Work Text:
The cold air of the graveyard at night made Xander lift the collar of his coat before he kneeled down to relight the lanterns in front of his parents’ headstone. His father finally laid in peace next to his mother.
Something broke in the CEO of Nohr corp. after he lost his first wife. He tried settling that unease in him, over and over again, and all that resulted in was a household of siblings who all had different mothers and a father so unlike the one Xander remembered from his childhood.
Xander didn’t have the right to fault them for not visiting their father as often as he did.
He stood up and glanced at his watch. There was an unread message from Camilla that came while he was in the middle of his work waiting to be answered, but if he answered now, at this hour, it would only make her worry. He would have to find time tomorrow.
He turned, ready to leave, when a movement caught his eye. A couple of rows ahead, some idiot was jumping up and down, wildly swaying from side to side. Xander bristled at the nerve of the fool, clowning around and disturbing the sanctity of the place.
He made a beeline straight to the offender, ready to give him a piece of his mind, before he stopped in his tracks - up close he could see it was a young man around Xander’s age, and he wasn’t just foolishly jumping around out of mockery or spite - he was dancing to a tune he hummed. Xander was no expert on dance but it seemed to him that the man was quite good at what he was doing - a professional dancer, maybe?
He didn’t have time to fully entertain the thought because the man stopped suddenly, letting out a nervous, self-deprecating laugh as he spoke to the headstone in front of him: “Well, I haven’t yet figured out the next moves, but what do you think so far, mom? Anything I should fix?”
It occurred to Xander that he was encroaching on a private moment and he should do something about it. Regrettably, the realization that he could’ve just turned around and left came belatedly - after he had already coughed in his fist to announce his presence.
The young man let out an undignified scream, all of the grace in his movements suddenly gone as he tripped over his own feet in an effort to get away.
“What was that for?!” He panted as he peered at Xander, clutching his heart in shock as he willed himself to calm down. “I’m too young to die of a heart attack!”
Xander was just about to apologize when the man’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait… Did you see me dance?” He scrunched his face as if in pain, letting out a small whine. “This is so mortifying…”
“I assure you, the mortified party here is entirely me. You were…” Xander stumbled in his words, looking for the right description. “Mesmerizing.”
Oh?” The man winked, a cheeky smile quick to grace his features. “I bet you say that to every guy you sneak up on in the middle of the night. Um…” He chuckled nervously, his easygoing smile faltering a little. “You don’t actually do that regularly, right? You’re not like a serial killer looking for his next victim or something?”
Xander would’ve felt insulted, was he not just as quick to jump to the wrong conclusion mere moments ago. Instead, he found himself intrigued by this graveyard mystery man and judging by the way he was eyed, and the poor attempt at flirting, the feeling seemed to be mutual.
On a whim, he fished his business card out of his coat and handed it to the other man, who accepted it with shaky hands.
“I fear we may have gotten off on the wrong foot,” he said, in a tone of voice reserved for potential business partners who looked at the new CEO of Nohr corp. and saw his father. “Let me buy you a drink. As an apology.”
Inigo was busy putting on his sneakers when Owain’s voice echoed through their apartment: "Inigo! Your glucose guardian has arrived on his shiny black steed!”
Inigo had to hurry. He frantically put on his coat, looking for his keys as Severa glared towards the kitchen window Owain was leaning out of. “Huh? What steed, what are you talking about?”
“I think it’s an Audi.”
Keys finally found, Inigo turned to unlock the door when Severa’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Hey. Lover boy. The rich, fancy guy is just using you as a distraction from his boring daily life, you know that, right? You’re not getting ahead of yourself again?”
Inigo frowned at the door. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to fall in too deep. Again.
He put on a huge grin and turned to laugh at Severa. “You’re just jealous because my boyfriend buys me stuff and you’re forced to pay for all of your shopping sprees yourself!”
And with that, he quickly unlocked the door and escaped Severa’s furious yelling, racing down several flights of stairs to launch himself at Xander who stood next to his car, frowning at the phone, probably answering some business e-mails while waiting for Inigo to come down.
“Hey there,” he said, giving Xander a quick peck on the lips as he flinged his arms around him.
“Hey,” Xander said, a slight crease between his eyebrows betraying his bewilderment as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Inigo. He rested his hands on Inigo’s waist. “Did something happen?“
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Inigo lifted his head towards the window and stuck his tongue out at Severa who pushed Owain away from the window and was now making strangling motions towards him before turning back to Xander, fixing him with a huge grin. “Let’s go, I’m starving.”
Xander’s penthouse was near the Nohr corp. offices, a reward from his father after he finished college and started working for the company. He still visited his childhood home regularly, an urban villa in an affluent neighborhood, but even with the death of their father, Leo and Elise were old enough to not need him as much anymore and Camilla seemed to thrive in her new role as the mistress of the house.
