Chapter Text
For the next month of your sick leave, you found yourself running into Xavier more and more often. That was probably because you found him outside your door a lot. Since the discovery that you two lived in the same building, he seemed to have thought that he now had to right to visit you. He even went so far as to bring you food and other items he thought would make you happy while you were off, like plushies he'd won from a claw machine. While you still found him a few screws loose and you were still upset with him for being the one to put you on sick leave in the first place, you couldn't help but warm up to him. He was just nice. And you hated that.
Why couldn't he have been a jerk who made fun of your Hunter’s skills and called you weak for not seeing his attack coming? It would be much easier to hate him that way. Unfortunately for you though, that wasn't the case. And he kept showing up at your door trying to make you smile. However, you did manage to learn one attribute about him that wasn't so easily likeable. He was a bad cook.
~~~~
It wasn't a great day today. Your injury was getting better and the pain killers medication you'd been given by Zayne was helping the soreness and pain in your back, but today was the day you ran out. You'd taken the last two pills that morning and only noticed that fact when you'd gone back to get more only to be met with an empty tube. Great. And now you were in too much pain to go out and get some more from the pharmacy. So you did the only logical thing you could think of and called up the person that had prescribed you in the first place.
“Zayne..?” you spoke through the phone. You wished you could summon him over right now to fix all your problems with his magical doctor skills, but he was off on a business trip in the mountains. And it was for a rather lucrative deal for Akso Hospital, you couldn't pull him away from that.
“Are you alright?” He responded. “You sound like when my patient’s intestines were being crafted into a new functioning oesophagus.”
“What?” You were in pain but that comparison was enough to momentarily snap you out of it. “How does that even-” you stopped yourself when you felt the pain creep back up your spine. You'd have to question Zayne’s odd medical comparisons later. “Nevermind. Look, I've run out of those pills for my injury and it's really getting to me now.”
“You've what?” He sounded both astounded and concerned. “Y/N, how? I had a second batch prescribed to your pharmacy once you'd run out. I sent a text.”
Now that he'd mentioned it, you did remember something about a prescription and a pharmacy from him. But it was late so you responded with a snowman emoticon and went to sleep. Making you effectively forget about the whole thing. You probably should've taken that more seriously now that you looked back on it.
“I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about that text, Zayne.” You sighed, frustrated with yourself. “I don't think I can pick it up though, I'm in a lot of pain.”
Zayne huffed through the phone at you, you could practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose and pushing his glasses up it as he did. You could tell he was slightly agitated, but at the end of the day he didn't want you in pain. “Is there no one else you can ask to retrieve it for you? Tara perhaps? She's your friend, no?”
Tara. You would've asked her to go out, if it weren't for the fact she was out on a stakeout right now. It was also with the guy she liked from the second Hunter’s division so you wouldn't have wanted to ruin that for her anyway. “She's on a mission right now..”
An unimpressed sigh came out of Zayne as his first suggestion was foiled. “I won't deny that I'm not well versed in your social life. But I know you're quite social, is there no one else you live close to that your comfortable receiving your prescription for you?”
You considered your options. There was Jenna, but she was your boss and you were currently on work leave so you didn't seem it appropriate to ring her up and ask her for a favour. You skimmed through some of your other friends and even acquaintances in your head before coming to the conclusion that you either weren't close enough to enough with them to ask them for help or they lived too far away. You were about to come up with nothing, until you remembered the man that lived upstairs. The one who claimed to be a time travelling Prince of all things and who also stabbed you front to back. But riding on that fact, he could owe you a favour, right?
“My upstairs neighbour might…” you spoke to Zayne.
“Are you sure? You don't sound too sure about asking them.” You hated how good he was at sensing your tone. He usually just read what you were thinking off your face, but even when he couldn't see you he knew what emotion you were emitting. You just guessed that came from years of friendship and his analytical mind.
“No, really. He owes me a favour anyway.” you brushed off Zayne’s astute observation. You didn't consider yourself uncomfortable around Xavier, confused maybe. His whole existence was confusing. But he didn't make you feel uneasy.
“Hm.” Zayne thought for a few moments. “Alright. Please do call if you need anything or if the pain gets any worse…or if you can't get yourself those pills.”
You nodded, despite the fact he couldn't actually see you. “Don't worry, I will. You're my go-to problem solver, Doctor Zayne.”
You finally heard him chuckle. “A title I'm glad to hold. Alright then, I'll talk to you later, Y/N. Please take caution with your injury.”
“I will do. And thanks again for getting me those pills.”
“I'm your Doctor, it's my job. Now, I'll talk to you later.”
“Talk to you later.” You smiled before the phone hung up.
Xavier. You needed to get a hold of him. It was then that you realised this would've been a lot easier if you had his number, since you were without it, you'd have to make your way up to his apartment and hope he was home. Great.
Gritting your teeth, you hobbled your way out of the apartment, in sweatpants and your slippers, and got yourself into the lift, pressing the button for the next floor up. Even the small jolt the machine made as it reached the floor you’d pressed made it sting. You really needed those pills. You found your way to Xavier’s door and banged, maybe a tad too harshly, on it- praying he was in. Otherwise you'd made this trip for nothing and you had to go all the way back down to your apartment.
You waited outside, every second that passed by making you more and more anxious that he wouldn't be in. Until you heard the sound of latches being taken off the door and a key being shoved in a lock. You'd never been so happy for a door to reveal Xavier. Who looked as if he'd just woken up.
“Mmmph..” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Had he really slept in this late? It was nearly 3pm. Late afternoon. “Oh, Y/N. What are you doing here?”
“Xavier, I need you to do a favour for me.” You burst out with, clutching your bandaged wound.
“What's wrong?” He immediately sounded firmer in his tone, coming over to hold you, letting you lean on him and bring him into his apartment. “What has you in so much pain?”
You winced at the contact. He wasn't hurting you, but even just shuffling your body was causing discomfort. “Pills.” You followed up with, with no context.
