loyal to my man ~Xavier .... Life is delulu at this point and other fixations
237 posts
dating xavier means naps, good food, cuddles, playing games, more good food, more cuddles, and just cozy vibes overall. comfy clothes, slow sleepy mornings, all that good stuff.
You ask them for relationship advice
“I need advice.” You huff falling onto the couch where Caleb sat. Your head was in his lap as you pout, he looks down at you in confusion. He adjusts his position taking his ankle off his knee.
“Shoot pipsqueak I’m all ears.” He assures you making you take a deep breath. This was like a mini therapy session you guys had every once in a while. Too often for you not often enough for him.
“So he’s always running to help his best friend and I mean running. She called him to stay at her house because she’s going through a break up.” You explained as Caleb nodded slowly. He didn’t see the big deal because he always comes running when you call.
“I mean that is his best friend and think of us—“ You cut him off before he could say anything stupid. “The best friend is a girl and he spends the night. No matter what we’re going through he runs to her.”
“You should kill him.” He states bluntly before unpausing his show as if he solved your problem entirely.
“Caleb!”
You just got done arguing with your boyfriend again. Rafayel just watched with a bored expression, he was use to the bickering. He just wished you would dump him already. He watched you pace as you screamed at him which was out of character for you, in his mind at least. You hung up slamming your phone on the counter.
“Ugh! He’s insufferable. What should I do?” You ask more out loud but Rafayel was going to answer anyway.
“What did he do this time?” He asked taking about bite out of a grape from the bowl. You pout putting your chin on your fist. You know Rafayel and you also know he loathes your boyfriend.
“Ditched our date tonight for his friends.” You sigh, Rafayel on the other hand glares at you. He then got an idea.
“You should invite him out here to make up. It’s beautiful and quiet.” Rafayel counts on his fingers before your face fell flat.
“I’m not bringing him out here for you to kill him.” You deadpan making him drop his act and shrug.
“Worth a shot.” He throws a grape into his mouth.
Your leg bounced as you stared at your phone waiting for a text back. Sylus looks over his glasses to watch your leg bounce. You were shaking the couch with these nerves of yours. He couldn’t focus on a single word with all this bouncing. He knew you were arguing with that no good boyfriend of yours. He grabbed your leg without looking away from his book. Your gaze snaps over to him.
“Sorry.” You mumble, Sylus closes the book with a sigh, “What is it now?”
“He’s jealous because I spend a lot of time with you. Which is bullshit by the way! He spends a lot of time with his friends too!” You ramble as you wave your arms around. Sylus just watches you as you express yourself.
“What should I do?” You groan leaning into him. Sylus hums before rubbing your arm.
“We could give him something to be jealous about.” Sylus suggests, his smirk widening as he looks at you.
“You’re never serious.” You deadpan making him chuckle.
“Worth a shot.”
You get in Zayne’s car in a hurry accidentally slamming the door. You were so irritated that the night felt ruined because your boyfriend wanted to argue. He hated whenever Zayne was around but you make sure to remind him this is your childhood friend. His jealousy was ugly and Zayne would tell you constantly. The boy thought you were sleeping together for goodness sake! Not that you would mind. You explained all this to Zayne knowing he’d probably say what he usually does. You were just waiting for it.
“Maybe I can fix him…fix us y’know?” You fall back into the seat as Zayne stops at a red light. He looks over at you with the most serious face ever.
“Did he defecate on himself?” He asks seriously, you blink at him as if he was confused.
“No?” You question more than answer. Zayne hums as he nods his head slowly, “then why would you change him?”
You narrow your eyes at him. He’s as sassy as ever but he was right.
Your boyfriend and you had a huge fight. It was so big that you left and went to Xavier’s who could hear it from his apartment. You apologized for the noise which he didn’t care about. Your wellbeing was what mattered most to him after all. He made you tea and waited to hear what the arguing was about. You explained he accused you of cheating on him which wasn’t true. Xavier knew this since you guys spent so much time together.
“What should I do?” You sigh sadly. Xavier blinked slowly as he gave you a once over.
“Leave him.” He bluntly said. No hesitation, no pauses, nothing.
“Xavier I can’t.” You groan falling into the couch as he takes the cup from you. He places it on the coffee table and then turns his attention back to you.
“Why not? He’s not a good person and has zero redeeming qualities. He chews with his mouth open, he burps obnoxiously loud—” He lists and if you hadn’t stopped him he would go on and on all night. You put your hand over his mouth and nod as you look at the ceiling.
“You’re absolutely right.” Leaving the conversation at that.
“Want me to kill him?” He mumbles looking at you. You swiftly turn your head to look at him with genuine concern. Maybe you heard him wrong.
“What?”
“What?” He repeats now looking at you confused.
I couldn’t wait to get to Zayne’s but imo his Caleb’s and Rafayel’s are the funniest 😭 I also forgot what I was gonna write mid Caleb’s because I left my mind palace (the shower).
Have this while I concoct Sylus’ bday special 💋
Brother ... someone at last.. wrote it
THANK YOUUUU
Omggg
Bookish MC .. lets goooooooo
Hello again May I humbly request hcs for the LADS with a bookish MC wherein they are a voracious reader and they love going to bookstores and book fairs to collect and read books
Sorry for the wait @yukiotacon hope you enjoy. sorry for any mistakes i didn't catch
Sylus
The moment he realized books brought you peace, Sylus took it as his personal mission to create a sanctuary for you.
He literally bought you a whole bookstore. Not just any bookstore a gorgeous, two-story haven filled with sunlit reading nooks, old wooden shelves, plush velvet chairs, and a built-in café that always has your favorite teas, pastries, and snacks.
The store's stocked with both modern titles and incredibly rare finds. You never know what's going to show up next on the "New Arrivals" shelf but it always happens to be a book you've been dying to read.
He never interrupts your reading, but he always makes sure your space is comfortable adjusting your blanket, slipping in a warm cup of tea, or brushing your hair back when it falls over your eyes.
Quietly watches you read with a small smile, because seeing you that content is his favorite view.
Zayne
Zayne isn't showy with it, but he's so deeply thoughtful. He remembers everything you say in passing, including those hard-to-find books you've mentioned once five months ago and somehow, they appear.
You'll come home to a package on your desk with a note in his handwriting
You said you read it once in middle school but couldn't remember the title. Thought this might be the one." And it always is.
Loves curling up in bed with you, both of you reading in peaceful silence under soft lighting. Sometimes your legs are tangled, other times he has an arm wrapped around you while reading over your shoulder.
he really enjoys discussing books with you. He asks thoughtful questions, and he listens because your mind fascinates him.
Secretly uses your favorite quotes in conversations. You catch him sometimes and it always makes you smile.
Xavier
Your shared love of reading is your love language.
You and Xavier have a weekly book club, just the two of you. You pick a book each week and meet in your favorite cafe or your living room floor with snacks to discuss it like you're presenting at a conference.
Sometimes you read the same book aloud to each other, switching off chapters. It often ends with him laying his head in your lap, eyes closed, just listening to your voice.
Your dates often involve indie bookstores, secondhand shops, and seasonal book fairs. He lives for seeing your face light up when you find something new.
Also the type to annotate books you've both read with little notes in the margins like "This reminds me of us." or "Tell me what you think of this scene....I had....ideas"
Caleb
Caleb's not a huge book guy, but you loving books? He's been supporting that since day one.
He used to save up his allowance to buy you books when you were kids and to this day, if there's a release you're excited about, he's already preordered it for you.
Has surprised you with signed copies of your favorite author's books more than once. You're still not sure how he managed it, but you caught him on the phone once saying, '"Yeah, she cried. Worth it."
Loves watching you get immersed in a book, your little facial expressions, the way you chew your lip or gasp dramatically and will absolutely tease you, "Don't fall in love with some fictional nerd when you've got the real deal right here."
Will carry your books for you without complaint and has mastered the art of finding a cozy spot to wait while you spend two hours in a bookstore.
Rafayel
he loves that you're a passionate collector of stories.
Uses his vast network of connections to do the most youve met your favorite authors, attended private book launches, and once, he surprised you with a signed first edition of a book you thought you'd never even see in person.
When you're stressed, he whisks you away to iconic libraries around the world
And he's always right by your side, letting you explore at your own pace, hand intertwined with yours.
Has a whole room in your shared space set up as a private library, complete with elegant shelves, hidden reading nooks, warm lighting, and a lounge that practically whispers "read here."
He may not always understand your love for fantasy or tragic romance novels, but he loves hearing you talk about them. His eyes are glued to you as you rant, theorize, or quote dramatic lines with flair.
Occasionally reads something you love just to impress you and of course he always pretends he didnt cry at the sad parts (he did).
I turn to Ares.
Thanks to Tyler Miles Lockett who allowed me to draw inspiration from his ARES piece for page 2! Look at his etsy page it's SICK
⚔️ If you want to read some queer retelling of arturian legends have a look at my webtoon
dumping these here
💌 Cookie Chaos
• Xavier tries his best at baking, and though things don’t go as planned, the day still ends with warmth and laughter.
💌 Sylus 💌 Zayne 💌 Rafayel
The kitchen smelled faintly of sugar and butter, but it was far from calm. Chaos surrounded you: a cracked egg dripping onto the counter, a streak of flour-dusted across the stove, and somehow, a measuring cup wedged precariously in the sink.
“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen…” you said, staring at the disaster that Xavier had managed to create in less than five minutes.
Xavier, standing amidst the wreckage, appeared entirely unbothered. His expression remained neutral as he wiped his hands on an already flour-streaked dish towel. “It’s fine. I’m following the recipe.”
“Xavier, you’re not following the recipe.” you replied, grabbing the half-cracked egg before it slid off the counter. “For starters, it didn’t tell you to whisk the flour. Or use a fork to do it.”
“The whisk broke.” Xavier said, holding up the mangled remains of what was once a perfectly good whisk.
You stared at him, blinking in disbelief. “How did you even—? You know what, never mind. I’m not sure if I want to live in a world where that question has an answer.”
To be fair, you’d known this was a bad idea from the start. Xavier had a reputation for being banned from the kitchen by nearly everyone he’d ever cooked for, including you. But when he’d suggested baking cookies together, his calm insistence had somehow won you over.
“We’re making memories.” he’d said in his usual flat tone, handing you a cookbook like that was a convincing argument.
Now, standing in the battlefield of batter, sugar, and broken utensils, you wondered if this was a memory you’d want to forget.
“Okay!” you said, rolling up your sleeves. “New plan. I’ll handle the actual baking. You…” You paused, looking him up and down. “You supervise.”
Xavier tilted his head slightly, considering your words. “Supervise?”
“Yes.” you said firmly, grabbing a clean bowl. “That means you stand over there, far away from anything fragile, flammable, or remotely edible.”
For a moment, you thought he might argue. Instead, he stepped back obediently, his expression as calm and unreadable as ever. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. “Understood. I’ll monitor your performance.”
You shot him a look but couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. “Don’t monitor me too hard, or I might crack under the pressure.”
Xavier’s gaze flicked to the egg in your hand. “The egg already cracked.”
You groaned, laughter bubbling up despite yourself. That was the thing about Xavier—he could deliver a deadpan joke without so much as a twitch of emotion, making it impossible to tell if he was serious or just messing with you.
As you worked to salvage the cookie dough, Xavier watched quietly from his corner of the kitchen. Occasionally, he’d offer a completely unhelpful observation, like, “That bowl looks unstable.” or “The sugar distribution seems uneven.”
“You’re really excelling at supervising.” you said dryly, glancing over your shoulder at him.
“Thank you.” he replied, his tone so genuine that you couldn’t help but smile.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the cookie dough was ready. You scooped it onto the baking sheet, carefully spacing each mound to avoid sticking.
“See? Easy~” you said, placing the tray in the oven.
Xavier straightened slightly, peering at the tray through the glass. “You forgot something.”
You raised an eyebrow, pretending to be calm. “What?”
He pointed at the counter. “The chocolate chips.”
Your heart sank as you looked at the bowl of untouched chocolate chips sitting smugly on the counter.
“Well, we’ll just call these sugar cookies.” you muttered, trying to sound nonchalant.
Xavier gave a small hum of agreement. “Adaptability is a strength.”
“Or we just messed up?” you said, leaning against the counter beside him.
“Both can be true.” he replied.
The two of you fell into a comfortable silence as the cookies baked, the scent of butter and sugar gradually filling the kitchen. Despite the earlier chaos, it was difficult to stay frustrated. There was something oddly endearing about Xavier’s quiet presence, his calm demeanor grounding even the most absurd situations.
Then you glanced over and realized he’d fallen asleep.
Somehow, he’d managed to drift off standing up, his head tilted slightly to the side, his arms still crossed over his chest. You blinked, torn between amazement and exasperation.
“Xavier…” you said softly, poking his shoulder.
He stirred, his eyes opening slowly. “Hm?”
“You fell asleep.”
He blinked once, his expression as neutral as ever. “Only briefly. I was…monitoring the cookies.”
You laughed, shaking your head. “Sure you were.”
When the timer went off, you pulled the tray out of the oven, setting it on the counter to cool. The cookies weren’t perfect some were a little lopsided, and they definitely could’ve used those chocolate chips, but they smelled wonderful.
Xavier picked one up, inspecting it with the same intensity he’d given the flour earlier. He took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.
“They’re good.” he said finally, his tone as even as ever.
You shot him a questioning look, raising an eyebrow. “That’s it? Just ‘good’?”
He glanced at you, his gaze softening slightly. “You did well.”
There was a faint warmth in his voice, subtle but unmistakable. For someone as reserved as Xavier, it might as well have been a standing ovation.
You smiled, picking up a cookie of your own. “Well, we did it together. Guess you’re not entirely banned from the kitchen anymore.”
Xavier tilted his head, clearly considering your words. “I wouldn’t count on that.”
Despite his deadpan delivery, there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes and together, you both sharing the cookies with occasional quiet laugh, you realized that maybe the chaos was worth it after all.
After a night that took an eternity to pass, you woke up feeling worse the wear and wishing for sleep to take you under once more. Only, Xavier had other ideas; the love and care he provided was always second to none.
𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ── Cat Butler!Xavier x F!Reader 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 ── > 700 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 ── G 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 ── Tooth Rotting Fluff, Xavier's cooking, light angst, caretaking, established relationship, chronic illness + pain, sickfic, pet names, hurt/comfort, pancakes are a love language 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ── HERE 𝐀𝐎𝟑 ── HERE 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ── for @sgt-seabass 🤍
The morning haze of sunlight and dew drops on the leaves by the window was the sight that greeted your tired eyes.
Spring was well into blooming — through the open panes of glass, you could hear the chirp of birds and the calls of children playing outside, joyful sounds that would have normally made you smile sleepily and burrow into the covers, or into the strong, warm chest of your favourite person in the whole world.
But it wasn’t a joyful morning.
Every last nerve, bone, muscle, and piece of sinew that held your form together ached with the effort of existing.
Breathing was a chore; the rise and fall of your chest slow and shallow from the pain of your expanding diaphragm. The bones of your arms and legs had doubled in density to resemble concrete pillars attached to the weakened support that was your body.
“Ugh.”
Footsteps sounded over the carpet rug beneath the bed, and you scrunched up your nose with the anticipation of what was to come.
“Ugh? What’s wrong, baby? Are you sick?” Xavier asked carefully. A hand rested against your shoulder, and you bit back the urge to wince away — though it was for nothing. “I saw that…”
“Ugh,” you repeated, emphasising the consonant with a groan. “It’s an ugh day.”
“An ugh day, huh?” The bed dipped at your hip, and you blinked the sleep from your eyes to glance at the source. Xavier was dressed in an oversized, pale yellow sweater, and the plaid pants he wore hugged his thighs. The fluffy ears that drooped low on his head glowed ivory in the sun rays from the window. “Are you in pain—do you need–?”
