Imnasamu

He noticed your hesitation between the kiss.

Your gaze had drifted to the wound in his abdomen, your expression wavering the moment you caught sight of the blood.

A gentle smile curved across his lips.

"Don't be scared, (Y/N)," he murmured. "I don't mind."

He reached for your hand and carefully guided it downward, placing it against the injury you had inflicted upon him. 

Your breath hitched. "Lohen..."

"It's alright."

He pressed a reassuring kiss against your lips before letting your fingers rest along the torn flesh.

The instant your fingertips brushed the edge of the wound, a quiet shiver rippled through him.

You hesitated.

His cheeks had begun to flush, his breathing growing uneven as your nail barely grazed the damaged skin.

Curiosity overcame your hesitation. You pressed just a little deeper.

Another shaky breath escaped him.

"...Just like that," he whispered. 

His forehead rested against the curve of your neck while he bit lightly into his own lip, struggling to steady his breathing.

It was ridiculous.

Lohen was utterly insane.

Pain should never ellict such shameful reactions.

And yet here he was, blushing like you were indulging in something awfully intimate instead of reminding his body of every fresh injury.

The moment your hand stopped moving, he lifted his head.

Loose strands of his hair brushed against your skin as he looked at you with an almost pleading expression. "... Don't stop. Please?" 

He was practically pouting.

And somehow...

No matter how frustrated you became with him, you always found yourself giving in.

You pressed deeper into the wound, curling your fingers as the disgusting sound of moving flesh echoed through the room. 

His grip instinctively tightened around your waist as another uneven breath escaped him.

Each small movement drew another involuntary reaction from him, his expression caught somewhere between discomfort and unmistakable pleasure.

You swallowed hard.

Your own rationality leaving you with each passing second. 

Lohen leaned forward again, capturing your lips in another slow kiss, as though it required all of his concentration to focus on something other than the overwhelming sensations racing through him.

As your tongue entangled with his clumsily, the sounds of wet saliva mixed with the echo of blood splattering across the floor. 

When the kiss finally broke, you found yourself staring at him.

Your fingertips were stained red.

"...Are you alright?" you asked quietly, concern replacing everything else the moment you noticed him sway.

He let out a faint laugh. "Yeah... I'm..."

The sentence never finished.

His body suddenly gave out beneath him. He crumpled onto the floor, coughing violently as the blood loss finally caught up to him.

"Lohen!"

You dropped beside him without thinking, gathering him into your arms. "I'm sorry. Please... stay with me."

You lifted him carefully into your lap, trying to keep him upright despite the blood soaking through your clothes.

Even now though, he was still smiling.

Relaxing against your chest, he let out a contented sigh before nestling closer.

"Hm..." His voice was barely audible. "...This is nice."

Your eyes darted toward the open doorway, already preparing to call for help.

Before you could, his hand rose weakly to your cheek. His bloody fingers traced a line across your skin. "...Would you stay like this..."

His voice trembled.

"...Just a little longer?"

Your expression faltered. "You're hurt, Lohen."

"I'll live."

You sighed.

You had never been very good at refusing him.

So you stayed.

Only after his consciousness finally slipped away did you call for the Knights' medics.

When they carried him away, Grand Master Varka questioned how the feared Vice-Captain had ended up with injuries severe enough to leave him unconscious.

After all, very few people in Mondstadt could even land a hit on Lohen.

You simply smiled and offered no explanation.

Instead, you silently hoped that when Lohen finally woke, he'd invent one of his usual absurd excuses.

Fin

Art by: mucithy on X

💀 💀 💀 💀 💀 💀 💀 Well. All I want to say is that these are not my kinks 😐✌️

This is for tht one person who asked for a part 2

You cleared your throat, looking away.

Right.

Perhaps sneaking kisses in empty hallways hadn't been your brightest idea.

Or leaving the office hand in hand.

Or sharing lunches.

Or arriving together every morning.

Or the fact that practically everyone had seen Aventurine waiting outside your office with coffee whenever you worked overtime.

