Work Text:
“Knock, knock!”
The young archivist cast a glance over his shoulder, spotting his regular visitor enter his room. There was no need for him to greet her, for it was the air of silence which made up for it. Nodding in acknowledgment, he redirected his attention back to the monitor screen.
Pretending to be occupied with his work, Dan Heng decides to count down to five, expecting her to naturally instigate the first line.
Five, four, three, two...
“Say, what are you doing?”
There it was, right on time.
“Just entering new info into the database,” Dan Heng explained calmly, typing away on the keyboard. “What brings you in here, March?”
Without even turning to look at her, he could already picture it—the bright, shining smile and playful look on her pretty face.
“Oh, you know~!” March began, followed by a noticeable strain in her tinkering laughter. “I was just in the area and thought maybe my buddy Dan Heng could use a friend!”
Dan Heng removed his hands from the keyboard, his head lowered. “I appreciate the gesture but now’s not a good time,” He muttered, gently shooting her down. “You’re free to stay and take some books if you like. Just don’t make a mess, okay?”
“Roger!”
Despite his persistence to stay on track with his workload, Dan Heng found himself listening to the light scampering of her footsteps in the background. A faint trace of a smile made its way across his lips. Somehow, March’s presence—as obnoxious as she may be, oddly gave him comforting relief and peace. For as long as he could remember, March always had trouble staying in one place.
When she isn’t cooped up in her room, she’ll be at the Parlor Car, chatting away with Pom-Pom and Himeko.
Or go out exploring one of the planets with their new crew member Stelle.
Or even run some errands for Asta back at the Herta Space Station.
It was almost impossible to track her down.
But based on his observations, she’d been frequently visiting the archive room—his room.
And each time she entered and greeted him, he’d either find her engrossed with a random book off the shelves (surprisingly, she’d be picking out the recent purchases he attained back from their Jarilo-VI and Xianzhou adventures) or simply plop down on the floor and play games on her phone.
Today was no different.
“Umm, Dan Heng?”
“Yes?”
“So, I was wondering...and this is gonna sound totally crazy—”
“—You always say something crazy.”
“—HEY! RUDE!”
Dan Heng shook his head. He didn’t need to look at her, knowing fully well how brightly red she looked right about now.
“Just...hear me out, okay?”
Dan Heng nodded quietly, already sensing a bit of hesitancy enveloping her voice. “All right,” He muttered, typing away. “What is it?”
He waited for a moment, expecting something illogical to come out of her mouth.
Knowing March and her track record, chances are, whatever it was that she wanted to tell him—it was bound to have some level of absurdity.
A few minutes passed and the other part bore no response.
Catching wind of this, Dan Heng decides to break through. “Well? Are you going to spill the beans or what?”
He heard a meek squeak from behind, registering it quickly to be March.
“Uh, yeah, so...” March mumbled, and again, she wasn’t sounding so much like herself.
Growing worried, Dan Heng stepped back from the monitor and turned around. Now his eyes were directly on her, noting how physically close yet a bit far she was from him—merely a few steps away from one another but the gap felt wide...dare he say, hollow?
Burying his hands in the pockets of his white jacket, Dan Heng waited patiently for whatever it was that March wanted to say to him.
Dan Heng had always busied himself with work—he was the archivist for the Astral Express after all, prideful of his duty to enlist every entry of new data to be updated as much as possible.
But when it came to March, there was always something unspoken about it.
For whatever reason— then again, does everything need to have a reason? —he was always willing to drop whatever he was doing and spare some time for her.
To listen to her, to be there for her.
After all, March would do the same for me too.
Dan Heng waited and waited, but never once bothered to speak up. For this was her moment and if she was still trying to find the words to tell him, then he was willing to wait just a little bit longer—
When March finally locked eyes with his, that’s when he noticed it.
How stupid he was for not noticing it earlier...how slowly but surely, the spread of crimson all over her face was starting to develop past her ears and even along the crook of her neck.
“Are you okay?” Dan Heng asked, rushing to her side. Was she running a fever? Did she hurt herself? Why didn’t she mention this sooner? Why didn’t I bother to check on her a little more closely—
His frantic thoughts had eventually subsided the instant he placed his hand gently on her forehead.
To his relief, he felt nothing but her cool skin against his own.
“You’re okay...” He said aloud, drawing a breath.
Once more, Dan Heng locked eyes with hers.
