Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 7

The group of mutants had settled into a routine around dinnertime. Erik was often the one to prepare food for all of them to eat, and they would eat together around the table in the dining room, sharing stories about training and their abilities. Iris had decided not to share her knowledge of her powers with the others yet, until she'd at least worked out how it could be used as a weapon.

As Iris began to pick up the plates from around the table, Raven grabbed the radio from the corner of the room and began to turn the knobs slowly.

"Let's have a party," Raven smiled devilishly, and the rest of them groaned.

"Not a proper party!" She protested, "I mean now. Let's listen to music and dance the night away."

The room was silent for a moment, and Alex muttered, "Seriously?"

"You know you want to," Raven smirked, flicking the radio on and turning the music up. Iris recognised the song- Don't Break The Heart That Loves You by Connie Francis.

Erik groaned, "I am not dancing."

Sean stood up, "You got any spirits around here, Charles?"

Moira raised her eyebrows carefully, "May I remind you, Sean, that you're underage?"

Iris laughed, and Charles glanced up at her in delight. He revelled in the sound of her laugh that was like music to his ears.

"A few songs," Charles told Raven, "That's it. I'm sure everyone's exhausted from training all day."

Iris quickly darted into the kitchen to dump the plates in the sink before returning to the dining room where Alex was pushing the large table towards the edge to create a dance floor.

"Are we really doing this?" Iris asked with a shake of her head, and Charles appeared behind her.

"Do you have something against dancing, Miss. Miracle?"

"Of course not," She laughed, turning to face him.

"In that case," Charles held his hand out, "Care to join me for a dance?"

Iris stared at him in surprise, her lips parting slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped forwards and took hold of his outstretched hand.

"You do surprise me, Charles," She murmured as he pulled her towards the centre of the room and placed his hand on her waist gently.

"So do you, Iris. It seems we're constantly surprising each other." He whispered into her ear, and she felt her cheeks flush.

They began to move in time to the music, and it felt incredibly natural to move with Charles- their bodies fit together almost effortlessly. She was incredibly conscious of how close they were, but she didn't mind it. He didn't seem to mind it either.

After a few minutes, she finally allowed herself to glance up at his face. He was smiling, his blue eyes trained on her own as he did so. He was so incredibly beautiful, and Iris found herself not wanting to look away from him. He didn't seem to be looking away either, and a moment later his gaze flickered down from her eyes to her lips. Her heart jolted in her chest slightly, but she tried not to show it. She didn't want to break the moment- not when it felt so perfect to her.

His eyes flicked back up to meet hers again, and she was sure that his face moved an inch closer to hers-

The room fell silent. The music had stopped, and everyone else had stopped dancing. Iris and Charles seemed to spring apart slightly, avoiding each others' gazes as they did so. Hank picked up the radio and glanced at it in confusion.