why does it feel… familiar to me?” Blade mused curiously, scrutinizing the tranquil scenery. Dan Heng cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I’m not surprised, as this is where Dan Feng and Yingxing often met in secret; the same place you just saw in memory,” he admitted quietly, cheeks suddenly uncomfortably warm. “I only realized this recently; for as long as I can remember I’ve always found comfort here despite not knowing where I had seen such a place.”
“Perhaps some things haven’t changed,” Blade murmured, feeling nostalgic and oddly at peace within this time capsule from the past. Dan Heng gave him a tentative smile.
“We can stay here for a little while longer, if you’d like,” he offered kindly, wondering if Blade understood just how generous Dan Heng was being with something that was so sacred and private to him. There was an irony in letting the man that had tried to kill him countless times into his sanctuary that he retreated to for safety and solitude. He felt Blade nod against him.
“Thank you,” Blade whispered, and something cautiously began to unfurl in Dan Heng’s chest as they basked in each other’s quiet presence, foreheads pressed intimately in a space that had always been for just the two of them.
.-.
The following night found Dan Heng opening up about himself and his life starting from the Shackling Prison to the present as the Astral Express’ archivist. Dan Heng had never spoken to anyone about his time in the Shackling Prison, but despite it being a difficult topic for him to speak about, he felt surprisingly comfortable sharing those bleak memories with Blade. The other man listened intently, even showing concern and anger at how Dan Heng was treated. It was liberating.
“My only source of comfort in that dark prison was Cloud Piercer, an old Vidyadhara bracer, and a jade pendant that Jing Yuan had held onto for me,” Dan Heng explained quietly, thumb rubbing absently at the bracer on his arm that thrummed with a comforting warmth. Blade’s expression seemed to become less severe at that, carmine eyes tracing the movement of Dan Heng’s thumb closely.
“Do you know the significance of those items?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“I did my research on the jade pendant. It seems that Vidyadhara and their lovers would exchange jade pendants to hold onto when they went through rebirth in the hopes that they would remember their lovers in the next life.” He ran a hand carefully over the carved jade dragon pendant on his belt, azure eyes wistful. “I can’t recall a memory of Dan Feng and Yingxing exchanging these, but I assume that is the reason I have this.”
“Huh, so that explains why I have one as well,” Blade murmured, gesturing to his own jade pendant that looked like the lower jaw of a dragon. “They complete each other.”
Dan Heng smiled softly as he glanced back and forth between the two matching pieces.
“What’s strange is that the tradition has never actually worked before; once a Vidyadhara goes through rebirth, they forget everything from their previous life.” He paused, gazing meaningfully at Blade. “However, even after rebirth, I have always felt a strong connection to Yingxing, to you.”
They gazed at each other for a long moment, neither one of them breaking eye contact or the weighted silence between them.
“That bracer,” Blade finally commented, cutting through the thick unnameable tension surrounding them swiftly. “Are you aware of how it works?”
Dan Heng’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“What do you mean?” He asked curiously. “I don’t have a memory of it either.”
“They were made by Dan Feng,” Blade explained patiently. “I have the matching bracer.” He lifted up his sleeve to reveal the same worn leather that adorned Dan Heng’s forearm, Dan Heng’s eyes widening in shock. “It’s how I’ve always been able to find you.”
“How?” Dan Heng demanded, causing Blade to chuckle slightly.
“Didn’t you do your research on these as well?” he teased. Dan Heng huffed, a pout forming on his lips.
“All I could find was that these bracers were usually made as gifts by the Vidyadhara to people that were considered kin.”
“That’s true, however their main purpose was to be able to feel the matching pair’s presence and communicate telepathically,” Blade elaborated, adjusting his sleeve back to its original position and hiding away his bracer once more. “I can feel you, and that is how I am able to find you.”
The wheels in Dan Heng’s head were turning; it made a lot more sense now why Blade was able to find him every time so easily and so quickly. It also meant that the warmth constantly emanating from his bracer was Blade himself. A horrible realization suddenly crossed his mind.
“Wait, does that mean that the times my bracer went cold…”
“I died,” Blade finished matter-o-factly.
Suddenly every time Dan Heng’s bracer had gone ice cold after a run-in with Blade made so much sense. The knowledge made Dan Heng feel sick to his stomach, now knowing that that horrible feeling of that ever-present warmth that he found so comforting dissipating was because he himself had snuffed it out was a hard pill to swallow. His expression must’ve been wretched, because Blade suddenly lifted his chin with a steady hand, startling him out of his spiralling thoughts.
“Dan Heng,” he called firmly, waiting till the other met his blazing crimson eyes. “As you said, the past is the past.”
Dan Heng was suddenly reminded of his nights in the Shackling Prison; freezing cold, pitch-black, and incredibly lonely, curling up around the bracer’s warmth and clinging to it like a lifeline, his silent tears soaking into the worn leather and its warmth eventually soothing him and lulling him to sleep. To think that all that time he was finding comfort in Blade’s existence.
“It was you,” Dan Heng whispered in disbelief, Blade blinking at him like a confused cat. “Your warmth was the only thing that gave me comfort in that place.” Tentatively, he touched Blade’s bandaged fingers that were still lingering on his chin. “Blade, thank you.”
The Stellaron Hunter’s eyes widened in shock at his gratitude, before glancing away as if shy.
“Don’t thank me,” he grumbled out, retracting his hand quickly. Dan Heng couldn’t prevent the corners of his lips from lifting sweetly before he tactfully changed the subject.
“It was you that made Cloud Piercer, right?”
Blade nodded, though his expression looked slightly conflicted.
“Yingxing did. May I see it?”
Without answering, Dan Heng instantly summoned Cloud Piercer and gently pressed it into Blade’s hands in a significant gesture of trust.
“You seem to take very good care of it,” Blade murmured seemingly absently as he ran bandaged fingers along the blade’s edge, though his crimson eyes were uncharacteristically gentle. Dan Heng felt unbearably warm all of a sudden, nerves causing his heart to race uncomfortably in his chest.
“It’s very precious to me,” he admitted delicately, heartbeat echoing loudly in his ears as he caught the corner of Blade’s lips quirking up in a soft, fleeting smile.
Later that night, Welt came across Dan Heng polishing Cloud Piercer diligently, a private smile adorning his lips as he worked.
“I would assume that your nightly rendezvous with Blade are going well?” Welt asked knowingly, a gentle smile on his face. Dan Heng ducked his head bashfully, but his azure eyes remained soft.
“Yes, better than I expected at least,” he admitted with a quiet chuckle.
“You seem lighter, like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders,” Welt commented thoughtfully, crossing his arms. His brown eyes were warm. “I’m happy for you, Dan Heng.”
Dan Heng gave the older man a grateful smile, chest overflowing with affection for his Astral Express family and their unwavering love and support.
“Thank you, Mr. Yang.”
“Just remember to stay safe,” Welt continued, Dan Heng biting his lip to stave off his amusement at the man’s fatherly nagging. “Trust your intuition.”
And maybe it was strange, but Dan Heng’s intuition was telling him to stay by Blade’s side, that the Hunter was just as safe and precious as each of the current members of the Astral Express were to him.
.-.
The next night, Dan Heng finally learned why Blade had such a violent reaction to seeing Jingliu in that memory.
“I looked for you as soon as I woke up, but Jingliu found me first,” Blade began darkly. “Perhaps Yingxing was still alive at that point, but she tortured him until all that remained was me.” He pulled out his shard sword, the very one he had crafted for her as a gift so many centuries ago and twirled it idly.
“She plunged this sword into my body repeatedly until all I knew was suffering and the mara coursing through my veins, driving me to insanity. She killed me thousands of times over, carving the feeling of death into my torn flesh so that I would bring death to three of five people, until Blade was born.”
Dan Heng stared at him in numb horror, forcing himself to swallow the sudden bile climbing up his throat. Jingliu had been their dear friend, and besides Yingxing, was the person Dan Feng had been closest to and trusted the most. He remembered her reserved but fond smile from the handful of memories he had retained with the High Cloud Quintet from back then and felt sick to his stomach. Quiet rage at Blade’s torture caused him to see red, his fingers trembling in fury. How dare she, he thought murderously, the line between himself and Dan Feng briefly blurring. I’ll kill her. But the grief at what had transpired still managed to eclipse the rage, knowing now just how much suffering it had taken to kill Yingxing and birth Blade.
