(Alright, itâs been far too long since Iâve written anything and Iâm sorry about that, but hereâs a new fic that helped me get back into the swing of things. Thank you @alexa040004 for being so patient with me and for requesting this. I hope you enjoy)
Warnings: Slight swearing
He still wasnât used to the atmosphere. Despite having been here at the X-Mansion for a couple of months, it still felt strange, almost like he didnât belong. Charles was always telling him that this is exactly where he belonged, he needed to be in an environment with fellow mutants to learn and grow from one another instead of the hostile environment he was accustomed to in Berlin. Warren thought it was bullshit at first, but Charles had the truth of it. Whenever he would venture around the mansion, there were always students helping each other out. Whether that be with a class assignment or something power related. These people had formed a community, they were basically a family, and here he was, someone who had fought against them not to long ago and they still welcomed him in their home. He almost felt bad for pushing so many of them away that tried to befriend him, but he just wanted to keep to himself. Keep his head down while he figured out what heâd do with his life now that Apocalypse was gone. A few of the students kept their distance from him since he was prone to snap easily even at the slightest approach someone would make towards him. Charles would always tell them âGive him some time, heâll come around.â Â But not you. Even when he tried to ignore you, you were still so damn persistent on befriending him, and it would be a massive lie if he said that he didnât grow to appreciate your relentlessness. Because he did, heâs grown accustomed to it now. And every day heâs spent here since waking up in Hankâs lab, an unspoken routine had begun between the pair of you. Every bit of free time either of you had, youâd spend it together. Heâd learn a little bit more about you day after day and youâd learn more about him. It took him some time to open up, but he eventually did. Charles would often joke âThe only person you can tolerate is Y/N.â and Warrenâs response was always a small laugh, because he knew it to be true.
When he was brought to the X-Mansion, everything was a blur. He was falling in and out of consciousness, and every second his eyes would flicker open, heâd quickly be reminded of the fact that he should be dead. He should have died during that crash. He catches a glimpse of the man standing over him in what looks like a lab. Warren can only make out the faint âYouâre safe here. Youâre in good hands.â that the man keeps repeating to him. Whatever little strength Warren can muster, he uses it to try to get out of the gurney. Itâs a failed attempt because he feels so weak and thereâs pain that shoots throughout his whole body. The man pushes Warren back and tells him heâs injured. Warrenâs response is a slurred âNo shit.â The man removes his glasses as he rubs at his eyes in frustration before he speaks again. âLook, I just need to run a few tests to make sure that you get the time you need to heal.â Warren makes another attempt to get up, but the man is much stronger than he looks as he pushes Warren back. Warrenâs getting fed up and is about to tell the guy heâll be fine and heâll heal in a few days but before he can even open his mouth, heâs being injected with something and the heaviness in eyes becomes stronger than before and he canât fight the urge to close them as he falls back into unconsciousness.
When his eyes open again, he sees his âdoctorâ with Charles Xavier and someone standing next to them. He can faintly make out their (Y/H/C) in the dimly lit room. They turn and look in his direction before the doctor makes his way over to Warren and the monitors lightly beeping besides him before that wave of unconsciousness pulls him under once more.
The next time he wakes up, he sees the person from before sitting in a chair next to the bed heâs in with their feet propped up and a book in hand. When he makes a move to sit up, he notices heâs not in any pain like he was before and that heaviness that he was fighting when trying to stay awake was gone too. Itâs his sudden movement that has them turning their head in his direction.
âHank said you were being stubborn.â you say to him.
âIâm assuming you mean the asshole that drugged me, right?â
âSedated would be a better word to use, but in a sense, yes. He did save your life though. You were hurt pretty bad.â
âIâll be sure to thank him.â Warren scoffs.
âIâm Y/N, by the way.â you state as you hold out your hand to him.
He notices the look of confusion on your face for a moment, like youâre waiting for something.
â⌠and you are?â you say gesturing to your offered hand.
âWarren. Well, itâs nice to meetâŚâ
âHow long have I been here?â he cuts you off mid-sentence.
You let out a small laugh as you take your hand back. âAlright, well skip the niceties then. Youâve been here for about three or four days.â
He lets out a loud sigh and runs his fingers through his hair.
