Fanfiction: X-Misfits: Recruitment (X-Men: First Class/Misfits)
Okay, this is just a ficlet; I'm still trying to get to grips with the characterisation for both fandoms. No idea whether I'll write more of this idea or not. In any case, it needed to exist, so I have attempted to bring it into existence.
So far, I've made no attempt to explain what the Misfits are doing in the 1960s, but perhaps I'll go into it if I write any more in this universe.
Title: X-Misfits: Recruitment
Fandom: X-Men: First Class/Misfits
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 880
Summary: Charles and Erik are looking for other mutants. They're going to regret finding these five.
“I can’t believe we’re even discussing this,” Curtis says. “Do you not remember what happened last time we got taken to a place for people like us?”
The others look blank.
“Er, last time we what?” Alisha asks.
“Of course you don’t,” Curtis mutters. “Never happened.”
“The milk guy,” Simon says, quietly. He’s sitting a little way back from their circle, speaking only rarely; he would be almost unnoticeable were it not for the sense of unease seeping out of him, curling around their chairs, so thick Charles finds it difficult to imagine the non-telepathic amongst them can’t feel it. “Curtis saw him kill us. In the future.”
“Oh,” Nathan says, as Charles feels recognition dawn for Kelly and Alisha, “is that why we killed him?”
Everyone whips around to stare at Nathan. Simon looks petrified.
“It’s all right,” Charles says, after quickly glancing through Curtis’ mind - he seems the most reliable source here - to find out exactly what happened. “There are others with us with, let’s say, less-than-pristine backgrounds. This is a place where you can leave all that behind.”
To his right, he hears Erik laugh under his breath.
Kelly is still staring at Nathan. “You helped us kill him and you didn’t know why?”
“It was a long story!” Nathan protests. “I stopped listening around the part where I didn’t get a handjob. I was just going with the flow.”
“Er,” Charles says, somewhat thrown. “Well, all that aside, if you’ll consider-”
“Look,” Kelly interrupts, suddenly shifting her gaze to Erik, “I get it, all right? One of us is him.” She jerks her head towards Nathan. “But can you stop thinking we’re all idiots, because it is really getting on my tits.”
“Charles,” Erik says, standing up, “may I have a word?”
-
“They are going to hold us back or get us killed,” Erik says.
“You can’t know that.”
“Such reassurance,” Erik sneers. “You can see inside their minds. If they are not as shallow and idiotic as they seem, tell me.”
Charles hesitates. “They can learn,” he says. “Anyone can.”
“I’m not here to teach children how to count. It’s a waste of time we could be spending on more worthy students.”
“More worthy?” Charles asks, raising his eyebrows. “Can you imagine what an asset a mutation like Curtis’ might be? Imagine if you were able to turn back time, erase your mistakes-” and he cuts himself off at the flash of Erik’s memories, and there’s a moment of cold silence on every level.
I’m sorry, Charles thinks.
Amazing, isn’t it, Erik thinks - as if to himself, but Charles isn’t fooled, and Erik clearly isn’t expecting him to be - how thoughtless a man whose powers revolve around thought can be.
“Then we take Curtis with us,” Erik says aloud, robbing Charles of the opportunity to respond, for which Charles is almost grateful. “He is the least objectionable, after all. Simon is a coward, but we may be able to use him. We don’t need the others.”
“What do you mean, we don’t need them?”
“If I asked you to let Alisha use her ability for its obvious purpose, what would you say?”
Charles looks evenly back at him. “And what is its ‘obvious purpose’?”
“Distraction. Clearing a path.”
“I would say no, as you knew before you asked. It’s far too dangerous.”
“Then her mutation is useless. Why recruit her?”
“There’s a future for us after Shaw,” Charles says. “We’re not a military force, Erik.”
“If we want to survive,” Erik says, “we will be.”
-
“All right,” Alisha says, when they return to the hall. “We’ve decided to go with you.”
“Excellent,” Charles says, with a smile. Not a word, he mentally whispers to Erik. Kelly may be able to hear Erik’s thoughts on their recruitment, of course, and if so she may share them with the others; Charles has to hope she possesses more diplomacy than he can currently credit her with, having been told to fuck off the moment he’d originally started talking about genetic mutation.
Of course the one missing would have a useful mutation and half a brain, he hears Erik think, which perplexes him; he hadn’t noticed an absence. He casts his eyes over the group.
“Simon decided he’d stay behind,” Curtis says, noticing him looking. There’s something awkward about his thought patterns, at odds with what he’s saying. “I don’t know where he’s gone.”
And Charles realises why he hadn’t noticed the missing party; he may not be able to see Simon standing there, but he can still feel his anxiety, hanging in the still air of the room like smog.
“If we’re going to be honest with each other,” he says, “as I think we should if we’re to work together, I should point out that there’s little use in turning invisible to spy on a telepath.”
