Work Text:
I'm not ready for Monday…
He wasn't a violent person... just a scared one, like every other trauma-filled teen written by a sad girl.
We’ll start on the day he saw his father.
He was sitting quietly in the mess hall of Charles School for gifted youngsters, wearing his favorite baggy jeans and hoodie from the New Orleans State Fair. He stared down at a lined piece of paper in his notebook. He hated essays, but Logan was tired of him turning in work late, so he had some extra work he didn't quite agree with.
Everything was going okay till he heard his voice. A voice that sounded close to him rang out.
“You're lookin’ mighty pretty today, cher.”
He quickly looked up to see that a tall Cajun man was talking to Rouge. He's never really seen him before, but he knew who that man was...
Right as the man looked over, he sat up, shoving his books back into his bag and walked off, not before the man caught a glimpse of his fingers crackling a faint red.
Later that night
He sat quietly in his room listening to some old music on a janky cd player. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he stared down at the essay he should be working on.
A photo sat in front of him, pinned to the wall, a photo strip from a booth found at the New Orleans State Fair. It showed a series of funny faces of a young Native American woman with long, curly hair and a tattoo on her thin eyebrow, next to a young Cajun boy missing one of his front teeth and a kitty plushie in his hands.
the photos were in this order:
mom doing bunny ears with her fingers on the boy's head.
Both with tongues out.
Mom kissing boy's cheek
boy licking mom's cheek.
The photo strip was old and had a burn mark on it, along with some words written on the back in drunk hands writing
I love you, my precious baby boy.
Adam shut his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair as his breath quivered. A faint glow came into view through the skin of his fingers. He tried to ease his breath, but he was too deep down a rabbit hole of sad memory.
He got up from his desk with a sigh as he walked over to his bed and sat on the edge.
“Shut up, go away.”
He muttered quietly as his hands shook.
He quietly reached over to an old black cat plushie that could be mistaken for a grease rag. Its fur was black, and its limbs were anything but thick or stiff, like a cotton-filled plush should be. Its paws had sand in them, so they would flop around nicely. Its fur was matted and burnt in more places than it should be; it missed a blue eye and a few beads on it, too. On its tag, it had the name Lana written in cursive pen, but he never called it that. To him, its name was Kittie, and it is never to be seen by others.
He brought the kittie to his arms and held its coarse fur close as he struggled to console his tears away.
As the glow in his hands grew up to his wrist, he realized he couldn't stop it on his own. He soon found himself at Charles' door, holding back tears with quiet whimpers.
When Charles didn't answer on the first knock, he opened the door gently and peeked in.
“Charles?”
His shaky voice spoke into the dark, and a little after, a lamp was turned on, Charles sat up in his bed.
“Yes, my boy?
“I... I was thinking- ”
He said quietly as his voice creaked with tears.
“Come here.”
Charles spoke gently as Adam walked over, clutching his kittie. Charles saw the plush and knew that this wasn't gonna be a nice time.
“What were you thinking about?”
Charles' gentle voice asked. Adam sat next to him and spoke in almost a whisper. “The fair... and the night before.”
“Describe it for me.”
He knew what Adam said all too well, but it needed to let it out of his head.
“I don't want to.”
His voice cracked as he started to cry a bit harder, his hands glowing.
“You have to, do it for me, Adam.”
“ok, Charles.”
He said quietly before he spoke what he knew.
It was a good day at the fair... I lost a candy while we waited in line for Mom's margarita. She let me try the drink, and I... I didn't think much of the taste, so she got me a soda.
“Hey, baby.”
“Yeah, mama?”
“You see that kittie at the ring toss?”
“Yeah?”
“Want it?”
“Yeah”
I said as I jumped up and down, and after three tries, she won me the kittie.
“Three's my lucky number.”
She said with a laugh as she held my hand in hers as we walked to the photo booths. We took a few photos before going home later that night, all her money spent on rides for me.
“Charles... I don't want to continue.”
“You need to.”
Our house was in a dingy side of town, ghetto is the word.
I slept quietly in the hoodie mama had gotten for herself. She didnt get the hoodie actually, her friend did since she was busy having me instead of going to mardi gra. her scent soothed my sleep and everything was alright till i woke up to her scream...
I quickly sat up in my bed, scared. When I didn't hear her again I grabbed kittie and shuffled my feet to her room and peaked into the door.
“shut up damnit!”
said the man on top of her squirming body.
“Mama? what's happening?”
I asked as tears formed in my eyes.
she broke her face free from the man's grasp.
“Run Adam!”
her terrified voice cried out to me before I ran from her door and to the kitchen.
I grabbed the landline off the wall and dialed the numbers written on the back. It rang for what felt like too long as I heard my mother scream for help.
“Sadly I can't get to the phone yet but ring me later and ill answer, oh and leave a voicemail.”
a cajun accent spoke as I sobbed into the phone.
“theyre hurting mama! help her! Please!”
There was no 911 at the time and a six year old wouldnt know the police number as easily as one writi’ on the phone.
I begged the phone as I sobbed clutching kittie. my moms screamed were cut short and not long after two men cornered me in the kitchen.
“this the kid?”
the first man asked the older man.
“should be. your name's Adam right?”
he asked as if it wasn't a big deal and I nodded my head gently as I sobbed into kitties soft fur, peeking up at the men.
“You're coming with us.”
he said as he grabbed my arm.
“I want my mama!”
I screamed as I pulled away.
“no you dont. you're coming with us.”
said the younger one.
“please!”
I cried and the older men paused before dragging me to my moms room. I ran to her and climbed onto the bed and hugged her.
