
đ˛đđ . đđđ đđđđđđđđđ - might be falling for vroom vroom man
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Kayeiss - Tumblr Blog


Choso đ *matchy-matchy = fated brothers*
credits to the original artist @yakult9_chim on X & ig


very important research

"once more to see you" ; aventurine
summary â to him, love was like a religion waiting to be discovered and heâll find god in the way the sun looks on your skin; alternatively, aventurine thinks heâs rotten work and tiring to take care of but not to you, not if it's him (please get the reference).
pairing â aventurine (w/ gender-neutral reader)
tags â established relationship (but aventurine wants to de-establish it), somewhat fluff, slight angst with comfort, never proofread never what?!!, 1.3k ; ficlet
note â 2.1 broke me (the whole quest knocked at the door of my house, shook my hands, congratulated me, and invited itself into my home before pouring water on my face, slapping me, throwing me around, and left with the door open, all the while, my family watched). this is day 1 of writing for aventurine until i have him.

âyou have a lot of moles.â his voice, despite a gentle whisper, tears through the silence of the night like a drop of water that ruptured and disturbed the surface of the pond. âespecially here.â he gently taps on your skin; they seem like stars, he swallows the words back down.Â
you feel aventurineâs finger trace on the back of your neck and the curve of your shoulders, seemingly drawingâor connecting something. it was ticklish, the way he gently drags his hand and ghosts over your skin, a soft laugh slipping past your lips (youâll capture his touch on your skin as if you were a sinner remembering how forgiveness tasted on your lips). there was something intimate that lingers in the air between you two as you lay in his bed with him, a fleeting moment that will be inked into your mind.Â
(the both of you leave your titles behind, mixed together with the scattered objects on the floor, laid on the cold ground to be picked up and worn later like a shiny medal even if you werenât proud to have them.)
âthey say itâs where your lover kissed you the most in your past life.â you stir in your position as you speak, coming to face him and meet his pretty jewel-like eyesâhow alluring it was, painted with vivid colors yet it never shines. the sound of mirth laughter bubbles from his throat, a pleasant melody to your ears.
he asks, curiosity tracing the tone of his voice, âand from where did you even hear that?â and you shrug, bringing your form closer to him as you seek for more warmth, âi canât recall. perhaps i heard it from topaz or maybe from one of the members of the ipc? theyâre the only ones i often see and talk to.â
âthe doctor?â he wraps his arm around your figure, his hand settling on the small of your back.
âthat man will only scorn at that idea and call it stupid. heâll most likely say that âonly fools would believe such concepts.ââ you mimic the way the esteemed doctor spoke, from the serious expression that he always don on his face to the deepening of his voice. your seemingly successful imitation earned a chuckle from the blonde-haired man before you.
âiâm sure he will.â
silence falls between you two and you took this time to adore each and every line of his being. a few strands of hair fall over his eyesâbeautiful, captivating, mesmerizing, you could list out every word to describe his eyes but it would never be enough. you had always wondered why he would hide it until you witnessed the reason why he does so.Â
aventurine seems to study your expression at the same also, a soft look on his face as he did, and you canât help but be curious. âwhat are you thinking about?â you ask him, breaking the silence that nurtured itself in the space between you and him.
you, he wishes to answer. how you look at this moment in his embrace: you were wearing one of his shirts, albeit, not exactly to your size but you insisted, saying that you liked it as it smelled like him. how gentle, loving, adoring, you were everything; he looks and thinks of you as if you were his everything (he doesnât deserve you). but he doesnât say itâthe thought weighs too heavily on his mind, claws at his throat, and suffocates himâ, instead he utters something entirely different that creates a shift in the air between you two.Â
âi donât think i can do this.â he turns his head to look away from you, staring at the ceiling instead. it seems to extend itself far and far away from him.
the horrible part of being human is the tendency for destruction that lies in your bones. stained palms, calloused pads, despite the gentleness of your touch and the comfort of your caress. the desire to devour flesh and bones, to understand the underlying thoughts and meanings behind words and unexpressed feelings by consuming them. to submerge and drown in the depths of one's despair and desire (too close that the line blurs into one). the horrible part of being him was his tendency to destroyâhesitation and doubt lies in his being and aches at his chest, tugging on his heartâs strings, and settles on his throatâ, itâs not like he doesnât want to hold you, itâs just that he canât.
âdo what?â
âthis.â you know exactly what he was referring to, know what heâs afraid of. he has laid himself bare and vulnerable in front of you countless of times that you have memorized the constellations that adorns his skin. you know him, you have known him enough to recognize the fear that tugs on his voice and see the walls that he tries to build up in front of you. you know him enough to know what thoughts are plaguing his mind.
âwhy do you think so?â
âdonât you think iâm too much to take care of?â he tries not to choke on his words and bite his tongue, careful not to let his voice crack lest he crumbles underneath your caress. i am undeserving of it. worthless. failure. selfish. discarded. coward. loser. nothing. you are bound to leave.Â
ânot for me.â you caress his cheek and guide him to look at youâinstead of the ceiling that seems to appear farther than it originally was in each passing second as the walls glean over him like a shadowâ, to meet your gaze and see the sincerity that lurks deep within. ânever will i get tired of you. so, let me carry your burden.â
he takes a few seconds to answer, uncertainty lingering in his tone: âitâs not yours to have.â
âit may not be.â you answer with no hesitation, âbut it doesnât mean that you must shoulder them alone.â
he opens his mouth to speak but unable to find the words to say, he closes them. there was a moment of stillness shared between you two. comfort, relief, assurance seeps into the ache of his bones and you say something too heavy even for this steady and silent night to hold, the words too much to be heldâlight spills in like a flood as if it was pouring out from the sun itself.
âi love you.â
âyou utter such words as if itâs something easy for you.â as if loving him was just as simple as waking up in the morning and adoring the way the honey-light hugs your form as the dust settles in the corner of your room. when heâs stripped of everything and left with nothing, would you still love him the same? would you still kiss him as gently as you did? would you still hold the shards of his form even if it makes your hand bleed?Â
you spoke in a gentle yet firm croon, gaze unwavering, âbecause it is.â
you see the falter in his expression: his face, that once was crumpled, relaxed and so did his gaze soften. and you smile at him with only adoration in your eyesâlike a devout follower to a divine being. âare you still afraid?â
âi donât know.â he whispers.
âitâs alright. you have all the time in the world.â your hand weaves itself into his own, fingers lacing with one another, and you gently squeeze. it was a form of reassurance, a way of telling him that youâre here with him through all of it.
the warmth has settled in your being and you spill yourself into the cracks of his vulnerability. âi love you.â you say once more and you kiss the mark on his neckâlingering and soft as if you wish that it would take all his hurt away. the way he shudders underneath your touch, the hitch of his breath soon followed by a gentle sigh as he cradles you closer to him tells you everything that you wish to hear.
for once, he sleeps as if he had nothing to carry, nothing that shackles him to the stars that forsakes him.

Š azullumi â do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor translate any of my works.
Hwei calling you his muse
Taking the utmost care when portraying your visage with his features portraying a stern focus laced with fondness, the colors swirling in his eyes and onto the canvas were layered in rosey hues with scatterings of gold. Painting you in the shades of his adoration and infatuation in the lavish peaceful life he thinks you deserve
His starlight serenity
Because you're the one who brings light to his darkest of hours
The way you feel him almost melt into your embrace as you catch him on the brink of another downward spiral of torment
Your hands smooth over the back of his shoulders trying to offer a means to comfort him as his head buries deeper into the crook of your neck, his body hunched over yours. The visionary practically glues himself to you as you feel his shakey shallow breaths begin to steady in your soothing presence.
"Even when my world seems as black as ink.. y/n you are the single brightest light that illuminates my way back home.. my way back to you.. my starlight.."
every 6-8 months my marauders era obsession comes back.
its literally the only consistent thing in my life...

ŕłâ⡠DAYLIGHT ROBBERY
Gepard x Gn!Reader
Sypnosis : A renowned thief of Belobog. Thatâs what you were. What people didnât know was that you actually did it for a good cause, yet they were too clouded by their sense of judgement to even think of your reason behind this. Seems a certain blonde haired Captain was no different. At each and every turn he is always there, yet at each and every turn you managed to wriggle your way out of his grasp. Whilst it visibly annoyed him, you were also unaware of the fact he appreciated a challenge. And if a challenge meant having to keep an extra eye on you at all times, well. Heâd be willing to swim with sharks to do soâŚ
WC : 1.9k
Warnings : None! The reader is a bit playful, youâll see what I mean and there is a hint of a little crush between the two but not confirmed. Bit of Sampo is mentioned. Kind of fools in love..? Might make a part 2, only if requested to. Also, I made a minor modification, this takes place before the Stellaron was âdefeatedâ so when the Overworld and Underworld were not yet connected.
Read part 1 || part 2 || part 2.5 || part 3
Virtuous. That was certainly one word used to describe yourself. Well, a word that people of the Overworld would use to describe you. For context, you were not a citizen of the Underworld, far from in fact. Instead, you were merely an above average person who roamed the Belobog streets. Thatâs what many others would say about you at a first glance and to be truthful, they were not necessarily wrong.
But they were not necessarily right either. As an Overworld being, you had privilege compared to more than average, which is why you were recognisable from a glance. While you were not really nobility per se, you were certainly rich. Your parents were involved with Cocolia quite a fair amount. They had worked underneath her wing for as long as even they could remember as she helped them climb the ranks. However, the higher they progressed, the less attention that was given to you became more frequent.
So you would typically expect for a child of such high classed parents to have strong beliefs against the Underworld and stay in that richie-rich bubble, would you not? Well, you can guess where this is leading up to. Of course you werenât. Whilst you did grow up in luxury, many stories of the Underworldians were simply hard to believe in your eyes. So once you managed to get involved with a certain woman, who strangely enough looked quite manly and had blue-ish hair, that woman had led you down the furnace core towards the lower part of the city. Strangely enough, she had disappeared the second you stepped onto the dark slate flooring which left you to explore the place yourself.
And after delving deeper into the rumoured horror town, you had managed to learn that everything here was in fact, well, much better than that. Although a few scowls were given towards you, you were determined to learn more about the place. That was about a few months ago. Now you sat here with the children of Boulder Town as you played a game of Hide and Seek with them.
Now some people may think, what about your parents, your friends up above? Your parents were too busy to really pay attention to you which caused your early maturity. And most of your friends up above were bland and almost snobby sometimes. Apart from a few exceptions. But now you have grown to love the Underworldians more than anything, almost like family.
Which is what led to where you were today.
You were currently sat in a dainty little cafĂŠ, fairly hidden from the central area of Belobog. You sat with a cup of warm coffee on a small plate as you threw one of your legs to cross over the other. You flickered your gaze around the place discreetly before hearing a buzz from your pocket. Quickly fishing out the said device, you brought the phone up to your ear as you took a sip of the nearby liquid.
âYou ready?â Asked a somewhat sneaky voice on the other end of the line. After gently removing the cup from your lips and placing it down, you stood up and plucked your bag from your chair and slung it across your torso.
âWhen am I not?â You answered, almost as teasing as the other voice. The line gets cut off as you place the phone into a secure pocket. All of a sudden, an object rolling on the floor could be heard as a few citizens turned their heads. Before anyone could register what was happening, you placed a mask onto your face as the object then exploded into a cloud of smoke.
The few people began panicking and threw themselves to the floor, covering their noses and coughing their lungs up. Your shoes clacked against the tiles, but the sound was blocked out by the terrified wails of everyone else. Quietly, you managed to make your way behind the counter after seeing the cashier make a run for it outside. You began reaching up and stuffing everything that could fit into the large bag.
Whether that be cartons of milk, as many pastries as possible, simple coffee beans, sandwiches. Quite literally anything and everything. This was all to feed the Underworldians. You would do almost anything to give those people the treatment they deserved from the beginning. But once the smoke was visibly dying down, you leaped over the counter and made a run for it, clutching the strap of the bag as tightly as humanly possible. You did your best to blend in with the few citizens who were also bolting away. As you were about to exit the door, you suddenly collided with a metal material.
Rubbing your head as you stumbled back slightly, your eyes trailed up, only to spot the Captain of the Silvermane Guards standing right there in the flesh.
Great, fantastic even! You thought to yourself. See, the Captain, Gepard, and yourself were not to be considered friends. Like, at all. If anything, people could call you arch enemies. You were a wanted criminal in the Silvermane books, which only made Gepard keep his eyes peeled for you even more. He never knew who you really were, thanks to you wearing a mask at each âincidentâ. But you knew he hated your guts, he hated anyone who went against the laws that Belobog had created. And of course, stealing was one of the top 3. So just to tick him off even more, you had grown aware that he disliked humorous remarks made in serious situations. Which had led to you constantly teasing him during your meet-ups.
âCaptain! So great to see you again. Can I interest you in our wide range of coffees?â You questioned the shockingly tall man in an innocent sounding voice as you gestured towards the menu. Before you could make another remark, he raised his weapon, which strangely enough seemed to be a guitar case, towards you, causing you to put your hands up and beside your head as you grew a shocked expression.
âThis ends now, thief. Hand over every stolen item in that bag of yours, and I will bring you to the cell in which you belong,â The blonde haired man stated in a firm voice. He stood tall and straight, emphasising his superiority to you. You frowned as you placed your hand on your heart before speaking in a solemn tone.
âAnd here I thought we were good friends Captain Gepard. I expected better from you,â You replied as you wiped a fake tear from your eyes. He did not react and simply held the case higher towards your head.
âI do not have time for your games. Hand over the goods and do not make this difficult,â He spoke in that annoyingly firm and unwavering voice again. Rolling your eyes, you reached into the bag as you began to fish out one of the boxed up pastries before you paused.
âHey Captain, you know what my favourite part of this job is?â You asked with a raised eyebrow. He merely breathed in response. You slowly took out the pastry and walked towards him as he became cautious of your movements. Time and time again, you had slipped from his grasp, but not anymore. Today would be the day where the newspaper would have a big flashy headline of your defeat. He kept the case close to him and gripped it tightly as you came closer.
Still holding the plastic box, you held it in front of you, as if offering the pastry to him with a bright smile. The captain just stared at the box, then you, and then at the box again. He made no move to open it or to smack it away. Letting out a slight huff of frustration, you began to open the box yourself.
âAlways have to do everything by myself huh? Well no matter, itâs just a pastry. This is my favourite bit of the job you know, giving my one and only Captain the pastry he deserves for his hard work,â Your smile was now sickly sweet as he became more weary by the second.
âStop with your nonsense. Youâre coming with me,â He began making his way towards you as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. You took the âyouâre coming with meâ as a proposal for a date and used that as mockery just to tick him off a little more.
âSuch a shame, you just asked me out and here I have to miss our first date I guess. No hard feelings though,â You replied with a tone that feigned sadness and sorrow. Just as he was coming closer, the box began to rattle more.
And before the Captain could react to the shaking plastic, the pastry, which was supposedly a small piece of strawberry shortcake, blew up. Yep, a bomb encased in soft clay. But the smoke was not normal this time, no. It was sleeping gas, as the Captain had now begun to realise due to the effects.
His eyes slowly began to drift shut as his body became limp. He stood his ground as best he could but it was futile against the extremely strong substance. Eventually, he dropped the case and only held the handcuffs in one hand as he fell to his knee. He was breathing heavily which was a sight to see in itself. You raised your eyebrows momentarily at the sight in front of you. Well, he had his looks going for him thatâs for sure.
Finally, the handcuffs fell from his hand as he propped himself up with one hand. The smoke encased the both of you, thankfully you were unaffected due to the mask planted securely onto your nose and mouth. But you kneeled down slightly and grabbed the Captainâs face in your hand as you forced him to look up at you. You let out a tut before speaking.
âSo sad it has to be this way. Iâve certainly enjoyed getting to see you in such a state though, I must say Gepard. But iâve bested you yet again dear, and it will always be that way. Donât forget me now,â You practically whispered to him before leaving a mocking peck onto his cheek through the mask. Even more mockery. You werenât even sure if he was fully registering your words as he seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.
You grabbed the handcuffs and brung his wrists together before tightly screwing the handcuffs onto them, leaving him defenceless, on his knees as he finally fell to the ground, blonde tussle of hair all over the place as the metal clanked.
This should certainly be a present for the rookies to find. You thought again. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps against the stone pavement were evident as you swiftly ran out of the back door but not before taking one more glance at Gepard. Maybe one day he would catch you. But you knew for sure, it would not be any time soonâŚ
Unbeknownst to you, during your little interaction with the Captain, he was still conscious enough to feel the material of your mask against his pristine skin, which only left him more flustered than he already felt in your annoyingly teasing presence. Safe to say, something would be clouding Gepardâs mind for a while, and it wasnât the sleeping gas around himâŚ
Authorâs Note: Please please feel free to leave any requests as I would love to write all of your imagines and make you as happy as possible with them! Anyways, whoopee, my first fanfic actually posted. And of course it has to be with my favourite Belobog man. Heâs just so idek how to explain it. I love my light haired men like, itâs indescribable how much I do. Thereâs just that element to them yk? Anyways, I seriously hope you enjoyed this and feel free to leave any requests at my front door!

