After being sentenced to a week of bedrest, you're practically drowning in loneliness. Xavier takes you out for hotpot to fix that.
Ი𐑼 ♪⋆.✮ ─────────────────── ★ ˙ ̟｡
“You’re good to go. I’ll book up a follow-up appointment with Dr. Zayne in a week, okay?”
The Akso Hospital receptionist doesn’t wait to hear your response before tapping away at her keyboard. Eager to leave, you bid her farewell with a nod of your head and just about dash out of the building. Well, speed walk, more like. You’d be dragged back to the white room if anyone caught you running.
It’s after another flare up of Protocore Syndrome that Dr. Zayne sentences you to a week of bedrest after a brief hospital visit. Much to your chagrin, the news reaches the Association before Dr. Zayne reports it to you. You’re practically on house arrest now, what with Captain Jenna giving you an early vacation without your consent.
Dinner invitations are rejected one after the other by your friends and colleagues. You get it, overtime isn’t easy. But boredom has started to take its toll on you, and the more time you spend cooped up in your apartment, the less you feel like yourself.
Your stream of consciousness is interrupted by a phone notification.
Tara: sorry, can’t make it tonight either :( i’ll be working overtime 4 the next few days. mabye u can ask xavier to eat dinner w u? he shfould be done todau ttyl i think i hear her comignn
Your brows furrow in concern as you decipher Tara’s message, riddled with anxiety-inducing errors. You can just about imagine the Captain breathing down her neck. A chill creeps up your own at the thought of it, and you pull your blankets around you a little tighter.
Another rejection. You’re not mad at Tara (how could you ever be?), but the depressing thought of another night spent eating alone gnaws at your heart. You bitterly toss your phone aside, your mind lingering on the name in the message.
Frustration pangs at your heart when you think about how little you’ve been able to see him. Honestly, you’re jealous that he gets to continue his missions alone, leaving you behind in the dust as he only grows more and more successful. What sours your mood more than that is, despite the fact that he’s been dead silent for the past week, Tara knows his schedule. Not you– his partner, his neighbour, his… well, whatever you two were. When had he ever spoken with Tara to begin with? Had a new friendship blossomed between them while you were gone? Are all your coworkers secretly hosting dinner parties together that you’re not privy to because of your absence?
Your progressively irrational thoughts are briefly overtaken by the insatiable hunger that has plagued you since your hospital visit. It didn’t seem to leave when Dr. Zayne bought you a sweet treat after appointments, or when you cooked three hearty meals a day with your newfound free time. Hell, nothing seems to quell the burning desire in the pit of your stomach. You wonder, with some annoyance, if this insistent hunger is your body yearning for strength after your symptoms flared up. Your wallet does not appreciate this yearning, however. Being cut from missions during your recovery period took a hit to your paycheck.
So, it is to your great pleasure that your phone dings again. This time with an invitation.
Xavier: Up 4 hotpot tomorrow night? It’s on me.
You round the corner when your gaze falls on a sign just outside a plaza, advertising a new restaurant. Hesitantly, you wait by the door. You’re ten minutes early. Would it be awkward to stand outside and enter at 6 PM on the dot? Your gaze lands on your reflection in the glass window. Your hair is mussed by the wind, your clothes just slightly wrinkled. Anxiously, you try to make yourself as presentable as possible. As you straighten yourself out for the umpteenth time, your eyes catch on a hue of silver near the back of the black-walled restaurant.
You gingerly open the door and contemplate a greeting. Hey, Xavier. Or maybe It’s been a while. How are you doing? How do you even begin to address his prolonged absence from your life?
Before you can process your own thoughts, Xavier approaches you. He gives you a light pat on your head, a serene smile gracing his lips. His eyes take in your appearance, lingering on the pout of your lip, the curve of your nose, the stars in your eyes. He averts his gaze. You pretend not to notice the flush of his ears and cheeks.
“This is that new place everyone’s been posting about, right?,” you ask as he guides you to your table. “Have you been here before?”
“Not until now. It didn’t feel right going without you.”