“Just pain,” you mumbled, blinking slowly. Your hand ruffled the covers as you moved it from beneath the warmth, and Xavier’s eyes narrowed. “C’mere, please,” you tried again, smiling softly. The tail over your legs twitched with suspicion. “I just want you.”
He sighed and leaned closer, the heat of his breath fanning over your cheek. “I trust you…”
“Hm.” The pads of your fingers brushed over his ears, ever so gently. “So soft.”
“That tickles,” Xavier muttered, pouting. “What are you trying to achieve?”
“Me?” you asked innocently. The palm of your hand rested against the curve of his ear. “I’m just recharging—I can’t get through the day without it.”
A heavy sigh passed his lips, and he seemed resigned to the fact you wouldn’t let up. “Fine.” You watched as he settled in place and laid his head down on your middle — while you still battled against the pain through the whole of your body, your heart felt a little lighter for the reassuring weight.
Content, you smiled and continued stroking the blond fur of his ears, then the strands of golden hair on his head. The silence stretched as you played coy, gently teasing the soft spots along the base of the twitching pair of ears, until he sat up straight — the blues of his irises slightly clouded.
“I– I made breakfast…” One of his hands moved to scratch at his neck, and he smiled nervously. “It’s your favourite, and I didn't burn it.”
“You didn’t burn it?” you asked brightly.
“Don’t act so surprised,” Xavier huffed, and he stood from the bed. At the doorway, he paused and turned around to look at you sternly. “Don’t you even think of moving while I’m gone.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Moments later, Xavier appeared, tray in hand, and a smug smile on his pretty lips. “See?”
You nodded in approval, only to stop and gasp at the sight of a small bouquet of flowers, the petals delicate in the wind. “Xav–”
“Shh.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead. The tray was heavy in your lap, and you glanced downwards to take in the sight: a mile high stack of pancakes — on the more golden side — were stacked precariously, while a warm cup of tea had swirls of steam filling your senses with your favourite, as he stated so proudly.
But it wasn’t what captured your attention.
On the very top of the tower of pancakes, a bunch of fruit and other toppings made up the shape of a heart. “I–”
“You don’t need to say anything, honey,” Xavier whispered. “Let’s stay in today, I’ll read to you. How about that?”
“Okay,” you agreed, smiling happily.
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 ── Medical Edition Bingo (@fandom-free-bingo) ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Fatigue • ALT ── MASTERLIST ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ "What is it?" • B4 ── MASTERLIST ── Tolkien Edition Bingo (@fandom-free-bingo) ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Cooking For Them • ALT ── MASTERLIST ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Attached Animal Parts • B4 ── MASTERLIST ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Eyes Closed • O2 ── MASTERLIST ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Forehead Kisses • B1 ── MASTERLIST ── Hurt/Comfort Bingo (@sweetspicybingo) ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Chronic Pain • B5 ⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄ Hearty Meal • ALT ── MASTERLIST
☆ Xavier, who is always thinking about you.
Xavier had always carried a quiet thoughtfulness about him, an attentive care that made you feel seen. He loved spending time with you, observing the little things that made you, you. That’s why it didn’t surprise you—though it still made your heart flutter—when he learned your favorite song on guitar. Not only to play it, but to sing it for you.
One day, while the two of you were messing around with the guitar, he positioned himself behind you, his presence close and comforting. The guitar rested in your lap as you strummed the strings, your movements tentative but growing more confident under his guidance.
“All you have to do is follow this count: one... two... three... four,” he explained softly, his voice low and steady. His hand, sure and practiced, expertly switched between the chords, his fingers brushing the frets with ease.
“Yes, just like that,” he said, a smile in his voice, as you repeated the motion. His hands briefly covered yours to adjust your positioning, and your fingers began to catch the pattern.
The first few notes were halting, but as you found the rhythm, a familiar melody began to emerge. Your breath caught when you realized what it was. Your song. A grin spread across your face as the chorus approached.
Then, just as the moment swelled, Xavier leaned in, his breath warm against your ear. His voice was soft but playful as he sang the words:
“You can act all shy, but you know that I want you.”
His whispered lyric sent a shiver down your spine. You paused, the guitar momentarily forgotten as you turned to look at him, caught between laughter and bashful disbelief. Xavier only smiled, his eyes crinkling with amusement, as though he’d been waiting for that exact reaction.
Valentine's Favourites
Xavier x female!reader
Genre: fluff
Warnings: 2,1k word, allusions to intercourse/suggestive topics
Note: fanfiction for my Valentine's Event
for masterlist and request info head to the navigation →
← how Jeremiah is doing ★ continuation of the evening →
~★~
Xavier was preparing for that day for weeks if not months. Finding a perfect spot, making sure that you'll be free from work, writing down the things he'll need to get; food, a gift, flowers...
You couldn't catch a glimpse of Xavier since the morning, when he left your apartment after staying the night, saying that he had some 'things' to take care of and he'll see you later.
You tried messaging him, but the only thing you got back in response was 'I'll see you later' or 'please be patient sweetheart'. You knew he was planning something, but you had little to absolutely no idea what that could be.
Was he planning something? A date perhaps? Maybe a gift? Did he do something stupid and needed to fix it without your knowledge? What was he doing?!
The thoughts were eating you up, but you knew better than to stress yourself out with his secrecy. After all: it was Xavier out of all people, he was full of mystery. You just hoped that he'll be safe.
Your day went by with you doing basic chores and being lazy, since you didn't have anything planned or today. You still had the prince of your heart in the back of your head, was he doing alright?
Deciding to try once more to get some information from him you picked up your phone, entering chat with him.
'Hey, you doing okay there?'
You turned off your phone about to put it back down and focus on the TV, but the moment the screen went blank you heard the sound of notification and in a second you turned it back on.
'get ready, I'll meet u in half an hour, dress comfy'
Instantly you shoot up from your seat, going to change your clothes still staring at the message from him.
Half an hour? Alright, but dress comfy to go where? Comfy as 'home-kind-comfy' or 'we're going somewhere when you don't need to dress up' or 'dress whatever you feel like, you'll still be pretty'?
Why were you overthinking this?!
It's probably just a simple date, right? So you want to look pretty without looking like you tried hard to look pretty.
HOLY YOU HAVE ONLY 30 MINUTES!
Instantly you started looking through your clothes, what is comfy but looks pretty and not like your home clothes? Let's try to look cute in half an hour, sure.
After looking through all of your clothes, with half of your wardrobe now on your bed, you were finally somehow satisfied with the results. Lucky you; did your make-up earlier out of boredom...
You were fixing your hair a little bit when the doorbell sound rang. Instantly you run towards the door, screaming 'a moment' on your way, and stumbling around your apartment at least twice.
Finally you made it to the front door, unlocking and opening them without checking the peephole first. There he stood, perfect like always, with a slight gentle smile on his lips that you returned instantly.
"Hello beautiful." his arms opened, inviting you for a hug and without wasting a second you found yourself in his embrace.
"Hi handsome." you giggled, giving his cheek a peek before breaking the hug.
"Get some shoes on, we're going out." you turned around to follow his instructions, bending over and unintentionally gracing him with the sight of your perfect ass.
He bit his tongue, memories of last night started floating around in his head, but the moment you stood up, ready to go with an innocent smile on your lips, all the improper thoughts left, his mind instead focusing on the present you.
"I'm ready." your high shoes clicked with every step you took while leaving your apartment. Hopefully he won't make you walk around too much...
Without words he took your hand, leading you to the elevator.
During the wait you hugged him close in the tight space, only with you two in it. He let you rest your head on his chest, in his head hoping for the evening to go perfect, his earlier exchange of words with Jeremiah replaying in his head.
"She'll be delighted. Trust me."
"It's just... Maybe she deserves someone better than me to spend her life with."
"Are you kidding me? For someone this smart you're really oblivious sometimes, aren't you?"
Xavier looked at him with a threatening glance, but Jeremiah was completely unbothered by it, still focusing on placing the stuff in the right places.
"She's crazy for you, last time you two came to Philo she was staring at you the whole time, like you were the only thing in the room, no actually, like you were the only thing in the world. Don't doubt yourself so much, my Prince." finally sparing a glance at Xavier he only smiled teasingly. He enjoyed seeing the always calculated and collected person being stressed over his love life.
"Xavier? We can get out now..." your voice broke him from his thoughts, the doors of the elevator were open.
"Yes, sorry." he walked out with you, hands still joined together.
You were walking the streets of Linkon, light conversion about work and life making the time pass faster. You didn't think about your destination, trusting him even if that would mean walking to the stars and back. You would follow him everywhere.
The sun was slowly setting, the warm light making Xavier look more eternal than ever, you couldn't help but admire him from the side, not noticing that he stopped and looked at you too.
"We're here." you woke up from the daze, your head instantly turned and you saw the edge of the forest before you.
"We're going there?" he nodded your head at your question. You looked down at your shoes, you were not prepared for that... "Alright." you braced yourself to try and avoid spraining your ankle. But then you got swept off your feet - literally "Xavier!"
"What?" he asked, acting clueless. He started walking with you in his arms, carrying you like a princess.
"I can walk!" your voice raised in shock.
"I know." was his only answer, not even looking at you, focused on the path ahead.
Knowing that there's no arguing with him you decided to get comfortable in his hold and admire him.
Damn he looked so hot all focused and calm, and all yours. You closed your eyes, your head falling to rest on his shoulder with your arms hugging his neck. You could fall asleep like this, but before your consciousness left for good he spoke once again.
"We arrived." you heard his soft voice right above your ear. Your eyes slowly opened, reviling the beautifully prepared 'tent' from some kind of see-through fabric, with lots of lights everywhere and a blanket(s) inside accompanied by various pillows.
You looked at him, he was carefully studying your reaction.
"You prepared this?" you smiled already knowing the answer. He nodded his head slowly.
"With a little help." gently he put you down onto the blankets. You took in the details of his preparations.
There was a small table beside you, you saw there was a small board with the photos you took together adoring it, beside it lying were snacks and a tiny box, wrapped up like a present. You looked around a little more, imagining how much time he spent here, preparing all of this for you.
"It's really pretty." your gaze returned to the owner of your heart, he sat down beside you, his eyes not leaving your figure for a single moment "Thank you Xavier." you took his hand into yours, squeezing it lightly.
"It's really nothing that impressive." instantly you made the 'zip it' move with your fingers. He smiled and chuckled quietly.
"It's beautiful here, and I know that it took you a lot of thought and time to prepare this, I'm so thankful to have you in my life." you sealed your words with a kiss to his lips, what was supposed to be a quick and sweet peek turned into a make out session the moment his hand flew to the back of your head.
You didn't complain of course. Eventually he pulled away, still caressing your hair gently, with one hand he reached for something behind you, a second later you saw a bouquet made out of what looked like a hundred little flowers, resembling a thousand stars shining in the night sky.
Your smile softened even more, he really did his best today.
With the bouquet now in your hands he moved away a little bit to reach for your shoes, gently taking them off for you. You couldn't help but coo at him a little bit, how could someone look so innocent and angel-like but in reality- hold on wrong thoughts.
Next two hours you spend on cuddles, talking about your past years and the memories you made together, sometimes pointing to the photos for reminders of various moments that passed. You were overjoyed with having him in your life, proud to hold his hand and announce to everyone that this perfect man is all yours.
The darkness of the night sky peeked at you, the moon listened to your stories intensively, sharing your intimacy, watching you with a silent promise not to speak of this moment to anyone.
You were lying down together, desserts he brought already eaten. Your bodies facing each other, the warmth and feelings in your eyes worth more than a thousand words.
Slowly he raised from his lying position, sitting at the entrance of the make shift tent and taking something from the small table into his palm.
He looked at you over his shoulder, soft gaze meeting your eyes, you looked at him with a silent question, but instead of words he graced you with his hand, gesturing for you to take it, which you did instantly, pulling yourself up with his help.
He brought you up to your feet, and walked a couple steps with your palm resting in his.
The grass gently tickled your feet, before he came to stop with you in front of him. The little box now in his other hand.
"I thought a lot those past couple of weeks." his gaze dropped from your eyes to his hand "I can't imagine my life without you in it. A thousand lifetimes are not worth as much as your love." his eyes came back to yours. His hand never let go of yours.
You were confused, not understanding what was happening, but then...
You saw his body slowly leaning down, until one of his knees met the ground. For a moment you still couldn't grasp what was happening. But then it hit you, your eyes widen.
"I know that this is unexpected, but believe me, it's been on my mind for the longest time. I didn't know how to ask you, if there ever will be a right moment, but then I decided to make a perfect moment myself." you squeezed his hand a little to let him know you are listening "I'm sorry that this is not what a princess proposal should look like... But I know that you value little moments much more than grand spectacles, and that's probably one of the reasons I fell so deeply in love with you. With you there are no expectations, no questing my ideas, you're always there to support me, cheering me on every time." you couldn't help but laugh a little, to which he responded with a small smile of his own "So, if you'll only grace me with the honor of having you as my wife, I'll be the happiest man in the universe." he opened the little box, a beautiful ring hid there, now showing to you the prettiest gem you ever seen.
"Xavier I..." you laughed, overwhelmed with emotions, you were not expecting THAT to happen today, how did he manage to hide his plans so well? "Of course I'll be your wife." in a split second the ring found itself on your finger, fitting perfectly. A second later you were snooped up into Xavier's arms with him spinning you around.
Your laughter was his absolute favorite sound in the world. He stopped his spins, but still held you in his arms, a kiss fell onto your lips, instantly you got lost in the feeling, you cling to him like to a lifeline. He hugged you tighter, not letting you move away for even an inch.
You didn't know what gods to thank for sending him to you, but you will forever be thankful for the opportunity to share your life with this man.
You pulled back for air, breaking the heated kiss, your hot breaths mixing. He still didn't let you go. For a moment you could swear you saw tiny lights flying around him.
"I love you my starlight." he didn't even let you say it back before coming back to launch at your lips. Oh how much you loved your innocent looking freaky fiancé.
Prince!Xavier x Acrobat!reader Word count: 315 words Drabble, Scenario, Gender Neutral No one asked for this but I was watching Zendaya and Zach Efron and this happened
That you wanted him was not a secret you tried to hide.
But you couldn't have Xavier.
You were bound to break in your hands like the rope at the corner of the stage that needed to be replaced. You were like that rope; you could and should be replaced.
If you could rewrite the stars and turn over the cards you'd make sure that the Heavens and the Earth knew that Xavier was yours, that you were meant to be, never to part. But you could not. No one could.
And yet as you took the momentum to bring down the hoop to be at eye level with Xavier, you just wanted to be in his arms. Xavier stood there very straight, with his hands behind his back, illuminated by the few stage lights that were still burning bright. The white silk of his clothes almost shone, spotless, pristine.
When he lifted his hand to tenderly run his digits across your cheek, all you could feel was his soft skin against yours. That soft skin was so unlike your own; your palms and fingers calloused from your art, bound by a layer of bandages.
Xavier didn't belong in your world. And you didn't belong in his world either.
"Come fly with me," you told him.
And he didn't hesitate one second. You would never know what you'd done to have this man trust you so blindly.
As he wrapped his arms around your waist, you wished you could indeed just fly away.
"Hold on tight," you asked of him.
Xavier tightened his grip around you and your whole being fervently wished he'd never let go.
You tugged on the rope and let the hoop carry you both above the ground, to hang weightless, embrace each other away from the pull of gravity. Away from everything keeping you apart.
How did you rewrite the stars?
genre: Rom-com, Fluff
Follow me and my work on AO3, I will update there soon! And pls recommend what I should write if you have any ideas THANK YOU!: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanniepanini/pseuds/Sanniepanini
***
Xavier was like a mystery wrapped in a layer of indifference. It had been two years since I had first met him on the school grounds. Back then, he’d been a quiet, almost aloof presence in the hallways, always on the fringes of every conversation but never quite part of any.
Christmas was coming around, and I'd spent countless hours at the bakery, experimenting with flavors, tweaking the recipe until it felt just right.