a/n: my astarion brain rot has produced a thing. i've finally obsessed over this stupid scene to the point where i regurgitated this. have fun becos i certainly didn't
warning: allusions to spoilers, allusions to a lot of astarion's scenes, spoilers okay there's spoilers, mentions of mistreatment by others, no names or pronouns but this is my blind tiefling ranger oc, still in second person reader insert point of view though LOL

You sat almost stock still, your eyes looking like they were staring thoughtfully into the bonfire but, in reality, you saw only darkness. Your tiefling ears, though, heard everything. They twitched as you took stock of where everyone was.
Your bear familiar laid beside you, his fur brushing against your side, his head pressed to the outside of your thigh. You could hear the ever present grinding of Lae'zel as she sharpened her weapons for the dozenth time. You couldn't hear Shadowheart but she meditated so often that it was common not to know.
Wyll was somewhere near his tent, rifling through his things, preparing for the journey ahead. Gale was looking at himself using magic.
Of course, all of that didn't seem to matter because Astarion, as always, sat silently beside you, his calloused fingers making pleasant sounds against the parchment of the book he was leafing through.
"Astarion," you called out, your own hand still laid atop your bear's sleeping head "Can I ask you for a favor?"
Astarion stopped flicking through the book in his lap to hum, his red eyes darting to you in suspicion. "And what would your favor be, darling?"
You wouldn't have been able to tell, of course, seeing as you couldn't see, but he looked at you with a doubt that could only come from people who've been burned by others too much.
When he had hummed, you turned your head to face him, the jewels hanging from your horns twinkling. Your eyes were unseeing but Astarion always felt slightly unnerved by how it felt like they were staring straight into him.
Your hands lifted into the air, poised as if you were cupping some invisible thing in between them "Can I touch your face?"
Astarion was definitely taken aback. He even flinched a little, eyebrows scrunching, mind reeling.
You were asking to touch his face?
When you didn't hear a response, you smiled almost sadly, a pitying chuckle leaving your lips "Sorry, i-it's fine if it makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to. I know some people react badly when I ask."
"It's just. I'm able to find my way around through the noise and my other senses but I've never been able to put physical features to all of your names and voices." You explained, fingers curling a little, hesitating, hovering as if you weren't sure you could convince him "But out of everyone, I've especially wanted to know the face behind your melodic voice."
That didn't end up clarifying anything for Astarion.
First of all, though he'd been through his share of flattery and praise, he'd never heard his voice described as melodic before.
Second, he'd never told anyone but even he didn't know what he looked like. Astarion had a mirror he'd carry with him, something to peer into with desperation, but he always saw the same thing he'd always see: nothing.
That was, maybe, where his hesitation came from. He didn't know how monstrous he looked as a vampire.
Not hideous, of course. He knew he was handsome because he'd been able to lure many a woman and even a few men to their demises. No, he feared he looked monstrous the same way Cazzador looked monstrous; more than beautiful enough but always the cruelty bled through and revealed itself.
Still, Astarion couldn't find it in himself to deny you. You, who so graciously defended him against all the others in your little group. You, who bled for him every night and still looked at him like he had some humanity left in him. You, who intrigued him at every step.
"Perhaps you can tell me what I look like then." He decided to joke in that same pompous tone he used when he felt a bit too vulnerable "I haven't been able to see myself in hundreds of years."
You frowned at that but your expression immediately turned to one of curiosity "Really?"
"Astarion nodded before moving to place his face into your hands.
Your hands were almost unbearably warm against his almost chilling skin, your claws, as long as his, brushing against the apples of his cheeks.
As soon as you realised his face was in your hands, your face scrunched into an expression of concentration.
First, you brushed your thumbs over his skin, under his eyes, to his cheeks, up to his temples. You looked contemplating, like you really were forming a picture in your mind.
"Well, you have very nice laugh lines." You smiled, gently, sweetly, in a way that made Astarion's undead heart almost beat.
"Preposterous. I'm a vampire, not your homely grandmother. I do not age." He answered you, rolling his eyes, and you could feel the way his expression contorted into an exasperated one underneath your very hands.
You just laughed "I like it. You know, you sound very handsome when you laugh."
Another exasperated noise but you ignored it in favour of brushing your thumbs over his eyebrows "I can tell you furrow your eyebrows often."
"You can tell something like that?" Astarion sounded disbelieving.
You nodded "I lived in Baldur's Gate but we didn't have a home really. We moved from place to place. But I had my own little ragtag family and they would let me practice on their faces; they'd let me touch as they laughed and smiled and grew angry or sad."
Astarion almost wanted to ask you to continue but, from your expression, he felt as if it wasn't the time or place.
"My mother always fretted over everyone; she'd have wrinkles right here because she furrowed her eyebrows so much." You pressed in between Astarion's eyebrows, thumb running over it as if trying to flatten away his worries, before moving back to the corners of his eyes "And whenever my friend smiled, her eyes would upturn right here."
"I bet you look gorgeous smiling, Astarion."
Then, you moved on, moving back down his face, down to his lips. You traced the corners of his mouth, feeling for something that Astarion couldn't understand.
All of it was beyond Astarion's comprehension. He wasn't a stranger to compliments but it felt like yours reached somewhere deep inside him and brought it peace.
Something about it all both tranquilized him and unnerved him all the same.
"You must smirk a lot. I bet you look boyishly handsome when you do. Your voice always sounded so mischievous to me." You huffed, sounding jokingly tired of his antics before running your left thumb over his lips, feeling both the softness and the roughness of it under your fingertip "And you bite your lips a lot. I can feel the scars of it. Though I doubt it would be noticeable to anyone else. Your lips are soft either way. It's a very pretty shape."
Astarion recalled all the countless nights of him biting away cries of pain, cries of agony, the way he'd always bite his lip in frustration and anger. Nobody had ever noticed that, not until you, and it felt like sharing a secret.
Then, as suddenly as your request had come, you pulled away, that gentle touch that soothed a part of Astarion gone as soon as it had been offered.
"Sorry." You looked sheepish, embarrassed "I know a lot of people don't like others touching their face, especially a Tiefling."
Before you could truly pull away though, Astarion pulled your hands back to his face, sandwiching them in between his cold calloused palms and the soft chill of his cheeks.
"It's fine, darling, I don't care." He tried to build his walls back up and, at the same time, let you in "I, for one, always welcome compliments, no matter what the type."
Your thumbs hesitantly, slowly, reached his eyes. You felt his eyelashes flutter close before you were feeling his eyelids, velveteen and twitching. Your thumbs mapped over it, over the shape and the dips of his eyes.
"What color are your eyes?" Your thumbs moved on, again feeling the corners of his eyes, brushing over them in circles as if comforting Astarion somewhat.
"Red, like any vampire's." Astarion answered easily enough, swallowing down a memory of Cazzador's striking red eyes.
"I can tell they're very kind; sharp around the corners but round everywhere else. I bet your stare is very enchanting." You laughed a little in that breathy tinkling way you always did.
Astarion frowned a little, still disbelieving, unable to accept words like 'kind' to describe him.
Then, finally, your hands moved away from his face entirely, your fingers suddenly combing through his hair, feeling it in between your fingers and with your very fingertips "Oh, you have such curly hair!"
"It used to be something else, I think." He tried to recall but quickly grew frustrated when the information didn't come easily "But now it's white."
"Oh, Astarion." You sighed, hands finally coming out of his hair to cup his cheeks "You're so handsome. I'm so glad to finally know what you look like."
Astarion nodded, trying to brush your painfully sincere words off but, instead, they struck him, buried deep inside him.
If you felt a slight bit of wetness in the corners of his eyes, you didn't mention it.
Reader : Come to dinner tonight. I can't cook, but I'll bring plenty of good wine.
Neuvillette : Marry me.

It's raining again. You can hear it tapping away at your window, the dark clouds obscuring any moonlight you may have had. It's gentle. Some may even call it beautiful, peaceful, and calming.
The man in your lap may say otherwise.
You've heard the rumours. 'It rains when the hydro dragon weeps.'
At first, you thought they were silly, with no rhyme or reason for their existence. It wasn't until he told you who he was that you even remembered them.
'It rains when the hydro dragon weeps.'
He doesn't weep. He cries. It's a painful thing to watch, and yet he comes to you when everything gets too much for him to handle. Your warmth brings him comfort, your grip gentle and yet firm enough to remind him that he isn't alone.
'It rains when the hydro dragon weeps.'
Oh, how you wish you could take his pain away. But it's not your pain to take.
So, in your lap, he remains, tucked into your embrace as if he's trying to merge your bodies into one. He's comforted by the way your hand smooths down his shuddering shoulders, touch gentle.
And he's comforted by the way you press kisses to the crown of his head, muttering unintelligible praises and phrases into his hair.
After all, there's isn't much more you can do but wish for sunnier days.

ŠKaevillette, Švidyaddhara - Do Not Copy, Redistribute, Steal or Translate


I've seen this so much on TikTok and needed to make my own version of it.
Astarion invented romance, he said so himself

danheng and reader are interns at the same company and thereâs one sided beef from readerâs end cuz theyâre trying to compete with him but heâs clueless and just thinks sheâs hardworking and cute đ
â THE INTERNS
In which you view your internship as a competition and Dan Heng is simply attracted to your hard work and determination.
PAIRING. dan heng x f!reader
WORD COUNT. 1788
GENRE. modern au. rivals? to lovers?
NOTE. ty anon for this super fun request!! <3 clueless dan heng the loml⌠and reader is so chaotic ngl alsjdkdl i hope u enjoy !! ^-^

