X-Men Preferences

Erik: Opposites Attract

(The story takes place between First Class and Days of Future Past)

You hummed quietly to yourself, tapping your hands on the counter in front of you. It was your first day as a cashier here, and not much had happened so far. There had been only 5 people who had come to the store today, leaving you extremely bored. 

All of a sudden, the doors bursted open, drawing your attention back to reality. A man waltzed through the doors, grabbing a cart. To be honest, it didn't even look like he touched the shopping cart, it seemed to gravitate towards him. You were probably just imagining that though. 

He walked through the aisles, grabbing some things off the shelf and tossing them into the cart. Once he had everything he wanted, he stormed up to you, throwing the items onto the counter.

You scanned each item and placed it into a bag, still a little slow at the task. "Humans." The man muttered, shaking his head. 

"I'm sorry, sir." You said, a little taken aback. "It's my first day on the job, and I'm still learning."

He scoffed, and rolled his eyes. You finished scanning the items and putting them into the bags, handing them to the man. "Here you go, sir. That'll be twenty-five dollars."

"Yeah, right." He said, heading towards the door. 

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you leave without paying."

He turned around and smirked, making an unsettling feeling form in your stomach. You watched as he raised his hands, and the metal the shopping cart was made out of distorted. In the blink of an eye, you were pinned against the wall, your body held in place by what used to be the shopping cart. 

Your manager came out, mouth agape at the situation. "Have a nice day, Madame." The man said snarkily, before turning around and leaving. 

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It was later that same day, and you were know located outside of the town hall. You checked your outfit, making sure you looked neat and orderly. There would be national news stations coming to watch your speech, and it was important you looked at least presentable. 

"Are you ready, Y/N?" Someone asked, tapping your shoulder. 

Taking a shaky breath, you nodded. "Yeah, should I go out now?"

"Probably, the crowd's started to get settled, and the cameras just started rolling."

You head out onto the steps of the town hall, looking down at the huge crowd of people. I had no clue this many people would be here. But, you knew the importance of the speech you were about to give, so you gulped your nerves down and put on your most convincing smile. 

"Hello, everyone! I'm Y/N, and today I wanted to talk about the importance of equal rights for mutants." You paused, watching as the audience quieted down. "Now, many of you have encountered a mutant at some point in your life, whether you know it or not. And, I'm sure all of you have seen them on T.V. before.

"Before we ask ourselves if mutants should have equal rights, we have to wonder what exactly a mutant is. I'm here to hopefully give you an explanation. Mutants are born with something called an X-gene, which gives them abilities or attributes that us homo sapiens don't have. But, this arises another question, should they be considered humans as well?"

You let the audience ponder that over, before continuing. "To answer that, we have to define what being a human means. We are a form of life that has evolved over the years, and is still evolving today. Many of us look different from each other, we have different skin tones, hair colors, eye colors, etc.. And yet, we never question the humanity of the person who has brown hair instead of blonde. Isn't being a mutant just a subset of being a human? Just because they have a gene that we don't, does that make them any less of a person?

"Now, even if we start to consider mutants as humans, that still doesn't address those mutants who choose to use their abilities to harm others. But, is it far to judge an entire category of people for the actions of only a few? You see, the news tends to choose the more interesting stories to cover. How often do you hear about planes crashing on the news? How many times do you hear about a completely successful flight? Yeah, the ratio is way off, and this is because the news tends to focus on the more dramatic stories. The way the media portrays mutants is sort of like that too. Most mutants have no intention to harm others with their powers, and just want to live a normal life.

"Please, when you see or discover someone is a mutant, show courtesy and respect. They're a human too, just like you. And, also, I want to challenge the government to take responsibility too. To become more involved in ensuring that everyone has equal rights, humans and mutants alike. Thank you!"

You stepped back, listening to the sound of applause. You could hear booing too, but you chose to ignore that. 

Leaving the area, you began to walk home when a hand tapped your shoulder, making you whir around. 

"Hey, sorry to frighten you." Shoot, it was the man from earlier. 

"Um, it's fine. Was there something you wanted to say?"

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier. I had no clue you were a fellow mutant."

"Okay, this is awkward. I'm not a mutant." You said, feeling the tension rise.

"Oh." He said, cocking his head. Then, his gaze hardened. "If you're not a mutant, you shouldn't be up there, saying stuff like that."

"What?" You exclaimed in shock. "I'm trying to help fight for your rights!"

"Well, I don't need a human to help me. Besides, you will never know the pain mutants go through, never."

"You're right, I'll never quite understand myself, but don't you think for one moment that I'm not aware of what they have to face." You walked towards him, pushing him backwards. Anger flared up inside of you.

He took your hand, stopping you. "What do you mean by that?" He seemed so genuinely curious, making your anger flow away. 

You sighed. "Both of my parents were mutants, you know."

"Oh?" He said, intrigued. 

"Yeah, they were everything to me. I never really understood it growing up. Why I couldn't tell the others my mom could control plants and my dad could teleport. But, as I got older, I started to notice things. Like the way they'd look nervous while watching the news. How we'd have to move if someone found out about their mutation."

"What happened to your parents?" The man asked, quiet now.

You'd never really discussed it before, but looking at the man, you knew that he would understand. "They were killed. The three of us were at a picnic in the park, when all of a sudden, there's these loud gunshots. Both my parents got shot in the head." You shook your head, the memory of their bloody bodies filling your mind.

"How come you're still alive?" 

"They knew I wasn't a mutant. They told me that they were trying to help me, by killing my parents and therefore letting me live with 'normal' humans." you sobbed. "My parents didn't do anything wrong. All they did was try to fit it."

The man seemed to consider something, before pulling you into a tight embrace. He seemed a bit unsure, but you appreciated his gesture. Collecting yourself, you pulled away. "So, do you live here then?" You asked him. 

"No, actually, I don't really live anywhere." He muttered, seeming embarrassed. "I just kind of wander around the country."

"Oh," You responded, thinking. "Well, if you want, you could stay at my house for a bit. Until you find your own place."

He hesitated before smiling. "Yes, I think I'd like that."