Atlas
After a whole day of digging through dusty records and bouncing around theories, we finally decided to grab dinner at a small local restaurant. It wasn't anything fancy, just a cozy little place tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. The kind of spot that served homemade comfort food and had that lingering smell of freshly baked bread.
Phoenix looked like he was about to drop from exhaustion, his usual sharpness dulled by the long hours of research. Ace seemed just as worn out, but knowing him, he'd probably never admit it. Xavier kept his usual stoic face on, but I could tell he was a little frustrated. He hated loose ends, and this case was nothing but knots and tangles.
We slid into a booth by the window, and as luck would have it, Phoenix ended up next to me. He didn't complain, but I caught him shooting me a look when I gave him a cheeky smile.
Xavier sat on the opposite side with Ace, who had his arms crossed and looked like he was still mentally sorting through every detail we'd gathered.
A waitress came by, taking our orders. Phoenix mumbled something about just wanting a pasta dish, and I made a point to order something hearty for him, knowing he probably wouldn't eat much if I didn't.
Ace got a simple chicken dish, and Xavier just went with a sandwich and coffee. I went all out with a big plate of steak and mashed potatoes—gotta keep the energy up, after all.
Once the waitress left, Ace finally spoke up. "We're missing something. If the father really killed them, why didn't he just bury the bodies or hide them? Leaving them out like that felt more like a statement."
Phoenix nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It didn't feel like he wanted to cover up the murders. More like... he wanted someone to see it. But why?"
"That's what doesn't add up," Xavier said, tapping his fingers against the table. "If he was trying to send a message, who was the target? The wife? The son? Or maybe someone outside the family?"
I leaned back, resting my arm on the back of the booth. "Or he didn't kill them at all. Maybe someone framed him and made it look like he snapped. The question is—who would want to destroy an entire family like that?"
Phoenix glanced at me, and I noticed the way his fingers were idly tracing patterns on the napkin. "Maybe... someone wanted to take over the property? If the mansion holds something valuable, it would make sense to get rid of the family and then cover up the real reason."
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Like some ancient relic or cursed artifact? Or even just a valuable inheritance. Could be why the spirits are stuck—they're guarding something."
Ace grunted in agreement. "Makes sense. The question is how to dig deeper without raising suspicion. If whoever covered this up catches wind of us snooping, we could be next on their hit list."
"Ah, come on. I'm sure they'd love to deal with a bunch of teenagers and a stubborn older brother," I teased, smirking at Ace.
He shot me a glare. "Don't underestimate how far people will go to protect secrets, Atlas. This isn't just some schoolyard brawl."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving him off. "I know. Just trying to lighten the mood."
Phoenix suddenly let out a small laugh, surprising all of us. "Honestly, you're always trying to lighten things up. You're like a human stress reliever."
I grinned and nudged his shoulder. "Gotta keep you from growing gray hairs too soon, Little Nixy."
He gave me a half-hearted glare but didn't bother correcting the nickname this time. Instead, he just sighed and rested his chin on his palm. "I just want to know why they're trapped like that. It's not fair. They didn't deserve to die like that."
His voice softened at the end, and I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest. Phoenix had this way of caring too much without even realizing it. I reached out and ruffled his hair, ignoring his protests.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll figure it out. We'll give those spirits the peace they deserve."
Xavier looked over at Ace, his gaze sharpening. "And we'll make sure Phoenix stays safe while we're at it. No more reckless stunts."
Ace didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes told me he took that statement seriously. The food arrived a few minutes later, and we dug in, talking between bites about possible theories and plans.
Phoenix seemed more relaxed as he ate, though I caught him sneaking glances at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Maybe I was imagining it, but it made me smirk every time.
Once dinner wrapped up, we split the bill—Ace tried to pay for everyone, but Xavier shot him down, insisting on covering at least half. As we walked out, the cool night air hit us, and Phoenix shivered a bit.
Without even thinking, I pulled him closer, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. "Can't have you catching a cold, Little Nixy."
He gave me an annoyed look, but he didn't move away. Instead, he just muttered, "Idiot," under his breath, which only made me chuckle.
As we made our way back to the library to regroup and lay out our next steps, I couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, this messed-up case wouldn't be so bad as long as we had each other's backs.
I scoffed, giving Ace a playful glare. "Excuse me, just because I have a sense of humor doesn't mean I'm not an adult. I just happen to be a fun one," I shot back, nudging Phoenix lightly.
Phoenix just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Acting like a five-year-old is definitely 'fun,'" he muttered, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
Xavier smirked from the other side. "Ace isn't wrong, though. You do have a bit of an overgrown child vibe going on."
I put a hand over my heart dramatically. "Wow. Betrayed by my own squad. Is this how it feels to be misunderstood?"
Ace just shook his head, clearly amused. "More like tolerated."
I pouted, but Phoenix let out a snort, trying to hide his amusement. "If you're done being dramatic, we should probably get moving. We still have more research to do."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "You guys act all serious now, but when I crack this case wide open with my charming charisma, you'll be thanking me."
Xavier gave me a deadpan look. "Your charm isn't going to exorcise a spirit, Atlas."
"Eh, you never know. Maybe they'll be so dazzled by my good looks they'll just ascend out of pure admiration," I quipped, making Phoenix finally crack a proper laugh.
Ace just sighed. "Let's get going before Atlas starts trying to charm the ghosts too."
"Too late," I replied, giving Phoenix a wink. "Already charmed one right here."
Phoenix glared at me, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "You're impossible."
"Yeah, but you love it," I shot back, giving him one last teasing grin before we headed out.