“Seeing her causes the mara to flare up,” Blade explained needlessly, Dan Heng snapping back to attention. He forced himself to inhale shakily, straining to keep his composure and just listen. He owed Blade at least that much; he could fall apart over this devastating information in private later. “I wandered for a long time after, still searching for you and satisfying the mara’s bloodlust aimlessly, until Kafka found me and took me in.”
“The Stellaron Hunters helped me, and Elio has promised me the permanent death I seek once our objectives have been reached.” Blade’s lips stretched into a familiar half-crazed grin. “A funeral, for the both of us.”
Dan Heng suppressed a sigh; only Blade could look so excited about the prospect of a joint funeral.
“Very well,” he replied with quiet conviction, before swiftly changing the subject. “What is your relationship like with the other Stellaron Hunters?”
“Why, are you jealous?” Blade teased with an infuriating smirk. Dan Heng simply gave him his most deadpan stare, as if to say read the room.
“Hmmm, perhaps my relationship with them is similar to yours with the Astral Express – it’s almost, familial,” Blade mused aloud, a slight quirk to his lips.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Dan Heng replied sincerely, having assumed that the Stellaron Hunters were nothing more than coworkers that would stab each other in the back given the chance. It was a relief to know that Blade was cared for and surrounded by people that he would consider family regardless of their dangerous identities. Perhaps he was slightly jealous of them; he hoped that with time he could become someone that Blade cherished. The errant wish startled him in its sincerity.
The rest of their evening had a lighter tone as Blade told Dan Heng about a few of his missions with the Stellaron Hunters. Dan Heng found himself completely enraptured as he listened to Blade talk about the different places he had been and the wild shenanigans that followed. He found himself biting back a smile any time Blade mentioned Silver Wolf, endeared by the way he talked about her like a little sister. Even so, the knowledge of Blade’s torture sat uncomfortably heavy in his chest the entire night.
“Blade,” Dan Heng started gently before they parted ways for the night. The taller man looked at him expectantly, and he let out a careful breath.
“Thank you for sharing all of that with me,” he finished softly, Blade flashing him a small grin in response.
“Goodnight Dan Heng.”
.-.
Dan Heng managed to hold himself together all the way until he reached the door to his hotel room. Before he could even turn the handle and break down privately, he collapsed to his knees, physically unable to hold himself up any longer.
“She tortured him until all that remained was me.”
Dan Heng’s vision blurred, and he slapped a violently shaking hand over his mouth as he finally vomited. He hadn’t eaten that day, so all that came up was stomach acid. It burned his throat as he continued to wretch, his breathing coming in broken gasps and tears spilling over like a dam breaking.
Yingxing…
He thought of his past life’s lover awakening in confusion from his brush with death, diligently searching for his beloved and running into an old friend instead, and the horror when that friend instead of helping him, tortured him until he was no longer himself. She had even used the weapon Yingxing had so carefully crafted for her with his own hands as a gift to kill him thousands of times over.
Dan Heng suddenly remembered every time he had killed Blade during their centuries long chase, plunging Cloud Piercer, a precious gift that he had crafted to keep his lover safe, into his chest over and over. How he would then gently polish that same weapon later as if he hadn’t just used Blade’s own creation to kill him and leave him, like he hadn’t just used it to rip through his past lover’s insides. His body shook with unfettered sobs, guilt and grief causing him to squeeze his eyes shut. Blade had suffered so much, and all he had done was run. How cruel was he to leave Blade bleeding out on the floor time and time again when Dan Heng and his predecessor were responsible for his pain and his wretched existence in the first place? The crushing guilt of how he had only added to Blade’s suffering threatened to drown him. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t known, he had chosen to run and disregard everything remotely tied to his past and the truth for most of his long life. He had been so selfish, ignorant –
“Dan Heng?” A curious, high-pitched voice suddenly asked from behind, briefly cutting through Dan Heng’s spiralling. “What’re you – oh, oh my Aeons, are you okay?”
March and Stelle had just returned to their shared hotel after exploring Aurum Alley with a few of their Luofu friends that night. The easy smiles that had been on their faces slipped immediately into concern as soon as they noticed Dan Heng slumped over on the floor. They ran over to him, March crouching next to him when they realized that something was seriously wrong.
“Hey, hey, it’s me and Stelle, we’re here,” March spoke gently, doing her best to not let the quickly mounting panic show on her face or in her voice. She very tentatively placed a hand on Dan Heng’s trembling shoulder in the hopes to ground him. In all her time knowing him, this was the first time she had ever seen Dan Heng completely lose his composure and break down – it was terrifying. She looked helplessly up at Stelle who wore a solemn expression, pulling a towel from her pocket and leaning down to join them on the floor. She offered it to Dan Heng, waiting patiently as he slowly cracked his eyes open to acknowledge them. They were rimmed red and wet from his sobbing, that muted teal murky with despair and grief. He accepted the towel with a shaking hand, using it to awkwardly wipe his face and hands as he tried to regain control of his breathing.
“Let’s get you into your room, yeah?” Stelle suggested, nodding at March as they both helped haul Dan Heng up, steadying him when he swayed dizzily in place. They carefully maneuvered him into his room, carefully helping him to sit on his bed and settling on either side. Stelle pulled out a water bottle from seemingly nowhere and pressed it insistently into Dan Heng’s hands.
“Thank you,” he managed to croak out, taking small sips to soothe his burning throat. His eyes remained dull and unfocused, staring in a daze at his own hands. March rubbed his back in circular motions, both women gazing at him in worry.
“Of course, we’re always here for you, Dan Heng,” she reassured him softly, giving him a wobbly smile.
“You don’t have to tell us what happened if you don’t want to,” Stelle added, some of the tension visibly bleeding from Dan Heng’s shoulders. “But we’re here to listen and support you if you need it.”
Normally, Dan Heng would keep his thoughts and feelings close to his chest, but maybe it was something about how every member of the Astral Express openly cherished him, providing unwavering companionship and support even when his true identity was revealed and even now when he was reconciling with Blade, a man that they only knew as an incredibly dangerous Stellaron Hunter that haunted Dan Heng like a shadow. This time his lips parted without hesitation, and he shared his troubles with his companions – his deep-rooted connection to Blade, and the heart-wrenching information he had just become privy to. March and Stelle listened attentively to his guilt, carefully squeezing his shoulders when his emotions choked him up. It was terrifying being this vulnerable in front of others, but at the same time, the more he spoke, the more it felt like weight was being lifted from his shoulders.
“No wonder Blade could never leave you alone,” March commented somberly once Dan Heng finally ran out of words. She suddenly gave him a fierce stare. “But remember Dan Heng, Dan Feng isn’t you!”
“March is right,” Stelle chimed in, shooting her a small smile. “What happened isn’t your fault and besides, the past is the past. What matters is that you’re not running anymore; you’re doing your best to make things right.”
“But what if he can never forgive me?” Dan Heng asked shakily. “I can’t even forgive myself.”
“He will,” both girls said firmly in unison, gold and cotton candy eyes shining with conviction.
“If anything, he can at least see that you’re trying, and that’s more than enough after all you two have been through. You’re making progress,” Stelle told him confidently.
“Plus, you care about him a lot, huh?” March added softly with a gentle smile on her face. “It shows, and I bet he can see it, too. And from everything you told us, he definitely cares a lot about you, too.”
Dan Heng sniffed, his vision blurring once again with emotion. It still hurt, and there was still guilt burdening his heart, but he felt much lighter. His lips curled into a tiny, wet smile, gazing gratefully at his companions.
“Thank you, for listening and comforting me.”
“Awww, of course Dan Heng! Anything for our bestie!” March cooed, squeezing him in a bone-crushing hug. Stelle snickered at his plight before March yanked her in as well.
“Do you want us to stay or would you prefer to be alone?” she asked in a slightly muffled voice, her face being smushed into March’s bony shoulder.
“You both can stay,” Dan Heng whispered vulnerably.
March and Stelle curled around him from either side, resting their cheeks against the top of his head and their arms wrapping securely around him as they settled into his bed. It was a little suffocating, but as a Vidyadhara the extra warmth was welcomed, and he fell asleep feeling loved and cared for.
Unfortunately, that brief reprieve didn’t last long. That night, his memory of Yingxing’s death returned to him in the form of a vivid nightmare. He watched as Yingxing bled out in Dan Feng’s – no, his own arms, saw the light fade from those normally vibrant violet eyes. He felt Yingxing’s breaths come to a horrible stop, his own heart shattering into a million pieces as his beloved died protecting him. Felt the all-consuming rage and grief and insanity that caused him to commit the greatest sin on the Xianzhou.
