Mutant (Fassavoy)

9 - Death's Timing

//Trigger warning: panic attack, questions about and of death, angst, and more death.\\

3rd POV

James sat up, tears still uncontrollably running down his face. He wiped the tears away from his face with his arm, but they still came. 

"M-Michael?" James asked shakily through sobs

Fassbender made his way over to James' bed and sat down.

James was panting and trying to calm his breathing. His watery blue eyes watched Michael carefully.

The Scottish actor was failing at calming himself down even a little bit. James didn't want to show weakness to Michael. 

Michael pulled James into a comforting hug. James' sobs seemed to increase. 

James' POV

Would this be the position I die in? Clinging to Michael as I bled out from a hit one of Charles and Erik's kidnappers gave me. 

Or would it be the other way around? 

Or would we die holding each other. 

3rd POV

James' breathing was increasing rapidly. Michael pulled away and grabbed McAvoy's shoulders gently. 

James kept his gaze down as tears fell from his face. 

"Hey. James. Look at me." Michael said softly.

James shook his head stubbornly. 

Michael remover one of his hands from James' shoulders and gently used his hand to tip James' face up so they were both looking at each other. 

James tried to pull away but Michael wouldn't let him. "Can you breathe with me? I want you to breathe with me." Michael spoke softly. 

Eyes on James, Michael started to breath slowly. In and out. James tried to copy but made no visible progress. 

Then an idea hit Michael. Was he making this worse by showing up?

"Do-do you want to be alone?" He asked, stopping the breathing tactic. 

James looked at him through tears. His eye sight was slightly blurred and he couldn't see Michael that well having not bothered turning on the lights when he walked in. 

James shook his quickly. 

"Do you want the lights on?" Michael asked another question. 

McAvoy nodded. 

Michael stood up and turned the lights to the trailer's bedroom on. James squinted to let his eyes adjust which made even more tears fall. 

 "I-I don't want to d-die." James said, sobbing. 

"Wha- James. Hey, it's ok. We aren't going to die. We'll get through this." Michael said, finally understand why his friend was panicking. 

"We're going to figure this whole thing out, ok?" Michael didn't expect an answer as he pulled James back into a hug. 

James was shaking slightly. 

"I w-want things to be n-normal."

"I know, I know. I do too. We'll power through until we are back to normal. Nothing bad is going to happen." Michael says, gently rubbing a few fingers up and down James' back reassuringly. 

Michael's POV

I could feel James shaking in my arms. He was pressing himself against me. His face was buried in my shoulder, which was getting a bit wet from his tears but I didn't say anything. 

"We're going to be alright. I promise. We go together and nothing is going to rip us apart. Even if we are miles away, we're together." I said softly. 

"Why were we brought into this?" James asks slowing his shaking just a small bit. 

My first answer was fate. 

Were we made to have these powers? Were we supposed to become the young Charles Xavier and the young Erik Lehnsherr?

Was it really fate?

Was fate even a thing?

Would this be how we go out? How me and James find our ending?

No. 

I shake myself out of it. Right now, I wasn't supposed to be asking myself questions no one alive knows the answer too, I was supposed to be helping one of my best friends/crushes calm down from a panic attack.

"I don't know, James. I don't know." I reply finally. 

James nods into my shirt. I can tell he's still really upset and worried. 

Usually, James isn't like this. Anxiety-controlled, that is. Not around me or anyone that I've met that has also met him.

It's weird seeing him upset. And it's different from seeing him drunk-upset. When he's drunk and showing his emotion, he's blurting it all out, not careful to chose his words or careful about who he is talking to. When he's sober and upset, it's way different. 

Seeing him like this is honestly enough to make someone else become upset. 

James always seems smooth and in control of what he is doing with his life. He's in control of how most people see him. James is aware of what he is doing just about all the time (except when he's drunk. Which happens more times than it should-). 

It feels awful to see someone like James upset, no matter who you are. Especially when you care  for them almost more than anything on this whole god forsaken world. 

3rd POV

After a few minutes of Michael soothing James, the Scottish man started to calm down. They sat there, arms wrapped around each other as James' sobs turned to quickened breath and his quickened breath turned to slower breaths. 

James pulled away from Michael. Michael, despite the situation, immediately missed having James pressed against himself. 

McAvoy wiped his face with his arms and rubbed his eyes after closing them. 

"Thanks, Michael." James in a quiet whisper which is really just a whisper. 

"Of course, James." Michael said with a small, sad smile. 

Much to Michael's enjoyment, James sank back into Michael's arms. For a second, Michael's smile turned from sad to happy. But James didn't see.

The two sat like this for another couple of minutes before James got a call on his phone. 

James' phone sat on a table next to the bed the two were sitting on. 

McAvoy reached over and read the number. He sighed a bit, adding a chuckle after. 

"It's my mom." 

Michael snickered silently, however that is possible. 

James hit the answer button on his phone. 

"Hi, mum," he said with a small smile. 

"Yes. I'm doing fine." James glances over at Michael who had moved back to give James at least some space to talk to his mother.

"No, it's fine. We finished filming for the day a little while ago. Why? What's up?" 

"Yeah? What about her? Is she alright?" 

There's a quick silence. James' face falls. 

"O-oh" his voice cracks. "How?"

"They don't?"

"Oh. W-when is it?" 

"July 16?" 

"I'll probably be able to make it."

"Yeah. I'll see you then." 

"Bye mom." 

James hangs up the phone. He looks upset again. 

"What happened?" Michael asked, innocently.