.⋆˙Xavier's sanctuary✮⋆˙

“Yes, ma’am,” you reply, grabbing Xavier by the arm and pulling him closer. “What about our pay?” Xavier asks again. Jenna glances at him, then at you. “I liked him better when he kept his thoughts to himself,” she mutters before leaving.

“Xavier, you can’t just ask that in front of everyone,” you scold him while dragging him down the hallway toward the empty break room you usually use. “I can’t help it,” he admits. “I wonder why the fluctuations only affected you,” you say as you prepare coffee.

Because of the protofield fluctuations, abnormalities may occur, just as Jenna warned. Throughout the day, your suspicion proves right— Xavier seems completely unable to keep his thoughts to himself. Whatever crosses his mind comes straight out of his mouth. To everyone’s amusement… well, almost everyone’s.

“You’re so blunt, Xavier.” You sit beside him and hand him a cup of coffee. “I didn’t want coffee,” he replies. He notices your hurt expression and quickly adds, “Without sugar, I mean…” before getting up to fix it himself. “There’s so much going on in your head that you never share. I wonder what else you’ve never told me.” Xavier sits back down beside you. “A lot.” “Like what?” you ask. “I can’t summarize every unspoken thought. You’ll have to ask directly… though I’d prefer you didn’t.”

You hesitate, until….

“Sorry, bunny, but I can’t pass this up. Who knows when I’ll ever get another chance like this? Besides, you’re always so secretive.” Xavier finishes his coffee and sets the cup down with a dull thud. “You’ll regret that tonight,” he says, eyes still fixed on the cup.

“Pff, it’ll be worth it. Now, let’s see…” You squint at him and think. “…Right! Say, did you actually like that dress I wore last time? The short one with the cherry print? The one I wasn’t sure you were telling the truth about?” “Yes. I thought your ass looked great in it,” he says flatly. You nearly choke on your coffee. “M-my what?!”

“And…” he continues, “…I kept thinking about how easy it would be to get under it, since the dress was so short.” “XAVIER!” Your face burns bright red. “Wait…! Is that why you… we… you know,” you mumble shyly. “Why I couldn’t wait until we got home and dragged you into the restroom?” He nods. “Yes. I was impatient.” Flustered by the memory, you quickly get up to clean your cup.

“Maybe you were right. I shouldn’t have asked. Let’s just get back to work,” you mutter. “No.” Xavier stands and wraps his arms around you from behind while you’re at the sink, pressing his bulge into your back. You can feel him— cock hard, grip tight around your waist.

“I always imagined having my way with you in this break room,” he whispers into your ear. “The way you lean over the sink with that slight arch in your back… it always got to me.” You put the cup away but don’t turn around. “In fact…” his hand slips into your pants. “…there are plenty of places in the Association where I’ve imagined us together.”

He pushes his fingers underneath your panties, rubbing them along your slit. “X-Xavier…” a soft moan escapes you. “W-we’re at work… We’ll get in so much trouble…” “I don’t hear you asking me to stop,” he responds, and just as he’s about to slip his fingers in, you hear someone’s voice echo in the hallway, causing you to panic and yank Xavier’s hand out of your pants.

Two Hunters enter the break room. “Xavier, is your hand okay?” one of them asks him. “Yes, I just burned myself on the hot coffee,” he lies as he licks your fluids off his fingers. The two Hunters each grab a coffee and leave the room again.

“Wait, Xavier… you didn’t burn yourself,” you say. “No, I didn’t.” “But… you lied? Shouldn’t you have had to tell them the truth with the way the fluctuation is affecting you?” you ask, thinking it’s suspicious.

A languid roll of his hips, and your eyes water.

"But then I lie, and you swallow every word." His eyes are dark, looking down at you in wicked triumph. You feel the brush of his thumbs pulling up your eyelids, ridding you of the luxury of blinking, bidding you not to look away even as the burn settles in. "And you let me get away with it..."

Without warning, Xavier comes, shooting down your throat in hot bursts. His hands return to the back of your head, holding you still as he steps over your shoulders, driving his cock down further down your gullet, paying no heed to your gurgled choking as as he empties himself inside with one, two, three--

You start to seize as bile works up your throat, your hand flying to the back of his thighs, this close to tapping out but Xavier finally pulls out with a satisfied moan. He looms over you, cock resting on your lips, your head still supported by his hands as you pant. A smug, possessive look descends upon him as he starts to drag his balls over your open mouth, grinning as you begin to lick.

"I need attention here too Captain~ I've been aching since you left me."

His mood sours visibly from the reminder. Great.

"You shouldn't have gone without me."

You turn away, panting into his thigh, "You seemed just fine whenever we called."

"Like you said Captain." He steps away suddenly, kneeling down to your eye level, nipping at your chest as you massage your sore neck, wincing. Blue eyes find yours again as is tongue curls around your nipple, hot and wet.

"Xavier always lies."

notes: surprise hi I wrote something!!!1! This was inspired by a line from The Freak Circus. I don't know what it is with Hermit and me and blowjobs but here we are!! Oral fixation Hermit nation!!

April and May disappeared in a vortex of work and personal life. Here's to hoping I get to write more soon :) let me know what you liked o/ comments and reblogs always appreciated.

“Alright.” You nodded, slowly wriggling your wrist free. “Have a seat then.” Propping yourself on the couch, you placed your phone and your keys on the table as Xavier remained where he stood.

He moved close to where you sat, but rather than going for the couch, he crossed his legs on the floor, head leaning back onto the couch as his eyes caught yours above.

Xavier closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, a small smile tugged at his lips. “Inviting me inside was a bad decision,” he said, barely audible. He exhaled, his expression turning shy. “Two people alone in a room who clearly aren’t being very…normal about each other. The lights are barely on.” He shook his head. “Where did you think this was going, y/n?”

“The lights are your fault.” You defended, your ears deaf to the actual question.

He chuckled. “Yeah, maybe.” A pause, then he looked up at you again, “so…” his adam’s apple bobbed as he paused, gulping. “When did you know Lumiere?”

You thought for a long moment. You'd forgotten the exact time Lumiere had become a part of your life. Your infatuation made it feel like since forever. “Second year of college, probably.”

“You say that like i know when that was?” A chuckle came low but genuine. “I don’t even know how old you are.”

“Two years ago.” You leaned towards him slightly as your hands grabbed the edge of the couch.

“You’re one of the early ones. Nice.” His arms rested behind his head, hands woven between the couch and his neck.

“So early i still remember the cat ears.” You tapped his shoulder with your knee teasingly.

“Oh shut up.” He propped himself up, turning around so he was now facing you. “See why i asked for no lights. “Xavier you’re blushing”. I can feel it on the tip of your tongue.”

A pause dragged for a second, both of you holding each other’s gaze. It was inexplicable. Not because of the lack of emotions but the myriad, and the blue in his eyes suddenly felt deeper than you remembered.

“And…” the tension, as if too heavy, had him breathing in for a second before he continued, “how did you find out? That i’m… Lumiere.” His hands mindlessly drew little circles on his knees as he refused to look you in the eye for this one question. However, the muted laughter evoked his attention, causing his eyes to snap back up.

“The Yoshi figurine, you dummy.”His lips parted in brief realization before his brows knitted together.

“You seriously took your time to observe my mario collection? My 183 piece mario collection?”

“Yes. I go all in.” You bashfully admitted with a chuckle.

He swiftly scooted forward, his legs now in contact with yours, “I could go all in, too.”

You poked his shoulder and he lost his balance for a second, earning you a complaining “hey”.

Resuming his position, he bit back a smile threatening to surface and asked, “since when?” He brought a knee up, resting his head on it. “Did you start liking me, i mean.”

“The first time i walked in. ” You leaned back, hugging your knees to your chest. His eyebrows disappeared into his bangs, silently inquiring elaboration. “I mean when i saw you for the first time i thought you were cute,” and that earned you a subtle smirk. “I have eyes and you know you’re attractive.” You countered, “now about liking you…” your head rested on the back of the couch as you stared into nothingness. “When you drew a little heart beside my name on my order once.”

“Sorry y/n but that’s… insane.” Your breath hitched as you heard him chuckle wholeheartedly for the first time.

“Okay but have you ever drawn a heart for someone else?” You retorted, hoping his answer wouldn’t embarrass you further.

He shook his head no, and you shot him a smug little “exactly”.

“Your turn. When did you start liking me?” Your chin rested on your knee, eyes expectant.

“Ever since the dawn of time-“ he closed his eyes, feigning a heartfelt memory.

“Fuck you, Xavier.” You let go of your knees, placing your feet between his legs.

“You’re easy to tease.” He laughed endearingly.

“And you’re a little shit.”

He scooted closer slowly, warily, his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort as his chin came to rest on your knee. He gazed up, catching your eyes, and you two remained silent for a while. It was the kind of silence that was warm, the kind that was never meant to be broken.

“Remember that one time you brought in another guy with you? Zayne or something i’m not sure.” He started quietly after a while. “Not that i was jealous or anything.” He joked, aware that he wasn’t being convincing. He wasn’t trying to be.

“Not that you were jealous but you remember the name, yes. Not jealous behavior.” Nodding your head, your chest bubbled up with tiny laughter.

“I just wanted to rip his face off-“

“Whoa there Macho man.” The silence in the room amplified the quiet laughter of you two, and he moved so his cheek was resting on your knee now.

“Who orders a plain espresso anyways.” He huffed.

“Says the person whose favorite drink is an Iced Americano.” And that earned you a side eye.

You were unsure how long it was afterwards when you quietly called out his name and received a faint hum in return. “Are you upset that i found about Lumiere?…” you hesitated for a moment as he remained silent, “Would you have told me about him had anything happened between us?”

He straightened up, visibly contemplating an answer when he went on the couch beside you. You were now both facing the unpowered TV, a faint reflection of your almost-brushing shoulders staring back at you.

The silence stretched so long you almost thought he wouldn’t answer. “Was i upset? Initially, yes. It felt like my feelings for you were only reciprocated sexually.” His hands rested in his lap as he stared at his fingers. “Would i have told you about Lumiere had you not known about him?” Suddenly, to Xavier, the ceiling became the most interesting sight in the room.

“I honestly don’t know…” he sounded almost ashamed. “I know i should. But the idea of what i do isn’t something many would accept.”

It was silent again, and you realized he wasn’t offering more than he did for an answer.

“Can i ask something?” It was so low you were surprised he heard it. He hummed. “Why…” your finger mindlessly scratched the jeans on his outer thigh. “Why do you do OF?”

Xavier’s gaze remained fixated, but his leg tensed faintly beneath your touch. His throat bobbed, not defensive, not offended… just cautious. “For the love of the sport.” He tried to lighten the situation but it fell flat. “Honestly…” he exhaled through his nose. There were no more smug grins, no more innuendos, just a man with distant eyes and a defeated voice. “Money, really…”

The dim hallway light caught the sharp line of his jaw as he sunk back into the couch. “A broke man denied of scholarship and a mask alone in a room. That’s how it happened.”

“Not that it came naturally to me or anything,” he continued. “I had to look up poses and potential outfits online.” He chuckled and it carried no humor. “Well, now it kinda does. But initially it didn’t. I think you can tell by the way i behaved around you.”

“That’s why i was upset about you liking Lumiere. Because Lumiere is not a part of Xavier. He just coexists with Xavier.” His head hung low, a shy finger reached for yours that rested on his thigh.

Your moves were slow as you got off the couch, your lost warmth evoking a yearning look from the vulnerable man. You stood between his legs, his knees brushing against yours.

Your hand hesitantly reached out, and his eyes followed it, needing, yearning for the slightest warmth once again.

It came into contact with his cheek and time stopped for a moment, his eyes closed like the contact revived something within him that had lain lifeless for ages.

A delicate tilt against the palm of your hand felt like a cue for you to move and close the distance between you two, his face buried in your chest and yours in his hair.

“I like Lumiere.” You inhaled the scent of him.

“I like Xavier,” you squeezed him even closer.

“I like whoever you are.”

You pictured dates, planning outings in your mind and already tasting sweet, delicious desserts with him. You couldn’t wait to kiss him again, feel his lips on yours, his own longing surfacing, revealing itself in his own desperation to have you to himself.

Those very daydreams prolonged their stay, appearing even as you slept at night, feeling so vivid, it was like Zayne had returned to your side already. Even in this dreamscape, you could sense everything around you were not real—including him, but when his lips found yours, overwhelming you with passionate intensity, you let go of reason, wanting nothing more than to be drowned by him.

Zayne’s voice was soft but thick with desire. “Why don’t you… show me how much you miss me?”

He guided you to straddle him, and you gasped, arching up into him. He was already hard, already ready to feel your warmth around him. His lips found your neck, trailing kisses along. Strong arms wrapped around you, and large hands roamed all over your back, pulling you tighter into his embrace.

Heart pounding, breathing heavy, you grinded over his erection, already imagining what it would feel like to have his cock fully inside you. He groaned at the sensation, but did not discourage you, his own face growing more flushed with desire.

Your chest rapidly rose and fell, and you pleaded, feeling a growing ache inside your body.

You wanted him just as much as he wanted you.

It didn’t take much pleading for Zayne to shift you on his lap, your panties pulled down, but still dangling off one ankle, as he freed himself, and you gasped, feeling him guiding you down on his cock.

S-so full…

Your eyes rolled back, moaning as you both succumbed to your repressed desires, losing yourself in a maddening rhythm chasing after the same euphoria. Messy kisses heightened the uncontrolled passion, the heat clouding your mind, feeling the familiar signs of your approaching climax.

Nails scraped along Zayne’s back, and you knew he was close, too, feeling him rushing, his fingers pressing deep into your hips.

Closer and closer and—

You woke up screaming his name, shaken awake by a powerful orgasm. Panting, you stared at the dark ceiling above, confused, only realizing seconds later that everything had been a dream. A very lifelike dream.

Trembling in bed, the aftershocks of your climax lingered, but knowing that everything had been a dream left you unsatisfied. If you closed your eyes, it was like Zayne was here again, his warm breath intermingling with yours, and his body heat exchanged with yours.

“…Zayne…”

Blindly, you reached for a pillow, clamping it between your legs. Instinctively, your hips moved, hesitantly at first, a faint sense of shame inhibited you for just a moment, but that sudden friction against your core was enough to overcome any feeling of embarrassment.

Soft gasps spilled from your mouth, teeth biting down on your bottom lip as you trembled, quickening your grinding, overwhelmed by a desperation to revisit that dream again. To feel him again.

You needed him. Needed him raw. Needed him deep inside you.

You needed the way Zayne would dominate, knowing how to set a rhythm with practiced control, using the force of his thrusts to tease and edge you before his own needs clouded his mind and he would succumb to his own primal instincts, addicted to the way you pulse so heavenly around him, desperate for him to be the one to bring you to a state of complete ecstasy.

Stay spread for him, urging him—begging him—your mewls incoherent and indecent, and you’re no longer uttering words, just moaning obscenely until his thrusts would become brutal, so forceful, they would coax his name out of your mouth. Panting and gasping and screaming, your body would betray all of your feelings, and Zayne would know how close you were to coming.

Your body could never lie to him.

Eyes on me, he would command, knowing full well you had lost all control of your body.

“Za-Zayne…”

You continued humping the pillow, rushing as your mind raced with images of your beloved Zayne, seeing his devilishly handsome smirk, his sultry voice coaxing you with plentiful praises closer and closer to your orgasm. Your panting grew heavier, eyes shut tight, seeing him—feeling him.

You could feel his weight on you—like he was right here, keeping you spread for him. You remembered how full you felt, stuffed with his thick cock, feeling it penetrating you again and again, deeper and deeper, and you were gripping him so tight, his own groans driving you closer to your release.

“Oh, Zayne—!"

Everything stilled, your body gone lax, feeling only the faint aftershocks of your climax. Your heart was beating wildly, the adrenaline of the moment heightened, your breathing still unsteady as you lingered in the afterglow. A sleepy smile settled on your face, and you could only think of Zayne again, feeling like he had trained your body so well, you still wanted more.

More of him.

