DishSoapFish

closing time.

drunk!caleb via x gn!reader

caleb drunk texts you during guy's night because he misses you soooo bad — join the sleepover!

content: aleb being drunk (obv), needy!Caleb

caleb x reader | wc: 2.2k | hurt, comfort (?), angst & manipulation, finger sucking, insecure caleb, pathetic mc, gege use!

"I hate you, you know that?" you suddenly snap, the words leaving your lips like a sacred chant you dared never to utter - and yet, here you were.

As Caleb falls silent at your outburst, you begin to see his features soften into something pitiful; but before you let that get to you, you turn on your heel and leave. 

He doesn't follow you like he should. Usually, he’d be hot on your trail to reel you back and teach you a lesson; to never talk back, never raise your voice at him.

But this time, he doesn't.

This time, you can’t even hear his breaths lingering behind you.

You came home early and walked in on Caleb replaying your voice notes like it was a habit.

!Not a request but i promised @lostinficanya a Caleb piece that is not angst so here we are XD

It was a Wednesday.

Your 4 hour Boolean algebra lecture had been cut short when your professor received an urgent call and abruptly dismissed the class.

It was the best thing that had happened to you all week.

You weren’t complaining. Not at all.

Even the birds singing overhead seemed oddly supportive of the situation.

You made your way back to your apartment, but not before stopping at the store nearby to grab two bags of peanut M&M’s.

One for you, and the other for the nerd who was probably working on his thermodynamics assignment.

Your keys rattled against the door as you opened it, discarding your bag on the floor and taking your shoes off.

Usually, Caleb was the first thing you saw when you walked through the door, but he wasn’t expecting you home this early.

This time, Caleb’s voice met you before he did.

You made your way to your tiny living room, and found Caleb seated on the floor, his books sprawled on your wooden coffee table.

You sat down on the couch behind him.

Caleb still hadn’t noticed your arrival.

You were just about to toss the small yellow bag at the back of his head when-

summary. You adore Caleb’s freckles. He doesn’t.  note. Yes, me realizing Caleb Xia has freckles.

Caleb runs a hand over his face as he stares at his mirror. His frown deepens the longer he looks at himself. The marks that dot his face are the subject of his gaze. He isn't fond of them. Not really, not after he got multiple hurtful remarks over it as he grew up. 

He does his best to not bring attention to it the older he gets. It became a habit to cover his face often, when he laughs, when he smiles, when people tend to stare at him a bit too much. 

But you were vocal about how much you liked his freckles. 

When you were younger, you raved about them, wishing you had your own. He didn’t see the appeal, but he liked it when you stuck your face close to his and admired the dots. 

He loved it when you ran your hands over his face, brows furrowed as you murmured about how cute it was. If that made him flush 50 shades of red, then you didn’t notice.

A short and sweet one for today's @whumptober fic, I'm actually just giving Zayne some Hurt/Comfort today because he deserves to be taken care of.

Prompts Used: Ignoring an Illness, Body Bag, Wounded Caretaker Fandom: Love and Deepspace Character: Zayne

~~~~~~~

Dr. Zayne is his own worst patient, but a certain Hunter is always there to make sure he gets proper rest.

Read on Ao3 Whumptober Masterlist Join Tag List

~~~~~~~

Taking Care

Zayne watched as the coroner and his assistant zipped up the body bag and rolled it away on a gurney. As soon as they left the room, he propped himself against the table, slumping forward.

This had been the third one in as many days. Logic stated that it was no lack of skill on his end, he had done everything he could, but it still made him feel helpless, like all his knowledge and professionalism meant nothing.

It reminded him too much of being back in the Artic, watching his comrades, his friends, die by the day.

It wasn’t much different here from that desolate place. An emergency camp set up after a town was nearly decimated by a recent Wanderer outbreak. And with it, Protocore syndrome abounded. Zayne hadn’t slept more than a couple snatched naps for the last three days, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the desperate response from his body to keep him upright. A headache persisted, and a cough rattled in his chest. He’d thought he was getting sick before he left Linkon and now without proper rest, his body was protesting, making the cold worse, despite how he ignored it.

