Chapter Text
Tall, dark, and handsome.
Ask any researcher in Herta Space Station who they think of, and their answer is a hundred percent always—
“Dan Heng of course!”
“Oh, Dan Heng, for sure!”
“Yeah, the cute Astral guard who visits the station once every full moon!”
In less than two years, the young man in question has made quite a reputation for himself at the Space Station. Men and women alike with most of them identifying as researchers, were naturally charmed, and awed by him.
There’s no question behind it either.
Everything about Dan Heng screamed flawless—his drop-dead gorgeous looks, his gentle and controlled mannerisms, how deep and soft his voice sounded, and his calm and mild nature.
Just his existence was enough to earn him an exploding fanbase among scholars, both young and old.
In their eyes, he was textbook perfection.
What made him more appealing to his fans was his lack of a romantic partner.
Like many of the Astral Express crew, Dan Heng preferred keeping his life private and out of earshot.
Many of his fans understood and respected his wishes but of course, this only intensified their admiration for him even more. And then there was the other side, the few who couldn’t take no for an answer, the persistent bunch determined to know everything—every single speck of detail—about all there was to know about the mysterious guard.
With no evidence, rumors started to spring up.
"Do you think Dan Heng is into ladies or dudes?"
"Could it be he's into kinky stuff?"
"Wonder what he's like under the sheets? Maybe he's a beast in bed!"
"No way! Dearest Dan Heng is a virgin for sure!"
"I'd have Dan Heng top me anytime, haha!"
"Preposterous! He's bottom for sure!"
The rumors kept coming and kept building up.
Pretty soon, the whirlwind of erratic gossip spread around the Space Station (most behind private quarters and a few slipping out in public).
Dan Heng this, and Dan Heng that. It was nonstop and neverending.
The more rumors were made up, the more irresistible Dan Heng was becoming in many eyes of his avid admirers.
To no one's surprise, the rumors reached the ears of a certain pink-haired girl.
In typical March 7th fashion, she was not one to back down on juicy gossip.
On the third day of the fourth month, the Astral Express paid a visit to the Herta Space Station for a quick respite.
Today was one such day.
Himeko and Welt were the first to leave the train, stating they had some matters to attend to with Asta and Herta for any findings on the runaway Stellaron Hunters. Stelle, as always, was quick to run off, most likely to participate in the weekly Stimulated Universe. Even Pom-Pom took this moment of peace to excuse himself and check on the train’s engine for maintenance.
…Which left a certain pair on their own for the time being.
“Hey, didya know? You’re popular here at the Space Station!” March blurts out, making conversation.
They were inside the archives room, each with their respective tasks. March was on cleaning duty, packing up the clusters of books and binders and putting them back on the shelves. Meanwhile, Dan Heng tinkered away in the monitor, updating the data bank on the latest reports and knowledge he collected along their journey.
“Argh, Dan Heng! Are you even listening?”
“I’m listening,” Dan Heng assured the latter, still fiddling on the monitor.
March snorts, crossing her arms. “Well, good! Because I also overheard that there’s a bet going around here about you!”
“What kind of bet?” He asked absentmindedly.
“Don’t know…” March shrugged, stacking another book on her growing tower of literature. “Probably something weird or something.”
Dan Heng nodded his head, letting the conversation come to a natural close.
Deep down, he had a strong feeling about what she was referring to.
While patrolling the Space Station in his free time, he heard a few researchers close in earshot. A few minor slips here and there, mostly on how a certain someone was 'hot’ or ‘looked especially groomed’ or ‘how easily they could lure him in dark, closed spaces'.
Once he heard his name and he connected the dots, he was quick to sprint away from the area, visibly disgusted and sick to his stomach (henceforward, he'd always made sure there was at least one crew member present by his side to bear witness).
From the way March spoke so openly about the rumors, she didn't seem to hear the worst of it and how overly stupid all of it was.
Dan Heng never cared much for fame and fortune, but in his eyes, the recognition he was getting at the Space Station was a mixed bag. There was his willingness to assist Arlan in his patrols but then there was the other side of the Space Station where for some bizarre reason, he was the star of the researchers' thirsty imaginations.
