Chapter Text
The Annual Hunters Association Gala was in full swing by the time you arrived with Tara and Simone. The three of you were dressed to the nines, having taken a million selfies while you got ready and on your way here to commemorate the night.
You quickly said your hellos to Captain Jenna and a few other Hunters before Tara and Simone handed you off to Xavier, winking at you as he pulled you into his side.
“Hey,” he said, his cheeks turning pink. “You look beautiful tonight.” Xavier started to lean in for a kiss before catching himself. You appreciated his restraint, as neither of you had discussed if you wanted your coworkers to know about your newly blooming relationship - not including Simone and Tara, of course.
“Thank you,” you said, wrapping your arm around him in a half hug. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Xavier squeezed you close to him, turning his body so he was the only thing in your view. You tried to suppress your chuckle at his possessiveness. You reached up to straighten his blue tie, which matched his eyes perfectly.
“Ready to present our award together?” you asked.
Xavier nodded. “I think we should be winning the award for Best Hunter Partners, but I don’t mind presenting it instead.”
The award, which was voted on by your peers, was awarded to the two hunters who had accomplished the most that year. As last year’s winners, you and Xavier were set to present and were ineligible to win.
“We’ll just have to try harder next year,” you said, laughing. You shifted in his grip to take in the room around you and saw Simone gesturing to you. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
Xavier tried to stop you, but you’d already slid out of his grasp, your entire attention on Simone. As you approached, she tilted her head towards the back wall, where you could see Caleb and Zayne talking to each other. Your eyes went wide in fear, immediately assuming the worst, but the boys appeared to be behaving themselves thus far.
“Oh shit,” you said, frozen in place.
“They walked in together,” Simone said, under her breath. “We didn’t even get a chance to run interference.”
You looked around, confirming that Xavier was occupied with talking to another hunter, before you nodded to Simone in thanks.
What was the worst that could happen? They both figured out that you’d been on a date with the other? Or that they were both invited to be your dates tonight? Both options were equally horrifying. Then again, they didn't look angry or upset from where you were standing.
“Great,” you said. “Here goes nothing.” Simone squeezed your hand as you walked by her. You appreciated the steadiness as you were completely unprepared to talk to two of your men at the same time.
“Pips!” Caleb said, noticing you first as you crossed the room. He wrapped his arms around you when you got close, kissing your cheek as he pulled away. “You look amazing tonight.”
“Thank you,” you said, looking between the two childhood friends. “So do you. Both of you.”
Caleb was dressed in his Fleet uniform, his hat tucked neatly under his arm. Meanwhile, Zayne was in one of his impeccable suits, a small jasmine pin attached to his lapel. Zayne reached for your hand, brushing his thumb over your knuckles in a way that made your cheeks flush. You turned so that Caleb couldn’t see the gesture, but you weren’t confident you’d been successful based on the small dent now present between Caleb's brows.
Both of your men stared at you, obviously waiting for you to thread your arm through theirs as their date. When you didn’t move towards either of them, or explain why both of them were there, you felt your cheeks getting redder and redder as the silence became uncomfortable.
“So!” you said, swinging your arms by your sides until you decided to clasp them together tightly in front of you. “How are your nights going?”
Caleb leaned back, his expression identical to the one he'd given you a million times when you tried to get away with something as a kid and he saw straight through it. You saw Zayne’s jaw twitch, the clearest sign that your stoic doctor also knew something was up.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked. You silently cursed yourself for not preparing better for this moment. Why hadn't Tara or Simone quizzed you with various scenarios ahead of time? You made a split-second decision that the best possible way to move forward was to play dumb for as long as possible, as if this entire night wasn't a wild scheme you'd come up with with your two best friends.
Caleb tilted his head at you, smirking. “Do you really want to play that game right now, pipsqueak?”
"What game?" you asked. You blinked at him. Slowly. Like a cat.
Suddenly, you realized why Sylus called you kitten all the time.
“Are the others here tonight, too?” Zayne asked. His voice was carefully neutral, which made his words all the more devastating.
"Others?” you asked, trying very hard not to gape at him.
“Y’know,” Caleb said, gesturing around the room. “The other guys you went on a date with this last week? I’m sure the date I interrupted the other night is here somewhere, right? He’s a hunter too. Did you invite Zayne and I here so that one of us could be Xavier's date and the other would be yours?"
You held your hands up in front of you, as if you could physically stop any more words from coming out of their mouths.
