[There sure are ideas, but it’s…probably for the best Bakugo just stays with Dan Heng. The dragon would likely hurt himself more in the distress of believing himself left alone again. The medicine works well enough. It’s enough. And yeah hopefully the bats and cultists are cleared out…]
…okay. [Another sign of trust. Or maybe exhaustion. Likely both. But Dan Heng’s eyelids flutter a little as he lets go of worrying about the kaiju. It’s gone. He doesn’t know how it is, but he believes Bakugo. Aeons can be sealed away, pushed back, lost…it’s okay. He relaxes a little in the hero’s arms, the medicine numbing his hurts enough to let go of alot of that stress in his shoulders. The muted pain leaves a bone deep exhaustion that’s hard to fight…but he’s fought this long. Besides…he wants…he wants to be awake to see outside this place. Freedom…he wants to...confirm it with his own eyes.
And Bakugo keeps looking at him. Checking…if he’s still with him? He’s awake. Pretty out of it, yes, but he’s awake. Bleary blue eyes meet determined red ones every time. It’s reassuring, which is…ironic, in the back of his mind. Eye contact had always been a bit difficult for Dan Heng to maintain, but here it’s grounding, helping to keep his thoughts in the present. Even if that present is rather miserable in a physical sense, it’s better, it’s safe. ]
Thank you… [Normally, Dan Heng might feel a bit guilty for keeping the hero with him. There are others who need help too. He can’t imagine his punishments were the worst…but Bakugo is. He’s safe. Dan Heng doesn’t know the doctors…there’s the creeping fear in the pit of his stomach that it’ll just be the alchemy commission, wanting to test more “healing arts” on him, or this is all a dream he’ll wake up from, cold and dark and-
He feels Bakugo shift his head around, not for the first time. Ah….his horns.] S…Sorry… [Trying to move them ends up jabbing Bakugo in the chin instead. Oops. Ok, so he’s just going to hold still then…
The dragon chuckles softly, baring pointed teeth for a second.] I think I did. Scared ssome off…a’ least… [It’s honestly not too hard to redirect Dan Heng’s thoughts. He’s more likely to dwell on the negatives, but he’s so tired that his thoughts are muddled and flowing together like the currents of the sea. The prompts redirect him to a thoughtful pause, blinking slowly.]
Th…ramen we had. W’s nice. Char Siu…? [The dinner Bakugo dragged him out to, when they met. He’d told the young man that he rarely had preferences at all back then. Perhaps it’s the experience itself that created more of a fondness for the dish, even if he really did like it for the taste too.
Bakugo’s doing his best, but Dan Heng does wince a little as they move up. He tries not to look at the dungeon, the blood and the bodies around them as he answers this next one.] C’lor…red. S’my favor’te. The…Express. Red is…that’s its…its color. [The conductor’s garb, the furniture, Himeko’s hair and the Nameless’s passion for the trailblaze, the ticket given to him…his first real home. Red may have associations with blood and death as well, but its association to home always wins out for Dan Heng.
He smiles weakly, a tad sheepish. The medicine sure is working for him to feel like smiling at all right now.] Prob’ly exp’cted green, huh…?
Lessons in humility, the process of refining a truly great hero indeed~
…okay. [Another sign of trust. Or maybe exhaustion. Likely both. But Dan Heng’s eyelids flutter a little as he lets go of worrying about the kaiju. It’s gone. He doesn’t know how it is, but he believes Bakugo. Aeons can be sealed away, pushed back, lost…it’s okay. He relaxes a little in the hero’s arms, the medicine numbing his hurts enough to let go of alot of that stress in his shoulders. The muted pain leaves a bone deep exhaustion that’s hard to fight…but he’s fought this long. Besides…he wants…he wants to be awake to see outside this place. Freedom…he wants to...confirm it with his own eyes.
And Bakugo keeps looking at him. Checking…if he’s still with him? He’s awake. Pretty out of it, yes, but he’s awake. Bleary blue eyes meet determined red ones every time. It’s reassuring, which is…ironic, in the back of his mind. Eye contact had always been a bit difficult for Dan Heng to maintain, but here it’s grounding, helping to keep his thoughts in the present. Even if that present is rather miserable in a physical sense, it’s better, it’s safe. ]
Thank you… [Normally, Dan Heng might feel a bit guilty for keeping the hero with him. There are others who need help too. He can’t imagine his punishments were the worst…but Bakugo is. He’s safe. Dan Heng doesn’t know the doctors…there’s the creeping fear in the pit of his stomach that it’ll just be the alchemy commission, wanting to test more “healing arts” on him, or this is all a dream he’ll wake up from, cold and dark and-
He feels Bakugo shift his head around, not for the first time. Ah….his horns.] S…Sorry… [Trying to move them ends up jabbing Bakugo in the chin instead. Oops. Ok, so he’s just going to hold still then…
The dragon chuckles softly, baring pointed teeth for a second.] I think I did. Scared ssome off…a’ least… [It’s honestly not too hard to redirect Dan Heng’s thoughts. He’s more likely to dwell on the negatives, but he’s so tired that his thoughts are muddled and flowing together like the currents of the sea. The prompts redirect him to a thoughtful pause, blinking slowly.]
Th…ramen we had. W’s nice. Char Siu…? [The dinner Bakugo dragged him out to, when they met. He’d told the young man that he rarely had preferences at all back then. Perhaps it’s the experience itself that created more of a fondness for the dish, even if he really did like it for the taste too.
Bakugo’s doing his best, but Dan Heng does wince a little as they move up. He tries not to look at the dungeon, the blood and the bodies around them as he answers this next one.] C’lor…red. S’my favor’te. The…Express. Red is…that’s its…its color. [The conductor’s garb, the furniture, Himeko’s hair and the Nameless’s passion for the trailblaze, the ticket given to him…his first real home. Red may have associations with blood and death as well, but its association to home always wins out for Dan Heng.
He smiles weakly, a tad sheepish. The medicine sure is working for him to feel like smiling at all right now.] Prob’ly exp’cted green, huh…?