I was talking to my friends when Hank suddenly turned the corner. My eyes went wide as he looked over, coming toward us. "Oh, there she goes," someone joked.

Panicking a bit, I looked down at my hands, realizing I was going invisible. Dang it... "Hey, Y/n," Hank greeted. I looked up. He was looking slightly to the left of my eyes. I giggled.

"Hey Hank," I replied. How sweet of him to pretend that I wasn't going invisible. The effort was appreciated. It made him even more charming. The thought made me get more tingly, letting me know I as turning even more invisible. I sighed. "Sorry. I'm disappearing again..." I was thankful that he couldn't see me because I was blushing horribly.

"Don't worry. It's cute that you're so shy around me," he joked. Or... Flirted? Cute was a word one used to flirt right?

My stomach flipping into endless chaos as I tried to come up with something but failed. I felt stupid as I stood there and did nothing but struggle and stutter. "I- uh- you're- there's- um..." Everyone cracked up laughing, but the only thing I could think was that Hank had totally flirted with me. Nothing else really seemed to matter past that.

-

Nerves and anxiety rose as I watched Hank stand up straight again. I'd bumped into him, dropping the book in my hand in surprise, and he had immediately caught it midair. He now held it out to me and those around us where snickering and teasing. My friends winked at me, motioning me forward and to continue. To say something. Grab the book. Something.

Seeing my panic, Hank smiled. "You dropped this." He shook his hand a bit, offering my book back again. My best friend face palmed.

Reaching out my hands, I wrapped my fingers around the book gingerly so that our hands wouldn't touch. He shifted his hold, pursing his lips as he purposefully let go in a way that would cause our fingers to brush. I smiled. "Thanks." I looked down at the book to see that it was simply floating, mid air, held by nothing any eye could see.

Great. I was invisible. Again.

Amused, warm laughter filled my ears and I looked over to see Hank looking... sort of at me. He was blushing and immediately awkward. It was unfair how much he knew that I liked him. He must not like me at all, since he hasn't done anything about it. He must feel so sorry for me. Wow.

First, he just nodded and turned to leave. I hung my head in shame. Then, though, Hank turned back around and the sudden movement caught my eye. "Do you want to get dinner? Or, uh, something?" He shifted, fidgeting nervously.

My mind went blank. "Like... l-like a date?" I asked, throat dry and knuckles white around my book.

Hank's blushed worsened, tinting his skin in an adorable, dusty pink. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Like a date. Um. If you want, that is."

"Like a romantic date?" My voice was growing quieter and I stared at him. He shuffled, so embarrassed that he nodded. He looked like he as ready to be rejected and I realized that in my awe that Hank was actually asking me out on an actual, just the two of us, as more than friends... I hadn't answered him. The poor boy probably thought I felt weird and didn't want to go with him! "O-of course!" I rushed. "I would absolutely love to!"

The warmest, most adorable smile one person ever did smile was smiled in the second. He looked at me (almost) and grinned so wide that the room grew two shades warmer and the sun itself was weaker in comparison. His eyes lit up and the energy gave me life and made me smile too, unable to help myself. "Great!" He gushed. "I'll pick you up? Outside your room maybe? Tonight?"

At first I nodded but then I realized he probably still couldn't see me. "Yeah, awesome."

He began walking backwards. "Tonight."

"Tonight," I confirmed.

I had never wanted the sun to set and school to end more than I did right then and there. Tonight, I had a romantic date with Hank McCoy. Me. And him. Oh my gosh?!

-

When he did finally pick me up, I was already disappearing again. He chuckled when he saw my only half visible patches of me. "Nervous?"

I blushed. "Aren't you?"

"Oh absolutely," he replied honestly, nodding with a smile that teased both of us. This put me at ease and I offered a soft smile. One I wasn't quite sure if he could see... As I relaxed and became completely visible, his eyes found me and I realized he could see me. We both grinned. He offered me his arm and when I took it, he pulled me gently after him, guiding me outside. He had a little blanket with nothing on it but a boom box and an open view of the incredible night sky. He motioned for me to sit and I did, him resting next to me. The blanket was small so we sat close and I wondered how much of this was on purpose.

