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XAVIER'S JELLY STAR KEYCHAIN GLOWS GOLD IN THE SUNSET, and the light itself seems to weave itself into his being. Gray strands morph to silver silk and cast in the orange-purple rays, his eyes almost seem to glow. You cock your head to the side, eyes trained on the swaying of the keychain hung on his training sword. You walk with him, basking in the rarity of his prescence beside you, and then you ask.
"Hey, Xavier. Where'd you get that?" You don't know why but your voice comes out whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace between you two.
"Hm? Oh, this." The corners of his mouth quirk up in a smile (what constitutes as a smile for a man like Xavier anyway) as he glances at the charm. The two of you reach the crossing by the convenience store and he angles his body towards yours, as if protecting you from any oncoming traffic.
The light turns green and shoulder to shoulder you amble down the street together. Both of you reach the other and side and you look at Xavier, another tilt of your head.
"It was a gift, from somebody I knew a long time ago." He answers the question in a voice just as quiet, his tone reverent. You would've thought it was a trick of the light had you not known Xavier for as long as you have— the sad furrow of his eyebrows as he looks away. Your face contorts to a frown, you don't like seeing him so sad.
Xavier spies the expression forming on your face, ever attentive, and a small smile, an actual smile, makes its way to his mouth. "Don't look so sad now, we parted on good terms, believe it or not." And that lifts some weight on your heart that suddenly made its home there, when you first spotted his keychain.
You decide to return his gentleness in kind. "I'm glad it was a happy ending, even if it was still an ending." Xavier jolts at your words but laughs lightly right after.
"Something, something, be glad it happened and not that it ended right?" You try for lightheartedness, glad to learn more about your enigmatic partner. You smile at your success as Xavier responds. "I'm pretty sure it's 'don't be sad it ended, be glad it happened."
You both chuckle a bit as the lights of the convenience store near your shared apartment building catches your attention and you two start walking a bit faster, eager for the chill of air-conditioning and the promise of food.
The bell above the door chimes as the two of you enter, Xavier beelining towards the drinks. As is routine, you're supposed to be in charge of snacks but you linger near the cashier counter, a flash of yellow directing your eyes to the display rack.
A limited edition Galaxy Kid keychain. The alien's encased in a globe filled with violet stars. It even has a matching variant, this time though, the stars are a sparkling gold.
You circle the aisles, grabbing snacks and some candy. Walking up to Xavier who's already payed for drinks at the cashier, you set down the items and pay as well.
But your eyes linger on those keychains.
A glance at Xavier informs you that he's spacing out, again. So you add the two charms to your purchase and turn to wake him up.
"I'm all done here, you ready?" He blinks rapidly, as if waking himself up and turns to look at you. "Yeah, let's go." You walk together yet again, giving each other their respective snacks and drinks.
Another chime as you exit the store, you rummage in your paper bag for a bit and present Xavier with the keychains you bought. A smile makes its way on your face as you hand it to him.
"Saw these little guys at the cashier and thought that they reminded me of you! So I got two so we could match. They're limited editions too! Here, you get this one and I keep the gold one."
Xavier falls silent for a few moments, jaw tensing like he's holding back words. His eyes are focused intently on the keychains. You feel your smile drop into an awkward grimace as silence invades your conversation. You look down to the keychains you're holding. Heart heavy once more. "It's fine if you don't want it! I didn't even ask you in the first place..."
"No. It's not that." His fingers wrap themselves around yours, the warmth seeping into yours as he delicately takes the keychain and attaches it to his sword, it lays right next to his jelly star charm. His eyes still won't meet yours. "I was just shocked, I wasn't aware they even had these." Xavier finally looks at you and a sigh of relief escapes you when you see the stars in his eyes.
His voice is bright and you spot his cheeks flushing pink. "Thank you for the gift, I'll be sure to cherish it."
Your smile returns as you hold your keychain. "Of course! I trust you to take care of it." You feel his eyes on your hands as you finish looping the keychain on the handle of your gun. "After all, that keychain is in really good condition considering it's so vintage!"
Xavier chuckles as he plays with the two keychains side by side. "You do have a point."
"But why gold?" The question takes you by surprise at first. "I mean, why buy another one in gold of all colors?" Xavier looks so much like a bunny with his eyes turned to you. And it makes you laugh a bit. "The color of the stars reminded me of you and your Evol!" You've reached the building's elevator by now, and Xavier presses the buttons for both of your floors and the doors close.
Xavier's eyebrows are furrowed though— the confused furrow and not the sad one thankfully, so you elaborate. "So whenever I'm out on the field, I have a piece of my partner, a part of you, with me." The elevator stops, as Xavier moves to leave he turns to you.
"And I did also mention wanting to match with you." You gaze at Xavier as you say it, noting the surprised look on his face at your words.
It's not the first time you find yourself wondering if Xavier's Evol is just light. The fluorescence of the lights in the elevator renders him sharply, all steep slopes and sharp angles but the look in his eyes are impossibly kind. You would almost think he was a painting brought to life, lovingly rendered by a master at work. As he graces you with one last smile before exiting the elevator.
"Have a good night. Thank you for the gift again."
"Good night to you too!"