“You took pills?” He asked, slightly confused.
“No…no..” you grumbled, wishing he could just telepathically know what you needed rather than you having to explain it to him. “I need pills…” you left it there for a few moments, before realising that saying you needed pills was probably as unhelpful as you just saying the word ‘pills’ when you came in. “My prescription pills.”
Xavier hobbled you over to his couch, settling you down gently. “Oh. I see.” He commented. “I'll go get them for you.” Xavier was quick to hop into action, already having his coat on by the time he finished his sentence. “Which pharmacy do you use?”
“The…Akso branch in the city. It's next to..”
“The Meow’s Café. I'm familiar.” By now he’d got his shoes on. “I'll be back. Feel free to make yourself at home, well, as much as you can. Is there anything else you need while I'm out?”
You had your eyes closed from the pain, trying to convince yourself it wasn't there. You shook your head no, hoping he'd gotten the message.
“Alright. Hang in there, I won't keep you waiting. I promise.” Xavier gave you one last look before leaning out the door. You were now left flopped on his couch, imagining the relief you’ll get when you finally get those pills. Honestly you didn't want Xavier to leave, you knew he needed to fit you to actually get the pills you needed but his presence was comforting. Even though he was mysterious and overall sketchy, you couldn't deny that soft and patient voice soothed your soul.
_________
Xavier hastily made his way to Linkon’s city centre. 3pm in the city wasn't the best time for getting somewhere fast. It wasn't 5pm at least, when all the workers would be making their commute back home, but it was when schools let out. So all the city kids would be wandering around and getting buses around the city. And teenagers, especially when they came in groups, were intimidating. Even to a hunter like Xavier.
Nevertheless, he still got himself to the pharmacy as quickly as possible. He hated seeing you in pain. It reminded him of all the other times in all the other timelines he'd been forced to watch your nose scrunch and face contort in agony. And in this timeline he wanted to do his best to keep you out of pain, no matter what it took.
This you was an odd one. You didn't trust him, he knew that. You'd made your opinion on him very clear and he couldn't deny he wasn't a little hurt. He knew it wasn't your fault you didn't remember him, you weren't aware of all you'd gone through together. The fact that you'd been both his knight and his queen. The women that would wake up to make him smile, would run her hands tenderly through his hair when he was injured and would caress his skin when she woke up next to him. But you weren't endeared to him. You were cautious and calculated around him, which made him careful of what he said and did. And he knew that the fact he’d stabbed you in the back probably didn't help him get into your good books. So he'd have to work himself up to you again.
The fact you'd come to him for help though comforted him. Of course you hurting wasn't good, but you relied on him to bring you your relief, and trusted him to gather your prescription. That had to count for something, right? You at least liked him more than before right? He hoped so.
Xavier found his way into the pharmacy, the building prominent by the large, neon green health symbol marking it. The inside was nice enough, it had the signature hospital white that made you feel both safe and uneasy in a medical setting. A place you knew there were people to help you but also a place where people were dying at the same time. Since it was, in fact, a pharmacy it wasn't packed with people. Customers would stop off to collect prescriptions and that was it. There was just one person in a black hoodie and baseball cap sitting on the chairs against the wall. Presumably someone waiting for their prescription to come out. So Xavier walked his way up to the counter, ringing the bell that alerted the staff they had someone to attend to.
Soon after the bell was rung, a young man ran out in a doctor’s jacket. He had light brown hair, not dissimilar to a friend's Xavier had, and glasses. He seemed young and sprightly, like someone who had just gotten out of medical school or some other course leading to a medical profession. “Good afternoon, Sir. How may I help you?” the young man beheld Xavier with a smile.
“Um, hi. I'm here to pick up a prescription for someone.” Xavier rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
The man nodded, tapping away at the screen at the front counter. “Yes, and whom is it your pick to pick up for?” He asked, pushing his glasses up as he looked up to Xavier again.
“Y/N, L/N.” At those words, your name, Xavier heard a noise from the person sitting on those chairs behind him. Like a gasp of sorts. It was prominent enough for Xavier to turn around and look at the person. It was a man and he seemed to be analysing Xavier as Xavier was analysing him. Under all that black clothing, there were only really a few features that stood out on this man’s face, but the most prominent being nebula coloured eyes. Deep plum and golden honey hues mixed together in a cacophony of colour that struck right through Xavier’s simple set of blue eyes. Very striking.
“Ah yes, Y/N. She's the friend of a coworker of mine.’ The pharmacist behind the desk spoke up again. “Could you confirm her address for me?” For a moment Xavier had forgotten he was there with the man behind him stealing his attention and he wasn't so sure he wanted to say your address out in the room when he'd reacted in such a way to your name. So Xavier leaned in and said your address quietly to the man behind the counter, he knew it was for security reasons for the pharmacy but he didn't want to put your safety at risk either.
The pharmacist nodded. “Yup, that's all good. I'll go get it for you.” And with that he disappeared into the back of the building. Leaving Xavier with this random man.
The silence without that pharmacist there was heavy. It hung thick between the two men in the room, as if they both knew they knew the same girl and that she had a very strong significance to both of them. Xavier was never really good with small talk or shallow communication to begin with, so he kept his back to the man behind him and tapped his fingers on the counter in front of him.
After a few moments though, that man spoke directly to him. “I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice the name you said up there.” He started. “You know Y/N L/N?”
Xavier only turned half his body to the man behind him, keeping himself guarded. “...Yes…” it was a minimal and dry answer but that was purposefully thought out, to discourage any further conversation. But apparently it didn't.
“I see. And what's your name?” The man stood up from his chair and cleared his throat, taking a few steps closer to Xavier. “I'm only asking because she's quite significant to me. Vital, you might even say.” There was an odd energy emanating from this man. A toxic one. A dangerous one. It was like Xavier could feel the weight of every weapon this guy had ever brandished. It was unsettling.
