Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with X-Men, Marvel, Fox. I am just a fan and I am not making money off of this story.
I'm the only one in our family who knows Bobby's a mutant. It's like a game the two of us have. It's cool having a mutant for a brother. I can't believe I bought into that crap about how mutants are evil and dangerous. I thought I was smarter than that. It's a good thing I know the truth - I could have fallen in with a bunch of mutant-hating classmates who invited me to join their club just after Bobby left. I have no doubt I would have joined them if I didn't know my awesome brother is a mutant. I'm scared to think about how deep in I could have gotten otherwise.
I always enjoy Bobby's visits home. Soda's too warm? Bobby can fix that. LOL. The snow's not hard and sticky enough to make snowmen? Or snowballs for snowball fighting? Bobby can take care of that.
Bobby's still Bobby. Still telling me that it doesn't matter what Mom and Dad say. As long as I do my best, it's enough. He's still the best big brother ever. Whenever Mom and Dad hound on me especially hard, Bobby's only a phone call away and always is available to for a good pep talk. I feel better after talking to him every time.
I can't help but smirk whenever Mom and Dad gush about Bobby, knowing how much they'd lose their shit if they ever learned their precious golden child was abnormal - as Mom describes mutants. I feel terrible for thinking that way because I know Bobby gets hurt whenever they talk like that. And I know he's so conflicted about keeping this from them in general. Plus it's not his fault our parents treat me like I'm second best - treatment that's only gotten worse since Bobby started going to that school.
Speaking of that place, his school life certainly sounds interesting. That is, as interesting as school can be with the added extracurricular activity of mutant training. It's a really small school - there's only a few dozen students. His has a roommate named John and they're best friends now. Bobby didn't get into the details but I gather that John either had a bad home life and/or had to run away because he became a mutant. John's the polar opposite of Bobby - unlike ice, John's powers involve fire.
I'm jealous. Bobby's off at some cool place doing all kinds of interesting stuff away from the pressures of home, and I'm stuck here with parents I can't please. Oh - and Mom and Dad became convinced that I'd do better in private school myself. So now I go to school farther away every day and hardly see my old friends anymore to the point that they've drifted apart from me and I'm not close at all to any of my new classmates either. It's lonely. More and more I wish I was a mutant. That way Bobby and I can be together, look after each other, and whatever happens with our parents, happens. It's out of my control, I just have to wait and see.
So that's how it goes for nearly 3 years, until the shit hits the fan one random morning.
—-
I enter the kitchen and see a man I don't recognize standing by the open refrigerator. What the fuck?
Mom and Dad walk in next and stop when they see the man. Mom pulls me toward her.
"Who are you?!" Dad yells.
He seems pretty surprised to see us too. "Ummm..."
Just then, Bobby comes racing down the stairs.
Mom relaxes her grip on me just a little bit. "Bobby, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"Bobby, who is this?" Dad asks.
Bobby looks back and forth between us and the man. He seems like he's trying not to panic. What's going on? "This is...Professor Logan." He calms himself and turns to us. A girl with brown and white hair comes down the stairs - she must be Rogue, the new girlfriend he told me about. "There's something that I have to tell you." Bobby looks directly at me. Uh oh. This is it. Bobby's about to tell Mom and Dad that's he's a mutant. Why now? Something serious must have happened. He clearly didn't plan on showing up unexpectedly on some random morning to drop a bombshell on Mom and Dad by outing himself as a mutant. I'm worried for him. What the hell happened?
—-
He's told them. There's complete silence. Bobby looks uneasy and scared. I can't blame him for being nervous. Mom and Dad look absolutely stunned. You'd think Bobby has just told them he had a terminal disease and was dying.
His friend John - so that's the friend he's been close to all these years - keeps opening and closing a lighter. It's making me nervous since that I know that he can manipulate fire and he has an irritated look on his face that keeps getting worse which each passing second. I know Bobby would never let him hurt us but still…If nothing else, that flicking of the lighter is really annoying.
Mom finally speaks. "So when did you first know you were a…" she stops, I can tell she's distracted by John and his lighter. "Would you cut that out?" Yes, please do.
Dad speaks up. "You have to understand, we thought Bobby was going to a school for the gifted."
For the first time ever, I feel the need to defend my brother from our parents. "Bobby is gifted!" I exclaim.
They both turn to me in shock. Their eyes are on me, accusingly. I really wish I could sink into the sofa right now. "Ronny, did you know about this?" Mom asks.
"Um…I've known Bobby's a mutant since the time he left for Xavier's school." Mom's eyes widen, and I'm sure mine do too, in fear.
They both yell at me at the same time.
"You knew?!"
"How could you not tell us?!"
Seriously? Now I'm angry too. "Honestly? We were afraid of this!" I yell back, gesturing at the two of them. Geez, it's not like Bobby and I covered up a crime or something.
Mom takes a deep breath. "We still love you, Bobby," she says quickly. Too quickly. And too calmly. I'm sensing a 'but' coming up. "It's just" - close enough - "this mutant problem is…"
"What mutant problem?" Professor Logan cuts her off.
"Complicated."
"Well, you should see what Bobby can do," Rogue chimes in.
Bobby nervously looks over at me, clearly wanting my opinion.
"Go for it, but start small," I tell him. Let's not freak them out anymore than they already are.
