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These past few days, Stelle has come to realize a few things.
It's nothing serious, not that she knows of but recently, Dan Heng has started bumping his forehead in hers a lot more.
He did this often already. But it was rare, in quiet moments after a nightmare or when she's been away for over three days.
After Amphoreus? He does it almost constantly.
Stelle doesn’t say anything at first. She just watches him — Dan Heng, who is usually so controlled, so composed — pressing his forehead against hers like he's trying to memorize her presence. It's nothing forceful or anything that can cause hurt. He'd just lower his head and rub his forehead on hers to and fro both of his temples. Sometimes he even nuzzles his horns to her head as well when he's in his Vidyadhara form.
She knows what this means. Not because she's an expert on dragon instincts (she isn't), but because Dan Heng himself told her once: a bond like theirs runs deeper than human habits allow for.
And now? Now that Amphoreus happened — the near-miss of losing each other again — he can't seem to stop.
She doesn't mind. It's small. It's cute. It's like his own form of giving her a kiss.
She likes it. It comforts her too. Mutual comfort is always good. So, she stashes it away as a thing he just does when he feels like it.
She doesn't say anything.
Then comes the hoarding.
Maybe hoarding is the wrong word because it's not him who's keeping things for his own pleasure, no.
It started with a flower. Stelle gave him an orange flower in passing one day, in jest, telling him with a bright and confident grin that he should get more flowers from pretty girls such as herself. He took it with a fond sigh and promised to cherish it and keep it in his room.
The very next day, Stelle received similar flowers from him. Wordlessly. She didn't complain — what kind of girlfriend complains about getting flowers from her hot dragon boyfriend? Not her!
Then she looked at a bracelet too long while they were sitting together in the Archives. He was reading something and Stelle was scrolling when it just popped up (curse IPC ads) and she jokingly said it was pretty. Now she has a box full of at least ten similar styled bracelets Dan Heng bought her. It didn't stop at bracelets. A new game? A silly mug? A comfy hoodie? He grabbed it and wordlessly brought it to her — as long as it was something Stelle would enjoy, he'd hoard and gift her.
It was cute.
It was fine.
In hindsight, she probably should've asked what was making him act more dragon-ly lately.
Then Stelle returns from a small errand one day. To find their entire room upside down.
She didn't leave it like this and hell would freeze over faster than Dan Heng would act this disorganised.
Unfortunately for her sanity, it turns out it was indeed Dan Heng when he comes in with at least four more blankets held in his reliable arms.
Stelle takes one step in their destroyed room and immediately has to blink twice to make sure she's seeing straight. Because there's no way Dan Heng, the most organized, clean, meticulous, stick-up-his-ass man she has ever met has actually thrown their entire room into chaos.
She hears the door close behind her, accompanied by the sound of his footsteps.
"Dan Heng." She turns slowly, looking at him. "... Please tell me I'm hallucinating.”
"Um." He starts eloquently, the tips of his pointed ears turning a bit pink. "You’re not… I'm making a nest.”
Stelle's eyes widen, her eyes flickering over the absolute chaos that is this room. The clothes and sheets are tossed all over, pillows have come off of the bed, blankets have seemingly materialized out of nowhere, and there's an actual mountain of folded clothes in the corner.
"You're... Making a nest," Stelle repeats in calculated disbelief. "You? Nest? Dan Heng, no offense, this looks worse than me on laundry day and you're the most well-organized person I know.”
"I also happen to be a dragon." He defends, eyes narrow, blankets clutched protectively. Dan Heng looked just a reprimand away from a childish pout.
Stelle can only blink, her brain trying to wrap her head around this very, very un-Dan Heng-like behavior. He is the man who puts his clothes away in neat stacks — colour-coded, by the way (not like he wears more than three colours) and here he is, turning their now shared room into the mother of all messy beds. She walks towards the bed, picking up one of the discarded pillows. She gives Dan Heng a look over her shoulder that very much says ‘what the hell.’
