Written Wonderland

Evan patiently let Xavier ramble, thoroughly enjoying watching the boy figure out how to word things. He was clearly flustered, and Evan was loving it. Some part of him wondered why - he hadn't exactly enjoyed Seth's fluster the other night, mostly - but he supposed the fact that Xavier couldn't quite keep the grin off his face factored in.

And then, holy gods the flattery. More enticing than the goddess, eh? Fuuuuuuck, Evan liked hearing that. Pleasure spilled in a stream down his back, coaxing him to sit up straight to get the most out of the sensation. He let his eyes fall shut and his head tilt to the side slightly, his hand coming up to drag nails over the side of his neck and down to the collar bone that his posture had just placed somewhat front and center. A soft but definite "Mm" hummed from his throat, either a response to the pleasure he was feeling or an affirmation in reply to Xavier's statements. He certainly looked well aware of being pretty fucking enticing.

Evan wasn't sure where he wanted to go from here, though. The predictable parts of his brain were certainly making stronger and stronger arguments for pushing Xavier down on the cot, and Evan was growing less and less sure that that was the wrong call. Clearly, Xavier did want him. Right? Evan at least felt confident that would be the case outside of the context of the war and their existing rapport as captain and lieutenant, but... there was the rub, wasn't it? They had a good thing going, and Evan didn't want to fuck it up. Xavier was the subordinate officer, and quite a bit younger to boot, so shouldn't it fall to Evan to be the responsible one here and nip this in the bud?

Ughhhh, he fucking hated being the responsible one. And he really fucking sucked at it.

His grin faded, and he sighed as he let his posture relax and reached up to rub nervously at his hair, his eyes opening but casting their gaze uncomfortably to the side.

"Xavier, I--" he paused briefly, rethinking his choice of words. Had he even decided words to say yet? Fuck, his brain felt scrambled all of a sudden. It was so much fucking easier just to think about sex, if he was being honest. Ughh.

"I never want you to feel uncomfortable as my lieutenant, and I know I'm... not exactly myself."

Well.. but was that fair? Was that honest, even? One could argue that Evan was more himself now than he'd been this entire damn campaign. He fucking loved that negotiation, and he was honestly really fucking glad that Xavier had been there to see it... not just because Xavier's flustered response to it was fucking delectable, either.

"At least-- ...I mean..." fuuuuuuuck. Words. What even. Fuck.

Evan sighed again, pretty heavily, and all but clunked his forehead back down against the arm on his leg, his free hand still keeping his fingers loosely tangled in his hair as well. This was so fucking ridiculous. He wanted to just go back to being that self-absorbed asshole who was well and fully prepared to seduce Xavier this instant, as though it'd even take any effort. But he also didn't, because... this wasn't just some dalliance he could pick up and drop. He couldn't make this decision with his goddamn dick, but it was really fucking hard to think with anything else right now.

Fuck this goddamn fucking cock ring fuck.

Summoning as much determination as he could find, Evan took in a breath and tossed his gaze back up to Xavier, his expression considerably more serious than it'd been in the conversation so far.

"I don't know what path forward keeps our current rapport in tact."

Maybe it wasn't fair of him to lay this much at Xavier's feet, but if he had to make a decision on his own right here right now... the heat and pressure he felt in his pants was a really fucking strong motivating factor, and he knew that wasn't exactly the best of ways to make this particular fucking decision.

Xavier looked up from his hands and watched the way his own words tumbled down Evan's back and saw Evan's nails dig into his skin in what looked like a partly involuntary motion. The lieutenant realized it was similar to the ways in which Evan had touched his collarbone in front of the goddess, and Xavier wondered if Evan was, in fact, trying to seduce him as well. It was... working. But maybe Evan was genuinely enjoying himself and it had nothing to do with Xavier? But, even then, Evan felt comfortable doing that in front of Xavier, and obviously not just because Xavier had been present in the negotiation. Evan certainly wouldn't do this in front of just Seth. 

Which... seemed to mean... that Evan wanted Xavier to see him this way, and that thought made Xavier stomach leap and twist, urging him into motion, but Evan began to regather himself, and Xavier stayed on the cot. Hearing Xavier's own name off Evan's tongue, though, threw him off balance again, and the feeling in his stomach lurched again. What about Evan was so damn magnetic? Evan was confident and knew what he wanted. He was honest and earnest and cocksure. He was fearless and dynamic. He was animated and lively. 

