Chapter Text
Out of the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of white speeding past your desk. The figure's posture is terrible, you note, as they round the corner. It's as if they think all 6'1" of them will be invisible if they just hunch over a little.
They are unnaturally quiet though, you give them points for that. Even with the combat boots they've always got on, and the large strides they walk with, somehow you can barely hear their footsteps.
You imagined this was more like how someone would try and sneak in if they were running late. But... you checked your phone for the time. Just as you thought. It was only 9:20.
Huh. He's early, for some reason.
You paused your typing for a second. The timing was unfortunate- he managed to catch your eye. Just as he was lowering himself into his seat. Just as you looked up from your monitor.
MC was laughing shaking his shoulder playfully, likely pleasantly surprised that he's shown up so early. He's not looking at her though, Xavier's still looking at you.
He gives you a small, sheepish smile.
You give him a polite nod and look back at your monitor.
What a pain.
You blinked your eyes closed momentarily, sending out a silent prayer to anyone who's listening that the heat rising to your cheeks isn't visible, and tried to get back to work.
Keyword: tried.
You had been in a flow state until he walked in. You had thought of the perfect sentence and now despite wracking your brain for the last couple of minutes, you'd completely forgotten what you were going to write. Backspacing through the last two lines, you massaged your temples. This is hopeless, you thought, and it's all because of Xavier.
The worst part about your crush was that he seemed to have no flaws. Not one.
Stupid, distracting, Xavier. With his stupid gorgeous blue eyes, that make you want to forgive him for just about anything. And his stupid bedhead, that looked like it had been doted on by 15 dedicated stylists, positioning each strand of hair perfectly in place, whilst they fanned him and fed his grapes.
And, you swore it had been a gloomy morning mere minutes ago. But of course, of course, the sun had decided to peak out from the clouds, just as he arrived. Its rays filtered through the sky, just to make sure he was showered in its glow, reminding everyone that they were lucky to be in the presence of some kind of angel, some otherworldly prince.
Does his evol make him some kind of sunshine fairy too? Was Xavier not just an insanely skilled hunter, but also blessed by the sun god?
How annoying.
"Hey!"
"Huh?" you spun to the side, finding yourself met with a concerned gaze.
"You've been staring at your screen for the last five minutes. And you've been grinding your teeth. A lot. It's kind of loud."
"Oh. Sorry."
"You should get that checked."
"Yeah, I guess." you answered, noncommittally.
"I have a coupon for a dentist if you want?"
You shuddered. The dentist, no way. "I think I'll pass."
"Well, just let me know if you change your mind. The reading I did yesterday said that we should all try to take care of our health this month."
"Thanks Tara, I'll keep that in mind," you said.
She knew you, so she also knew that you had no plans to give it another second's thought.
"No problem!" she chirped. A ray of sunshine.
It wasn't like you weren't friendly. You were just introverted, it was Monday, and you weren't being paid enough to have a peppy attitude this early in the day. You'd been working in this team for a while now though, so you were fortunate enough that they already knew this about you, and weren't particularly bothered by it. Plus it wasn't just you. Simone, Nero and Captain Jenna all matched your temperament, albeit in different ways. Oh and Xavier.
The alpha team aren't often assigned the desk work that you and your coworkers do, only mission reports. That meant that they only really had to attend their exams and assessments, yearly reviews, equipment testing, and the Monday morning briefings to catch up on the latest updates and for mission assignment.
MC showed up more often than that though. She had this, always willing go above and beyond, always willing to prove her worth. It was the kind of attitude that you admired but didn't share.
Usually, Xavier didn't turn up unless he had to. When he was working, he was committed. He fought hard, finished his paperwork on time, always showed up when he was needed and was never late. The rest of you were the same. Giving it your all when you were at work, but relaxing just as hard when you weren't required to be.
So as much as you liked your job, if you'd had the chance to not come into the office, you would stay home too.
Every week since you'd started working for Captain Jenna, Xavier would always show up ten minutes before the aforemention Monday meeting. So today was a little odd, seeing as there was another half an hour before it was set to start and Xavier was already here. But nevermind him.
Half an hour left meant just enough time for you to accomplish the most important task of the morning.
You took your earbuds out, pushed your chair away from your desk and stood up. "I'm going out for coffee. Anyone want anything?"
See, friendly.
Desk chairs swivelled around. A chorus of "Just our regulars thanks!" rung out from around the office.
"Sure." You put your earbuds back in, pulled your jacket off your chair and shrugged it on. "I'll get going now!"
Just as you were about to grab the company card from the Captain's desk, a hand shot out and swiped it, fingertips brushing yours.
You jumped back slightly, startled.
A hand pressed firmly into the small of your back. You felt another on your shoulder, steadying you, and a soft, melodic laugh close to your ear.
"It's just me. Mind if I join you?"
***
Well, you couldn't reasonably say no. It's not like you had a proper excuse. Which is how you found yourself with him, walking side by side down the street.
Xavier sighed, stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders back. "The weather's perfect. It's nice to be out in this fresh air."
