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skynapple · 1 month

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Budding Romance | Ch. 16

Love and Deepspace | Jeremiah x MC / slow-burn / friends-to-lovers | Themes: angst, guilt, fluff

warnings: none

Multi-chapter | A03 link

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"Stalker" Tara wants to do some research.

Tara wasn't one for idleness. She enjoyed constant company, chatter, and entertainment. Finding out her new best friend had a massive crush was a thrill that topped all the rest lately. Just what type of person was he? She determined in her mind to find out and learn more about him, just for safety sake. Although, her fellow huntress had conveniently refused to tell her the name of the flower shop. It took some investigation, but eventually she had narrowed it down to two options. The amount of male-owned floral shops were slim to none within an hour circumference.

Time to take a trip!

Early on a late-summer morning, she set out to hunt the man down. Her first stop was an ornate shop on the west side of Linkon, ‘the fancy district’ as she referred to it. Expensive florals swathed in brilliant silks and ornaments decorated the large place, known most greatly for its extravagant wedding arrangements. In short time, she had her answer. This was the wrong place -leaving one last location on her list, which was on the other side of town. The much smaller shop, “Philo,” had no website, no social media presence. It existed only as a blip in an old map and word-of-mouth.

Upon entering, she admired the florals and quaint aesthetic. To her shock, the man who appeared to greet her not the man her friend had described, but an all-too-familiar blonde headed, blue-eyed hunter, wearing a dark apron over casual clothes.

“Oh! It's you!” She exclaimed, her cheery voice filling the whole shop.

For just a moment Tara wondered if somehow her thoughts were misplaced, now thinking, Does she actually have a crush on Xavier? Then she recalled the image she had been shown at their lunchtime exchange and shook off the thoughts.

"Xavier, is this your side job? Who knew!"

“Oh... no.” The man look a little awkwardly away, but smiled. It was different to see him not so 'standoffish' as people in the office liked to refer to him as. Though their fellow hunters regarded him highly, everyone knew how anti-social he was. “I'm just filling in for a friend today.” He finished.

“Really!! Oh, so is your friend the owner of this place? That’s cool! Where’s he at?”

He set the mister on a shelf and yawned. "He was tired today.”

She giggled. "Xavier, you're one to talk! You know your partner always tells me you pretty much sleep anywhere and everywhere, anytime you get!"

Before Xavier could respond to that, she gabbed on.

"So, are you getting paid? Must be nice! Oh my gosh, wait, she was right your eyelashes are totally blonde!"

"... What?"

Xavier shifted uncomfortably, hand reaching up to the back of his neck awkwardly.

She couldn't read him really, just that he was awkward as usual. Once again, before he could say anything else, she interrupted any possibility of him getting a word in.

“Wait, can you help me then? I was going to get something here for our teammate, you-know-who. I was thinking something cute for her desk! Ah, your shared desk? Her side? I was thinking something small and pretty. Or maybe something large and elegant! Like a huge lily! Wait, should I wait for the owner to return? You wouldn't know would you? Do you know when he'll be back?"

Xavier couldn't take it. “Let me check the back and see if he's around…” He said, leaving in such haste he nearly knocked a large pot over.

While she waited, she shopped around, finally settling on what to get her colleague as an excuse to be in the shop. She has no idea what her friends’ crush could be up to. As her thoughts wondered, she heard a noise from the door leading to the back that startled her. Xavier emerged from behind the door, carrying the half limp form of another man. The sight made her gasp softly. Honey brown curls. That had to be him - and he was passed out.

"Oh no! Is that your friend? Is he ok? Is he drunk??"

"Can you get the door?"

Placement-wise, he was her superior and sort of a legend, she didn't bother to question him when given a command.

"Do you need help? Are you sure he doesn't need first aid?" She said. It secretly occurred to her to text her friend, but only after making sure the man was ok.

