[Xavier] Winter Lilies

by diabolsol

Summary:

A quiet night at your flower shop, Philo, shatters when a blood-soaked hunter collapses through the door. He refuses help, won’t say who’s chasing him, and begs you to hide him. You shouldn’t trust him... yet somehow, you do.

Chapter 1: Winter Bloom

Soft snowflakes drift from the muted sky, piling on the freshly paved streets of Linkon City. You watch from outside your workplace’s floor-to-ceiling window frontage, enjoying the bustling ambience of the upcoming winter holidays. Cars honk and engines hum in the distance. You try resonating with their vibrations, letting the frequencies jitter through your body as you practice your Evol. You’ve been practicing the use of your Evol more as you are preparing for your upcoming hunter examination in a few months. 

 

Bringing your attention back to work, you continue clipping the soggy stems of a few pink peonies before laying them down onto a crisp sheet of wax paper paired with ivory tissue paper. This was the last bouquet arrangement before you closed the shop up. “Did you want to layer some baby blue delphinium and maiden hair fern with these peonies? I think it would really make this bouquet come to life,” you warble as you look up at the customer in front of you. 

 

The gentleman nods in agreement before mentioning that his wife would definitely appreciate it. You continue with your arrangement and within a few minutes, you had finished your work of art and presented it to the customer. “All done! Make sure to put it in water within an hour. Have a great afternoon.” 

 

The shop is now empty, you are thrilled to finally begin packing up, looking forward to going home. 

 

Your stomach grumbles and you gently rub it in circles, as if such actions could trick your brain into feeling satisfied. Grandma’s warm hearty stew would be so fitting for this weather. 

 

Humming the tune of a song you’ve recently been into, you clear your workbench and pack all your tools back into the storage room. It’s only been a month since you’ve begun a part-time job at Philo, a flower shop located near the Hunter’s Association. A lot of the customers come here to buy flowers for their family members that they haven’t seen for a while due to their long missions. Philo has recently garnered a lot of traction due to the holiday season, having many hunters on leave buying gifts for their loved ones. As a current trainee of the hunter association, you frequent the area and saw the job advertisement. You thought it would be a good idea to apply whilst studying for the hunter exam so that you’re not spending too much time alone at home. 

 

“Hah… I really wish I had more to do this year,” you sigh towards the ground. All you have is Grandma, helping her attend her doctor’s appointments and taking over her gardening at home. Caleb left the two of you for the Deepspace Aviation Administration and he won’t be coming back for this year’s break because he’s trying to graduate ahead of schedule. Zayne is also busy doing his residency. You begin to feel a bit melancholic, slowing down your pace of closing the shop. “It’s okay, work will fill up this empty void in my heart, maybe I’ll even make friends with the regulars!” You quickly regain your rhythm, switching between humming and whistling as you sweep the stem trimmings beneath your workbench. 

 

“Okay, all done!” you strut to the storage room to retrieve your belongings. “Now turning off the lights–” 

 

The strum of the door bell chimes paired with heavy panting suddenly fill the tight space of the shop. 

 

You pause and focus on a large figure of man as he quickly slams the door behind him and slides his back down against it, dropping to the floor. 

 

You panic. He’s covered in blood. It’s in his hair, smudged all over his face and blotting through his white clothes. You notice a hunter’s watch and a sword loosely clasped below his palm, which slowly disappeared into speckles of light. 

 

Not knowing what to do, you instinctively grabbed a bundle of tissue paper and decorative ribbon from below your workbench and rush towards him. “Are you okay? What happened to you?” You checked his pulse and laid him down on his side. “Let me quickly treat your wounds. I’m going to… um, take this off to help you.” 

 

He blinks, then deadpans, “I’d prefer not dying on your floor, so do whatever you need.” There’s the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth, as if he knows exactly how flustered you are.

 

Struggling to tear off the thick, wet fabric, you rush back to your bench and grab some scissors and rip into his pant leg, where you notice is rapidly pooling blood, spreading along the grain of the fabric. Choked up, your heartbeat quickens. There is a huge gash on his thigh, so deep you could see the intricate linings of his torn muscle and various unfamiliar membranes. Your stomach churns and you feel your lunch surging back up your throat, but you resist the bubbling feelings of distress from the gnarly sight. Unwinding the ribbon, you wind it around his thigh tight to prevent blood from gushing out further and wrap the tissue paper and pieces of fabric you cut from his clothing around his thigh. It looks like a sad Christmas present.

 

“This is the best I can do for now, I’m calling the ambulance–actually you look like a hunter. Should I call the Hunter Associ–” 

 

“No..” the man interrupts, lifting his head up from the tiled floor. “Don’t. Just… stay still. I’ve got this.” He slumps back into the ground, heavily breathing as he stared up into the ceiling. His cerulean irises scanning the shop, gazing over the counter, past the roses, the sunflowers and mason jars of baby’s breath. For a heartbeat, something softens in his eyes. Almost fond… and familiar. Then the expression is suddenly gone, and his eyes dart back to you. “Is it just you here?” 

 

“Yes… um,” you look down at your fitness watch as it displays the time back to you. “It’s late and I’m closing the shop. You really don’t look okay, if you don’t get any treatment you could die from blood loss. I’m worried you’d–” Before I could finish my sentence he interrupts me again, but this time with a soft chuckle.

 

“Don’t worry. Just let me… cough cough,” he starts lifting himself up before continuing. “Hide here for a bit.” Concerned, you rush to the storage room where you had dropped your bag and rummaged deep inside to find the leftover lunch you had wrapped back up. 

 

“Please eat this, and I’ll bring over some water too. You need energy and liquids to replenish all the blood you’ve lost.” You hand over the half eaten ham and cheese sandwich before realising. “Oh wait… sorry I took a few bites.” 

 

He chuckled again. “It’s fine, let me eat it.” He took it from me and began gnawing into the stale slabs of wholegrain bread and cold fillings. “Not the worst.” 

 

Looking at his wound again, you notice the blood has stopped bleeding into the fabric and is no longer glistening with the damp shine of fresh blood. “How did you get hurt?” 

 

He takes a while before responding. “Just some enemies.” I hand him a cup of water. He downs all the contents in one big gulp. “I can’t go back out. I’ve been running from them for hours now.” 

 

“Can’t you go home? Do you live far from here?”

 

“I was actually on my way home before they attacked me. They’re probably waiting for me there for all I know…” He begins to stand up fully, ruffling his silvery blond hair, breaking apart the dried blood that stuck his hair together in one big tuff. He looks up at you before looking down again. “I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this. You can leave, I know the owner I’ll call him and have him deal with my troublesome self.”

 

“Jeremiah? He’s actually on a trip overseas to find new flowers to sell at our store. He’ll be back this weekend.”

 

“Ah… that’s why he’s not here.” the man sighs, attempting to wipe the blood from his face. 

 

“Um… if you have nowhere safe to stay, I don’t mind offering my place.” 

 

He goes still. Not tense, just… completely still, like a deer listening for a distant sound. Then he nods once, decisive and you notice a tinge of red reaching his ears.

 

You begin to feel a bit nervous even with this offer. He’s a stranger, but he’s injured and seems to have his life at risk. He also knows your boss Jeremiah. What could an injured man do to you? “It’s a 20 minute walk from here though, I’m not sure if you’re able to walk that far. I can call a taxi for us.” 

 

You think about grabbing the phone you left at your workbench but before you could turn around he stumbles over to you and grasps your wrist. His fingers are cold, but there’s a faint warmth beneath his skin, like holding a burning candle through glass.

 

“No. It’s not safe. I can use my Evol to teleport us. Where do you live?”

 

“Do you need an address? How does this work…” 

 

You wonder what kind of Evol this man has that allows him to teleport. If it’s anything like Caleb’s gravity manipulation Evol then he must be a really well-equipped and capable Hunter. Just what happened for him to be in such bad shape?

 

“Just show me on your navigation app,” he replies. You quickly dash to grab your phone and come back zooming into the home icon located on the screen. “Ah, near that convenience store. Okay, I’ll let you finish closing before we go.” You nod in response and grab your bag and shop keys, locking the door and then turning off the lights. It’s pitch black and you can only see the shine of his profile through the lamppost’s soft glow from outside. You haven’t really had the time to yourself to properly look at this man, you only now notice his handsome features which was masked by the smeared blood and dirt all over his face. His hair was a mess, slightly damp and sticking up in all directions. Recalling from when you ripped off his pant leg, you noticed he was very muscular. You assume he’s a very experienced hunter. 

 

“Okay, come here.”

 

“I can barely see,” you call out into the fuzzy darkness, walking towards him but not knowing when to stop. You bump into him and he clutches onto your shoulders. You quickly shuffle backwards, “I’m sorry!” 

 

Then you notice a warm ball of light emerge from his palm, dispersing into speckles surrounding the both of you, beaming and radiating like early summer fireflies. You gasp at the beautiful sight, the light he created look like glowing snowflakes as they glisten around your vision. “Okay, hold onto me.” You slowly walk over to him again and awkwardly wrap both of your arms around his waist, careful not to make too much physical contact. “Hold on, it’s really quick.” He grabs your arms and pushes them closer towards his body. You look up at him slightly shocked and embarrassed. You haven’t been in such a situation where you are so close to a man before. You shut your eyes, not wanting to make yourself any more embarrassed than you already are. “Open your eyes.”

 

You slowly open your eyes then looked around your surroundings. “What the hell! You really did teleport us home. That was so quick, how on earth did you do that?” You gasp in disbelief and spun your head around, awing at his skill. “Oh my god that’s my house! Damn, it’s not an illusion. You are such a talented hunter! This is so cool.” The man chuckles as he looks down at you. “And you can create fireflies! What is your Evol?” 

 

“It’s just light, nothing special– ah!” He smiles, before wincing in pain. He bends his right leg slightly before clutching his thigh. “I think it’s bleeding again… I need to lay down.” 

 

“Oh my gosh, right!” You help him lean onto your shoulder. “Come on, let’s head inside. You need to be a bit quiet though, my Grandma is probably sleeping.” He looks at you before giving a soft nod. The two of you slowly shuffle to the door and you unlock it with the keypad. Pushing your head through the slight gap of heavy door, you look around to see if your Grandma is around. She seems to have gone to bed early as it is already late into the night. You whisper, “Let’s go up the stairs.” 

 

The two of you have successfully reached your bedroom and you breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank god Grandma is asleep, I would’ve had so much explaining to do. Anyways, let me check up on your wound.” You drag the man towards the edge of your bed, seating him down. You grab one of your plushies, an angry red tomato, and push it into his chest. “Hold onto this, since this might hurt.” 

 

He gave a soft laugh before nodding. You untie the makeshift tourniquet, peeling back the pieces of fabric that have dried onto the wound. He hisses through his teeth. You stop and look back up at him. “You okay?” He hugs the plush toy harder and nods quickly. Quickly walking to your ensuite bathroom, you grab a box of medical supplies and a basin of warm water. Gently dabbing at his wound and wiping softly around the sensitive area, you noticed that the wound has healed up significantly. “Woah, it actually looks way better than it did before–you won’t even need stitches. It was so horrifying earlier. Like when I was helping Grandma make beef rump stir fry–” I look up at him and he’s smiling at me. Oh my god… he’s so handsome even when he looks like he got hit by a truck. I look down and feel my cheeks warm up profusely. 

 

“Anyways, I’ll clean up your wound and let you rest. You can take a shower afterwards too, just don’t get it wet.” You continue cleaning the area and after you’re satisfied with it, you grab a roll of gauze and tightly wrap it around his thigh. You feel yourself burning up again as you realise the reality of the situation. There’s a man whose name you aren’t even aware of in your room, with barely any cloth covering his lower body. You are really close to his thigh, sure that he could feel your breath on his exposed flesh. Flustered, you back off and wipe of the beads of sweat that had formed on your forehead as you worked your care. 

 

“Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me.” The man examines his tended wound and pats it lightly. He drags a shaky hand through his hair. He does it again when it falls right back into his eyes, a small, frustrated huff escaping him. The dried blood in his hair seems to be irritating him, or… you realise, it’s a nervous habit.

 

“You’re really good at first aid, did you do some training?” 

 

“I've just completed a year at the Hunter's academy, got an exam in a few months. I hope to work at the Association, it’s been a lifelong dream. Knowing how to treat wounds is only the basics, I’m glad I could put some theory to use.” 

 

“Oh, I’m a hunter at the Association,” he states. “I could assist you with your exam as thanks for helping me out.” 

 

“Really!?” you beam. “That’s so awesome, I’d definitely pass with your help.” You can’t help but radiate joy at this stranger’s kind offerings. 

 

“I’m Xavier, by the way.” 

 

You respond introducing yourself as well, looking down at your hands. “Would you like to wash up?”

 

“Sure.”

 

He immediately starts stripping off his stained hunter uniform, dropping the jacket onto the floor. Just as he is halfway done from unbuttoning his inner shirt, you look away so fast you nearly dislocate your neck. You interrupted him and dragged him into the bathroom and shut the door. 