His fingers idly stroked the bare skin of Inigo’s back as Inigo laid slumped on top of him, lazily lounging in Xander’s bed after what Inigo would call ‘strenuous nighttime activities’ with a waggle of eyebrows and a lazy grin on his face, before bursting into an embarrassed laugh.
Xander was also fiercely protective of his siblings - he was not going to expose them to anything they didn’t need to be exposed to - be it a business deal gone wrong or a relationship that had no future.
He kissed the top of Inigo’s head, and Inigo lifted his gaze in question.
“I would like to introduce you to my family.”
Inigo’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “You, what?”
“You’re a professional dancer, right? Where do you dance?” Xander asked, his hand reaching for his phone on the nightstand to pull up everyone’s schedules. “Maybe I could take them to see you perform.”
“Um. Heh.” Inigo smiled nervously, his gaze darting away. “A strip club?”
Xander’s hand stilled on the phone. “...I thought you said you were shy.”
"Yes, but it's very dark in there and when I'm on stage I can't see anyone watching me!"
Xander willed Inigo to see reason. “But everyone is watching you.”
Inigo buried his head in Xander’s chest and whined dramatically, kicking his feet for good measure: “Please don't make me think about thaaat…"
Xander sighed and let go of the phone, awkwardly patting his lover’s back while he squirmed in Xander’s lap, stewing in his own embarrassment. The plans of meeting the family would temporarily have to be put on hold.
“What do you think?” Inigo winked, doing a little twirl to showcase his outfit. It was Halloween, and he stopped by at Xander’s place before work, promising a surprise.
It wasn’t a sexy bunny outfit per se - Xander was sure he saw Camilla wear something much worse one Halloween, and she wasn’t the one working at a strip club - but there was something about the combination of black gloves, a deep V-shaped neckline and the way the tight pants and the knee-high boots clung to Inigo’s legs, making him seem taller than he was, that stirred something in Xander.
He leaned back on the couch, acting disinterested. “Hmm… It’s hard to judge from here. Come closer.”
Inigo tilted his head in confusion and took a step forward. “Like this?”
“Closer.”
“Ahaha,” Inigo laughed nervously, taking another step forward, until he was in Xander’s reach. “Why do I suddenly feel like this bunny is about to be devoured by the big bad wolf?”
“Closer.”
Inigo smiled, lifting his knees on the couch to straddle Xander’s lap. “Close enough?”
Xander lunged, pulling Inigo in for a deep kiss as his hands traveled down his back and the curve of his ass, squeezing—
The sound of the door unlocking was the only warning before Camilla, Leo and Elise burst into the apartment, matching yells of “Surprise! Trick or treat!” echoing through the living room.
Inigo yelped, his face bright red as he stumbled away from Xander, having just enough sense to pick up the bag with his regular clothes from the floor before dashing to Xander’s room and slamming the door behind him.
Xander glared daggers at Camilla, who seemed to be enjoying herself way too much, in the awkward silence that ensued.
He composed himself and smiled towards his youngest sister. “That’s a lovely outfit, Elise. You seem to be some kind of a princess-doctor?”
“Wow, Xander, you’re so good at this! You got that exactly right!” Elise smiled brightly, launching into a description of how she made the outfit and who helped her with what, as her siblings were now more interested in her project than ever, asking her questions and nodding along with her explanations in an effort to ignore the elephant in the room. Or bunny. Or the awkward young man in a t-shirt and jeans that just walked out of Xander’s room.
“Hi?” he said, smiling hesitantly and giving a little wave. “Um… Sorry about that…”
Xander quickly stood up and positioned himself next to him, his hand touching the small of his back in support. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Inigo. Inigo, these are my sisters Camilla and Elise, and my brother Leo.”
Inigo shook hands with everyone in turn, forcing himself to smile brightly. Xander’s youngest sister seemed enthusiastic enough about meeting him, but his expression faltered as he shook hands with the other two, Xander’s older sister greeting him with a polite smile that made him feel like she was just humoring Xander, while his brother couldn’t even bother to do that.
Inigo knew when he wasn’t wanted.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” he said, keeping his smile up as he squeezed past them and towards the door. “I, um, have to go to work now but have fun with your brother, and, um, happy Halloween!”
Camilla glanced at Xander before cooing sympathetically at Inigo. “Oh, you poor thing, you work this late?”
“Um, yeah, haha, night shifts, you know how it is.” He looked around himself, forgetting what he was supposed to look for, when Xander handed him his coat and bag. “Thanks. Um, call me?”
Xander nodded. “We’ll talk later.”
As the door closed behind him, Inigo leaned on it, taking a moment to close his eyes and compose himself. He screwed this up royally.
“Where would you meet someone who works night shifts?”
“Leo, don’t be rude! Maybe he’s a doctor.”
Inigo decided it’d be best for his nerves if he left before he overheard anything else.