Frost began to creep over his hand and he clenched it into a fist, forcing his Evol into submission. He didn’t have the energy to control it right now.

Sylus:

When Sylus transformed back to a child, you had expected for him to be much like his adult self, confident, mischievous, a grin always on his face, but smaller. What you didn’t expect was a small boy, cowering from you, trying to hide his draconic horns and tail.

“Please, don’t hurt me.” He whimpered when you tried approaching him slowly. His pleading hit you straight in the heart. He was just a sad abandoned child.

“Don’t be afraid, Sylus.” His red eyes grew wide from the mention of his name. “In the future, I’m one of your friends, and as your friend, I promise to never hurt you.” You said gently, reaching out to him. Despite your promise, he turned away. He didn’t trust you and he chose to stay crouched in his corner. That was until you rolled over several gems and trinkets for his treasure hoard, placating him while you inched closer and closer. After a small hoard surrounded him, he finally allowed you to close in. 

“I’m here.” You whispered as you tenderly brought the boy to your lap and stroked his dishevelled white hair while he sniffled. “I’m here.”

Luckily, child Sylus had warmed up to you shortly after your first meeting, but he still kept his original shyness. When anyone else approached, including the twins (to their horror) he would hide behind you and hiss. It was adorable! He was your little baby boy for the whole week. Any task, whether grocery shopping, cleaning, making dinner, he refused to leave your side. Always demanding to be held by you, and if you couldn’t, he would hold your leg or hand. 

Besides letting him latch onto you, you decided this was a chance to give him the best childhood he could ever have with your main goal being to spoil him rotten. So, the moment he laid his eyes on and showed a slimmer interest in anything, you immediately bought it for him. Every toy, game, and outfit he wanted, you got. After each gift, his eyes would tear up with his lips wobbling as he softly thanked you. Watching the quiet joy was exhilarating, though you ended up going too far. Excited, you set up a kid’s room in one of the base’s many guest rooms that your new son gleefully explored.

You loved him so much, even when he would occasionally pull pranks (influenced by the twins). Unfortunately, child Sylus didn’t stay long. After a week, when adult Sylus finally returned, you were happy, sort of. However, you couldn’t lie to yourself, you missed your baby dragon flying around you 24/7. Unintentionally, you would look around for him, even in the kid’s room you set up. After several days, the loss became too much. You barged into Sylus’ office the moment his meeting was over.

“Kitten, I wasn’t expecting a visit from-” You dashed to him, grabbing the collar of his dark dress shirt as you dragged him away from his desk.

“No time for banter. You took away my baby, now you’re going to help me make one!” Sylus responded with a smirk:

“If that is what you wish for, Kitten.”

Zayne:

Baby Zayne was exactly the same as you remembered him to be back when you both were kids. He was an adorably chubby little kid, with a bowl haircut and thick glasses. He was quiet and shy, but when he was comfortable, he was curious, an endless stream of questions and an incredibly intelligent book worm that had a tendency to act like a smart aleck. 

Though, despite him being a know-it-all, your whole time with him was pleasant. Usually, he would hang around you quietly, observing you and sprinkling questions here and there. However, if you were ever tired of his endless questions, you could put on any child friendly documentary with a stack of books, and he would be amused for hours.

Though the real nightmare came with sugar. If you thought adult Zayne had a sweet tooth, baby Zayne was 1000% worse. The first night, you tucked him into bed after you read him a medical research article that he asked for and watched him fall asleep. Once you were sure he was sleeping, you knocked out as well on the couch next to your shared bed. It should have been a quiet and relaxed night, but as you were floating in dreamland, you were woken up by the sound of shattering glass. Panic crawled in every inch of your body. You looked at the bed and realized Zayne was missing.

“Zayne?!” You ran to the source of the noise, your kitchen and found baby Zayne lying on the ground, COVERED IN RED! “Zayne nooooo!” You ran to his side, shoving away the broken jam jar. The moment he heard you shout, Zaynie began to hysterically cry. “Where are you hurting baby?” He didn’t respond, only bumbling apologies, your own eyes starting to water. If only an adult Zayne was here! “It’s okay Zaynie, you aren’t in trouble, but where did you get hurt.”

