Chapter Text
“Ugh, Dan Heng! You got another package!” March bends down and picks up the cardboard box in front of their home. In the corner of her eye, she swears she hears the sound of a camera rustling of leaves. She hums, shrugs her shoulders, and closes the door behind her.
“Whaaat? Again?” Caelus leans his head against the couch, his gaze focusing on the cardboard box as March sets it down on the granite counter. “Dan Heng, what the hell have you been getting?”
Dan Heng perks up away from the table, he shakes his cupped hand and rolls the die. “I haven’t bought anything recently, from what I remember.” Both Dan Heng and Caelus stare at the die, the number rolling on one. “You failed to seduce the innkeeper, he is soo angered by your pathetic pickup lines that he kicks you out.”
“What!?” Caelus shouts and slams his hands against the table. The dice roll off the table, falling onto the floor, while their characters bounce off the hard wooden surface. “I demand a reroll!”
“I feel sorry for the innkeeper, he has to hear your horrible flirting, and now… He’ll have to hear it again.” A small smile threatens to crack up Dan Heng’s face as he watches the way Caelus grabs his little trash can mascot and places it in front of the innkeeper.
“Do not disrespect my buddy like that,” Caelus spat.
March grabs a pair of scissors from one of the kitchen drawers and walks back towards the countertop. She places the edge of the blades against the tape and slices it open.
“You mean your trash can?” March questions as she opens the box. “I still can’t believe Dan Heng let you have the Stellaron.”
“He just can’t help but fall for my charm,” Caelus grins as he reaches down for the fallen dice and hands it back to Dan Heng.
“ Your character’s charm. Aren’t you trying to max out that stat first?” Dan Heng takes one of the dice from Caelus and cups his hand.
“Of course. Imagine my overpowered trash can buddy with the best flirting known to mankind. Wait actually, Dan Heng.” Caelus places his hand over Dan Heng’s. “I want to seduce your character.”
“Imbibitor Lunae?”
“Imbibitor Lunae, Yinyue-Jun, whatever .” Caelus rolls his eyes and quickly glances at March removing colorful paper from the box. “If I can get a hot dragon on my side then I am guaranteed to survive my next encounter.”
“You’re already guaranteed to survive a while, you have a Stellaron!” March shouts from the kitchen and digs her hands into the colorful paper. Her hands grasp another box, albeit smaller and made of plastic.
“That doesn’t mean shit, if anything that means the opposite. I have major death flags from whatever Dan Heng has written down.” Caelus peels open Dan Heng’s hand and takes the die from his hands.
“Maybe I should rewrite everything I have just to make your character die quicker,” Dan Heng smirks as he watches Caelus roll his die. He glances at March, watching her as she fumbles with the white plastic box. “I’ll be right back.”
Dan Heng excuses himself from the couch and walks out of the living room and towards the kitchen. He rests his hand on March’s head, messes up her hair, and rests his side against the granite countertop.
“Are you sure you didn’t buy anything? The package has your name on it,” March brings the plastic to her mouth, biting down on it, and then groans as it refuses to open. She sets it down on the counter, picks up the scissors, and begins cutting away the plastic.
“I mean… I don’t think I bought anything recently,” Dan Heng grabs the discarded paper and stuffs it back into the cardboard box. He pushes it aside and grabs the bottom of the plastic, keeping it still for March. “Oh wait, I did get a figurine a couple of weeks ago. Maybe it’s that.”
“Oh, a figurine? Who?” March cuts open the top of the plastic and sets the scissors back down on the granite surface.
“Mm, just a character from a show I've been invested in recently. I believe his name is Kevin Kaslana.”
“I know him! That’s the game that is finally getting a Donghua adaptation. My favorite character is Elysia,” March reaches her hands into the plastic and grabs onto the soft object. She begins to lift it out of the plastic container.
“It’s because she’s pink and cute!” Caelus shouts from the living room.
“Shut up!” March shouts back, “Ignore him. Anyway, is this what you… What the?”
“I did not order that.” Dan Heng reaches forward and picks up the object from March’s hands.
It’s a plushie of a small, humanoid, eastern teal dragon with small beady eyes. Two subtly curved horns poke out from the forehead, with a traditional white Chinese robe wrapped around its body. Long black hair cascades down the plushie’s back with chubby arms and legs poking out.
Now that Dan Heng and March take a closer look at this plushie… It looks squared and fat.
“It’s so cute!” March squeals as she snatches the plush back from Dan Heng. “It’s squished too, maybe from the packaging it came in but… Sooo cute! Dan Heng, can I have it?”
“...That looks like my Dungeons and Dragons character,” Dan Heng squints his eyes as he examines the plushie roll around in March’s arms as she hugs it, attempting to fluff it up again.