There was a message from an unknown number on Inigo’s phone when he woke up.
Meet me at Starburgs on Windmire Street at 2 PM. I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.
Right, that didn’t sound ominous at all.
When he showed her the message, Severa reacted exactly the way he expected her to: “Are you out of your mind? Don’t go! Just ignore it! Here, I’ll delete it for you!”
“Now, let’s not be hasty!” Owain snatched the phone from her hand before she could do anything, then jumped on a chair to keep out of her reach. “We are witnesses to a real-life dark mystery! You shall go, but worry not, for I shall show up an hour in to rescue you!”
Inigo wasn’t too keen on the idea. “Anything could happen in an hour… How about ten minutes in?”
“Deal!”
"Fine!” Severa raised her arms in frustration, storming out of the kitchen. “Do what you want! But I won’t go looking for you when you go missing under mysterious circumstances!”
Owain returned the phone to Inigo, swinging an arm over his shoulder. “I will. I can’t wait for you to go missing under mysterious circumstances. I’m so ready.”
“Thanks, Owain. That means a lot.”
Inigo was sipping on his too-sweet coffee when a familiar figure slid into his booth.
Inigo squinted over the rim of his cup. “Um? Leo? Xander’s brother? Is everything alright? Is Xander alright?”
“My brother is fine,” Leo cut him off. “That’s not why I’m here.”
“Okaay?” That didn’t explain much.
“Right. I’ll make this short.” Leo lifted his head haughtily, looking down at Inigo. “I know where you live, I know where you work, and I don’t know how you entrapped my brother, but I don’t care because you won’t be seeing him anymore.”
Inigo blinked. “Excuse me?”
Leo ignored him, his phone already in his hand. “How much do you want me to wire you?”
“What? Listen, you got it all wrong, I didn’t–” Leo just stared at him as if he was bored, one eyebrow raised as if he expected Inigo to make a show of protesting, and then quietly simmer down and tell him his sum. Inigo could feel tears of frustration gathering at the corners of his eyes as he stood up. “You know what, forget it. I’m leaving.”
He was never more glad to see Owain striding towards him, showing up to gallantly rescue him from whatever evil plans his imagination concocted, even if the daring smile on his face shifted to worry as he approached and took notice of Inigo’s expression.
“It’s fine, Owain, let’s just go.” He caught Owain’s arm to steer him away from the booth but he was met with resistance, Owain’s eyes widening in surprise.
“Leo?”
“Owain?”
Inigo pointed towards Leo at the same time Leo pointed towards Inigo, incredulity in their voice as they spoke in unison: “You know him?”
“Indeed! We have been archrivals since the day he stole and ate the last piece of the cake his mother made for my birthday while I was too busy saving the world!”
“He means to say we grew up together. Our moms were friends. How do you know Owain?”
Leo looked away, trying to act disinterested but coming off as cagey as he mumbled, “We were assigned to a group project together last semester.”
“I think it’s a little more than that!” Owain turned towards Inigo. “Dude, I told you all about it! A dark covenant formed between the prince of darkness and his two followers, their quest to discover the truth linking them together forevermore?”
“Oh, yeah,” Inigo said, unable to keep bitterness out of his voice as he glared at Leo. “I should’ve guessed who the prince of darkness was.”
“Anyway,” Owain interrupted, not noticing the tension between the two, “This is so cool! What brings the two of you together?”
Leo stood abruptly, his face flushed as he hurried to answer before Inigo. “Nothing! Just… a misunderstanding, that’s all."
He glanced at Inigo, silently pleading with him not to say anything. For some reason, it seemed like he really didn’t want to look like a spoiled, judgemental ass in front of Owain. Even if he was one.
Oh, well. Owain rarely met new people outside of their little circle of childhood friends. And Inigo hadn’t known Leo for long, but something told him he was even worse than Owain when it came to making friends.
So, he did the only thing he could. He smiled and let Leo off the hook.
Inigo greeted Xander’s siblings one by one, a feeling of déjà vu as he hoped this time he wouldn’t mess everything up.
Xander had invited him to a dinner with his siblings, adamant that they would love him once they just got to know him better. Inigo wasn’t so sure, but he was willing to try again for Xander’s sake. Plus, Xander extended the invitation to Owain and Severa if it would make Inigo more comfortable, and Inigo had to admit it did. If nothing else, Owain’s presence would make interacting with Leo less awkward.
Which only left Severa to worry about. Severa, who never hid her distrust of Xander. Severa, who always made sure her opinion was known and heard. Severa, who – hasn’t said a word since they entered the opulent villa.
“Darling, I’m very flattered, but my eyes are up here.”
Inigo turned just in time to see Severa blushing furiously, stammering an apology as Camilla giggled and waved it away, an actual, honest smile on her face rather than the polite one she reserved for Inigo.
Maybe they would all fit into each other’s lives seamlessly after all.