"Actually..." Xavier started, glancing behind him and adjusting the man's arm over his, then flinging his whole limp body over his shoulder. "Can you lock up? I need to take him home. I think his keys are..." He fished around the mans pocket with a free hand with some effort and handed it to her.

"O-Of course! But...if these are his keys, then how will you-?"

"His spare. Sorry, I'll see you."

Tara felt the wind rush through her short strands and Xavier was gone with a flash of light and a gust of wind. Having received no other explanation, she was left alone, dumbfounded, with only instructions. She figured out how to switch the lighted "open" sign off, and fumbled through the sets of keys until finding the one that worked. It felt strange to hold a physical key, she wasn't sure if she'd actually ever used one before. It felt a little fun and retro.

When she was sure the door was secure, she picked up her mobile device and contacted her friend.

---

"Whathappened?" Her fellow huntress and best friend asked, sliding into the booth at the cafe they agreed to meet at. As Tara relayed the events of the morning, her hands rose to her mouth, a pensive expression as she sat incredulously.

There were many things she couldn't wrap her head around, from the fact that Tara went through the trouble of finding out where her crush worked, and then the fact that Xavier was there helping, and finally that Jeremiah was not in good condition.

"I don't know! At first Xavier said that the owner was out, and then that he was in the back, and then he didn't really say anything! He did not look good let me tell you. I'm kind of worried myself.”

It hadn't exactly been a good first impression, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. She thought if Xavier was handling it, then it should be fine. Although, it was her friend’s crush, and if she had an opportunity to find out more about him, even if it was information that might encourage her friend not to pursue him, then she figured it was better to let things happen that way. After all, her cards that morning had told her so.

Tara placed a rather old-fashioned-looking set of keys in front of them on the table they were seated at. Gingerly, her friend picked it up and ran a thumb over the leather strap holding the keys together. It had his name engraved on it.

"I'll make sure I get it to him. Thank you, Tara."

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skynapple · 1 month

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Budding Romance | Ch. 9

Love and Deepspace | Jeremiah x MC / slow-burn / friends-to-lovers

warnings: none

Multi-chapter | A03 link

Beginning | <- Prev | Next ->

"Gushing Gossip Girl Talk" Tara's here and she has a lot to say.

The young huntress sat in the middle of her lunch break, across from her eccentric friend and colleague, Tara. The overtly filtered air from within the deepspace hunter’s mess hall somewhat reminded her of a hospital. There were potted plants scattered around the area, meant to make the otherwise stale area welcoming, but felt a bit out of place. The food, at least, was good. Tara held the other woman’s phone in her hands, staring at the contents of the screen.

"That's him? Oh wow." There was a bright glimmer in her eye.

"Tara! Shh!”

It was embarrassing enough to have lead into the conversation about a new cute friend that she might have just slightly developed a crush on. It felt better at least to admit it, and to have her friend at least approve the appearance. She didn't need the entirety of the mess hall to know.

“Sorry!" She quickly apologized, clutching the phone as if it held something precious. "-but he's so cute!”

The other huntress, currently a shade deeper in embarrassment, only stared down at her food, poking it with her fork. There was a giddy but reserved tone to her voice as she said, "I know."

Her friend leaned a little closer, short brown hair bobbing with her movement. She kept her voice low, careful to try not to attract any peering eyes from fellow hunters. ”I’m so happy you finally got his number! Has he messaged you?"

"Not...really." She responded, a little withdrawn. "I feel like maybe he's trying to keep things professional. Maybe?”

Tara put a forkful of broccoli in her mouth, thinking as she chewed. The huntress in question was half inclined to believe her friend was coming up with some kind of profound or occult answer, knowing her habits of consulting tarot cards for just about everything. Instead, as she watched her swallow, and was stunned by her next statement,

“Hmm," She gestured with her fork, "You know how men are. If they're interested, they're interested and they can't help it! If not, then you just won't hear from them."

Sliding the phone face down across the table to return it, she seemed pretty decisive as she continued. “If they want to, they will. If they won’t, they won’t.”