Working part time to support my college lifestyle was hard, but I was happy that I was able to manage it. The radiant smiles from people as they received their purchases, the smell of chocolate and the soft hum of holiday music in the background—it was the perfect setting for a little holiday magic.
It was late, so late that the bakery was starting to empty out, and the streets outside were quieting down too. People were leaving in a trickle along with the fading chatter and laughter as the door chimed behind them.
I smiled as I said “Happy Holidays!” or “Merry Christmas!” to the last few customers who were heading out, my voice was warm and genuine despite the exhaustion that was starting to settle into my bones. The thought of not spending Christmas in silence, alone, was reason enough to stay.
I stood there for a moment, the quiet stretching between like a thin, fragile thread. I didn’t crave the crowd, the loud noises, the stress…but more the presence of somebody else…to not face the solitude of the holidays all alone.
As I went over to pack the last order, the doorbell chimed once again. The soft hum of Winter Christmas by Dean Martin floated through the speakers, wrapping the moment in something that felt almost cinematic.
“You’re still open?” said a soft voice and I froze, turning around and I saw a familiar face.
“Xavier?”
He was practically a bundled up human gift by all of the clothes and his scarf had the fun print of reindeers⎯ his nose was red.
“I had an order…”
I nodded, caught off guard I looked at the order receipts on the wall. “Right. Yeah. Of course—you’re the peppermint mocha scones and the cinnamon loaf?”
“Guilty,” he quipped, moving his gloved hands together.
I turned back to grab the box I had just finished tying with a gold ribbon, placing it gently on the counter between us. “Didn’t think you’d come this late.”
“Me neither…until I remembered I had made an order a few days ago.” He sighed. “I didn’t know you’d stay here on Christmas Eve.”
“We are the only bakery open in town today, and someone has to stay…” I felt awkward, almost embarrassed as I told him that I was all alone today. Looking away I pretended to fuss with the ribbon on the box like it mattered more than it did.
Xavier’s eyes locked with mine and I didn’t move my gaze. I couldn’t. “So you’re spending it alone?”
I swallowed. “Well…I am spending it by myself.”
The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. It was quiet in the way snowfall is—gentle, expectant. Like something was about to land.
Xavier smiled. “It doesn’t have to stay that way.”
I glanced up at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we could celebrate together⎯ if you don’t have anyone else for that matter.”
Someone else for that matter…The butter smooth light of the bakery seemed even softer and I felt hesitant to answer right away. My fingers curled loosely around the ribbon on the pastry box as I felt my heart warmed at the thought.
“No,” I said finally, quietly. “There’s no one else.”
Xavier exhaled like he’d been holding his breath. “Good,” he said, then added quickly, “I mean—not good that you’re alone. Just—good that... I asked.”
I laughed under my breath and saw his shoulder ease.
“Would it be weird if I stayed for a bit? Just… here. With you.” He finally asked.
“Depends…will you help me clean up?” I quipped and he cracked a smile. A smile so genuine and different from the Xavier I knew.
“A condition for your company?”
“Non-negotiable.”
To my surprise he didn’t hesitate to take off his jacket and scarf, discarding them neatly by a chair. Xavier by far wasn’t the most graceful about anything, especially when it came to stacking trays and I had to catch one before it nearly fell on the floor.
“I am not bakery material, am I?” he rubbed the back of his neck and I had to smile at the sheepish look on his face.
“It’s not like you’re getting paid,” I teased and handed him a washcloth.
Working with Xavier was the most comfortable thing I had ever experienced. The rhythm fell into place—it didn’t matter, the clatter, the noise, the laughter. We moved without pressure
The snow had started to whip even faster towards the ground. Like shooting stars.
“Can I ask you something?” Xavier threw a washcloth in the basket.
His movement was not as casual as his voice.
I nodded and he took a breath.
“Why do you do it?” he said. “Why stay here at night like this? When the trains stop running, when everyone’s gone home for the holidays... when you could be with your family. Or just... home.”He looked at the floor, and I shrugged. “I guess here…” I thought for a bit, motioning toward the bakery, “makes more sense to me. It’s warm. Familiar. People come in happy, and they leave happier. I like being part of that.” “Even on the holidays?” “Yes, especially on holidays. When people come in and get their order, I feel like I’m a part of their life for a bit. I get to give them that joy,” I said, the words feeling more real than I expected. “Don’t you want someone else to want that for you?” His voice was quiet. I shifted a little, trying to find the right words. “W-well, people do that for me,” I stammered, but the words came out sounding less convincing than I meant. Xavier looked at me with a raised brow, like he didn’t quite buy it. “Really? So you’re telling me that people just... show up at your door with a hot drink, or insist on spending time with you when you’re working?” I felt my cheeks warm, and I glanced away, suddenly self-conscious. “Well... no. I mean, I don’t need that,” I added quickly, as if to justify myself. “Do you want that?” I swallowed and shrugged. “Maybe, if it’s not too much of a fuss…” Xavier thought for a while. “Scared that asking for anything will be a burden, even when it’s the season of giving?” His words caught me off guard, and I froze for a moment. It was like he’d reached into my mind and pulled out something I’d never fully said out loud. I didn’t answer right away, feeling the weight of his question settle heavily between us. “I never took you for the guy who’d have that view,” I almost whispered, and he unloaded the dishwasher. “Really?” I nodded. “You’ve always been so quiet… I sometimes thought you didn’t like me.” The hum of the dishwasher filled the silence, and he burst out laughing. Openly, like I’d just told a big joke. Though his laughter died, his smiling eyes looked into mine. “Forgive me, I didn’t know I came off that way.” “Well, you do.” I mockingly accused him, and his grin didn’t vanish. I glanced around the bakery, the counters wiped down, chairs stacked, the faint scent of sugar and cinnamon still lingering in the warm air. “It seems finished. Thank you for helping.” Xavier shrugged, walking over to set the last dish towel on the rack. “Wasn’t really planning on doing dishes on Christmas Eve, but I gotta say, not the worst way to spend the night.” For a moment, his face lit up, and he looked at his order. “If it isn’t weird,” he said, glancing back up at me, “want to eat this with me?” I blinked, surprised—not at the question, but how easy it felt. Like he wasn’t asking out of pity or politeness, but because he wanted to. Because he stayed longer than he planned for a reason. “Yeah… I’d love to.” I finally said.
Crédits artist @ng_a10
📖⬅⬅⬅
Headcanon -
Details: dokidoki fluffy coffee caleb, maybe he adds apple juice and a squeeze of lemon? 700ish words.
“Morning,” he says, a slow, easy grin tugging at his lips as he leans against the counter. His voice is smooth, low, but carries just enough amusement to make you feel like he’s been waiting all morning for someone interesting to talk to. “First time here?”
You blink, thrown for a second, before shaking your head. “Uh—no, I’ve been here before. Just… not with you taking my order.”
“Ah,” he hums, like this is important information. “Well, in that case, I’ll have to make sure your experience today is exceptional. What can I get for you?”
It’s almost unfair, how casual he is about it. You manage to give him your order, your voice steadier than you expect, but the moment he nods and writes your name on the cup, you realize you might be in trouble.
Because he is breathtaking.
Not just in a pretty-boy, “oh, he’s attractive” kind of way. No, it’s the way he moves—fluid, self-assured, a quiet kind of charisma that doesn’t demand attention but holds it anyway. His apron is tied perfectly at his waist, snug but comfortable, emphasizing his lean build. He works with an effortless grace, hands moving with quick, precise motions as he sets up your drink like he’s been doing it all his life.
And then there’s the new barista.
You notice them standing beside him, apron still a little too crisp, movements stiff with nerves. He notices too.
“Hey, you good?” he asks, his tone light, but genuinely concerned.
The newbie nods, but hesitantly. He watches them for half a second, then gestures toward your order.
“Wanna make this one?”
They freeze. “Uh—me?”
“Yeah, you,” he grins, nodding toward the espresso machine. “C’mon, it’s just one drink. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“…I mess it up?”
“That’s the spirit,” he teases, nudging them lightly with his elbow. “But seriously, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through it.”
You watch as the newbie hesitantly steps up, hands fumbling with the portafilter. He lets them struggle for a second before stepping in behind them, close enough that his voice drops slightly, quiet and patient.
“Here, let me help.”
And then he does something devastating.
He reaches out, his hands brushing over theirs as he adjusts their grip, fingers steady and sure. “You wanna lock it in like this. Feel that little click? That means it’s in place.”
The newbie nods, but their breath catches slightly, and—yeah, okay, you can’t blame them. He is warm, too close, and entirely too unaware of how unfair it is to exist like this.
“Good,” he says, pulling back just enough to give them space. “Now, hit that button—yeah, that one. You got it.”
You swear you see the newbie swallow hard, cheeks dusted pink. He doesn’t comment on it—maybe he’s too focused on the drink, or maybe he’s just used to this.
Because you are feeling the exact same thing.
The drink comes together eventually, and the newbie looks both relieved and still slightly dazed. He claps them on the shoulder, offering a quick, reassuring grin.
“See? Not so bad,” he says. “Next time, I’m letting you handle it without the assist.”
They make a sound that’s somewhere between a laugh and a nervous gulp.
And then, finally, he turns back to you.
He picks up your cup, spinning it slightly between his fingers before sliding it across the counter toward you.
“Here you go,” he says, his voice just a little softer now, a little more directed at you. “Hope you like it.” And then, after a pause, his smirk deepens.
“If not… guess you’ll just have to come back so I can make it up to you.”
Your fingers tighten around the cup, heat creeping up your neck. Your brain offers you several possible responses—flirty, cool, clever—and you say none of them.
Because all you can think about is how easy it would be to just ask. His number. His shift schedule. Anything that would let you turn this brief interaction into something more.
But the words sit heavy on your tongue, unspoken.
You just nod. And walk away.
And as you take your first sip, the new barista catches your gaze, their expression a perfect mirror of yours—slightly dazed, a little overwhelmed, and absolutely thinking the same thing.
This isn’t just a barista.
This is a problem.
And then you glance at the counter one last time, at the name tag pinned neatly to his apron.
Caleb.
—————————————————————————-
There’s more barista Caleb! Check my masterlist 🫶🏻
✨ LUMIERE, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR ✨
Artist: @Vega23al_
Manifesting Lumiere...
“lads boys with a clingy partner”
hi bunnies sorry for not posting🥹 happy easter to all the ones who celebrate!
content: fluff, mentions of nightmares
୨୧・。。・♡・∴・♡・。。・୨୧
Sylus
the morning air in onychinus is cold, but not cold enough to keep you from crawling onto Sylus’ lap while he’s trying to go through files. he sits on the velvet couch, his black blazer draped over his shoulders, one hand holding a holopad and the other gripping a steaming mug. you’re practically glued to him, arms around his waist, cheek against his chest
he exhales sharply, but it’s not annoyance—it’s more like the sound of someone trying very hard not to indulge you too fast
“i can’t feel my legs,” he mutters, not even looking down “you’ve been clinging to me for the past forty minutes”
“you love it,” you murmur into his shirt, fingers playing with the fabric “i’m your favorite parasite”
he finally looks down, crimson eyes glinting in amusement “if i had a favorite parasite, you’d be it, yes”
his hand moves from the mug to your back, fingers tracing lazy circles against your spine. he doesn’t push you away. of course he doesn’t. Sylus complains, but he never actually means it. you’ve figured that out by now
“you could’ve kicked me off,” you tease
“i could’ve,” he says dryly “but i’m indulging your clinginess. it’s charming. pathetic, but charming”
you pout up at him “mean.”
“accurate.”
but he softens, just a little, when you don’t move. when your breathing evens out against him, and your fingers curl slightly like you’re afraid he’ll disappear if you let go
his voice drops to a murmur “what’s gotten into you?”
“nothing,” you say “just wanna stay close”
he hums “you’ve been like this all week”
you don’t respond right away. instead, you tug his blazer tighter around the both of you and nuzzle in
after a beat, Sylus speaks again, quieter this time
“did you have another nightmare?”
you hesitate, then nod
he sets the holopad aside with a sigh and cups your face, guiding your head up until you meet his gaze
“you need to tell me these things,” he says “i can’t drag them out of you while you cling to me like an octopus”
“i’m not an octopus”
“you’re worse. you’re cute. and you know i can’t say no when you’re like this”
you blink up at him “so you do like it.”
he narrows his eyes “i didn’t say that.”
you smirk “you implied it.”
he kisses you before you can get cocky. just once, light and brief, but enough to silence your teasing
“you can cling to me all you want,” he murmurs, his voice low “just don’t keep things from me”
“i wasn’t trying to hide it,” you say softly “just didn’t wanna make you worry”
he lets out a soft chuckle, barely audible “i worry when you don’t cling to me”
you blink “you do?”
“mmh” he leans back, tugging you closer, settling you against him like you’re meant to be there “you’re always holding onto me like you’re afraid i’ll vanish. if you stop… i’ll know something’s wrong”
you bite your lip, warmth blooming in your chest
“besides,” he adds, lips brushing your hair, “i’ve grown fond of being your emotional support villain”
you snort “you’re more like an emotional support dragon”
“same thing”
you shift slightly, enough to peek up at him through your lashes “so you won’t get tired of me being clingy?”
he smirks, brushing your hair back “not unless you start following me into the shower”
“i’ve done that before”
“and i had to bribe you out with chocolate”
you grin, smug “you bought my favorite kind”
he rolls his eyes “you’re impossible.”
but then he presses a long, quiet kiss to your temple, and when you melt into him again, he doesn’t complain. doesn’t even pretend to
because the truth is—Sylus likes it. likes you. every stubborn, clingy, affectionate part
and if holding you close is the price for your peace of mind, he’ll let you stay right there for as long as you need
Zayne
Zayne doesn’t look up right away when you wrap your arms around him from behind. he’s seated at his desk, posture perfect, pen gliding across a patient chart with that same practiced precision. his hair falls slightly over his glasses, and the gentle ticking of his desk clock fills the silence of the office
you rest your cheek between his shoulder blades, eyes closed, arms locked snugly around his torso like you might float away if you let go
“you know this is the third time you’ve interrupted me in the last hour,” he says, not turning around “you’ve brought me tea, asked if i liked the scent of your shampoo, and now… this.”
you hum softly “you didn’t answer about the shampoo”
“lavender,” he mutters “i took note the second you walked in”
a small smile curves your lips. he did notice
Zayne sets the pen down at last and exhales, head tilting slightly toward you “i take it you’re feeling clingy again”
“is that a problem?”
he doesn’t respond right away. instead, he reaches for your hand and gently tugs you around to his side. you let him guide you, limbs loose and obedient as he pulls you onto his lap. one of his arms wraps around your waist, the other settles over your hand where it rests on his chest
“if it were a problem,” he says softly “i wouldn’t be holding you right now”
you sigh contentedly and tuck your face into his neck “i missed you”
“i saw you this morning”
“still missed you”
Zayne’s lips curve into the faintest smile “you’ve been unusually attached lately”
you shift slightly “do you want me to stop?”
he’s quiet for a second, then murmurs
“no. not really.”
you lift your head, surprised “really?”
he sighs again, but this time it’s the fond kind—the tired, helpless kind that only comes out when he’s too in love to argue “i’ve been waking up with your arm draped across my chest every night for the past week. i can’t reach for my alarm without peeling you off me. and somehow, i don’t mind”
you look at him with wide eyes “so you like it?”
“i didn’t say that” he adjusts his glasses with one hand “but if you stopped, i’d probably assume you were hiding something”
you frown slightly “i’m not hiding anything”
“then why the sudden surge in affection?”
you hesitate, then quietly say “you’ve been working more hours lately. i just… i don’t want to feel like i’m losing time with you”
his expression softens instantly
“i’m sorry,” he says “i should’ve noticed sooner”
you shake your head “i get it. your patients need you”
“and so do you.”