“I didn’t get hurt.”

“What?” He covered his eyes as he sobbed.

“I didn’t get hurt! I broke your jam jar. I’m sorry Ms. Y/N!” When you looked more closely, you realized all the red on his body wasn’t blood, but spilled strawberry jam. Immediately, once relief washed over you, you couldn’t help, but giggle, making the baby’s frown deeper.

“Aww Zaynie.” You cuddled the crying boy, rubbing your cheek on his black hair and wiping away his tears. “I was just worried you got hurt. Next time, ask me ok.” With an adorable pout, he nodded. Since then, you made sure that all sweets were out of his reach, but you still let him indulge in desserts once in a while. Even making chocolate cookies with him and letting him lick the spoons.

It was peaceful when it was you and your little helper together. So, when adult Zayne returned, you couldn’t help, but rave about his baby self to him.

“You were so adorable, Zayne! You had the chubbiest cheeks, the most adorable face! I miss baby Zayne so much! I wish I had 100s of them.” Zayne’s face and the tips of his ears turned pink at the implication. He coughed before responding.

“Well, I can’t promise 100, but I wouldn’t mind having a kid with you.” You grinned. A child that would be half you and half Zayne. How could you say no!

Rafayel:

The moment baby Rafayel poofed in, it was a disaster. The whole day, you spent a majority of the time chasing after him. He refused to stay still, meaning you had to be vigilant. If you kept your eye off him for a second, he would be gone and you would find him on a precarious spot in his house about to get himself hurt, on the beach running after seagulls, or in the sea refusing to return to land until you “abandon him”.

It was exhausting. You could feel your soul slowly leaving your body. After dealing with him for a few hours, you decided your bodyguard pay wasn’t worth this. Besides, you weren’t Lemurian, how would you know how to properly care for a Lemurian child. With how rebellious and snarky baby Rafayel was, you thought he would be ecstatic when you told him he would be staying with his Aunt Talia, but…

“Nooooo! I don’t want to go stay with Aunt Talia! You said I could stay with you!” Rafayel screeched as he hung onto your arm. 

“Sweetie, you’re lemurian, it would be best to be with your own, your family-”

“Aren’t we family?!”

“Yes, but-”

“You promised!” Rafayel yelled as he jumped up and down. ”I don’t wanna, I wanna stay on land with you!”

“But Raffie-”

“Sorry, Y/N.” Talia’s laughter rang from your cellphone. “I don’t think Rafayel wants to be away from you. You might need to be the one who watches him.” You sighed before pinching your brow. You had hoped to pawn off the bratty lemurian, but it seems you were stuck.

“Okay, can you just let me know if there is anything special I need to know about a Lemurian child?”

“Sure, I’ll send you a pamphlet.”

“A pamphlet?”

Reading through the document Talia sent you, the only difference was having to let Rafayel swim in the sea at least an hour for exercise and soak in the bath for a few hours daily. It shouldn’t be hard, but baby Rafayel liked to push your buttons. You tried dipping Rafayel’s tiny body into the bath, but each time you tried putting him down, he would screech and extend his limbs out, making it impossible to put him in the bath.

“Raf-”

“Noooooo! I don’t wanna take a bath, I want to play!”

“Raf you need-”

“Noooo! I want to play! I WANT TO-”

“ENOUGH!” Rafayel immediately flinched. Seeing him scared filled you with shame, but you had to put your foot down. “You’ve been really mean to me, Rafayel. If you keep behaving this way, we won’t have time to play and worse, I’ll have to give you to Talia or Thomas.”

“Noooo I want to stay please.”

“Then be good, okay?”

“Ok”

After you put your foot down, he calmed down, no longer yelling, though he would still complain and pout. Luckily, he stopped causing trouble and stayed by your side the rest of your time together. After a few days, when both of you were used to your new routine, you started to enjoy having child Rafayel around. One day, after he had been acting exceptionally, you decided to have a Rafayel day. A day when you did everything he wanted, which included making sand castles on the beach, swimming together, eating seafood for every meal, and finger painting.

