#dansun

Sunny knocked repetitively on Dan Heng's room door. Each one growing more and more impatient, and then occasionally pausing at random intervals only to knock again to keep him guessing.

Eventually he hit the button, causing the door to slide open. "Yes, Sunny?" He sighed, looking at the other male with a kind of a deadpan expression that carried the exasperation and affection only he could have for him.

Disregarding all courtesy, Sunny let himself in, making himself at home on the plush bed —well, mattress—wrapping himself up in the lush green blanket that had been sprawled across the thin layer of cotton and polyester. He shivered slightly.

"The heating is on, are you still cold? Seriously?" Seeing it as nothing, Dan Heng only rolled his eyes, but silently turned up the thermostat.

Sunny just seemed to curl up on his side, grateful, but just tired. Who knows what he was up to earlier in the day? Lessons with Ratio or IPC tasks with Aventurine? But at the end of the day he had returned to him anyways.

Dan Heng even cracked a rare smile at the sight.

He imagined Sunny must've been getting up to some sort of antics with one of his dads. He'd say something that would get him scolded by Ratio or that would coax a melodic laugh from Aventurine.

---

Sunny seemed to be more and more tired in recent days. Not anything too extreme, but the fatigue was evident everytime Dan Heng saw him now. Just subtle hints of possibly being too overworked. There were too many possibilities regarding what may have caused this recent exhaustion but he didn't want to bring it up and alert him because he was worried that it would only lead to Sunny trying to be more discreet. He knew Sunny may worry that he was being too obvious about his struggles and that Dan Heng may have been annoyed by it. But it was quite the opposite.

If Sunny had noticed that Dan Heng was worried then there was really no way Dan Heng would find out what the problem was. So he kept quiet, observing attentively in silence, as always.

Sunny was drawing on his drawing tablet, the cable neatly wrapped up by Dan Heng, who wanted to keep it looking somewhat tidy in his room, beside him as he worked on his latest art piece.

It featured Dan Heng as it typically did, his Astral Express and IPC family interacting because Sunny loved nothing more than eternally capturing the people he loved more than anything.

Sunny saw them as his eternity. Just as they would be with him forevermore, until the day that they were forgotten and no longer together. But for now, they would shine on. And Sunny would smile a smile that seemed frozen in time.

Sunny seemed to be doing just fine, but his boyfriend knew better than that. Even if most people didn't seem to notice that much difference in Sunny's demeanour. Although, it was just another one of those things that would come to pass.

---

Over the next couple of weeks, Sunny had visited the express quite a few times. Sunny's symptoms, though, seemed to have been worsening. Dan Heng—patient as ever—sat with him on the bedroll, tenderly soothing the other boy's aches and pains with the gentle touch of his hands on his sore muscles.

Sunny had coughed up a little blood into a tissue Dan Heng had quickly passed him. He had been doing this more and more recently. Small blobs of acrylic paint and watercolour dripping from the corners of his mouth. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Even Mr. Yang—with all his life experience—had never seen anything quite like it.

"Sunny, how come you haven't seen a doctor? You need a medical professional. You do know just because 'doctor' is his title doesn't make him a real doctor, right?" Dan Heng was just showing his concern, reminding Sunny this was just something that Ratio couldn't help or guide him with for once.

Sunny was too busy catching bloodied paintbrush bristles into delicate fiber, staining the pure white paper with a deep red that slowly seeped through.

"Sunny?" Dan Heng instinctively sat up straight to check on him. Concern filled his voice, as he reached out with more tissues. His other hand came up, rubbing soothing, gentle, little circles on Sunny's back in an attempt to appear calm and reassure him.

Sunny seemed to have already been catching onto their issue. The gears turning his head that this was his punishment. The consequences of his creator gradually losing interest in his existence and letting him go. As a result, he would lose himself as his lover also lost him. Friends, family, everyone he had ever met and known were slowly fading away.

He locked eyes with Dan Heng for a moment, watery eyes, vision blurring as he began to lose sight of all the features of his face that he had come to love over the time he had known him. From the very first day they had met to now. Everything seemed to have come flooding in. Every memory, every touch, every conversation, every fleeting kiss. Sunny didn't cry. Sunny had no tears to cry. Too tired. Drained.

Dan Heng continued to speak, checking in on him, but Sunny found no voice. It was stripped from him long ago when his creator no longer lived a life through him. Sunny was only a shell of what once was a treasured timeline. Thin and fragile just as time always was, Sunny was a breakable life, and this was his shattering.