“That's…nice..” he said awkwardly, still keeping his body turned towards the counter. “My name is Xavier..”. His lack of engagement seemed to be getting to the man in front of him. He was smiling, like a friendly acquaintance but Xavier couldn't sense any emotion behind it. Like it was a cover for the actual feeling underneath.
“It is.” The man answered, Xavier’s lack of enthusiasm was clearly irritating him. “How do you know her?”
This was getting a little too uncomfortable. The guy was smiling and yet he was talking through clenched teeth. It was making Xavier sweat slightly, he felt like he was under an interrogation and he didn't like it. So he decided to finally stop playing along with this guy. “If you don't mind. I don't see how that's any of your business.” He answered firmly. “If Y/N is really such a big deal to you then she could have told you about me, we are pretty close after all.” Xavier couldn't help but state his relationship to you to this guy. He didn't like that he was speaking about you, especially when he looked like he was about to bust a vein in his head from clenching his teeth too tightly. “If you're as close with her as you claim, then my name should have come up. Perhaps you should reconsider your relationship?”
That clearly didn't make the guy in front of him happy. Not one bit. He lost the smile, now sporting an intimidating frown, those boy next door eyes had become cold and harsh. The instant shift in personality was immediate and uncomfortable. He took a step towards Xavier, fists clenched together “I don't think you know just who you're-’ until the pharmacist came back.
“Well, Sir, I have Y/N’s prescription right-” he stopped when he saw the men he'd left before now glaring at each other intensely across the counter. “Um, is everything alright here?” He asked, assessing the two men.
The brown haired guy looked from Xavier and then to the pharmacist and, after a few moments of deliberation, he smiled. He was back to the tone of voice he had before. Scarily two faced. “Yes, of course. We were just catching up.” He grinned, like he wasn't just sizing Xavier up.
The pharmacist nodded, before tapping some pieces of paper against the counter to straighten them up. “Alright then, I do need to speak with you about your prescription, Mr Xia.” The intimidating man’s head perked up and he made his way past Xavier.
“Okay. Let's chat then.” He spoke to the pharmacist, smiling at him with a wide and pleasing grin. Xavier eyed him one last time before he looked down at the prescription and figured he should get back to you. He didn't want you in pain any longer than was necessary and some weird guy wasn't going to stop that. So he began his trip back to his apartment.
______
You were lying pathetically on Xavier's couch, writhing around and holding your wound. When was Xavier going to get back? He always managed to magically show up in places all the time, why couldn't he magically show up now. Every small sound in the apartment around you, you thought was Xavier coming back but you were disappointed to find it wasn't. How come he never seemed to show up when you wanted him to? Not that you wanted him to show up…you know, other than now.
Eventually you heard the rattle of keys in the apartment door. That had to be Xavier, you didn't think a burglar would use keys to get in. Most people nowadays have forgotten keys used to be everywhere, key card scanners were more common for opening things now. And soon enough, your very own pill-getting errands boy opened the door. You sighed into relief at the sight of his face. “You're back..” you mumbled, seeing the prescription bag in his hand.
“Yes. I got your pills.” Xavier said, locking the door behind him before heading to the kitchen and getting you a glass of water. He seemed a little more closed off than he was than he left, his lips pressed together in a thin line. But you couldn't really prioritise Xavier’s feelings when you yourself were in increasing pain. “Here.” He handed you the water and pills in their tube. You scooted yourself up to sit and take your pills. You hastily swallowed them, followed by a warning from Xavier. “Careful. Don't choke on them, otherwise that would kind of negate the point of them.”
You swallowed with a large gulp, trying to get those pills inside you as soon as you could. They usually took around half an hour or so to kick in, so the sooner the better. “Thank you for getting them for me, Xavier. That was a really sweet thing to do.” You felt inclined to thank him, despite the fact you did kind of throw yourself at his front door in pain. So he didn't really have a choice, but it was still nice nevertheless.
“I would've done it any time.” Xavier nodded. He'd say himself on the floor beside you, his back against the couch so he could carefully watch you.
“Was Greyson on shift?” You asked. You knew he worked with Zayne and he'd accompanied you on the lunch run when Zayne had neglected to feed himself. You'd decided to ask if he was on shift to distract yourself from the pain. If you could make conversation maybe the time for the pills to kick in would go faster.
“Greyson?” Xavier questioned. Oh, right. He didn't know who that was.
“Light-ish wavy hair? Glasses?” You described.
“Ah, I remember him. He said he knew you.” Xavier nodded.
“Yeah. He works with a friend of mine at Akso Hospital, quite nice.”
You heard Xavier hum, as if he was thinking something over. “That someone wouldn't happen to have the last name Xia, would they?”
That struck you like a ton of bricks. Xia. You hadn't heard that name in over a year, that's because it specifically belonged to a man you thought you'd witnessed go to his grave. One that had been there for you your whole life without fail until he, like everyone else, abruptly left it. Just like your Grandma, just like your parents.
You leant forward to Xavier, immediately wincing at the pain in your side. He heard this, turning around to face you. “Woah! Careful!” He exclaimed, hovering his hands around you. “You need to-”
“Where did you hear that name!?” You exclaimed, grabbing Xavier roughly by his collar. You weren't mad at him, but you were desperate to know where he'd heard that from. He'd told you a lot of unbelievable things about himself, but knowing about your supposedly long dead friend wasn't one of them.
“I-In the pharmacy. Y/N, what's wrong?” He held your arms as you held him, grip firm but not digging into your skin.
“What do you mean in the pharmacy!?” You exclaimed again. In the shock of the situation, you'd failed to realise that multiple people can have the same last name. Not everyone with the last name Xia are Caleb after all. Not your Caleb anyway.
“I'm willing to tell you everything you want to know, Y/N, but you have to calm down first.” you took another look at him, those same blue eyes looking reasonably into yours. You knew he was right, despite your mind trying to reject the fact he was. You let go of him and patted down the now flared collar of his sweater, as a wordless apology.
“You're right…sorry.” You mulled, interlocking your fingers together in your lap.