“Look at me Mam- I mean Y/N.” You laughed as he frowned at his mistake with fish painted on his cheeks.

“You look so cool, Raffie.” You grinned as you squeezed his pink cheeks.

I could get used to this. You were thinking, when you were hit with a puff of purple smoke. You coughed as the mysterious gas filled your lungs and covered your eyes.

What was that?

When your vision returned, your little baby was no longer in front of you. Instead was your boyfriend staring back at you.

“Why am I covered in paint?” As much as you loved baby Raffie, you were relieved to see your man again. You hugged him, ignoring the paint that now covered both of you.

“I am so happy you’re back! I missed you! You turned into a kid and I had to babysit you the whole time.” Rafayel laughed as you recounted your whole week.

“So, did seeing baby Rafayel convince you to repopulate Lemuria with me.” You blushed and shoved him lightly.

“Yeah no. I’ll need to think about it.”

“What do you mean you have to think about it?!”

“You were adorable, but very tiring. I don’t think I can handle another baby again.”

“But-” You both “argued” about it for another hour. Though if you were honest, you were mostly teasing him. I mean who could resist such an offer.

Caleb:

“Pipsqueak!” Your vision was blurred and all you could do was fumble around on your back, trying to lift yourself from the pavement. You could barely remember what happened. You tried to figure out how you ended up on the ground injured, but everything was hazy. All you could recall was fighting terrorist evolvers, when one of them shot a blast at you and- “PIPSQUEAK!”

Caleb took the hit for you.

CALEB!

Panicked, you hastily attempted to get up, but you went back down as you felt a sharp pain on your side.

“Don’t move Pips, you’re hurt.” Pips? 

That’s Caleb’s nickname for me, but why was the voice so high pitched? 

Your vision cleared and you were finally able to see your surroundings. The moment you could see, you gasped as you saw a familiar shaggy brown haired boy with purple eyes staring down at you. The boy you remembered growing up with during your childhood, but how is he here?!

“Caleb.” You groaned. The boy immediately grinned as he cradled your hand in his tiny own.

“Of course it’s me Mei Mei.”

“Why, why are you a kid again?” Caleb’s eyes widened from confusion.

“I don’t know. We were at the playground and I was watching you go down the slide and then I was brought here”.

“Wait, so if you don’t remember being an adult, how do you recognize me?” The little boy's smile widened.

“Because it’s you, Pips.”

You stayed there for around an hour with baby Caleb watching you, trying to cheer you up and comfort you until help finally arrived. A tall male paramedic went by your side, knelt down to patch you up with a charming smile on his face. 

“Don’t worry Miss, I’ll fix you up and bring you to the hospital. Was your son hurt as well?”

Peeking at the boy beside you, you could see Caleb’s face contorted with disgust.

“I’m not her son! I’m her husband!” The paramedic immediately looked at you shocked.

Oh my God.

“No, no, NO! I’m not a pedophile! I’m just babysitting him, right Caycay!” Your “brother” began to pout before disgruntledly agreeing. The man laughed, but quickly coughed after seeing the little boy’s enraged face and continued his aid.

—

“No!” Caleb yelled as he blocked you from the “threat”. Zayne sighed, his arms crossed as his brows furrowed.

“Caleb, I’m talking to Y/N. It’s her choice. She’s an adult and she’s hurt. I don’t think she will be able to take care of you-”

“She won’t have to! I will take care of her!”

“I wouldn’t suggest-”

“Zayne.” The whole situation reminded you so much of your childhood with Caleb and Zayne. Zayne, as he was now, was always more level headed and objective, while Caleb always prioritizes you even to his own detriment. You felt nostalgic watching their banter, but like those days, you had to play your role as mediator. “I appreciate your offer to have us stay with you, but my pain right now isn’t too bad. I think I’ll be fine watching him in my own place.” Exhausted, Zayne sighed again.

“Okay fine, but I’ll be checking up on both of you daily when I can.” You could tell by Caleb’s silence and stoicism, he was most likely annoyed by the doctor’s interference. Still, despite his bad mood, Caleb as before, held your hand. It made you smile. Caleb never changed. 

