Beach day, but it's night instead. Creative, I know. Yeah, I didn't have strong ideas for this one, but at least the composition's actually decent at the very least. I also enjoy the color palette this one has. I tried to make it somewhat dim by making the whites slightly darker than usual when appropriate. Environmental color theory, I've heard it be referred to as.
Just imagine that everyone got tired of fighting that night and realized that there was a beach about 10 miles from the city or something.
Synopsis: Following a lead at a party near the N109 zone leads you to requiring the help of a certain Linkon hero. Unfortunately, this also means an encounter with your least favourite Linkon Hunter.
Word count: 2.5k
For addition to the taglist, please comment here!
Credits to @cafekitsune for this beautiful divider
Falling into the arms of Linton's most notorious hero after a N109 auction is disrupted wasn't the way you wanted to start off your weekend.
Especially not on a beautiful night such as this, the inky blue tapestry of the Linkon sky above dotted with the occasional star.
The golden light emanating from the string that he'd made with his Evol in order to swing from building to building, illuminated his hair, as if giving him a real-life halo. (Was he a fan of Spider-man or something?)
In all honesty, however, who would mind this? Your sprained ankle and wrist certainly don't, though your acrophobia kind of do.
But you guess you can't have everything.
In fact, being carried by the city's handsome saviour, clad in white and blue, might be the daydream of at least half the people in the city.
You don't blame them; especially not when you spend most of the trip under the moonlight trying not to stare at his serious azure gaze or the outline of his set jaw.
You were a sucker for blue eyes, okay? Even if the haver-of-them was probably in his fourties — though he sure didn't look it.
And was it a requirement for superheros to wear nice cologne?
You were half-tempted to ask for the fragrance's name; maybe you could help brand it and advertise it.
You'd be a millionaire if you did, especially considering how fast Lumiere merchandise sold out to this day.
He sets you down on one of the roofs of the city's skyscrapers, the well-known Linkon tower, which was a staple for tourists due to the myriad of viewfinders available for watching the city or simply just admiring the impressive skyline.
As someone with a fear of heights, it was not the place you'd want to be.
But like you’d said before, beggars can't be choosers.
You watch as he bows elegantly, just like a fairytale prince, barely giving you time to say your thanks (and pay him the slew of compliments that had been brimming in your head).
Because when else would you get the chance to hit on a superhero?
You're still in a daze watching the night sky, as the man disappears in a flash of golden light underneath the beams of moonlight, when the less-than-impressed voice of your least favourite Hunter cuts into the atmosphere.
"Miss Writer?" Xavier sounds even more done with you than usual today.
You smile a little too sweetly at the man as you turn to look at him. "And how are you today, Mr Xavier…?"
Huh. It just occurred to you that you hadn't learned his name even after all these…pleasant encounters.
He doesn't let your silence drag on. "What in the world were you thinking this time? Going off into an N109 auction as a civilian?"
You huff, crossing your arms, preferring the sight of the Linkon skyline than to the cold gaze of the incredibly handsome man in front of you.
It was a shame you'd gotten off on the wrong foot. It was not everyday you met anyone with the perfect combination and balance of cute and hot like Xavier.
Not until you'd seen Lumiere up close, anyway.
"Miss Writer?"
You sigh. "You already know what I'm going to say, Mr Xavier."
Xavier says nothing. "What sort of evidence did you expect to find there exactly?"
Your eyes gleam as you turn your head towards him again. "My, my, you do know what I'm going to say. What say you and I go have a coffee tomorrow and see just how well you remember me?"
If Xavier were a more expressive man (and a tad bit less polite), you were sure that he'd roll his eyes and give you a more cutting remark.
You'll settle for the slight twitch of his eyes and tightening of his jaw, though.
You don't get to savour the sight for much longer as the sound of a Wanderer resounds through the air a bit later.
The smirk on your face falls away as you flinch at the sound.
You're already anticipating it when Xavier picks you up, your head automatically resting against his collar as he sighs.
This is all a tried-and-true routine, after all.
But the walking towards the ledge of the roof wasn't part of it.
"Wait,” Your voice wavers. “Mr Xavier?" You sound uncharacteristically nervous.
But it's a long way down.
Cars of all shapes and sizes zoom along, a kaleidoscope of colours attacking your eyes watching above.
"I know I've annoyed you a lot and all…but isn't this a bit much?"
The sound that Xavier makes in response makes you freeze.
Did he just….laugh?
But as you look at him, his face is expressionless as always.
The perfect professional mask.
