Chapter Text
Dan Heng knew the moment his older brother stepped through the door, that he was about to say something Dan Heng didn’t want to hear.
They hadn’t been living together that long, a couple months or so. Dan Heng had spent the prior few years as a member of an organisation named the Astral Express, a non-profit organisation that helped the young and homeless get back on their feet. Dan Heng owed them everything, otherwise he might’ve still been simply a nameless running from place to place. The charities’ organisers, Himeko and Welt, were responsible for helping him get back in contact with his brother, Dan Feng. By that point, they hadn’t seen each other in over ten years, when the foster care system thought it would be a good idea to separate them.
Just the next day after that first phone call, Dan Feng was at his doorstep and hugging him tight, with no intention of letting him go again. He wanted Dan Heng to move in with him as soon as possible. Of course, Dan Heng agreed.
They had settled in well together. Dan Feng’s job provided plenty for the both of them and his house was impressively sized to show for it. They’d been so close as children that it was surprisingly easy to slip back into a life together as adults, almost as if they’d never been apart. Dan Heng enjoyed his brother’s company again greatly.
Still, adjusting to this comfortable new start was unusual. Comfy wasn't something he was used to. It had been two months and Dan Heng had barely left the house. He’d yet to find a job, or really do anything apart from read. Dan Feng seemed fine with that, he’d asked Dan Heng for nothing but his company.
Until the day. Dan Feng entered the living room with a tray of supper freshly made just for him, and that graceful saunter to his movements. And Dan Heng knew immediately that his brother was about to ask for something. A big something.
Dan Heng really wanted to ignore him and just continue on with the book he was reading. He’d recently got in to reading romance novels – something he never thought he’d do – and now he was absolutely engrossed in the current scene. Two characters. Only one bed. A classic trope that had him starving for more. How he wished to just close his eyes and imagine he was the half-draconic high elder slowly shuffling under the covers besides a strong, toned figure that may or may not be the high elder’s immortal ex-husband. He was that engrossed he was even prepared to ignore the food Dan Feng had placed on his lap: takeout, his favourite shrimp-fried rice to be precise.
Dan Feng sat opposite him on the other sofa, a piercing gaze to his eye, letting Dan Heng know for certain he wished to ask something. Dan Heng was still committed to just ignoring him. He didn’t know why he sighed and opened his mouth.
“What is it? Just out with it.”
Then the words left Dan Feng’s lips. Words that not even Dan Heng could’ve prepared himself for.
The book fell out of his hands, abandoned onto the floor. As did most of the rice. Dan Feng stared at him, jade eyes as deep as ever, his expression unmoving, completely serious.
“You want me to…what?”
Dan Feng had obviously predicted his reaction. He closed his eyes, letting out a puff of air between his teeth.
“I know, it is an odd request. I’ll let you call it ridiculous. But understand that I wouldn’t be asking this of you unless I was serious.”
Dan Heng continued to simply blink in shock at him, droplets of spilt rice falling like the silent seconds between them.
Dan Feng sighed again, crossing his arms over himself. “I need to go out of town. Urgently. There’s something relating to my second job that I need to attend to, something important that I need to see to immediately. But I have other engagements this week, and a work meeting I cannot afford to be absent for.” He stared Dan Heng in the eyes again, holding him in place with his steadfast gaze. “So, I need you to impersonate me. Just for the week. And I’ll compensate you accordingly for doing it.”
“Are you insane?”
“You and I are akin to identical twins. Look at us, we are the exact same. And our personalities similar. If you act logically, no one will be able to tell the difference.”
“That’s what you’ve convinced yourself? How am I supposed to ‘act logically’ in that kind of scenario?” Dan Feng stood unmoving. This really was no joke. “You seriously want me to agree to do this?”
“Dan Heng, I need you to do this. I’ll beg you if I have to.”
If Dan Feng was prepared to beg, someone as proud as him begging his own kin like a lost puppy for a home– then it had to be serious, it couldn’t be a joke.
Dan Heng buried his face in his hands, feeling molten at just the thought of what could happen to him if he agreed to this. Mortal embarrassment, lucid anxiety, and worse. Having to be social around a load of strangers, whom he had to pretend to know, and whom he had to act like his prideful, over-confident brother around. For a whole week.
Dan Feng shuffled closer to him. Gently, he wrapped an arm around Dan Heng’s shoulders. He pulled Dan Heng against his chest, breathing into his long hair. Even after all this time, his older brother still gave the warmest and most comforting hugs. Dan Heng couldn’t help but melt against him with a groan.
Dan Feng patted his head with a hum, beginning to stroke through his long hair. The hair which made them look nothing short of identical.
“I know it’s a lot to ask of you, especially since you’ve not long moved here.” Dan Feng hummed. “But I believe in you more than anything, Dan Heng. I know you can do this for me.” Silence. “And I’ll compile you a list of everything you need to know so you can prepare.”
