Prologue; Charles

Inside a mind of another mutant Charles always felt strange. And yet, when he read the mind of a passing by stranger, it felt awfully familiar.
He saw the same scene, playing over and over again, starting with same words that were followed by the same feelings:
"We should have told you earlier but we didn't want it to affect your life, please, you need to understand," Two blurry figures were standing in a large, tastefully decorated living room. Charles felt as if he was the one crying, wiping his tears and biting his lower lip.
When the figures came into focus, he saw a man and a woman around their fifty's wearing their best clothes and looking at each other with an aching expression on their faces.
"I understand, but it doesn't mean I agree. You knew, and you never told me.
Most of my friends won't look at me now, they either hate me or they look at me like I'm sick, like I should be locked away.
If you've told me earlier, I could have learned how to handle it, how to hide it".
As the picture faded, Charles found himself happy to breathe normally, as his emotions were finally his own.
He looked for the stranger, and quickly located her at the corner of the street.
-

You were walking down the street when you noticed the man walking behind you, his blue eyes watching your every move.
"Excuse me!," He shouted, "Hey, you!" You stopped, even though you hoped he wasn't shouting at you.
"I'm sorry, that was rude," He said, facing you and smiling sweetly, "I was – I mean, I thought that – I'm sorry. I don't know what to say without sounding strange," You could clearly see that the man was embarrassed, but he seemed harmless and quite charming despite that, so you decided to hear what he had to say.
"Perhaps you should start with your name?" You smiled.
"Right, yes, great idea. I'm Charles," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to avoid eye contact as if it would make this conversation less difficult for him.
"_" You said your name.
"Could I buy you a cup of coffee, _?"
"Sure, I'd like that," you smiled softly, a kind of confirmation that says 'you're doing just fine', without saying a word.
You and Charles sat in the coffee house, and you told him things you never thought you'd tell anyone before. The hours seemed to pass by quickly, but you felt like you had so many things to tell, and so many things to listen to.
"You're extraordinary," He said.
"I'm extraordinary? You read minds; I just pick up stuff with my brain. It's making me awfully lazy".
"Trust me; there are very few people with the kind of gift you have. How far does it go? What's the heaviest you can lift?" He questioned you.
"Let's play a game, you guess how much I can lift, and I tell you if you're right or wrong – and don't read my mind!" You chuckled, "You have three tries".
He thought for a moment, "I'd say, well, you can't lift more than two cars -, "
"Wrong," you looked amused.
"Four cars?" He guessed, and you shook your head, muttering the words 'try again'.
"Well then, my last guess is twenty. There's no way in the world you can lift more than the weight of twenty cars."
"Wrong again".
"You're just teasing me now. What's the number?"
You looked into his eyes, and your lips curved up to form another smile, "eight hundred".

"It's hardly the right time to bring a girl to the hotel," Erik Lehnsherr didn't bother to look up from his book for more than a moment when you walked in to the hotel room with Charles.
"Who's the asshole?" You asked Charles, stepping into the room, admiring its size and design.
"Erik, that's _, she's a mutant, _, that's Erik, he's a mutant too, please try to get along," Charles pleaded.
Erik closed his book, got up from the chair and walked over to you.
"What can you do?" It was a question, but everything about the man before you screamed 'demanding'.
"She's telekinetic," Charles noted, sitting on an armchair in the corner of the room.
"How powerful?" Erik asked, not breaking eye contact.
"Very," You answered.

After spending the evening talking with Charles and Erik, you decided you had to go home, since it was getting late.
"Charles, could you –," before you could finish the sentence Charles was already on his feet. Erik laughed dryly, "You could have at least waited until she was finished talking, Charles".
"-Walk me home?" You finished your sentence.
It was late, dark and cold, but you loved every moment. You loved breathing in the cold air that somehow made you feel fresh and awake, you loved the way the city was lit, and the way that slightly drunk strangers got out of crowded bars with their partners, laughing and trying to walk in straight lines. You loved how you could see the stars and the moon; but most importantly, you loved Charles.
You didn't mind that you met him less than a day ago, or that you don't know his date of birth or his favorite color, you loved him.
While walking, Charles kept explaining to you why you should come with them to Westchester, and although you already knew you were, you still kept listening to him.
"Why is it so important to you that I come with you?" You asked, even though you knew the answer, you wanted to hear him say it.
"Say you like me Charles," you chanted in your mind, "Come on, just say you like me".
"All mutants should learn how to control their powers, especially powerful ones like you –," before he could finish talking, you pressed your lips against his.
He stood speechless for a few moments.
"Say something," You looked into his blue eyes.
Instead of saying anything, he kissed you softly, wrapping his arms around your waist.
'I love you' you heard his voice in your mind.