He could take you in so many different positions, make you come so many times, you would lose count before sunrise, and when you were sore, he would keep you flushed to him, his endless praises a sweet lullaby as you surrendered to him once more.

Giggling, you grabbed your phone.

The next morning, Zayne woke up to one text message and a photo attachment.

I moaned your name last night.

His breathing stilled, seeing the lewd dampness on the pillow between your legs.

His pillow.

Amused, Zayne wondered if this sort of behavior warranted a punishment… or perhaps a reward?

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled, his own morning already showing signs of mirroring your previous night.

two truths, one lie

I’ve skinny-dipped in the ocean before.

I moaned your name last night.

I love you.

Waves lapped at the shore, and for this brief instance, it seemed the only other sound Rafayel could hear was his own heartbeat, feeling it pulsing rapidly inside his chest. The air felt humid and heavy, his own breathing ragged as he searched for his voice again, unable to fathom any of the sentences he had just heard.

The alcohol was supposed to relax you both, but perhaps, you were too relaxed. Seated in his lap, your legs wrapped around his waist, you peered up into his eyes, seeing flames dancing on the ocean’s surface.

He replayed the confessions in his head again, easily surmising one of them to be the truth: You love him. Of course you did, he had no doubt that that was the truth and would always be the truth.

“You love me,” he said confidently. “Truth.”

Smiling, you leaned up and pecked his lips, leaving traces of the wine behind. “Correct.”

He furrowed his brows, realizing the two remaining confessions were harder to identify. He gazed down at you, eyes drifting over every inch of your body. You could feel his fingers twitching, unconsciously pressing into your flesh, but you stayed silent, observing the way he was trying to discern which was the truth and which one was the lie.

Rafayel thought about it. He imagined scenarios where you could have skinny-dipped in the waters. Perhaps a daring night during your college years, having one reckless final fun before you graduated and went on to pursue a respectable career serving humanity.

You gasped when Rafayel pressed his fingers deeper into your flesh, still appearing lost in thoughts.

On the other hand, Rafayel found the other confession unexpected, and… unique, to put it simply. Skinny-dipping seemed almost pedestrian, a tired response used by many to prove the existence of a wild side. He wasn’t as interested in that, and he almost wondered if perhaps you also realized how ordinary that was, wanting instead to give him easy confessions to clear the path to what you truly wanted to reveal to him.

“You moaned my name last night,” he repeated, feeling the air was getting hotter. He swallowed once, mustering up all of his confidence for this one weighted word: “Truth.”

You captured his lips, you arms wrapped around his head, fingers tangling into his silky locks. You gasped in between kisses, his warm breath and yours intermingling together. “Correct.”

Rafayel stumbled back, feeling the hardwood floor beneath him entirely. He gazed up, face flushed, at you straddling him, your own cheeks as red as his. Distantly, he wondered if the alcohol had gone completely to both of your heads. Neither one of you seemed to have any inhibitions left.

“T-tell me,” he said as steady as he could. His head was buzzing, intoxicated by the alcohol, but also by images of you, alone in bed at night, submitting to obscene acts and fantasies of him. Slowly, a smile crossed his face, almost deliriously delighted by the very prospect that you fantasized about him in such a way when you were alone.

“I caught a fishie,” you murmured, seeing that same delirium on his face. “I trapped him in my bed and had my ways with him.”

“Y-yeah?”

“He didn’t resist me. He let me do whatever I wanted to him.”

“Like what?”

“Like…”

Rafayel choked back a cry, surprised when you leaned down, nibbling along his neck, your fingers dragging over each button, popping them off and revealing his torso. He panted softly, holding back a groan as you grinded against him, seeking a friction against your core. He vaguely wondered if you did something similar the night before.

“I marked him up, made him mine,” you murmured, branding him with possessive kisses down his body. You fingered the button on his pants.

Suddenly, your world spun upside-down, finding yourself flipped over and pinned underneath the young artist. You gasped, arching up into him when you felt his erection brushing against your core. Eyes closed, you remembered back to the night before, wanting to feel him close to you like this.

The waves sounded louder—deafening even.

“Look at me…” Rafayel murmured, his hands touched your face delicately in a way similar to handling a rare priceless, timeless masterpiece.

You opened your eyes, seeing the fire in his eyes burned brighter.

He wanted you.

Wanted you flushed red, and painted in white by him. His beautiful muse, only worthy of being worshipped by a god.

forgotten hot pot

“Excuse me?”

Xavier hadn’t even realized he had dropped the cooked sliced beef back into his bowl. The pot at the center of the table continued to simmer quietly while he gawked at you casually continuing to eat.

When you had invited him over to your apartment for a hot pot dinner, he had agreed readily, delighted by the prospect of sharing his favorite meal with the one person he loved in the whole world. While the dinner started out normally with some lighthearted talk and teasing, the moment suddenly took an unexpected turn when you casually revealed a rather… indecent secret out of the blue.

However, based on your nonchalant demeanor, he wondered if you had ever intended for it to be a secret in the first place. He felt his cheeks warming up. The whole room suddenly felt unbearably hot, and he knew it had nothing to do with the hot pot still simmering away at the center of the table.

Just as you reached for the fried tofu to add to the pot, you were startled when Xavier blocked your chopsticks with his. You tried again, and he parried your effort immediately.

You lifted your gaze, locked eyes with his.

“I moaned your name last night,” you repeated flippantly, seizing this stunned opportunity to retrieve your tofu, happily plopping them into the simmering spicy broth.

His gaze hardened. “Why are you being so nonchalant about it?”

He could feel something else hardening under the table. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to maintain the same calmness as you. Xavier’s mind, however, was already racing ahead, his eyes staring at you from across the table, darkening as he pictured the state you were in the night before.

“It just happened,” you answered calmly.

“‘It just happened?’” he repeated your words, astonished that your tone was as breezy as if you had just remarked that this was a sneeze and not something much more indecent.

You smiled at Xavier and dropped some cooked bok choy into his bowl.

“I don’t want this,” Xavier said, vexed.

“What do you want then? Mushroom? Shrimp? Lamb?”

“An explanation.”

“Expla—”

“Stop messing with me,” he demanded. You didn’t fluster once at his harsh tone, or even seemed to want to pacify his growing irritation. Frankly, it was starting to piss him off a little with the way you were messing with him like this.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, adding, “I was upstairs.”

“It was… late,” you fibbed.

“You’re lying.”

“So, what if I am?”

Suddenly Xavier turned the stove off. The hot pot continued simmering from the residual heat, the gentle bubbling the only noise to cut through the tensed atmosphere. Before you could get a word out, the lights in your apartment flickered once, surprising you, but Xavier himself seemed unfazed.

He stood up. The lights flickered again.

One step closer to you.

And another.

You yelped when the room plunged into complete darkness, feeling a firm hand grasping your chin. When your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you saw Xavier mere centimeters from you.

“Were the lights off like this last night?”

Quietly, you nodded, almost certain you saw a pleased gleam in his eye.

“Did you plan it?”

Slowly, you shook your head, finding yourself unable to tear your eyes from him. His voice was so calm, alluring, the mere firm but soft tone coaxing out more details of your dirty secret. Surprised, you gasped when he grasped your wrist, pulling you to your feet to stand in front of him. You peered up, seeing Xavier was still confused by your shameless admission.

“What made you want to tell me this?”

“I thought you would like knowing… how just thoughts of you made me so… wet.”

It was brief, just an instance in the darkness, but you were almost certain you saw that flicker of surprise in Xavier’s eyes again. When you blinked, still adjusting your eyes to the dark room, you noticed Xavier was quiet once more, his expression unreadable. You wondered if he was still upset.

You liked teasing him to rile him up, but you hated the idea of him genuinely being mad at you. Perhaps your teasing was too mean-spirited now. You worried that he might start stewing in his volatile emotions and misinterpret your intentions.

“I fantasized about you.”

A shaky breath escaped from Xavier’s lips, his words dying in his throat the moment you leaned forward, pressing a firm kiss to his neck. Instinctively, his hands fell on your waist, steadying you as arms entwined around his neck, body pressing closer to his, and more kisses mapped their way from his neck, to his cheek, his nose, before briefly your lips lingered over his.

“Xavier, I felt you on me last night,” you confessed, cheeks flushed with desire. “I felt you holding me, touching me, and…”

“And…?” His heart was racing, his grip on your waist tightening, as if he was afraid to let you slip from his grasp.

“I wanted to cum to just thoughts of you,” you revealed, even more certain you saw his cheeks stained red and his eyes sparkling with intrigue. “Knowing you were just upstairs, perhaps already asleep, and it was just one floor separating us, but because it’s you…”

You let out a startled gasp, your feet suddenly off the ground and firmly wrapped around Xavier’s waist. He held you tighter, his lips finding yours again, swallowing your words as he started to carry you to your bedroom.

“Xavier? Xavier… our dinner…”

“I have a different appetite right now,” he said firmly, and gradually a smirk appeared.

Before you knew it, your back met your mattress, and suddenly all you could see was him looming over you. You sat halfway up, your weight supported by your forearms resting on the mattress, and Xavier crawled on top of you, leaning in closer.

“Show me,” he demanded, breathless, stealing a kiss. “Show me everything.”

Your hands held his face, and you smiled, feeling a growing warmth in your belly, already imagining the scenarios you had fantasized the night before would come true tonight.

Closer, your lips inched to his, and the warmth of your breath sent shivers down his spine, and your words thrilling him for what to come. “I want to hear my name on your lips, Xavier.”

dark romance

Everyone had guilty pleasure.

In fact, this particular one might even border on being basic as fuck, you decided.

Curiosity guided you to the first book. It was supposed to be a casual read, something you would pick up from time to time, but instead, you had finished the first book within three days. After that, everything became a blur as you tumbled down a dark rabbit hole seeking out more books of this nature. Dark romances with mysterious men.

Forbidden.

Dangerous.

Erotic.

The male leads were always tall, broad shouldered, and deadly.

This latest book you read was no different. The male lead was a brunet, but you pictured silvery white hair instead.

He had brown eyes. You saw crimson instead.

Your eyes drifted over each word, the image in your mind growing clearer and clearer, until the obscure male leads in your books all took on one form: Sylus.

You couldn’t possibly imagine him with any other women, so of course, you indulged in the fantasy, pretending the heroines in the books were you in another life, and in all of these, your fate was intertwined with his.

Cold and dangerous, he feared no one, but for you, he would submit, yielding his power, glory, and wealth to you.

It all sounded so familiar, you mused.

“A certain kitten is smiling like the Cheshire Cat,” a silky voice drifted into the room, the underlying amusement mingled with his teasing words.

You set your book facedown over your stomach, watching as Sylus approached the bed, settling in next to you. He glanced at the cover of your book, raising one brow at the dark artwork with thorns and roses and black feathers.

“If I recall,” he started, reaching for the book. Immediately, you swatted his hand away, and he laughed, continuing unperturbed, “You were reading this book earlier this month. I thought you had finished it already, sweetie.”

“I did,” you answered calmly, your hand searching for your bookmark while you continued to keep eye contact with him.

“I see,” Sylus responded, amused by your transparent act, “It must be a good book deserving a second read.”

Second read—or seventh, to be exact, you silently mused, knowing it was in your best interest not to let him know otherwise, or else you would never hear the end of it.

“Perhaps you could read it to me tonight then,” he suggested, and you squeaked in surprise. Unfazed by your reaction, Sylus propped himself up by his elbow, his chin resting in his hand as he stared at you with mischievous amusement in his scarlet eyes. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Do you not want to share your bedtime story with me tonight?”

“This book is not your type,” you responded, adding confidently, “You wouldn’t like it.”

“I can be open-minded to new things,” he countered, smirking at seeing your cheeks turning red. “Start reading, sweetie. You can even start on page 114, if you’d like.”

Your brain did an automatic shutdown.

Sylus could barely contain his chuckles, delighting in the way he could actually witness the wheels in your head spinning, trying to process his words.

A moment later, you screeched at him, “You know?”

“That a certain naughty kitten likes indulging in some light erotic reading? Of course,” he answered cooly.

You tried to rack your brain, confused by how Sylus even knew of this in the first place.

“I’ve noticed this particular book showing up several times,” he finally explained, “So I was curious about what sort of reading had you this engrossed for weeks now.”

You processed his words, asking slowly, “Did you…”

“The author certainly knew how to create such an… immersive reading experience,” Sylus quipped, reaching over to rest his hand on top of yours. He then pried the book away, setting it on his nightstand.

“I also know this kitten is keeping another secret she hasn’t shared with me yet.”

“I’m not—”

Immediately, you felt complete and utter mortification when you heard Sylus’ high-pitched voice mocking you:

“‘Sylus—Sylus, don’t stop… like that… yes… ye—'”

You pressed both your hands over his mouth, cheeks burning while his eyes gleamed at you with delight. Sylus easily pried your hands away from his mouth, pulling you to rest under him. Your head turned away, and you glowered, asking begrudgingly, “How—”

“You dialed my number by mistake last night.”

“And you didn’t hang up?!”

He laughed. “And miss out on hearing firsthand what you do during your freetime away and alone in Linkon City?”

You gasped softly, feeling his lips on your shoulder. The kisses he left branded on your skin were electrifying, lingering long after their warmth had disappeared.

“You heard everything?”

He chuckled, but didn’t waver from his ministrations.

“Sylus—”

He continued, his teeth dragged over the strap of your nightgown, and you felt another firm kiss left on your flesh.

“I moaned your name last night… you heard?”

He chuckled again, sounding pleased when he answered you. “Several times.”

The first wave of raindrops hit the floor-to-ceiling windows in Sylus’ bedroom. Within seconds, it was pouring, the noise competing with how loud your heart was beating. Trapped beneath him, you recognized his actions were careful—precise, and… familiar.

“Page 117,” you said suddenly, heart pounding louder, feeling his calloused hands caressing your smooth legs, and then thighs, reaching under your nightgown, his fingers stopping at your panties.

He hummed in agreement, his gaze softening at seeing your surprised expression.

“You read… this section?” you asked hesitantly, mind already remembering the exact infamous risqué scene he was recreating.

“I read the whole book,” he corrected you. “What interests you is interesting to me, and I must say… I am intrigued by your taste, sweetie.”

“Sylus—”

He cut you off with a kiss, his words coming out in between each hot breath. “Tonight… yours… yours… to command…”

Butterflies fluttered in your belly, your cheeks warming up, and you recalled again the section he was emulating, the scene now burned into your memory with perfect clarity. Caught under his crimson gaze, you stared up at your lover.

Dressed in dark clothes, enveloped by a mysterious aura, he commanded the night and all bowed to him. With you, however, he yielded control, wanting to serve and pleasure you, keeping you locked in a state of complete euphoria.

repeated fantasies

“I moaned your name last night.”

The voice message was so short. Not even ten seconds long, but Caleb kept replaying it. The first time he listened, he thought he had misheard what you had said.

So, he listened again, his cheeks reddening as the words—spoken so boldly, so flirtatiously, so teasingly—fully processed in his mind.

Then, he replayed it a third time, fourth, fifth, feeling his pants tightening as he listened to your voice repeating that message, never once imagining how just a few simple words could get him so hard, his mind already forming several lewd images of you the night before, alone in bed, splayed out as you played with yourself, doing unspeakably obscene things to yourself while your own mind was fixated with only thoughts of him.

He needed to know.

He needed the details.

He wanted you to recreate the night before, paint a clearer picture in his mind, or perhaps, he should let his imagination go wild instead, filled with filthy fantasies of you succumbing to your own state of lust.

He wanted to listen to every gasp, every sigh, hear how you moaned his name last night as you shook with pleasure alone in bed, mind swirling with only thoughts of him and a still unsatisfied yearning for him.

You couldn’t possibly be satisfied with your own slender fingers. His were thicker. Whatever toys you had couldn’t possibly fill you with satisfaction. He was thicker.

When you moaned his name, was it with need that you desired something bigger inside your wet cunt? Your needy pussy could only be satisfied by him after all. Caleb was getting dizzied by the shameful thoughts, throbbing with need for answers—for you.

