slicings | band au;

band au;

[ yingxing exhales hard.

his ears still ring with the music, his blood thrumming with excitement. for all the years that highcloud has been together now, he never really tires of this work. he loves what he does, loves his bandmates no matter how often they butt heads, loves everything about their music. it's hard work, exhausting even at the best of times, and there are certainly many downsides to fame and celebrity status, but this.. playing together, making music, performing, he's passionate about it. the riches and fame are secondary to doing what he loves.

they're halfway through their rehearsal now, splitting up to take a break and rehydrate, and it's as he's guzzling down some water from a bottle that yingxing spots dan heng, dan feng's quiet, elusive little brother.

they've met before, but only briefly, only in passing. while dan heng is supportive of his brother and the band, he's a bit of a recluse, and he's never really gone out of his way to interact with any of them beyond dan feng - so what's he doing here right now? yingxing can't resist the urge to pester him, not when he knows he might not get the chance to again for some time now.

so, wiping sweat from his brow, yingxing wanders toward the table where dan heng has set up shop, surrounded by books and papers, lit by the glow of his laptop and tablet. ]

Long time no see.

[ entirely uninvited, yingxing pulls up a seat across from dan heng, straddling it backwards, leaning his forearms on the back of the steel chair. his hair is wild and his skin is flushed and dewy with sweat, adrenaline still pumping, his grin broad and easy. ]

Surprised you can concentrate with all this noise.

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[ Is he feeling better? It would be so easy for Dan Heng to throw up all his usual walls, to tell Yingxing that he's fine now.

But after the week they've spent together, the other man deserves more from him, doesn't he? And if Dan Heng is honest... ]

Yes. Physically, at least. But I have to admit I'm a little disappointed, too.

[ It's a bold swing, but an honest one, and that's what's most important as far as he's concerned. Maybe it's selfish, but all that cold logic aside, he knows that he doesn't want this to just end, so... ]

Everything that happened this past week, I've wanted it all for a long time. I was just too much of a coward to say anything before I had no other choice in the matter. First, you were my brother's friend, and then mine, and... I did not want to put that friendship at risk.

[ dan heng speaks, and yingxing's smile fades into something a little more understanding, wry and soft. ]

I know. It's scary, making that sort of move on someone, especially if they're a friend.

[ muffling a yawn behind his knuckles, yingxing rubs his eyes then loops that arm around dan heng's middle, keeping him scooped in close. he might not have this for much longer, so he plans to enjoy it as much as he can, while he still is able to. ]

Lucky for you, nothing was at risk.

[ he smiles, nudging his nose alongside dan heng's. ]

I meant it when I said I would keep this going, but if you've changed your mind now that you're out of your heat, I get it.

[ Dan Heng's head tilts in surprise. And here he'd thought that was his line, that Yingxing might be the one who wanted to back off, that his words were said only out of kindness in the middle of the younger's heat. And yet...

Yingxing's nose nudges against his, and Dan Heng turns his head slightly, catching the other's mouth in a brief, soft kiss. ]

I haven't changed my mind, [ he responds, and his voice is quiet, but as serious as it's ever been. His eyes open, glowing teal peering into soft lavender. ] I like you a lot, Yingxing. So it doesn't matter how complicated any of this is.

[ Idly, his fingers smooth down over the other's chest, skating over firm muscle. ]

Yeah, it's.. complicated all right.

[ he exhales a mirthless laugh, and lifts one hand to push the fringe from dan heng's eyes. ]

I must seem like such a creep, chasing after someone so much younger than me.. but I really fucking like you.

[ his smile quirks, and yingxing curls his free arm beneath his head to better look dan heng in the face. sure, dating someone younger is hot in its own way, but he likes dan heng for who he is, for the chemistry they have together, not simply because he's young and hot. ]

[ His head tilts at that, something like confusion coming into his eyes as he looks up at him—and as Yingxing curls his arm under his head, Dan Heng notices not for the first time—but processes for the first time—the scars that litter the skin, and he frowns, because now he has two questions...