“And you say you didn’t buy it,” March snickers. She lifts the plush into the air as if it were a newborn child and stares into those black, shimmering eyes. “We won’t judge you if you commissioned someone, y’know.”
“He commissioned someone?” Caelus calls out as he rises from the couch and walks over to the kitchen, “sick-looking dragon.”
“I didn’t commission anyone,” Dan Heng groans and scratches the side of his head. He takes a second to adjust his glasses and leans forward to get a better look at the dragon plushie.
“I bet he asked that old artist dude downtown,” Caelus clicks the roof of his mouth as he extends his arm out to March. She nods and hands the dragon to him. “Even if you didn’t buy this, maybe he gave it to you as a gift. I mean, didn’t he flirt with you one time?”
“Right, he did!” March gasps as she shoots her head at Dan Heng. “He has feelings for you, Dan Heng!”
Both March and Caelus reach a hand out towards Dan Heng, Caelus holding the dragon plushie in one hand as they both await a high five. Instead, Dan Heng shakes his head and takes a step back.
“I don’t think so. I mean, he mentioned being engaged…” Dan Heng trails off.
“Aw man, he has a fiance,” March sighs as Dan Heng fails to give her and Caelus a high five.
“I’d assume maybe he was being nice,” Dan Heng shrugs.
“Dang,” Caelus curses under his breath. His attention falls on the kitchen clock. Immediately, his whole body jolts. Caelus drops the dragon plushie on the counter and hastily makes his way to the door. “My sister!”
March snorts as she follows Caelus’ movements as he bolts towards the door and slips on his shoes. She reaches forward, grabs the dragon, and squeezes it into her arms.
“He forgot to pick up Stelle, again .” March turns to Dan Heng as soon as the door closes, “Keep your door locked tonight or else Caelus will be sleeping in your room.”
Dan Heng sighs, not looking forward to the possibility of Caelus hogging his bed like some kind of leech. He already had to share a dorm room with Caelus once before the four of them decided to rent a place. Dan Heng vividly remembers just how loud Caelus snores whenever he comes home from his nightly classes.
March tugs the dragon plushie’s horns and then twirls her fingers around it. Her pink-blue eyes linger on those tiny beads that look soulless.
“While Caelus is picking up his sister… Can you go get groceries for tonight?” March asks, “I found this recipe online and I’m dying to try it.”
“What? Why can’t you get them?”
“Do you really trust me to get what we need ?” March narrows her eyes and makes her way to their hallway. “Plus, you have a better memory than me!”
Off she goes into her room with the dragon plush that was supposed to be for Dan Heng. He sighs, scratching his head once more, and then walks towards the door that Caelus walked out of only seconds prior.
Without uttering a word, Dan Heng slips on his shoes and takes a step outside. He swears he hears the rustling of leaves and the sound of a camera, yet Dan Heng shrugs his shoulders and continues walking.
###
If there’s one thing Dan Heng hates, it’s public transportation.
Living as a university student drowning in student loan debt and barely getting paid enough to pay his portion of rent has forced Dan Heng to use either buses or trains to get from place to place. With the way things are strategically built, walking from one place to another is borderline impossible.
Dan Heng should’ve run out before Caelus got into the car– The only car that the four of them have. Hell, that’s not even Caelus’ car, it’s Stelle’s but everyone is forced to share it.
Want to use it? Whoever is driving has to pay for gas. If someone gets into an accident? They all have to pitch in to afford the repairs. Fortunately, such a situation hasn’t occurred… Unless Dan Heng counts the time March bought an air refresher that was way too strong and made the car reek of overly sweet candy for weeks .
Now, Dan Heng is bumping into a stranger's shoulders as he is practically being squashed in the middle. Every part of his body is blasting sirens, too many sweaty people huddled against each other and breathing in each other’s stench. Especially the man behind him in a black beanie, sunglasses, and a surgical mask.
Dan Heng tries to scoot away, but the man behind him is practically staring him down as if Dan Heng’s mere presence is making him sweat bullets. Is he sick? Gross .
The moment the train slowly begins to stop, Dan Heng’s heart leaps out of his throat, and begins to make his way through the crowded train. The moment he steps out of the train, he gives one last glance back and meets the man in sunglasses until the doors of the train close behind him.
###
“...Of course, she would want to make something that’s pure sugar,” Dan Heng sighs as he stares down at his phone. His messages opened, filled with a list of recipes that March sent him the moment he stepped foot within the store.
If it were any other time of the day, then maybe Dan Heng would be kind enough to indulge his friend’s sweet tooth. He likes sweets too, but anything too sweet is simply overdoing it. Not that Caelus or Stelle would mind eating a bucket of sugar for dinner, those two would eat anything they lay their hands on.
