Prepare For Trouble. And Make It Double. (Xav/Jax)

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg didn’t know how exactly to feel about Ms. Vasiliev asking him to be transferred to a new trainer. She was one of the first few teachers he actually liked. She was genuinely nice, warm and extremely understanding. (The telepath was such a mess during his first month, and she didn’t take it against him; he swore once he graduates he’d get her canonized as a saint). She made it a point to really get to know Greg, asking him about his studies and how he’s settling in almost every session. And the cookies she brought as a reward after every training session were amazing. (She made him like oatmeal and raisin. It was amazing).

But as much as their mentor-mentee relationship was great, she said that she’d run out of things to teach him. Or rather, he needed a trainer could cater to his unique needs – one that specialized with telepaths and such. And while he could understand that the Russian woman only had his best interests in heart, he couldn’t help but feel a bit abandoned.

She did promise him that he could still stop by his office every Thursday after his regular training session for a fresh batch of cookies though, so still there’s a silver lining. That, and his new trainer was total eyecandy.

He took a few deep breaths before he knocked on the training room assigned to him. “Mr. Wright?” he said as he entered. He was expecting two people though, and was a little surprised when he only saw one waiting for him. “Am I in the right room? Mr. Jaxon and Xavier Wright, right? I’m guessing your other body’s somewhere outside?”

He’s never encountered a gestalt pair whose bodies were more than two feet apart, but then again most of the gestalts he’s encountered were students. He’s a trainer after all, so he must’ve had enough control to send his other body to the other side of the world for all Greg knew.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

Xavier sat sipping their morning coffee; two packets of splenda, and a mountain of creamer is how they liked it. Jaxon would sometimes add the liquid milk to their concoction, but Xavier was far too lazy to find the milk. After all, he was getting coffee for a reason. Jaxon was wide awake, but Xavier was falling asleep, like he usually was in the mornings.

<I could handle this myself, if you want, Xavier> Jax said, and though he was not in control of their body, Xavier could swear he could feel the eye roll.

<You know, these underlying issues really need to be addressed, Jax. I'm feeling the negativity already, and it's barely nine in the morning.>

But their nine am appointment had just arrived, a telepath, he assumed, who they had yet to meet, entered. Immediately, they shielded both their minds. Xavier put the coffee on their desk.

Xavier smiled at his words; his 'other' body was non-existent. It was just a single body, with Jax in the back of his mind at all times. For first time telepaths, the two had a bit of a test to see how well they could manage their power. A pre-evaluation, you could say.

"I'm Xavier," He said, offering the boy a smile. "Sit. Jaxon will be here soon. I'm guessing you're Gregory Mackenzie, the telepath that was referred to us by Ms. Vasiliev?"

Just basic information first. It always started this way.

<How Boring> Xavier thought to himself.

He could feel Jaxon smiling.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Ms. Vasiliev wasn’t lying – Mr. Wright was indeed quite the eye candy. Deliciously curly hair, ovary-busting voice, and that stare that tiptoes the very fine line between innocent boy-next-door and devilish town rebel. Why this was the first time he’s heard of the Wrights was beyond him. He was a total babe. The Xavier part, at least. Though in his experience gestalts were more often than not identical than fraternal, so he’d be damned.

If it wasn’t for that scruff that he had, which objectively was nice but the Canadian teen just wasn’t too keen on facial hair, Greg would’ve been dead right about now.

Now he hoped he didn’t project those thoughts to his trainer accidentally. He had a knack for making the best first impressions (/end sarcasm) but he’d want this to go smoothly. After all, if Ms. Vasiliev would recommend, no insist, he got transferred under their care, they must be good.

“Greg,” he said with a smile, offering his hand out for a handshake, “So I’m guessing I can refer to you as Mr. Xavier instead of Mr. Wright?” If they insisted on being referred to with their first names, that could possibly explain why Greg hasn’t heard of them; he hasn’t exactly heard of Mr. Wrights but he might’ve heard of a Mr. Xavier before.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

"For the sake of simplicity, you can call us Mr. Wright. You'll understand what I mean in a few moments, I promise." The boy's thoughts were lost on the men, and so they barely even blinked. Before they jumped in, they took Greg's hand and gave it a firm squeeze before pulling away.