Zayne leans forward and presses his forehead to yours. his eyes, usually sharp and unreadable, are soft now. tired, yes—but open in a way only you ever get to see
“tell me when you feel like this,” he says gently “don’t just cling. i can handle honesty better than surprise cuddles in the middle of surgery prep”
you laugh under your breath “you did scold me that time”
“because you nearly knocked over an IV stand”
you nuzzle closer “worth it”
he shakes his head but doesn’t push you away. instead, he shifts the chair slightly, pulling a blanket from the side cabinet and draping it over both of you
“i have three more files to go through,” he says “but if you promise not to fall asleep and drool on my tie again, you can stay right here.”
you blink “again?!”
“you think i keep spare ties in my desk for fashion?”
you grin “you secretly love it.”
“i am a man of science,” Zayne replies, deadpan “i don’t love being drooled on”
but he kisses your cheek anyway. warm. soft. and when you rest your head against his chest again, his arms tighten just a little
he lets you stay for the rest of the evening, finishing his files one by one while you curl in his lap like a content cat. and every so often, he pauses—just to run his fingers through your hair, or to press a kiss to your temple, like he needs the reminder too
Caleb
Caleb’s halfway through refueling his aircraft when he hears rapid footsteps behind him—light, familiar ones that don’t belong to any mechanic on the tarmac. he doesn’t need to turn around to know it’s you
“don’t say anything,” you huff, wrapping your arms tight around his waist from behind “just… stand there”
he chuckles under his breath, lowering the nozzle and tilting his head back slightly “that bad of a day, huh?”
“no,” you mumble against his back “i just missed you”
he grins, lips twitching at the corners as he sets the nozzle down and lets his hands rest over yours “you saw me this morning”
“doesn’t count. you left before i was awake”
“technically, i kissed your forehead before i left,” he says, voice playful “that counts for something”
you hug him tighter “i want a do-over”
Caleb turns slowly in your arms, the scent of jet fuel clinging faintly to his jacket. his eyes, that soft violet hue you’ve always loved, lock on yours with warmth and just a hint of mischief
“you’re clingy today” he says with a knowing smile
“is that a problem?”
he leans in a little, brows raised “have i ever said no to you clinging?”
you look up at him, teasing “you get smug about it”
“because i like it,” he says, pulling you in without hesitation “i like that you want to be close. that you run straight to me when you’re feeling needy”
you bury your face in his jacket “i’m not needy”
“you literally followed me to the plane, mid-shift, and clung to me like a baby koala”
you pout “are you calling me a koala now?”
he laughs and lifts you slightly off the ground in a warm, secure hug, spinning you in a slow circle despite the busy hangar
“a very cute koala,” he murmurs “with a death grip”
you hum contentedly, resting your chin on his shoulder “i just didn’t feel like being alone today”
he immediately softens at that, arms wrapping tighter around you
“you never have to be.”
“but you’re always working”
“so are you,” he says, brushing your hair back gently “and yet, here you are, glued to me in the middle of a military-grade launch pad. not exactly subtle”
“you love it”
“of course i do”
his voice lowers a little, quieter against the sound of nearby aircraft and voices
“i think about you all the time when i’m flying,” he confesses “when i hit turbulence, when the sky goes quiet, when the alarms go off in my headset… you’re the one i think of. and then when i land, i hope you’re here”
you blink, caught off guard by how soft he’s being “you do?”
he nods, gaze never leaving yours “every time”
you smile into his chest “then maybe i should start hiding in your cockpit”
he snorts “you’d get arrested”
“you’d bail me out”
“yeah,” he says without hesitation “i would.”
you stay there for a while, wrapped in him, ignoring the curious glances of nearby engineers. Caleb doesn’t care. he never does. even when his superiors are around, even when he’s supposed to be the strict Colonel on duty—when it comes to you, his arms are always open
“how long until you take off?” you ask, voice small
“forty minutes”
you tug on his jacket sleeve “stay with me ‘til then?”
he doesn’t even hesitate “you got it.”
he guides you over to the edge of the hangar, where the sun hits the floor in golden beams. you sit together, shoulder to shoulder, legs stretched out, your head resting against his. the world keeps moving—pilots shouting, aircraft humming—but in that little moment, everything feels still
Caleb intertwines your fingers with his
“you can be clingy all you want,” he murmurs “i signed up for that the moment i fell in love with you”
you squeeze his hand “what if i’m clingy forever?”
he grins “then i guess you’re stuck with me forever too.”
Rafayel
Rafayel’s house is bathed in warm light, the windows cracked open just enough to let in the city breeze. classical music plays softly from hidden speakers, the scent of white tea and citrus lingering in the air. he’s lounging on his favorite cream-colored couch, wearing a silk robe loosely tied over a half-buttoned shirt, swirling a glass of wine in one hand while reading something on his holo-tablet
and you? you’re practically draped over him like a second robe
“you’re heavy,” he drawls, though there’s absolutely zero heat in his voice “are you attempting to fuse with me?”
you bury your face into his chest “maybe”
he sighs—dramatically, as always—and sets his tablet aside “is this how it’s going to be now? i can’t even sip my wine without being used as a human mattress?”
you peek up at him, pouting “don’t act like you don’t love it”
he raises a perfectly shaped brow, eyes flicking down to where your legs are tangled with his
“i love many things. vintage wines, rare artifacts, silk pillows… and, unfortunately for me, you”
you grin, not the least bit offended “so i can stay here?”
he exhales, then tilts your chin up with one finger “i would sooner burn this apartment to the ground than move you”
you blink “…romantic”
“i try”
you stay quiet for a moment, tracing absent shapes on his chest through his shirt. he watches you for a beat, then softly asks “what’s this about, dove?”
you glance away “i just missed you.”
he hums “you saw me two hours ago.”
“i still missed you.”
his hand finds your hair, long fingers combing through it gently “you’ve been a bit… clingier than usual”
you wince “too much?”
he snorts “please. if i didn’t enjoy it, do you think you’d still be breathing right now?”
you laugh, muffled against him
he brushes a kiss to the top of your head “i’m not complaining, darling. i’m simply curious. your usual clinginess is adorable—this level borders on concerning”
you don’t answer right away, just sink further into his embrace like the answer’s hidden somewhere in his heartbeat
he softens, all teasing gone from his voice “talk to me”
“i had a dream,” you finally say “that you left”
he frowns “left how?”
“just… disappeared. no note, no goodbye. i woke up and you weren’t there, and it felt so real”
Rafayel is silent for a moment. then, he slides his glass onto the side table and pulls you into his lap properly, wrapping his arms around you with rare, unguarded tenderness
“i’m not going anywhere,” he says “you’d have to banish me yourself. even then, i’d find my way back”
“what if you got bored of me?”
he scoffs “impossible. you’re chaos in a pretty package. and you cling to me like ivy. how could i ever get bored?”
“some people don’t like clingy”
“those people have no taste”
you laugh again, and Rafayel leans in to kiss the corner of your mouth, then your cheek, then your forehead. his lips linger there, his breath warm and steady
“do you know how many people want my attention?” he murmurs “and how few actually have it?”
you nod slowly “a lot. and almost none.”
he smiles “exactly. you’re not just the exception. you’re the rule-breaker. you cling, and i let you. you pout, and i cave. you crawl into my lap during my very important wine therapy session, and instead of throwing you off—I hold you tighter”
you blink “…that might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said”
“don’t get used to it”
“too late”
he chuckles and lets his head fall back against the couch, arms still snug around you. you curl up there, completely content, as the music shifts to something slower, more intimate
“stay here tonight,” he says softly “cling all you want. hell, cling in your sleep. drool on my robe. claim me like a pillow. i’ll allow it.”
“you’re spoiling me”
“no,” he says, kissing your temple again “i’m keeping you.”
Xavier
Xavier’s apartment is dim and quiet, lit mostly by the flicker of neon lights outside the window. the soft hum of rain hits the glass, steady and calming. he’s stretched out on the couch in an oversized hoodie, one arm draped behind his head, the other flipping lazily through a book he’s already read twice. every few pages, his eyes flick down to the weight pressed against his side
you.
curled up against him like a second blanket, arms wrapped around his torso, cheek smushed into his chest. you haven’t said much, just let out a satisfied sigh every now and then like you’re recharging on physical contact alone
“you’ve been stuck to me all night” he murmurs, voice quiet but amused
“i know,” you mumble “i’m comfy”
he glances down at you “clingy today, huh?”
“a little.”
he closes the book with one hand and sets it aside “you were clingy this morning. and this afternoon. and when i tried to go take a shower”
you lift your head slightly “you still went”
“yeah. with you sitting on the sink counter like some judgmental little gremlin watching my every move”
“someone had to make sure you didn’t slip”
he huffs a laugh, but it’s warm. he reaches over and brushes your hair out of your face with the tips of his fingers, his touch careful—almost hesitant, like he still can’t believe you let him do this. like he still feels lucky every time
“you gonna tell me what’s going on?” he asks softly
you blink “what do you mean?”
“this level of clinginess usually has a reason. not that i mind,” he adds quickly “just… you’re usually a little more subtle”
you hesitate, then bury your face back into his hoodie. it smells like clean laundry and something distinctly him—cold metal, warm skin, and comfort
“i just missed you” you say into the fabric
“you saw me yesterday.”
“i know. i still missed you.”
Xavier is quiet for a moment. you can feel the way his chest rises and falls under your cheek, steady and calm
“okay” he says
you blink “okay?”
“yeah” his arm wraps around you, pulling you a little closer “if you missed me, then this is where you belong.”
you tilt your head up to look at him “you’re really letting me get away with this?”
he smirks “getting away with it implies i’d ever stop you”
“you’ve definitely tried before”
“yeah, and every time you look at me like i just kicked a puppy”
“you hate it when i do that”
“obviously,” he mutters “you weaponize your pretty face”
“you love my face”
he rolls his eyes, but there’s a soft flush on his cheeks “unfortunately.”
you smile and cuddle back into him. the rain continues tapping against the window, and the sound of his heartbeat fills your ears, steady and grounding. he runs his fingers gently up and down your spine, over the fabric of your hoodie, the rhythm almost hypnotic
“you can be clingy whenever you want,” he murmurs “just give me a heads-up if you plan to fuse with my ribcage”
you snort “no promises”
“figured”
you both go quiet again for a while. he shifts a little to reach for the remote, flipping the TV on low—just soft background noise, some slow documentary you’re not really watching. the screen casts a gentle glow over both of you, and his thumb traces little circles on your arm
“you know,” he says after a moment “i used to think i needed a lot of space”
“you still do”
“yeah. but… i don’t mind when it’s you taking it”
your heart stutters “you mean that?”
“i wouldn’t say it if i didn’t” he pauses “you make it easier. being around you doesn’t feel like noise. it feels like… quiet. the kind of quiet i don’t want to end”
you stay silent, overwhelmed for a second. then you shift up just enough to press a kiss to his jaw. his skin is warm, and you feel him freeze, then relax under the touch
“i love you, Xavier”
he doesn’t say it back right away—but you’ve learned not to expect it from him every time. not because he doesn’t feel it, but because he shows it more than he says it. and right now, he’s holding you like the world could fall apart and he wouldn’t notice as long as you were still in his arms
“…i know,” he murmurs eventually “and i love you, too. now stop moving. you’re warm”
you smile, eyes closing “fine. i’ll stay. forever.”
“good,” he whispers “i was hoping you would.”
9:57 AM - Xavier woke up in a cold sweat. He had a dream about Lumiere
Forget-Me-Nots
Xavier x reader
summary: Both you and xavier take time being extremely domestic, caring for the plants he has.
word count: 1.3K
masterlist!
Usually during this time, it was easy to laze around with Xavier, both of you lulled by the warm sun rays, the sound of chirping outside of the window providing a cozy feeling. But alas, the plants out in the balcony needed some caring for. Wilted leaves scattered across the floor, and soil that needed to be hydrated.
You sat there staring at the plants, taking in the breeze from the outside when all of a sudden you heard the sound of the screen door sliding open.
“Are you just gonna sit there and stare at them?” Xavier ruffled your hair, a soft smile gracing his lips as he took a seat next to you. Pouting you fixed your hair, “I was waiting for you.” Xavier chuckled, placing down the watering can on the floor and handing you some gloves. “We might need to re-pot the forget-me-nots” he said softly, leaning to the side to grab the brand new pot. You looked at him curiously, grabbing his arm to see it closer. It was round in size, the glossy deep green color shimmering slightly in the sun. “pretty” you mumbled, leaning your cheek on his arm. He hummed, setting it down and grabbing the older pot. Sitting up, you slipped on the gloves, grabbing it from him, while he opened a new bag of soil. You set the pot down on your lap, watching the small blue flowers sway in the sun, each of them standing proudly.
“Do you think they’ll like their new home?” you asked, your finger brushing against one of the petals. “I’m sure they’ll love it.” Smiling you began to push against the soil, loosening it up in order to free it without ripping any roots. Finally pulling it out, Xavier held the new pot in front of you, softly putting it in. He set it down, sprinkling more soil on top before handing you the watering can. “I don’t think I'm ready for this much responsibility.” you said, humor glittering in your eyes as you looked at him. Shaking his head softly, he smiled “I trust you.”
Taking the watering can from his hands you tilted it slightly in front of the flowers, watching as it showered them. The soft sound of the water sprinkling around. Xavier got up and knelt down in front of the other plants, shears in hand. Clipping away at the dead leaves. You set down the watering can, picking up the newly potted flowers and setting them down in their old place. Smiling as you gazed down at them. Arms wrapped around your waist from behind, Xavier leaning his head on your shoulder.
“We still have to clean up the leaves.” you said, melting into his embrace. He nuzzled your cheek, “We can do that later.”
A gentle smile graced your lips before slowly pulling his arms away. Turning around you looked up at him, softly placing a palm on his cheek. “If we finish this now, we can get some snacks and watch a movie.” He sighed, leaning his forehead on yours, “Okay.” pressing a small kiss on your lips. He pulled away, “Let’s hurry then.” grabbing the broom that was leaning against the wall. You sweeped while he held the dustpan, each of the leaves being thrown away. Both of you working silently, taking pleasure in these serene moments where you were just in the comfort of each other. Finally picking up the last of the leaves, Xavier quickly went to toss them in compost. Coming back and reaching to grab your cheeks, stopping him, “Let’s wash our hands first.” you grinned, pushing them down. He pouted slightly before agreeing. Walking inside and closing the door, you made your way to the sink in the kitchen, Xavier trailing behind you like a lost puppy.
Standing next to you, he looked down before putting his hand out, waiting for you to pump some soap. You side-eyed him, “Does the poor baby need help washing his hands?” you teased. The tips of his ears turned red, looking at you from the corner of his eye, “it’s closer to you.” he mumbled. Eyes softening, you reached for the bottle, pumping the soap. The fresh smell of citrus wafted into your nose, putting some into your own hands. The only sound that could be heard was the running water, you bumped your hip against his lightly. He turned to you, running his hands under the water. Booping his nose with some of the soap in your hands you giggled, Quickly washing off the soap and turning off the faucet.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he teased as he saw you try to run away, grabbing your waist from behind and pulling you against him. Giggling, you tried pulling away, “Xavier, we need to go get our snacks.” you said trying to be serious.
You felt him shake his head behind you, burrowing his face into your neck inadvertently cleaning his nose with your sweater. “We don’t need to do anything, we can just order delivery.” his breath tickling you. “Xavierrr…” you whined, turning around in his arms you gazed into his blue eyes, huffing before smiling softly. “Okay, I'm lazy anyways.”
He pressed you flush against him, leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. “We really have to order something star.” you mumbled against his lips, pressing your hands against his chest. He tightened his arms, lowering his head down, brushing his lips against your ear, “we’re still watching a movie right?” he mumbled. You chuckled, “That’s if you don’t fall asleep like you always do.” pulling his arms off you, grabbing your phone and plopping yourself down on the couch.