You honestly thought people simply didn't care.

.... You were wrong, clearly.

"...And we're not being fired?" you asked cautiously.

"Quite the opposite." Opal chuckled. "Diamond believes employees perform better when they occasionally remember they're human."

"...That doesn't sound like something Diamond would say." you argued. 

"It doesn't."

"..."

"It was Jade."

That somehow made far more sense.

A few days later, you found yourself standing beneath warm sunlight on a nameless tropical planet.

The air smelled of salt and flowers. The waves glittered beneath a cloudless sky.

For the first time in what felt like forever, your communicator was silent.

No emergencies. No meetings. No urgent requests.

Just peace.

The hotel itself was absurdly luxurious.

The suite overlooked the ocean, sunlight spilling across polished floors while a gentle breeze carried the sound of distant waves through the open balcony doors.

Aventurine walked inside first. "...No way." He slowly turned in a circle. "The IPC actually spent money on us."

You shrugged as you dragged your suitcases in. "I was expecting one complimentary towel and a motivational pamphlet."

"Honestly, same."

You had just finished setting the suitcases neatly in the corner of your assigned room when the mattress creaked behind you.

Turning around, you found Aventurine standing proudly in the middle of the king-sized bed.

"...What are you doing?"

He spread his arms dramatically. "Claiming my kingdom, darling."

You laughed lightly, shaking your head before walking closer. "Come down before you hurt yourself."

"Nope!" he answered immediately. Instead, he bent at the waist and reached a hand toward you. "Come on, up you come~"

You stared at him for a long moment before sighing through an amused smile. "...You're impossible."

He simply wiggled his fingers in invitation. "Come oooon." 

You took a step forward, reluctantly interlocking your fingers with his. He grinned victoriously and with a sharp tug, he pulled you up on the bed. 

The bed bounced beneath your feet, forcing both of you to grab onto each other to keep your balance. His hand settled on your waist, while yours rested against his shoulder. 

"Hm, this is nice." he whispered softly near your ear, gently guiding you into a dance. 

It was terribly childish. And yet you were smiling anyway. 

"We don't even have music." you glanced up at him. 

"I can sing for you." 

"Please don't." 

Aventurine pouted at your immediate dismissal, muttering something about how it was your loss. 

You could see the waves rolling gently against the shore through the window. It was a calming sound, something that became your music now. 

The two of you shuffled back and forth across the mattress, every step sinking into the soft bed until whatever rhythm you were aiming for dissolved completely.

He attempted a clumsy twirl, all confidence and poor execution, only for you to immediately step on his foot.

"... Sorry." you barely held back your laugh. 

He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he smiled like it was the most natural outcome in the world.

"It’s fine," he replied lightly. "I find even the pain you inflict on me quite endearing."

Your face immediately turned sour. "Ew." 

Aventurine blinked and then laughed so hard his shoulders shook, pulling you into another clumsy turn.

The mattress bounced beneath both of you.

Your balance disappeared almost instantly.

"Aventurine—"

"I've got you—"

"No, you don't!?"

His foot caught in the tangled sheets.

Your knees buckled.

For one glorious second, the two of you flailed in complete panic. Then almost instantly, you both collapsed onto the bed in a tangled heap of limbs and laughter.

The mattress bounced beneath you again.

You ended up sprawled across his chest while he lay flat on his back, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

"Oops," he squeezed your waist in an apology. "Guess I am not much of a dancer?"

You rolled your eyes. "I noticed."

Silence settled for a moment, broken only by the sound of distant waves and the occasional breathless chuckle.

You were about to get up, pushing against the silk sheets when Aventurine pulled you back down. "Running away so soon?" he mused.

His fingers traced a teasing motion down the curve of your back. "We are laying together in a ridiculously expensive hotel," his voice was soft, lips grazing the edge of your ear. "Are you seriously going to leave me all alone?"

You raised a brow. It was obvious what he was trying to do, and yet you played along anyway. 