"You never told me dragons nest.” Stelle points out.
"They do. Sometimes." He very slyly avoids saying when is sometimes because in the one year of dating him, this hasn't happened.
Stelle drops the pillow back onto the bed, turning to face Dan Heng fully now. She puts her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him in a way that makes it very clear she sees right through his half baked reasoning. He's usually better at lying, not that she lets him go undetected.
"Sometimes?" She repeats slowly. "Dan Heng. You are literally standing in what looks like a tornado hit our room."
Her eyes flick around again before settling back on him with narrowed suspicion. "... Is this because you're stressed? Or sick? Because I swear if you've been hiding some kind of fever—”
"No, no, I'm fine. I promise..." He sighs, dropping all the blankets in what should be the circular nest. "I'm not hurt. Or stressed… Not that much, I am a bit stressed because the nest needs to be done. I'll explain but I don't want to accidentally upset you.”
Stelle's eyes follow Dan Heng's movements as he continues to add to the messy nest on their bed. She crosses her arms, a small frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. He's never sounded this evasive around her before.
"Upset? Why would I—" She pauses, studying his face and the way he won't meet her eyes, and it clicks. She sighs and moves a few steps closer, reaching to take hold of his chin, making him look at her. "Just tell me.”
Stelle just keeps staring, trying to process that her neat-freak of a boyfriend, Mr. Perfect himself, who is always so rational, just one day suddenly decides he has the inexplicable urge to make their room into the nest it's currently in. She shakes her head, looking at the mess of pillows and blankets around them.
Dan Heng avoids her eyes, averts his gaze to a very interesting plushie of hers that he can use to soften up the nest some more but then Stelle moves his chin so he has to look at her and her waiting golden eyes. Eventually, he sighs and gives in, “You've been tired lately… And I've noticed you're hurting a little from the battle scars. There's no immediate medicine I can bring you but time and rest. So, I'm making a nest.”
Stelle stared at him for a good minute. Almost surprised at his earnest answer. It's true that some of her scars hurt when she exerts herself and well, Amphoreus hasn't been easy on any of them but here he is, giving her special treatment.
"I don't know whether I should be amused or worried," She mutters fondly.
"I'll clean it up after, I promise. Just let me, okay? Please?”
That must be the Dan Heng equivalent of puppy dog eyes because she literally feels herself incapable to even think of saying no.
What a dangerous man.
Stelle sighs dramatically, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. But she can't help the amused smirk tugging at her lips — because of course Dan Heng would suddenly develop dragon nesting instincts out of nowhere and then look at her with those pleading blue eyes like he's a kicked puppy rather than a refined dragon. Maybe there's not much difference.
"Fine," She relents, "But I swear to every Aeon if you start piling my favorite jackets into this mess without asking, I'm throwing a pillow at your head."
She proceeds to flop onto the bed — just out of his current project's boundary — next to where he stands, making no move to actually stop him.
Dan Heng narrows his eyes at her sitting away from the nest like that. "No, don't do that. You're supposed to be in this.”
Stelle rolls her eyes but scoots inside anyway, watching as he tugs at the hem of her shirt with a stubborn little frown. He's so serious about this, one may think this is some sort of Archives database software update rather than an impromptu glorified messy bed.
"Fine, fine — you're lucky you're cute when you're being weirdly territorial." She lets herself be pulled into the nest (because let's be real, resisting Dan Heng is like trying to stop a freight train, she knows because she's not much different).
The second she settles in though? She immediately snatches one of his pillows — one he was trying to fluff up and put at the base and whacks him with it. "But I'm still throwing things at you.”
That backfires badly.
The pillow hits Dan Heng square in the shoulder and slides off onto the bed.
He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t scold her, doesn’t even look at her.
He simply absorbs it, adjusts his grip on a new blanket in his hands, and keeps working.