So when Xavier heard Evan say he was not quite himself, Xavier inherently knew it was a lie, but he knew what Evan meant. This wasn't the version of Evan that Evan thought Xavier knew; this was a far more raw version of Evan, the man underneath the authority. Someone Xavier could be friends with. Someone Xavier could be lovers with. This was the Evan that Xavier had hoped was there for... as long as Xavier had known him and been under his command.

Somehow, watching Evan this way was far more intimate than having walked in on him asleep that morning. 

But then, whatever moment of clarity the gods had granted Xavier vanished when Evan lamented not knowing the path forward. Xavier scrambled to find balance again, to find some way to refute the statement or come up with a suggestion or solution to the problem. Because surely that was the problem Evan was talking about, right? That it was simply not appropriate for the two of them to... given their difference in ranks? Or was Evan simply letting Xavier down easy? Telling him there really was no path forward. That this was the closest the two of them would get to what they both wanted.

As Xavier passed down that line of thought, it became more and more believable that that was true, and Xavier was tempted toward despair. It was difficult for Xavier to imagine what his life would be like outside of the army, if he would survive that long, if he made it that far, and until then, he would be faced with the same hierarchy and isolation he battled with now, staring at Evan sitting on the floor of Xavier's tent with his sword-callused fingers loosely tangled in that black, disheveled hair.

GODS DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!

Xavier was part of this army--was a lieutenant of this army--to free himself and the subjects of the king, not force himself into a prison of isolation. And with that epiphany, Xavier became determined to find a way through. 

Before he became less sure of himself, Xavier put both his feet on the ground and lowered himself to the floor of the tent, closer to Evan now and on the same level, their knees inches from touching. He sat cross-legged and leaned in slightly with an expression of curiosity and genuine interest such that it was near impossible to tell if Xavier was radically changing the direction of the conversation or answering Evan's thought as he said in a tone simultaneously seductive and despairing, "Then, tell me more about what happened with the goddess."

Evan watched Xavier's expression intently. His heart pounded in his ears, his mind running a million miles a minute second-guessing himself, admonishing himself, trying desperately not to play out worst-case scenarios.

Excitement did light up his gut and grip at his chest when Xavier moved down to the ground and leaned in. That certainly seemed like a good sign. Gods, some part of him wondered if-- hoped that the boy was taking the step Evan had been debating on this whole time, but the lieutenant stopped there, and asked Evan to tell him more.

Evan was... confused. Did Xavier actually want to hear more, or was he resigned to it? He did look still curious and interested, but there was something... Evan supposed that wasn't the tone of voice he'd have expected if Xavier really just wanted to keep talking.

Thoughts of whether he should just fucking pounce Xavier already continued pelting Evan's brain, but he was anxious about his inability to read the boy at the immediate moment. And he still wasn't sure that's what he himself really wanted.

Maybe... he really did want to just keep telling the story? It did feel better with Xavier at eye level... within reach...

Evan sighed, much more lightly this time, and let his expression relax a little and his hand trail down through his hair to rest on the side of his neck as he searched for what he should even say next.

... Come to think of it... maybe now was in fact the perfect time to share the next bit of the story.

"Well..."

Y'know what, yeah, fuuuck itttt.

"She wanted me to say her name, but I was holding out on account of her little stunt."

The captain set his hand back down on the ground beside him and subtly started shifting forward toward kneeling, his expression slowly but surely returning to that vaguely-sinister sort of smirk.

"She had me pinned... prone..."

Something he could easily do to Xavier right fucking now if he wanted...

"But stubbornly defying her..."

A definite point of pride and pleasure for Evan, as was plainly evident in his increasingly-smug expression.

"And to try to persuade me, she changed form..."

He lifted his hand from the ground beside him as he shifted his other knee down as well, and leaned forward to settle his hands lightly on Xavier's thighs, bringing his lips close to the boy's ear. He'd been prepared to smoothly finish his sentence with a breathy whisper, but instead audibly shuddered as his mind replayed the image of Xavier standing, his hair dishevelled and his hands exploring his body, reaching down into his pants as pleasure played over the boy's face...

Evan's grip tightened slightly on Xavier's thighs as another shock prompted muscles throughout his body to tense. He collected himself quickly enough, although ultimately this last line was delivered a little more shakily than he'd originally intended.

