Superheroes
By: Shimegami
Warnings: er...angst in some parts?
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.
AN: OMG. I wrote a x-men evo fic. With more to come. O_O Someone needs
to put a warning label on Evo Kurt saying "Addictive! Watch at your own
risk!" And Pietro. I like Pietro. Strange. Anyhoo, this is just a series
of one-shots, utilizing different views on their powers. Strange side
effects. Whee. I wrote something other than anime. *wanders off dazed*
Superheroes
First Up: Kitty Summary: Someone's having a touching problem, and it's not Rogue. And those falling dreams get you every time.
Fall Through
She had to be extra careful around people. Even more careful than Rogue.
Her power came as natural as breathing. It was just so natural, so much easier to go straight through things. Her power didn't hurt anything (unless the thing was electronic) but she had to be even more careful. Because her power relied on her memory. She had to constantly remind herself, keep herself in check, so as not to reveal herself. She couldn't just cover up with clothes and be done with it.
And so she had to be extra careful with people. Didn't want to try to lay a hand on someone's shoulder and fall through them, right? That wouldn't do anyone good.
She often wondered about things. About her power, what would happen if she did a certain thing. For example, just what exactly kept her together? What defined her body parts as "her" and not just more solid objects? What if she accidentally phased through her insides, leaving them behind?
She really needed to keep herself busier. So she didn't think of things like this.
But it was a Saturday. Her room was clean for once. She was full, all of her homework was done, all her chores, no Danger Room sessions, and everyone else either occupied or away. So, in short, she was alone and had nothing to remedy that problem.
So she thought about things.
It was bothersome, always having to watch out for people. At the Institute, she could phase through anybody and get nothing more than a startled rebuke. But at the high school or other public places she had to concentrate hard to avoid any mishaps.
And then of course, night came with its own problems.
It happened at least once every two weeks. The falling nightmare. She would be flying, flying high, and everything was so wonderful. Then it stopped and she fell.
And fell. And fell.
And would wake up falling right into the subterranean levels of the mansion, or sometimes halfway through the ceiling if she woke up early, or sometimes landing on a startled Rahne who had the unlucky chance to be the person sleeping in the bed below her.
Every time she was stopped by something. And every time she wondered what would happen if she weren't.
Just what was keeping her above ground? What kept ground solid for her? What would happen if she happened to fall through and kept falling and falling?
Journey to the center of the Earth in real-time.
She didn't like thinking about this, because if she did, she thought about just how ground stayed solid for her to walk on, and if she thought too hard about that, maybe it would *stop* being solid and she *would* fall.
She didn't even know if she had to breathe while her powers were activating. She never stayed in something solid long enough. In, out, straight through, no time to check. She supposed she might not have to, for the times when she stayed half-phased through something she had never been hurt. And she knew she was not hurt by anything solid while she was in it, no matter what the temperature. She could even phase through water if she wanted. It might even be fun, take a quick trip to China, courtesy of her powers.
But she didn't know if she could breathe that way. And that put a damper on things.
Her thoughts took a different, if no less common route. Just what was considered solid for her? She could go through rock, brick, metal, plants, animals, people....the list went on and on.
But just what was *solid* for her? She could already phase through water, and water was not a solid by scientific designation. If she could go through liquids, why not gases?
Why not even the air?
This was slightly scary (what if she phased the air right out of her lungs?) but slightly cool. Everybody went through air, but not *through* it. And if she really didn't need to breathe while phasing, then she didn't need to breathe it.
Maybe she could even phase through gravity.
Her scientific mind scoffed at this. Gravity was a force, not a physical object.
But she couldn't help imagining. What if she wasn't physically "there" while phasing? What if she could just phase and...step away? Float through air and gravity. Fly to outer space and beyond.
She got up off the bed, where she had been sitting contemplating, and walked to her balcony. A minor adjustment of her mind, a push just *so*, and she was through the glass doors.
It was sunny, but pleasantly cool. Fall was rapidly running out, and its rather unusual balminess was giving way to the usual cold of winter. Several wisps of icy clouds (cirrus clouds, her mind labeled absently) drifted lazily in the sky. A gentle breeze brushed her bangs and caused her ponytail to gently sway.
It was a perfect day for flying.
Really, what was she scared of? What was she waiting for?
She closed her eyes, and concentrated.
And she was gone.
Through the air, through the sky, through the gravity. She just seemed to take off, flying upwards through the crystalline blue. In her mind, she knew that really she was *falling*, let go off the sphere of Earth, and was actually falling into space, but she didn't care about that right now.
Really, she was flying. And it was wonderful.
And then it stopped. With a terrible lurch, her powers reversed. And she fell.
And fell.
And fell.
And landed hard on her back, cold metal leaking through her pajamas. She awoke with a gasp, to find herself staring at the metallic corridor ceiling of the subterranean walkways. She had fallen through the mansion, again.
She shakily sat up, ignoring the slight pain in her back that would later come back raging with a bruise in protest of the rough landing. She curled up and hugged her knees to her chest, leaning slightly against the wall to reassure herself that it was solid. She had fallen right outside the Danger Room. How ironic.