The distance that separated the two of you was felt in this moment. He wanted nothing more than to leave Skyhaven, return to Linkon—return to your side, to keep you in his embrace, to hear you wanting him in the same way he wanted you.

This state he was in now, he wondered if it was similar to how you felt the night before. A certain yearning, and a fiery desire that needed to be quelled, to be answered and satiated in that moment.

He dialed your number. The phone rang, and Caleb smirked when his call went through immediately, sensing almost an eagerness on your end. He was just as eager to hear your voice, wanting dirty answers to his filthy questions.

His mind was already racing ahead again, hearing that sweet, sweet voice uttering such filth to him, and he knew he could get mesmerized and hypnotized by such lascivious words luring him to the pinnacle of pleasure.

“Hello, my Caleb,” you breathed, knowing full well just how much you had already messed with his head with your not-so-innocent voice message.

Caleb chuckled in response, both amused and pleased by your audaciousness.

His pants unzipped, large hand wrapped around his cock. With a leisure stroke, and a shaky breath, Caleb greeted you, voice heavy with arousal, “Hello, my pretty naughty girl.”

[ Masterlist ★ AO3 ]

A new post.

From yesterday.

He was sat on the floor naked, porcelain legs spread wide open as a hand lazily pla-

No.

You closed your laptop shut.

You dared not look at the picture, like tiny pixels could set fire to your eyes.

The sin wasn’t that of lust, no, but emotional intimacy towards something that was never meant to be perceived that way.

Memories of his posts suddenly resurfaced, your mind replacing the masked face with the one you saw everyday.

With the face that never betrayed any emotion… except for yesterday.

Monday was here, your shift was over, and that always meant that it was the time to grab your coffee before you head back home.

But you couldn’t.

You didn’t.

Tuesday mirrored Monday, and so did Wednesday. Your route from work back home always missed the stop at a certain coffee shop.

It was Wednesday, and that meant 3 days since you saw Xavier. You hated to admit it to yourself that you missed him.

Because Xavier- no, Lumiere hadn’t consented to this sort of attraction.

Lumiere was a sexual fantasy as dictated by the man himself, and your attachment has begun to feel invasive…

Because emotional intimacy was never allowed.

You couldn’t allow yourself to get attached romantically. Not when you remember the way Xavier’s eyes sank beneath your skin, as if accusing you of what you have always been scared to admit.

But you missed him. He never had to know. This could be your dirty little secret the way Lumiere was his.

You made your way to the infamous account. Last post was on Saturday.

The last day you had seen Xavier.

The two weeks with no posts.

The last three days with no posts.

And as if your legs had a mind of their own, you found yourself locking your door as you walked out of the apartment, dressed in nothing but your home sweats and a tank top.

The cafe was empty, only 18 minutes before Xavier’s shift ended.

He was sat behind the counter on a stool, his apron loosely tied behind his back.

His lips slightly parted, eyes closed in the lightest of sleep.

You stared at him through the glass door. You always knew Lumiere would have the softest features, but Xavier’s peaceful expression brought your imagination to shame.

It almost felt unholy to tie Xavier to Lumiere. To think for a fraction of a second that they were the same person.

So you chose not to.

You chose not to associate Xavier with Lumiere, nor the other way around.

Xavier was Xavier.

At least until he decided to introduce himself as the one and only Lumiere.

You walked in, a little bell chiming as the door opened, and Xavier jolted at the sound.

He stood up, adjusting his apron when his eyes found you.

It was the widest you’ve seen his eyes. His adam’s apple visibly bobbed, gulping at the sight.

At the sight of you.

Neither of you spoke. Not until the only distance separating you was that of the counter.

Your eyes searched for the slightest emotion in his.

And maybe it worked.

Because you saw the slightest hint of surprise.

The slightest hint of curiosity.

And maybe if you weren’t pushing your luck… the slightest hint of relief.

He bit the inside of his lip, eyes still visibly drowsy.

He waited.

You waited.

You both waited for something to be said.

But nothing was said, and Xavier moved towards the screen to type out your order.

“No-“ you started, only to be met with a silver cocked brow.

“I mean, wait-“ you exhaled, never once breaking eye contact with the man.

“Not the usual?” His voice came low and tired.

Tired of work? Maybe.

Tired of the situation between you two? Definitely.

“No. Not the usual.” You slightly shook your head, fidgeting with your fingers.

He broke the eye contact to observe nervous fingers tugging at each other, only to look back up at you with the tiniest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “What do you come here for, then?” He leaned back, hands reaching behind his neck to take off his apron.

Your voice, though a tiny whisper, boomed within the empty cafe. “You.”

And his hands halted mid air.

those whose begging efforts were successful *wink wink*: @ineffabl-y@obviouslynika

Xavier is easy. He never creates big messes, is asleep most times or half asleep catching up on Super Hunters while scarfing down food like he spent the past year in a famine. He helps out with meals and clean up and always borrows you his latest comics or manga to read and you find that you have so much in common with him as a fellow bookworm and homebody. He likes feeding stray cats and birds fall asleep on his head for some odd reason. You think he is the sweetest thing to ever exist.

The house is peaceful, he usually goes to see his friends, he has state of the art gaming equipment and goes as far as to sound proof his room so he doesn't wake you should he end up playing in the dead of the night or participating in some obscure tournament.

Sometimes, he will come home worse for wear and you always insist on dressing his wounds because he is woefully oblivious, with bandages that were wrapped in a way you could tell was haphazard slowly falling off, yet somehow, sleeping away the injuries actually works for him and you are envious because seeing Zayne's judgemental stare everytime you get on the wrong side of a wanderer makes you want to wither inside.

Everything is so wonderfully peaceful until one day you come home expecting to be alone after he was sent away on an out of town mission. The door to his room is halfway open and as you head for the kitchen a small noise catches your attention. You assume it must be ambient outside noise but as you move closer the faint sound becomes much more distinct.

It's too late to turn around and the shock leaves you frozen in place. His jeans are unbuttoned and slightly lowered to free his cock and his hand moves in a steady rhythm. His hoodie is held up by his teeth. You should turn around. You know that. But you cannot look away. He looks so beautiful, eyes closed while he pants and moans softly. His hips move just a little to chase the friction, it makes him a little louder but the top he is biting down on muffles the sound.

You want to fall to your knees and weep, even as you scream internally to turn around. Your body won't listen. Instead, you're shuffling closer and closer, blood running hot and your breathing slow and staggered to avoid disturbing the air around you. His face is flushed, pink travels from his ears to his cheekbones. You have a full side view of his toned body that is leaned back leisurely over his gaming chair. Need gathers in the pit of your stomach. His dick is big, curves a little to the left which conveniently is where your favourite spot is. You can picture it so perfectly, a little too perfectly. The thought alone makes you dizzy with lust.

“Oh god…” you marvel out loud and quickly cover your mouth but it's too late, he stops and his glazed over eyes look up to meet your widened ones.

He's coming down slowly and guilt stabs at you because you might have just ruined his orgasm.

“I'm sorry! I didn't think you were home. I'll give you some privacy.”

As you reach over to close his door, you catch a glimpse of him tucking himself back in and letting out a soft curse.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what the…” you start heading to your room, face feeling too hot and the visual of him fucking his own hand branded into your brain.

“Wait!” Xavier calls out and you freeze.

He is still catching his breath so you wait for him, too stunned to say a word about what you just saw.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean-” he begins and you're quick to cut him off.

“No! It's okay! I should've been more careful. You didn't do anything wrong. At all.”

“I thought I had time. It won't happen again.”

“What? No. Xavier it's fine I swear. We're adults and we have needs and you were alone.” your face stares intently at the floor and you don't have it in you to lift it up.

“Are you mad?” he takes a step forward before pausing, thinking better of it and steps back instead.

You look up at him to find him looking so mortified.

“No! Never. I swear. I’m not mad at you

Are you mad at me? I will understand if you are. I should have tried to leave quietly and let you…. You know… finish.”

He runs a hand through his hair in frustration while shaking his head.

“It's okay.”

“OK, good. I'm really sorry,”

You take the step towards him and hug him tightly, as if it will undo the intrusion all together. Despite his initial surprise that makes his body go rigid, his arms wrapped around you and he squeezes your back tightly.

You ignore the fact this is the first time you've ever initiated touch with him, the very deliciously hard planes of his form pressing against your soft ones, and how he smells like comfort and dessert and sun in a way it makes you want to bury your nose into his hair and inhale very deeply. And you absolutely ignore the electricity running through your body when he turns his head and presses his nose into that sensitive spot of your neck and nuzzles a little bit. Your legs are jelly but you manage to stay upright.

“Thank you,” he mumbles against your skin before reluctantly releasing you.

“Of course.”

Comfortable that he feels reassured, you head to your room and lean against the door, letting out a heavy sigh. Your pulse is rioting against your throat and you wrap a hand around it as a means to ground yourself.

“Xavier, I have some old records I need to look for in the file room. Would you mind helping me?”

“Sure.”

You get up from your desk and head down the hallway to the elevators. The file room is in the basement. You don’t need to look back to make sure he’s following; you know he will. Xavier’s presence looms behind you and he’s practically licking his lips, waiting for the second he could get his hands on you. You can’t help the blush spreading across your cheeks.

To be completely honest, you would be lying to yourself if you said the prospect of sex at work didn’t excite you. Xavier had brought up the idea two weekends ago and at first, you weren’t sure about it. If you got caught, the consequences would be disastrous. But every morning you would peek your head up over your computer and the sight of Xavier’s striking gaze staring back did something to you. It was only a matter of time before you warmed up to the idea.

You press the down arrow on the elevator button and rock your weight back and forth between the balls of your feet and heels. You glance at Xavier, who turns his head and gives you an innocent smile. Anyone who looks over would see nothing more than a pleasant exchange between coworkers.

The elevator dings and the doors open. The moment you two step in and the doors close again, Xavier’s hand reaches for your ass. You grab his wrist.

“Do I need to remind you that there’s cameras in the elevators?” You tilt your head to the corner of the enclosed space. Xavier looks over at it, very offended. You can’t help but laugh at his expression.

“Stop it, we’re almost here.”

The elevator doors open to the basement level. You step out first and lead him down the hallway to the file room. You enter in the keypad code then push the door open. The file room is decently sized, with shelves after shelves of boxes labeled by the year and alphabetically by their case name or number. Most records have been digitized the past two decades so it’s not often people come in here. However, your stop to the file room isn’t just for pleasure: you actually do have a file you need to look for for a case that’s been reopened. After you walk through all the rows to make sure no one else is in the room, you head to a corner where you think the files you need are. As you look at the labels, searching for the Tobias files, Xavier is busy running his hands all over your body. From behind, he pulls out your button-up that was tucked into your pencil skirt. His fingertips feather over your stomach before reaching up to push your bra aside. He squeezes your nipples and you restrain yourself from reacting.

“Someone’s impatient,” you scold. “Xavier, you’re being too bold. Aren’t you afraid we’ll get caught?”

“No.” He nuzzles at your neck. “It’s almost the end of the day, only a limited number of Hunters get access here, and it’s not often people even come down here at all.”

You hum, eyes closing. His teeth graze at your shoulder. You admit to yourself that he has a point. You yourself have only needed to be down here a handful of times. But, you can’t help teasing him. Abruptly, you turn around to face him, your back against the shelf, arms crossed. It forces his hands out of your now-wrinkled shirt, but he’s only away from you for a second. His hands land on either side of your head against the shelf. It cages you in. 

Okay, you think. You can play this game. So, you run your knee up the inside of his legs and lightly press against his hardened member. Xavier lets out a quiet grunt.

“Are you sure?” you counter. “The Hunters that do come down here are always higher level, and you know Andrew reopened a few of those old cold cases. There’s been more activity down here than ever. Anyone could waltz right in.”

The side of his lip quirks up. “You sound like you want us to get caught.”

“Oh no, Xavier. You’re the one who wanted to have sex in here.” You take a step forward until you’re chest-to-chest. “You’re the one with the fantasy. I mean, did you think about it? What it would be like, taking me in here? I bet you couldn’t stop.” A cheeky grin graces your face. You don’t miss how he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. You love teasing him. It’s so easy. 

Now, it’s your turn to lift his shirt and spread your fingers on his stomach. You look up at him for permission, and he nods, lips slightly parted. You drop down to your knees, face-to-face with where his desire is most evident. His eyes are dark, but a dusting of pink spreads across his cheeks.

“You might want to take these off, Xavier, before it leaves a stain.”

“You’re my partner, right? Help me then.” He grabs your wrist and ushers you to free his erection. You unbutton it first before pulling down the zipper. His cock is hot when you touch it through the thin layer of his boxer briefs. 

“How did you think of having me, Xavier?” you whisper. He runs a hand through your hair, pushing any stray strands out of your face.

“I thought of you just like this,” he says. “I wanted you on your knees taking my cock in your mouth–no.” He corrects himself. “Wait, that’s not right. I wanted you on your knees while I fuck your face.”

One thing you’ve learned about Xavier is that while he may go along with your whims and have you take the reins in daily life–after all, he’s soft and gentle and sweet as a ripe peach–he wants utter control in bed. The glint in his eyes is all he needs to silence you into compliance, and over the past month, you’ve learned you’re all too ready to give in.

You pull out his cock. It’s hard and red, the tip already beading with a drop of pre-cum. You slowly pull his foreskin back to reveal the swollen head. Leaning in, your tongue digs into the slit as far as you can go. He tastes slightly salty, an addicting taste you’ve come to crave. You run your tongue all over the head before rhythmically bobbing your head down the shaft. It earns you a low groan. His hand tightens in your hair.

“No,” he says, pulling you off. “Let me fuck your face.” He grips your chin and guides his cock back into your mouth. Abruptly, he rams forward. The sudden intrusion catches you by surprise as he thrusts deep into your throat again and again. Your eyes prick with tears but Xavier isn’t satisfied yet until your nose is firmly buried in his pubes and his member hits against your soft palate. You hold onto his thighs for leverage, moaning with each thrust. You already know you’re going to have a sore throat tomorrow. The sudden aggressiveness with which he takes you makes you wet. Suddenly, you wish your clothes were off. You wish his hands were on your nipples, pinching and pulling, and grabbing at your thighs. But you’re good for him, so you wait.

“Oh,” he breathes, brows furrowing, “Fuck. Look at you.” He thrusts in one more time and holds that position until you run out of oxygen, until you’re forced to pull off of him with a pop! 

You look away and cough. Xavier is catching his breath but he's nothing if not sweet, so his gaze softens when he bends down and asks if you are alright. “Do you want to continue?”

You nod, your throat thick with his pre-cum. After making sure you’re okay, he helps you up and manhandles you to the end of the row of shelves, until your back hits the wall. Without wasting a second, his hand travels under your skirt. You’re wearing sheer black tights today but—

“You’re not wearing underwear?” He sounds incredulous, his fingers rubbing against your clit through the thin fabric. The surprise is clear on his face. You nervously chuckle. 

“W-well, you said you wanted to do this today, so during lunch I took it off to make it easier. But I couldn’t take off the tights because everyone already saw me wearing them so…yeah.” 

Your breath shakes as he rubs at the bundle of nerves. You’re dripping from the blowjob, more than you thought you would be, so his fingers glide wetly glide against your tights. He dips his fingers into your folds as far as he can with the tights obstructing him.

“So, your underwear is just stuffed into your purse or locker right now?”

You exhale. “They’re actually in my desk. Jenna stopped me on the way to my locker and, ah! Wait,” Xavier rubs at a particularly sensitive spot. “Oh–Keep it right there.”

“Good?” He kisses your exposed neck.

“Mhm, it’s really good. You’re making me feel really good.” You bite your lip but jump when you feel teeth sink into your shoulder. Like he’s apologizing, Xavier’s tongue gently laves over the newly-created mark.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Detaching himself from you, he drops to his knees and begins rolling up your skirt until it’s bunched up at your hips. He stares at your tights and tilts his head.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry in advance.” The sound of ripping fabric tears through the air. 

