headlocked | kidfic containment

[this was all very confusing. baba went to talk with the strange people and dan feng, all of thirty years old (baba said, "In short-life terms, he's six,"), was kidnapped by a furry ... animal. person?

they were nearly the same height. pom-pom's hat was a little bit taller than his horns. more importantly, pom-pom gave him some juice, and a book. dan feng could not read the book's title but it was given to him so he carried it around very carefully.

he went past a door - and it slid open. he peered around the door. wow...there were so many books in here!]

[the travelers aboard the express had, of course, had some changes in intervening years, but some things remain the same. welt is here, only slightly older in appearance. himeko is still wickedly hot and terrifying in her fifties. dan heng... hasn't left, which surprises him perhaps more than anyone.

more importantly, while he has not moved out of the archives, it has become more visibly a home. much more of the walls has been taken up with low, stuffed bookshelves. there's a dresser rather than just a beat up old suitcase. two armchairs have been pulled in, seating for himself and anyone who may come in searching for information or company.

dan heng slips away from the tense discussion (everyone there sees it and allows it. it's understandable), so it isn't long before dan feng will have company, but for now there's a cozy room with books and aquatic lighting right there, inviting.]

[dan feng carefully sets his orange juice on a table. he has manners, of course. he leaves the book he’s been given - An Introductory Course Into Astrophysics, 268th Edition - next to it. crouches down on hands and knees to peer at a bookshelf.

he ends up with Fauna Compendium of Extallia-87, which was very big for a six year old, and more importantly, had dozens upon dozens of pictures. he settles down on his stomach, right on one of the tiles completely covered by the aquatic lighting, and using his oversized tail to pillow his chin on, starts to leaf through his newly found treasure.]

[dan feng gets a few minutes to leaf through his book of animals. then there's the soft hiss of the automatic door again, footsteps coming to a stop in the doorway as a man pauses.]

[he looks over his shoulder. squeaks.

and he scrambles to grab something out of his pocket- a jade ~~shackle~~ bangle, and when he slips it on a hand his tail and horns disappear. his ears round, his hair shortens drastically into a fluffy mess, and most importantly, his luminous slitted eyes dim into rounded pupils.]

Um.

[oh.

oh, that hurts.]

You- it's all right. You don't need to do that.

[he backs away straight into a bookshelf. scared.]

Baba said I have to do it. So I don’t get hurt again.

...

[stepping inside, letting the door hiss closed behind him, then- taking two steps to the left. and sitting on the floor, keeping his hands in sight. not blocking escape, not doing anything suspicious, only letting the door close.]

He is a wise man. But you are safe here. Both of you.

What does wise mean?

[he shrinks away, apparently remembering himself.]

That he's smart. But in, mm, an experienced way? I can look up the proper definition for you, if you'd like.

[gesturing to the terminal past the little guy.]

[staring at him blankly. have you ever met a six year old dan heng.]

[he hasn't really met a vidyadhara at this point in development other than himself, his expectations are skewed. dan feng has been allowed a childhood.]

...The point is that your baba is looking out for you. I'm glad of that.

[more staring.

and then he starts looking a little distressed.]

Where’s my baba?

[how does he handle this...]

He's in the next car over.

[he wants to go to jing yuan but that also means he has to get close to the strange man.]

Um. [he crawls backwards to the edge of the futon, curling small hands into it.] Did. Did he get kip - kidnapped?

[he struggles a little saying it but he does.]

[internal pathetic noises.]

No. He's just talking with the other grownups.

[the futon probably smells comfortingly familiar, somehow...]

... I'm sorry. You really don't have to hide. I-

[unclench and try to make the child less terrified dude

breathes out and lets his cloudhymn drop, horns and tail and hair bubbling free from magical hiding.

he has at least taken to wearing clothes that can adjust for his tail without issue, thank fuck.]

See?

[you can actually see dan feng’s eyes widen in real time, and he sort of kind of leans towards him, looking at dan heng with something approaching awe.]

You’re like me!

Right. And... this is my home. So no one here will hurt you, for being like me.

[ohhhhhhhh.

he climbs to his feet. shyly takes the bangle off and carefully puts it back into his pocket. and then he runs full-tilt in dan heng’s direction, only that he overbalances nearly immediately because his tail is nearly as big as he is.]

[relaxes visibly when dan feng unbinds himself, which is INSTANTLY ruined by oh fuck why is he running oh fuck he's BAD at running

lunges to catch the beebin. at least the room is still quite small.]