âCan somebody handle the emails from the Realm-Keeping Commission?â Mr. Yang asked as he rushed through the internâs cubicle area. He had a cup of tea in one hand and a handful of folders in the other. âTheyâve had a recent breach of contract issue so we should be getting an influx shortly.â
âI can handle it!â you immediately spoke up, sparing your cubicle-mate a brief glance. You had a smile on your face but your eyes were urging him not to butt in.
Dan Heng smiled back. âIâll help her.â
âGreat.â Mr. Yang nodded in appreciation. âWe have such hard-working interns this year.â
Your eye twitched as you replied, âRight. Great.â
Once the intern director left, you turned to glare at Dan Heng. He was nonchalantly typing on his computer, no doubt responding to the Commissionâs emails already. A job that you shouldâve been doing alone. Alongside a million other things that naturally came with being an unpaid intern.
You wanted to prove yourself here. The Astral Express was well known in the industry and you wanted nothing more than a job offer after the internship. But how could you possibly secure that when Dan Heng constantly stole your shine? You had to keep pushing. Keep striving to do more and impress your bosses.
âHey, Y/N,â said Dan Heng. âIf you have too much on your plate, I can take care of the emails today.â
Heat rose to your cheeks as you frowned in indignation. âYou think I canât handle it?â
He titled his head to the side. The innocent look on his face made you more upset. You couldnât tell if he was making fun of you or if he truly believed you were someone pitiful who needed constant help.
âOf course you can handle it,â he reassured. âI donât doubt that. I just donât want you to take on too much of the workload. Iâve noticed you push yourself quite a lot.â
You shook your head. âIâm not pushing myself too much. I can do it.â
Dan Hengâs gaze softened. âYou know yourself best. But I just hope you donât overwork yourself too hard. Weâre only unpaid interns, remember.â
You puffed your cheeks indignantly. Of course he could say something like that and still be a top performer. âThanks for the consideration, but donât worry about me. Now, if youâll excuse me⌠I better get back to work.â
He only nodded in response.
As you started scanning through the emails on your computer, responding to the ones you have already finished, you felt Dan Heng still looking at you. You turned your face away from his desk so you wouldnât be directly in his field of vision, unsure why he was staring but not really wanting to find out. Besides, you had more important things to get to. How could you possibly get more work done than Dan Heng if you were too busy worrying about why he kept looking at you?
Perhaps his innocence was a facade and he was playing mind games to slow you down.
With a huff of determination, you worked extra fast, not wanting to let his plan succeed. Heâd have to do better than that to win.
Ëâşâ§âËâËââ§âşË
It was your lunch break the next day and for the first time since you started (except for those times Mr. Yang wanted to take the interns out for lunch), you were not eating at your desk to work through the lunch period.
Apparently, HR was visiting the office so you all had to follow all the policies, no matter how silly anyone found them.
Instead of your desk, you were eating at a shaded seating area outside of the office. If you werenât going to work through your break, you might as well enjoy it and get a breath of fresh air while you were at it. With your high ambition and willingness to push yourself for this internship, you were aware it probably seemed like you were a workaholic of sorts. That wasnât exactly true.
You saw the important of work-life balance and valued it, but you also figured an internship is where you were supposed to work extra hard. Then, once you secured the job, you would be free to relax.
You took a bite of your sandwich you packed as you stared off at the gently swaying trees in the distance.
âHey.â You almost jumped at the sudden sound. âCan I join you?â
You slowly turned towards Dan Heng, blinking. First, he tormented you in the office as an intern who provided ample competition. Now, he wanted to torment you during your lunch too?
Despite your inner thoughts, you didnât want to be rude. Deep down you knew he was also just an intern doing his best. You just had to do better.
âSure,â you acknowledged. âHave a seat, nemesis.â The words escaped your mouth before you could stop yourself. âI mean⌠Dan HengâŚâ
His brows furrowed. âI find it hard to believe those two words could get confused so easily.â
You cleared your throat. âNot sure what you mean.â Before Dan Heng could respond, you changed the subject. âWhat did you bring for lunch?â
As he sat next to you, he showed you his opened tupperware. It contained the yummiest smelling food with very neat presentation. You figured it probably tasted even better than it smelled or looked.
âI packed a bento box for today.â
You looked down at your soggy sandwich. Was even lunch a competition to him? Did he have to be the best at everything? You vowed to look up the most intricate lunch recipe and show it off to him once you made it.
He looked at your sandwich wordlessly before taking a bite of tender meat.
Your face burned in shame.
Tomorrow, you told yourself. Tomorrow youâd show him.
Ëâşâ§âËâËââ§âşË
Today, your internship started around noon. It wasnât a whole day of work and you knew fully well you didnât need to pack lunch. Still, you stayed up all night perfecting this recipe and you had to show Dan Heng you were worthy competition as well. You even made enough servings to pack a meal for Dan Heng to try too.
Towards the middle of your shift, you walked over to his desk.
He paused his typing and looked up at you. âCan I help you?â
You held out a tupperware of your homemade food. âLook. I made this.â
Dan Hengâs eyes widened as he cautiously took the container from your hands. âFor me?â
âYeah. I saw your bento box yesterday and wanted to prove that I can also cook! Just like I can do all the work weâre assigned!â
Confusion was written all over his face but he still managed to smile. âFirst, thank you for making this for me.â
You looked at him, equally confused. Why did he sound so sincere? You simply wanted to prove a point. Not do something out of the kindness of your heart.
âSecond,â he continued, âI do agree you can do all the work weâre given. Have I made you feel like I believe otherwise?â
âNot exactly⌠Itâs just you keep offering to help me even when I say Iâll do it!â you explained passionately. âYou keep trying to steal my work and do more than me!â
Dan Heng blinked, mouth opening then closing. He opened his mouth once more, trying again. âI wasnât aware you viewed it as me stealing your work.â He rested his chin on his hand as he thought things through. âI didnât want you overexerting yourself so I was only trying to help ease your workload⌠Iâm sorry for undermining your hard work.â
âYouâre not doing it on purpose?â
âNo. I admire your determination and how you always step up to the taskâ I would never want to take away from that,â he said earnestly. His stare was unwavering as he looked into your eyes. âI more than admire it, actually. I find it quite attractive even.â
You gaped at him, unmoving. âHuh?â
âAttractive, endearing, cute⌠Do you need more synonyms?â
âMe?â You pointed at yourself.
Dan Heng nodded. âWell, I was referring to your work ethic. But yes. You as well.â
You bashfully stood up straighter. âYouâre not too bad yourself, I suppose.â
That wasnât a lie. You did find Dan Heng rather attractive. His hair was dark and messy, falling around his eyes in a way you could only describe as perfectly framing the vibrant blues. He had a pretty face and a serious demeanor that initially drew you to himâ Until he started competing (as you saw it, at least) with you in your internship.
As you stared at each other in silence, Mr. Yang came in with a stack of papers. âGood afternoon, everyone. Can someone run an audit of the companyâs stocks?â
You jumped up, startled. You didnât except to be interrupted like that, but you quickly regained your composure, rushing over to him to grab the papers. A part of you was thankful for the distraction, but another part of you wanted to see where it wouldâve lead. âI can do the audit!â
âGreat, thank you!â he said in acknowledgment before rushing back out.
Once Mr. Yang left, Dan Heng turned to you and said, âLet me know if you need any help. Iâm here if you need.â
You smiled. Now that you knew he wasnât trying to best you, you were much more open to the idea of working together. âSure, Iâd love some help.â You paused and Dan Heng raised one brow. Though it came from the heart and the sentiment was there, you both knew it wasnât completely true. You still did want to be the very best after all. âWell⌠You can help, but only a little though.â
Dan Heng laughed, accepting the small stack of papers you gave him, not even one fourth as tall as your pile. âI wouldnât expect anything less from you.â
You hummed in agreement. Before focusing on your work, you thought of one small thing to ask him. âHey, Dan Heng?â
âYes?â
âMaybe next week you can bring me some lunch, too? Or, maybe we could go out for dinner evenâŚâ
âIâd love to,â Dan Heng smiled and it was the widest grin youâve seen on his face thus far, âif you give me more of your paperwork.â
You gasped, feeling thoroughly tricked. So he did want to beat youâ?
âThat way, we can finish sooner and I can take you to dinner tonight.â
Your train of thoughts stopped in their tracks as a light chuckle escaped your lips. âFine,â you agreed, finding yourself strangely looking forward to having dinner with him. âBut just this once, okay?â
âOf course.â

dan heng: *stares at reader*
reader: heâs playing mind games to make me nervous and slow me down
dan heng: sheâs hardworking and passionate and so cute u.u
4 Horsemen Dragons of the Apocalypse




Making Humanity insane with how pretty and handsome these dragons are, as well as how powerful they can be and able to manipulate weather *cough* Neuvi and Mal
Note: Glad y'all like the previous post I made with how similar Malleus and Neuvi was. As per requested by many, I have included Zhongli and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, thanks once again!
I have a type, hear me out....


IS IT A COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT
Spellbound Shackles (Sylas/Reader)
Sorry for the many delays on this one, but I powered through to get this edited and up today! As per my usual with these, there is smut in this one, so people are warned!
â-
âYouâre a demon!â the frightened woman screamed, scrambling to grasp at the stone wall behind her to pull herself up from the ground.
âSubmit to custody or I will be forced to restrain you,â you ordered, voice cold as ice.
âYouâre a monster!â she screeched, eyes darting around, but no escape was to be found in the dead end alley. âAre you even human?â
You didnât reply, only stared at her, watching for any signs of the fight you knew would be coming. You saw it in her eyes first, then in her fingers, twitching as she readied a blast of magic to try and hurtle your way to allow her a chance to escape your pursuit.
But she didnât have the experience that you had. The second her fingers twitched, you sent a blast of ice her way, quickly pinning her hands to the wall behind her, those twitching fingers now encased in thick ice. Struggle as she may, her flight had now been ended.
Continuar lendo
âŚâHow do they show that they trust you?⌠SFW

âŚHow do my favourite League men show you that they trust you with their whole hearts.


â§ prompt: â§ nothing special, just pure stream of words. Fluff.
â§ champions: â§ Zed, the Master of Shadows; Shen, the Eye of Twilight; Kayn, the Shadow Reaper; Thresh, the Chain Warden; Pyke, the Bloodharbor Ripper.
â§ reader: â§ gender neutral.
â§ authorâs note: â§ I love grumpy men having soft spot for the reader hshshshs. Please ignore any mistakes.
masterlist

âŚZed, the Master of Shadows; taking his mask off.
Only with you Zed doesnât mind taking his mask, that usually stays on him, off. In every long and exhausting mission that he participates in, in every training with adepts of the Shadow Order, he prefers to keep his mask on. He does that not only to appear more professional for his students nor to stay quite anonymous, but secretly, deep inside, what only you know, he does not desire to be identified with the majestic yet murderous figure he has created. His armor is both his shield on the bloody battlefield where many dies, but also something distancing him from other people. He is there for them physically, but offers none of his simple humanity. But with you and only you, he - with a lot of effort (a little help with opening up from you was always appreciated by him) - lets his guard down. Though he seldom does that, mostly when all his problems eventually overwhelm him. The moment is always intimate, in his private room, when he takes his mask off, his sharp gaze fixed on you or the floor. That was not the first time you saw his face, but you couldnât help but admire him. You gently took his face in your hands with a delicate and slow move, as a hidden for so long tear rolled from his eye. Besides his mask, in those rare moments, Zed tends to take off his armor too, so you can see his bare back, sculped with scares and black, sinister-looking tattoos - a painful memory of his past and the power that the unmerciful shadows wield in themselves.
âŚShen, the Eye of Twilight; devoting his time to you.
Shen is a kind man to everybody. With his esteemed reputation as a defender of Ionia, the keeper of balance that everyone lurks for in this land, everyone respects him. He is a patient teacher to every person, his student or not, and he is always there for them. Thatâs why he is a trustworthy leader that everyone can find comfort in - and you know exactly about this. As much as he is an anchor for his loved ones, you are so, so special for him, that he obviously treats you with a different kind of respect than others. Shen tries to be always by your side, usually sliding a reasurring hand on your back if you are comfortable with it, to make you feel that he is there for you, ready to both protect and give himself fully - either to open up or just comfort each other, rest and appreciate the othersâ company. Shen lets his small moves that he only gifts to you slid when you are both alone or when he thinks nobody sees you two - not because he wants to keep your relationship a secret, but he feels like these moments with you are only for you two. Nobody should bother or distract you - thatâs the irreplacable time he dedicates to give you his full attention.
âŚKayn, the Shadow Reaper; letting himself be vunerable around you.
As the successor of the Shadow Order and Zedâs mightiest student, Kayn carries on his back expectations of both his surrounding and himself. And, in addittion, the Darkin, a curse that lives in him. But when alone, only you two, disturbed only by Rhaast and his presumptuousness, he lets himself be just him. Gentle and quite lazy, as he tends to lay with his head on your lap while taking almost all the space on his own bed. Kayn secretly enjoys you taking care of him, letting you see his vunerable and sweet side. When far from ubiquitous gazes, where you can get some privacy, the Shadow Reaper feels no longer like being forced to challenge everyone in his sight or proving them that he is worthy of becoming the next Master of Shadows. You put no pressure on him, you understand him as no one else does, and he appreciates your every move, when you show him how comfortable he can be around you. And you, the only person that treats him gently, see him as a normal human being he is. So even when you stroke his silk, dark hair with slow moves and soft hands, that next slide down to hold his face in them, he is not disturbed by Rhaast muttering about Kaynâs weakness. Because he is not weak when with you. He is just himself.
âŚThresh, the Chain Warden; sharing his story with you.
Because how obsessive Thresh is and how he can push himself to manipulate everyone and everything for his beloved one, some might think this man is actually not capable of love, at least not a healthy kind of it. And maybe it is true; maybe the connection between you two is none of an exemplary illustration portrayed by others, but thereâs one thing that assures you Threshâs intentions are clear and, actually, lovely. This man of course would never admit this willingly, maybe only to make you flustrated, but he has showed you his gargantuan collection of souls not only to impress you. He wants you to understand why are they trapped there, where he can toy with them, forcing them to face their merciful owner. They are in here not only because he is a sadistic soulkeeper - which was a surprise for you - but because they heve to suffer like he did. You are the only one, only one alive, who has been priviliged with the knowledge of his past - how the whole Blessed Isles betrayed him and how he has sworn to bring retribution on those who dared opposing him. He shared his story with you while walking past the cages, countless souls screaming inside for justice. Thresh appreciates what a good listener you make and how you seem to not judge him, based on the person he was long way before.
âŚPyke, the Bloodharbor Ripper; assuring you with simple words.
This man knows better than anyone else how is it like to be betrayed by others. Well, he paid his life for understanding that trust is a powerful weapon; that it should not be given so easly to people. Pyke struggles with something that you might call trust issues, though he would never admit that something so trivial might affect him so much. Neverthless, you were the first person after his, well, death, to hear from him that he truly trusts you. As straightforward as he is, Pyke frequently mutters to you something about how much he trusts you and how important it is to him. It would be almost adorable to hear such words from a ruthless killer with a soft spot for you, if it wasnât just upsetting how a betrayal can break a man. Eventually, nothing says more than simple and particular words which come with honest intencions; he does not hide that he wants you to feel special about being able to read him like a book. You earned this manâs trust and he show that in such simple acts, like just letting you around him, which is not a priviledge every mortal may possess, as Pyke is know for his⌠strong reputation in Bilgewater.

scribbled hearts.


premise. alhaitham learns to stop falling asleep in places that isn't his bed the hard way. (alternatively, in which the librarian doesn't follow the script to wake sleeping beauty.)