Your eyes go wide. The tear exposes the entirety of your pussy and much of your inner thighs. You want to be offended, but without missing a beat, Xavier props one of your legs over his shoulder before his tongue is swirling against you. Your words die in your mouth because he’s starting to pull you apart. Pleasure shoots up through your spine and it takes everything in you to keep yourself standing. Ever since this relationship between you two started, you’ve grown so much more sensitive to him.

You press a hand to your mouth to muffle your sounds. Your other hand is in Xavier’s fluffy, silver strands. He seems to relish in your pleasure because he doesn’t stop even when your hand tightens in his hair, even when you start shaking with ecstasy and whisper-scream his name. One more lick of his tongue at just the right spot and your body tenses with your release. Xavier looks up at you with satisfied eyes, a small smirk on his face.

You’re still stunned when he stands up and wraps one of your legs around his waist. Your arms automatically wrap around his neck as he guides himself to enter you. You whimper at the intrusion and gasp when he lifts up your second leg. Now, you’re completely at his mercy.

He effortlessly holds you up–he is a swordsman, after all–and pushes you against the wall for further support. His hips begin to piston as he watches the pleasure melt across your face. Xavier taking you against the wall leaves every ounce of control up to him, and looking at him now through your lashes, you can tell he’s delighting in it. Xavier has a control streak; he desires to fuck you until the single, sole thought in your head is him.

Your moan is cut short by the sound of the file room keypad. 

Shit. 

Someone’s coming. 

You’re in a corner of the file room, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a possibility that whoever it is won’t come over to your side. You tap Xavier on the shoulder.

“Stop,” you mouth. “Someone’s coming.”

He stops and throws a look over his shoulder, annoyance written clearly on his face. When the doors open and footsteps clack against the linoleum floor, he tilts forward and purrs into your ear, “Let them hear you.”

Your eyes go wide. What? 

He can’t be serious, can he? But as he starts driving into you, judging by the force, he actually might be. You lean forward and bite his shoulder through his shirt to muffle your moans. Xavier doesn’t make a single sound. If whatever Hunters who just arrived catch you, it would be entirely your fault. 

The footsteps get louder. From the voices, you realize it’s Nero and Tara.

You attempt to make eye contact with Xavier, eyes pleading. If Nero and Tara see you two together like this, it would be over. Even if they don’t report you, the humiliation would be so great that you’d probably have to transfer to another branch far, far away from Linkon. 

From his actions, Xavier doesn’t seem to care to share the same sentiment. 

“The files we need are over here,” Tara says from across the room. “Wait. Do you hear something?” 

Your heart hammers. It’s sort of exciting, though, you think. Isn’t it? The prospect of getting caught? 

Sweat beads at Xavier temple. His thrusts are shallower to try and reduce noise but when you clench around him, he stifles low groan. You bury your face in Xavier’s shoulder again as his cock fills you over and over.

“I don’t hear anything. It’s probably just mice or fat moths. These are paper records after all.” Nero.

“Oh I see them!” Tara again. “The Bloomberg files!”

Please, can you guys just leave? You’re falling apart as Xavier continues his movements.

“Nero, help me carry this upstairs! Hurry up, it’s almost the end of the day!” Nero groans and you hear the shuffling of papers and boxes. Then, the door opens and slams shut. The minute it does, a torrent of moans you held back escape out of you. Xavier sharply thrusts to the hilt, again and again and again, skin slapping against skin. 

When his movements stutter, you realize he’s close. He gasps and shudders before stilling, eyes falling shut. You watch as goose flesh dot the exposed skin of his chest where his shirt isn’t buttoned up entirely. You relax against him as his cock twitches against your walls. Once he slips out, he lets you back on the ground. Your inner thighs are sore from where he held you open.

Your tights are absolutely ruined. Your fluids and Xavier’s release run down your legs. Embarrassingly, some of it is even on the concrete floor. Xavier’s shirt is wrinkled and stained from where you bit him. All evidence of your activities. 

“We’re a mess,” you let out a huff of laughter.

“I…didn’t think about the aftermath when I had this fantasy.”

You laugh at his inconvenienced expression. You end up taking off your tights, wiping your thighs with them as best you can, and folding them up to throw away in the trash can in the hall. Xavier tucks his shirt back into his pants and tries to smooth out the creases. Anyone looking at you could probably tell what transpired here, but thankfully, it’s a Friday and back upstairs, you learn the office emptied out quickly while you were away.

The next day, Xavier knocks on your door. He’s holding four packets of tights, all in different colors. A hand on his neck in apology, he tells you he didn’t know what color you’d like, so he got a variety.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°

Then you glance down and see his bare collarbones. He’s not wearing a shirt, you realize, and apparently, neither are you. You’re not wearing anything, in fact. It’s not a stretch to assume Xavier isn’t either. Your cheeks heat up. What happened last night?

You close your eyes and your sluggish mind manages to piece together the night before. Tara had organized a casual after work event. She invited all of the young coworkers who could reasonably be considered a friend, and even managed to get Nero and Xavier to join. It was everyone on your team besides Jenna, who refused to cross work boundaries, and then more. You all pregamed at Tara’s apartment after work and then left for the club before the alcohol could catch up with you. At the nightclub, you downed another drink because Tara said she’d pay for a round. Since you technically hadn’t bought anything yet, you paid for another drink for yourself. You reasoned it was like a two-for-one deal. The cocktails didn’t even taste like alcohol, as sweet as they were.

You remember meandering through the dance floor, the thrum of the music pulsating deep into your bones. You hadn’t gone out in months and you missed dressing up and losing yourself, away from the stress and struggles of everyday life. You remember dancing in your heels and someone else’s hands on your hips. The other person pressed close against you. You couldn’t even hear him over the sound of the DJ.

The next memory was you struggling to unlock your front door with the fingerprint ID. You can recall this because you were getting frustrated, wiping your finger on your dress and your dress on the lock a few times. As you did so, arms were wrapped around your waist as you both giggled deliriously at the incredulity of it. The world tilted under your feet from the influence of alcohol as you both scrambled into the apartment. You stumbled out of your heels and your back hit the wall. The kiss was hot and messy. You couldn’t wait to lead him to your bedroom.

You straddled him on the bed. He pulled your strapless dress down just enough to pinch and then finally suck at your nipples. At some point, you remember your face in the sheets, panting and gasping, your ass high in the air, his cock plowing through you. You thought to yourself how your makeup was going to get ruined, how your sheets were going to be caked with foundation and mascara, but then he spanked your ass and your mind went blank.

You rub at your face. Oh god, what was I thinking?! Xavier is your best friend, your neighbor, and your work partner. What had transpired between the two of you could mess everything up. Xavier is so entangled into every part of your life now. Without him, your whole world would darken. This is not to mention the crush you’ve been harboring for him the past few months. If Xavier wakes up and thinks this whole thing was a mistake, it would count as a romantic rejection for you too.

You shift in bed, trying to get out and get dressed. Maybe if you make some breakfast and act normal, you can pretend this whole thing never happened. But you must be making too much noise or moving too fast, because you suddenly feel the arms around your waist tighten.

“Where are you going?” Xavier mutters, eyes still close.

“Y-you’re awake?” you whisper. “I’ve been awake for a while now. I’m just resting my eyes.” He pulls you closer to him. His face fits right between your chin and shoulder. Your heart aches at how tender this is, at how many times you’ve imagined being in this position with him. If only it hadn’t happened like this. You’re no longer sure how to proceed, but it seems like Xavier isn’t concerned. You’re tempted to analyze this further but ultimately decide you can confront it later, when your head throbs a little less.

When you wake up for the second time, you’re alone in bed. A pang of sadness goes through you. You didn’t expect Xavier to just leave you like that, but you also couldn’t blame him. He’s never made any moves on you despite the closeness you share. You’re under the impression he’s only ever seen you as a platonic friend, and that’s what deters you from confessing your feelings for him. If he left you while you were sleeping, maybe he does consider this whole fiasco a mistake. It will be so awkward facing him now, won’t it? What if he asks for a new work partner or doesn’t even say hi to you in the hallway?

A clanging sound in your kitchen draws you out of your depressive spiral. Did Xavier not leave after all? You feel better after the second round of sleep, though your stomach grumbles for food, so you get up and rifle through the pile of clothes on your chair for an old, baggy sweatshirt. You put on clean underwear and lift the sweatshirt off just enough to clip on a bra. You finger comb your hair as you go into the bathroom attached to your room to brush your teeth and relieve yourself. Afterwards, you pour way too much makeup remover onto a cotton pad and wipe away any trace amounts of makeup before washing your face in the sink. You hurry, because you’re afraid Xavier will leave. Done with quickly freshening up, you leave your bedroom and peer around the corner to see what Xavier is doing. He’s ladling congee from a takeout container into two bowls, which he then places onto a tray with long strips of deep fried dough. He must’ve gone out to get it while you were asleep, and he also must’ve stopped by his own apartment to change clothes because he’s now wearing his usual white hoodie and gray sweatpants. You watch as he tops the bowls with ginger, green onions, and pork floss. This must be a good sign if he got you both breakfast, right? You take tentative steps out of your hiding spot.

Xavier looks up at your approach. “You’re awake. I got us breakfast.”

“It looks delicious. Thank you, Xavier.”

He brings the tray to your couch and as the two of you eat, he doesn’t bring up what happened last night. As a matter of fact, he’s as he’s always been. He even puts up old, hand-drawn cartoons that often play on the kid’s channel on weekend mornings. Once the two of you finish eating, you go to wash the dishes. Xavier stays on the couch, watching the cartoons, and chuckling once in a while as the cartoon mouse evades his archnemesis, the housecat. It’s not until you’re almost finished with the dishes that you find him approaching you. He stands right behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, just like when you were laying in bed earlier. This time, his hands slide under your sweatshirt and splay against your skin. His head rests on your shoulder.

Your breath hitches as his fingertips fidget and smooth along the planes of your stomach and sides, where you’re most ticklish. You fight the urge to flinch away, scared of what his continuing touch means but also craving for more of it nonetheless.

“That bowl is clean of soap,” he says. You pull your attention back to the sink.

“That it is,” you murmur. You turn off the faucet and place the clean bowl on the drying rack. Xavier doesn’t move and neither do you. Your hips dig into the counter as you let his hands explore you.

“You put on a bra.” He’s cupping your breasts over the fabric. You practically hear the pout in his voice. He circles each of your nipples over the thin material and you sharply inhale. The feeling goes straight to your groin, but it seems you’re not the only one. You feel his hardness pressing against your back, obvious under the thin material of his sweatpants.

“Your weakness,” he whispers before kissing your neck. He means your nipples, which have always been overly sensitive. His lips rise higher to ghost the thin skin just under your ear, and you let out a full body shudder. You feel him smile before he kisses you there and nibbles at the lobe of your ear. Without realizing it, you press your hips back against him, your legs rubbing together to put pressure between your core. His hands glide under the underwire.

“Xavier!” you gasp.

He kisses the area under your ear again. “You don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at me the past few months?” He mumbles against you. His teeth graze your neck before giving it an apologetic lick and kiss. His right hand slides down to reach into your underwear. He parts the folds and dips his middle finger inside for only a second, enough to lubricate his finger with your gathering wetness, before rubbing at your bundle of nerves. You feel shaky on your legs. You can’t believe what’s happening right now. “I danced with you last night. And then you were grinding on me. Do you remember? You pushed your hips against mine, just like how you’re doing right now. I even had to move us away from where our coworkers were sitting. Then, because we were at the corner of the club, you turned around and pushed me against the wall to kiss me. You even had a finger in my waistband. I was afraid you’d try to take my pants off right there.”

You flush. You did that? You’ve never known yourself to be so bold.

“You’re lying,” you say weakly.

“I never lie to you.”

“Xavier,” you gasp. “Th-that feels good.”

He hums and moves his left hand away from your breast to the back of your underwear. He reaches lower and lower until he has a finger inserted into your folds, pistoning in and out, before a second one joins. His right hand still rubs furiously at your clit. With the dual sensations, you feel like you’re on the edge, the pleasure too much. The juxtaposition of his usual gentleness with this new side revealed to you excites you. You hold your breath and still. One final rub against your sweet spot and you’re tipping over. The orgasm rips a whimper out of you.

“I got you,” he says soothingly. The hand that’s inside you wraps around your waist but the one on your clit doesn’t let go. Rather, he moves slower, sometimes even tapping the nub, as he works his way through your release. Your breath is heavy, eyes falling shut. You grab his wrist but his touch is so addicting, you can’t bring yourself to yank him away.

“Xavier, that feels good. You’re making me feel so good.” You rock against him until you’re finally down from your high. He removes his hand, but the ghost of his touch is still there. Your body is buzzing. Before you can return to reality and let mortification set in, Xavier is grinding himself against your backside.

“I want to be inside you,” his voice, when he speaks, is so quiet. “Will you let me in?” His blue eyes are pleading. You’re always shocked by the color of them. You can never say no to them. You lick your lips and nod, and it’s all the permission he needs before he’s sliding your underwear down to your knees. He bunches up your sweatshirt and bends you over the sink. His cock splits you open, until he’s in to the hilt. You gasp and reach for his hand on your hip.

“Hold on, wait. I need to get used to you. Just–don’t move yet.”

“I didn't think you'd need to, after last night." Another kiss on your neck makes you clench around him. He groans but continues speaking. "I wish you could see what I see right now. You’re completely stretched around me.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You’ve imagined Xavier like this before, in the dim of the night when you’re by yourself pining for him. It’s another thing to hear it outside of your thoughts. Your breath wavers.

Once you feel adjusted, you push back against him slowly. He takes this opportunity to pull out of you almost completely before pushing back in. He sets a languid, rhythmic pace. You reach a hand down to play with yourself and Xavier makes a noise of encouragement. You moan, melting with the stimulation. Behind you, Xavier grunts but he's unrelenting.

All of a sudden, he pulls out and turns you around. He lifts one thigh up so your knee is bent at his elbow, your foot dangling. He pushes into you again, and at this angle, he reaches deeper inside. You’re lightheaded from the way your breath hitches with each movement. He keeps pulling out almost to the tip before slamming in forcefully, ripping moan after moan out of you. You’re pleased to realize that you have an effect on him, too. Small beads of sweat gather at his temples, his eyes half-lidded, mouth parted. You can’t stop looking at his lips. You want him to kiss you.

He groans, pale brows furrowing. “I’m gonna cum,” he manages, voice raspy.

You nod vigorously, begging. “Yes, do it. Cum inside me. Please!”

With a few more rapid thrusts, he buries himself deep inside you. His cock pulses, painting your walls. Your forehead lays on his shoulder. His breath is rough in your ear, groaning as he spurts inside. After a few moments, he softens and slips out of you. He grabs some paper towels and wets them to clean himself and then you. You lean against the sink, coming down from your high. You take birth control, but to tell him to cum inside was a whole new level of infatuation. You press your face into your hands.

“What’s wrong?” He presses his fingertips to your arm. You can’t look at him right now, but you picture his brows furrowed in concern, a small frown on his lips. It’s the same expression as when he can’t win a stuffed animal at the arcade claw machine.

“Um.” You position your body in his direction at least. Your underwear is on the ground and you just orgasmed from your best friend who you also accidentally hooked up with last night. How does one react in this situation? There isn’t a manual for this.

“Did you…not want that?” he asks sadly.

You pull your hands away from your face. “No! I mean…not ‘no’ as in I didn’t want it. I did want it. It felt really good.” You bite your lower lip. “I’m just afraid of how this will affect our friendship.”

“It doesn’t have to affect anything,” replies Xavier. He says it like it's simple. “We can keep doing what we’ve always done. That is, if you agree and want to continue our friendship. What do people call that? Friends with benefits?”

Friends with benefits. Your heart drops but you ignore it. You can live in a fantasy if it means you get to keep your friendship and have a little more.