"Was this your plan all along Mr. P46?"

He pretended to consider it, turning his head toward the balcony as if the answer might be written somewhere beyond it. Blond strands slipped over his eyes, hiding his expression just for a moment.

He looked breathtaking like this. Beneath you, gasping for air yet still peeking at you like you were everything he desired and more. 

"And if it is?" he questioned. 

"...Then I guess," you let out a slow breath, your eyes flickering down to his parted lips. "I have to indulge you a bit, hm?"

Your vision went dark as you closed the distance, your lips meeting his halfway. 

A content sigh escaped Aventurine's mouth. For a moment, he let the gentle sensation simmer, enjoying the warmth you bought.

.

But patience had never been his strength.

In a sudden, decisive movement, his hands caught your shoulders and guided you back onto the mattress.

Above you, it was as if a switch had been pressed. The kiss turned frantic, clumsy movements and wet sounds filling the space around you. 

Amid it all, his gaze never left you. Every flicker in your expression, every subtle shift in your breath, he took in greedily, as if your reactions alone were a feast he couldn’t afford to miss.

"You are so..." he pulled back, a thin line of saliva connecting your lips before it broke apart. He never finished the sentence, his words betraying him even before he had the chance to utter them. 

His fingers fumbled with the buttons of his vest, but he didn’t bother slowing down, too intent on you to care about the mess of it.

His mouth finally broke away from yours, only to drift lower, trailing along your jaw before settling at the curve of your neck.

Every time he hovered near a spot, he’d leave behind a small sting, a crimson bloom spreading across your skin. And the moment you flinch at the sharp edge of pleasure wrapped in pain, he would simply soothe it with a slow, deliberate swipe of his tongue—as if it were your reward.

The vest was finally tossed onto the floor and eventually so were your clothes.

The first night at the tropical beach ended with ruined sheets and late mornings.

Fin

"And I asked you out."

You tilted your head. "You threatened me."

"...I said I did both."

"No."

He stared at you for a moment, clearly offended that his dramatic confession wasn’t landing the way it was supposed to. "You aren't even scared."

"I'm mostly disappointed." You leaned back against the wall behind you, unimpressed. "Are we done here?"

"You know," he cut in, undeterred, twirling the knife between his fingers, "I even watched those romance movies."

"A grand total of 24 actually." 

You squinted at him. "Romance movies?"

Lohen glanced at you. "The ones where the guy corners the girl against a wall with a weapon."

"..."

"He confesses."

"..."

"Then they kiss."

An awkward silence followed. You exhaled slowly, rubbing your temple. "I highly doubt those are romance movies, Lohen."

The boy looked genuinely devastated, like something precious had been snatched away from his hands. "... Oh" a soft broken sound escaped his lips. 

He stood there for a long moment before sighing dramatically. "Guess I have to use Plan B."

"There was a Plan B?" you asked, surprised at how prepared he was. 

Without answering, he reached into his pockets.

He took out a brown pouch, filled up and tied close with a red ribbon. Then his hand reached for the other pocket, and out came another pouch. 

"There." he smiled. "Plan B!" 

"Huh?" you muttered in disbelief as you reached out, grabbing one of the pouches and pulling on the ribbon. It came undone rather quickly, fluttering to the floor as the fabric opened. 

And in it... 

Filled generously to the top... 

Were various coins of all values. 

Gold, silver, bronze. 

Your eyes widened at the sparking treasure resting on your hands. 

He opened his own pouch, pulled out a single gold coin, and flipped it once between his fingers before catching it neatly "So..." he said lazily. "Date me?" 

...... 

For a second, you just stared.

Then something in you flipped.

"Oh my," you said sweetly, voice suddenly bright. "You should’ve said so earlier."

He suppressed a laugh. The transformation was almost comical. 

Your lashes fluttered as you held a coin to your lips like it was something precious. "Of course I’ll date you, Lohen."

He laughed lightly, stepping closer into your space. His face tilted, eyeing you with an amused grin. "You said no thirty seconds ago (Y/N)." 

