C H A P T E R   23 :   T H E   L O N G S H O T   E F F E C T

He came in the cafeteria like a wrecking ball, that Longshot. Multiple hearts quickened. Several lusty sighs fell from eager lips. Plenty of fists and jaws clenched. Women and some men were bewitched; the others were left fuming.

I noticed all of this before actually seeing him.

"And so it begins," Alex muttered in between teeth, his whisper feeding off irritability, "the Longshot effect."

All the males at our table grimaced. Rogue and Kitty shared elated glances. Bianca choke on her orange juice and let her fork fall stridently to the ground. Some people were simply more susceptible.

I turned around and looked over my shoulder to find the source of such commotion. My eyes fell on a blond, blue-eyed man, and I couldn't help but to check him out. Most likely in his late thirties, he was tall, well built and handsome, no doubt. But there were other hunks in this school and they didn't cause this fuss. My eyes narrowed to examine him. My senses were telling me there was something else in his undeniable charm, as if it came with his power. 

Why did no one bother to warn me that this guy had superhuman attractiveness? It was a very pertinent information! How did they expect me to focus on my damn classes if he kept drawing me to him?

I swallowed. Ororo and Jean were beside him, both smiling happily, and I looked over at the table they were heading to. Logan and Scott were both there, looking miserable together. I couldn't help but chuckle, seeing them so cranky, and I watched in amazement as Logan's ears perked up at the sound of my voice and his eyes scanned the room in search of mine.

My heart contracted when his gaze fell upon me and I prayed he didn't notice it in between so many palpitating heartbeats. I had no idea Logan could recognize my voice so easily in the midst of a crowd.

But then again, couldn't I recognize his? That low, rough, husky voice that either bossed me around or stopped my fears from bossing me around. His voice was a thunder in between faint rain.

Logan gave me a short, almost unnoticed nod to greet me and I smiled. Suddenly Longshot didn't seem so attractive to me anymore.

Struggling to do so, I looked away from him and focused on my new teacher. He walked with all the confidence of someone who knew was a sensation and threw away dazzling smiles that instantly captured hearts. I felt the anger in me shot up: I didn't know if he was using his power intentionally or not but if he was it was a douche move.

"He's flirting with Storm, isn't he?" Bianca asked, her chin resting on her hand as she contemplated him dreamily. The action was repeated throughout several tables. Longshot had the sex appeal of a Hollywood heartthrob, an untamable rockstar and a wanted cowboy combined.

"Yes." Alex answered sulkily. "And she's flirting back."

"I always hate when he's around." Roberto confessed in the same tone. "Everyone either falls in love or in hate with him at first sight."

"Hmm... I don't." I retorted. "I'm Switzerland."

"Correction." Alex stared at me with a bantering smirk and I instantly knew there came trouble. "You're Loganland."

"Alex, darling." I smiled sweetly at him. "Do you by any chance want to get punched?"

His smirk shifted into a frightened expression in a blink. With great effort, Bianca diverted her eyes from Longshot and turned to me.

"Do you think he will flirt with you?"

"I'd like to see Logan's reaction to that." Roberto provoked, since Alex was too afraid to do so.

"And I'd like to see Lewis'." Bobby chipped in mordantly. His stare was ice on me: the atmosphere between us remained weird since our fight. I returned the stare back to him. I would not be the first to defrost.

"Look, guys, I'm sorry, ok?" I threw around. "I know I'm the reason Longshot's here so I apologize if his presence is upsetting to you."

"Don't mind them, Felicia." Kitty offered me her cheerful, kind smile. "You know how childish boys can be when their ego is threatened."

Piotr huffed. "We just don't appreciate when other men come and drag our women away from us. It's understandable."

Kitty rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Piotr, I'm just looking! If someone tries to drag me away from you I'll simply phase through them and come back to you."

Piotr gave her a satisfied grin and a lingering kiss. I was glad Longshot's stunning allure couldn't break true love. I looked back at him; our gazes met silently, but in my mind I heard an explosion. It was only then I noticed he had a star shaped scar on his left eye, now glowing, and most likely a sign that he was using his power. On me.

It was the only possible explanation: no one could sweep me off my feet so quickly, yet suddenly he seemed the most splendid person on Earth. My system was being overwhelmed by a powerful, unnatural attraction towards him: it was like he was tying my heart with rope and pulling it towards him very slowly. Or maybe it was just being slow because I was fighting against it. I refused to let my heart go like that. Love at first sight was dangerous and senseless and in this case, only a product of his power.