This is how it all starts. You and Xavier continue trying out new restaurants every weekend, hanging out in each other’s apartments after work, and bantering and bickering and debating every little thing. You even spend New Years together making lanterns and go to the fair when it comes to town. On missions, Xavier continues to defend you with his life, and you have his back when the Wanderers close in. The nights just end a little differently now.

you and xavier had been together for half a year now, and to no suprise he’d become both your boyfriend and your biggest supporter.

he never judged what you did for work. its how you met after all. if anything, he spoiled you over it now. new lighting equipment showed up at your apartment before you even mentioned needing it. expensive cameras, and custom outfits soon followed and what started as a side hustle became a full production. he helped set up angles, adjusted microphones, always lingering somewhere just outside the frame like a secret only you knew about.

your viewers noticed him eventually. the mysterious shadow crossing behind the camera. a masculine hand appearing for half a second. the deep voice murmuring something too muffled to make out. chat had become obsessed.

'who’s the guy?'

'is she seeing someone?'

'bring shadow man on camera.'

at first, you ignored it and xavier preferred it that way. being a deepspace hunter meant anonymity mattered, and honestly…you liked keeping him to yourself. the idea of thousands of people looking at him for too long made something possessive twist warmly in your chest.

but the thought had been sitting in your head for weeks now. one show. just one.

you brought it up after stream one night while wiping glittering makeup from your cheeks, exhaustion settling pleasantly into your limbs. xavier sat nearby helping you unplug cables, sleeves rolled to his forearms as he carefully wrapped cords so they wouldn’t tangle.

"please? just this once." your voice came out softer than intended, almost a whine.

he looked over at you immediately, brows lifting. "you’re serious?"

"yes" you turned toward him fully, moving between his knees where he sat in the desk chair. your hands rested on his shoulders automatically. "you can cover your face. no one has to know who you are."

xavier exhaled slowly, fingers settling against your hips. "you know that’s not completely it."

and you did. it wasn’t only secrecy, xavier liked being behind the scenes because it let you shine. let you stay in control. but lately, every time he touched you during setup, every quiet praise whispered off-camera, every lingering kiss after filming ended—you wanted more. wanted everyone to know there was someone making you come undone that easily.

you leaned down until your forehead rested against his.

"c’mon," you murmured teasingly. "my viewers are dying to meet the shadow." you said dramatically

a faint smile tugged at his mouth despite himself, "your viewers are nosy."

"and jealous." you added

that earned a low laugh from him. his hands slid up your thighs slowly, deliberately, like he already knew he was losing this argument.

"you’re trouble," he muttered

you grinned immediately, "so that’s a yes?"

xavier tilted his head back against the chair, studying you for a long moment before finally sighing in defeat.

"one stream," he said carefully. "face covered. and if I want it deleted afterward, it’s gone."

excitement sparked through you so fast you nearly squealed. instead, you kissed him hard enough to make him stumble back in the chair.

"done deal!"

his arms wrapped around your waist instantly, pulling you closer with a quiet hum against your lips. "you’re lucky i'm obsessed with you," he murmured.

───♡──────♡──────♡──────♡───

the night of the stream came. you'd set up the camera yourself, angle adjusted to catch the full spread of your bed, the dark sheets contrasting against your outfit. xavier stands just out of frame, his lumiere mask gleaming under the soft studio lights you'd convinced him to let you install.

"ready?" you ask, voice soft, a private moment before the public one.

he nods, and you see his hand twitch at his side nervously. you reach out, squeeze his fingers reassuringly, and step into frame.

you smile at the lens, all coy confidence, and begin your usual preamble—teasing, building anticipation. but your eyes keep flicking to the edge of the frame where he waits.

"i have a suprise for you guys tonight" you say to your viewers

"come here," you beckon, and he steps into view.

the shift in energy is immediate. you watch viewers type in real-time, a flush creeping up your neck, because they're seeing what you get to have. all of it.

"isnt he gorgeous? you say to the camera

xavier moves behind you, his chest pressing against your back as his arms wrap around your waist. his lips visible beneath the mask's jawline brush your ear, "you're shaking."

"you make me nervous" you admit, half-laughing, but it's true. even after months, he still makes your pulse race.

he chuckles, and the sound sends a shiver down your spine, "good"

the first act is slow. he removes your satin robe with practiced ease, fingertips trailing down your shoulders, your spine, the dip of your lower back. you're left in nothing but the lace lingerie set he'd helped you pick out—baby pink with delicate straps that crisscross over your ribs.

he lays you down on the bed, face-up, and you see him reach for the silk scarves you'd set aside. your breath catches.

"remember our safeword?" he asks, quiet enough that only you can hear.

you nod. your safe word has always been 'carrotcake', the opposite of anything sexy, a failsafe that's never been used but always there. you trust him with a ferocity that surprises even you.

xavier binds your wrists to the headboard with the scarves, testing the give, making sure you can still shift and move your fingers. the chat goes wild.

'look at those little fingers wiggling, she's right where she wants to be'

'good girl, let him take control'

'i want those knots on MY wrists next'

he steps back, just for a moment, letting the camera capture the full image. you, spread out, vulnerable, waiting. his hand traces down your thigh, parting your legs, and he positions himself between them.

"you look so good like this," he says, not to the camera, but to you.

"so pretty. all mine." the possessive edge in his voice makes you clench around nothing.

he works you open with his fingers first — agonizingly slow. you arch into his touch, hips bucking, but he pulls away every time you get close. by the third time he drags you to the precipice and stops, you're trembling, breath coming in short, desperate gasps.

"please," you whimper, and xavier tilts his head, mask catching the light.

"please what?"

"you know what."

you know you shouldn't give attitude but its so hard not to when he is treating you this way in front of hundreds of eyes.

but finally he does as he sinks into you in one slow, deliberate motion, and the sound you make is embarrassing—a choked, needy moan that gets amplified by the studio mic. he fills you completely, and the stretch is exquisite, a perfect ache that makes your toes curl.

but he stays still. just inside you, buried and unmoving.

"look at the camera," he says

you do and you finally see your reflection. your eyes are glassy, mascara smudging, lips parted. you look utterly wrecked and he hasn't even fucked you yet.

"tell them who you belong to."

the request sends a jolt of heat straight to your core. "you" you breathe, "i belong to you."

he starts to move and the pace is harsh. deep, hard thrusts that hit that perfect spot inside you, making stars burst behind your eyelids. but every time you get close, every time your walls begin to flutter and your moans pitch higher—he slows down. stops. pulls out entirely if he has to.

when he finally flips you over, guiding you onto your hands and knees, you almost sob with relief. but he doesn't let you rest. he positions himself behind you, one hand firm on your hip, the other reaching to undo the scarves binding your wrists.

"turn around," he instructs. "facing the camera."

you comply, legs trembling as you settle into reverse cowgirl, your back to him and your front exposed to the lens. the position leaves you completely open—he can see everything, the chat can see everything, and the vulnerability makes you feel deliciously filthy.

for a moment you settle on his thighs as he trails kisses up your spine to your shoulder blades. taking his teeth to pull the straps of your bra down. as your breasts break free, he guides himself inside you again, and this angle lets him reach deeper, if that's even possible. you brace your hands on his legs, rolling your hips to meet his thrusts, and the camera captures every detail. the way your breasts bounce, the flush spreading across your chest, the glisten of sweat on your skin.

but the chat isn't looking at you as much as they're looking at him. at his hands gripping your hips, leaving red marks. at the muscles in his thighs tensing with each thrust. at the lumiere mask catching the light, anonymous and mysterious.

chats coming in complimenting YOUR man

'where can i subscribe?'

'boyfriend goals, seriously'

'that mask makes him so hot, like a sexy phantom'

"xavier," you moan, forgetting the camera, forgetting the audience, forgetting everything but the way he feels inside you.

he growls—actually growls and pulls you closer, fucking into you with renewed vigor, "say my name again."

"xavier—"

you're close. so fucking close. the familiar coil tightens in your belly, pressure building, and you chase it desperately, grinding back against him

and he stops, "no," he says voice strained, "not yet."

you cry out, a broken sound that's half-frustration, half-pleasure. he holds you still, breath hot against your shoulder, waiting for your body to calm down. it takes longer this time. you're so sensitive, so overstimulated, that even the brush of his chest against your back makes you shiver.

"please" you beg, and it's not for the camera. it's for him. "xavier, please."

he doesn't answer. instead, he shifts positions, pulling out and guiding you onto your back again. he lifts your legs, hooking them over his shoulders, and then he presses forward, pushing your knees toward your chest.

the praying mantis position. you're folded nearly in half, legs wrapped around his neck, completely exposed and helpless. he enters you again, and the angle is so deep you see stars. every inch of him fills you, presses against your cervix, and the fullness is overwhelming.

he starts thrusting immediately, no mercy this time. each stroke is deep, grinding, hitting that spot inside you that makes your vision blur. your hands fly up, grabbing at his forearms. anything to keep yourself grounded to this plane of existence.

"look at you," he breathes, mask inches from your face. "taking me so well. our viewers are losing their minds."

you can't even bring yourself to care about the viewers. all you can focus on is the way he's fucking you, the way his hips slap against yours, the way his cock stretches you open.

but even now, even in this desperate, beautiful position, he doesn't let you cum. he edges you again and again and again—each time pulling you back from the brink with such precision that speaks to how well he knows your body.

by the time he's ready, you're a sobbing, trembling mess. tears streak down your cheeks, mixing with sweat. your legs are weak, your thighs slick, your entire body hypersensitive to every touch.

"okay," he says, voice gentle now. "okay, baby you've been so good. you can cum now."

he fucks you through it—a deep, steady rhythm that doesn't waver. and when your orgasm finally crashes over you, it's not a single wave but a tsunami. your back arches off the bed, a scream tearing from your throat as you clench around him, pulse after pulse after pulse. he follows moments later, hips stuttering, buried deep as he fills you. its a good thing he thought to sound proof your room before doing this.

the chat is incomprehensible. donations flood the screen. your tip goal is broken three times over in the span of a minute.

you barely register it. you're limp in xavier's arms, spent and satisfied, your body humming with aftershocks. he untangles your legs from his shoulders carefully, lowering them to the bed.

───♡──────♡──────♡──────♡───

"alright, that’s enough for tonight," xavier says with a low laugh. one hand rubbing slow circles into your thigh while you’re sinking into the mattress, half-asleep already.

"she’s completely gone, my baby worked too hard for you tonight." he says looking back to the camera, calm and possessive in that effortless way.

"maybe i'll see you guys again...or not." he reaches forward, thumb covering the lens at the very last second ending the stream. then he unfastens the lumiere mask, and sets it aside. his face is flushed, hair disheveled, eyes soft and warm as he looks down at you.

"okay?" he asks

"better than okay," you manage, voice hoarse

he smiles that genuine smile that's just for you and leans down to press a kiss to your forehead.

your head rested against his chest while his fingers lazily traced patterns along your bare spine, slow and absentminded like he couldn’t stop touching you now that he’d finally stepped into your world properly.

you could still feel the adrenaline buzzing in your veins. the chat had gone absolutely feral the moment xavier appeared on camera, even masked, even barely visible.

you smiled against his skin at the memory. "you know they’re never going to shut up about this now."

xavier hummed sleepily above you, "i noticed."

you laughed softly, and tilted your head to look at him, "they loved you."

he scoffed at first then completely casually, "we should make this a weekly thing.”

"the stream?" you responded weakly

"yes" xavier’s hand slid up your back, fingertips brushing the back of your neck. "you seemed happy."

"i was — no i am happy," you admitted immediately. "but xavier, you’re the one who didn’t even want to show your hands at first."

"and now I understand the appeal." he said placing a kiss on your head. you stared at him for another second before a grin spread slowly across your face.

"oh my god", you pushed yourself up onto his chest dramatically. "do you want your own channel, my bunny boy?"

xavier snorted quietly, "absolutely not."

"you could, though," you continued, ignoring him entirely. "maybe you should retire from being a deepspace hunter. serving the community this way is clearly your true calling."

his brows lifted in amusement, "serving the community?"

"mhm", you nodded seriously. "public service, actually, the people deserve more of you."

"the people," he repeated flatly, "don’t get more of me."

warmth bloomed in your chest at that. still grinning, you traced your finger along his jaw. "so no bunny boy solo debut?"

he pretended to think about it. actually tilted his head and looked toward the ceiling thoughtfully.

your eyes widened immediately, "xavier!"

"i think i’d do very well, actually...but no"

you rolled your eyes, but your smile softened when his hand moved up to cradle your cheek gently. the teasing faded into something quieter then, something warm enough to make your chest ache.

"i like having you all to myself anyway," you admitted softly. "i barely survived sharing you for one stream."

something in xavier’s expression immediately melted. his thumb brushed slowly across your cheekbone. "yeah?"

"mhm" you ducked your head a little, suddenly shy despite everything the two of you had just done on camera together. "they can look, i guess — but you’re mine."

the words came out half teasing, half genuine. xavier looked at you like you’d said something precious. then he smiled and pulled you down until your forehead rested against his.

"good," he murmured. "i was hoping you’d say that."

your heart squeezed painfully filled with so much love. you kissed him slowly after that, unhurried and warm, his hand settling securely at your waist like he had no intention of letting you go anytime soon.

no cameras. no audience. no chat begging for more.

just xavier holding you close in the fading glow of the studio lights, smiling against your lips like he’d already decided there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Sloppy, there were a few possible explanations. They were either young, or arrogant. Some, within Xavier’s kind, underestimated humans. 

His princess was proof enough. 

His. 

The intrusion of such a word had the vampire startling, before he inhaled, waited a few seconds, then exhaled. 

His. 

Whether you were his to capture, or his to claim, maybe even his to care for - he didn’t know. And he wouldn’t, which, in an odd turn of events, refused to tweak his understanding of the situation. 

He would remain, despite the call of his blade, the scream of his instincts. 

Even as he heard the door to your room open. 

He would remain, he would not interfere.

These vampires were quick, although flawed. 

Nails dug into your flesh, the palm of a hand pressing into the back of your neck. It thrust your throat into the mattress, your chin elevated by the pillow. It was uncomfortable, and for a second you couldn't find your breath, heart hammering against your breast. 

Anger and fear tangled, writhing, distorting your thoughts. Panic led your hand to dart beneath your pillow, where silver met your fingertips. With a cry out, a sudden burst of momentum allowed you to roll underneath your assailant, and swing the point of your dagger into their side. It wasn’t clean, it ricocheted off their ribs, and a howl of pain resounded above you. 

It was a male, reeking of dirt and copper. Relief leaked into your state of adrenaline, quietly communicating to your senses it wasn’t Xavier. 

Your vampire was barging through the door connecting your chambers, his blade clashing with another’s. You knew it was him by the hiss that sliced through his teeth, bolstered by a growl fed by the depth of his voice. Feral, possessive, mad with chaos, he utilized the dominion of his ferocity. 

His grunts stoked your rebellion, and with a brutal twist of your wrist, the blade rotated within your opponent. Blood dripped down onto your abdomen, thicker than a human’s, syrupy and vile. 

Jaws snapped near your ear, stubble fanning the underside of your jaw as the front of fangs rubbed your neck. A sliver closer, and they’d be embedded around your vein, pursuing an antidote. 

The body above yours was yanked away, forcefully removed from your weapon. It left the dagger in your grip, surroundings finally absorbed by your gaze. 

“Mine,” Xavier seethed, hovering over the vampire at his feet. The tip of his sword mingled with the bob of the vampire’s throat, concluding a fatal outcome should his opponent retaliate. 

Provided with an opening, you vaulted off your mattress, crouching to reach beneath your bed and obtain another weapon. 

Xavier swept his blade, severing tendon, muscle, and vein. The vampire below him, the one that had touched you with fangs, spasmed, donning a choker of scarlet. A sensation Xavier had never once experienced before overrode his logic. To safeguard your dignity was categorized as the role of a mate. 

This vampire had offended you. 

It led the tip of Xavier’s blade through the heart of your assailant. 

Near your balcony, another battle was taking place. Grunts echoed, yours less labored than those belonging to your opponent. A body fell, heftier than yours. 

So when Xavier rose to his full height, transitioning to face you, your form was expected. 

The weapon in your hands was not. 

The body laid at your heels was unmoving, an arrow protruding from her chest. 

Your stance was firm, breath even, eyes edged with resolve. 

Xavier held his own position, refusing to yield. 

Archers were often considered inferior when it came to close combat, and Xavier already had determined you were not trained by an expert. The choice of a steel bow was calculated, however. Although the curvature was designed by thin, flexible metal, it was reinforced enough to pause the swing of a blade. 