Kaveh finds Alhaitham furiously scrubbing his face in the bathroom.
At first, he's absolutely ecstatic. For all that Alhaitham refuses to practice skincare, he's never gotten a zit on his face. An earth-shattering revelation to Kaveh, who maintains a strict nightly skincare routineâhe's never gone to sleep without a moisturizing facemask. It's not the most infuriating thing about his roommate, but it annoys him that a guy who only washes his face in the morning has clearer skin than he does.
Is this it? Is Alhaitham receiving retribution at last? Is he finally suffering the consequences of his carelessness?!
But when Kaveh cranes his neck to get a better look at Alhaitham's face, he doesn't see any of the sort.
âDude...â Kaveh can't even laugh due to sheer incredulity, staring at Alhaitham with a pitying look. Alhaitham thinks it would be less irritating if he just laughed in his face. âDid a third-grader pick on you?â
Alhaitham grits his teeth, wiping the remnants of ink on his face. He's mostly gotten rid of the sparkly anime eyes you drew over his eyelids, but it still looks like a fading black eye. The blush lines on his cheeks are a work in progress, but they'll disappear with some effort.
âThey have the maturity of one, at least.â

Alhaitham has met his fair share of librariansâthere's the stern, no-nonsense kind he's gotten forehead flicks from every time he's caught dozing off on his thesis paper; the introverted bookish type who stutters as they nervously but firmly tell him off for hogging all the books a certain class needs for a report; the motherly sort who smuggles him coffee in his all-nighters when he looks like death itself...
And then there's you.
Cheekier than his brat of a roommate, you somehow manage to annoy him like nobody else can. He'd rather have you scold him for treating the library as a second bedroom than clip ribbons to his hair whenever you catch him sleeping. Hell, he'd take a skull-shattering forehead flick over doodles on his face any day. But even if he preaches his troubles to anyone willing to listen, they're never sympathetic.
Because for some reason, you're never like this to anyone else.
If anyone at campus were asked to describe you, they'll say you're a model student. Scholarly, courteous, standing tall with dignified grace; you're the perfect picture of a goody-two-shoes. Nothing like the childish brat who terrorizes his nap schedule on a daily basis.
People who have a vendetta against him is nothing new. What he doesn't understand, however, is what he did to be the object of your wrath.
âMaybe [Name] likes you. Kind of like how boys bully the girl they like,â is the ridiculous answer Kaveh gives him, dropping those words like they weigh nothing with a nonchalant shrug. Alhaitham would think it more likely for the reverse to be true; your insistence to dedicate your time into ruining his day is nothing short of admirationâsurely a testament to just how much you hate him.
...Okay, so maybe Alhaitham could guess a few things for why. There's been a handful of times (read: it happens at least thrice a week) he kept you stationed at the library longer than you had to be because he fell asleep until closing hours, and he has a tendency to forget returning the materials he borrows for his thesis to the library...
So. Perhaps this was a consequence of his actions after all.
He argues that there are far more mature methods to resolve this issue, though.
Alhaitham stares at the crudely drawn portrait scrawled on his arm, deeply unimpressed. Although he's not one to boast about his looks, he's rather sure he isn't as much of an eyesore as you drew him to be, his nose an exaggerated point (a literal triangle) and his lips wide open as he drools, dangerously close to the rectangles he guesses are supposed to be books. Don't sleep on the reference books!! You'll get drool all over them >:(, reads the scribbled letters beside the portrait, an angry face scrawled haphazardly next to them.
(Still, by the corner of his eye, he spots a cup of his usual order of coffee, a neon pink sticky note pasted on the lid: Wake up and finish your report quickly, I have a show to catch at 8 :>
It would be easier to hate you if being bratty is all there is to your personality, really.)

You scribble all over your notes.
It's a fact Alhaitham has known about you since long ago. Everything else about you is neat and orderly, but every page of your notebook has some sort of doodle on the corners. They range from meticulous side-profiles of whoever sits beside you that day to meaningless hearts and smiley faces akin to what a five-year-old child might make.
If you've chosen to be more artistic for the doodles you draw all over him, perhaps Alhaitham might not mind as much. It's unfortunate you much rather prefer drawing exaggerated tear streaks on his face.
âI'm quite certain this is a form of harassment,â Alhaitham grumbles, rubbing his face with makeup remover. As pointless as it is to express his woes to the cause of said woes, he finds himself seated before the reception desk to keep you company anyway. âI don't understand why you're still doing this.â
âIt's a punishment for falling asleep and keeping me holed up in here to guard the library until it closes,â you drone, fixing the library cards. âAnd yet you still refuse to stop. Is it really so hard to go to the dormitory instead?â
Alhaitham shrugs. A sigh inevitably escapes your lips.

Eventually, you run out of stupid things to draw on his skin whenever you catch him sleeping.
You start to write your shopping list on his arm instead.
âWhy on earth would you need three cartons of eggs?â Alhaitham leans against the desk you're stationed at, reading the bulletpoints on his skin.
Eventually, Alhaitham gets used to scrubbing off your vandalism too. It's his personal brand of skincare.
âThey're on sale today,â you reply, signing the papers requesting new stocks of books. âAnd I was planning on baking, so it's better I have plenty of ingredients for trial and error.â
âSounds heavy,â he hums, eyes scanning the rest of your list. âWant me to come with?â
At that, your pen stops moving. â...Why?â
âI need to buy cereal.â
(No he doesn't. Kaveh went on a grocery run yesterday.)
âSure, I guess...?â It's an unexpected development, but you wouldn't turn away an extra pair of hands. âShould we get going, then?â
âYeah.â
You raise an eyebrow. â...But you didn't borrow a book today yet. Aren't you getting anything first?â
Alhaitham looks around. âThe book I wanted isn't here, so I suppose I still have to wait a few days for it.â
âWhat is it?â You click your pen, reaching for your notepad. (You already have one of those, Alhaitham seriously sees no point in you writing down your grocery list on his arm.) âI'll tell you when it gets returned.â
â...No, it's fine. Let's go, the eggs you wanted might be all gone if we take our time getting there.â
You jolt up in alarm, slinging your bag over your shoulder. âYou're right, we should hurry!â
For all it's worth, you're pretty gullible.

âYou're still keeping that up?â
Alhaitham looks up from his laptop, fingers halting in their movement. âWhat do you mean?â
Kaveh scrunches his nose, pointing at the scribbles on his palm. âYour weird mating ritual. Can't you two communicate like normal people?â
Alhaitham glances at the mess you've made of his arm, full of little messages and doodles you wrote back and forth to each other during Biology period. Alhaitham had been, perhaps for the first time, not feeling drowsy. Regardless, you've taken to treating his skin as paper (âSave the trees,â you told him once, ignoring the disbelieving expression on his face), and Alhaitham has already accepted that you won't stop doing it as long as you still find it amusing.
âWe do talk. Normally.â
âAnd if you do, why are you still doing... that.â
Alhaitham doesn't have anything to say to that. He did think it was inconvenient to wash all the messages off, and there are far more practical modes of communication.
But for some reason, he can't find it himself to say that he outright dislikes it.
And maybe he traces the shapes you draw on his skin, in the private confines of his room where no one can see him. Maybe he admires the smooth strokes of your penmanship, the adorable curls of your letters, the bubbly font that always makes him chuckle because it's just so like you.
There are hearts sometimes, or even flowers when you feel like drawing something more detailed. The ugly sketches of him sleeping are somewhat annoying, but he still finds himself endeared. Though some things are appallingly inaccurateâyou've done his nose a horrible injustice more than onceâhe notices the correct placement of beauty marks on his face, the sharp edges of his eyes, the meticulous dimple that faintly appears when he smiles.
A thrill runs through him when he thinks of you paying attention to him, more than you've ever given anyone else.
And, well. Alhaitham's certain he's been doing plenty of that for you.

âDon't you think you're being unfair?â
You pause in your typing, averting your eyes from the computer monitor to glance at Alhaitham. âUnfair in what, exactly?â
He mindlessly spins a pen with his fingers, staring at the blank canvas that was your arm compared to the sketchbook you've made out of his. âYou're the only one who writes on me.â
âWhat, you want to write your shopping list on me for a change?â you arch up an eyebrow, unperturbed. âI thought you said it was impractical.â
âI never said I wanted to write my shopping list.â
âWhat else would you write, then?â
Alhaitham reaches for your arm. âGive me your hand.â
You blink, not quite unwilling yet confused all the same. You offer your hand and he uncaps his pen, scribbling on your palm. You've never been on the receiving end of this little game, so you're not sure what to expect from him.
âThere.â Satisfied, he lets go and stands up. âI'm going home for the day. Good luck with the rest of your shift.â
âSee you tomorrow, I guess...?â you wave at him in farewell, but he's quick to spring on his feet and dart out the door. âWhat's his deal...â
You turn over your hand, seeing a string of numbers written in neat font.
âOh.â

Alhaitham feels silly for anticipating a text like some lovestruck teenage girl who exchanged numbers with her crush.
The blinking cursor on his blank essay document almost looks mocking, and as time passes by, the only word he's managed to type out is âThe.â Even so, his attention is completely locked on his phone, devoid of any notifications.
If it weren't for Kaveh being nosy the other day, he wouldn't have gotten the idea of giving you his number. He did think something had to change, but he didn't know how to get there. But now that he's gotten this far, he can expect a little bit, right?
At last, his phone chimes its long awaited notification. Alhaitham is quick to ditch his laptop and shuts it closed, reaching for his phone where it sits on his desk. He swears he's never typed his password so fast before in his life.
Unfortunately, the text he's been anticipating for a good portion of the day is nothing but a disappointment.
Unknown number: eggs milk whipping cream flour
Unknown number: baking powder cocoa powder vanilla extract sugar
What was he expecting anyway?
He sighs and leans back on his chair, solemly pushing his laptop open. He doubts this message requires a response back.
Another notification lights his phone.
This time, Alhaitham doesn't even have the energy to unlock his screen. He squints at the notification preview.
Unknown number: wanna come over when I finish baking the souffles?
He doesn't quite drop his phone in shock, but it's a near thing.
You: I'll go carry the groceries too.
Unknown number: thanks! đ
IMPRINT | dan heng x gn!reader
They say that moles are spots where your lover liked to kiss you in your past life. As Dan Heng is your lover in your current life, you can't help but suggest that the previous Yinyue Jun might be responsible for the mole on your inner thigh. (Or: You learn that Dan Heng hates the idea that he might have known you in his past life.)
3k words of fluff, comedy, some nsft. features an established relationship and imbibitor lunae cuddles. past renfeng is mentioned (dh is not a fan of df's choice in spouses). cultural/TL/lore notes at the end. nsft tags: monsterfucking (mostly offscreen), afab reader, onscreen explicit foreplay. dividers by @/cafekitsune. thank you to yyj anon for the hilarious idea!

