Candlelight and the soft aroma of incense set the atmosphere for the evening. The sheets on the king size bed were pulled up neatly, folded down just slightly and the pillows fluffed. The shades were shut to deter the moonlight from spoiling the romantic setting, he had put much effort into making this perfect. Some scented bath salts sat on the marble counter in the adjacent master sized bathroom, nestled next to the bottles of whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Just in case. It was not a night out on the town but he would adore it just the same... hopefully. All that was missing was the man of honor, the arrogant and rugged space pirate that had swept him off his feet and filled his empty oblivion with meaning. Who gave this pitiful existence a reason to continue. Though he could not feel with his heart, his soul was still very much intact and overflowed with adoration for the other.
The door clicked as Xigbar let himself in, the golden orb of his remaining eye widening slowly at the sight. He gently shut the door beside him and strode over to Lexaeus's side, in absolute awe of what the Silent Hero had done to their bedroom.
"Dude, you did all this?"
"I did." He reached up to cup Xigbar's cheek in a hand, gently tugging the other down into his lap. "Nothing is too great for you. This is our special night, we deserve to enjoy it, don't we?" Xigbar sat silent, his eye darting about the room as if struggling to remember something he obviously should have.
"Uhhh..."
"You forgot, didn't you?" Lexaeus was not angered, however. Instead, the pirate's confusion brought an amused smile to his face. It was expected he would forget. Perhaps he was just that hopeless of a romanticist. Xigbar coated his cheeks a soft shade of red, embarassed he had forgotten something the other held very dear.
"What'd I forget this time?"
"Mon anniversaire avec toi." Xigbar blinked.He had no fucking clue what Lexaeus just said but... it was kinda hot in a twisted sort of way. When the fuck did he learn French?
"Come again?"
"My anniversary with you?" Lex offered, leaning in to capture their lips in a soft kiss. Xig forced his way back, frowning.
"You're kidding."
"Non, mon amour." Xig's face flushed up again.
"Dude would you quit that?"
Lexaeus laughed, gathering his pirate more tightly in his arms. "Now why would I do that? I must say it is rather adorable." He gently tugged out the ponytail, raking his fingers through the black and silver locks as they fell free to spill down his back. A content sigh left the elder, his eye fluttering shut. It wasn't often they got time to just cuddle like this. He had to admit it was... kind of nice.
"So you're not pissed at me?"
"No," he kissed Xig's forehead, "In all honesty I expected it." Another frown crossed Xigbar's face.
"You expected it?"
"Oui." Xig bit his lip, suddenly feeling like the biggest jackass in the world. Lexaeus went through all this trouble to make this evening special and here he goes and forgets it was one of the biggest celebrations in his nonexistence. A day Lexaeus should be furious he forgot. Yet he wasn't. It hurt like hell that he'd forgotten but Xigbar could see that Lex wasn't particularly worried about it.
"Mon coeur, est-ce que tu veux manger avec moi?" Xigbar's faced burned another brilliant shade of red.
"Dude that's so not fair!" he declared with overly exaggerated arm movements, "I dunno what the fuck you're saying but it's hot." A hearty laugh left the normally silent hero. The man was a trip, truly too much.
"I asked, toi, you, my heart, if you would like to eat with me?" Xigbar was silent a long time before a sly smirk lit up his face. Lexaeus well knew that look. The 'I'm planning something' look, which normally led to Xigbar landing himself in a shitload of trouble from some foolish practical joke or ended with them screwing like bunnies in bed all night. If only he could tell the difference.
"How do ya say 'I would like to eat you'?" Now it was Lexaeus's turn to smirk.
"Je voudrais manger toi."
Hot lips slowly pressed along his ear, slender hands clinging to his shoulders. "Je voudrais manger toi..." A shudder ran along Lex's spine, Xigbar continuing his teasing of the other's ear, suckling and nipping. Lexaeus detached the other from his ears, lifting the smaller elder over his shoulder with ease and tossing him down on the bed. He expected things to end up this way.
Morning moonbeams shone through the thick curtains far too soon for Lexaeus's liking. He rolled over onto his back and sat up, noticing immediately his companion was gone. He didn't expect Xigbar to stay, the Superior would give him hell if they were caught together. Slowly he rose and pulled on his coat, blinking as something fell to the floor. He picked it up and opened it, words scribbled out across the little sheet until the author finally settled at the bottom of the page for three simple words.
Je t'aime, Lexaeus.
"Je t'aime aussi."