—

The moment you both arrived home, Caleb refused to let you lift a single finger, ignoring the fact that you were currently more than double his age. That’s how you found yourself lying in bed, covered in blankets and plushies with two glasses with water and apple juice on your bedside table that Caleb never allowed to be empty. 

“I’ll make dinner Mei Mei! What do you want to eat?” 

“Caleb, you shouldn’t be using the stove on your own. Let me cook instead, or at least let me watch-”

“No Mei Mei! You need to rest, I’ll cook! What do you want to eat?” You wanted to disagree more, but you knew Caleb’s stubbornness personally. You had tried multiple times, when you were kids to even now to push back when Caleb made a choice, but most of your attempts had been unsuccessful. 

“Okay Caleb, I want cereal.” Caleb pouted at your suggestion.

“That’s not a meal Pips, how are you going to grow-.” He paused. It appeared he had almost forgotten that you weren’t a kid or younger than him anymore. He coughed before continuing: “I mean, it’s not healthy. Don’t you trust me?” You placed your hand on his arm.

“Of course I do Caleb. Alright, can you make me grilled cheese.” He began to beam.

“Of course I can! I’ll make you soup too!”

—

Your rational brain yelled at you to get up and watch Caleb, but he had always been resourceful and your eyes were so heavy. So, distracted by the warmth of your blankets and softness from your plushies, you were knocked out until the smell of something burning filled your nostrils. 

There’s a fire!!!

You got up quickly, ignoring the searing pain on your side and ran to your kitchen. The moment you entered, your heart dropped, it was a disaster zone. Tomato soup somehow got on every surface including the ceiling and your favorite pan was covered in what you assumed was a completely burned grilled cheese and black smoke emitting from it.

“What?” Caleb turned to you, biting his lip and holding his tears. 

“I’m sorry Y/N. I’m so sorry.” His lips began to wobble. He was so ashamed, he couldn’t look at you. Instead he stared at the wall while trying to discreetly wipe his eyes. He was using every ounce of his strength to not cry, to be strong, to act as though he wasn’t a young kid. Sadly, at the end of the day, that was who he was now, a child pushing himself too far. You slowly approached, knelt down and hugged him. He instantly melted into your hold and leaned his head on your shoulder. You could feel the chill from his tears falling on your shirt.

“Caleb, there is nothing to be sorry about. I appreciate you doing the best you can to take care of me, but it’s okay if you need help.” 

“But Pipsqueak, I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“You have been!” You moved him to face him directly and wiped the tears on his chubby cheeks. “But, it’s alright if you can’t do everything for me. I’m an adult now. You and Grandma have taught me all the things I needed to be independent. You don’t have to do everything for me anymore.” You thought your claim of independence would help, but it seemed to push him further in despair. He returned to your arms and began to softly sob.

“You don’t need me anymore?” His voice was low and cracking as he cried. You held his small body closer to yours, stroking the back of his head.

“No Caleb, I am not saying that at all. I will always need you, but I just don’t need you to help me with every little thing. I know how to take care of myself now, but I want you around because you are important to me and I need you in my team.” Finally, he was able to look into your eyes again.

“Really?”

“Really. Now please help me clean up the kitchen and we can order take-out. Anything you want.”

“Okay.”

—

After an hour of cleaning together, the kitchen was spotless and Chinese take-out food was on the way. Waiting for the food, Caleb began exploring your apartment while you scrolled on your phone. After a few minutes, you noticed he had stopped and had his focus set on a picture frame on your shelf. A giddy smile stretched on his face as he held it in his hand. You couldn’t believe you never noticed how in love he was with you, even as a kid. 

You got up and walked behind him, looking at the picture he was enraptured with, one of your favorites as well. It was a picture of you and Caleb dancing together, wrapped in each other's arms, carefree and laughing. It was during a friend of yours’ wedding. The whole affair was romantic. You could still remember your heart racing as Caleb twirled you around and whispered in your ears, praising you, calling you beautiful, telling you how much he loved you and how excited he was to go back to the hotel room with you. The memory of the reception and the night together later still warmed your heart. Caleb turned around to you, stars shining in his eyes.