Judging by the miniscule knicks at the edges, you had executed parries before. 

The length of your bow was considerable, spanning from above your head, down to the tops of your knees. The force behind your draw would injure a vampire should your arrow remain true. 

Which, if the state of the previous Catcher was anything to go by, you rarely missed, nor did you hesitate. 

Your scent, your strength, that daring glint in your eyes, once more tempted Xavier’s curiosity. 

And once more did he wonder how confining you to the shackles of his coven might dim you. 

“I said I wouldn’t disappoint,” you reminded him, eyes narrowing as your arm beckoned the string of your bow back. 

Xavier smiled, unable to hide his amusement, reacting to the confidence being gained, bloating your fragrance. 

“So did I.” 

Your eyes darted to the side, and with precision, your body rotated slightly; a fraction of an inch. You let the arrow fly. 

Xavier tilted his head, the arrow whistling past his ear to land within the bookcase behind him. The thud was satisfying, crisp as the shaft of the arrow reverberated. 

That, and a gurgle of a wounded assailant resounded. 

You relaxed, dropping your shoulders, resting your bow at your side. Instead of knocking a second arrow, with a jut of your chin, you gestured for Xavier to take in the scene behind him. 

The vampire you had struck was still alive. The tip of your arrow had impaled his throat, pinning him to the furniture. His hands grappled at the shaft, struggling to find purchase as his bloodied palms were slick from the slices he had taken from Xavier. 

Since vampires didn’t require oxygen, the shot wasn’t fatal. But, he’d be unable to talk. That didn’t mean, however, notes couldn’t be left. 

Xavier spun his blade, directing the point towards the ground. His arm rose, and with one, forceful push, he drove his sword into the vampire’s heart. 

Traitor. 

A whisper of a word, a wheeze of a title. 

That was the vampire’s last mutterance. 

When Xavier swiveled, returning to face you, he had expected to see a weapon trained on his head. You were already dragging a corpse, your bow returned to its spot beneath your bed. 

“You’re the first,” you said, stopping to brush sweat from your forehead with your arm. The body at your feet did little to deter you. This wasn’t your first disposal. “All the others had tried to do it in some nefarious way. You, Catcher, would have fought me.” 

Some sort of acknowledgement thrived in your irises. You looked at Xavier in a way you had never before, and much to his detriment, it made his stomach flip then flop, restless in the depths of his core. 

What else could he do to achieve your recognition? 

When your eyes weren’t lined with their usual wariness, every crease that carved the skin of your face vanished. The shape of your mouth was gentle, and Xavier took some time to admire it. Somehow, in your crimson-stained garments, your torn hem, and disheveled hair, you appeared as a princess. 

One he’d very much like to serve. 

Xavier sheathed his sword, walked over, and bent, gripping the fallen intruder by his wrists. 

“If you wouldn’t mind . . . grab the ankles,” he prompted. 

Between the two of you, it took a few heaves, coordinated lifts, and quiet instructions to maneuver all the bodies onto a blanket. Once they were rolled up, Xavier looked to you, inviting your next steps. 

“I usually take them to the forge, the only location with a big enough furnace.”

“By yourself?” 

You pondered, then answered, “who else would I ask?” 

“So, it’s a secret.” 

Your nod was his confirmation. Expanding on your reasoning wasn’t something you would willingly do with a Catcher. Even if that Catcher demonstrated a rickety partnership by killing his own to protect you. 

Unless he had ulterior motives. 

“Were those Catchers from your coven?” You tied the ends of the blanket, and drug the bundle across your room. “Or . . . am I being hunted by others?” 

Xavier opened the door, peeking his head out, checking first to the left, then the right. His movements, however, were far slower than those of a human. He was listening, relying on heightened senses to detect threats further down. 

He didn’t reply, not even when you two had successfully transported the bodies to the forge, disposed of them, and snuck through the castle back to your rooms. You followed in silence, partially incongruent, confused by the idea of help. A shard of you found solace, discovering comfort in reliance. Xavier’s abilities were superior, and navigating the halls at ease was rather relieving. 

As you washed, Xavier stood guard, his familiar stance outside your divider welcoming. The lack of response from him crafted an eerie reticence, and you plucked at dry blood as you thought, mouth occasionally opening without a definitive phrase. 

You were waiting, still, for his answer. 

You needed to know. 

If those vampires from before were from a different coven, Xavier’s defense was merely a form of competition. 

But if they weren’t, Xavier had just committed an act of desertion. If that was the case, your next question would be regarding how much time he had before his coven detected his betrayal. Incinerating their corpses purchased some time, yet fragments of bone remained, buried in ash. 

How vampires operated in terms of investigating was unknown to you, but considering their attention to detail, it wouldn’t be long before the remnants were found. 

Your mind bounced back to the thought of competition. There was danger in that aspect. Your Champion would have whittled down his opponents, increasing his chance of a triumphant abduction. If so, your enemy gained leverage. 

With a hefty sigh, Xavier commanded your regard, his head turning to look over his shoulder. Your gaze greeted him through a horizontal slit, sapphire eyes accented between the chestnut slabs of wood. 

When he spoke, his eyes squinted, relaying a subtle smile. Warmth unfurled between your ribs, that foreign sense of comfort spreading once more. 

“Steady your heart, princess, they were from mine.”

the familiar chime of a new message popped up on your screen. you glanced at the name: xavier. you smiled, feeling a flutter in your chest. xavier was different from the other viewers. he wasn’t there just for the show, for the attention, or the fleeting thrill of watching someone else. he lingered, coming back night after night, always with the same thoughtful messages and the same quiet presence.

you adjusted your bunny ears, making sure they were perched just right. you loved your job as a camgirl, the attention, the freedom, the chance to explore different personas, but xavier made it something more.

"hey, bunny," the message read. "how was your day? i hope you’re taking it easy."

your heart softened at the kindness, something you didn't often see from your viewers. you typed back quickly, fingers dancing over the keyboard.

"hey, xavier! missed you all day how are you? still working late?"

the reply came almost immediately, "of course. you know me."

you chuckled as you had learned over the weeks that xavier was a bit of a workaholic, whether it was late nights or early mornings. you werent entirely sure what he did but you had your suspicions. there was something admirable about his dedication, but at times you couldn't help but worry. he seemed to lose himself in his work, like it was the only thing that mattered.

you leaned back in your chair, adjusting the angle of the camera, tilting it down ever so slightly to tease the white lacey bra you were wearing. though you were an entertainer, you still wanted to know him, to connect with the man behind the screen.

"xavier," you said aloud this time, your heart pounding a little faster. you knew your time may be limited with him so might as well make the most of it. "how long are you on break? you work so hard, you are going to get burnt out."

another ding, "i know… i guess i just don’t know how to relax anymore."

you smirked to yourself. this is what you are here for. you flipped your hair back slightly, exposing the skin of your neck. you cleared your throat ever so slightly before speaking, "well i think i know just how to help you out." this time a chime, signaling a payment of $500. it had been a slow night, and this was the biggest tip you had made so far. "aw would you look at that its time for a private show so it looks like ill have to end the public stream for now see you all next time." you said before blowing a kiss at the camera and inviting xavier to a seperate room.

you caught your reflection in the computer screen. your makeup was smudged, eyes wide with a mix of excitement and fear. "shit," you muttered under her breath, grabbing a tube of cherry lip gloss from the cluttered desk. you swiped it on, "gotta look the part," you whispered though no one was there to hear it.

the private room loaded, a stark expanse of black and white. xavier’s username glowed in the corner of the screen, a silent presence waiting for you to make the first move. "hey, stranger," you said, forcing a playful tone. "ready for some one-on-one time?"

his reply came almost immediately, but it wasn’t what you expected. "tell me about yourself, bunny. the real you." you stared at the words, breath catching in your throat. the real you? that was a tangled mess of failed relationships dead-end jobs, and a gnawing loneliness you tried to bury under layers of performance. "the real me is boring," you laughed off. "i'd rather show you."

"words first," xavier insisted. you exhaled sharply, running a hand through your tangled hair. you felt exposed, like he’d peeled back a layer of your carefully constructed persona. "okay, fine," you hesistated before continuing "the real me… is lonely. even in a room full of people. but ever since you started joining it doesnt feel so bad" you mumbled out, chest tightening as you waited for his response.

a long pause. then, his message appeared, "i understand loneliness." those three words hit her like a punch to the gut. you hadnt expected that. you expected a joke, maybe some words of encouragement, anything but this raw honesty. you leaned closer to the webcam, face illuminated by its faint glow. "so, what do you want to see?" you asked, voice dropping to a husky whisper.

xavier’s request was simple, yet it carried an unsettling intimacy. "your hands. i want to see what they do...when you are alone".

you froze, breath hitching in your throat. now usually you werent camera shy but something about this felt different. you hesitated for a moment wanting a clearer idea of how to please him. "okay but you have to tell me what you want to see. be specific." you said winking trying to inject some confidence into the atmosphere despite the pounding in your chest.

"start with your neck. i want to see you touch your neck." you raised an eyebrow, a flicker of curiosity cutting through your nerves. you lifted your hand slowly, fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of your throat. the touch sent a jolt through you and you tilted your head back slightly.

"good," xavier replied. "now, move your hand lower. touch your chest." this was it—the point of no return. slowly you lowered your hand, fingers brushing against the soft lacey fabric of your bralette. your nipples hardened beneath the fabric, the sensation sending a jolt of heat straight to your core. you bit your lip, eyes locked on the camera as you moved the fabric and firmly cupped your breast, thumb flicking and pinching your nipple just hard enough to draw a soft moan from your lips.

his next command popped up, "good now pinch harder. sqeeze them like i would if were there, worshipping those tits." you were slightly taken aback as he had never been so brazen with you before but the thought of him being in the room with you made you feel a certain way. how you wished to see his face, hear his voice, please him in person. you arched your back, pushing your chest forward so he could get a better look. you gripped both breasts now, kneading the soft flesh, continuing to roll your nipples between your fngers until they were sensitive.

"like this, baby? it feels so good... wish it was your hands, i bet they are so much bigger" you replied taking one hand and beginning to creep it south, nails raking lightly over your stomach before hovering at the edge of your matching thong.

xavier took notice of this and a notification popped up in the chat, "don't start teasing me now, spread those legs wide and show me how soaked you are for your favorite viewer."

obediently, you hooked your heels on the chair arms, parting your thighs until your pussy glistened under the light. your fingers parted your slick folds, middle finger circling your clit in slow, deliberate strokes.

'oh god, xavier... i'm dripping for you." you plunged two fingers inside yourself, pumping them in and out with wet sounds that filled the room. your hips bucked, chasing the building pressure as you fucked yourself deeper.

"add another finger, let me see how far you can stretch that tight cunt."

his words fueled you and you complied, shoving a third finger in, walls clenching greedily around the intrusion. your breaths came in ragged moans, body trembling and breasts bouncing with each thrust of your hand.

the chat vibrated with his praise, "cum for me, let me see how pretty you look."

your eyes fluttered shut, but you forced them open for him, riding the edge as your orgasm built, ready to explode. your body tensed, thighs quivering as you drove your three fingers knuckle-deep one final time.

"xavier, i'm — fuck, yes!' you cried out, voice breaking into a throaty scream. your walls spasmed wildly, clamping down on your plunging digits as hot juices squirted out, drenching your hand and splattering the chair seat. you rode the waves, hips jerking erratically with each convulsion until you slumped back, panting, a sheen of sweat glistening on your flushed skin.

xavier's message lit up the screen as the money sound effect went off once more. "beautiful, look at that messy cum. i wish i could have a taste."

you eyes mischievously lit up as you licked your cum-slick fingers clean for the camera, sucking them with exaggerated moans. "mmm, i am so sweet, you know if you came over you could have a sample" you couldn't believe what you were suggesting but you genuinely were hoping that one day this connection could be moved offline.

"we will see maybe i'll take you up on that. but first i hope you aren't too tired because we need to talk about that toy drawer..."

your cheeks burned red. this was going to be a long night but you wouldn't have it any other way. you opened the drawer, pointing the camera down so he could have a better look at your collection.

"well i dont think any of these could satisfy you nearly as well as the real thing but pick your favorite and lets see how you would handle it" he instructed

pulling out a decent sized dildo you sat back into position and dragged your tongue along it's length, slurping noisily, saliva strung from your lips as you popped it free.

"you're right i am sure this isnt as good as the real thing...maybe we should change that? would you like this to be your cock instead?"

"bunny i would fill you up raw if i could" he responded. you could tell he was breaking down, this new side revealing himself to you.

you positioned the tip at your hole and pushed the toy inch by inch, until it completely filled you to the brim. as you got adjusted to the sensation, you were distracted with thoughts about what his dick looked like. was it long and a pretty pink color with pre cum leaking all over it? was he getting himself off to you right now? had he cum when you did? all those thoughts were interrupted when another message came through.

"i don't have much time left until i have to go to work, show me how i should fuck you when we meet."

you began to pound your pussy mercilessly, the toy squelching in and out. you got so lossed in the feeling you couldn't hold back your words as you imagined grinding down on him bringing you both to the pinacle of release. "i'd slam down on your thick cock, xavier... grind my clit on you until i come over and over again. fuck, i'm so close already!"

the familiar pressure built unbearably, you couldnt take it anymore you needed release.

"cum now, then give me your real name and address. i need to see you—no camera, just my cock owning you."

the promise shattered your control. your body convulsing in endless bliss, tears streaking your face from the intensity. panting, you removed the toy and took a few moments to catch your breath. "i'm y/n, heres my address."

his reply flashed, "ill text you when i am free, i promise i won't keep you waiting for long but get some rest...you are going to need it" was the last thing he said before leaving the private room.

8:13 pm.

After a long day of working for the Hunter’s Association, your empty takeout box and a nearly full glass of red wine sit on the coffee table while your favorite reality show plays in the background. The sun had nearly finished setting, and the only source of light in your apartment came from an overhead fixture in your kitchen and a lamp placed an arm's length away from the couch.

But right now, you can’t focus on the love triangle between the two male contestants and the female lead. 

You were waiting for that final notification. 

An impulse order you made from a targeted ad just a few days ago. You’ve seen dozens of videos about the product online, and you’ve been tempted to buy it before. But when one of the content creators you follow comes along with a discount code that makes the product completely free?

Well, you were sold.

So you placed the order 2 days ago, and this morning you already received a notification that your package is out for delivery. 

Thinking about it also makes you unconsciously rub your thighs together.

Suddenly, your phone lights up with a notification from shop.com:

Package delivered.

With a quickness, you slide into your slippers, pick up your mailbox key, and sprint straight to your apartment building’s mailroom.

You opt to take the stairs to meet your step goal for the day, practically skipping through the hallway before opening the big door to the stairwell. Even as you traverse each floor, you have a pep in your step, making light work of each set of stairs before reaching the bottom floor. 

You open the door to the main lobby and take a sharp left to the mailroom. Silently saying a prayer that you don’t run into anyone you know, you slide the key into your mailbox, and it pops open like a Coke bottle full of Mentos, nearly hitting you in the face as you peek inside. 

The package is… smaller than you expected, but you know there are some big things inside. 

You hop back up the stairwell, discreetly keeping the box at your side so no one can see the label. You send a silent “thank you” to the CEO for not slathering the brand’s logo all over the box, but if anyone else had been ordering from this company, they’d be able to tell what you ordered from the address on the label. You make it up to your floor as you press your finger against your apartment’s keypad, unlocking the door. Looking behind your back, you open it, allowing the door to fall shut behind you.

You make a beeline for the kitchen, reaching for the first drawer on the left. Your hands find the pair of scissors on the very top, wasting no time to cut the tape off the package. You can feel your heart racing as the blade slices through the tape, the anticipation of what lies in that box getting to your head.

As you finally opened the box, you saw your purchase for the first time.

The rose toy.

In all your years of adulthood, you have never had an orgasm. 

But you intended to change that tonight.

