Chapter Text
Dan Heng frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror. How the hell did he get himself into this situation? He pressed his palm to the barely visible- but slightly forming- curve of his lower abdomen. "This is bad..." There shouldn't be anything there- he had been careful right? He let out a noise of frustration and reached for his shirt that was nearby, tugging it over his head. Maybe it was just anxiety? Surely that was possible, right? He knew that it wasn't but his frantic thoughts were causing him to stress out more. He paced around his room for a moment in an attempt to calm his nerves before grabbing his cell phone and calling whichever of his friends would answer the group call.
"Whhhoa. Hello? Dan Heng, why are you calling at this hour. Aren't you usually at work?" A cheerful sounding feminine voice replied from the other end of the line.
Dan Heng sighed a little, running his hand through his short messy hair. "Hey March. I didn't open up today. Woke up sick. Are you at the coffee shop today?"
"Uh, yeah! Miss Himeko and Caelus are here too, did something happen? Do you need her to take you to the hospital or something?" March replied, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.
"No I'm- I'm not dying or anything. I think I'm okay. I just... need some advice maybe. From someone older." There was a soft vulnerability to his tone that leaked out, his voice wavering slightly as he looked down at his body again. His hands smoothed the fabric of the tshirt, thankful that it was baggy enough to hide the bump when it sat normally.
March made a noise of confirmation, though she wasn't convinced. "Okay well... be safe okay? And see you when you get here. I'll tell Himeko to make you some coffee!" The line clicked off quickly after that, leaving Dan Heng in the silence of his room again.
With a sigh he grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and heading out to the coffee shop that Himeko ran. It wasn't a long walk from his apartment, but the anxiety running through his body made it seem endless.
When he made it to the train station-turned cafe he pushed open the door, flinching at the little bell as it chimed. He shook his head at himself. Nerves must be shot, why did the familiar sound of the chime make him feel so intimidated all of a sudden?
March almost immediately ran to him when he walked inside the shop. "Whoa! You look sick- well, tired. Like you haven't slept in days. Still thinking about your brother?"
He couldn't help the full-bodied flinch that ran through his body at the mention of his brother. His brother had died barely 4 months ago and despite them never being incredibly close the wound still ran deep. "No it's not about Dan Feng it's-" his mouth felt extremely dry when he went to say the words. He glanced around the coffee shop to make sure there were no strangers- there often wasn't at this hour- before trying again. "I think I- I think i fucked up. Majorly fucked up."
The quizzical look on his friend Caelus's face as he joined them from behind the counter made him pause another moment before continuing. Might as well rip the bandaid off so to speak. "I think I'm pregnant."
The sudden sound of shattering ceramic had everyone attention stolen to look at the counter. Sunday coughed nervously before apologizing quietly as he started cleaning up the cup he had dropped accidentally upon overhearing the news.
March made a noise and grabbed Dan Heng by the shoulders, leading him over to a comfy couch as Caelus followed before drilling him with questions. "Pregnant? Have you taken a test? Do you want me to go with you?"
Dan Heng flinched again, rubbing his hands against his arms in a motion that resembled being cold. "No I haven't yet and- no I think i can do it myself I'm just..." Scared? Worried? Overwhelmed? He wasn't sure what the proper word to describe this situation was, because truthfully he felt all three at once. "Nervous I guess? The house has been weird since Dan Feng died and a baby would just make it weird in a different kind of way."
Himeko had joined them then, sitting down beside him, a cup of tea in her hands. "I'm sure it's hard to have something like this come on so unexpected. Do you know how you want to move forward with it?"
He reached for the tea she offered him, taking a sip. Herbal, a calming blend. "Move forward..." He contemplated for a moment, knowing full well the hidden implications of her words. "I think I- I should probably keep it. I mean Dan Feng always wanted kids and he would probably be rolling over in his grave if he knew I got rid of one just because I got scared."
Himeko offered a soft smile, "That's probably true, but what do you want? Do you wish to keep it?"
Dan Heng paused again, staring down into the inky depths of the teacup in his hands. He hadn't given it much thought beyond that. Does he want to keep it? His mind feels like a mess more than anything lately, he isn't even sure what he wants. "I don't...know. I mean the father-" He flinched, a horrible revelation settling in. "I have to tell the father. Even if- Even should he not want it...or want to help me with it if I keep it. He should probably know."
Himeko nodded sympathetically. "That's a good start. Do you have a way to contact him?"
As Dan Heng paused to pull out his phone and look up the baby's father's phone number, Caelus suddenly blurted out, "Who is the dad anyway? I didn't think you were seeing anybody."
Himeko excused herself as a customer came in the door, returning to the coffee station as Dan Heng collected himself. "It's-"
"Caelus! That's rude! He's obviously struggling right now and you're being nosy!" March chastised her friend.
Dan Heng shook his head. "Its okay March. It was my mistake. I accidentally spent the night with Yingxing."
