Chapter Text
Xavier Pyre had officially reached creeper status. It had been six weeks since Emily Skys’ accident and there he was suffering withdrawal, trying to console himself by sitting in her office as he hammered out correspondence on his laptop. He breathed in the sent of eucalyptus from her atomizer that was just about tapped out, and reminded himself to make sure that it was refilled and ready for her return. Maybe he should put some sunflowers in here as a ‘welcome back’ too? He considered the thought for only a moment and quickly sent a text message to his PA.
When he wandered in here last week, X told the staff in the lab next to her office that he was using going to use Dr. Skys’ office because they were doing renovation work in his on the top floor and he needed quiet. The Lab Chief stuttered consent, and they all seemed to accept the excuse without suspicion. He was the boss after all, only he knew that it was bullshit.
Just like the interminable need to push himself in all things. X needed an outlet for his need to see Emily. He would never cross the work ethic boundary that was set in place, but it didn’t assuage the want he felt to be close to her, to hear her thoughts, or to just be in the vicinity of the energy she created with her enthusiasm and wit.
Christ, I’m a fool. He thought as he rubbed a hand over his strong features. He was so damn frustrated, X started to feel unusual warmth radiating from his hands. Cursing himself and this dark gift he was given, he sent a text to Jake for a workout session. This was the fourth night in a row. Normally X only needed to exhaust his system maybe 3 times a week. It kept him fit and helped manage his power that the Suppressor couldn’t mute. However, since Emily had stopped coming to work, he was starting to need his workouts and treatment more often again.
Seeing Dr. Skys almost every day at work, had somehow tempered him. X didn’t make the connection at first because he had kept his same routine, but then he started to notice his power wasn’t flaring up as much, he started needing the Suppressor less and less, until he was down to one treatment every other week or so.
Powers tended to react to high emotion, anxiety or stress, it was why most powered kids started their pred at puberty. With a Level 10 like X, you had to work to keep it under control. Often high powered supes were considered closed off or cold. The truth was most of them worked extremely hard to suppress flares of emotion for the safety of others. When you grew up in an abusive situation like X had, you keep a tighter reign on it in general due to triggers from trauma. While other men balked at the idea of mental health assistance, X faithfully took anxiety meds and worked with a counselor to train his mind.
Exposure to Emily’s presence created a different kind of trigger: The need to possess. She calmed his mind and spirit, and once he made the connection, it had become an addiction. Screwing his eyes shut, he knew could never let himself have her because of how dangerous he could be to normal humans. He had seen the damage he could create with just one mistake. Xavier would never inflict himself on her.
Shaking off the melancholy, Xavier looked around her office and made sure he left it as it had been before he started using it. Emily would be back tomorrow.
Opening the door into the lab area one of the techs approached from a small group of her co-workers, one of whom he heard whisper “crazy” at her. The young woman was obviously nervous and kept swallowing profusely. She was holding a small jar that was stuffed with a few dollar bills, mostly tens and a twenty.
“Can I help you….Tina.” He read her badge on her lab coat.
“Umm...I wanted to know if you would like to contribute Dr. Skys’ ‘Welcome Back’ party. We just wanted to put up a banner and get some donuts…sir.” She trailed off under the intense scrutiny.
“Is this something you normally do for co-workers who come back from leave?” He asked suspiciously.
Tina looked around a little awkwardly. “N-normally? Not really, but Dr. Skys’ has been missed.” She cut her eyes to the current fill-in, Lab Chief Dr. Reginald Harvey. “She is a really great person to work for, and she would do the same for us.”
The right corner of X’s mouth lifted in a half-smile, not really surprised that people who worked with Emily had developed a sense of loyalty to her. “Certainly,” he said as he opened his bill fold and stuffed two hundred-dollar bills into the jar.
Tina’s eyes bulged out at the generous donation, “Sir! That’s a bit much.”
“Guess you’ll have to get some flowers and streamers as well.” He said nonchalantly as Xavier walked out of the lab and into an elevator whose doors had just coincidentally opened up, as if to not make the CEO waste even once second of his time.