Yours, Forever

t h i r t y f i v e

Aurora pressed her cheek against Xavier's back, feeling a bit mentally exhausted and overwhelmed.

"Hello, love."

Xavier smiled as he felt her arms wrap around his waist with her head resting on his back. He turned the stove down to low and let the soup simmer.

"Hi," she whispered, tipteing up to place a sweet kiss on the back of his neck.

"How did it go?"

Xavier turned around to wrap his arms around her. He slowly moved forward until Aurora's back touched the kitchen island.

"I think it went really well," she murmured against his chest. "We talked, cried, and laughed— did I ever tell you how attractive you look when you cook?"

Xavier's chest rumbled as he chuckled. He placed his hands on the counter, trapping her in his arms. "You're getting distracted, sweetheart."

"Oh, right— well," she hesitated, remembering Megan's wishes to tell him herself. "She wanted to be the one who told you everything herself— when she's ready."

It was silent for a moment and Aurora looked up to see Xavier thinking about what she just said. He sighed but nodded.

"I guess I should respect her wishes," he muttered, feeling a little dejected. As an older brother, the urge to protect his younger sister was strong, yet at this moment, he felt powerless. "But it was... that, right?"

He didn't even need to clarify what he meant by "that" for Aurora to nod. His jaw clenched as he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. It was the 21st fucking century, how does this shit still happen?

"They won't even do anything about it because their parents are paying everyone to keep quiet," she added bitterly.

Xavier closed his eyes, his knuckles turning white with how tight he was holding onto the marble counter. The anger in him was boiling, burning him as it awaited its release.

"I'm going to kill them," seethed Xavier. "I'll go to the school tomorrow and I'll fucking teach them a lesson— each and every one of them. No one messes with the Knights and gets away with it."

He was so angry and he could only imagine his siblings being just as angry as he was when they found out, especially Elijah. He had always had the closest bond with Megan and despite his playful nature, he was unpredictable when angry. Xavier could feel the rage inside of him, and just when he thought he was going to explode, a small voice stopped him.

"Don't."

Startle by the sudden interruption, they both turned to look in the direction of the voice only to see Megan poking her head into the kitchen, having been eavesdropping in on the conversation.

They both waited for the younger girl to speak. It was silent— they could hear Megan take a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"I don't want to cause any more trouble," Megan muttered, fidgeting while playing with her fingers, not meeting her brother's piercing stare.

Xavier's expression softened at her words. "Megan, you aren't causing anybody any trouble. Come here, peanut."

He beckoned her to him and immediately she ran into his arms. Being 10 years older than her, he tended to baby her. She hadn't heard that nickname in a long time, and she felt herself tear up when he said it. It was a nickname their entire family called her because she was the youngest.

Xavier wasn't one to show affection often, especially to those who were not Aurora, but his sisters were an exception, It had been a while since she had a famous Xavier bear hug and she had missed them desperately. She felt loved and safe like her big brother could protect her from everything in the world.