“Should we get the usual?” you asked, he settled down next to you, laying down on his side and resting his head on your thighs. You smiled down at him, running your fingers through his silver hair. He nodded, eyes fluttering closed. The warmth of the sun, shining through the windows. Basking the both of you, typing away at your phone, scrolling through the various options. While Xavier slowly let himself succumb to the comfort of your presence, lips parting slightly as he fell deeper into sleep.
A gentle smile graced your lips, lightly brushing his fringe away from his face. Putting your phone down next to you. Eyes scanning his face, your fingertip brushing the shape of his eyebrows, following the slope of his nose and then finally reaching his pink lips. Running your thumb across his bottom lip. Mesmerized by him and not noticing he opened one eye to peek at you. The corner of his lips lifting slightly, amused.
“See something you like?”
Pretending to think about it, looking off into the distance. “Hmm, I don’t know.” a teasing smile playing at your lips. He glared playfully, sitting up and squishing your cheeks together.
“Rethink your answer.”
“I rethink that I might have to go see Charlie to compare.” smirking at him, he furrowed his brows, eyes darkening. He leaned forward, capturing your lips in a fervid kiss. His hand cupping the back of your neck, tilting his head slightly, “You’re not going anywhere.” he mumbled against your lips. Your eyes fluttered closed, gripping his sweater, kissing him back with the same intensity. His tongue brushed your bottom lip, lightly prodding them open. You obliged, sighing softly against his lips.
Xavier deepened the kiss, pushing you down onto the couch. He pulled away, kissing down your neck. Your breathing heavy, reaching up to place your hand on his hair.
“Any changes?” he mumbled, lightly biting the space between your collarbone.
“I love you Xavier.” you breathed out, meeting his eyes as they softened with affection. Pulling him up for another kiss, running your hands down his back. He cupped your cheek, pulling away to look down at you. His thumb brushing against your cheek.
“I love you too.”
So... at first it started out as a comic idea for my college work and then when i developed the idea to a story to write a script for college work purpose...
Tell me how did my college work turned into a short xavier fanfic with a script and comic idea .. and its angst . I never have written this type of angst ever or even angst ever.... how the hell is this man single handedly made my college work about him? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Not complaining though... cuz i made him sit there with me for 4 hours as i finished off my story and script 🥰🫡🥹🥹
Its 3 37 am. . Someone send help.😀🫡
Btw... a short note... was trying to pull for Xavier 5 star card but instead got Sylus's birthday card... not complaining but ya ... 🙃🫠 need to save up for lumiere rerunsssss😊🤪
my babyyyy! 😣 look at him sulking and pouting😭🤍
full credit to artist: @fishbone0306 on X!
listen to a lot of orchestral music, and this is one of my all time favorite pieces. And ever since getting into love and deepspace l've associated it with Xavier.
I can't pin down an exact idea, just flashes of scenes.
A grand, silver and gold ballroom on Philos. The orchestra is practicing a slower melody for his highness' ball, and you stay with him as his soon to be grandis knight. Xavier isn't interested in the festivities but his blue eyes catch the way you sway to the music ever so subtly. The way you hum the melody and seem to float instead of walking.
So, without a word, he bows and offers his hand to you. Without a word, you bow or curtsy in kind and take his hand.
Each twinkle in the melody matches a twinkle in the light, each hum of the violin leads you into another step. Xavier is dancing you around the
empty ballroom with all the grace and poise a prince of his caliber should have. Fleeting glances, intermingled breath. The spin of the tail/skirt of your uniform, the way Xavier glows in unspoken delight.
And somewhere in a strange mix of past and future, you lay awake in your boyfriend's bed.
Beginning to hum a melody you've never heard.
A song from a nostalgic dream, where you danced with a prince that glowed under moonlight, with eyes bluer than a clear summer's sky. But you can never quite make out his face. So you simply hum the tune, unaware of Xavier's slightly widened eyes.
IDK I feel like this music piece deserves a Prince Xavier fic but l've already got the trowels series and I just can't quite hammer anything down for him.
SOMEBODY SAID IT AT LAST... SCREAM THIS OUT LOUD
Xavier deserves more love.
There! I said it!
The man has loved mc for three life times now, made a deal with the devil (Ever), traveled across time and space, moved planets, lived on Earth for a few hundred years to save find her, and prevent catastrophe from happening to her, fuck even saving her as Lumiere when she was young.
She is the only one that sees him as himself. As Xavier.
He is kind, and comfortable, and selfless. He deals with immense survivors guilt and loves so deeply.
We talk about Rafayel and Caleb being the yearners and clingers. But have you seen Xavier? He is clingy as fuck, and wants nothing but her. Nothing.
I feel like he gets overlooked so often, partially because he’s not as showy as the rest of LIs. I’m sure some might see him as boring, but he is safe. His relationship with MC is one of closest she has, aside from Caleb. They’re neighbours, and colleagues, and best friends. He is deeply ingrained in her life, and a foundational pilar of support for her.
Put some respect on his name.
When the Dawn Hesitates, the Light Trembles | Oneshot
shen xinghui | xavier x reader
synopsis:
Despite growing up as close companions from childhood, you've always been attuned to the difference in status that separates you and the prince. And yet, as rational as your mind is, your heart on the other hand is an unruly beast that you cannot fully control. With his wedding and departure to a foreign kingdom looming on the horizon, the question still remains on how you'll let go of your feelings and live in a future without him. And if he's willing to do the same.
tags: childhoodfriends!au, royalty!au, mild? angst with a fluffy ending (this is probs the fluffiest/non-dark themes this blog will ever see), unrequited love that's actually requited, prince!xavier x knight!reader
word count: 6.5k
a/n: thank you everyone for the support for the first chapter of my caleb fic! here's a oneshot that was actually written for my friend's bday as evidence that I also write for the other LIs hehe and a throwback to my days writing royalty!aus on tumblr! :> as always, please feel free to send in asks/request!!
You had encountered the prince for the first time as a little girl. He was quiet with the maturity of an adult, despite only being a year older than you. Your mama was his wet nurse. It was only natural for her to introduce you to him.
You remember that your first thought was that he was beautiful—the light of the early spring sun had casted his hair silver, and his eyes were the shade of blue you had heard about only in the fairytales your mama had whispered to you before you fell asleep. He looked exactly like the young prince in the one book your older sister had pointed out when you had passed the bookstore in the square.
You remember pointing at his hair and shouting, “Look, his hair glows like light!”
His gaze, which had looked uninterested, suddenly turned to look at you. Those blue eyes came to life then, and something had shown in them that you, back then, had viewed as mockery rather than amusement. “Is it always your first instinct for you to comment on others’ appearances?”
With a burning heat to your face, you had realized that he was teasing you. You had glowered at him then, and in a fit of childish immaturity, you grabbed a fistful of dirt from the ground and flung it straight onto him. Not your best moment.
Now, many years later, you don’t really remember how your mama spanked your butt red that night and how you had sobbed and said you’d never do it again and how she had forced you to kneel and apologize to the prince and then reverently express gratitude when he had just shrugged it off, when really he had the right to kill of your entire family.
But you do remember how his skin had turned red in his fluster, how his hair still glowed despite the dirt, and how his lips had twitched in agitation. You remember how his eyes had still dazzled you then—emotion, even if it was surprise, had made them a startling azure. These were all things you would always remember, for however long time would pass.
You wouldn’t ever dare say any of these words aloud to anyone. No, these were memories that only you were the keeper of, that you were certain of.
🌙✨
“Haven’t you heard? The King has sent out a declaration that Prince Xavier is getting married!” a maid clamored, as she rushed down the hallway with her friend.
“To who?” her friend gasped.
“To the princess of the neighboring Lucis Kingdom. Oh, I heard she’s a beauty! A perfect match for our prince! He deserves it, after he won over those hordes of wanderers at our border and made a glorious return!”
Her friend tittered in response. “My, perfect might be too strong a word! I bet even a fair princess would have difficulty trying to enthrall our unfeeling prince! I doubt he knows anything beyond the sword.”
She was the first to turn the corner of a hallway, when she collided into a force. “I’m so sorry—,” she was in the middle of her words when she looked up. Her mouth fell open, and her face flushed a bright red.
You had the unfortunate pleasure of being the wall that the maid had bumped into. And, as she probed your face to determine whether you had heard what she had just said (which you had), you opened up your mouth and slowly spoke, “I would be cautious of the words we say aloud in the palace, just as much as we are to be careful while turning the corners.”
The maid looked like she was cowering. But really, you thought, for what reason?
Yes, it was true that you were infamous in the palace for your quickness to anger, especially when it came to the prince. When the royal seamstress had said that Prince Xavier looked less flattering in red, you had threatened to use the blunt edge of your sword and destroy her supplies. But in all honesty, with how calm you had sounded, there really was no reason for her to be looking at you like you were some smoke-breathing dragon.
The maid quickly bobbed her head up and down in agreement. And then her gaze fell to the person behind you, and her face paled white like a sheet. “G-greetings, Y-Your Highness!” she jolted straight up before quickly falling into a bow, and her friend quickly followed her.
You peered around your shoulder, and when you saw a familiar presence lurking behind you, your mouth flattened into a straight line. “Your Highness,” you said flatly, bowing your head down.
He held your gaze, firmly. Your mouth felt dry all of a sudden, and you felt your face redden. This damn temper of yours! And he overheard it all!
But the two of you grew up together. He must’ve been used to your bouts of anger, even now. You don’t even know why you felt heat crawling up your neck. You turned your head away in indignation.
His eyes travelled beyond you to the two maids, and he nodded once. “You may go.” His tone was disinterested, and the maids hastily bowed again before scurrying away past him.
When they left, it was just the two of you left in the hallway. It was tense, and you felt yourself ready to run away, right behind the maids. You tipped your head and was about to turn away when-.
“I didn’t know you still defended me.” His voice was softer this time, unlike the more frigid tone he had used with the maids. “Are we still friends then, I presume?”
Your lips pursed. Memories of last night flooded through your head. You downing the pint of ale. You furiously pointing a finger at him and shouting at him how he could have been so foolish to have thrown himself at you to push you out of the way during battle and get hurt by the sword of the wanderer when it should have been you protecting him and not the other way around. Him yelling back at you—though, what he said and what happened after, your mind could barely remember over the jumble of your brain buzzing with alcohol and anger. You just remember waking up the next day, head pounding and vowing to never drink again.
And here he went again, with that cursed word. Friends. How could you ever be friends? He was a prince, and you were just some lowly ranked girl whose only luck was that her mother had raised him at her bosom. Other than that, you were nothing. You had only your knight title. Nothing like the precious princess of a wealthy kingdom.
You were about to bite out a vicious comment that reflected something along those lines, but something stopped you from spewing out the first vowel.
He would be leaving soon after his wedding. He didn’t have to stay in this kingdom, not when his older brother was already set to sit on the throne. And you wouldn’t follow, not when it would tear you apart to see them together, to keep seeking above your station when you knew it was unfeasible. So friend, that horrible ill-fitting term, you would hold onto until you couldn’t. You felt yourself wilt in response, and you were certain he had picked up that something was odd about you today.
So you sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Friends, if you can say that, Your Highness.”
The corners of his lips tugged up in amusement. “So you’ll stop calling me Your Highness then? You know my name. Use it.”
Your mouth was dry all over again, and you felt like you were going to heave all over the floor. It must’ve been the leftover ale brewing in your stomach. It must’ve.
You forced a smile. It probably looked menacing. “People will overhear, and it’s not good for someone like me to be calling you by your name when you’ll be mar-.”
His gaze remained steady.
You swallowed. Fuck.
“Is it an order?” you murmured. Your rude tone, if the head palace maid had heard you, would have sent you straight to a flogging. But Prince Xavier, aside from when you had thrown dirt on his head as a little girl and...and last night, was magnanimous. Nothing could unsettle him, well...maybe except for you.
You did remember that time one of the other knights-in-trainings had been spewing insults about your background and yes, you maybe thought then about swinging your sword down on him (blunt or non-blunt side unconfirmed) but you wouldn’t have done it, not when it would have put your own position as a trainee at risk and left you unable to stay by Xavier’s side.
Xavier had been different though. He had challenged that knight-in-training in a duel during practice and left him black-and-blue. And then that trainee had somehow been removed from the ranks and ended up leaving back to his hometown.
But maybe that was all just wishful thinking on your part.
Hearing no response, your eyes shifted back to him briefly. He just stood there, looking almost pitiful. And it seemed like he had turned slightly so that the bandaged part of his arm was even more obvious to you. A prince? Pitiful? You could guffaw in amusement.
You let out a long sigh.
“Xavier,” your voice was barely above a hush.
He gave you one of those rare smiles of his, the kind that had you breathless as a little girl and breathless even now. On days when he did smile at you, you could never fall asleep. Whenever you closed your eyes, you would see his smile and the way his blue eyes had shone. Oh, tonight would be no different.
You needed fresh air.
You swiftly turned on your heel and headed out towards the pathway to the gardens. His footsteps sounded after you, even as you quickened your pace. But let him follow you—it wasn’t any of your business what he was up to in his free time. And honestly, you didn’t even have a destination in mind.
As the sun warmed up your skin and the smell of flowers sweetened the air, you felt yourself reminiscing. These days would be long gone soon. It was already against propriety for the two of you to still be this close, especially after both of you had come of age. Maybe, maybe it would be good for you to leave all of this behind when Xavier left. So that you didn’t spend the rest of your days an old bitter hag surrounded by reminders of the past.
You were lost in your thoughts as you ambled your way. You were about to take a step forward when you felt a tug at your sleeve, and suddenly, you were falling back. Your back hit a firm chest, and you winced at the collision.
“Ow! What’d you do that for?” you grumbled. You turned your head back, about to bite out another complaint, but your mouth hinged open when you realized that your face was much tooclose to his. You could see the flecks of light blue in his eyes, the way his light-colored eyelashes were trembling, and the slight reddening tint to his skin. He was somehow warmer than the spring air, his body heat seeping against your back. And he smelled like soap and something deeper that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.
You turned and pushed him away by the chest, stumbling back and crashing right into the trunk of a tree.
As you swore under your breath, you heard the sound of laughter. You looked over, irritated. He had his finger raised, pointing right behind you. His other hand attempted to cover his face but you could catch a glimpse of his smile.
“You were about to bump into a tree. I was trying to,” he huffed in a shaky breath, “to stop you from falling.”
Your mouth opened in protest, and you swiftly clamped it shut. Some knight you were. You could take down wanderers of any size and difficulty, but a mere tree was apparently your biggest opponent.
And suddenly you were laughing now too. All the anger, resentment, and bitterness from earlier seemed to fade away. You didn’t think of the past. You didn’t think of the future, of him wedding a beautiful princess and raising heirs with his silver hair and her colored eyes, of you never seeing him again for the rest of your lifetimes. All you thought that it felt good to be standing here with him.
🌙✨
The queen was a beautiful woman. With her long silver hair coiled up in an intricate hairdo and her silver eyes, she looked like a celestial beauty that had fallen onto earth in a gown of deep blue. You could see that Xavier had gotten his looks from her. But while Xavier had the mild temperament of the King underneath his seemingly cold exterior, the Queen was all fire and ice.
“Your Majesty,” you kneeled down onto a knee in a deep bow. She was silent for a long time, taking a long sip of tea from her cup. It was one of the petty tricks that she often played when she was displeased. But you were a knight—what was kneeling on a plush carpet for a little bit compared to sleeping on the cold ground of a forest, unable to rest properly in case a wanderer appeared?
After a seemingly endless time passed, you heard her set down her cup. Her voice tinkled out like bells. “Rise, Dame.”
You rose to your feet. You kept your head bowed.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten a good look at you,” she spoke, “Raise your head.”
You tilted your head up but kept your gaze lowered. She hummed out. You could hear the bracelets that adorned her wrists clinking together as she tapped a finger thoughtfully onto her bottom lip.
“You’ve become more beautiful these years. One wouldn’t expect you to be born from a mere commoner. Even unwomanly duties such as knighthood have not tarnished you.”