Dan Heng has, in his true form, a small beauty mark on his throat.
You can see it now, pressed up against him in bedâyour head resting on his shoulder, your bare legs tangled up with his, your whole body wrapped up in the furnace-like heat of his form. Azure scales glide along your skin as his tail curls around your waist, settling lazily against your thigh. You can feel a strange vibration coming from his vocal chords, from his chestâquiet, rhythmic, a sign of his complete ease. Whenever you reach over and run your fingers through his hair, he closes his eyes and the thrum from his throat grows stronger.
(Yesâit turns out that the great Imbibitor Lunae can purr. Dan Heng was mortified when the two of you first discovered this fact, but you've since reassured him that it is objectively the best part of his transformation.)
Ordinarily, Dan Heng isn't so clingy. It's only when he decides to couple with you in this formâsomething he generally avoids, given the⌠complications relating to his anatomy and staminaâthat he ends up entwining himself with you afterwards. His expression always remains as neutral and unbothered as ever, so you think it must not be a conscious behaviour. (In fact, Dan Heng's face is so thin that he'd probably disintegrate if he ever noticed himself doing this.) Possibly it's an instinct that comes with his draconic features, just like his habit of nipping at your throat during intimate moments, or flicking his tail when agitated.
Normally, you'd be happy to bask quietly in his affections, but you're too distracted today. You keep staring at that tiny mole on the smooth, white-jade slope of his neck. It's placed right on the spot where you most like to kiss him, impossible to miss.
It isn't there when he wears his human disguise. You're very sure of this fact, because you're an avid fan of leaving marks on his neck, no matter which form he's in. (This behaviour is much to his chagrin. It's not like anyone will notice, you always need to reassure him. You always wear turtlenecks or high collars. Be careful about that chest window, thoughâŚ) It's only natural that you'd notice such a detail.
You reason to yourself that there's no significance to this beauty mark. Plenty of Dan Heng's features arbitrarily change between formsâincluding his height, and even his makeupâbut it gets you thinking about what it could mean. Particularly, you keep thinking about that myth claiming that moles mark the spots where your lovers kissed you in your past life.
You wonder about who'd have been kissing him, in his past life as Dan Fengâor who'd have been kissing you, whoever you were in your past life.
Of course, you were probably a total random in your previous lives. You definitely weren't getting kissed up on by any High Elders of the Luofu, nor were you leaving any hickies on their necksâor at least, you weren't doing that to Dan Feng, given that the intergalactic criminal trying to kill your boyfriend is actually the ex-husband of the previous Yinyue Jun. (Ever since this revelation, you have promised Dan Heng that you will never attempt to murder him, no matter how badly your relationship might someday implode.) But you'll take any opportunity to tease Dan Heng, and the perfect opportunity is before you now.
"Gege," you say, trying and failing to hide the mischief in your voice. He opens his eyes. His expression is still calm, but the slight arch to his brow betrays his wariness.
"Hm?"
"I'm curious about something."
"I can tell," he says. "What are you thinking about?"
You hum in a pondering tone. "Well, I know you don't like to think about your past," you begin, and you can feel his tail curling, "but I wonder if we knew each other at all in your previous life?"
Dan Heng studies you carefully. "I don't know. I try not to remember too much of Dan Feng's life, and it's hard to understand what I do recall. But you already know that." He tilts his head. "You've never asked about him before. Why are you suddenly so curious?"
"Well⌠you know what they say about moles?"
He gives you a blank stare. "That you should monitor them carefully for changes, in case of skin cancer?"
You snort. "No, not that! Or, I mean, that's true, and I hope you're doing thatâbut it's not what I'm thinking of!"
The corner of his mouth lifts very, very subtly. "Then what are you thinking of?"
"How they say that moles exist wherever your lover kissed you most in your past life. You've heard that, right?"
"Yesâit's an old wives' tale," he dismisses. "My species would have noticed it if there were any truth to that myth."
You frown. "You sure? Because"âyou pull back just so you can tap gently at the mark on his neckâ"you've got a mole right here when you're in this form. And I love to kiss your neck, Heng'er."
"I've noticed," he says dryly, with a distinctly long-suffering tone, making you grin.
"Then don't you think I could have given this to you?" you try again, but he shakes his head.
"It's not uncommon for Vidyadharas to mate across lifetimes, and in those cases, it's not unusual to record details about their lovers' various incarnations," he explains evenly. "Someone would have noticed it if this saying about moles were true. So I can guarantee that this was not left by any of Dan Feng's lovers."
A sour expression flits across Dan Heng's face. You recognize it as the exact look he wore when he pelted his jade belt piece into the vacuum of spaceâsomething he'd done as soon as he realised its origins. (Would you keep a wedding band from a divorced spouse? he'd asked flatly, when you bemoaned its loss. No? Well, it's the same idea with the jade token. If you also happen to have an ex-husband trying to kill you, please be sure to get rid of your ring as wellâyou are not allowed to wear it.)
Trying not to laugh, you sit up and kiss his temple in an attempt to distract him.
"Okay," you concede. "So the beauty mark thing doesn't apply to Vidyadharas. But what about humans?"
Dan Heng falters. "...I don't know. There's no way for us to tell. Humans on the Luofu far outlive the length of the average Vidyadhara's rebirth cycle. And it is very difficult to identify a human's reincarnation, as your species will change faces and birthplaces between lifetimes." He gives you a long look, strangely unreadable. "...why do you ask?"
"Well," you say smartly, "if you wouldn't recognize me across lifetimes anywayâisn't it true that I could have been one of your past lovers?"
"...the chances are slim, but"âhis tail flicksâ"yes, I suppose you could have been one of Dan Feng's lovers. In theory."
You pull away from him, careful to let him get a good look at your body laid out on the bed. You catch Dan Heng's eyes wandering, his gaze all over your bare skin. Maybe studying the moles scattered across your body, or maybe he's focusing on the ones on your chest, or maybe he's thinking about the one on your inner thigh.
You point at the one that rests right above your heart.
"Thenâif it's possible that I was one of Dan Feng's lovers, and if it's possible that the beauty mark thing is true for humansâisn't it also possible that Dan Feng gave some of these to me?"
"..."
Dan Heng studies you with a complicated expression. You can hear his jaw click before he points out, "That's a lot of ifs."
"I'd believe it," you say. "I meanâyou've seen the one on my thigh, right? It makes sense that you'd have given that to me. I'm sure that Gege loved eating pussy in every single liâmmph!"
Dan Heng's thrown his hand over your mouth. 'Tired' doesn't even begin to describe his expression.
"I do not want to think about what Dan Feng's preferences were in bed."
You wrestle his hand away from your face for the express purpose of saying, "Why not? Aren't you curious? Like, do you think Yinyue Jun got as nasty as you do when you're in this form? What do you think he liked to do with his secondâ"
You lose your speaking privileges again.
Dan Heng ignores your muffled whining as he rolls his eyes. You don't even know why he's so bothered by this jokeâhe's the one who spent the entire day fucking you in ways you simply didn't even think were possible before you met him! (All thanks to the unique anatomy and stamina of his original form, for which you'll always be grateful to Aeon Long.) You try to convey all this through an indignant stare, but he doesn't relent. Eventually, you give up on struggling.
Curiously, Dan Heng takes this opportunity (i.e., a moment in which you are finally quiet) to study you. His hair curtains around your face as he leans over you, his gleaming eyes heavy with contemplation. Noticing the intensity of his gaze, you give him a questioning look.
When he finally pulls his hand away, you ask, "Is something wrong, Heng'er?"
"Not exactly." He's still watching you. "I only realisedâI don't think we knew each other.
You stare blankly. "What?"
"I don't think we knew each other in our past lives."
You raise a brow, giving him a funny look.
"So unromantic," you complain. "What, Gegeâyou don't think our love is fated?"
Another eyeroll. But this time, rather than putting a palm over your mouth, Dan Heng rests his hand against your cheek instead. You blink at the feeling of his thumb running over your cheekbone.
"It's not that," he says. His voice is gentler now. "I just don't think Dan Feng would have had such a sad ending to his life, had you been in it."
"...oh." You open your mouth, but for once, you have no witty remark. Your face feels a little warm when you ask, "Really?"
"Yes, really." You think you catch a hint of fondness in his otherwise plain, unaffected voice. "And anywayâfate has nothing to do with my feelings for you. I chose you in this lifetime of my own accord, and I will spend this lifetime with you of my own accord. Destiny will never have any bearing on the path I wish to walk with you."
You swallow, staring at his eyes. They're painfully earnest. It's making it hard for you to think, though you can't bring yourself to look away.
"...how can you be so sure?" is all you can ask.
"Because my life until now has been controlled by Dan Feng's sins," he says simply, "but I refuse to let the stain of his karma touch my future with you."
You go quiet at that.
Dan Heng is never one to talk about his own suffering. Even when describing the cruelest of punishments he'd inherited from the former Yinyue Jun, he uses unfeeling terms, not ones of complaint. Control, stain, touchâyou've never heard such painful language before.
You wonder, for a second, if you went a little too far with your teasing about his past incarnation, for him to speak in such a way. But by the time you've found the words to apologise, Dan Heng's expression has become wry.
"So please," he adds dryly, "don't make me think of what Dan Feng could or couldn't have been doing in bed with you. I already resent him enough."
"...wait," you realise, "are you jealous when you think about me having sex with Dan Feng?"
He clears his throat, looking away. "Not exactly jealous"âhe's definitely jealousâ"but I personally feel that he would not have deserved to kiss any part of your body, let alone leave his mark on it." He frowns. "And in any case, I just don't like the idea that he has anything to do with our relationship."
"ButâŚ" Your mouth opens and closes. "But why? He was technically just you."
"In theory, perhaps. But in practice, we are still different people." His tail settles down again, wrapping around your thigh. "I intend to be born into my next life holding a jade token I chose with you. Not one chosen by Dan Feng."
You are rendered speechless.
Your reserved boyfriend, who can't even hold your hand in public without feeling embarrassed, is casually professing his intent to love you across lifetimes with lines that sound plagiarized from a Xianzhou period drama. You don't know what to say, and you don't know what to do. Maybe you want to scream. Maybe you want to kiss him. Definitely you want to blow all your credits on a pair of luxury jade tokens tomorrow morning, one for each of you. You'll vow to never throw yours out, even if for some reason his next incarnation should try to murder you. You'll make it work somehow.
Butâyou also find it insanely funny that he can't stand the idea of Dan Feng fucking you. You definitely want to tease him a little more before running out to get any jewellery for him.
"That's very sweet, Heng'er," you start, "but has it occurred to you that if Dan Feng didn't kiss me in these places, then someone else did?"
Dan Heng freezes.
"Someone else would have kissed me here"âyou tap the mole over your heart againâ"and also here"âcloser to the peak of your breast, nowâ"and here"âfurther down, on your waistâ"and alsoâŚ"
Before you can spread your thighs and brush your fingers against the mark there, Dan Heng grabs your wrist. His slit pupils are dilated, his tail is flicking, and his purrs have turned into a sharp huffâone accompanied by an expression of deep annoyance.
"I guess you don't like thinking about that either?" you ask, smiling, and Dan Heng chooses not to respond. He simply narrows his eyesâand lowers his head.
You smile when you feel his fangs on your neck. Too easy, you think. He lingers on your pulse, lips brushing it as much as his teeth are, before moving further down.
He places a kiss over your heart, first. Then a trail of them, his breath tickling the skin of your chest. You blink when you feel his hands running along your sides and lingering on your curves, making you acutely aware of his intentions.
"Waitâare we starting another round because of what I said?" you ask, trying not to laugh. "I had no idea you had such a jealous streak in you, Heng'er."
Dan Heng still doesn't reply. He merely replaces his lips with his tongueâand then your smile fades.
The heat of his mouth on you is distracting. Makes your brows knot as his tongue swirls around a nipple, as his breath fans across it. His teeth graze it, tooâteasing and a little mean, with how he doesn't give you a break. You're squirming beneath him soon, tugging at his hair, grasping his hornsâWait, wait, I'm too sensitiveâbut from the way he inhales sharply at your touch, you know you're only encouraging him.
He moves down to your navel. Presses his lips to your skinâpeppers your waist with butterfly kisses. His hands slip to your thighs as his mouth trails its way down, parting your legs as he settles between them. Your breath hitches as his fingers touch your entrance, spreading you open. You're still sensitive from all the things he did to you earlierâfrom how he had you stretched out and panting underneath him, stuffed so full that you could hardly think as you came. From how he fucked you like that again, and again, and again, until you were on the verge of tears from how many times you'd cumâbecause Dan Heng finds it impossible to stop whenever he's in this form.
But even as sore as you are, you can feel yourself clenching around nothing right now, eager to have him inside you again. You shiver as his breath blows over your aching clit.
"Don't tease me," you whine.
"After all the teasing you put me through?" He sounds unimpressed. "No, I think I'll take my time. It's only fair."
"Gege, I was only joking. You said it yourself: it's only an old wives' tale! I'm sure no one was kissing me on theâahâŚ"
Your voice clips off into a whimper. Dan Heng is running a finger along your slit, and you feel yourself his spend from earlier leaking out from you. It's hot and it's thick, a mess running all the way down to the sheets beneath you, and there's so much of it. He just spent the whole day filling you up, after allâand you have no doubt that he wants to spend his night the same way.
(Really, you owe so much to the Aeon of Permanence. You'd worship Long if he were still aroundâmay he rest in peace.)
You watch as he studies you, his eyes keen and pupils blown. His gaze lingers on a particular spot on your thighâand it suddenly occurs to you that he's been kissing all your moles.
"Dan Heng," you breathe, halfway to a laugh, "what exactly are you trying to do?"
He glances up at you, arching a brow.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm making sure that any marks you have in the future will be from no one but me."
Dan Heng's gleaming eyes are set on your beauty mark. He places a soft kiss on it, and he almost sounds amused when he speaks again:
"I'll especially like looking at this one again in your next life."

END
lost my mind from stress this week so I cranked this out rip I hope you all enjoyed!! please leave a note if you did!!
some notes about lore details:
not sure if everyone is caught up to 1.2 content (I'm not lol), so I'll note here that the "jade tokens" being mentioned = Vidyadhara practice of taking matching jade tokens into their hatching rebirth, so they can find each other in their next lives
the relic lore for the passerby of wandering cloud bracer in chinese heavily implies that yingxing and dan feng were either engaged or married. it makes sense when you consider that dan heng and blade wear matching jade buckles. people theorize that these are jade tokens from their lifetime as lovers â hence that whole bit in this fic about dan heng throwing out his jade token đ
cultural/TL notes:
gege is a term meaning "older brother", though it is often used for non-familial relationships that are very close; it can come off as either flirty or childish. heng'er is a diminutive of dan heng's name.
chinese language has a few different concepts/words for the idea of fate/destiny. the one that dh and mc discuss in this fic is the notion that your relationship with someone in this lifetime will go on to determine the nature of your relationship with them in the next one (çźĺ, this idea applies to all relationships but includes romantic ones). I tried my best to convey this idea in the dialogue for those reading without that cultural context, but quite honestly I feel like I failed LMAO and thus... you are getting this note.
I also want to clarify that çźĺ is not affected by karma in the Buddhist sense, even though I used the term "karma" within the discussion about fate/destiny; çźĺ is not a Buddhist concept. (the reason that I had dan heng refer to dan feng's "karma" is simply a play on the chinese term for "sins" used to describe dan feng's crimes, 罪ä¸ďźwhich can have Buddhist connotations.)
other notes:
while I left the reader's backstory vague (so that you may interpret them however you want), I wrote this with tanghulu mc in mind, because that's who the original anon ask discussed!
yyj peg anon if you are reading this: I apologize for how deeply I botched your idea LMAOAOA this got heavily derailed from the basic prompt of teasing dan heng đ what 1.2 will do to a mfâŚ
thank you to the 80% of people who agreed that danheng IL should purr in this fic. i truly do not think that he would exhibit particularly animalistic behaviours in his original form, but, listen........ I wasn't writing this with my brain.
I'm sorry that there was no tonal cohesion in this fic. we really went from dragon cuddles to bullying danheng to existential discussions of fate to monsterfucking foreplay. as I said above........ I wasn't writing this with my brain

ââ under the lotus leaves.
You've known Dan Feng long before he became the High Elder of the Vidyadhara, before he donned the title of Imbibitor Lunae and became the legend he is known as now. Long ago, back when the two of you were mere children, playing in the waters of the Xianzhou Luofu.
imbibitor lunae (dan feng) x gn!reader
contains: childhood friends au, set before dan feng is a criminal, slow burn, long fic, ooc!character for the first half bc he's growing up and is an annoying teen, mentions of blade's real name, death, spoilers for 1.2
genres: mostly fluff, hurt/comfort, some angst bittersweet ending
word count: 8.6k
a/n: please do note that this is dan feng, not dan heng. and therefore i take a lot more liberties with how he is because i firmly believe that dan feng was more of a bitch than dan heng BYE ALSO THIS IS UNEDITED !! ILL EDIT IT TMRW WHEN I WAKE UP I JUST HAD TO GET THIS OUT BYE

