slicings | (no subject)

[ the men exchange glances.

Is that a threat? Little girls shouldn't threaten boys much bigger than they are. You can't prove she didn't take them on her own. But if you're going to be stubborn..

the man holding ren tightens his hold until her weight is fully against him, while the other strides forward, making to shove past dan heng, to move her bodily out of the way so they can get by. the other man, meanwhile, is beginning to look nervous, his eyes glancing from his friend, to ren, and back again, gauging whether or not it's worth it.

Dude, let's just go -

No way. This little girl is pissing me off.

he reaches forward, toward dan heng, and ren makes a soft whining sound - it's like she can see what's happening, but she can't move her limbs, can't make them stop, and dan heng.. ]

[ She doesn't say anything, nor does she move; the idiot's first warning, perhaps, should be when he tries to shove her out of the way and finds he can't, the "little girl" successfully holding her strength against his as his friend's eyes dart nervously between them all.

She'll need to remember to thank her brother later for his insistence on proper self-defense training.

Over the next few minutes, a crowd forms. Dan Heng, sporting a brand new black eye, instructs a nervous onlooker with pink hair to call the campus police. By the time they arrive, both men are on the floor hunched over in pain. Mostly just bumps and bruises left in self-defense, she informs the officers, although it really was a pity that the mouthy one tripped and landed on his own wrist, leaving it broken—clearly—in at least two places.

No one argues with her retelling of the events, and Dan Heng is able to slip herself under Ren's arm. An offer to get them to their own dorm gently but gratefully rebuffed, the smaller woman drags her friend back alone, and when Ren wakes in the morning, she'll find painkillers and water on her sidetable. ]

[ if asked about the previous night, ren wouldn't be able to recall much. she remembers arriving, of course, but partway through the party things become a blur, and when she wakes up in the morning with a pounding headache, she's not sure how she managed to get home. did she really drink that much? she remembers having a few, enough to feel loosened up, but..

well, with dan heng there, she wouldn't have wanted to get blackout drunk. not only would it not be a good look, it would've been irresponsible to do, once she finally convinced her roommate to come out to a party with her.

ugh. she fucked up. how could she have lost track of how much she was drinking? was dan heng okay? she'd probably be pretty pissed that ren got herself deep enough in her cups to completely forget the previous evening.. and ren couldn't blame her, either. with a groan, she makes to sit up, but she still feels a little dizzy, her head aching, and blinking blearily through the misty morning sunlight she spies the water and bottle of ibuprofen on the nightstand.

well.. dan heng can't be all that angry if she left some things for her, right?

gulping down several mouthfuls of water with some pills, ren sits up a little more slowly, turning until she's able to set her feet on the floor. another several long, satisfying gulps before she finally has the wherewithal to get to her feet. she's even in a long sleeping shirt - had dan heng gotten her out of her dress, too? man, ren owes her big time..

hair mussed and last night's makeup smudged, ren meanders out of her room and into the living area, looking sheepish as she rubs the back of her neck. ]

.. hey. [ she murmurs, abashed. ] Sorry, I - I guess I ended up drinking way too much.. my bad.

[ Despite the events of the evening and the alcohol in her own system, Dan Heng doesn't sleep that well. She stations herself on the couch, for one, as if guarding her drugged roommate, and the couch is far from comfortable, typical dorm room fare. Then there's the headache pounding at her brain where she was hit, something that even a dose or two of ibuprofen doesn't want to send packing. It's probably best then that she doesn't sleep too much, to make sure she's not concussed or something...

and of course once that thought surfaces, sleep becomes even harder to reach.

Before she knows it, it's morning, and Dan Heng hears Ren's door open, hears the other woman come padding out of her room, hears the shame in her voice as she starts to talk, and... ]

No. No, you didn't.

[ Dan Heng turns to look at her, expression gentle and concerned, a quiet smile meant only for Ren's eyes even as she searches the other woman's face. Ren will notice something even Dan Heng hasn't yet in the dark bruise spread over her left eye socket. ]

Actually, you were drugged.

[ A sigh as she gets up from the couch, moving around to peer into the other's face, as if searching for signs of sickness or discomfort. ]

How are you feeling?

