Warning: yandere, OOC,English is not my native language, so there may be mistakes.
The sun was already at its zenith. His weakened hands gripped the stick like a lifeline, forcing him to continue onward.
Taking a breath in, then a slow exhale, Dan Heng trudged on with difficulty, his own body treacherously trembling, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He could feel his temples throbbing, his skin tightening.
Dan Heng kept walking, ignoring the dull ache in his legs. He had to, he must find you. His star, his soulmate.
"This place might be hell, but I'll find you anyway." The thought flickered through his hazy mind, pulling a smile onto his face.
Raising his weary eyes, he gazed out at the endless wasteland of sand and—
He saw a silhouette? A person?
Squinting, he realized the figure looked so much like you—
The stick was already discarded, the pain throughout his body "vanishing." Dan Heng ran as fast as he could.
"My star, I've finally found you."
An impossible strength surged through him; the sand beneath his feet no longer mattered. Adrenaline cast aside his fatigue, his pain, his thirst. His heart began to pound somewhere in his throat.
Dan Heng felt his throat go dry. He screamed your name, but it came out as some kind of howl.
Tears welled up on their own, burning and cold all at once (the only source of coolness). Dan Heng pictured himself falling to his knees before you, pulling you into his arms, the two of you crying and laughing together. Together, infinitely in love. On this land forgotten by eons.
In that moment, the desert was no longer his enemy. It had returned to this wanderer the most precious thing he possessed. You. You. You.
Dan Heng raced forward, already reaching out his hands—but then the silhouette wavered.
And then the pain came in a new wave.
"I heard you. You were already with me."
Lifting his head with difficulty. His ears were ringing. He stared at the spot where you had stood just a second ago.
His heart pounded, each beat bringing even greater pain.
And the worst part—Dan Heng had deceived himself, allowing love to blind him, to let his guard down.
————————————
Day quickly gave way to night.
The fire danced with a rare crackle beneath the barely howling wind.
Dan Heng leaned against a dry tree, watching the tongues of flame, then bringing his hands toward them, keeping a small distance.
Warmth quickly spread through his palms; his numb, cold fingers began to return to normal. The fire only warmed his skin—but not him.
Dan Heng remembered how your rare touches to his hands warmed him better than this campfire. Remembered how your touch made his entire body warm. That warmth gave him life.
He hated these sparse sparks, this smoke, this crackling.
Dan Heng raised his eyes to the sky. The stars are as beautiful as you.
His gaze gathered them into points, tracing out a familiar curve of shoulders, the tilt of a head, that charming and gentle smile.
He couldn't look away. He wanted to kiss every part of you, to lose himself in this illusion (it was better than nothing).
Standing up abruptly, he hurled a mound of sand onto the fire, extinguishing it.
Before him lay the familiar infinity once more.
Dan Heng understood—he would pass through the stars. You were out there, somewhere beyond the horizon, waiting for him to stop believing in mirages and finally reunite.
This time, he would be more careful.
I'm so tired of writing this, exams have sucked the very soul out of me.
