slicings | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ...Okay, so maybe they weren't on quite the same page, but Dan Heng can see where Yingxing is coming from—for a moment, at least, until suddenly the guitarist is asking him what stripper name he would choose. His lips part to tell the other he wouldn't have one to begin with, but before he can, Yingxing starts offering suggestions, and the younger man very nearly loses his mouthful of coffee to the table.

Arbiter preserve him, his cheeks are practically generating heat.

He clears his throat. ]

I am... [ A small huff of breath through his nose. ] I'm not really the type.

[ now that's a good reaction. yingxing grins like the cat that got the cream, leaning onto his elbows. ]

No? You don't think so?

[ so sorry dan heng, now that this door has been opened there can be no closing it again, and yingxing is on him like a shark scenting blood. he tilts his head, feigning thoughtfulness, tapping his knuckles to his chin. ]

I don't know, you've got that innocent awkward nerd sort of cuteness about you, there's definitely a market for that.

[ poor dan heng is probably going to explode. ]

I think if I were going to choose one for myself, it's got to be Star, right?

[ Innocent awkward nerd sort of cuteness—

Dan Heng thinks he might be about to combust. He drops his gaze, despite the other's very clear focus on him, and clears his throat again. Is there some sort of Cloudhymn magic that can calm the rush of heat? Or perhaps just make him sink into the earth itself? Maybe if he texts Stelle, she can come and rescue him—

He coughs. Drinks some coffee. Coughs again.

It doesn't help. ]

Star... like your name.

[ If they were going off names, his own would be pretty boring, he thinks.) ]

But I...

[ Nope, it's too late. His brain is working overtime, imagining Yingxing on a stage in front of him, lip bitten and smile sly as he peels off a too-tight shirt to reveal the muscles underneath, and—

His fingers tighten on the edge of the table. ]

How did we end up on this discussion anyway...? [ An attempt at something sardonic, a roll of his eyes that feels and sounds weak. ]

[ oh how yingxing enjoys this game of cat and mouse, drawing it out by prickling dan heng's hackles up then drawing back long enough for him to calm down before pushing the envelope again. it might seem mean spirited to those who don't know him, but in truth yingxing's love language is teasing. it's how he shows affection, even if.. sometimes he can definitely go overboard.

his grin cuts across his face, and yingxing shrugs. ]

Names. Don't be mad at me, you're the one who brought up Stardust and Glimmer.

[ even if yingxing went running off with it like the little shit that he is. but they can change the subject. he pours them both fresh cups. ]

Anyway, yeah, Blade was a bit of a choice. People use Ren, too.

[ the xianxhou word for blade's edge. ]

[ "don't be mad at me," Yingxing says, and Dan Heng can't help the little face he makes in response, the huff of embarrassed irritation on his lips. Sure, he brought up those names, but he wasn't intending for the conversation to go like that—

He takes a slight breath, and once the fresh cup is poured, he takes a sip—and then, in an almost childish response, adds a little cream before sipping again.

(He never drinks his coffee with cream.)

He's grateful for the return in topic though, and so he nods. ]

I think I've heard that. Which do you prefer? Ren seems... affectionate, I suppose. It makes sense for your fans to choose something that sounds a little softer, even if the definition is practically the same...

Hmm..

[ a good question. he's never really considered this before. ]

I think it depends on the situation. Ren was given to me by the fans, so it's cute when they use it - it feels like a nice little connection, you know?

[ a bond between the fans and himself. it's sweet, that he has enough affectionate fans that they wanted to give him a communal nickname. smiling, yingxing reclines in his chair, crossing his ankles loosely beneath the table. ]

So I think from a fan, I'd prefer to be called Ren. It feels nice.

[ Of course, as a fan, Dan Heng quite likes knowing that Yingxing likes the nickname. He doesn't say as much though, instead just nodding in thought and taking another sip from his coffee.

He shouldn't have added the cream.

Or should he? Something rebellious pulls at him, makes a breath whisper over his lower lip before he looks up at the other again. His face is serious, but there's a hint of something affable in the way his eyes alight on Yingxing's.

If he added the cream, he can do this one other small thing, right?

He shifts the mug against the table. ]

What about from a friend?

[ rip in cream, dan heng.. ]

Oh?

[ a friend, hmm? he likes the sound of that. yingxing's smile brightens, and he tilts his head as he watches dan heng, regarding him curiously. he's teased the poor thing half to death these past weeks, but even still, dan heng wants to be friends?

well, far be it for yingxing to say no. he likes dan heng very much. ]

Well, a friend could just call me Yingxing, hmm?

[ Dan Heng watches the way that Yingxing's smile brightens, and he feels the heat returning to his cheeks. The other seems so pleased with the suggestion he makes, no matter how silly he feels about it in retrospect. (Because seriously, did he really just ask the man he's always known as Yingxing what he should call him...?)

The whole thing makes him a little awkward, and he folds his arms over his chest and coughs, more in self-protection than anything else. ]

Y-yes. I suppose that's true.

[ oh dan heng, you worry too much, babygirl. his smile is warm. ]

Does that make us friends?

[ he'll plow right on by dan heng's awkwardness. aeons know he needs it. so he softens his teasing and instead gives dan heng a fond look, eyes glimmering. ]

I thought you could barely stand me, so I'd take that as a win.

[ He blinks at that. His eyes widen. Perhaps, in all the time Yingxing has known him, this is the most concerned he'll have seen him look. He knows he's terrible at all this, and he knows he's been trying to keep some sort of distance because—well, the alternative is embarrassing, so embarrassing, but— ]

I'm sorry. I... didn't mean to give that impression.

[ He reaches up, scratches awkwardly behind an ear. He's not about to admit that sometimes he just really sucks at dealing with other people, much less those he's had a crush on for years, but also... ]

If you want to be friends, we're friends.

[ yingxing is quick to shake his head. ]

Nah, nothing to be sorry for. I know I can be a lot, I don't always get along with everyone.

[ but dan heng.. he likes dan heng. he wants to get along with dan heng, even if he can't help but to tease him a little bit - it's hard not to, when he's so cute and gets flustered so easily. ]

Friends, then.

Alright. Friends.

[ It's a quiet agreement, the barest, faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips as he does. The kind of expression usually reserved for March or Stelle—although, despite himself, perhaps just that iota fonder.

He sips at his coffee, and all of a sudden, the cream doesn't taste too bad.

Friends. He can do that. ]

band au;

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