“This lowly servant is not worthy of Your Majesty’s praise,” you spoke, as you lowered your head again. You felt unsettled. Compliments from the Queen always had another purpose.
“Hush, child. I can see why even my son has softened towards you.” She hummed, her voice light and airy. “You see, when I married His Majesty, I was a year younger than you are now. I had lived as the princess of a small kingdom, so when his proposal came, there was no choice for me other than to agree. But I tried anyways.”
You remained silent.
“You see, the foolish me of my youth had loved a knight then and wanted to elope with him.” She laughed. “But when I tried to run away with him, my father caught me and had the knight stripped of his titles, tortured, and banished. All those years he had spent in service of our kingdom, and look what he threw away for a fleeting passion.” You felt her gaze fall back onto you. It felt sharp, like a blade.
“You understand my meaning, don’t you? Xavier is set to wed a princess. A political alliance with the Lucis Kingdom will be beneficial for everyone’s sake. A commoner like you.” She paused to laugh again. “Well, I am pleased that you have been able to make a knight of yourself. But make no mistake, that’s as high as you can climb up.”
She gestured a hand out, and you saw a wooden chest enter your periphery. “This is more than enough money to support you and any other ambitions you may have. You’d never have the opportunity to get your lowly hands on this much money. Take this money, and leave. Leave the palace as soon as you can, before the end of this season, so that Xavier does not hesitate in his upcoming nuptials with Lucis’s Princess.”
You raised your head to make direct eye contact with her then. Your eyes were fierce as you sternly shook your head. “Your Majesty, this lowly servant is well aware of her own station and does not dare to go beyond it. This lowly servant is not worthy of your noble gift, for her lowly hands would tarnish its value.” You dipped into a bow again before swiftly turning on your heel and marching out of the room.
You heard the crash of her cup hitting the wall from behind you, but you kept marching forward. Though you felt pity for the maids who would have to deal with her wrath, you knew that it would not have done you any good to have accepted her money.
You had been truthful with the Queen. You did know your station, and you also knew that you would never be able to go beyond it.
Your decision had been made long before you stepped into the room. In fact, it had been made even before you had heard news of Xavier’s nuptials.
It was final then. You would leave on your own terms, using your own money.
🌙✨
You knew you couldn’t stay in the capital. Linkon was a place full of reminders. If you peeked close enough, you could see the alleyways where you and Xavier had snuck bags of toasted walnuts when he was still young and still looked sweet enough to hide his stubbornness—though now, this sweetness had melted into a mildness that still hid his stubbornness well. You could remember the place Xavier had gifted you a small flower pin from the day you were admitted to knight training. And you could remember on one of those excursions where your cape had gone loose and he had reached out to tie it—the brush of his fingers against your lapel and the way your head had swelled up in a rush of blood...How could you stay in a place with all these reminders?
Sure, your family would miss you a little, but after your parents passed away and your siblings grew up, they were more worried about making a living and taking care of their own families. And besides, you could always visit them some time in the distant future.
No, you wanted to go somewhere peaceful and isolated, where nothing from the past could affect you.
As Linkon prepared to send its prince off to a wedding, you spent your time preparing for your own plans. When you weren’t training or taking on missions to take down wanderers, you found yourself perusing over a map that you had bought off a passing merchant.
The nearby city was too close, barely a day’s ride away by horse.
The region to the East looked good on paper, but you knew the noble families that had their territories there had close ties with the Queen. It wouldn’t be good for you to stay in a place where it would be easy for her to keep tabs on you. After all, you wanted to leave for the sake of your own freedom away from any royal’s influence.
Your pointer finger skimmed towards a small town to the West. It was about a week’s ride from the capital, 6 days if you pushed your horse, and near the border, so it was often experiencing unrest from stray wanderers. You could keep making some money there by going on small missions. And with the wages you had saved up and the money you could get from pawning off the uselessly luxurious gifts Xavier had given you over the years, even when you were old and unable to make money off of fighting wanderers, you could still live quite comfortably.
When you made your final decision, you quickly sprung into action. But when you asked Xavier for some time off, he had peered over his documents and looked at you skeptically. You could see why he saw it odd—you hadn’t taken a day off the moment you had entered knight’s training. But with the issue at the border contained, you were able to convince him that it was for the sake of spending some time traveling to get your head back on right. With reluctance, he stamped his seal of approval on your request.
You set off the following day. You didn’t need to prepare much—just enough money for food and your lodgings. But you felt odd as you went from city to city and then eventually from city to town.
It felt like someone was tailing you. The feeling started the moment you had left the gates of the capital, and even when you were deep into the crowds of an inn, you still felt a gaze on you. But whenever you looked, you would see the faint white of a cloak before it vanished.
It must’ve been one of the Queen’s people. So when you were about to reach your next town, only a day’s travel away from your intended destination, you decided to veer off course. Instead of going straight through the main road, you sharply turned off into the woods and urged your horse deep into the undergrowth. You then quickly dismounted and let your horse stray.
By the time the person following you entered the woods and saw your horse by itself, it was too late. You swung them off their horse, shoving them right into the dirt, and pressed your blade against their throat.
“Did the Queen send y-?” You hissed, reaching out to yank the hood down. The rest of the words you were about to say died in your throat as you squinted down at the familiar face. “Xavier?”
He looked at you with the firm steady look in his eyes, as if that was enough to convince you of whatever lie he had spun. But his ears flushed red—a clear giveaway. “What a coincidence...I was planning on checking the state of the borders, and we happen to be headed the same way.”
You laughed dryly. “Certainly, Xavier. Then you don’t mind if we part ways at the next town. I’m planning on taking a restful and slow vacation, and you must be in a hurry to get to the border then.”
He shamelessly shook his head. “I mean, the issue at the border is settled and wouldn’t change in less than a fortnight. They don’t need to see me there that urgently.” His lips curled up faintly at the corner.
You scowled. This prince! He was lying right to your face, and he didn’t seem like he had an ounce of guilt about it. “Well, what would other people think about us then? Only a married couple would be traveling together. Do you want people to presume about our relationship, Your Highness?” You threw your hands up. “And what about your safety? There isn’t a single other knight here from the squad!”
He shrugged his shoulders lightly. “Well, that’s for them to assume. And if you call me by my name, then no one would know who I am, and I wouldn’t be in danger. Besides, I don’t need other knights either. We’re already a good team, aren’t we, Partner?”
You huffed and spun around on your heel, about to start your search for your horse. There was no winning with him. As you found your mare and hoisted yourself up onto her, you squinted down at Xavier, who still looked idle.
“And where’s your horse?” you crossed your arms.
He looked around for a second and then looked back up at you. “It looks like it left. You don’t mind me riding with you, right? Besides...,” his voice softened, and his eyes looked sleepy all of a sudden, “Sleeping these past nights haven’t been too restful for me. I worried that I’d wake up and you would be already gone. I can catch up on some sleep if we ride together.”
Before you could protest, he had already settled himself behind you. His arms looped around your waist. When you turned around to gape at him, flabbergasted, he already had his head tilted down and his eyes closed.
You turned back and grabbed the reins, urging your mare back to the main road. When you were certain that he was actually asleep, you let yourself relax for a bit. You’d drop him off at the next inn and send a carrier back to the palace. By the time he woke up the next morning (or noon, with how his sleeping schedule was), you’d already be almost to your destination.
You were lost in thought and didn’t notice his grip around you tense a bit, not until you heard his voice murmur from behind you. “What did you mean about my mother? I heard she had forced you to meet with her as of late...What did she do?” Despite its softness, you could hear a slight edge to his voice.
You bit your bottom lip, trying to decide what to say to him. “She didn’t say or do anything. Just that, you know...she helped me realize that it would be good for me to start thinking about my future, beyond the castle.”
There was a pause.
“And how are you planning on doing that?”
You cleared your throat. “I mean...I only became a knight because it was a good way for me to help the kingdom and to stay by your side. Now that you’re getting married and leaving, I...I can’t say I know what my next steps are. But it’d be good for me to see more of the world, beyond fighting wanderers and...and as much as I enjoyed it...beyond being your childhood friend.”
After all, you had naively thought you could have stayed by his side forever. How naive of you.
It was silent. Seconds and then minutes and then more passed. You assumed then that he had fallen asleep.
But even as the ride was quiet, both of you slightly swaying with the movement of your horse and his eyes were closed, you didn’t even notice that his fingers were trembling.
🌙✨
The next town was exceptionally quaint. The two of you had reached it right after when the sky was almost beginning to dim and the heat of the sweltering sun had finally dissipated. There was the smoky smell of meat grilling, and groups of children ran past the two of you laughing and pushing each other around. You could hear string music just ahead, and a crowd was gathered around a skit.
Xavier and you talked little as the two of you traversed the space. Only when you had been planning on buying a skewer of lamb had he gently nudged your fingers away from your coin pouch and placed his own coins down. “Allow me,” he hummed. The two of you walked in silence as you nibbled on the meat—even though it originally came from a more rough cut, the way the vendor had cooked it had made it tender and fragrant.
As you scanned the trinkets of the vendor, your fingers lingered on a small hairpin. It was a white flower with a blue gem in the middle, the same shade of blue as Xavier’s eyes, attached to a fragile silver stick. You thought about purchasing it then. A little trinket, that you could carry around as a memory of the night.
Your fingers flexed, as if to grab hold of it.
And then you dropped them. No, it wouldn’t be good for you to carry around all these reminders. You gave an apologetic smile to the vendor and turned away, carrying on to the next stall.
“Why didn’t you buy it?”
You turned around at the sound of Xavier’s voice and bumped into him. You knew he had been following you, but you didn’t know when he had gotten so close—maybe it was the crowd jostling the two of you together. But, as you scanned the surroundings, most of the crowd had already wandered off to gather around a stage where a play was taking place.
“I just,” you felt flustered at having been caught. “It’s not the most fitting for me. It just seems-,” you swallowed dryly, “like it’s beyond my station.”
The two of you had stepped off into a small quiet corner. Despite how dim the lighting was, you could still see the flecks of light in his eyes. He was quiet for a moment before pulling out something from his pocket.
When you saw the glint of blue, you sputtered out, “W-what! Xavier, you shouldn’t have!”
He tilted his head to look down at you, in a way that made every nerve of yours prickle. His gaze was intense. He reached out with a hesitant hand and placed it tenderly against the side of your head. “May I?” his voice was low.
You relented, nodding.
He nudged your head so that it would turn. With quick nimble fingers, he coiled your hair and slid the hairpin through. But even when he was done, his hand hadn’t left you. It instead slid down so that it was cupping your chin.
“I just remembered how you used to wear the flower pin all the time. But then one day you stopped.”
His thumb softly brushed against your skin. God, your throat was dry again.
“Why?” his voice was searching.
Of course, you knew why. You loved that pin. You still love that pin. And even when you had gone on wanderer excursions you had kept it on you still, tucked under your clothes. But the day you had heard news of his engagement, you had thrown it away.
But you couldn’t say that. Instead, you shrugged your shoulders and reached up to push his hand off you. You couldn’t look straight at him.
“I...I don’t know. It just...fell out of use.”
He hummed out a sound that sounded like disappointment. “Is that like us? Do you think we fell out of use too?”
You jolted and looked at him. “No...Xavier, I’m...I’m not someone who deserves to be close to you. You’re...”
“I’m what?” He sounded almost desperate now. But he couldn’t have been desperate about you, could he?
And you didn’t know what to say, but you knew what you wanted to say: You’re getting married. You’re leaving. You can’t keep giving me false hope that I’m special.
But you didn’t say anything of that. And maybe what you said next was worst than all of those statements combined. You just looked at him, with something that you were certain was akin to anguish in your eyes.
“I love you, Xavier.” And when you started, you couldn’t stop. “I have loved you since the moment I saw you. But...you’re...You’re not mine, Xavier. And you’ll never be.”
The moment you registered what you said, you were horrified. Your hands flew to your mouth and before you knew what you were doing, you had turned and started sprinting.
Your mind was spinning. Screw the waiting until the next morning. You couldn’t keep seeing him any longer. Now that you said everything that you shouldn’t have. You didn’t even look at where you were going but you knew you just had to be away, to gather your thoughts and dignity that the next time you saw him again, you could laugh and pretend that it was just the sips of ale that you had taken earlier and you were actually talking about a different Xavier.
Before you could fully slip away, you felt hands wrap around your shoulder and pull you back. You turned sharply, just in time to miss colliding with a group of kids that had tumbled out of seemingly nowhere.
“You can’t just,” Xavier’s fingers were firm, but you could feel them trembling around your skin, “say that and leave.”
Your eyes darted around your surroundings. God, the play had ended and the crowd was already dispersing. You didn’t want to attract any more attention, but you were frantic with distress. You let him pull you away from the crowd and set you down to a seat, staying silent until you were certain there were no other eyes on you.
“I’m, I, I just can’t,” you were shaking now too. Or had you already been shaking? “Can you just forget it, everything I said?”
He laughed. It sounded sarcastic. “Like I was meant to forget what you had said that night when you were drunk, how you said you would never leave my side for the rest of your life.” His voice softened then. “And how I was meant to forget that you had kissed me.”
You buried your face into your hands and let out a groan. “I’m...I did that? Of course, I said something foolish like that.”
And then you registered his second sentence. You bolted up to a standing position. “I kissed you?!”
He seemed calm, but you knew every detail about him—his ears were flushed red, and you could see that his face was hazy with a soft pink. Oh, how foolish were you?
“My sincerest apologies!” you blurted out. “I should have never, I would have never. I said that? I did that?!”
You were hysterical now. Perhaps you should grab your sword now and stab yourself through the heart with it. Your hand was about to reach for your sheath when a hand stopped you.
“If you had not decided to run away before you could listen, to hear my response to your promise,” he spoke firmly, “you would have known that I have shared the same feelings as you.”
You stopped.
“The moment we met, the moment I saw that girl and had her fling dirt on me and how even when she apologized for doing so there was a fire in her that showed that she didn’t think what she did was any wrong,” he laughed. His hands moved up, until they rested on your waist, “I have to admit that I have been hopelessly captured by her. The way she smiles when she finds the dishes she likes and frowns when they aren’t up to par, the way she falls asleep deeply in a second with her mouth wide open, the way she never hesitates to rush in to defend someone with her sword.”
His hands then dragged up until they were once again cupping your face.
“And how I have never been courageous enough to tell her all of these things. That behind it all, when it comes to her I am just a cowardly man. That I get anxious when she doesn’t talk to me, when she decides to do something she’s never done, to such an extent that I become a foolish man who can’t even say a word out of fear of losing her. Because to me, she is my most beloved.”
He swiped his thumb against your bottom lip. His face was getting closer to you. You didn’t push him away.
The kiss was soft and gentle. It felt like sunlight brushing against your lips. You melted under his touch. Prickles of heat surged underneath your skin.
When you finally parted, he asked, his voice slightly strained, “Will you forget about this too?”
You hadn’t even registered that you were tearing up until you felt him brush away the first drop as it hit your cheek. “I -I must. You are engaged. You will marry another.”
He shook his head. “And in doing so, lose my beloved? Those were all rumors that the Queen had made to force me into this engagement, because she recognized that I love another. That I love you. That I would only marry one, if she would have me.”
You wanted to implore more then. To ask more questions about what it meant for you to say yes and whether it was truly moral for you to allow your Prince to cast aside his duty for you and would it even be worth it.
But you had spent a long time overthinking and asking yourself all sorts of questions. You didn’t want to worry about the future, about the consequences, and what it meant for you to fully defy the Queen’s orders.
All you thought about was how, out of all the questions you have ever had, he had answered the first one.
That memory of the first time you met, he too was a keeper of them. The feelings of those simpler days, when the two of you were young and not quite aware of the difference in status between you and you had kept watch for the head tutors when he would skip his classes to sleep under the great tree but found your own eyes slipping back to him, surged through you.
And to you, that was enough to let you close your eyes and pull him in for another kiss.