“What-”
“Oh, there he is," Caleb said, nodding to something behind you. "Should we wave at him to come over and join us? I wonder if he has a preference between Zayne and me.”
"I think we both know the answer to that," Zayne said, chuckling softly.
You whipped around and, sure enough, Xavier had spotted you standing with Zayne and Caleb. You watched, horrified, as he said something to your hunter friends before making his way across the ballroom to you. You let out a sigh of relief as Tara ran into him halfway there, dragging him to a table in the other direction, but it only lasted a moment.
What the hell was going on? You could feel the panic rising, as your throat tightened and your palms grew sweaty. Whatever was happening, you needed a moment.
“I’m sorry,” you said, shaking your head. “I need to-”
You walked away, not even bothering to finish your sentence before you walked away from them. You wove in and out of the crowd, not paying any attention to who was around you until you were standing outside. The fresh night air cooled your flushed cheeks, but you could still feel your heart beating a million miles an hour.
For a person with a heart condition, this was not a good sign.
You stepped to the side so you weren’t blocking the entrance and leaned against the building wall, taking long deep breaths.
This was fine. This was all going to be fine.
Probably.
Xavier hadn't looked pissed or surprised at the sight of Zayne and Caleb, but he hadn't looked happy either. Then again, Zayne and Caleb seemed amused at having both been invited and were making jokes about being Xavier's date too...
Where the fuck had that come from?
Of all the possibilities you'd come up with, including all the scenarios where they had, in fact, known about each other, it had never crossed your minds that they were that friendly with each other. Or even, potentially, flirting with each other.
Oh, fuck.
Is that why none of them had flirted back with you this last year? Had they all been dating each other and wanted to keep it from you? Had they taken you out on dates this last week to humor you?
Oh no. Oh no no no no no.
This had been a mistake.
A huge, terrible, awful mistake that was only going to end in more heartbreak and more questions for you.
You were pulled out of your cycling thoughts by a person leaning against the wall next to you, brushing your shoulder with theirs. You were honestly shocked that you hadn’t noticed their presence, up until you turned and saw familiar pink tourmaline eyes looking at you.
“Usually, when I hide from the paparazzi, I’ve found that a backroom is the best option,” Rafayel said. “Standing outside the front door is a bold move, cutie.”
You sighed and let your head fall onto his shoulder, to desperate for comfort to question him. Rafayel didn’t press you for any information about why you were out here, just linked his pinky with yours. When you felt like you were steady again, Rafayel effortlessly slid an arm around your shoulders to pull you into a hug. Your senses were full of him – the edges of his purple curls, the smell of the ocean, the warmth of his skin. It was settling in a way you hadn’t realized you needed.
“Raf,” you said, your voice small and soft. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Of course not, cutie,” Rafayel said, tightening his arms around you. “Why would you think something like that?”
You didn’t know how to explain to him how tangled up you felt inside. The worst part of all of this is that, despite your panic, some part of you was happy. The prospect of Zayne, Caleb, and even Xavier not being upset about being invited tonight? It was a dream come true, but it also felt like a betrayal. You'd tricked them into all coming here, after all, and that didn't even factor in Rafayel and Sylus.
You only gripped Rafayel tighter, closing your eyes against his chest as if you could block out what was happening inside the Gala's doors.
“There you are!”
The sound of Xavier’s voice caused you to tense again. Rafayel ran his hands up and down your back as Xavier approached, but didn't move away or even get upset at the sound of your hunter partner.
“Oh,” Xavier said, from somewhere next to you.
You didn’t bother turning your head. You could already feel the flush of embarrassment heating your face. When Xavier didn’t demand Rafayel unhand you or immediately ask if you were okay, you became suspicious. You shifted in Rafayel’s hold so you could see Xavier out of the corner of your eye. He was standing a few feet away from you, having some kind of silent conversation with Rafayel before he frowned, turned, and walked back inside.
Huh.
Well.
That was more surprising than his or Caleb's lack of possessiveness earlier.
Rafayel’s hands were steady around you, his thumbs tracing small circles along your back. He didn’t rush you, didn’t mention going back inside, didn’t ask who Xavier was. The maelstrom of emotions inside you somehow grew worse. Why were none of them upset about the situation? More importantly, why were you the one who felt awful?
“I should go back inside,” you said, still pressed against Rafayel's chest. “I’m supposed to be presenting an award soon.”