“Is this you and me? We’re together as adults?” You nodded.

“Yep that’s you. You become very tall, strong and handsome when you get older.” Caleb continued to grin and cheered.

“So, I did it! I finally married you!” Unintentionally you coughed, choking on your own spit.

“What?! No!” Caleb’s smile dropped. Seeing his discouraged face made you want to smack yourself in the head. You shouldn’t have reacted so negatively. You just panicked. Caleb was a constant in your life, but being lovers was new to you both. You knew the two of you were closer than most new couples. Unlike others, you and Caleb grew up closely together. Still, despite your deep connection, it didn’t stop you from being anxious of moving too fast. Also, your dangerous lives with Ever and the Farspace Fleet breathing down your necks, didn't help. Would the current Caleb even think of marriage? Would it be selfish of you to want it? 

“Am I not good to you?” The young kid asked as his grip tightened around the picture frame.

“What? No, you are amazing. I love you so much Caleb.”

“Then why aren’t we married? I was supposed to marry you after I became a pilot.”

Caleb never told me that!

Your anxiety peaked. You didn’t want to make baby Caleb sad. So, you blurted out:

“We will get married soon though! We’re engaged.” The child’s happy mood returned, though he did pout a bit.

“I was supposed to marry you earlier, but at least my dream will come true soon!” Caleb’s sincere smile put butterflies in your stomach. Maybe marriage was more of a possibility than you thought.

—

After an hour, the food arrived, you both ate in front of the tv, watched a movie and later fell asleep on the couch. It reminded you of the weekends you would spend with him as kids. With a smile, and baby Caleb in your arms, you returned to dreamland, until your back was crushed by the back of the couch and a voice whispered your name.

Groggily you opened your eyes and were awoken to adult Caleb in uniform.

“Welcome back Colonel.” You whispered back as you cuddled your face into his chest.

“What happened?”

“You were hit during a fight and turned into a kid. I babysat you the whole day.” Caleb sighed.

“I’m sorry for making you do all that and making us miss the date we planned for a month.” You shrugged, a carefree grin on your face.

“No need to apologize. I was happy to do it. It was nice seeing you as a kid again and seeing how crazy you were about me.” Caleb chuckled.

“Yeah, I was always really obvious except to a certain naive Pipsqueak.”

“Well, you could have told me years earlier.” Caleb chuckled again and ruffled your hair.

“I know!” You both stayed silent, holding each other, enraptured in the night’s calm and silence, but after a while Caleb spoke again. “So, after taking care of a baby me, did it make you think of us having kids?”

“Mhhhm.” After a moment of thinking, you answered sullenly: “I would love to have kids with you, but I can’t risk Ever getting their hands on them.” Caleb frowned and placed a melancholic kiss on your forehead. 

“I understand. I would one day want to have a child with you too, but I can’t imagine letting our kids experience what we did in those labs.”

“Right, but maybe we can talk about another step in our relationship?” Caleb smirked, his eyes playfully squinting with curiosity.

“What did you have in mind?”

“What do you think of marrying me? I mean I know I want to, but if it’s too fast or-” Caleb instantly jumped off the couch and your hold. “Caleb what are you doing? If I freaked you out?”

“No you could never freak me out. Damn it, I had it all planned and I wanted to do it right, but hopefully this is enough.” He kneeled on one knee in front of you. “Will you marry me?”

Answering was the easiest thing in the world.

“Yes!!!” 

Xavier:

A mission had gone wrong and now you found yourself surrounded by Evolvers working for Ever. 

“You better come with us willingly. Wouldn’t want to bruise that pretty face of yours.” One of the brutes taunted. Despite the dire situation, you remained stoic. You wouldn’t allow those assholes to see you weak. Besides, you came here with Xavier, your fiancée and hunter partner. Most likely he would come to the rescue. So, instead of complying, you pointed your duo guns at them.

“I’m not going down without a fight.”

“Fine, suit yourself.”