The Longshot effect was Cupid on drugs.

He had an irrefutable natural charisma women fell for, sure, but when he used his power... it was a whole other level of seduction. It was dangerous and hard to escape from. I felt the anger boil in my veins. My choices were mine. I could fight this. Suddenly I knew I could.

Sorry, hun, but you're not getting anything from me. I was taken too much already. My system is clean and this place is my rehab, so BACK OFF. No one steals the heart of a thief.

I watched as his head tilted and his eyes narrowed in perplexity. I let a smirk spread on my lips as I focused to get that crushing sensation off my brain. It was easier than I expected: he clearly offered no resistance. Some seconds later, the feeling was gone. My mind cut the rope around my heart just because I had wanted it to. I sat there, astonished by what I had just done. It was as if my willpower had turned into something more. Something solid and concrete. Like I had a personal genie lamp inside my head. Fuck, this shit was real! If I worked hard enough, I really could turn what I desired into reality.

I was Disney come to life.

Longshot's eyebrows raised, visibly impressed. I instantly dropped my smirk and shot him a warning with my death glare. Don't do that again.

He looked even more impressed.

"I don't mean to offend anyone, but, hum, Felicia, did you happen to be having any kind of telepathic... interaction with Longshot just now?" Alex asked me, and his voice made me dart my attention towards my friends to find them all staring inquisitively at me.

"What? No." I shook my head, still slightly shook. "What do you mean?"

Alex raised his hands in peace.

"I'm not judging! I mean, my brother and Emma Frost had telepathic sex once so nothing really surprises me anymore."

Woow, kinky! I stored the information in my memory for future reference. You never knew when it could come in handy.

"Dude, how do you even know that?" Piotr questioned as the table got divided between laughing hysterically or expressing utter disgust.

"It's fun to hear Jean bring that up whenever they argue." Alex shrugged nonchalantly. Yeah, I'm sure Scott shares your opinion.

"Longshot was just using his power on me and I fought it back." I explained. "I think I passed his first test with distinction."

"I wished all girls were as immune to him as you." Roberto sighed, looking around. "I swear he's like a siren that chants people into foolishness. What gives him the right to enchant you or anyone else?"

I smiled upon his protectiveness.

"I don't think he does it on purpose. Charm people, that is. It's a reflex of his power, good looks and charisma. I think he only used it intentionally on me, and just to see if my power reacted to his, I guess."

"You're absolutely right." A voice said from behind us. Roberto and I turned around to find Longshot smiling at us. Damn, his smile was nearly impossible to resist. He wasn't using his power now and yet I felt spellbound. Imagine Bianca. She was seconds away from fainting.

Longshot's piercing blue eyes glanced quickly at my friends before stopping on me. I heard whispers turning louder all across the room. There was a heart beating particularly furiously somewhere.

"I'm Longshot." He said, handing me his hand to shake. I reluctantly took it, still thinking about the trick he had pulled on me. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Felicia. I've heard a lot about you."

"Clearly not enough to think you could cast a spell on me and expect a thanks and a smile in return." I deadpanned. I got up, holding my tray with one hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I rather not socialize with my teachers more than I am obliged to. See you in class, Twinkle."

He chuckled as I passed by him. "So Logan was right about you."

***

"Hello, Felicia." Storm greeted me in the hallway before my class with Ray of Sunshine. He was with her, sunny as always. "I believe you've already met Longshot."

"Yup." I popped up the 'p', keeping an eye on the man. "I believe we got along really well." Longshot laughed. Even his laughter was sensual. Storm eyed him with a delighted smile.

"You're in good hands, Felicia. If professor Logan tells you otherwise, don't believe him." Storm said and Twinkle winked at her. They shared flirtatious smiles and then she stormed out of the hallway, wishing us a nice class.

"Shall we?" Longshot asked, opening the room's door and making a motion for me to enter. 

Nah, sir. I want to eye that ass too.

"Dark blondes first." I smiled innocently. Longshot chuckled but agreed and I entered the room after him. Best. Decision. Ever. Then I got down to business. "Before we get started, I would just like to say that if you try that little trick of yours again, you're the one who will be seeing stars. Don't care if you're my teacher or not. I absolutely hate being compelled."

Lognshot nodded, serious for the first time.

"I'm sorry for that. Rest assured, I'll never do it again without warning, but it might be useful to train your power to counterattack. I must say I'm very impressed. Most of the times people don't realize they're under my power's effect, let alone repel it like you did. I was testing you to have a glimpse of your power's potential and it exceeded my expectations. I'm very thrilled to teach you, Felicia."