Rafayel kissed the top of your head before letting go, his hands cupping the sides of your face before you could pull too far away.
“Wanting isn’t evil,” Rafayel said, his voice more serious than you’d ever heard him. “An abundance of love doesn’t make your feelings wrong. Yeah?”
You could feel the pressure of tears behind your eyes building again and you nodded, both thankful and furious that Rafayel could read you so well. When you nodded in agreement, he let you go, watching you until you were safely inside again.
Back in the ballroom, you saw Tara immediately. She was busy entertaining Caleb and Zayne, who were still tucked against the back wall. The two of you made eye contact, which, miraculously, neither of the two men noticed. You searched for Simone in the crowd too, but you didn’t see her or Xavier anywhere.
You decided to hide in the bathroom for a moment, more to make sure you hadn’t ruined your make-up than anything else. When you verified that your mascara and eyeliner were still in place, you took a deep breath before exiting.
“Wow,” a voice said next to you. “Kitten, you get more beautiful every time I see you.”
Sylus was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, his hands in his pockets as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Which, considering he was the Hunters Association’s most wanted criminal and he was currently surrounded by almost every Hunter in Linkon, was saying something.
“Sylus!” you said, laughing. “The flattery isn’t necessary, I promise.” Some of the tension in your body settled as he teased you.
He pushed off the wall to greet you, tugging on one of your hands so he could press a kiss to your knuckles. “I’m only stating a fact.”
You let him pull you back into the main ballroom, though you were extremely aware of the other four men hovering around, somewhere out of view. You really, really hoped that Tara and Simone could keep the others distracted until you could make up an excuse to leave Sylus's side.
When a waiter passed by, you and Sylus both grabbed a flute of champagne and you took a long sip.
Fun, you reminded yourself. This was supposed to be fun.
“Will there be dancing later?” Sylus asked. You chuckled at his hopeful expression.
“You’ve been asking me to dance a lot lately.”
He only shrugged, the move entirely too nonchalant for the hope in his eyes. “Do you not enjoy it?”
You leaned into him, laughing despite yourself. “I do, I just think you’re using it as an excuse to touch me.”
Sylus smirked. You gasped and pointed a finger at him.
“You have been using it as an excuse to touch me! You scoundrel!”
Sylus clinked his flute glass to yours. “Guilty as charged, kitten.”
You were going to tease him about being needy when Simone appeared at your side, already tugging at your elbow.
“You need to come with me, right now,” she said. If Simone had meant to keep her voice hushed so she wasn’t overheard, she failed. Immediately, Sylus was on edge, his gaze sweeping the ballroom as if he expected a fight to break out any moment.
You didn’t have time to tell Sylus you’d be right back before Simone was dragging you across the room, past several groups of hunters who gave you odd looks, before she stopped at a table where Caleb, Tara, and Xavier were arguing.
Oh no, you thought. This was the exact situation you'd been trying to avoid all night! Where the hell had Zayne gone? You needed your calm, stoic doctor to help keep them in check.
Tara was standing between the two men, clearly trying to mediate whatever argument they were having, but neither Xavier nor Caleb were paying her any attention. When you approached, Tara made eye contact with you, her eyes wide with stress.
Caleb and Xavier were both glaring at each other, a mirror of how they’d stood in your apartment a week ago. Caleb’s hands were clenched, like he was trying to hold himself back. Xavier’s hand was by his side, angled in a way you recognized that he was ready to draw his lightblade at any moment.
You moved between them, taking Tara’s place, setting a hand on each of their chests.
“We are in public,” you said, “at the Annual Hunters Association Gala.” Your voice was low and tense. You fisted a hand in both of their jackets, tugging on them to make sure they were listening. “Do not embarrass me right now.”
The two men relaxed a fraction of an inch under your touch, but they were clearly far from done arguing with each other.
“Whatever you have to say to each other can wait until after the awards presentation, okay?” you said. You dug your fingers into their suit jackets until both of them looked at you and agreed. You were about to let out a sigh of relief when Rafayel walked up.
“Oh, I see what’s going on now,” Rafayel said, sliding his drink onto the table so he could prop an elbow next to it. “Which one of you broke the agreement this time? Was it you again, Xav?”
You felt Xavier tense underneath your grip, but he didn’t move towards Rafayel or make any smart retorts. He was frozen in place, his eyes still trained on Caleb.
