* closed starter for /Â @optiicsblasts !
emma was far too intelligent and much too aware of every inch of her self to not recognize that the emotions that churned in the pit of her stomach after the mist were not her own. this rage - it was unnatural at best, itâs heat and itâs ferocity far more than what she was used to. she wantedâŠ- her instincts were clouded, everything becoming something worse than an inconvenience, to her. she didnât just want to snap a disparaging comment, anymore, and glide away on kitten heels. she wanted to - hurt.Â
sheâd felt this feeling before. just once. only as the phoenix had she ever felt her emotions heightened in this way, and as so, she had wanted to burn this world to the ground. at the time it had felt natural, and logical, only because she had never known what it was like to lose her own agency, like that. now, howeverâŠ- emma was TOO SMART for this. too self aware. as the fury that ran hot in her veins reached boiling, she shifted into diamond form as easy as she might inhale a steadying breath ; and it proved to be as much help as one. only as diamond did her thoughts clear, again, cut off from whatever feeling she had been burdened with. cut off from them all, actually.Â
at least when max came looking for her, she didnât want to drop kick his beautiful little face. âmum?â heâd run to her - his voice, his expression, all of it unusually soft. when he wrapped his arms around her, she mimicked the movement, only capable of being taken aback by such a gesture when she was full, flesh bodied. âthereâs something wrong with dadâŠâ
- when they arrived, maxâs hand wrapped tight around her own ( he hadnât wanted to hold her hand since he was five ; sheâd always thought he grew up TOO quickly ), it was obvious that his words had not been an exaggeration. scottâs visor grasped tight in one hand, his eyes, mercifully, still pressed closed, emma didnât NEED the telepathy she had willingly cut herself off from to know what was running through his mind, and she reacted in kind. âscott, you halfwit - put the VISOR back on.â
itâd been a long time since his last mission as leader of the x-men, but the second the first alert had been issued, a switch inside of scott was flipped and he found himself assuming the familiar role. a surge of confidence flowed through him as he helped the party-goers reach their assigned safety zones, before, he too headed for safety, his fourteen year old in toe.
while it wasnât quite the same as a being on a mission with the x-men, scott had felt the familiar sense of pride that came with it. itâd been a long time, too long, since heâd last been a part of a mission, and heâd forgotten how much he loved it- how great it made him feel.Â
scott felt great, even as he sat at one of the circular cafeteria tables, trying his best to keep a fourteen year old pre-occupied. he had no idea what was going on around them, and while it did worry him- scott was able to momentarily forget, his thoughts focused on max.Â
and then the mist came. and once again scottâs instincts kicked in as he grabbed max and dragged him under the table, using his body to shield him. this only made scott feel better, in fact, he hadnât felt this great since heâd come back to life. he felt- he felt, well alive.Â
he wasnât sure what happened next, what prompted him to remove his visor, but there he was- kneeling in the middle of the floor, his visor cradled in his hands, his eyes still squeezed shut. it was a foolish thing to do, he knew it- but for once scott truly felt like it would be okay. heâd open his eyes and nothing would happen, heâd be able to see, his children could look him in his eyes.
a smile broke out across his face and just as he was ready to open his eyes, he heard a familiar voice. âno em,â he called, laughter in his voice as he lifted his head, âitâs fine- iâm fine,â he insisted, âi donât need my visor,â he explained to her, turning his head towards her, a smile spreading across his face as he slowly opened his eyes.
heâd been smart enough to not directly face emma, in case something had gone wrong- what he hadnât accounted for as their son standing next to his mother. heâd been wrong, heâd been so foolishly wrong, the moment heâd opened his eyes the familiar red blast filled the room, his optic blast pointed directly towards his son. and unable to do anything else, he screamed.Â