There were more of them. More Improba besides the ones he knew and yet they were good people.
Jesse observed the group from beneath his lashes, head lowered so his hair provided some natural cover. His stomach gurgled in protest each time he tore off a piece of bread and pressed it between his lips, forcing himself to eat.
Because logically, Jesse knew he should eat to stay healthy, that his body needed sustenance. Yet each time he put food in his mouth, he fought back the need to gag and spit out the morsel.
Instead he chewed slowly, thoughtfully, allowing his focus to wander away from the desire to refuse the meal. When Jesse looked up again, his eyes instantly were found and held by Xavier's, who offered a gentle smile to the Pixie.
Jesse was instantly hit with a sense of relief when the internal pain and suffering was leached away. It was one of the few reasons why he was grateful for the presence of the new Improba.
Thanks to them draining the overload on sensations, they managed to stop Jesse from getting sucked into a deeper, darker state of mind.
And when he offered a hesitant smile towards Xavier, the fully toothed beaming grin that aimed towards him made his heart stumble. A warm fuzzy feeling that warmed his chest and made Jesse feel content.
It was soothing, calming. Allowing tense muscles to slowly relax, draining the pains and aches away.
Thanks to the multiple Improba besides Xavier and Jesse's old friends, his pain and suffering was lowered to a refreshing, odd new level.
It was as if Jesse had been held under water all this time and finally, finally, he was allowed to breathe.
And thanks to Xavier, there was a slight spark, growing within Jesse's chest. A glimmer of hope that struggled against the darkness, refusing to be snuffed out.
It was weak, stuttering under the overwhelming pressure. But still it illuminated the darkness.
Jesse noticed the slightly curious look that overtook Xavier's features, making him realize that he was in fact staring at the Improba. He instantly lowered his head, confused by his own actions.
He took a sip of his tea, nose curling as it wasn't the jasmine he wanted, but plain, regular tea. The sound of chairs scraping over the floor made Jesse glance up before frowning when he saw Xavier head into the kitchen.
Looking at the man's empty plate and back down to his own filled one, Jesse sighed before forcing another bite in his mouth, knowing he needed to keep eating if he ever wanted to go back to his house.
Not that the Improba detained them if they were incapable of eating but Jesse knew the vampires were more than inclined to check up on those that hadn't finished their meal.
And while he didn't necessarily mind the visits, he didn't want to be a burden. Certainly these doctors and specialists were busy with patients who needed their help more than Jesse.
Wasting all of their time and effort simply because he was playing with his food, wasn't something Jessy wanted to do.
He blinked in surprise, hand stilling on his meal when a mug of steaming tea was set before him. Jesse's nose already picked up the soft fragrance of the steeping Jasmine tea and felt his heart tug when he looked up.
Swallowing thickly, he struggled to find words to show his gratitude for this simple gesture. A gesture that showed Jesse was worth more to this people because Xavier went out of his way to get the young Pixie the tea he loved.
So when he looked up and was offered a dimpled smile, fang caught adorably on Xavier's lip, Jesse wanted to smile back, to whisper his thanks.
Instead, his lip wobbled uncontrollably, food and tea forgotten as big, fat tears welled from his eyes. He was beyond confused by the utter mess he became at being shown even a modicum of kindness.
Jesse wanted to run to his house and hide away for the rest of the day. Curl underneath his blanket and sob his eyes out, to envelop himself in darkness.
But above all, he really wanted...needed a hug. And when Xavier was beside him, crouching down to lay a reassuring hand on Jesse's thigh, the pixie reacted without thinking.
He instantly ducked forwards, nose burying against Xavier's throat and arms wrapping tightly around the man's neck. Trembling in fear and shock at his own actions but his need trumped the desire to flee.
And the tightness within his chest lessened when warm arms wrapped soothingly around him. Squeezing him impossibly tighter while the reassuring rumbles of Xavier's voice trembled through Jesse's chest and ears.
His entire body, his entire soul was starved, needing to be close to someone, anyone. And while his mind and heart were still hesitant, Jesse's instincts had seen the glimmer of hope, the small, ever so frail connection, and latched on.
Jesse didn't care about the people still present in the dining hall, of the eyes undoubtedly on them. All he cared about was the disturbing yet soothing scent within his nostrils and the gently beating heart against his chest.
His tears quieted down, an occasional sob still wrenching through his torso. But for the first time since...since James... Jesse swallowed, expecting a surge of painful memories and venomous self-hatred.