"...into you."

Xavier paid close attention to Evan's words, eager to pick up on any hidden meaning that might insinuate that Evan guessed what Xavier had decided, but Evan's pride and smug expression coupled with the fact that Evan was shifting his weight as he spoke about the goddess made it exceptionally obvious that Evan knew exactly where this was headed. No hidden meaning necessary.

This especially held true when Evan's hands fell upon each of Xavier's thighs, and he could not help but let out an enormous sigh of relief, the desire in his body finally, finally confident that it had not only been seen and acknowledged but that it was also wanted. Xavier could not even count the ways he had fantasized about this exact sort of thing happening, and he was shocked and delighted that it was taking place, with words on Evan's lips about the goddess of desire filling the minimal distance between them. 

Evan wanted him. Xavier sighed again, thrilled and in awe of it all. 

He liked thinking about Evan withholding what the goddess wanted and found gratification thinking about the ways Evan was not withholding from Xavier anymore, which made whatever jealousy Xavier might have felt about the ways the goddess had control over Evan dissipate into gratitude and honor. Evan trusted him. 

It took a few moments to process what Evan meant about the goddess changing form, not withstanding that the proximity to Xavier seemed to make Evan waver in his control of his tone of voice and pulled Xavier that direction. Still, the warmth of Evan's breath fell upon Xavier's ear and filled Xavier with delight and a small pang of fear. Perhaps there was no going back after this, and while most of Xavier was eager--ecstatic, even--to receive this attention...

But then whatever gears needed to turn in Xavier's mind clunked into place as he realized what Evan had said. The goddess had taken Xavier's form? But why? To persuade him to say her name, hadn't he said that? But that would definitely mean...

By all accounts, the goddess seemed to know exactly what would work against Xavier when she sent him the images of Evan tumbling off that horse, which meant that she had at least some understanding of Xavier's mental state and assumedly Evan's as well. So, if she wanted something, why not use a form that would make it impossible to resist? Impossible to resist... Xavier couldn't believe it. And how long did the goddess stay in that form? Did they... Did he...? 

Xavier blushed furiously and stiffened a little. He wanted so much to keep the conversation going in the direction it was headed, but he was also deeply, deeply embarrassed and curious about what exactly Evan had already seen and experienced of his body. And if he had... had he enjoyed it? Maybe that was why this was all happening now. Maybe Evan did enjoy it and wanted more... Xavier gasped lightly at the thought.

Xavier wanted to look into Evan's eyes, to confirm the truth of Evan's statements, even though Xavier believed that Evan was honest. It was just so difficult to allow it to be true. That Xavier's form might in some ways be more effective of a persuasion tool than the goddess' own body... 

Again, Xavier had the urge to look Evan in the face, but as his lips were still distressingly, tantalizingly near Xavier's ear, Xavier had nowhere to look except toward Evan's legs. Xavier reached out with one hand, curling a hand around the back of one of Evan's thighs and squeezed. Xavier let out a low but quiet moan, so grateful that he felt much more confident now that this type of touch would be welcomed, encouraged even.

"And..." Xavier started, scrambling for words. "Did you? Did you... give in? Did you say the goddess' name?"

Gods, Evan could swear he could taste the desire radiating off Xavier's body. He wasn't completely convinced it was real until Xavier reached out to touch him, though, and at that point a flood of relief relaxed something in his chest, sending bright, warm tingles out from his torso all the way down his limbs. Surely... surely Evan had brought enough attention to the argument for caution, and still Xavier wanted this... and Evan sure as fucking hell desired it, desperately at this point. Surely, this was the right path to choose.

Evan let his eyes fall shut as he relished the sound of Xavier's soft moan, and the stammered words the boy scrambled for to keep the story moving. Gods, he could live in this moment forever. And, he was certain, the next... and the next...

"Mmhmmm..." Evan hummed, and tilted his head slightly to let his breath fall against Xavier's neck, his lips just far enough away not to touch. He debated briefly, whether to even try to keep talking. He was enjoying telling the story, keeping Xavier on the edge of his seat. But he also wanted to forget the goddess, just for now, and disappear into this moment with Xavier completely.

The captain pulled back slightly, enough to look Xavier in the eye, his expression heavy and glowing with lust and excitement. He drew his hands up away from Xavier's thighs to cup the boy's face and leaned closer in again. He paused just short of a kiss, but only for an instant - just long enough to murmur,

"Gods, I've wanted this for a long time,"

before finally, elatedly, bringing their lips together.

