Work Text:
The ground tremors had gradually subsided, and the three gigantic monsters before the Astral Express crew had reverted to their original form. Asat Pramad had been defeated and now sat weakly amidst the ruins. This marked another achievement for them. The Astral Express had once again defeated another Lord Ravager.
The red-haired navigator stood gracefully among the crew, who looked at her with mixed emotions. Caelus welcomed her back gratefully, March complimented her new outfit, and Mr. Yang commented something about the Starblazer. It was nice to be together without missing anyone like this.
Dan Heng was as glad as the team was for Himeko's safety. As the Express guard, their recent battle against the Lord Ravager was such a nerve-wracking situation; fearing that he might fail to protect his teammate this time. With the navigator here with them, he no longer had to worry about her.
Therefore, there was another person he needed to worry about.
“But, Caelus, are you okay?” he asked with a deep frown. “Just now…”
“That was the Stellaron inside you, wasn't it?” Sunday added.
Caelus' expression shifted at the question, seemingly inexplicable. They knew it had something to do with the Stellaron residing within Caelus. However, what exactly happened between him and Himeko during the incident was beyond their comprehension.
“I don't know what happened,” Himeko stepped up on Caelus’ behalf, “but I'm sure he took a lot of the heat for me in the battle.”
That answer didn't completely satisfy Dan Heng, but since the man he had been worried about was now standing unharmed before him, it should be enough. Besides, it wasn't clear whether the current state was safe for them to prolong their brief conversation.
And as if on cue, a grunted noise was heard from the dice-headed man, interrupting Himeko's important announcement for Sunday.
“I'm not dead yet…”
The entire crew turned their heads simultaneously at the voice. Although it seemed Asat Pramad couldn't directly harm them with his remaining power, they couldn't let their guard down just yet.
Himeko glared fiercely at him. “Your Bloodstained games are over.”
Even on the verge of his death, Asat Pramad still managed to laugh out loud. “Then, I’m looking forward to what's to come, protagonist.”
Caelus clenched his fists as Asat Pramad continued to ramble about the Stellaron inside his body, probably trying to provoke him.
Suddenly, in the middle of his speech, the ground beneath them began to shake again.
“Something is not right!” March shouted in concern.
Dan Heng gritted his teeth, this is bad. As he suspected, Asat Pramad must still have something up his sleeve. “The cracks in the earth are spreading. How is this possible?”
“The husk of the ‘Voracity’ is stirring?” Another entity that caught their concern aside from the Lord Ravager emerged as Welt’s speculation.
Enjoying the panic, Asat Pramad annoyingly laughed on their face again. “You have defeated me, and won your reward: the chance to save this world. Good luck… Astral Express. Now, run.”
Without needing to repeat it twice, the crew had already interlinked their minds to escape from that place right away.
“We should get out of here and evacuate the civilians in the shelter!”
Fortunately for them, they could make it back to Perdido Station safely. The security officer from the Department of Aberration Defense, as well as the station manager, were still in their place since the Nameless last visit.
Welt and Himeko immediately reported the situation to the officer, while Sunday and March checked on the remaining refugees there, preparing for the next evacuation. In between, they also tried to contact their companions such as the Stellaron Hunter, Ashveil, and Pearl to provide updates on the circumstance.
Dan Heng looked around. The situation could worsen again at any moment, but at least they should be safer here than out there. He didn't need to worry too much; everything seemed settled for now.
Then something clicked his brain.
Caelus.
Realizing that the man was nowhere in sight, Dan Heng's eyes quickly scanned the area, trying to take in the entire place. Luckily, it didn't take him long to find him. Caelus was standing in a corner, hidden enough from the crowd but still visible for Dan Heng to approach.
“Are you okay?” said Dan Heng in the gentlest tone possible, as if he didn't want to scare the smaller man. However, his sudden presence was still enough to startle the trailblazer.
“Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing,” Caelus replied weakly, his voice coming out smaller than he intended to. Because in fact, he wasn't fine at all, and Dan Heng could sense it.
