A/N: so, bit of background to start. ‘Childhood’s End’ is an arc from the New X-Men comics that ran from 2006 until 2007 (but for this story, we’re only using New X-Men: Childhood’s End, Vol. 1 and New X-Men: Childhood’s End, Vol. 2: Crusade which were published in early 2006). It takes place during the aftermath of M-Day. M-Day being when a massive percent of the mutant population lost their powers as a result of the Scarlet Witch altering reality (the Xavier Institute went from 182 students to just 27, so…….yeah. massive population drop). I love this arc, I own every issue of it, and I like to think it’s what made me want to be the comic fan I am today. Anyway, I was re-reading it the other day and then the idea for this just popped into my head. Especially after seeing this here.

Sanghyuk woke up to two things; screaming outside his dorm room, and the feeling that something was wrong.

“Hyung?” Sanghyuk turned to his roommate, “what’s going on? What’s up with all that screaming?”

“S-Sanghyuk,” his roommate, Hongbin, replied, voice shaking, “Sanghyuk.”

“What’s wrong?” Sanghyuk asked, rushing to the other’s side, “what happened? Why….why are you looking at your hands like that?”

“My powers,” Hongbin explained, voice weak and shaking even more, “they……..they’re gone.”

“What?” Sanghyuk whispered, “they……how? Why would…..? What could……?”

“Can you…..?” Hongbin asked and Sanghyuk realized exactly what Hongbin wanted. He wanted to see if he was alone.

Sanghyuk nodded, that feeling of something being wrong growing in his gut. He tried to do something, anything, with the water resting in the cup beside his bed. But the water remained motionless in the glass. So Sanghyuk tried harder, ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes as he reached out towards the liquid and silently begged it to do something.

“Sanghyuk,” Hongbin sobbed, rushing forewords to hug the younger, “our powers are gone.”

Sanghyuk didn’t respond. He just dropped his hand and stared at the water. After a few moments, he heard the headmistress’ voice in his head, commanding him to sleep. So he let himself do as ordered. And he prayed that when he woke up, everything would be normal again.

--

“How many others?” Hakyeon asked, “did…did they tell you how many others lost……?”

“Lost their powers?” Jaehwan sighed, “Nope. Headmaster said he’d tell us everything once the staff had figured everything out.”

“I don’t see Hongbin and Sanghyuk,” Wonsik said, “you don’t think……?”

“No way,” Hakyeon assured the third youngest, trying to sound confident, “I’m sure they’re just someplace else. Maybe when we all got knocked out, they were coming down the stairs and they need a healer.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Taekwoon whispered, looking around the room in hopes of spotting the two youngest despite knowing he wasn’t going to find them.

“Don’t talk like that,” Jaehwan scolded, “they’re fine.”

“Everyone,” the headmaster’s voice called out, causing all conversation to end and a tense, worried atmosphere to engulf the room.

“We have news,” the headmistress said, “I’m afraid that there had been an event that has caused much of the world’s mutant population to lose their powers.”

“What kind of event?” someone asked.

“How many lost their powers?” another called out.

“What about everyone who’s not here?” a third questioned. Hakyeon thought he recognized him from his math class. He had a younger sibling at the school. That younger sibling was missing from the room.

“I’m afraid” the headmaster said sadly, “that everyone not here has become a victim of this event. Everyone gathered here……you are the only students who still have your powers.” Jaehwan did a quick head count and only came up with a around thirty people counting himself. He knew that there were around two hundred kids enrolled at the school.

And then it hit the four.

Hongbin and Sanghyuk weren’t in the room.

Hongbin and Sanghyuk weren’t in the room with those who still had their powers.

Hongbin and Sanghyuk had—

--

“What are you going to do?” Hakyeon asked, hugging the lightly sobbing Hongbin while Wonsik rubbed the younger boy’s back.

“No idea,” Sanghyuk sighed, letting Jaehwan and Taekwoon cuddle against him as much as they wanted, “but I’m pretty sure I can’t stay here.”

“Why not?” Taekwoon huffed, “you’re one of us.”

“Not anymore,” Sanghyuk replied, hoping he hadn’t let any bite leak into his words, “I don’t have any powers, remember?”

“We could fake it?” Hakyeon suggested, “How hard could it be?”

“You’re joking, right?” Sanghyuk rolled his eyes.