However, before they could attack, a flash of light blinded you. You smirked, a signature Xavier move. As usual, he was coming to your rescue and showing off. Once the light dimmed, all the men around you were knocked out, that didn’t shock you. What made you gasp was seeing a silver haired boy who uncannily resembled your partner standing in front of you, a sword in his hand.

“Are you alright Ms?” The young boy asked.

“I am, who are you?”

“Prince Xavier.”

Prince Xavier???!!!

—

You didn’t know what else to do, but to run to Jeremiah’s flower shop with Xavier in your arms. The moment you entered, Xavier’s best friend smiled.

“Well well, what brings you both-” He stopped in his tracks, seeing your partner's current state. “Why is Xavier a child?”

“I don’t know!” You yelled exasperated. “He was probably hit by an evol and turned into a kid. Though he keeps calling himself a prince.”

“It’s because he is” “Because I am”. Jeremiah and Xavier paused after answering at the same time. Jeremiah awkwardly laughed while Xavier stayed silent with a pout on his face.

“Anyways.” The florist continued. “In Philos, he was, but I think this is something he should tell you more when he’s older.” You groaned, Xavier and his never ending secrets.

“Well, it might be better if you take care of him. I will bring some of his things and-” Jeremiah shook his head.

“Nu-uh, I have plans. Besides, aren’t you his fiancée?”

“I am, but I never promised to raise him! Besides, I’m sure he would prefer his friend watching him versus a stranger.”

“1. I’m pretty sure this would be a part of the whole: “in sickness and health”. 2. You’re you, I’m 100% sure every version of him wants only you. 3. I met him when I was older than he is now. So, I’m as much of a stranger to him as you!” You groaned louder. You hated it when Jeremiah was right. You looked back at the child standing at your side, who seemed to be shining brighter than before.

“Xavier, it’s your choice. You can stay with me or-” Before you could finish your thought, Xavier answered excitedly.

“I'd rather stay with you!” Jeremiah smirked.

“It’s been decided.”

—

“And this is everything in our apartment. There are games, books and snacks. Let me know if you need anything else. ” As you showed him around, Xavier swayed around excitedly, taking in everything you showed him.

“So, I don’t need to study or train?” You giggled. Being a prince must have meant a lot of responsibilities.

“Exactly! Consider this your chance to have as much fun as you want.” Xavier grinned brightly, almost blinding you with his luminosity.

“That’s great! Also, are you really my fiancée in the future?” The question reminded you of the moment in the park, when the stars seemed to shine brighter than normal. You had a blanket laid out, with the plan to eat a charcuterie board and watch the stars with your boyfriend when Xavier kneeled and proposed. Of course you said:

“Yes I am.” Xavier grin widened.

“I should have known. You look like a Princess.” You giggled.

What a cutie.

—

A week had passed and Xavier was a well behaved kid, surprising for a child raised to be a prince. You thought he would be spoiled, but no. He was polite, cleaned after himself, helped you with chores (except cooking) and even went out of his way to be a gentleman to you. Multiple times, as he followed you around, he would pull up chairs for you, open the door for you, retrieve items you needed or carry bags. You asked him why he did all this, his only response:

“Because my mom told me I should be a gentleman. Especially to my future wife.”

If you could, you would have thanked his mom for raising her son so well, though Xavier did have his own quirks. Another thing you didn’t expect was how active he was. You had thought, as his current self, he would be sleepy most of the time and be a homebody, but that wasn’t the case. If you stopped watching kid Xavier for a moment, he would disappear in a flash and return a few minutes later. Usually bearing gifts for you. Most of the time, the gifts were flowers. It was sweet, but you told him constantly of the danger of leaving on his own. 

Unfortunately, like his adult self, your words didn’t stop him and he kept leaving without any warning. You tried to bear it, but one day, after 15 minutes of waiting, you realized unlike the other times, he wasn’t coming back. In a panic, you searched all of Linkon, called your friends for help and even the police. The whole day, you were on the edge of tears. You couldn’t believe you lost your partner who was turned into a child. After a few hours of torture, you got a call from the police station.

“We found your son.”