Hesitantly, Dan Heng's clawed glove reached for Caelus' hand. "You can be honest with me. We are safe here, there's no harm in sharing your story with me."
Just typical Dan Heng whenever he tried to calm Caelus, so warm and gentle, like Dan Heng was afraid he would break Caelus’ porcelain heart with his words.
It was such a sincere action, but Caelus shook his head. “I’m truly fine, Dan Heng, I just need a moment to catch my breath. We have bigger problems to solve here. I don’t want to keep you—”
The larger hand now moved to cup Caelus' cheek.
"Whatever happens to you is also my concern. We can't move forward with you still carrying your burden alone."
Ah, it should have been clear as day for Caelus to know that he could never trick Dan Heng into thinking that he had no problem.
Caelus was holding himself to appear fine—Dan Heng could see it through him. Yet, his tears fought him back and welled up in the corner of his eyes. “I—I was so scared, Dan Heng. Everything was so terrifying.”
His breathing turned erratic, and his whole body trembled. The strong and reliable mask he was wearing had fallen off. In front of him, the protagonist looked so fragile compared to when he faced Lord Ravager alone.
"You're safe now, don't worry," Dan Heng's fingers gently stroked Caelus' face. “All your fears won’t come to catch you here, not when you have me by your side.”
Despite Dan Heng’s attempts to calm him down, tears still continued to slide down Caelus' cheeks. Dan Heng silently watched in pity. The gray-haired trailblazer was utterly devastated, pouring out his emotions in his sobs.
Without a second thought, Dan Heng softly wiped the tears away and kissed Caelus' eyelids. And the sudden action did surprise Caelus. He almost voiced out a question before he was silenced into a hug.
A warm, delightful hug, that felt so comforting.
Being held like this truly relaxed his body. It felt like all the tension he had been unaware of was gradually leaving him. Caelus reached out to return the hug and buried his face in Dan Heng’s wide chest.
“What exactly happened there?” Dan Heng gently asked, his hand stirred to caress the back of Caelus’ head. “I only watched the glimpse of you getting consumed by the Stellaron, and at that moment, I thought I was going to lose you too.”
“I saw—” Caelus choked on his tears at the memory of Himeko in his realm. “I saw Himeko parting ways with me, saying it was time for her to get off the train, and sending a farewell message to all of us.”
Even with a farewell message, Dan Heng thought. No wonder it shook him so much. If Dan Heng were in Caelus' shoes, he would also be terrified by the idea of losing their navigator right before his eyes.
Blunt nails dug into Dan Heng's broad shoulders, accompanied by a muffled wail against his chest. The sound of Caelus’ anguished cries broke the vidyadhara's heart, but he could do nothing but tighten their embrace.
A little kiss landed on Caelus’ limp hair, softly soothing him. Dan Heng didn't want to admit it, but deep down, he liked this taller form because it was easier for him to reach the top of Caelus' head to his forehead.
“But none of that happened,” Dan Heng whispered. “Himeko is safe now, she's not going anywhere. Astral Express will never lose anyone. Remember, all of us will make it to the next stop together, and I swear it on my name.”
Each and every one of us Nameless is making it to the next stop…
Caelus nodded in his hiccups; he knew he could always trust Dan Heng’s words.
“And then, Dan Heng… I saw the ‘other’ me.”
Dan Heng's gentle stroke on Caelus’ hair stopped.
“She rambled about the future she has walked. But I don't want that. I don't want to face the same future as her. I want to make a difference and achieve a better future for us.”
This time, Dan Heng remained silent as he didn't quite understand. Who exactly “the other Caelus” was? It was impossible for Caelus to throw a joke in this situation, so he assumed what Caelus said was the truth.
The more he thought about it, the more it sounded like a serious issue. But he would just leave it to discuss with the others later. For now, the most important thing was ensuring Caelus' comfort.
“She's not here. I don't know what kind of future she was showing you. But if it's something unfortunate, I won't let it happen. We will write the future on our own, and not from the prophecies of an entity we don’t know yet.”