However, Dan Heng is someone who respects his body, heart, and teeth. Waking up with a stomachache and a multitude of cavities is nothing but a nightmare.
With a basket in hand, Dan Heng reaches forth and grabs a bag of brown rice from the shelf. Something simple and easy to make, his mother used to make it for him when he was younger and still lived with her until everything went to hell. Although it won’t ever be the same as her cooking, he can at least try.
By all means, Dan Heng is no chef. The most he can make is rice, meat, tofu, and fried vegetables. His older brother was someone who focused more on cooking, he can faintly remember how his brother’s cooking tasted when he still lived with him.
Dan Heng shakes the memories away and makes his way to the produce aisle. Footsteps follow behind him, he pauses, and those footsteps quicken and then fall silent.
He waits.
And waits.
Nothing happens.
Dan Heng continues walking through the store.
Unease dawns upon Dan Heng. His nerves spike and his whole body screams to run out of the store, go home, and lock the door. The pit in his gut simmers, threatening to crawl its way up his stomach and spill over his clothes in front of the whole store. Dan Heng swallows the bile pooling in the back of his throat and stops once he’s in front of cabbages.
“Um…” Dan Heng drops the bag of rice into his basket and leans forward.
When he was younger, Dan Heng remembers one thing his mother had told him: “The bad vegetables will smell bad, have an odd color, and become soft. You need to learn this when you become a wife.”
Dan Heng grimaces, his whole body shuddering, and that feeling in his gut only worsens.
He reaches forward and grabs a ripe-looking cabbage. Dan Heng squeezes the vegetable in his hand, feeling the softness of it and once deemed good enough, he grabs a plastic bag and stuffs the cabbage inside.
Once he makes his way towards the checkout line, Dan Heng catches sight of a short girl with a ponytail with her phone out, pointing it towards him. She snickers, chewing on what appears to be gum, and quickly walks away.
Weird .
Dan Heng shrugs it off. It’s a public supermarket, after all, so encountering strange people is bound to happen eventually. This should make it the third time something weird happened. One of the times is when Stelle and Caelus were play fighting in the middle of the aisle, and then a girl with purple hair starts cheering them on in the distance.
He remembers how March covered her face in embarrassment, begged them to stop, and Dan Heng had to pretend he didn’t know them.
The second time is when Dan Heng bumped into a man with long dark hair who was walking with a woman in a black coat that resembled spider webs. He remembers how he excused himself, walked around them, and how the man stared at him the entire time without uttering a single word. Not even a “it’s okay”, or a “you’re fine”. Nothing. Nothing at all.
Now this… Short, lost child who pointed her phone at Dan Heng and ran away. He crosses his fingers that she didn’t snap a picture of him and is going to post it someplace on the internet.
When it’s Dan Heng’s turn to checkout, he hands his goods to the cashier, grabs his receipt and plastic bags, and walks out.
Dan Heng swears he hears those footsteps follow behind him…
###
Again, Dan Heng stands inside the cramped train with his bags in one hand, and the other grabbing the handrails above him. His body faces the end of the train, at the metal wall with people threatening to trample over him with each jolt of the train.
It smells , Dan Heng holds back the urge to vomit as the familiar stench fills his nostrils. The whole train is full of businessmen coming back from work, alcoholics who can’t seem to control how much they drink, and a couple of friends chattering amongst each other.
Dan Heng lowers his arm from the handrail and reaches inside his pockets to take out his phone. He’s greeted with a couple of notifications from his friends. Two from March and one from Stelle.
March (7:42 p.m.)
You’re taking forever!
March (7:43 p.m.)
[March has sent you a gif !]
Stelle (7:42 p.m.)
Get me some ice cream
Dan Heng swipes on his phone and types in his passcode. He takes a step forward once he feels someone bump into him.
He types a response to Stelle.
Dan Heng: Already got out of the store.
(Message failed to send.)
Damnit , Dan Heng curses as he retypes his message and presses send again.
Again, it fails to deliver the message.
He clicks his tongue and stuffs his phone back into his pockets. No matter, Dan Heng will respond once he’s out of the train. There’s always been horrible internet within the train, especially in the back where Dan Heng stands.
When Dan Heng feels another bump against his backside he tenses.
“Sorry,” Dan Heng apologizes.
It happens again.
And again.
The fifth it happened, Dan Heng musters up the courage to turn his head. Immediately he is greeted with those sunglasses staring down at him. Dan Heng’s breath catches in his throat and shoots his head away.
The man is still here? Even when Dan Heng spent at least fifteen minutes inside the store?
Every muscle in his body stiffens as if Dan Heng were a statue. His glasses threaten to slip off of his nose and he shakily brings his sweaty, free hand up to his face and pushes them up.
