Holiday Ficlet #9: "The Stuff of Dreams" [X-Men]
Title: The Stuff of Dreams
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse / X-Men: First Class
Characters: Team Cyclops, Charles Xavier, Charles/Erik
Rating: Teen
Wordcount: 570 words
Summary: "Remind me to make sure that the Professor never runs a fever again."
AN: For usakeh, who asked for a story in which Charles' telepathy malfunctions while he's delirious.
The Stuff of Dreams
"What the fuck is going on?" Scott barked.
"We're under attack!"
That much was obvious. Hank was ducking under the rain of debris, dodging them with growls. He was wearing his lab coat - they'd brought the Professor to Hank's hospital, of course. People were screaming, trying to pour out of the waiting room, piling at the exit and trapping the two of them inside.
Something must have hit the building. But Scott grew abruptly aware that he'd never know what it was, not with the ceiling coming down.
---
Jean had been out in the hallway, brushing her hair out of her tired face when she bent down to drink some water from the fountain. She didn't need to be a doctor to know how worrisome a fever that bad could become for a man Xavier's age.
The ground started shaking that second.
"Hello Phoenix," a soft voice said and she twirled around, staring at Magneto walking towards her with a smile, avenging angel untouched by the sudden rain of stone.
---
Storm was trying to reach the Professor.
It was all she could think of, third floor breaking into pieces underneath her feet, turning to stare at the hallway behind her in shock because the ground broke away the moment her feet left the it, struts and cement swallowed not by the floor underneath, but by a black void. Nothing made sense but Xavier was sick, helpless in bed and feverish from a virus and she needed to... she had to...
A slender blue frame was suddenly running next to her - Mystique - drawn to Xavier as well, and although the shapeshifter shouldn't be anywhere near them, should be in hiding alongside the Brotherhood, it felt like the most natural thing to have her here.
---
Hank had reached the window, half-formed plan to help people jump out.
Just to stare at a Cold War submarine reeling towards the hospital through the air.
Hank had been there back then. Understanding dawned after a moment of shock.
"None of it is real!" he shouted at Scott through the chaos and screams. "It's the Professor! He must have lost control of his shields!"
---
Storm caught herself in the doorway, breathing hard.
The Professor was twisting in his sleep, delirious mumbling and sweat on his face.
"Charles," Mystique said in a human voice that Storm had never heard her use. Suddenly, she was a young blond girl with glowing cheeks that reached for Xavier's hand with concern.
Magneto was there, too, tall and young and stiff although he also bent down and whispered into the Professor's ear, barely loud enough to hear, "We've come. We're here."
The shaking of the earth slowed down.
---
Jean finished setting the IV while a worried Hank observed, too big hand uselessly wrapped around the IV pole.
"That should put him under deep enough until his fever breaks," she said tersely, hands still trembling slightly. "He shouldn't be able to project any more hallucinations now."
Slumped in a chair, Scott took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Wow," he said. "That was wild.
"Remind me to make sure that the Professor never runs a fever again," he added. "Anybody else want to know what the hell that even was about?"
Jean looked away, starting to shake.
"I don't think I do," Storm said in a reserved tone of voice.
"Things long past and lost," Hank quietly said.
His eyes wandered towards the bright blue skies behind a hospital window that had never been broken. Their safe space hadn't been attacked. A submarine hadn't hovered in the air, and a friend and a sister hadn't come to save the man they loved.
At least, not today.
Fandom: X-Men Movieverse / X-Men: First Class
Characters: Team Cyclops, Charles Xavier, Charles/Erik
Rating: Teen
Wordcount: 570 words
Summary: "Remind me to make sure that the Professor never runs a fever again."
AN: For usakeh, who asked for a story in which Charles' telepathy malfunctions while he's delirious.
The Stuff of Dreams
"What the fuck is going on?" Scott barked.
"We're under attack!"
That much was obvious. Hank was ducking under the rain of debris, dodging them with growls. He was wearing his lab coat - they'd brought the Professor to Hank's hospital, of course. People were screaming, trying to pour out of the waiting room, piling at the exit and trapping the two of them inside.
Something must have hit the building. But Scott grew abruptly aware that he'd never know what it was, not with the ceiling coming down.
---
Jean had been out in the hallway, brushing her hair out of her tired face when she bent down to drink some water from the fountain. She didn't need to be a doctor to know how worrisome a fever that bad could become for a man Xavier's age.
The ground started shaking that second.
"Hello Phoenix," a soft voice said and she twirled around, staring at Magneto walking towards her with a smile, avenging angel untouched by the sudden rain of stone.
---
Storm was trying to reach the Professor.
It was all she could think of, third floor breaking into pieces underneath her feet, turning to stare at the hallway behind her in shock because the ground broke away the moment her feet left the it, struts and cement swallowed not by the floor underneath, but by a black void. Nothing made sense but Xavier was sick, helpless in bed and feverish from a virus and she needed to... she had to...
A slender blue frame was suddenly running next to her - Mystique - drawn to Xavier as well, and although the shapeshifter shouldn't be anywhere near them, should be in hiding alongside the Brotherhood, it felt like the most natural thing to have her here.
---
Hank had reached the window, half-formed plan to help people jump out.
Just to stare at a Cold War submarine reeling towards the hospital through the air.
Hank had been there back then. Understanding dawned after a moment of shock.
"None of it is real!" he shouted at Scott through the chaos and screams. "It's the Professor! He must have lost control of his shields!"
---
Storm caught herself in the doorway, breathing hard.
The Professor was twisting in his sleep, delirious mumbling and sweat on his face.
"Charles," Mystique said in a human voice that Storm had never heard her use. Suddenly, she was a young blond girl with glowing cheeks that reached for Xavier's hand with concern.
Magneto was there, too, tall and young and stiff although he also bent down and whispered into the Professor's ear, barely loud enough to hear, "We've come. We're here."
The shaking of the earth slowed down.
---
Jean finished setting the IV while a worried Hank observed, too big hand uselessly wrapped around the IV pole.
"That should put him under deep enough until his fever breaks," she said tersely, hands still trembling slightly. "He shouldn't be able to project any more hallucinations now."
Slumped in a chair, Scott took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Wow," he said. "That was wild.
"Remind me to make sure that the Professor never runs a fever again," he added. "Anybody else want to know what the hell that even was about?"
Jean looked away, starting to shake.
"I don't think I do," Storm said in a reserved tone of voice.
"Things long past and lost," Hank quietly said.
His eyes wandered towards the bright blue skies behind a hospital window that had never been broken. Their safe space hadn't been attacked. A submarine hadn't hovered in the air, and a friend and a sister hadn't come to save the man they loved.
At least, not today.