JUST PRETEND ↠ ALEX SUMMERS ✔️ [EDITING]

Chapter 5

"You're doing great." Charles grinned as Devin was successfully healing one of the plants Charles set up to be used as a test subject. She had a wide grin on her face as black veins ran up her arm from the plant, the leaves beginning to grow and the colour beginning to return, small flowers blooming once more.

"This is incredible," Hank breathed out as he walked around her, writing things down as he stared at her arm. "It's like you're taking away pain and converting it into some sort of healing agent." He glanced up at her. "I didn't know you could do that." He smiled.

"Makes two of us," she told him just as the veins stopped showing up black. "I think it's done." Devin looked over to where Charles was sitting, his hand on his mouth hiding a smile.

"This is..."

"The coolest thing you have ever seen someone do to a plant?" Charles let out a small laugh before nodding.

"Yes, I guess that's the term." He came over to her, looking at the plant with a smile. "Maybe we can move onto something bigger next time." He looked up to her. "If you're up to it?" She nodded eagerly.

"Uh, maybe not just yet," Hank mumbled as he stared at the plant, they all looked down to see that it started reverting back to its original decaying mass. He began writing things down while Devin stepped back, running her hands through her hair, pulling at it.

"It's okay-"

"No, Charles, it's not!" Devin yelled as she turned back to him, the bags under her eyes standing out more now that she had more light shining down on her. "This is the hundredth time something like this has happened, we should just forget it because clearly, I'm not good enough or strong enough to do anything right." She tightened her fists.

"Just calm d-"

"No Hank, I will not calm down. I haven't slept, I haven't eaten, I'm draining myself by trying to heal these stupid plants-" She pulled at her hair again, dropping to her knees. "I can't do it, I can't do anything, this just proves that I was right. I can't help anyone, I can't even help a plant!" Charles came over to her, placing his hand on the top of her shoulder comfortingly.

"You're new at this," he told her. "Like you've said, you haven't slept, so you're already drained, you haven't eaten, so you won't be at your best performance. We can always try again, I have complete faith in you." Charles smiled.

"What about you?" Devin looked to Hank, he looked between the both of them, not really considering the fact that she'd want his opinion. "Do you have any sense of belief that I can do this? If not, then I won't bother continuing with useless trials that won't help anyone, that won't get us anywhere." He opened his mouth before closing it.

"I think you can do it." He nodded. "Every mutant has had to practice their mutation to gain control, you might not have needed to learn control from the start, but you do now. Just like everyone else." She stood up.

"Then we'll continue this in the morning, I'm going to see if the others are back yet from their night out." Devin let out a sigh, nodding her head. Charles nodded and watched as she walked out of the lab. It was almost one in the morning, he glanced back to Hank who stared at the plant with a confused look on his face.

"Hank? What is it?" He rolled closer to the plant. "My god," he muttered quietly.

-

Devin walked upstairs and towards the common room, the others had returned, but not everyone was in the room. Warren was slouched on the single sofa, trying to play her game boy, which was turned off. She shook her head with a smile and walked over to him.

"Hey." She couched beside the sofa, he turned his head to her.

"Oh hey, Dev!" He spoke loudly. "How's it going?" His voice rose again. "I've almost completed this level," he slurred as he looked back to the game boy before getting distracted by Peter and Ororo, who were still playing the stupid game. Devin took the game boy out of his hands, without Warren even noticing and left to go find Alex.

"Alex?" She knocked on his door but got no response. Devin opened the door and saw his room untouched. She walked out, closing the door behind her and walked to her own room. She placed the game boy on the side table by her bed and saw the bathroom light on. "Summers, you in there?" She heard a groan. When she walked inside she froze. "Are you drunk?" She asked him with a small laugh.

He was sitting on the side of the bath with toothpaste in his hand, a sad look on his face as he squished the paste in his hand. He looked up at her and frowned.

"I killed it." He showed her his hand.

"Alex, it's toothpaste, wash your hand." Devin took the tube from him and put it back in the pot with her toothbrush. He continued sitting.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to his hand.

"Alex, get up." She turned the tap on and helped him up, placing his hand underneath the water, helping him get the toothpaste off his hand.

"Where's it going?"

"Home," she told him before drying his hand. She looked at the back of his hand then back to him and frowned. "Why the hell are you bleeding? Alex, did you get into a fight?" He nodded.

"Someone said something bad about mutants, I had to defend us." He sighed as he sat on the toilet seat.

"You can't beat up everyone you have a problem with, Alex."

"I can try."

"I'll clean up your knuckles." She sighed before opening the doors under the sink, grabbing a first aid kit.

"I don't deserve you," he mumbled as Devin started to clean the blood, she didn't understand how she didn't notice it straight away. When she successfully cleaned his knuckles, she helped him stand up, helping him walk out of the bathroom and to the bed. He kept staring at her weirdly.

"If you keep looking at me like that we won't make it to a bed," she teased.

"You are so tiny compared to me," he slurred before pulling her body to his, resting his head on top of hers.

"Summers, you're drunk, you need to go to sleep," she mumbled as she tried to pull his body to the bed. She finally managed to get him to lay down before she took off his jacket and shoes, placing them by the end of the bed on the floor. He sat up and yanked his shirt off, throwing it at the wall before struggling with his trousers. He tried to get back up once he got them off. "Stay in bed." Devin huffed as she pushed him back down. She went to leave the room to go to his bed to sleep when he grabbed hold of her arm.

"Please don't leave," he spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Fine. It's only one night, we'll just share the bed," she mumbled to herself as he shuffled over to make room for her. Devin kicked off her shoes and went to the bathroom to change. She just decided to put on one of his old shirts, knowing he was too drunk to notice and he wouldn't really care. When she walked out of the bathroom and laid down on the bed with him, his arms immediately wrapped around her, pulling her body closer to his, with his head nuzzling into her neck.

"Good night, princess," his deep voice began to fade.

"Night, Alex," she whispered back, closing her eyes.