But when he only felt a minor discomfort, his body instantly slacked against Xavier's chest.
Hope.
Xavier didn't know what to do. When Jesse's eyes had filled with tears, running over his pale skin before dropping audibly on his plate, he had rushed over in the hopes of calming the pixie down.
Yet when he suddenly had his arms full with the trembling Deprived, a Deprived who was nuzzling into his throat despite the stench of fear that burned his nostrils, Xavier had frozen.
That is, until Serena flapped her arms in the background like a deranged bird, motioning for Xavier to return the hug of the obviously distressed deprived.
He scrambled to do so, pulling Jesse closer against his chest, could feel the panicked thumps of the poor Deprived's heart for being so close to his abusers' species.
But Xavier could smell the relief in Jesse, could feel how the boy sagged in his arms as he returned the hug unthinkingly and smiled when the Deprived relaxed to the point of nearly falling asleep.
There you go hun...Everything will be alright.
He smiled, unconsciously nuzzling into Jesse's hair, catching a whiff of the boy's shampoo. Sighing when Jesse did, a slight stutter to the boy's breathing as it hitched, sob caught in his throat.
"It's okay." Xavier soothed, hand rubbing over the Pixie's back, aware that the rest of the Improba table was watching. "You'll be okay."
There was a slight, near imperceptible nod against his throat as he slowly rocked the pixie in his lap side to side. Doing what he could to soothe him. To offer comfort and unconditional love.
Xavier wasn't a fool. He had tried his best to ignore the signs, not out of malice but because he had needed Jesse to act first.
If the Improba had started to give any notion to the Deprived that he was interested in Jesse, he would've irrevocably damaged their developing bond.
Making the boy think that all the Improba wanted, was a sample of the forbidden fruit.
Evan and Louis were smiling softly, leaning against one another as they observed the pair. Every Improba there didn't need to be told of what was happening, instead they silently rejoiced.
Jesse's survivability chances just doubled, merely due to the acceptance of the growing bond. And that was all they ever wanted.
When Xavier went to stand, Jesse whimpered a protest, only quieting down when the Improba lifted him in his arms, bringing the Deprived back to the main table.
"He's out cold." Serena murmured gently, nails gently sinking through Jesse's long hair, tucking a stray curl behind his ear. "So, Xavier..." She grinned, winking as the entire table chuckled with amusement. "Who's going to tell his father?"
Xavier rolled his head back with a groan, as he had totally forgotten about the protective elf. Undoubtedly they had eyes and ears all over the place and if Xavier wouldn't go out to find Sylvar, he was quite certain that the Elven leader would find him.
"I'll inform him once Jesse has settled. I doubt Sylvar would like it if I paraded his son around the compound while he clings to me like a spider-monkey." Xavier murmured, rubbing a hand over Jesse's back when he shivered in his lap.
Violet chuckled, tapping a manicured nail on the table. "How would anyone act in his position? Learning you have a son after all these years, a son who has been made into a Deprived, now newly bonded to the very species that put him in this mess."
They all silently agreed. None of them would be all too happy if their own child would have to endure the Deprived's fates. It only spoke more of the amount of trust that Jesse had placed within Xavier.
He had chosen to lay the fragile and shattered pieces of his heart within Xavier's palms. To do with as he pleases. It was a very humbling and emotional experience.
And also a frightening one. In cases of lost mates, Xavier had it easier than Jesse. After all, the vampire had never physically met their Beloved, had never been capable of fully developing a bond with them.
But Jesse had.
Jesse had laughed with James, had cried, had experienced long, lazy mornings and fun dates. Perhaps they had even shared a few arguments but all of that only succeeded to build onto a steady foundation.
A foundation that was demolished and yanked out from underneath Jesse. And now Xavier had the near impossible task to replace that foundation with a bigger, stronger one.
An unbreakable one.
Xavier was going to do his best to offer just that. To return even a fraction of what Jesse had lost, would be Xavier's life mission.
To bring the Deprived some happiness and prevent any further deterioration.
But he was going to take slow, steady steps. No need to rush ahead, to take careless risks. His main focus now, was the heartbeat against his chest, that ever so slowly, started to synchronize with his own.
The first true sign of their developing bond. Xavier was overcome with emotion as he felt that spark of awareness in his subconsciousness. The beginnings of a frail bond, that wouldn't just slowly perish away like before.
It had happened once, but the vampire wasn't about to let it happen again.
He held Jesse closer on reflex, reassured when the little pixie relaxed with a sigh.
We'll make it work.