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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[ Dan Heng has always tried to appear as if he's the cold, aloof type. After all, when you're a high school student with a famous rockstar older brother, there's simply no saving you from the droves of teenage girls asking for information, or some sort of help getting something from him. Or, worse still, the one or two times he tried dating only to find out that he was being used to get them closer to Dan Feng.

At some point, he ended up changing schools; with that change came the decision to use cloudhymn magic to conceal the truth of his identity. People would still comment that he looked like the famous rocker, but—well, he was human, so he couldn't be related, right?

University, Dan Feng had promised, would be better, but in the end he's found it easier to maintain the disguise, to introduce himself as sparingly as possible, to stick to the small friend groups he's found along the way.

(March and Stelle are the only people who know the truth about him, too—something he regrets on occasion when March makes a silly comment far too loudly for anyone's liking, and he's forced to watch in disdain-concealed frustration as Stelle rushes to shut her up.)

So—

Right. The aloof thing. Really, it's just easier that way. And the less time he spends entangled with the band themselves, the better. It gives him plausible deniability, after all.

It also makes it significantly easier to hide the fact that he's among their biggest fans.

As it is, forced to come along to practice tonight by car troubles, he's had to cover up a laptop sticker or two, move his white-and-purple Blade wristband to an ankle, signs that in the real world aren't too obvious or attention-grabbing, but in this room will give him away faster than his tail suddenly popping back into existence. But he's done what he needed to, secured himself and found a corner and done his best to study despite the (wonderful) noise, thumbing through pages after pages of history and data analysis textbooks,

and really he thinks he's just about gotten away with it too, when a break comes and suddenly ~~Blade, in all his glory~~ his brother's friend Yingxing is sitting in front of him, all ridiculously-tight jeans and wild hair and wide smile.

Dan Heng's breath stutters. The wristband, hidden under his own lightweight pants, brands his skin with the heat of its burn. He tries to force a friendly—but distant—smile. What happens on his face instead is something infinitely more constipated and uncomfortable. ]

Yes... You're right. Long time no see, Yingxing. [ A breath, and he clears his throat. Saying his name sounds far too intimate—stupid, stupid— ] My car broke down, so I'm riding along with my brother for today.

[ ah, he's so cute. dan heng shuffles awkwardly, and yingxing can only continue to smile, his mouth slanted roguishly. while he has no idea that this young man is, in fact, very much a fan of them, he does know that dan heng is easy to tease. ]

Ah, right. Sorry you're stuck here with us for awhile.

[ he drops his chin to rest against his folded forearms over the back of the chair. he realizes that he's likely disrupting dan heng's studies more than the music had right now, but it won't last too long, soon they'll be back to rehearsing the second half of their show.

raising his brows, he briefly scans dan heng's textbooks. ]

What's your major?

[ dan feng told him once, he knows - it was something nerdy. coding? math? something like that. ]

[ For his part, Yingxing somehow manages to make an apology genuine despite the wicked smile on those handsome lips. And for his, Dan Heng somehow, he thinks—he hopes—manages to keep his face from heating up too much as he shakes his head. ]

There's no need for you to apologize, [ he answers, voice quiet, matter-of-fact. ] You weren't responsible for my car breaking down.

[ Ugh, he wants to hit himself with Stelle's baseball bat. He's glad for the question, then, if only because it takes the attention away from the idiotic thing he's said. He coughs, and his fingertips run over the spine of a book. ]

I'm doing a double, [ he explains. ] History with a focus on the homeworld of the Xianzhou, and data analysis. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with it just yet, but I've learned a lot.

[ yup. nerdy. but yingxing looks impressed. ]

Dan Feng told me you were smart, but a double major? That's impressive.

[ and not easy majors, either. history is dense, and data analysis takes a sharp mind - dan heng certainly is challenging himself. yingxing nods, then lifts his eyes back up to dan heng's face. ]

Well, you don't need to decide on what you want to do just yet, but you've got plenty of options with those avenues.

[ the corner of his mouth twists, and yingxing winks. ]

Take your time, yeah?