He turned back around, leaning on the couch again. “It's okay.” He nodded, Xavier seemed to ponder his next words wanting to be careful with them but also seeing how important they would be to you. After some brief thinking, he spoke. “There was a man in that pharmacy. When I said I was collecting a prescription for someone, I was asked to confirm the name of that someone. When I said yours, he perked up. And when the pharmacist went into the back to get your pill, he came up to me, asking about you and my relationship involving you.” What Xavier was saying was a lot for you to take in. The more he spoke the more and more Caleb began flashing into your mind. But it had to be impossible. It just had to be. You'd signed his death certificate, being the only living person he knew who was liable to do so. You'd been to his funeral, cried at his gravestone. Caleb was dead. What remained of him was buried in Linkon’s cemetery. Caleb was dead. Wasn't he?
“It was quite intimidating, he cornered me against the counter. I was only saved by the pharmacist who came back and interrupted him.” Once Xavier was done, he turned to look at you, testing to see if he'd said too much or not. “I apologise for bringing up something that clearly made you uncomfortable. I should've considered your feelings before blurting assumptions in your face.”
That was a sweet thing to say. But you couldn't find the energy in yourself to verbalize that to Xavier right now. You were in shock. Re-living your life-ling best friend’s legacy so suddenly was like a shock to your system, and an unwelcome one at that. You'd spent the past year trying to suppress his memory only for this to undo the work you'd done being in denial.
“When did the name Xia come up?” You finally asked, your voice hollow sounding.
Xavier glanced back at you, eyebrows furrowed in slight worry. “When the pharmacist, I'm now assuming Greyson, came back with your prescription- he addressed the man that was asking about you. He addressed him as a Mr Xia to talk about the pills he was being prescribed.”
You took a deep breath in, looking over Xavier’s silver hair as it sat in front of you. You figured that after all of that show you'd just put on, he deserved at least a brief explanation for your dramatic reaction. “I had a childhood friend. A boy I knew all my life.”
“Oh?” Xavier hummed, turning around to face you once again.
“He was my rock, my pillar. What held me together when I couldn't do it myself. He'd confront bullies who came to my childhood home looking for me. He came to the hospital when one of my friends hurt me accidentally with their evol when we were children. He was there for every step of the way…” you could feel a lump forming in your throat, recalling all that boy had done for you. All of the rants he’d sat through, all of the breakups he'd witnessed and hugged you through. All things you were sure you'd never life through again. You felt Xavier's cool hand over your interlocked ones.
“It's okay, Y/N. If you can't detail anymore, you don't have to. Just saying this much is an extremely bold and extremely brave action to take.” He softly explained, hands sending a refreshing coolness over your own.
“No, I…I need to talk about it. I've spent so much time trying to forget it even happened..’ you responded. It was true. Now that you were going you might as well let the ball roll. Xavier gave you a slight nod, encouraging you to continue at your own pace. “Last summer, we met up for the last time.” You bit your lip once you'd said that sentence, as if your body was trying to force you to be silent. But you refused to be.
“He'd just finished his hazing into the Farspace Fleet for Skyhaven. Me and Gran were so proud.” You found a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips at the memory. “It was meant to be a celebration and reunion of our little found family over the summer. All of us together in Granny’s house eating and sharing over her dining table…” That's when you took Xavier’s hand into your own, squeezing his fingertips as the next part of your story came up. “But something went wrong.”
“The last time I ever saw him, he was walking into Gran’s house, chastising me as he always did…but he never came back out again. As soon as he stepped through the door, the house erupted in an explosion.” You saw Xavier’s jaw drop at the climax of your anecdote, it seemed to have taken him off guard.
“Oh my goodness.” He put his other hand over yours, almost like trying to offer double support. “I'm so sorry, Y/N…I- I had no idea.”
You took a sharp breath in, trying to contain the emotion begging to burst from you, but your lips began to curl in sadness and your eyes began to fill with tears. “They explained it as some unstable Metaflux Fluctuations..” It wasn't long before you felt the volcano of emotion begging to be released through your throat. You bit back the tears, but none of your desperate attempts to choke back your emotions. “But I can't accept that! There's no way those Fluctuations were perfectly in time for when Caleb entered the house! And now he's gone and I'll never get an answer!” As soon as you began to become more upset, Xavier pulled you into his chest- his hand supporting your back as he was still mindful of your wound. You found yourself pausing with your tears for a moment, your body tense against the cotton of Xavier’s sweater. But as his arms wrapped further around you, you let yourself relax into him, sobbing loudly against his chest as he ran a hand over your hair.
“I'm sorry that I can do nothing but offer my condolences. I hate to see you hurting. That's the worst part of the timeline. It makes you suffer. And if I could take all of your pain and harbour it as my own I would. I promise you I would.” His words were less of a comforting force but more of a vow. Like if Xavier did find a way to make all of your pain his, he wouldn't hesitate to take it.
“No…” you muttered. “No. You..you can't know joy, if you've never suffered.” You turned your face to rest your cheek on Xavier's chest, looking at your hand as it held onto his sweater. “That's what my Grandma used to say…” you recounted the wisdom your Grandmother used to share to both you and Caleb before you both went to bed as children. She wanted you both to grow up happy and successful and that was exactly what you intended to do with your life.
“That's..very poetic.” Xavier said after he seemingly thought over the exact meaning of those words. You figured that if he was who he said he was, then he knew a thing or two about suffering and how it impacted a person. “Your Grandma sounded like a smart woman.”
You'd calmed down now. Whether it was from the help of Xavier's calming voice and strong, comforting arms or reflecting on the words of your Grandmother, it had helped either way. “She was. She was beautiful and intelligent. She was a wonderful woman.” You managed a smile through the dry tears now striking your face. “Thank you for letting me cry to you about her…and Caleb.”
Xavier gave you a small nod, raising a hand to your damp cheek and swiping away some of the remnants of your sadness. “Anything you're comfortable sharing with me, I'm happy to listen to.”
