X-Men Oneshots

Sheltered (Charles Xavier)

Y/N could still hear the chaos echoing in her mind—the blaring alarms, the shouts of her teammates, and the crackle of energy from the explosion. It had been a routine retrieval mission, or so Charles had thought, but the moment they had breached the facility, it became clear that everything had gone wrong.

She could picture it vividly: the moment she saw the energy blast hurtling toward Charles, his back turned as he focused on the intel screen in front of him. She had acted on instinct, not thinking twice about it. Without a second thought, she had launched herself in front of him, taking the full force of the blast. Pain surged through her shoulder, and she felt herself crashing to the ground, but Charles had been safe. That was all that mattered.

Now, sitting in the med bay, Y/N winced as she tried to roll her shoulder, the dull ache a constant reminder of the sacrifice she had made. "Do you need something? Ice? Painkillers?" Charles' voice, gentle but tinged with concern, drifted from across the room.

"I'm fine, Charles," Y/N replied, a bit more curtly than she intended. She was perched on the edge of the bed, her hair slightly tousled, still dressed in her tactical suit. The adrenaline from the mission was fading, and all that remained was the painful reminder of how close she had come to being seriously injured—because of him.

He wheeled closer, his piercing blue eyes filled with worry and guilt. "You're not fine. I saw the scans. That injury could have been much worse. If Logan hadn't stepped in—"

"—but he did step in, and I'm okay. Why are we still talking about this?" she snapped, frustration bubbling to the surface.

Charles' brow furrowed, and Y/N could see the guilt lurking just beneath his concern. He had insisted on going in together, confident that they could handle whatever they faced. But in his eagerness to support her, he had overlooked the threats that lay in wait.

He drew in a breath, clearly trying to remain calm. "Because it's not the first time something like this has happened, Y/N. You keep brushing it off like it's nothing. You could have died for me!"

She sighed, standing up from the bed and heading towards the window. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the mansion grounds, but Y/N felt anything but warm inside. "Charles, I know what I signed up for. I've been doing this long before we got together. It's just a part of the job."

"But I can't just sit back and watch you get hurt. Not when I can do something to prevent it!" His voice was raised now, and Y/N could feel the tension tightening in the room.

"You're acting like I'm fragile, like I can't handle myself," she retorted, turning to face him. "You're smothering me!"

"I'm protecting you!" Charles shot back, his calm demeanor slipping. "I don't want you to get hurt again. Is that so unreasonable?"

"It is when you start acting like I can't make my own decisions. I'm not some damsel in distress, Charles!" Y/N's voice cracked, frustration turning to anger as she felt trapped by his overbearing concern. She could see the hurt flicker in his eyes, but she couldn't stop now.

His jaw tightened. "You're not invincible, Y/N. You almost—"

"Almost doesn't matter! I'm still here, aren't I?!" she interrupted, her eyes blazing with defiance. "You can't keep wrapping me in cotton wool every time something goes wrong. I need space to breathe, to live!"

"I'm just trying to keep you safe!" Charles shouted, his frustration finally boiling over.

"And I'm trying to live my life without feeling like I'm suffocating under your concern!" Y/N's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the walls of the med bay closing in on her, the weight of their argument pressing heavily against her.