[ There's nothing for it—the next sound out of Dan Heng's mouth is an undignified little croak as the lead guitarist of highcloud compliments him with such effortless grace in his words. Nor is there hiding the definite heat on his cheeks, although he's quite to drop his gaze and lift a hand to his cheek, resting against it as if in thought.

That wink—

Damnit, he's going to kill Dan Feng for bringing him here.

For now, though, he reaches for his bottle of water, trying to retain some of his usual image. How pathetic, that all it took was a smile and a wink to practically rip off his usual mask?

(His voice sounds ragged around the water, even as he clears his throat.) ]

I... Thank you. I'll keep that in mind, and try not to pressure myself into making a choice too early.

[ yingxing isn't stupid, nor is he emotionally dull. he's been around enough fans and groupies fawning over him to know when someone's into him, though dan heng is admittedly doing a fine job of controlling himself. it's possible that he's just flustered to be around him in general, but his brother is famous, too - you'd think he'd be used to lingering around celebrities by now.

then again, dan heng doesn't visit with them often. yingxing can count on two hands the amount of times he's seen the young man show his face around them openly in the past decade since the band first got together. he'd been so young then, likely hardly remembers his brother's friends making noise in the spacious garage of the dan family's estate.

but that does make him wonder.. ]

You look different, lately.

[ he says, then sits up a little straighter, lifting a hand to playfully flick at dan heng's short fringe. ]

I remember you looking more like your brother.

[ Fingers lift and flick at his bangs, and Dan Heng darts back with all the ferocious energy of a startled rabbit, his eyes wide and his breath catching in his throat. At his side, his fingers twitch. Maybe March can arrange for Himeko to come and rescue him after all. He should have just taken her up on the offer when she made it...

But... no. He's being ridiculous.

(A deep, calming breath.)

Yingxing is only asking him a question that makes sense for him to ask, given how long the two of them have known one another.

He reaches up, smooths his bangs back into place.

(His ankle twitches, an impossible reminder of the touch pressed so briefly against his skin.)

And, after a moment taken to collect himself, he manages a small smile, wry in nature as he shakes his head. ]

One could argue too much like my brother. You don't need me to tell me how many fans your band has. My high school years were... [ He grimaces, and shakes his head once more; this time, as he talks, he lifts his hand to where his ear curves, human-like—where he can still feel his true ear emerging from behind it, invisible and unseen. ] This... this is just cloudhymn magic, but it makes it slightly easier to get by.

[ dan heng flinches back like a startled buck, and yingxing withdraws his hand, slightly guilty for giving him a hard time. it's just some playful flirting, but dan heng isn't the type to enjoy that sort of thing, he supposes, not when he's so awkward and withdrawn, and besides, yingxing shouldn't be toying around with someone so much younger than him - and dan feng's brother besides.

but it's difficult not to, especially when dan heng makes it so easy, and when he looks so damned cute, blushing right to his ears. ]

Right.. that makes sense.

[ not everyone is built for fame, not everyone wants it, and he can only imagine the difficulties that dan heng has faced, growing up with a brother like his own. he's a quiet little thing, soft and a bit shy, the type to prefer to keep his head down, or so yingxing gathers. having a brother famous across the cosmos - and, let's be real, lusted after as well - isn't an easy position. ]

Well, you're cute either way. Whatever makes you happy, right?

[ he rests his chin against the hand he'd withdrawn. ]

Is it tough, keeping that illusion up all the time?

[ Somewhere along the way, the magic just became part of him—something that Yingxing will notice too if he thinks about it for long enough. After all, the embarrassed shyness has reached his ears by this point in the form of a blush, visible to the other even though his native ears are hidden from sight. And Dan Heng certainly isn't choosing to display a blush on his rounded human ears...

(A blush that, when Yingxing calls him "cute", only darkens. Lan help him, March will be dining out on this one for weeks...)

He clears his throat (again), trying for some sort of aloofness in his reply, even as he forces himself to reject the compliment—accepting it would simply be too dangerous: ]

You don't have to say things like that. I've seen the sort of people you date.

[ ...Hmm. The words don't end up landing quite the way he wants them to. His frown deepens, and he shakes his head again, desperately reaching for a topic before the other can address the mistake he's just made. ]

Ignore that, it came out wrong. [ Straight-faced. Calm. (Heart pounding.) ] At any rate, your question... It was hard at first, until I got used to it. Now, I really only have trouble when I'm sick, or when I haven't slept well.