It wasn’t long until he realized—how big and wide her eyes were that he finally registered how particularly close he had been toward her. He withdrew his hand quickly, taking two steps back and granting March her much-needed space.
“I-I’m sorry,” He muttered, looking away.
“I-It’s okay, no harm done!” March retorted, blushing and letting out forceful laughter to diminish the awkward tension between them. “I’m a-okay, honest!”
Dan Heng nodded, only to crease his eyebrows as he couldn’t help but wonder...
“Are you sure about that?” He asked straight back, crossing his arms. “You’re acting a little weird. Is there something I should know—"
“No!” March suddenly blurts out, surprising both. “No, I mean...I’m okay!”
But Dan Heng didn’t believe it. He had a particular soft spot for her—thank the aeons, she hasn’t noticed it quite yet.
But March was notorious for her stubbornness. Here it was, clearly showing and knowing her for so long, there was no way he could win for her to admit what was going on.
“Look,” Dan Heng began, shaking his head. “I can’t be wasting time right now. I better go back to my work and—”
“WAIT!” March suddenly cried, reaching out.
Dan Heng blinked, shifting his sights back at her.
Right then and there, everything went in slow motion.
He watched as she made her way to him, snatching hold of his wrist for dear life.
Dan Heng did nothing and instead, allowed her to pull him in...and for the second time, the wide gap between them had closed.
He observed her closely—how March chewed her bottom lip quite harshly, to the point that he could almost see a trickle of blood seeping through. Then there was that faint trace of her smile, though it was a far cry from her usually genuine ones which he’d come to familiarize and secretly loved.
The beat of silence went on and again, Dan Heng chose to wait for her.
Thankfully, it didn’t last for too long.
Gathering courage, March finally spoke up.
“D-Dan Heng!” She stumbled over his name, the tone of her voice noticeably softer than it was before.
“...Yes?”
“Look, I’m so sorry to keep bothering you but I just needed to ask!” March pressed, “Have you ever...” And then she clamped her mouth shut, afraid to share the next few words.
“Have I ever...what?” Dan Heng echoed, not exactly sure how to piece together her sentence.
His composure had slowly waned, even more apparent by the softer tone of his voice. She wasn’t like this before, He thought to himself, pressing his lips as he pondered deeply over it. “Just say it, March. I promise I won’t look at you differently.”
March blushed deeply, then inhaled a sharp breath. “O-Okay...”
Dan Heng pulled out his other hand, placing it on top of hers. I’m here, He wanted to tell her, hoping that somehow, maybe...it might urge her to say what she needed to say—
“Haveyoueverhadyourfirstkiss?”
...
...
...
What did she say?
“You’re...gonna have to repeat yourself,” Dan Heng muttered, except... deep down, that wasn’t the case.
Because he knew.
Between the two of them, his ears were prominently sharp and sensitive.
Yes, it might’ve sounded gibberish.
“Speak a little slowly. I didn’t catch what you just said.”
He needed her to say it again...and to make sure that what he thought he'd heard was real.
March looked up at him and this time, gave him a hard look.
Dan Heng looked back at her, noticing how her face was turning more and more red.
“Have you ever...had your first kiss?”
“...”
“...”
So, his ears weren’t deceiving him.
“Uh...”
Now it was Dan Heng’s turn to blush and get awkward. “What suddenly brought this up?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Did Stelle or Sushang put you up to this?”
“No!” March cried again, pulling away quickly and rubbing the side of her shoulder. Even her pretty pair of pink-blue eyes had strayed away, purposefully avoiding his in return.
“I was just...sorta curious, you know?”
“About a kiss?”
“...”
“March—”
“It’s just...” March interrupted, still looking away. “I’ve been reading so many stories and a lot of them always seem to mention it. You’re pretty much one of the smartest guys I know and well, now knowing of your past lives, I thought maybe you might know something about it.”
Dan Heng did know.
He knew what a kiss was—and just like every single entry he uploaded, he was also well-versed in the exact description from the database.
A kiss is a cultural connotation, an affectionate gesture that involves two parties touching and pressing their lips together.
Then there was the mention of his past lives.
He had only known one—Dan Feng.
From the extensive research he had underdone (and thanks to General Jing Yuan’s support and contribution in lending him past diaries), it remains ambiguous whether his own predecessor even took to doing something as daring or rule-defying as a mere kiss.
