Chapter Text
The first thing Caelus notices is that Dan Heng hasn’t said a single word yet during all of dinner, but while his silence is obvious, it isn’t all that strange.
Then the second thing Caelus notices is that Dan Heng hasn’t touched his food at all either, nor has he really moved, and then it all starts to feel strange.
The Astral Express crew— minus Welt, who Himeko told to stay behind as he had overexerted himself on a previous mission not too long ago— had received a distress signal yesterday from a nearby planet, expressing how a rogue horde of monsters was destroying their towns. It hadn't been anything they couldn’t usually handle, with the only real handicap being how glaringly hot the climate was, and they had pressed forward despite it. In the end the four had managed to clear out the enemies, but not before Dan Heng had accumulated a concerning amount of minor injuries. It had only struck Caelus after the battle how he'd been unable to keep up with the rest of them like usual, but when he had asked Dan Heng about it the man merely nodded and muttered some comment about the sweltering climate, walking away. So he left him alone. If Dan Heng had made his mind up to not share something, Caelus would try to respect that.
The trip back to the town had gone smoothly, and the crew received plenty of thanks and rewards from the townspeople before returning to the Astral Express, wherein Dan Heng had retreated to the archives quickly after they re-boarded and didn't come out for the rest of the night. That in itself wasn't all too unusual, and Caelus had made the assumption that he was fine after seeing him up early the next morning.
But now, as he peers over at Dan Heng sitting to his right, presently staring off into space, a small sense of alarm begins to ring in his head. He nudges the man’s arm with his elbow. “Dan Heng. Are you okay?”
Dan Heng turns his head to look at Caelus for possibly the first time since he’d sat down. His eyes look disconcertingly foggy. It takes him a moment to respond, and when he does he merely says, “...Yes.”
“You’re sure? Like, absolutely, positively sure?”
“Yeah, it’s… I’m fine.”
Caelus is just about to say well it doesn’t look like it , but Dan Heng suddenly stands up, interrupting a conversation between Himeko and March. “I’ll be excusing myself. …Yesterday’s mission was tiring. Sorry.” And the black-haired man is already walking away before Caelus can react any further, keenly averting his gaze from everyone's sights.
Maybe I was too pushy…? Caelus frowns in the direction of the closed door.
A silence falls over the table, a mix of both awkward and concerned, until Welt breaks it to clear his throat with a quiet cough. “Was the trip yesterday that strenuous? You could have messaged me to come help.”
“No, you were resting. That was off limits,” Himeko takes a sip of her sludge-coffee. “It was more work than the signal informed us of, but it wasn’t too bad. I think Dan Heng might just be feeling a little down still... It wasn’t that long ago that we were at the Xianzhou Luofu.”
“That is a possibility. I suppose I’d hoped he was beginning to open up more to us about all that. He knows he can talk to us.” Welt stirs his own non-sludge-based coffee.
Himeko hums. “He does, but you know how he is. He’ll warm up about certain things when he’s ready. In the meantime, we’ll just keep a careful eye on him.”
Caelus listens to the conversation between the two adults with a faint frown on his face. Himeko’s theory is likely, but for some reason he feels like that’s not the case here. Dan Heng had been greatly stressed out by the events on the Luofu, yes, but the faraway look in his eyes made him appear more out of it than that.
“I’ll check on him right now, then!” March swiftly jumps up from her seat, slamming her hands on the table and rattling a few nearby dishes. “He talks to me about stuff sometimes, so I’ll ask him what’s up!”
“Wait, March, don't–” Welt’s words are lost on her as the pink-haired girl is already running off in the direction of the passenger car before he can say anything else. He sighs heavily.
Himeko giggles. “It’s okay, Welt. The worst thing that happens is he kicks her out, and she’ll come running back in the next few minutes.”
“Yes, I know. It might just be–”
“MR. YANG! MISS HIMEKO–!” Suddenly March’s high shrieks for help travel down the hallway, sounding uncharacteristically frantic. The remaining trio at the table share a brief look of worry before they all get up, hurriedly rushing to the source of the yelling and leaving a confused Pom-Pom behind, holding a tray of drinks.
Himeko quickly sources that the voice is coming from the archives, and upon sliding the door open the three are greeted by the sight of March struggling to keep Dan Heng from fully falling onto the floor. She’s crouched down on one knee, panic across her expression and all over her movements, attempting to sling one of Dan Heng’s slacked arms around her shoulders. The young man has all but collapsed on the ground onto March’s side with his eyes shut, breathing in faint, shaky huffs.