Simon blurs back into existence, looking mortified.
Fools, Erik thinks, pointedly. Fools and children.
Sequel: X-Misfits: Training
So far, I've made no attempt to explain what the Misfits are doing in the 1960s, but perhaps I'll go into it if I write any more in this universe.
Title: X-Misfits: Recruitment
Fandom: X-Men: First Class/Misfits
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 880
Summary: Charles and Erik are looking for other mutants. They're going to regret finding these five.
“I can’t believe we’re even discussing this,” Curtis says. “Do you not remember what happened last time we got taken to a place for people like us?”
The others look blank.
“Er, last time we what?” Alisha asks.
“Of course you don’t,” Curtis mutters. “Never happened.”
“The milk guy,” Simon says, quietly. He’s sitting a little way back from their circle, speaking only rarely; he would be almost unnoticeable were it not for the sense of unease seeping out of him, curling around their chairs, so thick Charles finds it difficult to imagine the non-telepathic amongst them can’t feel it. “Curtis saw him kill us. In the future.”
“Oh,” Nathan says, as Charles feels recognition dawn for Kelly and Alisha, “is that why we killed him?”
Everyone whips around to stare at Nathan. Simon looks petrified.
“It’s all right,” Charles says, after quickly glancing through Curtis’ mind - he seems the most reliable source here - to find out exactly what happened. “There are others with us with, let’s say, less-than-pristine backgrounds. This is a place where you can leave all that behind.”
To his right, he hears Erik laugh under his breath.
Kelly is still staring at Nathan. “You helped us kill him and you didn’t know why?”
“It was a long story!” Nathan protests. “I stopped listening around the part where I didn’t get a handjob. I was just going with the flow.”
“Er,” Charles says, somewhat thrown. “Well, all that aside, if you’ll consider-”
“Look,” Kelly interrupts, suddenly shifting her gaze to Erik, “I get it, all right? One of us is him.” She jerks her head towards Nathan. “But can you stop thinking we’re all idiots, because it is really getting on my tits.”
“Charles,” Erik says, standing up, “may I have a word?”
-
“They are going to hold us back or get us killed,” Erik says.
“You can’t know that.”
“Such reassurance,” Erik sneers. “You can see inside their minds. If they are not as shallow and idiotic as they seem, tell me.”
Charles hesitates. “They can learn,” he says. “Anyone can.”
“I’m not here to teach children how to count. It’s a waste of time we could be spending on more worthy students.”
“More worthy?” Charles asks, raising his eyebrows. “Can you imagine what an asset a mutation like Curtis’ might be? Imagine if you were able to turn back time, erase your mistakes-” and he cuts himself off at the flash of Erik’s memories, and there’s a moment of cold silence on every level.
I’m sorry, Charles thinks.
Amazing, isn’t it, Erik thinks - as if to himself, but Charles isn’t fooled, and Erik clearly isn’t expecting him to be - how thoughtless a man whose powers revolve around thought can be.
“Then we take Curtis with us,” Erik says aloud, robbing Charles of the opportunity to respond, for which Charles is almost grateful. “He is the least objectionable, after all. Simon is a coward, but we may be able to use him. We don’t need the others.”
“What do you mean, we don’t need them?”
“If I asked you to let Alisha use her ability for its obvious purpose, what would you say?”
Charles looks evenly back at him. “And what is its ‘obvious purpose’?”
“Distraction. Clearing a path.”
“I would say no, as you knew before you asked. It’s far too dangerous.”
“Then her mutation is useless. Why recruit her?”
“There’s a future for us after Shaw,” Charles says. “We’re not a military force, Erik.”
“If we want to survive,” Erik says, “we will be.”
-
“All right,” Alisha says, when they return to the hall. “We’ve decided to go with you.”
“Excellent,” Charles says, with a smile. Not a word, he mentally whispers to Erik. Kelly may be able to hear Erik’s thoughts on their recruitment, of course, and if so she may share them with the others; Charles has to hope she possesses more diplomacy than he can currently credit her with, having been told to fuck off the moment he’d originally started talking about genetic mutation.
Of course the one missing would have a useful mutation and half a brain, he hears Erik think, which perplexes him; he hadn’t noticed an absence. He casts his eyes over the group.
“Simon decided he’d stay behind,” Curtis says, noticing him looking. There’s something awkward about his thought patterns, at odds with what he’s saying. “I don’t know where he’s gone.”
And Charles realises why he hadn’t noticed the missing party; he may not be able to see Simon standing there, but he can still feel his anxiety, hanging in the still air of the room like smog.
“If we’re going to be honest with each other,” he says, “as I think we should if we’re to work together, I should point out that there’s little use in turning invisible to spy on a telepath.”
Simon blurs back into existence, looking mortified.
Fools, Erik thinks, pointedly. Fools and children.
Sequel: X-Misfits: Training