But now, he was Dan Heng, his own person.
And as Dan Heng, the answer was simple.
If March is asking this sort of question, then...
“Are you planning to kiss someone in the future or...”
He expected March to do something—to shout, wail, jump up and down, or wave her arms hysterically into the air—anything to dispel his concerns.
But this time, she didn’t try.
And for once, he feared the possibility that maybe...
“You could say that...”
Sure enough, Dan Heng heard her.
There may be one person in her life that she was thinking of doing the kiss with her.
“I see.”
March nodded, veering her gaze to the tips of her boots.
Dan Heng closed his eyes, allowing for the silence in the room to drown him whole. So, that’s what it was. He thought, exhaling a deep breath.
She was still young, after all.
Early in her twenties and with so many things to explore and make up for.
Of course, curiosity was bound to get a hold of her any time soon.
“I, uh...should get going! Just forget what I said, okay?”
Dan Heng quickly looked up, alarmed to find March already heading for the door.
No—WAIT!
Bored out of her mind, March thought it was a good idea to visit a certain crewmember.
Naturally, she found herself visiting the archive room where Dan Heng buried himself in his work.
She meant to drop by, to simply greet her usual hello and find someplace else to go and explore.
Not to say that Dan Heng was a bad companion to be around.
Truthfully, it was the other way around.
He was a great person to be around, only this time...she wasn’t so sure if she wished to extend her stay because...of certain reasons that she couldn’t really express aloud.
Besides the usual comfort and relief that he'd give her, there was also the weird sense of tinkle—no, scratch that...it was a feeling that made her a little lightheaded, becoming a bit breathless, her heart pounding twice as hard as before.
It had been like this for a while now.
But since they’ve welcomed Stelle and Caelus into the Astral Express, that’s when things started to escalate further.
This thing was supposed to be a secret...for her, Himeko, and even Stelle to gossip behind closed doors.
There were times when she’d hear Himeko mention their names together in a sentence, how she and Dan Heng were ‘perfect foils’ for each other.
...Not that that excited her, nope!
And then she had to visit him, to keep him company while he worked...and to purchase a romance novel which Pela recommended to her, of short stories mentioning this infamous ‘kiss’.
Her curiosity led to her searching it up on the internet...
Then her discovery behind it...and how the first thing that popped up in her head was whether Dan Heng’s lips were as soft as she had always dreamed it to be—
Argh, no! Stop it, March! Damn it, this isn’t right! This is YOUR best friend, for Aeon’s sake!
Again and again, March had to suppress herself from trying to ask.
For the most part, everything was going well—her pretending not to care and to pull off her usual cheerful façade to everyone, until today.
Today, she just had to run her mouth and ruin everything.
Now, their friendship was in jeopardy.
—The very same friendship that she fought so hard to establish between them in the past few years would slowly crumble under the weight of her silly feelings.
And now here she was, cornered against the wall...with none other than Dan Heng right in front of her.
One hand secured around her wrist while the other planted against the wall beside her—to any bystander, their posture must’ve looked too improper, highly suggestive to say the least.
March felt her face burning up, even more so as she could practically feel Dan Heng’s condensed breathing trickle along the side of her cheeks.
It took every inch of courage out of her to slowly peer up and dare to look him in the eye.
“March.”
She always loved the way he would say her name, how soft and lovely and wonderful it was to hear from him each time.
It was a silly name, a name she randomly chose to commemorate the day when she was found and when she became a part of their Astral Express family.
Only Dan Heng had that kind of effect on her.
And every time he says it...in many ways, in many different tones, in many different scenarios.
March always felt a little lighter and more grateful for blessing herself with such a name.
“—Are you okay? March, come on, say something!”
March stiffened, blinking as she was forced from her gaze. Recovering quickly, she retorted back, “I should be saying that to you!” She made sure not to raise her voice, all the while keeping her composure together. “What’s going on? What’s with you suddenly—”
“I don’t know,” Dan Heng cuts her off, shaking his head. “I just...”
“...?”
“It’s nothing,” Dan Heng muttered, turning away.
March looked the other way as well.
Aeons, this was such a mess.
She angled her head to check on him and when she saw it—his downcast eyes, her heart broke.
“Look, forget what I said.” March started, fumbling with the hem of her skirt. “It was just a little joke between friends, that’s all!”