Do Asta or Arlan know about this… He mulled over, brows furrowed. Aeons, if Herta had an inkling of what was transpiring among her researchers, would she give them proper punishment?
“Seriously, they call themselves 'researchers' and they’re out there spurring nonsense!”
March’s grumbling reaches his ears (she’s not good at whispering anyway), prompting Dan Heng to look over his shoulder. He watched her quietly as she sat on the floor, continuously stacking more piles of books on top of each other. Seeing the cute pout on her face made Dan Heng slightly feel a little better about himself.
“These rumors…” He began, eyes downcast. "If you heard more of it and it was about me, would you believe it?”
March laughed. “Obviously no!” Lifting her head, she flashed him a bright, toothy smile. “Rumor or not, nobody messes with the Astral Express team! So, if they’re badmouthing you, let me know 'cause I’m gonna give ‘em a piece of my mind!” She cried and proceeded to pat her bony-looking arm, showing it off with pride.
A wave of relief washed over Dan Heng as he chuckles, reverting his attention to the monitor.
As naïve and ridiculous as March was, Dan Heng held her endearing words close to his heart. Leave it to March to bring out the silliness of the most absurd things.
"Don't let it get to ya!" Her words echoed vibrantly in his head.
Dan Heng mustered a small smile, only to have it drop as another thought resurfaced from the back of his mind.
If she was aware of the rumors about him…
Does she know about hers?
Turns out, Dan Heng was not the only popular one.
Given how the Astral Express crew were known guests in the Herta Space Station, there were bound to be admirers for each and every one of them. Yes, this also includes Pom-Pom for some reason.
Himeko and Welt were understandably fawned and favored by the older men/women.
As wacky as their new trailblazer friend was, Stelle had a handful of fans (mostly with the kids and elderly, all due thanks to their gung-ho attitude).
Dan Heng's was largely taken up by the hormonal teens and young adults and to even a few older men (much to his dismay).
Then there was March.
Compared to the others, her fans varied widely in scale. She was popular with the children who saw her as a big sister figure, and a few small animals like Peppy who she religiously spoiled with treats. A mix of young adult ladies and guys who secretly admired her beauty...then the rest were men (from middle-aged, old, and to the security officers).
Dan Heng recalled the many times he patrolled with her in the Space Station. He lost count of how he caught glimpses of either a researcher or officer passing by and checking her out, collectively murmuring about how especially attractive she was and if she was still single.
He remembered seeing red when he caught a perverted researcher daring to try and follow her to the bathroom. There was a time when March was innocently stretching her arms out in the open and as she tip-toed, nearly flashed her underwear to a few admirers tailing behind them - heck, even one of them had the audacity to whistle her! (no doubt, Dan Heng scolded her for a good ten minutes never to do it again and to next time, to find somewhere secluded to stretch elsewhere).
The laundry list kept going.
But there was a memory he would never forget. And it was a time when Dan Heng was with her, exploring the Space Station for any potential danger. While passing by one of the breakrooms, he spotted a small group of male researchers staring at March with hungry, predatory eyes…and the words, “Yeah, she’s one to do a good head,” come out from one of them.
That same day, Dan Heng hunted them down, reporting all seven admirers to Asta and Arlan without missing a beat.
Such a memory welcomed a wave of hot fury inside him.
She’s more than a prized trophy or object, Dan Heng reasoned with himself, balling his hands into fists. If only they knew how incredibly funny, and beautiful she is, then...
Dan Heng’s eyes widened, stopping himself from finishing his trail of thought.
He spared a sneaky glance back to the pink-haired girl. He observed her quietly from the sides as she managed to take a pile of books into her arms and started putting them away on the shelves.
Now that he thought hard about it, he did have a protective streak when it came to March.
From their first meeting and (as per instructed by Himeko at the time), Dan Heng himself made it his duty to look after the trouble-making girl. Years passed and the more he got to know her, the more natural it was for him to stick by her.
