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Burning bile attacked the back of your throat as the onset of a panic attack begun. Each breath felt shallower than the last until you were forced to lean against a table for support. For the entirety of your adult life, you had managed to keep your powers hidden with only the occasional slip up; you had never seen your ability to such an extent before though.
It had all started when you went into a coffee shop for a drink when a man near the counter crashed into you, spilling his latte onto his suit in the process. As a result, the man began screaming at you, coming within inches of your face to emphasize his displeasure. The other patrons ogled the scene with curious eyes, hungry for more, and a desperate glance around revealed that the clerk had vanished, presumably to get the manager.
When the man hunched over you, cutting off any escape, you whimpered a weak, “No.” causing everything to stop, frozen in time. Up until that point you had only ever froze one person at a time for a few seconds at most; a hasty inspection revealed that the entire shop was in a state of suspended animation.
You forced yourself back into the present, taking deep breaths as you pushed yourself off the table and began tapping your aggressor with tentative hands.
“Sir?” You keened, “Sir, please move.” When nothing happened you tried harder, practically shaking the man, “Sir! It’s time to move. Now!”
“Don’t be afraid, I can help you if you like.” An unfamiliar voice echoed from nowhere.
You spun around, searching for the source, “Who said that!? Where are you?”
“Well you see, I am communicating through the confines of your mind. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I run a school for mutants and I couldn’t help hearing your predicament. If you’ll allow it, I’d like to help.”
You glanced around once more, there didn’t seem to be much choice in the matter; you didn’t want to trust the stranger but you also didn’t know how to fix the mess you’d made.
“Okay,” You conceded aloud, “help me.”
“Right. (Y/N), you should know that I’m only a street away. I can’t come to you right now because it appears you’ve made a time bubble around the entire street, the few people I’ve seen walk in have frozen in place; don’t worry, I’ve mentally redirected everyone else through coercion.”
“Whole street?” The words passed your lips as the merest of whispers; the situation was so much worse than you could have possibly imagined.
“Don’t fade away from me now (Y/N), I need you to pay attention to everything I’m about to say.”
You didn’t reply, instead you silently awaited instruction.
“Good. The first thing I need you to do is walk down the street to Marilyn Street, I’m on Wayne Boulevard, just a short way from there.”
“What about-”
“It’s my theory that once you leave the vicinity of the time bubble, everything will return to normal. If it doesn’t… We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I have the upmost faith in you.”
“I… I’m scared.”
“I know you are, but please trust me, and more importantly, trust yourself.”
Once again, you remained quiet, simply nodding and getting ready to meet the man you were forced to trust; you supposed that the implicit trust you felt towards a complete stranger was somewhat similar to that between a trapped miner and the rescue team. After one last cursory look around the shop you left, simultaneously terrified and hopeful that Charles’ plan would succeed.
Charles’ hypothesis of your abilities that day had indeed been correct; you later found that he was almost always right as he convinced you to live at the mansion with him. There was never a day of regret or time spent wondering if you made the right choice.
Before you knew it, you had mastered your abilities; the many years alongside Charles as his student, friend, and confidante were an enjoyable bonus.
Over time, you felt yourself falling in love with him, even though you fought against it with every fibre of your being; you often held unspoken arguments that a man so busy changing the world didn’t need any distractions. If that meant you couldn’t be with him then you could accept that, so long as you could at least help shape the world he strived for; despite knowing that, you still couldn’t stop the occasional, whimsical, daydreams of the two of you together.
There were odd days when you wondered if Charles had ever looked into your mind and seen the way you felt about him; most of the time you pushed the idea aside, deciding from his lack of a reaction that he’d never invaded your privacy in such a manner. However, although you knew Charles was married to his cause, you were sure you’d seen him peering at you from time to time. It must the light or some other such trick for whenever you looked at him to check, his attentive gaze was always settled elsewhere. Every time such a moment occurred, you found your eyes lingering on him, admiring his fine shape, chiselled jaw, and stunning crystal-blue eyes; those soulful eyes never failed to captivate you, whether they were full of hope or tired from a day hunched over papers.
Graduation. You had seen many whilst at the mansion but this was your first as a teacher; nothing could counter the immense pride you felt as your students celebrated at the mansion’s after-party.
“You’re worried.” Charles observed, joining you.
You were both amazed and disconcerted that he could pinpoint the tiniest concern within the swell of pride; if he had detected that, what else had he discovered over the years?
“A little.” You admitted, ignoring the question rattling in your mind. “Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier for them, but… It’s not that I think they can’t handle the world it’s more like-”
“How will the world handle them?” He finished for you.
“Yeah. You remember what it was like for me out there, and what about the ones who look different?”
Charles half-smiled, reminiscing the time he’d felt the same way, “We can only trust that they’ll find their feet and choose the right path in life. Perhaps they’ll help others, either by teaching other mutants or showing people they have nothing to fear. Meanwhile, we’ll be here, showing the successes to our newest students so they may one-day go back into the world again.”
“You sound confident.”
“I am. There is hope, (Y/N).”
The way he spoke made it seem like he was trying to convey another, deeper message, almost as if he knew all your deepest secrets and long-harboured imaginings. You pondered whether it was time to reveal your feelings, for even if he didn’t reciprocate, he would never mock or sneer them.
You didn’t mull over the question for long as Charles’ ever confident voice echoed through your head, “I’ve known since the beginning.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” You kept the conversation silent, distrusting your voice to carry the words without cracking.
“For a long time, I convinced myself that I was too busy pushing the world into a new era. Now, I realise that was an excuse because I feared you’d be angry at the invasion to your privacy; it’s not easy getting involved with a telepath; we can be quite tricky at the best of times – infuriating at the worst.”
“I’m sorry Charles, I don’t understand why you’re telling me all of this now. Is this a polite rejection or are you-”
“Asking you out?” He interrupted, “Yes. I am. I’m aware this isn’t the most conventional method of- Never mind, the point remains. (F/N) (L/N), would you do me the honour of accompanying me to dinner tomorrow night? Also, no pressure but you may want to answer fast, people are beginning to wonder why we’ve just been staring at each other for so long.”
“Oh, um, yes.” You rushed, flushing red at the idea of people watching you.
Charles beamed a huge grin, flashing his pearly teeth, “Wonderful, I’ll make the arrangements.”
You gaped as Charles left, then giggled with pure, giddy, elation. After so many years telling yourself it wasn’t possible, Charles had proved you wrong once again. It was oddly delightful, finding that being wrong could be so right.