Caelus can’t tell whether Dan Heng is actually conscious or not– no, actually he can’t tell what’s happening at all. An uncomfortable hint of fear crawls under his skin, mixed with a kind of uncertainty about the entire situation that can only come from someone who didn’t exist up until a few months ago. He stands frozen in place by the door, staring down at his two friends. Himeko and Mr. Yang both move to be closer to Dan Heng, but Caelus stays still. Fixated on the fallen archivist. He’s confused, and a little curious, and very very frightened– but he shakes himself out of his daze, and finds himself listening to the rest of March’s rapid sputtering about what happened.
“–and he just suddenly fell over! I didn’t do anything, he just– He was just in the middle of talking, and I think he was mumbling something about feeling weird but I told him I couldn’t hear him, and–”
“March, dear, calm down. It’s gonna be okay.” Himeko speaks gently to March, despite the thinly-veiled worry across her own expression. She crouches down fully, knees sat on the ground, scooting closer to the black-haired boy so March could readjust him into a less awkward position. “Here, move his arm, I can hold him– Careful, now. Hey, Welt, could you–?”
Welt’s gloveless hand is already on Dan Heng’s forehead before Himeko can finish her sentence, pushing away sweat-slicked hair. A frown pushes at the corners of his mouth, and he hums disapprovingly. “He’s certainly got a fever, but his temperature is concerningly high, even for that…” He stops to think for a brief moment before speaking again. “Let’s put him in March’s room.”
“What?!” March pipes up again in shock.
“March, Dan Heng can’t sleep on his… ‘mattress’, while he’s sick. It won’t be good for him.” Himeko chides.
“Sleeping on those bed sheets hasn’t ever been good for him...” March huffs, but there’s no stubbornness behind it. She’s clearly okay with the decision.
Caelus watches as Welt crouches down to pick up Dan Heng, but he can only manage to sling one arm under the boy’s knees before Himeko stops him, placing a hand over his arm. “Welt, wait, you’re still recovering too. Caelus and I could carry him. Don’t push yourself.”
(Caelus could probably not carry him right now. Caelus still has no idea what in the Aeons is going on.)
Welt gently brushes her hand away “It’s fine, Himeko. I’m well enough by now, and we’re less likely to disturb him if only one person has to move him.” He positions his other arm to hold up Dan Heng’s back, to where the boy’s head is leaning against his chest on his scarf. He shudders in his sleep, but other than that does not stir. Then no further words are exchanged by Welt or Himeko, who both swiftly stand to their feet and move toward the door, leaving with hurried steps with Dan Heng in their possession.
(Caelus notes the parental urgency to their actions, something that seems so trained and natural… Not that the vessel of the Stellaron had any memories pertaining to that sort of thing.)
Caelus glances down to March, who is still sitting on the floor looking both sad and freaked out. Tiny tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She looks up at Caelus with a frown. “Do you think he’s gonna be okay? I’ve never seen him this sick before. And even then, he’s never done anything like– like that !”
“Sick” is what it’s called then… I thought that was a word for something cool? Caelus stores the desperately-overdue vocabulary word in his head, although still feeling confused, but he resolves to ask Mr. Yang or Himeko for further clarification later. He instead tries his best to reassure March (and himself, truthfully) as he notices her still sniffling. “Well… Dan Heng is a resilient guy, right? I think he’ll be okay. Especially if he’s been, uh, ‘sick’ before already. He can recover again.”
“I guess… Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right,” March still frowns, but she stands up from the ground with a sudden newfound resolve, dusting her skirt off. “Well– Let’s hurry and catch up with Miss Himeko and Mr. Yang then! If they’re gonna use my room for him, I want to at least make sure he’s comfy!”
Caelus gives her an uneasy smile and simply nods in agreement. Not uneasy because of her, but because he still has no idea what in the world is happening. But he follows her out of the archives as quickly as he can as she immediately runs off after finishing her statement, heading to the room directly next door.
When the two poke their heads through the door frame, they’re just in time to see Himeko pulling the covers over up to Dan Heng’s chest, while Welt seems to be looking through a few of March’s desk drawers. He must’ve placed Dan Heng down right before they arrived. He sighs, however, clearly not finding what he was looking for, and pivots toward the door to begin walking out, only pausing when he sees Caelus and March standing outside.