 

“I– I didn’t see anything!” you lie. You absolutely saw everything. “Get undressed in here! I’ve left a change of clothes inside for you already.” 

 

You couldn’t believe he just stripped so casually in front of you. 

 

Now that he’s out of sight, you lose your composure fully. How does your boss know such a weirdo! You come to realise Xavier doesn’t really care about what people think, does he not think this situation is super strange? 

 

You hear the water from the shower pour and hit the ceramic base, and the water pumps whirring as you assume him adjusting the temperature. Your brain short-circuits. Absolutely blanks. It hits you hard that you have a naked man in your bathroom. A stranger. You keep thinking back to the way he nonchalantly undressed in front of you, revealing hardened chest muscles as he undid the upper few buttons of his uniform. To distract yourself from such impure thoughts of a person you barely know, you get ready to go to bed and change into your pyjamas, worrying about your own shower for the next day. Once comfortable, you sit down at your vanity and wipe your face clean with a microfibre towel with micellar water. Pumping out some toner and slapping it onto your cheeks as means to distract yourself once again. You mind reverts back to the stunning man whom you saved today. “I’m losing it. What’s wrong with me?” you say under your breath.

 

The door from the bathroom ensuite opens up and you are hit with a warmth of air that smells of your pomegranate-scented body wash and hair products. It smells so much more stronger than you realised, the waft of steam enhancing the intensity of the aroma. “You can sleep in my room, I’ll sleep in my brother’s room.” Xavier’s hair is now clean and shines, looking more silver than it did previously. You wonder if that’s his real hair colour. Him in casual clothing brings out a softer element you failed to recognise earlier. 

 

“It’s okay, once I’m feeling a bit better I’ll teleport elsewhere. You don’t have to worry about me.” 

 

“But you can’t go home, how are you going to sleep?” 

 

“I can sleep anywhere, it’s fine.”

 

It gets quiet in your room, you don’t know what to talk about now and Xavier isn’t saying anything. You feel the awkwardness and become hyperaware of the swallowing of your spit, your saliva feeling more thicker and wallowing up beneath your tongue. Your hands get all clammy and you begin to fidget with the hem of your shirt.

 

“I assume these clothes are your brother’s?” Xavier asks, and you notice a light smirk on his face.

 

“Yea, he’s not here he’s in Skyhaven studying at the Deepspace Aviation Academy. He’s rarely home.”

 

“Ah, I was wondering why you owned men's clothing.” He looks directly at you now. “I thought they were your boyfriend’s.”

 

Your eyes widened at his sudden remark. What the heck!? “N-No!” You stammer. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before…” You look down, embarrassed at what he just said. What am saying? I should’ve just said I don’t currently have a boyfriend, not never… not at my age…

 

“Oh?” He drags out with a contemptuous smile. “I would have never thought so. You’re too pretty to not have one.”

 

And he vanishes.

 

You don’t breathe for a full second. Did he really just say that–and then disappear?

Notes:

Uh. 🗿 Hi guys! This is my very first fic. I really don't know what I'm doing but I hope y'all enjoy it!

(✿◡‿◡)

Chapter 2: White Noise

Summary:

A snowy morning, a routine walk, and the quiet rhythm of life...until danger and a familiar presence shake everything. Between work, blooming energies, and first kisses, you discover that resonance isn’t just about connecting with the world. It might also be about connecting with someone special.

“Grandma, I’m heading off to work!” you call out. “I’ll be home by dinner.” You pull the zippers at the ends of your worn-out snow boots up before standing up. Dusting off your pants, you grab a woolen hat and a scarf, wrapping the long fluffy fabric around your neck.

“Of course, sweetie,” she responded. “Don’t forget to wear your scarf. It’s only four degrees today.”

“I already have it on, you worry too much!” you joke before leaving the house and closing the door behind you quietly. Your walk to work was very routinely. You’d look up into the sky and shut your eyes, breathing in the scent of the trees, grass, damp concrete, the sunshine… You try to sponge it all into your olfactory epithelium using your Evol, an attempt to resonate with nature. Nothing much happens, it’s just that you feel more connected with your surroundings. You wonder what more you could do with the weaker energies of life as compared to others’ Evols.

When you were young, you weren’t aware of your Evol function and only assumed that you could feel and make things stronger, such as making a seed germinate faster or feeling the emotions of smaller animals. You’ve always deterred from the idea of resonating with people’s energies, as their energies are much stronger and harder to control. Attempting to resonate with your brother’s energy always failed, causing you to become dizzy afterwards. Caleb’s gravity manipulation Evol was a concept you didn’t fully grasp until your teenage years, and was much more complicated that just manipulating objects, but the actual physicality of reality itself. So you never seemed to bother resonating with him, as plants and flowers were easier to deal with.

You thought that if you were to become a Hunter, you would be able to connect with people more easily. But even with a a year of training at the Hunter Association, you still struggled with managing the abundance of energies, all vibrating at various frequencies. They overstimulate you and make you want to give up. Thinking about your upcoming exam and your future with the Association, you can’t help but doubt your abilities and competence as a reliable Hunter.

Catching yourself sinking, you changed gears and focused on the walk to Philo. You passed the same bakery as always, the smell of freshly baked bread flooding your senses. You took in a huge breath, exhaled loudly, and felt the heaviness lift just a little. The city was waking up from its long slumber. It had stopped snowing, the paths neatly shovelled at dawn. You truly loved winter, snow especially, and the way light danced with it.

Tiny flecks drifted past you, sticking to your eyelashes before melting into cold pinpricks. The air tasted clean, almost sharp, as if something had been scrubbed away. You closed your eyes and listened beneath the usual city noise… for the quiet rhythm of falling snow. A faint tingling surfaced under your skin, like your Evol was brushing against it.

Resonating with snow has always been your favourite. Since snow reflects a lot of sunlight, the light particles scatter off countlessly like a diamond ring being shone around ones finger. The light also bounces inside the crystals and impurities of the snow, causing a great efflux in energy, and resonating with snow in a way, makes you feel all snuggly and warm, even in the morning cold. Abundant in energy, but easy to manage. You felt safest with snow.

When you were younger, you used to beg your childhood friend Zayne to make it snow in summer just so you could feel the soft static prickle against your cheeks. You never understood why it loosened your chest or why the world felt easier to breathe in. Even now, the same quiet pulse settled over you, familiar yet strange.

Reaching Philo, you welcome yourself into the well-lit store with warm fluorescent lights. Today’s bouquet orders awaited, along with the subtle but constant hum of energy from the blooms themselves. Somehow, even the quiet movements of the petals seemed to hum in resonance with you. You wondered if this was what it would feel like to synchronise with a Hunter-class Evol. If you could someday use your resonance to amplify something powerful, maybe even someone else’s.

Today you’re working with Jeremiah, it’s Saturday so it’ll be busy. “Mornin’, Jeremiah!” you chirp, undoing your scarf and taking off your hat, placing them inside the storage room. You dump your belongings beside them too.

“Morning to you, too,” Jeremiah chimes back. “Anything happen while I was gone?”

You were confused, did Xavier not reach out to him? “Did Xavier not tell you?” you question.

Jeremiah freezes in his footsteps and flashes his eyes directly at yours. “What– how do you know Xavier?”

You hesitate to continue. He really knows nothing? “Oh my god! He hasn’t even told you?” you scoff, not believing Jeremiah. “That guy randomly crashed into the shop gushing out blood and I basically saved his life!”

“Holy shit–”

“Yea! And he said he was being chased by some bad guys,” you exclaim. “You should really talk to him, I’m actually really worried about him.” You tie up your hair so it does not interfere with your tasks for the day, then headed towards the freshly delivered flowers. Carrying each bundle one-by-one, you condition them individually then hydrate them in the huge buckets your boss had already prepared.

“That guy always gets into trouble when I’m not around,” Jeremiah sighs. “I’m sure he’s fine. Are you okay, though? That must’ve been such a fright.”

“Oh, I’m okay. It wasn’t actually so scary,” you smiled as you reflected on the invigorating night. “It was thrilling! I got to apply my first aid knowledge and even saw Hunter-class Evol being utilised. I can’t wait to become a Hunter!” You peer over at your owner who looks dejected. “What’s wrong, boss?”

“No… nothing,” he replies. “Xavier never fails to surprise me. He’s either all secrets or super overt, an odd one.”

You pause to think before replying, “Yeah… he is weird.” A good kind of weird.

You and your boss work on sorting and prioritising orders of the day, with you mainly doing shop maintenance whilst he completes the arrangements. The day quickly goes by, already reaching noon. You won’t get a break until half-past, and the shop goes quiet as many customers are out having lunch. Suddenly, a large group of Hunters walk into the shop. The stillness of the shop boomed in liveliness, chattering and energy. You feel a bit dizzy, but are quick to greet them.

“Hello, everyone, how may I help y–” you pause seeing Xavier. His demeanour seemed authoritative, and everyone around him seemed to huddle closely around him, which conflicted against your initial impression of him. You’d assume that he’d be a hunter that would stay in the background, but in this new light, he exuded great influence over his coworkers. He caught you staring at him and then gave off a light smirk. You couldn’t help but quickly look away, thrown off balance and now, a bit shy. You had almost forgotten that he called you… pretty. Thinking about it, you become more nervous, but mask it by focusing on his coworkers, coming around the workbench. “Are you guys looking for a bouquet?”

“It’s our Captain’s birthday,” one Hunter replied. “We’re looking for some nice flowers and Xavier suggested we go here!”

You were at first confused as to why Xavier would make a stop here, thinking he was here to see Jeremiah. But now you feel a bit less skittish knowing that the reason the Hunters are here are to find a gift for their Captain.

“A modest and formal arrangement would be appropriate, do you guys know what type of flowers you want?” you ask looking up at the one Hunter talking.

“Nope, we’ll leave it to you.”

“Okay, I’ll get started, give me five minutes to prepare the bouquet.” You walk towards the flower buckets and pick up warm-coloured flowers, a variety of sunflowers, a green hydrangea and a bundle of white roses. You also picked a few small-leafed eucalyptus stems and brought them back with you to your workbench. You peered out the corner of your eye and notice Jeremiah and Xavier chatting behind the ready-made arrangements stall. Wondering what they’re discussing, you feel a bit nervous and your heartbeat quickens.

You are done arranging and begin to wrap the flowers with some tape before also wrapping it along with the wax paper and pale yellow tissue paper. Just as you are about to call out to the group of Hunters, Xavier walks up to you and asks how much the bouquet was. You name the price and he pays with his Hunter watch.

“When do you finish?” he asks.

“At two.”

“I’ll shout you some snacks.” You snort at his offer before accepting.

“See you later then,” you say handing him the bouquet.

He leans in closer to you before whispering, “Thanks, beautiful.” He peered up at you, enjoying your flustered reaction before quickly turning around.

“W-what?” you stammer.

You notice his reddened ears peaking through his silvery wefts of hair before he gave another more quiet response, “... the flowers.”

The group of hunters said their thanks and goodbyes before all leaving as one big cluster of cells. I look down at my hands which were laid on the counter, sticky and clammy again. Does he like me or something? What is he playing? You couldn’t help but feel giddy, and your mind does loops in your stomach, excited to see him again when your shift ends. You replay the memory of him pulling you closer towards his body, as well as the sight of his sculpted chest… his face when smoothly contoured by the dimly lit outdoor lights of that night. You have begun to feel more than just a simple attraction towards this man. You swat your face, calling yourself easy as it didn’t take much to make you think of him constantly. You begin to plan out things to talk about with him later once your shift is done, fantasising various conversations and interactions with Xavier, giggling at the ideas.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

You snap out of your little bubble and look back at the light chocolate eyes staring at you. “Just stuff!”

You grabbed a broom from behind you and started sweeping the floor. “Oh, how dusty is the floor today? It’s so cold today I wonder how those Hunters aren’t cold in their uniforms. They’re so nice to buy a birthday present for their Captain, I think it would be so lovely working in such a team! Jeremiah, I won’t forget to make you a bouquet on your birthday either. I’ll choose the biggest and brightest flowers and pair them with the highest quality papers I can find. Oh, maybe not paper, I’ll have them put in a ceramic pot. I’ll even knead the clay, shape it and throw it in the kiln.”

Jeremiah chuckles. “Looking forward to seeing Xavier later?”

“Yes, I’m so excit–” You paused and turned to him, furrowing your brows. He laughed hard, clutching his stomach. “Why are you laughing!?”

Your boss’ laughter dies down to delayed chuckles and heaves, he wipes his tears before he begins, “Nothing, nothing…” He calms down. “Do you like him?”

You look down again for a bit before a smile forms on your face. “It’s too early, boss! I’ve really only met him once.”

“So not a no?”

“Not a yes.”

He laughs again.