"Yingxing? Like- your brother's fiancée Yingxing?" Caelus sounded more confused for a moment. "How do you acciden- ooohhhhhh. You got drunk didn't you?"
"I had too many drinks, yes... I don't even know why. Or how... I just thought he was very kind and things just led to another-" He sighed with a tone more akin to disappointment when he found the number in his phone. "I need to call him."
Both of his friends nodded in their support as he clicked the call button- but it immediately hit dial tone. He tried again, and again, and finally on the third try the mechanical voice replied with "we're sorry but the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected."
Frustrated, he shoved his phone back into his pocket as March tried to comfort him. "Maybe he forgot to pay it...? I mean he was pretty old right? Old people forget things all the time! You should just go visit him anyways, these things are probably better to talk about face to face."
"You're probably right but- what if he gets disappointed? Or doesn't even remember anymore?"
"I think you're overthinking this. You'll be fine! Just go see him, i bet everything will work out fine!" March nudged him to stand up, grinning when he did.
"Alright fine i'll... go talk to him. He should be home by now from his job." This wasn't going to be a fun confrontation, Dan Heng realized. It would either be awkward or just plain confusing for him. He wouldn't be surprised if Yingxing didn't even remember they had slept together. They both had too much alcohol that night. Not that he blamed the older man either... he really did love Dan Feng.
He didn't even hear what his friends said as he left the coffee shop, too far in his own thoughts as he walked to the address he had only visited a handful of times with his brother. It was a bit far, but it gave him more time to formulate his thoughts and words. What would Yingxing say when he knocked on his door, showing his face that looked so much like his late brother's. He realizes that the similarities were probably the catalyst to why the older man had even slept with him that night, likely so riddled with grief that he took it as an out for comfort.
The house seemed bigger than he remembered when he stepped up on the porch, hand raised to knock on the door. He was shaking. It would be fine though, right? He saw the familiar red car in the driveway, so the man was home. Worst case he could apologize and raise the baby himself. He would never force anyone to do help.
As his fist came down to knock on the door he mouthed the words he was preparing to say- only for everything to fall apart when the man that opened the door wasn't Yingxing. But he looked like him- younger however. With hair a stunning shade of navy and eyes he could swear looked amber in this lighting.
"Sorry is... Yingxing home? I saw his car and-"
The other man cut him off, voice deep and dismissive. Something about it sent a shiver down Dan Heng's spine "Nope just me.The old man died last month. You're a little late. He had a heart attack before you ask."
Everything seemed to crash down all at once. His nerves, his careful preparations for his explanation. Dead? Just like his brother. He supposed the silver lining is they are together again in whatever afterlife his family was always babbling on about. "That's... unfortunate. I'm Dan Feng's brother."
"I know. I've seen your face in almost every picture around the house. What did you want with him? Your brother is dead too, you have no reason to be sulking around here. Unless you're hoping to be the rebound"
The way Dan Heng flinched at that had the navy haired man smirking. He wasn't right but somehow it unsettled anyways. "No i- I had to tell him something important."
"Shame. He's not here, guess you'll have to pass it on to me then. Next of kin or whatever bullshit. Bet I can guess what it is though." The man's smile unsettled Dan Heng. Wormed it's way down into the depths of his insecurities. "Old man told me about how he fucked his dead fiancée at the funeral. I thought he was crazy at first. Never knew him to be into necrophilia. Besides. Too many people. Too many witnesses. Then I realized that the dead little dragon prince had a miniature. A lookalike. So I put two and two together. So my guess is... You came to tell him you're pregnant?"
"How did you-"
"Knew it. Bet you feel thrilled about it too. You probably couldn't wait to spread your legs for your brother's fiancée. He was always a whore too. Was an old man's dick that good for you that you pounced on him at a funeral?"
"Shut up! You don't know anything." Dan Heng felt his temper flare up, something that doesn't happen often. This man was just good at provoking him. Or maybe it was the hormones. "It was an accident. I don't drink and people kept shoving them into my hands. Pitying me. Thinking that I needed them so badly because the deceased was my brother. I wasn't even that close to him. We used to fight." He clenched his hands into fists. "I didn't hate him but I wasn't... as close as I should have been. I should have done more. And now I fucked everything up and made a mess of my own life on the heels of everything."
The other man went quiet, allowing the rant to occur. He didn't apologize. "You should have taken precautions. You can still get rid of it."
"I- no I... I'm going to keep it. I'll figure something out."
The navy haired man frowned, pondering over the sudden silence before sighing. "Fine. I suppose the old man would have wanted you to keep it anyways. Listen. I can't help you. But...I guess if you ever need anything of his you can call me. My name's Ren."
The shift from hostility to kindness took Dan Heng off guard, and he just nodded as if dumbfounded in response. Ren waved him off and handed him a scribbled note. A phone number. He took the note just in time to see the door shut unsympathetically in his face, leaving him standing on the porch with the most confusion he's ever felt in his life.
What was he supposed to do from here?