For most of the night, we talked and flirted and joked around and geeked out. He told me about some things he'd been searching into and looking for. Things that he was diving into. He told me about his search for the cure to our Mutations, which set kind of a weird mood as I didn't mind my mutation at all. It wasn't bad though, I guess, so I let the conversation drop as I only had one side to the story. He apologized for bringing it up. It grew quiet after that. I pulled my knees up and looked forward, my arms crossed on top of my legs and my chin resting on my arms.

A thought crossed my mind and a I frowned. "Do you think that Raven is beautiful?"

This seemed to take Hank completely off guard. "I... do you really want me to answer that?"

My eyes found him. "Honestly," I added, nodding.

For a second he tilted his head, thinking. "I... guess. Yeah, she's fairly beautiful."

I looked at him a long time. "Would you think she was beautiful with her blue skin and red hair as much as you think she's beautiful with her cream tones and honey blonde hues?" Hank looked away, finally seeing my point. "You know, I like your feet." He looked over. "I've seen them. I think they're amazing. I think they're incredible, actually. Really cool and useful and- and I suppose I wouldn't really know what it's like to live like that. But I like you, Hank. Even with your feet. Even with your mutation. Do you like me, even with mine? Because we come as a package deal."

He moved closer. "Of course I do. I think very highly of you and I wouldn't change a thing about you. Your mutation... it's... it's adorable." I quirked an eyebrow and he blushed but continued. "I mean, you disappear when you get scared or nervous or flustered and that's only because you can't quite control it yet. It's useful, too, because you can sneak around and get places without being seen. You're a critical and highly appreciated member of the Team."

"So are you," I interjected.

"Sure," he agreed, shrugging. "But I'm... deformed. I'm nerdy and weird and when people see my feet, they think 'useful' or 'interesting' or 'cool'. Not 'adorable'. Not 'attractive'. I'm a total freak. Can't you see that?"

For a long second I was quiet. "I think you're attractive, Hank. Despite Alex's teases and whatever anyone else might have ever said. I remember when I fell and you caught me that one time. Or how you have really good reflexes and you snagged my book out of the air that other time. I think you're amazing. And your feet aren't normal- that doesn't mean they're deformed. I think your ability to move and be the way you are is incredibly adorable. Like when you're hangin upside down and your hair is straight up and you've got this grin on your face. I think you're adorable. And I like you. Mutation and all."

In that moment, I realized how close we were. "You're the first to think that," he whispered.

I shook my head. "But not the last. Charles, too. And Raven defended you against Alex. And... and I'm sure..." my voice faded out as he leaned closer, his eyes hovering between closing and staying open. I realized that I had the same buzzing in my skin as I did when I always disappeared and when his lips pressed against my right eye lid, I realized that I had indeed gone ghost. "That's my eye," I whispered. "These are my lips." I reached out, holding his face as I brought his lips to mine. And then we were kissing.

Mutation or not, he saw me in a way that no one else ever had - the same for me towards him. And he was kissing me and the moment stretched on forever and nothing else mattered. Not our mutations or the crappy world we lived in or the dangers peeking out around corners or the school we were in, struggling to learn how to control our powers or the fact that after tonight we would either go on more dates or our friendship would be ruined forever.

He liked me. And I liked him. And that was all we needed for now.

He leaned back, his hand moving to touch my face. "Will you ever stop going invisible around me?"

I grinned. "Will you ever stop making me dizzy and nervous and unsure and scared and happy and making my head spin and my stomach twist and my heart beat wildly?"

A little laugh came from him, warm and soft but strong. "Hopefully not." I shrugged, silently motioning to his answer as an echo of a response to is question. "I think I can be okay with that." And then he kissed me again.