You gave him a weary smile. You wanted to thank him but you found yourself holding back. Your guard was still up with around Xavier. He had been incredibly charitable to you today, seeing as you showed up as his door, asked for pills and then got tears and snot all over his sweater but all that didn't mean you trusted him. Not yet
~~~~~~~
After another grueling month on sick leave, Zayne finally deemed you well enough to get back to work. You were glad to finally have something to do other than rot on your couch. Of course you enjoyed loading around and eating store-bought onigiri but at the same time, constantly relaxing didn't feel relaxing anymore. It also meant you were in full pay again, great since it had been halved on the second month of your absence. The only downside of you being able to go back to work was that Zayne insisted on you doing desk work rather than your job as an actual Deepspace Hunter. Instead of giving you a Doctor’s note to hand to your boss, he did it himself, giving Jenna specific orders not to let you out on the field. The marter…
You guessed that getting out of the house everyday now was better than sitting around and doomscrolling, but paper work wasn’t the most interesting of jobs to be doing. And you felt like you'd already missed so much of your job at home, making you feel overwhelmed with the load you'd come back to. Now you were bound to a desk while everyone else risked their lives. You felt useless, like dead weight.
And that was where you were right now, mindlessly filling out another report on the safety inspection your office building had undergone while you were away. You had to fill out the details of each asset and function of the building, you were practically melting from how boring this task was. You weren't even here for the inspection! So why did you have to fill out this stupid report? Before you could ponder any more, it was lunch time. Thank the lords, you couldn't spend another second at this desk without a break. You hadn't brought lunch with you today specifically so you could get up and go out to get some.
So you got up from your seat and got ready to head for the door when you were met with a certain mysterious hunter walking through the door. You could see him clearly but apparently he couldn't see you, poking his head over the cubicles to get a better look. At least you assumed he was looking for you. Who else did this guy even talk to?
You put your hand up, over the cubicles and waved. “Xavier!” That caught his attention and he followed your hand, finding you at your cubicle.
There you are. When Tara said you'd been put on desk work, I wasn't sure where to find you.” He was roughed up, he had dirt all over his uniform and a scrape across his cheek, with dried blood spread across it. What on earth was he doing? His hair looked more grey than silver up close, it was like he'd just crawled out of a mountain of debris. He was also holding a paper bag in his hand, his dirty gloves leaving dark smudges over it.
“You were talking to Tara?” You blurted out the first thought that came to mind, before you shook your head, realising that shouldn't be your top priority right now. “Actually, we can address that later. Why are you so dirty?” You lifted your hand up to gently hold the injured side of his face and turn it towards you. “And injured?”
“Hm?” Xavier lifted his own hand up to feel his injury, but you quickly grabbed him by the wrist to stop him, those dirty gloves shouldn't be anywhere near that wound.
“Don't do that, your gloves are filthy.” You scolded.
“I didn't even know I was injured. It must've got caught on some of the debris.” So he was near some debris?
“What on earth were you doing!?” You exclaimed. Had Xavier collapsed a building or something before it was even lunch time?
“Did you not hear? The subway collapsed due to a Wanderer attack earlier this morning.” He stated like it was obvious. “Which reminds me, you probably shouldn't take the subway to get home today.”
He was so blunt about it, and yet so casual. “Were you in the subway when it collapsed?”
“No. I had to dig my way into it to try and get people out. There were only minor injuries on the people we found under the rubble. But some people are still missing.” Your jaw dropped. What on earth had you missed? This is why you hated desk work. You could be out helping people right now, instead you're getting second hand information from Xavier. “Jenna let me take lunch.”
“Lunch!? Xavier you need a shower, and some bandages.”
“Can't I do that after lunch? I brought some for us to share.” He held the bag in his hands up to you.
“You did?” That was actually very nice, he didn't need to do that but that didn't change the fact he was currently covered in half the subway. “We can eat it later, here.” You took the paper bag from Xavier’s hand and put it into your desk drawer. “There it's safe.” You took him by the wrist. “Now let's get you clean.”
_____
You got to the infirmary and were met with various other hunters with injuries as well. Nothing too gruesome, some gashes here, some bruises there but no missing limbs. Or people being stabbed front to back- you were still understandably bitter about that.
Looking around, you couldn't see the nurse anywhere, but there were various hunters running around. Did they have to add hunters to staff the infirmary? That must've been a big collapse, you wondered how much of the subway was actually down. You looked around to try and catch one of the people running around so they could pay attention to Xavier, that's when one of them caught your eye. Was that..?
“Y/N!” It was Tara and her pink eyes seemed to light up with delight as they beheld you.
“Tara!” You smiled. She dropped a tray of medical equipment to run into your arms, nearly throwing you off your feet.
“You know I love to see you, but I'm standing in for a nurse right now.” Tara quickly pulled away, smiling at you. “I-”
“Tara! You dropped a scalpel in the middle of the floor!” Tara hesitantly turns her head to the actual nurse calling her name. “Well, I've got to go.” She exclaimed. “Bye Xavier~” She smirked, giving a small wink at the two of you before wandering back off.
Xavier watched her walk away for a few moments before addressing you. “What was that about? Why did she smile at me?”
You knew what it was about. Tara had been making fun of your and Xavier’s relationship for a while pretty much since you told her about him. ‘First you hate the guy and now you're in his apartment? There's no way there's not something more going on here!’ she’d say. You were firm in the fact that nothing was going on between you and Xavier, he just had a lot going on about him that you couldn't tell her. The fact you were so mysterious about Xavier was another reason Tara didn't believe you.
You cleared your throat and grabbed Xavier’s wrist, leading him to some wet baby wipes and a first aid kit left on the side. You knew how to use it all, it was part of becoming a hunter after all. “I'll clean you up.” You responded, choosing to change the subject away from Tara and her nonsense. You washed your own hands off with the baby wipes before turning around to Xavier with them. If you couldn't find a shower then you could at least wash him off with these.