---

Sunny encouraged that they spend more time together, hoping the time of his final breath would align with Dan Heng's presence. He wanted to be there with the person he loved most as his eyes finally shut and he took his final shaky breath: his final bow.

Dan Heng understanding the transience of mortal life agreed. He seemed to isolate himself—sacrifice himself—in order to make time to be there for Sunny.

He looked through everything in the data bank hundreds and hundreds of times, records and archives of all sorts on shorter-life species. He wanted to grasp the situation fully. He had to.

Yet, he found nothing.

Hours of searching, reading, asking. But there was nothing. All he knew was Sunny had some sort of sickness: a disease. And the man he loved was losing himself, just as he was losing him.

"Damn it," He had cursed under his breath sitting down on the mattress. He was waiting on Sunny. Sunny, who promised with a smile that they would see each other again today. Dan Heng, who had smiled back and held his hand, telling him he would understand a little better before they saw each other again.

However, Dan Heng couldn't keep his promise. He knew no better than he did yesterday, or the day before, or the day before that. He didn't even know much more than he had known last month. He was frustrated, and rightfully so.

He glanced down, remembering all the times Sunny had been sat with him on this very bed. Talking, holding onto each other as they laughed. Sunny would cough and complain about the pain but tell him it would be just fine.

He believed every word. Clung to each precious one like it was his life that depended on it. He grabbed at every thread; every piece he could that Sunny would be just as alright as his sweet lies had told him he'd be. 

---

Out of frustration, the two ended up spitting harsh words at each other. Sunny already weak, tired and in pain still clutched desperately to defend himself. Every word coming from a place of love.

Dan Heng fought requesting Sunny take some time for himself and to spend more time with him. He believed Sunny was too casual about his illness.

Sunny believed he should spend his remaining days doing everything he could to fulfill everything he had longed to do during the span of his mortal life. There was so much to do and so little time to do it. He wanted to spend more time with Dan Heng, but also ensure he died without regrets.

They were aware of each other's good intentions, but it just didn't cut it. Sunny was ushered off the Express to cool down.

They had spent far too long apart. They had missed each other terribly, but we're both fearful of sparking any more conflict. They didn't want their last moment to be heated torment and piercing words, so they had wanted to give each other sufficient time.

Dan Heng eventually reached out, sending Sunny a message. He apologised and requested to see each other one more time. He had another Trailblaze mission to go on soon and wanted to at least be there for Sunny, and meet up. He planned to ask Sunny to come along so they could be together, having Sunny stay back on the train where it was safe but they could have their moments together when the train went quiet and everyone else was resting.

Yet, Dan Heng was left waiting.

And when there was a knock at his door, slower now than when Sunny had still been his Sunny, he stood up with a smile. He was ready to apologise and pull the other boy into his arms and hold him. But when the door slid open?

There stood Welt. No Sunny. Instead, Welt Yang stood with his head hung low and a solemn expression on his face as he gave a light shake.

"What?.." Dan Heng's voice trailed off, confused.

"I've just received word..." A pause. Welt trailed off. "Maybe you should come and take a look for yourself, Dan Heng" Welt spoke as calm as he always did, but there was a certain sense of loss in his eyes.

The two men stepped off the Express only to find a crowd in the space station, just outside the vehicle.

Dan Heng wasted no time pushing through the crowd.

March 7th was in tears, her pink hair seeming all too dull in this atmosphere. Himeko stood by her side, gentle arms around the girl in a maternal gesture. The usually cheerful girl wiped her tears with her palm frantically as she tried to stop crying, but her tears kept flowing down her cheeks.

They matched the stream of blood on the cold floor of the space station. A small pool formed around a short figure.

"What is it?.. Paint?" People around murmured, whispering, researchers just observing.

Dan Heng crouched by the figure, his coloured hair all too recognisable. The same highlights he was so used to seeing usually buried in his sheets now a mess, tangled and ends soaked in blood.

"Sunny..."

Welt stood over him in a protective stance, watching with an empathetic look. And Dan Heng?

Dan Heng mourned.

And all he wanted was to have him back. He would do anything to have him back.

Holding him, he only wished that the body in his arms wasn't lifeless and turning cold, but instead warm and bright. Full of life and energy as he talked about something. Anything. He needed to hear his voice, his laugh, see the smile he had brushed his fingers over instead of these cold, fading lips that dripped with bloodied paints.

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word count: ~2k

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