Oh, please let this be all over...I hate this tension between us, and I want nothing more but for the two of us to remain the best of friends—
“Just a joke?” snapped Dan Heng, fixing his sights back on her.
He sounded hurt as if her words had physically given him an injury.
March gulped.
Dang it, she had messed up.
One more wrong move and this will be all over.
No, I don’t want that to happen! She screamed inside her head, wanting to hit herself for being such an idiot. Right now, she wanted nothing more but to resolve this stupid misunderstanding between them and just go back to the way it was—
“Who is it?”
...Huh?
“Who you’ve been thinking of you know, k-kissing...” Dan Heng trailed off, tripping over a certain K-word. “Tell me, who is it?”
Aeons, the hole March had dug for herself was getting deeper and far more complicated by the second.
But then again...wasn’t it so obvious?
Don’t you know, you idiot? That out of everyone, you are the only one in the universe that I wanna—
“—NOBODY, I SWEAR!” March cried out, putting more emphasis on each word. “I’m telling you, it’s just a joke!”
“I know you, March!” Dan Heng retaliated, surprising her. “You might think it’s just some lame joke, but I know how important it still is to you!”
“Then what do you want me to do about it?” March pressed, leaning in. “Go on, tell me!”
Dan Heng faltered in his steps. “I don’t know!”
“You’re the smart one!” March encouraged him, “Just tell me what I should do so I can get it over with—”
“ Kiss me then! ”
.
.
.
.
.
March blinked, processing his words. Did he suggest—
“W-what did you say?”
Okay, okay, so what she heard wasn’t what she thought it was...right?
Blushing hard, Dan Heng backed away. “...If you’re unsure who to kiss,” he said weakly, struggling to keep his focus on her. “Why don’t you try it with me first?”
“Try...kissing you?” March asked softly and to her surprise, the latter nodded. “Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.”
March’s mouth dropped open. “Wait—SERIOUSLY!? ”
Again, there was that stern nod of approval coming from him. But as he did so, he quickly turned into a blushing mess, a mirror reflection of herself. “If...you’ll allow me.”
March stood there, trying to process his words. How polite he was to offer to her, how nice and assuring it was that he was there to assist her.
Aeons...is it too selfish to say that she wanted to tackle him and shower him with kisses?
“...All right.” She said finally, “If you are okay with me, then let’s kiss and see where it takes us.”
“Okay.”
...
...
...
“—AFTER DINNER!” March suddenly added, catching the latter off-guard.
“...”
“...”
“...What?”
“Yeah, I said what I said! After dinner!” March repeated herself, nodding and smiling nervously. “Let’s...let’s prep up first, you know? If we’re gonna kiss, we gotta set up the mood too!”
...Aeons, how she wanted so badly to run back into her room and scream into her pillow.
Even Dan Heng—always the reliable friend that he was, was looking at her like she had lost her mind.
Then again, I might as well be.
“Okay...” He muttered, sort of getting what she was trying to explain. “Then let’s do it, let’s...kiss after dinner.”
“Good!” March chirped, clapping her hands. How quick she was to get out of the corner and scurry toward the exit as if her life depended on it.
Then again, at that moment, it did.
“Let’s meet up in my room afterward, okay? I’ll see you then!”
And off she went, leaving a confused Dan Heng—and rightfully so, as she headed inside her room, to hide under her blanket and most definitely scream at herself.
Dinner had gone by in a flash.
Before they knew it, the moment arrived.
Dan Heng showed up near her door, nodding at March as she turned the knob and welcomed him in.
This was it, the time of their scheduled kiss.
Hoping to set the mood, March rushed over to her windows and pulled over the curtains for extra privacy. “Sorry about the mess,” She apologized, cursing under her breath as she tried to clean up her messy bed and collect her plushies together into one pile.
Dan Heng stayed still, even willing to offer her his aid but was declined right away.
“You’re the guest in here, so no!”
“Alright.”
“Make yourself at home!” March gestured as she rushed about.
Dan Heng nodded, making his way over to the window seat and sitting down, propping one leg up.
Dismissing the pink flash in the background, he slyly took out his phone. He pulled up one of the tabs from his recent internet search, keeping his poker face on as he read instructions on a certain page dubbed the ‘wonderous do’s and do nots of kissing’.
“—Hey, sorry for making you wait!”
Dan Heng froze, burying his phone back into his pockets as March joined him by the window with a laptop in hand.