[ yingxing's brows fly up at that comment. ]

.. oh? You have, huh?

[ some people might be offended by a comment like that, and yingxing might be too, were this coming from someone different - he's an arrogant man, after all, and prideful to a fault sometimes - but dan heng isn't just anyone. he should let it go, but..

instead he smiles, and barrels right past the rest of dan heng's commentary. ]

What sort of people do I date, hmm?

[ Fuck.

This is not where he wanted this conversation to go, and yet here they are, with Yingxing leaning in close, smile playful and teasing, something flirty in its corners despite the fact that every single person he could name in answer to the question he's asked is a woman.

And, with the exception of one (the manic pixie thief girl), all effortlessly graceful and elegant. There was that manager for one, gentle and kind. The beautiful soloist from Penacony who took the universe by storm but always spoke with such sweet words. The superfan streamer with fans of her own who smiled like the sun.

All women, and all so far removed from an awkward, gangly young man who feels the need to hide himself in the midst of an illusion, just so people will leave him alone.

He sighs, and he hopes that the laugh on his lips sounds genuine. ]

Let's see... In the time that I've known you, there has been a decent number of beautiful women.

[ He's no longer sure where the conversation is going. All he can do is answer the question and hope he sounds detached enough that it doesn't matter. ]

Edited 2025-05-04 10:52 (UTC)

So there have been. You're not wrong. I do love beautiful women.

[ and problematic ones - looking at you, cipher - but not only women. yingxing couldn't lie, he's certainly slept with more women than men, but that's by pure happenstance alone. he's seen men as well, he's seen all sorts, but the notable ones have been women, surely, easy to remember for their own elegance or fame.

dan heng can never find out about what the quintet got up to with each other in their earlier days.. ]

But I still -

[ "Yingxing."

dan feng's voice rings coolly from a distance, and yingxing sits up in his chair, glancing over his shoulder. ah, and there he stands, yinyue, as commanding a presence as ever, one dark eyebrow arched at the two of them, suspicion in his sharp teal eyes. yingxing grins. ]

All right, all right, I was just saying hi to our guest. I'm coming.

[ "But I still—"

Dan Heng hates what the beginning of that sentence does to him, the sort of questions it raises. On one hand, it was probably something as simple as elaborating on the fact that he likes all types, not just beautiful women.

What if, though, it wasn't just beautiful women?

Ugh. He tries to shake the thought off, and thankfully, his older brother interrupts at the perfect moment, his own protectiveness cutting through the air as cold suspicion. He reaches for his phone, offers Yingxing a brief, cool (he hopes) smile as the other grins, and when he starts to head back to the back, Dan Heng reaches for his phone and opens the group chat he shares with his two best friends.

"We need to talk later."

At least for now he's safe—

or so he thinks, anyway. The band starts their rehearsal up all over again, but Dan Heng can no longer focus on his study. His eyes keep lifting, peering under his lashes to snatch glimpses of the handsome, teasing guitarist...

Damnit. He was doing so well before... ]

[ Somehow, he manages to live it down. He stops wearing his wristband for a day or two. March teases him for a week. Stelle's still sending the occasional meme. (And even he has to admit that the "I put some awkward in your awkward so you can awkward while you awkward" one was kinda funny, once enough time passed to take the sting out of the thing.) But he lives it down, he gets past it, and now, he's able to just write it off as something weird that happened, a strange moment of playful friendliness from his older brother's friend.

And it's not like it's Yingxing's fault that Dan Heng has had a crush on him for years, anyway.

Today, his wristband is back where it belongs, worn on a wrist as the one major outward sign of his fandom. A sign that right now is even more obvious than normal as his clothes pull away from his forearm, leaving it bare but for the purple and white knit. The culprit? A stretched arm, a book on an abysmally tall shelf. He loves this store, but how many times will he have to ask before they get stepladders or something...?