The two of you work as you actively watch the digital clock hand tick towards the number two. “I’m off, boss!” You rush to grab your belongings, pull your woolen hat on and wrap the scarf around your neck once again before stepping out of the shop. He waves you a goodbye.

The cool breeze hits the uncovered areas of your face and you squint with a slight hiss slipping through your teeth. “Brrr… so cold.”

“Of course it is, silly.”

You turn to the voice and see Xavier now in a long padded coat. “You look really warm. I wish I had that to wear.”

“Come here then,” he says as he unzips his coat, then drags you inside, having your arms clasp around his body once again. “Warm now?” You nod as you look down at his shoes. You notice his boots are covered in snow. Has he been waiting outside for long?

“I’m hungry, let’s eat something warm,” you grumble. “Convenience store near my house?”

“Alright, I’ll get us there quickly.” Hearing this you nod and close your eyes, waiting for him to teleport the both of you like he did last time.

He looks down are your fluttering eyelashes, trembling from the cold. He leans in a little too close, close enough that you caught the faint chill on his lips. You feel him move, assuming that you’ve successfully teleported. So you open your eyes.

Your breath hitches.

Neither of you moved for a second. The air itself was waiting. Faces inches apart.

You felt the warmth of his breath, the faint scent of a candy mint he had been chewing on, the soft powder notes of his fabric softener, everything sharpened all at once.

Then Xavier quietly murmurs, “Don’t look at me like that,” and closes the gap.

He’s flushed, maybe from the cold, maybe from the kiss. You probably have the same expression as him.

“... sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ll move us now.” He hugs you once again and the both of you blink outside the convenience store. Unsure of how to bring it up to him, you walk ahead and enter the store first, quickly bolting down the drinks aisle. Xavier treads behind slowly, watching you from afar.

I just had my first kiss.

It was with Xavier.

I was so unprepared.

My lips were so chapped oh my god.

Are we moving too fast? Is it supposed to happen this quickly?

Guilt eats at you for walking off ahead of him and turn back around, grabbing his hand. “I’m sorry, too… for walking off. What are you gonna grab?”

He holds onto your hand tighter. “I’ll just get cup noodles and juice. You?”

“I grabbed this jasmine green tea. I’ll grab a skewer at the hot box too, let’s go.” You both walk towards the front of the store and grab the other foods. Xavier pours boiling water at the counter before walking back towards you. You both place your snacks at the table outside of the store, dusting the snow from the chairs before sitting.

You blow onto your hot skewer, your warm breath condensating in the cool air, casting a thick blanket of vapour smoke into Xavier’s face as he had his face close to his noodle cup on the table. “Are you attacking me?” he smirked.

“You attacked me first.”

“How?”

“Why?”

You both pause and stare at each other. You are first to break away eye contact and continue to enjoy your hot skewer, turning your body towards the neighbourhood as you begin people watching.

“How is the wound on your thigh?”

“It’s fully healed.” You shoot your eyes back at him, shocked.

“What do you mean fully healed? That’s impossible. Is there a scar at least? Show me your leg now.” You were eager to really pull his pants off right then and there. Only realising what your actions could further imply, so you pulled back.

“So quick to attack me, I’m tellin’ you,” he grinned. “It’s actually fully healed with no scarring at all. I’m not sure how, though.” He shrugs, before digging back into his cup of shrimp noodles, scooping up a few of the freeze-dried peas and carrots. I noticed he bought more than just the cup of noodles, but also a packet of prawn crackers, a few sticks of you tiao and gummy worms. He already finished the packet of prawn crackers. “Hows your studies for the exam?”

“I’m struggling to utilise my Evol,” you begin. “It’s Resonance, under the Anhaunsen class. I can sense, connect to and match energies. Amplify and suppress them even. But I’m struggling to work with other people and their Evols, I can only resonate with small energies like sounds, or weaker life forces like plants or little animals. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had much exposure to people and their Evol.”

He thinks for a while before providing you with a reply. “Your Evol is quite metaphysical unlike most people’s; like my light which is physical. Mental effort is the primary driver for you to resonate. Hm… but you can’t rely on your mind solely. Remember, the body and mind is one, so physical movements can help visualise the energy for you.” He slurps up the last remaining bulk of his noodles. “Did you want to try resonating with me? We can start of with something really easy. Give me your skewer.”

Curious about what he’s going to do with the wooden skewer you gnawed at for the past few minutes after finishing the food on it, you watch him take the skewer from you. “I’m going to create a beam of light. Try to enhance its intensity, it’s very weak to begin with so you should be able to do it.”

Xavier encasts the skewer with his light Evol, it glows like a magic wand and you watch it radiate, gleaming in white. You focus on the light, pouring all of your attention onto it, and in way, begin to imagine as if you were one with the light. You see the light flicker and weaken… until it was extinguished.

“Ah–” you frowned, disappointed with the result. “It didn’t work.”

“That’s okay, try again.” He lights up the skewer again for you. And you begin to fixate on the light once again. “Remember, mind and body, try some physical movements, like hand gestures.”

“What am I, a light conjuror? I’m no magician.” Xavier chuckled at your salty remark.

You bring your hand closer to the light and touch it lightly, feeling the light energy rush through the pores of your fingertips, through your veins, your cells, flushing through your body. You exhale and move your finger away, and the light brightens significantly. “Woah! Xavier look! It’s glowing brighter!” You got so excited, you tried to move your finger closer now, and the light dimmed slightly. “Look, look! Did you see that? I did it!”

“Good job, baby.”

You freeze at the sudden nickname.

“Ah… of course, I’m just too good!” You tried brushing off what he just called you. “I… I’m going home now. Thank you for the snacks. Bye.”

You shot out of your seat, feeling more stuffy than ever. Your mind bombarded with the kiss. His scent. His everything.

You waddled into the snowy path, with your heightened senses, you unintentionally resonated with all of the snow around you, causing you to crash towards the ground.

The moment Xavier sees you lose your balance, he blinked towards you and caught you before you had hit the ground. “Are you alright? What happened? Can you hear…”

Sight and sound tangle together, folding into white noise. His voice fades into a single trembling thread of frequency.

Notes:

I had so much fun writing this chapter, I stayed up all night writing it because the idea was so rich in my mind. I hope I conveyed it enough for you all. Thank you for clicking and reading along, witnessing my first story blossom and fruit. I was so happy seeing just one kudo like omergod.
(❁´◡`❁)

Chapter 3: Resonance

Summary:

Your “friend” Xavier meets the fam… and Caleb totally loses it. Dramatic family soap opera.

* This is all set before pre-Caleb explosion boom :3 In this fic, Caleb and you are aware of Grandma's past and the both of yous' relationship with her had significantly strengthened as a result of the honesty... I'll write more about that in the future chapters. I really just wanted to write Caleb without his toring chip as a full on emotional and doting big brother heheeh
* Also set 2 years before main story, so Caleb is about to graduate and you've just finished a year at the Hunter's academy — you're training for your first exam, not for the actual Hunter's license. I'll be more clear with the upcoming chapters! <3

You hear a mumbling of voices nearby. The bright ceiling downlight makes your eyes wince. Blinking a few times, you adjust to the harsh brightness, then noticing Xavier at the long edge of your bed. A warm blush creeps up your face, and you close your eyes again, hoping it's just a dream. 

 

Grandma wipes your face and chuckles. “So something must have opened her heart… even for a moment. Oh, my silly girl.” She dunks the towel back into the basin of lukewarm water. Wringing out the water from the cloth, she folds it neatly into a rectangle and places it along your forehead again. 

 

“Your heart matches wavelengths, huh?” Xavier grins. You duck under the covers, cheeks burning in embarrassment.

 

---

 

Here's how it all started...

 

Xavier has you in his arms, he looks down at you. You’re breathing really heavily and unable to respond to his questions. You fall in and out of consciousness, before slumping loosely into him and your breathing slowly falls to a naturally slow and regular sleeping pattern. He had an inkling that you had passed out had to do something with your Evol and figured that your Grandma would definitely know what’s wrong. 

 

He carried you back home, just around the corner of the convenience store. As he gets closer to the architectural mass, he sees a tall dark figure outside the door. The man has a suitcase beside him. 

 

“Hey! Are you her brother? Could you please help me? She suddenly passed out.” Xavier calls out to the figure, and he turns his head around. His violet eyes widen at the sight of his unconscious younger sister in another man's arms.

 

“Who are you. What the hell happened?” He tears you away from Xavier. “Hey! Pipsqueak!” Caleb gently pats at your face, analysing your breathing pattern before sighing. 

 

“Um, I’m Xavier, her friend. I was helping her practice using her Evol to prepare for the Hunter examination coming up soon, but I think she had exhausted herself.”

 

“... Not again,” Xavier’s eyebrow lifts slightly at Caleb’s remark. “She just needs some rest. This has happened before. No need to worry.” Caleb's eyes glare at the sight of this unfamiliar presence before scorning. “Grab my suitcase, will you?” 

 

Caleb lifts you up the stairs into your bedroom and places you onto your bed, taking off your puffer jacket before tucking you in. Xavier shortly follows and walks into your bathroom ensuite, gathering the same wash basin and towel you had used on him when he was injured, filling it with cool water. 

 

“How do you know where to find that?” 

 

Xavier walks over beside you and places the cool, damp cloth onto your forehead. “I’ve been here once, she took care of my injury.”

 

Caleb’s violet baubles darkened and he squinted at Xavier’s confession. “Oh, did she…” Caleb turns back to your snoozing self before looking back at Xavier. “I’m bringing Grandma up, you stay here and watch her. Don’t do anything weird.” Xavier grimaced at the sudden shift of gravitational force pushing heavily against his shoulders before it slowly quells. He looks at you and sighs, feeling his cheeks batter up with warmth as he thinks back to the events earlier. 

 

He still felt the lingering touch of your lips. Reaching out, he sweeps out a few wet strands of hair from your forehead and cheeks.

 

Then, almost habitually, he fluffs his bangs, feeling a twinge of self-consciousness.

 

After a few painful minutes for Xavier, your Grandma and Caleb emerge from the door, Caleb holding her arm as she slowly inches towards your bedside. Xavier is quick to grab a chair from your desk and pulls it over to your bed, “Please sit, Ma’am.” 

 

“Oh, thank you,” she cheers. “Now, who is this sweet boy?” 

 

Caleb scoffs before interrupting Xavier even begins his introduction, “Xavier. Her friend.” Heavily emphasising the word ‘friend’. 

 

“Hah… my poor angel,” Grandma sighs. “Always making Grandma so worried.”

 

“Grandma, she’s better off under my care. You can barely walk around now. I’ll quickly finish my studies and work hard to support her. She can just stay up with me at Skyhaven.”

 

“Shush, you!” Grandma refutes. “You want her to give up on her dreams of being a Hunter? You can't always get what you want, Caleb.”

 

Caleb looks down at soft carpet, shuffling his feet. "... But being a Hunter would hurt her," he mumbled softly. 

 

“She’s happy here, puppy. If you care so much about her, you would put her happiness first, no?”

 

Caleb goes quiet and tears well up in his eyes, still looking down at the carpet.

 

“I know you love her very much,” she looks over at Caleb, adoringly. “Come here.” 

 

Caleb shuffles over to his grandmother, kneeling down and wraps his arm around her knees. “I can’t take care of either of you… I feel so pathetic, barely a man at twenty-three” His tears soak Grandma’s fleece pants.

 

Xavier was very shocked to see Caleb go from a spiked taciturn to this melted mess of a puddle, and it made him feel sorry for the guy. It seemed family is his weakness. But witnessing the scene, he feels at ease knowing she’s got such a loving family. 

 

“Don’t cry,” Grandma laughs. “You’re making a fool of yourself in front of Xavier over here.” 

 

Caleb doesn’t care to lift his head from Grandma’s knees, softly sniffling as she continues to speak to Xavier. “Thank you for bringing her here, do you know exactly what happened before she had fainted?”

 

“Yes, I was helping her practice utilising her Evol for the Hunter exam,” he continues. “I’m a Hunter at the Association, and I met her at her part-time job.”

 

“Part-time job?” Caleb looks up with his tear-stained face, more tears welling up at his eyes. “Do I not spoil you enough, Pipsqueak!?” He plops his head back down into Grandma knees and she playfully smacks his head.

 

“Yes, she works at a flower shop downtown,” Xavier chuckles. “She mentioned struggling to resonate with people’s energies and their Evols, finding it easier to resonate with weaker energies. It only seemed right she’s working with flowers, I think her resonating with their life forces makes her really happy.”

 

Xavier ruffles his hair again before continuing. “She was able to resonate with me. It wasn’t much, but she was able to control the intensity of my light Evol.”

 

Grandma and Caleb widen their eyes at Xavier’s statement. “Resonate? With you?” Grandma exclaims, gleaming.

 

“She’s never been able to resonate!” Caleb adds. “Not even with me.” 