Making herself comfortable, March proceeded to open her laptop and began to rapidly type on the keyboards.
“What are you doing?”
March glanced his way and stuck out her tongue. “Searching up a video on how to kiss, duh!”
Dan Heng blinked. Curiosity got the better of him as he dared to peek at what exactly she was doing.
Surely, she was just pulling his leg—
Nope, she was doing it, really searching up—on how to kiss of all things—in a website infamous for its archives of recorded videos from around the universe.
“We’re...really doing this, aren’t we?”
Hearing this, March paused in her typing. “You know, you could always back away—”
“No, we’re doing this.” Dan Heng interrupted, determined to see it through.
As silly as this was, Dan Heng cared for March and of course, he was here to ensure that everything—even this kiss, that she would make it out of it safely. Who knows? If I did reject her offer, who’d be the fool that’s gonna agree to be her kissing practice partner? The possibilities were endless as countless faces—both male and female from their past adventures popped into his head.
None of them were suitable for someone as special as March.
His ears picked up the sound of typing and again, Dan Heng spared another glance at the long list of videos appearing onscreen.
A step-by-step tutorial on how to KISS.
How to KISS like an Aeon, what TO DO and NOT TO DO
How to KISS confidently (and put your partner to SHAME!)
How to KISS your partner passionately with tongue—
“—Okay, let’s try something else,” Dan Heng suggested, placing his hand on top of the laptop and closing it.
As he did so, March’s eyes and face drained of color.
“Huh? No, wait!” She reached out for her laptop, only for Dan Heng to push it a bit further to the side. “Dan Heng, no!” She protested, her voice desperate. “How are we supposed to kiss properly now—”
“I’ll take care of it,” Dan Heng assured her, ignoring the prominent blushing visibly apparent across his face. “I researched ahead of time.”
March gasped. “You did?”
Dan Heng inhaled a sharp breath and nodded.
As much as he was ashamed to admit it, he wanted this first kiss between them to be perfect, to be memorable.
I want both of us to experience it together.
Shortly after March had left his room, Dan Heng did his research.
After a thorough hour of reviewing, it turned out to be an easy thing to do.
“Hey, uh... before we do this, I just wanna say thank you.”
Dan Heng blinked, returning his sights to a nervous-looking March. “For what?”
“For this !” March tried to explain, gesturing her hands before the invisible space between them. “You know, this whole kissing thing!”
Dan Heng hummed, looking away. “It’s the least I could do.” He muttered lowly. I don’t mind it at all, so long as it’s gonna be with you.
Fixing his gaze on her, he noticed her trembling hands.
“You alright?”
March visibly flinched and looked up. She did her best to give him one of her toothy smiles, though it was obvious how fake it was. “Yeah, I sure am!”
No, you’re not. Sighing, Dan Heng reached out and claimed her hands.
March tensed. “C-careful! My hands are cold, you know!”
“I know.”
“And they’re sweaty right now!”
“I know,” he said, gently this time. Again, he looked up to stare at her.
March looked back, blushing hard. She allowed another smile to slip through, replacing the cracks of her fake one. “You know there’s still time to back away.”
Dan Heng closed his eyes, breathing in.
She gave him another warning, an effort to give him one last chance to remove himself from this situation.
If only she knew... He thought, reopening his eyes again.
“I know what I’m doing, March.” He said, his voice turning into a mere whisper.
“Are you absolutely sure?” March went on, not wanting to get her hopes up. “That you’re okay with—”
Dan Heng leaned in.
.
.
.
.
.
Oh.
Oh.
So, this was a kiss.
How very quaint and simple yet tender.
And this was real—so very real.
March meant to make the first move, but in the end, it was Dan Heng who ended up taking the lead anyway.
Now his lips were touching hers.
Woah, it was...
Well, no words could describe just how unbelievable it was.
The giddy sensation was there, the feeling of butterflies was there, her heart was racing, and everything around them was a blur.
There was the assuring squeeze from Dan Heng’s handholding, his woody-citrus scent with a bit of floral sweetness undertone, and the unusually sharp and bitter taste of Himeko’s leftover coffee tingling through her tongue.
It was so overwhelming and yet, March couldn’t seem to stray herself away from it. Knowing that this was Dan Heng alone was enough to make her selfish and want more. March moaned into the kiss, putting a little more effort into it.
Dan Heng caught this right away and reciprocated, cupping her cheek to keep her steady and deepening it.
