minded | leave a message. ( overflow & catch-call )

Would it truly matter if I was?

[ in hindsight, that sounds truly dismissive to say, so charles amends: ]

I'm not disappointed, Scott. Not in you or him. I have placed [ an unbearably high standard for everyone to meet, simply because they are standards i hold myself against ] a lot of pressure on many people in my life, and Erik is as steadfast in his beliefs as I am with mine.

Respecting one another as equals often means knowing where our boundaries are. He honours mine, and I his.

[ which means erik doesn't stay, and charles doesn't go to him. adulthood is very complicated. ]

[In his opinion, there's like maybe two things worse than having Professor Xavier disappointed in you. It's like your soul shrivels up and you just want to lie on the ground and stare at the sky or ceiling for two hours. Way more effective than his old teachers.

Alex being disappointed would be worse but--]

And those boundaries involve living apart from each other.

[Not that he really has strong opinions of having Mr. Lehnsherr live here. He also thinks the professor is still disappointed, he just said it in a roundabout way.] And... that's just how it is?

The long and short of it, yes, Scott. Top marks, and I mean that sincerely.

[ adult relationships are so complex, aren't they? he hopes it won't be the same for scott and jean. time will tell if theirs is just a teenage flirtation or something more, but for both their sakes he hopes—

he wishes they would have an easier go of it. ]

We both have things to do that are counter to what we want to achieve. Perhaps one day I can explain it to you.

[Top marks, huh? ...Kind of nice.]

He has a different view on how humans and mutants should coexist, right?

I know that, Professor. [He thinks so??? Maybe.]

[ cue a charles, laughing hysterically, desperately, in the privacy of his mind. ]

Of a sort. Perhaps we might tackle the differences in conversation at a better time.

[ that is, not when your professor isn't steeped in his emotions over a certain metal man. (so, really, there is never a good time.) ]

Shall I advise you about Jean? Turnabout's only fair.

[He didn't mean to go in a slight panic about this, but Professor Xavier is basically Jean's dad, right? So. Is this the talk?? Already???? He did mention protection earlier--]

Uh what's to advise? I mean, we're totally good and cool-- boundaries. You mentioned those, uh, definitely have them. Respect them.

[Smooth as shit, Summers.]

...Yeah, sure. I really like Jean.

[He feels embarrassed saying it out loud even though the entire school knows it at this point. It's just, gross teenage feelings!! But he truly does like Jean, since the day they met ~~just don't talk about the bump in the hallway~~. He... wants to be with her and hearing the professor out is probably a good idea.]

Yes, you do. And she likes you very much as well. You are both at the cusp of greatness, coming into your powers at a very young age, and hopefully with our guidance you can reach greater heights of self-actualisation.

My only advice - possibly the only advice that matters - is that you remain truthful with her. Given the nature of her powers, trust comes with difficulty for anyone. Even with me. If there is ever anything about the two of you that you feel she must know, even if you believe it might hurt her, or hurt you both if she knew - be forthcoming with her.

Telepaths take betrayals very personally. Likely more so than others. Everything else is surmountable.

[ there may be some projection going on from charles' end, yes, but it holds no less true. telepathy makes one so sensitive to the truth, because of how often people lie and self-censor. it can be painful to witness the truth be hidden away under a smile, or a loving touch. ]

[...Him and the others have to reach those heights, right? To be X-Men. That's what Scott has always assumed, why he takes the training sessions very seriously. Because mutant relations are tense and somewhat up in the air after Cairo. Not to mention that if... if Alex died, if Raven couldn't help save the first X-Men team, that means he has do what he can so that none of his new family meets that same fate.]

Of course, Professor. I wouldn't lie to Jean. [Great, instead of Scott coming out of this conversation with all the gossip, the professor is--] Because I trust her. Even if she can read my mind, or accidentally does. It's okay.

[He's okay with it now at any rate.]

[ charles has been running circles around people since he was eight, scott; don't take it personally. ]

No, Scott. Don't think of it that way. You must have your own boundaries, still. Codependency is never good, not for us, not for anyone, and it would be best to learns where lines fall while you're young. Both of you.

Some things in life you only learn through practice, and taking care of your boundaries is one such thing. Be honest with her, but remember it goes both ways. Love who you are in your own way. Not just in the ways that Jean cares for you.

I would give all of you the same advice, if you would have it.

[ don't be like your professor. he loved, and then he lost. he keeps losing, even when he wins. ]

[Scott's not sure if he follows everything the Professor is saying to him, but it sounds like he should just agree anyway.]

Yes, Professor. We'll establish boundaries and everything. I mean, if I don't like something she's doing, I'll tell her. And Jean knows she can do the same.

[She's the first friend he made here anyway...]

[ scott, no. ]

You didn't entirely get all of that, did you? Scott. Be frank with me, please. I want to know what you're thinking.

[CAUGHT.....]

Can't you just read my mind and find out?

[Maybe just a little grumpy that he didn't fully understand what the Professor was telling him and getting called out on it. He just feels dumb or like he's disappointing him again.]

I could, yes. But it would not be fair to you, and would be highly unethical of me to do as your professor and faculty counsel.

Scott, you're a good young man. You needn't dismiss yourself so much. Alex had always been proud of you.

[ it'd been visible, even without the telepathy, that alex's and scott's relationship as brothers had been fraught with a sense of inequality for some time. in and of itself, its nothing so unusual by charles' measure, but he also knows a thing or two about older siblings casting a long shadow that can weigh heavily on the mind.

alex had done a stretch in solitary juvenile, yes, but he'd since been a war hero twice, sacrificing himself for others in the end. it's not an easy legacy to stand next to. ]

Tell me, what do you think your best qualities are?

[......He's not going to cry. He totally isn't.

Is the professor just saying that about Alex? He doesn't know if he's doing enough to live up to the legacy he's left behind. He's one that was going to do great things; he was the war hero and someone that could control his powers. Scott was just some kid without any real direction in life. If Alex was still alive, he'd definitely be part of the X-Men team instead of him, right? Chosen as the leader. And he wouldn't fault any of them.

And now he's with a team that have been mutants much longer than him, that can control their powers. Except for Jean, but.]

You said before that I can be a good leader. That's why you wanted me to focus on during my training. I promise that I have.

leave a message. ( overflow & catch-call )

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject