Chapter Text
Your cheeks burned, but you weren’t sure if it was from humiliation or embarrassment. How had your night turned out this way?
You pushed your way through the crowd, away from the five loves of your life, trying to get to the bathroom as fast as possible. The moment you got through the door, you slammed it shut behind you and threw the lock. Your hands shook as you pulled your phone out and called the one person who could help.
It only rang once before she picked up.
“Tara?” you said, your voice shaking as tears ran down your face. “This has been a huge mistake. I need your help.”
“No problem, babe. I’m on my way.”
Two weeks earlier
“Xavier?” you asked, standing up from your desk and reaching for your bag. “Do you think you could finish up here for me? I need to head out.”
Your partner turned to look at you, his brow scrunched in confusion.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. He was already standing, reaching for his Hunter gear. Despite literally being able to conjure a weapon at a moment's notice, he always carried a belt of other supplies you needed while in the field. Today, he’d taken it off as he sat down to help you with your reports.
You held your hands out, trying to stop him and push him back into his chair. You were unsuccessful. Xavier was as moveable as a brick wall when he wanted to be and right now, he was dead set on coming with you.
“Everything’s fine!” you said, trying to play it off as a joke. “I have an appointment, that’s all.”
Xavier nodded, turning and gesturing for you to walk ahead of him. “Sure. I’ll come with you.”
Your eyebrows shot up.
“Um…” You looked around for Tara or Simone to help bail you out, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“It’s really fine,” you said, backing away from him. You ran directly into another desk and winced as the corner rammed into your thigh. That was absolutely going to leave a bruise. “Besides, I’m sure you have plenty to do. I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
Xavier studied you carefully. The two of you had worked together long enough that he could tell when something was wrong or when you were lying. You wanted to curse his perceptiveness right now.
Leave it up to this stupidly handsome man to be suspicious right now, when in actuality, you were trying to go to a speed dating event.
But the man had no idea you’d had feelings for him for months.
Despite all of your efforts to flirt with him.
“It’s private, okay?” You hoped your voice was as soft and kind as you meant it to be. “Everything’s fine.”
Xavier finally took a step back at this, his head dropping to stare at the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced up at you again.
“Okay,” he said. “You’d tell me if anything was really wrong, right?”
“Of course I would.”
You returned to his side so you could squeeze his upper arm. He seemed briefly mollified by your actions, but you could feel his eyes on you as you said your goodbyes and walked out of the building. You needed to hurry if you were going to make it home in time to change and make it to the event.
You made it to the speed dating event with only a few minutes to spare. Tara and Simone were waiting for you, both dressed in pretty cocktail dresses that complemented their figures. Tara’s was black and covered in little moons and stars while Simone’s was a dark red satin that shone in the light. You had chosen a navy blue dress with a sweetheart neckline, hoping to toe the line between cute and sexy. You felt wildly overdressed for a Tuesday night, but the event had called for cocktail attire.
“You look amazing!” Tara said, hugging you tightly. “Are you ready?”
Simone handed you a glass of sparkling wine, winking at you as the organizer walked around, directing everyone to pick up name tags and notepads before finding a table.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you said, sighing.
Tara laughed before threading her arm through yours. “C’mon, it won’t be that bad. Worse case scenario, you have a few glasses of wine and I take you out for dinner afterwards.”
The event was surprisingly fun, once you finished your first glass of wine. You, Tara, and Simone were seated at adjacent tables while the potential suitors had to move between them. You only had five minutes with each man, which meant your questions and answers had to be short, to the point, and just flirty enough.
You sat in the middle of your two best friends, so as Simone said goodbye to someone, she gave a thumbs up or down to warn you before you met the man she'd spoken to. You tried to do the same for Tara, but she preferred making silly faces at you in the short breaks you had between conversations. The laughter meant you made an excellent impression on your suitors. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for their impression on you.
“Oh, you’re a Hunter?” one asked. “Aren’t you a little small for that?”
You resisted the urge to throw him across the room to prove your strength.
“You’re really pretty,” another said. “Do you want to ditch this place and find somewhere a little more private where we can get to know each other?” His gaze had barely left your chest and you were relieved when the timer buzzed and he left.
Your notes at the end of the event were minimal, but there were three or four men who you wouldn’t mind spending a few more minutes with. As the event wrapped up, you turned in your list of men you wanted to know better. The results would be compiled by the organizers and if any of your preferences also wanted to meet you, you’d receive the men’s contact information in a few days.