âIs there somewhere you need to be?â
He doesnât respond, just stares at you with a deadpan expression as you hold up your hands in defense.
âDo you remember how you got here or what happened before that?â
Again, you receive another deadpan expression.
âI remember.â He firmly states.
Thereâs a long silence that fills the room before Warren speaks up again.
âWhereâs the,â he gestures around the room, guy?â
âHank? I donât know, he sent me to watch over you.â
For some reason, he laughs at that.
âWhatâs so funny?â you ask curious.
âHe sent you to watch over me? What are you, my guardian angel?â
A small smile spreads across your face. âSure, from one angel to another.â
And for the first time since he woken up, he takes note of the large pair of metal wings at his sides that once used to be beautiful white feathers.
You stand up from your chair besides his bed and grab your book as you make your way to the door.
âCharles will be coming to speak with you.â you tell him as he nods his head.
As youâre about to exit the room, you turn back to look at him.
âI hope you decide to stay. It could be good for you.â you say before closing the door.
   To Warren, that first encounter seemed like it happened years ago. He had decided to stay, but he figured that he would only be sticking around for a short period of time and he certainly was expecting to make any friends during his time here, he didnât see the point when heâd be leaving soon anyway. But you and your unwavering determination just couldnât let him be. The first few days, he tried his best to get rid of you. He was certain Charles had sent you to watch him, and he hated feeling like he needed a babysitter. Heâd try to slip by the twist and turns of the mansion only to get himself lost in the process. When he was finally able to retrace his steps, he found you standing at the bottom of the staircase with an amused expression on your face that him you knew that he got lost for well over an hour because he was too stubborn to ask for help.
Warren rolled his eyes. âAlright, Charles wants you to babysit me fine. I wonât run off again.â He says exasperated.
âCharles?â you question.
âHeâs making you watch over me, right? See how Iâm fitting in?â
âYes, but I would have quit the second time you tried to run off.â you laugh.
âThen why are you still here?â
âBecause, I think it would be good for you to have a friend.â You smile.
Warren remembers scoffing at your statement and saying he didnât need a friend, but that didnât stop him from looking over his shoulder to see if you were still trailing behind him.
And he had to say, as annoyed as he pretended he was, he was pretty damn okay with you tagging along.
The budding friendship you had was one thing, but thisâŚ
There was a lot on his mind right now, mainly about how he ended up in his current predicament.
He knew Charles wouldnât tell you.
Like always, for the past couple of months, Charles would always stop by to check on Warren and see how he was holding up.
When Warren told Charles he had decided heâd be staying, Charles didnât seem surprised.
Whenever Charles would come by, theyâd talk about the same thing every time, but Warren found comfort in the Professorâs company.
And during their little conversations towards the end of the day, you would always come up.
But this time itâs different.
The moment your name passes Charlesâ lips, thereâs that fleeting word thatâs been ringing through his head. It echoes so loudly in his mind this time, itâs almost as if someone turned the volume up to 100, so that there was no denying at that moment what it meant.
There was a quick change in Warrenâs demeanor because he knew Charles heard it too.
Warren was quick to tell the Professor that he was turning in for the night and tried his hardest thinking of anything else while Charles was still in the room.
Charles opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it clearly seeing Warrenâs discomfort.
Besides, it wasnât his place to say anything about it, even if he knew for a fact that you felt the same.
  You had been looking for him all day. It was well pass noon now and you still hadnât wished him a happy birthday. You must have wandered around the mansion a dozen times before you finally spotted him sitting atop the balcony. He made you promise him you wouldnât tell anyone about his âbig day.â So, you kept his secret, but that didnât mean you didnât want to do anything special for him. Even if it was just the two of you. Thatâs how it always was between the both of you anyway. Just the two of you off on your own.
If he hadnât been listening to the sound of your footsteps coming up the balcony, he would have thought he was still out here alone.
âDo you know how disheartening it is when several people ask where your other half is and you have no idea?â you laugh as you take a seat next him.
âWeâve grown pretty attached, happy birthday by the way.â
âThank you.â He smiles down at you.