Your best friend was an extraordinary being.
There was no doubt about it. Regarded as both the strongest and wisest of your people, he was chosen as the High Elder, Imbibitor Lunae. And he has served you well.
His feats are plenty, with his joining the esteemed High-Cloud Quintet, and you couldn't count the amount of time he'd saved the Xianzhou on one hand. He was smart, intelligent, and witty, quick to understand situations and formulate the best solutions. His enemies feared his presence on the battlefield, and his friends trusted him with their lives.
As did you.
You, a mere civilian. A single face among thousands of Vidyadhara, another footstep among the crowd. You, who have lived through his past and present. You, who knew him better than he knew himself.
You, who has been by his side since the very beginning.
â
It was a stormy day when you first met Dan Feng.
You were just a child back then, a Vidyadhara only eight years of age. Normally, at this stage in your life, you'd be guided by the current high elder, but it seems that you had undergone your cycle at the same time as the past high elder.
So as life would have it, you would instead be raised by your seniors, while the Preceptors tended to the newly reborn high elder. A skilled weaver in your past incarnation, you were taken in by your then coworkers, and raised within your craft of making lotus silk.
As such, your childhood was filled with looms, lotus flowers, and spinning threads. You spent your free time in the gardens of lotus flowers, hiding from your caretakers amongst the tall stems and diving into the waters to swim amongst them. You may not have had the draconic features of the High Elder, but you still adored the water like any other Vidyadhara.
And as it would seem, so did the High Elder.
It had been a hot and sunny day at the Luofu. The rays were smoldering on your back as you waded through the lotus fields, thankful for the cold water splashing against your legs. You squinted against the sun, adjusting your leaf hat on your head. Tucked against your arm was a woven basket filled with lotus stems, all of which would have fiber extracted from them.
The tall leaves and flowers of the lotuses dwarfed your child self in comparison, although you werenât complaining. Although the water sloshed around your thighs, requiring you to roll up your pants more than your older coworkers, the leaves served as temporary relief from the sunâs rays.
You pushed stems aside, the field looking more akin to a jungle to you. You only needed one more before you could return home to the comfort of an air conditioner in order to extract the fibers for the threads. Thankfully, that wouldnât have to wait long.
Once you found a suitable stem to harvest, you snapped it from its roots and began to wash it in the water. Your basket floated next to you, you keeping an eye on it to make sure it wouldnât float away.
But then, you heard the stems rustle, and the waters splashing as something entered your field. Immediately, you stood up straight, holding the lotus stem more like a weapon than a crop.
âWhoâs there?â you called out, your voice ringing through the silent and tranquil fields.
No response.
You huffed, carefully setting down your stem in the basket. Whoever it was probably thought you werenât a threat merely because of your age. Youâd prove them wrong.
You heard the stems rustle one more time, snapping your head towards the source. Picking up your basket, you marched over to a large clump of lotuses, a perfect hiding spot (you would know, youâve used it many times before). A shadow around your size moved within them, submerging itself into the water.
You rolled your eyes. Another kid, then.Â
Pushing the stems aside, you saw the flicker of a draconic tail splashing the water, almost wagging as its owner lay face-first in the murky water. Without a second thought, you set aside your basket, grabbed the tail with your grubby little hands, and pulled hard.
âOW!â
The tailâs owner toppled out of the water, crashing into you in the process and knocking your foreheads together. You yelped, falling into the water with a splash as you held your aching forehead.
âWhat was that for?!â A child-like voice, much like your own berated you, a whine in his tone.
Glaring through your tears, you shouted back at him. âThat was for bumming around on my farm!â
Your victim/intruder, a young boy with long hair, met your glare with equal fire. âI wasnât âbumming aroundâ, I was just⌠Cooling off! Itâs hot today.â
You squinted, clearly not impressed. âI donât care what you were doing! Youâre not doing it on my farm.â
He lashed his tail angrily, splashing you in the process. âIâm the High Elder. I do what I want.â
You stared at him for a good second, taking in his appearance. He was a Vidyadhara around your age, only he had draconic-like horns protruding from his head. His long black hair flowed around him, and his fancy white robes were drenched in lotus water. It wouldâve been obvious to anyone that he was a noble, someone of higher standing.
âNo youâre not,â you said, deadpanning. âYouâre too small.â
The self-proclaimed High Elder flushed red with embarrassment, jumping to his feet.
âIâm still growing!â he insisted, stamping his feet and splashing water everywhere.
âThe High Elderâs supposed to be big and powerful!â you said, throwing your arms in the air to emphasize your point. âYouâre⌠a kid!â
âYouâre a kid too-!â The High Elder froze in the middle of his sentence, his tail stiffening at the sound voices - adult voices. Quickly, he grabbed you by the collar of your robe and pulled you into the shadows of the clump.
âHey-!â He slapped his hand over your mouth to shut you up. In retaliation, you licked at his hand, the young boy recoiling in disgust.
âDid you just lick me?!â he hissed, looking at his hand in horror.Â
âYouâre the one who just grabbed me-â
âShh!!â He put a finger to his mouth, shushing you. âBe quiet! Canât you see Iâm hiding?â
âFrom what, the Cloud Knights?â you gasped, backing up. âAre you a criminal?!â
He gave you a look. âNo! I told you, Iâm the High-â
âHigh Elder? Are you there?â
This time, you both slapped a hand over each otherâs mouths. An unfamiliar adult voice shouted over the fields, calling for the boy beside you. You both waited with bated breath as the man searched on the other side of the field, only letting go when he was far enough away.
âYou werenât lying?â you whispered excitedly, looking up at the boy with newfound respect. He crossed his arms, looking all high and mighty now.
âWhy would I be lying?â he said matter-of-factly. âYou were the one who didnât believe me.â
You really wanted to make a witty comment, but then you remembered your stems, floating out in the sun. Panic seized you. You couldnât let those stems dry. If they did, theyâd be useless to you.
You jumped to your feet, hurriedly running to your stems. Thankfully, they were still where you left them, and in the shade. You sighed in relief, knowing that you would live to see another day.
You peeked your head over the lotus heads, spotting the man who was calling for the High Elder. He was wearing some pretty fancy robes himself, the robes you recognized as belonging to a Preceptor.
Cradling your basket once again, you walked back to where the High Elder was hiding. He looked up at you in surprise as you reached towards what used to be a preening lotus flower, now a pod filled with green seeds.Â
You snapped it off the stem and popped out one of the seeds. After peeling the green skin to reveal the white center, you handed it to the High Elder.
âWant one?â
The High Elder was wary at first, but eventually took the seed. He chewed it in his mouth for a little bit, his eyes brightening at the taste.
âItâs sweet,â he said in surprise. You nodded, taking one for yourself before giving him the pod.
âYou have the rest on this one,â you said. You pointed in the direction of the Preceptor. âThe big guy looking for you is over there, by the way.â
âOh.â He took the pod in his hands, still a bit freaked out by how it looked. âThank you.â
âMaster always said I have to make it up when I do something bad,â you said, picking up your stems. With a start, the High Elder seemed to realize that you were apologizing. âAnyway, I have to go now. The fibers will dry up if I stay out here too long.â
âWait!â The High Elder called out, reaching for you. You turned around, raising a brow. His tail waved nervously behind him as his hand faltered. âWhatâs your name?â
As you answered him, in the back of your head, you couldâve sworn youâd read this scene before.Â
You tilted your head curiously. âWhatâs yours?â
His expression was strange. It was a smile of relief and happiness, just from you not knowing his name. The waters responded to his joy, swirling gently around him.
âDan Feng,â he said, his tail wagging slightly. âMy name is Dan Feng.â
â
You remember seeing him dragged out of the fields a few hours later. You had been extracting fibers from the stems youâd collected when youâd heard the commotion.Â
Dan Feng was having his ear talked off by the Preceptor, but he was being awfully obedient. The two of you had met gazes, and he had sheepishly waved at you. Your hands were busy with your work, so all you could do was giggle at his predicament.
Of course, that wouldnât be the last time you saw the High Elder - far from it.Â
Dan Feng would visit your farm often, whether it was for eating more lotus seeds, dragging you to go swim with him, or just to watch you work. Your mentors and coworkers grew accustomed to seeing the young Vidyadhara waiting for you outside the workshop.
All of his visits would end in the same way - a Preceptor would come and take him away for his studies, droning on about his duty as the High Elder while Dan Feng rolled his eyes behind their back.
It wasnât like he hated his duty. You knew better than anyone that Dan Feng took pride in his role, he was just⌠stubborn.
âWhat are you doing?â
You flinched at the boy in questionâs voice. Dan Feng was practically talking in your ears, his face right next to yours. You leaned away, batting away at him.
âNone of your business,â you said, turning your back towards him as to hide your hands. Dan Feng pouted but didnât push.
âIf you say so.â He turned his gaze back to the open fields. His legs kicked as he dangled on the stone wall alongside you.
You sat in comfortable silence, feeling as the spring breeze blew gently around you. It was tranquil and quiet, as the lotus fields always were.
Dan Feng found he preferred it that way. It was nice to get away from the droning words of the Preceptors, and this little farm served as his favorite sanctuary. He could spend his days here forever, just being by your side.
His eyes shifted towards you again. You were oddly concentrated today, he noted, working on whatever was in your hands right now. It was unlike you to be so quiet. Usually, youâd be talking about the latest gossip youâd heard from your mentors, or complaining about the weather again.
He strained his neck, trying to see just what was taking your attention away from him. But alas, you saw him and snatched it away from him again. Frustrated, he blew at his hair, lashing his tail in impatience.
Oh, well. If you werenât going to show him, you werenât going to show it. It wasnât like he wanted to see it anyways.
Dan Feng went back to spacing out, closing his eyes, crossing his legs, and focusing on the world around him. If he wasnât going to do anything, he might as well meditate.
He reached his senses into the fields, losing himself in the environment. His ears were filled with the rustle of each individual leaf, the soft splashing of water, the croak of the frogs, and the buzzing of insects that inhabited the fields.
He could feel how the wind felt on every plant, the warmth of the sun not just on his skin, but on the skin of the other aquatic animals. At that moment, Dan Feng became one with the world. Nothing could break his concentration.
Nothing, except perhaps for you, who was trying to grab his hand as stealthily as possible.
Dan Feng snapped his eyes open when you took his left hand in yours. Apparently, you were too engrossed in your task to notice his eyes on you.
You slid something onto his ring finger. Dan Feng tilted his head, raising his hand to stare at whatever it was you put on him.
A band of woven grasses encircled his finger, the braid intricate and tight. Dan Feng looked at it in confusion, rotating his hand to get a better view of it.
âDo you like it?â you said proudly.
âWhat is it?â he asked, bringing it to his face to observe.
âItâs a ring,â you said obviously. You showed him your dominant hand, which had a matching ring on it. âI saw a couple of girls the other day with those friendship bracelets. I figured since weâve known each other for a few years now, we should have something like that too.â
âOh.â Dan Feng blushed at your words, a giddy feeling bubbling within his chest. Suddenly, the ring on his finger felt heavier, but also much, much warmer.
âItâs nice, right?â you hummed, holding your hand to the sky. âI mean, itâs not like one of those beads you can just buy, but I think itâs pretty special.â
âI love it.â Dan Feng beamed softly, holding his hand close to his chest. âIâll treasure it forever.â
It melted your heart to see him so ecstatic over something as simple as a grass ring. He was quite literally glowing from happiness, his draconic parts illuminating with a soft sea green.
âIâm glad,â you said, hugging your knees to your chest.Â
Dan Feng looked at you, gratitude brimming in his eyes. He didnât reach out to hug you (although he certainly wanted to), but rather, only wrapped his tail around your waist, tugging you closer to him.
â
You loved Dan Feng, you really did. But sometimes, you really wanted to tie him up and throw him in a ditch.
You sigh loudly in frustration, jabbing at Dan Fengâs wound with an alcohol-infused pad. The boy in question hissed in pain at your actions.
âWould it kill you to be gentler?â he attempted to jolt away, but your hold on his arm was firm.
It had been many years since you two had first met. The two of you were adolescents now, nearing adulthood.
Dan Feng had appeared at your doorstep after training once again to escape his mentors, only this time with a bloodied gash on his shoulder. Heâd tried to hide it from you, but to little success.
âWhy didnât you tell anyone about this?â you shot back, angrily wrapping his wound with bandages. Dan Feng averted his gaze.
âIt wasnât anything they needed to know,â he said quietly. You paused in your wrapping to stare at him incredulously.
âAre you kidding me?!â You pulled on the bandages, tightening them. Dan Feng winced at your loud voice, waving his hand for you to quiet down. Granted, you did, but you still decided on berating him.
âFeng'er, this is serious,â you said through gritted teeth. âItâs not one of those scratches you can just lick away. What if it had gotten infected?â
Dan Feng sighed, opting to stay silent and instead watch you work. Despite your harsh tone, he knew that you were just worried about him. He didnât blame you, the wound was pretty serious.
His eyes softened as he saw your hands trembling as they worked. Your face was a mask of angry calm, but he could see the shake in your eyes.
â...sorry.â
You blinked. âWhat was that?â
Dan Feng dropped his gaze guiltily. âIâm sorry. I made you worry.â
âWhen do you not make me worry?â you joke, tying the bandage into a bow. Dan Feng smiled sheepishly.
âIâm sorry,â he repeated, touching your hand with his tail. âHow should I make it up to you this time?â
âHmâŚâ You pondered the question, tapping at your chin before brightening with an idea. âI got it. How about showing me that little trick you were bragging to me about earlier, with the cloudhymm?â
Dan Feng laughed airily. âYou always ask for that.â
âWell, no one around here knows cloudhymm except for you,â you said, crossing your legs on the floor. Your eyes practically glowed in anticipation - Dan Feng wanted to compare you to a puppy awaiting a treat.Â
The thought made his lips twitch as he held back his laugh. You rolled your eyes playfully, nudging him eagerly.
âSo pushy,â he said dramatically, but you knew he was just teasing. He sat up straight, smoothed out his robes, and without further ado, he began his personal spectacle for you.
With just a flick of his finger, water materialized around him, taking the form of white lotus flowers in the air. Droplets stilled, as though someone had stopped time in the middle of a rainstorm.
Youâve seen this view many times before, but you were still amazed each and every time. A lotus flower hovered in front of you, bursting into a cloud of mist as you touched it.
You giggled, leaning back onto your hands, watching the lotuses drift off into the air. Unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng was preparing a whole nother surprise for you.
As your attention was captured by the lotuses, Dan Feng swirled his finger in the air. His signature teal water erupted in a spiral, taking the form of a roaring dragon. You jumped in surprise as it circled around you, flying toward the ceiling.
Dan Feng made the dragon dance around the lotuses, even bumping against your cheek. You squeaked as it did, light-heartedly glaring at Dan Feng. He only smirked back at you, before he enraptured your gaze with the dragon once again.
It glided towards the ceiling again, curling into a glowing orb of water. Dan Feng made a fist, and the dragon and the lotuses burst into a fine mist, making rainbows in the late evening light.
You were glimmering with awe, a permanent smile fixed onto your lips as you reached towards the ceiling to catch the mist. It was cool against your skin, like a little kiss from the rain.
âAm I forgiven now?â Dan Feng asked, amused.
You rolled your eyes. âOnly if you promise to tell someone the next time you get injured.â
Dan Feng laughed. âYes, yes, of course.â
You turned to look at him, only to find that he had been watching you this entire time, a fond smile on his lips.
â
âAre you sure about this?â
Dan Feng whispered anxiously as you skillfully maneuvered through dark alleyways and streetlights, your hand clasped tightly in his.Â
He kept looking back behind him, just to make sure that you werenât being followed. Heâd changed his appearance somewhat, making sure to hide his horns and tail, but he was still paranoid.
âObviously!â you chirped back. You didnât bother looking back at him, currently fixated on your destination - a crowd of bright lights, the smell of food, and the chatter of people. In other words, the night market.
Dan Feng let himself be dragged off by you, trusting that you knew these streets better than he did. He looked urgently back at you.
âWhen we get caught-â
âIf we get caught,â you corrected, stopping momentarily to pull Dan Feng towards you. You let go of his hand to hold his face, pulling him to meet yours. âYou trust me, right?â
Dan Feng sighed. âYes, but-â
You squished his cheeks, effectively shutting him up. âNo âbutsâ. What happened to the kid who would sneak off to swim in my farm?â
Dan Feng gave you a look, but with his face all squished up like that, you couldnât take him seriously. Fighting down a giggle, you squeezed him one last time before letting go.
âTrust me on this,â you insisted, the lights of the market illuminating your back. âYou couldnât have lived for this long and not have been to the night market. Youâll love it, I promise.â
âAnd if I donât?â Dan Feng hummed. You snorted, interlacing your fingers with his once again.
âThen Iâll do whatever you want later, alright?â
âIâll hold you to that.â
Dan Feng squinted as you pulled him into the depths of the market, the bright lights blinding him momentarily. The savory aroma of grilled meat and fried vegetables wafted into his nose, the chatter of friends, families, and lovers filling the air. The two of you were practically consumed by the crowd, the only thing keeping him from being swept away was your hand in his.
It was overwhelming, but not in a bad way. Dan Fengâs eyes widened with wonder as he took in the atmosphere around him. He wasnât used to so many people being in one place, at the same time. In the lotus fields and in his palace, things were always quiet, still.
He could see children playing silly games with one another, jewelers selling their handcrafted trinkets, and so many street chefs, cooking right on the spot over open flames.
A tug on his hand broke him out of his stupor. You had been watching him all this time, a knowing smile on your face. You tugged him over to a stand that was selling what looked to be skewered balls of meat, dripping with a sweet glaze.
âTheyâre berrypheasant skewers,â you explained. You noticed Dan Fengâs disgruntled look and nudged him. âDonât worry, itâs just the fruit that comes off their tails. They didnât actually kill anything.â
âOh⌠I see.â Dan Feng relaxed a bit after hearing that. You gave him a smile before talking to the vendor. Once you had acquired your skewers, you grabbed his hand once more, moving to a secluded corner of the market to enjoy them.
You wasted no time in biting off one of the fruit balls, closing your eyes in delight as you let it slowly melt in your mouth.
âThatâs amazing,â you sighed in contentment, leaning back on a wall. You opened your eyes to see Dan Feng silently chewing on his. âHow is it?â
âSweet,â he said, swallowing it. âItâs not bad. Although, I prefer lotus seeds.â
âReally?â you asked, finishing off your skewer. âI like these better. Or maybe thatâs because Iâve spent my whole life eating lotus seeds.â
âPerhaps,â Dan Feng agreed. He looked off in the direction of the market. âThis place, itâsâŚâ
âLoud?â you jested. Dan Feng chuckled.
âThat too,â he admitted, âbut the word I had in mind was âcomfortableâ.â
You hummed in agreement. âWell,â you said, pushing yourself off the wall. âWeâve only just scratched the surface. Are you ready?â
Dan Feng nodded. âLetâs go.â
Whatever happened next was a blur. What had started as you dragging Dan Feng around to try different food turned into Dan Feng pulling you to whichever jewelry store caught his attention. Sometimes, youâd lose him in the crowd, and run around panicked only to find him in the middle of getting scammed (to which youâd drag him off, giving death glares to whoever decided to prey on him).
You soon learned that this was a lot more tiring task than youâd originally anticipated. It was like babysitting a toddler - one minute heâd be standing at your side, watching you as you bargained with the vendor, and the next minute, heâd be across the street, trying on some new earrings.
And to make matters worse, every time you wanted to wring Dan Fengâs throat the second you caught up to him, heâd turn to you with that stupidly pretty smile of his, showing off whatever trinkets he managed to pick up this time.
And of course, like the weak soul you were, you couldnât stay angry at a face like that for long.
But safe to say, you were relieved when you reached the end of the market and instead came to the edges of Central Starskiff Haven, right in front of the Jade Gate.Â
Here, the crowds had parted, allowing you to take a breather from your exhausting task. Of course, you were the only one who was tired - Dan Feng was vibrating with excitement, the brightest grin youâve ever seen on his face.
âI take it you had fun?â you said good-naturedly, coming up beside your friend to watch the flow of starskiffs in and out of the Luofu. Dan Feng nodded, crossing his arms behind him.
âMost definitely,â he said happily. âThe outworlder merchants have so many interesting things, I canât help but be intrigued by them.â
âI could tell,â you chuckled. âI could barely catch up to you with the way you were running around. Imagine what the Preceptors would say.â
âWe did agree that they would never find out, no?â Dan Feng pointed out. You shrugged.
âFair enough,â you acknowledged. You gazed out into the glowing light of the Jade Gate before suddenly jolting in realization. âLan above, I almost forgot!â