With the box in your hands, you shuffle to your bedroom, instinctively closing the door behind you. Before making your way to your bed, you draw the blinds to prevent any peeping Toms from watching your activities. You practically jump onto the mattress, lying back against your pillows and pulling out the instruction manual from the box that comes with the toy. 

“Let’s see…” You mumble to yourself, meticulously reading over each step, “press and hold the power button for two seconds, press again to change the suction mode… and hold the button to power off.”

You can already feel yourself getting wet.

You set the manual down, reaching down to unbutton and pull off your jeans you’ve been wearing all day, revealing your… 

Well, it isn’t your sexiest underwear, but it definitely is your comfiest.

You decide to warm yourself up a bit, teasing yourself by rubbing light circles through the cotton gusset of your panties. You’ve never used a sex toy before, and you can’t help but feel a bit nervous at the moment. What if something goes wrong? What if some freak accident happened and you got electrocuted? Or, worst of all…

What if it didn’t feel good?

You can’t say you’re very experienced with sex, period. You’ve only had a couple of flings with some guys while in the Hunter Academy, and the most you’ve ever done with someone was making out and heavy petting.

(And that one time a guy drunkenly — and badly — ate you out, saying that you lay there like a stiff board…)

Well, you think to yourself as you slowly pull your panties down, if you never try, you’ll never know. 

You feel yourself shiver as your bare pussy is exposed to the cool air of your bedroom. A part of you felt like your first time would be better if you were clean-shaven, so the night before, you did your best work shaving your intimate areas (and didn’t even nick yourself, go you). You lift your legs up, feet dangling over your thighs, as you’d seen in the videos you watched to prepare for this momentous event. With one hand, you spread your folds open, exposing your needy, swollen clit.

Finally, you grab the rose toy, hold the power button to turn it on, and bring it down to your aching core. 

When the toy first makes contact with you, your eyes go wide.

Pleasure rocked your whole body, forcing you to arch your back as the toy sucks and vibrates against your tiny, sensitive bud.

You pull the toy away, in fear of getting overstimulated too quickly. 

“Woah…” you whisper.

And this is on the lowest setting!

You place the toy back on your clit, changing the angle a bit so it’s not as intense. It feels good, so good you wish you had bought this toy earlier. Your nerves feel like they’re burning with desire, tightening the coil deep in your loins.

Your body moves on its own, hips gently rocking against the toy as a stronger wave of pleasure hits you. A needy whine escapes from your lips, head rolling back against your pillow. Your brows knit together, thighs shaking as the new sensations practically take over, as if you’ve lost control of yourself.

Your fingers search for the power button, pressing it once to speed up the vibrations. 

As your pleasure intensifies, you moan again, slightly louder this time. Your breathing becomes labored, practically panting as the rose toy sucks and rubs your clit even faster. You feel your core clench, drip, and beg for more.

Your free hand slides underneath your shirt, snaking up your stomach to palm at your breast. When your fingers pinch your nipple firmly, you cry out, a high-pitched wail that the neighbors surely heard.

My neighbors…

Your eyes squeeze shut, and your mind can’t help but wander off to a fantasy you’ve kept in the back of your mind: you, just like this, but with a particular blonde-haired man in between your legs…

Your moans echo off your bedroom walls, imagining his soft, pink lips eating you out while he pistons two of his slender fingers inside of you. Your body jerks, imagining what it would feel like if he were filling you over and over again with his cock.

You’ve been in some… interesting situations with him before. You already know it’s big. 

Like the time he was protecting you from an explosion in the No Hunt Zone. His strong, muscular arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you away from air-borne debris, pressing your back against his chest…

And his bulge pressing into your ass.

You definitely fantasized about him taking advantage of you while out in the deep forest, after defeating a horde of Wanderers, and the two of you were all alone…

As you turn the toy on the fastest setting, the coil in your loins feels like it’s about to snap, your body shaking wildly, eyes rolling to the back of your head, your release coming closer… and closer…

Until the feeling just… disappears. 

“Huh?” You say aloud, opening your eyes as you look at the apex between your thighs. 

Out of nowhere, you lost your sense of desire, your need to be pleasured. It was like climbing up a steep mountain, only to reach the top and discover that nothing was there.

You groan in frustration, kicking the ankles of your feet against the bedspread.

“FUCK!” You shout angrily, nearly on the verge of tears. You don’t know why this happened every time you masturbated. It would feel so good, you’d get so close to finding your orgasm, just for it to stop completely.

You roll to your side in the fetal position, asking yourself the same question you always ask when this happens:

“What’s wrong with me?”

What’s wrong with your body? What’s wrong with your reproductive system? All your friends have already been able to cum, whether by themselves or with their partners. They would always be so shocked whenever you told them you hadn’t had one yet.

“Are you doing it right?” “Are you using toys?” “Are you relaxed when you do it?”

All their questions plagued you as you held yourself tighter, your rose toy’s vibrations getting louder by the second

… wait a minute. 

Is my phone vibrating?

With a long press of the finger, you turn the rose toy off, using your other hand to reach for your phone. You read the contact name and feel your stomach drop.

Call from: Xavier

Of course, it had to be him.

Xavier, who was more than just a friend to you. He was your coworker, whom the Hunter’s Association has sent you on numerous missions over the last year or so. Who’s saved your hide more times than you can count. Who you’ve gone out to get hot pot with after hard battles and late-night shifts. Who’s gone with you to festivals, arcades, and exhibits at museums that you were both super into. Heck, he was closer to you than your best friend, Tara. 

But he’s also been your crush for the better half of a year. 

And your upstairs neighbor.

Knowing he’ll call back again if you decline, your thumb presses the green button as you bring your phone to your ear, hoping and praying he didn’t hear anything just now.

“Hello?” You answer, rather weakly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Xavier asks, his static-y voice full of worry.

“I’m okay…” You trail off before continuing, “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” Xavier pauses, as if he’s trying to word something accurately.

Oh my god… 

“… it sounded like you were crying. Do you wanna talk?”

Oh… my god?

You let out a soft sigh, feeling slightly relieved that he didn’t catch on to your ministrations.

“Oh, I promise I’m good! No issues here!” You try to assure him, doing your best to be nonchalant.

“Are you sure? You were crying pretty loudly. You even woke me up from my nap.”

Dammit… 

“I’m okay, Xavier. I appreciate your concern.” You silently curse the ceiling for being so thin.

He pauses; the only sound coming from the other line is his soft breathing.

“I don’t think you are. I’m coming down there.”

Wait, what?

“No, no, it’s okay, Xavier!” You sit up on your mattress, frantically trying to convince him to stay in his apartment. “I just need some time to myself.”

If he saw me now, you think, he would surely never want to see me again!!!

“And I think you need to not be alone right now,” Xavier replied calmly. “I’ll be down in a few.”

Before you can argue with him any further, he hangs up.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit!” You grumble to yourself, setting the rose toy on your bedside dresser. “Why does he have to be so stubborn?”

You stand up from your bed, reaching for a fresh pair of panties from the closet — a light purple pair with a lace trim — and shimmy back into your jeans, which had been unceremoniously tossed to the floor. You hop to the bathroom and look in the mirror to make sure every hair is in place, and your makeup isn’t too smudged. 

Your heart pounds like a bass drum in a fast-paced metal song in your chest, the adrenaline of your failed orgasm attempt and your crush coming to your home unprompted hitting you full force. 

You try to calm yourself down by touching up your makeup, curling your lashes and reapplying your tinted lip oil, but it’s no use. Your anxiety is through the roof. You almost feel… scared to see him?

You glance at the call log, noticing that 10 minutes have gone by and Xavier still isn’t here.

That’s unusual, you think, nearly aloud.

But eventually, you hear three short knocks rapping on your door, the one you’ve grown used to over the last year.

“It’s me.” You hear Xavier’s muffled voice say. “Let me in.”

You exit the bathroom on quick feet and enter the living room. When you open the door, you notice he’s not empty-handed — he has a reusable grocery bag in his hand.

“Hey.” He says, his smile soft as your gaze meets his.

“Hey…” you already feel a blush creeping over your cheeks. “Come on in.”

You back up from the door to let Xavier cross the threshold, and he places the bag on your coffee table before reaching for you, wrapping you in a big hug.

“It’s gonna be okay, bun-bun.” He mumbles your nickname in your hair that he gave you when he first saw you wiggle your nose like a rabbit, and he tightens his embrace, softly rocking you back and forth. 

You find yourself melting in the warmth of his body, returning the gesture by placing your arms around his shoulders. His hoodie is soft, almost like a plushie, and the steadiness of his heartbeat could lull you to sleep. You even feel your fingers start to travel up his neck to pet his fluffy blonde hair. You wish you could stay like this forever…

But he gently pulls away from you, gesturing to the bag he brought.

“Take a peek inside.” He says, grabbing the handles and holding it out for you, “I brought some things I thought would cheer you up.”

You gratefully accept his gift, a look of shock and awe creeping over your face.

“I’m gonna use your bathroom real quick.” Xavier already knows the way, spinning on his heel towards your bedroom. “I'd better see that bag opened when I come back.” 

Once he leaves the room, you set the bag on the dining table and open it to see what's inside.

You gasp in surprise, reaching for the item on top.

“No way…”

The Pinkbun plushie you’ve been trying your hardest to capture every time you go to the arcade is now resting in your hands. Cute, cuddly, with a perfect rosy ombré tied together with a bow. You hug it tightly, knowing Xavier probably had to work hard to find and catch this plushie.

You take another peek, reaching in to pull out a box of your favorite cookies from the bakery down the street. Relieved that Xavier didn’t try to bake any himself, you set down the plushie and open the box, pulling out a big, warm chocolate chip cookie.

You weren’t sure when he bought these, but as you took a bite, they tasted like they just came out of the oven.

Xavier had packed even more snacks inside — various flavors of Hi-Chews, Pocky, and even packets of your favorite peach and grape gummies, the ones you’ve searched every convenience store for weeks on end.

At the very bottom, you notice a piece of paper with two bunnies very poorly drawn on the front. You pick it up and notice something slipping between the two folds. 

Xavier had bought — no, handmade you a card.

You squint to get a better look at what fell out, when you notice that it was a gift card to your favorite hotpot spot in all of Linkon. 

Wow, you think, looking over everything he gave you, and this is all because he thinks I’m… sad?

Before you get to open the card, you hear the flush of the toilet from the other room, the sink running, then the padding of Xavier’s feet as he walks back to the living room.

But… he doesn’t make it all the way back

“Hey, bun-bun…” he says from your bedroom.

“What’s up?” You call back, settling everything onto the dining table.

“… what’s this little red thing sitting next to your bed?”

Oh, fuck. 

Like the wind, you stand up from the couch and bolt to your bedroom. As you look upon the scene before you, you freeze, feeling your soul leave your body and ascend to the heavens above. 

You forgot to put your new rose toy away.

And now Xavier has seen it. In your own home.

And now he’s holding it.

After you had used it. 

You wish a bolt of lightning would strike you where you stand.

“That-I-umm-ahh…” you stammer, your cheeks turning red and your movements becoming erratic. 

You watch in horror as Xavier turns the toy around in his hand, studying it like it was a mission brief or a report on a new Wanderer. 

“Is it… an incense holder?” He asks innocently, looking up at you.

“Yeah!” You blurted out way too quickly. “I picked it up at that witchy store down the street the other day.”

And he would have believed you, too, until his thumb accidentally pressed down on the power button.

Silence filled the apartment, the only sound the buzzing of your rose toy in your crush’s hand.

“Is… is it supposed to do that?” Xavier quirks an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. 

Wordlessly, you snatched the toy from his hand and pressed the power button off.

“No, it’s not an incense holder.”

“Then what is it?”

You hesitate, taking a moment to gather your thoughts before continuing.

Should I tell him?

“I don’t…” You start, your gaze falling to the floor. “I don’t want to make things awkward between us.”

“Make it awkward.”

You raise your head one more time, a glimmer of determination in Xavier’s deep blue eyes.

“It’s okay, bun-bun.” He continues, “You can tell me anything, I promise.”

“Anything?”

“Of course.” He smiles, and you feel your heart rate jump 20 beats faster.

Okay… here goes nothing…

You take a deep breath, trying your best to calm yourself down.

“Well…” you say, “it’s… It’s a rose toy.”

“A… a what?” He tilts his head like an inquisitive puppy hearing a strange noise for the first time. 

You nearly slap your forehead from his naivety.

“It’s a sex toy, Xavier.”

Silence, again. You can see his eyebrows and eyes in surprise as a faint tint tickles the tips of his cheeks. 

“Ah…” he finally says, as if he’s connecting all the pieces together. “I see.”

I guess he’s figured out why it sounded like I was crying earlier…

“Y-you see, I got it because I… I’ve never…”

You meekly finish your sentence, embarrassed that you’re even uttering these words aloud to him:

“I’ve never had an orgasm.”

One more beat of silence falls between the two of you. Neither of you look each other in the eye.

You can’t bear it anymore. What’s next, do you tell him that you haven’t had sex yet, too?

You turn your head away, feeling like you completely ruined what you had left of a friendship. 

“Maybe it’s best if you go, Xa—“

“You don't need a toy to do that.”

Huh???

You notice a shift in Xavier’s tone. When you turn your head back, your eyes meet, his look like they’ve gone a shade darker, his pupils blown wide.

“You just need me.”

IS THIS A PRANK? AM I BEING PUNK’D RIGHT NOW?? IS ASHTON KUTCHER GOING TO BURST OUT OF MY CLOSET???

“Don’t be funny, Xavier.” You cross your arms as he takes a step closer to you, quickly closing the distance between you. 

“I’m not.” He replies, towering over you as one of his hands gently presses against your cheek.

You flinch away from his touch, still feeling anxious that he was just playing around. “Xavier Shen, if you’re fucking with me, I’ll—“

Before you can finish your threat, he grabs your face in his hands again, pulling your face close to his. The tips of your noses touch as you feel his hot breath against your face.

You uncross your arms in surprise, bracing your hands against his biceps.

“Let me.” He says, his lips lightly brushing against your own, thumbs trailing against your cheekbones.

His glimmering cobalt eyes tell you he’s not begging, he’s pleading. 

“Can I?”

Your eyes flit between his lips, back to his eyes, and down to his lips again. You can’t believe that this is real, that it’s actually happening.

Am I dreaming? Or am I in the Twilight Zone?

Your breath shudders, closing your eyes.

“Yes, Xavier.”

You think he’s going to back off, say he was just playing around, and ask you if you want to use that hotpot gift card. 

But oh, were you wrong.

He kisses you, hungrily, like you were an all-you-can-eat buffet and he hasn’t eaten in weeks. Your lips crash together in a frenzy, both of your mouths moving as he presses your face further into his. It’s delicious, making you dizzier every time he moves.

Xavier nibbles your lower lip, causing you to gasp, allowing him just enough time to slide his tongue in your mouth, the feeling of him consuming you while utterly intoxicating. You mimic his motions, your tongues fighting for dominance in such an act of pure lust…

Or was it love?

You didn’t have time to go to war with the thoughts inside your head as Xavier led you to fall back on the mattress, his lips still locked on yours.

His hands begin to wander, one hand moving to caress the back of your head and the other one palms your breast through your shirt. You completely forgot you weren’t wearing a bra, the sudden sensation making you moan. You try to stifle it, but it’s no use. 

He pulls his lips away for a moment, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Don’t hold back your pretty little noises for me.” He says, squeezing your breast again.

You nod, and in response, his lips find your neck, peppering kisses on the delicate skin. You already feel so lightheaded, and with the way his hand plays with your nipple through your shirt and the gentle kisses he’s leaving, you already feel yourself getting worked up, thighs rubbing together in anticipation. 

Then, he bites. 

You let out a whine as his teeth press into your skin, following up by sucking at your wound — hard. 

Like a vampire, his mouth is clinging to your neck as both of his hands trail down your body, finding their place at the front of your jeans. Swiftly, his fingers undo the button and pull down the zipper, grabbing onto the belt loops to pull them over your hips. 

Xavier’s lips leave your freshly marked neck, watching as the skin of your legs is revealed to him. You suddenly feel insecure as his gaze focuses on the purple panties you had picked out for the evening, praying he doesn’t find them too girly or silly.

