He had it all figured out.
At least, he thought he had.
After everything had been said and done, and Xigbar was successfully feigning being a part of the Good Boy Brigade, he found the irony in hanging out with Aqua absolutely wild. Seriously, scooting on into the life of the lady whose best buddy had totally marred up your face and then semi-served as the physical shell of the leader of an evil cult-like Organization? There was... a lot more to unpack there than they had time for, really.
So while their alignments never seemed to completely match up, during the days they ended up spending together, he nonetheless enjoyed their little verbal spars, the teasing, the---dare he consider it so?---flirting. There was always this specific edge to her tone, he had noticed, during their little play-fights---that juicy little lilt of sweetness, despite the rude remark or the witty comeback.
And the way she would smirk all the while---
It wasn’t as though he was looking for the whole White Picket Fence deal---Xigbar was not the type to entertain himself with such wild flights of romantic fancy---but sometimes, one simply requires a bit of companionship, even if only briefly amidst the Eternal Walkabout.
And Aqua? Every facet of her was appealing, honestly---her looks, her style, her strength, and don’t even get him started on that ridiculously endearing laugh of hers---and if there was a chance he could kick around the Globe even just a handful of years with her... well, there would certainly be no complaints from his end.
So he set it all up---a sly, vague invitation, and once she would get there, he would end the waiting. Just take the leap and all that---no gravity-defying powers this time---because he wanted---needed---to see where this whole thing could possibly go.
The Land of Departure always had the most beautiful constellations, as it seemingly served as the epicenter of Everything. Stars always set the mood---stars, and sunsets, and sunrises. The innate wonders of the universe were a natural aphrodisiac, honestly.
And he watched in silent repose as she arrived, and had waited until just the right moment---
...But apparently, it wasn’t.
Her reaction certainly wasn’t as subtly mirthful as usual---in fact, she seemed straight-up, unabashedly angry with him. And while most of the time he merely mocked people’s disdain and upset, this very specific time around, it wasn’t so funny.
Yet instead of returning her displeasure, he truly paused, considering just what was happening. Maybe he was just getting bad at this---slipping up in his age, misreading romantic signals and jumping to conclusions---and, foolishly, so foolishly, he had allowed himself to actually become hopeful.
Hopeful... hopeful for what?
No, he wasn’t hopeful---couldn’t be hopeful. There was no point in that nowadays.
That small spark that could still truly be considered “Luxu,” buried far beneath the ooze and muck of this multi-layered mass that could only be somewhat considered a “soul”---that caring, innocent spirit that felt everything so strongly, and had viewed compassion and love with such unbridled hope and wonder---was immediately smothered.
Honestly, it would be too much work anyway, and it would be a total waste of his time! He had better things to do, obviously, than wait around for some young thing to catch up with his speed---and, of course, “no” means “no,” and who was he to change the meaning of such a simple word?
It just wouldn’t work---wasn’t meant to work.
And so, as with everything else, he would simply shrug it off.
He donned his usual mask---oh how it fit so perfectly---and took a couple steps away, shaking his head and teasing her, “Y’know I’m just messin’ with ya, Miss Master---don’t gotta be all flustered about it.”
