Icons Neslihan Köksal (Hazal Filiz Küçükköse) - Bir Peri Masalı.

Xi still did not enjoy having the hedges in her home. In Clearer Skies, she’d felt claustrophobic from the lack of privacy, from the group activities and supervision. It really wasn’t any different now she was back home, except that none of the hedge witches Nate had invited to stay were qualified Healers, and almost all of them were usually using, drinking, practicing magic in inconvenient places, or playing a ridiculous card game that didn’t appear to have any set rules. As a result, Xiomara spent as much time away from the rest of the household members as she could. 

By proxy, that meant Nate and Xi rarely spent time alone together, either. In fact, they hadn’t slept together since Xi’s first day back- not that Nate hadn’t tried, nor that Xiomara wasn’t interested. Every time they tried, Xi’s touch-related trauma bubbled up to the surface, and she had to be medicated to calm back down. It had been weeks since they last tried. She was looking into different ways of keeping herself calm, worried that Nate would lose interest, when he walked into their bedroom, put his hands in his pockets, and declared that they were going on a date night.

Just the thought of it made her feel better. Wanted. Especially given this was still Nathaniel Pinnock, notorious playboy who Xi was certain had never planned or executed a date with a girlfriend. And she was still Xiomara Winters, who’d practically begged another lover to buy her flowers, take her out, treat her nicely, and never had the chance. Giddy with anticipation, Xi set about preparing for the rest of the afternoon, well into the evening. She shaved, plucked, moisturised, straightened, what felt like every inch of her body, smoothing healing balms and muttering glamour spells down her arms. She found an achingly tiny white dress in another room, squeezed it onto her body with a pair of heels on her feet, and was just touching up her makeup when she saw Nate in the mirror behind her.

She snapped a compact shut, pursing her lips and smiling to herself, playing the coy, as if she couldn’t see his reflection. Took her damn time, while she watched his adam’s apple bob up and down, watched him twitch in his clothes, noticed the way his hands clenched around-

“Did you buy me flowers?” Xi asked, finally turning. She hoped it didn’t sound too pathetic, too needy, too excited. Because he had bought her flowers, a whole bunch. He looked at them, as if surprised to find them there, and Xi strolled over, taking them from him with a grin. “Thank you.” She smiled, more genuinely, and was about to lean across to kiss him on the cheek when Nate took her hand before slowly, deliberately, gently brushing his lips over her knuckles. Xiomara had to bite her lip to stop from blushing. The hand against his lips slipped back, and she brushed her index finger against his nose, then bopped under his chin, wagging it at him, “I thought you’d take me to dinner, first.”

“Not dinner,” Nate explained, as Xi turned to place the flowers on her bedside table. He offered his arm. “Much better though, I think.”

She hoped he didn’t noticed the way her knuckles whitened at the prospect of having to take his arm for apparition. She trusted he wouldn’t make her get so close if they didn’t need to, so Xi held her breath and grit her teeth as she took his arm, closing her eyes to stop the waves of panic and nausea that started to build. Keen to get it over and done with, Nate turned and they apparated out of their bedroom with a crack, landing outside an establishment Xi had never seen before.

The blonde quirked a brow, stepping aside and eyeing the building, before turning back to Nate, “... Is this a strip club?”

“Technically, yes-”

Xi rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples, “Merlin. I can’t believe I thought you were being serious,” She frowned, putting her face in her hands and shaking her head, before dropping them, “Take me home Nate, this is ridiculous. We’re not going on our first date to a strip club!” 

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