<He has manners> Jaxon thought to himself idly.

"So Greg, because this is our first meeting, I'd like to learn about you from your perspective. Ms.Vasiliev has told me some things, but I wan't to know why you think she transferred you to us?" It was one thing for a teacher to speak up and say something, but Xavier knew all too well that the student typically had a different opinion. Anya could say one thing, but trainers, including themselves, had a slight issue with assumption. He listened to the answer provided, and plugged a few mental notes within his mind. 

"Okay, now onto survey question number two. On a scale from one to ten, I'd like you to rate the following things," Xavier quickly shifted out of control, leaving Jaxon to continue the sentence. There was a slight flash in their eyes, indicating the change, but if he blinked, Greg was sure to miss it.

"Your mental shielding abilities, your reading abilities, and the intensity of your side effects."

Jaxon shifted and moved to sit in the large black leather chair behind the desk. He picked up his coffee and pressed it to his lips, drinking the cooled liquid with mild distaste.

<You should have put the milk>

<You should know I don't care.>

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as Xavier spoke. ‘You’ll understand what I mean in a few moments’? What does that mean, he thought. Normally he’d dismiss said attempts at being mysterious as the person just being cuckoo, but since his trainer was quite the feast for his eyes, he thought that maybe he’s just being enigmatic. He didn’t spare him the not-so-subtle eye roll though. (Which he quickly followed by an oops-you-caught-me-so-let-me-smile-and-show-you-I’m-actually-nice-but-since-I’m-guilty-I’m-overcompensating kind of smile).

The more aesthetically appealing having more leeway in society couldn’t be much truer in a sixteen year-old boy’s mind.

Xavier’s question was quite the toughie, in Greg’s opinion, but also straight to the point. Just the way he liked. “I think she felt like she couldn’t offer me as great of a service in training as well as someone who specializes in mental abilities,” he said, trying to find the right words to say. He didn’t want Ms. Vasiliev to appear incompetent, but also he didn’t want to seem like he didn’t like Mr. Wright. God who knew being neutral when being asked to evaluate people was this hard? “I mean, her powers worked differently. She’s taught me how to deal with side effects, but since she didn’t really need to learn how to shield her mind and all that, her exercises weren’t as effective as she wanted them to be. I think.”

While it might be true, Greg felt he just spilled so much bullshit on his new trainer(s) a toilet would be jealous.

“For side effects, it depends on what aspect of my power I’m using.” He leaned back on the chair he was on and began counting the aspects of it he’s used with his fingers. “Mild probing for surface thoughts and thought projection, the side effects would be at 3, if 1 is it’s barely there and 10 is it causing me to shit bricks. Or crap bricks, I’m sorry.” Language was not Greg’s strongest suit. “I think I’m a good 7 or 8 when it comes to shielding, when I’m not under the influence, but I haven’t tried against other telepaths. Mental conversations I haven’t perfected yet, so let’s make it like a 4? As for mind reading, I’m around a-”

It was one aspect of his power that he was mighty proud of. He’s not exactly the best there is, but he figured that he could at least pry a cute little tidbit about his beefcake of a trainer. Nothing like a good old peacocking right?

“-seve-shit! What was that?” If he was holding a cup at that moment, he surely would’ve dropped it. He stood there, rather lost. He was only inside Xavier’s head for less than a minute, and not that deep even, but he could’ve sworn he heard a conversation between two distinct people before he got kicked out.

“Are you a gremlin?”

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

<He's showing off,> Xavier mused, and Jax responded with a silent, mental chuckle.

<He's a boy. Didn't we do the same?>

<We definitely did.>

Their weakened walls were ultimately broken, and Jaxon laughed outwardly as he referenced to them as 'Gremlins'. "Hardly," the younger soul started, leaning forward in his chair with an amused smile on his face. "We at least know you can break through weaker walls. I'd like to see how far you can go in due time."

Jaxon knew Gregory was probably freaked out beyond belief; after all, their power was something of a unique thing. Most people were used to seeing Gestalts, not Hybrids. The younger soul placed the coffee to the side, before speaking up once more.

