a/n: time skip because i need these two to be married already so i can bring on the chaos

~Five months later~

"Thank you for finally meeting us. I believe we should properly introduce ourselves... I'm Steve Rogers, and that's Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Thor Odinson, Prince T'Challa, Bruce Banner and Clint Barton."

"Scott... These are my X-Men Lyla, Ororo, Jean, Logan, Rogue, and Remy. Night crawler and Quicksilver weren't able to make it, but send their regards." Scott introduced us and shook Steve's hand while the rest of us sat down.

"I guess that we should start with your mutations. What are they?" Tony asked and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Say a name and we'll tell you, as well as our alias." Jean shrugged. "We are all born with different abilities."

"Scott."

"Cyclops and I shoot optic beams from my eyes."

"Ororo." 

"Storm and I can control and manipulate weather patterns. They call me Mistress of the Elements."

"Remy."

"Name's Gambit, mon ami. I can charge anything with pure kinetic energy."

"Rogue."

"Just Rogue, sugar. I can absorb anyone's life essence or powers with a single touch."

"Jean."

"Phoenix. I have the power of telepathy and telekinesis... As well as the host of a cosmic entity."

"Uhh... Lyla."

"Ravager. I have claws made from adamantium, severely enhanced senses and a regenerative factor as well as atavism... And I also carry an essence from the same cosmic entity Jean has."

"Logan."

"Wolverine. Adamantium claws, enhanced senses, atavism and regenerative factor."

"So, two of you are walking weapons, two of you carry a cosmic entity and one of you can drain someone with a single touch?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "And yet you wonder why some people find you... unsettling."

"We're not weapons." Dad and I snarled.

"Could've fooled me. You two carry enough metal in your bodies to start an arms race."

"Not by choice, Stark." I spat and Scott held gently squeezed my thigh in warning. "You're telling me that none of you raise any alarms?"

"We don't-"

"Enhanced war vet, assassin, man in a flying tin can, norse god, vibranium suit, the Hulk and a guy who never misses." Rogue listed and crossed her arms. "You telling me that don't raise any alarms?"

"This isn't about accusations." Steve tried to reason. "We're here to bridge a gap. It's just... Hard for people to see that kind of power and not worry."

"They worry because of what you said. You painted us as threats and then call a meeting to talk peace?" I scoffed as my claws extended. "We're only unsettling because you made us out to be."

"Easy." Jean spoke in my mind and I looked down before pulling back my cowl.

"Point is that we're not the bad guys here. We have to fight for our own place in this world because you all made it seemingly impossible to even be in the same school! Does that sound familiar? Because it really should."

"We're not here to rehash old history. But we can't deny that some of the outcomes of your fights has been... catastrophic."

"Ours!?" Gambit exclaimed. "Last I checked, we didn't level an entire country! They're quick to forget and call it collateral when it's you, but when it's us, we're getting locked away and collared."

"The difference is that we take accountability." Natasha defended and Scott's jaw clenched as he stood. "Humans take accountability."

"Then where was the accountability when they kidnapped Lyla and forced her to undergo an experiment that still haunts her twelve years later? Where's the accountability when they made Logan fight the front lines in every single war when all he wanted was peace? Where's the accountability when my brother had to lock himself away from the only family he had left because you humans tossed him aside instead of trying to understand and help him?" Scott's voice trembled and we all looked down. "Where was the accountability when they hunted down children like Storm and Gambit, forcing them to survive on their own before they could even understand what they were!?"

"We're not here to defend every mistake humanity's made." Tony interjected. "But you can't deny that when things go south with you guys, people get hurt. Whether it's your fault or not, people die."

"People always die, bub." Dad defended, crossing his arms. "But somehow it's only mutants that get caught with their hands in the fire. We get painted as monsters when we're the ones being left with the scars."

"So what's the alternative? Ignore the risks? Pretend that nobody's been hurt by a mutant?"

"Or that a mutant been's hurt by a human? You've got tech on the market that can level countries and somehow it's our fault and we're dangerous when things go south?"

"I'm not saying you're the danger. I'm saying-"

"That we're the threat." Rogue interrupted as Scott sat back down and I reached out to hold his hand. "The moment a mutant discovers their powers, it becomes dangerous to you. But you never see the human side of it... You don't know the experiments, the betrayal we've all been through at one point of our lives."