The damn falling dream again.
Every time, it started out with her contemplating her powers. Then she phased through gravity and then every time, it stopped and she fell, only to wake up somewhere other than her bedroom.
And it was always so *real*.
She shuddered, and tried not to think of it. She had them so often, and it was the same result every time. She was always glad she woke up.
If she didn't, she would keep falling. And maybe the ground wouldn't stop her that time.
"Kitty? Are you all right?"
The gentle, soothing voice and the faint metallic whirr told her who greeted her. She looked up to meet Professor Xavier's caring gaze. She nodded faintly, shuddering.
He smiled gently and held out his hand. "The falling dream again?"
She nodded once more, taking his hand as she stood. She'd had it since childhood and the addition of her powers had given it a unique twist.
He turned his wheelchair around, keeping hold of her hand at the same time. "Do you think you can go back to sleep right now? If not, we can go to the kitchen and make some nice tea to calm you down until you can go back to sleep."
She smiled weakly. "That sounds nice. But I don't want to keep you up...."
The faint whine started again as he started the chair, gently leading her down the hall. He gave a soft chuckle. "Do not worry yourself, Kitty. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. And I'd rather see you happy and comfortable rather than worry over a few hours of lost sleep." They arrived at the elevator as he ended his sentence. They boarded it silently, and it hummed quietly as it bore them towards the surface.
"You couldn't sleep, Professor?" It was intruding, but she never really thought about things like that, and her manners weren't in tip-top shape after yet another trip to the basement via "sleep phasing".
He gave her a smile. "Sometimes the voices get too strong, even for someone with shields such as myself. I usually roam about inspecting things when it happens."
"Oh." There wasn't really much to say to that.
A soft ding announced their arrival at the intended floor. As the doors opened with a faint swoosh, they exited the elevator.
"Kitty." The professor's tone turned soft. "If you wish, after you drink your tea, I can put you to sleep and make sure you don't dream of falling again tonight."
She blinked, surprised. "I don't want to trouble you...with the voices and all."
He waved her off with a smile. "Sometimes it helps to focus in on one mind. It tends to drown the others out. It's no trouble at all. Do you want to?"
Kitty smiled, a genuine one. "That'd be nice, Professor."
She wouldn't be falling again.
~End of Fall Through~
AN: o.O;;; ....I originally didn't intend for Prof X to appear....but he wormed his way in. Originally it was just Kitty getting freaked about what exactly her powers were capable of, and then the dream idea was added, and voila! Although I then had to make up why he was up so late. The part with the voices was utter BS, but I was rather eager to end it.
Technical Note: I have no idea if Kitty's room is directly above Rahne's or the Danger Room. Maybe there are diagrams out there with exact placements, but that fit my story, so it's like that.
Superheroes
First Up: Kitty Summary: Someone's having a touching problem, and it's not Rogue. And those falling dreams get you every time.
Fall Through
She had to be extra careful around people. Even more careful than Rogue.
Her power came as natural as breathing. It was just so natural, so much easier to go straight through things. Her power didn't hurt anything (unless the thing was electronic) but she had to be even more careful. Because her power relied on her memory. She had to constantly remind herself, keep herself in check, so as not to reveal herself. She couldn't just cover up with clothes and be done with it.
And so she had to be extra careful with people. Didn't want to try to lay a hand on someone's shoulder and fall through them, right? That wouldn't do anyone good.
She often wondered about things. About her power, what would happen if she did a certain thing. For example, just what exactly kept her together? What defined her body parts as "her" and not just more solid objects? What if she accidentally phased through her insides, leaving them behind?
She really needed to keep herself busier. So she didn't think of things like this.
But it was a Saturday. Her room was clean for once. She was full, all of her homework was done, all her chores, no Danger Room sessions, and everyone else either occupied or away. So, in short, she was alone and had nothing to remedy that problem.
So she thought about things.
It was bothersome, always having to watch out for people. At the Institute, she could phase through anybody and get nothing more than a startled rebuke. But at the high school or other public places she had to concentrate hard to avoid any mishaps.
And then of course, night came with its own problems.
It happened at least once every two weeks. The falling nightmare. She would be flying, flying high, and everything was so wonderful. Then it stopped and she fell.
And fell. And fell.
And would wake up falling right into the subterranean levels of the mansion, or sometimes halfway through the ceiling if she woke up early, or sometimes landing on a startled Rahne who had the unlucky chance to be the person sleeping in the bed below her.
Every time she was stopped by something. And every time she wondered what would happen if she weren't.
Just what was keeping her above ground? What kept ground solid for her? What would happen if she happened to fall through and kept falling and falling?
Journey to the center of the Earth in real-time.
She didn't like thinking about this, because if she did, she thought about just how ground stayed solid for her to walk on, and if she thought too hard about that, maybe it would *stop* being solid and she *would* fall.
She didn't even know if she had to breathe while her powers were activating. She never stayed in something solid long enough. In, out, straight through, no time to check. She supposed she might not have to, for the times when she stayed half-phased through something she had never been hurt. And she knew she was not hurt by anything solid while she was in it, no matter what the temperature. She could even phase through water if she wanted. It might even be fun, take a quick trip to China, courtesy of her powers.