Dan Heng sighs, hand starting to lower from the book. He'll have to ask for help. Again. ]

[ it's not often that yingxing has the time to just.. relax. to take a day to himself to unwind, go somewhere new, try something different, and when he does, he's often still recognized anywhere he goes. it can't be helped. that's the price of his work, and he's willing to pay it, even if it grates him sometimes. today, though - just maybe he'll be able to slip by unnoticed in this sleepy little alley just outside the university campus.

there's a cafe here, attached to a tiny little used bookshop, and yingxing steps inside. he's dressed plainly in dark jeans and a loose zip-up hoodie over a black tee, his hair pulled into a messy tail, sunglasses concealing his recognizable violet eyes. he places his order with the barista, tapping his painted fingernail idly on the counter as he allows his eyes to wander while waiting for his order to be fulfilled.

and wouldn't you know it. through the archway that leads to the bookshop, yingxing spies a familiar mop of dark hair. it's been a couple of months since he last spoke with dan feng's cute, awkward little brother, but even still, he breaks out into a grin to see him.

his espresso is finished, and yingxing snags it in one hand, thanking the barista with a generous tip before wandering his way into the bookshop area, slipping around a bookcase just as dan heng reaches for a book far too high for him. cute. and what's that around his wrist..? oh, yingxing would recognize that pattern anyway, knows his merch well. stepping up behind dan heng, he reaches over his head to pluck the dusty book from the shelf, his mouth slanted in a smile. ]

This the one you wanted?

[ Despite the ebb of the embarrassment, Dan Heng has made a point of not going to rehearsals again. Even on the day Dan Feng invited him specifically, said they were working on something new that might interest him, he found a reason not to be there, an excuse about an upcoming assignment that didn't exist, a vague promise of "sometime soon" that never turned into anything else.

(He feels guilty even now, because he knows how important the band is to his older brother, but...)

Well, he supports him in his own way, doesn't he?

He's just turned around to go in search of a shopkeep when a taller figure suddenly reaches over him, effectively trapping him against the shelf as it plucks, effortless, the book he wants from over the top of his head. A smile, a question, and—

he might not be the single most pious person in the world, but he's starting to wonder if he's personally done something to piss the Reignbow Arbiter off. ]

Bl— [ The syllable dies on his lips, and he accepts the book, grateful for something to turn his eyes onto, his focus on its dusty spine and very much not the wristband on the hand that holds it ~~steadily~~ tremblingly.

He takes a breath. Standing here gaping won't help anyone, so... ]

That... this is the exact one. Thank you, Yingxing. I was going to have to get someone who worked here to come help.

[ dan heng looks spooked all over again, like a frightened horse on a frozen lake, clutching the book like a lifeline, and yingxing thinks he's beginning to understand.

he'd suspected that dan heng might be into him during their previous conversation, but now, seeing that bracelet - well.. that's some strong evidence, isn't it? somehow, it excites him. he's got thousands of fans, many of which wouldn't hesitate to throw themselves at a chance with him, yet somehow the idea of dan heng being among them is.. really charming. yingxing pushes his sunglasses to the top of his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling fondly. ]

Well, I'm glad I could save you the trouble.

[ the stacks are close together, leaving them standing very near one another, but yingxing makes no attempt to move. ]

Didn't expect to run into someone I knew here.

Thanks, [ he whispers again when Yingxing says something about saving him the trouble, half for something to say and half because holding the book like this he can see his own wristband and he's started to notice the depth of the mess in which he's landed himself. This is bad, this is so, so bad...

Looking up—

looking up doesn't help. Now he's gazing right up into a fond expression worn in lavender eyes, the space between them far too little for comfort, and... and...

He clears his throat, looks around—is there an escape route? Something?—before Yingxing's words have him looking back up, forcing a smile and nodding. ]

It's... small. Quiet, here. That's usually why I come. There are a lot of good books, and the cafe is a good place for study. But I... [ Another shake of his head. ] What are you doing here? It might be quiet, but you still had to get here somehow...

Mm. This place definitely suits you.

[ dan heng fits in here like a fish in a pond. a cozy, quiet bookshop, a little cafe, all tucked away in a sleepy town.. yes, this suits him perfectly. their eyes meet, and yingxing chuckles when dan heng quickly glances away, clearly looking for an out, but yingxing won't make it easy for him. dan feng isn't here to spoil his fun with his overprotection. ]

Want to have some coffee with me? Since we're both here.