Evan's breath on Xavier's neck more than accentuated the way he imagined the goddess using Xavier's body to subdue Evan, how strange and potent it would be to experience the role reversal of having Evan acquiesce. The lieutenant's mind was quickly growing hazy with the thought. He remembered again the feeling of being the one on top of Evan in the image the goddess sent, how he relished the feeling of holding Evan down.

Xavier's breath caught in his throat when Evan pulled away and looked at him. Xavier, an expression of fear and wonder clear on his face, looked over Evan's face hungrily, seeking signs that Evan wanted this as much as Xavier did, that this wasn't just a game or a trick, and Xavier found them. The relief that flooded through Xavier's body almost pulled him into the kiss on its own, but then Evan spoke, the breath Evan used for the words falling on Xavier's lips so he could taste them as Evan said them. Surely he had had a fantasy in which Evan said exactly those words exactly this way, and then what followed... Xavier shivered, leaning into the feeling of Evan's hands on his cheeks, and swelled with happiness as Evan pulled him into a kiss. 

He suddenly felt a very strong urge to push Evan backward, and he could not suppress it, though part of him objected strongly. He couldn't... he couldn't just do this! Not to his captain! But, his body was already moving, uncrossing his legs so he was poised to spring before releasing Evan's thigh, placing both hands and pushing all of Xavier's weight into Evan's chest, slowly but forcefully, fully intending to stay deeply within Evan's kiss. He was grateful for all the training he had been through to be physically prepared for a moment like this, and his enormous, ridiculous grin showed it. 

The vibrations Xavier felt as Evan hit his back against the ground and Xavier landed on his knees between Evan's legs, his hands still firmly against Evan's chest, shook Xavier's body to its core. He pulled away to look at Evan from this angle, and his entire body shivered with delight. Xavier was not even sure his body could withstand the amount of pleasure and desire coursing through his veins. He was breathing heavy and eager, his entire body hungry and aching above Evan since so little of their bodies were touching.

"Tell me how you said her name," Xavier commanded in a whisper after leaning close into Evan's ear, yet he was shocked at the words coming out of his mouth. They were confident and absolutely what he wanted to say, what he wanted to tell Evan to do. He remembered the way the priestess was chanting it, how the sound of it coursed through his bones just like the stories said it would, and could only imagine how much more intense the sound would be coming from Evan's lips, especially underneath him, especially imagining the moment of Evan giving in while she was doing something... just... like... this, but he surprised himself nonetheless. It was so much easier to be brave from on top.

((OOC: Xavier's eyes are gray in the event that it becomes relevant. Not sure we said that before. ))

The pressure of Xavier's weight against Evan's chest surprised him. He supposed he'd expected Xavier to be more timid, though he quickly acknowledged perhaps that wasn't a fair assessment of the boy. Between the lack of preparedness for it and just simply being lost in that kiss, the captain went down fairly easily, and he didn't seem too upset about it. In fact, a moan hummed up from his throat and into that kiss as his hips bucked slightly up off the ground. Evan also sported his own huge ridiculous grin when Xavier pulled away. The captain's breathing was heavy and he was covered in blush, to be sure, but his expression gleamed with warm excitement and approval.

His breath completely escaped him when Xavier whispered by his ear, though. If he'd been surprised by the push, he was completely taken off-guard by receiving a command. Another burst of excitement swirled inside him together with a strong impulse to knock the lieutenant back down a peg or two. Not that Evan minded it in a rank sense - obviously, they were well out of strict captain-lieutenant interactions, which Evan had never been all that strict about to begin with - but if Xavier thought that just because Evan had let him pin him for just a minute that he could go around starting to issue commands...

But then again, the contents of this particular command also surprised him, and left him feeling a bit paralysed. His brow furrowed slightly as he let out a hitched breath. Some part of him was oddly indignant, in a way he didn't understand at first. To fill the time while he processed - and because he felt like it, to be fair - Evan's hands trailed down over Xavier's chest and sides and settled on the boy's hips, and he turned his head slightly towards Xavier's, bringing his own lips close to Xavier's ear as he breathed in softly. Seemed he'd gotten over whatever initial indignation, and intended to indulge the boy's request - after all, he knew it'd be pleasurable to say, and enjoyed the thought that, with Evan steeled for it, it might affect Xavier more, which could play into the knocking down a peg he was starting to itch to do.