The moment Dan Heng lifts his arm, the man behind him takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around Dan Heng’s torso and pulls him in. Their bodies jolt against each other, Dan Heng’s back pressing flush against the man’s chest.
No words are exchanged between them except the man’s heavy breathing. The hand wrapped around Dan Heng’s chest loosens and trails a line down his chest and abdomen. Large, gloved hands lift the white fabric of his shirt and trace patterns into Dan Heng’s stomach.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Dan Heng bites his bottom lip as he stares down at the hand on him. His cheeks flush, sweat dripping down his forehead, as his mouth struggles to form any words out of his dry throat. It feels extremely dry, as if he had not drank any water within the past few days when it’s the complete opposite.
Dan Heng does drink water, plenty of water. Yet the man behind him makes it all meaningless once they slip into his pants and over his boxers.
This can’t be happening— The thought of him being touched like this in such a crowded, smelly train filled with nothing but the wind pushing against metal and people talking amongst one another. Dan Heng swallows nothing but spit as the hand on him trails lower and lower…
Until they wrap around Dan Heng’s half-hard cock.
Why? Why is Dan Heng getting hard over this? Just from having someone’s hands on him. It’s so disgusting how the thought of someone turning around and witnessing such an act makes him wet .
Dan Heng drops his plastic bag onto the ground and slaps a hand over his mouth once that hand begins kneading him through his underwear. He shuts his eyes, biting into the palm of his hand, and holds back a moan.
“Mmhm— Stop…” Dan Heng mutters out, swallowing down another moan as the hand in his pants does the complete opposite.
Their bodies sway, pulling them even closer if such a thing were possible, and Dan Heng can feel the rapid beating of the man’s heart.
The hand on Dan Heng grips his cock, fully hard now by the touch. The man loosens his hold and Dan Heng almost sighs in relief if it weren’t for the fact that the man moves his hand up and into his boxers.
Sirens should be going off in Dan Heng’s head as he shoots his eyes open. Every part of his body should be trying to break free from the man’s hand on him and step away. Maybe even call out, scream, and shout to alert everyone that there’s a pervert on the train. Yet… He doesn’t do that, Dan Heng does nothing but let the man touch him.
In an attempt to get a better look at who exactly is touching him, Dan Heng’s head is met by a strong grip on his hair forcing him to look down at himself. Forced to watch himself get touched by a stranger, forced to watch himself get hard by just having his cock gaining the slightest bit of attention.
The man grips the base of Dan Heng’s cock, feeling the weight and girth in his hold, and then turn towards his balls. The man dips his hand underneath Dan Heng’s cock, searching for the sack but…
The man’s hand suddenly freezes as he feels nothing but slick and chubby lips. Seemingly taken aback by the sudden touch, Dan Heng can feel shame seeping into his mind.
However… Dan Heng heard something from the man for the first time.
Nothing but a low laugh as his fingers spread Dan Heng’s folds apart and delve his fingers through the slickness.
“ Ah —!” Dan Heng moans into his hand, drool spilling from the corners of his mouth. Weight is lifted off of his head, suddenly freed from being forced to look at himself and be taken advantage of. Yet with the weight off of him, Dan Heng keeps looking.
Dan Heng catches sight of glass and a red flashing dot, but he ignores it. He’s too focused on the man’s ministrations on his body.
Fingers dance around his small clit. Almost rubbing frantically as if the man has been yearning for Dan Heng’s body. He rubs left, right, up, down, and in circles. Quiet squelches fill the chatter of the crowded train.
The thought of releasing in front of everyone excites Dan Heng, he can feel sparks of electricity course through every nerve of his body as the man behind him continues to massage his clit with expert precision.
Dan Heng’s moaning into his hand, desperately trying to keep himself quiet. How badly he wants those fingers to slip inside. To finger him in front of everyone, anyone, as he jerks and does nothing nothing to stop himself from being touched like this.
Just as Dan Heng was about to cum from his clit being stimulated alone, the man’s hand shoots up, away from Dan Heng’s clit, and grips the base of his cock harshly— Bordering on painful as he’s suddenly denied of his orgasm.
A whine spills underneath Dan Heng’s hand, his slick spilling out of his pussy and staining his pants from how hungry he is for an orgasm. The man tightens his grip, Dan Heng hisses, and then just like that… The hold he had on his cock loosens and the train suddenly stops.
Dan Heng almost cries, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as the presence of the man behind him is suddenly lifted, and just like that…
The man is gone, leaving Dan Heng needy and unfulfilled. He blinks his tears away, glances at the plastic bag on the floor, and back at his pants. There’s a wet spot soaked into the fabric, and Dan Heng can feel both shame and regret swirling inside of his consciousness.
With a groan, Dan Heng picks up the plastic bag and walks out of the train.