Xavier hands you a pair of chopsticks. An elaborate spread of side dishes already graces the table. The savoury aroma of the mild-spicy broth wafts from the pot in front of you. Your mouth waters as you bring a piece of steamed broccoli to your lips, waiting for the noodles to cool.
“What have you been doing without me, Xavier?”
He pokes a piece of fried tofu with his chopsticks. “Not much. I've been swamped with missions, but I finally got off work yesterday. There isn’t much to do without my mission partner. That’s why I took you out to hotpot today.”
Your heart beams at the thought of him waiting patiently for your recovery. The idea of being special to the Association’s enigmatic top-ranker was… oddly comforting.
“I only heard you were off from Tara. Why didn’t you tell me anything? You haven’t texted me at all this week.”
Perhaps he can hear the whiny note in your voice, because he hesitates. Xavier gives you a questioning look. His brows crease briefly before smoothing again to his default neutrality. “I… didn’t want to promise you anything. Just in case I couldn’t make it. But I’m here now.”
What the hell was he being so mysterious for? Promise you what? Unsatisfied with his answer, you lean back in your seat. You don’t press further. Instead, you snatch a piece of bok choy from under Xavier’s watchful gaze.
The corner of his mouth twitches at your voracity. You remain focused on your food, oblivious to the way his gaze softens at the sight of you heartily enjoying a meal.
Unbeknownst to you, Tara had told him everything. About your house arrest, and the way you’d beg her to eat with you every day, yearning desperately for the comfort of another person. The daunting Hunter Xavier Shen falters in the face of your loneliness. His eyes scan the array of side dishes for something you might like. He’d chosen a good enough variety of vegetables and meat, hoping that you could regain a little bit of your strength and usual brightness. He couldn’t bear to see his star so dimmed. Xavier deftly picked up a large dumpling with his chopsticks, his arm leaning over the food to bring it to your face.
It’s less of a suggestion and more of a command with how he hovers the food just in front of your lips. Amused, you choose to oblige. You lean in closer and take a generous bite of the steaming dumpling. Your tongue is assaulted by the burst of rich flavour, and you take successive bites until Xavier’s chopsticks hold nothing but the mere memory of a dumpling.
Something stirs in your stomach. You mentally berate yourself for your greediness. Xavier is so kindly treating you to dinner, and yet you only seem to feel more and more hungry.
Xavier withdraws his chopsticks, and you get a glance at his face. He’s smiling so brightly at you, it’s as if you were the sun itself. Like you’re the most beautiful thing in his universe, the warm light which he orbits. This time, your heart twinges with emotion.
Maybe it wasn’t food that you were craving. Maybe it was…
You look up at Xavier. His head is bowed slightly, his eyes large with curiosity at what could be occupying your mind. It’s him. It wasn’t food you were craving at all. It was Xavier Shen, your bright-eyed, kind-hearted mission partner that you had inexplicably fallen in love with. Goddamnit.
You try to play off your sudden realization with some lighthearted small talk. Your gaze sweeps the room, only to realize everyone else here is… a couple?
You clear your throat awkwardly. “This seems like the kind of place popular for couples.”
He furrows his brows, gives you a look. “...Yes?”
“Don’t you think it’s the kind of place you’d rather bring someone to on a date?”
You curse yourself internally for killing the good mood with your unsubtle flirting. The inside of your cheek aches as you chew on it, willfully hoping that Xavier did not hear you.
Finally, he puts his chopsticks down. The pensive look on his face only thrums at your heartstrings.
Silence. Except this time, it’s unintentional. You stare, dumbfounded, awestruck, whatever other synonyms there are for your reaction to the absolute bomb he just dropped like he was talking about the weather.
In the time it takes you to process his words, Xavier has already returned to eating his hotpot. He keeps his eyes trained on your face as he treats himself to one, two, five beef dumplings. “Did you not want to go out on a date with me?”
What the hell!! What the hell is wrong with him!!
Starting a potentially romantic relationship with the Association’s finest (and by your own admission, Linkon’s finest) man was no small matter. There was no way you could forget something like that. Calmly(?), you recollect your thoughts, skimming through memories to try and remember when Xavier had asked you out on a date.
