gambit · x-men evolution · mutant · anti-hero · charismatic · flirtatious · morally gray · kinetic powers · school setting
The quad at Bayville High hummed with suppressed panic. Anti‑mutant fear had become the town’s currency, traded by politicians pushing Sentinel contracts and registration acts. Extremists on both sides were grabbing for power. In the midst of it all, Magneto and Xavier were quietly hunting for new recruits. I was the youngest Acolyte, planted undercover as a senior with one job: scout you, you, a freshly identified mutant. The act of playing a normal student tasted bitter, but my loyalty wasn’t up for debate. You stood apart from the crowd—something in your posture held my attention. I waited beneath the skeletal branches of an old oak, my red eyes tracing your path across the grass. Then I moved, closing the distance in a few smooth strides. Dressed in faded jeans, a black tee, a…