#Soft for Dan Heng not understanding the bond he has with Welt but at the same time caring about him

[yeonban]

*On Dan Heng's bond with Himeko & Welt.

One thing I have to say about this topic is that Dan Heng GENUINELY views Himeko and Welt as parental figures, even though he doesn't mention this to anyone (not even to them). He might not know what having parents is actually like since the vidyadhara are self-sustaining beings, but he's learned how a mother and a father should be and how they should make their child feel (safe, understood etc) over time as he's witnessed parents and children interacting on various planets, and to him? these two come closest to the meaning of "parents".

They've lent him a helping hand by asking him to join the Express when he was at his lowest point (alone in the universe, hunted by Blade, loathed by the Xianzhou, formerly kidnapped, nearly died several times, so on so forth) and they gave him the choice to disembark it whenever he wants to instead of tricking or "caging" him into staying there forever; they're actively trying to protect him from anyone with even remotely hostile intentions towards him even though they don't have to (HE's their appointed guard, so they're not bound by anything to protect him other than the kindness of their hearts and their affection for him - which is something Dan Heng is beyond grateful for) and they've given + continue to give him understanding no matter what he does or says, plus they've never once scolded or berated him for any of his decisions (a thing he was familiar with on the Xianzhou, both as himself and in Dan Feng's memories).

Out of the two I'd say Dan Heng is closer to Welt since they both have very logical personalities that try to think ahead on any potential thing that may go wrong and how to deal with said thing if it does go haywire, and they're also two introverted (and a bit awkward) nerds who love learning new bits of knowledge and enjoy sharing what they've learned with each other while sitting in silence in the same place reading or drinking tea; but Dan Heng does value Himeko greatly too - she was the first person to have ever extended him a helping hand and she asked for absolutely nothing in return, which to this day is baffling to Dan Heng (she's much kinder than himself, in his opinion, and he admires her for that). She continues to be openly gentle and caring with him all the while slowly pushing him towards the life he wants to live rather than the one that's been imposed on him, and all of that combined has earned her a very soft spot in Dan Heng's heart.

Dan Heng was also the first "young person" to join the Express in a long time, and it's been quite some time since he joined and until March was found - so for a (presumably extended) while he truly was doted on by them every day, much like an only child. His thinking mirrors theirs in a lot of areas because of the time they've spent together closely and not only do they influence some of his beliefs, but he trusts them entirely. There's not a SHRED of doubt in his heart about either of them nor about their opinions/intentions/beliefs, and because of that he also trusts the conclusions they come to. Which is to say, in a lighter / funnier note, that if Himeko and/or Welt don't like you... you might as well say goodbye to the idea of ever successfully courting Dan Heng.

#muse: dan heng. #* dan heng. / development. #Had to add the funny thought in the last paragraph bc he fr would NOT spare you a second glance if they thought ur vibes are off. #like yeah DH would think it through himself first but their opinion has value to him as well. and generally? they're right on the dot too #BUT YES Himeko and Welt's bond w Dan Heng is EVERYTHINGG to me. They're the family he (nor his predecessors) never had #replaying the old tb quests and seeing how much they love him and how much he trusts them always makes me feel so soft :') #but also they ARE very much the embarrassing parents too. go to them if you want to hear any embarrassing stories about DH #...at least til he coughs loudly to make them stop and bless the fact that they do stop AGHDSADJSAD best parents to EVER exist in HSR