Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men characters. All rights belong to Marvel Entertainment and I am not making any money off this story.
Special by BookwormDoll
Inspired by the song “Creep” by Radiohead
Chapter 1: The Invitation
I twirled a playing card in my coat pocket as I passed a jeweler, subtly looking it over as I strode past, hat brim lowered and sunglasses on to hide my face. Looked like minimal security cameras, however, lasers were still a possibility. Jean-Luc was very clear that he didn’t want me getting caught on this mission and I knew it wasn’t concern for my own well-being that prompted the warning. I walked into a bar across the street and took off my hat, leaving my glasses on as the door jingled.
“Remy, you’re back!” Zelle, the bartender, called.
“Work kept me away for too long, Chère,” I smile as I sit down at the bar. She immediately starts getting my drink ready behind the counter.
“You still won’t tell me where you work, will you?” She looks up at me as she starts pouring.
“Non. All I can tell you is it gets me plenty of moolah. The rest is a surprise,” I smile.
“And when will I learn that surprise?” She smiles back and slides my drink in front of me.
“Maybe you’ll figure out when you go out with me tonight,” I take a swig out of my glass.
“Who said I would go out with you?” She raises her brow, but she’s still smiling.
“Actually, I thought I heard Charlie talking about it over at his pub.”
“Hmmm,” she rubs her shin with one hand and rests the other arm on the counter, “Meet me there at 6 tonight. Don’t be late.”
I smirk, “Wouldn’t think of it, Chère.”
She walks down the bar, smiling, to take care of another customer.
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I arrived at Charlie’s Pub that evening and asked for a table for two. I took a look at my watch once the host left: 5:58.
“You’re early.”
I look up to find Zelle hovering beside the second chair. She’s in a short, sky-blue cocktail dress with diamonds (which I can tell are fake) following the low-cut, V-neck collar. I stand up, grab her hand, and kiss it, “You look absolutely stunning, mon chèrie.”
She flips her long blonde curls to her back as we sit down. Thankfully, she liked the pub, because I certainly didn’t. I only chose this place because Bella don’t like it either. You see, Bella Donna Boudreaux is my fiancé. Only thing is…I love her, no doubt about that, but something isn’t right. It’s like my soul knows there’s someone better…someone special, someone worth waiting for. So, any extra time I get, I spend trying to find that special someone. Though, some things made it difficult. I push my sunglasses further up the bridge of my nose as I listen to her talk about going back to college.
The meal went smoothly; save for the pickles I asked to be removed from my sandwich finding their way onto it. Zelle took my offer to drive her to my apartment, paid for by Jean-Luc. I led her inside and she perched on the back edge of my couch beside my front door as I locked said door.
I turned around and walked toward her until we were close enough to share breath.
“Now, Chèrie, where were we?”
I lean in, giving her an opportunity to back away and when she doesn’t, I press my lips against hers, softly at first until she starts to kiss me back. She ran her hands through my long auburn hair when she knocked off my sunglasses, both of our eyes opening at the unexpected noise as we break apart.
“Oh, Remy, I’m so—” she finally looks up at me and stumbles backwards into the couch, screaming.
“No, no, no! It’s okay!” I try to reassure her, but she’s already backing away to the door, still screaming.