The distress caused him to transform back to his Imbibitor Lunae form in his sleep, and he awoke with tears streaking his cheeks and chest heaving, March and Stelle having shaken him out of the nightmare and gazing at him in deep concern. This time, even their comforting companionship wasn’t enough to soothe him out of his despair, and he slipped away to Scalegorge Waterscape to wallow in his memories until Blade would arrive later.
.-.
As usual, the moon had just appeared in the darkened sky when Blade finally showed up to their usual meeting place.
“Blade, you’re here,” Dan Heng greeted in a voice that sounded strangely off. Blade’s crimson-gold eyes traced over familiar translucent horns and a serpentine tail, surprised to see the other man back in his true form, before taking in the wet sheen over pretty teal eyes that glowed wide with vulnerability, red eyeliner slightly smudged and cheeks splotchy and pink as if he had been crying. His fists clenched involuntarily, something dark and murderous swirling in his chest.
“What happened?” Blade demanded darkly, tone promising death to whoever had put his past lover in such a state. Dan Heng flinched slightly at the question, averting his gaze and Blade was startled at the surge of protectiveness overcoming him, faintly familiar and yet so foreign. He settled gingerly next to the trembling Vidyadhara, using bandaged fingers to tilt the other’s chin back to face him.
“Tell me,” Blade urged in a softer tone, Dan Heng taking a shaky breath and blinking back more tears that threatened to spill over. His beautiful face was pinched with grief.
“I dreamed again, of the past,” he admitted in a hushed voice, exhaling shakily. His long, cerulean dragon tail curled subconsciously around Blade’s waist, the other man’s eyes widening slightly at the closeness but thankfully choosing not to bring attention to it.
“It was a bad memory, huh,” Blade guessed, stating rather than asking. The draconic man nodded stiffly.
“I witnessed your – Yingxing’s death,” Dan Heng whispered brokenly. “I held yo – him in my arms, there was so much blood… I could feel you growing cold, slipping away from me. My beloved, my Yingxing, I – he couldn’t – I couldn’t let you die, I couldn’t lose you. Not you, never you.” His body was suddenly wracked with sobs and Blade couldn’t help but gather the distressed dragon into his arms, almost like his body was on autopilot.
“My selfish dragon,” Blade sighed, though not unkindly. Dan Heng buried his face in the hunter’s chest, tears soaking into his black and gold coat. Trembling hands grasped desperately at the intricate embroidery like a child, as if he didn’t hold tight enough, Blade would simply disappear.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped out, tail tightening around Blade’s waist in desperation. “I’m so sorry.”
“Dan Heng, have you not always insisted that you are not him?” Blade prodded the other sternly, stroking his teal-streaked hair with surprising tenderness with one hand while the other stayed curled around his back protectively. “It is too late to change what happened in the past. Even though it is a wretched curse that I so desperately desire freedom from, I am still here. Listen closely and you’ll be able to hear the heartbeat your predecessor gifted me.”
Dan Heng desperately pressed a pointed ear to Blade’s chest, eyes widening almost comically when the reassuring sound of his heartbeat washed over him.
“You’re here,” he whispered gratefully, saying the words out loud to comfort himself.
“I’m here,” Blade confirmed, arms tightening protectively around the vulnerable Vidyadhara. Dan Heng closed his eyes, timing his breaths with Blade’s heart beats to calm the raging storm of grief and anxiety inside him. The Stellaron hunter was impossibly warm, causing his baser instincts to want to curl as tightly as possible around him. His arms were strong but deceptively gentle, and Dan Heng was surprised at how safe and cared for he felt in the lap of a man that once hunted him relentlessly. It wasn’t long before his breaths began to even out, lulled to sleep by the living proof of his predecessor’s sin.
Blade took the opportunity to gaze down at the slumbering dragon in his arms undisturbed. He seemed so small and fragile like this, fingers clenched tightly in Blade’s jacket and his entire body curled as close to the other man as physically possible. Gingerly, Blade brushed a few errant strands of ebony and teal hair that were sticking to Dan Heng’s tear-stained face away. Crimson eyes took in the flush colouring his normally pale cheeks from his weeping, the smudged red eyeliner under those long lashes, and fixated on a pointed ear that twitched endearingly in slumber. Something warm and yearning seemed to unfurl in Blade’s chest at the sight, his arms unconsciously holding the Vidyadhara tighter. He allowed himself to be selfish and indulge in this rare peaceful moment where the mara wasn’t clawing incessantly at his mind. Blade simply closed his eyes and cradled Dan Heng who continued to sleep soundly in the hunter’s arms until the moon rose high into the sky.
Silently like a phantom in the night, Blade eventually brought Dan Heng back to the hotel he was staying at, careful not to jostle him awake as he stealthily navigated through the Luofu. He slipped in through the window and with a surprising amount of reluctance and care laid the sleeping dragon in his bed, tucking a blanket over him so that he wouldn’t be cold. Blade stared down at him for a long moment, expression vulnerable as he replayed the events of the evening in his mind. Before he could overthink it, he bent down low to press a lingering kiss to Dan Heng’s forehead, a bandaged hand gently caressing his cheek before pulling away.
“How is he?” A voice quietly stopped him in his tracks before he could disappear back into the night. Blade’s alert red eyes zeroed in on the Stellaron girl who was lingering in the doorway, putting a finger to his lips and pointing to the slumbering dragon. She nodded, moving out of the doorway and Blade followed her without a word, quietly closing the door behind them.
“He’s calmed down,” Blade explained in a hushed voice, crossing his arms. “He’ll feel better once he’s slept.”
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Stelle replied sincerely. “You guys always meet at Scalegorge Waterscape, right?” Blade raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yes, why is that relevant?”
“A change of scenery might do him some good,” Stelle continued thoughtfully, before she hit her fist into her other hand, a grin forming on her face that had Blade a little weary. “You should take him on a date!” she suggested excitedly, invisible dog tail wagging behind her. “That’ll definitely cheer him up.”
“A date? Hmmm,” Blade considered seriously.
“I’ve been fixing up Aurum Alley in my spare time,” Stelle explained enthusiastically. “I can talk to the other Stellaron Hunters and we could help plan something nice for you two.”
“That… would be appreciated,” Blade finally admitted, something gentle in his normally cold expression. Aeons, he was so smitten – Stelle couldn’t wait to text Silver Wolf.
.-.
Kafka: There’s been a change of plan for your nightly rendezvous~
Kafka: Meet Bladie outside Aurum Alley at dusk, and make sure to dress a little more incognito
Kafka: Enjoy your date ;)
.-.
Blade was waiting for him just outside the bustling alley just as Kafka had said. Instead of his usual get-up, he was dressed in a long black trench coat over a grey turtleneck, a matching black beanie over his long navy locks and a very unsubtle combination of dark sunglasses and a face mask to hide his identity. Dan Heng fought the urge to face palm, wondering how Blade managed to not get caught in such an obvious disguise. Blade seemed to perk up at the sight of him, Dan Heng biting back an amused smile as they entered the alley together.
The alley was bustling and lively, a far cry from the pathetic state it had been in before Stelle had entered the scene and helped revitalize the place. Dan Heng made a mental note to praise her for her hard work. Courier cranes flew gracefully between the dimly lit lanterns lighting a path through the alley, merchants shouted about their wares and storytellers captivated passersby with heroic tales of the Xianzhou, and upbeat music could be heard echoing through the streets. Dan Heng normally preferred to avoid highly populated places, but he could appreciate the sheer amount of effort that must’ve gone into bringing this place back to life. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, a nice change of pace from the somberness of the day prior.
“Have you eaten yet?” Blade asked attentively, drawing Dan Heng out of his mental musings. Dan Heng shook his head and Blade steered them to a nearby food stall selling an assortment of Luofu specialties and street food that he hadn’t heard of. He ended up going with a lotus cake and was surprised when Blade ordered himself a berry pheasant skewer.
“I didn’t realize you had a sweet tooth,” Dan Heng commented in surprise as Blade paid for their food and handed Dan Heng his fresh lotus cake. Blade grunted in acknowledgement, tucking his mask under his chin before taking a careful bite of his skewer.
“I didn’t always,” Blade responded, an amused smile curling his lips suddenly. “You can blame Silver Wolf for my change in palate, she’s always sharing her sweets with me. Guess I got used to it.”
Cute, Dan Heng thought, flustering at his own thoughts. He quickly took a large bite out of his lotus cake, pleasantly surprised at the lightness and fluffiness of the snack. He held it up to Blade in offering.
