Betta Fish

**Title:** Betta Fish

**Category:** _X-Men: First Class_

**Characters:** Mystique & Azazel

**Rating:** K+ for mention of killing

**Summary:** While settling into the newly formed Brotherhood, Mystique gets a pair of betta fish that remind her of herself and one of her new team mates.

**Disclaimer:** _X-Men_ is a copyright of 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics. I don't own any of these characters.

**Note:** I have no idea why I wrote this, maybe it was because I knew that Azazel and Mystique do eventually become parents to Nightcrawler and I would have to write something about them developing feelings for each other. It's mostly Mystique reflecting on her opinion of Azazel. The movie version of Azazel was great, Jason Flemyng handled the role well. Why I would involve betta fish in this? That is because the fish are brightly colored, very pretty, and they get nasty when they fight, just like the two mutants we all know. I actually looked up some information on betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish, so I could write the information accurately in this story. Turns out that they were being kept as pets in the 1960s and some people often made bets on fish fights.

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><p>In her room at the Brotherhood Headquarters, which was one of the Hellfire Clubs smaller hideouts, Mystique placed two glass jars on a table near the window. She had added colorful gravel and water to the jars before adding in a brightly colored fish to each of them. Once the fish settled into their new homes, Mystique watched them closely with her golden eyes.<p>

Earlier that day, Mystique was out shopping for supplies in one of her newer disguises. When she passed by a pet shop, she noticed these tiny colorful fish on display through the window. She remembered that one of her former team mates, Sean Cassidy, was at an aquarium when he was recruited by Charles Xavier, Mystique went into the shop to take a better look. After learning that the fish were called betta fish, not that expensive and easy to care for, she purchased two of them with some supplies knowing that she could find some glass containers for them at home. Mystique was advised by the shop employees that the fish should be separate because of their aggressive behavior.

When she returned to Headquarters, Mystique shifted back to her natural form and brought her new fish to her room. Considering that she would need a hobby to keep herself from stressing out over the fight for mutant kind, Mystique thought that caring for a pair of small fish would be an enjoyable one. Remembering the advice from the shop, she kept the fish separate.

In one jar was a blue female betta, Mystique found out that females had shorter fins than the males. Waving a blue finger in front of the glass, Mystique made a grin when the little fish followed the movement. The female's blue scales glittered in the daylight from the window, which reminded Mystique of her own blue scaly form. Even though she was learning to accept her true appearance, blue and scaly like a betta fish, she wasn't a fish living a simple underwater life. Before she lived under the care and protection of Charles Xavier, people were scared of her because she had blue fish-scale skin that wasn't natural for a small girl. Perhaps, Mystique felt that she should be more like the fish, uncovered in her natural form. She should not have to hide herself from anyone like a frightened fish in the reeds of a stream.

In the second jar was a male betta fish, rich red scales glimmered and long frilled fins waved about him as he swam. Mystique wriggled her finger in front of the male's jar, but instead of following the movement, the male puffed out his fins to make himself look bigger. Since she learned that the males were aggressive and had to be kept separate, Mystique backed her finger away and the red male calmed down. He must have mistaken her finger for another betta fish. Looking at the female again, Mystique considered how the male would behave around a fish of the opposite gender. Would they fight? Probably not, it was possible that the male and female would bond. Still, it was better to take caution and keep the male and female fish separated from each other.

Watching the male explore his tank, Mystique noticed that he was a majestic little fish that would certainly fight or kill when he had to. Then she realized that the red betta did remind her of another member in the Brotherhood, the red teleporter named Azazel. The first time she saw the teleporter, he killed CIA agents so brutally and without hesitation, which terrified her. Mystique had never seen such an aggressive attack from one mutant. The second encounter Mystique had with Azazel was on the beach during the fight, she knew she had to do something before Azazel could use his tail to stab out Hank McCoy's eye. It was probably just luck when she had distracted Azazel with her disguise as Shaw, the recently deceased leader of the Hellfire Club.

When Magneto and Mystique formed the Brotherhood with the former Hellfire Club members, Mystique often saw Azazel at group meetings. Tall, slender, dressed in a tailored outfit, and his dark hair smoothed back, Azazel did look quite sophisticated. Mystique noticed how Azazel walked majestically, swaying his forked tail behind him like the male betta fish would sway his fins. If Azazel agreed with someone, he would smile slightly, making his red and scarred face quite appealing. Just like the male betta, Azazel was alluring but lethal.

At first, Mystique didn't exactly trust Azazel, since he was one of Sebastian Shaw's loyal associates and could turn on Magneto as an act of revenge. When she voiced her concerns to Magneto, formerly Erik Lensherr, she was assured that there was nothing to worry about. After a week of forming the Brotherhood, it seemed that Azazel, Janos Quested, and Angel Salvadore sided with Magneto because they agreed with his ideas to improve the world for mutant kind, none of them seemed that interested in leaving or revenge.

Yet, Mystique did not mind being around Azazel when the rest of the group was present, it was the possibility of being alone with Azazel that made her uncomfortable. The blue shape-shifter was uncertain of what was on the red teleporter's mind. Once, when one of the Brotherhood's meetings parted, Mystique caught Azazel staring with pale blue eyes at her. His expression was calm, but the stare was unsettling. Mystique was not sure if he was still angry that he allowed her trick to distract him from the fight or if he was thinking about something else. What could happen if she was alone with the teleporter would be as unpredictable as placing the male betta in the same tank as the female.

Maybe in the time to come, she and Azazel would get used to working together for the better of mutant kind. For the present, Mystique was better off being separate from him, just like the female and male betta fish in their separate jars.

_End._


End file.