"I don't know," he says, his voice dangerously soft. His hold on your body loosens slightly as he leans closer past the ledge. "Is it?”
"Ah!" Your arms automatically tighten around his neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-please don't chuck me down this building Mr Xavier! I swear I won’t bother you anymore—”
He chuckles again, you think, but it's hard to discern when your head is buried into the crook of his neck, with the howling of the wind and pounding of your heart both growing louder.
You don't dare look down again, the sudden whirling feeling in your stomach making you worried.
The last thing you want to do right now is hurl on the man who could very well projectile throw you down this 100-story building.
The sound of the Wanderer grows nearer, and you look up just as he does exactly what you'd been fearing he'd do.
He jumps.
The scream you let out is downright embarrassing as the wind whizzes past your cheeks, holding him even tighter as you feel warmth all around you for a few seconds.
But even after a few minutes, you don't feel the excruciating pain of death that you're anticipating.
You'd evidently died from a heartache or shock. Or maybe a split-second neck injury like that one movie.
You weren't a doctor, but you were pretty sure that was possible from falling from great heights.
But… it feels like someone is still holding you.
Was it an angel? Surely, Xavier didn't survive that either.
Yet it also seems like you're on solid ground.
When you slowly force open your eyes, the colour of concrete meets them.
It's the path that led visitors through a meticulously kept and picturesque garden all the way up to the grand stairs that reached the glass doors of the tower.
You often came here to ruminate on potential ideas for one of your novels when you were experiencing a particularly nasty case of writers' block. Walking around in a place like this typically was one of your surefire ways of leaving your head brimming with ideas.
Most of the time, anyway.
"I guess it'd be naive of me to expect you to finally stop your antics." Xavier says as he lets your stumble onto the ground, lightly holding your elbow as you regain your balance.
He wraps his arm around your waist ,making you raise an eyebrow. But the motion allows you to rest your weight on him instead of your increasingly swollen ankle.
A particularly annoyed looking woman stands in the distance. She's waiting near a familiar car near the entrance of the garden.
You freeze, suddenly ready to bolt again despite your ankle.
After all, there is a particular energy level that you need in your possession in order to interact with your Type A manager, Ms Ayla.
Xavier isn't deterred from leading you towards her, gracefully slipping through the crowd of Hunters and other officials investigating at the scene, as you do your best to slow your progress.
It doesn't work, and he doesn't look the least bit fazed at the way you’re dragging your feet on the ground.
So, you do your best to stall otherwise.
"So, Mr…Xavier? Are you free tomorrow?"
His steps don't slow at all as he continues to weave through the chaos. He doesn't bother giving you a response, not that you expected one anyway.
You huff. "Well, could you at least get my purse before you haul me back to my pissed-off manager? I left it back there."
"Where did you leave it?"
"I left it on the roof of that hotel. " You point towards the building that Lumiere had picked you up from.
"Another roof?" You smile at the familiar incredulous tone colouring his tone and pause at the sight of his profile.
He looks a little too good cloaked in the neon lights of late night Linkon.
Almost as handsome as Lumiere.
He shakes his head, a slight (and rare) smile making his lips turn up for a split second.
Your heart flutters.
Okay. Maybe he was as handsome as Lumiere.
You cough before replying in your usual lilting voice. "I prefer living my life on the edge, Mr Xavier."
He sighs, and you mentally celebrate getting a full-on reaction from Mr I-Only-Show-More Than-Two-Emotions-When-I'm-Off-Duty. "I'd prefer it it didn't involve the edges of roofs, Ms Writer."
Nevertheless, he stops and motions for you to sit down at one of the benches in the garden beside a similarly injured bystander who’s talking to one of the Hunters investigating the scene.
You watch as he walks towards the hotel in the distance, narrowing your eyes when he disappears completely in the crowd before deciding to do your best in running for it, ankle be damned.
You've almost made it to the second entrance to the Linkon tower on the other side of the building, when you groan, head knocking into someone's chest.
How had you forgotten already?
This infuriatingly competent and overpowered Hunter could teleport.
Because of course he could.
You look up at him, unimpressed, his expression mirroring yours. "Well that's not creepy at all, huh?
He doesn't deign to give you a response as he grabs your wrist and promptly carries you in his arms, bridal style again. Your purse plops onto your lap and you begrudgingly say your thanks as you clutch it.
You guess he isn't taking any chances tonight.
The last time he'd given you a piggyback ride after your ankle had broken form a particularly nasty fall, you'd jumped away at the first given chance and bolted away.