His hand lifts from the older man's chest, fingers tracing lightly over those scars instead, a reminder for when they're done with this conversation. ]

You don't seem like a creep. Why would you? I'm the one who came here.

[ at that, he huffs a low chuckle. ]

.. you came here in heat, driven by a biological urge that didn't really leave much room for consent.

[ and it was only because he knew that dan heng had been into him previously that he allowed it to happen at all - that dan heng had low key wanted into his pants from the moment they began talking. even still, in retrospect, that.. really wasn't enough to go on.

gods, he is a creep, isn't he? yingxing rubs his face with his free hand. ]

The responsible thing to do would've been to gently turn you down until your heat passed.

[ He's quick to shake his head. ]

Responsible, maybe. But it also would have been cruel. Besides... it's become clear to me that I did a terrible job at hiding my interest before. Maybe in the moment I couldn't consent properly, but...

[ He frowns, a slight heat to his cheeks—but sincerity in his gaze as he looks up at the other quietly. ]

At least in my mind, my consent was always clear, and I think you knew that too. Even then, you asked questions and sought as much of it as you could. So... if you're worried about that, you don't have to be.

[ a sigh through his nose. ]

.. you're really sweet.

[ while dan heng might have some points, it's still a naive outlook, and it sure wouldn't stand up against a jury, like as not. consent was blurred at best, even if yingxing asked questions, and given their age difference.. well.

he shakes his head, nudges their noses again. ]

Well, it's a bit belated now, anyway. Besides, I don't regret it, even if maybe I should.

I don't regret it either.

[ There's a soft insistence in his voice, a stubbornness borne perhaps of the fact that he can still see some hesitance in Yingxing's acceptance of what has happened. Sure, maybe things didn't go perfectly, but when do things go perfectly? Maybe he's biased, but it all worked out for the best anyway, so...

He presses another small kiss to the corner of the older man's mouth—and then pulls back just slightly, looking down to where his fingers are still tracing over old scars. ]

Yingxing... Will you tell me about these?

[ Scars are rarely from anything good, so he might be asking a lot, but... ]

[ .. ah. he'd wondered if dan heng might ask. even when wearing more revealing tops, yingxing usually keeps his forearms covered in photoshoots and meet and greets, so the fact that dan heng only noticed them in person like this isn't surprising. it's not exactly a secret, but talking about his past is kind of a conversation killer with most people, so he doesn't tend to bring it up.

but dan heng looks so earnest, and they're close enough now that he might as well be honest with him. they were good friends even before all of this, and yingxing trusts him. he sighs through his nose. ]

Some were from my dad.

[ he taps a messy, small, circular scar on his forearm by the wrist - there are several others, scattered up the length of his forearm. but then, turning his arm over reveals the track marks around the seam of his elbow, the ones dan heng had been touching. ]

But these, uh.. I did these to myself. [ he frowns, his brow pinched. it was a decade ago, but he's still not proud of who he was back then. ] Heroin.

[ For a moment, he thinks to stop, to tell the other man he doesn't have to share if he doesn't want. But Yingxing continues before Dan Heng can stop him, pointing out marks first that are distinct from the others, likely at a glance left by cigarettes. His brows furrow—it's no secret to anyone that Blade doesn't talk about his family, but this...

Before he can say anything, though, the other continues to talk, frowning as he explains the truth of the scar. Dan Heng feels his heart break for him. Just as human as anyone else, he's made mistakes—and how could he not, when he's lived so much pain?—and yet there's something on the other man's face that almost reads like... is it guilt? Shame? He can't tell, but...

He looks at him in silence for a moment before he leans forward, a soft brush of his lips against the scars. He says nothing—there's nothing to say, not from someone who can't even begin to comprehend the whole of what he's been through. But at the very least, he can offer acceptance and comfort. ]

[ ah.. dan heng truly is so sweet. so gentle. his soft kiss to yingxing's scars earns him an easy smile. ]

.. it's okay. It was a long time ago.