A bit shocked, the woman retrieved her phone and rubbed the back of her neck, thoughts swirling.

Am I just imagining things? What if he’s only friends with me because Xavier is? What if he just isn’t attracted to me? Am I crazy? He did say something nice things before though…

"Ok but…” She attempted. “Maybe he's just been really busy. He owns a business. And…stuff." It was probably for the best the less people had knowledge of whatever it was that him and Xavier seemed to be involved in. While it was nice to know Xavier trusted him greatly, she still wasn't sure entirely if she could trust either of them whole-heartedly - even if she really wanted to.

The sensation of the slightly sweet food against her tongue as she thought felt like it was taunting her, directly in contrast to the bitterness of her uncertainty.

Tara looked thoughtful again, “I knew your thoughts would be tumultuous when I read your cards this morning! It looks like you’ll have to be careful. I saw a word of warning too! Tread cautiously.”

With a sigh, she looked down at her food while her friend went on,

“If you want my advice, you deserve someone who's going to show up for you, all the time. And you already had to go through the effort already of getting his number! That’s plenty! Now it's time to sit back and let him show interest."

With a sigh, the woman listening could only stab her food, a little impatiently, wrestling with the fact that she knew the girl was probably right.

“Yeah… I just don’t know what to think. Sometimes I feel like he’s flirting, and sometimes I feel like he doesn’t mean it."

Tara clicked her tongue. "Mixed signals! You really need to be careful.”

Taking a bite of food, she tried to use it to sooth her thoughts. ”I know, I know! I am! But, even if he's not... I mean, he's still been cool to get to know."

She heard her friend giggle, and looked up to see her eyeing her like a cat eyeing its prey. "Yes! Cool, and very cute.”

The encouragement triggered her more gushing thoughts. "And sweet, and helpful, and funny, and-"

"The hair! The eyes!”

Both girls laughed. While they had only met as adults, she could imagine they would have been good friends in high school, fussing over boys that they weren’t sure would give them the time of day. It would be just like this, over a lunchtime meal. In moments like these, it was hard to believe adults lived any differently. It really reminded her that people tended to be the same as in their hearts, just wrapped in older, aging bodies.

They talked fora while more, with Tara giving more reminders to be careful, along with a caring yet assertive instruction to give wait at least a week before reaching out again. Thus a deal was made as meal trays were cleared, or else meet Tara's wrath. It was far too soon or early to be considering any kind of relationship, she thought, especially if he wasn’t quite ready or wanting for something serious.

As they began down the corridors towards the large central elevator, she was plagued with thoughts of his past relationship. According to him, it was years ago, but she distinctly remember that he noted it had happened quickly.

Is that what he’s like when he falls in love?

Although she had no idea how many relationships he’d actually been in, all she could do was speculate that maybe he was the sort of person who felt deeply. Did he feel like he just knew? Is he that type of passionate person? What if being slow isn’t in his nature? Does that mean he actually might not like me?

"What is it?" Tara asked, concerned at her sudden change in demeanor as they walked.

“Nothing.” She replied, not wanting to go into detail, not really able to even if she wanted to. “Just thinking about what you said. You’re right. I'm going to take it slow.”

“There, there. No need to rush these things!” The brunette bobbed her head up and down as she reached a delicate finger out to press the elevator button. "Let him pursue. You're worth that!"

She smiled. "Thanks, Tara." It was supposed to be encouraging, so why didn't it feel that way? In fact, now she only felt worse about everything. Now, more than ever, all she wanted to do was see him again, as if it would give her any sort of clarity.

No, I have to be patient.

The ladies parted ways to their respective departments. For the rest of the day, the restless huntress poured herself into her busy work, trying not to let her thoughts stray too far. However, try as she might, she just couldn’t stop thinking of him. She clung to the sweet things he’d said, the way he acted the night of the summer market, the book he bought her that he definitely didn’t have to. There were a few things that added up, and other things that didn’t, like how he never went out of his way to contact her for any sort of small reason.