"You have never asked why we're fighting in the first place." Ororo added. "We have been hunted down by your kind for as long as I could remember. Why wouldn't we fight back?"

"Mutants are forced to hide who they are. They're forced into a corner by people who don't understand." Jean said, her eyes glowing for a brief moment before turning back to normal. "How do you think it affects them?"

"We both have blood on our hands." Natasha sighed. "The question is whether we're going to keep blaming each other or move forward and try to find a peaceful coexistence?"

"We fight because we have to, you fight because you want to." Scott defended and gave my hand a squeeze. "Every day is a battle to just exist without being seen as a threat. This isn't about what we can do with our powers. It's about survival."

"We take care of literal children... Innocent kids who didn't ask to be abandoned by their families because they were different." I quietly said and their eyes widened. "I have eight year olds cry themselves to sleep every night and seventeen year olds worried about how the world is gonna treat them once they're of legal age... They're kids. Innocent and sweet kids who are scared of the world we live in. That's not a life for us to live."

"We look after those kids because no one else will." Dad added. "You think we enjoy seeing those young ones cower in fear and constantly wonder if the world's gonna tear them apart?"

"We try to make the world a safer place for those kids because none of you will. The Avengers don't protect mutants... You guys indirectly work in alienating us even more."

"We're not asking for pity." Scott called out. "But this is the reality we live in. They don't worry about prom or anything like that. They're terrified that their powers will turn them into weapons... That's the kind of life we're trying to change. We can't do it alone, but we don't have the luxury of waiting for someone to notice."

"No one enjoys having a child cry in your arms because they can't control their abilities or they're scared of it." Gambit interjected. "We just try and make sure they can someday live a life where they won't have to look over their shoulders all the time. But we can't do that if every time something happens, we're instantly being blamed... That's the narrative you built. You're not helping us break it, but you're reinforcing it."

"Remy, we didn't mean to-"

"Then for the love of God, don't encourage them!" Scott exclaimed and we all stood up. "We're not the enemy here and it's clear that this conversation will get us nowhere right now... Word of advice, put yourselves in our shoes for a while before you go running your mouths at the next press conference."

"Scott, a little warning-"

"No, let me warn you. You either get with the program and accept that we're not going anywhere, or you get the hell out of our way, Captain Rogers."

"And if we don't?" Tony challenged and we all smirked.

"Then we'd love to see you try and stop us."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"You're brooding."

"I'm not-"

"You are." I interrupted and Scott sighed, switching from the glasses to his night visor. "All things considered, I think it went well."

"They didn't listen. Only Steve partially listened, but he still doesn't get it!" He exclaimed.

"I know, red eyes." I said softly and reached out to adjust his visor. "But I think there was progress, even if it wasn't the way we wanted it to. You could practically see the gears turning in their heads."

"Yeah, but I don't think they'll fully get it. They don't see these kids the way we do, they just see the threats."

"I truly wish things were different." I admitted and showed my claws. "I wish a lot of things never happened, but I can't change things overnight. But what I can do is keep fighting until they can't ignore us anymore. Until they change their perspective."

"I just wish we didn't have to fight for them to see us as people." Scott admitted and sat on the bed as I retracted my claws.

"Hey, we made it this far, haven't we?"

"Not necessarily the point."

"Scott, we get married in a week... The way I see it, it's a miracle we even made it this far."

"A miracle, huh?"

"Yes, a miracle." I rolled my eyes and sat next to him. "Change isn't gonna happen overnight, love. It's gonna take a while... The important thing is that we made a huge leap today and have them something to think about."

"It's frustrating, y'know? No matter how much we fight, they'll never see us beyond our powers."

"At least we made them question their assumptions. That has to count for something."

"Yeah... but it sometimes feels like a losing battle."

"If there's one thing I learned from my dad is that there's no losing battles, just ones that weren't fought properly." I shrugged and kissed his cheek. "I think it's time we look at the bigger picture... Starting with training Jubilee because she's driving everyone up the wall."

"That girl is a handful." Scott finally laughed and I smiled. "But she has potential."

"And knowing you, you'll work her to the bone in learning control."

"Maybe... But she has heart, just like the rest of these kids."

"So we'll start from there. Baby steps." I assured and he nodded.

"Yeah... baby steps."