But something stopped him. A pang of fear? A recollected awareness of just what had been shocking him all fucking day, and was still very much in his pants, among other things. He supposed... he was nervous, invoking the goddess' name here. Some part of him thought that was being kind of stupidly superstitious, but then again, of all contexts to be "superstitious" in...

"No." Evan finally whispered, turning up a grin and hoping Xavier could hear that his tone was playful. And, really, it was playful, as a new pang of excitement lit in his chest about the sort of game this could set up. He only let the syllable hang in the air for an instant before biting down on Xavier's earlobe and tugging. His hands then grasped the boy's belt and firmly tried to wrest him off-balance, aiming to roll them both over and land Xavier on his back for a bit.

The playful, smug way that Evan said "no" rocked through Xavier's entire body, causing brief spasms, and he was overcome for a moment, hanging his head so his hair covered his eyes as he tried to gather himself. Part of him was absolutely and irrevocably thrilled at the fact that he had issued a command that Evan refused to follow, and part of him was horrified that the command had happened at all. Yet another part of him was livid fucking pissed, and the combination threw Xavier's body into an uproar. Xavier wasn't used to feeling this angry (or aroused for that matter), so when Evan's teeth gripped Xavier's ear, an entirely new wave of shivers came over Xavier as every part of his body metaphorically screamed out for Evan's touch, for the bite to become any amount deeper, for Evan to pull him in, to have his hands in Xavier's hair, to...

It was then that fear came once again to join the emotional overwhelm party in Xavier's brain. There was no doubt in Xavier's mind that Xavier cared about Evan, and he became worried that this might be all Evan wanted. Just this once and then never again, possibly. Maybe they wouldn't even acknowledge that it had happened and try to go back to business as usual. The thought horrified Xavier, and in some ways, it would be worse than not having experienced this at all. But... experiencing this... the bliss of the light pain Evan was causing him and the torture of how aroused Xavier was becoming was thick and heavy with temptation and desire. Some part of him urged him to let it all happen, to lose himself in this touch, the future be damned.

Evan grabbed Xavier's belt and pulled to the side, and with Xavier's thoughts pinwheeling from one emotion to the next, it took Xavier completely by surprise such that he landed on his back underneath Evan before he really processed what was happening. Evan's grin, his disheveled hair--Xavier's doing this time--was simultaneously unbearably enticing and utterly terrifying. The swirling concoction was exhilarating, and Xavier was already breathing heavy and fast. The negotiation might have opened doors with Xavier and Evan that had previously been tightly closed, but this would surely forever change the nature of their dynamic, and Xavier felt another pang of fear as he imagined Evan wanting nothing to do with him after this. Impulsively, in an attempt to calm himself down, he reached up to where the charm his grandfather had made rested under his shirt and touched it with his fingers, pressing it against his chest.

...And that was all the goddess needed to come fully through. Xavier did most of the work himself, though, given how vividly he had fantasized about the goddess' own actions when she wore his form, which were not very far from the truth. As frustrated as she was about being in this body again, the goddess was thrilled at being underneath Evan, but she was not keen on letting him in on it yet, keeping Xavier's hair in front of her eyes. She still had full access to Xavier and--conveniently--what Xavier wanted to do. Gods, it was so much easier than sorting through memories to make everything authentic. 

Ignoring the parts of Xavier that wanted to pull back, calm down, and tell Evan that he cared for him for than just what this afternoon experience would offer, Dehaljadrun leaned hard into the other parts of Xavier, the ones that desperately wanted this and had dreamed about this. 

"Fine, then I get to do this," Xavier said. It was his voice, certainly, and it was even something Xavier seriously contemplated saying, deeply wanted to say, but he was again shocked that it was coming out of his mouth. Simultaneously, his hands moved toward Evan's belt, unclasping it with the most tantalizing sound that had ever hit Xavier's ears. He didn't go any further, though, taking a moment instead to run his hands over Evan's hips, reaching around to briefly caress his ass before returning his hands to Evan's belt, anxious to see what Evan would do next.

