Strong Heart // Charles Xavier [1]

Chapter 6

♥I'm Strong, But I'm Not That Strong♥

They're all standing outside a large mansion, Charles and Raven's childhood home it seems.

"This is where you grew up?!" Harley says in shock, though the upper class feeling she got from Charles seems to make sense now.

"This is yours?" Sean says in slight awe.

"No. It's ours." Charles says.

"Honestly Charles, I don't know how you survived. Living in such hardship." Erik says, sarcastically.

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me." Raven says, stepping forward to hug Charles, "Come on, time for the tour.", she then leads them towards the large door.

"Where'd you grow up, Harley?" Sean asks, coming up to walk next to her.

"In a small two bedroom apartment above a small tattoo shop in Canada." she replies.

"A tattoo shop?" Alex asks, walking on her other side.

"Yeah, my dad's tattoo shop to be exact." Harley says proudly.

"Canada?" Sean says.

"Yes. Why?" she asks.

"You play hockey?" Sean teases.

"Shut up." Harley says, looking the other way, before bumping Sean's shoulder with her own, "Yes. I do", both boys laugh, "Shut up." she says, giving both of them a shove.

After the "tour" Raven gave, which took a little too long for Harley's liking, if she's being honest - all she wanted to do was sleep, if she could - Raven showed her to her room.

Harley decides to skip dinner, instead deciding to call her father.

She takes a seat on her bed, and dials the phone next to her bed, waiting for her father to pick up.

"Harley?" she hears him say, making her smile.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asks.

"Just a feeling. It's a dad thing." he says, she can hear the smile in his voice.

"How is everyone?".

"Their fine, we miss you." he says, she nods to herself.

"Yeah, I miss you guys too." she says, the gloom in her voice becoming more prominent.

"Har?".

"Yeah?".

"What's wrong?".

She's quiet, tears start to gather in her eyes, she didn't want to, she didn't want her father to worry, "What makes you think there's something wrong?" she tries to deflect.

"It's a dad thing." he says, making her squeeze her eyes shut, letting a single tear fall.

"I'm okay. I'll be okay. I promise." she says.

"When you want to talk about it, I'm always here. Okay?" he says.

She nods her head, "I know.".

"Tell me about these new friends of yours." he says, changing the subject for her.

She gives a huff of a laugh, wiping the tears from her face, "There something else." she goes on to talk about the group, asks about Bain is, and other random things for the rest of the day.

Harley tosses and turns in bed, not being able to sleep. As much as hearing her father's voice did comfort her, it also made her worry about the future more, she just can't sleep.

So she does what she always does when she's troubled, she goes to the gym, to punch and kick it out.

Charles is walking down the hallway in the middle of the night, not being able to sleep. He hears noise coming from the gym, walking over he peers around the door.

It's Harley beating on a punching bag, hair sticking to her forehead from sweat. She's wearing her gym cloths, making her tattoos more visible, instead of speaking up he takes in the new tattoos.

A raven surrounded by roses on her right thigh, a rottweiler on her upper right arm and what looks like a tattoo gun on the inside of her right forearm.

"Yes Charles?" Harley says, in an agitated tone, still punching the bag.

"Um, well You seem upset, is everything alright?" Charles carefully asks.

Harley stops, sighing she steadies the punching bag from its swaying. She rests her forehead on the punching bag, not looking at him she speaks "My family's everything to me, Charles.", before he can say anything she continues.

"After seeing what Shaw can do." she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath she continues, "I don't think I really knew what I was sighing up for, I'm terrified we'll lose." She says, turning her head to look at him, she looks like she's holding back tears.

"I can't lose my family, I don't think my heart could take it." She says, looking him straight in the eye "I'm strong Charles, but I'm not that strong" 

"We will not lose. I promise." Charles says, trying to comfort her, even a little.

Harley gives him a sad smile, picks up her hoodie from the ground. Walking over in front of him, "Can you really, promise me that?" she whispers.

"I promise." Charles says after a moment.

She gives another sad smile, "Thank you, Charles." she says, though she still doesn't sound that convinced, she then walks towards her room.

"Goodnight, Charles." she says, over her shoulder.