"Well, don't speak too soon."

Longshot smirked and leisurely rested his back against the desk, one leg crossed. I swear I was trying hard not to look at how nicely his pants tightened.

"Tell me, how did it feel?" He questioned, watching me curiously. "To push my power away? Was it natural, like breathing?"

"Hum... no. I had to focus hard. I imagine I wouldn't have been able to do it if you had offered resistance."

Longshot nodded. "One day you'll be able to do it without even blinking. As you train your power more, it will also start to get to know you and your needs and desires better. It will work on your favor even if you don't specifically ask it to. Think about it as your guardian angel."

"That seems... unbelievable."

Longshot agreed with a chuckle.

"People like you and me, Felicia, we have access to a part of reality that is veiled to other people. We can feel the invisible probability fields around us and wield them as we wish. With time you'll start noticing their presence more, as if they're a second skin. They will be your shadows and you the sun to cast them."

I was getting more and more interested with every word, not only because he had a sexy voice and appetizing lips but mostly because of what he was saying. I wanted to try it. I wanted to see if I could replicate what I had done and how far I could take it.

"How does it work for you?" I asked curiously, leaning against the table behind me. I liked how this class was being informal and laid-back. I guess I could have had a worst teacher. I'm talking to you, Snape.

"I sense the probability fields around me and affect them to make unlikely events happen in my favor. In order to do that I have to focus on positivity and never use my powers for evil purposes, otherwise they can shut down or backfire on me. You don't have this limitation."

"I don't think it's very wise of you to tell me I can use my powers to cause harm without having to worry about suffering consequences."

Longshot shot me a long smile. I know you saw what I did there.

"I'm here to tell you what you can do and how you can do it. I'm not here to guide your moral compass. I believe that's Logan's job, and I'm not a fool nor have a death wish. I won't mess with Wolverine's job."

It was the first time Twinkle pulled a true smile out of me.

"So, as I was saying, you don't have to follow any moral code in fear your power will fail you. However, you must be aware that the happier you are, the better luck you'll have. The saddest you are, the worst luck you'll have. So far your power has mostly been working on a subconscious level. You weren't aware of it, and it acted as a release to the distress going on in your head. It was a reflex of your anguish. Once you get hold of it, you decide how you want it to behave. It will no longer rule you and you can do with it what your imagination allows."

"Oh, I can be creative." I offered him my mischievous smirk.

"I'll be the judge of that." Longshot gave it back. "To you, your power acts subconsciously and it inclines towards bad luck. To me, it causes positive outcomes even when I don't demand it too. It's always there, working beneath the surface, and it's always about good luck. I have, however, another boundary you don't, and I gotta say I'm jealous: whenever I create good luck for myself, my power creates an equal and opposite effect of bad luck somewhere else. So I try to limit its usage because I don't want to be responsible for somebody slipping on a banana peel or losing their entire money in a wild night in Vegas."

"So I don't have to worry about that? That every time I use my powers the universe will try to get even on somebody else?"

"Lucky you." Longshot smiled and I rolled my eyes at his pun. "That is not to say your power doesn't have limitations too. For example, the efficiency of your power is connected to your willpower and emotions. The stronger they are, the stronger and better the outcome will be. In addition, your power is not endless. If you use it too much at once it might run out and then you'll have to wait until your energy is restored to use it again, so make sure you use it wisely."

"I promise I will not use it to win the lottery too much." I smirked and so did he. Longshot enjoyed my playful mood. He encouraged it to make me focus on positive feelings. The thing was; there was a difference between having a smirk on your face and a smile on your mind.

"Also, keep in mind your power might malfunction if you come face to face with other probability manipulation users. Depending on the specifications of their power they might be able to reverse the effects."

"Like I did with you." I guessed, to which he agreed eagerly, as if delighted for having found a woman that was able to resist his appeal.

"Besides, the effort required to make something happen is inversely proportional to the probability of that event happening."

I nodded in comprehension. "The rarer the event, the harder it is to make it happen. It makes sense: common is easy and boring."

"You are a rare girl." Longshot threw me an enthralling smile, temptingly close of being flirtatious. Bianca would freak out. "I bet you make people work hard for you."

"Some days more than others." I agreed, flirting back. I couldn't help it; it was in my nature to seduce and never be seduced. I just didn't know if the latter still applied.