“Right,” Hakyeon sighed, realizing how stupid an idea it really was. He just……he didn’t want to see Sanghyuk and Hongbin leave.

“They’re gonna kick us out,” Hongbin said, voice weak from crying, “The headmistress kicked out a couple staff members who lost their powers.”

“She didn’t kick them out,” Sanghyuk corrected, recalling the conversation the two had overheard, “she suggested that they leave because being here…..after what happened……it’s too dangerous for depowered mutants. She just…..didn’t suggest it nicely.”

“She isn’t wrong,” Wonsik scowled, hating to admit it, “the whole world realizes that something happened. Thousands of mutants just….vanished. From all over the world. It’s all over the news and those crazy people who hate us? They’re using it. That reverend guy? r or Stryker or whatever? He’s saying this is some act of god. That it’s proof that we’re evil or something stupid like that.”

“He’s got a lot more support now then he did last week,” Sanghyuk sighed, “and everyone knows it. It was never all that safe to be a mutant, but now? Now it’s even worse.”

The others remained silent, all knowing he was right.

--

Sanghyuk sat by the pool, just watching the water he used to be able to control. But it could have been worse he supposed.  He could have died when he lost his gift. There was one kid, Sanghyuk only knew him as Hydro, who’d died that accursed morning. His power……he’d been in the pool when he lost his powers and drowned. The teachers had tried to save him, but……

He was the only kid who actually died at the school as a result of power loss, but a few others came close. One kid, Melody if Sanghyuk recalled right, had jumped off the roof to prove that she still had her powers. One of the teachers had saved her in time thankfully. Another kid got hurt and could have died because Wither thought he’d lost his powers too. See, Wither….Kevin….had this….death touch. He could, well, wither anything organic. So when he touched the Collins girl……..when he grabbed Laurie’s arm……

Sanghyuk had seen her arm when he went to talk to Elixir……Josh….about the whole “no more x-gene so you can’t be healed” thing. It was bad. Sanghyuk felt awful for her. Laurie was a nice girl, really sweet and kind. She didn’t deserve to have that happen to her. And Josh was beating himself up about not being able to heal her. Sure, he felt pretty bad already that he couldn’t fix the kids who’d lost their power, but Laurie……she was his girlfriend or something, right? Not being able to fix her was a whole other level of awful.

Sanghyuk hadn’t seen Kevin around recently. The poor guy was probably blaming himself. Not his fault he thought he’d lost his powers like almost everyone else. It wasn’t his fault. But he thought it was and was probably planning to runaway because of the guilt. But it was better the guilt made him run then……..then something else.

At least he knew what he was gonna do, though. Sanghyuk had no idea what to do without his powers. He’s always dreamed of being an X-Man, of helping and protecting people. It was why he’d been to into the idea of training squads when they were first announced. It was perfect training for an actual X-Man team. But without his powers he couldn’t do that.

Hongbin at least had some kind of direction. Sanghyuk had heard him talking to his parents the night before. They wanted him home and after a couple of hours of talking to them he’d finally given in. Sanghyuk knew that Hongbin was packing his stuff while he just sat there and wished for his powers back. The other had offered to take Sanghyuk with him, but…….

Hongbin’s parents hated that their son was…..had been a mutant. When they found out that he’d lost his gift, they’d probably cried big, old, fat tears of joy. There was no way they were gonna take in someone like Sanghyuk into their home. Someone who tied Hongbin to this school and his mutant past.

Sanghyuk wondered though…..had Hongbin told the others?

As Hakyeon said, they were still a team regardless of who had powers. They were still friends. M-Day hadn’t changed that. They weren’t gonna let Hongbin just leave, so……would Hongbin tell them he was going?

“Hey.”

Sanghyuk glanced over to see Jaehwan sitting down beside him.

“Hey,” Sanghyuk replied, eyes returning to the water.

“Things are pretty messed up, aren’t they?” Jaehwan sighed.

“Yeah,” was all Sanghyuk could think to say.

They fell silent, neither sure what more they could say.

“My parents called,” Jaehwan finally said, deciding that he had to tell someone, “They want me home. They said…..they said that they sent me here to learn. Not to die.”

“You should listen to them,” Sanghyuk told him, “they’re rich, right? They can afford to protect you. Afford to keep what you are hidden.”