“This lotus cake is very good, would you like to try some?” He asked, expecting the man to take the offered cake. Blade tilted his head curiously to the side before leaning down and taking a bite directly from the lotus cake in his hand, lips grazing Dan Heng’s fingers as he pulled back. Dan Heng blushed hotly, quickly pulling his hand away as Blade licked his lips, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth at Dan Heng’s flushed state.
“It’s good,” he commented simply, taking another bite of his berry pheasant skewer like nothing had happened. Dan Heng tried not to think of those lips brushing his fingers as he bit into the spot where Blade’s mouth had just been. Maybe he was overthinking things, but it really felt like a date.
They polished off their respective snacks before wandering over to a pair of storytellers regaling passersby with stories of the High Cloud Quintet. They listened in amusement, quietly correcting any inaccuracies in the tales to each other and filling in the blanks with their own remnants of memories. Dan Heng cautiously pulled them away once they began to talk about the previous sword champion, leading Blade towards a shop that looked to be breaking antique pots in some kind of display to entice customers.
They ended up wandering through many of the merchant stalls, browsing through the eclectic assortment of wares that were being sold. To Blade’s great amusement and Dan Heng’s dismay, they stumbled across a stall selling what appeared to be High Cloud Quintet merchandise, including quite a few interesting items of Imbibitor Lunae regalia. Blade held up a headband with plush horns, a manic grin on his handsome face. Before Dan Heng could think to move away, the headband was slid carefully into his hair, Blade stepping back to admire his work.
“Cute,” he commented with amusement, unknowingly echoing Dan Heng's earlier thoughts and relishing in the embarrassed flush painting Dan Heng’s ears pink before turning to the merchant to pay for the horns. Dan Heng sighed in defeat, resigned to his fate. While Blade paid for the headband, Dan Heng decided to look for something for Blade among the HCQ wares. He spotted a pin that looked like a chibi version of his face in Imbibitor Lunae form winking exaggeratedly and flashing a peace sign. It made him cringe inwardly, but Blade deserved something equally goofy so Dan Heng quickly paid for it then gestured Blade to come closer.
“For you,” he told him with false innocence, reaching up on his tiptoes to pin the abomination to the front of Blade’s beanie. Blade brought a hand up to touch the pin, glancing over at the display showing what Dan Heng had bought him. He chuckled deeply.
“Now we match,” Blade stated with a silly little smile, Dan Heng unable to resist the amused smile tugging at his own lips.
As they reintegrated themselves into the crowd, Blade’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out with a furrowed brow.
Stellaron Hunters Family group chat:
Kafka: remember to be a gentleman, Bladie
SW: we both know he has negative rizz, Kafka
Kafka: :(
Kafka: shhh he’s trying his best, Wolfie
SAM: you’ve got this Blade, do your best!
Kafka: we’re here if you need any tips on wooing your little dragon
SW: get that dragonussy, old man
Blade: ???
SW: we want that twink obliterated
Blade: ?????
SAM: what does that even mean
SAM: I’m gonna ask Stelle to translate what you’re saying
SAM: SILVER WOLF
SW: >:)
“What is a ‘dragonussy’?” Blade asked out loud, squinting at his phone like the old man he really was. Dan Heng choked on air at the unexpected question, wondering what the hell the Stellaron Hunters were saying to him and wishing desperately that he didn’t know what Blade was referring to. Curse Stelle and her weird terms and references. Before he could open his mouth and tactfully change the subject, his eyes landed on Sushang a small distance away, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
Dan Heng accidentally made eye contact with the twin-tailed cloud knight and he swore under his breath as her big brown eyes lit up in recognition.
“Silent but deadly!” Sushang exclaimed excitedly, waving her hand. She briefly turned to another woman with ginger hair that she was holding hands with presumably to let her know who she was calling to, and Dan Heng used that split-second opportunity to grab Blade by the sleeve of his jacket and yank him into a run. The taller man grunted in surprise but followed without complaint. Luckily, they didn’t have to go far before Dan Heng spotted a small nook between two shops that they could hide in. He practically dove into the narrow space, Blade hot on his heels.
The space between the two shops was incredibly narrow, and thanks to that Dan Heng found himself sandwiched between the wall and Blade’s chest.
“‘Silent but deadly’, huh?” Blade murmured in amusement, a chuckle reverberating low in his chest and causing their bodies to press closer together. Dan Heng’s ears burned both at their proximity and the embarrassing nickname Sushang had given him. He huffed, averting his gaze from the other man’s smirk.
“She assisted me with navigating through the chaos when I arrived on the Luofu and refuses to call me anything else,” he begrudgingly explained.
“Hmm I think it suits you,” Blade teased, Dan Heng resisting the childish urge to stick his tongue out at him.
“If anyone should be called that, it would be you,” Dan Heng retorted, meeting Blade’s infuriatingly smug look with a deadpan stare. Before Blade could open his mouth to tease him anymore, Sushang’s voice echoed down the alley causing them both to freeze.
“I swear I just saw him! Where did he go?” She asked loudly in confusion, sounding frighteningly close to the nook they had hidden themselves in. Dan Heng panicked and without thinking wrapped his arms around Blade’s shoulders, burying his face in the other’s neck and pressing their bodies flush together. He felt the Stellaron hunter stiffen in shock, before strong arms enveloped his waist in a tight embrace. Just in time as a head of ginger hair poked into the alley briefly, eyes widening when she zeroed in on the couple intimately holding each other. She quickly stuttered out an apology before disappearing back into the street.
“Shang-shang, I think you need to get your eyes checked, I think you imagined seeing your friend,” they heard the girl complain. Dan Heng could practically hear Sushang’s answering pout.
“It was him, though!” Sushang insisted, their voices getting further and further away to Dan Heng’s immense relief. “You’re so mean to me, Lil Gui.”
Dan Heng’s shoulders relaxed as their voices completely faded out, before immediately stiffening again at his boldness in pulling Blade into such a suggestive position. He slowly untucked his face from Blade’s neck and loosened his grip, ignoring the voice in his head that noted how good the taller man smelled, like something dark and spicy mixed with blooming spider lilies.
Thankfully Blade wasn’t looking at him when he finally gathered the courage to look up at his face, the hunter watching the opening to their nook like a hawk. His hands felt like brands on Dan Heng’s waist even through all his clothing layers, the Vidyadhara’s cheeks and ears unbearably warm at the feeling of them sitting heavy on his body. Before he could even begin to attempt to compose himself, Blade’s eyes met his. Their faces were so close like this, had Dan Heng been just a little bit taller their noses would be brushing.
The tension was thick and suffocating between them, bodies still pressed flush and hands still firmly holding each other. Blade’s fiery crimson eyes were smouldering behind his sunglasses as they gazed down at Dan Heng.
“They’re gone,” he confirmed needlessly, voice sounding lower and huskier to Dan Heng’s sensitive ears in their current proximity. Finally gathering his bearings, the Vidyadhara cleared his throat awkwardly, hyper aware of every point of contact between them.
“Thank the Aeons,” he sighed, averting his eyes as his expression became sheepish. “I apologize for this… unexpected development.”
“It’s fine,” Blade replied nonchalantly, hands sliding down to a very flustered Dan Heng’s hips to shift him back slightly to get a little bit of space between their bodies. Maybe it was Dan Heng’s overactive imagination, but Blade seemed reluctant to let go or stop touching him. A part of him he refused to acknowledge also mourned the loss of the man’s oddly addicting touch that was about to happen.
Carefully, because he feared a certain part of his anatomy reacting to the situation in a certain way, he shimmied out from being pressed between Blade and the wall, Blade firmly guiding him out of the nook with a hand still on his waist as he followed close behind. The Stellaron hunter dropped his hand once they re-integrated into the crowd, but for the rest of the evening they stayed closer together. Their hands and shoulders brushed together frequently, both of them playing ignorant to the closeness.
“Come, there’s one last thing I’d like to show you,” Blade murmured, steering Dan Heng over to the dock where several people seemed to be waiting for something. Before Dan Heng could ask what they were doing, a beautiful array of fireworks began to light up the night sky. It was then that it suddenly hit him.
“Blade, did you… plan all of this?” Dan Heng asked in wonder. The for me left unspoken.
“I can’t take all the credit,” Blade admitted, running a hand through his navy bangs in a gesture that seemed born of nerves. “I had help from Kafka and Silver Wolf, as well as that trash-loving companion of yours.”
Dan Heng’s lip quirked up at that.
