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It’s almost surreal to find Xavier here, out of all places, assisting Jeremiah in the greenhouse. He is surrounded by a field of flowers while dressed in a navy suit that matches the depth of his eyes, complementing his fair complexion. The sunlight streamed through the greenhouse glass, spilling golden beams across his face, his beautiful face. His sharp yet gentle gaze follows the petals as he tends to them with water, though his heart is nowhere in the task.
Well, maybe because he is not here by choice.
There is a storm of yearning in his heart, and it is driving him into madness. There isn’t a moment that does not feel ebbed while he is alone with Jeremiah and the cats, waiting for your return from the three-day mission. He is complete when you are by his side, and when he is able to cradle your body against him, when he can give you a peck on the lips. It’s like even in the absence of you, you have left a piece of him behind, and making him stay with Jeremiah has very little effect against that. It’s not that he just misses you, he simply can’t have enough of you. That ache of the heart that he knows very well still lingers.
While he is running his fingers down a stem, your familiar smell hangs faintly in the air. Before he is even conscious of it, his body reacts, and his head turns towards you. His eyes subtly widened, you could see the spark in his eyes.
"You are back?" he gasps, his voice quavering, as if your mere presence after all these days away is more than enough to put his broken parts back together again. He puts the spray bottle down, making his way towards you almost immediately.
"Miss me?"
"I almost died."
Your laughter rang out like a melody, light and sweet, filling the air with its warmth. The sound alone softened Xavier’s gaze, his eyes melting with affection. Oh, how he had missed that little laugh of yours. He moved even closer as his hands found yours, eliminating the remaining space between the two of you. His touch was gentle, yet firm, as if afraid you might slip away again.
"You’ve missed me?" he turned to ask, his voice quiet but full of warmth. Behind him, his tails betrayed him, curling playfully, brushing against your skin with an almost possessive softness.You stole a glance at the moving tails and chuckled, the soft fur brushing against your arm.
"The meow’s evol still hasn’t worn off, huh? You still haven’t figured out how to break it?" You bantered, your curiosity lighting up your eyes. A tiny pout graced his mouth which was a mix of annoyance and hilarity. He turned his gaze away for a brief second, maybe feeling slighted and fixed his stare back to yours, not looking away this time.
"You’re worried about that?" He asked in a low voice, as if bearing in mind that his concern had always been you, and will forever be you.
"Of course I do," you replied lightheartedly, cupping his face in your hands. The soft caress of your hands brought him warmth even as his gaze was met by your playful smile.
"We don’t want our best hunter turned into a lovely cat for good, now do we?" you said, the mischief in your voice apparent. He pondered for a moment, his ears flicking before they drooped, nearly touching his face. In a low but firm voice, he answered,
"If that means you can keep on taking care of me and worrying about me all the time… I don’t mind." A heavy and emotional silence followed after he spoke, leaving you speechless for a few seconds. Then, you inched your face closer to his, with a playful smile cracking on your face. "So you don’t mind?"
His ears twitched slightly under your touch, but his gaze stayed locked on yours, unwavering. You smile, wanting to tease him "What if a big wanderer hurts me? What if I get assigned to someone else—"
"I will not let it," he interrupted, his voice sharp and immediate, cutting through your words. The intensity of his stare was palpable, intense blue eyes burning with a sense of purpose.
"I will never let wanderers hurt you," were the strong words he used although the latter part of his speech changed. "Or at least in missions, I won’t let anyone else take my place."
The last sentence was left to linger, dripping with an emotional undertone that suggested how unbearable it would be to think of being displaced from one’s position next to you. His ears dropped a bit, showing an inconsistency between his attempt to control his feelings and the reality of them.
"I’m not going anywhere which means you are stuck with me," he concluded firmly even though his tone was low there was still a familiar determination in it, those deep natural coloured eyes silently requesting for reassurance, a promise that you would never leave him behind.
You smiled, your heart melting at the sight of his ears drooping ever so slightly, a sign of his emotions whenever even a hint of sadness touched him. It was endearing in a way he probably didn’t realize since he turned into a cat.
