pure imagination || jing yuan, blade, & dan heng ✓

thirty

warnings | dan heng finally saying whats on his mind and y/n being insecure, crying, comfort (not angst, I promise), grammatical errors, etc.

a/n | double update, woo!!!

"And here we are! Now, it's like I said, this place isn't luxurious, so no judging," she said with a teasing grin as she pulled Dan Heng into the safety of her home.

And before he could comment, she had let go of his hand and spun around as the door closed behind him, "before you ask me your question...would you like a tour? Before you answer, you don't have to worry! The tour will be super short, promise!"

Dan Heng laughed a bit, "sure, show me around."

She turned on her heel, "alrighty then! Once we exit the hallway, if you look to your left, you'll see the relatively small living room with an equally small TV. Don't bother turning said TV on because I can only afford the news channel. And to your right, you'll see my equally as small yet awesome kitchen! If you're hungry, then I'm afraid we'll have to either A) order takeout or B) go to the store unless you want cereal for lunch. And finally," she exclaimed while grabbing the door handle to the last room of her very small apartment, "my bedroom!"

She swung the door open and kneeled to the floor whilst presenting the room like some reality TV show host. The scene couldn't help but cause Dan Heng to grin in slight amusement as he peered into her room.

"It may be small, but you seem to be comfortable here."

"Yeah! Not to mention, the rent is super cheap too," she said with an affirmative nod. Her whole face exuded pride and arrogance as she showed off her place. (Truth be told, she was actually embarrassed and didn't want to show her shame...)

"So, where do you want to sit?"

"Anywhere is fine."

"Then come on!"

She grabbed his hand again as she tugged him into her room, and when she plopped down into her comfy bed, she pulled him along too causing him to fall down with her.

"Comfy, huh?"

"Very."

"So, Dan Heng, what's your question?"

She gave him a closed eye grin as she rested her hands on the mattress and leaned back a little, her legs gently swinging over the side of the bed.

He studied her for a moment, a small smile etching across his lips, "well, it's actually about you."

"Your question is?"

"Mmhmm."

She let out a nervous laugh as she straightened back up, her legs moving slightly, causing her knee to bump into his own knee, "w- what on earth do you have to ask about me?"

She felt the bed shift, and her heart started beating a mile a minute. Her mind suddenly took a turn to when the two of them almost kissed as she turned her stare down - not looking at him.

"It's simple really," he said and she could feel his lips press gently against her cheek, and she absolutely refused to look up at him and kept her eyes on her lap, "it deals with me and you... and what we could be."

"What- what we could be?"

He grabbed a hold of her chin and tilted her head in a way so that she was looking at him, "don't you feel it too? What do we have together? Our meeting was by chance. Our start was kind of rocky, but as I got to know you, I just knew that you were the one."

She felt her face heat up as she looked at him. Her lips trembled as she was at a loss for words.

"Please, tell me how you feel." Because I think I will die if you don't feel the same. You just have to love me just as much as I love you..., y/n.

"D- Dan Heng, I- I-," never in her life has she been confessed to. She could feel how her heartbeat sped up and how her hands shook as she grabbed the front of his clothes.

He leaned down, "just give me the word, y/n. Tell me to back off. Or tell me you love me too. Take all the time in the world to answer. Or take no time at all."

He lifted his free hand and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her incredibly close, their lips almost touching.

She couldn't deny the way she felt. Couldn't deny that she wished her first kiss was with him and not Blade. She couldn't deny that she wished that she had met him sooner.

Was this what love was?

She never truly understood the meaning.

Her parents never showed her love. Her sister never showed her love. Gepard was only her friend and couldn't show her what love was either.

And yet, could this be what love is and was and forever will be?

"Dan Heng, I don't... I don't know what love is. I never experienced it in my life. Never felt it or received it from my family. If I say I love you, it makes me scared. What if I disappoint you? And since I never dated anyone before, I'm scared that I- that I'll mess up and make you angry with me. I-"

He silenced her by pressing his mouth hard against her own. His lips slotted against hers as he pushed her down slightly, causing her to lose her balance and fall back into the bed.

"Let me love you then," he said against her lips, his teeth nipping her soft skin as he spoke, "let me show you what it feels to be loved," his weight settled over her, holding her down.

"Don't be scared about messing up. Don't be scared of making me angry.  Don't be scared about disappointing me. I could never be angry or disappointed in you. I look at you, and all i see is someone who deserves to be happy. And i know you said you dont know what love is, but look in your heart and tell me how you feel about me. And, tell me, am I just a friend when you look at me?"

He cradled her like a porcelain doll that could break with the slightest of touches, and she truly did look at him when he pulled her against him. Her eyes were soft yet wet from the unshed tears from her thoughts of self-doubt and insecurities.

She thought of the way her heart skipped and how it would beat faster a millisecond later. She thought of how much she wanted him to hold her, how she wanted him to be her first kiss. She thought of how she wanted to go on dates with him and how she wished to be the one who got to go to the big soiree with him instead.

She thought of how she wanted to say to him, 'you're just my dan heng, right?' when he asked her about him being Imbibitor Lunae.

She thought that this was what love was.

And the unshed tears finally fell.

"I love you, Dan Heng."

She meant it, she truly did, and when she sat up a little, using her forearms to lean against, she titled her head up to kiss him back, but before she could a loud banging came from her front door causing her to jump within his hold.

"Y/n! Are you there!?"

At the familiar voice that echoed into her apartment, she froze within Dan Heng's hold. Her hands clutching at the front of his clothes like some sort of life line.

"Y/n? Are you alright? Who's that at the door?"

Her lips trembled again, but it wasn't from nervousness. It was from pure fear, and Dan Heng could sense it.

"Y/n! Open up already," a second, more feminine voice called out.

She hid her face into his chest, "it's my parents...," her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke.

Why were they here?