Regenerate | X-Men/Avengers - Pt. 1

Ch. 11

The book lands on the table with a smack. Vince laughs out loud, and I grin. Trying again, I focus completely on the book as he tilts his chair back. The book lifts up three inches above the tabletop and hovers. Smiling, I look to Vince, and the book goes flying toward him. He crashes backward with a shout, and the book skids across the next table, landing with a flutter onto the carpet.

"The hell was that?" he says as he gets up.

"I didn't do that on purpose, I swear." I try to catch my breath from laughing so hard.

"Uh-huh, sure," he mutters offhandedly as he picks up the book. He leans across the table to hand it to me, then changes his mind and holds it out flat on his hand instead. "Take it."

I give him a look, but he merely bounces the book in his hand. I lay my hand out flat like his. "We're practicing your telepathy next."

Between breakfast and lunch we talk on the roof or waste time in the library. After dinner we go out on the lawn where fireflies are abundant after sunset. Neither of us had ever seen one before. If we stand still long enough they eventually land on us by accident, and then walk around like we're as good a perch as any. Last night Vince ran up to me holding out his hands- a dozen little flashing lights crawled lazily over his palms and between his fingers. Giggling quietly, he watched his hands flicker. "They tickle."

He continues to surprise me.

"Alright," I put the book back on the shelf, "now for your ability. The Professor's been training you, right?"

"Yeah. So far we've gotten the static to be more of a background thing." He scratches his chin with one finger. "It's working sorta."

I push in some chairs before I leave for Danger, "Is he helping you make your own thoughts quieter?"

"Yeah, in a way." He opens the door to the hallway. "Could I make that black hole thing you have?"

"No," I furrow my brow, "it took years to develop, and I had a lot of outside help. Anyway, it's the small, stray thoughts that I hear from you the clearest. You've said that's what you hear most too, right?"

He nods. "Xavier's teaching me how to move around them like they're people in a crowd."

"His analogy? I like it."

"Yeah, he knows his shit."

"He also does not appreciate swearing in his-"

"Yeah, thanks, I know that, okay?"

"In any case," I continue, "there are ways to keep those same thoughts to yourself in case another telepath is nearby. Xavier will get to that soon I imagine because I can't hear anything he thinks- just some intense static."

"Yeah, it's the same with Grey; she drowns out most of the chatter and just causes interference."

"She does." I consider bringing something else up, but think the better of it. "Well, simple thoughts can go in the background of your own mind as well. You've got several layers of thought going at once and you can keep the foremost ones quiet pretty easily. I know of non-telepaths being trained to do it, so it's not complicated."

We get to the elevator and he presses the button. "Regular people? No kidding, why?"

"Same reason, to keep out telepaths."

"No, I mean why do you know stuff like that?"

I hesitate before I answer, "I've studied it."

He sort of laughs under his breath. "You are a geek."