X wasnât quite sure whether to approach his wife, Y, about what heâd seen. On one hand, he didnât want to distress her, but the weight on the other felt as if it were being crushed under the weight. Once heâd retreated inside, he clambered onto the first table he saw, rather than going off to find her. Alas, the peace barely lasted more than a few seconds. âX!â
Y burst from the kitchen door, startling the other out of his thoughts. âItâs been a long day Y. I think IâllâŚgo to bed early tonight.â
Letting out a huff, Y folded her arms, clearly less than amused. âAnd make me cover for you again? You were only gone for a couple of hours. Do you know how much hard work I put into running this place while you were gone?â
X raised his brow. âWhat, did we just-so-happen to get an influx of customers today?â
âThatâs beside the point.â She dismissed the question with a flick of her wrist, rolling over to the table he was at. However, now that she could see his form more closely, his tense posture and partial absence from the conversation at hand became much clearer. ââŚX you look unusally reserved. What happened?â
At first, she wasnât graced with a response whatsoever. A hand reached down for the other, but X couldnât bring himself to get up, so Y perceived his silence as disinterest and returned it to her side. Seeing him lack his usual energy made Yâs heart ache; she knew better than to go picking fights with X when he was like this.
He couldnât meet his wifeâs stare, regardless of how much he longed to lose himself in her shine of her exterior. Having Y nearby always helped X feel at ease, yet it wasnât doing much in terms of assisting him today.
âLet's justâŚclose early today altogether.â
âYou sure?â
âI demand it.â
It was a curiosity-peaking situation, but Y held enough respect for her husband X to not press him further. âYou can always talk to me, sweetheart, but Iâm happy to close for the day.â
âIs that so?â X asked. Rather than adopting the powerful tone of voice he used while scheming, he maintained his quiet one, which rung alarm bells in Y.
Since heâd been almost completely zoned out of his surroundings, her husband hadnât noticed the shotglass-sized bowl of soup sheâd made him, and as she brought it over to him, she could see a crack of a thankful smile on his face. Y never really got anything more from him - âthank youâs didnât qualify for villain-approved manners - but to her, that only made his perseverance more admirable.
âIâll bear that in mind.â Xâs response came out in a hushed whisper, as if the world were listening to every syllable that left his throat. Words sunk their nails into his throat, trying to claw their way out between sips of soup, but to no avail. X was determined to keep his promise.
X was no less satisfied to have his wife at his side. X had needed Y today, and she pulled through, as always. An unwavering pride in his companion was always one of his biggest drives in life. To see her face at the end of a long day was no less than a blessing, and while he could have lived a crime-free life, he wouldnât trade his current place of residence or love of his life.
Yâs silent verdict was that it now wasnât even worth considering pressing for details; her husband slowly becoming at ease as he revelled in the soup was enough for her to not want to rile him up. Sheâd already done so earlier with their argument. Had either of them actually apologised? What were they even talking about?
ââŚAre you still interested in getting some rest early, honey?â
A tired eye trailing over to her, he set down the empty bowl. X was practically screaming at himself not to leak it all out to his wife as either whimpers or whines.
âWould that be alright, my sweet?â
X found himself carefully scooped up in his wifeâs hands and escorted to the restaurantâs back rooms. She gave him the thumbs up. âThatâs fine. You can take all the time you need, X. You look like you need it.â
âI should be working. Youâre too soft on me.â
âWould you prefer I picked a fight with you right now?â
âNo.â
âThen donât complain.â
Thankfully, Y didnât hit a nerve; either that, or X simply hadnât the strength to argue. The former didnât mind no matter the answer though. Whatever heâd seen would be better processed after some good rest, Y was positive.
The chatter lingered until they reached their resting area. X finally felt he was home.
âThere.â His wife said, muttering to herself. It didnât concern her that her self-muttering was within ear-shot of her husband, obviously. âIâll go get your blanket.â
âYouâve done an awful lot for me today. Do you want something?â X blinked.
Usually, Y would scold him for saying something like that in response to her favours, but she processed that he asked as a gesture of kindness, not as an investigative question. She gently rested a silky face flannel over him for a little warmth. âJust know I love you. Thatâs all I want in return.â
âThâŚank. You.â
âŚ!!!!
Today was a mish-mash of weird circumstances, but the marriage of the two beings was just as unconventional. For a moment, the duo were lost in each-otherâs eyes. Those two words - as messy as theyâd come out - were bouncing off the walls and striking Y in her equivalent of a spine, pushing her a little closer to her husband until they were equal-viewing level.
Poor Y thought of going to melt from the sudden increase of her internal temperature. Such tenderness; it made her swoon! Until heâd said it, heâd had no idea how long sheâd been wanting to hear something like that. Something other than Xâs plans
The significantly taller leaned her monitor forward, as if to kiss him- but drew back.
Now wasnât the right time for something like that. Not when X had so much already on his mind.
Oh, but those words had been so soft, so quaint. Though sheâd stopped herself giving him a robotic kiss, Y savoured every second that they stood mere inches apart, that little bit of kindness holding a value to her that she was sure X had no idea of. He couldnât feel the sparks of electricity rushing through her. X might not have any inkling at ALL that she cared in regards to what he said, nevermind the fact she felt like an exception happily caught in his network.
Although, they must have at least meant something for him to attempt to say it, even if heâd become exhausted and drained from the last few hours. It was enough for her to let out a âNever a problem; supporting you is my job,â before adding on âbut donât you dare hold that against me when I refuse to wash the dishes.â
The quip earned a stifled chuckle from her lover. It broke a little of the tension between them, but in a light, easy-to-digest way.
As Y had leaned in, X had felt his heart pump a little faster, and a jittery feeling in his veins - a trace of something he hadnât felt in a while. X could only wonder if she took anything away from that small exchange, barring the reminder of her duties. Did she feel anything or was it just him? He wasnât even sure if she had a positive physical response, let alone a positive emotional responseâŚ
âNo promises!â He laughed, before awkwardly coughing, unsure what to say now. That was one loooong period of silence. Was the restaurant owner just supposed to pretend nothing happened, or approach the topic? âWell- If you want to transfer yourself back into the buildingâs wall monitor for the night, there is no opposition here.â
âThat sounds nice. Itâs how I imagine wrapping yourself in a blanket feels.â Y let out a sound emulating a yawn, hoping to dispel the sudden subdued awkwardness thatâd washed over her husband. His feathery laugh had been much different to his more maniacal cackles. Far more genuine and fulfilled, and smooth. On one hand, seeing his mind off of the schemes for once made her want to spin with glee, but on the other, he was only acting so unusually because something had gone down. It was difficult for her to handle. âBased on how you describe it, of course.â
If she could have given a true smile, Y would have, but gave upturned lips instead. X was pretty much at a loss for words, understanding her point and unable to refute it.
Some part of X wished his wife had come with him, purely so he wouldnât have to carry the burden of decisions alone as he was doing now. âTwas a selfish thought, and alas, X knew he had a word to keep.
âHave a nice rest, sweetie. Iâll keep an eye out for any intruders.â
âHope your wall monitor is comfy.â
âIâm sure it will be.â
X curled himself up under the face flannel, his eyelid gently fluttering shut. âYou mean a lot to me Y so donât ever think you donât, understand?â
âUnderstood. Care to elaborate?â
âŚ
âHoney?â
âŚ
âX?â
Snore.
ââŚAh.â