“Then can we eat lunch together?” He asked. You couldn't help but feel your heart lurch a little. He was bleeding still and his first want was to eat lunch with you? That was adora- nice. You meant nice. It was a nice thing to think.
“Sure.” You said quickly. “Now close your eyes.” You began wiping his dirty face off, but his height made it a little awkward to do so. You huffed. “Can we find somewhere for you to sit?”
Xavier looked around. “If you sat on that counter, you'd be higher up.” He pointed to the counter you'd found the wipes on. He made a good point.
“Alright.” And with that, you hopped onto the counter, Xavier stepping closer to you. You couldn't help but feel a little awkward with the proximity- no matter how cliche you found it. Having his angelic, soft face so close to your, in your hands even was just something that made your heart flutter. He closed his eyes, light lashes framing themselves ever so delicately over his face as he awaited your touch, leaning his face in towards yours.
You wiped some of the debris and dirt off his face, cleaning him up a bit, running wipes over his nose and chin. That's when you had to turn your attention to the cut on his cheek. You reached for the first aid kit and found a small vile of cleaning alcohol, some bandages, some bandaids, gauze and medical tape.
“Can you turn your head to the side for me please?” You asked, thinking Xavier would get that he needed to turn his injury towards you, but instead he took your hand and held it under his chin- prompting you to guide his face as you needed it. He looked up at you for a brief moment, smirked and then closed his eyes again.
“I think it would be more efficient if you just moved my head for me.” He chuckled a little at his statement, cutely. He was so spitefully lovable. You swore your body released the same hormones it did when you saw a cute fluffy animal when you saw Xavier. It had the same effect. So needlessly adorable that you wanted to squeeze him. It was annoying considering his aloof personality.
“Right..” you muttered, now holding his chin in your hand. “This may sting a bit. But it's better than it getting infected.” Xavier hummed in agreement and you began to wipe the dry, crusted blood off his face with a fresh wipe. You then went in with some rubbing alcohol, making sure it was properly clean. If Zayne had taught you anything in his many lectures, it was that cleaning a wound was very important. The wound itself may not kill but an infection could. His eyebrows furrowed a little in discomfort, which almost made you feel bad. Despite the fact he had literally stabbed you about a month ago, you didn't like seeing him in pain. Even though you thought he kind of deserved it.
Once you'd decided the wound was thoroughly cleaned, you finally finished with a bandaid over it. Keeping any sort of infection out. “Okay, you're fine now.” You leaned back from Xavier. He went up to touch the bandaid on his cheek, making you notice his dirty gloves once again. That's when you quickly grabbed them again. “I think it'll be best if you just take them off. You're going to get dirt everywhere otherwise.” You scolded, promptly taking Xavier’s gloves off his hands to expose his delicate, yet calloused fingers. Once they were off you handed them back to him. “Put them into your pocket or something so you don't forget.” Xavier nodded and followed your orders. “Kinda like you did into the stab wound you gave me that spanned the whole width of my body…” you trailed off. You didn't want to do it too often, because Xavier had explained his reasoning for stabbing you, but you did want to jab at him every now and again for it.
You heard a small huff from him but he didn't comment. Either because he was choosing to ignore you or didn't have anything to rebuttal with. You chose the latter for your ego’s sake. After that, you jumped yourself off the counter and looked back up to Xavier. “Lunch?”
He nodded back to you. “Lunch.”
And with that, you began walking him to the infirmary doors. Until you felt Xavier stop you, prompting you to turn around and see what was up. “Why are you stopping?” You asked.
A subtle smile came across his lips before he said “You don't need to guide me by the wrist everywhere, you know?”
That's when you looked down to realise you had in fact grabbed Xavier by the wrist to walk him out. Shit. Quickly, you let go, feeling the blood quickly rush to your face. You hadn't even realised you'd grabbed him. It apparently was just natural for you. Which you didn't like. You swore to yourself you only tolerated this guy. So why had it become muscle memory for you to hold him? To drag him behind you like he was your boyfriend who was reluctant to go shopping with you? Not good enough.
Xavier let your hand fall, although a flicker of disappointment shone over his eyes as he did. You were going to make some comment about how he could easily get lost if you didn't hold onto him, but you didn't like how infantile it made you sound. So you decided against it. You simply kept walking, hands firmly at your sides.
You made it up the first flight of stairs back to your office when Xavier finally spoke up to break your awkward silence. “If we eat outside, we can sit by the fountain. I’d like to see the water after the chaos of the subway.
That reminded you. “How are either of us planning on getting home after work?”
“Mm..” Xavier hummed in response. From the look on his face he hadn't considered that himself. “We could walk?”
You scoffed. Your commute to work was manageable using public transport or the odd occasion Zayne would drive you, but walking? It would take you an hour at least. And frankly, it didn't sound appealing. “If you want to walk that way, you can. But I won't be joining you.”
“Then how are you going to get home?” Xavier made a good point. You didn't really know that yourself. You could call Zayne to pick you up, but you knew his schedule was extremely busy this week. If it wasn't heart surgery then it was a consultation with some about heart surgery or informing a family of the state of someone who had just had heart surgery. Well, maybe not exactly like that- you weren't versed in the world of being a cardiac surgeon, but you did know he had a lot on his plate. You wouldn't make him pull out of that just because walking home was a slight convenience for you.
“Bus?” You said it like it was a question. You never really got the bus to work, so you'd have to find out where there was a bus stop in the first place.
“And you know where the bus station is? And what time each bus shows up there for?” The tone in Xavier’s voice showed that he didn't have much faith in you. And you couldn't help but feel a little insulted.
“I didn't know we had a bus station…” you mumbled. You thought you had a few bus stops, but not a whole station.
Xavier let out a breathy chuckle. “Then it looks like you're not getting home…” He walked past you. “Let's get that lunch. I made it just for us.” You could hear the smile in his voice. Like he found you funny. You felt a small jab of annoyance at that.