Dan Feng looked at you questioningly as you riffled through your pockets. His confusion only increased as you pulled out a small box, barely the size of your palm.
You opened it to reveal two jade rings, each with the image of a lotus carved into its band. Dan Feng feels his breath hitch at the sight, and something in his chest tightened.
âWhatâŚâ he couldnât even finish his sentence.
âItâs your birthday, isnât it?â you said. âI figured that now would be a good time to replace the ones I made when we were kids.â
Thatâs right. You didnât just choose today of all days randomly. Today was Dan Fengâs birthday, and the day he officially became of age. Today was the last day of his childhood before he would fully take on the title of Imbibitor Lunae and the responsibilities that came with being the High Elder.
You couldnât help but feel proud as you watched him take the rings with shaking hands. Heâs still that stubborn child who listens to no one but himself, but heâs become so much more. Heâs grown taller, more mature, more dignified.
And yet, he still looked like he might cry from your gift. He mumbled something under his breath, something you couldnât catch.
âWhat was that?â you asked, only to be pulled tightly into his chest. Dan Feng squeezed you into his embrace as he tried to steady his breathing.
Slowly, you wrapped your arms around his waist, melting into his hold. Such moments like these were rare, after all. The furthest Dan Feng had ever gone with you was holding hands. Hugs werenât part of his vocabulary.
âYou knowâŚâ he murmured. âIn human cultures, rings symbolize marriage.â
âWell,â you laughed into his skin. âWeâre not human, are we?â
âYes, butâŚâ
âAre you trying to propose to me, gege?â You looked up at him, raising your brow playfully. Dan Feng blushed at the nickname, averting his gaze.
âThat wasnât my intention,â he mumbled, flustered. He quickly let go of you, hiding his face behind his hand as he tried to calm his rapidly increasing heartbeat.
You snickered at him. âI know, Iâm only teasing. Here, give me those; Iâll put them on for you.â
But despite your words, Dan Feng couldnât help the burning heat that enveloped him as you took his hand delicately in yours, sliding on the ring. He couldnât stop his heart from pounding, couldnât stop his thoughts of newly engaged couples doing exactly what you were doing.
And most of all, he couldnât stop thinking of how badly he wanted to kiss you in that moment.
â
Ever since that day, neither you nor Dan Feng have taken off your respective rings. Dan Feng always kept it hidden beneath his gloves, while you showed it off even while you worked. Youâve been asked many times who the other ring belonged to, but youâve never given them an answer.
One of these questionees was Yingxing, a passionate young outworlder who had come to the Luofu hearing of the feats made by Vidyadhara craftsmen. Youâd met through a common friend of Jingliu, one of Dan Fengâs friends in the renowned High Cloud Quintet.
While Yingxing was a blacksmith and you a weaver, the two of you hit it off immediately. The two of you bonded over creating for the members of the Quintet, with you being responsible for the threads that made up their clothes, and Yingxing their armor and weapons. Many times, when one of you had a day off, one could find you in the otherâs workshop.
You coughed as smoke arose from the furnace, fanning yourself. Yingxing glanced over momentarily.
âAre you alright?â he asked, a bubbling laugh in his voice. You nodded.
âYes, just not used to so much smoke,â you sighed. Yingxing wiped at his brow as he took out the pot from the furnace, pouring the molten metal into the mold beneath him.
âIf it bothers you too much,â he advised, âyou should step outside.â
You shook your head, jumping down from your spot by the window. âIâm fine, donât worry. But enough about me, whatâs this youâre making?â
âItâs a spear for the High Elder.â Yingxing moved aside as you came up next to him. âSee the way the metal glows from a certain angle? Thatâs the remnants of the Reignbow Arbiterâs arrow.â
âFascinating.â So this was the weapon Dan Feng would wield.
You waved away embers from your face, and for a moment, their light caught on the ring on your finger.
âYouâre married?â said Yingxing in surprise. You stared at him inquisitively.
âNo? What made you think that?â
âYour ring,â he said, nodding at your finger. You looked down before spurting a laugh.
âOh, this?â You toyed with it, fidgeting it on your hand. âItâs nothing like that.â
âYou donât sound so sure,â Yingxing commented. You huff.
âI am,â you retorted, nudging him. Yingxing whined at the jab, complaining.
âDonât you know not to provoke a man with a hammer?â he threatened good-naturedly. You, being the very mature person you are, stuck your tongue out at him.
âYingxing?â
The sound of your best friendâs voice interrupted your play argument as the both of you perked your heads. Dan Feng bent down as he entered the forgery so as to not hit his horns on the door frame.
âDan Feng!â Yingxing greeted, waving. âWhat brings you here?â
âDonât let me disturb you,â the Vidyadhara said, his nose wrinkling at the smoke filling the forge. âIâm merely here to check on the progress of the spear.â
âItâs still in the process of being smelted, as you can see.â Yingxing pounded away at the spear, shaping it into his desired form.
âAh, is that so?â Dan Feng nodded. âIâll come back tomorrow, then. Keep up the good work.â
âYouâre going to leave without saying hi?â you interjected, fake hurt lacing your voice. âIâm hurt, Fengâer.â
Dan Feng flinched, as though he hadnât noticed you at all.
â[Name]?â He straightens, blinking rapidly in surprise. Yingxing swore heâd never seen the High Elder brighten so quickly - he almost didn't believe his eyes when he saw his tail wag with joy. âI apologize, I didnât see you.â
âItâs alright,â you laugh, walking over to him. âI havenât seen you in a while. How have you been?â
âYou two know each other?â Yingxing asked. Dan Feng narrowed his eyes, fixing the younger man with a glare.
âI should be the one asking you that, Yingxing,â he said lowly, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close. âWhen did you and them get so close?â
âWeâve been friends for a while,â you answered for Yingxing, lightly hitting Dan Fengâs chest. âBe nice to him.â
Dan Feng pouted, reluctantly letting you go. âBut-â
âNo âbutsâ,â you scolded, crossing your arms. âIf youâre not going to be nice, you can step outside.â
Dan Feng looked akin to a kicked puppy, but he relented. Although, when he saw Yingxing, trying his absolute best not to laugh, Dan Feng felt murderous intent for the first time.
His tail lashed angrily behind him as he watched you converse with the blacksmith, Yingxing sweating from the pure pressure of Dan Fengâs stare. Heâd never been so relieved to see you go.
âI have to go now, but Iâll come back later, alright?â you said, waving at Yingxing. You squeezed Dan Fengâs shoulder on your way to the door, leaning in to whisper in his ear. âDonât give him a hard time, okay?â
Dan Feng only nodded, briefly touching his hand to yours before you finally left, leaving the two men alone.
âSo,â Yingxing coughed, looking anywhere but Dan Fengâs eyes. âFengâer, was it?â
âYou will not speak of this,â Dan Feng warned. Yingxing raised his hands in surrender.
âMy lips are sealed, High Elder.â Yingxing smiled. âAlthough, if I were you, I wouldnât wait.â
Dan Feng narrowed his eyes. âWhat do you mean?â
âHow should I say thisâŚâ Yingxing pondered. âIf you stall for too long, someone will sweep them away.â
Horror shot through Dan Feng like a bullet as he gaped at Yingxing. The thought of you leaving him for someone else, replacing him, hadnât even crossed his mind.
âI donât know what you mean,â he gritted out, taking a deep breath to calm down. âThey would never replace me.â
Yingxing blinked. âDonât tell me you havenât realized.â He shook his head in disbelief. âDan Feng, youâre-â
âDan Feng, Yingxing, there you are.â
Jingliu crossed her arms in the doorway, her apprentice, Jing Yuan by her side.Â
âWas that [Name] I just saw run out?â she asked, raising a brow. She shook her head. âNevermind that. I needed to talk to you two anyways. Weâre heading out in a weekâs time.â
âWhat for?â Dan Feng questioned, furrowing his brows.
âThe Denizens of Abundance have invaded our ally Thalassa,â Jingliu disclosed, her voice tight at the mere mention of the Xianzhouâs sworn enemies. âWeâve been ordered to drive them out.â
âVery well,â said Dan Feng. âWeâll see you then, Jingliu.â
She nodded. âUntil then.â
â
It was the first time Dan Feng had seen death.
War was never pretty for anyone, soldier or civilian. It was dirty, dark, and grimy. In war, you had two objects: one, defeat the enemy. Two, survive.
Dan Feng cursed as he ran his spear through another borison, the ocean of Thalassa responding to his anger. Dragons made from water, the same ones he showed to you all those years ago, drove back the enemy, blasting them away and incapacitating them in the process.
He kept his eyes ahead of him, deliberately avoiding the ground. There, laid corpses of allies and enemies alike.
Death was uncommon on the Xianzhou, especially for a Vidyadhara. There were no soulless eyes on the Luofu, no limp bodies littering the ground. There were no pleas for mercy, no screams of pain and fear.
But here, in the midst of a foreign battlefield, all of those horrors revealed themselves, and bared their teeth.
Dan Feng made the mistake of looking down. His eyes met with that of a deceased borison, its own lifeless eyes glazed over. Instantly, Dan Feng faltered.
The borison looked nothing but a Vidyadhara, but their eyes were the same. It mightâve been a different species, following a different Aeon, but the intelligence and sentience were the same. They were a person, just like anyone else. Just like you.
Only this one wouldnât rebirth into a new life. No, this one was spoken for, done in by his spear. They would never live again.
The battle blurred around him as he spiraled deeper into his thoughts. He knew that realistically, it would never happen, but he couldnât stop the thought from resurfacing in his mind.
What if one day, you ended up just like that borison?
Dan Feng shook his head, raising his spear just in time to block an attack from an enemy. No. It would never happen. Heâd be there to protect you. The Cloud Knights would protect you. Xianzhou would protect you.
But what if they couldnât?
âDan Feng!â Jingliuâs shout snapped him out of his daze. Dan Feng clicked his tongue, irritated at his own absentmindedness. The battlefield was no place for distraction; he of all people should know this.
With a thrust of his hands, his dragons came to Jingliuâs aid, healing her wounds and fending off the borison attacking her.
He was being ridiculous, Dan Feng berated himself. The enemy was vastly overpowered. Their victory would come soon. And when it did, he would be able to come home, home to you.
And he did.
It was nighttime when he returned to the Luofu. You were just finishing up before bed, setting aside the fabrics youâd woven that day. Your former mentor had just checked in on you, making sure that you were doing alright before they went to sleep.
You heaved a heavy sigh to yourself, folding the final sheet before setting it on a shelf. Dan Feng and the others had been at war for months now.
âI wonder how theyâre doing,â you muttered to yourself, closing your eyes. You knew they would be fine. Jingliu, Dan Feng, and every other member of the High Cloud Quintet were blessed with powers that you couldnât even begin to imagine. The invading Denizens would be no match for them.
But still⌠You couldnât help but worry.
What didnât help was how obvious Dan Fengâs absence was. You often looked over your shoulder as you wove, as though expecting the young man to be standing there, watching. The night market didnât feel the same without him being dragged around to every stall.
The lotus fields, with all their flowers and pads, seemed empty.
It was as though a hole had been ripped out of your heart, leaving only a dull ache.
The sound of your door opening startled you. You swiveled around, utterly confused. Just who would be here at this hour? Very few people had access to the key to your home.Â
Perhaps one of the other weavers? Or perhaps your mentor again, worried that you werenât getting enough sleep?
The answer was neither. A strangled whisper of your name, in such a familiar voice, cut through the night air like a knife. Tears welled in your eyes as you took in the sight of your best friend, finally home after so long.
âFengâer?â you whispered. He nodded wordlessly, taking a few hesitant steps into your home.
You met him halfway, reaching up to hold his face delicately. Dan Feng closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a little sigh. His arm came to the small of your back, pulling you in as he buried his face into the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent.
âYouâre late,â you murmured, brushing your hand through his hair. Dan Feng tightened his arms around you.
âIâm sorry.â
âYou should be,â you laughed, sniffling. âDo you know how worried you made me?â
Dan Feng pulled away from your neck, gazing into your eyes. His tail swayed, eventually circling around your waist. He gingerly held your chin between his thumb and index finger as though youâd break if he was any rougher with you.
âIâm sorry,â he repeated, brows crinkling. Quickly, he wiped away your tears. Of all else, Dan Feng hated seeing you cry, and hated it even more if it was because of him. âIâm here now.â
You nodded tearfully. âAnd youâre not leaving, right?â
âNot for a while,â he promised. âEven the Abundance will need time to recover from the damage we did to them.â
âGood.â You held his face in your hands. âBecause right now, youâre mine.â
âIs that so?â Dan Feng said softly. His eyes lingered on your lips, his lips slightly parted. âIâm yours, is that right?â
âMhm.â You smiled as you felt him press your bodies impossibly closer together, one arm around your waist and the other behind your head. Your lips brushed against each other, your voice a whisper as you two danced on the edge. âMine.â
A push from Dan Fengâs hand, and he sealed his lips with yours.
Immediately, you closed your eyes, savoring the taste of his kiss. His lips were soft, yet cool, like the touch of a river on a summer afternoon. He kissed you with a hidden desperation, years of pining and longing unleashing themselves in this torrent of affection. You almost couldnât keep up with him, letting out a whimper as he tilted your face gently, deepening the kiss.
Even when you parted for air, it wasnât long before Dan Feng greedily pulled you back in, addicted to the feeling of your lips on his. His hands wouldnât stop wandering in a languid motion, slowly roaming all over you, from your waist to your back to your neck, and back to your waist again, squeezing every bit he could find.
By the time Dan Fengâs relentless assault ended, the two of you were breathless. Words failed to form on your tongue as you simply stared into Dan Fengâs eyes, trying to catch your breath.
Dan Feng pressed his forehead against yours, his horns bumping against you.
"You don't know how long I waited for that,â he whispered huskily. You let out a breathless chuckle, wrapping your arms around his neck and nuzzling his nose with yours.
âI think I did.â
The corners of Dan Fengâs eyes crinkled. Youâve never seen them so up close before. The colors reminded you of a stone in a river, with cool grey giving way to gorgeous teal.
And the way he looked at you made your heart melt - itâs so tender, so soft, so filled with love that you can practically feel how much he cares about you.
And you can only hope that he saw the same in your eyes.
âI love you,â he confessed, like it was a secret. But even still, him being able to say those three words made it worth more than anything in the world. âIâve always loved you, ever since we were children.â
Joy bubbled up in your chest, and you couldnât stop yourself from giggling. Your hand came to his scalp, bunching up his hair in your fingers.
âI love you too, you dork.â You pecked him on his nose, and then his forehead, laughing as he wrinkled his nose in response.
Reluctantly, you released him from your grasp, instead tugging his hand into your abode.
âItâs late already,â you explained. âThe Preceptors wonât mind if you come home late, right?â
âThey no longer control me,â Dan Feng affirmed. You grinned.
âThatâs good.â You lead him into your bedroom, glancing over to make sure he was fine with it. âI donât have a guest room, so are you alright with sharing a bed?â
Dan Feng flustered, but he nodded. âTh- Thatâs fine with me.â
You would learn that Dan Feng was incredibly clingy in bed. He practically enveloped you in his arms, tangling your legs together as he hugged your shoulders. His tail was conflicted - either thumping happily against the bed or wrapping around you like a possessive snake.
But it was worth all of it. You felt safe in Dan Fengâs embrace, loved. In his arms, you slept the most soundly youâve ever slept. It was as though you had found your other half.
You truly felt blessed when you woke up to Dan Fengâs sleeping face, so serene and tranquil. And fortunately for the both of you, that wouldnât be the last time you woke up next to the other.
â
But those happy days were not made to last.
There would be many more feats Dan Feng would accomplish as the High Elder. He would become one of the most prolific Vidyadhara ever, forever documenting his name in history books.
You two would eventually marry, sealing your love not just with those rings. It was a marriage in the palaces of Scalegorge Waterscape, only the best for the High Elder. All of your friends attended, Yingxing and Baiheng especially praising Dan Feng (and lamenting about how he of all people got married before they did).Â
Jing Yuan had grown into a fine young man, his intellect and skill with the Lightning Lord being parallel to none. Yingxing was beginning to age, being a short-lived species. Jingliu had retired, aiming to end her days peacefully.
But as said before, that wasnât what fate had planned for the quintet.
Jingliu would be driven mad with mara, her only solace being the blade of her former mentor. Baiheng would be missing in action. Yingxing would be killed long before his time, leaving Dan Feng in despair over losing three beloved friends so soon.Â
Perhaps that is what drove him to do what he did.
âHow could you?â
Dan Feng winced at the crack in your voice as you screamed at him. You were crying, angry tears streaming down your face.
âMy love, please-â
âDo not call me that!â you snapped, making him flinch. âYou donât get to call me âmy loveâ after that. What were you thinking?!â
âIt was the only way!â Dan Feng insisted.
âIt was cruel,â you hissed. âYou know that more than anyone here.â
âThey stole them from me,â Dan Feng growled, his eyes flashing. âIt wasnât their time.â
âI know,â you whispered, your voice hoarse from crying and screaming. âI know it wasnât. But you know what immortality will do to them, Fengâer. You know what the curse of Abundance does.â
Dan Feng averted his eyes guiltily. You wipe at your eyes hurriedly, taking big, gulping breaths to calm down.
âWhat did the Preceptors say?â you finally asked. Dan Fengâs gaze lowered, a shadow cast over his face. A pit dropped in your stomach.
âTheyâre waiting outside,â he revealed. âIâm to be taken to the Shackling Prison, and forced into rebirth. They only let me be here to say goodbye.â
It was as though an anvil had been dropped on you, crushing you.
âNo.â
It was the only thing you could muster out. You shook your head in disbelief.
âNo. No, no, no!â you croaked out. âThey canât do that. Not to you.â
Ironic, how only a few minutes prior you were berating Dan Feng as though your life depended on it. Now, you were pleading for him to be forgiven, for a lighter sentence to be dealt out. Because for a Vidyadhara, a forced rebirth was practically the same as a death sentence.
âIsnât there another way?â
Dan Feng shook his head, taking your arms in his hands.
âIâm afraid not. This is the only way the public will forgive my sins.â
He took a deep breath.
âPlease, my love,â he begged quietly. âLook at me.â
You did.
âYou have to be strong,â said Dan Feng, cradling your face one last time. âPromise me that youâll be alright, even after I am reborn.â
You shook your head. âFengâer, please.â
âPromise me,â he urged.
âIâŚâ You faltered. âI promise.â
Dan Feng smiled sadly - the last smile youâd ever see from your husband.
âThank you.â He pressed a sweet kiss to your lips, a kiss to last you the lifetimes he wouldnât be at your side. âI love you, [Name]. And Iâm sorry for being such a selfish husband.â
You closed your eyes, savoring him for the last time. Silently, you told him your forgiveness.
âI love you too, Dan Feng.â
That was the day the love of your life died.
â
Centuries have passed since then.
Youâre still weaving, now taking care of your rebirthed mentors as they had cared for you. There are children under your wing now, hoping to learn your craft and one day start a business of their own.
You still keep in touch with Jing Yuan, the general visiting your farm every so often. Each time, you offer him a taste of the lotus seeds Dan Feng loved, but each time, he refuses.
Yingxing has become the Stellaron Hunter Blade, cursed with immortality and the mara that comes with it. If he remembered you, he never showed it.
The Ambrosial Arbor, reawakened by the Denizens of Abundance, runs rampant, threatening the existence of the Luofu itself. You hear from friends that Jing Yuan had enlisted a group of outworlders - the Astral Express - to help him with the crisis.
And now, those very outworlders were standing outside your door.
âPar-â Jing Yuan coughed, cutting himself off. âPardon the intrusion, [Name].â
He was currently being held by a young Vidyadhara, one that⌠Your breath hitched.
One that looked almost identical to Dan Feng.
Your loverâs lookalike noticed your gaze at him. The second you met eyes, he seemed to know exactly what was going through your mind.
â...Iâm not him.â He repeated this sentence for the nth time today.
You smiled sadly.
âI know.â
You turned to Jing Yuan, taking in the generalâs sorry state. The outworlders, a young girl with pink hair, an older brunette man, and a grey-haired teenager all seemed to be in similar shape, although definitely better than the general.
You stepped aside. âWhy donât you all come in? Itâs been a while since Iâve had company.â
âThank you.â The brunette, who you would later come to know as Welt, thanked.
As you turned away, Dan Fengâs reincarnation noticed a jade ring on your finger, recognizing it as the one he had woken up in.
âThatâsâŚâ
You hummed, raising your hand. Youâve never taken it off, not even when Dan Feng was reborn.
âYou recognize it,â you mused. âI suppose that means he still has it?â
The reincarnation hesitated, but nodded. You smiled.
âThatâs good. Say, whatâs your name, little one?â
âDan Heng,â he answered.
 âItâs a good name.â You stepped away for a moment to the kitchen. âI apologize; the tea may take a while. I wasnât expecting guests.â
âItâs no matter,â Jing Yuan assured.
And as you served tea to the Astral Express, you couldnât help but notice: five people, seated around a table, enjoying tea. Just like a scene hundreds of years ago.
You chuckle to yourself, a carved lotus glimmering in the light on your ring.
â
oooh what if vidyadhara reader with draconic feature just like dan heng (or feng) who's trying to hide the fact that they're jealous but the tail just gives it away by thumping on the ground like it has a mind of it's own and no matter what the reader does it just won't stop unless you grab it
but like, if the tail didn't exist they would actually believe it cuz their expression is actually very convincing
i was thinking of blade, dan heng and jing yuan back when they were still a high cloud quintet cuz i believe they were so popular back then

