𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴

37: A Missed Opportunity

Xavier is crying. You can hear it in the way his voice breaks up over the phone, despite his best efforts to try and hide it. Never in all the time you've spent with him have you ever heard him sound this sad. Clearly, something has gone terribly wrong.

And so, you invite him over.

He arrives at your apartment looking impossibly downcast. It's as if life has trampled all over him. His eyes are glassy and hollow, and rather than meeting your gaze, he opts to stare down at his feet, looking ashamed beyond measure.

"Xavier," you mumble to him, reaching out to grab his hand. "It's going to be okay. I don't know what happened, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

He nods weakly as you lead him inside. Xavier is obviously a professional, highly-esteemed businessman who excels in his career. The expensive suits he always wears, along with his overall demeanor, make it obvious that he's well-off. He's successful, and competent, and pretty much everything you've always felt that you're not.

Or at least, he used to be.

"Make yourself comfortable," you say, offering a gentle smile.

You turn the kettle on and quickly make some tea, in the hopes that it might help soothe his nerves. He all but crumples onto the couch, head drooping weakly towards the ground. You set the cup of tea onto the coffee table, then sit down beside him.

For a good while, Xavier doesn't utter a single word. He barely even has the strength to lift his head, let alone speak, or even notice the tea you've just brought him. You do your best to sit tight, waiting patiently for him to collect his thoughts. You don't want to rush him along. It's clear that he's feeling absolutely awful right now. Maybe he doesn't even want to talk about what happened at all. Maybe he just wants to sit in silence, with you here to keep him company. So that he doesn't have to be all alone.

It feels like an eternity passes until finally, he turns your way.

"I got fired," Xavier says. Your eyes widen, because honestly, knowing what kind of person he is, that's the last thing you would ever have expected.

"What?" you blink, incredulous. "That's so... I mean, that just doesn't make any sense. You got fired? I know I've never worked with you or anything, but it's obvious that you're good at what you do. What reason could they possibly have to fire you?"

Xavier falls silent again. Internally, he's debating whether or not he should even tell you the truth. What will you think if you discover he's suspected of being a danger to humans? Even though he's not your client anymore, the last thing he needs right now is for you to be afraid of him. There was a lawyer snooping around his office, for fuck's sake. Clearly, this situation isn't being taken lightly. Humans have always been scared of him, no matter what he says or does. If you were to start looking at him that way all of a sudden... he honestly doesn't think he'd be able to handle it.

Still, he took a chance by reaching out to you in the first place, and it paid off. Rather than giving in to his fears and insecurities, he's choosing to believe in the kind, gentle person he's always known you to be.

"I was under investigation," Xavier mutters, too nervous to meet your gaze. "A lawyer showed up at my place of work and started asking me and my colleagues all sorts of questions. Apparently, an anonymous complaint was filed against me at Plasma Inc., and because of that, my employers were worried they wouldn't be able to ensure the safety of their staff. They were worried I might end up doing something bad. Even though I've never done anything of the sort, and there's not even any evidence to support this claim. It was... a preventative measure, I suppose. At least, that's how they're trying to justify it."