Caelus gave no response after that, which left Dan Heng patiently waiting for him. He was probably thinking about something to share, or mulling over his thoughts. Either way, Dan Heng would wait.
"Himeko said she would tell us her story while having coffee together," Caelus muttered.
“Then, once everything is back to normal, we will have coffee time with everyone at the Express.”
“You promise?”
Dan Heng nudged his chin against Caelus’ temple in agreement. “You have my word.”
Muffled giggle coming from Caelus' side. “You know, you shouldn't let everything fall on your shoulders. Himeko said that too, you shouldn’t try to carry everything all by yourself.”
“For you,” Dan Heng mumbled, “for you and the Express, I don't mind such responsibility.”
The once ragged breath had eventually stabilized, which brought Dan Heng a sense of relief. During their mission in Planarcadia, he had separated from Caelus several times for their respective tasks. The last time he saw Caelus before parting ways again was nearly twelve hours ago on the Express. Furthermore, it had been approximately eight hours since Asat Pramad first appeared.
Caelus had probably been bottling up his emotions for hours. And with all the chaos they had been through, he hadn't gotten enough rest to relax himself after the series of incidents that happened to him and the Astral Express up until today. So when he finally opened up like this, Dan Heng felt relieved. At least, Dan Heng could confirm Caelus was secured enough to loosen himself and lower his guard.
“Thank you, Dan Heng.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
The smaller trailblazer looked up with a smile, meeting Dan Heng's confused face. "Thank you for always looking out for me and providing me with safety."
Blood seemed to rush to his face that Dan Heng could feel the warmth across his cheeks. What Caelus had said to him was just a simple gratitude, but he didn't realize how badly it had affected Dan Heng. Especially with how cute Caelus looked after crying; he was such a pretty crier.
Dan Heng clumsily returned the smile, and without warning—chu—he caressed Caelus’ dry lips with his own, leaving Caelus slightly jumped in his place.
“You—you do realize we are in a public place now, right?”
The guard couldn't stop smiling at how flustered the man in his arms was. “I do.”
“I never knew you like public display of affection, let alone on a kiss level! We should have done it sooner!”
Dan Heng blurted out a laugh. Just what did he mean by public display of affection: kiss level?
“Perhaps, I didn’t like it before. As for now, I think I can let it slide.”
Caelus watched how carefree Dan Heng’s laugh was, so beautiful. With the approval in hand, he grew a mischievous grin on his puffy face.
“Then, please allow me—”
But before Caelus could act, Dan Heng had already taken the opportunity and captured Caelus in a kiss.
One peck, two smooches, three kisses—it was all intoxicating. With gentle pressure, Dan Heng deepened the kiss, eliciting a soft whimper from Caelus who was gripping his shoulders. It felt like all tension, anxiety, and fear vanished, replaced by a warm love that enveloped them.
Dan Heng shifted to pampering Caelus’ entire face with affection, planting kisses and wiping away his tears. The sensation tickled enough to make Caelus giggle. Once satisfied, Dan Heng landed one final kiss on his nose.
“Please never leave my side, Dan Heng.”
“I won’t. Wherever you go, I will always be there for you.”
The two of them stayed quietly in their place; inside their own bubble oblivious to their surroundings, simply enjoying each other’s comforting presence. Until—
“Hey guys, I do understand if you two need some time alone, but we have done the discussion with the officer and we have to get going now,” March peeked with her voice came in a cautious tone, as if she didn't want to intrude on whatever was going on between the two men. “I hope I’m not—ahem—interrupting.”
Dan Heng was taken aback, not expecting the girl to appear during their intimate moment. Caelus, on the other hand, chuckled at the reaction with a little sniffle from the remaining tears following behind.
“Mhm. Then, we should move forward and go ahead. Right, Dan Heng?”
This time, it took some seconds for Dan Heng to return the smile. Even if the world ended before their eyes, he swore to the universe to always protect Caelus, to keep his warm smile from ever drowning in misery. Whatever it takes.
“Yes. You’re right.”