With a Vidyadhara Reader
â§ É´á´á´á´ęą: thank you for the request! i went with present time for this because i feel like i still don't know enough about their past to feel confident in portraying them accurately.
â§ á´Ęá´Ęá´á´á´á´Ęęą: dan heng, jing yuan, blade
â§ É´á´á´Ą á´Ęá´Ęɪɴɢ: obvious â taylor trensch
â§ á´Ąá´Ęɴɪɴɢęą: none



Dan Heng, being a Vidyadhara dragon himself, immediately knew what was up with you when your tail started indicating exactly how he made you feel. Yet, because he wasn't open about his past with the other members of the Astral Express Crew yet, he kept silent, simply observing you and wondering what would become of your friendship if one day you decided to be honest about your feelings.
Dan Heng loves you too, but he's hesitant about putting you on the spot and forcing you to share something about you, that you weren't ready to share with him yet. And besides, that would mean bringing up the whole High Elder thing and he wouldn't know how that would affect your opinion of him. His memories of the past are hazy and he doesn't know who you were back then and what that would mean for you now. Whether it would make you see him with different eyes.
So when he comes back from the Xianzhou Luofu with dragon horns and a tail; the resemblance to High Elder Dan Feng undeniable; your eyes fall on him and you immediately know there's quite a lot for you to talk about
At first it's all about what happened on the Luofu and how Dan Heng felt about the whole thing. But he eventually decides it's time to talk about how your tail had been giving away your feelings for him for months now.
You're understandably flustered, still a little shocked from the realization that he likely knew the whole time. You had always brushed your agitated tail off as "things your nerves just do sometimes" so finding out Dan Heng was always aware you were lying about it was quite awkward
However, Dan Heng is happy the cards are finally on the table. He confesses that he feels the same for you and you decide on just burying the past for a while and enjoy your life together now.
You receive a text message from him the next day to enter his room and you find that he has built something akin to a dragon nest / pillow fort for the two of you to cuddle in. Dan Heng lays down with you in his arms and he places a kiss on your horns; a silent promise to stay by your side and love you forever; his tail intertwined with yours.

Blade is... hesitant about falling in love with a Vidyadhara dragon considering how his last close bond with one went.
Blade actually is completely oblivious to your tell-tale signs of having a crush on him. He'd be entering the room and your tail would swish back and forth and he's way too caught up in his own head to notice. His thoughts are spiraling around what happens if you want him to be immortal too and what it means when you reincarnate or whether you will bring ruin to his life like his friendship with Dan Feng did.
Meanwhile you're just like,,, happy to see him
Kafka actually has to slap some sense into him by telling him about your feelings for him and your desire to love him and take care of him that is obvious to literally everyone BUT Blade. This man is DEEP in denial and half the time he spends with Kafka is her trying to convince him that you're not out for making his depression 10 times worse and that since he feels the same; he should just give the whole thing a chance and enjoy your time together
But these interactions made you wonder whether Blade wasn't into Kafka instead.
So your tail smacks onto the ground in an unnerved motion and Kafka chuckles, leaning over to Blade and whispering in his ear about how you're obviously jealous and he should just give in to his feelings already.
This in turn makes your tail act up even more.
This continues until Kafka one day decides to put you out of your misery and just tell you that Blade has a huge crush on you that he's trying to deny and that he mumbles your name in his sleep while snuggling a pillow, which makes you almost choke on your cereal.
Blade enters the room not long after that, finding your tail completely still from the shock of the information you just received. He turns his head to Kafka, speaking in a slow but annoyed tone. "What. did. you. do?"
This incident ultimately marked the moment you two got together but Blade still thinks Kafka is a horrible wingwoman.

Jing Yuan is the only one out of these three who is not conflicted in the slightest.
Rather, he's having the time of his life watching you talk to him with a completely straight face while your tail is having a solo dance session behind you; something you were unfortunately very aware of. You try desperately to stop it from moving while Jing Yuan just stands there with a subtle smile on his face.
He'll subtly tease you about it as well. Asks you if everything is okay whilst he knows full well what is happening here.
When your tail thumps on the ground out of jealousy, Jing Yuan leans close to you and tells you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Yes, this is before you start dating. He knows what he's doing to your poor heart by teasing you about this. He hopes it finally prompts you to be honest about your feelings.
Even after you get together, the tail is definitely a big help in showing Jing Yuan how you're feeling at the moment, so he can reassure you when he needs to and give you attention when you crave it.
He often pulls you into his lap and runs his fingertips over the tail, marveling at the scales and how you react to his touches. When he notices your tail is sensitive, he chuckles lightly and presses a kiss to your forehead.
Everytime he sees jealousy or a need for attention in the movements of your tail, he makes a mental note to take some time off to spend with you and pamper you with affection as soon as possible.
Targaryen! Y/n watching the dinner brawl as if it were a bar fight:

