Title: Zero X
Pairing: 3x4 hints and probably future 1x2
Warnings: AU, X-men cross over. This fic is unbeta'd.
Rating: PG (for now at least)
AN: I fully intend to mix and match parts from different X-men universes (there are so many, I can never keep them straight anyway), sorry if this offends anyone. Little knowledge of the X-men is needed to understand the story.
Logan and Scott broke off their (mostly) friendly argument when they noticed the five boys making their way up the drive. Two long haired boys walked behind another boy carrying a smaller blond in his arms and a serious looking Asian boy strode casually in front, ‘on point’ the soldier in Logan whispered, the way the boy walked practically screamed military training to his experienced eye.
“Hey Cyc, isn’t the professor supposed to shield the mansion from strangers?”
“Maybe they’re expected,”
“Maybe they’re trouble.”
“Stop looking for a fight Wolverine, they’re children but we’d better see who they are.”
The two X men intercepted the five strangers barely feet from the steps, Wolverine stepped forward first demanding “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
“Wolverine! They’re only boys and one of them is hurt.”
“We heard the X men help mutants in trouble. I am Heero Yuy, this is Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner and Wufei Chang. You are
Despite any misgivings he might have felt it was against Xavier’s principles to turn away children needing assistance so he had offered shelter and the use of his medical facilities. However as he was responsible for more than simply his own safety he had resolved to question them. After Trowa had disappeared into the infirmary still carrying Quatre, Xavier had decided almost arbitrarily to talk to Duo before either of the other boys.
Xavier had been teaching young mutants for many years and he was used to dealing with the unexpected and the unusual but he found his inability to read the five boys extremely unsettling. In all the years he had been teaching and working with mutants he had never encountered anyone who was blank to his telepathic senses. Xavier had met many mutants who resisted his gentle probing throwing up walls which he had to scale or break, but these boys were totally invisible to him, it was as if they weren’t even there.
With his telepathic senses blind for the first time since they had emerged Xavier was forced to rely on his observation and questioning of Duo. The first thing anyone would notice about Duo is of course the hair, the long braid was as distinctive in its own way as Scott’s visor or Hank’s blue fur. Duo also grinned almost constantly as he propped himself up against the office wall rather than take the offered seat. Closer examination revealed a jaded cynicism and a suspicious watchfulness that Xavier recognised, the look of a child forced to grow up too fast.
“Ya know you were awfully quick to take us in Prof even though you can’t read us. You always that trusting? I’d bet if it weren’t for the telepathy thing you’d get robbed blind.”
The total confidence in Duo’s voice forced Xavier to reassess some of the assumptions he had been unconsciously making. There was no trust there but also no fear, Duo had absolutely no doubt in his ability to protect himself, even from a mutant as powerful as Xavier.
“I find Duo, that if you want trust you have to give it first.”
“Huh, you know if you’re looking to gain our trust you’re wasting your time, the five of us only trust each other.”
“That is very sad Duo,”
“Nah not really it keeps us alive, we look out for each other.”
Duo threw himself onto the couch nonchalantly pulling an apple from thin air and taking a big bite. The change in attitude apparently signified that Duo had found the answer to some unasked question, probably Xavier’s motivations. Xavier was startled to realise that despite his youth Duo Maxwell was reading him better than he was reading Duo.
“How did you do that Duo? is that some kind of teleportation or materialisation gift?”
“Nope guess again.” Turning suddenly solemn he asked “Hey did we thank you for helping Quat?”
“You’re welcome Duo, helping young mutants in trouble is what the X men do.”
“Yeah well you don’t know us and all, most people wouldn’t have bothered, and Quat’s family man, so thanks we owe you, for helping and for letting us stay.”
Xavier blinked in surprise at the sudden overwhelming sincerity. A moment later the grin was back
“Anyway I should go and reassure ‘Ro, he gets antsy when he doesn’t know what’s happening to one of us.”
“I still want to ask you some things Duo, what happened to you how was Quatre injured? What are your gifts? How do you block my powers? Where are your parents? How did you find this place?”
“Hey I said we owe you not that we trust you.” Duo shrugged “None of us have got any parents. So you don’t need to worry about contacting anyone or anything. We found you when ‘Ro hacked your computer, we needed help, from someone with resources, but who didn’t hate mutants, it was either you or Magneto.”
“Heero hacked into cerebro, that’s impossible.”
“That’s ‘Ro for you, he has a way with computers and he likes a challenge. Anyway can I go now?” Duo stood up and strode to the door.
“Wait, Duo. I still need to know what happened to the five of you.”
Duo froze for a moment hand half way to the door handle, before turning to look back over his shoulder at the professor “You have what, about twenty kids you are taking care of at the moment? I know you think you can help us, but we don’t need it. You should concentrate on the kids, they are safer if you don’t know. None of us want to put the kids in any unnecessary danger.” Duo opened the door and stepped through. The door was shut firmly behind him leaving Xavier alone with his questions.
Jean checked the IV and monitor of her newest patient before studying his companion. The boy, Trowa Barton, had refused to hand his friend over to Jean and had instead carried him to the infirmary himself. Trowa had then sat on a stool next to the boy’s bed and had been sitting and watching Quatre, and anyone who came near him like a hawk ever since.
“You’ve been sat here for hours, you should go get some rest. Quatre is perfectly safe here. He just needs to rest and heal.”
Trowa’s one visible eye narrowed in clear undisguised suspicion before he folded his arms and leant back on the wall.
“If that’s how you want to be, fine. I’ll just have to keep working round you. You can use one of the other beds if you want to get some rest.”
Trowa raised one eyebrow in answer
“Surely you sleep? Or is that part of your mutation?”
Trowa turned away in disinterest
“If you don’t want to tell me that’s up to you. You’re very eloquent for someone who doesn’t speak you know.”
“I speak.”
“Ah good, I was beginning to think you were mute. Well let me know if you need anything. You might be around for awhile, it’ll take a couple of weeks before Quatre will be able to get up.”
“He’ll be out of bed tomorrow and fully fit by the end of the week.”
“That’s fast, nearly as fast as Wolverine.”
Trowa shrugged, Jean sighed at the return of the non verbal communication it was going to be a long week.
Quatre’s hand closed on Trowa’s as Jean shut the door on her way out “Hey Trowa,”
Trowa smiled gently at him, some previously unnoticed tightness was lost as Quatre smiled back. His memories suddenly returning to him Quatre was restrained as he tried to sit up in a panic “Are the others safe? What happened?”
“Calm down Quatre, everyone else is fine, you were the only one hurt.”
“Sorry” Quatre murmured as Trowa reflexively tightened his grip on his hand at the last part.
“Just… you almost died Quatre. I couldn’t…. please be more careful,”
Sighing at the words left unspoken Quatre shifted restlessly “Where are we? What happened after I lost consciousness?”
“Heero brought us to the X-men’s headquarters, we’ll stay here until you recover.”
“What about…..”
“It’s alright Quatre, they’re dead, Heero destroyed the base it’s over.”
Quatre closed his eyes and opened his thoughts “Maybe for now Trowa, but it isn’t over not forever, this is only the end of the beginning.”
On to part 2
- 1x2,
- 3x4,
- crossovers,
- fic,
- gundam wing,
- pilots,
- series,
- wip,
- x-men,
- zero x
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