 

“Did something happen?” Grandma asks. “Her Evol allows for her to change her frequency to match another’s by using the waves generated by her brain’s magnetic field. She can produce repulsive waves against certain people or things to avoid resonating with them.” Grandma pats your arm that lays beside your softly rising body as you breathe softly. “She must open her heart to establish a connection. If she resonated with you… it means her heart wasn’t closed.”

 

“Xavier I assume you are an experienced Hunter with the way you carry yourself.” Grandma puts, noticing Caleb sink down at her legs again. “Light has a a steady and clean wavelength. Caleb, yours fluctuates. Gravitational Evols always do. And you’ve really only interacts with each others’ Evols at immaturity. She repels unstable frequencies without meaning to. It’ll be a long time before she’ll be able to resonate with you, Caleb. She’s still learning to use her abilities, it’s not that she doesn’t love you, okay?” 

 

A beat of silence. Then Grandma turns back to look at you and wipes your face, chuckling. “So something must have opened her heart… even for a moment. Oh, my silly girl.” She dunks the towel back into the basin of lukewarm water then wrings out the water from the cloth, folding it neatly into a rectangle and placing it along your forehead once again. 

 

“I see your heart and his are in sync,” Xavier grins. 

 

You have been awake for a while now and hearing him say that, you duck under the covers embarrassed in front of your family.

 

“Yes, her heart definitely matches yours– Oh! You’re awake now!” Grandma coos. “Are you feeling better, sweetie?” Grandma immediately notices and checks on you. 

 

Caleb is mortified, sensing where this is heading. 

 

Xavier is still there and way too calm about the whole thing. Grandma begins, “Only for Xavier, huh?” 

 

Caleb emotionally implodes.

 

Xavier smiles, clearly flattered. 

 

You hide deeper under the blanket, wishing for death. 

 

Grandma takes Xavier’s hand from across the bed and tells him he’s welcome anytime. 

 

“No, Grandma!” Caleb tries to stop her, swatting his hand from hers; she shuts him down. “Why!? You’ve just met him, Grams!”

 

“Help me up, Caleb.” She slowly stands up holding onto Caleb’s arm and dusts her pants. “Geez, crying more than your sister at your big age. I need to prepare dinner for the us. You’re staying to eat, right, Xavier?”

 

He nods. 

 

“Alright, alright…” Caleb sighs. “Let’s go, Grandma.” He walks her out through the door, where he adjusted the door to be wide open, only for Grandma to fully close it on her way out. 

 

Now, it’s just you and Xavier in the room — and you feel your cheeks burning all over again.

Notes:

honestly just wanted to write cry baby caleb so my bads if it's a bit ooc (sad caleb main.. i still havent recovered from that 145 affinity level secret times like lawd what duh fuhhh) and grandma best wingwoman <3 yeyahhh ahem.

anyways. i hope you guys liked this chapter, it's a bit more light hearted! next chap will be spicy ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Chapter 4: Two Peas in a Pod

Summary:

:-) some freaky stuff

Now, it’s just you and Xavier in the room. You glance at him, shooting glares in his direction.

 

“Hey, what did I do?”

 

“Nothing… Don’t be too bothered by Caleb, he’s a bit overprotective.” 

 

Xavier laughs really hard. “He’s actually really funny, he should be a comedian.” He chuckles mid-sentence. “It was like I was watching a low-budget soap opera on TVB.” You giggle at his comparison, imagining your family on a television set quarrelling. 

 

He stands up and hovers over you as you recede further into your bed, like you were trying to become one with your mattress. Cautious of his sudden moves, you ask, “What are you doing?”

 

Xavier draws himself closer toward your face, his ocean eyes looking right at yours. You notice the swirls in his irises, like skins of layered blue nebula. You can’t help but become lost in his eyes. Feeling his face radiate more heat against yours, you shut your eyes, and waited, patiently. Expecting a kiss.

 

Your heartbeat quickens, and your breathing slightly accelerates. And once again, everything around you becomes heightened. Do I have to make the first move this time? After a few more exhilarating seconds of stillness, you slowly open your eyes… only for him to then crash his lips onto you at full force. 

 

You become a mess. You can’t think, can’t breathe, can’t remember your own name–only the way his mouth feels, how desperate he suddenly is. You grip the sheets beneath you tightly, shutting your eyes. 

 

He sucked and nipped at your lips like his life depended on it. You feel your lips swell and become numb. The saliva exchanged between your hot mouths were creating volatile sounds which filled the room, wet and sloshy. You latch onto his neck, feeling the sharp ends of his trimmed hair, brushing your fingers demurely against his nape. He shudders in response and lets out a soft groan into your mouth. By this point, his body has fully collapsed on top of yours. Xavier is panting heavily, and with you pinned beneath him, he feels as if he is about to lose control of himself.

 

He lifts your head up with his large hands and put his left hand beneath the back of your head to support it, whilst also massaging light circles around the tips of your ears. This sends rhythmic jolts throughout your entire body, and you softly moan into his mouth. Your reaction makes him want to make you feel even better than you already do. 

 

He moved his hand to fully cupping one of your breasts, as he curls a finger through the edge of your bra, arms beneath your thin shirt. Focusing on the sensations boiling at your chest, you feel your nipples harden, grazing the interior of your bra’s padded cup. His hand explore the intricate lacing of your bra, you notice his breathing becomes a bit heavier, and longer. Sweat forms at your cleavage, providing a shear shimmer, highlighting the curvatures of your breasts. Not knowing where to look, you focus on the passionate hand travelling beneath your shirt. Wanting to see how his fingers are dancing along your body, you take off your shirt, exposing your breasts barely held up by the tugged bra. 

 

Xavier freezes–just for a short second. His breath catches, pupils blown wide and he licks his bottom lip like he’s trying to keep himself grounded. The heat from your face flushes down towards your shoulders, you feel him staring and you look away, allowing him take the view of your glory in. 

 

“I like you, Xavier.”

 

The words hang in the air, terrifying and fragile. You instantly regret saying them, your face burning, your chest tightening and you can’t seem to look at him. You notice him pausing momentarily.

 

“I… like you too.”

 

His eyes soften, eyebrows flattening and his pupils darkening even more than they were before. He lifts you up from your waist, and you both are seated up, facing each other. 

 

“I told you that you were too pretty not to have a boyfriend.” 

 

Your mind short-circuits and you’re doing mental marathons at his statement which connected to your first meeting. Is he implying we’re together now…

 

You feel shy only in your bra, clasping an arm over your breasts. He notices and touches the arm which barely hides your curves. 

 

“Want me to take my shirt off, too?” he suggests. “You can take it off me.” Gulping, you nod slowly. 

 

His uniform jacket was already removed before entering your room, and he is only left with the white dress shirt that is adorned with black buttons. You start at the top buttons, undoing them, which each action revealing more and more of his chest. You see how flushed the upper half of his torso had become. Recalling the moment where he suddenly undressed in front of you, he is very sculpted. And you just wondered how much more defined the lower you go. Unbuttoning the remaining few buttons, you see his abdominal muscles flex at your touch. His belly slightly quivering now with your fingers lazily gliding over his hard abs. You bite your lip at the view. Now you slip the dress shirt off of his shoulders, and they slide down his broad back. He takes out his arms from the sleeves. 

 

“Like what you see?”

 

You nod quietly once again. 

 

“What do you want to do?” he whispers into your ear, then his eyes search for yours. “You can have all of me,” he murmurs, his voice low, almost shaky. “Only if you want to… I’ll stop otherwise.”

 

He takes your hand and directs it toward his cheek, his face turning slightly catching one of your fingers by his mouth, and he sucks on it. You follow the movement of your hand as he guides it across himself. “Hah…” he groans as he takes your wet finger away from his mouth and down towards his neck, sliding it further down his pectoral muscles, to his navel, and then he pauses at his groin. His thighs tense, jaw clenches. 

Xavier thinks to himself, “I shouldn’t… but I can’t help it.” Seeing you like this is making his chest ache, feeling unsteady. He’s trying very hard to not lose control. You can see it. You can feel it… the tremor beneath your hand. He then presses your hand hard into the bulging area, you feel it twitch beneath your fingers and its piping hot warmth through his rough trousers. 

 

As he rests your hand on top of his crotch,hHis soft tongue licked all areas inside your mouth, with each thrust of it sending heated pleasure everywhere. You start to feel fuzzy and a warmth brews at your core, you feel bothered by the throbbing in between your legs. Unable to withstand it any longer, you pull your mouth away from Xavier’s, taking some time to catch your breath, as well as attempt to get yourself to calm down–afraid of what is more to come. 

 

“H-hah… Xavier… we need to stop here.”

 

“Tell me why,” he pauses all movement, only staring at you. You become flustered and more aware of the disorder you two have enveloped yourselves in. "Do you really want me to stop?"

 

He uses his hand beneath your head to push you against his lips, giving you a quick, but mealy pop of a kiss. He chuckles, you both watching the string of saliva lengthen then break. “Tell me,” he murmurs. He latches onto your reddened lips again, slowly fragmenting each smooch away from your lips… to the side of your chin… beneath your jaw, and towards your throat–chewing and biting at the thin skin which quickly changes hues at each nip. His groans deepen and reverberate into your larynx with each kiss, and you moved your hand from his crotch to grab into his hair harder, pushing his body closer against yours. You don’t know whether to melt or explode. Your hands move on instinct more than choice and you cling onto him like you’d fall apart if you let go. 

 

“We…” you take a breath before you continue, all airy. “We need to have dinner with them soon.”

 

He hovers his face away from yours just slightly, sneering. "Yes or no, shall I stop now… baby?” 

 

He then grinds his lower pelvis against yours, you both softly moan in response to the sudden different type of stimulation. You felt the hard bulge of his cock rub against your pussy through your pants.

 

You moan a bit too loud and all of the muscles in your body tense up, the hairs at the back of your neck rising. 

 

“I… I don’t want to stop,” you gasp. You swallow hard. Your body is racing faster than your mind can keep up. You can barely look at him without feeling heat climb up your throat. His free left hand travels from your sides up towards your breasts, only softly grazing his fingertips against them, teasing you. 

 

“Why should I not stop now?” he breathes into your ears, you whimpering as a result. "Thought you were worried about the dinner?" He was right, you were thinking of the dinner but you wanted to explore him further.

 

"B-because it feels so good..." You grind into him, causing him to shudder and he thrusts his pelvis into you faster and harder. You don't realise, but you're panting so much, your mouth just stays open, causing a line of drool to seep out from your mouth at one corner. The sight of you so lost in pleasure is thrilling to him, only wanting to make you move closer towards ectasy. 

 

You shift your legs a bit, as your underwear begins to feel uncomfortable, clinging closely between your slick folds. Your juices leaking far beyond what you thought was normal from yourself, gushing even more as he continues to grind against you. You are unsure of what to do next, blaming it on your inexperience. Trying to think back to the erotic videos you have seen when touching yourself, the final step seems to be penetration… and you fear you aren’t ready for it yet. 

 

“Xavier…” you mumble. “I want all of you, but I don’t think it can be done today.” You appear dejected, looking away, you lips curling into a frown, eyebrows furrowed and eyes sunken. 

 

“I wasn’t expecting for us to,” he replies, kissing your temple. “I was just offering all of myself to you. We’ll only do what’s comfortable for you, baby.” His thumb traces the corner of your mouth, now slow, as if memorising you. “We can stop now, and finish another time.” You nod, and he lifts his body up from yours, then helping you sit up by lifting you from the side of your waist.

 

Xavier reaches for your shirt, lifting it gently. “May I?” 

 

You nod, and he helps you slip back into it. He smooths your hair behind your ears, a small smile tugging at his lips. He locks his eyes onto you as he strokes your hair now, admiring the beauty before him. “You’re gorgeous.” And he kisses you softly, grasping your cheek. 

 

“Xavier… I don’t really know what I’m doing,” you whisper. “I’ve never… done anything before.” 

 

He hugs you tighter and presses a slow kiss to your forehead. 

 

“That’s okay,” he whispers. “I’ve only ever felt this way for one person.” He caresses your cheek dearly. “And it’s you. So I don’t really know what I’m doing either. You drive me insane.” 

 

You both now sit beside one another on the bed, knees touching. The room is definitely warmer and quieter, your breaths syncing without you realising. His hand finds yours, finger brushing, not quite holding. “We should go… before my brother breaks the door down,” you murmur, and Xavier chuckling. 

 

Walking towards your wardrobe, you grab a new pair of panties and dig around the bottom to find some breezy boxers that you usually wear to bed for Xavier. You handed over an old pair to Xavier before proclaiming, "Those are mine this time." 

 

"I definitely needed them, you left me all stirred up, shall I show you?" He reaches to pull his boxer short's waistband down before you cover your eyes quickly. He lets out a childish giggle, "What? You made it like this, why don't you want to see, huh?" 

 

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" you say, still shielding your eyes. "Go to the bathroom, please!"

