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The first day of your undercover mission with Xavier finally came to an end. And with that, arrived the dreadful part of this arrangement.
You and Xavier stood in complete silence inside what was supposed to be your bedroom, and stared awkwardly at the one and only bed that was meant to be shared between the two of you.
“We don’t have to do this.” Xavier reassured you with a smile.
You shook your head. “The couch is too small for you, and you wouldn’t let me sleep on it either!”
“It’s alright.” He put his hands on your shoulders and gently nudged you towards the bed. “I can sleep anywhere. You know it.”
You stomped your foot. There was no way you were letting him sacrifice his own comfort over something as trivial as sharing a bed.
“If the neighbors find out that we..uh..don’t sleep together..” You lowered your head, unable to even finish that sentence. Even the thought of it caused a heated blush to bloom across your cheeks.
Xavier shrugged. “The neighbors won’t know. Unless of course, they decide to stalk us in our own bedroom.”
You shook your head frantically. “Those old ladies are good at reading the vibes. They will think something is off! They always find out! And then we’ll become suspicious in the eyes of everyone in the neighborhood. We can’t let that happen for the sake of this mission. We need to maintain this fake marriage!”
Xavier merely raised a brow, his midnight eyes twinkling with mirth. “Well, fake marriages don’t come with separate beds.”
You rolled your eyes. He wasn’t wrong but there was no need for him to put it like that.
Biting your bottom lip in annoyance, you looked at the very inviting bed once more. It was quite big. Certainly big enough to accommodate two fully grown adults. Yep! This wasn’t an issue at all. You could both sleep in it without bumping and bothering each-other the entire night. You could totally do this!
“Let’s just share it.” You tried to say it as nonchalantly as possible, and walked over to the right side of the bed, hoping he didn’t notice the way you nearly tripped over the rug.
“As you wish.” Xavier smiled and himself settled on the left side.
And that was it. You switched off the lamp on the nightstand and pulled the duvet over yourself. Done! You were both now lying on opposite ends of the bed. And you were going to calmly fall asleep, and let your body relax and recuperate just like this for the next few weeks of this grueling mission.
Except you could not.
Sleep didn't want to bless your soul tonight. No matter how many times you tossed and turned in hopes of finding a comfortable position, you simply could not relax. Meanwhile the man responsible for your awkwardness– the hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, silver haired deepspace hunter– laid quite peacefully on his side. In moments like these, you felt infuriated. Here you were, trying to control the hammering of your heart at the prospect of having to go to bed like this every night for the next month or so. You didn’t even know where to put your hands and legs. You wondered if you'd look funny folding a knee this way or that. And yet Xavier wasn’t affected by your presence at all. In fact he seemed quite content, not just with this situation but with the entire mission actually.
“You okay?” came his muffled voice, probably due to one side of his face being squished into the pillow.
“Mmm..hmmm” You responded despite the annoyance, your back still facing him. You couldn’t risk turning around because unlike him, you weren’t immune to the idea of a really gorgeous person lying next to you in bed.
A moment passed. Then, your ears caught a faint sound similar to an exhale of breath, followed by a palm on your shoulder, gently willing you to turn around. And you came face to face with Xavier, the pace of your heartbeat increasing at the mere sight of him.
You mentally berated yourself. This was still Xavier! The same guy who almost burnt down his kitchen. The guy who once ate six bowls of instant noodles. The guy whose idea of fun is lazing on the couch. Yet no matter how unappealing you tried to make him appear, it failed. If anything, he looked more ethereal than ever. A vulnerable, fallen star glowing radiantly right beside you.
“Come here.” He commanded sleepily.
And before you could even ask why you must oblige, his arms reached out, one smoothly snaking beneath your waist, the other one’s warm fingers coming to latch around your bare thigh as he pulled you towards himself.
“Better?” He asked, shifting slightly so that your head pressed cozily into the side of his steadily rising and falling chest, your smaller frame snuggled up to him.
The effect was instantaneous. You weren’t sure if it was the warmth of another person tenderly wafting around your skin or the lingering scent of his shower gel that made your muscles relax. But you felt grateful that it was him lying next to you right then. That Xavier was the one assigned to play your fake husband.
Tentatively, you placed a hand on his chest and folded a knee over his leg. “Yes, much better.”
“Good.” He said, his voice an octave lower due to the haze of sleep.
A smile sneaked its way upon your lips. Mission or not, you could get used to falling asleep like this every night.