[ yingxing's start in life had surely been rocky, but he'd like to think that he's finally gotten his shit together - which isn't exactly easy, when he's living as a rock star. temptation is everywhere.

nudging his nose to dan heng's cheek, he presses a kiss there. ]

I'm all right.

[ Dan Heng shakes his head for a brief moment before he sighs and leans his head into the soft kiss pressed against his skin. ]

Just because it was a long time ago didn't mean it wasn't terrible. [ No doubt the other will hear the genuine sincerity in his tone as he looks up at him with a thoughtful, quiet expression. ]

I don't really know what else to say, but I want... I want to make sure you know I'm not judging you. I'm just sorry for the things you went through that drove you that far. And... and I'm proud of you for fighting back and coming as far as you have.

[ dan heng has a point. yingxing's soul may have healed, but scars remain where open wounds once were, and at times they do ache. even still, the last thing he needs is to be a burden on dan heng. he's young, with a bright future ahead of him, he doesn't need to be dragged down by yingxing's old drama and issues. ]

Heh. I don't know what to say.

[ no one's ever really.. said this sort of thing to him, outside of his bandmates, he hardly knows how to react. it's strange, being so open, so raw about something, even if in many ways he's still hiding behind an easy smile. ]

I'll remember that, whenever I need to hear it. Thanks.

[ Dan Heng smiles back, his expression gentle and quiet, patience written all over him as he just watches and waits... the things he said weren't just said, he means them, and stubborn as he is, he wants Yingxing to listen, for the truth of them to settle on his heart. ]

You don't have to say anything, [ he responds quietly, and he presses another kiss against his skin before curling into him and just breathing, letting himself relax for the first time in the better part of a week. What Yingxing came from... it doesn't matter to him.

The only thing that matters that they're here now, like this.

...And like this they stay for a little while, curled up and just enjoying one another until with a soft, reluctant sigh, Dan Heng stretches, looks up at Yingxing. ]

As much as I've enjoyed the last week... I probably need to think about heading back home. Everything's probably a complete mess.

Edited 2025-06-09 11:25 (UTC)

[ after a week of all but marathon fucking, it's nice to just.. lay around together, chatting and holding close, learning more about one another, all the little mundane things that make a person who they are.

but the time soon comes when dan heng withdraws, and yingxing knew it was coming, but it'll still be sad to see him go. for the best, really - this is still incredibly new between them, they can't rush into seeing each other every single day. they have to date like normal people, and besides, they can hang out any time they like.. well, busy schedules allowing.

so yingxing sits up, tossing a grin over his shoulder, and offering a hand. ]

It'll be quiet here by myself for awhile, heh, but I'm sure you've got a lot of backed up work to get to.

[ He finds a smile creeping onto his lips. ]

Mm... going home will be strange, too. [ If he were Stelle, he might make some silly comment about being without his personal chef. A way to separate himself from it a little, to make it easier. But while he can be awkward with his feelings at times, he still wants to be honest, and so he doesn't do that. Instead, he takes the other's hand, and squeezes it. ] I'll miss you, but.. yeah, I do. I know you do, too.

[ Those skipped practices didn't go unnoticed, after all. ]

Besides, we can..

[ A pause. Ugh. How does he say this? ]

I'd like to see you again soon, though. If that's okay.

[ squeezing his hand in return, yingxing smiles and tugs dan heng up, both of them onto their feet. ]

Mm. I'd like that, too.

[ he says, leaning in to bunt their foreheads playfully together. ]

I meant it when I said I wanted to continue this.

[ he wasn't sure if dan heng would want to as well, once his heat wore away, but.. he's glad to find that his desires haven't changed. they'll have a lot to navigate, and it'll be difficult, but.. worth it, he thinks. ]

[ He laughs, eyes closing and forehead bumping back up against the other man's in response, a soft smile on his lips. He's content like this, and he really would stay if he could...

He sighs, and tightens his grip on the other man's hands for just a moment. ]

Good. Because I meant it too. So... we'll figure it out from here.