"We're not the average person, Greg. The best way I can put how Xavier and myself work is 'opposite gestalts'. I mean, a single body, two souls occupying it. Two different minds, a single body to occupy. We are able to switch in and out of control, one mind hidden and the other controlling our movements. So while you were talking to Xavier when you first began this session, you are now talking to me, Jaxon. It's nice to meet you, by the way."

He hoped he explained it right.

<You did.> Xavier said.

[Greg Mackenzie]

“Woah” was all Greg could say. And he thought he’d seen all there was to see when it came to metahuman abilities. The shocked expression remained on his face for a good minute or two. In fact, if it wasn’t for him blinking, he could’ve easily passed as a statue.

“I can’t even.” His shocked expression then turned into elated awe, smiling and saying, “A reverse-gestalt pair? That is so cool!” He felt like he needed to steady himself though, given how surprised and excited he was, so he sat on the chair right in front of Jaxon (or was it Xavier now? Maybe he should just stick to Mr. Wright to be sure), his eyes not leaving the man for a second.

And for once, it wasn’t because he was checking his trainer out.

He had so many questions – So how to fights between them look like? Who gets to decide which will take control of the body at a specific point in time? Do they sleep at the same time? Or could one mind stay asleep while the other’s awake, thereby making sleep unnecessary for their physical body? Who had the better taste in music? – but he figured now’s not the time. Maybe two or three weeks into training. It’s just rude to prod someone with personal question within minutes of meeting them.

“You don’t sound that different Mr. Jaxon,” he said absentmindedly. He’d love to get inside his trainer’s head again, see how it actually ‘looked’ like, but he did remember that of all the mental defenses of he’s encountered so far, Jaxon’s and Xavier’s were very very different. Granted he’s yet to try prying into an adult telepath’s mind (he wouldn’t dare go inside Dr. Neville’s) , but with his limited experience with Ms. Vasiliev’s and his other instructors, the Wrights had a vastly different mental landscape. He felt like he only broke through the weakest of their walls, and yet it required intense maneuvering.

Needless to say he wanted to learn how to do that. “So what are we doing today Mr. Wright?”

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

"You'll learn the differences. It doesn't take long," Jaxon wouldn't describe how his brother was the more excited of the two, the one who people typically looked to for a good time, and he was the more reliable of the two. It was a part of training to be able to differentiate between the two men and choose their favorite. Yes, Jaxon admitted he allowed the students to favorite one or the other. It gave them time alone, really. They hadn't truly disappeared for a long time because the sudden influx of new students.

"We're going to evaluate the control that you have over your power. I want to test your projection skills. We'll start off by having no mental shield up, and then we'll progressively make our walls stronger. I want you to try and project your thoughts onto us for as long as you can, and if you start to feel dizzy or sick, please tell us. There is no shame in stopping."

Xavier started speaking up in his head right then, and offered to simply fade away so it could be a one on one ordeal, making it easier on the telepathic boy. For a moment, Jax visibly stiffened, because yes, it had been quite a while since he last been alone.

<You don't have to,> He told Xavier hesitantly.

<It'll be easier for him to navigate, you know that.> Xavier argued, already slipping away from Jaxon.

<No!> Jax panicked, but Xavier was already gone.

For a moment, the world seemed to go dark and he forgot that Greg was in the room, but he quickly regained his composure. Jaxon's lips twitched upward into a nervous smile, and he laughed out of embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Gregory. Xavier and I, well, Xavier has went to sleep. Lazy bastard."

The man grasped for his brother's reply, but none had come. Jaxon was alone in their body for the first time in four months, and he did not enjoy it.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg wasn’t really much for body language – he’s often claimed that it was part of his dense, lumbering fool schtick – so Jaxon’s nervous ticks were largely lost on the boy. (His telepathy was quite the boon to him actually, despite the initial backlash he got upon manifesting). And besides, he was still a little bit distracted by his trainer, both because of his looks and his uniquely amazing ability.

So much so that he actually spaced out for a bit and missed around half of what Jaxon had said.

“Say what again?” he stuttered just slightly, mentally slapping himself for being such a doof, “Project thoughts. Sure. Got it. Easy breezy covergirl.” Not unlike his trainer, the grin that he flashed Jaxon was a mask for his nervousness and uncertainty. Despite his claim of being a three on the side effects list, thought projecting in itself was quite the ordeal for him. He could project to a crowd of people no problem – he just wouldn’t know who exactly he projected onto and who missed his message. Fine-tuning who exactly got his message was still a work in progress, as well as projecting a specific message to a specific person.