 

He walks towards the bathroom, teasing in a sing-song voice, "Alright, won't promise I'll do the same next time!" And the door shuts behind him, leaving you red and flustered once again. 

Notes:

:-)

Chapter 5: Loud Thoughts

Summary:

I edge you.

You sit beside Xavier, acutely aware of the warmth of his knee brushing yours under the table.

 

The scent of Grandma’s cooking fills the room, but your appetite is weak after your sudden fall, but most likely from your nerves prickling every time Xavier glances your way. You keep your gaze fixed on your bowl, trying to act normal.

 

Caleb leans forward eagerly, firing rapid questions at Xavier about how you met. Your stomach twists. Please don’t say anything embarrassing! Grandma seemed to had sense your discomfort, shoving a bunch of leafy vegetables into Caleb’s mouth so he’d shut up. 

 

It wasn’t as awkward as you had expected it to be. His voice is steady as he chats with Grandma, but every now and then, you catch him glancing over at you—it sends your mind replaying your prior interactions. Xavier built great rapport about his work at the Hunter Association, and the guys talked about guy stuff. It’s like he’s always belonged at this table. He somehow managed to get Caleb to go into tangents about his planes. You were surprised as to how much Xavier knew about them too, like he knew more than Caleb about his own special interest. It made you wonder more about Xavier because you came to realise that you actually knew really little about the mysterious man. 

 

Numbers were exchanged after the dinner, as well as your socials. “You didn’t even have his number!?” Caleb groaned, shaking his head. “I have no words, pipsqueak. I’ll let it go since this is the first guy you’ve let us meet.” 

 

“Were there others?” Xavier queries slyly. 

 

“Yeah, nah, pipsqueak has only had crushes before. Where do I start? There was that kid in our school what was his name… Oh! It was—” 

 

You become flustered and pinch Caleb's arm hard. “Please shut up before I literally murder you.”

 

Caleb nods profusely and you let go. 

 

You look at Xavier whos chuckling at the new side you’ve shown him, and you quickly become embarrassed. “I’ll head off now, thanks for the dinner.” 

 

“See ya, dude,” Caleb waves. “I’ll show you my models next time you’re over—they're sick as.”

 

Xavier nods before wrapping his hand around your head and kissing your cheek lightly. “Bye.”

 

And he leaves through the front door. The door clicks shut and the foyer suddenly feels too quiet. You lift a hand to your cheek where he kissed you, heat blooming beneath your palm. 

 

Did he really just—?

 

You just stand there for a second, not registering what he just did, heart racing. 

 

“Hahahaha!” Caleb laughs at you. “He barely did anything and you’re acting like that!"

 

You snap your head at him and charge at him with your evil fist. “I’m gonna fucking beat your ass, come here!”

 

“Argh!” Caleb runs into the dining room and you chase him. “I’m sorry! Grandma, help! She’s gonna hit me!” Now ducking behind Grandma who’s sitting at the dining table sipping her osmanthus tea. 

 

“When will you two grow up?” Grandma sighs. “Wash the dishes, Caleb.” 

 

Caleb grumbles shuffling away from Grandma’s seat, holding his arms out slightly in a defensive position in case you jab at him. You turn around and go up the stairs, heading back to your bedroom. 

 

By the time you escape Caleb’s taunting and close the door to your room, the adrenaline finally fades.

 

That dinner. Xavier’s laugh. His easy charm. That kiss… They all replay in your head. You decide to wash up, an attempt to distract yourself from the chaos of today.

 

After washing up, you lie on your bed with your phone in hand, excitement buzzing under your skin. You tap on Xavier’s newly added profile. His account is public—no profile picture, no bio. Just his name and username: Xavier | @shen_xinghui. 

 

Shen Xinghui… is that his Chinese name? 

 

You scroll through his feed.

 

Fireworks bursting against the dark sky. A the sea horizon. Swans gathering at a riverbank. Auroras. Sunsets. Not a single photo of himself.

 

He barely has followers—mostly photography hobbyists and maybe a few coworkers of his. The only person commenting on his posts are Jeremiah, to which he insults with each sentence. 

 

jereeemiah: Nice pic, Xav!

 

shen_xinghui: Stop commenting on my posts

 

–

 

shen_xinghui: These hiccups wont stop. R there any tips or tricks that could help

 

jereeemiah: Why don’t I… stop by and slap the hiccups out of you?

 

shen_xinghui: That wont be necessary

 

You giggle out loud. How did those two even meet?. The only similarity between them is that they are both suspiciously secretive. 

 

Ding!

 

A notification slides down your screen. 

 

shen_xinghui: R U getting ready for bed?

 

Your heart jumps. He texted first.

 

you: no, i’m gonna study for a bit. what about you?

 

His reply comes quickly.

 

shen_xinghui: I’ll be sleeping now… So tired

 

shen_xinghui: U should sleep soon. It’s late

 

shen_xinghui: Goodnight… my eyes…

 

And he stops typing.

 

you: goodnight xavier, sweet dreams!

 

You turn off your phone and walk over to your desk and boot up your computer’s projector, and a hologram flickers to life as you open your revision folder.

 

An hour and a half goes by until you were blown out of studious flow by the vibration of your phone, lighting up as well.

 

You glance at the screen.

 

shen_xinghui: Sent a photo.

 

Your stomach flips. You snatch your phone, click onto the notification—

 

—and freeze. 

 

A full-screen selfie of him in bed. Shirtless. 

 

The moonlight from the window behind him washing over the smooth white of his carved torso, its brilliance highlighting the graceful fines of his body to reveal the subtle but pervasive hint of firm masculinity. Even in the half-light of the room, his lips were red. His cheeks flushed crimson, eyes heavy-lidded and almost closed. The tracery of blue veins on his forearms that leads up to where he holds his phone—the skin was so extraordinarily transparent that one could almost see the fragile mechanism inside. His other arm folded and tucked beneath his head and his hair neatly spread over his grey pillow, appearing to blend into the silk due to its silvery tones. 

 

You zoom in. Slowly. Shamelessly.

 

Your breath quickens.

 

He knows exactly what he’s doing… or he’s just naturally lethal.

 

You begin to shift in your chair, your heartbeat thumping loudly against your chest and you feel your vision shake at each pulsation. 

 

Neither of you sends another message. You don’t know what to say. So instead… you simply save the photo. 

 

Distracted and no longer focused on your studies, you turn off your computer and brush your teeth and get ready for bed. You change into your sleepwear. Light pyjamas, a soft pink night shirt that barely covers your thighs, slightly covering your panties. You turn off the lights and your room’s only light source is now the bedside night-light that automatically turns on at dusk. 

 

The house is unusually quiet tonight. So quiet, that the hum of your night-light feels loud. When you slip under your blanket, the silence almost presses against your ears.

 

Throwing your blanket over yourself, you sink into the mattress, enjoying the silkiness of your pyjamas smoothly rubbing against your skin as you shuffle into comfort. 

But the comfort of your clothes doesn’t help you forget the photo he sent.

 

You turn on your phone again, heart skipping. His selfie fills your screen. Moonlit skin, flushed cheeks, half-lidded eyes. Too intimate to be an accident. Too deliberate to be innocent.

 

Impure thoughts flood your mind, and flashes of today’s memories consumes your brain. The moments you had with Xavier, wrapped up in each other’s arms, rubbing your bodies against one another. You remember the way his voice sounded, much deeper than usual, and husky. You feel yourself warming up, and you automatically move your dominant beneath the blanket, reaching down between your thighs. 

 

Should I?

 

You shift under your blankets, trying to ignore the ache in your belly. But your filthy thoughts makes it impossible.

 

You feel your juices spreading with each shuffle of your legs, it travels down your inner thighs. You look back up at the photo, admiring everything all together. 

 

“... Should I?” you whisper, ashamed and wanting. 

 

Your fingers slip beneath the thin fabric of your panties, brushing past the soft mounds of your mons, then lower—finally reaching your clit. Moaning softly, you rub your clit in light circles, each movement gliding with ease from the slick of your juices. 

 

You bite your lip. Just a little. Just to ease the ache… 

 

Applying firm pressure, you squirm and buckle, imaging that the force up against you is Xavier’s hard bulge which was once driving into the same area. All focus now on the erotic sensations below, you close your eyes and plop your phone away near the head of your pillow. Your other hand travels up your shirt and you massage your breast sensually. Your head falls back on the pillow, your breath warm and heavy. You notice your lips are dry and your temples were throbbing feverishly. Continuing to rub your clit, you quicken your rhythm and your breathing heightens. 

 

Opening your eyes again, you see a typing bubble pop up, then disappear. 

 

He’s awake? 

 

You flush, a deep crimson, guilt eating away at your consciousness. You thought he had fallen asleep, but now knowing that he was also awake with you… you become more aroused. You grab your phone with your free hand, still rubbing your clit with the other.

 

[you]: can’t sleep?

 

Seen. 

 

The typing bubble returns, its animation playing for a couple of seconds before your receive a reply.

 

[shen_xinghui]: I can’t stop thinking about U

 

Your breath hitches.

 

[you]: same here… i want to see you.

 

The thought alone makes Your fingers slide lower towards your entrance, your slick coating your fingertips.

 

[shen_xinghui]: U can

 

A soft, broken moan escapes you as you push a finger inside. Warm walls clenching around you. The pleasure is thick, syrupy, spreading through your limbs. You type with difficulty: 

 

[you]: how? 

 

You add another finger, now thrusting inside yourself slowly—feeling the whole length of the digits—and inserting fully then withdrawing fully, repeatedly. The desire builds sharply now. Unstoppable. 

 

You’re barely keeping quiet at this point, biting your lip until it stings. Your hand moves faster, wetter, louder. You’re right on the edge, so close you could taste it—

 

You whisper his name, broken.

 

“A-ah… Xavier…” 

 

Creak.

 

A soft shift in the floorboards, muffled by the carpet, freezes you mid-breath.

 

The house is impossibly still—door remaining closed—hand buried between your thighs, breath caught mid-gasp. 

 

—

 

Someone is here.

Notes:

I finally learnt how to use the em dash command on ggl docs bcs i've just been doing - - instead of - - - So,there's many here bcs I got excited with my newly acquired knowledge.

This chapter was originally 7k words long. Sadly, I had to split it. Not for the sake of the plot but I didn't want to proofread allat. 🗿🗿

Happy reading! :)

Chapter 6: Creaky

Summary:

You heard something creak at the corner of your bedroom… but that’s not the only thing creaking tonight. 😼😼😼😼

Creak.

 

Your body tenses up, your hand still clasped between your thighs. You quickly duck beneath your blanket; a false sense of security.

 

What was that…?

 

You feel an ominous presence looming at the far corner of your room.

 

Taking a little peak, your eyes slowly render a shadowy figure. Your body momentarily freezes at the fuzzy form, failing to take shape. Your brain immediately kicks into a fight response.

 

Resonating with the closest abundance of energy, you condense your night-light’s radiance into the palm of your hand, its particles conjuring into a glowing orb, full of light and heat.

 

You pull your covers down and just as you are about to hurl the ball of energy at the unknown figure, your eyes land on the familiar silver-dust of hair which was revealed from your now fully illuminated room.

 

“Oh my god, Xavier!”

 

You quickly dart back into your blankets, the globe of energy disperses back into the air, fizzing out slowly.

 

He has his back turned against you, only peering out your window, watching the snow fall from the dark sky. His hand was lightly holding the thin curtains which softly fluttered  against the breeze of leaky night air from your withered window frame. He hid his face behind the sheer veil, so you couldn’t properly see him.

 

It was silent between you two for a while. Your panties were loosely hanging off an ankle, your shirt halfway unbuttoned and the air was thick with the scent of your fragrance… warm and sweet.

 

“Um…” he begins, fiddling with the curtain, twisting the fabric in between his thumb and pointer finger. “I’m sorry.”

 

“I just wanted to surprise you,” Xavier mumbles. 

 

Your body heat rises, you feel blood rushing to your head, your pulse ringing in your ears making you dizzy.

 

Just how much did he see? And since when?

 

“When did you even get here?”

 

“J-just now,” he rushes. “I can leave. I’m so sorry. I should’ve asked you. I just thought you’d like to see me so I quickly teleported here without thinking—”

 

“No!” you rise from your bed. “Stay. I… I really did want to see you.”

 

He turns his body to face you and shuffles closer towards you. There was hesitation in his actions. You notice his face was fully flushed a deep crimson, nervously avoiding your eyes in an attempt to deny your vulnerability at this very moment. 

 

“Then… don’t stop what you were doing,” Xavier now crawling onto your bed. “Continue.”

 

So he saw…

 

You feel a mixture of emotions: embarrassment, guilt but also… curiosity and excitement.

 

Trying to meet his eyes, he looks away, bashfully, head down and playing with the loose threads at the hem of his t-shirt. His words were very bold in comparison with his actions. You want to see him unfold, break down his walls and crumble because of you.

 

“Did… you want to help me?” you quietly ask.