Whatever came tomorrow came tomorrow. If you chose to stay, if you chose to leave, rather than uncertainty plaguing you like it had before, you felt certain that this warmth would never leave your side.
✨Extra✨:
He had been careful to not spoil the surprise. It was the day that you would finally start knight training, and he had spent the last couple of days carefully stitching each petal together onto the hairpin.
He had always acquired skills easily, but even though the tutor had complimented his work, he still felt a little embarrassed of the quality. Sure, you would look beautiful in it because you looked beautiful in anything. But was it good enough for you? Would you like that it came from him?
He felt the pin in his pocket again. Should he wait for you to be done? Where should he wait for you?
You had found him the second you were done, your skin flushed and glowing with sweat. His mouth felt a little dry then as you beamed at him.
“We just started training to boost our stamina but pretty soon I’ll have the sword in hand and we’ll be defeating wanderers left and right!” you motioned a sword with your arms. “But training is pretty intense, as you can remember, Sir Head Knight. I won’t be able to come find you like I usually do.”
He didn’t remember how he got to presenting to you with the pin, but as he placed it in your hands, he remembered his mind went blank and suddenly he spoke: “I bought it just now. It’s not the best quality, so if you don’t wear it, it’s alright.”
You had already snatched the pin from his hands and was already working it into your hair. When you were done, you gestured wildly at it and grinned. “A gift for your future accomplice?”
He swallowed again. You really did look even more beautiful than he could have imagined.
Before he knew it, he had come closer. A thick strand of your hair had fallen out of the hairstyle, and he had it in his clutch, pressing a soft kiss on it. Your smile went stiff.
“No, it’s a gift for my future partner.”
A/N: let me know your thoughts! fics are always unedited so if any grammar mistakes or run-on sentences catch your eye...uhhhh no they didn't! and as always, my inbox is open!
Jacked and Kind
Their reaction after you ask them to do the TikTok trend "Slim Pickins" where they had to lift you on their shoulder.
content: soft, fluff, teasing, playful love
you can request, just comment! ( I'm still
trying to get the hang of tumblr)
now playing: Out Of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums
“You already know I’m the only one who can handle you.”
The moment you even mention the trend to Sylus, he doesn't just smirk—he practically grins. The look on his face is the kind that makes your stomach flutter in the worst—and best—ways.
“Oh, this?” he says, waving his hand dismissively, already sizing you up. “I could do this with my eyes closed.”
You raise an eyebrow. “Oh, really? So you think you can lift me?”
“I know I can,” he replies, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Without another word, he steps toward you, his fingers brushing yours for just a moment before he pulls you into his arms. You have no time to protest or even think—he just does it.
His grip is firm, like a confident god of strength who knows exactly what he’s doing. When he lifts you, it’s with a fluid, almost lazy motion that has you gasping. The way he spins you, though? Pure grace—a showman, a professional. He moves like a man who’s done this a thousand times, completely in control.
And then—he looks at you. Really looks at you, his eyes narrowing in a playful challenge as he spins you once more.
“Told you,” he says with a cocky smirk. “I’m built different.”
The way he says it, you almost believe him. And when he sets you down, he doesn’t release you immediately. No, he holds you a moment longer, as if savoring the power he has over you—he knows how you feel. He knows you’re already slipping deeper.
When the video’s over, Sylus doesn’t bother to check it for perfection. He already knows it’s flawless. Instead, he watches it back, not for the usual reasons, but to admire the way his jawline looks when he lifts you, and the way you’re gazing up at him. The look on your face? It drives him crazy.
“I might let you try again,” he says casually, tossing the phone aside, “but you’ll have to earn it.”
“I’ll always catch you.”
When you mention the “Slim Pickins” trend to Xavier, there’s a long pause. He tilts his head, evaluating you like you just gave him an equation to solve, but with a flicker of curiosity behind his eyes. It’s not so much about whether he can do it—it’s about how effortlessly he can dominate the moment.
“Lift you?” he says, voice almost amused, “If I’m going to do this, it’ll be right. You’re not going to just spin around like some amusement park ride.”
You grin, but the look in his eyes tells you he’s not playing. He’s calculating. There’s a certain type of precision Xavier brings to everything, and this won’t be any different.
Without asking for further instruction, he strides toward you, grabbing your waist in a way that makes it feel like it’s both deliberate and instinctive. No warnings. No dramatic buildup. Just his firm, steady grip on you as he effortlessly lifts you off the floor, bringing you flush against his shoulder.
Your breath hitches, but you can’t even be surprised. The man doesn’t do things halfway. When he spins you, it’s smooth. Measured. You can tell by the way he moves, the way he holds you, that this isn’t about performing for an audience—it’s about you.
He keeps his eyes locked on you the entire time, his gaze softening just slightly—because this moment is just for the two of you. You can feel it in the way his hands don’t falter, even as he twirls you once, slow, savoring the moment.
“I’ll always catch you,” he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper, his lips almost brushing your ear.
The spin ends. You’re dizzy, breathless, caught in the gravity of Xavier’s touch, but it’s the quiet look he gives you after that leaves your heart hammering. You swear you see something soft in his eyes, just for a second, before he’s back to his usual cool composure.
“Perfect,” he says, straightening himself up. “That’s how it’s done.”
Later, when he watches the video, Xavier doesn’t act overly impressed—of course not. But he does run his fingers through his hair, catching a glimpse of the way his jawline looks in the frame, and then you catch him replaying it, just once more. His eyes linger on the way you looked at him, his lips twisting into a small, satisfied smile.
“I told you,” he mutters quietly to himself, “I’ve got this.”
But when he turns to you, there’s no smugness, no cocky grin. Just a quiet confidence, the kind that only Xavier knows how to wear.
“Don’t tempt me if you’re not ready for the consequences.”
When you mention the trend to Rafayel, he just grins. That grin. You know it’s coming—the one that means he’s already making a plan in his head. A plan where he’s the center of attention. He’s the star, the drama, the flair, the whole damn show.
“You want me to lift you? Spin you? Sweetheart, you’re gonna need to be ready for me to make this unforgettable.”
You laugh at his cockiness, but it’s clear—he’s all in.
Without another word, he takes your hand and pulls you toward the center of the room. His eyes shine with mischief as he shuffles his feet, getting into position, and you can’t help but notice the way he’s casually flexing—like he’s preparing for a performance.
“Stand still. Let me show you how it’s done.”
You barely have time to blink before his arms are around you. His grip is secure, but there’s still a fluidity to his movements, like he’s done this a hundred times in his head—but now, it’s for real.
He spins you with the smoothness of a dancer, his laugh melodic as your feet leave the ground. The camera shakes slightly, but it’s nothing compared to the way your heart beats as you look up at him. That look he gives you? Pure mischief and challenge, like he knows you’re already falling harder. And you are.
“I told you,” he murmurs, his lips brushing your ear as he spins you again, just a little too fast. “No one can lift you like I can.”
And then, with one final dramatic flourish, he dips you low—so low you’re sure he’s about to kiss you. Instead, he pulls away just as quickly and gives you a teasing smile.
“You’re welcome, babe.”
The video is pure art, and when it’s posted, it gets way more attention than you anticipated. Rafayel doesn’t care, though. He adores it. Every comment, every heart. But more than that, he loves the way you look at him, like you’re seeing him for the masterpiece he truly is.
Later that night, he’s already planning the next “performance.” He looks at you with that grin.
“You’re doing it with me next, right? You wouldn’t want to miss out on the magic, would you?”
“Don’t fall for me. Too late.”
You bring up the "Slim Pickins" trend, and Zayne doesn't immediately react. Instead, he raises an eyebrow like he's trying to figure out if this is a joke or a test of some kind.
“You want me to spin you?” he asks, voice flat. “I don’t know... sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
But his eyes are already scanning the room, sizing up where he’ll stand, making sure the space is clear. He crosses his arms, leaning against the wall, but it’s clear that he’s not going to let this go untested.
“Fine. But don’t expect me to do some over-the-top move. This isn’t one of those ‘show-off’ TikTok trends.”
You grab your phone, get into position, and wait for him to come closer. He studies you for a second, then steps into the right stance—his usual controlled precision showing as he holds out his hand. You take it, feeling the strength there, but there’s no teasing smile, no playful taunt. Just a simple, low key statement from him:
“I don’t need to be flashy. Just trust me.”
And when he lifts you, it’s effortless. His grip is firm but not overbearing, his stance calculated as he holds you easily. You don’t feel a single ounce of uncertainty, only the surprising softness in his expression that he rarely lets anyone see.
As he spins you, slow and steady, you realize this isn’t just a casual lift—this is his version of intimacy. No fanfare, no public displays—just you, him, and the soft whisper of his breath in your ear as he keeps his gaze focused on you the entire time.
“You alright?” he asks, voice quiet.
You nod, breathless. The TikTok ends, and he sets you down with a gentle ease that feels almost too gentle for the Zayne you know.
Afterward, he doesn’t act like it’s a big deal—no smug smile, no victory dance. But later, when you're going over the video together, you catch him rewinding the clip, watching it closely. His lips twitch upward slightly, the faintest hint of pride, before he looks away quickly, as if trying to hide it.
“Next time, warn me when you’re going to ask for something ridiculous.”
But you see it. The way he looks at you in the video, like he’s ready to fight anyone who dares challenge his place beside you.
“This is the best day of my LIFE!”
When you mention doing the “Slim Pickins” trend, Caleb practically jumps off the couch. No hesitation. No questions. Just excitement.
“Wait, really? YES! I’ve been waiting for something like this!” His voice is so full of energy it makes you laugh.
He’s already in motion, practically dragging you to the center of the room before you can even explain what you need. The excitement is infectious, and you can feel your own heart start to race as he pulls you closer.
“Okay, okay, okay—here we go! Hold on tight!” he says, his voice just a little too over-the-top as he lifts you like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
There’s no fear, no hesitation, just sheer joy as he spins you—fast, maybe a little too fast—but it’s all in good fun. His laugh is contagious, and when you both stop, slightly dizzy from the spinning, you realize he’s absolutely beaming at you.
“Did you see that? Was that good? I swear, I could lift you forever.”
The video is a mess—you're both laughing too hard, the camera shaking, but that doesn’t stop Caleb from loving it. He insists on redoing it because, as he puts it:
“I didn’t get my hair right. Let me try again.”
Every time he spins you, he gives you the biggest grin, his eyes practically glowing. This isn’t just about the trend—this is Caleb, enjoying the moment, living in it with you. And when the final video is done, he posts it, captioning it with:
If you think this is fun, just wait until I pick her up for real.
You can’t help but laugh. He’s so genuine, so infectious in his energy. And when you watch the video together, you notice how incredibly proud he is—like he’s just won a trophy, and you’re the prize.
Wazzup, thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions, comment down bellow:) (been experimenting with them banners, lmao) byeee - Zane 𖹭
Thinking about how soft Xavier is with MC...
MC: That movie was so good, and the hotpot was yummy. All in all I feel like it was a good day off!
Xavier: ✨️ Yes... it was a good date.
Xavier: *gently intertwines their fingers together and matches his pace with MC*
MC: ☺️ yes, a good date.
Xavier: *pulls MC close*
Xavier: But I still... want to show you something... is that alright?
MC: Sure, what is it? 😇
Xavier: Come with me.
Xavier: *leads MC to a small hilltop that over looks a cute park*
Xavier: Soon the fireflies will come, and this place will be filled with nature's light... but for tonight. Let's create our own.
*lights dance like stars in the trees below and in the sky above real stars twinkle, making it look like they are in space*
Xavier: I want... I want to give you this light tonight, will you accept?
MC: *stares at him and smiles*
MC: Of course, this light can be ours.
MC: *cups his cheek*
FADE TO BLACK 😈
xavier rafayel sylus zayne caleb
cw; self harm, razor blades, hurt comfort, angst, fluffy ending, reader/mc is slightly hinted at being chubby (body dysmorphia + negative body image), self-isolation (reader/mc), dddne (proceed with caution).
authors note: this is a mere work of fiction and i do not condone or am encouraging people to inflict bodily harm upon themselves. if the contents in this ff will trigger you in any sort of way, please do not read it!! as a person that is/was going through similar situations shown in this ff, i want to raise awareness and help support others in need.
this rough patch in our lives will soon pass <3
ps: the sh in this ff is very vague and up for interpretation. there is no exact place mentioned for where the sh is taking place on the body, nor where the scars are. i tried to make everything very vague so it's easier for everyone to relate to. it is HINTED!!! at that reader/mc in this ff is slightly “chubby” and/or has body dysmorphia. this can be interpreted however you like :)
also, in this ff the boys haven’t had any major sexual intimacy with reader/mc due to the scars, it's explained further in the fic.
xavier: 2.2k wrds
stress ridden, you frantically fled through the hallways of the hunter’s association, your mind in shambles.
there was a rapid influx of wanderers flooding into Linkon, thus causing mass chaos among the citizens.
this led to more and more being added onto your plate, more missions, which led to more paperwork, more unorganized files, ect, ect.
and most importantly, as the days went on your mental health slowly deteriorated. eyes constantly wandering to that tucked away box within your cabinet that would give you temporary relief.
it wasn't until a particular day until you caved into your cravings, your desire to feel the rush of blood, the rush of adrenaline, your little secret, your little safe haven.
the feeling you ravaged at like a man starved, the place you resided as the blade cut through the awfully abused skin, the sensation of the bathroom’s cool hard-tiles contrasted the pounding of your head.
the feeling of shame after. the feeling while cleaning up. the feeling of shame as you stood under the shower head and blood pooled.
the stinging sensation as the water trickled down your skin, the signs of your voluntary abuse was permanently etched onto your skin.
the hot tears that pooled down your face as you looked at your own reflection. the image of your body frightened you no matter what anyone told you. the newfound scars only heightened your insecurities.
and since that box was opened the cycle would repeat, over and over again.
rot, repent, repeat.
over and over again.
when will it be over?
the next day at work was the same, wanderers were relentless and your coworkers were restless.
“new missions”
“new paperwork”
“new deadlines”
when will this stop?
it was truly suffocating, and painful. the talking of your subordinates that filled the room, half assed conversations on your end, all while the fabric pulled and tugged on your raw skin.
a battle where a wanderer ripped your uniform, the scars barely visible but it was enough to put you on edge for the rest of the day.
walking back to the dreary office building that was filled with a vast amount of high tech, you hurriedly maneuvered past people, avoiding conversation at all costs.
your little plan was going well until you saw him.
the person you considered your lover, the one that always knew how you were feeling solely based upon observational skills was standing right infront of you.
you couldn’t bear to meet his eyes. it was so obvious with your demeanor that something was off with you the entire week.
your phone has been shut off for days on end. sometimes, if someone sent you a somewhat important message, you’d send them a quick thumbs up to show that you're acknowledging their presence.
xavier’s gentle voice called out for you as you hurriedly scurried away from his gaze, exiting the building in the same fashion you entered it.
it wasn’t until you got home you had realized a good 75% of your belongings had been left behind at the office building.
you shuddered at the thought of willingly walking into that horrid building again, not on your one day off.
your phone was left at the building, but it wasn’t like you had much use for it anymore.
you fled into the bathroom before freshening up, replacing the haphazardly placed bandages over your fresh wound.
the bathroom was dark. you didn’t want to see any of it, you didn’t want to see yourself.
the thought of doing more damage crossed your mind, before you quickly dropped the thought, and the box. shame slowly creeped up your shoulder, reminding you of the feeling of cleaning up after yourself, and basking in the sadness of your own mistakes.
finishing up bandaging your wound, you simply put the box of your tools on the bathroom counter, before moving back into your disarranged room.
clothes were askew on the floor, the lighting was dark, the windows only opened enough to see what was in front of you.
moving under the bed covers, you began to close your eyes, basking in the silence.
however, that silence was quickly broken after a series of knocks cascaded at your door.
you tried to ignore it, but loud knocking every 2 minutes was a horrendous sound to sleep too.
groggily getting up from your bed, you exited the room and made your way to the door.
you slightly cracked open the door to see xavier in all his glory standing there.
his soft blue eyed gaze landed directly on your face, his eyes held a warmth that was hidden for you soley. your bag from work was hung over his shoulder, all of your belongings resided within the bag.
a sense of adoration fluttered in your heart as you looked at him, his face slightly flushed due to the weather, his serene complexion that contrasted the pink dusting his cheeks.
it wasn't until a few moments after xavier basked in your presence he spoke.