"So does that mean I'm going to have to work hard to teach you?"

His head was tilted to the side, his arms were crossed over his chest, defying me. Blessed be that shirt and those muscles.

"Yes. But fear not: I think you're up to the challenge."

Twinkle laughed softly, like a newborn star.

"I was warned you gave teachers a hard time. I was hoping you could open an exception for me, since I'm not really a teacher."

"Bring me a Kit Kat next time and I'll consider you my friend." I walked forward and handed him my hand to shake, smirking cheekily. "Deal?"

Longshot tossed me a sideways smile and took my hand in his. Our touch was casual and friendly. No sparks there.

"Deal. Now, don't forget your power is limited to things that actually have a possibility of happening. To manipulate reality you can only play with probabilities. In other words, the possibility of an event must be above 0% to cause it and less than 100% to prevent it. You can't make the impossible happen. For instance, you can't have all the power from every mutant on Earth because that would be unmanageable. You can't travel to China in two seconds. You can't win the lottery if you don't play first. You can't make it rain if there's no cloud in the sky. You can't break the universe in half."

"Got it. I can only work with what is plausible. Seems fine to me, it's not like I have plans to rule the galaxy anyway. But I'm curious, how do you know all that? Have you tried to do those things yourself?"

Longshot gave me a halting laugh and evaded my question.

"Let's say some of my dreams never came true. Don't worry, with time it will get easier to recognize which things you can and cannot do. At the same time, you can't prevent the absolute from happening either. You can't stop time or travel to the past or the future because you can't prevent time from always moving forward and never backwards. You can't bring someone back to life if they're dead already."

I thought about my parents and surprisingly it didn't hurt. It was a sign. A sign I was finally coming to terms with their deaths, accepting their loss and grieving them correctly. A sign I was letting them go while forever holding them dear to my heart.

"If someone is dying, though, and there's a minimum chance they'll survive, you can save them. But not if there is no chance left. And it's not your fault if there's nothing you can do. So, death is one thing you can't prevent from occurring. Life is another. Somewhere in the universe, there will always be something being born. If something has one hundred percent chance of happening, you can't avoid it."

"Ok. So at most I can cause the highly unlikely to happen and prevent the highly likely from happening, right?"

Longshot smiled at me, pleased, the blue in his eyes glistening.

"Exactly. In other words, your power is limited by logic, reality, causality, and truth. This is basically what you need to know in theory. Now I bet you're dying to try it again, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow challengingly and lift his lips in a half smile. "That sensation of holding palpable power, like you can actually touch it... it's addictive, isn't it? The control in your hands?"

"Oh, yeah." I smiled at him. "I'm all for the physical fun."

"We'll work hard then, but, Felicia, it won't come easy. You'll have to zone out the world and your worries and zoom in on your intuition and inner will. Channel your energy into good luck. The more you trust your abilities, the more they'll trust you and your skill to use them. With time you'll grow more confident with them. Now, I'm not here to force you to be happy overnight. But I can show you how nice this power can be."

I accepted his offer with a smirk. "May the odds be ever in our favor."

***

At Logan's class, Tara Cooper was staring creepily and too closely at me. I snapped my neck in her direction, bothered by her stalking.

"What, do you want a selfie?"

She rolled her eyes at me, arms crossed over her chest defensively.

"I've been trying to figure out for a while now why you get such special treatment and I simply can't."

"Try harder then."

Tara ignored me and gazed at Logan who was demonstrating a new fighting technique. Damn, those sweatpants suited him.

"First Logan and now Longshot? Why are you the only one with two private teachers?"

"Do I need to remind you I'm older than most students here and therefore can skip the basic education and have more time for specialized, advanced classes?"

Tara's eyes narrowed, visibly upset. I swear I had no idea how to deal with this girl. She was as unpredictable as Deadpool's humor.

"Are you calling me dumb?"

I sighed of frustration and pinched my nose.

"No. Clearly what I said differs from what you understood."

"Whatever. I'm just wondering if there's not something else in this story. If you're not... using your looks to get certain benefits."

I gritted my teeth at the insinuation. "Ok, let's stop the slut-shaming right there. Logan is working out. Why aren't you reveling in it?"

"I can multitask." She deadpanned. "Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if you used your body to your advantage. I mean, if I had one like yours, judge me all you want, but I can't say I wouldn't."