“Why?”
Blade’s usually sharp and intense gaze seemed to soften as he regarded the other man with what could only be care.
“I thought that you could do with something more lighthearted after the other night,” he responded gently, Dan Heng’s breath hitching audibly in his throat.
Oh no. He took in Blade’s uncharacteristically shy expression, the slightest hint of a blush on the tips of his ears peeking out from underneath his beanie and a surprising amount of warmth in that strange crimson gaze, his traitorous heart racing in a way that was extremely dangerous. In a burst of courage, Dan Heng carefully reached for Blade’s bandaged hand, timidly intertwining their fingers and suppressing the spark of electricity that ran up his arm at the contact.
“Blade, thank you,” he quietly murmured, voice soft with sincerity. Blade squeezed his hand without a word, the two of them content to just linger in each other’s presence as the fireworks display lit up the night sky above them in an array of vibrant colours. If anyone had paid attention to the couple, they would’ve seen them sneaking glances at each other whenever the other was distracted by the beautiful lights throughout the entire fireworks show, undeniable tenderness and warmth blossoming in each of their gazes.
Dan Heng couldn’t help but think that perhaps the love shared between Dan Feng the High Elder and Yingxing the mortal craftsman really was strong enough to transcend lifetimes.
.-.
The next night, there was a feeling of warmth and contentment settled between them, but also something bittersweet and a longing knowing that this would be the last of their nightly meetings as the Stellaron Hunters would be leaving the Luofu at first light.
Their time together passes much too quickly, but before Blade could leave, Dan Heng grabbed his hand in a moment of adrenaline, something desperate seizing in his chest.
“Wait, Blade!”
The taller man stopped in his tracks, turning to face Dan Heng with a look of surprise, eyes glancing down at where the Vidyadhara was still gripping him tight.
“I don’t know when we’ll cross paths again, but you still always wear the other half, right?” Dan Heng asked urgently. He gestured to a familiar Vidyadhara bracer adorning his forearm.
“Of course I do,” Blade assured, before a smirk began to spread across his lips. “Are you implying that you’ll miss me, Dan Heng?”
Dan Heng scoffed, though the effect was lost due to the blush colouring his pale cheeks. He let go of Blade’s hand to cross his arms petulantly.
“I’m simply implying that we should still be able to communicate telepathically through the bracers as our past counterparts once did, even while planets apart.”
“You’re blushing,” Blade pointed out smugly.
“You’re hallucinating,” Dan Heng quipped back, surprised when Blade suddenly cupped his cheek gently, crimson eyes warm with something that simultaneously filled Dan Heng’s heart with hope and fear.
“Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion,” Blade quoted in a low murmur, the words tugging at a distant memory in Dan Heng’s head from when Dan Feng had gifted the bracers to Yingxing. “I will see you again very soon, beloved.”
Beloved.
“I’m not him,” Dan Heng whispered emotionally, a reflex at this point to guard his fragile heart. Blade’s lips curled up adoringly at the corners, and the tension in Dan Heng’s chest released.
“I know,” Blade reassured him gently, Dan Heng’s pretty teal eyes shining with emotion. He inhaled sharply as Blade leaned in slowly, stopping a few centimetres from Dan Heng’s face and using both hands to cup his flushed cheeks with aching tenderness, his eyes fluttering closed. Dan Heng met him halfway, silent tears finally spilling over and seeping into Blade’s bandaged fingers as they sealed their lips together in a chaste kiss. He placed his hands against Blade’s chest, willingly falling into the other man and accepting the inevitable tug of the red thread of fate between them. Blade cradled his face as if he was something precious, as if he was loved.
Their lips lingered softly pressed together for a long, peaceful moment, the moon the only witness to this rekindling of a love thought lost to the past. When they finally parted, their noses brushed intimately, foreheads bumping together to bask in their embrace a little longer. Blade didn’t know how he was supposed to let Dan Heng go, even if only temporarily now that he finally had him. The smaller man fit perfectly in his arms as if he belonged there, as if this body was made just to hold him.
Eventually, Blade used his thumbs to very gently wipe away Dan Heng’s tears before planting a kiss under each eye in an act of tenderness and reverence that only made Dan Heng more emotional. He buried his face in Blade’s chest, wrapping his arms tightly around the taller man’s broad back.
“Dan Heng, you will be the death of me,” Blade murmured helplessly, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head, arms holding him steady. Dan Heng shuddered at the unintended raw truth to that statement, Blade squeezing him tighter in response. They stayed curled in each other’s arms for as long as they could before they had to practically rip themselves away. Dan Heng shivered, already missing Blade’s warmth.
“Take care of yourself,” he whispered seriously, unable to stop himself from cupping the other man’s cheek delicately. Blade leaned into the touch like a cat soaking in affection, his crimson gaze molten and intense.
“Don’t die before we are reunited,” he responded gravely, reluctantly removing Dan Heng’s hand from his face to place a lingering kiss on the back of it before taking a step back.
“We’ll meet again, Dan Heng.”
The Vidyadhara watched as Blade slipped out of sight like a shadow, an old familiar feeling of loneliness creeping in. Dan Heng clutched at his shirt and glanced up at the sky, the Xianzhou’s artificial moon illuminating the water in the Vidyadhara ruins like shimmering crystals, not a single star to accompany it. His heart ached fiercely at the lonesome moon, missing its stars.
“We’ll meet again,” Dan Heng echoed in a vow to himself, knowing with even more certainty after all their time spent coming together that there was nothing in the universe that would keep them apart. Destiny had proven that it would always lead them back to each other.
.-.
A few months later, Dan Heng was systematically inputting new data into the train’s archives when he heard his door sliding open without warning. He sighed without turning around.
“March, how many times do I have to ask you to knock?” he asked exasperatedly.
“Is that any way to greet your fiancé from your past life?” A deep voice responded with amusement.
“Blade?”
Dan Heng nearly dropped the scroll in his hand that he had been transcribing a data entry for, whirling around in surprise to see the Stellaron Hunter casually standing in the middle of the Archives, eyes roaming over everything with a hint of disdain.
“You live like this?” Blade asked in disbelief, raising a judgemental eyebrow at the shorter man after scrutinizing the messy makeshift bed on the floor.
He didn’t get an answer, as he suddenly found his arms fully occupied with Dan Heng who had practically launched himself at the immortal man in a fierce embrace. Blade spun around with the force of the assault, catching him effortlessly, one arm winding tight around the trailblazer’s waist and the other supporting the back of his thighs.
“What’s the matter? Are you hurt?” Blade asked in alarm, caught off guard by the open display of affection. Dan Heng pulled back slightly from where he had tucked his face in the crook of Blade’s neck, arms still draped over his broad shoulders and feet dangling off the floor.
“Nothing,” Dan Heng reassured him, ears flushing a dark shade of red, his voice soft and shy. “I’m just… happy to see you is all.”
Oh.
Blade blinked up at him slowly, that declaration leaving him feeling much more flayed open and raw than he’d ever dare to admit.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that,” he replied tenderly, warmth spreading throughout his chest as Dan Heng carefully cupped his cheek with one hand, thumb brushing over his cheekbone in a soothing manner. His lips tilted up at the corners in a tiny, private smile, pretty teal eyes locked on Blade’s gentle expression. To finally be the recipient of the Vidyadhara’s attention once more felt liberating after all those painful years of chasing and yearning.
“That makes two of us,” Dan Heng teased, long lashes fluttering as Blade’s hands held him tighter before surging up to finally capture his beloved’s lips in a searing kiss that had Dan Heng pressing harder against him in urgency. Unlike the sweet, gentle parting kiss they shared on the Luofu, this kiss was fierce and passionate in its intensity, drinking from each other’s lips like they were wine-drunk, intoxicated by the taste and feel of their lips parting together again and again.
Even though they were different people, separate from their past selves that had loved each other so much it had caused irreparable destruction, their bodies and souls coming together like this still felt like coming home. They were destined to fall in love in every lifetime, every universe – it was inevitable.
Blade licked into Dan Heng’s pliant mouth greedily, swallowing up every hitched breath and high-pitched moan that the other let out. Dan Heng wrapped his legs tightly around Blade’s waist for leverage, hands sinking into the hunter’s long, silky hair while their tongues caressed eagerly, a shudder rippling up his spine when he felt Blade’s strong hands slide down to cup his ass aggressively. He gasped into Blade’s mouth, the taller man nipping at his bottom lip with a low growl that went straight to Dan Heng’s lower regions. Blade soothed the bite with his tongue, arousal spiking sharply at the familiar coppery taste of blood before trailing kisses up the Vidyadhara’s jaw, pausing to nibble playfully on Dan Heng’s sensitive earlobe. He licked along the shell, delighting in the barely stifled yelp Dan Heng let out and the way his legs squeezed around Blade’s waist.