But she didn't know if she could breathe that way. And that put a damper on things.
Her thoughts took a different, if no less common route. Just what was considered solid for her? She could go through rock, brick, metal, plants, animals, people....the list went on and on.
But just what was *solid* for her? She could already phase through water, and water was not a solid by scientific designation. If she could go through liquids, why not gases?
Why not even the air?
This was slightly scary (what if she phased the air right out of her lungs?) but slightly cool. Everybody went through air, but not *through* it. And if she really didn't need to breathe while phasing, then she didn't need to breathe it.
Maybe she could even phase through gravity.
Her scientific mind scoffed at this. Gravity was a force, not a physical object.
But she couldn't help imagining. What if she wasn't physically "there" while phasing? What if she could just phase and...step away? Float through air and gravity. Fly to outer space and beyond.
She got up off the bed, where she had been sitting contemplating, and walked to her balcony. A minor adjustment of her mind, a push just *so*, and she was through the glass doors.
It was sunny, but pleasantly cool. Fall was rapidly running out, and its rather unusual balminess was giving way to the usual cold of winter. Several wisps of icy clouds (cirrus clouds, her mind labeled absently) drifted lazily in the sky. A gentle breeze brushed her bangs and caused her ponytail to gently sway.
It was a perfect day for flying.
Really, what was she scared of? What was she waiting for?
She closed her eyes, and concentrated.
And she was gone.
Through the air, through the sky, through the gravity. She just seemed to take off, flying upwards through the crystalline blue. In her mind, she knew that really she was *falling*, let go off the sphere of Earth, and was actually falling into space, but she didn't care about that right now.
Really, she was flying. And it was wonderful.
And then it stopped. With a terrible lurch, her powers reversed. And she fell.
And fell.
And fell.
And landed hard on her back, cold metal leaking through her pajamas. She awoke with a gasp, to find herself staring at the metallic corridor ceiling of the subterranean walkways. She had fallen through the mansion, again.
She shakily sat up, ignoring the slight pain in her back that would later come back raging with a bruise in protest of the rough landing. She curled up and hugged her knees to her chest, leaning slightly against the wall to reassure herself that it was solid. She had fallen right outside the Danger Room. How ironic.
The damn falling dream again.
Every time, it started out with her contemplating her powers. Then she phased through gravity and then every time, it stopped and she fell, only to wake up somewhere other than her bedroom.
And it was always so *real*.
She shuddered, and tried not to think of it. She had them so often, and it was the same result every time. She was always glad she woke up.
If she didn't, she would keep falling. And maybe the ground wouldn't stop her that time.
"Kitty? Are you all right?"
The gentle, soothing voice and the faint metallic whirr told her who greeted her. She looked up to meet Professor Xavier's caring gaze. She nodded faintly, shuddering.
He smiled gently and held out his hand. "The falling dream again?"
She nodded once more, taking his hand as she stood. She'd had it since childhood and the addition of her powers had given it a unique twist.
He turned his wheelchair around, keeping hold of her hand at the same time. "Do you think you can go back to sleep right now? If not, we can go to the kitchen and make some nice tea to calm you down until you can go back to sleep."
She smiled weakly. "That sounds nice. But I don't want to keep you up...."
The faint whine started again as he started the chair, gently leading her down the hall. He gave a soft chuckle. "Do not worry yourself, Kitty. I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. And I'd rather see you happy and comfortable rather than worry over a few hours of lost sleep." They arrived at the elevator as he ended his sentence. They boarded it silently, and it hummed quietly as it bore them towards the surface.
"You couldn't sleep, Professor?" It was intruding, but she never really thought about things like that, and her manners weren't in tip-top shape after yet another trip to the basement via "sleep phasing".
He gave her a smile. "Sometimes the voices get too strong, even for someone with shields such as myself. I usually roam about inspecting things when it happens."
"Oh." There wasn't really much to say to that.
A soft ding announced their arrival at the intended floor. As the doors opened with a faint swoosh, they exited the elevator.
"Kitty." The professor's tone turned soft. "If you wish, after you drink your tea, I can put you to sleep and make sure you don't dream of falling again tonight."
She blinked, surprised. "I don't want to trouble you...with the voices and all."
He waved her off with a smile. "Sometimes it helps to focus in on one mind. It tends to drown the others out. It's no trouble at all. Do you want to?"
Kitty smiled, a genuine one. "That'd be nice, Professor."
She wouldn't be falling again.
~End of Fall Through~
AN: o.O;;; ....I originally didn't intend for Prof X to appear....but he wormed his way in. Originally it was just Kitty getting freaked about what exactly her powers were capable of, and then the dream idea was added, and voila! Although I then had to make up why he was up so late. The part with the voices was utter BS, but I was rather eager to end it.
Technical Note: I have no idea if Kitty's room is directly above Rahne's or the Danger Room. Maybe there are diagrams out there with exact placements, but that fit my story, so it's like that.