It took your brain a few seconds to catch up to what Rafayel had said.
“Xav?”
You looked between Xavier and Rafayel, then turned to Simone and Tara for confirmation. They were also looking at Rafayel like he’d grown another head. No one called Xavier that except for you.
“Fuck,” Caleb said, low and under his breath. You saw him glare at the artist out of the corner of your eye, but you were still staring at Rafayel.
Rafayel swirled his wine glass on the table as if nothing could bother him. You opened your mouth to ask more questions when you saw Zayne and Sylus walking to your table, the two of them in a conversation that had both men smiling. You nearly did a double-take.
“What the fuck.”
When Zayne and Sylus joined you, Zayne nodded to Rafayel in greeting and Sylus smirked as he took in the scene, his eyes lingering a little too long at where your hands rested on Caleb's and Xavier's chests.
“I think you should have this conversation in private,” Simone said, grabbing Tara by the arm as she turned away. “Call us if you need anything okay?”
Your best friends were gone before you could blink. You let your hands fall from where they’d been resting between Caleb and Xavier, your gaze roaming between each of the five men around you.
“What the fuck.”
You jabbed a finger at them one at a time, though you could only reach Caleb and Xavier from where you were standing. At least Zayne had the foresight to look chastened by the motion.
“You do know each other.”
You didn’t say it as a question because it wasn’t one. You already had all the confirmation you needed.
“Yeah,” Caleb said, his voice low and soft, like he was trying to calm a skittish animal. “We’ve known each other for a while.”
You turned and shoved him, even though he was the only one answering your questions. Caleb dropped his hat on the table so he could hold his hands up in surrender – a pose you were getting a little too familiar with lately for all the wrong reasons.
“How long?” you asked.
You heard Zayne sigh behind you, so you reeled around to glare at him instead.
“How. Long.”
“The four of us,” Xavier said, pointing at himself, Zayne, Sylus, and Rafayel, “met shortly after Caleb died. Zayne introduced Caleb to the rest of us about a month after you returned from Skyhaven.”
You took a step back, too stunned to speak. You gaped at all of them, your gaze jumping between all of the men in your life – men who you never in a million years thought would ever meet – who had all kept this from you.
For over a year.
“No,” you said, shaking your head. “There’s no way.”
“Cutie, can we explain, please?” Rafayel said. His eyes were big and sad, as if he thought he could weasel out of your retribution if he reminded you how soft and adorable he could be. “It’s not what you think.”
You were still shaking your head as you took a step backwards. Caleb reached for you before you could back into another guest, but you shrugged him off, your hands shaking in anger.
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you would all do this to me.”
The puzzle pieces were slowly sliding together. How none of them had ever asked too many questions when you mentioned spending time with one of the others. How none of them had returned your advances for the last year, up until two weeks ago.
How Xavier had been upset that you’d had a supposed date with Zayne before he’d kissed you for the first time. The waterfall of “dates” and interruptions that had happened almost daily since then.
An agreement that had been brought up more than once, which had something to do with you.
Tears were threatening to overflow again and you felt your throat tighten as you tried to keep yourself from breaking.
“You knew,” you said, voice trembling. “You knew I had feelings for each of you and you did nothing. Do you know how hurtful that was?”
“Kitten-”
“Don’t you ‘kitten’ me right now!” You tried blinking away the tears, but it only caused them to run down your cheeks faster. You started to wipe them away until you remembered you were wearing a full face of make-up and you had to stand in front of the entire Gala in less than an hour. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through in the last year? Do you know how difficult is it to love someone – to love five someones – and have all of them ignore all of your attempts at flirting? And now you want to tell me that you all knew the entire time and, what? You made a pact of some sort to not date me?”
When Xavier ducked his head and Sylus wouldn’t meet your eye, you knew you’d struck too close to the truth.
“I can't deal with all of this right now,” you said through clenched teeth. “Don't be here when I come back.”
Before any of them had a chance to argue with you or defend themselves, you were pushing past them, through the crowd, back to the ladies’ room. You knew you’d already made a spectacle of yourself – anyone could see the tears running down your face as you raced through the crowd – but you didn’t care. You just needed to be away from the men you thought cared for you.
The moment the bathroom door closed behind you, you locked yourself into one of the stalls, pulling your phone out to call Tara and Simone. The two of them were there a moment later, pulling you into their arms while you sobbed over the five men who’d, once again, broken your heart.