[ wait. so much information is bombarding her at once, here. she was drugged? and dan heng - dan heng's face.. ]

What? No, but - Dan Heng, your eye..

[ ren's brow tightens with fierce concern, and thoughtlessly she lifts her hands to cradle dan heng's face, thumbs smoothing over her cheeks as she looks over the dark bruising surrounding her eye. it looks painful, raw and angry. ]

Just - wait, what happened?

[ she has a hundred questions and no idea where to begin. ]

My eye?

[ Before she can say anything at all, Ren all but charges across to her, and when the woman's fingers find her cheeks, Dan Heng realizes just how much damage has been done. One cheek feels perfectly normal under her roommate's touch; but the other hurts enough to make her wince, to make her eyes widen momentarily before she tries to force a more stoic face once more.

What happened—

Dan Heng sighs. She'll probably need ice... ]

I went to the bathroom, and by the time I got back you'd gone from tipsy to wasted. You were flanked by these two idiots who were trying to drag you to one of the bedrooms...

[ She shakes her head. ]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone.

[ the way dan heng winces infuriates her. who the hell hurt her? who had the audacity to put their hands on her? and the fact that she's apologizing - no, ren can't abide that, can't have her thinking that any of this was in any way her fault. ]

Hey, no. You went to the bathroom, you didn't leave me alone. Guys like that, they.. they wait for opportunities. Fuck, I thought I knew everyone that was going to be there..

[ maybe they were just party crashers, showing up where they didn't belong. ren can't remember their faces to know any better. aeons, she feels like a complete idiot for letting this happen, and when dan heng was there, too. she was supposed to be enjoying the first party she'd ever agreed to go to, not.. not cleaning up after ren's mistakes.

she draws back, turning to stride to the tiny little kitchenette so she can snag some ice to place into a ziploc. ]

Come here, you need this.

[ Dan Heng can't quite help the hint of a smile that tugs at her lips, even as she stands up to follow Ren into the kitchenette. Of course she doesn't know what the other is thinking, but if she did, she'd be quick to tell her it's not her fault, that those guys were clearly clever enough to sneak their way in...

Her arms fold over her chest as she sighs. ]

If you want to see if you know them or not, the campus police picked them up. [ She gets out her phone to turn on the camera, peeking at her own face—and wincing. How did she not realize that was there...? ] They should have names by now.

[ Either that or they look for the only two people at the college beat up worse than Dan Heng herself is. ]

[ campus police involved, too, ugh.. what a mess. poor dan heng had to deal with so much on her behalf, ren can't help but to feel embarrassed about it even if she shouldn't be. zipping up the baggie of ice, ren turns back toward dan heng again, carefully lifting it to hold it against her cheek and eye. ]

I'll worry about that later. Right now, it's you that I'm concerned about.

[ her brow pinched, ren uses her free hand to push some of the dark fringe away from dan heng's brow. ]

How did you get this? Don't tell me they put their hands on you..

[ ren is going to knife the shit out of them if so. ]

I...

[ Dan Heng sighs again. Up until now, she's kept her martial arts training on the down-low, something mostly for her and no one else... but now everyone at the party has seen her in action, and Ren...

She doesn't want Ren to see her as some sort of hero, either. She just did what she needed to do, so... ]

I got between you and the bedroom. I wasn't going to let them do something you couldn't come back from, Ren.

[ A small smile, although it's one that's more serious than anything else. ]

I'm okay. They took me by surprise, that's all. In the end, they made out far worse than I did.

[ got between them?

ren's still feeling a little dizzy, a little disoriented, so it takes her a moment to piece the entire scene together from beginning to end. her jaw tightens, fire flashing in her eyes. ]

I'm going to fucking rip them both a new one.

[ she hisses through her teeth, but right now her anger isn't what dan heng needs or deserves, so she takes a breath, cradling her jaw with the opposite hand. ren's expression smooths out and softens, the tight furrow between her brows lightening. ]

.. you're amazing, Dan Heng. [ she says softly, her scarlet eyes meeting dan heng's. ] I'm lucky you were there.

