Double-Shot of Poison (Xavier)
FANDOM: Love and Deepspace
PAIRING: Xavier/Non-MC Reader/MC
RATING: T
WARNING(S): Mild jealousy, mild angst, drinking, love confessions, polyamory
Notes: Believe it or not, I was seriously stuck on this one for a while. But I somehow managed to get it done.
Taglist: @kingraspberry12-blog @babygirl-panda19 @young-adult-summer
Ever since your best friend became a hunter, more and more people entered your orbit. Her coworkers, her boss (you were still a bit baffled at how close Jenna was to her team), and even… her new boyfriend.
Xavier was… a bit odd. Spacey, softspoken, and often tired. Unless you were eating. When you went out to eat, he never failed to stay awake. It was kind of comical how his entire demeanor changed and he locked in for a meal.
As the outsider to the group of hunters, you had long since accepted that you and MC wouldn’t be as close as you used to be. You smiled and laughed and marveled at their stories of fighting wanderers, but you never would be a part of that world. You were a normal person, with a normal job and a normal life. You’d never even held a gun before, let alone fought with one.
MC had changed. Subtly, of course - she was more aware of her surroundings now, and when you were out together, she kept a hand at your back, ready to push you out of danger or get in front of you at a moment’s notice. And when she got a boyfriend, she spent much more of her time with him.
You really couldn’t blame her. Xavier was a very pretty man, with platinum hair that seemed to catch the light, soft features, and eyes like the summer skies. He was tall compared to her, but he wasn’t bulky; whenever you saw him, he was in sweaters and long-sleeved shirts, and it made him look even softer. His voice, quiet, wasn’t super high-pitched or low. It carried a melodious cadence, and when he laughed, if ever, it was gentle and warm. More like a fairytale prince than a mere man. (MC laughed when you said that to her, but she admitted you weren't wrong.)
He was slow to speak, thoughtful with the words he chose, and once or twice you’d seen him at the local library, sitting in a comfy chair with a book in his lap. Of course he liked books, you told yourself. As if he couldn’t get more perfect.
When you realized you fell for him, you fell hard. And the guilt of that realization made you sick. That was your best friend’s boyfriend - the most off-limits guy you could have fallen in love with.
You couldn’t look either of them in the eyes. When your heart fluttered in your chest at the sound of his sonorous voice or her echoing laugh, your guts twisted. You began to pull away, slowly at first.
It wasn’t hard to escape MC’s notice. With how much time she spent with Xavier, your outings together were already few and far between. When you knew he would show up to group gatherings, you declined. When you saw them together around the city, you went the other way. When he showed up unexpectedly, you left, citing some emergency you forgot you had.
By the third time you left a hangout, you got a text from her: “Everything ok???”
“Fine”, was your answer.
You knew it wasn’t fair. Not to her, or to him. You tried to justify it; she was just so busy that it was hard to find time to hang out together now. Or you really did have some emergency that needed you more than she did. Or you just… forgot to call each other. Your worlds were different now, no matter how much it hurt.
Meanwhile, MC was devastated. You should have been close. You were close. But ever since she started working as a Hunter, your friendship faded. You seemed so distant lately. Was it something she did? Was it because she got a boyfriend? She didn’t know, but she needed everything to be okay again. She needed you.
Xavier didn’t think much of you originally. But MC kept bringing you up and showing him old pictures and videos of you two, and the few times he’d met you, your company was pleasant. You reminded him of Jeremiah, in a way, and it was soothing. He started to take an interest in you when you began to pull away. The guilt in your face and the forced smiles disheartened him at first - you didn’t like him, did you? But then he realized it was the opposite: you did. And he was surprised that it pleased him as much as it did. He loved MC. But he was starting to warm to you, too.
—————
One evening, MC was waiting outside your workplace, scrolling on her phone.
When she saw you leave, her face brightened. “Yin! C’mon, we’re getting barbecue.”
“Whuh— uh, right now?” You protested.
“Uh, yeah, right now,” she stated, as if it were obvious. “If you go home to change, you’ll just end up in pajamas and you'll text me something like, 'oh I'm so sorry, but I'm just soooo tired and I'm already comfy, so can we reschedule?'”
…Damn it, she's right.
With a sigh, you smiled wearily at her. “Alright. What place?”
She walked with you over to her parked motorbike, patting the seat. “Tara sold me on it a few months ago. Wanna ride?”
You blushed. “Uh… y- yeah, sure. Why not?”
MC beamed and tossed a helmet at you. “Try not to scream!”
—————
As it turned out, she was right to warn you. You had no idea where she learned to drive so sharply, but by the time you got to the barbecue place, you were winded from choking on your own screams.
She laughed when she took your helmet off and she saw your dizzy face. “Fun, huh?”
“I… I don’t remember… you driving like that,” you panted, giving her a scandalized glare.
“Meh, I passed my driving test.” Waving you off with a mysterious smile, she added, “Besides, Xavier drives more wildly than I do. Don’t get in the car with him if he ever offers you a ride.”
With the mention of Xavier, your mood soured a bit. With a plastic smile, you followed her into the restaurant.