“Ah, there you two are. March, you remember where the laundry room is, right?” Welt says.
“Huh? No– Oh, wait, yes! Yes I do!” March nods eagerly.
“Excellent. Please go grab a few hand towels and a bucket with cold water, and bring it back here as soon as possible. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Welt gives her a firm pat on the shoulder before fully brushing past the two and hastily walking down the hallway in the other direction.
Cold water? Towel? Caelus is feeling even more confused, although March seems to understand exactly what the instructions mean, seeing as she’s already gone by the time he turns his head to her. He’s feeling rather useless right about now, and he’s just about to run and follow after her when Himeko calls his name.
“Caelus, can you come over here for a moment? Since he’s got a fever, we need to take his jacket off, so he doesn’t get too warm.” Himeko says, sitting at Dan Heng’s side on a chair she had pulled up next to the bed. She smiles at him warmly as he tentatively comes closer. “And you seem just a little bit confused, so maybe I can help you out.”
Caelus breathes an internal sigh of relief that she’d picked up on his lack of knowledge. That’s one less conversation he has to figure out how to navigate. He moves to stand at her side, staring down at Dan Heng. The archivist’s face is twisted into a frown, the occasional shift of his body indicating a physical discomfort, and Caelus almost asks Himeko if he’s still unconscious until the man’s eyes crack open, squinting against the light with a quiet groan.
“There you are… Hello, Dan Heng,” Himeko speaks in a soft, warm voice, smiling down at him. She places a hand lightly on his forearm. “How are you feeling, hon? Would you like the lights off?”
Dan Heng looks like he’s struggling to even keep his eyes open, and that alone is enough to make Caelus feel concerned, even without the unfocused look within them– like he didn’t quite know where he was.
“...’s too bright. It’s really warm…” He shifts slightly under the covers, looking like he’s trying to move them off his body.
Caelus tilts his head, confused, because Dan Heng is visibly shivering. “But aren’t you cold? You’re shaking?”
The archivist doesn’t seem to notice. He stares at him hazily. “What…?”
“Caelus– Dan Heng, it’s not important, it’s okay.” Himeko speaks up quickly and prevents Caelus from saying anything else. “If you’re warm, then let’s take off your jacket. I’m gonna help you sit up, okay?”
“...m’kay.” Dan Heng mumbles in response.
“Wonderful. Caelus, could you go turn off the lights? Just the first two switches, please.” Himeko requests, attention turned to Dan Heng.
“Oh! Yeah! Of course.” Caelus nods and hastily walks over to the wall, flicking down the first two switches as she said. It turns off all of the ceiling lights in March’s room, leaving only the fairy lights by her photo wall, twinkling softly with just enough light to see.
When he turns around he sees Himeko coaxing Dan Heng into a sitting position, propped against the backboard of March’s bed. He’s mumbling something that Caelus can barely make out about being too warm, and he hears Himeko murmuring soft words of comfort as she helps him take off his jacket, carefully moving his arms to slide the sleeves off. She then folds it up and places it off to the side. Her right hand pushes his hair away to feel his forehead, and Caelus can’t help but catch the worried frown that briefly flits across her face before she returns to speaking to Dan Heng in a hushed voice, helping him lay down on his back again.
There is an amazing gentleness to everything she’s doing. As gentle as a mother would be. And while he knows the man is incredibly out of it, it brings Caelus to a sort of awe to see just how much Dan Heng trusted her in his current state. He leans into her careful touch and allows her to help him under the covers. It was the kind of thing he'd never seen before. He doesn’t even realize he’s been standing there watching the two until she’s staring at him with a small smile on her face.
“Are you going to come back over?” She teases lightly, a hand still resting on Dan Heng’s shivering shoulder.
Caelus rubs the back of his head sheepishly and walks over without a word. “Can I help with anything else?”
“Hm… If you could–” Himeko begins to respond, but cuts herself off with a little chuckle. “Actually, sorry. Let me help you first. You’re still confused, aren’t you?”
He nods immediately. “Yes, I am! Is he gonna be okay? March said he was ‘sick’. Is that a side effect from being injured yesterday, or something? Does he need to see a healer?”
“No, no. Well… It could be mildly affected by his injuries, but I believe this is mostly related to the temperature of the planet.” Himeko strokes a hand through Dan Heng’s hair as she talks, voice lowered to a volume less likely to disturb him. “I’m assuming that the heat, combined with his typical overexertion, might have stressed out his immune system. That’s why he’s sick. To put it simply, him being sick just means he won’t feel very good for the next few days.” She turns her head to look at Caelus again, and smiles comfortingly. “But if he takes the proper medicine and gets lots of rest, he’ll be completely okay. Don’t worry too much.”