Oh, to think that this whole time, she’d been missing out on something like this.
It’s like I’m living in a dream!
.
.
.
.
.
Five to ten seconds later, they kept kissing.
.
.
.
.
.
Past fifteen seconds and they were still kissing, lips securely locked.
.
.
.
.
.
H-how long is this kiss supposed to be again?
Is there an end to this?
.
.
.
.
.
Nearing twenty seconds, March was losing oxygen.
She suddenly pushed herself away, breathing hard as her entire face sweltered in intense heat. She glanced at Dan Heng who was also in the same state as she was, face equally red and eyes half-opened, regaining his senses and breathing patterns.
As their eyes met, time went still.
March blushed furiously as she spotted Dan Heng slipping and swiping his tongue along his bottom lip a few times, almost as if he was trying to salvage as much of her taste as he could...and then there were his eyes, so beautiful and deep, fixed solely on her.
“So? How was it?”
Woah, his voice.
It was a lot deeper than before.
March visibly shook, trying to keep herself steady. “How’s...what?”
Much to her relief, Dan Heng returned to his usual self, rolling his eyes and giving her an odd look.
“How was your first kiss?” He asked softly, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her earlobe. “Did it live up to your expectations?” Did I live up to your expectations?
“Oh, uh...”
March brought another hand to touch her lips, trying hard not to squeal as she could feel her lips tingling from what they had done. She snuck a glance at Dan Heng who looked back at her with a worried expression.
“It was nice, pretty good actually.”
“Huh...”
And then she spared another look at him.
That look in his eyes...for a moment, it did seem like he wanted more out of it...
No, no, March! Don’t even start!
Suddenly, she slapped herself on the face, startling Dan Heng.
“March! What—"
“Please stop looking at me like that!” March groaned, bringing one of her hands up to nurse her stinging right cheek. “It’s torture, you know! I-If you keep staring at me...” The more you stare, the more these feelings are gonna build up and— “ I don’t know what to do!”
There was absolute silence.
Tears prickled the corners of her eyes, but March tried her best to keep herself from breaking down.
“March, I...”
“...”
Dan Heng heaved in a deep breath. “You don’t know this but...” Lowering his gaze, he searched for her other hand...and once he found it, he spared no time claiming it, enclosing his fingers over hers. “You made me happy.”
He lifted his chin to look up at her where he was rewarded by her astonished and embarrassed face.
“ I wanted this.” He declared openly, pouring a bit more heart into his words to show her the truth—his truth of what he felt about her. “And I hope...that maybe deep down, you wanted it so badly too.”
And to his surprise, March flashed him a nervous smile.
“...I did,” She admitted, rubbing her eyes one at a time. “To be honest with you, I didn’t wanna kiss anybody except you.”
If she played her cards, then surely...
“Same here," Dan Heng replied, startling her. "I feel the same way.”
March hummed and nodded, smiling a little more as it slowly but surely dawned on her what his words meant.
“Then...”
There it was, a real one, a real smile adorning her lips—a sight that Dan Heng always kept close to his heart.
“How about we try it again?”
Dan Heng blinked. “You mean, a second kiss?"
March bashfully nodded, smiling.
Dan Heng arched an eyebrow. "Already?"
“Yeah,” March affirmed, sounding more confident than before. “Is that okay?”
Wasting no time, Dan Heng moved closer to her. “It’s more than okay,” He replied, already leaning in and gently cupping her cheeks, stroking them. “Let’s try again.”
“For practice!” March chimed in, earning her an amusing look from the latter.
“For practice.” Dan Heng repeated back to her.
March grinned, shining brighter than ever. She leaned a bit to the side, sighing as she nuzzled her cheek along the surface of his hand, chasing his warmth. “Okay.” She closed her eyes, puckering her lips to prepare. “Ready when you are.”
She waited for him to start.
But when it didn’t come, March grew worried. “Uh...everything okay?” She reopened her eyes, startled to find Dan Heng gazing back at her with the softest look she had ever seen from him.
"Why don't you try?"
March furrowed her brows, pointing to herself. "You mean me?”
"Oh, uh..."
"No pressure, if you don't want to." Dan Heng gently consoled her, clearing his throat as he rubbed the back of his burning neck. "Just say the word and I'll just follow after you."
"Okay."
"..."
"...”