 

You push your blanket fully away from your body to reveal the mess it was covering. Your body shivered slightly, with your shirt slipping off your shoulders seductively. You caress your shoulders sheepishly.

 

“I think I’d prefer you touching me rather than myself.”

 

He looks up at you and inches closer towards you. With the night light fully enlightening him, you realise his hair is slightly damp, his shirt is inside out. And backwards. The tag at his collar made you chuckle.

 

“You really did rush to come here. Can’t you have your shirt off like it was in the photo you sent me?” 

 

“Off it is,” he smiles.

 

Xavier removes his shirt slowly, revealing his flushed torso, shining slightly, a bit wet. His body never fails to impress you. “How shall I help you, princess?”

 

“Let’s pick up from where we left off…” you begin, now moving your hand down at his hardened lower half, rubbing it eagerly. “We have the whole night to ourselves now.” 

 

“Mm, baby…” Xavier groans, clasping his hand over yours, rubbing it with you. “That feels good…” 

 

He shuffles closer to you, hands still at the same place, but with a bit of hesitation. He’s still not looking at you properly. You wonder how you could penetrate his defences.

 

Suddenly, as if he knew what you were thinking, he thrusts his face towards you and kisses you. He could no longer bear the way you looked at him so seductively.

 

He wrapped one of his arms around your waist. A warmth insinuated itself through his fingertips which rest at your hip, and that reminded him somehow of the sweet, sultry atmosphere of Philos whose flowers were dying. His heart aches. 

 

You were present, with him. And that meant everything to him. He began to feel sentimental. Xavier wishes for you to truly understand just how much you meant to him, as the entirety of his life’s mission was dedicated to you, always.

 

You kiss him back, your lips with an incredible liquid smoothness that intoxicate him, kept twisting one way, then the other against his own. His firm resolve was melting away, like a cube of sugar bubbling in hot tea. A wonderfully sugary dissolution had begun. 

 

Xavier savoured every moment of your kiss, losing himself into you. He kisses back into you, enveloping his mouth so lovingly against yours. Seeing you yearn for him just as much as he did for you made him almost break down—you felt his lips quiver.

 

Pulling away from his lips slowly, the sweetness lingers on your tongue. Adjusting your positioning, you part your legs slightly and guide his hand that was at your hip down towards your soaked entrance.

 

“Touch me, Xavier.” 

 

He gives you a nod before tracing the exterior of your entrance, unfurling your folds like the blooming of a lotus which reveals its vibrant pink colour and fragrance at twilight. You mewl at his touch, shuddering a bit. He coats his fingers in your slick, dragging his thick fingers up and down the thin slit before carefully pushing one finger inside you.

 

It sends you into a into a silent frenzy.

 

“More… I want more,” you moan. You look up at him with pleading eyes as you bite your lip. 

 

He felt a surge of pride, and his mind was now filled with nothing but his own desire to pleasure you to the fullest. He inserts another finger, pushing it in and out slowly, as if teasing you. He knew you wanted more, but he wanted to savour the sight of you yearning him. 

 

“More? You want it to be over that quickly?”

 

You shake your head, disagreeing. “Ah… Xav–”

 

The movement of his fingers speed up, stirring up your insides. You wail, beginning to lose control of your moans. Bringing a hand up to your mouth, you try to hold them back afraid of being too loud. He’s plunging his fingers inside you so quickly you feel your climax reaching. Occasionally curling them upwards at your g-spot, he presses hard into the spongy area. He can feel your inner walls clamping and unclamping down at his fingers, sucking them in deeper. You are about to come, and he knows.

 

“Not yet.” 

 

He pulls out his fingers, leaving you on the edge of an all-time high. Your climax slowly declines. You twitch uncontrollably, itching for more. He smirks and positions himself in between your legs.

 

“Hmm? What should I do?”

 

You look up at him, only to look down at his crotch which is still clothed. You want them off.

 

Reaching your hands out to the waistband of his sweatpants, also hooking your fingers against his underwear’s, you pull them down and he shifts to assist in the removal. His cock springs out from the reveal, twitching and leaking slightly. It’s flushed, rosy, darkening a deep purple-red at the tip. His pants are only pulled to his mid-thigh, so he finishes your job and fully removes them. You watch the way it oscillates with each movement. His cock was thick and heavy, the girth and length terrifying you a little. But it made you more curious as to how it would meet with your small entrance. You feel swirls in your lower abdomen, a bit anxious at this novel experience.

 

You reach out to his cock and feel it, lapping all fingers around his length, shifting your hand back and forth. He groans in pleasure, moving his hips with your rhythm. You continue doing this… for quite some time.

 

Your technique was not great, but adequate enough to provide him pleasure. Your hands fumble with the gesture as it felt unnatural for you. You slow down your repetition to a stop.

 

And you pause. You like Xavier a lot. But at intimate times like this, you feel surges of melancholy. You feel in the core of your soul is the pure desire to be one with him. But feelings of fear eat at you, for reasons you can’t seem to define.

 

“I’m a bit scared…” you start. “It’s going to be the first time… I’m afraid.”

 

“Were you thinking of going all the way today? We don’t have to if you’re scared. You said you weren’t ready before.”

 

You shake your head, no longer thinking of more excuses that only perpetuates your anxiety. You want this man. You want to become engulfed by him. Be connected as one, regardless of your confusing feelings of fear.

 

“I’m ready— I…” 

 

Pausing, confirming what you’re about to say back again inside your head.

 

“… want you to fuck me.”

 

With that simple phrase, Xavier topples over you. He rummages his hands all over your body, touching your waist, then your breasts, the softness under his fingers exciting him. You yelp and shudder at his touch.

 

He lowers himself at your breasts, before taking your nipple into his mouth and sucks on them. He’s fondling the other, playing with it, twisting and tugging the small protrusion. He circles your nipple with his tongue before playfully biting them, causing you to cry out louder. You grab onto his head, bunching his hair into your fists. The sensation of you pulling at his hair excites him more—his face now squashed between both of your breasts. He could barely breathe, getting off from the high of oxygen deprivation. He hums into your breasts and continues to lap your nipples, then giving it one final big suck, releasing it from his mouth with a pop. 

 

His face is super red and he’s heavily panting, trying to quickly fill up his lungs, as well as expelling all of the withheld carbon dioxide. He leans his cheek onto your chest as he regains himself, every breath sending chills against your freshly sucked nipples. 

 

As he’s catching his breath, he plants many kisses along your chest, travelling down towards your waist. Sucking at a few spots on the way down, before finally facing your pussy head on. 

 

“I’m gonna taste down ‘ere” he slurs. He moves his face closer to your pussy and you try to stop him, clasping your legs shut. 

 

“—oof!” He unintentionally crashes his lips into your pussy due to the sudden slap of your thighs against his head.

 

You yelp, a bit freaked out. “Eek! Xav— no! Don’t do that, it won't taste any good.” You try to push his head away now, pressing your hand hard against his forehead. 

 

“W’you mean?” he mumbles into you. “Tastes s’good…”

 

He wraps his arm around your thighs and pushes them down as he eats you out. The sounds… the slobbering of wetness, squelching as he sucks, licks and kisses the plumpness of your pussy. He licks around your vulva, dragging his tongue up and down your outer lips before plunging it into you. His tongue fucks into you and you scream out in pleasure, biting down at your blanket that you’ve managed to grab. Your clit is now overly-sensitive with the way he digs his nose into it, purposely rubbing into the little bead, his head shaking aggressively as he devours you. The site of him only aroused more.

 

“Imma come…” you mewl, drooling by now. You throw your head back. “I’m coming!” You dig into his hair again and grind hard into his face, the pressure building up even more. 

 

“Mm,” he speaks into you. “Come all’ver my face.” 

 

You reach your orgasm, shaking intensely as all your body’s muscles contract, the grip on his head of hair tighten, causing him some pain. Yet, he continues to frivolously eat you out, your juices spewing out more and his saliva mixing into it, creating delicious auditory stimulation to his ears.

 

Your moans are now uncontrollable, your head pushes back into the bed, your pillow no where to be found nearby. He’s still going crazy at your pussy, and you feel more pressure building up down there, your muscles tensing up so hard you go stiff.

 

“X-Xavier, sto–!” 

 

Before you finish your command, you squirt all over his face. You scream into the blanket bundled up in your fist and mouth, shaking unrestrainedly. The water gushes down his chin and onto your bedsheets, the fluids pooling, unable to seep further into your mattress. You feel the wetness of your bed on your ass, and it sends you into a spiral. 

 

You want to hide and disappear from the world forever. 

 

“… wahh!” you cry out and cover your face.

 

Xavier lifts his head up from beneath you, your fluids still dripping from his face. “What’s wrong, baby?”

 

You hide your face into the blanket more, unable to look at him. “This is so embarrassing, I just peed on you.”

 

He laughs, removing the blanket from your face and grabs your hands. “That wasn’t pee. If it were I wouldn’t have drunk it all up—actually I would. Anyways, you tasted so good I couldn’t move away. Don’t be embarrassed, baby. It’s super hot. Keep doing that for me.” 

 

He gives you a light peck on your lips. “Ready for more?”

 

“... huh?” 

 

“You said you wanted to be fucked by me,” he says, moving his hand down towards his cock. “Did you forget about him already?” 

 

You gulp, looking down at his reddened cock, it’s twitching a lot and there’s so much precum leaking from the tip.

 

“Mhm… I didn’t forget,” you nod, your eyes lazily gazing at the puddle you left.

 

You move yourself from the wet spot and shift up from the bed, grabbing a few towels from the bathroom and laid them down onto the wet spot before placing yourself back on the bed. 

 

You lay there, fully stripped naked with all of your erogenous zones dampened and sucked at. Your skin now flushed a bright pinkish-red, sticky. Feeling embarrassed, you turn to face your window, avoiding his sight. You move your arms up and slightly cover your breasts once again, feeling too aware of your body at this moment in time. Your feet fidgets with the towels beneath you…

 

It’s really happening. He’s going to be my first. I want him so bad but I’m scared.

 

“Look at me,” he whispers. “If we do this… it’s not just desire. I want all of you. So… don’t be scared. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

 

“Mhm…”

 

“Come here.”

 

He reaches out, not pulling—inviting.

 

And when you move into his arms, he exhales like he’s been holding that breath for centuries. He cups your face gently, thumbs stroking your cheeks, grounding you.

 

“You set the pace,” Xavier murmurs. “Whatever feels right to you… that’s where we go.”

 

Your heartbeat stutters. Your palms press against his warm skin. You nod—and he kisses you. Slow, careful, reverent. You melt at his kisses, tugging at your heartstrings, and you fall back down into the bed.

 

He’s so caring… I’ve barely done anything to him and he’s not rushing me at all. I want him to feel good too.

 

“... I’m ready.”

 

You spread your legs enticingly as he lowers his pelvis towards yours. He holds his cock, which has been edged for so long, it jolts sharply and he moans as he lightly jerks it against your entrance. He slowly coats the tip with your slick, moving it up and down your slit, ensuring he is rubbing your clit at the same time. 

 

“Hah…” you moan out softly, gripping the bedsheets below you. He lowers himself against you, clasping one of your arms up and moving it behind his neck. 

 

“Hold onto me.”

 

You wrap both arms around his neck now, staring up at him. His face is hovering near yours, and his eyes are closed. He moans softly as he preps you, the sensations stimulating him just right.

 

You watch the complexities of his facial expressions. His eyebrows are slightly furrowed and you notice him biting the bottom of his lip on one side. 

 

You land a kiss to his cheek. He opens his eyes to look at you now, unclenching his jaw and relaxed his facial muscles.

 

“Enjoy it with me,” you say, wrapping your legs around his lower torso, pushing him into you.

 

He pushes his tip deeper into you, and you feel yourself being slowly stretched out by him. You hold onto him tighter and your breathing quickens. 

 

“I’ll just put in a bit for now. Tell me when you want more.” 

 

You nod and he lightly dips his cock into you, thrusting really lightly, but it’s enough to make you moan louder, each one airy and dragged out like a fading note. It doesn’t hurt like you had expected it to, just a bit of a stretch and a bit of pain, however, pleasure completely overrides such discomfort.

 

He’s breathing really heavily and you watch him fuck into you, the bed creaking softly with each thrust, your head pushing against the headboard. It turns you on, really highlighting the fact that you’re getting fucked right now.

 

“Xav… put it all in. I want you so bad.”

 

The second he heard you say that, he pushed all of himself into you, fully disappearing into you. You wince at the feeling and shut your eyes tightly. He pauses for a while, allowing you to get used to the deeper penetration. He feels your pussy quiver and throb, and this makes his cock twitch inside you. 

 

He whispers in your ear, “I’m gonna fuck you all night long.” Licking your ear and nibbling it, he continues, “You want that, baby?”

 

“Mhm… fuck me all night.”

 

“Ah… you’re so fucking perfect, you know that?” he stays beside your ear. “Listen to me carefully, okay? Listen to how much you mess me up.”

