~~~ DOUBLE UPDATE ~~~

Read the previous chapter first 

A few days later

There was too much noise in the Black Pearl, with nearly everyone from mansion gathered there. So much so that Xiumin had to bring out the elder card to get the Legends to settle.

‘Enough,’ he said calmly, even as the flurries started coming down faster and he seemed to emanate the deathly aura that still scared Ken.

‘You heard the boss!’ Ken squeaked, having gotten used to Xiumin’s light visage in the recent weeks since he and Lily gotten back together. He’d forgotten just how scary the man could be.

The rest of the Legends, it seemed, valued their lives as well since they all quieted considerably.

‘Unless you are ordering, leave the counter. There’s plenty of space in the corner,’ he told the group, casually gesturing to the isolated corner he kept largely for family gatherings.

The group relocated quietly and Xiumin returned to the counter, seating himself in front of Lily. Ken busied himself with the cups.

She glanced at the subdued group before smiling at him. ‘Weren’t you a bit too harsh?’ she asked casually, entering in some amount and pulling up the total. 

He shrugged. ‘They were scaring off customers.’

Lily placed her hands in front of him, leaning forward. ‘Right. Are you going to order? Because if not, you should also move to the corner.’

He pouted cutely at her. ‘Aw… but I’m waiting for my girlfriend to get off work, so we can order together.’

‘I think you should place the order so when your girlfriend gets off work, her coffee’s ready.’

‘You think so?’ he asked. ‘I’ll take the usual then. What do you recommend for dessert?’

‘Try our chocolate fudge slices; they’re decadent.’ she replied, eyes focused on the screen, fingers busy tapping in their order.

‘Okay, add two then.’

‘Two?’ She raised her eyebrows.

‘Or one,’ Xiumin hurriedly backtracked. ‘With two spoons, we’ll share.’

There was a snigger, poorly disguised as a cough, before Ken stepped up. ‘I’m done,’ he said. ‘Let me take over here.’

Lily smiled at him. ‘Thank you, Ken.’

‘Have fun on your date,’ Ken added cheekily as Lily slipped past him.

‘I will,’ she threw over her shoulder, fingers busy loosening her apron as her lithe figure disappeared down the corridor.

‘Lucky guy,’ Ken sighed.

Xiumin nodded in agreement before glaring at him. ‘Back to work.’

‘Yes sir, bossman!’ Ken mock-saluted, grinning as Xiumin rolled his eyes. ‘Your order will be with you in a minute.’

Xiumin left the counter and made his way to the two person table arranged in the small alcove near the window. It provided a perfect view of the outside, while giving a sense of privacy and seclusion. It was his and Lily’s favorite spot and had been all but reserved for them since they made their relationship public.

‘Your order, sir,’ Ken announced, placing two large mugs of coffee and a dark slice of chocolate fudge cake on the table. ‘Can I get you anything else?’

Xiumin shook his head. ‘Thanks.’

He heard rather than saw Ken leave, sighing a little as he looked outside. The sky was cloudy, as it had been since he’d gotten back with Lily. Snow fell quietly, a light flurry that would turn into a veritable storm were he agitated.

He had no idea how or if he could control it. He could wield his power with prior efficacy, maybe even more, since his power now had a razor’s edge that hadn’t been there before. But it was also much more volatile and susceptible to the slightest shifts in his mood.

None of the other Legends thought it was strange.

‘I always thought it was weird,’ Baekhyun had commented frankly, shrugging his shoulders, when he’d brought it up, ‘that your emotions never influenced your power. I mean, the rest of us basically channel our feelings.’  He glanced around for support. ‘Right?’

The rest had nodded in agreement before Suho frowned at him. ‘If you didn’t use your feelings, how else?’

Xiumin shrugged. ‘I just thought about what I wanted to do.’

‘And the beast complied?’ He sounded incredulous, making Xiumin self-conscious.

‘I guess… I mean, I had a hard time keeping it in check when I first got the powers.’

‘Xiumin!’ Suho was aghast. ‘You literally mastered it in a week.’

‘A very hard and long week,’ Xiumin muttered, avoiding their eyes. Their faces had the kind of awe that reminded him the temple elders and it made him uncomfortable; he didn’t think it was a matter of pride that he was more monstrous than the beast he was supposed to wield.

Thankfully, Lay had come to his rescue. ‘It comes down to the compatibility between the beast and the Legend,’ he said, smiling at Xiumin. ‘If the beast agrees with what he’s doing, he wouldn’t have a hard time wielding his powers, regardless of an emotional connection.’

‘Weird.’ Baekhyun reiterated, looking more impressed than anything.

And apparently, he and the beast were alike enough that neither had any idea about how to deal with the sudden emotional connection they now had.

He could sense the beast better now that he wasn’t trying to keep it subdued all the time. And the beast, to its credit, was nearly always in tune with Xiumin’s own thoughts, so they barely had any moment of conflict.

Except when it came to claiming Lily. The beast had relied on his humanness to have the mate accept them; and he had relied on the beast being able to claim it’s mate. So far, neither had succeeded.

Funnily enough, neither were too concerned about it. The woman they loved was with them and in the end, that was what mattered the most.

‘Penny for your thoughts?’ Lily’s voice floated over, carrying her rich scent with it. He inhaled deeply before turning to smile at her.

‘This and that,’ he replied, standing up and taking her hand. ‘You look gorgeous.’

She’d changed into a dress that clung wonderfully in all the right places. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a lipstick that made look so, so kissable. He felt like he’d been punched.

She smiled back, a hint of pink on her cheeks. ‘Thanks.’