He smooths the fabric down with quiet, meticulous care, layering it over the others like the interruption never happened. Like the impact meant nothing at all. His expression stays carefully blank, eyes lowered, mouth set in a thin line that’s just a little too controlled.
And that is what makes her chest tighten.
Because she recognizes that look.
It’s the one he wears when he decides something he values isn't worth anything special.
He doesn’t withdraw from the nest. If anything, he becomes more intent on it. Another blanket is pulled closer. Another edge is tucked in with precise, almost reverent care. His movements are slow, deliberate, as if he’s trying to compensate for something — like if he builds it well enough, carefully enough, it’ll justify itself.
And suddenly, it looks less like a joke.
It looks like devotion.
Like someone offering something fragile and deeply personal, only to be brushed aside.
From the outside, it probably wouldn’t look like much. Just a pillow tossed in play and a dragon continuing his strange, domestic ritual but Stelle sees the way his shoulders draw in slightly. The way his tail stills behind him. The way he refuses to meet her eyes, as though acknowledging her reaction would make it worse.
It feels like watching someone quietly accept rejection.
Like she just laughed off something that mattered more to him than she realized.
And the worst part? He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t protest. He doesn’t ask her to take it seriously. He just keeps building the nest as if she might change her mind if he makes it good enough.
Stelle immediately regrets it. The second the pillow hits and... he just sits there, not even reacting, she feels her chest tighten with something too cold. She's been around Dan Heng enough to know that means 'I feel sad but I'm not gonna let you know I'm sad' and the instant pang of guilt makes her cringe at herself.
"Hey," She begins softly, reaching out to gently stop his hand from adding more.
His hand freezes the moment she touches his wrist , but Dan Heng still doesn't look at her as he responds, "What."
It's just one word, but from the stiff set of his shoulders, Stelle can tell he's tense. Not to mention that one little syllable sounds so flat when Dan Heng is normally the type to add the slightest inflection to his sentences, especially around her.
She bites back her first response, swallows her stubborn pride. He's a Vidyadhara, a dragon, she reminds herself and dragons are notoriously sensitive when they're trying to nest. So she changes tack. Stelle exhales through her nose, forcing herself to take a slow breath before speaking. She moves closer, hesitating for only half a second before wrapping both arms around his shoulders with care — loose enough for him to pull away if he wants to.
"Hey," She repeats, "I'm sorry. That was mean of me."
She rests her chin on top of his head for good measure, because if there's one thing Dan Heng responds to when he's being upset like this? It’s physical affection. It works, always does, even if slightly. Dan Heng quietly moves to hug her back, his arms loosely wrap around her waist like he's too hesitant to fully embrace her like he's learnt to do.
Stelle breathes an inaudible sigh of relief when he returns the hug. She gives his shoulders a gentle squeeze, the previous amusement in her eyes melting away, replaced by fond affection and a twinge of guilt. She turns her head, gently pressing a kiss to his hair.
"Are you mad at me?" She murmurs in-between pressing small, soft kisses to his head in a silent apology.
"... No." He says quietly, word muffled in her shirt. "Are you?”
Stelle pauses midway through another kiss, her expression shifting to genuinely concerned. She turns him around in her arms so she can look at his face properly — golden eyes scanning for the hint of distress she hears in his words.
"Mad? Dan Heng." Her voice drops, softer now. "I was teasing you. You know I don't actually mind the nest. Or the fact that you got all super territorial over it."
A beat passes before she adds, "...But if you're stressed about something else, we should talk about it. You can tell me anything. I won't joke about it, I promise.”
The way his tail droops in a sad pile behind him should've been answer enough but he does mumble, "... I thought you didn't like it.”
Stelle's heart sinks, another wave of guilt twisting in her chest. The realization hits her in full force — his stiff shoulders and averted gaze, that flat tone in his voice... She was being too careless, after all. She should have known he'd take her initial teasing more seriously when he's being like this.
She gently takes hold of his face, making him look at her again, and her eyes soften as she studies his face.