âYou mustâve been hiding from me then. Just because I promised I wouldnât tell anyone about your birthday didnât mean I didnât want to do anything special for you.â
âWhich is exactly why Iâve been hiding from you,â he jokes. âI told you, you didnât have to anything for me, and I knew youâd find me eventually. Besides, I consider this special enough.â
âWatching the sun set?â you quip.
Thereâs a softness in the way he looks at you that you donât think youâve ever seen before and the way your heart thumps against your chest makes you want to get up and bolt away from his gaze.
You turn back to the horizon before taking in a deep breath before speaking again.
âI want to try something. You can say no, itâs just Hankâs about 100% sure that itâll work, butâŚâ
âMy power, since I can undo and reverse certain things, I mean Iâve only ever tried using my powers on something simple, this would beâŚâ you trail off mid-sentence not knowing how to really ask him, since he always gets touchy about the topic.
âYou want to try andâŚâ he gestures to his wings as you nod your head in response.
âHank thinks itâll work?â he questions.
âYes, but⌠I donât know if Iâll be able to do it.â
âWonât know unless you try, right?â Â The expression on his face is unreadable but he holds out his hand for you before placing one them against his back where his wings begin.
And thereâs that look again that makes your heart go haywire.
You exhale slowly before moving to stand behind him, your left hand slowly makes its way up close to where your right hand lay against his back.
You feel a slight shiver from him under your touch and the apprehensiveness about the situation seems to multiply.
A part of you wants to pull away and not try at all and Warren must sense your hesitance because he repeats. âI trust you.â
And thatâs all the reassurance you need.
The first time you try, it feels like nothingâs happening.
The second time, you feel an overwhelming exertion on your powers that youâve never felt before.
Itâs mildly discomforting and it causes you to pull away quickly.
But, the third time, that exertion lightens up and becomes somewhat manageable.
Warren is sitting so still in front of you, his eyes shut so tightly. That you were getting ready to ask if he felt okay, but when the sound of metal rings out against the concrete like hard rain you forget how to speak.
Warrenâs eyes shoot open at the sound as more of the metal blades fall around him to slowly reveal white feathers.
You can tell itâs causing him pain, but heâs trying his best hide it.
When the last remnants of the metal blades collide to the ground, youâre left speechless.
His wings were remarkable even with the metal, but this goes beyond that.
You stand there frozen in awe that it doesnât even register that Warren has now turned to stand in front you, both your hands intertwined with his own.
And heâs smiling so brightly that itâs putting the damn sunset behind you to shame.
You donât think youâve ever seen him smile like this.
âI knew you could do it.â He says.
The whole situation has left you speechless.
He brings his hands up to the side of your face to refocus your attention on him.
As you were still staring at the forgotten metal blades scattered around you.
When you turn to look at him, you see the worried expression on his face.
âIâm fine. Iâm justâŚ,â struggling to find words âIt worked.â
And thereâs that million-dollar smile of his that brings you out of whatever stupor you were just in.
âYouâre welcome. Youâre not in any pain or anything are you?â
He lets out a small laugh. âNo, Iâm fine. The best Iâve felt in a long while.â
And at that you return a smile of your own.
You arenât sure how much time manages to go by, but youâre both standing so close to one another in comfortable silence that it would be almost criminal if it were to be broken.
Warren gently leans his forehead against your own.
The sentiment leaves your head spinning as you fight back the urge to break the silence.
Apart of you is fighting so hard to push down those words that are building up in the back of throat.
It would be so easy to let them slip,it could be good for you, for the both of you, but you still arenât sure how to tell him or how heâll even react at your declaration ofâŚ
But you donât have time to think about what his reaction will be because the same words you were holding back on, are the exact words that silently pass his lips.
The faint whisper of âI love you.â that leaves you reeling away from his touch.
The fear that etches his face at your action almost breaks your heart, because you can tell that he doesnât think you feel the same.
So, you step towards him again and you feel the heat rise to your cheeks before you give him a small smile. It was almost as if telling him would make those words have a greater meaning. He wouldnât tell you until later, but he knew he had loved you for awhile, but now, he felt it was even more.
 And you finally tell him. âI love you.â
Now itâs his turn to reel away in surprise.
But his surprised expression only last for a split second before heâs smiling down at you again and pulling you against his chest in a hug.
