warmthXander is safety.
Millie curls up beside him on the couch. He’s dozing lightly, his eyelids drooping as he drifts off. The firelight catches on his cheekbones – they’re fuller now, months after leaving the city, no longer gaunt and sharp as knives. As Millie leans against him, she can feel his muscles beneath his clothes, and the reminder of his strength causes a soft smile to bloom on her face.
She’s never smiled as much as when she’s with him.
Xander shifts slightly before pulling Millie onto his lap, displaying that raw strength. “C’mere,” he mumbles sleepily. She could suggest they just go to bed for the night, but the fire is warm, and Xander is already nodding off again as she nuzzles her forehead against his neck.
His broad chest is sturdy as an oak tree. For such a lithe man, he is surprisingly stout. Millie leans against him, and he cuddles her closer, a soft, sleepy sigh escaping his lips. Nothing could hurt her here.
“I love you,” he murmurs.
“I love you, too.” Millie’s eyes grow heavy. She never stops smiling as she falls asleep.