[ Dan Heng shakes her head—the motion making her hiss as it jostles the ice against her face, reminding her of just how cold it is and of how much she's hurting. ]

You don't have to worry about them, [ she insists, her voice soft. Truthfully, she thinks she'd rather Ren stay as far away from them as possible. Especially since now they're likely just angrier from the whole thing, perhaps wanting revenge of some sorts—it's the reason she stayed on the couch overnight, after all, illogical as it may be. ]

Anyway, I'm glad I was there.

[ She reaches up, a little awkward in how she pats the hand cradling her jaw. ]

[ and for the first time since waking up this morning, ren smiles - it's a warm, soft, easy smile. ]

So am I.

[ she murmurs, her smile curling a little when dan heng's hand covers her own. it's no real secret that ren has been chasing her tail pretty much from the moment dan heng arrived on campus, a fresh new face at the university, bright-eyed and ready to face her future. she'd been so cute, then.. ]

I could kiss you, you know.

[ apparently, a little brush with something terrible hasn't changed how easily she flirts with dan heng; she meant it when she said that she was lucky to have had her there. ren will need some time to fully comprehend and work through what happened to her, and what almost happened to her, but right now.. right now she's just happy dan heng is here. ]

[ No secret, perhaps—to everyone except Dan Heng, who somehow has not noticed the special attention Ren always pays toward her.

...Well, no. That's not entirely true, is it?

She's noticed the flirting, yes. How could she not? But the truth is that Ren is flirty with everyone, that that such things don't exactly make her special in the way she would want to be, in the other's eyes.

And why wouldn't she? Ren is everything Dan Heng didn't realize she wanted until they first met. She's striking, confident, bold in everything she does.. even now, Dan Heng's cheeks flush, the younger woman quick to shake her head. ]

..Seriously? With everything you went through, you're still saying silly things...

Edited 2025-06-12 09:08 (UTC)

[ of course ren pays her special attention. yes, she's a bit of a flirt by nature, has that sort of haughty, arrogant charisma that people latch onto easily, but dan heng is different. dan heng makes her chest tighten up when she's close, her heart racing. dan heng drives her crazy.

but ren doesn't even know if she's into women at all. or into anyone. ]

What's so silly about it?

[ ren grins, flashing her teeth, her gaze dropping down to dan heng's lips then up again. ]

I always want to kiss you. But I should probably shower, first.

[ I always want to kiss you, Ren says, and Dan Heng blinks. It's true that her roommate often says silly, playfully flirtatious things, but an addendum like always is a little different, isn't it?

It makes her wonder, and wondering is dangerous.

What's worse though is that she's usually good at hiding her own embarrassment and attraction in moments like this, but between the exhaustion and the pain, there's no helping the way her teeth worry at her lower lip, eyes avoidant as a pink flush comes to her cheeks. ]

I—

[ Damnit. She would kiss Ren in a heartbeat, but— ]

You're still under the influence of the drug, Ren. [ That's all. That's all this is. ] Why don't you drink some water, take a shower... try to feel better?

[ oh, now that's a bit of a shame. dan heng used to get flustered in the beginning, when they first met, and ren flirted openly with her, but dan heng soon grew accustomed to her behavior, and stopped reacting. a shame. she's so very cute when she blushes like that.

but now, she's blushing again, all soft pinks, biting her lip and glancing away with a demureness that makes ren's heartrate spike. ]

I feel better just knowing you were there for me.

[ she says simply, her thumb smoothing over the soft, tempting bow of dan heng's lips, her voice pitched a little lower. but she meant it - she's a mess right now, her makeup smudged from sleeping on it, her hair and skin smelling of stale alcohol. she'd rather flirt with dan heng at her best. although.. ]

Wanna grab a shower with me?

[ Despite all her best efforts, a shudder runs down Dan Heng's spine. Between the insistence in the other's words, the affection so clear in her voice as her thumb smooths over Dan Heng's lips, it's so tempting to—

Fingers tighten in the fabric of her slacks. She can't let herself get swept away in this, not right now...

And then, Ren asks if she'll shower with her.

Dan Heng sucks in a breath.

The answer has to be no, right? And yet... her friend is a mess, still. Last night she couldn't even walk, and Dan Heng doesn't know how long it takes the drug to leave the system, so... ]

Okay. Let's take a shower. I don't want you getting hurt.

[ ren doesn't expect dan heng to accept, so when she does, her brows lift high - but then she grins, and takes dan heng by one hand, allowing her other to be free to continue holding the ice. ]

C'mon.