"That wasn't me speaking." you shook your head. "I would never say no to you." 

"Mhm." he simply watched you. 

How ridiculously cute you were. 

In reality he already had Plan C, D and E ready. He had made up all sorts of excuses if you had continued to say no. 

Propose to fake date, kidnap you, brainwash you, mildly poison you so you can't walk anymore then cage you in his house so you can't leave. 

.... 

But as he watched you happily pocket the coins, smiling like you’d just won something important—

He decided money was fine.

Money was very fine.

Fin

Another Lohen? LMAO INSANE PPL R THE BEST TO WRITE

Kyryll rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He knew this wasn't unusual. Children developed crushes all the time. 

Mistaking the nearest person who showed care as the love of their life. Teachers, babysitters and even neighbors.

Flins was one of them. Your neighbor.

He'd looked after you countless times whenever your parents worked late. Helped you with homework. Walked you home after school. Sat beside your bed when you caught the flu because your mother couldn't leave work.

Somewhere though, affection had slowly bloomed in your chest.

"I'm sorry (Y/N), I don't think I can accept." he shook his head slightly, voice gentle enough that it almost disappeared into the breeze. 

Your shoulders slumped. "...So its a no?" you looked down at your letter, then back up at him.

Kyryll felt a little bad.

He hated making children cry.

Especially you.

He crouched down in front of you, patting your hair with an apologetic smile. "Yup, its a no."

The tears came immediately. "Whyyy?" you whined, "I...I like you Mr Flins!" your tiny fingers clutched onto the sleeve of his white shirt, a desperate attempt for him to change his mind.

"I know."

"I'm serious!"

"I know."

"I'm not joking!"

"I know." His smile never changed. Which somehow made everything worse.

"I'm different!" you insisted through watery eyes.

Flins nodded his head. "You probably are."

"No! I mean—" you huffed stomping your foot. "I really love you!"

Kyryll let out a quiet breath. "You are too young (Y/N). Besides, children your age should be studying you know." he retreated, placing his outstretched hand on his lap.

"I'm only five years younger!" you puffed your cheeks.

Kyryll couldn't help laughing. "You say 'only' like five years isn't a lot when you're ten."

"I'll grow up!" You cried out even more while Flins just listened to you in silence. "Then it won't matter!" 

For a second, the boy hesitated. "...Maybe." 

The answer that escaped his mouth surprised him too. "But it matters now." 

He slowly got up. And you stared at him with the sort of betrayal only children could muster. 

"When you're an adult, you'll realize how strange it'd be if I accepted."

You pointed a shaky finger at him, not caring about his reasons at all. "I-I...HATE YOU!"

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" The words echoed through the neighborhood. 

Your face was bright red from crying. "You're mean!"

"I'll marry someone else!" you continued.

"I'll never forgive you!"

"And you're ugly!"

Kyryll blinked. "...I'm definitely not ugly."

"I DON'T CARE!"

You spun around dramatically and marched away with all the dignity someone sobbing uncontrollably could manage. 

Halfway down the street, you turned around just to yell one more thing. "YOU MISSED YOUR CHANCE!"

Then you disappeared around the corner.

Kyryll watched you leave. The sun setting in the distance.

He stared at the crumpled little love letter still resting in your tiny footprints. Carefully, he picked it up and folded it once more, smoothing out the wrinkles your frantic hands had left behind.

"...You'll laugh about this one day." he muttered to himself.

At least...

He hoped you would.

Children really were dramatic.

...

Eleven years later—

Kyryll discovered adults were somehow worse.

Tevayt University was one of the most prestigious institutions. The acceptance rate was painfully low and the fees were even higher.

Students who entered were expected to become researchers, doctors, engineers... Or simply people society expected great things from.

Kyryll himself had never imagined teaching there. He wasn't even permanent faculty.

Professor Albedo had been forced to leave unexpectedly due to a some emergency, and the department had asked Kyryll to fill in for one semester. 