Surely it dawned on him that he had spent more of this morning outside in the fresh air than the rest of you, given that he had practically just arrived at work.
"Yeah, you're right," you agreed.
It was nice. If Xavier was, in fact, a weather maiden, he was putting his powers to good use. You couldn't deny how nice the warmth felt on your skin. You closed your eyes and smiled, tilting your head up and basking in the sunlight.
"You look like a happy kitty."
You opened your eyes just to narrow them at him.
"What?" he laughed. "It's true. Just like the one downstairs from our apartment complex."
"You mean the orange one?"
He nodded. "MC and I feed them sometimes. That tabby is a picky eater, but after some snacks, it makes that same expression."
Ah, so that's why they're so friendly, you thought. They always came to you for head pats and chin scratches. It's because the two of them had already buttered them up.
"That's like you as well, right?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
His hand found its way to his chin, "You only ever drink tea or coffee with two spoons of sugar."
How did he? That's weird, you thought. He never came to grab coffee with you before. How could he have known that?
"So what?" you raised an eyebrow.
He smile widened. "You're just like the tabby. Picky."
You scoffed. It wasn't a slight but your cheeks still burned hot. "Well, I know what I like. Is there anything wrong with that?"
He shook his head, but the look in his eyes was amused more than anything. You felt like you lost a game you didn't even realise you were playing. You narrowed your eyes in suspicion, but he continued to smile serenly.
Before you could respond Xavier swiftly moved past you and held the door open. You'd arrived without even realising it. "After you."
"Thanks." you muttered softly, avoiding eye contact whilst stepping inside.
You pulled out your phone with the list of your coworkers' orders. At this point you had it memorised but it couldn't hurt to have it at the ready, just in case you blanked.
Xavier peered at the screen from over your shoulder.
"My order's missing."
"Hmm?" You responded absentmindedly, in the middle of rehearsing what you were going to say to the cashier. "Oh right." You looked up to find Xavier pouting. "It's not my fault you never rock up on time."
His expression was comically sullen, and he didn't budge when you poked his arm. "Come on, tell me your order before we get to the front of the line!"
"What is it, hmm? An iced americano, a flat white, hot chocolate? If you don't tell me I'll just get you three shots of espresso and I'll make sure you down them in one go."
That got his attention. "Please don't. I don't like the taste of bitter things."
"Oh?" You changed course. "A frappacino then? Vanilla latte?"
"Wrong again," he was back to smiling now, clearly enjoying having you guess, anxious now that you were getting closer to the counter. "That would be too sweet."
"Hurry up. Enlighten me." You grabbed his arm and shook it, "What's Xavier's order?"
"Usually I would get a tea or fruit juice. But, since it's coffee we're ordering I'll just get a regular latte."
"You can get tea," you pointed at the side menu. "Tara said the tea is good here. You should try it."
Xavier considered this for a second before deciding. "I'll get a honey milk tea then."
"Finally."
You tilted your phone away from his prying eyes and added his answer to the list of your coworkers' orders. You figured you wouldn't need it again though, since this was a one-off occassion. He probably wouldn't show up early again. And besides, even if you did order for him, his drink would lose its warmth by the time he took his first sip.
While you waited on the side after ordering, you watched as Xavier looked around the cafe. He seemed curious, examining the decor or maybe assessing the general atmosphere.
"Destiny Cafe, surely you've been here before?"
He shook his head. "Do you come here every Monday?"
You nodded. "I've tried the other cafes but we all agree the drinks are the best here."
"Oh and also." Xavier turned to face you. "It's a shame we're getting takeaway but, if you're ever here for longer, the barista's make those 3d designs with foam."
"Wait, let me show you." You scrolled through your camera roll. "Found it!" It was a photo taken from above of two drinks with animals made of foam: a kitty and a puppy.
"It does look cute."
"Right! I bet they'd make you a really cute bunny too! I mean, in case you ever end up ordering one."
"How did you know I'd ask for a bunny?"
"Oh. Uhmm. I just figured since you have that pen with the Bunbun charm attached to it... that you might... like... bunnies" you voice drifted off.
"Ah," he nodded. "It was a gift from MC."
"Oh. Right." You shuffled your feet.
"I do though."
"Huh," you frowned, confused. "You do...?"
"Like bunnies."
"Oh. Well maybe you should try one of those lattes sometime?" your voice pitched up as you got to the end of the sentence.
Saving you from another awkward moment, the cashier called out your order number. "Thank god," you whispered under your breath, rushing to the register to grab the coffees.
Once again, before you had the chance, Xavier swooped in and carried both trays. "Allow me."
You thanked him before stepping aside and making your way to open the door for him.
The walk back to the office was quiet. You managed to keep your gaze strictly ahead, preventing yourself from stealing a glance at him.
You were in the elevator. You'd almost made it back, ready to put a whole bunch of space between you and him, when he suddenly broke the silence.
"When you took that photo before, who did you go with?"
"Huh?"
"The foam cat was yours. So who ordered the puppy?"
Before you could answer, the elevator arrived at your floor.
You stepped into the office and let out a sigh of relief.
"Drinks are here!"