#there is a little mention of ler!caelus

[lovelynim]

Vidyadharas' Special Training

Honkai Star Rail - Yanqing & Dan Heng

A/N: Happy birthday @wertzunge!! It is your bday here in my timezone, so I will consider I managed to deliver it in time. I wasn't sure who you'd like to see in this fic, so I decided to go for your team's current DPS and the one you are aiming for, hehe ~

Summary: Yanqing hears about a secret training technique and decides to ask one of his master's friends - Dan Heng - for aid.

Word count: 1276 words

Dan Heng fell silent. He blinked once, twice, considering the possibility that he heard it wrong. Yes, that was probably the case. “S-sorry, I think I misheard you. Could you repeat it, Yanqing?”

“Ahm, can you show me the Vidyadharas’ Special Training? I-I totally understand if it’s something you are not supposed to pass down to outsiders, mr. Dan Heng, but-”

“No no, that’s not the problem…” Dan Heng interrupted, trying to ease the teen that looked always so tense around him - probably thanks to the nature of their previous encounters. Dan Heng looked away, as if pondering Yanqing’s requests, but, in reality, he was actually trying to figure out what the swordsman was talking about.

Vidyadharas’ Special Training..?

He had read a lot about the things Dan Feng was supposed to pass down to him - but didn’t - and that wording didn’t ring a bell at all. Could he have let something slip past him during his stay at the Xianzhou Luofu?

On the outside, it was almost as clear as water to Yanqing that there was something wrong. Could his request be that troublesome? “I thought about asking you about this training technique because you and mr. Caelus were talking about it the other day- ah, I-I mean, not that I eavesdropped on you two, just that-”

“Wait, the one I talked about with Caelus?” Dan Heng stopped, seeing a hint in those words. “You mean when we were heading to the Exalting Sanctum?”

“Yes, that one,” Yanqing nodded, not able to help but to let his expectation grow a little more. If he could understand the basics of that training, he would be able to improve his own skills and, after all, learning from the Vidyadharas’ High Elder didn’t sound bad at all. 

However, the real meaning of that conversation was going in the opposite direction of Yanqing’s expectations. If Dan Heng recalled correctly, that was nothing but one of Caelus’s jokes. While practicing the cloudhymn magic, Dan Heng would often stress himself with failed attempts of performing some tricks and, to ease his anger, Caelus would try to distract him and make him smile again.

This, of course, also led to situations where Dan Heng would be trying to focus and Caelus would keep poking his sides and scribbling over the back window in his clothes, all under the allegations that it was part of some kind of “special training” he heard from other vidyadharas.

Now, this stupid joke had gone completely out of hand and Dan Heng needed to decide whether he was willing to expose such details of his relationship with Caelus to Yanqing or… if he was going to embrace it and play along the innocent little lie.

“Yanqing, I need to tell you something about this ‘special training’ thing,” Dan Heng sighed, taking a deep breath as he stirred the thoughts inside his head.

“What… is it?” Yanqing mumbled full of curiosity, not sure if he should expect a negative or positive answer to his request.

Dan Heng smiled softly, looking around the training grounds to make sure they were by themselves there and, much to their look, they were, indeed, by themselves. “This is something Caelus discovered when he was… helping me during these past days,” Dan Heng said, feeling a knot of his throat when he spoke about Caelus fooling around that way. “It’s actually a way to help you clear your mind, nothing of a big deal.”

“Oh, I see… a-and what is it?” Yanqing continued, imagining some kind of ancient meditation technique that would have him sitting under a waterfall or something like that. However, Dan Heng’s only instructions were to turn around and take a deep breath.

“Mhm, just like that,” Dan Heng couldn’t help but smile a little - even if he felt a little bad for taking advantage of Yanqing’s innocence. “Are you sure you want to go on with it?” He asked, giving the swordsman one last chance to deny it, but…

“Yes, I’m ready, mr. Dan Heng!” Yanqing boasted, placing his hands over his hips in a confident pose. Well, he asked for it, after all.

Dan Heng wasn’t sure why he decided to do this kind of mischief - maybe he was, indeed, spending too much time with Caelus - but since this seemed like an opportunity to improve his relation with the general’s lieutenant. With some extra care, Dan Heng’s hands slowly approached Yanqing and, soon, started kneading and prodding at his ribs.

“A-ah!” A sharp, surprised gasp escaped the teen’s lips. “M-Mr. Dan H-Heng, ahah… t-this feels a bihihit- eheh… f-funny…” Yanqing barely managed to voice his concern and giggles already threatened from pouring from his lips. The swordsman’s body trembled as he tried to hold his pose, but the urge of pressing down his arms was growing bigger and bigger.

“I agree with you, it does feel a little off,” Dan Heng chuckled softly, reminiscing the feeling of when he was on the receiving end of this special training - not to mention the embarrassment of having Caelus teasing as well. “But that’s a good sign, it seems it’s working.”

“W-wohohorking?” Yanqing giggled, pressing his eyes shut as he felt the corner of his lips curling up into a smile when Dan Heng started to poke his sides. “B-but- agh, hahah, mr. D-Dahahan Heng!”

“Is something wrong?” Dan Heng feigned ignorance as he lowered his right hand and pinched Yanqing’s hip, making the latter almost fall to his knees. “Tell me if it’s too much, you shouldn’t overdo it,” Dan Heng warned, keeping his calm and serious tone, but glad Yanqing wasn’t turning around and, therefore, wasn’t able to see the smirk on his face.

“It tihihickles! AhahAHaha, I c-cahahan’t!” Yanqing laughed, falling into Dan Heng’s touches as he struggled to keep himself standing in place. While the High Elder prevented the swordsman from falling, having Yanqing leaning into him like that certainly did make it easier for Dan Heng to tickle him.

“Huh? But you are doing it just fine,” Dan Heng continued, dragging his nails around Yanqing’s stomach and making the teen kick his legs in a fit of laughter. “You can’t focus on anything else right now, can you? Your mind is clear as a calm lake right now.”

“Y-yehehes, but- ahHAHAhah, w-wahahait!”

“However, if you are still troubled by needless thoughts, maybe I’m not doing it properly. I could request Caelus to-”

“NOHohoh! No neehehed to!” Yanqing laughed, grabbing Dan Heng’s wrists as he tried to push his hands away from his middle.

Dan Heng smiled, taking it as a sign that the lieutenant had enough and giving him the desired break. Taking a seat in the patch of grass by Yanqing’s side, Dan Heng gave him a couple of seconds to catch up his breath. He should, after all, tell him the truth.

“Sorry, I just-”

“Ahah, I g-get it now… heh,” Yanqing chuckled, crossing his legs one over the other. “I always thought the general was just messing with me when he tickled me during our training sessions.”

“W-what?” Dan Heng’s jaw dropped slightly as he didn’t have the chance to explain himself before Yanqing jumped into another conclusion.

“But I see now it was a way to help me regain my focus and clear my mind!” Yanqing beamed, already with his energy back at 101%. “Thanks, mr. Dan Heng!” He said, bowing politely before taking a leave from the training ground. 

Barely seconds after Yanqing left, Dan Heng chuckled, shaking his head as he tried to recover from what had happened in a simple matter of seconds. “You owe me one, general, hah…”