Interstellar Fates | Dan Heng x Reader

015

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⚘❧ⅈℕ𝐓ℯℛ𝐒𝓉𝒞ℓℓ𝐀𝓇

𝓕𝕒𝓉ℰ𝒮~015❧⚘

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Time had passed since everyone split up. You and Dan Heng had long since found your way out of Stargazer Navalia, and you could only hope that Sushang and Luocha did as well. You meant no ill will when you both suddenly split off, but you knew it was for the best that Sushang remained focused on being the very best Cloud Knight she could be, even if your wishes were in vain. It had felt like forever since you stepped foot back onto the Xianzhou, and that's when you realized that time really did make a difference. It was the reason for your sudden bout of fatigue hours before. You had yet to get acclimated with the difference in time and atmosphere. You knew it had to be that because Dan Heng started suffering the same symptoms as you not long after you took off ahead of him. The only difference was that he had the endurance and physical attributes to handle it better. You did not.

"We're here." You huffed and pointed at the ornate model of the Xianzhou Alliance that stood proud at the behest of an enclosed courtyard. It was its own ship, however was much smaller than the Artisanship Commission for example, due to the fact that it was strictly a ship for school. Still, you always wondered how they managed to spare a ship for a school in the first place. No matter, there were other important things at hand.

Dan Heng came up beside you and panted quietly to catch his breath. He hunched over and let out a pained groan, nearly losing his footing in the process. You turned over just in time to reach over and catch his falling figure, but he only managed to bring you down with him. You both were on the ground in a matter of seconds, but neither of you made an attempt to get back up. After all, the exhaustion was unbearable. You hadn't stopped to rest after your spat in Stargazer Navalia, and the trips onboard the Starskiffs were a lot more brief than you remembered. You just needed a moment to catch yourself, and it was right there.

"Why... Why did you call me a liar, Y/n?" Dan Heng asked in between labored breaths after having rolled off you and was now laying at your side on the ground. His eyes were closed and his hands rested on top of his head to expand his diaphragm, something you should have been doing but just couldn't have been bothered to do.

"B-Be... Because...!" You struggled to get your words out, your chest heaving more than you thought it would. Your adrenaline had long since given out and it was showing from your exhaustion, dehydration, and starvation. "Because, J-Jing Yuan once... told me all the same..." You wheezed out and squeezed your eyes shut briefly. Even the evening sky above was giving you a hard time and intensifying the ache in your head.

You were met with silence, which surprisingly, was not the response you were expecting nor hoped for. You gritted your teeth and turned on your side to face him, sweat now running parallel to your facial features and your eyes burning with frustration, conviction, and annoyance. But your gaze softened once you saw him. His lips were slightly parted as he inhaled deep breaths and exhaled even deeper ones. The way his nose flared to exude the carbon dioxide. The way his lashes rested on his lined under eye. The way even his sweat that lined his forehead in droplets even you could barely see added to his undeniable glamour. It made you all the more upset that you had been so hellbent on denying him due to your past with Jing Yuan. You couldn't help but wonder though, as one thought led to the next...

Would I give Dan Heng a chance...?

You closed your eyes and inhaled sharply, your attention now on him. He had you, and you couldn't deny that fact any longer. He had stirred something in your heart, and though you hadn't prepared for it, something in the back of your head had always known this day would come. The day where you met the boy in the staircase. And even though you hadn't gotten there yet, you knew in your heart of hearts that Dan Heng had to be him. There was almost no doubt about it. So then what was the fear of being hurt again if your fates were intertwined?