Xavier gave me a pointed look, but a smirk tugged at his lips. "You're awfully cheeky today," he muttered, shifting his focus back to the road.
I shrugged, leaning back in the passenger seat. "Just speaking facts. You gotta admit, Ace treats me like some annoying son-in-law half the time. Guess I just have to win his approval if I want to date his precious little brother."
Xavier huffed out a laugh. "Good luck with that. Ace doesn't exactly hand out approval slips."
"Yeah, I noticed," I replied, glancing out the window. The city lights flickered past as we drove through the quiet streets. "But I'll manage. Can't be that hard to charm him, right?"
"Bold of you to assume that," Xavier remarked, amusement lacing his tone. "Ace has his guard up. Always has."
I glanced sideways at him, raising a brow. "You sound like you know him pretty well."
He didn't respond immediately, just tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "We've crossed paths before," he admitted. "A long time ago. Back then, he was... different."
I tilted my head, curiosity piqued. "Different how?"
"More carefree," Xavier said quietly. "But life has a way of taking that from people."
I didn't push further, sensing there was more to the story than he was willing to share. Instead, I grinned. "Well, guess I'll just have to bring that carefree side out of him again. Might even make him smile."
Xavier shot me a sidelong glance. "You're aiming high."
"I always do," I shot back with a wink.
"Besides, if I'm gonna stick around Phoenix, might as well make friends with his overprotective brother. Even if it means sucking up a little."
He let out a low chuckle. "If anyone can pull it off, it's probably you."
I couldn't help but smile at that. Maybe winning Ace over wouldn't be as impossible as it seemed. After all, it wasn't like I was planning on giving up anytime soon. Plus, if it meant spending more time with Phoenix, it was totally worth the effort.
As we drove on, I couldn't help but notice how Xavier's usual stoic demeanor softened every time he mentioned Ace. It was subtle—the way his voice grew a bit quieter or the faint smile that flickered across his face.
A smirk formed on my lips. "You know, you talk about Ace a lot."
Xavier glanced at me, raising a brow. "He's important. Phoenix too."
"Uh-huh," I teased, drawing out the sound. "But it sounds more like Ace is important to you."
He scoffed, clearly trying to brush it off. "Don't be ridiculous."
I chuckled, giving him a sly look. "Come on, I'm not blind. You're way more invested than just being a business partner. Did he catch your eye or something?"
His jaw clenched slightly, and I almost thought he wasn't going to respond. Finally, he muttered, "It's not like that."
"Sure, sure," I said with a knowing grin. "Just saying, I've never seen you act this way. You've got that whole 'tough businessman' thing going on, but around him, you're... softer."
Xavier shot me a glare, but there wasn't much bite to it. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?" I taunted. "Just be careful. Ace doesn't strike me as the type who lets people get too close. You might end up burning yourself."
He didn't reply, and the silence stretched between us. Eventually, he just sighed, as if giving up on denying it.
"It's not that simple," he admitted quietly.
"Ace isn't someone you just... approach. He's got too much on his shoulders, and I doubt he'd even notice if someone was interested."
I hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, he does seem pretty closed off. But maybe that's why you're so curious about him. You want to understand him."
Xavier didn't answer, and I couldn't help but smirk. I didn't need him to confirm it—I could see it clear as day. Maybe I wasn't the only one trying to win over an Anderson brother.
I let it slide for now, deciding to just enjoy the rest of the ride. But man, who would've thought the stone-faced CEO had a soft spot for our grumpy shaman? This just kept getting more interesting.
As we neared my place, Xavier's silence stretched on. I almost felt bad for poking at him earlier, but come on—it was too obvious to ignore. Besides, seeing him flustered was a rare sight.
"Look," I started, breaking the tension. "I'm not saying you gotta make some grand confession or anything. Just... be real with yourself. If you do like him, figure out what you wanna do about it."
Xavier glanced at me briefly before focusing back on the road. "It's not that simple, Atlas. Ace... he's not the kind of person you just approach like that. He's guarded. And after everything he's been through, I can't just push myself into his life."
I hummed thoughtfully. "You know, sometimes pushing a little is what people need. Ace might not even realize someone's trying to care about him. He's too busy worrying about Phoenix and everyone else."
Xavier's grip on the steering wheel tightened just slightly, like he was mulling over my words.
"I know that," he admitted, voice softer.
"But... I also know forcing my way into his life would only push him further away. If he wants me there, he has to decide it himself."
Damn, that was surprisingly thoughtful coming from him. I guess Xavier wasn't just some cold, bossy CEO—he actually thought things through when it came to Ace.
I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "You know, for a guy who acts all tough and serious, you're kinda a softie when it comes to him."
He shot me another glare, but there was no real heat behind it. "Shut up."
I just laughed. "Alright, alright. Just saying, if you're planning to stick around Ace's life, you better be prepared to deal with his stubbornness. That guy's like a brick wall sometimes."
Xavier didn't respond, but I saw the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
When we finally pulled up to my place, I unbuckled my seatbelt and paused, glancing at him one more time. "Hey, just... don't overthink it too much. Sometimes people like Ace need someone who's willing to be patient. You're good at that, aren't you?"
Xavier just nodded, his gaze a little distant. I got out of the car, giving him a two-finger salute. "Night, lover boy."
"Get lost," he muttered, though his tone was more resigned than annoyed.
I grinned and headed inside, still chuckling to myself. This whole situation was getting more and more interesting. If Xavier really was serious about Ace, I kinda wanted to see how that would play out. After all, Ace wasn't the easiest person to deal with, but if anyone had the patience to break through his walls, it might just be Xavier.
And, well, if that happened, I'd be right here to tease the hell out of him about it.