Chapter Text
Upon his first meeting with her, Dan Heng never would have guessed what Stelle would become to him. Sure, March can tease him all she wants for his incorrect CPR technique, but he genuinely did not fall in love at first sight okay? He was just... In need of brushing up his technique, that's all. In a world with magical healing items, how often did he get a chance to flex his first aid skills?
At first she was just a mystery. An intriguing one: a woman no one had seen before dropped in the middle of the Space Station, with no memory of how she got there but no injury to justify her memory loss. One that rushed ahead into battle as though the act of maiming and destroying was the only thing that made her feel alive. He would have suspected a new type of voidranger had she not offered her body as a crutch to Arlan.
Then he found out she had a Stellaron inside of her, active but somehow stable. That revelation shifted all of his perceptions to somewhere darker. Mysterious, dangerous, unknown variable. He was eager to see her accept Herta's offer and remain as far away from the train as she possibly could. Judging by the pensive looks Himeko gave the girl, he was probably not alone in his concern.
She was a sword without a sheath. The Express Guard would never allow his companions to be cut on it.
Then, the Doomsday Beast almost killed March, and the living Stellaron threw herself in front of her to shield March with her own body. Dan Heng saw her heels dig into the smooth metal of the battlefield, her arms raised as if to pray to a god- and then, the scream that tore out of her. First a gasp, then a guttural groan as she hunched into herself, into a pained release for what that blast must have been doing to her.
She's going to die, Dan Heng had thought in shock,she's going to die with no one in this world to care that she lived, because none of us trusted a Stellaron. None of us treated her like a person, and she's dying FOR us.
Regret hit him for one overwhelming moment, watching her body rise in the air with the telltale shine of destruction- Stellaron Disaster in the making. He wanted a little more time, a little more time to not treat her like he'd been treated, newborn and alone and hated because of what he could do instead of who he actually was.
He wanted the time to call her the name she'd given them, instead of any impersonal title he'd used to keep her at a distance. He wanted wanted wanted-
And then a shadow flew towards her, a flicker of red and black, and her entire body lurched back as if struck. She floated down, gently at first, then basically plummeting into March's arms.
Mr. Yang is here.
"They'll be fine. Let's talk somewhere else."
Dan Heng stayed where he was for another moment, stock-still. Catching his breath. Thinking.
He's going to do better once she wakes. He's going to be better. From now on, never again will he think of her as anything else than Stelle- she is no more her Stellaron than he is Dan Feng. He must rid himself of his hypocrisy.
That's how he found himself sitting by her bedside, waiting for her to wake. He and March took turns- sometimes they sat together, sometimes they brought food. Stelle didn't stir.
Not the first day, not the second. It's fine, they were not in a hurry- the Space Station was still buzzing with the sound of people trying to fix the mess anyway. Plus, the silence gave Dan Heng some time to think, some time to consider how to rectify his mistake.
"I've really gotta thank her," March mused against his shoulder during those two days, "without her, I might have..."
Dan Heng had swallowed. "Yeah."
"I feel like I haven't been too nice to her. I mean, I was the normal amount of nice, I guess? But when I heard about the Stellaron, I was kinda scared, so when she talked to me after that I feel like I was really stiff," that was a surprise. Dan Heng has never known March to have a self-preservation instinct. Maybe the Stellaron Disasters she witnessed in the previous stops gave her some wariness. Somehow, the thought didn't make him feel good at all.
"Dan Heng, do you think she could tell I was scared? I feel really bad now! I can't believe she'd risk her life to protect me... After I was such a meanie too."
".... Don't worry March. We can't change the past, but we can do better in the future. I'm sure Stelle will listen to our apologies, even if she doesn't accept them in the end."
March had shut her eyes at that, sighing through her nose.
"Right. Let's become best friends with Stelle, Dan Heng!"
When Stelle woke on the third day, it was Dan Heng by her side- alone. He made sure to use her name when he greeted her, and when he explained what has happened, and every time after.
"We should exchange contact information. Here.... You can call me if you need anything Stelle."
She blinked at him, and somehow he got the feeling she was surprised. They'd have to work on emoting later. He hesitated before continuing, "thank you for... Saving March."
"Ah," she'd nodded, like it made perfect sense, "it was nothing."
Nothing. Like her almost death- something he'd already stressed, was of little consequence. Like she too didn't see herself as a person. It left Dan Heng feeling a bit hollow, memories of when he thought he should be a shield before a person bubbling to the surface. He itched to grab her by the shoulder and shake her.
But she already looked impatient to get back in the action, so he didn't say anything more. Talk was cheap anyway, if he wanted to communicate anything he'd have to let his actions do the talking.
That said, he observed. He saw Stelle running back and forth, pocketing notes she certainly shouldn't be pocketing (he'd input them in the Data Bank and return the originals as soon as possible) rummaging through every corner like it hid a treasure, talking to the researchers and doing things for them- since waking, it appeared she hadn't rested for even a moment. It didn't take long for the news of her being a living Stellaron to be notnews, until no one cared and just treated her like a weird but helpful new face.
That said, even with the day-time cycle being indistinguishable in this place constantly buzzing with activity, it concerned Dan Heng how little she rested. He hadn't seen her sleep. He didn't even know if she had a place to sleep yet, actually. He saw her eat, but it was always something given to her by someone else, be it Arlan or March.
Watching her converse with a potted plant like she was under some sort of spell, Dan Heng was struck with the realization no one had explained to her how money worked, and that she might not have any on her person. The prospect of her potentially starving herself to the point of hallucinating had him tailing her for an entire day just to make sure she ate.
Apparently she knew how to use money, but in fact did not feed herself enough. She still returned to talk to the potted plant though, even after Dan Heng made sure she had food. He looked for her medical files just to be sure no brain injuries were discovered- only to find out she had very scant medical records because apparently they couldn't do much without her consent.
....he dragged Stelle to the infirmary.
"You seem to be having fun," Himeko had commented when he returned from the cafeteria with a paper bag filled with Herta-shaped treats. Biting into them seemed to make Stelle happy. It's possible the Simulated Universe was not going smoothly.
"She's going to work herself to exhaustion. I'm just trying to help," has been his response. Both Himeko and March had side-eyed him at his blatant show of hypocrisy.
That was fine. He ignored them, for he had already reached a conclusion.