“Blade,” Dan Heng scolded breathlessly, eliciting a dark chuckle in his ear that had him shivering with desire.
“Seems you’re still sensitive here,” Blade murmured dangerously, nosing down Dan Heng’s throat before latching onto the pale skin between his neck and shoulder with sharp teeth and sucking hard. Dan Heng made a choked noise, clawing at Blade’s shoulders and back, bucking helplessly against the other’s toned body as Blade ravaged his neck, undoubtedly leaving plenty of marks for the galaxy to see.
“S-Someone’s possessive,” Dan Heng managed to hiss out, mouth falling open as Blade squeezed his ass, grinding their hips together torturously slow and pressing their foreheads together so that their heated gazes could meet. Blade’s eyes were the darkest he’d ever seen them, the pure hunger reflected in that brilliant crimson causing Dan Heng’s entire body to feel like he was burning up under that gaze. The immortal man drank in the other’s kiss-swollen lips, red and glistening, trailing over his adorably flushed cheeks and lust-dazed eyes with satisfaction. Not even in his Imbibitor Lunae form and he was still ethereal as ever.
“Is it just me?” Blade teased, groaning at the way the Vidyadhara’s fingers had tangled into his hair, yanking at the strands in a way that would’ve been painful for anybody else. Dan Heng clung to him like he would never let him go, like a dragon curled possessively around its treasure – the thought filled Blade with elation.
“Shut up,” Dan Heng demanded huskily, pressing insistently against Blade like they could meld together into one person, never to be separated again. Blade allowed him to guide their lips back together, sucking teasingly on the other’s tongue and causing a line of saliva to drip down Dan Heng’s chin. He couldn’t help the pleased hum that rumbled in his chest when the Vidyadhara’s kisses grew more aggressive, punctuating every nip to his own lips or tongue with a sharp thrust between Dan Heng’s legs causing them to moan into each other’s mouths.
“Let me have you,” Blade growled against the other’s lips, one hand kneading at one of Dan Heng’s ass cheeks intently while the other snuck up the back of his shirt to caress unmarred skin leaving a fiery trail of goosebumps in their wake. Dan Heng arched helplessly into the hunter’s touch, shivering in the other’s arms as the desire burning hot in his stomach became more and more unbearable.
“You have me,” he commented breathily, brushing their noses together in an action that felt incredibly intimate, Blade’s eyelashes fluttering attractively. Dan Heng cupped his face in his hands, tucking some of his navy hair behind an ear and admiring the man’s unfairly handsome features.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he continued softly, planting a gentle kiss on the other’s mouth that contrasted sharply with their frenzied making out seconds before. He felt something in Blade relax, like that last bit of tension finally leaving his shoulders. Those crimson eyes regarded him no less intensely, but instead of a raging inferno it seemed to settle into something tender, something warm.
Blade kissed him softly then, lips dragging languidly as they allowed themselves to sink into each other in a way that was unhurried, any words he wanted to say being expressed through this simple action alone. He tasted Dan Heng’s smile, sweet as it pressed against him and caused his own lips to curl up at the corners, content in their long-awaited reunion. No matter how much suffering he had had to endure, he was doomed to love this enigmatic dragon in every life and would follow him everywhere.
They were startled out of their steady making out by the familiar sound of a camera shutter going off, Dan Heng mortified to find March and Stelle staring at them from the door to the Archives.
“Caught in 4k,” Stelle announced with a smug grin, March snapping a few more photos at her side and giggling at their current predicament.
“We’re a little busy here,” Blade grumbled, seemingly unbothered besides the obvious disappointment at the girls’ interruption, one hand still gripping tightly to Dan Heng’s ass to the other’s utter dismay.
“Be gentle with our Dan Heng!” March threatened, pointing at Blade. “Or we’ll break your kneecaps.” Stelle nodded furiously beside her, rolling up her sleeve to flex a bicep. Dan Heng wished he could run himself through with Cloud Piercer right about now.
“That won’t be necessary,” he quipped, averting his gaze as his ears burned pink.
“Told you he likes it rough,” Stelle whispered loudly to March, Blade unable to stifle a snicker and Dan Heng finally marching up to them to steer them back out the door, closing it swiftly behind them.
“Wait, we actually came here for a reason!” March pleaded from the other side. Dan Heng’s eye twitched.
“To destroy the last vestiges of my sanity?” He retorted blandly, Blade hiding an endeared smile behind a closed fist.
“Hey, it’s not our fault you were too busy sucking face with your murder-y ex to notice our presence, we even knocked,” Stelle pointed out, causing his cheeks to burn.
“Anyway, come to the parlor! We’re having a crew meeting with the Stellaron Hunters,” March informed him before they finally wandered off. Dan Heng let out a long-suffering sigh, leaning back to deflate against the door. He glared at Blade half-heartedly when the other dared to chuckle at him.
“Not a word,” he grumbled out, Blade’s infuriatingly handsome smirk only widening and Dan Heng’s heart stuttering traitorously in his chest.
“My lips are sealed, sweetheart,” Blade teased, cheekily miming zipping his lips. The nickname caused a surge of heat in Dan Heng’s lower abdomen, and he swallowed thickly as Blade stalked up to him, trapping him against the door. He grabbed Dan Heng by the chin, deliberately swiping his thumb over his swollen bottom lip.
“Now, where were we?” He purred intently. Dan Heng nipped playfully at the thumb pressing on his lip, suppressing a shiver at the way Blade’s pupils dilated noticeably.
“Blade, they just told us we have a meeting,” Dan Heng scolded weakly, the hunter pressing the pad of his thumb against his tongue causing Dan Heng’s pants to become uncomfortably tight again.
“Fuck the meeting,” Blade growled before diving back in to aggressively claim the Vidyadhara’s lips. Dan Heng gasped into the kiss, body arching into Blade’s as the taller man wasted no time in picking him up and pressing him into the door with his body. He threw his arms over Blade’s shoulders for leverage and let himself be devoured. Blade’s tongue plundered every inch of his helpless mouth, tracing over his teeth and lips before tangling desperately with his own. It was messy just like them, a line of drool spilling down Dan Heng’s chin as his fingers tangled tightly into Blade’s hair, drawing him in deeper. Blade nipped playfully at his bottom lip between hot swipes of his tongue, causing Dan Heng to moan unrestrainedly into his mouth. A hand was soon shoving Dan Heng’s jacket off of his shoulders and he let it fall into a crumpled heap on the floor, his shirt swiftly following suit. Blade took in the sight of Dan Heng’s bare torso with a smouldering gaze that both unnerved and aroused the Vidyadhara further. His hands traced over Dan Heng’s collarbones, playfully flicking over a cute pink nipple as they made their way lower, possessively dragging over Dan Heng’s stomach and settling in a bruising grip over his hips.
“I’m going to fuck you,” Blade proclaimed in a dark voice, yanking their hips together so that they could feel each other’s arousal. Dan Heng pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, face unbearably hot.
“Good,” he managed to respond breathlessly. “Then what’re you waiting for?”
Blade immediately picked him up again but bridal style, carrying a flustered Dan Heng over to his makeshift bed and laying him down on top of the comforter with surprising gentleness. Before Blade could seal their lips back together, Dan Heng tugged shyly on Blade’s jacket, cheeks stained pink.
“Take yours off, too,” he demanded softly, pouting at the other man’s smug smile as he swiftly unbuttoned his jacket, tossing it off to the side and leaving his chest bare besides a few poorly wrapped bandages. Dan Heng’s eyes traced greedily over Blade’s heavily scarred torso. He wondered how many of them were his own doing, and how many were self-inflicted. Both thoughts made him want to cry.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured sincerely, tracing a finger delicately up Blade’s stomach until it rested above where his heart would be. Blade carefully interlocked his fingers over the Vidyadhara’s, crimson eyes strangely distant.
“This body is just a husk,” Blade finally responded, closing his eyes as Dan Heng squeezed his hand.
“Not to me,” Dan Heng insisted stubbornly, using his other hand to cup Blade’s cheek. It wasn’t a surprise that Blade saw himself that way, but it still broke his heart to hear. No matter how much the other man had been through, he was still a person; beautiful and flawed. “You’re you.”