[ her knees still feel a little wobbly, but ren doesn't have trouble walking, really, aside from some weakness. she doesn't think she needs the supervision. but she also won't cast aside the opportunity to shower with the girl she's head over heels for.

it only takes a moment for ren to snag some towels and their shared shower caddy before she's sliding into her slippers and tugging dan heng out the door into the corridor. she's not wearing any pants, but her oversized tee is enough to cover her panties, and that's good enough for her. she's hardly afraid of flashing some leg. ]

[ Well, Dan Heng can't deny that it's nice to see Ren smiling, especially after the night she had. She's quick to step into her slippers as well, allowing the other to lead her out into the corridor even as her free hand keeps the ice held against her face. Her own sleeping clothes are somewhat more demure than Ren's, so that's one less thing to worry about, too, given she's wearing not only a sleeping shirt, but pants as well.

At this early hour, the shared bathrooms are, thankfully, quiet. Stopping in front of one of the cubicles, Dan Heng lowers the ice from her face for long enough to reach for her towel, unthreading her fingers from the other woman's. ]

Is this good? I'll be right here if you start to feel dizzy again...

[ into the showers they go, where ren sets down their shower caddy on the bench in the cubicle, then hangs her towel on the hook outside of it, before she begins to undress. it doesn't exactly take much. sweeping her shirt over her head, she drapes it over her towel on the hook, then looks toward dan heng, puzzled. ]

What do you mean?

[ of course she'll be right here. they're showering together.

hooking her thumbs into her black lace panties, ren rugs them down over her thighs and down her calves, leaving her entirely nude, as well as entirely comfortable with it, all of her curves on easy display. reaching into the cubicle, ren starts the water, testing it with her fingers. ]

I mean—

[ But. Oh. Ren has clearly decided that the cubicle is meant for both of them, not just one, if the way she steps in and starts to strip is any indication. Dan Heng's lips part, color flaring on her cheeks as she looks away, because... gods, she's not sure where to look right now. Her own fingers still on the hem of her shirt, all of her stilled actually as she desperately seeks a response in her own mind. ]

You... meant together, together.

[ Aeons help her, she sounds ridiculous. ]

Unless you'd prefer me to go into the next cubicle.

[ There are plenty of them, right? They don't need to share the space... ]

[ oh, look at her, she's so cute and awkward. ren smiles. ]

Come here.

[ reaching forward, she snags dan heng and tugs her in closer, though not beneath the water, not while she's still clothed. her hands then drop, toying with the hem of dan heng's shirt, beginning to pull it upward, though only a little. if she's really uncomfortable, ren won't force it, of course - she's seen dan heng in different states of undress, but never entirely nude, after all, even if dan heng has seen ren naked likely hundreds of times. scars and all. ]

I'll wash your hair for you, if you want.

[ she says around a smile, her eyes fixed on dan heng's. ]

[ She blinks—and for a moment, balks. She really isn't expecting Ren to suddenly reach for the hem of her clothing. Underneath, she has panties and that's all, and... well, it's true she's seen Ren naked a lot, even though she tries desperately not to look. But she... she's always managed to stay at least partially clothed around the other, so...

(And yet, as tired and in pain as she is, the idea of her friend and roommate washing her hair for her, soothing the tiredness away with firm yet gentle motions...)

This time, the motion she makes in silence, alone, is a swallow. ]

I... okay.

[ She's still hesitant when it comes her to her clothes, though, still kind of just standing in place as she bites her lip, hands lifting to her waistband. ]

[ poor dan heng, always so abashed, and ren just shamelessly steamrolls over her.. she feels a little guilty, but dan heng does agree in the end, and ren knows that if she were really uncomfortable, she would decline. she's shy, sure, and a bit demure, but she's very capable of setting her boundaries as well - as last night surely exemplified. ]

Hey, I don't bite, you know.

[ she says softly, her smile gentling a little around the edges even if her eyes are still sharp, her tone still flirty.

tugging further at the hem of dan heng's sleeping shirt, ren pulls it entirely upward now, helping dan heng to remove it, careful of her delicate horns. once off, it gets tossed aside with her own clothing heaped in the basket beside the cubicle. ]