Disclaimer: I own no part of the X-men franchise and make no profit off this fiction.

AN: I wrote this drabble in a moment of inspiration. Consider it an exercise. What would it be like for a non-mutant who falls in love, or like, with a mutant like Pyro, who follows the self-absorbed, self-pitying creed of the Brotherhood? What would happen when they argued about mutants versus non-mutants? This is what I came up with. For back-story, you can pretend that a girl arrives at the mansion with her human ambassador parents who are meeting with the X-men, and ends up meeting Pyro. Maybe they have a history, maybe not. I don't know. It's a drabble for a reason.


Victoria's jaw dropped open and she seethed at him. "What did you call me?"

He smiled smugly and crossed his arms. "You heard me, princess."

She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward quickly, then placed her hands on his shoulders and shoved as hard as she could. The action caught him by surprise and he stumbled backwards a little before catching himself and glaring up at her.

"Shit! What was that for? Do you think you can take me? Are you trying to start a fight?"

"Don't be an idiot. Start a fight? Start a fight? What do you think this is? God, you're so fucking self-righteous, John! It's always the fucking, 'Woe is me, I'm a mutant and unloved by everyone,' card, isn't it? Well let me tell you something, Pyro. You and I are exactly alike. I may not be a mutant, but I think and feel and react to things exactly the same way you do. We are both human beings. You can't treat me like a second class citizen just because I don't have powers. When have I ever treated you like anything less than the man you are?"

John stared at her wide eyed and snarled. "Exactly alike? In what way are you like any of us freaks? Do you have any special abilities? Huh? When was the last time you accidentally set your house on fire? Were abandoned by your parents because they were afraid to live with you?"

"You're such an asshole! Hundreds of children are abandoned every day for lesser reasons! How do you think I felt when my dad decided he just didn't feel like being a father anymore and walked out on me and my two younger sisters? Huh? And don't you dare try to tell me I don't have special abilities. You know what? I may not be able to conjure ice, or control fire, or have steel claws-"

"Adamantium," Logan offered, and they both turned to glare at him. He shut up.

"-but I can at least carry a tune in a bucket, which is something you'll never be able to do no matter how hard you practice. Did you think I looked at you that way? Like mutants are so special just because they can walk through walls? I don't. I don't give a shit what they can do, as long as they aren't killing innocent people- and any gang banger on the street can do the exact same thing they do every day anyway, so why should it matter? There will always be someone out there who can run faster, jump higher, and sing better than I can. It doesn't matter. You and I are exactly the same. Just because you can control fire doesn't make you any different from me. You're still a human being." She sniffed and narrowed her eyes. "And until now, I thought you were a man, too. Please forgive me for my assumptions."

John leaned forward and sneered. "Forgive me for not living up to them. You can go, now. There's the door," he finished, pointing to the wood partition that was now hanging from its hinges. One of her eyebrows twitched and he thought he saw tears in her eyes, but he stared her down, refusing to feel sorry.

"Ugh!" she finally exclaimed. "Fine, if that's how you want it. Good bye, Pyro," she hissed, then turned and climbed over the debris in the room, stumbling out the door. Bobby reached over and gave her a hand out and she thanked him before disappearing from sight.

Logan stared hard at John until the boy turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Boy, you fucked up," Logan responded seriously. Then he turned and left as well, Bobby following soon after. John watched them go, suddenly feeling rather deflated. He looked at the mess about him and flicked the lighter in his hand open and shut again for good measure.

"Shit," he whispered to no one in particular. He flicked the lighter in his hand open and closed a few times as he tried to get a hold of his racing heart, his out of control emotions. Then he rolled his eyes and leaped over the debris and out the door, taking off down the hallway at breakneck speed.