He closed his eyes for a bit and took a deep breath, as he imagined tendrils erupt from his mind and make their way towards Jaxon’s. He felt these tendrils sense other minds in the vicinity – three students, one staff member, and a dog which, since he could sense the dog’s mind, might’ve been a shifter – and had to actively restrain them from seeking those minds out. They had to latch on and deliver a message to Jaxon’s mind and Jaxon’s only, after all.

It took quite the effort, but he finally managed to anchor himself in his trainer’s mind. And then came the message.

/Hi. I think you’re cute. I mean, Ms. Vasiliev thinks you’re cute. Not me. ‘Cause that’s inappropriate. I would not dare have inappropriate thoughts about you ‘cause even my appropriate thoughts were inappropriate to most people and that’s not classy and I’m classy and shit I should stop omg how-/

Greg was focused on making sure he just delivered a message to Jaxon’s head and didn’t really think much about the thought he was sending, which explained the wordthough-vomit. “…You didn’t hear all of that, did you?”

Oh how he wished he had Marnie’s power right about now.

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

An amused, very amused, Jaxon, despite the fact that he was a teacher and this was a student, couldn't help but be flattered by the boy's attraction. Most people didn't express such an attraction toward them, a perk of having two people in one mind. The projection wasn't perfect, but it was definitely more advanced than some of the students on their first day with him. Jaxon proceeded to his shield and the sound of Greg's thoughts fell to more or less a whisper until it became nothing at all.

"No, not all of it," Jaxon replied with a suppressed smile, trying to avoid making the young Telepath any more uncomfortable than he already felt, after all, one's attraction to another couldn't really be helped.

"Your projection skills are decent, but I could tell you were focusing more on the 'aim' rather than what you were trying to project." Jax explained slowly, writing a quick note down on the pad he was using to write down the initial evaluation of Gregory. Ms. Vaseliev had given a few notices on her prior student before hand, so both Xavier and Jaxon knew what to expect when he had arrived. Well, that wasn't entirely true because every student came with their own surprises, but Jaxon knew he'd probably be a bit more compatible for the Telepath. He'd let Xavier know when he came back.

"Projection is difficult, especially when you have to pick and choose who you're trying to speak with. Too much focus can be detrimental to what you're trying to accomplish and raise the frequency of your side effects."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg finally let out the breath he’s been holding onto when Mr. Wright told him he didn’t actually get all of the telepath’s thoughts. He didn’t say exactly what he didn’t get, but Greg didn’t care; it’d let him believe that he only told his instructor bits and pieces and they didn’t have any sort of coherence at all. He’d take looking like an incompetent student than a horny one. The former’s a better first impression than the latter after all.

“Yeah. Aim’s always been a problem,” he answered, still a little out of breath and feeling oh-so-flustered. He bit his lip lightly and could not get to himself to look at his trainer in the eye. He knew he should at least try to meet his trainer’s gaze and act normal, but he just couldn’t. He was in a level of embarrassment he’s never experienced before. “It was how I manifested actually. Been happening every time, though I’ve sort of managed to keep it contained. Not as perfectly as I would’ve liked though. Like one time I was having sex in my room and accidentally projected the whole thing to my roommate who was in the common area.” His eyes widened when he realized what he just said – he’s told the story a thousand times to his friends as an example of his powers going awry that he actually said it without much thinking.

Day just kept on getting better and better.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what has gotten to me today.” Should he just get up and leave? It would be awkward but it couldn’t be more awkward than it already was right?

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

While Jaxon was highly amused, he was also concerned because it seemed as though he was incredibly nervous around them. Most students got over the initial nervousness in a week or so, but he had the most interesting reaction out of them all; what made it worse was that it was very clear that this boy had been farther than he ever had in any aspect of what was being insinuated.

It was depressing, really.