Simple enough.

He stood outside the lecture hall with a stack of attendance sheets tucked beneath one arm. The first day always made him a little nervous. 

He was quickly skimming through the names, trying to memorize the them before the end of the week. 

But he stopped mid way. 

(Y/N).

His eyebrows lifted.

Surely not.

He checked the surname, then the age. Twenty-one it showed.

The little girl who once declared eternal hatred toward him....had somehow earned admission into Tevayt University.

Good for her. She must have worked incredibly hard.

He remembered sitting beside you while you cried over multiplication tables. Trying to console you and simultaneously trying to teach you something easier.

Time really did fly, huh.

The corner of his lips lifted into a small smile at the thought.

"I wonder if she still gets angry that easily."

He doubted she'd even remember him.

Children forgot these things eventually.

Didn't they?

The lecture hall buzzed with conversation.

Students chatted loudly while waiting for the substitute professor everyone had been gossiping about since morning.

"They said he's young."

"I heard he's really nice."

"My roommate said he's ridiculously handsome."

"Apparently he smiles."

"Definitely fake news."

Laughter rippled across the room.

You rested your chin in your palm, only half listening.

University gossip spread faster than disease.

Beside you, your best friend nudged your shoulder. "I swear if he's old again I'm leaving."

You grinned. "You say that every semester."

"And every semester I'm disappointed." she sighed dramatically.

You snorted.

When the classroom door opened, you froze. 

The proffesor wasn't some old dude, no far from that actually. 

It was the one man you absolutely did not want to see.

Kyryll stepped inside carrying several folders beneath one arm.

He looked exactly the same.

Maybe a little taller. Maybe a little broader.

His dark hair was slightly longer than you remembered, while thin silver-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

He wore a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms and a dark vest that somehow made him look even more put together.

Your heart stopped. 

No way. 

Absolutely not. 

His eyes sweeped across the room, taking in every detail before finally landing on you. 

You gulped. 

For a brief second, his gaze lingered. And then... Nothing. 

"Good morning class." he announced, clearing his throat as he picked up the marker placed on the table and wrote his name on the board behind him in neat letters. 

"I'll be your substitute professor for a while, so lets have a productive few months together." He smiled.

You blinked. 

He... 

Did he not recognize you?

Your best friend nudged your arm. "Dude, he looks so hot!" she giggled as she leaned closer. "I think I'll attend classes regularly now."

You glanced at her, a bored expression on your face. "He looks average. Besides, that's our professor."

"So?" 

"So stop being weird."

She rolled her eyes at your blunt response. "You are such a killjoy (Y/N). As if you haven't dated a senior."

"...That was one time." you argued, a little embarrassed. 

"Right, sure." she sighed. "I don't know what you saw in that awful senior anyway. Good thing you guys broke up within a week."

You glared at her but decided not to answer. She wasn't wrong. You had only dated that senior on a whim....and because he was rich and spoiled you nonstop.

The relationship had ended almost as quickly as it began.

He'd been trying to forget another girl.

You...

Had been trying to forget someone else.

Neither of you succeeded.

Your eyes drifted back toward the front of the classroom.

Kyryll continued explaining the syllabus. And something ugly twisted inside your chest. 

It wasn't heartbreak. Not exactly.

It was...

Offense.

How could he forget?

Didn't he remember the little girl who followed him everywhere? Who cried whenever he left?

Who proudly announced she'd marry him someday?

Didn't he remember rejecting you?

Ugh. Damn him. 

Fine. If that was how he wanted to play it...

Then so be it.

He wanted a normal student?

You'd make absolutely certain he remembered you by the end of the semester.

One way or another.

Meanwhile, at the front of the classroom. Flins was writing something on the board. 

He thought maybe you would have forgotten about him. After all, you were just a child when you hung out with him. 

But deep down, he knew that you recognized him. He'd known the instant your eyes widened.

That same expressive face hadn't changed one bit.