[ his eyes flicker down to the bracelet, then up again. ]

Unless you'd rather not spend time with me.

[ They're close enough, and Yingxing's eyes are deliberate enough, that Dan Heng notices, easily, the way that they flicker, slow and predatory, down to the wristband he wears and then back up again. The offer of an out seems deliberate, too, suggesting Dan Heng might not want to spend time with him when it's clear to both of them at this point that he very much would.

He has no idea what to do.

So, in the face of that, he does the only thing he can do: deny everything. His lips tremble into a strained smile as he lifts his wrist, sinks a little harder into the stack. ]

This... this was a gift from my best friend. [ True. ] She's a fan, and I... I suppose she thought it would be funny. [ Also true. ] Because of my connection to the band. [ An outright lie. March had given it to him after hours of him silently ogling Blade in a concert video they watched together, and gleefully taken a photo of his shocked, dismayed expression upon pulling it from the box.

He clears his throat. ]

So... yeah. I guess there's no harm in a coffee.

[ dan heng is fumbling so hard that yingxing almost feels a little bad for being an ass. almost. because dan heng is still so cute when he's grasping at straws. normally he wouldn't bother a fan that seems like they don't want to be close, he's a pretty respectful guy, but dan heng isn't just any fan, and he's super cute, so..

he shouldn't be thinking that. he's got at least a decade on dan heng, and dan feng would absolutely skin him alive for purposefully flirting with him, but. well. yingxing has no sense of self-preservation. ]

Hey, you don't need to explain it to me. I just appreciate the support for the band, you know?

[ he finally eases up, stepping back from dan heng so that they can begin to move toward the cafe together. ]

.. though it's funny your friend would get you mine, and not your brother's.

[ Ugh. Yeah, it's a fair comeback, and one he honestly has no good answer for. Why would March have given him a Blade wristband and not a Yinyue one? His nose wrinkles, and put on the spot, his lie is even more awkward than ever: ]

Even disguised as a human, I still get comments sometimes about how I look like him, and she knew I wouldn't want anything to make that connection more obvious than it is. And... you're her favorite member.

[ March 7th, famously a big fan of Jing Yuan and his sweet, sleepy eyes. "He looks like he'd be the best cuddler, you know?" she'd ask, pouting over magazine shoots, all while his own gaze stayed focused on the serious, stoic lead guitarist.

He sighs, moving alongside Yingxing to the cafe. ]

So, now I have this.

[ oh, he's such a bad liar. it's really cute.. ]

Right, right, of course.

[ he doesn't believe it at all, but he won't push any further, lest dan heng simply implode on the spot. instead, he leads the way, weaving through the stacks toward the cafe again. ]

Well, you can tell your friend thanks for me, then. I'd be glad to sign something for her, if she likes. Anything for a friend of Dan Heng's.

[ definitely for her, and not for him. once they reach the cafe, he corrals dan heng over to the barista with a hand at the small of his back. ]

What kind of drinks do you like?

Uh... thanks. I'll ask her about it, I guess.

[ If he knew what Yingxing was thinking, he'd probably implode. It's a good thing, then, that the other appears to accept his words, guiding him over through the stacks toward the cafe—

although that hand at the small of his back burns him

—until they're standing in front of the barista, and...

and Dan Heng is about to be revealed as the single most boring man in existence. He's never really thought of his drink preferences as embarrassing before, but... well, here he is. ]

Usually I just get plain black coffee, or green tea.

[ hey look, all yingxing got was a plain espresso, so if dan heng is boring, so is he. he nods, then flashes the barista a smile. ]

A pot of coffee to share, then. Cream on the side. Oh, and some water.

[ she smiles in return, quickly busying herself behind the counter to prepare their order, and yingxing turns to lean his back against the counter, removing his hand in the process, likely to dan heng's relief. ]

Next time, we'll do tea.

[ but it's still early enough in the day that it's fine, he thinks, to indulge in some heavier caffeine. ]

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band au;

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I'll make any excuse, coincidence, I knew

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