“mama.”
I shook her shoulders and cried on her chest.
“Wake up mama. what happened?”
I asked as I sat up and shook her again.
she didn't respond
“why isn't she waking up?”
I asked as I shook her again.
“shes taking a long nap, don't think she'll wake up anytime soon.”
the older man spoke as he walked up to the bed.
“why not?”
I asked as I started crying again and kept shaking her bruising body.
“We hurt her awfully badly. She's never gonna wake up, she's dead.”
“Wake up, mama!”
I cried as I shook her shoulders more before hugging her tightly.
I was only six, I didn't know what death was...
“Let's go.”
the older man spoke as he grabbed me and dragged me away, not before my grip on the necklace she wore snapped it off her neck.
I believe it's called a rosary, a maroon one if I recall right.
he never saw his mother again.
Adam sobbed as Charles rubbed his back. His arms began to glow as his hands started to burn.
“charles, help me.”
he sobbed. He wanted Charles to repress the memory like he did before… too many times.
Charles felt it was wrong to but seeing Adam's hands tremble as they started to burn around kittie made him feel more guilty then bad.
“Okay, my son.”
he pressed his fingers on adams temple and soon his body fell limp next to charles.
The next morning he woke up in his bed, kittie next to him but with a new burn.
He got up and pulled on his jeans, not caring to put on a belt as he slipped on that same old mardi gra hoodie he always wore before heading downstairs.
The sun barely peaked through the windows so only two, maybe three people were up so far.
He walked past the backdoor where he saw Logan smoking, Logan never slept.
When he made his way to the kitchen he saw the one person he hated to see, Remy.
He was soon handed a plate of hashbrowns and all he did was say
“I don't want this.”
“But I woke up early just to give you it, fils.”
Fils was French for son and Adam hated that.
“I wake up early to make my own food.”
Adam said annoyed as he grabbed a piece of bread and put it in the toaster, abandoning the hashbrowns on the counter.
He hated hashbrowns, especially from that man.
He hated being ungrateful but didn't care as he watched his toast get crisp before buttering it up.
“Dont be like that, fils. I'm trying to be nice.”
Said Remy as he walked up next to Adam who took a bite out of the toast with a crunch.
“Leave me alone.”
Was all the gambler got in response before Adam walked away.
Later that day Adam found himself in the gym, not the danger room, he hates the danger room. He was exhausted from working more than he should have.
He didn't want lunch and the common room was full, he had gym before lunch anyway so he didn't feel like leaving even as piotr and a few others walked in for the weight lifting club that happened every other day.
If you don't know, piotr is colossus’s name. Piotr Rasputin. Adam kinda liked Piotr, liked that he was strong, a man of steel… literally.
He was watching as the guys dragged out the mats and weights but what he failed to notice was Piotr walking up to him.
“I see you here all the time, why?”
Was what came out of the russians mouth, snapping adam out of whatever daze he was in.
“I dont know, why are you asking?”
“Do you like to watch?”
=dam did was shrug his shoulder.
“You should join.”
“I don't like lifting.”
“Lifting will like you”
…
“What?”
Adam looked up at him confused.
“Try”
“Im good.”
Adam said as he grabbed his backpack and finally left to go eat. Piotr watched him walk away before returning to the rest of the club.
What day is it?
2007 I think… I know it's February 14 though, I know that for a fact.
I dont think Adam does though.
“Aye chainsmoker”
Said logan.
Logan always called Adam things like that just because he saw Adam smoke three cigarettes like some tough guy. It was a rough night, he didn't want to go inside anyway.
“Guess what day it is.”
“The day you finally wash up?”
Everyone thought Logan stank, it is basic knowledge that he doesn't bathe often.
“No, happy birthday.”
logan said as he tossed a cuban cigar
“Why?”
He looked at the cigar, the end was already cut and smoked lightly.
“I was gonna smoke it but it's my last good one… and I forgot it was your birthday.”
Logan said with a huff as he stuck his hands in his leather coat.
“Cool i guess.”
There he stood, against the other side of the wall right next to the doorway. He couldn't mind his business could he?
I don't know why it was a good idea to give a kid a cigar but atleast i know that kid will smoke every piece of it.
Happy birthday adam
16 years after February 14 1991
I think
Dont ask adam he wouldnt be sure either
A different person a couple days later
“Why do you wanna be the boy's dad so bad, he doesn't want you and you know that?”
Logan was leaning against the kitchen counter with a soda since despite his cigars being tolerated, his liquor wasn't.
And across from him at the kitchen table sat Remy.
“He's my son and I wanna be a part of it.”
“You wanna be a part of his success, cus you know the boys headed somewhere.”
“Hes strong.”
“No, he's scared. And you trying to buy him with meals everyday isn't gonna work. He doesn't want your food or attention”
They really were arguing over him were they?
“Why are you so protective of him huh? You aint his daddy”
“Yea well i did raise him, cause you know where i found your kid?”
Suddenly a voice broke through the growing dispute and in walked- rolled i should say… i dont like his wheelchair, back to the point, in rolled a charles xavier a bit younger then you might know. Most films show him being in his 90’s but the year is 2007, he is 75.
“Quit this bickering, it'll only cause issues.”
Charles turns to remy
“Get your son a dog if you want his attention, he's been asking for a chihuahua. Now shoo go away”
Charles is a bit sassy today I guess but at least Remy got up with a grumble and left.
“You know not to ploy with the man. He is stubborn, Logan.”
“I know he is but he's stepping on the wrong dirt about now. The jin can pinpoint my nerves.”
Logan grumbled out.