Work Text:
Sylus kicks off his shoes and rolls out his shoulders, cracking his neck. As he walks from his front door towards the master bedroom of his manor in the N109 Zone, he reflects on the minor disaster that occurred during his work tonight. Three weeks ago, after much more diplomatic business than Sylus typically cared to perform, Onychinus and another major protocore dealing group called “Phoenix” had come to a tentative truce, with the aim of ending months of escalating tensions and violence between the two syndicates. Unfortunately, one of the higher ranking members of Phoenix decided today was a great day to kidnap three members of Onychinus for cutting into “his turf”. It was easily handled by Luke and Kieran (and Sylus’ evol), but it was a mess that should have never happened. There likely would be fallout and a re-ignition of violence in the next few days, the thought of which was already starting to give Sylus a headache. He was glad to be home, the knowledge that he was finally going to see his love easing some of the tension from his shoulders.
Reaching his bedroom, Sylus sees that his king-size bed is notably empty, though that is to be expected. Sylus changes out of his dark suit and into his sleepwear before heading towards the lounge room, knowing that was likely where his absent boyfriend was. No matter how many times he told Xavier to sleep in his bed, the hunter always insisted on waiting up for him, only wanting to go to bed when they were together. While the gesture was very sweet, there was a slight problem; Xavier was incredibly bad at staying awake, leading to him often falling asleep in random spots around Sylus’ mansion.
That is why Sylus isn’t surprised to see Xavier curled up on his couch, his face relaxed in sleep. The blonde is laying on his side, with his arm propped under his head, his long bangs falling over his eyes. Sylus strides over to Xavier and crouches down, gently touching his forehead, running the backs of his long fingers through his lovers bangs as his eyes flutter open. Brilliant blue meets rich crimson.
“Starlight…” Xavier murmurs in his soft sleepy voice, covering his mouth as he lets out a small yawn.
“Hello bunny.” Sylus replies, in an equally gentle voice, not wanting to ruin the soft atmosphere in the room. Sylus leans forward and presses a light kiss to Xavier’s temple, resting his hand behind his neck, and the smaller man gives a small hum in response, rubbing his eyes lazily as he slowly wakes up.
“How was work?”
Sylus pauses for a second, debating whether to keep the events of the evening to himself, but he quickly realises that Xavier needs to know for his own safety. There have been whispers on the streets for a while that the feared leader of Onychinus and the masked hero Lumiere had some sort of personal relationship, the exact nature of which was unknown. Although most people in the N109 zone disregarded the rumours as the two were well known to be “enemies”, it would still be wise for Xavier to be careful for the next few days, in case he was targeted by Phoenix as retaliation against Sylus.
“There were some problems with the Phoenix deal.” Xavier, who is well aware of how hard Sylus has been working to prevent the turf war from getting out of hand, is instantly more awake than he was moments earlier.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing you need to be involved in, but you should be aware in case they retaliate.” Sylus can see the concern written on his boyfriend’s face, but he doesn’t want to think about it anymore so he speaks again before Xavier can.
“We can talk about it in the morning, sweetie. We should go to bed.”
Sylus moves to stand, gathering Xavier into his arms as he does, and starts slowly walking back towards the master bedroom. As he is walking with Xavier cradled close to his chest, Sylus thinks of how much he and his hunter have grown together.
In the beginning of their relationship, Xavier would refuse whenever when Sylus would attempt to lift or carry him, squirming out of his hold and either walk away or teleport somewhere else. It wasn’t just physical displays that Xavier resisted, but he also found himself getting slightly upset when Sylus would pay for everything without asking, or fix things around his apartment. The famous hunter found it hard to articulate, but he sometimes felt as though Sylus was doing these things because he thought Xavier was incapable or weak.
Although Sylus didn’t say so in the moment, it would sting whenever Xavier fought back against these gestures, the red eyed man being reminded of his many lives where people feared and hated him, wanting nothing to do with the fearsome dragon. It was a real point of tension for the two men as their relationship was in its infancy. Eventually both Xavier and Sylus realised that they needed to talk about this if they ever wanted to move forward. So, an incredibly honest conversation occurred between two people who weren’t used to opening their heart to others, allowing them to see things from the other’s point of view.
Sylus explained that when he would pay for things, or take care of whatever little hiccups would arise, he didn’t do it to prove some point or because he didn’t think Xavier could. It was just how he showed that he cared - why should his boyfriend have to worry about something if he could easily solve it? Xavier revealed to Sylus that his aversion to this type of affection wasn’t a rejection of Sylus himself, it was because he was raised as a leader, one who was expected to bear all of Philos’ problems and be a pillar of strength for an entire planet. He was just unused to being able to let down his guard, and let someone else shoulder his problems, so it naturally would take some time for him to be able to let go and let Sylus take care of him. While this verbal vulnerability was difficult for both men, neither of them used to letting people in, it planted the seeds of trust they would nurture as their relationship continued to develop.
Now, many months later, Xavier relaxed easily into Sylus’ arms, letting the grey haired man carry him and ease his burdens. Even if that burden was simply walking from the living room to the bedroom when he was tired. This gesture that from the outside seemed inconsequential showed how much the two men had come to trust one another - Xavier to let himself be cared for, and Sylus to reveal just how much he cared. Both of them letting their walls down and throwing away the shackles of who other people decided they were. The infallible Prince turned fierce hero who only relied on himself and the heartless mob boss who only cared about money and power, offering their gentleness to one another. When they were together they weren’t Lumiere and Onychinus, they could just be Xavier and Sylus.
Entering the bedroom, Sylus gently places Xavier onto his side of the bed before switching off the lights and rounding the bed to lay down on his side, pulling the covers over the both of them. The blonde man seemingly uses the last of the days strength to shuffle closer and wrap his arms around Sylus’ back, tilting his head up to place a kiss on his lovers lips.
“Goodnight my love.”
“Goodnight angel.”
Xavier closes his eyes, and repositions himself so he can rest his head against Sylus’ chest, the sound of his steady heartbeat lulling him to sleep very soon after.
Relaxing into Xavier’s hold always made Sylus feel like he was home, no matter if they were here in the N109 zone, in Xavier’s apartment in Linkon City or travelling around the world together. Xavier was his home, his heart, and his safe place. In all his lifetimes he has never felt as contented as he did right now, with his love sleeping on his chest, the only sound in the room being his steady breathing. As he drifted to sleep he had a soft smile on his face. After all, the dragon was protecting his greatest treasure - his beloved Philosian prince.