They had decided that since they spent most of their time at work and they both deserved a break every once in a while, they would go on proper dates and do proper date stuff regularly.

So now, on his off days, he would wait for her at the shop and take her out; and on her off days, she would wait for him and take him out.

It was surprisingly fun.

‘Just so you know,’ Tiffany stopped by, now donned in her uniform. ‘This is disgustingly cute. I expected better from you, Lily.’

‘Leave them be,’ Tae pulled her away, winking over her shoulder. ‘And just tell Sehun you want to go out.’

‘I want him to pick me from work, why can’t he take a hint!?’ Tiffany’s whine faded as the girls walked away.

Lily smiled at her friend’s back before turning to face him. ‘So, what’s the plan?’

‘Well, I thought we could do something simple and stay in tonight.’

That wasn’t true since he had made reservations with a nice upscale hotel. But her dress was doing things to him and he, in turn, wanted to do things to her.

She nodded, picking her coffee. ‘Sounds great.’

He pushed the fudge cake in front of her. ‘Try this, I’ve heard its decadent.’

She smirked before opening . Coupled with her sultry gaze, the gesture was unbearably y and his gut swooped. From her eyes, she knew exactly what she was doing and per usual, was on the same page as him. She held his gaze as he lifted the fork and she bit down on the cake tantalizingly.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ she muttered lowly after swallowing.

He didn’t need any more convincing, standing up and taking her hand. ‘Let’s.’

…………………………………

Xiumin could feel Lily moving around before she slid close, snuggling for warmth. He lifted his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders.

‘Okay?’ he asked, finger curling around stray hair.

She nodded, whining when he moved. He grinned, loving how clingy she got after lovemaking.

‘Shh,’ he soothed, ‘I’m not leaving.’ He adjusted himself into a more comfortable position before pulling her close again. ‘Come here.’

She came easily, arms going around his waist and pushing close until they were fused together.

‘I love you,’ she mumbled sleepily, face buried into his chest. ‘Have I told you that?’

‘I don’t remember,’ he responded, teasing. ‘I think you should tell me again, just in case.’

She opened one eye to glare at him, the effect completely ruined by the soft kiss she planted over his heart.

‘I love you,’ she repeated, looking put out and absolutely adorable. ‘Happy?’

He smiled, feeling like his heart would burst. ‘Very.’

She pouted, making him laugh. He dropped a kiss on her head. ‘I love you too,’ he whispered, tracing her ear. 

She shivered at the feeling, still sensitive and so responsive, he could feel the answering excitement rise inside of him as well. Gently, he rolled them over so she was flat on her back. He leaned down and kissed her properly.

‘I really do love you, you know,’ he whispered, barely backing off from the kiss, lips still brushing against hers. ‘More than anyone.’

She blushed, and it was so cute that she could be flustered by simple words like this, even in their current position. She tried to turn her face but he stopped her, nudging her face back so she was looking at him again.

He smiled softly, wanting to tell her just how happy she made him.

‘I’m so glad we decided to stay in tonight,’ he continued, still whispering. ‘I don’t think I would’ve been able to focus on anything but you even if we had gone out.’

Her blush intensified, now tinged with desire as well. ‘Xiumin…’ The husky voice went straight through his spine, the response in his body clear to her.

‘I don’t know how I made it this long without you,’ he told her sincerely, leaning down to peck her lips again. ‘I don’t know if I’d be able to live without you… not now, not when I know what it’s like to be alive.’

She shivered when he traced his lips over her face, kissing her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, her nose before finally tasting her lips.

‘Xiumin…’ she whispered, struggling to free her arms trapped underneath him. He didn’t let her move, though, kissing her deeply. These were things he’d been realizing more and more these days and it felt like he would burst if he didn’t let it out. He needed to say this.

‘You saved me,’ he confessed, one hand coming up to cup her face. ‘I didn’t know it then, didn’t know how lost I was, but you saved me.’

‘No-‘

‘Yes,’ he retorted, silencing her firmly. ‘Yes, you did. You took a broken mess like me and made me whole. I don’t know how you found it in your heart to love me like you do, but I do know that I wouldn’t have been here if not for you. I would’ve lost myself a long time ago. So yes, you did save me and I love you all the more for it.’

She heaved a deep breath, finally freeing her hand so she could touch his face.

‘Xiumin, what- why are you being like this?’ she asked, sounding lost.

That was a good question.

‘Because I should’ve been like this from the start,’ he said eventually. ‘Because you deserve to know that even if I can’t claim you, I still love you.’

‘That’s never mattered to me…’ she started.

‘But it matters to me,’ he told her, holding her gaze. ‘Because I am a Legend, and you are my mate. I’m supposed to claim you. I know you say you’re satisfied with what we have but I want you to experience the beauty of mate’s link. I want to be yours in the way of our people too, for you to know that there won’t ever be anyone else for me but you.’

The look on her face told him he’d hit a spot. He remembered her stricken expression when she’d told him about not knowing if he was alright during their fight with Evil and the sometimes wistful look in her eyes when the others talked about their mates.

‘I know that,’ she whispered lowly.

‘I know,’ he agreed, not calling her out. ‘But you deserve to be told how much I love you every day.’

He didn’t think it was possible for her to turn any redder but she did, blooming prettily underneath him, heaving a shuddering breath that didn’t quite manage to hide her sob.

‘Idiot,’ she muttered, starting to cry in earnest. ‘Always making me cry like that when I p-promised I w-wouldn’t cry for y-you any- anymore.’

He smiled softly, hugging he close. ‘Sorry.’

‘Shut up,’ she mumbled without effect. ‘I love you.’

‘Love you more,’ he said, kissing her cheek.

…………………………………………….