Dan Heng pushed his head into his brother’s stomach, hoping it hurt. However his brother only seemed to smile. He leaned in even closer, whispering into his ear. Dan Heng could hear the slight smirk to his words, a sign he knew he’d won this exchange. “Think of all the books I’ll buy you when it’s over~”
Dan Heng let out a defeated growl. “Fine.” He glared up at his brother. “These books you’re buying me better stack up to be no smaller than a mountain.” Dan Feng smiled down at him, patting his head with a pleased spark to his eyes. Pleased and something else.
“Not one book short of it, little brother.”
Dan Heng couldn’t stand the sight of him. He flopped an arm over his eyes, trying to take in the nothingness whilst he could.
“So how long have I got to prepare?” He grumbled.
“I’m taking a plane out of town Sunday evening. Considering it’s currently Friday evening, that gives us two days. Plenty of time.”
This time he shot off the sofa. His foot landed in the bowl of rice, sending the thing cartwheeling across the floor, a yellow-brick road of shrimp-fried rice forming across the tiled floor.
“Two days!? You want me to start Monday!?”
Dan Feng spent the weekend preparing Dan Heng for their identity switch. Dan Heng made him stay up all night writing out a list of things he needed to know. About the job. How to get there. Which coworkers had the thumbs up and which needed to be dumped in a pot of boiling lava and left to slowly burn alive for days on end. Dan Feng tried to reassure him there wasn’t that much he needed information about, but Dan Heng absolutely refused that assertion. He would have every little detail – on paper – or else.
Dan Feng worked at an office complex about a 20 minute ride into the main city. It was some sort of design and manufacturing company. They specialised in making realistic historical props, used in advertising, cinema, and sometimes distributed to other companies to be sold at comic conventions. Apparently their master craftsman, the one who designed their products, was a bit of a ‘character’ as Dan Feng called him, and made whatever he felt like. Swords and historical weaponry the one day, futuristic automatons the next. As arrogant and inconsistent as he was, he was too talented to be fired, despite the executives continuing to attempt to meddle in things. That was where Dan Feng (or soon to be Dan Heng) came in. Most of Dan Feng’s job didn’t involve designing nor building anything. Rather his job seemed to be to observe everyone else, summarize their progress and finances into graphs, and pitch new ideas for the business going forward. That bit sounded alright, maybe even enjoyable. Data and archiving was very much to Dan Heng’s own interests. But by the sounds of it, most of his job was defending the designers for going off-script. Though Dan Feng told him not to worry too much about that.
“You just focus on the data. My meeting on Friday will be about pitching a new product. I’ve written some of my suggestions down for you. But feel free to ask the designers, or maybe you’ll come up with your own ideas. Either way, the meeting will be with Hanya and she will cause you no problems. You should be fine.” Dan Heng simply hummed, before directing Dan Feng’s pen back to the paper so he could write absolutely every morsel of information about said ideas, down for him.
They spent Sunday morning rehearsing Dan Heng’s posture and makeup. Dan Heng also attempted to implement some of Dan Feng’s mannerisms onto himself. The gait of his walk. The angle he held his head. The flick of his long hair that he always seemed to do. The way he often held one hand politely behind his back, whilst his eyes remained calculating and fierce. Maybe he didn’t need to do these things. But in Dan Heng’s mind, the closer he could become to Dan Feng, the better.
Dan Feng gave him his housekeys, his work phone, his work email and lanyard, even the code to the safe in the house. Just in case. It felt both excessive and necessary.
Dan Heng barely gave his brother any time to pack. But eventually, his brother was at the door with a suitcase, wrapped up in his warm coat and scarf, a taxi waiting outside.
A pang of anxiety crept up Dan Heng’s spine at the sight. Suddenly the fact he was about to impersonate his brother for the week felt tangibly real and terrifying. Dan Feng watched him, and likely the clear signs of his anxiety showing. His older brother sighed, walking over to pat his cheek.
“You’ll be okay,” he said gently. For a moment, Dan Heng caught something else in his rich green eyes. Something, almost blue, tender, worrisome. Dan Heng couldn’t quite tell what it was, he only knew it looked out of place on his over-confident, ever prideful brother. It was gone the moment after with a shake of his head.
He pulled Dan Heng in for a hug.
“I’ll be back in a week. Look after yourself.”
“You too.”
Dan Feng seemed to sigh at that, holding Dan Heng a little tighter. Their embrace lasted through that moment of silence, the rain from outside their only accompaniment. Before Dan Feng finally pulled away.
“I’ve got to go.” Dan Feng adjusted his coat. One last small smile. “Take care, little brother.”
Dan Heng waved him out the door, and down the road.
He then went back inside, closing the door behind him. He stood in silence, back pressed against the wood. The empty house lay before him. Filled with fancy items and decor, lavish sofas and fridges piled with food. And yet it felt so cold and lonely without his brother.
He spent as long as he possibly could re-reading, writing out, and reciting Dan Feng’s notes. Even so, he’d likely need a good night’s sleep before his big day tomorrow.
Oh how he couldn’t wait for the week to be over already.