CHAPTER SEVEN:
MATCHING SUITS
THE CLOUDS WERE BLAND, blending in with the sky that was a grey-ish type of color like it had been for the past couple of days for the mutants living in the old Xavier mansion in Westchester, New York. The rooms in the large structure were empty, other than one room that looked like an office where everyone could be seen inside all together. There were many windows all throughout the mansion, some of them wide open so the air would blow in to give the mutants some fresh air.
Inside of the study room the mutants were in, all their eyes stared at the small television on the small table as the president's voice came through the small speakers. Charles and Moira could be seen sitting side by side on the sofa while everyone else stood around them. Y/n found herself leaning against the side of the sofa, eyes on the small and not so good screen as she stood beside Erik, who now found himself holding a gun in his hands.
"It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile crossing the embargo line that surrounds Cuba as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union." The president's voices explains on the television.
Erik points at the television with the gun. "That's where we're gonna find Shaw."
"How do you know?" Alex questions.
"Two superpowers facing off and he wants to start World War III." Charles replies, shaking his head. "He won't leave anything to chance."
"So much for diplomacy." Erik comments with a blank tone, looking at the others. "I suggest you all get a good night's sleep."
And with that, he turns around and walks off, leaving everyone else to watch him leave. As he left the room, Y/n took notice that the grip he had on the pistol he had been holding the entire time tightened.
* * *
It was dark outside, the nighttime sky having replaced the bright one that only shows up in the daytime. The sounds of the crickets chirping added to the many other sounds of the nature all around the Xavier residence. Only a couple of hours had gone by for the mutants and the human detective currently staying in the Xavier mansion and the members of the group could be seen in their own bedrooms that they had chosen for themselves the first night they had gone to the mansion, all of them preparing themselves for bed before the big day they'd have tomorrow.
Y/n could be seen in her old bedroom she had been living in when her and Charles were children, pulling the sheets back as she prepared herself to head to bed before she'd have to wake up early in the morning tomorrow before the big fight.
The sound of a knock on her door had her looking over, soft voice calling out to the person to tell them to come in. It surprised her when she saw Erik's face walk inside of her bedroom, closing the door behind him before he shoved his hands into his pants pockets while looking around the bedroom he was now standing in.
"Can I help you?" Y/n asks.
Erik shrugs. "I wanted to see how you were doing. We probably won't be able to talk tomorrow."
"I'm alright, I guess." Y/n replies with a shrug. "How are you doing?"
"I'll be better once I know Shaw is dead." Erik admits.
There was a silence as he watched the woman only nod in reply, surprising him a bit. When he had been speaking to Charles just earlier and admitted he was planning on killing Shaw himself, Charles had immediately disagreed about it and about the humans on how they'd fear the mutants.
Erik had expected Y/n to be the same, but she didn't say anything, seeming to not disagree with him. Claiming he should head to bed as he bids her a goodnight, Erik goes to leave the room but stops as the question he's been wondering ever since he met the woman came to his mind.
"When we were at the facility..." Erik begins, turning back around to face her. "...Raven called you Blodreina. And I've been wondering ever since I met you, what can you do?"
Y/n shakes her head. "I don't know, Erik--"
"Is it that bad?" Erik questions, raising a brow.
He watched as the Xavier woman took a shaky deep breath in, slowly sitting down on the edge of her bed as she thought it over about showing him what she could do or kick him out of her bedroom and fight against Shaw with him the next morning. When Erik placed himself down close beside her, his leg brushing against hers, she looked up at him to see his eyes were soft as he continued to stare at her.
"I have the manipulation of blood. I can manipulate that or anything similar to it." Y/n informs.
"I see." Erik murmurs, gently grabbing her hand. "And why have you been hiding it, if you don't mind me asking?"
"When Charles and I were little, we had maids running around all the time. One of them was cooking dinner for us when the knife cut her hand. I wanted to heal it, so I tried to do just that. Unfortunately, it turns out I wasn't healing her cut, I was absorbing her blood. I didn't realize until Charles tried to stop me. I almost killed our maid because I took half of her blood without even realizing it." Y/n explains with a frown. "I was only eight."
"You're scared. Of yourself." Erik points out, receiving a nod before he was grabbing her hand. "You shouldn't be, Y/n. Your abilities are beautiful, just like you are."