Jaxon cleared his throat and tapped his finger against the notepad in which he was collecting his notes on, glancing at Gregory with a mild concern. "Well, I feel like this would be the best time to offer condoms should you ever need them." Xavier always had bought them, a few different sizes, so students would feel comfortable coming to them. Jaxon wasn't usually the one who offered them to students, so that was something relatively new, but if he knew that Gregory was sexually active, he needed to know that Xavier and Jaxon were there to provide him with anything he needed in preparation towards keeping him safe.

"You're nervous, and because of that nervousness you're saying whatever it is that is coming to mind. It happens," Jaxon reassured him, standing up and heading to walk over to the file cabinet in the far left corner of the room.

[Greg Mackenzie]

His trainers’ (or was it still just trainer’s at this point?) condom offer got the Canadian a little bit more confused than ever. Was it meant to make him more comfortable around them, or to make it awkward? Was it serious, or just as a joke?

Thankfully, with Greg’s already twisted sense of humour and a couple of deep breaths, the Canadian decided to take it as a joke and simply let out a loud laugh. “Thanks, but I got myself covered,” said the boy, shaking his head and taking note of how twisted the exchange truly was. Seemed like he’d have quite the year ahead of him then. “My step-dad always said that if I’m still a little shy buying condoms and lube off the pharmacy, then I probably shouldn’t be having sex.” Got to love David’s refreshing take on sex ed for his kids. Gives Greg hope when it comes to Mariah growing up really.

“So how long does it usually take to get things under control?” He figured power control was a case-to-case basis, but there should be some sort of average right? “I heard that legally Hammel can’t let you go unless you’re not going to pose any threat to the general public or yourself, and since I sort of am a late bloomer, you think it’s still possible for me to start university when I’m eighteen or so?” He didn’t mind getting pulled back a year or so, but only if there was no other way. Him being a telepath was just a minor detour in his path right, not an unforeseen roadblock?

[Xavier & Jaxon Wright]

The topic most definitely needed to be dropped, that much Jaxon could tell; after all, the boy didn't appear to be too comfortable with it despite his words, and he could understand that fully. It was just as uncomfortable for him to even be offering that 'service', so he was grateful the subject change that Gregory had offered.

"It all depends on how fast you are able to grasp the concepts that are being taught to you, and how you are able to manage the side effects that are to come." He sifted around in the file cabinet, looking for the information his prior trainer had provided the Hybrid pair in order to read up on their new student. "Some days it'll feel like you'll never progress because it is hard, especially as a telepath, but we will try to see you through to graduation."

There was obviously some misconception of how the school worked, and Jaxon figured he'd at least quell some of the nervousness -if that is what you would call it- that the sixteen year old felt. "You can still attend university, but your options at that point are limited to Greenview or UVM, which aren't bad choices, if you graduate without full control of your power. There is a lot to be done, but I can promise I can try to get you to where you need to be by the time you graduate."

Jaxon found what he was looking for, and stepped back over to the desk, placing the file facing upward, "However, there are no guarantees. Focus on the tasks at hand, and not graduation when it comes to these sessions, because you'll get a lot more out of them if you do."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg’s face wrinkled a bit at his new trainer’s statements. It wasn’t hopeful no, but at least it wasn’t entirely bleak. And he appreciated how Jaxon didn’t try to sugarcoat the whole experience. He might just be sixteen, but it wasn’t like he grew up watching just Disney movies all the time. He knew better than to expect a happy ending all the time.

“Ehh, I’d rather not,” chuckled the Canadian as Jaxon listed the places he could go to should he not have full grasp of his power by graduation. Then he realized that his trainer might’ve been a graduate of either of those institutions, so he made what he thought was a relatively quick recovery. “I mean, they seem like lovely options, but I’m hoping to get in a university with a lacrosse reputation ya know. Like SFU or Michigan State.” Getting a varsity scholarship was his plan up until getting recruited to Hammel. He’s not sure how he’s supposed to be scouted now that he’s in a top-secret boarding school, but he’s still hoping he can play lacrosse. Since at the moment, he didn’t really know what else he’d want to do with his life.

Other than possibly shifting to football (or soccer to them Yanks). Cause unlike lacrosse, professional football players get paid a shitton of money to play. Like a lot.

“Ahh. Nice to hear. How long did it get for you to take control of your powers anyway Mr. Wright, if you don’t mind me asking.” He’s fairly sure it won’t be the same – at all – but hey, every little bit of reference counts.