[he lands on dan heng hard, his little horns jabbing him in the shoulder.

two seconds pass. and then he opens his mouth. and starts. wailing.]

[ow.

but more importantly, panique.]

Are you okay?!

I keep falling down! My tail is too big! Baba said it might fall off!

[jing yuan........

idly wonders what it would have been like to be able to like. move. when his tail was that big compared to the rest of his body.

no, that's a bad road. bad.]

Hmm. It still seems quite small to me.

[sweeping his own tail around to thump lightly against dan feng's.]

[his eyes start watering again. dan heng you’re so bad at this.]

It’s not small!

[he's barely socialized for other adults how is he supposed to be good at children,]

It's not big enough to fall off, surely.

It’s not?

[slightly less watery voice. he looks at dan heng’s tail longingly…]

Baba said it might fall off but he also said it wriggled like a worm and it growed back. [he makes an ‘o’ face at dan heng.] Did your tail fall off and wriggled like a worm and it growed back?

[jing yuan you are getting put in a headlock for lore later.

but he recognizes where this is coming from at least. fuckin. lizard shit. jing yuan thinks he is hilarious.]

Oh, so he means that. Mine hasn't before, but if it ever does fall off, it will wiggle a lot and grow back.

[he kind of… tumbles over dan heng’s lap (stabbing him again with a horn) and crawls over to…

hug dan heng’s tail.]

Nooooooo. [he whispers tearfully into the fur lining it.] Don’t fall off, gege’s tail.

[internal screaming (cute)

paffs his cheek with the tuft at the end.]

It's lasted this long. It's a very strong tail, like yours.

[burying his face into that tuft… also tearfully.]

Are you my gege?

[hhhesitates. looking at him for a few moments.]

...Yes. I am.

I'm Dan Heng.

[dan feng turns a little to look at him, with his arms still wrapped around dan heng’s tail.

for a moment, his eyes are as fathomless as his namesake.

but then, he blinks, and stares.]

My name is Dan Feng! It means red maple. Baba said. Where have you been! Why aren’t you with me and baba?

[once again: hey jing yuan? hey? is that okay??]

I've been here. This train travels a lot, so that's probably why it took a long time to find me. My apologies.

[jing yuan, in the other room, sneezes.]

Are you coming with us? Baba brings me to a loooot of places! That’s why he makes me wear the, um, the thing. He says, [he puts his hands on his hips. it is the opposite of intimidating.] ‘A-Feng, it’s not safe to show your tail to strangers.’

[he makes a thoughtful noise, stalling for a moment.]

I'm not sure. I'll talk to your baba about it when he's done chatting with the others.

[gently pats dan feng's chonky little tail. there there.]

Do you want me to come along?

[dan feng makes a - trilling noise, at the contact to his tail, and he looks surprised at himself, covering his mouth.]

Umm. Yeah. [his tail tries its best to curl around dan heng’s wrist.] Maybe you can help baba be not sad. I hear him crying sometimes when I’m supposed to be sleeping and I can’t sleep and I don’t know how to make him stop.

[also blinks in surprise, but smooths his expression.

because also oof ouch his heart.]

...I don't know if I can help with that. But I'll do my best.

[bab wants him to come along and his ride or die ass is going to do it. petting his tail tuft.]

[his tail tuft is unfortunately. a little crunchy. dan feng flicks it subconsciously.]

Okay. I don’t know where we’re going but he said we can’t go home.

[hmm. relatable.

he'll need to ask bailu for tips...]

You can stay here for a while. Maybe longer.

I like this room! There’s lots of books. Like a library!

[he scoots closer, and with yet another horn jab to dan heng’s ribs, he crawls over him to peek at the books on the other side.

this is the exact time the archives door hisses open to reveal a frazzled jing yuan.]

This is the archives, where I sleep.

[oof. well dan feng will get used to not jabbing him with his horns eventually, maybe. his voice is agreeable.

even though he also freezes when jing yuan arrives like he's been caught doing something bad.]

Baba!!!!

[dan feng squeals at a pitch previously unknown to man and climbs out of dan heng's lap to run at jing yuan and latch onto one of his arms, like a monkey. jing yuan steps in fully into the archives, door hissing closed behind him, but he doesn't come in any closer.]

I hope he hasn't been too much trouble, Dan Heng.

[his ears twitch, flattening to his head a little at the pitch.

he stays where he's sitting, watching them carefully, awkward. feeling exposed with his horns and tail out, but he won't go hiding them now. not with dan feng here ]

He's been very good.

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