"So, any idea on how to break the curse?" you asked, pulling away from the embrace just enough to look at him again, your gaze curious yet gentle. His tails, which had been playfully wiggling in the air, immediately wrapped around your waist.
He let out a soft sigh, his fingers brushing lightly against the edge of your hand as if trying to hold onto the moment. "I don’t know yet," he admitted, his voice quieter now, betraying the weight of his helplessness. "But I’ll figure it out. I promise you, I will."
"We will," you reassured him with a gentle smile. "We always do." your eyes drifted around the greenhouse, searching for a familiar figure, and Xavier couldn’t help but notice your gaze flicker toward another direction.
Xavier’s ears fell back, the downy fur that brushed your waist combed forward to form a line of coldness. "He is back with customers, most likely." he replied curtly, as if that name was a source of annoyance. You stared at his abrupt retort, blinking, not at all prepared for the change in his disposition. "Why are you trying to find him, anyways?" he asked, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he moved even closer. "I’m right here."
You swore you could almost burst from how cute he sounded, the possessive undertone in his voice that made your heart flutter. He remembered the way he looked at you, those soft, sincere eyes and that little lip pout. It was impossible not to find him the most adorable person. You couldn’t help but smile, your chest tightening with affection. He looked so adorable, so cutely him, that you thought you would burst from the love that was bubbling in your chest.
But before you could say a word, Xavier’s gaze dropped to your lips, then back to your eyes, and awkwardness immediately ensued. He stepped in just a little closer, his breath mingling with yours, a whisper of warmth grazing your skin.
"You’re so distracting," he murmured, a playful glint appearing in his gaze. "I miss kissing you."
Before you could respond, he closed the space between you, his lips pressing softly against yours in a kiss that was slow and tender, as if he were savoring every second of it. Your heart missed a beat, and his presence was reassuring as his warmth enveloped you. For a heartbeat, everything else was gone—the bubble, the flora, even the curse itself. It was just the two of you, united as one.
And then came the change.
When he kissed you, you felt a warm tremor wash over your body and just stopped over. This was not the usual excitement one gets from a kiss. The sensations were more intense than that. There was a change in the surroundings; the atmosphere was alive. Xavier stiffened slightly, his arms tightening around you, and then you felt it: the absence of something soft brushing your waist. His tails. You pulled back slowly, both of you breathless, eyes wide with wonder. Silence stretched between you, until something caught your eye.
"Your ears-"
Xavier's ears, which had drooped in sadness only moments ago, were gone. The fellow's tails, which had been in constant motion, were now completely missing.
The change was slight, but it was a change nonetheless. Xavier blinked at you as though he hadn’t quite registered what had occurred, and many seconds needed to pass before he could raise a hand to the stumps of ears that no longer existed in exasperation. As if in amazement at the change, his hand fluttered back to attention, belying any sense of calm and practicality.
"Did... did that just work?" His voice trembled slightly, as though the reality of it was still settling in. You laughed softly, a joyful sound that seemed to fill the space around you, the relief and happiness in your chest spilling over. "I suppose it did," you conceded, laughter escaping. "No more ears and no more tails!" you laughed and playfully tapped his cheek.
Xavier’s expression eased, a grin almost breaking his lips as the shock started to wear off. His gaze was first filled with disbelief, then joy, the most beautiful one, pure unadulterated joy. His form felt light as if the peculiar curse that had characterized him was no more.
His hands came to your face, cupping it, his palms soft and worshiping. "I was… I was beginning to think I would remain like that forever," he said a little too softly. "But you– " He hesitated, full of love in his gaze, "You never fail to know how to mend things."
A smile crept on your face as you leaned closer to his hand, feeling the warmth of his skin was comforting. "You just needed a little nudge," you whispered back with your lips curled in a teasing fondness. Xavier returned the smile, the warmth in his gaze becoming more apparent as he turned to you, eyes brimming with affection.
"And you," he said with his voice down, filled with warmth, "are the sweetest form of magic."