Blade turned his head slightly to press a lingering kiss to the palm of Dan Heng’s hand, opening his eyes again to gaze at his lover affectionately, lips curling playfully.
“Who knew that the Imbibitor Lunae could be so sweet?”
“Shut up,” Dan Heng grumbled, pinching childishly at Blade’s cheek causing him to chuckle. They fell back into each other naturally, Blade lying between Dan Heng’s legs and kissing him slow and sensual. The sensation of their bare skin pressed together felt heavenly, almost sacred as hands languidly explored over each other’s every dip and muscle. Dan Heng’s fingers were featherlight like butterfly kisses as they traced over every scar marring Blade’s torso with care and reverence, the man pressing into each touch like he was being healed.
It was a challenge to tear themselves away from each other, even just to remove their remaining garments as well as Blade’s old bandages, but eventually they managed, both taking a moment to stare unabashedly at each other laid bare.
“You are divine,” Blade murmured lowly, voice husky with desire as he situated himself back in between Dan Heng’s now bare legs. He trailed his hands over Dan Heng’s hips, dragging them slowly down over his milky thighs until he reached his feet. Dan Heng was already flushed and breathing heavily from Blade’s touch, biting back a moan when Blade brought one of his feet up to place a reverent kiss on the top of his foot, trailing his lips over to kiss softly at his ankle.
“Look at you, trembling already,” Blade teased with relish, eyes dark and gleaming as he planted kisses up Dan Heng’s shin and calf, making sure to press an especially indulgent kiss to the sensitive skin behind his knee, causing Dan Heng’s breath to hitch audibly. “We’ve barely even started.”
He gave the same treatment to Dan Heng’s other leg before moving to his thighs, putting his tongue to use as well and playfully nipping at the insides of his thighs, Dan Heng’s erection straining for attention. Blade continued to move up while ignoring his lover’s leaking cock, planting kisses on his hips, the soft planes of his stomach, up his chest paying special attention to his hardened nipples and delighting in the whimpers Dan Heng let out, over his delicate looking collarbones and down his arms, all the way to the tips of his fingers. Not a single inch of Dan Heng’s porcelain skin went unworshipped under Blade’s attentive care.
Blade bit softly into the tender flesh of Dan Heng’s wrist, tongue laving up his palm before placing the pads of Dan Heng’s fingers between his teeth, heatedly meeting the Vidyadhara’s teary-eyed gaze. Dan Heng’s skin was practically glowing with a thin sheen of sweat under the soothing blue light from the artificial water flooring of the Archives, his chest heaving, nipples perky and the head of his shaft smearing precome on his stomach, mouth agape as he panted from the excessive stimulation to his incredibly sensitive body and tears clinging to long lashes framing lust-dazed emerald eyes. Blade’s hands smoothed over Dan Heng’s thighs, lifting them up slightly as he finally settled their naked bodies flush against each other, their erections sliding together and causing them to groan in satisfaction.
“How your body yearns for my touch,” Blade preened, using a large hand to wrap around both of their cocks and stroked lazily, watching in smug fascination as Dan Heng’s eyelashes fluttered and his breath hitched on every inhale.
“Stop t-teasing me,” Dan Heng finally managed to grit out, rolling his hips up into Blade’s touch and throwing his arms around the other’s shoulders for balance. Blade smiled down at him, leaning in to kiss him passionately for a long, heated moment as he fisted their cocks together, both of their precome making the glide smooth and heavenly.
“Very well,” Blade finally conceded, removing his hand from in between them to Dan Heng’s dismay. He brought that same hand up to Dan Heng’s face, pressing his wet fingers to the other’s slightly parted lips. “Be a good boy and suck on these.”
Dan Heng glared at the other man for using the same hand that he had just used to jerk them both off, but still acquiesced, opening his mouth to allow three of Blade’s fingers to enter. He sealed his lips over those thick fingers and sucked, swirling his tongue around them and moaning at the taste of the two of them mixed together, keeping intense eye contact with Blade all the while. Blade’s breathing grew heavy as he started to thrust his fingers in and out of Dan Heng’s warm and wet mouth, the Vidyadhara sucking earnestly as if it was Blade’s cock instead. Dan Heng felt smug satisfaction seeing Blade so affected, and he nibbled playfully on his fingers, swallowing around them audibly and shivering at the way Blade’s pupils dilated and he slowly licked his lips at the action. Finally Blade yanked his fingers out with a wet pop, immediately moving to grip Dan Heng’s chin with those same saliva-covered fingers and pressing his thumb hard against his bottom lip and the tip of his tongue.
“Keep it open,” Blade demanded darkly, Dan Heng following obediently, even sticking his tongue out further just to be cheeky. He was surprised and aroused when Blade leaned in closer, spitting down his throat and causing his cock to twitch with interest. “Now swallow.”
Dan Heng obeyed, flushing hotly as he swallowed Blade’s saliva. The action felt incredibly personal and intimate, and Dan Heng couldn’t help but yank Blade down for a filthy kiss.
“Blade,” he urged against his lips, guiding Blade’s wet hand to his puckered entrance.
“Patience beloved,” Blade chuckled fondly, rubbing his finger teasingly over the pink ring of muscle before his voice lowered to something darker and more serious. “Has anyone touched you like this before?”
“Of course not,” Dan Heng replied immediately, breath hitching as Blade pressed his finger teasingly over his entrance. “I was never interested in these kinds of things, not until…”
“Until now?”
“Until you,” Dan Heng admitted sincerely, choking on a moan as Blade finally pressed a finger inside all the way to the knuckle. He wiggled his hips slightly, trying to adjust to the foreign sensation. Blade leaned down to press a tender kiss to his forehead, Dan Heng’s brows suddenly furrowing.
“Wait, have you done this before? Kafka…” He muttered, anger and jealousy pinching his expression before Blade chuckled in amusement, cupping Dan Heng’s cheek with his free hand.
“Your jealousy is cute but unwarranted,” Blade responded, stroking a thumb soothingly along Dan Heng’s cheekbone. “I am a loyal man. There has only ever been one person that interests me, and there only ever will be one.”
Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief, looking up at Blade with shiny emerald eyes as Blade’s finger slowly moved in and out of him, the sensation strange but not unpleasant.
“More,” he demanded breathlessly, thrusting his hips in time with Blade’s finger and quickly becoming accustomed to it. Blade chuckled at his impatience, smoothly inserting another finger. He made a scissoring motion, stretching out his walls and Dan Heng’s mouth dropped open in a silent moan, sweat beading on his forehead as Blade worked him open. Suddenly Blade brushed against a certain bundle of nerves inside him that had him seeing stars, gasping loudly at the pleasure flooding his system.
“There, huh?” Blade murmured with a satisfied smirk, pressing harshly on Dan Heng’s prostate again and watching in delight as Dan Heng trembled, moaning unrestrainedly.
“Y-Yes, fuck, do that again,” Dan Heng pleaded, reaching down to stroke his straining erection. But before his hand could make blessed contact, Blade snatched his wrist and pinned both of his hands above his head using his free hand. Dan Heng whined at being denied, but if the way his cock dribbled even more precome was any indication, Blade’s strength and control really turned him on.
Blade slipped in a third finger and rammed into Dan Heng’s prostate mercilessly, the only sounds in the room being Dan Heng’s hitched moans and the filthy squelching noise of Blade’s fingers thrusting in and out of his stretched hole. Dan Heng could feel the pressure of his impending orgasm building rapidly and frantically struggled against Blade’s grip on his wrists.
“Blade, wait, want you inside,” he panted out desperately, whining anyway as Blade’s fingers slid out of him leaving him unsatisfyingly empty and letting go of his wrists. Dan Heng immediately reached for Blade’s neglected cock, standing thick and flushed between them causing the other man to groan lowly at the contact.
“You’re ready?” Blade asked darkly, helping Dan Heng guide the head of his cock to the other’s quivering hole. He slicked himself up with his own precome and Dan Heng’s saliva that still coated his hand. Dan Heng bit his swollen bottom lip just at the weight of the head pressing against his stretched rim, a shiver running through his body in anticipation.
“Yes, become one with me,” he ordered breathily, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around Blade to draw him in as close as possible, the hunter steadily holding his hips as he slowly pressed his way inside, both men moaning loudly as Blade bottomed out, hips flush against Dan Heng’s ass.
Dan Heng’s eyelashes fluttered as he came back from the heady daze of Blade finally being inside him, startled when he felt wetness dripping onto his face, glancing up at Blade in alarm. Blade’s expression was heart-wrenching, and Dan Heng frantically cradled his face in his hands, using his thumbs to gently brush away the other man’s tears.