“I’m exhausted,” you said, as the three of you exited the event. “Dinner now, please?”
Tara had already picked out a restaurant a short walk away. As the three of you settled in and placed your orders, the three of you had a rundown of the men you’d met.
“I’m surprised they don’t vet the participants better,” Simone said, swirling her glass of wine. “Some of those guys were straight up creeps.”
“Tell me about it,” you said, launching into the story about the one who tried to get you to leave early.
“Please don’t let this put you off dating!” Tara said, gripping your arm. “Just because none of them were great tonight doesn’t mean you should go back to your old ways.”
You sighed, secretly relieved when your food arrived a moment later.
Tara was right. She and Simone had watched you fall for the five different men in your life over the last year. Despite your attempts to flirt with each of them, and even the occasional flirtation back, none of them had shown any serious interest in you. It was heartbreaking, to hold out hope for a single crumb of affection only to be treated strictly like a partner, or patient, or an employee or…. The list went on.
“Did you like any of the guys tonight? Even a little bit?” Simone asked.
You nodded as you chewed your food. “I did. If any of them liked me back enough to match with me, I’ll even consider texting them.”
“Oh!” Tara said, clapping excitedly. “I know! You should invite them to the gala next week! Assuming, you know, that you want to see them again.”
The Hunters Association Annual Gala was a huge party held each year, meant to thank the Hunters for their hard work. Employees were encouraged to bring their significant others, support people, and even children, as a way to acknowledge all the sacrifices that were made both physically and emotionally each time you were sent on a mission. The night involved a catered dinner, an open bar, a few speeches, and dancing. Last year, you’d gone alone, unable to pick who should be honored with you. This year, you were determined to bring at least one other person, even if they weren’t a romantic partner.
“Maybe,” you said, grinning. “Are you going to bring a date too?”
Neither Tara nor Simone were dating anyone seriously, but you’d suspected that Simone had been getting closer to Nero lately. And it felt like Tara was always going on a date with someone.
“I will if you will,” Simone said, surprising you. You’d expected Tara to agree, but if Simone was bringing a date, you could make it work too.
“Deal,” you said, clinking your glass to hers.
Now that you had agreed, you felt a lump form in your stomach. You really, really hoped that one of the men you’d met tonight matched with you.
If not? You were going to be in trouble.
The next day, Xavier didn’t ask you what appointment you’d had to leave work early for. But you did catch him staring at you more often than normal.
At lunchtime, you were surprised to see a new email from the speed dating organizers.
Thank you for attending our most recent speed dating event! Below you will find the men you’ve matched with, along with their contact information. These participants will not be given your information unless you contact them.
If you’d like to join us again, our next speed dating event is on….
You found yourself smiling at your phone as you realized every man you liked had matched with you. You immediately looked around for Simone or Tara, but neither of them were in the office at the moment.
“You’re smiling,” Xavier said. “Must have gotten good news.”
You nodded. “I hope so.”
Before you could overthink it, you picked one of the men at random – Tristan – and decided to text him. You kept it simple, reminding him that you’d met at the speed dating event and you’d like to get coffee sometime soon if he was interested.
Tristan responded within a few minutes.
Now, you were practically giddy. Even if this was a single coffee date, even if the man turned out to be horrible after a single conversation that lasted more than five minutes, it was so nice to feel wanted. You couldn’t remember the last time your affections had been returned. You’d spent too long in unrequited hell.
You had enough time to make plans for coffee the next day before your Hunters Watch went off and you and Xavier were sent into the field. You practically skipped on your way out the door, which made Xavier smile.
“You’re in a good mood,” he said. “The good news must have been confirmed, I take it?”
You both broke into a run as you hit the streets. The wanderer attack was only a few blocks away.
“I have a date tomorrow,” you said, as you turned the corner and approached the monster. There were three of them, causing havoc to the nearby stores as civilians tried running away.
You looked at Xavier, wanting to confirm if he wanted to handle evacuation or the elimination, but he was already gone. He streaked past you, lightblade drawn, taking down the first wanderer before you could even blink.
The civilians needed very little guidance as you helped them evacuate, covering their path as the other wanderers continued down the street. Once the street was clear of civilians, it only took a few short minutes for you and Xavier to take down the remaining monster together.