Caelus relaxes a little bit, allowing the worry tensing his shoulders to drop with a relieved sigh. “Okay… That’s good to hear. March did say he’s been sick before, so I’m sure he’ll be okay this time too.”
“That feels like so long ago now. But yes, he did fall ill one time, not too long before you arrived on the Astral Express. Although, that time–”
“Miss Himeko! Caelus! We’re back!”
Caelus turns his head toward the door as March announces her and Welt’s arrival. March is holding a bucket of water in one hand and a bunch of towels in the other; Welt is carrying what looks like a medical kit. They both look confused for a moment at the darkness of the room, but nonetheless walk toward the side of the bed.
“Oh, good, you two are back. Thank you, March.” Himeko has March lower the bucket onto the ground, taking one of the towels from her and soaking it in the water before pulling it back out. She folds it up after wringing the excess water out and pushes Dan Heng’s fringe away to place it on his forehead. His expression relaxes with the chill.
“How has he been? Anything new?” Welt is placing the medical kit down on the nightstand by March’s bed. He opens it and takes out a few small bottles with pale-colored liquid.
Himeko shakes her head. “Not too much. He woke up, and said he was warm and that it was too bright. So I helped him take his jacket off, and had Caelus turn off most of the lights.”
“Oh, right, Caelus.” Welt turns to the gray-haired trailblazer, only now seeming to think that Caelus might not have any idea what’s happening. “So Dan Heng is sick, which in this instance means his physical–”
“Welt, I already explained it to him. You’re good.”
“Oh. Alright, then.” Welt coughs lightly. He turns his attention back to Dan Heng, and gives a hum of thought before saying, “We should wait until he’s awake to have him take his fever medication. In the meantime, we should all let him rest. He’ll be fine if he gets some sleep. I’ll come check on him later tonight.”
“Aww… Are you sure?” March pouts. “I’m worried about leaving him for too long…”
“I can stay to keep watch on him.” Caelus is offering before he even realizes he’s spoken up.
Welt blinks at him in surprise, but a small smile spreads across his face, and he nods. “Well… I suppose that’d be fine. As long as you’re quiet. You can let me know how he is when I come by later.”
“Wait! Does that mean I can stay too?” March pipes up again.
“You can’t both stay. Otherwise you might end up waking him up. We know how chatty you both are.” Himeko speaks in a teasing tone, but the reasoning is genuine. “But you could always rotate out with Caelus in an hour or two. Like taking shifts.”
“Aw, boo. But I’m still second. It’s my room…”
Caelus grins. “Hehe, should’ve called dibs first!”
“I don’t need to call dibs, it’s my room! I had the first dibs ever!”
“Okay, everyone, let’s leave before we wake up Dan Heng and completely nullify everything we just talked about,” Welt chides the pair with a chuckle, ushering March out of the room with Himeko following close behind. Once the trio have fully left the room he turns around to close the door, peering into the room again to remind Caelus one last time, “Remember to text me or come get me if something changes and you’re unsure.”
Caelus nods, and gives him a single thumbs up. “Will do.”
Welt smiles slightly, and slides the door shut with a soft click.
And with that, it’s just Caelus and Dan Heng left in the room. Although Caelus has the feeling that Dan Heng will be out for a long while. He takes a seat where Himeko had been sitting previously, leaning down to look at the sleeping archivist’s face. He’s still frowning, but the expression is softened, the cold from the towel likely still aiding in alleviating whatever heat the fever is forcing onto him. Which, by the way, Caelus still thinks makes zero sense because he can see Dan Heng’s shoulders still visibly shivering. But Himeko nor Welt had made a point of it earlier, so he supposes this is a normal occurrence for getting sick.
Caelus sighs lightly. It’s no fun seeing his friend in such a sorry state, but he has a responsibility now to watch over him. And he hadn’t wanted him to be alone in the case that he suddenly did wake up. Even for someone so accustomed to solitude, nobody wants to be by themselves while they’re unwell. Not even Dan Heng.
So Caelus pulls out his phone, turns the brightness all the way down, and boots up one of his favorite mobile racing games. He’s probably going to be here for a while… Might as well have a new highscore to show off to March when they trade off shifts, right?