You'd grown taller. Your childish features had matured into those of a young woman.

Your hairstyle had changed. Your posture straighter.

But somehow, your annoyed expression had remained the same. He could clearly make out the scowl on your face even from afar. 

It was a little cute.

But you were his student now.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

It was better this way.

Even if...

Judging from the murderous glare currently directed at the back of his head...

You clearly disagreed.

Part 2, Part 3

Well I've never written age gap so I hope it doesn't come off weird. I promise I'm not a creep 😭🙏

Some of them being...

"Oh! I was just taking out an stray eyelash from his face."

"I just happened to walk into the same room."

"No, I am only sleeping in his room because I don't want to waste electricity."

"Its economical. You won't get it."

Perfectly believable.

I even started arguing with Dan Heng in front of everyone once every few days so nobody gets suspicious. Sometimes over petty things like stealing food or even wearing my socks.

God, I should be an actor. 

Sometimes I catch him smiling at me during dinner. Terribly cute but he isn't very smart, you know? He doesn't realise the drastic consequences of being caught by one of them. So I just shoot him a warning glare and watch him turn back to his plate.

To console him, I usually sneak into his room late night.

Why?

See this is called a 'strategy'. Everyone is asleep, except maybe Stelle who is busy gaming. But she's too lazy to get up from her chair anyway. 

So where was I? Ah yes, night. 

So sometimes I enter my boyfriend's room, pulling him into a hug and peppering kisses all over his face. He is not much of a 'reaction' giver, but its obvious he loves the attention.

Why?

Cuz his lips lift up exactly 11 degrees. Its SO obvious he is head over heels for me.

After a fun night I make sure to leave his room before dawn.

Stelle treats his room like her own and I'd rather die than be caught sleeping with him. Not that it's embarrassing, but that....well...it is a little embarrassing....?

Honestly though...

I'm incredibly proud of us.

Three months.

Not one person has figured it out.

We're unstoppable.

DAN HENG

No one knows (Y/N) and I are dating.

At least...

She thinks no one knows.

It's a little cute.

Every morning she pretends not to notice me. 

Every afternoon she insists we're "just walking in the same direction."

Every evening she acts as though sitting beside me happened by coincidence.

Then, ten minutes later, she'll quietly hook her little finger around mine underneath the table.

Even I struggle to hold in my laugh sometimes. 

She believes she's subtle. (She is not.)

When she tries to hide her smile, her ears turn red.

When she lies, she speaks a little too quickly.

When she's embarrassed, she suddenly becomes fascinated with the nearest wall. God, she's adorable.

I think everyone knows. Or...at least some of them do?

No one says anything.

Maybe they are just being polite. Or maybe they are enjoying the show that we are putting up for them.

I certainly do.

Sometimes she'll drag me into an empty storage room because she's convinced nobody ever goes there. Which is factually incorrect. Pom-Pom visits occasionally.

And yet, she would pin me to a wall, looking left to right like she was some petty criminal looking for cops. And then with the most beautiful flush on her cheeks, she'd look up and me and say, "We are safe."

And then kiss me.

It's hard not to fall for someone like her. So full of warmth and energy, someone completely opposite to me.

I sometimes wonder if I ever deserved to love her. And then when I ask her the same question, she would yell at me non-stop for the next hour. As if the thought itself was absurd for her.

So I let her do whatever she liked. 

I don't have the heart to tell her that March nearly walked in on us kissing last week.

Or that Mr. Yang definitely noticed us leaving together. 

Or that Himeko started smiling every time she caught us making prolonged eye contact. 

She'll find out eventually.

Until then...

I'll happily keep pretending.

It's fun watching someone try so hard to hide how much they love you.

MARCH 7 TH

They're so obviously dating.

Like...

SO obviously.

I don't know how (Y/N)'s convinced herself she's being sneaky. I literally saw her going into Dan Heng's room at 11 in the night.

She insists I sit between them during breakfast, but the second I pull the chair she shoots me the nastiest glare. Ugh. Its soooooo obvious.

