Dusk & Dawn

Part V

Kira stood frozen, mulling over his words. Talk? She'd heard from Abi about how in the past she'd have some customers come in solely seeking company, but she'd always describe them as older. Kira had never encountered a person like this herself, especially considering how old he looked... Yet again he confounded her. Nothing about this man fit in with anything Kira was used to dealing with and it was throwing her off her game badly.

"Oh... okay." She eventually said.

Dynamic circumstances were a normal part of her job, so why was she struggling so bad keeping up with Xavier in particular, especially considering how he wasn't even being particularly difficult to deal with? Why was she so ridiculously overwhelmed by him? She needed to act professionally!

"Are you just going to stand by the door to talk?" She asked after collecting her bearings, a small smile settling on her lips, ignoring the nerves in the pit of her stomach. That subtle smile hit straight at Xavier's heart and immediately killed all his defenses, raising a warm feeling in his heart. He could feel his face go hot.

"Y-yeah. Sure." He said, clearing his throat and breaking eye contact. He made his way to the couch in long quick strides, before abruptly stopping, looking back at her. "Wait, no. You sit." He said, stepping to the side, gesturing to the couch with his hand. Kira's eyebrows shot up.

"What?"

"Sit. I'll sit on the floor." Xavier said, moving to sit on the floor next to the couch.

"Wait, wait!" She said, making Xavier pause, looking at her through his lashes. He looked boyish from this angle, tugging at Kira's heart, suddenly making her want to protect him. "You don't even know how clean the floor is." She didn't feel comfortable with the idea that he'd sit on the floor while she comfortably sat on the couch. Xavier offered a brilliantly blinding smile, catching Kira off guard.

"Your feet must hurt. Please, sit." He said and sat on the floor, looking back at her with expectant eyes. Kira's heart skipped a beat. She hesitated for a moment before looking away from him, her face getting hot. She made her way to the couch, awkwardly sitting without looking at him. Xavier spoke after a brief silence between them, "You know, you could look at me. I don't bite."

"Stop." Kira unintentionally let a subtle whine slip into her tone, looking toward Xavier to find his eyes searching for her face, a shadow of a smile slipping into the corner of his lips. "Gosh." She said hiding her face with a hand when she saw his face, only managing to widen his smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Xavier said, chuckling.

"So what did you say you want to talk about?" Kira said, glancing repeatedly at Xavier's smiling face. His eyes were still intently fixed on her, searching, reading, memorising... Revelling. Xavier was relishing being able to learn about her.

"Do you have any hobbies?" He asked after a moment of consideration. He didn't want to ask anything too intrusive because he'd thought of how she probably wouldn't want to divulge any personal information. Kira burst out laughing, finally able to look at him.

"Hobbies?" She asked, getting a chuckle out of Xavier.

"I don't know how else to get to know you." He said in an exasperated tone. Kira's heart skipped a beat and she looked away again. Get to know her? Why did he intend to get to know her?

"Well for one, you could stop... That." She said, smoothing down her wig. Xavier's eyebrows scrunched up in question. Kira glanced over and saw the silent question on his face. "I mean, stop looking at me like that." Understanding washed over Xavier.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking away from her, moving back slightly. He thought his eagerness may have been unintentionally making her feel threatened. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable-"

"No no- wait. I don't mean it like that." She said, making Xavier pause. "I just- I'm just not used to... I'm a little flustered. That's on me." She said as Xavier looked to her. They locked eyes and the world slowed down for a second. This time however, instead of lust seeping in, it was warmth. Kira craved to hold him, kiss his forehead, play with his hair... She craved intimacy with him, bringing in a new wave of longing in her chest. She quickly looked away, releasing a breath.

Xavier felt the need to hold her hands that were, at this point, playing with the end of her coat. He wanted to tell her it's okay, that what she felt wasn't her fault. That they could do it together. He wanted to tell her everything in that moment, but the words got caught up in his throat, and he sat frozen.

"I don't exactly have time for hobbies anymore." She said after a moment of silence, a hollow smile making its way on her face. For a moment, Kira wore her sadness openly, deflating completely and losing all pretenses. Xavier could see how tired she looked. He felt a pang of pain in his chest.

"How come?" He asked, hoping she'd start talking about her life. Kira met his worried gaze, gathered herself, and hid her pain behind a bigger smile.

"Responsibilities." She said without elaboration. Xavier wanted to ask further, but before he could, she spoke again. "How about you? How'd you end up here? You don't look familiar." Xavier quelled the anxiety in his heart surrounding her circumstances, trying to ignore the guilt that followed soon after.

"I have business to attend locally, and I needed a break... stumbled across the club and... Yeah." That was barely a third of the truth. He'd needed to refill the tank, and picked up on a feint intoxicating scent. It lead him to the convinient store at the gas station where he'd found the clerk, but the scent wasn't from her, it was from her clothes. He then told Grant to keep watch over the girl in the store in case she left while he roamed around town looking for the person the scent belonged to. After over two hours, he picked up on the scent when he was walking by the small convinient store down the street from the club, and followed it to the back alley entrance of the club, where he was confronted with a locked door. He went around to the front of the building, mentally connecting to Grant to let him know the name of the club and stood in line.

His answer itched at Kira's heart, raising her anxiety a little bit. Did this mean he'd be here for a really short time?

"Well, I hope I'm making your time here worth it." Kira said, unconsciously shifting her body so that it was turned to Xavier's even moreso slightly leaning in. He took note of the subtle shift, smiling.

"More than you know."

A/N: Happy holidays✨ I know they are awkward as hell and emotions oscillate very quick between them, but this is on purpose. Xavier is a little too excited, and Kira is extremely overwhelmed. He doesn't know how to navigate this and she doesn't know what's happening with her. Plus the connection's intensity is bringing out a lot of vulnerability on both sides, and Kira is a hurt person, so all of that is surfacing all at once.