_____
You never fancied Xavier as a culinary genius. And looking at what he'd prepared you had found yourself to be correct. Even more so than you'd hope actually. You weren't sure what exactly he'd just put in front of you. It was a rice ball. But the rest was a little confusing. It had seaweed, something to be expected with rice, but then also sweetcorn that was peppered across the ball and…cereal? Was that right? It was colourful and in round little circles. It certainly looked like cereal.
Xavier had already dug into his mystery rice ball by the time he noticed you staring at yours. “Are you not gonna eat?” He asked. “You shouldn't starve yourself. I know you may think desk work isn't as energy consuming as being on the field is, but you shouldn't neglect to feed yourself.” He said, pushing your hands, holding his creation, closer to you. It was nice he was concerned for your wellbeing and either didn't notice or decided not to acknowledge the puzzled expression on your face.
“Er, yeah. Of course. Thanks.” You had to eat it now. You weren't usually much of a fussy eater but this was a little weird. But, who knew? This could be some secret mark of genius on Xavier’s behalf.
You brought the ball to your mouth and bit into it. That's when an unexpected flood of liquid burst across your taste buds. You expected it to be soy sauce or maybe even wasabi, something typical with a rice ball. But no. The liquid currently making waves on your tongue was milk. What on earth had come across Xavier to make him think that mixing the concept of a rice ball with breakfast cereal was a good idea? You held back your urge to splutter the meal all over yourself. You recognised Xavier had done a nice thing for you, taken time out of his day to prepare this meal for you and so the kindest thing you could do would be to pretend to enjoy it.
That's when he turned to you, and expectant and almost excited expression on his face. “What do you think?”
You forced the rice-cereal mix down your throat and turned to your coworker with a crooked smile. “It's great. Where did you get the inspiration?”
Xavier let a soft smile come across his lips. Maybe pretending to like his odd food was worth it. He did have a nice smile. “I figured, since you forget to buy yourself lunch a lot of the time, that you probably weren't the best at remembering breakfast either. So I decided to combine both into one to get the day’s nutrients into you some how.” Xavier shrugged as if he hadn't just hit the nail in the head. You loved food. It was one of life’s joys, all of the different textures and flavours to be explored. But your job had your attention a lot of the time, meaning food wasn't regularly the main focus of your mind. However this meal you didn't think was the solution.
“That's…very sweet.” You smiled as a silent thank you and you both fell into a comfortable silence as you chipped away at your rice balls.
You noticed Xavier jigging his leg up and down, prompting your eyes to wander to his face where he looked as if he was grappling with something.
“Are you alright?” You asked, his attention turning to you. You stared at you for a few moments, biting his lip as if he was deciding whether to answer or not.
“The Wanderer attack the subway today. I noticed something. Something I haven't noticed in all my years of living, which you already know is a lot.”
You felt a nervous burst in your chest. His tone was dreadful, making you anxious for him to expand.
“The Wanderers…they weren't just mindless beings of destruction. They were…methodical.” His eyebrows furrowed and he looked out to the eating space in front of you both.
“Methodical?” You took a bite of the weird rice ball. “What do you mean?”
“As in, they didn't just throw themselves around the space they were in and cause effortless destruction. As I was searching through the debris trying to get people out, I noticed how precise the damage to the subway was. Exact cuts to different parts of the building. Like they were done with tools.”
“You think they're learning how to utilise tools?” you asked.
Xavier nodded his head. “It seems that way. Either that, or someone is aiding their destruction.”
You took the rice ball away from your lips to better focus on the conversation. “Like who?”
Xavier pondered for a moment. “Ever? Though Wanderers becoming more intelligent shouldn't benefit them.” He tapped his finger against his food. “Unless they're planning something we don't know..”
“Regardless, that needs to be looked into.” You huffed. “This city has had enough trouble for Ever to begin causing problems.”
“Ever is always causing problems, Y/N. Some are just more noticeable than others.”
You bit your lip. That wasn't a satisfactory answer. It couldn't just be Ever making Wanderers intellect increase just…because? That didn't make sense. “There has to be more to it than that. I don't see a reason for Ever to do this unless they have something to gain.”
“Perhaps the N-109 zone?” Xavier suggested. You yourself weren't all that familiar with that place. You knew the N-109 zone was where many illegal trading took place. It was infamous for its crime and unsettled-ness. The N-109 zone was a place where not even the toughest could survive comfortably.
“What are you suggesting?” You asked.
“If not Ever than surely this has to be some sort of ploy from there, right? The people over there are villains just because they enjoy playing the role.” Xavier finished off his food and stood up. When he saw the curious look on your face he explained himself. “They probably want me on clean up for the subway. Now that I'm all bandaged up and everything.” He gave you a small smile. “I'll be back to pick you up from your office by the end of the day.” And with that, Xavier took his leave. A little abrupt, but you didn't know the state of the subway. You weren't on the field at the moment.
____
Back in the office, you settled yourself back into your chair. It was only now that your emails were being flooded with people talking about the collapse of the subway. Notices about travel delays etcetera. Would've been helpful earlier but alas.
Now you had to fill out a letter of absence for the subway collapse. You had to write one every single time something to a large scale happened in the Hunter’s division to make sure you weren't liable for any damaged property or injuries that may have been caused during any struggle.
You were mundanely typing away on your keyboard when a familiar and cheerful voice graced your ears. “Y/N!” It exclaimed, and you looked up to be greeted by Tara once again.
“Oh, hey!” You greeted her with a smile. Tara pulled out a wheely chair from the empty seat next to you and placed herself by your side. “What're you doing out of the infirmary? They seemed pretty overrun?”
Tara shrugged and began rifling through your pen pot to find something to entertain herself with. “Yeah, I don't think the Head of the Infirmary likes me very much anymore..I dropped another surgical plate.” Her tone was disappointed but there was a very clear smile on her face. “That's what they get for making a Hunter try and make people better.”
That was a little ironic considering you'd managed to fix Xavier up just fine. “I think that might just be you, Tara.” You teased, going back to type some more.