 

And he begins to fuck you. Hard.

 

Each slap against your clit burns and tingles. His pace is moderate, but the force and him penetrating you by fully pulling out and then back in drives you absolutely crazy. It feels so good, his cock reaching places you’ve never felt before, causing you to wail and squirm, sending sparks of ember up into your core. 

 

“Hah… ah… shi–, god you feel amazing,” he continues talking into your ear. “Do you like it? Do you like my dick in you? Say you do, say love it.”

 

“I love it, I love it so much,” you call out. “It feels good, don’t stop…”

 

“Of course, baby. I’m not stopping,” his breath is super hot against your ear. His moans are louder now and he starts kissing your ear again. “Hah…” he’s moaning into your ear as he licks the inside of it, biting your lobes as well. His thrusts quickening and pushing harder into you. “Oh god… you’re so tight, gripping my cock so well. I love it, baby. I love your hungry little pussy.”

 

Your moans by this point can no longer be contained and you start to whimper loudly. His slaps get so loud too and the room is boiling hot. Your vision goes blurry, tears welling in your eyes. “Ah… Xavier! K-kiss me.”

 

He crashes his mouth into yours, your tongues pushing at each other, exploring every little crevice of your mouths. Drool drips down your mouths, your cries muffled with each kiss. He doesn’t stop fucking into you, and ravages your insides.

 

Xavier felt himself getting a bit close to climax.

 

He breaks the kiss and straightens himself up. He grabs one of your pillows that had dropped on the floor before lifting your hips up and places it below you. He grabs at your hips and fucks upwards, your eyes roll back into your head.

 

You clasp your mouth, all your lewd noises now masked by it. He’s hitting all of your sensitive spots and you feel as if you’ll come any minute now.

 

“Suck on my finger.”

 

He pushes his finger towards your mouth and you begin sucking on them. You use both hands to hold at his wrist. Each thrust sending his finger deeper into your mouth. You slobber all over it, the sight causing him to shudder and fuck into you faster.

 

“Does that feel good? Do you like it here?” You nod and moan at his finger. “Good. I’ll give you more to like.”

 

His other hand now presses into your belly, directly aimed at where his cock drills into you, the force heavily pushing your g-spot into his cock. Your eyes unfocused, no longer sucking his finger—just letting it sit inside your mouth—you melt and become lost in bliss.

 

You feel yourself about to come, and almost bite down into his finger. He quickly pulls it out of your mouth. “C-coming! I’m gonna come! Xavier slow down—“

 

He penetrates you rigorously, the tip pushing against your cervix, causing you to let out a breathy moan before climaxing. Your pussy contracts and squeezes him, making him moan loudly. He tries to move but your walls clench at him, unable to shift his positioning inside you.

 

“I love it when you come on my dick, squeezing me so tight… Argh!” He felt you squeeze him harder. “God…”

 

Once you stop quivering, he fucks into you again. You’re so sensitive, you try to move your hips away, but he anchors you in place.

 

He chuckles at your pathetic attempt to escape his touch, then grabs the pillow that was beneath you and throws it onto the floor, brushing his fingers through his hair and sweeping it up, revealing his forehead that’s beaded with sweat.

 

He lifts one of your legs up and brings them over his shoulder. You feel him go deeper into you—maybe even past your cervix, and you wince. He’s biting your legs, sucking them, leaving dark bruised marks against your skin.

 

His rhythm appears to become staggered, his composure crumbling and he’s his breathing becomes louder, with frequent groans slipping from his lips against your leg. Agitated by his faltering control, he changes positions again whilst ensuring he’s still deep inside of you. 

 

He lays down, and you’re now sitting on top of him.

 

Does he want me to move?

 

You try to lift yourself up and move but he holds your waist down. 

 

“N-no…” he rushes. “I’ll do it.”

 

You hum in agreement, flattening your chest on top of his and you wrap your arms around his neck. You place your head into the crevice of his neck. He hugs you back, nuzzling his head against yours, quickening his pace. He now fucks up into you again, hitting all the right spots.

 

You lay a few soft kisses into his neck, taking the moment to also inhale his scent. That powdery note is prominent, now plastered with a light musk. He smells like ground jasmine petals, and you keep inhaling, taking it all in, fully immersing yourself into him.

 

His neck seemed so delectable. Like a starving predator, you puncture into his neck, and begin feeding. Biting, licking, sucking—your mouth was feral against his most vulnerable area. He’s whimpering and moaning lewdly, calling your name out.

 

“B-baby… l ‘m comin’,” 

 

When you opened your eyes again, a harsh sound came through Xavier’s well-formed nose, and his teeth glistened wet through his parted lips. You feel the urge to meet them, pushing into his wet mouth, you lick all around his mouth, only tasting the iron from before. He’s groaning into your mouth, before letting out heavy moans. His cock pushes and digs hard into your cervix.

 

He ejaculates into you, filling you up entirely.

 

You let out a heavenly moan, and with his cock still pumping out his cum, he circles your clit hard and fast. You squirm around his cock and you feel it pulsate rapidly inside you, still situated deeply. You feel your orgasm all the way from your navel to the soles of your feet, an electric shock making you fold into yourself. Your ears are ringing and your vision blurs—clit throbbing and pelvic floor contracting. 

 

The passion in your kiss slowly dies, he passes his arm around your shoulder and holds your chin, feeling the fragile bones of your jaw under his fingertips. He leaves one last kiss.

 

When your lips parted, an ominous silence seemed to fall, as though the birds had suddenly stopped their attractive song. Only heavy panting, softly filling up your room.

 

You both laugh lightly before laying on your sides, facing each other.

 

His hand holds yours and he closes his eyes, smiling. “I missed you.”

 

You blush a cherry red. His eyes were still closed.

 

“… me too,” you reply. “It wasn’t even more than a few hours before we said goodbye too.”

 

You look at Xavier, his eyes still closed. However, his smile had faded.

 

He turns away from you, sniffling.

Notes:

aight. im so sorry for another cliffhanger… FOR THE PLOT 🤌🤌🤌 i finished writing this chapter yesterday but didnt get to proofread until today (9hr flight on plane, only got vpn to work just now cuz im in china 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️)

PLEASE ENJOY! bless 🥀 thank u everyone for your interest. it only motivates me to write better and make you happy in some way 💕

Chapter 7: The Man Who Can't be Moved

Summary:

"I'm not broke, I'm just a broken-hearted man,
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do?
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?"

You look at Xavier, his eyes still closed. However, his smile had faded and transformed into a suppressed frown. He bites at his lips before turning away from you, hand still holding yours. His body contorted, lying awkwardly.

 

You don’t know if you should say anything, so you simply inch closer to him, wrapping your other arm around him. His actions are a great mystery to you—he’s either as clear as glass, or shrouded like a thick fog, stubborn to dissipate. 

 

He quietly hicks, and you feel his body tremble with each sniffle. Your heart weakens, not knowing the reasoning behind his tears. You plant a kiss on his shoulder blade and hug him tighter, your bodies lying twisted and turned like a fraying thread. 

 

“I’m here for you,” you whisper in a mellow voice. 

 

His sobs become more apparent, and he turns over to face you. Tears ran down his cheeks, his face flushed, and his nose dripping with snot. His princely image now turned to somewhat of a broken knight who went rogue and abandoned his nation. There’s something about seeing a man as refined as Xavier display such vulnerability… it pains you to see him like this. 

 

You wonder what made him upset, but don’t want to push for answers. You felt your stomach tie a knot at the thought that invaded your mind.

 

Did I do something wrong?

 

Continuing to hug him, he eventually falls silent. The room is still. The thrum of the house susurrates a familiar rhythm. Outside your window, the empty tree branches crunch as they rub against one another with the wind’s gust. The only thing adorning you and Xavier is the pale blue moonlight, mixed with the dull warmth of your old dusty night-light. 

 

You feel your eyelids drooping before Xavier breaks the silence.

 

“I have a lot of things to tell you.”

 

His voice sounded hoarse… he’s looking right into your eyes; they glisten, bouncing your reflection back at you. 

 

You drearily look back into his eyes as well. “I’m here to listen.”

 

His lips twist to find the right words before deciding on, “It’s a lot.”

 

“That’s okay.”

 

“I’m scared that what I might say will hurt you. It’s confusing… and may be hard to believe as well.”

 

You chuckle lightly. “Takes a lot to hurt me. You wouldn’t do that to me intentionally, would you?”

 

“Never.” He firmly states. “And if I do, it would never be my intent to. But… I’m only human.”

 

He sighs, now turning over to lie on his back, his hand still clasped with yours. You copy him, both staring up into the empty ceiling.

 

“Where do I start…” he begins. “I guess from the very beginning.”

 

“Like, why were you so injured and rocked up at the flower shop?” you ask, still curious as to why he was chased, why he was injured, and why he went into Philo and how he knew your boss…

 

He laughed at your query. “Oh no, the very beginning.”

 

You’re confused, you don’t think you’ve met Xavier before… but his presence is strangely nostalgic.

 

“To keep it simple… I’m not from here.”

 

“I mean, you do have a very unique hair colour… don’t say Mars! I won’t buy it!” You huff at your own wit.

 

“You’ll love what I’m about to tell you.” He says sarcastically. He unclasps your hand and moves his arm around your head, lightly stroking your hair as he begins. “I’m from a faraway planet… called Philos.”

 

You snap your head at him. “Philos… like Philo? The flower shop?” 

 

He nods. 

 

“So Jeremiah is probably from Philos, like you?” you ask. “And that’s how you guys know each other?”

 

“You connect the dots quickly,” he says. “Good job, baby.” 

 

You blush whenever he calls you ‘baby’, your mind racing back to the dirty things you two were doing together earlier. 

 

“Yeah. Jeremiah and I are from Philos. It’s a man-made planet. Not just far away… but light-years away. I come from the very far future, beyond today.”

 

You knew making that Mars comment wasn’t a good idea. You can only look at him, nodding. 

 

“Your Evol is light, so… getting here from the future doesn’t seem so impossible.”

 

“It sure did help, but Jeremiah and I… and our team… we relied mainly on the Deepspace Tunnel—though that’s not too important to discuss at the moment.”

 

“Wait! If you’re from the future… what is the technology like? Was Philos run by a bunch of hydrogen-producing algae… or was it made by a bunch of androids?” 

 

He smiled at your innocent remarks, but he looked pained. “No… nothing like that. I’ll get to it… It’s not good. But as for our technology, it’s far more advanced than what you have here now. The jets your brother is so obsessed with are basic junk to me. I don’t know what he finds so special about those things. If I compare, say, a fighter jet to what I had back at Philos, it would be like comparing a pitiful Lego brick to... an atom.”

 

“An atom?”

 

“Yeah, in the fact that they are both building blocks, but one is far superior.”

 

“Poor Caleb… I think he would go crazy if he knew about the cooler technology you have. Maybe you can take us back and show us!”

 

“Baby, that’s not possible.” 

 

“What? Why…”

 

“Our planet was dying… and by how long I’ve left it, it’s probably dead. Gone.”

 

You feel sad for Xavier. Unable to go home to his planet, it must have been very lonely for him here on Earth.

 

“Do you miss home?”

 

“Sometimes,” he says. “I mean—yeah, just sometimes. Philos wasn’t a good place. Hm…” He breaks off, pondering for a moment before coming to a smile. “The only good thing about Philos was one person.”

 

He’s gazing into your eyes, studying your facial features with an intensity that makes you feel strangely fragile, as though he’s trying to memorise you in case this moment fractures and he’s forced to carry it alone. His expression is reverent, almost mournful, like you’re something precious that survived where everything else did not.

 

“The reason why I’m here…” His voice falters, breath catching just enough to betray him. “…is for her.”

 

The word her settles uncomfortably in your chest.

 

You swallow, unsure why your throat suddenly feels tight. “Oh.” You hesitate, choosing your words carefully. “So… she didn’t come with you?”

 

The reaction is immediate. His jaw tightens, shoulders pulling inward as if bracing against an old impact. He inhales sharply, the sound uneven.

 

“No.”

 

The single syllable lands heavy.

 

A pause stretches, taut and unbearable.

 

“…She couldn’t.”

 

Something about the way he says it makes your chest ache. “Xavier—”

 

“She wasn’t someone I left behind,” he cuts in quickly, sitting up a little, as if the thought itself is dangerous. His voice is firm, but there’s panic underneath it, raw and unhidden. “I didn’t abandon her. I didn’t move on.”

 

You frown, confusion knotting with unease. “Then what are you saying?”

 

His hand trembles where it rests against yours, fingers curling like he’s afraid you’ll pull away once he says it aloud.

 

“I’m saying…” He exhales slowly, like he’s letting go of something he’s held for too long. “…that she was you.”

 

The words don’t strike you all at once. They hover, weightless and unreal.

 

You blink. “Me?”

 

“Yes...” His voice breaks, the composure he’s been clinging to splintering at the edges. “You existed before this life. Before this world. Before you ever met me in that flower shop.”

