The Mutant Problem (Xana x The Corsair)

[Xanaphia]

Once Joe let go, freed from the extra weight he added, Lila rose even higher into the sky, several feet before she stabilized into a hover again. A few feet for her, and a few dozen feet for him, as gravity reclaimed the man. Catching him with just air proved a challenge, difficult to judge how make force she needed without the immediate feedback of winds keeping herself aloft. Diverting her focus from herself alone to keeping herself steady and carrying Joe as well. Sure, he'd be fine if she failed, or at least, he'd survive, she didn't want to let him down. Not literally, and not figuratively either.

He trusted her, clearly. Why wasn't it easier to trust herself?

The roar of winds surrounded them, her bobbing with uncertainty and distraction, him slowing as her powers again challenged gravity. With just a scant few feet left, she caught him, cradled him with air and will, her breaths as ragged as the squall brewing between them. And yet calling upon her power in new ways quickly became muscle memory, carrying Joe back up to her level.

"You seem awfully keen to test my powers. Maybe it's your turn. Should we figure out how you can handle an F5? Or find out if you are actually electrocution proof?" Despite the taunt of her words, there was little heat. No with the way her eyes softened with relief and renewed confidence.

 

[TheCorsair]

“Yes!” Joe shouted, pumping his fist as he felt the howling winds break his fall. He was closer to the ground than he necessarily wanted to be - he could have literally put his fingertips on the grass - but she’d done it! And he didn’t have to recover from torn muscles and shattered bone.

“I knew you could do it!” he added as the wind surged, carrying him skyward once more. “That was amazing!”

She was breathing hard and there was pride and confidence in her eyes. “You seem awfully keen to test my powers.”

He grinned. “That’s what we’re here for, right?”

“Maybe it's your turn,” she muttered, flicking her fingers and letting him drop a few feet before catching him with the air once mire. “Should we figure out how you can handle an F5? Or find out if you are actually electrocution proof?"

The lightness of her tone and the glitter of humor in her eyes made him reasonably confident she was joking. “No idea about an F5,” he replied with a shrug. “Hardest I’ve ever hit the ground was a terminal velocity fall.” He winced. “Hurt like a bitch.”

For a moment his eyes gazed into the distance as the memory returned. His chute hadn’t deployed properly and he’d started tumbling. He’d hit the ground at an angle, bouncing and rolling to the sounds of his bones shattering and shredding his muscles and organs, and he’d thought for certain he was going to die. But the feel of his bones resetting themselves had hurt worse, right until the pain had vanished.

He shook his head. “But, yeah. We should probably figure a way to test my powers as well. And your control. For instance…” He leaned forward and lashed a hand out, catching her wrist and jerking her back into his arms. “How do you handle surprise!”

 

[Xanaphia]

The sudden yank stole the air from her lungs. One heartbeat she was skimming the currents, steady and sure, the next she was reeling backward into the heat of him. His chest was solid at her back, his arm a band of iron around her middle, the rest of the world lost in the rush of displaced air.

For a flicker of a moment, instinct screamed to twist free, to call the wind and scatter him like the storm scatters leaves. But his laugh rumbled through her spine, low and wicked, and that startled jolt tangled with something warmer.

"How do I handle surprise?" she echoed, the words breathless against the gale that whipped around them. Her lips curved before she even thought about it. "Careful, Joe. I might take that as a challenge."

The wind obeyed her in a sudden updraft, wrapping around them both in a playful swirl that tugged at hair and clothes. She shifted in his grip just enough to glance over her shoulder, meeting his grin with one of her own. "And you know what happens when I'm challenged."

Without giving him a chance to answer, she let the air drop—just enough to make his stomach lurch—before catching them again in a buoyant, spiraling climb. Her pulse was still wild, half from the stunt, half from the feel of him holding on through it.

"Your turn to trust me," she said, and this time she meant it in more ways than one.