“Stay here. I’ll go check the stabilizers in the area to see if anyone tampered with them.”
Xavier barely looked at you before he turned and walked away. You were confused by his abrupt change in mood, but you brushed it off as you used your Hunters Watch to call in the attack regardless. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but there were a few civilians who sustained minor injuries. The medic the Hunters Association employed checked them over once they arrived, encouraging them to go to Akso Hospital if their symptoms worsened.
Once the premises were under control, you looked for Xavier, but he was nowhere to be found. You shot him a quick text message before returning to the office, ready to finish up the reports you had been working on.
You waited for Xavier to return, but he never did. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for long stretches of time like this, but he usually checked in via text when he could.
Sighing, you finished your work day before clocking out, making the journey to your apartment alone. You glanced at Xavier’s window as you approached your apartment building, but all the lights were off. Hopefully everything was okay and you’d hear from him tomorrow.
As you entered your apartment, your match from the dating event messaged you again. You caught yourself smiling as you finalized your plans for tomorrow and exchanged a few pleasantries.
You called Tara and Simone after you’d had time to shower and eat dinner. It had been so long since you’d had a date of any kind and you desperately needed their help picking an outfit.
“I’m half-tempted to wear my Hunter’s uniform,” you said, laughing. “I’ll be meeting him right after work.”
“Absolutely not!” Simone said.
“NO!” Tara said, so loud that you literally took a step back from your phone.
“Okay then, guess I’m bringing a second outfit to change into then.”
You tried on a dozen different outfits before settling on something cute, but comfortable. A black sweater, pink skirt, and some tall boots that always make you feel confident. You threw it all in another bag, including some extra hair and make up supplies to help you touch up after your shift.
Even if the date didn’t turn out well, you were proud of yourself for taking this step. For moving on.
“Girlfriend, you’re gonna kill it tomorrow,” Simone said.
“And if not,” Tara said, shuffling her tarot cards to do a reading for your date, “there’s always the next one!”
You were still smiling when you fell asleep that night, optimistic about your dating life for the first time in years.
Xavier met you outside your apartment the next morning, your favorite coffee and breakfast pastry in hand.
“Here,” he said, trading you the coffee for your bag. “What’s all this for?”
He threw the bag over his shoulder without a second thought as you made your way to the train station.
“It’s nothing, just some extra clothes.”
You didn’t know why you weren’t telling him that it was for the date you had after your shift, but it felt weird to mention. Even though Xavier had made it plenty clear over the course of working together that he didn’t see you anything more than a friend and partner, it felt weird to talk about. Like you shouldn’t cross the line of romantic discussions on any level with him.
“Hmmph,” Xavier said, not questioning you but clearly realizing you were avoiding answering him.
Your commute to the HA was short and uneventful. You waved to Tara and Simone as you reached your desk, both of whom waved back enthusiastically. At your desk, you held your hand out for your bag, fully intending to dump it into one of your empty desk drawers until after work.
Xavier didn’t let go.
“Don’t you want to put your stuff in the locker room?” he asked, his head tilted slightly. It would’ve been endearing if you’d allowed yourself those feelings anymore. You did your best to shove down any thoughts of how cute he looked like this. You were moving on. You had a date with someone else. You weren't going to think about how cute Xavier looked anymore.
“Here is fine,” you said. In reality, you didn’t want to risk your clothes smelling like the locker room for your date. You’d prepared for many occurrences, but needing to launder your clothes at the last minute wasn’t one of them.
Xavier handed you your bag without any additional questions, then stood there awkwardly for a few minutes.
“Did you need something else?” you asked. Why was Xavier being so weird today? First he disappeared without a trace yesterday and now he wouldn’t leave your side. Maybe he thought you'd been injured yesterday and wanted to keep an eye on you.
“Jenna mentioned there’s a new training simulation,” Xavier said. “Do you want to try it out today?”
“Sure,” you said. Jenna had mentioned the new simulation was meant to test your compatibility with your partner, so it would be good to check out. “Let me check on a few things and I’ll come find you?”
Xavier nodded. As you turned back to your computer, wanting to finish the reports you hadn’t completed the day before, you felt Xavier step closer to you.
He bent down, brushing his lips against the corner of your brow, before turning away.
“I’ll be in the training room,” Xavier said, walking off without a glance back.
What the fuck was that?