My hands tremble as I finish filling up my drink. The crowd around me feels like a suffocating wave, each person's emotions bleeding into my own, the intensity almost reminds me of Logan...
Jean and Charles insisted I chaperone, but being in a place this crowded is nearly unbearable. It's as if they forget that my experience is different, that my sensitivities make this more than just a normal field trip, I know they just want me to push myself... And besides, I hate that they lump me in with the older kids, even though I'm half a decade older than them; they're like Scott, viewing me as some child.
"Hey!" John's voice cuts through the din, and I quickly abandon my drink, weaving through the sea of people to get back to him, Marie, and Bobby. I find John being held back by two boys, while Marie and Bobby remain at the table, tension rolling off them in waves.
"What's going on here?" I demand, my voice tinged with a protective edge as I take in the scene. The boys holding John sneer, clearly enjoying the chaos they've stirred up.
"They took his lighter," Bobby explains, nodding towards one of the boys, who now arrogantly blows smoke into John's face.
"Suddenly, you're not so tough, huh?" the curly-haired teen taunts, taking another drag from his cigarette, a smug grin spreading across his face.
I feel a flicker of mischief rise from Pyro, and my instincts kick in. "John, wait!" I grab his shoulder, trying to pull him back, but it's too late. Flames burst from the cigarette, igniting the boy's clothes in an instant.
The boy stumbles backward, shock and fear flashing across his face as he crashes into a nearby table, pulling it down with him. The crowd erupts into gasps, fear and panic spreading like wildfire through the room. My heart races, beating in sync with the chaos around us.
John, however, merely laughs, the sound sharp and unsettling. His satisfaction is short-lived as Bobby quickly steps in, raising a hand to release a ray of frost that extinguishes the flames. The boy's relief is palpable as he gasps for breath, his eyes wide with terror.
Suddenly, the room stills. The chatter dies down, the collective emotions of the crowd falling into an eerie silence. I feel a familiar presence brushing against my mind, and I know it's him.
"Bobby, what did you do?" Rogue asks, her voice filled with awe as she glances around the room, her eyes wide with wonder.
"He didn't do this," I murmur, my gaze drifting toward Professor Xavier as he wheels himself into view.
"No, I did," Charles says, his tone measured but firm as his sharp eyes settle on me. His gaze is heavy with expectation, and I squirm under his scrutiny, guilt creeping up my spine. His attention shifts to John, his expression hardening. "And the next time you feel like showing off... don't."
John flinches slightly, his bravado wavering under the professor's stern words.
Then, the TV above the bar crackles, the regular broadcast cutting to an emergency alert. "...Live from Washington, where there's been an attack in the Oval Office at the White House. Details are still coming in, but we have been informed that the President and Vice President were not harmed. Sources say the attack involved one or more mutants..."
A heavy silence falls over us as we absorb the news, the implications hanging in the air like a storm cloud.
"I think it's time to leave, Professor," Scott's voice breaks through the tension, his eyes fixed on the television screen, the weight of the situation settling in.
"I think you're right," Charles agrees, his voice low, the gravity of the moment not lost on any of us.
***
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Fervent Feelings
FanfictionY/n Summers, the adopted sibling of Alex and Scott Summers, navigates life as an empath within the X-Men universe. After being abandoned by their biological parents at a young age, Y/n was taken in by the Summers family after discovering her mutant...