The two found themselves staring at each other, a silence coming over between them. Y/n felt the pad of Erik's thumb caressing the back of her hand before he brought her hand up and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles, all while staring into her eyes. There was a moment where they didn't do anything before Erik's hand came up to cup the side of her face and both of them were leaning in, pressing his lips against her own.
And both of them felt butterflies in their stomachs.
* * *
The chirping of the birds were echoing all around throughout the early morning for the civilians in Westchester, New York, as people were getting up and getting ready for work before they'd have to head out, others staying home after they had watched the president's announcement on the television the night before. The sun was shining down brightly on the many people all around the country in the world, the Xavier residence continuing to stand tall and proud like it had been ever since it had first been built.
A piece of paper could be seen taped to the door of the lab where Hank had bee working on ever since they had came to the mansion. The others were standing outside as they read the words that read, 'gone to the airbase, bring the crate marked X. Hank' with black marker on it. Charles ripped the paper off before opening up the doors, surprising himself and everyone else when they saw the state of lab, everything crashed everywhere with no Hank in sight. Glass laid everywhere, the tables having been flipped over on their sides.
"What the hell happened here?" Erik wonders out loud, questioning the same thing everyone else was thinking.
No one bothered to answer his question as none of them actually knew what happened. Y/n trailed behind her brother, who was moving to the other end of the room where the large crate marked with a large black 'X' could be seen on the lid. Charles opens it up as everyone soon joins the Xavier siblings side, all of them staring down in the crate. Similar suits all laid inside, all the same color as Hank had made them for himself and the others for the fight they were about to endure.
"Hank has been busy." Erik comments.
"Do we really have to wear these?" Alex asks.
Charles sighs. "As none of us mutated to endure extreme g-force or being riddled by bullets, I suggest we suit up."
With that, he was closing the lid shut before they were all leaving the mansion, taking the crate with them. It didn't take too long until they were at the airbase and they were all wearing their matching suits together, standing in a line. Y/n found herself standing in between Alex and Erik as they all stared up at the large jet that was parked inside of the garage area in the airbase, no Hank in sight still.
"Where's Hank?" Raven speaks up, breaking the silence.
"I'm here." Hank's voice calls.
They all snapped their gazes at the sound of their friend's voice, seeing his figure walking right towards them. However, confusion comes across their faces when they noticed Hank's figure didn't look like Hank. His footsteps sounded heavier when he was moving closer and it looked like his entire body was more furrier than usual. Y/n exchanged a confused glance with Alex and Erik until Hank revealed his face to all of them, revealing he was now blue with fur all around his body. His teeth was replaced by fangs, nails turned into claws.
"It didn't attack the cells." Hank informs, looking down at his feet. "It enhanced them. It didn't work."
"Yes, it did, Hank." Raven argues as she steps forward, placing her hand on his cheek. "Don't you see? This is who you were meant to be. This is you. No more hiding."
Erik reaches over and pats his arm. "You never looked better, man."
Next thing everyone knew, Hank's hand was instantly coming up and wrapping around Erik's neck as Raven quickly took a step back when he did so. Erik's hands were immediately coming up to hold Hank's wrist as he was lifted up off the floor and off his feet. Hank was ignoring Charles and Y/n's warning calls, only letting out a deep growl as he continued to glare at the man he was currently choking.
"Don't mock me!" Hank growls out.
"Hank, put him down immediately, please." Charles instructs, yet he didn't.
"Hank!" Y/n calls out in warning.
Fortunately for them, after a couple more seconds, Hank released his hand from Erik's neck as the older male collapsed to the floor they were all currently standing on together. Y/n placed her hand on Erik's shoulder in concern, seeing tears in his eyes and his entire face was red from being choked, crouching down to help him up to his feet.
"I wasn't." Erik croaks out in response.
"Even I got to admit you look pretty badass. I think I got a new name for you. Beast." Alex announces, getting a deep growl from Hank.
"You're sure you can fly this thing?" Sean questions as he motions to the jet.
Hank nods. "Of course I can. I designed it."
It didn't take all too long until they were dispersing, grabbing the things they'd need before heading off into the jet and soon leaving the airbase, heading to where the fight against Sebastian Shaw and his own mutants would be happening in.