Mom lifts her teacup and is about to take a sip, when Bobby reaches over, touches the teacup and the tea freezes. She starts shaking. For a split second I think he's accidentally frozen her too, but then I see she's just horrified by the frozen tea. "Bobby…" she drops the tea. At least the cat's enjoying it now.
So much for not freaking her out. "This is all my fault."
John decides to pick the worst time to throw his two cents in. "Actually they discovered that males are the ones who carry the mutant gene and pass it on so technically it's his fault." He points at Dad.
I've had it with this guy. "Shut up, man. You're not helping." He just smirks. This?! This is the friend Bobby's been telling me about all these years? What, is he just jealous that Bobby has a family and he doesn't? Some friend, he shouldn't be ruining it for Bobby.
Dad looks over at Professor Logan. "And what exactly are you a professor of?" What is Dad implying? That's there's not really a school and it's in fact a vast mutant conspiracy?
"Art," Professor Logan answers, in a tone that clearly says 'fuck off'. Good, I'm glad he's not putting up with my parents' crap. He seems to take a protective stance towards Bobby. I like him. A cell phone then starts ringing. After a few seconds, Professor Logan reaches for his phone. He looked momentarily confused at first. Did he forget that was his ringtone? "Oh, that's for me." He walks outside.
Mom turns her attention back to Bobby. "Bobby, have you tried…not being a mutant?" Her voice is so full of forced enthusiasm it's sickening. Really, Mom? Are you kidding me?
Bobby sighs and looks down. Rogue squeezes his hand and looks hurt for him. Bobby told me she doesn't keep in contact with her family either. I'm guessing she knows what he's going through. Thankfully she's not acting like John, who's been acting like a jerk this whole time and visibly scoffed at Mom's question.
Bobby can't bring himself to look at our parents anymore. "It doesn't work like that, Mom," he sadly states. He looks so disappointed and upset.
I don't know what to say. But I am curious why Bobby and his friends are here today of all days. "Bobby, why are you telling them now? What happened? Is everything okay?" The last question I know is dumb. Obviously, something's majorly wrong.
"Yes, I would love to know too," Dad fumes. He suddenly looks very angry. "Just what kind of trouble are you in and have you put us in any danger too?"
The accusation hangs in the air. Did he seriously just go there? Way to be compassionate, Dad. I suddenly wish I hadn't brought it up.
Bobby looks hurt. I can't blame him. "You're...You're not in any danger," he stammers. Is he just shaken by how Dad's treating him? Or is he fibbing and we really are in danger? "It's just..." he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, like he knows that no matter how he says it, it's going to be bad. "The school was attacked last night by an anti-mutant mercenary group - or soldiers, I'm not sure - and we had to evacuate." He winces. Wow. Yeah, that's bad.
Mom and Dad are incredulous. Dad literally jumps up and Mom buries her face in her hands. I don't even care that we may be in danger. I'm just worried about Bobby. I'm glad he was able to escape. He looks so devastated by Mom and Dad's reaction. We both knew they may handle it badly but I guess nothing really prepares you for it. I get that this is a nightmare situation for them, but they're clearly more concerned with how Bobby's mutation is going to affect them than about caring for and protecting their son. To think, I could have ended up as bigoted as them if I hadn't discovered Bobby's secret three years ago.
The next couple of minutes are the most awkward and uncomfortable of my life. Bobby and Rogue try to explain more about mutants, but it doesn't look like Mom and Dad are receptive. John, thankfully, doesn't say anything else, but that annoying smirk on his face makes me want to kick his ass. Professor Logan just looks like he can't wait to get the heck out of here.
A noise from the outside causes me to look out the window. The noise gets louder and louder until finally a huge black jet comes into view. Whoa! It's landing on the street in front of the house! What is this, a summer blockbuster movie?
Mom stands and stares at it in horror. "What?..."
Professor Logan rushes past her. "That's our ride." He turns to Bobby, John, and Rogue. "Let's go." Without a goodbye - can you blame them? - he, John, and Rogue, hurry outside.
Bobby lingers. He's staring at Mom and Dad with the same sad look he had back when he realized I saw that he was a mutant. Afraid of being rejected. No, it's even sadder now. Because he has been rejected by them. Mom and Dad look terrified and confused like they don't know who or what he is anymore. Bobby sighs, looks down and quickly follows the others out of the house.
I give my parents a dirty look and chase after my brother. I follow him out the door with Dad shouting behind me. "Ronny, where are you going? Come back here!"
Bobby and I stop on the porch while the others continue heading toward the jet. "Ronny, you should go back inside."
"Take me with you." I wonder if I look as exasperated by our parents as I feel.
He smiles. I can't tell if it's a sad smile or an amused one. "It's not exactly safe."
Dad opens the screen door and sticks his head out. He doesn't leave the doorway. "Ronny, come inside, NOW!" He doesn't even look at Bobby. And Bobby pretends not to notice.
"Let me say goodbye to my brother!" I hug Bobby tightly. I'm really scared for him and I'm mad at Mom and Dad for treating him the way they are. "Call me when this is all over. Let me know you're okay."
"Will do."
Then I whisper so that Dad can't hear. "Take me with you. Seriously, I want to get out of here."
"We'll talk." He pulls away and runs toward the jet. I watch him run up the jet's ramp, the ramp closes, and the jet flies off. Bobby's gone. To where? What's happening?