You dashed to the station and the moment you entered, you saw Xavier sitting next to a few officers. The moment you entered, his eyes widened, shocked by your tears. When you got closer, he lowered his head and dawned a frown and puppy eyes.

“I’m so sorry Y/N.” You only sighed in response and thanked the officers.

—

Xavier tried to speak with you, but you were too upset and remained silent for the rest of the night. You finally understood why Grandma and Caleb used to scold you when you snuck off. This whole thing was the most fearful you’ve ever been. You thought you lost him and maybe the reminder of his adult self’s disappearances didn’t help either. You made him food and let him do what he wanted in the living room while returning to your bedroom alone. You tried to distract yourself by scrolling on your phone, but nothing resolved your disappointment.

After an hour of doom scrolling, you heard a soft knock on your door, you didn’t want to respond. That was until you saw a paper slip in from the crack of your door. You picked up the note and on it was a childish drawing of a bunny with a talking bubble on the top left that read: I’m sorry.

He’s just a naive kid.

You opened your door and in front of your room was a teary Xavier.

“I should have told you where I was going. I’m sorry Y/N.” You leaned down and hugged the boy.

“Just never scare me like that again, promise.” Xavier quietly replied:

“I promise.” You hugged him tighter and lifted him off the ground. His tears fell on your shoulder. It was a sweet moment, until you smelled smoke. “Also I made you cookies too Y/N.”

Oh no.

—

Once you extinguished the fire and saved your apartment, you both grabbed snacks and had a game night. He played games on the tv while you watched. It was fun, but there was another surprise, despite apparently not being allowed to play video games, as most things except cooking, he was great at it. Xavier at any age was truly a marvel. As you watched Xavier’s character slashing multiple enemies at once, a thought came to mind. You never asked him where he went this morning, or the other times he disappeared.

“By the way Xavier, where did you go?” The boy didn’t remove his gaze from the screen, but you could tell he was embarrassed. His ears and cheeks turned pink.

Adorable!

“I looked at our photo album and I wanted to make a map to remember the places we went to. I need to make sure you fall for me again.” You ruffled the boy’s hair.

“You’re so silly Xavie. You could have told me! We could have visited those places together.” He paused his game and turned to you.

“Could we?”

“Yes, where do you want to go first?”

—

Like a bucket list, you both went to the spots on each photo. This included amusement parks, arcades, the park, and more. In each spot, you tried to let the kid have the fun he was apparently not allowed to. Though, it wasn’t only him enjoying the trips, you found yourself relishing each moment. Being around his kid self made you feel you understood your fiancée more. After you went to your last spot, the park where he proposed, his map was complete. Under the moonlight,  the boy thanked you and disappeared. In his place was the man you fell in love with. He was in a daze.

“My star, where are we?” 

“In Linkon Park, you reverted back to being a kid or Prince Xavier.”

“I see I have more I have to tell you.”

“You do, but I’m exhausted. I think all I want now is to sleep beside you.”

“Of course.”

—

The two of you returned home, but no sleep was had. Instead, you spent the night indulging in each other, leaving you both more exhausted than before. After your session was over, with nothing but a towel on, Xavier kissed your sweaty forehead.

“My love, I'm going to shower. Do you want to join me?” You hummed. A seemingly innocent request, but you knew better. Xavier was insatiable.

“If I join, I know we aren’t going to be showering. Just shower first, I’ll go after you.”

“Alright my princess, I’ll be right back.” He left you alone heading to your shared washroom and once he was out of view, you were going to try to sleep, but your eyes landed on both of your clothes on the floor. 

We’re so shameless. I should really tidy up.

Ignoring your soreness and the wobbling of your spent legs, you slowly picked up each article of clothing and carefully folded them. When you reached for Xavier’s pants, a piece of paper fell to the ground. You picked it up and immediately recognized it. It was the map you made with his younger self earlier. It shouldn’t have been surprising to see it in adult Xavier's possession, but what was shocking was the state of it. The map had yellowed and looked worn out, like the paper had been studied for years. You smiled and placed a delicate kiss on the sheet. You guessed Jeremiah was right. Every version of Xavier would always want you.