They’ve been inseparable since.
But now…it’s different.
No longer was his protective streak rooted in his duty as an express guard.
His determination to keep her from harm's way finally had a definition, a purpose.
For a while, Dan Heng knew he caught feelings for March.
Seeing her as a foster sister never felt right.
Yes, their Astral Express Crew group chat does have the word ‘family’ on it but that was only thanks to March who saw them as one from the beginning (and now it stuck).
Seeing her as a friend was enough, but as time went on…
I wanted more. Dan Heng didn’t think twice as he chose to abandon his work on the monitor in favor of joining March on the floor.
“Oh? You’re done?” She asked, putting the last book inside the shelf. Earning a wordless nod, she beamed. “Awesome! Now we’ve got the whole day to ourselves!”
Dan Heng nodded again, smiling a little. Her cheeriness was contagious (and deep down, he relished it).
March took his hands, intertwining them with hers. She smiled and giggled, motioning their hands together in a silly tug-of-war. Dan Heng simply lets her, blushing mildly at how easily clingy and childish she could be.
If there was one thing the researchers didn’t know, it was this.
The silence eventually settled its way into the archives room with the sounds of the gears overhead ticking away.
“So, we’re alone huh?”
“Yeah,” Dan Heng replied softly.
They stared at each other; hands still locked tight together.
“…March.”
Dan Heng calls out to her and March puts in the effort to scoot a little closer, the respectable distance between them growing shorter and shorter. Her iridescent eyes searched aimlessly in his deep teal pools. "Yeah?"
Dan Heng stayed still, allowing her to inspect every inch of his face. He inhaled a sharp breath and somehow, no matter the distance, he felt incredibly warm and safe under her dazzling gaze.
“Dan Heng?”
His ears picked up her sweet voice and Dan Heng chose this to shift a bit more, closing the distance for good. He reaches out, placing his hand on her soft, red cheek, and strokes it tenderly.
March leans in and sighs, eyes closed as she purred under his warmth.
Dan Heng gulped, daring to move his thumb and touch her lower lip.
I don’t want anybody to see you like this, He wanted to tell her so badly, but he knew he couldn’t. When it came to March, all logic was out the window. The rational, reserved Dan Heng suddenly transforms—becoming a greedy, touchy, and selfish person. And it was all for her.
That was to say, he knew deep down, that his bad behavior was almost, if not, equally familiar as March’s obsessive admirers.
Except there was one exception to all this.
“So, the train is pretty empty…” March began lamely, nudging him playfully. “Just you and me, a boy and a girl, in a room all alone~”
“Seems that way.”
There was a twinkle in her eyes and Dan Heng knew at that moment, what she wanted.
“So…”
“Yes?”
“I was thinking maybe…” March starts, blushing and squirming in her seat. “If we could, you know…” And she lifts her chin to face him, her large doe-shaped eyes sparkling brilliantly.
She’s so cute, He thought, completely and hopelessly mesmerized. He wanted to compliment her badly, how being so physically close to her was like knocking on death’s door. One glimpse of her partly open mouth and he knew he was gone for good.
Sooner or later, their secret attraction to each other would get discovered.
But for now…
Dan Heng moves in, face inches away from hers. “March,” He addressed her name softly, “May I kiss you?”
Dan Heng surprised himself, cringing slightly from how his words sounded. Almost as if he was desperate, pleading for her to…
“Y-yeah,” March answers him with heavy-lidded eyes. “You could kiss me.”
And so, Dan Heng leans in.
Their kiss happens naturally.
So soft and sweet and barely there.
Dan Heng and March slowly recoil, staring at one another for a long moment.
Then all at once, it happened spontaneously.
Locking her arms around his neck, March dives in to give him a much, deeper kiss. Dan Heng allows her, wrapping his own carefully on her small waist and pulling her closer, the latter making a high-pitched noise as their bodies pressed together.
Another kiss.
Then another.
Another, and another.
Soft, sweet, and completely sure that this was no mistake.