“But I can’t just leave,” Jaehwan argue, “not after all of this.”

“Yes you can,” Sanghyuk replied, “no one will blame you.”

“Some might,” Jaehwan muttered, “like Keller. That jackass will paint me as some kind of traitor to mutants.”

“Keller is a ,” Sanghyuk scoffed, “did you hear what he told David last night? Don’t let him decide what you’re going to do.”

“I know,” Jaehwan sighed, “I just……he’d be right. About my leaving being a betrayal. How can I leave everyone here to deal with everything we all know is coming?”

“Easy,” Sanghyuk told him, “you pack your bags, tell the staff you’re going home, and leave.”

“Sanghyuk,” Jaehwan glared at the other.

“If I had a place to go,” Sanghyuk said, “a place where I could lay low until things calmed down, I’d go. And my friends, my real friends, would understand that.”

“I know,” Jaehwan sighed again, “I know.”

“If you know,” Sanghyuk smiled sadly, “then do it.”

“But,” Jaehwan tried to explain.

“You need to do what’s best for you,” Sanghyuk sighed, “we all need to at some point. Sometimes……..sometimes doing what’s best for the group isn’t the right thing to do.”

“When did you get so smart?” Jaehwan laughed, but his laugh lacked the joy it normally held.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think lately,” Sanghyuk shrugged, “and……and leaving is what I’m going to do.”

“What?” Jaehwan gasped.

“I don’t know where I’m gonna go,” Sanghyuk shrugged, “but I just…..can’t be here. I’m just waiting for the staff to tell me when it’s safe to go.”

Jaehwan didn’t respond, he just moved to hug Sanghyuk.

“The others aren’t going to like it,” the elder finally said.

“Don’t expect them to,” was the reply, “but I just………I can’t stay here. Not like this. I need to go. I need to…….to find myself.”

“Hmm.”

--

“Sanghyuk?” Hakyeon gasped, “What are you doing?”

“Packing,” Sanghyuk replied, not pausing to even look at the other young man, “the last bus of depowered students  is leaving tonight. I’m going to be on it.”

“No,” Hakyeon scowled, moving to try and stop Sanghyuk, “no, you’re staying here with us.”

“I can’t,” Sanghyuk told him, fighting to push Hakyeon away.

“Yes you can,” Hakyeon pleaded, “this is your home.”

“No it’s not,” Sanghyuk snapped, “it’s not my home.”

“Yes, it--,” Hakyeon started to say, but Sanghyuk was quick to cut him off.

“This isn’t home for humans,” Sanghyuk hissed, “and that’s what I am. Human.” His voice weakened to a whisper by the end and Hakyeon honestly had no idea what to say.

What could he, someone who’d kept his powers, say to Sanghyuk, someone who’d lost his powers, to make him feel better?

“I don’t want you to go,” Hakyeon finally said, “so please……..please stay.”

“I can’t,” was all Sanghyuk could say.

“Why did this have to happen?” Hakyeon asked, eyes filling up with tears, “Almost everyone lost their powers. Hongbin’s gone. Jaehwan left this morning. Now you’re leaving. It just….it just….” Hakyeon lost it then, sobbing as in really, truly sunk in how messed up everything was now.

Sanghyuk didn’t know what to say, so he just moved to hug his friend and former training squad captain.

“What now?” Hakyeon suddenly asked, sounding tired and so very done with everything.

“Huh?” Sanghyuk blinked, “what’s up?” It took Hakyeon a moment to respond.

“The headmistress,” Hakyeon grumbled, “she wants all students to suit up and meet her in the danger room. For what….hell if I know.”

“I didn’t hear her,” Sanghyuk sighed, “so I guess I’m not needed.”

“Yeah,” Hakyeon nodded sadly, mind recalling the days before M-Day. Back when all his friends had their gifts and their squad, VIXX, was still whole.

“Get going,” Sanghyuk smiled sadly, recalling the same thing, “if you’re late, the headmistress will be mad.”

“Right,” Hakyeon nodded, turning to leave and pausing before shutting the door, “just…….don’t leave before I have a chance to say goodbye. Alright?”

“I’ll try,” Sanghyuk nodded.

A/N: and now, dear readers, you get to decide which ending you want me to post first. Happy? Or Sad? Both will be posted, I just wanna know which to post first.