Title: Won't you sometimes think of me?

Fandom: Glee/X-Men

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Emmylou Harris

Warnings: takes place in season 1

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 325

Point of view: third

Prompt: Kurt is a mutant. Writer's choice as to what power he has, but I'd like it to be invisible (i.e. not like Mystique or Beast) and preferably not telepathy. He deals with the prejudice not only against homosexuals but also against mutants.

The only good thing he's found about his 'power' is that it's easy to hide. Easier than his orientation, easier than tears, easy as breathing.

Hah. Breathing.

He's been lucky so far, that none of the bullies noticed. He's thought about going to the police, telling Dad. Screaming it at those stupid children who (hopefully) have no idea they went too far.

If Kurt hadn't had his power, he'd be dead. Suffocated on accident. Ever since then, he's actively looked to be bullied, so if they ever go too far again, it'll happen to him.

Accelerated healing is one thing; broken bones heal in minutes, and he doesn't exactly feel pain, so it's not hard to keep people from realizing his 'bruised' wrist actually snapped. But not needing to breathe...

Well.

Physically, he hasn't hurt since he was twelve. It wasn't until he was fifteen and Puck shoved his face into his own jacket, saturated with urine, that he realized he wasn't breathing.

He should be dead. Sometimes, he thinks he might be. He's considered experimenting with his capabilities. Jumping off things. Cutting other things. Seeing how far he can push himself before he breaks. He's pretty sure he won't reach that point, but the fear of being wrong… he can't do that to Dad.

Dad doesn't know. That the bullying is very physical. That Kurt should be dead twice over. That Kurt can't feel pain, and heals, and can hold his breath for years.

That Kurt isn't just gay, he's a mutant freak. Dad doesn't care about the gay, so Kurt wants to believe he wouldn't care about the mutant part, either.

But he isn't sure. The glee club might not care, either, but he's heard Quinn and Mercedes talking, heard Mr. Schue's offhand comments, listened to the whole world talk about freaks and monsters. Being mutant is worse than being gay.

So he just holds his head high and pretends to breathe.