She fumbles with my doorknob, “Monster!” she screams before finally opening the door and bolting for the street. I just stood there for a moment before closing the door, picking up the sunglasses, and walking to the bathroom. I turn on the faucet and cup my hands to fill with water and wash my face. I stare at myself in the mirror after drying myself. I mean, it isn’t like this hasn’t happened before. In fact, it happened every time someone saw my eyes, all black save for the red iris. It didn’t make it hurt any less, though. If it weren’t for these stupid eyes, nobody would know I was a mutant. Many thought me to be some kind of monster because of them, including my birth parents who left me on the streets as a baby. I’d be dead if it weren’t for Jean-Luc finding me and raising me as his own alongside my adopted brother, Henri. ‘Course, it didn’t help that my adopted father also happened to be King of Louisiana’s Thieves Guild, it’s danger only matched by that of the Assassins Guild. Jean-Luc had raised me to be the Guild’s best thief; a goal that was met as I’ve never failed any of my various missions. When the Assassins Guild’s heir, Bella Donna, and I fell in love, marriage was pressed on us as a way to bridge the gap and hopefully find peace amongst the feuding Guilds. Some, like Bella and I, wanted the peace. Others, like Bella’s brother, Julian, not so much. Bella Donna, unlike most, was never afraid of me and my…condition. Even when I nearly blew up the Bayou. My powers, I can tap into the potential energy of any non-organic object and turn it into explosive kinetic energy. It took me years to master it, and she was right there with me through it all. Now I was 21 and about to marry her tomorrow. Maybe I should just give up on the idea of there being anyone else out there and just move on with Bella, bridge the gap between the Guilds, and keep livin’ life like I always have. Just follow the rules and do what they want me to do. But it just felt like there was something more to life than being a thief.
“Ah crap,” I mutter to myself as I look at the time. Time to head to the jewelers. They closed about a half hour ago.
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I picked the lock in the jewelers side-door in an alleyway. It didn’t take even a minute before the door opened with a click. I grabbed a small can of hairspray off of my toolbelt. The cashier had looked at me funny when I arrived at checkout with it. I just argued that my styled hair wouldn’t stay put without it. She doesn’t need to know that I need the product to keep it flat. Or that I’m actually using it to check for lasers. I’ve found over the years that hairspray makes any lasers most visible without triggering any alarms. I’d already tabbed where the cameras were; top right and left corners in the back (to my right) and one above the front entrance. The hairspray revealed no lasers. ‘It’s like this place is asking to be robbed,’ I smile.
I slipped in, carrying three playing cards which I now charged with kinetic energy and threw swiftly at the security cameras. Before they even swiveled towards me, they were blown.
‘Guess these powers benefit me sometimes.’
I swiped several diamonds, a sapphire necklace for Bella, and some other jewels before making my way to the very back of the building, where they kept the safe. This one would be harder to get into, but doable. I press my ear to the safe door and start playing with the dial until I hear the subtle clicks and a whoosh of air, signaling the safe opening. Inside lay what I technically came here for. The rest is bonus, Jean-Luc had said. On a pedestal in the very center of the spacious room was Louisiana’s largest diamond, worth millions and supposedly unable to be stolen. However, this diamond has never met Remy LeBeau. I use the hairspray again and find that lasers run across the floor from multiple directions. Most thieves would turn back now…good thing I’m not ‘most thieves’. I pull out an extendable metal Bo staff to help me parkour to the jewel while avoiding every laser. I make it to the podium, feet placed very carefully and lift the diamond off of its stand before flipping back to the entrance.
‘Job well done, LeBeau,’ I smile to myself as I stash the diamond in one of the already full pockets of my trench coat. I close the safe and relock it before making my way out, closing the door behind me and immediately turning to the wall at the end of the alleyway, hands half-raised to jump the wall—
“Remy LeBeau?”
I freeze, hands still half-raised, and subtly slide a card from the inside of my sleeve to my hand.
“There will be no need for the playing card, Mr. LeBeau.”
I slowly turn my head to look over my shoulder.
“I am not an officer, if that’s what you are worried about,” he’s looking me right in the eyes and he doesn’t appear to be alarmed at all.
I still don’t put the playing card away as I turn to face the figure behind me. It was a man, bald, in a green suit, and bound to some sort of fancy…wheelchair? No sign showing law enforcement. I still don’t say anything, unsure of the man’s intentions.
“My name is Charles Xavier,” he begins, seeing my eyes narrowed in suspicion, “I am here to extend an invitation.”
He hands me an envelope, and I pause before cautiously taking it. Before I even open it, he’s already turning away.
“Wait, no grand speech?” I blurt out.
“I don’t need to convince you. It is for you to decide.”
I look down at the sealed envelope and when I look back up, he’s gone.