“Nope, definitely their fault.” She'd found a clicking pen in your pen pot that she was now clicking up and down. “Speaking of that, where's Xavier?”
“Hm?” You turned your attention back to Tara at Xavier’s name.
“I thought he would've wanted to spend his free period with you considering he spent ages trying to find out where you were. You should really give that guy your number.”
“Oh, no. Xavier doesn't have a free period, he's on clean up for the subway.” You responded. That's when Tara gave you an odd look, halting her clicking momentarily.
“What? No he's not. Cleaning up the subway isn't our job is Linkon City Council’s. And the clean up for it started as soon as we finished off the last of the Wanderers and helped the last of the victims. Even if he was there, he wouldn't be much help considering it's basically done with now.”
“Erm.” You didn't really know how to respond to that. Had Xavier lied to you? But for what purpose? What would he gain from not telling you his location? Then again though, he did seem to be a guy with a lot to him- hence the whole being a time-travelling Prince. But it was still weird for him to lie to you, since he'd told you about all of that.
“Hm.” Tara huffed. “Maybe he's got a secret double life or something.” She teased. “He's a quiet guy, there's got to be a reason for that, right?”
She didn't know the half of it. You wondered how Tara would react if you told her who Xavier really was, or if she'd even believe you. “Hm, maybe.” You laughed along with her.
_____
Regardless of his prior whereabouts, Xavier did say true to his words on licking you up after work. He was by your side as you packed up your desk for the day and left the office block.
“So how long will you be on desk work for?” He asked, holding your handbag for you as you put your hair back.
“My Doctor says another month or so, then he'll give me a checkup and assess whether he thinks my injury will be good for the front lines again.” You made sure to emphasize the word ‘injury’, just for spite’s sake.
“I apologised.” Xavier replied in a begrudging tone, handing your bag back as you finished with your hair.
“With a massive lore drop about who and what you are. That was more of an anecdote than a story if you ask me.” You were being mock-upset, but some of it was coming from a genuine place. It was a rather lackluster apology.
“I'm sorry.” Xavier responded, keeping his blue eyes on you.
You looked up to him and playfully rolled your eyes. “Whatever. You're not the worst guy to have had stab me.”
He smiled. “I'm glad.”. That's when the conversation came to a lull. You could feel the questions about where he actually was earlier building up in your head. You wanted to know what he'd lied to you for. It had to be something important, right? You didn't want to believe that this guy who one day became a large part of your life would lie to you just for the sake of it. But at the end of the day, you didn't know fully who he was. And from what he'd told you about himself, he was attached to a version of you that he couldn't have. A different you, so would it really harm him to lie to this you?
As you began carving your way through the streets of Linkon, a new report came up on one of the electronic billboards in the main city. An important looking one at that. The news reader’s voice was echoed amongst the large buildings but you could make out a few key words. Like ‘Recent Reports’, ‘The N-109 zone’ and ‘Lumiere’. Lumiere? Who on earth was that?
The report was about to show a picture of said man, from what you'd gathered he was a wanted man whose face was needed to be out to the public-
Suddenly a pair of hands came over your eyes, gently guiding you away from the large screen. “Wh- hey!’ you exclaimed, putting your hands on top of the ones concealing your vision.
“Come on. We’ll be late for the bus that goes past our apartment if you keep watching that.” Xavier exclaimed, only letting go of your eyes when that billboard was concealed behind various other buildings. He'd taken you by the hand and begin guiding you through the streets. It seemed Xavier had chosen to wordlessly take you to the bus station since you'd said you didn't know where it was earlier.
“Lumiere, huh?” You commented on the news story you'd just seen. “Who is that? Some sort of crime lord?” you felt Xavier's grip on your hand tighten as those words came out of your mouth.
“I'm not sure. You shouldn't listen to all the news reports you see, fake news is at an all time high with the use of AI.” He said monotone, continuing on his way.
“I know that. But I don't think they'd put a ‘fake report’ on the big screen. That's why we have moderation. It must be something they want a lot of people to see..”
Xavier said nothing but a vague and uninterested answer. “Maybe.”
_____
The two of you arrived at the bus stations and sat in the appropriate zone for your bus back to your apartment block. Xavier pulled out his phone as he sat down next to you, typing away at whatever he was doing. You would've done the same if you weren't still curious about that news report he'd dragged you away from. The N-109 zone was mentioned there as well. Whatever was going on you knew there was something to the narrative you were missing and it was begging to bug you that you didn't know what it was.
“If it was the N-109 zone that was helping Wanderers in their seemingly speedy evolution, what would they have to gain from doing so?”
Xavier stopped with his phone for a second to think about your words before going back to it shortly afterwards. “Fear perhaps? You'd have a lot of power if you could control the viciousness of Wanderers on a win. It would make you a feared person in society.”
That answer made sense. Power was something humans historically wanted and would always aspire for. The more power you had, meant the more influence and money and control you exerted over everything else. You were virtually unstoppable. “Where in the N-109 zone would have the resources to run such a programme?” You turned to Xavier to answer again, but he was yet again transfixed with his phone.
After a beat he answered your question. “I don't know. It's the N-109 zone. Lots of corrupt people over there. Those not worth wasting your breath on.” He huffed slightly towards the end of his sentence, as if this was irritating him.
You figured you should drop it for now. This questioning clearly wasn't going anywhere.
“Whose Lumiere?” You asked, it was still on your list of questions and something you wanted to find out. You could've sworn your saw Xavier tense up a little at your question, eyes flickering with a deeper blue than normal for a millisecond before returning to normal.
“Um, a vigilante or something I think. Some guy who thinks he’s above the law.” The tone he delivered was almost spiteful. As if he already had some sort of built up hatred towards this man you'd only heard of today.
“Really?” You answered. “What does he do?”
Xavier bit his lip before shrugging. “What do vigilantes normally do? Take out bad guys the usual authorities won't?”
“Yeah, they do.” You responded.
“Then that's all there is to him.” Xavier said bluntly before returning to his phone once again.