“Blade, love, what’s wrong?” He asked softly, the affectionate nickname accidentally slipping out without his consent. His ears burned in embarrassment, but he forced himself to focus on the man above him.
“Don’t leave me again,” Blade whispered vulnerably, nuzzling his cheeks into Dan Heng’s hands with a tortured expression on his handsome face. His long navy hair tickled at Dan Heng’s bare shoulders, spilling over scarred skin like a deep blue waterfall tipped in blood. Dan Heng immediately brought their foreheads together, wrapping his legs even tighter around Blade’s waist where they remained connected so intimately, something lodged in the back of his throat as he thought about how much it must’ve hurt his past lover to run from him time and time again.
“I won’t,” he reassured with conviction, keeping eye contact and softly nudging their noses together. “Never again.”
Blade let out a shaky breath, arms squeezing around the naked Vidyadhara. He turned his head slightly to press a lingering kiss to the palm of one of Dan Heng’s hands.
“Promise me.”
Dan Heng smoothed his thumbs over Blade’s cheeks again in the hopes of soothing his distress.
“I promise, even if the mara forces you to try to kill me again, I won’t leave,” he murmured assuredly. “I told you that I’d accompany you to the end and I meant it. I’m yours.”
Blade surged forward to seal their lips together in a passionate kiss, the abrupt movement causing him to slide even deeper inside Dan Heng, the pair moaning softly into each other’s mouths.
“Beloved,” Blade murmured reverently, moving lower to mouth at Dan Heng’s jaw, lips trailing down his throat before grazing sharp teeth against the already bruising section of skin between his neck and shoulder from his earlier ministrations.
“Mine,” he growled, suddenly biting down and sucking hard, causing Dan Heng to gasp loudly at the pain and pleasure shocking his system, bucking up into the other man. His thighs clenched tightly around Blade’s hips.
“Yours,” Dan Heng moaned breathily in agreement, panting hard as Blade marked him while simultaneously rolling his hips to press his cock deeper inside.
“‘m not letting you go,” Blade murmured huskily, dragging his cock in and out at a slow and sensual pace making sure to grind deep, relishing in the way Dan Heng’s walls squeezed desperately around him. Every slap of skin on skin caused an obscene squelching noise that had the tips of Dan Heng’s ears flushing a dark red to match his lover’s hungry gaze. Their fingers found each other and intertwined, sweaty palms pressed tightly together as Blade leaned down to trail searing kisses along Dan Heng’s neck, hips rolling leisurely. The Vidyadhara wondered if this was what they called making love.
“Blade,” Dan Heng mewled, fingers moving to sink into Blade’s dark, silky hair that curtained around them, causing a groan from the other man when he tugged at the strands sharply. “Feels so good.”
“Fuck, look at you,” Blade responded in awe, pausing to stare down at the pretty picture Dan Heng painted spread out beneath him, sweaty and flushed, azure eyes nearly glowing in the dark with pleasure. Dan Heng whined pitifully at the lack of movement, squirming in frustration and precome leaking from the tip of his flushed cock to stain his stomach with pearlescent white. Blade’s gaze shifted to where they were connected, watching enraptured at the way Dan Heng’s hole twitched and swallowed around his cock. Without warning, he slammed his hips hard into that tight heat, a mean smirk curling his lips at the loud yelp that escaped his lover. “Dan Heng, you’re beautiful in every form you take.”
The Vidyadhara moaned long and filthy as Blade’s thrusts became more punishing, fucking Dan Heng into his pathetic excuse for a bed with abandon.
“Your body was shaped just for me,” Blade growled, throwing Dan Heng’s long, slender legs over his shoulders and turning his head to nip at the soft skin under his right thigh, practically bending the other man in half and shoving his cock impossibly deeper. Dan Heng’s breaths were coming out in hitched cries at the feel of Blade so deep inside him, drool pooling at the corner of his mouth and dribbling down his chin.
“Yes –” Dan Heng gasped helplessly as Blade drilled into his prostate without restraint, cock leaking all over his stomach and making a mess between their bodies. Tears clung to his long lashes threatening to spill over his cheeks as the pressure inside him began to build quickly. “Only you.”
When they fought, it was like they were trying to tear each other apart, and in making love they were much the same way. Blade pounded into Dan Heng mercilessly, the obscene sounds of their coupling echoing loudly in the Archives. His eyes were a dark, bloody red with lust as they burned into his lover, making sure not to miss a single sound or reaction. He ate all of them up hungrily, eyes suddenly zeroing in on Dan Heng’s perky pink nipples. He licked his lips before diving down to suck one of the sweet nubs into his mouth, rolling it over his tongue and grazing it with his teeth before giving the same treatment to the other one. Dan Heng practically screamed at the onslaught of pleasure, nails leaving bloody welts down Blade’s back that only caused the older man to moan into pale skin.
“K-Kiss me,” Dan Heng demanded breathlessly, tugging harshly on Blade’s hair to yank the other man up and seal their mouths together in a sloppy kiss full of tongue and teeth. They moaned into each other’s mouths, Blade’s hips losing rhythm as they lost themselves in each other. A thin strand of saliva still connected them once they separated, gazing intensely into each other’s eyes. Blade planted lingering kisses on Dan Heng’s cheeks and jawline, using a strong hand to gently brush some of his hair off his sweaty forehead.
“You’re taking me so well, baobei,” Blade praised tenderly, the affectionate nickname causing Dan Heng to clench tightly around him, eyes hazy with fondness and pleasure.
“’m close,” he slurred out, letting out short, staccato moans with every powerful thrust of Blade’s hips.
“You gonna keep being good for me, let me fill you up?” Blade murmured dangerously, fucking Dan Heng impossibly fast, grunting lowly every time the other clenched around his cock. He grinned maniacally at the completely debauched state of his lover, basking in the desperate cries underneath him. “Fuck you full of my come?”
“Please!” Dan Heng practically sobbed.
“Yeah? Then take it,” Blade snarled out, snapping into his prostate harshly, one, two, three more times before groaning loudly as he spilled deep inside the Vidyadhara.
Dan Heng cried out his lover’s name as the warmth of Blade’s come spread inside him, causing his own powerful orgasm to rock through his body and his eyes to roll back in white-hot pleasure. He came untouched, making even more of a mess between his and Blade’s bodies, Blade fucking them both through the aftershocks until Dan Heng was mewling in overstimulation.
Blade practically collapsed on top of Dan Heng, the other grumbling about him being too heavy but refusing to let go when Blade tried to pull out, wanting to bask in the feeling of being blissfully full and connected just a little longer. The hunter sighed in fond exasperation, rolling them over so that Dan Heng was lying on top of him and he was still nestled warmly inside.
“Love you,” Dan Heng mumbled sleepily into Blade’s collarbone, causing the man to go rigid underneath him. Dan Heng blinked slowly in confusion, before his words caught up to him and he also stiffened. Mortified at himself, he tried to ungracefully scramble away from Blade to hide but faltered at the other’s crimson eyes that were staring at him wide with wonder.
“I love you, too,” Blade finally managed to murmur, his expression softening with utter devotion as he cupped one of Dan Heng’s cheeks with a slightly trembling hand. Dan Heng let out a shaky breath of relief, cheeks flushed darkly and a wobbly smile shaping his lips as he returned Blade’s tender gaze.
“To the end,” he finished softly, closing his eyes and pressing their foreheads together. Blade pecked him gently on the nose before following suit, holding the smaller man securely in his arms.
“To the end,” Blade echoed in satisfaction, listening until Dan Heng’s breaths evened out signalling that he had fallen asleep before allowing himself to succumb to the darkness as well, curled up in each other’s arms like they were meant to be – no blood being spilled, no hatred, no fear – just two men hopelessly devoted to each other in every life sharing a moment of well-deserved peace.
.-.
Meanwhile…
“Yeah, Elio says they’re not coming,” Silver Wolf drawled in a monotone voice, heavily focused on a game on her phone. She punctuated her statement with a loud POP of her bubblegum. Stelle whistled lowly, wiggling her eyebrows at a scandalized March while Kafka chuckled at Himeko and Welt’s awkward sighs.
“I’m not surprised,” Kafka drawled in amusement, plopping herself down next to Stelle to the latter’s absolute delight. “Let’s allow the two lovebirds to get reacquainted with each other, we can postpone the meeting to tomorrow.”
The End.