Or that he doesn’t think it’s ridiculous that a wet patch has already formed on the gusset. 

But luckily for you, it seems to be quite the opposite.

Xavier moves off the bed, ripping his shirt off before getting to his knees on the floor beneath. You get a glimpse of his form, the contour of his abs…

God damn, you think to yourself.

He pulls your jeans off completely, throwing them off to the side, then grabs your ankles and yanks you even closer to his waiting mouth. 

He moans your name as he throws your legs over his body, the back of your knees resting against his bare shoulders. He kisses the inside of your thigh, leaving love bites along the newly exposed skin.

“You’re so beautiful.” He sighs, his grip on your legs tightening as he sucks at your skin again. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

One of his hands slides up your thighs to their apex, brushing up against your panties with his warm fingers. You bite your lip, begging for his touch as your hips press back against him. He chuckles in response, pushing against the gusset with a bit more force.

“Eager, aren’t we?” Xavier teases, leaving one last kiss on your thigh before his mouth replaces his fingers. He presses his soft, spit-covered lips against your panties, the sensation driving you absolutely crazy.

Your fingers move to tangle in his hair as he moves his mouth against the damp cotton, whining from the feeling of his wet tongue pressed against your clothed core. His hands move to cup the swells of your ass, squeezing each cheek as he savors the taste of you.

One of his hands moves from underneath you to move your panties aside, exposing your wet pussy to him for the first time. You hear him gasp between your legs, causing you to sit upright.

“Is something wrong?”

But he pushes you back down on the mattress, reaching for your hands and interlacing your fingers with his.

“You’re perfect,” Xavier whispers.

He licks a slow, steady stripe up your slit, finding your clit with the tip of his tongue and flicking it. 

Your grip tightens in his hair as he begins to feast on your pussy, sucking on your sensitive bundle of nerves as his tongue strokes you over and over again. 

“You taste,” he moans between licks, “so good,” he draws a shaky breath, “better than,” biiiiig lick, “any hotpot we’ve ever had.”

He squeezes your hands in his, pulling you even closer to him than before. It almost feels like you’re sitting on his face, your seat on the roller coaster that is him eating you out as no one has before.

He shifts his head upwards, his gaze burning into yours as he laps at your clit, tongue flattened, rubbing back and forth as you feel the coil tighten inside again. You look away, moaning as your thighs squeeze his cheeks, but he resists, licking your cunt like an ice cream cone on a sweltering summer’s day, egged on by your ankles digging into his back.

Xavier lets go of one of his hands, bringing his fingers to trace around your clenching, needy hole. You whine, begging for his touch, to fill you up.

He hums into your core as he slides one of his long fingers inside, nearly causing you to tip over. You moan his name as he moves his hand back and forth, slow and steady, feeling your soft, wet walls.

“Relax for me.” He says, pressing kisses against your folds. “You’re tense. Focus on you right now. Take a deep breath.”

You follow his lead, breathing in deeply and letting out a shuddering exhale. He times his thrusts with your breaths, feeling every single centimeter of your body. 

“Good girl.” He praises, giving your clit a hard suck as he slides in a second finger.

Your body jerks at the feeling, his fingers stretching you out so deliciously. It’s such a foreign feeling to have someone literally inside you, but it’s addictive to feel so filled up by someone as hot as Xavier is.

“Faster.” You moan softly.

“What was that, bunny?” He asks, fully sheathing his fingers inside while pressing his thumb against your clit.

“Faster…” You say a little louder, “…please.”

“With pleasure.” He replies, kissing your thighs as he begins to piston his fingers inside you. 

For the second time that night, your moans are bouncing off the walls, getting louder in volume as Xavier fucks you with his fingers and his tongue. You feel the coil tighten even more than before, making you feel uneasy. But you listen to his advice, taking deeper breaths and relaxing your body to focus fully on your release. 

But when he brushes his teeth against your clit, you completely lose control.

For the first time in your life, your release finds you. Your body spasms as you squirt all over Xavier’s face, who hasn’t stopped his ministrations. Your throat is sore, your legs feel limp, and your breathing is labored, but he isn’t stopping until he’s licked every last drop of you.

It's everything you've ever wanted to feel.

You say a prayer to whoever was listening that they put Xavier in your life, even if just for this moment.

You sigh as he finally pulls his mouth away from you, wiping it clean with the back of his hand.

“I told you, you don’t need that toy.” He grins, climbing on top of you to kiss you again. You taste your essence on his lips, making you feel more light-headed than you already are. 

He takes the hand still laced between your fingers, leading it to press against the throbbing bulge of his sweatpants.

“Do you want more?” He pants against your mouth.

Your eyes widen at the thought, knowing that you’d be losing your virginity to him. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey…” he whispers, pressing a chaste kiss on your forehead, squeezing your hand in his. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. That won’t change the way I feel about you.”

Your eyes flicker back and forth between his face and his bulge. Sweet, sweet Xavier, being your first. Your heart swelled in your chest at the thought as you squeezed his hand back.

“I want to, I’m… just nervous.” You confess, nearly drowning in his eyes, the color of the ocean far from shore on a warm summer’s day. “It’ll be my first time.”

His free hand strokes your cheek, moving a strand of hair out of your face.

“I’ll take care of you,” Xavier promises. 

And you trust him to keep his word. After all, he’s had your back against Wanderers, kept you safe whenever you two went out after dark, and he didn’t even freak out when he realized he was holding your rose toy.

He’s a keeper. And you want to keep him around.

“I’m ready.” You decide with a glimmer in your eye.

He smiles softly, leaning down once more to kiss you fervently, a new hunger sparked deep within him. 

“Can I borrow a pillow?”

You tilt your head, a puzzled expression on your face.

“It’s for your hips.” He explains, grabbing one of the pillows resting next to your head and sliding it under your rear.

“It’ll make everything feel even better, I promise.” He winks, pressing a kiss against your hip bone. 

He backs off, giving himself room to slide his sweatpants and boxers off, and you use that time to throw your shirt over your head, your nipples pebbling in the cool air.

Your gaze trails back to Xavier, and you take in his naked form for the first time. He’s like a Greek statue, muscles perfectly sculpted, which you expect no less from a Hunter of his ability. He has a light blonde trail of hair that starts at his navel and trails down to his…

Oh. 

Oh.

You figured that Xavier’s dick would be big, but you didn’t think it would be this big. You struggle to think about how all of that is about to fit inside of you.

He gets on top of you again, leaving soft kisses against your bare chest. Your hand bravely reaches for his cock, a hiss escaping his lips as you wrap his fingers around his shaft, pumping him slowly as his kisses get sloppier. 

Xavier grabs your legs, spreading them to wrap loosely around his hips, leaving your core completely exposed. His hands reach for your wrists, pinning them over your head.

“Are you ready?” He asks, waiting patiently for your response. 

You nod, anxiously pulling him closer to you with your legs.

He lets go of one of your wrists, bringing it down to grasp his hard length. “I need verbal consent, bunny. Do you still want this?”

Without a doubt. 

“Yes, Xavier.” You say, holding his hand even tighter than before.

“I promise, I’ll be slow and gentle.” He says, rubbing his leaky tip against your slick folds and lining up at your entrance.

With one tender push, his tip breaches your entrance, your whole body tensing up in response. It’s a new, unusual feeling, totally different than when he used his fingers. Your grip on his hand tightens, and your thighs tremble against his hips.

He rests his forehead against your own, refusing to let you look at anything else but him. 

“Focus, bunny.” He demands. “Deep breaths. You’re doing so good for me.”

Tears well up in your eyes, but you match his breathing: slow inhale, slow exhale, over and over again, a hypnotic pattern as he gradually pushes further inside you. His hand on your hip to steady you, you feel the painful stretch of his thick cock in your walls, but you know that he’s in control. 

He won’t hurt you. 

When you blink, the tears begin to fall, but he kisses them away, licking up the trail with his skilled tongue. 

To your surprise, Xavier breaks the breathing pattern first, moaning as he nearly fills you to the hilt.

“Y-you’re so tight…” His brow furrows as he pushes the last bit of himself inside, the blonde tuft of his pubes pressing against your clit. 

He stays there for a moment, hips pressed snugly in the curve of your ass, littering light kisses across your cheeks.

“The hard part is over, bunny.” He whispers. “You’re doing so good. You feel so good.”

The more he praises you, the wetter you become, and he knows it, too. 

“Fuck…” he grunts under his breath, his own body twitching from the sensation of being so deep inside your tight walls. “Can… can I move?”

“Please.” You respond right away.

Following your command, he pulls back slowly, nearly unsheathing himself entirely before plunging back in again, his pace romantic and erotic. The pain you felt slowly melted into pleasure, lighting your body on fire as he rocked his hips into yours. 

Your orgasm began building again, his tip stroking a spot you’ve never felt before, making you see stars already. He’s still holding on to your wrists above his head, his free hand caressing your face and wiping any falling tears.

“Xavier…” you moan his name, and his hips pick up the pace, filling you up to the brim every single time. It’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of and more, your heart pounding in your chest as the man you’ve had a crush on for so long…

Wait a minute.

Does this mean he feels the same way? Does he like you, too?

Or is he just using you, taking advantage of you in a moment of vulnerability?

You want to tell yourself it doesn’t really matter, but to you, it does. It would hurt like hell if Xavier didn’t like you back, but was willing to use you for a good lay.

“You wanna cum again, yeah?” His teasing snaps you out of your own thoughts, his free hand reaching for the discarded rose toy on the other side of the bed. He presses the power button, a devious grin spreading across his face as he pushes the mouth of the toy against your clit.

“Oh, Xav-IERRRR!” You cry out, overwhelmed by both of your tender spots being touched so skillfully. Your orgasm was coming up much faster this time, as if you’d completely lost control of yourself.

Xavier was the one controlling you now.

You cum all over him again, your release getting his torso and your bedsheets sopping wet. His hips don’t stop, though he moves his body upright, skillfully tossing your rose toy into your trash can. 

When you look up at him, the light of the ceiling looks like a halo around his head, he’s biting his lip, and his pupils are blown wide.

“That was so hot.” He moans. “You’re so hot.”

His lips crash into yours again as his hips pick up their tempo, slamming into your ass as he chases after his own high. Your nails find his back, leaving long scratches up his spine as you moan his name like a mantra over and over again. 

“Fuck, I…” he moans, “I’m gonna… I love…”

Before he can finish his sentence, he pulls out, furiously stroking himself to completion. His cum pools onto your stomach, filling up your navel and dripping down the sides slowly like molasses. He pants heavily, trying his best to quickly catch his breath.

Once his breathing slows down, he bends over and presses a kiss on your forehead.

“Stay right there.” He whispers.

He gets up from the bed and enters the bathroom. When he comes back, he has a wad of paper towels in his hand, and he begins cleaning up his mess from your tummy and your sheets.

“Are you feeling okay? Are you hurt?” He asks, looking over you to make sure nothing seemed off. Always so observant.

“I… I’m okay.” You smile softly, your throat still feeling sore.

“Would you like some water?”

“You already know where the pitcher’s at.”

Chuckling, Xavier throws away the dirtied paper towels and bends down to grab his sweatpants. Sliding them back on, he goes out to the kitchen to get you a drink.

Finally gaining some strength in your limbs, you roll over to your side, reaching for your phone to check the time.

10:07 PM…

Damn, you think, I hope we don’t get a noise complaint.

He comes back to the bedroom with two glasses in hand and places them on your bedside dresser. 

“Drink up.” He says. “You need to stay hydrated.”

You sit up slowly in your bed, shifting the pillow out from underneath your hips, and grab the closest glass of water. Your throat feels relieved as you take the first few sips, making you feel brand new again. 

“So…” He begins, trailing off as he watches you gulp the rest of your water. “I take it you didn’t read the card in that gift bag.”

You put the empty glass back down.

“I was about to read it, but then you found…”

“Ah, right.” Xavier blushes, remembering how you got in this situation in the first place. He looks down, fidgeting with the card currently in his hands.

“I did see that you got me a gift card to our favorite hotpot place.” You smile, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Were you trying to take me out on a date?”

“Actually…” he trails off, almost as if he’s too nervous to say anything else.

Instead of using his words, he hands you the card, the two poorly drawn bunnies staring at you through their vacant eyes. His head stays down, almost as if he’s too scared to look at you.

“Just read it.”

You giggle a bit, surprised at how anxious Xavier is, even after having sex together for the first time. You take the card from his hands, admire the cute drawing once more, and open it.

Inside is one simple sentence:

Will you be my girlfriend?

[    ] Yes

[    ] No

“I… I didn’t know… things would end up like this tonight… when I wrote it…”

When you look up to see his reaction, he’s now turnt his whole body away, hiding his own embarrassment. He peeks over his shoulder for a brief moment, but turns back around when he realizes you’re staring right at him. 

With a smile, you reach into your dresser drawer and pull out a pink, fluffy pen. You make a big check mark in your answer box and gently place the card back in Xavier’s hands. 

When he opens it to see your answer, he lets out a long sigh of relief. 

You checked yes.

The next day, you walk through the doors of the Hunters Association, feeling refreshed and ready for a full day’s work. You swipe your badge, make your way through security, and head straight to the locker room to drop off your belongings.

“Good morning!” Tara smiles cheerfully as you enter, “You look radiant today!”

“Aww, good morning to you too, friend!” You reply, twisting the knob on your locker to match your combination perfectly.

“I have to know your secret!” Tara continues, closing her locker to come up to yours. “Did you add a new step to your skincare routine? Or maybe drink a new brand of tea before bed?”

You chuckle, trying to think of a good excuse without sounding suspicious. There’s no way in hell you’re going to tell her your boyfriend gave you multiple orgasms the night before at work! 

(Let alone, there was no way to tell her that your boyfriend was also your coworker…)

“I actually went to bed a bit earlier than usual,” You lie, opening your locker and hanging your backpack on the hanger, “probably around 9:00? Got a solid eight hours of sleep before waking up!”

“Ohhh!” Tara nods her head in understanding. “I’m so jealous! I stayed up too late watching Lucky Scoop videos. They’re so addicting!”

“Maybe try turning your phone off at a certain time each night?” You suggest, double-checking that you have all your workday essentials before closing your locker. 

“I’ll try that!” She replies, walking with you to one of the meeting rooms. Officer Jenna called everyone in UNICORNS for a meeting to go over recent Wanderer data, and you wanted to get a good seat before it got crowded.

Unfortunately, they started the meeting early, leaving no seats available. You and Tara are forced to stand. And of course, the only space available was right by the guy who was in your sheets last night…

“Hey there.” You greet Xavier as you and Tara shuffle beside him.

“Good morning.” He responds, trying not to lose his focus on the information Jenna was relaying to the team. You listened to her as well, jotting down any important information on your notepad.

But then you felt Tara tapping on your shoulder…

“Hey, what’s that on your neck?”

“Huh?” You reply, hand moving to brush off whatever foreign object is caught on your skin. You feel nothing.

“No, like…” Tara continues, voice full of concern, “You have a huge bruise on your neck! What happened to you?”

Oh, shit…

You realize that the collar of your uniform doesn’t fully cover the hickey that Xavier left on you the night before, and your cheeks begin to turn red.

“Oh, uh…” You try to think of something, anything to say…

“Major Wanderer fight.” Xavier butts in, discreetly resting his hand on your hip. It’s reassuring, secretly saying that he’s got you covered. 

“It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” He continues, “Sucked on her skin like a vampire. It was a pain in the ass to get rid of.”

Tara ponders for a moment, looking back and forth between the two of you.

“I did the data reports on the newly spotted Wanderers. None of them attach themselves to the neck…”

“Damn, Xavier!”

The three of you nearly jump in the air, looking in the direction of whoever whispered that so loudly in the meeting.

“Try not to leave a huge ass hickey on her next time.” Simone roughly pats his shoulder, and he goes stiff as a rock. 

Tara’s eyes go wide in shock, Simone has a gnarly grin spreading across her face, and you feel like you want to crumple up and die in that meeting room.

The last thing you hear before nearly blacking out was Xavier grumbling to himself.

“Way to make it awkward.”