"I was being an ass," She admits, her thumb brushing over his cheek in a light, comforting motion. "I'm sorry.”
"No... it's okay." He says, dejected and quiet. "I've never made one before and it just happened and if it's bad… I can remove it.”
It physically pains Stelle to see the discouragement in his eyes. That is just not something she knows how to process because this is not how Dan Heng gets often, or at all. She shakes her head, keeping her hand in place to cup his cheeks to make sure he's listening, the other one moving to caress his hair.
"No, no. No, listen to me." She waits until he meets her eyes again, her voice soft yet firm. "You're not being weird. You're not being bad. You're allowed to act like this. Like however you want.”
"Just because you've never done this before doesn't mean it's weird or bad," Stelle continues, "I was the one being a jerk because I thought I was being funny. I'm sorry I didn't take it seriously at first. I was just surprised.”
The corner of her mouth twitches, and she leans in, pressing a brief, soft kiss to his lips. "You're very much allowed to suddenly build a nest. So don't you even think about dismantling it now.”
That makes him feel a little bit better. It's not like he could control when his instincts demanded this.
His tail sways a little behind him, so Stelle knows he's not feeling that bad anymore. A wave of relief washes over her when Dan Heng's tail moves in a gentle flutter — it's the clearest sign that he's feeling better (as much as he's trying to hide it still). She gives his cheek a gentle pinch, still looking right at him as she gives him a sly smirk.
"Besides, the only thing I have a problem with—" Her eyes flicker over the nest around them, then back to him. "—is that I was not included.”
That makes him speak up again, with a little frown. "I was making it for you though.”
Stelle's smirk softens into a small smile, a warm, affectionate feeling stirring in her chest at those words. She can't help the way her heart skips a beat, touched by how he was making the nest with her comfort in mind — how he went through all the trouble of gathering things, of building a place for her specifically. Just because he noticed she's a little tired and a little hurt. He is too, but she suppose Vidyadhara prefer their mate's comfort over their own. Even if it demands making a nest out of the blue.
She tugs him closer, gently guiding him until he's pressed against her front. "Good," She murmurs, "Because I expect to be very comfortable in this nest of yours.”
"So I can continue?” His pointed ears give a hopeful twitch and the look in his eyes alone makes her heart turn into a mushy puddle.
She wraps her arms around him and pulls him closer, her chin resting on his shoulder as she murmurs next to his ear, "Dan Heng, don't ask me for permission. You can do whatever you want."
She presses a small kiss to his temple, a teasing smirk pulling at her lips. "I'm trusting you on the cozy factor.”
And so the nesting resumes. It ends up exactly like one would assume a half dragon would make. It's all blankets, pillows, cushions and clothes in a circular nest. Stelle lets out a low laugh when Dan Heng finishes the nest — it's bigger than the bed itself and looks downright cozy, covered in a collection of all the soft things he can find right away without unnecessary stealing. She can't really hold back her amusement at the sheer amount of items he ended up gathering,not that she's complaining.
She glances at him with a teasing grin. "Now all we need is your hoard of shiny gems and gold.”
Dan Heng shakes his head and takes her hand in his, gently pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You're already here.”
“You're telling me you did all that hoarding for me and I'm your best shiny?” Stelle snorts, though she cuddles him while doing so to make sure he doesn't feel like she's making fun of him again. She really isn't, however much she wants to call him a corny sap right now.
“Yes.” He presses his forehead to hers, tail wrapping around her middle. “Very shiny. Very precious.”
Stelle hides her laugh in the crook of his neck. It's good to know a man as smart as Dan Heng can become the most instinct driven dumbass dragon possible.
With a happy inhale, she raises her head and opens her arms, "Alright, c’mere then. My mate duties entail I must reward my dragon with plenty of kisses for this cozy cave.”
And Dan Heng comes eagerly, tail wagging as Stelle cups his face and peppers his skin with her lips.