"Your body, your choice, I get that." I said, really trying hard to control my incensed tone. "But stop accusing me of things you don't know nothing about. Really, it's not okay you immediately jump to those kind of conclusions and make assumptions of sexual nature just because I'm a woman. You are one too. Let's respect each other more, ok? Besides, Logan and Longshot would never fall for such trick, whether it was you, me, or anyone else doing it. They're not that kind of people."

Tara stared at me, slightly taken aback. When I put on my spicy tongue, the whole world got scorched.

"You always speak of the teachers as if they're not your superiors."

"They're not. No one is." I shrugged upon her widened eyes. "In what really matters, we're all equal. There's just some people with a higher status, that's all. That doesn't make them better than anyone else."

"You have a weird way of thinking."

"Thank you."

She sighed. "It just doesn't seem fair that you get such attention, and no one other than me seems to be bothered by it. I feel like there's something off about you, Felicia. I just don't know what exactly."

Hum, is it the fact that I'm the Black Cat, the fact that I was created for the sole purpose of being a killing machine or the fact that maths and statistics may actually be useful to me?

"Oh, really? Well, what are you planning to do about it?"

"She's planning on minding her own business, right, Tara?" Logan spoke up, and every eye widened, including mine. It was the first time he defended me in class instead of scolding me. His class was like our own little battlefield, away from the wars waged outside.

"I-I... right." Tara was blushing like someone had painted her cheeks with red wine. Logan's stare on her was heavily harsh, and she looked away. I knew how intimidating his eyes could be, but with me that only made me want to look more. And more closely. "I'm sorry, sir."

Logan gave her a short nod. Then he made his eyes slide to me.

"Felicia. Come here." There he goes, bossing me around.

Forget about Longshot. No one drew me in like Logan, and he didn't need a special skill. All it took was the raspy sound of his voice and the effervescent flare in his eyes and there I was walking to him.

"What do you need me for, sir?" I mocked, tightening my ponytail.

"I need a partner for the demonstration you weren't paying attention to, so try to keep up instead of messing it up." Ah, here is the incisive, grouchy Logan I'm used to. The one I can play with and not get cut.

"Now I'm paying attention." I heard a guy mutter, and I noticed Logan heard it too because the guy visibly shrank upon his death glare.

Logan instructed me my place and started the fighting motion. I took advantage of our closeness to let out a whisper only he would hear.

"If you're afraid I'll mess up, why didn't you choose somebody else?"

His eyebrows raised; my eyes widened in response. Was it possible that that thought had not even crossed his mind? Instead of answering me, Logan made me trip and I fell harshly on the mattress.

"And this, kids, is what you should not do. Thanks for the help, Felicia." He sneered, his eyes on everyone but me. I felt a trace of anger, but it was subdued by something else. Logan always knew how to stir me up and push my buttons. He knew exactly what to do to get a reaction out of me. He liked playing with me, for he knew he wouldn't get cut either.

Our bickering was classic, but never toxic. Addictive, but never noxious. Non-stopping, and always foxy.

"Anytime. I'm always up to fall on a mattress." Especially if you're the one who throws me. Students laughed; Logan just stared at me, words in his inciting eyes: show me why I chose you. I smirked, accepting the challenge and the hand he was extending me. He pulled me stronger than needed and I stumbled forward, my chest grazing his ever so slightly. It was as quick as lightning but it felt slow like an eclipse.

He grabbed my arms to steady me; my heart flew inside my chest, no ropes on it. This was natural and intense and absolutely terrifying.

Our eyes locked and in that moment I swear we were possible.

Then I made him trip swiftly like he had taught me and he fell harsh on his gorgeous ass. Sorry, dear, I hope you didn't get too damaged.

Logan looked up at me, an indecipherable blaze on his eyes. Slowly, his lips formed a small but proud smile and I offered him my hand to take. When he did, the world reset. The contact of his skin against mine made me believe in the impossible. It felt like holding a flame that didn't burn. Or snatching away something that had no shape.

"And, this, kids, is what you should absolutely do." Logan declared, straightening himself up and eyeing me from the corner of his eye. "But in case you blinked and missed it, Felicia...?"

"Sure." I agreed with a smirk on my face and a smile on my mind. Seemed like some odds didn't need special powers to be reversed. "I'll make you fall whenever you want."

A/N: I hope you liked Longshot! I got the informations about his and Felicia's power in Marvel and Superpower Wikis :) any doubt, just ask! They have such a cool power, though. What would you do if you could change reality?

Picture is Longshot in the comics and portrayed by Charlie Hunnam. Damn, I'd tap that :)