[ Ugh. He's stalling. It's obvious he's stalling. He doesn't want to go home, even though he needs to. Study catch-up aside, he's pretty confident he left a sweaty pile of clothes on the floor... ]

[ yingxing feels it too. he likes having dan heng here, likes cooking for him and talking with him and, of course, fucking him silly, but.. he's not young anymore. he knows how bad it can be to rush a relationship, and dan heng needs time to himself to decompress and think and just be a uni student.

if things continue to progress well, they'll revisit having a place together. until then, dan heng can visit any time he needs. they'll see each other often enough, the band doesn't go on tour until next year. there's time. ]

We will. Thanks for trusting me.

[ he says, pressing a kiss to dan heng's lips, then another, slow and soft. ]

C'mon, let's get you home.

[ Dan Heng can only smile again, more than thrilled by the other's words, and he may not be the most expressive of people but it's definitely pretty clear on his lips, especially for someone who knows him as well as Yingxing does. He returns those kisses before pulling away with a nod, and as they move the air shimmers around him until he's once more short-haired and blue-eyed. ]

Yeah, [ he agrees, and he opens the door—

and perhaps the problem with his smile is that one of all of three other people who knows him well enough to completely understand is the exact person standing in front of the door as it opens to let him out, arms folding over his chest.

Dan Heng's steps grind to a halt, and his mouth opens a little too far. ]

Uh. Gege.

[ oh. yingxing is sure that his heart stops in his chest at the sight of dan feng standing just outside of his door, arms crossed, expression smooth and calm save for his bright eyes, stormy and ferocious as the sea in a hurricane.

yes. gege.

dan feng responds, his eyes narrowing as he glances from dan heng to yingxing to dan heng again, his fury only barely concealed. yingxing's mouth drops open, and he is at a complete loss for words for a moment, soon clearing his throat and running a hand back through his pale hair, his face hot. few people can put the fear of the gods into him like dan feng can. normally yingxing is one of the only people who can handle him during one of his rants, but this time dan feng's anger is pointed at him.

this time, he knows he's fucked up. ]

A-ah.. Dan Feng - [ he starts, clears his throat again. ] You're.. Dan Heng was just -

—leaving. I was just leaving.

[ He pitches in, finishes Yingxing's statement even as he trails to a dead halt, because there's no point in lying, not when it will only make things worse for them both to do so. His breath shudders as he takes it, but he keeps his eyes on his brother's face all the same, not allowing himself to back down despite how furious Dan Feng looks. ]

I suppose you can see for yourself that yes, this is the friend whose house I went to. [ Then, gentle but insistent in tone: ] I told you it was someone I trusted, right?

[ It's not much of an argument, but it's the only one he has. Dan Feng should trust Yingxing too, hasn't he always? ]

[ dan feng clearly does not expect opposition, which becomes obvious when his expression darkens.

trusted. you trusted a man over a decade your senior, who should have known better than to take advantage of you.

yingxing flinches, but doesn't argue it, only sighs through his nose. he and dan feng trust each other, yes, which is all the more reason that yingxing should have thought twice about this, about how dan feng might feel about it, about the fact that dan heng is young, was in heat - ugh. it's trust that he's damaged, now. ]

Ah-Feng, I..

[ dan feng shakes his head, steps forward to take dan heng's wrist, standing between the two of them.

don't ah-feng me. you deliberately hid this from me. how am i supposed to feel about that? come - let's go. ]

[ His eyes widen at Dan Feng's comment, and this time it's Dan Heng's eyebrows that narrow, the youngest of the three men stepping back a little with the intent of pulling his wrist free of his brother's grip. ]

No, wait.

[ If he didn't expect opposition, he certainly won't expect defiance, the determination written into his younger brother's eyes as he looks between the two of them. ]

This isn't Yingxing's fault. I know I'm young, but I'm the one who made the choice to come here. I'm the one who asked for help. And it... [ Well, they were going to have to tell him eventually... ] it wasn't only about my heat anyway, gege. I came here because I wanted to.

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