“You’re gonna love the tofu. They give you this super good sauce to drizzle on them, and when you cook it, it caramelizes into this really good—” She cut herself off when she noticed - at the same time that your stomach dropped - Xavier sitting at a booth. “—Xavier! How’d you beat me here? I thought you wanted to change first!”
“I did,” he confirmed, yawning into his hand before giving you a slight smile. “Yin. Hello.”
“H- hi.” You stumbled in your pace, and MC’s hand gripped your shoulder tighter.
“Xavier’s a master at grilling meat,” she told you as she ushered you into the booth across from him. She sat with you, squeezing your shoulder before looking over the ingredients. “Did you order for us already?”
“Yep. I got our usual, plus a few others that I thought you might like.” He looked over at you when he said it, and he gestured to a few vegetables and meats.
Ducking your head, you smiled to yourself. “Thank you.”
—————
The night went more pleasantly than you’d expected. Xavier really was a master at grilling meats, and you marveled at how perfectly each piece came out. He didn’t seem as interested in vegetables, so you and MC mainly ate the lion’s share of those. You laughed and joked with them more than you had in weeks, and when you finally left, full and satisfied, and MC asked if you wanted to get ice cream, you said yes immediately.
Finally, you were back at her place. You leaned on her, stomach warm, face hurting from how much you’d smiled. She told some anecdote from your childhood, and you could hardly keep from laughing as you elaborated on it.
“—and, and Zayne got sooooo mad,” you howled with laughter. “He never let me live it down. He called me Saucy until he moved.”
“I remember that!” MC said. “When I said I was meeting you for dinner today, he told me to bring a poncho!”
Xavier watched you both with a placid smile. “You’ve had a lot of adventures together, it sounds like.”
“We’ve been besties foreverrrrr,” MC drawled, pulling you in for a hug. Then she leveled you with a serious stare. “I’d bury a body for you. Deadass.”
She paused, then giggled. “Wait— wait, no, pun not intended.”
You laughed, patting her shoulder. “I know, I know.”
“Like, I love you.” She leaned her head on your shoulder with a big grin.
“Aw, I love you too, girl. But don’t make your boyfriend jealous.” You teased, bumping her arm with yours.
She snorted. “He doesn’t care. Right? Xavier? You also like Yin, riiiiiiight?”
Awkward silence.
You blinked. Some of the fuzziness from the alcohol faded as you processed what she just said.
“Yeah.” Xavier looked up at you with a bashful expression.
“Uh… huh?” You looked around at them, laughing a little nervously. “MC, you’re sweet and all, but I don’t think your boyfriend…”
“She’s right. I do like you.”
He said it so nonchalantly that you had to have a double-take. “Uh—?”
“We both want you,” MC supplied, looking up at you through her lashes. “Pleeeeeease, Yin? Be my girlfriend? And Xavier’s, but mostly mine! I liked you first!”
Your face flushed. “I— I— uh— b- uh…”
“What’s wrong?” Xavier piped up, a puppy-dog expression on his face. “You don’t hate us… do you?”
“No! Of course not!” You spluttered. “I— I just— I'm in love with you, Xavier! But you’re MC’s boyfriend and I don't want to break you up, so I just thought…”
“And we’re both saying we don’t caaaaaaare.” MC huffed, tightening her grip on you. “If you had the chance, would you date us?”
You hesitated for a moment, eyes darting from her to him and back.
Finally, you squeaked out, “Uh… y- yeah…?”
Smirking victoriously, she beckoned Xavier over. He got up from the couch and sat down next to you, and together they worked you up into their laps.
Xavier rested his head on your chest while MC played with your hair, both seemingly oblivious to how dark your face was getting.
“So warm…” he hummed, looking up at you through long silvery eyelashes.
Hesitantly, you raised a hand to pet along his hair, and the man all but melted into you, his eyelids fluttering shut.
“Now you’ve done it. He’s gonna be too sleepy to move.” MC teased with a soft chortle.
“So… uh… how does this… work?” You wondered out loud.
“Well, I don’t have to hold myself back from doing this anymore.” She stated, before leaning in to press a kiss to your cheekbone. She giggled as she pulled away. “Fair warning, Xavier might disappear sometimes. It’s just his thing. And if he shows up in the middle of the night... he probably just got back and he'll want to hug you until he thinks he can get to sleep.”
Nodding thoughtfully, you ran your fingers through his hair. “His hair is so soft. I’m jealous. What in the world does he use?”
“Two-in-one. I know, it frustrates the hell out of me.” She shook her head. “Must just be genetics, I guess.”
Humming to yourself, you leaned back against her and closed your eyes as her fingers pressed circles into the base of your neck.
“Stay the night.” She pleaded. “While I’d love to walk you home… I have the feeling it’s gonna be a bit hard to get Xavier to let go.”
“Yeah… that might be for the best. I still feel a little drunk.” You admitted. “Do you have a change of clothes I could borrow?”
“Of course. I still have the ones you left here last time you slept over.” With a smile and a kiss, she gently got up, letting you lay back against the couch. Xavier didn’t even stir, merely holding you tighter. “I’ll be right back.”