"Then...” March began, then heaved a deep breath, gripping her hands into fists. Come on, you coward! Just say it! "—I want to—to do it, to kiss you !"
There, she finally said it!
“On the lips! If that’s okay!”
Dan Heng's lips slightly twitched, though she couldn’t tell whether he was trying to smile or to frown. But whatever it was, it pushed him to move closer toward her, invading the limited space she had left for herself.
"You have my permission,"
March stared at him, a mix of shock and relief all over her face. Regaining her confidence, she inched a little more, eyes laser-focused on his awaiting lips. Okay, here it goes!
“Okay...”
Closing her eyes, she went for it...
Just pucker your lips like this, and then—
In a matter of seconds, her lips touched something soft and plump.
But something was wrong.
Opening one eye, that’s when March realized that she completely missed her mark—her lips were pressed on his right cheek!
But Dan Heng didn't comment nor point out her mistake. As always, he remained patient and waiting, silently encouraging and waiting for her to take all the time to take her first step and make it happen.
March recoiled away, the pink tinge across her face matching her vibrant hair color.
Let’s try again! She assured herself, hyping herself up. The second time’s the charm! Once more, she went for it, eyes closed, and lips puckered...
This time, her lips were met with something rougher.
She reopened her eyes, shocked to find that she had missed again—with her lips touching the crook of his nose!
Strange...I could’ve sworn I was going straight for it!
From the corner of her eye, March noticed Dan Heng slightly moving his head a bit. Though his eyes remained closed, she could easily spot the faint trace of an impish smile on his lips.
As soon as she saw this, March saw red.
“DAN HENG!”
The man in question opened his eyes and looked at her...pretending to be unaware of what he was doing.
“COME ON, WORK WITH ME!” March urged him, nudging his shoulder.
Dan Heng lifted an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? I am!” He retorted, only this time, she caught it—the slightly high pitch in his voice.
Oh, he was playing games with her.
“Come on! Please just let me kiss you!” March cried, shaking him by the shoulders.
Dan Heng slipped out a chuckle. Dang it, if it wasn’t the most charming sight she had ever seen from him—lowering his guard down and just being himself around her...
Determined to make this work, March tackled him, pushing his body hard against the window seat cushion. Her hands were planted on each side of his head, trapping him in a bind.
March grinned triumphantly at her success in toppling over him. “There, now I have you!”
Dan Heng stared at her, still chuckling and wonderfully smiling. “Okay, now what?”
“Now, I’m gonna kiss you!”
Dan Heng reached out, caressing her cheek and startling her.
The silence returned full force, only this time, it played a major part in their sweet and unspoken exchanges.
His lips were inviting and March gulped, knowing what was supposed to happen next.
What are you waiting for?
.
.
.
.
.
She dove and at long last, struck gold.
She had done it as her lips met a familiar set of warmth.
March couldn't believe it.
She was here, really kissing—
Her crew member.
Her best friend.
Her crush.
...Dan Heng.
.
.
.
.
.
The second kiss was much better than the first.
It was warm, inviting, and delicious...
She angled her head a bit, pressing her lips further in.
And Dan Heng? To her surprise, he eagerly reciprocated and with his arms around her neck, he pulled her down. His hands gently raked along her hair and aeons, March fought so hard not to let out a moan right then and there.
As for Dan Heng himself, he savored every little bit of her—the faded smell of her delicious cotton candy perfume scent, the aftertaste of the slightly sweetened broth of the comfort food they had all eaten for dinner...
.
.
.
.
.
Dan Heng broke it off.
Regaining his breathing, he slowly looked back up and was welcomed by another captivating display of March’s crimson face. By the looks of it, she appeared to be in some sort of a dazed state.
Clearing his throat, Dan Heng said her name. "March?"
March heard him and peered down, only to smile at him lovingly.
His heart skipped a beat.
“How was it?” Dan Heng managed to say, breathless. "The kiss, I mean."
March widened her smile, showing her teeth.
At that moment, words were no longer needed to describe what they were feeling.
Because he, too already knew the answer.
.
.
.
.
.
“You know...”
“...?”
“I think...we should try again,” March wondered, burying her face against his heaving chest. She closed her eyes, relaxed by his even breathing and the steady drum of his heartbeat.
Dan Heng lowered his gaze, locking her eyes. “You mean, a third kiss?”
Gaining a shy nod from her, Dan Heng managed a smile.
“If you insist."
Only for you, I will.