Nng, Evan relished the boy's responses - every little shudder and shiver and heavy, anxious breath. The captain was starting to feel that swell of power, subtle and familiar waves of pride and pleasure spilling down from his head to his toes. He leaned back slightly to take in the sight of the boy beneath him, Xavier's body radiating with heat and his blush-strewn expression rather adorably hidden behind tousled hair.

But, glorious as the sight was to behold, that feeling in his head scared Evan in this context, just a bit. He didn't want power over Xavier. Or-- well-- obviously, certainly, a part of him did, but--

Whatever part of him was beginning to worry about whatever the fuck it was trying to worry about was pretty fucking thoroughly silenced when the boy spoke up and unclasped Evan's belt, though, drawing a soft, quick sigh from the captain's lips before he regathered his wits and cut it off with a wicked grin. He reached deftly for Xavier's wrists and moved to pin them firmly against the ground on either side of the boy's head, happy to throw his body weight behind the motion as needed.

Course, his cock wasn't all that pleased about that decision, as it was fucking aching for attention which it seemed like Xavier was maybe starting to actively think about giving it (holy fuck yes), but Evan was fairly determined to in the very least reveal that fucking cock ring on his own terms. Plus, the part of him that loved the waves of pride running off his scalp right now was pleased as fuck to stoke those sensations further, and for now he seemed to be done worrying about.. whatever that was before.

With a pleased sort of hum he leaned down and sank his teeth into the side of the boy's neck, ecstatic to experience how Xavier would truly respond.

Though Evan's quiet sigh hit Xavier's ears like music, accentuating the way Xavier's heartbeat was already pounding all over his body, nothing compared to the grin Evan let loose as he grabbed Xavier's wrists. While, yes, Evan was pulling Xavier's hands away from the belt, the expression obliterated any notion that Evan didn't want what Xavier had begun to do, not to mention the fact that this resonated perfectly with the fantasy the goddess gave Xavier during the negotiation, which Xavier's mind replayed over and over and over and over again, relentlessly washing Xavier with wave after wave of ecstasy and excitement. Xavier found he had no problem at all with letting Evan have control.

Dehaljadrun, however, did.

But both of their trains of thought became interrupted when Evan sank his teeth into Xavier's neck. The compounding force of Xavier's genuine desire for Evan and Dehaljadrun's very presence significantly amplified Xavier's reactions such that Xavier could not help but make his own neck more available while his body pushed up against Evan in a series of uncontrollable spasms.

Xavier could not believe this was happening, and Dehaljadrun closed her eyes to relish in the thrill of imagining that Evan was pulling this potent desire out of them. It had the fortunate side effect of making it easier on Xavier's body to house Dehaljadrun, at least temporarily. 

A moan that had been on the edge of Xavier's lips for some time now escaped, giving Xavier no time to think about lessening the sound. It probably wasn't loud enough to be heard outside the tent, but it was certainly the loudest sound Xavier had made so far. Some part of him briefly worried about Evan's reaction, if Evan would be worried about the two of them being found out, but Dehaljadrun's own desire for Evan kept pulling Xavier under such that he wanted nothing more than to be utterly and completely lost in touch with Evan, and Xavier's hips seductively--and involuntarily--moved in a circle that followed the rhythm of his own moan perfectly.

As she began to recover, Dehaljadrun used Xavier's arms to test the strength of Evan's pin, straining against him briefly. Evan's whole body weight seemed pressed into Xavier's wrists; they weren't going anywhere quickly. If only she could reach into his pants and pull on the lightning band around his cock... 

Still, movement at this point would almost certainly alert Evan to the fact that Xavier was not strictly himself, and some part of Dehaljadrun desperately wanted to just sink into sensation with Evan, to let this happen and never let Evan in on it. She could enjoy him thoroughly--in whatever position he wanted her in--without his knowledge. The idea was incredibly tempting, especially with Evan's teeth deeply in Xavier's neck.

But Xavier--and Xavier's body--insisted they do something, which forced Dehaljadrun out of her pleasure trance. She wanted to run Xavier's nails down Evan's back, but Xavier's wrists really were good and pinned. Maybe they were going to have to make an attempt to throw Evan off, then. 

Using only what strength would come naturally for Xavier, Dehaljadrun shifted Xavier's weight all the way to the left before thrusting it all back to the right, hoping to shift Evan off balance. Xavier's enormous, pleasure-filled grin ensured that this, too, appeared playful. And, even if it didn't succeed, at least Evan would have to put up something of a fight.