“You just asked me to eat hotpot with you, so I thought…” Your voice trails off, realization dawning on you. You take out your phone and stare at the date. February 14.
Xavier asked you out on Valentine’s Day, and you didn't even notice.
Slowly, everything falls into place. Everyone being too busy to hang out with you. Couples crowding the restaurant. Xavier inviting you out today, even though he was free yesterday. Of course.
You are on a date with Xavier Shen, and being so preoccupied with your lonely house arrest, Valentine’s Day slipped your mind. Internally, you bang your head against the shiny black walls of the hotpot restaurant. Externally, your apologetic nature has rendered you silent.
Xavier takes your hand in his, gives it a tight squeeze. The sheepish look on his face does the guilt weighing down your heart no favours.
“You’re… not mad, are you? I’m sorry, I should have been clearer–”
You let out an airy laugh, interrupting his apologetic tangent. “I’m not mad at all. It’s just that… if I knew it was a date, I would’ve tried to look a little better.” You want to kick yourself at the reminder that you’re wearing your basic cardigan and not any of the fancier outfits stowed away in the corner of your closet, waiting to be worn for times like these.
“You’re cute enough as you are. I don’t think I’d be able to handle it if you were any more radiant than you are now.” he says, his eyes curving into crescents.
When the hell did he learn to speak so slyly? Heat flushes your cheeks, and again, your heart flutters at his whims.
He walks you back home, his grip on your hand firm, but not overbearing. You sway your interlocked fingers as you walk. Xavier hums softly in approval.
“I had a great time today,” you say, looking up at him. The soft glow of the streetlamps bask the planes of his face in warm light. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d ever like me.”
He grimaces at your words, the lines of his face deepened by the shadows of night. “What makes you say that?”
You instantly regret being the one to subject his angelic profile to such misery.
“Well… it’s just that you’re so popular amongst Hunters, and even more so outside of work. Don’t people compliment your face often? Like that elderly woman we saved on our mission last month. She said you were divinely beautiful.”
“And handed me her grocery bag full of bell peppers as thanks. I still don’t know what to do with that.”
You giggle at the memory of it, of the stupidly oblivious look on Xavier’s face as he presented you burnt bell peppers in an attempt to sauté them for dinner that night. Your hand is suddenly pulled back, and you turn to see that Xavier has stopped walking.
“You didn't answer me. What makes you say that?” he echoes again. This time, you see the hurt flash across his face. “Have I done something to make you think that I wouldn't love you?”
You still at his words. No, you want to say. It’s just that it doesn’t make sense for someone as magnificent as you to like someone as pathetically ordinary as me. Instead, you say nothing at all. Your self-worth issues are yours alone. They’re not something you want to burden him with; he wasn’t responsible for them anyways.
Xavier unweaves his fingers from yours at your silence. Your body flinches at the sudden movement. Could it be that he was already sick of you?
To your surprise, he pulls your body into his embrace, burying your face into the nook of his collarbone. One hand cards through your hair, cradling the back of your head against him.
“We’ve been partners for a long time, longer than you think,” he begins. His soft voice is laced with concern. With sincerity. With love. “I’ve waited so long for you to reciprocate my feelings. You’re the most precious star in my universe. I don’t want you to ever think less of yourself.”
Your eyes sting with emotion. Before you know it, a symphony of teardrops descends, rolling down your face and disappearing into the folds of Xavier’s shirt. He doesn’t mind; he pulls you in closer. You hated being alone. It was an aching despondency hidden behind the facade of boredom. You hated being left to your own devices; being imprisoned in your room with nobody to rely on, your negative thoughts shackling you to a life of isolation. But here, here in Xavier’s embrace, encapsulated in the warmth of his body, you’re not alone. Your beating heart syncs to the metronome of his breaths, grounding you in reality. This is real. You are real. Xavier Shen loves you, and even if you don’t believe it now, he is determined to make sure you accept it eventually.
Xavier pulls away, wiping your tears with the pad of his thumb. “Are you feeling better now?”
You give a wholehearted nod, still sniffling. He leans down to gently kiss your forehead before holding your hand once more.