They always volunteer for the same missions.

Dan Heng carries her stuff before she even asks.

She steals food off his plate. And then proceeds to scold him for not stopping her.

Honestly, they are such a joke sometimes. Kind of those trash rom-coms. But instead of watching behind a screen I get to see the live version.

Do you know what's worse?

I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE. 

Not because I was spying!

I was taking scenic photos of the train! Beautiful lighting! Wonderful composition!

AND THEN, RIGHT AT THE BACKROUND OF THE PHOTO.

WAS THEM.

KISSING.

LIKE FULL ON MAKING OUT. (exaggeration)

I had to crop them out! Do you know how difficult photoshop is?!

LIKE CAN'T THEY GET A ROOM? THERE ARE SO MANY ON THE EXPRESS.

OR EVEN BETTER. THROW THEM OFF THE TRAIN.

Go kiss somewhere else. 

See, I'm not jealous. I'm absolutely not jealous.

I am perfectly happy being single.

...

It's just...

Hypothetically...

If anyone deserved a cute romance...

It'd obviously be me.

I'm adorable.

HIMEKO

I somehow always knew they'd somehow end up together. 

The first time (Y/N) boarded the express, she was the most comfortable around Dan Heng. And the very same boy who chose to keep his words short, starting having long conversations with her. 

Sometimes they'd sit on the sofa, talking about the planets they want to visit, or the food they wish to taste. 

...

Happiness has an odd way of changing people.

They soon found out ridiculous reasons to talk to each other, to stand beside each other. 

Little things.

The kind of things young people believe they're hiding.

I never wished to intrude.

Love deserves room to breathe.

Especially new love.

There is something rather precious about watching two people slowly build a place where they feel safe with one another.

I still remember the morning Dan Heng quietly poured her a cup of coffee before making his own. Or the time he stood anxiously near the sliding doors to wait for her return after a mission.

It was then I knew. 

I hoped they would tell us eventually. Not because they owed us an explanation. But because I wanted them to know they never had to hide.

This train has always been a home. And homes should be places where joy is celebrated, not hidden.

I truly hope they remain happy together.

That they continue laughing over breakfasts. Holding hands when they think no one can see. And find comfort in each other after completing long missions.

Life among the stars is full of uncertainty and exhaustion.

But somehow, love makes even the longest journeys feel warm.

WELT

I was the first to notice.

Not because they were careless. Simply because I have lived long enough to recognize the look.

It's a subtle thing.

The instinct to glance toward the same person after something amusing happens. The unconscious habit of checking whether they're safe during battle. The need to stay close to them, no matter the situation.

I believe I noticed sometime during our stop on Belobog. 

Neither of them had admitted anything aloud. Perhaps not even to themselves.

But the evidence accumulated naturally afterward.

They shared routines, lingering conversations and the occasional disappearances that somehow always involved the same two people.

Himeko eventually asked me one evening if I'd noticed.

I admitted that I had. And we agreed there was no reason to bring it up.

When March eventually started piecing things together, I asked her not to say anything.

She complained.

For 2 hours.

Still, she listened. 

I wanted them to tell us when they were ready.

People deserve the chance to define their own relationships in their own time. There is no virtue in forcing a confession before someone feels comfortable enough to offer it.

Besides, watching them attempt to be discreet has been unexpectedly entertaining.

Especially when (Y/N) confidently whispers to Dan Heng that no one has figured it out.

She says it with such conviction that I almost feel guilty.

Almost.

STELLE

They are.... WHAT?!??????

They're dating? Since when?

I thought they were cousins? or just very....very close friends.

...

They kissed?

On the train?

More than once?

...

Oh. That explains...

Everything.

...

Wait.

THAT'S WHY THEY KEPT DISAPPEARING AFTER DINNER?!

I thought they were playing cards. 

......Fuck, I owe March 20 credits.

Fin

THIS WAS A FUN ONE. I love dan heng sooooo much like UGH HES SO SWEET.