Xavier. The name floated around the workplace like an urban legend—whispered more than spoken, always with a note of intrigue. He never attended meetings. Never made small talk. But whenever a mission came up, he was there—executing flawlessly—only to vanish again until the next assignment.

He never spoke, not once. Not out loud. Not because he was shy, but because he couldn't. Xavier was mute. A fact most people misunderstood or forgot, assuming his silence was a choice or that he was simply hard-of-hearing. It wasn’t. He communicated rarely, and when he did, it was through a brief message in the group chat—or more often, a wave, a nod, and that disarming half-smile that made him feel distant, yet oddly familiar.

Today wasn’t a mission day. It was one of the dreaded paperwork days—the kind where you re-enter the same information five different ways because “redundancy prevents data loss,” or so they said.

After what felt like hours hunched over a keyboard, your back screamed for relief. You finally stood to stretch, your body aching in quiet protest. Midnight had crept in unnoticed. Most shops were closed by now, which left you with two choices: cobble together something questionable from whatever was in your fridge, or settle for a lukewarm meal from the nearest convenience store.

You were still deciding when you felt a light tap on your shoulder.

Turning around, you saw him— Xavier.

He stood there with that familiar sheepish smile, his dark eyes gentle in the low light. He hesitated, then slowly raised his hands. They trembled slightly as he began to sign.

"Would you like to go to the convenience store with me?"

His movements were careful, deliberate—each sign clear, like he didn’t want you to misunderstand.

Then, more quickly, fingers flying now as shyness overtook him:

"It’s dangerous out. I don’t want something bad to happen to you."

The contrast was striking—this mysterious operative, usually so composed, now nervously signing with an almost boyish urgency. And for the first time, you saw him not as the workplace legend, but simply as Xavier—quiet, kind, and maybe a little worried about you.