 

You shake your head slowly, a quiet, disbelieving laugh slipping out before you can stop it. “Xavier… I think you’re still exhausted. There's no way... I probably just look like her.”

 

“I know... it doesn't seem real,” he says softly, not raising his voice, but refusing to let the moment slip past. “I loved you before you knew my name. I loved you before you had this body. This voice. These memories.”

 

The room feels suddenly too small, the air pressing in on you from all sides.

 

“You were my queen,” he continues, eyes glossy but unwavering, like he’s already accepted whatever comes next. “Not because of a crown. Not because of power. But because you were the heart of Philos. The reason it endured as long as it did.”

 

Your breath catches, sharp and shallow. “That’s… a lot.”

 

“I know.” His thumb brushes over your knuckles, grounding himself more than you. “And I don’t expect you to remember. I don’t expect you to believe me.”

 

He looks away, jaw tightening, as if bracing for rejection he’s already lived through once.

 

“I just needed you to know that I didn’t come here to replace someone I lost,” he says quietly. “I came here because I already lost you once.”

 

The words linger between you, heavy and fragile, like they might shatter if either of you moves too suddenly.

 

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” he continues, voice low. “Every moment felt borrowed. I was terrified that if I hesitated—if I did the careful thing—I’d miss you again.”

 

You swallow, heart pounding. “Xavier… I wouldn’t just disappear.”

 

“I know,” he says gently. “But knowing that now doesn’t erase what it felt like then.”

 

He turns toward you, closing the distance until his forehead nearly brushes yours, as if proximity alone might keep you tethered.

 

“I didn’t want to say goodbye to you ever again,” he admits. “It hurts too much.”

 

A breath leaves him, uneven, like he’s finally allowing himself to feel it.

 

“Meeting you again changed everything,” he continues. “Before that, I existed without purpose. Like searching endless water for something I wasn’t sure still existed.”

 

You stay silent, afraid that speaking might fracture the fragile truth he’s holding together.

 

“I dedicated my life to loving you,” he says. “To seeing you smile. To walk beside you. That was the future I chose, again and again.”

 

He pauses, eyes slipping shut.

 

“I lost you before,” he says quietly. “Long before this world.”

 

Your brow furrows, your heart aching in a way you don’t yet know how to name. “Then… the flower shop wasn’t the first time?”

 

“For you,” he says gently. A pause. “But not for me.”

 

The room feels heavier now, the silence thick and pressing.

 

“It’s only been days for you,” he continues. “But every step felt familiar. Every touch.” His fingers tighten around yours. “And I was scared—scared of how fast I wanted you, and how much it hurt to want you.”

 

Your voice comes out barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry… I don’t remember any of this.”

 

He shakes his head immediately. “You’re not meant to. None of this is something I expect from you.”

 

His thumb brushes over your knuckles again, softer this time.

 

“I was selfish,” he admits. “The moment I saw you, I couldn’t stop myself. I stepped into your life knowing you didn’t remember me… knowing I wanted you anyway.”

 

He exhales, steadying himself.

 

“So… we go at your pace,” he says. “Slow. Fast. Or not at all. You can walk away from me. You can live a full life without me in it. You don't owe me anything.”

 

His voice softens to almost nothing.

 

“But I will always be here.”

 

He looks at you then, eyes shining with something achingly sincere.

 

“You have always been my everything. I don’t expect you to understand that now.” A faint, aching smile touches his lips. “I just promise to remind you of how precious you are.”

 

Silence stretches between you.

 

Then, barely louder than a breath, stripped of all defences:

 

“It was probably the wrong time to say all of this.” He pauses. “I’m sorry.”

 

He swallows.

 

“Please don’t hate me.”

 

You don’t answer him right away.

 

Your chest feels too tight, like something has been pressed into it from the inside and left there, heavy and unmoving. His words are still echoing through you—layered, tangled, impossible to sort neatly. Philos. The future. A life you never lived but somehow left behind. A love so old it’s worn thin by time, yet still sharp enough to cut. You try to picture yourself as he described—someone worthy of devotion, of a dying planet’s hope—but the image slips through your grasp like water through open fingers. All you know for certain is the man lying beside you now, the one whose hands are trembling and whose breath keeps hitching as if he’s afraid that even this moment might be taken from him.

 

You search your memory for anything that might click into place. A flicker of recognition. A phantom ache. Some hidden door unlocking. But there’s nothing. Just the familiar thump of your own heartbeat, loud in your ears, and the quiet ache of knowing that someone has loved you far longer than you’ve been aware of them.

 

“I don’t hate you,” you finally say, your voice soft but steady. You shift closer, close enough that you can feel the warmth of him seep into you, and you slide your arm around his waist again, holding him like an anchor. “I don’t think I could. Not for something like this.”

 

You rest your forehead against his chest, listening to the uneven rhythm of his breathing. There’s fear there, but there’s something else too. Devotion, yes, but also restraint. The kind that comes from loving someone enough to let them go if they need to. The thought makes your throat burn.

 

“I don’t remember anything,” you admit quietly. “I don’t remember Philos, or being your queen, or any life before this one. I wish I did. I really do.” Your fingers curl slightly into the fabric beneath your palm, grounding yourself. “But I remember you. I remember the way you look at me like I’m something precious. I remember how safe I feel when you’re near me, even when none of this makes sense.”

 

You lift your head just enough to look at him, really look at him. At the red rims of his eyes, the tightness in his jaw as he braces himself for rejection that doesn’t come. “If this is the first time for me,” you continue, “then let it be the first time. Not a replacement. Not an echo of someone I used to be. Just… us. Here.”

 

You hesitate, then press a gentle kiss to his collarbone, the kind that carries more comfort than desire. “You don’t have to hold all of this alone,” you murmur. Your arms tighten around him, pulling him fully into you now, chest to chest, heart to heart. He melts into the embrace like he’s been waiting for permission, burying his face against your shoulder as his breath finally evens out. You cradle him there, one hand sliding up to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair in slow, soothing strokes, as if to remind him that he’s real, that this moment is real, that you’re not going anywhere.

 

"I have a lot of questions... but they don't have to be answered now."

 

The past may be vast and unknowable, but right now, in the quiet glow of moonlight and the steady warmth of each other’s bodies, you choose the present. And you hold him as you mean it.

 

He doesn’t answer you with words. Instead, his breath stutters against your shoulder, a quiet, broken sound he tries... failing to swallow back. His fingers curl into your back like he’s anchoring himself, knuckles whitening as the restraint finally slips. The tears come softly, but heavy with everything he’s been holding in. You feel them soak into your skin, feel the way his body trembles as if he’s apologising with every breath he takes.

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers at last, the words barely formed, pressed into you rather than spoken aloud. His voice fractures. “I should have been patient. I should have remembered that you weren’t carrying what I was.” A quiet, shuddering inhale. “I acted like I was racing a ghost. Like if I slowed down, you’d vanish again.”

 

His grip loosens, not because he’s letting go, but because he trusts that you’re there—that you’ll stay. You feel his guilt like a weight, the way it settles into his shoulders, the way he bows into you as if asking for absolution he doesn’t think he deserves. 

 

You did feel as if your relationship with Xavier was unfolding quite rapidly, yes—but not in the way that felt reckless or careless. It was more like being caught in a current you hadn’t seen coming, one that pulled you forward before you had the chance to second-guess your footing, and somehow, despite the speed, you never once felt like you were drowning. If anything, you felt held. His presence was steadying, by the way he always seemed to look at you as if you were something he had been afraid to lose.

 

He never demanded more than you could give, never pushed when you hesitated. Even when his feelings ran deep, he carried them with a gentleness that left room for you to breathe, to choose.

 

Perhaps what unsettled you most was not the pace itself, but how natural it felt. How his touch didn’t startle you, how his silence never felt empty, how being beside him seemed to quiet parts of your mind that were usually restless. There was comfort in the way he listened, in the way he noticed the smallest shifts in your mood, in how he made space for you without ever making you feel small within it.

 

You told yourself that if this were wrong, your body would know. Your chest would tighten, your instincts would recoil. But instead, you found yourself leaning in, choosing to stay, choosing to trust the warmth of his arms, the sincerity in his voice. And maybe that was reason enough.

 

After all, you weren’t promising him a forever carved in stone. You weren’t binding yourself to a past you didn’t remember or a future you couldn’t see. You were simply allowing yourself to exist in the present, letting something soft and tentative take shape without interrogating it to death.

 

And for now, that felt right.

 

You keep holding him, steady and unyielding, letting your touch do the reassuring where words might fail. Eventually, his breathing evens out, his tears tapering into quiet sniffles, exhaustion overtaking the fear that had kept him upright for so long.

 

Somewhere between whispered apologies and your slow, rhythmic fingers in his hair, the night softens. His weight grows heavier against you, his arms slackening just enough to tell you he’s drifting. You follow not long after, the world narrowing to warmth and shared breath, to the simple certainty of another body choosing to rest beside yours.

 

---

 

Dawn arrives without ceremony. It does not announce itself so much as seep in, a pale thinning of the dark that brushes gently against the corners of the room. The night-light has long since been rendered useless, overtaken by the first wash of morning, and in that muted glow, you become aware of Xavier’s breathing—slow, deep, unguarded.

 

He is still wrapped around you, as though sleep has sealed the promise you made to each other only hours ago. His arm lies heavy across your waist, possessive but not demanding, his face tucked just beneath your chin. There is something almost boyish about him like this, stripped of resolve and fear alike, and the sight stirs a quiet ache in your chest.

 

You move slightly, careful not to wake him, but he stirs anyway. His brow furrows, lashes fluttering as if he’s searching for something even in sleep. When his eyes finally open, there is a moment... brief and fragile, where confusion flickers across his face. Then recognition settles in, soft and unmistakable.

 

“You’re still here,” he murmurs, more to himself than to you.

 

The words aren’t a question, but you answer them anyway, sliding your hand up his back in slow reassurance. “I told you,” you whisper. “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

His expression tightens. Not painfully, but with emotion held just beneath the surface. He exhales, pressing his forehead to yours, as though grounding himself in the warmth of you. “I keep thinking I’ll wake up and it’ll feel like before,” he admits quietly. “Like I imagined all of it. Like I imagined you.”

 

“You didn’t,” you say gently. “And even if you did… I’m here now.”

 

That seems to have ground him. His fingers trace idle patterns against your side, tentative, almost shy. “Last night,” he begins, then stops, swallowing. “I meant everything I said. But I know it was too much. I can give you space... I don’t want you to feel like you’re carrying someone else’s life on your shoulders.”

 

You tilt your head, studying him. “Then don’t make me,” you reply softly. “Let me walk beside you instead.”

 

For a moment, he just looks at you—really looks at you—like he’s committing the shape of your face to memory all over again. Then, unexpectedly, his lips quirk. “You make it sound so simple.”

 

You smile. “It can be. Sometimes.”

 

There’s a pause. Then his hand slips mischievously beneath the blanket, fingers brushing your side in an unmistakably deliberate way. You jolt at the tickle, laughter breaking free before you can stop it. “Xavier—”

 

“I’m testing a theory,” he says, suddenly far too innocent.

 

You retaliate without hesitation, fingers finding his ribs, and he yelps, twisting away with startled laughter of his own. The sound is bright, unrestrained. Nothing like the quiet grief of the night before. You chase him beneath the covers, the sheets tangling as you both fumble and laugh, until he finally surrenders, breathless and grinning, hands held up in mock defeat.

 

“Unfair,” he pants. “You’re ruthless.”

 

“You brought this upon yourself,” you say smugly, though your smile softens as he reaches for you again, pulling you close.

 

This time, when you settle back into each other, it feels different. Lighter. The weight of the past hasn’t vanished, but it no longer presses so heavily between you. Xavier presses a kiss to your temple, lingering there as if memorising the moment.

 

“You said something last night,” you murmur, half-teasing, half-thoughtful. “About not wanting to say goodbye ever again.”

 

His arms tighten slightly. “I meant that too.”

 

You hum, eyes closing. “Good. Because you also said you’d do me all night.”

 

There’s a beat of silence.

 

Then he groans softly, laughter vibrating through his chest as he buries his face against your shoulder once more. “You are never letting that go, are you?”

 

“Absolutely not!” you giggle, hugging him. 

 

The morning continues to unfold around you, unhurried and forgiving, as the light finally breaks through, basking your bodies which had tangled together, no longer afraid of what comes next.

Notes:

i wrote the first half of this chapter on the plane and had one song playing on loop: ‘the man who can’t be moved’ by the script. i felt that the lyrics really outlines xavier’s perspective. so it kind of was the motivation for this chappie. do listen! one of my favourite songs ^-^ anyways, this was kind of a sappy chapter. it’s my apology for leaving you guys with two cliffhangers :p

also super excited for xavs new 5 star coming out mwehehe

love you guys <3 (‾◡◝)*