Work was a small blessing in that it was at least something of a distraction. That day her duties maintained within the walls of the organization. She’d rather have been fighting wanderers if it meant something else to do with her mind. Then, as if hearing her thoughts, her leader, -a legend in her own right- Captain Jenna approach her desk with an emergency. For the whole rest of the week she was busy with Xavier, buried in a mission work, and along with it, corresponding reports to fill out.

It wasn’t enough that had to spend a lot of her time with Xavier. From then on, she felt she started running into Xavier everywhere. He would pop up in all other areas of her common life: at the grocery stores closeby their apartment, at the office, in elevators, across the park, by the beach. It wasn’t that she minded, he was sweet enough to help her carry groceries back, or left notes and snacks on her desk since his desk was the one right beside hers. None of it was particularly bad at all, and she liked feeling like she was becoming his friend. Nevetheless, he maintained a certain distance and mystery. Warm then cold. Answers never seemed to be very clear with him.

When their day off finally came, it was on a normal workday for everyone else in the world. She didn’t care. She was happy for the rest she’d earned.

"What are you going to do?" She was asking Xavier on their way out of the building.

"...Sleep."

She wasn’t sure what she expected when he said that. All she could think was, Of course. What she wasn’t expecting was what he brought up next: The topic of the newest installment of a popular movie trilogy. It had recently been released in theaters. For once, it was something a little less stiff, a peer into his daily interests. Both expressed interest in wanting to see it. Then he bluntly asked,

"Really? Then... we could go tomorrow, if you want.”

She felt panic creeping in. It didn’t look particularly good for a young single woman to be going out to the movie theaters of all places with another man who was both good looking and also single, especially when she felt she had no actual interest in seeing him in that way. Plus, as her interest was drawing towards someone else who also just happened to be in close proximity to him, she really didn’t want word getting out that she went out with him to the movies. Even if it was probably fine to be platonic, she had no idea where Xavier actually stood or how he felt. Knowing she had only a split second to come up with an adequate response, she settled on somewhat of a comeback.

“Won’t you fall asleep in the theater? No, thank you." She tried to make it funny, a quiet rejection that she hoped he’d pick up on. He did not.

“I’ll just take a nap before.” He just said, with a soft smile.

The panicked sensation of having to come up with a new excuse continued. “Well, I... usually go see that kind of thing by myself, so I can analyze it. But, thanks anyways!"

"That's not what you said two weeks ago. You said you hated going to the theater by yourself,” he shook his head, still sounding warm, albeit confused, “Isn’t that why you rent things at home?”

Stunned that he remembered that much, she almost didn’t know what to say. "I do-” She started cautiously, “-but it depends on the movie.” She really hoped she didn’t sound as panicked as she felt. "But, hey, if you see it, we can talk about it after. Anyway, have a good weekend!”

Right when she took a step to move towards a different direction, even if she had to take the long way, she heard him yawn a little and continue to step beside her.

"You're not going home?" He asked, sounding like he’d sleep any moment.

“No,” She said stopping. “I gotta run some errands on my way home.”

"What errands?” He took a step toward her, making her instinctively shrink back slightly.

She hesitated. "I need a new plant for my work desk. I was thinking an air plant, something I don't really have to...you know.”

He grinned. "You mean something you can't kill? And now I wonder what your specialty is. Killing wanderers, or killing plants."

She made a face at the retort as he laughed before continuing to speak, “Well, you're in luck, we know a guy.”

For some reason, her heart skips a beat. She pretended to be nonchalant. “You do? Oh, wait, that’s right. I almost forgot.”

She wasn’t sure why he seemed almost pleased when she said that, but didn’t question it as he beckoned her to follow. A feeling of excitement and anticipation stirred within her as he began to lead her in a familiar direction towards a certain flower shop.

After all, it’s been a week.

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