It had secured you a particularly long stay at the hospital.
Just like now.
In your defense, he was a random dude with weird-looking silver hair.
What else were you going to do?
Not that you got far anyway. Not with that foot.
That was the first and last time you'd seen Xavier seriously mad.
You huff as he carries you past a new crowd of Hunters arriving on the scene. One of them stops and turns to you, deigning to greet you.
It's Lacy, Xavier's work partner.
And crush.
The last part was something you'd noticed over the various interactions you had with the two of them — you were on a first name basis with most of their team at this point.
He'd gotten better at hiding how his expression softened and his breath caught when he saw her, though.
Perhaps, her getting a boyfriend had forced him to reel it in.
You dramatically put your hand on your forehead, voice crooning in a deadpan tone like that one voice actor's. "Oh, the pain, make it stop."
"You're on your, kid," Lacy chuckles. "Ayla's been worried sick about you. I think Jenna got about a million calls from her. Head home and rest after getting that ankle treated."
"I'm older than both of you," you grumble while watching the way Xavier's expressions softens slightly when he looks at her.
Huh. Interesting.
You'd felt a slight sting when you'd seen that.
Had you developed some sort of strange crush on him after all these near-death experiences?
Wasn't there a psychological phenomenon like that?
You really hoped not. This would make all future (and inevitable) encounters incredibly awkward.
And if so, why had you once again crushed on someone that was emotionally unavailable?
Or was it because his appearance was the exact opposite to his?
Maybe your therapist was onto something when she psychoanalyzed your joke of a love life (or lack thereof).
Not that you'd ever admit that to her.
As you reluctantly wave goodbye to Lacy, warmth from his teleportation Evol envelops you again.
You internally grimace as you meet the eyes of your rightfully pissed off manager.
"Anyway, Mr Tall, Mysterious, and Grumpy," you say as Ayla steps aside in order for Xavier to walks towards the car. Her expression says she has quite the lecture in store for you. "I just realized that I never asked. What's your last name? It feels impolite to call such a fine, upstanding hunter as yourself with your first name as a mere civilian."
Xavier pauses in front of the car, considering your words for a moment. "…It feels jarring to see you consider courtesy all of a sudden. However —"
He swings open the door with one hand, before setting you down in your seat. You try to protest as he buckles your seatbelt before instructing Ayla's driver, Mr Ermes, to take you both to the hospital nearest in the area.
"I think with you, disconcerting things and abrupt conversation starters are to be expected."
You smirk at him. "Aren't they already?"
You jolt when he doesn’t respond at first, choosing to lean down in order to directly meet your gaze, one arm on the open car door. "Either way, it's Shen." Xavier whispers, eyes flitting across your face, something you can't quite identify brimming in them.
You're frozen in your seat, speechless for once.
His electric blue gaze meets yours, piercing through your body. You can feel your face flushing further at the sight of that slight smile on his face. "I'm Xavier Shen."
You splutter and attempt to say something as he swiftly leans away, nodding a goodbye to Ayla.
He's closed the door, leaving you zooming along the increasingly busy road before you can utter a single word.
You barely register Ayla settling into the seat beside you, starting her usual (and justified) tirade. "If you're not going to do the audition for that show, the least you can do for me is finish that manuscript ahead of schedule. Your passion project for your friend can wait for a bit, can't it?"
You groan, sinking into your seat and accepting your fate as you listen to your manager's nagging.
Something pricks you when you do and you immediately sit up, finding a pin you'd stuck to your dress prior this evening at that fancy gala you'd attended.
It sparkles even in the dim lighting of the car, as the neon lights of downtown Linkon's buildings and cars invades the dim interior of the car.
The brooch you'd been looking for ever since you saw it in your best friend’s photos that she kept stashed away in her closet back when she was alive.
You'd almost forgotten why you'd been at that party in the first place amidst everything else.
Almost.
Ayla doesn't notice the growing smile on your face as you turn towards the window, watching the raindrops as they fall and decorate it while racing across the glass.
The brooch twirls in your hand as your mind tries to piece together the intel you got from the drunken man at that party, droning on and on about the guilt of abandoning his mission on this Earth.
The Backtrackers.
Just who were they? And what did they want?
And most importantly — what was their connection to your late best friend?
After the 2024 fire, the ride was rebuilt as part of Gohtong Way! It is separately ticketed from the rest of the park. It costs 28MYR (~$7 USD) to ride. It seems to only be open at specific times. Its last open period was 22 May to 28 June.