“have you been okay? you left in a rush today, and your phone has been off” xavier’s voice came out hesitant as he asked you, his brows furrowing as he attempted at asking without sounding too brash.
“no i've been fine, thanks for getting my stuff xavi” you rushed out the words before hastily grabbing the bag that xavier had extended out to you.
you attempted to shut the door before xavier’s hand grabbed a hold of the door.
“can i..stay? just for a bit i promise. just want to make sure your okay” xavier spoke to you softly as his eyes raked over your figure, your eyebags had become darker as the days went on, the skin around your eyes looked slightly irritated as if you had been rubbing it.
you looked at him blankly before nodding and walking away from the door.
“sorry its a little messy in here, just haven’t had enough time to clean up, you know?” your attempt at enthusiasm didn’t go well, your voice slightly shaking as you spoke.
you were uncovered, the bandages covering up your fresh wounds did little to hide the rest of the scars you had accumulated over the years.
you felt xavier’s gaze on your skin. hurriedly you began to make your way back into your own bedroom before saying,
“i'll be right back—just stay put for a while. I need to get changed” your voice came out more harshly then you had intended, your shaky hand lifting to open the door before closing it shut.
xavier’s eyes widened in shock, a pang of sadness reverberated throughout his heart as he saw the marks upon your skin. what had been going on that you didn’t want to tell him?
fumbling through your dressers, you immediately found something that covered up the scars on your body, your mind was in a haze, your body moving on autopilot as you changed.
when you exited the bedroom, xavier was nowhere to be seen, that was until you saw the bathroom light shining, the light from underneath the door casting a glow onto the living room floor.
you began to move onto the couch, pulling one of the many blankets that littered the couch over yourself.
a slow click resounded throughout the room as xavier exited your bathroom, the atmosphere was tense and dreary as he sat next to you on the couch.
xavier called out your name before speaking,
“have i done anything wrong? recently?” xavier’s question rang out in your ears as your eyes blankly met his.
“no xavi you didn’t do anything, i've just been a bit busy lately” your voice sounded hesitant, as if you were lying. your eyes avoided his gaze as you began to look away to another part of the room.
you knew xavier well, he craved your presence, a few days without you and he was better off dead. it had been a week before the two of you had sat down and had a conversation, a week since you simply sat in each other's company.
well enough time had passed for you to fall into your bad habits again.
“i went into the bathroom, i saw everything, the gauze, the razors, your scars. how long were you planning to let this go on for?” xavier’s voice stated this gently, with a firm undertone to it.
xavier’s body moved closer to yours, his body heat burned your skin. but you still felt yourself subconsciously moving closer to him, his comforting scent filling your nose, making you feel more at ease.
“xavier, it's really not a big deal. it's just skin, it will eventually heal.” you responded with a half-assed lie. with every mark you made on your body, a scar always remained.
your insecurities just grew and grew as the days went on. you began to question if you really deserved xavier, he was handsome and strong willed. while here you were, a person with a fragile heart that shattered at every moment and every situation.
“it's a big deal to me. i don’t want to see you like this, you don’t have to suffer alone.” xavier responded sincerely, he cupped your face, moving your gaze back to his eyes. his eyes were gentle as he held your face with care, as if you were fragile porcelain that would break at any given moment.
hot tears pooled down your cheeks as you heard his words. the sincerity in his voice, the soft touches, everything warmed your heart.
xavier’s thumbs wiped away your tears before he leaned in close to your face, before giving a soft kiss on your cheek, where the tears once resided.
everything made sense to him now, why you always turned down his advances, your nights together that always ended at a few kisses down your neck, it all made sense.
“my star, don’t feel forced to do anything. i’m sorry i didn’t notice this this sooner” xavier’s arms wrapped around you as his neck craned down to your shoulder
“xavi it's okay, it’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself for my mistake” you responded to him, your voice coming out nasally due to the tears prior.
the word mistake rang through xavier’s ears. his head bolted up from your shoulder to look you in the eyes once more.
“no—it's not a mistake, these scars just make you more beautiful. there is nothing wrong with them. as long as if it's you i’m with, no marks will define who you are to me” xavier said sincerely, beginning to move his face closer to yours
“may i?” xavier inquired, his gaze flickering from your eyes down to your lips
you nodded, before melting into the kiss. it was different from the ones you usually shared, it was soft and gentle. xavier’s hand made its way through your hair, gently brushing his hands through it as the kiss slightly deepened.
your lips disconnected as xavier’s mouth left soft kisses down your body, whispering praises onto your skin each time his lips disconnected.
his lips hovered over the area where your scarred skin was, lifting the fabric of your clothing and pressing his lips on the scars, a glint of adoration filled his features as he basked in the sensation of your skin.
“perfect, my perfect pretty girl.” xavier’s lips left a warm sensation over your scarred skin, it was like the pain and shame went away in an instant. it felt as if a weight was lifted from your shoulders as he whispered multiple praises against the area.
xavier’s negative thoughts were soothed when you didn’t jerk away from him, your hands simply ran through his hair as you looked down at him with the same admiration he had given you.
he eventually stopped, resting his head on your lap, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist as his eyes looked up at you.
your hands ran through his lightly colored hair, playing with the strands as xavier began to leave kisses along your stomach.
“xavi stop that tickles!” your giggles echoed throughout the dimly lit living room, as xavier simply just smiled at you.
he eventually stopped, getting up from his lying position, freeing your lower body from his torment of kisses.
when he returned to his sitting position, he was suddenly shoved back onto the couch. his back was pressed against the cushiony material as your lips crashed onto his. a sudden abrupt movement that caused his eyes to widen, and his cheeks to flush even more.
as you pulled away from the kiss, his normally pale complexion was a rosey shade of pink, his ears were also shaded a dark red.
xavier pulled you down onto him, suddenly crashing into his arms. he left an array of kisses on the top of your head, and your face.
“don’t leave me again please. nothing physical will make me want to separate from you. i just want it to be you, your most authentic self is all i want.” xavier’s words were said softly as he whispered them into your ear, leaving a few soft kisses along your neck before pulling you into another soft kiss.
the rest of the afternoon was filled with love, and acceptance as you stayed in xavier’s soft embrace, his hands tracing along the scars, his body enveloping you in his sweet, secure, embrace.
parings in order: Xavier x Reader, Zayne x Reader, Rafayel x Reader, Sylus x Reader, Caleb x Reader requested by: anonnie ⋆˚꩜。 genre: comfort a/n: hihi lovelies! ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ i would like to mention that everyone has different types of depression and goes through different things! i wrote the ones i’m familar with and what the anonnie requested! what might be common for me or from the anonnie that requested can be completely different to someone else! if you want to see more then i’ll write a part 2! hopefully this brings some comfort to those that need it enjoy reading! <3 any likes and reblogs are always appreciated! enjoy!
⋆。‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧。⋆
Xavier:
Will do his best to be a light and source of comfort for you
Xavier would stay close when getting out of bed feels impossible. But if you needed space, he’d respect that, keeping you company from a small distance in bed to remind you that you’re not completely alone. He wouldn’t let you stay curled up in bed for too long. He’d gently carry you to the kitchen to make sure you’re fed.
On days when your words don’t come easily and your thoughts feel jumbled, he never interrupts or rushes you. He stays quiet, a hand on top of yours, nodding along while letting you speak at your own pace even if your sentences come out jumbled. Occasionally, he might ask a question to understand the context. When you do finish what you’ve needed to say, he’ll work through it together with you
If you were taking any medications, he’ll go through the entire packet and read through any information about it online. He’ll remember all the side effects that come with it and checks up on you whenever you take them
When every little sound starts to feel like it was too much, he draws the curtains and does everything he can to make it more peaceful. He moves carefully, no sudden sounds will be made in this household. Even the way he eats or shifts in his seat would become more gentler. If you were comfortable with it, Xavier would gather you into his arms, holding you close against his chest. His hand rest gently over your ear, blocking out whatever noise is left.
Xavier would offer to listen and be the place where you can let it out. But if it’s an unexplainable feeling that you just can’t put into words then he’ll find a different way to cheer you up. He’ll settle beside you, pulling up your favorite comfort shows and have your snacks ready
Zayne:
Whenever getting out of bed feels like too much, he’ll leave a warm cup of tea and a few slices of fruit or your favorite snacks by the bedside table. He never rushes you so he waits. Sometimes he’ll sit nearby so you don’t feel alone. Other times, he gives you the space you want, trusting that you’ll reach out when you’re ready. But when it starts to feel like too much and the silence grows too heavy, he will step in. Never forcefully. He’ll encourage you to start off slow, a hand on yours. Maybe something as simple as sitting up or maybe just brushing your teeth.
Anytime you went through a depressive episode, Zayne has no problem doing the extra housework or helping you with your physical health. He’ll help you shower, brush through your hair gently, and help brush your teeth. He’ll praise you for each small step you take
The type to send you reminders to take your meds at the right time and that you should eat something before you take them so you don’t get nauseous.
Zayne would understand and has never taken it personally when you don’t want to be touched. He doesn’t try to hug or reach for your hand. Instead, he makes space for you until you you’re comfortable once again
He can tell when you get sad randomly. Zayne would never force you to explain but he will always remind you if you want to talk, he’s there. Sometimes when it’s just a quiet ache sitting in you for no reason, he’ll also understand that. He’ll suggest a walk out for fresh air or just for a different scenery if you’ve been inside for too long.
When the smallest sounds can feel too much, he’ll make sure to move extra quietly. He’ll offer noise cancelling headphones to drown out any sounds. Any open windows will be closed and he’ll draw the curtains to keep the noise out. He’ll make sure to close any of the doors inside softly, silence his phone and pager and he’ll make sure to give you the space you need.
Sometimes the words just don’t come out right but Zayne would never rush you. He would always be patient, even when your voice shakes or when you pause for too long. And when you do finally get them out, no matter how jumbled or messy it sounds, he listens. Every single word and every detail. Once you said all you needed to say, that’s when he speaks and helps
Reminds you that he is always there for you. Even if he was busy at work and you know he can’t reach you right now, you can still message him. He reminds you to never hesitate to reach out, spam him, leave him voice messages. He’ll read through every word and detail and he’ll find time to immediately reach out to you
Rafayel:
You would never feel alone if Rafayel was by your side. Even if he was away from an art exhibition, he would text you throughout the day. If you need him by your side, then he’s finding an excuse to get out of work and find his way to you.
When you’re having a hard time getting out of bed, Rafayel would be by your side under the covers so you don’t feel alone. However if you continue to have a hard time, he doesn’t hesitate to step in. He’ll scoop you up in his arms, carrying you to the bathroom. He’ll start with something simple, like a warm bath since it can maybe cheer you up.
When every noise seems to bother you, he’ll make sure to move around quietly in the studio. He’ll close up the windows and doors so his seagull friends won’t bother you. He’ll even breathe more quietly so he doesn’t bother you. Rafayel would still stay nearby but gives you your space to make sure you’re not alone. He’ll wait until you’re ready to talk with him
Rafayel would never take it personally when you did not want to be touched but he definitely does get a little pouty about it behind your back. He just misses holding onto you but he understands and gives you the space you need.
Feeling sad randomly? Rafayel would never push you to explain what’s wrong but he encourages you that it’s good to let it out and that he’s always there for you. However, if it was unexplainable, he doesn’t make you feel weird about it. He’ll find ways to cheer you up as best as he can. He’ll pull up videos on his phone and you silly videos he found that might make you smile. He’ll even suggest a quiet walk by the beach just for a change of scenery and for some fresh air
Sometimes the right words just won’t come. They get lost somewhere between your thoughts but Rafayel has never once looked at you confused or has never been impatient. He watches you carefully, trying to understand your expression. Sometimes he finishes the sentences for you, not to interrupt but because he’s piecing it together with you. And if you grow frustrated, he offers to sketch it out with you.
Sylus:
On days when getting out of bed feels impossible, he stays beside you but he doesn’t let you stay there for too long. He understands the weight of it all but he will step in. First he’ll start with encouragement, asking you to sit up just for a bit. But if your limbs feel too heavy and your body refuses to move, he never gets frustrated. He’ll carry you in his arms. He’ll run you a warm bath and help bathe you. Later he’ll encourage you to do some small activities with him to get you a little motivated
He would never take it personally if you were not in the mood to be touched. There’s no wounded ego or disappointment. He gives you the space that you need until you are ready to curl up next to him again. He’ll make sure you were absolutely comfortable with it before he reaches back
Sylus would always give you the choice to talk or cry or let it out to him in whatever way you need. But if it’s those days where it’s just unexplainable, he doesn’t press on. Instead, he’ll offer distractions. He’ll pull out a new vinyl that he’s been saving for or maybe stepping out to a new scenery to get rid of whatever ache you have in your chest
When the world feels too loud and your thoughts won’t slow down, no matter how hard you try to explain to Sylus through hiccupped sobs, he doesn’t ask you to make sense of it. Instead, he pulls you into his arms. He doesn’t say much at first, his hand moves slowly up and down your back. He doesn’t need you to have the right words. He’ll listen, hiccupped sobs or not, to every detail you have to say. When your sobs begin to slow, when you start to breathe a little easier, he’s still there, helping you sort through the weight you've been carrying. It doesn’t matter if the problem is big or small. He’ll work them out with you together.
Luckily your shared bedroom is at the top floor to avoid any noises from the city. However if any noise continues to bother you, Sylus wouldn’t ask what’s wrong, he’ll just move around quietly as best as he can. He’ll stop playing any music on his record player unless you don’t want him too. He’ll make sure Luke and Kieran are not in the same building and he’ll make sure to mute Mephisto
Caleb:
Having a hard time getting out of bed? Caleb would give you the space you need, leaving you your favorite snacks and water by the bedside table with a cute little note and a doodle for you. He’ll check in on you often to see if you’ve eaten or just by ‘passing’ by the room. However if it does stretch on, he’ll kneel beside the bed and offer his hand, suggesting a few easy stretches. He’ll encourage just a small stretch for your arms and then legs next and then a small little walk to the kitchen where he has a little meal waiting in the kitchen just for you
As much as Caleb loves to hold you and have you in his arms, he would never be offended if you did not want to be touched. He would never hover and never pressure you. He gives you all the space and time you need when you’re comfortable again
Feeling sad out of nowhere? He would be SO worried, it would be written all over his face. His first instinct is to check in, offering to let you vent out if you need to. He’s always been a good listener. If it just feels unexplainable and you can’t quite name the reason, then he’ll find ways to cheer you up. Caleb would curl up with you and pull up your favorite comfort shows or movies. Or he’ll bring you your favorite snack or make your favorite dish that you love. And of course, he offers his signature big bear hug.
If any sounds were bothering you, he’d make sure to not make a single sound in the house. No loud footsteps in the halls, no clinking dishes, you name it. He’d even go as far as making sure no plane flies in the direction over your home to make sure you get the peace you need.
Sometimes you can’t get the right words to come out and Caleb would be patient with you the entire time. He lets you speak and lets you take all the time you need to get it out. His hand rests on yours, his thumb traces slow, soothing circles over your knuckles as he reads your expressions carefully. If any tears come out from frustration, he cups your face with so much care and wipes away any stray tears.
ʚɞ cr. for the divider @/ cafekitsune
ʚɞ 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯:
ʚɞ my other works if you want to check it out! The Love And DeepSpace Masterlist, Pg. 2
ʚɞ Others:
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